Putney Post, Fall 2015 by The Putney School

Putney Post Fall 2015

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Reunion 2016 June 10-12, 2016

Save the Date! Registration opens in April

Classes of 1946-47, 1956, 1966, 1980-82, 1991-92, 1996-98 For more info: alumni@putneyschool.org www.putneyschool.org/reunion

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Contents 2 Message from the Head of School How do you measure progressive education?

4 Cover Artist: Zoë Kwa Seeing the forest for the trees

6 News Film festival award winners, gifts from the Class of 1965, Master Plan accolades, the economics of syrup production, and more

11 The Kindness Dilemma English Teacher Lou Canelli goes to the mat with dualities

13 A Loaf of Bread, A Slice of Pizza, A Rural Entrepreneur

23 Alumni News Alumni authors, events, and more

27 Alumni Notes 48 In Memoriam

Noah Elbers ’95 launched Orchard Hill Breadworks on his family’s rural New Hampshire farm

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<top> TURN OFF THE LIGHTS, BY ZOË KWA ’10 , 2012 , PHOTO SET FROM STOP MOTION SHADOW ANIMATION VIDEO, SEE AT VIMEO.COM/ 37944359 ON THE COVER: <front> UNTITLED TREES 1, BY ZOË KWA ’10, 2010 , WATERCOLOR PAPER, WATERCOLORS, ACRYLIC PAINT, CANVAS STRETCHERS, 26CM X 26CM <back> I DON’T LIKE THE STEMS, BY ZOË KWA ’10, 2013, WATERCOLORS, NOTEBOOK PAINTING

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ANCIENT ART MET MODERN TECHNOLOGY LAST SPRING WHEN ROBERT CHAVE ’68 <left> WORKED WITH NATHAN GUGGISBERG ’15 (CENTER) ON THE LAST IN A SERIES OF SOLIDWORKS COMPUTER MODELING AND 3D PRINTING INDEPENDENT PROJECTS, INCLUDING THE CREATION OF THESE REPLACEMENT KNEE JOINTS FOR CENTURIES-OLD PUPPETS AT PUTNEY’S WORLD-RENOWNED SANDGLASS THEATER, FOUNDED IN 1982 BY ERIC AND INES ZELLER BASS. <right> PUPPET KNEES ARE A LONG WAY FROM THE SORTS OF PROBLEMS THAT ROBERT HAS HELPED SOLVE FOR CALTECH’S JET PROPULSION LABORATORY AND NASA (LEARN MORE ABOUT ROBERT IN LAST FALL’S PUTNEY POST), BUT THE PROBLEM-SOLVING PROCESS IS MUCH THE SAME. NONE OF THIS SORT OF VALUABLE LEARNING EXPERIENCE IS EASY TO QUANTIFY IN A HIGH SCHOOL TRANSCRIPT, BUT THAT HASN’T PREVENTED NATHAN FROM CONTINUING HIS MECHANICAL ENGINEERING STUDIES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE THIS YEAR.

A Message from the Head of School Dear Putney alumni, parents, and friends,

Emily Jones Head of School

We live in the world of big data, and everybody seems to be clamoring for “measurables.” We know that what we measure will influence how we behave, but much of what matters in growing teenagers is actually impossible to measure in real time. As Jacques Barzun reminded us,“In teaching you cannot see the fruit of a day’s work. It is invisible and remains so, maybe for twenty years.” The government’s new College Scorecard, which focuses the attention on what the monetary payoff to college is, is largely being accepted as if this were a legitimate way to measure education. If it gets the traction that the US News & World Report college ranking system has had, it will soon cause colleges and universities to change their behavior in order to improve their rankings. Will they close their education programs because teachers’ salaries will bring their rankings down? Will graduates be discouraged from working in NGOs, becoming entrepreneurs, artists or social workers? Will students buy into this way of evaluating learning and stop taking literature and philosophy classes? Since the government, one way or another, pays many college tuitions, it seems that citizens would have an interest in students going into fields that are more civic-minded than merely financially

rewarding. I understand that the motivation for this “scorecard” has been the dreadful debt burdens many students have come out with, but this seems to be a dangerously distorting lens through with to look at college education. I understand that my perspective is one of great privilege, but the monetization of education seems awfully shortsighted. On a brighter note, there is a coalition of 80 top colleges working together on a new college admissions process that does not rely on standardized testing or behaviors that distort learning in order to create good applicants. Titled The Coalition for Access, Affordability and Success, it will create a portfolio system in which students can save their best work for inspection. Any system of college admissions will torque high schools in some ways, but so far this looks as if it may be a far less damaging one than the U.S. uses now, in particular because it should broaden both what colleges may choose to consider and what programs schools can design.This is a great departure from the “Common App” which has squeezed both students and college admissions offices through the same narrow tube. It also seems that the new system may dovetail nicely with the new portfolio-based graduation

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requirements that Putney has been working on for a couple of years.The motivation for this project had little do with college admissions and everything to do with creating the best education we can imagine on this hill, but it is good to know that it may be less difficult to explain to colleges than we had feared.We already know that colleges recognize Putney’s applicants as different and interesting, but this new system should allow us, and others, more scope, and the ability to show the substance of what we do rather than to reduce it to single letters and numbers. We are, in fact, collecting data at a prodigious rate in our longitudinal study, which is in its eighth year.The difference is that we are looking at many students over many years, rather than trying to assign numbers to individual teenagers on individual days. We collect data on a wide range of measures, from attachment style, locus of control, learning styles, hope, empathy, resilience, spiritual beliefs, cultural competence, and whether they eat breakfast or get fired from their work jobs. The goal is to look for correlations, to see what seems to stand out over time, to learn what we do that matters and what seems to make no difference.We think that we’ll learn a great deal about Putney, about this group of teenagers, and perhaps by extrapolation, about the strengths and weaknesses of progressive education. Not “big data,” perhaps, but quite enough to chew on. All the best to all of you. I do appreciate your letters and emails, on any topic. —Emily

Putney Post The Putney School Elm Lea Farm 418 Houghton Brook Road Putney, VT 05346 802-387-5566 www.putneyschool.org Emily H. Jones, Head of School

2014–2015 Trustees Tonia Wheeler P’99, Chair Franz Paasche ’79, Vice Chair Ira T. Wender P’77, ’89, Vice Chair Randall Smith, Treasurer Katharina Wolfe, Clerk Supawat ’16, Student Trustee Thanh Ha ’17, Student Trustee Michael Sardinas, Faculty Trustee Libby Holmes P’15, ’17, Faculty Trustee Lakshman Achuthan ’84 John Bidwell ’78 Daniel Blood P’15,’18 Dinah Buechner-Vischer P’14 Lee Combrinck-Graham ’59 Freddy Friedman P’12 Joshua Rabb Goldberg ’75 Stephen Heyneman ’61 Dana Hokin ’84 Emily H. Jones Bill Kellett G’02, ’15 Joshua Laughlin ’82 Christopher Lehmann-Haupt ’52 Peter Pereira ’52 Robert G. Raynolds ’69 Marni Rosner ’69, P’04, ’07 Iris Wang P’16

Trustees Emeriti

NOT A PUPPET KNEE, BUT ONE OF NATE’S MANY OTHER OBJECTS CREATED WITH SOLIDWORKS MODELING SOFTWARE AND A 3D PRINTER DURING INDEPENDENT TUTORIALS, PROJECT WEEKS,

Barbara Barnes ’41 Kate Ganz Belin ’62 Joan Williams Farr ’49 Sarah Gray Gund ’60 Kendall Landis ’42, P’73, ’79 Bici Binger Pettit-Barron ’48, P’77, ’79, G’07

The Putney Post is published twice yearly for the alumni, parents, and friends of The Putney School. We welcome your comments and ideas. Please direct your correspondence to: The Editor, Putney Post, Elm Lea Farm, 418 Houghton Brook Road, Putney, VT 05346; 802-387-6213; email: putneypost@putneyschool.org

Editorial Board: John Barrengos, Don Cuerdon, Alison Frye, Emily Jones, Hugh Montgomery Publisher: Don Cuerdon Director of Communications Editor: Alison Frye Alumni Relations Manager Alumni Relations Manager: Alison Frye Photographs: Don Cuerdon, Aubin ’16, The Putney School archives Design: New Ground Creative Please send address corrections and new phone numbers to: Alumni Office, The Putney School, Elm Lea Farm, 418 Houghton Brook Road, Putney, VT 05346; phone: 802-387-6213; fax: 802-387-5931; email: rlay@putneyschool.org

AND A SENIOR EXHIBITION MENTORED BY THE PUTNEY SCHOOL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT, BUT NOT ON ANY SPECIFIC MENU OF COURSE OFFERINGS. NATE’S SCIENCE EDUCATION AT PUTNEY WAS AS CUSTOM AS HIS 3D-PRINTED PARTS.

