Midwestern Heart. Global Mind. Staying Connected While Apart
Summer 2020
Review The Magazine of Lake Forest Academy and Ferry Hall
In This Issue
FIRE Conference
Staying Connected While Apart
6 Young Alumni Lunch
13 Young Alumni Networking Night
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review Summer 2020 Head of School José M. De Jesús P’22
PRODUCTION Alex Stevenson
Dean of Communications Grace Kim
Printing John S. Swift Co., Inc.
VICE PRESIDENT OF ADVANCEMENT Robert J. Buckla, Ed.D. Photography Ruth Keyso Grace Kim Laura Evans Photography Pfoertner Photography
Contributors Rob Buckla José M. De Jesús P’22 Hannah Keller Ruth Keyso Sarah Hill Lusanda Mayikana P’14 Rita Schulien MacAyeal ’87 Barry Reszel Christine Ryder P’15, ’17 Garry Sloan P’19, ’21
COMMUNICATIONS Office 847- 615-3284 gkim@lfanet.org Admission Office 847- 615-3267 admission@lfanet.org Alumni Engagement Office 847-615-3268 rkeyso@lfanet.org
The Review is published two times a year by the Office of Communications at Lake Forest Academy, 1500 W. Kennedy Road, Lake Forest, Illinois 60045. Telephone (847) 615-3210. Fax (847) 615-4840. Third class postage paid at Lake Forest, Illinois. Postmaster: please send change of address notices to Alumni Office, Lake Forest Academy, 1500 W. Kennedy Road, Lake Forest, Illinois 60045-1047. All the words and photos contained herein were written or taken by the editor, unless otherwise noted. Opinions express in the Review are those of the authors. No material may be legally reproduced without the written consent of the editor and Lake Forest Academy. ©2020, Lake Forest Academy, Lake Forest, Illinois. All rights reserved. Lake Forest Academy supports and adheres to a long-standing policy of admitting students of any race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin to all rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school.
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Faculty and staff set up a surprise event for the Class of 2020 on May 21, 2020 to celebrate the seniors’ graduation. Lanterns were set up and lit at sundown, and the 95 lights down the middle represent the seniors.
Table of Contents Departments Ringing the Bell 5
Photo Credit: Pfoertner Photography
Ferry Tales 23 Alumni Events 25 Alumni Class Notes 30 In Memoriam 41
Features LFA Alumni Experts Weigh in on COVID-19
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Midwestern Heart. Global Mind: Staying Connected While Apart
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Congratulations, Class of 2020! 17
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Mission Statement Lake Forest Academy strives to embody in its practices and to cultivate in its students excellence of character, scholarship, citizenship, and responsibility.
This year’s Winter Musical was “The Mystery of Edwin Drood,” a murder mystery based on the final novel by Charles Dickens. Each night featured a different murderer chosen by the audience, and students had to practice numerous endings! Photo Credit: Pfoertner Photography
2019- 2020 Board of Trustees Mr. John S. Marlatt ’65 Chair Mr. Jim C. Cowart ’69 Vice Chair Ms. Jessica P. Douglas ’96 Secretary Mr. Charles T. Cooper ’96 Treasurer Mr. Duane C. Jackson ’01 Member At Large Mrs. Marianne Silver Member At Large
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Mr. Todd E. Altounian ’86 Mr. Bruce W. Anderson ’70 Mrs. Sylvia Barros ’90 Mrs. Molly Pearson Campbell ’04 Mr. Patrick J. Carroll II ’87 Mr. J. Patrick Corsiglia Dr. Ahmed Farag Mr. Gregory P. Glass Mr. Haji L. Glover ’92 Mr. Ned Jessen Mr. Scott W. Kaeser ’96 Mr. Allan M. Kaplan ’72
Mr. Thomas B. Kelley ’65 Mr. Ted Kovas Mr. Rumi Kuli ’93 Mr. Scott Meloun ’77 Ms. Bethann Moritz Ms. Katherine Gray Pollock ’70 Ms. Tatyana I. Pramatarova ’05 Ms. Emily Sammon ’91 Ms. Ramona Sequeira Mr. Amish S. Shah ’92 Mr. Xiong Yin
Graduation Speech
José M. De Jesús P’22 gives his speech during the graduation ceremony.
Dear parents, family members, students, trustees, alumni, and on their sesquicentennial, Ferry Hall alumnae, friends and the mighty class of 2020,
Photo Credit: Pfoertner Photography
It is my distinct honor as LFA’s Head of School to be the last to address you at LFA before you head out to live extraordinary lives. And I’m not going to pretend; this is not how I thought I would be connecting with you today…However, we are living all of our mission’s four pillars - we are celebrating scholarship, you are showing character in the way you are engaging these times, we are showing responsibility by not meeting in person, and we are exhibiting good citizenship by taking part in this collective action to mitigate the impact of this virus… My dear class of 2020, there is a certain irony that this happened to you. You are the great unifiers! This is a big community moment, and you believe in community as deeply as any class that has blessed our halls…Several of your teachers shared with me that they believe that your class did more to build community and school spirit than any other class in our history. This unity is not easy and should not be taken for granted. In a nation engaged in a growing culture war and a global context where xenophobia is on the rise, bringing together 95 souls from different parts of Chicagoland and dozens of countries and states, and having them come together the way that you have is remarkable. By now your differences should have divided you. Your varying life experiences should have drained you of your empathy. But here you are, miles apart yet more united, empathic and connected as a result of this collective experience you’ve shared. Your sense of togetherness is palpable… Earlier this week, LFA installed a stone paver by the Bowditch Bell to mark your class’ 100 percent participation towards the construction of faculty apartments in Atlass Hall. The paver will live by the Bowditch Bell. But as I walked around the Formal Gardens the other day with my puppy, I realized that we needed to mark your physical absence today. This sacrifice in a way will always last. So, to mark this historic graduation and the fact that you are not physically here, we are honoring all of you and commemorating this day in perpetuity with a plaque dedicated to you, right in this garden where we can’t be together right now. Even if you are not physically present today, your class will be a part of every LFA graduation for years to come. Some day when you visit as alumni, maybe even with your children, you can point to this and tell the incredible story of May 2020, and how your class did what it did best, and that is to do something in service to your community, to unify us, even under unimaginable circumstances. Go forth, Caxys, knowing your beloved Academy is proud of you and has your back. Know that we will never forget this moment. We will see you soon. Now and forever, go Caxys! Congratulations.
Excerpt from Mr. De Jesús’ Graduation Address to the LFA Class of 2020 See the full ceremony at lfanet.org/2020-celebrations
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Trustee Retirements
Jim C. Cowart ’69 Jim C. Cowart ’69 served on LFA’s Board of Trustees from July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2020. Cowart made significant contributions to Lake Forest Academy through his nine years of conscientious and dedicated service on the board, including his role as Board Vice Chair and a member of the Executive Committee, and his leadership of the Advancement Committee as Chair and Co-Chair. He is also Co-Chair of the Inspire & Invest Initiative. Additionally, he was a member of the Advancement Committee; Committee on Compensation; Education Committee; Finance Committee; Endowment Subcommittee; Financial Sustainability Subcommittee; Governance Subcommittee; ad hoc Budget Committee; Head of School Search Team; and Head of School Transition Committee. He distinguished himself by his guidance to the Academy in the strategic areas of board governance and leadership, institutional fundraising and stewardship, social equality and justice and student programming. Cowart has also provided personal expertise and financial support for the Academy.
Thomas B. Kelley ’65 Thomas B. Kelley ’65 served as a member of the Board of Trustees from July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2020 and from July 1, 1983 through June 30, 1992. Kelley made significant contributions to Lake Forest Academy throughout his thirteen years of conscientious and dedicated service on the Board, including his most recent membership on the Committee on Diversity & Global Pluralism and the Committee on Trustees. Kelley has also provided guidance and financial support for the Academy.
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LFA’s FIRE Conference: Meeting in the Middle
Dr. Jamil Zaki speaks to the LFA community during an All-School Meeting.
Students met in smaller groups for icebreakers and to discuss various topics.
By Lusanda Mayikana P’14, Dean of Pluralism and Multicultural Affairs Though the 2020 FIRE conference, “Redefining Resistance and Reconciliation: Meeting in the Middle,” seems like a distant memory relative to the current COVID-19 reality, the event was immensely successful! On February 25, LFA welcomed guests from Adlai Stevenson High School, Beacon Academy, Downers Grove North High School, Francis W. Parker, the Illinois Math and Science Academy, the Latin School of Chicago and the University of Chicago Laboratory School. A total of 100 students, including LFA students, and 35 adults participated in the conference. The day’s program came together with the contribution of a dedicated team of LFA faculty who facilitated student and faculty dialogue sessions along with taking care of their regular daily responsibilities. For the first time, the conference schedule ran concurrently with LFA’s normal G-day schedule. Teachers from participating schools also had the opportunity to workshop and share strategies for civil discourse on their respective campuses
during an adult track that complimented the student program. Guest lecturer Dr. Jamil Zaki spoke to conference attendees as well as the entire LFA community during an All-School Meeting. Dr. Zaki is the Director of the Social Neuroscience Lab at Stanford University and author of “The War for Kindness: Building Empathy in a Fractured World.” He discussed the role that empathy plays in polarized settings, a topic that remains timely and relevant today. On his opinion of the conference, Zaki remarked, “I’m inspired by FIRE and the work you are all doing, and I am glad I could add to the program. The students’ reflections at the end of the conference illuminated how empowered they felt after participating and being immersed in authentic dialogue with peers from other schools.” After the All-School Meeting, students participated in discussions in small groups. Rachel Johns ’21 said,“I really enjoyed the storytelling activities because they gave
Adult participants met in the Student Center Classrooms. Trustee Rumi Kuli ’93, fourth from left, joined the group for the day.
us a chance to connect meaningfully with students from other schools. Our stories are integral to who we are, and oftentimes we have to be vulnerable to share them. The FIRE Conference gave us a chance to do that is an open and safe setting.” Guests left feeling pleased with a day well spent and grateful for the LFA community’s hospitality. Amy, a teacher from Lake Forest High School said, “Thank you for allowing me the opportunity. I’ll be able to bring back some takeaways for my students.” Similarly, LFA faculty and staff enjoyed the experience of facilitating the conference; Executive Director of the Stuart Center for Global Leadership and the Global Youth Leadership Institute Matt Nink also shared his thoughts and summed up the day. He said, “It was a pleasure to be part of the FIRE conference. Thanks [to the Office of Pluralism and Multicultural Affairs] for the chance to work with great faculty from other schools.”
Photo Credit: Grace Kim
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Back to the 90s
Class of 1996 Graduation
With the start of a new decade, LFA asked members of the Board of Trustees who graduated in the 1990s about their memories of the Academy. 30 years after leaving LFA, the trustees continue their own unique journeys as they lead the school forward. Can you describe your LFA experience? What memories stick out to you? “As an international student from Brazil, it was a life-changing experience. At the time, there was no internet so we could only talk to our parents once a week for ten minutes on a payphone, so I really had to learn to be independent. I fondly remember playing on the tennis team. It was interesting to see sports being valued so highly in high school in America, as opposed to what happens in Brazil. At LFA, I learned what it meant to be part of a team. I also remember all the friends I’ve made. Some of them are still part of my life after 30 years, which is amazing.” – Sylvia Barros ’90 “My mom had the foresight to encourage me to look at the Academy and I was blown away in a positive way by the diversity compared to my previous experiences as a student in Lake Forest. I think the diversity really brought forth a swath of experiences for me that I wouldn’t have gotten had I gone to Lake Forest High School. I had a great experience; I was a student-athlete, and senior year, I was a Prefect. My very best friends are the same ones from LFA. Also, I remember working in maintenance at LFA for a summer job; I laid wood chips down Caxy Drive and helped re-caulk the walls of Reid Hall.” – Charlie Cooper ’96, Board Treasurer “I was a boarding student in Marshall Field House and later moved to Durand Cottage. Some of my favorite memories come from the dorms; Mr. Hill, our dorm parent, would load us up on the van and take us somewhere for ice cream or coffee. We were such a small dorm that we all bonded quickly. My senior year, I was a Prefect. When I was a student, I think the Formal Gardens pool was dyed red with chalk for one of the senior pranks!” – Jessica P. Douglas ’96, Board Secretary
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“I remember being part of the Bates dorm. On Sunday afternoons, we would put speakers out the window and just have parties on the lawn. I really felt like part of a family in that dorm. I also enjoyed participating and gaining leadership in sports like football, basketball and track and field. I had the honor to play for the 9-0 winning football team in ’89-’90. Another memorable moment while on the football team was traveling on a bus to Florida for the tournament and the opportunity to visit Disney World. LFA changed my life and gave me a whole different outlook. I was so well-prepared for college.” – Haji Glover ’92 “I actually transferred to LFA halfway through my sophomore year. As a boarder, I learned to grow up quickly. I started to understand the value of hard work at LFA. I played three sports and was the captain of all three teams by my senior year. That was instrumental as I learned to effectively balance a busy academic, athletic and social schedule. I was a Prefect my senior year; also, I have incredibly fond memories of being a leader in Bates dorm.” – Scott Kaeser ’96 “My LFA experience was nothing short of transformational. I’m from Elkhart, Ind., and had little exposure to other cultures before attending LFA. Soon I had friends from all over the world. In a new environment, I just found the right ways to grow as a young student. I was a boarder, and my friends and I would play hacky sack by the pagoda, climb the walls around Reid Hall, or just hang out in the dorms listening to the Samples and Big Head Todd. Senior year, I was a Prefect which was a real introduction to leadership; it prepared me to take on other leadership opportunities in college and beyond.” – Amish Shah ’92 How does LFA today compare to when you attended the school? “Everything is better! More technology, no doubt, the amazing infrastructure on campus, and a school that looks more beautiful every day! I think that there is more attention being paid towards accommodating international students and their needs in terms of
Amish Shah ’92
helping them fit into the new culture and the new student life, which is always a big challenge for teenagers who come from other countries.” – Sylvia Barros ’90 “We didn’t have the four houses, which I think is a great aspect of the school now. I would have loved to have been part of the House Cup competitions.” – Scott Kaeser ’96 “LFA has, of course, changed its physical infrastructure. The dorms are so much nicer and the building structures have been updated. However, the general philosophy that LFA is an institution about personal and educational development stays constant. I think LFA student development is about how you interact with others with diverse thoughts and backgrounds. Your success comes from the expectation that you will learn, grow and be a good global citizen.” – Amish Shah ’92 Can you describe your academic and career path after leaving LFA? “I went back to Brazil to attend university in São Paolo and majored in business administration. I started teaching English as soon as I returned and discovered that education was something that I really liked. My experience at LFA, with small size classrooms and closer interaction with peers and teachers, was important for me. I’ve worked in education for over 30 years, and I started a franchise network of language schools for young children in Brazil.” – Sylvia Barros ’90
Sylvia Barros (De Palma) during the Fall Play (far right).
corporate finance positions at Lockheed Martin, Ford Motor Company, and Honeywell International. I then led the Financial Planning & Analysis group for a generic pharmaceutical startup company Alvogen, INC., which during my tenure, grew from approximately $200 million to over $1 billion in annual turnover. Now I’m at Scholastic as the Senior Vice President of their corporate finance organization.” – Haji Glover ’92 “I went to Tulane University and then transferred to Northwestern University. My LFA experience definitely helped me flourish at college and then later in the business world. I started my career in finance at Ernst & Young and am currently a member of the executive team leading all mergers & acquisitions in the U.S. for GardaWorld, a $4.5 billion dollar security company. Many of the life lessons I learned during my time at LFA helped me get to where I am today.” – Scott Kaeser ’96 “I went to Indiana University and studied finance and economics. I was intrigued by entrepreneurship and traveled around Asia and Europe during my college years. Afterwards, I moved to London for a work study and grad school; I was also bartending and one day, a group of LFA girls actually visited by chance! Later, I went back to Elkhart to work for my father instead of taking a job with Andersen Consulting in Chicago. Since 1996, I’ve helped grow Kem Krest Corporation through several major acquisitions and have served as CEO for over 20 years. I’ve also helped start (and recently sell) an ed-tech company with Greg Gorman ’92, my good friend from the Durand quad.” – Amish Shah ’92
“I attended the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colo., where I met an even more diverse group of people. I joined the Navy after I graduated and spent five-and-a-half years being deployed to different places around the world like Japan, Southeast Asia, Israel and the Mediterranean. I then went to the University of Chicago Booth School for my MBA. I’m now Managing Director at JP Morgan in Chicago.” – Charlie Cooper ’96 “I moved to Los Angeles and went to Occidental College to major in philosophy and study Spanish literature. I then attended law school at Creighton University in Omaha, Neb. I’m now a partner at a law firm where I specialize in federal criminal work and state juvenile work. My passion revolves around access to a great education; I see the real-life effect of how kids can grow up when they have the tools to be well educated.” – Jessica P. Douglas ’96 “I attended Lehigh University and majored in finance. I then went on to get my MBA at Binghamton University and worked in various
1991 football team with Haji Glover ’92 (top row, second from right).
