2017 Landon Summer Magazine

L A NDON SU MME R 2017

NO TRIAL TOO DAUNTING How Jonathan Schiller ’65 co-founded one of the top law firms in the country

TABLE OF CONTENTS

What’s Inside Features

38 | No Trial Too Daunting Jonathan Schiller ’65 has used his ability to turn challenges into victories to co-found one of the most successful commercial litigation law firms in the country.

46 | Tech Warrior Michael DeFranco ’06 aims to make mobile communications safe and bring Hawaiian and Landon values to the business world with his technology company Lua.

46

Editor’s Note:

Thank you for your support of Landon and our magazine. We have changed our distribution dates to summer and winter to deliver more current news, photos and event coverage.

Please email us at communications@landon.net with your questions and concerns.

Our Mission

Landon School prepares talented boys for productive lives as accomplished, responsible and caring men whose actions are guided by the principles of perseverance, teamwork, honor and fair play.

38

On Our Cover Jonathan Schiller ’65, photographed in New York City May 3, is a founding partner at Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP, one of the most successful commercial litigation law firms in the country. For more, read the story on page 38.

Photo credit: Rossa Cole

Landon School Board of Trustees Chairman: Scott S. Harris ’84 Vice Chair: Katheryn P. Wellington President: Jim Neill Secretary: Martin J. Weinstein Treasurer: Steven C. Mayer

Trustees Emeriti:

Peter J. FitzGerald ’50 Knight Kiplinger ’65 Lawrence Lamade ’65 Samuel M. Lehrman H ’09 Russell “Rusty” C. Lindner ’72

Trustees:

Anderson J. Arnold ’78 Alexander D. Baldwin Michael S. Banks ’92 Michael I. Connolly ’75 Donald L. Dell ’56 Matthew A. Coursen ’99 William C. Eacho III ’72 Robert H. Edwards Jr. Jeffrey H. Freed Kenneth W. Jenkins ’78 Aranthan “Steve” Jones II Olivier Y. Kamanda ’99 Douglas C. Kiker ’93 Kenwyn A. Kindfuller Rev. Steve Klingelhofer ’60 Douglas H. Lagarde John P. Oswald N. David Povich Harmar Thompson ’90

Departments 2 22 28 32 52

Landon Lowdown Commencement Arts Athletics Alumni News

Landon Magazine Headmaster Jim Neill

Editor Meredith Josef

Assistant Editors Tom DiChiara Daphne Kiplinger

Contributing Writers Tom DiChiara Designer Hillary Reilly

32 SUMMER 2017 | LANDON SCHOOL

Photography Columbia University Rossa Cole Matt Coursen ’99 GoLandon.com Rob Jinks for Jeff Mauritzen Photography James Kegley Landon Communications Staff Landon School Archives Landon Yearbook Staff Wendy Steck Merriman U.S. Air Force 1

Humayun ’17 Is Potomac Youth of the Year

T

wo years ago, Arslon Humayun ’17 became fascinated with bioethics and its emphasis on the moral implications of

advancements in science and medicine. In his free time, he

started a blog and YouTube channel to share his own views on the

subject. This passion for something that is both academic and ethical helped Humayun earn the 2016 Potomac Youth of the Year award from the Potomac Chamber of Commerce.

“It was truly a shock, but an honor at the same time,” said

Humayun, who credits his 10 years at Landon with helping his

development both academically and ethically. He sees his study of

LOWDOWN Raul ’17 Earns Service Honor

O

n Saturday mornings, Zander Raul ’17 solves math

equations, explains grammar rules, and sometimes plays an educational game of “Hangman.”

This has been Zander’s routine for the past four years as a volunteer

tutor for the Latino Student Fund (LSF), a D.C.-area nonprofit

committed to helping underserved Latino boys and girls receive a strong academic foundation. At the LSF’s 17th Annual Gala March 9, the

organization recognized Zander’s dedication with the 2017 Community Service Award, which Headmaster Jim Neill presented to him.

For most of his time

bioethics as the perfect way to embrace this ethical responsibility to

boy, Raymond, and has

seeing science as something purely physical — ‘What are we capable

been awed by his pupil’s

progress. “The best thing I get out of tutoring is

when I teach Raymond

himself, others and the world at large. “I have really transitioned from of doing?’ — to something that is also ethical — ‘What should we be doing?’” he said. “Whatever I end up doing [for a career], that ethical part has to be there.”

Humayun, who has been a prefect, soccer player, and member of the

something and he realizes

Chamber Singers during his Landon tenure, is no stranger to awards:

said. “It’s amazing to see

for general excellence; the Noah Eig Fellowship Award for creating an

that he gets it,” Zander

him understand something new and to know that I had a part in that...

I’ve been so fortunate in life, and I am just trying to give back as much

2

— Arslon Humayun ’17, Potomac Youth of the Year

as a tutor, Zander has

worked with the same

as I can.”

Whatever I end up doing, that ethical part has to be there.

He has earned the Lower and Middle School Headmaster’s Awards

atmosphere of brotherhood and acceptance; and the Dartmouth Book Award for academic achievement.

LANDON SCHOOL | SUMMER 2017

Walking to Cure Cancer

C

hris ’18 and Nick ’18 walked 39.3 miles

through Washington,

D.C., May 6–7 in the Avon 39 Walk to End Breast

Cancer — and when Chris’

legs began to cramp at mile 23,

The reason the story resonated

with Chris is a simple one: His grandmother died from breast

stage 4 colon cancer in October.

Sarah said. “All fall and winter,

Stetson, was diagnosed with Sarah and Chris initially

power through.

realized that her chemotherapy

“He told us that his mom

breast cancer, and he was

doing the walk to help find a cure so his daughter doesn’t

have to go through the same

thing,” Chris said. “That really hit home and inspired me.”

“The families of Chris’

Class of 2018 at Landon have

signed up to do the Avon 39

and his two aunts all had

cancer-free.

cancer, and his mother, Sarah

a conversation with a fellow

walker helped him and Nick

treatments and hopes to be

Walk together, but Sarah soon

treatments would leave her too fatigued to participate. Nick volunteered to join his

friend on the trek, and the

boys used GoFundMe to raise $4,200 to help women get

cancer treatment. Sarah has

been unbelievably supportive,” they brought us meals three

times a week, thanks to Kathy

Wellington and Mary Nagel’s

initiation, and rallied around us.

Chris and I have felt so loved

and supported. It has been an

amazingly positive experience.

Landon is family to us, and we

have never felt it more strongly than this year.”

now finished her chemotherapy

2 Landon Teams Are State Robotics Co-Champs

O

nly two teams in Maryland earned a perfect score in the

Alex ’24, Dylan ’24, Hunter ’24 and Manif ’24 (pictured).

Competition — and both were from Landon.

code and program robots to complete a five-mission “Animal Habitat

9–12 age bracket of the 2016–17 Wonder League Robotics

The Grade 6 squad of Connor ’23, Matthew ’23, Gabe ’23

and Michael ’23 lived up to their team name, “All In,” when they

finished first in the state for the second year in a row (they were also 16th in the nation in the 2015–16 competition). They tied for first

place in Maryland with the Grade 5 “Mighty Marshmallows” team of

The boys worked with the “Wonder” iPad application to write

Rescue”-themed quest. The missions required them to use coding and problem-solving skills to design solutions to science and technology challenges they might encounter in the real world.

“The thing that’s great about this competition is that the boys have

the challenges and have to complete them 100 percent by themselves,” said Lower School academic

technologist Michael Fisher,

the boys’ advisor. “What I want to emphasize to the boys with technology is that it is going to be hard, and the ability to

persevere, push through, and problem solve is really what

separates you from the pack.”

The second annual Wonder

League Robotics Competition drew 5,000 entries from 52

countries, including 4,000 from the United States.

SUMMER 2017 | LANDON SCHOOL

3

LANDON LOWDOWN

Strategic Plan Sets Goals for Landon’s Future

T

his spring, Landon’s Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) submitted to the Board of Trustees a three-page document that contained six strategic goals essential to ensuring Landon’s present and future success, as well as the preliminary action steps required to make those goals a reality.

These goals are the result of nine months of intensive work that began in September with the formation of the SPC, made up of 35 members of the school community including administrators, alumni, trustees, current and past parents, and teachers. A smaller executive committee (SPCx) was also created for implementation of the plan and includes 13 administrators and trustees.

A PLAN COMES TOGETHER Led by strategic planning consultant Pat Bassett and Chair Andy Arnold ’78, the SPC conducted 10 online surveys (which received more than 2,400 responses) and held seven in-person focus groups with a wide array of constituents — alumni, students, current and past parents, current and former teachers and staff members, building and grounds staff, and current and past members of the Board of Trustees — to get a true sense of school priorities and how best to achieve them.

THE STRATEGIC PLANNING COMMITTEE CONSISTS OF

35

MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY

2,400 MORE THAN

RESPONSES RECEIVED

4

What investments should we be making in Landon’s people, plant and endowment to ensure the school remains vibrant, sustainable and accessible...?

– Headmaster Jim Neill

“The conversations were expansive and touched on questions such as: THE PLAN BEGAN WITH What curricular content, pedagogical practices and dispositional STRATEGIC GOALS & MORE THAN qualities should be at the core of the Landon experience?” Headmaster ACTION STEPS Jim Neill said. “How should we ensure that we are best preparing our boys’ personal, intellectual and moral selves for the demands of an uncertain future? What investments should we be making in Landon’s people, plant and endowment to ensure the school remains vibrant, sustainable and accessible as we embark upon our second century? How should we best ensure that the elements of the Landon experience that have been core to our identity as one of the nation’s preeminent boys schools are nurtured and preserved?”

11 170

Over the course of several meetings, the SPC and SPCx distilled the collected data into a plan that began with 11 strategic goals and more than 170 action steps. Almost 1,500 members of the Landon community participated in a February crowdsourcing survey in which all were asked to share which draft strategic goals were most important to them. The SPC then whittled their list down to six final strategic objectives and associated action steps, the importance of which was affirmed time after time throughout the process,

LANDON SCHOOL | SUMMER 2017

LANDON’S LAST STRATEGIC PLAN WAS COMPLETED IN

2006

and presented their plan to the Board in early May. The Board unanimously endorsed and approved the plan, asking th SPCx to finalize the implementation plan over the summer in preparation for communicating the overall plan to the community this fall.

THE FUTURE IS NOW Some elements of the plan have been underway since fall 2016, and other action steps were initiated this spring.

Faculty and staff used delayed school starts during the 2016–17 school year as time to help drive an intentional refocusing on and renewed energy around professional development. Each faculty and staff member belonged to a committee focused on advancing Landon in nine programmatic areas that are ultimately connected to various strategic goals. This included committees dedicated STEM programming, cultures of thinking/Project Zero (a Harvard University initiative dedicated to promoting critical thinking and understanding in schools), technological infrastructure, community and culture, the teacher-coach-mentor model, writing, student wellness, parent education and partnership, and the Code of Character.

10

SURVEYS CONDUCTED

Assistant Head of School for Academics Charles Franklin, who began work at Landon July 1, will help lead continued efforts related to the work of these committees in the years ahead.

As part of the strategic plan’s emphasis on

SUMMER 2017 | LANDON SCHOOL

building strong character, Banfield Ethics Chair John Bellaschi will take on an expanded role in 2017–18 as the Director of Ethics, Service and Leadership, a new position that will give him schoolwide oversight of and responsibility for Landon’s ethics curriculum and instruction, updated service learning programming, and formalized leadership education.

7

Advancing a challenging and engaging academic program is also among FOCUS GROUPS the plan’s top priorities. To HELD ON CAMPUS this end, Landon has already begun several curricular review efforts which include greater STEM integration, an evaluation of writing across the grades and disciplines, and new discussions of how to make the most of the capstone Senior Independent Project. In addition, the school schedule will be evaluated this year to ensure it fosters community across divisions and allows for the programmatic goals of the strategic plan to become realities.

These steps are just the beginning as Landon strives to remain a leader in boys’ education and guide Bears toward lives as “accomplished, responsible and caring men” for decades to come.

WHAT WON’T CHANGE AT LANDON • Landon is an all-boys school.

• Honor, ethics and character are central to the Landon experience.

• Landon promotes excellence in academics.

• Athletics and the arts are co-curricular and vital to our boys’ development.

• Landon retains a strong focus on college readiness.

• Landon embraces the teacher-coach-mentor model.

5

LANDON LOWDOWN

Bordley, Duquette, Katz Score Coaching Honors

T

strong second-place finish in the Metros Championships.

Katz earned the National

alent, dedication and

Wrestling Coaches Association

ingredients to athletics

Independent Schools Wrestling

teamwork are three key

success, and — as anyone

associated with this year’s

lacrosse, golf and wrestling teams can attest — great coaching is the fourth. Fittingly, the

strong leadership of lacrosse

Coach Rob Bordley ’66, golf Coach Jack Duquette, and

wrestling Coach Andy Katz

was recognized this year with prestigious honors.

Bordley received US Lacrosse’s

(NWCA) 2016–17 Maryland

honor came on the heels of a

season that saw the Bears finish

second in the IAC regular season and tournament and send four wrestlers to the National Prep Wrestling Championships.

Despite the recognition, all

three men are hesitant to take

credit for their teams’ successes.

“Wrestling is a tough sport.

I’ve never scored a goal, I’ve never won a faceoff, and I’ve never shut anyone down on the defensive end. But I’ve had great players who have.

Coaching Award, given to one coach each year who has given

his players outstanding support and guidance throughout his career. Over the course of

that 47-year coaching career,

Bordley has racked up 622 wins (No. 5 all-time), 31 Interstate Athletic Conference (IAC)

championships, and four No. 1

national rankings. US Lacrosse

also named Bordley Coach of the

–Coach Rob Bordley ’66

area following a season that saw

You learn to work hard, have

the aforementioned 31st IAC

have come together this year,”

the Bears finish 21–0 to claim

title and fourth No. 1 ranking in the Nike/US Lacrosse poll.

In his final year as golf head

coach, Duquette was named

the Washington Post All-Met

discipline and survive. Things Katz said. “We had experienced wrestlers coming back and the

best freshman class I have had to date.”

“I’ve never scored a goal, I’ve

Coach of the Year, the D.C.

never won a faceoff, and I’ve

Duquette led the golf team to

defensive end. But I’ve had great

area’s highest coaching accolade. the 21st IAC crown in program history (the 18th in his 29-year tenure as coach and fourth in

a row) and coached them to a

6

– Coach Andy Katz

Coach of the Year award. The

Gerald J. Carroll, Jr. Exemplary

Year for the Washington, D.C.,

Wrestling is a tough sport. You learn how to work hard, have discipline and survive..

never shut anyone down on the

players who have,” Bordley said.

Duquette put it simply: “I am

so proud of this team,” he said,

“and I am humbled by this honor.”

I am so proud of this team... and I am humbled by this honor.

–Coach Jack Duquette LANDON SCHOOL | SUMMER 2017

Undefeated Lacrosse Finishes No. 1 in Nation

L

acrosse’s decisive 18–7 victory over Bullis in the Interstate Athletic Conference (IAC) tournament championship game gave

the Bears the program’s 31st IAC title and was the exclamation

of our seniors who, from the first day of practice, put the team before themselves,” Bordley said. “They got the guys together for dinner

before big games. They made good decisions on the weekend. They put in the work.”

It certainly helped that three seniors — Nate Buller, Andrew

point on an undefeated 21–0 season that resulted in a No. 1 ranking in

Fowler and Justin Shockey — were named Under Armour All-

lacrosse history.

Player of the Year, Washington Post’s All-Met Player of the Year and

the Nike/US Lacrosse national top 25 for the fourth time in Landon “This was an unbelievable season, but it was also a stressful one,”

Coach Rob Bordley ’66 said. “There were high expectations. We were ranked high in the national polls before we had played a single game, so we had a lot of good teams calling and wanting to play us. That made for a long season, with an extremely tough schedule.”

To secure their perfect season, the Bears beat not just the best teams

in the Mid-Atlantic, but also some of the top teams across the country, including nationally ranked Brunswick from Connecticut and St. Ignatius Prep from California.

