The Friends Community Garden is a place of vibrant color and joy, as students learn while tending to plants of all types.
Photo by Laura Black
The 1973 Girls Lacrosse team practices on campus.
looking back ⊲
Friends School of Baltimore is a Quaker school that exists to foster in young people the skills, knowledge, and habits of mind needed to partner with their communities and to be courageous change-makers in the world. We believe education is a journey, a continual seeking after truth that relies on both inward reflection and outward connection with others, especially across lines of difference. At Friends, learning is grounded in relationships and deepened by application to the world beyond our campus. Our School is guided by the testimonies of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship, and our core belief that there is that of God in each person, and we understand these testimonies and this belief to be a call to justice. We value diversity, pursue equity, and strive to be an actively inclusive institution that works against systemic oppression, within a campus community where each individual can live out their full identities. We seek in all ways to exemplify the ideals of the Religious Society of Friends.
Ryan Anderson Editor
Laura LeBrun Hatcher Design Christine Pappas ’01 Director of Marketing and Communications Ashley Principe Director of Development
There is something deeply meaningful about new beginnings. We see with new eyes, we imagine a world of possibilities, and we recapture our sense of curiosity, excitement, and wonder.
This was not what I was thinking on my first day of Kindergarten at Frankfurt International School when fellow kindergartener Mark shoved me aside and declared that Simon was his best friend as we gathered on the carpet in Ms. Williams’ classroom. Simon was, in fact, MY best friend. We had met on the bus 30 minutes earlier and Simon played soccer, just like me! I did not yet know what a best man was at the tender age of six, but Simon was clearly going to be mine. Wasn’t this obvious to Mark? I turned to him and said, “Simon likes me better.” Yes, that surely laid my claim.
The next few months with Mark went as you might expect. Friction, harsh words, wrestling, and posturing for favor with Simon, who managed to remain noncommital to both of us. Then one day, Simon announced that his family was moving to England, and just like that, he was gone. With the object of our conflict missing, Mark and I largely ignored each other. Then one day as I waited on the afternoon bus, Mark got on and looked at me where I sat timidly in the front seat. This was new. Mark never rode this bus. Without saying a word, he sat down next to me. From that moment on, we became Jedi Knights flying through the galaxy on the Millenium Falcon, teammates on Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls and racecar drivers willing the bus to go faster from our consistent perch in the front seat. We became best friends.
In the long years since those bus rides, playdates, and conversations with Mark, I have thought of that story every time I have a new beginning. I remember that moment of dread when Mark got on the bus and I steeled myself for what I was sure was going to be a struggle, and I remember my elation and surprise at finding someone who, just like me, gets motion sick. Most of all, however, I remember what it was like to truly begin: to open myself up to the person before me authentically and without the weight of preconception, to shed the bonds of past experiences, and to be open to what possibilities lie ahead. This is how I begin my tenure at Friends School of Baltimore. I am excited to be open and receptive as well as to bring a fresh perspective, I am curious about how my own perspective will be changed, and I look forward to the path we will walk together.
As we begin to emerge from two intensely challenging years of school in a pandemic, I hope you will all join me in what Zen Buddhist’s refer to as “shoshin,” the beginner’s mind. Let’s discard expectations and preconceived notions, and embrace the playfulness and wonder that comes with a new beginning. Perhaps we can even begin with the pages of this magazine.
I couldn’t be more excited to begin our journey together.
Sincerely, Christian Donovan Head of School
“... to shed the bonds of past experiences and to be open to what possibilities lie ahead. This is how I begin my tenure at Friends School of Baltimore.”
knowledge, perspective, and interest the students have demonstrated."
We were delighted to have Philip back on campus.
When Distinguished Alumni Award recipient Mary Allen Wilkes ’55 was in Middle School, a teacher casually observed that she would make an excellent coder.
Since 2006, the Native Plant Teaching Garden has been a staple of the Friends School campus. Created through a partnership with Guilford Garden Club (GGC), our award-winning native plant gardens attract pollinators and provide food for migrating birds, making them ideal for plant, insect and ornithology studies. The gardens employ Chesapeake Bay Watershed native plants that thrive with minimal care and absorb surface water on the School’s sloping campus. Schoolwide plantings and clean up days offer students opportunities to work alongside GGC experts, who share their knowledge of native grasses and flowers. Faculty members incorporate the gardens into their curriculum, using them for artwork, science, and even coding classes. Student of all ages engage with the gardens–recent classes have included stormwater management, biodiversity, plant classification, pollinators importance, invasive species management, and more.
Honorary Alumni Award winner Kay McConnell H’22, P’02, ’05, ’10 serves as the co-designer and developer of the Native Plant Teaching Gardens. A professional garden consultant with a focus on education and native plants in Baltimore, Md., her work in both private and public gardens emphasizes the value of intimate understanding of and interaction with the land that supports our work and play. She has been awarded the Garden Club of
America Elizabeth Abernathy Hull
and
Improvement Award for her work with Friends School of Baltimore. In addition to her work with the gardens themselves, she also offers tours of the gardens for Alumni Weekend and has offered talks to the community. Learn more about Kay and the Native Plant Teaching Garden throughout this edition of Friends Magazine
Philip Merrill '81, in partnership with Upper School history teacher Molly Adolph Smith '82, taught a history elective this year. The class was largely based off of Philip's award-winning book Old West Baltimore, which details the nation's largest African American registered historic district of 175 city blocks. As Molly explained, "The goal was to understand artifactual history as a way to learn social history. In this case, there was an emphasis on African American history, as we work with Philip and his materials, including his book."
Students kicked off the course with a visit from Philip, who brought artifacts from his company Nanny Jack & Co, LLC, an African American heritage consultant company with an unprecedentedly large African American artifact collection. After teaching his first two classes, Philip wrote, "With our first two classes completed, I'm thoroughly impressed with the
Though computers were still very new technology, Mary Allen jokingly remarks that her teacher was responding to her overtly logical thought process. When she graduated from college, she joined a lab at MIT and was an instrumental member of the team that developed the LINC (Laboratory INstrument Computer), one of the world's first personal interactive computers. To celebrate the 60th anniversary of this groundbreaking technology, Friends was delighted to welcome Mary Allen as part of the STEAM lecture series. Upper School students moderated the conversation, and 8th graders, many of whom had recently written research papers on Mary Allen, had the chance to ask questions. In addition to hearing her insights into this groundbreaking time, students were able to see the very first personal computer, which Mary Allen worked on from her home in Baltimore, courtesy of our friends at the System Source Computer Museum in Hunt Valley, Md.
Award
Zone VI Civic
Exuberant. Exacting. Warm. Supportive. High standards and equally high spirits.
These words echo when Dr. Zita Dabars’ former students and colleagues describe the legendary teacher. Dabars taught Russian at Friends School from 1975 until retirement in 1997 before passing at age 83 on November 10, 2021. While she led the national creation of foundational materials for Russian education, her greatest legacy is her inspiration of generations of Friends students.
“Zita got Russian into your bones. Her love of Russian culture was infectious,” says Melissa Feliciano ’86, Friends Russian teacher from 1991 until 1996.
Dabars joined Friends in 1975, and took Claire Walker’s H’80, P’60, ’62 lauded curriculum and role as a national leader to new levels. Dabars joined the American Council of Teachers of Russian (ACTR) board of directors in 1982, served as president (1991-1995), and volunteered for the ACTR after retirement. Today, Lee Roby, Friends Russian teacher, serves on the ACTR board.
“I had decided I wanted to be a Russian teacher before I left high school, which means that my notion of what it meant to be a Russian teacher was based solely on Zita,” says Dr. Elisa Shorr Frost ’88, P’19, ’22, and Roland Park Country School Russian teacher. Like Dabars, Frost holds a Ph.D. in Slavic Languages and Literatures. Both she and Feliciano traveled to Russia on the annual trip Dabars led.
Attorney Thora Johnson ’88, P’18, ’20, ’30, who holds an M.A. in Russian from Middlebury, remembers well the annual trip: “We studied hours before that trip. With that knowledge, she then allowed us tremendous independence to discover those cities. It made Russia very personal. Her classes went beyond language and included culture, cooking, and history.”
Roby continues many of Dabars’ traditions. Pre-pandemic, she led an every-otheryear trip to St. Petersburg (with similar preparation). She hosts film viewings, advises the Russian Club, and more. Her students teach in the School’s community partnership, “Russian for Fun,” an afterschool Russian program for Friends Lower School and Tunbridge Elementary School 4th and 5th graders.
“I’ve always been aspiring to hold up her legacy,” says Roby, who recently won the Russian and East European Institute (REEI) Distinguished Alumni Award from Indiana University, where she is a Ph.D. candidate. “Zita taught me that you can hold very high expectations while supporting and mentoring [students].”
In 1985, Dabars founded The Center of Russian Language and Culture (CORLAC), which helped change how Russian is taught in high schools and colleges nation-wide. As CORLAC director, Dabars raised $2.2 million and co-authored the first national, pre-college Russian language textbook series while cowriting other seminal (and still used) accompanying instructional materials.
In addition to the Pushkin Prize in 1990, Dabars received the Joe Malik Service Award from the American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages (1991) and the ACTR/American Councils for International Education Distinguished Service Award (1997). Dabars is survived by nieces Lyla Leigh and Laura McDonald, nephews Austin McDonald and Thomas McDonald, Jr., and great nephews.
Read the full article, written by Sarah Achenbach for Friends School: https://bit.ly/FSBZita
“Frank was one of the kindest, most gentle souls. He really was amiable and the definition of the term,” said Walter G. Schamu, president and founder of SM+P Architects. “He’d breeze into my office on Morton Street wearing that little pouch of his and ask what I was building. He was such a delightful person and adopted Baltimore and loved it.”
Barbara A. Hoff, an architectural historian and a former Bolton Hill resident, was another longtime friend. “I knew Frank during the time I was in Baltimore beginning in the 1970s,” said Ms. Hoff, who now lives in Los Angeles. “He was such a special person and a true gentleman. Whenever I think of that word you can substitute Frank Shivers’ name.”
Frank Remer Shivers Jr., the son of dairy farmers Frank R. Shivers Sr. and Emily Wilkins
Shivers, was born in 1924 in Haddonfield, New Jersey. He was descended from a long line of Quakers, family members said.
Mr. Shivers began his education in a tworoom country schoolhouse and was 16 when he graduated in 1941 from Rancocas Valley Regional High School in Mount Holly, New Jersey. He began his college studies at New Jersey Teachers College in Trenton, before enlisting in the Army in July 1944, and four months later, was sent to Yale University to study Japanese under the Army Specialized Training Program.
He left Yale in 1946 to serve with the Counter Intelligence Corps in Japan during the occupation that followed the end of World War II.
He attained the rank of private and after being discharged returned to Yale, where he was a member of the Elizabethan Club and earned a bachelor’s degree in 1948 in English. A year later, obtained a master’s degree, also in English.
From 1949 to 1951, when he moved to Baltimore, Mr. Shivers had been on the faculty of the University of Cincinnati.
He was married in 1950 to the former Lottchen Vondersmith and from 1951 to 1954, he did graduate work at the Johns Hopkins University where he was also a teaching assistant.
Mr. Shivers had planned on obtaining his Ph.D. at Hopkins, but the responsibility of raising a family made graduate school difficult. In 1955, the couple purchased a Bolton Street rowhouse where they raised their four children.
He was hired in 1954 to chair the English department at Friends School, where he taught for the next 26 years until retiring in 1980.
Mr. Shivers still remained actively engaged as an educator from 1980 to 1999, teaching writing as an adjunct professor at Hopkins in its School of Professional Studies, Business and Education, and also at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and Towson University.
He was a much in demand lecturer on Baltimore history, neighborhoods and architecture and spoke at Hopkins, the Maryland Historical Society and Goucher College.
Read the full obituary, originally written for the Baltimore Sun by Frank Rasmussen: https://bit.ly/FSBFrank
Christian Donovan feels right at home stepping—pedaling, actually— into the unknown.
Shortly after his college graduation ceremony, Donovan, who became the 13th head of school for Friends School of Baltimore on July 1, 2022, ditched his mortar board and lugged his bike to the Meriden, Conn., Amtrak station. He was two days late for a cross-country, nine-week bike trek from Washington, D.C. to San Francisco.
“When I graduated, I didn’t know what I wanted to do,” he recalls. “A friend had signed up for the trip, but she ended up not going. I had never ridden long distances before, but I liked being outside and liked physical challenges.”
His cycling group was mostly Yale University graduates raising money for Habitat for Humanity through the trip, and almost all strangers to him, but the experience was a turning point for him. That summer sparked his love of cycling, which led to his completion of six Olympicdistance and half-marathon triathlons. He fell in love with the small towns and national parks along the way, and the trip’s destination. A year after the trip, Donovan settled in the Bay Area for his first job at a school in the Athenian School’s admissions office.
The trip also deepened his relational leadership style for his career in independent school education that is entering its third decade. The lessons from two-plus months in a bike seat shaped his path and approach. “I learned that it’s actually possible to accomplish really difficult things,” says Donovan. “The idea of biking 4,000 miles can seem daunting, but when you break it down in chunks, then it becomes possible. That trip was fun, but it was really hard—and one of the best things I’ve ever done.”
Earlier this summer, Donovan made another transformational cross-country trek from the Head-Royce School in Oakland, Calif. where he served as assistant head of school and director of strategic research to Friends for his first school role as head of school. The idea of one day becoming a head of school was not foreign to him. In 2020-21, Donovan attended the virtual National Association of Independent Schools’ Aspiring Heads Program, “but being a head felt like it was something that was down the road,” he says.
In January 2021, Donovan became assistant head of school and director of strategic research at Head-Royce. “I had been doing enrollment for 18 years at that point and wanted a new challenge,” he says of his role. He led Head-Royce’s strategic plan, supported its master plan, and collaborated with the school’s director of equity and inclusion to create systems to implement and track the school’s diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
When the firm conducting the Friends head of school search contacted him in summer 2021, he was intrigued. His family is on the East Coast, and he was familiar with Friends from Scott Spence ’78, a former colleague at the George School, Donovan’s alma mater. Donovan loved his years as a George School boarding student in nearby Philadelphia and the subsequent 11 years spent there coaching, advising students, and working in admission and enrollment management prior to joining Head-Royce. Deliberative by nature, Donovan decided to submit his c.v.
Born in Pennsylvania, Donovan was raised in Europe where his father worked for Citibank. Donovan and his only sibling, an older sister, returned to the U.S. for middle school when his father moved to Connecticut. Donovan and his sister attended high school at the George School in Newtown, Pa., near where their mother, a George School graduate and practicing Quaker, taught elementary school in Flemington, New Jersey.
Donovan recalls being restless as a boy during Quaker Meetings while on summer vacation visits with his mother.
Sitting in silent reflection for a boy who loved sports, soccer particularly, was hard, he says, laughing. He approached it differently as a boarder at the George School. “There, I learned to sit with a question quietly,” he says. “Reflecting and asking good and thoughtful questions are really important to me.”
As the Friends head of school search process continued, Donovan remained reflective—and practical, even when named a semi-finalist. His first few minutes witnessing Friends carpool on his first school visit in September 2021 changed his mindset. Watching students bound out of the backseat, eager for school and thrilled to see one another cemented for Donovan that this was where he needed to be.
“I didn’t fully remember what it felt like to be part of a Quaker community,” explains Donovan, who was announced as the new head of school on October 22, 2021. “As I was interviewing, I thought, ‘These feel like my people.’ The Friends community pulled me in.” Spence, who serves as George School’s associate head, remembers Donovan first as a talented student and athlete and then as a colleague when Donovan joined the admissions staff in 2003. “Because Christian coached, advised, was a dorm parent, and sponsored a peer counseling student group in addition to his admission work, I, as associate head of school, began to get to know him well,” recalls Spence. “As his role in admission
expanded (eventually to become director) I came to value his sharp and insightful strategic contributions to our administrative team meetings.”
Donovan’s gift for collaborative leadership and love of community were valued at George, Spence recalls: “I appreciated how deeply he believed in the School’s mission, how authentically he could speak with prospective families about the School, helping us all feel that our work together was a part of something truly meaningful. He built [an admissions team] of camaraderie, mutual support…and shared purpose. He also impressed us with his innovative and strategic use of data and his visionary enrollment management modeling. And his work always exuded a love of students and his joy in getting to know them and support them through their growth into young adults.”
This past spring, when Donovan returned to Friends for a visit and attended a meeting of the Friends Senate, he felt a sense of home. A student leader turned to him, recalls Donovan, and said, “I just feel like I fit at Friends.”
Donovan’s reaction was immediate: “I had a palpable sense of the old Quaker saying: ‘Friend speaks my mind.’ As a Quaker school graduate who experienced firsthand the kindness, compassion, and sense of inclusivity that are hallmarks of any intentional Quaker school community, I felt reassured that at Friends, all of us can be seen, valued, and feel a deep sense of belonging.”
“Community is really important to me,” he adds. “Friends has a wonderful and supportive community, but Covid-19 has been hard for everybody.”
Like every educator navigating what learning and community look like as the world emerges from the pandemic, Donovan understands that this is new territory for all schools but is thrilled at the challenge: “We haven’t been able to be together and work the same way that we’re used to. I’m excited to work with the Friends community to figure out what are the interesting ways for us to spend time together and get to know each other.”
“Christian understands and embodies the Quaker testimonies, knows that good education, like truth, is a process of continuing revelation, one grounded in both ‘inward reflection and outward connection with others, especially across lines of difference,’ to quote the School’s mission statement,” adds Spence. “He believes in excellent academics, education of the whole student, and the importance of building a rich community experience for everyone connected with the School. Those are things I remember fondly from my eight years at Friends.”
The same feeling inspired his career. There is a particular moment when he discovered the difference a teacher can make. Expecting a boring lecture on radical expressions in fractions in Paul Machemer’s Advanced Algebra class in 9th grade at the George School, Donovan remembers staring out the window and wishing he was on the soccer field or tennis court. Instead of explaining fractions, for the next two classes, Machemer instead detailed the life of Guy Fawkes, the English radical and would-be assassin of King James who was caught in the basement of the palace with 36 barrels of gunpowder.
When a classmate asked the obvious: “What did any of that have to do with fractions?” Machemer replied, “Never leave a radical in the basement.”
“The basement here is the denominator of a fraction,” says Donovan, laughing. “I’ve never forgotten that expression. That moment planted a flag along my educational path. So many years later, the memories of my extraordinary educators inspire me to want to create similar experiences for students, to watch them discover the trap door that can lead to a life of delight in learning.”
Initially, Donovan wanted to coach at an independent school. He played soccer and tennis in high school and squash at Wesleyan—he was senior captain of the Wesleyan squad and achieved a post-graduate 4.0 skill level as a U.S. Squash national champion in 2005. Donovan has coached girls and boys soccer, boys tennis, and track and field during his career, but he found his calling in school administration, specifically admissions, financial aid, and enrollment management.
“I thought admissions was a way to get my foot in the door for coaching,” he explains. “In admissions, I met a lot of people and got to travel because George School is a boarding school, and we recruited students from all over the world.” Gifted in using data to understand and chart a school’s future, Donovan’s career in enrollment management and school leadership also honed his skills as a communicator to and careful listener of students, prospective families, and colleagues. For two years, he co-chaired the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council at Head-Royce to implement the school’s DEI goals.
He has a deep understanding of the strengths and challenges of a vibrant academic environment and school community. “One of the reasons why
I was attracted to Friends, and to independent schools, is because I am a huge proponent of liberal arts education and the idea of balance,” says Donovan, who has a B.A. in Government and M.Ed. in school leadership from the University of Pennsylvania. “With a liberal arts curriculum, you are learning how to be a critical thinker. Friends students graduate with deep, critical thinking skills.”
He saw this in action during his visits to campus, especially as the Friends Senate members discussed various campus and global issues. “They were so thoughtful, which I attribute to the Quaker style of education, but also the liberal arts style of education. They knew that there were multiple perspectives, even ones that they might not necessarily agree with. We sorely need this level of dialogue in the country today.”
A vibrant part of coming together for Donovan is the role athletics and the arts play in an independent school education. He has always been an enthusiastic and accomplished athlete but admits that his artistic skills are not as proficient, though he loved his woodworking classes at the George School. Donovan loves how the arts provide another way of using the brain. “The arts are critical to a well-balanced education, and I am excited by the breadth and depth of Friends’ arts program.”
Donovan also understands the realities of leading a school in the 21st century, especially as we emerge from the pandemic and with rising inflation. “I am a big fan of the enrollment arm of a school, partly because they’re the biggest generators of revenue. Thinking of a school as a business can feel like a dirty word, but that’s starting to shift. The revenue side enables the great work of the school. It allows us to pay teachers a living wage, and hopefully more
“I felt reassured that at Friends, all of us can be seen, valued, and feel a deep sense of belonging.”
than that one day. Revenue allows the teachers to do the work that they do and have an impact on lives. At a Quaker school, there’s an element of simplicity that comes into it.”
Crystal Land, Donovan’s former boss at Head-Royce School and its recently retired head of school, knows what it takes to lead a school. She saw those qualities in him as he led Head-Royce’s strategic plan extension this past year.
“This work involved reviewing the successes of our current strategic plan, meeting with various constituencies on current priorities, and coalescing around key strategic initiatives going forward,” she explains. “Christian did this with attention to the current needs of the school as well assessing future trends and strategic direction going forward.”
She saw his potential as soon as they began working together. “I knew he could take on any leadership role he wanted, but he is humble and has been intentional about finding the right school to serve as head of school,” Land explains. “He is an inclusive and thoughtful leader—one who carefully considers all views and knows how to make decisions that will move the school forward and stay in alignment with the mission. He is also easy to work with as he is caring of others, funny, and calm. I’ve really enjoyed my partnership with Christian and am
looking forward to watching him grow and thrive in his new role.”
The Quaker commitment to service is another aspect of Friends that speaks to him. Donovan helped to build a Habitat for Humanity house during a service trip to the Eastern Shore of Virginia. As an administrator at the George School, he led a service trip to the Navajo Nation in Kata, Ariz.
He sits on several educational boards, including serving as a faculty and cohort leader of the national Future Leaders Institute for The Enrollment Management Association, among other professional organizations for enrollment administrators. On July 1, 2022, Donovan began his board tenure on the George School board of trustees.
This year, Donovan also joins an organization focused on an issue he has been passionate about since childhood. “I am joining the board of the Field Semester, the first West-Coast semester-school program focused on environmental sustainability,” he explains of the new facility in rural Northern California for high school students from across the U.S. to study and live on a working farm to better understand community and sustainability.
“The exciting thing to me about it is that they’re basically starting from scratch. We’re working on everything from fundraising for the buildings to what the educational program is going to be to the hiring processes.”
Environmental sustainability is one of the critical issues to youth today, he notes. “Young people in our schools are keenly aware of the specter of climate change, food and water insecurity, and violence and oppression against communities of color, particularly Black communities,” he wrote in his Statement of Educational Philosophy shared in his application for the head of school position. “Today’s students do not come equipped with a sense of the world in which decency, equality, and justice may be expected.”
What students do have, he says, is “an increasingly galvanized sense that those things ought to be expected…our schools should be communities where students find their voice, access their personal power, and acknowledge their privilege. They need to learn that their lives matter.”
Donovan is particularly excited to be part of Friends’ ongoing commitment to the Baltimore region and to see the many ways the School’s students, educators, and alumni address the needs of the region’s underserved communities through time, thoughtful gifts, and innovative programs.
“Baltimore is part of our classroom and a cherished extension of our campus,” he says. A not-so-insignificant detail of his excitement for his new town is the fact that two of his favorite jazz greats, Cab Calloway and Billie Holiday, were raised in Baltimore.
His next chapter and the opportunity to lead Friends School of Baltimore coalesce his career aspirations, a return to his Quaker roots, and his embrace of the journey. It’s also a chance to apply his life’s philosophy, which he traces to an Outward Bound kayaking trip in Mexico when he was a teenager.
Early in the trip, the kayakers were arguing about what to eat first from the food they had carefully packed. The prevailing opinion was to save the best food for a special occasion. “One of the instructors came over to us and said, ‘You should always eat your best food first, that way you’ll always be eating your best food.’”
The details of the trip have faded for Donovan, but that moment—just like the enduring lesson about radicals in the basement or about the joys to be discovered when you throw your bike on a train to ride off on new adventures—has not.
“I have learned to enjoy life, to enjoy the good food in front of you. It’s the best thing you have.” ■
Among the boxes Friends’ new head of school unpacked this summer are a few special items for his office.
This beautiful tea pot was a treasured gift from colleagues. I am quite the tea aficionado with green tea and Earl Grey being my favorites.
Taipei 101 Tower made out of Nanoblocks A family from Taiwan gave this to me as a gift knowing that while I was born in Taiwan, as a transracial adoptee, I do not have a strong cultural connection to the country. At first I thought, “what am I going to do with a Nanoblock tower?” I decided to build it one row each day. So for two months, I started my day by constructing one row of the tower every day until it was complete. It now serves two purposes: It represents a piece of my origin story and reminds me how important it is to continue to play, even as an adult.
Post-It I wrote these three questions on a Post-It six years ago after listening to a TED Talk by Michael Wesch, an anthropology professor at Kansas State University. The Post-It has lived on my desk ever since. Wesch spent a year going to lunch with his students and realized that in their quest to build a meaningful life, it was these three questions that were the ones they most wanted to answer. They are three questions I consistently ask myself.
the pandemic
I started a strange collection of fidget spinners and haptic clickers. This is one of my favorites from the collection. The two side barrels spin individually and the whole piece spins around the center circle. Very practically, it helps me focus, but it also reminds me that we all sometimes need a little help to pay attention, especially our students.
A mentor of mine once suggested that I keep a thank you drawer for those times when I might need a smile. It is also a reminder of the importance of gratitude.
That’s the goal of computer science education in the 21st century—to work through a problem logically, sequentially, and collaboratively to find a creative solution. Today’s digital natives—Generation Alpha, born since 2000, who have spent their entire lives interacting with technology— must discern, interpret, and communicate a tsunami of information across multiple platforms.
To ensure that Friends School of Baltimore students are digital leaders, and not merely learners, the Computer Science Department has redesigned its curriculum with an eye towards innovation and inclusion. “The hallmark of the new computer science sequence is its multiple entry points,” says Jennifer Robinson, Director of Academic Technology and Libraries. “To be as equitable and inclusive as possible, we have designed a structure which allows for students with diverse interests to explore the field and still move into advanced courses. Our goal is for all students to see themselves as coders, and that includes female, non-binary, and students of color.”
About a decade ago, coding (or actively writing computer programs) helped to rebrand computer science education globally. The idea of coding and using technology to create and not merely program reenergized the field and computer science offerings in Pre-K–12 schools. Today, 51% of the nation’s high schools offer computer science—a big jump from 35% three years earlier, according to a Code.org survey.
Friends was long ahead of the technology curve, with its first computer science course in 1985-86, a “Pascal” programming course. A “Basic” programming course was added the next year. While Code.org’s survey also revealed skepticism that coding skills “may become much less valued in the workplace as those skills are replaced by machines,” the critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills needed to code are the bedrock of Friends’ approach to computer science.
All students, says Robinson, benefit from the logic and critical thinking that are inherent in computer science. “Even if students do not become ‘coders’ from a vocational standpoint, we hope that they will be literate in the field of computing, understanding predictive algorithms and artificial intelligence and the impacts of computing in their lives as consumers, including the evolving ethics of computing,” she explains of the School’s program that begins in Pre-Kindergarten.
Two years ago, a cross-divisional think tank of Friends teachers, administrators, and students began “visioning” what the School’s computer science program might look like and how students’ passions for art, math, social justice, or ethics, for example, could inspire their use of technology. This past summer, the team created curricular alignment to ensure that students meet digital competencies and foster habits of mind like resilience, reflection, etc.
The biggest change is in the new Upper School course sequence, which allows for a more flexible flow through required and elective courses, a sequence that sets Friends apart from other school’s computer science curriculums. While not required for graduation, the computer science courses are popular, with an estimated quarter of the Upper School student body taking one or more computer science electives.
“The various points of entry into learning about computer science are different from other schools,” says Heather Romney, Upper School art teacher and a member of the schoolwide technology committee that envisioned the program. “Our students can make interactive art with code, program physical computing devices, build websites, etc. The senior work project rounds out the other end and allows for students to pursue a passion.”
