Bulletin Summer 2014 by St. George's School

St. George’s School P.O. Box 1910 Newport, RI 02840-0190

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID St. George’s School

S T. G E OR G E ’S 2014 St. George’s School 2014 summer/fall Bulletin

In this issue: Instability in Ukraine: An eyewitness account BY

BOB HOMANS ’65

Going home to Afghanistan: Zahra Arabzada ’15 At home in Harvard’s i-lab: Sadie McQuilkin ’12 In memoriam: Chandler Bates Jr. ’38 Special project: Break dancing SG’s Sandwich King: Q&A with John Conway Prize Day 2014 Hilltop archives Alumni in the news Class Notes

Born to heal: Dr. Sando Baysah Ojukwu ’05

Left: The St. George’s Chapel at dusk. PHOTO BY

TOM EVANS

summer/fall Bulletin

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St. George’s School Mission Statement In 1896, the Rev. John Byron Diman, founder of St. George’s School, wrote in his “Purposes of the School” that “the specific objectives of St. George’s are to give its students the opportunity of developing to the fullest extent possible the particular gifts that are theirs and to encourage in them the desire to do so. Their immediate job after leaving school is to handle successfully the demands of college; later it is hoped that their lives will be ones of constructive service to the world and to God.” In the 21st century, we continue to teach young women and men the value of learning and achievement, service to others, and respect for the individual. We believe that these goals can best be accomplished by exposing students to a wide range of ideas and choices in the context of a rigorous curriculum and a supportive residential community. Therefore, we welcome students and teachers of various talents and backgrounds, and we encourage their dedication to a multiplicity of pursuits—intellectual, spiritual, and physical—that will enable them to succeed in and contribute to a complex, changing world.

Upcoming Events 2014 Convocation

Wed., Sept. 3, 5:45 p.m. Classes begin

Thurs., Sept. 4, 8:30 a.m. Parents Weekend

Fri., Oct. 17-Sat., Oct. 18 Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Banquet

Thurs., Nov. 6, 5:45 p.m.

Middlesex Games

Fri., Nov. 7

Tues., Aug. 19

Christmas Festival

Tues., Sept. 16

Tues., Dec. 16, 7:30 p.m.

St. George’s School admits male and female students of any religion, race, color, sexual orientation, and national or ethnic origin to all the programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of religion, gender, race, color, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or national or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, scholarship and loan programs, or athletic and other school-administered programs.

Reception in Northeast Harbor, Maine At the home of trustee Bambi Putnam P’05

Fri., Dec. 12, 7:30 p.m.

Lessons and Carols

St. George’s Policy on Non-Discrimination

You’re invited: Regional Events

2015

Reception at Greenvale Vineyards, Portsmouth, R.I. Hosted by Nancy Parker Wilson ’77 Reception in New York, N.Y. New York Yacht Club

Thurs., Oct. 30 Fifth-Form Parents Weekend

Fri., Feb 13-Sat., Feb. 14 Reunion Weekend

Fri., May 8-Sun., May 10 Prize Day

Mon., May 25

Receptions, Young Alumni Gatherings and other events will also be coming to: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Palm Beach, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. Locations, dates and times to be determined

For information on these and additional events, contact Events Coordinator Ann Weston at Ann_Weston@stgeorges.edu or 401.842.6731. Details are also available on our website at www.stgeorges.edu and the St. George’s School Facebook page, www.facebook.com/stgeorgesschool.

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St. George’s Bulletin The Alumni Magazine of St. George’s School Newport, R.I.

Right: Head of School Eric Peterson meets with members of the Honor Board in Old School. PHOTO BY B RUCE W ELLER

On the cover: Dr. Sando Baysah Ojukwu ’05 visits Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence, R.I., where she interned while attending Brown University’s medical school. PHOTO BY S UZANNE M C G RADY

Contents From the editor’s desk ........................................................................................................................................2 Born to heal: Dr. Sando Baysah Ojukwu ’05 BY SUZANNE MCGRADY ..............................................................5 At home in Harvard’s i-lab: Checking in with Sadie McQuilkin ’12 BY SUZANNE MCGRADY ....................10 Hilltop archives ..................................................................................................................................................12 Suzanne McGrady, editor Dianne Reed, communications associate

Instability in Ukraine: An eyewitness account BY BOB HOMANS ’65 ......................................................13

Bill Douglas, class notes manager

Reconnecting with Ukraine: Polina Godz ’11 BY SUZANNE MCGRADY ........................................................15

Jeremy Moreau, web manager

Going home: Zahra Arabzada ’15 BY SUZANNE MCGRADY ............................................................................16

Copy editors: Members of the Alumni Office

Prize Day: Graduation 2014 ..........................................................................................................................18

Contributing photographers: Tom Evans, Ray Gao ’15, Andrea Hansen, Kate Whitney Lucey, Jeremy Moreau, Louis Walker III, Bruce Weller The St. George’s Bulletin is published bi-annually. Send correspondence to Bulletin_Editor@stgeorges.edu.

Classrooms ..........................................................................................................................................................24 SG Zone - Athletics ............................................................................................................................................28 Arts ........................................................................................................................................................................30 Special Project: Break dancing/Johnny Kim ’14 BY SUZANNE MCGRADY ................................................32 Campus happenings ..........................................................................................................................................34 SG’s Sandwich King: A Q&A with John Conway ........................................................................................36

Geronimo ..............................................................................................................................................................37 Community service ............................................................................................................................................38 Highlights: Student achievements ................................................................................................................40 Advancement news: News from the Alumni Office ..................................................................................43 Reunion Weekend 2014 ..................................................................................................................................44 This magazine is printed on paper that is certified by SmartWood to meet the Forest Stewardship Council™ standards. FSC sets high standards that ensure forestry is practiced in an environmentally responsible, socially beneficial and economically viable way.

Post Hilltop: Alumni in the news ..................................................................................................................47 In memoriam: Chandler Bates Jr. ’38 BY SUZANNE MCGRADY ......................................................................50 Class Notes ..........................................................................................................................................................51 S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 1 4 S U M M E R / FA L L B U L L E T I N

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St. George’s From the editor’s desk W

My son Connor, 7, and I in Watch Hill, R.I.

riting about St. George’s is always a dance: honor the traditions of the school while making sure to show that we’re moving forward, we’re innovative. Interviewing our alums is a good place to start. They are the embodiment of what can happen when a great education meets the demands of today—today’s marketplace, today’s challenges, today’s complex culture. We begin with our cover story: a profile of Sando Baysah Ojukwu ’05, who realized a lifelong dream to become a doctor when she graduated from Brown University’s medical school this spring (“Born to heal,” p. 6). Her story is a compelling one. She had a vision of what she wanted to do with her life and she set out to achieve it. There were some fortuitous twists along the way—as you’ll read about—but her dream of becoming a doctor in order to use her skills to better children’s lives in her native Liberia is now a reality. As I write, instability in Ukraine remains at the top of the headlines. When I interviewed Polina Godz ’11 in May, the election there still hadn’t taken place and the Malaysian Airlines disaster hadn’t occurred, and yet still Polina admitted the increased tensions in Ukraine over the last year had made her re-establish a bond with her homeland (“Reconnecting with Ukraine,” p. 15). As a companion piece, we also offer up a captivating essay from Bob Homans ’65, who now lives in Kiev (“Instability in Ukraine: An eyewitness account,” p. 13.) Forward-thinking and inventiveness reign supreme, of course, at Harvard University’s Innova-

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tion Lab, and that’s where Sadie McQuilkin ’12 is planted these days. What could be more of-themoment than a Kickstarter campaign? Check out what she’s working on in “At home in Harvard’s i-lab,” p. 10. The stories of two students we highlight in this edition also show what it is to grapple with today’s world, the crossroads of tradition and creative change. “Going home,” (p. 16) is the story of sixth former Zahra Arabzada’s return to her native Afghanistan—her first time back in two years. And “Special Project: Break dancing,” (p. 32) is about one student’s decision to break free of the perhaps expected and pursue a passion. Lastly, I should mention that with this summer/ fall edition of the St. George’s alumni magazine we are also at the junction of past and future. This is the final issue of the Bulletin that will look and feel much as it has for the last decade. We’re launching a redesign of all the school’s publications this fall and with that you’ll see a new magazine at the end of 2014, and new newsletters as soon as this September. Along with Neustadt Creative Marketing in Baltimore, we’ve been evaluating how readers are consuming data these days and we get it: shorter is better. I’ll be setting aside my penchant for the longform narrative feature in favor of shorter articles and a streamlined format that hopefully fit better into your news-consumer style. Onward! Sincerely,

Suzanne McGrady Bulletin Editor

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@DragonsofSG

School Prefect Peter Carrellas ’14 (above), played St. George for our St. George’s Day P.R. materials. We used the occasion of #StGeorgesDay to collect photos of students and alumni showing their school spirit.

Our Instagram handle is @DragonsofSG—so follow us, and join in the Instagram fun all year long! Anytime you have a fun photo that relates to our community use the hashtag, #DragonsofSG— and direct-message us the pic at DragonsofSG. We may just repost it for all loyal Dragons to see.

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Coming this fall: A new stgeorges.edu

Streamlined • Functional • Engaging

Stay tuned!

PHOTO BY

SUZANNE MCGRADY

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Born to heal

Armed with three Ivy League degrees, Sando Baysah Ojukwu ’05 has now realized her goal to become a doctor—but it wouldn’t have happened if she hadn’t made a harrowing journey to the United States BY SUZANNE McGRADY Maggie Baysah remembers feeling like she was in a bad dream. It was 1990 and she was at a checkpoint in Liberia—yet another in a series of houses along the road to a refugee camp. She and about 15 other members of her family had been walking for hours, fleeing their war-ravaged neighborhood in Monrovia. Hundreds like her were crowded around, carrying what they could of their possessions.

When she reached the house, rebels shouted orders to form a single line as they each waited to be interrogated. She could hear people being shot behind the house, could see pools of blood. Now, in front of her, a man with a red bandanna tied around his head was sitting behind a table and questioning her older brother, Victor. “Why did you go to school?” he asked. “Why are you educated?” Victor smiled at the simple question. Then …

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PHOTO BY

KATE WHITNEY LUCEY

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“You take this man and kill him!” the soldier screamed. “I don’t want to see him again! Take him away!” Maggie’s mother began to weep while a female soldier grabbed Maggie’s little girl, Sando, from her side. “Hey, my friend, you’ve got a beautiful daughter,” the woman taunted. She had a proposition: If Maggie let her keep her daughter, maybe she could convince the other soldiers not to kill her brother …

It’s May 14, 2014, and Sando Baysah Ojukwu ’05 is just 11 days away from graduating from Alpert Medical School at Brown University. She’s at the end of nine long years of college: four at Harvard earning a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences, three at Brown Medical School, one year back at Harvard earning a master’s degree in public health, then one final year at Brown earning her M.D. “It will be a monumental day,” she says of graduation, “because my lifelong goal has been to become a doctor—and so that’s the day that I officially get to call myself that.” It seems Sando always knew in her heart what she wanted to do. After arriving in the United States at age 3 from Liberia, she and her family settled in

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Rhode Island. Her brother, Ansu, was three years older. Her parents, Maggie and Corvah, took odd jobs, sometimes two at a time to make ends meet. Though both held professional jobs back in Liberia— her father had graduated from college as a math major and worked for the government, and her mother was an accountant—both found their resumes didn’t really count in the U.S. In Providence, Mr. Baysah worked in a group home and Mrs. Baysah took jobs at the Swarovski crystal factory in Cranston, as a certified nursing assistant in a nursing home, and as a home health aide. Always in the backs of their minds were their children and their education. “I remember being in like first or second grade and my dad deciding to teach me fractions after he got home from work,” Sando recalled. “I had no idea what he was talking about. But even when he came home late, he tried to teach us—to do what he could.” As an elementary school student in Providence, Sando said she’d pass by the medical complex along I-95—Hasbro Children’s, Rhode Island Hospital and Women & Infants—on her way back home from school. “I’d point to it and say, ‘Someday, Mommy, I’m going to work there. I’m going to be a pediatrician.’” She even wrote about her dream in a sixth-grade essay for her English class at Nathanael Greene School, where her mother had enrolled her in the gifted and talented program.

Gallup Street in Providence is in a gritty neighborhood on the south side of the city. Across the street from Sando’s house, where the family has lived for more than 20 years, there’s a broken car, graffiti. You can smell fast food in the air. But inside it’s a sanctuary. Everything pristine and pretty. This is where a doctor came to be. Sando’s mother, now a teacher with a master’s degree at Alvares High School in Providence, points out the dining room table where she and all of her children studied for the past two decades. Ansu earned an M.B.A. from Harvard in 2011, and Sando’s younger brother, Galimah, St. George’s Class of 2009, graduated from Wesleyan and is now a workforce

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When she arrived on the Hilltop for third-form year in 2000, teachers right away took note of her determination to succeed. “Sando had the desire to study medicine for as long as I have known her,” recalled Head of the Science Department Holly Williams, who taught Sando in freshman biology, AP Biology and in a senior independent study on human genetics. When Williams was attending a class at Harvard, she took Sando with her to see their biology facilities, meet a few faculty members and attend a lecture. “[Mrs. Williams] was always very supportive and always guided me,” Sando said. “She was one of the first people to tell me the path to medicine—what that looked like and what it would take.” Williams said Sando was a special kind of student. “She worked incredibly hard, is thoughtful, intelligent, curious, and her most endearing quality is that she is humble,” she said.

