Georgian A Publication of George School, Newtown, Pennsylvania Volume 78 • Number 1 • April 2006
Moving Forward
A new George School library is sited to be built close to academic buildings and the meetinghouse. The image above shows the expansive glass windows on the west side of the new library which will provide passersby with an inviting view into the vital learning commons. (Section begins on page 17.)
INSIDE THIS GEORGIAN ALUMNI TO BE HONORED
PERSPECTIVES
Two alumni, both whose careers began in alumni awards.
Alumni, faculty, students, and friends share their thoughts on maintaining one’s cultural identity in a diverse community.
Profiles on page 14 and 15.
Section begins on page 3.
engineering, and both active volunteers, receive
In This Issue
Volume 78 • Number 1 • April 2006
Perspectives..................................... ...................................................................................3 Maintaining One’s Cultural Identity in a Diverse Community.................................................................. 3 Family Maintains Its Nigerian Heritage at George School.......................................................................... 4 Jewish Alumnus Contemplates Rosh Hashanah in Quaker Meeting for Worship............................. 5 Muslim Teacher Strives to Balance Work and Faith..................................................................................... 6 Students Explore Cultural Identity................... .................................................................................................. 7 Alumni Share Perspectives on Diversity......... ................................................................................................. 9 George School Diversity Timeline................... .................................................................................................. 9
A Tribute to “Uncle Jack”............ ................................................................................ 13 Alumni Profiles................................ ................................................................................ 14 The Aviation Industry Was Astir and He Was Intrigued............................................................................ 14 One-Time Nuclear Physicist Prefers People.. ............................................................................................... 15 Inventor Turns Attention to Social Problems................................................................................................ 16
A New George School Library Takes Shape......................................................... 17 Stettenheim Family Gift Auctioned by Sotheby’s................................................ 20 Campus News & Notes................ ................................................................................ 21 Class Notes....................................... ................................................................................ 25 In Memoriam................................... ................................................................................ 44
Stay Connected Submit a class note.
1. Fill out the online form available at: http://www.georgeschool.org/explore.asp?content=160 2. Or send it by email to: georgian@georgeschool.org 3. Or send it by postal mail to: Georgian, PO Box 4438, Newtown PA 18940-0908
Update your contact information.
1. Fill out the online form available at: http://www.georgeschool.org/explore.asp?content=157 2. Or modify your profile in the online community 3. Or contact the Advancement Office: - By phone at 215-579-6564 - Or by email at advancement@georgeschool.org - Or by postal mail at PO Box 4438, Newtown PA 18940-0908
Contact other alumni.
For contact information for class correspondents or other alumni: 1. Visit the online community at: http://alumni.georgeschool.org 2. Or contact the Advancement Office: - By phone at 215-579-6564 - Or by email at advancement@georgeschool.org - Or by postal mail at PO Box 4438, Newtown PA 18940-0908
Visit the online community.
http://alumni.georgeschool.org See class homepages, update personal profiles, contact friends, check the event calendar, see photos, and more.
Visit the George School website. http://www.georgeschool.org
Perspectives:
Maintaining One’s Cultural Identity in a Diverse Community
T
his issue’s “Perspectives” topic is one
that has interested me for many years. The question of whether it is possible to maintain a sense of commonality in an increasingly diverse society has particular urgency for me as an educator. I want our students to understand and respect those who are different from themselves and to be able to navigate an increasingly complex cultural landscape, but I also want them to have the benefit of the grounding that comes from membership in a strong and close community. One of the things that drew me to George School six years ago was a sense that here was a school that had found a way to do both of these things. I believe that you will find in these articles confirmation that the traditional values and practices that have distinguished the George School community over the past century have only been strengthened and confirmed as the school population has become more varied. The belief that there is that of God in each person; the values of community, equality, and peace; the practice Head of School Nancy Starmer of gathering together regularly in worship; a strong belief in both personal responsibility and obligation to others; these continue to be the ties that connect members of our community of all religions, races, and ethnicities. I believe that when you read their perspectives you will share my strong belief that these differences are a source of strength for us here at George School and a source of hope for our world.
Ellis and Abeni Ogundadegbe, who have sent all four of their children to George School, describe the relationship between George School’s environment and their family’s Nigerian heritage........ Page 4
-Nancy Starmer
Matt Check ’00 reflects on the role a George School education played in the development of his Jewish faith and identity.................................. Page 5
George School math teacher Dorothy Lopez shares challenges and turning points she has experienced as a Muslim living in a Quaker community.................................... Page 6
Current students highlight campus organizations that have helped them to explore cultural identity......................... Page 7 Alumni eQuiz responses reveal an array of perspectives on diversity at George School and beyond.......................... Page 9
“Perspectives” section coedited by Juliana Rosati & Bonnie Bodenheimer
G e o r g e S chool, April 2006
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Perspectives
Family Maintains Its Nigerian Heritage at George School By April Lisante and Juliana Rosati
E
llis and Abeni Ogundadegbe weren’t
sure what to expect when the first of their four children arrived at George School in 1996. Their daughter Olubunmi ’00, an Americanborn Nigerian raised as a Methodist, had no understanding of Quakerism. In addition, she would be part of a minority at George School as a student of color, and being away from home for the first time would mean a dramatic cultural adjustment for her, in everything from dining room meals to newfound social freedom. As parents who emigrated from Nigeria in the late 1970s specifically for the freedom to pursue college educations, Abeni and Ellis believed the rigorous academics of a private school would open doors of opportunity for Olubunmi and their three other children, daughter Ololade ’02, and sons Olufemi ’06 and Alexander ’09. After looking at several private schools, Abeni and Ellis were attracted to George School because they believed it was a place that would truly prepare their children to work in a professional environment. Parents Abeni and Ellis Ogundadegbe (pictured above from left to right in the front row) “We have been in the corporate world and we have their family’s third George School graduation on the horizon. Pictured from left to know that our children need to learn to be around right in the back row are their four children: Olufemi ‘06, Ololade ‘02, Olubunmi ‘00, all different races,” Ellis says. Abeni and he, who and Alexander ‘09. currently work as accountants in Maryland (she at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and he Once Olubunmi had a chance to grow accustomed to at NASA), chose George School because they wanted their George School, Abeni and Ellis felt confident that she and their children to be exposed to races different from their own in a other children could maintain their culture on campus, and community that teaches tolerance and honesty. today they have no doubts that this assessment was correct. At the same time, they wanted their children to be able to They were happy to find that Quaker meeting for worship maintain their African heritage and cultural identity. In Nigeria, allowed their children the opportunity both to engage with it is implicitly understood that children give parents and elders their Methodist faith and to learn about another religion. Ellis the utmost respect. Abeni and Ellis hoped that George School says, “We were pleased with Quaker meeting for worship. would help their children adhere to We always encourage our children important family rules. “We set the to experience other religions.” Abeni dating age,” says Abeni. “We told our explains, “We would ask the children, children, ‘you are not allowed to date ‘what do you do at services?’ They when you are in high school.’ And we would tell us they were able to sit and told them we didn’t want them to leave meditate. The school never interfered the school without our permission.” with their religion. When they came She and Ellis also hoped that their home, they would go to church.” children could uphold their Methodist When it comes to family rules, faith at George School. “My worry was, Abeni and Ellis have appreciated how would the children maintain who they responsive George School has been are, where they come from,” explains to them as parents, and they have Abeni. found George School’s environment The first real test came just hours consistent with the values of respect after Olubunmi arrived to board at the and responsibility they have taught school, which was forty miles from their children. Abeni reports, “We the Ogundadegbes’ then-New Jersey do not have any concern. We have always kept in touch with home. “She called home that night and said, ‘I don’t like the their advisors, dorm staff, and faculty members if we have any food,’” Abeni recalls. Abeni cooked one of her daughter’s questions. And they have been very cooperative in updating us favorite Nigerian dishes and brought it to her. To Abeni’s relief, about our children.” Moreover, the parents have been proud of Olubunmi’s hall teacher made Abeni feel welcome to bring Continued on page 24 food again if her daughter requested it.
“My worry was would the children maintain who they are, where they come from?”
