Georgian A Publication of George School, Newtown, Pennsylvania Volume 76 • Number 1 • April 2004
Wilderness Experiences Inspire Urban Design By Carol J. Suplee
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A landscape architect by trade, Ernest Wong ’77 started his own firm, Site Design. He also lends his expertise to George School as a member of its Arboretum Committee.
“When we design a safe space around a school, we have improved the lives of kids.”
rnest Wong ’77 is a lucky man. He has found passion and fulfillment in a career. He is making a positive impact on the environment and on “city dwellers’” quality of life as a landscape architect with his own firm, Site Design Group, Ltd. He currently serves on George School’s Arboretum Committee. Ernest explained that his Chicago-based firm concentrates on urban design, the creation of comfortable and beautiful exterior city spaces. Among the Site Design Group’s major clients are the City of Chicago, and various agencies that influence the city’s character and progress. Ernest’s firm has created welcoming, green spaces out of polluted wastelands and urban “brownfields.” An especially satisfying achievement is the Ping Tom Memorial Park built on a neglected wedge of land along the Chicago River and adjacent to Chinatown. Ernest noted that Chicago’s drive to create and enhance public spaces has helped to jumpstart the city’s flagging economy by rejuvenating neighborhoods and encouraging the return of businesses. He also has found particular gratification in working with the city school system to create “campus parks.” “When we design a safe space around the school, we have improved the lives of kids who don’t have access to park space or playgrounds,” he said. A long and winding path led Ernest into his profession. A gifted pianist, he considered the professional musician’s life—for a time. As a George School student, he joined the
Student Conservation Association and spent two summers working in western national parks. “The Rockies presented me with an epiphany about life and the minuscule scale we each play in this gigantic universe,” he said of the experience. Inspired also by a stint working alongside a Timber Wolf expert, he decided “to become Smokey the Bear” and enrolled in Michigan State University’s fisheries and wildlife program. After encountering the statistical studies the discipline required, he decided to think again. “What should I do?” he recalls wondering. “I had grown up in my father’s architectural firm. I realized that landscape architecture might be the best of both worlds.” After a short-lived career detour working in management for Playboy, Inc., he returned to Chicago where he studied architecture with his father’s firm. In 1990, Ernest launched Site Design Group. In a familial juxtaposition, Ernest was running his own firm and serving as a consultant to his father’s. Then in 1991, his father, who passed away in 2000, came out of retirement to consult on a school project for which Ernest was project manager. He honors the great influence his father’s work has had on his own life and on their city. Ernest recalls that the George School Arboretum Committee began its work considering how to save historic trees and examining reforestation issues. That focus continued on page 4
Inside this GEORGIAN Quest for Social Improvement Drives Entrepreneur
Arboretum Committee Eyes Land Preservation
Consultant helps businesses develop
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core values. Page 2
Committee works to maintain woodlands.
Alumni to be honored
Quest for Social Improvement Drives Entrepreneur
Family Traditions and Quaker Values Merge in Law Career
by Kimberly Robbins
by Carol J. Suplee
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f the many lessons learned by 2004 Alumni Award recipient Liz Fritsch ’69 in her life, perhaps none was more important than one taught to her by her own father, John H. Wood Jr. ’33. “My father always loved his work,” she said. “He taught me that law is a tool to be used in many different ways to help people.” Liz, who followed her father and several other family members into law, uses that tool every day as coAside from her work with director of the Legal Aid Society of Legal Aid, Liz Fritsch ’69 has Southeastern Pennsylvania, a job she edited the Bucks County Law has held for the past few years. Reporter, a publication of the Through the society’s doors come Bucks County Bar Association, has written articles for a law those whose lives are impacted by the textbook publisher and is legal system, by government laws and certified as a mediator. regulations, but who do not have the financial ability to pursue recourse. “Our work involves a broad spectrum of civil cases such as abuse protection, child dependency and custody cases when one parent is seeking to obtain or maintain rights. We are involved with parents trying to restore their families after children have been removed. We represent people who are being evicted. Some struggle with rent subsidy vouchers or face foreclosures. Others have credit problems or face bankruptcy,” Liz explained. The Society helps persons whose benefits—welfare, Social Security disability, food stamps or Medicaid, for example—are being denied or removed. Eldercare and its attendant problems comprise another area of advocacy. Services are income eligible and available to those who have insufficient financial means to enlist the private bar. The exceptions to this requirement are domestic violence victims who might not have access to resources during their crises. All of her experience—family traditions, Quaker values, her George School service learning experiences, and humanitarian instincts—have converged in this work. “If we are to have a civil and democratic society, everyone must have access to the courts to settle grievances. Otherwise,” Liz said, “we are denying them a say, diminishing the value of their vote and withholding the keys to the courthouse.” Her interest in civil liberties was piqued when, after graduating from Swarthmore College, she worked for a year for a New York City law firm specializing in civil liberties. It was then she decided to attend law school at Boston University. After completing law school, Liz went to work as a social service law clerk for a judge. It was serendipitous. Liz and her future husband, Ted, now a common pleas court judge, met in the courthouse. They were soon married. Liz had been working in private practice in Doylestown, PA, when she first learned that the Bucks County Legal Aid Society was looking for a director. Years earlier, she had hoped to work for the organization. When she applied in 1997 she was hired. Eventually four counties would join forces to form the Legal Aid Society of Southeastern Pennsylvania. Liz was then named co-director. Her administrative talents have come to the fore in co-managing this large program with six local offices and 48 employees. “The timing was perfect. I was thrilled,” she said.
