Kimball Union
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Five Questions for Stephen Rogers and Christine Clisura
A KUA couple share their experiences working on The Hilltop.
Helping Students Find Their Voice In her role as Chair of the English Department, Jenny Blue shares the current state of writing at Kimball Union.
K-Term
Students and faculty leave the classroom behind and venture out, both near and far, to put into practice skills that they have been developing in a week long experiential project-based period at the end of winter trimester.
Archival Letter
Griswold Wheeler arrived at Kimball Union in December, 1831 after travelling by horse through a blizzard. Letters home describe his journey and his thoughts on his new school.
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Departments 7 HEAD OF SCHOOL 8 VOICES: HEARD FROM ALUMNI
Hilltop
10 NEWS FROM CAMPUS 20 SPORTS OVERVIEW 22 ARTS OVERVIEW 24 FIRST PERSON
Connect
42 ALUMNI EVENTS 44 ALUMNI SPOTLIGHTS 48 ALUMNI FIRST PERSON 50 CLASS NOTES 62 ALUMNI WEDDINGS 64 LAST WORD ON THE COVER: The “Helium Hoop” game, a popular team-building activity on campus, is deceptively simple, but full of intentionality.
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BOARD OF TRUSTEES
OFFICERS WILLIAM A. BLACK, JR. ’85, P’17
Board Chair
Sudbury, MA DAVID POND ’64
Vice Chair
Deerfield, MA ROB SNOW ’85
Treasurer
Bethesda, MD MICHAEL BORISLOW P’07, ’10
Secretary
Metheun, MA
KIMBALL UNION MAGAZINE PUBLISHER
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP
SARAH EVANS MOORE
WILLIAM BARKER ’90
Director of Marketing Communications
Kimball Union Academy
MANAGING EDITORS MARK SCHIFFMAN
Nomad Communications ALEX KAHAN P’09
Nomad Communications
CHRISTOPHER BURNS ’83
New Canaan, CT PHIL DEGUIRE ’94
Atlanta, GA KRISTIN GRAHAM P’09, ’12, ’15
Norwich, VT
EDITORIAL DESIGN
HANS F. OLSEN ’81
WENDY MCMILLAN ’78, P’09, ’11
Greenwich, CT
McMillan Design
PHOTOGRAPHY ROB BOSSI
CATHERINE PIPAS, MD P’14, ’17
Lebanon, NH GLENN POGUST, JD P’13
EILEEN WILLIAMS P ’15, ’16, ‘19
New London, NH
ANN CESANA, GP’16
WILLIAM F. ELLIOTT ’60
ROY KNIGHT, P’10
CONTRIBUTORS HANNAH SCHAFER
Steuben, ME ALLAN FERGUSON
Meriden, NH
MICHAEL VANDOLAH
ROBERT P. FITZGERALD JR. ’82
JANE FIELDER
Newton Lower Falls, MA
POLLY ANTOL
KONRAD GESNER JR. P’18
BROOK RANEY MICHAEL VAN ROOYEN 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 e-mail submissions to Sarah Moore at smoore@kua.org or send to: Kimball Union Magazine PO Box 188 Meriden NH 03770
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Acton, MA
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West Newton, MA MICHAEL J. SCHAFER H’13, P’12, ’15, ’19
Head of School, Trustee, ex officio Meriden, NH
ROBERT Y. H. SHI, P’17
Beijing, China WALTER B. SULLIVAN, JD ’82
Hingham, MA JOSEPH M. THIBERT ’81, P’17
Marblehead, MA
“Commitments are at the very center of the learning process.”
Head of School
A View From the Hilltop
S
pring has arrived on The Hilltop as early as we
for reliability; genuine relationships are constructed
can remember, and with it comes the magical
with personal integrity, mutual respect, and trust.
feeling of hope and joy surrounding the com-
Ultimately, students find motivation in what they give,
mencement season. We will soon graduate our 200th
rather than what they “get” in return. Commitments
class, a group of accomplished, unique, and exuberant
are at the very center of the learning process.
students. For the faculty, this time of year reveals the growth
As a Faculty we cherish the trusting relationships and connections with our students, and hope that these
of our students most vividly. As Head of School, wit-
values converge in meaningful and varied ways in the
nessing connections among students, with our school,
final weeks of school and throughout their lives. I hear
and our shared learning experience is proof of the
from graduates nearly every day that they are sustained
transformative power of education. Students’ individual
by lessons learned in and out of the classroom at
growth during their time here sustains our historic
Kimball Union. Their senses of self and worldviews are
school as a leading educational institution; graduates
firmly rooted in healthy relationships formed here. The
are interconnected, and their contributions become
reliability and relevance of Kimball Union has never
woven into the fabric of Kimball Union forever.
seemed more vitally important.
Throughout our time at Kimball Union, Gayle and
Throughout this beautiful publication, you will
I have been heartened by the warmth and sincerity of
experience the very human, sincere, face of Kimball
this special place, and how hard work, honest effort,
Union. The people and the collective time we share
collaboration, and commitment combine to make an
together shape our culture, set in this historic village.
important difference in the lives of each and every
Through commitments made and honored, people
student.
come together, ideas create opportunities, and resources
Commitment, this year’s school theme, is a prom-
emerge that maintain and reinforce Kimball Union’s
ise to be loyal—to self, others, or important causes.
values, character, culture, and mission. Thank you to
We make commitments large and small, with our
this special community for making such an important
hearts and minds. We may be motivated by simple and
difference for individual students and our world.
K
persistent internal triggers or by external forces (often the case for teenagers!).
Enjoy.
Kimball Union students learn that upholding commitments is an essential principle in the formation of strong personal identity. Through challenges, successes, and failure, students soon realize that a fulfilled com-
MICHAEL J. SCHAFER
mitment does more than simply establish a reputation
Head of School SPRING ���6
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Voices
“The traditional teacher gift, an apple, has been shoved aside. At KUA, home-grown kale takes the cake!” H E A R D F ROM A LUM N I
ON FACEBOOK 12/14/2015
How does your brain allow you to learn and memorize information? Tonight, KUA’s neuroscience club is sponsoring Dr. Julie Dumont, Research Associate at Dartmouth College in the Brain and Psychological Sciences Department, to find out the answer!
@KIMBALL UNION Thank you to George Place’55 & Howie Goldburg ’55 for visiting campus today! George talked about his Cuba trip in preparation for our K-Term trip there in two weeks. The Dynamic Duo rides again! (and BTW, where’s the snow?!?!?)
—KATHY MUNRO TR. P’11, ’13
01/12/2016
The traditional teacher gift, an apple, has been shoved aside. At KUA, home-grown kale takes the cake!
03/9/2016
#winteroutdoorrec found snow! Hard to come by on this 60 degree day! #kuakterm2016
That’s why I am so proud to have gone there. That type of thinking is —MANDIKA TAISEN key! 01/13/2016
CONGRATULATIONS to #hilltopfavorite Eileen Williams earning her 300th career victory with GVBB!!! 58-43 win over @ PA_Athletics Congratulations to the best coach and role model of all time! From play books, to team sleepovers with monkey bread to game day goal setting Eileen was one of the most influential people in my life! #wildcatpride —COLLEEN NORGANG ’03 01/18/2016
What is moral? How is your moral compass developed? What state was the last to adopt MLK Day as a holiday? What role did Stevie Wonder play in MLK Day? We discussed the answers to these questions and more during our morning special in honor of a very courageous man. I was a student @ KUA when MLK was shot. <40 and he still left an indelible mark on this country.
—MICHAEL BRODER ’70
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3/2/2016
3/4/2016
GO WILDCATS!!!! Come cheer on GVB at 2 and BVH at 3 on Saturday in the NEPSAC SEMIFINALS! #championshipbound 03/5/2016
Buen viaje to KUA’s Cuba K-Term trip! Even a 2 am departure couldn’t dampen the excitement. Next stop...Havana! 03/8/2016
#HilltoptoCapitolHill arrives at the @whitehouse! #kuakterm2016 03/10/2016
Good morning from 30,000 ft! #Venice group flies over Switzerland before landing in the #cityinthewater #kuakterm2016 03/11/2016
Future looking pretty great right now #intokua I’m proud to soon be a wildcat #classof2020
WOW. Hannah’16 @ hannahqcox sets 500m freestyle record at the Jr. Nationals in GA! #wildcatpride #SpeedoJrChamps
DECEMBER 15
HUGE thank you to the parents association for the Annual Holiday luncheon. #bestmealoftheyear
JAN 14
#TBT freeski when you had to make your own quarter pipe b/w Densmore and Bryant. @DirkFeather @ Jay203Fitz
JANUARY 29
Grilled cheese s’wiches for the #fans?! Yea! @kuawildcats @kuagvh @girlsprephockey #shesthefirst
FEB 5
Class of 2001’s very own @melissehinkle and @ SoundOffACA Flick gig @ kimballunion #selectsalum #wildcatpride
FEB 6
Our own Mr. Schafer is bringing #wildcatnation pride down to @PackAthletics to watch @MalikAbu_ take on @Dukebasketball #KUAonthebigstage
FEB 9
It’s primary day! See early results from the all-school vote. #NHprimary #firstinthenation #nhpolitics
FEB 10
Congrats to Molly Engstrom KUA GVH Coach @ engstrom09 NWHL player of the week! @kuawildcats @KuaGVH
FEB 12
Iphone or LabQuest 2 Vernier probe? Env.Chem tests o2 & h20 quality. Mr. Lord’s lab, Ted, helps! #outdoorclassroom
Hilltop N E WS F ROM C A M P U S
INSIDE 10-27: HILLTOP NEWS BONDING Chair of the Math Department and Junior Varsity Soccer Coach, Veronica Vazquez, connecting with the team in a pre-game ritual.
➤ CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS ➤ STUDENT SPOTLIGHTS ➤ FACULTY SPOTLIGHTS ➤ SPORTS OVERVIEWS ➤ ARTS OVERVIEWS ➤ FIRST PERSON SPRING ➤ STUDENT LIFE
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NEWS Teaches Biology and Environmental Studies Faculty Advisor for the Neuroscience Club B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Environmental Science from Southern New Hampshire University M.Sc. in Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology from Memorial University in Newfoundland, Canada. Family: Elysia enjoys many outdoor activities including hiking, running and target shooting. Her love of teaching and passion for science make her a lifelong learner. She lives in Enfield, NH with her husband Scott, and dog Taters.
FACULTY SPOTLIGHT
Elysia Burroughs What is most interesting to you about science?
Science is a way in which to explore and understand our world. Our knowledge is always changing and this is what interests me so much about science. The more we learn about our world, the more questions we develop. The application of scientific research to learning and medicine is extremely interesting. Trying to understand how and why we work the way we do or how treatments work for diseases is fascinating and drives me to want to learn more.
As a woman in science, what advice can you give other female aspiring scientists?
Being a woman in science is no longer an oddity. Females are quickly surpassing males in certain fields of science. Currently in the Neuroscience Club at KUA a majority of the members are female, 10
KIMBALL UNION MAGAZINE
extremely motivated to learn, passionate about the field, and excelling at tasks within STE(A)M. If I could give advice to aspiring female scientists I would say follow your passions, even if they lead you into an area you never thought you would be interested in. Surround yourself with people who inspire you and are committed to their passions. As a high school student, I never would have thought I would be passionate about neuroscience. Just the term sounds intimidating to some. In college I had professors who were passionate about their fields. Seeing women excelling in an intimidating field of science was helpful to me. Their passion inspired me to dive into conducting research and truly nourished a passion within myself I did not know could be there.
GUEST SPEAKERS: Charles Wheelan, Dartmouth College Charles Wheelan, Senior Lecturer and Policy Fellow in The Nelson A. Rockefeller Center for Public Policy at Dartmouth College, was on campus to talk with students on February 29. Prof. Wheelan has worked as a speech writer, a correspondent for The Economist, and author of several books. Charles Sennott 2016 Global Fair Keynote Speaker An award-winning foreign correspondent, author, and editor with 30 years of experience in journalism, Mr. Sennott is the Founder and Executive Director of The GroundTruth Project and co-founder of GlobalPost. 2016 CULLMAN SCHOLARSHIPS Studying marine life and coastal restoration in the Dominican Republic: Liz Colannino ’17 Working with the Children’s Project in Cambodia: Cat Sensenig ’17 Helping with Oranutan Habitat Restoration Project in Sumatra Bali: Will Harrigan ’17 Serving an internship in human rights in Togo, Africa: Andre Scherding ’17 Studying at Chapman University Summer Film Program: Emu Haynes ’17 Fostering sustainable farming in Rural Peru : Gavin McGough ’17 Construction of compassion homes in Vietnam: Noah Herfort ’17 Conserving Pollinators in Costa Rica: Gus Jaynes ’17
Carissa Mastrangelo is a ninth grade student from Middleton, Massachusetts. She came to Kimball Union from Pike School in Andover, MA. A gifted performer who held a lead role in the school’s production of Legally Blonde, Carisssa is also making her mark as a soccer player.
“Freshman camping trip was my favorite field trip. We all got on those buses without really knowing each other and after three days of camping, hiking, and playing different games we became a super close group” —CARISSA MASTRANGELO ’19
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
BRICKS AND MORTAR
Carissa Mastrangelo ’19
Fire Ring
What’s your favorite course?
My favorite class is math class because it takes organization and persistence. I love taking notes and enjoy going through the process of solving the problems given to me. I also like how there is always a definite answer to each question.
What do you like to do outside of class?
My favorite thing to do outside of classes and sports is hanging with friends or listening to music. Or both! It’s always nice hanging in the student center with everyone and watching friends play ping pong. I’ll occasionally even play the piano in the campus center. Favorite Class Field Trip?
I would say that the freshman camping trip was my favorite field trip. We all got on those buses without really knowing each other and after three days of camping, hiking, and playing different games we became a super close group. I made many friends in such a short time, which is pretty cool. What’s the reason you chose KUA?
After touring KUA, I knew it was where I wanted to spend the next four years. Everyone is so nice and down to earth and I was really struck by how beautiful the campus is. The combination of challenging academics, outstanding athletics, and an amazing arts department was incredibly appealing to me.
267 Total number of homemade dumplings by Ms. Exton for KUA's Lunar New Year celebration
The Class of 2015 gifted a fire circle to Kimball Union Academy, a parting gift meant to build camaraderie and connection among those gathered around its ascending flames. Before its inaugural lighting for the annual Tree Lighting Ceremony this year, the stone ring connected our historical village with those in the Boston area and reestablished connections among our alumni artisans. Dave Fielder ’90, who runs a stone wall and masonry business in Nantucket, built the fire ring with Reyer Jaarsma ’88. The granite procured for this project came from an old Quincy jail and has been repurposed from its original use as stone for footings, corners, and window surrounds. The patio stone was purchased from a quarry in Unity, New Hampshire. SPRING ���6
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N EWS F ROM C A M P US NONREQUIRED BOOKS READ IN THE PAST YEAR: 1
34%
2-3
35%
4-6
16%
7+
15%
Prefer print as a mode of reading TABLET
We asked a random sampling of KUA students about their reading habits.
56%
Read for class assignments in the evening during study hours MORNING
3%
DAY
6%
AFTERNOON
14%
EVENING AFTER STUDY HOURS
21%
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K II M MB BA A LL LL U UN N II O ON N M MA AG GA AZ Z II N NE E K
ALWAYS
10%
SMARTPHONE
5%
AUDIOBOOK
5%
WHEN READING FOR PLEASURE, WHAT DO YOU READ?
7%
OFTEN
22%
RARELY
35%
NEVER
36%
DO YOU EVER TALK TO A FRIEND ABOUT SOMETHING YOU’VE READ?
80% Reading Lists
DO LISTEN TO MUSIC WHEN YOU READ?
OFTEN
32%
SOMETIMES
56%
NEVER
12%
79% FICTION
18%
NON-FICTION
3%
GRAPHIC NOVELS COMICS
“I was inspired by traditional Chinese patterns and was moved by a blue-on-white show at the National Museum in Taipei.” —KAILING CHEN ’16 ≠≠
SENIOR CAPSTONE PROJECT
Ceramics Two students pursued a capstone project under the direction of professional artist, and Kimball Union Ceramics instructor, Ursula Fries-Herfort. Kailing Chen ’16’s goal was to create a vase decorated in the traditional blue-on-white Chinese style (right). Kailing’s interest in the illustrative aspects of ceramics was the focus of her capstone project. She finished two exquisite pieces, which is particularly impressive given her pottery background consists of only one year of study! Like Kailing, Ivan Yuen’16 had only taken one pottery activity during his junior year, but caught “the clay bug.” His capstone focuses on form, and his vessels are thrown in several parts. This technique requires not only the ability to center and pull larger amounts of clay, but also different techniques to fit each segment together perfectly. Generally, students are able to center 2 pounds of clay, while Ivan begins with more than twice as much. He will attend Boston University next year, and has already found a studio in Boston where he can continue his work. SPRING ���6
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Ella Malone ’17 conducts research on the relationship between gluten and the human brain using mice as subjects.
533
Approximately number of people who balanced, focused, and improved their flexibility throughout the year in Ms. McCabe’s Yoga classes.
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CLASSROOM
OBJECT LESSON
Mr. Van Dolah's Special Topics Course Fosters Independent Student Research Projects
Textbooks from class of 1884
Gluten Research Ella Malone ’17, has learned more than she ever imagined she might from her dive in to the KUA course “Special Topics in Science Research and Engineering Design” taught by Mike Van Dolah. Ella’s father had recently introduced her to the science of micro biomes, specifically the relationship between diet, the microorganisms in the human gut, and common mental disorders like ADHD and depression. “In the last year, I attempted to drastically change my diet from eating gluten three times a day to cutting it out completely. When I did cut it out, I must admit, I did feel better and healthier. When I discovered that there was a new class on independent research, I took it in hopes that I could investigate this phenomenon more closely.” After exploring several microbiome-related projects, which included her meeting with a research scientist at Dartmouth College to brainstorm project ideas, Ella settled on studying the relationship between gluten and the human brain using mouse models as subjects. She started the year researching and then writing a background paper on her topic, and she spent the better part of the next three months preparing for the arrival of the mice. Ella will be the first to tell you that the process of science research is like most endeavors in life worth doing, it requires thorough and critical thought, hard work, and a willingness to be flexible. “Researching is a whole lot more complicated than I expected. To begin with, I had to do several months of research on everything even remotely related to my project. Then I had to find and order supplies. I found that it is essential to choose something that you are passionate about.” She is very appreciative for the generosity of Kimball Union alumni Dick Phelan ’62 and Joe Phelan ‘ 61, who organized the donation of the mice from their family’s company. Dick’s father, Robert, started a research mouse business out of his garage in 1949 in Canajoharie, NY, and as of 2014, this business is now known as “Taconic Biosciences,” which has “over 1,300 clients in nearly 50 nations.” Ella hopes to present her findings at the American Junior Academy of Science annual meeting next February in Boston.
By the Book
Harriet Anna Thompson, Class of 1884, married classmate, John Franklin Turner in 1886. The couple raised their family in Reading, MA. One hundred and thirty-two years after their graduation, the school received their original textbooks as a gift. Some of the books included were: Astronomy for Schools and General Readers by Isaac Sharpless, which was a required course spring term for the senior class. First Lessons in Latin by Elisha Jones. Latin was a required course two out of four years at The Academy. On the inside cover, a hand note from John asks “Are you going to take Roman History this winter?” The answer was obviously, YES, as A History of Rome by R.F. Leighton is included in the collection. This course, required in the junior year, was perhaps when Harriet and John’s romance began, as a note on the inside cover reads “I guess we are going to the gymnasium. They are in there dancing today.” Our lovebirds also took French, grammar, and mythology, and carried the smallest dictionary you’ve ever seen.
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IN THE COMMUNITY
Primary Season
“From the first day we stepped on campus at KUA we sensed a difference from other schools we have been to. The passion and sense of community was palpable from day one. —PARENT, 9TH GRADER
Several senior girls traveled with history teacher Lyn Lord (above) to hear Gloria Steinem advocate for Hillary Clinton.
