STEREO TYPES

Selected Tracks from the History of Broadcasting at Deerfield

SPRING DAY, 1967 / DEERFIELD RADIO BROADCASTING (DRB) WAS BORN

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This is an excerpt from the ongoing tale of radio broadcasting at Deerfield Academy—a project originally created in December 2021 by Bob Dutton ’70 and Charlie Trautmann ’70 after their 50th Reunion. Bob and Charlie discovered that while there had been several iterations of “radio” at Deerfield, there was no unified record of that evolution, nor was there a repository for the rich body of stories from those who had been involved along the way. They set out to create such a record based on three distinct “chapters:” Deerfield Radio Broadcasting (DRB) 1620 AM: 1967-1970s; WGAJ 91.7 FM: 1981-2009; and 2018 to today: streaming programs on mixlr.com. It is their hope that this will be a “living history” and that others who have been involved in the past, present, and future of Deerfield radio will add their contributions to update the document and accompanying materials in the Academy Archives. Send your radio tales to Archivist Anne Lozier (alozier@deerfield.edu)and visit deerfield.edu/about/archives/galleries for more great content!

Deerfield Radio Broadcasting was born on Spring Day 1967 on a table in the Radio and Electronics Club, in a space that is now a lounge in the northeast corner of the basement of the Arms Building (see photo above, left). The station consisted of a 100-mW transistor device built from plans in Popular Electronics magazine, along with a desk, an ancient turntable, and a microphone. It was a one-man show, with the disc jockey struggling to change records as he talked. The broadcasting range was several hundred feet at best, and the frequency was 1620 kHz (more or less) at the top of the AM band. Reception was great if one was standing directly under the antenna (which led to the creation of an antenna somewhat longer than called for by the design specifications . . . ) This project was mostly a one-day pilot event by the club members to gauge interest in the concept of Deerfield having a broadcast station. It was a success, however, and work began over the next year or so to create a “real” radio station. The people involved included then freshmen Bob Dutton ’70 and Charlie Trautmann ’70, and several other members of the club.

In January 1968 DRB (also known as “Deerfield Academy Radio” or DAR) came back on the air, broadcasting on a regular basis at 1620 am. Broadcast hours were limited to morning and evening, and the disc jockeys were inexperienced and undependable.

The technical side of the operation was handled by Charlie and Bob, who had been instrumental in the founding of the station the year before. In the weeks before DRB opened, these two were to be found in any spare moment in the Radio Club room in the science building. There, they did the meticulous and intricate work of wiring and testing (and sometimes rewiring and retesting) complex radio frequency (RF), audio, and power systems. As the year wore on, DRB found it challenging to build up a sufficient collection of current records, and consequently, student interest lagged somewhat, but it did not stop.

Accordingly, in the fall of 1968, the decision was made to separate the station from the Radio Club room in the basement of the Arms Building. Several locations were considered, and the group finally obtained permission to create a facility in a remote section of attic in the west end of the Memorial Building. Plans were drawn up by members of the club, and costs were calculated. The administration generously agreed to fund the materials and labor for the studio, and in mid-February 1969, construction by the DA facilities department commenced. The new studio consisted of three small rooms and was completed a week later. The rooms included a DJ studio with double-glazed, soundproof window, a control room, and a record library.

With the physical studio completed, the leaders of the station went into action. A committee of five: Steve Esthimer ’69, Bill Morine ’69, Dan McKay ’70, Bob Dutton ’70, and Charlie Trautmann ’ 70, divided the responsibilities for operating the station.

Dan McKay recalls: “It brought back memories of those early rogue days. The first that came to mind was of a couple of us slipping away one night from a school dance with a couple of Miss Hall’s girls in tow in order to ‘show them the studio’ . . . but I digress.

“My involvement was on the programming side rather than the technical side. Those were the days of records and turntables. As I recall, we had two turntables in the studio. While one record was playing, the DJ would cue up the next record and then hold the turntable still with his thumb until it was time for the next record to play and then release his thumb so that the turntable would turn and the music would start on cue. I think that at some point Bob may have devised a modification that allowed us to keep the turntable from spinning without manually holding it. This made life easier for the DJ but resulted in wear and tear to the turntables.

“I also recall that one of the issues we faced was to secure a source of current records. Several of us made a trip into Greenfield to a record store where we succeeded in convincing the store to loan us 45’s of the current top 30 records. We made weekly trips to the store for a period thereafter to return those records that had dropped from the list and pick up those that had come onto it.”

The grand opening was on March 31, 1969. DRB continued to improve and grew steadily. The listening audience expanded, including townspeople and the Bement School, as well as Deerfield students and faculty. New additions to the record library were made weekly, largely through the generosity of Richard L. Swig ’69, whose father was in the record industry. The station managers also trained underclassmen in various phases of the operation.

(((((((((((((“The Gap” ))))))))))))

This chapter of the story ends in 1970 for the moment, with the graduation of Bob Dutton, Charlie Trautmann, and others in the Class of ’70. There are indications that the station continued to operate at least into 1973 based on a photo from the 1973 Pocumtuck (can anyone identify this “air personality”?) but little post-1970 documentation has been discovered to date. We’re looking for alumni who graduated in the mid-1970s to help fill in this gap. Thanks in advance!

Several of us made a trip into Greenfield to a record store where we succeeded in convincing the store to loan us 45’s of the current top 30 records.

((((((((((((( More Power! ))))))))))))

The DRB signal was more powerful and traveling greater distances than anyone realized at the time. As told by former Academy faculty member (and erstwhile ham radio operator) Jim Hemingway:

“When I first tuned in to your impressively strong signal just below the 160 meter band, you were playing Jimi Hendrix—‘Are You Experienced’—(or maybe ‘Foxy Lady’) from the first Hendrix Experience album.

I was living in an apartment next to the Mt. Toby apartments on Route 47 in Sunderland and was on the air at the time when I heard these complaints from hams coming from all over the northeast. They unfortunately didn’t appreciate Jimi Hendrix and his music. Some of them knew that the signal was coming from somewhere around Deerfield, and it didn’t take me but a moment to figure out that it was coming from the Academy. And so I told them to put down their phones and let me investigate. I hopped into my old Willys Jeep station wagon—I was a grad student at UMass at the time—and drove over to Old Deerfield and tracked the signal to the DRB studio in the attic of the Memorial Building.

WGAJ 91.7 FM takes to the airwaves! ))))))))

Broadcasting at Deerfield remained dormant from the early 1970s for about a decade, probably for the lack of technical capacity to keep the electronics functional. Although the AM station (DRB) went dark, the physical facility remained intact in the attic of what was then known as the Memorial Building.

In the early 1980s, several students became interested in creating a FCC licensed, non-commercial FM radio broadcasting station on campus. Mark Beaubien ’83, Bill Kaufmann ’83 (son of then Headmaster Robert Kaufmann), and Jeff Silverman ’83 got the ball rolling.

Technical details (DRB):

A group of students stayed at Deerfield over spring break in 1969 to finalize and install the equipment. Charlie Trautmann provided the radio frequency gear, which consisted of a 1940svintage Meissner Signal Shifter, a tube-type variable frequency oscillator (VFO) running about 15 watts and having interchangeable coils that allowed it to transmit on various amateur radio bands. He modified the equipment to broadcast at the top of the AM band (1620 KHz, with 1800 KHz being the bottom end of the 160-meter ham band) and built a modulator to integrate with the audio signal from the studio.

To go with this more powerful transmitter, a larger and higher antenna was also installed, consisting of a half-wave dipole antenna (approximately 90 m long) strung high above the ground between a chimney of the Memorial (now Hess) Building and a nearby tree. This transmitter and antenna alleviated the signal strength problems of the station’s prior iteration. In fact, the combination was so effective that DAR’s signal was subsequently picked up by ham radio operators hundreds of miles away. Not all of them appreciated this “rogue transmission” or “pirate radio,” as it was called at that time...

They submitted an application for an FM broadcast license to the Federal Communications Commission in spring of 1981, which was initially rejected on a technicality; they had mistakenly provided GPS coordinates in Greenfield rather than Deerfield. They updated the application, and apparently it was approved within hours. WGAJ had passed the first of many subsequent hurdles. The first broadcast, at 91.7 MHz on the FM dial, hit the airwaves in early 1982.

The next problem was to find a better location for the station’s studio. The logical place was the attic of the Memorial Building, starting with the remnants of the DRB facilities from the late 1960s. Unfortunately, there was insufficient heat and air conditioning in that attic studio, and the heat generated by the equipment proved problematic. On top of that, the fans cooling the auditorium below shook the room, and the mics and record players picked up the vibrations.

To add to the problems, the transmitter, as initially installed, was located in a small closet next to the audio console, which proceeded to pick up all sorts of RF interference. The real problem, however, was that the 100-Watt FM transmitter was feeding an antenna on the roof directly above the studio, which caused a lot of radio frequency interference to the studio audio console below.

In addition to managing the technical aspects, students were needed to run the business side of the operation. Mark Beaubien and Bill Kaufmann served as station co-managers; Jeff Silverman was technical manager; and Eric Suher ’83 was business manager.

Then, as recounted by Mark Beaubian, came a fortuitous phone call from someone who had worked with the Deerfield students who had built the AM radio station some years before. As it turned out, it was none other than Jim Hemingway, local ham radio operator, who had been helpful in the early days of “Deerfield radio” and was living nearby in Greenfield at the time. Jim offered to help with the new FM station, and this was probably the best thing that ever happened to radio broadcasting at Deerfield.

Mark continues: “Jim Hemingway was, and still is, an amazing radio engineer. When he came to visit WGAJ for the first time, Jim was chief engineer of WPOE in Greenfield, a 10-kW directional AM station on 1520 kHz. After taking a look at our setup, he initially helped us by cleaning up the FM transmitter interference to our Broadcast Electronics audio console. Later on, he helped to lay out a plan to move our 91.7 MHZ transmitter and antenna up to a new location high atop Pocumtuck Ridge, and to relay our programming up to this new transmitter site by microwave.”

“To The Rock!” (Mark Beaubien) )))))))

“Now, in the spring of 1983, the real fun began. We needed more money, as there was no tower up there at the Rock to put the antenna on or a building to house the transmitter and the STL (Studio-Transmitter Link). With great hope and enthusiasm, we reapplied to the FCC to relocate the transmitter. While at first it appeared it would be simple to use the same power level and frequency, in reality, locating the transmitter 750 feet higher at the Rock meant that WGAJ’s signal could be heard all over Franklin and Hampshire counties. We were finally going to really put WGAJ on the map.

Next, the station managers and Jim approached the Town of Deerfield at a selectmen’s meeting with a win-win proposal: We’d put a tower up on town land at the top of Pocumtuck Ridge and share it with the town’s fire/police radios if the town let us use the land near the Rock to erect it. They took the bait and we started raising the money for a tower, a transmitter building, and the associated utilities. The tough part was the cost of the STL microwave link, which was $10,000.

The spring of 1983 was an ultra-blur as the work progressed, and the station remained on the air during this transition.

Jim’s imagination and energy brought many new innovations during 1983, such as building an ingenious battery-powered console that allowed us to broadcast sports events remotely, on the road from other schools. This little box interfaced with a telephone line and sent the sports announcer’s voice back to the station so people at DA could listen to broadcasts of live games, just like the pros. Several future college sports announcers were inspired by this part of their Deerfield experience. The catch for remote broadcasting was locating a ‘convenient’ phone line that we could tap into. On one occasion—at Choate, I think—WGAJ had to run the zip cord telephone line nearly a mile, and had to cross a river (wider than the Deerfield River). During the broadcast of the game, a power boat came up the river and its prop cut our phone line.

As the ‘founding fathers’ of WGAJ approached graduation, there was growing concern for the future of the station.

In June 1983, Headmaster Bob Kaufmann offered Jim a position in the English Department, along with residency in Plunkett Hall. He lived and taught at Deerfield from the fall of 1983 to June of 1992, after which Wesley Brown, then the Academy’s comptroller, took over the responsibility for oversight of WGAJ. Even so, Jim continued to support the station with whatever technical or electronic issues came up.

