All In The Family

For nearly 100 years, generations of sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, cousins, and grandparents have carried on the family tradition of attending Gow. We are inspired to share a few of these meaningful legacy stories.

THE COTTER FAMILY

Doug Cotter ’87: I am number six out of seven children and by the time my brother Kevin and I started school, our parents were well versed in grammar school. What they weren’t ready for was how we struggled. As a child, I didn’t like going to school and it was the worst part of my day. I remember sitting at the kitchen table for hours with my mother doing my homework and that things just didn’t make sense.

In the Fall of 1983 on my fourteenth birthday, my parents drove Kevin and me thirty minutes south and moved us into Gow. Like a lot of Govians, I vividly remember waiting my turn to call my parents on the payphone in Templeton to try and convince them of why I should return home and not go to Gow. Kevin would call home right after me and have the same things to say. Fortunately, my mom, as always, knew best and every week we were back up in Sunday study hall. I can’t imagine where my life would be if my mother had listened to us.

Funny enough, Kevin and I both became history teachers. Kevin currently lives and works in New Hampshire with his wife and three children. I am celebrating my 29th year at Gow, first as a History and Reconstructive Language teacher, then as a member of the Admissions Office team in 2003, and as Director of Admissions since 2013. I started to see my two sons, Andrew and Edward, face academic difficulty, my wife Kelly and I knew Gow would be the best place for them. After spending several summers at The Gow School Summer Program, both boys started at Gow in their freshman years.

Andrew graduated in 2019 and is studying Criminal Justice at Niagara University where he serves as a volunteer firefighter on NU’s campus. Edward is a rising senior at Gow and in the middle of the college search process. He has emerged as a leader both in and out of the classroom. Gow has shown both of my boys how to work.

Kevin Cotter ’85

Creighton Murch ’64

with his sons James

’23 and John ’23

THE MURCH FAMILY

THE GRENAUER FAMILY

Creighton Murch ’64: As a struggling high school student from Cleveland, my three years at Gow turned my life around. The small classes and individualized attention helped me understand and overcome my academic frustrations and provided me with the confidence to learn. After graduating from high school and college in Cleveland, I started my investment career and became involved with Gow as a Trustee. When our twin boys, John and James, started to struggle in school, my wife Janice and I immediately thought of Gow. They came to Gow as seventh graders and are rising seniors this year.

Gow has given John and James confidence, enduring friendships, and a belief in themselves that amazes us. We have watched them grow into mature young men with experiences and knowledge to help them succeed in college and life. We are so grateful that our family is part of Gow.

Jim Grenauer ’55: I came to Gow as a struggling student in the early 1950s, and credit my five years at Gow with giving me the confidence to go into the military, succeed in sales, and ultimately run my companies. Being around others who learned like me at Gow gave me hope.

My experiences in school helped me understand my two grandson’s academic challenges. Both James and Anthony were smart and inquisitive,

M. Bradley Rogers, Jr. with Jim Grenauer ’55 and his grandson, James Cooper

and I encouraged my daughter Ellie to consider The Gow School Summer Program. After several enriching summers, James and Anthony excelled in high school and graduated from college. James is finishing an MD/Ph.D. in biomedical science at the University at Buffalo and will pursue a career as a Neurosurgeon. Anthony graduated from Geneseo with a physics degree, and works at a research company in Irvine, CA. As a family, we know Gow gave us the confidence to succeed. My daughter Ellie believes so strongly in Gow that she and several friends created an endowed scholarship for local students to attend Gow. Of all the good causes we support as a family, there is nothing that means more to us than meeting our scholarship recipients and knowing that we are making their Gow experiences possible.

Anthony Cooper

During Alumni Weekend, Gow inducted five exceptional athletes into Gow’s Athletic Wall of Fame. Plaques honoring them and their accomplishments are displayed in the Gow Athletic Center.

Selected by a committee of Gow coaches for their outstanding athletic accomplishments while at Gow and beyond, we are proud to recognize these accomplished Govians.