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Number of K-Term Projects Total miles traveled by all students: 272,000 miles
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While Kimball Union students come from all over the United States and the world, their school-year home of Meriden, a village in the small state of New Hampshire, stands front and center as the presidential primaries unfold. New Hampshire, which ranks 42nd in terms of population, plays host to the first and often most influential primary election in the nation. Meriden straddles the border between Sullivan and Grafton counties, two of the more populous counties outside of the southern New Hampshire commuter towns, and our neighboring towns play host to many Republican, Democrat, and Independent candidates. Our primary is so well covered by the media that, combined with the Iowa Caucus, we receive more media attention than all the other state primaries combined. KUA students had several opportunities to travel to local town hall talks and participate in open meetings on campus to raise awareness of and talk about the candidates and the issues. Several senior girls traveled to Hanover with history teacher Lyn Lord for an incredible opportunity to hear one of the more influential voices of our generation, Gloria Steinem, advocate for her candidate, Hillary Clinton. Ms. Steinem paid a compliment to our very own Ms. Lord, saying, “You are the true activist teaching high schoolers how to be passionate.” The Valley News was equally impressed with our students’ political involvement and interest in hearing Ms. Steinem speak, and featured two of our students in a weekend article.
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BONFIRE
The Campus Activities Board, or CAB, is a student group dedicated to organizing and running weekend activities for the entire student-body. Each fall, when the temperatures start to dip, CAB hosts an epic bonfire.
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DINING SERVICE
Food is Love
The power of food to create connections and interactions Adolescents are hungry. They are literally hungry for any and all kinds of food, and equally hungry for connection and engagement. Ask any Faculty member or student, and they will tell you that their most memorable conversations this year happened while eating or making food. That’s because FOOD is LOVE! From Ziggy’s pizza, to pancakes in the dorm, to advisee dinners at Yama, where we know all the local delicacies, food is the best way to tempt students to pull up a chair at the proverbial kitchen table and bond. Over the last decade, Doe Dining Commons has been enhanced as a communal gathering space. Its big vaulted ceilings and clerestory lighting support a sense of togetherness. Knowing that meals are more than simply a transaction, even the servery was renovated to increase connection and interaction between diners. SAGE Dining Services is our dining provider. Their team, led by Aussie Michael Van Rooyen, handles daily meals, nutrition education, and responds to a wide range of special event and catering requests. Often seen with a purple tie, apron, and dish towel over his shoulder, Michael supervises every meal, and knows a thing or too about the connecting powers of food. How does food connect people?
Since the dawn of time, people have been centered around food. No matter what your cultural background is, everyone has to eat. The act of cooking, sharing food and gathering around a table is something we all have in common. Ultimately food is what brings us together. What is the most popular food item at KUA?
I would have to say the stir-fry station is always popular. It gives the students a chance to really participate in the cooking process. 18
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COMFORT FOOD
Per Week
3600 EGGS
120 LOAVES OF BREAD
30 POUNDS OF PEANUT BUTTER
180 POUNDS OF CHICKEN TENDERS ON “TENDER DAYS”
“I am a big fan of Thai food. All the spices and aromas really get my mouth watering and belly rumbling..” —MICHAEL VAN ROOYEN, FOOD SERVICE DIRECTOR
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S P O RT S N EWS F ROM C A M P US
SPORTS
Taking it to the Next Level Prep School Tournament Hockey
There are 65 Division 1 Boys Varsity Ice Hockey teams competing in the New England Prep School Athletic Conference (NEPSAC). At the end of the season, the top 8 teams in all of NEPSAC, regardless of school size, compete in the “Elite 8” Championship Tournament. The remaining Top 8 “large schools” compete in the NEPSAC Large School Tournament, and the remaining Top 8 “small schools” compete in the NEPSAC Small School Tournament.
This season, the Wildcats earned their second consecutive birth in the Elite 8 Tournament (and fourth in the last 6 years). Only two small schools qualified for the Elite 8 this season. KUA defeated Loomis 6-4 in the quarterfinals, eventually losing to Milton in the semi-final. KUA finished the season with a record of 30-4-1, breaking the previous school record of 27 wins. The Wildcats’ 30 wins were the most of any prep team in New England this year. Prior to the NEPSAC Tournament, KUA won its 5th consecutive Lakes Region League Championship with a 3-2 victory over Proctor Academy.
HAPPY TRAILS The Alpine Ski Team made the best of an unusually mild winter. After early season training in Colorado, the Women’s team placed 3rd overall at the Lakes Region Championships, and the Men’s team took 3rd place at the NEPSAC Championships. Our top skiers had a few top-3 results at the USSA level, and represented Kimball Union proudly at the FIS entry level. .
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KUA SOCCER ALUM Lucky Mkosana’08, a forward for the New York Cosmos, was one of the first to welcome our accepted students posting: @luckynumber17_ Congrats from the pitch of #NYCosmos to the recently accepted students. Glad you chose @kimbllunion like I did. #intoKUA
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Career wins by Girls Varsity Basketball Coach, Eileen Williams.
“The real celebration was everyone’s individual performance. If you add up the total time, our team dropped 543 combined seconds off their individual times!” —COACH NICHOLS, AFTER THE LAKES REGION CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS WITH OVER HALF THE TEAM ACHIEVING PERSONAL BEST SCORES
RECENT ALUMNI WILDCATS ON THE FIELDS AND COURTS OF COLLEGES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY: BOYS BASKETBALL Charlie Williams ’15: Skidmore Kahlil Garnes ’15: Haverford Moses Toriola ’15: Norfolk State Crew Ainge ’15: Utah State Elijah Frater ’15: Bates Nathan Knight ’15: William and Mary Luke Rosinski’15: New Hampshire GIRLS BASKETBALL Taylor Ong ’15: Skidmore Abby Kelly ’15: Bowdoin BOYS SOCCER: Jackson Greenspan ’15: Babson Wyett MacDonald ’15: Colby Evan Reifsnyder ’15: NYU Mamadou Samb ’15: UConn Jules Stewart ’16: Wheaton Brendan McGovern ’16: Dickinson Ethan Kable ’16: Claremont McKenna Jack Doherty ’16: UNH GIRLS SOCCER: Joanna Schafer ’15: Bates Shannon Walsh ’15: UConn Catherine Auger-Morin ’15: Lake Forest Katelyn Fowler ’16: Elon BOYS LACROSSE Kenny Speak ’15: Endicott Owen Manley ’15: St Lawrence. Eric Megnia ’15: Skidmore GIRLS LACROSSE Morgan Walsh ’14 Merrimack Storm Sideleau ’14 Vassar College Joanna Schafer ’15 Bates College BOYS HOCKEY Cam Beecy ’15: Norwich Oscar Flory ’15: Skidmore Brendan Riley ’15: Mercyhurst Jack McCarthy ’15: Trinity Dom Franco ’15: West Point Jake Massie ’15 : UMass Patrick Shea ’16: Maine Elijah Harris ’16: Brown Ben Finkelstein ’16: St Lawrence Dennis Cesana ’16: West Point GIRLS HOCKEY Angela Augusta ’15: Salve Regina FIELD HOCKEY Maya Karosas’15: UVM Kelsey Pollard ’16: St. Lawrence
CROSS-COUNTRY Kimball Union’s cross-country teams emerged from the Lakes Region Championships with over half the team achieving personal best scores. The boys boasted a 2nd place finish overall, just 5 points out of first place, and had 4 runners in the top 10. The girls finished two in the top 10, and placed 5th overall. Coach Nichols reports, “If you add up the total time, our team dropped 543 combined seconds off their individual times!”
FIELD HOCKEY The Varsity Field Hockey team had a winning season highlighted by memorable victories over perennial powerhouses Deerfield and Lakes Region rivals. The Wildcats’ decisive victory over Brewster in post-season play earned them a bid to the NEPSAC Class C Championship game, where they eventually fell to Rivers. They finished the season with an impressive 15-4 record under head coach, Erin Mellow.
LACROSSE Nick Antol, a former goalie for the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame, takes the helm of the Men’s Varsity Lacrosse program this year. Antol developed his coaching skills under Al Brown, a New England lacrosse coaching legend. Coach Antol’s style is fast, and with a strong prospect list and solid young players, KUA is building a competitive program for years to come. SPRING ���6
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A RT S N EWS F ROM C A M P US
ARTS PROFILE
Brad Landers ’01 Brad Landers ’01 is a Manhattan based dancer/choreographer. He is best known for his “Let’s Have a Kiki” number he choreographed for Scissor Sisters/GLEE (Fox). He currently acts as co-director/ choreographer for the NYC-based project GIG. Brad choreographed “Bend and Snap” for Kimball Union’s production of Legally Blonde. What’s the process for choreographing a piece remotely?
It’s not unlike a normal rehearsal process. It just takes a bit more organization and thorough note-taking for communication. I began by deciding how much of the song was actual staging and how much needed actual choreography. Once I figured that out, it was about breaking the song up into smaller sections of choreography. This way, I could take individual videos of each section of “movement.” Once completed, I sent Kay a sheet of lyrics for the song with my staging notes and indicated which number video corresponded to each section. Was it different choreographing for high school students?
No. I have found that no matter the age or ability, if you use the right language and attitude, you can, 9 times out of 10, get the results you want to see. Describe your artistic influences.
They are many and varied. I have to begin by saying that as a kid, I was heavily influenced by Gene Kelly on screen and THE AMISH PROJECT Performed in the round, The Amish Project is the story of the 2006 Nickel Mines schoolhouse shooting in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. At a time when gun violence continues to haunt school communities, this powerful production was about heartbreak, forgiveness and compassion, performed masterfully by a poised, talented, and committed cast who handled the heavy content in a mature and passionate way.
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Bob Fosse’s work on both stage and screen. They both had an innate ability to tell a story through dance. That’s what I am about - relating a message with just the body. Other choreographers I look up to are Josh Bergasse (Smash / An American in Paris) and Steven Hogett. Steven has had a remarkable career on Broadway and for the Scottish Royal Theater. His movement is always sharp, communicative, and fresh, which is a big motivator. What’s your next project?
Currently, I am working for an off Broadway Obie award-winning company called Keen Company. I am choreographing a brand new musical for 10 teens (more amazing high school students) that is based on Rebecca Black and her video “Friday” and cyber bullying. The show goes up in May and will be available after that for high schools across the nation to license, which is pretty exciting.
STRIKE A POSE The Dance 1 class hit their final pose while performing at All School Meeting. Each introductory dance course choreographs and performs an original piece in front of the entire school to thunderous applause.
LEGALLY BLONDE
Involving some 80 talented students, the new classic of American musical theater, noted for its engaging music by “Bat Boy” creator Laurence O’Keefe and its witty and irreverent lyrics by Nell Benjamin, garnered rave reviews. Stunning costumes, instrumental accompaniment, choreography, sets, lighting, and sound designs helped feature the fine and lively student performance.
THE KUACK AWARDS Kimball Union’s 4th Annual Foreign Film Festival featured student written, directed, and performed films. Guests strutted down the red carpet and through the paparazzi on their way to the official screening.
JOIN US: The Fine and Performing Arts come alive during the spring at KUA. Please join us for any of the following events: April 8 - Singer’s Night April 29 - Rock and Jazz Collaborative May 19 - Spring Concert (featuring instrumental music, singing, and dancing) May 19 - Senior Art Show Opens
GALLERY EXHIBIT Peter France ’83’s exhibit, Animals, was a masterful collection of sculptures in wire and bronze. These charming critters are on display in the Taylor Gallery in the Flickinger Arts center through April.
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Hilltop
“His classes were basically an improvisational theater class with no rules.” N EWS F ROM C A M P US
FIRST PERSON
Bringing Language To Life DARTMOUTH COLLEGE LIBRARY
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Some teachers have the ability to change lives. For me, Dartmouth professor John Rassias (above), who passed away in December, left an indelible mark. BY SCRIB FAUVER CHAIR OF THE WORLD LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT
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first met Professor John Rassias in 1979 during my freshman year at Dartmouth. My friends had told me that the best-paid job on campus was something called a “language drill instructor,” and that I should try out. I had just spent a gap year in Lagny, France (now home of EuroDisney) at a French high school, and I had studied French since kindergarten, so I thought I would give it a try. I wandered into that first drill training without the slightest clue that my life was about to change. We spent the better part of three days learning proper drill technique and practicing the mantra “voice, snap, point, look.” I wandered around my dorm room silently drilling my lamp, my bookshelf, occasionally my roommates. John was emphatic about connecting with our students; eye contact, smiles, and positive feedback were crucial. The three days were filled with movement, acting, encouragement, and above all, connection. They were also filled with many people, far more than there were positions. At the end of the training, it was time to try out. There was a panel of professors, not unlike American Idol, who would judge us as we took turns drilling our peers. At the end of the session, the professors would choose who they wanted to drill their classes. I had done the math; as a freshman, I stood little chance of breaking into the driller fold. You see, even experienced drillers had to try out every trimester, so I was basically up against many of the instructors from the training. I started in the group of mock students in the semicircle of chairs. A very nervous upperclassman stepped up and started to drill us. Since he was standing and we were sitting, it became very clear very soon that his fly was unzipped. We tried to send him subtle messages, but how do you communicate that in such a setting? John, who was on the judge’s panel, was also trying to pantomime messages to the poor guy, but to no avail. In the end I think we all looked like we had to go to the bathroom. When the drills mercifully ended, everyone (especially John) dissolved into laughter. John pulled the student (who still had no idea what was going on) aside, told him what the issue was, and invited him to try again. I didn’t get chosen that first round, but I was an alternate, something I considered a moral victory. When one of the instructors dropped out early in the trimester, I found myself drilling a group of upperclassmen
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every morning at 8AM. I enjoyed it so much that I ended up working as a driller six more trimesters, even in Blois, France, with a LSA (Language Study Abroad) group. I also decided to learn Spanish, where I was drilled every morning at 8AM, and I was lucky enough to go to Granada, Spain, with an LSA program. John taught an upper-level French class called “Le Théâtre Vivant” (Living Theater), which pretty much exemplified his approach to teaching. We read many plays, but class time was basically show time. He would shuffle in, dressed as one of the characters in the play, and start riffing. He would tear his shirt, break eggs on our heads, and invite us to respond in character. It was basically an improvisational theater class with no rules. People talk about breaking the fourth wall in theater; in these classes, John basically demolished it. On many occasions, there would be students there who were not enrolled in the class, just to watch. I think I belly laughed more in that class than in the rest of my classes combined. When I graduated, most of my friends went to Wall Street. I chose to teach French and Spanish at the Landon School, a private day school in Bethesda, MD. I leaned heavily on everything that I had learned from John at Dartmouth. As you might imagine, middle schoolers love to get out of their seats and they love to play, so the method worked right away. The world of Wall Street called again, this time in the form of law school at University of Virginia. After law school, I found myself in Boston working for a firm called Nutter, McClennen & Fish in their litigation department. But eventually there was another voice whispering in my ear. In 1992, my wife, Susan, oldest daughter, Olivia, and I moved to one of the downstairs apartments in Bryant (the smaller one). My in-laws, who thought their daughter had married a lawyer, were probably dressed all in black. I had found myself back at the source, this time helping to train drill instructors and being trained as a Rassias Method© teacher. I led summer programs, instructed drill instructors, and am still the chair of the World Languages Program at Kimball Union. All the while, John was there, in the background, encouraging me. Every interaction I have ever had with John, made me (and us) feel like we were the most important people in the world. K
THE RASSIAS METHOD Scrib Fauver brings the teaching methods of the famed language professor, John Rassias, to the KUA classroom.
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Q &A
Christine Clisura & Stephen Rogers ’04 How did you get here? STEPHEN: We
CHRISTINE CLISURA Assistant Librarian BA, Sarah Lawrence College Major: Literature MS, Drexel University Library and Information Science
STEPHEN ROGERS ‘04 Academic Information Systems Manager/ Theater Technical Director BA, Sarah Lawrence College Major: Computer Science
are both Sarah Lawrence grads from 2008 and I’m a KUA 2004. I have worked for KUA in some way since the summer of 2003, when I began working for maintenance on the summer crews. As KUA’s summer programs developed, I shifted to more of a technological support role, primarily in Flickinger. I was able to blend my technology and technical theatre interests together and officially started full time immediately after graduating from Sarah Lawrence. CHRISTINE: After graduating college and before coming to KUA, I worked part time at a public library in New Jersey (in the children’s department and at the reference desk) and started grad school part-time at the Pratt Institute in Manhattan. I was working on my MS in Library and Information Science when Stephen heard that a librarian position at KUA was opening up. At that point I knew I wanted to be a “real” librarian in either a high school or in a public library. The timing was perfect! After a few years acclimating to boarding school life, I just received my masters, and can officially put MLIS. after my name! How did Stephen convince you to move back to his alma mater? CHRISTINE: The position opened up at the perfect time in my career. That, coupled with the fact of no commute, after I had been spending roughly three hours roundtrip on a bus going through the Lincoln Tunnel every day, made it an easy sell.
What is your role at KUA?
My official title is Academic Information Systems Manager & Theatre Technical Director, however I work both in the technology and arts departments supporting all things technology. I’ve worked extensively on our Apple Mac 1-to-1 laptop program and have fallen into this weird niche of “Mac integration into (Windows) Enterprise environments.” I have also done
STEPHEN:
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“It sometimes feels like we are part of a 400-person family.”
my fair share of cleaning spilled drinks out of laptops and recovering lost iTunes libraries! On the arts side, I’ve always been very active in the theatrical arts, both on-and-off stage. Upon returning to KUA, my interests in technical theatre were put to use working with the theatre activity on everything from set construction to lighting programming to sound design. Theatre gets me out of the office and lets me work closely with KUA students. What are the unique aspects of KUA’s Theater Program? STEPHEN: There are significant investments made in equipment, personnel, and resources that allow for an advanced performing arts program that is very unique at the high school level. We’re willing to take some pretty significant risks with set design, like a 24foot, manually operated turntable for Legally Blonde, our winter musical. This type of set is used in only a handful of theatres across the country, and is certainly not a project that most high schools have the latitude to design and construct from scratch! I think it’s that commitment to push the risk right to the edge that has (luckily, for the most part) ended with very technically successful shows for many years.
What about you, Christine?
This is my sixth year (hard to believe!) as the assistant librarian in the Schiltkamp Library. I am also an academic advisor to seven wonderful girls and a dorm parent in Chellis. Aside from our absolutely beautiful new library, we have the benefit of being located at the heart of the academic program. Also, getting a bit into nerdy librarian terminology, Marianna McKim (head librarian) and I have been moving more and more towards an “embedded librarian” model, as we work closely with teachers in the English and History Departments. This allows us to become more engaged and integrated with the work and projects in those classes throughout the trimester and even the school year. What has also struck me as incredibly unique about being an independent school librarian, in general, is the opportunity to get to know students outside of the library and outside of the classroom. It sometimes feels like we are part of a 400-person family. I am also about to embark on a trip to Washington DC, with 88 sophomores. My librarian friends who work at colleges or public libraries think I’m crazy. K SPRING ���6
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Helping Students
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VOICE
Jenny Blue , a graduate of Dartmouth College and Tufts University, brings a passion for encouraging young writers to find their voice. In her role as Chair of the English Department at Kimball Union, Ms. Blue garners enthusiasm from The Institute for Writing and Thinking at Bard College. She espouses to the philosophy of the IWT; “Writing is both a record of completed thought and an exploratory process that supports teaching and learning across disciplines. At all levels writing allows the writer to discover what she or he wants to say.” Bolstered by participation in several of Bard’s programs, Ms. Blue shares the current state of R I N G � � � 6 29 writing at KimballS PUnion.
What is writing experience like at KUA?
It is enthusiastic, ubiquitous, across the curriculum, and intensely analytical. It’s a fairly independent activity. People are doing it on their own. What do you mean independent? Writing in a blog or journal, or completing assignments independently?
The latter. When people write, they tend to sit on their own and finish their assignments. There is an emphasis on revision, especially in the English department. Iterations of drafts are a part of the daily writing experience. Why did you go to Bard?
