Worcester Hilltopper Summer 2022

Letter to the Editor

Hilltopper

Board of Trustees Officers & Members

President

David Shamoian ’70

Vice President

Megan O’Leary P’20

Treasurer

Jonathan S. Stuart ’86

Secretary

Susan Puryear P’19,’21

Good memories of roommate and Academy 73 years after graduation

Dear WA,

I learned from The Hilltopper magazine that my roommate in my senior year, Jackie Lonergan ’49, passed away some time ago. Although we went different ways after we left the Academy, we both married and raised large families. He beat me. He had six children; I only had five.

Jackie and I used to talk about how good WA was. We had a great time in our senior year. I was lucky to have a roommate like Jackie. He was a superb human being.

I wish I could tell each one of his children they were really lucky. Their father was top notch.

At 93, I am doing okay with my beautiful wife of 68 years of marriage, living in Key Biscayne, FL.

I still have good memories of WA, even after 73 years.

Sincerely, Jorge Blanco ’49

Dr. Marla Abodeely ’90

Benny Sato Ambush ’69

Sava B. Berhané, J.D. ’03 Nora Toohy Brooks

Jamie E. Lavin Buzzard ’02

Courtney N. Carr, Esq. Peter Cronin ’80

Lawrence A. Gordon ’72, P’11 Michal Grabias ’11

J. Michael Grenon ’88

Ernst Guerrier P’19 William Haddad ’92

William H. Kettlewell ’69, P’08

Michael J. Mangaudis P’11,’14

Michael J. O’Neil Jr. ’01

Caroline Reich P’06,’08

Dr. Michael T. Shannon ’73 Luke M. Vaillancourt ’01

Summer 2022

Volume XXXI / Issue 1

Head of School

Kevin Breen

Hilltopper Editor

Neil R. Isakson P’15,’19

Graphic Designer

Good Design LLC, www.gooddesignusa.com

Photography

Karla Cinquanta

Neil Isakson P’15,’19 Tom Kates Photography

Development Office

Jennifer DiFranco P’25,’27 Director of Development

Alicia Figueiredo Director of Alumni Relations

Alex Garcia Development Associate

Neil R. Isakson P’15,’19

Director of External Communications & Development Operations

Anette Macintire P’22 Development Database Manager

Suzanne Nebelung P’22,’24 Manager of Everyday Excellence: The Annual Fund at Worcester Academy

Samuel Sadowsky Development Officer

Featured Writers

Cheryl Bardoe is a visiting educator, author, and a frequent writer in the independent school community.

Contributing Writers

Frank Callahan ’71 is retired director of planned giving at Worcester Academy. He serves as WA’s unofficial historian.

Alicia Figueiredo is director of alumni relations at Worcester Academy.

Laura Lenis ’07, who goes by the stage name, Laura Lyons, is a comedian & actress who has been featured in Daily Beast, Time Out, and Quickie Fest.

The Hilltopper is published twice yearly by Worcester Academy. Reader comment, as well as information of interest, is always welcome. Please write to Neil R. Isakson, director of external communications & development operations, at Worcester Academy, 81 Providence St., Worcester, MA 01604, or email neil.isakson@worcesteracademy.org.

Mission

Core Values

We are a community—curious, thoughtful, generous, and thriving in our diversity. We embrace each of our core values as essential to the mission of Worcester Academy and as testimony of our beliefs and commitments. HONOR | RESPECT | COMMUNITY | PERSONAL GROWTH | CHALLENGE

Worcester Academy exists to instill in its students the desire to learn throughout life, to engage passionately with the world around them, and to be honorable persons of strong and resourceful character.

On the Cover

Worcester Academy celebrates a transformative $20 million gift from American businessman Ron Capozzoli Sr. '49 and his wife, Markay.

2016 CASE DI Silver Award winner for General Excellence, Independent School Magazines

Jorge Blanco, left, and John "Jackie" Lonergan, 1949 Varsity Basebal Team.

START HERE.

Head of School’s Column

Academy Alumni Spend “The Best Days” of Their Lives On The Hilltop

Meeting with donors and learning their stories is deeply fulfilling work, and I have enjoyed getting to know graduates from among our 7,000-plus-strong alumni community. Among them are graduates from nine decades, international and domestic, boarders and day students, postgraduates, Academy “Lifers,” and many more. As is the case at many schools, they

the best days of my life at Worcester Academy” (page 4). You’ll hear a similar refrain from Academy postgrads (page 8) and from our esteemed Worcester Scholars (page 14). In each case, and in so many more, they use phrases and words such as “powerful,” “life-changing,” and “transformative” to describe the impact Worcester Academy has had on the trajectory of their lives.

are a thriving and diverse group whose interests and professions vary widely. In my experience, however, Worcester Academy graduates are more appreciative of their experience and, therefore, more passionate and articulate in recounting joyful memories of the mentors and friends who impacted their formative years.

For so many, the Worcester Academy years were the most impactful period of their lives, whether they spent one, four, or seven years on our celebrated Hilltop. These were years marked by personal growth and a strong sense of belonging, characteristics that are as vivid in their stories as they are relevant in later life.

In this issue of the Hilltopper, you’ll read about alum L. Ron Capozzoli ’49, patriarch of a loyal and generous WA legacy family, who says, “I experienced

This year I had the pleasure of traveling the country and hearing those stories with Kim Stone, director of development, who began as a major gift officer at WA in 2005. Kim retired in August after 17 years of service. I would like to thank her for her friendship and many contributions. She has built relationships with countless members of our community, which gratefully lay the groundwork for partnership and investment in the Academy’s strategic and master plans as well as future capital campaigns.

Sometimes philanthropy begins with a simple shift in mindset, a sudden sense of gratitude that leads to a more profound appreciation of the meaningful relationships and affiliations in a donor’s life. Meeting with a donor who has made that shift is a special privilege, and I credit Kim for teaching me a greater appreciation for the humanity in those moments. An active listener, she always affirmed the wonderful stories of transformative moments that our donors shared with us.

Worcester Academy graduates are making an honorable difference wherever they go in the world. As Kim enjoys more leisurely times in the years to come, she will no doubt continue making a difference in the world around her, wherever she goes. W

“Sometimes philanthropy begins with a simple shift in mindset, a sudden sense of gratitude that leads to a more profound appreciation of the meaningful relationships and affiliations in a donor’s life. Worcester Academy graduates are making an honorable difference wherever they go in the world.”

“There are no words for the difference this gift is making for Worcester Academy. This campus and the school will be completely different because of Ron Capozzoli. We’re unbelievably grateful.”

—Kevin Breen Head of School

Extraordinary Generosity Already Spurring Investment and Growth at Worcester Academy

by Cheryl Bardoe

The fond memories that Ron Capozzoli ’49, P’85, GP’14 has of The Megaron illustrate the multiple dimensions that iconic space during his time at Worcester Academy. He recalls being sent there for study hall when he fell behind in his classes. He also remembers shooting pool there with friends. He was the best pool player on campus and even beat future legendary WA athletic director and coach Dee Rowe ’47. Mr. Capozzoli appreciated how the Academy cultivated both responsibility and fun.

“I experienced the best days of my life at Worcester Academy,” he says. “I gained the confidence to continue my education, and I made wonderful friends. Honestly, I didn’t want to leave.”

In gratitude for that cherished experience, Mr. Capozzoli has made a $20M transformative gift to Worcester Academy to ensure that future generations of Hilltoppers also experience the best days of their lives on campus. The gift is already fueling Worcester Academy’s efforts to revitalize facilities and is powering investment in programs, endowment, and financial aid. Additionally, $1M in funds are being directed to the Capozzoli family endowed scholarship fund at Worcester Academy.

Because of the extraordinary gift, work is underway to return The Megaron to its original splendor. Worcester Academy has announced it will rename the building as the Capozzoli Family Megaron in recognition for Mr. Capozzoli’s generosity. A new state-of-the-art recreation and athletic complex, plans for which are being finalized, will also honor Mr. Capozzoli. The proposed complex would be located at the Academy’s South Campus, site of the former St. Vincent Hospital property on Providence Street.

A Life-Changing WA Experience

Mr. Capozzoli came to the Academy on the recommendation of a family friend, Henry Hormel ’26. Mr. Capozzoli had recently graduated from Medford High School and was working for his father’s construction business when Mr. Hormel suggested that he might benefit from a year at the Academy.

“He assured me that it would be life-changing, just as it had been for him,” Mr. Capozzoli says.

At the Academy, Mr. Capozzoli benefited from the mentoring of excellent faculty, the forging of friendships, and playing football and basketball. Looking back, he credits that time with being an important influence in his lifetime of personal and professional success.

Worcester Academy Head of School Kevin Breen hears such stories frequently from alumni, who often seem transported in time as they talk fondly of the Academy, whether they came as freshman or as a capstone for their high school experience.

