Georgian, January 2016

GEORGIAN

Vol. 88

No. 01

pu bl i c at i on of ge orge scho o l, ne w tow n, pennsy lvania

07

JANUARY

perspe c t i v e s

01

02

j u lian bo n d

a c ivi l r i g hts ti m e li n e

te d x c o m e s to g e o r g e s c h o o l

2016

Reflecting on Civil Rights and Social Justice

From Jazz Fan to Professor, Poet, and Activist

A Time for Justice

Cracking Open Minds

INSIDE

24

GEORGIAN

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Vol. 88 | No. 01 | JANUARY 2016

PHOTOS: Inside Front Cover: Dr. Walter Lomax P ’76, ’78, ’79, ’80, ’83, ’95 examined Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for a throat ailment in Philadelphia, February 10, 1968.

Dr. King was in Philadelphia to recruit followers for a march on the nation’s capital in April to protest the Vietnam War. (AP Photo) Front Cover: Donzaleigh Abernathy ’75 (child pictured left) marched from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965 with her family, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, and other civil rights supporters. (Abernathy Family)

01 PERSPECTIVES Reflecting on Civil Rights and Social Justice 02 Julian Bond ’57: From Jazz Fan to Professor, Poet, and Activist 04 Seeking Discernment on Diversity

17 Standing up to Evil 18 Heeding Pragmatic and

24 TEDx Comes to George School

Powerful Voices 20 Shaping the Future of Diversity

27 CAMPUS NEWS & NOTES

22 Is George School a Bubble or a Gateway to the Real World?

30 ALUMNI TELL US

07 A Civil Rights Timeline 13 Confronting Bigotry in Bucks County 14 Born into the Civil Rights Movement

44 IN MEMORIAM

M. SCOT T MAHASKEY/ POLITICO

PERSPECTIVES

JULIAN BOND ’57 was arrested for civil disobedience at the White House in 2013 while protesting the Keystone XL pipeline.

Perspectives EDITED BY LAURA NOEL

Reflecting on Civil Rights and Social Justice Friends, On August 15, 2015 we mourned the passing of Julian Bond ’57. Julian was a former chair of the NAACP, one of the original leaders of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and a cofounder of the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Many of you shared your thoughts about the civil rights movement and Julian’s role. Some of you shared your memories of Julian’s time on campus in the 1950s and those times when he returned to talk with students. Others shared their personal stories about this pivotal time in US history.

These amazing memoirs and narratives moved us to shift the editorial direction of this edition to share these stories with you. I greatly appreciate the efforts of our writers and editors as they worked together to meet the tightened deadlines for this issue. Our spring edition of the Georgian will focus on our originally planned topic of environmental sustainability.

With Julian’s passing, the country has lost one of its most passionate champions for justice. He advocated not just for African Americans, but for equal rights for every group. Julian was an early proponent of same-sex marriage, drawing a link between racial discrimination of the 1960s and today’s push for marriage equality. He was an outspoken critic of climate change policies and was arrested for civil disobedience at the White House in 2013 while protesting the Keystone XL pipeline. Our students and our community share his passion for justice.

I hope you will be moved by this edition of the Georgian and be inspired to share your own stories with us. You can reach me at squinn@ georgeschool.org.

Susan Quinn Georgian Editor

G EORG IA N

|1

JANUARY 2016

Perspectives

From Jazz Fan to Professor, Poet, and Activist

WARREN K . LEFFLER

JULIAN BOND ’57 helped co-found the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee on April 17, 1960.

BY LAURA NOEL When Julian Bond ’57 arrived at George School in the fall of 1952, his classmates would never have guessed he would later become such a giant in civil rights. Born January 14, 1940 in Nashville, Tennessee to Horace Mann Bond and Julia Agnes Irwin, Julian spent the first few years of his life living at Fort Valley State College where his father was president. In 1945 his father was offered a position as the first African American president of Lincoln University in Pennsylvania and the Bond family moved north.

Julian’s introduction to George School came just a few years later at the urging of faculty member John Streetz. At just twelve-years-old, Julian became the first African American (who wasn’t a Quaker or the child of a staff member) to attend George School.

“I was a Newtown Friends School student when Julian Bond came into my life,” remembers Keith Brinton ’60 who lived in Eyre Line House with his family when Julian was a student. “My fondest memory of Julian was when he joined us in a swing-jumping contest in our back yard. Two

2 | GE O RGIAN

tall walnut trees supported three swings. We would pump up as high as we dared, and then launch ourselves forward at the crucial moment and sail through the air. We’d land with a thump and mark our landing-spots with bits of twig.” Young Julian won that contest but his success didn’t always come so easily.

Arriving at twelve meant that Julian was a year younger than many of his classmates. His freshman year was a difficult one academically and it ultimately took five years for Julian to earn his diploma. As a student he was a member of the swimming, cross country, and track teams.

But a difficult first year didn’t stop Julian from making a mark on the community during his time here. He was described by classmates as an Ivy League dresser, a great fast and slow dancer, and a deep thinker but mostly, he was just remembered as Julian, “a great soul.”

“Julian did not show the qualities that one associates with what he [ultimately] did. He didn’t run for class president, or become a dorm leader or team captain. He was a really easygoing guy— which did not mean he didn’t have really serious convictions and values. When we were young I

PERSPECTIVES

never expected Julian to accomplish what he did— but I wasn’t surprised when he did. Looking back I can see that there was a logical, evolutionary pattern to who he became,” remarked David Barry ’59 who describes Julian as a kindred spirit.

“We were both modern jazz fans—which was unusual for the time—it was never mainstream it was considered intellectual jazz. There was a very nice stereo in the basement and we would find an FM jazz station and we would listen to jazz together.”

The pair did everything they could to be “cool,” even signing out to Newtown one day for lunch and hitchhiking to Princeton University because “we wanted to see other guys we thought were ‘cool,’” said David.

David and Julian stayed in touch, connecting every ten or so years, including one meeting at a California college in the late 1990s when Julian was speaking.

“Julian kept looking at me and focusing on me and I kept thinking he couldn’t possibly recognize me—it had been nearly forty years, why on earth would he think this person was me” said David. “When he finished talking I approached him and he looked at me and said ‘so, that was you.’

Regrettably, that was my last contact with Julian.”

It wasn’t until after George School that Julian’s work in civil rights really began—sparked perhaps

by George School and the oft-referenced incident during which Julian was spoken to for wearing his letter jacket while out with his white girlfriend.

Despite this, Julian returned to George School several times after he graduated—twice to receive an Alumni Award—and he shared a different opinion of things in a letter to Kingdon Swayne, ’37, author of George School: The History of a Quaker Community.

“My years at George School were great! I met people unlike any I’d met before—or since—and made friends I’ve kept until this day. I treasure the years I spent at George School, warts and all,” he wrote, “There were occasional incidents; a reckless mouth, an unthinking thought. They hurt and stung, but I believe they made me stronger. And the offender felt less likely to repeat the wrong again.”

Julian went on to describe his introduction to non-violence and service while at George School.

Commenting that “when the student sit-in movement came along in 1960, non-violence seemed natural to me.”

A graduate of Morehouse College, Julian didn’t complete his degree in the traditional timeline, instead leaving Morehouse in 1961 to focus on civil rights work and returning in 1971 at the age of thirty-one to complete his Bachelor of Arts in English.

During his time out of school Julian was still active and involved. A founding member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Julian served as its communications director from 1961 to 1966. Throughout this time he traveled the south organizing civil rights and voter registration drives and organizing protests against segregation in public facilities and against the Jim Crow laws.

In 1965, at just twenty-five-years-old, Julian was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives.

When the Georgia State representatives voted not to seat him because he had publicly opposed the Vietnam War it took a 1966 US Supreme Court decision to grant him the right to serve. He remained in the state legislature first as a representative, and then a senator, until 1987.

The first African American to be nominated as a major-party candidate for vice president of the United States, Julian declined the nomination citing the constitutional requirement that one must be at least thirty-five years of age. He was only twenty-eight at the time. Just three years later, in 1971, Julian helped found the Southern Poverty Law Center, a public interest law firm in Montgomery, Alabama and went on to serve as its president until 1979. Julian later became chairman of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) and he remained at the helm through 2010.

Racism wasn’t the only social justice issue Julian advocated against. A vocal supporter of gay marriage he was quoted in the Washington Blade in 2004 saying, “African Americans were the only Americans who were enslaved for two centuries but we were far from the only Americans suffering discrimination then and now…sexual disposition parallels race. I was born this way. I have no choice. I wouldn’t change it if I could.

Sexuality is unchangeable.”

In later years Julian went on to become a professor, poet, and narrator of several documentaries, including the PBS series Eyes on the Prize. He may have seemed ordinary in high school but his was an extraordinary life.

G EORG IA N

|3

JANUARY 2016

Perspectives

STEPHEN BARTH ’78

Seeking Discernment on Diversity

IN 1997, Julian Bond gave a lecture during the weekend he received a George School Alumni Award. Students prepared for his visit by reading his books and watching video documentaries including Eyes on the Prize.

BY NANCY STARMER This summer, when Julian Bond passed away, the New York Times wrote a wonderful tribute to his life as a civil rights leader, Georgia state senator, college lecturer, poet, anti-war activist, and leader in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, the NAACP, and the Southern Poverty Law Center. One sentence of that tribute covered his time at George School. “At age twelve,” it said, “Julian was sent to the private Quaker-run George School near Philadelphia. It was there that he first encountered racial resentment when he began dating a white girl, incurring the disapproval of white students and the school authorities.”

Following the appearance of the Times article, I received a number of emails and calls from graduates, many asking if this were true, some insisting that I contact the paper to ask for a retraction. In response, I dug into some sources to test the veracity of the claim. What I discovered sheds a fascinating light on this period in George School’s history and confirms, for me, both the challenges of our

4 | G E O RGIAN

work with diversity and the power of our belief in continuing revelation.

I began my quest with a call to John Streetz, George School’s first black teacher and a contemporary of Julian Bond. Now eighty-nine, John not only has a remarkably sharp memory but continues to maintain close friendships with colleagues and former students from his George School days (1950-1966). John did remember that Julian and a white girl were “interested in each other,” and that her parents were not very happy about it. I asked if school authorities or white students expressed their disapproval in any way, and he said “no, nothing like that.” He did recall a meeting that Jack Talbot, who was dean of students at the time, asked him to attend with Julian. The girl’s parents had asked the school to prohibit the relationship and Jack told Julian that the family had been advised that the school could not do that. Though there was no disciplinary response, John did say “but remember, Nancy, not only was it the 1950s, George School didn’t even accept a black student until the late 40s or hire a black teacher until 1950.”

PERSPECTIVES

“ We’re bound to confront some dead ends and to take some wrong turns.…But if we learn to listen carefully and openly to others and to the Light Within, we will find our way back and make progress. Quakerism is a demanding and an optimistic faith.”

Given this context, it is not difficult to understand how the meeting with Jack Talbot might have remained in Julian Bond’s memory as “his first experience with racial resentment.” The humiliation of being called into the Deans’ Office to address a concern of which you were not even aware is one with which many George School graduates can identify. To be asked to have the one black teacher accompany you, and to have the topic of conversation be your interest in a white girl and her parents’ disapproval, puts this particular humiliation squarely in the “racial” category. In that regard, the sentence in the New York Times is not inaccurate; it just doesn’t paint a full picture.

After telling me about Julian’s meeting with Jack Talbot, John went on to comment on George School’s Hicksite heritage, which was and continues to be a “touchstone” (to borrow from our Mission Statement) for him and many others concerned about racial justice. And for good reason. Elias Hicks, after whom the Hicksite branch of Quakers took its name, was an early abolitionist whose principled stance on the institution of slavery, which he linked to the peace testimony, led him to free his own slaves in 1798 and to play a leading role in the abolition of slavery in New York State.

The archives of George School contain many examples of equally principled individuals: nameless faculty members who first petitioned the General Committee on George School to integrate the student population in 1930; William and Marie Burton and William Eves, who used George School’s founding commitment to serve Quaker students to bring the first black student, Cynthia May Crooks, to George School in 1946; and Grant Fraser and other members of the first Faculty Negro Relations Committee.

In addition, Harvey G. Shortlidge, chairman of the School Committee’s Executive Committee, was responsible in 1948 for advocating “that the

principal be authorized to choose his faculty without regard to race, color, creed, or national origin and that all faculty children of George School age be given the same admission and scholarship consideration as other students.” This recommendation paved the way for the admission of our second black student, Donald Dingle, and the hiring of John Streetz.

Dick McFeely—who hired John Streetz—was overt enough about his interest in desegregation to warrant a letter from a board member admonishing him that “In regards to the admission of Negro students other than Friends to George School, that may come along in time but it will be harmful to push it.”

In 1950 numerous members of the student body, following Ralph Bunche’s refusal to speak at George School’s 1950 commencement ceremonies because of our discriminatory admission policies, petitioned the committee to make changes.

In addition to these individuals, of course, are the early pioneers—Cynthia May Crooks Carpenter, Donald Dingle, John Streetz, and Julian Bond—who were brave enough to engage in this noble experiment and who by their mere presence helped to put a human face to integration at George School.

Those are the good stories, achievements as significant in the history of George School as Elias Hicks’ achievements were to the abolition movement nationally. But like every good story, in each there’s a twist that illustrates what I mean when I reference the complexity of our work with diversity. In Hicks’ case, the twist came with his support of a plan being promoted at the time by fellow Friend and abolitionist Benjamin Lundy, to resettle freed blacks in Haiti. This and other colonization plans were promoted by many well-meaning abolitionists of the time in the hope that by addressing fears about the racial conflict that might arise if

G EORG IA N

|5

JANUARY 2016

slaves were suddenly set free, slaveholders might be encouraged to emancipate their slaves.

Students of United States history today often look back at the participation of these early abolitionists in their support of resettlement and question their judgment. How would shipping freed blacks to Africa or Haiti further the causes of peace and equality? Wouldn’t such efforts just play into the hands of those who believed that blacks and whites could never live peacefully together because they weren’t equals? And how did forcing freed slaves to resettle in other parts of the world constitute liberty?

In the 1940s and 1950s at George School, students, faculty members, administrators, and members of the school committee were, like Hicks and Lundy, confronted with white societal fears.

When Julian Bond entered George School, lawyers in the Brown vs. Board of Education case had not yet convinced the Supreme Court that the concept of separate but equal was “inherently unequal.”

As is still true in many areas of our country today, few people had real experience living side by side with others of different races or nationalities. And as the documents in our archives make clear, many in the George School population feared that if they did, interracial dating—a freighted and to many a frightening concept at the time—would result.

School committee minutes elucidate that group’s reluctance to integrate the school, and though details of the discussions are not included, other documents make it clear that interracial dating was a dominant concern of this group. In the same letter to Dick McFeely that I quoted earlier, for example, the author, school committee member Charles Hallowell, notes that “a number of those who are now giving active support to George School met either their husbands or wives here.

They cannot help but think of the social activities as a factor to be considered.” Marge McFeely Burton, daughter of Dick McFeely, when asked about the sentence in the New York Times, remembers concerns about Julian’s interest in a white girl centering on town-gown relations. Interracial dating was as “hot” an issue in the culture at large as it was in the minds of George School trustees, and even school administrators as committed to integration as Dick McFeely were concerned about how residents of Newtown might react to an interracial couple walking into town to shop or to have an ice cream cone at Goodnoe’s.

6 | GE O RGIAN

“The arc of the moral universe is long,” Martin Luther King tells us, “but it bends toward justice.”

Today, George School is wonderfully and beautifully diverse, thanks to trailblazers like Cynthia Crooks, Donald Dingle, John Streetz, and Julian Bond; to pioneering faculty members like the Burtons, William Eves, and Grant Fraser; to courageous committee members and administrators like Harvey Shortlidge and Dick McFeely; to the students who wrote to the School Committee in 1951 to say that “According to Friends Testimony there is that of God in every man; yet why should the school maintain a policy of admission that according to the opinion of many, implies that there is more of God in some than in others, based on the color of one’s skin? Why is the policy of admitting students of other faiths than Friends not open to all, regardless of race or color, when science has shown that there is no superior race, a fact taught in our own classrooms?” prompting the committee to adopt a non-discriminatory policy; and to the many others both here at George School and in the wider society who have helped to pave the way.

I have little doubt that these individuals, like Elias Hicks and Benjamin Lundy, took some wrong turns along the way. This is where the power of Friends belief in continuing revelation comes in.

Quakerism provides no map to guide us in our journeys. The route is up to each of us to find, guided by our Inner Light, Friends’ testimonies, and the helpful discernment of our communities.

It’s an unfolding process, which is inherently not linear, and often involves missteps. This is as true for Quaker schools as it is for individuals. We’re bound to confront some dead ends and to take some wrong turns. But if we learn to listen carefully and openly to others and to the Light Within, we will find our way back and make progress.

Quakerism is a demanding and an optimistic faith.

Over the last couple years of his life, Julian Bond found himself working for the rights of LGBT individuals. George School, too, has entered this new frontier in civil rights. When the trustees last spring were asked to approve a policy recognizing the rights of transgendered students, some of the fears and assumptions of our times emerged in the process. They listened, acknowledged, called upon their understanding of Quaker faith and practice, and approved the policy. As Julian Bond wrote, “The civil rights movement didn’t begin in Montgomery and it didn’t end in the 1960s. It continues on to this very minute.”

PERSPECTIVES

Perspectives

A Civil Rights Timeline The civil rights movement had a dramatic impact on American society. George School has a surprising number of connections to some of the most prominent leaders of these turbulent times—Julian Bond, Kathleen Cleaver and her husband, Eldridge, Donzaleigh Abernathy and her father, Reverend Ralph Abernathy, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, and others. George School has, and continues, to inspire leaders in areas of social justice.

The information in this timeline was pulled from Kingdon Swayne’s book, George School: The History of a Quaker Community, old editions of the student-produced George School News, the history timeline on the George School website, and many online sources. Items directly related to George School are highlighted with boxes.

18 6 8

The 14th Amendment is passed defining

citizenship and forbidding any state from

depriving citizens of their rights and privileges.

1878

Bud Fowler is the first black to play on an integrated professional baseball team.

19 19

Race riots and lynchings that began in the late 1800s have killed thousands of blacks.

192 1

George School participates in a triangular debate competition with Blair and Perkiomen academies, the subject of which is, “Resolved, that the United States Congress should implement the fifteenth amendment on voting rights with legislation.” Nevertheless, Congress does not pass the Voting Rights Act—which prohibits states from denying a citizen the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude (slavery)— until 1965.

193 6

18 9 6

The Plessy v. Ferguson decision gives approval to Jim Crow laws, stating that separate but equal facilities are legal.

The George School Committee

addresses the issue of enrolling an

African American student, concluding that

he would experience “isolation and

neglect.” Instead, it suggests Quaker

monthly meetings integrate, and then

send African American Quakers to the school.

194 1

19 15

President Roosevelt sets up the Fair Employment Practices Committee to ensure non-discrimination policies in federal hiring.

NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) challenges state laws restricting black voter registration.

G EORG IA N

|7

JANUARY 2016

1943

The George School Committee appoints a group to consider racial issues, namely the admission of African American students. The committee ultimately decides in 1946 that John M. George’s will called on the school to educate Quakers, not just white Quakers.

194 6

Cynthia Crooks Carpenter ’47 becomes the first black student at George School.

Cynthia is a Quaker from Jamaica.

1947

Jackie Robinson becomes the first black to play major league baseball.

194 9

Donald Dingle ’53 enrolls. He is the child of a black staff member.

194 9

The student body votes overwhelmingly in favor of a policy that admits qualified applicants regardless of race and the faculty supports their decision. Reads a February 1951 article in the George School News about the vote, “George School can never hope to do a really effective job of democratic education until it learns to practice what it preaches.”

19 5 0

John Streetz is the first black teacher hired to work at George School.

19 51

MARCH

19 53

A decision made by the George School

Committee determines that black students

are eligible for admission to George School.

19 54

8 | G E O RGIAN

Julian Bond ’57 is the first black student who is not a Quaker or the child of a black staff person.

The landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education declares segregation in public schools illegal, effectively reversing the earlier decision of Plessy v. Ferguson.

19 5 5

Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat to a white man precipitating the Montgomery bus boycott led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

19 5 6

One thousand school districts across

the United States are newly desegregated

and enroll about 400,000 black children.

However, more than 2.4 million black

students are still attending segregated schools.

19 57

A group of nine black students, later known as the Little Rock Nine, enroll in Central High School in Little Rock Arkansas.

19 57

A group of students raises funds to create

the Negro Scholarship Fund, later the fund

becomes broader, being described as

serving non-European, non-Caucasian students.

19 5 9

A group of George School students travels to Washington, DC with other teenagers from Bucks County to protest against segregated schools.