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Perspectives
Why do we do this? Jewish Alumnus Contemplates Rosh Hashanah in Quaker Meeting for Worship By Matt Check ’00
M
any people around me these days
are intrigued by the fact that I went to George School. After college and a year of volunteering in Israel, I have come home to teach Hebrew language and Israeli history at the same Jewish middle school that I attended until eighth grade. People wonder how a Quaker education fits so seamlessly into such a Jewish résumé. Through my work as a teacher and my relationships with some of my Jewish friends’ families, I have come to realize that many parents have the anxiety that their children will become disinterested in preserving tradition if not brought up in an environment that inspires continuity. Especially in a diverse community like GS that has a reputation for accepting all persuasions of religion and culture, I can understand why parents who are committed to heritage and identity might be skeptical at a first glance. I don’t think that this was ever a real issue in our house. We were always proud of and committed to our religion. And at George School I felt comfortable when faced with Matt Check ’00 (pictured above) returned to the George School campus in September issues and topics that brought my faith and my 2005 to present an assembly about the year he spent in Israel. He detailed his identity into the public sphere. experiences volunteering for OTZMA, a ten-month leadership development program A Quaker education helped to strengthen a through which young Jewish adults engage in service projects. deep love for my own heritage and religion. During my years at George School I gradually learned to worship. She talked about the symbolism behind the Rosh evaluate the importance of Judaism in my life with Hashanah ritual of eating apples dipped in honey. In front of a healthy dose of objectivity that is woven into the school’s everyone, she lit two candles and recited the blessings that curriculum. It was the school’s philosophy that taught me how we say for welcoming in the New Year. I am sure that this was to think for myself. I came to evaluate a variety of elements in one of the first moments in my life that I experienced a Jewish my identity within the larger context of life at the school. custom with people who weren’t Jewish. For this reason, the I learned my first such lesson in my first month at Rosh Hashanah of that year took on a particularly interesting school, the day before the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah. meaning for me when we recited our blessings at home and at Jackie Coren—the faculty sponsor of Havurah, a George synagogue. School student organization that promotes community Jews often ask themselves rhetorically around the awareness of Jewish culture—spoke in meeting for holidays, “Why do we do this?” and, “What is the significance of that?” We always have answers to these questions of course. After all, there is always a reason for tradition. But at George School the same questions were more challenging in an environment where people from all backgrounds were curious to learn about each other. We all had something unique to contribute to the community. This was a given. So for me the question was never, “What is important to you,” but, “Why is it important to you?” When it comes to faith and heritage, I always knew what was important to me. It was George School that helped me understand it in a coherent manner.
...this was one of the first moments in my life that I experienced a Jewish custom with people who weren’t Jewish.
G e o r g e S chool, April 2006
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Perspectives
Muslim Teacher Strives to Balance Work and Faith
W
hen Dorothy Lopez came to
George School to interview for a part-time teaching position in the math department for the 2004-2005 academic year, she was in search of a job opportunity that would allow her to serve as a mentor to young people. A graduate of Spelman College, a historically black women’s college in Atlanta, Georgia, Dorothy had put her dual degree in math and industrial engineering to use at IBM, working as a sales executive for a number of years. “I had this urge to be more of a role model to young people,” Dorothy says, “and I don’t feel like I was able to do that working in corporate.” Dorothy sought a new career in which various aspects of her life could be relevant to her work. As a sales executive, she had found that her identities as a wife, a mother, and a Muslim essentially had no place in her work world, and her obligations to the different spheres of her life often conflicted. “I think that it was very hard for me to be myself, and I think also to be accepted George School math teacher Dorothy Lopez lives on campus with her family. Pictured for who I was. I felt like I was constantly putting on above from left to right are Dorothy with daughter Lamia, age 3, on her lap; husband different hats,” Dorothy says. In contrast, at George Wali Abdul-Salaam with daughter Nadya, age 4, asleep on his lap; daughter Layla, School Dorothy has found that she can embrace age 8; dog Eva; and daughter Naja, age 6. her various identities simultaneously. “Your students and colleagues see you as wearing those observed that her identities as a wife and a mother can have hats all the time,” she says. “The minute I stepped on campus, I a place in her mentoring relationships with students. When knew that I could be myself.” By the time George School hired students have the opportunity to see their teachers in contexts her as a full-time teacher for the 2005-2006 academic year, other than the classroom, Dorothy believes, they become she and her husband, Wali Abdul-Salaam, felt ready to make more likely to seek their teachers’ advice on problems in their George School their family’s home. Wali, who is also a Muslim, lives. “I think having them see me as a obtained a position as a George mom and a wife helps,” she says. School dormitory teacher. He and However, while Dorothy felt Dorothy, along with their four young certain from the beginning that daughters, moved into an apartment in she could be herself at George the boys’ dormitory where Wali would School, conflicting workplace and supervise a hall. religious obligations did not entirely Just as Dorothy hoped, working disappear with the advent of her new at George School has brought plenty career. Figuring out how to strike an of mentoring opportunities her appropriate balance has not been a way. When she’s not teaching math simple process. This year she found lessons, she finds herself fielding that fasting for Ramadan, a holy month questions from students on a variety in the Islamic calendar, while meeting of topics. “I’m constantly talking to the demands of a full-time teaching students about life,” she says, “my schedule could sometimes be a lonely career choices, my school experience, experience at a school where there relationships—that’s a big one,” she are only a few Muslims. “I honestly adds with a laugh. “I just feel like wish there were more Muslims in the sometimes I’m the sounding board for community to share our experience,” a lot of students. Even before I became Dorothy admits. Support from the a mother, I always had this mom-like Muslim community she belongs to quality, and I think students gravitate off-campus has helped her to face to that,” she explains. Moreover, such challenges. now that she lives on campus with Continued on page 24 her husband and daughters, she has
...while Dorothy felt certain from the beginning that she could be herself at George School, conflicting workplace and religious obligations did not entirely disappear...
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Photo: Mark Wiley
By Juliana Rosati
Perspectives
Students Explore Cultural Identity
Photos: Bonnie Bodenheimer
A questionnaire distributed to the entire George School student body in February asked students to identify and describe campus organizations that have helped them to learn about their own or other cultures. The following profiles were drawn from the responses. Currently George School students influence the quality of campus life through more than thirty organizations, activities, and committees with a range of purposes. Students are encouraged to start their own interest groups and to get involved with existing groups. (See page 8 for a list of groups not featured here.)
Ama Boateng ‘06 UMOJA UMOJA educates the George School community about the culture, heritage, and present day ethnicity of the descendants of Africa. These descendants also include those from the continent of Africa, the Caribbean, and the Latin American diaspora. Ama (a senior from Parlin, New Jersey) says, “I’ve been a member of UMOJA since my freshman year at GS. Now I’m one of the UMOJA leaders. The group promotes cultural, racial, and ethnic unity among the diverse group of people at GS. UMOJA allows me not only to maintain my cultural identity, but also to learn about the cultures of others.” Ama adds, “During third term, UMOJA has its annual weekend. One of the events that I’ve participated in multiple times is A Night of Nations. It is an event where people in the GS community cook or buy food that reflects their culture. Other people in the community get to eat food from other cultures different from their own. It’s just fascinating how people can learn so much from each other through something such as food!”
Devon Hodge ‘06 Model United Nations
Sylvia Lee ‘07 Pacific Rim Organization
Model United Nations (MUN) is open to students interested in the United Nations (UN) and the global community. MUN members attend simulated UN conferences at universities where research, debate, and speaking skills are used. Devon (a senior from Titusville, New Jersey) is the president of MUN. She says, “We attended an international Model UN conference in Boston, Massachusetts. Each student researched, represented, and debated a foreign country. In addition to learning intimate details about the cultures of their own country, every student leaves the conference with invaluable knowledge about every other nation that was represented in their committee. After four years of participating in these Model UN conferences, I believe I have a much better sense of other cultures as well as my own.”
Pacific Rim Organization (PRO) is a group of George School students who meet to discuss the interaction of people living on continents on either side of the Pacific Ocean. Sylvia (a junior from Bundang, Korea) is a member of PRO. She says, “PRO has meetings every two weeks and we have a PRO weekend every year.” Sylvia notes, “During the PRO weekend we cook our own cultural food and the students from other cultures cook their cultural food. Not only do we cook food, but also we share the cultures together, for instance, by showing our own countries’ famous movies. Having the opportunity to share food and the cultural things through PRO helps me to learn about not only my own culture but also other people’s cultures.”
G e o r g e S chool, April 2006
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Perspectives Photos: Bonnie Bodenheimer
Other George School Community Organizations and Activities
Jacob Nelson ’07 South Asian Student Society Junior State of America The purpose of SAMOSA (South Asian Student Society) is to make the community more aware of the cultures of students from South Asia (Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka). Jacob (a junior from Naperville, Illinois) is a member of SAMOSA. He says that being involved with the group “has been a very broadening experience for someone such as myself whose heritage is Midwestern United States and European. Half of the students in SAMOSA are descendants of India or Pakistan or are themselves from India and Pakistan, but the other half are from a plethora of other cultures and backgrounds. That I am a Quaker of European heritage from the suburbs of Chicago doesn’t matter.” Jacob says that he and other SAMOSA members share an interest in Bollywood films and Indian food. He feels that his overall involvement with SAMOSA gives him a better understanding of South Asian culture. Jacob notes, “I also run Junior State of America (JSA), a nonpartisan political group on campus that debates and discusses cultural issues that manifest themselves in politics. We represent an eclectic gathering of students from different cultures who recognize that we can make progress in society when we’re not afraid to challenge one another to question what we believe.”
Meredith Zoltick ’07 Student Action Coalition The Student Action Coalition initiates and facilitates forums for dialogue on multiculturalism. The members hope to increase the George School community’s awareness of multiculturalism. Meredith (a junior from Rockville, Maryland) is a member of the Student Action Coalition. She says, “I went to the People of Color/Student Leadership Conference in Dallas, Texas, in the fall. We got to spend a few days participating in workshops and learning about diversity issues in other schools and how to fix the issues.” Meredith adds, “There are many causes I care about, mainly in the Middle East. My best friend (who was an exchange student at George School last year) is from Ramallah, West Bank. He got me interested in the conflict over there. This summer I went to a camp called Face to Face/Faith to Faith. It brought together students from conflict areas of the world to talk about the issues they were dealing with at home. There were Arab and Israeli students, and students from Northern Ireland, South Africa, and the United States. In two weeks, sixty students tried to come up with ways to fix problems at home. Now during the year we meet with our home group at various times to do community service and achieve our goals.”