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avid Barash ’74 got his first taste of business as a young entrepreneur who, with several friends, opened a coffeehouse and coordinated folk festivals on the George School campus. Today, David helps early-stage, high-growth companies develop and institute operational and organizational systems. Most of the companies have innovative social missions. “Although George School was rigorous, it had strong values and supported students trying things even if it meant screwing up,” said David. “Going to George School was an incredibly positive and influential experience. I developed friendships, relationships and points of view that formed the foundation of my world view.”
ciples that create economic success can be used, together with education, to advance social change. “I went back to school to earn an M.B.A. during which time I became particularly intrigued by businesses whose purpose was more than to put money exclusively in their pockets,” David explained. In the early 1980s, George School classmate Debbie Comely ’74, who worked at Ben and Jerry’s, introduced him to Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield. David joined Ben and Jerry’s shortly thereafter, becoming one of the founding senior executives, serving in a variety of general management roles during the company’s growth over the next 10 years.
2004 Alumni Award winner David Barash ’74, pictured here with his mother Elise, a former director of development for George School, credits the school with having a positive influence on his life.
David admits that during his time at George School his real interest was the outdoors, not business. He spent a lot of time canoeing and hiking and was enthralled by the outdoors. This in part led to his decision to attend the University of Vermont. There, he combined his interests and studied education and the environment. Following graduation, David began his career working in outdoor leadership in Colorado. While there, he also worked at the newly created Celestial Seasonings Tea Co. —an early pioneer in the growing field of socially responsible business. After 10 years of working with non profits, David realized that he needed to gain a better grasp of business and how the prin-
“Working for Ben & Jerry’s, I was able to witness first hand that business could have a very strong impact,” said David. “I learned that the impact of business is never neutral. Intentionally conducted, business can have a positive impact on the world around us.” Following Ben & Jerry’s, David went on to serve in many leadership roles with other companies in the natural food category including Autumn Harp, a manufacturer of botanical skin care products, and Organic Commodity Products, a leading supplier of organic chocolate ingredients. According to David, many of these businesses have common threads—they all have a strong passion for social improvements and an entrepreneurial spirit. continued on page 4
“I became particularly intrigued by businesses whose purpose was more than to put money exclusively in their pockets.”
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Legacy of a library
Campus Library: A ‘Learning Community’ Needs Room to Grow
The McFeely Name Has Special Meaning
by Ann Langtry
by Ann Langtry
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y day, McFeely Library is bustling with activity. Students and teachers gather around tables in the open room on the first floor. Conversations multiply as groups engage in collaborative study. Librarians extend welcome offers to aid students in their book research or Internet exploring. “The first step in building a relationship with our students is to provide good library service to them,” said Library Director Linda Heinemann. “We don’t sit back and wait for students to ask for help. We like to engage them in a discussion about their research.” By night, however, McFeely converts to a study space for the boarding community. Because of its limited seating, “We literally have to turn people away,” said Linda. “That was a hard decision and it saddens us.” Designed and built in the 1960s, McFeely Library continues to serve students at George School as efficiently as possible. Four full-time librarians do their best to adapt the space to modern study needs. “Today, with the advent of information technology and various methods of teaching and collaborative learning, there are changes in the ways a school library is used,” said Head of School Nancy Starmer. “The McFeely Library staff has been creative in its efforts to provide the right environment, but we have finally reached the point where it is necessary to create more space to accommodate the contemporary and future needs of our students and staff.” No longer just a book repository with a quiet reading room, the modern independent school library plays a central role in students’ lives, housing books alongside teaching space, computer research facilities and areas for group work. “In the process of creating a welcoming, open atmosphere on the first floor and accommodating new library functions, with computer facilities, ‘absolutely quiet’ rooms and reference areas, we had to make a compromise in our use of space and moved most of the books to the lower level,” stated Linda. This has proven to be detrimental in several ways: the books become musty, there is limited access for the disabled and “we have removed the visual reminder that books are important resources.” The campus library is one of the few places that mixed-gender study groups can meet. It is also the only space available to allow day students and boarders to work together, according to Linda. “We need more people space,” she said, adding that there is frequent need to find places for tutoring, small groups, collaborative work, and instructional sessions. She dreams about a spacious facility built to create an ideal “learning community,” tying together all aspects of research and instruction, and accommodating both individual and group study. Prompted by requests from students, faculty and library staff, in the 2002 master planning process the George School community established the goal of building a new or expanded library on campus. According to Nancy, a selection committee is currently in the process of interviewing architects and reviewing proposals. One member of the committee is architect Charles Hough ’44, designer of McFeely Library. The construction schedule will be determined by the success of fund-raising efforts. McFeely Library was named for the fourth headmaster at George School, Richard H. McFeely. Current plans call for the new library to continue the tradition of recognizing this popular school leader with an interior space to be designated the McFeely Reading Room. (See sidebar.) To contribute to fund-raising efforts for the new library, please contact Director of Development Anne Culp Storch ’67 at 215-579-6569.