I had been to Bard for several one-day workshops and conferences and was really excited by their practices. The week-long conference was a little less about the content and more about the form and the skills involved in writing. What I love about Bard is the philosophy and approach to writing. It’s ongoing, constant, and happening all the time in the classroom. The essential element of the approach is that writing is thinking. It’s not the foundation of thinking, it is the thinking. So when we write, it’s another form of thought. Sometimes it’s shared or read aloud, and sometimes it’s not. Sometimes it’s something that’s done to get to the next thing. At the end of each workshop, I felt a real camaraderie built up among all the people there. At the end of each day, I didn’t know everything about everyone at the table, but I felt like I knew more about them, and felt comfortable with them. We got to this deep place extraordinarily quickly. We were able to get there partly because we were teachers, and we were willing to play. That’s a key element in this—a willingness to play. There is also something inherent about the process itself that cultivates this willingness. It’s very inviting. It exploded the notion of writing as something that is independent and revealed that writing is something that is meant to be shared. It allows independent inquiry, but creates a group dynamic that wasn’t there before. After the conference, what did you think was going to be an immediate impact on KUA?
The conference gave me clear justification for some of the practices that I was already using in my classroom. In a way, it helped me create a more systemic approach. Before I went to Bard, I was really up in the air about whether 30
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My approach to writing is it’s ongoing, constant, happening all the time in the classroom. The essential approach is that writing is thinking.
students should be keyboarding when they wrote in class or writing long form. Bard really helped me examine that question. It really gave me a different way of thinking that was really helpful. What was the way of thinking?
You just need to be aware of what tool works best for each situation. There are clear advantages to writing on a computer, because when you handwrite something, you are writing at the speed of talking, but when you type, you can write faster. You’re really typing your thoughts. Can that be a positive?
Yes! There are positives in both directions. At the conference, we talked about writing with laptops open, which is a type of screen. We also talked about the sound of typing versus the sound of pen on paper. We talked about the texture of the paper versus the texture of the key board. What does that mean?
It’s different for different people. Some people are driven mad by the tick-tick-tick-tick sound of the keyboard. It stresses them out. For them, they get a sense of comfort from a pen and paper. Sometimes it feels like there is something more open about open notebooks versus open screens—that can feel like little walls all the way around the table. It can be easier to hold them accountable when they are writing with a pen and paper. But with the Bard approach, it’s not about holding students accountable, but facilitating the process of thought and cultivating an awareness for what tool works best for each individual kid or individual assignment. It’s about the students raising their own awareness about the tools they are choosing for specific tasks. What are specific things you can do over a short period of time, say, one class period, versus an entire trimester or high school career to build community?
One way to build community is to know each other’s vulnerabilities and be willing to be authentic in a group. This happens when you can get to a place where you are real, and you are expressing something that is true to you, and you are confident that people will not make fun of you for it. You’re allowed to be the person you need to be in that moment. I
think writing allows access to that vulnerability. If you are putting down thoughts directly from your head to the paper, suddenly there is this part of you that is now outside of you. If you take that next step of reading that piece aloud—and Bard really stresses the practice of reading exactly what you wrote— that’s what really makes this straightforward technique very powerful. You trust the students and the people involved in the practice and just read it, word for word. The writing becomes a communal experience. We also do free writing. Everyone around the table is involved in the same activity at the same time. Everyone has their individual space inside a common frame. One of the essential things about community is that any individual has to sacrifice something to be a part of the community. At the same time, every individual maintains their individuality. Writing allows that. We’re all involved in this common experience. Is there a balance between getting kids to be vulnerable and establishing proper mechanics?
Both need to be emphasized, but I think they are two different skill sets. One of the things I’ve been thinking about is the idea that we have a voice inside. We have many voices, but there is one that we identify as the creator, or the writer. That voice just wants to get things out and down. And then there is another voice, the voice of the editor who says this isn’t good enough, this needs to be more clear, this isn’t a sentence, you could say this better, you’ve repeated this word. I feel like those are two different parts of the writing process and you need to be able to separate those. The writer can be allowed to write and create, then the editor can come in and do the fixing. Separating the two out is really important. Focused free writing, or loop writing, is writing that is really about thinking. This is when, hopefully, the editor isn’t pushing down our thoughts before they are actually thoughts. The purpose of this type of writing is to really free up and acknowledge the importance of the maker. In terms of teaching form, we work on the standard expanded paragraph and the five-paragraph essay, and that sort of thing. I think one compliments the other—we do free writing and focused writing and then we work on the analytical forms. They feed off each other. The focused, free writing allows
for thinking to happen, and the editor side doesn’t have too much power. The writer side needs more bolstering, more compassion, more nurturing. Do 9th graders come from one side or the other more frequently? Are they editors or writers?
I think it really varies depending on their backgrounds and level of confidence. In my experience, 9th graders tend to be more willing to play, which makes it easier. Because they are all new, there is a little less to loose. They also come in thinking, “A teacher wants me to do this, so I have to do it.” Seniors, on the other hand, think, “You have to show me why this important before I’m going to do it.” Freshman, especially in the beginning of the year, are still 8th graders who want to please, so it makes the process a little easier. That being said, I’m much more systematic with the freshman, so the effect is stronger. It is a process that works across all boards, even with adults. When a student approaches a history paper or something with concrete facts, can you apply the same skills to that type of writing? What supports are available to encourage the creativity you see in free form pieces?
Part of the process is allowing the writer side to generate material before the form side says okay, here’s the form, now fill it up. This approach helps generate content before you know what the form is. One way you can do that is with a strategy called loop writing. You dance around a topic indirectly through a variety of means before you come to the form. You can do something very similar in any topic, any discipline—you just have to find that interesting thematic word or idea in any given unit, then have them do loop writing around it. And loop writing is just 3-4 minutes of free association and writing about a definition, a response. Then you can go back to see how the loop writing creates a whole. So the form comes out of the loop writing sessions that you’ve generated. The form writes itself. The process is ongoing, and the teacher is very much involved, I’m writing with them instead of standing over and watching them. It’s a very important and relaxing part of it. Right now, our freshman are just getting back into it, and I realize how much I’ve missed it, and how much the kids enjoy it. It really establishes a tone and creates a quiet place for freshman, which is so important. K FALL ����
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K-TERM STUDENTS AND FACULTY LEAVE THE CLASSROOM BEHIND AND VENTURE OUT, BOTH NEAR AND FAR, TO PUT INTO PRACTICE THE FUNDAMENTAL SKILLS THAT THEY HAVE BEEN DEVELOPING IN A WEEK-LONG EXPERIENTIAL PROJECT-BASED PERIOD AT THE END OF WINTER TRIMESTER
M Dough in Doe Baking Bread— Acquiring a Life Skill, Serving the Community, Creating Good Nutrition (far left) The sophomore class traveled to Washington DC for K-Term. While there, the students explored war memorials and monuments from a variety of perspectives. Students grappled with questions relating to war and the lasting impressions made on the global community. Once back on campus, students designed their own memorial to recognize the major conflict occurring during their lifetime: “The War on Terror.”
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Students explore Venice, Italy on a taxi boat as part of their K-Term experience. A group of students work together to climb The Wall they built as part of the K-Term project, Building Leadership.
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K KUA students learned to dance in Cuba the week prior to President Obama’s historic trip.
Anything is Pawsible connected students with Meriden’s canine residents for a week of studying animal behavior and dog training. (middle) During the NYC Arts Trip over K-Term, students took the train from New Haven Station into the City.
imball Union’s inaugural K-Term was a whirlwind of activity sending students across the globe and around the region. Campus became the central hub of information dissemination, and with an 152% increase in social media interactions, our followers gained access to all the action. Parents in Beijing were able to learn alongside their child in Venice, and reported back “It was with great interests I have been reading your descriptions of [the Venice] visit on a daily basis, and it has become an daily event that I so look forward to!” From dog training to the urban planning of White River Junction, and from avalanche survival training to volunteering at local community organizations, K-term projects appealed to a wide variety of interests while also allowing students, as well as the project leaders, to leave their comfort zones to learn new things. The freshman program emphasized four areas (industry, music and culture, environment, recreation) that make the Upper Valley a creative, energetic, and special environment. The KUA sophomore class traveled to Washington, DC. OTHER PROJECTS INCLUDED:
Quiltmaking • Encryption and Decryption: • Building a Ropes Course on Campus • Urban Design • Baking Bread • Canine Training •• KUA’s Lego® Stop-motion Filmmaking • Community Service • Moby Dick & the Mystic Seaport • Decision Making in Avalanche Terrain • NYC Arts Trip • Visit and explore breathtaking Cuba • What Disappears If Venice Does? See Venice before it disappears. SPRING ���6
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Griswold Wheeler 36
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FROM THE ARCHIVES
THE
LONG
JOURNEY ! Griswold Wheeler arrived for the first time to Kimball Union on December 1831 after travelling by horse through a blizzard over Grantham Mountain from Croydon, New Hampshire, to a place unknown. Letters home describe his journey and his thought on his new school. @
Meriden. December 9th 1831 My Dear Brother, After a most painful half days ride, I find myself comfortably seated beside a small stove, in the second story of Meriden Hotel. I left home, about nine, in the morning, in the face of one of the bitterest northeasters, that ever swept the mountains of Croydon and Grantham. Taking the road through the later town, among mountains and snowdrifts, I at last arrived in the midst of Meriden Parish, about one in the afternoon. As soon as I had sufficiently disengaged myself from the effects of the weather, I began my enquiries in relation to the academy, and to my own dissatisfaction soon ascertained that there were but few scholars in attendance, at that time, and that the school, through some new regulation of the trustees had only three weeks longer to continue, instead of seven, as I had at first expected. My enquiries for board were in some measure more successful. I obtained board, lodging, a very small convenient room and fuel, for the sum of one dollar and forty two cents per week, making my whole expense, with the exception of contingencies, about one dollar and sixty six cents per week. I can yet say nothing of the place, except, that its external appearance, is very promising. The site of the Parish seems to have been exceedingly well chosen. It An 1833 letter home
occupies an elevated spot of ground; but in consequence of being surrounded by ground much higher, it does not command an extensive prospect. I can only say of the people, that so far as I have yet had opportunity of observing, their deportment is, in the highest degree civil, and becoming; and is marked with a good share of attentiveness, to the business of the day; especially is this true of the citizens of the place. Among the scholars, perhaps, a little more licence is taken. For scholars, however, they are unusually civil. A very great regard for everything pertaining to religion, seems to be the predominating characteristic of the place. I have not yet, amongst either scholars or citizens, heard a single profane word, indeed, I have rarely heard anything like mirth or sport since leaving Croydon. The silent and longface gloom of the funeral, seems to pervade almost every countenance. I would take this opportunity to caution you against surprise, if on my return to Croydon you should find my phiz lengthened out, a full span longer than when you last saw me; fashions you know are infectious and long-faces are all in fashion here. Several young ladies, who board in the Hotel, appear in the dining-room with countenances, that would be creditable to pass by Presbyterian deacons. Whether they preserve the same unvaried gravity through the day, is quite problematical. From the noise SPRING ���6
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sometimes heard from the quarter of the house they occupy, it may be inferred, that the muscles of their faces, suffer an occasional relaxation. Now I have got upon the subject of ladies. (they are infectious to[o], you know.) we have, amongst our family two, most delightful things. – your humble servant was captivated by both of them at first sight, and, odd it may seem to you, it was discovered, and confirmed, by experiment, that long faces may be captivating. The ceremonies of the dining-room, are in most respects superior to any-thing I ever met with in Croydon or Newport, and I make no doubt but I have got into a place where I may make some improvement other than by my books and perhaps by bestowing proper attention may acquire some knowledge of human nature as it appears when under the strongest influence of orthodox theology. The blessing of the great Father in Heaven is solicited the next thing after being seated. The food is then dispatched after having our appetites sufficiently sharpened by waiting for some one of the company to come and distribute to the whole. At ten o-clock the scholars are all assembled in the recitation room to hear prayers and a lecture in geography from Mr. Newell the Principal. My expectations I am sure were not much raised by the appearance of the scholars. Many of them no doubt like myself were disappointed pedagogues. If they were not[,] a reason perhaps not more to their advantage might be assigned for their continuance in this place during a season in which every might who can write his own name with propriety is abroad in the land diffusing instruction and enlightening the publick.
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The regular exercises required of all the pupils independent of the studies they pursue; are prayers at 8 o’clock in the morning and in the afternoon to attend meeting on the Sabbath a lesson in scripture once each week and composition and declamation alternately each week. As the school only continues three weeks from the sixth of December I shall probably return to Croydon the expiration of the time. Should a vacancy happen in any of the schools in your acquaintance (as you know there sometimes does) I would have some individual in such district informed of the fact that I have no objection to teaching so long as the vacation happens so [missing word] in the season at the academy. You will confer a very great favor on me by forwarding only the Spectator or Advocate and were I to continue my great length of time here the Observer or the Watchman might not make a bad appearance on my table particularly as Mr. Newell might take it into his head to call a few minutes at my room as he has already once since my occupation of it. On the whole it would scarcely be worth the postage for that purpose. Send me two or three numbers of Spectators not that I care much about the politicks or the “Farms for sale” neither whether they still continue to “cash for rags” or to execute “job printing” in the neatest manner; but I wish to read the “Miscellaney” more especially the “recaps” and “poetry” and above everything the “Marriages”. Yours &co G.W. Wheeler W.V. Wheeler
FROM THE ARCHIVES
Kimball Union Academy in the 1800’s as Griswold Wheeler would have encountered it upon arrival.
Griswold Wheeler, who is listed in the class of 1832, attended the Academy for less than a year. His brother William, however, studied here for nearly three years, class of 1839. From Kimball Union, Griswold studied medicine at the Dartmouth College Medical Department and William studied law at Harvard College. Both brothers had very successful careers. After Dartmouth, Griswold spent a year in Hopkinton, NH, and one in Kentucky, and then practiced medicine for the next 25 years in Perryville, MI. He was a highly regarded doctor whose practice covered a large part of the state. He learned German and French and was extremely interested in the natural sciences. “His clear and logical mind, and love of study and observation, combined with his great industry, justly gave him a high position as a professional and scientific man. His attachment to country life was so strong that no solicitations could induce him to remove to the city, and he declined a professorship proffered him in the St. Louis Medical College.” Throughout his life he was benevolent toward his fellow man and “was a patriarch in town, beloved and respected by all, and died firm in the Christian faith.” Griswold never married. William was admitted to the New Hampshire Bar in 1842 and opened a practice in Keene, NH. He received an LLB. at Harvard in 1842 and in 1850, an AM at Dartmouth. “He was Solicitor of Cheshire County for ten years; and in 1851 was appointed a Justice of the Court of Common Pleas, which he declined.” He was also interested in benevolent work; he was a trustee of the State Reform School, and of the State Agricultural College.He married Sarah D. Moulton, of Randolph, VT, in 1849. The Wheeler brothers are another example of Kimball Union’s great influence on the lives of its students and the overwhelming importance of a school such as this in the development of the rural regions both here in New Hampshire and across the country in the early nineteenth century. K Thank you to Dennis M. Partridge, Croydon New Hampshire Genealogy, for quotes and further information in regard to the lives of the Wheeler brothers. SPRING ���6
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Awards
ALUMNI
Submit your Nomination! The Alumni Council is seeking candidates for the Academyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highest Alumni honors. Nominate someone you know who has dedicated themselves to bettering the lives of others.
Please submit all nominations to: Alumni@kua.org Alumni Council Volunteer Award To recognize significant service in advancing the education interests of Kimball Union Academy through volunteer efforts. Alumni Sportsmanship Award Given in recognition of demonstrated concern for others, dedication to their sport, skill as players or coaches, and a sense of fair play. Alumni Achiever Award To recognize those outstanding alumni of Kimball Union who have distinguished themselves in their chosen fields. Outstanding Young Alumni Award To recognize a member of the Kimball Union alumni who has graduated in the last 15 years, and whose achievements in their chosen field of endeavor reflect well on themselves and the Academy.
HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Connect N EWS F ROM A LUM N I
Boston Holiday Party 2015
INSIDE 44
EVENTS AND REUNIONS
46 ALUMNI SPOTLIGHTS 50 ALUMNI FIRST PERSON 52 CLASS NOTES
SPRING 2016
62 WEDDINGS
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EVENTS ALUMNI COUNCIL MEETING: April 16 The Alumni Council will plan the finishing touches for an exciting Reunion during their spring meeting.
DAY OF GIVING: April 20 Can we count on your support for the The Fund for KUA? Consider making a donation on April 20, as we kick off 18 hours and 13 minutes of fundraising a gift for every student and faculty currently at The Academy.
GLOBAL FAIR: April 27 – 28 Global Fair is an all day, school-wide event featuring workshops, films, and speakers, including current students, on a broad range of topics related to global citizenship. This year’s fair is dedicated to the memory of Steven Sotloff ’02.
GRANDPARENTS DAY: April 30 This special day is for current students to share their classes, activities, friends, and Hilltop home with their Grandparents.
GRADUATION: May 27 Joe Williams, who has made Meriden his home for the past nineteen years, serves as this year’s Commencement Speaker. It is sure to be a memorable day for all involved.
REUNION: June 10 -12 Register today for a wonderful weekend on the Hilltop! We celebrate graduation years ending in 1 and 6, with special recognition of our 25th and 50th Reunion celebrants. Kua.org/ reunion2016
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This year was our third Feichtinger Cup at Whaleback, and I may never be allowed to miss it because it has become a huge attraction for the grandkids! —BILL HAGAR ’61
SPRING 2016
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ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Tim Case â&#x20AC;&#x2122;80 FOUNDER/MANAGING PARTNER SUPPLY AND DEMAND CO.
Supply and Demand is a 15 year old bicoastal production company with global representation and world class commercial, documentary and music video directors. The company creates content for clients in broadcast, digital, film, TV, music, video, and branded entertainment for companies like NASCAR, Ford, Fox Sports, Mercedes Benz, Ferrari, the NFL, Playstation, ESPN, Chevrolet, Budweiser, Fiat, and scores of other Fortune 500 clients. They produce work all over the globe from Rome to Mongolia to India to Argentina to Alberta to Thailand to South Korea and on and on.The group has produced videos for Taylor Swift (Grammy and VMA winner 2015), Rihanna, and Britney Spears. Supply & Demand has produced award-winning films like Blackfish and Academy Award nominated Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom ( a documentary). Founder, Executive Producer, and Managing Partner, Tim Case, graduated from Kimball Union and Cornell University with degrees in History and English. 44
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Tim Case and son Finn
“The best advice I’ve been given, and what I try to do, is really be good to the people around you.” —NADJA BELLAN-WHITE ’85, ADWEEK MAGAZINE
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Nadja Bellan-White ’85 CEO, OGILVY AND MATHER AFRICA
Nadja Bellan-White is the CEO for Ogivly and Mather Africa, the eighth largest marketing firm in the world, with 450 offices in 169 cities worldwide. Ogilvy and Mather, a classic advertisement agency that dominated the 1950’s with the classic Rolls Royce and Dove Soap campaigns, pioneered modern advertising. Ogilvy Africa is currently the continent’s largest agency network, and oversees all stages of advertising with companies like Nestle and Coca-Cola. Nadja is recognized as one of the most powerful women in advertising, and recently moved to Nairobi with her husband and two children. After graduating from Kimball Union, she continued her education at University of Virginia and received dual degrees in Foreign Affairs and Spanish.
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ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Summer Nasief ’94 EXECUTIVE IN SAUDI ARABIA HEALTH CARE/LIFE SCIENCES, MEDIA
After graduating from Kimball Union and Boston University with a degree in international management and economics, Summer worked as an equity research analyst before beginning a successful career with IBM. During her 15-year career with the company, she emerged as the first Saudi female industry executive appointed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia since the company’s inception in 1914. Summer’s career has been highlighted by several prestigious accolades, including the Women of Note Award by the Wall Street Journal in 2014, an Aspen Middle East Leadership Initiative Fellowship by the Aspen Institute in 2014, and Summer was named one of the top 100 Most Powerful Women in the Middle East by Business Arabia in 2015. Summer has recently accepted the position as Healthcare Innovation Director Middle East with Honeywell.