“A lot of the credit for this season goes to the exceptional leadership

Americans (Shockey was also the USA Today ALL-USA national

a US Lacrosse All-American), and that US Lacrosse All-American Joey Epstein ’18 owns Landon’s single-season and all-time scoring records... as a junior.

Despite the fourth national championship and 622 career coaching

wins (No. 5 all-time), Bordley said that winning games is not what gets him out of bed in the morning.

“If I could wave a wand, I would play no games,” Bordley said with

a laugh. “I love preseason, because there are no pressures, there are no expectations, there is no scouting. You’re just going out and playing, enjoying the camaraderie... and that’s a beautiful thing.”

Landon Wins IAC Founders Cup

F

or the first time in history, there was a tie for the top spot in

the IAC Founders Cup, and Landon and Georgetown Prep are co-champions.

Since 1975, the Founders Cup has been given to the school (or, in

this case, schools) with the best combined finishes in both IAC regular season and tournament play in 11 sports: cross country, football and

soccer in the fall; basketball, ice hockey and wrestling in the winter; and baseball, golf, lacrosse, outdoor track and field, and tennis in the spring.

Like so many memorable athletics contests, the scoring for the

2016–17 Cup was too close to call for most of the year. But when the clock ran out on the spring sports season, both Landon and

Georgetown Prep had tallied 43 total points to tie for first, just one point ahead of Bullis.

SUMMER 2017 | LANDON SCHOOL

7

LANDON LOWDOWN

Jacoby Celebrates the Big 9-0

M

ac Jacoby was at a Washington Bullets basketball game circa 1960, ball in hand, a brand-

new car riding on whether he could sink a shot from where he stood: half court. Mac had never been a

basketball player, but he “flung” the

ball toward the hoop anyway... and it

went right in. The basket scored Mac

“Mac was a mentor figure to my brothers and me,” said Tim

Jenkins ’75, one of three Jenkins boys to play tennis for Jacoby. “He

took us under his wing, took care of us, and kept an eye on us back in the day when we all needed some supervision.”

Jim Weiss, Mac’s longtime friend and former Landon faculty

member, added: “One of the most remarkable qualities of Mr. Jacoby is a constant eagerness to be helpful.”

And to sink half-court shots.

a new ride, but the most important thing he

walked away with was a life lesson: “You never know what you can do unless you try,” he said.

Mac shared this anecdote with faculty, staff and students who

came together April 4 to celebrate his 90th birthday and 62nd year at Landon. It was a fitting tale, considering that trying something new was what brought Mac to Landon in the first place.

“I joined the Air Force because I wanted to fly planes,” remembered

Mac, who enlisted after graduation from Trinity College and served in the Korean War from 1952–53. “But then I met Bill Triplett

working at Camp Wachusett one summer. He was the assistant head at Landon, and he turned me on to teaching.”

Jacoby came to Landon in 1955 and — while he flew planes

occasionally as a member of the Air Force Reserve until 1984 — was

here to stay. He served as a Middle School math teacher for 23 years, head of the Middle School for 20 years, and currently works in the

Athletics Office. He has coached varsity tennis for all 62 of those years.

He has coached eight national champions, led the team to 41 of its 49 Interstate Athletic Conference (IAC) championships, and impacted countless colleagues and students along the way.

8

LANDON SCHOOL | SUMMER 2017

School Raises $100K To ‘Buy a Bus!’

T

his spring, members of

the Landon community

joined forces to make the

school’s “Buy a Bus!” campaign a success: 180 donors contributed more than $100,000 to buy a

new activity bus to help meet the

growing needs of the experiential learning, arts and athletics

programs that are so important

to our boys’ Landon experience.

The new activity bus will

join a fleet of six others that average a combined 1,800

trips and 30,000 miles per year as they take our students to

perform at the Kennedy Center and National Cathedral, enjoy

nation’s capital, compete for

academic collaborations with

and monuments in our

championships, participate in

so much more.

field trips to the museums

Interstate Athletics Conference

Board of Trustees Elects New Chairman, Members

their peers at Holton-Arms, and

Thank you to all who

participated for your support of our school and our boys!

Alex Baldwin P ’18 serves as secretary and general counsel for

S

Digital Intelligence Systems Corp., which provides business staffing

mission to produce accomplished, responsible and caring men. Harris

P ’13 ’17 and Dale Wolf P ’10 ’15.

cott Harris ’84 is no stranger to serving institutions dedicated to noble pursuits — he is, after all, the current clerk to the Supreme Court of the United States. As the new chair of

Landon’s Board of Trustees, Harris will help to lead the school in its

succeeds Joe Kenary ’82, P ’18 ’20 ’23, whose three-year term as chair

concluded in June. In addition, the Board elected six new members for the 2017–18 school year.

Donald Dell ’56 is a senior vice president with ClearChannel

Entertainment, was a junior national tennis champion in his days at

and consulting services, and was the 2015–16 Landon Fathers Club president.

These six step in for departing trustees Kenary, Michelle Freeman

P ’09 ’20, Amy Mehlman P ’17 ’18, Tushar Patel ’81, Keith Powell

2017–18

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Landon, and was later the No. 4-ranked singles player in the world.

Chair Scott Harris ’84

Fellow and the director of Code.gov, and served as a speechwriter and senior advisor to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Vice Chair Kathy Wellington P ’11 ’13 ’15 ’18

graduates, holds her law degree from the University of Michigan, and

President Headmaster Jim Neill

Olivier Kamanda ’99 is a White House Presidential Innovation

Kenwyn Kindfuller P ’12 ’14 ’15 is the mother of three Landon

served as a lawyer in the criminal division of the Justice Department.

Harmar Thompson ’90 is a senior vice president with LCOR, a real

Treasurer Steve Mayer

Jeff Freed P ’11 ’13 ’18 is the father of three Bears and a managing

Secretary Martin Weinstein P ’20

estate developer in Bethesda.

partner with the private equity firm Arlington Capital Partners.

SUMMER 2017 | LANDON SCHOOL

9

LANDON LOWDOWN

Landon Bears Forever “Love means never having to say goodbye.” With this spin on a quote from the 1970 film Love Story, Upper School math teacher David Wray summed up how he feels about leaving Landon after 25 years inside the White Rocks. This was the overwhelming sentiment at year-end events to celebrate faculty members who moved on from the school at the end of the 2016–17 year.

All those leaving were honored at an all-school assembly in late May, at a faculty-and-staff luncheon June 12, and a cocktail reception June 6 that feted four who served more than 15 years: Wray, Grade 3 teacher Vanessa Burchett (26 years), Director of Lower School Admissions Carole Kerns (19 years), and Director of Development Barbara Goodwyn (12 years). In addition, three other

10

administrators relocated to other parts of the country this summer: Director of Alumni Programs and Associate Director of Development George Pappas ’82, Director of Athletics David Holm, and Director of College Counseling David Toomer.

The indelible marks that these seven individuals and the other departing faculty and staff (see sidebar p. 15) left on their colleagues are a true testimony to how much they have meant and will continue to mean to the Landon community. In the following excerpts taken from year-end tributes, faculty and staff members honor their departing friends and colleagues.

LANDON SCHOOL | SUMMER 2017

Vanessa Burchett |

V

BY D O U G N E T T L E S

anessa represents the best a teacher has to offer. Her passion for her boys of more than 25 years is what defined her life.

When we spoke about her leaving, she said it was the little

third grade smiles every morning she would miss most... She taught

the boys that a strong, confident, well-educated black woman — in the mold of Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman and Michelle Obama — was just like everyone else.

One of the first and longest tenured African American teachers

at Landon, Vanessa left behind a legacy that should require a field or building named in her honor. I want to salute my mentor and friend Vanessa Burchett.

Vanessa retired after 26 years at Landon. She has been on leave much of

this year for health-related issues and is stepping away from teaching to care for her well-being.

David Wray |

“W

BY A N DY K AT Z

ho knows what it means to be a good camper?”

This is the line David used at Boys Day Camp

every day for over 10 years. Each day of camp he

made a point to remind the boys of the important things to focus on during the day. I am going to change this up a little bit to remind us

all of the important things that David Wray has done in his 25 years at Landon: Who knows what it means to be a good teacher?

Dedication. Anyone who knows David knows that he is, as the

Landon boys would say “all in.”

Be a team player. David supported the school and his colleagues any

way he could. Over the years, he served many roles: teacher of all the higher levels of math, consortium teacher, head riflery coach, soccer coach, baseball coach, Form V dean, bus driver, the “Habitat Guy,”

Senior Project advisor, advisor to his students and colleagues, and riflery instructor and assistant director at Landon Summer’s Boys Day Camp.

together for almost 20 years). He has been an amazing teacher-coach-

I run into a problem I cannot solve or need a way to present a tough

many good memories. Landon will not forget the legacy he has left

Knowledgeable. David is a smart guy. He loves a challenge. Any time

concept to the boys, David Wray is the man!

Organized. David is a very methodical person. When presented with

a task, he will break it down into small pieces and make sure it gets done and done well... I relied on his organization for more than 10 years as my assistant director at the Boys Day Camp.

It has been a true pleasure to work with this man. He goes by

many names: D Wray, the Dawg, and my favorite, Baby Bear. This

mentor to his students. He has provided me and Landon with so

behind. His two sons, Gunnar ’08 and Giacomo ’11, are graduates,

and the impact he has made on his students and colleagues will last forever.

David and his wife have relocated to Sanibel Island, Florida. David

will teach math at Canterbury School in Ft. Myers, where Landon alumnus Ricky Kirschner ’83 is head of school.

was his handle during the summer. As I was Papa Bear. He has been a dependable friend and an inspiring teammate (we played softball

SUMMER 2017 | LANDON SCHOOL

11

LANDON LOWDOWN

Carole Kerns |

C

BY L E N A R M ST RO N G

arole Kerns is a consummate professional, a purveyor of

goodwill, a dear, dear friend to many, and a mentor to me...

Countless “thank you” notes written by parents indicate their

appreciation of Carole’s masterful approach and skillful technique of drawing out the best in kids during their Lower School admissions

interview, which is a stressful encounter for any 8-year-old and also his very anxious parents.

Barbara Goodwyn |

I

BY PAT TI PF E IF F

n Latin, alter ego literally means “second I.” An alter ego can be

thought of as a person’s clone or second self. A professional alter ego

might be a trusted aide who knows exactly what the boss wants done

(we try). A personal alter ego might be a close friend who is almost

like a twin. While I did not know any of this until I recently looked it

up, it is very clear in my mind who my alter ego is: Barbara Goodwyn.

Barbara was one of my first friends at Landon, and through the

One note to Carole shows how she would go above and beyond:

years we have shared happiness and heartache, ups and downs, good

new things thanks to your deep experience. I can think of no better

Her love of Landon School is so deep I honestly do think she bleeds

“Thank you for the wonderful introduction to Landon. We all learned ambassador for the school. Perhaps the highlight was you and Tom facing off on the wrestling mat.”

Carole proactively worked hard to form a more diverse Lower

School... She once told me she wanted this to be her legacy.

As director of Lower School admissions, Carole enrolled an

unprecedented number of talented, multicultural students, helping to grow a beautifully eclectic and vibrant Lower School culture, which

times and not-so-good times, and a friendship that is one I treasure. brown, but Barbara loves something even more than Landon... and

that is her children: Mary Katherine, Brandon ’05 and Lacy. Barbara

is on to the next new and exciting yet-to-be-written chapter in her life, which will start after she gets back from Italy, where she will celebrate (with many Landon folks) as her son Brandon (a 10-year Landon man) marries the love of his life.

Barbara, you have been a wonderful ambassador of the school, a

strengthens Landon as a community and subsequently allows our boys

friend to so many. Your staff in the Development Office claims that

community but citizens of the world.

I am proud — no honored — to call you my alter ego.

to begin to understand their roles as not only citizens of the Landon Carole is also my life mentor. Her outlook on life is blue-sky yet

you put the “fun” in fundraising. You are the Thelma to my Louise, and Barbara spearheaded Landon’s fundraising efforts for more than a decade

realistic and incredibly insightful. I think about her musings and quote

and helped the school successfully raise more than $50 million with the

’97, Michael ’01 and David ’04, and her 40-year love affair with her

matters related to her eyesight, and will continue to focus on those efforts.

her often as she would share stories of raising her three sons, Scott

husband Chris... She contributes and shares, always looking to

Landon United Campaign. She spent the spring on leave to care for health

help, putting family first and those less fortunate ahead of herself... Carole has given me a blueprint for an enriching life. And for that I am grateful.

Carole, you are missed and always will be... I’m

good, though, knowing that you are fulfilled and continuing to live life to the fullest and on your terms, which coincidently just seems to help everyone around you.

Carole, who served as Landon’s associate director

of development before becoming director of Lower School admissions, plans to spend her retirement with family, traveling, and learning to play the guitar.

12

LANDON SCHOOL | SUMMER 2017

chapters in New York City and San Francisco. The list could go on and on. And yet he does all of this with a marvelous sense of humor, an infectious smile, and a winning personality.

What’s next for George? He and his wife Amy and their children

are headed for Canterbury School in Ft. Myers, Florida. Many have

asked me why George, being so young, is headed to Florida, the land

of retirement. Well, he might not have his AARP card yet, but he will take a new position as assistant head of school for advancement and strategic affairs (which means he will do everything for the school).

George Pappas ’82

G

| BY LOW E L L DAV IS

eorge has been the Director of Alumni Relations and Planned Giving for nine years, during which he has organized and

energized an alumni base of 2,500 Landon grads from the

ages of 18–93. Not an easy task keeping a group of that size well

informed and happy. He planned Homecoming & Reunion activities

every year for 15 reunion classes spread over three days. He formed our

At Canterbury, he will feel right at home since Ricky Kirschner

’83 is the headmaster and David Wray will be a member of the math

department. I feel confident that George, Ricky and David will find a way to share their combined swimming pools, beach front properties, local golf courses, and spare bedrooms for all of your friends from

Landon who plan to visit — regularly. In conclusion, you are a good man, George Pappas!

After nine years working in Landon’s Alumni Programs and

Grizzly Bear alumni group for alums who graduated from Landon 50+

Development Offices, George has moved with his family to Ft. Myers,

our lower schoolers, the annual Veterans Day Assembly, and alumni

and strategic affairs at Canterbury School.

years ago, the Grizzly Bear Pen Pals to put this group in touch with

David Toomer |

D

Florida, where he will serve as the assistant head of school for advancement

BY A N DY LU T H E R

uring his time with us, David did a great job leading a

department with mounting internal and external pressures and demands for universal success in this crazy college process.

He has been able to combine his incredible knowledge of the college landscape with a genuine kindness and warmth, and the results have

been amazing for our boys. He is a true learner at heart, and he loves

to ask questions of all of our reps who come from different colleges to visit us each fall. Sometimes it feels like he is interviewing them and

deciding whether they will get the big or small envelope at the end of

the process. But it’s because he really wants to know more about their schools and their offerings, all with the purpose of helping our boys.

He truly enjoys building relationships, characterized by an authentic

interest in those people with whom he is spending time... He loves to

I am not concerned for his transition to Tower Hill. I am sure that he

some details of his own, he always spends more time listening than

Landon... David, thank you for everything! Godspeed and good luck

hear about what is happening in others’ lives, and while he will offer talking. His warmth and friendship will be missed as he heads up

I-95 to Tower Hill School in Delaware, which will effectively cut off

80 percent of the commute time he has had over these past few years between Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and Landon.

While I know we will miss David’s cheerfulness and calm demeanor,

SUMMER 2017 | LANDON SCHOOL

will dive into the life of the school in the same way he has done here at with the next phase of your life at Tower Hill.

David, who commuted from his home in New Jersey to Landon for the

duration of his three years here, will take on the director of college counseling

role at Tower Hill School in Wilmington, Delaware, a move that will allow him to be with his family.