• Amnesty International • Argo (community arts magazine) • Catholics on Campus • Ceramics Club • Community Chorus • Cooking Club • Curious George (school newspaper) • Film Club • GOAT (George School Outdoor Adventure Team) • Goldfish in Java (coffeehouse music group) • GSI (George School Investing Club) • Havurah (Jewish culture group) • LASO (Latin American Student Organization) • LOGOS (a Christian interest group) • Open Doors (gay-straight alliance) • PAWS (Pets Are Worth Supporting) • Pennswood Committee • R&B Step Team • ROC (Republicans on Campus) • Squares (chess club) • SADD (Students Against Drunk Driving) • TERRA (environmental group) • Untitled Weekly (humor magazine) • WIN (Women’s Issues Now) • Young Friends (Quaker support group)
Other Selective George School Activities and Committees
• Discipline Committee (DC) • George School Committee (GSC) • Peer Group • Prefects • Student Council • Students Associated for Greater Empathy (SAGE)
Join a New Mentoring Project George School is launching an Alumni Career Mentoring Network at the urging of young alumni. Please join the online network and share your vocation and fields of expertise with fellow graduates through email interaction. In order to participate in the mentoring network, you need to be a registered member of the George School online community located at http://alumni.georgeschool.org. More information is available on the online community in the “Career Mentoring” section.
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Perspectives
Alumni Share Perspectives on Diversity Below and on the next several pages you will see various points of view from alumni on the topics of cultural identity and diversity. All of the comments were submitted in response to the February eQuiz, which asked alumni to share experiences through which they learned something about the dilemma of maintaining one’s cultural identity in a diverse community, either at George School or elsewhere. Thank you to the ninety-six alumni who participated.
Margaret Sassaman King ‘44 In the 1940s there was virtually no cultural diversity that I can remember. The only slight exception was that there were a few refugees from England but they differed mainly from their wartime experiences and not culture. Much more noticeable were the differences in social and economic background. I was amazed to see the diversity in the current school population.
Carroll Bessey ‘47 GS had its first black student while I was there—I think that was a major learning experience for many at that time. There already were several Asian students and a Nepalese student there at the time. GS made a signficant effort towards racial integration in its school community at that time.
Howard Davis ‘47 I believe that it is important for individuals to appreciate their cultural heritage; yet, I also consider that acculturalization is important for a community to maintain its integrity. We should be tolerant of others’ cultural heritage; but, I do feel that it is important to expect, and to facilitate, assimilation and acceptance of common secular values.
Michael Stroukoff ’50 There was a union organizer from New Jersey that came to speak one evening to the social studies students. He made a statement about a strike situation at my dad’s company in West Trenton. He stated, “This here Mike Stroukoff in West Trenton has his workers striking for higher wages. He is a Russian. You all know Russians are communists. I am no Russian. I am no communist!” Later, I was introduced to him and he turned all sorts of colors. My dad laughed. [We] are products of our environments and cultures. There are so many diverse people and peoples that it is difficult to interact safely and sanely. One answer lies in listening, truly listening and responding in ways that demonstrate how we understood the speaker, to assure ourselves and them that we truly did understand what they meant. It means surrendering a part of our own egos and it pays off handsomely without cultural shock. This doesn’t mean we can’t take pride in our cultural heritages or display them. It means we treat everyone with respect for them and ourselves.
George School Diversity Timeline
1893 1902
George School opens with 155 students. They are all white Anglo-Saxon Protestants; only twenty-seven of them are not Quaker. The first Catholics to matriculate are Rosendo and Bienvenido Matienzo, both members of the Class of 1904, who come from Puerto Rico.
1910s
During World War I, Jewish students apply and are accepted.
1924
Ninety-eight percent of students were born in the United States.
1946 Cynthia Crooks ‘47, the daughter of a Quaker 1949 1950
1953
school principal in Jamaica, is the first African-American Quaker student.
Donald Dingle ‘53 is the first child of an African-American staff person to attend George School. John Streetz is the first African-American teacher. Julian Bond ’57 is the first African-American student accepted who is not a child of a Quaker or the child of an African-American staff person.
1956 Students come from the United States and fifteen foreign countries.
1961 The number of Quaker students reaches an all-time high at 256 out of 454.
1988 Minority enrollment reaches twenty percent, 1989 1999
mostly from middle-class African-American, Hispanic, and Asian families. The English as a Second Language program begins. It is designed to strengthen the school’s international character. By the end of the 1990s the percent of faculty/administrators of color and students of color will almost match, at eighteen percent.
2005 In 2005-2006 the student body of 527
students consists of fourteen percent Quakers, twenty-three percent students of color, and twelve percent foreign citizens representing twenty-seven countries.
This timeline was derived in large part from Kingdon Swayne’s 1992 book, George School: The History of a Quaker Community.
G e o r g e S chool, April 2006
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Perspectives Clark Turner ’50
Bob Hidell ’59
We weren’t very diverse back then. Most of us were Caucasian, Christian (if not Quaker), from well-off families. There was only one black student, and he was the child of an employee. I’ve lived in Miami, Florida for more than thirty years. Here, I’m a minority member of a very diverse community. Issues of cultural identity become blurred in this multicultural setting. It has been observed (by, among others, T.D. Allman in Miami, City of the Future) that what’s happening here is what all other world cities will experience in the twenty-first century. We become World Citizens, while maintaining a personal link with our past culture. Dualism will be the mode, and we must be able to live happily in both worlds. It’s sort of like dual citizenship: World and National/Cultural. If we fail to accept this reality of dualism, we will force ourselves into isolated enclaves, securely together in our identity, but apart from the mainstream of human social and cultural evolution. There is nothing new here—at every stage of major change in human growth, there have been those who choose to remain behind, and those who opt to help shape the future. That’s why it’s so exciting to be a human being, and to have to face these choices.
I am not sure what you mean by “cultural diversity.” I am afraid it is a term that is often misused when we talk about a society. In most of the balance of the world I am interpreted as being an American, not a white person, not a Quaker, just an American. What does this mean culturally? America is diverse with many different people from many different places, does this mean that we are a culturally diverse nation, but outside of the United States does this mean that we are simply American? Is there a culture associated with only being an American even though I may also have a heritage of being black, being white, being Jewish, being Hungarian, being whatever, and yet outside of the borders of this nation just being American. I think we need some caution here where we create a sense of diversity that in fact today may not have any meaning. Just a thought.
Donald Frey ’53 I’ve lived first in Europe and then in Turkey for some four decades but have mostly WANTED to lose my cultural identity and have the interesting experience of absorbing theirs...but it’s difficult.
Margaret Mitchell Stahl ’54 Since I began living with an African American, I have learned that I have been blind to the black American experience. Supporting the civil rights movement in general does not really inform one about the inequities and injustices and economic barriers that continue to exist today.
Nancy Crowell Reinbold ’56 I now teach ESOL [English for Speakers of Other Languages] at the Nashua Adult Learning Center in Nashua NH. I have been involved with teaching and helping immigrants and refugees for more than ten years now. What an incredible learning experience for me: the diversity of cultures, religions, languages! I have also traveled to many other countries. The way many Americans treat those who emigrate here leaves a lot to be desired. Our current leadership appears to be controlled by religionist tunnel vision. Diversity is what this country is all about. Reach out and embrace it. You will learn a lot of interesting things and have an incredible, rewarding experience in the process.
Ellen Chase ’57 Having grown up in Outer Boondocks NH, I thought I was the only poor kid in a sea of privilege and money. It was only later after many reunions that I became aware of the cultural identities and economic and emotional distress of some of my classmates, identities which we were all so very good at hiding. It seems to me it was more a matter of hiding, rather than maintaining, our cultural identities. I have always been mindful of other people’s economic origins, but as a means of figuring out what makes them tick rather than how I compare to them. George School taught me to see the world more as theater than threat.
Mack Lipkin ‘61 As a New York Jew, I was stereotyped and my abilities dismissed at some level. It didn’t bother me. Not being religious, I had nothing but respect for and interest in the Quaker activities and I learned to meditate deeply during meeting. As a senior, I represented the United States in the Herald Tribune World Youth Forum, forty-six delegates from forty-five countries living and working together over three months. Again, the diversity was a source not of identity threat but of enrichment.
Edward Fei ’63 I experienced the false expectation that I had a different cultural background. As a Chinese American, I’m probably what would be called a banana, yellow on the outside, white on the inside. This led folks to expect that I had some sort of Asian identity or perspective. In fact, I do have some unique views, but that comes from having lived all over the world, and very little with China. Is there an assumption that it’s good to maintain a different cultural identity? I know some Chinese kids that were adopted, and what they ended up loving more than anything is Irish dancing! My view is that one of the big stories in the United States is losing a cultural identity and being able to escape and establish a new identity.
Catharine Pidcock Thomas ’63 My problem was sort of the opposite. I was raised in Japan and India and came directly to George School from India. I had no idea how to act like an American teenager even though I looked like one.
Fred Schmidt ’64 When does “cultural identity” become racism. If one group is allowed to practice racial exclusion, doesn’t that open the door for others?