LEVEL I
All minor courses 3x6 per cycle
Data & Code FALL
Physical Computing SPRING Creative Coding*
Web Design & Development* YEARLONG
LEVEL II
Major course 4x6 per cycle ACS I: JAVA
FOR GRADES 9-12
LEVEL III Major course 4x6 per cycle ACS II: Algorithms
Senior Design Major Course Prerequisite: Minimum one Level I course and permission of instructor.
*Earns art credit, is in the ART section of course selection form.
Adds Joel Hammer, Upper School computer science and math teacher “there are no tracks in the Computer Science Department, and there will never be. As we expand our offerings, there will be discernible categories, but never tracks like in the Math Department.” The goal, he explains, is to work with each student to place them in a course that matches their unique interests and strengths.
While several new courses and enhancements launched this fall, Friends plans to evolve and grow the program over the next four years. An Automata course, planned for the 2023-24 year, will introduce students to electronic machinery and Hammer hopes to resurrect the past Web Development elective, too.
“We’re taking a unique approach by treating computer science as both a discipline and as a habit of mind which can benefit all students,” says Hammer. “That’s why we have four level-1 courses. These are rigorous as computer science courses but also equip a diverse student body with the skills needed to succeed in any field in the digital age.” There are cross-listings in the math and art departments and plans for collaboration with every Upper School department.
Two of the courses, Data and Code, and Senior Design, are completely lecture-free. Data and Code is taught using Socratic questions and open problems worked out in groups; Senior Design is student-led with students developing their own plan and goals, which they must meet consistently throughout the course. “I am not aware of any other school taking that kind of teaching approach on the same scale,” says Hammer.
“We are taking a unique approach by treating computer science as both a discipline and as a habit of mind which can benefit all students.”
New developments in the Middle School include a recent transition from web design to 6th grade InfoTech and game design to 7th grade InfoTech,” says Tracy Thompson, Middle School Librarian. Every Middle School student takes InfoTech, a year-long technology course, and beginning last year, all Middle School students learned basic 3D design principles using Tinkercad. For the 2022 Night Out with Friends party, Middle School creators designed and printed flowers as party decorations. “Students are increasingly spending their free time creating original designs that they can then request to print with the assistance of our librarians,” Thompson says.
This fall, for the first time, 8th grade will learn physical computing in InfoTech with Circuit Playgrounds and the Code.org platform. Adds Thompson, “We expect an explosion of interest from students as they transition to high school, already having a taste of what all of our new Upper School electives are offering.”
The youngest students in the Lower School use simple robots, Bee Bot and KIBO, to introduce sequencing and algorithms through storytelling, counting, pattern finding, and other skills. In 1st and 2nd grade, students use Code. org to learn block programming with 3rd through 5th grades using Tynker. “By the end of 2nd grade, students are very comfortable with building longer sequential algorithms that use different kinds of loops,” says Andy Hanes, Lower School Technology Integrator and Educator.
Since 2014, Lower School has participated in Hour of Code, the global coding celebration that dovetails with the birthday of computing pioneer Admiral Grace Murray Hopper (born December 9, 1906). At Friends, that hour becomes a day of building, designing, and coding. Creative computation extends to the Makerspace, too, which is intentionally low-tech. “We want the Lower School Makerspace to focus more on the design process (empathize, define, ideate, prototype, test) rather than technology, [but] there is also room to integrate digital elements like making circuits and creating on the greenscreen.”
Friends’ “tech team” is working on a mission statement, and over the summer, Hammer and Romney completed the Universal Competencies to guide students to reflect on the same core set of coding disciplines, habits of mind, and algorithmic thought processes for every project. “There will be one single rubric for every computer science project a student completes in the Upper School, ensuring that we can help students maintain focused, meaningful, and observable growth whether they take one class or five,” explains Hammer. “I am very proud of the work we’ve done and the goals we’ve set for the future, which are firmly in line with our Quaker values.”
Robinson is equally reflective on the over-arching goal of the innovations to an already strong, cutting-edge computer science program. “Beyond fostering an inclusive culture, we endeavor to teach students that computer science is an integral part of our lives and can be used to solve real-world
issues,” she adds. “We want them to be critical thinkers and problem solvers. As they move through the Pre-K to 12 sequence, we also hope that they will grapple with the impacts and ethics involved in computing and seek ways to have a positive influence on society.” ■
There are plenty of equipment and space upgrades to complement the enhanced curriculum:
• Recent upgrades to the Quaker Advanced Technology Lab—all Upper School computer science classes meet here or in the Upper School Makerspace—include new computers, 3 state-of-the-art 3D printers, and more space for collaborative group projects
• Additional microcontrollers, sensors, etc., used in art, computer science, and math classes to combine hardware and software to create systems that interact with the world—the definition of physical computing
• New computers in the School’s three Makerspaces to complement the 3D printers and other age- and safety-appropriate tools for student creating
• In 2020, Middle School computer science classes moved to the Middle School Library Makerspace for better access to 3D printers, microprocessors like Circuit Playgrounds and Micro:bits, robotics like Spheros and Little Bits, iPads and Macintoshes, woodcarving and woodburning tools, and general crafting supplies—all available to any student or faculty member when InfoTech classes are being held
• Upgraded inventory of Arduinos and electronic components for physical computing
• New network linking all 3D printers, developed by Hammer and Lorenzo Stiavelli ’22, to provide access to the full student body. Called QATNet, it’s in Betamode, but beginning this fall, Friends students can log in with their school account and submit their own 3D designs for printing
How he got here: My senior year of college I undertook a research project on the 2008 financial crisis for my economics major. I got interested enough that I investigated careers in finance, only to be told by everyone that I had the worst possible timing. I eventually found a job through an old internship connection, and over the years found my way to New York working at a large Wall Street bank. I quickly realized I was unhappy with this career path and started plotting my exit. Some pro bono work I had done led to an opportunity in Central America, and I moved there for two years working first on a sustainable tree farm and then managing a birding lodge. I loved the work and people there, but I knew I would eventually move home. Through this role, I found a position in sustainable investing back in D.C. This was a good marriage of my experience, and a few years after starting I enrolled in a year-long clean energy program, which then led to my current role where I’ve been since the start of this year.
Current work: Big picture, Hannon Armstrong invests in climate change solutions. What that mostly entails is investments in renewable energy projects – think solar and wind – as well as energy efficiency projects that help reduce energy usage. I focus on the latter, helping companies, government, and non-profits lower the carbon footprint of
their buildings by financing retrofits of energy and water systems. Sometimes this also entails building new projects with efficient designs and equipment, while other projects address physical infrastructure needed to adapt to climate change, and recently work associated with electric vehicles. We try to take a broad view of what’s necessary to create a more environmentally sustainable economy, while ensuring each investment has a positive impact.
Impact of your Friends education: Friends has had a wide impact on my career, from open mindedness to the ability to learn in uncertain environments. One specific skill I’ve found useful in my career is remaining patient and analytical when discussing an issue within a group, really listening to what someone says. I trace that back to Meeting for Worship and the practice of centering, giving space after others speak, and carrying those skills over to the classroom.
Notable Friends School experience: My freshman year, Coaches Tom LaMonica ’67, PE Teacher 1973-2010, and Michael McVey, Upper School Music, had me starting on Varsity football for our opening game at Boys’ Latin. In the lead up to the game Coach McVey told me all the upperclassmen on the team had confidence in me. We barely lost the game, but I remember how proud I felt as a part of that team and stepping up to be a contributor.
Memorable Friends School teacher: Senior year I was in two history elective classes with Nick Fessenden H’10 and the format felt so different from other classes. We would read or watch material, and then he stepped to the side and let the students discuss and debate with little structure. It gave me a sense of maturity as well as confidence in preparation for college, and it was a proper culmination of all the years of schooling at Friends.
“...really listening to what someone says. I trace that back to Meeting for Worship and the practice of centering, giving space after others speak, and carrying those skills over to the classroom.”
How she got here: By asking a lot of questions and not being afraid to learn new things.
I started at Lehman Brothers in New York in June 2005 after graduating from George Washington University. I was working in Global Markets Operations, focused on Middle Office. It was a steep learning curve and I loved every moment. I went to Deutsche Bank in 2007, where I was thrown into helping re-build a trade support team for the U.S. Rates business. I quickly discovered I had an interest in designing and implementing strategic change and streamlining operational processes. Deutsche Bank then moved me to London, to work on Front-to-Back strategic programs. So I decided my next step would be in consulting. After 10 years in consulting, where I worked with a variety of clients, helping them answer and delivering post financial crisis regulation, I decided to go back into banking.
Current work: I currently work at Bank of America within Global Markets COO, where I lead the Global Markets approach for Global Sanctions Program and support other U.S. regulations. I work across the organization on how we comply with regulations within the complex nature of the business.
Impact of her Friends education: Well, I should have taken the business class they offered in junior/senior year! My career was really influenced by my experience at Friends. The School ethos encourages and rewards a thirst for curiosity, and provides the ability to question and challenge concepts that we didn’t agree with, understand, or just wanted to know more about.
Notable Friends School experience: This a tough one! Best classroom experiences were in Advanced Chemistry.
Memorable Friends teacher: Another hard one! Too many exceptional teachers who made the school shine. But if I had to pick…Ken Drews, Upper School Chemistry retired 2012, and Deloris Jones, Middle School Social Studies.
Director, Global Markets COO, Bank of America
“The School ethos encourages and rewards a thirst for curiosity.”
How he got here: A lot of hard work, but a lot of luck as well. I graduated from university in 2003 and eventually moved to New York City to work at an investment bank in 2004. In 2007, a former colleague of mine, who was running a trading desk in Boston, asked me if I would be interested in moving up there to work with him. This was a very tough decision for me as I had not spent much time in Boston and was not too familiar with the city itself. However, the opportunity was too good to pass up so I gladly accepted and moved there, along with my girlfriend Amy (who is now my wife!). Years later, the same colleague went on to start his own investment firm and I came along with him to be his partner and the rest has been history. So, I would definitely say I put my time in to get where I am today, but I was very lucky to find the right mentor and partner with him. Finding the right mentor has been the most important part of my professional journey.
Current work: I am a partner, portfolio manager, and COO of an investment firm called Proficio Capital based in Boston. We manage several billion dollars in private and public assets across all asset classes. I am responsible for all trading and execution at Proficio as well as portfolio management of certain strategies.
Impact of his Friends education: Friends taught me to be confident enough to voice my thoughts or opinions in any environment. The core of investing is centered around being able to interpret how events and structural changes affect the economy and underlying market trends. Being able to voice and communicate your thoughts on how to invest along these themes is central to any investment
firm. Friends encouraged open lines of communication with teachers and students alike to share ideas, thoughts, etc. (even controversial ones at that) in such a way that prepared me for the professional world where I am asked to do the same on a daily basis.
Notable Friends School experience: There were many in the classroom, but the experience that comes to the top of my mind came on the field when we won the M.I.A.A. Championship for lacrosse for the third time in a row on Homewood field at Johns Hopkins. That year’s team was amazing with many future college All-Americans and professional lacrosse players. Some of my fellow players that immediately come to mind are Jake Martin ’99, Kyle Harrison ’01, Benson Erwin ’01, and Todd Spear ’99. But there were many others on that team that went on to have extremely accomplished careers. It was fun to be a part of that team.
Memorable Friends teacher: Coaches Jon Garman ’75, current Upper School Interim Principal, and Richard Seiler ’68, Upper School History teacher 1988-2015 are the two that come to mind immediately. I had the opportunity to have them both as history teachers (my favorite subject) and also lacrosse coaches during my time at Friends. They gave me confidence and helped me learn how to work in a team environment.
Partner, Portfolio Manager, and Chief Operating Officer, Proficio Capital Partners, LLC
“Friends taught me to be confident enough to voice my thoughts or opinions in any environment.”
Justin Sussman ’99
How he got here: Attending schools that provided a great education and a focus on ethics, coupled with personal experiences that last a lifetime have had the most impact on my professional career. My internship at Legg Mason in the Private Client Group, along with my MBA from Loyola also positioned me to excel when I arrived on Wall Street. I was fortunate enough to be a part of the Wall Street Friends organization (a networking group for finance professionals of color) which also made a big impact on my career path. Wall Street Friends led me to Moody’s, which ultimately gave me the opportunity to work in both the U.S. and Latin America doing corporate finance prior to launching my own firm.
Current work: I am the founder and Managing Director of Ashton Global Investment Management, an institutional investment platform for emerging and start-up asset managers. We provide seed capital to asset management firms to get started and help them grow. You can think of us as a venture capital firm for investment funds, or as some have referred to us “Shark Tank for Hedge Fund Managers.” We are a capital introductions firm with a goal of placing underrepresented and emerging portfolio managers with family offices and other sources of institutional capital. We are seeking to democratize the capital raising process while generating attractive longterm returns for investors.
Impact of his Friends education: The foundation of the Friends School education is a focus on ethics and the community. This was vital in developing a framework for a rewarding career in finance. I think more specifically, being able to learn another language fluently, as well as the heavy focus on college-preparatory writing and math had a major impact. The Friends class structure also provided for constant engagement and interpersonal skills which are vital even in today’s digital economy.
Notable Friends School experience: I have always valued the experiences I had at the Saturday economics class taught by Grant L. Jacks III H’05. This class during Middle School got me interested in economics and finance at an early age. I would also say that the experiences I had during my time as Co-President of the Student Body and the Black Student Union, and on the Friends championship sports teams, impacted my career professionally.
Managing Director, Ashton Global Investment Management
Memorable Friends teacher: There were many teachers that are memorable as I think about my career. Tom Buck, Upper School English and Drama teacher 1987-2021, was key to showing me the importance of writing and communicating well. I really think it’s a real separator in high-touch industries like finance. In today’s global economy, learning Spanish fluently from Tom Binford, Upper School Spanish, has been priceless and enabled me to work internationally and enter new markets quite easily. The late Dean Pappas, Upper School Physics retired 2008, was also a great mentor who encouraged me to push the envelope and try new things. ■
“The foundation of the Friends School education is a focus on ethics and the community.”
DEI Director, Sarah Meteyer ’08, and DEI Assistant Director, Manny Rodriguez. Spot them in the Diversity and Inclusion Center for Equity (DICE) on the fourth floor of the Main Upper School Building!
Dylan Barnes ’23, Wynter Gibbs ’22, and Carmen Tidwell ’22 serve as the student representatives to the Board of Trustees Diversity Committee.
Kyla Griggs ’22, Morgan Hudgins ’22, and Annalisa Jenkins ’22 are student representatives to FSBMore, the largest working adult body on campus leading strategic DEI work.
Read on to find out more about their work!
At this year's DEI Day, the Lower School learned about DEI terms and storytelling, and the theme for the Middle and Upper School was “Not a Trend: Staying in the Conversation.” Students experienced speakers such as Mecamorphosis, a Baltimore-based poet and 2022 Mayor's Individual Artist Award Winner, and Lady Brion, an award-winning slam poet and Baltimore-based artivist who presented her poems as an expression of activism.
Throughout the week of action, the DEI Office hosted many school-wide initiatives, including: rallies, marches, sign making, discussions, poetry, BLM-themed jeopardy, bracelet give aways, BLM Demands, historically black college or university (HBCU) presentation, and more!
Prospective families who identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC) were invited to spend an evening engaging in conversation with current Friends BIPOC-indentifying students, parents, faculty, and alumni.
Over the past year, enrollment for students of color increased from 36% in 2020-21 to 44% for the 2021-22 academic year.
The DEI Office designed a 201 training on implicit bias in the admissions process with the admissions committees and a two-part Little Friends training on anti-bias practices in the classroom for early childhood educators. The DEI Office also hosted restorative practices training by the International Institute for Restorative Practices for members of the FSBMore Project Restorative Practice Subcommittee.
Friends sent 14 faculty, staff, and administrators to the National Association of Independent Schools' People of Color Conference, four students to the National Student Diversity Leadership Conference, and 10 students participated in the Baltimore Student Diversity Leadership Conference.
For more info on the DEI Office Initiatives, or to sign up for the DEI newsletter, email deioffice@friendsbalt.org
This year, Friends introduced the inaugural Ecojustice and Outdoor Education course, taught by Nina Dietz ’16. A “lifer” at Friends, she was thrilled to “come home” and have the opportunity to pass on her passion for environmentalism to the next generation of students. Working closely with Josh Ratner, Upper School English teacher who has worked extensively with the School’s Native Plant Teaching Garden, the course was intended to introduce interested students to climate justice and local ecology.
With a small initial cohort, the course was tailored to the interests of the students, Maeve Reichert ’24, Eislyn Zaks ’24, and Natalie Labrique ’25. The group took a keen interest in the stewardship of their own campus.
During the month of May, they did extensive restoration of the trail running from the tennis courts to Stony Run. This involved clearing the trail itself; cutting “windows’’ in two invasive species, English ivy and porcelain berry, so the invasives die
back and the surrounding trees can thrive; and most importantly clearing back the poison ivy at least four feet on either side of the trail. The trail is now a clearly defined and appealing alternative to trekking across the muddy field on rainy days. With the addition of wood chips this summer, the trail will remain accessible for years to come.
Labrique took particular interest in the local water systems, which then led Zaks to look into the litter collecting trash wheels in Baltimore. A broader look at plastic pollution in the Chesapeake Bay inspired the class to embark on research into the corporations most responsible for plastic pollution. The class found that 90% of plastic pollution worldwide can be traced back to just 10 plastic producers, the largest of which is ExxonMobile. They decided that as citizens of Baltimore, they wanted to create greater civic engagement around this issue, so the students, with guidance from Dietz, submitted an Op-Ed to The Baltimore Sun imploring
Baltimore to sue ExxonMobile for the plastic pollution accumulating in the Chesapeake Bay.
Dietz was proud of the initiative her students showed in pursuing realworld results of their in-class efforts.
“High school, at least at a place as special as Friends, is all about figuring out who you have the potential to be when you have the warmth and support of a nurturing community. It is important to take advantage of that environment to empower students to use their voices in the wider world.
If you can demonstrate the power of civil disobedience and instill the instinct to stand up against injustice when people have the backing of a strong community, they will carry that confidence with them even when they are on their own. More than climate science, or land restoration, or environmentalism, I want my students to come away from this course with insight into their own power of self determination.”
Violinist August Taylor ’23 loves the expression of music. “The swells, the different techniques that make a piece really emotional – I love tailoring a piece to make it my own,” says Taylor, who is first chair in the Friends School Orchestra.
Equally enthusiastic about coding, Taylor taught themselves to code in elementary school by watching Khan Academy videos. “People always think that coding is a very mathematical thing, but when you understand it, it can be very artistic and creative,” adds Taylor, who came to Friends in 8th grade. Taylor’s 9th grade math teacher, Claire Cunliffe, tapped them to be cohead of the then-new Girls Who Code Club (which changed its name to the Creative Coding Club in 2022).
Club members teach younger Friends students to code, a role Taylor has relished: “I remember getting stuck when I was that age and didn’t have anyone to ask questions.” During the pandemic, the club, which Taylor co-leads with Alyssa Johnson ’23, met and mentored students virtually.
This spring, the 15 Upper School club members are combining musical expression and technology in an innovative venture. They’ve created unique, interactive posters to showcase modern Black musicians like cellist Candace Davis. A special conductive paint reads electric signals when a person touches the poster, sends the signals to a touch board, which then processes the touch into sound.
Combining art and coding inspired Taylor to create a computer program that “paints” sounds by analyzing and displaying the sounds it hears. Their program captures the cadences, pitch, and volume of music, speech, and background noise in a pattern of colored blocks that cascade across a screen in real time. “My idea came from people who see color when they hear music,” says Taylor, who had been experimenting with making art with their laptop. “I wanted something that wasn’t random but better reflected life.”
They have “painted” the sounds of classrooms, hallways, the lunch room,
orchestra rehearsals, solo practices, and set construction for the recent Friends Spring Play. While they love capturing visual sound calibrations in many settings, seeing the results from several musicians playing together is particularly rewarding for Taylor. “My program allows you to see and hear the interaction between the instruments,” they add. “It gives us a bit of a sixth sense of listening to music.”
This summer, they worked on an interactive fall art exhibit for people to capture the sound of their voice. Taylor is pushing artistic expression, inspired by Benjamin Roach, Upper School art teacher. “He is encouraging me to think about different ways of showing the sounds as art instead of rectangles, but maybe as spirals,” explains Taylor, who hopes to study computer science in college. “When I speak into it, I see really high pitches and lower sounds. What do rhythms look like? I love that I can capture the rhythm of music, poetry, or a conversation.”
Never doubt what can sprout from the seed of suggestion. In June 2020, Sevien Schulhoff ’23, fresh off his first year in the Upper School and three months of pandemic remote learning, was taking a breather.
His father, Stephen Schulhoff, suggested that the mathematics aficionado find a summer activity and recommended tutoring. A family friend (and past Friends School parent Jen Parker P’13, ’20) who worked at Baltimore Montessori Public Charter School (BMPCS), the city’s first and only public Montessori school, connected Schulhoff with a 7th grade student struggling in math.
From the first virtual session, Schulhoff was hooked. “I enjoy teaching and seeing the reaction of my students when they realize how to do a problem,” he says. “I love seeing that moment of understanding on their faces.”
He’s turned his volunteer experience into a math tutoring program for other Friends Upper School students to tutor math for BMPCS middle school students. As program director, Schulhoff promotes it and matches tutors and students. Tutors then schedule two one-hour Zoom sessions each week during the school year.
Like many Pre-K-8th grade public schools across the country, BMPCS students are struggling with pandemic learning loss. Located in Baltimore’s historic and historically unserved
Greenmount neighborhood, BMPCS serves 540 students from 26 zip codes across the city.
“I didn’t have any vision for the program when I started tutoring,” Schulhoff explains. He soon saw its potential, though. “I thought it would be cool to build this from the ground up. It’s a great way to help kids who have fallen so far behind in their [math] education.”
Friends math teacher Cristina Saenz de Tejada, who advises the program, never doubted his initiative: “Sevie is a problem-solver and had a plan. I asked how we could make it sustainable.” The program also meets another need by enabling Friends students to earn the 50 community service hours required to graduate.
Overseeing the program means unforeseen lessons in modern leadership, including how to get people to return emails by fine-tuning his communication plan and skills.
“My dad has helped me write clearer emails and brainstorm ways to teach students,” explains Schulhoff, who plans to study computer science in college.
For 2022-23, Schulhoff is expanding the program to BMPCS 5th graders, recruiting up to 20 tutors, and working with IT to use Zoom to record students’ tutoring hours. And he’s training his replacement to ensure the tutoring program outlives his Friends tenure. Leaving a legacy wasn’t the inspiration, but it’s a factor. “My brother [Sander Schulhoff ’20] made his mark on Friends, and I want to leave mine,” Schulhoff says.
This spring, students from Friends School of Baltimore attended the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) 2022 Spring Lobby Weekend in Washington, D.C. Students spent four days in learning sessions with national specialists, attending lobbying workshops, and learning how to implement a Quaker approach to lobbying before putting their practice into action.
The focus this year for the weekend was on lobbying for a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, including protection for DREAMers, Temporary Protected Status recipients, essential workers, and farmworkers. As there was no specific legislation posed, the students learned how to make a general ask of staff, and how to tell a compelling story.
Friends’ students met with Senior Staff from Dutch Ruppersberger’s office (2nd Congressional District), Senior Staff from John Sarbanes’ office (3rd), Senior Staff from Ben Cardin’s office (Senator), and Senator Chris Van Hollen in his office in the Hart Senate Office Building during their time on Capitol Hill.
FRENCH 1
Certificate of Honor: Ronan Healy ’25
Silver Medal: Elaina Pearce ’25, Natalie Tompkins ’25
FRENCH 2
Certificate of Honor: Clai Akst ’25, Ashlee Carpenter ’24, Tatyana Day ’25, Natalie Labrique ’25, Ramsey Kissack ’25, Sophia Kranov ’25, Jason Micciche ’25
Bronze Medal: Erika Alamo ’25, Laya Bubshait ’25
Gold Medal: Henry Turner ’25
FRENCH 3
Certificate of Honor: Abby Nengel ’24
Bronze Medal: Kaya Banerjee ’24, Alessandro D’Alessio ’24, Moxie Doctor ’23, Tess Porter ’24, Noah Ripke ’24
Silver Medal: Isabel Clark ’25, Suwen Ren ’24
FRENCH 4
Certificate of Honor: Elie Walsh ’23
Bronze Medal: Chandler Grace Abernathy ’23, Francesca D’Alessio ’23, Oluchi Ihenatu ’23, Avery Marr ’23
Silver Medal: Inti Prada Enzmann ’23
FRENCH 5:
Certificate of Honor: Anju Banerjee ’22 (Ranked #6 in Maryland), Lindsey Greco ’22 and Peter Micciche ’22 (#5 in Maryland), Lily Baharlou ’22 (#4 in Maryland), Roshan Rao ’22 (#2 in Maryland)
Bronze Medal: Carson Cortright ’22 (ranked #1 in Maryland)
AWARDED BY THE BALTIMORE SCIENCE FICTION SOCIETY
2nd Place: Hamilton: Bronze Pioneer by Roshan Rao ’22
3rd Place: Just a Test, by Johan Shattuck ’22
Honorable Mention: He’ll Be Here for A While by Vincent Reynolds ’22
SPANISH 3:
SPANISH EXAM:
Gold: Noah Sheasby ’24
Silver: Audrey Lin ’24, Krisna Kumar ’24, Erin Nicolson ’24
Bronze: Charlotte Hassler ’24, Macy Goldberg ’24
Honorable Mention: Jack Sherman ’24, Nigel McKinney ’24, Darius Danai ’24
SPANISH 5:
Gold: Nathan Renard ’23
Silver: Sam Schreiber ’23
Bronze: Annalisa Jenkins ’22
Honorable Mention: Carmen Tidwell ’22, Sam Pate ’22
Honorable Mention: Elie Walsh ’23 (Design), Grace Dworkin ’22 (Digital Art), Krisna Kumar ’24 (Poetry), Suwen Ren ’24 (Short Story), Charlotte Roberts ’23 (Drawing), Cori Strain ’23 (Mixed Media), Margaret Valle ’22 (Mixed Media)
Gold Key: Claire Pupa ’22 (Painting)
Silver Key: Elie Walsh ’23 (Design)
National Security Language Initiative for Youth scholarship: Sophia Clark ’24, Sam Gerardi ’24 and Lex Tawes ’23 STARTALK Scholarship: Caroline Andrews ’24, Anthony Smith ’23, and Joey Supik ’23
Pushkin Summer Institute Scholars: Noah Pangaribuan ’25 and Maya Williams ’25
Silver: Jed Chamberlain ’23
Gold: Julia Mammen ’22, Nathan Renard ’23, Alice Riley ’23, Margaret Valle ’22
LEVEL 1 REGULAR LEARNER
Gold: Uleet Cooper ’26, Maya Ellenbogen ’26, Hannah Pangaribuan ’26, Sasha Rosenthal ’26, Silver: Olivia Prichett ’26, Nicholas Brazhnikov ’26, Sincere (Cere) H. ’26, Lincoln Holmes ’26, Arthur Nellepalli ’26, Audrey Mallonee ’26
Bronze: Lincoln Summers ’26, Asish Chhetri ’26, Lara Hams ’26, Jacob Batho ’26, Honorable Mention: Ellie McDonald ’26
LEVEL 2 REGULAR LEARNER
Gold: Noah Pangaribuan ’25, Sam Principe ’25
Silver: Connor House ’25, Maya Williams ’25
Bronze: Tommy Wiker ’25
Honorable Mention: Max Steinbeck ’25
LEVEL 3 REGULAR LEARNER
Gold: Caroline Andrews ’24, Francesco Stiavelli ’24, Sophia Clark ’24
Silver: Eva D’Addario ’24, Sam Gerardi ’24, Jordan Saunders ’24 Bronze: Thomas Cerny ’24
LEVEL 4 REGULAR LEARNER
Gold: Declan Creaney ’23, Lex Tawes ’23, Joey Supik ’23, Nathan Renard ’23, Alice Riley ’23, Mason Shriver ’23, Aaron Trudeau ’23 Silver: James Hardin ’23, Anthony Smith ’23, Eli Texter ’23, Vincent Walk ’23
Bronze: Jackson Long ’23
Honorable Mention: Zion Clark ’23
The cast of All Shook Up gathers at the close of ACT I to sing Can’t Help Falling In Love
The Upper School Spring Musical returned to full capacity audiences in 2022, presenting All Shook Up All Shook Up is an American jukebox musical with music from the Elvis Presley songbook and book by Joe DiPietro and is loosely based on Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night
The show follows the adventures of the citizens of a small town you never heard of in 1955, after a motorcycle-riding rebel rides into town challenging the mayor’s conservative rules. The show consisted of over 50 Upper School students both on and backstage. It starred Jonathan Ellwanger ’22 as roustabout Chad and Natalie Barber ’22 as the small-town girl with big dreams Natalie.
