Kimball Union Academy Summer 2021 by Kimball Union Academy

SUMMER ��

KIMBALL UNION MAGAZINE | SUMMER ��

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ROCK ON The KUA Rock Band performs on the quad in May ahead of the annual Spring Concert. Left to right: Liam McCoart ’21, Riley Werner ’21, Seamus McGee ’22, Naomi Mervo-Kovacs ’21, Ryan Ayers ’23, and Jingbang Zhu ’21.

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SENIOR DAY

Sophie Mitchell '21 is honored for her contributions to the Varsity Girls Lacrosse team during senior recognition.

Contents S UM M E R � � � �

30 32 34 36

Features Five Questions for Neruda Perdomo ’21 & Clyde Neville ’22

New affinity group for black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC encourages a range of voices.

The Business of Giving Back

Erin Chase P’19 ’22 and Colleen Galloway ’02 are entrepreneurs who are doing good while doing well.

Empowered by Self Care

Erin Chase P’19 ’22 creates the No. 19 skincare product line in memory of her daughter with a portion of all proceeds benefiting the Janie Chase Cozzi Foundation.

Grounded in Love

Colleen Galloway ’02 and her husband, Kyle Clark, hope their small-batch coffee roasting company will support life-changing organizations. .

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KIMBALL UNION MAGAZINE

52 Departments 9 HEAD OF SCHOOL 10 VOICES: HEARD FROM CAMPUS

Hilltop

12 NEWS FROM CAMPUS 24 SPORTS OVERVIEW 26 ARTS OVERVIEW 28 FIRST PERSON

Connect

40 ALUMNI SPOTLIGHTS 44 CLASS NOTES 50 OBITUARIES 52 LAST WORD

SUMMER ��

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

OFFICERS CHRISTOPHER BURNS ’83

Board Chair

New Canaan, CT MOLLY BOURNE STEFFEY ’92, P’20, ’22

Vice Chair

Hanover, NH KARLA RADKE P’21

Secretary

New York, NY PETER SCHIEFFELIN ’96

Treasurer

Jamestown, RI

GENERAL MEMBERSHIP DAVID ALLYN ’86, P’17 ’25

Skaneateles, NY JENNIFER BORISLOW ’78, P’07, ’10

Methuen, MA ROBIN GRONLUND ’81, P’11

Shelburne, VT VIVA HARDIGG P’21, ’23

Hanover, NH EDWARD G. HILD, J.D., ’88

Washington, DC DONALD LOWERY ’73

New York, NY CLYDE NEVILLE P’20, ’22

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Dracut, MA

EDITOR

PHOTOGRAPHY

TRICIA MCKEON

Courtney Cania, Forest Simon ’21 Roy Knight P’10, Dustin Meltzer ’05

Director of Marketing and Communications Kimball Union

EDITORIAL DESIGN WENDY MCMILLAN ’78, P’09, ’11

McMillan Design

COPY EDITOR

Kit Creeger P’09, Maria Dailey, Maura Doyle ’13, Rachel Hastings, Tricia McKeon, Dustin Meltzer ’05, Anna Olson, Hanna Wiczek ’21

MAIL: Kimball Union Magazine welcomes submissions, letters, and comments.

We reserve the right to review and edit all material that is accepted for publication. Please email submissions to Tricia McKeon at tmckeon@kua.org or send to: Kimball Union Magazine, PO Box 188, Meriden, NH 03770.

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New London, NH SETH SHORTLIDGE P’15, ’22, ’25

Delray Beach, FL

CONTRIBUTORS

THERESA D’ORSI

GLENN POGUST P’13

ANDREA STERN P’19

New York, NY JADI TAVERAS ’03

Haverhill, MA STEPHEN TAYLOR

Meriden, NH CHRISTOPHER P. YOSHIDA ’96

New York, NY

Head of School

“The confidence from our parents, alumni, and friends—even from afar—helped redefine community and engagement.”

Evolving Optimism A

s if sensing what the year 2020 might bring, about a decade ago technology innovator Jane McGonigle defined “urgent optimism” as “the desire to act immediately to tackle an obstacle, combined with the belief that we have a reasonable hope of success.” Reading that recently, it struck me as a rather succinct summary of the fuel that drove many of our actions and decisions over the past year. The obstacle was clearly defined when we were forced into distance learning last spring, and the effectiveness and immediacy of our response will be an enduring point of pride for our community, as we rallied to earn our success of this past year. Had either element been missing—the urgency or the optimism—there is no question our efforts would have fallen short and the experience for our students and our full community compromised. As we move into the summer months and reflect on those moments in a canoe, on a trail, or wherever we allow our thoughts to wander, I am certain every member of the KUA community will be struck with waves of pride and other positive and nostalgic emotions. Thinking about this past year, it will be the people who will come into focus—the people who helped us all to find optimism at a time when it was needed. Our students showed their readiness from the moment the senior class declared “resilience” as the year’s theme. The enduring image of ‘smiling through a mask’ inspired us all, as their arrival in August brought a joy and life to campus that lifted and sustained our spirits all year. Optimism is a mindset that transforms into an energy, and the student energy was essential to our success. I recently shared with our faculty and the many other employees here on The Hilltop, that rising to this challenge cemented their legacy and their calling as unselfish educators with oversized hearts. Our end-of-year employee gathering, with its “superhero” theme, allowed us to come together, drop the masks, and appreciate what

we achieved together for our students, our families, and ourselves. When the remarkable school year of 20202021 is chronicled, our superheroes will be remembered for—and will remember themselves —creating a calm in a storm. When normalcy in society did not exist, mental health struggles skyrocketed, and the games, fun, and interactions were cancelled, our resident superheroes refused to allow that to define our community. Our success was not predestined, but rather placed in the hands and hearts of adults whose love of kids, trust in one another, and collective optimism could see, and could lead, our path to success. More broadly, the confidence from our parents, alumni, and friends—even from afar— helped redefine community and engagement. In early June, a member of KUA’s Class of 1941 participated in our Virtual Reunion, where he and others shared stories that affirm our efforts, inform us about the past, and give us hope for the future. The wisdom of the long view reminds us that this is not KUA’s first obstacle and indeed, not even our first pandemic. When we connect with our roots, we are humbled by the fact that we are in the early years of our third century of operation. Remembering that there have been countless moments when urgent optimism has inspired leadership, as it has through the past year, elevates us to an inspiring and sustainable sense of enduring optimism that will guide our future. With so much more to come, I wish you all a wonderful summer and look forward to coming together again soon. K

With deep appreciation, TYLER LEWIS

Head of School SUMMER ��

Voices

“When my pager went off, all my existing problems didn’t matter”

—HANK WITHINGTON ’21

H E A R D F ROM C A M P US

What Helped Me Get Through This Year HANK WITHINGTON ’21

URSULA FRIESHERFORT P’14, ’17 CERAMICS TEACHER

Back in March of last year, I was re-introduced to puzzling and that immensely helped to calm my nerves. I bought puzzles that were particularly beautiful in terms of color and imagery that pleased my aesthetics.

JON HASTINGS ’01 SCIENCE TEACHER

MIKE VAN DOLAH SCIENCE TEACHER

Daily walks in the woods with my two dogs and my wife to get fresh air, forget about the daily grind, and connect while being disconnected from technology.

OLIVIA ALWITT ’21

Watching bootlegs of musicals has gotten me through this year.

KAY MCCABE ARTS DEPARTMENT CHAIR

One thing that has gotten me through the year is walking. We are so lucky to have so many beautiful places to walk; you get exercise and don’t have to wear a mask. Life goes on in nature, and it is reassuring to observe that.

I’ve found a fair amount of peace in my sourdough baking. Warm crusty bread is love.

ANNELISE SELIGMANN ’23

SCRIB FAUVER P’09, ’12 WORLD LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT CHAIR

My COVID puppy Kya.

JESSE MATHERS SCIENCE DEPARTMENT CHAIR

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A small stuffed animal shark. It’s from a person who has been there for me, so it’s like they are here with me.

JERRY USERY INFORMATION SYSTEMS MANAGER

Podcasts have been great. Comedian Marc Maron started doing Instagram live as an extension of his presence every morning and sharing his life. His thoughts—and his fans sharing their experiences—has been grounding.

It was immediate family. My wife’s support and the joy of my kids being mostly oblivious to COVID was great.

BOB BLAKE CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

I’ve been living alone in New Hampshire since the beginning of January while my wife and daughter have sheltered in Florida. Having the Epic East pass and spending time outside skiing with my adult son every weekend January through the first week in April has been essential to my health and happiness.

SANDY OUELLETTE H’16, P’03 RECEPTIONIST

This is an easy one for me: daily hugs from an adorable 2-year-old who lives with me! Everything else seems less important.

Fire Brigade. Every so often, when my pager went off, all my existing problems didn’t matter. All that mattered in my mind was my mission.

TIM WHITEHEAD P’18, ’20 HEAD BOYS HOCKEY COACH

Working with our student-athletes each day on the ice and in the gym has been truly inspiring. With COVID restrictions, there were limits to what we could do and certainly fewer games we could play, but our players’ drive to improve and their enthusiasm and passion for the game they love never diminished. There’s no doubt the experiences and lessons learned through perseverance this year will make us stronger and more resilient in the future.

TYLER DIXON ’23

Since we can’t easily take a vacation due to COVID, music and TV have been a great escape. It’s almost like taking a micro-vacation every once and a while.

ILLUSTRATIONS BY ROBERT NEUBECKER

Hilltop N EWS F ROM C A M P U S

INSIDE 12-29: HILLTOP NEWS ➤ CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS

HATS OFF

Tristin Black ’21 and classmates arrive at Pope Field for the 205th Commencement.

➤ STUDENT SPOTLIGHTS ➤ FACULTY SPOTLIGHTS ➤ SPORTS OVERVIEW S P ROVERVIEW I N G � � � 8 11 ➤ ARTS

➤ FIRST PERSON

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CLASSROOM

What’s Going On in This Graph? Math students learn graphical literacy Math teacher Beth Gilmartin is often thinking about how to deliver information that goes beyond mathematical equations, often bringing the world to the doorstep of her classroom in Fitch. “One of the key ideas is teaching 21st-century skills and thinking about graphical literacy,” she says. “The truth is not all the kids are going to use a quadratic formula in their lives, but being able to look at graphs and interpret them is really important.” To help prepare her students, Gilmartin’s Algebra I class participated in The New York Times’ weekly feature, “What’s Going On in This Graph?” In February, the class examined “World Cities’ Air Pollution” graphs that show the air quality for 12 major cities from November 2018 to November 2019. Prompts such as “What do you notice?” and “What do you wonder?” encouraged the students to analyze the information and share their comments online, where discussions are moderated by teachers, industry professionals, and a collaborator from the American Statistical Association. Gilmartin says that the students took particular note of air pollution spikes in Delhi, India, and San Francisco, California. Correlating the cities and the dates, they were able to piece together a larger picture of how life on the planet impacts air pollution. They took note of a crop-burning cycle in India’s capital and the impact of wildfires on air pollution in San Francisco. “This is teaching kids ways of getting stories. It’s not just about math, but also about social science to some degree,” says Gilmartin. “They’re learning good quantitative reasoning.” Each week, The Times circles back to share insights from the student conversations and reflections. On February 25, the paper’s website cited Teegan Duffy ’24, who crafted her own headline to capture the story of the air pollution graphs: “Air Pollution, the Silent Killer.” “Everyone is going to have to read and interpret graphs,” says Gilmartin. “The skills we’re developing can be used in all sorts of applications in the real world.” K 12

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KUA GROWN

PURE NEW HAMPSHIRE

NEW HAMPSHIRE

FRESH EGGS

MAPLE SYRUP MERIDEN, NH

L U N I O N AC

E AD

KUA GROWN 1 0 0 % N AT U R A L

PREMIUM HONEY

MERIDEN, NH

L U N I O N AC A

FRESH PORK MERIDEN, NH

L U N I O N AC

E AD

NEW HAMPSHIRE

MERIDEN, NH

L U N I O N AC A

KUA GROWN NEW HAMPSHIRE

FRESH PRODUCE MERIDEN, NH

L U N I O N AC A

Gallons of maple syrup produced using KUA’s new maple syrup evaporator

9,950 COVID-19 tests administered on campus

Scott Domingos: Arthur Day Welch Chair of Mathematics Girls JV Hockey Coach Math Team Coach Domingos lives in Brewster House with his wife, Keilah, and children Luca and Emerson.