“Alumni remember Worcester Academy as a place in their lives where they put things together,” Mr. Breen says. “They value the mentors who said, ‘We expect more out of you,’ and how that led them to expect more themselves.”

Of course, there are sometimes hijinks along the way, and Mr. Capozzoli was a bit of a prankster. One that stands out was when on a lark he began raising ducklings in the closet of his room.

“When Headmaster Campbell called me into his office to reprimand me,” Mr. Capozzoli says, “I pointed out that the Code of Conduct stated that dogs and cats were not allowed in the dorms. There was no statement about ducklings. Headmaster Campbell just said, ‘Ok. You got me.’ So I kept the ducklings until they were grown. I’d even take the ducks out for walks on the Quad!”

Mr. Capozzoli has always been grateful to Mr. Hormel and Academy faculty for seeing potential in him. That’s why his own son, Chris ’85, and his grandson, Christopher ’14 Capozzoli, also completed post-grad years at the Academy. And, in 2019, Ron Capozzoli endowed The Capozzoli Family Scholarship, which is awarded annually to a WA student who demonstrates friendliness and contributes to school life through involvement in athletics, clubs, or other activities.

“There are no words for the difference this gift is making for Worcester Academy,” says Mr. Breen. “This campus and the school will be completely different because of Ron Capozzoli. We’re beyond words.” W

“I experienced the best days of my life at Worcester Academy.

I gained the confidence to continue my education, and I made wonderful friends. Honestly, I didn’t want to leave.”

—Ron Capozzoli Sr. Worcester Academy Class of 1949

Megaron Being Restored to Original Splendor and Purpose

Building to be Renamed Capozzoli Family Megaron in Recognition of Gift

by Cheryl Bardoe

On an unseasonably warm December day in 1905, natural light streamed through gracefully arched windows at the opening of a building that was “unique in purpose, equipment, and inspiring power to develop sound ideals of mind and body,” according to a reporter for the Boston Evening Transcript. The Megaron—the last of the nationally registered landmark buildings to be constructed on Worcester Academy’s campus—connected Walker and Adams halls and was destined to become the heart of our historic campus.

The presidents of Dartmouth, Harvard, and Brown were amongst the crowd celebrating this Romanesque Revival building, the centerpiece of which was a great room designed to become a hub of community

interaction. The Megaron was named for and modeled after the spacious halls that were the most important rooms in the palaces and temples of ancient Greece. Here, Academy students could gather in fellowship

with friends, enjoy music and entertainment, and find quiet moments of reflection. “We are met to dedicate a building to the good fellowship, the truest friendships, and the finest culture,” announced Greek scholar and 18th Head of School Daniel Abercrombie. “Through the spacious and appropriately furnished hall, the minds of the youth will be lifted to the inspiring associations of school life and to their noble uses and privileges.”

Now, more than a century later, the Megaron is undergoing a dramatic renovation to become the Academy’s living room once again thanks to an unrestricted gift of $20 million from commercial real estate developer and businessman Ron Capozzoli Sr. ’49.

In addition to fueling Worcester Academy’s efforts to revitalize facilities, the gift is advancing investment in programs, endowment, and scholarship to take the Academy into its third century as a leading American independent school.

In appreciation for the generous gift, The Megaron will be renamed The Capozzoli Family Megaron.

“We are tremendously grateful to the Capozzoli family for its commitment to providing future students with a life-changing experience at Worcester Academy,” says Kevin Breen, Worcester Academy Head of School.

“The ideas behind The Megaron … transcend time. An important part of the Worcester Academy experience is about learning how to balance freedom and accountability, and the activities of The Megaron synthesize these values.”

—Kevin Breen Head of School

Artist's rendering of what a restored Megaron may look like.

Educational Values in Action

The concept for The Megaron emerged after Abercrombie, who was head of school from 1882–1918, took a sabbatical to travel through Europe to investigate leading educational approaches.

“Abercrombie recognized that the world was changing,” Mr. Breen says, “and he was thinking proactively about what his students needed to succeed as business and community leaders. The Megaron was a way to give the students their own space to be themselves and converse.”

Instantly after opening, The Megaron became a popular site for socializing and studying. American songwriter and composer Cole Porter, Class of 1909, was one of many who played The Megaron’s grand piano while just hanging out among friends. The room also was the site of formal performances, dances, lectures, and other school events. Essentially, The Megaron highlights the importance of human connection as a cornerstone of education by providing a space where students could build strong relationships with each other, with faculty, and with their community. History, too, comes into focus. A dugout canoe used by arctic explorer Donald Baxter MacMillan, a WA faculty member, during explorations of the North Pole with Admiral Robert E. Peary in 1909, is proudly displayed above the grand fireplace there.

“The building represents social-emotional learning for its era,” Breen explains. “The ideas behind The Megaron are so compelling that they transcend time. An important part of the Worcester Academy experience is about learning how to balance freedom and accountability, and the activities of The Megaron synthesize these values.”

Bringing Back the Academy’s Living Room

Renovation of The Megaron is already well underway and will be completed before school opens this fall. Already warm tones radiate from the brick walls that have been cleaned on both the exterior and the

interior. In addition, a patio has been added to extend The Megaron’s purpose to the outdoors and make it the cornerstone of a pedestrian corridor on the quad. Inside, the grand hall that had evolved into an auxiliary dining space will be converted back to a space primarily for studying and socializing. New wood floors will be installed, alongside lighting fixtures that will highlight The Megaron’s distinct wooden ceiling and trusses, which will be returned to the rich dark green and red of the room’s original décor. Furnishings will include comfortable seating and tables with ports to charge electronic devices.

Research shows that being in beautiful spaces instills a sense of calm, and that students appreciate having heritage buildings on campuses.

“Offering spaces that enhance a sense of wellbeing and connection is very sought-after in our chaotic world,” explains Jean Carroon of Goody Clancy, an architecture firm that advises the Academy on its historic campus.

Trustee David Shamoian ’70 knows firsthand that The Megaron has a special place in alumni hearts. In addition to hanging out with friends, he recalls going there for club meetings, class meetings, and even his senior prom.

“We are going back to Dr. Abercrombie’s vision of a great living room for the Academy where students can gather together,” he says. Mr. Shamoian’s favorite part of the room is its impressive fireplace with its surrounding seating. Thanks to the renovation, focus lighting will accentuate above this fireplace where the school’s emblem and motto— Achieve the Honorable—are carved in stone.

The renovation of The Megaron is part of a larger vision to invest in WA’s historical campus at the same time that we develop newer facilities on the more recently acquired South Campus. Both sectors are vital as the 188-year-old Academy looks ahead to serving students into its third century.

“The core of a Worcester Academy education is the academic experience and the mentorship that is delivered by our expert faculty, alongside the fellowship that is built among our students,” Mr. Shamoian says. “Investing in our buildings and facilities is important because they create the environment that facilitates this educational experience.”

The Megaron certainly plays a special role in uniting generations of Academy students.

“Think about the young men and women who have passed through this building for more than a century and the more that will come,” Ms. Carroon says. “It’s really quite wonderful the stories this building could tell.” W

circa 1940s

Postgraduates Enrich Community

A Defining Year to Focus on Growth, Everyday Excellence, and Leadership

by Cheryl Bardoe

At WA, as a recipient of the Metthew K. Finkle ’87 Scholarship, Postgraduate alumnus Brandon Tate ’15 understands how even just one year at Worcester Academy can make a difference. Mr. Tate, a dedicated scholar athlete, originally sought out a postgraduate year because an injury had disrupted his playing time during the college recruitment season. At WA, he distinguished himself on the football field, elevated his academics, and raised his SAT score by 200 points. “Being at Worcester Academy 100 percent preps you for the next level in everything you do,” Mr. Tate says. “I learned a lot about myself, and I went to college so much better prepared.”

As coordinator of the Academy’s postgraduate program, WA faculty member Wayne Bolden frequently hears such stories. Each year about 20 postgraduate students come to WA looking for opportunities to stretch themselves by living on campus and embracing academic, extracurricular, and social opportunities here before heading off to college. The Academy’s supportive structure helps young adults develop self-advocacy, time management skills, and confidence for navigating the transition to adulthood. “At graduation, our postgraduates and their parents are so appreciative of what this school has done for them,” Mr. Bolden says. “They realize how much they’ve matured and are excited to take the next step.”

For decades, the Academy has welcomed postgraduates who fondly recall the year they spent here as a time when they solidified fundamental life skills, forged lifelong friendships, and began to envision how they might develop their futures. Like other alumni, many of our postgraduates have gone on to become widely recognized in their fields. Notable postgraduate alumni include: Jim Davis ’62, owner and chairman of New Balance Athletics;

Rick Carlisle ’79, head coach of the Indiana Pacers; Joe Philbin ’80, a current coach for the Dallas Cowboys and former head coach of the Miami Dolphins; Mike Malone ’89, head coach of the Denver Nuggets; Melissa Haley ’92, an executive with TIAA Financial Services; Jarret Jack ’02, a 15-year NBA player and currently a coach for the Phoenix Suns.