The show also featured La’Maya Flowers ’22 as Sylvia, Alice Riley ’23 as Sandra, Noah Sheasby ’24 as Jim,
Cori Strain ’23 as Mayor Matilda, Chloe Lyons ’25 as Lorraine, Johan Shattuck ’22 as Dean and Luke Caldwell ’23 as Sheriff Earl. Students Minea Stayman ’22 worked as the stage manager, Sam Gerardi ’24 as the lighting designer and Vince Walk ’23 as the sound designer. The production was directed by Robert Oppel, Upper School Theatre Coordinator, musically directed by Michael McVey, Upper School Music teacher, and choreographed by Karlie Burnham.
The Middle School Musical returned to the stage in March of 2022 with Disney’s High School Musical . High School Musical is the stage adaptation of the 2006 Disney Channel movie of the same name. The students of East High prove that harmony can exist in high school when the jocks, the brainiacs,
and the theatre kids teach us that we are all in this together!
Over 20 Middle School students took part in the production. The musical starred Brack Wilner ’26 as Troy, Zahara Smith ’26 as Gabriella, David Micciche ’26 as Chad, Meheret Workeneh ’26 as Taylor, Ana Fader ’27 as Sharpay and Bailey Gomes ’27 as Ryan. The cast also featured Scout Latshaw ’27 as Mrs Darbus, Nick Lane ’28 as Coach Bolton, and Lillian Marr ’26 as Kelsi. Rebecca Rossello ’92, P’21, ’27, Middle School Music teacher, musically directed the production which was directed by Robert Oppel, Upper School Theatre Coordinator with choreography by Karlie Burnham.
The
cast of High School Musical poses on the set of the show.
The Native Plant Teaching Garden features in classes all across campus, such as the art and coding classes. Says art and photography teacher Erin Hall ’98: “When students returned from virtual learning in the spring of 2021, I wanted to return to a very hands on experience in Photo 1.” Hall had the students make cyanotypes or “sun prints” using plants from the native plant beds. To make a cyanotype, students paint a light sensitive solution onto paper, let it dry, and then place plants from the native gardens on top of the painted paper. When exposed to sunlight the light sensitive solution darkens, and when developed in a water bath it turns a brilliant blue.
From top to bottom, cyanotypes by: Keely Carter ’24, Zach Davis ’24, and Divine Trewick ’23
In 2021, the coding classes released a new app to identify plants in the Native Plant Teaching Garden. Designed to work with phones, you can select individual plant beds and review the plants present while touring the gardens. ← Use the QR code to view the app and give it a try next time you are on campus.
On a late spring day at the end of April, the all-school art show displaying work from all of the divisions together wrapped up its run. Filling the gym with different types of projects from painting and drawing to photography and sculpture, it truly captured the journey of the Friends School art program from Lower School to graduation. The skill, creativity, determination, and effort of so many students filled the space and extended to several other locations. Students, teachers, parents, and friends wandered among the displays, taking time to explore and experience the different pieces at their own pace.
Over the years, the art show has continued to grow and expand to include more student work and add new mediums like digital design and virtual concepts.
In the 2022-23 school year, student artwork will be displayed in the atrium of the Forbush Auditorium during concerts and performances. This connection between displayed and performance arts will allow students of all disciplines to support their peers throughout the year.
“We stayed committed as a group with a common goal.” – Lou Miguel, coach Unbeaten Friends tops Garrison Forest for C Conference Basketball Title by sportswriter Nelson Coffin for IAAMsports.com ← USE THE QR CODE TO READ THE ARTICLE
VOLLEYBALL
“Once we were faced with that challenge, we came back strong.” – Tess Gilmore ’22, outside hitter/back row setter Quakers Shake It Up On Their Way to Another C Conference Volleyball Championship by sportswriter Nelson Coffin for IAAMsports.com
← USE THE QR CODE TO READ THE ARTICLE
LACROSSE CHAMPIONSHIP “I’m just really proud of this group of guys.” – Ned Forbush ’21, midfielder Friends Knocks Off Top-Seeded Curley for M.I.A.A. B Lacrosse Title by sportswriter Glenn Graham for the Baltimore Sun ← USE THE QR CODE TO READ THE ARTICLE
Friends School Athletics promotes citizenship, sportsmanship, and a renewed sense of Quaker Pride every afternoon on the campus of Friends School of Baltimore. Friends sports instill a sense of fulfillment and community, teach lifelong lessons, foster skills of teamwork and self-discipline as well as facilitating the physical and emotional development of our students.
In the past five years Friends School Athletics:
Won 20 of the 29 championship games played
51 Friends athletes went on to play their team sport in college
51 Friends athletes took their independent equestrian, gymnastics, sailing, and swimming to the next level
117 Friends athletes have been named to I.A.A.M. and M.I.A.A. All-Conference teams
2 coaches of the year in volleyball and softball
1 Maryland State Athletic Directors Association Athletic Director of the Year
1 Leader of the Pack cross country award winner
10 McCormick Unsung Hero nominees
Countless I.A.A.M. character coins
Quaker Bowl Basketball Championship
US
FSB Live streamed 151 sporting events this school year! https://events.locallive.tv/school/ friends-baltimore
@quakernation on Instagram has grown to over 1200 followers with over 500 posts this school year.
Boys Cross Country: five-peat champions in the M.I.A.A. C Conference, moving up to the B Conference for Fall ’23.
Girls Basketball: Overcoming a 40% win percentage in 2018 to become the undefeated C Conference champs in 2022, moving up to the B Conference Winter '23. Softball: 2x C Conference champs moved up to the B Conference and a took a trip to the semi-finals in 2022.
Boys Volleyball: Started as a club team in 2018, program grew to a Junior Varsity and then Varsity program. First program conference win this year over Boys’ Latin. Athletics Community Service Programs raised funds and awareness for: breast cancer, Level The Playing Field, Loaves And Fishes, Soccer Without Borders, Charm City Lacrosse, UNICEF for Ukraine, One Love Foundation, and Lax4Life to support suicide prevention and mental health.
Friends Athletics is grateful to all of our 2021-22 alumni coaches, who have returned to pass on the lessons in sportsmanship, teamwork, and self-discipline to future generations of Friends student athletes. The programs they coach benefit from their deep understanding of our Quaker values and familiarity with their sports.
Isabelle Cooke ’16, Head JV Badminton Coach
Abby Corkum ’14, Varsity Girls Lacrosse Assistant
Paula Senft Easton ’09, Head Girls Middle School Lacrosse Coach
Sarah Emrich ’12, Assistant Varsity Field Hockey Coach
Ethan Greene ’14, JV/Varsity Basketball Assistant
Robbie Miller ’08, Middle School Wrestling, Head Middle School Baseball Coach and Flag Football Coach
Nick Rodricks ’08, Assistant Boys’ Lacrosse Coach
Eddie Van Dyke ’14, Head Squash Coach
Bianca Washington ’15, Assistant Varsity Girls Basketball
Rose Woolson ’14, Varsity Girls Lacrosse Assistant
Jordan Wright ’10, Head Boys JV Soccer Coach
2021 & 2022
GRADUATES WHO ARE COLLEGE ATHLETES:
Christina McLoughlin ’21 Lacrosse, Dickinson
Gabe Remch ’21 Lacrosse, DePauw University
Harry Deller ’21 Lacrosse, Connecticut College
Bryce Carlin ’21 Field Hockey, St. Mary's College of Maryland
Colin Dubois ’21 Sailing, Hobart College
Ned Forbush ’21 Lacrosse, University of Denver
Lukas Monaldi-Fisher ’22 Baseball, Stevens Institute of Technology
Jacob Grossman ’22 Baseball, Pepperdine
Ben Graff ’22 Swimming, Goucher College
Alex Lakatta ’22 Swimming, UNC, NLI
Josh Steinitz ’22 Volleyball, Baldwin Wallace University
Leo Scharff ’22 Soccer, RPI, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Sam Whitman ’22 Soccer, Ohio Wesleyan University
Maya Carnes ’22 Basketball, Trinity College
Garrett Taylor ’22 Lacrosse, Binghamton
Paige Saudek ’22 Lacrosse, Colby Ben Hazelhurst ’22 Lacrosse, Washington College
Noah Moylan ’22 Lacrosse, Oberlin College
Brian Hastings ’22 Lacrosse, Pace University
Agnes Scott College
Baldwin Wallace University Boston University Colby College
College of Charleston Colorado State University, Fort Collins Cornell University Davidson College DePaul University Dickinson College Duke University Eastman School of Music Elon University (4)
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Fordham University Georgetown University
Gettysburg College
Goucher College (2) Hamilton College (2) Haverford College
Lehigh University
Loyola University Maryland Middlebury College
Morgan State University (3) New York University
Northeastern University (7) Oberlin College
Ohio University, Main Campus Ohio Wesleyan University Pace University, Westchester Pepperdine University
Pomona College Princeton University (2)
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (2) Rice University
Salisbury University Savannah College of Art and Design (2)
Skidmore College (3) Smith College
Stevens Institute of Technology Stevenson University
SUNY at Binghamton Swarthmore College Syracuse University (2) Temple University
The College of William and Mary Trinity College
University of California, Los Angeles University of California, San Diego (2) University of Colorado Boulder
University of Denver University of Mary Washington
University of Maryland, Baltimore County University of Maryland, College Park (6)
University of Michigan (3) University of New Hampshire, Main Campus
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2)
University of Notre Dame University of Richmond University of San Francisco University of South Carolina University of Vermont (2)
University of Wisconsin, Madison Virginia Commonwealth University Washington and Lee University
Washington College Wingate University Xavier University
More than 300 alumni and guests from 26 different states and three countries returned to 5114 N. Charles Street last spring for the first on-campus Alumni Weekend in two years. Classes ending in 2 and 7 celebrated their reunions, caught up with old friends, and made new memories.
The weekend kicked off on Thursday, May 5, 2022 when the Community Action Team of the Alumni Association Board hosted two affinity space happy hours at Avenue Kitchen & Bar in Hampden for alumni who identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color), and for alumni who identify as LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer +).
Individual inductee Brooke Matthews Shriver ’07 with her parents Dia Price Matthews ’81 and Mickey Matthews ’81, who were both inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2011. Above: Alumni and their guests gathered for the BIPOC Happy Hour Below: Alexis Bond ’08 and Jay Bond ’78
Ferris Thomsen ’26*
Stock Buck ’62
John Mears ’67*
Ken Kolodner ’72
Beau McCaffrey ’72
Paul Masson ’97
Matt Peters ’02
Karleena Tobin ’02
Jordy Alger ’02
Emily Condlin ’02 John Whitney ’02 Brooke Matthews Shriver ’07 2022 TEAM INDUCTIONS 1997 Boys Varsity Lacrosse 2001 Boys Varsity Basketball *posthumously awarded
Athletic Director Kara Carlin, individual inductee Karleena Tobin ’02, and Hall of Fame Committee Chair Kitty Bryant ’75
The Class of 1972 went above and beyond to plan their 50th reunion celebrations. In addition to the planned campus events, their special weekend activities included a crab feast at Ken Kolodner’s home, a TED Talks-style luncheon, and a box at an Orioles game. For their class gift, they raised $84,317 towards a Class of 1972 Scholarship.
Twenty members of the Class of 1997 celebrated their milestone reunion on campus with a special stop at classmate Rob Travieso’s English classroom. Chris Murray and his wife Cary kindly hosted their class party, where they poured over yearbooks and old photos.
Right: The Class of 2012 had 35 classmates in attendance, more than any other class.
Below Right: Shelley Coates Stein ’87 and Mindy Krause Athas ’87
Above: Carolyn Richardson ’02, Elizabeth Brannan ’02, AJ Colman ’02, Alexis Johnson Walpole ’02, Alice Simpkins Pomplon ’02, Jason Berman ’02, and Chris Wright ’02
Top left: John Holman ’67, Rudi Horner ’67, Bill Seegar ’67, and Bonnie Watts Hale ’67
Bottom left: Kristin Easley, Ezra Easley ’92, Gage Monk ’92, and Tammy Monk
Top: Jens Neumann ’62, Chris Sherman Raywood ’62, and Carol Davidson Methven ’62
Bottom: Jihar Williams ’17, Nik Steiner ’17, and Zoe Reck ’17
On Saturday, May 7, 2022, four remarkable individuals were recognized for their positive impact on Friends School, their communities, and the world. National Reunion Co-Chair Bill Hearn ’77 served as emcee for the ceremony, which was followed by the 33rd Annual “Mr. Nick” Nicolls Brunch.
David is an ophthalmologist who has maintained a private practice in Los Altos, Calif. since 1984. Widely recognized as one of the top cataract surgeons in the world, he currently limits his practice to cataract and intraocular lens implant surgery. Dr. Chang regularly lectures other surgeons in the U.S. and abroad. He has received the highest awards for cataract surgery from the American Academy of Ophthalmology and is well known for his leadership in humanitarian efforts to mitigate the leading cause of blindness (cataracts) in developing countries. He has authored 5 best-selling textbooks, and Newsweek ranked him #2 on their list of top ophthalmologists in the U.S., based on a 2021 Statista survey of his peers.
Alumni Association Board Student Representative Ani Weber ’22 with Dr. David Chang ’72
Teresa is the president of her company, Redd Ed Consulting, LLC, and Professor Emerita at Howard University. Throughout her career, she has tirelessly sought to educate and bring together diverse communities—different disciplines, races, and nationalities. In her field, Dr. Redd has won multiple awards, she is frequently asked to be a featured speaker, and she has published many books and articles. At Howard, she directed the Writing Across the Curriculum Program and founded the Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning & Assessment, an innovative center that attracted delegations from around the country and the world. For her contributions, she received Howard’s Teaching Excellence Award and was named a Distinguished Fellow of the Association for Writing Across the Curriculum.
Amy exemplifies outstanding care and commitment to Friends School. Since her graduation, Amy has passionately served as a volunteer in every area that she could, including the Alumni Association Board as both a member and president, the Athletic Hall of Fame committee, the capital campaign, phonathons, reunion committees, and the Senior Family Gift Committee as a member and chair. In all of these roles, Amy has brought thoughtfulness and kindness to her work. Since 2005, she has employed her expertise as a member of the Admissions Office at Friends. First as Senior Associate Director of Admission, and now as Director of Admission, Amy has helped to enroll and acclimate thousands of students to the community that she loves.
Kay is a professional garden consultant with a focus on education and native plants in Baltimore, Md. Her work in both private and public gardens emphasizes the value of intimate understanding of and interaction with the land that supports our work and play. Kay spent just enough time indoors to earn her B.A. from Princeton University and M.A. from the University of Rochester in English Literature. A stay-at-home-and-garden mom, she received on-the-job training watching her children explore nature while she was planting, weeding, pruning, and learning voraciously about native plants. Kay joined the Guilford Garden Club in 1998 and found her niche in community projects and educational native plant sales. She began her business, Garden Therapy, LLC–“happy relationships with healthy gardens”–in 2003. Since 2005, Kay has been the mastermind of, and led the design and development of the Native Plant Teaching Garden on campus, which have become a symbol of the School’s commitment to sustainability. The gardens have become a signature program for the School and a source of great pride for alumni, who relish garden tours with Kay. In addition, she also serves the School community as an active member of the Sustainability Committee and serves as a regular resource for teachers in all three divisions. She has been awarded the Garden Club of America Elizabeth
Hull Award and the Zone VI Civic Improvement
School of Baltimore. In May, Kay joined her three children, Will ’02, Thomas ’05, and Katy ’10, as one of our newest members of the Alumni Association when she received the Honorary Alumni Award over Alumni Weekend 2022. The Honorary Alumni Award was established to honor a Friends School community member who exemplifies the Quaker philosophy and spirit, and who gives of himself or herself to further the growth of Friends School and its community.
Abernathy Award for her work with Friends National Reunion Co-Chair Elijah Muhammad ’12 with Amy D’Aiutolo Mortimer ’87, P’13, ’17, ’20During the 2021-22 school year the Alumni Office was able to begin traveling and hosting in-person events after an almost two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. Alumni, donors, and faculty were able to gather locally in Baltimore, Boston, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Head of School Christian Donovan made appearances at the California events as he was still in Oakland through July 2022.
Hosted by the Alumni Association Board, alumni gathered at Camden Yards on August 25, 2022 to catch up with each other at the Center Field Roof Deck bar and watch the O’s game.
Above: Throop Wheeler ’04, Alexei Pfeffer-Gillett ’04, and Eli Dresner ’04
Right: Lauren Marks ’07, Annie Silbergeld, and Ali Pappas ’07
Above: Leigh and Henry Hammond ’59, Joann Early Levin ’69 and husband Bob, and Hilary Baldwin Ruley ’95 with her daughter Hannah ’26 and husband Chris
Above: Jimmy Bigwood ’08, Emily Fleming ’08, and Frank Donnelly ’08
Right: Individual inductee Will Harrington ’05 with his wife Macalla and his father Scott Harrington P’02, ’05.
On October 23, 2021 the Athletic Hall of Fame Committee hosted a ceremony and reception for the athletes who were inducted in 2020 and 2021. Their ceremonies were previously postponed due to the pandemic.
Below: Individual inductee Alice Fadiora ’06 with committee member Rich Seiler ’68, and Sarah Watt ’07
FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2022
Below: Tom Layton and Mabel Miyasaki ’56, Jocelyn Kehl, Carol Harrington Fitting ’57, Head of School Christian Donovan, and Caroline Rayburn gather in Oakland.
Above: Chris Cocca and Justine Burt ’85, Head of School Christian Donovan, Hillary Kolodner ’10, Mark Guthrie ’86, and Christine, Michael and Lisa Liu ’79 gather in San Francisco.
MARCH 10, 2022
Left: Charlie Sandson ’17, Roy Russell ’75, Colin Fowler ’13, Christina Forsting Taler ’05, and Mark Reid ’10, gather at Tuscan Kitchen in Boston with Jocelyn Kehl and Christine Pappas ’01.
1.
2. Steve Cooper ’99, Lindsay Leimbach ’84, and Head of School Christian Donovan
3. Charlie Blake ’15, Head of School Christian Donovan, Blakely Hamilton ’93, Laura Allen ’00, Nicolas Binford ’13, Hugh Peterson ’97, and Sarojini Lall ’90 gather at Salazar in Los Angeles
Featured speakers, from left to right:
Lucien Walsh ’88, P’23, ’29, Morrie Ruehsen ’81, Claire Cherlin Kosloff ’97, Jon Krome ’82, and Kay McConnell H’22, P’02, ’05, ’10
Created as a result of the pandemic in 2020, the virtual speaker series created by then-Director of Alumni Relations & Engagement (now Director of Marketing and Communications) Christine Pappas ’01 continued into the 2021-22 academic year. This year’s session topics included a “Virtual Wine Tasting” with Lucien Walsh ’88, P’23, ’29, “Dirty Money, A Financial Crime Expert’s Perspective” with Morrie Ruehsen, Ph.D., CAMS, CFCS ’81, “Telling Real Stories, Behind the Scenes of Nonfiction TV” with Claire Cherlin Kosloff ’97, “Everything You Want to Know about Oil and Gas” with Jon Krome ’82, and “Hop on the Nature Trail – Exploring Friends School’s Native Plant Teaching Gardens” with Kay McConnell H’22, P’02, ’05, ’10.
Development team members Caroline Rayburn and Jocelyn Kehl with Lance Reddick ’80 in Hollywood
Postponed from May 2020 and May 2021, Friends School hosted the Classes of 1970 and 1971 back on campus on May 14, 2022 for a campus tour, a Meeting for Worship, and the milestone 50th Reunion Dinner.
Above: Members of the Class of 1970
Left: Members of the Class of 1971
On Saturday, June 4, 2022 alumni were invited back to campus to play against members of the current varsity teams. Families, faculty, and friends enjoyed cheering on the sidelines.
In these pages generations of alumni have shared life’s significant milestones and reminisced about their Friends School days. Be a part of the tradition. Send your news and photos to alumni@friendsbalt.org. Digital images should be 1 MB or larger and sent in .jpg format.
52 Susanne D. Emory vermontsue@aol.comOur 70th Reunion was small but special. Brownie and Betty Mitchell Pearce, Joanne Mathias Stevenson, Pat and Ed Butler, and Clay and I (Susanne Emory) had lunch together at The Country Club of Maryland. We learned that Ed and Pat are getting rid of collections of trains, guns, and cars in preparation to move to the Eastern Shore to be near a daughter. This will be quite a change for them, as Ed has lived his whole life within a mile of where he grew up. Joanne has been busy with weddings, bridal and baby showers, and graduations. With 11 grandchildren she has a lot going on. Her youngest daughter, Tara, has six children, all of whom were homeschooled. Only the youngest is still at home. Joanne was driven all the way to Florida for a baby shower for her soon-to-be first great-grandchild. In my appeal for news, I received a wonderful email from Ann Briddell Handley (now Brown). Here is her update in her own words, “My husband of 54 years passed away in 2012. I continued living here on the Eastern Shore enjoying all of my family members who also live here. I volunteered hundreds of hours at the St. Michael’s Library, Tharpe Antiques, part of the Talbot County Historical Society, 25 years for the famous Waterfowl Festival, and a committee member for the Mid Shore Symphony...but then my life REALLY changed. In my junior year at Bucknell,
I was engaged to a marvelous young engineer from Washington, D.C. My father ‘intervened’ and so began another part of my life. We never saw or heard from each other for almost 60 years. Then one memorable day, Henry called and said, ‘Annie, this is…and I immediately said ”Henry!” Curious to see one another, we met at the Narrows on Kent Island for lunch and the rest is history. We married, shocked all our friends and families, especially our kids, who never knew what had happened so long ago, and are celebrating 10 years together. Up until the pandemic, we traveled quite a bit and spent seven winters in Oaxaca, Mexico. We divide our time between my home here in Easton and Henry’s home in Arlington, Va.” Joan Hodous called to give me news of her and Fred “Buzzy” Hodous. Joan was just voted a “Harford County Living Treasure.” She has spent hours as a fundraiser for the Maryland Center for the Arts. As an artist, Joan is considered a barn specialist and recently had a huge show at the Armory. Buzzy and she have three children. Kira is a science teacher at the Bel Air Middle School. Wells is an engineer living in Boston, and Carla is with Living Classrooms in Baltimore. Unfortunately, Buzzy is now having memory loss, so they are staying put in their wonderful home in Bel Air. Clay and I are enjoying our life here at Edenwald Retirement Community. Our three children are all well, and thankfully, live nearby. Of our eight grandchildren, one is married and three are in college. Our annual gettogether with the whole family at Capon Springs, W.Va. is still the highlight of our year. Stay Well!
54 Pat Leach Fiske p.fiske@earthlink.netCharlotte Smith Baker writes, “CHEERS to every one of my Friends 1954 classmates! I’m constantly amazed that my ‘children’ are now 62, 61, 60, 58 and 55 years old! It seems to me that just yesterday I was entering my 60s! My nine grandchildren range from 15 to 27 years old. All are splendid, energetic, and engaged in a wide variety of career
pursuits, some of which are involved with advanced technology that is way above my once astute level of comprehension. This ‘Brave New World’ makes me feel like a bumbling dunce! Wishing you all well from North Hollywood, Calif. Patricia Tillinghast McCain lives in Serenity Pond in Bryan, Texas. Her acreage is a wildlife sanctuary. Her husband, Dr. Brigadier General William D. McCain, is deceased and she has three sons. Her oldest, Cameron, and his wife have two lovely daughters. Cameron is the director of engineering and construction for everything built new for Abu Dhabi Distribution Company, which provides electricity and water to all of Abu Dhabi. Her second son, Perry, has two sons and they live in Rosenberg, Texas. He is a manager at Pittsburgh Paints. Her third son, Steven, has three children - two girls and the middle child is a boy. Steven’s oldest is at University in Germany, and Steven is a civil engineer, environmental engineer and project manager at ChemTrack. They live in Alaska.
55 Pat Peake TisdalePtisdale96kp@gmail.com
It has been a pleasure to gather the news of our class, 67 years after graduating from Friends School. Many of us in the Baltimore area stay connected throughout the year for lunch, and the Reunions have brought many back for the fun weekends. Please do stay in touch! Ours are the friendships that go back the longest for most of us. It was an absolute special e-mail that brought news of Bob Hall, a mystery man since 1955. Gil Cohen may have stirred him up when he called him to come to a class luncheon in the fall and the two had a lengthy conversation. Bob writes, “I am alive and well, vaccinated, and hunkered down in Dumfries, Va. I have not written to you before but follow the column in Friends Magazine. I will give you a summary of what I have been doing since leaving Friends School. After college, I had a job in California and ended up spending 18 years in the Naval Ordnance Test Station, China Lake, Calif. in the middle of the
Mojave Desert, the second valley west of Death Valley. Since there was little housing available, most civilians lived on base. I started my career in a gated community with guards (Marines), a golf course, gym, theatre, shopping and restaurants, and I could walk to work. During that time, I met and married my wife, Carol, and started our family: Robert Jr. is living in Boston, Jennifer near Sacramento, and Bradford living with us. I earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering. In 1978, I returned to the Washington area to work in a joint Navy/Air Force Project Office. I also began teaching evening classes at Catholic University. In 1985, I moved to the Air Force Research and Development (RD) Directorate at the Pentagon. I got a kick out of your report on Bob Kriel’s visit to the Pentagon. Once I was walking down a corridor at the Pentagon which displayed portraits of past RD directors. As I passed, just glancing at the pictures, the name of General Putt caught my eye. In 2001 I retired from Federal Service. I then taught part-time at Strayer University for 11 years. One of my students commented that I regarded teaching as a hobby. I guess she was right.” Page Singewald Williams has been a dutiful contributor to our column following Pat Fiol Morrill’s invitation to come to our 50th Reunion. Page writes, “At age 83, I have just belatedly moved into a 55-plus apartment complex, thus creating the challenge of how to reduce the essentials from 12 kitchen drawers to three kitchen drawers, and thrilling my Texas son with the prospect of half as much stuff to deal with when I finally kick off. My son in Poland was well advanced with vaccinations and Covid-19 protocol, but finally came down with a mild case
from his wife when she caught it while volunteering with Ukrainian refugees. How we all wish that we could end the horrible genocide, as well as end the lax Texas gun laws.” Lynn Balhke Mills and I speak frequently which keeps us right up there as to who’s on first. Lynn writes that they continue to enjoy their gated community of Cedar Springs in Abbottsford, British Columbia, Canada. With 33 acres of beautiful landscaping and clustered homes, they are currently viewing magnificent rhododendrons and azaleas, so reminiscent of the wonderful years when she was at Friends. She and Barry feel blessed to have three children, five grandchildren, and two greatgrandchildren all within four hours of driving distance. Last Thanksgiving, they had their largest family gathering ever, with only one grandchild away - good thing she still loves to cook! Keeping in touch with her friends and former students keeps her busy in her spare time - plus always looking for more time to read. She often thinks fondly of her days at Friends School. From Bob Kriel, “It’s been a strange year for everyone. Certainly, the Covid-19 pandemic continues to invade almost all aspects of our lives. Many of us have known people who became infected and who have died. Our daily activities continue to be disrupted and will probably be so for the foreseeable future. I had my third total knee replacement in June 2021, my artificial right knee became loose, painful and dysfunctional. In addition to bifocals and prosthetic knees, I have recently been fitted for hearing aids. I hate to think what’s next. It is inevitable that those of us who have the privilege of becoming very old will lose old friends. I spoke during a memorial service and
sang in another. My 91-year-old brother has had several hospitalizations and we are unsure how much longer he will be able to live in his inaccessible home. Many aspects of our lives have returned toward pre-pandemic times. We have started to attend chamber orchestra concerts. I have been able to resume most of my volunteer work. It is refreshing to return to the Raptor Center and to see my friends at Habitat for Humanity. I continue to work part-time at the Orphan Drug Center and am a Covid-19 consultant for the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. Since Linda and I have received both booster shots, we felt that it would be safe to embark on a seven-day cruise in Puget Sound. All passengers were required to be fully immunized and all had rapid tests before boarding. The trip was beautiful and we did actually see the Orca whales. However, three days after returning home I developed symptoms of a Covid-19 infection, mine were like a severe cold. We were able to be part of a mini Friends School Reunion organized by Gil Cohen. I am still trying to engage Bill Putt for another gather in Baltimore.” Gil Cohen discovered that Bob Kriel was going to be in Baltimore last November and was determined to rally a 1955 group for lunch. He worked the phones and assembled Pat and Bill Morrill, Linda Flack Bunce, Bob and Linda Kriel, Robin Biddison Dodd, Ginny Pearce Mitchell and Fred, Lolly Crowther Schorreck, Gil Cohen, and me. Pat Fiol Morrill is our “go to girl” for 1955 monthly lunch dates. Whoever can come does, and it has been 17 years of a delicious connection. Pat writes that she and Bill are doing well at Mercy Ridge Retirement community in Timonium. “We both had a mild case of Covid-19 in May 2022; not really sick but tested positive. Bill keeps busy on the computer. He was on the injured reserve for tennis for a few months due to a torn muscle but will be back on the court this week. I stay busy with my art, painting tons of dog portraits, and teaching painting to a class of 12 residents here. We do as much talking and laughing as painting. In the past week, we have had three grandchildren graduate, two from high school and one from college. Another grandson, Jackson, is playing lacrosse for a professional team. He
works for Barclays in New York. We also have two other grands who work in New York. One works at Morgan Stanley, and one is an artist and is an assistant to artist Mickalene Thomas. The one who just graduated from UCLA at San Diego got a job offer from the aquarium there. He is happy to stay in California. All of the grandchildren are scattered to say the least. Last week I had the pleasure of hosting lunch at our river house at Bodkin Point for Pat Peake Tisdale, Robin Biddison Dodd and Lolly Crowther Schorreck. The weather was nasty but we had a good time together. The Alumni Office was delighted to welcome Mary Allen Wilkes to speak with the Upper School in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the LINC computer, which she was instrumental in developing. Over Zoom there was Q & A moderated by our Upper School STEAM student leaders! A local computer museum even lent one of the first LINC computers to put on display for the event. As for me, Pat Peake Tisdale, my life has been permanently altered by Glenn’s death in February 2021. He was 96-plus years and died of natural causes. As Glenn Jr. says, “Dad just ran out of juice”. Ours was a devoted marriage of 60 years with beautiful memories and a profound sense of loss. My enthusiasm for aerobic exercise continues as well as gardening, daughter and son visits, and socializing with friends in Maryland. Summer and fall I am on Cape Cod in our vacation home. There I enjoy daily swims, beach and village walks, and having family and friends visit. I am still adjusting and need to discover some new pursuits and purpose.