“[Students] find the joy of problem-solving and collaboration.”—SCOTT DOMINGOS

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT

Scott Domingos Scott Domingos is usually game for anything. Hoping to lift the spirits of students learning from home last spring, he gleefully strapped on a pink unicorn helmet and hurled himself from a toddler trampoline and into a neighboring pine tree while on camera. It may not be the austere image you expect from the chair of the mathematics department, but it’s highly effective in engaging students. Domingos’ approachability, combined with a drive to make math both accessible and challenging, has made him a fan favorite on The Hilltop. This year, he was selected as the Baccalaureate speaker—for the second time since arriving in 2018 from Brewster Academy. Today, after 25 years of teaching, he leads a team of math educators who are finding innovative ways to bring their subject matter to life. “We’re constantly discussing and collaborating how to be better math teachers,” he says of the department. “We never arrive at ‘we’re done.’ We’re always looking for ways to make it a better experience for students.” Students are offered three levels of Algebra II and Pre-Calculus. “We spend a lot of time looking at data to know how to place kids when they arrive at KUA, so that they are challenged but not overwhelmed,” he says. “Kids need to be supported and encouraged.” Students can access one-on-one help with teachers or peers through the Math Tutor Center. Math competitions have also become a popular campus activity. This year, 12 students competed online against students from high schools across the country through Math Madness. The team competes on weekends and trains using practice problems. Next year, the team will benefit from the return of its distance learners and compete against other New England prep schools through the Math League. “The math team gives students confidence in their abilities and gives them a sense of how they compare to students on a national level,” he says. “They find the joy of problem-solving and collaboration.” Helping kids find joy and spark a competitive spirit is working. This year more than 100 students participated in the Mathematical Association of America’s American Mathematics Competition exam. Three students were invited to move forward to the American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME), with one competing in the U.S. Mathematical Olympiad, the top invitational competition for high-scoring AIME participants. Outside of math, Domingos can be found at Akerstrom Arena with his other team—the girls JV hockey team. “The team is a blast,” he says. K SUMMER ��

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COLLEGE ADMISSIONS

Finding the Right “Fit” College admissions process complicated by COVID.

Demystifying the college admission process for students and parents has been a perennial challenge for the College Advising Office. This year, the crystal ball was particularly cloudy. On the heels of the “Varsity Blues” scandal, which brought increased scrutiny to the college admission process, COVID-19 threw major hurdles in front of high school seniors eager to identify and gain acceptance into their preferred colleges and universities.

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“We first began seeing COVID’s impact on college admissions in Spring 2020 with changes to the SAT and ACT. Colleges began going test optional, which was welcome news for some applicants but caused confusion and some stress for many,” says Gunnar Olson, director of college advising. College admission added pressure and anxiety to an already challenging and uncertain year for KUA seniors. Just as colleges received record applications, so, too, did KUA students submit increased numbers of applications. More students landed on waiting lists than ever before.

And although KUA students were admitted into a terrific range of schools, most seniors were unable to visit campuses to make informed decisions. In the spring, the College Advising Office conducted trips to open campuses within a four-hour radius. “Throughout this process, the College Advising Office works with students and families to determine what colleges and universities are the right ‘fit,’ which is a multidimensional concept and can vary from student to student,” says Olson. “Factors can include location, academics, scholarship, athletic opportunities, and the general feel of the school. When students decide

“The concept of fit is more important than how difficult it is for a student to gain admission.” —GUNNAR OLSON, DIRECTOR OF COLLEGE ADVISING College Destinations * indicates multiple students enrolling

The Class of 2021

584 Applications submitted

COLLEGE BOUND Jesang Yim ’21 of Seoul, South Korea, in front of Baker Hall on the Dartmouth College campus. Yim will study engineering at Dartmouth in the fall.

where to matriculate, the concept of fit is more important than how difficult it is for a student to gain admission.” Of the 111 students in the Class of 2021, 101 received offers of admission. Some students elected an alternative path after graduation, such as junior hockey and military service. “It is too early to tell what next year will look like or if colleges will continue their test-optional policies,” says Olson, who works with two additional college advisors on campus. “We are following along closely and are ready to help the students of the Class of 2022 as they continue down this path.” K

111

Virtual college visits hosted by KUA

207

Institutions admitted KUA students

Institutions where the Class of 2021 is enrolling

Adelphi University Bard College Berklee College of Music Boston College Boston University * Brandeis University California Polytechnic State University (San Luis Obispo) Central European University Chapman University Clarkson University Clemson University Colgate University Columbia University Connecticut College * Dartmouth College Emerson College Endicott College * Harvard University Haverford College Illinois College Ithaca College Kenyon College Lehigh University Massachusetts Institute of Technology * Merrimack College New York University * Niagara University Northeastern University * Norwich University Oberlin College Ohio Wesleyan University Otterbein University Pace University Pitzer College Providence College Purdue University Quinnipiac University Regis College Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rhodes College Roanoke College * Rochester Institute of Technology Sacred Heart University Saint Michael's College Skidmore College Smith College Southern Methodist University St. Lawrence University * Syracuse University * The College of Wooster The Ohio State University Trinity College * Union College * University of California (Berkeley) University of California (Davis) University of California (San Diego) * University of California (Santa Barbara) * University of Chicago University of Colorado Boulder University of Denver University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign University of Massachusetts (Lowell) * University of New Hampshire University of San Francisco * University of South Carolina University of Utah * University of Virginia University of Wisconsin (Madison) * Utica College * Vassar College Washington University in St Louis Western Washington University

FACULTY RETIREMENT

Kit Creeger P’09 Faculty member ends on high note.

After 33 years on The Hilltop, Kit Creeger P’09 retired at the close of the 2020-21 academic year. Creeger first joined KUA as music director and coordinator of performing arts, and he focused on creating a program suitable for a brand new Flickinger Arts Center. During his 22 years of teaching, he served as arts department chair and enjoyed his involvement in an active and dynamic arts environment. Creeger conducted 25 musicals and 50 department concerts and led many Coffee Houses and Singer’s Nights through the years. He also wrote original choral pieces for graduations and baccalaureates that are still used today. Creeger recalls fondly all the students who worked in the music program and the digital recording studio he built, producing original albums with individuals and bands. “I had so many rich encounters with students through the years,” he says. For the past 11 years, Creeger served as associate director of marketing and communications, wearing many hats such as photographer, videographer, webmaster, portal manager, and livestream manager. A Meriden resident, Creeger will continue to play gigs with fellow KUA faculty in Dr. Tom’s Band and coach youth ski racing. K SUMMER ��

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OBJECT LESSON

“Big Shoes to Fill”

“I had a pretty good year as all-school president,” reflects Ian Gagnon ’10. “I wanted some way to pass that wisdom on to the next generation.” So began a tradition of passing down a beautiful leatherbound notebook filled with the entries of student leaders who came before. The change from a single president to co-presidents took place in spring 2013, when election frontrunners Marc Maggiore’14 and Victoria Pipas ’14 were elected to share the presidential responsibilities, thus eliminating the vice president role. To mark this occasion, in addition to the journal, then All-School President Ian Gregory-Davis ’13 passed down some “big shoes to fill”: a pair of orange, size 11, patent

KIMBALL UNION MAGAZINE

leather dress shoes. Each spring, at the final All School Meeting, the departing co-presidents pass down their student leadership responsibilities, along with the shoes and journal, to the incoming co-presidents at the Handover Ceremony. This year, departing Co-President Hanna Wiczek ’21 charged the community to “continue having uncomfortable conversations, seek to empathize with and understand other people’s perspectives, and treasure your time at KUA. It won’t be too long before it will feel too short.” As for her advice to the incoming co-presidents, only they will have the privilege of opening the journal and reading those words. K

“Continue having uncomfortable conversations, seek to empathize with and understand other people’s perspectives.” —HANNA WICZEK ’21 ALL SCHOOL CO-PRESIDENT

TAKING IT TO THE STREET Nearly 150 students, faculty, staff, and parents joined the Meriden Congregational Church’s Black Lives Matter Vigil on a Wednesday afternoon in a show of support for fellow community members.

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ADMISSIONS

Beyond the Hilltop Seniors proudly display their next stop after KUA.

1. Nick Bernardo ’21 will play hockey with the Maine Nordiques before starting Brown University.

2. Tess Boden ’21 will major in legal

studies and public policy at the University of Denver.

3. Gunnar Wood ’21 will major in

premed and play lacrosse at Vassar College.

4. Emily Homma ’21 will major in

business at the University of California, Davis.

5. Kylie Mellon ’21 will major in psy-

chological and brain sciences at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

6. Emily Pariseau ’21 will major in

political science and play soccer at Ithaca College.

7. Luke Ricci ’21 will major in mechanical engineering at Clarkson University.

8. Dayi’on Thompson ’21 will major in sports management and play basketball at Utica College.

9. Nathaly Tlaseca Verde ’21 will

major in political science with double minors in French and conflict studies at Colgate University.

10. Hank Withington ’21 enlisted in the U.S. Army Airborne Infantry.

Trailblazers are enrolling at an institution that has not enrolled a KUA student from the previous five graduating classes.

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“I always wanted to go to a large research university where I can study across a variety of fields. UC Davis provides a great opportunity for students to expand their interest in learning due to its quarter system.” —EMILY HOMMA ’21

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HEALTH CENTER

“Light at the End of the Tunnel” The KUA community received COVID-19 vaccinations through on-campus clinics.

824 COVID-19 vaccines administered by the Tracy Health Center

What a difference a year makes. Just 12 months after the closure of campus due to COVID-19, students, faculty, and staff received COVID-19 vaccinations through on-campus clinics hosted by the Tracy Health Center. As a designated point-of-distribution site for the COVID-19 vaccine, KUA secured vaccines for all employees in March. The team, along with parent volunteers from the medical community, administered 824 vaccines through its on-site clinics. Later in the spring, KUA received doses of the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, allowing all students aged 16 and older to receive their vaccination without leaving campus. “We had great success in our on-campus vaccination clinic for KUA employees and we we’re thrilled to extend this opportunity to our age-eligible students,” said Melissa Underhill P’20, director of health services. “It made it feel like there was light at the end of the tunnel.” The vaccinations came after a year of following health and safety protocols and restricting access to campus. Each week, every member of the community participated in COVID-19 pool sample testing, eagerly anticipating the results, with negative tests signaling athletic teams’ ability to compete in interscholastic athletics. By the end of the academic year in May, KUA administered more than 9,950 COVID tests—with a positivity rate of less than 1/10 of 1 percent. K

VACCINE CLINIC (Left to right) Andrea Brown P’24, Reed Brozen P’24, Stephanie Schell P’21, RoAnne Rogerson P’17, Director of Health Services Melissa Underhill P’20, and Assistant Director of Health Services Anastasia Hale administered vaccines to KUA employees, including Chief Operating Officer Hunter Ulf P’05, ’09 (right). 20

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“The entire KUA community, past and present, worked together to ensure our community was able to start and finish in-person.”