19 6 0

The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) is founded by Julian Bond ’57 and several hundred other students. The group is created to appeal to a younger demographic who want the movement to make faster progress.

PERSPECTIVES

19 6 0

Four African American freshman college students sit down at a lunch counter at a Woolworths in Greensboro, North Carolina, and politely ask for service.

When denied, they begin a series of passive resistance sit-ins.

19 6 0

George School students, including Lyn Ballou ’62, picket a local Woolworths to support the sit-ins. George School supports their efforts but ensures they have parental permission.

19 6 1

Participants on Freedom Rides—designed to test the Interstate Commerce Commission regulations barring segregation in interstate transportation— meet resistance in several places including Birmingham and Montgomery, Alabama.

19 6 1

The George School Race Relations Committee circulates a petition to local Newtown barber shops asking them to cease racial discrimination.

19 63

APRIL

19 63

AUGUST

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Reverend Ralph

Abernathy, and the SCLC oppose local

segregation laws in Birmingham and

are jailed. MLK writes “Letter from

Birmingham Jail” in response to white

ministers who urge him to stop causing disturbances.

19 63

A group of students and faculty from George School attend the March on Washington where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his “I Have a Dream” speech.

“There have been few times in my life when I have consciously felt proud of being an American. This march was one of those times,” said faculty member John Streetz.

SEPTEMBER Bombing of Birmingham church results in the death of four young black girls.

19 62

A poll by the staff of the George School News finds that 77 percent of the student

body supports sit-ins.

19 62

James Meredith the first African American

accepted at the University of Mississippi

enrolls. President Kennedy sends 5,000

federal troops to protect James as he registers.

19 63

19 63

19 64

George School, along with twenty other independent schools, founds ABC (A Better Chance), the purpose of which is to find and enroll disadvantaged youth.

NOVEMBER JFK is assassinated and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson becomes president.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wins a Nobel Peace Prize.

JANUARY The 24th Amendment is passed eliminating the poll tax which had prevented many blacks from registering to vote.

G EORG IA N

|9

JANUARY 2016

19 64

JUNE

A voter education and registration project

known as Mississippi Freedom Summer begins.

19 64

19 65

AUGUST

The Voting Rights Act is signed into law effectively ending many of the obstacles preventing black and other people of color from voting.

J U LY

The Civil Rights Act is passed forbidding racial discrimination in many areas.

19 65

AUGUST

The Los Angeles suburbs erupt in riots.

The Watts Riots, as they are later named, result in burning, looting, and many deaths.

19 65

JANUARY

The Race Relations Committee Fund Drive collects money to send to the Meridian Project in Meridian, Mississippi.

The project fights white opposition and apathy by founding a community center, collecting books for a library, and establishing Freedom School to improve education facilities.

19 65

19 65

Kwanzaa is started.

19 6 6

The Black Panther Party is founded by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale.

19 65

10 | GE O RGIAN

M AY Twelve George School students volunteer at Mercer Street Friends Center in Trenton to tutor underachieving children “from slum backgrounds.”

19 65

APRIL One-hundred-and-eighty George School students pool their imagination and effort to organize the ABC Hootenanny. The event hopes to collect $1,500 to enable a second black student to attend George School through the ABC program.

19 65

MARCH Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. leads a fifty-four mile march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama to support voter registration.

Donzaleigh Abernathy ’75 is at the front of the march.

Two students, Irene Mathurin ’69 and Isaac Harris ’69, are enrolled at George School through the A Better Chance (ABC) program. They are joined by Melanie Pugh ’69 the next fall.

FEBRUARY Malcom X is assassinated.

SEPTEMBER

19 6 6

19 65

M AY Vivian Malone is the first black to graduate from the University of Alabama.

in Newark, New Jersey and Detroit, 19 67 Riots Michigan shake the country. The riots are the worst in US history.

19 67

Kathleen Cleaver ’63 joins the Black Panthers and becomes the communications director.

19 67

APRIL

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. leads a march to protest the Vietnam War in 1967 forming the group Negotiation Now to secure votes on a petition. This, along with his speech at Riverside Church, “Beyond Vietnam,” essentially splits him with the Johnson administration and solidifies his extremely low national approval rating.

Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated 19 6 8 Dr. April 4, 1968.

PERSPECTIVES

1970

DECEMBER

19 81

Leon Bass is the first African American to serve on the school’s governing board.

19 8 5

Twenty George School students, and faculty members Leon Bass and Norm Tjossem, travel to Washington, DC for a four-day seminar on civil rights during the second Reagan administration.

Mantua Mobilization brings George School

students to the western part of Philadelphia

to work with the oppressed people of the

Mantua ghetto. The workcamps force

students to come face to face with the

prejudices of society as they work alongside people who have been oppressed as a result of their race.

1970

19 86

1971

DECEMBER Activist minister Howard Moody visits George School to speak to students about black power and the role of white liberals in the movement.

JANUARY

George School hosts a Black Symposium

bringing guests from as far north as

Connecticut and as far south as

Washington, DC. Students from Wesleyan

University, Kutztown State College, and

Trenton, Neshaminy, Council Rock,

Solebury, and Bristol high schools attend.

The symposium invites participants to

discuss issues of civil rights in a safe space.

Peggy Means McIntosh ’52 founds the National Seeking Educational Equity and

Diversity (SEED) Project on Inclusive Curriculum.

19 86

George School holds one of the earliest year-long SEED seminars.

19 87

George School receives a $30,000 grant from the Edward E. Ford Foundation which it uses to partially fund the salary of a new position dedicated to increasing the number of faculty of color at the school.

School enrollment for students 19 8 8 George of color reaches 20 percent.

1971

OCTOBER

African American students petition for a lounge of their own and $1,000 from the school budget to plan activities and symposiums to further the education of African Americans. In November 1971 the administration gives them a space in the former boy day student room along with $667 to purchase sound equipment and films.

1973

The Black Student Union gets underway and meets weekly in the new lounge.

1978

Bakke v. Regents of University of California declares fixed racial quotas illegal after

Allan Bakke is denied admission to US

Davis Medical School despite superior scores.

School is a founding member of 19 81 George the Oliver Scholar Program, begun by John Hoffman ’73, which brings talented young students of color from New York City to the school. Graduates of the program include Tanya Wright ’85, actress, Sheena Wright ’86, CEO of the United Way of NYC, and Kasseem Lucas ’90, a Philadelphia lawyer and former George School trustee.

19 8 8

Peggy Means McIntosh ’52 writes “White Privilege and Male Privilege: A Personal Account of Coming To See Correspondences through Work in Women’s Studies” which is excerpted in 1989 to become the well- known essay, “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack.”

19 8 8

Damaris South, George School faculty

member, wins the coveted Joseph

Klingenstein Fellowship. She uses George

School as a model in seeking ways to increase the number of faculty members of color at an independent school.

19 91

JANUARY

George School observes Dr. Martin Luther

King Jr. Day with a full day of workshops about diversity and social justice organized by faculty member Nate McKee ’79.

Observing MLK Day has become an annual tradition alternating service work with workshops.

G EORG IA N

| 11

JANUARY 2016

19 92

M AY Riots break out in Los Angeles following the acquittal of the officers who beat Rodney King.

19 9 9

The percentage of black faculty and administrators is almost equal with the percentage of students of color. Both are near 18 percent.

2 0 11

SEPTEMBER

Julian Bond ’57 visits campus and is interviewed by Mark Updegrove ’80, director of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library in Austin, Texas.

2 0 14

DECEMBER Many members of the George School community—led by Qudsiyyah Shariyf ’15— participate in a die-in in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

2 0 15

JANUARY

George School students join the Reclaim MLK day march in Philadelphia.

2 0 12

FEBRUARY Trayvon Martin is shot and killed by George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida.

The hashtag #BlackLivesMatter begins trending on Twitter after George is acquitted in 2013.

2 0 14

Eric Garner, Michael Brown, John Crawford III and others are killed as a result of police-involved action. The incidents spark the, “I can’t breathe” and “hands up, don’t shoot” movements.

Protests and riots occur in Ferguson, Missouri and many major cities throughout the US.

2 0 14

AUGUST

2 0 14

2 0 15

APRIL

The death of Freddie Gray prompts protesting in Baltimore, Maryland that is misrepresented by the media as being overwhelmingly violent.

2 0 15

M AY In response to the death of Freddie Gray and others and to the recent racially charged events in the US, George School community members gather for a candlelight vigil led by Qudsiyyah Shariyf ’15 and featuring local poet Seff Al-Afriqi.

By August 2014 more than 1,000 #BlackLivesMatter demonstrations have been held worldwide.

NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER The grand juries in the Michael Brown and Eric Garner cases do not indict the officers involved in each incident.

2 0 15

JUNE

Nine members of the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina are gunned down and one is left injured after an attack by alleged shooter, Dylann Roof.

2 0 15

AUGUST

ECEMBER 2 0 14 DGeorge School holds community worship sharing to reflect on the recent grand jury decisions and to consider how individuals and a community can take action.

12 | GE O RGIAN

Julian Bond ’57 dies of natural causes.

His death prompts international media attention for his role in civil rights.

PERSPECTIVES

Perspectives

Confronting Bigotry in Bucks County

A look at the civil rights movement almost always focuses on the South, but segregation and lawful discrimination occurred in the North, too. No one knows that better than Sam Snipes, age 96, who has championed civil rights both near his Lower Bucks County home and around the globe. Like other people mentioned in this issue, Sam walked in the March on Washington in 1963, but his efforts on behalf of human rights and human dignity began well before that.

Growing up in a Quaker family in Morrisville, Pennsylvania, Sam graduated from Haverford College and Temple Law School after attending a Friends high school. Though he didn’t attend George School, Sam’s connections are nevertheless strong: he sent five children to the school, is the grandfather of three more alums, and served on the governing body of George School as well as on many other boards of Quaker organizations.

A conscientious objector during World War II, he went to Europe with the National Relief and Reconstruction Administration in 1946–47 and escorted thousands of refugees to safety. Among his other humanitarian acts, Sam lobbied the senate and house immigration committees to change immigration laws and admit displaced people in 1948, and he traveled to South Africa to meet with leaders in the struggle to end Apartheid in the late 1970s.

In 1957, however, Sam had to confront bigotry in his own backyard. Levittown, the planned community that ushered in the growth of suburbia, was built in 1952. For five years, neither the developer

nor homeowners sold a Levittown house to African Americans. (The Civil Rights Act, which would outlaw racially discriminatory practices in housing, wouldn’t become law until 1964.) Part of a group interested in integrating Levittown, Sam served as the attorney for the Myers family, who bought a home in the Dogwood Hollow section. When word spread that blacks were moving in (even though they had yet to move), a mob of about 1,000 gathered. The police were slow to respond, so Sam put himself between the crowd and the house, standing his ground for forty-five minutes while people taunted him and threw cigarette butts and small stones at him. Eventually the sheriff arrived and the crowd dispersed, but the Myers family endured harassment for months. Sam and other advocates appealed to the state attorney general, who obtained an injunction, bringing the intimidation to an end.

To this day, it is one of the crowning moments in the life of a community leader with myriad achievements.

G EORG IA N

| 13

JANUARY 2016

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE ABERNATHY FAMILY

Perspectives

DONZALEIGH ABERNATHY ’75 (in the striped sweater) marched with her family and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from Selma to Montgomery in 1963 (left). Reverend Ralph Abernathy and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were arrested in Birmingham, Alabama in April 1963 (right).

Born into the Civil Rights Movement

BY ANDREA LEHMAN As a child, Donzaleigh Abernathy ’75 was on the front lines of the civil rights movement—literally.

Look at a photo of the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery march, and there is young Donzaleigh in front of her father, Ralph Abernathy, and his best friend, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In 1963 she was on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial listening to the man she called Uncle Martin give his “I Have a Dream” speech. Today an actor and writer, Donzaleigh continues to “tell the story because I lived the experience. That story changed the course of American history and changed it in my life.”

Donzaleigh was born into the civil rights movement. Her family’s Montgomery, Alabama, house was bombed while she was still in the womb, and for decades she trembled at loud noises. She has no memory of meeting King because “he was always just a given in my life.”

With her mother Juanita a gracious host, the Abernathy home became the site of strategy ses-

14 | GE O RGIAN

sions between the two friends and movement founders—both “kind, loving, and totally nonviolent”—and a meeting place for men and women of passion and ideas. When Freedom Riders came through Montgomery in 1961, some stayed with them, and a press conference was held in their breakfast room. “I loved having all of those people in our home,” remembers Donzaleigh. “The gatherings were always integrated. The idea of segregation I didn’t quite understand.”

Outside this fragile bubble were violence and unrest. King, her father, and other activists were harassed, beaten, and jailed. When the two men were confined in the now famous Birmingham jail in April 1963, King’s executive assistant asked President Kennedy to “use the influence of your high office to persuade the city officials of Birmingham to afford at least a modicum of human treatment. Neither of these men have mattresses or bed linen.” After Viola Gregg Liuzzo, a white woman, was killed for driving with a black man in the front seat, Donzaleigh made sure to stay

PERSPECTIVES

“ My father taught me that to effect change you have to be in the room. To get to that point, you have to be willing to compromise.

Then when at the table, you present what you have to say, but you do it in a spirit of love always. Daddy was always a negotiator.

He sat at the table and negotiated for our right to sit on the bus.” awake whenever she rode with her father on that stretch of highway. Death threats were daily occurrences, but so was friendship, between the families as well as their patriarchs. Donzaleigh and sister Juandalynn were best friends with Yolanda King.

The families were so close that when Dr. King uttered, “I have a dream that my four little children…,” the two Abernathy girls “jumped up and down screaming.”

The injustices fought are familiar in our collective memory and seared in Donzaleigh’s. On a train trip to visit the Kings, who had moved to Atlanta, she (along with her father and sister) experienced the same kind of Jim Crow segregation that the Freedom Riders had protested on buses. She remembers her father not wanting them to use the disgusting “colored” bathroom on board.

Voting rights were the aim of the Selma-toMontgomery march she took part in—with her mother nudging her to walk faster, she admits.

In the South, the black person’s right to vote had been won through Reconstruction and lost again through Jim Crow. In her own family, her greatgrandfather was born a slave, and her grandfather was the first African American to vote in Marengo County, Alabama. But by the mid-twentieth century, disenfranchisement was the norm. Dr. Abernathy, Dr. King, and their colleagues not only held rallies and marches. They garnered support in Washington. “My father taught me that to effect change you have to be in the room,” Donzaleigh explains. “To get to that point, you have to be willing to compromise. Then when at the table, you present what you have to say, but you do it in a spirit of love always. Daddy was always a negotiator. He sat at the table and negotiated for our right to sit on the bus.” (She adds that the “calm, levelheaded” Abernathy was the movement’s main negotiator, from the Freedom Riders in 1961 to the Poor People’s Campaign, which led to food stamps and free meals for low-income children in 1968, to the occupation at Wounded Knee, South Dakota,

in 1973.) In 1965, the Voting Rights Act was passed.

President Johnson presented the two leaders with the pen he used to sign it into law.

Perhaps no issue is dearer to Donzaleigh’s heart than education. Like the bathroom on that train, segregated schools were substandard and unacceptable. After the Little Rock Nine and Ruby Bridges, “nobody followed,” recounts Donzaleigh.

“My mother came up with the idea that we needed to do mass integration in public schools.” Like the Kings, the Abernathys had moved to Atlanta, so in 1965 both families’ children integrated an elementary school. “We did our part. It was a difficult experience. They called us the N-word every single day.” By 1966, others followed suit throughout the South.

It was the desire for an excellent education that eventually brought Donzaleigh to George School.

Her father, mother, and Uncle Martin were incredibly well-read, as were the “great men and women” they associated with. “I wanted to be able to be on the same playing field as these men and women, to talk to them, and the only way would be to get a solid educational foundation in high school.”

Because she had gone to the Quaker Farm and Wilderness Camps and her parents knew Quakers in the civil rights movement, they insisted that she go to a Friends school. They liked what they saw of George School and agreed to let her go because their friends Dr. Walter and Mrs. Beverly Lomax would be nearby in Dublin, Pennsylvania.

“It changed my life tremendously,” says Donzaleigh. She got the wonderful education she had envisioned. “The most important things were the classes and teachers, the level of camaraderie I had with teachers... I felt much more welcomed and in a much more enlightened environment than in public school in Atlanta. Race was an issue there.

It wasn’t at George School.” She did her senior project among the Native Americans of South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Reservation, where she developed an appreciation for American history—and

G EORG IA N

| 15

JANUARY 2016

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE ABERNATHY FAMILY

DONZALEIGH ABERNATHY ’75 wrote and published The Civil Rights Movement Partners to History in 2003 (top left). Reverend Ralph Abernathy and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were close friends and co-founded the civil rights organization Southern Christian Leadership Conference (top right). Donzaleigh spoke at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah in 2014 as part of the school’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration.

the prejudice and mistreatment Native Americans endured—and where a few years earlier her father had helped negotiate the Wounded Knee peace settlement.

“My father decided to go back to George School to speak after I had graduated. He was very grateful. He wanted to thank my advisor and my teachers for what they had given me. He was so impressed with how I had grown.” Abernathy gave a moving firsthand account of the civil rights movement, including how he held his best friend as he died in Memphis. It’s an assembly speech alumni remember to this day.

Donzaleigh, too, is grateful to her teachers, particularly her advisor, the late English department chair Ken Keskinen. “He let me know I was a good writer and could consider it as a profession.”

In addition to being an actor, she is a writer in the entertainment industry and authored Partners to History: Martin Luther King Jr., Ralph David Abernathy, and the Civil Rights Movement. “Every day during the writing of my book, I thought of

16 | GE O RGIAN

him. What would Kek say about this?... how he had taught me to tell my story—make it simple and tell it from the heart.”

“I have had an extraordinary life,” Donzaleigh puts it, “and because I’ve had this extraordinary life, certain things are required of me.” She tries to do something in service to humanity daily, particularly by impacting the lives of young people— the future of society. She goes to juvenile detention facilities and talks to those confined there. She serves on the board of a California foundation dedicated to creating diverse schools. And she continues to tell her and the King families’ story at institutions and to organizations, from the Judicial Division of the American Bar Association and National Association of Women Judges to Harvard Law School. “I am carrying the message of the civil rights movement into the present day.” Despite the turmoil of her childhood, she feels blessed to have been born into a movement and an extended family that “shaped and changed the world.”

PERSPECTIVES

Perspectives

Standing Up to Evil

LEON BASS P ’72, ’77 was a former George School faculty member and the first African American to serve on the school’s governing board.

Leon Bass, who passed away this spring, had a “long career as an educator, teaching both in the classroom and to the world,” wrote Nancy Starmer in his memorial tribute. Beyond the subjects he taught and the schools he administered, he spread messages of understanding and acceptance as antidotes to bigotry and racism—something he experienced and saw firsthand.

Leon grew up in Philadelphia, and though he endured prejudice there, it wasn’t until he joined the US Army in 1943 and traveled to the segregated South for basic training that he felt its full force. He went to Europe angry to be fighting for a country that denied him human rights. But all that changed in April 1945, when his unit was sent to the just-liberated Buchenwald Concentration Camp. He witnessed atrocities perpetrated against others considered “not good enough,” and he understood “that human suffering affects not just me. It affects all of us.” Though only twenty, he knew he had to do something, but it would take twenty-six more years to discover what.

Leon returned home, earned multiple degrees, including a doctorate in education from Temple University, and had a distinguished career in the Philadelphia school system. He taught in an allblack school with forty-nine students per class and

served as principal of one of the city’s toughest high schools. Becoming inspired by and involved in the civil rights movement, Leon realized that, “Kids needed more than skills. They needed hope for tomorrow.”

When a Holocaust survivor spoke at his school in 1971, and urged him to talk about his own experiences, Leon found his “something.” He began telling his story to school and church groups, including several generations of George School students.

He felt a particular kinship to George School where his children, Leon Jr. ’72 and Delia Marie ’77, attended; where rapt audiences asked good questions; where he taught American history for six years after retiring from Philadelphia and served on the governing body of George School where the Quaker values that he embraced were espoused.

(He and his wife became members of the Society of Friends in 1963.)

As he echoed in his book, Good Enough: One Man’s Memoir on the Price of the Dream, Leon challenged his listeners to stand up to evil, using love as a powerful weapon. “Every pebble has a ripple,” he would say. Leon made ripples throughout his life and proved that he was more than good enough.

He was a powerful force for love.

G EORG IA N

| 17

JANUARY 2016

Perspectives

PHOTO COURTESY OF EMORY UNIVERSIT Y

Heeding Pragmatic and Powerful Voices

KATHLEEN NEAL CLEAVER ’63 joined The Black Panther Party in 1967 and became the communications secretary and first female member of the Party’s decision-making body. Today, Kathleen is an Emory University law professor.