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Back to the 90s What brought you back to LFA? “Seven years ago, [Head of School Emeritus] John Strudwick P’13, ’15, ’18 visited São Paolo. Three other Brazilian alumni and I met with him, and soon after, he invited me to join the board. It’s a huge honor for me to be back at LFA as a trustee, to sit at the other end of the table, to relate back to my high school years and to be part of the decisions that will shape the future of the school that I love so much.” – Sylvia Barros ’90 “I always remained connected to the Academy; I continued to donate as a Cornerstone Society member and would attend reunion events when I could. But what really sparked the reconnection was being asked to speak at a dinner for graduating seniors. I then joined the Alumni Advisory Board, was later the Chair and then joined the board about five years ago. It’s interesting, because I remember going to a football camp with [Trustee] Rumi Kuli ’93 when I was a freshman and he was a senior. Now we’re serving together, along with Scott and Jessica.” – Charlie Cooper ’96 “It’s because of my time at LFA. My connections to LFA teachers really helped me a lot. I learned leadership roles as the All-School President and captain of sports teams. [Life Trustees] Bondy and Tom ’53 Hodgkins P’82, ’85, GP’19 also helped me obtain an internship at Northern Trust after my first year of college, which helped start my career. LFA was a great place to develop and learn. They all wanted it to be a family. It’s why I want to give back to the school.” – Haji Glover ’92 How has your experience been as a trustee? “It’s an amazing experience. You truly look at the school with completely different eyes. I’m in Brazil, so it can be difficult to visit as often as I want, but I’ve really enjoyed being able to be on the board with at least 12 classmates since I joined.” – Sylvia Barros ’90 “Being a trustee allows you to get a much better sense of the effort it takes from everyone to run a school. It’s fun too, to see ideas come to fruition. In one meeting, you’re talking about a building, and three years later, it’s there. Of course there’s a lot that goes into making that vision come true, but it’s truly remarkable.” – Charlie Cooper ’96 “It’s been really great and rewarding; it’s humbling. I appreciate the confidence that the board has given me as I’ve been given more responsibility. It’s also great to work with Scott and Charlie from my class and others from my years at LFA. It’s like stepping out of a time capsule back to the 90s. We have a few more gray hairs and wrinkles, but we give each other hugs every time we see each other as if no time has passed.” – Jessica Douglas ’96 “It’s been a learning experience. I know the finances of big corporations, but the school runs as a nonprofit. We’re trying to bring new programs to students. A big part of LFA’s “X-factor” is its perspective on diversity; once you give access to all, there becomes a leveling of the playing field. It’s interesting as I incorporate some of what we do at LFA in my own company’s HR work; diversity and inclusion are important, and we need to understand what matters most to the new generations so we can continue to innovate and better the lives for everyone.” – Haji Glover ’92
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As we all navigate through this pandemic, how do you think LFA will move forward? “The school is built for the long haul. There is no way to do that without a great team; no one person can do it themselves. We’re all aligned in the same mission and that gives me a lot of confidence in the longterm stability of the school. It’s incredible that we have accelerated a decade of virtual learning into three months. We’ll apply what is more efficient and make the overall LFA experience better for students, faculty and staff.” – Scott Kaeser ’96 “This is truly an unprecedented time where there is no playbook. We’re building the plane as we take off. The keys of success in this moment, are leadership and decisiveness. Head of School José M. De Jesús P’22 and the trustees are focused on making decisions that err on the side of caution for the safety of the students, faculty and staff. Also, in times of crisis, you need community the most. When you look at an institution like LFA, that’s really what differentiates us. As we face a global issue, it’s important to see the extended family that you have and how you are helping to support one another. This is a new normal. Be sure to have some grace with everyone and we will be a lot stronger together.” – Amish Shah ’92 Anything else you’d like the larger community to know? “I´d like to shed some light in the present moment and the enormous challenge the whole world is facing in this pandemic. And I´d like to emphasize two aspects. One is the unique opportunity the educational system has [currently]. The other is the outstanding way in which LFA has reinvented itself and has continued to provide students with academic excellence, support, guidance and care. For the educational system, this is an opportunity to value and appreciate schools and teachers. This situation has allowed us to deepen the relationships between families and schools. I am so proud to be a teacher and so proud of all teachers in this moment. Their work has been amazing. I see what LFA teachers are doing. They´ve really stepped up to the challenge. I can only say I can´t believe it´s been 30 years, and that I am prouder every year to be part of this community.” – Sylvia Barros ’90 “I want to express my thanks to the faculty and everyone at LFA. We’re a very caring community. It shows in everything that we do.” – Jessica Douglas ’96 “I’m amazed at the beauty and improvements of LFA over the last 20 years and encourage everyone to visit. To my Class of 1996 classmates, we had great attendance at our 20th Reunion, and I challenge us to have an even better showing at Reunion 2021. Looking forward to seeing you all then or sooner!” – Scott Kaeser ’96
Class of 1996 Prefects
Looking for a simple, affordable way to support LFA? When you set up a monthly recurring gift, you commit once and your support is lasting! It is easy to start a monthly recurring gift to help today’s Caxys become tomorrow’s leaders. $10/month = $120/year $50/month= $600/year $100/month = $1,200/year Donors who contribute $1,000 or more in a school year become members of the Cornerstone Society, a special recognition organization that honors LFA’s most loyal and generous benefactors. Visit www.lfanet.org/give to begin making your impact today, tomorrow, next week, next month...(You get the idea!)
Alumni, parents of current students, parents of alumni, grandparents and others in our community – even students – may now demonstrate easily their commitment to the success of LFA faculty and students through recurring giving.
Monthly giving to the Academy... ...helps keep an LFA education accessible and affordable “Alumni before me donated so that I could have the educational opportunities that I did during my time at LFA. Everyone deserves a quality education regardless of whether or not their family is able to pay LFA’s tuition. I am trying to do my part in making that possible for someone else.” – Miriam Fraga ’14, Brunswick, Maine
...empowers future leaders “Lake Forest Academy is like a home away from home. Ever since the beginning of my freshman year, I’ve been looking for ways to give back to the LFA community for the opportunities and experiences they’ve given me. I have no doubt that my peers will become the future leaders of our world because they all have amazing ideas that can change the world. Supporting LFA will help the institution continue to do great things for its future students, and I can’t wait to see what the LFA community is capable of in the future.” – Hannah Liu ’21
...prepares young adults for college and beyond “The academics and the overall boarding experience far exceeded our expectations. This school was the best fit for him (Dario ’20) and we truly believe it helped him grow to be the wonderful man he is today. We are confident that he is well prepared for the world and whatever his future may bring. Monthly giving provides us financial flexibility within our budget.” – Bruno and Gina Mancari P ’20, Chicago
…is as simple as “set it and forget it” “It’s times like this that I think it helps to remind ourselves that we are the lucky ones. It amazes me how much we can accomplish together by starting with regular, small gifts. Kids who could not otherwise afford LFA can now get a world-class education and life experience. I set up a recurring monthly gift because I think about my budget from a monthly basis. Because it’s automated, I can “set it and forget it,” knowing that from that point on I will be able to “pay it forward.” – Jordan Grossman ’97, Livingston, N.J.
For the price of four cups of coffee or tea per month, you can make a difference at LFA. Join us and set up your monthly giving today! www.lfanet.org/give
...helps secure LFA’s legacy “I give because, to me, LFA provides much more than a top-tier education – it builds lifelong friendships, character, serves as a second home to many and shapes the minds of the future. By giving, we can assure that the legacy of global citizenship continues for years to come.” – Lizett Meraz ’11, Berwyn, Ill. (second from left)
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LFA Alumni Experts Weigh In on COVID-19 By Barry Reszel, Stewardship Coordinator & Advancement Writer As the world looks to epidemiologists and other health care professionals to help governments, educational institutions, organizations and individuals design their new normal, veteran medical experts in the Lake Forest Academy community shared keen insight into the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on society and LFA. Dr. Randall Holmes ’58 studied infectious diseases and performed research funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) during his illustrious career. His journey began with an undergraduate degree in biomedical sciences from Harvard University, an M.D. and Ph.D. from New York University and service as educator, researcher and administrator. “My basic research is understanding how diseases work,” he said. This forms the infrastructure for developing drugs and vaccines that will help the treatment and prevention of infectious diseases,” said Holmes, a professor emeritus at the University of Colorado School of Medicine’s Department of Immunology and Microbiology.
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Indeed, Holmes doesn’t have far to travel for inspired intellectual discussion on the world’s current hottest topic. That’s dinner-table talk with his wife, Dr. Kathryn Voelker Holmes, professor emerita at the University of Colorado School of Medicine’s Department of Immunology and Microbiology. Kathryn Holmes is an expert on coronaviruses, having published more than 150 articles and book chapters on the subject. She has also researched, written, lectured and reviewed at numerous academic institutions and organizations, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Her academic pedigree includes Radcliffe College (AB degree in biology), Rockefeller University (Ph.D. in virology and cell biology) and Harvard University (postdoctoral, cell biology). Like her husband, she has overarching observations and specific thoughts about “the biggest hurdle for the world”— deciding how to deal with COVID-19. “There cannot be one common decision for the entire world because of the tremendous disparities of wealth, sanitary conditions and population density, among others,” she said.
Dr. Randall Holmes ’58
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It’s not surprising, then, that while focused on the science, Holmes offers a dose of pragmatic guidance to all simultaneously dealing with both public health and economic crises. “My strongest advice to individuals, institutions and state and national leaders is for them to work together collaboratively and to include the rapidly growing and evolving body of scientific knowledge about the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 as an essential resource in the development of informed, rational and effective policies and procedures at local, regional, state, national and international levels,” he said.
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Kathryn Holmes implores leaders to follow the knowledge of experts, not hunches. “Public health people know what is needed to mount massive and continuing programs to test people for both evidence of active coronavirus infection and for antibodies,” she said. Politics, she said, are responsible for “tragic surprises” among groups that have caused needless deaths. “Sadly, this will continue to happen until the testing program is designed, coordinated and implemented nationally by public health experts.”
Dr. Mary Hediger ’68
Dr. Mary Hediger ’68, who lives in the Philadelphia area, says LFA is fortunate to be “in a state where the Governor took early and rather strong mitigation efforts to control the spread of the pandemic.” Ferry Hall alumna Hediger holds a Ph.D. in biological anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania and spent her career championing research in vulnerable populations. Her principal work was with the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. She also served the National Research Council, the World Health
Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, among others. Hediger said she thinks schools will be challenged to adopt “creative scheduling” when reestablishing in-person instruction. “In English class you can put the students in a fairly large room and at a far distance. But labs could be a problem, depending on how you stagger them to limit the number of kids allowed to be in there,” she said. Fall in-class instruction is potentially achievable for schools, Hediger said, “unless it looks like we’re in for a really bad wave because there are states or areas that have opened too soon as opposed to keeping the mitigation measures.” Kathryn Holmes is sober about the challenges institutions face, championing the importance of education and leadership. “For LFA and other schools,” she said, “learning must go on. Very good ways are emerging to accomplish that. I have enjoyed using Zoom to teach about coronaviruses in several high schools and to do long-distance lecturing to physicians and interested groups of adults.” Broadly, schools may toggle between virtual and on-campus learning. Randall Holmes said institutions will deliver services based “on availability of adequate tests for active virus infection and for antibodies that reflect the presence of immunity…among students, faculty and staff—as well as resources for quarantining and treating them and their contacts if they are infected.”
Hediger also spoke emotionally about the sacrifices of health care workers. “I have to be emotional,” she said. “I still have a lot of friends who are working in major metropolitan hospitals.” She tells of a close friend in New York City whose pediatric intensive care was re-purposed for coronavirus patients and is now dealing with pediatric inflammatory disease cases.
Dr. Kathryn Holmes
the efforts of the LFA administration to find constructive solutions to the current and admittedly major problems presented by this situation. Future decisions must be based on the data that represent the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 epidemic in your local community.”
“I’ve been doing my bit by not seeing my grandchildren and following along with everything that’s going on,” Hediger said. “But oh my goodness, they (health care professionals) go in there every day. It’s been extraordinary—their willingness to die for the rest of us—just amazing.”
On a personal level, the Holmeses have two daughters and a son-in-law who are physicians. “We know personally how awful it is for people to be told to do their jobs without basic PPE (personal protective equipment) to make them as safe as possible,” Kathryn Holmes said.
He continued, “LFA is a small and private educational institution trying to navigate the rough waters in the stream of the current COVID-19 epidemic. I applaud
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Midwestern Heart. Global Mind. Staying Connected While Apart
By Grace Kim, Dean of Communications Math Teacher Maggie Tennyson teaches from home.
Five years ago, Lake Forest Academy completed a rebranding initiative which resulted in a tagline that many will find familiar: Midwestern Heart. Global Mind. The phrase came about after countless interviews with LFA students, faculty and staff, parents, alumnae and alumni and friends. While the anecdotes and affections for the Academy were unique to each individual, diversity and community emerged as central to the identity of LFA as an institution. Now more than ever, in this era of COVID-19, LFA has once again stayed true to these values. In early 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic began, LFA students rallied around fundraisers to support healthcare workers in Asia. For some, the projects were incredibly personal as hometowns and loved ones were affected. For others, the fundraisers allowed students to become more aware of the situation abroad and show care towards their peers. Meanwhile, LFA’s administration began discussing preparations for spring break and beyond. Life at LFA continued as normal until midMarch. As circumstances developed, LFA made the difficult decision to cancel spring break trips and open its dorms for students who could not return home. Faculty and staff stepped in to continue dorm duties and local families graciously volunteered to welcome boarding students to stay with them. However, as the virus spread globally, like many schools and universities, LFA eventually closed the dorms and transitioned to an e-learning curriculum for the rest of the school year. Parents Association President Lisa Schilling P’18, ’20, ’21 expressed her gratitude towards LFA’s thoughtful response to COVID-19. She said, “The priority was the care and safety of our school community, getting boarders home and ensuring a safe working environment for the faculty. As quarantine progressed, LFA shifted to a focus on connectivity and providing a dynamic e-learning experience, always demonstrating flexibility as we all continue to navigate this new landscape.”