“AS A TEACHER, ONE IS ASKED TO GIVE INSPIRING LEADERSHIP, YET TO PUT ONESELF IN THE BACKGROUND WHENEVER POSSIBLE, STRIVING TO MAKE THE STUDENTS’ MINDS WORK INDEPENDENTLY, STIMULATING THEM TO THINK AND GROW. HOWEVER, WE TRY NEVER TO LET THEM “SINK OR SWIM,” BUT BY GUIDANCE AND PATIENCE HELP TO MAKE SURE

founder: carmelita hinton

THAT THEY UNDERSTAND THE IDEAS PRESENTED. TEACHING IS A GREAT ART, A CREATIVE PROCESS—WE MUST ALWAYS KEEP THAT IN MIND.” —CARMELITA HINTON, “FOUNDER’S STATEMENT TO THE FACULTY,” 1952

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Cover Artist

Zoë Kwa ’10

By Don Cuerdon

Zoë Kwa ’10 put a lot of energy into her fine art education, only to discover along the way that it wasn’t how she wanted to make a living.When we contacted her last summer about being on the cover, Zoë said,“I’m in DC at the moment, at the Smithsonian. I’ve shifted my studies to museum work, and only occasionally paint and draw. I don’t know how interesting I’ll be.” We think that’s pretty interesting. Sure, many fine art students start out thinking

they’ll create art and sell it, but the realities of creating fine art for a living and creating fine art as an avocation can be significantly different. That doesn’t make fine art education any less valid. In Zoë’s case, the shift from creating to curating wasn’t a huge leap. Her art training gave her great insight into the work of fellow artists she’d be caring for. Here’s what Zoë has to say about all of this: Art, for me, has always been about escapism. When I find myself bored, I turn to

drawing. I am particularly fond of drawing forests and Edward Hopper-esque landscapes, devoid of humans—not because I don’t like people, but because I enjoy creating seemingly normal settings where anything can—or did—happen. My sister and I were born in New York City. Three years later, we moved to Kuala Lumpur, where we lived for about two years. When we were five, we moved to Hong Kong, where we lived for seven and a half years—then Singapore for three and a half years. My parents knew I was interested in the visual arts, and before finishing the GCSEs [General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE), a public examination for pupils in the U.K. and in British international schools abroad], my father found out about The Putney School, where I applied and transferred into Grade 10. My art training was two years at Putney, two years at the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London, then two years at Sarah Lawrence College. My parents moved to Abu Dhabi during the Putney years, which is where I will attend grad school—at the University of Paris-Sorbonne’s Abu Dhabi campus.

<above> “ON THE EDGE OF MY THOUGHTS,” 2014,

Home is always wherever my family currently is, but I will always call Hong Kong home. I have many hamsters buried along the Peak Trail. My interests in art aren’t exactly straightforward. I started out being very adventurous. For the art GCSE exam, I made a hybrid painting-sculpture with box canvases and Plexiglass. That was the last thing I made before transferring to Putney. At Putney, I was excited to learn welding and woodworking, though I think my work became a bit boring, as I was more interested in learning the technique/ skills. During senior year, I took printmaking with Brian Cohen, and that medium stuck with me. I have always enjoyed learning about how things work, and that was one of the reasons why printmaking became my favorite medium. I enjoy the process of making things. I like knowing all the steps that lead to the final piece. In addition, I had a good time during my short stint at Putney as a stage manager, learning how things run backstage. Now, I enjoy working in the part of the museum—the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum—

WATERCOLOR ON WOOD PANEL, 5 X 5 INCHES

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that visitors don’t think about, researching works for upcoming exhibits or standing in the painting storage of the permanent collection with works hidden from view, waiting for their next debut. When I started at Saint Martins, I had this idea that I wanted a “traditional” fine arts education, which was challenging because many at CSM were interested in conceptual art. I wanted more classes in oil painting, printmaking, and figure drawing. Instead, for the first month, we worked on “What are drawings?” During the second term—after we had finally experimented with a range of media—we were allowed to design our own project and create a body of work for the end-of-year exhibit. I went back to printmaking, and with the help of a really great print technician, I taught myself new methods of printmaking. My first-year body of work was set around trees and memory. Walking around London, I noticed a lot of tree roots breaking through the pavement, and thought about how trees had been in the background of a lot of human goings-on. I thought it would be interesting to make a series of prints that told a story from the point of view of trees. I used my memories as a resource, as I had spent the past two years inVermont and was, at that moment, living in London. I was interested in the contrast. For a brief moment, I also wanted to be an engineer, so I took calculus and then computer science. Those classes led me to two courses in

particular—Beyond Perspective: Mathematics and Visual Art, and Drawing Machines—that would help guide me toward my current trajectory. Both classes helped me out of my narrow-minded view of art. In Drawing Machines, I was making kinetic sculptures, stepping away from my usual illustrative tendencies.Then, in Beyond Perspective, we learned about mathematical aspects in art, from antiquity and the Renaissance to contemporary art.Through field trips in both classes, I was also exposed to art that I would not have gone to see of my own accord. The Dia: Beacon Museum and the Guggenheim-Abu Dhabi’s collections are two foundations that piqued my interest in museum work. The reason I became interested in museum work was because I am not always able to appreciate some art pieces visually. I do find reading about the work and the process very interesting, so I started to understand how much work and thought goes into curating an exhibit. I think, deep down, I knew I would never be a professional artist. As I mentioned before, art has been a form of escapism for me, and while it may be the same for other artists who have made a career of their work, I don’t intend that for myself. I can make work that can be put up on a wall, and I still dream of having a piece accepted into the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts, but I don’t see myself creating artwork for a living. One of my current favorite artists, Robert Irwin, said artists should structure

<above> “WRONG SKY,” 2012, AQUA TINT, PLATE SIZE: A3

their finances “in such a way that they do not have to rely on the sale of their art.” I am still going to continue making art. I have found that working in a museum helps inspire new ideas. I’ve found out that there are quite a few staff members who are also artists. I am learning that if you like art and making art, of course you would want to surround yourself with it, and be involved with presenting it to the public. There is one more side to the story. While I have always been passionate about anything to do

with art, I was also conscious of the fact that I wanted to find a career that would eventually help me support and take care of my parents.That is partially why I transferred to Sarah Lawrence College and jumped between science, math, and art, eventually choosing museum studies. Even though my last years of college were really hectic, I think it was for the best. I don’t think I would have found this path if I had stayed in art school.

See portfolio at: http://kwazoe. wix.com/zoekwa

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News The Putney School Featured in New Book If you are interested in learning more about integrated curricula and leading practices in education, Loving Learning is a wonderful new book by Tom Little and Katherine Ellison that resulted from a tour of 43 progressive schools across the country.The Putney School pops up throughout the book, along with our other partners in the Progressive Education Lab.The book covers topics in progressive education such as testing, community-building, social justice, and more. Two mentions of The Putney School particularly caught our collective eye. In Chapter 5, entitled “The Storyboard:The Progressive Heart of High Technology,” the authors say,“Even the bucolic Putney School in Vermont boasts a new Instructional Technology Center, where students use video production equipment, music composition applications, video conferencing, and desktop publishing tools to create professional-quality reports for their classes.They also can study robotics and geographic information systems, and tap innovative data collection techniques for their science classes.

“. . . as progressive educators have recognized for more than a century, without the freedom to make mistakes, children grow up stunted.” Agreed. Progressive is not permissive.The authors go on to quote our head of school: “At The Putney School, Emily Jones, the principal, described a philosophy that struck me as a good goal for all of us.‘We allow things to be messy,’ she said, adding:‘We don’t have the expectation that every day will be a ‘good day.’The kids learn to pick up the pieces and move on; things don’t always work out the way we like.We have a well-developed, highly functional safety net, but it is about a foot under their feet. It’s not wrapped around them like a cocoon.The place is designed so that adults don’t tell the students what to do. Every student has a different schedule; there are no bells. Kids need to find out how to fit it all in.They discover how to run their own lives—in an enormously safe and supportive environment.’” The book provides a reasonably accurate snapshot of progressive education as it stands today.We recommend it.

“Remember, our pioneers were fervent fans of science, optimistic about the role of new discoveries in creating a better world.” This is an important perspective that helps dispel the myth that progressive educators are Luddites. In Chapter 7,“The Laboratory: Messiness and Failure—Progressive Education’s Vulnerability and Strength,” under the subhead,“Three Progressive Pitfalls,” the authors write,“ . . . I believe there are three main mistakes we progressive educators have made that are worth summarizing here, since they’ve contributed so much to the stigma we need to confront and change.All boil down to excesses: in the degree of freedom that some of our schools have given children; in the degree of autonomy that some of us have granted teachers; and in the degree to which some of us have lowered our expectations for children’s academic performance in favor of attending to what we interpret as their emotional needs. “It’s all a matter of balance. “Each excess has arisen from a move in the right direction. Each mistake is the flipside of a major contribution . . .

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Master Plan Gets International Recognition The Putney School’s assistant head of school and chief financial officer, Randy Smith (left), with Vermont architect Bill Maclay (center, discussing the Master Plan with Head of School Emily Jones), presented The Putney School Master Plan at the Living Future unConference 2015, hosted by the International Living Future Institute, which took place in Seattle, Washington, last spring. Bill’s firm, Maclay Architects, designed our net-zero, LEED Platinum Field House (the first such school building in the U.S.) and, subsequently, the Master Plan—which, among other things, creates the opportunity to work toward the goal of an entire net-zero campus. The presentation focused largely upon the arc of thinking and work that went into the building of the Field House, which led to the broader

project of assessing the current campus and creating an integrated facilities plan for its future that takes into account the school’s academic mission, community spirit, connection to the natural environment, net-zero energy plan, student work, and the architectural aesthetic of our 500-acre working farm. The International Living Future Institute describes itself as “a hub for visionary programs.” It administers the Living Building Challenge, “the build environment’s most rigorous and ambitious performance standard.” It was an honor to be chosen as presenters, and we are grateful that organizations with missions such as these exist and take notice of works such as Putney’s Field House and Master Plan.