BY ANDREA LEHMAN Not long after Kathleen Neal Cleaver ’63 arrived at George School in the early 1960s, protests in Albany, Georgia kindled her interest in the civil rights movement. In 1963, the year she graduated, Birmingham’s 16th Street Baptist Church was bombed and John F. Kennedy was assassinated.

Away from the sheltered George School campus, the country was undergoing upheaval, and Kathleen would soon become part of it, determined to change society for the better. In just a few years, Kathleen would become a member of The Black Panther Party.

Kathleen’s roots are in the segregated South.

Though her parents met at the University of Michigan (her mother needed a consent decree in order for Virginia—whose graduate schools didn’t admit blacks—to pay for her master’s elsewhere), they moved to Tuskegee Institute in Alabama when Kathleen was three. Her mother was a teacher and her father was the director of Tuskegee Institute’s Rural Life Council. When Kathleen was nine, her father began a series of postings with the US State Department that brought the family to India, the Philippines, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. Education came via American schools and correspondence

18 | GE O RGIAN

courses as well as by observing her environment.

In New Delhi, for example, she witnessed people of color running their country, governing themselves.

Nowhere that she lived were the majority of people white, including the Baltimore neighborhood where she moved in with relatives to attend ninth grade.

That changed when Kathleen arrived at George School as one of only a handful of black students.

“I’d never been surrounded by so many white people,” she admits. “I was in a state of shock.

And then they had snow. Snow and white people!”

She found the adjustment to dorm monitors and strict rules hard. “I thought George School was academically amazing but socially so restrictive.”

Her favorite teacher, Mr. Moore, instilled a love of history, and a course in Afro-Asian studies, she realized later, was quite unusual for the time.

One day the front page of the Philadelphia Inquirer carried a photo of girls in a paddy wagon in Albany. Arrested as part of the protests, they were singing, she remembers. “I was so impressed.

I wanted to be like them.” The courage of girls her own age had made a mark. A fellow student posted a note on a message board suggesting a fast in support of the Albany protesters, but that was countered by another note against the idea. Kathleen wanted to know more.

PERSPECTIVES

She went to Fellowship House in Philadelphia, where she had recently gone for a work camp. There she talked to a man about the Albany Movement and nonviolent protest. Back at school, she asked to speak at the next assembly. She didn’t reveal the topic.

Kathleen spoke with passion and anger about the principles of nonviolent action and what was happening in Georgia. If you don’t support the protesters, she reasoned, at least you should respect them. “I was stunned by how strong the reaction to the speech was,” especially because she thought a Quaker school would support nonviolent change.

“It became very controversial,” she says, realizing later that “What was controversial was that it was black people. They started calling me a radical”— a hint of what was to come.

Kathleen spent a year at Oberlin College, but the civil rights movement beckoned. After a stint in Washington, she moved to New York City, where she briefly attended Barnard before starting work for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). SNCC was a key player in civil rights efforts across the South, including the Albany Movement. Its leaders were her idols: intelligent, intense, and charismatic men like James Forman and Stokely Carmichael. In early 1967, Kathleen moved to Atlanta for SNCC. “I was born into a world where violence against black people is okay,” says Kathleen. In January 1966, an African American college student, veteran, and SNCC worker, Sammy Younge, Jr., was murdered in Tuskegee. It rattled the organization. By June, Stokely Carmichael used the phrase “Black Power” in a speech after James Meredith was shot.

A split was forming in the movement. There were those, like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Ralph Abernathy, who continued to advocate nonviolent protest from a spiritual foundation, and there were new voices—pragmatic and revolutionary.

“The call came out for Black Power,” describes Kathleen. “It took a more analytical look at society—not as much about peace and love, but black community solidarity and control of the community. That’s the movement that I was attracted to.

It’s the one that was more tailored to northern urban people.” The goal was not to get blacks accepted into white society but to overhaul an unjust one.

While organizing a conference in Nashville, Kathleen met Eldridge Cleaver. He persuaded her to visit Oakland, California, and before long the two would marry (they later divorced) and

Kathleen would join the city’s young Black Panther Party for Self-Defense. Its ten-point program included wanting the “power to determine the destiny of our black community” as well as “an immediate end to police brutality and murder of black people.” Even more threatening to whites, the party believed in the right of blacks to arm and defend themselves. As Kathleen explains, “More people get killed in a nonviolent movement. To be armed is to prevent violence.” But violence, especially with police, ensued, and party leaders, including cofounder Huey Newton, were arrested.

Kathleen became the party’s communications secretary, and the Cleavers and other party members became the target of an FBI campaign of surveillance, misinformation, and discrediting called COINTELPRO. “We were young and educated and enthusiastic,” she says. “The people who wanted to prevent us from doing this had a lot more resources.”

While out on bail after an arrest, Eldridge left the country and became a fugitive. Kathleen joined him in Algeria and they started the international arm of the Black Panthers. It was a time when countries worldwide were trying to overthrow imperial powers. “We envisioned a world being completely different in a very short period of time. We were naive,” she concedes. She left the party in 1971.

Kathleen returned to the United States and put herself through Yale, both undergraduate and law school. By the mid-1980s, the Cleavers’ daughter Jojuyoungi (Joju) ’88 attended a much more multicultural George School than the one Kathleen had.

Joju loved it, and her mother was pleased: “The older I get, the more impressed I am with George School. It was the best educational experience I had until Yale.”

Now an Emory University law professor, Kathleen admits to “diminished idealism.” “We wanted to change the world….I enjoyed every minute I was in the movement to challenge racism.

I’m sure some felt too little was accomplished.” At least in this country, she goes on to say, you can vent your frustrations.

Today, “I see a group of young people challenging injustice. I also see communities devastated beyond belief. I see mass imprisonment of black youth….My opinion has been for the past thirty years that the United States is the biggest and richest third-world country.” The possibility of largescale change and the elimination of racial inequality and oppression seem remote, but, “There are rays of hope. There’s always a new generation.”

G EORG IA N

| 19

JIM INVERSO

JANUARY 2016

JOHN STREETZ has continued his involvement with George School, visiting campus, serving on committees, and working with community members.

Perspectives

Shaping the Future of Diversity

BY ANDREA LEHMAN The first entry for the 1950s on the history timeline of the George School website describes the event matter-of-factly: “John Streetz is the first African American faculty member. He teaches science and is a dormitory counselor.” For John, wife Jackie, and the school, the experience was more nuanced and the results much more significant. When John and Jackie arrived in 1950, it marked the beginning of a George School that would come to embrace diversity as the cornerstone of its community—an outcome and an institution that pleases John to no end.

John doesn’t like to use the word “integrate” because he feels that it doesn’t reflect that “individuals retain their own integrity.” Instead he prefers to talk about “equity and inclusion at the school,” starting from a point when it was not so.

In 1946, the George School Committee accepted that John M. George, whose will provided for the school, specified that it educate Quakers, not just white Quakers, and soon Cynthia May Crooks ’47, a Friend from Jamaica, became the first black student. She was followed by Donald Dingle ’53 after the committee decided that all children of

20 | G E ORGIAN

full-time employees were eligible for admission and full scholarships. In 1948, the year Richard “Dick” McFeely became the school’s new head, they approved a race-blind policy for faculty recruitment but could not agree on race-blind admissions.

While there was no published policy against the admission of African Americans, the lack of action spoke louder than words. “I understood that the mission on which the school was founded—that there is that of God in everyone—was not always followed.” Change would have to be built on trust.

The education world was a small one, and soon Dick McFeely approached John, proposing that he come to George School with Jackie to integrate the faculty. It took three visits to the school and some persuasion, as John’s friends and fellow Meeting members were split about whether it was a good idea. With George School students and young teachers clamoring for integration, there were still those in the community who, as John puts it, “weren’t convinced.” Ultimately, the Streetzes accepted the offer, and while he taught, Jackie worked as a secretary in the office of the boys’ dean, Jack Talbot.

PERSPECTIVES

JOHN STREETZ posed with the 1953 cross country team for a photo.

The 1953 team included: Donald Dingle ’53, Pete Glusker ’54, B. Haldeman, Kenneth Bob ’53, Frederick Iliff ’55, David Jackson ’54, Jack Miller ’53, Frank Morris ’54, Stephen Phillips ’53, Robert Pyle ’53, and David Smith ’53.

“If you don’t know people, you don’t have a chance to bond in more than superficial ways,” says John, and so the Streetzes began getting to know and becoming part of the George School community.

“It was obvious who we were and what we were doing. We let it go at that…. I kept my mouth shut and listened. I learned that you can do things if you go about it the right way.” Key members of the administration, faculty, and staff—Dick McFeely, Bill Burton, Jim Seegers, and the Talbot, Mason, Craighead, and Weimar families—“made a specific effort to make us feel comfortable, and in time we did.”

The floodgates did not open immediately. The numbers of black students and faculty stayed low for some time, with a dearth of scholarship money a significant obstacle. With Dick’s blessing, John tried to persuade African American students who could afford it to come to George School. In particular, John went to Lincoln University President Horace Mann Bond, whom John had met when in college, to ask him to consider enrolling his son Julian. The elder Bond did. “I didn’t know what was ahead for Julian when he was at George School,” John admits, but the two were joined as pioneers.

“Like me, when it was time to get a haircut, he wasn’t going to be able to get one in Newtown.”

In time, change came to George School and its town. “When I was there we began to get students from ABC [A Better Chance]. Students and faculty worked together to foster diversity. Kids, even if they came from the ‘Deep South,’ bought into the ethics that were promulgated, the concept of equity and inclusion….One of the things that was strong

about the school was outreach. When I was there, we had work camps in North Philly. Very often these were student-sponsored.”

The Streetzes remained at George School until 1966 (when John became assistant headmaster at Oakwood Friends School). “They were rough times,” he says of the ’60s. “On the one hand we were teaching students to question, to think for themselves, and to be honest in their relationships with others, and I think we were pretty good at that. Some took it a bit far,” he remembers ruefully.

When the Streetzes left, “There were probably fewer than ten African American students and maybe two other faculty. The numbers were small, but the acceptance was high. It wasn’t until David [Bourns] got there and worked hard to get the board to dedicate and raise money for scholarships [that the numbers changed significantly]….These things take a lot longer than you expect.”

Even after leaving the school, John stayed involved, serving on many committees and helping to shape its future. Working with community members from Dick McFeely to Nancy Starmer, he sees a continuum that links all those who have helped bring George School where it is regarding equity and inclusion.

When it comes to both school and society, John feels that “things have improved considerably.

If one looks at it in a broad sense, there’s still a hell of a lot of work to do. But when I look at George School today, I see a broadly diverse group of people, and I see it moving forward. As individuals go out into the world, they represent the possibility of changing it and making it a better place.”

G EORG IA N

| 21

JANUARY 2016

Perspectives

DEMI STAULINO ’15

Is George School a Bubble or Gateway to the Real World?

BY LAURA NOEL

AUTUMN MCMILLAN ’16, Qudsiyyah Shariyf ’15, and Lizzy Mahoney ’15 posed with posters during the die-in in December 2014.

“No place is perfect.” These words, spoken by Qudsiyyah “Q” Shariyf ’15 during a recent phone interview echo in my head as I reflect on social justice activism at George School over the last year.

In August 2014 as the frustration surrounding the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO came to a head, George School students were just returning. Arriving to a campus filled with hope and good intentions, many of our students were able to shelter themselves from what was happening in the world around them and the “George School bubble” kept some parts of the community blind to what was happening.

But the bubble didn’t shelter students forever. In December, after the grand jury decision was released in the Michael Brown case, it became clear that as a community we needed a space to heal and discuss. We gathered in Walton for community worship sharing led by Head of School Nancy Starmer and guided by questions created by Student Council. As Quakers often do, the community used the backbone of the Quaker religion— meeting for worship—to support a difficult conversation about racial injustice.

The meeting was a testament to the thoughtful, civil discourse that is encouraged at George School and to the deep value we place on worship sharing and speaking one’s own truth. Students asked difficult questions, told heartening—and

22 | G E O RGIAN

disheartening—stories of their experiences, and listened deeply to one another. The meeting offered hope for a world where we will one day be able to talk openly and honestly about the tough issues.

At the conclusion of worship the community departed for Red Square where Q led a die-in.

As the community lay on the ground in the bitter cold for four and a half minutes (to represent the four and a half hours that Michael Brown’s body lay in the street) it was encouraging to see the number of people who joined her for this silent protest.

Though Q expected she would find support, she didn’t realize it would be so overwhelming.

As the last seconds ticked by, the group rose to their feet and collectively raised their hands and voices to proclaim “Hands up, don’t shoot.” It was impossible not to feel the hope and power emanating from their souls. Here was a group of people from all corners of the globe yearning for a better world.

Though the guided worship sharing was over, the conversation did not end there. In small groups on hallways, in dormitories, in classrooms, and in collections the conversation continued.

And it continued in the larger community as well. Spurred by the success of the die-in, Q organized a group of students and faculty to participate in the “Reclaim MLK Day” march in Philadelphia.

Despite the cold, students found themselves

L AUR A NOEL

PERSPECTIVES

MEMBERS of the George School community gathered for a vigil to reflect on the growing racial tension in the United States and the protests in Baltimore after the death of Freddie Gray.

surrounded by people advocating for change—the second time that year that students had the opportunity to march for a cause they believed in.*

As the ground softened and flowers bloomed, Q continued to encourage the community to grow and learn. In May, as she prepared to graduate from George School, Q brought a local poet to campus and organized a candlelight vigil to protest structural racism and police brutality and to reflect on the death of Freddie Gray and the protests—both peaceful and violent—that followed. It was a powerful evening filled with reflection and a bit of sadness but also incredible strength and hope for the future.

If you only see George School through vignettes like these, it is easy to assume we are protected from the overt racism felt in other parts of the country. And for the most part, you would be right. Largely George School is a safe space. But that doesn’t stop microaggression from occasionally rearing its ugly head on campus and doesn’t protect students from racism when they venture off campus. Microaggression—the term for the often unintentional but no less hurtful insults that communicate negative messages—is real and even a community as close knit as the one at George School has to work to address it.

George School is a supportive, caring, welcoming environment with incredible socioeconomic, racial, and cultural diversity, but it is also a place filled with people—people who make mistakes, say

things without thinking, and who are growing and learning. I have heard students lament their frustration at being called black when they are of Latina heritage, express feeling tokenized when asked to speak on behalf of their race in class, and I have heard stories of students upset at overhearing the use of the N-word in casual conversation among friends and in ways that are not meant to be offensive. These are just a few examples and it is these small slights that we must still work to overcome.

As I finished my conversation with Q about her work over the last year at George School, she shared with me her hopes for the future and her thoughts about the culture on campus in contrast to the culture of the greater world.

“I hope people will use the privilege and opportunity of being at George School for good and to positively affect change in the larger community.

We should begin to view George School not as a bubble but as a gateway to the larger world.

“No place is perfect, but George School is definitely on the better end of the scale compared to other private schools, boarding schools, and the wider world.”

* In September 2014, more than seventy students, faculty, and staff participated in the People’s Climate March in New York City.

G EORG IA N

| 23

CALEB SAVAGE ’11

JANUARY 2016

MARK WHITAKER ’75, author and first African American leader of a national news weekly, talked at TEDx George School about how reporting the story of his family changed his views about his parents and his own life, and how writing books has made him see how limited the daily media’s view of a “story” often is.

TEDx Comes to George School TED, meet George. Well, TEDx actually—the “x” designating an independently organized version of the popular talks on “ideas worth spreading.”

On June 13, 2015 TEDx came to the Geissinger Gymnasium in George School’s new Fitness and Athletics Center, along with sixteen speakers, four TED Talk videos, a host of musicians and workshop leaders, and more than 250 people who had come to learn from them.

The idea of bringing TEDx to George School seemed like a natural to English and Theory of Knowledge teacher and IB Program Coordinator Ralph Lelii, who served as the conference’s lead curator. Broadening intellectual discourse is what the school does, and teachers—Ralph included— have been using TED talks in their classrooms for years.

“I think it’s a miracle,” he explains. “You’re able to bring thousands of voices to students. It’s so mind-expanding. I can’t imagine teaching without it.”

After thinking about bringing TEDx to George School for a few years and talking to fellow faculty around the lunch table, Ralph conceded that “someone would have to do the heavy lifting.”

With support from Head of School Nancy Starmer, he decided to apply to the TED organization. The nineteen-page application had ten

24 | G E O RGIAN

essays, including “What is your philosophical interest in TED?” It took him four weeks to fill it out and another four months to hear back that George School was approved.

With approval in hand, preparations began in earnest—including speaker selection as well as logistics from stage design and seating to refreshments and recording. (Videos of the talks are available on tedxgeorgeschool.org and on TEDx.com.)

As Ralph put it, “It took six months of dedicated work to bring off one day.”

A committee of about thirty faculty and staff members formed to find speakers and create the event. They threw out lots of names and approached lots of interesting individuals. One of the TED rules is that, other than travel expenses, speakers cannot be paid, and there are no keynotes.

All are equal—a good fit for a Quaker school.

The final speakers were a diverse group, representing varied backgrounds and professions, and ages from sixteen to seventy, including five alumni and two students. That, too, was fitting for George School.

“The idea of having students take part, of having them talk about ideas, that all voices matter—is part of our philosophy,” Ralph shared. “I wanted to model that.”

PHOTOS BY CALEB SAVAGE ’11

FEATURES

A CAPTIVATED AUDIENCE listened to speakers during TEDxGeorgeSchool (left). Science teacher Alyssa Schultheis and her mother Elizabeth, shared their musical talents during the conference (right). The West Philadelphia Orchestra and Hanna Vaughn ’15 also performed.

To bring some cohesiveness to the program, there was a framing idea:

In a world where the amount of knowledge doubles every twelve months, we are challenged to think carefully about the nature and content of the curricula we construct for our students.

During TEDxGeorgeSchool we hope to explore a range of ideas about what should be taught to students who must adapt to a world that is undergoing an unprecedented rate of cultural and intellectual change.

Speakers talked about brain research, community gardens, and hair. Journalist Mark Whitaker ’75 and novelist Emmy Laybourne ’89 both talked about the power of storytelling. Linking the talks together were messages about creativity, innovation, acceptance, and love in the face of change.

“It is intellectual candy,” Ralph calls the talks that ranged from ten to fifteen minutes. “Some speak to you. Others may not.”

The intent is to spark the imagination and conversation, not debate. “They don’t get into opposing points of view. That’s the TED philosophy. There’s no question and answer component, only discussion during the breaks.” Also per the rules, one-quarter of the talks were in the form of TED videos.

Between the four program sessions there was time to chat with conference-goers or take part in action breaks, because as Ralph explains, “The speakers can be so compelling, you need a break.”

Attendees could wander outside to take a tour of the organic garden with its caretaker, Kate Smith, or upstairs to learn about brewing coffee with local expert J. David Waldman from Rojo’s Roastery. Other action breaks included “The Power

of Pause” with Michael Lo Stracco, religion teacher and mindfulness instructor, “Anyone Can Draw” with Jo Adachi, painting and drawing teacher, and “The Power of Song in Building Community” with Jackie Coren, chorale director.

On a stage designed by stagecraft teacher Scott Hoskins with asymmetrical columns set against a starry sky, the TEDx talks seemed to give a nonlinear nod to the past while attempting to fathom an unfathomable future. It was what education, especially a George School education, should be.

Speakers agreed it was a great match and a great day.

“TEDx George School and its Quaker school context is the convergence of the time to reflect and the time to be intellectually stimulated,” remarked educator and author Natalie Nixon.

“It doesn’t surprise me at all that George School decided to have a TEDx conference here,” Emmy Laybourne ’89 expressed. “Both crack people’s minds open.”

“Some of the ideals of TED—the openness of expression and the free-flowing ideas—that’s all in accordance to what George School tries to teach its students,” commented Jake Malavsky ’15.

By all accounts—from the number of those attending to the buzz on the day to feedback obtained through TED questionnaires—the event was a great success.

G EORG IA N

| 25

JANUARY 2016

Get Social

with George School

Like us on Facebook facebook.com/georgeschool

ALUMNI Keep in touch with your fellow alumni

Follow us on Twitter @georgeschool FA C E B O O K: Follow us on YouTube

facebook.com/

George School Video

georgeschoolalumni

Follow us on Instagram @georgeschool

LI N KE D I N: George School

instagram.com/georgeschool

George School Connect | georgeschool.org/connect

Be sure to download this must-have app at georgeschool.org/connect to find out about events, search the alumni directory, access the latest edition of the magazine, and more!

26 | GE ORGIAN

CAMPUS NEWS & NOTES

Campus News & Notes

CONNIE GLEESON ’78

JIM INVERSO

L AUR A NOEL

COURTESY OF FR ANKLIN AND MARSHALL COLLEGE

George School Picks Classics Scholar as New Head of School The George School Board of Trustees announced that J. Samuel “Sam” Houser, PhD, vice president for strategic initiatives and chief of staff of Franklin & Marshall College (F&M), was selected as the ninth Head of George School, effective August 1, 2016. Sam holds a BA in Latin from F&M and a PhD in classical philology from Brown University. He taught Latin and Greek at the Lincoln School, a K-12 Quaker School, and at F&M.