KATE WHITNEY LUCEY

Opposite page: Sando gets a hug from her mom, Maggie, on Prize Day 2005 at St. George’s. Left: Sando receives her SG diploma.

PHOTO BY

development project coordinator at Lifespan. When Sando was ready to enter high school in 2000, she thought she’d follow the same path as Ansu, who at that time was getting ready to graduate from Classical High School, a magnet school a mile and a half from Gallup Street, and head to Brown to earn a degree in mechanical engineering. It was a surprise when a neighbor across the street, who knew St. George’s trustee Clyde Dorsey ’70, mentioned a school in Newport she should apply to. “I had never spent more than two days away from home, so it was very foreign to me,” Sando said about the idea of attending boarding school. When the catalogue came and her parents scheduled a tour, Sando recalled, “I said, ‘I’ll listen to it, but I don’t know if I’ll actually do it.’” On the tour, though, she talked to friendly students who took her to see the science facilities. Each student was working at his or her own microscope. “Even at Classical you might have 40 students, three students at a microscope at a time,” she said. “I knew I’d have dedicated attention. The teachers were very involved.” She was sold.

Photos: Cover, page 6: Sando at Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence, May 2014. Inset: Sando as a preschooler in Liberia, 1989.

In 2005, when Sando won the St. George’s Medal on Prize Day—the school’s highest student honor— Williams said she was looking at her to see her reaction. “Sando was looking to see who the winner would be,” Williams recalled, “and the surprise on her face that she had been selected was priceless. She truly doesn’t know just how special she is.” Matilde Davis ’05 was Sando’s roommate all four years at SG. “I remember thinking that Sando was so friendly and very easy to talk to,” Davis recalled of meeting her friend for the first time at early sports. Davis, who attended Tolleston Middle School in Gary, Indiana, had applied to SG through A Better Chance, the scholarship program for talented underprivileged kids from urban areas across the country. She said she and Sando clicked right away. “She didn’t judge, and she was always encouraging.” In Sando’s four years at St. George’s, she received only one course grade below an A-: a B+ for one semester in Spanish. She credits the support she got from peers and teachers. “I remember meeting constantly with Ms. Bickford. She was always there to offer additional help with essays,” Sando said. “And also just the support that the dorms offered. Rachel Elmer and Emily Quan were very strong at English—and I’d have them edit my papers as well.” There was also, of course, a lot of hard work—a rigorous course load heavy on advanced math and science. And though Sando always appeared happygo-lucky around campus (she was also a tri-varsity

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athlete in soccer, basketball and softball)—she was strict with herself about studying. Her mother was an accomplice: she would send her flashlights so she could subvert the “lights-out” rule in the dorm. There was another rule that, to Maggie, was more important: no boyfriends in high school. A boyfriend, she told her, would distract her from her studying. What Sando learned in her classes at SG helped her a lot when she got to Harvard, she said. “Just being familiar with the equipment and knowing how to do a lab report and then being able to take APs,” she said. I took BC Calculus at St. George’s and took it again at Harvard, so it was like a review for me. “I was able to have more flexibility as a freshman to explore the clubs and volunteer opportunities and feel like I could settle in because of that preparation.” Still, among her own coursework and activities, she’d find time to tutor kids for free at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School. Doubling up on science courses allowed her to spend time abroad in the international honors program, the health and community section, exploring different health care systems across the world. The group started in Geneva at the World Health Organization (WHO) then travelled to India, China and South Africa. And it didn’t take long for Sando to overcome the “boyfriend rule.” She met her future husband, Randy Ojukwu, whose parents were born in Nigeria, in a freshman English class. The two were formally dating by December of that year and were married in August 2012.

At Brown’s medical school, Sando said she felt she was continuously reaffirmed she was pursuing the right profession. After dissecting a cadaver in her first-year anatomy course, she admits she thought briefly about becoming a vegetarian. The gore, though, she said, never really got to her. “I told myself this is what I have to do. This is learning. This is part of the journey,” she said. In her third year, she did a sub-internship at Hasbro Children’s Hospital in the pediatric oncol-

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ogy/hematology unit. She wanted to test whether she could withstand the emotional pressure of treating kids with cancer. When one of her patients, a 17-yearold boy with osteosarcoma who shared her love of basketball, passed away, she knew her answer. “Even with that,” she said, “I saw that kids are very resilient and even when they’re extremely sick or have a bad prognosis, they’re still a kid.” She often played board games with the children in her unit in between the tests and treatments. “They’re very resilient and happy and I love that aspect of them.” Now, as she enters her first year as a resident at Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia, she knows she’s that much closer to achieving that one final goal.

“I saw that kids are very resilient and even when they’re extremely sick or have a bad prognosis, they’re still a kid.” —Sando Baysah Ojukwu ’05

“I’m looking forward to residency where you actually get to start fully gathering the skills to use your degree. And then hopefully in the future I’ll be doing global health work and … be able to say I helped saved this kid—or at least put them on a path [to getting better].”

Three years ago, Sando went back to Liberia. “After 18 years, I got to reconnect,” she said. People walked up to her and said, “I used to babysit you!” It was the summer after her first year of medical school and she had been awarded an international

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emergency fellowship to work with a physician through an organization called HEART (Health Education and Relief through Teaching). She worked in the E.R. at Monrovia’s JFK Hospital and also did some independent work at a family planning center. “Going back to Liberia re-energized my goal of working there,” she said. “In a lot of ways I could’ve been any of those kids who were still there. I wasn’t supposed to be here, so I was very blessed and have been very fortunate and I think that has been my driving force to give back.” She also knows she is needed. In the emergency room, even the basics were lacking. “There were a lot of unnecessary deaths,” she said. One patient who was having a heart attack died because none of the staff knew where the defibrillator was—or how to use it. Outside her fellowship work, in her free time, Sando reconnected with family and saw the sights. She went to the high school campus where her parents met. “I definitely felt at home. I just had this feeling of peace,” she recalled. And her parents also took her to see the checkpoint—where that defining moment took place— where a female soldier once wanted to steal Sando from her mother and where Maggie was faced with that horrible dilemma: daughter … or brother?

Maggie finishes the story… With Sando still at her side, the female soldier had rifled through Maggie’s belongings—all the while, for some reason, trying to dissuade her fellow soldiers not to kill Maggie’s brother. From Maggie’s purse the woman pulled out a photograph. It was of Sando in a school uniform, from preschool. “She looked up at me,” Maggie recalled, “and when she saw the desperateness in my eyes, I guess, not only the desperateness, but I think God intervened. … She looked at me and said to me, ‘OK, I will take the picture and you will take the child—but get out of here right now.’” Then Maggie—and her whole family—hurried out the door.

“Going back to Liberia

Sando Baysah Ojukwu ’05 graduates from Brown University’s Alpert School of Medicine in May.

re-energized my goal of working there. In a lot of ways I could’ve been any of those kids who were still there.” —Sando Baysah Ojukwu ’05

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At home in Harvard’s i-lab T

hese days Sadie McQuilkin ’12, a rising junior at Harvard, can often be found in the university’s Innovation Lab, an entrepreneurial business incubator that helps students bring their progressive business ideas to market. Surrounding her will be the distinctly earthy and chocolaty smell of coffee. That’s because McQuilkin was recently named a co-founder of Mokha Origin, a start-up that aims to bring coffee from Yemen to the U.S. market. The start-up was one of just 10 out of 133 teams to become a finalist this spring in the i-lab’s President’s Challenge. It now has a dedicated space at the i-lab and has been assigned an advisor/mentor: an expert in coffee importation. McQuilkin is heading up the team’s branding and marketing efforts, lending the design expertise she developed working last year on the Harvard Women in Leadership magazine, Make it Happen. She’s already designed Mokha Origin’s logo and packaging, and in July was hard at work helping the team launch an ambitious Kickstarter campaign. The team’s mission is two-fold: “To bring awesome coffee to American consumers and to support economic growth and stability in Yemen,” McQuilkin said. The start-up’s efforts to generate social change are what the i-lab is all about. By importing Yemeni coffee to the U.S., Mokha Origin hopes to improve Yemeni coffee farmers’ ability to make a profit, improve the overall economy and encourage more young people to take up coffee farming—combating high unemployment rates and helping to discourage young men from taking up with terrorist groups to earn a living. The company’s founder, Anda Greeney, a former Air Force lieutenant and now a graduate student at the Harvard Extension school whom McQuilkin met in a coffee shop (of course), wanted to help out a country with economic stagnation and where the U.S. has a military interest, McQuilkin said. Setting their $24-for-12-ounces Yemeni beans apart from the rest of the coffee pack won’t be easy, but McQuilkin says she’s confident the story behind the enterprise—“Yemen was the first place where coffee was cultivated and roasted and brewed,”—the coffee’s

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distinctive flavor—“rich and earthy”—and the company’s mission to effect social change, will speak to consumers. And then, of course, there’s Americans’ penchant for caffeine. Sitting down to savor a good brew, McQuilkin says, can be one of life’s pleasures. “We’re actually encouraging our consumers to drink our coffee out of small cups,” she said. “I don’t know if everyone will … but if you can, it really is an entirely different experience. Instead of drinking it just to get your caffeine fix and get going in the morning; you can drink it the way that you would a fine wine. Experience the sight, the smell, the flavor, all of that.” The young business started its Kickstarter campaign with an initial goal to raise $30,000, but hopes it attracts closer to $100,000.

“The reason I got involved in Make it Happen magazine at Harvard is because I really wanted to do editorial work—and that was because of the [SG school newspaper] Red & White. My experiences with the newspaper were fantastic and so I wanted to continue to do that.” The coffee is already for sale on the Mokha Origin web site and on Amazon, but the founders are working to make it available in East Coast retail outlets by the end of the year. Bringing more high-quality coffee to consumers will actually improve people’s quality of life, according to McQuilkin. “It’s a way for people to expand their horizons,” she said. If you let it, coffee can even create a social experience. “It was the center of the social world for people for a very long time,” McQuilkin said. “People would go to coffee shops and talk to each other in ways that they hadn’t before. “We want people to reclaim that experience in a way that we sometimes lose in our very fast-paced lives today.” —Suzanne McGrady

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Checking in with recent graduate

Sadie McQuilkin ’12 Where she is: Living near Cambridge, Mass., and heading into junior year at Harvard What she’s studying: History and Literature

Freshman year at Harvard was … completely thrilling. I met so many new, interesting people, and learned so much both in and out of the classroom. I’ve been intensely busy for much of my college career thus far, but I’ve been focused on doing things I love. I even had the opportunity to study in Paris with Harvard Summer School; both there and at home in Cambridge, I’ve been thriving in my newfound state of independence. What I learned at St. George’s that has helped me most at college … People are the most important part of any institution. Both at SG and at Harvard, I’ve found that my happiest, most productive moments have been the result of my participation in communities bigger than myself. From the SG cross-country team and the Red & White Editorial Board to all of the startup teams at the Innovation Lab, I’ve been incredibly fortunate to find myself surrounded by people who push me to achieve and exceed my goals. My favorite haunts in Cambridge are … the bike path by the Charles River, Border Café for Tex-Mex and Cajun food and Radcliffe Yard—it’s just as beautiful as Harvard Yard, but much more peaceful. My study strategy is … to take classes about topics that fascinate me so that I forget that I’m even studying. I don’t have much time to read “for pleasure” (e.g. outside of class), but I’ve had the pleasure of reading some truly incredible literature. One of my favorites thus far is Nabokov’s “Lolita.” I’ve even had a chance to re-read some classics to which I was first exposed in St. George’s English classes!

My workout routine … consists mostly of running, a sport I fell in love with at SG. I ran my second marathon about a year ago, and I hope to come back to Newport for a third in October. I’ve also recently discovered how enjoyable biking can be—my ride to and from work doubles as a workout, and I don’t have to brave congested Harvard Square traffic in my car. When I have five minutes alone with my iPhone/ smartphone, I … check my e-mail and calendar to figure out what’s coming up on my agenda. Between classes, extracurricular activities, and Mokha Origin, I’m always doing something different and I need my calendar to keep track of everything. When I get nostalgic about St. George’s, I think about … how warm and supportive the SG community is. College is great, but nothing compares to my family at St. George’s. And of course, I also miss running along Second Beach with the cross-country team! The best thing about being in college is … the freedom to pursue absolutely any interest I want, and having the resources to do so. When I arrived at Harvard, I would have never dreamed that I would call myself an entrepreneur; in fact, I was initially intimidated by the i-lab, but now it feels like a second home! Two items on my bucket list are … be CEO/President of a successful company and live in Paris for at least a year. If I could change the world in one way it would be … improving the lives of women in my own local community and around the world.

