Loomis Chaffee Magazine Winter 2017 by Loomis Chaffee

Winter 2017 VOLUME 79 |

NO. 1

Cutler Hall The north side of the newest campus dormitory, with Richmond Hall in the background and Sellers Hall to the right Photo: John Groo

Cutler Hall Cutler Hall opened this fall as the new campus home for 50 freshman and sophomore girls, their junior prefects, and four faculty families. Designed by Sam Olshin of Atkin, Olshin, Schade in Philadelphia, the dormitory echoes architectural themes of other, century-old Loomis Chaffee buildings and of Gwendolen Hall, which previously stood on the buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s site. On its south-facing side, Cutler Hall forms a student-friendly courtyard with two other underclassman dorms, Kravis Hall and Richmond Hall.

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Loomis Chaffee Magazine

Audacious! Phil Sanderson ’86 challenged himself to run four 100-mile trail races last summer as part of his quest for setting and striving for Big Hairy Audacious Goals.

A residential curriculum is taking shape as dormitories take an intentional approach to teaching life skills, from sleeping soundly to building healthy relationships.

German exchange student Evelyn Traeger Haas ’66 reunited with her Chaffee classmates at their 50th Reunion.

The school hosted a Naturalization Ceremony in November for 39 new citizens of the United States.

Learning Skills for Life

DEPARTMENTS 4 FROM THE HEAD 5 ISLAND NEWS 23 FACULTY & STAFF NEWS 25 PELICAN SPORTS 49 OBJECT LESSON 50 ALUMNI NEWS

57 OBITUARIES 64 REFLECTIONS

Loomis Chaffee WINTER 2017 Director of Strategic Communications & Marketing Lynn A. Petrillo ’86 Managing Editor Becky Purdy Design Director Patricia J. Cousins Class Notes Madison Neal Obituaries Christine Coyle Contributors Christine Coyle, senior Susanna Vdovenko, sophomore Minna Gao, freshman Dylan Koo, Timothy Struthers ’85, Manya Steinfeld, Carole Crane Finck ’66, Karen Parsons, Lisa Salinetti Ross, Erica Lee, Alexandra Muchura, and Fred J. Kuo

Submissions/Stories and News Alumni may contribute items of interest to: Loomis Chaffee Editors The Loomis Chaffee School 4 Batchelder Road Windsor CT 06095 860.687.6811 magazine@loomis.org

From Germany to Chaffee

Ceremony & Citizenship

WEB EXTRAS web+

Look for this notation throughout the magazine for links to online extras, from podcasts and videos to photo galleries and expanded news coverage.

ON THE COVER A pair of trail shoes belonging to ultramarathoner Phil Sanderson ’86 Photo: John Groo

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Visit Loomis Chaffee online at www.loomischaffee.org for the latest school news, sports scores, and galleries of recent photos. You also will find direct links to all of our social networking communities. For an online version of the magazine, go to www.loomischaffee.org/magazine.

Instagram.com/loomischaffee Printed at Lane Press Burlington, VT Printed on 70# Sterling Matte, an SFI Sheet, Sustainable Forestry Initiative

Winter 2017

From the Head

Teachable Moments By Sheila Culbert

hile our school theme this year focuses on wellness for both students and faculty, the unofficial theme throughout the fall term was the election. Characterized by personal rather than policy discussions, the proliferation of false news reports, and an unsettling lack of civility, the 2016 presidential election posed all sorts of issues for schools. In my opening convocation address to the students in September, I spoke about the need for civil discourse across the political spectrum, and I quoted Justice Abe Fortas from the 1969 Supreme Court decision Tinker v. DesMoines: “The classroom is peculiarly the ‘marketplace of ideas.’ The Nation’s future depends upon leaders trained through wide exposure to that robust exchange of ideas which discovers truth ‘out of a multitude of tongues.’” As a school, we remain committed to that multitude of tongues, to that sharing of perspectives. We took a number of measures leading into the election to engage our students. The Norton Family Center for the Common Good held a series of salons that focused on different issues, including foreign policy, the economy, and human rights. The history department offered two sections of a course on the election where students had the opportunity to explore various aspects of the different campaigns as well as policy issues, such as race relations, health care, immigration, gun control, taxes, climate change, the economy, and national 4

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security, as well as the electoral process. And we held a mock election on the weekend before the actual vote, where Hillary Clinton won 67 percent of the vote, although voter turnout by our students was low with only 40 percent of eligible voters casting a ballot. My colleagues Nat Follansbee, associate head for external relations, and Tim Struthers ’85, chief philanthropic officer and Asia expert, and I flew to South Korea on November 8. We were in the air by noon and did not receive news of Mr. Trump’s victory until we landed in Seoul some 14 hours later. It was fascinating to spend the next two weeks overseas and to see the reaction from so far away. Our hosts in South Korea expressed concern about Mr. Trump’s statements regarding paying for U.S. troops along the demilitarized zone with North Korea and about the impact of a Trump administration on Head of School Sheila Culbert with Hobbes and Zoe their currency and economy. In China, our hosts thought it unlikely that the United States would back away from globalization. As the week went on, we began to get questions from our Chinese parents asking if their children were still safe in America. They had noted the uptick in harassment and violence directed against immigrants and international students on a number of college campuses.

Photo: John Groo

“Characterized by personal rather than policy discussions, the proliferation of false news reports, and an unsettling lack of civility, the 2016 presidential election posed all sorts of issues for schools.”

While we were thousands of miles away, we were nonetheless keeping a close eye on the reaction at the school. There were strong feelings—both positive and negative—about the election, and some students TEACHABLE | continued 24

Island News

$12M Gift Boosts Financial Aid Endowment

oomis Chaffee received the largest single gift in the school’s history this fall in a $12 million bequest from the estate of Robert P. Hubbard ’47, all of which will be directed to financial aid. The first payment of $4.8 million towards the total bequest of $12 million was received in October 2016. “Bob’s deep and generous commitment to Loomis Chaffee, and to educating young people, is an enduring symbol of the man and what he valued,” remarks Head of School Sheila Culbert. “We are grateful for his past, present, and future support of Loomis students.” Bob, an educator and a longtime supporter of Loomis Chaffee, died on November 20, 2014, at his home in Walpole, New Hampshire. His bequest follows many years of support to the school’s Annual Fund as well as generous capital giving. With a gift of $5 million in 2001, Bob became the lead donor for what eventually became the Hubbard Music Center, whose 300-seat performance hall hosts a range of musical and other events on campus. And in 2004, with a gift of $1.5 million, he established the Robert P. Hubbard ’47 Instructorship in Theater and the Hubbard

Robert P. Hubbard ’47 Photo: Loomis Chaffee Archives

HUBBARD | continued next page Winter 2017

Island News

HUBBARD | continued from 5 Speakers Series, which continues to bring engaging and timely lecturers to enrich and enhance the learning experience for Loomis students each year. In 2004, in response to an update he had received regarding student responses to lectures funded through his speakers series, Bob wrote, “All of you give me confidence in the future. As usual and as always, Loomis Chaffee is still the alert, active, stimulating and provocative school that I do so well remember from my years there. I arrived in my sophomore year asleep and was awakened.” A lifelong proponent and supporter of the advancement of young people through education at Loomis and other institutions, Bob requested that his legacy be directed specifically toward student financial aid. The bequest will help to further endow a percentage of the school’s financial aid program, which awarded $9.8 million in need-based aid to 33 percent of the student body in 2016–17. “The Hubbard bequest comes in the midst of the school’s $100 million Centennial Campaign, which has now raised $31 million for financial aid,” shares Christopher K. Norton ’76, chairman of the Board of Trustees. “The commitment our parents and alumni like Bob have shown to financial aid ensures that a Loomis Chaffee education will remain accessible to students from diverse socio-economic backgrounds, a commitment the school’s Founders made when they chartered the school in 1874.”

Students and Teachers Embrace New Daily Schedule

he school this year adopted a new class schedule designed to reduce the frenzied pace of class days and make better use of class time for optimal learning. Among the changes, the new schedule lengthened class periods to 75 minutes (except on Wednesdays), reduced the number of consecutive classes in the daily schedule, and eliminated regular Saturday classroom instruction. Initial feedback from students and teachers has been largely positive. They say the longer periods allow time for more in-depth discussions, laboratories, and class work as well as a greater variety of learning activities in a class period. Students also report feeling less pressed for time during the day and during nightly study halls because their class day never has more than four periods total nor more than two classes in a row. Teachers have noted anecdotally that the less frenetic pace has led to more thoughtful and purposeful work from their students. Although classes do not meet on Saturdays — a change from the every-other-Saturday model in the previous schedule — the school holds special programming on two required Saturdays per term. These Saturdays, dubbed “Pelican Days,” provide avenues for learning beyond the classroom. The first Pelican Day on the Island on September 17 focused on community-building and individual growth, tailored to each class

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year. Freshmen forged bonds and took in panoramic views of Hartford and the Farmington Valley by hiking to the iconic Heublein Tower in nearby Talcott Mountain State Park. Sophomores explored this year’s school theme of “Mind Over Matter” through outdoor and nature activities, including art projects, canoeing, hiking, ropes course challenges, and other pursuits. Juniors learned stress reduction techniques, including meditation and yoga, under the direction of a visiting expert. Seniors visited colleges or worked with the College Guidance Office to prepare for the college application process, including standing-room-only sessions on visiting and interviewing at colleges and writing “fit statements” for applications. A second Pelican Day this fall coincided with Parents Weekend, and the first winter term Pelican Day will include a convocation and workshops related to the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. While the early signs suggest the new schedule has been a positive change, it will take longer to determine whether any tweaks are necessary. The school will continue to assess the new schedule and its effects over the course of the next several months.

Island News

Architect Sam Olshin, Sally and Sandy ’69 Cutler, junior prefect Elissa Perez, Dorm Head Mimi Donegan, Head of School Sheila Culbert, and Trustee Douglas Lyons ’82 pose next to Cutler Hall after the dedication ceremony. Photo: John Groo

New Dorm Cutler Hall Opens in the Heart of Campus

faculty salaries in 2006 and through their most recent gift for the construction of Cutler Hall.

n October 14, 2016, the Loomis Chaffee community formally dedicated Cutler Hall, the school’s newest dormitory. Located in the heart of campus, Cutler Hall was made possible with a lead gift from former Trustee Alexander “Sandy” Cutler ’69 and his wife, Sally. Joining Sandy and Sally at the ceremony were their son William Cutler ‘05 and his wife, Gillian, and their children — daughter Mari and twin boys William and Michael. “Sally and I are delighted to be able to make this gift in memory of three generations of Cutlers at Loomis Chaffee,” shared Sandy. “The boarding experience was such a fundamental part of our Loomis Chaffee experience, and we hope that Cutler Hall affords the same opportunity to future boarders.”

Cutler Hall’s capacity to house 50 students and four faculty families has enabled the school to reach its goal of 70 percent of its students living on campus.

At the dedication ceremony, Head of School Sheila Culbert thanked Sandy and Sally for their strong commitment to Loomis over the years and their generous support of students and faculty through the establishment of the William N. Eaton Scholarship Fund in 1996 and the Cutler Family Chair in support of

“The opening of Cutler Hall signifies a definitive step forward in our transition to a preeminent New England boarding school, a strategic shift that has been contemplated for four decades, but has only recently come to fruition under Sheila [Culbert]’s leadership,” remarked Chairman of the Board of Trustees Christopher Norton ’76.

the very special Loomis aesthetic,” Sheila noted in her remarks, “and his drawings quickly demonstrated that his design would create a building that would fit comfortably yet graciously within this lovely setting.” According to Elissa Perez, a junior prefect in Cutler, the new dormitory has quickly become more than just a building. “In four short weeks, Cutler Hall has become my family, made up of many faces and personalities and with high hopes for the year ahead.”

Sam Olshin of Atkin, Olshin, Schade in Philadelphia designed Cutler Hall. “Sam immediately understood Winter 2017

Island News

SCHOOL THEME 2016–17

Mind Over Matter

Rebecca Pacheco ’97: Attention and Intention

ward-winning yoga and meditation teacher, author, and wellness blogger Rebecca Pacheco ’97 spoke to an all-school audience in October addressing this year’s school theme, “Mind Over Matter.” While on campus, Rebecca also met with several classes, spoke at an evening talk on mindfulness, held a book-signing, and led a morning meditation session with faculty and staff members. She also worked with the III volleyball and girls cross country teams. English teacher Jeffrey Scanlon ’79, who taught Rebecca when she was a student at Loomis, introduced her to the convocation audience and shared some of Rebecca’s achievements in the years following her graduation. After earning a bachelor’s degree in English from University of Richmond, Rebecca went on to become a published author, entrepreneur, and expert in her field of yoga and meditation training. “Being here represents my past,” Rebecca said to students. “Today, I greet you from the future.” As an alumna speaking about “life after Loomis,” she said, “I know what you are in for, and I am here today to help you have a happier and more successful journey.” Though she works with many different groups of people, including Olympic swimmers, former Navy SEALS, and professional firefighters in her field of yoga and mindfulness, Rebecca

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said her goal remains the same: to help people gain a competitive edge in performance by teaching them to become “present” in the moment. Distractions of the mind, such as worrying about the future, revisiting past mistakes, being unable to focus on what is important, and being consumed with self-doubt, hamper our ability to perform at our best, she explained. “The greatest determinant of success is the quality of your attention,” Rebecca said. “Where will you choose to focus it? Where will you direct your energy, your intention, and your passion?” She told students that as they pursue their dreams, they will encounter challenges both good and bad, expected and unexpected, and at times they may be confounded, frustrated, or enraged — normal responses to certain situations, she assured students. “Your heart will break, and your heart will soar over and over,” she said and encouraged the audience not to let frustration and anger get in the way of staying strong and focused. Reflecting on her time at Loomis, Rebecca said she understood her value was determined by her contributions in the classrooms, her “hustle” in sports, and her character in the community. This, in her opinion, was the essence of what the Founders meant by “better and grander lives.”

Island News

Impressed with the creative and exciting work her former classmates and fellow alumni are doing in the world beyond the Island, Rebecca assured the students gathered for convocation that this will be their legacy as well. “We need people across all industries who are exceptional students of the moment,” she said. Defining mindfulness as “paying attention, on purpose, and without judgment,” Rebecca said the tools she shares for remaining in the moment have been “embraced by science and backed by data” to have measurable benefits, including increased cognitive function, better focus, improved learning ability, better memory, and decreased fear, anxiety, and depression. Breath is one of the most important and readily accessible mindfulness tools, Rebecca explained and led the audience through breathing exercises that they could employ in stressful situations or at times when they wished to focus. In closing, Rebecca encouraged students from all class years to “dream big,” and she reminded them to “remain present and enjoy every chapter of your incredible journey.” Rebecca’s visit was made possible by the Hubbard Speakers Series and the Dominic Failla Fund.

web+ To download a brief directed meditation exercise with Rebecca and to listen to a podcast recorded during her visit, go to www. loomischaffee.org/magazine.

Rebecca Pacheco on the Senior Path Photo: John Groo

Winter 2017

Island News

Freshman Service Day

n keeping with an Island tradition, members of the Class of 2020 engaged in Freshman Service Day on October 19 while sophomores and juniors took PSATs and seniors worked on their college applications. The service day helps freshmen to connect with the wider community, bond with classmates, and add context to the Freshman Seminar discussion of altruism, philanthropy, and service. The 116-member class, led by faculty advisors and eight senior leaders, spent the morning working on projects, including volunteering at the Connecticut Cat Connection, a â&#x20AC;&#x153;no-killâ&#x20AC;? shelter for cats in Windsor; maintaining trails near the Loomis cabin in Barkhamsted; raking leaves at Northwest Park in Windsor; harvesting produce at the school gardens on campus; assisting senior citizens with a craft activity at the Windsor Senior Center; helping young students at a book fair at the Oliver Ellsworth Elementary School in Windsor; and sorting and organizing books at the Windsor Library.

On a stunning autumn morning, students raked leaves at Northwest Park for Freshman Service Day. Photo: Eric LaForest

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Island News

Winter 2017

Island News

Illustration: “In the Salon of Madame Geoffrin in 1755,” oil on canvas, by Anicet Charles Gabriel Lemonnier

ments in advance, addressing any facet of the topic chosen for that discussion. A few students whose statements were selected kicked off the dialogues by reading their submissions. Foreign policy was the topic of the first Election Salon. Students discussed the Syrian conflict, immigration, ISIS, United States-Russia relations, and other issues.

Election Salons Provide Forum for Civil Discourse

uring the European Enlightenment of the 17th and 18th centuries, men and women gathered to engage — seriously and civilly — in intellectual discourse about big ideas. The gatherings became known as “salons.”