Colin McKay ’16 Named National Merit Semifinalist George School is pleased to announce that Colin McKay ’16 of Doylestown, Pennsylvania has been named a semifinalist in the National Merit Scholarship competition based on his high performance on standardized tests. Eleven students were named commended scholars.

100 Percent IB Diploma Success One hundred percent of the George School International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma candidates have earned a diploma from the prestigious international organization. The forty-two diploma candidates earned an average score of 32.4, well above the world average.

George School Hosts First IEA Show George School hosted its first Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) show on Saturday, October 10, 2015. The team finished one point behind the first and second place teams who finished with tied scores.

Students Spend Summer in Service In June students and faculty traveled to Vietnam, Costa Rica, and Arizona to learn about other cultures, give back to local communities, and explore new places. In Vietnam, students volunteered at an orphanage. In Costa Rica service activities emphasized ecological conservation. In Arizona, students worked as teachers’ aides in the Kayenta Primary School on a Navajo Reservation.

George School Football Has Record Breaking Season The George School Football team has had a record breaking season, remaining undefeated during their first five games and finishing the season with an overall record of 5-3. Led by tricaptains Cody Haney ’16, Luke Haug ’16, and Evan Ortega ’16, the team had one of its strongest seasons on record over the last ten years.

G EORG IA N

| 27

L AUR A NOEL

EDEN MCEWEN ’17

JANUARY 2016

Students Develop Website Application Eleven George School students were selected as interns for the Project for STEM Competitiveness program held during July and August 2015. Sponsored by Enterra Solutions, the team was challenged to develop an application that a business could use to analyze data from an open-source, complex data set. Their assignment focused on expanding their STEM-related skills in science, technology, engineering, and math.

SUSAN QUINN

EDEN MCEWEN ’17

Newtown Creek Offers Hands on Learning for Students Students in Polly Lodge’s IB Biology classes studied the various native plants and animals in the Newtown Creek, running along the northwest corner of campus. The students took careful measurements of the stream including width, depth, temperature, and water clarity readings.

In addition they collected more than fifteen organisms for study.

George School Math Team Ranks Highly in Online Competition The George School math team is competing in a series of competitions through the In-ter-stel-lar website this fall.

The team, made up of sixteen students and faculty advisor Kevin Moon, completes a series of online math challenges each week. They have been consistently ranked among the top fifteen teams this year.

Robotics Open House Showcases Creativity Robotics at George School is a student-directed course that encourages students to use their imaginations to design and program their own robotics projects using computer programming and engineering skills. The 2015 Robotics Open House showcased a tea-bot, a light reconnaissance vehicle, a robot that draws different shapes, an underwater robot, and a soccer-bot, among other creative designs.

JIM INVERSO

Twelve Angry Jurors Captivates Audience Twelve Angry Jurors, the first performance of the 20152016 theater season, kept the audience captivated with nonstop debate and discussion. Set on a humid August afternoon in Brooklyn, New York, the show follows the journey of twelve jurors as they decide the fate of a young man accused of murdering his father.

28 | GE ORGIAN

PHOTOS BY JIM INVERSO

CAMPUS NEWS & NOTES

Volleyball Laney Pope ’17 was named an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Volleyball Academic All-American for 2015. The award recognizes athletes participating in the AAU Junior National Volleyball Championships for the excellence in academics as well as athletics.

Cross Country Jerrica Bauer ’16 was named to the Cross Country All-State First Team by a panel of coaches from across the state. One of only ten runners selected for the team, Jerrica had a stellar senior season on the George School Cross Country Team.

A L U M N I W E E K E N D 2 0 16 MAY 13-15, 2016

Mark your calendar now and plan to return to George School for an enjoyable and fun-filled weekend!

This year is already shaping up to be very special.

Visit georgeschool.org/alumniweekend to check the schedule or make your reservations.

G EORG IA N

| 29

JANUARY 2016

Alumni Tell Us EDITED BY MEG PEAKE ’03

For Alumni Contact Information: Visit our alumni website: www.georgeschool.org/alumni Contact the Advancement Office T. 215.579.6572 E. advancement@georgeschool.org

1931 John ( Jack) P. Rudolph writes, “I enjoyed my vacation in Ocean City NJ in September with daughters Judith ( Judy) Rudolph Craig ’59, Jeanne Rudolph Walton ’64, and Barbara Rudolph MerleSmith ’66.”

1937 Caroline (Carol) Gaunt Headley writes, “The years have flown by. I am still living in my cottage here at Green Ridge Village in Newville PA and manage to keep busy with volunteering and social activities in the Village. I have just stopped driving as we have a great transportation department that takes us to appointments as necessary. My first great-grandchild arrived in January 2015 in Colorado. I do enjoy hearing the George School news.”

1940 Judith ( Judy) Raymond Odlum writes, “I have moved to Texas to be near my daughter and still hanging in there at 93.”

1942 Cornelia (Kinnie) Clarke Schmidt writes, “In July 2015, the Class of 1942 had a mini-reunion at Pennswood Village in Newtown PA. Residents Mary Eastburn Biggin and Shane E. Riorden invited Harry M. Woske, his wife Patricia McKiernan, my husband Marshall Schmidt, and me to join them for dinner.”

30 | GE ORGIAN

1946 Josephine ( Jo) Woodward Zagieboylo writes, “After three years as an occupational therapist for children (mostly polio victims), my husband followed his work to Massachusetts where we lived for fifty years before he had a stroke and had to live in a nursing home. I moved to New Pond Village, a retirement village in Walpole MA, to be near him.

When he died, I stayed here and it is a comfortable place to live. I’m battling several age-connected problems, but I can walk, see, and hear better than some others who are my age. One thing that has ruined my independence is that I am no longer allowed to drive—something I always loved to do.”

1947 Gouverneur (Gouv) Cadwallader writes, “I am planning to come to Alumni Weekend each year for at least five years, which is how long I feel sure to survive. I am hoping for ten more years and have a goal of making it to 100 years old in fifteen years. I still do computer programming for fun: torus geometry, magic squares, and some fractal graphics.”

C. Howard Davis writes, “I went on a cruise with my family from Istanbul, Turkey to Athens, Greece.

We did a lot of sightseeing of historic sights. My sister-in-law, Penny, and I have moved from Decatur GA and are currently staying with my son and his family in Malvern PA. My granddaughter, Sydney F. Davis ’19, has started her freshman year at George School. I am looking forward to attending GS events and renewing acquaintances.”

A. James ( Jim) Lincoln writes, “After forty-six years in our Concord MA home, my wife Maggie and I are moving to Brookhaven at Lexington, a retirement community in Lexington MA. Our daughter, Rebecca, used this last opportunity for a wedding on our lawn to marry Erik Flynn, a marine archeologist, whom she met several years ago while volunteering on a

teaching schooner on the California coast. She and Erik will live in her house in central Philadelphia where she is a social worker in the emergency department at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Our son, Tom, continues to practice community and correctional medicine in Hampton County MA. His older son Jay graduated from Colgate University in Hamilton NY in June; his younger son, Sam, entered Wesleyan University in Middletown CT in August 2015.”

1948 Elizabeth (Liz) Graves Fraser writes, “My grandson, Finn Nolan Fraser, born December 2014 visited Ireland to meet his many Irish cousins and attended his uncle Alex’s wedding reception in Stuttgart, Germany.

Traveling with an eight-month-old baby is a real challenge, but his mother, my daughter Margaret, his father Barry Nolan, and I managed it with joy.”

1949 Carole Johnson Brown writes, “I recently moved from Tucson AZ to Ashby Ponds in Ashburn VA. My husband Ray and I had forty wonderful years together, but he passed away in November 2013, and I knew it was time to move on. I’m near our daughter Anna and within a couple hours of sons David and Chris with five grandkids close by. Our daughter Knansee bought our Arizona house so I know it is being loved.”

1951 Jack G. Schafer writes, “Betty and I are looking forward to the 65th reunion next May. We continue our travels—in July we chartered a boat for a week in the Galapagos Islands with the kids, their husbands, and eight grandchildren. Betty and I traveled to Namibia in October and then Laos, we went diving in the Maldives, and eventually London in January. I was just on the search committee for a new general director for the San Francisco Opera, and I am on several other non-profit boards. I am swimming every day and still vertical.”

ALUMNI TELL US

David P. Willis writes, “What’s going on with the Class of ’51? I’m still busy with the antiques appraisal business and doing some antiques shows with eighteenth-century porcelain and silver.”

1953 Donald A. Frey writes, “I’m still alive and well in Bodrum, Turkey.

In the spring of 2015 the Minnesota Marine Art Museum in Winona MN had an exhibit of my underwater archaeological photographs entitled A Life Aquatic: Don Frey Retrospective.”

Toni Schragger Segal writes, “Anyone in the Princeton NJ area? I would love to meet.”

1954 Virginia Twining Gardner writes, “I was presented with the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden Native Choice Award at the Santa Barbara Beautiful Awards gala in September 2015. I am a devotee of fragrance, and there’s a lot of fragrance in native plants. My favorite is the spicebush. It has a lovely fragrance that reminds me of the East Coast plant, witch hazel.”

James ( Jim) L. Whitely writes, “For those classmates who are reading this and who are not on the Yahoo Group list, ‘GS54,’ I encourage you to sign up. You will have access to the images of ‘megapreneur’ and class dictator, E. David Luria; the finely-tuned wisdom of the arts, Laney; the off-the-wall groaners of our favorite punner, Freeds; the solver of any conceivable computer problem, ‘I Be&aM,’ Gummy; the voice of Army medicine, Peter G; and others too numerous to mention. Join us!”

1955 Michael L. Ingerman writes, “I missed joining with classmates at the 60th Reunion in May. In November 2014, I experienced an illness which left me paralyzed from the waist down. Since then, I have been learning how to lead an active life, running around on four wheels. Life in our home in Nicasio CA has survived this

transition and I am enjoying living in our redwood grove more every day.

Much of my volunteer activity in the community has been through the use of my computer and has not been diminished by my change in mobility. Greetings to all and I hope you had a wonderful time on campus with classmates and friends.”

1956 John C. Wobensmith writes, “Since January 2015, I have been the Maryland Secretary of State. The office divisions include: Charities and Legal Services, Notaries, an Address Confidentiality Program (for spousal abuse and human trafficking victims), and an International Division that manages our international Sister States Program (which includes over fifteen different countries). We also publish the official state documents including laws and regulations. We had a great business trip in July, with Maryland’s Governor Larry Hogan.

In addition to meeting with many foreign businesses, we met with the Foreign Minister and other senior officials in South Korea, Prime Minister Abe in Japan, and Vice Premier Liu in China—a fantastic trip! Come see our website at: www.sos.md.gov”

1957 Lyell Price Mahoney writes, “I still own a vintage consignment shop in Bryn Mawr PA. I hope to sell it soon so I can go back to teaching wheelchair tennis to handicapped children.”

James ( Jim) H. Stein Jr writes, “Svetlana Bonner and I married on August 30, 2015, and now reside in Redwood City CA. We met two years ago dancing Argentine tango. Svetlana practices psychiatry in Palo Alto CA and I have retired from a software career in Silicon Valley.”

1958 Marjorie Pusey Hall writes, “In early September 2015, my siblings, their spouses, children, and grandchildren (minus one from Colorado) gathered in southern Pennsylvania to

celebrate my mother’s one hundredth birthday. She was living independently in a retirement community until a fall resulted in a severely fractured leg.”

Prudence (Pru) Craig Ingerman writes, “I just completed my fourth illustrated book entitled Coloring for Caregivers, a tender guide for anyone caring for a loved one at home. My next book will be called Desert Island Knitting, a profusely illustrated and clear guide for the frustrated beginning knitter. I retired from teaching ESL at Juniata College in Huntingdon PA after sixteen years and spend January and February at a school in Guatemala doing teacher training and a whole lot of sex education (a very funny topic, really). I will be in Otavalo, Ecuador, for the twelfth summer, but this time teaching English to taxi drivers and businessrelated English to the indigenous market vendors.”

1959 Edouard Rouby writes “I have been interested in information about North Dakota and the MHA (Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara) Nation of the Fort Berthold Reservation because of the AFSC (American Friends Service Committee) work camp I attended 1959, in the summer just after my GS graduation. I am also interested in the local history in Alsace, France, if you are interested in learning more, visit www.enpassantparsoultz.fr.”

1960 Marguerite Culp Kearns writes, “Classmate Meredith J. Monk was a recipient of the National Medal of Arts bestowed by President Obama in September 2015. I am the national co-chair of the Inez Milholland Centennial observance in 2016.

Inez Milholland is America’s suffrage martyr (1886-1916), and the centennial observance is the work of the National Women’s History Project.

I have also launched a storytelling series about the women’s suffrage movement and the ways in which my family was involved. The storytelling

G EORG IA N

| 31

JANUARY 2016

1931: John (Jack) P.

1947: Gouverneur (Gouv) Cadwallader ’47

Rudolph ’31

shares a picture from Alumni Weekend a few years ago.

1960: Marguerite Culp Kearns ’60 shared a picture of the George School diploma of Serena Buckman Kearns '24, the youngest member of the Silent Sentinels in the women’s suffrage movement.

1963: Carol Ellis Duke ’63 on Ruby Beach in Olympic National Park in summer 2015.

Classmates?

32 | G E ORGIAN

1962: Sara (Sally) Wislar Farneth ’62 with her husband Alan, and their grandchildren Nathaniel and Sabrina Hankins, children of Melinda (Lindy) Farneth Hankins ’92.

1966: A caricature of Loren Cobb ’66 from 2003.

NO NEWS FROM YOUR

1955: Michael L. Ingerman ’55 underwater archaeological photography featured at the Minnesota Marine Art Museum exhibit A Life Aquatic: Don Frey Retrospective.

1953: Donald A. Frey’s ’53

1969: Lisa S. Garrison ’69 along with the members of Mayor Kelly’s Freedom Tour Steering Committee: Rev. Melvin Johnson of Historic Bethel Othello AME Church, Lisa and Jeanne Doremus of Greenwich Friends Meeting, and Mayor Kelly.

Class notes keep the fun going.

Send your update today for the next edition.

DE ADLINE IS JANUARY 20, 2016.

ALUMNI TELL US

series highlights my grandparents, Edna Buckman Kearns and Wilmer Kearns, as well as Serena Buckman Kearns ’24. Serena was the youngest of the Silent Sentinels on the picket lines at the White House in 1917, right before she went to George School. For more information visit my websites: http://SuffrageWagon.org and http:// SuffrageCentennials.com.”

1961 Peter Silverman writes, “My short story, ‘Mourners,’ was published in the winter 2015 issue of East Coast Literary Review.”

1962 Mary Winter Arnold writes, “We’ve moved into another new home! We have had too many attempts at finding the right nest, but we love Greenville SC! We are close to one son and his family, four hours from our second son who, with his sweet wife, gave me the best birthday gift: our fourth grandson to go with our four granddaughters! Our daughter is in California so we have excuses to travel more—kids, cruises, and college friends! I feel young inside, but look a lot like my mother now, and that’s fine with me!”

Sara (Sally) Wislar Farneth writes, “I had nice visits with my daughters’ families—Katherine (Kate) Farneth Hirsch ’94 in Madison WI, and Melinda (Lindy) Farneth Hankins ’92 in Falmouth ME. Being a grandparent is such fun! While attending meeting for worship in Portland ME, I had a quick visit with classmate Ellyn (Lyn) Clemmer Ballou. I also attended a Friends gathering in North Carolina and was in a workshop with J. Robert (Bob) Passmore.”

1963 Edward (Eddie) T. Fei writes, “I’m still working at the Department of Energy, currently heading up a team that does international nuclear forensics cooperation with about a dozen international partners. We use the national labs and work with

foreign scientists and enforcement officials with the goal of preventing and detecting nuclear smuggling. I now have two grandkids who travel with my daughter Evonne to visit their other grandparents in Macedonia. My other pursuits include swing dancing and tennis several times a week. It’s all good, until the body gives out!”

theater at GS, and even though theater remained her passion in northern California, she had never seen any Broadway shows. She was unable to come to our 50th reunion, but instead she and a friend came to New York City this year. I think they had a great time, and I very much enjoyed the time that I spent with them.”

Carol Ellis Duke writes, “We moved to Federal Way WA from Cincinnati OH last year and love living in the Pacific Northwest. We camped and hiked in Rainier, North Cascades, and Olympic National Parks in Washington this summer. The best part of our move is that we live close to our daughter’s family. The weather here is SO much better here than in Ohio!”

1966

1964 Kathryn McCreary writes, “Walter C. Wright III and his wife opened their house to my friend Mary and me in June. It was my first visit to New York City since I was a student at George School, and the experience was definitely one of the most memorable I have had. The diversity, energy, generosity, and depth of creative expression that surrounded us was exciting. From the graceful gentleman playing a mournful onestringed instrument in a tunnel in Central Park to the fabulous actors performing Two Gentlemen of Verona in a small theater, we found ourselves in the presence of genius over and over. In the west, we tend to hear ‘news’ of the terrible troubles that plague ‘The City.’ I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to see the other side. I love New York.”

Walter C. Wright III writes, “In June I had a nice visit with Kathryn McCreary, who spent a week in New York City enjoying lots of Broadway shows. Kathryn and I don’t remember ever speaking to each other when she was at George School, which she attended for only her senior year.

But, when making phone calls in early 2014 to generate interest in our 50th reunion, I had the good fortune to call her. She had been involved in

Loren Cobb writes, “My research groups are working on three topics: mathematical models for refugee dynamics, spatial tracking methods for Ebola, and filtering theory in Banach spaces. It keeps me jumping!”

1967 Laurie Rendall Coursin writes, “I’m loving being retired and don’t miss the crazy hours of midwifery. My mother died in June and our whole family was able to be there as she died.

It was a blessing, she had a wonderful full life and at ninety-seven, was ready to die. My cousin’s wife died suddenly at sixty-six of a stroke and I must admit it puts life into perspective and makes me appreciate every day. I’ve been busy settling into the house that I built in Putney VT. My vegetable garden is wonderful and has been producing like mad. I’ve been taking advantage of the rivers and lakes in Vermont and enjoying kayaking.

There haven’t been enough hours in the days to do the quilting, knitting, and reading I’d like to do. I am going to go to a ‘Godly Play’ workshop so that I can learn more about teaching children at Putney Meeting, where I’ve been very active. It’s wonderful having the time to travel and not be tied to a work schedule. I went to see Steve and Wendy Gross Nierenberg on Martha’s Vineyard; you should see her blue ribbon quilts! We both said how wonderful it would be to see lots of our classmates at our 50th!”

Purcell ( Jim) McKamey writes, “We went to Ireland in November.

We may make it a move if my wife and I can settle in over there. Jane is from Ireland, so that’s a good start. How

G EORG IA N

| 33

JANUARY 2016

many times at this point in your life can you make a change like this? It’s exciting.”

Sandra Pitman Purinton writes, “I have been retired for four years from elementary school counseling.

I am working part time as a group facilitator at Gilda’s Club, a cancer support center. We are enjoying our grandchildren ages seven and three.”

1968 Joan McIlvain Bradley writes, “Having retired almost two years ago, my husband and I are now very busy beekeepers. We enjoy our annual visits with Linda Powell Middleton and Kenneth (Ken) Miller, and also seeing Melanie Wright Tripp ’67.”

1969 James R. Caulkins writes “I finally retired last year and have been traveling a bit with Evelyne, my wife of forty-two years. Mostly, I’ve been trying to relax after all that time working in a corporate environment.

I think I’m getting the hang of it. My son is still living and working in New York City where we visit him and my family in Connecticut. Life is good if you don’t read the papers.”

Lisa S. Garrison writes, “In September, with support from the Lyman Fund, and in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of the City of Bridgeton NJ, historic Bethel Othello African Methodist Church (AME), and Greenwich Friends Meeting, a group of fifty-two people, toured Underground Railroad sites in Western Cumberland County on ‘Mayor Kelly’s Freedom Tour: Freedom Seekers, Free People of Color and Greenwich Quakers.’ The tour was developed as a shared community learning adventure. Beginning at the Lower Friends Meeting House by the Cohansey River in Greenwich NJ, the tour proceeded to Delaware Bay and Caviar Point, where a rising breeze and view of distant Delaware shorelines attested to the often arduous crossings 19th century self-emancipated individu-

34 | G E ORGIAN

als made on their journeys towards freedom. With the free Black community of Springtown as Northern Star, enslaved people from points south sought out the route through Greenwich. Some passed through; others remained—but all found a modicum of safety in the presence of friendly Quakers’ farms surrounding their settlement, which contributed to this area’s reputation for being “as safe as Canada.” Speakers included Mayor Kelly; Joan Bryant, professor of African American Studies at the University of Syracuse; Matt Blake, director of Community Development for the Township of Woolwich; and myself as a cultural historian. The project was a vehicle for developing interracial partnerships and uncovering untold stories. For more information visit: http://www.nj.com/south-jerseytowns/index.ssf/2015/09/exploring_ the_legacy_of_the_un.html.”