Cultivating leadership is an important element of the postgraduate experience. Being the oldest students on campus, postgraduates are often looked up to by peers. Many enjoy being proctors in dorms, serving as school ambassadors, and actively participating in student government and clubs. Their experience also has a positive effect on athletics: “They bring a strong team ethic, plus valuable skills to raise the level of play,” Mr. Bolden says.

In addition to academics and extracurricular activities, current postgraduates at the Academy complete 20 hours of community service, many of which they fulfill together, strengthening bonds among their cohort. A particularly popular activity is reading to students or facilitating outdoor activities at nearby Union Hill Elementary School. Postgraduates also choose a career of interest and invest 80 hours in shadowing a professional in that field; they then present their reflections on that experience to the group. The Academy is also partnering with nearby Anna Maria College to offer postgraduates a college-level course on leadership.

“Throughout our program, we offer opportunities for postgraduates to expand their horizons on campus and get a glimpse of the larger world,” Mr. Bolden says.

Mr. Tate says that being surrounded by excellent students from many backgrounds broadened his worldview. “Being at WA was humbling because there were

so many amazing people there,” he says. “I appreciated the chance to go to school with students from Russia, China, Mexico, and to embrace many different cultures.”

After WA, Mr. Tate attended Ithaca College, where he achieved his goals of securing a scholarship and playing football while majoring in television-radio communications. He also studied abroad in London for part of his senior year. Mr. Tate currently works with Pixability, an international firm based in Boston that helps marketers make the most effective use of video in online spaces.

He has also found success as a content creator himself, livestreaming while playing games or facilitating conversations with followers who log in from all across the country, plus France, Australia, Canada and elsewhere. “It’s a passion of mine to create content that connects people from all different walks of life,” he says.

Mr. Tate is grateful for his time at the Academy and remains in touch with many of the friends here. “Coming to Worcester Academy gave me opportunities that I wouldn’t have had otherwise,” he says. “I remember so many lessons about life and amazing conversations with teachers and friends. These are everlasting bonds.” W

“Coming to Worcester Academy gave me opportunities that I wouldn’t have had otherwise. I remember so many lessons about life and amazing conversations with teachers and friends. These are everlasting bonds.”

—Brandon Tate ’15 WA Finkle Scholar & Postgraduate

Launch Here.

WA Students’ Project Wins Ride On NASA Rocket

by Neil Isakson

The ingenuity and originality of a Worcester Academy team science project is taking STEM achievement to new heights. NASA has selected the group’s Academy project as a NASA TechRise Student Challenge winner.

The win, in the NASA Challenge’s Suborbital Rocket category, greenlights the team of four students to include their engineering project on a NASA rocket to be launched sometime in 2023.

Among the winning Worcester Academy students are Donovan Sappet ’24 of Sterling (team lead and project innovator), Katie Adiletta ’23 of Bolton, Ritvik Chand ’23 of Shrewsbury, and Junhyuk Choi ’22 of South Korea.

The Worcester Academy project, “Exploring the Effectiveness of Photo-Analysis Threat Identification in Microgravity,” was one of 37 projects nationwide that NASA selected to be launched into space by suborbital rocket. The rocket will achieve a height of greater than 100 kilometers.

Donovan, whose initiative jump-started and continues to drive the project, recently attended a NASA summer camp. It energized him to begin thinking about a career in physics or aerospace, maybe even at NASA, the pinnacle of the space industry.

Inspired, he joined with three other WA students to take up the NASA TechRise Challenge and to further explore their interests in space and engineering.

“By winning the NASA TechRise Challenge, we have the amazing opportunity to be mentored by

NASA-affiliated scientists and engineers,” says Donovan. “This project allows us to utilize our Worcester Academy classroom and personal passions and apply them to a real-world challenge.

“It is very exciting to take our initial concept and work through all the issues and challenges to ultimately construct an end product that will be launched into space,” he says. “This is going to be a really great learning opportunity that will allow us to flex our academic muscle.”

He says the project, “Exploring the Effectiveness of Photo-Analysis Threat Identification in Microgravity,” will test the effectiveness of different photo-analysis algorithms at identifying threats in several conditions in microgravity. The hope is that their project’s data will be able to support future implementation of technology onto satellites to increase reaction time against space debris and avoid catastrophic damage.

Engineering and Physical Science Challenge

WA Science faculty member Russ Ruthen has high praise for the Worcester Academy students. Mr. Ruthen is mentoring the students, while Science Department Chair Chris Aguiar reviewed the application and has been handling the administrative details, including a grant of $1,500.

“The overall challenge is engineering but has a heavy component of physical science as students need to understand the mechanics of space debris,” Mr. Ruthen notes. “The rocket provides power for the experiment and maintains reasonable pressures and temperatures, but the team will need to figure out how to keep their system operating at 18 times gravitational force—that’s about double the acceleration of the world’s best fighter jets.”

Other challenges include simulating the motion of the debris inside the box, which is smaller than a shoe box, he says.

“They will use lights and cameras, and a computer processor will track the motion of the debris,” Mr. Ruthen says. “Given commercially available and inexpensive cameras, they will explore the limits of how small, how fast, and what types of materials they can detect.

You can find the Worcester Academy project listed here at www.futureengineers.org/nasatechrise. Look for it under Suborbital Rocket Winners heading. W

“By winning the NASA TechRise Challenge, we have the amazing opportunity to be mentored by NASA-affiliated scientists and engineers. This project allows us to utilize our Worcester Academy classroom and personal passions and apply them to a real-world challenge.”

—Donovan Sappet ’24 NASA TechRise Team Lead

From left are Donovan Sappet ’24, Katie Adiletta ’23, Ritvik Chand ’23, and Junhyuk Choi ’22.

A PROFILE OF COURAGE: Carrying a Cat By Its Tail

The following is an abridged version of the famous and oft-recollected Commencement Address given by Worcester Academy Dean of Faculty George M. Andes on June 8, 1996.

Members of the Class of 1996.

Mark Twain has been credited with the following bit of wisdom: The boy who carries a cat around by its tail learns a lesson which can be taught in no other way.

Fourteen years ago, I discovered I was holding a cat by its tail. My cat was a many greats-grandchild of a breed first identified in 1817 by an English physician named James Parkinson. I am a life member of the T-A-A-H-O-O-T-W-C-O-O-JP-C-A-B-I-T. That's The Ancient and Honorable Order of Those Who Carry One of James Parkinson's Cats Around by Its Tail. In the beginning, my cat was just a small kitten, a bad tempered kitten to be sure, but still just a kitten.

Those of us with a chronic, progressive illness are scarce enough to be objects of mild curiosity, but also common enough that everyone knows, or at least knows of, one or more of us. The present bittersweet stage of modern medical science, namely, its ability to prolong life without necessarily restoring health, assures that as time passes more and more of you will become like the more and more of us. That being so, I thought you might be interested in hearing about my life with my cat. I can only speak directly about Parkinson's Disease, but I suspect that the human condition is sufficiently general that the experience of those who have diabetes or muscular dystrophy or rheumatoid arthritis or any other chronic ailment will not be greatly misrepresented by what I say about my particular situation.

My cat and I have had 14 years of forced companionship, but certainly not 14 years of friendship. My unhappy kitten has grown into a large angry cat. For 14 years, my cat has hissed at me and spit at me,

clawed me, and bitten me. He has slowed my step and stooped my back. He has slurred my speech and caused me to shake all over. He has stolen my balance and disturbed my sleep. He gives no quarter. When I get angry and give him a good shaking, he becomes furious and spits and lashes out with his claws. When I try to placate him, he bites me. He also demands my full attention. If I turn my face away, he claws my ear. My companion's anger is unrelenting, and the damage he does is progressive and irreversible.

My cat keeps my calendar. It is he, not I; it is he, not my physician; it is he and he alone who chooses when and chooses what for me. It was he who chose this day for me to speak to you. I would not be speaking to you today if I had been given a choice in the matter. But my cat hissed at me, "This is it, George. No more playing at being Dean. You work for me now."

Mark Twain says my cat is teaching me a lesson. My cat is indeed a very fine teacher. I wouldn't ever give him the Reverend Edward Merrill Dart Award for personal growth, but he certainly deserves to be considered for the Andrew J. O'Connell Lifetime Teaching Award.

imaginations, and heads full of wrong facts. They must learn better skills. They must open their eyes and their minds to the world as it is. They must put away their childish notions. They must cast away their selfpride and self-esteem. Thus they can learn.

