The Magazine of Holderness School | SPRING/SUMMER 2022 Inside: » A FAREWELL TO PHIL » COMMENCEMENT 2022 » JOSHUA TREE: A DESERT OASIS » BULLS BEHIND THE SCENES
BOARD OF TRUSTEES Kat Alfond ’90 Sandeep Alva Karyn Campbell Katie CarolynCrumboCullen ’87 Bob CecilyCunhaCushman ’11 Chris Davenport ’89 Andrew Davis Paul John Ferri Tracy Gillette ’89 John Hayes The Right Rev. Robert BurgieHirschfeldHoward ’82 Chris Keating ’81 Rob Kinsley ’88 Flip Kistler ’85 Alex MacCormick ’88 Chip Martin ’88 Kevin Mattingly Joe Miles ’82 R. Phillip Peck Nell Reynolds, Chair Andrew Sawyer ’79 Harry Sheehy Matt SanderStoreyvan Otterloo ’94 Richard Vieira Chance Wright ’14 Sung You ’01 HEADMASTER EMERITUS The Rev. Brinton W. Woodward, Jr. HONORARY TRUSTEES Warren C. Cook Bob Hall Jim Hamblin ’77 Piper Orton ’74 W. Dexter Paine III ’79 Will Prickett ’81 Please send notice of address changes to the Advancement Office, PO Box 1879, Plymouth, NH 03264, or advancement@holderness.org ©2022 Holderness School. EDITOR: Greg Kwasnik CONTRIBUTORS: Charlotte Albright, Thea Dodds, Andy Herring, Greg Kwasnik, Meghan McCarthy McPhaul DESIGN & PRODUCTION: Tessa Magnuson, Align Graphic Design, LLC PHOTOGRAPHY: Thea Dodds, Nicole Furlonge, Greg Kwasnik, Pat Livingstone, Tracy McCoy Gillette ’89 P ’19 ’22, Max Paro ’17, Erik Thatcher ’08, Haiqing Wang P ’22. ON THE FRONT COVER: Phil Peck, May 2022. Photo by Thea Dodds. Holderness School Today is printed by Allied Printing Services, Inc. on sustainably produced, chain-of-custody stock certified to Forest Stewardship Council ® (FSC ® ) standards.
From the Schoolhouse ................................................................. 2 Around the Quad ....................................................................... 24 Athletics ....................................................................................... 28 Employee & Trustee Updates ................................................... 30 Alumni Profiles ............................................................................ 38 Gatherings .................................................................................. 44 Class Notes ................................................................................. 46 FEATURESDEPARTMENTSCOMMENCEMENT2022LOOKINGBACKWITHPHILJOSHUATREE:ADESERTOASIS HEADFIRSTSLIDING HOLDERNESSINTO 4 12 16 Spring/Summer222022 | 1 Congratulations to the Class of 2022!
Her first day on campus was the opening day of school in 2020. Needless to say, her first year and a half of life has been a puppy’s dream; constant attention, visits to dorms, lots of walks, dorm visits, and constant love.
When Don Henderson gave his Commencement talk in 1987, he encouraged the graduating seniors (and the rest of us) to
SCHOOLHOUSETHEFROM Head of School Phil Peck with his two dogs, Bella and Lulu.
O
38 years ago Robin and I thought we would be at Holderness for a few years and then we would move to the West Coast, where both of us are from. Well, that certainly didn’t happen!
FROM SCHOOLHOUSETHE 2 | Holderness School Today
ver the last year, I have constantly said that our golden retriever, Bella, is “living the dream.”
LIVING THE DREAM
As my last year at Holderness comes to a close, I realize that I too have been “living the dream.” But unlike Bella, that dream spans almost 40 years. So why is that?
On that day when Don delivered his address, I realized that I was blessed to be in a place where I was living the life described in Frost’s poem.
Another reason that I have felt blessed to be at Holderness for so long, and especially as head, is how aligned we are as a school. Virtually everyone associated with Holderness embraces the motto, mission, vision, and core values of Holderness. Whether it is employees, students, alumni, parents, or the board, everyone believes in and embraces the merits of those lasting qualities. Often when I talk with other heads, the issues that are keeping them awake at night are linked to a lack of alignment with one or more of those groups. When those conversations emerge, I just count my blessings and stay quiet. Yes, we have had challenges, but for the most part everyone believes in the same values and the programs that make Holderness culturally unique. Finally, my dream is actualized because Holderness is a learning community. Similar to Carol Dweck’s “Growth Mindset,” Holderness embraces a culture of always learning and growing. One of my favorite axioms is that arrogance is ultimately grounded in insecurity, but confidence is grounded in humility. I believe that humble confidence is rare in today’s world and is why Holderness is always striving to be our best bold self. I see it in lots of areas, but most importantly in our alumni. There is a warmth, a lack of pretense, and a genuine interest in others that is linked to humility. Yes, Bella has experienced the best first year and half imaginable, but I have experienced the best 38 years possible; and it is because of the remarkable people who make up the Holderness family. Thank you for welcoming me and Robin to Holderness 38 years ago, and granting me the privilege to serve Holderness for all these years.
Of course, I am not the only one who feels this way. Holderness has always been fortunate to have an adult community of educators who see Holderness as a lifestyle, not a job. This is as true for classroom teachers, as it is for administrators, as it is for colleagues in housekeeping, the kitchen, and maintenance. In the last couple months of the year, I will ask seniors who the adult is who had the greatest impact on them at Holderness. While teachers and coaches are mentioned, often a senior will mention one of our colleagues who is not a formal teacher, but has been a mentor and role model for them. The adults who I work for at Holderness truly embrace this philosophy, and it is a key reason why I am “living the dream.”
n Phil Peck, Head of ppeck@holderness.orgSchool Bella living her best life.
find a job where your work and play were one. He recited the closing stanza of Robert Frost’s “Two Tramps in Mud Time.”
SCHOOLHOUSETHEFROM
My object in living is to unite My avocation and my vocation As my two eyes make one in sight. Only where love and need are one, And the work is play for mortal stakes, Is the deed ever really done For Heaven and the future's sakes.
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Brewster ‘96 4 | Holderness School Today
LOOKING BACK WITH PHIL
And while we could fill pages with the lessons learned of an educational leader or vignettes of a brick-and-mortar legacy, it’s only fitting that the story of a head of school so focused on people would be told by those very same people.
Just as Phil’s young family grew at Holderness, so too did his own definition of family. Students, parents, alumni, board members, and neighbors of the school all grew to be, in Phil’s own words, members of the Holderness family.
I t would be easy to write a long feature article on the career and accomplishments of Phil Peck, the Ivy League graduate and Olympic-level Nordic coach who by coincidence stumbled upon a career in education at Holderness and then went on to lead the school for 21 years. During that time, Phil was many things to many people: Phil taught history; he taught history teachers how to teach history both at Holderness and at Columbia University’s Klingenstein Center; he coached Holderness athletes with the same focus and level of care as he did his skiers at the 1986 Sarajevo Olympics; he lived in the dorms, and he even helped build some dorms while working on summer maintenance crews.
What follows are just a few of the many, many tributes— edited for length and clarity—that we received about Phil. I never had a class with Phil, but always enjoyed looking through the window pane of his door in the lower schoolhouse seeing students enrapt in his Russian Studies lectures... In today's times, I wish I had that class. The world is seemingly violent and catastrophic now. I cannot fathom how to prepare students for their future life with so much environmental, geopolitical, and economic uncertainty.
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It must take a man with great resolve, calmness, and overwhelming kindness to lead such students and teachers into their new realities. I reflect on this image of Phil, as an iconic mentor, when confronting my own life challenges and conflict. -Alec
-Willy MacMullen Head of School, Taft School -Trish Kinney Bozich P’12 courtesy Tracy McCoy Gillette ’88
’15 Spring/Summer 2022 | 5 Photo
Phil is simply one of my heroes, someone whose intellect and heart are both so capacious as to dwarf me, whose goodness is so robust as to fortify, whose passion and love are inspiring, whose service to others is exemplary. Holderness has had, as I am sure you are aware, a leader of singular ability and character. He will leave a legacy that will guide for many years, like signs along the White Mountains, telling you of sights ahead, turns to take, dangers to avoid, and joys to behold.
Phil Peck is the epitome of everything a parent could wish for in a Head of School. He is the ultimate combination of grace, wit, wisdom and class. I could not have asked for a better mentor and role model for my two sons, Matt ’12 and Jack ’15. He and I had many conversations via phone and text when the boys were in school and even after they graduated. I will always consider Phil as the ultimate benchmark for incredible educators and will always be grateful for his presence in our lives.
I was a greenhorn head of another New Hampshire boarding school and conversations with Phil filled my cup because he reminded me of the point of the work we do and the need to look beyond the pain of it to see the bigger picture--his background as a nordic skier surely informed him here. He was also my two sons' head of school. They loved Holderness in part because they loved Phil-and they both were able to see even as tender adolescents the salient qualities Phil manifested daily: be one's self; love mightily; giggle; work hard; rest; repeat. Amen to that.
One of my fondest memories is the weekend my twin brother came to visit in my senior year, and we had an alumni brownie night. Not only did Mr. Peck recognize and introduce himself to my brother (whom I do not believe he had ever met), but he made such an impression that my brother still talks about that night almost a decade later.
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-Craig Gemmell P’20’21 President, Brewster Academy & Brewster Academy International -Klaus Vitzthum ‘11
I can recall on one of the 100-mile bike rides I did along the Kancamagus Hwy, I was struggling to get to the top of the pass. Mr. Peck zoomed up behind me on his bike (he was biking up and down the steep stretch of road, checking on everyone, doing circles around us). After seeing that my pedaling was becoming progressively slower, he placed his hand on my back, and started pushing me up the steep grade for a short distance. This brief respite from gravity and screaming muscles was the very boost I needed, and when he released his hand, I managed to maintain the momentum he had instilled. I made it to the top of the pass and all the way back to school. I remember being so impressed at the time that not only could this man bike up the mountain with such ease, but he could simultaneously push me up too!!
What an excellent career. You sir, Mr.Peck, you impacted a generation to a greater good. Thank you for giving me an opportunity of a lifetime to study at the best place in America, in my opinion Holderness Prep School. Your impact in allowing, and by saying yes to the scholarships that a young promising Nigerian received to study in Holderness will be remembered forever. The memories I made at Holderness will last forever. Thank you for teaching me how to knot my tie on the first of class. I am really grateful.
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-Liza McElroy ’03 -Olayode Ahmed ‘12
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-Bishop Rob Hirschfeld, Bishop of the Episcopal Church of New Hampshire, Board Member
One cannot help but see the dramatic additions to the Holderness campus since Phil became its Head of School. New buildings, new uses for older ones—even the outdoor acres have been expanded or improved to make good and wise use of the resources the School is called to steward "For God and Humankind." All those changes are undeniable: outward and visible. But I have so appreciated the way Phil has created spaces for each of the students, faculty, staff, and trustees. In every meeting I have shared with Phil, whether individually or in a group, Phil has opened the conversation with a particular natural grace and innate kindness, that allows us to offer our best selves to the cause of raising young people to be their unique and holy self. I will always be grateful for how Phil has striven to fulfill, to the utmost of his ability, the Episcopal baptismal promise to "uphold the dignity of every human being."
-Bob and Kathy Cunha P’16 ’19, Board Member -Tyler Lewis, Head of School, Kimball Union Academy, former Holderness Director of Admission
There is something beautiful about knowing that when you catch up with Phil and Robin, they will be filled with stories about others that will celebrate their heroism or generosity. Yet the headline about Phil is more likely to be about impaling himself on his bike at 50 mph or cleaning up after his dog who just relieved [themself] on his office furniture. The Pecks do not just philosophize about humility and generosity of spirit, they live it out every day.
In our time working in boarding schools, we have not encountered an educator who has as selflessly followed a calling to lead as Phil. His service to Holderness has been nothing short of remarkable, but as a deeply spiritual man, it never stopped there or was defined that narrowly. We’ve never heard him reflect in precisely this way, but it strikes us that Holderness has served as a perfect vehicle for channeling his energy, leadership and focus toward the betterment of humankind and God’s creation. The man, the school, and its mission are so deeply intertwined.
Phil, the measure of your impact can be seen in the students. They are kind, empathetic, community-spirited, and energetic. They are part of a "we" school, not a "me" school. And you have made that happen for decades. You lead the team of teachers and staff; set the tone; model the right behavior. You live the Holderness mission for all to see. We are grateful for the impact that you and Holderness have had on our children, their friends, and all the students of Holderness.
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Phil-O-Lantern courtesy of faculty member Pat Livingstone
-Nicole Furlonge, PhD, Director, Klingenstein Center, Teachers College Columbia University
Photo courtesy of Nicole Furlonge
From cheering us on at our wedding to working hard to convince me that I really should embrace a life— not just a career—in independent schools, Phil has been an important player in the shape my life has taken. I'm grateful for his and Robin's friendship and care over the years. I'm even grateful for the time I interviewed at Holderness and he sent me out with Kate Knopp for what he insisted would be the most beautiful cross country ski ever. It turned out to be the coldest night of the year AND the hardest ski ever because the trails weren't groomed AND I had never cross country skied before AND we had to cross 175 before there was a tunnel AND there was a frozen mouse in the ski shoes when I tried them on. (To this day, I still check my shoes before I stick my foot in them!). And, honestly, it is still in my mind's eye one of the most beautiful New Hampshire winter scenes I have ever encountered. Thank you, Phil, for all the "ands," for always modeling what it means to throw yourself fully into what you love and where you find purpose.
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I am thinking of your golf game, your way of mastering the croquet mallet but most of all our tandem bike rides during the Prouty. Remember we beat all these guys in a drenching rain. What a win for the team Phil and your stoker RoseMarie . We will miss all our talks about the going ons at the school.
-Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo P’94
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There is a Chinese idiom "Houdezaowu", which means to cultivate people with lofty morality and broad and profound knowledge to become talents.
Mr. Peck's dedication to education for 38 years is exactly the interpretation of this word.
Photo courtesy of Haiqing Wang P’22
-Haiqing Wang P’22
It describes a person with a lofty moral character who, like the earth, can support all living things.
Eijk and I wish you the best in your retirement - especially good health, so we can continue the competitions.
T he cool desert nights make getting out of a warm sleeping bag no small task—the air is crisp, our mummy bags drawn in tight. But nevertheless, one-by-one we amass our layers and headlamps and shuffle through the sand to scramble up to the top of the boulders that surround our campsite.
On New Year’s Day a group of students and adults converged in Las Vegas, Nevada for a five-day tour of the Mojave Desert, complete with hiking, climbing, unforgettable sunrises, wildlife viewing, and just all-around, simple fun. Food, shelter, light and warmth became the central focus of each day. Things like cell coverage or even just a charged battery become pure luxury and blatantly unnecessary. The constant stimulus of living in the 21stcentury world was paused. One evening, the students actually gathered around a picnic table to play the card game Magic by headlamp—teens choosing to play cards! This is why outdoor trips for teens are so valuable. We need to unplug, but now two years into a relentless pandemic it seems more than valuable—it feels vital.
In Joshua Tree National Park, we followed a winding trail miles through the sandy desert. Rounding a corner we reach a true desert oasis like an island in the sand with palm trees, birds, water, and beaming with life. Suddenly it seems so obvious. That’s what this trip is: it’s not just a break from Tiktok and test positivity, it’s an oasis.
For five days in January, this was the morning routine for a group of Holderness students. After a year hiatus due to COVID the annual winter desert trip is back! We planned this trip in the fall when things were looking much brighter. Then, as our departure date neared, so did Omicron. Our COVID Response Team, including the school’s medical director, reviewed guidance and advised us to stay the course—being mostly outside and isolated has proven to be a safe way to gather. And it was.
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Erik Thatcher ’08—Director of Outdoor Programs —lights the Jetboil, the coyotes begin to howl, and we sit quietly with the promise of warm drinks and warm sunlight.
Spring/Summer 2022 | 13 J OSHUA TREE A Desert Oasis Students explore Fortynine Palms Oasis on the north end of Joshua Tree National Park. BY THEA DODDS
From the left, back to front: Andrea Sweet, Erik Thatcher ’08, Seomae Aronson ’25, Samuel Yap ’22, Oliver Kiker, Margot Roguet ’22, Jack Sawyer ’21, Drake Dearborn ’25, Bryce Patterson ’23 at the Indian Cove entrance to Joshua Tree National Park.
Margot Roguet ’22 works through an off-width crack on the Short Wall in Indian Cove Campground.
Drake Dearborn ’25 huddles for warmth in the cool desert morning while watching the sunrise over the Jumbo Rocks campground.
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The night sky from our campsite in Jumbo Rocks Campground. Spring/Summer 2022 | 15
“YOU’VE ALL MADE IT THROUGH SO MUCH IN THE PAST FOUR YEARS, AND I AM IN AWE OF YOUR DETERMINATION AND GRACE DURING SUCH UNKNOWING TIMES. YOU ALL MODELED WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A FANTASTIC FRIEND, TEAMMATE, ROLE MODEL STUDENT, LEADER—AND BEST OF ALL—A GOOD PERSON.”
– Jackson Ehwa ’23, Holderness School President, 2022-23
It’s always a bittersweet moment when we say goodbye to our graduating seniors, and this year was no exception. On May 22, 2022 we watched 84 seniors receive their diplomas and walk across the Holderness seal, bound for bright and exciting futures. It was also a graduation of sorts for retiring Head of School Phil Peck. After 38 years at Holderness – and 21 as head of school – Mr. Peck awarded his final diploma this year. As he joins this year’s seniors in leaving Holderness, we wish him the best and look forward to seeing the bright and exciting future he will create for himself in retirement.
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“THANK YOU, HOLDERNESS SCHOOL. THE STUDENTS, THE FACULTY—AND THE DOGS—FOR MAKING THIS SUCH A REMARKABLE PLACE. I KNOW IT’S CHEESY, BUT YOU ALL ARE TRULY MY BEST FRIENDS AND I’M NOT SURE WHAT I WILL DO WITHOUT YOU NEXT YEAR. I LIKE MANY OF US HAVE FOUND MYSELF HERE, AND I TRULY DO NOT WANT TO SAY GOODBYE. THE PEOPLE, THE SOUNDS, THE SMELLS THAT ARE HOLDERNESS WILL REMAIN DEEP IN MY HEART’S CORE THROUGHOUT MY LIFE. I’M TAKING YOU ALL WITH ME.” –Maizley Tone ’22, Holderness School President, 2021-22
Macklin Tait Bowen From Stowe, VT
From Center Harbor, NH
Yishan Lin From Ningbo, China Ali Rose Marcus From Vineyard Haven, MA
Katherine Neve Gervais From Yarmouth, ME
From ThailandPhrasamutchedi, Emma Barrett Reynolds
GRADUATING SENIORS
Inthuon Pungsomwong
Margot Sophie Roguet
From Bartlett, NH
Annecy Isabella Kagan From Nantucket, MA Nicole Shea Kanowsky
From SwitzerlandEngelberg, Grace Helen Hughes From Meredith, NH Jack Linwood Hutchins From Manchester, NH ChristopherHutchinsonRussell From Marblehead, MA
From Foreside,CumberlandME
From Hanover, NH Maizley Louise Tone
From Foreside,CumberlandME
Wells Taylor Gillette From Vail, CO
From Ashfield, MA Jack Cooper Warrington
From Minneapolis, MN
Courtney Ross Diemar From Eagle, CO
Bryn Isabel Urdi Truckee, CA
From North Hampton, NH
Max Isaac Landis From Scarsdale, NY
Nicholas Sheffield Sherman
Quinn Thomas McCarthy From Melrose, MA
From Exeter, NH Ethan Cross Swanson
From Marblehead, MA
Ethan Louis Greene From Winchester, MA
Kerry Catherine Guinee From Andover, MA
From Madrid, Spain
From Melrose, MA
Anna Barbara Testorf
From Bangplee, Thailand
Alyssa Makaylyne Fuster
Francesca Lynne D’Orio From Marblehead, MA
Ibrahim Micah Hikmate
From Wenham, MA
Jasmine Bella Whittaker
From CanadaWoodbridge, Tobias Quinn Mills From Montpelier, VT Aldwyn Moynihan
Ahneka D. Noyes
From Stowe, VT
Charles Drayton Krahmer From Duxbury, MA
Lily Anne Strohecker
From Ketchum, ID Robert Keegan From Quincy, MA
From Holderness, NH
Rachel Margaret Storey
Westport, NY
Scott Ryan Watson
From Hanover, NH AdelaideRobisonCampbell
Xin Yan Li Zhu
Grace Elizabeth Murphy
Mary Royse Page
Fiona Helene Hood From Springfield, VA
Jamir LaRon Harvey From Robbins, IL
Alexander Tristan McNabb
From Waterbury Center, VT Hannah Rose Mullaly
From Framingham, MA
Allison Lindsay Eichler From Mission Hills, KS Hugo Fredrik Eneqvist From Saltsjo Dunvas, Sweden
Sage Ann Amaliksen From Essex, VT
Jeptha Hand Wade
Donovan Heiler Cole From Thetford, VT
Annika Lillian Howard
From Endicott, NY
Mathieu Zachary Dubois From South Burlington, VT Nathan Lee Dudley From Hooksett, NH MorganEdenbachElisabeth From Gorham, ME
From Bristol, NH Matthew David Pollini
From Concord, VT Oliver Hannes Wiedemann
Ty Anders Dahl From Plymouth, NH
Charlie Hemming Dobson From Bennington, VT
Karalyn Grace Farley From Campton, NH
Liam Andrew Johnston From Walpole, NH
Sean Emmett Senier
Michael Edward Carchidi From North Falmouth, MA
From Ketchum, ID Samuel Yap
Natdanai Ongarjvaja
Jeremiah E. Edokpa From Beverly, MA
Cooper Maurice Boulanger
Nicholas Daniel Messina
From Jackson, WY Andrew Stevens Peatman
Jasmine J. Peterson
Papon Lapate From Bangplee, Thailand
Noelle Nora Boes From Marblehead, MA
From Waterville Valley, NH
Jared Robert Shimelman
From Waterville Valley, NH Benjamin Andrew Singer
From Beijing, China Yifan Yin
From Qingdao, China
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From Cohasset, MA
Oliver Werner Kiker From Newport, RI Bennett Lawrence King From Manchester Center, VT Anne Grace Kinsley From York, PA
From Rye, NH
Jack Benjamin Parker
John James Dowling From Greenland, NH Nathan Konstantinovich Driker From New York, NY
Sacha Frances Levine From Longmont, CO
From Dover, NH
From Portsmouth, NH Mackenzie Van Pattee
Gabriela Renee Siegel
David Lewis Brandes From North York, Canada
From Kearsarge, NH
Carl Edvin Jesper Bonniver From Saltsjo Boo, Sweden
From Kennebunk, ME
From Barre, VT
“THE FRIENDS THAT YOU’RE SITTING NEXT TO, YOUR FELLOW CLASSMATES, YOUR TEACHERS, YOUR COLLEAGUES, YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR TEAMMATES—THESE ARE THE PEOPLE THAT REALLY MAKE US THE BEST THAT WE CAN BE. NO ONE REALLY SUCCEEDS IN LIFE ALL BY THEMSELVES. THERE’S ALWAYS SOMEBODY, OR MANY PEOPLE, BEHIND THE SCENES.” –Chris Davenport ’89 P ’19 ’21, Holderness Trustee and Commencement Speaker
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“MY PARTING WORDS FOR YOU ALL: WHEN THERE ARE STARS, LOOK UP. WHEN THERE ARE MOUNTAINS, CLIMB THEM. WHEN THERE ’ S RAIN, RUN AROUND. PET EVERY DOG YOU SEE. BEING COLD IS ONLY A MINDSET. AND NEVER FORGET: IF YOU ARE EVER IN A STICKY SITUATION -IF YOU MESS WITH THE BULL, YOU GET THE HORNS.” –Maizley Tone ’22, Holderness School President, 2021-22
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INSIDE AN OUT BACK PACK
If decided to embark an 11-day backpacking trip in the White Mountains – in winter – what kind of gear would you bring? For the 80 or so juniors who take part in Holderness School’s Out Back program each year, it’s more than just a hypothetical question. Here, you’ll find just a few of the items that help our students thrive on Out Back, from the iconic leather OB mittens to the military surplus boots that keep their feet warm and dry in all kinds of weather. prepares for Out Back last spring.
Dalton Donovan ’ 23
BOOTS Extreme Cold Weather Boots. In-house, we tend to call them bunny boots.
LAYERS Wool layers insulate just as well as synthetics, but all a bit more bulky. Spring/Summer
BACKPACK We have both internal and external frame backpacks for students to borrow.
FIRST AID KIT Contains basic first aid supplies for the backcountry. All Out Back leaders are trained in Wilderness First Aid.
COOKWARE Pots, pans, and lids. Believe it or not, this is how they look when they’re clean.
2022 | 23
SOCKSWOOL Wool socks are a must!
FIRE PAN Trash can lid protects campfire wood from the snow and prevents fires from leaving a burn scar. Known in program as a Wilson lid, named after the faculty member who came up with the idea.
TARP Students make shelters out of tarps for three-daythesolos.
BOWL & SPOON Plastic bowl and spoon for all meals. By day three, you don’t care if your coffee tastes like ramen.
TENT Megamid, lightweight, durable, single pole tent that does not sag in wet weather.
OB MITTS
“Chopper Mitt” sealed with Sno-Seal. Super warm, very water resistant, and the natural materials won’t burn and melt when working around the fire, a common occurrence.