William (Bill) S. Pat terson writes, “Wow, it sure was cold here in the City of Brotherly Love last winter!

Who turned off the heat!?!”

1970 Roger L. Kay writes, “This summer marked the tenth anniversary of my company, Endpoint Technologies Associates, which is still going strong. This fall marked the twentieth anniversary of my marriage to Beth, also still going strong. Our grandson is growing rapidly in Los Angeles CA, our younger daughter is currently attending Washington University of St. Louis in St. Louis MO, and our son is a junior in high school—he is running track and being a generally good guy.”

1971 Patricia (Pat t y) Appelbaum writes. “My new book, St. Francis of America: How a Thirteenth-Century Friar Became America’s Most Popular Saint, was published in October. It’s about non-Catholics and St. Francis: everything from garden statuary to social action. Here’s a link: http://uncpress.unc.edu/books/12152.html.”

Donna Caulkins Parsons writes, “I am living in Madison CT, and have my own little eldercare business. For fun, I belong to a social club called the Shoreline Sailing Club, so I’m sailing a lot on weekends and/or attending a lot of club sponsored dockside activities and events. My adorable daughter Sarah (25) is a standup comic in New York City, and my son Dan (28) is a commercial cameraman near Boston MA. My mother is eighty-nine, alive, and well. My brother, James R. Caulkins ’69, still lives in France, but visits yearly. Life is good!”

1973 Linda Blum writes, “Life remains sweet and rewarding as I continue to work as a palliative care provider in San Francisco CA. My eldest child, Aza Raskin, got married in August to Wendellen Li and they are happily setting up a new nest in the Bay Area.

My other two children are working and considering graduate school. In my spare time, I have become an opera and classical music lover. I also think about traveling more. My son and I will head to Antarctica in January 2016.”

Eleanor (Ellie) S. Lathrop writes, “Sarah M. Gaddis and I met up for a mini-reunion in early June. We met at the Bronx Botanical Gardens. I had just retired and celebrated with a trip east to visit family and friends. George School did a great job matching up Sarah and me as roommates back in 1971.”

Jeffrey S. Schwartz writes, “After taking our son Jeffrey back to Troy NY— he is in the Class of 2017 at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute—and our son Jarred to New York University in New York City—he is a member of the Class of 2019 at the Stern School of Business—my wife and I were able to get away. We went to the Canadian side of the Niagara Falls, the hockey hall of fame in Toronto, and just relaxed for the first time in a long time. Now if we can just get someone to watch Alec, who is a junior in high school, everything would be perfect!

Anthony is already out of the house.”

ALUMNI TELL US

1969: William (Bill) S. Patterson ’69 shared a picture of the Delaware

1970: Roger L. Kay ’70 with daughter Faith and grandson Josef

River and the Commander’s Bridge on a cold winter evening.

Willem at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles CA.

1971: Patricia (Patty) Appelbaum’s ’71 book St. Francis of America: How a Thirteenth-Century Friar Became America’s Most Popular Saint, was published in October.

1973: Eleanor (Ellie) S. Lathrop ’73 and Sarah M. Gaddis ’73 had a roommate

1973: Jeffrey S. Schwartz ’73 and his family in Florida.

1975: Helen Widder Flood ’75 with her husband Don, son

reunion at the Bronx Botanical Gardens in New York City.

Josh, and daughter-in-law-to-be Maggie.

1975: Marie L. Hughes ’75 with some of her fellow Age Groupers at 2015 ITU Worlds Triathlon Championships.

1976: Evelyn Hoopes Streett ’76 remarked that the stark, captivating beauty of these trees in wintertime was partly why I chose this photo for my book cover, It’s Not Odd…It’s God! 33 Stories That Can Only Be Explained Supernaturally.

G EORG IA N

| 35

JANUARY 2016

1977: Dale M. Rutstein ’77 works in the Ospedale degli Innocenti building, the first civic children’s care institution in the western world, founded in 1419, now home to the UNICEF Office of Research—Innocenti is housed here.

1978: Howard I. Molitch ’78.

1979: Waiting (for Rain in Los Angeles) 2015 painting

by Abira Ali ’79

1986: Christopher (Chris) G. Dixon ’86 with his daughter Kate, wife Erin, and son Brendan.

1991: Part of Stephanie (Stevi) K. Wright’s ’91 demolition crew as they remodel an old hotel/tavern.

36 | G E ORGIAN

1978: The work of lettering artist Elinor Russak Holland ’78.

1986: Snoopy, the one-year-old beagle of Maria Etzrodt Gibbons ’86

1987: Newest book Microchip and Tribulation from Audrey Andujar Wright ’87.

1993: Elijah (Lije) S. Dornstreich ’93 and Gennifer Miller Dornstreich ’99 with their daughter Miriam.

1988: The exciting field of somatic stem cell technology from Christopher (Chris) Bradley ’88.

1993: Kareem O. Afzal ’93 at the Nation’s Triathlon, Washington DC in which he placed seventh overall.

ALUMNI TELL US

1974 Margot (Maggie) Weiss McClellan writes, “My husband and I moved to Beaver PA, a small village outside of Pittsburgh, three years ago. Our home overlooks the Ohio River and I enjoy walking to work and around town. I have a psychotherapy and healing practice, and I continue to be grateful to George School for the education I got while there. Life is good.”

1975 Helen Widder Flood writes, “My husband Don and I are pleased to announce that our only child Joshua was married in October. His wife is Maggie McEvoy, whom he met at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg VA. They will reside in Washington DC.” Pamela (Pam) J. Holberton writes, “I attended a C.F. Lewis Road Scholar conference in Montreat NC in August. It was my chance to come to better grips with my Christian faith. My book is also doing well on Amazon.com, getting eleven, five-star reviews from my readers, which has been so rewarding after my previous challenges with bipolar disorder.

I retired from my position at The Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda MD in February 2015 to see how the next chapter of my life opens up. Perhaps there will be more writing. I enjoyed seeing everyone who attended our 40th reunion in May.” Marie L. Hughes writes, “I participated in the ITU (International Triathlon Union) World Triathlon Championships this fall where I was honored to represent the United States in aquathlon (an aquathlon is like a triathlon only you just swim and run—no biking). Triathlon is one of a handful of sports where the elites vying for Olympic spots compete at the same time and on the same course as the adult recreational athletes (called Age Groupers). I got to compete in my event, cheer on my running coach in his, and then see Gwen Jorgensen win her thirteenth Olympic distance tri-

athlon in a row and be crowned world champion. I also met many fellow athletes from all over the world including a Russian man in his nineties who competed in all three Age Grouper events—aquathlon, sprint triathlon, and standard/Olympic distance triathlon. Would you believe he won his age group in all three events? Even better, he had competition in two of them. I hope I can still cross the finish line when I’m in my nineties! I never imagined I would think of myself as an athlete, especially at this late stage in life, but I credit George School for showing me that there is more to sports than junior high PE class and that there is something for every kind of body and interest. That started me on the journey that led to where I am today.”

1976 Evelyn Hoopes Street t writes, “My book, It’s Not Odd…It’s God! 33 Stories That Can Only Be Explained Supernaturally, was published in August 2015. Look for my mention of George School in the book. You can read the first chapter on my website: evelynstreett.org and, if desired, blog with me! Also, many in Southeastern PA have eagerly sought to learn how to break generational curses and receive generational blessings (and also heart healing) through a Restoring the Foundations DVD course I continue to facilitate. Now three plus years in Philadelphia (after thirty-two years in the South), I’m grateful to be back home, enjoying many beautiful aspects of the Northeast.”

1977 Abbe F. Fletman writes “My essay on marriage was published in a new book, This I Believe: Philadelphia. I am also one of the Democratic nominees for judge in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. I was appointed as a judge last year and hope to win a tenyear term in the November election.”

Dale M. Rutstein writes, “We’ve been living in Florence, Italy for the past year and a half. I’m still with UNICEF, now as Chief of Commu-

nication and Advocacy for its global research center based at the six-hundred-year-old Ospedale degli Innocenti building in Florence. This is our first UN post without kids in tow.”

1978 Elinor Russak Holland writes, “I live and work in the suburbs of New York City as a lettering artist in Arabic and Latin scripts. I exhibit, teach, take commissions, and travel a fair bit for my work. I am now a grandmother of two boys! I have not kept in touch with anyone from GS, but I have fond memories of my time as a student there.”

Mark F. Miller writes, “Time has flown by and my older son is now off to begin college at the University of Chicago in Chicago IL.” Howard I. Molitch writes, “Hi, all! Living in Carmel Valley CA and lucky to be in good health and working from home (medical imaging).

Lots of woodworking to keep me off the street. Got to hang with Kevin K. Candland recently, and report that he is well, still living in San Francisco CA, and working as the house photographer for the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.”

1979 Abira Ali writes, “Dear Friends, I think about my high school experience and am happy that I have maintained friendships with so many of my classmates. I treasure those relationships and feel very privileged to be part of a GS community after so many years. I still live in Los Angeles CA with my family. I am still a visual artist. My daughter, Eliza just entered the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. I am a member of Orange Grove Monthly Meeting Society of Friends in Pasadena CA. I am still directing the Wisdom Arts Laboratory children’s art program. I also serve on a committee that raises awareness and funds for two Afghan refugee girls’ schools in Pakistan. I send a wish for health, peace, and love to you all.”

G EORG IA N

| 37

JANUARY 2016

Cathy Bosworth Horton writes, “It seems amazing that over thirty years have passed since leaving this remarkable community. It would be wonderful to connect with alumni in Northeast Ohio, where I am located. I am a serial entrepreneur on my seventh company, and have found that inventing products is happy making! My current company—that I founded with my employees—is www.sweatxsport.com, which tithes 15 percent of its gross revenue to over 850 organizations nationwide. Rich blessings to all.”

Stephen A. Moyer in Virginia during his epic run. I am enjoying slowing down the pace of life with my wife Karen!”

Jane Lindley writes, “I started an initiative, Island Power, with co-chair Steve Johnson, the former executive director of the Washington Public Utility Districts Association, to get Bainbridge Island WA off of coalgenerated electricity. ‘Coal plants are the nation’s top source of CO2 emissions, the primary cause of global warming,’ the Union of Concerned Scientists reports. ‘There is a clear and compelling relationship between public ownership and the ability of communities to get off of dirty energy,’ stated Naomi Klein in her book, This Changes Everything. Check it out at island-power.org or facebook. com/bainbridgeislandpower. Have a low-carbon day.”

1983

1981 Susanna (Sue) Bush Manstein writes, “My son, Auri, is in the Israeli army and has been accepted into a master’s program in counter-terrorism. My daughter, Lila, is a sophomore at Amherst College in Amherst MA, after taking a gap year studying at University of Oxford in Oxford, England. My youngest son, Mattan, is doing his junior year of high school abroad in Israel.”

1982 Mat thew (Mat t) D. Fine writes, “My twin sons, Nate and Zach, have graduated from college! Miles (junior) remains. Traveling a lot with my glass and granite sculpture. I see Keith A. Clayton and his awesome glass art at many venues. I welcomed

38 | G E ORGIAN

Stephen A. Moyer writes, “Please check the Class of 1982 Facebook page for LOTS of notes from GS folks regarding my run from Canada to Key West FL to raise awareness of multiple sclerosis. I have had lots of GS alum contacts and support over the last few months as I made my way and would like to acknowledge their support: canadatokeywestcoastalrun.org.”

Anne Snipes Moss writes, “This has been a fun year in the saddle for me. I broke my three-year-old horse, Rocky, and have been showing his mom, Grace, at Prix St. George Level dressage. The good news is that I have not been bucked off Rocky (yet), though have had the Velcro in my breeches tested a few times. In August, it was wonderful to go to the wedding of my dear first cousin once removed, and GS grad Eliza (Liza) C. Hale ’02. So nice to spend time with all my down-the-lane Snipes cousins and family from all corners of the earth. After an inspiring visit to the Barnes Museum in Philadelphia PA this spring, we have embarked on an adventure decorating our new barn. We are calling it the Barn Museum, please stop by Blow Horn PA for a free tour. Among other treasures, I think we have the only velvet Elvis in the neighborhood. Happy Trails!”

1984 Harold M. Buck writes, “We were finally able to get our house rebuilt on Long Beach Island New Jersey after Hurricane Sandy and had a great summer. I worked as an ocean lifeguard and spent a lot of time rowing, swimming, paddle boarding, kayaking, and standup paddle boarding.

We also had a visit from Nathaniel (Nat) H. Case ’83. Now we’re back in Minnesota for the winter, where I’ll tutor math and statistics, officiate lacrosse, coach high school fencing, and do some cross-country skiing.”

1985 Victor Khodadad writes, “I recently performed Bum Phillips All-American Opera at the Stafford Performing Arts Center in Houston TX. I also had an opera performance in New York City in October and one upcoming in Portland ME in April 2016. Check out www.victorkhdoadad.com for details. Earlier this fall, I hung out with my brother Rhazi Khodadad ’87 and Kirk E. Innes ’84 to root for the Eagles for a preseason game in the City of Brotherly Love! My wife Kristina and I are expecting our first born—a boy—in October!!”

1986 Rudy Berk writes, “I had a great, quick visit with Valerie M. Agnew in San Francisco CA recently, and now I’m especially looking forward to Alumni Weekend 2016. It definitely does not feel like it’s been thirty years.

Yikes. Along those lines, my older daughter just started at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University in Bloomington IN, as a double major in clarinet performance and music education. My younger daughter has retired from gymnastics, but recently began working towards becoming a coach at the same gym where she once trained. Looking forward to seeing you all in May!” Christopher (Chris) G. Dixon writes, “I’ve been promoted to Colonel in the Marine Corps. Erin and I are now stationed in Yorktown VA where I’m the Chief of Staff of a Joint Task Force. Erin is teaching in the local high school in the Special Ed Department. Erin and I are proud to see our son, Brendan as a junior and our daughter, Kate as a sophomore at Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in Lexington VA. Both completed the first session of Marine Corps Officer Candidate School at Quantico VA. They will return prior to their senior year for the second session. Once they graduate from VMI, they will each be commissioned second lieutenants in the Marine Corps. I am looking for

ALUMNI TELL US

ward to all three of us being on active duty at the same time.”

Maria Etzrodt Gibbons writes, “I have moved my law office to Norristown PA, across from the Montgomery County Courthouse, where at the Law Offices of Maria Etzrodt Gibbons, I focus my practice on child advocacy, representing undocumented refugee minors from Afghanistan, Guatemala, Ethiopia, and the Sudan, along with children who have been neglected and/or abused locally in Montgomery County. I also handle divorce, custody, property division, and support matters in Bucks, Chester, and Montgomery counties for private clients, along with acting as a Guardian Ad Litem and Arbitrator for local domestic cases. My sons are now taller than me. Liam (15), attends St. Joe’s Preparatory School in Philadelphia PA, where he rows crew, and Kieran (13), attends Norwood Fontbonne Academy in Philadelphia PA where he plays soccer. We live in Plymouth Meeting PA with my husband of twenty-one years, Patrick, who is also a local attorney, our two cats, Emma and O’Malley, and our newest family member, Snoopy, our year-old Beagle.”

1987 Audrey Andujar Wright writes, “I have published two books this year.

The first is Project X: Poetry (available at https://www.createspace. com/5654280), and the second is an abridged and updated version with a Christian thesis as the foreword.

Though the books are also available from Amazon, if you’d like to order autographed copies, please contact me directly at audreyandujarwright@ outlook.com or see www.theheal. info. Best regards and good wishes for blessings throughout the holidays!”

1988 Christopher (Chris) Bradley writes, “I’m now living in the Phoenix AZ area pursuing new adventures in science. My most recent research experience, as a postdoctoral scholar with the University Of Arizona

College Of Medicine in Tucson AZ, marked my fourth and final postdoc in academia. Although I loved being a virologist, I have now made the transition to industry where I am pioneering research and development efforts to utilize stem cell technology in surgical tissue allografts. I recently got to give a talk at the Cell and Stem Cell Research Conference in Chicago IL that was well received. Would love to catch up with any George School alumni that find themselves in the Phoenix area during the beautiful Southwest springtime and desert bloom.”

1989 Rachel Snyder MacDougall writes, “I’m still teaching pre-kindergarten in Las Vegas NV and I am working on my Teaching English as a Second Language certification. My family is busy rebuilding our front porch which was ruined during a bad summer storm.”

1990 Melissa (Lissa) M. Merrit t writes, “I live in Sydney, Australia with my husband, Markos, and our daughter, Eirene, who recently started kindergarten. Markos and I are both teaching philosophy at the University of New South Wales in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. We love Sydney and would love to welcome anyone who is coming through! We actually live in Newtown, NSW—a suburb (neighborhood, really) of Sydney—but I strangely hadn’t thought of the connection to Newtown PA until recently.”

1991 Andrew (Andy) J. Chen writes, “Thanks to GS for the profile in the April 2015 issue of the Georgian!

As it went to press, I had the opportunity to ‘practice what I preach’: from March 6 to May 4, 2015, I had the privilege to serve as the Deputy Officer-in-Charge of the fourth and final team of US Public Health Service Home Commissioned Corps officers deployed into Liberia as part of the US government’s Ebola response plan.

We staffed a US military field hospital that was set up as an Ebola treatment unit for healthcare workers. Looking forward to seeing everyone in May at our 25th year reunion!”

David (Dave) I. Levy writes, “I recently discovered that I enjoy acting and performing. In May 2015, I made my stage debut in Red Herring at Town and Country Players in Buckingham PA, and I was also part of the cast of Tales for Nightmares, the Town and Country Players’ Halloween show.

I am a member of a local improv comedy group as well as a teacher of improv to adults. By day, I teach fifth grade in Doylestown PA.” Stephanie (Stevi) K. Wright writes, “In June 2015 we bought an old hotel/tavern and we’re in the process of renovating it. Why would we do such a thing? Because we couldn’t find anything else to accommodate the size of our family! We are presently a grand-family, which is grandparents and grandchildren living together, but for part of every year we’ll also be a great-grand-family when my grandmother snowbirds with us. That’s a lot of people so we need a lot of rooms!”

1992 Nathan C. Wright writes, “Together, with my wife Rachel and daughter Abigail (Class of 2031), I recently moved to Southington CT where we await the birth of our son. This summer saw meetups with Wright, Barlow, and Godwin alumni relatives in Cape May NJ together with T. Matthew (Matt) O’Neill ’90 in the United Kingdom.”

1993 Kareem O. Afzal writes, “Life has been extremely busy the last six months for our household through business transitions, the establishment of our family foundation, kids’ activities, and other life things. I will exit my term as Board of Directors Chair at Manna on Main Street in Lansdale PA at the end of September, and proud to say the organization is

G EORG IA N

| 39

JANUARY 2016

1997: Daughters, Sara (5 ½) and Emlyn (2), of Sara Scholer Frascella ’97.

2000: Tasneem Paghdiwala Raja ’00 with her husband Chris, and son Logan.

2003: In September 2015, Monique (Mo) J. Williams ’03 trekked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru.

2003: Kylan S. Turner ’03 and Paige H. Brookstein ’03 hiking in Steamboat, CO, then (2003) and now (2015).

2003: Palmer Dalgliesh Marinelli ’03, Adriana E. Essilfie ’03, Alexandre

2004: Daniel (Dan) C. Suchenski ’04 recently competed with the George School dragon boat team at Mercer County Park in Hamilton NJ. Cougar pride!

2004: Olivia C. Perez ’04 in Chiang Mai, Thailand at the Happy

(Alex) W. Pfundt ’03, Sara S. Rhodin ’02, Margaret (Meg) A. Peake ’03, Meredith Meyer Grelli ’03, and Vincent (Vince) B. Murphy IV ’03 gathered at a Wigle Whiskey event in Philadelphia PA in June 2015.

Elephant Home where she helped feed, bathe, walk, and swim with elephants rescued from unethical tourism.

2005: Brian Wozniak’s ’05 son Gregory born in September 2015.

2004: Catherine (Casey) E. Pallenik ’04 and Patrick N. Rivage-Seul ’05 at The Atlantic’s offices in August 2015.

40 | G E ORGIAN

ALUMNI TELL US

well positioned to serve the underserved for another thirty plus years with hot meals, food pantry, and emergency aid. I recently raced at the Nation’s Triathlon in Washington DC, where I won my age group, and finished seventh overall, also racing with S. Mateen Afzal ’98 and my wife Nihad. Our kids are thriving at United Friends School in Quakertown PA and our daughter is just two years away from high school—oh where does the time go? Finally, my father and I had the honor of meeting First Lady Michelle Obama due to that fact that our company made a commitment to hire returning veterans as a part of a program that enables a smooth transition to civilian life. It was a deep honor!”