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Perspectives Robert Lyons ’65
Beverly Ward ’73
As a dual citizen (United States/Sweden) with a Jewish background, a Swedish daughter-in-law born in South Korea, a Swedish granddaughter (five years old) who insists I only speak English with her, a daughter living in England, and another daughter who spends as much time as she can in Spain, my family and I tend to celebrate our various identities. Having lived here in Sweden since 1970, I’ve experienced my U.S. identity (and my identities as a foreigner and a Jew) as always useful in my work (university teachers benefit from being able to offer unconventional perspectives) and occasionally problematic politically.
There were several instances, which mostly centered around being “the black expert.” While I was encouraged to increase my knowledge of African-American culture, I felt that if others truly were interested in diversity, the same opportunities and resources for learning and discourse were available. It continues thirty-three years later at the academic institution of higher education where I am employed. Although pockets of the institution and the administration, in theory, support diversity, other departments or units see it as “someone else’s area” (read “problem”). I appreciate this eQuiz. It’s a way to keep dialogue going. Too little takes place. There is a sense of either this is over or outright retrench.
Diane Edwards La Voy ‘66 I came from Venezuela as a girl raised across cultures—my U.S. parents’ values and the various cultures surrounding me in Caracas. During my three years at GS—particularly through Mr. Cleveland’s “self paper” process—I gained insight into this and developed abilities to bridge and draw strength from diverse cultures. You didn’t make clear what you meant by “culture.” I think it’s important to consider the diversity of cultures that lie around us almost invisibly—shaped by everything from one’s generation to one’s work and economic status to one’s faith system.
Suzanne Sauter ’66 There is an unspoken assumption that maintaining one’s cultural identity is “a good thing.” I am a white Southern and I beg to differ with that assumption as illustrated by an incident from my own life. I grew up in a middle-class suburb of Charlotte NC and attended all-white legally segregated schools. I had no contact with Latin or Hispanic persons. The only persons of Chinese ancestry I knew ran the local Chinese restaurant, Ming Tree. The only black/African-American/ Negro persons I knew were the maids who helped Mother and other neighbors keep their houses clean, their laundry ironed, and the children fed, or the men who cut the grass and kept the yards. The black women would take the bus while sitting in the back from downtown Charlotte to the nearest bus stop about a mile or so away. Mother and the other women would then pick up their maids. I only knew one black couple who drove a car. They helped my neighbors across the road to keep their house and yard. I was told on several occasions that it was not proper to sit and eat with a “person of color.” So I was shocked for a few minutes my first meal at George School when I was assigned to a table that had two black fellow students. I had a moment to decide if I would uphold the prejudice that was my heritage or decide that the prejudice had no foundation and I would treat a fellow student as my peer and not with the disdain that I had been taught. My experience at George School made me much more aware of the prejudices that come with cultural identity. I am very suspicious of any culture or cultural identity that claims superiority or exclusivity, whether it is cultural or religious or on some other grounds. On the other hand, cultural traditions can be great fun. As recently as New Year’s, I shared my Germanic heritage of lentil soup, pickled beets, and herring, etc. with some neighbors and then joined other neighbors the next day for pork and collards and hoppin’ John.
David Bloom ’74 In the business world I have had unpleasant anti-Semitic feelings stated, and as a Jew I came to realize that it is important that I maintain my cultural identity, so that I am not lulled into believing that I am something else.
Caroline Lenel ’76 My graduate program in family therapy was very multicultural in orientation and we were trained to be sensitive to the families we work with in terms of racial/cultural/ethnic background. It’s easy to generalize behaviors but important to remember how differences can dictate certain attitudes/ behaviors. It’s important to never assume anything.
Scott McCoy ‘76 I remember that my first roommate was African American and while I lived and grew up near Newark NJ and had been near race riots in the mid 1960s my exposure to living in and around persons of a different race was limited. George School really expanded my mind in so many ways that I fondly remember the experience and credit my success to the time I spent there.
Tod Rutstein ’79 I can’t speak to one particular experience, but I would say that I had ample opportunity to reflect on issues related to this during my three years as a student at GS, especially junior and senior years rooming with my closest friend whose background was quite different from my own. He is African American and grew up in Philadelphia PA; I am Caucasian and grew up in rural western Massachusetts. As a member of the Baha’i religion, which places huge emphasis on unity in diversity, and whose local communities throughout this country (especially large ones) tend to be rather diverse, the key question for all our interraction is: how do we foster a true coming together as we also value our differences? The real issue to me is not just the notion of maintaining cultural identity, but doing so at the same time that we embrace the oneness of humanity. Maintaining cultural identity alone can be a sophisticated form of segregation, just as unity in the name of conformity can also be problematic. Our watchword should be unity in diversity.
G e o r g e S chool, April 2006
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Perspectives Stephanie Smith ’83
Christian Donovan ’95
Try being biracial...looking white but being black. At the time both cultures found it hard to accept my dual identity. My white friends could not understand my relationship with the black students and my black friends could not understand my relationship with white students. No one could accept that my father was really black.
When I first arrived at George School I was encouraged to join PRO (Pacific Rim Organization). This had traditionally been an affinity group for international (mostly Asian) students. The difficulty for me was that, while I look Asian, I was adopted by Caucasian parents. Culturally, I felt very white, yet in appearance I felt otherwise. Joining PRO and eventually leading it my senior year helped me to learn something about my Asian heritage. I had a similar experience in college. I decided to explore joining the biracial student group. I did this mostly because none of the Asian affinity groups seemed to fit, yet I didn’t quite feel Caucasian either. Even though I don’t fit the technical term for “biracial” I felt as though culturally it was a good fit. More than anything, as part of this group I was able to find others struggling with similar identity issues.
Dawn Margolis Mazzeo ’86 On the contrary, I learned about what it meant to be a member of a diverse community; I came from a very homogeneous and polarized suburb in Florida. I was Jewish and there were plenty of others who were as well. Meeting for worship kind of blended our faith and the faiths of others together in a unitarian way.
Mike Walsh ‘89 While I found GS a very warm and welcoming place, I was fortunate to have been able to spend some time during high school abroad in Mexico, Italy, and China. These experiences really enabled me to get outside of my own culture and see it from a completely different perspective. These experiences continue to impact my own world view, and I hold them and other GS experiences as critical parts of my personal development.
Susan Hee Hyon ’91 I think that because GS was a diverse community, I didn’t really celebrate my “diverseness” (Korean-American) or feel compelled to maintain my cultural identity. Going to GS made me feel like everyone else (in a good way, though), because there were so many other different people. This is a challenging question to answer because of where I came from—a very homogeneous, working class small town where there were no minorities except for my family. I felt so different growing up and it was a relief at GS because at least superficially, I felt that my uniqueness was seen as something normal/good. However, I think diversity at GS is celebrated in a superficial way, and that what needs to happen is a more profound exchange of feelings, opinion, and ways of looking at the world, among different cultures. It would be interesting to have an online forum or a way to discuss this important topic.
Anthony Rogers-Wright ’94 There was always a soft tension on campus regarding how far one should go about the pride of one’s cultural identity. Speaking for myself, the dilemma lay within my own peers, of not acting “black” enough, and assimilating, perhaps, too much, into a diverse community. This was a perpetual dilemma throughout my time at GS. The dilemma of maintaining a cultural identity is fictional in my opinion. It really is just a distraction from the real issue, which is acceptance on all sides.
I am never bored. George School students have a creative energy, a sense of purpose, and a sense of humor that make them an absolute pleasure to teach. They don’t pose and they don’t compete with one another in the classroom. As a result, discussions can be wonderfully dynamic, filled with revelations for me no less than for them. Every year I meet students unlike any I’ve ever taught, hear insights I’ve never heard before, and read essays that surprise me intellectually. I am never bored.