13

LANDON LOWDOWN

David Holm |

D

BY PAUL PADALINO

avid is the consummate teacher-coach-mentor. He is a true educator whose passion is to be in the classroom, and he

believes athletics is a way to educate young people. He is also

a true professional. His demeanor, the way he doesn’t let his emotions come through, is a nice counterbalance for me. If you’ve ever watched

the sidelines of a Landon football game, my emotions are quite clear at many times. David is a little more understated.

He is an excellent sports administrator and athletics director. A big

reason is that coaches need protectors, and David always had your

back. He made sure you knew you were supported. He made sure you had what you needed to be successful. More importantly, when he

had conversations with parents, he made sure the families knew where we were coming from as coaches and what we were trying to achieve with their son.

When it came time for my son Paul ’15 to play football for me,

I was concerned. Rob Bordley ’66 and I used to talk all the time

about how hard it is to coach your son. When that opportunity came around, I knew right away who should coach Paul, and it was David.

He knew what it took to be successful in football. He knew how to

work with Paul and make him the best player and leader he could be.

Most importantly, I knew David was going to hold Paul accountable.

For me, the greatest honor I can give is that I wanted that man to coach my son.

At the end of the day, it’s about relationships, and David has made

many great relationships here at Landon. With David leaving, I lose a good friend, I lose a mentor, and my wife loses a good friend in David’s wife Evelyn. For those of you who know coaching, wives need a place where it is safe to sit during games, and Evelyn and

Cathy provided that for each other. Our daughters are good friends.

So the Padalinos are losing more than just colleagues; we’re losing

good family friends, and we will miss them greatly... Thank you for everything, David.

David and his family (including wife Evelyn, the Lower School librarian,

and son Ben ’24) have relocated to Houston, Texas, to be closer to extended family. David will be the director of athletics at The Kinkaid School.

14

LANDON SCHOOL | SUMMER 2017

New to Landon

A FOND FAREWELL The below individuals also moved on from Landon at the end of this year. We wish them well in all their future endeavors!

LOWER SCHOOL

Sandy Blasey Librarian Shannon Lechner Grade 4 teacher MIDDLE SCHOOL

LOWER SCHOOL

UPPER SCHOOL

Marty Bednar ’11 Grade 3 teacher Rachel Cohen Grade 4 teacher Evelyn Holm Librarian Richard O’Connor Grade 4 teacher

Torey Tonche Math teacher

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Norah Gentile French teacher Andreu Honeycutt Director of theatrical arts Bev Williams English teacher

STAFF

Matt Carberry ’84 International admissions Stephanie Meinhardt Special events Stefany Morales Upper School office assistant Monica Tan College counseling assistant

Eric Harrison English teacher Francesca Panarelli Social studies teacher John Rayburn French and Spanish teacher Karina Gershowitz US & MS theater arts teacher UPPER SCHOOL

Ryan Callahan Math teacher Anna Vice Math teacher Bill Zaiser Math teacher STAFF

Deborah Basket Co-director of college counseling Charles Franklin Assistant head of school for academics Dr. Peter Gallo Director of development

SUMMER 2017 | LANDON SCHOOL

Christian Hill Director of annual giving Liz Hudson Director of data management and donor stewardship Blake Hollinger Upper School and international admissions Meg Klingelhofer College counseling assistant Lucas Metropulos Director of major and planned gifts Kareena Mims Lower School admissions Mike Virzi Director of buildings & grounds

Familiar Faces, New Roles John Bellaschi Director of ethics, service and leadership Kim Coletta LS media and library specialist Michael Fisher Grade 4 teacher Andy Luther Co-director of college counseling Paul Padalino Interim director of athletics

15

LANDON LOWDOWN

The 64th Landon Azalea Festival Highlights

A

little rainy weather proved no match for carnival rides

on Freed Field, gorgeous azaleas and annuals,

boutique vendors peddling unique gifts, and droves

of dedicated volunteers at the 64th Azalea Garden Festival

May 5–7. Thousands still showed up to enjoy Funland rock

climbing, rides, face painting and cotton candy; to give it their all in

the 16th annual Mark’s Run 5K; and to shop for the aforementioned flowers, plants and gifts. This year, the Azalea Festival and the

Greens Sale & Holiday Boutique (held in December) raised more than $500,000 to benefit student financial assistance and faculty

enrichment. Thank you to the hundreds of hardworking volunteers who made the events such a success!

16

SUMMER 2017 | LANDON SCHOOL

17

LANDON LOWDOWN

VOICES OF LANDON Our blog gives alumni, students, teacher-coach-mentors and parents a platform to share their perspectives on Landon.

The following are excerpts from two recent posts.

LESSONS FROM THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL Agustin “Gus” Umanzor ’08 wrote this post about his attempt to hike from one end to the other of the Appalachian Trail, the world’s longest hiking-only footpath.

Gus wrote this three weeks into

his journey, which will take him

approximately 2,190 miles, up and down 464,500 feet in elevation gain/loss, and through 14 states from Georgia to Maine.

B

e honest. Do your best.

Help the other fellow.

This is the Lower School

motto at Landon School, and it was ingrained in me and other

Little did I know that [the Lower School] motto would be what I keep falling back on while on the Appalachian Trail.

– Agustin “Gus” Umanzor ’08

Landon alumni throughout our

about my mental and physical

Help the other fellow

[teacher] Al Goddard in fourth

here to help me wake up, pack,

one other along on the journey.

to be honest with what my body

with first aid, sharing food, or

Landon tenure. I remember

grade first mentioning the motto and stating its importance. Little

did I know that this motto would be what I keep falling back on

while on the Appalachian Trail.

Many things on the trail have

reminded me about this motto and its importance.

Be honest I have to be honest with

myself, my body and the trail

every day. I couldn’t be out here or have put in this many miles if I wasn’t honest with myself

18

abilities. There is no one else out eat, and hike the miles. I need

says. If it needs a break, I need

to listen. I also need to be honest with the trail. It is still the boss and it tells me how far I hike every day.

Do your best That is all I can do every day I

am out here — try my very best.

I wake up every morning and I

give it my all. There hasn’t been a day that I haven’t felt like I have given it my absolute best try.

We have all been helping

From giving me water, helping providing emotional support and knowledge, there have

that leave treats, such as soda

or honey buns, on the trail for hikers. I will never meet these

people, but their random acts of kindness have played a role in my journey.

Of the three components

been countless people that have

of the Landon Lower School

entire attempt has been filled

fellow has been the most

helped me make it this far. This with helping the other fellow.

“Trail magic” is the epitome of

this. The magic I have received

has been from generous people willing to help complete strangers. Simple acts of

kindness like giving me stamps,

food or rides. Or those strangers

motto, helping the other

remarkable about this attempt so far: random people helping other random people with no

expectation of reciprocity. I’ve

had people tell me that a thru-

hike helps restore one’s faith in humanity, and I am definitely

beginning to understand why.

LANDON SCHOOL | SUMMER 2017

INSPIRED TO MAKE FILMS Greg “Freddy” Camalier ’86 wrote this post. Freddy is the founder of

the film production company Ear

Goggles Productions and made his

directorial debut with the Sundance Film Festival hit documentary

Muscle Shoals, which he made

with his friend and fellow Landon alumnus Stephen Badger ’86.

I

was at Landon nine years, fourth through 12th grade, and I regret not coming in third

grade. Looking back, Landon had a tremendous impact on me. First and foremost, the friendships, they run so deep, a lot of them are still intact. When you’re young and Landon is all you know, you don’t necessarily appreciate it, but as you get older, have kids, and experience different parts of the country, you realize just how special a place like Landon is. It’s an incredible opportunity to attend a school like Landon.

Not only does it provide a top-

The life lessons I received at Landon stick with me to this day. The teachers and coaches leave marks on you. The impact is huge. You’re also with the same group of guys every day through these formative years of your life, and that’s a really unique thing to be a part of. – Greg Camalier ’86

notch education but also it gives you these friendships that last a

some time, and I was missing

Elvis or Muscle Shoals?” We were

lifetime.

that aspect of my life when I

music fans, so we knew of Muscle

serendipitously fell into the story

Shoals being a recording mecca

of Muscle Shoals.

for great artists, but we had no

The life lessons I received at Landon stick with me to this day.

The teachers and coaches leave

Stephen and I were driving

idea of the totality of the story.

marks on you. The impact is huge.

cross-country as I was helping

We turned around and drove

You’re also with the same group

Stephen on his move to New

backwards on a 1,700-mile road

of guys every day through these

Mexico. We didn’t take highways.

trip to sleep there. We were blown

formative years of your life, and

We took backroads and went

away by the history and feeling

that’s a really unique thing to be

through the South with just a road

of the town. So we delayed our

a part of.

atlas to guide the way. We were

departure the next morning and

driving late at night, getting tired,

that was the genesis of making a

project for a class. My buddy

At Landon I had to do a video

so we pulled out the map to see

film about the town and people of

Doug Briskman ’86 and I made a

where we wanted to sleep for the

Muscle Shoals.

comedy — and it was really funny.

night and saw Tupelo, Mississippi,

I didn’t make another film again

in front of us and Muscle Shoals

between two friends, is a perfect

until Muscle Shoals. I had not

behind us. Steve said, “Would

example of the lasting bond of

done anything creative in quite

you rather have the birthplace of

friendship that Landon fosters.

SUMMER 2017 | LANDON SCHOOL

That film, a project of passion

19

LANDON LOWDOWN

22 Seniors to Play College Athletics

T

wenty-two members of the Class of 2017 have committed to play NCAA college athletics next year at institutions that include the United States Naval Academy, Duke University and Cornell University. These 22 boys (listed below) from six different sports join the ranks of more than 160 Bears who have gone on to become college athletes over the past decade, including 53 in the last three years.

BASEBALL

Jack Porter

Nate Buller

Will Oliver

Randy Bednar Jr.

Dickinson College

United States Naval Academy

Washington College

Shane Corcoran

Ryan Pride

University of Maryland Drew Whalen

GOLF

United States Naval Academy

University of Virginia

Lenoir-Rhyne University

John Kalavritinos

Sean Feldman

Justin Shockey United States Naval Academy

Bucknell University

The Catholic University of America

BASKETBALL

Evan Katz

Andrew Fowler

Antonio Cockrell

Duke University

Cornell University

SWIMMING

Thomas Halm

Jack Chlopak

Widener University Donell Frayer

LACROSSE

Saint Joseph’s University

Connecticut College

Loyola University Maryland

Michael Abizaid

Cam James

Jason Tang

Furman University

United States Naval Academy

Massachusetts Institute of

FOOTBALL

Will Amoroso

Colin O’Brien

Technology

Maanik Lal

University of Michigan

Bucknell University

Bucknell University

20

LANDON SCHOOL | SUMMER 2017

W

hen he isn’t shaping young minds as a Middle School English teacher and track coach, you may find Jamie Sorge uniting two people in marriage. Jamie is a licensed minister who can

officiate weddings and funerals, act as a mediator, and even provide marriage counseling — as he says, “all because I spent $35 and wrote my name and address into an online form.”

That was indeed all it took for Jamie to become an ordained “Dudeist priest” in the Church of the Latter-Day Dude, a legitimate religion inspired by the Tao-like philosophy of “The Dude,” Jeff Bridges’ character from the film The Big Lebowski.

Jamie became a minister when his neighbors Paul and Jamie asked him to perform their wedding last fall in Outer Banks, North Carolina. “It was really fun to see all of their friends and family — everyone who loves them — gathered on the beach in the Outer Banks, and I could be the person to deliver this ceremony. It was a huge honor,” Jamie said. “My wife Malki said to me, ‘You are going to love this because you love love. You love seeing people happy and bringing people together.’ That’s why I did it, and hopefully I’ll get to do more.”

F

or Middle School Spanish teacher Dr. Troy Prinkey there is no sweeter way to unwind from a day in the classroom than by mingling with the thousands of bees he keeps in the backyard of his

Washington, D.C., home.

“My garden doesn’t feel complete without bees in the hive — the buzz really brings the yard to life,” he said. “Beekeeping is really a calming hobby. While bees scare some people, they are happy to have humans around, so long as you are respectful.”

Just to be safe, Troy wears a protective veil connected to a jacket, as well as gloves, when he works with the bees, and often uses smoke to mask the alert pheromones bees send to one another.

Troy first picked up beekeeping when his family moved to a 25-acre farm in Pennsylvania 10 years ago and went to a one-day seminar to learn what beekeeping entailed. “Who knew that you could just order three pounds of bees?” Troy laughed.

SUMMER 2017 | LANDON SCHOOL

21

COMMENCEMENT

Commencement 2017 to go. As we typically do for life’s big moments of transition, for rites of passage, we gather to mark this occasion with ceremony... Today marks the formal recognition that you men of Landon are on the

cusp of something. Today acknowledges that you are on the brink of a new chapter, one in which opportunities and responsibilities and

expectations and challenges will all expand. Today is a launching of sorts.

But towards what? I would say it is towards the persons you will

eventually become. The Landon mission spells out the school’s reason for being as helping to prepare “talented boys for productive lives as

accomplished, responsible, and caring men.” That is the destination.

But what does it mean to be an accomplished man or to live a productive life?

As I thought about this question, a particular quote kept coming

to mind from 17th century English poet John Donne’s famous work

“Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions.” You likely know the lines as

‘Make It Count’ The following is excerpted from remarks Headmaster Jim Neill delivered at Landon’s 88th Commencement.

T

he Class of 2017. Such a wonderful and diverse group of

young men. There is so much in this class both collectively and individually that is solid, good, and worthy of today’s

celebration. Here before us is a group of whom we can and should be

justly proud, and for whom we should be deeply grateful... They have provided incredible leadership for us all, have modeled seriousness of purpose, and have demonstrated what it means to intentionally em-

brace the values that Landon represents. They have, to use their motto for the year, made it count.

I was struck by this choice of motto last summer. It was reflective

of a mature collective mindset — a wisdom perhaps atypical of rising

well:

No man is an island, Entire of itself.

Each is a piece of the continent, A part of the main.

If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less.

As well as if a promontory were.

As well as if a manor of thine own Or of thine friend’s were.

Each man’s death diminishes me, For I am involved in mankind.

Therefore, send not to know For whom the bell tolls, It tolls for thee.

It occurs to me that much of the answer to the question about the

Form VI students. For in its “seize the day” essence, it showed an

destination to which Landon is launching you — about what we mean

as Landon students. They understood that there is something

found here. For a truly accomplished man who leads a truly productive

appreciation for the unique and fleeting experience they were enjoying different here at this place and that the experience was to be relished as it started drawing to a close over their senior year. So they challenged themselves and us all to make it count. And that they have done,

embracing this year and everything Landon has to offer, enriching this place in the process.

But we now reach the end of that culminating year. Now it is time

22

when we talk about being productive and accomplished — can be

life is not one who simply achieves for himself or who sees himself as

an island, but is instead one who recognizes the essential truth that he is a part of something greater than himself — that he is a piece of the

continent. He realizes that he is served by (and can be diminished by) the well-being of the greater whole, so he strives to serve and better

that greater whole both for himself and for the others who make it up.

LANDON SCHOOL | SUMMER 2017

In graduating from the school, you advance into a network of men that is real and enduring — a sort of lifelong fellowship stemming from commonly held values and a shared experience defined by care for one another.

– Headmaster Jim Neill The accomplished man therefore intentionally works to advance

of Landon not just words, but realities in your lives. They represent higher standards... a harder but better way of being and one that is

worth it. They are also traits that the world needs desperately. We need citizens who intentionally seek to better their communities.

Choose to be those citizens. Choose well.

Choose to care; choose to be true and fair and kind; choose to lead

with compassion and to stand up for those who need help; choose to act with courage and to lend your voice to that which is righteous; choose to show up, to work hard, and to do what you say you will

do; choose to listen and to act with humility and decency; choose

to believe in goodness; choose to appreciate the privileges you have

been given and to use them in service of that greater good. To put it

another way, choose to be productive and accomplished Landon men.

And as you confront and make those choices, realize that you do

the common good whether that “common” be his family, his school,

not go it alone. At Landon this is a palpable truth. For in graduating

recognizes what he has been given and feels both accountability and

enduring — a sort of life-long fellowship stemming from commonly

his community, his country, or indeed the world... Such a person

obligation to something larger than himself. He is, to quote Donne, “involved in mankind.”