WGAJ moved to a new, spacious location and studio space in the fall of 1988, just below its original location on the third floor, during the late 1980s renovation of the Memorial Building. Jim spent much time during the summer of ’87 building state-ofthe-art audio mixing consoles and equipment rack panels in both WGAJ’s broadcast studio and the new recording studio Altogether there were three new studios: the main studio and a news studio for WGAJ, as well as one for recording and mixing program material, plus two other spaces: a separate recording booth and an entrance/ lobby that connected all of the separate studios. This complex also included teacher Bob Moorehead’s architectural studio, which was next door to the recording studio. Jim ran a number of microphone lines into the architectural studio for recording string quartets, rock bands or other ensembles. Many Deerfield musicians, including Matt Scannell ’88 of Vertical Horizon, began their careers in the music industry in WGAJ’recording studio. The new digs were nothing short of what was probably the best high school radio facility in the country. //

Interested in what’s on “Deerfield Radio” today? Tune in! deerfieldacademyradio.mixlr.com/

“I’ve recently moved from the desert south of Tucson to the White Mountains of east central AZ. In September I enjoyed a tiring hike from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon down the North Kaibab Trail to Roaring Springs and back: 4.4 miles down 3300ft elev., and then back up!

Three hours down but 5+ hours back up.

Beautiful day and experience.” —Brad

Rutledge

’60

1961

Shortly after Labor Day 2022, Doug Gortner started a trip with a visit to the Academy. “I was granted a five-minute audience, with His Nibs in the Quidster’s old office. Dr. A. is an impressive man—fur shure. Then drove up to Vermont and spent two weeks with my son and daughter. JB and I drove up for three days at our Maine Camp on Lake Kezar (ten miles due east of Mt. Washington). They filmed the loons for the movie On Golden Pond there, so loons are more common than ducks and geese. Well, one morning, I heard a loon making a major kerfuffle, which is rare indeed. I figured out that something was going on, so stepped out the door to see what was transpiring. Well, begorrah begolly, there were two bald eagles standing on a rock at the tip of our property about 150 yards away. You know, eagles eat baby loons, so the alpha loon sought to scare the eagles away. They stood their ground until he came 30 feet away. They fled the scene but buzzed the loon on their way out. How exciting. My news: still playing a lot of parties and retirement homes; just agreed to a one-man show for my photographs; Yamaha released a Y-T video “I Have You” in which I have a small piano role. Recently signed up to be the GOP Precinct Captain for the Vanderbilt area. My best drives now travel but 200 yards, However, I am still the best putter I have ever played against, so my index remains in the teens (up from ten). Just to keep me from stripping my gears, the good Lord send me for robotic coronary bypass in March. Since I am too busy to write the Great Class of 1961 Newsletter it would be exciting if more of you would post a class note. Talk about being a trendsetter, the Alumni Office now dubs all classes as “The Great Class of . . .” You lawyers out there, do you think I have a case to sue for copyright violation? Ha!”

Curtis Mills shared the news that he was “recently awarded the Ralph O. Claypoole Sr. Memorial Award for Devotion of a Career in Internal Medicine to the Care of Patients by the American College of Physicians, which I am sharing with Deerfield. I am sure my path to becoming a physician started at Deerfield in Mrs. Helen Boyden’s chemistry class, which turned me on to learning and science, and I went on to major in chemistry in college.

“Our family is widespread: wife Jessie and Morgan ’95 in Boston, Catherine ’97 in Minneapolis, Samantha ’15 in Mumbai, Madeleine ’17 in New York, and me in West Palm Beach. It makes it difficult to convene in one place at the same time, but we do our best on various holidays and vacations. I moved to Florida for good in June of 2021, and Jessie commutes while continuing her work at Brigham/Mass General.” Early in 2022 Tom also shared that he had lower back surgery in mid-January to add to a list of previous surgeries: “all presumably stemming from life on squash courts in the US and foreign countries. My back is healing well, and all other joints are artificial so, with a little oil, I’ll be ready to go again. Doctors refused to give me a brain transplant, saying they didn’t want to waste a good one.”

—Thomas Poor (bottom, p. 50) clockwise

In February 2020, Martin Kruming “traveled to Baku (right), the capital of Azerbaijan, as one of several hundred observers of the country’s Parliamentary elections. Located in Central Asia, in a neighborhood that includes Iran, Russia, Turkey, and the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan is a country of great tolerance and diversity, with 30,000 Jews among a population that is 98% Muslim. Azerbaijan enjoys strong ties with Israel and has a rich cultural heritage of art and music, including jazz; it has two of the top five chess Grandmasters in the world and is a strong ally of the United States. With oil and natural gas reserves and solar and wind exploration, Baku is also a key transportation hub connecting China, Europe, and the Middle East along the Silk Road. Our Switzer Highland neighborhood (population 900) in San Diego has enjoyed a cultural and educational partnership with the Nasimi District (population 215,000) in Baku since 2011.

1962

In July 2021, Geoffrey Butler shared this photo from the 4Saints Episcopal Food Bank distribution in Fort Worth, TX.

Ben Dunham published an article on an American effort in 1914 to head off WWI in the Spring 2021 issue of WWI Illustrated. His new book, Etched in Memory: The Elevated Art of J. Alphege Brewer, (left) was published in September 2021. “It is based on my website, jalphegebrewer.info, which collects information on the early 20th-century British artist who made his fame with large color etchings of European cathedrals and other historical buildings damaged or threatened during WWI. For more information and links to some outlets where the book may be ordered, visit jalphegebrewer.info/etched-in-memory—you can place an order through an independent bookshop in your area through the IndieBound link.”

In August of 2020, David Sweet ’81, Grove Mower ’76, Andy Trees ’86, and Jay Trees ’62 gathered at the Merit Club outside of Chicago for a golf foursome on a beautiful summer day.

Back in March of 2020, Dave Hosmer and Bob Bruce ’64 connected twice by chance. Dave says, “The first time was at the cross-country ski races at the Harvard Winter Carnival in January 2020 and then in March on the trails at Mt. Sainte Anne in Quebec. There we skied together for two days and reminisced about Deerfield and our time on the ski team, which we estimated to be 60 winters ago.”

1964

In September of 2020, Jonathan Cerf was “trying to do my bit during the pandemic” when he posted some free printable, at-home arithmetic lessons for young children at AdventuresinArithmetic.com. “I aim to teach what it really means to add, subtract, multiply, and divide by exploring the concepts that underlie those computational operations. In writing the lessons, I had an especially good time creating the illustrations and drawing herds of elephants and piles of bowling balls to make the material as inviting and unintimidating as possible. Learning at home is a special challenge. I’ve tried with just words and pictures to offer a learning experience comparable to what children might, in normal times, receive from the in-person guidance of a good classroom teacher.”

“Ellen and I have made our last move. We moved to La Quinta, CA, in 2021 and are now enjoying golf, friends, and a beautiful home. If anyone is in the area, please stop buy for a libation and talk. Hope to see all in 2024 for our 60th Reunion.”

—Chuck Krogh

In August of 2020, David Moyer wrote with some sad news: “I would like to make a note of the passing last year at the age of 96 of my mother Virginia Moyer, wife of David and mother of three Deerfield sons, Peter ’65, Tim ’68, and me. We are all grateful for our outstanding education; her husband and three sons collectively hold degrees from Harvard (two), Yale, Princeton, Stanford (three), Amherst, MIT, and the University of Virginia. A tribute to a remarkable lady and mother.”

LOUIE

DAVID J. MATHER ’64

Peace Corps Worldwide / 2022

Return to the dangers of Florida’s Gulf Coast with the fifth book in Mather’s Crescent Beach series. A former drug smuggler finds himself marked for death by the mob. The book offers many colorful descriptions of an old fishing village coping with violence.

“We attended a hockey game and watched a football game from the comfort of his home which has been mistaken for a country club. We spent lots of time reminiscing about Deerfield and particularly our final game in 1965 upsetting Mount Hermon’s hopes for another undefeated season.”

1965

Thacher Brown and Randy Hack (left middle) were able to attend the memorial service of Jim Gaffney in Pennington, NJ. They are sitting on a bench dedicated to Jim by the environmental organization where he worked from 1980-85.

Dean Goossen shared exciting news in January 2020: “I got married to Jeanne Kelly Sheppard on March 7, 2019! It was a second marriage for both of us. My daughter Elisabeth recently graduated from Booth, as did her mother, and my son Nicholas is now matriculating there. Nicholas previously received an MS in engineering from Georgia Tech.”

“We were very sad to learn of “Captain Jack” Rand’s passing in September (2022). Brooks Scholl, Jack Davis, and Thorn Hart were able to attend his memorial service in NYC on October 20. All three kids, who had followed Jack to DA and UNC, spoke eloquently about him. Here is a follow-up to the service from Brooks: Jack’s funeral was a wonderful tribute by his family. We all knew that Jack beat to his own drum through all his adventures, and to listen to his family express how thankful they were for his love and guidance was heartwarming. Jack’s three children, twins Kate and Emily and son Dave, all gave us the opportunity to witness how prepared they were to continue to honor their father. Jack taught them to be confident when handling the challenges that life brings and always have a positive attitude. Attitude was everything to Jack, and he wanted them to get up each day and go after life. The other lesson they each expressed was that their dad wanted them to always “Show Up “when challenging themselves or feeling they could offer a helping hand. Jack’s funeral at the Union Club was a perfect place to represent the class in which Jack walked through life. Spending time with my Deerfield classmates, Thorn and Jack, was great. We were very thankful that we witnessed this beautiful celebration of Jack’s life. Jack came all the way from New Orleans. Thorn and his wife Mary came from Washington, DC, and I came from CT. When able, all our classmates should continue to “Show Up” with Jack’s spirit. We were lucky to have known him.”—Andy

Steele

1966

Ron Battocchi visited Don Abbey (left top) at Penn State in State College, PA, where “he is a celebrity.” Don was a star Penn State football player on consecutive undefeated seasons in 1968 and 69 and successful Orange Bowl appearances. He has amassed a fortune running the prestigious Abbey Company real estate empire in California. “We attended a hockey game and watched a football game from the comfort of his home, which has been mistaken for a country club. We spent lots of time reminiscing about Deerfield and particularly our final game in 1965, upsetting Mount Hermon’s hopes for another undefeated season.”

Last spring Jed Horne (left) wrote, “The boys kept Jane and me busy this winter, hopping here and there to see new additions to the family. In January, the third generation numbered three. By the month’s end, a half dozen small Hornes scattered over two continents. New Yorkers Eli and Liz and their daughter, Daisy, were joined by Nico on January 14. Nine days later, Jedidiah and Ana, residents of Bogota, brought forth twins Mariana and Ignacio to go with the two they already had, Arturo and Rafaela. Daisy decided that a grandfather needs a beard, so, to Jane’s dismay, I complied. If we miss the Reunion, it’s because duty called us back early to Patzcuaro to crank up the summer camp for Mexican kids we started down there a few years ago.”

1967

Rick Barton shared some great photos from a Class of 1967 gathering held in October 2021. “Here are some of the photos from the ’67 mini-reunion at our home in Boothbay Harbor, ME. Some of us gathered for a few days of tennis, hiking, boating, and eating and then were joined by classmates who live in Maine on October 1. Great relaxed fun.”

Trying to stay dry! Dave Doubleday ’67, Judy Marshall, Jeff Marshall ’67, Kim Higgins and Rick Barton ’67 / Bill Post ’67, Judy Bendheim, Jeff Marshall ’67, Judy Marshall, Bill Porter ’67, Ted Higgins ’67, Kim Higgins and Dave Doubleday ’67. Photo by Paul Bendheim ’67 / From left: Dave Doubleday ’67, Doug Payne ’67, Kit Lunney, Jeff Marshall ’67, Dick Davis ’67, Judy Marshall, Bill Porter ’67, Rob Walbridge ’67, Paul Bendheim ’67, Judy Bendheim, Bruce Brown ’67, Rick Barton ’67, S ue Percy, Ted Higgins ’67, Kim Higgins, Lorna Carter, Peter Carter ’67, Bill Post ’67 and Carol Davis.

“Our daughter Brooke Christian ’00 was married on March 19, 2022 to David Watson at the Colony Hotel in Palm Beach. The picture above shows myself, with my wife Debby, Brooke, and her husband David, as well as our son Seth ’96 and his family at the Colony. A great time was had by all, and there may be future Deerfield students coming along.”—Edward Christian

“Now on my fourth deanship. Can’t seem to break through to VP or president but am content to go on as an inveterate academic—the more I know, the more I know nothing. But the memory still works—I know that. Shooting for 60th in 2027, assuming I remember.”—Bill Howe (left)

In November of 2019, Brendan O’Shea shared, “It is with a heavy heart that we report the passing of Christopher O’Shea. He owned and edited the Country Courier newspaper in Enosburg, VT.”