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Hilltop archives R

E M E M B E R

W H E N

Records of the past GILBERT Y. TAVERNER ARCHIVES

Also with these came another photo book, “The Faculty in Action, ’36-’37,” created by two members of the Class of 1937, R. Winder Johnson Jr. and L. Rodman Page Jr. The book is very cleverly constructed and bursts with student humor (and obvious affection).

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE

Have we received any new written materials? Yes. Another gift we received is from brothers Thomas W. Allen ’61 and Frederick S. Allen Jr. ’56. It is a diary (in parts handwritten, in parts typed) kept by their father, Frederick S. Allen ’31 from April to September 1928, during parts of his third- and fourth-form years at SG. The writing is funny and good, giving us a student’s personal view of life at SG just before and as J. Vaughan Merrick III was coming on the scene.

Archivist Val Simpson P’14 says gifts to the Taverner Archives help illuminate our history You’ve had a number of items donated to the Taverner Archives this spring. I love this photo of student Ted Church ’29 in his athletic gear. How did we get it? One of the gifts we received this spring was an amazing collection of J. Vaughan Merrick III [headmaster 1928-1943] photo albums and loose photos sent by George Gebelein III ’73, who had received the materials from his friend, Eve Pierce, a relative of Mr. Merrick. The photos range from candids of the students and faculty to individual portraits of many graduating seniors through the ’30s and early ’40s.

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We already have many editions of most of the printed publications, such as the Lance and the Bulletin, even the school newspaper, the Red & White. Should people still consider donating theirs? Oh, yes, especially if they are very old—though we still have holes in the collection from the 1960s1980s. Check with me first. It was fantastic to receive the very old Lance editions that Minney Robb’s father, H. Gates Lloyd ’19, had kept from his era. Minney’s son, Andrew Packard ’82, sent the yearbooks to the archives as he helped Minney move into a new place. We already had two great photo albums of Mr. Lloyd’s from his student days, and it is nice to be able to round out his collection. He kept his books in pristine condition! Do you have items you’d like to donate to the Taverner Archives? Please contact us at Archives@stgeorges.edu or at 401-842-6692.

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Instability in Ukraine: An eyewitness account BY BOB HOMANS ’65 Note from the author: Since November 2013, the Ukrainian people have been fighting for their freedom, first against a government whose officials have stolen billions of dollars from Ukrainians over the past four years, then against a Russian invasion and subsequent annexation of Crimea, and currently against an insertion of Russian troops into 10 eastern Ukrainian cities. My account focuses on events in and around Independence Square in Kyiv, called the Maidan, leading directly to the fall of the former government.

came to Kyiv in November 2006 to head a USAID (United States Agency for International Development) equipment finance project. I have been working on international donor-funded projects related to small business finance ever since, primarily

in Central and Southeast Asia, the Middle East, the Balkans and Sub-Saharan Africa. In October 2008 I married Larysa, a Ukrainian citizen, a faculty member at the leading business school in Ukraine, and an executive coach. Larysa’s daughter, Zhenia, is a journalist. This crisis began last Nov. 21, when the former prime minister announced that his government would not sign a free-trade agreement with the European Union, after first promising to do so, and instead would enter negotiations with Russia on joining a Russian-led Customs Union. Popular resentment had been building against the former government for some time, with presidential elections scheduled for late 2014. The former prime minister’s announcement only served as the spark. Thousands of Ukrainians came to the Maidan

A photo taken in February shows the Maidan in Kyiv, Ukraine. On the left is what was supposed to be a New Year’s tree, now festooned with flags and slogans. In the middle is the main stage and on the right is the Trade Union Building, which was gutted by fire during fighting on Feb. 18.

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Photo, above left: Bob Homans ’65 and his and stepdaughter Zhenia, stand in front of one of the barricades protecting the Maidan. Photo, above right: A memorial marks the place in Kyiv where one of the people shot in a sniper attack in February fell to his death.

protesting the government’s decision, with some staying in a peaceful, and legal, encampment. On Nov. 30 the government ordered riot police, called berkut, to attack the encampment. They brutally beat several hundred protesters, mostly students. The next day, one million Ukrainians came to the Maidan to show their support for the protesters. Protesters occupied the first two floors of Kyiv City Hall and took over the Trade Union Building, both next to the Maidan. Later that day there were two incidents, both almost certainly instigated by Russian provocateurs. The Presidential Administration Building was attacked, with Russian State television reporting the attack three minutes before it was actually launched. Police used tear gas to disperse the attackers. Zhenia’s friend was videotaping the attack, and was among those who were tear-gassed. The second incident involved a group of Russian-speaking individuals, who attempted to enter City Hall with Molotov cocktails hidden in backpacks. On Dec. 11 berkut attempted to enter City Hall, but withdrew. The protesters organized themselves into committees, each responsible for tasks such as constructing barricades, establishing first-aid stations, building kitchens and distributing food. People from throughout Ukraine and all age groups, who had previously never cooperated with each other, worked together to build a cohesive organization, a “city-within-a-city,” with City Hall and the Trade Union Building as headquarters. Restaurants closed, allowing their premises to be used as first-aid stations. Makeshift operating rooms were set up in churches. People were scared to go to hospitals, where the berkut was kidnapping protesters. More than 150 protesters are still missing. Protesters established the “Open University of the Maidan,” where Larysa gave a lecture on the power of storytelling. Protesters

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drove the agenda, and leaders of the established opposition political parties became marginalized. The first fatalities took place Jan. 20-22, when protesters marched on the Parliament building to oppose a series of laws passed by Parliament limiting free speech and the right of peaceful assembly. On Feb. 18 berkut again tried to clear the Maidan, and again were turned back by smoke from burning tires, as well as paving stones and Molotov cocktails thrown by defenders, or shot out of makeshift catapults. Zhenia’s friend was on the Maidan that night, digging bricks from the sidewalk in front of the Central Post Office, splitting them, and passing them up the line. During the night of Feb. 18 and 19 the wind was blowing the smoke from burning tires into the faces of the berkut, slowing their advance. However, just before daybreak on the 19th the berkut nearly breached the last barricade. Protestors saw people with shields coming from the opposite direction, initially thinking that berkut were advancing from behind. However it was reinforcements, who had driven all night from Western Ukraine. The day was saved. On Feb. 20 snipers, some firing from the roofs of government-controlled buildings, killed approximately 100 protesters. Two days later President Yanukovich fled Kyiv, and on Feb. 27 a new interim government was established. [Presidential elections took place May 25, and Petro Poroshenko was elected to lead the country.] We live two kilometers north of the Maidan. We could hear the noise from the fighting and see the smoke, and we could watch the fighting on television.

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Along with his expertise in international finance, Bob Homans ’65—the great-great-great-grandson of John Quincy Adams—is a lecturer on various JQA topics. This spring he gave a lecture at the Moscow Humanities University on Adams’ career as a congressman—his fight against slavery, his opposition to the Gag Rule, the forced relocation of the Cherokee Nation, the annexation of Texas and the Mexican War. Mr. Homans can be reached at roberthomans@gmail.com.

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I was scared on two occasions. The first time was the night of Jan. 22, when the former government deployed thugs, called tetushki, to intimidate the protesters as well as the general population. Against my wife’s advice, I decided to go to the corner store to buy some pasta. There were three tetushki standing in the entrance to the store. One of them tried to block my way, but I was able to get around him. I did the same on the way out, but I was concerned they’d follow me home. Fortunately, they didn’t. The second time was on the afternoon of Feb. 20. After the sniper attack that morning, rumors began circulating that the government was going to declare a state of emergency, close the bridges across the Dnieper River and block the Internet. The Kyiv Metro had been shut down since Feb. 18. I was considering the prospect of our family being trapped in a lawless city. However, the state of emergency never happened, the Metro opened that evening, the first planeloads of officials of the former government began fleeing Kyiv, and protesters organized municipal patrols to protect citizens against tetushki. It has been my privilege to witness, largely through the eyes of Larysa and Zhenia, the birth of what will hopefully be a new nation, marked by the removal of the old, rotten system of corruption under which Ukraine has been ruled for 22-plus years since its independence. If the Ukrainian people are successful, then Putin himself may not survive. Protesters plan to stay on the Maidan, to insure that the government acts on their agenda. Although it has sometimes been a very nerve-wracking and sometimes-scary experience for all of us, there is no place I would have rather been. Those who were killed are now collectively referred to as the “Heavenly 100,” after the old Cossack battalions. God bless them.

For Polina Godz ’11, a Ukrainian citizen now living in Providence, R.I., the last year has been “a roller coaster” of emotions about her homeland. With her country mired in a state of economic and political instability, Godz, who is enrolled in a joint program between Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design, has been feeling the tumult. “I feel like the country is sort of in shambles,” said Godz, who uses Facebook and Skype to talk to friends and family and the Russian news channel TV Rain for media coverage. “And … from what I hear from everyone, it’s a very unpleasant feeling to be there and there’s not that much that people feel like they can do to help it.” When she went back to her home in Kharkiv last summer she said she and a friend visited galleries and soaked up the rich culture of the secondlargest city in Ukraine. “I kind of felt very proud of my country and I reconnected with a lot of my friends who are starting to do really interesting things in design and art.” Within months after she returned to Providence, however, news arrived that protests in her country were escalating, President Viktor Yanukovych had been ousted, Russia began a standoff with the EU, and armed forces took hold in the Crimean peninsula, where citizens voted for autonomy. “I’m just very skeptical that things are going to turn out well because this has been a very messy process,” she said. “I think it’s insane that certain regions want independence. I think it’s a very wrong idea that somehow gets spread and causes a lot of trouble in Ukraine at this point.” These days, as she works toward earning a B.A. in modern culture and media at Brown and a B.F.A. in graphic design at RISD in 2016, she finds herself connecting to her homeland in ways she hadn’t predicted. “Despite the fact that I’m less and less inclined to want to live in Ukraine, I’m very interested in Ukraine and I associate myself much more as a Ukrainian,” she said. She’s been in contact with author, professor and visualization designer Lev Manovich, who is working on a project on Kiev and she takes inspiration from Serbian filmmaker Emir Kusturica, who she said is a “genius” who sometimes comments about politics in his own homeland in his work. “I keep looking more and more toward Ukraine—and as much as the situation is pretty terrible and upsets me a lot,” she said, “it gives me a lot of creative juice to work with.” —Suzanne McGrady

SUZANNE MCGRADY

Reconnecting with Ukraine

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Going home When you’re from Afghanistan, summer vacation takes on a whole new meaning BY SUZANNE MCGRADY For Zahra Arabzada ’15 the end of the school year was particularly significant. “I haven’t seen my mom and dad in a solid two years,” she said a few weeks before boarding a plane for the 6,500-mile, 14-hour series of flights from Boston to Kabul. The trip, she said, would be a welcomed respite—a time to reconnect with family and friends—before the crush of college applications and general bustle of the sixthform year. Besides, she had big plans: She’d be volunteering at a program called Sarak-eAwal that aims to get orphans and street kids into school; she was hoping to host a radio program—introducing adults who can read and write—to promote literacy in her home province of Kunduz; and she’d be taking photographs for a fall special project showing

“both sides of Afghanistan: the positive and negative.” In addition, she planned to volunteer at the Meena Welfare Association, and raise money for the organization by asking for sponsors as she reads 10 nonfiction books this summer. (MWA is one of the first clinics in Afghanistan to help children suffering from thalassemia, an inherited blood disorder.) For Zahra, the trip home this summer meant coming full circle, back to the place she once so desperately wanted to move away from—but where, now that she knows she doesn’t have to stay—holds peace and comfort. “The first thing I want to do when I get home? … I sort of just want to hug my brother and sister and like cry. I don’t know why. I have missed them so much—and the

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word “miss” doesn’t describe it. Other than that…I want to eat the rice that my sister makes called pallow.”