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On April 1, 2020, while scattered around the U.S. and the world, LFA faculty and students began eight weeks of remote learning. LFA kept its A to G schedule and many classes met during regularly scheduled periods. Students in different time zones attended classes early in the morning or late at night, and teachers met student efforts by holding various office hours and classes in the evenings. In particular, the English as a Second Language Department juggled a total of seven time zones. ESL Department Chair Constance McCabe and ESL Teacher Michele Vaca both taught classes in the morning and at night to accommodate their students, who chose to attend one of the two sessions held each day. Some classes would even go into 1 a.m. Central as the semester went on. Vaca was incredibly impressed with her students. “My students really surpassed my expectations. They submitted quality research papers as final projects and worked hard, and some were even in quarantine alone,” she said. “Next year, if other students complain about the research paper, I’ll just have to
ESL Department Chair Connie McCabe and members of the ESL class met in the morning and at night.
remind them about previous students who completed their papers in this difficult time.” Despite various challenges, e-learning also allowed for extraordinary learning opportunities. History and Social Science Teacher Chris Dozois ’84, P’17, ’21 said, “On an early day of e-learning, [we were talking] about the Vietnam War, and I had a student who was joining the video class from Hanoi, Vietnam which is not far from the Gulf of Tonkin. We got to talk about how the war was taught in Vietnam when she was growing up. Later, I was in class talking about the Cold War with a student who was in Russia, as well as a student who was in Beijing; it really added weight to the issues we were discussing as well as making us find a positive in the conditions under which we were working.” He continued, “It was neat to think about how diverse our classes are, and we enjoyed pulling up the map in class and not just talking about where historic events took place, but having students sitting in those places while we spoke about them.” At the same time, in the arts, faculty and students continued to work on their creativity skills. Visual arts teachers used recordings and online Zoom calls to mentor students on crafting projects, and performing arts teachers shared acting, singing and performance tips and resources virtually. Members of LFA’s orchestra also submitted recordings of their individual instrumental pieces with a new app that allowed students to see which notes were played in tune. Interim Orchestra Director Sally Stephenson wanted students to feel like they could still make something beautiful out of a bad situation. She said, “We know it’s not the same as playing together, but practicing alone let the students focus on their own contributions and enrich their experiences on their instruments. So when we do, and I hope we can soon, play as a whole orchestra, I think everyone will be better.” As the weeks went on, faculty and students found their own rhythms, and Advanced Placement, or AP, classes began preparing for the AP exams. With modified exam structures, AP teachers had to adjust their curriculum. Science Teacher Dr. Kerry Cedergren P’13, ’17, ’24, for example, found that her AP Chemistry classes had finished
History and Social Science Teacher Sam Wold’s route while dropping off packages to his AP World History students.
In English 9, English Teacher Andrea De Jesús P’22 assigned freshmen to act out a scene from Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” during a live Zoom class. The goal of the assignment was for students to develop public speaking skills, to learn Shakespeare’s language and story and to work with classmates. Groups were assigned specific scenes throughout the unit, and then the class conducted analytic discussion.
the topics that would be on the new AP exam, and proceeded to switch her lessons towards review sessions. She wrote quizzes on LFA’s Learning Management System, Canvas, and held office hours during class and at night to answer questions. Later, the class began taking practice tests and trained on how to upload answers. Similarly, students in AP language courses began preparing for the exams. Modern and Classical Languages Teacher Noëlle Balson said, “We actually managed to keep the normal workload to complete the AP curriculum. It was demanding, but all my students were ready to tackle whatever they were supposed to do. It’s a fantastic feeling. We have amazing students who rise to any challenge. I am so proud of them.” The College Board announced in April that AP exams would take place in U.S. standard time, forcing students in other time zones to get used to waking up at odd hours to take practice exams. In early May, during a video call from China, Carolyn Lu ’20 said, “I’m trying to slowly sleep later and later so that my days align with the exam times. I go to bed when my parents wake up.” Similarly, Alex Zhou ’20 worried about taking exams at 1 and 3 a.m. He recalled, “Fatigue was definitely present during those long nights, but like many other international students, we just fought through it. We felt that we were fortunate enough to take the exam during such extreme times.” Though LFA faculty worried, students continued to submit assignments and prepare for the AP testing period. Right before AP exams began, to cheer students up, History and Social Science Teacher Sam Wold spent a morning driving to 19 different locations to drop off a personalized pencil, letter and an “excite”-mint candy to members of his AP World History class. Wold shared, “I realized I could have been in Minnesota by the time I finished!” Most students who received the packages were domestic students. Additionally, one student who was going back to China volunteered to mail the other packages to students abroad once home.
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Mandarin Teacher Ivy Jiang held advisory meetings and took a screenshot during the final advisory session on May 21, 2020. Students wished seniors Charnice Hoegnifioh ’20, Jazmín Montes ’20 and Benjamin Park ’20 the best.
With student well-being at the forefront, various initiatives were set up to help foster community spirit for the rest of the semester. • Dorms held Zoom sessions for boarders to reconnect while clubs and athletic teams also met for social hours. • LFA’s Prefects started a weekly student newsletter with House Cup challenges, uplifting quotes and birthday shout-outs. • The athletics department ran an e-fit program with faculty leading live and recorded work-out classes. Students also signed up on an app to track their daily fitness activities. • LFA’s counselors also partnered with the athletics department to start a wellness blog with posts about socioemotional and mental health. • Faculty and staff had trivia meetings on G-day afternoons. Perhaps the most powerful instances of community, however, came from faculty and student devotion to service. In the spirit of Service Learning Day, Fine and Performing Arts Department Chair Jason Koenig was matched with a local medical group in Wheeling, Ill., to provide ear savers. LFA had purchased a Glowforge, or a laser engraver and printer, to create props and small visual arts projects in 2019. Koenig provided ear savers that were printed with LFA’s Glowforge to the local medical organization, which provides services to patients without medical or dental insurance.
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In the same vein, throughout April, LFA families in China donated masks, gloves and protective gear for Sodexo and LFA employees. The supplies were then sent to A Safe Haven, a pop-up hospital in Chicago. Junior Alina Wang ’21 also mailed masks, goggles and gloves to LFA for distribution to local hospitals. In the accompanying note, she wrote, “The shortage of masks and medicalsuits was a big problem at first in China, since it was an obstacle to make sure that all the doctors and nurses who were fighting COVID-19 were safe and protected. Now, the situation in China is not as intense as other countries, according to news updates. Thus, I think it is my responsibility, as a member of Lake Forest Academy and the Lake Forest community, that I should do something to help relieve the situation in this area.” After a whirlwind e-learning period and a week of end-of-year events that were broadcast live, the students and teachers will now enjoy a period of summer as LFA’s administration and staff members prepare the Academy to open its 2020-2021 academic year on campus. With circumstances changing daily, LFA hired an epidemiologist and will continue to bolster its health and student services. While there is no sure answer for the future, what stays constant is the Academy’s students and faculty commitment to community and global citizenship. Above all, LFA is grateful to essential workers who give their talents and time in countless ways during these times.
Fine and Performing Arts Department Chair Jason Koenig shared a photo of the ear savers that he created for the local medical organization. Ear savers take pressure and friction off the ears when wearing masks, allowing medical professionals to wear masks for a longer period of time safely.
Caxy Connections See all videos and stories at lfanet.org/e-learning.
ESL Teacher Michele Vaca led “Zoom-ba” classes for the e-fit program. The Prefects sent weekly newsletters out to the student community during the eight weeks of e-learning. Welch House won the team singing challenge, and special guests Head of School Emeritus John Strudwick and Loring Strudwick P’13, ’15, ’18 helped sing the Canadian anthem!
An early House Cup Challenge was to recreate the opening of the tv show “The Brady Bunch” on Zoom.
One House Cup challenge was to create LFA’s campus in Minecraft; Culter Terlato ’22, Jack Belluardo ’22, Marcel Sutkowski ’22, Ben Kolontyrskiy ’22, and Stewart Thompson ’22 won the challenge with an amazing recreation of the campus.
LFA faculty and staff sang modified lyrics to “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey to lift students’ spirits as the Academy headed into the last week of school.
Math Teacher Maggie Tennyson and her math class students wished Nathan Jung ’21 “Happy Birthday” during a Zoom call. The Parents Association shared a video thanking LFA faculty and staff in honor of Teacher Appreciation Week.
The Class of 2021 Prefects also created their own appreciation video to thank LFA teachers.
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Graduation 2020 See the recordings of graduation and other events at lfanet.org/2020-celebrations!
Fine and Performing Arts Department Chair Jason Koenig recorded all events ahead of time. The seniors chose Associate Head of School Bill Dolbee P’04, ’10 as their graduation speaker.
Congratulations to the Class of 2020! This extraordinary group of seniors stayed resilient despite being unable to celebrate their achievements in person. Assistant Head of School and Dean of Students and Academic Affairs Chris Tennyson led a committee of faculty, parents and students to discuss year-end events; this culminated in prerecorded videos that were broadcast throughout the last week of May. LFA held a virtual graduation on May 30, 2020. The Class of 2020 advisors Katie Gilbertson and Sam Wold called each senior’s name to symbolize the awarding of the diploma as the yearbook photo was shown on screen.
Learning Resources Specialist Katie Gilbertson Senior Class President Cher Li gave her speech at home in China; her video was edited into the broadcast.
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Parents Association President Lisa Schilling P’18, ’20, ’21 presented the The Book of Gratitude from parents to Dean of Faculty Tom Johnson.
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History and Social Science Teacher Sam Wold
Photo Credit: Pfoertner Photography
Class of 2020 College Matriculation
American University Washington, D.C.
Denison University Granville, Ohio
Northwestern University (3) Evanston, Ill.
University of Miami Miami-Dade County, Fla.
Arizona State University Tempe, Ariz.
DePauw University Greencastle, Ind.
University of Michigan (3) Ann Arbor, Mich.
Babson College (2) Wellesley, Mass.
Duke University (2) Durham, N.C.
Oberlin Conservatory of Music Oberlin, Ohio
Boston College (3) Newton, Mass.
Elon University Elon, N.C.
Boston University (2) Boston, Mass.
Emerson College Boston, Mass.
Brandeis University Boston, Mass.
Emory University Atlanta, Ga.
Brown University Providence, R.I.
Knox College Galesburg, Ill.
Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, Ohio
Loyola University Chicago (2) Chicago, Ill.
Claremont McKenna College Claremont, Calif.
Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, Calif.
College of the Holy Cross Worcester, Mass.
Marquette University Milwaukee, Wis.
Colorado School of Mines Golden, Colo.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, Mass.
Colorado State University Fort Collins, Colo. Columbia University New York City, N.Y. Cornell University Ithaca, N.Y.
Miami University (3) Oxford, Ohio New York University (3) New York City, N.Y. Northeastern University Boston, Mass.
Athletic Commitments The following students have committed to playing at the collegiate level next fall. Charlie Johnson ’20 - DePauw University (Football) Will Kasten ’20 - Boston College (Tennis) Lucas Matta ’20 - Northern Michigan University (Hockey) Emily Nash ’20 - University of San Diego (Lacrosse) John Tobin ’20 - St. Lawrence University (Squash)
Occidental College Los Angeles, Calif. Oregon State University Corvallis, Ore. Pennsylvania State University State College, Pa. Rhodes College Memphis, Tenn. Rice University Houston, Texas Rollins College (2) Winter Park, Fla. Southern Methodist University Dallas, Texas St. Lawrence University (2) Canton, N.Y. Tufts University (3) Medford, Mass. Tulane University New Orleans, La. University of California, Berkeley (3) Berkeley, Calif. University of Chicago Chicago, Ill. University of Denver Denver, Colo. University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, Ill.
University of Notre Dame South Bend, Ind. University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pa. University of Rochester Rochester, N.Y. University of San Diego San Diego, Calif. University of Southern California Los Angeles, Calif. University of St. Andrews St. Andrews, Scotland University of Vermont Burlington, Vt. University of Wisconsin Madison Madison, Wis. Vanderbilt University (2) Nashville, Tenn. Villanova University Philadelphia, Pa. Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, N.C. Washington University in St. Louis St. Louis, Mo. Wellesley College Wellesley, Mass. Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, Ky. Yale University New Haven, Conn.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (4) Champaign, Ill.
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Cum Laude Society The Cum Laude Society is the secondary school equivalent of Phi Beta Kappa and membership in the Lake Forest Academy Chapter of the Cum Laude Society is the highest academic honor awarded by the Academy. Based on their exceptional scholarship during their tenure at LFA, the Academy inducted the following seniors into the LFA chapter. Isis Burgos, Elizabeth Campisi, Mia Castle, Angelina Chan, Charnice Hoegnifioh, Michael Lentskevich, Jiayang (Cher) Li, Olivia (Liv) Markey, Rich Park, George Reavis, Lauren Salliotte, Marlena Stathos, Nicole Tong, Cholapat (Turbo) Varongchayakul, Tram Vu, Sophie Waimon, Mia Walvoord, Jiajing (Lisa) Wang, Jiayu (Lina) Wang, Hanhee (Aliana) Yoon, Kefan (Chloe) Zhong and Yuchen (Alex) Zhou.
Additionally, each year, a small percentage of juniors are considered for membership. They will formally join the other members of their class during the induction ceremony next year. Julia Birmingham, Yu Kyoung (Pauline) Chung, Maxwell (Max) Collins, William (Will) Collins, Elizabeth (Lizzie) Dozois, Shaopeng (Frank) Gu, Hannah Liu, Joshua (Josh) Mayberry, Calvin Osborne, Anasofie (Ani) Plambeck, Natasha Sokhi, Linyan (Alina) Wang, Tyler Watts and Richard Wu.
Senior Class Gift: Building the Future By Ruth Keyso, Director of Alumni Engagement In the months leading up to Spring Break, the Class of 2020 rallied in support of its Senior Class Gift project, achieving 100 percent participation. The 95-member class raised $2,605 which will be used to help underwrite construction of four new faculty apartments in Atlass Hall. Funds raised by the class will be combined with major gifts and proceeds from the LFA Gala. Construction on the $1.8 million project in Atlass Hall began in April. The two and three-bedroom apartments are scheduled to be occupied by faculty and their families in early 2021. Fundraising was spearheaded by Senior Class Representatives Isis Burgos, Derek Hui and Joey Kotlarz, Senior Class President Cher Li and All-School President Anna Schilling with support from Class of 2020 advisors Sam Wold and Katie Gilbertson. On-campus housing is integral to the recruitment and retention of outstanding teachers and administrators to the Academy. Li said living in close community with faculty members was a highlight of her experience as a boarding student at LFA. “My past four years at LFA wouldn’t have been the same without faculty members who lived on campus and were a part of the boarding community,” she said. “I always enjoyed late-night talks with my dorm parents, seeing teachers
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The Class of 2020 paver includes the names of all 95 seniors
at brunch in the (JC Cowart) Student Center and being able to ask a boarding faculty questions before a math test.” Kotlarz is a day student and agreed with Li, citing on-campus faculty housing as a key to a sense of community on campus. “Everyone becomes committed to a family-like environment,” Kotlarz said. “This characteristic is at the heart of Lake Forest Academy.” Both Li and Kotlarz are proud of their class’ enthusiasm for this project and 100 percent participation. “It really showed how much our class wanted to give back and thank our teachers,” Li said.
Move-Up Day The Move-Up Day Ceremony aired on May 29, 2020. Head of School José M. De Jesús P’22 encouraged current LFA students living on campus to have a chair next to them as they watched the stream so that they could “move-up” to a new grade. LFA students living on campus gathered outside at Faculty Circle and moved to chairs across the lawn to commemorate the tradition. Student and faculty awards were also named during the ceremony.
All-School President Anna Schilling ’20 gives a speech.
LFA students “moved up” to new chairs.
Photo credit: Katie Dozois ’17
Move-Up Day Awards Alexander Award Yuchen “Alex” Zhou ’20 American Legion Award Anna Schilling ’20 The Aurelian Book Prize Angelina Chan ’20 Butler Award Annie Gifford ’20
Daughters of the American Revolution Award Michael Lentskevich ’20 Faculty Award Michael Lentskevitch ’20 Mary Freeland Award Sophie Waimon ’20 Hixon Award
Sargent House won the 2019-2020 House Cup Competition, which means that LFA’s planner and student handbook, and the ribbon on Monty the Bear’s arm, will be Sargent yellow next year!