I think it is perhaps not hard for Landon students and graduates to

understand this idea, for they have felt powerfully that membership with something greater over their time here through the sense of

brotherhood that so many highlight. The goal I am talking about

from the school, you advance into a network of men that is real and held values and a shared experience defined by care for one another

— men who in real and critically loyal ways look out for each other...

Engage in that group. Lean on it and advance it. Hold your brothers

accountable to the highest standards. Help other Landon Bears as you have been helped.

Lastly, don’t wait to begin this approach. Don’t wait to begin this

is one in which you build on those fraternal bonds as a foundation

journey towards becoming difference makers. Do it now. Begin

concentric circles, kind of like ripples in a pond.

passage from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar as a set of words to live by,

towards the development of a broader human kinship, expanding it in This is easier said than done. For it is not an easy time to step

towards adulthood, to say nothing of stepping towards productive

adulthood. The world today is an ever more complex place... It can be hard to know where to set your feet and where to begin in what feels like an always shifting landscape.

But even with the increasingly complicated dynamics of life that you

will encounter, in the end, achieving the goal of leading a productive

life is a matter of intentional choice. It is something you can choose.

In fact, it is something that involves many, many choices over the course of a lifetime. It is up to you.

This is why we have spent so much time preaching about honor and

it now. Several years ago, my mother-in-law sent me a wonderful

and I think they speak powerfully to the pressing importance of “now.”

The passage reads:

There is a tide in the affairs of men.

Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; Omitted, all the voyage of their life Is bound in shallows and in miseries.

On such a full sea are we now afloat, And we must take the current when it serves, Or lose our ventures.

That is, strike while the iron is hot. Don’t risk being “bound in

civility and respect and perseverance and teamwork and fair play. For

shallows.” Your sea is full now and the current is flowing your way. So

For in a profound way, it is difficult to be able to choose to live

as an accomplished and productive man now. To put it another way,

these are essential underpinnings to what it means to be accomplished. productively without these traits.

So with this in mind, I say, choose well. Choose to make the values

SUMMER 2017 | LANDON SCHOOL

take advantage of that — pursue with vigor your venture towards and and to bring this message full circle to the wisdom you brought to Landon at the beginning of this year: make it count.

23

COMMENCEMENT

The Class of 2017

Don’t think you can fly too close to the sun. This is where you need the guidance from adults...

Listen to them, respect their wisdom, and continue to think for yourselves.

Michael Andrew Abizaid

Andrew James Clark

William Louis Amoroso IV

Antonio Lovelle Cockrell

Randall Paul Bednar Jr.

Clark Joseph Collins

– English teacher Ashby Anderson

Texas Christian University

Furman University

University of Michigan

University of Maryland, College Park

Quinn Walker Boyd

Widener University

Southern Methodist University Brett Patrick Cooker

University of Maryland, College Park

Aaron Gilbert Broner

Shane Christopher Corcoran

Jameel Matthew Brown

Hayes Ambler Cusick

Maleek Dillan Brown

Jorge David Dumenigo

Nathan Elkins Buller

Conor Gruner Durbin

Charles Colby Camalier

Timothy Vernon Dye

Jack Lewes Chlopak

Michael Philip Dziak

Syracuse University

St. Mary’s College of Maryland New York University

United States Naval Academy Virginia Tech

Connecticut College

24

Northwestern University

United States Naval Academy Miami University, Oxford Kenyon College

Bucknell University Cornell University Trinity College

LANDON SCHOOL | SUMMER 2017

Robert Harold Edwards III

Paul Henry Kern

Dilan Prasad

Louie M. Eisen

Alexander Shayan Kimiavi

Ryan Anders Pride

Sean Paul Feldman

Maanik Lal

Scott Cameron Prutting

Wesley Andrew Feldman

Brian Douglas Lossing

Yougeshwar B.J. Ramkissoon

Andrew Earle Fowler

Andrew Charles Lowrie

Alexander Tinsley Raul

Donnell Frayer Jr.

Andrew Robert Manca

Jeffrey Dylan Samit

Faraz E. Ghorbanpour

Christopher Andrew McTaggart

Jaydeep Singh Sangha

Cole Hans Gibson

Jacob Daniel Mehlman

Ryan George Schwartz

Jacob Parks Goodwin

Kaesaan Dominic Mimms

Matthew W. Seebald

Thomas Donovan Halm

Christopher Ross Morris

University of South Carolina

Benjamin Matthew Selya

Dickinson College

Milo Augustus Theodore Hartsoe

Colin Matthew O’Brien

Chenyu Shi

Mitchell K. Hoffman

John William Oliver

Justin Alistair Shockey

Jonathan Siting Hsieh

Mitchell Grady Pan

F. Thomas Shull

Arslon Dawood Humayun

Luke Davis Peterson

Harvard University

University of Miami Catholic University of America University of Texas at Austin Cornell University

Loyola University Maryland University of Rochester

Wake Forest University Clemson University

Saint Joseph’s University University of Michigan

Pennsylvania State University University of Pennsylvania Georgetown University

Cameron Donald James

United States Naval Academy John Burke Jarrett

George Washington University Andrew Michael Javens Brown University

John Christopher Kalavritinos Bucknell University

Evan Maximilian Katz Duke University

SUMMER 2017 | LANDON SCHOOL

Boston College Virginia Tech

Bucknell University Cornell University

University of Georgia

University of Texas at Austin Carleton College

Claremont McKenna College University of Virginia

Bucknell University Washington College

Pennsylvania State University

Virginia Tech

University of Virginia Texas Christian University American University

Washington and Lee University Duke University

Swarthmore College Tulane University

University of Chicago

University of California, Berkeley United States Naval Academy

Nathaniel Christopher Pendergast Smith

University of Southern California William Jarrel Smith IV Longwood University

Maxwell Simon Spiritos University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Cullen Thomas Miller Stout Colorado State University Jason J. Tang

Massachusetts Institute of Technology James Griffin Valentine

The University of Texas at Austin Andrew Michael Whalen Lenoir-Rhyne University

William Douglas Wisor Syracuse University Binhong Wu

Oberlin College Bilal Wurie

Harvard University Ramin Zarfeshan Virginia Tech

University of Colorado Boulder

University of Maryland, College Park

Hayden William Pingle

University of South Carolina Jack-Joseph Cameron Porter Dickinson College

Edward Victor Tower Powell Colby College

Jackson John Powell

Sewanee: The University of the South William Frederick Robert Powell University of Virginia

25

COMMENCEMENT

CLASS OF 2017

AWARDS Valedictorian Chenyu Shi The Upper School Headmaster’s Award Alexander Raul Fathers Club Citizenship Award (integrity) Arslon Humayun The Malcolm Coates Student Activities Award Jeffrey Samit The Eleanor Ann Johnson Award (arts) Faraz Ghorbanpour The William Harrison Triplett Award (athletics) William Powell The Carroll Mercer Marbury Award (tenacity) Bilal Wurie Stephen J. Smith ’01 Spirit Award (given at senior dinner) Alexander Raul

UNDERCLASSMAN

AWARDS Hugh C. Riddleberger Alumni Scholarship Award (highest Form V GPA) Harrison Smith ’18 Middle School Headmaster’s Award Issa Mudashiru ’21

Landon isn’t this campus.

Landon isn’t these buildings.

Landon is the relationships forged through experience, empathy and purpose between the people and this community.

– History teacher Ian Healy ’00

Lower School Headmaster’s Award Thomas Shelton ’24

BACCALAUREATE

AWARDS The Patrick Tanner ’96 Community Service Award Conor Durbin The Alexander Aikens ’67 Award for Diversity Support Bilal Wurie The Cary Maguire ’46 Ethics Scholar Alexander Raul

26

LANDON SCHOOL | SUMMER 2017

CUM LAUDE

SOCIETY Class of 2017 (elected in 2016) Andrew Clark Timothy Dye Jonathan Hsieh Arslon Humayun Andrew Javens Evan Katz Jeffrey Samit Matthew Seebald Chenyu Shi Class of 2017 (elected in 2017) Robert Edwards III Andrew Fowler Milo Hartsoe Dilan Prasad Jaydeep Sangha Jason Tang Bilal Wurie Ramin Zarfeshan

Johns Hopkins Book Award Nikola Dragacevac

Keep asking why.

Whether you like or despise the answer, it’s the question that matters. It’s how you remind yourself of your purpose, your goal, your progress and your beliefs. As Tom Stoppard said once, ‘It’s wanting to know that makes us matter.’

Harvard Book Award Samuel Hanson

Class of 2018 (elected in 2017) Arihant Chadda Deven Desai Andrew Engel Brendon Gallagher Brett Gallagher Parker Lotstein Leonardo Maldonado William McClure Harrison Smith Zachariah Werhan

JUNIOR

AWARDS

– Valedictorian Chenyu Shi ’17

Dartmouth Club Book Award Harrison Smith

FACULTY & STAFF

AWARDS The Mary Lee and Paul Landon Banfield Award (faculty) Ardis Danon, Upper School Science/Forms III & IV Dean The Alice F. Cosimano Award (staff) Barbara Goodwyn, Director of Development

SUMMER 2017 | LANDON SCHOOL

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ARTS

Performing Arts A Year of Living Creatively

D

uring the 2016–17 school year, the Upper School Symphonic Band performed on the Kennedy Center Concert Hall main stage for the first time in school history; 17 Bears earned 29

regional honors for their paintings, drawings, photographs and sculptures in the esteemed Scholastic Art & Writing Awards; and actors

from all divisions delivered crowd-pleasing theatrical performances at

girls from Holton-Arms to perform Disney’s The Lion King Jr., the first coed Middle School play on Holton’s campus. Lower School

performers rocked Coates Auditorium with the musical Schoolhouse

Rock! Live Jr. And Upper School actors collaborated with Holton girls to stage Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and the Stephen Sondheim musical Company.

Our Chamber Singers took their talents on the road to perform for

both Landon and siste school Holton-Arms.

the residents of the Maplewood Park Place retirement community.

for two of his paintings at the Maryland State Fair art competition.

Pennsylvania, to wow judges at the Music in the Parks Festival.

On the studio arts front, Kevin Tsai ’18 won third and fifth place

Eighth graders from Landon and Holton worked together to put on

And Lower and Middle School musicians traveled to Hersheypark,

THE CRUCIBLE

an art show in Landow Gallery. Lower schoolers proudly displayed their masterpieces in the lobby of the Mondzac Performing Arts

Center. And four Upper School artists were among 40 area students

selected to show their work at the 18th Annual Friends of the Yellow

Barn High School Art Exhibition, where Ricky Sears ’99 was honored as an outstanding teacher.

On the stage, Middle School actors performed Shakespeare’s A

Midsummer Night’s Dream in Coates Auditorium and teamed with

KENNEDY CENTER

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THE LION KING

SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK

LANDON SCHOOL | SUMMER 2017

VISUAL ARTS SPOTLIGHT

Wild Inspiration

H

arrison Muth ’19’s love of nature and passion

a leopard that actually looked like a leopard.”

a 7-year-old growing up in Jackson, Wyoming:

sponge for instruction, advice and suggestion,” Rose said,

for art have been intrinsically linked since he was

He went on long hikes with his mother to the lakes and

mountains in Grand Teton National Park, and was inspired to capture in photos the breathtaking vistas he and his mother encountered. Today, those photos and others

Harrison has taken since provide the basis for much of his award-winning art.

“I started drawing birds when I was very young, and

Jackson has the most beautiful landscape,” Harrison said.

“That was definitely a major reason I got into art.”

Another big reason was Brad Rose’s eighth grade

art class. “Mr. Rose has been a huge influence on me,”

Harrison said. “In eighth grade, I would spend every recess in the art room, as did most of my friends, because Mr.

Rose made it really enjoyable to be in that atmosphere and helped me to do things that I didn’t think I could do. His

class was the first time I ever painted, and I managed to do

SUMMER 2017 | LANDON SCHOOL

The admiration is mutual. “In addition to being a

“Harrison shares thoughtful observations and is the rare

student who not only learns from his teachers, but provides moments where they learn from him as well.”

In 2017, Harrison won two prestigious Scholastic Art &

Writing Awards, including an honorable mention for Sky

Lake (pictured above) based on a photo he took of Phelps Lake from a mountain overlook while rock climbing in Grand Teton.

Upper School art teacher Michael Carter compares

Harrison’s work to that of mid-19th-century landscape painter Thomas Cole, who infused both realism and romanticism into his depictions of the American

wilderness. “Some of the best artists have scientific minds, and that is Harrison,” Carter said. “He’s a nitpicker — he makes sure every leaf is in the right place, is shaded just perfectly — and his work is better because of it.”

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ARTS

Visual Arts Gallery

A.J. Best’24

Will Nussbaum’20

Coby Shrensky ’21

Matt Hudson ’23

Rayan Anvari ’25

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LANDON SCHOOL | SUMMER 2017

Connor Pugh ’19 Oscar Smink ’21

Sky Cui ’18

Logan Kalish ’21

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Andrew Engel ’18

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ATHLETICS

Fall Sports 16 BEARS EARN FALL ALL-IAC

D

uring the fall 2016 athletics season, 21 Landon student-

athletes in four sports earned individual accolades, including 16 All-IAC (Interstate Athletic Conference) honorees and

two Academic All-Americans. Individual excellence translated to

strong team play as cross country and soccer were IAC runners-up,

football pulled out a dramatic Homecoming win over St. Albans, and water polo finished fourth at the Eastern Prep Championships.

CROSS COUNTRY HIGHLIGHTS Led by Wes Feldman ’17, the team ran to victory at the Mercersburg Invitational and posted personal best times across the board in winning the Episcopal Parents Weekend Meet. At the IAC Championships, underclassmen Jace Menendez ’18, Ari Chadda ’18 and Kevin Tsai ’18 scored All-IAC honors en route to a slim second-place finish behind repeat victor St. Albans. The Bears lost another tight one at the Montgomery County Private School Championships, where five runners finished in the top 12 to earn All-Montgomery County honors and secure second in the team scoring, two points behind The Heights. INDIVIDUAL HONORS Ari Chadda ’18: All-IAC, All-Montgomery County, Co-Captain; Wesley Feldman ’17: All-Montgomery County, Co-Captain, MVP; Jake Goodwin ’17: Co-Captain; Matthew Lowrie ’18: All-Montgomery County, Jace Menendez ’18: All-IAC, All-Montgomery County; Will Powell ’17: Co-Captain; Kevin Tsai ’18: All-IAC, All-Montgomery County FOOTBALL HIGHLIGHTS Two seniors, three juniors and three sophomores earned All-IAC in a season that saw the Bears go 5–5 overall and 2–3 in IAC play (fourth place). They recorded three shutout victories over High Point, Bethesda-Chevy Chase and St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes, as well as a 21–3 win over Walt Whitman under the Friday night lights. The team closed out the 2016 campaign with a dramatic 27–26 triumph over St. Albans in the Homecoming game. INDIVIDUAL HONORS Aaron Broner ’17: All-IAC (2nd team); Josh Chapman ’19: All-IAC (2nd team); Joey Epstein ’18: All-IAC (1st team), Co-Captain; John Geppert ’18: All-IAC (1st team), CoCaptain; Maanik Lal ’17: All-IAC (2nd team), Co-Captain; Jelani Machen ’19: All-IAC (2nd team); Jack Porter ’17: Co-Captain; Mo Sillah ’18: All-IAC (2nd team); Jalen Williams ’19: All-IAC (2nd team) SOCCER HIGHLIGHTS The Bears were 6–3 in contests decided by one goal. They defeated Georgetown Prep all three times the teams met this season, including a 1–0 victory in the IAC Tournament semifinals; came from behind to beat St. Albans 4–2 at home during the regular season; and had a tough-fought 4–3 loss to nationally ranked DeMatha Catholic. Although the Bears dropped a 2–0 heartbreaker to St. Albans in the IAC Tournament finals, they finished the year 12–4 overall and 8–2 in the IAC.