—MELISSA UNDERHILL P’20, DIRECTOR OF HEALTH SERVICES

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COMMENCEMENT

A Day to Remember The strength of the Kimball Union Academy community was on full display on May 22, 2021, as the graduates from the Class of 2021 processed down Chellis Road from Munro House to Main Street before taking a final turn toward Pope Field. Awaiting their arrival, in socially distanced 8-by-8-foot personal, painted “boxes,” were the families of the graduates—some who had not seen one another since winter break. Yet these final moments together, the culmination of a year unlike any other, were treasured by all. “Your legacy of resilience is unquestioned,” said Head of School Tyler Lewis. “When others hesitated—you persevered, you trusted and supported each other and along with the faculty, your family and friends—we relish this opportunity

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to celebrate you here today. Quite honestly, we asked more of you than we have of any class that we can recall.” Many of the traditional KUA events held in honor of the senior class moved forward, albeit with a twist to comply with COVID-19 protocols. Seniors enjoyed three off-campus days for senior week where they enjoyed movies, games, and recreational events. The Awards Ceremony and Baccalaureate service moved outdoors, in what may become a new tradition on The Hilltop. “Change is necessary for growth,” Valedictorian Emma McGonigle ’21 told graduates, faculty, and guests. “We must lean into the discomfort of unfamiliarity in order to evolve.” K

112 8-by-8-foot viewing squares created for 308 guests

570

KUA face masks ordered for attendees

1,386 Steps each graduate took from Munro House to Pope Field during the procession

2 Graduates selecting Crocs as their graduation day footwear

23 Cardboard cutouts stood in place for distance learners unable to attend the ceremony

“Change is necessary for growth. We must lean into the discomfort of unfamiliarity in order to evolve.”

—EMMA MCGONIGLE ’21, VALEDICTORIAN SUMMER ��

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SPORTS

Camaraderie of Competition Lacrosse teams “grateful for the opportunity to play.” In March of 2020, one of the earliest decisions Kimball Union administrators made surrounding COVID-19 was the cancellation of the lacrosse spring training trips. Soon after, both the girls lacrosse team, led by Head Coach Whit Willocks, and the boys lacrosse team, led by Head Coach Nick Antol, found their seasons canceled. Willocks and Antol entered the 2020-21 school year ready to bring the joy and camaraderie of athletic competition back to players’ lives. Their teams competed in abbreviated fall and spring seasons against other Lakes Region schools and found that lacrosse has a home at KUA. Here’s how it went. What was it like returning to the field?

Willocks: The biggest thing about

losing last year’s season was it made us appreciate what we have. You don’t know how good you have it until you don’t have it. We played only 10 games this year, but we cherished every practice, every workout, and all of our time together. That played into the overall team atmosphere and the love they had for one another, and that translated on and off the field. Antol: We returned with 17 seniors this year. To have the fall together was amazing, and you realize quickly

HOMETOWN HERO Former NFL linebacker Kasim Edebali ’09 returned home to Hamburg, Germany, where he was signed by the European Football League’s Hamburg Sea Devils.

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that you don’t need to have 20 games and a spring trip to make it special. It gave the guys an opportunity to get better instead of just focusing on winning. We had this mentality that you’re so grateful for the opportunity to play. We had 10 games scheduled, but couldn’t play two of them because our opponents had issues with COVID. We were so grateful just to have the next ones.

and staying for them. We hadn’t beaten Brewster, New Hampton, or Holderness for 10 years and we beat them this year—all at home. I’ve been coaching in New England for 17 years and lacrosse has really improved. This is really exciting because we can be competitive not only in the Lakes Region, but further south and into Boston, too.

How are the KUA lacrosse programs doing?

Willocks: Female athletes at KUA

Willocks: We saw considerable growth

in the program this season. We brought in some very skilled players and saw the overall level of play increase two-fold, a testament to senior leadership and the amount of buy-in and trust from the team. Even though we weren’t the most skilled, we were highly competitive. These players were always ready to learn and to challenge themselves and their teammates. They were hanging in at parts of the games with schools we didn’t usually keep up with. Antol: In the past, we didn’t have many kids who played spring sports. They came out of hockey and then decided to play spring sports, too. Now we have kids who are dedicated spring sports athletes. This is their primary focus. There’s more energy around it and on the campus. People are coming to the games

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What’s in store for next year?

are primarily multi-sport athletes. I value that, and I want them to be proud of it. I’m excited for what the future holds for girls lacrosse. I also attribute this to Nick [Antol] and his leadership and insight and the success he’s had. Antol: If we’re going to make waves, it can’t be two little waves. We’re going to join forces. I want all these players to find another way to break out of lacrosse and lean into the community in other ways. I want other people on campus to find them to be good people. We all give these kids a chance to completely develop into student-athletes. It’s not hard to sell a family on the KUA experience. This place helps kids turn it on. I feel super supported by the teachers here. And the student-athletes do better here than anywhere else, not because it’s easier, but because people care. K

In the COVID-shortened season, varsity boys ice hockey finish the schedule with an undefeated 8-0 record.

DREAM COME TRUE The Atlanta Hawks signed Nathan Knight ’16 as an undrafted free agent in the 2020 NBA draft. The 6-foot10 center garnered numerous awards during his senior year at William & Mary.

“We played only 10 games this year, but we cherished every practice, every workout, and all of our time together.” —COACH WHIT WILLOCKS

WHISTLE-BLOWER Girls Varsity Lacrosse Head Coach Whit Willocks has been at KUA for four years, previously coaching at Dartmouth College, Choate Rosemary Hall, and Andover High School.

HISTORIC RUN Forward Mia Brown ’18 joined joined the Northeastern University women’s ice hockey team’s historic run, which ended with a 2-1 overtime loss to Wisconsin in the national championship game.

Senior boys varsity lacrosse players will play lacrosse in college next year

FIRST TEAM Boston College junior forward Taylor Soule ’18 was named an All-Atlantic Coast Conference first-team selection in March, just the third BC women’s player so honored.

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Hilltop

A RT S N EWS F ROM C A M P US

ARTS SCHOLAR PROGRAM

Bravery + Wisdom Yixuan “Emily” Li ’21 combines her passions to create a children’s book. When it came time for Yixuan “Emily” Li ’21, a four-year senior from Hangzhou, China, to create her senior capstone project for the Arts Scholar Program, she combined her passions for creative writing, illustration, and education with her interests in social justice and developmental psychology. A self-described “LGBTQI+ ally” at the outset, it was a natural choice to create a children’s book on the subject. She made her initial proposal in spring 2020, after the COVID-19 pandemic closed campus. After spending spring term in New York, Li found her way home to China, where travel restrictions kept her for the entirety of her senior year. Li spent the year in distance learning, joining classes and meetings virtually from home. Despite missing friends and life on The Hilltop, Li found silver linings. She discovered time and space to immerse herself in the process of creating her Arts Scholar project. Work on her college applications led to deep introspection and a confirmation of her bisexuality. This realization, combined with her capstone research, led to the discovery of a gap in the children’s book canon. “It became clear to me at that moment that since there are more and more children’s educational materials on homosexuality, there should be more on bisexuality as well,” Li explains. “Why not make a princess who is bisexual

INTO THE WOODS The Taylor Gallery displayed the photographic work of local artist Brenda Petrella, whose work captures the beauty of the Vermont woods. Student engaged with her images and spoke to her through Zoom during a gallery opening in March.

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and share the message it is okay to be attracted to both men and women and that it is okay to change your mind when you meet someone who you truly love?” In a spurt of creative energy, Li fired off a first draft of her story, Bravery + Wisdom = ?, in only four hours. She spun a tale of two neighboring princesses— Edith and Penelope—who enter the wood to solve a crisis and end up finding each other in the process. “The concept is about being complementary,” Li says. “You can live, survive, and have a good life as an individual, but it can be even better with a good partner to complete you.” In the next steps, she researched drawing styles to develop the aesthetic of her book before spending more than 120 hours to illustrate each of the 40 pages on her laptop and tablet. The first draft went through a rigorous editing, proofreading, and layout process before Li sent it to print for a limited run of 10 copies to share with family and friends. Li, who was a salutatorian for the Class of 2021, hopes to publish the book when she returns to the United States in the fall to attend Columbia University. She’s even toying with future tales about Princesses Edith and Penelope and Prince Adrian. “He is such a good guy,” she says. “I’d like to find someone for him, too.” K

On-campus outdoor theater and musical performances this year

NATIONAL RECOGNITION Ariatnny Castillo Montero ’23 and Briana Angelli ’22 were recognized in the 24th Annual National K-12 Ceramic Exhibition. Castillo Montero’s piece, Trio in Nature, earned her a Bailey Ceramics Purchase Award, and Agnelli’s Riding the Wave received an Artistic Merit Award.

“You can live, survive, and have a good life as an individual, but it can be even better with a good partner.” —YIXUAN “EMILY” LI ’21

VIRTUAL YEAR

Yixuan “Emily” Li ’21 served in leadership roles across campus, but was forced to learn virtually for her senior year due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.

THE SHOW MUST GO ON The theater program staged its winter musical production of Working to a live and virtual audience. Nearly 40 students rehearsed under strict health protocols and COVID-19 testing, allowing the cast to perform without masks for shows that were livestreamed for off-campus families and friends.

AN ARTIST’S SELFIE Visual Art Teacher and Dean of Faculty Julie Haskell P’13 assigned students to create a “close-up self-portrait” in her Advanced Studio Art class with stunning results. Alissa Tsay ’22 used pastel for her 12-by-12-inch piece.

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Hilltop

N EWS F ROM C A M P US FIRST PERSON

A New Mind Set

I As she recovered from a concussion, this student-athlete discovered more resilient strengths and passions. BY HANNA WICZEK ’21

like to dream big and set the bar high with everything I do. I work hard to achieve whatever I determine the goal. The downside occurs when the goal becomes out of reach. If there is one thing that I have learned this year, it is that you never know what life is going to throw at you—but it all happens for a reason. I love my family more than anything in the world; they would do anything to help me reach my dreams. My dad taught me how to skate when I was 4, and ever since hockey has been at the center of my life. I love the fast-paced, competitive edge needed to play the game. However, growing up in Utah, hockey is not a popular sport, let alone a popular girls sport. I played with boys. I always made the top boy team, and for two years I was invited to play on an all-girls tournament team based out of Vermont. At age 14, after my boys’ team competed in the USA Hockey National Tournament, my parents and I made the decision that I would go to the East Coast and attend a boarding prep school to pursue my dream to play in college. With very little exposure to that part of the country, we stumbled upon Kimball Union Academy. The school had a beautiful campus, engaging staff, diverse student body, and strong hockey program. I instantly fell in love. Starting in my sophomore year, I settled well into the prep-school life of academics, sports, and friends. I looked forward to winter and the start of hockey season. With little experience playing with girls, I quickly differentiated myself with my size, strength, and physicality. I had been talking to coaches on both the D I and D III college levels, preparing myself for recruitment during my junior season. I worked very hard during the summer between my sophomore and junior years to prepare. I thought I was tough, but I found I am not invincible. At the beginning of my junior year, I was required to play a fall sport, which ended up being field hockey. On September 18, I was

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defending a girl’s shot in a game. She followed through with a high stick. She nailed me in the chin and all I felt was a heavy thud. The girl who shot stopped cold, looked panicked, and asked if I was okay. With little pain at the time, I shrugged her off. I was determined to stop the other team from scoring—all I could think about was how I needed to keep playing. It was not until four minutes later, when the game ended, that I started to taste the blood. It was then I felt the panic flood in. I was not okay. The trainers told me it was a mild concussion, that I would be back on the field in two weeks. When two weeks rolled around, I was still unable to read a book for five minutes without feeling like I was going to throw up. My main symptoms were nausea, headache, lightheadedness, and sound sensitivity. My pupils didn’t dilate the same, and my left eye would veer off. I could not even remember my own phone number. Eight weeks later, my Spanish teacher, who was also the dean of academics, told me that I was going to get an incomplete in my fall trimester classes. I could not believe it had come to this. I was far from home, struggling with school, feeling awful, and nowhere near able to play the sport I loved. I saw vision therapists and physical therapists and got prescription reading glasses. I was taking four pills a day to help with migraines, nausea, and head rushes. It felt like an endless road of Band-Aids and shattered dreams. Needless to say, I was confused, frustrated, and alone. I was angry about the impact on hockey, school, dwindling opportunities, and my general well-being. One day I called my mom, upset and complaining. She told me to snap out of it, focus on what I can do and stop dwelling on what I could not. I realized I had been fixated on everything I was missing—and it was making me miserable. So, the next day I set out to change my mind set. I went to the art studio, somewhere I had never been before. It was calm inside and, as I walked through the door, I could

Wiczek is from Park City, Utah. Next year she will attend Western Washington University, where she plans to study ethics and neuroscience.