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“ 18 years-ago when we started TGR we started rolling the cameras and haven’t really put them down.”—TODD JONES ’89, THE VERGE
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Todd Jones ’89 CO-FOUNDER, TETON GRAVITY RESEARCH ACTION SPORTS
Teton Gravity Research is a production company showcasing top athletes in premier ski, snowboard, and surf films. Todd Jones, TGR’s founding director and cinematographer, founded the company in Jackson Hole, WY. Together with his brother and two childhood friends, the group combined all their savings from work on a commercial fishing boat in Alaska to buy their first camera. Eighteen years later, Jones continues to work on all of the company’s films. Todd says he has always felt a connection and love for the mountains, and feels lucky to make films for a living. His current projects revolve around 3D filming. Todd held the New England Premier of his hit, Higher Ground, at Kimball Union in 2014.
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FIRST PERSON
Boarding Life Inspires Novel M My first novel for young adults takes place at a contemporary boarding school in New England. BY CHELSEY PHILPOT ’01
y first novel for young adults, Even in Paradise, began as a homage to two of my favorite books, Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, and ended up becoming a story that I hadn’t known I needed to tell, a story about a girl who falls in love with an entire family. Even in Paradise takes place at a contemporary boarding school where Charlotte Ryder, a gifted artist, is pulled into the dizzying orbit of the infamous Julia Buchanan, a member of a powerful and wealthy Kennedy-esque family. Julia introduces Charlotte to a life of dazzling parties, palatial vacation homes, and risky escapades. But as Charlotte gets drawn deeper and deeper into the Buchanan family’s luminous world, she realizes that Julia’s smile is not as effortless as she
makes it seem and that tragedy, secrets, and guilt can leave an entire family scarred. I’m grateful to be able to share an excerpt of Even in Paradise with the KUA community and to have a bit of page space to thank all the teachers and librarians who encouraged my love of words and reading. I’m particularly indebted to Kay McCabe and John Kluge, who could not have known that their gentle praise and encouragement would help guide me toward this career I love. —Chelsey Philpot ’01 is one of four Philpot kids to attend KUA. The paperback edition of Even in Paradise will be published this May and her second YA novel, Be Good Be Real Be Crazy, is scheduled to be released in October. You can find her online at ChelseyPhilpot.com.
PROLOGUE
The Buchanans’ pull was as natural and strong as the moon on the tides, and when I was with them I was happy in the warmth of their reflected light. If they had any sense of their collective charm, they never showed it. So self-assured were they all by nature that it never occurred to me to doubt that their perfection was predetermined by forces I did not understand. They were all royalty. They were all gods. They were all broken. I could not tell you now, then, or really ever who I loved more—only that I did love her, and him, and them all with a fierceness that I didn’t know was possible. They say there is nothing like your first love, but they have little to say about loving two people at the same time—or an entire family. She was as fragile and full of life as a flute of champagne teetering on the edge of a table. He was strong enough to be the man he was born to be, but maybe not the one he would have chosen to become. As for the rest, they amaze me still. Even knowing, as I do now, that grace, power, and, yes, love can hide the darkest elements of the human heart, I would do it all again. Beginning with the night I met her, then him, then the rest. I would do it all again just to know that for a moment I was one of the Great Buchanans.
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Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m grateful to the teachers and librarians who encouraged my love of words and reading.
FA L L 2015
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Class Notes DI S PAT C H E S N EWS F ROM A LUM N I
1936
80th REUNION
Former trustee, Ray Kiely, turned 97 in the fall and shared the following, “Our healthy days are over. Martha is suffering from Alzheimer’s and I have immobility problems. I so appreciate KUA after 8 grades in one school under one teacher.”
1937
Ralph “Cap” Dodge writes, “On June 28,
2015 my wife, Bunny and I celebrated our 96th birthdays and our 73rd wedding anniversary. Our son, David Dodge ’72, his wife Kathryn and family members decorated and passed out lace cookies and tin foil wrapped chocolate bunnies to all in the Havenwood Dining Room after enjoying a lovely dinner in our honor.”
1941
75th REUNION Charles K. Mallett
P.O. Box 382, South Berwick, ME 03908 202-365-0179 •charleskmallett@yahoo.com Make plans now to attend the gala 75th Reunion on June 10 -12, 2016! Hank Parker and Jim Saggiotes are co-residents at the Kendal House in Hanover, along with Jim’s middle daughter’s father-in-law and the three are good friends. Though he is unsure that he will be able to make it back to KUA to celebrate their 75th Reunion, Jim expressed his happiness that Charles Mallett and Hank Parker will be recognized at that time as KUA Metal recipients.
1942
Spencer Wright writes, “William (Chief) Brewster ’14, Head Master, went to Mid-
dlebury College around class of 1917 and only his wife was a native of the town of Middlebury. Chief recommended in my PG year that Middlebury might be a good choice for both my brother, Charles ’43 and me to attend. Jump ahead 70 years and in this generation the two of us have five grandchildren who have graduated or are attending Middlebury College. Thanks to Chief and Kimball Union for great guidance!
1943 Joseph Hayes
P.O. Box 697, Rye Beach, NH 03871 50
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603-964-6503 • jhayes697@yahoo.com As a member of the Class of 1943 it is amazing how much I can remember of that era, but 3 days ago can be a problem. I am now 91 years old, in reasonably good health, and still play golf 2 days a week. My last visit to KUA was in 2013. It was to celebrate the founding of the school 200 years ago, and for me our 70th reunion. Fortunately for me, I live in Rye Beach, NH so the drive is less than 2 hours. I can’t tell you how pleased I was to see the wonderful progress made under the able hand of Mike Schafer. Brewster would be very proud. If anyone reading this would care to respond and mail me an update of your life and career, it will certainly make future class notes.
1944
Bob Russell writes, “This has been a year
of change for me. In September 2014, Ginney suffered a severe stroke. After 3 months in the hospital and 4 months in re-hab., we lost her in February 2015. The adjustment is difficult, but I’m landing on my feet. Loomis Village Retirement is a good place for me with lots of friends and activities. Stay healthy.”
1945
David Taylor writes, “At 88 years, I’m still upright and healthy. Karen, our poodle, Koko and I are enjoying ourselves in Lebanon, NH of all places. My grandson, William Robbins- Cole ’16 is at KUA and I get over there for a sports event from time to time. The campus is still as beautiful as I remember it.”
1946 70th REUNION
1947
Allan F. Munro ’55 (substitute class reporter)
675 Main Street, New London, NH 03257 603-526-2176 • amunro1@comcast.net Bill Caldwell remembers well arriving at KUA as a World War II veteran with no idea of where he was going or what he was going to do. His experience before KUA was trying to survive the “Battle of the Bulge” and the war in the Rhineland with Patton’s 3rd Army, a steady ritual of Panzer attacks, Stuka dive bombers, freezing cold
weather and the constant misery of war. He was 18 years old and the experience did not have any positive effect to prepare him for the future. Ten days before the war ended, his 57MM Anti-Tank Company was one of the first units to arrive at and liberate the surviving prisoners of the Dachau Concentration Camp, outside Munich. Words cannot explain it at all! Bill appreciated his Post Graduate Year at KUA and went on to graduate from the University of Connecticut. He was in the publishing business and worked through three mergers with Random House (NYC), D. van Rostrand (Princeton, NJ), Prindle, Weber and Schmidt (Boston) and International Thompson (Cincinnati, OH and Toronto, Canada). His wife, Marilyn, he says was and is his motivating influence. They have two children and four grandchildren. He sends his best wishes to all his friends that he got to know very well at KUA, such as
Howie Seward, Bill Boynton, John Per Lee, Richard Cummings, Walter Demers, Peter Newton, Kent McCray, Bob Hopkins, Dick Wasson, Dave Batchelder and Earl Kenyon and all the ones he did not know well enough. • Joe Rahill wrote that he remem-
bers well arriving in Lebanon with one suitcase to start KUA and being picked up by Pappy Porter ’46. Joe’s mind was set on applying to Princeton for its Pre-med program (Joe earned his medical Degree at Princeton as he planned) so he knew he had to focus on his grades. Joe liked cold weather and the size of KUA was “comforting.” Joe’s Dad had multiple sclerosis so was not able to accompany Joe to KUA. He became close to his roommate, Harry Montague (now deceased), who taught him all he knew about New England such as how to harvest maple sugar and how to ski. Before coming to KUA, Joe had a summer job at Chemical Bank in NYC so he was at ease in New York and would visit Howie Seward (now deceased) there on his way to KUA from NJ. He remembers that he and Kent McCray were head proctors. He also remembers that Doug Whitcomb hosted a weekend party on one occasion. Bob Hopkins was a role model and friend because of his leadership of the class. He closes with “all my memories of those years are historic and good”. • Pete Haslam is spending the winter in Vero Beach, FL, and avoiding the weather in Stowe, VT. He has had a couple of health setbacks but is “hanging-in” there so far. He also is following the
presidential race, and is not yet saying for whom he is voting. • As we know from last fall’s Class Notes, Kent McCray is completing a book about his life in television. It will be released this year. He sent a portion of a Chapter with his experience with Bob Hope. In the fall of 1957, Kent was asked to be the Associate Producer of all Bob Hope Shows. He did 10 shows a year both live and film. Mr. Hope was asked by the USO to do a Christmas Show in Japan, Okinawa and South Korea. The crew would have a total of 76 people going on tour. It included the Les Brown Band, Guest Stars, and a film crew. Kent’s orders were sent from Washington. Since he was in charge, he was given the rank of First Star General. They filmed 21 shows in 14 days including travel. One of the important things Mr. Hope asked of Kent, was to make certain there was a car available for him to visit every base hospital. Kent always had great respect for Mr. Hope and what he did for our troops. Kent says there are many more stories with Mr. Hope and about so many incredibly talented people with whom he had the privilege of working. He will let us know when the book will be available. • Bob Hopkins is not making a southern trip this year. They are riding out the winter season in Darien, CT. So far, it has been a very moderate and pleasant winter in CT. • Note: There will be a fall edition of the KUA Magazine, so send me your notes as all ‘47s are interested.
1948
Donald A. Spear
777 Stevens Avenue, Apt. 414 Portland, ME 04103 207-518-9093 • ponderingpundit@gmail.com We suffered a big loss last year with the death of Fred Carleton. He passed away on August 23, 2015. If you are one to keep track of such things that leaves only twenty-five of us who graduated nearly seventy years ago. I always like to give a plug to our three classmates, Don Campbell, Art Creighton, and Bill McKinney, who left before graduation, especially Bill since he keeps in touch with me occasionally which is more than I can say about most of you (hint, hint!). Fred was born in 1930 in Minneapolis, one of five children, all of whom grew up in Minneapolis, Hinsdale, Illinois and Denver, Colorado, and spent their summers at the family farm in River Falls, Wisconsin.
“My experience before KUA was trying to survive the ‘Battle of the Bulge’ and the war in the Rhineland with Patton’s 3rd Army.” —BILL CALDWELL ’47 He came east for his high school years and entered KUA as a junior in the fall of the 1946. His activities on The Hill were numerous, including football, skiing, baseball, the Outing Club, the Glee Club, the Dramatic, Debate and French Clubs, and a very active member of the staff of The Kimball Union. Fred was one of the eighteen members of our class who went on to Dartmouth from which he graduated in 1953. He was active in our reunions for twenty-five or thirty years but then he took on major roles for his Dartmouth class and its reunion years conflicted with ours. He did double duty in 1998 and attended many of the activities at our 50th Reunion. In 1954, Fred graduated from Amos Tuck School of Business and he also completed graduate studies at MIT. He served as an accountant in the US Army while stationed in Japan. For the next two decades, he worked in the computer industry with such giants as IBM, Honeywell and Litton Industries. In 1964 he moved from San Francisco to the New York City area and joined Computer Property Corp. In 1974 he became a partner in the Greenwich Investment Co. which specialized in brokering small business, matching buyers and sellers and securing investment capital. In 1976 he bought the K-Ross Building Supply Co. in Lebanon, N.H., and although he sold the business nine years later, he continued on as its president until retiring in the early 1990s. Fred remained active athletically and excelled at skiing and in tennis until 1978 when he developed multiple sclerosis and stenosis. For those of you who may not have kept in touch with Fred but still remember him from our Kimball Union days, it will not surprise you to learn that he met that challenge with his customary optimism and determination. He was bound and determined to enjoy life each and every day, and he did. The following paragraphs are quoted from his obituary published in the Valley News, West Lebanon, NH, on September 23, 2015: Fred will be remembered for his genial demeanor, his quick wit and quirky sense of humor. He made friends easily and he kept them. He loved his work and was ethical in both his business and personal life. Fred was active in his community, an honored member and friend of the Lebanon Rotary, and devoted member of the
Norwich Congregational Church. He is survived by his second wife Mitzi Carleton whom he married in 1997 on Isle au Haut, Maine where he and Mitzi happily summered for many years with friends and visits from her five children, their spouses and 15 grandchildren. He is survived as well by his former wife, Mollie Carleton of Etna, his daughter, Meg Carleton of Etna, his son, Ted Carleton and wife, Sabrina, and his granddaughters, Belle and Margaux of Mammoth Lakes, Calif. To view an online memorial and or send a message of condolence to the family, please visit www.rand-wilson.com. Musings from Maine: I have taken the winter off from my monthly contributions to MOOSE, my favorite storytelling group but I am doing a gig on April 18th at Bull Feeney’s Irish Pub, a very longtime and popular watering hole here in the Old Port section of beautiful downtown Portland, Maine. As I write this column, with the death of Justice Scalia the political scene has turned even more circus-like. The appointment of his successor has become a political football. The governor of the grand state of Maine has stated that he is due a stipend from Donald Trump for showing him how to perform. It is hard to believe that our governor was re-elected since Mainers customarily will not re-elect politicians who embarrass the State. He is one who should have followed Mark Twain’s advice: It’s better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than open it and remove all doubt. On December 7, 2015, my son, Dave Spear ’82, took a photo of the Zumwalt (DGS 1000) from the top of Fort Popham at the mouth of the Kennebec River as she headed into the Atlantic Ocean for her first sea trials. She is one of three first of their kind stealth destroyers being built at the Bath (Maine) Iron Works. At an estimated $2.5 billion each, these gals are not inexpensive dates but they sure are beauties. The ships are getting a lot of coverage in the national news, especially for their futuristic weaponry. Since they are being built in my hometown of Bath which is known as “The City of Ships” for its long history of shipbuilding going back to the wooden sailing vessels of the nineteenth century, I’m bursting with renewed pride these days. John McCrillis was recently spotted lighting the torch in the opening ceremony for the 100th Newport Winter
Carnival! • Al Moody shared that he has moved to be closer to his son’s home and the medical facilities. He was pleased to have a visit with some KUA people visiting Houston! He is also quite sorry to hear news about our class size getting smalleUntil the next issue: be of Good Cheer, do Good Works, stay Healthy, and keep on Keeping On.
1949 Robert C. Kelly
192 Governor’s Lane, Shelburne, VT 05482 802-985-9555 • bobkelly8@comcast.net
1950 Foster Kay
4380 North Main Street, Apt. 303 Fall River, MA 02720-1712 508-567-1397 • fosterkay@earthlink.net Michael Nardone spent a wonderful time on Nantucket with all members of his family, including four grandchildren, two boys, two girls – three in college, another getting ready! He has discovered a very rewarding passion: walking long distances daily throughout the seasons; a magnificent blessing and gift. He wishes the very best to his classmates.
1951
65th REUNION Bob Olsen writes, “Turned 83 in January of
2016. Been retired from Olsen Technical Sales based in Scituate, MA since 2002. Live in a place called Highland Lakes in Leesburg, FL and active with horseshoes, cycling, sailing and RVing. So far very good health.” • Tom Crump went, for the first time, to his college class reunion. “Amazing how many of us old geezers are up and about.”
1952
Karl A. Brautigam
378 Flax Hill Road, South Norwalk, CT 06854 203-866-5812 • karllass@webtv.net
1953
Stanford B. Vincent
200 Vineyard Gate, Teaticket, MA 02536 508-457-6237 • stan35vincent@gmail.com Allan Bell writes from his home in Decatur IL saying that 2015 was a good year for him and his wife Lois. Not only was it their 25th wedding anniversary, but three more
great-grandchildren were added to their family. They now have eight grandchildren, four step-grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, four great-step-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild. Can any top this? Reminiscing about his two years at KUA, Allan says that one of the most positive influences for him was Charles “Shorty” Amarol, the second cook. Always good natured and conscientious, Shorty had begun his cooking career at a CCC camp during the depression and had worked in a Lebanon diner before being employed at the Academy. • Pete Bowser sends his greetings. He and wife Sue continue to enjoy an active life, topped off last year by a two week trip to northern Italy and including this January a three week cruise from San Francisco to Sydney. In between Pete plays a little golf (“index too high to quote”), and sings at the nearby College of Marin. • Monk Bancroft, on the Ski Patrol again at Sugarbush and Mad River, remarked that it had been a lousy ski season in VT this winter. In February he was headed for Colorado for his annual ski week at Keystone/Arapahoe Basin. • Tony Brockelman and his wife, Ann enjoyed a memorable trip last spring to Italy with grandchildren, ages 12 and 15. Eventually they made their way to the Amalfi Coast and stayed in a B&B with unforgettable vistas! Ann shared that “the memories of the KUA Bicentennial are very much with us – old friends and the campus with new additions!” • Classmate Bob Brown remains among the missing. The nursing home in Largo FL, where he’d been in 2010, says he left them because of their non-smoking policy. Though they couldn’t say where he went, they did mention that they’d recently heard him playing piano nearby. In the 1980s Bob sang lead tenor with the Four Lads, and in the 90s with the Pied Pipers and Jimmy Dorsey’s Orchestra. • From Ft. Meyers, Bob O’Neil sends the sad news that his wife Yvonne passed away in December after a long illness. They had been married for 55 years. • Crazy winter. The Coonamessett River, a spring-fed tidal river on Cape Cod just up from Vineyard Sound, froze solid in February this year leaving the many ducks, geese and swans that make it their winter home wondering where to look for their next meal. Two days later the temperature reached 50 degrees. Yours truly has a new home overlooking the river. Carol and I would love to have you come visit. –Stan SPRING 2016
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Class Notes 1954
Charles Batchelder shared that Jack Lebrun and Al Munro ’55 have attended the
last three KUA vs. Brewster hockey games, which KUA has won handily!