My cat does not care about my self-esteem. He is giving me lessons in living with adversity, lessons in how to get around and get along with an increasingly useless body, a body which every day is less and less under my voluntary control. My self-esteem is up to me. If I am offended or embarrassed by my cat's latest attack on my dignity, that's my problem.

Here are some of my cat's lessons starting with the most elementary. Imagine the whole Andes family is standing up here, children, in-laws, grandchildren, the whole clan. Now, which one of us has Parkinson's Disease? The answer is: We all do. Parkinson's Disease is not contagious, but it is associative.

My bonnie wife, Jean, has my Parkinson's Disease worst of all. As I slowly succumb to my angry cat, she must work ever harder. Her responsibilities increase as my abilities decline. We who carry the cane get some

The essayist and PBS commentator Richard Rodriguez has correctly observed that education is not at all concerned with improving students' self-esteem. In fact, children enter school with poor skills, limited

Dean George Andes at Worcester Academy’s 1996 Commencement ceremonies.

“A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way.”

—Mark Twain

public attention. They that walk beside us with tired steps, weary faces, and sad eyes, they that care for us, are largely invisible. Yet they bear a heavy burden; and they need support and recognition.

Each time I ask for or accept help, I feel little bits and pieces of my independence slipping away. I feel myself drifting from the kingdom of the healthy to the kingdom of the afflicted, from the society of the competent to the society of those who cannot manage by themselves, from the congregation of the normal to the congregation of the not quite normal. So it is, and so it will be ...

Here are some observations I call "Deep Claw Marks."

My cat has taught me that I have within me reserves of strength and patience and courage I would not have thought possible; that stubbornness and contrariness are virtues, and that makes me very virtuous indeed; that without the love and care of others, I am nothing; and that I should never judge the burdens of others by their behavior. We are all very good at looking better than we are; and we all carry burdens in private that we prefer to hide in public.

I often refer to my Parkinson's Disease as my peculiar gift. That distresses my family. I have always

accepted my good fortune and many good gifts without complaint and without acknowledgment or thanks. On what ground, therefore, should I now complain to the Almighty? Please understand me: I do not like my Parkinson's Disease. It has robbed me of my independence, taken pleasure from my life, stripped away my self-confidence, sapped my energy, depressed my family, separated me from my friends, driven me from my profession, and darkened my future. Yet it has also, as Mark Twain knew, taught me lessons ...

As I look back on my education, apart from my parents and my children, three teachers stand far above all the rest: my first grade teacher, Miss Davis, my wife, Jean, and my angry cat. Each has given me his or her own gifts. My cat's gift to me is the gift of unwelcome truth. He holds before me the mirror of self-revelation and forces me to stare into it, unblinking, until I see myself as I am ...

My Advice to the Graduating class ...

Whatever you do, where ever you go, keep your eyes, your heart, and your mind open: the gifts of the Almighty appear unexpectedly and in disguise. As you walk through life, therefore, watch your step. Look

down. Are your feet on a well-worn path or a paved road? Then think of those who came this way before you and built this road and made your way easy.

Perhaps instead you may find that you are walking through a wilderness, and your feet are trampling weeds and thistles? Then you are the pioneer and the road builder. Build your road straight and true; it will bear your name. Don't build a road you will be ashamed of.

It may be as you walk along that you discover that you are carrying a cat of some sort or other by its tail. Then you must examine the ground closely. There will be footprints of others who came that way carrying the same cat. Look carefully. You will know them by the tufts of cat fur. Follow these footsteps, for they will show you the way of those who also carry your breed of cat ...

My fondest wish for each of you is that you live your life honestly and accept whatever comes your way, good and bad alike, with imagination and courage and humility.

Dean Andes, a longtime physics teacher at Worcester Academy, died in 2010 at the age of 76. He carried his cat by its tail for 28 of those years. W

“My fondest wish for each of you is that you live your life honestly and accept whatever comes your way, good and bad alike, with imagination and courage and humility.”

Investment Banker and Philanthropist Bob Dorfman ’69 Helping to Fuel Worcester ‘Renaissance’

Alumnus says WA taught him to show up ‘ready to play’ and to deliver more than he promises

by Alicia Figueiredo

Class of 1969 Worcester Academy alumnus Robert “Bob” Dorfman is an entrepreneurial banker serving socially responsible development in historic restoration, affordable and market rate housing, brownfields redevelopment, and renewable energy. Over the years he has completed over $1 billion in financing for corporations and real estate developers, much of it in the form of government issued tax credits.

That’s a big deal—especially when you consider that his efforts have helped fuel the “renaissance” in the city of Worcester, where reconstruction and new projects abound in a city that has regained its swagger. Worcester has become the place to live and work in recent years and Bob is proud to be playing a part.

Among the important Dorfman Capital financed projects in Worcester that Bob points to are the redevelopment of Hanover Theatre, Voke Lofts, the former Worcester YWCA building, Lofts at Loomworks, the former Mary D. Stone School in

Auburn, and Abby’s House.

“Worcester is a primary market for my business,” Bob says, noting he’s a Worcester native. “I saw the need for revitalization and redevelopment in Worcester, and I knew that the community would benefit immensely from tax credit equity finance, which is a government incentive for real estate developers to take on challenging projects.”

While Bob is now a philanthropist and prominent businessman, he has never forgotten the “Everyday Excellence” of his Worcester Academy experience in the late-1960s. It’s time spent at WA with his friends and with outstanding faculty and coaches that helped prepare him for life beyond the Hilltop.

Bob says his Worcester Academy years helped him become the person he is today, and they gave him tools he needed to eventually form Dorfman Capital, a highly regarded investment banking boutique company established in 1990.

Academy is a cornerstone of my life. My time at WA left an indelible mark on me and taught me to excel, improve, and perform. That’s helped me compete effectively throughout my life and been integral to all my accomplishments.”

—Bob Dorfman President,

Dorfman Capital Worcester Academy Class of 1969

“Worcester Academy is a cornerstone of my life,” Bob says. “My time at WA left an indelible mark on me and taught me to excel, improve, and perform. That’s helped me compete effectively throughout my life and been integral to all my accomplishments.”

Bob was first introduced at the age of eight to WA when he attended the WA Sports Camp. He and friends from Worcester’s West Side often attended WA sports camps in summertime. Later, during his high school years at Worcester Academy, Bob became assistant aquatic director and swimming coach at the Sports Camp.

In high school, Bob was an outstanding athlete, MVP and captain of the Worcester Academy swimming team. He also belonged to the Worcester Academy Offbeats, a student singing group.

“Being a competitive swimmer taught me how to face adversity, my inner demons, to keep growing and to carry on with human dignity toward others and myself,” Bob states.

“Worcester

Bob Started Here.

While a good student, he recalls one lesson in particular.

“Our biology teacher, Richard Daniels, assigned a number of big projects to us, and I didn’t really like biology class,” Bob says. “But he inspired my class and me when he said, ‘You need to have a gimmick for your project. Don’t give me homogenized milk.’ I took that to mean I needed to distinguish myself from the crowd, and ultimately as an entrepreneur, to innovate and find business niches to excel in.

“As an athlete, I developed a competitive drive and desire to win, and I've brought those attributes to the business world,” he says. “In a very competitive industry I've found my own ways to contribute and win.”

Bob continues, “Business is my favorite sport and a major source of my self-expression.”

After attending WA, Bob attended Tufts University for liberal arts where he continued as captain of the Tufts Swimming Team and then went on to receive an MBA from Boston University. While at BU, he found he enjoyed business and later spent several years gaining banking expertise in New York City and Boston.

While in Boston, he learned about government incentive finance, which is when a federal, state, or local government provides financing incentives to both for-profit and nonprofit developers to take on otherwise not commercially viable projects. Interestingly he became familiar with the need for tax credits when his family’s business, Home Oil Company on Southbridge Street in Worcester, was required by the EPA to do an environmental cleanup of oil spills on their property.

“At the time, in the 1980s, it was challenging for my family to invest their own money in an environmental cleanup,” he says. “Fast forward to 2008 when I gravitated to being an expert in the Massachusetts Brownfields Tax Credit Program, all because of my family having had that challenging experience.”

Since 2006, Dorfman Capital has helped real estate owners finance environmental cleanups and historic renovations on their properties using a variety of tax credits.

In addition to his commitment to the investment banking industry, Bob is also a loyal donor to Worcester Academy, the universities he attended, economic development, and socially responsible initiatives as well as Jewish causes.

“I'm a committed philanthropist to causes that are close to my heart, especially Worcester Academy, which I've included in my estate plans,” Bob states.

“The Academy taught me to Achieve the Honorable.

That means my word is my bond, I show up ready to play, and I deliver more than I promise.”