Service Above Self Award
Wetzel Award
Elizabeth Campisi ’20
Elizabeth Campisi ’20
Virginia Phillips Speidel Award
Jonathan Fremd Award
Caitlin Anasi ’20
Rachael Claxton ’23
Horace S. Vaile Award
McLaughlin Prize
Anna Shilling ’20
Ricky Ascroft ’22
Benjamin D. Waldie, Sr. Award
Jewell J. Jackson Award
Giselle Annan ’20
Lizzie Dozois ’21
Audrey McGrail ’20
Faculty Awards Alumni Award for Teaching Excellence The recipients of the 2020 Alumni Award for Teaching Excellence are Director of Theater Matt Boresi and Science Department Chair Stephanie Ramirez.
Laima Salcius Faculty Award The recipient of this year’s Laima Salcius Faculty Award is Math Teacher Maggie Tennyson.
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Faculty and Staff Anniversaries Congratulations to these faculty and staff members who are celebrating milestone years of service to the Lake Forest Academy community. 5 Years of Service
10 Years of Service
David Atas Athletic Trainer
Kevin Hagen Science Teacher
Carolyn Gorowski Dean of Admission, College Counselor
Grace Everett Admission Campus Visit and Event Manager
Jessica Huff Administrative Assistant to the Dean of Faculty
Judee Koppenhoefer Accounts Receivable Coordinator
Patrick Finnessy Dr. Ray Bird Master Chair in English, English Teacher
Michelle Reich School Nurse Garry Sloan Director of Individual Philanthropy
Katie Gilbertson Learning Resources Specialist, Mathematics Teacher
Lydia Wells English Teacher
Jessica Gimbel History & Social Science Chair, History & Social Science Teacher Kim Graham English Teacher
Ben Wetherbee Associate Dean of College Counseling Julie Wold Accounts Payable Coordinator
Kristine Petroshius Assistant Director of Academy Fund
15 Years of Service Noëlle Balson Modern & Classical Languages Teacher Jeff Bateman Mathematics Teacher Nancy Bateman Donor Records Manager Darrin Madeley Athletic Director
35 Years of Service Steve Ryder Modern & Classical Languages Teacher
Faculty Departures LFA thanks the faculty who are leaving after the conclusion of the 2019-2020 academic year for their dedication and service. After moving with Head of School José M. De Jesús P’22 and the entire De Jesús family, Andrea De Jesús P’22 joined LFA’s teaching faculty as an English 9 teacher in August of 2019. She will teach at Lake Forest Country Day School next year. Julia Vranas joined the Math Department in 2019 and taught AP Statistics and Geometry. She also served as the head coach of varsity girls tennis in the fall and varsity boys tennis in the spring. She lived on campus and was a dorm parent in Ferry Hall. She will begin her Ph.D. program in Mathematics at George Washington University in the fall.
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Lorelee Hood joined the LFA community in 2018 as the Director of Parent Relations and Giving. She served as LFA’s administrative liaison to the Parents Association and worked to provide resources and a welcoming environment for new families, current parents, and alumni parents. She and her family will move to Massachusetts, where her husband has a new job at the Northfield Mount Hermon School. Teneice Stegall joined LFA in 2016 as Associate Dean of College Counseling. She came to LFA from Rhodes College in Memphis, where she worked as Associate Director of Admission. At LFA, she served as an assistant coach for varsity girls soccer, a co-advisor for the Class of 2023, a member of the Multicultural Affairs Committee and as a dorm parent in Field. She will move to California to continue her work as a college counselor as Upper School Dean at Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles.
Faculty Retirements Patrick Dure joined the Modern and Classical Languages Department as French Language Teacher in 2011 after 30 years of experience teaching French in the Evanston area. Throughout his nine years at LFA, he has been a consistent presence in the halls and classrooms.
Debbie Lindstrom has served two generations of LFA students since coming on board in 1990 as Assistant Manager, and then General Manager of Dining Services. From managing dining services in Hutchinson Commons to moving operations to the Student Center, she has shown warmth, hospitality, and leadership for over 30 years.
Celebrating 36 Years of Service In April 2020, Associate Head of School and History and Social Science Teacher Bill Dolbee P’04, ’10 announced his retirement after 36 years of service to the Academy. Dolbee earned his bachelor’s degree in history from Michigan State University and his master’s degree in history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He joined LFA’s History Department in 1984. He was the department chair from 1988 until he was appointed Dean of Faculty in 2003. He became Assistant Head of School in 2005 and later Associate Head of School in 2008. He was also the interim Dean of Faculty during the 2016-2017 academic year. He is the recipient of the 1991 Faculty Award for teaching excellence and spoke at the Class of 1993 and Class of 2020 graduations. The 1995 yearbook was dedicated to him. In 2018, Dolbee was named the Ned & Lynn Jessen Endowed Chair in the Humanities at LFA. Throughout all of his years at the Academy, Dolbee taught in the classroom. He taught U.S. History, AP U.S. History, World History I and various electives. He has also coached football, basketball, and softball. He has been a dorm parent, dorm head, advisor and mentor to numerous LFA students and alumni. He has also served on numerous committees at the administrative and board level. He and his wife, Sue Peecher, raised their two sons, Sam ’04 and Joey ’10, on campus. As he reflects on his 36 years at LFA and the many roles he has played, both in and out of the classroom, Dolbee says teaching history and coaching football top his list of highlights. He enjoyed being part of the construction process and seeing a new and improved campus take shape. He also cherished his role in the hiring process at LFA, bringing new faculty and staff into the community and supporting their career development. Put simply, Dolbee says he hopes he made a difference in the lives of the students as well as in the life of the Academy, a place which, he notes, has grown ever stronger both financially and educationally. “It’s been great to have been at the Academy through a time of amazing transformations,” Dolbee says.
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Ferry Tales A Ferry Hall Library Book Tells a Tale By Rita MacAyeal ’87, Library Director and Archivist
Handwritten inscriptions inside the book cover
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In the LFA Library’s Treasure Book Collection there is an 1897 edition of Sir Thomas Malory’s epic work, “Le Morte d’Arthur.” Handwritten inscriptions in the book indicate it was owned by “L.F. Smead” in 1899 and “R. Lincoln Long” in 1919, before being gifted to Ferry Hall’s Library in 1967 by “Mrs. Lincoln Long.” Through some digging into history, a tale of the book’s owners emerges—perhaps not as dramatic as the Arthurian tales, but interesting nonetheless! In 1899, Lewis Frederic Smead was in his junior year at the University of Wooster in Ohio when he inscribed his name and address inside the book’s cover. After graduating in 1901, he travelled to Baltimore, Md., to attend medical school at Johns Hopkins University. There he met Cora Helena Baker, a nursing student; they both graduated in 1905 and were married in 1908. Following a residency at the Union Protestant Infirmary in Baltimore, Dr. Smead and his wife settled in Toledo, Ohio where they raised a family and established themselves as prominent citizens of the city. Dr. Smead eventually gained professional renown for developing the Smead-Jones Suture, a technique which formed the basis for modern suturing. After twenty years in Dr. Smead’s possession, the book made its way to the household of the Reverend Roseel “Rosy” Lincoln Long and his wife Reva who had arrived in Toledo in 1918 to serve at Collingwood Presbyterian Church. The Longs had a significant connection back to Lake Forest, having met when Rosy was an undergraduate at Lake Forest College (class of 1912) and Reva Birdenia
Henry was a student at Ferry Hall (190710). Apparently their school romance was strong enough that when Reva transferred to another school her senior year, it left Rosy pining. His senior yearbook noted that “this year his good ‘Ferry’ deserted him and now he leads a bachelor’s life and wears a ‘frown that won’t come off.” That situation was happily resolved when Rosy and Reva married in 1915. They would return to Lake Forest College in 1939, when the institution conferred an honorary Doctorate of Divinity on Reverend Long. Over the decades, the Longs raised three children and made their mark as active members of various Toledo community organizations. In 1951, Reva founded a mission church in Toledo called the Happy Hollow Sunday School, which later became Christ Presbyterian Church. Seven years after the passing of her husband, Reva gifted his copy of “Le Morte d’Arthur” to the library of her alma mater Ferry Hall—the place she and Rosy first met and fell in love.
Portrait of Reva Birdenia Henry Long, published in The History of the Henry Family of “Flower Hill” Ireland and their Descendents, 1926.
Since its publication 123 years ago, this 1897 edition of Malory’s work has logged many miles—traveling from Wooster to Baltimore to Toledo to Lake Forest under the care of its owners. Preserved now in the LFA Library, it is more just an antiquarian book— it serves as a time capsule that reveals a unique story of its own.
Senior portrait of Roseel “Rosy” Lincoln Long, published in the Lake Forest College Forester, 1912.
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Alumni Events Young Alumni Lunch • January 7, 2020 The annual Young Alumni Lunch on campus in early January brings together LFA’s college students for a fun afternoon of food and conversation in the Garden Room in Reid Hall. Faculty and current students drop by to say hello and to hear how LFA’s most recent graduates are doing at university. One of the most popular events on the alumni engagement calendar, the lunch brought together more than 80 alumni and teachers this year.
Blake Cedergren ’17 (left) with Hunter Wolff ’17 (Peter Corsiglia ’17 is pictured in the background with Cam Reidy ’17)
LFA English and Journalism Teacher Mandy Krause (right) with Teni Bakare ’19
Lena Ansari ’19 (left) and Carrington Newsome ’19 Photo Credit: Pfoertner Photography
Seattle, Wash., and Naples, Fla. In November 2019 and February 2020, Head of School José M. De Jesús P’22 visited with alumni, alumni parents and friends at receptions in Seattle and in Naples, Fla. Since being named Head of School, De Jesús has had interaction with more than 1,700 alumni, parents and alumni parents at events on campus and throughout the country. In Seattle, De Jesús attended a reception hosted by Rosamond “Roz” Edison ’91 at the Birch Road Cellar that included parents and alumni from the Class of 1948 (Dick Bressler) through the Classes of 2015 and 2016 (Jordan Wolff and Morgan Baylor). l to r: Nate Koh ’20, Terry Li ’19, Liam Larsen ’19, and Sky Wang ’20
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In Naples, he attended a luncheon with alumni, alumni parents and friends at the Port Royal Club, a gathering hosted by alumnus Phil Collins ’69 and his aunt, Lavern “Lal” Norris Gaynor ’41. At the luncheon, alumnus Michael Springer ’71 and alumni parent Jill Selati P’14, P’19, shared their thoughts about the Academy, the importance it played in their lives or the lives of their children and why they direct their philanthropy to LFA.
College Dinner Series: Case Western Reserve University
January 16, 2020 (clockwise from bottom left): Jinny Hong ’16, Director of Alumni Engagement Ruth Keyso, Alexander Mullarkey ’16 and Liam Larsen ’19.
Black Student Union Lunch On Sunday, February 23, 2020, in celebration of Black History Month, nearly two dozen students in the LFA’s Black Student Union gathered in the JC Cowart Student Center on campus for a soul food lunch and conversation with area alumni. This was the second consecutive year that students met with alumni to talk about their experiences at the Academy and to make connections that will last a lifetime. History and Social Science Teacher Ackim Mpofu and Asst. Dean of Pluralism and Multicultural Affairs and Modern and Classical Languages Teacher Tameka Carter facilitated the gathering.
Front row: Kingston, son of Life Trustee Regina Spellers Sims ’85; Second row: Taylor Moore ’17; Third row (l to r): Shaliya Heard ’20, Caitlin Anasi ’20, Giselle Annan ’20, Alumni Advisory Board member Gail Gadberry ’85, P’14, Life Trustee Regina Spellers Sims ’85; Fourth row (l to r): Ramya Herman ’21, LFA History and Social Science Teacher Ackim Mpofu, Marlena Stathos ’20, Jaiyenan English ’20, Kayla Kuehmann ’20, Angela Levi P’21, Eden Kalaj-Rice ’21, School Counselor and Seminar Department Chair Jen Madeley P’11, ’14; Back row, l to r: Johnnie Johnson ’01, Trustee Duane Jackson ’01, Margeaux McReynolds ’02, Marylin Wen ’20, Michael Xing ’23, Rohan Vashi ’23, Heewoong Kim ’23, Braeden Murray ’23, Halbert Kim ’21, Brian Figueroa ’21, Thales Gao ’23, Bill Le ’23, Aaron Zhang ’23, and Asst. Dean of Pluralism and Multicultural Affairs and Modern and Classical Languages Teacher Tameka Carter and her husband, Vernon Richardson.
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Alumni Events Josh Rothstein Young Alumni-Student Networking Night LFA celebrated its sixth annual networking night for students and alumni on March 4, 2020. This year, the event was rebranded in honor of Josh Rothstein ’05, a budding entrepreneur who died during his sophomore year at LFA. His mom, Nancy, and friend Roger Oronsaye ’05 proudly represented the family at this event. The goal of the gathering is to connect current students with young alumni professionals for conversation about college, internships, and careers.
Josh Rothstein ’05
(l to r): Head of School José M. De Jesús P’22; Peter Kane ’03 VP at Goldman Sachs, Consumer and Investment Management Division; Wes Annan ’15, Consultant at Guidehouse; Izabela Tyszka ’13, Project Manager, Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainability & Impact at Horizon Therapeutics; Amelia Moses ’13, Managing Director of Notam Branding LLC; Kathleen Kennedy ’11, Account Manager, Global Business Group at Facebook; Samantha Moore ’09, Software Engineer, Chicago Trading Company; Rick Lindstrom ’06, VP, Projects at Jones Lang LaSalle; along with Roger Oronsaye ’05, a close friend of Josh Rothstein, Nancy Rothstein and Asst. Head of School and Dean of Students and Academic Affairs Chris Tennyson.
Samantha Moore ’09, Software Engineer, Chicago Trading Company, with Sunny Sun ’22
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A full house in the Little Theater in Reid Hall as students from all grades join alumni to talk about college and careers.
Izabela Tyszka ’13, Project Manager, Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainability & Impact at Horizon Therapeutics, with Mia Castle ’20 on left
Peter Kane ’03, VP at Goldman Sachs, Consumer and Investment Management Division
Wes Annan ’15, Consultant at Guidehouse in Chicago
Rick Lindstrom ’06 (right foreground) with (clockwise from bottom left): Ben Kolontyrskiy ’22, Alex Zhou ’20, Sebastian Delgado ’21, Rohan Miglani ’21, and Conor Fryer ’21
Mimi Moses ’13, Managing Director of Notam Branding LLC
Kathleen Kennedy ’11, Account Manager, Global Business Group at Facebook
Head of School José M. De Jesús P’22 with Nancy Rothstein P’05 and Andrea De Jesús P’22
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Alumni Events Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. • February 20, 2020 The annual alumni reception in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., on February 20, 2020, brought together three generations of heads of school, the Hodgkinses P’82, ’85, GP’19, the Strudwicks P’13, ’15, ’18 and José M. De Jesús P’22, at the home of Life Trustees Tom ’53 and Bondy Hodgkins.
Pictured are (seated, l to r): Gay Grumhaus P’86, Susie Spiel P’82, ’84, Jean Royster Smiley ’56, Bondy Hodgkins P’82, ’85, GP’19, Loring Strudwick P’13, ’15, ’18; (middle row, seated): Teddi Siragusa; (standing, l to r:) Director of Alumni Engagement Ruth Keyso, Dick Siragusa ’53, Todd Woloson, Eliza Ellsworth Woloson ’85, George Spiel P’82, ’84, Tom Hodgkins ’53, P’82, ’85, GP’19, José M. De Jesús P’22 and John Strudwick P’13, ’15, ’18.