1955
Warren D. Huse
252 Pleasant Street, Laconia, NH 03246-3033 603-524-6593 I regret to report that Ed Fowler died, November 19, 2015, in Dover, NH. The class sends its condolences to the family. • Probably the most adventuresome member of the class recently has been George Place, who went off on one of the first jaunts to Cuba following the recent lifting of some restrictions on travel to that island nation. George’s account of his trip follows: Realizing that “thawing of relations” would ultimately open up tourism floodgates to Cuba, I jumped at the chance to see it, as it is now, when presented the opportunity last October. 10 adventuresome souls plus our two tour directors, embarked on an historical/educational visit, which began with a flight to the southeastern city of Santiago de Cuba, near “Gitmo.” Founded by the Spanish in the 1500’s, in more modern times, it was the landing spot of Teddy Roosevelt at the start of the Spanish/ American war (1898). It was also the early training site of Fidel Castro’s first (failed) attempt to start a revolution in 1953. We went next to Bayamo (‘Message to Garcia’ locale); then to Holquin where we flew by Russian Jet to Havana. In the two days there, we toured historical sites, including a huge Spanish fort (El Morro-Cabana) overlooking the old part of the city and the El Morro fortress; site of the naval battle of Santiago. The following day, a two-hour chartered bus ride west of Havana, brought us to Pinar Del Rio and a tobacco farm where the manager rolled me a fresh cigar, which I enjoyed immensely. From there we climbed through a cave and had lunch at a large farm, with freshly cut vegetables, 5 choices of meat and fabulous views! Traveling the countryside, Fidel’s subtle and, not so subtle, presence is everywhere. Billboards, monuments museums and even on the side of a building in Revolutionary Square, has the outline of his face. All is intended to remind the general population that the Revolution is alive and well and if this is somewhat intimidating, it seems to have a positive aspect as well. The roads, highways, public parks, etc., are all free of trash and litter and we saw no graffiti anywhere on the Island. Except for deterioration of much of real estate due to lack of 52
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funds for maintenance, Cubans keep their public areas very clean. We climbed San Juan Hill, toured the Moncada Barracks, site of Fidel’s attack in 1953; visited the Cuban Missile Crisis museum on the grounds of the famous Hotel Nacional de Cuba; rode in 1950’s cars to The Tropicana Nightclub for dinner and a show and swam in the Bay of Pigs, after touring its museum. We had most meals in “Paladars,” which are private homes, turned into small restaurants and had a daiquiri at Ernest Hemingway’s favorite “watering hole”: El Floridita. Inside, at the end of the bar is a full size bronze statue of the famous writer. Next stop, Miami. (George also met with a group of KUA students, in February, who were planning a trip of their own to Cuba in March.) • Howie Goldberg and his wife, Sheila, George Place and Carolyn and Kathy H’13 and Allan Munro attended the KUA Boston Holiday Party at the Taj Hotel. Al says there was a very active attendance with many young alumni, including his daughter Amy Munro ’11. “With all the young alumni, George stood at the microphone and declared that the ‘55s were the oldest class being represented. He got a lot of applause. At the same time, I am glad I am not 22 years old, as is my daughter. We had planned to have a nice dinner after the reception so did not eat much at the event. Wrong move as we were convinced by Amy to travel to a bar with many of the younger alumni/ae, but we did experience the benefits of Uber as Amy has an account: fast pick up and relatively reasonable price. No wonder the kids like Uber so much.” Allan and Kathy also attended the KUA Hanover Holiday Party. “We did see Jack LeBrun ‘54 in good spirits. Not many ‘55s in the area so we did not see any classmates. Jack and I drove to Lake Winnipesaukee last fall to take Charlie Batchelder ‘54 to a KUA soccer game at Brewster Academy. We have made this a ritual, but usually take him to a KUA Boys’ Ice Hockey game against Brewster. We then have a dinner with Charlie that is most enjoyable. Jack stays in close touch with Charlie and Dick Carolan ‘54.”• Al recently visited Bob Ober in Nashua, NH. “He was a KUA ‘54, but did a PG year so is pictured in our 1955 Concordia. We mostly reminisced about the trip that Derek van Etten, Bob and I took to Ft. Lauderdale in the spring of our senior year at KUA. Dee and I got bad sunburns because we hung out at the beach. Bob did more intellectual pursuits and avoided the burn ... At one point in Bob’s life he circulated between Massachusetts and New Hampshire celebrating veterans as Uncle Sam in Veterans’ Day Parades. You will remember that Bob had the build
for that role. His home is full of pictures of him as Uncle Sam. In one picture he is followed by a big float that he and friends constructed with 50 American flags streaming behind it…one for each state... and hub caps with red and white spokes. Quite a show, I am sure.” • Al also reports that “our daughter, Amy ‘11, Kathy H’13 and I traveled to Manchester, England to pick up Jonathan ’13 from the University of Manchester where he had a summer job doing research in astrophysics. We were using that as an excuse to then travel on to Ross-shire, Scotland to visit the Munro Castle. Along the way we stopped in Edinburgh to see Edinburgh Tattoo at the Edinburgh Castle. It’s a big deal featuring bagpipes and at this event celebrating the anniversary of WW II. We had a tour of the Munro Castle from Elisabeth Munro, the 93-year-old widow of the former chief of the Munro Clan. She was very spry, giving me confidence on my own longevity. We also visited Colloden where Bonnie Prince Charles fought the British. The Munro Clan fought on the side of the British because the money was better. The Clan also experienced the only breakthrough by the Scots but another Clan gave way first. When we were there 25 years earlier my brother, Blake Munro ‘62, observed that we were smart as we fought for the winning side and were in the second row of the battle line. Some have asked what all the various years after an alumni name means, like H’13 (honorary member of 2013) or P’11 (parent) GP’11 (grandparent).” • Walter Phelps reports one of his four step-grandchildren is in second year at Bowling Green; another in second year at Penn State, one going to Purdue next year and the other undecided for next year. • John Booth writes, “Bonnie and I are still running Five Gables Inn & Spa. All are welcome coming back from the south. Life goes on, now have 3 grandchildren in college and more on the way. I hope to get back to KUA in the spring.” • Photographer and artist Bill Agee writes, “My serious shooting started when I discovered a little used darkroom in the basement of the KUA Library. There I taught myself how to print black and white photos as I never had access to a darkroom before that even though I was shooting family and school pictures before that, but sending them out to be developed. That got me through a lot of quiet nights on the Hilltop in the winter. It was great! The time passed quickly, I learned to print fairly well, and I got to listen to classical music on the radio. When I gave up college teaching 3 years ago, all of a sudden, I went from making a lot of new adult friends — 2
nights weekly, a total of 60 students a week — to again working fulltime in my studio on art projects. It was a big change in people contact, so my daughter told me that she and her husband thought I wasn’t being social enough and needed to stop talking to my dogs all day in the studio. So they gave me a Friday and Saturday night bartending job at their flagship restaurant. Well, it’s turned out to be a lot of fun — mixing drinks is like painting, after you learn the fundamentals, you can become quite creative. Anyway, that’s what I have been up to and it’s been a lot of fun. In the process, I am currently revising my photo and painting websites during the day and trying to market my images online. Other than adopting dogs regularly from the Laguna Beach Dog shelter, I do a lot of walking and yard work trying to keep my citrus trees blooming and producing. One might say I sometimes sit around a bit and contemplate my navels.” • Howie Goldberg writes that in late January, he “attended the floorcovering market called ‘Surfaces’ in Las Vegas. Now before you go, ‘Oooh, that’s exciting,’ remember that I have been attending this market for between 20-30 years. After the first market it was pretty old. I go there to work in the exhibits run by the companies I represent. Hopefully I get to see some of my customers from New England, but most of the time I am either helping customers from California, Alaska, etc., or waiting for people to come in. You get the point. I can’t believe how tired I came back this year. George Place’s son-inlaw, a doctor, told him once his ailments came from the TMB Syndrome (Too Many Birthdays). I guess I’m suffering from the same malady, but it beats the alternative. Years ago, Phil Brockelman used to join me out there so he could get a free room, and gamble at the penny slots all day. It was good to have him out there, because we got to visit and have dinner together, and I even spent a half an hour or so playing the penny slots. However, due to difficulty for Phil to get out there, he hasn’t come out in recent years. We did catch up on the phone the other day. He sounded good, and told me his weight is down to under 180. I asked him to send me a photo to confirm that fact, but so far I have not received it. I do get together reasonably often with George Place. We usually have lunch, and sometimes he uses his handyman skills to do a project for me. My middle daughter has been working at Southern New Hampshire University for the last couple of years. She commutes every couple of weeks to Manchester from Sloatsburg, NY. Her field is Workforce Development, and she is involved in working on the cur-
“Losing a good friend, Tom Howe, and my wife, Lynn, to cancer is tough for the families, but we march on.” —CURTIS F. BROCKELMAN ’57
riculum for their “College of America,” an on-line program that is giving degrees based on competency rather than just class hours. It makes higher education much more affordable, and caters to older students. She loves the work, but I don’t know where she gets the strength to do all the travel required. Her oldest son is finishing up his 5-year program in electrical engineering at Northeastern, and is due to graduate this May. Our youngest daughter Anne’s daughter is in her junior year, majoring in art therapy at Lesley University, and is a resident advisor this year. She just started a teaching internship at a middle school this term. Our oldest daughter, Jodi’s daughter is a senior at Newton North High School. She has been getting her college acceptances. So far, no rejections. She wants to double major in [ottery and chemistry, quite a combination. Right now her first choice is UVM, but we will see. The other two grandsons are a junior and a sophomore in high school. Their turn will be coming soon enough. • Ed Boadway says his desk will never be less than “piled high,” with all the work and reading that needs to be done. Ed was “feted at both church and home on his 80th birthday, and a cake built in the shape of a pipe organ included the black walnut stop-knob shanks duplicated with Tootsie Rolls. One celebration was called ‘The Vigil of the Feast of the Nativity of St. Edgar the Proofreader.’ He has been enjoying the ‘global warming driving weather’ to get organ work done.” • Norm Letarte is “still in pretty good shape for the shape that I’m in. Have a part time job that keeps me out of the bars a few days a week. Anneliese and I spent some time in Maui with our daughter. Played a lot of golf. What a treat! While waiting at baggage claim Anneliese passed out, broke her leg and spent the whole time in a splint. Bummer. Moral: Drink lots of water on long flights. A new trail has opened at Wachusett Mt., in Princeton, MA, called NORM’S WAY!! Hooray. My legacy has finally been established. I hope this finds all my classmates and families in good health. My best to all.” • For Dick Rose, “the first six months of this year were spent in and out of the hospital and doctors’ offices. I had a minor stroke in December 2014 with only a loss of right peripheral vision in both eyes. Not to worry for I have adjusted well and been able to continue to drive. Another “highlight” was the installation of a cardiac pacemaker which, like the Energizer Bunny keeps me “going and going, etc.” I am serving a second term as an ordained deacon in the First Presbyterian Church of Schenectady, NY, and head up the senior
fellowship ministry there. I am so thankful that the Lord has allowed me to serve HIS people. The only disappointing thing this year was the Patriots not making the Super Bowl. There is still hope for the Boston Bruins!! Betty and I will be celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary on February 25 in Saint Augustine while visiting my brotherin-law and sister-in-law there.” • Charley Darling reports that he and Ann had both had some medical issues this past year but are both on the mend still and expect to be tip-top shortly. “Our granddaughter Lexi was accepted at the University of Delaware and started her freshman year this fall. She has just completed a winter-rim as well and is pushing a GPA of 4! She is a very serious student. (Much more so than her parents and grandparents!)” • In the world of print — and, now, electronic — journalism, Warren Huse continues his local history pages, once a week in the local daily newspaper. For the past couple of years, he has also put the same material up on the newspaper’s website, which has necessitated learning a couple of new computer programs in succession as the paper switched website providers. As of this writing, the paper was expecting to move to yet another program, for laying out the pages, so there’s not much danger of Warren’s getting set in his ways for very long. At the local historical society, where he continues as treasurer, there has been “the excitement of transitioning from one executive director to a new one. Never a dull moment.”
1956
60th REUNION
1957
Curtis F. Brockelman
64 Perch Bay Road, P. O. Box 94 Waccabuc, NY 10597 914-763-5050 • pigbrock@aol.com Curtis writes, “I am spending most of the winter in Florida, but occasionally going back north to see grandchildren perform in many different ways; dramatics, squash, basketball, etc. My wife Lynn passed away last October after a courageous battle against cancer. Prior to her passing we had a wonderful family trip to a dude ranch in Big Sky Montana, all 16 of us. Everyone had a ball and the grand kids loved coming back to the ranch house to tell PITA (short for grandmother) all about their exploits that day. I am still working for Morgan Stanley and flying as much as I can. Both seem to keep my mind active which is good, especially this year. Losing a good friend, Tom Howe and my wife, Lynn to cancer is tough for the families, but we march on.”
1958
Frederic F. Heap
210 North Street, Hingham, MA 02043 781-749-9697 • ffheap@yahoo.com Hi folks. Very busy year. Did a bit of moving and Sheila and I had some medical issues. Reporting down in Florida while Hingham is freezing. Can’t say much because my notes are in Hingham. No boating or RVing. Sold last property on Nantucket and bought a house for Sheila in Plymouth, MA. One floor living.• Heard from John Thees, he has been doing a lot of singing down in Texas. I have also been doing some singing for the Pinehills Coral Group in Plymouth. It has been years since I have been singing. John and I are tenors. Not many around so I hope to capitalize on it.• While Sheila and I were at a get together at the community we live in, Pinehills, Great Island, Plymouth, MA, I met a man named Paul Schiling, I asked him if he was related to the Baseball Pitcher. He said no. I asked him if he was related to Jerry Shilling ’56. He looked at me with a surprised look. He asked me where I knew Jerry Shilling from. I said that I went to KUA with a Jerry Shilling. Paul then said that he went to KUA, turns out he is Paul Schiling ’65. Small world. • I will try and catch up on mailing lists and E-mail lists. I have not heard about losing any more classmates. If you have any news, please let me or the school know. • Edward Mullen writes, “I was class of 1958 at KUA and attended the University of New Hampshire and graduated in 1962. While at UNH I was involved in the Army ROTC program and after graduation, I spent almost 8 years in the Army as an officer and pilot. I was recently inducted into the UNH ROTC Hall of Fame based on my military career, involvement with the University and the State of NH over the years. My three grandsons are involved in hockey in Massachusetts and Maine and hopefully will attend KUA in their futures. • John Floyd-Jones has “downsized” and purchased a smaller home and property which has been much more manageable! He is enjoying heat and humidity in the Deep South!
1959
Dave Gaudes writes, “Martha and I are blessed to be able to spend the winters in Florida. This year we took two Caribbean cruises with our neighbors and enjoy being outside biking and spending time attending many activities in the area. Our summers in New Hampshire are spent between our condo in Bedford and our cottage in Bradford. I am president of our lake association and we are totally involved in removing milfoil from our lake and we are
winning the battle. Hopefully we will be able to attend Reunion Weekend this year.”
1960
Jonathan E. Mitchell
4 Wesley Drive, Londonderry, NH 03053-3544 603-216-5369 • cottageretreatja@comcast.net
1961
55th REUNION William S. Hagar
194 South Mendon Road, Rutland, VT 05701 248-496-5147 • whagar467@comcast.net Allen C. Adriance (“Ace”); recently retired from a career as an independent school headmaster at 10 schools throughout the country and a five-year stint as Secretary of the Academy/Director of Development at Phillps Academy, Andover. I am, however, still involved with my consulting firm which I began 15 years ago, albeit with a much reduced time commitment! • Bob Bentley has finally retired from his career in the rail transportation industry, but has now engaged with the “dark side” as a consultant with Cambridge Communications & Signal Systems. He is developing a Congressional mandated “Positive Train Control” System. A lot of high tech software and hardware is being developed by a team of young, smart IT programmers. Congratulations Bob! Keep doing it as long as it is fun. • Tony Gilmore continues his activities as in the past, of involvement in Rotary/ Water development and international travel. Projects last year included supply and development of water supply and filtration for a remote site in Honduras, and photography support for “Pure Water for the World.”These photos are presently going into a display at the Chaffee Art Center here in Rutland, VT. In October, Tony was in Haiti on a similar photographic mission for “Pure Water for the World.” For their 49th wedding anniversary, Tony and Liz traveled to Costa Rica. Next year an extended trip to New Zealand is planned. • A call to Chris Abajian revealed that he is now fully retired, but still visits the hospital weekly to conduct magic shows for the kids. Chris still enjoys fishing, but the target now is more often Atlantic striped bass, this year on Cape Cod. In November, Chris and Margaret enjoyed a month in Australia to attend the wedding of Margaret’s niece. I enjoyed tracking their travels on Facebook as they went everywhere from Sydney to Perth. • Pete Fenn continues to run an annual golf tournament in the Buffalo, NY, area to raise money for US Veteran amputees. At the June 2015 event, there were 134 players and a new record was set with over $12,000 raised. Pete SPRING 2016
53
Class Notes
DI S PAT C H E S N EWS F ROM A LUM N I
also does fundraising to support Camp No Limits for children of amputees. He was recently informed that he will be recognized for this work as Citizen of the Year by Independent Living for the Disabled. Congratulations Pete! I know you have put a lot of effort into this for a long time... • As for Jeninne and me, we continue to make new friends within the Rutland, VT community, and generally just enjoy being back in New England after a 20 year experiment in the Midwest. This relocation has given us improved access to children and grandchildren in VT and CT as well as the ability to reach out to past friends at Kimball Union, my initial high school class in Marshfield, MA, and my college friends at WPI. Of course, we have been somewhat awash in 50th reunions recently, as have many of you, I am sure. And next up is our own 55th at Kimball Union on June 10-12, 2016. I look forward to contacting as many of you as I can reach to encourage attendance at this event. So far, Bob Bentley and I have committed to going. I believe that Tony Gilmore is likely, and I am working on Chris Abajian and Norm Turcotte to take a ride down to campus on Saturday at least. Now that we are back in the area, annual attendance at the Upper Valley Christmas Reception is becoming a habit for Jeninne and me, as well as participation in the KUA annual Feichtinger Cup at Whaleback. This year was our third, and I may never be allowed to miss it because it has become a huge attraction for the grandkids. In spite of a terrible snow season up here, we all had a terrific time there in February. Just ahead, we will be going to Waterford, MI to assist our daughter Jill, following the birth of our 5th grandchild in early March. Our others are Brenton (14), Audrey (9), Meredith (8), and Darrell (1). They are a terrific bunch, and we very much enjoy helping them grow. -Bill Hagar
it to be a welcome change to remain home for longer periods of time. For the majority of my working years, my wife, Kathy, a high school history teacher, and I resided in Northern Virginia where we raised two children. Then in 2008 we decided it was time to move back to Vermont to enjoy a slower pace of life, along with Vermont’s natural beauty. In 2011 we started building a retirement home on the shores of Lake Champlain where we currently reside. The summer months present us opportunities for various water activities, along with magnificent sunsets. We treasure visits with our daughter’s and son’s families, which include six grandchildren. In addition to yard work, I still enjoy skiing at many of the local areas, cycling through the picturesque Vermont countryside and hiking the Long Trail, especially at the peak of the vibrant fall foliage season. Should you ever find yourself in the Burlington area, please stop by for a visit.” • Stuart Conant write, “I live in Manchester, MA, have been married 45 years and have a son and a daughter who are married and live in adjacent towns. I have three grandchildren with twins on the way in May – so retirement is about to become even more active, but it will be great fun. I retired in 2009 from a career in Commercial Real Estate with Spaulding & Slye Boston (now Jones Lang LaSalle), focused on securing international locations for our major clients. My wife and I love to travel since we started our lives at PanAm and have traveled the world ever since. Africa is a favorite. Sorry to miss the 50th a few years back due to an untimely family death – sounded like it was a good showing and a great time, see you at the 75th!”
Tom Easton writes, “To recap the past five
Dave Campbell writes, “We are living in
1964
Chris John and his wife, Diane will cele-
brate 40 years together in 2016. They have two daughters and two grandchildren.
1962
1965
decades, after serving almost five years in the Army as a helicopter gunship pilot during the Vietnam era, I then spent almost 30 challenging and rewarding years as a Special Agent/Pilot with the FBI, retiring in 2000. Immediately thereafter, I began my next career flying Gulfstream business jets to domestic and foreign destinations. This was a fabulous retirement job, where I met many interesting and well-known people while traveling the world. Since all good things must eventually come to an end, in May 2015, I decided it was time to retire once again. While I truly enjoyed the flying, as well as the travels, I’ve found
Oldfield, a gated community in Okatie, SC halfway between Hilton Head and Beaufort. We moved south away from Falmouth, MA and the freezing cold weather 10 years ago. My wife, Eileen is a professional recruiter working from home and our 20 year old daughter, Katherine, is a sophomore at Applachian State in Boone, NC. If anyone is passing through the area, give a call!”
54
KIMBALL UNION MAGAZINE
1966
50th REUNION Dale L. Meltzer
60 Veterans19 Way, Hampstead, NH 03841
603-489-2696 • dale444@aol.com Congratulations to Gregory Stone, the recent winner of a sculpture competition for the Hampshire Council of Governments. His bronze sculpture will be unveiled in spring 2016 and placed on the Northampton, MA Courthouse grounds. In addition he has been busy with a group show of the Holyoke, MA. Art League, at the statehouse in Boston and a solo show at Cooley-Dickenson Hospital, also in Northampton. • Bill Luria and his wife, Jennifer welcomed a new granddaughter, Vivian Luria, their 7th grandchild!
1967
Robert J. Jamback
25 Zachary Drive, Dunbarton, NH 03046 508-561-1013 • bobjamback@yahoo.com Mike Chellis stopped at my house last summer as he was riding his motorcycle around NH. He had been in the trucking business from which he recently retired. Mike told a story of playing baseball later in life. He came to bat with a wood bat which caused some of the younger opponents to crack up. Mike had the last laugh as he promptly homered. Mike lives in the Syracuse area. • Walt Silver and his wife, Pat, live in the Akron, OH area where Walt has worked in the Rubber, Plastics and Adhesive industries since graduating in 1971 from Muskingum College. In 1976, he joined his family’s business, Akrochem Corporation, of which he now is CEO as well as President and CEO of REVLIS, (Silver backwards), Akrochem’s manufacturing arm. Walt is working on turning over manufacturing responsibilities to his son soon. Walt is a prostate cancer survivor since 2012. Walt and Pat also have a house in Miramar Beach, FL although they consider Copley, OH “home.” • I met up with Glenn Hudson this summer and had lunch with him and his wife. They like to cross-country ski although this winter hasn’t allowed much of that yet. • Bob Bennett and his wife traveled to Singapore in February and then were on a cruise around Southeast Asia for three weeks. They have visited 77 countries over the past 15 years and live in Longmeadow, MA. • My wife and I are taking a Viking Cruise in July—no I don’t get a commission for mentioning them. I hope all of you are well. Send me any news and keep our 50th in mind, June 2017. Let’s have a good reunion.