- Terry Culleton English Teacher
Gifts to the Annual Fund make it possible to have extraordinary teachers like Terry Culleton and wonderful students like the ones Terry describes above. Please consider giving a gift to the Annual Fund today. George School 2005-2006 Annual Fund PO Box 4438, Newtown PA 18940-0908 http://alumni.georgeschool.org/donations
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G e o r g e S c h o o l , A p r i l 2 0 0 6
In Memoriam
A Tribute to “Uncle Jack” By Cecilia Kiely
D
uring his thirty-three-year tenure at George
School, Jack Talbot acted in many capacities. He taught English; directed student plays; and coached soccer, tennis, and baseball. He also served as dean of boys for fifteen years and worked as the director of public relations in his last decade with the school. But regardless of changes in his role on campus, one thing remained constant—Jack genuinely connected with his students. He was known around campus as “Uncle Jack,” a nickname that spoke to his approachability. Julia Jefferson Westerinen ’51 recalls Jack’s ability to connect with those he taught, noting that he “related eye to eye with the students.” She appreciated his style of teaching because she and her classmates never felt patronized. “Instead we had a companion in our endeavors, one who had access to an inside track which he generously shared with his students.” Jack felt it was important for a teacher to treat each student as an individual. A profile in the July 1991 Georgian quoted him as saying, “A teacher has to look into each student. It fits with the Quaker idea that there is something of God in everyone. The teacher finds that spark. I was fortunate to establish a rapport with a lot of students.” One former student, Judson Randall ’55, remembers how Jack found that spark in him, providing an individualized assignment when the class reading did not grab Judson’s interest. Judson writes, “He required that I spend the summer regularly reading Red Smith, the sports columnist for the New York Herald Tribune. I can’t say for sure whether it directed my later life, but after failing at being an engineering student at Cornell University, I turned to journalism and have spent more than forty years as a newspaper writer, editor, and teacher. Loving it all the while.” A career launched by an unexpected turn is not unlike Jack’s own story. When he began student teaching at George School in 1934, he had already been accepted to the American Academy of Dramatic Art and was considering a stage career. However, Jack chose to stay on at George School when he was offered a full-time position in the English department a few months later. While he did not become a professional actor, his passion for drama certainly shaped his teaching career. Jack might be best remembered for the more than one hundred plays he directed at George School. In fact, it was largely due to the success of those productions, staged by the English department, that drama classes were eventually added to the curriculum. A talented director, Jack had a way of drawing out the best performances from his students, who often had no previous theater experience. Art Henrie ’47 says, “He just made performing fun and found talent in me that I had no idea I had.” Julia, recalling her own successful stage debut, says, “This triumph was due most certainly to Uncle Jack’s supportive direction and his faith that I could carry it off.” Jack left an enduring mark on many programs at George School, but even more important was the impact he made on his students. Art will never forget his fiftieth class reunion: “Jack was there in a group of my classmates on South Lawn. I approached him and told him who I was and he immediately
Jack Talbot (pictured above), known affectionately as “Uncle Jack,” taught at George School from 1934 to 1967. On Alumni Weekend, his life will be celebrated at the memorial meeting for worship on Saturday, May 13, 2006, at 3:30 p.m. in the George School Meetinghouse.
broke into song. The song was ‘I’ll Meet You At The Doughnut,’ which was the song I sang in By George, the show Stephen Sondheim ’46 wrote and Uncle Jack directed. That is a memory I will never forget.” Authentic connections are lasting, and Jack will be remembered well.
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...regardless of changes in his role on campus, one thing remained constant—Jack genuinely connected with his students.
G e o r g e S chool, April 2006
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Alumni Profile
The Aviation Industry Was Astir and He Was Intrigued By Melissa Auman
W
ith his George School diploma in
hand, Charles Waugh ’36 headed across the river to Princeton University to study electrical engineering. But it was four years later during a summer course at Massachusetts Institute of Technology that he fell into what would be an award-winning and distinguished career. “In 1940 the war in Europe had not hit home in many respects in the United States,” says Charlie. “The aviation industry was astir however, and MIT was busy giving an eight-week summer course converting all kinds of engineers into aeronautical experts.” Lured from the classroom one day by the sun, he and other students played hooky and took in a Yankee–Red Sox game. “Our professor didn’t take kindly to having half the class missing, so he gave a quick quiz,” says Charlie. “A few weeks later a guy from Buffalo came and he wanted the best students to work for him, who were all those who were there for the quiz. Then another guy came and took the rest Charles Waugh ‘36 (pictured above) will be recognized as an alumni award recipient at of us. He was from a company called Lockheed the all-alumni gathering in the meetinghouse on Alumni Day, Saturday, May 13, 2006. Aircraft out in Burbank, California.” He will also present a master class that morning. Suddenly, Charlie was on the fast track in the aeronautical industry. He soon joined the Navy with opening his eyes to political opinions, including minority where he was stationed at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, rights. “My outlook on public affairs took a big reversal. I on the Manhattan Project—the development of the atomic became very dedicated to civil rights.” bomb. Later he went to Bikini Atoll and was involved in the He also says he learned about sympathy and leadership, first public tests of the bombs monitoring radioactivity. attributes that have stayed with him long after leaving “Following each test we would cruise the lagoon in small campus. boats to measure how much radioactivity remained,” he says. After returning to civilian life, Charlie took a job with a division of North American Aviation, eventually known as Rocketdyne, working with liquid fuel rocket engines. “And that led me to the turbine meter business,” Charlie says. He was one of the pioneers in the development of the turbine flowmeter, a device that measures the flow of liquid by counting the revolutions of a rotor mounted in a pipe. Originally used to measure propellants in liquid fueled rockets, today Charlie’s instruments find a home in the petroleum industry. His work resulted in about fifteen patents in his name and the Instrument Society of America Albert F. Sperry Medal Award for distinguished achievement in the development of turbine flowmeters. It was also the impetus for starting his own company, Waugh Engineering. Later he started Waugh Controls, creating electronic systems that used turbine flowmeters in refineries and pipelines. Charlie also has been active in volunteer work, participating in Democratic Party activities and giving back to George School, where he currently serves as a member of the Resources Committee. He is a former member of the George School Advisory Board. “I learned some very important things at George School,” says Charlie, who credits one of his teachers, Richard McFeely,
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Suddenly, Charlie was on the fast track in the aeronautical industry.
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G e o r g e S c h o o l , A p r i l 2 0 0 6
Alumni Profile
One-Time Nuclear Physicist Prefers People By Melissa Auman
L
ee Price ’61 left George School ready to
take on the engineering world. He graduated from Stanford University, and headed on to Massachusetts Institute of Technology for a master’s in nuclear engineering. Lee then took a job as a nuclear physicist and engineer at General Electric, just before deciding maybe it wasn’t for him after all. “My interest in nuclear engineering was in a very theoretical area called fusion,” says Lee. “Fusion was just beginning as a concept back then and I came to realize after getting the master’s that it would be a very long time before anything would happen in the area. (In fact, forty years later there are still no fusion reactors.) I decided that I really preferred working with people and getting more frequent positive reinforcement. I ended up in the investment community, where you see results everyday.” Lee won a Sloan Fellowship and returned to Stanford, getting both an MBA and a PhD in business and finance. He then launched an Lee Price ‘61 (pictured above with his wife Kitty) is a member of the George School illustrious career while at the same time starting a Resources Committee, as well as a former member of both the George School family with his wife, Kitty. Advisory Board and the Second Century Campaign Committee. Lee will be recognized “Kitty wheeled in my thesis to Stanford along as an alumni award recipient at the all-alumni gathering in the meetinghouse on with our son in his baby stroller,” Lee says. Alumni Day, Saturday, May 13, 2006. After stints with Arcata Management and William Hutchinson & Company, Lee joined RCM currently chair of the CFA Institute’s Standards of Practice Capital Management, a firm specializing in managing the Committee, which is dedicated to creating high ethical pension portfolios of public retirement systems and private standards and guidelines for the financial community, as well corporations. There he took on roles as a financial analyst, as the founding chair of the Global Investment Performance economist, IT director, director of research, portfolio manager, Standards Committee, which promotes the concepts of full and and global channel manager, and was a managing director at fair disclosure of investment performance. the time of his retirement after having worked twenty-seven Although he is retired, Lee has remained active. His years with the company. involvement with the CFA Institute spurred the creation of Lee’s contributions also went beyond the requirements Price Performance Measurement Systems, Inc., a home-based of the office, serving for seven years in various positions Internet company he runs with Kitty. They developed software with the Security Analysts of San Francisco and working that investment advisors use to evaluate after-tax investment for about twenty years with the CFA Institute, a national performance. organization of analysts and portfolio managers. He is “We have about twenty clients and it is largely a fun activity for the two of us since we are both semi-retired,” says Lee. “Kitty and I have done all of the database and website programming ourselves.” Lee says his tenacity and dedication began at an early age. “I feel I owe a great deal to George School, especially to many of the teachers,” he notes. “It was a really rigorous program and you had to, from a very young age, start controlling your study habits.” These habits have stayed with him through a career of constantly learning, changing, and balancing duties both at work and at home.
“Kitty wheeled in my thesis...along with our son in his baby stroller.”
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G e o r g e S chool, April 2006
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Alumni Profile
Inventor Turns Attention to Social Problems By Kevin Cassel
T
his May, students at George School will have an
opportunity to visit with one of the pioneers of Silicon Valley—and he’s one of their own. Charles Walton ’39 will return to George School for Alumni Weekend. These days, Charles’s attention is on topics like the causes of war and ways to improve the American legal system, and with his background, he’s the right person to tackle weighty issues. “The nature of my mentality is to be good at solving problems,” he says—a modest statement from a lifelong inventor and the holder of fifty patents. “Owing to my George School instincts, I turned to social problems. I was able to make headway by using the same sort of analysis as I used to solve heavy technical problems.” His career began at IBM. He left in 1972 to found Proximity Devices, capitalizing on what would be the first of his many non-assigned (his earlier patents were assigned to IBM) inventions—a keyless door-entry system that used one of the earliest forms of RFID (radio frequency identification) technology. Most of Charles’s patents pertain to the RFID field; his contributions have garnered him considerable recognition, including the Founders’ Medal from SOLE—The International Society of Logistics. As his portfolio of patents grew, royalties began to provide financial security, and Charles found himself in a position to consider issues beyond technical concerns. “In the middle part of my life, I had to give priority to earning a living and being a good parent. In the later part of my life, once I had some income, I found it very satisfying to learn how government works.” Today, Charles lives in Los Gatos, California, nestled high in the hills above San Francisco. His home offers the ideal environment for a creative mind—a koi pond with an underwater view, a model-train layout that descends from the ceiling at the touch of a button, and—of course—a laboratory. His has been a lifetime of thinking, inventing, and looking for solutions, and, as the president of Walton Electronics, he occupies himself with those activities every day. Long intrigued with the notion of motivating students to think critically about the problems of the world, Charles has sponsored the Walton Peace Essay Challenge since 1988. The essay contest, open to high school and preparatory school students in the San Francisco Bay Area, asks entrants to consider the causes and costs of war and to propose solutions to the seemingly intractable problems of yesterday and today. Charles notes, “Among other things, I wish to talk about creativity and problem solving. One can talk about a problem, but if at all possible, include with the problem your suggestions on fixes.” He is quick to credit George School with setting him on the track that he’s followed for so long. “I was exposed to a lot of good thinking at George School, and it stuck with me,” he says matter-of-factly. “George School led me to be a more decent, enlightened person. It led to me to feel concern for the world.”