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Class of 1965 Memorials The Class of ’65, led by Robin Barber and Richard Foye (left, with classmate Kate Siepmann), raised money to celebrate their 50th reunion—not only for the annual fund, but also, with the help of Rod Payne-Meyer, for two large stones that now provide an intimate sitting/waiting area between the Michael S. Currier Center and Main Building. There is also now a sugar maple atop Water Tower Hill, at a spot with an outstanding view of Mt.

Monadnock that is special to the class. Throughout the weekend, the class made special efforts to think about and celebrate two deceased classmates, Jim Gewirth and Kari Prager. Kari’s wife, Gail Reed Prager ’68, and Jim’s siblings, Susan Kumar ’67 and Johnny Swing ’80, all participated in a lovely, informal ceremony of memories, singing, and an unexpected encounter with an electric fence.

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Alumna Filmmaker Wins Award Ellery Lamm ’12 won Best Production,Animated in the Canadian Student division of the 46th Montreal Film Festival, held last August 27–September 7, for her short stop-action film, The Bear Story. It’s a beautiful mashup of Wallace and Gromit-level emotion from clay “actors,” the voice of Connie (Ellery’s grandmother), and a smattering of Roadrunner/Wile E. Coyote hand signs, all of which tell Connie’s tale of wandering into the woods one day with her younger brother.We can’t stop watching it. It’s one of the best uses of three minutes and 23 seconds of your life that you can spend, so be sure to track it down on Ellery’s Vimeo account at vimeo.com/user17179292. Ellery is a student at the University of Victoria in British Columbia.

A N NU A L FUND TOPS $1 M I LL I O N MARK Thanks to all of you, the 2014-2015 annual fund surpassed its goal of $925,000 by $83,550, bringing the total unrestricted annual fund to $1,008,550 and breaking the $1 million mark for the first time. Part of how we got there was an increase in the average gift from $635 to $729. Such annual fund generosity allows the school to close the yearly gap between tuition and expenses, and reaffirms our collective commitment to keep The Putney School at the forefront of the progressive education movement. Congratulations, everyone. PUTNEY POST

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Hurray for Sustainable Chicken Executive Chef Marty Brennan-Sawyer recently announced,“For some time now, we have been purchasing most of our KDU poultry products from Freebird, a medium-sized Pennsylvania company that uses sustainable practices to produce food that is healthier for humans, the animals, and Mother Earth. Our food systems continue to evolve quickly, and there are many exciting global initiatives designed to create a new food paradigm that accounts for the impact of what we eat—on ourselves and the world around us. Sustainable meat production is one such development, and given that demand for such products has increased significantly, companies such as Freebird are filling the need at relatively affordable prices—an example of classic supply-and-demand economics.” Learn more about them online at freebirdchicken.com.

S T U D ENT F I LM MA K ER WINS AWARD

Congratulations to Ben Shumlin ’16, who won the 2015 Freedom and Unity TV award in the Documentary (14–18) category for his film Blue Light: Living in a Technology-Addicted World. In an email to the school community about the award, Ben says, “Super cool to get some recognition for something I made, and it has been awesome to see it in a few film festivals because of this. Thanks to everyone who was in it, and shout out to sensei Justin Altman, ’cause I made this in his Digital Film academic class that you guys should all take next year.” Fortunately, we still have an inspiring Digital Film academic class. Unfortunately (for us), Justin has moved on to head admission, marketing, and financial aid at The Grammar School, just down the hill from here. Ben spent the summer working as an intern for Sweetgrass Productions, a film company in Park City, Utah. While there, he helped create the trailer for Darklight, a film scheduled for release in October. Visit the news section of our website (www.putneyschool.org) to view both films. There is no lack of significant filmmakers among The Putney School’s alumni—including, but certainly not limited to, Errol Morris ’65, Tim Daly ’74, Jon Poll ’76, and Lee Hirsch ’90. We wouldn’t be surprised if we had to add Ben to this list before long.

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The Economics of Syrup Production One of the biggest benefits of place-based learning is the ability to apply context to theory. Kristin Dawley’s Introduction to Economics class took advantage of our onsite maple sugaring operation recently to discuss the supply, demand, and cost-of-doing-business aspects of sugaring with Farm Manager (and History Teacher) Pete Stickney (right), who’s been sugaring in Vermont every spring of his life. The sap from the maples doesn’t leap into the evaporator by itself. It must be gathered— whether drawn through hydraulic lines that take advantage of gravity-fed suction, or poured from buckets spiked to trees. That takes muscle. That takes fuel. It causes wear on machinery. And the evaporator doesn’t heat itself, either. More muscle. More fuel. In this photo, Pete explains the economic reality of maple syrup production to Will Rasenberger ’15 (left) and Alex Zhao ’15—as it relates to slab wood, a byproduct of board milling that is no longer the free scrap fuel it used to be, thanks to newer industries such as wood pellet production for home and business heating. Sap production is tied closely to environmental temperature fluctuation. It needs to be cold at night and warm during the day for the sap to flow. In years when this fluctuation doesn’t occur as freely as other years, syrup production is reduced, and the price does what? Class? That’s right. It goes up. The bitter reality of supply-side economics is softened for the class somewhat by paper cups filled with warm, sweet syrup, fresh from the vat. Three cheers for place-based, experiential learning!

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Photo: Greg DiFortuna

NOAH ELBERS ’95, OWNER OF ORCHARD HILL BREADWORKS, IS THE THIRD GENERATION MAKING A LIVING ON HIS FAMILY’S FARM IN ALSTEAD, NEW HAMPSHIRE

When you’ve been in business for 15 years, you get a story. The one you tell the features reporter from the local paper. The one you tell a new customer. The one other people tell their friends. Eventually, the story becomes a Story. For Noah Elbers ’95, it goes like this. Guy graduates from high school. He hangs out for a few years until this bakery idea falls in his lap. He muddles around with it on the family farm. Here he is, 15 years later, still making bread. Parts of Noah’s story are true. He did start Orchard Hill Breadworks in Alstead, New Hampshire in 2000, after several years of hobby baking with a wood-fired oven. He did start it on his family’s property, becoming the third generation to make a living there. He and his staff of about 12 are indeed still making breads and pastries from 100% organic grains for 30 or so stores and restaurants. But any entrepreneur knows that the Story never tells the truth. A rural entrepreneur knows the real story goes down into the earth, back into the past, and out into the community—sometimes across the ocean, sometimes up in smoke.

Can You Make It with Your Hands?

A Loaf of Bread, a Slice of Pizza, a Rural Entrepreneur Not long after high school, Noah Elbers ’95 launched Orchard Hill Breadworks on his family’s rural New Hampshire farm. by Becky Karush ’94

“I grew up in a community of people who could make things, who could turn their ideas into reality,” Noah says. “They made their own homes, their own furniture. That’s the only way I saw things get done.” It’s a few days after the inaugural Dirty Pizza Ride, an event he and a friend organized to celebrate bike-riding, great food, and adventure. About 70 people tackled the course route and chowed down at Orchard Hill Breadworks’ pizza pavilion afterward. He’s tired, but happy that it went so well, and he’s thinking back to 1994, when he was a junior at Putney. “That year, my parents and their friends and neighbors decided to build Orchard Hill School,” he says. “They wanted to do something to enrich the community, which is great, but it’s also a quiet place. They did it with almost all-volunteer labor at weekend work parties.”

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But Noah wasn’t riding high. “I was turning 30. I was burned to a crisp. I couldn’t even entertain the notion of continuing,” he remembers. “Something pretty big had to change.” That thing came down to the oven. “The center of the bakery has always been the wood-fired oven. That’s the thing that got me into it—the fundamental aspect of it, that you use grain and water and salt and a little leavening and bake it in fire. But we were still using a super-simple oven that we’d built in 2002. It had a great history, but what I had to do to make a living from that oven—it was breaking me.”

Can You Like Your Life and Make a Living? Never one to do things lightly, Noah bought the new oven from a company in Spain. The company is so small they only make a few dozen ovens a year. Plus, they sent their own builders from Spain to Alstead to oversee the installation. The two guys didn’t speak any English, Noah says wryly. I reached way back to every vocab word from my Putney Spanish classes. And I hired Putney’s music director at the time, Inés Goméz-Ochoa, to be a translator for a few days. It took eight days to install. He knew he could have bought a pre-built oven and just hooked it to a gas line. It would have been a simpler, faster, and cheaper process, but it wouldn’t have included Spanish builders or the two delivery guys from Red Hook who got lost because they couldn’t believe they were bringing an oven to this tiny town—then were baffled when they pulled up to Orchard Hill, and the younger driver’s two kids popped out and began running through the deep green grass. Noah got the better story, and he knew he was richer for it.