SNOWSHOES MSR snowshoes.
Every Tidal Wave Begins With a Ripple
On February 15, 2022, more than 1,900 donors came together to support the Holderness experience – from academics and athletics to the arts, access, and adventure.
On this year’s Day of Giving, the community rallied to raise an astounding $700,831, which immediately went to support students. Day of Giving is an event to celebrate the power of participation - that every tidal wave begins with a ripple. This year, the vast majority – 88% – of Day of Giving gifts were under $250. Together, those donations have a power that none of us could have on our own – and we are truly grateful for your support. Thank you. This was also Head of School Phil Peck’s last Day of Giving, and you made certain that this was a Holderness moment that he will never forget.
DAY OF GIVING 2022
ith tuition only covering 74% of operating expenses, the Holderness experience truly depends on your Day of Giving participation – and this year, boy did you ever participate!
BY THEA DODDS
DAY OF GIVING BY THE NUMBERS 1,936$700,831 Gifts were under 74% $25088% $644,074 Giving in 2021 1,506 Donors in 2021 2022 DAY OF GIVING TOTAL 2022 DAY OF GIVING DONORS Day of Giving Donors13from: countries 43 Total TuitionExpensesOperatingCovers states QUADTHEAROUND 24 | Holderness School Today
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QUADTHEAROUND Spring/Summer 2022 | 25
What is your favorite part of Holderness?
T he sun is shining on Schoolhouse on our first real, warm spring day. Dean of Students Mb Duckett Ireland is having a quiet moment in her office after lunch. After 11 years as a form dean, English teacher, and coach at Choate Rosemary Hall, Mb Duckett Ireland joined Holderness School as the Dean of Students in the fall 2021. As her first year comes to a close, we are excited to hear her first impressions, hopes, and thoughts of Holderness School. Now that you are wrapping up your first year at Holderness, what are your impressions of the school? What matched your expectations, and what surprised you about Holderness?
The people. You know, everybody says that. It’s true. It really is a really kind – intentionally kind – community that goes out of its way to help its members. A community where leadership in part has to do with digging into mundane service, tasks, or jobs. There are not many schools where every member of the faculty and student body knows how to run the industrial dishwasher. And the lack of hierarchy is really refreshing. It’s a lot more leading by example even by the student population too, older kids to younger kids – leading by example as opposed to privileges just because we’re older. What have been some of your favorite Holderness experiences so far? Project Outreach was magnificent. Partially because I wasn’t in charge, which was great! But it was just nice to get to interact with students in a new way and INTO HOLDERNESS
First-Year Reflections from New Dean of Students Mb Duckett Ireland
Holderness advertises a lot that we try to seek balance and educate the whole child – a lot of people say they try to educate the whole child. I think it’s lived here in a different way. I loved getting to know our students and the many ways in which they feel fulfilled and the diverse ways they measure success for themselves.
SLIDING HEADFIRST
BY THEA DODDS
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Dean of Students Mb Duckett Ireland [center] takes the plunge for a Special Olympics fundraiser during Project Outreach in March.
The Pep Rally [for Proctor Day] was one of the best pep rallies I’ve ever been to. It wasn’t showy—it was down-to-earth and had a lot of energy. It was just good, old-fashioned fun. How would you describe the Holderness Community?
Full of the most genuine people I’ve ever met. Which is not a lot of pretense. It’s like everyone is smiling and you’re waiting for – maybe it’s just the cynic in me – just waiting for people to give up the facade, but it just doesn’t happen. What do you think makes Holderness unique?
The better part of the slip ’n’ slide day was the unicorn that my child got to walk around with for an hour [English Teacher and Director of Equity & Inclusion Jini Rae Sparkman wore a unicorn costume]. She wore her unicorn shirt and her unicorn boots and her unicorn hat because she knew there would be a unicorn.
QUADTHEAROUND Spring/Summer 2022 | 27
It’s been great, my dogs are the happiest they’ve ever been. Nobody has asked them to be on leash since they’ve been here. The Montessori school on campus is excellent and it’s been a really wonderful home for Libby. Sarah has felt very welcomed and everybody loves it here. n Mb presents the Clarkson Award to Jamir Harvey on Prize Day.
The closeness of the relationships between faculty and students and the way the kids look up to the adults is just a little bit different than I’ve seen before. It’s more personal, and we all are just people. You just get to look around and see so many examples of what adulthood can look like.
You live on campus with your wife Sarah, daughter Libby, and two dogs. How have they enjoyed Holderness?
see strengths that aren’t as evident in the everyday life of the school. And to not have to be the one to whom the problems are reported, it just changes the dynamics. It was just awesome to get to know a new group of kids so well, it was really fantastic.
Seems like you’ve really dove-in head first. No, I didn’t hear about the slip ’n’ slide until after I had said yes to the job. No, tackling the football dummy was a surprise, too. It was actually a surprise that day. Because there had actually been a plan for Tobi [Associate Head of School Tobi Pfenninger] to tackle the football dummy. And then some students were chanting “Pfenni… Pfenni…” and it sounded a lot like “Mb…Mb…” And Liam Johnston [Senior and Pep Rally MC] turned the chant entirely into “Mb” and said, “Mb, I just gave the people what they wanted.”
Do you see any opportunities for growth or change in Student Life? Yeah, we’re taking a deep look at discipline and the ways that we can make it the best learning experience possible for all students involved and the greater community while maintaining the privacy and dignity of the people who make mistakes. That is a big area of focus right now. We have some student groups and adult groups meeting and talking about that. We’re looking to strengthen our Core3 program [social and emotional learning] by creating a more comprehensive experience. Right now you can be in an equity and inclusion session, you can be in a health & wellness session, you can be in an sustainability session. We’re going to integrate it, and Core3 will have all of that built in, in a socio-emotional learning mode. You started a Student Life Instagram account – how is that going? It’s great. It’s fun. A couple of kids help me with it, it’s a group project. I’ve been told by the students I have a good ratio of followers to following. It’s fun to be able to share some of the more candid moments and not everything be through the lens of the professional photographers.
Did anyone tell you the job would include a frozen slip ’n’ slide or tackling a football dummy?
year’s graduating seniors, an impressive 19 will go on to play competitive athletics in college. These students represent some of the top athletic talent in New Hampshire and New England and are testaments to Holderness School’s culture of academic and athletic excellence. We wish them the best of luck in college and beyond! ATHLETESCOLLEGE-BOUND Sacred Heart University HOCKEY DAVE BRANDES University of Denver TRIATHLON COCO DIEMAR College of the Holy Cross LACROSSE Bentley University LACROSSE NATHAN DUDLEYJACK DOWLING Regis College BASKETBALL University of Massachusetts LACROSSE Keene State College BASKETBALL LIAM JOHNSTONRUSS HUTCHINSONJAMIR HARVEY ATHLETICS 28 | Holderness School Today
Of this
Boston College ALPINE SKIING ALEX MCNABB Tufts University SAILING ANNECY KAGAN St. Michael’s University HOCKEY QUINN MCCARTHY Stonehill College LACROSSE GRACE MURPHY Merrimack College LACROSSE JACK PARKER Flagler College LACROSSE AHNEKA NOYES Bryn Mawr College FIELD HOCKEY JASMINE PETERSON Bowdoin College BASKETBALL RACHEL STOREY Babson College HOCKEY SEAN SENIER United States Naval Academy LACROSSE Boston College ALPINE SKIING Hamilton College LACROSSE MAIZLEY TONELILY STROHECKER JASMINE WHITTAKER ATHLETICS Spring/Summer 2022 | 29
“I’m originally from Ontario, California. I lived there for 37 years and we decided to relocate due to costs of living and pay…We drove across 14 states to get here. That was definitely a road trip. It was a challenge getting here. We drove across 14 states, two cars fully loaded with four kids, two cats, and one dog.”
WHAT HE DOES AT HOLDERNESS
BECOMING PART OF THE HOLDERNESS COMMUNITY
The first day I came here, I met Phil [Head of School Phil Peck] and that was kind of like a really big eye opener to how people are out here. People out here are very helpful, which kind of threw me off a little bit when I started. They reached out and Phil and Duane and all the building maintenance crew made me feel like I was at home. Like I wasn’t an outsider.
RAYMOND PATRICK SHANNON Hometown: Ontario, California Started Working at Holderness: June 1, 2021 Department: Buildings
Grounds BULLS BEHIND THE SCENES UPDATES/TRUSTEEEMPLOYEE 30 | Holderness School Today
I range from doing grounds work to inside painting, working on heaters, anything that has to do with building upkeep, which is nice. It keeps me going. I really like it. Here I got hired as a building maintenance worker, kind of highlighted on the irrigation. They wanted to have someone that had more irrigation experience so that if there was a problem, they would just call me and say ‘Could you fix this?’
I can’t say enough good stuff about Holderness. I’m so excited and proud that I’m here, working for such a prestigious school. I live it very much with pride. It’s home.n &
FINDING A NEW HOME
ON MOVING FROM CALIFORNIA TO NEW HAMPSHIRE
Students wear ribbons in solidarity with LGBTQ+ youth during the national Day of Silence demonstration in April. UPDATES/TRUSTEEEMPLOYEE Spring/Summer 2022 | 31
With John set to retire this spring, we asked him to sit down for a wide-ranging conversation about teaching, learning, and his plans for the future. Like most conversations with
An interview with retiring English teacher John Lin O ver his 41 years as an educator, John Lin has seemingly done it all. He’s been an English teacher, dean of students, and head of school. He’s worked at a range of different institutions, from Phillips Academy to San Francisco Day School to School Year Abroad in Rennes, France. And he has also helped foster important diversity initiatives in secondary education, from mentoring new administrators of color to serving as a faculty member at the People of Color Conference and Student Diversity Leadership Conference, both run by the National Association of Independent Schools.
ON THE JOB OF TEACHERS
John Lin sparks a discussion during his AP Literature class.
THE JOHN LIN TERVIEW
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John – who first came to Holderness in the summer of 2010 with his wife and fellow English teacher Marilee Lin – it was a freewheeling, philosophical exchange that touched on topics as varied as the role of teachers, the Wizard of Oz, and the meaning of life. Here’s just some of what he had to say.
“I think the goal of us all as teachers is to ignite the natural curiosity you have in you. It’s about to be lit – it’s all ready to go – we just have to provide you something.”
UPDATES/TRUSTEEEMPLOYEE
FINDING MEANING IN LIFE
“I went to public high school and I’m a person who historically has not been served by these schools as a Chinese American – an American-born Chinese person - not even an international person. The international community is highly served by these schools. I think in retirement I also want to maybe be in touch with a slightly different constituent group locally – whether it’s local students through Mountain Village [Mountain Village Charter School in Plymouth], whether it’s other students in need globally, however I might be able to leverage whatever I have, the experience I have in my life to help other people, that’s what I’m going to do… As I go towards something else, I think that it’s just more of the same but it’s a different group. It’s just less defined, it’s less given to me. I have to go seek it in a slightly different way.”
HIS CONTINUING ROLE AS AN EDUCATOR—OUTSIDE OF PRIVATE SCHOOLS
CAREER GOALS
JOHN’S RETIREMENTDAY-TO-DAYPLANS
“I’m just going to keep on doing what I’m doing. I’ll try not to be too much of a pain in the neck for Marilee. I think we’re getting a puppy this summer so I will be head number-one dog trainer and dog walker. This will be the best-trained Labrador Retriever ever, in our lives.”
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“For me, I don’t have a clear end post. I didn’t have 12 things I needed to do before I retired or died, or whatever. I think it’s just so much more amorphous or abstract. I would love to think that as I leave teaching that maybe some of the things I’ve said to my students over these years has helped them to discover some things about themselves and the world around them.”
“With my seniors, I ask them ‘What are you moving towards? What have you moved your whole life towards?’ There’s no thing there. It’s like the Wizard of Oz. I said, ‘You guys watch the Wizard of Oz. What happened when they got to the end of the Yellow Brick Road and they were hoping for some thing? When the curtain parts, what did they find?’ One girl in the classroom said ‘That he was an ordinary guy.’ I said, ‘So what do you think the moral of that story is? What do you think about this? That at the end of your search, that all you found was something ordinary, would you be disappointed? Would you feel like you gave too much and didn’t get enough back, somehow? That there’s a quid pro quo, a balancing of an equation that you need to end with more or at least equal the amount? That there’s always a balancing? Is it a game you have to win? How do you know if you have to win?’” John coaching the crew team.
UPDATES/TRUSTEEEMPLOYEE Spring/Summer 2022 | 33
“I delivered a faculty baby at 11:30 at night,” says Maggie, who at the time had a busy career as an OB/GYN at Speare Memorial Medical Center in Plymouth. “I started teaching environmental science the next morning.”
UPDATES/TRUSTEEEMPLOYEE
MAGGIE MUMFORD: DELIVERING CHANGE
As a new teacher at a school in the White Mountains, she pushed hard to incorporate the New Hampshire environment into the school’s science curriculum. Thanks in large part to Maggie, Holderness students now regularly visit the world-famous Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest just north of campus, participate directly in a long-term study of Squam Lake, and carry out a yearly phenology study Maggie Mumford teaches students in an AP Biology class.
aggie Mumford didn’t sleep well the night before she began her teaching career at Holderness. She was up late, delivering a baby.
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Maggie’s commitment to environmental science would come to define her teaching career at Holderness. In short order, she went from teaching one section of environmental science to teaching full time, leaving her medical practice behind.
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So that’s how Maggie – perhaps a bit bleary-eyed from the night before – began teaching at Holderness. The year was 1999, and Maggie - the only OB/GYN at her small, rural hospital - was overworked and looking to make a career change. “I was the only one delivering babies, the only one doing anything related to OB/GYN. They had no hospitalist then, so I was doing any sort of intensive care for those patients and all of the surgeries and all of the deliveries and all of the appointments,” Maggie says. “I just couldn’t do it alone any longer. So, I fell back on my first love from college, which was environmental science.”
of the many trees on the school’s 600-acre campus. “I’m really proud of that because I pushed hard, really hard, for experiential and place-based learning,” Maggie says.
“Now they’re part of the curriculum and it’s great to see.”
Maggie also served as the director of sustainability at a pivotal time for the school. During her tenure as director, she worked as an organizer and liaison on a number of sustainability projects, including a campus-wide energy audit of school buildings; the LEED-certification of the Woodward and Pichette dorms; the construction of the school’s biomass plant; the installation of solar panels on the new ice rink; and the construction of a second, 460-kilowatt solar array on campus in 2021. Through it all, she made it a point to incorporate the projects into the school’s formal science curriculum. When the school announced its plans to build a 99-kilowatt solar array atop its new ice rink in 2014, for example, Maggie’s students came up with a design that was within 4 percent of the energy output predicted by the professional designer the school hired. “We used basic math, a few simple programs, and their ingenuity, and they came up with just about what the professional designer did, even though the building wasn’t there yet,” Maggie says. “So that was pretty cool.”
It’s safe to say that Maggie will keep busy in retirement. She’s a member of the Pemi-Baker Search and Rescue Team, which responds to lost and injured hikers in the White Mountains. She also hopes to continue the ecological volunteer work she did during her Henderson Brewer van Otterloo Chair Year, when she traveled the world assisting with research studies on koalas in Australia, sharks in Belize, sea turtles in the Bahamas, and pollinators in Costa Rica. Oh, and she’s also maintained her medical license. “In the back of my mind I’ve thought it would be really great to be able to use the medical degree and be affiliated in some sort of teaching and medical supervisory way over programs like that, that are ecologically based,” Maggie says. As she leaves Holderness, Maggie – never one to tout her extensive accomplishments - says she regrets not doing more to instill an environmental ethos at a school-wide level. Her hope is that students and teachers will move away from thinking about how climate change will affect their own lives and the school, and start thinking about steps they can take to mitigate climate change. “I’m hoping that there is a more widespread effort to instill the environmental ethos in everyone and I don’t mean just loving the outdoors,” Maggie says. “I mean respecting it and thinking about the future.” n From science labs to sustainability initiatives and programs like Out Back, Maggie has made a big impact on Holderness.
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Now, for the first time, MALS is partnering on a pilot project with a group of independent prep schools in Northern New England, known as the Lakes Region Consortium. The schools’ goal is to recruit promising candidates from underrepresented populations and help them prepare for successful high school teaching careers.
"Our graduate school faculty are particularly keen to teach teachers at the secondary level because they know that they go right back into their classes and use what they’ve learned in MALS to nurture younger minds," says MALS Director Wole Ojurongbe, a 2008 MALS graduate. "It’s also an opportunity for these schools to make their faculty and staff more reflective of a diverse student body."
BY CHARLOTTE ALBRIGHT
CollegeDartmouthofcourtesyPhoto
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UPDATES/TRUSTEEEMPLOYEE
HOLDERNESS JOINS
Consortium fellows will join the faculties of the participating secondary schools while enrolling in MALS full-time
DARTMOUTH FELLOWSHIP FOR ASPIRING EDUCATORS
F or more than 50 years, the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (MALS) program has advanced postsecondary teaching and learning. In 1999, under the leadership of Donald Pease, the Ted and Helen Geisel Third Century Professor in the Humanities, the Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies program began offering interdisciplinary concentrations in globalization studies, creative writing, cultural studies, and general liberal studies.
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If the pilot is successful, it will be broadened to interested public schools and other employers, says Pease. Workplaces could sponsor employees in the MALS program as a way to enhance their skills and the program could help employers recruit and retain a more diverse workforce.
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Several other schools are considering joining the group. Nine teaching fellows are expected to attend MALS this summer, and program leaders say they can accommodate at least 12.
"What I am learning from MALS is that the study of statistics isn’t just about numbers," he says. "Anyone who does data analysis has to understand how to make ethical decisions around using that information. I am also learning from my professors how to structure a good class, and to build a framework for students by putting up guideposts and letting them work independently within them."
Over the past two years, MALS classes have been largely virtual, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic; this year the plan is to resume in-person classes. Ferreras, who was born in Harlem, graduated from Bowdoin College and teaches statistics at the Dublin School, his alma mater, in southwestern New Hampshire. At MALS, he is studying creative writing, which, he says, is making him a more thoughtful math instructor.
MALS, which currently has 165 students in its programs, offers need-based financial aid and scholarships for qualified students.
"There’s an exodus around teaching for a number of reasons," she says. "This program prepares people for difficult work, but I’m hoping we can do it in a joyful way, an inclusive way, that can be modeled across the country. We hope to inspire individuals who may not have imagined themselves as educators to see the value they can bring to a boarding school, both inside and outside the classroom."
This article and accompanying photo were originally published by Dartmouth College under the title "MALS Launches Fellowship Program with Secondary Schools."
Inaugural teaching fellow and third-term MALS student Jordan Ferreras is looking forward to that symposium, and to meeting faculty and fellow students this summer.
"It will be transformative, with talented people like Jordan coming to our school and bringing their own perspectives from a variety of backgrounds. It’s getting all of us to think differently about the student experience, especially for an underrepresented population that is, happily for us, growing."
"MALS holds a symposium each summer in which we engage an issue from disparate perspectives. This year the topic is ’Abolition Democracy,’ a term used in the 1930s by W.E.B. Du Bois, which has been re-animated to engage conversation about systemic racism."
At Kents Hill, Rene Davis, assistant head of school for student life, says partnering with Dartmouth will bring new faculty to her campus at a time when excellent teachers are in short supply.
for at least three summer terms, earning their master’s degrees from Guarini. Each member of the consortium will host at least one fellow for a two-year period, paying a base salary with benefits, providing room and board, and covering half the student’s MALS tuition. Dartmouth will cover the other half and provide access to the Dartmouth Center for the Advancement of Learning, which helps faculty members develop teaching tools and strategies.
"I felt safe there, and always supported," he recalls. At the same time, he says, "There were no Black teachers, so it was hard to see my identity represented."
Dublin School Head Brad Bates ’91, Guarini ’00, who helped spearhead the Dartmouth partnership, says the Lakes Region fellowships will help diversify faculty in a way that strengthens the entire school community.
As a Dublin student, Ferreras says he was grateful for a scholarship and "loved every minute" of the experience.
So is the Lakes Region Consortium, which includes, in addition to Dublin School, Cardigan Mountain School in Canaan, N.H.; Holderness School in Holderness, N.H.; Kents Hill School in Kents Hill, Maine; Kimball Union Academy in Meriden, N.H.; New Hampton School in New Hampton, N.H.; Proctor Academy in Andover, N.H.; and Vermont Academy in Saxtons River, VT.
The fellows will benefit from the "intensely interdisciplinary" nature of the graduate courses, especially during summer term, says Pease.
“I’d never done anything related to animal rescue before then,” she said during an interview early this year. “That event changed my life, but I didn’t want to give up my career. So my dog rescue career and my regular career grew at the same time.”
CYNTHIA SWEET ’94 For Dog and Humankind
Then Hurricane Katrina hit. Watching the scenes of devastation unfold on newscasts, Sweet felt she needed to do something to help. She booked a one-way ticket to Louisiana, borrowed some vacation time from her new job, and headed south armed with only a flip phone and determination.
Sweet credits the path that has brought her this far to her time at Holderness. In part, it was the familial atmosphere surrounding Holderness and “the really funny, amazing teachers.” And in part, it was the confidence built through programs including Out Back and her unusual senior project.
“Until we got back, and I thought, ‘That was amazing!’
A year later, Sweet’s mother encouraged her to strive for something beyond run-of-the-mill – then helped her design a senior project based in Guatemala. With a classmate, Sweet spent three weeks living with a host family, going to Spanish classes every day, and studying the culture.
“I was immersed in a place where nobody spoke English, and I had to use my 10 words of Spanish and try to conjugate verbs. We learned about the indigenous culture and what was happening politically. We saw the inner workings of a small community in Latin America,” she said. “It was only three weeks, but it was that seed that compelled me to do all this other stuff.”
Based in Groveland, Massachusetts, Sweet Paws rescues
At Northeastern, Sweet counseled students who wanted to study abroad to look beyond London and Paris, beyond typical classes and partying. As her mom had encouraged Sweet to do something different for her senior project at Holderness, Sweet now encouraged college students to find ways to immerse themselves in other cultures. Meanwhile, during her decade of working at Northeastern, Sweet’s animal rescue efforts were also escalating, although she said, “I did not mean to start a rescue. Everything happened organically.”
“I wanted to travel the world, and I realized that not everybody lives like we did north of Boston,” she said. “I always found comfort in people’s differences. It was fascinating. I just found that I felt most alive when I was living in places where people were different. Those six years were really hard, but they were amazing, and they made me who I am today.”
BY MEGHAN MCCARTHY MCPHAUL C ynthia Sweet never meant to start an animal rescue organization. About a decade after graduating from Holderness – and living in a handful of foreign countries, earning a master’s degree in intercultural relations along the way – she was happily ensconced in a new job at Northeastern University, counseling students who were preparing to study abroad.
“When we did OB, there was record snow on the Kancamagus. You’re 17 years old, you have a 70-pound pack, and you have 10 days in the freezing cold mountains, including a three-day solo. I hated every minute of it,” Sweet recalled.
PROFILESALUMNI 38 | Holderness School Today
That experience made me realize I could do anything.”
“Holderness pushed you out of your comfort zone, and it made you do things that you probably wouldn’t do if you were going to a traditional high school – or even a different boarding school,” said Sweet, who grew up on the North Shore of Massachusetts.
In 2011, Sweet officially founded Sweet Paws Animal Rescue. A few years later, she left the work she loved at Northeastern to focus on the work she loved rescuing animals – and, ultimately, the people who adopt them. In the years since, Sweet Paws has rescued some 20,000 dogs and cats.
That stuff included taking a year off from school after graduating from Holderness, and, as Sweet recalled, being “in a different place every single September for six years.” Boston was first, where Sweet did City Year, working with HIV/AIDS-focused health care groups. She also spent time in Costa Rica, Honduras, and Spain en route to earning a bachelor’s degree.
A team of women who live in the areas where Sweet Paws rescues from does the initial work of saving the animals they find, caring for them until they can be vaccinated and spayed or neutered, then transported to Massachusetts. These women are part of Sweet Paws’ 200-volunteer network that helps with animal rescue, care, fostering, transportation, and ultimately adopting animals to new homes.
One of those celebrations came in 2020, when another Holderness School alum and former field hockey teammate, Emily Evans MacLaury, ’96, adopted a dog from Sweet Paws for her son, who had been diagnosed with cancer, at age 10, a few years earlier.
“One of our programs is going to be for terminally ill children to come to the sanctuary and spend time with the farm animals,” Sweet said. “Emily and Graham are going to be a part of that program. He loves animals, and now he’ll be able to help change the lives of terminally ill kids by helping create this program.”
animals primarily from the southeastern United States, where Sweet said a combination of vast pet overpopulation and limited – or nonexistent – public animal resources have created a perfect storm.
“She told him if he beat the cancer, she would get him a dog,” Sweet said. “He beat the cancer, and they adopted a puppy from us. It was this big, emotional adoption.”
“It is a really, really hard field to be in. You can adopt out 20 cats and dogs, and you turn around and there are 200 more,” Sweet said, noting that she is currently fostering three Sweet Paws rescues, in addition to the six dogs she’s adopted. “You really have to celebrate the wins and the incredible adoptions we do. You have to adopt the mentality that you’re making a difference in the lives of people and animals.”
Sweet also plans to develop programming for youth from the Lawrence, Massachusetts, area. “I am a few miles away from some of the poorest areas in our state, and it would be a huge missed opportunity to not get them to come to the sanctuary and be with animals and run around in green spaces,” she said. “It’s really important to me to reach young, at-risk populations. I really want this to be a community facility, where kids are learning.”