56 Lorinda R. McColgan lrmccolgan@verizon.netClarinda Harriss writes, “I have reopened my venerable nonprofit publishing company BrickHouse Books Inc. under new and more user-friendly submissions guidelines! Am I the only member of Friends Class of ’56 who has a pit bull for a beloved and cuddly pet?” Joel Mindel writes, “On Tuesday, June 28, 2022, Parks Adams, who lives in Oregon, came to New York City by way of Boston, with his nephew, Will Adams. Parks was fulfilling his “bucket list” of things to do. One was to visit the Beekman Hotel in Lower Manhattan. His grandfather
had been an important force in its architectural design and building. The other was to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. On Wednesday, June 29, 2022 Parks, Will, and I strolled across the Bridge (and back) in mid-day. We started on the Manhattan side. The day was hot and the skies clear. We could see the Statue of Liberty to the southwest and the Empire State building to the northwest. We took the subway to my home to relax and cool down. I showed Parks an invitation my wife, Susan, and I had had framed. It was to the opening ceremony of the Brooklyn Bridge on May 24, 1883. We all had dinner together at a favorite Chinese restaurant and then parted after driving Parks and Will to their hotel.” The Class of 1956 was sad to hear that Sue Ann Bonnett Hamel died on July 11, 2022, in Annapolis, Md.
Carol Harrington Fitting reports, “Nine classmates gathered to celebrate our 65th Reunion at Elkridge Club for lunch on May 7, 2022. In attendance were Mal Buchner, Betty Hutzler Friedman, Nancy Hearn Aronson, David Felter, Barbara Wilkinson Knopp, Bill Hammond, Liz Cochran de Lima, Carol Christopher Weiskittel, and myself. Five did bring spouses, making a total of 14 that happy day. What unusual weather we experienced that weekend! Such happy memories!”
For 20 years, Hap Mortimer and their family had grandchildren at Friends School and consequently were on campus regularly for events. The last one of three, Mary Charlotte “MC” Mortimer ’20, graduated during the pandemic. Anna Mortimer ’13 and Will Mortimer ’17 have graduated from college and both have good jobs. MC is entering her third year at Mount St. Mary’s College of Maryland. Playing lacrosse, she helped her team to a record year.” Amy D’Aiutolo Mortimer ’87, Hap’s daughter-in-law, remains the Director of Admission at Friends and was awarded the Outstanding Alumni Service Award over Alumni Weekend in May 2022. Hap and Betsy have an additional eight
grandchildren in various schools, one in middle school and the rest in college or graduate school (one close to the completion of a Ph.D.). Hap said it has been a lot of fun keeping up on their activities which has kept them busy during the past several years! Charlotte Horn Malone’s husband, Gil, is still practicing law and is involved in a beef cattle farm near the Maryland Line. They have seven grandchildren in Arizona, North Carolina and Massachusetts and lead a very busy life. Ron Renoff is looking forward to taking a planned trip to the Holy Land which has been on hold for two years. He is happily living on the Magothy River. Patricia Pike Dougherty’s husband, Frank, had Covid-19 in December 2021 and even though he had a Regeneron infusion in the emergency room, he had a hard time. Pat was fortunate, even though she never left his side, she never caught Covid-19. The good news is another great-grandson was born on Christmas Day. Her grandson, Jack, is entering University of San Francisco this fall, and her granddaughter, Emma, is becoming a good golfer! After they sold their summer home on Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., they moved to a condo in a converted hat factory on the Merrimack River in Amesbury, Mass., which they love. Pat and Frank are having fun going to all the great-grandchildren’s ballgames. Mac Price is recovering from Covid-19 in May 2022 after having all of the required shots. He went to the hospital for one day, but recovered at home. He retired from the Vestry at Church after six years, but is still on the board at the Towson YMCA. Mac has five grandchildren and they live close enough to visit. He still lives in Stoneleigh after 20 years. I, Susan Shinnick Hossfeld, am happy to report that May 2022 marks the month of our year anniversary of living at Brightwood, a retirement community. We are lucky and have a cottage, which gives us some space, and we still have gardens and a sense of privacy. Of course, it was another year of living with the pandemic, but Brightwood’s philosophy is to keep the social activities as normal as possible and the dining room open. We were fortunate to take two ski trips to Snowmass, Colo., one with friends
and one with family. I gave up skiing, but love to go out west with the snow and mountains. Carl is still skiing at 82 years old. He gets a free lunch on the mountain sometimes because of his age. We did get to Rehoboth Beach for our annual week with the family. We have been blessed with continuing good health and wish the same for all! Susan Rugemer Kurtz loves talking about her Friends School years and sends her best wishes to everyone! Jack and Nancy Born Edwards are doing fine and enjoying life. They spend the winter in Vero Beach, Fla. and the summer on La Salle Island on the northern edge of Lake Huron in Michigan. Nancy tries to get to Rehoboth at least once a year. Nancy and Jack have four college aged grandkids and two other younger grandchildren who live in Los Angeles, Calif. None of their children live in Columbus, Ohio, so Nancy and Jack do a lot of traveling. Barbie Long O’Brien, busy as ever, volunteers at Historic Spanish Point, Fla., driving a tram and enlightening visitors to its significant history. She currently works with a Chinese woman helping her learn English (she taught English to migrant workers for years before she moved). Gardening is an ongoing interest including flowers, herbs, limes, avocados and bananas. Alex and Barbie enjoy their weekends together, attending lectures, cabarets and plays and talking turns preparing gourmet meals. They love to take trolley tours around their new home town and are hopefully taking a European cruise this summer. Her son, granddaughter and her fiancé just visited and Alex’s family will visit this summer. Bettie Mullikin is enjoying her retirement days at her Towson home. Anne Easton Williams and Glyn were on the move this year, enjoying life, with a wonderful trip to Spain and France with the eldest daughter who enjoys driving. They loved the different sounds, food, and architecture. Her eldest daughter, who has lived in France for several years, is accustomed to driving on the “wrong” side of the road and speaks fluent French. They also had the opportunity to visit a grandson and his family who live outside of Madrid and friends in part of France. In May 2022, Glyn and Anne had a wonderful three-night stay with 24 of their family members. They have five
great-grandchildren and two more on the way. Kandi Foell Slade now has three great-grandchildren James, Henry, and Pepper Grace. Her grandson is getting married soon. Pepper Grace is engaged to a Captain and they will be stationed in Hawaii. Kandi, as always full of energy, is still working full time, although she had Covid-19 in March 2022.
59Anne C. Bowdoin abowdoin@mac.comHere we are in 2022, slowly coming out of hiding from the Covid-19 pandemic having entered our eighth decade of life. During the last month I have received snippets of news from some of the Class of 1959. Thank you to Frank Grant who always responds promptly with up to date news. Frank and Syrette have become grandparents for the first time in the last two years. Their daughter gave birth to a baby girl last year. This year their son and wife gave them another granddaughter. Frank wrote songs for each of them while also writing other children’s projects. Frank Bernstein writes that he and Carol moved to West Chester, Pa. in 2004 to be near their two children and six grandchildren. Three of their grandchildren are in college, and one is in his freshman year. Two are in high school and looking at colleges. Frank and Carol live in Naples, Fla. in the winter. Karl Pfrommer reports that he, Bob Feild, Henry Hammond and John Pollard, members of Beta Nu, get together for dinner at Alonso’s once a month. They often talk about the fifth member of Beta Nu, Chip Bupp, who lives in the small town of Charles De Gaulle, near Paris. Chip and MariePaule would love any classmates and spouses to visit them where they live in a renovated small castle with many amenities. That is definitely something to remember! Karl has had a tough year with the death of his son, Rick Pfrommer ’86, just two years after his wife Marsha died. But with a positive attitude and as Karl aptly phrases it, “On the bright side: 21 out of 40 (in) Friends School ’59 and I’m courting again!” Karl also reports that Bob and Trish have sold their house in Baltimore and are moving to Rehoboth Beach, Del. I spoke to Martha Kegan Graham recently. She continues to produce and show her art work. She
had a show of her oil paintings in July 2022. The best thing that she wants to share with us is her mentoring of a teenage girl, Jolie, in Salisbury, Md. for the last few years. Jolie has a deep interest in art and Martha is teaching and encouraging her. Robyn Rudolph Cole sent news that she and her husband still live in Bethany, W.Va., but also spend four months on Isle of Palms, S.C. in the winter. Her brother, Eric, and his wife, Nancy, visited from Atlanta recently. One of our classmates, Lorna Gardner Hurly, passed away in August of 2020. I remember her as always beautiful in high school and during her adult life. She was also an accomplished woman, involved in several patriotic organizations, and had 10 grandchildren and two great grandchildren. I feel I must mention the passing of our beloved English teacher, Frank Shivers in October 2021. I remember him watching our adolescent pranks and silliness with good humor and equanimity. He will surely be missed. As for my (Anne Bowdoin) news, we feel grateful to River Woods where we live for getting us through Covid-19 safely and in good health. Bill and I have been vaccinated four times! Our friendships here have deepened, and more and more we realize that it was the best decision we could have made to live here. My daughter, Julie, lives close-by with her husband and two children, both still in high school. Last fall, my granddaughter Viive, 17, went to The Island School in the Bahamas for three months to study marine biology, swim with sharks and other cuddly creatures, and at the end, she swam four miles in the open ocean. She loved it so much that her brother Bodie (age 16) is going for the spring semester of 2023. My oldest daughter, Alice, lives in Manhattan Beach, Calif. and is now a vice president at Merrill Lynch. Skip Merrill writes, “Judy and I moved last September from Towson to Portland, Ore. in order to be with our two children and four grandchildren in the Pacific Northwest. Buying a new home, relocating, and getting settled during Covid-19 was all very stressful, but now, nine months later, we are very happy here, very few regrets, and it was certainly worth the transition. I am still trying to get back into my physical shape of pre-Covid-19, and
I am trying to restore this with regular water pool exercise classes three times weekly. I started volunteer work at a community furniture warehouse with offerings from donations, most start-up household furnishings are for the needy, with a retail store selling better items to support overall operations. Very rewarding. Judy has done a marvelous job in making our new 1938-built home in a historic district very comfortable. The beautiful neighborhood has an incredible variety of early 20th century homes, streets with canopies of large old trees, grounds very well maintained, wonderful architecture, and no two homes are alike. I have just started becoming active in the community association, and have joined a small men’s Saturday morning coffee group of once-serious runners, now well beyond their running and racing years.
Portland is fun, friendly, quirky, certainly with its problems, yet in many ways nicer than Baltimore as for friendliness, slower pace, sense of genuine caring of most people for others, pets, bikers, and total strangers. Many Easterners are not familiar with the Pacific Northwest. I recommend it for those who still may want to travel, despite hard-travel times, to come have a look-see. You most will likely be impressed as there is something here for everyone. Saving the best for last, frequently being with our two children with our both young and grown grandchildren is a pleasure, and most fortunately, all are doing well.“ Meredith Felter and I correspond frequently by phone or e-mail. She continues to live at Devon Hill, surrounded by her beautiful gardens which she tends to every day. She reports that she is healthy and content with her life. In June of 2020, during the pandemic she sent me a beautiful collage with flowers and images of spring. A message in it said “A Good Friend Knows All Your Stories. A Best Friend Helped You Write Them.” I feel lucky to have her as a “Life Friend”. Thank you to all who sent me news. Just a sentence or two allows classmates to remember old friends.
61 Linda B. Stevens lindabstevens@aol.com
Bob Dalsemer writes, “I moved to Givens Highland Farms in Black Mountain, N.C. in December 2020. Since moving, I have
had nice visits with classmates Don and Linda Stevens and Sylvan Seidenman.”
62 Eleanor B. Fuller eaerobic@hotmail.com
Chris Sherman Raywood, Diana Fleischer Schofield and Carol Davidson Methven were co-chairs for our 60th Reunion in May 2022. In attendance were the co-chairs, Diana’s husband Larry, Bruce Goodwin and Lucy, Wayne Sutherland and Colette, Mary Ellen Fischer and Eric, Georgeanna “Bee” Jones Klingensmith, Emily Holman, John Slingluff and Paula, and Jens Neumann. Most of them were able to get together on Friday evening for dinner and conversation at the Sheraton Baltimore North hotel. I, Eleanor Blake Fuller, was fortunate to be able to speak with everyone for a brief moment while they were at dinner. That was very special to me. The weather was miserable both days but those that were able to do the tour on Saturday were amazed at the additions and changes. A few of the group visited Robin and Nick Nicolls on Saturday afternoon. And then they gathered at Friends for the reception and class pictures, followed by a fantastic dinner at Bluestone restaurant in a private dining room. Most ordered crab cakes! I am very jealous of them. As a side note, our class was third in Reunion gift giving this year. As for Carol Davidson Methven, her family was able to return to their beloved Montana and Yellowstone last October 2021 and were able to see a pack of wolves dining on an elk. It is rare that they get to see wolves so close. They spent Christmas 2021 in Florida with their kids and grandchildren, whom they had not seen in two years. It was awesome and amazing to see how much they had grown. Carol’s family recently acquired a new puppy named Winnie, another Yorkie. After their Holly passed away, their Penny (4 years old) seemed so lonely. They are not sure how smart it is to get a puppy at their age but I am sure they will enjoy having her. They have made plans for Montana and Yellowstone this fall and are hoping that the floods from this spring will allow them to do so. Upon return to San Diego, Bruce Goodwin and Lucy heard that Tim Kees would be judging a show in San Juan
Capistrano, Calif. in June 2022. They had a delightful two-person Reunion before Tim flew home. Bruce had not seen him since pre-Covid-19. Tim is doing great. He is fit, healthy and happy and is loving having more time with his 12-year-old son, Will – the next Johnny Unitas! Jens Neumann was only able to stay at the Reunion for a short time as his family did not have a car for him to use. His son-in-law drove him over from the D.C. area for the reception. He is doing well and sends good wishes to all. Emily Holman continues to be busy at Oak Crest and with traveling. The Abrahamic Faiths panel discussion and dinner that she initiated went very well. She hopes to visit Scandinavia in August and is working on trips for 2023. She wants to make up for lost Covid-19 time. She said that it was great to see those who came to the 60th Reunion. Jim Hammond was sorry that he had to miss the 60th but he felt with Covid-19 rates from the recent variant rising and especially high in Baltimore, he did not wish to take the risk. He lives in a life-care community where everyone is being as careful as possible right now. Jim confesses his sadness regarding the war in Ukraine. He is also disheartened about the children being murdered in their schools. He remembers the ethics we learned at Friends and hopes and prays for a better time. On a brighter note, the parish they attend, Trinity Church in Upperville, Va. is one of a small number of churches which is growing. His diocese just elected a new bishop and they hope for a bright future. The Upperville Colt and Horse Show, the oldest in the country, just finished. They were invited to dine in the 1853 club tent and watch the jumpers make their rounds which was quite an experience. He sends best wishes to all for both a bright day ahead and continued good health as we move now to our 70th Reunion! Remembering Dickens’ closing line, may “God Bless Us, Every One!” Linda Kardash Armiger was sorry she missed the Reunion but her mobility is compromised due to rheumatoid issues and she is using a walker. She is able to garner some speed but balance is an issue. Buck has been wonderful with his help doing errands, home maintenance and retaining patience with her slowness. She is
enjoying sitting on their large deck and observing the colorful flower baskets and planters. It is so relaxing to her. Their son, Keith, retired from the Baltimore Fire Service with 32 years of service. Buck had 34 years and Buck’s dad also served. They total 88 years of service. Of course, it is not the same city now. Donna, the oldest daughter, is selling equine antiques, books and collectibles on her new Etsy site. And her youngest daughter, Tara, relocated to Aiken, S.C. She built on five acres a four-horse barn with an attached apartment. The master home sits atop a rise and views the stream, fields and the barn. Linda’s daughter, Kelly, continues to mentor her daughter, MacKenzie, in her equine pursuits. MacKenzie was awarded Pennsylvania high point equitation rider. She possesses top notch equitation and scholastic abilities. Her freshman grades at Garrison Forest were all “A’s”. Her sister, Logan, was hired as an intern at a large spa in Frederick, Md. She is in her third year at McDonogh, has a great bank account, and will join the spa with her cosmetology and high school diplomas. Linda and Buck are still in Solomons, Md. and enjoying the beautiful waterfront community activities. She says, “Greetings to all our classmates and best of everything in the future.” John Littleford tells us that he has weathered the pandemic just fine and is working full time as a consultant to schools worldwide. He sends best wishes to all of his classmates. Susan Bliss was kind enough to sympathize with my computer problems. I am sending notes every half hour after my computer shuts down and I am careful not to exceed that time so I do not lose everything. Yes, I will be checking out Best Buy very soon! Susan’s problems are more with her phone and she feels it must have something to do with aging. Just ask a teenager (or younger person) to help. That is really the answer. She has a simple happy story about a lost bird who flew into her recently. Tom Hallman, a reporter for the Oregonian local newspaper was so taken with the chain of unusual coincidences that he published the write-up below from which I have taken a lot of it verbatim but not all of it. Susan asks you to note the important role played by her cat, Pogo, who stepped back politely so
as not to be in the way. “Flighty bird reunited with kin at the Eliot” A couple in the Eliot building was walking one day and noticed a sign for a lost bird. They were happy to report that the bird, a Sun Conure, was safe at the Eliot, nearly a mile from home. The bird, Joy, enjoyed her mini-vacation spending the night with another couple and their dog. The next day the bird was moved to the birdfriendly home of someone who devotes her time to volunteering at the Portland Audubon and other related activities.
Chris Sherman Raywood enjoyed her trip to England visiting London, the Northumberland area of northeast England and then south to the Norwich area of eastern England. The last weekend was the Queen’s Jubilee four-day weekend and many Brits took advantage of this and were traveling. She avoided London because of the crowds. Chris spent a day with Susie Seiler Haw and they had a wonderful visit. She is the same quiet, lovely person, and they talked about family, surviving the lockdowns, etc. Susie is busy playing the violin in two quartets and sings in a choir. During the summer she has a large vegetable garden and had already started her seedlings. It was the highlight of Chris’s trip! Diana Fleischer Schofield’s grandson, Robert, known as Gray, spent his school career at Friends until 9th grade when he transferred to Poly where he could take advanced math. He was accepted to all of the colleges he applied to and decided on the University of Maryland, honors engineering. He won the Bannecker-Key Scholarship and had a free ride. He just graduated in May 2022 and is interviewing for a consulting job. Henry is now 16 years-old and going to a boarding school in Connecticut. Diana’s son, Robert and his wife Carol live in Connecticut. Diana and Larry’s two “Dobes” visited them in August and loved Connecticut. Diana is fully retired but Larry is still coaching volleyball and doing some substituting. The Reunion was great but Diana feels we should get together sooner - and I agree! Dianna “Peppie” Yaeger Rankin was unable to attend the Reunion as she had Covid-19. It was mild as she had the shots and a booster beforehand. She will be taking a cruise at the end of July 2022 with some girlfriends. She is not a cruise person but
her girlfriends really wanted her to join them. Peppie, I always love the part about not having to pack, unpack and repack. Her oldest grandson is a student at the University of Wisconsin and spent his spring semester at the University of Marburg in Germany. Covid-19 hasn’t prevented him from visiting different cities in Europe during his stay. His sister is playing ice hockey at Minnesota State and will be going into her senior year. Her next granddaughter is attending Tulane University this fall. She has another grandson who is going into his senior year in high school and was voted captain of his lacrosse team. Finally, her youngest grandson just celebrated his ninth birthday and loves to play lacrosse, soccer and flag football. Her oldest daughter is an attorney, and married to an attorney and lives in Toronto. Her second daughter is a librarian and writer living with her husband, a former professional hockey player in Wisconsin, and she has another book coming out this fall. Her youngest daughter lives in California and works for Apple. Dianna keeps in touch with Chris Sherman Raywood as they live near each other in Florida. I, Eleanor Blake Fuller, am happy to be in touch with many of you and was sorry I was unable to attend the Reunion. I have an idea…Please read my notes at the end and I would love to have any thoughts. My husband, Cliff, continues to have so many comorbidities and I am feeling lucky to have him with me and our live-in caregiver even though he has been to the hospital many times recently. I call him my energizer bunny! My daughter is selling real estate in Orlando, Fla. She, her husband and my grandson leave Orlando the day school is over and head for their cottage on a lovely lake in New Hampshire for as long as they possibly can. My grandson just turned 13 and, apparently (not from my side of the family) is already 6’3”. He attends a great Christian school in Orlando and enjoys sports and their boating activities in New Hampshire. My stepson in Pennsylvania continues to run our small business and the other two granddaughters are employed by a NASCAR group in North Carolina and an agency in Pennsylvania which helps children and families in crisis. We are proud of all of them. What do any of you think of possibly reuniting in three
years when we all are hitting another decade? I would love that idea. Of course, I would suggest the lovely area near where I am. There are great hotels, restaurants, museums, shops, beaches, etc. St. Pete, Fla. is really growing culturally. We have a great Marriott Residence Inn on my perfect Island of Tierra Verde. Actually, any ideas or suggestions of places would be wonderful. It can certainly be anywhere that we all might enjoy congregating –but I do have great weather! What do you all think? We have a couple of years to determine a good place to meet. Stay healthy all. It is great to catch up again with you.
63 Donna Hasslinger Dhassli@aol.comAlthough the Class of ’63 usually gets together for regular class lunches, we have not met as a group recently and we hope to get together soon. Meanwhile, we are looking forward to celebrating our 60th Reunion in the spring 2023. Over the last couple of years Joan Shinnick Kreeger and her significant partner, John, ventured out for some short trips close to home, but in May 2022 they traveled to Hawaii where Joan used to live and she was able to catch-up with some old friends. Soon they were joined by Joan’s son, Doug, who returned to Hawaii for his 25th Reunion at Punahou High School (famous for being the high school former President Obama attended.) Recently, Joan has had no tour-guiding work so she is now considering herself officially retired! Some of her favorite tour jobs were to South Africa, Iceland, polar bear viewing in Churchill Canada, riding the Rocky Mountaineer train from Vancouver to Banff,
and cruising around Hawaii. Her second career lasted almost 20 years! In June Trudi Feinberg Cohen and her family of 10 flew to Greece on Trudi’s “It’s Now or Never Trip” to spend three days touring Athens and eight days on a yacht sailing to six Greek Islands including Santorini and Mykonos. Trudi planned the trip carefully so she could spend time sitting on the deck of the yacht reading a book while the “kids” were occupied with water skiing, snorkeling and scuba divingsomething for everybody! Marge Rowe Felter and her husband, Jeb Felter, are looking forward to the 60th Reunion of the Class of ’63 and hope to see many classmates there! Their daughter, Elizabeth Felter Farrell ’88, and son, Wilson Felter ’90, are busy raising their kids, but Marge and Jeb have seen too little of them over the last two years. Grandchildren, Jon and Colin Farrell, are headed to the 9th and 6th grades in Old Lyme, Conn. Jon has been on the school track team and has been working on a nearby farm as an intern; Colin plays basketball and soccer; and both boys are in Boy Scouts. Josh Felter (a scratch golfer) loved his first year at University of Richmond and Darcy Felter will be a freshman at the University of North Carolina in the fall where she will be on the womens’ lacrosse team. (Marge noted that Jenny Levi, the daughter of John Slingluff ’62, is the women’s lacrosse coach.) Casey Felter will be a sophomore at Penn Charter (a Quaker school in Philadelphia, Pa.) where he plays golf and lacrosse. Some of Lily Kok-Forbush’s family came down with mild Covid-19 last Christmas 2021, but Lily said life definitely improved when spring 2022 finally arrived in Connecticut. In May 2022 she and her
daughter, Jossie, flew to beautiful, medieval LaGrasse, France on a trip that gave Lily a chance to speak French again. Three weeks later Lily and two friends traveled to Costa Rica on a tour to see the rainforest near the Arenal volcano, the cloud forest in Monteverde, and the national park area near the shore in Manuel Antonio. She said there were birds and monkeys everywhere! And then Jossie and Lily’s oldest daughter, Tina, traveled to Greece for a sisters’ vacation at the same time that Trudi and her family were there. Tina returned to Singapore and plans to remain there until the end of her school year in 2023. Steve Greif and his wife, Maggie, have attended the Sundance Film Festival in Utah for 20 years straight, from 2001 – 2020, and they weren’t about to miss a year so for the last two years they attended it virtually from their home. In 2022, they watched 18 movies over six days on their TV. They also visited their son, Jason, and his family in Vancouver, where they now live. They had some challenges with entry into Canada and re-entry into the United States, but they enjoyed their visit. In November 2021, Bob Caffee and his significant other, Jage North, sold their boat and began planning their travel to different places. In April 2022, they flew to Peru for a twelve-day tour which included Lima, Cuzco, Puno, Colca and Arequipa. The high points of their trip included Machu Picchu and the condors of Colca Canyon. In May 2022 they spent four days in Cozumel, Mexico and on their return to Florida, they packed the car and drove to Cabot, Vt. for the summer. They were scheduled to spend two weeks in Germany at Christmas but, unfortunately, many of the sites they planned to visit
were closed so they plan to try again this year. Chick Fetter Deegan has now been retired for a year and she continues her volunteer time at the local hospital to support management during this difficult time. She was also asked to join the volunteer leadership committee and, as its treasurer, she is responsible for granting scholarships to high school students pursuing health care degrees. Her husband, Mike, is retired and is busy puzzling, gardening, and reading as he and Chick participate in three book clubs. This year they took their daughter, Megan, and her husband, John, and their son, Michael, and his wife, Rhonda, to Louisville, Ky. to travel the Bourbon Trail and ended up at the Woodford Reserve bourbon distillery. They really enjoyed their time with their “adult kids.” They are moving away from exchanging gifts at Christmas to travel experiences that they can enjoy as a family. Their granddaughter, Meredith, will be a junior in the fall and their granddaughter, Kate, finished her freshman year majoring in architecture at Tulane University. Kate is in Rome for a month of study and Chick and Mike are envious of her time there. In June 2021, they flew to Glen Arbor, Mich. where the rest of the family joined them for the July 4th holiday. Rob Wiltshire and his wife, Margie, have been in touch from their home in Ferrum, Va. and had some wonderful news about their son, Johnathan Wiltshire, a program analyst for the northern Oklahoma U.S. Probation & Parole Office. Johnathan received the prestigious Director’s Award for Excellence in Operations/Technology presented by Director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, James C. Duff. On his own time Johnathan developed a revolutionary app that combines all of the information needed to assist and protect probation officers. Johnathan, who is now in Washington,
D.C., was chosen as the national implementation project manager and the app became a national tool currently used by all probation officers and has saved the government millions of dollars. With another new hip to match his 2013 implant, Lin Parker is now double bionic! He noted that this sharing violates the septuagenarian’s topics of discussion rule: “No Organ Recitals” (stories of ailments and operations), but he decided to violate the rule with our class in order to tell us that when he attended a family gathering and mentioned that he was a “hip dude,” his 13-year-old granddaughter quipped, “You don’t even have a hip!” Lin wished Trudi best wishes on her “Big Fat Greek Getaway” and he mentioned that as he remembers his years at Friends School, his calendar gets stuck in the 1957 – 1963 span. He remembers our “grandfatherly” headmaster, Dr. Bliss Forbush, and when he read that one of his former students is the new Head of School, he was jolted into reality and he sends along his congratulations and welcome to Christian Donovan…from Lin “Pappy” Parker. Chuck Harlan and his wife, Mary Dell Harlan ’65, took a trip to Alaska with their family from Baltimore (daughter, Heather Warnack, her husband, John, and two sons, Lee and Henry) and their family from Atlanta (son, Chad with his two sons, Charlie and Smith, and his new wife, Natasha with her two sons, Bryce and Knox.) The trip to Alaska was a delayed celebration of Chuck and Mary Dell’s 50th wedding anniversary. I, Donna Hasslinger, have continued to take lifetime learning classes which recently have been provided virtually through Zoom by local colleges and universities. Some of my classes are now being offered in-person again and I am looking forward to seeing some old friends as well as seeing the Class of ’63 at a future class lunch and our 60th Reunion.