Photo: Emily Bialek

Noah built his business in much the same way— hard work, help and inspiration from friends and mentors, the drive to make something valuable and interesting. And it worked. By 2007, Orchard Hill Breadworks was well-known and well-regarded, even profitable. Noah and the business came of age with the locavore movement, and the interest in local, artisan, conscientiously-made products gave Orchard Hill a significant opening to the regional market.

The new oven did its job well, turning out loaves and sweets. It didn’t, however, do so well with pizzas. As Noah had been running an informal, popular Pizza Night every Tuesday for years, this was a problem.

YOUNG AND OLD CELEBRATE PIZZA NIGHT AT ORCHARD HILL BREADWORKS

“This oven bakes the bread in a separate chamber from the fire. Pizza likes to be a little more primitive,” he explains. “So, in 2008, we built an outdoor oven just for pizza.” Pizza Night blossomed that year. “The magnetism of the oven began to reveal itself. I loved it. It was a really special thing. And it also started to feel like work.” In the thick of December, Noah wondered how he’d keep Pizza Night going without taxing himself or the bakery staff. As he thought, he leafed through a pile of appeal letters from area nonprofits, and one idea mixed with another. What if he could marry Pizza Night with the volunteer labor of nonprofit groups? What if they staffed the night and received the profits after expenses? What if that meant Noah could regularly work with new people, helping them learn new things? Five years of sunny summer Pizza Nights followed. Not without hitches—but Noah had many chances to experience, observe, analyze, and refine the event.

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“Boy, did it grow,” he says. “People like to have a nice place to hang out, eat good food, meet other people. We have a central need for each other, and I think that community experience is pretty lacking for a lot of us. But here we were, doing it.” Pizza Nights at Orchard Hill Breadworks were also less like dining out than making a meal together. Noah provided the crusts, cheese, and sauce. People arrived with their toppings, stretched their own crusts, and added their goodies. Noah and the volunteers baked them, then folks had a picnic on the lawn. That shared ownership and value were important to Noah. They made Pizza Nights worthwhile and fun. And then, in 2013, came the rain.

Can You Build It If You Don’t Know How?

RAISING THE PAVILION: THE PIZZA PAVILION COMES TOGETHER WITH THE HARD

“I looked further around,” and he says, “and I realized that I was still living in a community

Photo: Greg DiFortuna

WORK OF MANY

It rained just about every Tuesday that year. Noah would look out and see dozens of content people standing on Orchard Hill—some with umbrellas, some without—still ready to do Pizza Night, and think, For crying out loud, we can’t keep doing this!

of makers, loggers, sawyers, and builders, people who can, in some way, still make things.” The vision shimmered, whispered, insisted. Twenty years after his parents and community had hefted Orchard Hill School out of their minds and into the sky, trusting the rest would fall into place, Noah began to build the Orchard Hill Breadworks Pizza Pavilion. The story of the Pavilion is long and deeply ridged. Hundreds of people contributed to its creation, including master builder Tedd Benson and Bensonwood of Walpole, New Hampshire, who gave expertise, faith, mentorship, and time. Mark Bowen, a sawyer in Putney and husband to Katie Graves Bowen ’00, provided custom milling. A local fellow Noah didn’t really know—but whose daughter he’d coached on the Fall River High School cross-country ski team—built the new pizza oven and became a critical ally. Noah especially remembers the day the timbers were raised. “It was May 3, 2014. An A-team of timber framers showed up, a collective 250 years of experience. Many of them had worked together, some not for decades.” He laughs. “And they were not sentimental at all. But these guys, this is how they express sentiment. They show up with a hard hat and tool belt, ready to work. It’s burned into my memory, all 40 or 50 people who were here and watching it happen. I remember it and relive it. That day embodies all the touchy-feely things you want community to be about, but can feel so false and, well, icky when it’s not around something real like a building. It was spectacular, and it bonded people powerfully.” On May 31, 2014, Noah and the community threw a birthday party for the Pavilion. It was a grand day. In the time since, he’s come to understand why Pizza Night is the heart of Orchard Hill Breadworks—and his work, so far, as a rural entrepreneur. “I see toddlers, grandparents, couples, empty-nesters,” he says. “We’re feeding upwards of 300 people each night. But by far, most satisfying to me is to see the teenagers and young adults at Pizza Night—that they’re

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willing to come to an event that includes so many other groups.” He loves seeing different people make their meals right next to each other. “There’ll be a guy with $20 worth of homegrown roasted red peppers in garlic-infused olive oil right next to a woman with Hormel pepperoni and Sorrento cheese—and each is just as happy as the other, in the same place, doing the same thing. People are just getting along.” Noah loves satisfying his own curiosity about how people and groups work together. He loves learning how to do a thing better, whether it’s training volunteers or setting up an assembly line. He loves the connections and relationships that make a rural economy possible. “What I want to do is to somehow make these exchanges of goods and services more about the exchange itself, not just the money,” Noah says. “I want the return on investment to equal the investment, and that return can’t just be monetary. Of course, the bakery business supports that. It’s the bread and butter. But I want to make sure we don’t dismiss the other values that enrich our work and lives. I want to keep my finger on the pulse of that exchange rate, too.”

Can You Spend Your Time Here on Earth Well? Noah Elbers has been creating Orchard Hill Breadworks, one way or another, for all of his adult life. Now, on the cusp of 40, he’s facing more change. “I’m coming up on 20 years of being a baker,” he says. His voice, resonant and sure most of the time, is quieter now, feeling around the edges of his thoughts. “If this is going to be the thing that I do, and it sure as hell looks like it, how do I sustain it, and how do I feel like I’m spending my time here on earth well?” He applies these questions in the context of the regional and national food economy, too. While many tout local food production and rural economies as an answer to big problems like food insecurity and livable wages—and, oh, climate change and foreign policy—Noah knows that success as a rural entrepreneur means being dependent upon the mainstream systems that contribute to the big problems.

“We couldn’t do this without people who work in jobs that give them the means to buy our products. We don’t touch the 1% often, but the 5%? Yeah. We need them. And the fact that we’re so close to Interstate 91 is huge, because that highway system is the lifeblood for this region,” he says. “Even though we’re committed to locally-made organic food, and we work to support a rural economy, we absolutely don’t have the big solutions all figured out.”

THE ORCHARD HILL BREADWORKS TEAM

He pauses. His ideas fall like a Jacob’s Ladder, an interconnected cascade. “What we can offer is one example of working with ingenuity and creativity and a ton of collaboration with other striving small operations. Maybe Orchard Hill is unique to me, but I want young people starting businesses to have faith that there are a million unique circumstances out there that can be realized in a million different ways, and still be valuable and different from business as usual.” Noah doesn’t have all of the answers yet, for himself or for rural entrepreneurs. But if they’re anywhere, surely they’re somewhere on Orchard Hill, where his family has made so many ideas real. Maybe they’ll come to him on a Pizza Night. Maybe as he stands in the center of the Pavilion, surrounded by 350 people eating good food, little flocks of children running here and there, and he feels humbled and awed that this night, oven smoke curling above them like a dance, might be a sweet, rich part of their growing. Maybe then, he’ll know what the story of Orchard Hill Breadworks will be.

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THE KINDNESS DILEMMA BY LOU CANELLI Editor’s Note: Lou is in his fourth year of teaching English at Putney. He is also one of four faculty members driving the school’s ninth-grade curriculum, Humans in the Natural World. Lou wrote this piece for the blog Super Philosophy Bros in June 2014. He is known and appreciated at Putney for his keen observations, his subtle wit—and yes, his kindness. My favorable bias toward The Atlantic rolls lovingly along, which means it’s time for me to seek new sources of information and inspiration. Where I think I’m being stimulated, I’m actually just massaging, with ignorant delight, my narcissistic impulses. “Oh look, yet another article that speaks to and for me. This virtual magazine really knows what it’s talking about. I’m right to keep reading it.” I’m dumbly choosing to stick to The Atlantic, knowing fully what to expect, and drawing comfort from its “free” thinking. Really, I’m just holding it up as a mirror, seeing myself and loving what I see. I then pretend as though I’m confronting and challenging my current thinking, because of course, these are other voices that I’m reading, but I’m really just being exceptionally skilled at keeping my mind in a stable place. Unfortunately, I’m stagnating my perspective by returning so eagerly to the

same watering hole. I’m not sure why I’m so shocked to find water each time I do, almost as if I have to fool myself by acting like I haven’t been there before, saying, “Hmm . . . I wonder how the water tastes here . . .” Before this metaphor runs dry, let’s move to the central focus of this post: me. relationships. Emily Smith just published an article entitled “The Masters of Love,” in which she explores the qualities of an enduring marriage. She presents a dichotomy between good and bad marriages, labeling them as “masters” and “disasters.” What separates the two is brutally simple: kindness. For instance, how often you “turn toward” instead of “turn away” from your spouse is a reasonable indicator of how long your relationship will continue. If you’re inclined to pay attention to your partner, actually care about his/her interests and so respond to them, then you’re on the way to becoming “masters” of love. If, on the other hand, you’re full of contempt, ready to attack your partner or defend yourself (and thus experience the physiognomic effects of “fight or flight”), you’re on the way to the unenviable but densely populated category of “disasters.”