Sasha Evans ’15 was a multi-sport athlete who received the Competitive Spirit Award in 2014 and 2015, was captain of the varsity soccer, lacrosse and basketball teams, and received First Team Interstate Athletic Conference (IAC) honors in soccer and lacrosse. Sasha graduated from the University of Arizona with a B.S. in Building Science.

Alex Kapinos ’08

excelled in soccer and basketball and earned the Competitive Spirit Award in 2008, Interstate Athletic Conference (IAC) League Most Valuable Player honors, and led the team to the IAC basketball Championships in 2007 and 2008. He competes in Ultimate Frisbee at the highest level of the sport, winning a national championship in 2016 and competing in the world championships in 2014 and 2018. He graduated from Westfield State University in Massachusetts.

Andersen Negley ’16

earned varsity letters in cross-country running, ski racing, and lacrosse. In 2014, Andersen set a school record for Gow’s cross-country course. After Gow, Andersen ran cross country at New England College, and attended Davis and Elkins, and the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga. Dakota Sanders ’15 played basketball, lacrosse, soccer, and volleyball. He earned First Team honors in soccer and basketball, and was captain of the basketball team. At Curry College, he played lacrosse and was named to the Commonwealth Coast Conference Third Team for two years.

Tim Wells ’08 excelled in crew and wrestling. In 2008, Tim, the wrestling team captain, won the quickest pin award and helped anchor the team’s first Division Championship. A 2016 Rochester Institute of Technology graduate with a B.A. in finance, he wrestled for RIT as a freshman. Tim is passionate about dodgeball and has organized clubs across the country.

SENIOR CLASS GIFTS SHAPE TODAY’S CAMPUS

Each year, soon-to-be graduates identify a meaningful project that will benefit the School. Once identified, the graduates and their families contribute to the Senior Class Gift. The Class of 2022 Senior Gift will purchase new furniture for Little Seniors, Gow’s student-run store. Currently located in Main Building, Little Seniors will move to a new location in Howard Hall. An engraved plaque will recognize this furniture as a gift from the Class of 2022 and their families.

Previous Senior Gifts include the stone fireplace in the Weston Dining Hall lobby, patio furniture and the fire pit on the porch overlooking the athletic fields, new custom-made furniture in the library, water bottle filling stations in the academic buildings and dorms, Adirondack chairs for the Senior Circle, and so much more. We are forever grateful to our students and their families for these Senior Gifts that honor the many accomplishments of our graduates.

EMLYN FLANIGAN

Parent Wyatt ’25 Parent Association President Baltimore, MD Emlyn and her husband, Pierce, have four children. As Parent Association President, she looks forward to a great year with our Gow families and hopes to tell more potential families about Gow. ERIC HALLS ’82 Parent Rosalie ’16 Alumni Association President London, ON, Canada A five-year Gow student, Eric owns a flooring business in London, Ontario. As the Alumni Association President, he hopes to connect with more Govians and encourage them to come back to campus.

Pictured: Choices Matter, and Richard King Brown with Paul Gorka.

DONATED PAINTINGS INSPIRE STUDENTS

Gow parent, Richard King Brown, developed a lifelong friendship with Paul Gorka when they were art students in Philadelphia. An avid art enthusiast, Richard became a collector of Gorka’s paintings.

To inspire Gow students, Richard and his son, Jason ’92, have generously donated two Gorka paintings, Choices Matter and Third Reading According to Paul, displayed in the Reid Arts Center Theater.

Paul Gorka said of his art, “I want to do work that causes you to stop, look, puzzle and muse. If you are pleased, that’s good. If you are irritated, that is better. If you are provoked, that’s best.”

Mr. Gorka (1931-2020) dedicated his life to art and teaching. Educated at the University of Pennsylvania, New York University, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and the University of Munich, he taught at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Tyler School of Art, and in his private Philadelphia studio.