Bob and his wife, Miriam, currently live in Centerville on Cape Cod, where he enjoys entertaining guests at his self-proclaimed own “Dorfman Atlantic Sports Camp.” The grounds of their home include a basketball and tetherball court, a frisbee field, an indoor pool, kayak river access and a labyrinth for meditative walks.

“My core philosophy, which has propelled me through the decades, is to live an active, vibrant, happy life and to stay connected with the energy of my youth,” says Bob. “Worcester Academy will always be an important source of inspiration.” W

Left: Voke Lofts, Worcester.

Right: Bob Dorfman's Worcester Academy Varsity Swim Team image.

Below: Abby's House, Worcester.

LIFE-CHANGING TRANSFORMATION STARTS HERE.

Worcester Scholars Program Evolves

Celebrating 25 years of opportunity and growth

by Cheryl Bardoe

This year, Worcester Academy celebrates the 25th anniversary of a unique scholarship to create opportunities specifically for students from Worcester. Long known as the “Neighborhood Scholars Program,” this initiative has now been expanded and renamed the “Worcester Scholars Program” to honor the relationship between the Academy and its hometown. “This is one of many partnerships that demonstrate our commitment to the city of Worcester,” says Abigail Mensah O. Thompson, associate director of admission for multi-cultural recruitment. “We’re excited to create more opportunities for our city’s students to access the excellent education we provide.”

Since 1997, this program has awarded a full scholarship each year to support a highly-talented local student beginning in the Middle School at Worcester Academy and continuing through Upper School and graduation. The expansion of the program now allows the Academy to support two students in each grade in high school, for a full cohort of 11 students per year at WA. Eligible students can also now come from anywhere in the city, not just the Academy neighborhood. In addition to tuition, Worcester Scholars benefit from a specialized orientation to campus, monthly cohort meetings that provide an affinity space, and thoughtful mentoring to enhance the student experience. The goal is for every student to feel confident in taking full advantage of what the Academy has to offer. “I’m very proud of how engaged our Worcester Scholars are,” Ms. Mensah-Thompson says. “Whether it’s academics, arts, or athletics, they shine as leaders in every space across campus.”

The competitive scholarship attracts top students from throughout the city. Applicants undergo the regular admission process, including an interview and documenting eligibility for financial aid; they also respond to several essay prompts specific to how

they hope to grow by becoming a Worcester Scholar. “These students have already shown an academic aptitude and interest in personal development,” Ms. Mensah-Thompson says. “They are looking for challenge—academically speaking and beyond—and they want to give back to their community.”

President Barack Obama. Mr. Lopez also discovered that he wanted to become a lawyer when he participated in the Mock Trial Club, run by then college counseling director Jonathan Baker.

Since graduating from Gordon College, Mr. Lopez has worked in business and in the Massachusetts Attorney

“LIFE-CHANGING IMPACT”

“Coming to Worcester Academy has a life-changing impact for students like myself because of the quality of education and the opportunities it offers,” says Joshua Lopez ’10. Mr. Lopez applied to become a Worcester Scholar because of encouragement from his parents and teachers at nearby Union Hill Elementary School. “My parents have always valued education, and Worcester Academy is well-known in the community,” he says.

Mr. Lopez recalls many special opportunities at WA, including being a leader in student government, developing himself as a public speaker, and traveling to Washington, D.C., with peers and teachers to be a student reporter covering the 2009 inauguration of

First Year Suffolk Law School Student

“The teachers at Worcester Academy were so invested in seeing me do well. That had a domino effect on my learning style, my maturity, and my professionalism that still influences how I present myself as a student and professional today.”

—Joshua Lopez ’10 Worcester Scholar

General’s office. He and his wife, Lily, celebrated the birth of their son, Malachai, last year, and Mr. Lopez is now in his first year of studying law at Suffolk Law School. “The teachers at Worcester Academy were so invested in seeing me do well,” he says. "That had a domino effect on my learning style, my maturity, and my professionalism that still influences how I present myself as a student and professional today.”

OPPORTUNITIES AND INSPIRED TEACHING

Martha Kebeh ’16 fondly remembers taking her first campus tour: “It was beautiful, and everyone was so friendly. I could see myself learning a lot and enjoying myself there.” That foresight came true. In English class with Suzanne Callis, Ms. Kebeh was inspired by unlocking so much meaning from literature; in biology class with Alexis King, she was transfixed with amazement about the human body. Ms. Kebeh also began a study of Mandarin that she continued into college, thus studying the language for a total of 10 years. Outside of

class, “WA is definitely where I discovered my love for athletics that is so enduring to this day,” she says. After majoring in molecular and cellular biology at Harvard University, Ms. Kebeh is now in her first year of medical school at Yale University. She appreciates how her time at the Academy offered so much autonomy over her learning. “I had a lot of opportunities to figure out my academic identity,” she says. “It’s very powerful to be in an environment early on where you have so much support, and also room to make mistakes that you can learn from and build on in the future.”

Ms. Kebeh is proud of both Worcester Academy and her city—and of how they interact. “I love Worcester

for its diverse community that supports one another,” she says. “Even people who haven’t been here long quickly find community and reasons to love the place. The city of Worcester and Worcester Academy both have a lot to offer each other.”

The Worcester Scholars Program is an excellent example to prove that point. W

“I had a lot of opportunities to figure out my academic identity. It’s very powerful to be in an environment early on where you have so much support, and also room to make mistakes that you can learn from and build on in the future.”

—Martha Kebeh ’16 Worcester Scholar First Year Yale University Medical Student

“I am so grateful for the Worcester Scholars Program.”

—Shania Nelson ’22 Worcester Scholar Brandeis University Freshman

99 (kinda) Hilarious Days

In A Medically Induced Coma

by Laura Lenis '07

Well reader, in March of 2020 I caught COVID. And not just any type of COVID, the worst of the worst. But somehow, after 99 days in a medically induced coma in the ICU on a ventilator and an ECMO machine and half a year in a hospital bed learning how to walk and speak again, I lived to tell uncomfortable jokes about it. Luckily, dark humor is kind of my thing.

Let’s rewind the tape to when this grease fire of a pandemic kicked off. It was late-February 2020 and I was a 31-year-old comedian living in my shoebox Manhattan apartment. While visiting my parents in Massachusetts, I developed flu-like symptoms and ended up testing positive for COVID-19. Despite having no pre-existing conditions, I landed in the ICU on a ventilator before being airlifted to a second hospital for a 99-day catnap powered by modern medicine.

As it turns out, a person like me can learn a lot from almost dying.

While the COVID-19 pandemic is no laughing matter, here are nine (almost) hilarious life lessons from my 99 days on a vent in ICU.

1

Worse Things Happened In 2020 Than A Medically Induced Coma

Like, being fully conscious during that wild year. Apparently, between the acceleration of America’s political existential crisis and racial reckoning, I missed a show called “Tiger King.” Then some bajillionaires invented this app called TikTok. What happened? I took

a little month(s) long nap and everyone just lost their minds. I’m tempted to ask the doctors to put me back under until we get things sorted out.

2

Be Careful What You Ask The Universe For

Like every comedian, I secretly wanted to become famous. My astrologer even told me that it would happen in 2020. So I put it out to the universe and, well, it came true. Instead of getting my own Netflix special, I became known as the young girl who might die from COVID. After arriving in ICU, my story went viral online and a whole bunch of bluecheck celebrities tweeted their support for me. Even Amy Schumer sent me a personal “get well” video. I got my five minutes, but not the way I intended.

So be careful what you wish for—or at least be more specific.

Always Be Prepared For The Apocalypse

If 2020 has taught us anything it is that you never know when something might happen that will irrevocably alter your life. So never leave important feelings unspoken, always tell your family you love them, live like today might be your last, blah blah blah.

But here’s another one: Just in case you accidentally end up in a coma, remember that your parents will sift through all your personal items when they clean out your apartment. Take note, if you’re going to die, have your friends go to your place first. Won’t make that mistake again.

4

It Can Always Get Worse. And I Mean, Always

You think your situation is bad because you can’t go to the Bahamas due to of COVID regulations? Try waking up with your face so bloated from steroids you look like a puffer fish, your skin is as dry as a cracked potato, and your mouth has become so small from the ventilator and trach tube that you would definitely lose in a marshmallow eating contest. And then you wake up, unable to move, and you can’t ring your call bell because, you guessed it, you’re paralyzed and the next nurse isn’t coming in for four more hours. So if you’re griping because you have to sit a few feet apart at a concert, you can please oh please mind your Ps and Qs.

5

Health Care Workers Are Heroes, But They Are Horrible Dancers

Health-care workers are placing themselves in harm’s way to monitor vitals, administer treatments, etc., but with the no-visitor policies for COVID patients, they also function like families.