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Smith doesn’t stop there in presenting dualities. Here, she describes how we can view kindness: “There are two ways to think about kindness. You can think about it as a fixed trait: either you have it or you don’t. Or you could think of kindness as a muscle. In some people, that muscle is naturally stronger than in others, but it can grow stronger in everyone with exercise. Masters tend to think about kindness as a muscle. They know that they have to exercise it to keep it in shape. They know, in other words, that a good relationship requires sustained hard work.” In other words, as I frequently tell my students, you can have a fixed mindset or a growth mindset. I tend to apply it to intelligence. But more important than that is having a growth mindset relationally. Problems inevitably arise when we seek to fix ourselves and everyone around us into place. We create an elaborate mental map that we then expect to function like The Sims or The Truman Show. Sure, we all say we value freedom, but do we actually wish to grant that to all the players in our game of life? Wouldn’t we rather be able to predict (or even manipulate) the other players’ movements? If we can rely on our beliefs about what they’ll do, then we have a better chance at choosing our own behaviors, right? That is, of course, if we think we’re playing a zero-sum game where we’re looking for our choices to maximize our benefits at the expense of others. If that’s the case, then we are far from a game run by kindness. No surprise, then, that our relationships, on the vast level of humanity, keep collapsing in on themselves. We’ve created an environment that depends upon contempt and mocks kindness, and because we’ve all grown up in that environment (and/or colluded in its perpetuity), we’ve adapted quite dutifully. And so I fear our current evolution. (Let’s not slip into any nature/nurture complications here.)

terrifying game outlined above. They learn what moves will help them profit, and they see everybody else as other players that aren’t me, not fellow human beings. And when you say aren’t me, you’re effectively saying against me, so it’s not surprising that we enter the very “fight or flight” mode that was described before as ruinous to relationships. As also described before, this mode has physiognomic consequences, which means our bodies and our minds are cooperating in self- and group-destructive behavior. We are trained to be “disasters,” and yet because it’s our training, we accept it as natural and right. We accept it as the only game in town. Why do we have to be suspicious of kindness? Why is kindness so abnormal? Why not change the game and create a more positive feedback loop? As Smith says, “That’s how kindness works, too: there’s a great deal of evidence showing the more someone receives or witnesses kindness, the more they will be kind themselves, which leads to upward spirals of love and generosity in a relationship.” We’ve had a long-running domino effect of contempt, with only a relative few blocks of kindness to keep everything from falling apart. Why not switch the game pieces? It’s at this point that I should—good “modern” citizen that I am—ironically doubt kindness and all the cloying clichés that accompany it. For who can bear the “small act of kindness” plea as legitimate? We’ve been trained out of sentiment, functioning more appropriately like our Sims counterparts; that is, without emotion, and with precise, practical, profitable direction. Wrapping all this up, education can no longer be a battleground, an environment where we by necessity set up opposition, foolishly thinking that one side can actually win. War is always

Why is kindness so abnormal? I don’t think it’s too late to change our environment, however. Where we can begin is in our schools. With our focus on high-stakes testing, we’ve forced teachers and students into contemptuous, tenuous, terribly unhealthy, unloving, and unkind relationships. No wonder nobody learns anything of real, enduring human value. Instead, everybody learns how to play the

internecine. Whether we’re talking about marriages, friendships, or student/teacher dynamics, we need to change the way we relate. Kindness? Now that’s a game where everyone wins. So, are we willing to share our triumphs?

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Alumni

News

Alumni Books

Please let us know when you have (or plan to have) your work published. Please consider donating a copy to our school library. Contact Alison Frye at 802-387-6273 or afrye@putneyschool.org. We wish these and other present and future alumni authors well in their endeavors.

with us the devastation Frost and Elinor experienced when faced with tragic illnesses, both physical and mental, and the untimely death of family members. Elinor’s own death added to the poet’s despair, and unleashed complex feelings throughout the family.

YOU COME TOO: MY JOURNEY WITH ROBERT FROST Lesley Lee Francis ’48 University of Virginia Press, 2015

Robert Frost observed in his wife, Elinor, a desire to live “a life that goes rather poetically.” The same could be said of many members of the Frost family, over several generations. In You Come Too, Frost’s granddaughter, Lesley Lee Francis, combines priceless personal memories and rigorous research to create a portrait of Frost and the women, including herself, whose lives he touched. Francis provides a vivid picture of Frost the family man, revealing him to be intensely engaged rather than the aloof artist that is commonly portrayed. She shares

This is also the story of Lesley Frost, Francis’s remarkable mother, who struggled to emerge from her celebrated father’s shadow—while, as one of the people closest to him, sharing his intuitive impulse to write and to indulge their mutual love of books and poetry. Francis would herself become yet another writer and, like her grandfather and mother before her, a teacher—despite sharing Frost’s sense of being “imperfectly academic.” Francis’s invaluable insights into Frost’s poetry, and her inclusion of previously unpublished family writings and photographs, make this book essential to Frost scholarship. You Come Too will appeal to anyone interested in this great poet’s life and work. It reveals unforgettable stories of strong, independent women and their passion to create and share poetry.

sums of money made and lost, the return of the prodigal son, and maybe even bloody murder.” Called a “weird, intense, and uncommonly beautiful memoir” by The New York Times, Hold Still, through its lyrical prose and startlingly revealing photographs, crafts a totally original form of personal history that has the page-turning drama of a great novel but is firmly rooted in the fertile soil of Sally Mann’s own life.

HOLD STILL: A MEMOIR WITH PHOTOGRAPHS Sally Mann ’69 Little, Brown and Company, 2015

In this groundbreaking book, a unique interplay of narrative and image, Mann’s preoccupation with family, race, mortality, and the storied landscape of the American South are revealed as almost genetically predetermined, written into her DNA by the family history that preceded her. Sorting through boxes of family papers and yellowed photographs, she finds more than she bargained for: “deceit and scandal, alcohol, domestic abuse, car crashes, bogeymen, clandestine affairs, dearly loved and disputed family land . . . racial complications, vast

THE SCIENCE OF OPEN SPACES: THEORY AND PRACTICE FOR PRESERVING LARGE COMPLEX SYSTEMS Charles Curtin ’80 Island Press, 2015

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From the days of the American frontier, the term “open spaces” has evoked a vision of unspoiled landscapes stretching endlessly toward the horizon, of nature operating on its own terms without significant human interference. Ever since, government agencies, academia, and conservation organizations have promoted policies that treat large, complex systems with a one-size-fits-all mentality that fails to account for the equally complex social dimension of humans on the landscape. This is wrong, argues landscape ecologist and researcher Charles Curtin. We need a science-based approach that tells us how to think about our large landscapes and open spaces at temporally and spatially appropriate scales, in a way that allows local landowners and other stakeholders a say in their futures. The Science of Open Spaces turns conventional conservation paradigms on their heads, proposing that in thinking about complex natural systems, whether the arid spaces of the southwestern United States or the open seas shared by multiple nations, we must go back to “first principles”—those fundamental physical laws of the universe—and build innovative conservation from the ground up, based upon theory and backed up by practical experience. Compelling not only for theorists and students but also for practitioners, agency personnel, and lay readers, this book offers a thoughtful and radical departure from business-as-usual management of Earth’s dwindling wide-open spaces.

When Miranda grows close to a child who shares her captivity, it is not clear that even being set free would restore the simple happiness that was once hers and Finn’s. Suspenseful and moving, The Ambassador’s Wife is a story of love, marriage, and friendship tested by impossible choices.

THE SCIENCE OF MOM: A RESEARCH-BASED GUIDE TO YOUR BABY’S FIRST YEAR

THE AMBASSADOR’S WIFE Jennifer Steil ’86 Doubleday, 2015

From a real-life ambassador’s wife comes a harrowing novel about the kidnapping of an American woman in the Middle East and the heartbreaking choices she and her husband each must make in the hope of being reunited. When bohemian artist Miranda falls in love with Finn, the British ambassador to an Arab country, she finds herself thrust into a life for which she has no preparation. The couple and their toddler daughter live in a stately mansion with a staff to meet their every need, but for Miranda, even this luxury comes at a price: the loss of freedom. Trailed everywhere by bodyguards to protect her from the dangers of a country wracked by civil war and forced to give up work she loves, she finds her world shattered when she is taken hostage, an act of terror with far-reaching consequences. Diplomatic life is a far cry from Miranda’s first years in Mazrooq, which were spent painting and mentoring a group of young Muslim women, teaching them to draw in ways forbidden in their culture. As the novel weaves together past and present, we come to see how Finn and Miranda’s idealism and the secrets they have each sought to hide have placed them (and those who trust them) in peril.