“The salon label was apt as the student dialogues delved into weighty subjects without the rancor that characterized much of the public discourse of the U.S. election season.” Salon was the name chosen this fall for a series of student discussions at Loomis about topics related to the presidential election, including economic policy, foreign policy, and rights. The salon label was apt as the student dialogues delved into weighty subjects without the rancor that characterized much of the

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public discourse of the U.S. election season. The Election Salons were organized by the Norton Family Center for the Common Good and the Presidential Election term course, taught by Alexander McCandless. Seventy to 80 students and faculty gathered in the Nee Room for each of the three salons, scheduled throughout the fall. “Discussions of this nature are more important than ever,” Eric LaForest, director of the Norton Center, said after the first salon. “We should not hide from uncomfortable ideas, but we should also provide students with opportunities to wrestle with complex issues while maintaining a basic level of decency and openmindedness.” As a way to start the conversation at each Election Salon, community members were invited to submit short prepared state-

The second Election Salon focused on economic policy. Strategies for stimulating economic growth, the effectiveness of trade deals, the value of the Trans Pacific Partnership, comparison of a free market economic system to a governmentmanaged system, and the proposed tax policies of the presidential candidates were among the topics discussed and debated. Rights was the broad subject of the third and final Election Salon. Dialogue touched on the right to free speech, women’s rights, human rights as they relate to immigration policy, and the right to bear arms along with concerns about gun violence in the country. An earnest conversation also unfolded about racial disparity that puts AfricanAmericans at greater risk of being incarcerated and being targets of violent policing. The group remained respectful of each other even when dissenting and unpopular opinions were expressed on charged issues. At the conclusion of the salon, Molly Pond, associate director of the Norton Center, encouraged individuals to seek out those who had expressed differing opinions and continue to engage with them in dialogue. “Listen to each other and really try to understand where the other is coming from,” she said.

Island News

Board Decides to Rename Mason Hall

fter careful deliberation, the Loomis Chaffee Board of Trustees decided this fall to change the name of Mason Hall, one of the school’s original buildings. The dormitory was named for John Mason, who was a prominent figure in the town of Windsor’s early history, but whose role in the Mystic Massacre of 1637 has come under scrutiny due to the brutality of the attack on a Native American village. A proposal to rename the building was brought to the Board of Trustees for consideration about 18 months ago, and the Trustees reached a consensus on the issue

this fall. “Today, many members of the Loomis community find the Mason name out of keeping with our values as a school and, in particular, with our desire to be a welcoming community for all students from all backgrounds,” Head of School Sheila Culbert and Chairman of the Board of Trustees Christopher Norton ’76 said in a letter to the school community announcing the board’s decision. Reaction to the decision was mixed. While many students, alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of the school applauded the board’s ac-

tion as an important affirmation of the school’s values, some grieved the loss of a dormitory moniker that held its own identity as a beloved home to generations of Loomis students. The school has not yet chosen a new name for the dorm, and Sheila invited students, alumni, and other community members to make suggestions.

web+ To suggest a new name for the dorm and to read the letter regarding the board’s decision, go to www.loomischaffee.org/magazine.

An entrance to Mason Hall Photo: Mary Coleman Forrester

Double, Double Toil and Trouble, Fire Burn and Caldron Bubble

ovelist Adriana Mather, a descendant of the pivotal Salem Witch Trials figure and Puritan minister Cotton Mather, visited campus in October to speak

with students about her historic family connection and the inspiration for her novel, How to Hang a Witch.

Ms. Mather’s visit was well-timed as the Salem Witch Trials were of particular interest among freshmen and theater-goers on campus this fall. Ms. Mather met with freshman

English students who were reading Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, a dramatized account of the Salem Witch Trials in the late 1600s. The Crucible also was the fall student production in the Norris Ely Orchard Theater, and Ms. Mather, a film actor with her own production company, Zombot, attended a NEO rehearsal to share her insights from the professional world of acting and film production. The Loomis Chaffee Bookstore also hosted a meet-the-author event and book-signing during her visit. How to Hang a Witch was released in July 2016, and Ms. Mather filmed a video trailer for the book on the Loomis campus. Her novel has been described as “Salem Witch Trials meets Mean Girls.”

web+ To see the book’s promotional trailer with scenes from the Loomis campus, go to www.loomischaffee. org/magazine. Sophomore Sylvia Mayo speaks with novelist Adriana Mather in the Bookstore. Photo: Mary Coleman Forrester Winter 2017

Island News

Deputy-Governor Danforth (senior Ben Kallus) confronts Abigail Williams (junior Sarah Gyurina) in the courtroom as her “stricken” friends look on.

In the Proctor home, Elizabeth (sophomore Kimmy Tufton) and John Proctor (senior Brendan Nelson) receive a visit from Giles Corey (senior Isaac Guzman) and the Reverend John Hale (senior Nate Blumenthal).

Tituba (senior Sydney Steward, also played by sophomore Marahyah Richardson) considers the consequences as a “bewitched” girl receives ministrations.

John Proctor and Deputy-Governor Danforth Elizabeth Proctor 14

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The Crucible

he Norris Ely Orchard Theater presented an intense and eerie rendering of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible as this fall’s student production. Twenty-six student cast members and 11 student technical crew members captivated audiences for five sold-out performances October 26–29. Set in Massachusetts during the late 1600s, Miller’s fictionalized story of the Salem Witch Trials, written in 1953, has been characterized as an allegory of the anti-communist “witch trials” of the 1950s, which victimized and condemned citizens feared to be “un-American.” Photos: Wayne Dombkowski

Abigail Williams (junior Sarah Gyurina) awaits a clandestine meeting in the forest.

Winter 2017

Island News

Norton Fellows Develop Community Projects

he first Norton Fellowship recipients designed and completed service learning projects back home last summer, and this year they are working to bring their projects to the Loomis Chaffee community. Introduced in January 2016, the Norton Fellows Program is an opportunity for rising juniors and seniors at Loomis to make connections in their local communities and put their service ideas into action. After launching the projects during the summer break, the fellows are tasked with adapting their initiatives to include the Loomis community, with help from the Norton Family Center for the Common Good, which runs the fellowship program, and other school offices. “Of all the benefits of the Norton Fellows’ summer work, the most exciting is the experience gained by these future leaders,” commented Eric LaForest, director of the Norton Center. “Having learned what it takes to design and implement projects at the grassroots level, the four Norton Fellows can now maximize the social good of their future endeavors.” Here are snapshots of the projects and plans to bring them to Loomis: Senior Emily Favreau planned and organized a field day and hands-on activities for patients at the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock (CHaD) in New Hampshire. A survivor of a traumatic fall as a child, Emily is a former patient and longtime hospital volunteer in the CHaD Ambassador program. The kids’ field day in July included favorites such as a water balloon toss and potato sack race. In addition to organizing the field day, Emily did arts and crafts activities with children confined to wards. Emily is making plans with Heather Henderson, director of Community Service at Loomis, to organize a similar effort with student volunteers at Hartford Hospital. Seniors and sisters Elizabeth Herman and Erika Herman combined their passions for music and nature in their project. They designed and built musical instruments from reclaimed materials to

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The Norton Fellows and Norton Family Center administrators gather on Rockefeller Quad: junior Anna Turner, senior Erika Herman, senior Emily Favreau, Norton Center Associate Director Molly Pond, senior Elizabeth Herman, and Norton Center Director Eric LaForest. Photo: Christine Coyle

“Having learned what it takes to design and implement projects at the grassroots level, the four Norton Fellows can now maximize the social good of their future endeavors.” — Eric LaForest, director of the Norton Family Center for the Common Good promote sustainability and enhance the beauty of public pathways at a nature conservancy in their hometown of Teaneck, New Jersey. With assistance from friends, neighbors, family, and a professional percussionist, Erika and Elizabeth created percussion instruments from copper pipes, blocks of wood, recycled bamboo, and other natural and reclaimed materials. The project culminated in a celebration welcoming the local community to enjoy the new “harmony garden” recreational space. Back on the Island, the sisters are teaming up with other students for Gaining Ground, an initiative to set up working gardens at elementary schools near Loomis. With support from the William and Alice Mortensen Foundation, Gaining

Ground is a collaborative effort of the Loomis Agriculture and Community Service programs. Junior Anna Turner developed a creative writing workshop for underserved students in Willimantic, Connecticut. After working with the Willimantic Public Library to identify interested families, Anna conducted the program in twoweek sessions in July and August at the library, meeting with a small group of students six times during each session. Participants ranged from second-graders to eighth-graders. Back at Loomis, Anna is working with Director of Writing Initiatives Sally Knight, to develop a creative writing enrichment outreach program for advanced students from elementary schools in the Windsor area.

Island News

Rachel Kort ’98 Joins Board of Trustees

he Board of Trustees welcomed Rachel D. Kort ’98 as its newest Trustee during its October meeting.

After graduating from Loomis Chaffee, Rachel went on to Dartmouth College, where she graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in economics. After working as an investment banking analyst at Salomon Smith Barney in New York, she earned her M.B.A. at Columbia Business School. From there, she headed to Goldman Sachs, where she worked in investment banking in the firm’s consumer and retail group. Rachel joined Hall Capital Partners in New York City in 2008, where she is now a managing director and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. In 2013 Institutional Investor named Rachel one of its Rising Stars of Hedge Funds.

brilliant!

 Senior Chloe Irving and her teammates from the swimming and diving team offered swim and safety lessons to 30 local children in Hedges Pool this fall. Chloe partnered with the principals at Oliver Ellsworth School and Poquonock School, both elementary schools in Windsor, to provide the lessons to children aged 4–8 years. Participants came to the pool in two half-hour shifts once a week. Each child was paired with a Loomis swimmer who taught him or her how to swim and shared water safety strategies.  The Debate Society competed in the Connecticut Debate Association’s December Tournament in Simsbury. The team came prepared to argue both the affirmative and negative sides of the event’s resolution that the United States should join the International Criminal Court. Sophomore Mark Valadez and freshman Maral Asik were undefeated in the novice division of the tournament, receiving an invitation to compete at the state championship tournament. In the advanced division, seniors Ben Ryu and senior Rikuo Miura went 2-1.  The student newspaper The Log has launched a web edition at www.thelclog.org. In existence since 1916, The Log continues to publish its print edition as well.  Four senior leaders of The Log traveled to Cambridge, Massachusetts, in October for a conference hosted by The Harvard Crimson, the college’s daily newspaper. Log Editorsin-Chief Jamie Lee and Gloria Yi, Director of Design Anh Nguyen, and Web Editor Lily Liu attended workshops on using graphics and data effectively, improving a paper’s web presence, and keeping a newsroom running smoothly, among other topics. The Log leaders also participated in discussion groups with students from schools across New England.  Senior Henry Winchester installed an energy-producing stationary bike in the Olin Fitness Center this fall. Henry purchased the SportArt bike with funds he received through a Gilchrist Environmental Fellowship at Loomis. The upright bike has a micro-inverter so that as one pedals the bike, he or she puts wattage into the grid. The bike indicates how many watts are being produced at a given pace and has a charging station so that the rider can generate the energy to charge a plugged-in phone.  Loomis field hockey players took time out from practice one day this fall to conduct a skills clinic on campus for members of the West Hartford Youth Field Hockey League. Girls in grades five through eight gathered on the field hockey turf with Pelican varsity and JV players for an afternoon of drills and games.

Rachel recently served on Loomis Chaffee’s Head’s Council and as a non-Trustee member of the school’s Investment Committee. She also serves on the Montefiore Medical Center Investment Committee and on the Montefiore Council.

 Advanced ceramics students this fall donated about 35 of their handmade bowls to the Empty Bowls Project, an international grassroots awareness and fundraising effort to fight hunger. This was the eighth year that students have “thrown,” decorated, and donated bowls for the local Empty Bowls Project fundraiser, held at Manchester Community College. Proceeds from the event help to feed some of the 128,000 people, including 50,000 children, served by Foodshare each year in Hartford and Tolland counties.

Rachel lives in New York City with her husband, David Pitluck, and their two children. Her brother, Eric Kort ’00, and sister, Naomi Kort ’02, followed her to the Island.

 Amid the bustle around campus in advance of winter break, students, faculty, and staff took time to connect with school neighbors in celebration of the holiday season. The Community Service Choir sang holiday tunes and songs from an earlier era for senior citizens at The Caring Connection day program in Windsor. Dorms, departments, and teams collected and donated gifts on the wish lists of 25 individuals suggested by the town’s Department of Social Services. Students in the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center Club collected toys and donations to ensure that children and families coping with illness would have toys to brighten their spirits. And the Loomis Health Center collected nonperishable food donations for the Windsor Food Bank.

web+ To find out more about these and other brilliant accomplishments at Loomis, go to www.loomischaffee.org/magazine.

Winter 2017

Island News

THOMPSONIA

Musicians and Artists Visit the Island to Inspire and Teach THOMPSONIA: The family trio of Suzy ’72 and Eric Thompson and their daughter Allegra Thompson ’06 conducted workshops with students and performed with their group Thompsonia during a visit to campus in November. The trio, based in Berkeley, California, shared their family blend of old-time, bluegrass, Americana, and folk music. Photo: Patricia Cousins CHARLES FIDLAR: Guest Musician Charles Fidlar ’57 worked with the Chamber Singers during his November visit. A professional vocal musician, conductor, and teacher, Charles led the Chamber Singers through a series of exercises and shared his professional expertise with the students. “Singing is the most important thing I do and that I have ever done,” Charles said, noting that the activity has positively influenced his physical and emotional well-being throughout his life. Photo: Patricia Cousins

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HESHIMA MOJA

CHARLES FIDLAR

HESHIMA MOJA: An international jazz and R&B artist, composer, and social justice educator, Heshima Moja presented workshops on Latin rhythms and techniques to music students in October. Mr. Moja and his band, Ofrecimiento, also presented a concert of Latin jazz in Hubbard Performance Hall. Mr. Moja’s visit, sponsored by the Music Department and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, coincided with National Hispanic Heritage Month. Photo: Christine Coyle

Island News

THE KRIS ALLEN QUARTET

KRIS ALLEN: Jazz recording artist, composer, teacher, and former Loomis Concert Band Director Kris Allen worked with music students and performed with his band, The Kris Allen Quartet, in December. Kris is the Lyell B. Clay Artist in Residence in Jazz and lecturer in music at Williams College, where he directs the Williams Jazz Ensemble and the Williams Jazz Repertory Ensemble. Photo: Christine Coyle The Guest Musicians Series was made possible with support from the Stookins Lecture Fund.

YOSHI TAMAKANE

JIM LEE

YOSHI TAMAKANE: A small crowd gathered in the print studio one afternoon in September to watch as Japanese artist Yoshi Tamekane demonstrated the art of Ukiyo-e woodblock printing, a style that was popular in Japan from the 17th through the 19th centuries and influenced artists around the world. Mr. Tamekane also gave students a hands-on opportunity with his tools. Ukiyo-e means “picture” in Japanese, and the style is perhaps best known in the famous work by Hokusai, “The Great Wave of Kanagawa.” Photo: Patricia Cousins JIM LEE: American woodcut printmaking artist Jim Lee spent several days working among art students in the Richmond Art Center in October. As he demonstrated some of his techniques, Mr. Lee spoke with students about the inspiration for his landscapes and other pieces. The artist’s work includes drawings, watercolors, and reduction and multiple wood block and linoleum prints, and his subjects have included the landscapes and cultures of New England, northern Maine, Nova Scotia, Atlantic Canada, and Ireland. Mr. Lee teaches at the Hartford Art School, and his work has appeared in book collections for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Portrait Gallery, the Wadsworth Athenaeum, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Guangdong Museum of Fine Art in China, and other museums. Photo: Patricia Cousins

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Island News

Retired faculty member Bert Thurber (fifth from left) and some of his devoted former students and colleagues gathered in Founders Chapel after his Founders Day talk. Photo: Christine Coyle

Founders Day Makes a Successful Comeback

lumni and their families joined students, parents, faculty, and staff for a revival of Founders Day on September 24. Previously held each fall, this year’s re-imagination of Founders Day offered activities for all, including academics, arts, athletics, and kids entertainment. The weekend festivities began with a Friday evening pep rally in the Meadows organized by Student Activities in advance of Saturday’s games. Saturday arrived with blue skies, sunshine, and a hint of fall in the air to create the perfect setting for a barbeque lunch on Grubbs Quadrangle. After lunch, retired history and politics teacher Bert Thurber addressed more than 85 attendees gathered in Founders Chapel for his lecture,

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Senior running back Carlos Garcia evades Andover opponents, and junior Amaiya Parker and other fans cheer on the football team. Photos: John Groo

“The Presidency and an Exceptional Election.” The one-hour lecture, which Bert said was “subtitled ‘Observations of an Old History Teacher,’” featured an analysis of the climate of the 2016 presidential election and a comparison to elections in the past. Founders Day continued with a full slate of sporting events. Dorm residents and day students proudly displayed spirit banners outside of the Olcott Center to rally the teams and fans. In the day’s big athletics

match-up, the varsity football team beat Phillips Andover Academy 20-10 on Pratt Field. Other Pelican teams, including boys and girls soccer, field hockey, and volleyball, put up valiant fights but lost to Andover. Founders Day guests also enjoyed an open rehearsal of the fall play, The Crucible, and an exhibit of photographs by Hank Paper titled “Cuba on the Brink: Arrested Development” in the Sue and Eugene Mercy Jr. Gallery of the Richmond

Art Center. Popular activities for families included an admissions information session, student-led campus tours, an inflatable obstacle course on Sellers Field, and free ice cream during the football game.

web+ To watch a video of Bert’s lecture and to view a gallery of photos from Founders Day, go to www. loomischaffee.org/magazine.