Susie Spiel P’82, ’84, Teddi Siragusa and Gay Grumhaus P’86
José M. De Jesús P’22 and Dick Siragusa ’53
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Jean Royster Smiley ’56 and Loring Strudwick P’13, ’15, ’18
Bondy and Tom ’53 Hodgkins P’82, ’85, GP’19, José M. De Jesús P’22 and John Strudwick P’13, ’15, ’18
Eliza Ellsworth Woloson ’85 with George Spiel P’82, ’84 Photo Credit: Laura Evans Photography
Class Notes
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1946 As an amendment to her class note in the December 2019 Review, Nancy Washburne writes that in 1943 and 1944, when she was at Ferry Hall, the girls did not read the 12th Chapter of Romans from the New Testament. The text was written on the front wall of the chapel and they would all read it out loud together to start every day.
1947 Marilyn Hays Hopkins continues to enjoy life in Carmelby-the-Sea, Calif., where she has lived for about 20 years since retiring from a career in manufacturing management. Carmel is not only very scenic but also has outstanding music venues. There is a symphony and a chamber music group, and combined with the proximity to San Francisco with the opera and ballet, there is a wonderful variety of entertainment. Marilyn has the good fortune to have a large and well-connected family, including six grandchildren. She says she finds this important because at her age, many long time friends are gone. She says that it is always fun to read the class notes in hopes of seeing a remembered name.
As of early May, Willie Sanderson reports that there isn’t much to do these days with everyone hunkered down. There are no performances at the event center, water aerobics and all other classes are canceled, the fitness center is closed, no bocce ball - even the golf courses are closed, as is the movie theatre and all club houses. However, she says that she is still fortunate to be in Rossmoor. She can walk the golf course, and for those who can still hike, nearby trails are gorgeous. Because Rossmoor has a contract with Comcast, there are special free opportunities, like a week of HBO, for entertainment. The restaurant is doing take-out, and the grocery and drug stores have special hours for seniors along with oneway aisles, hand-sanitizing stations and other distancing mechanisms. Willie can sit on her deck and enjoy the flora and fauna and the still green hills beyond. She can even talk with her next door neighbor, though they cannot
see each other. She can sit on her front porch and talk to passers by, and the residents sometimes gather with their own glasses of wine and sit outside at a distance to socialize. They wear masks, and toilet paper and other necessities are re-surfacing now. Willie sees her family less frequently and at a distance, but those moments are welcome treats. Everyone is working from home. Willie does the TV exercise class each morning and walks around outside several times a day - a nice chance to see people if any are out. With no traffic and less activity, the birdsong is constant and louder. And all sorts of wildlife are more evident. The coyotes in the hills are very rowdy in the wee hours each morning. Social distancing may go on for a long while, no doubt, but it is worth it to stay safe. Willie hopes that everyone is doing well.
1954 John Winsor’s fourth novel, “Maggie’s Revenge,” has just been published, available as an e-book or paperback on Amazon.com. The protagonist, Maggie, is grief-stricken by the deaths of her husband and daughter; fueled by vengeance, Maggie chases the killers through Civil War chaos down the Santa Fe Trail. She befriends Kit Carson, Jim Bridger, and many other famous characters on the frontier. John reports that readers like it, saying, “it is an exciting page-turner, just the thing to escape the boredom caused by the virus.”
1957 Charles “Chuck” Erickson writes that last May, he attended his older daughter Megan’s wedding in Gloucester, Mass. His younger daughter Charli, who works for the Dorsey law firm, travelled from Seattle to join the family. In June 2019, he acquired a 500 square foot mountain cabin near Franklin, N.C. The cabin looks out on Jacob’s Mountain and has a stream flowing nearby. Chuck describes the cabin as beautiful and very peaceful, because his cell phone rarely works. In July 2019, he adopted a new rescue dog, Pepper, who is a half-Lab and half-German Shepard and all black and very clever. In
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Class Notes November, he marked his 80th birthday. As of April 2020, Chuck and his family are sheltering in place in their house in Boiling Spring Lakes near the coast of North Carolina. In early June, the family hopes to be able to go up to their mountain cabin. Despite having less medical services and facilities, there are also fewer people, less coronavirus infections, better summer weather and no hurricanes there. Anyone who doubts “global warming” needs to experience the 90-plus temperatures and humidity and high-80s ocean water temps North Carolina has had for the last several years.
1962 MaryKay Jones Catlin is doing well during this stressful time. Caregiving for her first husband takes a lot of her time, but she still enjoys her gardening and working in and around her water garden now that spring is here. She does puzzles and reads on those chilly days she cannot be outside. She has been FaceTiming with her grandkids. Her family is very fortunate; they all still have jobs except one granddaughter who teaches, but she is on contract and is good until August. She would love to hear from other classmates from 1962.
1963 Al Louer reports the sad news that his wife, Tessa, died in March 2020 after a brief illness unrelated to the coronavirus. The Louers were married for 42 years. Tessa was a successful realtor in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Indiana and Virginia as Al worked in public relations and development for Mystic Seaport, the Indianapolis Museum of Art, and Colonial Williamsburg. Tessa had two sons from her previous marriage and a grandson, all of whom survive her. Tessa will be buried in the churchyard of Bruton Parish Episcopal Church in Williamsburg where the Louers were married and remained long time parishioners.
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1966 Buff Courter and Jeff Konker submit updates on behalf of their class. In the COVID-19 era, the 1966 class award for best social distancing goes to Doug Read. Doug is a recent cancer (5 stem cell bone marrow transplant) survivor. He moved out of his main home in Lake Tahoe; he retreated to his smaller getaway house, located in a town of 200 folks; and his wife, Laura, was the only person allowed to visit, delivering weekly supplies. In his own solitude, he still embraced life, followed his passions, and even helped others. He skied on the local slopes, rebuilt his kitchen and stairwell, and even mentored five other patients who were going through their own cancer treatments. Meanwhile, Richard Lang and his wife, Judith, took advantage of the closure of a local golf course to take long daily walks. Buff Courter followed suit, returning to his daily hikes in his backyard National Cleveland Forest, halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego. Jeff Konker observed how he and his wife were surprisingly pleased with their delay in downsizing, as they enjoyed their larger house with space for projects and study, including Jeff’s reading of Aristotle’s Politics, plus their own long walks on Chicago’s north side. Doug Owen, with his experience in research labs with Tony Fauci, offered his warm regards and cautionary support for continued social distancing to all classmates. Scott Lennox, another cancer survivor, participated in the evening cheers for first responders and hospital workers. He also had good news: his 37-yearold daughter is pregnant and due in November, Scott’s birthday month. Neil Gumenick, never one to back away from an illness, continued to treat his patients in Los Angeles. Some spouses and children have caught the coronavirus, but no classmates reported a positive COVID-19 test. Many classmates highlighted how they maintained contact with family and friends through Zoom, Skype, etc. Technology and various forms of home exercise, even dusty dumbbells, seem to have become “saviors,” Lastly, perhaps the Class of 1966 can all take solace in the fact that the coronavirus occurred in 2020, not in 2021 - when the class will have their 55th reunion. Several classmates have already promised to attend that celebration. Stay healthy!
Gift Planning Class of 1959 Alumnus Invests in Young Scholars By Garry Sloan P’19, ’21, Director of Individual Philanthropy
Dr. James “Mac” Harris ’59 of Palo Alto, Calif., credits Lake Forest Academy for paving his path to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in metallurgy and a Ph.D. in material science. Following his successful career in computer circuitry and patents, Harris thought it was time to give back to the Academy—a school that meant so much to him. Motivated by matching funds made available through the $1 million endowed scholarship challenge by LFA Trustee Jim C. Cowart ’69 and his wife Janet, Harris established the Lt. Col. McGrew & Rosa Harris Endowed Scholarship Fund to honor the memory of his parents and promote scholarship assistance to deserving students in need of financial help, as he once did. The Harris endowed scholarship is part of LFA’s Inspire & Invest Initiative, an ambitious effort to secure endowed scholarships, endowed faculty chairs and faculty professional development funds. For more information about Inspire & Invest, please go to www.lfanet.org/inspire. “My father was a career army officer for over 30 years,” Harris reflected. “He started in the Civilian Conservative Corp. in the 1930s, followed by enlistment in the Army in 1940 ahead of the United States’ entry into World War II. He was sent overseas in 1947 to train soldiers and our whole family, including my two older brothers and mother, went to Italy for a year and then Germany for another. My mother died there in 1948.” In 1955, Harris’ father was assigned to a post in Chicago. “My two brothers were already in college, and my father felt Lake Forest Academy would prepare me for college while allowing
me to remain close to him.” With limited family resources, Harris needed financial aid to afford LFA tuition. “Thankfully,” he said, “a scholarship made my attendance possible.” Harris entered the Academy in the fall of 1955 and remained at the school even after his father was transferred to Korea for one year. “My time at LFA was one of the happiest periods of my life,” Harris recalled. He describes himself as an “acceptable student,” remembering a particular opportunity outside the classroom that made an indelible impression. “I was asked to be editor of the yearbook even though I had never been on the Caxy staff.” Harris also joined LFA’s Richards & Tremain Society by establishing a charitable remainder trust through his estate to supplement the newly-created scholarship that bears his parents’ names. The Richards & Tremain Society recognizes constituents who include LFA in their estate and gift planning processes. “I have great fondness for LFA and would like to see its traditions continue,” he said, “including those of Ferry Hall. As an alumnus, it feels good to know young, deserving scholars will continue to receive the benefits of a quality education from our alma mater.” For more information on how to establish a scholarship fund at LFA, contact Director of Individual Philanthropy Garry Sloan at gsloan@lfanet.org. Also, please contact LFA if you have already included LFA in your estate plan and are not recognized, as yet, as a Richards & Tremain Society member.
The Richards & Tremain Society The Richards & Tremain Society was founded in 1988 to recognize those members of the LFA community who have made provisions for LFA in their estate plans. The Richards & Tremain Society is named for Mr. John Wayne Richards, headmaster of Lake Forest Academy from 1913 to 1941, and Miss Eloise Tremain, Ferry Hall’s principal from 1918 to 1945. Their legacies of strong, effective leadership have shaped the future of the school in many ways. Membership in the Richards & Tremain Society recognizes gift planning that will benefit LFA and will leave a lasting and important legacy.
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Class Notes 1967 Bob Tarun is halfway towards completing his MFA degree in Creative Writing at NYU in Paris. The program will temporarily go online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Bob plans to work on his Silicon Valley-based white collar crime novel in San Francisco until Paris reopens.
1971 Anne Winton Black reports that in June 2020, she and husband Rick will have been married for 45 years! They hope to make this a year of celebrations with family. Fortunately, the couple traveled with their daughter’s family prior to adhering to stay-at-home orders. In mid-February, Windy, son-in-law Dustin and their three grandsons, Flynn (9), Hayes (7) and Tucker (3) joined the couple for a very child-friendly, week-long cruise in the western Caribbean aboard the Disney Fantasy. She says that Disney knows how to do inter-generational travel exceedingly well. Their grandsons’ dearest wishes were to become permanent castaways! Little did they know how much these memories would mean to everyone as Anne and Rick have not been with the kids in person for seven weeks. Later this year, the couple will capture time with their son, Rod, grandson Patrick (6) and Rod’s fiancé, Terry. Anne says that she is grateful to the Rhode Island Governor for her thoughtful and prudent responses to keeping the state and its residents as safe as possible during this horrible pandemic. Though Anne feels very badly for those who have lost their livelihoods, she is convinced that social distancing and stay-at-home orders has kept the residents well-below initial expectations for fatalities. She is grateful for Lake Forest Academy’s equally swift and prudent response to keep its students, faculty, and staff safe. She is proud that students have responded so well to distance learning. These are such strange times, but it is teaching everyone how to remain resilient and flexible! Here’s to better days ahead!
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The Reverend Linda Graham and Bruce moved to Davison, Mich., where Linda began a new call at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church on December 1, 2019. The couple moved into their new home at the end of February 2020. Bruce had a stroke on March 4; he is recovering nicely, but is still in a nursing home for rehab.
Ann Ridge officially graduated in May 2020 with her Ph.D. in theology and cultural criticism, with an emphasis in human development and faith, from the Chicago Theological Seminary. Also, her music studio, Front Room Studios, has produced a new CD called “Love Rules.” Listen to Ann’s music on her website at www.frontroomstudios.org.
Michael Springer retired from the American Dental Association, where he was responsible for business and publishing. He divides his time between Bonita Springs, Fla., Lake Erie and France. Michael was pleased to connect with Bruce Anderson ’70 and Phil Collins ’69 at the recent alumni luncheon in Naples, Fla. He was delighted to meet the new Head of School and to give an update on the Walter Hoesel Endowment for Student Support. The Hoesel Fund is having a very positive impact on students in need, and the pandemic is making these funds even more important.
1975 Michael Daugherty writes that despite reports to the contrary, he is alive and well in St. Paul, Minn. After 38 years of practicing law, just when he seemed to get the hang of it, he is reducing his client load and slowly changing careers. He is enrolled in his second masters in English. This time it’s an MFA, and he has recently published his first short story in a long time, “The Sleepover that Changed Everything,” in this spring’s issue of the Summit Review literary magazine. He and his wife Mary have four grown children living nearby and three grandchildren under three.
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Danny Donian recently moved to Lake Geneva, Wis. He was just featured in the Grateful Dead’s new book, “Deadhead Stories,” which was just released last fall. The book features fans and staff that came in contact with the Grateful Dead! All proceeds from the book go towards the Jerry Garcia foundation, Rex and Danny with his friend Gina. S.E.V.A foundations. Danny’s children, Amber and Caleb, come to visit, and he also has a best friend, Gina Lee. He is really looking forward to the upcoming Class of 1975 reunion; Danny says that he hopes to see past friends and most likely make some new friends as well!
Nancy Sokolsky Douglass and her husband are hunkered down in their home in Indianapolis. They are taking long walks with their dog, playing monopoly, binging on “Ozark,” and probably eating too much and drinking too much wine. The couple have not seen their two-andhalf-year-old granddaughter who lives in Indianapolis since this whole thing started, which is sad for the family. They cannot wait to hug her again. The couple’s son Stuart is still in Israel, where he plays pro basketball, and is waiting for his team to honor the rest of his contract before he can come home. Their youngest son is in Denver, hunkered down with his girlfriend and working from home. Nancy is thankful that her immediate family is healthy. She hopes that everyone is too!
1977
Danny with his son Caleb and daughter Amber
1976 Jenny Carter recently started teaching renewable energy law at Vermont Law School. The curiosity, enthusiasm and intelligence young adults are bringing to the table to try to solve the problems of climate change is energizing and inspiring! She confesses, though, that she is not a fan of videoconferencing classes and cannot wait to get back to seeing her students in person. She is still living in the same house of 25 years that is two miles down a dirt road with her family and menagerie. Anyone who visits Vermont should give her a call, email, video-chat, or hologram.
Scott Meloun writes that it was great to see Head of School José M. De Jesús P’22, Vice President of Advancement Rob Buckla and Director of Individual Philanthropy Garry Sloan P’19, ’21 at the Naples, Fla., reception in February. The location and turnout was great, and of course, José gave a fun and enthusiastic speech. Scott says that LFA is fortunate to have all three, and others, at LFA working towards an even better future. He hopes that everyone will return next year; and if anyone missed it, please come next year.
1980 Laurence Minsky is the co-author of a book that was published in the UK, Europe, and the rest of the world on November 3, 2020 and in the U.S. on November 26, 2020. It is called “Global Brand Management: A Guide to Developing, Building, & Managing an International Brand.” It was published by Kogan Page, one of the leading independent British publishing houses. The book is available at https://bit.ly/2zWCVKb. Also, as the author of a number of other professionally published books, Laurence invites alumni to visit his author page on Amazon at https://amzn.to/3foFBAA.