Alice Green Callahan ’98 Johns Hopkins University Press, 2015

TELLING THE BEES Faith Shearin ’87 Stephen F. Austin State University Press, 2015

Faith Shearin’s latest poetry collection, Telling the Bees, is evidence of an ongoing, important talent. The author of three previous collections of poetry, Shearin also wrote the recent Moving the Piano (Stephen F. Austin State University Press, 2011), featured on numerous occasions on Garrison Keillor’s The Writer’s Almanac. Doubtless, the book received such overwhelming attention because Shearin proves, poem after poem, that she writes what we need: poetry that is accessible and meaningful, without gimmick, and possessing a music and imagination hardly equaled by her contemporaries. As poet Tim Seibles wrote about Moving the Piano, “I think we want poems that can help us, poems that invite us to be clear . . . so that we can take the next step and not be made a fool by this life.” Telling the Bees is no-nonsense poetry at its best.

It seems like every time a new mother turns on her computer, radio, or television, she is greeted with news of yet another scientific study about infancy. Ignoring good information isn’t the right course, but just how does one tell the difference between solid studies, preliminary results, and snake oil? In this friendly guide through the science of infancy, Science of Mom blogger and Ph.D. scientist Alice Green Callahan explains how non-scientist mothers can learn the difference between hype and evidence. Readers of Alice’s blog have come to trust her balanced approach, which explains the science that lies behind headlines. The Science of Mom is a fascinating, eye-opening, and extremely informative exploration of the topics that generate discussion and debate in the media and among parents. From breastfeeding to vaccines to sleep, Alice’s advice will help you make smart choices so that you can relax and enjoy your baby. Editor’s Note: On the Road with Janis Joplin, by John Byrne Cooke ’58, will be available in paperback in November. Look for a PBS documentary in 2016, too.

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Reunion What a weekend we had in June! From Steve Tanner in the class of 1940 to the alumni from the class of 2010 who seemed to be here as students just yesterday, reunion weekend brought Putneyites together for a wonderful weekend of celebration.

We want to thank everyone who came to campus, who sang, laughed, hugged, cried, asked good questions, and told great stories. We hope to see you next time.

CLASSES OF 1949–50

<front row> NYE FFARRABAS, JOAN WILLIAMS FARR, CHARLIE HUMPSTONE, NAN LEE HEMINWAY, HARRIET STUPP ROGERS, JERRY INGERSOLL, MARAQUITA VITZTHUM <back row> DICK CHAFFIN, MARGOT SPROUL SHAW, PHYLLIS WATT INGERSOLL, AL HUDSON

CLASS OF 1955

<front row> ANDY STEWART, JOHN GRACE, LIZ HEYNEMAN SIMMONS, CONNIE GRAY

<back row> PENG MEI, JULIE POWERS, ANNE WHITE PUTNEY POST

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CLASS OF 1965

Alumni

News

MEMBERS OF THE CLASS OF ’65 GATHER AT BENCHES THEY DONATED IN HONOR OF THEIR 50TH REUNION, AND IN MEMORY OF DECEASED CLASSMATES. SEE THE NEWS SECTION, PAGE 8.

CLASS OF 1965

<front row> STEPHAN SYZ, CATHY COOPER-ELLIS, DERRY WATKINS, SUSIE STEPHENSON, SUSAN SUCHMAN SIMONE, CAP SEASE, JAN SLOTE CASE, LOVELL LEONETTI LUPARINI <seond row> JOHN BREASTED, LYDIA DAVIS, JOY GLEASON CAREW, ALEXA HEDER, STEPHEN SHAMES, JAKI ELLIS, NANCY BROWN “STEVIE” PEACOCK, MARK REED, GAIL PRAGER ’68 <back row> FRED TAYLOR, RAY INGERSOLL, ELLEN WINNER, LAURIE OLSEN, RICHARD FOYE, ROBIN BARBER, KATE WENNER, GIL EISNER, CHRIS KILEY, JANE HOFFMAN, BURR NASH, HOWARD COPELAND, KATE SIEPMANN, DAVID LIPSON

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CLASSES OF 1969–71

<front row> PATRICK TROWBRIDGE, JOE FICHTER, BOB SARGENT, CANDIDA PIEL, ERIC BERGH, SOPHIE SPURR, LISA MERTON, TOM EARLE, TIM MERTON ’68, ABBY RIESER ’74 <second row> FRANCES VIGGIANI, SONIA KELLY REESE, BOB RAYNOLDS, MADDY PARRISH, RICHARD HAMBURGER, LUCY WINNER, KATHLEEN KENNEDY TOWNSEND, CATH CARLISLE TOMLINS, JUDI LOWENBURG FORMAN, BRIDGET HANSON, TIM RIESER, TIM FISHER, CLAUDIA CHANG <back row> MATT MILLS, MARNI ROSNER, LISA CHASE, MICHAEL TANNER, JOHN EMERY, ROB POSTEL, JOSIE CHASE, BRUCE TANNER, SARA ROSNER, LINDY CORMAN, JANE UPTEGROVE, SANDY POST, CHARLEY HAYNES, KATHY RICHARDSON, MATT DARROW, RICK BROKAW

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Alumni

News

CLASSES OF 1999–2001

<front row> LEAH ALBRITTON AND DAUGHTER SLOANE, ALEX LESTER, SOL SLAY, KAYLE SAWYER, DREW BERESFORD, BRAYTON OSGOOD, LILLIAN HARRIS, RENEE BLACKEN, SARAH EARLE <second row> TEDDY BERESFORD, GABE LIFTON-ZOLINE, SAM HEIDENREICH, DEODONNE BHATTARAI, CHARLIE ISRAEL, SABINE MORON, EMILY OSGOOD, BEN HEIDENREICH, NORAH LAKE, JAMIE DUONG, LIZ PARDUE, DANYA TEITELBAUM, MEGHAN MURRAY

CLASSES OF 2009–10

<front row> REBECCA DWIGHT, SYDNEY LEED, GORDON GREER, JOEY MESSINGER, CLARA DE ÁLVARO ANLLO, NICK CROFUT-BRITTINGHAM, BEN SCRIMSHAW <back row> MAGGIE WAGGAMAN, MALCOLM RICHARDSON, LIZ LUCEY, A CARDBOARD CUTOUT OF HUGO PALMEIRA-PISCO’S HEAD, LENA JORDE, KAI REED, BRETT WHIP, BEN CIVILETTI, MOLLY STRAUS, IAN FROTHINGHAM, JEFFREY BOWMAN, JENNA WURSTER, JAY SILBAUGH PUTNEY POST

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MeMoriaM in

Janet Thompson Keep ’38 Janet Keep, 93, psychotherapist, spiritual mentor, mother, grandmother, peace and justice advocate, and nature lover, passed peacefully at her home in Williamstown, Massachusetts, on September 13, surrounded by her family and friends. Janet was born on November 26, 1921 in Washington, DC, to Margaret Stewart Dismorr Thompson and J. David Thompson, both English immigrants. Jan graduated from Radcliffe College in 1942, majoring in American history and literature. That spring, she married James MacGregor Burns. While her husband served in the Pacific war, Jan worked for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in Washington on European intelligence. After the war, she bore five children, one of whom died in infancy. Following her 1969 divorce, she married Albert Keep, a secondary-school educator. After earning her master’s in counseling, she launched a 30-year career as a revered psychotherapist, focusing upon alcoholism/substance abuse, marital counseling, and women in transition. She journeyed frequently to the Scottish isle of Iona, where she found her spiritual home in Celtic Christianity. She spent summers tending a small island on Maine’s Moosehead Lake. During the 1980s and 1990s, she traveled widely in Latin America, doing anthropological research in Brazil and Mexico, and serving on Witness for Peace peacemaking teams in Nicaragua, Haiti, and Cuba. In 2004, she received the Martin Luther King, Jr. Peacemaker Award from the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition. To the end of her life, she was fascinated by national and international politics, and the world of ideas. She was an avid family historian, and devoted herself to her personal memoirs.

Jan loved music, was devoted to her family and friends, and was deeply engaged in the natural world, drawing it into her spiritual practice. Nothing lifted her spirits like birdsong and the blooming of her flower garden every spring. The flowers’ light, says Mary Oliver (Jan’s favorite poet), “is an invitation to happiness, and that happiness, when it’s done right, is a kind of holiness, palpable and redemptive.” Jan is dearly missed by her daughters, Deborah Burns ’69 and Mecca Antonia Burns; her son, Stewart Burns; her four grandchildren; her many nieces, nephews, and cousins; and a wealth of friends. She was predeceased by her stepson, Phil Fox ’55.

Lois Green Carr ’39 Lois Green Carr, 93, died peacefully at her home on June 28, 2015. After graduating from Swarthmore College in 1943, Lois obtained her M.A. from Radcliffe College in 1944, and in 1968, earned her Ph.D. in history from Harvard. After moving to Annapolis in 1954, Lois joined the Hall of Records as a junior archivist in 1956. In 1967, she became historian for Historic St. Mary’s City (HSMC), a position she retained for 45 years. Her great passions were historical research and public history. She saw St. Mary’s City as her classroom, where the public could learn about the past by experiencing it in new ways. Lois was internationally recognized as one of the leading social and economic historians of the colonial Chesapeake region. She believed that

public history museums should offer interpretations adhering to the same high standards for quality and originality as leading academic institutions. As a result, a number of the research reports she produced for HSMC became the basis for books and articles that represented major contributions to the fields of political, social, economic, and women’s history. Lois was widely recognized and admired by her colleagues. Today, many of the articles and books she helped produce remain essential reading for all scholars of early American history. Her intellectual creativity and enthusiasm attracted numerous young researchers to the study of colonial Maryland history. The group was often characterized as the “Maryland Mafia,” with Lois as its godmother. Her passion was to write and teach history for a broad public audience, through museum programs rather than in an academic institution. Through her generous mentoring of dozens of younger scholars, Lois played a major role in shaping the research, writing, teaching, and interpretation of the history of the region. In addition to her passion for history, Lois loved classical music, gardening, cooking, entertaining guests, and participating in a play-reading group with her husband, Jack Ladd Carr, who preceded her in death in 2010. She is survived by her only child, Andrew Clark; a nephew, Mitchell Green; and a niece, Alice Green ’71. She leaves behind many friends and colleagues who loved, respected, and admired her for the work that contributed so much to the understanding of early Maryland.