Island News

Student Award Named for Matthew Whitehead II ’57

new award was established last spring in honor of the late Matthew J. Whitehead II ’57, the first African-American student to graduate from Loomis Chaffee. The Whitehead Award recognizes students whose actions have been instrumental in creating and supporting an inclusive community at the school. The Climate and Inclusion Committee presented three students with the Whitehead Award last spring and plans to choose recipients annually. Creation of the Whitehead Award followed an assessment of inclusion and multiculturalism by the Board of Trustee’s taskforce on diversity at Loomis, says Elizabeth Parada, director of the school’s Office of Diversity & Inclusion. The award is an active and tangible way to establish and sustain a favorable climate of inclusion, she explains. Matthew Whitehead matriculated in 1953, the year before the Supreme Court landmark decision Brown v Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, established the unconstitutionality of segregated public schools. Matthew later became a member of the Loomis Board of Trustees

and spoke at Commencement in 1984, the year his son, Matthew J. Whitehead III, graduated. “One of the goals of this school is to teach the value of justice and compassion … not just achievement and success,” he said in his Commencement address. “I hope you will make powerful individual statements as people who care, and would make society a better place for us all.” Matthew died in 2002. “Matt Whitehead ’84 responded enthusiastically to me, saying that he was very pleased to hear that the school would name the award in honor of his father,” says Nathan Follansbee, associate head for external relations, who communicated with the family about the school’s initiative. “From my perspective,” Nat says, “the Whitehead Award aligns perfectly with the Founders’ vision to establish a school for students from diverse backgrounds and experiences. It truly represents the past, present, and future mission of Loomis Chaffee.” The inaugural recipients of the Whitehead Award, honored in May, were Bobby Cecere ’16 and thenjuniors Ifteda Ahmed-Syed and Sydney Steward.

“The Whitehead Award recognizes students whose actions have been instrumental in creating and supporting an inclusive community at the school.” Matthew Whitehead III ’84 shakes hands with his dad, Matthew Whitehead II ‘57, at the 1984 Commencement. Photo: Loomis Chaffee Archives

Misconduct Investigation Findings On January 10, Head of School Sheila Culbert and Chair of the Board of Trustees Christopher Norton ’76 released a letter summarizing the findings of the sexual misconduct investigation conducted by the law firm Cowdery & Murphy. In a May 2016 letter announcing the investigation, Sheila shared that there had been past incidents of misconduct

at the school and that “we have an obligation to find and address instances or allegations of sexual misconduct at Loomis that may have gone unreported to us or were never fully addressed.” In their summary letter in January, Sheila and Chris wrote, “[T]hank you to everyone who participated in this process and in particular

to those who came forward with information. We know that reporting incidents took great personal courage as well as a commitment to help make a difference for current and future generations of students. … We, along with the entire Board of Trustees and the school community, apologize unreservedly to those affected. We know that no action that we take today

will erase the deep pain caused, but we do hope that our commitment to confront all such behavior now and in the future may bring some healing.”

web+ To read the January 10 letter from Sheila and Chris, go to www. loomischaffee.org/magazine.

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Island News

Emerging Writers Share Their Summer Portfolios

English teacher Kate Saxton, Librarian Sarah Zimmerman ’97, senior Ifteda Ahmed-Syed, senior Sydney Steward, junior Ngoc “Bea” Tran, Director of Writing Initiatives Sally Knight, and sophomore Liam Scott enjoy the opening of the Emerging Writers exhibit. Photo: Patricia Cousins

“ They are embracing in what appears to be an impromptu moment of affection but is what I discover to be, after having stepped into the frame, for a photograph. The photographer stands resolutely between a set of ornate arches, his camera bag slung across his body, revealing a new sweat stain on the shirt beneath it with each shift. He eagerly leads the couple throughout the tunnel, capturing moments of contrived tenderness.” — From the passage “Untitled” by junior Anna Turner, Emerging Writer

ifteen students shared excerpts from their summer writing portfolios in the Emerging Writers exhibit this fall in the Richmond Art Center. A collaboration of several campus organizations, the Emerging Writers program last spring invited students

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with an interest in or aptitude for creative writing to submit proposals for a summer portfolio. The students were given the freedom to express themselves through their writing and to connect with each other during the summer for support and feedback.

web+ To read more selections from the Emerging Writers’ work, go to www.loomischaffee.org/magazine.

Faculty & Staff News

 Retired chemistry teacher Alice Baxter has created a website that presents the periodic table in a fun and engaging format featuring the voice talent of Music Department Head Susan Chrzanowski and former Headmaster John Ratté. “Each element is represented by a poem or song, based on a nursery rhyme or popular song, along with a colorful illustration,” Alice explains. “The rhymes contain accurate information about the elements and lesson plans that teachers can use to encourage students to learn more about the elements.” Sue, a vocal teacher and performer who directs the Concert Choir and Chamber Singers at Loomis, sings the accompanying songs. John, whose talent for storytelling and oration is known to generations of Loomis students and faculty, delivers the poems. Alice says the idea for the website was inspired by “The Element Project,” an assignment that she and her fellow Loomis science teachers used during winter term testing. “I came up with the idea of writing poems and songs for the elements based on nursery rhymes and common songs because these would be familiar to students and the public at large,” she adds. “It also offered a chance to inject some humor into the topic of chemistry. My goal was to offer a new resource for chemistry teachers to generate more interest in the periodic table among their students. And perhaps to reach some adults who are curious about chemistry and wish to learn a bit more science.” Feedback on the website has been positive, she says, and as she works to complete the interactive periodic table, she looks forward to continued collaboration with Sue, John, and Loomis Information Technology Department members Daniel Corjulo and Andris Briga. Visit ChemistryRhymes.com to see and hear for yourself.

Susan Cabot, Director of Athletics Photo: John Groo

 English teacher Jeffrey Scanlon ’79 was selected for an Outstanding Educator Award from the University of Chicago in October. Based on nominations from firstyear students at the university, the award honors teachers “who have demonstrated exceptional dedication to the education and personal development of their students.”  Head of the Science Department Elizabeth Conger was a featured speaker at a conference this fall titled “Citizen Science: Beyond the Backyard,” sponsored by EarthWatch Institute. Betsy and Marley Aloe Matlack, associate director of Loomis’s Alvord Center for Global & Environmental Studies, spoke about service learning in science for high school students. They highlighted work that Loomis students and faculty have done with EarthWatch through Alvord Center International Education Programs at the Arctic Circle in 2014 and at Joshua Tree National Park in 2016. They also discussed plans for future student travel programs and a formal partnership between Loomis and EarthWatch that will give students and faculty access to the institute’s data from environmental research sites around the world. The conference took place at the Roaring Brook Nature Center in Canton, Connecticut.

 Susan Cabot joined the Loomis Chaffee faculty this fall as director of athletics. An experienced athletics administrator, Sue worked for 27 years at the Peddie School in Hightstown, New Jersey, first as an athletic trainer and then as athletic director. After Peddie, Sue was athletic director at Kingswood-Oxford School in West Hartford, Connecticut, and at the Madeira School in McLean, Virginia. She earned a bachelor’s degree in health science, health education, and athletic training from Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania and a master’s degree in education from The College of New Jersey. Sue has served in leadership positions with the Mid-Atlantic Prep League, the Mercer County Tournament Organization, and the New Jersey Independent Schools Athletic Association. At Peddie, the Susan K. Cabot Spirit of the Game Award is named in her honor and given annually to a student who models Sue’s commitment to loyalty and fair play. “I was well aware of Loomis’s strong athletic program, and I’ve always respected and appreciated the dedication of the school’s coaches,” Sue says. “So I couldn’t pass on the opportunity to throw my hat in the ring for this role when it became available.” The school launched a search for a new athletic director last year when Bob Howe ’80 announced his departure for a position at another school.

 Two alumni were among the new faculty members welcomed to the Island this fall. Timothy Helfrich ’96 is teaching English, working in the Admission Office, coaching boys varsity soccer, and living in Carter Hall with his wife, Beth, and their four children, Zoe, Cora, Miles, and Levi. Tim brings experience as a recording musician, as an entrepreneur, and as a faculty member, coach, and athletic director at the Woodlawn School in North Carolina. Tim earned a bachelor’s degree from Davidson College, where he played varsity soccer, as he did at Loomis. “One of the greatest pleasures in returning to the Island has been reconnecting with many people who were important players in my experience here,” Tim says. Ahmad Cantrell ’07 is an assistant director of admission and a dorm affiliate in Batchelder Hall. Ahmad previously taught third grade at Achievement First Elementary School in Bloomfield, Connecticut, and served as a case manager for Community Residence Inc., which provides community-based support services. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Fairfield University and worked in the insurance industry before beginning his career in education. While a student at Loomis, Ahmad served as a resident assistant, was an active member of PRISM, and was a member of the varsity football, basketball, and track teams. “It’s an honor to be back on the Island and working for the institution that helped me accomplish so many of my goals,” Ahmad says.  Other new faculty include economics teacher and Penn Fellow Matthew DeNunzio; French teacher Sara Deveaux; math teachers Ben Fischer, Hudson Harper, Sam Higgins, and Hannah Saris; science teachers Clare Parker Fischer and Erica Gerace; Spanish teachers Martha Ince and Lillian Corman; English teacher Dan Reed; Associate Direccontinued next page Winter 2017

Faculty & Staff News

tor of the Annual Fund for Reunion Giving Sarah Raicik; Director of Learning Support Lena Sadowitz; Communications writer and head field hockey coach Manya Steinfeld; Director of Stewardship Chelsea Stuart; Associate Director of College Guidance Jed Stuart; Associate Director of Admissions Julie Wadland; history teacher Huewayne Watson; Director of the Health Center Kendra Wiesel; and history teacher and Penn Fellow Lauren Williams.  Faculty member Stanford Forrester, a haiku poet, gave a poetry reading in November as part of the WordForge Reading Series at the Studio @ Billings Forge in Hartford, Connecticut. The group reading featured Stan and two other haiku poets. Stan’s work has been published in a number of anthologies, and he is the editor of the periodical bottle rockets: a collection of short verse.  Head of School Sheila Culbert, Associate Head for External Relations Nathan Follansbee, and Chief Philanthropic Officer Timothy Struthers ’85 traveled to Asia in November to meet with alumni, parents, and prospective new students and their families. The trio visited South Korea, China, and Thailand, holding admission receptions and alumni/parent dinners in Seoul, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and Bangkok.  Faculty members Jaci and Marc Cardwell, John Mullin, Chelsea and Jed Stuart, and Cara Woods recently welcomed babies to their families. Adam Christopher Tamanaco Cardwell was born on May 17. Izabela Sujeta and John welcomed son Ryder Grayson Mullin on July 8. Chelsea and Jed and big sister Louisa welcomed William Theodore Stuart on August 13. And Molly Katherine Woods was born on September 12, joining mom Cara, dad Brandon, and big sisters Annie and Charlotte.

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TEACHABLE | continued from 4

organized a demonstration. While we are happy to encourage conversation and discussion—and even demonstrations—we have zero tolerance for harassment or bullying of any sort, and I reassured parents that their children were both welcome and safe at Loomis. As a school we are not political—we cannot be political. And here I am distinguishing the school as an institution from any one individual. As individuals, students and faculty are entitled to be partisan, to have their own political viewpoints. Educational institutions, however, should not be political or partisan. This is true, I think, of any educational institution, but for Loomis we have the added weight of our Founders’ directive that we have no political or religious test for either student admission or faculty employment. We have both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton supporters in our community, and this division reflects legitimate differences of opinion on a range of policy issues. In our country’s system, one party is no more or less legitimate than the other. The idea of the loyal opposition is a key aspect of American democracy. While I have told students that as a school we will not be political, I have also reminded them of the values that define us: These include inclusiveness, respect for others and for different opinions. Smart people know there are multiple sides to any issue. Our values also include a commitment to the truth, to integrity, and to civil discourse. These values, by the way, transcend politics or political parties. Neither political party has a corner on values or patriotism or the American flag. This election was also characterized by the phenomenon of fake news. While fake news has always been with us, it now has much greater influence because of social media. This is, of course, something that concerns any educator. I have encouraged students to bring their critical thinking skills to their reading, to be skeptical, to check their sources, to think through their arguments. I want our students to remain engaged and present in the political arena, to remember Thomas Jefferson words, “Eternal vigilance is the price we pay for liberty.” They should

“While fake news has always been with us, it now has much greater influence because of social media. This is, of course, something that concerns any educator. I have encouraged students to bring their critical thinking skills to their reading, to be skeptical, to check their sources, to think through their arguments.” stand up for what they believe and have the courage of their convictions. I have also reminded students that ours is a community where we are kind to one another, where we take responsibility for one another. I encouraged them to listen to one another, to reach out, to look for common ground, and to make friends across the political divide. People are complicated and there are many aspects to identities. Finding common ground requires patience and the ability to listen. Likewise, I have encouraged our faculty to do what they do best, which is to teach our students to be thoughtful and careful scholars and discerning consumers of information. In this age of information overload it is more important than ever that our students bring a healthy skepticism and good reading habits to both the reading that they do for class and for their general information. Without a doubt the election of 2016 has provided teachers at Loomis with multiple teachable moments, and I suspect that these will keep on coming. As much as we might think of ourselves as an Island, we are of the world, and it is important that our students engage in that world and that we give them the skills to do so thoughtfully and productively. 

Pelican Sports

CHAMPS! The girls soccer team celebrates winning the New England Class A Tournament Championship. The Pelicans beat Worcester Academy 3-1 in the tournament finals after toppling Buckingham, Brown & Nichols and Choate in the quarterfinals and semifinals. Photo: Glenn Frankel

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GIRLS SOCCER 17-1-2 Pelican Sports

New England Class A Champion Pictured: The Pelicans with their championship trophy and T-shirts Photo: Glenn Frankel

FOOTBALL 5-5 Pictured: Seniors Andre Brackett and Will Bellamy Photos: Tom Honan

Junior Jordan Chen

BOYS WATER POLO 16-5 New England Liquid Four Semifinalist Pictured: Senior tri-captain Connor Farrell

Sophomore Michael Suski

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BOYS SOCCER 14-5-1 New England Class A Quarterfinalist Pictured: Junior Tomรกs Munoz Reyes

Pelican Sports

BOYS CROSS COUNTRY 6-0 Founders Team Champion Division I New Englands, 3rd place Pictured: Sophomore Mark Valadez, senior captain John Cox, junior Jacob Shichman, and junior Rick Jatti

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY 5-1 Founders Team Champion Division I New Englands, 6th place Pictured: Senior captain Sophie Elgamal

FIELD HOCKEY 5-11-1 Pictured: Freshman Jenna Donohue

EQUESTRIAN Among top 4 teams at all fall shows Pictured: Senior Sarah Mendelsohn

VOLLEYBALL 12-7 New England Class A Quarterfinalist Pictured: Sophomore Maya Guyton Winter 2017

loomischaffee.org

PHIL SANDERSON ’86

believes in setting goals. Big goals. Like running 100 miles. At altitude. On mountainous trails. Four times in 11 weeks.

Never one to shy away from personal challenges, Phil set a goal last year that was downright …

That’s what he did last summer, the trail racing combination known as the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning: the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run in California, the Vermont 100 Endurance Run, the Leadville Trail 100 Run in Colorado, and the Wasatch Front 100 Mile Endurance Run in Utah. Phil was one of 19 people who completed the Grand Slam in 2016 and one of just 299 to accomplish this feat since the series became official 30 years ago.

AUDACIOUS! BY BECKY PURDY

“I have always liked big challenges,” says Phil from the San Francisco office of IDG Ventures, a boutique venture capital firm where he is a managing director. “I really believe we can set big goals without disrupting our normal, everyday lives and can achieve personal realizations and growth.”