As Peter Allen and Carole Bayer-Sager once wrote, “Everything Old is New Again!” Although they were not members of the Class of 1964, their sentiment suits us to a T. While our class is smaller in number, we are still vital in spirit, and still up to something. As proof – when I put out the call to classmates whose email
addresses I have, I receive the following replies…Dan Taylor writes, “Last month, a helicopter dropped me off on the glacier at the base of Makalu, a personal trip, as forty years after leading a team, we established Nepal’s Makalu-Barun National Park. Makalu is the world’s 5th highest, easternmost peak in the Everest Massif. I wanted to walk through this now-protected wildness, which 40 years ago was threatened. I wanted to walk down into the rising wealth of wildness, from arctic into tundra, temperate, subtropics, and tropical. In the chaos of today, I wanted to walk through the experience of enduring stewardship of nature resulting from a partnership of the people, government, and science. It would be walking into today’s world, visiting the emotional present like visiting my grandchildren, the legacy as now an old man that I leave. About two hours later, a few rocks started to fall off the wall above. By noon, rocks of all sizes were tumbling around me: boulders like beach balls, bowling balls thudding, hardball ricocheting … (different type of Zoom meeting, for sure). Looking up they were all beginning in a belt of the valley side between 20,000 and 22,000 feet elevation. I crawled into a hole in the glacier. About 3:00 p.m. the boulders stop. Next day early I try to walk out over the glacier. Impossible due to boulders plus chance of slipping into the freezing ponds. At 11:00 a.m. boulders start raining again. I call the chopper on my satellite phone. Here’s the deal–we know permafrost is melting in the Arctic. Well also, permafrost is melting in the Himalaya. Never-thawed land used to start a little below 19,000 in the Everest region. Based on where I saw boulders starting to roll, my estimate is permafrost now starts two thousand feet higher.” From the heights of the Himalayas with Dan, to across the prairie with Greg Neumann who writes, “Cycled for a week in July 2021 in the Register Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, consuming deathly quantities of pork, beer, ice cream, and pie, while researching some family history. And in doing so, I got to know some of the good people of that lovely state where our presidential candidates are apparently decided. I published Rebel With a Cause, reminiscences
of Doris Neumann (Friends Middle School 1956-1985) from her childhood and growing up in Flint, Michigan to WW II… I led our Glamorous Rats team through another successful edition of the Baltimore Kinetic Sculpture race - some great pictures at https://kineticbaltimore. com/KSR/2022/?Page=11 with a reprise at the Downtown Sailing Club Yagotta Tri Regatta; gave a talk in New York, with my brother Christopher Neumann ‘61 about conscientious objectors at my friend’s play War Stories - https://thetanknyc.org/ calendar-1/2022/5/26/war-stories-panelconscientious-objector. I also broke a leg the previous week, in anticipation of my debut off-Broadway. I’m getting around now on crutches and hope to be back on my bike by July 2022. Nothing stops us!” And from the Alleghenies in Northern Pennsylvania, comes this news from Paul Newberry, who is still on board, still building and still growing his family. “Nancy and I welcomed our eighth grandchild this spring and are blessed to be in daily contact with our four children. Nancy is busy planting trees with the help of our youngest son, Michael, and tries to keep ahead of the ever-hungry deer. My middle son, who has taught school in Alaska and Dubai, is currently touring South America and sending back wonderful pictures. I have been working on designing a new home for the startup church we attend. In August, we close on an old grocery store we intend to renovate to fit our growing needs. My advice to the younger classes is don’t wait to retire to do what you love. I took a few years off at 50 years old to pursue an adventure and then went back to work and I highly recommend it.” Thank you, dear brothers, for your inspiration, adventures and advice! Meanwhile, here’s my (Sue Dingle’s) report from the Pacific Northwest, where I moved in November
2020 as a widow of one year in the middle of the pandemic, to live near my son Jake Koprowski, his wife Natalie and their six children, three dogs and two cats. I’m completing my third book of poetry, am in my second semester as an MFA candidate in non-fiction at Pacific University and am in the process of becoming a commissioned ruling elder (a lay pastor) in the Presbyterian Church. I’m happy to report that Bob and I continue to enjoy our lives together. We drive to our home in the west to stay for about seven months each year, and enjoy the outdoor beauty and activities that the local area offers. Winters in Baltimore allow time to be with our families. I send greetings to all of my classmates and hope that all is well with each and every one. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone at our 60th Reunion. The last word, from Annie Nichols Haendiges, “It is always sad to lose a classmate, sadder still if the classmate is a lifelong friend. Patti Koenig Worthington and I grew up together on the same street, started Friends School in Pre-K and shared many of the same youth activities throughout our Friends School days. On separate paths after graduation, and no matter how much time had intervened, visits were seamless. Beneath her modest, quiet, and gracious persona, Patti was a strong woman who met inevitable life challenges with a wry sense of humor and with dignity. She was unfailingly dedicated to the causes and people she held dear. Patti was a rock of support to her family, to a friend in need, and generous to all. I’ll remember her most for her spirit of adventure, for her absolutely wonderful curiosity, and her passion for many interests. Her focus was never on herself, rather it was on the people and the world around her. I am grateful for those 75 years of friendship.” One last note that I heard from the
All aboard with the family of Nancy and Paul Newberry ’64.
Alumni Office is that Sally Huff Leimbach and her family returned to campus in June 2022 to see her son, Colonel Wel Leimbach ’88, give the commencement address. It was a smashing success. The takeaway from the Class of 1964 is “It’s never too late to make a difference!”
Please address comments, inquiries and updates to your Forever Class Secretary, Sue Grathwohl Dingle ’64, at s123dingle@aol.com.
66 Nina L. Patry ninapatry@icloud.com
David Wilson, Sue Lang Yohn, Hollace Snyder, Claudia Langebartels Koark, Julie Metcalf, Jac Knust, Macky Ayers (Alan Ayers’ widow), Pat Draisy, Bunny Paternotte Sully, and I (Nina Patry) gathered on May 7, 2022 for a Reunion over Zoom. As always, we enjoyed gathering, sharing memories, and getting updates on each other’s lives. Also, we are considering making this an annual event, to be held on the first weekend of May - same as in-person Friends School Reunions. Mary Sully writes, “Ray and our daughter and I finally took a trip back to England, back to our tiny village where we lived in the 1970s. It has been years since we’ve been back and we had a wonderful week seeing old friends, the gorgeous and dramatic coast of Somerset, and family. Unfortunately, I broke my wrist and we all contracted Covid-19 while we were there, but I would do it all again in a heartbeat. Such a Sentimental Journey.” Reed Kaestner writes, “My wife, Joan, and I still live in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. just north of San Diego. Having raised five kids, we are in the grandchild stage of life. So far, we have been blessed with four, but fully expect that number to grow in the years ahead. I continue to shoot commercially – clients keep me busy – so retiring is not likely anytime soon. When not
photographing professionally, my recent passion is photographing birds. Brothers Tom, John Kaestner ’68, and I went to Ecuador to photograph hummingbirds in the Andes last year. This September we’re heading to Costa Rica to shoot birds there. Examples can be seen at https://reedkaestner.smugmug.com/ BIRDS. We have finally begun traveling again, with a trip to southern Italy in the fall, and France and Portugal this spring. As if life wasn’t busy enough, we’ve put in a small vineyard on our property (140 vines). It’s a long-time project, so check back in five years to see how we did. I still remember a line from our graduation commencement address that has stuck with me all these years, ‘throughout life, stay curious,’ I’m still inspired by that motivation!” Claudia Langebartels Koark writes, “Hello everybody, again... please use my mail address claudia.koark@gmx. de to get in touch! I am fine and busy being a language buddy for people from different countries who want to improve their German. Russian friends just left. Others come/came here from Turkey, Syria and Pakistan. Our house has always been open to all nationalities. Besides that, I read stories at a kindergarten and at the Alzheimer Association. Yes, we survived Covid-19 and all restrictions! Our kids live in Kolbermoor and Berlin, they are not in Detroit anymore. We see each other regularly but not very often. Our grandsons are 15 years old and 12 years old. Turkish and Pakistani children adopted me as their Oma/Granny. And there are two grandchildren with fur! David Wilson and his wife, Claudia, will retire this year and relocate to Florida to be near sons Alex and Benjamin, both of whom work in crypto-friendly Miami.
67This class presently does not have a Class Secretary. If you are interested in volunteering for the post, please email alumni@friendsbalt.org
Four classmates made their way through an absolute deluge to the Reunion reception for Alumni Weekend: Bonnie Watts Hale, John Holman, Bill Seeger and Rudi Horner. Afterwards, they went to Maureen and Geoff Grief’s house for dinner and were joined there by the hosts, Ellen Hooper Mullan, Shelley Cole Morhaim, Nancy Shuger and Bruce Legg. The delightful evening was spent
sharing stories of other classmates and catching up on families, employment, retirement and leisure activities. Geoff Greif writes, “It was great having the 55th Reunion at my house and hope to see you all in five years. I am still working at the University of Maryland School of Social Work and have two book projects in the hopper, one a textbook on group therapy and one on interracial marriage.” Mike Teller is retired and acting as the go-to babysitter for his twin 7-year-old granddaughters. He just bought them their first lacrosse sticks. He does volunteer work helping immigrants prepare for job interviews, and supports Mission 4 which helps veterans integrate into civilian life. He is a fully qualified Range Officer at the local Idaho Fish and Game public shooting range and is a Glock Certified Advanced Armorer. He says, “I try to go ‘get the Outback dirty’ to reach trailheads and then explore the mountains in the summer and desert in the winter.” Mike sends his best to his classmates.
68 Arlene D. Bowesadbowesdmd@gmail.com
Judge Sally C. Chester Williford retired in September 2020, after 25 years as a trial lawyer and 16 years as a trial judge on the Baltimore County Circuit Court. Over 300 well-wishers, including Melinda Burdette, gathered in October 2021, to congratulate her. Sally will continue as a substitute judge. She was praised for her compassion, kindness, sense of humor, mentoring of young attorneys, and as a fierce litigator. A Judge Chester bobblehead doll was given to all attendees as a memento. Her 41-year legal career began in the private sector with legal giants Roland Walker and Jack Rubin, continued in the Baltimore County Office of the Public Defender, and ended with the judgeship where “she dispensed justice with the kind of mercy and respect to which the rest of us can only aspire,” a colleague wrote. Melinda Burdette was honored at her 50th college Reunion with the Ethel Cockey ’23 Award for outstanding leadership and volunteer service to Goucher College and its Alumni Association. Melinda is also a trustee of the college. Closer to home, Rich Seiler returned to the Friends School Athletic Hall of Fame Committee.
helen.blumberg@gmail.com Ben Lentz lentzb51@gmail.com
We are happy to share news about some of our classmates and look forward to hearing from more of you. John Fensterwald writes, “The drought and Ukraine have supplanted worries of Covid-19, for now, but it’s a marvelous spring day in San Jose, Calif. and the hummingbirds we’ve been feeding have built a nest in a hanging plant on our porch in thanks and we watch as she feeds a clutch of chicks. So, the wonders continue if you pause and notice. Still working (probably way too hard), but at least Beth is enjoying retirement. And there is now a Dr. Fensterwald. Molly is entering her fourth year of residency in neurology through the UCLA School of Medicine. It’s been three years since our 50th celebration, so I guess it’s a hump year heading toward our 55th. I look forward to celebrating it with you.” Julie Frank survived her ’22 Reunion season without, so far, coming down with Covid-19. She has visited with and cooked with former college co-op members, spent two days with her med school class, and will be reuniting with resident friends on Zoom. These activities distract her from the online tap class she joined at the start of Covid-19. She still can’t do a seven-count riff, but her Broadways are passable. Ken Gault says, “There’s much to be said about life in Florida. It’s warm. Though I miss dogwoods, azaleas, and daffodils! I participated in a Zoom call in December 2021 with Friends School’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) Club and some of the LGBT+ alumni Adrianne Pierce ’80 and Rob Berman ’88. Both the students and the alumni loved the experience.”
Vicky Nelson Harvey and her husband live in Reisterstown, Md. Vicky retired during Covid-19. Her career was varied, ranging from working at GBMC to several needlecraft shops where her expertise was highly valued. She’s been busy, though, volunteering as prayer coordinator on the Women’s Ministry Team at her church, tending her garden,
Chuck Barton joined the Friends Alumni Association Board as an out-of-town member and made a short fundraising video.sewing, quilting, and learning Danish. Her son Dan lives in Timonium and works for DoorDash and GrubHub. Son Tom lives in Norway where he and his Danish fiancée Line are both post-doctoral fellows (hence the interest in Danish). Ron Kovach reports, “All is good here. My sort of big news is that I remarried last year after my husband of 40 years died in 2018. Duke and I have moved to Old Town Alexandria, Va. and are living in a new condominium overlooking the Potomac. So, life takes unexpected turns, even at 71! Kevin Patton checks in, “My wife and I are doing well in our retirement in Oregon since 2018 having moved from Washington State. We’re now in Keizer which sits in the Willamette Valley’s Oak Savanna. In November 2019 we managed a norovirus-laden cruise to Australia and New Zealand, visiting brother Derek’s family in Canterbury and dozens of friends and television mates in Auckland. We were thankfully home when Covid-19 hit and we survived with all due precautions. We took our first multi-day escape to the Monterey area and the Redwood Coast this May 2022. We have three granddaughters - a 13-year-old in Virginia and 6 and 4-year-olds in Ohio. We enjoy diving into family roots, sweating at the senior center, growing veggies, binoculating birds, and zooming around our local Baha’I and Unitarian communities. Bill Sherman and his wife Nancy are the proud grandparents of five grandchildren (four boys and one girl) with another boy expected in October 2022. Bill is still working in finance but has stepped away from board and management responsibilities. He much prefers sitting in the grandparents’ section at St. Paul’s School lacrosse games cheering for his grandkids! He hosted his sister Chris Sherman Raywood ’62 during her 60th Reunion this spring. Bill keeps in touch with Richard Horner who lives in Sparks. He also continues to serve on the Friends School Athletic Hall of Fame Committee. Louise Wagner decided in February 2020 to renovate her house. As she says, “What timing! The actual work began in September 2021 and, of this writing in spring of 2022, is almost done! Blame Covid-19, supply chain issues, changing personnel, vacations, etc.” Speaking of vacations, Louise spent last Christmas
with her sister Barbara Wagner ’75 and her family near Boston. They also spent time together in March in Sanibel, Fla. Lillie, Louise’s beloved canine baby, is facing some medical issues but is holding her own. Class Secretary Ben Lentz, writes that, in hindsight, he made three major “life decisions” (career, community and spouse) during a span of about three weeks in the summer of 1976, just after graduating from law school. First (in chronological order) he took and passed the bar exam, and started work at the only job he held up to retirement, practicing commercial litigation (although the firm did change names a few times). Second, he and Janet purchased their first home in Bronxville, N.Y., a suburb of New York City, which is the same community where they have lived since 1976. Third, he and Janet married, and continue to be married. They have three children and eight grandchildren, all of whom live in the greater New York City area. Class Secretary Helen Blumberg, and her husband Bob Burke felt lucky during the worst of Covid-19, having a library of over 4,800 books, a large DVD collection, and good neighbors. They were able to visit Italy in the fall of 2019 and look forward to more transatlantic travel later this year. Closer to home, they keep up with their children, Liz Yeager Guarnieri ’00 and Pete Guarnieri ’00 and Jon Yeager ’97 as well as their grandkids, all of whom live in Northern Virginia.
71 Peter Kaestner pgkaestner@yahoo.comEmily Frank writes, “My world simply features ‘same old, same old’ (officiating sports, working as a standardized patient, playing lots of tennis, and daily visits to Mom). Nothing new or exciting to report.” Leigh Friedman sent in an update, “My husband and I have been very careful and basically recluses since the beginning of Covid-19. So far, we have not had it and fingers crossed we will stay healthy. I love every minute of my retired life. I watch one of my six grandchildren three days a week and I am finding living in the world of a 2 1/2 year old with no other responsibilities or obligations is so much more fun the second time around. I am lucky he loves to be outside playing golf and throwing rocks in the nearby stream. What’s not to
like about that! I hope to see everyone at the next reunion, sans Covid-19 or any other pandemic. Nancy Footner says, “Just trying to stay healthy as the pandemic persists, and sane in this insane political circus in which we are living. What keeps me going? My yoga practice and teaching, friends, my garden, art, literature, theater, music, film, visiting the Eastern Shore where both sisters are living now, trips to Northern California where I spent the first half of my adult life and still have a second family of friends. Last August I made my first trip to the Olympic Peninsula where I have cousins and was blown away by the beauty of the area even as the main ‘crop’ continues to be timber and smoke from wildfires in Canada was drifting in. Spent the first week of January in Vieques (Puerto Rico), which I loved. It’s still a little rough around the edges and not touristy. Great swimming. Did make the rest of the winter seem very long, once I returned home to Iowa City. Hard to believe the last 50 years of our lives have been framed by the Watergate hearings and now the January 6 commission hearings. I recall being riveted to my little black and white television in 1972 by the drama of Watergate (probably made me into a news junkie for life), but I find the current hearings far more terrifying. Roe v. Wade also bookended our young adulthood/ senior years. Please tell me ... how can the court be pro-gun and anti-abortion??? In my district in eastern Iowa, we have a very important Congressional seat IA-01 up this fall and I wlll be canvassing for the Dem candidate, Christina Bohannan. This seat was lost to a Trumper by 6 votes in the last election. Please consider donating to her campaign. Democrats need to keep every seat in the House and more. Also (retired) Admiral Mike Franken for Senate, intelligent, worldly, and dedicated to preserving our democracy. Senator Grassley must go. I will be in Maryland in late September for a dedication of the William Hulbert Footner Room at the Calvert County Historical Society in Prince Frederick (9/24/22 11:00 a.m.). My grandfather was a prolific writer of mysteries in the early 20th century as well as historical narratives including Rivers of the Eastern Shore. My sisters and I are publishing a new edition of Rivers and are donating
copies to ShoreRivers INC., a nonprofit dedicated to a science-based advocacy for the protection of the Eastern shore tributaries. There will be a book launch and reception at Charles Gift (Preston on the Patuxent,) which my grandfather restored and where my father spent his childhood years. The house is now on the National Historic Trust. I also plan to spend a few days in Baltimore visiting museums and hopefully old friends (no pun intended).” Chuck Hoff writes, “Greetings from beautiful Northern Westchester County, N.Y. The last two years for me have been a challenge, as I have recovered from my bypass surgery and grieved the loss of my long-time partner. With the help of my girlfriend, Stephanie, and with a lot of hard work, I now swim, play paddle tennis, work out at the gym, and walk 3-5 miles a day with her great dog. I’ve even been taking horse-riding lessons on Stephanie’s steed. As a result of her great cooking, I am now back to my playing weight and in better shape than I’ve been in many years. I’m a very lucky man.” David Patz says, “Nancy and I have been traveling less, trying to dodge Covid-19, spending more time at our cabin nestled in the San Juan mountains, near Telluride. We have been biking, hiking, and cross-country skiing as body parts allow. We enjoy 4 grandchildren spending overnights, and watching them progress with reading, arithmetic, art, soccer, skiing, dance, horseback riding, and rock climbing. We have become amateur birders but are having trouble distinguishing the Red Crossbill from the Pine Grosbeak. I am about ¾ retired, still working 3 days/ month at University of Colorado Hospital sleep clinic. Doug Peiffer retired in 2020 after 40 years of practicing law in Baltimore. He says, “Thankfully, Bonna and I and children (Addie in New York, NY and Taylor in Boulder, CO) have all remained healthy. Now splitting time between Richmond, Va. and Bald Head Island, N.C. Life is good - no complaints. Was sorry to not make the delayed 50th reunion. Hoping to see old friends at the next one.” As for me, Peter Kaestner, the last two years have been surprisingly productive. After a complete lockdown during the height of Covid-19 in 2020, Kimberly and I decided to see if international travel was possible in
October. We went to Bermuda, which was advertising a Covid-19 safe experience – and we were very impressed with the mitigation procedures in place. We had a great four days including some nice diving and birding with the locals. Shortly after we returned from Bermuda, I got an advertisement for a Rockjumper bird tour to Kenya. Based on the positive experience in Bermuda, we signed up.
Since we were the only ones on the tour, we were able to customize the itinerary, and as a result, our time in Kenya was magical. First of all, the normally packed national parks were completely empty, which allowed for amazing animal and bird encounters. Secondly, the Kenyans, who were suffering from the collapse of their tourism industry, were amazingly appreciative of our presence. Based on those very positive experiences, we continued to travel on our “support international eco-tourism” tour. The only place where we felt uncomfortable about Covid-19 was Tanzania, where Covid-19 denial was an official government policy. (As a result, two of the top four leaders of the country died – likely of Covid-19!) I was very sad to have missed the Friends School reunion dinner in May. Because our 50th anniversary reunion was so affected by Covid-19, I am hoping that we might be able to make a special effort to get together in 2026, when we’ll celebrate our 55th reunion. Assuming that we are not dealing with another pandemic, we should be able to plan something memorable. Kimberly and I both finally caught Covid-19 this summer while on a boat trip to the Arctic. Now, we’re vaxxed, double-boosted, and recovered!
bethholcomb54@gmail.com
The Class of 1972 recently celebrated their 50th Reunion and enjoyed a great turnout. Old friends shared life and career stories, good food, and even took in an Orioles game. David Chang continues to excel as an ophthalmologist, and received Friends School’s 2022 Distinguished Alumni Award along with Teresa Redd John Wood recently ran a 103.5 mile race, the Superior Trail 100 in Minnesota. He was the oldest person to compete last year! Tom Legrand continues to work in worldwide
demographics. Beth Peacock Holcomb continues to enjoy her life in Venice, Fla. on the Gulf of Mexico and enjoys riding her recumbent bike along the Intracoastal Waterway. Maggie Young remains devoted to her garden which produces all the nutrients she needs to stay energetic in her golden years.
73 Don Hubbard cheesedawg@gmail.com Sarah S. O’Loughlin somohopo@comcast.net
It was a nice surprise to hear from Liz Backhaus Jonsson, who writes, “After retiring in December 2021, Hans and I decided to get more involved with Smoky Mountain Service Dogs where we have been doing weekend respites for the young service dogs in training. After completing our training, we started working with Oak, an 18-month-old Lab, at the kennel and on weekends. Starting in June 2022, Oak will be living with us while he completes his next phase of training before being matched with a Veteran with a physical or psychological handicap. We are fortunate to be living on a lake in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains, where peace, tranquility and photo-ops abound.” Katie Miller Jacobus checked in from a road trip, “Hey. I’m in Greece. Just finished a bike-boat trip, island hopping in the Ionians with lots of family. As in…life is good! Still enjoying Cape Cod living. Jess Strauss and I get together whenever she’s on the Cape. Psychotherapy practice and local politics are keeping me busy. My oldest is getting married in the fall. Can’t believe it’ll be 50 years coming up!” Speaking of Jess, she writes, “Sixty-six has been an age of transformation for me. Having
begun my therapy practice only at 60 years-old, I find my heart filled by doing the work I was meant to do, focusing on helping young women from marginalized groups heal from trauma. In addition to my practice, I am blessed by an amazing husband whose life is committed to justice, five beautiful and generous adult children and their partners, and eight amazing grandchildren! My commitment going forward is to end racism and bring about global mental health equity.” Chris Felder writes, “The twins Chris and Robin Felder are now grandparents of four grandchildren and still counting. A twin-related fun fact is that Chris’ daughter Lauren gave birth to her third child and two hours later Robin’s daughter Cameron gave birth to her first son. Lauren and Cameron, themselves were each twin’s firstborn children, were born within a few months of each other. Chris and Robin both married girls named Mary who are roughly 5’ 2”, but fortunately are very wonderfully different types of people.” Ken Spence is living in Minneapolis, MN with his wife Sally MacLea ’79. Since retiring as general counsel of Travelers Companies in September 2018, Ken has been trying to make up for all the years sitting at a desk and spends his free time skiing, biking, hiking, golfing and traveling. Janney Woods writes that she has retired from selling vintage décor and moved with her sister to Cornersville, Md. (near Cambridge on the Eastern Shore), where she is “living the dream.” She hopes to catch up with everyone for our 50th Reunion. Leslie Evans has moved to Santa Fe, N.M. from North Myrtle Beach, S.C. Out of the frying pan and into the
fire. Marty Peacock McLaughlin writes, “2021 was a big one for my husband, Leo, and me. We both retired, sold our house in Baltimore County, and moved to Maine. We absolutely love our new home in Brunswick, close to the Peacock summer place in Small Point and Leo’s big McLaughlin family in Bedford, N.H. We recently enjoyed a friendly visit from Sarah Schultz O’Laughlin and her husband when they were driving from their home in Massachusetts to open up their family camp in Port Clyde in Penobscot Bay, north of Casco Bay. Hope to see everyone next year in Maryland for our 50th!” Andy Crosby writes, “I have retired from full-time work at Obrecht effective June 2022 and will be available sporadically thru June 30th.” Actually, that’s just an auto-reply to an email I sent him, but that’s the best I could come up with. Lisa Shugar Hublitz sent this checklist, “1) Still haven’t gotten Covid-19, so that’s an accomplishment. 2) Still working for a nonprofit advocating for fair and humane policies for immigrants and refugees, most recently Ukrainians coming to the U.S., and issues related to the U.S. - Israel relationship. 3) Both sons, Zach and Josh, work in finance and are living in and loving Los Angeles. Since playing D1 in college, they have continued to compete in a United States Tennis Association men’s league. They’ve also become avid surfers, making the likelihood of them ever returning to landlocked D.C. doubtful. They’ve also renewed their interest in skiing—we went to Big Bear and Mammoth over New Year’s. They skied. I watched. 4) Josh’s music career (investment banking by day, hip hop/rap by night) is going
well. You can find him on Spotify and on most platforms. 5) My doggo, Rocky turned 8 years-old in February. (I turned… well…we all know each other’s ages). Aside from his white facial hair, he is as hyper as a one-year-old.” At the end of 2021, Margo Halle retired from her job at Enterprise Community Development where she worked since moving back to Baltimore in 2014. She and her husband hope to spend more time with their 6-month-old grandson now that he, and his parents, live in the North East. She hopes to see us all at the 50th! Jim Schwabe writes, “I’m enjoying living in the San Francisco Bay Area, despite the severe drought we’re having. My son graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a degree in sociology. He’s trying to find an internship and plans to apply to business school to start in fall next year. I’m still running my micro-winery and hope to be able to ship wine outside of California starting this fall, after the hot summer.” Holly Catzen Bricken writes, “Still in Baltimore County, still retired, still horse-y, still foxhunting, still have a kiddo under my roof. Sorry not to be more scintillating!” No apologies needed, Holly. Foxhunting is scintillating enough for most of us. Andy Cooper checked in with this item, “I got my first social security check. I heard the mailman with my new hearing aids. I learned the six words to a successful marriage after 36 years– ‘Yes dear, you’re right, I’m sorry.’ Carol Cooper learned the 12 words to a successful marriage– ‘found your phone, here’s the remote, wake up and go to bed.’” Melissa Moore sent, “I’m still living in Cape Charles, Va. with my partner Tom in a house we built on King’s Creek, happily enjoying retirement, kayaking and golfing whenever we can. And, my son William and his wife Casey just had a baby girl last month named Lizzie so I’m loving the grandmother experience and they live fairly close so I’m seeing a lot of her. So much fun! Can’t believe next year is our 50th! Where did the decades go?” It was nice to hear from Walter Lew a few months ago, who dug up some really (and I really mean really) old photos of our classmates from a birthday party in 1965, and also a video from a class field trip to Gettysburg in 1971. Thanks Walter! If anyone else has any photos from back then I would love to see them.