“I decide my attitude and my perspective each and every moment.” —HANNA WICZEK ’21

feel some of the anger inside of me being lifted off my shoulders. I started going there every day. It was my escape. I learned other things about myself. Being outside brings me joy and diving into cool water brings me peace. I enjoy helping others and was elected student body president for my senior year. As all-school president, I set out to create an environment that was safe and supportive for everyone, that showed people how to love KUA in the way that I love KUA. When social unrest starting happening in our country, I took it upon myself to really get informed and address it so I’d be comfortable talking about it. I worked closely with the Queer-Straight Alliance and the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity Committee and ran a workshop on Martin Luther King Jr. Day on white privilege and social bias. Last summer I took a neuroscience course at Stanford University through a Cullman Scholarship. It was probably the coolest experience I’ve had. It made me consider what else could I be doing if hockey wasn’t on the table in college. These new discoveries within myself have helped to adjust my passion for hockey and the previous expectations of who I thought I should become and what my next steps would have been. This experience has taught me that I am not a person to sit back and let things happen to me. Instead, I decide my attitude and my perspective each and every moment. Life is too short to be sad over something that may or may not change. This year I came to terms with that fact. I am proud of myself that I took the opportunity to look outside and learn more about myself. There is so much now that brings me joy, not just one sport. To this day I work to manage my symptoms and make an effort daily to find the joy and focus on what I can control. I often look back on that day in September, the day life threw me a major curve ball. Hockey will always be a part of me, but I am grateful for all I have now. K SUMMER ��

Q &A

Neruda Perdomo ’21 & Clyde Neville ’22 K New affinity group for Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) encourages a range of voices.

imball Union prides itself on being a student-led school, one that enables students to identify the areas in which they want to focus their time and talents. Neruda Perdomo ’21 and Clyde Neville ’22 joined forces this winter to create an affinity group for Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC). The BIPOC Affinity Group began meeting weekly, offering students a space to talk openly about issues and topics of importance in their lives and receive faculty and administrative support. The group offered a critical gathering space for students to discuss and process national and local social justice issues. What inspired you to start the BIPOC Affinity Group? Neville: My dad is very big in activism. At

work he’s been identifying internships for people of color. He’s helped me get the courage to get the club underway. We watch Black history movies together. We like to be well-informed and ready to help others. I had a conversation with my parents about how there wasn’t a space for people of color to talk about stuff. They said, “You should start one.” Perdomo: When I applied here in 2017, I said in my interview that my goal was to create a space for students of color. I went to a predominantly white school before KUA, and I like having a space like that. I carry my Puerto Rican and Afro-Latino heritage proudly. That’s why I’m not afraid to speak up. My country has gone through a lot of things with a hurricane and with COVID. My grandmother in Harlem died of COVID. I’m blessed that I’m here right now, but I know where I come from. That’s why I do the things I do. I never take anything that I do here for granted. What are the meetings like? Neville: The meetings are confidential, and

you speak only if you’re comfortable. We start by asking how the week was, the highs and the lows. We clap for each other if we have a high in our week. We only had two people at the beginning, but then with word of mouth it started to grow. We had 30

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some people come at first because they saw we had pizza, but they listened and we talked about the election and one girl came up to me and said how much she appreciated it. Perdomo: The affinity group includes some people who don’t identify as people of color. We sometimes start in a circle and also form small groups to talk among ourselves or if there’s a serious topic we want to talk about, such as the killing of another one of our Black men. The conversations range from week to week. They can be serious to warm to all laughs. Mr. Harris and Mr. Mensah have attended the meetings and shared stories. It’s good to hear their voices. What has the group meant to you? Perdomo: It’s students speaking up. We’re

learning people care about issues and our voices. I found connection through that meeting and now I’m even closer to people than I was before. It’s allowing people to branch out. With Clyde and I, our paths didn’t cross last year, but we’ve now become good friends. What can KUA do to support you? Neville: We need more faculty of color. It

can be hard having a white teacher teaching Frederick Douglass or Toni Morrison. Perdomo: I’d like to see more students of color and someone working in the Office of Admission who looks like me, someone who makes me feel comfortable. The person who took me on my tour spoke Spanish to me and that made me feel welcomed. I’d also like to see more tour guides who are students of color. What’s next for you and for the group? Perdomo: I want to call Clyde next year

and hear how he’s doing, hear how the club’s doing. We have to carry this on so others can have it. I’m graduating and I want to come back and see change. We can’t do this by ourselves. It’s a question I asked on my college visits: Are there any affinity groups? Utica College is a pretty diverse community. I’m going to continue speaking up. K

“I’m graduating and I want to come back and see change. We can’t do this by ourselves.”

—NERUDA PERDOMO ’21

AFFINITY Neruda Perdomo ’21 and Clyde Neville ’22 formed a friendship through a common goal of ensuring that students of color felt a sense of belonging at KUA. SUMMER ��

SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP

GIVING BACK THE BUSINESS OF

♥

COLLEEN GALLOWAY ’02 AND ERIN CHASE P’19, ’22 ARE ENTREPRENEURS WHO ARE DOING GOOD WHILE DOING WELL. THEY, AND THEIR FAMILIES, HAVE CREATED PRODUCTS THAT SPEAK TO CONSUMERS’ HEARTS AS MUCH AS THEY SPEAK TO THEIR WALLETS.

ILLUSTRATION BY LUISA JUNG

While the Class of 2021 selected the word “resilience” as their theme for the year, we have found it to be a word that resonates throughout the Kimball Union Academy community far and wide. When tested by challenging, uncertain, and even devastating times, the KUA community has time and again demonstrated incredible resilience and inner strength. Two women—an alumna and the parent of an alumna—have faced different, yet formidable, circumstances in their lives. When each set forth to begin a new business venture, she did so with a common purpose: to make a difference in the lives of others.

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SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP

EMPOWERED BY SELF CARE NO. 19 | JANIE CHASE COZZI FOUNDATION

Janie Chase Cozzi ’19 is remembered as a confident, vibrant young woman who left an indelible mark on The Hilltop. In 2016, the varsity soccer player and girls leadership volunteer was traveling home from a concert in Vermont when she and four of her friends were killed in a tragic car accident. Cozzi’s fierce spirt and memory lives on in Meriden. Her bronzed shoes rest on a bench above Chellis Pond and jerseys and T-shirts around campus are emblazoned with “Play for Janie” to raise awareness for the foundation in her name, the Janie Chase Cozzi Foundation. Her mother, Erin Chase P’19, ’22, has also become a familiar and comforting face around The Hilltop. “We all supported each other through it,” says Chase of Cozzi’s death. “I was thankful that Janie’s friends and teachers and mentors were there being honest and vulnerable, and we laid it all out there so we didn’t feel alone. The strength they gave me by opening themselves up and by being vulnerable was really powerful. They allowed me to continue being a parent.” Social distancing and travel restrictions due to COVID-19 separated Chase from that valuable support network. She missed play dates with her son Ryder’s friends and trips to

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KUA to see her eldest son, Oliver, and a community that reminded her of Janie. From her home in Vermont’s Mad River Valley, Chase turned to a hobby—making natural skincare products for herself. Soon she found joy in gifting the products to friends. “I was creating these products and giving things to people that made them feel better,” says Chase. “I liked giving them that moment. And their thanking me felt so good because I was giving back in a small way.” Chase’s products received rave reviews from friends who encouraged her to get the products out to a larger audience. Last spring, No. 19 was born, named for Cozzi’s soccer jersey number. Chase says the brand name is about being an individual and part of team—taking care of yourself while taking care of others. Chase cares for others by ensuring that a portion of all proceeds benefits the foundation, which works to empower middle and high school girls. Her first product, the Fierce Deodorant, was inspired by her and Janie’s mutual love of Old Spice deodorant, but is formulated using naturally sourced ingredients. Today, No. 19 has a full range of products for face and body made from sustainable resources and created in small batches by Chase.

“It’s all me right now,” says Chase, who works a full-time job. “That was a tough challenge with COVID, when I’d normally want to hire or contract manufacturing. On the positive side, I was feeling lonely and removed from my community and it gave me a way to be creative. I don’t think it would’ve happened necessarily unless it happened because of COVID.” Chase says No. 19 is now at a turning point. She’s identified a work space near her home in Fayston to produce the products. For now, they are sold online or in local Vermont retailers who know—and can share—Janie’s story. “I want it to be affordable and I want money to go to Janie’s foundation,” Chase adds. Contributions to the foundation are already assisting young women in many ways, including supporting the foundation’s first Janie’s Key Scholarship to help a young student advance her education—at Kimball Union. “No. 19 is allowing Janie’s story to spread beyond her community as if she’s growing,” says Chase. “Her friend said, ‘Janie’s not stuck at 15, she’s maturing with us.’ I said, ‘Yes, she’s a young woman.’ I think that’s how she is for a lot of people because we’re taking her with us and continuing her story. You continue to parent your kid after they die.” K

IN HER NAME Erin Chase P’19, ’22 (right) named her skincare line No. 19 for the soccer jersey number worn by her daughter, Janie Chase Cozzi ’19 (left).

“

N O. �� IS ALLOWING JANIE’S STORY TO SPREAD BEYOND HER COMMUNITY AS IF SHE’S GROWING.” —ERIN CHASE P’19, ’22 FALL ��

SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP

GROUNDED IN LOVE HEART2HEART COFFEE

S “

WE’RE NOT REALLY IN IT FOR THE PROFIT. THIS IS OUR WAY TO GIVE BACK TO A COMMUNITY THAT HAS HELPED US OUT.” —COLLEEN GALLOWAY ’02

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Some mornings, coffee can be life changing. Colleen Galloway ’02 and her husband, Kyle Clark, hope their small-batch coffee roasting company will support life-changing organizations. “My husband started roasting coffee out of our house and gave it away as gifts, then started selling it to neighbors,” she says. “We thought, why not do something that gives back? So, we started to give to the Children’s Heart Foundation. We want to have a way for people to buy products and give back to charity. We expanded to causes that are near and dear to our hearts.” Galloway is no stranger to doing good while doing well. After graduating from KUA, she entered the Air Force Academy. She remained on active duty in the Air Force until last year after serving two deployments, most recently spending a year in Afghanistan. Due for another deployment in April 2020, she decided it was time to leave active duty. Galloway wanted to focus on her two daughters—Sydney, now 6, and Megan, now 2. Sydney was born with a congenital heart defect in 2015, requiring heart surgery a few days after being born. “As you rise in rank you move every two years, and it was challenging to switch schools,” says Galloway. “Every time we moved we had to find new specialists for our oldest daughter. She’s due for open heart surgery, and we wanted stability with a cardiologist.”

MISSION DRIVEN Colleen Galloway ’02 with her husband, Kyle, and daughters Sydney and Megan. Sydney’s congenital heart defect inspired the couple to support the needs of other families.