Phil refers to these major personal challenges as “Big Hairy Audacious Goals,” or BHAGs. In 2016, he set three BHAGs as part of a broader focus on meditation and mindfulness. Each challenge pushed his limits physically and mentally in an effort to gain greater awareness and appreciation. For one of the challenges, he deprived himself of a basic need, food. He fasted for seven days, taking in just 600 calories a day in liquid nutrition. Fasting “put my life in perspective and allowed me to appreciate simple things that I take for granted,” he says.

Phil descends a section of trail during the Western States Endurance Run in June 2016. Photos: Facchino Photography

For another challenge, he deprived himself of a sensory norm, speaking. For a week, he refrained from speaking to others or even to himself. He communicated only through written or typed words or facial expressions and hand gestures. The “voice fast” helped him to appreciate spoken communication, a given in most of our everyday lives. Phil says Winter 2017

that staying silent also heightened his other senses, enhanced his listening skills, reduced his stress level through the relative quiet, and improved his sleep. The longest and arguably the most difficult challenge was the Grand Slam, which tested the limits of his physical endurance and personal resolve. His total time was 109 hours, 47 minutes, and 11 seconds. That’s more than four and a half days of running, day and night.

PATH TO THE TRAILS On the shelves and walls of Phil’s office, awards and souvenirs from his decades of trail racing adventures intermingle with photographs of his wife, Robin, and their four children and mementoes from some of the entrepreneurs and emerging companies in which he and his firm have invested. Out the windows stretch the green expanses of the Presidio, a park-like campus of offices and open spaces within the city limits of San Francisco overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. Phil logs his weekday miles in the Presidio or on one of the trails in the Marin Headlands, Muir Woods, or Mount Tamalpais State Park, all along his commute home to Mill Valley, located about 10 miles north of San Francisco across the Golden Gate. He runs for an hour six days a week, and on Saturday or Sunday, he sets off on trails near home for a weekly four-hour run, accompanied by a friend or a good audio book on his iPhone. He has followed this training regimen for years, along with core strength work, stretching, and regular injury-preventing massages. Phil started running when he was a freshman at Loomis, a day student from Coventry, Connecticut. Freshmen were not allowed to play varsity soccer, and one of Phil’s best friends, Pat Hayden ’86, ran cross country, so Phil joined the team. Sally Zimmer, now Sally Knight, was the head coach then, as she is today. “It was a great team,” he says. “I had the most fun in my running career in the practices at Loomis. Great personalities,” including John Eustis ’84, Kermit Adams ’85, and others, he recalls. The team was good, too, he says, opening his training journal from 1985, when he was a senior and captain of the cross country team. In the back, he consults a handwritten log of his races. The cross country team placed fourth in the cross country New England Championship 30

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Meet that year, and he finished seventh overall. “Not too bad,” he says with a shrug. After graduating from Loomis, Phil continued to run cross country and track at Hamilton College. He won the New England Small College Athletic Conference individual championship in cross country his senior year and set several track records, one of which, the indoor 5,000 meters (14:18), stood for many years after he graduated. One of his teammates at Hamilton was Andrew Bartlett, who went on to coach cross country at Loomis alongside Sally, and still does. After graduating from Hamilton in 1990, Phil ran for Nike’s West Coast team in Los Angeles for a few years before moving to San Francisco. While many lifelong and novice runners test their competitive mettle in road races and challenge themselves to complete marathons, Phil skipped over road racing and the marathon distance almost entirely (although he did run the Maine Coast Marathon when he was in high school with Sally and some teammates). “When I moved to San Francisco in ’93 all my friends were doing ultras, so I tried the American River 50-Miler,” Phil says. He was hooked.

PHIL SANDERSON ’86 HOME: Mill Valley, California WORK: Managing Director, IDG Ventures, a San Francisco-based independent boutique venture capital firm. Phil’s particular focus is on video game, music, and software startups. FAMILY: Phil’s wife, Robin Shank Sanderson, is a nurse practitioner and a former medical researcher. They have four children, Bryce, 11; Sage, 13; Pierce, 15; and Logan, 16. EDUCATION: Loomis Chaffee 1986, Hamilton College 1990, Harvard Business School 1997

Ultramarathons are defined as races longer than 26.2 miles and are primarily contested on trails. Since that first 50-miler in 1993, Phil has completed 47 ultras, ranging in length from 50 kilometers (31 miles) to 100 miles. He hadn’t considered taking on the challenge of the Grand Slam, however, until a couple of years ago. “I feel my tolerance for Big Hairy Audacious Goals has gone up over time,” he says, and in 2014 he was running race times similar to those he’d achieved when he was in his 20s. He averaged 7:10-per-mile pace for a 50K trail race in early 2014, and later that year he placed 12th overall in the American River 50-Miler. So he decided to challenge himself to the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning. He tore a hamstring in the summer of 2014, and to give the injury time to heal, he had to take more than a year off from running. In late 2015, with his hamstring finally improving, he applied for a sponsor entry for the 2016 Western States 100, the first race in the Grand Slam. Entries to Western States are limited to 369, the number allowed to pass through the Granite Chief Wilderness section of the course, and are distributed primarily by lottery each December for the race the following June. “Automatic”

Phil fords the American River at mile 78 of the Western States Endurance Run. His wife, Robin, who was his pacer during that portion of the race, can be seen just behind him.

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entries are reserved for some runners, such as the top 10 male and female finishers from the previous year, top finishers in several “golden ticket” qualifying races, a small number of race volunteers from previous years, and representatives of race sponsors. Phil is a sponsor of the race through SanFranciscoVC, his blog. The rest of the entries are drawn in the lottery. From thousands of applicants, about 6 percent of lottery hopefuls receive entries. (Unlike Megabucks, the Western States lottery is set up to improve the odds for applicants who have entered previously but failed to gain selection.) In December 2015, Phil received his sponsor entry into the 2016 Western States. With nearly seven months until the race, he believed he had plenty of time to let his hamstring finish healing and get back in top shape. Taking what turned out to be more than a year off from running offered its own mental and physical challenges for Phil. “It killed me,” he says. He stayed in shape by training on an elliptical machine and by swimming. But he missed running, which had been his daily touchstone for decades. And he battled the monotony of swimming laps and using the elliptical, rather than enjoying his favorite running trails. So that he could at least listen to audiobooks in the pool, he purchased a waterproof iPod nano and earbuds designed specifically for lap swimmers. In February 2016 he was able to return to running, but within six weeks he had aggravated the injury running on hilly trails. As the race date approached, he had to decide whether to attempt the race or forfeit his spot and try for another year. Entrants cannot defer. So if Phil was going to attempt the Grand Slam, he had to try it in 2016 or wait a year or more. He decided to give it a try. To rest his hamstring as much as possible, he stopped running altogether in May, about a month before the race, returning to some light running in the final pre-race week. He had done only six weeks of running during the previous year. That’s not a lot of preparation for 400 miles of running.

Phil first ran Western States in 1995, the year referred to as the “fire and ice” year because the first 20 miles was on snow and temperatures rose to 117 degrees Fahrenheit in the canyons of the course. THE QUEST The Western States Endurance Run takes place in June. The race starts in Squaw Valley, California, climbs to the top of the Granite Chief ski run at an altitude of 9,000 feet, and follows the rugged Pacific Coast Trail to Auburn, California. Along the way, participants climb more than 18,000 feet, descend almost 23,000 feet, often encounter both snow and blistering heat, and ford the icy cold Middle Fork of the American River. Begun in 1974, Western States is the oldest 100-mile trail race in the world and is considered one of the ultimate tests of human endurance, on par with the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon. Phil first ran Western States in 1995, the year referred to as the “fire and ice” year because the first 20 miles was on snow and temperatures rose to 117 degrees Fahrenheit in the canyons of the course. That year’s race was chronicled in the book Born to Run by Christopher McDougall, and Phil ran in the lead pack with ultrarunning legends Anne Trason, Tim Twietmeyer, and two Tarahumara tribe members from the famous running community in northwestern Mexico. He finished 10 minutes under the 24-hour mark that year to earn a coveted silver belt buckle — a large, shiny prize that is more Texas-style trophy than actual belt fastener. This year, however, considering his level of

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fitness on only six weeks of running, Phil aimed just to finish the race and the three others in the ultra series. At 5 a.m. on June 25, 2016, Phil and roughly 350 others set off in the darkness from the western end of Squaw Valley. Like a pod of luminescent sea creatures, the runners flowed from the starting line into the ocean of dark wilderness. The beams from their headlamps bobbed up and down and reached out onto the trail ahead as the fastest (or most foolhardy) runners surged forward and the pod stretched into a glowing arc, moving west. The sun would soon rise at their backs. “(At the start of) every 100-miler I’ve run, I’ve had the same feeling. It’s the ultimate runner’s high,” Phil says. The participants have been thinking about the race for months, and now it is starting. That elated feeling was heightened for Phil at the start of Western States this time because he was embarking on his quest for the Grand Slam. “I knew I was about to do something that could be life-changing,” he says. Mixed in that soup of emotion was uncertainty about his hamstring — the injury could flare up at any moment — and about his fitness on so little training. There were signs of trouble early on. About 20 miles into the race, Phil was winded and fatigued. “It was hot, maybe 95, dusty, and we were at 9,000 feet,” he recalls. “I actually had to sit on a log at mile 20 and catch my breath. Not a good start.” His heart rate was well above the 150–155 beats per minute that he tries to keep as a ceiling in 100-mile races. “In ultras, it’s all about heart rate,” he explains. But he eventually managed to get his heart rate into a better zone, especially as he descended from the high altitude, but the early effort took a toll that made the final 25 miles especially difficult. Still, he finished, in 27 hours, 33 minutes, and 22 seconds — a far cry from his sub-24-hour time back in 1995, but he had accomplished the first step in his Grand Slam goal. He had three weeks to rest up for the next step. Taking place in mid-July, the Vermont 100 follows trails, jeep roads, and a few short stretches of pavement along a loop that starts and finishes at Silver Hill Meadow in West Windsor, Vermont. “I really enjoy that race,” Phil says. “It’s like one big Norman

EQUIPMENT CHECK PHIL SANDERSON’S ULTRARUNNING ESSENTIALS: Trail shoes, size 10.5. He usually switches to a fresh pair of shoes partway through a 100mile race. Vest with a water reservoir and hose with a nozzle for easy drinking Two water bottles with hand straps. The bottles contain either water or an electrolyte drink. Having the bottles in his hands also helps to break his fall when the inevitable happens during a trail run. GU, gel GU nutrition, generally one package (100 calories) every 20 minutes during an ultra Salt tablets, every 30 minutes to prevent cramping Headlamp for running at night Extra batteries for the headlamp

Rockwell painting.” Although altitude is not an issue and the peaks are not as high in Vermont as they are out West, the race offers ample challenge in the 14,000 feet of climbing and 15,000 feet of descent. Competitors must run fast enough to complete the course in 30 hours, with checkpoints along the way to make sure they are on pace. Phil ran his best 100-miler time at the Vermont 100 in 1996, when his time was just under 17 and a half hours, but this year he was running to finish leg two of the Grand Slam. Along the way, he met some new people among the tight-knit ultra community. Around the 30-mile mark, he struck up a conversation with a guy named Chris Eaton who was running his first 100-miler and was going about the same pace as Phil. They ran together for the next 50 miles, and later that summer Chris flew out to Colorado to be part of Phil’s support crew for the Leadville race. As Phil neared the end of the Vermont race, torrential rain, thunder, and lightning beset the runners. Soaked, exhausted, and light-headed, he crossed the finish line at 22 hours, 30 minutes, and 58 seconds. He sat down in the medical tent at the finish and tried not to pass out. Leslie Charles, who had paced Phil from mile 65 to the finish, pulled up her car right next to the tent, took him to his hotel, and slept on his floor so that she could check on him while he recovered. He had never met her before that day, and he says her kindness and concern are typical of the ultra community, people who understand the magnitude of each participant’s quest and will do anything to look out for each other.

Dryfit shirt. Depending on the weather, he wears a tank, short-, or long-sleeved shirt and sometimes adds a windbreaker. A backpack with food, water, extra batteries, and other supplies Thorlo socks for padding and moisture wicking Lightweight poles for especially hilly terrain (up and down)

Compression sleeves on his calves Hat, for sun and heat protection Shorts Illustrations: Patricia Cousins

Five weeks later, on August 20, Phil embarked on the notoriously difficult Leadville Trail 100, a race he had never run before. The out-and-back course starts and finishes in the town of Leadville, Colorado, and traverses trails and mountain roads in the Colorado Rockies. It is run completely at high altitude — the lowest point is at 9,200 feet of elevation, which is 1.7 miles above sea level. The high point is at 12,600 feet. The event calls itself the “Race Across the Sky.” Leadville imposed the toughest test on Phil. As with the other races in the series, participants in Leadville must meet cutoff times along the way or be required to drop out. Eighty-three miles into the race, depleted, exhausted, and moving slowly, Phil faced the real possibility that he wouldn’t make the cutoff and would have to abandon his Grand Slam quest, at least in 2016. The first half of the race went reasonably well. “I started out running nine minutes per mile and felt it in the first five miles. I settled in and kept a good pace, and maintained a spot of around 40th out of 900 runners,” he recalls. After the halfway point, participants can run with pacers, running partners who join them for sections of the race to help them keep pace. Ultrarunners say pacers — and the support crews that keep participants well supplied at checkpoints — can make the physical and mental difference between finishing strong and dropping out. Chris Eaton, whom Phil met at the Vermont 100, and Casey Meizinger, a former training partner, flew to Colorado to be Phil’s support crew and pacers. The plan was for Chris to run with him from mile 50 to mile 78 and Casey to pace him from 78 to the finish. Winter 2017

Even with pacers and good support, though, the miles and altitude take their toll. “It caught up to me at mile 80 going up Powerline Hill,” Phil says. “It went from around 9,500 feet to 11,400, and I was walking fast with a local guy from Fort Collins (Colorado). He said, ‘You look pretty good for a flatlander.’ After I got to the top, he took off, and I felt a tiredness and fatigue in my chest that was like my heart was overworking.” When he reached the next aid station at mile 83, Phil couldn’t keep anything down. He threw up even the water he tried to drink. “This has happened before,” he says, “and I knew I had to somehow hit the reset button on my system.” He told Casey he needed to lie down for about 20 minutes on a cot at the aid station, not an uncommon practice among ultramarathon participants. “They covered me in about six sleeping bags, but I was still shivering,” he recounts. After 20 minutes, he decided he needed another hour of sleep. After the additional hour, he got up, consumed some GU nutritional gels and headed out with Casey at a walk. Phil calculated his chances of finishing. “The cutoff for the race is 30 hours, and I was 22 in. I figured I could go 17 miles in eight hours, right?” But Phil wasn’t able to walk faster than about two miles an hour, and he had to stop every 20 minutes because his chest hurt. “It wasn’t really sharp pain or anything, but a deep fatigue,” he says. “After a few hours it was clear I wouldn’t make the cutoff at that pace.” He asked Casey to call Chris to meet them with a car at the nearest pickup spot, mile 96. Until then, they had to keep going. They were deep in the woods in the middle of the night. As they trudged on, Phil decided to try a new strategy. “I was eating GU every 20 minutes to get 100 calories. I decided to eat every 10 minutes,” he says. “It wasn’t easy, and the last thing I wanted was to put food in my mouth and swallow.” The new approach seemed to help. “After about 90 minutes I felt I had some more energy,” he says. “When I got to mile 96, I told my crew guy with the car, ‘I think I can make it!’” Four miles later, catching sight of the Leadville finish, Phil started to cry. “When I 34

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Everyone can set their own aspirational goals that represent big challenges for them, that they can fit into their schedules, and that help put their own lives in perspective, he says. crossed the finish line, I completely lost it and broke down,” he says, describing the experience as the most cathartic moment of his life. “I never thought I could do it and had written off the race and the whole Grand Slam.” With a time of 28 hours, 20 minutes, 28 seconds, he had beaten the cutoff by more than 90 minutes. Wasatch was 19 days later. “Everybody said, ‘Now that you have the hardest one behind you, it should be easy,’” Phil recalls, “but Wasatch is actually the hardest.” Leadville’s average altitude is higher, but Wasatch has much more climbing, a total of 24,000 feet, most of it in the first half of the race. Wasatch also includes tricky, technical downhills on single-track trails often covered in running water, which makes the downhills taxing, rather than an opportunity to cruise. The race starts near Kaysville, Utah, and travels south through mountains to the finish at Soldier Hollow, Utah. The total distance is 99.42 miles if the course is followed precisely. The cutoff time is 36 hours. At around mile 65, Phil began a particularly steep climb up a series of switchbacks. It was the middle of the night, and the temperature was about 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Walking is faster and more efficient at steep grades like this section. Even so, Phil had to stop three times on that climb to catch

his breath. After reaching Point Supreme, the highest point on the course at 10,464 feet above sea level, the downhill that followed was on a single-track, slippery trail with loose rocks. Phil was too exhausted to try to run down, so he walked. He knew he needed to rest. At the next aid station, volunteers were cooking breakfast burritos. Phil ate a burrito, which tasted great after all the GUs he had been consuming, climbed into the aid station’s pop tent, and slept for 40 minutes. When he got up and started running again, he felt great. That’s when he knew he was going to complete the Grand Slam. He began passing people and ran the whole rest of the race, another 30 miles. He crossed the Wasatch finish line in 31 hours, 22 minutes, and 23 seconds. It’s hard for Phil to put words to his feelings in that moment. “I felt like it was the accumulation of four races all in one finish. I felt personally proud of myself. It was really special,” he says. He had achieved the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning.