1969
Malcolm E. Cooper
P. O. Box 352, Dorset, VT 05251-0352 802-867-2528 • mcoop@jkadams.com
1970
Jeff Phillips writes, “It’s been a long time
since I responded to your pleas for news. Life is good! Our youngest son Josh, 28, just got engaged. He and Alison will be married in 2017 in CO. We are looking forward to becoming grandparents in the next few years. Josh is the Field Director for Bernie’s campaign in CO. He is my political and environmental activist. Aron, 31, lives in NYC and is leading digital strategy for Lebron James’ media and production companies. The role combines his passions for sports, art, music and film. He is my marketing and business entrepreneur. My wife Cathy is enjoying retirement and volunteers to work with young immigrants at Head Start in Burlington VT. I continue with just enough consulting to keep my chops sharp while leaving lots of time for outdoor activities, Jazz and travel. We recently visited Cuba for the annual Havana Jazz Festival. I am auditing a class at UVM on Jazz in Culture. My first time in a classroom since Amherst over 40 years ago! I continue to serve on the Board for the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival. I have been back to KUA on a few occasions to participate in an Environmental Science class, Ethics Day and on an Earth Day panel on Sustainability. It feels good to give back to the students at KUA. I hope all of my classmates are doing well and enjoying their lives.”
1971
45th REUNION Stanford M. Bradeen
9 Howard Estates, St. Albans, VT 05478-1583 802-863-2740 • stanb@bradeen.net
1972
Robert W. Clark
P. O. Box 626, Waynesville, NC 28786-0626 828-452-9042 • bcfromwnc@gmail.com Gerry Morrissey is keeping busy these days. He is the chief quality officer for The Mentor Network, a football official for the Northeast 10 Conference and high school boards and is an 11 year cyclist for the Pan Mass Challenge to support the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, having raised over $115,000 to date! He is also serving on several state and local nonprofit boards.
1973
Bill Bolton has relocated to the west coast and is the President of Performance Foodservice in Livermore, CA. Bill and his wife Nancy reside in the Bay Area but make frequent trips back to Boston and Maine to visit friends and family. • Jim Dolan
“I got to ski with Georg Feichtinger at the Feichtinger Cup and Harry Robinson ’74 Memorial Ski Day at Whaleback last year. The man is inspirational. ” —TOM CARR ’78
checked in with the following note, “Living in Gloucester, MA- moved here 2 years ago, semi-retired. Saw KUA spank Governor’s at Fenway Park last year- Wildcats were flying. Bumped into Dave Desmond, “Bloody” (Bob Blood) and Harry Robinson, great to see them there. The Big “G” would have been proud of the performance. All the best, “Dola” • Jeff Cutts has been spotted back on The Hilltop, not just to visit his daughter, Sarah (Cutts) Roberts ’08 and her husband Evan Robert ’07, but as a participant in this year’s Senior Ethics Day. • Fred Russell shared that he has spent the past 39 years as a Financial Advisor and currently spends time “in offices in Binghamton, NY and or near Philadelphia, PA.” His oldest son Derek joined firm in mid-2013 from Lockheed Martin as head of finance. He is also helping drug addicts push thru to sobriety!
1974 Scott Noonan
413 Essex Street, Swampscott, MA 01907 781-596-2959 • jandsnoonan@comcast.net “After 35 years in the insurance business, I retired to do something more fun and am now running an equestrian event in Far Hills, NJ called the Essex Horse Trials,” shared Ralph Jones. “My wife, Lynn, and I own a farm nearby and we look forward to riding in several competitions this year sponsored by the US Eventing Association.” • Bruce Paro has returned to NH and is teaching English and coaching boys’ hockey and lacrosse at Holderness School.
1976
40th REUNION C. Douglas Mattern
15 Culver Street, #76, Plaistow, NH 03865 603-382-5269 • mattern71385@yahoo.com Sean Mulligan writes, “Father of two... grandfather of one...presently in the Pacific Northwest...been in technology since ‘94...To those of you that I was happy to have played with… I stand here now and state that I caused the only loss on the ‘76 varsity lacrosse team. I left Hondo (Peter Hurstak) our goalie out to dry at Mt. Herman...I believe it was a 6-5 loss...I am now a free man...Peter you deserved better... those things in life one wishes they could change.” • Jeff Wahlstrom and Lisa (former KUA faculty member) enjoy life in Bangor, Maine. Lisa is a fundraising consultant, and Jeff just celebrated the 10th anniversary of the founding of his consulting firm, Starboard Leadership Consulting. Jeff provides strategic planning and board governance support to nonprofit organizations and foundations in Maine. Their oldest son,
Carl (23), is a sound engineer in Chicago and son Nils (21) is studying architecture at Montana State University. Jeff and Lisa are active on local and statewide boards of directors and continue to fill their time with travel, skiing, hiking, golf, and canoe racing. Jeff manages to annually connect with classmate Dan Cassedy for vacation and canoe adventures. “Blessings to you all in my Class of 1976... 40 years this May.”
with David and my two goats and two dogs while doing so. I have a grandson, Avi, who’ll be 3 in September.” • Paul Robertson reports that he is now working at Wegmans Food Market in Westwood, near his Walpole home. He and his wife, Louise, will celebrate 10 years of marriage in April. • It will be 40 years in 2017 since we all left the Hilltop, so I hope you all have the opportunity to return to Meriden then.
John M. Shaw Jr.
Tom Carr writes, “Judith and I have been married for 25 years now and have twin 17 year old’s going to college in the fall. Audrey has been accepted early decision to Drew University and will be playing Field Hockey and studying Business. Edward’s first choice is Cornell for economics and pre-law. So if anyone is feeling generous, we’re accepting donations! I’m still skiing a lot and riding my bikes to stay in shape and retain sanity. I think back on my KUA days and I miss all you classmates. We had a good group. I got to ski with Georg Feichtinger at the Feichtinger Cup and Harry Robinson ’74 Memorial Ski Day at Whaleback last year. The man is inspirational. I reminded him of the time he made me and Tom Hartman walk three miles back from ski practice on Rte. 120 for goofing off in the bus. He got a good laugh though at the time he was fairly pissed at us. Fred Q. sent me a letter from Boulder with no return address a couple years ago (chump) so if anyone knows his exact whereabouts, email me at tom.carr287@outlook.com.” • Ed Stansfield made an appearance on campus this winter as a participant in Senior Ethics Day. With more than 20 years with Merrill Lynch, he had plenty of stories to share and wisdom to impart on members of the KUA class of 2016.
1977
2 Peders Place, Chelmsford, MA 01824-4651 978-761-0313 • johnshaw59@gmail.com Dave Burnside, who is raising a 13-yearold, writes: “I was perfect at that age. He is not!” We’ll take your word for it, Dave. • Dong-il Cho is professor in Department of Electrical and Information Engineering, as well as director of the Biomimetic Robot Research Center at Seoul National University. He also is a senior member of the National Academy of Engineering of Korea, and president-elect of the Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems. He visits America a couple of times a year for conferences, and says he would be happy to see people if they visit Seoul. “I really hope that I can make it back to one of the class reunions before it’s too late to do so,” he writes. • Geoff Flickinger and his wife, Sandy, live in North Kingstown, RI, where he runs Moon and Peepers Pottery, a ceramic business making custom porcelain dinnerware and garden sculptures. When he’s not busy with his four grandchildren, he’s either in his large vegetable garden, out cycling, or doing home brewing. • Jeff Lamsha writes: “I have been working at Saint Edward’s School in Vero Beach, Florida for 34 years. I have taught Physical Education, and coached many sports, including being the head girls’ soccer coach for 25 years. I am currently in my 7th year being the athletic director. I have been married going on 28 years to my wife Michelle, who I met here at school, and we have three grown kids -- Zachary, Jeffrey William, and Mamie.” • Meredith (Judy) Liben writes: “In the past couple years, I’ve been working with adult basic educators on the new College and Career Ready Standards (CCRS) that are built on the Common Core State Standards but somehow manage to be much less controversial. I’m one of five people certified as national literacy coaches for the CCRS for Adult Basic Ed, and was on the committee that developed those standards. I continue to be the Director of Literacy and Publisher Support for Student Achievement Partners in New York, though I get to live in Hartland, VT
1978
1979
Clare Dingwell
200 Swanton Street, Apt. 319 Winchester, MA 01890-4316 Jeff Sherman write,“All is great for me and my family and we have lived on the Mississippi Gulf coast since 2010, however, still keep strong routes between Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard, with the goal of living north and south depending on seasons. I am on my 17th year with MTU Detroit Diesel with responsibilities for diesel engine sales in North America for tugs, passenger vessels and other work boats. One of the best parts of the job is that I travel a lot both domestically and internationally, which has opened my eyes to the world we live in. Have stayed involved with lacrosse all these years having coached at all levels,
started two youth programs and now am the President for Gulf Coast Lacrosse Officials Association, as well as an active official for youth, HS and MCLA – other than the parents, it is a lot of fun!!! My wife remains as an elementary school teacher and my two boys are at Massachusetts Maritime Academy and Florida State University, where one wants to be ship’s captain and the other wants to eventually attend law school – both are also playing lacrosse for their colleges.” • Jay Stewart came out for the Feichtinger Cup and Harry Robinson ’74 Memorial Ski Day this winter and walked away with a first place finish and his name on the trophy!
1980
Jill (Desrochers) Phillips and her husband have moved back to Marblehead, MA, to be close to his family. • Densmore Room 306 Reunion! Nancy Q. Proctor (left) and Martha (McLoughlin) Everett enjoyed the fall 2015 issue of Kimball Union Magazine at a Christmas reunion in Providence, RI. Martha writes, “ As KUA roommates in Densmore Hall, we were so close that people used to call us by each other’s names!” • J.C. Boggs, Don Lowery ‘73, and Russ Robertson ‘68 enjoyed catching up at an informal “Past Trustee Mini-Reunion” at a Washington Nationals game last summer. • Dave McCrillis was spotted participating in a 30-mile run, roller-ski relay to Newport, NH, from Hanover this winter. It was a relay to re-enact the solo trip that his grandfather, John McCrillis took in 1916 when he skied to Newport from Dartmouth College to attend the town’s first Winter Carnival. • It was great to have Tim Case and his wife, Saffron back on campus in January to participate in Senior Ethics Day.
1981
35th REUNION
The Class will be celebrating its 35th Reunion in June. Sarah Lummus will be back and is looking forward to seeing everyone there!
1982 Todd A. Segal
422 Holland Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90042 818-434-9189 • todd.segal@yahoo.com Do you remember when our parents or grandparents would read the newspaper? The thing I most remember about it goes something like this, “Oh did you hear that ‘so and so’ died?’ Well they were mostly people who seemed old, or didn’t really have anything to do with me, so I shrugged it off as if they were talking about the price SPRING 2016
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Class Notes of bananas. I knew I was supposed to care but I didn’t. Fast forward fifty years, this topic becomes more germane. I still believe that we all have at least another good second act to live which is why I am thankful to report that we didn’t, at least to my knowledge, lose anyone this year. Kudos to all. Stay healthy and keep fighting like Wildcats. • In the spirit of the Wildcats, here is a story that unfortunately got lost in the shuffle last year as I sent in no less than six updates. If you did not see your name last time but sent me something, know that the omission was not intentional. This one goes out to Bruce Brawley. • Four years ago Bruce took on the coaching job of an almost nonexistent Westerly RI boys’ high school lacrosse team and guided them from the worst team in their division to winning the state championships in an undefeated season this past year. In a newspaper interview he was quoted as saying, with a wide, relieved smile on his face, “I’m not going to lie — I was scared.” Now who can’t picture this?
1983
Lauren Munro Dole
31 Touchstone, Lake Oswego, OR 97035-1905 503-534-1396 • lauren.dole@me.com The Academy has been enjoying an exhibit in the Taylor Gallery this winter titled, Animals in Wire and Bronze. The art was created by our very own Peter France. • Peter Friedman writes, “Things are going well. I am living in Brookline, MA with my wife, Pam, and three children (Jack14, Ann 11, and Julia 7). I’m still in touch with Tim Brown ‘84, Tom Grady ‘84, Chris Tripp, Jeff Nelson and recently saw Tom Pratt.
I’m involved in coaching hockey- Bantams and Mites and love it! • Tom Pratt is headed back to the Hilltop! He will be joining the Advancement team and looks forward to re-connecting with many of his KUA classmates.
1984
Kearney Brooks writes, “Greetings all!
Change is afoot. I’m recovering well from a serious accident (I don’t recommend car wrecks!) and I’m looking forward to new work, a new truck and a new place to live. I’m enjoying the recovery process and I love my health insurance. I hope all are well. I’ll have more to report as my life solidifies. Go KUA!!” • Jennifer (Gaylord) Donat is excited to announce that after 15 years in the fitness industry, she has opened her own fitness studio, Transform Fitness Studio! She loves meeting all the healthy-minded people who come through to take her spinning and megaformer
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KIMBALL UNION MAGAZINE
DI S PAT C H E S N EWS F ROM A LUM N I classes. She lives in Palo Alto, CA with her husband, Peter and three children – two of whom went back to the East Coast for college (NYU and Boston College). Please look her up on Facebook! Sarah Herbert writes, “I am officially an “empty nester.” All three children graduated from KUA. Addie ’09 graduated from UVM with a degree in English and a minor in French. She continues to write and play her own music while working at Dobra and gardening all throughout Burlington where she lives. Charlotte ’11 graduated from Tim’s ala mater, St. Lawrence University with a BS in conservation biology and a minor in Anthropology. She continues her extraordinary work at the Smithsonian Institute of Natural History in the summers and will move to California to pursue her doctorate in entomology at University of CA at Davis. Jim ’14 will be starting his sophomore year at Bard College working towards his degree in studio arts with a minor in physics. He makes his living creating guitars of every kind while playing bass in his funk fusion band, Santa Yalla. I miss them and work hard on the farm with Tim. I continue to teach the KUA Equestrian Program… which I really enjoy.”
1985
Michael Woods writes, “Still Flipping Houses for Homevestors the WEBUYUGLYHOUSES.COM Company. My two boys Cam & Maverick attending Boston College HS and playing hockey & lax there. Cam my oldest attending SEGL (School of Ethics & Global Leadership) this semester in Washington DC. First BCH student to attend and so proud. Coaching son’s U16 Boston Jr. Terriers U16 team who won the State Championship and heading to Nationals in NJ in April. Also coaching daughter Liberty’s South Shore Conquistadors U14 hockey team. “ • Ingrid (Bradley) Johnson shared the following, “I continue to stay in contact with and see Karen (Marden) Roach on a regular schedule. Great to have our kids be close friends now. Summer has been fun and busy, kids spend it on Money Island in the Thimbles in CT and I commuite three days a week to work. My job at Uvex Sports is very exciting. I run operation for North America now for winter helmets, goggles and now cycling helmets and sunglasses. Hope to see a KUA grad out there.”
1986
30th REUNION Kathleen R. Reinke
1465 Old Farm Lane, Saint Joseph, MI 49085 269-408-8090 • kcreinke2@hotmail.com
Andy Norton writes, “I am living in Alexan-
dria, VA, after moving from San Francisco about 10 years ago. I work as VP of software engineering for ETRADE. I have a 13 -year-old boy who plays on several lacrosse teams, another 10-year-old boy whose baseball team made it to the Virginia State Tournament, the first time in over 15 years that the 10 year olds had made it into the tournament. We travel a lot, love to ski out west and get up to my hometown on Martha’s Vineyard every summer. I would love to hear from anyone down in DC!” • Anna Wolterbeek writes, “I am still working as a policy advisor for the Greater Wellington Regional Council in New Zealand, where the protection of the significant values of wetlands as an environmental bottom line, promoting product stewardship, and any loss and degradation of critical ecosystems are some of the significant issues faced by our region, which is the southernmost part of the North Island. In my free time, I also enjoy community involvement, and I am an active member of the Rotary club of Masterton, the Wairarapa Beekeepers Club and the Wairarapa Dog Walking Club. In March 2015 my partner Breck and I celebrated our years of ‘living together’ with a typical New Zealand ‘Shindig,’ inviting neighbors, friends, family and former classmates to come join us on that day. Breck is a kiwi widower with 2 grown sons, and works as a NZ police officer. We both enjoy tramping, gardening, working and being outside in our lifestyle block with our few sheep, free range chickens, 2 German Shepherd dogs, 4 adopted adult cats, 2 peking ducks, along with gardens, fruit trees, 2 beehives, greenhouse, ponds and great mountain views from our home. We have recently begun brewing our own beer and hard cider, and making jams, jellies and relishes. This year we may even try our hand at making a batch of plum wine. If you’re ever coming to the Down Under, do plan a visit to our area!”
1987
E. Bronwen Jones
17 Sunset Terrace, Maplewood, NJ 07040-1031 973-313-1867 • bronjones1@gmail.com Jon Weiner writes, “Staying busy these days...I’m still in the Atlanta area. My son, Jeremy, is now 19 and in his second year of college. He was also just hired as a full-time police officer with the University of North Georgia (where he is also a student). My most recent adventure was a 10 day tour of Israel. We went in January and had a fantastic time....highly recommended....go if you get the chance. Best to all my classmates!”