MacLaury wrote about the adoption and submitted her essay to the PetCo Love competition, and earlier this year, the story of her son, Graham, and his dog, Phoebe, garnered $75,000 of prize money for Sweet Paws. That money is being used to purchase a 70-acre farm, which Sweet plans to develop as a multispecies sanctuary – for species from pigs and donkeys to cats and sheep – and toward programming that will help both animals and people.
PROFILESALUMNI Spring/Summer 2022 | 39
“There are puppies or pregnant mamas dumped on the side of the road every single day,” Sweet said. “There’s no municipal pound. There’s nowhere for them to be brought. These are poor areas, where they just don’t have the resources to care for these animals.”
Whether it’s kids or grownups, puppies or mama dogs or middle-aged cats, Sweet is out to save as many as she can – one dog or cat or human at a time. n
To learn more about Sweet Paws Rescue, visit www.sweetpawsrescue.org
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The idea for Renaissance Center of Mastery came to Corinthia during the COVID-19 pandemic, when she, like so many others, found herself questioning her career path and mission in life. Having spent the previous decade working at Mount Sinai Medical Center, most recently as a physician access services coordinator, she was wellversed in the administrative ins-and-outs of the healthcare system. She also knew just how broken the system wasespecially for patients on managed care who often have to wait longer for services and suffer from a lack of access.
Founder of the Renaissance Center of Mastery
The need for a clinic like Renaissance Center of Mastery is greater than ever. During the first year of the pandemic, the global prevalence of depression and anxiety increased 25 percent, according to a March 2022 report by the World Health Organization. It’s an increase that is disproportionately borne by young people who, according to the report, are at a greater risk of self-harming behavior or suicidal thoughts. At the same time, New York City and many other areas across the globe have seen a marked increase in crime. In February of 2022 alone, overall crime in New York City was up 58 percent over the previous year, according to the New York Police Department. It’s a trend Corinthia has observed firsthand in Harlem, where gun violence and other forms of crime are on the rise. “Every other day we have a shootout, we have police getting shot,” Corinthia says.
CORINTHIA BENISON ’05
Corinthia knew that she could do something to help address those problems. “You know how to build networks, how organizations should partner. You know the healthcare system,” she recalls telling herself. “Do something that is not completely a redesign, but a new niche for a population that needs it, particularly youth. I just went from there.”
Corinthia Benison ’05 PROFILESALUMNI 40 | Holderness School Today
BY GREG KWASNIK
hen Corinthia Benison ’05 left her home in Harlem to enroll in Holderness School at the age of 13, she found herself adjusting to a completely new environment. Corinthia, a basketball standout for the Bulls who went on to earn a full athletic scholarship to the University of Delaware, says going to Holderness was a privilege and opportunity that “changed the trajectory of my life.” But it wasn’t an entirely easy transition.
“I learned a lot about myself. Looking back, I wish I was a little more sociable,” Corinthia says. “Coming from the city, being the only brown girl in my class, those are things I look back on and say ‘You know, you were doing something that no one else was really doing at the time.’ I kind of have to cut myself some slack.” Today, Corinthia is back in New York City - and she’s still doing things others aren’t. In this case, she’s working tirelessly to create an entirely new, community-based mental health and behavioral health clinic in Harlem. It’s called Renaissance Center of Mastery, and it will provide addiction counseling, therapy, and career development programs to underserved populations in her community. “We want to be right in the neighborhood. You don’t have to take two trains to a bus,” Corinthia says. “There are a lot of barriers in why people don’t seek treatment for therapy. We want to break a lot of those barriers and be right where the need is.”
While Corinthia is devoted to making positive change in Harlem, she has also found time to give back to the Holderness community. On a visit to campus last winter, she reconnected with her old teachers, met with the basketball team, and re-lived her happy campus memories. Looking to the future, Corinthia hopes to help mentor and recruit students with backgrounds similar to hers. “I still love the game of basketball and if I could be a bridge with any kid who would want to take on that experience, that’s capable of that transition, being able to help in that way,” Corinthia says. “I think about young people like myself who could really benefit from an opportunity like Holderness, and seeing how I could help with that young generation.”
While sociologists and psychologists will likely spend decades studying the relationship between the pandemic, crime, and mental health outcomes, Corinthia knows one thing for sure: the young people in her community aren’t receiving the services they need. As a child, Corinthia benefitted from youth service organizations like The Harbor for Girls and Boys, and SCAN Reach for the Stars, which helped her pursue her Holderness education. “A lot of these programs don’t exist anymore,” Corinthia says. “There’s not enough to meet the needs of the youth.” Beyond the lack of services available to young people, Corinthia says, there is a stigma against seeking mental health care in Harlem and other communities of color. The Renaissance Center of Mastery seeks to break that stigma. “I want youth to know that seeing a therapist, talking about your issues—whether you’re having anxiety or depression, whether you’re discovering your sexuality – all of those things you can speak about in a safe space, and it’s ok.”
Corinthia during her days as a basketball standout for the University of Delaware.
“Right now I’m really trying to cultivate relationships and starting a fundraising campaign,” Corinthia says. “It really is about relationships. It’s about trust, it’s about people believing in your vision, and getting out there.”
Corinthia is fully committed to making her vision for Renaissance Center of Mastery a reality. She left her job at Mount Sinai Medical Center in early 2021, and since then has devoted all of her time and energy to consulting with experts, assembling a board of directors, and scouting clinic space in Harlem. This spring, Corinthia—who will serve as the organization’s executive director—will begin a fundraising campaign to truly get the project off the ground.
Renaissance Center of Mastery will be unique in that it will offer young people between the ages of 12 to 24 a more comprehensive clinic experience where they can see a therapist, receive substance abuse counseling if needed, and take part in career development programs to gain skills like coding and web design. Few organizations offer all of these services in the same location. “We want to grow programs where kids are like ‘Ok, this is what I’m into, this is attractive to me, and I’m also getting therapy in the same space,’” Corinthia says. “We want to raise the bar on what a clinic experience is, in every sense.”
To learn more about Renaissance Center of Mastery, visit rcmxsocialjustice.com n
“IT REALLY IS
GETTINGINPEOPLEABOUTRELATIONSHIPS.ABOUTIT’STRUST,IT’SABOUTBELIEVINGYOURVISION,ANDOUTTHERE.”
PROFILESALUMNI Spring/Summer 2022 | 41
“The victims are young and the assailants—these people are under 25, in most cases. What’s really going on here?”
THE JAMES CONKLIN MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP James Conklin ’05
People are still talking about that performance nearly two decades later—and more than five years after James, who lived with a heart condition, passed away unexpectedly from post-surgical complications. And while his memory lives on with friends, family, and teachers, it also lives on through the James Conklin Memorial Scholarship, a nonprofit that supports aspiring comedians like James. The scholarship was established in 2017 to support the Chicago comedy community, where James had made a name for himself working and performing improv on the house team at the legendary iO Theater. Thanks to talent and hard work, James was a regular performer on stages that had launched the careers of Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and dozens of other comedy greats. Today, the scholarship is seeking to broaden its impact beyond Chicago. The iO Theater, which closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, faces an uncertain future, and many Chicago comedians have moved to New York or Los Angeles to pursue their dreams. While the original scholarship paid for comedians to attend the iO Summer Intensive workshop in Chicago, it now supports artists in their creative projects, community projects, and individually. “The program we were sending people to has been shut down, so we’ve pivoted to more of a direct giving model and we’re just kind of interested in growing,” says Taylor, who sits on the scholarship’s board of directors along with James’s friends and family.
“He brought so much humanity to that character, who was overlooked and never heard,” says Monique RobichaudDevine, Holderness School’s theater director. “Then when he opened his mouth and sang the song I was like, ‘James, you have the most beautiful voice.’” In many ways, it was a performance that shouted James’s potential to the world. “To this day, when I run into old classmates and even their parents, they rave about this performance that he put on, and just how funny it was,” says childhood friend and classmate Taylor Caggiula ’05. “I think he left a pretty lasting impression on a number of folks.”
James Conklin ’05
PROFILESALUMNI 42 | Holderness School Today
BY GREG KWASNIK W hen you ask people about James Conklin ’05, they’ll describe someone who was naturally funny and unforgettable. So it’s fittingly ironic that they’ll also rave about his performance of the song "Mr. Cellophane" in the school’s rendition of the musical "Chicago." It’s a sad, funny number in which James’ meek character, Amos Hart, laments his seeming invisibility to the people around him.
To learn more about the James Conklin Memorial Scholarship, visit Jamesconklinmemorialscholarship.com n
“TO THIS DAY, WHEN I RUN INTO OLD CLASSMATES AND EVEN THEIR PARENTS, THEY RAVE ABOUT THIS PERFORMANCE THAT HE PUT ON, AND JUST HOW FUNNY IT WAS...” PROFILESALUMNI Spring/Summer 2022 | 43
Making a living as a performer—even before the pandemic —was notoriously difficult, a reality James knew well. While performing and working at the iO Theater, he took a variety of jobs to support himself, working on supply chains for a logistics company and even doing a brief stint at Whole Foods. James’s mother, Deb Reynolds, says she warned her son against taking a job at a grocery store, given the nights-and-weekends schedule of a performer. “I used to work in a grocery store and I said, ‘You know, honey, they’re going to want you to work weekends,” Deb says, laughing. His career at Whole Foods lasted all of three days.
To Ms. Devine and others who knew him, James was a person you simply couldn’t ignore - or forget. “He was doing what he loved,” Ms. Devine says. “He absolutely loved making people laugh, and he was good at it.”
Luckily, James was surrounded by supportive family and friends—and, near the end of his life, had made big strides toward his career goals. In addition to performing on house teams at the iO Theater and CIC Theater, he took a job as a comedy writer for Evil Apples, the hilarious and bawdy app inspired by the party game Cards Against Humanity. He was also actively pursuing his dream of landing a comedy writing job in New York. He was well on his way to fulfilling the potential he had shown at Holderness, where he helped to start the school’s first improv group and wowed the community with his performances.
Since the class of 2020 experienced a virtual graduation, we wanted to do something in person in August 2021. Pictured are Andrew Sheppe ‘00, Lilly Magnus ‘20, Kai Parlett ‘20, Malin Alusic-Bingham ‘20, Ellie Page ‘20, Amanda Vansant ‘20, Gus Whitcomb ‘20, Alex Robbins ‘20, Colin Casey ‘20, Rudy Beer ‘20, Isabel Tompson ‘20, Neal Frei’03 and Randy Houseman P ‘15 ‘18.
The Holderness School Alumni association includes more than 7,000 people worldwide, with many alumni gatherings taking place each year. The Holderness Alumni Relations Team plans events throughout the country—and sometimes internationally—so visit Holderness.org/alumni for a list of upcoming events. Here are just a few of the gatherings that have occurred over the last year.
PORTSMOUTH, NH NEW YORK
Holderness joined fellow independent schools in northern New England to host a professional networking event and panel discussion in NYC. Amy Synnott ‘90 represented Holderness on the panel with Director of College Counseling Bruce Barton.
SMALL GATHERINGS
We enjoyed seeing everyone in Portsmouth on February 15 to help us celebrate Day of Giving and Phil Peck’s 38 years at Holderness. Special thanks to the Cassidy Family for helping organize this event.
GATHERINGS 44 | Holderness School Today
CELEBRATINGCITYTHE CLASS OF 2020
VERMONT MONSTERSLAKE
Phil Peck traveled to Denver in March to check on our Colorado alums. Pictured: Charlie Sheffeild ‘14, Renee Fleisher P ‘87 ‘90, Brandon Fleisher ‘87, Eliza Lockwood ‘02, James Rowe ‘15, Emily Lockwood ‘99, Victor Frandsen P’20, Terry Fleisher P ‘87 ‘90.
DENVER, HOLDERNESSCO 100
Young alums gathered for a Holderness ski day at A-Basin this past March. Special thanks to Jake Rosencranz ’15, Leah Curtis ’15 and Charlie Sheffield ’14 for hosting this event. We look forward to one next year!
GATHERINGS Spring/Summer 2022 | 45
Several alumni and friends joined Holderness for a Vermont Lake Monsters game. While the group was a bit larger, our young alums posed for a photo. Pictured: Claudia Canton ‘19, Mikayla Stolar ‘19, Izak Furey ‘19, Joey Pollack ‘19, Lilly Patterson ‘19 and Graham Allardyce.
More than 30 riders gathered this past August to join in on the 8th Annual Holderness 100 century ride. The group gathered at Weld for a pre-ride photo.
ARAPAHOE BASIN, CO MT. BACHELOR, OR PORTLAND SEA DOGS
A group of alumni met at Mt Bachelor, OR last spring for a late-season ski. Pictured: William Cosgrove ’73, Alex and Kelsey (Muller) Rospos ‘09, Joe Muller ‘06.
Several new families joined School President Maizley Tone ‘22 and Holderness for a summer game at the Portland Sea Dogs. Pictured: Amy Spooner P’24, Susan and Scott James P’25, Gavin James ‘25, Nathan Spooner P’24, Annie Bergeron ‘24, James Clogston, Lily Spooner ‘24, Maizley Tone ‘22, Laura and Gary Bergeron P’24, and Darren Moore ‘99.
Rachel (Goldberg) Nissi ’01 and Nordo Nissi: Violet Lille Nissi on October 7, 2021
Theo Jordan ’02 and Paul Marollo: September 17, 2021 in Duxbury, MA Brooke (Robertson) McConville and Charlie McConville: September 17, 2021 in York, ME
Jessie (Potter) King-Geovanis ’08 and Andreas King-Geovanis: Andreas Odin King-Geovanis on October 21, 2021
Susanna (Whittaker) Waters (PEM) and William Waters: Camilla Miles Waters on October 27, 2021
Lucy (Randall) Archibald ’06 and Paul Archibald: Sawyer Larcom Archibald on October 9, 2021
Katie (Smarse) Edny ’05 and Ryan Edney: Lily Skye Edney on October 2, 2021
Milestones
Ben Kirtland ’06 and Sarah Kirtland: Lee O’Malley Kirtland on September 1, 2021
General Montgomery C. Meigs ’62: July 6, 2021
Betsy Pantazelos ’02 and Christopher Potter: September 18, 2021 at Wildcat Mountain, Gorham NH
Patrick Toomey ’14 and Brianna Michaud: September 25, 2021 in Exeter, NH Nell (Pryor) Moffit ’11 and Bobby Moffitt: September 25, 2021 at Bason Harbor, Vergennes, VT Lauren (Frei) Sleiman ’05 and Ziad Sleiman: October 2, 2021 at Twenty Mile House, Cromberg, CA Nathan McBeath ’10 and Kelsey Katahira: October 2, 2021 at Zhou B Art Benter, Chicago, IL Alex Martini ’06 and Hope Nartonis: October 2, 2021 in Wilson, WY Annie (McClements) Montgomery and Seth Montgomery: October 9, 2021 in Bennington, VT Sonja (Holmberg) Nagel (PEM) and Max Nagel: October 10, 2021 at Hartman’s Herb Farm, Barre, MA Connor Marien ’14 and Sandra (Strogen) Marien: October 10, 2021 in Foxborough, MA Conor O’Meara (EM) and Chrissy Lushefski (PEM): October 29, 2021 at Omni Mount Washington Hotel, Bretton Woods, NH Ryan Branton ’11 and Carly Higgins: October 31, 2021 at Olde Wide Awake Plantation, Hollywood, SC Britta Franson ’99 and Julian Gunther: November 26, 2021 at Camelback Mountain, Phoenix, AZ Casey Gibbs ’12 and Ryan Sousa: December 18, 2021 in Campton, NH Britt Ruegger ’02 and Ella Bennett: February 15, 2022
Samantha (Devine) Roy ’11 and Brandon Roy: September 25, 2021 at Roger Williams Park Botanical Gardens, Providence, RI
Abby Slattery ’12 and Anand Kumar: Avinash “Avi” Kumar on September 7, 2021
Matt Anderson ’98 and Jessica Cumberbatch Anderson: Auri Anderson on September 7, 2021
Katherine Brown ’00 and Julio Gutierrez: Joaquin Emiliano Gutierrez on September 27, 2021
Trevor Dean ’00 and Janet Dean: Stowe Dean on September 8, 2021
Horace “Lee” L. Shepard III ’59: August 1, 2021 Richard M. Leach ’51: September 16, 2021 Charles P. “Peter” MacLellan ’83: October 11, 2021 William “Bill” A. Wells ’62: October 23, 2021 Alfred D. Taylor ’56: November 19, 2021 Judith Ann Dunbar Cameron P’78: December 28, 2021 Creighton “Nick” R. Nichols ’51: February 11, 2022 William “Bill” C. Baskin, Jr. ’49: February 14, 2022 MARRIAGES AND UNIONS Jordan Gonzales ’08 and Stephanie Seley-Gonzales: March 15, 2020 Lauren (Wright) Krynick ’06 and Benjamin Krynick: August 23, 2020 John Casey ’02 and Vivian Lee: August 8, 2021 at Waimea Bay, Haleiwa, HI Tanner Mathison ’07 and Natalie Punchak: September 4, 2021 at Church Island, Holderness, NH Colin Phillips ’11 and Rachel Schwaner: September 5, 2021 in South Paris, ME Shelby Benjamin ’12 and David Mårtensson: September 10, 2021
Annie (Muse) Kearney ’06 and Denny Kearney: Annecy “Niecy” Jill Kearney on September 30, 2021
Michael Schlech ’07 and Natalee Schlech: Simone Archer Schlech on July 28, 2021
BIRTHS AND ADOPTIONS Britta Franson ’99 and Julian Gunther: Nyssa Marie Gunther on May 21, 2019
DEATHS
Brooke Francis ’15 and Storm Adams: Wells Roh:Nikon:Roniron Adams Miles Sellyn ’08 and Marla Anne Marie: Malcolm Francis Sellyn on January 28, 2021
Reed Laverack ’06 and Emily Pednergast: Eddy Lee Laverack on October 3, 2021
Nigel Malloch ’05 and Nicole Malloch: Otto George Malloch on October 6, 2021
Jordan Graham (EM) and Allison Graham: Mae Hale Graham on September 26, 2021
Landry Frei ’08 and Tori Frei: Benjamin Ambrose Frei on October 29, 2021
CLASS NOTES NOTESCLASS 46 | Holderness School Today
Riss Merrill ’13 and JK Kyles: Jayce Amaziah Kyles on October 6, 2021
Kelsey (Muller) Rospos ’09 and Alex Rospos: Wilder “Wiley” Avery Rospos on November 13, 2021
Emily (Riehle) Dixon ’99 and Samuel Martin Dixon: Ivy May Dixon on February 24, 2022 Phil Farrow ’04 and Lauren Farrow: Millicent “Millie” Pearl Farrow on February 27, 2022
Katharine (Nourse) Moore ’04 and Matt Moore: Hadley Helen Moore on November 13, 2021
Abi (Campbell) Maguire ’04 and John Maguire: Merrin Ethel Brown Maguire on November 5, 2021
Kate Vlahakis ’02 and Tricia Molfetta: Luca Macy Vlahakis on December 22, 2021
Robin (Stefanik) Green ’03 and Austin Green: Brianna Elizabeth Green on January 26, 2022 Charlie McNutt ’10 and Katlin McNutt: Logan Joseph McNutt on January 31, 2022
Jesse Thompson ’06 and Nancy Alvarado: Sophia Grace Thompson on February 1, 2022 Colin Edge ’06 and Katelyn Edge: Henry Edge on February 6, 2022
Ryan Tesink ’11 and Brooke Tesink: Kai Tesink on December 21, 2021
Rev. Abby VanderBrug (EM) and Michael VanderBrug: Crosby VanderBrug on November 22, 2021
Seth Aronson ’04 and Meghan Aaronson: Noah Jared Aronson on January 31, 2022
Chris Borsoi ’09 and Raphaelle Harvey: Nathan Borsoi on January 19, 2022
John Muse ’05: McLean Lee Muse on January 2, 2022 Christopher Roche ’07 and Erica Roche: Ruby James Roche on January 10, 2022
Joe Muller ’06 and Mandy Muller: Mckenna Jones Muller on December 13, 2021
A beautiful spring day on campus. NOTESCLASS Spring/Summer 2022 | 47
Ally (Stride) Lloyd ’09 and Michael Lloyd: Lucy Loretta Lloyd on February 10, 2022 C.J. Chartrain ’09 and Allisa Meg: Reese Leone Chartrain on February 18, 2022
Maddie Petry ’08 and Ryan Petry: Rowan Robert Petry on February 7, 2022 Kyle Baker ’07 and Andrea Baker: Benjamin Kyle Baker on February 9, 2022
Allie O’Connell ’04: Tobin Lyng O’Connell on November 25, 2021
NOTESCLASS 48 | Holderness School Today
CORRESPONDENT Rik Clark capeclarks@aol.com
Herefhammond64@comcast.netisanobituaryIwroteto celebrate the life of G. Douglas Hamilton who passed away in May 2020. “We remember our late classmate Doug Hamilton from the Class of ’50 as always being in motion. Had he used this enormous energy in shaping and prioritizing his academic goals, ’Mac’ might have been a successful Ivy League candidate, if that had been his intent. But he sought other education and career options that were more important to him. The name ’Mac’ was used by our friend in addressing yours truly during our boarding school days. For whatever reason, he couldn’t or wouldn’t use the name ’Frank’ in getting my attention. That identity symbol endured for the rest of his days. I would be ’Mac’ to no one else. I, in turn, addressed him with that same name accordingly. As I’ve already said, Doug was always on the move. It is believed that in his early childhood, if one of his parents were to catch the little devil and pick him up in the air, his feet would still keep going. He had a passion for automobiles and motorcycles. Like other motorists his age at the time, he enjoyed speeding on the roads but never lost his responsibility to prevent accidents or to incur injury to others. He had a good reputation in acting carefully to protect his competitors when he was on the race track. He was truly an adventurer. Upon enlisting into the Army to serve his country, our hero insisted, unsurprisingly, on joining the 82nd Airborne to become a paratrooper. He treasured the experience. I met a fellow recruit of Doug’s who told me a story of when they were jumping out of the airplane for the first time. According to his friend’s account, Doug insisted that he be first in line to go, fully trusting his parachute to open on its own when his fellow pals on the aircraft admitted to being just the slightest bit uncomfortable with possibly frightening outcomes. All went well, especially for our friend who was the first to ’hit the turf,’ making him more available to assist others recover and fold their parachutes. Doug’s greatest attribute was being genuinely loyal to family, friends, and country. He had a close friendship with my mother and father. They used to say that he was a perfect houseguest, always ready to help out by assisting in serving meals, making his bed, and in insisting on cleaning up after dinner, along with doing the dishes. My family adored him. And in the business world he was noted for self-imposed demands to help his clients in making carefully thought-out decisions about protecting the value of their investment portfolio. They trusted him. By celebrating his life, we become a bit stronger in dealing with our own, especially those of us who are in our late autumn years looking back at our own successes and shortcomings in engaging others. Hear! Hear! Cheers to my friend.” … We also lost Doug Rennie in August 2021. Doug was one of a few of us from the Class of ’50 who “bunked out” on the third floor of Livermore Hall as members of the freshmen class in the fall of 1946. I think I’m the last of the “Mohicans” from the “Renaissance Era” when the school had a student population of roughly 55 young men during the time that the good Rev. Edric Weld (a man we deeply respected and admired) was our Rector. Warm regards, Frank Hammond CLASS’51 CORRESPONDENT Terry Weathers Musingstmw@sisqtel.netofaclass representative. Here I sit on the eve of deadline day for yet another Holderness Class Notes with zero input from either the dwindling alumni from the Class Sandy and Rik Clark ’48 with incoming Head of School John McVeigh.
Bart Chase writes: “Using the cane more and more and the results are positive. It’s putting more strength into my lower body. Will likely have issues with walking for a long time, but I do want to return to the links if at all possible. The Packers finally woke up the second quarter with Rodgers really doing a masterful job with six touchdowns. I am not sure how the Patriots fared, but I sure do like the style of Mac Jones who I understand is a former Heisman Trophy winner. Yes, I think, now given the chance, he will do a good job for his team. Well, the weekend here we come.” … As for me, Rik Clark , in mid-January there were tentative signs that the COVID-19 virus might peak with less impact in the future. Vaccinations, booster and flu shots, and masks are still necessary and should be mandatory. My wife, Sandy, and I are well, safe and beginning to venture out a bit. We hope for two weeks in Palm Springs, CA in mid-February. The end of the current school year will be when Phil Peck will retire as head of school, succeeded by John McVeigh . Both are outstanding leaders and I am pleased to have them both as dear friends. June 2023 will feature the Class of 1948’s 75th reunion. I am already counting the days. ’49 Want to connect with your classmates? Consider becoming a class correspondent and encouraging your classmates to reconnect in the HST class notes. Contact us at alumni@holderness.org for more information. Thank you!