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On Alumni Weekend, Charles Walton ‘39 (pictured above) will be a guest speaker for the all-school assembly on Friday, May 12, 2006, and will present a master class the next morning, Saturday, May 13, 2006.
“In the middle part of my life, I had to give priority to earning a living and being a good parent. In the later part of my life, once I had some income, I found it very satisfying to learn how government works.”
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G e o r g e S c h o o l , A p r i l 2 0 0 6
A New George School Library Takes Shape Academic Excellence for the Twenty-first Century By Ann Langtry and Carol Nelson
I
n a sweeping effort that
combines the energy and commitment of faculty, students, parents, alumni, and friends, George School is focusing on making a new library a reality. Dovetailing with the current curriculum review, the new library project is a physical reflection of the importance of scholarship as a central activity at George School. “The faculty’s most recent examination of [new research on teaching and learning] has helped to deepen our understanding of the new and central role that twenty-first century libraries are playing as places that bring faculty and students together around shared learning opportunities.” says Head of Two architectural firms, Voith and Mactavish of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Shepley Bulfinch Richardson School Nancy Starmer. and Abbott of Boston, Massachusetts, have designed the proposed state of the art library for George School. Currently, space limitations The schematic drawing above shows one of the library’s two equally welcoming entrances. This east-facing at McFeely Library require many entry, viewed from the southeast, is wheelchair accessible from Meetinghouse Lane. students to be turned away during study hours on weekday individual quiet study areas, an academic support center, evenings. A proctor monitors overflow students in a makeshift an expanded print collection, a classroom for instruction in group study area in Bancroft Hall. research techniques, and greater access to leading technology. In light of these increased demands, the design for the “We must commit to finding the funding necessary to 23,000-square-foot structure incorporates multiple uses in a build this critical component of the George School campus flexible configuration. Twice the size of McFeely Library, the now,” remarks David Bruton, clerk of the George School new library will accommodate three times as many students Committee, the school’s governing board. and will serve as a vital center for teaching and learning. It will take the wholehearted support of the entire George “I envision the new library as a warm, inviting space that School community to build this extraordinary facility that will encourages the reflection and collaboration that are such have the flexibility to evolve as the role of the library continues important components of scholarship today,” says Library to evolve. Generous gifts from alumni, parents, faculty, Director Linda Espenshade Heinemann. The library includes and friends will enable George School to build the library space for collaborative learning and faculty-student interaction, envisioned and ensure the highest standard of education for
...the library will serve as a vital center for teaching and learning.
succeeding generations of George School scholars. The library project is estimated at $10.5 million for building construction costs, with an added $3.5 million to provide an endowed maintenance fund. All gifts in support of the new library are welcome. (See
page 19 for available named gift opportunities.) Contact Director of Development Anne Culp Storch ’67 at 215-579-6569 or anne_storch@georgeschool.org with questions or to make a gift.
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G e o r g e S chool, April 2006
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A New Library Takes Shape
FIRST FLOOR 1 West Porch 2 Main Reading Area 3 Reference Collection 4 Catalog Search 5 Computer Alcove 6 Library Director Office 7 Group Study Rooms 8 Staff Office and Workroom 9 Research Instruction Classroom 10 Information Commons 11 Exhibition Gallery 12 Entry 13 Bathroom 14 Stair
“This visionary new facility will be a true symbol of George School’s commitment to academic excellence and an immeasurable gift to the students in whom we are all entrusting our future.” –Nancy Starmer, Head of School
SECOND FLOOR 1 Open to Below 2 Quiet Reading and Study Area 3 Circulating Collection 4 Academic Support Center 5 Librarian Service Center/Staff Office 6 Conference Suite 7 Stair 8 Quaker Collection Area
“When creating a library, we must provide an environment that accepts change and focuses on the activity of learning rather than technology. Design has nothing to do with architectural style now. It’s all about the user. We know that learning is a significant social phenomenon, not a solitary activity. Students don’t learn in a vacuum.” –Geoffrey T. Freeman, Principal at Shepley Bulfinch Richardson & Abbott
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G e o r g e S c h o o l , A p r i l 2 0 0 6
A New Library Takes Shape
“Once built, this magnificently designed library will change meaningfully the quality and pattern of life at George School. It is beautifully sited, close to academic buildings and the meetinghouse. I like the symbolism of the crossroad of mind and spirit. It is a particularly resonant point for a Quaker school to make.” - David Bruton ’53 Clerk, George School Committee
The library can be reached easily by a terraced pedestrian walkway that begins at the Class of 1937 Plaza and continues down the hillside as it passes Retford Hall and Hallowell Arts Center.
George School Library Named Gift Opportunities There are numerous ways in which you can help us build the George School library. Donors who wish to contribute in the form of a named gift may honor or memorialize their family, friends, or a former teacher or administrator who made an impact on their lives. Donors may also choose to make gifts in their own name. Your gift will have a substantial and long lasting impact on George School.
$5,000,000 - 1,000,000
$499,000 - $100,000
Naming of Library-------------------------------- $5,000,000 First Floor Naming-------------------------------- $2,500,000 Second Floor Naming----------------------------- $2,500,000 Librarian Endowment Fund, Director of Library----- $1,500,000 Outdoor Walkway-------------------------------- $1,000,000 Sustainable Building Design Elements------------- $1,000,000 Librarian Endowment Fund (3 positions) each ------ $1,000,000 Technology Acquisition and Endowment----------- $1,000,000 Academic Support Center------------------------- $1,000,000 Conference Suite--------------------------------- $1,000,000
Reference Collection Area--------------------------- $400,000 Research Instruction Classroom--------------------- $400,000 Library Terrace- ------------------------------------ $300,000 Exhibition Gallery----------------------------------- $250,000 Library Porch Area---------------------------------- $200,000 Computer Work Stations (16)- ---------------------- $200,000 Library Director’s Office----------------------------- $150,000 Group Study Rooms (4) ---------------------------- $100,000 Library Inventory and Security Control Systems------- $100,000 First Floor Library Staff Office and Workroom-------- $100,000 Desktop Computers (44)- --------------------------- $100,000
$999,000 - $500,000 Main Reading Area--------------------------------- $750,000 Quiet Reading and Study Area----------------------- $750,000 Design and Development Phase---------------------- $700,000 Library Building Landscaping------------------------ $500,000 Computer Alcove----------------------------------- $500,000 Information Commons------------------------------ $500,000 Circulating Collection Area-------------------------- $500,000
$99,000 - $2,500 Terrace Furniture------------------------------------- $75,000 Circulating Librarian Service Desk- -------------------- $50,000 Laptop Lending Program (18)-------------------------- $50,000 Second Floor Librarian Service and Staff Office--------- $50,000 Porch Furniture -------------------------------------- $50,000 Quaker Collection Area- ---------------------------- Reserved Circulating Search Area------------------------------- $25,000 Refreshment Center---------------------------------- $25,000 Reference Search Area-------------------------------- $25,000 Special George School Authors Collection Area--------- $15,000 Benches (1@)----------------------------------------- $5,000 Study Carrels (43) each-------------------------------- $2,500 Desktop Computers (1@)------------------------------ $2,500
G e o r g e S chool, April 2006
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Planned Giving
Stettenheim Family Gift Auctioned by Sotheby’s
I
n 1997, Peter Stettenheim ’46, a noted ornithologist
and an accomplished amateur photographer, saw an opportunity to make the gift of a lifetime to George School. As Peter said at the time, “I wanted to give to the capital campaign, but I wasn’t sure how I could do that, until I spotted the painting on the wall.” The painting that he saw was a work by an early Italian Renaissance painter. Peter’s grandfather had bought the painting in Italy in 1923. Peter hoped that someday it might result in an even larger gift for the school. Through research conducted after Peter donated the 18.75” by 16.5” painting to George School, it was determined that the work of art is a portrait of Cardinal Philippe de Lévis commissioned in 1475. The artist was Antonio Di Benedetto Aquillo, known as Antoniazzo Romano. The image shows the Cardinal de Lévis in profile while in prayer. Declared to be a fine example of fifteenth century Italian art and culture, the portrait had been used from time to time in George School language and art classes. In 2005, the school decided that the time was right to sell the painting. Sotheby’s auctioned it on January 26, 2006, as part of its “Important Old Master Paintings Auction.” George School Business Manager Cynthia Coleman, who was at Sotheby’s for the auction, says, “It was very exciting to be there and witness the final bid. We are grateful that the painting sold for more than four times its 1997 appraisal value.” Reflecting on the gift of the painting and its sale by Sotheby’s, Director of Planned Giving Dave Crawford comments, “The generosity of the Stettenheim family represents a wonderful example of a gift of fine art and the realization of its full potential. Peter deserves credit not only for his inspiration, but also for retaining documentation of his grandfather’s acquisition of the painting in the 1920s. The invoice and shipping documents that Peter provided clearly established ownership and enhanced the marketability of the painting. George School is grateful to the Stettenheim family for seeing the value of this painting as a gift to the school.” If you have valuable fine art that you would like to donate to George School, please contact Director of Planned Giving Dave Crawford at 215-579-6571 or dave_crawford@ georgeschool.org.