As for myself, Don Hubbard, I have been retired since the end of 2018 and have spent my free time puttering around the house and traveling: OctoberFest, Salzburg, Rome and Naples in 2019, Odessa Ukraine in 2020, Croatia and Montenegro in 2021, Dominican Republic (Punta Cana and Cabarete), and Medellin Colombia with Rob Dulany. My wife Rose will be retiring from teaching in a couple of months and our three kids are all doing fine.
74 Sally Slingluff sallykslingluff123@gmail.comBJ Entwisle sends hearty greetings to all! She is fully retired and enjoying it. She did a lot of vaccinations last year and is heading off for a European bike trip (ebike) and is looking forward to our 50th! After 41 years of operating a large Steinway piano rebuilding shop in Reisterstown, Md. David Hughes semiretired this past February 2022. The fourmonth clear-out task was monumental both logistically and emotionally! He carries on now performing in-home piano service only, one or two days a week. In addition, he still owns and operates a company called Vintage Case Parts, which specializes in reproduction wooden cabinet components for the Steinway piano restoration trade. The new bonus days of the week are spent on projects around his Glyndon home, musical pursuits, model trains, writing, proofreading several publications (thank you, Ruth Diebert), and golf with Judy. At 66 years-old he’s still chugging. After 17 years together, Chuck Mitchell and Jani Hook finally made it official and got married in Baltimore on June 19, 2022. Chuck and Jani have also recently relocated to the Lakewood Ranch community outside of Sarasota, Fla. “Come visit us for O’s Spring Training!” Scott Nevin writes that he and his wife Barbara are doing well here in Raleigh, N.C. “With the restrictions diminishing and a 30th wedding anniversary to celebrate, Barbara and I ventured westward in the state to Asheville. Plenty of shops and pubs were available to visit but the highlight was touring the Biltmore House and the surrounding 8000-acre estate. Another trip had us heading eastward to the Outer Banks and re-visiting the Wright Brothers
National Memorial. While climbing the hill to the monument an open cockpit, radial engine biplane, possibly a Sopwith replica, flew over our heads. Most recently, we headed south to Kissimmee, Fla. We heard the launch of a Space-X rocket carrying a satellite (and watched on local TV), making a nice preview to our visit to the Kennedy Space Center near Cape Canaveral. Occasional trips have me going through Maryland and typically I stop on the return trip home to pick up steamed crabs and National Bohemian beer.” I, Sally Slingluff, retired in September and an fully enjoying being able to sleep in! Aside from keeping up with family and the normal trips to the Adirondacks and Florida, I plan to go to Scotland to see my brother, Dev Slingluff ’66’s daughter get her Ph.D. from The University of Edinburgh and then perhaps a small tour of Europe!
76 Keith Tabatznik kdtsoc@aol.comMike Saxon proudly announces that his son, Jake, married Camille Ries in St. Louis over Memorial Day Weekend 2022. He says it was great to get the extended family together for the first time in several years. Debbie Brown is doubly proud as her twins graduated from college in May. Emily graduated from Emory in environmental science and Don graduated from University of Maryland in computer science.
I, Keith Tabatznik attended Steve Stuart’s son Tim’s wedding in April. An awesome trip down memory lane with Steve remembering every detail of everything that happened since 3rd grade! I continue to work as a Talent ID Scout for US Soccer amongst other soccer-related work. I will be traveling to Qatar in the fall for the 2022 World Cup – my 9th World Cup in-person! Lisa Corinne Davis has been honored with a Guggenheim Fellowship in Fine Arts!
Lisa was able to celebrate with family at the reception! She writes, “I am also having a solo show in Los Angeles at Jenkins Johnson Gallery in September 2022. And a solo show in NY at Miles McEnery Gallery in June of 2023. Steve Stuart writes, “It was so special to have Keith join us for the celebration of Tim’s marriage in Virginia on April 3, 2022. We also got together at the Friends School
Athletic Hall of Fame Ceremony in May 2022 where we spent time with, among others, Norm Forbush ’78– the Board of Trustees Clerk. I had the pleasure of joining the lacrosse coaching staff of Scotch Plains/Fanwood High School this past spring where my twin sons attended. In addition to being the assistant coach for the freshman team, I also worked with the JV and Varsity squads, the latter of which won the New Jersey Group 3 State Championship for the first time. I owe a great deal to the fine coaching I received at Friends from Randy Cooper H’16, Rich Seiler ’68, Bucky Gunts ’68, Downey McCarty ’64 and Carl Ortman.” Jon Patz, who has been a major force in working on climate change issues, was honored two years ago, being elected to the National Academy of Medicine for his work on climate change and this year was awarded a Distinguished Professorship at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Jon reports that their son, Evan, completed a master’s in mechanical engineering from Columbia University and now is working on sustainable energy. Here is last month’s Washington Post article on his latest research study on climate change: www.washingtonpost.com/climatesolutions/2022/05/16/climate-changeair-pollution-saved-lives. Carolyn Alkire reports, “I’ve shifted from land-based resource conservation issues over the last couple years and am now working with NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole, Mass., addressing economic issues associated with critically endangered North Atlantic right whale conservation. Entanglement in the fishing lines connecting surface buoys to lobster
traps on the seafloor is the leading cause of death for these whales (along with vessel strikes). I’ve been focusing on the cost of emerging ‘on-demand’ fishing technology, which eliminates the line between the trap and surface buoy by using a remote acoustic retrieval system to trigger the release of a buoy line from traps allowing fishers to haul the gear to the surface when needed. It’s been wonderful to work (remotely) with a group of committed folks at NOAA and other organizations. Other than that, I’m biking and beaching in Carlsbad, Calif., planning travels, and still trying to get adjusted to the ‘empty nest’!”
79 Anne Hockett annehockett@me.comCameron Griffith received the French Legion of Honor, surrounded by family, friends, and colleagues, at a June 22, 2022 ceremony at French Ambassador Philippe Étienne’s residence in Washington, D.C. He has served as the French Embassy’s Congressional Affairs Liaison since December 2003.
80 Quinn Stills stillsq@hotmail.com
Noted scientist Jim Lutz was promoted to full professor. It’s been a tale of two demanding careers. For those who don’t remember, Jim was a successful ace in the finance world before switching careers entirely to become a college professor, so this caps a remarkable transition by Dr. Lutz. Specifically, Jim is the T. W. Daniel Professor of Forestry Wildland Resources at the S. J. & Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources and the Ecology Center at Utah State University. Jim’s ground-breaking research on forests has been global as he has worked with over 400 co-authors from 35 different countries. Jim has three master’s degrees, including an MBA, in addition to his Ph.D. Congratulations Professor Lutz! On the written literature front, did you know that classmate Rachel Carnell wrote a well-regarded book on impeachment and populism during the reign of Queen Anne. Her book can be purchased on Amazon.
Speaking of creative classmates, Beverly Tipton Hammond is making incredible art in Minnesota. Beverly and her husband have an art gallery and are producing amazing works including paintings, drawings, and collages. You can see her extraordinary collection on www.Hammond-Art.com. Lance Reddick is set to delight audiences with several interesting new projects. On the Big Screen, Lance is set to be in the remake of White Men Can’t Jump. Also on the big screen, Lance will star opposite Regina King in a film about Shirley Chisholm and her historic 1972 presidential campaign. Please recall that Chisholm was the first Black congresswoman and the first Black woman to run for president of the United States. Regina Holmes, who is also directing the film, called Lance personally to recruit him into the movie. This slate of films comes on top of Lance’s work in other high-profile movies including Godzilla vs. Kong, One Night in Miami…, Sylvie’s Love, Angel Has Fallen, Little Woods, Old Boy and White House Down, just to name a few. Meanwhile, on Netflix, Lance will star as Albert Wesker in Resident Evil, the television series. Lance will also star in Farzar, a new animated comedy series also on Netflix. In the production, Lance is the voice of the czar of Farzar who cunningly keeps rigging elections to stay in power. Lance will also continue his role in the highly anticipated John Wick: Chapter 4 which is set for release in March 2023. Lance received the Centennial Award from his alma mater Eastman School of Music where the senior class of the entire University of Rochester
voted to have Lance as their commencement speaker (apparently, they
From left: Norman Forbush ’78, Keith Tabatznik ’76, and Steven Stuart ’76 at the 2022 Friends School Athletic Hall of Fame Reception; Lisa Corinne Davis ’76, who was honored with a Guggenheim Fellowship in Fine Arts, celebrates with her family; Debbie Brown ’76 and her twins, Don Isaac and Emily Isaac
knew Lance from his work as the voice of Titan Vanguard Commander Zavala from the international blockbuster game Destiny 2 and he garnered more votes than any of the other speaker candidates to be the graduation keynote speaker!)
For our next set of class notes I would like to compile a list of books, websites and creative projects that our classmates have created. Please stay tuned!
81This class presently does not have a Class Secretary. If you are interested in volunteering for the post, please email alumni@friendsbalt.org
Scott (David) Buschman was just in Seattle and got to see Rob Hawley ’81 and Chris McGann ’83. He writes, “Looking forward to seeing Liddy Williams Garcia-Bunuel ’83 and Martin Garcia-Bunuel ’83 this summer at our house in Greenport, N.Y. Are you visiting this year, Katie Hearn ’81 or Tim Goodell ’81? Hope so… peace.” Nick Morris-Klimet writes, “I had the privilege
of a three-month sabbatical from parish work (Christ Episcopal Church, Needham, Mass.) beginning in mid-May 2022. During that time I made a two week pilgrimage to Israel/Palestine; helped my wife Jamie lead a group of her high school Classics students on two week tour of Roman sites in France, along with stops at Chartres, Normandy Beach, and Paris; enjoyed a week-long choir camp sponsored by the Royal School of Church Music at Duke (shout out to Mrs. Gossage/Pennachia!); read; watched movies; exercised; played the drums; spent time at our shack in Maine; reconnected with family and friends, and attempted, as a monk friend of mine encouraged me to, ‘waste time with God.’ Jamie continues as chair of the Classics department at the Roxbury Latin School. My son, Sam, begins college in the fall after a gap year working in construction, the local hardware store, and navigating a two-month NOLS course in the Pacific Northwest. My
daughter Lydia is a senior in high school, looking at colleges, hoping perhaps to throw the discus as well as be a student. Turning 59, and preparing to take our first-born to college, has impressed upon me the passage of time, and the imperative to savor every minute. Our cultural and political predicament, as well as my own personal journey, has led me to this mantra: less judgment and contempt; more curiosity and compassion. In the past year I’ve been in touch with classmates Kakie Standiford and Mike Lurie, awesome parents with kids well launched!”
Friends School was delighted to welcome Lindsay Leimbach’s brother, Colonel Wel Leimbach ’88, back to campus as the 2022 commencement speaker on June 14, 2022. Gen Moody Distance finished her first year on the Friends School Alumni Association Board.
86 Roger W. Hughes rwhfather@gmail.com
Charley Case writes, “I am living in Aspen, Colo. with my wife and daughter (Toni and Charlotte 10 years-old). Currently, I am the general manager of the Snowmass Mountain Club. I plan on being in Baltimore the week leading into Labor Day. Hope to see some of y’all then. Congratulations to Coach Will Marbury on the many accomplishments of the baseball team during his tenure. I played on the first varsity baseball team in modern Friends history. We had to buy our own uniforms; I think the school bought us a box of baseballs. Of course, they supplied Coach Tom Randell. Tom didn’t have much (any) baseball experience, but there would not have been a team without him.” Mark Guthrie writes, “I enjoyed the camaraderie of playing on Friends’ soccer teams. In 1984, we finished the season with an improbable conference championship. Our inspiration came from Coach Pieter DeSmit H’95 who told us early on we had a chance to win it all. Check out the story of the Hall of Fame team in a book I created with clips from the Baltimore Sun. https://fliphtml5.com/vzuli/jqnn .”
From left: The cover of Rachel Carnell ’80’s Backlash: Libel, Impeachment, and Populism in the Reign of Queen Anne; Beverly Tipton Hammond ’80’s Descendants of QueensMembers of our class had a great time celebrating our 35th Reunion in May 2022. Over the summer, Mindy Krause Athas, Jennifer Brown, Joellen Adams Malstrom, Chelsea Steiner, Amy D’Aiutolo Mortimer, Jonathan Sachs, Grace Yannakakis, and I got together at Magdalena at The Ivy Hotel, familyowned by Jennifer Brown!
88 P. Angelo T. Valle gelovalle@gmail.com
Commencement for the Class of 2022 also marked the 34th anniversary to the day of our graduation. Wel Leimbach, on the honor of being invited to deliver the keynote address, “ I have to say being asked to speak at Commencement is a bit surreal for me, as I am sure it is for anyone who knows me from Friends in 1988. I am obviously humbled and am thrilled to know that a few of our classmates have children in the Class of 2022… It has been fun to develop my message for the event and a bit challenging since they are keeping me to 10 minutes. I think I have an uplifting and interesting topic that is heavy on how the Friends experience has helped me as a leader throughout my career. We will see if I get booed off the stage…” Well, there were no boos or any heckling detectable on the Facebook live stream. Wel vividly shared examples (e.g. Berger Cookies, Friends custom flying disc) of how Friends has been in and with him throughout his military career and continues to be in him as he looks to open military leaders’ mindsets to see
that not everything has to be solved with lethality. Wel also reminded the recent graduates that Friends is always with them. Supportive classmates in the audience included Lucien Walsh, Sarah Johnston Millspaugh, and Class of 2022 parents Danny Moylan and Burck Smith. Away from North Charles Street, Christianne Myers wrote, “My family is well; we just got a lovely new furry family member named Laika. Hard to believe our daughter is now in high school! My dad still lives in Baltimore and I’m hoping to make it back for the Reunion next year. My big news is I was just promoted to full professor at the University of Michigan. I’ve been the interim chair of the Department of Theatre & Drama this past year and am looking forward to less admin and more art next year! In fall 2021 a costume design of mine was included in the Costume Industry Coalition exhibit at Times Square. My design from the 2017 production of Die Fledermaus at the Santa Fe Opera was included in the Showstoppers exhibition.
I had no idea it was happening and was just floored when former students started sending me photos from opening night.” Elizabeth Holder still lives in New York and shared, “I finally achieved a lifetime goal, joining the DGA (Director’s Guild of America) and working my first job as a DGA AD (Assistant Director).” She was happy to report that the elder son of her brother David Holder ’91, Eli, graduated from high school and will attend University of Colorado Boulder this fall. Tim Ward also shared news of his family’s recent high school graduate, “My younger son, Colin, graduated from high school on June 7, 2022 and will be off to Gustavus
Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minn. in September 2022, so my wife and I will be empty-nesters; his older sibling Morgan will be a senior at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn.” Congratulations to all classmates and family members on their accomplishments! Hope to see everyone in May 2023 for our 35th Reunion!
Jen Asplen Little is the sophomore class dean at McDonogh School, where she has been for 18 years. Her son, Cole Corrigan, is a senior at Washington College in Chestertown, Md. and her daughter, Mary Corrigan, is a sophomore at Villanova University. Joaquin Feliciano has a few big Covid-19-motivated changes going on… “Soon after the pandemic hit and everyone was sent home, we bought an undeveloped patch of forest along Northern California’s Mendocino Coast. The plan was to use it as a weekend camping spot for now, and then in 10-15 years, build a house there for us to retire into. We built an off-grid yurt on the property because sleeping on the ground in a tent every weekend
From left: Members of the Class of 1987 gathered at Sarah and Craig Whiteford ’87’s house for their class party; Classmates from 1987 gathered at Magdalena for dinner.is for younger people. And then earlier this year I learned that I would be able to continue working 100% remotely, so we decided to not wait until retirement and just move out to the coast later this summer. We hope to start building our permanent home in the next few years.”
Carolyn Hoffman, now Karoll (yes, she writes, that is a name...) is still living in Baltimore’s Patterson Park neighborhood. She is a therapist in a thriving private practice, specializing in the treatment of eating disorders. She is passionate about her work which extends to advocacy and education around the dangers of weight stigma and diet culture. She lives with her husband, Richard, and two boxers Willis and Floyd and gets away when she can to Western Maryland where her husband has built them a tiny home. Amy McDougal is returning to Baltimore in September 2022 to marry her high school sweetheart Joel Dallow at the George Peabody Library, and is looking forward to sharing the Peabody campus with her kids. She writes, “In 2020, I was honored to be recognized by the National Law Journal as a 2020 Cannabis Law Trailblazer. I continue to serve on the board of the International Cannabis Bar Association and in January 2022, passed the torch to the new ethics committee chair. I also just started presenting a regular segment called “The Compliance Dispensary” on the Karma Koala Podcast, which is a cannabis business-focused podcast, and my company CLEAResources is developing courses for the National Cannabis Risk Management Association’s Academy. Friends School was on my mind as I saw The Music Man on Broadway last night, and it brought back so many memories of our production in 1987ish starring Robert Berman ’88 and Linnea Carlyss! Meghan Stern Cochran
brought her family out from the Bay Area for an all-too-brief visit to Baltimore this summer, where her 10-year-old son Axel loved visiting the National Aquarium, seeing Roland Park, and hanging out with Julia Niederman, her daughter, and their rabbits! This fall, Meghan will begin a graduate study program at the San Francisco Theological Seminary. Christopher Vaughn is continuing his work of supporting the local schools, with 14-year-old son Bo headed to freshman year at Gilman and Chase, 13, headed into seventh grade at Calvert. He returned to private practice at Venable in Baltimore after a short stint in Ghana with the General Counsel’s Office at USAID, so send him your M&A deals! His wife Julie is doing well and managing investment accounts as best she can with rising interest rates! He keeps up with Eli Balser, Phil McIntyre, Jon Kallen, Plato Heironimus, Jon Sherman, Dave Saunders, Joe Corvera, Leslie Belgrad, Mary Collins and Jen Asplen Little.
Hello from the class of 1990. All of a sudden, we’ve gone from young and spry to middle-aged and 50+! As per usual, our class is out and about, stateside and abroad, doing amazing things. Read on for our class updates… Sarah Farrant writes, “My update is that this year I moved my parents and their cat (Mr. Winans) from Baltimore to State College, Pa., which means that my dad is no longer helping to maintain the walking trails of Leakin Park. (For the last few years, he’s been clearing trails of fallen tree limbs and trash, and there have only been a couple of dead bodies in that time!) Now my parents live a mile and a half from me in a condo that I’m hoping they don’t
get kicked out of by the HOA because my mom keeps trying to convince the lawn maintenance guys that the grass doesn’t need to be cut and don’t they know what an environmental nuisance mowers are. It’s very nice having them here, though!” Alexis Epperly is still living in Italy with her beautiful family and definitely still looks like she’s in high school. Alexis writes, “Mike and I are enjoying a beautiful spring in Italy where we have been stationed for two years. Covid-19 restrictions made it difficult to travel in the first year, but
2022 Commencement Speaker Colonel Wendell Leimbach, Jr. ’88 (center) with his parents Sally Huff Leimbach ’64, P’84, ’88 and Wendell Leimbach, wife Katie, Interim Head of School Dennis Bisgaard, and family-friend Dr. Ed Layne P’90
now we can try to visit all of the places! We became board-certified in lifestyle medicine this past December 2021. Our eldest graduated from college in May 2022. Truly blessed!” Kate Gibbons also has a graduate but this time from high school. Kate writes, “I am living in Pittsford, N.Y., outside Rochester with my husband and two daughters. My older daughter Paige just graduated from high school and is attending Hobart and William Smith Colleges in the fall. Brooke is finishing up middle school and getting ready for high school. I teach Kindergarten and play tennis for fun. We have two dogs named Mabel and Sammie. Hope everyone is enjoying middle age!” Didn’t we just graduate from high school, Kate?? Jenni Corrigan is on the move. Becky Felix Coplin shared Jenni’s plans, “I will share some pretty big news on behalf of Jenni. She’s moving to Portugal later this month (June 2022). Planning to live in Lisbon with her husband, Lax Gani, and the sweetest kiddo ever, her son Rowan. Can’t wait to visit! Love you JC!” Jenni added, “We will have a spare bedroom and would love to have visitors!” Anyone up for a trip?? Shannon Lattik Koinzan also graduated her eldest from high school. Her son Jakob will be attending Colorado University Boulder in the fall. Jakob has kept mom and dad busy playing baseball and lacrosse through high school but is excited to attend school this fall and focus on academics, just like his mom. Shannon completed another year of teaching first graders in Denver. After two years of dealing with Covid-19 and little kids, Shannon is looking forward to a well-deserved summer with her family before Jakob heads to school. Jaime Lee Spencer is a complete empty-nester! Her eldest daughter, Emma, graduated from Elon in spring 2022 and will be headed to Washington, D.C for her first job. Kate, Jaime’s younger daughter is entering her junior year at Elon University but will be spending her first semester abroad in Florence. Mom and Dad will surely be visiting! Alexis and Jenni, get ready for visitors. Last summer, Maggie Miceli Sullivan and I visited Jaime at her home in Lexington, Va. where we laughed like old times. We didn’t stay up quite as late as we used to in high school,
however. Jaime treated us like royalty in her beautiful home (and party barn!) in Lexington, Va. Jaime officially retired from teaching and is privately tutoring students in reading in between visits to see her daughters and planning her next adventure. Cheryle Oshman Blunt has gone back to teaching full-time after many years working as a math/science tutor and administrative support person for a dressage trainer. She’s just finished her first year teaching math and working as a dorm parent at Westtown School. Cheryle’s daughter Karah, is thrilled that just as she entered ninth grade, her parents managed to arrange to BOTH be upper school teachers! Elson, Cheryle’s husband, teaches math and economics—also in the upper school. The Blunts live on campus with one “on-purpose” cat and three accidental cats. Cheryle writes, “We know now that we are failures as foster cat parents. Kittens are really cute, especially if you bond with them during a pandemic.” Rounding out their family is their 32-year-old pony, but he doesn’t live with the Blunts in the house. Probably a good thing, Cheryle! Thanks to both you and Elson for all your contributions to education, especially in the midst of a pandemic. Finally, we end our notes with some very sad news—Kenji Chida (formerly Lamont Nicholson), our classmate and friend, passed away in fall of 2021. He leaves behind his wife, Engbee and his five children. Kenji was living abroad in Japan at the time. To
honor his legacy, please consider donating to www.unicef.org. We hold Kenji and his family in the Light.
Samantha Campbell Scheben is finishing her first documentary film, The Secret Song, about a music teacher whose retirement after 45 years happens to collide with schools’ closure due to the pandemic. This spurs a deeper inquiry into what music-making brings to our lives and communities. It’s currently being submitted to film festivals and she hopes to have more news about a Baltimore screening in 2022–2023!
Our 30th Reunion was well attended and possibly our most fun yet. I think everyone had a blast hanging out with each other and catching up. After the on-campus reception we went to Union Craft Brewery in Hampden. Dabney Bowen reports now that her kids are a little older, her days are mostly spent consulting as a wildlife conservation specialist, and riding and caring for her horses. She and her daughter Leighton are looking forward to a summer full of horse showing throughout the northeast while her other daughter Wesley attends a summer art intensive at Idyllwild Arts Academy in California. Her husband Michael can’t wait to move south - they
are building a house in Bluffton, S.C. and planning to move permanently once their youngest graduates from high school. My daughter Emmy rides horses too, and Dabney and I talk horse parenting from time to time. Emmy is 10 years old and recently broke her arm for a second time from falling off a horse. She can’t wait to get back in the saddle. It makes me, and even more so Wendy, nervous as heck but she loves it so we’ll let her keep going. Kaitlyn is 12 years old and will enter eighth grade in the fall. Her “sport” is musical theater. She recently performed in Beauty and the Beast and Matilda. Last fall, I ran into Drew Curlett and Jamie Skeen Schumann at a Ravens game and we sat together for the third quarter. I hadn’t seen either of them for a long time. After years of teaching culinary school, Drew has spent the past year bartending at R House in Baltimore. He accepted a summer position as a private chef at the Bohemia Grove in Northern California. He’s still living in Fells Point with his Pomeranian, Penny. Jamie moved back to Baltimore briefly and is now back in Oregon. Maria Barker missed our Reunion because she and her partner Jacques were in Portugal on vacation. Shortly after they came back, they adopted Wembley, a delightful 8-year-old mutt who they feel very lucky to have. She’s still working at Fannie Mae where she manages lender relationships in multifamily. Recently she attended her Swarthmore reunion where she saw Elizabeth Elliott. It was great to see Elizabeth at our Reunion. She is a physician, practicing family medicine in Easton, Md. Sasha Klevytska is loving
being an upper school science teacher at The Bryn Mawr School, teaching various levels of biology. Her colleagues and students are a real joy to work with. She created a public health and epidemiology elective course during the pandemic, which has validated a much considered career shift on her part. She started a part-time master of public health program at The George Washington University in July 2021. She has three adorable cats and still loves getting out into nature for hikes. Lake Roland is a favorite for a quick jaunt or quiet reflection. Angela Schwankey is still teaching English at Linganore High School and loves it. That and evenings by the stream with her husband and intrepid dog, Gillian. Elizabeth Shaum Delfosse left her job as a surgical acute care nurse at the University of Maryland Medical Center in October 2021 after 4 1/2 years and is now a home hospice nurse case manager with Gilchrist and loves it. She’s coming up on 23 years of marriage and somehow, the kids are 19 and 15 years-old. And because a husband and teenagers aren’t enough, she also has two labs, two cats, two guinea pigs, and a ball python. She adds that she and Rebecca Rossello are still best friends. Melissa Wasserman Daniels finished her 26th year of teaching in June 2022. After many different jobs within her career, she is back in the classroom teaching third grade. The last couple of years have been challenging, but she feels fortunate to be at a wonderfully diverse and supportive school - Mays Chapel Elementary. Melissa and her husband Mike are coming up on their 24th
anniversary. Their boys have finished their first years of college and high school respectively and both know exactly what they want to do in the future. She’s also now officially the shortest of her family. Over the summer they enjoyed some post-pandemic travel to England and Norway. Lisa Engel Maiorana and her family have been in Chapel Hill, N.C. for more than five years. They love it there, but miss Maryland too. Her youngest boys are growing up as avid Tar Heels fans, but the oldest remains a loyal Terps fan. David Melnick still lives in Sparks, Md. and loves being in the Hereford zone. He has two amazing kids: Harper, 17, and Holden, 13. In October, he and his wife Jenny celebrate 20 years of marriage. They have two Mini-Bernese mountain dog brothers: Gibson, 2, and Romeo, 7 mo. Last fall he became a partner at Marriner Marketing where they specialize in food, beverage and hospitality marketing. As part of his new role, he now oversees the creative and digital departments, in addition to his previous business development role. Recently he dabbled back in television writing, just for fun, and finished the treatment, character studies and the first two episode scripts for a television show that he says will most likely only exist on his laptop and imagination. Lastly, he reports that his hair has been growing since January 2020 with only a few trims, so it’s a bit long and out of control at the moment. Gage Monk has been teaching at Jemicy School for over 20 years now. His son Harrison is a student there while his daughter Catherine is an upper schooler at Friends. He lives with the kids and his wife Tammy, in their house adjacent to Genesee Valley Farm. Seth Niman and his wife Carrie live in Bethesda. Their daughter Emily is a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin, and their son Adam is a junior in high school. Please continue to stay in touch. Those of you who we haven’t heard from in years, please reach out!