As it happened, COVID-19 would turn her transition away from operations officer for the Force Support Squadron at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, TX, into a long, challenging home stretch. “We support all of the base functions, from personnel to human resource to lodging and food operations, even mortuary officer. It’s a laundry list to ensure the mission keeps going,” explains Galloway. “During COVID we had to scramble to make sure the pipeline didn’t shut down because that has long-term effects. We had to figure out how to provide safe food operations and lodging and child care for the entire base.” Then, in February 2020, nearly 250 American evacuees arrived at Lackland from China after being evacuated out of Wuhan as COVID-19 gripped the city. Galloway and her team orchestrated the operation until her final day on active duty. Today, the family is living in Bellville, IL. Galloway works remotely as a government contractor for the U.S. Department of Defense and devotes at least one weekend a month to the Air Force Reserve. And now, there’s time for coffee. The couple established Heart2Heart Coffee, their small-batch coffee roasting company. With the sale of their coffee and coffee memberships, they contribute proceeds to organizations that benefit areas such as children’s heart defects, pediatric heart care and research, Alzheimer’s, and support for veterans. “We make enough to just cover our operations,” Galloway says. “We’re not really in it for the profit. This is our way to give back to a community that has helped us out.” This year the company expanded with the addition of a warehouse and new roaster. But Galloway says the goal is to continue producing small-batch coffee and remain focused on giving back. They partner with a company that employs individuals who might be challenged to find employment elsewhere and source beans from small farmers in Central America. “It’s something that keeps us going when things get crazy. We feel very fortunate to give back to others.” K SUMMER ��

THIS YEAR MADE POSSIBLE BY YOU

Thank you for standing by Kimball Union Academy in a year of great challenges. Because of the generosity of individuals like you, KUA students enjoyed a fulfilling and meaningful year on The Hilltop. Gifts to the KUA fund will ensure that future generations will continue to benefit from the KUA experience.

Make your gift today WWW.KUA.ORG/ONLINEGIVING

Connect N EWS F ROM A LUM N I

INSIDE DAY TRIP

Kimball Union students enjoy an afternoon together in New Hampshire’s great outdoors in 1909.

40 ALUMNI SPOTLIGHTS 44 CLASS NOTES 48 BABIES 50 OBITUARIES 52 LAST WORD

FA L L 2018

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N EWS F ROM A LUM N I

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Second Act

Pro basketball player Jesse Chuku ’12 chases a different score. As a professional basketball player, Jesse Chuku ’12 was pursuing a career that many young athletes aspired to live. After a successful Division I career at Lehigh University, Chuku played professionally in Greece and Italy before returning to England for a position with the Leicester Raiders. Then COVID-19 cut the 2019-20 season short. With two months left in the season and stuck inside his London apartment, Chuku returned to an old hobby, making videos. “It’s something I used to do, but I haven’t really shown people the videos I made,” he says. “I felt my identity was always a basketball player and people wouldn’t take me seriously. Then I just said, ‘Why not?’ When COVID hit, I felt like it was a good time to try my talent.” Chuku began sharing comedic videos that highlight Anglo-American miscommunication and cultural differences through the social network TikTok. His videos draw upon personal experiences from his six years in the United States and his knack for mimicking an American accent. His humor and charm struck a chord, and he’s racked up 1.8 million TikTok followers. In March, he was one of 12 artists recognized by London’s Evening Standard Future Theatre Fund with an award of £10,000—roughly $14,000— and an acting mentorship. Honored as a “TikTik Breakout” artist, Chuku soon signed on with an agent and began auditioning. “When I look back it

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seems surreal, but I’m used to putting my mind to something.” Chuku says his time at Kimball Union was a catalyst for his creativity. After arriving at the school to pursue his dream of playing basketball in America, Chuku landed in the hospital with persistent, flu-like symptoms. He spent significant time in the ICU after being diagnosed with Lemierre’s syndrome, a rare illness in which a bacterial infection spreads into the tissue and forms a blood clot in the jugular vein. His doctor was convinced Chuku’s basketball career was over. “My experience at KUA of getting sick really developed my character,” he says. “I was able to fight something so serious and had someone who was involved in saving my life.” Now he has turned another challenge into an opportunity. With auditions coming in and a modeling career underway, he opted not to sign for another season with the Raiders. Instead, he plans to pursue acting and film production. “I still love basketball. It’s in me now,” says Chuku. “I played for the England junior national team, played DI in college, and no one recognized me. Since all this happened, everyone recognizes me and people stop me on the street and say, ‘You make those funny videos on TikTok—keep doing what you’re doing.’” K Follow Chuku on TikTok @chewkz.

The Evening Standard Future Theatre Fund honored Chuku as its 2021 “TikTok Breakout” artist.

SUMMER ��

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N EWS F ROM A LUM N I

KIMBALL UNION MAGAZINE

“The pandemic has wiped out a lot of progress—we’re going back 10 years in a lot of areas of global health.” —EMILY (CABLE) YALE ’09

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Reaching the Most Vulnerable Emily (Cable) Yale ’09 takes on global health inequity.

EXPANDING ACCESS

Workers with Mass General’s First Mile program construct a COVID treatment center in Uganda last spring.

Severe COVID-19 is devastating industrialized nations. But what chance do people have in regions where the nearest doctor is hours away and can be reached only on foot? That’s the kind of predicament Emily (Cable) Yale ’09 faced daily in her role as program manager for Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Global Health’s First Mile, a community health initiative in Mbarara, Uganda. “We supported teams of community and frontline health workers bringing lifesaving services to the doorsteps of people far from care,” Yale says. “We worked in rural villages where the terrain is impossible. It’s seven hours from Entebbe, and you can’t even get to people’s homes except on foot or sometimes by motorcycle.” Yale, who holds a master’s in public health from Boston University, has devoted her career to expanding access to medical care in some of the world’s most inaccessible communities. She always knew she wanted to help people, but she wasn’t sure how. “I didn’t know what global health was,” she laughs. After one class as an undergraduate at Elon University, she was hooked. “I’d been interested in pursuing nutrition and obesity,” she explains. “But then I took a global health class that made me realize that obesity was a small program on the global scale.” Yale managed HIV and maternal health programs in six countries in Africa before joining the First Mile program. At first, COVID-19 spread slowly in sub-Saharan Africa. But the virus itself wasn’t the biggest problem. “You had to read between the lines to see what was really going on,” Yale explains. “The roads were shut down by the government and no one was allowed to drive. For patients who needed HIV medication dispensed several times a week, this became a real problem.” While Yale handled logistics from Boston, her team prepared for COVID-19 outbreaks, building a 58-bed hospital unit that more than tripled the region’s capacity. These days, the virus is pervasive there, Yale reports, though reliable information is hard to come by. “There is essentially no monitoring and testing.” While vaccines are rolling out in the United States and Europe, distribution in Africa will take years. And the other impacts of COVID-19 will last even longer. “The pandemic has wiped out a lot of progress—we’re going back 10 years in a lot of areas of global health,” Yale says. In February, Yale joined a team at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital focusing on global health initiatives aimed at addressing noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes and sickle cell anemia in the developing world. To some, the task may seem insurmountable—but that’s exactly what keeps Yale going. “In global health,” she says, “the challenges and inequities these communities face is far greater than anything domestic. Being able to reach the most vulnerable and marginalized people is amazing.” K SUMMER ��

Class Notes DI S PAT C H E S N EWS F ROM A LUM N I

1943

Joseph D. Hayes (603) 964-6503 • jhayes697@yahoo.com

1948

Don Spear (207) 518-9093 • ponderingpundit@gmail.com

1952

Karl A. Brautigam (203) 866-5812 • karllas@webtv.net

1953

Stanford B. Vincent (508) 457-6473 • stan@vincentcurtis.com

The good news is that one third of our graduating class of ’56 is, as someone used to say, “still able to take nourishment.” A tribute, no doubt, to our daily routine in the early 1950s of good food, required sports, and early lights out. Of course, being at an all-boys school in the woods of New Hampshire with fewer distractions helped, despite unsubstantiated stories of beer runs to Lebanon. Being cooped up at home on Cape Cod during the past year finally got to Carol and me, and we decided to take our first mid-winter vacation, driving to Longboat Key on Florida’s west coast for a couple of months of sun and sand. Though we stayed clear of the major cities and were super cautious, we were delighted to share a meal and catch up with two classmates, first Tony and Ann Brockleman in Fort Myers and later with Pete and Jeri Whiteside in Naples. Both couples are well and staying active and send greetings to all. Others in our class who have recently been in touch include the following. Pete Bowser out in Marin County, CA, recently celebrated his 86th. He 44

KIMBALL UNION MAGAZINE

and Sue are staying safe and in good health. They have no trips planned in the foreseeable future, but are “enjoying life, as dull and as boring as that is right now. It’s better than the alternative.” Sam Cummings in Vermont, married 62 years and retired after 29 years with IBM, recalled sharing the drum duties in the KUA pep band with Bob “Hammy” Hamilton. He also reminded me that the school provided a “butt room” outdoors behind the old gym for those who had parental permission to smoke. Sam’s family for several generations operated a successful tannery in Lebanon. Tom Fay spoke of his 30 years with the Los Angeles Police Department, finding his calling as counselor to juvenile delinquents, first within the courts and later at a camp in the San Bernardino hills. He described himself as “a natural, a perfect fit” for the job, working with “great kids” at the camp. Paul Haczela is now living fulltime in his home in LaBelle, FL. His property, former farmland, includes a lake plus a couple of barns and a house. He calls Florida “the lightening capital of the world.” Despite this, his house and barns are all topped with steel roofs. Paul’s ham radio call letters are still K2BQ. Charlie Harriman, retired as a partner of a financial management team, seems to have the best of two worlds: winters fishing the waters in Naples Bay, FL; summers on his Falmouth lobster boat off the coast of Maine. If you need a good fishing guide, he’s more than willing to accommodate. Pete Meleney will be especially glad to see the easing of restrictions brought on by the COVID epidemic. Isolated as he and Ann normally are on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, getting to and from the mainland

and connecting with bus and airport connections during the lockdown has been a real challenge. Peter Morse enjoys the four different seasons of South Dakota. He says moving to the home state of his wife, Rhonda, more than 10 years ago to continue his practice as an ophthalmologist was the right decision. Chief among Peter’s hobbies continues to be horticulture—his gardens outside and his plants inside their home. He and Rhonda are seriously considering coming east in 2023 to celebrate our 70th class reunion. Ralph Rose, recuperating from a fractured hip, enjoys visiting his office in Bradford, PA, once a week and continues to do the designing of many of the prize-winning monuments produced by the 106-year-old company. Ralph and his late wife, Judy, were married immediately after he graduated from KUA. Admitted to Syracuse, he was drafted into the Army and returned from the service to take over the family business. Ralph has 10 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren. Sadly, I must report that two classmates, both from Massachusetts, recently passed. Henry J. Zukowski was born in 1933 at the family farm in South Deerfield. He served in the U.S. Army and then earned a bachelor’s in business administration from American International College (AIC) and a master’s in education from Westfield State College. At AIC he played basketball for the Yellow Jackets. Hank taught business education and served as department head during his more than 30 years at Frontier Regional High School. He loved youth sports, served as a basketball, baseball and football coach for Frontier teams and for many years refereed high school basketball games across the region. Hank was

also a golfer and an avid hunter and fisherman. A summer entrepreneur, he founded Zuke’s Cukes to grow and harvest pickling cucumbers on the family farm. Hank is survived by his wife, Joyce, four children, four grandchildren, and one great-grandson. Joseph G. Tellier was born in Cambridge, raised in Belmont, and attended Belmont Hill School before KUA. He earned a bachelor’s from Boston University, where he played goalie for the Terriers hockey team. Joe worked for many years in commercial real estate and was a longtime member of the Woodland Golf Club. Joe— known as “Captain Joe” by many and as “Boo” by his grandchildren, nieces, and nephews—was always happy behind the wheel of his boat on Cape Cod or in Florida. He is survived by his wife, Jean, two children, and three grandchildren. Special thanks to Tony Brockelman and Paul Russo for their continued help gathering news of our class.