Peter Stettenheim ‘46 (pictured above) and his wife Sandy consider the painting to be a gift from the two of them and Peter’s late sister Judith Stettenheim Brown ‘49 and Judith’s children Leslie ‘75 and Christopher ‘77.
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“It was very exciting to be there and witness the final bid.”
Sotheby’s described the painting of Cardinal Philippe de Lévis (pictured above) in its catalog as follows: “This striking portrait, which is in a remarkable state of preservation, is an important and rare example of portraiture in Antoniazzo’s oeuvre, and one of the few in that genre that can be dated with certainty. It was last traced in the early 1920s, and its reappearance allows its reassessment as a fully autograph and important work by the artist.”
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G e o r g e S c h o o l , A p r i l 2 0 0 6
Campus News & Notes By Juliana Rosati Discussing Diversity
Learning Outside of the Classroom
Bias and Prejudice Awareness Workshops Teach Students to Communicate Across Differences
Science Class Tours Alumna’s Workplace
In January and February, the George School Diversity Oversight Committee and the Deans’ Office sponsored a series of Bias and Prejudice Awareness workshops to give students tools for dealing with biases and prejudices. “We began them last year as a way to help students transition to a diverse community, to acknowledge the wide range of experiences and perspectives that exist in the community, and to teach students how to communicate across the differences they may encounter,” said Assistant Dean of Students and Diversity Hiring Coordinator Edna Valdepeñas. Edna, clerk of the Diversity Oversight Committee, served as a workshop facilitator, along with Associate Director of Admissions Jenna Kuebler Davis ’78 and other faculty and staff who are experienced in diversity training. In the workshop she attended, Kirsten Larson ’06 enjoyed learning about Edna and Jenna’s interest in current discussions about classism, racism, sexism, and other forms of prejudice. “One of the best points of this workshop was that it was led by two people who are continually engaged by the issues,” Kirsten said. Jamelfrey Pacheco ’07 reported that she gained new insight from workshop discussions. “I learned to listen to what other people are saying and not criticize them or judge them based on what and who they are,” she said. “It was amazing to see how everyone’s opinions were respected, and how our conversation ranged from personal feelings to analytical things about society as a whole.”
GS Holds Seventeenth Annual Day of Events in Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
George School students spent Martin Luther King Jr. Day learning about Dr. King’s message of multiculturalism, diversity, and peace in a morning all-school assembly, in workshops led by students and guest speakers, in smallgroup discussions, and in meeting for worship. The assembly featured guest speakers Shannon Lanier and Jane Feldman, coauthors of the book Jefferson’s Children: The Story of One American Family. The book profiles over 100 people who trace their ancestry to Thomas Jefferson, either through the family line of his wife, Martha, or his slave, Sally Hemings. Shannon (a descendant of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings) and Jane (a photographer who is not related to the family) spoke about the legacy of slavery in the United States, the ways in which history has marginalized the story of the Hemings descendants, and other issues raised in their book. They were joined by one of the individuals profiled in their book, Julia Jefferson Westerinen ’51, who learned at the age of forty-five that she was a descendant of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings. The assembly concluded with student performances in response to Dr. King’s message.
Students in Sue Petrone’s Food and Nutritional Science class took a field trip in February to the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where Pamela Suppa Dalton ’72 is a faculty member. The Monell Chemical Senses Center is a scientific institute for research on taste, smell, and chemosensory irritation. Pam talked to the students about the history of Monell, current research projects that scientists at the institute are conducting, and summer research apprentice opportunities at Monell. The class also had a chance to see research facilities and participate in demonstrations of research procedures. Pam’s research focuses on the ways in which human cognitive and emotional processes affect people’s perceptions of odor and sensory irritation from volatile chemicals.
History Teacher Offers New Sequel to Global Interdependence Class
This past fall, George School history teacher Douglas Tsoi established an extracurricular group for graduates of Global Interdependence (a required freshman history course that examines the creation and development of the modern interdependent world from the nineteenth century to the present). Entitled “Global II,” the new group has been meeting over dinner to continue to discuss modern world history and global ethics. Topics have included the Enlightenment concept of “progress” and its impact on history, diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba, rape in war, and hazing in high schools. Discussions are based on short readings that students have completed beforehand. Noah Baron ’07 says that he has participated in Global II because he enjoyed Global Interdependence class discussions as a freshman. “I thought it would be interesting to hear the opinions of people who hadn’t been in my class that year,” he says. “I’ve found that any exchange with a group of people with a broad spectrum of beliefs is a very enriching experience.”
Student Founds Investing Club
This past fall, Michael Guth ’08 founded the George School Investing Club (GSI), a student organization that works to educate its members about finance. Michael, who plans to work in investment banking, says he created the group in order to learn more about investing and help other students to do the same. Members read investing materials, hold discussions, and put their knowledge to the test by participating in a nationwide high school investing contest, Investment Challenge. The contest simulates the conditions of the stock market so that students can manage a fictional $100,000 online brokerage account as if it were real. In January, the group hosted guest speaker Jeff Brown, a personal finance columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Jeff spoke to the students about basic investing information, such as researching stocks.
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Campus News & Notes Providing Support to Those in Need
Recent Assemblies
Students Organize Natural Disaster Relief Benefit
Alumnus Speaks at O’Neill Assembly
Three George School juniors—Trisha Hibbs, Nora Minno, and Meredith Zoltick (pictured above from left to right)—organized Art for Relief, a night of art held at George School on March 4 to benefit the victims of natural disasters that occurred in the past year. The event raised over $5,000 for Habitat for Humanity. The evening began with an art show and silent auction in the meetinghouse and concluded with an array of humanitarian-themed performances in Walton Center Auditorium. Working in conjunction with the faculty sponsor for the event, Rachel Fumia, the three student organizers reached out for participants in both the George School community and the local community to create the event. The art show featured mixed-media work produced and donated by students, faculty, and others at George School. The silent auction included artwork contributed by local professional artists, along with various items donated by Newtown, Pennsylvania, businesses. Nora characterized Art for Relief as a fun and hopeful event. Meredith added, “The community has definitely come together.”
GS Donates Critters for Katrina Victims
In January and February, Joanne Moeller-Moon (coordinator of counseling services and school counselor at George School) invited the George School community to donate new or nearly-new stuffed animals for children whose belongings were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Donations from families at George School, Newtown Friends School, and Pennswood Village totaled 3,500. With the help of Joanne, Susan Woodman Hoskins ’71, and their children, the stuffed animals were shipped to a school and a hospital in New Orleans that had requested them.
At a January assembly funded by the Chuck O’Neill ’94 Musical Performance Fund, David Senior ’94, a friend of Chuck, spoke in remembrance of Chuck’s gentle, fun personality. The fund was established by Chuck’s parents, Tom and Kate O’Neill, in their son’s memory. Performing at the assembly was hip hop artist Baba Israel, who shared stories about how his father taught him to use creativity in everyday life in order to resolve conflicts and prevent violence. He performed with the accompaniment of bassist Yako, improvising one rhyming piece based on items that audience members held up in the air for him to see. Spoken word artist Dawn joined them and performed a piece about concern for victims of Hurricane Katrina. Baba has toured the United States, Europe, Japan, New Zealand, and Australia. Yako and he are producers for Open Thought Productions and also work as arts educators.
Bourns Social Justice Grant Recipients Present Their Projects
Two students and one staff member gave a February assembly about projects they did as recipients of Andrew Bourns Social Justice Endowment grants for 2005-2006. The Andrew Bourns Social Justice Endowment was established by former Head of School David Bourns and his wife, Ruth, in memory of their son Andrew ’87, who intended to dedicate his career to social justice. The endowment enables George School students and faculty to participate in social justice projects. Attendance Supervisor Bev Trautwein worked locally at the Penndel Food Pantry and the American Red Cross Homeless Shelter in Levittown, Pennsylvania. She encouraged students to remember that right in their own backyard there are people who need help. Clarese Davies ’06 explained that working in the early childhood center of Mercer Street Friends Center in Trenton, New Jersey, gave her a yearning to dedicate herself to a cause that matters to her. Stanley Aladi ’06 read journal entries about his work at Madison Square Boys and Girls Club in New York City, where he worked with children at a summer camp.
Did you graduate between 1985 and 2005? If so, you’ve been given a challenge from the Young Alumni Board. They have offered to match your new or increased gift to the Annual Fund up to $15,000! So far, 102 alumni have risen to the challenge and the Young Alumni Board has already matched $8,500. But there’s more to go. And we need your help. The challenge ends on June 30, 2006. Mail your gift today or go online to give at http://alumni.georgeschool.org/donations.