While I was in a coma, nurses played me encouraging audio clips from loved ones, found my Spotify account to play my favorite music, and even braided my hair. When I woke up but was still incapacitated, they gossiped to me about the cute doctors. The nurses and I even had dance parties. And by dance parties, I mean that I slowly bopped my still semi-paralyzed head back and forth to Harry Styles’ “Watermelon Sugar'' while my nurses unrhythmically gyrated their hips. I am forever grateful for them.

6

Your Family Probably Isn’t As Terrible As You Think

If you’ve been stuck at home arguing with your husband and fighting with your parents about wearing a mask, that’s bad. I’m sure you’ve called all your friends to complain about how awful they are. But you know what? They still love you, and you still love them, and I bet you’d be there for each other if one of you needed help. For instance, when my medication made me hairier than my Greek father, my sister had to shave my hands and pluck my mustache. Which means I legally have to name my first born after her. So try to keep everything in perspective.

7

No Matter How Bad, There’s Fun To Be Had

I’ve had time to catch up on all I missed in 2020, and I see you were enjoying Zoom “happy hours,” launching Instagram Live shows, and baking mountains of sourdough bread.

But I should tell you I also found ways to have some fun. Ask my music therapist, she’ll tell you about the time I shouted, “Enough of this Beatles stuff. I want the classics. Give me Britney’s ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time.’” I’m not Bocelli, but I still sang as loud as my lungs would allow—until the nurses told me that I was scaring my 80-year-old heart transplant neighbor.

If you’re alive, no matter your circumstances, make it fun.

8

Your Friends Are Both Better And Worse Than You Assume

Sometimes, time doesn’t mean anything in terms of relationships. You could know a person your whole life and somehow the new friend you met a year ago is the best caregiver out of everyone.

I always assumed my best friend of over a decade valued me. But I didn’t know he cared enough to drive hours in the middle of a pandemic to the hospital to dress up in drag and provide some badly needed entertainment. You have no idea how committed your friends actually are, but a tragedy will tell you.

9 Practice Gratitude, Even When The World’s On Fire

Two years ago I was jumping around on stage in NYC making people laugh and now I am disabled living with my incredibly gracious parents who take care of me. I use an oxygen tank 24/7 to breathe, a wheelchair, and currently take more than 25 prescription medications a day. But I am still here, and I’ll never take for granted a single step or even the ability to make people laugh.

It’s always a gift to be alive— yes, even during a pandemic.

Laura Lenis ’07, who goes by her stage name, Laura Lyons, is a comedian and actress who has been featured in Daily Beast, Time Out, and Quickie Fest. Before the world fell apart, she was a main stage performer on NYC comedy theaters at Magnet Theater and sketch team BoogieManja. Follow Laura on Instagram @LauraLyonsComedy. W

In one of the most exciting basketball games ever played on Rowe Court, Daniels Gymnasium, the Worcester Academy Varsity Boys Basketball Team captured the 2022 NEPSAC Class AA championship in thrilling fashion March 6. The boys beat a talented Bradford Christian Academy 85–83 in an incredible come-from-behind victory.

The championship is the first the Worcester Academy Varsity Boys Basketball Team has won since 2003.

The boys clinched the game, which was close throughout, when co-captain Dan Becil ’22 fired in a go-ahead three-point jumper with less than 10 seconds remaining. Moments later, raucous Worcester Academy fans charged the court and surrounded the jubilant Hilltoppers.

Tournament MVP TJ Power ’23 netted 23 points to lead the offense and was followed in double digit

scoring by Kayvaun Mulready ’24 (19), Tre Norman ’23 (17) Jake Shapiro ’22 (11) and Dan Becil with 10.

In the lead up to the championship game, the Hilltoppers defeated St. George’s 71–49 in quarterfinals and Cushing Academy 62–58 in semifinals.

A special thanks goes out to the four Varsity Boys Basketball Team managers—Aliya Addo ’23, Reianna Delapara ’22, Cabdifataax Maxamuud ’22, and Emma McCarthy ’22. The four worked tirelessly hauling equipment, picking up after practices, operating the scoreboard, and hyping superfans with creative themes to cheer on the team. That this was of the most exciting Worcester Academy home games ever is saying something.

NEPSAC AA Championship Boys Basketball Game A SHOWSTOPPER ATHLETICS

Congratulations to our team, to our coaches, and to our managers on this terrific accomplishment! W

2022 NCAA National Player of the Year ALIYAH BOSTON ’19

Aliyah Boston ’19, America’s top womens basketball player and a standout scholarathlete from Worcester Academy, led her University of South Carolina Gamecocks to a 2022 NCAA College Basketball Championship this past April. Aliyah, 2022 Naismith National Player of the Year, celebrated as she and the Gamecocks clinched the title, the second in team history, with a 64–49 victory over the UConn Huskies. After the win, Aliyah cried tears of joy over the victory, which had eluded her team the previous year. While at Worcester Academy, Aliyah led Worcester Academy Hilltoppers to a 2018 NEPSAC Girls Basketball Championship over Tabor Academy (59–54). The team finished with a 23–1 record that year. Also while attending WA, she helped lead USA Womens Development Basketball Teams to multiple Gold Medal championships. She was Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year three times and was a McDonald’s All American. A native of the U.S. Virgin Islands, Aliyah lived with an aunt in the city of Worcester during high school, which allowed her to attend Worcester Academy as a day student from 9th to 12th grade.

Your friends at Worcester Academy could not be prouder of you, Aliyah! Congratulations! W

Varsity Boys Hockey Wins HOLT CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP

The Worcester Academy Boys Varsity Hockey Team captured the Holt Conference Championship Feb. 27 to cap off a tremendous season. A semifinal win on Saturday over NYA (5–2) set the stage for a Sunday showdown with the #2 seed Portsmouth Abbey.

Jamison Alicandro ’22 put the Hilltoppers on the board with a 1st period goal (game was deadlocked after the 1st period) and Dominic Silvestri ’22 scored the game winner as the Hilltoppers captured their 2nd Holt Conference Championship in the past 5 years.

It was a fitting end to the season as the team came together over the final two months of the season in posting a 13–1–1 record to finish the year with an overall mark of 17–6–1.

Congratulations to our coaching staff and team for a job well done! W

2022 VARSITY CLUB Awards

R. Morgan “Mo” Cassara ’93

Mo Cassara ’93 is a broadcast journalist who has worked at ESPN as a color commentator and for the CBS Sports Network in a similar capacity. A former Worcester Academy and Hofstra University basketball coach, Mo has used his unique skills to host national college sports programming on Sirius XM and Westwood One Radio. He has also made numerous instudio appearances on Fox & Friends, Fox News, News 12 Long Island, and is a frequent guest on Mad Dog Sports Radio, a national syndicated outlet.

Enrolling at Worcester Academy as a postgraduate in 1992, Mo established himself as a campus leader in his role as dorm monitor and as captain of the Boys Varsity Basketball team playing for legendary coach Tom Blackburn. He was Worcester Academy’s 1993 Robert J. Delahanty Prize winner for sportsmanship and went on to become a four-year letter winner at St. Lawrence

University where his dad, Rick, previously served as head varsity boys basketball coach. Mo captained the ’97 St. Lawrence team and helped lead it to a top ten national ranking and a trip to the NCAA tournament.

He returned to WA in 1999 and became head boys varsity basketball coach. During his tenure, the team reached two Class A finals (in 2000 and 2002) and broke through to win the Class A Championship in 2003. His teams won 82% of their games. Along the way, Mo developed numerous future college stars and produced two future NBA players, Jarrett Jack ’02 and Craig Smith ’03.

Following his time coaching at WA, Mo found success in coaching basketball at the University of Dayton as an assistant, at Clark University as head coach, at Boston College in the ACC as an assistant, and finally, at Hofstra University, where he piloted that Colonial Athletic Association team for four

seasons. After leaving Hofstra, he began his career in broadcast journalism, which includes coverage of both Atlantic-10 contests and Patriot League play. He is a proud member of the New England Basketball Hall of Fame (2013) and his 2003 WA championship team has

been inducted into the high school division.

Additionally, Mo owns and operates two successful restaurants in Port Lookout, Long Island, and has been recognized by the Long Island Business News “40 Under 40” for outstanding community leadership.

He resides on Long Island with his wife, Elisa, son, Christian Thomas, and daughter, Elle.

We are proud to recognize Mo Cassara, Worcester Academy Class of 1993, as a 2022 Varsity Club Award recipient.

Thomas E. Blackburn P’77,’80,’82,’85 GP’09,’24

Thomas Blackburn P’77,’80,’82,’85 GP’09,’24 was director of athletics at Worcester Academy from 1973 to 2000. In addition to being the Academy’s longest serving athletic director, he produced and shaped some of the most storied and successful WA athletic programs.