Zahra’s journey to America began when, with the blessing of her parents, she was accepted to attend the School of Leadership in Afghanistan (SOLA), a boarding school in Kabul. But the family had to keep her attendance a secret for fear of reprisals; in Afghanistan many believe women should remain uneducated. “People thought I was staying at home and washing my brother’s clothes and doing all the typical things that an Afghan girl should do,” she explained. Every time someone came to Kabul from her hometown of Kunduz, she had to leave SOLA and go to her older brother’s house. “I

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ZAH R A’S ‘READ- A-TH ON FOR M E NA’ B O O K L I S T “No God, but God” by Reza Aslan “Maus” by Art Spiegelman “Wrestling in the Daylight” by Brant Rosen “And the Mountain Echoed” by Khalid Hussaini “Mountains Beyond Mountains” by Tracy Kidder “Quiet” by Susan Cain “Behind the Beautiful Forevers” by Katherine Boo “The Art of Happiness” by Dalai Lama “Our Harsh Logic” by Breaking the Silence “The Year of Magical Thinking” by Joan Didion had to pretend to be washing the dishes and doing all this work that I didn’t even know how to do,” she said. “And when they left, I’d be like, ‘OK, I can go back to SOLA.’” SOLA, of course, understood the situation. “Most of the time they would say, ‘OK, we know it’s dangerous for your security if you don’t go home,’” she said. St. George’s alum Rian Smith ’76, SOLA’s executive director, helped Zahra envision a different future, helping her make a connection with the Hilltop. Still, she had to apply twice—and she could only guess at some of the questions: Without a formal birth certificate, she thinks her birthday is Nov. 11. She thinks she’s 17. “The first time I applied I barely could speak English,” she admitted. She found a woman in Canada who volunteered to speak to her on Skype to improve her language skills. “St. George’s was literally my only hope that I would come to the United States,” Zahra said recalling her determination. After she was accepted in 2012, she attended a special program at Salve Regina University in Newport and stayed with a host family. She grappled with a summer reading assignment for fourth-form English at SG. “For the first time, I read two books in a month,” she said. “It was so hard.” One was “The Sound of Waves,” a Japanese coming-of-age story by Yukio Mishima, which she said made her a bit unsettled. “I’m still not comfortable with a lot of love and relationship stuff,” she admitted. An even more vexing issue was keeping her attendance at St. George’s from her grandfather, a conservative Muslim, which she wrote about in an essay for that same

English class with former Head of the English Department Alex Myers titled, “Lies for Survival.” She recalled a memorable Skype exchange with her mother and grandfather back in Kunduz. “It was night there and day here,” she said, “and the room was very bright and there was a car going back and forth, so my grandpa said, ‘Why are there cars going back and forth in the middle of the night? Where are you right now?’” Her mom intervened. “She’s in Kabul,” she told her father. “It might be the cars going back and forth. They might be in the yard.” “But,” her grandfather replied, “It’s night. It’s suppose to be dark.” “And then I told him. I said, ‘Grandpa, I know you will be very upset, and you’ll be very disappointed to hear that ….’ And my mom kept saying, ‘You’re in Kabul. You’re in Kabul. And she kept interrupting me. “But I told him, ‘The whole time that I’ve told you I’ve been washing my brother’s clothes, that I’ve been studying and memorizing the holy Koran, I’ve been doing that too, but I lived in a boarding school. I’m in the United States. I’ve been studying. I’m living in a dormitory. And I can’t lie to you. It’s day here.” There was a pause. “And then he shut the Skype,” she recalled. “He turned the Skype off—and that was the last time I talked to him.” That was more than a year ago.

Still, when Zahra arrived at Kabul International Airport in June, she set foot in a place she’s already had an impact on.

Above: Zahra stands in front of a mural promoting greater rights for the women of Afghanistan. Photo, opposite page: Zahra with children from her village in Kunduz, Afghanistan.

“When I came to the United States, I realized that I never really gave a chance for people to try to understand why I am here. All I do is lie for my benefit—because I don’t want to be killed, because I don’t want my family to be killed—but I had never educated [the people who oppose girls going to school], so what is the whole purpose of lying?” One of the last times she talked to her mother from school, her mother told her her grandfather—who has 16 children and counting—had obviously been thinking about education, “He is pushing his sons to go to school,” she told Zahra. The exchange gave her hope. “I think they need to understand,” she admitted. “Knowing the reality, they might be emotional at first … [My grandfather] has his own beliefs and it’s hard to get away from them, but … the fact that he thought about it, at least, is a huge thing for me. “I hope in five or ten years my aunts will be able to go to school, too.”

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Following is the address delivered by Head of School Eric Peterson on Prize Day, May 26, 2014.

into the talented, accomplished and confident young men and women who this afternoon sit poised on the edge of the future. I’m sure you’ve heard it from your parents, and maybe you even feel it yourselves in some ways, but time moves ever more swiftly the older you get. Perhaps you recall feeling that your third form year was only yesterday, or perhaps you have clear memories of your time in second grade, a decade ago. If that’s so, you’ve already begun to feel the powerful undercurrent of time and its inexorable pull. I’m focused on time this morning, because this day will be for each of you one of those watershed moments in its flow, one that you will likely remember with some clarity. More particularly, I’m thinking about the passage of time because as I look back over my ten years at St. George’s, I’m stunned by just how much the world around us has changed since you finished second grade back in 2004. Ten years ago, the economic and social turmoil of the Great Recession lay years into the future. No one had ever heard of something called Bitcoin, much less ever spent or earned one. There was no such profession as “app developer” or “user experience manager.” In the corporate world, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram did not yet exist, and Facebook had just been born in Mark Zuckerberg’s college dorm room. As a single illustration of just how far reaching these changes have been, consider that since its founding ten years ago, Facebook has grown to include more than 1.2 billion users and has a market value in excess of $150 billion dollars… Back in 2004, Gmail didn’t exist, nor did Google Maps or Streetview. Google search, which today accounts for nearly two-thirds of all web searches around the world, was in its infancy, and the company name had not yet been “verbed,” as in “…just Google it.” With respect to devices, iOS didn’t exist, Android didn’t exist, and no one except maybe Steve Jobs had any idea what an iPhone or an iPad was going to be. Not long ago, it used to be fashionable

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ongratulations, Class of 2014, you have made it to Prize Day, a moment in time that many of you have been imagining, perhaps since you first arrived on the Hilltop. As you all know, we are fond of our traditions at St. George’s, and this occasion is rightfully among our oldest and most honored. At the same time, while these ceremonies have been repeated “each successive year” for generations, for each of you, this day is special. This is your Prize Day, and it represents the culmination of your efforts at the school across years that were undoubtedly filled with twists and turns, the occasional setback, and a host of successes. In the end, this event may be a school tradition, but the day belongs to you, and you should all be very proud. As I reflected this week on the occasion of Prize Day and your time at St. George’s, my thoughts turned to my own years at the school. For me, this is the tenth time I’ve been privileged to preside at these ceremonies, and I confess that it never fails to thrill me to share in the celebration of your accomplishments and the joy of this day. But I also confess that as I thought about our respective times at the school, I was brought up short by a sudden realization— when I came to St. George’s and first led Prize Day, each of you had just finished the second grade. I imagine that, like me, your parents are just now marveling at how fast time moves, and how the small children you all were have grown and transformed

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for those in my generation and older to sagely note that the youth of the world had never known a time without the Internet. Today, I suspect most of you have never known a time without a smartphone, a device without which the blessings of Snapchat and Instagram would be impossible. Even language has evolved at an accelerated pace. Since 2004, the Oxford English Dictionary has added hundreds of words like “bling,” and “fracking,” and “kombucha” to its lexicon. Phrases like “cloud computing” have emerged, as has a whole new type of language, in the form of text message abbreviations. For example, if I were to text any of you “OMG” and “TTYL,” I am confident that you would reply to a friend that you were “LMAO” at how “awkward…” the whole situation was. More broadly, at the level of society and the world at large, back in 2004, the nations of Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro and South Sudan did not yet exist. Crimea was still part of Ukraine, not Russia, and the world had never heard of Justin Beiber or the Kardashians. There was no such thing as cyberbullying, revenge websites or sextortion. On the other hand, Twitter and Facebook hadn’t yet been used as communication tools to help topple dictatorships, so it wasn’t all bad. In fact, don’t misunderstand my listing of these dramatic and sudden changes in our world as pure criticism. I actually love most of them, except for maybe Snapchat. That one, I do not love. But I use Google nearly every day. Google Maps has made my life immeasurably easier and better when I travel. I

subscribe to Netflix, and carry an iPhone, an iPad and a laptop. I’m no luddite, and I don’t fear change, the different, the unknown. In fact, more often than not, it is the adventure and challenge of the new that appeal to me most. It is clear that we all live in what our school mission statement calls “a complex, changing, world” and the far-reaching changes of the past ten years bring that point home keenly. At the same time, in the midst of all of this change, in the midst perhaps of your own uncertainty about what your future holds, there are certain important, human values that transcend and endure across all time, even rapidly changing times. These qualities are part of the bedrock of our humanity, and they stand firm in even the most turbulent waters of change. It is these durable human qualities that I hope have been reinforced and cultivated during your time at St. George’s, and it is on a handful of these qualities that I want to reflect on today. Living as you have for these past years in a community dedicated to academic and personal achievement, I hope that one of the most significant qualities we’ve helped you cultivate is your curiosity, both intellectual and personal. After all, this relentless desire to understand more, to wonder, is a quality that is especially human. It is also the engine that drives our desire to make the world better, and it illuminates the path that allows us to move forward to new and greater achievements. I hope that your time in the classrooms, alongside these talented and devoted teachers, has inspired you to seek not just easy answers but sound ones, and that you have developed

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a constructive restlessness with the status quo, especially when you can imagine something better. Speaking of imagination, I also hope that your time here at St. George’s has fostered your creativity. The close cousin to curiosity, imagination begins to provide the answers to curiosity’s questions. The ability to imagine, to conceive of possibilities not yet real, is one of our most important and timeless human qualities. Your creativity may emerge in the form of some physical, creative expression, perhaps in the arts, or engineering, or design. Or, your creativity may be channeled in some other form, perhaps in problem solving or communication. Regardless, I hope that you have found some avenue by which your creativity has been cultivated here, and that you will continue to develop those skills in the years ahead. Another quality that will matter for you in the years ahead is integrity. Literally meaning “wholeness” or “completion,” integrity is perhaps the least instinctive and most important of the aspects of our natures I’m describing today. It requires discipline and intention to develop it, but it is integrity that underpins a large part of our moral landscapes. It’s what helps us apologize when we’ve wronged someone, take responsibility for our mistakes, and to choose wisely and well when we are tempted by dishonesty or greed or selfishness. As the world grows more complex, and as we humans continue to invent new ways of challenging our own moral natures, I hope that your time living and working at St. George’s, in a community where honor and integrity are valued and encouraged, will fuel the continued strengthening and growth of your own integrity and honor. I realize that you are heading into a world that seems indifferent or even scornful of those who behave honorably, but I assure you that its scarcity only makes integrity more valuable, now and for the rest of your lives. As the rest of your lives unfold, I also hope that you will carry with you from this place a sense of wonder and connection and belief in the larger forces of the universe. This is what religious scholars would call faith, and certainly the concept includes a connection to God, but my hope is that your sense of faith is an expansive one that extends to a sense of the divine all around us. I hope that outside of your

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personal core of beliefs, that you are also developing faith in yourself and your abilities, and that you can see or feel inside of you the spark of divinity, of eternity, that burns in each of us. In the same way that Prize Day is both part of the school’s history and also yours alone, this spark is both unique to you and connected to the whole, and from this spins our common humanity, regardless of specific religious beliefs, personal circumstances or geography. It is this connection that fuels our devotion to our friends, and to our families, humanity in general, and ultimately all of creation. Take care to steward and cultivate your faith as you leave this place. Finally, I hope that your time at St. George’s has nurtured and strengthened your courage. This too is something we all have in different measure, and it is a quality that needs tending and support. Your experiences here have been intentionally challenging in all sorts of ways, and one intended consequence of these challenges has been to teach and model courage. Incidentally, courage in this case is least likely to be physical courage, as in bungee jumping or rushing into a burning building to save someone. In all probability, courage in your lives will be required in subtler, but no less significant forms. It may be you will need the courage to start a new business, to work on a marriage, to be honest with a friend. Regardless of the specific life circumstances that arise, I hope that your time here has helped you develop the courage to dream, to compete, and ultimately to triumph by making those dreams a reality. So, Class of 2014, we send you out from this sheltered, yet windswept slope, into the big world. May you find across its ever-changing landscape great success and even greater joy. Know that we will be here, cheering for you, and that we will watch with great admiration and pride as you move toward your respective futures. As you do so, I hope that your thoughts will occasionally turn to this place, and to the lessons you learned and the timeless elements of your experience at St. George’s. Godspeed to you all. Thank you. Eric F. Peterson has been the Head of School since 2004. He can be reached at Eric_Peterson@stgeorges.edu.

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Graduates have their day in the sun … well, rain Ninety-six members of the Class of 2014 received their diplomas on May 26 and despite the passing showers, the mood was purely celebratory. Red & White Managing Editor Margaret Schroeder ’14 was awarded the Binney Prize for “highest scholarship in the sixth form.” She was also the recipient of the school’s highest award, the St. George’s Medal. Prize Day awards and other news about the graduates—including a feature story in the Red & White about career choices by Johnny Kim ’14—may be found on the Prize Day 2014 page of our website. Articles and photos from the May 27 issue of The Newport Daily News, also profiled Newporter Sam Alofsin ’14 as part of its coverage, are on the Prize Day 2014 page of our website.

HIGH ACHIE VERS Based on their stellar academic performance over the last year, seven sixth formers were inducted into the prestigious Cum Laude Society during the Honors Chapel May 25. Camilla Cabot, Megan Daknis, Tim Howe, Thomas Kits van Heyningen, Hannah Macaulay, Lily Sanford and Luc Woodard joined classmates Teddy Carter, Wendy Huang, Johnny Kim, Margaret Schroeder, SeungHyouk Shin, Will Simpson and

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Claire Yoon, who were inducted into the St. George’s chapter of the society last fall.

Love literature and laughs? Check out the poetrycentric talk on Vimeo (http://vimeo.com/96638723) by the ever-witty English teacher Jeff Simpson P’14 (above) delivered at our Baccalaureate service the Thursday before Prize Day. The Prize Day Chapel Address, delivered by sales & marketing executive, author and University of Rhode Island professor Gail Alofsin P’14 (right), is also up on Vimeo (http://vimeo.com/97238683). On May 25 Maggie Mead ’14 was presented with an Arete Award, designed to acknowledge “student work of exceptional creative or intellectual merit,” for the photo colorization project she completed under the direction of art teacher Ted Sturtevant ’96.