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Campus News & Notes Arts Department Update
Of Special Note
Art Gallery Honors GS Students
Students Receive Awards and Honors
A juried exhibition for Bucks County and Bucks County area high school seniors at Mixed Media Gallery in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, honored several George School studio arts students. Hee Yoen Uee (pictured above with her drawing) received the Best in Show award for a drawing. In the category of three-dimensional works, Robert Wojno received the First Place award, Ruben Davis received the Second Place award, and Dave Atri received the Third Place award. In addition, work by four other members of the Class of 2006, Ted Cava, Hannah Kelley-Bell, Mya Mueller, and PJ Yurcak, was accepted into the show.
Musical Theater Students Present Musical Chairs
Students in George School’s musical theater class performed the bittersweet comedy Musical Chairs on February 23, 24, and 25. Directed by George School musical theater teacher Maureen West and written by Barry Berg, Ken Donnelly, and Tom Savage, the musical itself is about an audience at the opening night of a fictitious off-Broadway play. The ensemble of characters includes the author of the play, his former wife (who is now a Hollywood star), a bickering married couple, two women with unfulfilled theatrical aspirations, and three drama critics. With music and lyrics by Tom Savage, the lively and sometimes poignant songs illustrate what the characters are thinking about as they watch the play.
GS Orchestra Performs with the Wind Symphony of Southern New Jersey
George School’s orchestra performed a concert with the Wind Symphony of Southern New Jersey on January 22 in Walton Center Auditorium. Directed by Dr. Robert J. Streckfuss, a professor of music at the University of Delaware, the Wind Symphony of Southern New Jersey is an adult wind ensemble that performs eight concerts each year and has toured England and Austria. Karen Hallowell, the director of the George School Orchestra and director of admission, was a member of the Wind Symphony from 1967 to 1998 and continues to perform with the Wind Symphony during the summer season. Concert selections included “Lincoln Portrait” by Aaron Copland, “Variations on a Korean Folk Song” by John Barnes Chance, and selections from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, arranged by Calvin Custer.
George School students have won various awards and honors in recent months. Ted Cava ’06 was named a finalist in the 2006 National Merit Scholarship Program in February. Kahan Chandrani ’07 won a Best Speaker award at a Junior State of America convention in Arlington, Virginia, which he attended with George School’s Junior State of America chapter in February. Ruben Davis ’06 was named a finalist in the 2006 National Achievement Scholarship Program in January. Emily Rendall ’06 was selected by The National Field Hockey Coaches Association for its 2005 High School National Academic Squad. Liberty Slater ’08 won a Commendation Award at a Model United Nations conference she attended with George School’s Model United Nations club in February. During Term II, the following students auditioned successfully for membership in the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association’s orchestras: Danielle Glick ’06 (district, regional, and all-state orchestras) and Christine No ’06 (district orchestra). The following students auditioned successfully for the Bucks County Music Educators Association’s orchestra and band: Quihong Hunsicker ’06 (orchestra), Wilson Sui ’08 (orchestra), and Jared Middleman ’09 (band).
Brown House Dormitory Renovations Commence
George School’s larger dormitories have been refurbished over the past several years, and now the time has come for renovations on Brown House, the special George School small dormitory on Main Drive. When the project is completed, additional insulation throughout the building will make it more energy efficient. The second floor will be more spacious thanks to an enlarged common area and the redesign of the two porches. It will contain four, two-person dormitory rooms. The first floor and ground floor will contain a three-bedroom faculty apartment. The first floor will also have a small tworoom guest apartment. Duty faculty will stay in the guest apartment to supervise the dormitory on occasions when Brown House’s resident faculty cannot be available. At other times, the guest apartment will accommodate speakers who are invited to campus. The ground floor will include a new laundry room that will eliminate the need for Brown House residents to do their laundry in nearby Campbell Dormitory. Although not a true “green” building, Brown House will meet many of the design criteria of an environment-friendly building.
GS Children’s Center Accredited by NAEYC
George School Children’s Center has earned accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the largest organization in the world that works to advance the quality of early childhood programs. Using standards that exceed state health and safety licensing requirements, the NAEYC accreditation process evaluates all aspects of early childhood programs, including teacher credentials, child-to-teacher ratios, health and safety, and curriculum. George School Children’s Center provides a halfand full-day academic-year program for children six weeks to five years of age in a loving, friendly Quaker atmosphere that celebrates diversity and encourages even the youngest children to practice conflict resolution.
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Perspectives Family Maintains Its Nigerian Heritage... continued from page 4 their children’s conduct. Abeni states, “They still maintain the family rules both at school and at home. Overall, our children are maintaining their culture both at George School and wherever they go.” Now accomplished alumni, Olubunmi and Ololade look back on their time at George School as an experience that prepared them for adult life just as their parents had hoped. “I found that by the end of four years at GS I had come to appreciate the differences in people,” recalls Olubunmi, now a student at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts. “I appreciate the diverse environment that GS has created because it has taught me to be open-minded and accepting, and has helped me to become the person I am today.” Ololade (a senior at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering and Applied Science in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) remembers that the difference between the racial composition of her middle school and that of George School was jarring at first. “I came from a middle school where the majority of students were black, and initially it was a shock being the only black face in some classrooms, including the
first classroom that I entered,” she explains. However, she views George School as a place where she was comfortable being herself and, like her sister, she believes that George School’s environment gave her an appreciation for differences. “It helped that I was able to find people who looked like me or had somewhat similar backgrounds/cultures because we were able to go through the GS experience together,” she says. “At GS, I always felt comfortable to be myself and I was able to grow without feeling any pressure to be something that I was not. I appreciate the environment, the people that I met, and the open interaction with the teachers. Overall, I think that attending GS built my academic skills, my confidence, and my ability to interact with or relate to people from different cultures.” As parents soon to see their family’s third George School graduation, Abeni and Ellis regard George School as a critical component of their family life. Ellis states, “If I lose my life today, I am very confident that my children will survive due to the education, norms, and moral value invested in them both at home and at George School.”
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Muslim Teacher Strives... continued from page 6 Throughout Ramadan, Muslims cannot consume any food or beverages, including water, during daylight hours. George School’s food service department offered to accommodate Dorothy’s family during the month by serving them before dawn. However, this proved not to be feasible once it became evident that sahoor (morning meal) would occur at 4:45 a.m. this year, prior to even the earliest arrival among the food service staff. Dorothy’s family ate sahoor in their apartment instead. In the classroom, Dorothy eased some potential difficulties by making students aware of her religious obligations. “I do explain to my students that Ramadan is going on and that they might see a change in my mood because I am experiencing such a withdrawal on my system,” she says. “Most of them understand and ask questions about the religion.” Her greatest challenge during the month came on Visiting Day, when conducting hours of back-to-back parent conferences without even a drink of water made her feel ill and dehydrated. “I ended up breaking my fast because I honestly did not feel as if I could have made it through the day,” she says. “I broke my fast at lunch, so I would not feel ill during the latter part of the conferences.” Another difficulty for Dorothy has been the fact that her teaching schedule prevents her from attending Jumah, a weekly Friday-afternoon prayer service, at her mosque. While this troubled her, she says that it wasn’t until George School Religion Department Head Chip Poston gave a presentation at faculty meeting about the importance of teachers’ presence at meeting for worship that she realized she had been struggling
with a big question: “What does it mean to be a Muslim working in a Quaker community?” Dorothy wondered how she should be spending her time in meeting for worship. In addition, she wondered, “How can I feel better about fulfilling an obligation to go to meeting but not fulfilling an obligation to go to prayer?” She voiced her struggle at that faculty meeting, and was grateful when her colleagues immediately offered their advice. “I got a lot of suggestions from the community,” she says. For her, the idea of reading verses from the Koran (Islam’s sacred text) aloud in meeting for worship was one of the most enlightening. “I realized I could do whatever I need to do to fulfill who I am,” Dorothy explains. George School, Dorothy believes, is “a great place for people to have the support they need.” Of her colleagues she says, “They’re always open to listening to others and what they’re going through.” In addition, Dorothy notes that the leader of her Muslim community has strengthened her awareness that she can make an important contribution to George School’s community by helping others to learn about Islam. The next time Dorothy attended meeting for worship, it happened to be Eid ul Adha, the Islamic holiday that celebrates the return of Muslims who have completed the hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca). Dorothy felt moved to speak. She shared what the holiday meant to her and expressed that she felt she was on the right path. “That was a milestone,” she states.
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NOTE: Pages 25 through 47 have been 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.
Please help us reach our Annual Fund goal. Gifts needed by June 30
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‘ Total: $900,000 Gifts and pledges as of March 15 $650,771
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George School 2005-2006 Annual Fund PO Box 4438, Newtown PA 18940-0908 215-579-6581 You may make your gift online at http://alumni.georgeschool.org/donations.
Georgian Volume 78 Number 1 April 2006 Georgian Editor Bonnie Bodenheimer georgian@georgeschool.org 215-579-6567
Georgian Staff Peggy Berger Debbie Chong Kim Colando ’83 Odie LeFever Alice Maxfield Juliana Rosati David Satterthwaite ’65
Note: If you have received multiple copies of this issue of the Georgian at your address, please contact us with updated address information by phone at 215-579-6564 or by email at advancement@georgeschool.org. © 2006 George School • Printed on 50% recycled paper
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