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uring his 18-year term as head of school at George School (1948-1966), Richard H. McFeely was known fondly on campus by students and faculty alike as “Mr. Dick.” His wife Nancy was “Mrs. Dick.” And when he was born, Richard A. McFeely ’51 was “Little Dickie.” Mr. and Mrs. Dick also had a daughter, Marjorie McFeely Burton ’55. “My father always felt that the library was a critical piece of a learning institution. He had a large personal library himself and read extensively. It was particularly meaningful that the library was named for him,” said Richard. The McFeely Library was dedicated to his father and opened during his last year as head of school. “I’m a realist. I understand McFeely Library is too small [to serve the needs of today’s student body],” said Richard recently. He and his sister are delighted to hear there are plans for including a McFeely Reading Room in a new library. If a separate library is constructed in another location, the present McFeely building will emerge as a vital new center, probably for the relocation of the Student Health Center. Since Marjorie is a retired registered nurse, Richard is an OB/GYN specialist within the veterinary field and their mother Nancy McFeely was a physical therapist, the McFeely family is pleased with the idea of converting the former library into a McFeely health center. Nancy Watson McFeely passed away in January. Her children have asked those wishing to make a contribution in her memory make it to the McFeely Library. “The library was very important to both of our parents,” added Richard. “Our dad felt that the two most important capital investments for the school in the early 1960s were a library and a meeting house. Both of his wishes were granted.”
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Queries From a High School Librarian to a College Librarian Linda Heinemann p ’01, George School Library Director Linda Heinemann, at George School since 1994, has master’s degrees in library science and computer science. Tom Kirk ’61, Earlham College Librarian Tom Kirk was awarded the 2004 academic/research librarian of the year award from the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL). As George School embarks on a campaign to build a new or expanded library, Linda Heinemann reaches out to library experts such as Tom Kirk. Below are excerpts:
[Configuration] Linda Heineman has been library director at GS since 1994.
Linda: In a new library I envision separate rooms of varying sizes, comfy chairs, a wireless network, and perhaps a lounge for consultations. Do you have any comments about this?
Tom: I wouldn’t think just in terms of separate rooms. Think in terms of flexibility. …Wireless network, moveable furniture, even moveable walls, such as office freestanding partitions can be used.
[Research Skills] Linda: What research skills are important to learn in high school? Tom: I’d like to see students doing two types of activities: responding to assigned texts and doing research to solve a problem or answer a question. …I think it is important to keep the focus on central principles of information literacy. These central principles go beyond research skills and include critical thinking, the ability to synthesize information, understanding the scholarly process, and assessing the quality of information resources.