Elijah (Lije) S. Dornstreich writes, “Gennifer Miller Dornstreich ’99 and I are very happy that our second daughter is due in December. Our first, Miriam (17 months), is already preparing for the GS IB program. I had the opportunity to hang out a few weeks ago with Bradd A. Forstein, and enjoy a good dinner, scotch, and cigars as part of the monthly Men’s Book Club Where No Books Are Read.”

transition was tough but it has been awesome getting to spend time with them before they head off to school fulltime. Dave and I have gotten to catch up with fellow GS’ers at Bliss A. Holloway’s wedding, and we get to see ‘Aunt’ Cori L. Stot t ’98 a few times a year. Hoping all is well with everyone as we creep closer to our (gulp!) 20th reunion!”

2000 Tasneem Paghdiwala Raja writes, “I’m an editor at National Public Radio, where I co-run the Code Switch team on messy issues of race, identity, and culture. I’m getting married next year to a really wonderful dude who also works at NPR (we met four years ago when I asked him out on Twitter) and I’m a stepmom to a hilarious, goofy, sweet eleven-year-old kid. I recently left California, where I was an editor at Mother Jones magazine, and now live in Washington DC. I’d love to meet up with George School peeps!”

2001

communities one has been a part of in the past. Thank you, GS, and classes 2001 to 2008 for those memories. I am forever grateful.”

Catherine (Casey) E. Pallenik writes, “Patrick N. Rivage-Seul ’05 joined me on The Atlantic’s team in August 2015.”

Olivia C. Perez writes, “2015 has been a whirlwind of adventures for me. I kicked off the year living in Costa Rica at a yoga resort in the jungle and upon my return to the States became a certified yoga instructor. In April I set off on a new journey, this time with my boyfriend Alexander (Alex) S. Det tmer ’06. We’ve explored South America and Europe together and are now in Southeast Asia. I share our story and travel guides on my blog (ochristine. com), and recently published my first ebook detailing the steps I took to create a life I love.”

Daniel (Dan) C. Suchenski writes, “I started a new job working at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of International Affairs in Princeton NJ. I am running a small think tank center on contemporary China issues. I also competed with the George School dragon boat team in September at Mercer County Park in Hamilton NJ. Cougar pride!!”

Brian J. Zavodnick writes, “It is with great pride that I announce I will be taking on the position of Pennsylvania State Constable. I look forward to serving the court system with honor.”

Elizabeth (Liza) S. Liveright writes, “After over fifteen years away, I have finally moved back to Pennsylvania. I got married two years ago to a fellow Philadelphian. I’m now living in Center City, and working as an OB/ GYN at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia PA. I am looking forward to reconnecting with my classmates in the area, and at reunion in the spring.”

1995

2003

Dylan J. Buffum writes, “Hi, folks, in November 2014 my wife and I moved to Durham NC. She’s working at Duke University, while I prepare to take the North Carolina Bar Exam in July 2016. I would love to connect with any GS alumni in the area.”

Ross A. Hollister writes, “I started a two-year master’s program in Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Washington DC this fall after spending nearly four years in Afghanistan. I am looking at ways to transition from the non-profit sector to government.”

2005

2004

Lacey R. Maurer writes, “In March 2015, I started a wonderful new job working in advancement services at The Huntington Library, Art Collection, and Botanical Gardens, a collections-based research institution

1997 Sara Scholer Frascella writes, “After eight years of working as an Early Intervention teacher in Delaware County PA, I’ve been home with our girls Lily (5 ½), who just started kindergarten, and Emlyn (2). The

Jessica ( Jess) M. Klaphaak writes, “Almost four years abroad, immersed in a foreign language and culture, and starting a life from scratch makes one appreciate the

Eric W. Welch writes “Courtney Kelly and I married at a surprise ceremony in June 2015.”

Jason Hellinger writes, “I recently graduated from the Temple University Fox School of Business Global MBA program in Philadelphia PA and recently relocated to Baltimore MD where I am a rotational program associate with Cigna-HealthSpring.”

G EORG IA N

| 41

JANUARY 2016

in San Marino CA. I work to maintain our database of donors. This summer was very fun. I traveled to Colorado, ran my first 5k, and I participated in the L.A. Dodgers 5k in September.

Best wishes to all!”

Brian Wozniak writes, “My wife Kristy and I welcomed our son Gregory in September 2015. Class of 2033!”

2009 JoAnn Riker writes, “I’m currently working and residing near Tokyo, Japan. I love this city and its culture.

I’m working fulltime in a new position coordinating kids’ lessons and events. I hope to continue studying Japanese and plan to take the fluency test next year as well as start my MBA in the next two years for marketing and/or management. My sister recently started horseback riding at GS and she’s in the fifth grade. I hope one day she can also attend GS and start her life journey as I did.”

2010 Andre J. Estrada writes, “Hyung Min (Brian) Lee was married at George School in July 2015.”

2012 Priscilla S. Wiggins writes, “I’m in my senior year playing soccer at Stony Brook University in Stony Brook NY in search of another America East Conference title. I’m majoring in psychology and after I graduate I plan on taking a year to gain experience in the field with an internship before applying to graduate school.”

2015 Carolina (Carol) S. Lopes writes, “Jewell M. Fort and I were roommates our junior year at George School and prefects in West Main our senior year (missing our West girls so much). We are best friends, happened to apply to a couple of the same schools, and always thought it’d be too good to be true if we ended up at the same one. We committed to Elon University in Elon NC during the same week and now we are roommates again. Elon has been a

great place for us and so much here reminds us of George School—which is good and bad because we miss it so much! We thank George School for preparing us for this new stage of our life and we are so excited to share this with you.”

Class notes for this issue were received as of September 30, 2015. Class notes received by January 20, 2016 will be included in the next Georgian.

The “Alumni Tell Us” and “In Memoriam” sections of the Georgian are shared online. If you do not want your name to be included in notes from others, please contact us at advancement@georgeschool.org or 215.579.6564.

The views and opinions expressed in class notes do not necessarily represent those of the school. Notes submitted for publication might be edited due to space limitations and Georgian style guidelines.

2009: JoAnn Riker ’09 in Asakusa, Japan at the front gate of Asakusa Temple.

2010: Andre J. Estrada ’10 shared a celebratory moment from the wedding of Hyung Min (Brian) Lee ’10 and his wife Aeree at George School in July 2015.

2015: Carolina (Carol) S. Lopes ’15 and Jewell M. Fort ’15. “Welcome to the land where people dress up for football games. Go Phoenix!"

42 | G E O RGIAN

ALUMNI TELL US

This Year I Resolve

TO DO GOOD

As you consider your resolutions for 2016, please think about updating your will to include George School.

Everything—from scholarships, to faculty compensation, to curriculum innovation, to athletics— can be supported with a bequest.

Help create extraordinary opportunities and shape the future of George School.

Contact Director of Institutional Advancement Dan Breen at 215.579.6575 or dbreen@georgeschool.org.

G EORG IA N

| 43

JANUARY 2016

In Memoriam

Cadwallader ’96, Michele L. Cadwallader ’93, and Sarah Cadwallader Swanson-Hysell ’01; and six great-grandchildren.

EDITED BY TESSA BAILEY-FINDLEY T. Sidney (Sid) Cadwallader ’32 April 14, 2015 While Sid traveled widely and loved spending time in the Poconos in Pennsylvania, Vermont, and the Maine woods, his orbit was the place he was born, Yardley PA. He was an active member of the Quaker meeting, practiced law for sixty years, and served his community in countless other ways. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in Philadelphia PA, he brought his bride to Yardley PA, where they raised their four children. Sid attended Fallsington Friends School, George School, and Swarthmore College in Swarthmore PA. During college, he joined a peace caravan sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee. He became a conscientious objector during World War II. In the 1950s, he worked with others to rejuvenate Yardley Friends Meeting in Yardley. Their success required a new meeting house to accommodate the burgeoning membership and activities. Sid also served on the board of William Penn House in Fallsington PA, playing an active part in defusing racial tensions as Levittown PA was integrated. He was also among the first peace marchers in the symbolic Nazareth to Bethlehem walk held each Christmas season. Of all the things Sid did, perhaps he was proudest to be counted among the founding board members of Pennswood Village, a continuing care retirement community in Newtown PA. Sid and Carolyn, his wife of seventy-six years, made Pennswood Village their home for over twenty-five years. He is survived by his wife, Carolyn; sister, Laura Cadwallader Clappison ’41; daughter, Elizabeth P. Cadwallader ’68; two sons, Leonard K. Cadwallader ’60 and Thomas S. Cadwallader III ’66; eight grandchildren including, Jason T.

44 | G E O RGIAN

Jean (Betty Jean)Hammond Wheeler ’34 February 19, 2015 Betty Jean passed away in Easton MD. She was a lifelong member of Third Haven Friends Meeting in Easton MD. She is survived by four children, including Adrienne Wheeler Rudge ’59, Jeanne Lindsley Wheeler Smith ’63, and Susan E. Wheeler ’65.

Lucile Smith Nuse ’34 June 18, 2015 Lucile was the oldest of four children raised on the Guersney dairy farm which was granted to her ancestors in 1719 by William Penn’s son. When she was ten years old, Lucile traveled to Russia with her family and lived there for a year while her father taught Russian farmers updated farming techniques. Lucile graduated from Buckingham Friends School in Lahaska PA in 1930 and the School of Home Economics and Commerce in Philadelphia PA in 1937. In 1940 Lucile married and settled with her husband on a farm in Bedminster PA. They had four children. Lucile married in 1983 and she lived with her husband in Wycombe PA until he died in 2008. She worked in many capacities on the farm including driving the tractor, hand cultivating, milking cows, and gathering hay. She was a lifelong member of Buckingham Friends Meeting in Lahaska PA. She served on the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Peace and Social Concerns Committee and supported many peace marches. Lucile enjoyed hiking, gardening, bird watching, reading, and making baby quilts with women at Buckingham Friends Meeting. She had contributed to many local organizations including Peace Valley Nature Center, the YMCA, and the World Wildlife Federation, as well as her beloved Buckingham Friends Meeting. She had lived at Chandler Hall in Newtown PA since 2009. Lucile is

survived by her daughters, her son, three grandchildren, and three greatgrandchildren. She is also survived by her brother, and her sister Caroline Smith Hoffman ’41.

H. Lewis (Lew) Walton ’36 December 9, 2013 Lew was a birthright Quaker and was an active member of Penn Hill Friends Meeting in Little Britain PA where he married his wife in 1949.

Throughout his lifetime, Lew held a variety of jobs. He farmed, drove a school bus, did odd jobs, mowed state road banks for PennDOT during summer months, worked as a security guard, and then pumped gas until his health began to decline. Lew was well liked by gas customers as well as the management. Lew and his wife raised chickens from peeps, sold eggs from home, sold the chickens, and then began the process all over again.

Lew tended a number of beehives, extracting the honey, and his wife sold it at the roadside stand in front of their home on the honor system.

The taste of his honey was far superior to what is sold in grocery stores now.

From time to time, Lew would get calls to help control swarms of honey bees and off he would go to help out.

Throughout his life, Lew only drove Studebakers and a 1949 army jeep in which he did all repairs. He and his wife took many trips with the Studebaker Drivers Club. The farthest trip was to Missouri in their salmoncolored Hawk. Whenever he was traveling, he would take spare parts along in case of breakdowns. His green Studebaker truck was even featured in a children’s book. He is survived by a daughter, son, two granddaughters, and two great-granddaughters.

Virginia Phillips Kemp ’37 Yereth Kahn Knowles ’38 July 22, 2014 Yereth, of Hood River OR, led a full and rich life. Her earliest memories are of a childhood home in Greenwich Village NY during the Great Depression where artists, writers, Spanish Civil War volunteers, and political

IN MEMORIAM

leaders came for food and conversation. She was very close to her sister and together they wandered New York City neighborhoods and museums.

While at the University of Wisconsin in Madison WI, Yereth met her future husband. During World War II, she worked as a social worker, draftsman, and cab driver. As a young mother and faculty wife, Yereth took up fiction writing. She was a protégé of Flannery O’Connor and worked hard at her craft and published one novel, The Town is Aaron. Yereth and her family traveled extensively, living in the Caribbean, California, Uruguay, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.

Yereth began teaching at InterAmerican University in Puerto Rico in 1963 and completed her doctorate in international politics at the International Institute in Geneva, Switzerland at the age of fifty. She retired in her seventies from George Mason University in Fairfax VA and continued teaching in Lifelong Learning programs for another decade. Yereth’s passions ranged from teaching, politics, literature, music, travel, skin diving, and animated conversation. She traveled to El Salvador as a Witness for Peace. She was a recognized character in her beloved La Parguera, Puerto Rico, where she could be seen snorkeling the reefs alone when her usual buddies were busy. She moved to Hood River OR in 2008 to be near her daughter and son, Timothy M. Knowles ’66, and where she enjoyed Mount Adams in Washington, her book group, and Hood River cherries.

Elizabeth Simonis Masset ’40 May 30, 2015 Alice Nathan Levin ’40 May 4, 2015 Alice was an active participant in the political and cultural life of Wilton CT. She was perhaps best known for her passion for nature, expressed through involvement in numerous local organizations concerned with preservation of land, open space, and wildlife habitat. She was active in the Wilton Garden Club, served on the boards of the Deer Committee and

the Weir Preserve, and was a founding contributor to the Wilton Center Tree Plan. Her commitment to nature preservation in Wilton was recognized last year when she received the 2014 Tree Steward Award. Alice’s passion for nature was evident in the gardens surrounding her home, which were a lifelong project. She was as engaged by nineteenth century accounts of plant discoveries around the country as the acquisition of new native plants and the planting of an arboretum. She traded cuttings enthusiastically with fellow gardeners and delighted in the restoration of the local flora through her tireless elimination of invasive species. For years, she carried herbicide in her car and would stop when she spotted a bittersweet vine. Politics were another of Alice’s great enthusiasms, though for her it was through the lens of social causes rather than for its own sake. She was a lifelong Democrat and devoted her energies to diverse issues, including education, humanitarian causes, and inequality.

She gave generously of her time as a volunteer at the Wilton Library and the Turnover Shop, helped with clothing drives, worked briefly in a soup kitchen, and mentored a disadvantaged South Norwalk student from elementary school to college. Despite spending most of her life in Wilton CT, Alice always called herself a New Yorker. She was born and grew up in Manhattan and was introduced early to the arts. For most of her life she traveled the globe to view the world’s greatest collections of paintings and sculptures. Alice was married for fifty-nine years and is survived by her two sons and four grown grandchildren.

Harold (Caddy) W. Cadwallader ’40 May 21, 2015 Caddy was a graduate of the Wyoming Seminary Dean School of Business, Kingston PA. He was an Army veteran of World War II, serving with the Military Police and Medical Corps.

Caddy was employed for many years by the former Rosenthal’s and then Racusin’s men’s clothing stores. He

was a member of the Masonic Order for more than seventy years, Consistory and Irem Temple. Caddy was a member of Horsham Friends Meeting in Horsham PA, the North Branch Friends Meeting in Kingston PA, and served as a volunteer for Meals on Wheels for many years. He had been a resident of the Masonic Village, Elizabethtown PA, for the past four years. He is survived by two daughters, two grandchildren, and two great-grandsons.

Andrew J. McIntosh ’40 January 2, 2015 Judith Freedman Kramer ’41 May 26, 2015 Born in New York City and raised in Trenton NJ, Judy was a longtime resident of Washington DC and the Maryland suburbs, moving there after her marriage in 1946 and remaining through most of her married life.

From 1962 to 1967, Judy lived in Germany where her husband served as a foreign service officer. Upon their return, Judy and a partner launched a small business, Show and Sell, which organized and conducted home sales in the Washington DC area. Previous to that, her husband had been an executive of the District Theatres Corp., and together he and Judy were active partners in the Gres Gallery in the late 1950s. Judy was a homemaker, raising her two sons. Judy was active with reading programs in Washington DC schools and with Youth for Understanding, an international student exchange program. She is survived by her two sons, cousin, aunt, and great-aunt.

William I. Marble ’41 July 19, 2015 Enid Kotschnig ’42 Robert (Bob) F. Mancill ’43 July 5, 2015 Bob attended Wilmington Friends School in Wilmington DE and graduated from Lehigh University in Bethlehem PA in 1949. Bob and his twin brother served their country in

G EORG IA N

| 45

JANUARY 2016

the US Army, 12th Armored Division from 1943-1945, when his brother was killed and Bob taken prisoner of war.

He was married in 1958. Bob was the proprietor of Mancill’s Hobby and Photo Shop in downtown Kennett Square PA for thirty years. He was also a member of the Kennett Lions Club for many years. Bob was a quiet man, a talented photographer, an avid reader, and a life-long sports fan, especially of baseball. He enjoyed spending time with his family, Sunday drives along the Brandywine River, and entertaining on the back patio in the summers. He is survived by three sons and six grandchildren.

Marise Kenderdine Monticciolo ’43 December 12, 2014 Born in Trenton NJ, Marise received her bachelor’s degree from East Stroudsburg University in East Stroudsburg PA and her master’s degree in reading education from Temple University in Philadelphia PA. She was a public school educator for over forty years, most recently employed by the Centennial School district in Warminster PA. After retiring in 1993, she relocated to Brittany Pointe Estates in Lansdale PA. In her retirement, Marise and her husband enjoyed many Elderhostel courses and travel experiences. In addition to her husband, Marise is also survived by two daughters, six grandchildren, a great-granddaughter, three brothers, and three sisters including Mary Kenderdine Powell ’56.

Florence (Mickie)Wellington Haase ’44 January 30, 2015 Mickie’s death brought an end to an eighty-eight year life of generosity, dedication to family and friends, hard work in home and gardens, and intermittent periods of teaching, volunteering, travel, writing, and creating unique photo books. Born in her ancestral home in Belmont MA, Mickie was the youngest of five children. Mickie, also known as Floss, boarded at George School and made many life-long friends. Her summers

46 | GE ORGIAN

were spent at a ranch in Montana where she became a fine horseback rider. After commencement, she attended the University of Wisconsin in Madison WI, graduating in 1948 with a degree in English literature.

In 1949 she was married on the schooner Alamar and sailed off on Diablesse, cruising in Maine and then to the Bahamas via the Intercoastal Waterway. In 1951 the couple settled in Maine where they lived with their children for sixteen years. In the fall of 1961, Mickie and her family began their adventure of traveling by trains and ships around the world in 215 days. In 1967, the family emigrated to Nova Scotia, Cananda. Mickie started a big garden in their new home employing the organic methods she learned in Maine. In 1970 Mickie and her husband founded the Chester Country Day School. Mickie was admired for her ability to enthuse young children to enjoy learning and “square away” unruly new pupils without punishment. She supported many non-gonvernmental organizations, The Nation magazine, and musical groups. In her later years, Mickie made hundreds of photo books with quotations for relatives and friends.

Albert (Al) W. Eastburn ’45 August 24, 2015 A first generation American, Al truly lived the American dream. He was born the eldest son of English immigrant parents and joined the navy at the age of seventeen. Al later studied engineering at Lehigh University in Bethlehem PA, where he was an avid soccer star who advanced to the final round of the Olympic trials. After college, he began working for the Roebling Company in Roebling NJ and on weekends his deep voice graced the airways as “Al Martin” announcer for station WBUD. Al met the love of his life at a bowling alley coat-check.

They married, and became the second residents of the Levittown community in Pennsylvania. This year, Al celebrated sixty-six years of marriage with the woman who checked his coat and stole his heart. A longtime resident of Chester County, Al, or

“Big Al,” as he was known by his close friends and family, spent his thirty-seven year business career with Lukens Steel Company in Coatesville PA and served as president until his retirement in 1992. Both during and after his tenure with Lukens Steel, Al and his wife were volunteers, serving countless roles with innumerable Chester County organizations. A man of great accomplishments, Al enjoyed simple pleasures: his five o’clock martini, passionate discussion with family, and summer afternoons on his John Deere. He is survived by three children, four grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, and a brother.

Virginia (Jinny) Lawrence Carvin ’46 September 21, 2015 Born in Bristol PA, Jinny was a longtime area resident. She was a proud alumna of George School, where she was a champion swimmer. She graduated from West Chester State Teachers College, now West Chester University in West Chester PA. She was a retired Bensalem Township elementary school teacher who loved working with children. After retiring, Jinny volunteered at the Child Development Center at St. Mary’s Hospital in Langhorne PA. She enjoyed traveling and going to Ocean City NJ, but especially enjoyed her family. Jinny will be remembered for her bright smile, caring nature, and zest for life.