“My wife Angelika and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary in March of 2021!

We met on a train.”

1968

In August of 2022, Oystein Gronning and Lennie Jernigan (above) met up in Oslo, Norway. Oystein set up the selection process to choose the architect for the new Munch Museum (think “The Scream”).

1969

In December of 2022, Andrew Cohn reported that he is: “Happily retired in Long Beach, CA, and proudly reporting our first grandchild! Isaak Andrew Salleh born 12/19/22.”

“I moved back to Vermont in the fall of 2020. I missed my family and the climate of Vermont, although I have many friends in Maine also. My new home is in Barre. Feel free to contact me.”—Herschel Collins

“Granddaughter Ella Jane Boghosian (to my elder daughter Morgan) 03/26/2020.”– John F. Lacey a promising route to the best hockey league in the world. To boost his academic credentials and ensure his acceptance to Harvard, Gene applied to and attended Deerfield as a member of the Class of 1960. Gene would post an incredible 91 points in 16 games for the hockey team and letter in baseball and soccer before spending his next four years at Harvard. Although Gene only spent a year in the Valley before moving to Cambridge, he strongly suggested that his younger brother look at the Academy and take advantage of Deerfield’s athletic and academic opportunities.

I credit my decision to attend Deerfield to my older brother Michael (Class of 2019). With his dreams of playing hockey in college, Michael began looking into the prospect of attending a New England boarding school. Growing up in Charlotte, NC, we didn’t live in a real hockey market; we had a minor league team whose players we adored, but the truth was that football, basketball, and baseball dominated the athletic atmosphere, as they do in most southern states. Michael decided to attend Deerfield over Avon and Williston, among others. A year later, I decided to look at boarding schools, too. When I visited Deerfield the winter of his sophomore year, it happened to be 80s night in the old Barn, which, as most recent alums can attest to, was one of the loudest and most anticipated games of the year aside from playoff games. As a bonus, I could see my brother do what he did best at Deerfield: score. As the crowd roared, I knew I wanted to be a part of the school, the community, and the hockey program.

Michael tried to express how special it was to suit up in the green and white, but it wasn’t until my first varsity hockey game that I truly understood him. As I sat in the packed locker room waiting to hit the ice for warmups, Coach Philie emphasized the importance of not only playing for those in the locker room but also for every athlete who wore the coveted D before us. Every game was an opportunity for us to build on the legacy of past students.

Still chasing my goal of playing college hockey after graduating from Deerfield, I decided to play junior hockey. These days, this is the most common, almost necessary, route to college hockey. This was especially true in my case, given that my senior season started nearly three months late due to the pandemic and was limited to a mere five games; due to policies at the time, my parents could not come to see me play any of the final games of my time at Deerfield. At the start of my junior hockey experience, I moved to a small town outside of Edmonton, AB, on a tryout offer from a team. I was beyond nervous, but I was chasing a dream, so I put my head down and pushed through any adversity holding me back. I made the team, and shortly after signing with the Spruce Grove Saints, Deerfield unexpectedly followed me on my journey.

It quickly became difficult to ignore the absence of my family and friends in Northern Alberta. But having poured my heart into Deerfield while there, I believe it returned something to me when I needed a “light.” One evening, I was talking to my dad (over Facetime, of course), and he suggested I meet a former Deerfield hockey captain who happened to live in the Edmonton area. Excited, I urged him to send me the contact information.

Born the youngest of 14 to Ukrainian immigrants, Bob Kinasewich ‘63 grew up on the north side of Edmonton in a neighborhood considered to be the troubled part of town. Before he reached his teenage years, his parents had passed away, orphaning him and his other underage

Will Holland ’21 COVETE D

siblings. Such challenges did not deter Bob or his older brothers from a life full of accomplishments. They used their athletic talents and academic abilities as an escape: a ticket to a more fruitful and adventurous life.

One of Bob’s brothers, Orie, started in the WHL with the Edmonton Oil Kings and then went on to play hockey and golf at Colorado College on an athletic scholarship. Another brother, Ray, started with the Oil Kings and played 13 years of professional hockey, winning an AHL Calder Cup with the Cleveland Barons in 1964. Following his playing career, he entered into coaching and was named the very first coach of the Edmonton Oilers (known as the Alberta Oilers at the time). But there was one brother whose path influenced Bob more than the others: Gene.

Gene was four years older than Bob, but they became very close because they were the youngest siblings. By far the most skilled hockey player in the family, Gene showcased his talents playing with the Edmonton Oil Kings, dominating as an under-aged player, which drew attention from NHL teams. When the Oil Kings went down to scrimmage Denver University and Colorado College, a high society Boston man and Harvard graduate discovered Gene’s talents. The opportunity of a Harvard education combined with high-level hockey was one that Gene could not pass up, even though it meant potentially sacrificing

Bob and I met for the first time in Spruce Grove, AB, at one of the town’s Tim Hortons. While waiting for coffee, he turned to me and said, “Oh, I have to show you this.” In my head, I was expecting a picture of him during his time at Deerfield or a text from an old Deerfield friend, but instead, he pointed to the side of his belt, revealing a white Deerfield Seal on the forest green strap. “I didn’t wear this just for today; I wear this belt all the time.” Here he was, two and a half thousand miles from the school he attended 58 years prior, still representing his alma mater daily. During my four years, I realized that the more I put myself into Deerfield socially, academically, and athletically, the more I received from the wonderful place I learned to call home. As soon as I saw the belt, I knew the same was true for him, and it showed no signs of fading.

Bob explained how Gene’s journey to Harvard required a year at Deerfield, which led him to apply to the school. The boys understood that more opportunities would come from a prestigious education than from hockey but did not want to sacrifice one for the other, leading them to seek a balance between the two. My brother and I also understood how success at the highest levels of education could open doors for one’s future. We didn’t have plans to play in the NHL, but like the Kinasewiches, we still wanted to advance our athletic careers alongside our education, which led us to Deerfield 50-plus years after brothers from Alberta did the same.

Bob bought me a coffee, and we went to a table next to the windows. We began sharing stories, or as he put it, “exchanging lies.” He and I continued to trade stories for over two and a half hours. Some of which I found quite amusing, like how he and some other guys on the hockey team would sneak out after check-in to have more time on the ice. Better yet, in his second year, the school made sure his room neighbored the apartment of the dorm resident so that, as Bob put it, “the teachers could have a close eye on me at all times.” As you might guess, these two stories were connected.

I WAS EXPECTING A PICTURE OF HIM DURING HIS TIME AT DEERFIELD OR A TEXT FROM AN OLD DEERFIELD FRIEND, BUT INSTEAD, HE POINTED TO THE SIDE OF HIS BELT, REVEALING A WHITE DEERFIELD SEAL ON THE FOREST GREEN STRAP. “I DIDN’T WEAR THIS JUST FOR TODAY; I WEAR THIS BELT ALL THE TIME.” HERE HE WAS, TWO AND A HALF THOUSAND MILES FROM THE SCHOOL HE ATTENDED 58 YEARS PRIOR, STILL REPRESENTING HIS ALMA MATER DAILY.

As fascinated as I was with learning about Frank Boyden and the rest of Bob’s experience in the Valley, he seemed even more interested in learning about my experience. He asked about hockey and daily schedules and when we sang the “Evensong.” I showed him pictures of my friends and cool adventures we went on, like our hockey trip to the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

More importantly, I explained to him how I learned how to think at Deerfield. Instead of learning to score well on a paper or a test, my classes pushed me to advance my thought processes. It felt, and still feels, difficult to explain to someone how five ninth-grade courses can change the way you think. But as I struggled through my story about how my first physics class challenged how I approached problems, Bob’s smile grew as he sat back in his chair. In that, I realized something remarkable. He had the legendary Boyden. I had the beloved Curtis and insightful Austin. His time was all boys, while mine was co-ed. He played in the original Barn, whereas I got three years with the new Athletics Complex. But we both had the Academy and the Valley. His experiences were definitely different from mine 58 years later, yet Deerfield’s ability to shape its students’ personal development has remained strong.

Deerfield students of any graduating class share a spirit of genuine pride for their school. Bob and I graduated 58 years apart, but we could meet once and talk like old friends. Our shared pride came from wearing the “D” on our hockey jerseys while pursuing an incredible education. I learned that no matter where you might end up on your journey to success, there will always be some semblance of Deerfield: a magical place that teaches and allows young adults to chase their dreams of changing the world in their own unique ways. Thankfully, Bob helped me realize this. Many alumni around the world have stories to tell of their version of the Academy that may be different from the one that exists today; however, one thing will always be the same: Deerfield fosters a community, a family, that extends far beyond the bounds of campus. // pre-pandemic get-together. l to r: Hal Findlay ’76 P’03,’05,’06, Nick Findlay ’05, and Ian Devine ’71, convened in Charleston, SC, last year to sample some local craft beverages and reminisce about time spent by the river.

Ian Devine

1970

In April 2022, Daniel Read wrote: “Some of us go on to do great and historical things. Most of us don’t. That’s part of growing older, accepting that your life is the one God gave you, and enjoying it the way it is. But sometimes, things we don’t think matter so much start to acquire value. This happened to me about three years ago. I met my friend Oskar Lang when I joined a German youth group about two months after I had moved off my Army base in the summer of 1975. I returned to the United States at the end of 1976, and we started corresponding by postcard. Neither of us had much money in those early years, and there weren’t too many cards. As the years have gone by, we have been sending each other many cards, in recent years usually three to five a week, all in German. (Oskar’s English is pretty good, but my German is better than his English, I think). I saved all my incoming postcards in a box in the basement. We were cleaning up the basement, and I saw this big box of postcards, and I thought I needed to do something with these. Maria suggested that I should give them to a museum. Great idea! I contacted the local history museums in the towns where I was stationed, and they would not take them. I thought: Oskar lives in Berlin—I’ll see if there’s a museum there that would be interested. I got in touch with the Alliierten-Museum (Museum of the Allies), dedicated to memorializing the occupying armies in Germany and Berlin from 1945 on. They expressed interest, but only if they had the other half of the correspondence, the cards I had sent to Oskar. So, I called Oskar up and told him what was going on; I asked him, ‘Do you still have the postcards I have sent you?’ He said, ‘I’m looking at the big box of them right now.’ He agreed to donate his as well. The project began, sorting all the cards. It culminated earlier this spring when we both turned our collections to the museum. In the picture, you see Florian Weiss, our main contact at the museum, carrying my shipment of cards (25 pounds). He was thrilled that they came in an apple box! The cards will be put into the collection and available to historians and researchers as documents of ‘historical value.’ The mundane postcards I’ve been sending about music, politics, work, kids, etc., have turned into something historic. I would never have thought that when I started sending them 45 years ago!”

1971

Social Venture Partners Charleston, a program and fund of Coastal Community Foundation, has announced Ian Devine as chair of the Advisory Board. Ian has been active in the partnership since joining more than four years ago. He has served as an advisor to nonprofit investee partners and as a member of the Investment Committee and the Advisory Board. “SVP Charleston is a forward-looking leader in ‘engaged philanthropy,’ which combines money with hands-on business experience to help local nonprofits,” Ian said. “It’s exciting to work with talented partners who roll up their sleeves to help mission-driven organizations fight entrenched economic and educational challenges.” Ian is a long-time leader in nonprofit and foundation management, with a background in consulting to private banks and asset managers. He is founder and president of the Huguette Clark Foundation, a national organization that fights elder financial exploitation. He also serves on the boards of a land conservation trust and an arts foundation.

In 2021 Todd Gieg wrote, “Still working on a diorama of The Boston, Revere Beach and Lynn RR in the year 1895 to be installed in The Lynn Historical Museum. Amy, my wife, continues to do cancer research at Mass General, and Max is a sophomore at Boston College where he is pitching for their baseball team. He will play this summer for Cotuit, my old hometown, in the Cape League.”