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be remembered for his letters to the editor in the Casper Star Tribune and other periodicals.

Patricia Allaben Sherman ’43

David Raynolds ’45

Pat was born in New York City and raised in Greenwich, Connecticut. At Putney, she made lifelong friendships. Pat received a B.A. in Drama and Literature from Bennington College, and an M.A. in Drama from San Francisco State University.

Dave Raynolds of Lander, Wyoming, died Friday, June 19, 2015, of heart failure. Born in 1928, Dave enjoyed a rural childhood with his younger sisters, Ann ’47 and Barbara ’48, in Newtown, Connecticut. Carmelita Hinton was a relative of Dave’s father, and through this connection, Dave and his sisters became Putney students. Dave always recalled his Putney years with the utmost pleasure, which he expressed with his lifelong commitment to the school and its philosophy. His five children (and a granddaughter) are also Putney alumni. One of his lifelong friendships, with Johnny Caldwell ’46, was made at Putney. Dave graduated from Dartmouth College in 1949.

Pat acted and directed in local theater in Vermont. As part of her master’s project, she incorporated film and photography into theatrical performance. Pat was inspired by people, their art, and their passions. She felt that art could be used to educate. She helped handicapped students in Mill Valley produce a multimedia show about their special education program, and worked with elementary and high school students documenting their environmental concerns. She documented her own cancer experience in a show entitled A Time for Change, and made copies available to the American Cancer Society to help others in coping with their illness. She received several awards for her photography and multimedia productions. Pat exhibited her photographs in galleries in Santa Rosa, San Francisco, Ile D’Yeu, France, and Prague. Her work reflected an eye for nuance and microcosms. In her series entitled Tidal Tires, she captured the pastel colors of algae attached to discarded tires in a tideline. She was planning to photograph the small grass that pokes up through broken pavement and title the pictures Against All Odds. Pat was generous and outgoing, with an enthusiasm for the people and places around her. She traveled extensively, living for a time with her family in Greece and France. She enjoyed skiing, tennis, and swimming. After her husband, William Sherman, passed away in 1992, she reconnected with friends from Putney, and spent the last 20 years of her life in companionship with Peter Strong ’44. The two sailed the Caribbean, skied in Europe, and for a while, split their time between the east and west coasts before staying year-round on Bennett Ridge in Sonoma County. Pat is survived by her three children, two grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. A celebration of her life was held in October, on what would have been her 90th birthday.

Dave met Mary Alice Kean of Elizabeth, New Jersey, while she was attending Smith College and he was at Dartmouth. He courted her with his winnings from poker games. The couple married in 1951, and embarked upon 64 years of shared adventure. Always together, they traveled the world, visiting many countries in Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. After Army service in Occupied Japan, Dave completed his M.A. at Wesleyan University, did pre-doctoral work at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and graduated from the National War College in 1973. Joining the Foreign Service in 1956, he served in the Diplomatic Corps in El Salvador, France, Haiti, Pakistan, and Washington, DC. He was the recipient of the Meritorious Service Award from the Department of State in 1966. Following the trail of his great-uncle, who explored the Yellowstone region, Dave and May discovered Lander, and became familiar with the character and sinew of the West. In 1964, the family spent a year in Lander while Dave wrote a book on El Salvador’s economy. The couple settled permanently in the Lander area in 1975, and developed a bison herd at Table Mountain Ranch. Here, Dave spent almost 40 years becoming deeply involved in the community. He was especially proud of his 26-year membership on the steering committee of the Wyoming Business Alliance, with its Leadership Wyoming program. Dave, in his cowboy hat and shaggy buffalo coat, shared his taste and enthusiasm for the West with all he encountered. He will also

Dave had a wonderful ability to soak up knowledge and share perspectives: from the lives of ants to the lives of artists, from the biology of buffalo to the nature of international conflict resolution. His encyclopedic knowledge and his generous and gregarious nature made him a valued member of the community and the organizations he joined. An entertaining storyteller, he delighted in recounting tales from his travels, and of encounters that would surprise and inform his audience. He loved books and the printed word, and had an astounding memory and ability to comprehend and communicate the larger context of history, society, and economics. Dave’s love of adventure took him and his family from the Serengeti to the Sweetwater. His last trip was to the walled city of Carcassonne in the south of France, where he and May introduced their granddaughters to the subtleties of croissants and the siege strategies of European armies. Dave is survived by his wife, May; his sister, Ann Listokin; his children, Bob ’69, Linda ’70, Martha ’74, Laura ’76, and David ’78; and his grandchildren, Will and Bobby Raynolds, Margi ’05 and Danny Dashevsky, Courtney and Lisa Blackmer-Raynolds, Jasper Raynolds, and Kyrianna Bolles. Dave was predeceased by his parents and sister, Barbara. He leaves behind hundreds of friends and admirers. Donations in Dave’s honor can be made locally to Rotary International, or to The Putney School.

William Leavitt ’46 Bill Leavitt was born in 1928 in Portland, Maine. He attended Putney for two years. After graduation in 1946, he attended Maine Maritime Academy, then worked for American Export Lines until called into the Navy in 1953, where he served as lieutenant (junior grade) for two years in California during the Korean conflict. While stationed in California, Bill met Rho, who became his wife in 1955 after he returned to Portland to join his father in the family shipping business, Chase, Leavitt & Company. At Chase Leavitt, he also served as a Lloyd’s of London agent for Maine, and became a certified Marine surveyor. Bill was a longtime member of the Portland Rotary Club and Portland Marine Society, where he served on the board. He also served on the board of the Maine Maritime Alumni Association, Maine Maritime Museum, and Portland Harbor Museum. Bill was immensely proud of his children and grandchildren. The family summered on an island in Sebago Lake, co-owned by dear friends. When Bill purchased the island with his two friends, they were told by a banker that multiple ownership doesn’t work. Yet in 2007, several generations celebrated 50 years of successful

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co-ownership. In the winter, the family could be found skiing at Sunday River, and in the fall, hiking the mountains of Maine and New Hampshire, often with their extended “island family.” For a number of years, Bill and Rho headed to Tucson, Arizona, for the winter months, and enjoyed the desert life, the view of the Santa Catalina Mountains, and the beautiful night skies. After 56 years residing in Cape Elizabeth, Bill and Rho moved to OceanView Retirement Community in Falmouth in 2013, and celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary surrounded by family and friends on July 10, 2015. Bill is survived by his loving wife, Rho, his three children, and eight grandchildren.

Elizabeth Spencer Harris ’46 Elizabeth Spencer Harris, 86, of Needham, Massachusetts, died in Weston on September 6, 2015 at the home of her partner of ten years, William Atkinson. After Putney, she graduated from Radcliffe College in 1950, and received a master’s degree from Columbia. She taught secondary-school English at Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, then at Beaver Country Day School in Chestnut Hill, after returning to the Boston area to be closer to her lifetime friends and family. Following her retirement from Beaver in the ’80s, she continued working with students at the MIT writing center until several years ago. Music remained a passion: playing viola in string quartets, choral singing (first at Putney School, then with the Harvard and Radcliffe chorus), Boston Cecilia, the Back Bay Choral, and more recently, madrigals with friends. She is also survived by her daughter, Numi Mitchell; her son-in-law, Glenn Mitchell; her grandson, Elias Mitchell; and her brother, William Spencer.

Benjamin Dix Campbell and Jessica Campbell Griffith. Dix graduated from Harvard University, and received his Master of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania. He then started his architectural career, working for several large firms in the Boston area. He opened his own architecture firm, concentrating on educational institutions and private residences. Dix was an avid outdoorsman, with interests including fly fishing, birdwatching, astronomy, nature photography, kayaking, skiing, and tennis. After retirement, he was involved with several conservation projects, including the Judith K. Record Memorial Conservation Fund, the Belmont Land Trust, and the Massachusetts Audubon Society. His colleagues at the Audubon Society described Dix as “kind, generous, intellectually curious, and committed to making things happen.” He is survived by his wife, Betsy ’56; his brother, Charles; his sister, Deborah; his two children, Benjamin and Jessica; and two grandchildren, Elizabeth and Jackson. His classmate and friend, Paul Buttenwieser ’56, wrote a remembrance of Dix on page 33 of Alumni Notes.