CLASS’48
CLASS’47
CORRESPONDENT Bill Briggs kvanlingen@holderness.org
CLASS’50 CORRESPONDENT Frank Hammond
On a very sad day a little while ago the helicopter was sold to an alligator farmer outside of New Orleans. They search for alligator nests and eggs in the swamps from the low flying helicopter, take the nest GPS position, then go by boat to collect the eggs. I recently went to New Orleans to see the Bell 47 and the alligator farm. Two roads diverged and I took the one for me that made all the difference. I just renewed my FAA flights instructors’ certificate; I no longer own a helicopter but will see what the future brings. By the way, if you get to New Orleans, the World War Two Museum is really a masterpiece and definitely is well worth the visit.” ... Philippe Coupey does not e-mail, so I airmailed him the request and he airmailed back a letter that I have re-copied here: “Once
We heard from Bill Byers who said he’s “now 85 and let go of managing the family Blue Hill, ME timberland to a nephew who lives near that land. Getting to Blue Hill from Tolland, CT is a chore. ’Tis a far haul. A last job will be helping to host a woodland workshop on September 17, 2021. This is a joint effort of the Downeast Chapter of the Maine Woodland Owners Association, Blue Hill Heritage Trust, American Forest Management, and the Byers family. Still, though not in Maine, I can’t stay out of the woods. Tolland has many trails that need stewarding; hence I serve as an at-large steward with clippers, hand saw, chainsaw, and a tractor to go do what is needed when and where.”
CORRESPONDENT
NOTESCLASS Spring/Summer 2022 | 49
CLASS’56
Dick Meyer
of 1951 or the following Class of 1952 that I volunteered to help gather news for. I had planned on emailing my surviving classmates with suggestions for input. That somehow never happened. Then I planned on calling those for whom I have phone numbers. Somehow that never happened. At least I can mention the classmates who still sent out a genuine Christmas card—if I can find where I put them. How about those ideas for notes you’ve been thinking about but never wrote down? How about Joe Abbey? We keep seeing reference to Joe with his real full name, but not Joe. I wonder how many of the Class of ’51 ever knew his real full name by graduation? I sure didn’t, and I had known him as an English teacher, debating and public speaking coach, tennis instructor, and most personally as the guy who cured my lisp. I didn’t think too much of it at the time, but as I reflect back on a career that included serving as a captain in the US Naval Reserve, FAA flight instructor, and pilot examiner, with all those communications—I can’t see it happening with that old lisp. Thanks, Joe. I could go on and describe the many rides he gave some of us on holidays from Holderness to NYC, first in his old ’38 Ford, then in his brand new red ’49 Ford convertible. Trying to think of something to put in the Notes can bring back neat memories. Why don’t you give it a try?
CLASS CORRESPONDENT Terry Weathers ’51
I’mrichard419@roadrunner.comstartingtowritethisinthe middle of the first real snow storm of 2022, and you probably won’t read it until July. Just a reminder, the notes written in the winter don’t get published until the summer issue, and the notes written in the summer come out in December. A year ago, I started with the hope that by the time you read the notes we would not be wearing masks. It turned out to be mostly true, but here we are again with mask mandates in Portland, and a strong advisory to wear them everywhere else. Let’s hope by July 2022 we really can throw away our masks. One of the first responses to my request for notes was from Barbara Taylor, wife of Alfred Taylor, with the sad news that Al had passed away on November 19 from COVID-19 … Tom Anthony wrote: “Today’s comments are more about what I’m not doing, I’m sorry to say. Last year we didn’t go to Portugal and it looks as if this year’s trip will suffer the same outcome. We’re not eating out and not generally going to much of anything. It’s a good thing we like to do stuff at home. I’m doing more things with wood and embarking on a large carving. Reading more and getting more critical every day, and we discovered that life is much more tolerable without cable. So, these are years without planning, visiting, or much in the way of community. This does not mean that life is empty—far from it. No, these times are filled with different things.” … Philip “Brud” Folger is a regular contributor. At the time of my request, he was in Florida and sent this in: “This may be my last note which includes tidbits of my lifelong love of flying. As my required US Army officer days in the mid-60s were ending I was ordered to Army flight school as my next assignment but that meant three more years and Vietnam as a helicopter pilot. I desperately wanted one without the other. My wife, Scotty, and I agreed we would buy a helicopter someday if I did not extend and go to flight school. About 25 years ago the reliable, classic, MASH type, Bell 47 G5A became a prized possession. I flew it hundreds of hours giving lessons, flying charters, servicing coastal lighthouses, aerial surveys and photography, and was never shot at once!!
INTERIM’52
Wanttmw@sisqtel.nettoconnectwith your classmates? Consider becoming a class correspondent and encouraging your classmates to reconnect in the HST class notes. Contact us at alumni@holderness.org for more information. Thank you! ’53 Want to connect with your classmates? Consider becoming a class correspondent and encouraging your classmates to reconnect in the HST class notes. Contact us at alumni@holderness.org for more information. Thank you! ’54 Want to connect with your classmates? Consider becoming a class correspondent and encouraging your classmates to reconnect in the HST class notes. Contact us at alumni@holderness.org for more information. Thank you! ’55 Want to connect with your classmates? Consider becoming a class correspondent and encouraging your classmates to reconnect in the HST class notes. Contact us at alumni@holderness.org for more information. Thank you!
again there’s nothing much to write home about. Just like I said in the last issue of HST. I still practice and teach Zen meditation, and that never changes, at any rate not in the last 2000 years it hasn’t. Then there’s the writing and publishing of books, both fiction and non-fiction. I still live in Paris, just south of Montparnasse, and it’s really a very lovely place to be in. There may be holes in the roads, garbage on the street corners, and trottinettes (English translation: electric scooter) whipping by on the sidewalks; but the city, the cafes, the latest movies, the trees everywhere, the various gatherings and of course the people—once you get to know them, because before that the people, the French, are not always so nice. And then there are the French social security benefits, and I never forget that. Every month I receive a good sum from the State, for having never done anything in the way of work, work as we know it; all I did for the state, the government, and for myself was just to grow old. What I mean is the money they give you each month is a windfall, and I thank the French Social Security system for that. This summer my beautiful woman friend and I went to Corfu, an island off the Greek coast, for the holidays. Lovely island, and the beaches are great. We were located near the town of Benistses, just another horrible tourist trap with stores full of the same cheap stuff, and in the restaurants the same huge hamburgers you find everywhere. We reserved through Booking, a competitor of Airbnb, and unannounced to us, we found ourselves lodged 10 (actually five) feet off the principal north-south autoroute. The trucks, the buses, the noise, and the pollution were something awful. But to swim in the deep blue sea, calm transparent through to the bottom, and warm the way I like it; and to look up at the only cloud in the sky, or just off into the horizon, imagining all kinds of things, compensated for what was lacking in that town nearby, or again what was not lacking on the autoroute out front, busy day and night without respite. Richard, you asked us in one of your letters, how we are reacting to the COVID. Myself, not so badly. What bothers me most is the panic around it all. Everybody seems so scared. And scared of what? If you look at it from a different perspective, I think you can see something else; that is, if one can first forget oneself a little bit (I mean, before you look and before you think). And having to wear those masks all the time and sometimes to the point of suffocation. If you ever show your nostrils above your mask, watch out! One elderly lady in a black veil on a bus pointed to me and shouted: ’that man is the devil incarnate!’ After a certain age (and I imagine that we are all at that point by now, for after all we are the class of ’56) perhaps one tends to forget what he has done with his life during these past months; we grow detached (though I hope not simply indifferent), I don’t know. This past year? Oh, I don’t know. Nothing much has happened, has it? Not like before. I am off for Christmas to visit my girlfriend’s family along with my daughter and grandson. Then, for the winter and New Year’s session where I will direct the meditation sessions. Best regards to you all and I hope you have a good New Year. P.S. Richard, thank you so much for having forwarded my letter to Mrs. Henderson! I knew no one else who could do that for me. P.P.S. I enclosed the first page of our Winter Session of the Great Sangha."
Sometimes it takes a second effort on my part to get a response to my request for notes. In this context the last line of Bob Armknechts’s reply makes sense: “After my wife, Judy, died in 2019, I decided to embrace a retirement community and moved to an apartment in Fox Hill Village in Westwood, MA. I did keep my house in Westport however and continue to summer there. I am happy this COVID bother is working its way through the python as I am starting my cruising. I am particularly looking forward to a three-week cruise from Greenland to Nome, AK through the northwest passage. Good luck with getting notes and thanks for all your efforts.” … Dick Endlar also came through quickly to my second request: “Sorry I needed the extra prod, but as you see it worked. Not too much to report. I’ve had my three shots, and so far, have been lucky to avoid COVID. I am here in paradise, otherwise known as Naples, FL. I have been lucky that my middle daughter and her husband and her daughter and husband (my oldest granddaughter by 24 minutes) and her daughter and son, my oldest great grandchildren visited me last month and luckily, we had great weather every day. My middle daughter and her husband are coming back next week for five days. Then at the end of the month my second oldest granddaughter (by 24 minutes) is coming here with her daughter, my third oldest great grandchild. As Holderness graduates, I am sure you are smart enough to have figured out that I am very lucky to have identical twin granddaughters. I was saddened to hear about Al Taylor. I always liked him. A gentleman at all times. That’s it for today. My best to all. Stay well” … Dick Endlar had an afterthought and sent this: “I meant to tell you this. I went to a restaurant on Cape Cod called Mattakeese Wharf for lunch one day, and the car parker saw the Holderness sticker I got in the last few years, and he asked ’who goes to Holderness?’ And I replied, ’I went there quite a few years ago’. He said he was a student there. I replied ’I think it was a bit before your time’. He smiled, and when I picked up the car, I gave him a little extra and told him to study hard, not like I did.” … As for me, Dick Meyer, so far Daphne and I have come through the pandemic unscathed by COVID-19 or even a cold. We have had our three COVID-19 shots and a flu shot. Although we did have a scare. Our son spent the Christmas holidays with us and 24 hours later called to say he was sick and tested positive for COVID. We continued to feel fine, and six days later a PCR test returned a negative result, and by then our son was over his worst symptoms. Volunteerism at the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad continues with its ups and downs. Coach 23 which I reported on previously having been hit by a pick-up truck and damaged almost immediately upon completion of restoration, was again hit, this time by the bucket of an excavator in almost the same place, except the truck hit below the window line and the excavator swiped above the window line across several boards before catching on the end trim, damaging the boards, and tearing the trim and railing off all just before opening for Polar Express. The trim was replaced with a wider board to hide some of the damage, the railing was re-secured by plugging the screw holes, and a little paint sort of covered the damage. Then when the coach was put in the consist for a dry run before Polar Express started, an electrical short circuit developed shutting down the whole
NOTESCLASS 50 | Holderness School Today
(Note: Including this page in HST was not possible, but the session is being led by Philippe Reiryu Coupey, and if you Google “Reiryu” ’Philippe Reiryu Coupey / International Zen Association’ pops up.) …
NOTESCLASS Spring/Summer 2022 | 51
CLASS’58
Irobertbackus05@comcast.nethavecertainlyenjoyedreaching out to some of our ’57 classmates and was pleased to get interesting and informative replies from Herbert Wendell "Doc" Gray and Bill Clough , as you will see below. And this is a reunion year, 65 years. I hope to see many of you returning for this in June. In addition, I had a fine conversation with Jay Webster who managed to make me envious by telling me he was calling while enjoying the warm breezes in Hawaii, where he had just landed. I, like Bill Clough, am in what is turning out to be a cold and stormy winter in New Hampshire. By the way, that is exactly what the Old Farmers’ Almanac predicted. Jay is still very supportive of the school, and has plans to do more, which I’m sure we will be reading about in the HST in a future issue. He apparently is an enthusiastic skier when not enjoying the charms of the tropics and enjoyed a visit to the school last summer where he and Patty spent some time with Peter Barnum . He lives in Carbondale, just down the valley from Aspen. … Bill Clough writes “I don’t know if I am capable of a 65-year update, but Ki and I moved back to New London in 2002 and still reside in the old home town. One could say I got stuck in northern New England after my two years as a Holderness boy followed by 45 years there in education. However, there have been diversions, such as 60 years of marriage to a Swede from Stockholm with three children and eight grandchildren scattered across six states. Also being a working trustee of the Betterment Fund, a foundation in New York, keeps me from a total surrender to localism.” … We heard from Herbert Wendell “Doc” Gray who writes “Bonjour, Bob, I would first like to say thank you for being our class correspondent. I just recently received the Holderness School Today fall-winter edition and wish to contribute some personal info. I have been retired for over 20 years from my teaching position and an active reconstructive plastic surgical practice associated with the University of Pennsylvania and Christiana Medical Center. The timing of my retirement was involuntary—a hedge trimmer amputated part of my right hand! I was talked into going back to school (by the dean of academics, who incidentally was a patient of mine), which I did under the MALS program (Master of Arts in Liberal Studies). This gave me an opportunity to study abroad at Oxford and University of London—my doctoral thesis was on the Tudor Reformation. It was a wonderful way to transition into retired life. Enough about me. The question I would like you to be able to answer is whether we as the class of ’57 will be celebrating our 65th sometime this year? It would certainly be nice to see you and others during that celebration.
consist. This was resolved and Polar Express ran 17,000 customers through with no snow days and without much further trouble. You may recall I wrote a year ago that the light tunnel was destroyed last year when a wind storm distorted it and the cupola on the caboose caught on it. We built a new one at a cost of two to three times the original, and installed it early, on a warm day in October, again in preparation for Polar Express. It was a success. I am told that as the train enters the tunnel a sudden quiet comes over all the cars, setting up the entry to Santa’s village a quarter mile further on. We removed the tunnel in a cold rain in January. The restoration and conversion of coach 25 into a Parlor car, Casco Bay 25, is progressing slowly. There is extensive water damage to the roof, studs, windows, and sills. The idea for a parlor car came from a car on another railroad. Our car is much narrower, nevertheless, I have worked in two air conditioners, a kitchen area with a beverage cooler, shelves, cabinets, and a counter so patrons can either be served by a host/hostess or walk up to the counter. This will take a much larger generator than anything previous. The plan is to modify the platform at the kitchen end with a sound deadening housing for the generator. Our run is very short so this is not a dining car. I call it a snack and drink car. However, it will be first class, and can be used separately for special events and for VIP trips with a caterer operating as hosts. Another historic but unrestored car was used in the consist for the Polar Express. Again, shortly before opening day I was informed some of the window sashes were bad. Actually all 34 sashes needed replacement but we only did 10 of the worst with some spares of a different shape. These 10 are currently being fabricated from mahogany to match the original style. However, my window man is also my primary damaged stud repairer, and right now he is concentrating on window sash, so CB-25 is lagging. It takes me a period of time to compile the notes and write my section. I started by saying there was a snow storm going on. I am ending this while I sit here with what feels like a swollen head, runny nose, coughing, sneezing, and ache all over. Yesterday I tested negative, but today I tested positive for COVID-19. My 5-day isolation will be over by Sunday. I sure hope I feel better by then. Two days later I am beginning to feel human again, but far from good. Yesterday I slept 18 hours, and did nothing useful. I can’t tell where I contracted COVID-19, but I think I am fortunate to not have been seriously sick enough to be hospitalized. So far, Daphne has been COVID free.
Bill Biddle williambiddle@myfairpoint.net
R. Brooke Thomas rbthomas@anthro.umass.eduWe’regratefulto
CORRESPONDENTS
CLASS’57 CORRESPONDENT Bob Backus
Presently, we are enjoying living on Hilton Head Island, SC. Neither of us miss the snow and ice. However, the fall foliage is greatly missed. I send my best to all and I wish Phil Peck a well-deserved retirement.” … Finally, on Sunday, February 6, Carol and I were delighted to share a ride from Manchester to Portsmouth with Hollis and Josh Young to attend a Holderness event and the opportunity to chat with Phil Peck and meet and greet John McVeigh and his wife Candice McVeigh Phil asked where we had lived that senior year, and the answer was Webster, which as he pointed out, looks just like it did 65 years ago. Yes indeed, this is a reunion year, 65 years for our class. I hope to see many of you returning for this in June. –Bob Backus
Mike Kingston , our Zoom host, most recently on November 10, 2021, for what have become roughly bi-monthly reunions of the class—or at least reunions of those of us who are comfortable to be seen and to share stuff with one another. Stuff such as how we’ve resisted (or succumbed to) the depredations our octogenarian bodies are sustaining. … John Greenman has let us
… Bruce Leddy, having completed a six-week trip along Route 66, now has plans to travel the Lincoln Highway. Finished in 1913, it was the nation’s first continuous transcontinental automobile highway. It winds its way for 3000 miles across the United States from Times Square to San Francisco. … Jim Collins checked in with us this time. He reminisced about the good old days of playing in both the offensive and defensive football backfields for Lehigh in the Patriot League. Although Lehigh—in Jim’s time there—fared well, especially against Trinity, he still chafes at the thought that they never beat Rutgers. … Gordi Eaton Zoomed in from his new home in Hood River, OR, where he finds himself reflecting on his ownership of Gordi’s Fish & Steak House on the Kancamagus Highway in downtown Lincoln, NH. Gordi, his wife Karen, and their Littleton, NH friends Muffy and Bob Copenhaver started Gordi’s in 1986. It has been popular from the outset as well for the fact that it has become a skiers’ hangout (because its Eaton owners had been US Olympic skiers) as for its fine food. ( Bill Biddle can attest to the food as Gordi’s was a frequent stopping place when he emerged from the Pemigewasset Wilderness with groups of hungry hikers). For quite a few years now, Gordi’s daughter has managed the restaurant. … Jon Wales has, by the time you read this, undergone surgery for lower back stenosis. He remarked that a lot of the doctors may be masters of the new technology but that they look (disconcertingly?) like kids. … Don Latham missed the November Zoom reunion because of his wife’s terrible fall and anticipated lengthy recovery. There was the ambiguity of it’s happening at the Cape and the necessity of their having to remain at their place there while she recovered sufficient mobility for travel and staircases at home (am I reading too much into this, Don?). We sincerely hope all’s well by now. He has been recalling how, after his activeduty Navy service, he returned briefly to Holderness as a faculty member to teach art and music. The art he had to teach in the Hoit basement where there was no natural light (an artist’s nightmare), and seasonal floods necessitated drawing and painting in boots. Don admits he did not read musical notation at all well, so he played the daily morning hymn by ear on the upright piano in the study hall. On one morning the hymn was “Fling Out the Banner.” Don played; few sang, and those few without energy. Don Hagerman stopped the proceedings, saying that there was “something to be desired” and asked for more spirit and participation. So, Don says, “On the second verse, I slid into a bass glissando and continued playing it in an upbeat honky-tonk style. By the third verse we had the old schoolhouse rocking.” The headmaster’s response quickly restored the more appropriate gravity. It was, we seem to remember, Mike Kingston’s suggestion that, at our Zoom reunions, one classmate each time take the “floor” to speak at greater length of his career, travels, interests, or experiences that have given shape to his life and that share with the rest of us who he has become. … It was fitting that Tim Dewart went first. Unburdened by children, only minimally by marriage, he appears to have lived adventurously, boldly, for years comfortably apart from the pressures of corporate or institutional confinements. And with large dogs. Here’s Tim’s story (possibly a little out of sequence as your deaf scribe here has had to conflate two differing written narratives of the journey). Most of us have reinvented some aspect of ourselves in one way or another—gotten religion or gotten rid of it, become a chess (bridge, culinary, tennis, crossword puzzle) master, taken up Bitcoin or Buddhism. At some point after our 1958 graduation Tim reinvented himself. Outwardly, to the world, he’s not the Tim we remember from school days. At some point, he took to life on the road and has become a widely experienced motorcycle rider. This is about one trip that Tim took forty years after our graduation. It was an Odyssey on a red 1998 BMW K-1200 RS king of the road touring bike (the bike “heard quietly world round”) that carried him 14,000 miles, and that, before it ended had taken him from the Adirondacks and Lake George to a September bikers rally in Taos NM. From New Mexico, stopping to pick up needed gear as he traveled, the bike took Tim north through the Rockies, to Alberta, Canada, to the Port of Prince Rupert well up the Pacific coast of British Columbia. By then, as winter was coming on, still bright fall foliage on lower roads, but snow on the higher ones, Tim crossed back into the US, back south through Utah’s high desert (now wearing heated gloves and sitting on a heated bike seat). He took the west-ofthe-Rockies route across to Seattle, then down the coastline to San Francisco, inland to Palm Springs, and a generally southern route home. But that was the route, not the journey. Tim had bought a Golden Eagle Pass allowing him to camp free in national parks. One of Tim’s favorite memories is being in his sleeping bag alongside the road and the Columbia River with his puppy in the bag with him, helping to keep Jake warm. Tim concluded his narration: [The journey] had been “the absolute freedom that he couldn’t have imagined at Holderness.” Thanks, Tim, for an amazing vicarious adventure. Please, everyone, keep on sending us news of your present and memories of your past. Thanks, Jim Collins , for joining us online! You’ll all be hearing from Mike Kingston about our next Zoom reunion. In the meantime, be in touch. Bill Biddle , 2310 Roy Mountain Road, East Ryegate, VT 05042, 802-633-2617, williambiddle@ myfairpoint.net and R. Brooke Thomas 39 Long Hill Road, Leverett, MA 01054-9281, rbthomas@anthro.umass.edu, 413-548-9281. Tim Dewart ’58 and his Great Dane puppy, Jake.
NOTESCLASS 52 | Holderness School Today
know that after prolonged chemotherapy, his treatments have proven successful and he has been declared cancer-free. We’re so happy for you, John. … Bill Biddle has a lower spine injury that causes him to yelp when he bends, stoops, or squats and which he hopes regular pool exercise-therapy will gradually improve. His wife Sharon has emerged from successful open-heart surgery at Dartmouth Hitchcock Hospital and is delightfully rejuvenated, in further part because she’s just received honorable mention for a watercolor landscape painting in a juried show in the gallery at Catamount Arts here in the Northeast Kingdom.
CLASS’59 CORRESPONDENT Jerry Ashworth ashworth.kemah@gmail.com or jashworth617@gmail.com
Firstg.shyavitz@comcast.netofall,manythanks to Ross Deachman , Charley Witherell , Arthur “Spike” Hampson , and John Dunklee for keeping this column alive. Hopefully, the reunion on June 3, 2022, will resuscitate the class. Ross Deachman has retired and gone to Florida for a while as you will see, and his son has taken over his law practice in Plymouth. What does retirement mean? Oh well. Then Charley Witherell responded with a lengthy letter. Charley lives on Witherell Road. I wonder if the city of Haverhill would consider “Shyavitz Drive”? And then of course there is the wonderful travelog from Arthur “Spike” Hampson . So here are the following responses from Ross, Charlie, Spike, and John. … Shy, Nancy and I are fine. My son has taken over my law practice. I still work for him part time. He is in Manchester three days a week and Plymouth the other two days. We are heading for Cocoa Beach mid-January. This will be our 18th year. Have a good winter. Ross Deachman … Dear Shy, you are deserving of some feedback for your ongoing notes! I have a little stack of cards dated 7/20, 12/20 and now 12/21. Tonight I can recycle them! You’ll probably grumble a little to see this letter on paper but I still rarely use email. So, you really are hoping for news? That’s hard to come by at this point as there is lots of normal in our rural routine, and that’s quite okay with my wife, Pam, and me. We’ve been here at Pie Apple Farm for 50 years. The herd of white tail cattle has shrunk from over 20 to 11, and we have downsized our maple operation from 4,000 to 3,000 trees. Somehow, we have always managed to squeeze in the rest of life’s demands. So, what’s new? I read and embraced a fun book: Younger Next Year. Having recently invested some time in the allimportant knee joints, I’ve been able to greatly increase those activities that I really appreciate being able to do—like run the farm and tap our maple trees—plus summiting some of our green mountains, biking over dirt roads, and of course skiing on both H2O and snow. I’ll damn COVID only moderately as we have been healthy to date; but it has made family gatherings a rare and treasured event. Fortunately, we were able to resume our annual “see America cross country run” to Colorado back in April; with car camping and hiking along the way. Our two grandchildren, 10 and seven, make all those miles worthwhile. We returned in May to lingering daffodils, and missed all of “mid-season”. In August we were able to play host to all the Witherells (CO and HI) for a full week of island living at our family home at Lake George. So, let’s look ahead. January through March is all out straight for the maple season. April is again travel time for the Rockies, and then it is June 3 before we know it. Yes, Shy, I’ve made a reservation. It’s been fun following all the good hype surrounding Phil’s retirement. It is very impressive how well he has guided Holderness School to its current position over these past decades. I’ve really enjoyed the Alumni Speaker Series over Zoom, but now I’m just wanting to get back to the Holderness campus and catch up with classmates—LIVE! Wishing you a safe and rewarding 2022. Charley Witherell P.S. So glad you are able to find rewards with your legal and IRS vocations. Wish I could blend in a little more mental stimulation as I’m always so busy with physical tasks. Pam and I send our prayers for Pearl. I really hope you can both make it to Plymouth in June. … Hi Shy, Yup - you remember right. I’m still “ Spike .” I’m still homeless, single and living the vagabond life. I last wrote to you in Charles Murphy ’59 (left) spending time with Sentator Grassley in the senator’s office.
Charley Murphy checks in with the following note. “Wife Robin and I are doing just fine, having avoided the dreaded plague so far. Spending lots of time at our home in the Blue Ridge Mountains. On these cold winter days, I keep the woodstove cranked up to full power. It keeps us warm and cozy. Enjoying some wonderful hunting trips—deer and ducks—with my beloved grandson, Mike. And still putting in three half-days per week with Senator Grassley. My best to all, Murph” … Winter 2022 and Jeannie and I are packing up for our winter stay in Florida. I hate to say it but it has been four years since I have been skiing and this is the first year I have not put on the blades for a pond hockey game, the best sport ever invented. If any of you are reading this newsletter it is somewhat safe to say you saw the last HST issue. Can you imagine what was in that issue: a lighted turf girl’s field hockey field. This is not the school we graduated from in 1959. Sure, Livermore, Niles, Webster, and the red Schoolhouse are still there but the additions are now so numerous that we could easily get lost. Holderness has certainly come a long way since our time. It has transformed itself into a unique first-rate operation. As our class agent, Buster Welch , excuse me, Dr. Harold Edward Welch, has had some small part in this transformation. He and fellow Dartmouth ski captain Jim Page spent some time together fishing in northern Canada. Jim spent a few years as a history teacher at Holderness. There is more to this story, but I will leave it at that. It seems as though I always hear from Charley Murphy. He always mentions the hope of returning to school one day. Well, Charley, you just have to do it. That is the only way it will happen. As for a return to Holderness, I think he has a great idea. If any of you would be interested, it would be easy to pick a day for an informal get-together. No doubt it would be a special day. If we indeed schedule a gathering in Plymouth, perhaps Bruce Vogel will be there since his son is now living in Massachusetts with a new granddaughter. Bruce stays in touch with Buster every so often as I do. Buster’s stories could easily be the featured event at a reunion if only we could get him back east.