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Class Notes 1989 Beatrice Casini’s Italian citizenship will be officially recognized this spring, which, best of all, allows her son to become an EU citizen as well. This was a project begun in the early 2000s, and though the virus has deeply delayed the passports, Beatrice is hopeful that they will come through. She is working on regular language learning, letter-writing, helping her son through distance learning and cultivating better yard work practices! She hopes that everyone is sheltering well.
1990 Sylvia da Palma Barros writes that she and her family are in lockdown in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Her kids, 17 and 11 years old, are taking online lessons, and she and her husband are working from home, as well. Everyone is healthy, which is a blessing. Sylvia works in education, specifically with young learners. It has been challenging to keep the students engaged through online lessons, and business is suffering a lot, she writes. She has been dedicating all of the time she has to help her small company survive these tough times.
1995 The Reverend Christian Anderson and his wife Anastasia welcomed the blessing of Christian, Jr. into the world on April 18, 2020. The couple is over the moon in gratitude and joy. Peace and blessings to everyone and stay safe! Christian, wife Anastasia, and Christian, Jr.
2000 Jesse Cohen currently lives in Highlands Ranch, Colo., with his wife Charise and their adopted rescue dog. Jesse is a police officer with the Westminster Police Department where he is assigned to the patrol division. Jesse also runs
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the department’s arrest control training for officers and academy recruits. Jesse is also a black belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu and helps run The Kompound training center, as well as competes in tournaments all over the country. He rarely uses Facebook, but would love to hear from everyone on Instagram at his profile @cauli_ears_ja.
2001 Brooke Miller Schiewe lives in Lake Bluff, Ill., with her husband, Ryan, and their two children, George (3.5 years) and Anna Hug, who was born on April 15, 2020, at Lake Forest Northwestern Hospital. Brooke has been freelancing with a digital pharmaceutical advertising agency, helping in financial portfolio management.
2003 Charlie Waddell and Casey Kennedy Waddell ’08 announce the birth of their daughter, Piper Marlette Waddell, on May 10, 2020. Mom, Dad and big brother Clark are thrilled with the new addition to the family.
2007 David Klein and his wife Lindsay welcomed their third child, Carter Levi Klein, on May 13, 2019. Pictured are their older children, Caden and Charlotte, with Carter.
Chih-Hao Yang is a real estate broker in Illinois. The real estate market is one of the essential businesses that has stayed open during the COVID-19 pandemic. He has been extremely busy helping a lot of his clients look for rentals and sell or buy their new homes. Thanks to technology, most of the initial tours are now done virtually by photos, video, or through a 3D tour. Chih-Hao has been honored to reconnect and help a lot of his fellow LFA friends to
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Back to School In spring 2019, LFA introduced an entrepreneurship class to its History and Social Science Department curriculum. Taught by longtime faculty member Matt Vaughn, one of the key components of the course is interaction with alumni entrepreneurs. Since the class’ debut, Vaughn has invited a host of local alumni back to the classroom to speak to students about their businesses, including their successes, failures and best practices. Below is a list of alumni who have returned to LFA to share their knowledge with LFA students.
Former LFA arts faculty member Ryan Fowler, whose wife, Lauren Fowler, currently teaches in LFA’s Fine & Performing Arts Department, spoke to Matt’s class in February about his local art business.
Johnnie Johnson ’01, a real estate investor in Chicago, is a regular speaker in Vaughn’s entrepreneurship class. He was on campus on February 13. Here, he is pictured with History and Social Science Teachers Suzy and Matt Vaughn.
Matt Vaughn with Noah Cohen ’16, a senior at Brandeis University. Noah spoke to students on January 8 about his efforts with a pharma start-up in Boston.
Cecilia Lanyon ’06 spoke to students on February 25. Cecilia is the owner of The Gallery in Lake Forest as well as the Peanut Gallery, two businesses that combine her interests in art and food.
Henry Cowie ’08 spoke via Zoom with students during LFA’s distance-learning period about how he transitioned from working at a major corporation (Beam Suntory) to being on the ground floor of Bartesian, where is he head of commercial partnerships.
Jake Elperin ’04, president of Everest Transportation Systems in Evanston, with Matt Vaughn (left) and Associate Head of School, History and Social Science Teacher, and recipient of the Ned and Lynn Jessen Chair in the Humanities Bill Dolbee P’04, P’10 on January 22. Jake spoke to students about starting his own logistics company.
Mimi Moses ’13 with History and Social Science Teacher Chris Dozois ’84, P’17, P’21 and Matt Vaughn. Mimi is the founder of Notam Branding, LLC. She spoke with students on February 21, and returned to campus to serve as an alumni representative at the annual alumni-student networking night on March 4.
Charlie Waddell ’03 with Matt Vaughn on March 9. Charlie is founding partner at Faircourt Partners, LLC, and a regular speaker in the LFA entrepreneurship classroom.
During the distance-learning months at LFA, Head Basketball Coach Kyle Koncz arranged for current LFA boys basketball players to interact online with alumni players. In April 2020, Matey Juric ’18 and Dylan Ennis ’11 spoke to the boys about how their LFA experience prepared them for their next steps in playing basketball in college and in the professional leagues. Matey is a current sophomore at Drexel University; Dylan graduated from Villanova and earned a master’s degree from Oregon. He plays professional basketball in Europe for Basket Zaragoza. The alumni shared insight and advice about the recruiting process, their experiences as college athletes, and how they worked toward their goals. Also in April, alumnus Todd Zafirovski ’09 spoke to the boys about his experience on the LFA basketball team as well as playing for Duke University, where he was a member of the 2010 National Championship Team.
Dylan Ennis ’11
Todd Zafirovski ’09 Matey Juric ’18
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Class Notes look for their new homes. He is happy to provide his services to anyone looking in Chicago; his website is www. RealtorCHY.com.
2008 Brett Wall is currently heading into his fourth season as Head Coach and GM of the Hudson Havoc Jr., a hockey team in the USPHL. In his three seasons, Brett has been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work with six LFA graduates and have a few more as fans (fellow classmates and 2008 graduates David and Peter Johnson)! He continues to recruit from LFA due to the players who develop under Coach Darrin Madeley, and Coach Andrew Poska. He gives updates on six LFA graduates who have made him proud of their hard work and commitment as players, but also as leaders for LFA. Brett shares that he can confidently say that these young men will continue to act as outstanding alumni. He says, “Thank you guys for your hard work and belief in our program and me as a coach.” See class notes for the six young alumni submitted by Brett on page 38.
Max Wigfield ’18, Connor Hudziak ’19, Connor McMahan ’19, David Johnson ’08, Brett Wall ’08, Peter Johnson ’08, Caleb Dusek ’18, Chris Dusek ’17 pose together after a big Havoc win at Mariucci Arena.
2009 Bobby Coburn (right), Principal of Carmen Middle School of Science and Technology - South Campus in Milwaukee, , Wis., an alumnus of Teach For America, spoke to the LFA community on January 13 about income inequality in public education as part of this year’s Head of School Symposium on “Global Poverty and Inequality.” Here, he is pictured with classmate Todd Zafirovski and Matt Vaughn, who chaired this year’s symposium.
2010 Lieutenant Kevin Berto of the United State Coastal Guard earned a master’s of science in ocean engineering from Texas A&M University in May 2019. He authored a paper detailing findings from a Kevin at the Society of Naval Architects and collaborative research Marine Engineers OTC reception in Houston. effort on offshore wind loads that won “Best Paper” from the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers at the 2019 Offshore Technology Conference. Kevin resides in Washington, D.C., where he serves as a naval architect and marine safety engineer at the U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters.
2011 Rickey Larke spoke with students in Director of Theater Matt Boresi’s acting, directing, and writing classes at LFA on February 14, 2020. Rickey lives in Los Angeles, where he is a Showrunner’s
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2017
2019
Chris Dusek played three seasons from 2017 to 2020 with the Hudson Havoc. While in Hudson, Chris helped guide the Havoc to a National Championship appearance, a Regular Season and Playoff Division Title. As an individual, Chris left his mark on the USPHL record books as the all-time leader in points by a defenseman, and was named to back to back USPHL All Star teams in 2018-2019 and 2019-2020. He is leaving Hudson to play NCAA Division III Ice Hockey at Chatham University in the UCHC.
Charlie Skinner spent the 2019-2020 season playing for the Cornwall Colts Junior, a hockey club in the CCHL. Charlie made an instant impact on the club from day one. As a rookie in the league, his hard work and commitment to his development was realized by the team’s veterans and coaching staff. As Charlie continued to develop, he was approached with an opportunity to play a leadership role in his first season and announced Assistant Captain of the team at the midway point of the season. Charlie looks to play another year of junior hockey in his pursuit of an NCAA scholarship.
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2019
Caleb Dusek is currently the captain of the Hudson Havoc, from 2019 to the present. Ever since he has stepped foot in Hudson, he has been a force. He has gained a huge following in the community for his leadby-example style of play. He has become known as the guy to score a timely goal, make a big hit, block a shot, or dominate on special teams. Caleb is coming off a 50 (21G, 29A) point season and helped lead the Havoc to their first National Championship appearance as well as their first Regular Season and Playoff Division titles.
Connor Hudziak arrived in Hudson for the 2019-2020 season with expectations for him to display the same leadership he did during his time at LFA; he did not disappoint. He stepped in right away to contribute to a defensive core that had multiple veterans. Connor played a key role on the power play and played a tough shutdown role against other teams top lines and players. In his billet home, he was beloved for being the “best big brother” his billet siblings ever had. While on the ice, he had the crowd cheering all year while delivering his signature bone-shattering hip checks and huge shot blocks. He also helped the Havoc to their first National Championship appearance, a Regular Season and Playoff Division title.
2018 Max Wigfield has grown into a great leader during his time in Hudson, and he has masted his craft of preparation. He was named Assistant Captain of the Hudson Havoc for the 20192020 season and he excelled as a leader on and off the ice. On the ice, Max had a breakout season. He erupted for 23 goals during this past season, and earned a NCAA Division III commitment to Chatham University. Wigfield also helped the Havoc to their first National Championship appearance as well as their first Regular Season and Playoff Division titles. Off the ice, Max was in charge of organizing and planning Mite practices. He soon became known as the coach with a “funny smile” after losing his front teeth halfway through the season and is beloved by the youth players and parents.
2019 Connor McMahan had a great rookie year for the Havoc, and really stepped up in the playoffs. Connor came up big, making three points in four playoff games. He also played a key shut down role, making it difficult for other team’s top lines and players to become a threat offensively. This ultimately helped the Havoc to their first National Championship appearance and Playoff Division title. Connor was a great billet brother and has left a mark on the community of Hudson. He will continue his playing career at the University of Tampa Bay.
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Alumni Advisory Board Chopra ’15 Named to Alumni Advisory Board By Ruth Keyso, Director of Alumni Engagement Head of School José M. De Jesús P’22 welcomed Romaer Chopra ’15 of Chicago to the Alumni Advisory Board (AAB) during the Board’s May 2020 meeting. The AAB, composed of 32 LFA alumni and Ferry Hall alumnae, advises the Head of School on engagement of the school’s more than 6,000 alumni. Chopra earned his bachelor of business administration degree in 2019 from the University of Michigan. He was a teaching assistant in the University’s Ross School of Business. Chopra is an investment banking analyst at William Blair in Chicago. “My time at LFA was filled with so many unbelievable memories that helped shape me as a student and as a person,” said Chopra. “In many ways, the LFA community became like a family to me. The time I spent with the LFA community will be something I cherish for the rest of my life. From walking in as a freshman to having the privilege to be the All-School President my senior year, I’ll always be grateful for the opportunities and experiences LFA provided.” While at LFA, Chopra served as editor-in-chief of the student newspaper, the Spectator, and was chair of the Chicago Junior Chapter of the American India Foundation. “I look forward to working with the rest of the group (AAB) to help support the values and future goals of the LFA community,” Chopra said.
Members of the Academy’s Alumni Advisory Board (AAB) held their first virtual annual meeting on May 16 via Zoom. Chaired by member Leland Brewster ’07, this year’s gathering included conversation with Head of School José M. De Jesús P’22 and a team of deans (Chris Tennyson, Kristine Von Ogden, Tom Johnson) about the school’s response to the COVID-19 crisis and plans for moving forward in the months ahead; an update on the Inspire & Invest Initiative with VP of Advancement Rob Buckla; and an open Q&A session with José M. De Jesús P’22. The AAB members also enjoyed conversation with All-School President Anna Schilling ’20 and incoming All-School President Nick Alutto ’21. Breakout sessions explored upcoming events, finances and fundraising, and ways to stay connected and engaged with the Academy in the months ahead. For more information about the AAB, contact Director of Alumni Engagement Ruth Keyso at rkeyso@lfanet.org.
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Assistant on Black-ish S6 at Walt Disney Television/ ABC Studios. Rickey also spoke with members of the Black Student Union while on campus.
Paul Johnson recently accepted a position in Amazon’s Retail Undergraduate Program and will move to Seattle this summer. He is a recent graduate of Miami University of Ohio.
Beverly Onyekwuluje will be completing her M.D. degree at Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine this May. She will start her residency training in Family Medicine at Northwestern.
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2013 Alli Hostetler graduated in May 2020 with her juris doctorate from the University of Notre Dame Law School. She holds a bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, from Notre Dame in political science, with a minor in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern studies. Alli is fluent in Arabic.
Amelia “Mimi” Moses will start her master’s in journalism degree at Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism this fall. She will be studying Media Innovation and Content Strategy. She will continue to work and live in Chicago until next summer, when she does a quarter in San Francisco to work in Silicon Valley.
2015 Dejon Brissett was drafted second overall by the Toronto Argonauts in the 2020 Canadian Football League Draft. Dejon played football at the University of Richmond as an undergrad and as a graduate transfer at the University of Virginia.
Ricky Leme, men’s golf co-captain at Trinity College, was named to the 2020 Division III PING All-Region Team and received PING Division III All-America Honorable Mention honors by the Golf Coaches Association of America. The PING All-Region Team has 96 players represented across six regions, with Ricky one of 15 chosen in the Northeast. He is one of five NESCAC players represented on this year’s regional team. As reported by Trinity, Ricky opened the 2019-2020 season by winning the Trinity Invitational, before tying for third in the Williams Fall Invitational, 12th in the NESCAC Qualifier, 5th in the Saratoga National Invitational and first in the Ekwanok College Tournament in the fall 2019. He carded the program’s best weekend score of the season, shooting a 142 in two separate tournaments, and fired a 69 on day one at Saratoga for the lowest 18-hole score on the team this fall. Ricky is a junior at Trinity, where he is majoring in economics.
2018 Tori Glass, a sophomore at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, won a Tony Hawkins Award for excellence in radio drama for an audio project she made during her freshman year of college. Tori and her team created an adaptation of the novel “Beloved” by Toni Morrison. Tori is a film and TV major at NYU.
Tori (second from right) with her teammates.
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In Memoriam 1940 Jean Marshall Meyersahm, aged 96, passed away on December 15, 2019. Jean Marshall was loved and cherished by many people including her parents, James Fredrick Stewart Marshall and Knap May.
Samuel E. Parr, aged 98, died on November 6, 2019 at OSF St. Elizabeth Medical Center. Sam was born on September 2, 1921 in Ottawa to Dr. Samuel and Alice (Strawn) Parr. He was a U.S. Army Veteran of WWII serving the 2nd Armored Division. Sam received his bachelor’s in economics from University of the South, and was a real estate and insurance broker for 35 years. He married Ann Bishop on September 8, 1948 at the Christ Episcopal Church in Ottawa. Sam was a member of Congregational Church, Ottawa Kiwanis, Occidental Lodge #40 A.F. & A.M., Ottawa Elks Lodge #588, American Legion Post #33, Big Bend Duck Club and the Ottawa Boat Club. He also served on the YMCA board for many years. He is survived by his wife of 71 years, Ann; two children, Mary Jane (Theodore) and Samuel; three grandchildren; and four great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Lester Parr, and sister, Josephine Gedney.