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Preservation for the future
Arboretum Committee Eyes Land Preservation by Peggy Berger
services. An encouraging response led to the formation of the Arboretum Committee. Mary Anne, a landscape designer by trade, found the wooded natural setting an essential part of her George School experience, and points out, “We can’t take for granted that the trees we have now will always be here. The Arboretum Committee recognizes that our woodlands and other campus areas have to be managed to prevent invasive plants from replacing native vegetation, to restore overgrazed pastures, to replace seedlings devoured by deer, and to renew our aging woodlands.” Recapturing storm water runoff to replenish ground water is another conVince Campellone, head of grounds at George School and his crew of four cern of the committee. “Water problems workers are responsible for maintaining the portion of the 265-acre campus are occasioned in part because of the traveled by students, faculty and visitors. rapid urbanization. All those impervious surfaces—roads, parking lots, ordered by highways and commercial and houses, and driveways—prevent storm water from soakresidential development, George School’s ing into the ground. Water runs right across the George 265-acre campus remains a haven for trees School campus down to the Newtown and Neshaminy and plush greenery in an area of rapid development. Creeks, taking topsoil with it,” Mary Anne noted. Maintaining and preserving the campus’ picturesque Tom Cahill, an environmental consultant, did an woodlands and natural setting is the mission of the assessment of storm water management on campus. school’s year-old Arboretum Committee. Tom stressed that practices of the recent past are no “George School is now a green oasis in a rapidly longer effective. “Instead of channeling the runoff into urbanizing area, an oasis threatened by the old age of the creek, we should look at ways to slow down the our trees, deer overpopulation and storm water runoff runoff and recharge the ground water. Detention basins from surrounding landscapes,” notes committee chair are dinosaurs.” Mary Anne agrees, “We need to capture Mary Anne Knight Hunter ’54. water on site.” The 13-member committee held its first meeting in Detention basins provide temporary storage of March 2003. storm water as a means of controlling the flow of The committee was born out of the need to preserve discharged water. and improve the campus woodlands, fields and formal Cahill suggests than an early priority is to create the landscaped areas for future generations. The issue was berms, in an area of rapid runoff in the woods below addressed in the campus master plan. Head of School Westwood, the freshman girls’ dorm. Other proposed Nancy Starmer and Director of Development Anne Culp ways to recapture storm water include: developing Storch ’67 approached a group of concerned alumni, several rain gardens, which are areas set near buildings parents and friends to ask them for their expertise and to channel water from downspouts and gutters, and
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Wilderness Experiences Inspire Urban Design… cont’d from page 1 has necessarily expanded to include broader issues generated by the changing Bucks County environment. “It’s no longer just about trees and I think that is wonderful!” Ernest explained, “It is about the whole environment, about storm water management, pollution, runoff, paving, traffic, and all the human activities that are affecting the campus.”
“Thinking now about George School, I would say the most helpful thing I took from my years there is my philosophy of giving back to my community within the context of my professional life and personal life.”
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Annual Fund We invite you to join alumni, parents and friends who give each year to the Annual Fund. Your gifts make an enormous difference in the lives of our students by supporting financial aid programs, academic life and extracurricular activities.
Please make a gift to the George School Annual Fund today.
Quest for Social Improvement Drives Entrepreneur… cont’d from page 2 In his role as interim chief operating officer for young companies, David works for as many as six to 18 months with investors, owners and staff to develop operating systems, address organizational issues and locate senior talent for specific needs. He starts inside an organization, working with owners, employees and shareholders to consider different alternatives, and engages the primary players involved in the business to turn the business in a positive direction.
underground storage to replace the detention basin at the Sports Center, locating all the building downspouts and redirecting their output to areas needing more water, and possibly developing a green roof containing specialized plant vegetation that would absorb rain water and result in less runoff for Hallowell. Landscaping will be part of all these strategies. Other concerns to be addressed by the committee include proposing a vision statement for the Arboretum Committee to the George School community, creating an inventory of and identification system for existing trees, preparing a landscape plan for renewal and maintenance, and developing a policy for planting memorial trees. The committee is seeking assistance with and additional support for the development of a new campus landscape plan. Committee members Steve Willard and Fred Veith are attempting to decipher the legend used by former faculty Steve Fletcher ’55 in preparing an earlier master plan. “Recognizing what a precious resource the campus is, we have a responsibility to our students and to our neighbors to take good care of it, by practicing good environmental stewardship,” Mary Anne stated.
“My belief is that change, progress and success have little chance of being sustained unless the core values and the people of the company are aligned,” said David. “My most rewarding experience is to be involved in a turn-around situation with a company in trouble, and—at the end of the day, the company becomes very successful.”
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2003-2004 Annual Fund Goal:
$985,000
Total as of March 11, 2004:
$663,4000 Our Annual Fund campaign runs August 1 through July 31.
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Outdoors as a lifestyle
Botanical Bookseller Sows Seeds of Knowledge by Ann Langtry
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am in love with citrus,” proclaimed Virginia Twining Gardner, ‘54, a botanical bookseller in Santa Barbara, CA, and recent recipient of the “Horticulturalist of the Year” award from the Southern California Horticultural Society. Describing the garden view outside her kitchen window in February, she said, “I see lemon and orange trees, bamboo, native California flowering white clematis, and a bird feeder.” Her pergola, adorned with white wisteria and California grapes, caught her eye and her imagination. “I want to add hanging citrus to that, just like the arbor at Lotusland.” Nearby Lotusland is just one of several exotic public gardens at which Virginia serves as a docent. Another is the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, where she is also a member of the board of directors. Filling out her 30 years of docent service is the time she spent at the South Coast Botanical Garden, home to a variety of exotic plants on California’s Palos Verdes Peninsula. Prior to earning her B.A. in botany with an art minor at Smith College, Virginia was inspired to learn about the outdoors from the time she was a very young girl. “My grandmother, a retired one-room schoolhouse teacher, maintained a beautiful 18-acre rock garden with natural springs, streams and ponds in Paoli, PA,” she said. “She taught me the names of all the plants and flowers.” While at George School, and later at Smith, Virginia was able to develop her love of plants and horticulture through a variety of educational opportunities. Virginia contributed the founding grant to launch the GS Arboretum Committee, now an active group in the process of developing a master landscape plan for the entire campus. “The Arboretum Committee was established to oversee
Don Matsumoto
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Virginia Twining Gardner ’54 was named “Horticulturalist of the Year” by the Southern California Horticulture Society in September, 2003. Pictured here at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, Virginia holds the engraved silver watering can and a work of Japanese art presented to her during the award ceremony.