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Prize Day G

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B INNEY P RIZE —For the highest scholarship in the sixth form:

C HOIR P RIZE :

K ING M EDAL —For excellence in Latin:

Norah Burke Hogan

Lily Joy Sanford

T HE A NTOINE “T ONY ” DU B OURG M USIC P RIZE —Named in memory of the

E DGAR P RIZE

Margaret Elizabeth Schroeder

D RURY P RIZE —For excellence in art: Timothy Glimme Archer

H OWE P RIZE —For excellence in graphic arts: Dian-Jung Tsai

founder and former director of the St. George’s Brass Ensemble and awarded to the student whose talents, dedication and leadership have contributed most to the instrumental program of the school:

in the opinion of the head of school and the athletic directors, possess a passion for athletics and who demonstrate the dedication and the sportsmanship to succeed in a variety of athletic endeavors.

L OGAN P RIZE

FOR

E NGLISH :

Margaret Elizabeth Schroeder OF

1978 M USIC P RIZE —

Given to a student who through personal efforts has inspired the musical life of the school:

Charlotte Rhucent Ytable Dulay

D ARTMOUTH C LUB H ISTORY P RIZE :

Cecilia Christiane Masiello Aubrey Miles Fitzhugh Salmon

E VANS S PANISH P RIZE :

R IVES F RENCH P RIZE :

D EAN S CHOL ARSHIP —In memory of Charles Maitland Dean, Senior Prefect 1968, killed in Laos in 1974. Given by his family and friends, and awarded for the sixth-form year to a boy or girl who has demonstrated a concern for the community, the ability to lead, and a sense of civic responsibility:

William Eberlein Simpson

Sung-Kook Guevara

Margaret Schroeder

Seung Shin

Grace Connors Polk

A MERIC AS S OCIET Y P RIZE : Dian-Jung Tsai

PHOTOS BY

KATE WHITNEY LUCEY

Edward Hill Carter Jr.

R HODE I SL AND

Timothy Michael Howe

P RESCOTT B IBLE & T HEOLOG Y P RIZE : Virginia Casey Moylan

T HE C L ASS

P HYSICS P RIZE :

G EORGE D. D ONNELLY A THLETIC A WARD —Awarded to a girl and boy who,

C AMER A P RIZE : Margaret Anne Mead

Luc Woodard

M ATHEMATICS :

Dian-Jung Tsai

A RCHITECTURE P RIZE : Cecilia Christiane Masiello

Qinwen Huang

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The following prizes are awarded by vote of the faculty

R AY GAO ‘15

A LLEN P RIZE —To a member of the

sixth form who at St. George’s has made the best use of his or her talents:

Caroline Allen Macaulay

Hayley Elizabeth Lee Durudogan

H ARVARD AND R ADCLIFFE C LUBS OF R HODE I SL AND P RIZE —For the student

H EADMASTER ’ S A WARD —Presented

of the fifth form whom the head of school and the faculty deem most worthy in scholarship, effort and character:

PHOTO BY

P HELPS M ONTGOMERY F RISSELL P RIZE —Awarded to the member of the

fourth form who during the year has maintained a high standard in all departments of the life of the school:

to a member of the sixth form in recognition of his or her faithful devotion to the school and its mission:

Hannah Marie Macaulay

Elizabeth Hale Scheibe Carter Haley and Sage Hill

C ONR AD Y OUNG P RIZE —Awarded to a member of the fifth form who has contributed significantly to the school’s efforts to become a more diverse, respectful community through scholarship, leadership and character:

ory of Cham Jefferys to the sixth former who in the opinion of the faculty has done the most to enhance the moral and intellectual climate of the school:

S T . G EORGE ’ S M EDAL —Awarded to the member of the sixth form who through effort, character, athletics and scholarship during the year has best caught and expressed the ideals and spirit of St. George’s:

Hannah Frances Todd

Margaret Elizabeth Schroeder

T HE J EFFERYS P RIZE —Given in mem-

Irene Luperon

The following prizes in athletics are awarded by vote of the coaches C ENTENNIAL P RIZE —Inaugurated during the school’s centennial year. Awarded to a boy and girl of the graduating class who have demonstrated extraordinary and inspirational efforts on behalf of the school community.

Grace Connors Polk Robert Loux Woodard III

W OOD D R AMATICS P RIZE —For the

M ARY E USTIS Z ANE C UP —Awarded to a girl of the sixth form whose steady devotion to the high ideals of good sportsmanship has been an inspiration to her fellow students:

Charlotte Rosemary Elizabeth O’Halloran

Alexa Olin Santry

T HAYER C UP —Awarded to a boy of the

student whose abilities and efforts have contributed most to the theater at St. George’s:

sixth form whose steady devotion to the high ideals of good sportsmanship has been an inspiration to his fellow students:

Norah Burke Hogan

Miles Foley Matule

Hannah Todd

L OUISE E LLIOT C UP —Awarded to a sixth-form girl for excellence in athletics and for promoting the spirit of hard, clean play:

Miles Matule

S AMUEL P OWEL C UP —Awarded to a sixth-form boy for excellence in athletics and for promoting the spirit of hard, clean play: Christian Robert Anderson

Veronica Tsai

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Classrooms E A R N I N G

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BRUCE WELLER

French teacher Adolphe Coulibaly ’04 works alongside Andrea Sullivan ’16 and Nurzhan Jandosov ’17 on a French II assignment.

Alumni interviewed for freshman biography project

PHOTO BY

SUZANNE MCGRADY

It is a major class project many young alumni remember well: Interview a grandparent and write a biography for third-form English. Well, this year teacher Beezie Bickford teamed up with Director of Alumni Relations Bill Douglas to put a new Dragon-centered twist on the traditional assignment: Dynamic and engaged alumni, such as Bill Batchelder ’61, volunteered to share their experiences both on and off the Hilltop. Students such as Drew Bailey ’17 (photo, left with Bill Batchelder ’61) reported being thrilled to meet fellow Dragons who still relish their days on campus and who went on to live meaningful lives armed with a great education. Likewise, the 23 alumni from classes ranging from 19552006 who volunteered for the assignment reported the project was a memorable and easy way to “give back” to SG. If you are an alumnus who would like to be involved in a future biography project, please contact the Office of Alumni Relations at Alumni@stgeorges.edu. We’d love to hear from you.

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PHOTO BY

SUZANNE MCGRADY

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PHOTO BY

SARAH PLOSKINA

Head of the Art Department Mike Hansel ’76 helps Sophia McDonald ’14 put the final touches on a portrait.

Teacher Sarah Ploskina took members of her Theater Foundation class—Henry Timken ’16, Dakota Hill ’16, Sylvia Zobel de Ayala ’17, Will Logue ’16, Jack-Henry Day ’15 and Serena Highley ’15 to The Breakers in Newport as part of a playwriting project this spring. Students then wrote short plays inspired by the trip. S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 1 4 S U M M E R / FA L L B U L L E T I N

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Classrooms L

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RECOMMENDED READING These books were assigned as summer reading for various English courses this year:

PHOTO BY

SUZANNE MCGRADY

“The Sound of Waves” by Yukio Mishima “The Guide” by R. K. Narayan “Harp of Burma” by Michio Takeyama “On the Road” by Jack Kerouac “The Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay” by Michael Chabon “The Poisonwood Bible” by Barbara Kingsolver “Straight Man” by Richard Russo “Picnic, Lightning” by Billy Collins “Regeneration” by Pat Barker Fifth-form students in Jeff Simpson’s American Studies class got a visit this spring from local baseball historian Rick Harris (top left), who regaled the students with stories about collecting research in various ways—and with a performance of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” His main message: Find a passion and immerse yourself in it enthusiastically. Harris’ book about Newport baseball, featuring several entries about St. George’s, was published in May.

PHOTO BY

SUZANNE MCGRADY

Virginia Buckles’ Latin 1 class—Bochu Ding ’17, Colin Felix ’17, Cortie Gensler ’16, MacLean Keene-Connole ’17, Caroline Morita ’17, Brooke Naylor ’17, Andie Plumeri ’14, Anna Rittenhouse ’17, Sky Silverstein ’16 and Lola Zhang ’16—presented their final projects in

R ACE AGAINST THE CLOCK The deadline for A.P. art portfolios was May 9 and students in Mike Hansel’s ’76 A.P. drawing class—including Elizabeth Olt ’16 (above) were putting the final touches on their projects when we grabbed this photo the Monday before. Each of the artists devised a theme for the “concentration” section of his or her portfolio. Third former Oasis Zhen’s was musical instruments, particularly the brass instruments. “I liked doing the ‘shiny things’ drawing assignment at the beginning of the year,” she said. “So I used that to my advantage.”

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Wheeler Garden (facing page, bottom right photo). Students had to research a Roman myth and then compose their own original-version of the myth in Latin. “They also had to incorporate a whole list of grammatical concepts in the story in order to help them review for their final exam,” Buckles said. “They each made a book, complete with illustrations, and then read aloud to their classmates. All in all, an awesome end to Latin 1!” Fifth formers Sarah Carnwath, Lilly Scheibe, Julia Goins and Hunter Johnson (facing page, bottom left photo) completed the second day of a unique anatomy lab lesson on May 20. As part of Tom Evans’ AP Biology curriculum, the four students had been performing a double coronary bypass operation on a cat heart. Could a future cardiac surgeon be among them?

PHOTO BY J EREMY

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SCIENCE AND SOUND COLLIDE A collaboration between the science and music departments had students in two of Dr. Bob Wein’s physics classes working with Music Department Head Ed Mudrak in the Drury/Grosvenor Arts Center this spring. The theme: investigating the science of sound. Wein and Mudrak teamed up over last summer to craft the curriculum unit, which employs the use of the computer software program True RTA, an audio spectrum analyzer. In the photo (above) Mr. Mudrak and Charleen Martins Lopes ’15 strike the tympani while Dr. Wein measures the harmonics. Check out more photos on our Flickr.com page.

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SG Zone T H L E T I C

E P A R T M E N T

E W S

Favorable conditions Mark Trophy win just one of St. George’s sailing team highlights this spring Our skilled sailors were on a roll—and with a heck of a schedule—this spring. The run of victories and top-place finishes began in New London, Conn., when sailors Roger Dorr ’14, Will Logue ’16, Taylor Kirkpatrick ’16, Caroline Macaulay ’16, Oliver Parsons ’17, Teddy Carter ’14, George Moss ’17, Miranda Bakos ’14, Peggy Kilvert ’14 and Nicolas Flores ’14 placed second behind Hotchkiss in the O’Day Trophy competition at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy on April 27. The finish secured the team a berth at the Nationals in San Diego. Then, in California May 9-11, after two days of intensive racing, the team again finished second—just one point behind Point Loma High School (Calif.) in the National Fleet Racing Championship. Roger Dorr ’14, sailing with Miranda Bakos ’14 and Caroline Macaulay ’16, won the A division while Will Logue ’16, sailing with Oliver

Parsons ’17, Teddy Carter ’14 and George Moss ’17, placed fourth in the B division.

On May 17-18, the team competed off Cape Cod for the Mark Trophy—the New England Team Racing Championship. It came down to a tiebreaker with Cape Cod Academy, and SG came home with the victory cup. Attending the event for SG were (above, in the top row): Teddy Carter ’14, George Moss ’17, Nicolas Flores ’14, Roger Dorr ’14, Will Logue ’16, Oliver Parsons ’17, Carter Rose ’15 and Coach Roy Williams; and (in the bottom row) Caroline Macaulay ’16, Miranda Bakos ’14, Taylor Kirkpatrick ’16 and Peggy Kilvert ’14. On Memorial Day weekend, May 24-25, the team headed to Seabrook, Texas, for the ISSA Baker Trophy competition—the National Team Racing Championship Regatta at Lakewood Yacht Club. Skippers Dorr, Logue and Flores, along with crews

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Kirkpatrick, Bakos, Parsons, Carter and Macaulay, finished in third place with a record of 11-6. Roger Dorr ’14 said the team came into the season with high expectations and he’s happy sailors were able to meet most of them and perform well at the national level. “My experience sailing at SG is one that I can’t replace,” he said. “I’m grateful for the invaluable coaching I have received and the unique opportunities awarded.” Miranda Bakos ’14 echoed the sentiment: “What I'll remember most from my last season is that having a set goal and finding concrete ways to work toward that goal are imperative for success. We got on the water every day knowing what we as a team and as individuals needed to work on, and with everyone together under the same mindset we were able to push each other toward even greater improvement.”

PHOTO BY J OHN

BAKOS P’14

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PHOTO COURTESY OF

YOUTUBE.COM

A diving catch Buddy Reed ’13 (right) made for his Florida Gator baseball team earned him a coveted spot on ESPN’s SportsCenter’s “Top 10 Plays” this spring. A left-fielder, Buddy made the jaw-dropping catch against Mississippi State in Florida’s 5-1 win in the SEC Tournament. Watch the play—and replay—on YouTube (search “SportsCenter Top 10 Plays Friday, May 23, 2014”) just to shout, “Oh!”