1941 Anne “Nancy” Broeksmit Howe, aged 95, passed away with family at her side on November 27, 2019. She was born on April 25, 1924 in Chicago to Mary Stillman Broeksmit and John Shaw Broeksmit; she attended the Francis W. Parker School and Ferry Hall, graduating from Vassar College with a degree in mathematics. After college, Nancy taught in a one-room schoolhouse in West Virginia and learned to fly an airplane. After eleven years in Lake Forest and Winnetka, with connections to Lake Forest Academy and North Shore Country Day School, Nancy and her husband David Leavitt Howe moved in 1955 to North Carolina, raising nine children in a log home that is remembered by countless travelers, artists, friends and family. Nancy was predeceased by her sons, David and Fisher; her husband, David; her daughter-in-law, Dorothy Williams; and siblings, Laura ’45 and John.
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She is survived by her sister, Mary Weeks (Sinclair) ’44; her sister-in-law, Jane Broeksmit; children, John (Karen), Ben (Tricia), Tom (Mary Head), Steve (Meg Ryan), Sarah (Randy Best), Maria (David Lyons), Clarissa (Steinar Simonsen), and Jenn Browning; 21 grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.
1945 Anne Augustus Jones Johnson, aged 93, passed away on February 9, 2020 in Paris, Ill. She was born on October 16, 1926, in Paris, as the daughter of the late Henry A. and Laura (Skinner) Jones, Sr. She attended the Northampton School for Girls in Northampton, Mass. She was a graduate of Ferry Hall, Bennett Junior College, and also attended Parson’s School of Design in New York City. Anne was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church where she was a member of the Altar Society. She was previously a member of the former St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, serving as a past president of the Episcopal Women of the Diocese of Springfield. She was a devoted supporter and past chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Link Art of Paris. She was a talented artist working in oil painting and needlework and was a member of the Embroiderers Guild of America. She retired after many years as the owner and operator of the former Carriage House Gift Shop of Paris. She married Frederick Johnson, Jr., on August 31, 1951, in Paris. He preceded her in death March 15, 1995. She was also preceded in death by a brother, Henry A. “Hank” Jones, Jr. Survivors include four children, Henry M. (Angela), Laura, Mark, and Peter; five grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
1946 Susanne “Susie” Day, aged 91, died peacefully on October 27, 2019. She was born on September 5, 1928 as the daughter of the late Eugene G. and Esther (Whipple) Day. She entered Springfield High School in Springfield, Ill., and graduated from Ferry Hall. Susanne attended Pembroke College/Brown University and graduated with the class of 1950. She served as a junior counselor, president of the senior class, and was named the Top
Woman Athlete of the college at graduation. Susie had a long and distinguished career working as a sales executive for Trans World Airlines in New York City. In 1960, she started vacationing in Rhode Island and retired to her beloved home there in the 1980s. Her greatest joy was working in her yard. She will be sadly missed by her sister, Kitsie Day Denby. She also leaves her sister-in-law Jacquelyn Day and her dearest and best friend Lillian Shuff Knight and several nieces and nephews.
1947 Thorwald “Tom” Nils Trolle, aged 91, passed away on February 10, 2020. Tom was born on December 17, 1928 in Evanston, Ill., to Thorwald and Greta Trolle. He was a graduate of Lake Forest Academy. He received an international degree from the University of Stockholm, Sweden, in 1950; a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College in 1951; and his MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College in 1955. On January 11, 1952, he married the love of his life, Lorette “Lori” Keeler, in Vero Beach, Fla. Tom enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1951 as a private. He served in the non-commissioned ranks until promoted to Officer Candidate School where he became a class officer. After graduation, he was selected to serve on the OCS faculty until the end of the war in Korea. Tom worked for General Motors Overseas Operations from 1955-1968, where he served as CFO for GM Nordiska in Stockholm, Sweden, and then as Assistant Controller for the parent company in New York. He worked for Xerox Corporation from 19691987, eventually becoming corporate vice president with responsibilities for several corporate staff functions, including manufacturing, distribution, administration, service, real estate and systems. He retired from Xerox in 1986 and then practiced as a consultant in corporate real estate for a number of years. Tom served as chair of the Stamford Economic Development Corporation from 19831986; he also served as chair of the Housing Task Force for Fairfield 2000. He was the founder of the Distinguished Lecture Series for Seniors at Indian River State College in Vero Beach and was a founding board member in the early 90s at Sea Oaks Development in Vero Beach. Tom enjoyed tennis, golf, snow and water skiing, sailing, windsurfing, and kayaking. Tom is survived by his wife Lorette, as well
as his children, Mike (Stephanie), Peter (Jayme), Chris (Diann), and Kathy (Toby) Thomas; seven grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
1948 Dr. Henry “Duke” B. Ryan, aged 88, passed away peacefully on November 4, 2019. Duke Ryan served with distinction as a U.S. diplomat in Brazil, Norway and Australia. He earned his doctorate at Trinity College, Cambridge and was a Life Member of Clare Hall. The author of several books, he also wrote many plays that were performed in the United States and United Kingdom. He is survived by his wife, Patricia B. Ryan, son, William W. Ryan, daughter-in-law, Carla I. Ryan and his three granddaughters.
Senior U.S. District Judge John F. Grady, aged 90, died on December 2, 2019 in his Wilmette home. John was born in Chicago in 1929 to John F. Grady and Lucille F. Grady. His early education was in Chicago and Springfield; he spent his final two years of high school at Lake Forest Academy, graduating in 1948. In 1952 he received his bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He received his law degree from Northwestern University School of Law in 1954 and was associate editor of the Northwestern Law Review. John served as an assistant U.S. attorney in Chicago from 1956 to 1961 and was chief of the criminal division from 1960-1961. He then practiced law in Waukegan, Ill., for 15 years, 13 of them as a sole practitioner specializing in civil trial and appellate practice and also handled occasional criminal cases. In 1975, President Gerald Ford appointed John to the federal bench. He served for 39 years, including four as chief judge from 1986 to 1990, before moving to senior status in 2015. He earned a reputation for fairness and innovation while overseeing landmark corruption and antitrust cases. He was appointed by the chief justice of the United States to serve as chairman of the Judicial Conference Advisory Committee on the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. He was also appointed to the Judicial
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In Memoriam Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, a group of seven federal judges who meet periodically and coordinate the pretrial handling of similar cases filed in federal courts throughout the country. He was the first member of his court to permit jurors to take notes during trials and one of the first in the nation to allow jurors to orally question witnesses in civil trials. John was inducted into the LFA Hall of Fame in 1988. He is survived by wife Patsy; son John and his wife Jennifer; grandchildren Patrick and Lily; and brother Frank.
John P. Ferbend passed away on February 7, 2019. John was born on August 8, 1929 in Chicago. He served in the Army and married his beloved wife June in 1953. They raised their family in the Chicago area, while John spent his career at Allstate Insurance Company. John and June retired to Arizona in 1989. John was preceded in death by his wife of 53 years and his daughters, Jeanette and Jill. He is survived by his daughter, Joy (Don) and son, John; three grandchildren; and brother Bob Ferbend, Jr.
1949 Dean Clark Countryman died peacefully on October 4, 2019. Dean spent his four years of military service at Lackland Air Force base in San Antonio, in the psychological research and development department. He obtained his bachelor’s degree from Trinity University in San Antonio, and his MBA from Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. He spent his entire career as an investment banker and assisted public and private corporations in raising funds in the capital markets. He was employed by Northern Trust Bank, Muskegon Bank and Trust, and by First National Bank in 1968. The last ten years of his career were in Rockford, Ill., at Amcore Bank and Trust. Upon retirement, he and Judy divided their time between Springfield and San Antonio. He is survived by his wife, Judy; his five children, Craig (Beth), Rebecca (Allen), Dick, Bruce (Stephanie), and Paul (Marni); eight grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Dean is also survived by his sister, Denise (Robert) and brother, David (Diane) Countryman.
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1950 Lloyd Falk, aged 87, beloved husband for 57 years of Judy Falk, died peacefully. Lloyd was a founder of ECM Motor Co. with his father, Sidney Falk and brother-in-law, Richard Abrahams, and for 22 years was the owner and president of Fort Lock Corporation. Lloyd is survived by his daughters, Karen, Julie (Tom), and Nicki (Jim) Woldenberg; and nine grandchildren.
Ronald I. Meyers passed away on September 29, 2019. Ron was born on March 28, 1931, in Chicago to Irving Meyers and Mollie (Levinson) Meyers. He graduated from Lake Forest Academy and Northwestern University . Ron served in the U.S. Army from 1954-1956, where he had the opportunity to play baseball for the Army throughout Germany. On July 5, 1963, Ron married Lois Robin. They had one daughter, Carla. Ron spent most of his career as vice president of the Weiman Company, working in furniture manufacturing. Later, he ran their photographic division, Standard Photo Supply. Ron spent the last few years before retiring, working in commercial real estate, with Jamison Realty. In 1997, Ron and Lois retired to Scottsdale, Ariz. They spent many years enjoying the arts, new friends and warm weather. Ron enjoyed reading, movies and travel. He had a quick dry wit and was a loyal friend. Most of all, Ron fiercely loved his family. Ron was preceded in death by his father, mother and his loving wife, Lois. He is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Carla and David DeHetre; sister and brother-in-law, Elayne and Herbert Laufman; niece, Andrea Laufman; and nephew, James.
1951 Barbara “Bunny” Carney Heuer died on December 1, 2019. She was born in Chicago, Ill., on May 19, 1933 as the daughter of Bud and Louse Carney. She lived in the city of Chicago and later attended the North Shore Country Day School and Lake Forest Academy. She then moved to New York where she attended Bennett Junior College and Parsons School of Design. She loved living in Manhattan where she worked as an assistant editor at
Seventeen Magazine and met her future husband, Thomas Lawrence. Together they lived in NYC after the birth of their first daughter, later moving to Stamford, Conn., and then to Radnor, Penn., where their second daughter was born. After that they moved to Darien, Conn., where she made her permanent home for the next 45 years before retiring to Madison, Conn. Bunny was active in many community organizations and projects during her 45 years living in Darien. She attended the New York School of Design and worked as an interior designer and also managed a number of fashion boutiques. She continued studying at the Silvermine School of Art where she could practice her love of abstract painting and design. Her idea of a perfect day was to spend time at the beach with her friends followed by a quiet afternoon of reading. She loved to sail with her second husband David and to gather with friends for cocktails and dinner. She had a wicked sense of humor, and did not suffer fools gladly. Art, design, books, and jazz were just a few of her great loves, and she travelled extensively across the world; making her way to as many museums, cathedrals, and fabulous restaurants as possible along the way. She was an only child but counted her many dear friends throughout her life as members of her extended family. Bunny is survived by her daughters, Dana (James), Pamela, and Megan (Mark), as well as two granddaughters. She was predeceased by husbands Thomas Morgan Lawrence and David Alan Heuer.
James Robertson Driscoll passed away peacefully on November 9, 2019. Jim was born on January 14, 1933 and was raised in Winnetka, Ill., as the adoptive son of Robert and Jean Driscoll. After graduating from Lake Forest Academy in 1951, Jim attended Northwestern University as a journalism major. He began a long and successful career in the advertising business in Chicago before joining Warwick & Legler, Inc. in 1959. While at Warwick, Jim was promoted to Executive Vice President and led the development of international advertising campaigns to market the full portfolio of Seagram’s beverages. Following his retirement, Jim and his wife Cookie relocated to the greater Columbus, Ohio area in 1992. During their years in Ohio, Jim devoted himself
to serving the Lord through several outreach ministries which included a long-term international mission in Porto, Portugal. He was happiest with his wife Cookie by his side. He loved spending time with his six children and his seven grandchildren. Among his many passions were jazz music, photography, golf, skiing, bird watching, nature and the great outdoors. Jim knew how to make friends with people throughout his life. His joy for living and his infectious enthusiasm drew many people close to him. He would greet everyone with his bright smile and his imaginative sense of humor, and he often went out of his way to make others smile and laugh. Jim is predeceased by his elder sister Janet. He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Amata (Cookie), his six children, Debbie, James (Elizabeth), Robert (Tracey), and Debbi (Scott); seven grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
1953 John Crocker, aged 85, died on November 12, 2019. John graduated from the University of Virginia and retired from the US Army Reserve with a rank of Major. He operated the Crocker Insurance Agency for 20 years. He was preceded in death by his parents, Walter C. Crocker and Lucille Hanson Crocker, brothers Walter Crocker III and David M. Crocker. He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Janet, and his five children, Victoria (Donald), John, Peter, Jason, and Douglas; nine grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.
Ward Just, aged 84, passed away in December 2019 in Plymouth, Mass. He leaves behind a journalistic legacy that began in his early 20s when he was a reporter for his family’s newspaper, the Waukegan News-Sun, from 1957 to 1959. He was briefly a student at Lake Forest Academy before transferring to Cranbrook Boarding School in Michigan He then went on to start his reporting career in Waukegan. In an interview with NPR’s Scott Simon, Ward said his novel “An Unfinished Season” was somewhat autobiographical. It tells the story of a young copy boy working for a tabloid newspaper in 1950s suburban Chicago.
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In Memoriam A native of Michigan City, Ind., he had covered overseas conflicts for Newsweek before becoming one of the first hires by the Washington Post’s managing editor Ben Bradlee, who started his job in 1965. He wrote hundreds of stories on the Vietnam War and survived wounds sustained from a grenade thrown during an attack by the North Vietnamese. He returned to the United States in 1967, and covered the presidential election won by Richard Nixon. He later published a book that openly questioned the war, “To What End? Report from Vietnam.” Over the next 50 years, he was a prolific author of politically and socially conscious fiction. “Echo House” was a National Book Award finalist in 1997, and “An Unfinished Season” was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2005. His other novels included “The American Ambassador,” “A Dangerous Friend” and “Exiles in the Garden.” He was married three times, most recently to Catchpole. He had three children and six grandchildren.
1954 Harriet Durand Arpee Sherman passed away on April 6, 2020. Harriet was born on June 15, 1936 to Edward Arpee, Lake Forest historian and author and beloved Lake Forest Academy teacher and coach, and Katherine Van Wagenen Trowbridge Arpee. As the granddaughter of Calvin Durand, Harriet was a fourth generation Durand of Lake Forest. Harriet was a life-long resident of Lake Forest, having grown up with trees, ravines, four seasons, Lake Michigan, her favorite library, and the fountain of Market Square. She retold the family stories and enjoyed the trees of prior generations. Harriet went to Lake Forest Country Day School and then Ferry Hall as a member of the Class of 1954; she then attended two years of Smith College in Northampton, Mass., as part of the Class of 1958, eventually graduating from Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill., in 1959 with a bachelor’s degree in nursing.