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INDIVIDUAL HONORS Jorge Dumenigo ’17: Co-Captain; Zach Johnson ’18: All-IAC; Nico Kenary ’18: All-Met (honorable mention), All-IAC; Brian Lossing ’17: Co-Captain; Allan Kupka ’18: All-IAC; Mitchell Pan ’17: All-IAC, Co-Captain; Drew Parker ’18: All-IAC WATER POLO HIGHLIGHTS In September, varsity water polo captain Conor Durbin ’17 and underclassman Maxim Kapelina ’18 were named to the USA Water Polo Academic All-America Team. That positive momentum carried over to the season, as the Bears had three wins in the Beast of the East Tournament in September and closed out the year with a fourth-place finish at the Eastern Prep Championships. Durbin and Ford Bruggen ’20 were named to the All Eastern-Prep team, with Bruggen being the youngest player in Landon history to achieve that feat. In addition, Durbin set three school records in 2016 — for single-season interceptions, goals in a single game, and goals in a single season — and finished his Landon career second in all-time goals. INDIVIDUAL HONORS Ford Bruggen ’20: All-Eastern Prep; Conor Durbin ’17: USA Water Polo Academic AllAmerican, All-Eastern Prep, Captain; Maxim Kapelina ’18: USA Water Polo Academic All-American

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ATHLETICS

Winter Sports SWIMMING WINS FIRST WMPSSDL TITLE

T

he swim team won its first-ever Washington Metropolitan

Private Schools Swimming & Diving League (WMPSSDL) Division II title, and wrestling had four athletes qualify for

Nationals (including one All-American) this winter. In addition, wrestling and ice hockey claimed second place in the Interstate

Athletic Conference (IAC), indoor track and field finished third in the inaugural Montgomery County Private School Championships, and eight individuals earned All-IAC honors.

BASKETBALL HIGHLIGHTS The 9–17 basketball squad had two impressive wins against North Carolina schools in the Yellow Jacket Holiday Classic tournament over winter break, but their biggest victories came late in the season against IAC opponents. The Bears rebounded from a 24-point loss to Episcopal in early January to defeat the team 62–53 later in the month. They then knocked off No. 3 seed St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes School 62–59 in the first round of the IAC Tournament. INDIVIDUAL HONORS Quinn Boyd ’17: Co-Captain; Antonio Cockrell ’17: Co-Captain; Donnell Frayer ’17: All-Met (honorable mention), All-IAC, Co-Captain ICE HOCKEY HIGHLIGHTS Although the 11–11–2 Bears’ streak of 11 straight IAC titles came to an end this season with a tough 2–0 loss to Georgetown Prep in the IAC Tournament finals, there were plenty of bright spots. The team pulled out a victory over perennial powerhouse DeMatha, a convincing 8–2 win over St. John’s College High School, and a clutch 3–1 triumph over St. Albans in the IAC Tournament semifinals. INDIVIDUAL HONORS Cole Gibson ’17: All-Met (honorable mention), All-IAC, Captain; Ryan Giles ’20: All-IAC; Cullen Stout ’17: Alternate Captain INDOOR TRACK HIGHLIGHTS Even with just 14 athletes on the roster, the Bears held their own against stiff competition this winter: They finished fourth at the Mercersburg Invitational and third (just seven points out of second) in the inaugural Montgomery County Private School Championships. On the individual front, Wes Feldman ’17 set a new school record of 4:38.01 in the indoor 1,600 meters, while Jacob Solomon ’18 qualified for the prestigious Eastern States Championships in the 55 meter dash. INDIVIDUAL HONORS Wes Feldman ’17: Co- Captain; Jacob Solomon ’18: Co-Captain RIFLERY HIGHLIGHTS The 3–4 riflery team scored a big win over rival St. John’s early in the season and then peaked in late winter with a high team score of 1,052 (out of a possible 1,200) vs. Yorktown. The Bears finished on a high note as Andrew Clark ’17, Hayden Pingle ’17, William McClure

34

’18 and Harrison Smith ’18 joined forces to shoot a 2,112 (1,056 average) to finish ninth in the season-capping Potomac High School Rifle League Regional Championships. INDIVIDUAL HONORS Andrew Clark ’17: CoCaptain; Hayden Pingle ’17: Co-Captain SQUASH HIGHLIGHTS Squash went 2–5 with wins over Walt Whitman and Woodrow Wilson. The team had four players qualify for the endof-season championships, where Kevin Tsai ’18, Jonathan Hsieh ’17, Humza Nawaz ’19 and Bobby Feng ’19 each finished in the top four of their respective flights. INDIVIDUAL HONORS Jonathan Hsieh ’17: CoCaptain; Kevin Tsai ’18: Co-Captain SWIMMING & DIVING HIGHLIGHTS For the first time in program history, Landon’s swimming and diving team captured the WMPSSDL Division II championship. The title came on the heels of an impressive season in which several school records fell: Freshman wunderkind Jacob Rosner ’20 set new records in 200 and 500 freestyle, and teamed with Michael Yan ’19, Academic All-American Jason Tang ’17 and Ramin Zarfeshan ’17 to set a new school benchmark in the 400-meter freestyle relay. INDIVIDUAL HONORS Jack Chlopak ’17: Co-Captain; Jacob Rosner ’20: All-Met (honorable mention), All-WMPSSDL; Jason Tang ’17: National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association of America Academic All-American, Co-Captain; Ramin Zarfeshan ’17: Co-Captain WRESTLING HIGHLIGHTS Varsity wrestling Coach Andy Katz earned the National Wrestling Coaches Association Maryland Independent Schools Coach of the Year award for 2017 — and with good reason. His team capped off a 15–7 season with a close second-place finishing to Georgetown Prep in the IAC Tournament, in which Brendon Gallagher ’18, Carter Johnson ’18, Patrick Kielb ’20 and Lorenzo Lopez ’20 won their divisions. Gallagher, Johnson, Kielb and Jelani Machen ’19 finished in the top six in their weight class at the Maryland State Independent Schools Championships to qualify for the National Prep wrestling tournament, where Gallagher was eighth to earn All-American honors. Gallagher finished the season with 115 career wins, No. 2 on Landon’s all-time list.

LANDON SCHOOL | SUMMER 2017

INDIVIDUAL HONORS Brendon Gallagher ’18: National Prep AllAmerican, All-Met (honorable mention), All-IAC, All-Sentinel (1st team), Maryland State Wrestling Association (MSWA) All-Academic Team (honorable mention), Co-Captain; Brett Gallagher ’18: Co-Captain; Carter Johnson ’18: All-IAC; Patrick Kielb ’20: All-IAC, All-Sentinel (2nd team) MSWA All-Academic Team (1st team); Lorenzo Lopez ’20: All-IAC, All-Sentinel (2nd team); Jelani Machen ’19: All-Sentinel (2nd team); Mitchell Pan ’17: All-IAC, Co-Captain; Coach Andy Katz: NWCA Maryland Independent Schools Wrestling Coach of the Year

35

ATHLETICS

Spring Sports THREE IAC TITLES CAP HISTORIC SPRING

L

acrosse went 21–0 and won the Interstate Athletic Conference

(IAC) regular season and tournament championships en route to the program’s fourth ever No. 1 finish in the Nike/US Lacrosse

national top 25 (for more, see story on p. 7). Tennis and golf also won IAC titles to help Landon clinch a tie with Georgetown Prep for the

2016–17 IAC Founders Cup, and rugby claimed its second consecutive Mid-Atlantic Varsity Rugby Conference (MAVRC) division II crown.

Four spring athletes earned All-American honors, and 11 scored

Washington Post All-Met accolades. Justin Shockey ’17 was USA Today’s ALL-USA national Lacrosse Player of the Year and the All-Met Player

of the Year. And Major League Baseball’s Atlanta Braves drafted Randy Bednar Jr. (although he has opted to play in college first).

BASEBALL HIGHLIGHTS Led by IAC Player of the Year Randy Bednar Jr., the 13–8–1 baseball squad scored regular-season sweeps of IAC competitors Bullis, Episcopal, and St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes. Ryan Fruehwirth ’18 pitched complete-game gems in two of those: a 4–2 win over Bullis and a thrilling 3–2 victory vs. Episcopal that earned Landon a No. 2 seed in the IAC Tournament. They fell in the semifinals to a tough St. Albans team that went on to win the IAC title. INDIVIDUAL HONORS Randy Bednar Jr. ’17: AllMet (second team), IAC Player of the Year, Co-Captain; Scott Prutting ’17: All-IAC, Co-Captain; Drew Whalen ’17: Co-Captain GOLF HIGHLIGHTS The Bears fell to Georgetown Prep by one stroke during a tough regular season matchup, but bounced back in the IAC tournament to defeat Prep by 13 strokes and capture the 21st IAC title in program history. Evan Katz ’17 took the individual crown, while John Kalavritinos ’17 was runner-up. The Bears went on to finish second to a powerhouse Gonzaga team in the Metro Championship, and Katz and Kalavritinos closed their Landon careers tied with Morgan Egloff ’15 for the school record scoring average. INDIVIDUAL HONORS Cole Gibson ’17: All-IAC; John Kalavritinos ’17: All-Met (honorable mention), All-IAC, Co-Captain; Evan Katz ’17: All-Met (1st team), All-IAC, Co-Captain; Jeff Samit ’17: All-Met (honorable mention), All-IAC, Co-Captain; West Shaw ’18: All-IAC; Coach Jack Duqette: All-Met Coach of the Year LACROSSE HIGHLIGHTS The Bears defeated Bullis 18–7 in the IAC tournament championship to wrap up the program’s 31st IAC title, an undefeated 21–0 season, and the No. 1 ranking in the Nike/US Lacrosse national top 25. Landon beat several nationally ranked teams, including Bullis (twice), Georgetown Prep, Brunswick from Connecticut, and St. Ignatius Prep from California. Faceoff virtuoso Justin Shockey ’17 led the way, with plenty of help from fellow seniors Nate Buller, Cam James and Andrew 36

Fowler, as well as Joey Epstein ’18, who already owns Landon’s singleseason and all-time scoring records as a junior. INDIVIDUAL HONORS Nate Buller ’17: UnderArmour All-American, All-Met (2nd team), All-IAC, CoCaptain; Shane Corcoran ’17: All-Met (honorable mention); Joey Epstein ’18: Epoch/US Lacrosse National Player of the Year, Epoch/US Lacrosse Mid-Atlantic Player of the Year, US Lacrosse All-American, All-Met (1st team), All-IAC; Andrew Fowler ’17: UnderArmour All-American, All-IAC; John Geppert ’18: All-IAC; Cam James ’17: All-Met (1st team); Zach Johnson ’18: All-IAC; Ryan Pride ’17: Co-Captain; Justin Shockey ’17: USA Today ALL-USA Lacrosse Player of the Year, US Lacrosse All-American, All-Met Player of the Year, UnderArmour All-American, All-IAC Player of the Year, CoCaptain; Coach Rob Bordley ’66: US Lacrosse Coach of the Year (D.C. area) OUTDOOR TRACK HIGHLIGHTS The Bears put on a show at the Landon Relays, the first varsity invitational held on the newly revamped track, winning all but two of the relay events to finish second in the meet. Wes Feldman ’17

LANDON SCHOOL | SUMMER 2017

led the way for Landon at the IAC championships, where he ran on the fourthplace 4x800-meter relay, won the 1,600 meters for the second year in a row, and closed out his long day by winning the 3,200 meters. Michael Carr ’18 finished third in the pole vault, and Kevin Tsai ’18 ran a personal best of 2:00.66 to finish second in the 800 meters. INDIVIDUAL HONORS Wes Feldman ’17: All-IAC, Co-Captain; Brian Lossing ’17: Co-Captain RUGBY HIGHLIGHTS For the second year in a row, rugby won the MAVRC division II championship, this year with a 73–14 triumph over Gonzaga “B.” The game was the culmination of a dominant season that saw the Bears go a perfect 8–0 in division play and outscore opponents 527–116. INDIVIDUAL HONORS Henry Atkins ’17: All-MAVRC (1st team); Tommy Baldwin ’18: All-MAVRC (1st team); Jameel Brown ’17: All-MAVRC (1st team); Joel Desroches ’17: All-MAVRC (first team); Andrew Engel ’18: All-MAVRC (first team); Aiden Howe ’18: All-MAVRC (2nd team); Jonathan Hsieh ’17: AllMAVRC (1st team), Co-Captain; Nico Kenary ’18: All-MAVRC (1st team);

SUMMER 2017 | LANDON SCHOOL

Tommy Kenary ’20: All-MAVRC (1st team); Allan Kupka ’18: All-MAVRC (1st team); Maanik Lal ’17: All-MAVRC (1st team), Co-Captain; Mitchell Pan ’17: All-MAVRC (1st team), Co-Captain; Luke Peterson ’17: All-MAVRC (1st team); Parker Swensrud ’18: All-MAVRC (2nd team) TENNIS HIGHLIGHTS Landon went 9–1 overall and undefeated in IAC play to win both the regular season and IAC tournament titles, the program’s 49th title overall and first time since 2004 the team has won the IAC outright. The Bears clinched the tournament with a 6–1 win over St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes and 5–2 victory vs. St. Albans in the final. But it was the team’s dramatic 4–3 decision over Bullis to sew up the IAC regular season crown that was the true highlight. Landon pulled out the win with a clutch victory from No. 3 singles player Cyrus Rahbaran ’20, a freshman. INDIVIDUAL HONORS Sachin Das ’19: All-Met (honorable mention), All-IAC; Rodrigo Pedraza Garcia ’19: All-IAC; Ben Selya ’17: Co-Captain; Nate Smith ’17: Co-Captain

37

FEATURE | JONATHAN SCHILLER

NO TRIAL

TOO DAUNTING JONATHAN SCHILLER ’65 HAS USED HIS ABILITY TO TURN CHALLENGES INTO VICTORIES TO CO-FOUND ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL COMMERCIAL LITIGATION LAW FIRMS IN THE COUNTRY.

by To m DiChia ra

38

LANDON SCHOOL | SUMMER 2017

SUMMER 2017 | LANDON SCHOOL

39

FEATURE | JONATHAN SCHILLER

ere it not for Henry Melville’s Moby Dick, former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, and an aversion to the sight of blood, Jonathan Schiller’s life might be completely different.

As it is, those three disparate entities led the Class of 1965 graduate to become a lawyer and, more specifically, the co-founder and managing partner of Boies, Schiller & Flexner (BSF), one of the most successful, sought-after, lucrative and respected commercial litigation and arbitration law firms in the country.

BSF, which has 14 offices and more than 300 attorneys, represented Vice President Al Gore in the Supreme Court case that decided the 2000 presidential election and helped overturn gay marriage bans in California and Virginia. Its distinguished client list includes Apple, the New York Yankees, Nike, Barclays and Goldman Sachs.

Schiller has served as lead counsel in high-stakes cases for many of these clients.

He successfully represented the Yankees in a 2013 dispute that prevented online ticket exchange StubHub from opening a storefront near Yankee Stadium. And he has been recognized by legal publications as “one of the premier international arbitration attorneys in the world.”

Indeed, Schiller and the firm have come a long way since he and David Boies founded Boies & Schiller back in 1997 with just six lawyers on the payroll. So how did Moby Dick, Ferdinand Marcos and a queasy stomach coalesce to make this all happen?

As was often true in Schiller’s young-adult life, the story begins on the basketball court.

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LANDON SCHOOL | SUMMER 2017

Schiller, seen in his 1965 Brown & White yearbook photo (above) and “warming up� for basketball practice (to the left), made an indelible impression on his teachers and classmates in one year at Landon.

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41

FEATURE | JONATHAN SCHILLER

I turned a corner with my ability to express myself in my first eight weeks at Landon. It gave me a level of comfort that would permit me to do well, to study more effectively, and get my work done. That’s something I use to this day.