In November of 2020 J. Walker Johnson shared some news: “Moving this year from Annapolis and from Steptoe equity to senior partner; moving to Chagrin, OH, to be near to younger son and granddaughters. Joan, a nationally known oil painter, continues to paint. I am pursuing golf. Sold our boat, which was trucked to San Diego, CA. So, a new adventure.”

1972

In October of 2021, Dave Perry (left) wrote, “OK . . . I’ll just put it out there: I can’t believe it’s our 50th high school reunion! Isn’t that for really old people?? It seems like just a few years ago I was playing frisbee football with Bobby Wynn or rec skiing on Shack Hill with Chuck Hostnik or getting suspended for attending All Quiet on the Western Front in a less than ‘quiet’ state of mind or putting on Fiddler on the Roof with Steve Glovsky and the rest of our class. I must confess, I am very excited about seeing everyone at our 50th and reminiscing about our time together 50 years ago and seeing what everyone has been up to since then. Thanks Lodi and all for putting together a great reunion for us! In a nutshell, I came close to going to the Olympic Games in sailing in 1984, then was an athletic director for 21 years at a small private K-12 school in Westport, CT, while my wife Betsy and I raised two great kids (now 34 and 30 . . . yikes), and now I’m self-employed coaching sailors of all levels, including several America’s Cup and US Olympic Teams. Betsy and I still live in Southport, CT, where I grew up.”—Dave Perry

In May of 2020, David Sanderson wrote, “David and his Union College (NY) Soccer Team of 1975 were elected into the Union College Athletics Hall of Fame in December of 2019. His team had a 13-2 record season and won the New York State ECAC Title. Rob Magee’s father was the coach. David played four years of varsity soccer there.”

Michael Bartlett ’70 ON THE (ALBANY) ROAD AGAIN /

By Daniella Vollinger

The only place that old English racer hadn’t been with Michael was throughout his four years at Deerfield. And so, naturally, he would ride it to his return.

(26 Days...of Glory!)

The culverts along the road had iced over by sunrise. It was a clear, 28-degree November morning as Michael Bartlett ‘70 departed from the Berkshires, headed for Academy Lane by bicycle on this final leg of a 26-day bicycle trip that began in Davie, FL. Riding his bike to his 50th reunion felt like the natural thing to do for Michael, who rides almost daily, logging his routes with the Strava app. “I enjoy bicycle riding and love going to destinations, so when I was thinking about the 50th, it sort of became the reason to do it,” he says, speaking by phone, the line constantly breaking up due to interference from a large storm that has derailed his latest (motorcycle) riding trip through Maine and Nova Scotia.

“I remember sitting in Memorial Building at Deerfield as James Coburn’s character in the 1963 film The Great Escape gets on a bike and rides off into the sunset,” reminisces Michael. “I remember thinking at the time: ‘Now, that’s how you get away from it all.’” Biking meant freedom to a young Micheal who had received the bicycle of his dreams for Christmas in 1961: a Robin Hood three-speed “English racer.” As a nine-year-old boy, he could ride to his friends’ homes and to and from school. He rode that bike all over his hometown of Buffalo, NY, and throughout college in Boston. He still rides that bike almost daily while commuting to work on it and has taken it to numerous destinations. The only place that old English racer hadn’t been with Michael was throughout his four years at Deerfield. And so, naturally, he would ride it to his return. “Part of this trip was getting that bike to Deerfield, an unnecessary and questionable yet strangely powerful promise to myself.”

Just before 8:00 am on a beautiful October morning in South Florida, Michael set off with minimal gear: his laptop, a change of clothes, a toothbrush, and a t-shirt. He clocked about 70 miles on that first day, with over 1,500 miles left to go. Twenty-one days later, he was zipping through Manhattan traffic. With the cold moving in, Michael had to add tactical bike clothing to his pack. His classmates eagerly followed his rides as he posted daily updates to Strava. Their support gave Michael the needed encouragement. “They kept me going,” he says, humbled by their interest in his ride. A classmate, Charlie Trautmann ’70, even wrote a poem, Michael Bartlett’s Ride—a play on Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s Paul Revere’s Ride—that was read aloud to a merry group of alums during reunion weekend.

Michael made a terrible wrong turn and unnecessarily climbed a mountain on that last icy day of the journey from Pittsfield to Deerfield. He lost all phone signal and, with it, access to his map. Luckily, a UPS driver pointed him in the right direction, and by 1:15 in the afternoon, it was a downhill ride to Deerfield. The cold of the morning and the bad luck had dissipated, giving way to a beautiful fall day that was perfect for a ride. As he came across interstate 91, Michael noticed the radio tower known by Deerfield students as “the rock.” I thought, “Holy cow, I made it!”

His arrival on campus was rather anticlimactic, he says. Students were coming and going, and the campus was buzzing—it was Choate week. No one took note of the pilgrim with the 60-year-old bike and saddlebags as he wandered along Albany Road. Michael called a Deerfield employee to snap a photograph of him in front of the Deerfield Door, where he recalls only sports captains had the honor of getting their pictures taken. The journey had come to a quiet and unceremonious end.

Later that weekend, as everyone cheered while listening to the poem in his honor, Michael surveyed the room and noted all his classmates, some of whom were accomplished, even famous in their own right. “I was so humbled. I’m in a room with generational guys who have changed the world. I just rode a bike, and they were all applauding me.” It was a memorable weekend—Deerfield beat Choate— and as it drew to a close, the classmates hoped to all gather again for a future reunion. “At our age, you get used to transitioning to the next step, the reunion was over, and it was time to move on. There was some sadness because, after 50 years, we’re losing friends and classmates, and you wonder if this is the last time you’ll see them. Is this group going to stick together?” he says, reflecting on how the reunion weekend had gone and how much they all wanted to gather again. “What does Deerfield still have in store for us?”//

Just before 8:00 am on a beautiful October morning in South Florida, Michael set off with minimal gear: his laptop, a change of clothes, a toothbrush, and a t-shirt.

The Annual Fund team recently hosted two special events: Deerfield’s sixth annual Day of Giving and first-ever Grati-Tuesday, which highlighted the value and importance of giving back and saying “thanks!”

The Day of Giving was incredibly successful thanks to the enthusiasm and generosity of the entire Deerfield community. More than 1100 alumni, parents, grandparents, friends, employees, and students participated, raising over $500,000 for the Annual Fund, academic programs, student organizations, teams, and more! The fun started on March 1 at 6 am ET and wrapped up at noon on March 2. Whether you made a gift, offered a challenge or a dollar-for-dollar match, or spread the word, we appreciate your suppor t, and couldn’t have done it without you!

G R AT I- T U E S D AY

In November, our community showed appreciation for Deerfield donors during the inaugural “Grati-Tuesday” event by writing thank you notes, recording videos, and decorating posters. These activities allowed our community to practice an “attitude of gratitude” and reflect upon the unique ways that donors make a difference in our lives. Thank you to the students, faculty, and staff who participated in the event, and, of course, thank you to our donors for helping to make Deerfield a wonderful place!

In February of 2020, Bob Vuyosevich, Manning Curtis, Margarita Curtis, and Bruce Goodwin (left) met up for a drink at Cure Bar on Freret in New Orleans, LA. Bob is semi-retired from his architectural practice in NYC, now writing/ recording music. Bruce teaches architecture at Tulane University, and at the time, the Curtises were settling in to their new home in New Orleans.

“The Robert Wynn NAIC/BetterInvesting Club Leadership Award was recently established at the National Association of Investment Club/BetterInvesting meeting in Dallas, TX. The award will be given annually to an individual who has shown exemplary leadership in starting and/or supporting the establishment of investment clubs. I have been instrumental in assisting over 30 investment clubs throughout the country in their startup and implementation.”—Robert Wynn (left bottom) shared news of this award in July of 2022.

1973

“I am proudly inviting everyone to watch the Netflix original family comedy: THE BIG SHOW SHOW, in which my daughter, Juliet, stars as JJ.”—Roger Donenfeld

1975

Hugh Franklin Bennett passed away in Naples, Florida, on September 27, 2021, from ALS/Lou Gehrig’s disease. Hugh was born on March 7, 1957, in Washington, DC, to parents Jack Franklin Bennett and Shirley Goodwin Bennett. He had an active childhood with eye-opening tours of the world on his parents’ many business trips. He lived in DC, CT, TX, and England and visited many other countries. Hugh loved sports, particularly soccer, basketball, tennis, and baseball. He went on to ultimately play collegiate D1 soccer at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and participated in many levels of competitive soccer. He also enjoyed youth and high school soccer coaching and refereeing for many years, particularly in Winchester, MA. Hugh was also lucky to attend a great New Hampshire summer camp (Pemigewassett) for many years. After college, Hugh had a 25 year career in investment banking and corporate finance with First Boston, Advest, McKinley Allsop, and his own business, Gagan, Bennett & Co. He was active in capital raising, mergers/acquisitions, and served on several corporate boards. Subsequently, he joined MIT in its development and fundraising department, where he worked for 13 years before retiring. Hugh lived in Boston and then Winchester, MA for over 35 years. At the end of 2018, he retired to Naples, FL. Hugh had many happy experiences and memories with his many friends. He was a class agent for his beloved Deerfield Academy class for many years. He served on soccer club, business association, and school boards. He was also a member of The Winchester Country Club (MA) and the Quail Creek Country Club (FL). “On January 8, 2021, Colin Buerger ’05 and Alexandra Campbell welcomed Jack Lesley Buerger.”—Geoff Buerger 2021.

“Jenny Peck and I got married on Lambert’s Cove Beach on Martha’s Vineyard on September 25. We eloped! The best part is she surprised me with the whole plan which she presented to me in a “box” on my 60th birthday!!

—Jon Raymond shared his exciting news in late 2020.

In February

Webster shared this great

“Allen Damon ’78 with a beautiful 18 lb Atlantic Salmon caught on a dry fly in June 2019 on the St. Jean River in Quebec along with his trusted guide Reed Webster ’79. Garry Shumway ’78 was within casting distance hooking up on one of his numerous fish as well.

“Samantha Hilson ’09 was married ini September of 2019 to Jack Sandler, and a Deerfield reunion broke out!

Front row:

Allie Guggenheimer ’09, Rebecca Umbach ’09, Anne Jamison ’09, Samantha Hilson Sandler ’09, Rebecca Blumenkopf ’01, Erica Belanger ’09;

Tad Van Dusen ’75, Bill Hilson ’73, Walter Clark ’75, Rob Meyer ’75, and, father-of-the-bride, Dwight Hilson ’75!

1976

Graeme and Mary Howard stopped off to see Bob and Jackie Deblois in Rhode Island this fall and spent a wonderful afternoon boating in Point Judith Pond. (left)

In June of 2020 Ken Klaus wrote to share this note: “Having enjoyed a sales and marketing career in small and large scale I/T companies, I now enjoy an active voiceover career as well as my life’s passion as a musician and band leader of Blow The House Down, a Chicago-style blues band with more than five decades of experience on stage and in the studio. In 2008, I founded the Paoli Blues Fest with 2020 marking our 12th annual event.”

1977

In April of 2021, Andy Ling passed along some news from the Class of 1977: “Since March of 2020 my classmates and I started getting together for Friday cocktail hour. What started as three to four guys quickly grew too close to 20 today. Here’s a recent pic of some of our participants, starting upper left corner top row, Dave Martin, me with my shemagh which Matt King sent to a group of us for our Zoom calls, Tucker Smith,Wayne Wall, second row, l to r: Townley Paton, Rob Manning, Tom Mallory, Stewart Day, bottom row, l to r: James Gilbane, Jamie MacPherson, Dave Coombs, and Bob Dewey. Other regular participants are Matt King, Randy Farr, Hamilton Davison, with recent additions, James Beit and Thom Page We also regularly group chat. And, we’ve even had a virtual wine tasting that I’ve hosted. We have really been enjoying our calls together. Some have lasted over five hours! We welcome more of our classmates!”

Proud dad Bill Berry shared the following happy news about his daughter, Dana Barry ’15: “Dear Dana, I’m writing to congratulate you, and let you know that you have been selected as the winner of the Donald & Joyce Marchand Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement, which we give each year at Convocation to the student who best demonstrates overall academic achievement. You’re especially deserving of this award. Your academic work throughout your time at the iSchool has been noteworthy and has earned you this recognition. Thank you for your exemplary contribution to the iSchool and the field throughout your time here. I’m sure that the academic excellence that you’ve demonstrated during your time here will take you far, and we can’t wait to see what the future has in store for you. Rest assured that we will find a way to honor your achievements even though our Convocation plans are still being finalized. Congratulations again, and I look forward to seeing where your iSchool degree leads you next! Raj Dewan, Professor and Dean, School of Information Studies (iSchool).