1955

Warren D. Huse (603) 524-6593 • warrenhuser@gmail.com

I’m sorry to report that word has been received of the passing January 12, 2021, of Herbert J. Somers. Joining the class as a junior in 1953 from Marblehead, MA, Herb played soccer, lacrosse, and JV basketball and was a member of the Glee Club and The Players. After graduating from Denison University in 1959, Herb was in soybean processing with the Bunge Corp. in St. Louis, MO, for almost 10 years. He then worked for a grain exporting company in Greenville, MS, for 15 years, buying and selling wheat, milo, and oats before retiring in 2002. He then returned east to split time between South Paris, ME, and Naples,

“Henry Zukowski founded Zuke’s Cukes to grow and harvest pickling cucumbers on the family farm.” —STANFORD B. VINCENT ’53

FL. Herb also earned a master’s from Drake University in 1976. Herb and his wife, JoAnn, a registered nurse, had sons Bert, Matthew, and Taylor. The class sends condolences. Those of us with email heard from George Place in early April and others may have heard from George by phone or snail mail. He recalled that the Allan Munro portrait campaign had been a major commitment last year. “For those of you who are unaware of the end result of the fund raising for Al’s portrait, we brought in $40,000 from an appeal for $15,000. That shouldn’t surprise anyone who, like us, was fortunate enough to have known Al during his lifetime. The excess in donations speaks volumes about the respect and affection people had for Allan, and I am extremely proud to have played a small part in that effort. Kathy Munro has the portrait at her house and plans to unveil it at the Munro House. I will let you know the date and hope you can attend. I just received a long email from Kathy, who has just returned to New Hampshire from Sanibel, FL. Entering the house and not seeing Alan was really difficult she reported. She has not decided on the time for the unveiling of the portrait and it may be in the fall. Because of the pandemic, I don’t have much news of the school, although I think it’s functioning in a normal fashion with safeguards. I’m sure you’ve had your shots, and if not don’t delay. I had mine at the VA and they were a godsend. I had lunch last week with Howard Goldberg outside on a park bench and table.” George also reported, “Two grandchildren are graduating from college this spring so Carolyn and I will be traveling to Denver and N.H. for the ceremonies. I have signed up for a tour of Pearl Harbor’s 80th reunion in December of this year. It will be attended I’m

sure by the few remaining vets who were there in ’41. Eighteen-year-olds at the time would now be 98, so there won’t be many.” Richard Rose writes, “Betty and I celebrated our 10th anniversary on February 11. We had met on the Christian Mingle website in August 2010 and were wed in the middle of a blizzard the following February. Nothing like the weather in upstate New York! We welcomed another grandchild to the Rose clan (the name is Scottish). Her name is Ainsley. That makes eight beautiful kids who are a joy to our lives. Three of them were baptised on Palm Sunday. Covid-19 has limited any extensive travel. Still, we have been active in maintaining contact with our church elderly, many of whom are isolated from loved ones. We send handmade cards and make telephone calls. I am scheduled for my second vaccine shot on April 28. Wish me luck!” Howie Goldberg begins, “Guess I’ll start off with Covid. Just thought I would relate our adventure getting the vaccine. Sheila and I both have had the two Moderna shots, but not without incident. Massachusetts is supposed to be a state among the highest in brainpower and healthcare facilities in the US. If that’s the case, why were we one of the worst states in the country handling the delivery of the shots until recently? I think that is because most of my class, who did not grow up learning about all the wonderful technology now available to us, could have done a better job setting up the website, and the call-in centers for making an appointment than the geniuses that were paid to set these things up. After days and weeks of trying to get an appointment … we finally got a call from the director of Meals on Wheels. (I deliver meals for them once a week.) She them to Sheila and me in two days right up the street

from where we live. We took that option, and they went seamlessly. They did not give us an appointment for our second shot and said they would call us. They never called—but my buddy George Place gave me a number to call. It took us three days to reach them, but we finally got through and got an appointment at Gillette Stadium. … A couple of weeks ago we had lunch at a restaurant outside with a couple of friends for the first time since last November. And last night we had dinner inside someone’s home, all of us with shots complete, for the first time in well over a year. As you can see, life is very exciting, but the times are certainly much more optimistic. We are looking forward to a good spring and summer. I hope everyone is keeping safe and healthy!” I asked Howie if we were assigned the book, It Can’t Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis, back in Lionel Mosher’s or Parker Jones’s English classes. Howie said, “The title sounds familiar. I do think I read it, but it is a distant memory. I know I always liked Sinclair Lewis, and I associate it with KUA. I thought Mosh was a great teacher. I always thought he was one of the best I had anywhere. I thought then, and still believe, we were very lucky to have had such dedicated teachers there. I hope the kids today are as lucky as we were. Having heard about some of my grandkids’ instructors, I think there still are some great teachers out there.” Walter Phelps writes, “Bonnie and I have gotten our vaccinations. We continue to live in a retirement community where 13 out of 180 residents have died from COVID. For the last year we could not leave our apartment or facility and meals were delivered once a day in paper bags. Bottom line: We are healthy! We had scheduled a cruise for May 2021, but the ship was sold, so no cruise. I sold my Maz-

da through Carvana and got $2,000 more than the dealer offered. It was a great experience! Byron Koh writes, “We are fine and have been jabbed twice. I hope you are safe and happy.” Bruce Whitney says he has “the worst mud I’ve ever seen since I’ve lived here.” His road in Sanbornton, NH, was closed when we talked by phone in early April. He and Ruth were getting out about once a week to do grocery shopping, otherwise staying at home. Like others, they have had their Covid shots. Bruce’s April Navy reunion was scrapped because of COVID-19. I learned that although Bruce came to KUA from Claremont in 1954, his family had moved to Sanbornton back in 1947, when his father and uncle found employment with a nearby Laconia manufacturing company after their Claremont employer closed down. “The old farmhouse is in pretty sad shape, but it’s still standing.” (The Whitneys live in a modern dwelling next door on the property.) Eventually, work in Claremont became available and the family moved back there and kept the Sanbornton land, to which Bruce and Ruth later retired. During their stay in Laconia-Sanbornton in the late 1940s, Bruce’s dad and uncle also operated a Mickey Finn war surplus store on Laconia’s Main Street. How many of us remember the Mickey Finn chain out of Boston? (Extra credit: Did you know that Mickey Finn was a real person, one of three Finn brothers who operated the war surplus firm?) I spoke briefly by phone in early April with Scott Blakey, out in Novato, CA. Like many of us, he had the first COVID-19 shot and an appointment for the second one. He said all was well with him. I thoroughly enjoyed talking by phone for more than an hour in earSUMMER ��

Class Notes ly April with Mike Hoitt in Saco, ME. As many of you may know, Mike has been totally blind for some years now and acknowledges that it was “quite an adjustment.” Before retirement, he had been a tool and die maker “and really loved it.” His blindness grew out of glaucoma, and he had to leave the industry just as it was beginning to enter the computer-assisted phase, when he had begun writing machine programs as part of his job. Mike and Linda’s daughter and son-in-law live next door. Mike recalled enjoying visits with Lionel Mosher, who lived nearby until his passing in 2018. I have not heard from Bill Agee directly, but he seems to have a couple of new websites (billyacrylic.com. and saatchiart.com/billyagee). He has a biographical section, from which I quote this brief excerpt: “As a self-employed artist, professional photographer, acrylic painter, graphic and web designer, I taught evening classes for Saddleback College for 29 years and several other Southern California colleges. At the same time, during the daytime I worked the greater Los Angeles and Orange County area running my own business ... as well as traveling extensively collecting my own body of fine art and travel images. I had my studios in Corona del Mar, Laguna Beach, and eventually moved to Capistrano Beach in 1999. I like beach towns! … I continue my work as an exhibiting creative artist in photography and acrylic painting. Additionally, I am now working with advanced college-level painting and photography students and professionals in other fields who want to learn to think more creatively in their own line of work.” I haven’t heard from Ron Harrison, another artist classmate, lately but I did find the following online: “Ron Harrison specializes in modern military marine paintings in watercolor. A native of the old historical seafaring town of Salem, MA, he is a graduate of Kimball Union Academy, Brown University, and earned a postgraduate degree at Boston University. He served 24 years in the U.S. Navy and its re46

KIMBALL UNION MAGAZINE

DI S PAT C H E S N EWS F ROM A LUM N I serve. Harrison has a studio at his home in Salem and teaches watercolor to students of all levels. His works have earned best-in-show awards in New England and Florida. He is vice president of the International Society of Marine Painters and a member of the American Society of Marine Artists and the American Watercolor Society. He is also a juried artist member of several regional art organizations.” Steve Smith writes: All quiet here, we completed our COVID shots last month and business and life in Florida moves along smoothly. The only problem is in the housing market. There’s no inventory or available rental housing in our area to accommodate the influx of people wanting to relocate from over regulated areas in the country—crazy. Stay well.” I am still compiling the weekly local history pages for the Laconia Daily Sun. Being the only person normally in the historical society office has been a big help in social distancing. Masking and takeout from a couple of restaurants, along with Zoom board and committee meetings, can get old—but are less of a bother than the alternative. For the past year the historical society has put in-person programming on hold, but I did a Zoom presentation for the society’s 40th anniversary as part of its annual meeting, also conducted via Zoom. I’m happy to report I’ve had the two Pfizer shots and was able to navigate the national computer system with minimum trouble. Our local hospital was very well organized for both shots. Bless the volunteers as well as the professional staff!

1956

Don Best writes: “While not an alma

mater contributor, I’m here to enter some words in the empty 1956 class notes. Two years on The Hilltop helped contribute to a wonderful life. Most unforgettable people: Ira Townsend and Peter Nute. Always alive in my memory bank are:

The Winter Carnival multi-school ski competition; The incredibly joyful joint school choirs at Mount Hermon; The Spartan comfort of the boys’ dormitories. The KUA magazine keeps me in touch with the changes.”

1957

Curtis F. Brockelman (914) 763-5050 • pigbrock@aol.com

1958

Frederic F. Heap (508) 272-7176 • ffbeap@yahoo.com

1960

Jon E. Mitchell (603) 216-5369 • cottageretreatja@comcast.net

1961

William S. Hagar (802) 772-7448 • whagar467@comcast.net

There can be no question that this past year has been an experience that every one of us will remember for a very long time. In March 2020 I had just returned from a ski trip to Utah and was starting to figure out what the COVID-19 pandemic would mean for all of us. As the year wore on, I came to know that simply being a Vermont resident was a large benefit to the health and safety of me and my family. We are very thankful for those blessings. I learned that Ralph Muller’s email address no longer worked. Further research revealed that he became a victim of the pandemic and had passed on January 15, 2021. Ralph was a substantial supporter of KUA through the years, serving two terms as a trustee and sending his son, Ralph, to the school. He will be missed deeply by all who knew him. My sharing of Ralph’s obituary triggered several responses. Bob Bentley recalled that we nicknamed him “Tex.” Perhaps he got that name due to his Southern accent. We didn’t know the difference between Texas

and Tennessee! Bob says his thoughts and prayers are with Ralph’s family. Chuck Cohen expressed regrets that he did not follow up with this and many friendships through the years. He was too far away, too busy, had no email, etc. He thinks too many of us don’t realize that classmates whom we didn’t necessarily spend much time with grew to become really fine people. There is a price we pay for not making a bigger effort. A note from Tony Bonanno expressed agreement with Chuck. Tony has been back to The Hilltop only three times since graduating, but has been going on the annual Boston Harbor cruise and hasn’t seen anyone from the class of ’61 there. Tony has been retired on Merrymeeting Lake in New Durham, NH, for years now and spends most of the winter in Key Largo, FL. He says he has memories of KUA that have contributed greatly to his success in life but at the time didn’t realize it. Phil Seymour was saddened to learn about Ralph. They were dorm neighbors in Dexter Richards in our senior year. “He was a one-of-a-kind person with a big smile. Though I haven’t seen or been in touch with Ralph since our days at KUA, I am saddened that he is no longer with us.” Harry Whittelsey has had to sell his Dragonfly trimaran as he could no longer walk on the deck or docks due to a very arthritic ankle. He is now mostly recovered from an ankle replacement. The arthritis was the long-term result from skiing at Suicide Six in junior year at KUA. He sustained compound fractures that were fixed with screws. Harry has just bought another trimaran and is looking forward to a great sailing season this spring and summer. He expects to be skiing again in the fall as well. Harry spent this winter in Florida playing golf with wife Frances and enjoying the sun and warmth and will be back home on Long Island to enjoy the beautiful spring. From a newly obtained email address, Dick Bartlett reports he attended Emerson College, and Boston University graduate school. From 1967 to

“I have been involved in testing new devices to detect COVID-19 at the point of care and helping put the data together to submit to the FDA.” —BRUCE BARTON ’66 2012 he was employed at WGBH-TV Boston as producer, cameraman, and editor on programs such as Zoom, American Masters, and, for at least 25 of those years, on the Nova science series. (Mr. Fanning would have been proud.) For the last 20 years or so he has also been doing work for the Boston Symphony Orchestra making video montages that are projected on a huge screen above the orchestra while John Williams and others conduct. “There were many Star Wars, Spielberg, and Harry Potter montages. Joanne and I, the kids, and grandkids are all vaccinated. We now look forward to the next 60 years.”

stop since last March. It might slow down during the summer, but now the genomic studies are starting up to look at variants, and I am involved in those as well. I have no real interest in retiring at this point. I enjoy the nonstop action of a large medical center and am not quite sure what I would do to replace that. As long as my health holds out, count me in. I am looking forward to our reunion next spring— and plan on being there.”