Henry Whitney sends regards to all from down south in Argentina as does Ron Pierce . Our class did pretty well in the class giving category last year. Keep up the good work and keep the news coming. Till next time, Jerry Ashworth CLASS’60 CORRESPONDENT Gerry Shyavitz
NOTESCLASS Spring/Summer 2022 | 53
CORRESPONDENT David Pope
Class of 1961, I want to apologize for not reaching out to you for this round of class notes. I was under the impression someone else had taken on this role. I will reach out to you for the next round of notes; unless someone else wishes to take on the role of the 1961 class correspondent? Gerry Shyavitz ’62 Want to connect with your classmates? Consider becoming a class correspondent and encouraging your classmates to reconnect in the HST class notes. Contact us at alumni@holderness.org for more information. Thank you!
INTERIM’61
CLASS CORRESPONDENT Gerry Shyavitz ’60
NOTESCLASS 54 | Holderness School Today
June during a motorcycle trip around the American West. At the time, I was waiting for Europe to open up so I could return to Portugal and carry on with the motorcycle I had in storage over there. That happened in mid-July so from then until November I was on the road to Europe. The only disappointment was being rejected at the border in Norway. The European Union countries were fine with my American vaccination card but Norway would not accept it because it lacked the bar code that their nifty scanners might read. Rejection by Norway was a bit of a downer, but there are always other places to go and Sweden and Finland turned out to be very enjoyable— especially, incidentally, the Aland Islands. I had been keen to explore eastern Europe and my experiences there were really a delight. Too many great days to do justice to autumn in eastern Europe, but I will pick out the one country that surprised me most: Romania. Back around 1989, the summer after Ceaucescu was deposed, I took a one-month bicycle trip there because I wanted to see what conditions were like in an iron curtain country. To this day, it remains the most difficult overseas trip of my life—the poverty, the suspicion and fear, the environmental degradation. But when I passed through in early October it was a country transformed. It remains heavily disadvantaged relative to the other countries of the EU—and even of others in the Eastern Bloc—but the transformation from what it had been 30 years ago astounded me. It is interesting because most of the Romanians I met were either unborn or too young to remember what conditions had been like under the communist regime and as a result were unhappy about their condition relative to the rest of Europe. Their attitude is understandable but they should appreciate how much better things are today than they were in their parents’ and grandparents’ day. I got to Greece in late October and stored Popeye in Athens with plans to return in the spring. I continue to be optimistic that COVID will not stand in the way of my foreign adventures. The question, of course, is where to go from Athens. For the longest time I intended to carry on into Central Asia with my focus on completing a trip around the world, but then I got to thinking about Africa because I have never visited any of its sub-Saharan regions. Frankly, I’ve been intimidated by the prospect of going there alone, but I think I have gotten to the point where I can say, “The hell with it; I’m too old to worry about such things.” But ironically, I’ve now had a third idea that would not displace the Africa plan but would postpone it for a bit. I’m thinking it would be even more enjoyable to do a trip around as much of the Mediterranean coast as possible, with ferry trips to all the most intriguing islands—at the least including Cyprus, Rhodes, Crete, Corsica, Sardinia, Malta, and Mallorca. So, for now, that’s the plan for this coming spring and summer. In early November I flew back to the US with intentions to get my sailboat out of storage and go to the Bahamas, but for reasons too convoluted to explain I changed my mind and ended up here in Tamarindo, Costa Rica. I am here until the end of January at which time I’ll go to visit my daughter Michelle and her family in New Haven and then return to Utah for a month of skiing—including a number of days with son David. If things don’t open up in Europe, I’d surely try to make it to the reunion in June. But if I can get back to Athens before then I’ll probably carry on with my nomadic wandering. Cheers, Arthur “Spike” Hampson . Incidentally - for anybody who is interested, I have posted a daily log of the summer’s touring in Europe at: sp1ke. substack.com. It is unedited notes written while on the road but there are lots of images included. … Shy, I lost the last select board election to a great fellow. No bad feelings but was appointed by the board as backup town administrator. We enjoyed the lake last summer with an abundance of dock ’rats’ and our labrador, Cinder. We cruised in November in the Caribbean and plan to go again in February. In April we’ll be visiting the Panama Canal again. Other than that, I have several projects in the shop, plow snow in the neighborhood, and watch the market. Happy New Year with your best to your family. Let me know the final dates of the reunion. John Dunklee … As for me, I still work for the IRS, but took a lower job there so as to keep my sanity. My small law practice is thriving and I lecture a few times a year on estate planning. It is great to practice law as a part-time attorney instead of practicing “money.” I love my clients. Pearl is still okay with the help of wonderful, wonderful caretakers. I have a grandson off to college with three more close behind and two children over fifty. Oh, and by the way, 2/20/2022 I will be 80. Well, my father died in the middle of a trial at age 63, but mother lived three months short of 100 and was sharp to the end. So, I close wishing all good health and hopefully will see you all in June and if not, somewhere. Gerry Shyavitz
Apopemaine@gmail.comcalltoSaltLakeCitylast night produced some news from Art Sleeper. “Freshies,” a local restaurant chain there, specializes in lobster rolls. The owners are from his hometown of Cape Elizabeth, ME, and he is continually reminded of his time spent hauling pots in Casco Bay. Art and wife Sandy are watercolorists, Sandy being a few strokes ahead of Art as a teacher. Their children are in the
Wantg.shyavitz@comcast.nettoconnectwithyour classmates? Consider becoming a class correspondent and encouraging your classmates to reconnect in the HST class notes. Contact us at alumni@holderness.org for more information. Thank you!
CLASS’63
CLASS’64 CORRESPONDENT Guy "Sandy" Alexander Thesalex88@comcast.netsadnewsof
Barry Chambers ’ passing a year ago gave few details. I learned a bit more via an internet search. This has been shared with our class, but I realize there may be members of other classes that will be interested, so I’ll repeat that here: There was no obituary that I could find, but I did come across a Facebook page for the nuclear power plant workers where Barry was employed for many years. On January 3, his wife Candice wrote there, “I’m overwhelmed by your prayers and loving messages. Bear is home. He has congestive heart (most vessels are blocked), EF is 15%, as well as advanced neuro vascular dementia but he still knows us and has his sense of humor.” Barry passed shortly thereafter, on January 9, 2021. Also on that Facebook page was a very nice remembrance written by one of his step-daughters. It was there that I learned Barry was a grandson of a very well-known American illustrator, Charles Edward Chambers (1883-1941). He has a Wikipedia entry that makes for interesting reading. … Interestingly, Rick Hintermeister ’s uncle “Hy” Hintermeister was also a very successful commercial artist during that time period, and Rick is certain that the two men must have known each other in New York City. Small world! … Terry Morse sent a holiday greeting with this: “Our kids are all doing well, as are our grandchildren. All vaccinated, all working hard, all happy and all healthy. Now that we are more settled, Vitte is getting back to her studio in her usual flurry of creation. At some time in the not-too-distant future we may have to do a small art show and sale to reduce the inventory and create more space. I’m spending quite a bit of time in my wood shop puttering around making widgets or some such. Actually, I’ve been building some of the furniture for our new digs and refurbishing some excellent wood art we have been given over the years. Keeps me off the streets and out of Vitte’s hair.” He followed up with a few more details: “Not much to report. This fall we finished our ’Neo-industrial log cabin’ remodel perched on a five-acre red rock outcropping above Moab which has a commanding view of the Moab Fault and the snowy LaSal Mountains. COVID has put the damper on visiting our children. Peter “Hesse” Morse ’93 and family live in Chile. We have yet to meet his most recent, our twoyear-old granddaughter. Trying to travel there in February. However, because Chile is almost 93% vaccinated, they make it very difficult to get into the country. Canada is a bit easier so we will try to visit our daughter Natasha (Morse) Frank ’91 and family in the spring, then swing down to Oregon to visit daughter Anne “Sine” (Morse) Klepczynski ’88 and family on a four- or five-week road trip. Anne Vitte is still doing her painting and creative art while I’m piddling around in my wood shop building furniture, guitars or whatever else I can conjure up. Threatening to begin the sequel continuation of ’The Aspen Kid’ for my grandchildren in February. Hiking, biking and generally enjoying the high desert. Hope to see everyone at the next reunion whenever that may be and if I can remember to get there.”
Best wishes. David Pope
NOTESCLASS Spring/Summer 2022 | 55
middle of interesting careers such as costume design for the Mark Morris Dance Co. of NYC and a producer for ABC News in Boston. … I tracked down Fred Morrill at home in Tenants Harbor, ME. He took a very productive PG year at North Yarmouth Academy (ME) where he was a standout as hockey goalie. Then it was on to Franklin Pierce College before transferring to Hartwick College (Oneonta, NY) where he thrived. He and wife Sharon split time between “downtown” Tenants Harbor and their cottage just up the coast in Long Cove. I can vouch for that being a spectacular stretch of the coast. … On my way to and from the White Mountains I pass within a few miles of George McNeil’s old cape nestled close to the Saco River just west of Portland, ME. He apparently is still ripping the local smooth waters behind a ski boat in the warmer months. His son and daughter and respective spouses live nearby with a total of three youngish grandkids. The parents’ careers include a blog editor, a timber framer, Google employee and a graduate student. George has his eye on free skiing at a local area when he turns 80. At my query, George recalled how he spent a summer working on Bob Linscott ’s charter boat out of Orr’s Island. Bob, affectionately known to some as Papa Linsc, a bachelor to us, had since married George’s sister. Bob came to Holderness about the time our class arrived. Sadly, he died in 1969 from kidney disease. He encouraged me and a few others in our interest in geology; and went out of his way to take us to several local quarries in white knuckle tours in the school VW microbus. … Last fall I realized that if I didn’t get going, I would never score all of New Hampshire’s 4000 footers. So, I finished off the year’s fifth with the snow nipping at my heels. I have several more to go, some difficult ones, like The Owl (no trail), Isolation (isolated), West Bond (isolated) and others that are just plain long days. I sprang for a new set of hiking poles to spur me on. I’ll update you in my next newsletter. Meanwhile I’m helping my older son rehab his newly acquired 1790 farmhouse near Exeter, NH. I can’t seem to get away from fixing rotten sills and tearing out old plaster walls. Working with my sons, though, is a great joy. So, if you see a spam call from area code 207, that will probably be me, chasing down some news. Please answer or call me back!
… And there was this sad news from George Baer Connard : On December 7, Priscilla, my wife of fifty years, passed away from dementia. She fought a long struggle, but as you know it always wins out in the end. A memorial service was held on Saturday, January 8, 2022 in Falmouth, ME. Her obituary can be viewed at either Daigle funeral home, Bath, ME or on the Maine Sunday Telegram website. … I kidded Jeff Hinman about a recent cold snap that hit New England, and his reply was succinct: We are also wearing extra sweaters here. I also have a set of vintage Duofold heavy duty long Fall, 1963. Terry Morse ’64, left, takes money for a charity and serves up cookies to (left to right) Dikkon Eberhart ’64, Jeff Hinman ’64 and Dick Stowell ’64
Tom Butler ’65 in his art studio
And now my daughter, who has co-authored two books with me, just received her PhD in educational leadership and started as an assistant professor at San Diego State University. In fact, we are spending two weeks over Christmas and New Year’s on our first visit with her. She and her family are very happy here, much to our relief.” … In a brief note, Cleve Patterson shared: “We have become snowbirds, drifting between Rangeley, ME, and Placida, FL (SW Florida). I had the opportunity to visit Holderness and Phil Peck this past fall with our oldest grandson, whose father, Peter LaCasse ’94 , is a Holderness graduate. A lot of change since our days, but that sense of community you mentioned was very evident.” … In a note Ron Hall went a bit beyond his contribution two issues ago: “My most recent visit to Holderness was last June when I attended the memorial service for Dave Hagerman ’63 . Both Dave and I were graduates of UNH and there was a large contingent of his fraternity brothers in attendance but I don’t recall seeing any Holderness classmates. The campus looked spectacular—hardly recognized it with all of the new buildings! I am currently executive director of Maine Summer Camps which is a nonprofit organization that represents over 140 camps in Maine. Susan and I just celebrated our 52nd wedding anniversary with our three daughters and six grandkids. We currently live in South Portland, ME. Looking to retire next year. One memory that I recently dredged up was the first time a blue bull appeared on a Holderness football helmet. If my memory is correct the design was created by Guy “Sandy” Alexander ’64 , and a few of us, with Coach Hinman’s blessing, hand-painted blue bulls on both sides of every helmet using Sandy’s template. This was done the night before the annual Proctor game.” … Let me close with a couple of requests. Phil Peck is retiring and hopes to see the proportion of alumni donating to Holderness grow significantly, as I know Cleve Patterson has urged. I hope you can respond in any amount at all. Second, it would be great to see you at the big reunion in June, but whether or not you can make it I would love to hear from you, whether some account of who you have become after all these years or just a memory that might make us all smile (photos, old or new, are greatly appreciated). Finally, should any of you find yourselves in the Finger Lakes Region of New York, please come by for a brew and conversation down on the dock. Tom Butler
CORRESPONDENT Tom Butler
years I have decided to emerge from the shadows where so many of the class of ’65 have been lurking, and pick up Terry Jacobs ’ role as class correspondent. First, I want to thank Terry for his labors and to thank those of you who have been contributing to these notes over the years. Terry and I had a nice chat a few weeks ago and he offered some good insights which I will try to utilize. I am a bit surprised that I decided to take on this task, but my thought process in doing so may be of some interest. During a long career working to emulate Mr. Brewer as a teacher and coach, my only occasional contact with Holderness was refereeing Dave Hagerman’s ’63 lacrosse games in Connecticut. The news of his death, coinciding as it did with my mild heart attack, got me thinking both about mortality and community. Here we are, most in our 75th year; perhaps it is time to try to reconstruct a new version of the community we formed 57 years ago at Holderness. Reunions and class notes have always struck me as too much of an opportunity for boasting. Isn’t that how they show up in movies and TV shows? The reality is that we have mostly led ordinary lives which have made us into considerably different men than we were in the spring of 1965. Simply sharing the reality of our lives with this community of guys seems like a good reason to reconnect. Who knows what we might discover? So, I will take a leap and begin with myself: After a fairly disastrous first year of college, I spent a couple of years growing up in the USMC, though the fates did not take me to Vietnam. Finishing college, I sort of stumbled into teaching history and economics and coaching in a series of boarding and day schools over the next 40 years. It turned into an extremely rewarding career for me. Just as rewarding were my many years as a college and high school lacrosse referee. I have now retired to Ithaca where I met my current wife, Joyce, and have transitioned into a life as an artist. I still teach at the local senior center and have focused for the last decade on the growth of fascism in America, an unsettling but important topic. In no way a remarkable life, but I have a son in North Carolina and a couple of grandchildren, a small group of close friends, and reason to feel satisfied with my life so far despite the bumps in the road. It is my hope that many of you will reach out and share something of who you have become all these years later or perhaps just share a fun memory or two. My initial email did generate a couple of responses. … Charlie Reigeluth writes: “I am an educational transformation guru, motivated by an experience at Holderness. I am a retired professor at Indiana University, and I have done a lot of field research to help school districts to transform from student progress based on time to student progress based on learning (competency-based education), from standardized to personalized education, from teacher-centered to learnercentered, from course-based instruction to project-based instruction, from normreferenced assessment to criterion-referenced assessment, from the teacher as sage on the stage to teacher as guide on the side, and much more. This is not educational reform; it is educational transformation to a different paradigm of education—true systemic change. It has been a passion of mine since junior year at Holderness. You can find out more about my work at www.reigeluth.net
underwear that was manufactured in Mohawk, NY that still works as advertised. (And he thought that wasn’t print worthy news. Not so, Jeff. I’ll print anything.)
Sandy Alexander
CLASS’65
NOTESCLASS 56 | Holderness School Today
HelloTom_Ryan@twcny.rr.comeveryone,aftersomany
CORRESPONDENT Robert Johnson Classravenowner232@gmail.comof’71,I’mhappytoannounce
NOTESCLASS Spring/Summer 2022 | 57
CLASS’69 CORRESPONDENT Jonathan Porter jwoodporter@cox.net
Larry Jamieson writes: My wife, Ellen, and I continue to live in beautiful Wilmington, NC where the average temperature is 55 to 60 degrees throughout the winter. We try to walk the beach every other day for our exercise. I have had some medical issues over the last nine years but we still have been able to spend four months during the summer at our lake house in Maine. The kids and their families are all well and we adore visits with our six grandkids. Hopefully there will be several more in the near future. I am thrilled to read about how well Holderness is doing. It certainly was a special place for me during those four years there. I hope we can all support them so they can thrive and provide a great environment for young men and women.
CLASS’70 CORRESPONDENT Ted Coates Tedc33@outlook.com
Thank you!
Will’s other son, Mac, lives in the Silver Lake area of Los Angeles. “He works at a start-up he helped to found in the health field area of clinical trials.” Will says that Mac’s significant other, Kaitlyn Sheehan, works in the music industry matching musical talent with opportunities presented by movie soundtrack needs, commercials, and other outputs. “Julie and I are loving spending most of our time, beginning in March 2020 with COVID, in West Sonoma County at our longhouse on the Bohemia Ecological Preserve, a 1,000-acre piece of northern California that we manage in partnership with a nonprofit, LandPaths (Land Partners through Stewardship). So far so good with no fires.” And, oh yes, Will asks if you all would be willing to share your social media accounts with him so he can stay in touch. Here is the address for his LinkedIn account: parish-2535541/https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-…Iheardbrieflyfrom Jeff Little , who submitted a picture of Roy and Rolf Madsen and himself after enjoying a round of golf at the Abenaqui Country Club in Rye, NH. “Ashton “Tony” Hart was scheduled Roy Madsen ’71, Jeff Little ’71 and Rolf Madsen ’71 are seen at the Abenaqui Country Club in Rye, N.H., after a round of golf. Will Parish ’71, left, and his wife, Julie, right, pose for a photo following the June wedding of their son, Nate, to Callie Vorhees.
CLASS’66 CORRESPONDENT Doug Griswold dgriswoldvt@gmail.com CLASS’67 CORRESPONDENT Jamie Hollis jameshollis@comcast.net INTERIM’68 CLASS CORRESPONDENT John Coles Wantjohncolesart@gmail.comtoconnectwithyour classmates? Consider becoming a class correspondent and encouraging your classmates to reconnect in the HST class notes. Contact us at alumni@holderness.org for more information.
CLASS’71
Robert Johnson will now be your new class correspondent. The following notes were gathered by me (for a final time) and any errors or inadvertent omissions are mine.
“Callie works for OneMedical as a senior recruitment officer,” Will adds. “Nate has left the classroom and is getting his master’s in psychology to pursue a career in counseling.”
Dwight Shepard ’72 … We heard from Will Parish in San Francisco that his son, Nate, got married to Callie Vorhees on June 28, 2021. Will says that the newlyweds are living in the Richmond section of San Francisco.
Paul Madden writes: “Hi John , Good to hear you are alive and well. I also had vaccines, booster, and COVID. Glad to have that behind me. In Newport with three children and one grown up in Florida. Selling boats and making videos. Where do you live these days? I am in touch with Grafton “Grafty” Biddle in Florida and Charles Strakosch, Jr. in Nevada. … John Coles says “Thank you to Paul Madden for submitting an update! I’m recovering from COVID. Had the vaccine and booster. Recently I painted a dining room mural in Bridgton, ME, worked on Vilna Shul Synagogue in Boston and I’m supposed to do more work on the Christian Science Mother Church in Boston. Would love to hear from more classmates.” … Steve Hirshberg also wrote to us with the following note: “We are enjoying our retirement in Union, ME. I keep busy by serving on two conservation boards: The Georges River Land Trust and also The Georges River chapter, Trout Unlimited where our goal is to improve cold water fish passage in Maine’s rivers and streams. Susan volunteers at the Center for Maine Contemporary Art in Rockland, and in the summer she also maintains our organic vegetable garden. Our son and his family live nearby in Rockport. We’ve stayed in Maine throughout this twoyear pandemic so we’re looking forward to resuming our travels again sometime soon.”
NOTESCLASS 58 | Holderness School Today
Prettyb9c21c94-1732-11ec-af4a-0b23fcc23a00.htmlmark-roberts-roll-to-combat-hunger/article_https://www.berkshireeagle.com/news/local/Eagle:impressivereport.Thanksforsharing,
Hannah. … Charles “Tad” Parker writes from Mt. Dora, FL, that he has worked most of his life in the book, journal and magazine printing business dealing with international clients. “I started one of the first digital book printing operations in Dover, NH, in 1989, and ran it for 23 years,” Tad says. “I have two grown daughters and three granddaughters. Last March, I retired from my job in California and my wife, Tammy, and I moved to Florida. Tammy is a business analyst for Georgia Pacific and works remotely, so the move was not a problem. I am now in the process of refocusing my raison d’etre in new arenas of civic and volunteer activities.”
CLASS’72
Ah, yes, Tad, join the club. Notes for your class have become one of my raisons d’etre.
to attend but couldn’t make it,” he writes. “We had a nice round of golf in honor of our 50th reunion. It’s quite amazing that we all look exactly the same as we did when we graduated from Holderness.” … Also heard briefly from Roger Clarkson , who was my RA my first year at Holderness. Speaking of Jeff Little , Roger says he speaks with Jeff almost every day. “He introduced Karen and me and was our ’best man’ and keeps me sane, though he might disagree with that.” Roger is in the real estate rental business in Hanover, NH, where he has lived since graduating from Holderness. He says Jeff, Rob Hier and he all attended Dartmouth and have remained friends in the Hanover area ever since. Roger, by the way, was an awesome RA. … Got some sad news from Hannah Roberts Artuso. Her father, Laurence H. Roberts, Jr., who was chairman of the math department when we were at Holderness, passed away on Thanksgiving Day at 99 years. “My daughter, Kelty, and I had visited the Sunday and Monday before he died and both visits were good,” Hannah says. “His health had failed some since having COVID a few months earlier (but he survived it) and he still had his wits. Ask him how he was feeling and, up to the end, he would reply "with both hands!” Here is a link to his obituary: youngeralaurence-roberts-obituary?id=31693914www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/vnews/name/https://.Onmorepositivenote,Hannasaysthatherbrother, Mark Roberts ’76 , was the subject of a cool story in the Berkshire Eagle last September. In 2018, Mark was diagnosed with rhombo myeloneuropathy, a rare neurological disease, Hannah says. “There’s no cure, and today he largely relies on an electric wheelchair. In mid-September-early November, he and his wonderful labradoodle, Mocha, rolled/strolled across the entire state of Massachusetts from the Berkshires to Provincetown, raising money to fight hunger. They raised over $100,000, which went to Save the Children and four Massachusetts food banks. Needless to say, I’m super proud of him. Go watch his YouTube video at 4Hunger. org. Hope you’ll be inspired and make a donation to a food bank or food pantry near you.” Here’s a link to his story in the
CORRESPONDENT Dwight Shepard shepdb@comcast.net Dave Nicholson writes from Grafton, MA that he and his wife, Suzi, were blessed with their fifth grandchild, Charlie, on August 7, 2021. “Looking forward to our 50th reunion in May,” he adds. “ Will Graham and I have been talking and if we are lucky enough to have COVID subside we are hoping to get a large in-person turnout. Everyone, please pencil it on your calendars and keep your fingers crossed. I look forward to seeing lots of you in May.” … About a year ago, I got a note from Bob Spaulding , who lives in Federal Way, WA, with his wife, Estelle Yamaki. Unfortunately, his note arrived after the deadline for that issue of HST had passed, so I was unable to share his information with you until now. Bob was the business officer for his wife’s medical practice, and the two were getting ready to close her office. “Hopefully by this time next year, we will be retired and the business closed. I’m really looking forward to getting our lives back after so many years of working 60 hours plus per week,” he wrote last year. And, in fact, Bob and Estelle closed her practice on May 28 I learned when I circled back to him. While it was a heart-wrenching decision for them to close the practice, Bob is relieved to be rid of all the headaches of running a small business. “On the flip side I’m starting to find time to do things which I haven’t had time for which has been really nice,” he says. “I’ve even started playing the piano again, but have a long way to go getting my fingers retrained,” Ah yes, I remember when Bob used to accompany the Holderness Glee Club. He was always a great piano player. Hope to hear you play again sometime, Bob. … Mark Pillsbury, the editor of Cruising World magazine in Nahant, MA, doesn’t have any big news he wanted to share with us. But he did send us his new email address, so here it is: mpillsbury01@gmail.com Peter Kimball , who retired from Harvard last year, moved from the suburbs of Boston to Connecticut. He’s made my job so easy. No need to edit his comments. Here they are verbatim: “We are settling into our life of retirement in the quiet northeast corner of Connecticut. With restaurants and community activities still in pandemic mode, most of our external focus has been directed to family. Our daughters and their families seem to be navigating well the complexities of their own lives and occupations without too much intervention from us. I marvel at how resilient they are. My mother, at 95, continues to live a life of independence in her own home, which is frightening to me. But her independent living at least means that we can visit with her, a pleasure that many of our friends with parents in assisted living don’t have. We repair stone walls, read, occasionally order take-out, plant and weed gardens, watch Netflix, sled with the grandkids, walk with the dogs, tend the chickens and chip away at a punch list of things to be done around the Tom Cooper ’72 and his son skiing in the Dolomites.