1979

Art Dwight shared that he and Adam Reeves connected at TEDx Berkeley in February of 2020. Top, l to r: Art Dwight ’79 & Raquel Bono, Taylor Bono, Maggie & Adam Reeves ’79 at reception following Raquel’s Tedx talk at Berkeley. Scott Fauver ’79, Lily Fauver ’17, George Fauver ’22, Trey Souder ’22, Granger Souder P’22, and Jeff Louis ’81

1980

In January 2020, Jim Butz shared that he and Cynthia, Jack Strain, and John Mattes celebrated new King’s Academy headmaster (and former Deerfield faculty member) Peter Nilsson. Past Deerfield heads of school Eric Widmer ’57 (founding head of school at King’s) and Margarita Curtis were both in attendance as well. (top left)

Some members of the undefeated 1979 varsity football team returned to campus in October of 2022. Coach Jim Smith was also in attendance at the game. Members of the Class of 1980 in attendance included Brian Milewski, Jack Daly, Frank Polsinello P’15, Tom Quinn, Ben Greenblott, Mike Smith P’13, Bill Raymond, Peter Sobel, Coach Jim Smith

P’80,’82,’85,’86,’91 G’13, ’25 Chris Grennon P’17. Photos from the weekend can be found online at BigGreen.photos

Chris Grennon had a busy summer in 2021, sharing pictures from a scuba diving vacation with a few of his classmates, including Chip Smith, Chuck Irving, Abdullah, Perry Vella, Chris, and Bob Starbuck (left, middle)

In July 2021, Chris Grennon shared this fun photo (bottom left) from a surprise 60th birthday event: Left to right back row: Bill Grennon ’78, Josh Reed ’12, Bill Raymond ’80, Bob Starbuck ’80, Josh Binswanger ’80, Mike Smith ’80, Chuck Irving ’80, Perry Vella ’80, Peter Krawchuck ’80

Front row: Chris Grennon ’80, Kathryn Grennon ’17

In March 2020, Tom Potter was elected District Court Judge for the 8th Judicial District-South of Arkansas.

1981

“It’s been a while since I shared a note,” wrote Jay Caldwell back in March of 2020. “I hope my fellow ’81’s are doing well. Finally checked off one of my ski bucket list items with a small group trip to Japan’s island of Hokkaido this past January. Skied with a Sugarbush group led by extreme skiing legend John Egan (60 going on 25), and ex-Powder Magazine photo editor Hank De Vre joined us for the side/backcountry touring. After eleven sweet and surreal days skiing steeps, bamboo forests, and a sacred volcano, I spent eight days in Tokyo for art and cultural explorations. I got a glimpse into why classmates Christopher Keener and Dave River went to Japan and never left. Back in the States our gallery in Hudson, NY, is in its sixth year, and we’re restoring a nifty historic house we bought in this ‘quirky scruffy chic’ ghost-filled, 300-year-old river town. Missing dad Joe ’47, and the 35 years we fished side-by-side for great artwork and any fish that took a fly. The art world has been an interesting place as mega galleries and auction houses elbow out mid-sized and small firms, but our little mom-and-pop shop is enjoying its 46th year selling American (mostly) art, 1850-2000 (CaldwellGalleryHudson.com). If you’re going to be anywhere near the Catskills on your travels, please let me know, and I’ll gladly babble away about things to see and do. Saying hello in person would be even better!”

1982

Sam Bayne sent this update in the fall of 2021: “Had a great mini-reunion this past August out at the Silver Tip Ranch in Montana. Five days of fishing, horseback riding, and lots of laughs with the boys. Great to get that many days together. We had Craig Markcrow ’82 (Kegger), Sam Bayne ’82 (Jibber), Joe Lotuff ’82 (Mojo), Jay Winthrop ’82 (Jaybone), and Ian Murray ’82 (Onion) in attendance. The biggest fish went to Jay that week.” In September of 2022, Sam added: “The Classes of 1981 and 1982 got together for a few days in Osterville on the Cape (before Reunion weekend this past summer) to see who was the better class at golf. It was a great turnout, eight from each side. Hosted by Joe Lotuff, Peter Fair ’81, and Chris Delorey ’81, it will be the start of many more get-togethers. So many laughs from the old days! This picture (bottom) was taken on the second day of the competition.

“It is with a heavy heart that I share that my father, Robert Bridges, passed away unexpectedly on November 17, 2022,” wrote Austin Bridges ’12. “While at Deerfield, he was a diver on four New England championship teams, head of the Glee Club and Mellow-D’s, and a proctor in Pocumtuck. He was an active supporter of Deerfield as an alumnus, and was thrilled when I followed in his footsteps as a member of the Class of ’12. He especially loved watching my swim meets and water polo games. One year he even volunteered as a diving coach and commuted to and from Greenwich, CT, every Sunday to spend all day at the pool, helping my teammates to improve their dives. We attended our 10th and 40th Deerfield Reunions together this past June, something we had always talked about doing. While this was sadly one of the last times I would see my dad, I’m grateful for the quality time that we enjoyed together that weekend.”

1983

In April 2022, John Knight and Kris Kollevoll ’73 (right) randomly met for the first time at a NCAA Men’s hockey championship game in Boston. They learned through conversation that they are both Deerfield Cup winners, Princetonians, and lifelong hockey fans!

Last fall John Knight wrote, “Kudos to Steve Lombardi ’91 for hosting David Ilsley ’76 and me for golf at the former dairy farm-turned-golf course run by his family, Easton Country Club!” (p.72, bottom right)

1984

In October 2021, Vermont Governor Phil Scott announced the appointment of Chris Herrick (middle right) as commissioner of the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Chris will lead the department responsible for managing and conserving fish, wildlife, and their habitats. For the last five years, Chris has served as deputy commissioner at the Department of Public Safety (DPS). Prior to that, he served two and a half years as director of Vermont Emergency Management within DPS.

1985

In September 2022, Bruce Timberlake wrote, “My wife and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary with a trip to Yellowstone, and I’m entering my 15th year working for University of Michigan’s Information and Technology Services—all those long nights on the PDP-11 in the Science Building paid off!”

1986

Ed Scagel was proud to tell us: “I am happy to announce that my niece and nephew, Cori and Jonathan Scagel (left) are following in their uncle’s footsteps by attending Deerfield (Class of 2025)! I couldn’t be happier and look forward to spending time on campus attending various events!”

1987

In September 2021, Jeremy Starr (left), son of Andrew Star ’87 and Amy Starr, showed off his Deerfield pride.

“In 2017, my classmate Peter O’Brien ’87 P’17,’20 submitted a photo (left) to commemorate our daughters’ (Hannah ’17 and Alina ’17) time together at DA as they graduated. We were able to recreate that photo five years later at Reunion 2022. We look forward to updating the photo in 2027.”—Geoff

Swinerton

In May 2022, Jennifer Welborn shared the news of her newest book: “Recently, I have been promoting Dr. Rosie Helps the Animals, illustrated by Rozillia MH. This picture book is about a young Black girl who (literally) dreams of becoming a veterinarian like her mother. You can learn more about the book (below), author, and illustrator at jenniferwelbornauthor.com.”

1988

“That’s right, after the pandemic and lockdowns, the 2022-23 literary convention circuit is heating up, and I’ve been hitting it! So far, I’ve been in Colorado Springs, Kansas City, Denver, and Phoenix. October brought me to Atlanta (Multiverse), Denver again (MileHiCon), Tucson (Tuscon 49), and January in Virginia Beach (MarsCon). My Artemis War Omnibus edition is out, collecting four of my novels in one place, and an anthology I’m co-editing came out in November.”—Adam Gaffen

John Knight ’83 reported that Rick Hough was elected as Chairman of the National Civic Art Society.

Burke Koonce was interviewed by Tucker Carlson in the spring of 2022 to discuss his latest documentary airing on HBO Max: Gaming Wall Street

After 30 years of working at other educational institutions, mostly in the alumni/ae relations and fundraising arena, I have come home! I started at Deerfield on November 7, 2022 as the Academy’s chief advancement officer. I am thrilled to be back here, working alongside John Austin and his leadership team, as well as a super talented group of individuals in the Advancement Office, to help the school achieve some ambitious goals. And, I am finally a boarder! I am living in an apartment in Hitchcock (the ground floor is now the bookstore), at least until a more suitable house becomes available. My family will remain in NH until this summer, and then the big move will happen. It’s surreal (in a good way!) to walk out my door each morning onto this campus. The place is as stunning as ever!

I look forward to welcoming you all back for the 35th in June!”

Chuck Ramsay

In January of 2022, Gus Lipman ’89 informed us of the sad news of Rex Rust’s passing.

Last March Michael Scherotter shared: “Initially started as a way to share my own artwork from 30 years of journaling (starting at Deerfield), I launched Galeryst.com in December 2021 to enable any artists to create a beautiful gallery to share their artwork with the world. Launched as a subscription service aimed at artists and anyone who wants to share their artwork or art collection in the metaverse, Galeryst generates 3D virtual galleries from Adobe Photoshop Lightroom albums. Artists can create interactive experiences viewable on phones, tablets, computers, and VR headsets. Kickstarted with a grant from Adobe’s Fund for Design, I built Galeryst with a small group of volunteers during a sabbatical from my work at Microsoft. I’ve had artists from across the globe create and share galleries of their artwork to their global audiences when the global pandemic limited many real-world gallery exhibits.”

In late October, over 30 members of the Class of 1988 met in Lexington, KY, for a combined 50th birthday celebration. Classmates traveled from as a far away as Colorado, Florida, Vermont, and California to be there, and Rob and Kelly Brewer kindly hosted the group for a wonderful dinner at their home. The next day was spent at Keeneland watching the last meet of the fall season. Lively and spirited, a good time was had by all. So much so that there was a movement to do it all again next year! In attendance were Oscar Anderson P’21, Robert Brewer ’88, Eric Baurmeister ’88, Seth Brennan P’23, Henry Boucher, John Bradbury, Luke Fichthorn, Doug Grout, Greg Hanson, Whet Hutton, Peter Hyde, Chris Jaynes, Sean Kelly, Burke Koonce, Rocky Kroeger, Chris Ladley, Tim Love, Tim Martin, Chris Nelson, Courtlandt Pennell, Gene Pride, Chris Reese, Porter Schutt, Gordie Spater P’21,’23, Biria St. John, Keith Stocker, Tim Waite, Tom Walker, Dave Willis, and Marcus Yoder.

1989

In April 2020, Chris Hogan (right) was on the frontlines of fighting the Coronavirus in Virginia. Gus Lipman shared that: “On March 31, 2020, eleven members of the Class of 1989 thanked Dr. Hogan during a Zoom meeting and celebrated their friendship: Jacques Cattier, Todd Conklin, Brian Higgins, Todd Hirsch, Andrew Hough, Jon Knisley, Gus Lipman, John McCaffery, Trevor Nagle, and Ed Williams.”

This past fall Trevor Nagle (right) wrote, “Now empty nesters, my wife and I relocated a year ago to the beautiful town of Exeter, NH. We have been enjoying being back in New England, hiking the White Mountains whenever possible, enjoying the culinary delights of the seacoast and Boston, and simply spending quiet evenings here in the woods. Ran into fellow alum, Tim Molinero ’89 recently, and I hope to reconnect with any and all Deerfield folks in the area.”

In August 2020, Stephen Root (below) shared an exciting accomplishment: “Recently completed the ‘Length of Tahoe’ swim—a 21.3-mile swim from the south shore (Camp Richardson) to the north shore (Incline Village) of Lake Tahoe—in nine hours, 35 min. Grueling swim but loved the preparation and happy with the result. One of my kayakers was Geoff Butler ’74, who, like me, was a past member of the Deerfield swim team— we often speak of our respect for Larry Boyle. Geoff also completed this swim in 2016.”