preservation and conservation of the grounds, which contain woods that are over 100 years old. We hope to designate the entire campus as an arboretum someday.” Virginia lends her support to botanical education in other ways, too. She recently contributed a small inheritance to help launch a new landscape design program at Smith. She remembers spending many hours in the Smith greenhouse, where she was motivated as a student of plants by a “wonderful Scottish horticulture teacher named William I.P.C. Campbell. He had previously overseen the formal gardens at Rockefeller Center in New York City.” She chose “Spring Flowering Trees of New England” as the topic for her senior research paper. Later, Virginia furthered her education by attending graduate school at the University of Southern California, where she obtained an M.S. in Library Science with an emphasis on horticultural and botanical books. Her love of books and all things botanical led her to a part-time career selling volumes on gardening and related topics at a variety of venues throughout California. Today, she continues the bookselling business on the Internet and is known in the field for her extensive collection. Primary customers of her company, VLT Gardner Botanical and Horticultural Books, include landscape architects, horticulturalists, gardeners, and collectors. Virginia’s husband Ted (Theodore Roosevelt Gardner II) is a successful businessman, sculptor, musician, and author of two books on botanical gardens as well as 30 works of fiction. They have three daughters and eight grandchildren. Currently, Virginia helps care for her daughter’s twin babies every day. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, reading, and—of course—working in her garden.
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A Family Committed to Conservation by Ron George
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or most of his 81 years, Malcolm Crooks ’40 has had the privilege of working in the great outdoors. As a child, he grew up and worked on Tuckamony Farm, his family-owned Christmas tree farm in Solebury, PA, just north of Peddler’s Village. After graduating from Guilford College in North Carolina with a degree in biology and receiving a master’s in wildlife management from Iowa State University in 1946, Malcolm’s love of the land took him Malcolm Crooks ’40 has dedicated much of his across the country, working and conlife’s work and his family’s land to conservation. sulting with various land conservation and soil management entities. His vacations have taken him to places like Hawaii and on an African Safari. But wherever his personal or professional odysseys led him, his heart was never far from Tuckamony Farm. “I love the land. I love everything about it,” said Malcolm, who was honored by Solebury Township with Malcolm Crooks Day, May 17, for his tireless work and commitment to conservation. “I love the birds, the trees, the stream, and the change of seasons. My heart is here on Tuckamony Farm. I wouldn’t live anywhere else,” said Malcolm of the land his family has owned since 1925. “I’m part of the community.” Just how much a part of the community is evident in the fact that years ago the Crooks family deeded the 17-acre farm to the Heritage Conservancy in an effort
to preserve lands in the Honey Hollow Watershed for educational purposes. The Honey Hollow Watershed is designated as a national historic landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior. “People used to tell me I was a bit idealistic,” said Malcolm. “But donating the land as a gift was satisfying. I’m encouraged about the future. I think it helped stimulate conservation in this area. I think that’s pretty neat.” “The farm will never be developed and won’t be polluted. It will be used for environmental education,” continued Malcolm. “What better use can a farm have than to teach?” It was on the farm where Malcolm’s children and grandchildren—particularly his grandson Lars Crooks ’94—also learned the tree farm business along with an appreciation of nature. Lars, a chef by trade, is slowly taking over the reigns of the business. The business is year-round, consisting of planting, fertilizing, cutting stumps, weeding, and monitoring the trees for insects. About 12 of the 17 acres are used for farming. There are upwards of 1,700 plantings per acre. Tuckamony produces a variety of trees such as Douglas, Concolor and Fraser firs, blue spruce, and pines. “Our family roots are on this farm,” said Malcolm who took over the business in 1953. “My children and almost all of my grandchildren have had the opportunity at some point to work here. The work is hard but it’s fun.” “Sometimes the weather is lousy but that’s one of the challenges. I try to keep an active body and mind. You’ve heard of a growth spurt. I’m experiencing what I call a ‘health spurt,’” said Malcolm, who has survived a bout with cancer and a heart bypass operation. He remains an active member of the Bucks County Conservancy. Conservation is a cooperative effort between landowners,” remarked Malcolm. “There is still a need to protect the land from highways, power lines and development.”