LESSONS LEARNED Phil discussed what he had learned from his Grand Slam quest and his other 2016 Big Hairy Audacious Goal challenges in Tedx talks. (For links to the Tedx talks, go to www.loomischaffee.org/magazine.) He says the talks crystallized for him the idea that everyone can set and achieve BHAGs of their own. Everyone can set their own aspirational goals that represent big challenges for them, that they can fit into their schedules, and that help put their own lives in perspective, he says. Phil recognizes that his standard of living enables him to pursue goals that require investments of time and money that many people cannot spare. But he says a person’s BHAG doesn’t have to be expensive or involve travel or uninterrupted 30-hour commitments of time. These are individualized quests, he says. For many people, he acknowledges, “their biggest goal is to pay rent and send their kids to school/college/trade school. But

Phil crosses the finish line of Western States with three of his children: Pierce, Bryce, and Sage.

even then, they can grow as individuals by setting some sort of goal — learning to play guitar, taking a class, whatever.” “You might say setting a BHAG that you can fit into your work/life schedule is a firstworld person’s way of manufacturing pain in order to gain wisdom,” he said in his November 2016 Tedx talk. “For me, it’s about setting big goals, pushing my limits, and finishing victorious. Most of all, it’s about discovering insights as part of my constant pursuit of self-improvement.” To set and reach for big goals, the most important thing you need is a desire for continual self-improvement, he says. He likens this desire to a Japanese business concept he learned in Harvard Business School: kaizen, the idea that a company should strive always to improve, through big and small changes. Also key to achieving big goals is an appreciation for hard work. “One of the lessons I learned while I was at Loomis in cross

country and has followed me my whole life is that hard work leads to success,” Phil says. Simply put, if you train hard, you will run faster. “I remember the first time I ran five miles at Loomis. I was so proud of myself,” he recalls. He saw role models like Sally Knight, who was an elite marathoner at the time, training hard and pushing herself in races. And he experienced small successes of his own that reinforced the intrinsic value of hard work and sacrifice — the opportunity to come closer to one’s potential. “It opened up this world of selfimprovement for me,” he says. 2016 was a major year for BHAGs for Phil, and he is proud of accomplishing those goals. Overcoming setbacks and obstacles along the way made the achievement even sweeter. But as with the business practice of kaizen, Phil is not one to check off a box and sink into an easy chair.

and bigger goals and try to achieve them to become a better person,” he says. Next summer he plans to win the Grand Slam. In 2016, he was the sixth-fastest Grand Slammer of the 19 who completed the series. The top finisher, a 34-year-old fellow Californian, had a total time of 87 hours, 23 minutes, and 41 seconds. That’s nearly 22 hours faster than Phil’s time of 109:47:11. Even accounting for the fact that Phil set out only to finish the Grand Slam this time around, even considering the fact that he had just six weeks to prepare in 2016, that’s a daunting difference to make up. On the other hand, would it really be a Big Hairy Audacious Goal if it seemed within easy reach? 

“I think that you can never feel content, you always have to strive for more — set bigger Winter 2017

Learning Skills for Life A curriculum with no tests, no homework, no study sessions. Just life lessons.

By Christine Coyle Illustrations by Daniel Baxter

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N A CHILLY WINTER EVENING LAST YEAR, junior and senior girls in Ammidon and Palmer dorms gathered in the Palmer common room with dorm faculty for a discussion about establishing good sleep habits for mental and physical well-being and academic success. “It was meant to be a fun, relaxing, social time,” explains Mary Forrester, Ammidon dorm head, who organized the discussion, but it was also an opportunity to communicate the important message to the girls about getting enough sleep — a perennial challenge for busy teens, she says. “Some of the girls came in their pajamas, and we had some snacks and handed out lavender sachets,” says Mary, and they talked about ways to get a good night’s rest, such as shutting off electronic devices.

Because dorm faculty have a unique opportunity to communicate with student residents through daily interactions, a subset of the Dorm Life Committee is putting structure to some of the conversations that take place in dorm life, a curriculum to intentionally address some of the health and safety needs of students.

“Given our special relationship with our boarding students — in loco parentis — we have a responsibility to make sure that we address their social and emotional needs as young adults living in our community,” Dean of Student Life Mary Liscinsky says. Dorm faculty try to ensure that time and space is regularly set aside in residence life for sharing information and advice that might, under other circumstances, happen among family members at home around the dining table and in the living room, she explains. The residential curriculum seeks to foster intentional conversations like one initiated last year by Elliott Dial, head of Flagg Hall. Elliott set up a peer-to-peer discussion about healthy relationships and good decision-making. The discussion coincided with conversations on campus organized by the deans and student leaders in response to media coverage about sexual misconduct in educational settings. Flagg was home to 38 sophomore boys at the time, and Elliott sought to offer his charges a setting where they would feel comfortable talking about such a sensitive topic of great importance

. . . they talked about ways to get a good night’s rest, such as shutting off electronic devices.

spoke with Ammidon residents a few years ago and gave a demonstration in the dorm kitchen about making healthy snacks with ingredients that can be purchased at Geissler’s Supermarket — a short walk from campus. At the time, Ali was a student of nutrition science at Columbia University.

. . . Ali Hard ’08, student of nutrition science, gave a demonstration in the dorm kitchen about making healthy snacks. to them. Elliott invited a handful of upperclassmen — boys and girls — to serve as facilitators of the conversation, held one evening in Flagg’s common room. “I met with the leaders beforehand to establish the topics and some ground rules,” explains Elliott. “I was there at the start, to get the ball rolling, but then I stepped out of the conversation so the students were free to be more open with each other.” Gathered in the casual environment of the dorm living space, the Flagg boys were free to ask questions of each other and share opinions about how to conduct oneself in a respectful way in a romantic relationship, Elliott notes. The group also discussed the issue of consent in intimate situations, and how to cope with the highs and lows of teenage relationships. Elliott says the response from the boys in Flagg was very positive, and other dorm heads have expressed interest in setting up similar discussions for their dorm residents. Good nutrition and eating habits are common subjects of conversation for many families around the dinner table. “FamilyStyle” dinners, a long tradition at Loomis, provide similar opportunities for students to interact with adult faculty members, and healthy eating is planned as a part of the dorm curriculum as well. This may include guest speakers such as Ali Hard ’08, who

Integral in all dorm programs, and in the residential curriculum, is fire safety and other drills and procedures on which students can rely in an emergency. Dorm residents are given clear directions regarding how to vacate a building or take cover in an emergency situation. All procedures are practiced in order that, in the unlikely event of a crisis, everyone in the school community is prepared for action. Being a dorm head in Harman Hall, home of 42 freshman and sophomore boys, is a challenge that dorm head Liz Leyden says she enjoys a great deal. She envisions the dorm life curriculum as a set of guidelines for ensuring that dorm residents bond as early as possible in the school year.

Elliott Dial, head of Flagg Hall, set up a peer-to-peer discussion about healthy relationships and good decision-making. Winter 2017

to it, and those rules become sacred and are helpful to avoiding conflicts that might come up.”

All procedures are practiced in order that, in the unlikely event of a crisis, everyone in the school community is prepared for action. “I love seeing how every year we put together a diverse group of boys from all over the world — and it just works,” says Liz. Much of the programming in Harman Hall focuses on getting to know one another, setting expectations, and learning to live away from home and with a diverse group of people. The Harman boys are learning to “live together and to trust and support each other,” says Liz, so programming includes games, athletics activities, and social events as avenues for bonding. Through these activities, Liz has seen students come to “value friends’ safety over anything else,” she says. There have been instances, according to Liz, when dorm residents have withstood peer pressure to report risky behavior to adults in the community in the interest of another student’s safety. Liz believes the bonding exercises help reinforce residents’ commitment to each other. Bonding programs in Richmond Hall, a dorm for freshman and sophomore girls, include establishing guidelines for living together. “When the girls get back from Thanksgiving break, we have the roommates sit down and write out ‘Roommate Rules,’ and they post it on the door,” says Richmond dorm head Ali Murphy. “We deliberately do not do this early on; we want them to live together and learn to live with each other’s habits. They are able to more clearly state what things are actually rules, such as, ‘No hitting snooze more than two times in the morning’ and ‘No more than three friends in room at a time’ and ‘No stinky food in the room,” she says. “[It] sounds basic, but they look forward 38

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Lori Caligiuri is head of Mason Hall, home to junior and senior girls, and a member of the Dorm Life subcommittee tasked with developing the residential curriculum. “In order for our boarding students to have a common experience, we need to be intentional about the topics and overall key messaging of each discussion,” Lori explains. “We view the dorm life curriculum more as on-going, interactive discussions with our dorms, rather than curriculum-based information downloads.” As it continues to take shape, the curriculum will identify common topics and target calendar dates for dorms to address these topics. Dorm faculty will have some freedom to determine how best to cover the topics for their residents. The program will aim to be educational and engaging for students, easy for dorm staff to put into action, and adaptable to each dorm’s particular needs. The residential life curriculum also will enable boarding students to connect with faculty who may not be their teachers or dorm faculty but who have valuable expertise or

Other dorm curriculum events proposed for this year include discussion of academic honesty and plagiarism.

. . . practice of techniques for relaxation and stress relief, based on this year’s school theme, “Mind Over Matter.” skills to share. Lori invites members of the Counseling Office to join in Mason Hall social activities, for instance. Doing so, says Lori, allows the girls to make connections with counselors in a relaxed setting, which helps to de-stigmatize a student’s seeking help if it becomes warranted. Speaking with a counselor doesn’t feel so intimidating when dorm residents already know a trusted adult in the Counseling Office, she says. Other dorm curriculum events proposed for this year include discussion of academic honesty and plagiarism; a gathering with peer-to-peer health counselors to talk about the risks of using drugs and alcohol; a forum on social media and managing one’s online persona; and practice of techniques for relaxation and stress relief, based on this year’s school theme, “Mind Over Matter.” Over the years, countless Loomis Chaffee alumni have reported that the boarding experience had great and lasting impact on their lives, especially on the relationships they forged with peers and adults. The residential life curriculum, as it takes shape and is put into practice, will serve as Loomis’s commitment to preserving that positive experience in an intentional way for students living on the Island. 

From Germany to Chaffee: A Return Trip 50 Years Later

By Carole Crane Finck â&#x20AC;&#x2122;66 Winter 2017

the fall of 1965, 16-year-old Evelyn Traeger came to join the senior class at Chaffee for our final year. She traveled on her own from Hanover, Germany, via the S.S. Groote Beer out of Rotterdam. This WWII victory ship had been reconfigured to carry international exchange students to and from Europe. Evelyn’s trans-Atlantic passage took 10 days and included a hurricane during which the students were ordered to stay below deck in their life vests as black walls of waves cascaded over the ship. Understandably, Evelyn was quite happy and relieved when New York Harbor and the Statue of Liberty came into view. She particularly recalls her joy at seeing her first U.S. hosts, the Schloss family from West Hartford, waiting on the dock for her. She knew them from a picture she had been sent, but also recognized the family immediately because of the five children standing in a row all waving to her. As an only child, Evelyn found it fascinating to live with different families during the school year. From her very first day, Evelyn was a lively, loquacious, and energetic student and participant in school activities. Her curiosity for American life was enormous, but she also had very strong opinions. In the interview article for the September 17, 1965, Chaffee Chiel, she said (in regards to the delayed customs process she had been subject to), “My first impression of America was of slowness … . You here in America are much more exacting than we in Germany.” Evelyn hoped that during her stay in America, she

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would learn our language, our habits, our way of life, and she said that her most important goal was “to study your political science — how you stand for your democracy.” Evelyn had been chosen as an exchange student through an independent international placement agency run by a Mrs. Wilson in the 1960s. Evelyn said that her headmaster had recommended her to Mrs. Wilson, and the next steps were for Mrs. Wilson to come to her house, to interview her parents, and then finally, to talk to Evelyn herself. Evelyn had finished three years of high school in Germany and took an impressive course load

From her very first day, Evelyn was a lively, loquacious, and energetic student and participant in school activities.

at Chaffee: English and French with the seniors, U.S. History with the juniors, and Humanities at Loomis with the Chaffee and Loomis senior classes. She made the Honor Roll and was the first Chaffee exchange student to receive a full scholastic diploma from the school. During the year, she moved from family to family with ease and enjoyed many trips and adventures. She especially remembers visiting Washington, D.C., and getting to see Mount Vernon. When she returned for her required fifth year at high school in Germany, she found English to be a breeze but had some catching up to do in math and science. It turned out that the “vocabulary” of math in the States was quite difficult, as the words and explanations for different mathematical functions and concepts were completely different. Back in Hanover, Evelyn went on to university and law school and then had an illustrious career, including being appointed judge to the Federal Court and ultimately becoming the first woman appointed to the Constitutional Court. She served with 15 men on this highest judicial court in Germany and wrote a book about her dissents of decisions during her allowed 12-year tenure on the bench. Evelyn still maintains her parents’ home in Hanover and also lives in Ettlingen in the Baden-Wurttemberg area, where she is a professor at the University of Tubingen. In fact, it was Evelyn’s association with the university and her fame as a judge that allowed us to make

The Chaffee Class of 1966 poses on the Sill House steps, with Evelyn Traeger nestled in the midst of her classmates. Photo: 1966 Epilogue Winter 2017

Members of the Chaffee Class of 1966 at their 50th Reunion in June 2016: (front) Martha Ritter, Carole Crane Finck, Sally Perrin Gibbs, Jane Sobuta Rath, Jan Manocchio Hickcox, Evelyn Traeger Haas, Cindy Weaver Lincoln, and Kathleen McQueeney; and (back) Melinda Smith Partridge, Brooke Gilbert Mallory, Betsy Mallory MacDermid, Priscilla Ransom Marks, and Melissa Smith Hubbard Photos: Wayne Dombkowski

contact again. Through the wonders of Google and Google Translate, we were able to send a message in German to the university, and the university kindly relayed our message and invitation to Evelyn. We were thrilled to make contact again after a 40-year gap, and then we were even more overjoyed when Evelyn said that she would come and be part of our 50th Reunion celebration in June 2016. On this visit, Evelyn had a wonderful time with her classmates and several of our returning teachers. She was most impressed with the size and scope of Loomis Chaffee today, compared to our day school of 120 girls 50 years ago. She also remarked, “As much as I am impressed at how much my classmates have changed, they still, at the same time, seem the same.” Evelyn has traveled extensively through the years, particularly to South America, where she participated in many conferences giving talks on constitutional law. She and her friend Adalbert (Adi) are now enthusi42

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astic travelers, having recently taken journeys to Chile and Hungary. A bit of a surprise for Evelyn for this trip, however, was the difficulty of getting her visa to the United States — a sign of the times. But thankfully the visa came through in time, and Evelyn and Adi were able to spend two weeks in the States, including several days at Reunion (including a visit to Mrs. Schloss) and a tour of the traditional Northeast destinations of Boston, Plymouth, Cape Cod, and Niagara Falls. Evelyn, your Chaffee ’66 classmates are hoping we can entice you into returning for one of our 50-Plus Reunions, and we hope that some of us can come and visit you in Germany. Thank you for making our Reunion so very special. 

Classmates Jan Manocchio Hickcox and Evelyn greet one another during Reunion Weekend 2016.

One of the 39 newly minted U.S. citizens joyfully accepts congratulations and an American flag from faculty members and federal officials.

Ceremony & Citizenship A NATURALIZATION CEREMONY FOR 39 NEW AMERICAN CITIZENS TOOK place on campus on November 2, 2016, witnessed by the entire school community and invited guests at an emotional convocation. A special session of the U.S. District Court of Connecticut was convened for the occasion with U.S. District Court Judge Alfred Covello â&#x20AC;&#x2122;50 presiding. A naturalized citizen himself, Richard Wright, the Orvil Dryfoos Professor of Public Affairs at Dartmouth College, who specializes in the study of immigration and migration, was keynote speaker.

By Christine Coyle & Photos by John Groo Winter 2017

Hosting the event fit the school’s mission to advance the development of spirit, mind, and body in students from diverse cultural backgrounds, said Molly Pond, associate director of the Norton Family Center for the Common Good.