CORRESPONDENT Dick Conant
Tim Scott remembers doing Mt. Stinson during Outward Bound on big old beavertail snowshoes with no cleats and with heavy packs to boot! And yes, those huge white army rubber surplus boots. Tim relates of his OB experience, “It’s also when I began writing, by the fire on solo. And haven’t stopped since.”
Musing about plans for our 50th he suggests: “One thought is to commandeer that new dorm up on the hilltop. Another is to organize outings—such as a search for the remains of the fort(s) for instance or a trek to the Livermore Falls, where some were known to partake in the, now mostly legal, evil weed.” …
Sam Richards reports: “Still working full time so, to be honest, I haven’t thought much about the reunion. If I come up with any ideas, I will be sure to let you know.” … Heard from Daryl Bradley who writes: “What’s new? Not much. Relearning film photography and for some insane reason decided to jog. Yes, Dick, I know that I said this was a form of mass hysteria that I could do without, but it turns out that I can actually run. I have lost weight and the Peter Bennett ’73 sled skiing on the Pemberton icecap.
house. Despite the craziness of the times, we have much for which we are grateful. I remain hopeful that we will be able to gather in Plymouth to celebrate our 50th reunion during the weekend of June 3–5. See you all there!” … I was so sorry to hear of the passing of Nancy Henderson’s husband, Peter Adams, shortly before Christmas. According to his obituary in The Recorder of Greenfield (MA) Peter “died peacefully at home in Ashfield, MA, from Parkinson’s disease on December 24, 2021. He was born in New York City to Demarest Adams and Elizabeth van Bibber Adams on April 7, 1944. Peter’s father died suddenly when Peter was just shy of six years old, his mother remarried, and he and his mother and sisters moved to Hartford, CT, where he became one of seven children. Peter is survived by his wife Nancy Henderson, his daughters Kit Bayer and Beatrice Adams, his sons Jack Henderson-Adams and Alexander Adams, sisters Sally Vaun, Judy Lee and Elizabeth Adams, and brothers Tim Lee and Spencer Lee. His mother-in-law Patricia Henderson, brother-in-law Jack Henderson, sister-in-law Marnie Henderson, and sonin-law Sean Bayer also survive Peter.” Here is a link to his complete obituary: yourPleasename/peter-adams-obituary?id=32215626www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/recorder/https://keepNancyandherentirefamilyinprayers.…
Sue (Glidden) Francesco , remains passionate about bird watching. “I’m off chasing the Steller’s sea eagle in Boothbay Harbor, ME tomorrow morning,” she wrote in mid-January. “I did see it on New Year’s Day with my nine-year-old granddaughter, Jocelyn, and my husband Pete, but it was such a foggy day my pictures are not good. I’m headed back tomorrow morning with the sun bright and hoping for a STELLAR day for the STELLER’S sea eagle.” Sue says she bought herself a nice camera and lens when she retired five years ago and I am living “my happily ever after. I’ve given up my bike for a kayak which holds enough gear so I take my passion with me. Pete gave me my "own" backyard trailer for our 45th anniversary so now I can pull my trailer, kayak and gear anywhere I want to go. Pete and I still live in Bennett Cove on Big Squam where we have been for the last 40 years.” Sue has two daughters and three grandchildren. Daughter Angi Francesco ’98 , lives four miles away with granddaughter Jocelyn. Daughter Sarah and husband Fennell live in Queens, NY with grandsons Trey and Francesco (Franco). “We still have golden retrievers—with our golden ’roots’ going back to the Don Hagerman days. Remember Max? Max was the sire of several of my female golden’s litters of puppies way back when. We’ve pretty much had a golden in the house in all but a few years.” Sorry to hear that Sue’s mother passed on at the age of 94. “Some classmates may remember coming to my house in Ashland and skiing at our rope tow and having dinners with my family; great memories.” Sue hopes to be able to attend our 50th reunion later this spring. … Great to hear briefly from Will Graham , who spends winters in Napa, CA, keeping an eye on his grandchildren. When back in southeastern Massachusetts, Will has regular contact with Chris Latham . I wish Chris would drop us a line. But I digress. Will is psyched about our upcoming 50th reunion. … As for my family, we are all doing our darndest to help my eight-year-old granddaughter, Libby, battle leukemia. While her prognosis is excellent, she has another year of chemotherapy treatments which are really tough on anyone, let alone an eight-year-old. Can’t say enough about the folks at Boston Children’s Hospital, which, according to U.S. News and World Report, is ranked the best children’s hospital in the country. Based on what they’ve done for Libby, I believe it. They’ve been awesome. Shortly after I submit these notes to Holderness, my wife, Lucy, and I will be heading off to Denver to help my daughter, Lisa, and her wife, Heather, deal with a medical issue. Lisa has to have an operation, and Lucy and I will be headed out there for a week or two to help her deal with her recovery. –Dwight Shepard
Peter has also had e-biking adventures up 5000 feet to the peak of Whistler from the valley floor, catskiing with a guide and an “airbag” on the west slope of the Continental Divide in Eastern BC, and sled skiing on the Pemberton icecap.
CLASS’73
NOTESCLASS Spring/Summer 2022 | 59
Dearrconantjr@msn.comclassmates,another great response from the class of 1973! Peter Bennett checks in from out west. He was in Maui for two and a half months in the fall, putting a new roof on his house, which is located just above “Jaws,” where there are perfect winds and waves for kitesurfing. Peter returned to his home base in Whistler in early December. He says, “It has been stupid cold and snowing nonstop here in BC ever since the ’deluge’ wiped out our highway system. Needless to say, with the arctic air and tropical cinnamon buns rolling in from the central Pacific there is unreal blower powder skiing. Life in Whistler is great. So much to do, so little time. Kids are grown up, lots of grandkids, my life is blessed. The only thing missing is my hair!”
joints can withstand the pounding for brief moments. Not running far, but surprisingly (well, for me, anyway) fast. It wasn’t something I aspired to either but one goes with the flow and the flow said “You better run, fool, while you still can. I am waiting for my natural tendency toward sloth and indifference to kick back in… any minute now; any minute now? Oh well, back to the drudgery of bellows correction, factor math and film exposure curves.”
Scott also spends time in Vermont working on “a collapsing old house with large acreage that I’m slowly fixing.” He suggested that I should go climb Mt. Greylock in MA, and ski the Thunderbolt, one of the first ski trails cut in New England. I replied that I would if he would. Finally, Scott regaled me with wild tails of the “Kissing Moose of Quebec”. Apparently, this apparition haunts the Gaspé, subsisting on a strict diet of poutine and tourtiere meat pies. The locals are terrified of this beast, but Scott has befriended this thing and named it “Pip.” Included in this edition of the HST is photographic proof of its existence. … Please start/continue thinking about what you’d like to do at our 50th. Tim Scott and I will start up a steering group this year. All are welcome to participate.
NOTESCLASS 60 | Holderness School Today
Best to all, Dick Conant CLASS’74
…
And from Peter Garrison we hear the following: “Wow, Dick, you have been keeping busy by continuing to climb all over northern New England! Wish I could do more of that activity but not with my knees. It’s now down to walking or using my rowing machine! Fortunately, or unfortunately, due to the ongoing virus mutations, nothing has changed much in my life the last two years. Expecting my fourth grandson in another four to six weeks is the biggest happening around here.” … Steve Leake chimes in: “My first grandson was born three weeks ago, I got to see my children for the first time in two years, COVID hit my partner’s entire family right after we had finished the first production of the Nutcracker in two years (she’s a former ballerina and runs a school in Westchester), still skiing, took up golf and finally retired.” … And finally, Scott Morrison had me chuckling again with tales from the Gaspé. Scott seems to live everywhere, the Gaspé in Quebec, Vermont, Block Island and who knows where else. Maybe these are safe houses and he is on the run from someone/ something? The frequent international border crossings are also suspect. Anyway, Scott writes, “Drove right by Holderness yesterday morning at about 80 mph heading up to our place in Quebec in the Chic Chocs mountains out on the Gaspé peninsula. Our place is in Murdochville, a defunct copper mining town, with skiing and cat skiing that’s right on the edge of the park. The ski area has great pitch, tight trails, no mobs and snows almost constantly. I can do 20 powder runs a day.”
CORRESPONDENT Cynthia Mclean
Classcynthia.maclean@yahoo.comof’74,hopethisfindsyou all well. I won’t dwell on the “C” word since I’m sure you are all sick and tired of that topic. As for my news, aside from getting some skiing and distance running in here and there, I’ve been quite involved with a number of stewardship/ management projects associated with the Avalonia Land Conservancy here in New London County, CT. I have also been enjoying reconnecting with my academic/professional roots in marine biology by chairing the local shellfish commission here in Groton. Anyone need some clams or oysters? I am also wrapping up my “Holderness Story” detailing my remembrances of my experiences there in the early ’70s and dishing on all the bad things we did in the Class of ’73. Runs to about 25 pages now and I plan to release it to my class later this year since we are staring down our 50th in 2023. I heard from a couple of your classmates. … Cindy Maclean writes that she and her husband, Andy Browne, moved back to the US in 2018 after nearly 30 years in Asia. They spent about 20 years in China (15 in Beijing and five in Shanghai) and the rest of the time in Hong Kong, Seoul, and Singapore. They are now living in Brooklyn and working in NYC and their two kids also live in the city. Their daughter Tessa is now in grad school at Columbia, getting an MA in public affairs after having spent five or so years in DC working first for the NGO Energy Futures Initiative and then on Capitol Hill as a staffer for Rep. John Garamendi. Their son Lucas is working for APCO. Cindy loves having them both so close by after being separated by thousands of miles. Andy is editorial director of the Bloomberg New Economy Forum and has just been engaged (while staying with Bloomberg) by NBC Sports as the China expert for the Winter Olympics. He’ll be heading to Beijing in a few weeks if he can manage to dodge Omicron. When not dashing around the globe, Cindy and Andy split their time between their apartment in Brooklyn and a house in Sunapee, NH, which was a safe haven of sorts through the worst of COVID. Finally, Cindy relates “No grandchildren yet, but I keep hoping, and in the meantime, we dote on our dog, who has way more Instagram followers than I ever will!” … And Jim “Red” Miller dropped me a short update. “I am sitting in a pub in Annapolis with The Who playing over the speakers. Memories rush back. There’s a good chance I’ll make it back to a reunion soon. I was on the West Coast for three decades practicing law and racing boats on San Francisco Bay, but just moved to Annapolis since I have been offered a job teaching sailing for J-World. My Outward Bound group included Duane Ford and Lynwood Brown . That was a great group!”
And Fred Savage replies to Daryl with the following: “I love hearing from you Daryl!! Running isn’t something I aspire to, but I have multiple walking routes I take daily with our dog. (He chooses!). We get our 10,000 steps!! Let’s hope we can all lift ourselves out of COVID malaise and show up for our 50th in ’23!!”
… And here’s hoping that Jim Miller might consider sharing his sailing experiences at an upcoming Holderness alumni video meeting. Take care, stay safe and healthy, avoid the “C” word as best possible. Dick Conant ’73 Scott Morrison ’73 and his dog Pip.
…
CLASS’77
’75 Want to connect with your classmates? Consider becoming a class correspondent and encouraging your classmates to reconnect in the HST class notes. Contact us at alumni@holderness.org for more information. Thank you!
CORRESPONDENT Peter Grant
NOTESCLASS Spring/Summer 2022 | 61
CLASS’78
Bill. I know there are countless others like Manly Ishwardas , Simon Johnson , and Jody “Colly” Collins ’77 who feel the same. There you have it.” … J.D. Hale and wife Cindy became first-time grandparents to Nova Cynthia Pearson on Oct. 23. “She is adorable,” Jud says of Nova. “DaLonn and his wife, Kristen, are not far away up in North Reading, MA.” The rest of the Hale brood are doing well, according to Jud. “Charlie and Ava hosted us out in LA for Xmas; Charlie is the founder of SHRED, a work out app,” he says. “Rosie took at marketing job at Aspen Tech in Bedford, MA recently. She left LevelEx and continues to work in this healthcare category. She lives in Denver now, but will be moving closer to work/home in 2022.” The Hales’ other daughter, Lacey, works at Carbon Black in sales in Waltham, MA and lives in South Boston. Jud will be riding in his 22nd Pan Mass Challenge this August. He has spent the last few years involved with the B.A.A. Boston Marathon professionally—doing their custom content—and as a volunteer spotter—riding a bicycle ahead of the elite men. “It is a volunteer job that is a lot of work early (3:00 AM), but without question the best seat in the house,” Jud says of his role as spotter. “It is amazing to see so many fans and the passion for this event from my bike.”
Thispete@grantcom.uspastsummer,Jody Collins and Olin Browne got together for a bit of reminiscing. Olin happened to be in St. Louis (near Jody’s home) for the Senior PGA tour.
lturmelle@sbcglobal.net
Loric Weymouth is checking in from Maine and reports that “the marine trade has gone kind of nutty in the past year. There is almost too much work and I’m seeing lots of adventure people doing big trips. The pandemic is driving people offshore.” Loric has been working with a guy named Mark Synnott, who is a buddy of fellow ’78er Dave Lamb. Synnott, according to Loric, is going to attempt the Northwest Passage. “Another guy is going around the Horn the wrong way and circumnavigating the Pacific non-stop and back around the Horn again returning to Maine, without touching land,” Loric reports. Maybe we all need to start thinking this way?” In the interim, the wonderful Mr. Weymouth says he is spending the winter “developing a special relationship with the dog and wood stove here in midcoast Maine.” Loric is hoping to spend part of February reconnecting with classmates Nat Hancock and Colin Bruce “Spud” Macleod on the slopes. … Scott Brown reports that at the end of 2021 he liquidated the assets of the little development company he started 30 years ago. I promised to let Brownie tell the rest of the story in his own words, so take it away, Scott. “I am now a happily retired, one percenter! Jill and I recently bought a home in Park City and will be splitting the rest of the year between Beverly, MA and Little Compton, RI. Door’s always open, lads. I say this not to boast but to credit the most influential person in the development of my character. Bill Clough ’57 spent three years of my life doing everything he could possibly do to not only keep me in school but nurture me in myriad ways - always doing what he could to make me a better person. Whether it was visiting my room at all hours (Rathbun Raid in ’75), constantly reminding my parents of my limitless potential, developing my physical stamina (chasing me and a few other overachievers through the woods) and of course, sharing his intimate knowledge of my countless positive characteristics with the entire faculty. This, of course, smoothed out my time at Holderness and allowed me to walk the campus free from paranoia or any real chance for success. So, thanks again,
CORRESPONDENT Luther Turmelle
CLASS’79 CORRESPONDENT Hratch Astarjian Ihihratch@gmail.comwashappytohearfrom Clare Eckert in early January. Clare writes: "I live in Plymouth with my partner, Chris, and we have a ’microdairy’ (we milk a couple of cows and goats and sell raw milk directly to customers). Chris is the tech guy here, he has his own business doing some programming, website design, and various computer-related things. I also work part-time at the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center in Holderness, so I drive right by campus a couple of times a week." … It was also great to hear from Will Neff , who lives in Houston. Will writes: "We survived several major weather-related emergencies over the past few years, including Hurricane Harvey, Tropical Storm Imelda, and all the flooding that came with them. The most Jody Collins ’77 and Olin Browne ’77 reliving the glory days this past summer.
Jim Hamblin ’77, Chris Carney ’75 and Tom Phillips ’75 on top of Mount Eisenhower.
’76 Want to connect with your classmates? Consider becoming a class correspondent and encouraging your classmates to reconnect in the HST class notes. Contact us at alumni@holderness.org for more information. Thank you!
Peter Baker seacoast. I, Peter Baker, have been spending my time volunteering for several organizations helping both nonprofits and small businesses be more successful while managing our family’s farmland in Illinois. Jen manages the teacher residency program at UNH. We are trying to ski more this winter which could end up being hiking given temperatures and snowfall in NH. The boys are largely independent and local with the oldest ( Ian ’14) working in Boston after receiving his master’s in electrical engineering from Northeastern, and the younger finishing his undergraduate degree and starting work in B2B sales this June. … After being on the front lines of the pandemic for the past two years, Dave McCarron writes: “I am making a major career change. I have taken a job doing medical utilization review for a health insurer and will be working 100% from home. Huge change after 32 years as a clinician and the last 18 years as a hospitalist physician. This will be a relatively low stress means of sailing into retirement.”
Warm regards, Hratch CLASS’80 CORRESPONDENT
NOTESCLASS 62 | Holderness School Today
HelloPeterabaker@gmail.comfromtheNewHampshire
… We all wish Peter Kessler a safe and productive tour as he reports “I just landed in Kabul to start a 12–18-month tour with the UN. I arrived after transiting Almaty, Kazakhstan, which ended up being six days barricaded in a hotel with shooting, looting, loud protests, and multiple injured and dead amongst demonstrators and police. It was scary. Getting evacuated from Almaty’s Russian-controlled airport to Kabul was a relief. Kabul looks much like it did when I left 19 years ago, but more developed. Women are sadly once again required to dress conservatively, and men wear traditional clothing as well. Visibly the city has developed since I left in 2003, although sadly many citizens have seen their hopes stymied with the collapse of the former government. Until December I was just working in Maputo, Mozambique for five months due to the violence in northern Mozambique and the resulting internally displaced persons. Prior to that my wife Rachel and I were locked down in Athens for nine months due to my work there with the refugees and migrants arriving in Greece. I will surely miss my family in the US and my wife in London while living behind these blast walls and armed guards here in Afghanistan, but this will be a very interesting time for me to reconnect with this beautiful country and its people. Nevertheless, I am already planning to be in Bath, ME in February for my first R&R.” … News from Mike Murchie: “Alison, Hugh, Anna, and I are well. My retirement from banking has been wonderful for me. Great to have a fresh start at this stage of life. I am spending my time as a partner in a real estate private equity business and consulting with a family construction company. We moved to Lancaster County PA in late 2020 and are settling into our home, which was a grist mill before it was converted into a home. Lots of projects to complete. Our son Hugh started law school in Philadelphia this year and our daughter Anna is a freshman in college in Chicago. I completed a bucket list trip in 2021 with a cross-country bicycle trip. I do talk with Dave Slaughter ’79 and Mark Cavanaugh ’82 from time to time and had a great video call with Pete Lamson a few months ago. It would be fun to connect with other classmates!” … Bill Baskin tells us, “Retirement is working out OK so far for me, too, and Sarah has not told me to go back to work yet. Sarah’s watercolor art business is thriving. Buck and his girlfriend live in San Francisco and work for Cruise Automation (GM’s autonomous vehicle subsidiary) and Google, respectively. Alex is living in NYC and working in operations for JOKR, a 15-minute grocery delivery start up. Alex’s girlfriend is a first-year medical student at SUNY Stonybrook. We continue to be unbelievably fortunate.” … Will Prickett shows no signs of slowing down in his legal practice as a partner at Seyfarth Shaw LLP. … Rich Walser has let us know “I am NOT yet retired, and won’t be for several more years, though the idea of retirement is growing on me! Mother Yale continues to provide, so I plan to stick it out a while longer. Most recently, I was fortunate to be able to bring my mother out to Chicago to visit my sister and brother-in-law for Christmas. Their three daughters were all married within 12 months of each other in 2016–2017, and they all have children of their own now - so that was a big treat for my mom. My two children are thankfully launched and seem to be thriving. My daughter, Alexandra, is living in Brooklyn, working for a Manhattan marketing firm, and seems to be very happy. My son, Corbet, and his wife Steph, are currently in Boston but are planning to move back to Manhattan in the spring. CJ does specialized restoration carpentry work while Stephanie is an attorney. They too are doing very well. Leigh and I are happily emptynesters. She loves to garden and has been busy as the warden of our church for the past two years while also holding down a job. These days I’m having fun playing some lousy guitar, sometimes with friends and sometimes alone, and sailing/yachting when the weather warms up. I cross paths with Henry “Ty” Wallace from time to time as he works in the boating trades. He’s kept me informed with news of Bill Baskin’s new Beneteau 40-something or other yacht. I’m looking forward to meeting up with them on the water some time—maybe next summer!” … Boyd Boggess continues to restore and renovate homes in Back Bay and Beacon Hill with Payne|Bouchier builders. … Christine Louis is keeping New Hampshire competitive as the director of development for the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences at her alma mater, the University of New Hampshire. … Kevin Rowe is splitting his time between Weston, MA and Beaver Creek, CO. If anyone wants a ski partner for the day, drop him a line.
Jack Dawley
CLASS’82 CORRESPONDENT Chris Pesek chrispesek7@gmail.com
jdawley@northlandresidential.com CLASS’81 CORRESPONDENT
recent event was the major freeze last year. I am doing contract work with Enbridge here in Houston. Enbridge is a Canadian company so I think of my old roommate Jeff Scowen every so often. Please wish all of our classmates a safe and happy new year 2022 as well as Holderness!" (Correspondent’s note: I heard from Jeff a couple of years ago. He was doing well and living in the greater Toronto area.)
CLASS’83
CLASS’85 Nakamura katsu.nakamura@ieee.org
CORRESPONDENT Katsu
Tory Stine writes in from Portland, OR: “I took a new job with Medical Teams International as a COVID mobile clinic manager in September 2020, was promoted to COVID program manager in April 2021 for US Programs, and we are now doing vaccine and testing clinics throughout Oregon and Washington. I honestly don’t think I had ever worked this hard as a nurse in the hospital as I am now, but I am loving it. Thank God for a supportive husband and family! My husband, Matt, now has had his own forestry business for almost 15 years doing ecosystem restoration and watershed enhancement which has been a successful endeavor. Our youngest, Isabel (15), is now in ninth grade and loves only being with her friends and playing ultimate frisbee. Oh, the life of a teen. Taylor (23) had a hard time with online learning at Oregon State so became a courier for a lab transporting COVID tests from Corvallis to Portland and back daily. He then left in the spring of 2021 and went to Costa Rica for two months to learn about the practice of permaculture. When back for the summer, he worked at a family camp in NH that we go to every summer and then traveled back to the west coast very slowly. He is home now and is starting back at OSU, part-time, concentrating on digital media communications and looking for a job. Christian (23) graduated from Chris Zak ’86, Blake Swift ’86, Andrew McDonnell ’85 in Montana. Jeff Rollins ’83 and his wife, Kim, at Lava Lake. Craig Westling ’84 visited Matt Flaherty ’84 in Denver. They had fun talking about their days at Holderness.
Chris Zak chriszak@gmail.com
CLASS’86 CORRESPONDENT
CORRESPONDENT Peter Hewitt phewitt21@mac.com
Tipton Blish writes “I can’t possibly cover the many years it’s been since I submitted a note. Most of those years have been in Seattle with a few in LA and a few in London. I have been in public schools for the past 15 years and am principal at a Seattle school. COVID? Ugh! Amidst that, it was super to see Peter Hewitt visiting with Willie Stump and Eric Prime ’84 who dragged us out on a bike ride this summer and a lovely salmon post-ride treat. Skiing continues to be sustaining and our two teenage daughters no longer need convincing of its magic. They also were bitten by the soccer bug. Tree>apple. I had the lovely treat of a visit several years ago with Pete Barnum , who in addition to being a peach of a human and a joy to chat with was formatively influential on me. What a great run! Lastly, I mourn Pete MacLellan’s passing. Peace to his family.” … We heard from Jeff Rollins who reports: “Kim and I became true emptynesters this year as our youngest daughter graduated from college and our oldest got married. We are still in Delaware but are spending as much time as we can out in Big Sky skiing, hiking and doing about anything we can outside. Also, we are looking forward to traveling out of the country again once the pandemic eases. … In mid-July 2021, Peter Hewitt moved to the quiet town of Corvallis, OR. “I chose it because it is the west coast equivalent of my hometown, Burlington VT: 60k people and a big university. What it lacks in skiing access it makes up for in local forest trails. This past week (December 21, 2021), I had a 100+ hour visit at Willie Stump ’s home in Seattle. We saw Tip Blish , who bears his familiar warm smile. When Willie and I ran up the hills in Discovery Park, I could not keep up—but I could keep him in sight! Here in Oregon, I lead weekly Wednesday night bicycle rides for the local bicycle club, and they are often in a drizzle, on dirt roads in the MacDonald Forest, in low 40°F temps. Missing having classmates down the hall in the dorms, COVID causing a bit too much isolation for my liking. People on my mind: Kim , Brian , Steve , Jim , Willie , Alden , Suky, Jim , Chris , Susan , Jennifer, Mark , George , Miki , Susan , Stephanie , Peter, Peggy, Tanya , Josh , Newell , Ward , Jud , Henry, Richard , Val , John , Nancy, Steve , Chris , David , Derrick , Tom , Charley, Sarah , Robert , Pat , Alex , Jamey, Tim , Neil , Mike , Dave , Walt , Chris , Don , Charles , Claude , Cynthia , Karin , Paul , Erik , Jenny, Scott , Bruce , Todd , Matt , Tamerlane , Lisa , Steve .” ’84 Want to connect with your classmates? Consider becoming a class correspondent and encouraging your classmates to reconnect in the HST class notes. Contact us at alumni@holderness.org for more information. Thank you!