Hussain Aga Khan ’92

PHOTOGRAPHER & ACTIVIST / by Kate Godin /// portrait by Arlindo Camacho/Visão ///

This is a love story. It is about one man’s dedication to the natural world and his desire to inspire that love in more of us so that, together, we might preserve and protect the fragile, hidden spaces of the earth’s oceans and the beings for whom they are home. It is about Hussain Aga Khan ’92 and his intimate, emotional photography of marine life.

When The Living Sea exhibition comes to the von Auersperg Gallery in May, the Deerfield community will be invited to consider deepening its connection to the world that Hussain is so enamored with through an immersive experience with his large-format underwater images. “There are so many incredible and charismatic species out there, fascinating habitats, and exotic locations,” says Hussain. “But nearly all are under threat, from human encroachment—shrinking habitats— to climate change, overfishing, poaching, plastic pollution and more.”

As a conservation photographer, he is on a mission to help people fall in love with nature, showing them things they may not otherwise have the chance to see, so that their investment in the responsible stewardship of our planet might grow.

The Living Sea Exhibition

at Deerfield Academy

May 7 through June 12

Hussain’s deep affection for the ocean began early. He asked his mother for a fish tank at age four. During summers on the Mediterranean Sea, he would catch octopus and cuttlefish with a net, put them in a bucket of water on the beach, and observe them for hours before releasing them again. He began diving at 14. “I was drawn to these animals very early by their beauty, color, and shapes,” Hussain says. “I was crazy about National Geographic magazine. I think that Cousteau and Attenborough documentaries had a profound effect on me. So did the author and naturalist Gerald Durrell.”

Hussain’s childhood passion has grown into adult responsibilities and concerns. He is a member of the Environment and Climate Committee of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN); Chairman of the Board of the

Aga Khan Agency for Habitat, which works with communities around the globe to create safe, sustainable, and resilient habitats; and a permanent invitee to Aga Khan Foundation meetings. Working together, these are the agencies that will best ensure that AKDN meets its pledge to achieve net-zero carbon emissions across its operations and institutions by 2030.

Perhaps closest to his heart is Focused on Nature, an association that makes grants directly to groups leading impactful projects in wildlife conservation, protection, preservation, and education. Hussain founded this organization more than a decade ago to be the philanthropic arm of his work, complementing his photography. “It felt as if raising awareness and showing beautiful images wasn’t necessarily going to be enough,” he says. “The problems out there are too big and need to be tackled immediately.” What is unchanged over time is Hussain’s love of exploring ocean wildlife and documenting its beauty, diversity, and intelligence. His favorite part of the work is spotting a creature he has never seen before and capturing its unique character, which occasionally leads to what he calls “the joy of the magical encounter.” This might be a companionable fish discovered in an undersea cave who followed him into the daylight and stayed by his side like a friend for the entirety of his dive. Or locking eyes with a reef manta during a half-hour swim together. Or getting caught in the middle of a game between boisterous humpback whales, diving, swirling and curling all around him.

For Hussain, the delight of such encounters is matched by grave concern for the survival of many of these animals. The World Wide Fund for Nature’s Living Planet Report 2022 found a 69 percent average decline in wildlife populations since 1970. The situation is even more dire in Latin America and the Caribbean, where the average decline is 94 percent. “I now see dead or dying coral nearly everywhere I go. I see plastic pollution I never saw before,” he says. “When my first book came out in 2004, many of the animals in my photographs weren’t officially endangered—that’s no longer true. We have a climate crisis, a biodiversity crisis. I’m photographing a fading world.”

Despite the sobering reality, Hussain sees a great deal of inspiration as well. “I have personal heroes and heroines—Sylvia Earle and Jane Goodall top the list,” he says. “But I’m also encouraged by thousands of people across all the continents that we’ll never hear about. Park guards, scientists, people planting trees, saving sharks, growing coral, fighting poachers, being activists, and protecting endangered species that can only be found where they live. Local heroes and teachers. There are people putting their lives on the line every day.”

Hussain’s biggest cause for hope is young people, which is why it feels important for him to return to Deerfield with this collection of photographs. “If there is anything that can save wildlife and wild places, it will be our youth,” he says, “aided by scientific discovery and new or improved technologies.” Hussain’s wish is that his images make people feel fascination, admiration, and love. He adds, “Unless you care about something, you’re unlikely to work hard to preserve or protect it.”

He wants his work to raise awareness about the urgent need to care for the planet we share with so many other living things while inspiring people to change their behavior and focus on what they can do to help. What can we do?

Hussain has a lot of ideas: “Plant a tree. Stop using plastic. Educate yourself as you can, and with all that you know, educate everyone else. Limit your fossil fuel use. Be a demanding consumer and a nagging citizen. Volunteer if you want. Give if you can.”

For Hussain, in the end, it comes back to devotion. “Part of my job really is to be a voice for the voiceless—to defend creatures and places that can’t defend themselves against human carelessness, destructive practices, and neglect. It’s a real privilege to see what I see and do what I do.” //

1990

In December of 2021 Alexander Lehnen wrote, “Happy Holidays to all from Germany—I finally reunited with my mother after two years of Covid-forced separation. After such a long travel ban, it is wonderful to be home with family and friends. Three years ago, I purchased a large parcel of land in Kingston, NY, as an investment and a plan to develop it into a prime artisanal product-producing farm along with cabin rentals on site. Little did I know that when I resigned from my last hospitality engagement in Miami, I would become a farmer on the fast track through YouTube and Google during Covid, only weeks after moving onto my property in early February of 2020 when we went into total lockdown. Luckily, I found myself secluded on 45 acres with my dog and an extensive to-do list of projects. With the shutdown of domestic cigar retailers, my launch of a cigar line from the Dominican Republic became delayed. What better time to start my long list of improvements on my land? By vigorously studying online, watching how-to videos, and reading many books on the topics I had to conquer, I became a goat father, a coop daddy, and a beekeeper all within six months; I managed to get a micro-farm winery license from the state, and started making wine from apples (a German specialty); and found myself completely engulfed in a new chapter of life by tending to my animals daily, learning by doing. I am now a proud new farmer and winemaker in the Hudson Valley. I turned the main farmhouse into a vacation rental (booked since day one), and I continue to host mostly families or groups from NYC who come for an overall farm experience. This summer, I will be producing my own goat cheese—I was blessed with five goat kids on Mother’s Day, and the herd is growing strong. The first wine season was unexpectedly busy, and I sold every bottle of wine I made. Plans for expanding the production for 2022 are in place, and with some luck, my wine will make it onto some shelves in the greater NY area next year. As things now have somewhat “normalized,” I was able to streamline the process of running the farm to focus on my new business endeavors. Just recently, I joined AdaptivBioMed as a partner. We are now one of the largest factory-direct Covid test distributors and the #1 preferred provider for mandate-compliant testing, reporting, and tracking software for employers, schools, and organizations. 100 percent OSHA and HIPPA compliant with patient management and telehealth. We are working with several Fortune 500 companies and are setting up their mandate-compliant testing programs by providing a full-service solution. Naturally, if any Deerfield Alumni are around Kingston, NY, you are always welcome to stop and say hi at the farm. We re-open this spring. Stop by and try some German apple wine! I wish everybody a happy and healthy holiday season! Looking forward to hearing from any and everyone.”

“Just sending a big “hello” to the extended DA family. I keep in close contact with George Davis ’90, Rob Gowen ’90, and JP Gallagher ’90 (left) regularly, and I have now discovered how to pester all my classmates through social media! (Ha, ha.) I have been at Pitt since 2010, and I enjoy working as a pediatric hand/plastic surgeon at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. I recently accepted a position as an Advisory Dean with the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. We have become real “Yinzers,” and we look forward to the day when we can see everyone safely again in person,”Alex Davit wrote in August 2021.

1991

In July of 2022, Elena Pullen-Venema ’91 and Chip Norris ’66 (left) met on Friday Harbor for Elena’s parent’s 50th wedding anniversary!

On May 19, 2022, a small group of ’91 friends met up for some prereunion fun in NYC—(p.80 pictured) John Fichthorn, Will Calender, Paul Lyle, John Petrillo , Chris Wahl, Andy Lodge, Greg Guido, Steve Lombardi, Pete Ginsberg, Frazer Rice, Todd Ryan, and Rod Mathey.

1992

Last November, Samuel de Castro let us know of his successful command tour at Military Sealift Command Far East, and that he was headed to Washington, DC.

Ashley Prout McAvey (top left) had several updates to share with us these last few years. In 2021: “After an eight-year fight, I am delighted to announce that Vermont became the 12th state in the nation (plus DC) to ban the trade in imperiled wildlife parts. My all-volunteer organization, Vermont For Wildlife, led the charge. Here’s a story that summarizes the win for wildlife: Contrary to popular belief, federal law does not reach into intrastate trade, thus the critical importance of these incredible grassroots state efforts such as ours. If there is no state law on the books (as is the case in now 38 remaining states), the trade in these animal parts is free and clear, and that very trade perpetuates the demand and the slaughter with devastating ramifications. It’s also interesting to note that Covid-19 is a zoonotic disease, and the more we exploit wildlife, the graver the consequences for humans. I was honored to deliver testimony to this end to the Vermont State Legislature and hope that Vermont’s win will inspire other states to act.” Later that spring Ashley wrote: “I saw that McLean Hospital had done a Deconstructing Stigma exhibit addressing mental health and suicide prevention at Logan Airport a few months after the loss of my beautiful brother Ian back in 2016. I reached out to them and then to my friend Gene Richards who runs the Burlington International Airport. He said an immediate and enthusiastic yes to bringing the exhibit to Vermont, and the installation has finally begun. This is a healthy and life-saving message for everyone flying into and out of our state. It is beautiful, powerful, and uplifting because it turns sadness, pain, and loss into hope and light. The stories are all extraordinary—you can read my story of Ian—as is the ongoing, life-saving work at McLean. Knowing that millions coming and going from Vermont will see this conversation fills me with more hope than you can imagine, taking the impossible loss of my beautiful brother and, in partnership with BTV and McLean, the top mental health hospital in the world, to seek the light. Please reach out to McLean to get an installation in your state! Let’s put this conversation on the table. In crisis? Please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800273-8255 or text “HOME” to 741741.” Ashley also shared news of her visit with former Deerfield Coach Bill Tyler: “Happiness is seeing your favorite coach ever after 28 years and realizing that love and friendship have no expiration. I love you, Mr. Tyler. You made my day! Such a thrill getting to see him just before Covid hit in March 2020, and I hope to see him again soon.”

Timo Weymouth shared this update from the summer

1993

Last summer Katie Marvin wrote: “I am a Deerfield grad and the current president of the Vermont Academy of Family Physicians. My friend Becca Bell ’98 is the current president of the American Academy of Pediatrics Vermont chapter. We worked with one another throughout Covid, among other things, and just learned this fun fact. We also both serve on the board of the Vermont Medical Society.”

1996

In February of 2022, Evan Wolf (bottom left) shared the news of his hit podcast: “The Wolf Who Cried Women” launched in 2021, and recounts, among other things, the harrowing days of trying to have a social life at Deerfield in the 90s. Recently picked up by Spotify. “Whitney Wolfe and John Connorton III welcomed their daughter Margaret “Daisy” Wolfe (bottom right) Connorton on January 6, 2021.”

1997

Griffin Hale James passed away suddenly on July 30, 2022 at the age of 43, from an undiagnosed heart condition. Griffin was born to parents Peter and Katherine (Kitty) McNiff James, of South Deerfield, MA, on March 28, 1979. He attended South Deerfield Elementary and the Bement School before Deerfield, where he was an Eagle Scout, involved community member, avid outdoorsman, and accomplished trombone player. Griffin attended Brown University, where he was a captain of the downhill ski racing team and member of the jazz and wind symphony bands, before graduating with a BS in Civil Engineering. He then moved to Boston and began a career at Gilbane Building Company before attending Harvard Business School. After graduating with his MBA, he worked as a business consultant, first at Trammell Crow and then at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, for the past thirteen years. His work took him worldwide and earned him lifelong friends and colleagues. He was humbled to earn a partner-level promotion at Deloitte (sadly, only days before his untimely death). Griffin married the love of his life and perfect match, Dr. Sara Elizabeth Royston, on February 12, 2022, and was incredibly excited to become a father to a baby boy due in January 2023. He could not wait to become a dad. Griffin, Sara, and their loyal dog, Clementine, moved from Boston to Champaign, IL, in July 2022, and looked forward to devoting more time to their growing family. Griffin loved skiing, aviation, excellent wine, and exploring unmarked hiking trails. More than anything, he loved his family, friends, wife, and unborn son. We will always remember Griffin for his quick wit, loyalty, work ethic, and eternal commitment to those he loved. He is survived by his wife, Sara Royston James, (then) unborn son, Peter William Griffin James, and small brown dog, Clementine; parents, Peter and Katherine James, of South Deerfield, MA; brother, Garrett (Olga Kisseleva) James, and nephew, Kieran James, of Scarsdale, NY; brother in law, Josh (Tracy) Royston, and niece and nephew, Maya and Kyle Royston, of Pittsburgh, PA; and numerous treasured friends, aunts, uncles, cousins, and colleagues throughout the world. We will never understand how something so horrible can happen to someone so loving, kind, and generous. Still, we are forever grateful for the memories of Griffin and the stories of all of those he impacted.—Shared by the James Family

In March 2022, Shalanda Miller shared that she was running for Superior Court Judge: “After serving as a Fulton County Juvenile Court Judge, I have decided to take the next step in my legal career and run for Fulton County Superior Court,” she said. Unfortunately, Shalanda was defeated by the incumbent.