“E pluribus unum,” quoted Professor Wright, “out of many — one.”

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Faculty members Kathie Popadin and Naogan Ma, both of whom are naturalized U.S. citizens, lead the Pledge of Allegiance during the ceremony.

The Loomis Chaffee Chamber Singers perform “This Land Is Your Land.” Judge Covello ’50 presented a Certificate of Citizenship to each individual.

“ This is the best of what we do,” said Eric LaForest, history teacher and director of the Norton Family Center. “The ‘we’ can mean both America and Loomis Chaffee.”

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â&#x20AC;&#x153; Plurality of voices produces democracy,â&#x20AC;? said Professor Wright as he encouraged the new citizens to participate in public life and discourse.

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Judge Covello ’50 poses for a photo with a new citizen. Molly Pond applauds as the audience cheers for a new citizen.

Standing next to Professor Wright, who is her husband, Head of School Sheila Culbert congratulates a new citizen.

Before administering the Oath of Allegiance, Judge Covello quoted a line from the Emma Lazarus poem that is inscribed on the base of the Statue of Liberty: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free ….” The crowd erupted in cheers as each individual was called to receive his or her certificate, and many of the new citizens responded by raising a U.S. flag.

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Object Lesson

Dinosaurs Walked Here By Karen Parsons

alking to class in the footsteps of dinosaurs?

Sounds implausible but it’s an everyday occurrence in the Rogan Atrium of the Clark Center for Science & Mathematics. Where these footprints lead is obvious, but a touch of mystery surrounds where they came from. With some, er, digging, the complete story surfaced. During planning for the 2008 Clark Science Center renovations, science faculty member Scott MacClintic ’82 suggested that the school’s collection of fossilized dinosaur footprints be moved into the Rogan Atrium. Ted Cutler, project architect from the Hartford firm Tecton, designed a lighted, glass-covered pit built into the atrium’s floor to house the large piece of sandstone bearing the fossils. Mr. Cutler created a visual trope with 27 intaglio footprints, sculpted into the atrium’s ceramic floor tiles, leading to and from the covered display and spaced to approximate the dinosaur’s stride. This stride belonged to a twolegged, three-toed dinosaur measuring almost 20 feet long. It — and probably thousands of others similar to it — roamed the then-marshy, tropical Connecticut River Valley during the early Jurassic period, about 200 million years ago. These creatures left behind footprints, characterized by three toes terminating in a distinct claw, and thanks to the geological changes that occurred over time, these tracks eventually fossilized. First unearthed in 1802, this type of fossil was named

The sign on the fossil encased in the floor of the Clark Center for Science & Mathematics. Photo: Patricia Cousins

Eubrontes giganteus in 1845 by Amherst College professor Edward Hitchcock. The dinosaurs that made these tracks up and down the valley are yet to be identified, and skeletal remains of the creatures remain elusive to paleontologists. Most of what we know of them is based on their distinctive footprints. Fast forward to 1966. Workers on a highway project in Rocky Hill, Connecticut, unearthed a large group of Eubrontes tracks. Construction immediately halted — more than 2,000 fossils were eventually found at the location — and the site became so popular with the public that the state police stepped in for what they referred to as round-the-clock “Dinoduty” to prevent unauthorized digging by amateur fossil hunters. Even The Washington Post reported on the find, headlining its

coverage, “Dinosaurs Get Right of Way.” Researchers from Yale and the University of Connecticut studied the site, and two years later Dinosaur State Park opened, preserving in situ nearly 600 Eubrontes tracks. The state of Connecticut found itself in the unusual position of having too many fossilized dinosaur footprints and offered those found in Rocky Hill — but outside of the park’s display — to any institution or town in the state. About a decade later, Loomis Chaffee science teacher John Klimenok heard of the surplus and arranged for the school to acquire a group of Eubrontes giganteus in 1979. The town of Windsor and the school joined efforts to transport the two-ton stone slab to campus, and the school installed it just outside the east entrance of Clark, fulfilling the state’s

requirements that the fossils be labelled with proper identification and be kept in a covered shelter, two features continued in the Rogan Atrium display. David Wild ’80 introduced Loomis Chaffee to the fossils in his January 20, 1979, LOG article. “In these days of tightening admission policy, an unusual addition to our school community has been made. This addition is 200 million years old and hails from Rocky Hill, Connecticut,” David quipped. “No, Loomis Chaffee hasn’t found the ultimate Post Graduate.”  Karen Parsons is archivist and teaches history.

Winter 2017

Class Notes

Class Notes Class Notes

loomischaffee.org

Class Notes

Dewitt C. Jones III writes, “Loomis meant a great deal to me both as a student and a teacher. I think of my days there with great affection.”

At 91 years of age, Judith Buell Pezzente writes, “I am still here and painting my landscapes and seascapes in oil as I have been for many years. In the famous girls in the car photo, I am holding up the engine. I do sell well, but regret to state that have yet to make my first million!”

“Thank you always,” writes Carolyn Covello Keating. “As I approach my 87th birthday in December, I remain ever grateful for my days at Chaffee on Palisado Avenue and for the vision, imaginations, and superb energies, which continue to mark the growth and relevance of this outstanding school!”

Michael Newton, forestry professor emeritus at Oregon State University, continues his research and publishing work on forest and water topics. Michael also enjoys working on his 300 acres of beautiful Douglasfir forest. “I do all needed work that one man can handle, and consume all that wife Jane can cook up! Nothing much has changed! Life is good here! Best to all!”

Bert Engelhardt writes, “I did not see any mention of our class members attending the June reunion and I am wondering how many of us are still living.”

F. Evelyn Smith reports, “I continue my retirement living at Seabury in Bloomfield, Conn. What a joy I get each time I cross paths with Loomis Chaffee graduates, their parents, children, and grandchildren. Truly a wonderful family! I also treasure the connections I continue to have with my faculty colleagues. It doesn’t seem possible that it has been almost 20 years since I retired from the school.”

Florida’s poet laureate has recently endorsed John Foster’s latest collection of poetry, A Gesture of Words. The main purpose of the book is to suggest to readers that poetry can be more than just rhyming stanzas and free verse. The president of the Florida State Poets Association (FSPA) praised the book as “an important resource for today’s diverse community of poets.” As a member of the FSPA, John often gives workshops and serves as a reader of award-winning poems. The National Federation of State Poetry Societies appointed him as a national poetry judge in 2013. At his 65th Reunion last June, John offered a presentation of humorous poems as a featured agenda item for the weekend. The presentation included poems from his collection Chuckles — Verses to a Muse. At the 50th-Plus dinner during Reunion Weekend, John distributed his poem “Fast Colors” to attendees. His books A Gesture of Words, Where There’s A Quill, Chuckles — Verses to aMuse, and Discovery! A Wordcrafter’s Journey are available at Amazon.com, where former faculty member James Rugen ’70 has written a review of A Gesture of Words.

Robert L. Johnstone and his brother Rodney Johnstone ’54 were inducted into the National Sailing Hall of Fame on October 30, 2016, at the St. Francis Yacht Cub in San Francisco Bay. Robert also was awarded Mystic Seaport’s 2016 America and the Sea Award on October 22, 2016. Pierre Laurent writes, “Enjoyed the Weston gathering recently. Doing my end-of-year work with [a] gift to LC.”

For news of Rodney Johnstone, see his brother’s class note under the Class of 1952. Lewis Knickerbocker’s fourth book, Show Me a Hero, was recently published and is available on Amazon.com. It is a story of love and war during the 1950s. Lew adds, “I know I’m getting old since my great-grandson is whizzing through middle school.” James “Jim” Loomis is serving as vice-chair of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Railroad Passengers.

CHAFFEE BOOK CLUB Save the Date | Wednesday, February 8 6 p.m. dinner followed by discussion Burton Room, Athletics Complex The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi Discussion leader: Rachel Nisselson, head of the Department of Modern and Classical Languages

The fall 2016 gathering of the Chaffee Book Club centered on the New York Times best seller The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Head of the English Department John Morrell facilitated the conversation. Attendees were: (front) Jane Torrey ’67, Zane Hickcox Kotker ’52, and Mims Brooks Butterworth ’36; and (back) Sue Fisher Shepard ’62, Betsy Mallory MacDermid ’66, Kate Butterworth de Valdez ’67, John Morrell, and Priscilla Ransom Marks ’66. Winter 2017

Class Notes

He reports that his book All Aboard — The Complete North American Train Travel Guide is in its fourth edition.

57 John Metcalf Taylor S O C I E T Y

Did you know?

you are 65 years or older and have included the school in your estate plans or as the beneficiary of an IRA, you may receive campaign credit and help the school achieve its goals for Our Time is Now: The Centennial Campaign for Loomis Chaffee, which concludes on June 30, 2017. To date, planned gifts have represented $14 million of the campaign’s total. For more information, please contact Timothy Struthers ’85, chief philanthropic officer, at tim_struthers@loomis.org or 860.687.6221.

loomischaffee.org

Charles Fidlar returned to the Island this fall as a Guest Musican. In a workshop with the Chamber Singers, he shared his professional expertise as a vocalist and conductor and discussed the importance of singing in his life. (See more about his visit on page 18.) While a student at Loomis, Charles was a member of the Orchestra and Glee Club and performed in the musical productions The Gondoliers and Of Thee I Sing. After graduating, he earned a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and went on to study conducting at the New England Conservatory and Stanford University. He served as assistant professor and director of choral activities at Brown University and as assistant conductor of the Grammy Award-winning San Francisco Symphony Chorus. Charles also taught voice and conducted several choral ensembles at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Charles has appeared as a vocal soloist and made professional recordings with a number of classical music organizations, including the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. His career included leadership roles in a number of professional music performance organizations on the East Coast, including Connecticut’s West Bank Singers & Orchestra, and he recently retired as choral director for the Northwestern Regional Seven and the Torrington Symphony Orchestra. In a letter to the Loomis Chamber Singers following his visit, Charles wrote: “What is not so self-evident,

when one is young, is how singing is a lifelong activity, an opportunity to encounter and create major artistic and philosophical cultural creations from the dawn of singing to the newest compositions, and to fall in love with the repertoire. Like any love, one has to ‘stick with it,’ so to speak.”

Lynn Hayden Wadhams writes, “Betty Haas, Ellie Sanders Sheehy, Mary Rita Curran Killelea, and I all watched the election results come in just as we did as Chaffee seniors during the Kennedy/Nixon election.”

After 19 years as a trial lawyer, 23 years as a trial judge, and five years of retirement, Michael J. Fox writes, “I’m returning to the fray part time.” He will begin a two-year commitment as a two-days-a-week judge on the Tulalip Tribal Court, located about 40 miles north of Seattle, Wash. The Tulalip Court has been positively evaluated as a pioneer in “restorative justice,” emphasizing reconciliation, rehabilitation, and treatment rather than incarceration. “I’m looking forward to it as these were goals in which I deeply believed after years of experience in a state system where the judge’s discretion as to disposition was very limited,” writes Michael. He also accepted an appointment as a special deputy coroner to conduct an inquest into the high-profile and controversial case of the police shooting of a MexicanAmerican farm worker in Pasco, Wash., about 200 miles southwest of Seattle. In the meantime, Michael reports that he is a new grandfather to

ENGAGE with Loomis Chaffee

R EUNION

ATTEND AN UPCOMING RECEPTION Head’s Holiday New York City — February 1 PS 450, 450 Park Avenue South

ATTEND YOUR REUNION

CONNECT THROUGH ExCEL What is ExCEL?

Reunion 2017 is June 16–18. Classes ending in 2s and 7s! It’s your year!

The ExCEL network helps students to explore their passions and interests through experiential learning opportunities.

Come home and celebrate with classmates, friends, and faculty at Reunion 2017. Enjoy alumni presentations, live music provided by bands Sounds of Boston and Honey Train, food, wine, and much more.

Alumni and parents make it happen.

Look for your invitation in the spring. Be sure to receive electronic updates by sharing your email address with the school. Update your information and find out more about the weekend at www.loomischaffee.org/reunion or call 860.678.6276.

JOIN THE LOOMIS CHAFFEE CAREER NETWORK Get Advice – Give Advice

Here’s how: P rovide an internship or shadowing opportunity at your place of work B e a guest speaker for a class  Participate in a career panel T alk one to one with a student in person or via Skype to discuss your career For more information, contact Fred J. Kuo, director of experiential learning at fred_kuo@loomis.org or 860.687.6091.

Connect with younger alumni as a mentor Get advice from seasoned alumni in areas of

www.loomischaffee.org/excel

SUBMIT A CLASS NOTE

Career conversations Mock interviews Resume critique

Send your news to us!

The network is completely private and only accessible to those in the community. Joining is easy using

www.loomischaffee.org/careernetwork

Email Alumni Newsnotes Editor Madison Neal at magazine@loomis.org to share news with classmates and friends. High-resolution photographs are welcome; please clearly identify all people. Winter 2017

Class Notes

Make a Difference on Philanthropy Day February 28, 2017 Stay tuned to learn more Willow Sally Violette, born to his daughter and son-in-law on August 26, 2016. Last June he also enjoyed visiting with Dan Gleason and his wife, Jodie, in Newton, Mass. “He’s recently retired and has more sense than me in intending to stay retired,” Michael reports.

Paul Schwartz writes, “I had an interesting fall, teaching a course and directing a play at the Maharishi School in Fairfield, Iowa. I expect to be back in Pennsylvania and Brooklyn in 2017.”

“Loomis Chaffee and my classmates did a great job with the 50th Reunion. It was so good to see everyone after all of these years,” writes Sally Perrin Gibbs. She expects to return to the Island again next summer. 54

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“Things are going well here in Philadelphia,” writes Andrew Cohn. “Our son Alex (B.A. Lehigh, M.Ed. Temple) is a custom woodworker in the city and our daughter Ellen (B.A. Trinity, M.B.A. Kellogg, Northwestern) has just started as a senior consultant with Deloitte Human Capital in Chicago.” Andrew is still practicing construction law in the Philadelphia area. He and his wife, Joy, regularly see classmate Steve Engel and his wife, Heidi, in NYC. The couple is spending more time at their “home-away-from-home” in Quechee, Vt., and stop to see the Loomis campus periodically on the drive up. Andrew shares, “The last ‘Cohn’ (at least for a while) graduated from LC this year, my brother Bob’s [’76] son Ethan!”

Suzy Rothfield Thompson; her husband, Eric Thompson; and their daughter, Allegra Thompson ’06, performed at Loomis this fall as the musical group Thompsonia. (See more about their visit on page 18.) Blending old-time, bluegrass, Americana, and folk music, Thompsonia features Suzy on fiddle, Allegra on bass, and Eric on guitar and mandolin.

Michael O’Malley reports, “I’m starting my 10th year as a mountain host at Deer Valley Resort. Happy to show any visiting LC skiers some of the secret powder spots!” Morwen Two Feathers writes, “I have recently had another surgery — the third one. I am fighting brain cancer. I am still doing as much as I can. Since

my first surgery in 2013, I have created a coloring book called Auntie Morwen’s Coloring Book with my own images and have sold enough of them to cover the publishing. You can find it on Amazon, and on the web at morwentwofeathers.com.”

David Brickman reports, “I am in my third year working as a fiscal and performance auditor for New York state and sixth year overall in government. The art career has been reduced to a pleasurable hobby.” David and his wife, Karen, remain connected with classmates Chris Francklyn and Betsey Knettell Francklyn, who live a few hours away in Burlington, Vt. They also remain in contact with Sarah Fogg, who is still a Connecticut resident. “All are doing well,” writes David.

’90

’45

“Summertime in Colorado!” writes Karen Bates Stringer ’90. This mini Class of 1990 Reunion included Karen, Elizabeth and Kenneth Walker, Liz Hallas with children Tallaby and Hayden, Bethany and Chris Kouba, and John Stringer with children Jack and Delsey.

’80

’81

At the fall 2016 meeting of its partners, Robinson+Cole announced the establishment and inaugural presentation of the George C. Hastings Community Service Award. The award bears the name of the firm’s former partner, George C. Hastings ’45, who practiced at the firm from 1957 until his retirement in 1995. The award will be presented annually to a community service organization that has made an outstanding contribution to serving Greater Hartford. The first recipient of the award was The Bridge Family Center, a comprehensive, regional nonprofit agency that provides a broad range of services for children and families throughout the Hartford area. George presented the award, on behalf of Robinson+Cole, to Margaret Hann, executive director of The Bridge. On October 31, 2015, Ann Dieckmann ’80 and Caroline Elizabeth Richardson celebrated their marriage with a 1920s-style tea dance in Worthing Pier, U.K. Robin Carter ’82 also attended. The couple spent their three-month honeymoon setting up a teaching project in Zanzibar (www.zanzibarsp.ninja).