1966

Mike Chellis writes that he and his

Dale L. Melter (603) 443-3672 • dale444@aol.com

I hope that many of you have had a chance to read John Kluge’s great article in the last KUA magazine: He writes about the challenges and the joys of teaching, even remotely, during these pandemic times. In passing he also reveals that he is now in his 32nd year of teaching English at KUA (the new Mosher!) and his 50th year of teaching in general. He tells me that Ian “Bob” Barwick sent him a nice note. John also heard from a handful of students from the past and was very moved. He recently told me that he has submitted his contract for year 51 of teaching! Bruce Barton writes: “I hope that you and everyone in the class are doing okay and have survived the virus in good shape! I did fine and am now fully vaccinated. I just turned 72 and am trying to figure out where the last 50 years went. I am still working full-time at U Mass Medical School as a faculty biostatistician. During the last yearplus I have been incredibly busy with new projects in COVID-19 as well as keeping my other projects going. I have been involved in testing new devices to detect COVID-19 at the point of care and helping to put the data together to submit to the FDA for device approval. It has been non-

1967

Bob Jamback (508) 561-1013 • bobjamback@yahoo.com

wife received their two vaccinations with no problems. They worked in their yard at home in Syracuse, NY, and then spent the summer and fall at their camp on Lake Ontario. They plan to do the same this year. Mike spent a lot of time in his wood shop last winter. He said they had only about 70 inches of snow compared to the usual 125 inches. Now his motorcycle is ready to go. Bob Bennett says both he and his wife, Sheila, spent two days in the hospital in February after testing positive for COVID. Neither required oxygen and other than being tired for a few weeks, experienced no side effects. Last summer they traveled to the Cape but otherwise stayed home. Bill Hogan sent regards to all. On November 9 Bob Jamback fell skating. He wrote: “Not to say that hasn’t happened before, but this fall was, thankfully, unlike any I had previously experienced. I broke seven ribs, spent three days in the hospital, and had a painful recovery. It was six and a half weeks before I could sleep on my good side and seven and a half weeks before I could sleep on the hurt side. I’m good now and walking two brisk miles daily. I continue to paint and read often.” Jim McCaffrey said to not worry about falling because everyone knows goalies can’t skate. He also added that maybe it’s time to hang up the skates.

I plan to wait until the fall to see if I follow his advice.

1969

Malcolm Cooper (802) 867-2528 • tractormalc@gmail.com

This month I saw Cully Erdman turn 70. A bunch of his friends had a Zoom call on the big day, and prior to it everyone sent photos of some memorable event, including a KUA memory on the old Ski Hill!

1971

Stanford Bradeen (802) 863-2740

Cherokee scholar Thomas Belt was awarded a doctorate of humane letters from Western Carolina University Board of Trustees as part of its commencement ceremonies May 15. He retired in 2018 as coordinator of WCU’s Cherokee Language Program. His work to preserve and revitalize the Cherokee language and traditional culture have had profound significance, not only for WCU, but the region and nation as well. He was raised in a Cherokee-speaking family in Rocky Ford, Oklahoma. He later moved to the Eastern homelands in the early 1990s. He continues to live on the Qualla Boundary of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, where he first worked as a teacher in the Cherokee Central Schools. As a teacher and scholar at WCU, he developed vital materials for teaching the Cherokee language and prepared multiple cohorts of students to read, speak, and teach Cherokee. He is most noted for his written and spoken works, and appearances in widely publicized documentary films that continue to be used by students, scholars, and Cherokee community members. In addition to his on-campus accomplishment, Belt worked closely with the American Philosophical Society and the Smithsonian Institution to develop and enact protocols for the treatment of Cherokee archival mate-

rials, in particular culturally sensitive materials in the Cherokee language. He also served as a consultant to multiple university programs, providing regular addresses and workshops at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Stanford, Yale, Duke, and Wake Forest regarding the importance and significance of indigenous languages and the worldview of Cherokee culture.

1976

Doug Mattern (603) 382-5269 • mattern1385@yahoo.com

1977

John M. Shaw (978) 761-0313

1979

Clare Dingwell clare.dingwell@gmail.com

1982 Todd Segal (818) 434-9189

1983

Lauren M. Dole (503) 534-1396 • lauren.dole@me.com

1986

Kathleen R. Reinke (269) 408-8090 • kreinke2@hotmail.com

1987

Bronwen E. Jones (973) 715-3962 • bronjones1@gmail.com

1989

Melissa Longacre (603) 675-9974 • mlongacre@myfairpoint.net

I was beginning to think the Class of ’89 had been in deep quarantine and isolation for the past year—with absolutely no contact with the outside world! I am sure it has been an interesting and challenging year for you all. It was nice to hear that a few of you were still able to connect. Matt Weinberg and SUMMER ��

Class Notes

DI S PAT C H E S N EWS F ROM A LUM N I Ben Friedberg and their families hit the

slopes together at Snowmass. Ben also caught up with Maria and Ross Lang at Todd Jones’s TGR premier in Orange County. I ran into Tim Ouhrabka and his wife at the pub in Meriden. Yes! There is now a pub in Meriden at the bottom of the hill across from the blinking light. How things have changed in the past 30 years! Tim has a child at KUA and had come to visit. I am also the proud owner of a Jen Biuso Dunn original. Jen had taken up painting during her COVID break and sent me a cheery painting that now hangs in my office at Gardener’s Supply. Thanks, Jen! Andrea Bueno Keen’s daughter is also at KUA. She was a proud participant in the Black Lives Matter vigil held earlier this spring. Two hundred students and townspeople gathered to show support. Feel free to drop me a line anytime. Keep in touch!

1992

Kevin D. Wickless (303) 641-4681 • kevinwickless@gmail.com

1993

Katherine E. Landrigan (303) 530-1074 • mckkatherine@hotmail.com Amy Cokinos writes: “KUA is once

Babies

•

1. Jessica and Jason Noe ’98 welcomed Nate Chris-

tian on August 30, 2020. 2. Mackenzie (Joyce) Pavelski ’10 and Scott

Pavelski welcomed Nora Ann on November 3, 2020. 3. Bianca (Brenz) Cruz ’11 and Gus Cruz ’10

welcomed Ellie Rose on December 21, 2019. 48

KIMBALL UNION MAGAZINE

again a special part of my life, as my daughter, Michaela Cokinos ’24, and niece, Sophie Coelho ’22 (daughter of Mike Coelho ’92), are both students at KUA. They have played field hockey, ice hockey, and softball together this year. Today was the first time that parents were allowed on campus to watch a game. Unfortunately, their opponent was unable to make the game, but the faculty quickly put together a team and took on the challenge. Let me tell you that the same compassionate, fun-loving, generous qualities in the faculty that made our time special are present in today’s faculty members. In an unprecedented year, it was so good to see the girls laughing, bantering, and fist bumping with each oth-

er and the faculty. The relationships that have been formed this year will be as strong as the ones we formed on our week-long trip out west for our freshman trip! The school has done a wonderful job keeping the kids focused and entertained for months on end. I feel fortunate to have Michaela at KUA and have enjoyed getting to know the campus again. It still has all the old favorites: the potato patch and Densmore sledding hill. Some facilities have been repurposed— Miller Cafeteria is now a beautiful library—and it has many new and exciting additions, including chickens and pigs, fire pits, an outdoor winter rink, mountain biking trails, paddle tennis, new dorms, and the resurrection of the old ski hill and trails. For those who may have children who are looking at boarding schools, I would highly recommend taking a trip back to campus. There are still a few faculty members who will remember you and many new faces who are happy to hear about our time on campus.”

1994

Peter M. Coughlin (603) 477-3942 • cughlinpeter@yahoo.com

1995

Annalise Grant (978) 764-2368 • annelise.a.grant@gmail.com

1996

Bianca Saul (978) 494-0544 • bianca.saul@gmail.com

1997

Daniel M. Sheff (860) 417-9215 • dansheff@gmail.com

1998

Brandi L. Chilton (603) 727-2624 • mrsvas.bv@gmail.com Katherine R. Mans (603) 709-7079 • katiermans@gmail.com

Hi, class! Katie Mans here. I hope my words reach you all in good spirits. To break up the doldrums of being in a pandemic world as well as late

“The same compassionate, fun-loving, generous qualities in the faculty that made our time special are present in today’s faculty members.” —AMY COKINOS ’93

winter in New Hampshire, I recently completed a 100-day dress challenge. The goal was to wear the same merino wool dress (I chose a blue one) every day for 100 days. I’m happy to report I passed and had a great time doing so. (Yes, you can wash it.) I learned a lot about the amazing properties of wool and paring down my wardrobe, while also connecting with an amazing group of women. Promptly after finishing this, Peter Mans and I packed up our Subaru and swimsuits and drove south to Florida for three wonderful weeks. Our girls, Jane (8) and Louise (6), logged many outside hours, which was excellent because they are doing their own year-long challenge; 1,000 hours outside. (I learned about it from Annie Cree, who is doing the challenge with her own family. Annie is always up to the neatest stuff! Keep an eye on her.) We all agreed that the road trip was actually the best part. We are now searching for our own travel trailer to continue doing more trips like this. Let me know if you have any leads! After seeing a picture of Josh Nemer’s amazing cherry-red-and-white vintage VW bus on Facebook, I reached out to him. He reports: “I’m living in Saratoga Springs, NY, with my two children, Zoe (10) and Preston (8). I’m divorced and loving it for the past few years. I currently run the Nemer Motor Group, with four locations and more than 250 employees. Last winter I got away to ski in Deer Valley, UT, and Telluride and Aspen, CO. I’m also finishing up a complete restoration on my 1962 VW Microbus. Hope everyone is doing well and staying healthy.” Jason Noe and wife Jessica welcomed Nathanial “Nate” Christian on August 30, 2020. Jason texted me a picture and also sent an update: “Nate already hit the ice this past season with me and will be enrolled in power skating as soon as he can stand unassisted.” Jason also got back to The Hilltop for a quick visit in late February but did not tell me in time to meet up. Friends, tell me when you’re in the

area. I love catching up! I hope to get to see more of you very soon.