Tom joined the Worcester Academy community in the fall of 1973. In the ensuing years, athletics flourished. Under Tom’s leadership, 24 of his 26 basketball teams qualified for post-season play with seven earning New England Class A Basketball Championships. His baseball teams captured four Central New England Prep School League titles.

Born in Upton, MA, Tom attended Grafton High School. After graduating in 1951, he pursued a postgraduate year at Deerfield Academy, where he was a three-sport star excelling in soccer, basketball, and baseball. He was recruited by Duke University and enrolled in the fall of 1952. While in Durham, he was a stellar basketball player for three years and an outstanding baseball player for his entire four-year career.

Charde Floyd ’03

Charde Floyd ’03 is a passionate mental health therapist in California. She is currently enrolled in doctoral studies in applied clinical psychology at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. A resident of San Diego, CA, she credits Worcester Academy for much of her success in college and beyond. Worcester Academy credits Charde for having bolstered and expanded the horizon of girls athletics here on the Hilltop.

Born and raised in Worcester, Charde arrived at Worcester Academy in the Fall of 1999 and began a journey of academic and athletic excellence. Her experience at WA would set the stage for an accomplished intercollegiate career at Assumption College and for her present role as a mental health therapist.

Just a quarter of a century following the introduction of co-ed education at Worcester Academy, Charde amassed letters in basketball, track & field, and volleyball. She was an MVP in track & field and a

Highlights of his college career include an NCAA appearance at Madison Square Garden vs Villanova and a rare no-hitter vs Rollins College. Following graduation from Duke, Tom chose a teaching and coaching career at Deerfield Academy despite having received minor league baseball offers. Shortly thereafter, he was drafted by the U.S. Army and spent nearly two years in Germany serving his country. On his return, he began what was a Hall of Fame career as a teacher and coach at Grafton High School. He left to become athletic director at Worcester Academy, where he served as head basketball and baseball coach and director of the Worcester Academy sports camp. He spearheaded major improvements to both Daniels Gymnasium and Gaskill Field. In 1995, he was inducted into the Worcester Academy Hall of Fame. In 2002, the Rowe Blackburn Fund for Athletic Excellence at Worcester Academy was established. Additionally, the Academy holds an annual Blackburn Invitational Holiday Basketball Tournament, and the baseball

diamond at Gaskill Field is named in his honor.

In 2011, Tom received the prestigious Martin William Souders Memorial Award from NEPSAC, recognizing significant contributions to athletics and physical education in New England independent schools. His greatest legacy, however, is the example he set for nearly three decades for his players, many of whom went on to careers in sports, and for the entire Worcester Academy community.

Tom and his wife, Peg, who died in 2020, had four children who graduated from the Academy: James ’85, Tracy Crowell ’77, Kelly Blackburn Curran ’82, and Thomas ’80. His granddaughter, Caleigh Crowell, graduated in 2009. A grandson, Jake Blackburn, will graduate in 2024.

Few have served Worcester Academy with such vision, integrity, and dignity and none with more style and grace than Tom Blackburn.

We are proud to recognize Tom Blackburn as a 2022 Varsity Club Award recipient.

two-time MVP in volleyball. She was a four-time MVP in basketball and a four-time scoring leader, a record unmatched in the history of WA’s girls basketball program. Charde also served two years as basketball team captain and led the Hilltoppers in scoring, rebounding, and blocked shots. Her athletic skills and fierce competitiveness helped lead her team to consecutive trips to the NEPSAC Class B Finals and earned her a scholarship to Assumption College, where her basketball career continued.

At Assumption, Charde was a standout forward on the womens basketball team from 2004-2008. She was the NE-10 Conference Rookie of the Year to start and concluded her career being recognized as the defensive player of the year. Along the way, she scored over 1,200 career points and became only the fourth player in Assumption College womens basketball history to reach the milestone of 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.

Charde later received her master’s in rehabilitation counseling in 2019. She has practiced mental health counseling and therapy extensively in the Northeast, in Florida, and in California. Among the Worcester area organizations she served are YOU Inc. and Community Healthlink. She has taught and coached over the years at Assumption College and at the New England Center for Children.

Whether on the basketball court or in her professional career, teammates and colleagues always remember Charde’s integrity and empathy. The character traits she developed at WA, as well as the lessons learned, have served her well over the years. She has found a calling to make mental health her life’s mission and is “Achieving the Honorable” nobly by having a positive impact on those in need.

We are proud to recognize Charde Floyd, Worcester Academy Class of 2003, as a 2022 Varsity Club Award recipient. W

Passings

View Complete Obituaries

To see complete obituaries, sign in or sign up to WorcesterAcademyConnect.org, our dedicated online community for WA alumni. So, sign on—or sign up—and see full obituaries for those listed on this page.

Former Faculty

1946

1948

Donald F. Kenadek Sr. of Uxbridge, MA, died Oct. 5, 2021. He is survived by his loving wife of 67 years, Clara M. (Arciero) Kenadek; two daughters, Claudia A. Blanding and Jane A. Provost; three grandchildren; and five great- grandchildren.

Roy Wallace Peterson of Somers, NY, died Sept. 24, 2019. His wife, Barbara (Samuelsen), predeceased him. He is survived by his children, Linda Schmidt and Nancy Juliano; and two grandchildren.

1951

George N. "Woody" Woodworth of East Lyme, CT, died March 19, 2022. He is a fomer assistant director of of athletics at Worcester Academy. He is survived by his wife, Deborah Woodworth; his three children, Scott, Julie, and Lisa; his sister; and two grandchildren. He is also survived by his first wife, Diane.

Kenneth B. Hedenburg of Worcester died Feb. 23, 2022. He was predeceased by his wife, Janette C. (Christie) Hedenburg, and a daughter, Diane Kane. He leaves two daughters, Pamela Bak and Kimberly Harmon; a son-in-law, Tom Kane; and six grandchildren.

1947

1938

David J. Judson of Manhattan dies Nov. 11, 2021. He is survived by his children: Ellen Judson, Patricia Moser, and David Latham; his second wife, Nadia (Ruzicka); and a granddaughter. His first wife, Virginia (Straus), predeceased him.

Eric L. Peterson of Rocky River, Ohio, died Feb. 20, 2022. He is survived by his children Christian, Allen, Kurt, and John; 10 grandchildren; and 12 great grandchildren. His wife, June (Forsberg), predeceased him.

James F. Eldredge of Raymond, NH, died Dec. 5, 2021. He is survived by his wife, Carolyn Marie (Lodge); his children, Michael, Allison Noyes, Brian, and Christopher; nine grandchildren; and one great grandchild. He was predeceased by his first wife, Katherine Marie (Hoffman).

1952

1957

James Early Gately of Marblehead, MA, and Naples, FL, died April 5, 2022. Jim is survived by his wife, Mary Cook Gately; their three children, Elizabeth Sanmarco, Alison Frost, and Andrew Gately; and seven grandchildren.

Domenic L. Fratantonio died April 9, 2022. He is survived by his wife, Patricia (Booker) Fratantonio; three children, Phillip, Domenic Jr., and Susan O’Connor; and five grandchildren.

Jerold “Jerry” Facey Gilbert, AZ, died June 8, 2020. He was survived by his wife, Irene Andres Facey; children, John-Paul, Jerene, Jeanette Facey, and Griffin.

Lieutenant General Alcide “Cid” LaNoue (RET) 38th Surgeon General, U.S. Army, of Tampa, died Feb. 20, 2021. He was predeceased by his wife, Colonel Elizabeth “Beth” Gortner LaNoue, US Army Nurse Corps. He is survived by his children, Claire LaNoue, Alcide LaNoue, George Edwin LaNoue, and Michele Spicer; 10 grandchildren; and 10 great grandchildren. In 2002, he was recipient of the inaugural Worcester Academy Distinguished Alumnus Award.

Stephen J. McCann of Worcester died Jan 26, 2022. He is survived by his wife, Joanne M. (Walsh) McCann; his daughters, Elizabeth A. "Betty" Blute and Michele M. Olbrys; and four grandchildren.

1958

David D. Tobey of Harwich, MA, died Feb. 1, 2022. He is survived by his wife, Evelyn; four children, Martha Alvarez, Joshua, Bryan; and Andrew; and six grandchildren.

1959

1961 Former Trustee

Robert J. Kunen of Worcester died May 5, 2020. He is survived by his wife, Roberta (Hack) Kunen; his daughters, Pamela Henes and Amy Zall; and seven grandchildren.

1960

Peter Gustaf Karlson of Nantucket, MA, Palm Beach, Florida, and Boston, MA, died Nov. 9, 2021. He was a former member of Worcester Academy Board of Trustees. He his survived by his wife, Danielle deBenedictis; children, Christopher P. Karlson and Francesca deBenedictis Karlson; and grandchildren.