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Educators for social change
A Community-Friendly Environment by Rebecca J. Wilkinson
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inding the right balance between the needs of the community and protecting the environment is as much a part of Pieter Karreman-Straub Bohen’s ’84 life today as was reaching a consensus during a SAGE meeting while a student at George School. SAGE is a student-run organization of peer counselors. As lands stewardship director of Cascade Land Conservancy in Seattle, WA, he is grateful for the skills he developed in those meetings as he balances the community’s varied opinions against environmental restoration and practical aspects of business, such as budgets and time deadlines. “The interdisciplinary profession of environmental restoration represents a new way to view ‘Nature’ not as an entity which must be protected from human influence (preservation) nor as man’s dominion to be managed wisely (conservation), but instead as managing human, animal and plant communities holistically as integral parts of the same community.” Following this philosophy, nearly 18,000 acres of land across three Washington state counties have been protected from urban sprawl development, and plans for 600,000 more acres are on the horizon. Pieter joined Cascade Land Conservancy in 2003. The move offered him a chance to work towards land conservation and preservation on a regional scale, and to incorporate the relatively new profession and skills of environmental restoration into the larger, more established, land conservancy movement. Cascade Land Conservancy works to conserve a range of lands including working timber forests, urban brownfield sites and pristine wildlife habitats. A brownfield is property that has been abandoned or underutilized because of either real or perceived contamination. Working with Cascade is the latest step in a career that began with Pieter working as a wildlife biologist. Pieter began to seek a position with an agency that had a stronger connection with the community it serves. “Over some time I realized that the Quaker emphasis on community that I received from Merion Friends Meeting, Farm and Wilderness Camps and George School was not an option, but was necessary for me to find happiness and balance between my career and family life,” he said.
Pieter Karremen-Straub Bohen ’84, pictured alongside a volunteer, works to restore a waterway. As land stewardship director for Cascade Land Conservancy, Pieter works to protect land in Washington State from urban sprawl.
Pieter joined EarthCorps in March of 1995. At the time, EarthCorps was a seasonal pilot program training young adults in the art of environmental restoration. Currently, the organization is “an 85 person nonprofit powerhouse, performing over $4 million in annual habitat restoration projects, training over 60 youth and managing 10,000 community volunteers every year.” Pieter worked to establish core values and processes in the development of EarthCorps as an international non profit. Pieter draws parallels between his EarthCorps and George School experiences. He noted, “At EarthCorps, as with George School, all elements of the external and internal community involve both the rigor of daily performance and the opportunity for community reflection, education and celebration.”
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The Outdoor Entrepreneur by Kimberly Robbins
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he wilderness and all its splendors have cast a spell on David Lasky ’89. With no hopes of shaking it off, this outdoor adventurer has found a way to make a career from his passion for navigating rivers, conquering mountains and exploring unknown terrain. David knows first hand how the transformative powers of the outdoors can have a positive impact on your life. Growing up outside a large metropolitan area, David immediately fell in love with George School’s large wooded campus. There, a teacher introduced David to kayaking, backpacking and rafting. He soon found that there was something very real about his experiences with the outdoors. “I learned a cause and effect for actions after getting involved in outdoor activities. The other places of my life felt very arbitrary compared to the time I spent outdoors,” said David. After graduating from George School, David worked in construction and waited tables to save up enough money to travel through the wilderness of the western United States before returning to Pennsylvania to study English literature at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster. It wasn’t long before he realized that his life felt a little hollow and that he needed to find a way to make a difference while still following his passion. In 1999, he began planning his next move—launching the Institute for Creative Education, an organization that would make outdoor education more accessible.
Based on the idea that the college market was under served, David approached nearby colleges with the benefits that come from outdoor education programs and his ability to serve as an experienced consultant to lead the programs. In addition, David illustrated how outdoor education teaches leadership and self-reliance, prevents obesity, increases fitness levels, enhances spirituality, and improves emotional states. “Few people can say that the combination of physical exertion and the beauty of the outdoors doesn’t have a positive impact on them,” explains David. In 1999, he launched Outdoor Campus Engineers at several liberal arts colleges and Students for Students, an improvisational drama to address social issues. Outdoor Campus Engineers teaches students how to choose a campsite correctly, how to make root decisions because of lightning and where to place food in the backcountry to avoid losing it to animals. Students for Students tackles campus challenges like decreasing binge-drinking rates. In 2002, David further solidified his position as an outdoor education entrepreneur when he purchased The Outdoor Network, an organization that supports small businesses by providing outdoor resources and information. Shortly after the purchase, David asked two George School alumni to join him in promoting the positive effects of outdoor education. In 2002, Chris Rivinus ’88 joined the staff as its chief financial officer. That same year, Ethan Decker ’89 came on board as editor-in chief.