1999

In November of 2021, Amory and Eli Barnes shared: “We are a bit belated in our update, but Eli and I welcomed Zachary “Zach” Forbes Barnes on July 3, 2020. At 16 months, he brings us laughter, love, and joy. Haddie (nine), Parker (seven), and Morgan (four) are the best big siblings!” (p.82, middle)

2000

“We wrapped up a multi-year sculpture project at the new Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge over the Hudson River,” wrote Hugh Karol in January of 2021. “Sponsored by the Governor’s Office and Arts Westchester, the sculpture incorporates steel from the new bridge and its predecessor, the Tappan Zee Bridge. The piece evokes a sense of uplift, progress, and momentum while visually anchoring the beginning of the bridge path on the Rockland County landing.”

In October 2020, Teasel Muir-Harmony passed along some news: “Basic Books will publish my book Operation Moonglow: A Political History of Project Apollo.”

2001

“My husband Robert and I are excited to share the good news: we welcomed our daughter, Clara Eleanor Coombs, on January 3, 2021. She is the niece of Hillery Williams ’04 and granddaughter of Charlie Williams ’70. We are eager to bring her to see her family alma mater very soon!”—Christy Coombs

In September 2020, Sara Ofosu-Amaah wrote: “Dear Family and Friends: We are thrilled to introduce William (left) Jacob Paatii Ofosu-Amaah (born August 20, 2020), who now shares a name with Nii Amaah’s dad, Paatii. We officially welcomed him into our family yesterday and gave him his name during the traditional Ghanaian ‘outdooring’ ceremony. We will call him Jack, in honor of his maternal great-grandfather, Jack O’Donnell. His big sisters are thrilled, and we can’t wait for you to meet him!”

In July 2020, Grier Potter shared her good news: “I’m happy to report that my husband and I welcomed a new family member last year, Jack Alden Lederman. After residing in far Northern Maine, we are about to move back to the Boston area at the end of summer. It was nice to see Donielle Sliwa ’00, along with her husband and little girl, almost exactly Jack’s age, who recently visited Maine. Maybe our children will both be Class of 2037?”

Here is a photograph of Madeline, daughter of Nick Falker ’01, celebrating her second birthday in March 2020. (left top, DA tee!)

2002

James Canner reported on a Deerfield golf outing in the summer of 2021: “While the course record remains intact, we had an incredible day at the Country Club of New Canaan with James Dunning ’01 and John Sales ’03. I could not have asked for a better day, and, as DA lacrosse legend Curtis Chin ’01 would say, ‘I took their money!’”

Last April Lizzie Reifenheiser Decarlo shared: “My husband Tom and I welcomed our first child, Thomas Lewis Decarlo, on August 3, 2021. We are now settled in New Canaan, CT.” (left) “Laura and I were happy to welcome our son, “Wills” (left) into the world on November 10, 2022.”—Malcolm Dorson

Callie Brooks Picardo and husband Rosario recently coauthored Money Talks: A Biblical Take on Earning, Saving, Spending, and Giving. She added that “The book was published in June 2021 and has become a sermon series, small group study, and seminary course. Callie has worked for the past 13 years in charitable giving and serves on the preaching team at her church. Callie and Roz now have three little girls Lily (four), Gabriella (three), and Hannah (one).”

In March of 2022 Jamie Tang wrote: “I was recently commissioned as an officer in the United States Navy (Reserve) and will be serving in the Supply Corps. I remain at my civilian day job in healthcare investment banking at Alliance Global Partners.” He also shared that he has had several Deerfield visitors to his family’s New York restaurant, and commented, “Impromptu reunion dinner at my family’s NYC Chinatown restaurant, Hwa Yuan Szechuan. Attendees, l to r: Sarah Alvares ’04, Katie Forer ’04, Luke Patterson ’04, James Tang ’02, Katie Righi, Daniel Phan ’04, and Lauren Phan. April 2021 chance encounter with several Deerfield alums celebrating a friend’s birthday at Hwa Yuan Szechuan. Left to right: Julian Lee ’16, James Chung ’15, Rachel Yao ’16, Owner/Chef Chen Lieh Tang P’02, and Jamie Tang ’02

“After a career as a professor and journalist in New York, I graduated from Georgetown Law in 2021 and joined the finance group of a big law firm in Boston. I left the firm this summer to work on my longheld dream of self-publishing my short stories and poem series (two books are currently part of Boyden Library). I also founded a publishing company, Nitelite Publications, to hold the copyrights to the books. Lately, I have been shopping one of the short story books around to different female and POC-owned production studios in Hollywood. It would make a great television series! I’m back on the job market in DC, looking to do more value-aligned legal and policy work for the federal government.”—

Elena Wang ’02

2003

Last February, Ben Shattuck shared some publishing news (right): “My book, Six Walks: In the Footsteps of Henry David Thoreau, will be available this April! I follow the journeys taken by Thoreau— discovering the changed New England landscape—and his legacy along the way. You can find more info at tinhouse.com/book/six-walks/.

Katie Kelleher and Andrew Cherna (below) were married in a small celebration in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA, on September 4, 2021. The ceremony was held at the Carmel Mission Basilica, with a reception at The Lodge at Pebble Beach. They were fortunate to celebrate with several Deerfield classmates, including Matt Buckey, Alexis Espanet Levin, Franco Nilo, and Blake Tyler

2005

Graeme Harcourt married Emma Gulley at St. Ignatius Church in New York City on September 18, 2021. The couple has been together for six years and will relocated to St. Louis for the groom to attend law school.

Jules Hulburd Koechling and her husband Mark welcomed their second son, Clifton Philip (right), on February 18, 2020. Russell loves his new role as the big brother! They are settling in as a family of four and love their new addition very much!

“Lila di Bonaventura MacKenzie! (right) Born Friday, April 3, 2020 and bringing with her the gift of so much life, light, and joy.”

Julia di Bonaventura MacKenzie

2006

On September 5, 2021, Christina Liebolt (p.86 top left) married fellow NEBS grad Lincoln Foran at St. Paul’s Memorial Church in Charlottesville, VA, with a reception following at Farmington Country Club. Also in attendance were maid of honor Elinor Flynn, bridesmaids Jordan Turban, Leslie Hotchkiss, Lucy Stonehill, and Rosie Filler Shifke (and new baby Charlotte!), guest Megan Murley Olson, and Cristina’s uncles Williams Phelps Carter ’64 and Peter Carter ’67. Cristina and Lincoln originally met at the University of Virginia, from which they graduated in 2010, and reconnected in New York City after running into one other at the William and Wall Street subway station. They now live in Washington, DC, (Tenleytown) with their black lab Rugby.”

“My husband Tyson and I welcomed our daughter, Wren Lea Williams (right), on July 12, 2022. We have loved watching her grow and develop more personality each day. We cannot wait to expose her to the many outdoor activities we love around our Durango, CO, home!” —Ellen Williams ’06

2007

Matt Rhone and Nathalie Rhone ’08 were thrilled to welcome their new baby girl, Riley (right), into the world on August 24, 2022. “Stevie has already become the best big brother and Riley’s #1 fan!”

2008

“We welcomed baby boy Scott “Scotty” McCarrick Hawkins to our family this past March. Johnny (three) is loving his new role as big brother, and we love our home full of boys!”—Hunter and Allegra Pitt Hawkins

2009

A.J. Currelley shared: “In October 2020, I started a new position at Utah Valley University in Orem, UT. As program director for the African Diaspora Initiative (housed under the Multicultural Student Services office in the Student Affairs department), I can create scholarship, mentoring, and programming opportunities for underrepresented students.”

Legacy Baby Award!

Julien Nicholas Griffin

> Son of John Joseph Griffin ’04

>> Grandson of Geoffrey Taylor Griffin ’72

>> Great Nephew of Peter Read Griffin ’74

>>> Great Grandson of John Thomas Griffin ’46 wedding day in October 2022.”—

Mackenzie (Tsang-Lee) Wong ’08 and Gary Wong ’08 shared that Alex Bertles ’08 officiated the wedding while Christopher Razook ’08, Kenny Sheresky ’08, Margaret Eldred ’08, Anne Ford ’08, Katherine Moriarty ’08, Molly Goodman ’08, Talpey Matt ’08, Ben Dennis ’08, Sam Hill ’08, Max Getz ’08, Ben Weinberg ’08, Sarah Procida ’08, Peter Procida ’08, Kate Canty ’08 attended, as well as Glenn Wong ’05, and Albert Ford ’10

Davis Wittig ’07 and Rose Cornelson ’09 celebrated a beautiful wedding in October 2020 with family and close friends! Deerfield friends in attendance included Emily Woodward, Christina Proctor, Annabel Prouty, Hillary Hoyt, and Cyrus Wittig ’10.

“After a bonus year of engagement, Kurt Walter and I were married in July of 2021! We celebrated on Vashon Island, a short ferry ride from our home in Seattle. (photo on page 89)

Meg Tomlinson, Elisa Manrique, Andy Storch ’75, me, Kurt Walter, Maureen Storch, Caroline Seabolt, and Emmie Murphy Sally Storch

In 2019 Brian Cox and Emma Duncanson were married on a beautiful summer day at St. Andrews, Scotland. A number of DA friends made the long journey to celebrate with them in the home of golf! Pictured, l to r: David Fleishman ’09, William Roth, Emmie Murphy, Lilly Havens, Ashik Desai, Sarah Cox ’12, Jaime Castello, Brian Cox, Emma Duncanson, Peter Roth, Jack Cone, Charlie von Arentschildt, Mike Mazur ’09, and Will Scott

In early 2021, Emmie Murphy shared happy news: “CJ Smith and I were married in September at my parents’ home in Connecticut. It was a small family gathering, but we still had a number of DA alumni present! Pictured here: Molly Murphy ’15, Jennie Murphy, Devin Murphy ’78, myself, CJ Smith, Paddy Chang, Eliza Murphy Chang ’06, and Jake Chang. Not pictured but also in attendance were my uncle, Gavin Murphy ’81, and Lilly Havens , who introduced CJ and me in the first place! Thanks, Lil!”

2013

In July 2021, Vanessa Avalone shared: “Volunteered at a rock-climbing event (left) for youth members of Worcester Refugee Assistance Project (WRAP), a nonprofit that works with refugees from Burma. We are trying to raise money to get a physical space we lost during Covid. If anyone is interested in donating or checking out this awesome organization; venmo: @Worcester-Refugee. worcesterrefugees.org”

Ross Cochran Gordon (left), 26, son of Clare and Robert C. Gordon III, passed away (from a pre-existing medical condition) on June 4, 2021, in Glenbrook, NV. Ross was born in San Francisco on November 26, 1994. He attended St. Luke’s School and Town School for Boys, graduating in 2009. In second grade, Ross attended La Rochefoucauld in Paris. After Town, he entered Deerfield Academy and graduated in 2013, thereafter spending a gap year with his parents in Rome and attending Luiss University. Ross attended the University of Pennsylvania, graduating with honors in Economics in 2018. At 22, he commenced work as an analyst for Eastdil Secured in San Francisco. He joined Sixth Street Partners as an Associate in San Francisco. Ross is survived by his parents and numerous friends in San Francisco and on the East Coast. He was a proud San Franciscan and a member of the Olympic Club and the Battery. He will be loved and remembered by all who knew him as a kind-hearted, curious, striving, generous, and very happy young man who lived with zest, gratitude, and a sense of adventure, and optimism for all that life might offer. Ross will be greatly missed by all.”—Bob

Gordon P’13

2014

In spring of 2020, Tara Murty shared that she was featured in a Stanford Medicine piece on “Walk With Me: A Patient-Engaged Exploration of Health and the Health Care System program.