— Jonathan Schiller

T

THE ‘CANDY-MAN’ CAN he summer between his sophomore and junior years in

high school, Jonathan was playing hoops at the Boys &

Girls Club in D.C. when he took a nasty fall. He looked up to find Landon head basketball Coach Ed Barton

there, his hand outreached. Barton said, “Son, how would you like to come to Landon?”

Barton was looking for a player to complement Will Hetzel ’66 on

his team and believed he had found that player in Schiller, a straight-A student from Woodrow Wilson High School whose “sweet” skills on the basketball court had earned him the nickname “Candy-Man.”

Schiller and his parents agreed, and Jonathan came to Landon in the fall of 1963. The transition was tough.

Tapped to play football for the first time, Schiller would return

home after practice exhausted, only to be faced with more homework

than he’d ever had. He says his writing especially needed improvement.

He found help in English teacher Lyman Warner.

“Mr. Warner was a wonderful teacher. He would make me write him

letters, he would write me back, and then we would sit down and look at our letters,” Schiller recalled. “After about a month of this intensive

lost his confidence, athletically or academically. He worked very hard to catch up.”

“Jonathan is brilliant, and he’s not excitable,” Holladay added. “He

can really keep his cool under pressure, and I think a lot of that comes from athletics, from being such a fierce competitor on the basketball court in pressure situations.”

T

A WHALE’S APPETITE FOR KNOWLEDGE hanks to that competitiveness, Schiller helped Landon basketball win an IAC championship in 1965, earned

Washington Post All-Met honors, and caught the eye of

selective colleges. However, it was the study of the classic

novel Moby Dick in Warner’s English class that proved to be the most transformative experience of Jonathan’s Landon career.

“We spent the better part of a trimester in English studying Moby

Dick, and I got really into it,” Schiller recalled. “It was a hard course

— the writing was difficult, the discussions were high-level, and the

tests were rigorous. I came out of that class very excited about learning, more than just getting grades.”

This experience, coupled with interest from colleges generated

writing, I began to understand how to organize the things I wanted

by his increasingly strong academic performance and burgeoning

my ability to express myself in my first eight weeks at Landon. It gave

He found his match in Columbia University. “The teachers, the great

to say and how to present them in a clear way. I turned a corner with

me a level of comfort that would permit me to do well, to study more

effectively, and get my work done. That’s something I use to this day.”

At the same time, Schiller met Hap Holladay ’65 and Larry

basketball skills, compelled Schiller to look at Ivy League schools.

students and the stimulating small-class discussions all reminded me of Landon,” Schiller said.

At Columbia, Schiller excelled in the classroom and on the

Lamade ’65, who remain two of his closest friends. Holladay and

basketball court, where he helped the team with the 1968 Ivy League

such trials.

step. “I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, but my father was

Lamade marveled at Schiller’s unwavering confidence in the face of “The transfer was difficult, but Jonathan didn’t shy away from it,”

Lamade said. “Despite the change and the challenges, Jonathan never

42

championship. As graduation approached, Schiller mulled his next a lawyer and judge, and my mother was a public servant, and they

expected me to be a professional of some sort,” Schiller said. “I couldn’t

LANDON SCHOOL | SUMMER 2017

Schiller (pictured right and wearing No. 25 above) was a key player on the 1967-68 Columbia men's basketball team that won the 1968 Ivy League championship.

SUMMER 2017 | LANDON SCHOOL

43

FEATURE | JONATHAN SCHILLER

really handle the sight of blood, so I knew I wasn’t destined for a career

we’re not growing for growth’s sake.”

accepted to Columbia immediately and graduated in 1973.

cross-office teams to tackle new cases — a lesson Schiller picked up on

in medicine. I took the LSAT and applied to law school.” He was

S

THE MARCOS CONNECTION chiller was partner at a boutique firm in D.C. in 1986 when he received the phone call that would change the course of his professional life.

From 1977 through 1981, Schiller had worked on and

Boies and Schiller also emphasize teamwork — often forming

the basketball courts of his youth. “Building teams and trying to win is a way of life for a lawyer,” he said. “Just like that team I played on

at Landon where we won an IAC championship, and that wonderful team I was a very small part of at Columbia that won an Ivy League championship.”

Finally, Boies and Schiller adopted a compensation model whereby

successfully defended a behemoth client, Westinghouse Electric, in a

all lawyers — including associates — are rewarded for any clients

Ferdinand Marcos to acquire the contract to build the Bataan Nuclear

partners. Attorneys can also receive, based on their performance, a

lawsuit that alleged the company had bribed then-Philippine President Power Plant in the Philippines. When Marcos fled the Philippines

amid charges of corruption in 1986, his successor, President Corazon

Aquino, filed a new civil lawsuit against Westinghouse that accused the company of bribery and unsafe conditions at the plant.

The fateful phone call Schiller received was Westinghouse letting

him know that Cravath, a renowned firm with whom Westinghouse

or individual cases they bring in, a practice traditionally reserved for portion of fees secured in a successful case.

As a result, Schiller says BSF attorneys are often much better

compensated than their peers at other firms... and they want to work hard and do their best, not simply hit a yearly quota for hours. The results have been overwhelmingly positive for the firm as well.

“There are some firms that are much bigger than ours, but they can’t

had a longstanding relationship, would be representing them in the

do what our people can do. We are litigators,” Schiller said. “We’re one

litigator. “Defending Westinghouse was a big opportunity, so that

firm like ours.”

new suit; they wanted him to hand over his files to Cravath’s lead

phone call was a very unhappy moment for me,” Schiller admitted.

“They were basically telling me to turn over my life’s work.”

Schiller took the train to New York City to deliver the files to

Cravath’s litigator... David Boies. The two spent a Saturday in Boies’

apartment going over the case. Two weeks later, Boies called Schiller with much happier news: He wanted Schiller to work the case with him — an unconventional request at the time, but one that Schiller accepted.

T

A DIFFERENT KIND OF LAW FIRM he two men forged a partnership and friendship in the

process. For the next 10 years, they teamed up for cases and

took their families on vacations together. In 1997, Boies left Cravath and asked Schiller to found Boies & Schiller with

him (it became BSF in 1999 when Don Flexner came aboard).

From the start, the two lawyers were insistent that the firm not be

another run-of-the-mill boutique. They had seen management styles and pay structures that led to unhappy work environments, and they set out to avoid those pitfalls.

The first thing they did was search for excellent attorneys to join

their ranks. “We have attracted a lot of great, wonderful people who

work very hard,” Schiller said. “We grow about 5 percent each year, but

44

of the biggest fighting machines in the world. There has never been a

S

A MAN OF MANY COMMUNITIES uccess has not caused Schiller to forget his roots, and he maintains close ties to both the Landon and Columbia communities.

He was inducted into the Columbia Athletics Hall

of Fame in 2006 and has received the school’s highest honors, the

John Jay and Alexander Hamilton awards. He has been chair of the Columbia University Board of Trustees since 2014, and all three of

his sons — Zack, Josh and Aaron — attended Columbia for either undergraduate or law school.

Zack ’97 and Josh ’99, who is now an attorney with BSF, attended

Landon. And a scholarship set up by Schiller provides aid to students who would not be able to attend Landon otherwise.

“In my class there are so many who continue to show interest and

support of Landon — much more than me,” Schiller said. “I played

a tiny role in it, but I have admired my classmates like Hap Holladay and Larry Lamade and Knight Kiplinger, who have been very

active, and effectively active, in leading Landon for decades after they matriculated. That’s the kind of loyalty that the school generates.”

The men are also loyal to one another, often meeting for dinner or

playing golf together. Lamade is convinced that the same qualities that

LANDON SCHOOL | SUMMER 2017

Jonathan (second from left) with his sons (left to right) Aaron, an architect; Josh, an attorney with Boies & Schiller; and Zack, a film producer.

There are some firms that are much bigger than ours, but they can’t do what our people can do. We are litigators. We’re one of the biggest fighting machines in the world..

— Jonathan Schiller make Schiller a standout attorney also make him a good friend.

“Jonathan has an ability to put himself in someone else’s shoes and

understand what they are thinking and what they want, and he plays to that,” Lamade said. “As a friend, he genuinely knows and cares about

what you want. As a litigator, he knows what his opponent is thinking and where he or she is coming from — and I think that helps him

tremendously as an attorney because he can anticipate moves. So it works both on the friendship side and on the professional side.”

On the professional side, Schiller admits that he doesn’t know what

the future will bring for BSF, but he is excited to find out.

“I continue to have that same spirit I had back when Ed Barton

picked me up off the ground at the Boys & Girls Club and asked me if I wanted to go to Landon,” Schiller said. “Every day I get up and want to go do something, and that’s part of the experience of being in the

communities I have been in and being part of the family I was raised in... and having a lot of attitude.”

SUMMER 2017 | LANDON SCHOOL

In 2012, Jonathan (pictured above center, with then-Columbia Board of Trustees Chair Bill Campbell, left, and law partner David Boies, right) received Columbia University’s Alexander Hamilton Medal for “distinguished service and accomplishment.”

45

FEATURE | MICHAEL KEONI DEFRANCO

Tech Warrior MICHAEL KEONI DEFRANCO ’06 AIMS TO MAKE MOBILE COMMUNICATION SAFE

AND BRING HAWAIIAN AND LANDON VALUES TO THE BUSINESS WORLD WITH HIS CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY COMPANY LUA.

46

by Tom Di C hi a ra

LANDON SCHOOL | SUMMER 2017

SUMMER 2017 | LANDON SCHOOL

47

FEATURE | MICHAEL KEONI DEFRANCO

M

urals depicting the Hawaiian god of warfare and

goddess of fertility emblazon the walls of the airy industrial space in New York’s Flatiron District.

Books across the room portray Polynesian warriors

preparing for battle. And, on any given day, visitors

may find employees taking Hawaiian language classes, practicing a traditional spear exercise, or perfecting their hula dancing form.

Michael Keoni DeFranco ’06 jokes that the locale sometimes feels

like a Polynesian community center. In fact, it is home to Lua, the onthe-rise tech company of which DeFranco is CEO and co-founder.

Started in 2010 when DeFranco was still a senior at Wesleyan

University, the company uses an encrypted mobile app to provide

secure real-time messaging, group calling, file sharing and analytics

for clients that include the U.S. military, pro sports teams such as the

National Basketball Association’s Brooklyn Nets and National Football League’s Seattle Seahawks, hotel chains, stadiums, hospitals, and

healthcare providers. Lua has even powered secure messaging for the Super Bowl and the South by Southwest Music Festival.

The company’s Hawaiian theme is not a gimmick. DeFranco’s

mother is a native Hawaiian who moved to Northern Virginia with her parents and six siblings when her father was stationed at the

Pentagon. DeFranco visited Hawaii during summers and absorbed his grandparents’ stories as a child. Today, he actively pursues indigenous

rights and a sustainable economic plan (that includes technology) for the Hawaiian people.

So when DeFranco gave his company the Hawaiian name “Lua,” he

was also setting forth its guiding philosophy. “The Hawaiian culture has

always been a huge part of my life,” DeFranco said. “When I was young, my grandfather told me about Lua, a Hawaiian martial art that teaches that warriors can achieve more if they communicate and move as one.

I thought that was a meaningful, appropriate name for the company because it directly relates to our software’s goal of helping people

communicate, but it was also a way of instilling the Hawaiian values of teamwork and honesty into the company culture from day one.”

DeFranco says those same concepts were ingrained in him at

Landon, where he was a strong student and a member of the varsity football and lacrosse teams.

“When you’re running a business, there are often temptations to cut

He was the ‘Top Gun’ of ideas, so it’s no accident that he ended up doing something that had never been done before. You know when you’re in the presence of a force, even if you can’t particularly define it when they are high-school age, but that was Mike.

— Steve Sorkin, Landon teacher

corners, and there can be a gray line about ethics — but the message I

repeatedly got at Landon sticks with me: Swim upstream; don’t follow

the crowd; if you feel bad about something, follow your gut,” DeFranco

48

LANDON SCHOOL | SUMMER 2017

said. “We’ve always walked the right path and generally tried to infuse a lot of Landon values in the company — make sure we compensate people correctly, treat them right, and be honest and respectful. Rob

Bordley, Steve Sorkin, Bill Reed, and so many of my other Landon

teachers and coaches all the way up to [former headmaster] David

Armstrong always pushed me to be the best person and make the right decision. That’s something you don’t get everywhere, and I’ve brought that to Lua.”

THE ‘TOP GUN’ OF IDEAS Technology has been a fundamental part of DeFranco’s life since

childhood, when his parents founded the mapping data visualization

start-up iMapData out of their basement. DeFranco spent much of his free time in that basement learning to code and build computer games and websites. He was still in Middle School when he decided that he

would one day start his own tech company — he just needed to figure out what it would be.

Sorkin remembers that DeFranco was always on the lookout for

innovation, even in his geometry class. “Mike is one of those kids

who would start tuning in the second you started digressing down an

SUMMER 2017 | LANDON SCHOOL 49

FEATURE | MICHAEL KEONI DEFRANCO

interesting path because he was all about new ideas,” he said. “He

A FORCE OF NATURE

something that had never been done before. You know when you’re in

a sense of how he would run his company, it was in the wake of

was the ‘Top Gun’ of ideas, so it’s no accident that he ended up doing

While his upbringing and education provided DeFranco with

the presence of a force, even if you can’t particularly define it when they

Hurricane Katrina that he found inspiration for the company’s

are high-school age, but that was Mike. There is no quit in that guy.”

The admiration was mutual. “Mr. Sorkin’s geometry class was more

like a philosophy class,” DeFranco said. “He somehow equated these paragraphs we would write about geometric shapes to ethical values and how to live your life. It was mind-blowing.”

Then-Headmaster David Armstrong was another stalwart supporter

of DeFranco’s fledgling dream. “A lot of my friends didn’t understand what technology would turn into and why I cared so much, but Mr.

Armstrong got it early on... and he gave me guidance over the years,” DeFranco recalled. “He instilled in me the drive to not give up. His

mission. DeFranco’s parents were contracted to aid with the Katrina relief efforts in Louisiana, and the then-high school junior helped

them build real-time databases to map out what the state’s physical infrastructure would look like in the aftermath of the storm.

“I realized that there was a core communications breakdown

between different agencies doing relief work in Louisiana,” DeFranco said. “I thought that might be a really interesting problem to try to

solve: providing secure, reliable messaging these agencies could use, especially in a disaster-zone situation.”

With his vision for the company now concrete, DeFranco began

leadership trickled down to everyone else and created this really warm

looking for a college that would help him realize his goal. The

I was starting my company.”

but U.S. history teacher Bill Reed and then-Director of College

environment. That was something that definitely influenced me when At the time, DeFranco also learned the value of teamwork and

camaraderie from his lacrosse and football teammates, including

Anthony Naing ’06 (who was the best man at his wedding in June),

University of Virginia, Wake Forest and Vanderbilt topped his list, Counseling Jamie Kirkpatrick urged DeFranco to consider a less obvious choice: Wesleyan University.

“Mike and I had that conversation: ‘What do you think you want

Nick Baxter ’06, Kyle Williams ’06 and Conor Cassidy ’06.

out of your college experience?’” Reed recalled. “He said he might

qualities made him an exceptional teammate. He always gave

good education and the freedom to pursue this technology company. I

“Mike was a hard worker and a loyal friend,” Cassidy said. “Those

everything he had and looked out for the rest of us. It’s fun to be on a team with people like that.”

“Many of my Landon teammates are still my best friends today, and

I think what really brought us together and inspired me most was how

hard we as a team worked in the off-season,” DeFranco said. “There was something about that Landon pride — everyone was in it together.”

50

have an interest in playing sports, but first and foremost wanted a

suggested he take a look at Wesleyan because it is a smaller school that provides the opportunity to play high-level athletics, but academics really drive the bus.”