“Few people can say that the combination of physical exertion and the beauty of the outdoors doesn’t have a positive impact on them.”
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eFacts Below are some of the comments submitted by the alumni who took the outdoor eQuiz.
Bill Scheffer ’53 We live in such a beautiful country, filled with marvelous trees, plants and animals. So I encourage everyone to get out and explore what is in your neighborhood.
Patricia Wilson Deveneau ’67 One of my favorite outdoor activities is photography-—a skill I learned at GS.
Bruce Nayowith ’73 I built a canoe at GS and used to take it on the pond and the Neshaminy.
Chris Rohner ’84 Nothing beats hanging out outside and playing music. I spend as much time as possible working outside on a two-story, 125-square-foot tree house.
Robin Lyn Pendleton ’99 There is no better place to be than outdoors, whether it’s sunny, rainy, snowy, or even below freezing. There is something about the outdoors that makes me so relaxed.
Thomas Eli Cadwallader ’59 My life’s work has been devoted to environmental enhancement dealing with water, land and air quality issues.
Laurel Leigh ’74 It was very hard to choose an absolute favorite. At this point in my life I am very busy and I am usually just happy to get outdoors and relax or enjoy any of the activities I indicated.
Harold Buck ’84 If it weren’t for the George School requirements regarding participating in team sports, I don’t think I ever would have become so interested in athletics and outdoor activities. I wasn’t very athletic as a kid, but—when I was forced to participate and eventually had some success—I really fell in love with it. It was the most important thing. George School did for me.
Class Notes Editor’s Note: For current class correspondent addresses, contact the Advancement Office at advancement@georgeschool.org or 215-579-6564.
1931
Ruth Burton, widow of the late Anthony Burton, passed away on January 22, 2004. Our sympathies to son Craig ’67 and daughter Emily Burton Sippel ’70. Frederick Stabler writes that he is “still knocking along” at 90 years of age. Betsy Bonner Zimmerman ’59 informed us of the passing on January 11, 2004, of her mother Lois Bonner, wife of the late Edwin K. Bonner who passed away in 1993. Lois is also survived by daughter Ruth Ann Bonner Levine ’62, grandchildren Rachael Levine ’89 and Joshua Levine ’93, and sister-in-law Rebecca B. Monego ’32. We extend our sympathies to the entire family.
1932
Eloise Melville Smith turned 90 on November 30, 2003. Her daughter Priscilla hosted an afternoon tea celebration at Newbury Court in Concord, MA.
1933
Correspondent John R. Wells
1934
Class correspondent Richard (Dick) Lindenfelser passed away on September 25, 2003. We extend our sympathy to his family.
1935
Correspondent John W. Alexander Rebecca Gatchell McIlvain’s driving is limited to Chester County, PA. She keeps most of her activities within the West Chester area. She notes with sadness the decrease in living class members and encourages everyone to keep in touch through class notes. Thomas Sharples still does some consulting. Otherwise, he is busy with his machine shop, playing with computers and haunting eBay while looking for more “stuff” such as antique microscopes. Thomas also belongs to two model engineering groups.
1936
Ruth Thomforde Seegers writes that she is “still kicking at 84 1⁄2 years” of age.
1937
Correspondent Gene Stover Chambers Rachael Bertholf Burchard’s book, The Missing Friend: Teens with a Parent in Prison, was published in 2002. Virginia Phillips Kemp’s California home, located within sight of the ocean, was spared from the terrible fires in east San Diego County. Ellen Smedley Lyon is living happily at Barclay Friends in West Chester, PA. Her mechanical wheelchair enables her to travel all around the grounds. The community offers raised flowerbeds to give residents a chance to exercise their gardening skills. Jane Whipple Shaw and her husband cruised on the Zuiderdam to St. Maartin, St. Thomas and Nassau to celebrate their 56th wedding anniversary. Jane continues to volunteer at the county nursing home. Robert Wilson is still healthy and active.
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1938
Amelie Anderson Sloan continues to teach pottery classes at the Academy of Lifelong Learning at the University of Delaware in Lewes, DE. She feels proud that her students are beginning to branch out on their own. Her sister Rose Anderson Akerman ’40 lives close by. Junius Eddy’s wife Louise passed away on July 13, 2003. Junius notes that she always enjoyed attending the Class of ’38’s reunions at George School.