’06

Andrea Korzenik McCarren ’81 won her 21st Emmy Award for news reporting this year. Andrea is a reporter with WUSA, the CBS station in Washington, D.C. For the second year in a row, Bunce, the service dog she’s raising for a wounded warrior, accompanied her to the awards ceremony. Named after Marine Cpl. Justin Bunce, who was severely injured in Iraq, the dog accompanies Andrea on every news assignment. Bunce has been to the White House, Capitol Hill, and the Pentagon, among other locations. Once he’s 2 years old, Bunce will go to an injured veteran to assist with post-traumatic stress or mobility. Kari M. Kron ’86 recently published her first children’s book, A Missing Curiosity, the story of a porcupine who has lost his curiosity and a mouse who accidentally helps him find it. Kari writes, “It was an adventure in self-publishing, including finding and working with an illustrator, formatting and prepping the files, and finding a printer. I also worked with a narrator.” The book is available in print, as an e-book, and as an audio book on Amazon.com. “My next story is about a deer and an octopus. Stay tuned!” she says.

’86

On May 15, 2016, Matthew Longobardi ’06 married Katrina Davino in Hartford, Conn. The wedding was attended by a number of Loomis Chaffee alumni. Pictured are (back) Benjamin Parks ’07, Dana Nestor ’06, David Mahoney ’06, Jack Byerly ’06, Issa Revell, Michael Eldridge ’06, Elliot Creem ’06, Abby Goodridge, Nicholas Matiasz ’06, Gabrielle Green, Carolyn Carta ’06, Eric Rolfsen, and Michael Shulansky ’06; and (front) Murad Mamedov ’06, bride Katrina, groom Matt, Nina Fernandes, Lauren Koster, Laura Chilson ’07, and Rachel Oppenheimer ’06. Photo: Karissa Van Tassel Photography

’98

Dan Marchetti ’98 was featured in Hebron Magazine for his 2015 appointment as the head of school at Hebron Academy.

Winter 2017

Class Notes

K. Heidi Fishman plans to publish her most recent book, Tutti’s Promise, in April 2017. The book is based on her mother’s story of surviving the Holocaust. More information is available at www.kheidifishman.com.

Robert Schwebel writes, “I am excited for my daughter Freya, Class of 2020, to be joining her brother Zeno, Class of 2018, at Loomis!”

Elizabeth F. Salsedo-Surovov writes, “On July 18, 2016, our family went from one son to two. Mikael Carl Peter Salsedo-Surovov was born at Hartford Hospital (where my husband works). Yes, it makes for a long monogram but we just call him ‘Misha.’”

Bradford Pelletier, a history graduate student at the University of South Carolina, College of Charleston, won the 2016 W. Curtis Worthington, Jr. Research Paper Competition for his paper, “Bristling Dixie: Combat Trauma and the South Carolina Lunatic Asylum, 1861–1870.” Bradford’s thesis examines 19th-century medical perceptions of combat trauma in the wake of the American Civil War. The first-prize winner receives $1,500 and is invited to publish his paper in the Journal of the South Carolina Medical Association. Bradford hopes to continue his research and eventually teach. He is also pursuing acceptance to a doctoral program next fall.

loomischaffee.org

Chris Vola shares, “A limited, numbered first edition of my debut short story collection, How to Find a Flock, will be available in January from Unsolicited Press, a small Midwestern publisher. My novel, Only the Dead Know Brooklyn, will be published in May by Thomas Dunne Books, an imprint of St. Martin’s Press.”

In September 2016, Mary Burr married Ryan Salvatore in Williamstown, Mass., at the Clark Art Museum. She writes, “It was a very happy day!”

“2016 has been a whirlwind of a year,” writes Matthew D. Kearney. He and his partner, Patrick, got engaged last March, and Matthew graduated with his master’s degree in public health from the University of Pennsylvania in May. Matthew began studies for a doctorate in public health at Drexel University this fall. In addition, Patrick and Matthew recently bought their first home, in downtown Philadelphia, which they share with their 3-year-old Boston terrier named Chester Arthur. Matthew writes, “Any Pelicans coming through the area should feel free to say hello!”

Brian Sheffer enjoys working for The Experiment in International Living, “traveling globe with high school students and in the off-season, re-rooting in the Northeast.” For news of Allegra Thompson, see her mother Suzy’s class note under the Class of 1972.

Melanie GroverSchwartz reports that she is living and working in Seattle and loves it. Sylvia Xistris recently traveled to San Francisco, Calif., during her fall break to visit Molly Paduda and Alexandra Crerend ’11. “After sleeping through the Stanford homecoming game, we did make it to Sonoma for a weekend of hiking and wine,” she reports. Sylvia also participated in the NYC Marathon and was pleasantly surprised by friends Melanie Larkins and Dana Lerner and sister Effie Xistris ’13 at Mile 23. “You girls rock!”

Samantha Zambuto plans to graduate from Brown University with a master’s degree in biomedical engineering in Spring 2017. She hopes to pursue a doctorate in biomedical engineering next year.

Erica Matteo qualified for the 2016 Liberty League All-Academic Team for her academic and athletic achievements as a student athlete on the Union College women’s soccer team. To be recognized as a member of the All-Academic team, a student athlete must be a sophomore or higher in class standing with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.30.

CORRECTION The names of two members of the Cohn family were misspelled in a caption in the summer 2016 issue of Loomis Chaffee Magazine. The photograph, depicting members of the Class of 2016 with their alumni relatives, included Ethan Cohn ’16; his sisters, Erin Cohn ’11 and Rachel Cohn ’09; and their father, Robert Cohn ’76.

Obituaries

Frederick Carlisle Gleason, on June 27, 2016, in Mystic Conn., in his sleep at the age of 100 years, 8 months, 4 days. A three-year student from Montpelier, Vt., Fritz, as he was known, served as chairman of Ludlow Club, secretarytreasurer of the Darwin Club, circulation manager of The Log, and vice president of the Endowment Fund. He also was involved with the Publication Board, Dorm Committee, and Student Council. Fritz was active in second football, first hockey, and track. He was a dedicated Loomis Chaffee alumni volunteer from 1997 through 2010. A proud Vermont native, Fritz shared many stories of his “idyllic boyhood” there, according to the family obituary. After graduating from Loomis, Fritz earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Yale University in 1937. While at school in New Haven, Fritz operated a junk store business and a furniture building operation, and he often would return to Vermont for weekend skiing. Fritz then joined the U.S. Navy, where he served as a test pilot during World War II while stationed at a base on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state. After leaving the Navy, Fritz met and married Mary Taylor Gutterson in 1947, and after relocating to Wilton, Conn., from New York City, he and Mary raised their five children and lived in the state for many years afterwards. Throughout his long working career Fritz held many positions, including as an efficiency expert. He was employed for a time at Pratt & Whitney and provided expertise in the area of assembly lines for Bristol Meyers and American Home Products. Fritz was also a lifelong inventor, and more than 57 of his inven-

tions were patented, including an early mail sorting machine prior to the employment of zip codes; a hospital bed that could be raised or lowered with a household vacuum cleaner; and a “drawer saver” tool rack that could hold 25 tools in 12 inches of space. Known for his mischievous spirit, according to the family biography, Fritz enjoyed building toys that would delight and entertain his children, including an aerial tramway, a tricycle front-loader, and a lawnmower-powered go-cart. Family members have described Fritz as, “inventive, strong, independent, persistent, stubborn, and passionate,” and determined to enjoy “life on his own terms” well into his 90s. In his later decades he became fascinated with computer technology and the internet and developed a blue print for a water-powered car. In his late 90s, even as his physical health necessitated nursing care, Fritz remained of sound mind, continuing to use his computer; read MIT Technology, his favorite magazine; and enjoy his favorite foods, including blueberries, shrimp, chocolate, and Guinness Stout. Preceded in death by his wife, Mary, Fritz was survived by one of his three sisters; his children, Frederick ’67, Wilder ’68, James ’70, John ’75, and Deborah; and his 13 grandchildren, including Thatcher Gleason ’13.

Allyn senior basketball, and the track team. After Loomis, Hugh earned a bachelor’s degree from Williams College and continued to attend reunions at both of his alma maters. Hugh had many interests, including travel, opera, theater, running, tennis, and skiing. In his 80s Hugh traveled to Nepal, Africa, China, and Australia. Hugh’s lifelong enjoyment of the theater included remaining active in community theater well into his 90s. In 2006, he created the Hugh Thurnauer ’36 Scholarship Fund for Theater at Loomis Chaffee in memory of his wife, Alina, for a student of the performing arts. A member of Lakewood Presbyterian Church and the Bay Village Presbyterian Church, Hugh was also active in the St. Raphael’s men’s group. According to the family obituary, Hugh’s friendships “spanned generations,” and he will be remembered for his “engaging smile, positive attitude, and energy.” Preceded in death by his brother Warren Thurnauer ’40, and his wives, Betsy Botts and Alina Stefanski, Hugh was survived by his children, Skip, Art, Gary, and Cynthia; his step-children, Chester, Irene, Dot, and Barb; five grandchildren; 12 step-grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren. A memorial service was held on August 27, 2016, at Lakewood Presbyterian Church in Cleveland, Ohio.

Hugh Thurnauer, on July 14, 2016, surrounded by his family. A four-year student from Port Chester, N.Y., Hugh was involved with Darwin Club, Senior Committee, and Dramatic Club, and he served as business manager of the Publication Board. He was active in Allyn senior soccer,

Joseph A. Polack, on August 17, 2016. A two-year Honor Roll student from New Orleans, La., Joe was active in Glee Club, Darwin Club, and Radio Club. He served on the Executive Committee of the Publications Board, was business manager of The Handbook, and served as circulation manager of The Log.

He was active in Wolcott senior football, basketball, and track. Joe remained connected to Loomis as an alumni volunteer. Joe earned a bachelor’s degree from Tulane University in 1941 and a master’s degree and doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he worked with the Chemical Corps of the U.S. Army during World War II and from which he graduated in 1946. Afterwards, he joined Esso Research Laboratories in Baton Rouge, La., where he was eventually named director. Joe took an early retirement from Esso in 1970 and went on to become the head of the Engineering Department at Louisiana State University. Among his other accomplishments there, he revitalized the Audubon Sugar Institute and was named its director. After retiring from the university, Joe enjoyed success with his management consulting firm, Top Management. Committed to the community, Joe served on the board of United Way and Temple B’Nai Israel, of which he was a member. Instrumental in obtaining funding for a Louisiana State University campus suicide hotline, Joe was heartened to see the project rolled out communitywide, and the program remains today as the Baton Rouge Crisis Intervention Center or “The Phone.” For several decades Joe carefully recorded the history of both sides of his family, the Lemanns of Louisiana and the Polacks of Maryland, as well as his in-laws, the Shlenkers of Mississippi and New Orleans and the Godchauxes of New Orleans. Preceded in death by his wife of nearly 70 years, Anne Godchaux, Joe was survived by his children, Robert Polack ’63 and Susan Weinstein-Craft; three grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Winter 2017

Obituaries

Marquand H. Lund, on December 15, 2015, of natural causes. A three-year student from West Hartford, Conn., Mark was involved with the Handbook Committee, French Club, Debating Council, Band, Stamp Club, and Ping Pong Club, and he served on the Loomiscellany Board and the Grounds Committee. He was active in Allyn soccer, basketball, and tennis. After Loomis, Mark earned a bachelor’s degree from Yale University and attended Yale School of Medicine. He lived for many years in Montclair N.J., and San Mateo, Calif., and his family reports that he lived a “good, long life” until the age of 92. Preceded in death by his wife Cynthia, Mark was survived by his three children, Mark Lund III, Cynthia B. MacDonald, and Barton Lund; and six grandchildren.

Marshall Figgatt, on August 6, 2016. A two-year student from New York City, Marshall was involved with Student Council, Glee Club, and Senior Chapel Committee. He served as commander in Military Drill, and he was in the cast of Pirates of Penzance. He was active in Allyn senior football and Allyn senior basketball, and he lettered in Allyn senior baseball. In 1944, Marshall enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, serving as a marine rifleman in the Asiatic Pacific Theater during World War II. Afterwards, he earned a bachelor’s degree from Middlebury College in 1951. There, he met classmate Sallie Iliff, whom he married in 1951. Marshall was called back into service with the Marine Corps during the Korean conflict. In his two years of service in Korea, Marshall rose to the rank 58

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of captain and took command of a Marine Infantry Company at Camp Lejeune, N.C., after which he served in the Marine Corps Reserve. Marshall and Sallie settled in the Philadelphia area, where they lived for 20 years and raised their three children. Marshall worked as a stockbroker, an investment banker, and a trust investment officer at Provident National Bank of Philadelphia and the Mercantile Safe Deposit and Trust of Baltimore, Md. For many years he was a member of the Union League of Philadelphia and the Alexander Hamilton Chapter #1 of the Sons of the Revolution at Fraunces Tavern in New York City. Marshall and Sallie later moved to Hilton Head Island, S.C., where he worked for several banks and in the travel business. After Sallie’s death in 1997, he became an active member in the Widows or Widowers interfaith group on Hilton Head, and he was an active member of St. Luke’s Church. In 2011, he moved to Ridgefield, Conn., where he attended St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church and was an active member of the Marine Corps League of Ridgefield. Marshall was preceded in death by Sallie; his son Bruce Edward Figgatt; and his sister, Violet Figgatt Escher. He was survived by his son Thomas Figgatt ’71 and his wife, Bonnie Figgatt; his son Alan Figgatt; and five grandchildren. A funeral service was held at St. Luke’s Church on Hilton Head on August 13, 2016. Interment with military honors took place at Beaufort National Cemetery in Beaufort, S.C. A service of remembrance and celebration of life was held at St. Stephen’s Church, Ridgefield, on August 20, 2016.

Deborah Kassor Murray, on October 1, 2016. Originally from West Hartford, Conn., Debbie served as junior and senior class president at The Chaffee School. Afterwards, she earned a bachelor’s degree from Wellesley College. She met Raymond Murray in high school, and the two were married for 52 years. Debbie and Raymond settled in central New York state with their young family when Raymond went to work at the law office of Bond, Scoeneck, and King, and they remained in the area for 50 years. A mother of six sons, Debbie spoke often about finding fulfillment as a homemaker, mother, friend, and mentor, according to the family obituary. Debbie was active in a number of civic and charitable organizations in the Syracuse, N.Y., area, including the Junior League and the Huntington Family Center. As a young girl she reveled in the outdoor life and nature and continued in that spirit throughout her life with a wide set of interests, including tennis, golf, skiing, gardening, bird-watching, swimming, and exercise. Bridge, mahjong, and book club participation occupied her later in life. Debbie cherished time near the sea, especially at Ballston Beach in Truro, Cape Cod, Mass., and at Vero Beach in Florida. Her family spent time with her at Ballston Beach in August in celebration of her 90th birthday. Debbie made and kept many loyal friends throughout her life. She possessed a generous spirit and a gift for empathy and compassion toward all and could be counted on to support friends in need. Predeceased by Raymond; her son Peter; and her sister Virginia Phelps, Debbie was survived by her children David, Mark, Kevin, Matt, and

Chris and their spouses; 13 grandchildren; three greatgrandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on October 7, 2016, at St. James Church in Cazenovia, N.Y., with burial at St. Mary’s Cemetery, DeWitt, N.Y.

John Brereton Teagle Sr., on October 27, 2015, in Sonora, Calif. A one-year student from the island nation of Aruba, John was involved in Ski Club, Darwin Club, Stamp Club, Fire Fighting Squad, and the work program. He was active in Wolcott senior football and badminton. John earned a bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University in 1953. He served in the U.S. Air Force and later in the reserves. In his professional career as an employee relations manager with Mobil Oil and later with HALCO Mining, John was able to pursue his love of travel with domestic assignments in New York and Pittsburgh and overseas assignments in Africa. Later in his career, John owned and operated Rancho Santa Fe Hardware and Happy Camp Hardware & Lumber, both in California. In 1954, John married Barbara Ann Blanchard and cared for her when she became handicapped until her passing in 2002. After her death, John spent many years traveling “and delighting single ladies with his conversational French, fun-loving personality, chivalry, and dance moves,” according to the family obituary. John was survived by his brother, Leonard Teagle; his children, Deborah and John Jr.; and his grandson.