Rich Santos and his wife, Shana, welcomed a baby boy, Arthur Santos, on June 3, 2022. Ian Parrish is living on Amelia Island, Fla. doing a lot of kiteboarding, and bringing “The Hippo” back to Baltimore. Bobby Williams writes, “I’m currently living with my wife and son in Keene, New Hampshire, where I am on the City Council. My big news is that I am currently running in the Democratic primary for an open seat in the State Senate. People can find out more at https://BobbyWilliamsNHSenate.com”
96Jeannie Achuff dr.jeannieachuff@gmail.comThe Class of 1996 seems difficult to stir right now, with a few exceptions. Andy Dale, who reports proudly from his kitchen in Newton, Mass., shared that he made peanut butter brownies for his wife in the ultimate act of husbanding. Life must be in pretty good balance with his new(ish) company that he joined in mid-2020, his wife Lauren, and two very sweet daughters. Andy, Alec Hawley, Madeline FranklinGross, Edith Dietz, Anjana Prasad Jindal, David Schummers ’95, Dan Muñoz, and I are on an ongoing text thread of ridiculousness that ranges in subject matter from the latest political surprises to some incident involving Andy’s mother’s house and Anjana’s low tolerance for Jell-O shots in high school, to exporting Berger Cookies from Baltimore for our children’s gustatory pleasures, and Dan lamenting Ken Drews’ absence from the math and science building when he went for a visit over the winter holidays. Some
content of the thread, while hysterical, is not necessarily family-friendly (thanks Alec!) so I will stop it there. Madeline reports that she doesn’t feel like she has much new going on in her life. She loves living in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y. and doesn’t know how she stayed in the city as long as she did. She just finished her 18th year teaching middle school music at Columbia Grammar and Prep School so she’s still commuting, but her hubby Kai also still works there so it’s nice that they can commute together. Madeline’s son Brayden is 10-years-old and daughter Violet is 7-years-old. They just went swimming at Janelle Milam Schmidt’s pool a couple of weeks ago, which was awesome. I will be convening with Anjana, Edith, Madeline and our kids in Baltimore this summer (2022), which will be a fun reunion. I have also been in touch with Janelle who left Friends School in 2019 and started working at Harford Day School in 2020. She is the director of auxiliary programs and manages the after-school program, summer programs and rentals. She enjoys working close to home so she can drive her 16 and 13-year-old boys to school when they miss the bus. Her 6-year-old daughter just finished kindergarten and is looking forward to first grade in the fall. For now, she is “running amok on the campus of Harford Day during the summer programs.” Janelle and her husband Mike celebrated 18 years of marriage in June 2022. Congratulations, you two! She was happy to spend some time with Maddie and Sara, also in June, when they visited their families who are still in Baltimore. Back in March, she also spent some time with Jamie Nissly Falcon who was in town from California. Jessica
Lichtenfeld moved to Washington, D.C. in June of 2019 - three years have gone by in a pandemic-infused blur. Jessica, her boyfriend, Kelly, and their dog, Avon Barksdale, are living in the eastern part of Capitol Hill and loving it. She also started a new job back in the beginning of 2021. Still in the media business, still in research, but now on the sales/account management side, working for Nielsen (the company that “does the ratings”). Jessica’s clients are all independent regional ad agencies, and she says, “Baltimore is one of my territories-- I get way too much traction out of, ‘Yup, I know exactly where your office is, I grew up in Baltimore County.’ But all good stuff.” She is also still singing (of course), now with The Washington Chorus, which she loves. They perform regularly at the Kennedy Center and at Strathmore Hall in Bethesda, Md., and this coming season will be doing the Verdi Requiem with the Baltimore Symphony at Meyerhoff. She hopes to see some fellow Quakers in the audience when the time comes and says “Don’t worry, I will remind you all!” Atman Smith reports another year of notoriety and change-making through the Holistic Life Foundation in Baltimore City. They are having their 20-year anniversary fundraiser on September 10, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. at the 1840 Plaza, and their book is coming out October 18, 2022. The book can be found on Amazon and is called Let Your Light Shine. Atman and the Holistic Life Foundation are doing amazing work, and if you have not checked them out, Google them and consider sending whatever form of support you can offer. We have another Baltimore resident who is committed to making change in the community: Alicia Amaral Freeman has returned to teaching ESOL after six years in administration in both private and public schools. During her first year at Franklin Elementary she was chosen as the BCPS Teacher of the Year for 2022-2023. (Amazing, Alicia! Huge, well deserved congratulations.) She looks forward to using this platform over the next year to advocate for equity in resources and opportunities for multilingual learners and all the teachers who teach them. Alicia lives in Rodgers Forge with her 7-year-old
son, Francisco. They are currently spending their time watching all the Star Wars movies multiple times over, gardening, taking bicycle rides, building everything and anything with Legos, and searching far and wide for delicious local ice cream. That definitely sounds like the life of a boy mom, eh? A little further afield, Abby Birdsall reports that last year she started working at Bancroft School in Worcester, Mass., and is back in the independent school world. She works in the lower school as a teacher in the Hope Graham Program, which is a program within the school for students with dyslexia. And on the West Coast, Brandon Maslan tagged me on Facebook when I put out a call for updates, but did not officially give me any news. I can say he seems to be living the good life in the East Bay of California with his wife and daughter. I, (Jeannie Achuff) am still in Victoria, British Columbia enjoying the natural beauty and access to the outdoors with my 11-year-old son, Curzon, and our Doodle, Frodo. I am quite relieved and pleased that border crossing is returning to a more normal flow after such a long period of time with travel restrictions; I have missed the U.S.A. in all its grit and glory. If I missed anyone who wants to be included, please be in touch so I can tag you in the next round!
97 Claire Cherlin Kosloff clairekosloff@yahoo.comIt was so amazing to see many classmates at our 25th Reunion in May 2022! In attendance were Ellen Morrow, Mather Preston, Charla Platt-Doble, Paul Masson, Jen Insley-Pruitt, Amit Shashidharan, Abby Owen Perry, Jim Nicholas, Christa Sterrett Gatewood, Steve Meredith, Hugh Peterson, Christina Counselman Patrick, Melissa Ciesla Catalano, Tom Quayle, Rebecca Leonard McWilliams, Vanessa Harbin Sacks, Jon Yeager, Bobby Michel, Kathleen Cusack Lyon, and myself, Claire Cherlin Kosloff, as well as many spouses. On campus, many of us attended Meeting for Worship, raided the Quaker Closet, and got a campus tour, where we stopped to strike a pose (and snap an amazing photo) in Rob Travieso’s English classroom. Chris Murray and his wife Cary were our
generous hosts for the class party and even brought out all the old yearbooks and elementary school photos to round out the décor. We had a wonderful time catching up, and I’m happy to report that none of us have aged a day since high school! We missed everyone who couldn’t be there, including a few classmates who planned to attend but fell ill, or tested positive for Covid-19 just prior. A few of those folks sent updates. Mike Goren writes, “I’m working at a school with the mission of increasing diversity in tech and helping adults from underprivileged backgrounds get into coding. When not doing that, I’m off rock climbing, adventuring in nature, building community, or queering the local contra dance scene.” What a great update, Mike. And with it, my envy of those living in the Pacific Northwest continues. Vivian Chang Hayward shares, “My family is doing well. I had a baby during the pandemic, which was kind of crazy, and we all got Covid-19 for Christmas, but we’re all better now.” Glad that everyone’s recovered, and congrats on the baby, Vivian! What wonderful news. Speaking of wonderful news, our classmate Lauren Dopkin had a great excuse for missing Reunion. She got married! Lauren wed Robert “Robb” Udell on May 22, 2022 (one year almost to the day they met) in Northeast Philadelphia. It was a small wedding with a few friends and family. Vanessa Sacks was in attendance and said she’d never seen Lauren so happy. Many congratulations to Lauren and Robb! Ian Milliken was not able to make Reunion, but asked me to “Say hi and pass on my Quaker love to everyone.” Rami Jabaji couldn’t make it back, but I need to give him a shout out because his Instagram feed chronicling fatherhood makes me laugh daily. As for me, I was so thrilled to hang out with everyone in May. What a testament to our alma mater that 25 years later we still feel such fondness, and such allegiance, to “the friendly school.” I’m still riding high after spending a few days in my beloved Baltimore with some of my dearest friends. Out in Los Angeles things are going well. My husband Adam and I are working hard - as of press time I will have wrapped production on a new spinoff of “Nailed It!” for Netflix.
Our three kids (ages 6, 11, 13) keep us very busy. The city is overwhelming at times, but it’s also an amazing place filled with such interesting, creative people and so much to do. I’ve loved raising “L.A. kids” who are passionate about their city…even if I not-so-secretly wish they could be Friends School Quakers. I will end this update with a request that all of us send positive vibes to a few classmates who are battling health issues, especially Erica Steed Winters who is a NICU nurse in Dallas and currently needs our support. I’ve emailed and posted a GoFundMe link for her on Facebook, please reach out to me for more info. Sending love and light to all.
Chriscondlin@gmail.com
Hello, Class of 1999! I hope that everyone is well! Starting with Baltimore-area folks and moving on from there: Drew Shelton and his wife Sarah live in Towson with daughters Annie,
10 and Molly, 6. Drew is still teaching Physics at Oldfields School. This spring he taught a specialty program called “Space, Art, and Madness” which included time travel movies, tarot cards, the Air and Space Museum, the Baltimore Museum of Art, and hands-on projects, including launching waterand-air-powered rockets yesterday. Ben Bodnar, together with his wife Alia and their two kids James, almost 7 and Alett, almost 5, is living in Roland Park. Ben is still working as an internist and pediatrician at Hopkins Hospital (as well as assistant professor at Hopkins Medical School). James and Aletta are both attending Friends. Charlie Achuff continues to work as a librarian at the National Library of Medicine in Bethesda. Covid-19 hindered Charlie’s ability to bring his fiancé Derick over to the U.S. from the Philippines, but he plans to travel there in September 2022 to start the visa process. Charlie, we will look forward to meeting Derick at our 25th Reunion in 2024! Lucia Treasure is getting back into live theater as much as possible as things open back open from the pandemic. As of June 2022, she was running a new series called BALTIMORATORY, in which she curates famous speeches delivered by Baltimore performers. It runs monthly at Peabody Heights Brewery in Baltimore. So far the series has featured performances of historic speeches by James Baldwin, Dorothy Parker, Abraham Lincoln, Mother Jones, Shirley Chisholm and Barbara Jordan. Josh Stone and his wife Kelly are expecting their second child in early September and their son Colton is starting at Little Friends in July 2022, so they will be running into the Bodnars for drop-offs and pick-ups! Emily Reeder and her husband moved to Clarksville, Md. with their goldendoodle, Hazel. Emily is a civil engineer and is managing a team of 200 engineers throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe. Brian Valle lives with his wife Laura in Washington, D.C. He is still working at The Bozzuto Group, a real estate developer, where he focuses on capital markets. His crowning achievement in 2021 was defeating me, Jeremy Barofsky, Will Terrin, Michael Kremen and Reid Cherlin in an epic round of mini-golf,
though reports have emerged online that the field let Brian win because it was his birthday. Ryan Welch and his wife Lidiya live in Philadelphia, Pa. with daughter Ada, who turns two in August 2022. Ryan continues to work at Philadelphia-based architecture firm KieranTimberlake. Maron Deering also lives in Philadelphia, with wife Sandy and daughters Sterrett, 7 and Willa, 4. Rounding out the Philly contingent, Deana Carr-Davis Frank, lives in the Mount Airy neighborhood with her husband, Laksman, and their three kids, and she continues to work as the director of advancement at the Community Partnership School. I get to see the Philly and also the NYC Friends ‘99 contingents with some regularity. In New York City, Reid Cherlin and wife Annie recently welcomed the newest member of their family - Lewis James Cherlin, born May 12, 2022. Early reports suggest that older brother Walter is thrilled to have a baby brother around. Reid has been working as the Managing Editor for Podcasts at NBC News since March 2021. I thoroughly enjoyed his recent series “American Radical” and “Southlake” and can’t wait for the next one. Tim Sweeney and his wife Nahla welcomed their first child Leila on July 1, 2021. Leila has already traveled to her mom’s home country of Australia, so she’s following in daddy’s globe-trotting footsteps. Tim moved his long-running radio show Beats in Space to Apple Music - catch it every Friday at 4:00 p.m. on Apple Music 1 Radio! Will Terrin continues to work as an emergency room doctor at the Mt. Sinai South Nassau hospital on Long Island. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife Viviane and their daughter Isabelle, who turned one in March of 2022. The NYC Friends ‘99 crew recently reunited with Arianna Rondos (who was in our class, but who left after middle school), who moved to NYC in April from Vienna with her husband Georgios and son Luca. Arianna works as a psychotherapist specializing in trauma, refugees and gender-based violence. Side note–I’d love to feature in this column other folks who were similarly in our class at some point along the way, but didn’t graduate with us–so please send me any updates for people who fit that
description or put them directly in touch with me! Moving off the East Coast, Meagan Ciesla recently left her tenured job as associate professor of English at Gonzaga University to become a registered nurse. She is now working at the oncology unit at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, Wash. Dave Raphael and wife Lesley Wojcik Raphael ’00 are still in Portland, Ore. with their two boys, Jack and Charlie. Dave reports that they recently met up with Ashley Bastinelli ’01 a couple weeks ago, who recently moved to Portland. Elder son Jack’s baseball team (The Blue Pandas) won the second grade championship in the local little league. Steve Cooper is based in Los Angeles (with frequent trips to NYC), where he runs his financial planning and investment management firm, Dew Point Capital. Jessie Adkins marks 13 years in Seattle this year, where she lives with husband Bob and 8 year old son Luke. Jessie is starting a new job as the middle school director at Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart. She goes to see the Orioles whenever they are in town, and is still reveling in having attended the John Means no-hitter last year (the first single-pitcher no-hitter by the Orioles since Jim Palmer did it in ‘69). Jessie and family FaceTime with Tim Donahue and his family from Los Angeles (wife Keri, kids Sylvia, Hayes and Lucy) every Saturday morning, where Tim hosts a television show called “Auto/Biography”. As for me, Chris Condlin, I am still in NYC with my wife Lisa, our 17 year old son Nikita (now taller than me…) and two guinea pigs, Hairy Beastie and J.J. Hardy (yes, named after the Oriole). I left my law firm job of 12+ years in June 2022 to figure out next steps - probably still in the process of figuring them out as of press time! We also spend time in Philadelphia and I’m (slowly starting) training to run in the Philadelphia Half Marathon in November 2022 with Brian Valle, Dave Raphael and some other folks. It would be fun to have anyone else that wants to join us (Saturday, November 19, 2022– the weekend before Thanksgiving). Stay healthy, keep in touch and hope to see many of you soon!
01 Carrie Runde Paddock carrie.runde@gmail.com
Sara Zager Chapper and her husband Mike Chapper ’00 live in Silver Spring, Md. with their two young sons, Elior, 4 and Shai, 1 mo. Elior is in preschool and Sara stays home with Shai. Mike is working for the Maryland Public Defender in the post-conviction division. Emily Kleeman is living in Denver, Colo. and was engaged last December 2021. She and her fiancé recently spent a week in Hawaii celebrating. Emily is busy growing her organization, The Reentry Initiative, in Longmont, Colo. The organization assists its members in stabilizing after release from prison, specializing in trauma, addiction and mental health. They’re also working on a documentary about women in prison which will premiere in October 2022 in Colorado. Molly Kastendieck is still living in beautiful Paso Robles, Calif. with her boyfriend, Andrew. They are spending three months this summer in Victoria, British Columbia. Emma Viscidi writes from Boston that she has a new job at Moderna where she is a lead epidemiologist for infectious diseases, early stage vaccines. James Clark is living in Baltimore and working as a senior health insurance and policy analyst at The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). James and his fiancée, Heather Feng, were engaged last December while visiting Belize.
Christine Pappas, her husband Bryan, and their 3-year-old daughter Ruthie moved out to Phoenix, Md. where they are enjoying what Christine considers “country living.” She hosted Jennifer Tufaro Nolley, Rachel Tranter, Lauren Stone Prendeville, and their families for Memorial Day 2022. And I, your class
secretary, Carrie Runde Paddock, am living in Baltimore with my husband and two children. Last fall my life came full circle when my oldest, Ella, started first grade at Friends!
02 Camille Powe Foster camille.powe@gmail.com
Christopher S. Wright cswright@gmail.com
Our class had a great showing for our 20th Reunion. Over the course of the weekend, Jordy Alger, Jake Allen, Thomas Bennett, Jason Berman, Caitlin Bouxsein, Elizabeth Brannan, A.J. Coleman, Emily Condlin, Dorothy Williams Cook, Brian Doctrow, Nikki Durand, Andrew Jazwiecki, Fernando Moore, Matt Peters, Alice Simpkins Pomplon, Carolyn Richardson, Irene Donnelly Salmon, Jesse Siegel, Karleena Tobin, Maggie Flook Vielhaber, Alexis Johnson Walpole, John Whitney and Chris Wright all came to campus. Jason Berman has an exciting career update – he is producing the Untitled New Model/Sonny Vaccaro/ Nike Air Jordan film for Amazon Studios. The film is being directed by Ben Affleck and is written by Alex Convery, and stars Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Viola Davis, Jason Bateman and Chris Tucker. The film is expected to be released in the Spring of 2023.
It was so nice to hear from a handful of you all! Allison Levin had a baby girl about a year ago and is enjoying life with her so far. Emily Weinman Thompson shared a very cute photo that was taken at Mariel Oquendo Smith’s daughter’s birthday party. Also
in attendance were Lisa Gabriel, Emily Shadur Braman, Rachel Naumann Murphy, and all of their sweet children. Gant Powell asked me to share that he and his long-time partner Daniel are doing great and planning on getting married in spring 2023. Although I talk to him all the time, Steve Sauder stubbornly refuses to submit an update, but is doing great with his wife, Kim, and their two children. Jacob Wilcock recently through-hiked the Appalachian Trail and asked me if that counted as an update - I think it definitely does! He wrote, “The important detail is that I did a very non-traditional thru-hike. Most people camp the whole way, but I only camped a dozen or so nights. Instead, I hired my favorite bartender to drive my car and pick me up at the trailhead each afternoon and drive me to a motel for a bed and a shower. Everybody gets nicknames on the trail, so people called her Ms. Frizzle and my name was Spy. So other hikers would come to road crossings, see my car and get spooked (it’s an old crown vic police cruiser- long story), but then Ms. Frizzle would pop out and offer them a cocktail! Anyway, with her driving most days, it meant that I didn’t have to carry a week’s worth of supplies on my back, which certainly made the whole thing much easier. But, I did check, I still count as having completed the thru-hike according to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s official definition, so I will be getting some sort of certificate at some point”. Hannah Stern’s update also cannot be paraphrased. She wrote that, “a lot is going on here in Berlin! We have been taking in families from Ukraine here in our apartment in Berlin as they keep moving and try to figure out a long
term safe location. And maybe most importantly, my parents are ‘adopting’ a mother and her 7-year-old son through the Unite for Ukraine program and they will hopefully be with them in Roland Park before the end of the summer!”
As for me (Emily Lamasa), I am still in Annapolis, Md. though now with two boys (I think only one last time we did class notes, but who can remember). I’m really looking forward to our 20th Reunion next year and hope to see many of you there!
Samantha Cusack Freeman and her husband, Julian Freeman, welcomed their third child Annalee Rena Freeman in May 2021. They recently moved outside of Philadelphia. Samantha is also transitioning to a new role as the regional director of student support at KIPP Philadelphia Public Schools this summer, after 8 years as a teacher and leader at KIPP Philadelphia Elementary Academy. Over at KIPP DC, Caitlin Garman is working as a high school social worker. Caitlin welcomed her second child this year, Charlotte, born in April 2022. She joins big brother William and dad Mike in their Springfield, Virginia home. Gary Williams is currently living in Baltimore, in the Cedmont neighborhood, with his wife Christina and two kids, Julian and Charlotte. Last year he started a new job as a program officer with the France-Merrick Foundation. Justin Coe was recently married and had several ‘04 classmates in attendance, including Peter Weitzmann, Ian Morton, Rob Summers, Doug Vahlkamp, Alexei Pfeffer-Gillett, Mike Levin, Alex Broekoff, Kathleen Gorman, Robert Hecht, and his sister Kirsten Coe ’00. What a crew! I, Abby Seiler, am still living in Washington, D.C . with my husband Kevin and son Theodore, born in December 2020. I recently began working at World Food Program USA. I’ve been lucky to enjoy frequent visits with Kathleen Gorman and Lindsey Syropolous Wedekind, including outings to the Kennedy
Center, Camden Yards and Deep Creek lake. Lindsey is in Baltimore working at Johns Hopkins University and raising two amazing daughters, Lucy and Iyla. Kathleen is back state-side, living in Annapolis, Md. and working as a pediatrician at Anne Arundel Medical Center after spending two years working in Malawi and doing a masters program in London.
05 Christina Forsting Taler christina.forsting@gmail.comDan Benamor and his wife Adriana are blessed to have two kids, their newest addition, Alejandro Benamor, was born in October of 2020. Dan is currently head of podcasts for Voyage Media, and oversees their growing podcast network (voyagemedia.fm). Dan was interviewed earlier this year by the Friends School Alumni Office when he released the podcast series Borderline, which tells the true story of Jayson Woodward, who managed to escape the assailant that kidnapped her from in front of her home. Casey Royer just celebrated 10 years as a business owner with her dance studio, Arts in Motion Dance Academy, in Richmond, Va. She’s had the amazing opportunity to positively influence the lives of over 700 students through the art form of dance. Casey also mentors and coaches other dance studio owners with her consulting firm, DSO Connect. She was recently awarded a professional development scholarship through the National Dance Education Organization, and was also nominated for an NDEO award for outstanding leadership in private sector dance education. Casey lives in Richmond with her girlfriend, Margi, and their two
dogs, Kora and Benji. Britney Bogues’ business, Bogues Group, is growing and recently received Charlotte Business Journal Top 25 Women in Business and North Carolina Business Top Diverse Agencies in the state. She says, “We are looking to expand our communication services into the CBD/Cannabis space and launching our first product this year, the Complete Brand Builder Workbook, helping entrepreneurs build their brand from A to Z. Join the waitlist today”. Britney and Jackie Cross ’06, who also works at Bogues Group, recently teamed up with the Friends School Alumni Office to bring Muggsy Bogues P’06, ’09 back to speak at Upper School Collection prior to the release of his new memoir, Muggsy: My Life from a Kid in the Projects to the Godfather of Small Ball
06 Nicole Runde nicole.runde@gmail.com
David Ray and his wife Mairead welcomed their first child, Charles Seamus Ray on February 4, 2022. Classmate Tom Adolph is Charlie’s godfather. David and Mairead live in Catonsville, Md. and David has been actively involved with the school through service on the Alumni Association Board and Board of Trustees. David works for T. Rowe Price and regularly spends time with numerous classmates still in the Baltimore area, most recently at the alumni lacrosse game. Ouranitsa Abbas writes, “I’m officially halfway through my dual-degree (J.D./M.S. in negotiations and conflict management) and double graduate certificate (organizational leadership and trauma-informed) program at The University of Baltimore. I’m trying to relax as much as I can this summer while still working at different nonprofits and taking classes. Last summer I broke my ankle in Ocean City (while playing mini golf, no less!) and it took a while to recover. In the summer of 2022 I plan on returning to Ocean City and successfully conquering that seventh hole at Nick’s Mini Golf!” Brian Penza is now a father of two! He and his wife, Christina, continue to chase after their daughter Molly, 2.5 years, while keeping baby brother Kyle, 1 mo., alive. Brian still works for Honda as a design engineer in their automotive design center in Columbus, Ohio, and was able to enjoy a full five weeks of built-up vacation to take care of the newborn. His hobbies of downhill skiing, stage rally, and driving his car on tracks around the country have all taken a
backseat as he focuses on 24/7 doubleduty parenting, but he hopes to get back to them in the near future. He and the family enjoy occasional trips back to Baltimore to see his parents in their new condo overlooking the harbor.
lmarks617@gmail.com
Ryan Cotterell finished his doctoral degree in computer science in 2019 from Johns Hopkins University. He subsequently moved to the United Kingdom to take up a position as an assistant professor of computer science at the University of Cambridge. In 2020, he moved again -- this time to Zurich, Switzerland where he is currently an assistant professor of computer science at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. His research group is jocularly titled Rycolab and updates about their most recent academic undertakings may be found at rycolab.io. As of July 2022, Laura Shingleton will have graduated from family medicine residency. Laura will be joining her husband Mark, who is a sports medicine doctor in Los Angeles, Calif. They will be living and working near Mark’s family, and with their giant dog, a Rhodesian ridgeback named Percy. Laura’s parents are still living in Baltimore and are excited about their new winter destination! Molly Moses is getting married on Sunday, June 19, 2022! Molly and Jen met in divinity school almost eight years ago at a friend’s ordination. They’re getting married at a Quaker retreat center in Western Massachusetts. Ali Pappas, who was kind enough to collect notes this year, relocated to
From left: Casey Royer ’05 just celebrated ten years as owner of Arts in Motion Dance Academy; Britney Bogues ’05 of the Bogues Group.Baltimore after nine years of living in New York City. She is currently living in Hampden, Md. – just a little under 2 miles from Friends. In September 2021, she accepted a role as director of marketing for SCOUT Bags (scoutbags. com), a female founded tote bag brand based in Georgetown, D.C. In Hampden, she lives with her partner Eric, who recently relocated from Colorado with his black lab Juno. Her Siberian cat, Stevie, is not thrilled but she is adjusting.
08Jasmine Powe Ruschmann jasmine.ruschmann@gmail.com
Elaine Kwon and Jordan Taylor got married on the California coast in Malibu on Labor Day, 2021 at the Bel-Air Bay Club. The wedding was preceded by a beach version of their annual White Party (think lots of champagne and white linen) for their guests, as well as an intimate Paebaek ceremony, a Korean wedding tea ceremony for families of the bride and groom to celebrate the union and share their blessings for the couple. Their love story and wedding announcement was shared in the New York Times. Since their wedding, Elaine and Jordan have moved from Seattle, Wash. to Orange County, Calif., where Elaine is opening up their third Kwontified office, and first one in California. Kwontified currently has several analyst positions open for recent graduates who are interested in fashion + ecommerce technology. Kara Woo and her partner Tamsin Johnson welcomed the birth of baby Forest this winter. Forest is a happy baby who brings endless smiles to their life. Will Thomas and his wife had a baby
in January 2022. He will start at Little Friends School in July. Daniel Feinberg is living in Maplewood, N.J., with his wife, Melanie, and working as a sustainability strategist. In his spare time, he has been making music and recently reconnected with fellow ‘08-er Tommy Goldman to create an album called Narrative Selves Emma Young is finishing her Ph.D. and has set up shop in Washington, D.C. as an endangered species biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. As for me, Jasmine Powe Ruschmann, and my husband, Nick, I recently bought a home in Chicago, Ill. We are looking forward to spending summers biking along Lake Michigan.
Right: top, Will Thomas ’08 and his son, Theodore Thomas; bottom, Elaine Kwon ’08 and Jordan Taylor’s Malibu, Calif. wedding.
From left: Christina and Brian Penza ’06’s children Molly and Kyle; David Ray ’06 with his wife Mairead and their son Charlie; Molly Moses ’07 and her fiancée, Jen Wenz
09
Leah R. Koenig lkoenig14@gmail.com
Hannah Patterson Hill and her husband Robert welcomed their daughter, Katharine Byrd Hill, (known to her friends as Birdie) in September 2021.