1939
Correspondent Herbert Fraser Morten Beyer and his wife Kittie are doing well. Morten still goes to the office every day and constantly copes with airline security. He writes, “By now I have lost three nail clippers, all confiscated by TSA [Transportation Security Administration], and had my shoes removed 100 times as [the TSA seeks] bombs or knives hidden therein.” Rufus Blanshard and his wife Jane moved across town into a condo in May of 2003. The new place has woods on three sides complete with deer, foxes, turkeys, and no shoveling. He is still playing tennis and violin, participates in a book discussion group, serves Meals on Wheels, and tutors in a local prison. Margaret Smith Dolan attended a family reunion in the Catskill Mountains in New York last August. Family came from Alaska, California, Ohio, Alabama, South Carolina, and Pennsylvania. It was a happy occasion in which eight great-grandchildren and 7 out of 10 grandchildren visited with their families. Herbert Fraser’s main occupation this year has been to study the world income and environmental effects of globalization. Asked to critique an American Friends Service Committee working paper on globalization, Herb found that it was fine on values but shoddy on facts and analysis. His wife Mandy had a toe removed in November; Herb writes, “When she was housebound I gained a new appreciation for the work women do for their families.” Micky Michener can hardly control his joy at being relieved of his role as class correspondent. He sends greetings to all his classmates and urges everyone to come to the 65th reunion. Esther Miller Morris and husband Mark have left California and moved to Hanover, NH. The health center at Kendal provides support for Mark’s Alzheimer’s. They were delighted to discover Barbara Clough (ffac) was one of their neighbors along with Harry Phipps ’33. Jane Blair Morton lives in a condo in Santa Monica, CA. Her husband died 16 years ago leaving her more time than needed for duplicate bridge and walking the dog. Lucile Raymond Silvester’s five children and eight grandchildren have skated on her three-acre pond and skied on the remaining eight acres this winter. Her husband of 61 years died in 2001. Don Sutton has retired from deaning at Roanoke College. He rides his Morgan three times a week, works out in the local gym, and, weather permitting, fly fishes. During years when the water in the local streams is not up to his ankles, he seeks out streams in West Virginia. He has had to part with Camp Wallawhatoola, run by his family for many years. Phil Thomforde’s family, twenty-three strong, gathered for the Christmas season at his home in Tennessee. One of Phil’s grandsons has been admitted to Swarthmore College while another is having a wonderful time at George School. David Way has moved into Cedar Crest Village, an Erickson community in Pompton Plains, NJ. He has been a member of the Pequannock Township Board of Adjustment for 24 years and has been reelected to a three-year term on the Cedar Crest Residents Association Advisory Council. Elizabeth Tapley Worth continues to spend the winter months in Vero Beach, FL. When spring appears, she travels north to work in her vegetable garden.
NOTE: Pages removed from this document to protect the privacy of GS alumni. Alumni may login to the alumni community at http://alumni.georgeschool.org to view the full version of this issue.
eQuiz highlights
The Great Outdoors The winter survey focused on the outdoor interests of the responding alumni. We received a great response to this survey. Thank you to the 511 alumni who participated! The following is a sampling of the responses. For complete results of the survey, visit the George School website at www.georgeschool.org and select “Alumni eQuiz” from the site index.
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Know Before You Go
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Sixty-four percent of respondents said they plan their vacations around outdoor activities.
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9.5%
An overwhelming number of respondents — 98 percent — said they enjoyed spending time outdoors. Seventy-two percent listed swimming as an activity they like to do outdoors, while sixty-one percent listed hiking.
GS
8.3%
GS
The Great Outdoors
GS
Let It Snow
21%
Twenty-one percent of respondents listed downhill skiing as their favorite outdoor activity. Sledding came in second with 9.5 percent, followed by ice skating, which was listed by 8.3 percent of respondents.
Favorites Places
Thirty-six percent of respondents said South Lawn was their favorite place at George School to enjoy the outdoors. Twenty-three percent enjoyed the outdoors hanging out in the woods on campus.
Sunshine On My Shoulder
While at George School, about 52 percent of respondents said they baked in the sunrays on South Lawn.
Georgian
Volume 76 • Number 1 • April 2004 In This Issue Wilderness Experiences Inspire Urban Design............................................................. 1 Family Traditions and Quaker Values Merge in Law Career................................. 2 Social Improvement Drives Entrepreneur......... 2 Campus Library ........................................................... 3 The McFeely Name Has Special Meaning......... 3 Queries from a High School Librarian................ 3 Arboretum Committee Eyes Preservation ......... 4 Botanical Bookseller ................................................. 5 A Family Committed to Conservation................. 5 A Community-Friendly Environment.................. 6 The Outdoor Entrepreneur..................................... 6 Class Notes .................................................................... 7 Obituaries .................................................................... 15 eQuiz Highlights ....................................................... 16
Ron George, Editor Georgian@georgeschool.org 215-579-6568 Georgian Staff Peggy Berger Bonnie Bodenheimer Odie LeFever Alice Maxfield Rebecca Wilkinson
© 2004 George School Design: Turnaround Marketing Communications
Advancement Office George School Box 4438 Newtown PA 18940-0908 www.georgeschool.org
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