James Phillip Wells of Port St. Lucie, FL, died Nov. 18, 2021. He is survived by Barbara Gada Wells and four children: James Bernard Wells, Kristen Diane Scherer, Todd Patrick Wells, and Megan Elizabeth Wells; and six grandchildren.

1963

1968

1981

Garret Peter “Garry” Cowenhoven VI of Concord, NH, died March 27, 2022. He is survived by his children, Tracey Cowenhoven, Virginia Cowenhoven, and Garrett Peter VII; and a granddaughter.

George E. Sherry Jr. of Porter, ME, died Dec. 30, 2020. He is survived by his wife, Judy (Hagberg); five children, Beth Skoglund., Kate Hayward, Gige Sherry, Ted Sherry, and Zack Sherry; and 14 grandchildren.

CONNECT

See Class Notes Online On WorcesterAcademyConnect.org

Worcester Academy Class Notes now live on WorcesterAcademyConnect.org. Worcester Academy Connect is the Academy’s dedicated online networking platform for our 7,000-plus strong community around the globe. By running Class Notes there, we are able to bring you updates about those classmates in a timelier fashion that we can achieve in a twice-yearly Hilltopper Magazine. Oftentimes, they come directly from alumni themselves. So, sign on—or sign up—and connect with classmates and other friends today. See you online!

Thomas Miller Burrows of Port Ewen, NY, died Dec. 2, 2021. He is survived by his sweetheart, Sarah; children, Bethlyn and Luke; and grandchildren.

1967

Kevin M. Golden of Worcester died Dec. 11, 2021. He leaves his wife, Robyn (Forman) Golden; and daughters, Amy Revello and Beth Golden.

1973

Daniel J. Driscoll of Millbury died Nov. 12, 2021. In addition to his longtime companion, Tracey Morales, he leaves behind seven siblings.

1986

Gerard F. Fuller of Palm Coast, FL, died Nov. 13, 2021. He leaves his wife, Karen; his children, Erin Fuller and Michael Fuller; and grandchildren. He also leaves stepsons, Gerald Madore and Jason Russ.

Steven Wandrei of Oxford, MA, died Dec. 4, 2021. He is survived by a sister, Joan Gong; and a brother David Wandrei.

1976

Eric B. Nottingham of Merrimack, MA, died Feb. 3, 2022. He is survived by his wife, Bethany Anne (Maitland) Nottingham; and children, Jack, Paige, and Charlie Nottingham.

1998

Robert O. Comeau of Anchorage, AK, died Dec. 28, 2021.

1979

William "Bill" Francis Moffett Sr. of East Hartford died March 18, 202. He is survived by his wife, Ann Moffett; his son, William Moffett Jr.; and his step-daughter, Mindy Croft.

Jason W. Chehade of Shrewsbury, MA, December 17, 2021. Jason leaves behind his parents, Youssef and Sylvia Chehade; and his siblings, Marie N. Currivan, Richard B. Chehade, Robert J. Chehade, and Joseph J. Chehade. W

Correction:

Our Fall 2021 Hilltopper magazine included an incorrect date of death for Stephen Simmons Hull Jr. ’71. The correct date should have been Nov. 19, 2019. Our apologies.

Walker Hall

A Testament to Generosity of U.S. Congressman Joseph Walker, WA’s Second President of the Board

by Frank Callahan

Walker Hall, one of the most iconic of Worcester Academy’s historic buildings, is often the first place that Academy students and families becomes acquainted with upon entering campus at 81 Providence St. Currently housing classroom and administrative offices, the building has housed many offices and served many purposes over the years including having once been the location of the school library, gym, a black box theater, and the Academy chapel.

Constructed in 1889, it was the first structure specifically built for the Academy, which had moved to Providence Street 20 years earlier. It underwent extensive renovations in 2012 to fully reconstruct the now-133-year-old building to modern standards. The building is now wired and configured for the way students learn today and is home to history and world languages classrooms, brilliantly lit arts classrooms, the Admission Office, College Counseling office, the Business Office, and the Head of School’s Office.

If one were to walk halfway down the first floor hallway, just across from Walker Gallery, you would see an imposing painting of one of the most important

Below: Painting of U.S. Rep. Joseph Walker, Worcester Academy's second president of the Academy board of trustees, in the first-floor hallway in Walker Hall.

figures in the history of Worcester Academy. It’s U.S. Rep. Joseph H. Walker, a successful businessman and colorful American Congressional representative for Worcester, Massachusetts, who served as the Academy’s second president of the board of trustees from 1873 to until his passing in 1907.

The 1891 picture by Edwin Tryon Billings, noted American portrait painter, shows Joseph Walker, a man in mid-life with receding white hair and long, thick dagger-shaped sideburns that dropped down to his shirt collar. He is depicted seated with a confident and pleasant expression. The board of trustees, which commissioned the painting for Worcester Academy, was keen to demonstrate the strength, character, reasonableness, and heartiness of a man seen by just as many as stern, unyielding, and at times, arrogant, loudmouthed, and having an amplitude of personality, especially by his political rivals.

Joseph Walker, of course, is Walker Hall’s namesake, and he is also credited with having reinvigorated Worcester Academy as one of the leading schools of its day. His drive and can-do-itiveness matched that of Dr. Daniel W. Abercrombie, the school’s most famous headmaster, who served as principal of WA from 1882 to 1919. With their partnership, and Walker’s tens of thousands of dollars in resources, the two men provided a firm foundation for the school's educational philosophy and physical campus that has served generations of students to this day.

Joseph Walker was in Boston in 1829. He attended school in the small town of Hopkinton but left at the age of 16. At the age of 22, he came to Worcester and started a shoe and boot manufacturing business, a career that would establish his reputation as one of the leading businessmen and shoe manufacturers in the country. When once asked if he entered that business for the profit, he replied simply, “I made boots because I enjoyed it.”

Last March, the former 150-year-old JH Walker Shoe Factory at 28 Water Street, within eyesight of the Academy’s canal heights location vantage point,

was rededicated as Walker Lofts, a 62-unit apartment complex. That has breathed new life into the 150-yearold building and brought Joseph Walker back into the spotlight, if only briefly.

Joseph, who quickly made his name in manufacturing, developed a rough and tumble reputation and used that standing to enter politics, as well as to influence and support those interests and causes he felt important. He began as an elected member of “common council” in the town of Worcester, becoming president of the council in 1869, the same year Worcester Academy moved to its present location on Union Hill.

He later joined the Massachusetts House of Representatives. By that time, his reputation as a straight-shooting political firebrand was gaining traction, and voters, which in 1889 would propel him to the Fifty-First Congress of the United States—and to four succeeding Congresses. He then moved up the ranks quickly and served as chairman of the Committee on Banking and Currency. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1898.

While known as a rough character of sorts, Joseph Walker nonetheless had a solid and affable relationship with Dr. Abercrombie, who considered Walker the greatest influence in his life after his mother. He appreciated Walker's “truth loving nature,” his intelligence, and his dutiful nature in regard to keeping the Academy strong and growing.

"How glad I am that I saw the majesty side of life and its worthfulness,” Dr. Abercrombie would state on Joseph Walker’s passing in 1907. "Walker was of masterful purpose and will and when his judgment was satisfied no cause had a more loyal or enthusiastic

Right: Bust of Joseph Walker located in conference room at Worcester Academy's Alumni House at 51 Providence Street.

champion than he.” Including Worcester Academy. According to Dr. Abercrombie, "Worcester Academy would have died” were it not for Joseph Walker helping the Academy financially in hard times. And the partnership between the two men would more than double the Academy enrollment during their tenures, resulting in the construction of five new buildings: Walker Hall (1889), Adams Hall (1892), Dexter Hall (1892), The Kingsley Laboratories (1897), and the Megaron (1906).

In a graduation address to students in 1890, Joseph Walker told the students that wealth, learning and honors are worth nothing to a man unless a community can say this is an honest man. That, he said, is the highest honor that can be paid to a man. When he had finished, the students rose together and gave the school cheer in his honor.

At the unveiling of Walker's portrait, Abercrombie summarized Joseph Walker’s career, stating the steps in his path “led from a shoe factory to Congress, from handling hide and leather, to becoming of an expert upon all that concerns the treasuryship of the Republic.”

Joseph Walker died in 1907 after serving more than 35 years as president of the board of trustees at Worcester Academy. By then, his legacy and the future of Worcester Academy, were well established. W

“Joseph Walker was of masterful purpose and will, and when his judgment was satisfied, no cause had a more loyal or enthusiastic champion than he.”

—Dr. Daniel W. Abercrombie Worcester Academy Principal 1882–1918

Walker Lofts, formerly the Walker Shoe Factory, on Water Street in Worcester.

81 Providence Street Worcester, MA 01604 U.S.A. Parents of Alumni: If this issue is addressed to a son or daughter who no longer maintains a permanent address at your home, please notify the Alumni Office of his or her new mailing address.