“I think if Mr. Reed and Mr. Kirkpatrick hadn’t pushed me, I

probably wouldn’t have gone to Wesleyan — and I can say that as a

next step after Landon, it was definitely the best decision and kind of

LANDON SCHOOL | SUMMER 2017

The Diehard Hawaiian

D

eFranco has raised awareness for Hawaiian culture by planning New York-area events to celebrate the voyage of the Hokulea, a Hawaiian canoe that is on a four-year journey to circumnavigate the globe without the use of navigation equipment. He also works with the United Nation’s Permanent

Forum for Indigenous Issues, and this past February served as a delegate on the U.N.’s Committee for Social Development, which works toward achieving 17 sustainable development goals — including the eradication of poverty, environmental conservation, gender equality, and land rights — for indigenous peoples.

We’ve always walked the right path and generally tried to infuse a lot of Landon values in the company — make sure we compensate people correctly, treat them right, and be honest and respectful.

— Mike DeFranco ’06 life-changing. It was because I went there that I was able to start Lua.”

is hospitals and healthcare providers. They deliver a much steadier

DeFranco had carte blanche to design his own curriculum, which he

DeFranco notes, they make for great partners.

Because Wesleyan does not have core course requirements,

focused on international affairs and education building. “I created

revenue stream than seasonal sports teams and one-off events and, as “Everyone in the healthcare industry feels like they are helping

a curriculum where I was able to test different ideas and had the

people for the right reasons,” DeFranco said. “They have taken years to

I stopped playing sports to focus on the next years of my life and to

of their mentality. They are very respectful of your time and the effort

freedom to learn what I wanted,” DeFranco said. “By my senior year, found the company.”

FIRST PITCH DeFranco and his two Lua co-founders, Wesleyan classmates Eli

Bronner and Jason Krigsfeld, were running the company out of an

apartment they shared in New York City when they landed their first paying client, the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets, in 2012. “The Nets cold-

called me selling tickets, and I was able to pitch them our software,” DeFranco remembered with a smile.

Signing the Nets helped Lua earn a spot in the technology

accelerator TechStars, which gave the company a $100,000 grant and

get to a place where they can provide care to others, and it is just part you give to them.”

In fall 2016, Lua launched patient-facing messaging so that

healthcare providers can communicate securely and directly with

patients and their families. “Say you have an elderly loved one who

lives in another city and has home healthcare coming each day; the

nurse can send you a text with a secure link to a mobile-encrypted web page,” DeFranco explained. “You don’t even have to download the app and you can communicate securely back and forth with this caregiver.

They can share a lab result or a photo, and then after 24 or 48 hours, that message expires and won’t be accessible.”

Despite Lua’s constantly growing client base, DeFranco remains

three months of mentorship, working space, and access to investors.

modest and hopeful about the company’s future. “I am really excited

into an office. In the years since, Lua has contracted its software

at a place where I can look back and say Lua is a huge success yet, but

Lua secured enough funding at the end of the three months to move to an array of clients and — although initially conceived for use in relief-work communication — the company’s primary focus today

SUMMER 2017 | LANDON SCHOOL

about digging deeper into the healthcare market,” he said. “We’re not we’re definitely on our way.”

51

August 1, 2016 – June 30, 2017

CLASS NOTES

ALUMNI

1939

1946

Dick Marsh, Landon’s oldest

Duncan McDonald has been retired for 13 years. He loves fly fishing

living alumnus, met Headmaster Jim Neill and mingled with

Bears from across the decades at

1947

(pictured p. 61). Dick is a

John LeMoyne Ellicott writes: “My wife Bea and I continue to enjoy

law firm Ross, Marsh & Foster

bicycle into my downtown law office when the spirit moves me, and

the Alumni Holiday Luncheon founding member of the D.C.

and practiced law for 58 years.

1942 John Gill greatly enjoyed Landon beating St. Albans 27–26 in last

fall’s football Homecoming game and is looking forward to this year’s game.

good health, though I gave up playing men’s doubles last year. I still

Bea and I continue to travel, including a trip to the U.K. and Portugal

last summer to celebrate our 20th anniversary. I see my Landon son Val ’74 and his wife Celeste (who teaches at National Presbyterian School) frequently. They live in my old neighborhood of Cleveland Park. Bea

has five grandsons of whom two are now in college (Tufts and Brown)

and the youngest is at St. Albans here. All of Bea’s three sons graduated from St. Albans, so I am outnumbered.”

1953

1943

In February, Bob Hanson

Phil Gignoux with his wife Mary Alice, Rosemary Kimball (wife of

from which he rode on

L to R) gathered for dinner at the home of Lowell and Nancy Davis to

prepared his garden on the farm horseback to Landon during World War II.

1944 Dr. Ted Wright Jr.’s recent

travels took him to the East

and West coasts visiting friends and relatives, and he attended

professional meetings in South Asia.

52

and visiting the Madison River in Montana.

the late Frank Kimball), and Nora and Don Whalen (pictured above, share remembrances of Frank and their classmates.

1954 Meryl and

Gil Nolan

celebrated Gil’s 80th birthday

sailing aboard The America.

LANDON SCHOOL | SUMMER 2017

1954 (continued)

1960

John Hains now lives in Los Almos, New Mexico. He would love to

Bob Buchanan was elected chair of the all-private Board of Directors

know if any classmates are ever visiting Santa Fe.

Classmates Page Cranford and Karl Corley and their wives met in

April in Williamsburg, Virginia. They toured the Botticelli exhibit at the Muscarelle Museum of Art and enjoyed catching up over lunch.

of the new Montgomery County Economic Development Corp. He also appeared on No Boundaries, a local television series that features interviews with newsmakers from across Montgomery County and the metropolitan area. In the episode, Bob had a conversation with Montgomery County Councilmember Sidney Katz.

1957 Ray Weiss is retiring this year after spending 52 years in the

field of oncologic medicine. On a list of things he wanted to do

before retiring, Ray traveled to Borneo last fall to satisfy a

curiosity of learning more about one species of great apes, the

orangutan. In addition to travel, Ray will find more time during

1961

activity, this time riding

Paul Clark retired from his communications consulting business

family farm in Minnesota.

Ozymandias Publishing Co., where he both writes and publishes.

horseback while visiting his

Contee Seely is still publishing. His daughter Christina teaches

photography at Dartmouth, while his son Michael makes documentaries.

1959 Bud Miller

in order to establish his publishing company for children’s books,

George E.L. Barbee’s book 63 Innovation Nuggets has been a best seller in introductory markets and has received positive national reviews from the likes of Fortune and Forbes magazines.

1964

(pictured left) and

Wilbur Thomas, who is

(center) joined

Concordia College in St. Paul,

Bill Avery ’60 several other alumni in

congratulating

longtime Landon educator and

tennis coach Mac

Jacoby (right) on his 90th birthday at the Jacoby Cup alumni tennis

SUMMER 2017 | LANDON SCHOOL

and David Madison ’61 (right) for lunch.

summer months keeping busy with another stimulating

tournament May 20.

Bob Buchanan (pictured above left) met with Joe Anderson (center)

enjoying his retirement from

Minnesota, had lunch at one of his favorite restaurants with

Nancy and Lowell Davis. (Nancy and Wilbur are pictured left).

Dr. Michael Finn is enjoying

retirement by traveling overseas with his wife Kaysey.

53

ALUMNI

1965

1970

1975

David McConnaughey recently

Steve Gordon, Mike Connolly,

1970 grad John Zamoiski. The

Morrison ’71 (pictured L to R)

caught up with fellow Class of

Bobby Ourisman ’74 and Jim

two shared stories of Landon

played golf in Ireland.

and their continued careers as ad men and marketers.

1973

1976

Dr. John Hanks (pictured above right) was in D.C. for a medical convention and found time to visit with Mac Jacoby (above

left) at a Landon football game.

1966 Dr. Jeff Georgia (pictured above

Two weeks after (and inspired by) their 40th reunion in October,

long absence to visit Mac Jacoby

lunch and carry on 40+ years of friendship. Pictured above (L to

left) stopped by Landon after a

(right). Jeff continues to work in radiology in Helena, Montana, and also manages to get a

rigorous physical workout every

several Class of 1976 Bears got together in Georgetown to share a R): Tom Carr, David Reeves, Leslie Carr, Jill Reeves, J. Peter Duncan (who sadly passed away in February), Francis Grant-Suttie, Cynthia Mitchell and Carolyn Grant-Suttie.

day as a reminder of his

preseason football practices

under the watchful eye of Coach Bruce Adams (above left), his

Lowell Davis.

wife Peggy (center) and daughter

In September, Jesse O’Neal

Street Inn, run by Skip Rideout

Raleigh, North Carolina, as the

Emily stayed at the fabulous Mill ’55 (right) and his wife Jennie,

during an April weekend tour of the new Harriet Tubman

Underground Railroad National

Historical Park. The inn and the

innkeepers are spectacular and just

a few miles from the new Tubman Visitor Center in Cambridge on

joined WakeMed Hospital in staff chaplain for Emergency Services.

The Class of ’76 was well represented at the funeral of J. Peter

Duncan. Pictured (L to R): Steve Hollman, Doug Kinney (hidden), David Simms, Geoff Davis, Steve Abraham, John Meyers, Mark Chapman, David Blackwood, Marc Witowski (speaking), John

Williams, Tom Carr, Tom Walsh, David Reeves, Dek Potts and Calvin Cobb.

Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

54

LANDON SCHOOL | SUMMER 2017

1977 Dr. Roger Blumenthal enjoyed having Landon grad Hunter Sells ’15 show his son the secrets to playing goalie against the top competition.

Roger also enjoyed golfing this past summer with fellow Class of ’77 grads Bill Amoroso, Bob Vieth and Russ Gagarin.

1978 Following his retirement from the U.S. Navy in 2014, Chris Connor has served as a senior attorney in the Office of General Counsel at

the Export-Import Bank of the United States, an independent, selfsustaining executive branch agency.

Michael DeVaughn (pictured above left) continues to teach

1980

economics at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Lowell and Nancy Davis had lunch with him and later chatted with his daughters Audrey (above right), a senior at Yale, and Charlotte

(above center), a highly recruited high school student. Michael’s son Nathan works for Adidas in Portland, Oregon.

Don Kerwin met Pope Francis.

1982 Former Landon faculty

Chris Kober, son Derek Kober, Ed Semans Jr. (aka “JR”) and Ed

(pictured center) gave a golf

first place at the North American Sailing Championships in Maine.

member Bob Wipfler

lesson to Rocky Kern (left) and Rick Buckingham

(right) at P.B. Dye Golf Club.

Semans Sr. (pictured above, L to R) sailed the good ship Bachhuber to According to Captain Ed (Sr.), it was a challenging race, but the crew of Chris, Derek and JR were especially helpful in crafting the win.

Ironically, the second place boat was captained by another Landon

alumnus, classmate John Roberts. According to John, he will get Ed next year!

Dino Flores was sworn in as a judge in the District Court of Maryland for Frederick County on July 29, 2016.

SUMMER 2017 | LANDON SCHOOL

55

ALUMNI

Grizzly Bear Get to know one of our Grizzly Bears, alums who graduated 50 or more years ago!

General Excellence

G

en. Gregory Martin ’66 only attended

flew the F-15 for 17 years and earned a master’s

but that one year was important: It helped

Michigan University in 1977.

Landon for his senior year of high school,

pave the way for him to lead as a four-star general

and from 2000–03 served as commander of the

most honorable man I’ve known, and he taught me

of the Allied Air Forces in Northern Europe for

that the most unacceptable thing in life was to not

have a sense of honesty and integrity,” Martin said.

“Landon’s Honor Code really meant something

important, and it further validated what my father had taught me.”

Martin was particularly impacted by the Form VI

(senior) ethics seminars with school founder Paul

Landon Banfield, who had served as an intelligence

– Gen. Gregory Martin ’66

officer in the Army Corps during World War II and, as Martin remembers, had seen that racial

integration made the military a “prouder, stronger, more capable force.”

“Those seminars set me up for success in the

military because we learned that it doesn’t matter how good you are; it’s about being part of a team and treating others with a sense of respect so

that they can be successful,” Martin said. “That gave me, as an average guy, a leg up in most of

U.S. Air Forces in Europe and then as commander NATO (the North American Treaty Organization).

He retired in 2005 after 35 years of service as

the commander of the 80,000-person Air Force Materiel Command.

Martin and his wife Wendy currently reside in

Arlington, Virginia, where he is a consultant and mentor to military contractors who advise the

combatant commands responsible for U.S. relations with other countries around the globe.

I learned that the first and most important thing a leader has to do is to listen rather than direct. – Gen. Gregory Martin ’66 Even today, Martin says he keeps coming back to

the organizations I was a part of because I was

the lessons imparted at Landon. “I learned that the

not just worried about me. That was the most

is to listen rather than direct,” Martin said. “When

interested in the well-being of the whole and significant lesson I took from Landon.”

Martin graduated from the United States Air

Force Academy in 1970 and immediately entered the Air Force. He flew the F-4 fighter jet for six

years, including two years and 161 combat missions

in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. He also

56

In 2000, he was promoted to the rank of general

in the United States Air Force.

“My father was in the Air Force. He was the

Landon’s Honor Code really meant something important, and it further validated what my father had taught me.

degree in business management from Central

first and most important thing a leader has to do

you’re in charge of a very broad array of specialties, tools and techniques that you’re not an expert on, you need to listen to the people who are experts.

Once you talk as a senior leader, people think that’s what they need to go do. If you don’t talk right away, you’ll learn more.”

LANDON SCHOOL | SUMMER 2017

1983

Brian Taptich ’88, Tony Fuller

and Ted Rogers ’87 gathered in

Baltimore on December 9, 2016

to honor their Williams College lacrosse coach, Renzie Lamb, who was inducted into the

Intercollegiate Men’s Lacrosse Coaches Association Hall of Fame, along with several

legendary coaches. The three Richard Slowinski (above center) met with former faculty members Chris Elliot and Dick Walker at The Old Angler’s Inn in Potomac.

Landon alums played together

on the 1989 Williams team that went 11-2, making it among the most successful in Williams history.

Art Garrett biked 250 miles for charity with his “lawyer

colleagues” in September of 2016 from London to Paris (via ferry from Portsmouth, England to

Caen, France). They rode about 85 miles a day (over three days) and luckily experienced great weather and, to be expected

when in France, ate fantastic food!

1985

Peter Weilenmann (above center) was inducted into the James Madison University Athletic Hall of Fame for cross country and track. Family

members who attended included his father Richard Weilenmann (far right), who was the director of music at Landon from 1968-1998 and sadly passed away in May. (For more on Richard, see p. 67.)

1987

Neil Phillips ’85, Tom Scott ’85 and Matt Coursen ’99 (pictured

above, L to R) met up at fall 2016’s The Nantucket Project conference.

SUMMER 2017 | LANDON SCHOOL

Hunter Montgomery ’87, Paul McLenaghan ’87 and Mark Amorosi ’87 are current Landon parents sharing a leadership role in the “One Landon” campaign. They are pictured above (L to R) at the kickoff

event with Nancy Davis, who was Paul’s third-grade teacher in 1977.

57

ALUMNI

1987 (continued)

1994

At the 2017 White House

Adam Stifel and wife Laura

Jaffe ’87 of The Washington Post

Stifel on February 7, 2017.

Correspondents’ Dinner, Greg

welcomed daughter Jane Davis

was presented the White House

1999

Correspondents’ Association’s

Aldo Beckman Memorial Award for presidential news coverage,

Tal Alter married wife Cara on January 15, 2017, in Eleuthera,

personifies journalistic

to R) are: Bruce McNair, Michael Day, Marcus Oliver, Tal and Cara,

recognizing a correspondent who excellence. Greg won for his stories on President Barack

Obama’s speeches and policies that contrasted the realities of 2016 with the hopes of 2008.

1992

Bahamas. Eight Landon grads were in attendance. Pictured above (L Josh Guttman, Jake Alter, Jeff Cohen, Ryan Kiernan, and Woody Wiegmann.

1997 Justin Fishkin was featured as a panelist on a discussion about the top

Mychael Cohn and wife Allison

San Jose, California, September 21.

August 1, 2016.

tech trends to watch at the “Innovate! And Celebrate” conference in

welcomed son, Mason Joseph, on

1998

Erol Dervis welcomed son Eray Riza Dervis on December 6,

Brian Haney was featured in a

2016.

spotlight piece on Associations Now.