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She later received her master’s degree in human relations from Webster College in 1975. She enjoyed working 10 years in the Labor and Delivery departments at Lake Forest Hospital and Evanston Hospital. Her favorite job was with the Chicago Maternity Center, the Stork Teams for home births throughout Chicago. She then worked night shift at Downey VA North Chicago Medical Center for 34 years in the PTSD Psychiatric Wards. She visited the commune, the Farm, in Summerton, Tenn., to continue her interest in obstetrics and mother-baby care after reading the works of Ina Mae Gaskin. Harriet enjoyed international culture. She was a lover of spiritual exploration, foods, colors, fabrics, art, music, and plants. She filled her home with international variety and stories. She was a happy, lively spirit who loved reading, movies, art and music. She had a youthful, playful energy and was beloved by young growing learning creatures and humans. She enjoyed her dogs and cats, and the wildlife in her ravine including real deer and her deer statues. Harriet was a proponent of natural landscapings. Ever receptive to the language behind words, Harriet had a talent for perceiving a situation beyond its appearances and identifying the agenda and habitual patterns of intention. As a new RN, her thinking was greatly influenced by a Dr. Albert Ellis Seminar. Harriet read voraciously from the Essenes to International War Strategies. Her hand-made bumper sticker on her car once said “my other car is a black hawk helicopter.” Ever generous, her kindness and encouragement was not lost on those in need. Harriet was not one to be contained by social ignorance. Her old family lineage and civil war history greatly influenced her. Her father taught her the importance of a woman being self-supporting. Her mother taught her the importance of education. Her other great childhood influences included family friend Lilace Reid Barnes of Glen Rowan; she was fairy Godmother to young Harriet. After nursing school, Harriet traveled to Israel to see Kibbutz because she believed people could live in communal harmony. She traveled to Iran, then to Kashmir, met the father of her children, married in Calcutta, returned to Lake Forest and eventually divorced. In her later years she traveled to Switzerland, the Amazon and Alaska.
“Harriet will never be gone in my mind. She will always be a good friend, someone I had known for 70 years. We had so much fun together. We played field hockey at Ferry Hall, sat together in classes and I often went home with her as we were both day students. She was always humorous but a source of consolation when I experienced sadness. We had written each other for years and fortunately, I still have some of those letters.” – Nancy Wells Ypma ’54
from Ferry Hall High School at Lake Forest and entered Washington University in St. Louis in 1959. She married David G. Curry on June 17, 1960 at Bethel Lutheran Church, St. Louis. They divorced in 1976. She is survived by her mother; one son, Todd; one daughter, Gillian (Richard Andrew); seven grandchildren; one sister, Cynthia (Jim); and one brother, the Rev. Martin.
“Harriet was an incredibly loyal and involved member of the LFA-FH alumni/ae community. She was most recently on campus for her 65th reunion in September 2019, at which time she and other members of the Ferry Hall Task Force were honored as Women of Distinction. Harriet was a longtime member of the Alumni Council, Ferry Hall Task Force, Ferry Hall Advisory Board and the Alumni Advisory Board (AAB). I will never forget her kindness and optimism and how she treated everyone as a friend. She will be sorely missed.” – Ruth Keyso
Allan L. Swartzberg, aged 77, died on January 15, 2020. Allan was born and raised in Chicago but fell in love with Santa Fe in 1965 while attending St. John’s College and decided to call Santa Fe home for the balance of his life. He quickly immersed himself in the Santa Fe community and gave generously of his time and resources to support local activities and causes over the years. Allan also remained active and supportive of his native Chicago community throughout his life. He had a deep passion for the arts, particularly photography, and curated an impressive and extensive collection of unique pieces over several decades. Allan, and his late wife Mary, who passed away in 2011, were instrumental in helping to found the Marion Art Center complex at the College of Santa Fe which later became the Santa Fe University of Art and Design. Allan was dedicated to supporting the Santa Fe chapter of Cocaine Anonymous. His generosity of spirit helped many and he was very proud of this work. Allan is survived by his son, Josh (Regina) and grandson Rafael. He is also survived by his sister, Lois (James); nephews, Danny (Amy) and Michael (Marcy). Allan’s first wife and Josh’s mother, Susan, still resides in Santa Fe. Allan was loved and supported by many friends.
Harriet was the essence of hoping that the best of people would win the day. She loved exploration, creativity and growing things. Harriet loved to sew by hand and has made many ponchos and comforters with great delight and color. She was content, and loved by family and many friends. She was one of a kind. Harriet is survived by her older brother Stephen Trowbridge Arpee ’52 (Janet) and his family, sons John and David, and three grandsons, and by her three children, Daniel, Julie, and Molly (Chris Abramian) and dear friend Matthew Mitola.
1958 Marilyn Ann Hauser Curry, aged 66, died on November 6, 2007. Marilyn was born on November 10, 1940 at the old St. Francis Hospital in Litchfield as the daughter of Linna Hauser and the late Martin Hauser. She was baptized and confirmed at Zion Lutheran Church, Litchfield and attended Litchfield elementary schools. She graduated
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1961 Gregory “Greg” Zehner, aged 76, passed away in September 2019. Greg graduated from the University of Chicago in 1965 and spent his career as an advertising executive in both Chicago and Indianapolis. He earned his MBA from Loyola University Chicago in 1967. Greg was an artist who also had a love of books, music and humor. He was the beloved husband for 45 years of Linda Zehner nee Bach; loving father of Terry (Janet), Keith (Veronica),
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In Memoriam and Gretchen (Adam); proud grandfather of seven grandchildren; dear brother of Charles (Kathy); brotherin-law of Daniel (Judy) and Paul (Laura); and uncle to his nieces and nephews.
1963 Michael M. Sargent, aged 74, passed away on April 8, 2020. Michael was pre-deceased by his parents, Minier ’24 and Henrietta Sargent and brother, Doug Sargent ’61. He is survived by his loving wife, Joyce Sargent; children, Michael A. “Andy” Sargent, Tammy P. Clement and Deanna P. Eatmon; grandchildren, James Brandon Holding, Taylor D. Farrell, Samuel Cody Eatmon and Sierra K. Clement; great-grandchildren, Chandler James Farrell and Papa’s lil buddy, James Liam Holding; sister, Mary (Sargent) Coles ’58 and many nieces and nephews. Michael was a loving husband, father, grandfather and papa. He worked at Variety Wholesalers for 25 years after serving his country in the Air Force for four years.
1965 William “Bill” Thomas Murphy, Jr., aged 72, passed away peacefully on January 26, 2020. Bill was born to the late William Thomas and Martha Otto Murphy. Bill attended Lake Forest Academy where he developed his love for springboard diving and graduated from Williston Academy in 1965. He was a graduate of Harvard College as a member of the Class of 1969. While at Harvard, he was considered by his coach to be one of the best divers the team had ever had. He received an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1972. Bill enjoyed a long and varied career in advertising, sales, and marketing, ending his career selling real estate in New Canaan. Bill was an all-around athlete who both loved and excelled at any sport he tried, whether it was in the pool, on the courts with a racquet in hand for paddle, tennis, or squash he was known for his enthusiasm and sportsmanship. His true passion was the game of golf. He was a formidable opponent, a supportive partner, and an astute coach. He loved everything about
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the game, the architecture, the history, the lore and the crazy colorful clothes! He was a loyal friend to many and devoted husband of Nancy E. Edmonds. He possessed an enthusiasm for life, a gentleness of spirit, and a deep love of family. In addition to his wife Nancy, he is survived by his children Alison, Lindsay (Justin), and William (Catharine); and three grandchildren. He is also survived by his former wife Cynthia Wilkinson. He was predeceased by his brother Peter Otto Murphy.
1967 Lloyd Geoffrey “Geoff” Young, aged 69, passed away on January 31, 2019. Geoff was born May 2, 1949 in Manhattan Beach, Calif., to Stanley Young and Bernice Shupe Young. After growing up in Japan, Kenya, Thailand and the Philippines, Geoff returned to the United States to attend college at Claremont McKenna College in California and then law school at Levin College of Law at the University of Florida. Geoff practiced law in St. Petersburg and Tampa for over 40 years, building a successful real estate and bank oriented practice. Geoff had a wide range of interests in life, all of which he pursued enthusiastically. Those included a lifelong love of the water, boating, and scuba diving. Geoff’s love of scuba diving in Mexico led him to cenote diving in the cave systems of the Yucatan peninsula. There, he befriended Guillermo “Memo” de Anda, a professor of underwater archeology. This friendship led Geoff to participate in and underwrite, with funds and equipment, explorative expeditions that led to valuable discoveries and preservation of ancient Mayan civilization. Friends will remember Geoff for his intense loyalty, his exuberance for life, his wit (often expressed through incisive cartoon drawings), his love of fine wine, and his appreciation of beauty, exemplified in his wife, Melisa, his constant partner in the water, on the tennis court, and at the drawing table, where together they designed their dream home on St. Pete Beach. With his passing, the world lost a vastly unique, generous, kind, and caring person. He will be missed beyond words. Geoff is survived by his loving wife, Melisa Ann French; daughter, Alisa (David) and stepson, David; his brother, Jordan (Bettie); and their three children; and his halfbrother, Wayne.
1968 Sydney Dee Martin, aged 69, died on September 30, 2019. She will be dearly missed by her family and friends.
1970 Kimberlee May Coon passed away on December 26, 2019. She was born on November 7, 1951 to Murphy and Marian May. Kimberlee attended school in Brownfield and later graduated from Ferry Hall. She finished her education at Texas Tech where she received her associate’s degree. Kimberlee married Paul Coon on March 9, 1974. She lived in Dallas for seven years before moving back to Brownfield. She was preceded in death by her parents, Murphy and Marian May. Kimberlee is survived by her husband, Paul; her sons, Monroe and Murphy (Dr. Amber); and two grandchildren.
1974 Jay Elliott Bell, aged 64, passed away on May 17, 2020. Elliot was born on July 28, 1955, the son of Mary Jane and James Marshall Bell. Elliott graduated from Lake Forest Academy, and the University of Illinois in Springfield with a bachelor’s degree in economics, which formed his love of investments. He married Velma McLaurin on July 4, 2018. Elliott was an avid sports fan, especially baseball and basketball. He enjoyed living in Chicago for a long time and had a seat on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. He was also a benefactor of the Mayo Clinic, donated the Bell Baseball Field in Rochester, owned several farms in the area, and was president of the Rochester State bank and made several contributions to the Rochester Community. He is preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by wife Velma McLaurin-Bell and extended family.
1975 Mark James Bonin, aged 63, died on January 16, 2020. His parents were the late Robert and Patricia Bonin. Mark was born on December 28, 1956. He attended Lake Forest Academy and graduated with a bachelor of
science degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1980, majoring in wildlife biology and management. He joined the U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer program that year and was assigned to Samoa, where he went on to continue his studies and undertook numerous professional placements and assignments in Samoa and the Pacific Region for the next 40 years. Mark was a climate change warrior and promoted environmental protection right up to the end. He loved this place, its culture and especially his family and particularly his children and grandchildren, brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews. He was a devoted friend and followed the NFL and NBA all his life and championed the Chicago Bears all the way.
Jonathan P. Harding died on April 11, 2019. Born on February 15, 1957, and raised in Long Grove, Ill., Jon was a graduate of Kenyon College and studied art history at the City University of New York. He previously worked at the Boston Athenaeum, publishing a book on its pre-20th Century collection of paintings and sculptures. He served as full-time curator at the Century Association from 1995, organizing and managing scores of exhibitions. He was also a member of the Board of Directors and Historian of the Artists’ Fellowship. Tactful, kind and considerate, with a strong desire to help others, his death leaves an aching hole in the lives of his siblings, Ford, Diana and Judy. He is also survived by four nieces, a nephew and many friends and colleagues.
1980 Stephen Muckerman Swift, aged 59, fondly known as Big Yea, passed away unexpectedly on December 5, 2019. Big Yea was born on November 29, 1960 in Chicago, Ill., to Hampden and Margaret (Muckerman) Swift. Stephen graduated from Lake Forest Country Day School, Lake Forest Academy and received his bachelor’s degree from Saint Leo University in Saint Leo, Fla., in 1985.
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In Memoriam Stephen had a passion to serve and protect others. He joined the Kiwanis Club in April 2004, which became his second family. Stephen embraced bimonthly Kiwanis meetings where his genuine desire and willingness to serve and protect others was a natural fit with their mission of serving youth. At their seasonal fundraisers, he was always wearing his characteristic, beaming and infectious smile, wholeheartedly sharing his contagious goodwill. Always patient and inclusive, willing to listen and offer his help, he was a hit with children, friends, new and old, and the elderly. Stephen began his day with his fitness routine at the Lake Forest Rec Center, often followed by morning services at St. Mary’s Church before going to work at the family owned business, John S. Swift Print Co. Stephen enjoyed dog walking, playing golf, biking, beach swims, movies, travelling and trips to Lake Forest Library. He was a lifelong Cubbies and Bears fan. As a voracious reader, he studied U.S. History and enjoyed mystery and geography. His library card was worn thin! Stephen’s loyalty to his family, friends and community was shown through so many helpful and sincere kindnesses. Stephen was preceded in death by his father, Hampden, his mother, Margaret, and his brother, Hampden, Jr. He is survived by family members Jessica, John S. Swift ’70 (Mary), Nina, Christy ’76 (Peter), Laura, Shepard ’80 (Patricia), Martha ’82, Bryan ’84 (Lindsey), Stewart ’85 (Dodie), Sheila ’87, Constance ’90 (Quinn Miklos); 23 nieces and nephews; and the family dogs, Star and Molly.
Former Faculty Member Former LFA football coach James G. “Coach” Fraser, aged 83, who worked at LFA in the early to mid 70’s, died Saturday, April 18, 2020. He was the beloved husband of Martha (Rinker) Fraser. Born May 29, 1936 in Philadelphia, he was a son of the late Thomas and Margaret (Gahalar) Fraser.
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Jim was a standout athlete at Germantown Academy where he received varsity letters in seven sports. A member of the GA Class of 1955, he was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in 2001. He continued to excel as a student athlete with the University of Wisconsin football team. After serving his country honorably with the US Army, Jim was drafted into the NFL and had a successful career with a number of NFL teams. Upon retirement, he continued to serve as a teacher and coach at a number of prep schools across the United States. Jim was also very active with Camp Tecumseh (New Hampshire) for many years. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his sons, John T. Fraser (Tammi) and Jeffrey P. Fraser; his stepchildren, James “Jimmy” Beck, Stephen W. Beck (Lisa), Douglas S. Beck (Jodi), and Jeffrey F. Beck (Anita); three grandchildren; seven step-grandchildren; one step-greatgranddaughter; and a sister, Margaret Lomax. He was preceded in death by a brother, John Fraser; and sister, Agnes Bantley.
Caxys helping Caxys
Because we care.
Join us with a gift today to the Hoesel Fund for Student Support. The Fund, established by LFA alumni in honor of the late Head of School Walter Hoesel, helps low-income students participate fully in the life of LFA.
Here are just a few ways that Asst. Head of School and Dean of Students and Academic Affairs Chris Tennyson has tapped the Hoesel Fund to help students in need:
Bridging the Digital Divide: WiFi When the Academy shifted to e-learning due to COVID-19, students’ homes became their classrooms. Some homes are not equipped with the necessary bandwidth for multiple students online. The Hoesel Fund helped buy high-speed WiFi access so no student fell behind in coursework.
Winter Clothes Sometimes low-income students arrive at the Academy with improper winter clothes to navigate the harsh Chicago winters. The Hoesel Fund provided boots, jackets, gloves and hats for the long winter months.
E-books Today’s learning is interactive and relies on digital resources. There are no low-priced used books when it comes to the digital world. The Hoesel Fund provided low-income students with access to required e-book subscriptions for their classes.
Help us help fellow Caxys today With lost jobs due to COVID-19 and the increased economic uncertainty we all experience, we anticipate the demand for Hoesel Funds to be greater than ever in the coming school year. Because we care, visit www.lfanet.org/give or kindly return the enclosed envelope, if you so choose.
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Lake Forest Academy 1500 West Kennedy Road • Lake Forest, Illinois 60045-1047
in this issue
Review
Trustee Retirements - pg. 5 COVID-19 Alumni Experts Weigh In - pg. 11 Congratulations, Class of 2020! - pg. 17 Ferry Tales - pg. 23 Alumni Class Notes - pg. 30
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NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID LAKE FOREST, IL PERMIT NO.100