UNIVERSIT Y OF VERMONT

PHOTO BY LOUIS

WALKER III PHOTOGRAPHY

AL UM NI AT H LE T ES SH I N E O N T H E C O L L E G E S TAG E

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE

Sage Hill ’14 (second from left), a member of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, represented the U.S. in track at this summer’s North American Indigenous Games in Canada. His races took place July 23-25.

PHOTO BY LOUIS

WALKER III PHOTOGRAPHY

Want to keep track of what our star alumni athletes are doing in college? Like our SG Athletics Facebook page at www.facebook.com/StGeorgesSchoolAthletics. Among the recent news we reported: • Jake Dunn ’11 made the All-Conference team for Kenyon baseball, as well as the 2014 All-Mideast Region second team by D3Baseball.com and the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) / Rawlings AllMideast second team; • Julia Oak ’10, a sailor for William Smith, earned a spot on the All-Conference team; • Jeremy Phillips ’11 was invited to the NCAA Championships to participate in the long jump; • Oona Pritchard ’13, who will be a sophomore this fall at Claremont McKenna College, was named Second Team All-West Region at defense by the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA); and • Sydney Mas ’10 (above left), a standout on the University of Vermont Catamount lacrosse team, earned a spot on the Northeast Region All-America First Team. Alexa Santry ’14, who earned All-ISL, first team honors, was the girls varsity tennis team’s M.V.P. and winner of the Mary Eustis Zane Cup on Prize Day.

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Arts

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PHOTO BY J EREMY

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Artwork by sixth formers filled the Hunter Gallery in May.

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The talented St. George’s Dance Troupe— including Catherine Farmer ’15, Avis Zane ’17, Oasis Zhen ’17 Sydney Jarrett ’16, Veronica Tsai ’14, Bessie Yan ’16 and Lola Zhang ’16 (left)— held its final performances May 23 and 24 in the Spring Dance Concert. Photos are on SG’s Flickr page. Video is up on YouTube.

PHOTO BY J EREMY

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SUZANNE MCGRADY

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A close-up detail of “Dress-up (Frog-legs)” by the artist Jesse Thompson, whose works were displayed in the Hunter Gallery this spring.

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SUZANNE MCGRADY

DF nP tio ca ine i l l b on Pu

The student literary magazine, The Dragon, features several exceptional pieces of student artwork, including that of Caroline Yerkes ’14 (at work in the art center, left). For an online view, visit the Bulletin page on our website.

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SPECIAL PROJECT:

Break dancing A sixth former decides it’s time to bust a move BY SUZANNE MCGRADY

or Johnny Kim ’14, a four-year member of the St. George’s varsity soccer team, senior spring was a chance to break out, literally, from his standard after-class routine. In previous years he’d played outfield for the baseball team, but with one last afternoon-activity slot left in his tenure as a Dragon, Kim, who has lived in both Korea and the U.S., decided to pursue a more solo passion: break dancing. Dancing, he said, has always fed his soul. “Dancing relieves stress,” he said. “It’s removing yourself from your busy life and getting inside your own world and doing your own thing.” An added benefit: You get from it exactly what you put in. “Break dancing is something where, if you want to improve, it’s followed by your own discipline,” he added. He spent the season working with a dance coach, and on his own, perfecting his top rock-

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ing, footsteps and power moves like the windmill and the flare. At the end of the season he performed at two spring dance concerts.

Kim’s passion for dance all started during his freshman year at St. George’s when he saw his older cousin, Youngsoo Jang, then at St. Paul’s, do a dance style called poppin’ (à la Michael Jackson) in a Facebook video. From there he began to search for his own favorite kind of movement. “I’ve been an athlete all my life, so jumping and running … explosive moves are more my thing and I realized B-boying, or as they refer to it here, break dancing, is really my thing.” Last year at St. George’s, Kim started the Funkin’ Donuts, a break-dancing crew, with Cookie Guevara ’15, Omari Davis ’16 and Theresa Salud ’13. The group met to rehearse every Tuesday evening and performed informally at the Paint Dance and at Prom. Dancing, in fact, has been a big part of his routine for the past two years. “Last year when I was a junior I had a ton of work, but there was a period when I would go every morning and break dance … and after soccer practice I would go break dance.” This past year as a senior, he said, “I could even ask [the campus safety] to open up the dance studio during Study Hall.”

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To request the special project in break dancing, Kim said, he “put together a very detailed and personal proposal to [Athletic Director] Mr. Mackay.” Kim, who even wrote about his love for break dancing in his common app college essay, said he wanted everyone to know he was serious about improving his dance skills and wouldn’t be wasting time. Not that he’s one to lie around. This summer, after a trip to Colombia, Argentina and Brazil, he headed to Fudan University in Shanghai to take part in a special program to improve his Chinese (he’s also fluent in Spanish, Korean and English.) On Aug. 1, he returned to Seoul, where the plan was to connect with family before setting off to Georgetown, where he’ll be a freshman this fall. In Seoul, he said, he would likely be visiting the Rodeo neighborhood, known for its coffee shops, karaoke bars—and dance culture.

To prepare for his special project, Kim spent the winter season working to improve his upper-body strength. Dean of Students Derry Mason taught him how to do a clean lift, an “explosive” move he said fits perfectly with his dance style. Athletic Trainer Jeff Nadeau helped him improve his form. As he approached performances May 23 and 24 as part of the Spring Dance Concert, he said he was grateful for all the encouragement he received. One big fan: his brother, Michael Kim ’12, now at Princeton studying computer science. “And both my parents are really supportive,” Kim said. “They love how I’m trying to do something different with my life. “At this point they’re like, ‘I really trust you. Do weird things that you like to do and hopefully you’ll succeed—and I think you will.’ That is their mindset right now—and I love it.”

OTHER SPECIAL PROJECTS THIS SPRING Note: Fifth and sixth formers may apply to work on a special project, under the direction of a faculty member, to fulfill their afternoon activity/athletics requirement: • Cindy Zhang ’15 interviewed SG alumnae for a “Women Leaders” project • Laurie Germain ’15 assembled narratives for a project investigating the experience of “Third-Culture Kids” • Sixth formers Hannah Macaulay, Caroline Yerkes and Lexi LaShelle produced the Senior Video for the Class of 2014 • Norah Hogan ’14 directed a drama production of “The Breakfast Club” • Sophie McDonald ’14 crafted pottery • Ray Gao ’15 took photos and gathered information to highlight SG’s afternoon-program offerings • Sixth formers Wilson Rubinoff, Julian Turner and Will Hill worked on a video project for the Admission Office

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Campus happenings

On April 14 all St. George’s students and faculty members participated in our annual Day of Engagement—helping out at local nonprofits and learning about ways to embrace diversity. Fourth and sixth formers took part in a number of workshop discussions while third and fifth formers hit the road to perform community service projects at places such as the Potter League for Animals, Lucy’s Hearth, the Boys and Girls Club and Calvary Methodist Church. Visit our Flickr.com gallery to view photos from the service projects, including this one of math teacher Julie Butler working alongside Natasha Zobel de Ayala ’15 and Cici Huyck ’15.

PHOTO BY

R AY GAO ’15

During the Revisit Program for Accepted Students in April several students helped us show off the very best of the school. Along with performances by the Hilltoppers and Snapdragons, Brooke Naylor ’17 (below) delivered welcoming remarks in the Chapel, Miles Matule ’14 talked about his experience as a St. George’s student, Agnes Enochs ’15 discussed her time aboard Geronimo, and a student panel featuring Lilly Scheibe ’15, Jonathan Tesoro ’16, Austin Page ’17, Hannah Macaulay ’14 and Catherine Farmer ’15 fielded questions from prospective parents and students in Madeira Hall.

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The College Fair (below), organized by the College Counseling Office, took place on the evening of April 25. The event, for fourth and fifth formers, featured representatives from more than 120 colleges.

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Math teacher Julie Butler works alongside Natasha Zobel de Ayala ’15 and Cici Huyck ’15 on the grounds of the Potter League for Animals during SG’s Annual Day of Engagement.

On May 9 former Head of the English Department—and now published author—Alex Myers (signing a book for Maggie Mead ’14 above) returned to campus to deliver the Annual Richard H. Dent ’46 Forum. The topic? His recently published and highly acclaimed novel, “Revolutionary.” The book is a work of historical fiction that examines the story of Myers’ ancestor, Deborah Samson, who disguised herself as a man to fight in the Revolutionary War. The book was featured in the New York Times Book Review on Jan. 12 and received numerous other rave reviews. As the recipient of a Lannan Associateship, Myers is now a graduate student at Georgetown. He also teaches classes at American University.

PHOTO BY J EREMY

PHOTO BY

PHOTO BY J EREMY

SUZANNE MCGRADY

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TRIUMPHANT RETURN

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SUZANNE MCGRADY

CLUB GAMES R AISE SCHOOL SPIRIT— A N D S O U N D L E VE L — I N A S S EM BLY

SIX TH-F ORM SNAPDR AGONS AND H IL LT O P P E R S TA K E A FI N A L B OW The final a cappella concert of the year was held in Madeira Hall May 16. Soloists for the Snapdragons were Maggie Maloy ’14, Laurie Germain ’15, Sydney Jarrett ’16, Claire Yoon ’14, Ito Orobator ’14, Norah Hogan ’14, Amanda Warren ’15, Sammy Maltais ’14, Hannah Macaulay ’14, Charlotte Dulay ’14, and Toni Woods Maignan ’16. Soloists for the Hilltoppers were Dakota Hill ’16, Cookie Guevara ’15, Avery Dodd ’14, Jae Choi ’14, Seung Shin ’14, Omari Davis ’16 and Jaewoo Kang ’15. The finale was a joint performance of Pharrell Williams’ “Happy.” Videos are up on our YouTube channel.

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Goodness knows everyone loves it when the e ub uT school prefects organize a good “club game” in AssemYo bly. It gets our blood pumping to see who’s going to win (the teams are now Sakonnet and Sachuest)—and, besides, it’s an occasion for unfettered hooting and hollering in Madeira Hall. And so it was with a number of club games this spring with events that included a hilarious “Dating Game”-style challenge between siblings—and later in the month, a golf challenge (above). In the latter, participants got three tries to sink a putt on a makeshift “green” on the Madeira Hall stage. The contest pitted two members of the golf team against two inexperienced golfers. Guess who won? (Congratulations, Katie Ripa ’17!) Watch the video on our YouTube channel. (BTW: If this tradition doesn’t sound familiar to you, you may be part of the post 1950s and B.I. era—Before Izzy Evans ’09, that is. You see Izzy, former senior prefect, devoted Harry Potter fan and now Harvard grad, helped revive the “club system” at SG, when the boys long ago competed against each other, Hogwarts style, for points and prizes. Thanks, Izzy!)

our YouTube Channel. Check out the final performance: a brilliant rendition of “Time to Say Goodbye,” by sixth formers Norah Hogan and Julian Turner (below). Two special Music Guilds took place this spring. A Solo Guild was held April 28 in the Chapel. Performers were pianists Betty Xie ’15 and Yvette Zhu ’17, and vocalists Amanda Warren ’15, Charlotte Dulay ’14, Laurie Germain ’15, Norah Hogan ’14 and Daisy Mayer ’17. On May 2 an Ensemble Guild featured the Jazz Ensemble, the SG Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra, the new Guitar Ensemble and the SG Super Group.

Above: Ian Chun ’14, Chris Fleming ’15, Seung Shin ’14 and Dakota Hill ’15 perform with the Hilltoppers.

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Videos from the Senior Music Guild are up on

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SG’s ‘Sandwich King’ Editor’s Note: John Conway joined the St. George’s dining hall staff in 2000 and has since become a beloved presence and chef supreme to many a hungry student. We got the chance to chat with him as he was getting ready to close the sandwich window in King Hall at the end of the school year. You had a number of jobs, both culinary and otherwise, before coming to St. George’s. Which one was your favorite and why? Aside from my time in the Navy, my favorite job was being the baker at Saint Raphael’s Hospital in New Haven, Conn. Although I didn’t have direct patient contact, I felt I was making a meaningful contribution to their well being. You’re dealing with food all day long. When you go home are you still interested in cooking? Although I enjoy cooking at home, there are times it takes some motivation to jumpstart my best intentions. Do you have a favorite celebrity chef? Yes. However, you won’t find him on Food Network or any cooking show. Yugi Watanabe has been my mentor and friend for many years. You seem to know what everyone likes to eat, especially everyone’s favorite sandwich.

How many sandwiches do you have in your head on any given day—and how do you keep it all straight? Once I’ve built a relationship with the students, their likes and dislikes are easy to remember. I have many regulars who, I understand, refer to themselves as “John’s Lunch Club.” What’s the quirkiest sandwich you make on a regular basis? I guess it would be my Italian subs. The ingredients frequently vary from sandwich to sandwich every day. People love your sushi, and you certainly have a penchant for international cuisine. Where does that come from? The beginning was at age 7, when my father brought me to the House of Blessings in New Haven, Conn. I had my first taste of Chinese cuisine. It was pork-fried rice and that was it. Also factoring into it was my time living in Japan, and my time working with Yugi Watanabe.