Adam Wenchel was featured in a Wall Street Journal article on December 6, 2016, about “Explainable A.I.”

58

Tim Swain married Kristen Hendricks (now Swain) in Chester, N.Y., on October 1, 2016.

LANDON SCHOOL | SUMMER 2017

28TH ANNUAL ALUMNI GOLF TOURNAMENT!

F

ifty-six Landon alumni, faculty members and friends played in the

28th Annual Alumni Golf

Tournament, held June 2 at Worthington Manor Golf

Course in honor of alumnus and departing Director of Alumni

Programs George Pappas ’82.

This June George relocated with his family to Ft. Myers, Florida,

to begin a new job at Canterbury School. Good luck to George, and congratulations to the

tournament’s winning players!

SUMMER 2017 | LANDON SCHOOL

Closest to the Pin: Ralph Blasey ’78 and David Brown ’80 Longest Drive: Brian Haney ’99 Low Net Score: Paul Miller ’92, Isher Gill ’16, Rahul Gill ’16, Drew Hurley ’16 2nd Place Net Score: Blake Elder ’05, B.J. Keyes ’05, Mike Frank ’05, Chris Regan ’05 Low Gross Score: Brad Hoffman ’98, Crispin Vary ’02, Ben Shand ’02, Wyatt Stewart ’02 2nd Place Gross Score: Stuart Chapman ’01, Patrick Bennett ’04, Andy Luther, Scott Buckman (friend of alum) Farthest Distance Traveled to Play: Tyler West ’81, who came in from Atlanta

Most Senior Alumnus Present: Gray Hurd ’69 Special thanks to all the sponsors who made the tournament a success!

RIDDLEBERGER SPONSORS Admiral Security and Red Coats — George Vincent ’99 and Mack Wells ’95 Semans’ Demon Seed Oysters — Ed Semans ’82 COATES SPONSORS Cushman and Wakefield — Scott Johnston ’82 Galliher & Huguely — Scott Huguely ’89 The Haney Company —

Brian Haney ’99 The Kern Family — Paul B. Kern Jr. ’54, Paul B. Kern III ’82, Paul H. Kern ’17 Military Job Networks — George Purcell ’01 Sport Automotive — Robert Fogarty ’00 Sterling Capital Management — Don Harris ’78 ALUMNI GIFT SPONSORS Falls Road Veterinary Hospital, Greenbriar Hospital and Luxury Boarding Kennel — Bill Amoroso ’77 MOST (Metro Orthopedic Sports Therapy) — Jimmy Gilbert ’81

59

ALUMNI

REUNIONS

JACOBY CUP 60

LANDON SCHOOL | SUMMER 2017

NYC ALUMNI EVENT

HOLIDAY LUNCH

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1999 (continued)

Sam Potolicchio won an OZY

Spencer Naake and his wife

Educator Award, given to

Jessica welcomed their daughter,

teachers making a real difference

Kelsey Swendiman Naake, April

across the planet, for his work as

14. They currently reside in

director of global and custom

Bethesda, Maryland.

education at Georgetown

University’s McCourt School of Public Policy, as a professor at the Russian Presidential

2000

Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, and

leading Preparing Global Leaders Forum, a nonprofit leadership

training program for rising leaders from around the world. Sam is a former Landon teacher and co-founded Landon’s Brinkley Lecture Series for seniors.

The late George Boiardi (pictured above wearing the No. 21) is the

posthumous recipient of one of lacrosse’s top honors: the 2017 Spirit

of Tewaaraton Award, given to “an individual involved in the sport of lacrosse who nobly reflects the finest virtues exemplified in the game and who, over the course of his or her life, has made a significant

contribution to society and to the lives of others.” The honor comes 13 years after the Landon and Cornell University lacrosse standout died during a senior-year game at Cornell.

2001 On Saturday, January 14, 36 alumni gathered at Congressional

Country Club for a platform (paddle) tennis tournament organized by Patrick Guarnieri, Spencer Flajser ’07 and Nick Barquin ’97. This is the second year for the tournament, which might become a tradition, and four decades of Landon alumni were present and playing. The

large group photo above shows the 36 participating alumni with Mac

Jacoby in the front row. The second photo shows the event organizers with the tournament victors (L to R): Spencer Flajser, Patrick

Guarnieri, winning doubles partners Penn Leachman ’94 and Burke

Hayes ’94, second place doubles partners John Gill ’75 and John Sager

George Purcell welcomed a son, Elijah Henry, June 27, 2016.

’75, and Nick Barquin.

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LANDON SCHOOL | SUMMER 2017

2001 (continued) Amelia and Jimmy Barter

welcomed a baby girl, Clara Rose, June 29, 2016.

Duane Tyler was announced as

Mike Petrash married Rebecca Goodyear (pictured sixth and seventh

football coach on February 6.

Bluestone, Patrick Straub, Fitz Holladay and Austin Flajser ’00 (also

Severn School’s new head

Duane has been on the Severn Seythe McCoy recently

deployed with Team Rubicon as

a volunteer for Operation Geaux Big in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

A Team of 181 volunteers, which

coaching staff the past two years

civilians, completed 78

“muckouts” and logged 16,512 hours — valued at $454,723!

pictured) were all groomsmen.

as the varsity defensive

2002

as the defensive backs coach

Langston Shaw premiered his web series Video Deebo at the Red

coordinator. He spent 2008–11 at Trinity College.

included veterans, first

responders and “kick-ass”

from left above) December 3 in Vail, Colorado. Dave DiBianco, Gabe

Carpet Film Festival November 5.

Chris Ourisman was featured on Washingtonian’s “40 Under 40” list.

PLEASE SEND US YOUR NEWS! Submit your update to: landon.net/ classnotes.

Photos are appreciated!

2003 Jeff Tang (pictured right) posed for a photo with actor Seth

Rogen at ICAP Charity Day. ICAP is the world’s leading

interdealer broker, where Jeff

works as associate counsel. Jeff

currently lives in New York City with his wife Rebecca and his 2-year-old son Joshua.

Stro Ashburn welcomed baby girl Amina Victoria “Amy” Ashburn October 31.

Elizabeth and Christian Sears

welcomed baby boy Otis Richard Sears January 12.

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2004 Scott Mallory created a custom soundscape for

afrofuturist artist Jefferson Pinder’s “Mothership

(Capsule)” sculpture, which was part of the inaugural

exhibit at the newly opened Smithsonian National Museum of African

American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. The piece is an

abstracted replica of the NASA Mercury space capsule made of wood Andrew Salcetti married Susie Helm in Drakes Island, Maine. Many Landon alums (pictured above) were there to celebrate.

salvaged from President Obama’s first inauguration platform with a bass

speaker embedded into its structure. Mallory also showed his video work at the TED 2016 Conference, founded TEDx ECUAD as licensee/lead organizer, and is a TED Fest 2017 attendee. He is now a collaborating artist with physicists at TRIUMF Lab in Canada as part of a hybrid research project and continues showing artwork internationally.

Richie Luchs welcomed baby boy Richard Wallace Luchs III October 26.

Forbes Mann (pictured above right) and Joseph Motta ’13 (above left) met up with Landon college counselor Ginger Miller (above center)

when she visited Sewanee: The College of the South. Joseph is a senior there, while Forbes works in admissions for the school.

Kevney Moses retired from his fly fishing company, Red Seas Fly

Fishing, when he was promoted to associate principal at the Wesley Stout Associates Landscape Architecture firm.

Matthew Dubroff married Mandy Maxwell (now Dubroff ) October 8 at Bethesda Country Club. Classmates Christophe de Montille and Daniel Berger (not pictured) were in attendance as groomsmen.

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2004 (continued)

2006 Jack Jenkins welcomed son Parker Robert Jenkins July 26, 2016. Jack was the first alumnus from the Class of 2006 to become a parent.

Austin Bisnow and his band

Magic Giant performed live on the TODAY show May 17 and were highlighted as TODAY’s

“Artist of the Week.” The band’s debut album In the Wind and a list of their tour dates are

available on their website, magicgiant.com.

2007 Doctors, colleagues and fellow former Bears John DiBianco and

Patrick Mufarrij ’96 (pictured above, L to R) were recently selected to

the Alpha Omega Alpha (AΩA) Medical Honor Society. The AΩA is a lifelong honor signifying a lasting commitment to scholarship,

leadership, professionalism and service. Membership in the society

confers recognition for a physician’s dedication to the profession and art of healing.

Twenty Bears from three classes (’07, ’08 and ’10) traveled from D.C.,

New York, Charleston and San Francisco to the Redskins vs. Cardinals game in Arizona. Pictured: Will Patch, Eddie Rupp, Pete Wolynec, Alex Zakupowsky, Chance Cobb (brother of alumnus), Brady Cobb

’08, C.T. Fisher ’08, Jake Ryan, Henry Mann, Adam Rahman, Scott

Leachman, J.J. Carbonell, Tim Watson, Ryan Polun, Carl

Frederique, Spencer Flajser, Kevin Raesly, Joe Tkac, Jonathan Rajiv Shenoy and wife Natasha welcomed son Neeraj Rishi Shenoy

Duber and David Duber ’10.

March 9.

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2008

2009 Josh Mendelson now works for the Professional Golfers’ Association of America (PGA) Tour.

2014 Garland Kennedy is in the Army ROTC at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill and is a member of the North Carolina National Guard.

2015 Mark Bierbower ’70 writes: “Ricky Bierbower married Elizabeth

James Killen had a great sophomore year at the University of Dayton.

Horne on August 27. The lucky couple met during their freshman

2016

groom has his master’s in real estate finance from Georgetown and

Franco Abdala-Arata finished up his freshman year at Johns Hopkins

year at Wake Forest, and they have been together ever since. The

works for Vornado/Charles E. Smith, and the bride is in her second year at Georgetown Medical School. In addition to the bride and

and is spending the summer at the London School of Economics.

groom, the following Landon alums are pictured (L to R): Thomas

Underhill, Jamil Abdur-Ra’oof, Scott Frantz ’05, Andrew Shane ’05, James Bierbower ’05, Jim Pickle, Whitson Huffman, Justin

Donaldson, Elizabeth and Ricky, Art Smith ’70, Mark Bierbower ’70, Bill Bierbower ’72, and Bill’s three sons, Thomas ’09, Chris ’03 and Will ’06. As soon as this photo was taken, the assembled Landon attendees broke out in a rousing rendition of ‘Landon Forever’!”

Gus Umanzor married Laura Elizabeth Romano in the local

courthouse in Annapolis, Maryland, October 14. Many fellow Bears

were in attendance (pictured above, L to R): Blake Alexander ’10, Ray

Brian Menendez and the Salisbury University men’s lacrosse team

Landon staff ), Jon Umanzor ’09, Brian Kelly, Scott Williams, John

victory over the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Lynn, Brian Kelly, Marek Laco ’09, Gus, Agustin Umanzor (former Mufarrij.

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won the 2017 NCAA Division III national championship with a 15–7

LANDON SCHOOL | SUMMER 2017

Former Director of Music Richard Weilenmann Dies at 84

IN MEMORIAM Chie Scoggins, wife of Glenn ’73. June 2016.

Richard S. Beatty ’51. July 9, 2016.

Marilyn Allen, wife of Cary ’51. August 23, 2016.

Carol Smith, wife of Pierce ’62. August 27, 2016.

Robert Timberg, father of Sam ’03. September 6, 2016.

Landis Vance, wife of William ’62. September 18, 2016.

Joseph Charyk, father of William ’66, John ’69 and Christopher ’75. September 28, 2016.

L

ongtime Landon Director of Music Richard “Dick”

Weilenmann passed away

May 17 at the age of 84. Richard spent 30 years as Landon’s

director of music and founded

Godfrey Crowe ’47. October 8, 2016.

Yvonne Rodler, mother of Paul ’79 and David ’82. November 4, 2016.

Kenneth Fernandez ’49. November 10, 2016.

Melvin R. Laird, father of David ’73 and grandfather of Connor ’11 and Harrison ’14.

November 16, 2016.

Moeen Qureshi, father of Ameer ’76 and Samir ’82. November 22, 2016.

the Landon Symphonette, a

William H. Fort ’61, brother of John ’59 and father of David ’96 and Billy ’98.

students the opportunity to play

Celia Sarter, mother of Jackson ’05 and Addison ’12. December 4, 2016.

performance group that gives with established professional

musicians. He saw his two sons

John ’82 and Peter ’85 graduate from Landon and directed the Symphonette until he retired in 2011.

Before coming to Landon,

Richard served in the Navy,

where he was a founding member of the Navy Sea Chanters.

He also served as the artistic

director of the Arlington Opera

Theatre, Beethoven Society and

November 26, 2016.

Frank Kimball ’53. December 10, 2016.

Gail Crisp Matheson, mother of Collie Matheson ’80. December 15, 2016.

Raymond Howar Jr. ’46. December 25, 2016.

Nathaniel L. Poole III, father of Nathaniel IV ’01. January 1, 2017.

Linda M. Hanson, wife of John ’71. January 26, 2017.

Elizabeth Posey Gillespie Billings, sister of Julian Gillespie III ’86 and aunt of Thomas “Stone” Dreyer ’15. January 28, 2017.

John “Jack” Yates ’48. January 30, 2017.

John P. Falvey Sr., father of John Jr. ’80 and Cornelius ’82, and grandfather of John ’11.

February 9, 2017.

Andrew S. Tegeris, M.D., father of John ’81. February 9, 2017.

Washington Civic Opera.

Charles A. Hobbs ’46, brother of Allen ’50, uncle to Allen ’87, and great uncle to Logan Giles ’16,

Richard is survived by his wife

J. Peter Duncan ’76. February 21, 2017.

In addition to his two sons,

of 54 years, Elizabeth, and six

grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at the Arlington

National Cemetery at a date to

Patrick Giles ’18 and Ryan Giles ’20. February 12, 2017.

Jim Swensen ’85, brother of Robert ’85. March 10, 2017.

Jane Richardson Vieth, mother of Peter Vieth ’71 and Robert Vieth ’77. April 10, 2017.

William J. Nelligan, former teacher at Landon. April 16, 2017.

be determined, and the Landon

Steve Shepley ’57. April 19, 2017.

will have a “celebration of life” for

Melissa Dabney, mother of Austin ’10 and Ian ’15. June 24, 2017.

Performing Arts Department

Juliet Grant-Suttie, mother of Francis ’76 and James ’82 and grandmother of Ian ’10. May 17, 2017.

Richard in the fall.

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FROM THE ARCHIVES

LISTEN UP, BOYS! The beloved teacher pictured above was known for her ability to command a room. Can you identify her, any of the students, and/or the room in which the photo was taken? Send your best guess to communications@landon.net!

“Running Back Flashback” Archive Photo Identified Thank you to Special Assistant for External Affairs (and former

Director of Athletics) Lowell Davis, Stephen Gordon ’75, Doug

Steinmetz ’79, and Gregory Paspatis (T.C. Williams Class of 1978) for writing in! All four men correctly identified the opponent and

Landon’s uniform colors. “Landon was playing Episcopal, and our uniforms that year were gold with green (ugly),” Stephen wrote.

Gregory correctly pinpointed the year as 1971, while Stephen — a

member of the team and No. 10 in the photo — also ID’d several of the other players: Jim Collin ’72 (No. 22, being tackled), Peter Knight ’72 (No. 70) and Steve Myers ’72 (No. 61).

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LANDON SCHOOL | SUMMER 2017

Thank you to our

VOLUNTEERS!

We’re grateful for your steadfast dedication & support!

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LANDON SCHOOL 6101 WILSON LANE

PA I D

BETHESDA, MD 20817

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FSC

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Parents: If this issue is addressed to a son who no longer maintains an address at your home, please send current address information to the Alumni Office at alumni@landon.net.

Painting by Sky Cui ’18

SAVE THE DATES Homecoming & Reunions Weekend

November 2 – 4

Greens Sale & Holiday Boutique

November 30 – December 1

Alumni Holiday Luncheon

December 15

Azalea Garden Festival

May 4 – 6