Jinny is survived by three children, two brothers, four grandchildren, and three great grandchildren.

Bruce B. Graves ’46 June 26, 2015 Bruce had careers teaching and doing research in electro-chemistry, after years as a scientific glassblower at Purdue University in West Lafayette IN. He was active in the peace movement, particularly focusing on establishing the possibility of conscientious objection to taxes for war. The latter effort resulted in a case that reached the Supreme Court. He was an active outdoorsman and environmentalist.

Bruce is survived by his wife, son, daughter, and three grandchildren.

IN MEMORIAM

H. Paul Kester ’47 October 10, 2015 Paul, Bucks County court administrator and Quaker minister, lived almost his entire life in Newtown PA. He earned a BA degree in political science from Earlham College in Richmond IN in 1951, and a bachelors of law degree from Temple University School of Law in Philadelphia PA in 1959.

Between college and law school he served three years in the US Army.

After law school, Paul was employed

by Power, Bowen and Valmont law firm in Doylestown PA until 1961 when he was appointed law clerk for the Court of Common Pleas of Bucks County PA. He accepted the newly created position of court administrator of Bucks County Courts in Doylestown in 1962 and retired on December 31, 1997. He was responsible for new practices and programs that made the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas one of the most efficient court systems in the country.

He was a founding member and past president of the Pennsylvania Association of Trial Court Administrators and the National Association of Trial Court Administrators. Paul served on the Newtown Township Planning Commission, the Newtown Area Regional Planning Commission and the Bucks County Planning Commission.

A birthright Quaker, Paul was a lifelong member of Newtown Monthly Meeting. His Quaker ancestry goes back 300 years. He also served as clerk of the Bucks Quarterly Meeting Worship and Ministry, and on the Budget and Nominating Committee. At Newtown Monthly Meeting he served as clerk of Worship and Ministry. Paul was also a member of the Freemasons and the Newtown Historical Society.

He was a former trustee of Pennsbury Manor. He played Santa Claus for twenty-five years in Newtown, sporting his own beard. Children in Newtown knew him year-round as Santa. Following his retirement Paul studied Chinese calligraphy and ink and brush drawing. Paul and his wife lived in Newtown beginning in 1952 and they moved to Pennswood Village in 2003. He is survived by three

daughters, including Valerie Kester Morrissey ’72 and Robin Kester Pat terson ’73, nine grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, his brother, A. Stephen Kester ’50, and sister, Cynthia J. Kester ’53.

Dana C. Moore ’47

Bremerton WA for three years. She was awarded the honor of Washington State School Psychologist in 1988.

Ann made a hobby of writing and was a runner-up for the 1987 Washington State Fiction Writing Award. She was a member of the Enological Society and enjoyed leading wine tours and supporting the annual wine fairs and festivals, and for years participated in organizing, preparing, and serving the quarterly wine dinners for 300 attendees. Ann retired in 1989 and she and her husband toured the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan and Australia, played bridge and golf, sailed, skied, and enjoyed Club Intrawest in Whistler, BC, Canada. They were members of Servas and Elderhostel, exchanging visits with other members throughout the world.

She was a member of the Women’s University Club, Arboretum Foundation, and Japanese Garden groups. In 1960 she scored a Hole in One at Gallery Golf Course on Whidbey when she was four month’s pregnant with son Tom.

Ann Ridge Adams ’48 March 12, 2015 Ann was born in Langhorne PA in the family home next to the eighteenth fairway of the Langhorne Country Club and used a putter for a teether.

She graduated from Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs NY with a BA in art history and worked in publishing in New York City. While visiting her sister in Dahlgren VA in 1954 she met her future husband whom she married later that year. They had homes in Dahlgren VA, Pensacola FL, Oak Harbor WA, Monterey CA, Washington DC, Norfolk VA, Whidbey WA, and then spent forty-three years on Mercer Island WA. As her children spread their wings, Ann began a career as a psychologist and a teacher. She received teaching credentials at Western Washington University in Bellingham WA, followed by a masters in education from the University of Washington in Seattle WA. She taught school in Oak Harbor and White Center WA and was a school psychologist for the Bremerton School District in

W. Kenneth (Ken) Mendenhall Jr. ’49 March 10, 2015 Ken was born in Englewood NJ and studied at Hamden Sydney in Farmville VA before joining the Navy in 1952 during the Korean War. He resumed studies at the University of Virginia, graduating in 1954. In 1955 he was married and moved to Palo Alto CA to study law at Stanford University, graduating in 1957. His contribution to the 1957 Stanford Law Review, typed by his pregnant wife, was delivered a month or so before the birth of their son. Later that year the family moved to New York where Ken took a job with Citibank. Ken had a successful career in the oil department of Citibank, moving with the family to London in 1960. In 1973, he left Citibank to set up the London merchant banking subsidiary of Banco Urquijo. The bank he created was in his own image—successful, well run, untainted by any whiff of scandal, had a sense of style evident in its Italianate premises at Ustin Friars

Donald (Don) K. Pusey ’47 March 15, 2015 Don, of the Kendal-Crosslands Community in Kennett Square PA, was one of seven post-graduates who returned to George School after serving in World War II. He lived at George School under the supervision of Ms. Robinson, an English teacher from 1943-1967. Don is survived by his wife of sixty-two years, Barbara Hood Pusey ’51; two daughters, Terry Pusey Pyle ’7 1 and Patricia Pusey Mooberry; one son, Brinton Hood Pusey; six grandchildren including Brinton K. Mooberry ’12 and Jessie P. Mooberry ’10; and four great-grandchildren.

G EORG IA N

| 47

JANUARY 2016

in the city. In 1964 Ken bought a family home in East Grafton, Wiltshire, England which was only a few miles from the village of Mildenhall in the Kennett Valley, near the home of his ancestor Benjamin Mendenhall, a Quaker who bought land from William Penn and emigrated to Kennett Square PA in 1685. In 1967 the purchase of an Irish draft mare called Cinderella sparked a lifelong passion for foxhunting. In 1987 Ken retired and moved to a small farm in Exford UK where he gave free rein to his passion for hunting and horse breeding. In 1992 Ken and his wife spent summers in Pennsylvania and spring in Florida. Being in Florida for spring training enabled Ken to renew his passion for baseball. Summers in Pennsylvania allowed him to pursue research into his family history, in which he took great interest. Ken shared his enthusiasm for entertaining, foxhunting, baseball, family history, and Spanish culture with great zest. He is survived by his wife of fifty-nine years, two children, five grandchildren, and his sister.

C. James (Jim) Yeatman ’49 April 7, 2015 Jim, of Kennett Square PA, attended The Pennsylvania State University in State College PA and Goldey-Beacom College in Wilmington DE. He later enlisted in the US Army and served in Korea. Jim was a third generation mushroom farmer who owned and operated C P Yeatman & Sons Inc. and pioneered organic mushroom growing. Among his many activities—including his role in the American Mushroom Institute, Mushroom Growers Association, and London Grove Township planning commission, and his service as Republican committeeman and Upland Country Day School trustee—Jim was most passionate about his involvement with the Avon Grove Lions Club. Jim also served with the organizations Ag in the Classroom and Meals on Wheels.

Jim loved to travel in his motorhome with his wife and their beloved dogs.

He also enjoyed many activities such as YAG Club, Little Bucket, reading,

48 | GE ORGIAN

playing tennis, snowmobiling, and nature walking with his sweet dog.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by his daughter, two sons, one brother, his sister, Elisabeth Yeatman Walker ’52, and eight grandchildren.

Lorraine Mulford Cain ’50 August 5, 2015 Lorraine, an artist and gardener who enjoyed reading and writing poetry, was born in Doylestown PA, and when she was in her early teens moved to Bel Air MD and later to Towson MD. She attended what was then called Towson State Teachers College in Baltimore MD for three years before leaving in 1953 to marry. The couple lived in Cleveland Heights OH, and in 1969 moved to Devon PA. While there, Lorraine earned an associate’s degree in interior design from Harcum Junior College in Bryn Mawr PA. She and her husband settled in Ruxton MD in 1981, and after her children were grown, she returned to Towson University and graduated cum laude in 1988 with a bachelor’s degree in art. Lorraine was an artist who painted landscapes in watercolors and oils. She liked playing the piano and reading and writing poetry. Lorraine enjoyed working in her garden and was a member of the Horticultural Society of Maryland.

She worked with Wolfgang Oehme, who was a founder of the New American Garden movement, in the design of her Malvern Avenue garden, which was known for its combination of texture and color. Lorraine’s garden was placed on the tour of the Perennial Plant Association in Baltimore. Lorraine also enjoyed a lively correspondence with family and friends and was known for her humorous Christmas letters that were chronically late.

She was a longtime supporter of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. In addition to her husband, Lorraine is survived by two sons and three grandchildren.

Walter M. Andrew Jr. ’50 December 12, 2014 While living in Patagonia AZ, Walter was instrumental in starting the newspaper The Patagonia Regional Times and helping to build affordable housing. Prior to moving West, Walt was an attorney for almost fifty years in Connecticut. He is survived by his wife, four children, and sister, Jane Andrew Dunham ’48.

John W. Holmes ’50 March 18, 2014 Richard J. Westcott ’50 March 5, 2015 Born in Camden NJ, Rick was a graduate of Dickinson College in Carlisle PA and Temple Medical School in Philadelphia PA. He was a retired major, having served in the US army. Dr. Westcott was on the staff at Reading Hospital in Reading PA and St. Joseph Hospital in Philadelphia PA. He retired as chief of surgery at Community General Hospital. In addition to his wife, he is survived by four children, his brother, Michael N. Westcott ’58, and seven grandchildren.

Anne H. Allen ’50 May 23, 2012 Anne was born in Toledo OH and was educated at the Vermont State School of Agriculture, St. John’s College, in Annapolis MD, and did graduate work in mathematics at Harvard University in Cambridge MA and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville VA. Although she was born with a form of autism known as Asperger’s syndrome, she was blessed with many academic accomplishments. Anne served in the US Air Force from 1951 to 1955, with service in Okinawa, Japan during the Korean War. She was elected to the Vermont House of Representatives and served from 1966-1968 and 1971-1972. While in office, she served on the Fish and Game and Government Operations committees. Anne was known for the passage of the Administrative Procedures Act, but took most pride in having brought to passage a state-level Endangered Species Act. She served

IN MEMORIAM

for a number of years as an auditor of the Bennington School District, and was a director from 1970 to 1977.

During 1969, Anne was a mathematical consultant to the Vermont Department of Taxes. She was a teacher for the Southwest Vermont Supervisory Union from 1971 until 1991. Anne’s research included aspects of multiple tangential spaces, intensive geometry, and binary representations of universal algebras. After her retirement Anne developed a strong interest in neuroscience, botany, ornithology, and herpetology. She served on the staff of Mathematical Reviews for many years. In her earlier life Anne was an avid sportswoman. She served as president of the Hale Mountain Fish and Game Club, as a director of the Vermont Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, was a life member of the National Rifle Association, and for several years was a writer for the magazine, Vermont Sportsman. She was an accomplished musician, playing the violin, piano, and harpsichord. She was a member of the Libertarian Party. Anne was a devout Quaker, and was a member of the Wilderness Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends. She is survived by a sister, brother, and many nephews and nieces.

N. Leroy (Le) Kirk ’50 June 23, 2015 Le was a lifelong resident of Broomall PA and a self-made businessman.

Le’s parents Nelson Leroy Kirk ’20 and Katherine Lewis Kirk ’21 met at George School and were married in 1922. Thirty years later, Le met his wife Sarah Weaver ’51 at George School. They married and had two children. After graduation, Le studied engineering at Drexel University’s night school in Philadelphia PA. He was a practical, inventive man working hard to establish his business K-E Industries, Inc. and build it into a successful enterprise in Chester PA. Le ran the firm—designing and manufacturing industrial trash compactors with a unique design for debris chutes—until 1993 when health problems intervened. Le was a

gentle man with a keen and pleasant sense of humor. He was a birthright Quaker who lived a life “of peace and principle,” his family said in a remembrance. Le was an insulin-dependent diabetic for sixty-five years, never complaining, accepting a strict daily regimen required to manage his diabetes. He loved vegetable gardening, crabbing, surf fishing, camping, building, renovating, and tinkering.

But most of all, he doted on his family and friends. In an essay written in 2000 for his 50th reunion, Le wrote, “GS reinforced the Quaker principles I had been raised with: being honest with people; believing that everybody was equal, regardless of background.

This has carried through my life to include race or ethnic origin, as well as economic situation. The motto that represents how I look at life is ‘Mind the Light.’” Besides his wife of sixtytwo years, Sarah Weaver Kirk ’51, Le is survived by his daughter, son, four grandchildren, two sisters, including Louise Kirk Mannion ’47, and nieces and nephews.

Robin Holman Chase ’51 April 9, 2011 Robin was born in Cincinnati OH. Her family later moved to Trenton NJ and she attended Wellesley College in Wellesley MA. Her husband was in the Foreign Service and they lived in Washington DC, Karachi, Pakistan, and London, England. They settled in New York City. After her divorce, Robin was a teacher at The Little Red Schoolhouse, and then attended Hunter College in New York City and became a licensed social worker.

Robin later remarried and retired to Sonoma CA. Robin was very active with the Bouverie Preserve in Glen Ellen CA as she was a great lover of nature, a staunch supporter of education, and a passionate liberal Democrat. Robin is survived by three children, five step-children, and twelve grandchildren.

Barbara (Bobby) Farrier Snyderwine ’53 August 31, 2015 Barbara was educated in the Quaker

tradition at Abington Friends School in Jenkintown PA and Penn State University in State College PA. She had many interests and passions in her life including politics as the Republican Committee Woman in Plymouth Township PA. She served as head of PC Community at the William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia PA. Barbara had many hobbies including singing with the Abington Choral Society, cooking, painting, drawing, antiquing, and sewing. She built a business growing and selling herbs and as an acknowledged expert of historical herbs, she was asked to recreate a period herb garden at the Peter Wentz Farmstead in Worcester PA. After living in the Philadelphia area for forty-two years she moved to the Finger Lakes in New York to be near her summer home on Keuka Lake where she was secretary and sailor at the Keuka Yacht Club. She lived on her farm, Quaker Hill, for thirty-eight years growing herbs, flowers, and making pies and jams from the apple orchard. She enjoyed entertaining, cooking holiday meals, cross country skiing, and working with her husband in his accounting firm. Barbara would want to be remembered for her beliefs – fairness, freedom, the value of education, independence of the individual, and the Quaker Inner Light. She is survived by her husband of fifty-eight years, son, grandson, and many nieces and nephews.

Gail Johnson Laughlin ’53 May 7, 2015 Gail lived the majority of her life in Yardley and Newtown PA, before moving to Montgomery County to be closer to her family during the past seven years. She was born and raised in Morrisville PA. She received her BA from Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs NY in 1957, and her MEd from Trenton State College in Trenton NJ in 1971. She was married in 1957, in Bamberg, Germany.

Gail enjoyed a long career as a special education teacher with the Bristol Township (PA) School District, and served as a member of the Newtown Township Board of Supervisors in the

G EORG IA N

| 49

JANUARY 2016

1980s. When she retired from teaching, Gail regained her passion for the arts by becoming a gifted potter. Her other passions included gardening, cooking, and taking frequent trips to Cape Cod MA. Gail is survived by her sons, E. Reed Laughlin III ’7 7, and J. Scot t Laughlin ’82, three grandchildren, her former husband, and brother.

Esther C. Darlington ’54 July 10, 2015 Born in Woodbury NJ, Esther attended Swarthmore College in Swarthmore PA, and later earned a master’s degree in counseling psychology from Immaculata College in Immaculata PA. Esther had a lifelong affinity for her Quaker heritage. She was a member of Swarthmore and Media Friends Meetings, and was an avid researcher of local Quaker history. She served on many Quaker committees and boards of directors, in the 1970s, she was on the board of directors of Pendle Hill Quaker Study Center in Wallingford PA. Esther edited her father’s autobiography, The Memoirs of Charles J. Darlington, in two volumes. These books told of Charles’ life growing up on a Quaker farm in Delaware County, attending Swarthmore College, becoming a chemist for DuPont, and later becoming the clerk of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. Esther added historical photographs and had the books printed and distributed widely. Genealogy was a beloved avocation. She researched her family’s lineage and created many charts and records to document her findings.

In the mid-1980s, Esther became the director of the Harned, a small Quaker retirement home in Moylan PA. In later years, Esther worked as the assistant librarian of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, using her encyclopedic knowledge to answer emailed questions about Quaker history. In 2004, she moved to Ithaca NY to live with her daughter’s family. Esther is survived by four children, brothers Jared L. Darlington ’50 and Richard B. Darlington ’55, and three grandchildren.

50 | G E ORGIAN

Joseph (Buck) H. Penrose Jr. ’55 September 17, 2015 Buck was born in Abington PA, and graduated from the College of Engineering at Cornell University in Ithaca NY with additional degrees from the Wharton School of Business in Philadelphia PA and Pennsylvania State University in State College PA. He served in the US Navy, having successfully completed the ROTC program at Cornell. He was a member of the Delta Upsilon fraternity at Cornell and subsequently a member of several professional organizations.

Buck had many successful years in corporate development and as a business and management consultant for various clients, both in the United States and Europe. For the last several years he owned and operated Penrose Development, located in Connecticut.

Buck was a member of the Horsham Friends Meeting in Horsham PA. Charles (Charlie) M. Mansbach II ’55 August 19, 2015 Charlie was born in Norfolk VA and graduated from Yale University in New Haven CT in 1959. He earned his MD degree from New York University School of Medicine in New York City in 1963. He did his internship and residency at Duke University Medical Center in Durham NC and subsequently became a faculty member in the Gastroenterology Division of the Department of Internal Medicine.

From 1968 to 1970 Charlie was a lieutenant commander in the Navy stationed at Portsmouth Naval Hospital in Portsmouth VA. After his military service, he returned to Duke University where he took care of patients, taught in the medical school, and conducted research. In 1986 he moved to Memphis TN to accept the position as chief of the Division of Gastroenterology at the University of Tennessee Medical Center where he was professor of Medicine and Physiology with an appointment also at the Memphis Veterans Administration Medical Center. Charlie received numerous grants over the course of his career from the National Insti-

tutes of Health and from the Veterans Administration to support his investigations into the mechanisms of lipid absorption and transport.

He was the author of many scientific papers and an editor for scientific journals and books. Despite Charlie’s lengthy illness, he continued his research and writing up until the time of his death. He was known for his devotion to family and work and for his unquenchable optimism and sense of humor. He is survived by his wife of fifty-three years, May Lynn; three sons, Harry H. Mansbach III, S. Ross Mansbach, and Jonathan M. Mansbach; eight grandchildren; a brother; and his sister, Sally Mansbach Herman ’64.

Clara Montgomery Coan ’55 June 14, 2015 Born in a mountain village in southern China, Clara came with her family to Philadelphia PA in 1949.

While attending Newtown Friends School and George School, she lived with the family of Kate and Arthur Brinton (GS English Department faculty 1931-1971) in Eyre Line. After earning a BA in philosophy from Guilford College in Greensboro NC in 1959, Clara went on to work as director of the Girls Program of the YWCA of Wilkes-Barre PA, and to serve as a volunteer with Operation Crossroads Africa. She later earned a BS in nursing from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia PA, and served as school nurse at Friends Select School in Philadelphia PA and as Director of the Student Health Center at George School. Clara married James S. Coan ’54 in 1964. While raising their family, Clara served as President of the Germantown YWCA in Philadelphia and as a member of the YWCA National Board. She later served on the School Committee of Germantown Friends School in Philadelphia PA and for many years on the board of Chandler Hall in Newtown PA. On their farm in Solebury, Clara and Jim grew flowers and organic vegetables for area restaurants and markets, canned and preserved pickles, jams, fruits and vegetables, and created

IN MEMORIAM

lifelong friendships with many of their customers. Clara was famous for her delicious Chinese dinners shared with family and friends, as well as her benefit dinners for many charities. Clara loved to travel. She and Jim made innumerable friends during their travels throughout the United States and dozens of countries in Asia, Europe, and the Americas. She leaves behind her beloved husband Jim and daughters Louisa Coan Greve ’83, Margaret Coan ’86, and Anya Coan Madding ’88, six treasured grandchildren, her eldest sister, and seven nieces and nephews.

R. Newlin Otto ’55 March 4, 2015 Newlin, also known as Ralph, was born in Philadelphia PA, and was an identical twin. He and his brother were graduates and All-American soccer players at Earlham College in Richmond IN. He served in the US Navy during the Vietnam era aboard the hospital ship Repose, and retired as a pathologist after twenty-seven years from Baystate Medical Center in Springfield MA. He cherished his farm in Union CT and enjoyed creating pen and ink drawings. A loving husband, father, and grandfather, Newlin is survived by his wife of fifty-seven years, Cecelia Bay Ot to ’54, two sons, four grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, three siblings, Olivia Ot to Johnston ’60, Jonathan E. Ot to ’66, and Robert S. Ot to ’64, and several nieces and nephews including Elizabeth M. Ot to ’98 and Jonathan G. Ot to ’96.