2015

Joe Fernando signed as a shortstop with the San Diego Padres on February 10, 2020. Joe graduated from Bethune-Cookman University in 2019, where he was MEAC All-Conference 1st Team and AllConference Academic team last year, led the conference in hits during the season with 68, and won the BCU MVP as well as the “Iron Cat” award at Cookman for the best athlete on campus. Padres Area Scout John Martin signed him after a workout in front of the Padres GM and Scouting Director in Orlando, FL. He is currently a free agent. Kevin Stadtler, Jr. joined the Houston corporate office of King Ranch as a financial analyst reporting to the CEO.

2016

In March of 2020 Julian Lee wrote: “At the 2020 College Squash Men’s Team Championships (top right) I won the Sereus Cup in the F Division for Boston University, and Chait Shah ’19 won the Hoehn Cup in the B Division for Columbia University.”

Kyra Kocis shared an accomplishment from January 2020: “I was selected as a 2020 Marshall Scholar and will use the scholarship to pursue two master’s degrees, studying Science, Technology and International Affairs and School of Foreign Service in the UK. I am researching the social ramifications of technological modernization within the industrial textile cluster of hand block printers in Jaipur, India, and made four trips to India in the past two years for my research.”

2018

2019

In July 2021, Devinne joined Apple Inc. as a Product Design Engineer at its facility in Sunnyvale, CA. With an educational and professional background in mechanical engineering, Devinne is working full-time on the design of one of Apple’s unreleased projects. She explains, “I’m working on a new release—it’s not a next-generation iPhone or Apple Watch.” Her role is to integrate individual modules into a final working product. Using an iPhone as an example, Devinne explains, “A team says, ‘Here’s this camera that we’ve designed.’ I would take the camera— the design product piece—and integrate it into the phone.” She describes the work as very meticulous.

“You need to flush out every single detail. You also need to be good at working with cross-functional teams to ensure that adjacent modules work together.”

Devinne joined Apple after working in a much broader role as a Mechanical Engineer at Digital Alloys, Inc., in Burlington, MA. It was a start-up, so she wore many hats, saying, “I did everything under the sun!” Her main task was to design over 300 components for an industrial patented 3-D printer that was eight feet tall, six feet wide, and three feet deep.

Devinne’s work for Digital Alloys followed her experience as a Graduate Student Researcher with Incodema3D, LLC in Freeville, NY, not far from Ithaca, where she had done her graduate and undergraduate coursework at Cornell University. At Incodema3D, LLC, she researched 3-D-printed metal alloys. During summers before and after her senior year of college, Devinne worked at Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, MI. She began as a Diesel On-Board Diagnostic Calibration Engineer, primarily for Ford F-250s, then became a Hybrid Vehicle Systems Engineer, working with Ford’s hybrid cars, including Mustangs. Part of her focus was identifying different features to remove to lower vehicle costs. She found that experience rewarding:” It’s hands-on stuff and a lot of fun.” Despite receiving an offer from the company, Devinne ultimately decided Ford was too big and not a good fit for her.

Family history influenced Devinne’s path to engineering; her mother is, and her grandfather was a mechanical engineer, so she says, “it’s in my blood.” Growing up in Hampton, NH, she contemplated a career in biomedical engineering. She took a class in that at Deerfield that led to her first piece of research: a paper on medial tibial stress fracture.

During her first year at Cornell, Devinne took a course in physics and realized that she wanted to study engineering more broadly beyond a biomedical focus. She says, “It was really exciting. I realized that I could still do biomedical engineering if I switched to Mechanical Engineering.”

Devinne earned her bachelor’s and master’s in Mechanical Engineering with a Systems Engineering concentration from Cornell in four and half years.

While at Deerfield and Cornell, Devinne was a standout athlete. She served as captain for all three of her sports: cross country, ice hockey, and track and field. She earned the prestigious Deerfield Cup at her 2014 graduation. At Cornell, Devinne was able to continue hockey at the club level while participating for four years in varsity cross country and track and field. She excelled in cross country and track middle distances, achieving successes in the 800, 1,000 and the 4x800 relay, and the 1500. In her final track and field season, she competed at the Ivy League Track and Field Championships in the 880m, placing 14th

When it came time to move to the West Coast, Devinne admits that she had reservations. She has found a great community of people in San Francisco. She joined a triathlon training club and is slowly learning the ins and outs of this new challenge. She jokes, “Triathlons are all about technique, and I have none!” Despite that, Devinne will participate in two Olympic-distance triathlons this summer and plans to do a Half Ironman in September in Santa Cruz, CA.

As for her work at Apple Inc., Devinne looks forward to the launch of her product and being able to talk about her work. In the meantime, she is doing well with her new job, new city, and a new sport. She concludes, “There is definitely a ‘wow factor.’ It’s pretty fun.”//

In Memoriam

1931

James N. Killgore Jr.

1985

1937

Royal C. Van Etten Jr.

April 3, 1972

1939

Charles Keith Park

November 12, 2016

1940

Robert B. Zimmerli

September 22, 2021

1941

Guilford W. Forbes *

December 13, 2022

Warren H. Willard

March 10, 2022

1942

John L. Cleveland Jr.

March 13, 2000

Newcomb Green

January 1, 2013

Curtis R. Hatheway Jr.

April 1, 2022

Richard L. Morse

September 1979

1943

Peter C. Andrews

August 24, 2022

Howard W. Keegan

March 15, 2022

Harriet H. McKenney

Zimmerli

August 22, 2021

1944

George H. Bingham Jr.

November 28, 2021

1945

Kendrick Paige Lance *

December 30, 2022

In Memoriam records from June 29, 2022 - March 31, 2023. Please go to deerfield.edu/alumni/class-notes for the most up-to-date information on classmates, including obituaries. NB: This issue of Deerfield Magazine includes some lengthier obituaries for alumni who passed away between January 1, 2021 and March 31, 2023; in most cases, they have been edited for length. We are always happy to post obituaries of any length online that are sent to us by the deceased’s family and friends, and these may be submitted through Class Notes or sent to alumnirecords@deerfield.edu.

Robert L. Love

November 10, 2022

Oliver A. Murphy

August 3, 2021

William B. Rowan

January 15, 2013

1946

Frank G. Binswanger Jr.

July 6, 2022

Donald F. Bozarth *

January 12, 2022

John W. Clark*

September 27, 2022

Philip L. Evans

May 4, 2022

Richardson Fowle

September 21, 2022

Eric Heiberg

April 19, 2019

Stanley A. Knapp

March 18, 2023

David H. McAlpin Jr. *

August 5, 2022

John Winston McDonnell

August 23, 2021

Roderick Potter Jr.

No date found

Gordon T. Ray

December 29, 2022

1947

Kenyon Gillespie

March 23, 2015

James M. Kobacker

September 10, 2016

James E. Monahan No date Found

John Michael White

September 24, 2015

1948

Gordon Hall III

October 9, 2022

1949

Garner A. Beckett Jr. *

May 25, 2022

John V. Davis

September 25, 2021

Peter E. French

May 23, 2022

Alan P. Johnson

April 28, 2022

Peter W. Leighton

August 11, 2022

Christopher S. Maniatty

December 14, 2022

1950

Richard S. Chafee

June 23, 2022

Thomas Tucker Creamer

May 11, 2022

Richard C. Gates

February 14, 2023

Robert D. Haws

February 7, 2023

J. G. Frederick Hiss Jr.

May 7, 2022

Stephen A. Mahoney

January 16, 2023

Gerald A. O’Neil

March 20, 2023

1951

C. Redington Barrett Jr.

September 9, 2022

Jeffrey A. Fillman *

November 3, 2022

John C. Marsh

July 14, 2021

William Flanders Procter Sr.

March 24, 2020

1952

Thomas E. Blackburn

August 2, 2022

Stephen Bonsal

July 14, 2022

James G. Ewing

January 30, 2023

Edwin H. Hurley Jr.

November 26, 2021

Ivan E. Phillips *

November 22, 2022

1953

Benjamin F. Few Jr. *

August 11, 2022

Anthony R. Wysocki

March 18, 2023

1954

Donald de Blasiis Beaver *

February 6, 2022

Robert E. Cushman Jr. *

December 30, 2022

H. Scott Greer Jr.

July 11, 2022

Richard W. Maider

October 20, 2022

William B. Marsh Sr.

February 9, 2023

Charles B. Van Dusen II

January 1, 2023

1955

Kurt M. Anderson *

February 18, 2023

Frederick Thomas Bedford III

January 3, 2021

John A. Dietze Jr.

August 13, 2022

Ward E. Y. Elliott *

December 6, 2022

John D. Glasheen II

January 2, 2023

Mark P. Norman

June 6, 2021

Rolf Harvy Towe

October 3, 2022

1956

David R. Carlson

August 17, 2022

Jonathan E. Emerson *

March 10, 2023

Albert Pettirossi Jr.

April 29, 2022

1957

Edward Michael Bradley

August 19, 2022

Richard H. Tatlow IV

October 1, 2022

1958

Jonathan Hutchinson

Kress

August 6, 2022

Keyes B. Linsley

July 11, 2022

James L. Morse

January 13, 2023

Joseph J. Notopoulos

January 10, 2023

Harold J. Ousby III

February 3, 2020

Thomas W. Packard

December 23, 2021

Palmer Kress Schreiber

December 6, 2022

Frederick W. Twichell *

February 24, 2023

1959

Beaumont B. Bianchi

June 12, 2019

Anthony A. Buford Jr.

February 1, 2023

Frederick C. Copeland Jr.*

June 18, 2022

R. Thompson Crane III

January 9, 2023

Jeremy Jones *

March 12, 2023

Morgan W. Jopling

July 10, 2022

Peter B. Lowry

June 29, 2022

Trenwith R. Ward II

November 11, 2022

1960

Timothy F. Crowley

December 31, 2022

John Colby Dill *

October 10, 2022

George Marshall Poirier Jr.

May 13, 1997

Michael Reid Rapuano

November 15, 2022

Richard T. Schotte

June 28, 2020

1962

William H. Fort

November 26, 2016

Kermit L. Stofer *

December 4, 2022

1963

Timothy J. Balch *

December 4, 2022

Christopher L. Keefe

December 12, 2021

1964

Peter J. Gabel

October 25, 2022

Jeffrey F. Kriendler *

September 3, 2022

Robert S. Lyle II *

January 16, 2023

Peter T. Mitchell

November 20, 2022

Bayard W. Russell USN (Ret.)

November 1, 2022

1965

Frederick A. Putnam

January 19, 2023

John F. Rand

October 4, 2022

1966

Peter A. Kline

December 27, 2022

1967

Steven P. Perlmutter

May 24, 2021

1968

Peter Roderick Douglas *

February 9, 2023

Lawrence H. Phippen

December 9, 2021

S. Cranford Stoudemire

March 21, 2023

1969

Russell G. Ashbaugh III

June 17, 2022

Jere A. Urban

March 15, 2021

1973

Robert G. Davis

October 13, 2018

Marc A. Madia

July 18, 2021

1974

Timothy N. Gardner

February 13, 2023

1976

Frederick W. Homans

June 16, 2022

1979

William T. Brewster

March 16, 2023

1981

John C. Stewart

October 2, 2022

1982

Robert Shaw Bridges Jr. *

November 17, 2022

1983

Kevin G. Patrick

February 7, 2016

1995

William S. Clark Jr.

December 1, 2022

1997

Griffin H. James

July 30, 2022

1999

Tyler Cushing Mortimer

May 20, 2021

* Boyden Society Member

Object Lesson

Notes for The Headmaster the unequivocal biography of Frank L. Boyden—authored by John McPhee ’49.

Mr. McPhee generously donated his notes for The Headmaster to the Academy Archives.

Did you read the “tête-à-tête” with Mr. McPhee on page 22!?