1988
Brenna G. (Heggie) Kelley
3 Roberts Lane, Cape Elizabeth, ME 04107 203-244-5397 • bghkelley@gmail.com Rob Krasow writes, “Life is great. I’m living in the Boston burbs after moving out of the city last year loving the tranquility and nature I’m surrounded by. I’ve been working for CitySide Subaru as their business development and community outreach manager for the past 6.5 years. I speak to Ellen Bishop on a regular basis and have spent time in NH with her wonderful family.” • Laura DeSchamp writes, “I’ve been working at Dartmouth Hitchcock as an OR nurse and still loving it. My sister, Kathleen (DeSchamp) Hall ’85 my niece, nephews and I met up with Kelli Jekanowski Trainor ’86 in the spring and summer to see her daughter, Meghan perform. It was so fun to see Kelli. I spent 2 weeks this past May in Italy and will be traveling in London and France this July. I hope to visit with Nick Hofgren while in London.” Nellie Fritz shared that she has been living in Chicago for the past 13 years. “My 2 children, Charlie (14) and Kitty (15) are both at Boarding school now. Charlie and I went to KUA and it looks amazing with tons of new buildings around a campus green. If anyone comes to Chicago be in touch!” Neelie and I have been in contact over the years and with Charlie considering schools in northern New England I am so hopeful that I’ll get to see my roommate again soon! Best wishes to the class of 1988. Please drop me a note and let me know what you are up to. - Brenna
1989
Melissa A. Longacre
596 Stage Road, Plainfield, NH 03781 603-675-9974 • melissa.longacre@valley.net So as not to leave you hanging from the last edition - Candi Osgood Strickland is moving to Norfolk, VA! Wishing you a quick and painless move Candi and Ben! The Bueno-Keen family is taking an interesting family vacation this February - they are going to Family Space Camp in AL! Send photos for the next edition Andrea! • Doug Grady and his children are taking a trip to see Dhamey Norgay in Bhutan this summer. He’s hoping we can help him convince Mark Vail to join them. Doug you must be racking up the frequent flyer miles with all your trips this winter! Safe travels! • Jim Jonas and family are right in the middle of kidding season as I write this with over 50 baby goats so far! If you haven’t checked out their Goat Milk Stuff Facebook page do it right now! The baby goats are just too cute! The Jonas clan also took a
“I am officially an ‘empty nester.’ All three children graduated from KUA.” —SALLY (GRIFFITHS) HERBERT ’84
family trip to Florida this winter and have opened a farm store to sell their goat milk products. Looks like you have great helpers, Jim! • Kurt DePoy is still in Dallas and is in his fifth year coaching basketball for the YMCA. He and his son were able to meet “the greatest player in the game today”, Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors. It was a special moment for them. Kurt and family enjoy all kinds of sporting events. • Jessie Griffiths writes, “I went to the KUA gathering in Boston with my fabulous sisters and brother-in-law in December. The highlight was seeing Brenna Heggie Kelley ’88, who looks exactly the same and seems happily settled with her family in Maine. • I live in northern NH with my husband who runs Meadowstone Farm and our three kids. I am active in the school I founded, Woodland Community School. I see Kate Robes Soehren fairly regularly. She also lives in Maine and enjoys a sporty life with her husband and three on-the-go kids. Recently, I picked up acting by mistake. I took my 11-year-old son to see a local play, and it turned out to be auditions. My son encouraged me to try out, and I got a super fun part. Now I’m hooked! I love how life is so full of surprises.” • Robin Amison Reinhart had been consulting at ADP but is now employed there as a full time associate. Congratulations Robin! Her family is still fostering animals and has “stepped it up” to include special needs pets. Thanks so much for the work you do Robin! Robin’s oldest son is now attending college and recently made Eagle Scout. Her younger boys, Connor and Jonas, are also in Scouts. Jonas recently won the Pine Wood Derby and may compete in their state championships. Good luck Jonas! Always love hearing from you all! Keep in touch. -Melissa
1990
Scott Hagar braved the extreme cold and
joined a dedicated group of KUA alumni, parents and friends, including his father, Bill ’61 for the Feichtinger Cup and Harry Robinson ’74 Memorial Ski Day at Whaleback Mountain in February. • Melissa (Opper) Murray aka Wubba and her family have re-rooted from Manhattan to Burlington, VT. Wubba works remotely for a PR firm in NY, her husband, Tripp as a financial consultant in the legal cannabis industry. Enjoying all that clean Vermont living has to offer including frequent visits with Lisa (Cenci) Sherman ’89, Melissa (Murray) Opper her dad Gene Opper ’59 and Gretchen Dubie ‘90 who comes home to VT from OR to visit family. • Robin Farmanfarmaian wrote, “I just published a book in Dec 2015 - it became a #1 Best Seller within 3 days! TED will be giving them out in the Gift
Cave in Vancouver, and I’ll be doing 2 talks at SXSW on it. I start out with my story (I got sick while at KUA!!), how at the age of 26 I fired my doctors, built a team of new ones that worked with me as a peer, and it saved my life - then take a dive into technologies empowering patients to be key decision makers. In addition, the non-profit I co-founded The Organ Preservation Alliance, has worked with the DoD to release over $100M of funding for science labs working on cryopreservation to eradicate the world’s transplant shortage. We ran workshops and roundtables on solving the problem for DARPA, the DoD, The White House, OSTP, FDA, NIH and more. To read more about Robin’s work visit The Economist online and check out ”Wait Not in Vain,” an article from February 6, 2016 that mentions Organ Preservation Alliance.
1991
25th REUNION Tom McKeown is enjoying everyday life
with his son Tyson who is now 4. Tom talks to Josh Brady who lives in Sacramento with his wife and daughter. Tom went to a KUA boys’ varsity hockey game with his sister Meredith McKeown Belliveau ‘92 who is also doing well, living in CT with her husband and daughter.
1992
Kevin D. Wickless
34 Wales Road, Norwich, CT 06360-9410 860-383-4708 • kevinwickless@gmail.com It’s been some time since we have had class notes. But I want to remind everyone that next year will mark 25 years since we graduated from KUA so it would be a great time to return to the Hilltop for a visit. I know I will be there! In February I traveled to KUA to show my kids, Madelyn and Jackson Wickless around and to attend the Feichtinger Cup and Harry Robinson ‘74 Memorial Ski Day. Georg Feichtinger looks amazing and raced the course per usual and even with sub-zero temperatures it was a great time to reconnect with alumni and KUA staff, new and old. I saw Scott Hagar ’90 and his dad Bill Hagar ’62. I have been trying to chat regularly with Estrella Woods who lives in Telluride Colorado as well as Jay Kinghorn ’93 who is a resident of Steamboat. • Jeffrey Cricco writes, “not sure if I have anything new to share... my narrowest skis are 112 underfoot so not sure if I’ll be beatin’ down any gates any time soon... I’m scheduled to be gone most of March actually for work. But have fun in Steamboat, Kevin. Take home the gold!” • Aqueel Ismail writes, “In 23 years, I never saw anyone from KUA visit Dubai. Then, in the span of a couple of
months, I had the pleasure to welcome two: Russell “Spike” Fry and Molly Bourne. Readers will be pleased to learn that these two latter day Marco Polos made it back to their home states whole, with nary a limb missing. I hope this will encourage other Wildcatters to walk the paths beaten by the above trailblazers. • Teresa Berlin adds, “Hi!!! Well, let’s see... I’ve been doing some great leadership/ personal development courses over the past few years. I did a fix and flip remodel project end of this past year. Traveling in SE Asia for a month, Phillipines and Cambodia. Also having first baby June 5! • Still calling northern Virginia home. Brian Suojanen is currently working at K12, Inc. as a software architect. He writes, “2015 was a busy year, personally and professionally. My daughter, Lillian, started kindergarten and fell in love with soccer and swimming. I ran for public office and spent the summer knocking on doors. I also formed the Libertarian Party of Loudoun County, where I serve as Vice Chair, and am also helping to evolve the party at the state level. I look forward to more fun and relaxation in 2016.”
1993
Katherine E. (McKinney) Landrigan
4784 Heatherwood Court, Boulder, CO 80301 303-530-1074 • mckkatherine@hotmail.com Lise (Johnson) Miller is graduating from the Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program at NYU Tisch School of the Arts this May, with an MFA in musical theatre writing. • Jennifer Melton just finished up two years in Bamako, Mali, with UNICEF. She expects to take another overseas assignment in the spring. • Rob Writz and his wife, Mary, welcomed their daughter Rosalind Eleanor Writz in January. Rose was born the day before Rob’s birthday and she weighed seven pounds and one ounce. Rose and Mary are doing great! • Kate (McKinney) Landrigan: “My two young boys and a private educational therapy practice have kept me quite busy here in Boulder. Wishing everyone the best in 2016! • Morgan Edgerly writes, “Amazing how the professional life slows down as you hit your 40’s as well as any social life one might have left. Maybe it’s just me. My kids, Mikayla 14 and Connor 16 are pretty much my social life. Mikayla is doing well making honor roll and will be competing, riding in dressage shows (she rides a beautiful paint name Shania) this summer. Connor has been very active as head programmer for the Coe Brown Academy robotics team, in the spring he will be running track and this summer he will be attending the NYLC-Medicine in Boston. My wife and I are looking forward to our 18th year of marriage this summer
and the new cottage to be finished on Connor Pond in Ossipee. Hopefully my new lobster company will take off again in May. We had a great time at the alumni gathering in Hanover; shout out to Mr. Weidman, Mr. Knox, Coach Whitehead and thanks for the statistics lesson Mr. Taupier. Wish I still had one more year of Eligibility at KUA, think that would fun. If anyone wants to follow me, look me up on Instagram (hate FB) fv_Knott_on_call.” • Karin ( Cheung) Traviglione and husband Joseph welcomed baby Isabella Yi-He Travaglione, their third daughter on November 30, 2015
1994
Paul Kelly resigned his commission with the
US Army in July 2015 and returned to CT with his wife, Kristi and children, Olivia, Thomas and Lauren. • Chris Korbey writes, “After 22 years of saying that I’m going to submit a class note, I’m actually doing it! I recently launched a new app called Ceremony that gathers your wedding guests’ photos and videos into your own private feed. It’s like the 2016 version of disposable cameras on the wedding tables...I also launched Arcivr – the non-wedding version of Ceremony – alongside a 16 date Warner Music tour in December. Since then, over 10,000 people have used Arcivr as a private, hi-res, ad-free alternative to Instagram. As much as I enjoyed launching the app, living on a tour bus and traveling across the country for three weeks was the real highlight! If some personal info is helpful, live in Nashville with my wife Holly (education journalist for the New York Times, NPR and The Atlantic) and three boys (12, 9, and 5).” • Will Sheff came back in January to show his new movie, Down Down the Deep River. • Jason Simpson, his wife Shannon, and son, Chase (15) spent a fair amount of last summer traveling, making stops in Virginia Beach, Washington D.C., Chicago and Massena, NY. His daughter, Adrienne is 20 and a sophmore at Binghamton, but has spent time as an intern at Microsoft in Seattle. Jason has a rental business in Bloominton, IN, and is a city bus driver. If anyone is at Indiana University, they should look him up!
1995
Annelise (Armstrong) Grant
11 Congress Street, Newburyport, MA 01950 978-764-2368 • annelise.a.grant@gmail.com Allison (Higgins) Wildman writes, “There has been a lot of change in the last year or so. After spending a year living and working on sustainable urban planning issues in Germany as a Fellow with the Robert Bosch Foundation (Bosch XXXI, 2014-2015), I was offered a position at SPRING 2016
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Class Notes
DI S PAT C H E S N EWS F ROM A LUM N I
1
the ICLEI - European Secretariat, an NGO that works with local governments throughout Europe (and the world) on sustainable development issues. I sold my house in Portland and moved to Freiburg, Germany, in October 2015. I am still trying to master the German language (to rehash a Mark Twain quote: “Never knew before what eternity was made for. It is to give some of us a chance to learn German.”) but I fear that it will be a lifelong process for me. I love living in the geographic center of Europe; France is but an hours’ bike ride away, and Switzerland is one train stop to the south. I spent two glorious months last summer bicycle touring around Europe, and I look forward to more travel this spring and fall to Spain and Croatia. If anyone finds themselves in southern Germany, ping me! I would love to show you around and treat you to Freiburg’s finest: Schwarzwald Kirschtorte (Black Forest Cherry Cake)”. As for me, I have enjoyed spending time on the KUA campus twice a year as a member of the Alumni Council. Other than that, life is great in Newburyport, MA! • Jason Crosby is reportedly still living up to his nickname; “Moose” as he is quite active in his bodybuilding pursuits. • Congratulations to Candy Cheung and her husband Toku, on their most recently addition to the family, their son, Kiran Taka Yao-Shien Chen, born on July 29, 2015.
1996
2 1. Catherine Simon ’98
3
•
2. Jason Feitelberg’00 and Dylan McGraw’04 3. Don Lowery ‘73, Russ Robertson ‘68 and JC Boggs ‘80 4. Abby Kelly ‘15 and Cam Beecy ‘15 5. Nick Connolly ‘98
4
5
6. Bryan Frates’04
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KIMBALL UNION MAGAZINE
20th REUNION Bianca (Fajardo) Saul
21 Druid Hill Ave, Methuen, MA 01844-3265 978-494-0544 • Bianca.saul@gmail.com Andrea McKnight writes, “I am proud to report that I have been named as a 2015 Massachusetts Super Lawyer Rising Star for Massachusetts. I practice in Southeastern Massachusetts and Cape Cod, focusing on all areas of litigation, including divorce, custody, land use, and landlord/tenant matters.” • Mike Good writes, “I ran into Matt DeSarro in San Francisco at the Super Bowl by chance in the security line after not seeing him since graduation in 1996.” • Gillian Frothingham-Gordon accepted the director of events position at the Hyatt Regency Phoenix last year, and is enjoying everything the Phoenix area has to offer. • Danielle Adams and Kevin Wortman are thrilled to announce the birth of their son, Oscar Lawrence Wortman who was born on January 6, 2016. • Congratulations to Ian Inverno and his wife, Nicole on their marriage in June of 2015. They have recently purchased a 172-year-old Victorian House in New Jersey, which they have begun restoring. Ian is
self-employed and “Living the Dream.” • Angelo Ruffolo made it back to campus early this year to participate in Senior Ethics Day. He and his wife, Vanessa were able to catch some KUA hockey while they were on campus and catch up with a number of faculty. Angelo is currently working for the Montreal Canadiens in business development, marketing and events.
1997
Daniel M. Sheff
1400 Lowell Road, Concord, MA 01742-5210 860-417-9215 • dansheff@gmail.com Congratulations to Leland Hedges on his marriage to Anna Casas Llopart in February. Lee is currently living in San Francisco and working for Virtually Live as their VP of product and marketing. He manages the product design process to ensure that their app is leading the industry in terms of immersive sporting experiences. • Ashley Scranton writes, “2016 is shaping up to be a fun year so far. I’m getting married in June in Long Beach, CA (where I live). I am also designing a new swimwear line to launch in July, called Isabella Rose, as well as designing my own line of underwear (yet unnamed). Hopefully there will be lots of fun and travel ahead!”
1998
Katherine R. (Anson-Chapmen) Mans
73 Dodge Road, Plainfield, NH 03781 603-709-7079 • katiermans@gmail.com Hannah Larsen and Alex Garceau, living in Cambridge, MA, celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary this past summer! Alex is a financial analyst for Partners HealthCare and Hannah is a psychiatrist and medical director of Lynn Community Services at Eliot. They have two girls, Sophie (4) and Audrey (1). They recently reconnected with Julie Candela (past faculty) who lives nearby. • Evan Schneider is selling Volkswagens in Clarksville, Tennessee. He notes that while he is “enjoying sweet tea, I miss real winters.” (Reporter’s note: So do I.) • Mike Mooney was back on campus in January for Senior Ethics Day. He spoke with a group of KUA seniors about his production company, Hammer & Saw Films. He also recently won an award for his documentary, 100: Head, Heart, Feet. • Annie (Cook) Cree is taking classes at SUNY Potsdam and lives in Fort Covington, New York with her husband Evan Cree and children: Rory (15), Nolie (13), Wallace (4), and Elle (1). Annie recently accepted a new position with the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne on their diabetes prevention team. She was also one of five recipients of the Boys & Girls Club of America’s 2015 Native Spirit Award. • Catherine Simon
“I ran into Matt DeSarro in San Francisco at the Super Bowl by chance in the security line after not seeing him since graduation in 1996.” —MIKE GOOD ’96
lives in Belgrade, Serbia where she heads a Swiss web-development agency, Namics. Additionally she runs a not-for-profit educating women about location-independent work and entrepreneurship in Serbia. Catherine and her husband Igor Samardzija, a water polo coach, have three sons together: Luka (6), Nikola (4) and Marko (2). • After receiving his MBA from Norwich, Nick Connolly started his own company Suitebriar (www.suitebriar.com) with fellow KUA alum Bevan Riley ‘97. Providing Google apps to small and medium businesses, they now employ just fewer than 15 people. Nick and his wife Brittany (who just came back from a ski trip to Aspen, Colorado) live in Fairfax, Virginia with their daughter Olivia (2). • Megan (Maguire) Toomey had her third daughter with husband Michael Toomey, giving them: Madelyn (4), Maia (2), and Mariella (2 months). They live and work at Kents Hill School, a boarding school located in Kents Hill, Maine. Megan is the associate director of college counseling and the varsity head coach for girls’ ice hockey. Megan continues to be a formidable athlete, having completed 7 marathons and running her 8th in NYC this year. She hopes to get back to The Hilltop for a visit soon! • Congratulations to Jason Goodell and wife, Amanda who welcomed Henley Mae Goodell to their family on December 20, 2015. • Ben Hertzberg, who holds his Ph.D in political science from Duke University, is currently a visiting professor at Emory University teaching political theory and the history of political thought. Ben and his wife Amelia have three boys: Nathaniel (9), Samuel (7), and Arthur (4) who all “love Harry Potter, Power Rangers, and fighting with each other.” • Erin (Taupier) Klocek finds herself on campus regularly with her son, Jack and baby, Ruby. Erin’s father, Mike Taupier (former faculty) swings through the campus quite a bit himself and is enjoying the time that retirement has afforded him with both Anna (Taupier) Hood ’01 and Erin’s children. • Peter Mans has been busy with a recent remodel of the Subaru dealership in Claremont, New Hampshire. It looks great, stop in and check it out! I (Katie Mans) have been busy with our two girls at home Jane (3) and Louise (1). I am excited to be 1998’s new class reporter; what a nice reason to reconnect with classmates. (Translation: I’m coming for the rest of you!) Peter and I are looking forward to attending Ryan McGraw and Chentel Blackman’s co-ed baby shower in March, and Nick Martin and Kate Hamilton’s wedding in Arkansas in August.
1999
If you find yourself anywhere near Saxapahaw NC, be sure to stop by The Eddy Pub
and say hello to Claire Haslam. You can check out firsthand how she has helped to transform not just a building, but actually build a community. • Megan (Romigh) Jackler is a Navy JAG attorney currently serving as staff judge advocate to Naval Construction Battalion Center Gulfport, MS.
2000 Kelly Millar
32 David Drive, Saugus, MA 02906-1214 kellyjanefarrell@gmail.com Frank Buttaravoli and wife, Jessica, are expecting their second daughter in April. They are putting the finishing touches on their 4th rental property while Frank continues to grow his junk removal business. Frank also enjoys keeping in touch with many classmates from KUA! • Jason Feitelberg and Dylan McGraw ’04 connected in Boston at a fundraiser for Crossroads for Kids, a non-profit close to Jason’s heart. Crossroads is an organization that provides at-risk youth a stable support network and the tools necessary to help them build confidence and ultimately, personal success. Jason was one of MassMutual’s 2015 Community Service Award winners, being recognized for his commitment to making a difference in his community through volunteer work. • After completing nursing school last year, Alexis Forman has moved back to the Upper Valley and is working as a nurse at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. • Kristien Kagen, Morgan (Milowski) Needs, Hart (Queeny) Peary and Lindsey (Wolter) Ratliff were recently spotted near campus celebrating the pending arrival of “baby Ratliff.” • It has been reported that Jenn (Lubao) Monsini has started homesteading in Massachusetts and that the Monsini Farm is off to a great start! • Fletcher Hall writes, “It has been a long time since I have updated the class. I’m happy to report that I was married Oct. 17th to Alexandra Oelsner (now Hall). The ceremony was held on Centre Island NY.” • Since retiring from his tenure as a KUA faculty member, Ben Sheehan has been working as a freelance web developer. This past fall, he trained with Ironhack in Barcelona to deepen his skills in Ruby on Rails, a popular and powerful web programming framework. Since returning from Spain, he has been coding, coding, coding! However, he did take a short break to return to The Hilltop to participate in Senior Ethics Day. The students were thrilled to see him.
2001
15th REUNION Faith Larsen writes, “This has been an ex-
citing and crazy year for sure. My husband Keith and I bought our first home- a 1920’s bungalow in Medford, MA (thankfully not too far from my sister and brother-in-law). There’s a lot to do but we are enjoying just living in the house for a while before making any changes. I also changed jobs at the very end of 2014. I am now working for The Catered Affair based at The Boston Public Library, planning gorgeous weddings and corporate events throughout the building.” • Robin Liston was married to KUA faculty member, Erin Mellow in September. There were many members of the KUA community in attendance, including, Robin’s brother, Scott Liston ‘00 as his best man and his two groomsmen, Ray Sprague ‘01 and Chris Farrell ‘01. His sister Alexis Liston ‘03 was one of the bridesmaids. The ceremony and reception took place at Camp Ogontz in Lyman, NH. • Melisse Hinkle and Brad Landers have both been back on campus within the past few months. Melisse performed a Flick Gig for the students with her Boston-based semipro A Cappella group, Sound Off, in February. Brad came with some fellow dancers to do a master class for KUA students, speak at All School Meeting and to perform a Flick Gig. • Congratulations to Liz McNamara and Justin White on their wedding this past September.
2002
Nicole (Gilbert) Williams, Jessica Clem, Alison (Schubert) DiGangi and Susie (Tarrant) Carrier enjoyed getting together for
a mini-reunion over lunch in Burlington, VT while they were home for Christmas. • Andrew Robb writes, “My wife Cristin and I celebrated the birth of our daughter Adriana Catherine Robb on 3 March 2015. Watching her grow this past year has been the best time of our lives. If I’m not at home with the girls, I am at work running my wooden boat building and restoration shop, North Country Boatworks, located in Stratford CT.” • Scott Sparks is excited to share that he recently got engaged to Rachel Matheson. • Erin (Garnsey) Mann and her husband are living in Redondo Beach California, where she works as a registered nurse. In September 2014 they welcomed son, Sawyer into the world. Susie (Tarrant) Carrier lives less than 5 minutes away, which they both enjoy!