NOTESCLASS Spring/Summer 2022 | 63
Rob Rollins reports: “Living in Naperville, IL and have been with Westlake Financial for nine years. Have six kids including a four-year-old and seven grandchildren from my first marriage and I am getting married in Florida on February 11th this year.” … Caroline (Bloch) Jones writes in from Greensboro, NC: “Life keeps moving along for our family. My son graduated in spring of 2020 and took that as a sign to do amazing adventures for a few years, such as being a wrangler on a ranch in CO, teaching scuba diving in the Caribbean, fly fishing guide in NC and now is a ski instructor in Vail. Sounds great to me! My oldest daughter graduated from Clemson in 2021 (go Tigers) and is working in Charlotte, NC, while my youngest is a junior at University of Georgia (another national championship winner—if you follow SEC football) and is currently in Barcelona, Spain studying abroad. So, like many of you we are empty-nesters, and I have to say it’s pretty great! I still work for Beautycounter corporate with Sarah (Cooper) Connell ’87 which keeps us both pretty busy! Our family is always up for adventurous travel every chance we get. I am hoping to get to our reunion this summer!”
University of Oregon this summer with a double major in business and economics, just passed his real estate license and is working for Marcus and Millichap in commercial real estate in the ’Big Pink’ in downtown Portland.”
Jeff Mentuck ’86 and family after a new year’s polar plunge! Malcolm Davidson ’86 and Matt Schonwald ’88. Rob Rollins ’86 with his children and grandchildren in Chicago.
… Malcolm Davidson writes: “I am doing well out in Tacoma. Daughter just turned 21 and is an RA at University of Washington studying ancient Greek and math. My son Miles is pulling wire for an electrical contractor, working towards being a journeyman electrician. I am completing my 23rd lap around the fifth grade school calendar. Feels like the Bill Murray film Groundhog Day. Wife Lisa and I are doing great, backpacking, skiing all we can.” … Sue (Barriere) Handfield writes in from AZ: “I continue to work in the NICU as an RN (over 31 years!). Have lived in AZ for the last 15 years.” … Jeff Mentuck writes in from Salem, MA: “I can’t even believe how much time has passed, and also not sure I’ve ever sent a class of ’86 update! My wife, Brett, and I live in Salem, MA with high school freshman son, Max. Daughter Alexandra is off on her own but lives close and visits often. Brett is a labor and delivery nurse and I am the studio manager of the glass department at Mass College of Art and Design. I’ve spent my entire career as a glassblower or studio manager or some combination thereof. The gig at MassART is really like my dream job, so things are going well. In the Holderness tradition, we like to muck about in the weather as much as we can Owen Hyland ’86 and his family in Arizona.
Jamie Faber ’86 and his sons in Montana.
Sarah (Cooper) Connell ’87, Madison Connell (Stanford ’21), Laura (Cooper) Page ’86 and Ellie Page ’20 (Colby ’24) in Bermuda.
Geoff Bride: “I am in metro Boston and work for a large private aviation company. I was out in the Bay Area for work and met up with Braden Edwards ’85; got a great tour of the city by water on his boat.” … Bill Macy writes in from Charlotte, NC: “Enjoyed visiting with Colin Cohen this past summer in Annapolis as we toured the east coast looking at colleges. Caught up with family in CT on that same tour. Looking to retire from day-job this quarter and manage Brazilian Jiu Jitsu academy full-time. Daughter Siena is a college junior studying nursing and playing college rugby. Son Davis is a high school senior, plays baseball, and is currently exploring several college choices. Time does fly. Go Bulls!” …
NOTESCLASS 64 | Holderness School Today
CLASS’87
Dan reports "I am still in Shelburne, VT where my wife and I continue to run the business we founded 13 years ago ’ZQuiet.’ Francis “Cricket” (Keleher) Braun lived just about a mile or so from me and I would see her around town from time to time which was always fun. I see Dan Kenerson on a pretty regular basis to go mountain biking or catch a concert together. Reid Lesneski and I both happened to book vacations with our families to St. John earlier this month and had fun connecting there. His daughter is now at UVM so he is up here in VT so we now cross paths regularly.”
–Kathryn (Lubrano) Robinson
Joel “JD” Rifkin writes: “After moving to Columbia, MO from Los Angeles 10 years ago, our martial arts school, Rifkin Professional Karate, is now far bigger than in LA. We as a family have recently opened a gym as well, Iron House Fitness & Conditioning. All of our kids have a role and ownership. Although I thought I had left the television and film industry in CA, I was called back to work stunts on a TV pilot last year right here outside Kansas City. Family is great, everyone healthy and our fourth grandchild is on the way! Wishing you and your families all health and good fortune!”
Sue (Barriere) Handfield ’86 and her sons,who are on active duty with the Air Force and Navy! Dan Webster ’87 and Dan Kenerson ’87 mountain biking together in NH.
CLASS’88
CORRESPONDENT Kathryn (Lubrano) Robinson Heykathryn.robinson@gmail.com87!!It’sourreunionyear! I think many of us hope to attend which would be significant for our class. We heard Dan Webster is trying.
… At the time of this publication, I hope that many of us have in fact, reconnected at our reunion!
CORRESPONDENTS Christina “Nina” (Bradley) Smallhorn nsmallhorn@me.com
and enjoy getting out for a hike, a camp, a shred or a surf. With that gnarly Holderness, ’suit up and get out in it’ ethos in mind I attach the photo from our family New Year’s polar plunge. I’m the old guy in the back.”
… Steve Walker reports: “Jason Evans , Nate Foran , Matt Schonwald and I will be spending a week together in Jackson Hole and Big Sky Montana chasing snow. We should have some fun group photos to share if they don’t lose me somewhere in the glades. We’ve been planning it for nearly a year—a trial run for our class ’in-betweenion’, although our next reunion is now only a year away.” … Matt Schonwald is also looking forward to the above-mentioned ski trip. “My Guidebook made the short list in Back Country Magazine . your-library/com/stories/seven-outdoor-books-to-add-to-https://backcountrymagazine.”…
Pete Driscoll writes: “ Dean Bellissimo and I caught up last week. It was great seeing him. He was in Annapolis for a hockey tournament with his son. My son, Donovan, and I continue to shred the midAtlantic with plans to visit Breckenridge this February and Park City late March. Hoping all are safe and well!” … Eddie “Munster” Anderson checked in with not much to report but that he had engaged in a little text banter with Pete Driscoll and Dean Bellissimo while they were reunited at a hockey tourney. Chuck Staples writes: “I found myself in Juneau, AK for a couple of days of work in October and ended up staying with tour guide and super host Tom Fletcher. Five-star rating (even if it did rain the entire time)!” … Lauren (O’Brien) Smith reports: “Jack, my oldest, graduated from Kenyon College last spring— hard to believe, really—and is residing and working in Boston in the insurance industry. Tague (12) is my outdoors guy (surfer, skier, canoeist). He is in the seventh grade and is gearing up to apply for freshman year at Holderness (so fingers crossed). He spends a chunk of his summers at Camp Kieve in Maine and loves it. Linsin, my 27-year-old step-daughter, is nearing the end of her PhD program at University of Chicago and wants to enter the biotech world. Is anyone interested in hiring? We all just had a great holiday in Duxbury and are enjoying spending our down Victoria “Torry “(Petty) Stine ’86 and her family in NH.
Christina “Tina“ Brown ’86 in the Pacific Northwest. Reid Lesneski ’87 and Dan Webster ’87 connecting in St. John, USVI while on vacation with their families.
NOTESCLASS Spring/Summer 2022 | 65
NOTESCLASS 66 | Holderness School Today
time on Longboat Key, FL these days. We are skiing in Vermont this winter if any of you are around let me know. You can check out what I am up to professionally by checking out my website MeWeRelationships.com. I would love to hear from you! love, LOBS” … Elizabeth Pierce writes: “Thanks for your efforts to keep us connected with and inspired by one another! When I opened my mailbox one day in December, I was struck by receiving both the Holderness calendar as well as a graduate school magazine with an article about Donald Hall (former Holderness trustee). I vividly remember Donald Hall reading at Holderness, and I expect I still have one or more of his books from our assigned reading at Holderness. The coincidence of the two items arriving on the same day struck me as a sign that I must write to you with an update. After a decade of pursuing a PhD in social policy while raising young children (now nine and 11; rumor has it that it gets easier, but please tell me when is that ?!) with the additional chaos of pandemic and school impacts for all of us, I successfully defended my dissertation and am delighted to be contemplating what’s next in my professional pursuits. Wishing you all well amid an ongoing challenging time for many—here’s to our next gathering.”
Alex MacCormick , a.k.a BAJA, reports: “Gearing up already for our 35th reunion which will probably take place on the first weekend of June 2023. Mark the calendar. Looking forward to seeing you.” … Nina (Bradley) Smallhorn writes: “Aside from a ’COVID Christmas’ disrupting yet another vacation, Tom and I were very lucky to have mild symptoms. Girls miraculously did not get it from us. We are well. Sophie is waiting to find out where she’ll head to college in the fall and Serena is happily enjoying her freshman year at Berkshire School (I know, I know; she loved Holderness but wanted something a little bigger). Next year we will spend more time on the East Coast since both girls seem to be drawn that direction. I am looking towards our 35th…it doesn’t seem possible. Lots of love to you all ’88ers.”
CLASS’89 CORRESPONDENT Brad Greenwood brad@greenwoodbiz.com Henry “Te” Tiffany writes: “This has certainly been an interesting and challenging two years and I’ve come to learn that this pandemic is by far the most divisive issue we’ve experienced in our lifetimes thus far, but I hope all in the Holderness family are able to carry on with open hearts, smiles and respect. My marriage is a casualty of the pandemic, along with other factors, so we are in the midst of a divorce but I continue to bounce back and forth between Alaska and Ashland, NH and am beginning my 34th year as a professional hunter and master big game guide. My three daughters and son are all healthy and doing well, but I have deep sympathy for all students everywhere as the last two years have been particularly trying on them it would seem. Like all things in life, this too shall pass in time and brighter skies and calmer seas lie ahead for all I hope!” … Amanda Black says it’s “hard to believe it’s 2022 and we are still talking about COVID. Despite all of the parameters we had to follow because of the pandemic, I was fortunate enough to see many Holderness peeps in Telluride this past summer to celebrate our ’Glitter Girl’s big Pete Driscoll ’88 and Dean Beillissimo ’88. Chris Davenport ’89 and Alex MacCormick ’88 getting together for an impromptu board meeting at The Gorge in George, WA (summer 2021).
Harrison Black, son of Amanda Black ’89. West Coast and East Coast skiing at Jackson Hole. L to R: Matt Schonwald ’88, Jason Evans ’88, Steve Walker ’88 and Nate Foran ’88. Henry “Te“ Tiffany and his son, Henry (the 5th), enjoying a quiet Christmas together.
day. My son is now a teenager (GULP) and in seventh grade at the Sun Valley Community School. He started playing football this year, enjoys acting, surfing, ski racing, lacrosse, and has a mouth full of hardware. His best friend’s sister started at Holderness this year, so I got a chance to visit campus again, which was fun. I am still working in development for US Ski & Snowboard and looking forward to more travel and seeing more friends in 2022. If you are in the area, please look us up; we’d love to make some turns with you! … Chris Davenport sends the following note: “Hi Holderness classmates and friends. What a crazy couple of years. The good news on my end is the virus doesn’t prevent it from snowing, so I’ve been able to stay busy ski guiding and working with all my brand partners in the ski industry.
… Tiaan and Lindley (Hall) van der Linde just finished a complete gut and renovation of an 1850 farmhouse up the road from their home in Burke Hollow, VT, the second such project in four years. They are now a bit freer to get outside and enjoy skiing, skating, sledding, etc. Recent Holderness connections: Last summer, Lindley was joined by her brother Sohier Hall ’88 to celebrate her 50th birthday with a 50K mountain bike ride. They co-own a Lake Champlain sailboat with Matt Mole , and Tian has been mountain biking and ski touring in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom with Brad Greenwood . … Greetings to our Holderness family that is both near and far. The Greenwoods are doing just fine and continue to make the best of the pandemic by being active outdoors, working somewhat remotely and some in person, and the kids schooling away. Nothing too crazy to report, just everyday life happening and hoping the pandemic winds down soon so we can get back to traveling and being together a bit more with family, friends, and work colleagues. We will spend a bunch of the winter up at Jay Peak, VT skiing and some in Kittery, ME when duty calls. Look us up in either place if you happen to be in the neighborhood.
NOTESCLASS Spring/Summer 2022 | 67
CLASS’93 CORRESPONDENT Lindsay (Dewar) Fontana linds_dewar@yahoo.com Hoffman ’96 (Pierce) Roy heatherbpierce@hotmail.com Amanda (Knox) Hoffman Putney (Haley) Pyles Hiputneypyles@gmail.comall,asIsittowriteour class notes, I’m kept company by my four-year-old son who is painting a cardboard box in the design of a dinosaur head. He’s home from school on quarantine for the second time in less than a month. Alas, we find ourselves still in the thick of COVID. I hope as you read this note that you and your family are healthy and that this year has been a peaceful one so far. Perhaps we will even begin to look back at COVID by the time these notes are published and mailed. Whew, what a time we are in. I was late in reaching out for notes this time, so I’m appreciative to those who responded so quickly with updates. … From Colorado, Brian Werner shared the following: “2021 was a great year for our family, full of lots of adventures and growth. We are enjoying life in Paonia, CO, starting to think about the upcoming seasonal change and planning our gardens, and also getting ready to bring Pepper duTuro ’90, Geoff Perham ’90 and Jim “Queenie” Queen ’90 playing a round of golf.
CLASS CORRESPONDENT Lindsay (Dewar) Fontana ’93 Wantlinds_dewar@yahoo.comtoconnectwithyour classmates? Consider becoming a class correspondent and encouraging your classmates to reconnect in the HST class notes. Contact us at alumni@holderness.org for more information. Thank you!
forContactreconnectandConsiderWantbostonknox30@gmail.comtoconnectwithyourclassmates?becomingaclasscorrespondentencouragingyourclassmatestointheHSTclassnotes.usatalumni@holderness.orgmoreinformation.Thankyou! CLASS’96 CORRESPONDENT Heather
Best to you all. –Brad Greenwood ’90 Want to connect with your classmates?
Jess and I are empty-nesters, with our son, Stian ’19 , a junior at CU Boulder, Topher ’21 doing a gap year with Holderness focused on ski racing and then going to Colby College, and Archer at Cardigan Mountain School. We miss all of you and hope you all stay safe and healthy!”
CLASS’94 CORRESPONDENT Ramey Harris-Tatar rameyht@yahoo.com INTERIM’95 CLASS CORRESPONDENT Amanda (Knox)
bostonknox30@gmail.com CLASS’97 CORRESPONDENT
INTERIM’92
Consider becoming a class correspondent and encouraging your classmates to reconnect in the HST class notes. Contact us at alumni@holderness.org for more information. Thank you! Pepper deTuro reports: “I had the pleasure of hooking up with Geoff Perham and Jim “Queenie” Queen at Stonewall (outside Philly) for some golf, food and drinks” in October 2021. ’91 Want to connect with your classmates? Consider becoming a class correspondent and encouraging your classmates to reconnect in the HST class notes. Contact us at alumni@holderness.org for more information. Thank you!
NOTESCLASS 68 | Holderness School Today
bit,perspectiveofinmightbest-of-breedfamilychampionship-winners-season-1https://sphero.com/blogs/news/sphero-world-year!Yasu,ourEnglishbulldog,haswonnumeroustitlesintheAKCshowsandappearintheWestminsterDogShow2022.Fingerscrossed.Afterbeingpartthestateofemergency,myoutlookandof’life’ingeneralhaschangedaandweappreciatewhatwehave.”…
Alums at Dew Wallace’s ’98 wedding.
bees back to our hives after a year off. We continue to explore all the West has to offer, with trips to Bears Ears, seven national parks, lots of canyon exploration, and several river trips. My kids Levi (9) and Sula (7) are doing great, enjoying school, their friends, lots of books, and music. This winter we have been skiing as much as possible and just finished a fun hut trip in the San Juans. Hope all is well with y’all!” … Sachie Hayashi Lin and her family are also in Colorado and had this update to share: “This is Sachie, and we live in Superior, CO. We started our new year staying in our friend’s basement while evacuating from the Marshall Fire (which was a state of emergency). We are lucky our home was spared and no visual damages to the house. Although we will have to see how much damage inside of the house as the smoke or ashes have gotten inside our homes. We also had flu/corona-like symptoms the second week of January, and are still trying to recover from it at home. Despite all of this, we are doing well. Hana (12) attends a charter school in Boulder and enjoys playing the cello. Emma (10) enjoys playing soccer, lacrosse, and guitar. Emma and her friends won an international coding challenge - Elementary School Division Sphero World Championship - which was hosted by Boulder based company Sphero last
Chris Day sent this update: “I live in Flagstaff, AZ and have a kombucha brewing company named Rock Stacker Kombucha. Working on getting licensure to brew hard kombucha now and hopefully selling by June this year. If anyone is ever in Flagstaff look me up!” … Kris Langetieg writes: “My family and I are now in year 10 at Cardigan Mountain School. For the past six, I have served as the director of secondary school counseling and helped our graduates find their next ’homes’ all over the country. It has been particularly gratifying to have a hand in assisting families as they discover Holderness, too! This work has given me a wonderful lens into how our little school has evolved. David Flynn ’96 , director of Admission, is doing a heck of a job filling the beds for our alma mater! Funnily enough, for nearly three years we have called Dewar House—named in honor Dr. Chip Dewar, father of Jason Dewar ’96 and Lindsay (Dewar) Fontana ’93 and one of Cardigan’s former heads—our home. Each summer I have been privileged to spend time at Cardigan Summer Session with former athletic director and current Holderness parent Bob Low P’25 , as well as Stacy and their children. Coach Low has been an invaluable resource and mentor in my time in boarding schools. While she is well past our vintage, Tai (Haluszka) Rivellini ’06 has also been a stalwart in the Summer Session. It was terrific to welcome Will Van Dorn to campus for Cardigan Lacrosse Camp. His son, Rhett, joined my son, Terry, in the program, and it was wonderful to catch up. I wish you all the best in what I hope will be a spring to remember (for the right reasons)!” … We heard from Shannon Mullen who says “I’m enjoying being back on the air for National Public Radio as of September between writing and film projects. It was meaningful and enlivening to catch up with so many alums and teachers at the memorial service for Lew Overaker on campus in November, and share such riotously great memories of Doc, however bittersweet. I stuck around the area to spend a lovely holiday season in the White Mountains with my siblings Kelly Wieser ’92 , Evan Mullen ’00, and Ryan Mullen ’94 and, between them, my six nieces and nephews. In the midst of all that I launched a podcast called Character about the craft of acting, which I’m co-hosting along with my film producing partner. Check it out and let me know what you think! I hope this finds everyone safe and well as we weather these strange times. Here’s to the possibility of better days by the time you read this!” … We have all been through so much in the past two years, and we are still masking-up, constantly hand-washing and wondering if the next email from school will be in regards to a close contact quarantine requirement. Despite all of this, I’m hopeful and, like Sachie , share in feelings of gratitude. My kids are a joy and bring a smile (most of the time!) to our faces. I’m grateful for them and for my husband and supportive family and friends. I started grad school for my masters in nursing this fall—it feels great to be in the classroom again! I’m hopeful to attend our reunion this summer and look forward to seeing you. Best wishes, Putney
CLASS CORRESPONDENT Putney (Haley) Pyles ’97
INTERIM’98
Wantputneypyles@gmail.comtoconnectwithyour classmates? Consider becoming a class correspondent and encouraging your classmates to reconnect in the HST class notes. Contact us at alumni@holderness.org for more information. Thank you!
Hi all, here are a few updates from your classmates. Clay Houston writes: “COVID may have put my plans for international garden travel on hiatus, however pandemic life didn’t stop me from completing my second undergraduate degree or pursuing graduate school. This past summer I completed my degree in horticulture with a concentration in horticultural therapy, then immediately Clay Houston ’98 is a frequent snow-shoer thanks to the Tubbs she got for OB back in 1997!
… Hilary Patzer sent in this news: “I’ve been busy with my family and dogs now that the Minnesota Vikings season is over. I’m back to focusing on my private practice, my step-kids, and the NHL which my hubby works for (the Minnesota Wild). After pursuing my doctorate and two master’s degrees, it’s nice to focus on things other than studying.”
Emilie Lee ’99, her husband Kristo and their son Torren Magnus Torgersen. Emilie Lee ’99 and her husband Kristo on their wedding day.
Just a quick reminder that I’m temporarily helping out with the class correspondent role for your class, and if anyone is interested in stepping in, please reach out. Best wishes in this new year, Putney (Haley) Pyles CLASS’99
launched into an interdisciplinary graduate program at Oregon State University. I have already been co-teaching landscape design principles at OSU for five years and am excited to have two undergraduates working on independent studies with me this term.
CORRESPONDENT Darren Moore dmoore@holderness.org Emilie Lee shared the following: “Hi friends! Wanted to share the news of our son, Torren Magnus Torgersen, born in June 2021. Before the pandemic Kristo and I were planning a big wedding and lots of climbing and ski trips but instead we stayed home all year, got married by ourselves, and decided to try our luck with a baby. Torren is a delight and we are so grateful and honored to be his parents! We are loving family life here in Carpinteria, CA. Kristo works at Patagonia where Torren also goes to childcare, and I am just getting back into my work which is painting.” … Quentin McDowell writes: “In terms of an update, we are in year 15 at Mercersburg Academy (PA) where my daughter, Nina, is a new ninth grader. I also have two younger sons, Ewan (12), and Rooney (seven). In May 2021 I was asked to serve as the acting head of school at Mercersburg, which does have the potential to become a permanent role. It has been humbling, exciting, and exhausting to lead a boarding school during this unusual time of COVID and more. That being said, I do greatly enjoy the work and love the kids and community I serve. I certainly would not be here if it weren’t for Holderness.” … Shahin Nemazee shares:
… Thanks for sharing this news.
Colin Rodgers ’99, Taylor (Donaghy) Stephens ’99, Joel vonTrapp ’99, Lucy Donaghy ’01, Luke Catlin ’99 and Chris Rodgers ’02 taken in the Fall of Shahin2021.Nemazee ’99, daughters Reza, Azita and Leela, and wife Erin.
Kim Cousins ’99 and partner Nick in New Zealand. Emilie Lee’s ’99 son Torren Magnus Torgersen.
NOTESCLASS Spring/Summer 2022 | 69
When I’m not buried in books, grading, or plants I’ve been continuing to trek around the Oregon Cascades in my snowshoes. Funny enough they’re still the Tubbs I got for OB back in 1997. Still kicking and getting me places!”
“My wife Erin and I have three kids; Leela (nine), Reza (seven), and Azita (two). We are doing well in Northern VA where we have been living for 15 years. I’ve been working at the Smithsonian Institution in DC for over a decade now, which has been amazing. Please send my best to everyone and say "what’s up" to Mr. Ford and Mr. Barton for me.” … Kim Cousins writes all the way from New Zealand: “I am with my partner Nick and my daughter Anika, who just turned 12. After the world’s strictest lockdown in March-April 2020 (plus a shorter one this past August), life has been surprisingly normal, quiet and COVID-free, although we do miss family and friends after two years of closed borders. I teach and do research in public health at the University of Otago, which I really enjoy; there’s nothing like a global pandemic to get students interested in health policy. We’re making the
MyIreland20@gmail.com
… Sophie Moeller also wrote in with this: “Hello! I figured I would answer your final call for notes, especially since I have not submitted any updates in a while. I am currently working full-time as the program supervisor for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northern Nevada in Reno, NV and continue to work part-time as program manager for Reps4Recovery, a Reno nonprofit that provides free CrossFit-style and lifting workouts to those seeking a lifestyle of sobriety/recovery. I still perform when I can, and this past summer I got to play Toad in an outdoor production of Frog and Toad the Musical . I can now cross ’playing an amphibian’ off of my bucket list. The biggest news of all is I am engaged to be married in June 2022. I am a soon-to-be stepmom of a seven- and 12-year-old and cannot wait to head into this new chapter. Ally (Keefe) Collins ’02 and I live in the same neighborhood and get to connect now and then. And I very much look forward to seeing Amanda French-Greenwood at my wedding in June! I hope this note finds you all happy and well!”
… As for Aris Garrison , he says “our son is now two and a half and getting bigger every day. We are very happy living in Irving, CA and enjoying the warm weather.”
Karyn (Hoepp) Jennings
CLASS’00CORRESPONDENT
CLASS’01 CORRESPONDENTS
CORRESPONDENT Betsy Pantazelos b.pantazelos@gmail.com
most of the amazing summer before Omicron gets here.
Sarah Hendel writes: “Our little family is well settled in north Texas, where we’ve been based since 2016. Our son, Eben, just got his first pedal bike and he can’t wait to hit the bike path with mommy. This past year I celebrated 10 years with my company. I still love working in international development, where I get to assist our project teams in meeting sustainable and locally focused programming around the world.” … We heard from Kerry Douglas with the following exciting news: “We’ve settled into Vermont life in Stowe and welcomed a baby girl in July. Can’t believe we’re coming up on our 20th reunion! Hoping to make it back Sophie Moeller ’01 and her fiance’ Anthony Murray. Besty Pantazelos ’02 wedding atop Wildcat Mountain, NH. Emily Sampson ’05, Christopher Nielson ’02, Joe Sampson ’02, Betsy Pantazelos, Elizabeth Norton ’01, Ally Keefe ’02, and Murray the ring-bearing collie. Betsy Pantazelos ’02 and her husband Chris Potter on their wedding day this past September. Kerry Douglas’ ’02 daughter, Dylan Pearce. Sarah Hendel ’02, her husband Tomas and their son Eben.