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You’re known for being one of the most friendly, welcoming people on campus. Do you consider yourself a people person? I’m not exactly sure what constitutes a people person. I consider myself to be a cross between Del Griffith and Harry Crumb. Any fan of John Candy will relate to that. You’re like a hairdresser; I get the feeling a lot of people reveal more of themselves than you’d expect over a sandwich counter. Is food a window into people’s souls? They don’t call me the Earl of Curl for nothing! Seriously, I have said on many occasions, food is like water and oxygen: Everyone needs it. I don’t see food as the window of the soul, however I do see it as an icebreaker, a way to build friendships, and it gives me the opportunity to find out about birthdays, special occasions, etc. What’s your favorite sandwich? A ‘size wow’ Bossman Burger with the works and a large chocolate shake. My cholesterol and blood pressure levels love me for it.

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This stunning photo of a sea turtle earned a first-place prize for Svenja Nanfelt ’17 in the international World Oceans Day Photo Contest, Youth Division. With co-organizers including the United Nations and The Ocean Project, the contest sought “to help convey the beauty and importance of the oceans to the world.” Winning images were recognized at the United Nations on June 9 during the United Nations event marking World Oceans Day 2014. (We also thought our Geronimo alumni would enjoy viewing a sea turtle up-close again.)

whose goal was to provide students with a hands-on experience studying marine science. Holly Williams told the Red & White: “As a science educator, my goal is to expose students to the excitement of ‘real’ science. In a classroom setting you can control many environmental variables as you investigate a particular organism or principle. In the field there are so many factors beyond your control and that is the part of the fun—sorting out the extraneous and being surprised by the unexpected.” What a trip! Photos are on our Flickr.com page.

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Science takes center stage on Geronimo ’14 participated in the first Geronimo “Whale Sail” voyage to the Dominican Republic during Spring Break. The science-centered program allowed the students to study humpback whales in their natural environment alongside Head of the Science Department Holly Williams and her husband, math teacher Warren Williams. The program was designed by Geronimo captains Mike Dawson and Tony Arrow,

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Laura Edson ’16, Annika Hedlund ’15, Becky Howe ’15, Taylor Kirkpatrick ’16, Irene Luperon ’15, Lilly Scheibe ’15, Olivia Soares ’16 and Hannah Todd

The spring crew of Geronimo—Luc Paruta ’16, Anna Molinari ’16, Olivia Houston ’16, Annabelle Fischer ’16, Logan Amaral ’16, Mark Niu ’17 and Will Muessel ’16—returned to campus in May with some new-found knowledge of marine science, a new appreciation for living in close quarters on a boat, heavy packets of completed schoolwork—and lots of stories to tell.

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Carly Mey ’14 (above far left), next to fellow dragon Katie Ripa ’17, continued the tradition begun by her brother, Bobby Mey ’13, last year of organizing a group of SG students to run in the “Run the Wave for Dave” 5K at Second Beach. Race proceeds benefited Middletown resident Dave Leys as he battles Lou Gehrig’s disease.

A number of dress-down days this spring supported various worthy causes: • Gino Roy ’15 helped raise money for the McCourt Foundation, which advances research on Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis; • Dejania “Dee” Cotton-Samuel ’16 organized a dress-down day to help support Camp Ramleh, summer camp for underprivileged children from Newport County; • Administrative Technology Coordinator Ed McGinnis, whose daughter, Emily McGinnis ’07 is a Peace Corps volunteer in Peru, raised money for the organization by organizing a dress-down day in May. Money went to Camp V.A.L.O.R. and the Arequipa School mural project; and • Hannah Todd ’14 helped raise money for the Gazelle Foundation, which builds clean water systems in Burundi, Africa.

A host of great volunteers—including Norah Hogan ’14, Katie Ripa ’17, Nicole Temple ’17, Dee Cotton-Samuel ’16, Hannah Todd ’14, Becky Howe ’15, Jonathan Tesoro ’16, Kai Nanfelt ’16 and Johnny Agoros ’16 (above)—helped out organizer Beth Larcom ’16 (center in blue shirt) at the Pan-Mass Challenge Kids Bike Ride May 18, which raised money for the Jimmy Fund. The Kids Ride was first organized in 2009 by Beth’s brother Chad Larcom ’11.

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As part of a community service-based afternoon activity Lexi LaShelle ’14 and Brooke Reis ’14 completed the Swamp Meadow Covered Bridge Half Marathon in Foster, R.I. in May. The two used the run also to raise money for The Red Sweater Project, which supports the education of children in rural Tanzania. Lexi (above) visited Mungree Village and The Mungree Secondary School in Tanzania last summer while on a trip with Moondance Adventures. “My group and I helped build a new school building and spent time getting to know the students and giving them the opportunity to practice their English,” she said. “I saw how dramatically the school has affected their lives.”

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Catherine Farmer ’15 (above) and Laurie Germain ’15 organized a sale of Rawandese crafts in April during the SG Global Week to support and empower the women of the WGI program (Women and Girls Initiative) in their efforts to sustain their families.

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CHARLES L ARCOM P’11, ’16

e ub made a special request of teachers and her fellow students this uT Yo spring: Come by and offer up a hopeful message via video to the South Korean family members whose loved ones were on board the ferry that sank off the Korean coast, many of whom were high school students. With all the contributions, Kim put together a video titled, “Pray for Korea”—and sent it back home.

SUZANNE MCGRADY

Annie Kim ’16 of Seoul (above left taping Johnny Kim ’14)

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Megan Daknis ’14 and Jack-Henry Day ’15 (admiring their medals, above) completed the Cox Half-Marathon in Providence May 4. The run was the culmination of a special project that also raised money for Ryan’s Battle Buddies, a charity that supports children of military personnel suffering from cancer and their families. Hannah Todd ’14 joined the duo and completed a 5K.

Beth Larcom ’16 (above right) found yet another way to help raise money to support the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through the Jimmy Fund as the official organizer of the second annual PMC Hockey Game between the doctors and nurses of Dana-Farber and Beth’s club team, the Mass Spitfires. One special player: Dr. David Fisher (above left), who provided cancer treatment to Beth’s mother, Liz, 16 years ago when she was pregnant with Beth.

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W E L L- C R A F T E D P R E F E C T ANNOUNCEMENT A HIGHLIGHT OF THE YEAR After a competitive race, Class of 2015 members Elizabeth Millar, Sung-Kook “Cookie” Guevara, Will Bemis, Agnes Enochs and Allison Williams (left) were elected school prefects for the 2014-15 school year. (Agnes was voted senior prefect.) These leadership posts, along with those of the Honor Board, are highly sought after by many e talented students and the ub uT Yo announcements of the winners’ names in Assembly this May were met with rousing applause. Video of the skit announcing the prefects is up on our YouTube channel. The skit is a longstanding tradition—and class of 2014 prefects Alec Goodrich, Alexa Santry, Peter Carrellas, Teddy Carter and Avery Dodd certainly knocked it out of the park.

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SCHRO EDER NO . 1 IN STATE ON NATI ONAL SPANI S H E XAM

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Fifth formers Blaise Foley, Sterling Etheridge, Lilly Scheibe, Sophie Barker and Jaewoo Kang (right) have been elected to the Honor Board. Jaewoo was elected chair.

Margaret Schroeder ’14 had the highest score in Rhode Island when results from the National Spanish exam were posted in May. Margaret took home one of three Level 6 gold medals in the state. Other gold medal winners from St. George’s (meaning they scored in the 95th percentile or higher on the test) were Lee Cardwell ’16 (Level 4); Wendy Huang ’14, Hunter Westerberg ’15, Sophie Williams ’16, Toni Woods Maignan ’16 and Luc Paruta ’16 (Level 3); and Victoria Boatwright ’17, Kendall Burdick ’17, Hannah Burdick ’17, Jeeseob Jung ’16, Svenja Nanfelt ’17, Margaret Todd ’17 and Berk Tural ’17 (Level 2).

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Talented writer and editorial cartoonist for the Red & White Annie Kim ’16 was the winner of the annual Dragon literary magazine contest this spring. Her short story, “The Wall,” was awarded first place in the competition. The historic publication (shown

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above), this year edited by Hannah Macaulay ’14, was distributed on campus just before Prize Day. Cover art was by Veronica Tsai ’14. Seven St. George’s students and four faculty members participated in the Asian-American Footsteps Conference (AAFC) at Noble and Greenough School in Dedham, Mass., this spring. The fourth annual conference, for Asian and Asian-American high school students attending independent schools in New England, featured a keynote address by The Jubilee Project, workshops, performances and a book fair. Participants from SG were: Audrey Lin ’16, Veronica Tsai ’14, Bochu Ding ’17, Oasis Zhen ’17, Edgar Lee ’14, Victoria Lee ’16 and Lola Zhang ’16. They were accompanied by Director of Student Activities Mary O’Connor, Director of Diversity Kim Bullock, Chinese teacher Xiaoyu Chen and science teacher Sugi Min.

Sixth formers Alex Medeiros, Christian Anderson, Allie Fuller, Lexi LaShelle, Maggie Maloy, Julian Turner, Caroline Yerkes and Alexa Santry were recognized this spring for their service to the chapel program. The choir also bid farewell to seniors Cory Davis, Amirah Keaton, Edgar Lee, Emma Reed and Hannah Todd. Students who sang with the choir all four years—Charlotte Dulay, Hayley Durudogan, Norah Hogan and Hannah Macaulay—received a special note of thanks from Choirmaster Patrick Aiken. For continued on page 42

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their participation in a conference held in Washington, D.C., by the Academy of Future Physicians. The annual conference offers students the opportunity to hear from nationally recognized doctors and health experts, as well as to view live surgery and learn about the latest medical tools and research.

MIKE WANG

Passionate science students Gino Roy ’15 and Taylor Kirkpatrick ’16 were awarded certificates for

Above: Sixth formers (in the front row) Charlotte Dulay, Norah Hogan, Hayley Durudogan (and in the back row) Hannah Macaulay, Hannah Todd, Emma Reed, Cory Davis, Amirah Keaton and Edgar Lee were honored for their service to the SG Choir.

Amanda Warren ’15 (left) did a phenomenal job at the ninth annual U.S. High School Chinese Speech Contest held at the University of Massachusetts in Boston last semester. As one of seven contestants participating in the beginner level—and one of only 22 selected finalists from 12 states competing on-site that day, Amanda tied for second place in her category. Her teacher, Mike Wang, reports she showed great poise and skill.

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A NAT IO NA L A RT AWA R D FOR ARCHER

the 2014-15 year Laurie Germain ’15 was appointed scribe of the choir, Amanda Warren ’15 was appointed succentor, and Jack-Henry Day ’15 will assume the coveted role of precentor.

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Tim Archer ’14 scored one of the highest honors in art that St. George’s has seen in years when the National Scholastic Art & Writing Awards were handed out this spring by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers in New York. Following the regional competition, in which Tim was one of nine St. George’s students to earn state awards, Tim went on to win a national Silver Key award for his impressive sculpture portfolio. Also a talented 2-D artist, Tim (above in the art center) was working on his A.P. Drawing portfolio when we snapped this photo this spring.

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Four St. George’s students received the highest honor possible for their outstanding performance on the National Latin Exam. Receiving summa cum laude citations during a spring Assembly were: Andie Plumeri ’14 and Lola Zhang ’16, who took the Latin I test; Agnes Enochs ’15, who took the Latin II exam; and Hall Lamar ’16, who aced the Latin III test. Lola, Hall and Agnes are pictured below with Latin teacher Virginia Buckles.

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Tim and Lorrie Burns P’13, ’16, ’18 accept a thank-you gift for their exceptional service as Parent Committee chairs at the Annual Fund Celebration on the Hilltop in June.

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NORBERT VON BOODE P’01, ’05

Mike Ehinger ’06, Bennett Bistline ’07, Mac Branin ’06 and Mike Robey ’06 were among the 50 young alums who attended an April 9 reception at the Grey Lady in New York, owned by Callum McLaughlin ’96.

Our good friends in Korea hosted a wonderful set of events in Seoul in June for students, parents, alumni and faculty. Pictured here following a special dinner with several young alums are (in the front row) Lydia von Boode ’05, Soojin Kim ’12, Yunkyung (Diana) Lee ’01, Head of School Eric Peterson, Associate Head of School for External Affairs Bob Weston, Namhee Kim ’09 and Junggun Oh ’06; and (in the back row) Norbert von Boode Jr. ’01, Haeun (Jenny) Chung ’09 , Hyewon Jung ’02, Inbae Lee ’03, Hyunseung Kang ’07, Jonghyun (Edward) Won ’01, Michael Prentice ’03 and Hyungkun (Henry) Park ’97. S T. G E O R G E ’ S 2 0 1 4 S U M M E R / FA L L B U L L E T I N

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McElhinny honored with John B. Diman Award

Right: Head of School Eric Peterson and Wilson McElhinny ’49, P’71, GP’10.

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Photo, above: April McElhinny P’10, Taylor McElhinny ’10, Wilson McElhinny ’49, P’71, GP’10, David McElhinny ’71, P’10, Jan McElhinny and Ward McElhinny.