Jerry Cary ’48 Janet Trowbridge Bohlen ’46 Janet Trowbridge Bohlen, an environmental writer, died serenely in her home in Lexington, Massachusetts, on August 3, 2015. Janet grew up in Washington, DC, and remained there until moving to Lexington with her husband in 2013. Following graduation from Putney and Smith College, Janet worked for the Central Intelligence Agency, serving in Washington, DC, and Oslo, Norway; and later accompanied her husband, a Foreign Service officer, to Afghanistan and Egypt. In Washington, she worked for the African Wildlife Foundation, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the World Wildlife Fund, where she was director of communications. Janet wrote several books on conservation, as well as numerous published articles about travel and the outdoors. Under her leadership as Chair of the Board, the Potomac School in McLean, Virginia, was racially integrated. She was a director of the Rachel Carson Council, Student Conservation Association, Sibley Hospital in Washington, DC, (where she was president of the volunteer service), and Ocean Conservancy. She was an avid skier, sailor, tennis player, and horseback rider. Janet is survived by her husband, Curtis; her sister, Nancy; her three children, Nina, Curtis, and Julie; and five grandchildren.

Jerry Cary, of Wayne, Pennsylvania, died on January 6, 2015. Jerry received his B.S. in business administration from Washington University in St. Louis, where he was the president of his fraternity, Kappa Alpha. His lifetime career was in motivational sales. Jerry enjoyed his volunteer work with Toys for Tots, with which he was involved for many years. He was a man who loved nature, sailing, music, and animals, with a special place in his heart for his cat, Mitzi. He was also a historian, and felt a special connection to the Valley Forge area. He will be missed and remembered by his family for his quick wit and dry sense of humor. He was the devoted husband of Cindy and the beloved father of his children: Allison, Kathryn, Jay, and Stuart. He is also survived by his six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Dix Campbell ’56 Dix Campbell, 77, of Belmont, Massachusetts, died May 4, 2015. He was the husband of Elizabeth Miller Campbell ’56 and the father of

Alison Baker ’57 Alison Baker, writer and oral historian, died in Tangiers, Morocco, on May 10, 2015 at the age of 75. She was born in New York City and grew up in Connecticut. After Putney, she graduated from Bryn Mawr College in 1962. Alison spent summers with her family in North Haven, Maine. Alison was an avid traveler and engaged world citizen. Her early career in the Foreign Service with the U.S. Information Agency took her to Burma, Benin, Vietnam, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. She worked with Operation Crossroads Africa, developing programs for international visitors from Africa and the diaspora, and escorted American musicians on tours to foreign countries, using music as a bridge between cultures. She maintained her connection to international professional development up until her death by working as a State Department escort for foreign visitors, and as a program developer in New York. Alison earned her Ph.D. in history and Asian studies, and subsequently worked as a college administrator at Boston University, Sarah Lawrence College, and St. Mary’s College of Maryland. She also created The Academic Year PUTNEY POST

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in New York City to enable college juniors to experience a year abroad in the city. After going to Morocco in 1990, she became interested in the stories of older women who had participated in the Moroccan independence movement of the 1940s and ’50s. Alison ended up pursuing her own research, wrote a book, Voices of Resistance, and made a video (Still Ready: Three Women from the Moroccan Resistance) together with a Moroccan filmmaker. Inspired by her 25th Bryn Mawr reunion, Alison collected, for her second book, the oral histories of her classmates, and wrote It’s Good to be a Woman, a portrait of women’s college graduates on the leading edge of the feminist movement. As the 2008-2009 recession hit, she launched her next project, Saloon Songs for Hard Times, a video compilation of interviews, songs, and images related to American experiences of hard times, during both the recent recession and the Great Depression. Most recently, Alison returned to her Asian Studies roots, with an oral history project related to the ways in which traditional minority cultures in China experience modernization—specifically, the resilience of a community of cormorant fishermen on Lake Erhai in Yunnan province. She was writing about her experiences in China when she was invited to Tangiers to speak on a panel about Moroccan women. Before arriving in Tangiers, she visited old friends and traveled around Morocco, which brought her full-circle to the places where she had first been inspired to record individual stories that would otherwise have been lost. Her death at the conference was sudden and unexpected, but peaceful. Alison is survived by her sister, Anne Baker White ’55; her children, Eleanor, Caroline ’85, and Ted ’87; and her six grandchildren.

Andrew Billings ’63 Andy Billings died on September 6, 2015 after being diagnosed with lymphoma in 2013. Following his time at Putney, Andy attended Amherst College and then Harvard Medical School. He became a primary care physician at Massachusetts General Hospital after his residency in San Francisco, initially serving low-income patients at the hospital’s neighborhood clinic. Through his work at the clinic, he worked with homebound patients, and found himself fascinated both by the dedication of the family members who cared for them and his ability to support those family members with his reassurance and his quiet presence. These encounters launched his career in palliative medicine, and he spent the remainder of his professional life developing programs to teach essential skills and facilitating their impact: emotional support, pain management, and end-of-life planning. Over the course of his career, he became an international leader in palliative medicine. Andy worked with

the Project on Death in America in the 1990s, and was Founding Director of MGH’s Palliative Care Institute in 1995. With his wife, Susan Block, he started Harvard Medical School’s Center for Palliative Care in 1999. As a professor at Harvard Medical School, Andy focused upon end-of-life care, especially with regard to communication issues. Andy’s classmate, Rich Dehlinger, captured Andy’s spirit, which was so admired by his peers: “[At Putney, Andy] knew already, at an interpersonal and social level, that each of us has intrinsic value and merit as a human being. He respected this in other people as a matter of principle, often perhaps when they had not yet made their mark in public, nor yet become recognized individually as such by others in the community. And he made a point of acting on that understanding.”

Deborah Hanson Davis ’63 Deborah Hanson Davis of Fort Collins, Colorado, born on March 2, 1945 in Chicago to Charles W. D. and Mary Elizabeth Hanson, died peacefully on July 23, 2015, of lung cancer. Her early years were spent in Glencoe, Illinois, and also in New Canaan, Connecticut. After graduating from Putney, she spent the next couple of decades in New York City, where she earned a B.A. in philosophy and religion from Columbia University, and was employed as an office manager. In the mid-eighties, she moved to Fort Collins, where she worked in advertising and marketing. Warm, generous, and fun-loving, she had a rich and sometimes wild ride through her years, always living in the moment with a perennially positive outlook. These gifts won her many friends and a life fully lived. She was devoted to her pets, and loved to read, travel, and participate in spiritual pursuits. Formerly, she was married to Bruce Kweller of Flushing, New York, and also to Casey Davis of Tucson, Arizona. Among the many who will miss her are her brother, Carl Hanson; her sister, Sarah Manno; her nephews, Luke Manno and Jesse Manno; her acquired sister, Diane Montgomery; and two cousins, Joan Harms and Margaret Roath.

Sarah Dennis ’76 Sarah Dennis ’76 died on August 30, 2014, after a four-year battle with brain cancer. She was 56 years old. After graduating from Putney, Sarah attended Macalester College, where she studied English and French literature; but where, midway through her junior year, she was diagnosed with schizophrenia. From there, she moved to the Boston area and was eventually settled in an apartment in Cambridge, near her family. Despite her struggles with her mental health, she maintained a rich social and family life, making lasting friendships at a day program she attended for many years. An appreciator of literature in both French and English, Sarah was known for her skill at languages, a wicked sense of humor, and her physical bravery, all of which stayed with her throughout her last days. As Sarah’s physical health declined, she remained alert, engaged with others, and accepting of her life circumstances. In her last years, she continued to form close relationships. In addition to her family, she was accompanied by two devoted companions: her caretaker and “sister,” Helena Gomes, and a devoted boyfriend, Chris Young. A college student and regular visitor to the confines of the nursing home where Sarah spent her last year had this to say about her: “Looking back on my visits with Sarah, I remember spending time with an individual so much stronger, more charming, and more charismatic than I could ever have expected her to be.” Sarah outlived both her parents, Rodney Dennis, ’48 and Joan Bourgoin, and is survived by her brother, Sam; her half-brother, Simon; two stepbrothers, Nick and John LaFleur ’76; and her stepmother, Christie Poindexter Dennis ’49. Her family grieves her passing, and celebrates the example of courage, humility, and personal resilience she demonstrated throughout her life. Editor’s Note: We received news that the following alumni have died, but we either could not find an obituary, or the issue was in production when the news reached us. Cornelia Spruyt Learnard ‘42 Charles Ball ’43 Johanna Winship Crawford ’44 David Thomas ’45 Suzanne Briggs Johnson ’47 Harry Spruyt ’47 Valerie Graham ’69

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Photo: Sandy Sorlien ’72

IMPACT

THE ANNUAL FUND

It’s what Putney students really want to have on the world. It requires the ongoing investment of people who care. It demands a thoughtful, forward-thinking mindset. It’s available to everyone who values Putney.

Provides more than a million dollars to the operating budget. Is an essential part of responsible financial stewardship. Supports an ambitious scholarship aid program. Is the best way for most people to help. Makes a huge difference.

Your loyal and generous support makes a huge difference. THANK YOU!

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Parents of Alumni: If this magazine is addressed to your son or daughter who no longer maintains a permanent address at home, please notify the Alumni Office of his or her new mailing address. Thank you.

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