Bailey McWilliams is now back in Washington, D.C. working in public affairs for the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. After serving in the Peace Corps in Paraguay, she spent most of the socially-distant era across the pond in London where she took many long walks while completing her master’s in human rights and politics at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
11 Ashley Geleta ageleta@fandm.edu
Rochelle Windman Cohen and her husband Yehonatan welcomed their first child, Claire Shoshana Cohen, into the world on February 15, 2022. They live in Jerusalem, Israel and are enjoying every minute of parenthood.
12
Declan Meagher kerb501@yahoo.com
The Class of 2012 celebrated their 10th Reunion this year! It’s hard to believe that it’s been a decade since we turned in our last exams, scored our last goals, or took our last bows on stage, 10 years since we ate our last meal in the dining hall, or since our graduation was rained out and moved inside the gym. The Reunion was a great time to reflect and reconnect with friends from near and far and we thank Autumn Walker, Elijah Muhammad, and Sarah Emrich for organizing such a fun weekend. However, for and from those of us that may have been a little too far to attend the Reunion, we have a couple of special announcements and highlights to share. Firstly, from our academic achievements, a big “congradulations” to Caroline Stanley who just completed physician assistant school in December 2021! She now lives in Portland, Ore. and works in the trauma and critical care field. Another “congradulations” goes out to our, newly minted, Dr. Gabriela Roberts! Dr. Roberts graduated
from Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia on May 25, 2022 and will be relocating to internal medicine at Yale in June of 2022. She and her husband, Aasim Waqaar (to whom she has been married since 2018), are excited to find new local restaurants and hiking trails in New Haven to take their “fur babies”, Harvey and Heidi, to once they move. Dr. Roberts is no stranger to travel as she continued to keep up with her friendships in Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Brazil, often surprising friends and family with a flower arrangement she’s crafted from her new favorite hobby. Ben Lewin is letting his hobby take him places as well. Ben works as a senior software engineer in Boston, Mass. but on the side he toils passionately as a vocalist and assistant director of his barbershop chorus, Vocal Revolution, as well as performing in his own quartet, Daily Special. Ben and the gents of Daily Special will be headed to Charlotte, N.C. for the Barbershop Harmony Society International Quartet Contest at the beginning of July 2022. While Ben’s singing has taken him away from home, David Socolar is now allowing his singing to bring him back. Finishing up the North American tour of Waitress the Musical as Doctor Pomatter, David is excited to be traveling back to the Big Apple to make his off-broadway debut in Kinky Boots The Musical at Stage 42 were he will play the role of Richard Bailey. Friends in NYC, keep an eye out; this Quaker may even go on for the lead, Charlie Price, and that’s something you won’t want to miss!
From the travel and entertainment fields of the high seas I (Declan Meagher) continue my career with Disney Cruise Line as part of the inaugural cast of the Disney Wish, DCL’s newest cruise ship. I am currently finishing up a four-month stretch of rehearsals and shipbuilding in Canada, the Netherlands, and Germany before heading to the Caribbean for the Maiden Voyage on July 14, 2022. I will be sailing out of Port Canaveral, Fla. until mid-October 2022 when I hope to finally have a chance to celebrate my engagement to Sara Murray (a celebration that has been on hold since February 2021). The biggest celebration of all, however, has already
occurred: Mrs. Rachel Bolan Knott just got married! She and Henry Knott tied the knot on June 3, 2022 surrounded by family and friends including Friends Emma Sissman, Marisa Dunn, and more. Rachel and her new husband live in Baltimore where she works in marketing for Hord Coplan Macht, an architectural design firm. These are just a few of the achievements, milestones, and updates from the “Twelvers” for now. One decade of post-high school in the books and it still feels like we just signed the yearbook. See you for the next one!
13Chrissie Baker Roethle chrissie.e.baker@gmail.com
Taylor Roethle and I, Chrisse, finally got married after 10 years of dating with their small Covid-19 wedding in April 2021 and their big celebration in May 2022 with several fellow 2013-ers present. I am a physical therapist in Chevy Chase, Md. and Taylor is an affordable housing developer in Washington, D.C. We’re currently loving suburbia life with our two pups outside of D.C., playing golf and renovating our house. Molly Green graduated from Georgetown Law in 2021 and is currently working in D.C. She lives in Arlington, Va. with fellow 2013-er Hannah Kaufman who works for a business consulting firm in Annapolis. Sarah Lambros is going into her third year of medical school in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. and has decided beach life is the only life. Earlier this year Sophia Springer started in a new role with Sotheby’s in their New York City office as program manager of the
wine and spirits department, primarily focusing her time on charity based wine auctions. This fall she’s looking to wrap up her diploma in wine studies from the Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET)…somewhere along the way wine became her hobby. Otherwise, Sophia can be found planning her next trip, working on mastering her cooking skills (and enjoying the food of course), and cheering for sports teams with bad luck (the Orioles, Bulls, Haas…take your pick). Jack Angelone is currently working in his second season as a wildland firefighter for the forest service out of the Lincoln National Forest, N.M. Right now he’s working with the Sacramento Hotshots on the Pipeline Fire just outside of Flagstaff, Ariz. Will Gantt will be entering his fourth year of a Ph.D. in computer science at the University of Rochester in the fall, focusing on natural language processing. For the summer, he’s working on conversational AI with the semantic machines group at Microsoft. Outside of work-life, his partner recently finished medical school in Tennessee and — very fortunately for him — has just started her residency in internal medicine at University of Rochester Medical Center. Nico Binford is currently living in San Francisco, Calif. and working for a biotech company doing lab automation (basically robotics). In his free time he enjoys reading, listening to music, and trying new bars and cafes (lots of catching up to do since the pandemic!). His goals for the rest of 2022 and beyond are to pick up the guitar and piano again (he hardly practices anymore) and learning to surf.
This fall Tucker Glotzbach will begin his final year of the MBA program at Carnegie Mellon University–Tepper School of Business. He currently lives with his girlfriend, Taylor, in the Bloomfield neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pa. Tucker likes Pittsburgh despite the football team and continues to wear his Ravens gear with pride! Ben Chase and Tucker were able to go to the RavensSteelers game this past December 2021 with some friends and had a great time until the final play where the Ravens missed the 2-point conversion. Tucker is spending the summer in Arlington, Va. for an internship and is excited to be closer to family in Baltimore and the Roethle household.
14 Amelia Merrill amelia7merrill@gmail.comSince the beginning of the pandemic, the Class of 2014 has focused on giving back and growing up. Multiple classmates have reached major life milestones, and many have decided to dedicate their careers to public service, whether through healthcare and advocacy, the free press, or education. Nathan Leach is working as a teacher in the Baltimore City School System. They are currently living in Charles Village and teaching fifth grade language arts at Glenmount Elementary/Middle School. Zari Press is also working in education and just finished her first year as a school psychologist in the Baltimore County Public School System. Katie Wienner is working as an associate producer at CBS News in New York, where she lives with her dog, Romeo
(and previously with me – Mia Merrill!). Her writing can be seen daily on the politics-based news show Red & Blue While Katie and I were living together, I was working toward my degree in communications and journalism innovation from Syracuse University, and I was proud to receive my M.S. this year. David Mandelberg began working as a video affiliate intern this year with the Cincinnati Reds’s minor league affiliate in Daytona Beach, Fla. He works with coaches and players to collect data via video to help the team improve its skills. He previously served in a similar role with the Kansas City Royal’s Quad Cities River Bandits, helping them win the Midwest League Championship last year. Sarah Miller Abramowitz is starting her second year of dental school at New York University. Last spring, she married Aaron Abramowitz in Fairfax, Va. The two met in the Baltimore and Washington, D.C. swing dancing communities. Sarah describes swing dancing as “the joy of my adult
life.” Jordan Hartman married Kenny Wexler in October 2021 in Altamont, N.Y. The couple met at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and now live in Albany, N.Y. Ryan Frank served in the wedding party. Grace Hand Buly married Nick Buly on June 26, 2022 in Middletown, Conn. The two met on their first day at Connecticut College in 2014. Classmates Lauren Linehan, Hannah Noyes, and Shane Rabinowitz Raphael served in the wedding party, along with Grace’s brother, Logan Hand ’16, and her mother, Friends Spanish teacher and language department chair Lucy Williams Hand ’80 Meg Conner and Ben Mossman purchased a home in Baltimore last year. The Friends “lifers” enjoy rescuing dogs, including their current pitbull mix Ghost.
18 Emma Galambos elegalcat@gmail.com
I, Emma Galambos, am finishing my psychology degree from UMBC and will graduate in December 2022. I plan to start nursing school in January 2023 to get my master’s in nursing. I am volunteering at a local firehouse and am currently one of the EMS Lieutenants. Keelty Wyatt graduated from Drexel University with a B.S in graphic design and minor in art history and fine art and is starting to apply for jobs. She will spend her summer between Baltimore and Philadelphia. AJ Goldbloom graduated from University of Maryland College Park with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. She has accepted a reporting job in NYC and will spend the summer traveling before she starts. Ilana Wolchinsky graduated from Vanderbilt University and has moved to Chicago for graduate school. She will be getting her master of science degree from the Medill School of Journalism with a health and science specialization. Abby Reibman graduated from University of Maryland College Park with a psychology degree and a minor in human development. She is spending her summer traveling, which will include her going on birthright to Israel this summer. Benjamin Sherbakov is working as a delegate representing Liechtenstein in the U.N. tasked with Security Council work. Lilly Stone graduated from East Carolina University
with a degree in business management. She is currently working on getting her real estate license. Ethan Seifert graduated from Arizona State University with a B.A. in business (sports business) and just finished three years of working in scouting and recruiting for Arizona State Football. This fall he will be working for the University of Alabama in their recruiting department while getting his master’s.
hgriffith00@gmail.com
Greetings Class of 2020, I have decided to take on the role of class secretary. I hope more of you will write in next year, but for now, we have a few great updates to report. Amelia Martin writes, “After taking a gap year to work in 2020 due to the pandemic, I just finished my freshman year at Oregon State University studying interior design with a minor in entrepreneurship. In addition to moving to Oregon for school, I also moved to San Diego, Calif. with my family in November 2021. I’m also planning on studying abroad in South Korea or Italy next term for interior design.” Thomas Olmstead updates us with, “When entering college, I did not know what direction I wanted as a career, so I chose to major in business because it seemed practical and would allow me to better my communication skills. Everyone keeps asking me if majoring in business is a good fit for me, and honestly, while not perfect, I enjoy it. I want to learn a little bit about everything, so I have been practicing drawing in my spare time, and I even take a couple of Engineering classes on the side. I will probably not have enough to graduate with an Engineering minor, but I still enjoy learning about it. This year, I became the treasurer for both the Choral Society and BU FORGE Design Club. The Design Club is a lot of work, but I’ve learned a bit about digital design because of it. This summer I am working with the club as an apprentice for some projects with real clients as an internship, in addition to helping with the financial aspect of things as its treasurer. Because of everything I am doing, I am always running around campus, but I am doing well. This is because I decided to take more initiative in what I do lately.
Not because I have suddenly gained a lot of confidence, but instead because I realized that nothing will happen otherwise. I haven’t applied this to other aspects of my life, such as dating or relationships in general, but it’s a start.”
Jack Corkum writes, “I just finished up my sophomore year at Dickinson College up in South Pennsylvania. I am majoring in international business and management with minors in Spanish and economics. I am also a dual varsity athlete for my college, playing for the Division 1 squash program and running for the Division 3 outdoor track and field team as a 400m specialist. I’m still living in Baltimore where I picked up a summer finance internship at an investment sales and marketing firm
called Harborside Group. This upcoming semester I will be studying abroad on the Southern coast of Spain in a city called Malaga. I will be attending the University of Malaga as well as staying with a family in a homestay setting. Most of my free time this summer is spent exercising, traveling, or buying crypto.” As for me, Henry Griffith, this past May, I finished my sophomore year at Davidson down in North Carolina. I declared a major in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics as well as a minor in data science. I continue to run all of the time when I’m healthy and compete for the cross country and track team at Davidson, where I primarily focus on the 5k, 8k, and 10k distances. This summer I am working down in Davidson interning
with the investment office and assisting in the management of the school’s endowment. Looking ahead to next year and my career, I am intending to pursue a position in investment banking or potentially some other area in financial services. Unfortunately, due to cross country and track, I am not allowed to travel abroad, but I will nonetheless continue to live a full life of school, running, and working during my junior year. Overall, I have thoroughly enjoyed these first couple of years in college, and I believe that life will continue to bring me gratifying challenges for the remainder of my undergraduate years and when I move into the first stage of my nascent career. I wish you all the best!
1974
Charles “Chuck” Mitchell and Jani Hook June 19, 2022
1997
Lauren Dopkin and Robert “Robb” Udell May 22, 2022
2012
Rachel Bolan Knott and Henry Knott June 3, 2022
2013
Helene Kerins Clutterbuck and Scott Clutterbuck September 22, 2021 Chrissie Baker Roethle and Taylor Roethle April 2021
2014 Jordan Hartman and Kenny Wexler October 10, 2021
Sarah Miller and Aaron Abramowitz March 21, 2022
Grace Hand Buly and Nick Buly June 26, 2022
1994
Rich Santos and Shana Santos Arthur Santos, June 3, 2022
1998
Lauren Johnson and Patrick Walker Amina Walker, September 9, 2021
1999
Reid Cherlin and Annie Schachar Lewis James Cherlin, May 12, 2022
Tim Sweeney and Nahla Huzejrović Leila Sweeney, July 1, 2021
2002
Alice Simpkins Pomplon and David Pomplon, Claire Pomplon December 11, 2020
2003
Danielle Bilenky and Steve Bilenky Cooper Bilenky, April 2022
Emily Lamasa and Andrew Eyring Hall Phillips Eyring, October 1, 2021
Allison Levin and Max LeVee Lennon Victoria LeVee, May 22, 2021
2004
Abby Seiler and Kevin Gilligan Theodore Gilligan, December 1, 2020 Nick Silbergeld and Annie Silbergeld Teddy Silbergeld, December 12, 2020
2005
Dan Benamor and Adriana Benamor Alejandro Benamor, October 2020
2006
David Ray and Mairead Ray Charles Seamus Ray, February 4, 2022
2008 Will Thomas and Jenn Thomas Theodore Thomas, January 2022
2009
Hannah Patterson Hill and Robert Hill Katharine “Birdie” Byrd Hill, September 2021
2011
Rochelle Windman Cohen and Yehonatan Cohen Claire Shoshana Cohen, February 15, 2022
1943 Betty Jones Vincenti December 2, 2021
1948 Ralph Yates December 13, 2021
1949
John L. Davis, Sr. January 23, 2022
1950 Jack Andrews January 2, 2022 Stephen H. Sachs January 12, 2022
1952 Alison Herriott Wilder May 22, 2021
1954 Daniel C. Blake April 2022
Joseph Seivold, Jr. July 17, 2021
1956
Ellen Snyder Hale December 20, 2021
Sue Ann Bonnett Hamel July 11, 2022
1959 Lorna Gardner Hurley August 24, 2020
1960 Carol Smith Hoshall January 26, 2022
1961 Janice Henderson Darrell May 14, 2022
1964
Patricia Koenig Worthington January 9, 2022
1965 Mary Donker Buchanan September 4, 2021
1972
Andrew A. D. McBee November 20, 2019
1974 George H. MacDonald August 19, 2021
1981 Ian F. Fergusson June 17, 2021
Robert E. Patterson III June 23, 2021
1986
K. Richard Pfrommer, Jr. April 4, 2022
1990 Kenji Chida (formerly Lamont Nicholson) October 6, 2021
2006 Robert L. Janey November 11, 2021
2018 Bennett G. Persons September 2021
The 2021-22 school year has been another unique and extraordinary time as we work our way back towards “normalcy.” The FSPA has continued its hard work, adapting many of the School’s favorite events, continuing to offer virtual programs and implementing new initiatives throughout the year to promote an inclusive and accessible parent and caregiver culture. Parents and caregivers of students at Friends spent hundreds of hours in a variety of programs and events, giving their gifts of time and talent to raise $29,000 for Friends. Highlights included in-person parent/caregiver socials, Scarlet and Gray Day, our second annual DEI Speakers Series and conversation groups, the Community Giving Tree, the 18th annual MLK, Jr. Day of Service, Night Out With Friends, Friendly Friday and the Faculty and Staff Appreciation Luncheon.
Jenn Taylor P’23, FSPA Chair, 2021-2022
Vivian Sund P’27, ’29, FSPA Chair-Elect, 2021-2022
• Night Out with Friends - $20,000
• Brain Boosters - $9,000
In addition to our annual dues, these fundraising dollars had an immediate impact on our Friends School community.
Below are details on how these funds were spent this year:
• Enriching Student Life: $9,000 Gift to Friends Prom Night 2023 $5,500 Scarlet and Gray Day
• Building Community: $ 2,900 DEI Initiatives $ 3,750 Faculty & Staff Appreciation
• Wish List: $20,000 It was incredibly exciting to plan and host the first Night Out With Friends in two years. Through ticket sales, direct donations and sponsorships, the FSPA raised $20,000 to support the School’s Wish List.
Above: The Family-to-Family volunteers welcome new Lower School families to campus by hosting a playdate!
Top:
Bottom:
Left to right: Sisters Ella ’24 & Charlotte ’29 prepare snack bags for Baltimore Hunger Project during MLK, Jr. Day of Service 2022; Xavier ’34 and grandparent make casseroles for Our Daily Bread on MLK, Jr. Day of Service; Below: Families gather supplies for The Family Tree on MLK, Jr. Day of Service
With the new school year fully underway, I’m thrilled to be clerking (aka “chairing”) the Board of Trustees this year. I’m honored to follow in the footsteps of Norman Forbush ’78, P’21, who ably steered us through the pandemic alongside Interim Head of School Dennis Bisgaard. I know you join me in thanking Norman for his outstanding service to Friends. He has left indelible marks on our school in the very best ways.
The Board and I are looking forward to working with Christian Donovan, who began his tenure as the 13th (now a lucky number) head of school on July 1.
Lester Davis P’28, ’28, ’30 succeeds Norman Forbush ’78, P’21, who served as board clerk in school year 2021 and 2022; and Meredith van den Beemt P’19, ’20, ’22 who served as board clerk from 2018 to 2020.
Among the many important responsibilities of the Board of Trustees is onboarding and supporting a new head of school. We crafted a “roadmap” for Christian’s first year, designed to provide focus and direction when faced with the many demands of time and attention that an independent school head must consider:
• Be a visible, accessible, and approachable leader;
• Reaffirm the School’s Quaker mission and espouse a deep commitment to relationship-building;
• Foster an inclusive school culture, one in which students, families, and caregivers feel a sense of belonging and connection;
• Uphold and uplift the essential elements of our Teaching and Learning Paradigm;
• Continue the work that we have begun around professional development, compensation, and benefits for employees, in order to recruit, retain, and support outstanding teachers, coaches, and staff members;
• Engage actively in budgeting, enrollment management strategies, and fundraising to bolster the long-range financial sustainability of the School;
• Shape a vision and direction for Friends School.
We anticipate an exciting future at Friends with Christian at the helm. He has already hit the ground running, meeting with parents, alumni, donors, and friends. You may have seen him opening car doors at the Lower School carpool line; guest-speaking at the first Parents Association meeting of the year; attending Upper School Collections; and delighting in the creativity of Middle Schoolers, who constructed a portrait of him using Rubik’s Cubes. As members of our caring community, we will call upon you -- our closest friends -- to partner with us in our work. We look forward to a dynamic, energizing journey together!
Best regards,
Lester Davis P’28, ’28, ’30
Clerk, Board of Trustees
After a record-breaking year in 2020-2021, Anne Mickle P’25 and Shareka Weaver P’31 were more than ready to lead our effort to raise $1.5 million for The Fund for Friends. Anne and Shareka did a fantastic job recruiting volunteers at the annual kick-off breakfast and helped educate new committee members during two virtual training sessions. In total, 60 members of the Friends School community dedicated countless hours of their time to reach out to fellow parents, alumni, and friends of the School to raise a total over $2.1 million for the 2021-2022 campaign.
The Fund for Friends is the School’s #1 fundraising priority. Monies raised through this campaign fund the most immediate initiatives for our students and teachers. “Success Starts Here” is the theme for this year’s campaign, and this theme echoes throughout our school.
When you make your gift, remember that you may direct your unrestricted donation to a program at Friends that is important to you, such as arts, academics, athletics, diversity, equity and inclusion programming, and/or student financial assistance.
Whether you make a gift of $1 or $10,000, please know that your participation in this yearly effort supports the important work of our teachers and the education of every student. There is simply no better time to invest in Friends School.
Here are some highlights from last year’s “Moving Forward Together” campaign to inspire your generosity and participation for The Fund for Friends 2022-2023:
• Over 1,450 donors helped Friends School raise $2,134,894 for The Fund for Friends
• Over 225 donors made leadership gifts of $1,000 or more and raised 91% of the total raised for The Fund for Friends
• On #GivingTuesday, Friends launched a $75,000 giving challenge. Over 520 donors raised a total of $238,370.
• Reunion classes raised a total of $147,000.
• Nearly 100 more alumni answered the call to give this year compared to last year!
Friends School alumni can now network and engage with more than 1000 fellow grads through the Friends School of Baltimore Career Insights Platform on LinkedIn. Use this platform to find alumni within your areas of professional interest and connect with them.
To be a part of the network, simply add Friends School of Baltimore to the Education Section of your LinkedIn profile.
To utilize the network:
• Visit the Friends School of Baltimore LinkedIn page
• Click on “Alumni”
• Filter fellow alumni by geographic location, company, industry, area of study, and more
Whether you make a gift of $1 or $10,000, your participation supports the education of every student. There is simply no better time to invest in Friends School.
The old saying, “there is power in numbers,” was certainly true for the Class of 2022. In March of 2022, the Class joined members of the Alumni Association Board to celebrate their 100th night before becoming Friends School alumni. During their dinner, they learned about the importance of alumni participation in giving. They also learned that every dollar matters. That message clearly resonated because 25 members of the class made a gift to Friends School via Venmo that night.
Thank you to the Class of 2022 for positively demonstrating the importance of community participation in giving!
When the Class of 2022 parents and students met to discuss their gift, they felt strongly that it should support and enhance the lives of Friends School students. With that in mind, they chose to direct their gift effort to The Three A’s: Arts, Athletics & Academics and to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion programming. Given their passion for this project, it should come to no surprise that this incredible group surpassed their $175,000 goal by raising over $203,000!
Congratulations to the 2021-2022 Senior Family Gift Committee, the Class of 2022 and their families for their dedication and generosity to Friends School.
PARENTS: Bobby and Rita Blackwell Co-Chairs, Jen and Burck Smith ’88 Co-Chairs, Arnob and Kathleen Banerjee, Scott and Lori Baylin, Jon and Jennifer Ellwanger, David and Dionne Hudgins, Louisa Peartree, Lisa Pupa and Sara Turk, Karen Sellinger and Bonnie Weissberg, Kakie Standiford ’81 and Mike Barber, Steve Taylor, Susanne Wallengren ’89 and Matthew Wallengren, Russ and Keri Weber, Natalie White
STUDENTS: Casey Brown, Mani Carnes, Carson Cortright, Tess Gilmore, Avery Goldstein, Annalisa Jenkins, Samuel Pate, Henry Sellinger, Analiese Weber — all class of 2022
As an international exchange student from Italy, Anna Panzironi Bulgari ’59 made a big impression the one year she attended Friends School. She played tennis, basketball and field hockey, sang in the chorus and participated in many club activities. After she graduated, she married in Italy and then returned to the U.S. to make her home in NYC, where she raised her three children. She became deeply involved in raising money for breast cancer, and always included Friends in her annual philanthropy. After Anna passed in October of 2019, the School learned that she had made a generous bequest of $100,000. Knowing that a Friends education is out of reach for many families, she requested that her gift support student financial assistance. Honoring her wishes, the School added her gift to the Friends General Scholarship Fund, an endowed fund that grows as a result of investments and gifts. In the 2022 school year, the distribution from the scholarship fund was large enough to cover the equivalent of two full scholarships ($68,000). Anna’s gift will have a major impact on our student community, just as she made a lasting impression on her family and her many Friends School friends.
If you are interested in making a planned gift like Anna, or would like to support student financial assistance today, please contact Jocelyn Kehl, Director of Major & Planned Giving. jkehl@friendsbalt.org - 410-649-3316.
Maisie ’23, Tripp’s familial connections to Friends School date back to the early 1930’s, including generations of Burgunder, Grief, and Sandler alumni.
Education has always been vitally important to Tripp and Tammy, and their philanthropy speaks to their belief that quality teaching and learning in a morally-centered, inclusive environment is what is needed for students to go out and change the world.
Beloved father, husband, friend, and trustee Tripp Burgunder passed away unexpectedly at his home in Owings Mills on April 19, 2022. Having served seven years on the Friends Board of Trustees, Tripp–and his family–had been extremely generous in giving his time, talent, and treasure to the School for more than 20 years.
As the proud parent of three Friends students, Tripp could be found cheering on the sidelines of the lacrosse and soccer fields, the tennis courts, as well as sitting in deep conversation with colleagues and friends on a myriad of topics. An expert real estate lawyer, Tripp served the School on countless committees, including the Board’s Executive, Buildings and Grounds, Committee on Trustees, Finance and Audit, Marketing, and Senior Family Gift committees.
In addition to his immediate family of Dr. Tamara “Tammy” Lipman Burgunder, Ben ’18, Sam ’21, and
“He had an affinity toward Friends School. He really embraced the Quaker aspect of it. It called to him. At his family Seder, he would also have a moment of silence. As a trustee at Friends, he brought a sense of ease and comfort to his fellow trustees,” said Norman Forbush ’78, P’21, the clerk of the Friends Board of Trustees.
Credit: The Baltimore Sun , Jacques Kelly, April 28, 2022
Continuing Tripp’s legacy of support, family and friends sent gifts to Friends School in his memory to be used as scholarship assistance for students with financial need. These gifts are already at work, assisting a student in the 2022-2023 school year with a partial scholarship to Friends. If you’d like to join this effort, gifts in memory of Tripp can be sent to Friends, care of the Development Office, attention Ashley Principe (aprincipe@friendsbalt. org), Director of Development. We invite you to join the entire Friends School community in holding the Burgunder family in the Light.
In the 2020 & 2021 issue of Friends Magazine , some details about Shiny Black Evans ’54’s life and family were left out. Friends School of Baltimore sincerely apologizes for the omission. Please read the corrected story online, which acknowledges Shiny’s daughter and grandchildren: Sally Evans Yost ’77, Madison Yost ’15, Winslow Yost ’17 and Keifer Yost ’19. Visit https://bit.ly/3rOccrb
One of the hallmarks of our curriculum with regards to technology is how we introduce computer science and coding to our youngest learners. Having our students understand that coding is our ability to talk to, communicate with, and control computers and robots is the foundation of our coding program. I partner with science teacher Steve Mickletz and homeroom teachers in Kindergarten to teach coding through our robot friend, Bee Bot. Bee Bot is a robot that is controlled by inputs such as forward, backward, left turn, right turn, and pause and it travels on a grid mat that is six feet by six feet. After a user types in a sequence of directions, Bee Bot travels on its coded path. Once they understand how to “talk to” Bee Bot, our students are able to engage their creativity and problem solving skills to build algorithms so Bee Bot travels on the mat to spell words, practice Spanish vocabulary, skip count, retell stories, and whatever else that we can connect to our existing curriculum.
Another robot friend we use with our youngest learners is KIBO. KIBO is a robot that is controlled by scanning barcodes on actual building blocks. Students build their sequenced algorithms with the blocks, scan the barcodes with KIBO, then press the play button. KIBO then moves according to the programmed sequence. What makes KIBO a little unique is that there are different modules that can be attached (e.g. lights, sounds, even a catapult!) where students can integrate making skills into the coding process. For example, Pre-First students sent LEGO Mae Jemison on a coded KIBO ride throughout our solar system made in the Makerspace, and KIBO was also coded to travel the migration path for red knot birds (also made in the Makerspace) from South America to Delaware to Canada. In these projects, students learned basic coding skills from events, sequenced algorithms, simple loops, and were introduced to conditional if-then-else statements.
Having our youngest learners be fluid in their understanding of coding and the various “languages” of our robot friends serves them well as they advance through our Lower School computer science curriculum in grades one through five. In addition, the eruption of cheers and excitement when they get to interact with Bee Bot and KIBO makes the learning journey all that more fun and engaging for all!
– Andy Hanes, Lower School Technology Integrator and Educator