2003
Craig R. Blanchette
571 George Washington Turnpike Burlington, CT 06013-1534 Jon Silverman writes, “My fiancée Jessica Radtke and I got engaged on December
16, 2015 at the top of the World Trade Center Observatory, in NYC. The company I work for, xAd, Inc has headquarters there We also moved to Pflugerville, Texas in the Austin area in between Christmas and New Year’s--exciting times ahead. We plan to wed in the spring of 2017.” • Congratulations to Sarah O’Neil Belin her husband, Brad and big sister, Madison on the birth of Hannah Park Belin in October. • Jadihel Taveras and his wife, Kelly also welcomed a little girl, Zuri Carmela Taveras, in December.
2004 Lynn M. Gray
12 Harrington Street, Newtonville, MA 02460 603-809-6246 • lmg.gray@gmail.com Congratulations to Josh Laurie and his bride, Ashely Libitz on their wedding, September 12, 2015 in Provincetown, MA! Jake Laurie ‘02, Julian Casey, Calder Gage, Jadi Taveras ’03, and Bryan Thompson ’03 all attended the wedding. • Benjamin Rivard writes, “I am still at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine about to begin my clinical year and planning on pursuing a veterinary radiology residency after graduating in 2017, and I just had a research manuscript published in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine. On June 27, 2015 I married Jane Leao Gomes of Newton, MA at a ceremony in Dexter, MI.” • Whitney Flores writes that she “fell in love and got married August 26, 2012 to Server Kemac in NYC.” She gave birth to a baby boy, Kartal Storm Kemac on October 12, 2015, 7 lbs 8 oz. They just purchased a home in Bayonne, NJ. She is very happy and will begin dancing again soon. • Bryan Frates writes, “Since my Nexus days at KUA I have been working hard on writing my own original music and finding my unique sound. I put out my first solo album called “From the Ground Up” in 2012. Since then I have been building a fan base in Salt Lake City, Utah where I lived for 6 years and now down in the Southern Maryland and DC area. I have been very fortunate to meet some amazing musicians along the way that have directed me to where I am today. Starting with the boys from Nexus, to Collin and Tad Davis, Lisa Hillary, Mic Edser and most recently Cecil Freeman and the Sam Grow Band. I am currently finishing up my second solo album which will be released in June. I look forward to sharing it with all of you and thank you all for making this dream come true! It all started in the Flickinger Art Center at Kimball Union Academy.” • Jackie (Guerin) Filiault and her husband Jesse are living in Woodstock, VT with their two boys, Tucker (7) and Hunter (3). • Kemper Pierce and Meg Bennitt were marSPRING 2016
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Class Notes ried in September 2014 in Norwich, VT. Josh Laurie, Lynn Gray, Bryan Thompson ‘03, Calder Gage, Mal (Lefebvre) Gendron, Jesse Gendron, Julia Logan, Crystal Frates, Julian Casey, and Sean Smith were all in attendance, along with Joe and Eileen Williams (current faculty members). Kemper
has relocated to Brooklyn, NY (but spent September through December in Munich for a work exchange) and is now a consultant with Altman Vilandrie & Co. Meg is in year 4 at Core-Apps, LLC and was recently promoted to Senior Account Executive. • Sadly, Amanda White passed away on January 3, 2016. In response, Jadihel Taveras’03 wrote the following: Amanda, During our time at KUA you had a unique courage, that often evades teenagers, to be your own person; you stood alone and had an authentic voice. We all admired you for your courage. In the course of standing alone, you never failed to be a friend. In fact, as a kid who continuously questioned and struggled to cope with the way the world is designed, I remember poignantly, your willingness to extend your hand and heart to me. I’ve always been grateful for the time and space we shared together. I remember weekends away where we all ran from check-ins and block schedules to, for a moment and in all vulnerability, be ourselves amongst our peers. In those moments, you shined. Your shining taught us that beauty comes from depth and that to be our true selves -- that is the only thing worth striving for. I trust that you’re at peace. “Starry starry night... Shadows on the hills, Sketch the trees and the daffodils Catch the breeze and the winter chills In colors on the snowy land... Colors changing hue Morning fields of amber grain Weathered faces lined in pain Are soothed beneath the artist’s loving hand”.
2005
Congratulations to Shawn Gee and wife, Brittany on the recent arrival of their daughter, Skylar. • Nick Custer made his way back to campus in January as an alumni guest for Senior Ethics Day. He currently serves onboard the Coast Guard Cutter TAHOMA as the Engineering Department Head. • Alison Keating writes, “On March 25, 2015, Alison opened Barefoot - an athleisure boutique - in Spring Lake, NJ. Barefoot is an athleisure boutique providing fashion forward active and lifestyle apparel for the woman on the go. After a very successful first year, Alison is prepping for her 1st Anniversary and 2nd summer open at the Jersey Shore! You can shop Barefoot online or in store. Check out Barefoot Athleisure 60
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on Facebook and Instagram. Additionally, Alison got engaged on Christmas and is getting married December 2, 2016 in Point Pleasant, NJ.” • Kitty (Mears) Koar and her husband were married on August 23, 2014 and welcomed their son, Patrick William Allan Koar on June13, 2015. They recently relocated to West Allenhurst, NJ. • Daniel Kuhar shared that he was married on July 9, 2011 to Sara Kuhar and that they welcomed a daughter, Nora Patricia Kuhar on February 25, 2015. They are living in New York City and Daniel is working in Wealth Management. • Peter Sanderson is now living in Austin, TX and working at 3D Robotics, a manufacturer and designer of commercial and recreational unmanned aerial vehicles. • Mitsue Terao writes, “Last year I started my own company, Apricus Co., Ltd.. Apricus supports cross-border projects, mainly with Japan and abroad by acting as an alliance coordinator, which is in short like an international business negotiator. We have dedicated global partners abroad, including LiWei Maio ‘04’s Sharetime NA Inc, to serve clients with the best team and services possible. Our current projects include attracting European businesses for a large-scale multipurpose building of Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd., in Tokyo, bringing a multinational paint company to Mexico, and some government-related projects from the US and Mongolia. • From time to time I visit my friends in Hong Kong and I just saw Andrew Ngan in January for our friend’s wedding.”
2006 10th REUNION Laura M. Berndt
111 Strathmore Drive, Chesire, CT 06410 laura.berndt33@gmail.com After four dynamic years, Tom Estabrook left his role as Assistant Dean of Admission at Princeton University where he recruited and evaluated students from the West Coast. At the end of 2014, he joined the executive search firm Spencer Stuart and is based in New York City. His new role is focused on finding and assessing leaders for top educational and non-profit organizations across the country, including independent schools. He enjoyed catching up with friends and teachers at a KUA reception at the Yale Club this winter. • Colby Clarkson has been spotted in the Upper Valley. He returned to the area and is working closely with his father, managing Roger Clarkson Realtor’s property.
2007
Evan Roberts is currently working at Mer-
rill Lynch Wealth Management in Ha-
nover, NH as a financial advisor. He and his wife, Sarah (Cutts) Roberts ‘08, live on campus at KUA in Hazelton house. Evan helps Sarah with her duty as head of house in Mikula Dorm. Evan likewise assists in coaching the boys’ lacrosse team.
2008 Tai A. Nixa
44 Granger Place, Apt. 1, Buffalo, NY 14222 603-731-4055 • nixatai@gmail.com Joonho (Joon) Lee writes, “When I first came to the United States from Korea, I was alone and all of 16 years old. The freedom of being on my own and discovering a new country was heady, at least for a while. In fact, it was quite a transition—from one of the largest metropolis in Asia to a small Upper Valley town of Meriden, and from always being surrounded by friends and family to not being able to communicate freely with a person right next to me. The loneliness soon crept in, and I struggled to find my way. Fortunately, however, I was surrounded by a highly diverse group of people from all over the country and around the world, who shared similar struggles and offered invaluable companionship along the way. I also met some great teachers at KUA who treated me not just as a student but as a person, and took the time to listen to my story and made me feel part of the community. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Bruce Gordon, Mr. John Custer, Mr. Kevin Ramos-Glew, Mr. Dean Barker, Mr. William Weiss and many
others from whom I’ve had the privilege of learning. After spending four years on the Hilltop, I moved to Baltimore, Maryland to study biology at Johns Hopkins University. Then I pursued a master’s degree in reproductive and cancer biology from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. I am currently conducting cardiac research at the National Institute on Aging in an attempt to unravel a novel pathway involved in cardiac pacemaking. This coming fall, I will be moving to Rochester, New York to start medical school at the University of Rochester Medical Center. If there’s any KUA alum near the area, please feel free to contact me at joonlee12@gmail.com. If you are a college student or a recent grad who would like some advice on the medical school application process, then feel free to shoot me an email with specific questions. I would be more than willing to help.” • Devon Cota is in her second of a three year program at Shenandoah University to get her doctorate in physical therapy. She was awarded the school’s Service Award, which goes to a second year student for their outstanding service to the program, school and
general community. In January she went on a medical mission trip with six fellow students and two licensed therapists down to Puerto Lopez, Ecuador. For six days, they treated infants to the elderly and a wide variety of diagnoses including neck pain, shoulder impingement, cerebral palsy, fractures and more. It was a wonderful experience to use her new knowledge and help a population in need. • Nick Millette and his wife, Sarah recently moved to Atlanta, Georgia. Nick is a Senior Consultant at CGI Federal. • Tai Nixa is still happily living in Buffalo, NY! After having moved to the Elmwood Village area last summer, she is enjoying her new location near all the great museums, parks, restaurants and shops. She has also been busy with her new job as the Event Coordinator at the Park School of Buffalo, a PreK-Grade 12 private school. She is currently focused on planning Auction, the school’s largest fundraising event of the year. This year’s theme is Mad About Science, which highlights the school’s campaign for a new science building to break ground this coming Spring. Last year, Tai also performed in 4 professional community musicals (including Grease, Singin’ in the Rain, Legally Blonde, and Spamalot) and was the Assistant Choreographer for 2 shows (including My Fair Lady and the opera Joan of Arc at the Stake). When she’s not busy at work or on stage, she is at home with her newly adopted cat, MoMA. • Sarah (Cutts) Roberts continues to work as a teaching faculty member at KUA. She and her husband, Evan Roberts ‘07, live in Hazelton house where Sarah serves as house head of Mikula Dorm. In addition to her teaching and residential responsibilities, Sarah has a wonderful group of advisees and coaches two teams. Sarah is the head field hockey coach, as well as the head Boys’ Varsity Tennis coach. Last season, she led the team to win the Lakes Region tournament. This summer, Sarah is excited to begin a master’s program through Middlebury College at the Bread Loaf School of English. • August 2015, Juliet Taylor returned to Brightcove, an online video platform, as a member of their technology new business team. She received an award for her performance on the Media - New Business team. She is currently still living in South Boston. • Brett Sillari is now a real estate agent for Century 21 Avon in Cambridge on Massachusetts Ave. • After graduating from Clemson University, Ross Jones has been working as a civil engineer. He is currently with Infrastructure Consulting Engineers, a firm in Charleston, South Carolina. At the moment he is involved in completing a three year project on I85 in Greenville, SC. • Cyrus Western,
When I first came to KUA from Korea, I was all of 16 years old. I was surrounded by a highly diverse group of people who offered invaluable companionship.” —JOONHO (JOON) LEE ’08
• is currently getting his masters in Environmental Policy at Harvard University after working for U.S. Senator Mike Enzi. After graduating, he plans to return to Capitol Hill in Washington and work in politics. • Congratulations to Ellie Wilson who got married on December 3, 2015 to Francisco Villa Richardson! Ellie is also currently working as a college counselor at a charter high school in Chelsea, MA.
2009 Leah E. Randall
507 H Street SW, Washington, DC 20024 802-356-3885 Armando Aguilar met up with KUA faculty member, Kevin Ramos-Glew on a recent trip to Mexico. Armando has recently launched a new business in Monterrey, La Boca Empanadas de Barrio, a food motorcycle! • Addie Herbert continues to write and play her own music. If you’re up in Burlington, VT, swing by Dobra Tea and say hello. • Holly McLaughlin has been working for the Rainforest Alliance for two years now. She remains based in New York City and has managed to cross paths with several KUA alumni. She recently learned how to scuba dive and spent January of 2016 in Australia on the Great Barrier Reef.
2010
Daniel P. Lowenstein
12 Juniper Point Road, Woods Hole, MA 02543 914-806-7085 • danny.lowenstein@gmail.com
2011
Congratulations to Ryan Cole, who was named as a semifinalist for the Joe Concannon Award as the best American-born college hockey player in New England at the NCAA Division II/III level. Ryan was an All-American First Teamer and the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Player of the Year during Trinity’s NCAA Championship season last winter, also named NESCAC Rookie of the Year in 2013-14 and is a twotime member of both the New England Hockey Writers Association Division II/ III New England All-Star Team and the All-NESCAC First Team. When he’s not on the ice, he’s been busy with his classes at Trinity College where he is an economics and philosophy major with a minor in legal studies. • Charlotte Herbert graduated from St. Lawrence University with a BS in Conservation Biology and a minor in Anthropology. She continues her work at the Smithsonian Institute of Natural History in the summers and will be moving to California to pursue her doctorate in Entomology at University of CA at Davis.
2013
Maura Doyle writes, “As for field hockey, we had an amazing season with a lot of adversity that we overcame to make it the Division II National Championship game in Bloomsburg, PA. The entire 70 minutes was a battle until we lost in overtime to a penalty stroke (similar to a PK in soccer). It still stings a little bit to think about how close we were to winning our first ever national championship (it also would’ve been our coaches 100th win!) but I couldn’t be more proud of my teammates. This January I had an incredible opportunity to co-lead a trip of 8 other Merrimack Students on an International Service trip to Kingston, Jamaica. We lived in and worked with an organization called Mustard Seed Communities. MSC is a Catholic founded organization that has communities in Jamaica, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, and Zimbabwe. The populations of the homes include children and young adults with disabilities, children affected by HIV/AIDS and teen mothers along with their babies. MSC Jamaica also manages a number of community outreach programs to combat poverty and provide education to local populations while expanding agriculturally sustainable communities. The children and people of MSC intellectually and emotionally challenged me to reflect every second of the week to the present. The trip and one special little girl inspired me to look deeper into my passions, skills, and goals to guide me to and through my future challenges and endeavors.”
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2014
Jim Herbert will be starting his sophomore year at Bard College working towards his degree in Studio Arts with a minor in physics. He makes his living creating guitars of every kind while playing bass in his funk fusion band, Santa Yalla. Follow the band and checkout their debut, EP on Facebook.
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2015
Abby Kelly, who plays basketball for Bow-
doin College, was able to catch up with classmate Cam Beecy, who is playing hockey for Norwich University, when she had an away contest at Norwich in January.
OBITS
1938-Dana Seiler, May 11, 2015 1940-Ralph Mitchell, December 16, 2015 1941-Joseph Butler, July 23, 2015 1942-Franklin Carney, November 16, 2015 1946-Sanford Duncan, July 24, 2015 1946-Eben Sutton, October 23, 2015 1947-Martin Person, August 30, 2015
7 1948-Fred Carlton, August 23, 2015 1948-Gordon Johnson, December 6, 2015 1948-Robert Nutting Bickford, March 2, 2015 1949-Earl Pardy, December 30, 2015 1950-Thomas Flickinger, November 15, 2015 1950-B. James Haywood, July 28, 2015 1950-Arthur Heard, December 14, 2015 1951-Alan Graham, January 18, 2016
Births 1. A girl, Hannah Park, to Sarah Belin ’03 and Brad October 22, 2015 2. A boy, Kiran Taka Yao-Shien Chen, to Candy Cheung ’95 and Toku July 29, 2015 3. A girl, Zuri Carmela, to Jadihel Taveras ’03 and Kelly, December 21, 2015 5. A girl, Isabella Yi-He, to Karin (Cheung) Traviglione’03 and Joseph November 30, 2015 6. A boy, Patrick William Allan, to Kitty (Mears) Koar ’05 and Patrick Koar June 13, 2015 7. A girl, Mariella, to Megan (Maguire) Toomey ’98 and Michael, November 17, 2015 A girl, Rosalind Eleanor to Rob Writz ’93 and Mary January 14, 2016 A boy, Oscar Lawrence, to Danielle Adams ’96 and Kevin Wortman January 6, 2016 A boy, Jameson, to Cassie (Cardillo ’75) and Brian McCracken, October 20, 2015 A girl, Henley Mae, to Jason Goodell ’98 and Amanda December 20, 2015 A girl, Ruby Ann, to Erin (Taupier) Klocek ’98 and David May 12, 2015 A girl, Zoe Victoria, to Danielle (Boulanger ’00) and Sean Rooney, August 8, 2015 A girl, Adriana Catherine, to Andrew (’02) and Cynthia Robb, March 3, 2015 A boy, Sawyer, to Erin and Schuyler Mann September, 2014 A boy, Kartal Storm, to Whitney (Flores) Kermac ’04 and Server, October 12, 2015 A girl, Skylar, to Shawn (’05) and Brittany Gee, February 2016 A girl, Nora Patricia, to Daniel Kuhar ’05 and Sarah February 25, 2015
1953-Peter Soule, July 20, 2015 1954-Fredrick Carlson, October 22, 2015 1956-Lawrence Conway, October 9, 2015 1963-Brian Ault, June 17, 2015 1980-Charles Meeker, December 22, 2015 1994-Stacy West, September 2, 2015 2004-Amanda White, January 3, 2016 SPRING 2016
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“Robin Liston ’01 was married to KUA faculty member, Erin Mellow in September. There were many members of the KUA community in attendance, including, Scott Liston ‘00 as his best man and his two groomsmen, Ray Sprague ‘01 and Chris Farrell ‘01. His sister Alexis Liston ‘03 was one of the bridesmaids.” Weddings
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1. Kemper Pierce ’04 to Megan Bennitt ’04 September 27, 2014 2. Robin Liston ’01 to Erin Mellow September 19, 2015 3. Whitney Flores ’04 to Server Kermac August 26, 2012 4 .Susanne Stillson-Strong ‘77 to Brian Stillson 5. Ellie Wilson ’08 to Francisco Villa Richardson December 3, 2015 6. Ben Rivard ”04 to Jane Leao Gomes June 27, 2015
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7. Fletcher Hall ’00 to Alexandra Oelsner October 17, 2015 Ian Inverno ’96 to Nicole Purcell June 6, 2015 Leland Hedges ’97 to Anna Casas Llopart February 23, 2016 Liz McNamara ’01 to Justin White September 12, 2015 Kitty Mears ’05 to Patrick Koar August 23, 2014 Daniel Kuhar ’05 to Sara July 9, 2011 2 62
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JULY 17â&#x20AC;&#x201C;23, 2016 A unique summer leadership program, hosted by Kimball Union Academy. GLC provides the tools necessary for girls to be strong and confident leaders in their homes, schools, and communities! $1275 - Includes program fees, room and board
For questions: glc@kua.org
18:13 HOURS MINUTES Can we count on your
SUPPORT? DAY OF APRIL 20 GIVING
Last Word
FAREWELL
Joe and Eileen Williams LEAVING THE HILLTOP AFTER 19 YEARS
Joe and Eileen Williams arrived in Meriden with a young Charlie ’15 nineteen years ago, and lived in Chellis Hall. Cooper ’16 arrived the first day of school in their first year on the Hilltop, followed by Tucker ’19 and Carter. Their children’s Godparents include past faculty members Julie Candela, Steve and Joan Bishop, Gino Riffle, and Alumna, Whitney Gage ’00. The Williams’ have lived in Densmore, Bishop Cottage, and the 1813 house. While they depart this summer for New Hampton School, where Joe will be Head of School, they will forever have been shaped and helped to shape Kimball Union.
KIMBALL UNION ACADEMY 64 MAIN ST MERIDEN, NH 03770
Estudiantes viajaron a Cuba durante K-Term 2016