Harry R. Colson Jr ’56 October 30, 2015 Born in Wildwood NJ, Harry was a local resident for seventy-seven years.

He was the owner of Bree-Zee-Lee Yacht Basin and Mill Creek Marina in Cape May NJ for forty-nine years. He served as a military police officer and dog handler in the US Army. Harry was also a partner at F.D. Colson Lumber in North Wildwood NJ and was a school board member for Crest Memorial School in Wildwood

Crest NJ. He is survived by his son, daughter, seven grandchildren, and a brother.

Linda E. Lovekin ’56 February 12, 2015 Born in Philadelphia PA, Linda was raised in rural Bucks County PA in the years following World War II. She grew up in an old farmhouse with her younger brother Stephen. It was there that Linda developed a love of animals that she would keep for her entire life. In addition to riding her father’s horses, she won awards as a skillful trainer at dog shows. After graduating from George School, she earned a BA degree in psychology at Temple University in Philadelphia PA. Later, Linda earned a graduate degree from Trenton State College in Trenton NJ. She lived in many places in her life and in each location she made friends and appreciated the distinctive features of everyday life.

Linda approached her interests with passion and meticulous craftsmanship. She refinished antiques and restored dolls because she understood the difference that beautiful objects make to the quality of everyday life.

She owned many dogs, especially poodles, throughout her life. Most were rescued from animal shelters or strays and she loved each of them as individuals. She enjoyed the literature of Jane Austin and laughed at British comedies on Public Television.

Among the things most important to Linda was her love of gardening.

She had the ability to design gardens that yielded delicious vegetables and beautiful perennial flowers. She possessed a deep connection with music and her tastes were broad and eclectic.

She loved the folk music of Peter, Paul, and Mary, the songs of the Beatles, the voice of Judy Collins, the classical guitar of Andres Segovia and the ragtime music of Scott Joplin. Most of all, she loved the music of Johann Sabastian Bach, whose piano pieces she would play on her living room piano until the last weeks of her life. Linda was intelligent, observant, and articulate throughout the course of her life. She is survived by her son, Robert J.

Kruse II ’81, her daughter Jane E. Zigner, and three grandchildren.

Donald E. Nicholas ’57 February 4, 2013 Born in Philadelphia PA, Donald had lived in Bensalem PA for twenty years before moving to Ocean City NJ seven years ago. He was a graduate of Drexel University in Philadelphia PA and worked as a fiduciary trust tax accountant for Provident National Bank and Fleet Bank in Philadelphia PA. Donald was a veteran of the US Army and a member of the American Legion Movay-Miley Post #524 in Ocean City NJ. He was a member of Fairness in Taxes, Ocean City NJ, and the Ocean City Community Association.

His hobbies included photography and antique cars and he loved walking on the Ocean City Boardwalk. Donald is survived by his wife, three children, and seven grandchildren.

William H. Speakman III ’57 October 8, 2013 William was of the Quaker faith and was the owner and president of Speakman Management. In addition to his wife of fifty years, William is survived by two sons, one daughter, and two grandchildren.

Peter N. Grad ’58 August 1, 2015 Born in Newark NJ, Peter grew up on the Jersey Shore. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia PA, he experimented with careers in everything from engineering and finance to acting and producing for the stage. He turned to TV development in 1977, when he joined Paramount TV on the East Coast. By the end of 1977, Peter had relocated to Paramount on the West Coast. He moved to Time Life Television in 1978 and then to Columbia Pictures Television before beginning his tenure at Fox in 1980. After a seven year stint as a television development executive at 20th Century Fox, Peter spent five years as president of MTM Television from 1987 to 1992. During his long run in television, Peter helped shepherd such notable series as L.A.

G EORG IA N

| 51

JANUARY 2016

Julian Bond ’57 August 15, 2015 Julian Bond, a charismatic figure of the 1960s civil rights movement, a lightning rod of the anti-Vietnam War campaign and a lifelong champion of equal rights, notably as chairman of the NAACP, died on Saturday night in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. He was 75.

Julian was one of the original leaders of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee while he was a student at Morehouse College in Atlanta. He was the committee’s communications director for five years and deftly guided the national news media toward stories of violence and discrimination as the committee challenged legal segregation in the South’s public facilities.

Law, The Fall Guy, Mr. Belvedere, and Evening Shade. After retiring from the entertainment business, Peter devoted much of his time to raising awareness and support for the Alzheimer’s Association. As a tribute to his late father-in-law, Peter and his wife of forty-seven years launched and cochaired the Alzheimer’s Association’s annual A Night at Sardi’s fundraiser, which recognizes researchers, doctors, caregivers, and families affected by the neurological disease. The event has generated $27 million in donations over the past twenty-three years and has garnered the support of a host of stage, television, and film stars who perform songs from Broadway musicals. In addition to his wife, survivors

52 | G E O RGIAN

He gradually moved from the militancy of the student group to the leadership of the establishmentarian NAACPA long the way, Julian was a writer, poet, television commentator, lecturer and college teacher, and persistent opponent of the stubborn remnants of white supremacy.

He also served for 20 years in the Georgia General Assembly, mostly in conspicuous isolation from white colleagues who saw him as an interloper and a rabble-rouser.

Moving beyond demonstrations, Julian became a founder, with Morris Dees, of the Southern Poverty Law Center, a legal advocacy organization in Montgomery, Alabama.

Julian was its president from 1971 to 1979 and remained on its board for the rest of his life.

When he was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 1965, along with seven other black members, furious white members of the House refused to let him take his seat, accusing him of disloyalty.

He was already well known because of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee’s stand against the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War. That touched off a national drama that ended in 1966 when the Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision, ordered the

include his son, two grandchildren, and his sister, Susan Grad Baerwald ’62.

John (Jack) M. Templeton Jr. ’58 May 16, 2015 Known as Jack, Dr. Templeton, a noted pediatric surgeon, retired from medicine in 1995 to manage the John Templeton Foundation created in 1987 by his father, Sir John Templeton, the pioneer global investor and philanthropist who created the Templeton Fund in 1954. During Jack’s twenty years at the helm of the foundation as president and also as chairman after his father’s death, its endowment grew from $28 million to $3.34 billion, with 188 grants awarded

State Assembly to seat him, saying it had denied him freedom of speech.

He left the State Senate in 1986 after six terms to run for a seat in the United States House. He lost a bitter contest to his old friend John Lewis, a fellow founder of the student committee and its longtime chairman.

Julian prospered on the lecture circuit the rest of his life. He became a regular commentator in print and on television, including as host of “America’s Black Forum,” then the oldest black-owned television program in syndication. In later years, he taught at Harvard, Williams, Drexel, and the University of Pennsylvania. He was a distinguished scholar in residence at American University in Washington and a professor of history at the University of Virginia, where he was co-director of the oral history project Explorations in Black Leadership.

In addition to Pamela Horowitz, his second wife and a former lawyer for the Southern Poverty Law Center, Julian is survived by three sons, two daughters, a sister, a brother, and eight grandchildren.

Excerpted from New York Times August 15, 2015.

in 2014, primarily to universities and scholars worldwide. The foundation is best known for awarding the annual Templeton Prize. Its monetary value of more than a million dollars makes it one of the world’s largest annual awards given to an individual.

The tragic loss of his mother when he was just eleven years old caused Jack to strive for improvement in the treatment of traumatic injury once he became a doctor. He was raised in Englewood NJ, where his family lived, and spent summers in Winchester TN, the birthplace of his father. Jack received a bachelor’s degree in history from Yale University in 1962.

He was moved to consider a career in medicine during a summer intern-

IN MEMORIAM

ship in 1960 at a Presbyterian medical mission in Cameroon. He received his degree from Harvard Medical School in Cambridge MA in 1968 and completed his internship and residency in surgery at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond in 1973. During his time at the Medical College of Virginia he met his future wife, whom he married in 1970. Jack trained in pediatric surgery at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia PA from 1973 to 1975. After two years as a physician in the Navy stationed in Portsmouth VA, he returned to Children’s Hospital in 1977 where he served as pediatric surgeon, director of the trauma program, and, later, as professor of pediatric surgery at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia PA. After retiring in 1995 he continued to serve as an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

Jack was a member of Proclamation Presbyterian Church in Bryn Mawr PA since its founding in 1989. During his time at Children’s Hospital, the medical institution gained an international reputation for the evaluation and management of patients with conjoined twinning. He became an expert on surgeries involving conjoined twins under the tutelage of Dr. C. Everett Koop, and his successor, Dr. James A. O’Neill Jr. Many of those surgeries were undertaken with his wife Pina as lead anesthesiologist.

Besides his wife, Jack is survived by two daughters, six grandchildren, and a brother.

School and at East Pakistan University of Engineering, in addition to designing interiors for the Ministers’ hostels at the Second Capitol. Upon returning to the United States, she earned an MA at Temple University in Philadelphia PA. She worked for the Bucks County Courier Times as a reporter and for the Bucks County Free Library establishing libraries in the prison system. Managing libraries in the Bucks County Correctional System led Maris to earn a JD at Temple University School of Law in Philadelphia PA. She enjoyed a thirty-six year long career as a solo practitioner in Doylestown PA. Maris served on numerous non-profit community boards and committees, including Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, Doylestown Friends Meeting, George School, and performing arts boards.

Maris was president, then chairman of the board of the Central Bucks Chamber of Commerce when it was the third largest chamber in the area.

She was honored by the Bucks County Bar Association as the first recipient of the Mark E. Goldberg Award for Community Excellence. Maris took great pleasure in learning, sharing, and making personal connections that resulted from her service to others. She also derived great enjoyment from continued travel. She is survived by two children including, Louise Langford Verstegen ’88, five grandchildren, and her sister, Eloise Clymer Haun ’54.

Robert W. Nason ’58 June 25, 2015

Wayne Yarnall ’60 April 7, 2014 Wayne was born in McKeesport PA, a suburb of Pittsburgh. As a Quaker, through the years, he was a member of Seaville Meeting in Seaville NJ, Goose Creek Meeting in Lincoln VA, Eastside Meeting in Bellevue WA, Corvallis Meeting in Corvallis OR, and Bridge City Meeting in Portland OR. Wayne attended Duke University in Durham NC, where he got a degree in electrical engineering, and Rutgers University in New Brunswick NJ for a masters in Bio-Medical Engineering.

Wayne was diagnosed with muscular

Maris Clymer Langford ’58 June 17, 2015 Born in Philadelphia PA, Maris earned a BS in Education from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia PA and a certificate from the University of Paris, La Sorbonne in Paris, France. Living and working abroad afforded her the opportunity for extensive travel in Europe and in Asia. She spent three years in Dacca, East Pakistan (Bangladesh), and taught at the Dacca American Society

dystrophy in 1970. In August 2012 he moved to a convalescent care home in Vancouver WA. Wayne’s passions were advocating for accessibility, founding ADA Build-it-Right; participating in amateur radio groups and Radio Days W7KRB; and wheelchair dancing at the North Portland Eagles. Wayne is survived by his brother, daughter, son, four grandchildren, and several first cousins.

John R. (Richard) Green ’70 February 15, 2015 Richard was born in Caracas, Venezuela, where he grew up in a crosscultural context, which prefigured the course of his later life. In college, he first took up the art of photography, and had his camera with him wherever he went, from his trips to ghost towns in Arizona, the Wyoming mountains, a small indigenous village in the Venezuelan Amazon, the caves of Spain, the university halls of Freiburg, Germany, or to the streets of Greenwich Village NY, where he would unhesitatingly strike up conversations and make new friends. He worked at Touro College in New York City beginning in 1990, developing and using technology to teach and coordinate speech communication in oral ESL classes. A native speaker of Spanish and fluent in Portuguese, he earned two degrees in education at Michigan State University in East Lansing MI, where he graduated cum laude. He also attended the University of Freiberg in Breisgau, Germany for two years where he studied Spanish and German literature. Drawing on his life experience and travels, as well as on his love of all forms of music, Richard composed original storytelling videos and fables set to music to teach diction and vocabulary, and used international podcasts to promote cross-cultural awareness through role-playing and persuasive speaking strategies. He was known for his accessibility, as well as for his commitment to creative ways of helping students gain the confidence to speak in public. In his last weeks, Richard was visited by longtime friend, Holly Gross Kruse ’69.

G EORG IA N

| 53

JANUARY 2016

He is survived by his two brothers William C. Green ’61 and David W. Green ’63, niece, and nephews.

Wendy L. Talbot ’70 May 27, 2015 Wendy passed away unexpectedly in the spring of 2015. The two institutions that meant the most to her in her life were Pocono Lake Preserve and George School. She grew up as a “faculty brat,” daughter of Polly and Jack Talbot who spent their years at George School from the early 1930s to Jack’s departure in 1966. Wendy finished George School as a boarding student and went on to West Chester University in West Chester PA where she played varsity tennis. She was a gifted athlete and had a career as a teaching tennis pro at Pocono Manor and Skytop Lodge, both in the Poconos. During the final years of her life she was a certified caretaker and worked mainly with elderly patients who enjoyed Wendy’s encouragement and wonderful care. At her memorial service at Pocono Lake Preserve many of Wendy’s admirers spoke of Wendy’s ability to relate so well to people of all ages and her special talent for caring for the elderly. George School was very well-represented at her service by Nancy Starmer, Karen Hallowell, John Streetz, Pamela A. Mederos-Streetz ’70, and Dirk and Jane Dunlap. Wendy’s siblings: Judith Talbot Campos ’57, James M. Talbot ’61, and Susie Talbot Herhold want to express their appreciation to the George School contingent for attending Wendy’s service. Wendy’s unbridled enthusiasm for George School and for Pocono Lake Preserve will be greatly missed.

Daniel L. Eckert ’75 September 29, 2015 Daniel died suddenly at his home in Langhorne PA. After graduating from George School, he continued his studies at the American University in Washington, DC. Daniel later moved to the West Coast for many years.

He moved back to the Lower Bucks County area in the mid-90s. He is

54 | GE O RGIAN

survived by his brother, David O. Eckert ’74.

Herbert M. (Herb) Hortman ’76 May 17, 2015 Herb, president of Hortman Aviation, was born in Trenton NJ, and will always be part of a legacy aviation family that has twelve past and present commercial pilots. It all began in 1932 when his father first soloed at the Mercer County Airport in Trenton NJ. The Hortman family continued training young men and women in the Delaware Valley as they expanded their facilities to the Sky Haven Airport, the sight of the former Fairless Hills (PA) steel plant, Morrisville airport, Bristol (3M), Doylestown, and presently North Philadelphia airports. Countless generations of aviators currently working for major airlines and corporations had their start because of Herb and “The Hortman” influence. Herb’s own aviation career began in the family business as a flight instructor, flying charters for numerous individuals and companies. He then went on to become a first officer for People Express and captain for Continental/ United Airlines. When not flying for the airlines, Herb was running the family business at North Philadelphia Airport. As a teacher, coach and mentor, Herb touched many lives. While instructing, he always encouraged his students to be the best they could be and to further their aviation careers.

Being good wasn’t good enough for Herb. In the cockpit he taught respect for others, integrity, and focus. When he heard that an aviation student was learning to fly only as a hobby he quickly found them and told them that they had much more capability and should consider “a life in the airlines.” He told you what he thought and what he thought was best for you, his intentions were always to put others’ welfare and careers first.

His compassion and high standards are reflected on everything that he touched. Because of his influence and belief in his students, the skies are filled with thousands of examples of

his mentoring. Herb is survived by his wife, their two children, and four siblings including Walter J. Hortman ’7 7 and Jeannine Hortman ’88, as well as many beloved nieces and nephews.

Lauren Rendell ’96 May 11, 2015 F O R M E R FA C U LT Y A N D T R U S T E E

Leon Bass March 28, 2015 As a twenty year old US Army soldier in the all-black 183rd Combat Engineers Battalion, Leon Bass arrived at the Nazis’ Buchenwald extermination camp just one day after it had been liberated in April 1945. Bass saw the living skeletons of those who survived. The camp reeked of burned human flesh. The torture chambers were still covered in blood. After the war, Bass left the Army as a sergeant, returned to Philadelphia PA, and eventually became principal of Benjamin Franklin High School. He earned a doctorate in education from Temple University in Philadelphia PA. In 1968, a woman who survived the Holocaust spoke to his Benjamin Franklin students, who were less than attentive. Suddenly, Bass ordered the students to listen, telling them he also had seen the horrors the woman was describing. Afterward, the woman thanked him, and later he received a request to speak publicly about what he had seen as a liberator. Leon continued to speak out decade after decade, regularly appearing at Holocaust remembrance events honoring survivors and liberators. He explained that racism and anti-Semitism were manifestations of human hatred that constantly must be fought. Leon recalled that after he told students about his experiences, one of them asked why he had not spoken out before 1968 about the horrors of the war. He said it was one of the hardest questions he’d ever been asked. He told the student he had made a huge mistake. Although he correctly was attending to work and his family, he said he neglected a huge duty to tell everyone who would listen about

IN MEMORIAM

what he had seen. Leon received numerous human rights commendations, including the Pearlman Award for Humanitarian Advancement from Jewish Women International.

His book, Good Enough: One Man’s Memoir on the Price of the Dream, was featured in the documentary film, Liberators: Fighting on Two Fronts in World War II. In addition to his daughter, Delia Bass Dandridge ’7 7, Leon is survived by his son, Leon Bass Jr. ’72, four grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

Notification of deaths was recorded as of November 1, 2015.

We edit and publish information provided by families of deceased alumni, faculty, staff, and trustees.

Printed using soy-based ink on paper containing recycled fiber. Cover and text stock are certified by the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) and contain 10% post-consumer recycled fiber.

Notes submitted for publication might be edited due to space limitations and Georgian style guidelines.

BEST SEAT IN THE HOUSE. And it could have your name on it!

All gifts will benefit the George School Endowment for the Performing Arts.

To learn more or name a seat in Walton Center Auditorium for $2,000 contact Tessa Bailey-Findley at tbaileyfind@georgeschool.org or 215.579.6572.

G EORG IA N

| 55

JANUARY 2016

Make a Difference.

S U S TA I N G E O R G E S C H O O L — C H O O S E T O G I V E .

Sustainability. A Green Initiatives contest on campus yielded four winning ideas from student teams—establishing a forest regeneration zone, improving recycling throughout campus, creating a rain barrel system, and starting a thrift store.

Community. Students learn the value of giving back by working a shift in the dining hall or in various jobs around campus as well as participating in domestic and international service learning opportunities.

Excellence. Students have nonstop opportunities to challenge themselves, expand their horizons, and grow as individuals.

Please make your Annual Fund gift today! georgeschool.org/donate.

56 | GE O RGIAN

STAY CONNECTED Visit the alumni website at georgeschool.org/alumni to stay connected. Submit a class note, find friends, update personal profiles, check out upcoming events, and much more.

You also can see what is happening at George School by visiting our Facebook page at facebook.com/georgeschool, following us on Twitter and Instagram @GeorgeSchool, and enjoying our blog at georgeschool.org/voices.

HOLD THE DATES

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016 Winter Instrumental Concert

FRIDAY & SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 19 & 20, 2016 Winter Musical Performance: Les Miserables

FRIDAY & SATURDAY, APRIL 15 & 16, 2016 Dance Eclectic

FRIDAY–SUNDAY, MAY 13-15, 2016 Alumni Weekend

FRIDAY & SATURDAY, MAY 20 & 21, 2016 Spring Theater Performance: Animal Farm

SATURDAY, MAY 28, 2016 Commencement

GEORGIAN

George School PMB 4438 1690 Newtown Langhorne Road Newtown, PA 18940

NON-PROFIT U.S. POSTAGE PAID BALTIMORE, MD PERMIT 6440

JA N UA RY 2 0 1 6 | VOL. 8 8 | NO. 01

GEORGIAN EDITOR Susan Quinn georgian@georgeschool.org 215.579.6567

GEORGIAN STAFF Tessa Bailey-Findley

Odie LeFever

Laura Noel

Meg Peake ’03

GEORGIAN CONTRIBUTORS David Long

George Long, Jr.

© 2016 George School

Georgian designed by Rutka Weadock Design

Note: If you have received multiple copies of this issue at your address, please contact us with updated address information at advancement@georgeschool.org or at 215.579.6572.

PHOTOS: Inside Back Cover: The view from Main South Porch revealed glimpses of Retford, Hallowell, tennis courts, and Anderson Library. (Bruce Weller) Back Cover: George School soccer alumni gathered for a photo before their 2015 seasonopening scrimmage with the varsity boys’ soccer team. (Susan Quinn)