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The John B. Diman Award—presented annually during Reunion Weekend to an alumna or alumnus whose personal accomplishments or public service contributions are greatly valued by St. George’s School—was given this year to Wilson D. McElhinny ’49, P’71, GP’10. Mr. McElhinny, a commercial banking executive and champion of urban renewal and redevelopment in Lancaster, Pa., orchestrated a number of bank mergers that today still stand as historically significant. For the full text of his citation, please visit our Bulletin web page.

Photos, clockwise from far left: The Megan E. Cornog ’99 Window, given by friends and family of Megan Cornog, was dedicated at Sunday’s Chapel service; David, Caroline, Olivia and James Grubb at the dedication of the Eberhart Garden. (Caroline is the sister of Julie Eberhart ’95 and daughter of Walter Eberhart Jr. ’61, for whom the garden is named); and Tom Buell, Clara Buell, Hester Buell, Julie Toland P’03, Dexter Buell, Joan Buell, Elise O’Shaughnessy, Bill Buell ’70, P’06 and Sheryl Moller at the dedication of the William A. Buell Jr. ’42, P’70, ’76, ’81, GP’06 Memorial Stone in the Chapel.

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Dean Awards to Robb, Verney and Anderson Howard B. Dean Service Awards were presented to exceptional volunteers Minney Robb P’78, ’82, ’85 (left), Richard Verney ’64, P’87, ’90, ’91 (middle), and Keith Anderson ’74 (right with Bill Dean ’73, P’06) during Reunion Weekend. For a complete text of the citations, visit the Bulletin page on our website.

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Good friends, good times at Reunion Weekend

Photos, clockwise from top left: Merrill Pierce ’09 and Drew Miller ’09 take to the dance floor at the Saturday night dinner on May 17; members of the class of 1989—Brooke Connell, Colin Born, Nkem Okpokwasili, Eric Wiberg, Whitney Smith Schrauth and Cornell Caines—gather on the front lawn at the Saturday afternoon picnic on May 17; Jane Goldstone Sarouhan ’89 and her husband, Jason, hit the dance floor Saturday night; and Class of 1974 members Lou Ann Wright, Bev Joslin Muessel and Anne Jenkins reunite outside Merrick House.

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Melodious tenor Tarleton “Timon” Watkins III ’11 (third from right) helped lead the University of St. Andrews’ male a cappella ensemble The Other Guys to victory at the inaugural Scottish A Cappella Championships (SACC) this spring. The group placed first with 405 points ahead of fellow university singing groups The Alleycats and The Accidentals “and became the first outright champions of Scottish collegiate a cappella,” touts their web page. The Other Guys performed on the Hilltop in January.

WHICH WINE?

GIF TS FO R M OMS BACK HO ME

A free iPhone app called Tipsi, cofounded by Justin Osler ’04, caught the attention of the Wall Street Journal when it launched this spring in New York (“A New Wine App Gets Guests Talking,” March 25). The app, which helps diners choose wines to go with their meals, has information on wine lists for more than 1,000 Manhattan restaurants—and even offers information, including cost comparisons, on where the wines can be found at local shops. So much for the pressure of the petrifying taste test under the stern eye of the sommelier. Tipsi says it hopes to expand into more cities this year.

As director of Full Circle Home Elizabeth “Lisa” Miller ’75 helps members of the Armed Forces honor

AUTHO R ONLINE From the cult of CrossFit training to reviews of books on Arab Millenials and the history of the Nile River, Will O’Connor ’08 has been taking up a number of lively topics in his recent articles for the Daily Beast. A Georgetown grad, O’Connor covers the books, arts and travel beat for the online news site founded in 2008 by Tina Brown P’09 and IAC/InterActiveCorp Chairman Barry Diller.

the special women in their lives by sending gifts at holiday time and on Mother’s Day. In partnership with the USO, the nonprofit has sent 12,000 gift boxes to wives and mothers of deployed military personnel since 2007. This year in May Miller reported: “We were lucky enough to wrap the gifts with Dr. Jill Biden at her home and are in talks for another special Joining Forces event.”

ME MO RIALIZING M AC ARTHUR Seymour “Mike” Morris ’64—back on the Hilltop for his 50th Reunion—joined history students and faculty in the Hill Library to discuss his new book, “Supreme Commander: MacArthur’s Triumph in Japan.” The book examines the general’s tenure for the allied powers in Japan from 1945 to 1951. A Library Journal review said: “Morris’ accessibly shows how MacArthur managed to implement a number of reforms in postwar Japan, including a new constitution, land reform, and giving women the right to

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vote, while at the same time encouraging Japan to disarm peacefully and formally renounce any future war plans.”

M E E T M E AT T H E H E L D Seems former Head of the Department of Theater, Speech and Dance Kevin Held continues to make a good impression at his new school in Taiwan. Known for his boundless creative energy, Held, who taught at SG from 1999-2011, was recently honored when an anonymous donor came forward, purchased the naming rights to the Taipei American School’s black box theater, and named it the Kevin B. Held Black Box Theater. “I can hardly believe it!” reported Held, who spent this summer working in New York after a visit to Iran.

REMEMBERING THE SIXTIES Denis O’Neill ’66 contributed his recollections of life in the Vietnam War era to the sweeping 10-part CNN documentary produced by multiple Emmy Award-winning producers Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman called “The Sixties.” The segment in which he’s featured, “The War in Vietnam,” was released on June 19. O’Neill, who earlier this year was interviewed on Robin Young’s NPR program “Here and Now,” said he documented most of his memories in his book, “Whiplash: When The Vietnam War Rolled A Hand Grenade Into The Animal House,” published last fall. The book examines his senior year at Dartmouth College. “It was a tumultuous time stuck between Woodstock in August of 1969 and Kent State in May of 1970 ... with the reinstatement of the draft lottery on Dec. 1, right in the middle,” recalled O’Neill. ”[That made] my college class of 1970 the first since WWII to graduate with a diploma and a draft number.”

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Julie Bowen ’87 (née Julie Luetkemeyer) is featured on the cover of the July/August New Beauty magazine. A two-time Emmy Award winner and four-time Screen Actors Guild Award winner, Bowen is best known for playing the role of Claire Dunphy on the sitcom “Modern Family.” In the magazine’s lead feature, Bowen, a Brown University grad, recalls her teenage attitude toward makeup, and dishes about real life on the Red Carpet.

PART OF TH E CREW Nick Dana ’05 has earned a coveted spot on Team Alvimedica, a U.S. entry in the international Volvo Ocean Race, the offshore round-the-world sailing race touted as one of the most challenging in the sport. It will be Dana’s third Volvo Ocean Race, but his first time as a member of the race crew. Previously, he served as a member of the shore team for PUMA Ocean Racing in 2008-09; he was the onboard media person for Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing in 2011-12. The 2014-15 race begins in October in Alicante, Spain, and ends in Gothenburg, Sweden. It stops in Newport next May.

Greenvale Vineyards, co-owned by Nancy Parker Wilson ’77 (above), has been named the 2014 Busi-

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COFFIN ’73

ness of the Year by the Portsmouth (R.I.) Business Association. “Greenvale Vineyards is a great example of the entrepreneurial spirit required to start and run a small business,” Association President John C. Farley said in a press release. “Greenvale has become a leader in agriculture and tourism initiatives and an active and highly respected participant in our business community.” Greenvale says it produces about 3,500 cases of wine annually from its 24 acres of grapes.

CBSNEWS.COM

GOOD BUSINESS

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On May 6, a CBS Morning News crew went out on the waters off South Carolina with Jim “Bear” Dyke ’87 and his Mira Winery partner Gustavo Gonzalez to witness an experiment. The two vintners have been investigating whether ocean pressure might help speed up the aging process of wine. To test the theory they sank 96 bottles of their 2011 cabernet sauvignon to the bottom of a harbor in Charleston. Results were … well, see for yourself: The piece ran on the morning news show May 12 and is viewable online.

Sarah Coffin ’06 (left, with her parents Toby Coffin ’73 and Susan Coffin) brought the Red Sox World Series trophy with her when she was asked to speak at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston this spring. Sarah is the photo archivist for the Sox. She also returned to the Hilltop May 15 to speak at the memorial service for Jack Doll ’52, school archivist emeritus, who died Aug. 8, 2013. Coffin worked with Doll while she was at St. George’s, continued to keep in touch with him during her time at the College of Wooster, and voiced her appreciation of him as a mentor and inspiration of her love of preserving history.

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In memoriam R E M E M B R A N C E S

Chandler Bates Jr. ’38: A most loyal Dragon Chandler Bates Jr. ’38, one of St. George’s most devoted and generous benefactors, died June 18, 2014. He was 94. Born in New York City, Mr. Bates was a member of the “Greatest Generation” who served in the Army in all three theaters of World War II. A 1943 Princeton graduate, Mr. Bates worked in advertising, first in Chicago and then New York City, until his retirement in 1973. He was a longtime resident of Greenwich, Conn., where he was involved in numerous community projects. Mr. Bates arrived on the Hilltop as a third former in 1934 and, his deep and abiding loyalty to the school resonated throughout his entire life. Along with his many gifts to the school, many of which went toward faculty housing and support of our teachers, he would often include a note about his love for the place, all that it had given him, and his affection for the people he met on the Hilltop. His devotion to the St. George’s Chapel, as well, was apparent in his steadfast support of the chapel preservation program. He was among the 534 Founding Friends of the Chapel who helped raise $1.267 million for ongoing preservation initiatives. He was also a member of St. George’s Ogden Nash Society, which recognizes alumni, parents and other friends of the school who have provided for SG in their estate plan. As a student here, Mr. Bates was a member of various clubs, including the Stamp Club, the Radio and Science Club, the Rifle Club and the Camera Club. He was an acolyte all four years and he had a close relationship with then School Chaplain the Rev H. Martin P. Davidson, whom he called a “rabid Democrat” and with whom he argued vigorously. A much-talked-about prank at the time had Mr. Bates and a few buddies pouring a large amount of Jello™ into the chaplain’s bathtub. A good-natured escapade apparently, as his affection for the “Padre” Davidson and the Chapel endured. “For the two years I was overseas [during the war] I always carried a small picture with me of the chapel,” he wrote in a 2009 note to the Alumni Office. “In fact it is still here on my desk now.” Davidson went on to officiate at Mr. Bates’ wedding to Patricia Dickinson in 1943, and the two were married for 71 years and had four children, 11 grandchildren—including Christie Gammill ’93, twins Cam Gammill ’98 and Corey Gammill ’98 and Gavin Pace ’00— and 14 great-grandchildren. Another of Mr. Bates’ life-long passions ignited at St. George’s was his love for the water. He became so associated with his love for the

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ocean, among his family he came to be known as “Skipper.” “He was also very proud of his time on the SG diving team,” said Cam Gammill ’98. “Skipper always needed/ wanted to be around the water—so why not use it in sports? He started diving at St. George’s and eventually ended up training with the Bermuda National Team years later. No doubt, SG’s diving team influenced this drive.”

“Skipper was always a church-going man with deep principles. There is no doubt that the chapel at St. George’s deeply impacted him.” —Cam Gammill ’98, grandson of Chandler Bates Jr. ’38

Cam’s twin brother Corey Gammill ’98 had this remembrance: “When I chose to be a teacher, a few questioned and tried to push me into other fields, while Skipper wrote me letter after letter … admiring my choice, and he always felt inspired by what I was doing. He would come watch the games I coached and was my No. 1 fan. “He was a man that taught, inspired and made you feel good about decisions you made. Fair to say all the grandchildren feel the same connection to Skipper that Cam and I do. Amazing a man can make so many feel as if they are the favorite.”

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Upcoming Events 2014 Convocation

Wed., Sept. 3, 5:45 p.m. Classes begin

Thurs., Sept. 4, 8:30 a.m. Parents Weekend

Fri., Oct. 17-Sat., Oct. 18 Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Banquet

Thurs., Nov. 6, 5:45 p.m.

Middlesex Games

Fri., Nov. 7

Tues., Aug. 19

Christmas Festival

Tues., Sept. 16

Tues., Dec. 16, 7:30 p.m.

Reception in Northeast Harbor, Maine At the home of trustee Bambi Putnam P’05

Fri., Dec. 12, 7:30 p.m.

Lessons and Carols

St. George’s Policy on Non-Discrimination

You’re invited: Regional Events

2015

Reception at Greenvale Vineyards, Portsmouth, R.I. Hosted by Nancy Parker Wilson ’77 Reception in New York, N.Y. New York Yacht Club

Thurs., Oct. 30 Fifth-Form Parents Weekend

Fri., Feb 13-Sat., Feb. 14 Reunion Weekend

Fri., May 8-Sun., May 10 Prize Day

Mon., May 25

St. George’s School P.O. Box 1910 Newport, RI 02840-0190

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID St. George’s School

S T. G E OR G E ’S 2014 St. George’s School 2014 summer/fall Bulletin

In this issue: Instability in Ukraine: An eyewitness account BY

BOB HOMANS ’65

Born to heal: Dr. Sando Baysah Ojukwu ’05

Left: The St. George’s Chapel at dusk. PHOTO BY

TOM EVANS

summer/fall Bulletin