1999

Natalie Philpot (802) 681-6376 • nataliephilpot@hotmail.com

2000

Kelly (Farrell) Miller kellyjanefarrell@gmail.com P.J. Davey writes: “I’m currently resid-

ing in Bedford, NH, the owner and operator of a small house-painting business. My son, Kieran, is attending Avon Old Farms down in Connecticut. He’s wrestling, running track, and trying out for the school play in the fall. He gets his license this summer and starts the college tour next year.” Kelly (Muller) Condon, Esq., and her husband, Tim, have been doing all the pandemic things, including training a new puppy, home-based schooling their five sons, and renovating a home in Durham, NH, where they are enjoying reconnecting with old friends—as well as the many more takeout options than they have across the state in New London. Danielle (Boulanger) Rooney writes: “Getting through with my little fashionista Zoe and husband Sean.” Tori (Kohn) Leshuk writes: “I took a new job with U.S. Forest Service Washington office as the national fire and aviation training program manager. I’m still living in Alaska.” Frank Buttaravoli is still living in Florida and has extended an invite on his boat to all Wildcats who are in the area. Morgan (Milowsky) Needs writes: “I’m living in Wayland, MA, with my husband and three girls, ages 3, 6, and 8.” Lindsey (Wolter) Ratliff writes: “I’m moving to Colorado Springs, CO, in July to be the new director of enrollment management at Fountain Valley School. Tim Knox was head of school there before coming to KUA!” Abby (Cooper) Skaff writes: “Owning gas stations and convenience stores during a pandemic was a crazy experience, but, thankfully, all my em-

ployees and businesses survived. I’m personally proud to say I survived homeschooling three elementary kids.” Nolan Albarelli writes: “I’m still in Alexandria, VA, with my wife and two girls (6, 8).” Alexis Foreman writes: “I’m living life Upper Valley style: bought a house in Brownsville, VT, and am an RN in the operating room at Dartmouth-Hitchcock.” Wrenn (Johns) Cavallo writes: “I am still out in Truckee, CA (near Lake Tahoe). My husband and I own and run a ski and bike shop and recently opened a small restaurant with some partners. We have two kids—Libby (5) and Sam (2)—who keep us on our toes.” I am still living in the seacoast area of New Hampshire and working in college admissions. My kiddos are 6 and 4 and are loving their cousin, Martin (son of Chris Farrell ’01), and spending time with their grandparents “Mimi” and “B.” (former KUA faculty Shelly and Bill Farrell).

2002

Lindsey J. Richard (508) 769-7369 • lindseyjrichard@gmail.com

Greetings to the Class of 2002! Living in suburban N.Y.C. (quite literally in the bullseye of the COVID outbreak last March), I have found myself really missing the space (and companionship!) from my days on The Hilltop. If my 16-year-old self only knew how sweet rural living truly is! My family has been in the same boat as many, juggling working from home and remote school for the past year. It hasn’t been without its challenges, but, overall, we’ve been very lucky. We’ve spent a lot of time perfecting our Uno skills, exploring our shores on paddleboards, and chopping it up on the golf course. It was wonderful to hear from Scott Sparks, who runs his own construction company, Sparks Construction. He and his wife, Rachel, are expecting their second child, a girl, in early July. Congrats to Scott and Rachel! I also received a much-welcomed

update from George Feichtinger. While Mr. Fei has been distanced from loved ones along with the rest of us, I’m happy to report he still seems to possess the spirit we all knew from The Hilltop: “Besides staying mostly around the house, there is plenty of yard work to be done and keeping my wood supply filled for our wood stove for at least two years ahead of actual need. I keep fit by doing a lot of hiking and I am in the Whites at least once a week. My present goal is to finish the ‘Grid Over 75’ this summer. To know more about the Grid, check out the website www.48x12.com. It explains what it entails and, if you look at finishers, I am No. 22, and then check out the senior list.” I checked: Mr. Fei is No. 3 on the senior list. No surprise there! That’s all from ’02. I hope to hear from more classmates in the future. These updates are always such fun to read! Until next time, I wish you and your families all the best.

2006

Laura M. Simaitis laura.simaitis@gmail.com

2008

Tai Nixa Peterson (603) 731-4055 • nixatai@gmail.com

2010

Daniel P. Lowenstein (914) 806-7085 • danny.lowenstein@gmail.com Mackenzie (Joyce) Pavelski married

Scott Pavelski on August 4, 2018, at Sugarbush Resort in Vermont. They met at UNH, where he played hockey and Mackenzie played field hockey. They welcomed a baby girl, Nora Ann Pavelski, on November 3, 2020, weighing 7 pounds, 8 ounces. Nora is now 5 months old and is giggling and rolling. Will Maxwell is down in Wilmington, NC, still pursuing a musician’s life, enjoying living by the beach, and working with local environmental groups to fight water pollution in the North Carolina river systems. SUMMER ��

Class Notes Tina (Laganas) Donnelly got married in April 2019 and welcomed a sweet baby boy in December 2020. She continues to work with her brother, Nick Laganas ’01, running Carroll County Construction and building custom homes. Gus Cruz and Bianca (Brenz) Cruz ’11 got married on September 8, 2018, after a nine-year relationship that began at KUA. They had daughter Ellie Rose Cruz on December 21, 2019. They just bought their first home in July 2020 and renovated the entire house themselves. Both Gus and Bianca work for the trial court of Massachusetts—Gus is a trial court officer and Bianca is a victim services coordinator in the probation department—and she is also a realtor in Massachusetts. Sarah Palmer just got engaged to Joey DeClara. She’s finishing her M.P.H. in May, starting a Ph.D. in epidemiology this fall, and works for the World Trade Center Health Program at Northwell. Jillian Fitzgerald is “sitting here in a KUA shirt. Still reppin’ The Hill!” She’s obviously killing it. Shelby (Pillsbury) Kinshaw is still in New Hampshire. She’s married, and their first baby is due in August! She’s working as a pharmacist for PillPack/ Amazon, which has been very exciting these past five and a half years. Maggie Williamson has been teaching in South Korea for the last four years. Danny Lowenstein is currently studying microbial ocean chemistry at Palmer Station, Antarctica, from December through May. He has worked at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution on Cape Cod since 2017 and will start a Ph.D. in chemical oceanography this fall.

2011

Bianca (Brenz) Cruz writes: “Gus ’10

and I got married on September 8, 2018, after a nine-year relationship that began at KUA. We had our daughter, Ellie Rose Cruz, on December 21, 2019. We just bought our first 50

KIMBALL UNION MAGAZINE

DI S PAT C H E S N EWS F ROM A LUM N I home in July 2020 and renovated the entire house ourselves. Both Gus and I work for the trial court of Massachusetts—Gus is a trial court officer and I am a victim services coordinator in the probation department—and I am also a realtor in Massachusetts.”

Obituaries

2012

Evan Russell has moved back to Bur-

lington, VT, and bought a puppy in April!

2013

Brandon Cole is living in Alaska and

working at the Tordrillo Mountain Lodge, specializing in the lodge’s power plant, and pursuing his passion in photography. Brandon has been recognized by Alaska Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, and National Geographic in their annual photography contests. Most recently, his Northern Lights footage could be seen in the Natural Selection Tour film spearheaded by renowned snowboarder Travis Rice. Brandon loves sharing Alaska through his lens and is always willing to give some tips to anyone looking to visit the “Last Frontier”! You can follow some of his work on his Instagram page @Alaskanadventures or brandonmcole.com.

2015

Carly Jefferson and Maya Karosas met up with Caitlyn Lowe ’14 in Vermont to

get the last few days of ski season this April. Maya is living in Boston with Caitlyn.

2017

Stephanie Pipas will be attending the

Duke University Nicholas School of the Environment for a two-year master’s program in coastal environmental management next year. She graduated from the University of Miami in May. Spencer Cline is headed to Babson College for graduate school in the fall after graduation from Saint Anselm College in May.

Former Trustee John Ralph Muller Sr. ’61, P’91 ’96

John Ralph Muller Sr. passed away on January 15, 2021, from complications due to COVID-19. Muller graduated from Kimball Union Academy in 1961 and was honored to serve on its board of trustees for two terms, from 1991 to 1996. During that time, he contributed greatly to the Academy, serving on the Senior Parent Committee, the Annual Fund Steering Committee, the Leadership Gift Committee, the Planning Giving Committee, and the Alumni-Development and Reunion committees. Muller attended the University Dr. Swadesh Jawa Mullick

of South Carolina and served in the U.S. Navy, where he was deployed on the USS Keppler destroyer. Muller was in the investment business for more than 50 years, most recently as a senior vice president of UBS. He is survived by his loving wife of 51 years, Dee Turley Muller; son Ralph Jr. ’91 and wife Christy; son Louis; granddaughters Meggy and Aggie; brother Ted; and nephew Rick. He was preceded in death by son Turley ’96 and parents Martha and Brick Muller.

Former Trustee Dr. Swadesh Jawa Mullick P’83, ’83 Dr. Swadesh Jawa Mullick passed away at age 83 on November 15, 2020, from a heart attack. Mullick, whose two sons attended Kimball Union Academy, served as trustee from 1981 to 1985. A first-generation American from Lucknow, India, who raised her family in the Merrimack Valley of Massachusetts, she embodied

Photographer Brandon Cole ’13 has been recognized by Alaska Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, and National Geographic.

values of hard work, determination, lifetime learning, and service to her family, patients, and others. After graduating from King George’s Medical School in 1961, she married Dr. Subhas C. Mullick P’83, ’83, and they set sail for England, where she completed her obstetrics and gynecology training and residency. In 1963, they emigrated to Boston, where she and her husband settled, started private practices, and raised a family. Mullick was a fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the United Kingdom. She was named the first female president of the New England Obstetrics and Gynecologists Society, U.S.A. She was also honored for outstanding teamwork in reducing the cesarean section rate by the board of trustees at Lawrence General Hospital in Lawrence, Mass. Mullick was predeceased by siblings Raj, Kamlesh, Geetha, Lilly, Dolly, and Vinod. Mullick leaves sons Sanjoy Ani ’83 and Sandeep Shoki ’83; daughter and son-in-law Monica and Scott Stallings; and grandchildren William, Amelia, Claire, Samuel, Dylan, and Andrew.

Deaths

F. Lee Bailey ’50 Douglas W. Carver ’61 David W. Clarke ’42 Peter A. D’Arrigo ’45 Robert W. Hallock ’62 George A. Jackson ’55 James A. Jones ’49 Robert C. Kelly ’48 Charles K. Mallett ’41, H’07 Robert C. Mathews ’57 J. Ralph Muller Sr. ’61 William W. Poole ’42 Herbert J. Somers ’55 David W. Stewart ’52 Joseph G. Tellier ’53 Winston C. Walker ’83 Henry J. Zukowski ’53

1. Whitney Gage Hermann, Kristie Kagan, Hart Queeny Peary, Morgan Milowsky Needs, and Jason Feitelberg from

•

the Class of 2000 say goodbye to

Lindsey Ratliff (far left) before her

move to Colorado.

2. Matt Weinberg ’89 and Ben Friedberg ’89 hit the slopes together at Snowmass. 3. Cherokee scholar Thomas Belt ’71

was awarded a doctorate of humane letters from Western Carolina University Board of Trustees as part of its commencement ceremonies.

2 SUMMER ��

Last Word

History Repeating On the morning of June 14, 1921, the Academy’s 105th graduating class processed out of Baxter Hall, across Chellis Road toward Meriden’s stone church. The 22 graduates of the Class of 1921, including 15 young women and seven young men, were mostly local, hailing from New Hampshire and Vermont. One graduate called Brooklyn, New York, home. One hundred years later, the 110 graduates of the Class of 2021 spanned 17 U.S. states and 16 countries. On May 22, graduating seniors once again processed down Chellis Road, this time for the Academy’s 205th Commencement. Accommodations for social distancing moved the ceremony to Pope Field, and travel restrictions prohibited some members of the class from returning to campus to receive their diplomas in person.

Despite spanning a century, these two classes share more than a common path to commencement. For both, the world’s challenges arrived on The Hilltop for their high school tenures. The first classes born entirely after the turn of a century, their teenage years were punctuated by pandemics—first the 1918 flu and today COVID-19. These students took up meaningful causes to make change in the world, including the women’s suffrage movement and Black Lives Matter. Although each commencement looks and feels somewhat different, the ceremonies and rites of passage all honor the individual and collective achievements of our graduates and the contributions they make as they go out into the world—whether in 1921 or 2021.

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Articles inside

LAST WORD

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHTS

HEAD OF SCHOOL

CLASS NOTES

VOICES: HEARD FROM CAMPUS

NEWS FROM CAMPUS

OBITUARIES

SPORTS OVERVIEW

ARTS OVERVIEW