NOTESCLASS 70 | Holderness School Today
… We heard from Dre Tennille who says: “I’m still alive and kicking in the dirty south, although that may surprise some. In the last 20 years, I’ve acquired two dogs, three children (biologically), and a massive amount of debt. Good times. Go Bulls!”
Andrew “Sully” Sullivan
CLASS’02
Karyn (Hoepp) Jennings writes: “Hi all; not much new to report! I’m still working as the director of marketing at the Dow Realty Group out of Wolfeboro, NH and loving it. My daughter, Avery, will be six when this comes out and is loving kindergarten. She is a total mini-me so, as most of you know, I’m in trouble. My husband, Joe, is still working at Piscataqua Landscaping and we’re having a blast skiing this winter at Ragged Mountain. If anyone is there, let me know. Would love to meet up! I hope everyone is doing well. I’m looking forward to catching up at our Reunion!”
KarynPJennings@gmail.com
CLASS’03
CORRESPONDENT Brie (Keefe) Healy healey.brie@gmail.com
for the festivities and introduce our daughter, Dylan, to campus.” … Betsy Pantazelos says: “Since my wedding last September, my husband, Chris Potter, and I have moved to Reno, NV. We are already enjoying the incredible proximity to skiing, biking, and climbing. We are also really looking forward to coming back east for reunion this summer and hope to see many of you there!”
Casey Gilman c lgilman5@gmail.com
Kristin Keohan writes: “This past year I have tried my hand at the digital nomad life. I set up my home base in Boston (ok, ok Medford), and flew to and from my nest to adventure around the world. Highlights included yachting in Croatia, boating down the Vltava river as Yo-Yo Ma played from the pier, viewing the Great Dragon Parade in Krakow, attending a Cacao & Gong ceremony in the foothills of Mexico City, and hiking to see the revered mountain gorillas in the forests of Uganda. Looking for friends to join me on my journey in 2022, so please don’t be shy about reaching out if you’re looking for an adventure!” … Carlie (Bistow) Febo writes: “Life is busy and wonderful with our beautiful toddler Luna! We moved to Arlington this fall and are actually just down the street from Holderness alum and good friend Anne Richardson . I am working as a photographer
Pictured is Joe Sampson ’02 waiting for Neal Frei ’03 at the top of Gunstock Mountain. Sons of Nina DiBona Pauk ’03 and Ashley Hedlund Healy ’04 - Clement Pauk (left) and Cole Healy (right) playing on the same basketball team in Exeter, NH. In July of 2021, Ally (Keefe) Collins ’02 married Shane Collins on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains (California). Fellow Bulls who joined in the festivities included Betsy Pantazelos ’02, Melissa Adams ’02, Rebecca Scott ’02, and Brie (Keefe) Healy ’05 (with daughter, Lydia).
CLASS’06
CORRESPONDENT
Sloane, Emma Phipps ’05 oldest daughter, claimed Emma’s Holderness hat. Nigel Malloch ’05 welcomed a son, Otto George Malloch, in October 2021.
Nick Payeur ndpayeur@gmail.com
Neal Frei writes: “Twice a week Joe Sampson ’02 has been getting me out of bed very early this winter to skin up Gunstock mountain with some local buddies. It’s been fun to learn the sport from a seasoned pro. While it does make for early mornings, what a great way to start the day and what beautiful sunrises!”
CORRESPONDENTS
CLASS’05
Emma (Schofield) Phipps writes: “We are all doing well and enjoyed a snowy day in Colorado recently. We are wishing everyone happiness in 2022; may it be the best year yet!” … With a second child born in October, Nigel Malloch says “Two kids under two is the real deal! All is well in San Clemente.””
Neal Frei nealfrei@gmail.com
… David Madeira reports: “We just did a little November vacation to Tucson and hung out with Jarret ’01 and Jessica (Ippolito) Hann . Jarrett was doing this 100-mile road biking race that’s the most elite and prestigious race in the country and he finished in the top group. Pretty awesome and impressive. They also started a company called Skipwith Organics that’s protein/ smoothie powder and it’s amazing—incredibly high quality, organic, and tastes amazing. It’s cool to see Holderness friends crushing it.” ’04 Want to connect with your classmates? Consider becoming a class correspondent and encouraging your classmates to reconnect in the HST class notes. Contact us at alumni@holderness.org for more information. Thank you!
NOTESCLASS Spring/Summer 2022 | 71
Maria “Mimi“ O’Connor ’07, her husband Stavros, and their daughter Nepheli in Jackson, NH.
Tyler Gosselin ’07 and his daughter Maggie in the North Carolina Mountains!
Lucy (Randall) Archibald ’06, husband Paul, and children Sawyer (4 months) and Georgia Lucy(4). (Randall) Archibald’s ’06 daughter Georgia (4).
… Lucy (Randall) Archibald and her husband, Paul, “welcomed Sawyer Larcom Archibald on October 9, 2021. Georgia (4) is settling into her new role as a big sister and Paul is adjusting to a house full of girls! We still live in Boston, but have been going up to Cannon most weekends where Georgia is learning to ski.” … Ben Kirtland says “My wife and I moved to the Chicago area back in July of 2020, and in early September we welcomed our first baby to the family, Lee O’Malley Kirtland. Just before the holidays, I took the plunge into entrepreneurship and started a company called Wealth Kitchen. Currently on the lookout for a software engineering lead/CTO with fintech experience; things are going well and very much excited about 2022, especially in light of all the advice, guidance and support from old Holderness friends like Jesse Straus and Ben Trook !”
NOTESCLASS 72 | Holderness School Today
Annie (Hanson) Gilmore ’07 on her wedding day in Woodstock, VT.
CORRESPONDENT Taylor James mctomaszewski@gmail.comMatttaylorveronicajames@gmail.comTomaszewski
Christopher Roche writes: “We added a new family member just two days ago. Ruby James Roche was born January 10, 2022, in Vail, CO. Ruby and mom are doing great! Edwards, CO, just a short ride from Vail, is also our new home after living in San Francisco for nine years.”
CLASS’07
… As for me, Casey Gilman , my husband and I moved up to North Conway, NH in July and it’s been great being so close to skiing and the mountains. We adopted a husky this past fall and have been doing lots of hiking and spending time outdoors. I’ve gone skiing with Kristin Keohan this year and hope to meet up with other Holderness folks on the slopes!”
… Maria "Mimi" O’Connor says: “Happy 2022! The Bozampalis O’Connor family continues to call The Fenway their home. We recently moved to a new condo in the neighborhood to accommodate our growing family and are excited to welcome a little boy in June. We hope to be able to spend more time in Greece with Stavros’s family this year. Nepheli is a very social 18-monthold and her favorite song is ’Wheels on the Bus.’ Wishing everyone a happy healthy year.: … Tyler Gosselin reports: “We moved Carlie (Febo) Bistow ’06, her husband Anthony, and their daughter Luna. Carlie (Febo) Bistow ’06, her husband Anthony, and their daughter Luna.
in Boston and this spring my husband, Anthony Febo, will be teaching during Special Program’s Artward Bound at Holderness. Can’t wait to get up there and introduce Luna to Holderness.
NOTESCLASS Spring/Summer 2022 | 73
Greg Ramey reports: “I made the move from NYC to Los Angeles where I’ve been seeing many Holderness alumni including Andrew Grace ’09 , Jeremy Larrere , Morgan Irons ’09 , and more. Andrew Grace is probably the best tour guide in Southern California. This is the farthest I’ve lived away from Dan Marvin , James O’Leary ’09 , and Bobby Curran in over a decade! Luke Urban housed me in Denver, CO for a few weeks late last year where I also spent time with Polly Babcock and Annie Carney. If Luke Urban invites you as a guest to his new home, you should take him up on it—it’s beautiful!” …
Dan Marvin is still one of my best buds and is literally in my living room as I write this. I can’t wait to be reunited with the whole gang at an upcoming reunion!”
CLASS’08
Jessie (Potter) King-Geovanis says: “My husband Andreas and I welcomed our first baby into our family this past year! Odin was born in October and is the light of my life. I’m still nourishing my most recent project, Within, which is an online, subscription-based yoga platform. While still based out of Miami, I continue to travel frequently to the northeast and on work trips with my husband and his company, Sextant Stays. (We have a lot of Capricorn creatives in the family. The projects are nonstop, but we love it!)
Baird (Meem) Anderson bairdmeem@gmail.com
Jessica White white.jessica.madigan@gmail.com
CORRESPONDENTS
…
Polly Babcock is working at a ten-monthold startup, specializing in e-commerce photography for outdoor brands such as The North Face. She was recently promoted to director of operations! Polly bought a townhouse in downtown Denver last summer and recently adopted a sweet Aussie shepherd husky mix one-year-old dog! Polly spends her free time doing yoga, skiing, mountain biking, cooking, watching quality television, reading, and spending time with family and friends. Her close friend Annie Carney recently moved to Denver and they spend a lot of time together! Polly and her sister Ashley Babcock ’06 talk every day and support each other in caring for their mother who has Alzheimer’s. Life is a beautiful and challenging journey, but she’s grateful for every step.
Baird (Meem) Anderson ’08 and Haley (Hamblin) Raab ’08 July 4th weekend at a prewedding celebration with friends.
…
Brett Phillips lives in Brookline, MA, and continues to grow his company, Create Awesomeness. His social life consists of hanging out with Baird (Meem) Anderson . He is still hoping to adopt a cat one day. … Ryan O’Riordan shares: “I am living in Waterville Valley, NH and studying for the bar.” … Baird (Meem) Anderson says: “I’m still teaching at Spruce Street Nursery School in Boston and living in Cambridge, MA, with my husband, Kyle. We moved to a new neighborhood in Cambridge (Neighborhood Nine) in June 2021 and love it. In July, I saw my best friend, Haley Hamblin , marry an amazing person, Josh Raab! It was such a beautiful and intimate wedding in Stockbridge, MA with incredible food and dance floor beats provided by yours truly, ha ha. I still keep in touch with as many Holderness friends as I can. Most recently, I’ve gone to concerts with Brett Phillips in Boston. He’s got some moves! In my free time, I still continue to add to my vinyl record collection and I’m also learning how to DJ (for fun)! In December, my husband and I adopted a one-eyed senior dog (chihuahua mix), Cyrus, who we absolutely love.” … Ben Schreiber writes: “I am currently living in Jersey City, NJ with my girlfriend, Kim Griffith. She’s an electrical engineer working for the agency that keeps our lights on in the northeast. She’s super smart and I can barely understand what she does when she explains it to me. I landed a job with the National Basketball Players’ Association as their chief software architect. Yes, we have a basketball court in our office. No, I still can’t play basketball to save my life. I do get to watch the best of the best practice at our facility on a daily basis though. I’m hoping to pick up some ’game’ via osmosis. I had a wonderful time seeing Phil Peck off at the NYC alumni get-together. Phil, you will be missed! I hope all of my other ’08 classmates are happy and healthy! I wish the entire Holderness community well! Feel free to look me up to come visit the office or just grab a coffee (or something stronger) whenever you find yourself in the NYC area. Best, Ben” … Annie Carney reports: “I moved to Denver in July and I’m still working for Code Haley (Hamblin) Raab ’08 and her husband Josh at their wedding in Stockbridge, MA, July 24, 2021.
Tim Regan writes: “I’m living and playing in Dumbo Brooklyn with my girlfriend, Ashleigh. Working as a capital markets consultant for mental health research companies mostly focused on psychedelics and their medical applications—yes, I am making a career all about psychedelics—dorm parents: sorry, I’m not sorry. Traveling as much as possible this year and happy to report we adopted a sixmonth-old black lab puppy named Poppy!”
to Greensboro, NC last year and have been loving the Carolinas. Our daughter Maggie turned two in January!” … Annie (Hanson) Gilmore reports: “This past summer, I got married in Woodstock, VT. We currently are living in Hanover, NH where my husband is attending business school. I am working remotely from here and loving life in the Upper Valley.” … Gahwui Kim writes: “Hey all! I think this might be the first time I’m submitting a class note. Promise to be better in the future. Major update on my life is that I’ve recently joined a NYC-based marketing agency start-up called Share Local Media after 10½ years at my previous company. It was a big decision after so many years but I’m looking forward to what this next chapter brings!”
…
Muller/Rospos families at the hockey rink in Bend: From left to right is Rospos Family Alex, Wiley and Kelsey (’09) followed by Muller family Joe (’05), Sylvia, Mandy, Mckenna.
… Alex Osborne says: “I am still living in Burlington, VT and working at Definitive Healthcare. I got engaged in October and I’m getting married in Cape Elizabeth, ME this October.”
Caitlin Mitchell reports: “Griffin and I got engaged last November and we are getting married in the fall in Vermont. We bought a house in Portland, OR but currently get to spend the winter in Jackson Hole. We added another pupper to the clan, Louis. He is a wirehaired pointer and we are training him to hunt upland birds. All is dandy and we hope the same for you.” … Megan Currier hit her five years at Apple in December, and continues to lead a growing team in Apple’s Ally (Stride) Lloyd’s 20 month old son Weeks. Ally (Stride) Lloyd, her husband Michael, son Weeks and baby Lucy (soon to arrive).
Kelsey is busy in COVID times as a life science product manager for Beckman Coulter. This year Kelsey and Alex squeezed in a trip to Greece and are now embracing the parent life, where exciting events of the week include the delivery of a spiral slide and Wiley’s new ability to chew on both hands instead of one.
CORRESPONDENT Allison (Stride) Lloyd stride.ally@gmail.com Ally (Stride) Lloyd writes: “My little man, Weeks, is 20 months! I can’t believe it. He’s doing great and had his first snow day in NC last week. I’m 38 weeks pregnant with his little sister, Lucy, and we’re getting excited to welcome her to our crew. I’m still working for Match from the comfort of my couch. We recently launched a new dating app, Stir, for single parents. If you know anyone who would want to try it, let me know! Our dogs are doing well. Biscuit (the pug) is four and Bunk (the chocolate lab) is two and a half. We recently sent Bunk off for some training at doggie boarding school and happy to report it was well worth it.” … Andrew Reilly checks in with this: “Things over here in England have been great. 2022 is a big year as we have just closed on a great place here in Greater London and this fall we will hopefully be able to finally have our wedding (fingers crossed on international travel restrictions). Outside of work and wedding planning, I have been keeping myself occupied as a season ticket holder at a Premier League club and traveling around the UK and Europe as much as possible. … Kelsey (Muller) Rospos and her husband Alex welcomed their first baby, Mr. Wilder "Wiley" Rospos, in November 2021 just one month before her brother Joe Muller ’06 had his second baby girl. Kelsey lives in Bend, OR where the family plays hockey in the town league and ski at Mt. Bachelor, both of which are much more difficult with a baby strapped to your chest.
and Theory remotely. I’ve been hanging out with Polly Babcock regularly.” … Gretchen Hyslip says: “Hi all! I recently got a new job at CampTek Software, a robotic process automation software as a service start-up! It’s work-from-home which I love and the work is so interesting; every day is different. I’ve had to learn how to automate with bots, which feels fancy. I still live in Waltham but check Zillow frequently for new spaces. Otherwise, I’m starting piano lessons and have plans to visit my brother Jack Hyslip ’10 in Plano, TX to see his gym, The Plano Athletic Club.” … Haley Wilich lives in Newmarket, NH, and works at Cobalt Benefits Group, a third-party administrator for employee benefits. … Dan Marvin is a two-time COVID survivor still living the nomad lifestyle. “Homeless since leaving NYC August 2020. Some solid road trips in 2021, highlighted by working my way from the Amalfi coast to Venice. A few bachelor parties are on the horizon before spending February in Kenya followed by Mexico in March for a few weddings, travels, and fishing.” … Haley (Hamblin) Raab and her now husband, Josh, have avoided going back to DC for another year. She spent last winter and spring in Victor, ID, skiing, biking, and getting outside as much as work allowed. Over the summer she and Josh drove back east to spend time with family and get married. They had two celebrations, one camping with friends in upstate New York and the other in the Berkshires with family. “Both were wonderful weekends filled with good food, love, disco balls, and music provided by the one and only Baird (Meem) Anderson . There wasn’t a dull moment on the dance floor at either event and they wouldn’t have been the same without my best friend by my side! Josh and I are back in Victor this winter and will return to DC in March. Before we return Lily Hamblin ’15 will come visit for a week to get some powder days in! I’m still working at The Washington Post , and we will allegedly be returning to the office in the spring. It will be hard to leave the Tetons, but I’m looking forward to seeing Holderness people back on the east coast!”
… Julia Ford , 5’10, works at Cardigan Mountain School, loves her job, has three dogs, and is getting married to a wonderful man in June. … Sacha Gouchie lives in a suburb of Montréal with her husband Max and their four pets. She continues to flip houses, teach, and learn about wellness, psychology, and neuroscience. Since the beginning of 2020, she and husband have planted almost every seed of the avocados they ate. They’re hoping to make a lotta Canadian guac in about three years.
NOTESCLASS 74 | Holderness School Today
CLASS’09
Jake Rosencranz jrosencranz1@gmail.com
William Prickett ’15 on the Pacific Crest Trail with photo at the start of California.
William Prickett writes: “This year I hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, which goes from the Mexican border up through the Sierra Nevada mountain range to the Canadian border. It’s over 2600 miles long and I experienced all kinds of weather, from the oppressive heat of the southern California desert and midsummer heatwaves to fields of ice and snow in the Sierra and Cascades in Washington.
CLASS’11 CORRESPONDENTS Cecily Cushman cncushman@gmail.com Jamie McNulty jamcnulty20@gmail.com CLASS’12 CORRESPONDENTS Alex Leininger leiningerbalex@gmail.com Kristina Micalizzi kmicalizzi08@gmail.com ’13 Want to connect with your classmates? Consider becoming a class correspondent and encouraging your classmates to reconnect in the HST class notes. Contact us at alumni@holderness.org for more information. Thank you! CLASS’14 CORRESPONDENTS Alexandrea “Allie” Solms solmsallie@gmail.com Celeste Holland cholland51@gmail.com Mikaela Wall wallmikaela@gmail.com CLASS’15 CORRESPONDENT
NOTESCLASS Spring/Summer 2022 | 75
Leah Curtis lcurtis1330@gmail.com
William Prickett ’15 on the Pacific Crest Trail with photo at the end of California, a big milestone on the trail.
Sarah and Bruce Barton, Margaret (Thibadeau) Renzi ’11, Nick Renzi ’12, Charlotte O’Leary ’11, Emily Hayes ’11 and Amanda Engelhardt ’11 at Sam (Devine) Roy’s ’11 wedding. Photo from Haleigh (Weiner) Thompson ’11. Pictured is her father Peter Weiner ’70 with her youngest son Leo, a future member of the class of 2038!
supply chain. She and her significant other will be moving to Santa Cruz, CA this winter to test out the beach life (surfing included). They have spent a lot of time on and off living in their converted van this past year, including driving it to the wedding of Emma (Locke) McGreal . They plan to fit a lot of skiing in this winter between Truckee, CA and Ketchum, ID. Reach out if you will be skiing in those areas!
Hope Heffernan
Elise (Steiner) Hacker Weelisehsteiner@gmail.comheardfrom Charlie McNutt who writes: “This past year was very good to my family and me. We moved to Virginia Beach and I started working for an east coast-based naval special warfare unit. Then in March, we welcomed the birth of our second child, Logan. Our daughter Hailey is very happy to play the role of big sister and she is doing a great job.”
… Laney (Hayssen) Forton reports: “Max (my husband) and I are still in NYC. We love our newish puppy, Wally, and are expecting our first boy in April. I am starting a company to help diagnose patients with rare diseases.” … Meredith Peck is in her second year of anesthesia residency at Maine Medical Center and patiently waiting for Mr. Peck ’s retirement! … Big news from Jake Manoukian: “Hey hey! The big news is that my wife and I are expecting our first child (due date May 8th) so just frantically looking around New York City for a new apartment. I am still working at JPMorgan in Investment Strategy while stalking Jack Dings and James O’Leary on Instagram. If anyone is ever in NYC let me know would love to get a drink and catch up!”
CLASS’10 CORRESPONDENTS
hopeheffernan@gmail.com
Sarah Rogers sarahro524@gmail.com
Luke Valentine lukevalentineoms@gmail.com
Luke Valentine checks in with the following news “Hi all! I finished my bachelor’s degree in computer science from Colorado School of Mines in December. I just moved to Boulder and will be starting my career as a software engineer shortly!” Lilly Patterson lgp011@bucknell.edu Abby Vieira abigail.e.vieira@gmail.com
CORRESPONDENT Elizabeth Johansson ecjohansson17@gmail.com
CORRESPONDENT Adam McNabney adamsteelemc@gmail.com
This year was particularly challenging due to wildfires along the trail, drought, and COVID. In the end I made it successfully, it was the trip of a lifetime; the friends I made and experiences I had will stay with me forever.”
CLASS’17
Connor Preston sent us the following: “After graduating from Syracuse University in May of 2021 with a BA in policy studies and minor in business management, I spent the entirety of the summer job searching while making money on the side doing construction work. I finally landed a job and began working at Barstool Sports as an associate for the partnership marketing team in November. I am living in NYC and working out of the headquarters. This has been a huge change of pace from life in northern NY. So far, I have done a ton of traveling and I am working primarily on their hockey and golf accounts. A position like this has been a goal of mine since sophomore year of college and couldn’t have landed in a better spot for a first job out of college.”
… Alex Guyette moved out to Utah after graduating from SLU! …
Abby Vieira writes: “Right now, I’m a freshman at Williams College. Instead of having a longer winter break, we have a period called winter study where we take one class on a variety of interests. I’m finishing my last class, and am about to go into spring semester where I will be taking statistics, econ, psychology and English classes.” …
CLASS’19 CORRESPONDENT
CLASS’21
… Delaney Dolan reports: “Going into Holderness as a postgraduate student, I was very nervous walking into such a close-knit community knowing no one. I quickly was welcomed by so many and found my own sense of community. Although my PG year was cut short, the relationships I made at Holderness with teachers, coaches and friends are some I will never forget. Holderness taught me more about myself than my previous four years of high school. The senior thesis course at Holderness, taught by Mrs. Barton , helped me find my voice and finally encouraged me to learn how to public speak and speak about a topic I was truly passionate about. I am now a sophomore at Syracuse University studying at the Whitman School of Management and am so grateful for my experience at Holderness.”
CORRESPONDENT Stuart Clifford stugclifford@gmail.com
WE WANT TO FROMHEARYOU! What’s happening in your world? Holderness School Today wants to know! Send your photos, updates, and news to toorgalum@holderness..Welookforwardhearingfromyou! NOTESCLASS 76 | Holderness School Today
’16 Want to connect with your classmates? Consider becoming a class correspondent and encouraging your classmates to reconnect in the HST class notes. Contact us at alumni@holderness.org for more information. Thank you!
CLASS’18
We heard from Malin Alusic-Bingham : “I recently started my fourth semester at Dickinson College where I am studying law and policy with a minor in French. A couple of my current classes are capital punishment and biomedical ethics. Some groups I have joined are rock climbing club, knitting club, Alpha Lambda Delta honors society, the outing club, Dickinson radicals, and I tutor for economics. Wishing everyone at Holderness a great rest of the school year!”
Connor Preston ’17 at the 2022 NHL winter classic as part of Barstool Sports Spittin’ Chiclets.
CLASS’20 CORRESPONDENT
Students celebrate their return from Out Back in March. NOTESCLASS Spring/Summer 2022 | 77
AT THIS POINT IN TIME
78 | Holderness School Today
Phil Peck and Brandy the Wonder Dog proctoring a final exam circa 1985
“This was a pretty typical exam scene from the old study hall in Schoolhouse,” Phil said. “This was when we had the large study hall, before we did the renovation and created more classrooms. I’m proctoring a Sino-Soviet Studies exam during the fall of, I think, 1985. I’ve got my briefcase and my sidekick, Brandy the Wonder Dog.”
In the years since that photo was taken, big changes have occurred at Holderness, from the renovation of Schoolhouse to the construction of the Davis Center, the school’s stateof-the-art, 35,000-square-foot math and science building. But amid all that change, much has stayed constantincluding Phil. He has remained a fixture on campus with his beloved Golden Retrievers Lulu and Bella, he still wears clogs, and he’s just as committed to Holderness and its students as he was when this photo was taken in 1985.
T here are countless memories and moments that comprise a person’s life. The above photo is just one such snapshot from Phil Peck’s 38year career as a teacher, coach, dorm parent, and head of school at Holderness. When we showed the photo to Phil, he was quick to put it in context for us.
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As Phil heads into retirement this summer, the entire Holderness community—its students, teachers, alums, parents, and so many others—will be forever grateful for his enduring commitment to the school and its mission.
TIMEINPOINTTHISAT
79 | Holderness School Today Spring 2021 | 79 Seniors receive awards from their teachers during the annual Prize Day Ceremony on May 21, 2022.
PERMITMANCHESTER,USNONPROFITPOSTAGEPAIDNHNO### Seniors line up for Commencement on May 22, 2022. Holderness School P.O. Box 1879 Plymouth, NH 03264-1879