Obituaries

Phillip L. Isenberg, on July 20, 2016, in Boston, Mass., after a long illness. A native of Hartford, Conn., Phil was engaged in many ways with the school community during his four years at Loomis. His leadership roles included Student Council president and Athletic Council president, and he served on the Executive Committee of the Endowment Fund, the Committee of Review, the Senior Entertainment Committee, and the Senior Executive Committee and as regional chairman of the Public Service Conference W.S.S.F. Phil was a member of the Concert Orchestra and was cast in a number of theater productions. A talented athlete, Phil played on first team football for three years, lettering in junior and senior year and serving as team captain senior year. He also lettered in first team baseball and first team basketball, was Ludlow junior basketball coach, and was in the Boxing Club. Phil was awarded the Batchelder Prize and the Gates Cup for Athletics and Scholarship at Commencement, and his senior classmates named him “Most Likely to Succeed” and “Best Athlete,” among other superlatives. Phil continued on his trajectory of achievement at Harvard University, where he was a captain of the football team and violinist in the HarvardRadcliffe Orchestra. He earned his medical degree at Harvard Medical School and trained in psychiatry. Afterwards, during his two years’ service in the U.S. Army Medical Corps, Phil went through military medical training at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, with his lifelong friend, classmate, and teammate at Loomis and Harvard, Samuel Blumenthal ’47. Boston’s Columbia Point Medical Center,

the first neighborhood health center, was where Phil began his professional career in social psychology, and he subsequently worked at the Boston Veterans Administration Hospital, Beth Israel Hospital, and the Joslin Clinic. In recognition of his clinical talents, Phil was named director of residency training at McClean Hospital, where he mentored young people who became dedicated clinicians, researchers, and academics in the area of psychiatric medicine. After retiring in 1994, he accepted the clinical chair of psychiatry at the American University of Antigua College of Medicine, where he continued to oversee the training of medical students. Preceded in death by his daughter Caroline Rose Isenberg and his step-daughter, Bess Emily Jelin, Phil was survived by his wife, Alice Jelin Isenberg; his children Marcus Isenberg and Emily Davison; his step-son, James Jelin; his sister, Katharine Lavitt; his two nieces, Elizabeth Kohn ’93 and Candice Naboicheck Dolce ’98; and his five grandchildren. Samuel Blumenthal spoke of his dear friend and colleague at a memorial service in September 2016, where he stated that Phil’s ambition was not focused on physical supremacy on the playing field, but on becoming a violin virtuoso. Samuel furthered, “Not domination, but mastery. My Phil Isenberg was great without being grandiose, he was manly without being macho, he was worldly, yet childlike, he was in a word noble, and his nobility, as the philosophers like to say, was the thing itself.”

Alderson Magee, on August 28, 2016, in Vernon, Conn. A three-year student from Hartford, Conn., Sandy, as he

was known, was involved in the Glee Club and active in Allyn junior hockey, soccer, and track. After a three-year enlistment in the U.S. Marine Corps, he went on to earn a bachelor’s degree at the University of Connecticut. Sandy learned to fly airplanes at 19 years of age and was a lifelong aviation enthusiast. As technical representative and director of trade show exhibits in his 16-year career with Pratt & Whitney Aircraft, Sandy was able to travel extensively and met Mary Ann Kaspar, his secretary, who later became his wife. The two married in 1970 and made their home in Sharon, Conn. Sandy changed his career to professional scratchboard artistry. He was named in Who’s Who in American Art and won numerous awards, including the Federal Duck Stamp Award l976, Hudson Valley Art Association Gold Medal of Honor 1975, Salmagundi Fitch Award 1977, Society of Animal Artist 1981, and American Artists Professional League Gold Medal of Honor 1978. Sandy was a founding member of the Connecticut Aeronautical Historical Association and served as secretary. In addition to flying in his private airplane, Sandy enjoyed travel, gardening, sailing, tennis, bread baking, and antique shopping. He will be remembered as a kind, affectionate, and thoughtful person who was possessed of a wonderfully dry sense of humor. He was survived by Mary Ann, his wife of 46 years; his daughter, Kathryn Kenney, and her husband, Raymond; two grandchildren; and several extended family members. A memorial service was held on September 10, 2016, at Saint Bridget’s Church in Manchester, Conn.

Judith Munch Pinney, on June 12, 2016. A four-year student from Hartford, Conn., Judy served as Student Council president and was active in field hockey at The Chaffee School. Judy attended Wheaton College and The Hartt College of Music, and in 1964 she received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Hartford. She took post-graduate courses at Trinity College, Hartford Graduate Center, and New England Institute for Neuro Linguistic Programming, and she was certified in Ericksonian Hypnosis. After doing research work at St. Francis Hospital and medical writing at the University of Connecticut Medical Center, Judy went on to become an accomplished freelance medical writer. A member and fellow of the American Medical Writers Association, American Public Health Association, New York Academy of Sciences, and National Coalition on Aging, Judy also was listed as a distinguished leader in health care by the publication Who’s Who in American Women. She was a secretary and Executive Committee member of the Hartford Chapter of the American Cancer Society and American Red Cross and a board member of Planned Parenthood and the Hartford Conservatory of Music. She was a corporator of Hartford Hospital and a charter board member of the Greater Hartford Community Hospice, and she served on numerous committees. Judy also served as a 60th Reunion chair at Loomis Chaffee in 2006–07. Judy was passionate about her work with Hospice and enjoyed cooking, skiing, tennis, bridge, travel, playing the piano, gardening, classical music, theatre, and mineralogy. She loved learning. Judy’s sister Elizabeth Munch Winter 2017

Obituaries

Michelson ’50 and her son Andrew Kohn ’72 predeceased her. She was survived by her son Peter Kohn and his wife, Jeryl; her two grandchildren; and her daughter-in-law, Martha Kohn. She was married to the late Sidney D. Pinney, Jr. ’41 of Hartford. A memorial service was held on June 17 at Temple Beth Israel, West Hartford, followed by a reception at The Town & County Club, Hartford.

Robert M. Lovell Jr., on Sept. 20, 2016, at home in Morristown, N.J. A two-year student from Glen Ridge, N.J., Bob served as library supervisor and Mason Executive Committee chairman and on the Loomiscellany Diary, Senior Scholarship Committee, and Dining Hall Committee. He was involved in the Classical Music Club, Ping Pong Club, and Atomic Discussion Group. Bob was active in Allyn senior basketball, first team tennis, first team soccer, and Allyn senior football. After Loomis, Bob attended Princeton University under the U.S. Navy ROTC program in the fall of 1948. While there, he became the youngest sports editor ever of The Daily Princetonian and established his own column, “Tailing the Tiger.” After earning his bachelor’s degree in 1952, he served in the U.S. Navy for three years on the destroyer U.S.S. Haynsworth and her sister ship, the Robert K. Huntington, where he earned a Korean conflict medal. Bob’s career in financial investments began in 1955, first with Halsey, Stuart and Company and then for nine years at Lehman Brothers. He was a principle at New Court Securities Corporation of New York before landing at Crum and Forster Insurance 60

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Company, where he spent 30 years in a number of managerial roles. Bob championed the role of women in the financial sector at a time when few women were considered for managerial roles. Bob formed Seneca Capital, named for the Seneca Convention of 1848, which pressed for women’s suffrage, and appointed several women to positions of authority. He took great pride in the company’s success. Bob served his community on the boards of TIAA-CREF, Morristown Medical Center, and American National Bank & Trust and on the investment committee of the American Foreign Insurance Association and the College of Insurance. Bob married Barbara Jane Cronin in 1960, and together they raised four children in their homes in Montclair and New Vernon, N.J. Reading, listening to Mozart, and keeping up with the news were some of the pastimes Bob greatly enjoyed, and he exercised every day. Known professionally for his integrity and investment acuity, Bob will be remembered by his family for his silly dog songs; his margin notations on everything he read; his remarkable ability to spot grammatical errors; and his stoic, uncomplaining acceptance of his decline in health. Bob was survived by his wife, Barbara; his children, Kimberley Hiscano, Kerry Haselton, Tony Lovell, and Matthew Lovell, and their spouses; and six grandchildren. His brother, Douglas K. Lovell, predeceased him.

Lyman A. Page, on July 3, 2016, in Maine. A four-year Honor Roll student from West Hartford, Conn., Lyman was involved in the Political Club, Glee Club, and Senior Found-

ers Committee, and he served on The Log Editorial Board. He served as manager of Allyn football and lettered in first team hockey and first team tennis. After Loomis, Lyman earned a bachelor’s degree from Yale University in 1953; earned a doctor of medicine degree from the Columbia School of Physicians and Surgeons in 1957; and interned at Stanford University. Lyman served with Public Health Service in Washington, D.C., and performed medical research at Dartmouth College and Stanford University. He was the board certified pediatric endocrinologist in the state of Maine, and he practiced pediatrics there from 1970 until 1985. Seeking new challenges in medicine, he moved to Waterbury, Conn., where he was the chief of pediatrics in two hospitals. Lyman became a professor of pediatrics at Yale University and helped train pediatricians from around the world. He led a Yale program in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, at the King Faisal Hospital then returned to practicing pediatrics in Providence, R.I., with Dr. Jay Orson. Lyman joined the faculty at Brown University’s medical school. While in Providence, he also joined the Rev. Daehler Hayes to serve as pediatrician for the Mission Evangelique Babtiste, Bethesda in Haiti. Lyman retired to Kennebunkport, Maine, in 2002. He remained connected to Loomis Chaffee through the years as an alumni volunteer, a Reunion fundraising volunteer, and a member of the John Metcalf Taylor Society. His family has included Loomis Chaffee among the recommended organizations for memorial donations. Survivors included his wife, Gillet Thomas Page; his three children, Lyman Page Jr., Andrew Murtland Page, and Gwen Meredith Page; five

grandchildren; his brother Charles W. Page ’44; and his nephew Thomas M. Green ’68. A memorial service was held on July 16, 2016, at the South Congregational Church in Kennebunkport.

Stanley Pennock Holt, on May 4, 2016, at his home in Townshend, Vt., overlooking the family farm he loved. A four-year student originally from West Hartford, Conn., Stan was involved with the Nautical Club, Chess Club, Student Endowment Fund, Student Council, and Allyn Club Committee. He was active in Allyn senior football, first team hockey, and first team tennis, and he lettered in first team wrestling. After Loomis, Stan attended Middlebury College and Union Theological Seminary in New York. At Middlebury, he met Marjorie Morgan, and the two married in 1954 and raised a family of four children. A Presbyterian minister, Stan served parishes in St. Lawrence County, N.Y., from 1957 until 1961, and he was a University of Cincinnati campus minister from 1961 until 1968. In the late 1960s Stan trained as a community organizer and helped citizens throughout the country, including in Providence, R.I.; Baltimore, Md.,; Fall River, Mass.; Boston, Mass; and Vermont, to develop grass-roots movements to advocate for safer neighborhoods, better housing, and clean air and water. In 1981, Stan moved to Vermont, where he began a Christmas tree, logging, and cord word farm in Townshend, and he became president and champion of the Grace Cottage Hospital Fair Day. He served on the board for the hospital as well as Windham County Youth Services

Obituaries

and Townshend’s Planning Commission. Stan is survived by Marge, his wife of 60 years; his four children, Tim Holt ’74, Laurent Holt, Guy Holt ’77, and Constance Holt, and their spouses; and nine grandchildren. Stan is also survived by more than 150 members of the Pennock Pines family of Skaneateles, N.Y., of which he was the last male member of his generation. According to the family obituary, Stan’s life may be best summed up by the lyrics of his beloved Bob Dylan’s song Forever Young: “May your heart always be joyful; And may your song always be sung; May you stay forever young.” A graveside service was held in Townshend’s Oak Grove Cemetery on June 19, 2016.

Raymond Anthony Burke, on June 10, 2016, in Charlotte, N.C., after a long illness. A fouryear student from New York City, Tony, as he was known, was involved with the Chess Club, Outing Club, Bridge Club, and Science Club, and he was assistant editor of The Loom. He was cast in dramatic productions of Saint Joan and Julius Caesar. Tony was active in Wolcott junior and intermediate football, Wolcott junior and senior basketball, and Wolcott tennis. He attended the University of North Carolina. In 1960, he married Eloise Walker Burke and joined the International Nickel Company in New York as a science writer. Tony then worked as an advertising copywriter for New York advertising agencies, including BBDO and Needham, Harper & Steers. In 1969 he joined the Cargill, Wilson, & Acree advertising agency in Charlotte, N.C. He worked at agencies in Atlanta, Ga.; Dallas, Texas;

Raleigh, N.C.; and Greensboro, S.C., until his retirement in 1993, and he received many awards for advertising over the course of his 40-year career. He was a member of the New York Air National Guard until 1966. Tony was a lifelong history buff and avid board gamer, and he inspired his children to be gamers as well. An early adopter of computer technology in the 1980s, Tony was a welcome resource for colleagues and friends over many years. The family obituary says that he “served as his family’s encyclopedia until the advent of Google in the ’90s.” Tony was survived by his two children, Ann Catherine Burke and Raymond Anthony Burke III, and spouse Cynthia Kanoy Burke; his sister, Marjorie Cahill Curran; his brother, Thomas Francis Patrick Burke; and two grandchildren.

Roy A. Hammer, on April 26, 2016, in Boston, Mass. A three-year student from New York City, Roy was involved in the Spanish Club, Outing Club, Senior Library Committee, and Barbell Club, and he was a laboratory assistant. He was cast in a production of Madwoman of Chaillot. Roy was active in Wolcott junior football, Wolcott tennis, Wolcott soccer, weightlifting, and first team wrestling, and he was captain of Wolcott wrestling. He was named to the Honor Roll in 1949–50 and 1950–51. After earning a bachelor’s degree from Yale University, Roy earned a master’s degree from Columbia University and law degree from Harvard Law School. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army. Deeply committed to justice and the safeguarding of individual rights, Roy enjoyed a long career at the law firm of Hemenway & Barnes in Boston,

where he worked in business and corporate law, trust and state matters, and as a professional trustee. Additionally, Roy served as president of the Massachusetts Bar Association, president of the Massachusetts Bar Foundation, president of the Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, and a member of the American Bar Association’s Board of Governors and House of Delegates. In 2011, the American Bar Association honored him with the Robert F. Drinan Award for Distinguished Service for his leadership in protecting and advancing human rights, civil liberties, and social justice. A student of the law as well as a practitioner, Roy was a member of the American Law Institute and a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. After formally retiring from Hemenway & Barnes in 2006, he continued in a counsel role at the firm and remained involved in many activities, including work with the ABA Center for Human Rights project on human trafficking. Roy was deeply engaged in the Boston community, both as a committed volunteer and a philanthropist, serving as a member of the Board of Governors of the Handel & Haydn Society and as a trustee of the Longy School of Music. He was a retired member of the Board of Directors of Dow Jones & Company and was engaged in the affairs of Dow Jones for many years. A gathering in remembrance took place on June 3, 2016, at the Colonnade Hotel in Boston.

David M. Bidmead, on September 8, 2016. A four-year student from Windsor, Conn., Dave was involved in the Chess Club and Radio Club, and he

served on the Loomis Development Committee and Election Committee. He was active in Allyn senior football, Allyn senior baseball, and barbells. Dave attended Trinity College and received his bachelor’s degree from Central Connecticut State University. Dave served in the U.S. Army for two years. He was a computer programmer for 10 years and retired after working for many years in various security positions. He was survived by his three children, Michael Bidmead, Melissa Quinn, and David Bidmead, and their spouses; and his four grandchildren. After a private service, Dave was buried with military honors in Windsor Veterans Memorial Cemetery.

Priscilla Thrall Eatherton, on September 21, 2016, in Windsor, Conn. A lifelong resident of Windsor, Priscilla served as editor of The Chiel. After Chaffee, she attended Wellesley College in Massachusetts. Priscilla worked for more than 40 years as an architectural administrator, and she especially enjoyed spending time with her two granddaughters. She was survived by her son, James W. Eatherton, and his wife, Helen; her sister, Cynthia Thrall DiFabio ’57, and her husband, Anthony; her sister-in-law, Judith Thrall; her two granddaughters; and several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her brother, Oliver J. Thrall II ’60.

David Margolis, on July 12, 2016, surrounded by family. A four-year Honor Roll student from Hartford, Conn., David was involved in the Foreign Policy Association, Winter 2017

Obituaries

Scholarship Committee, Classics Club, Athletic Council, and The Log, and he was a cheerleader. He was active in Wolcott junior and senior football, lettered in first team baseball, and earned a letter as manager of first team basketball. After Loomis, David attended Brown University. According to the family’s obituary, “he wanted to be a rock-and-roll D.J. but, at his father’s urging, attended Harvard Law School instead.” David enjoyed a distinguished 51-year legal career at the U.S. Department of Justice, where he rose to the position of associate deputy attorney general, the highest-ranking non-political appointment in the department. His career in the Justice Department began in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Hartford. In 1969, David earned notoriety for negotiating the surrender of an armed fugitive on Loomis Chaffee’s baseball diamond, where David had played center field, and the story was covered in The Hartford Courant. In 1969, David joined the Justice Department’s Organized Crime Strike Force, where he served as the attorney-in-charge of the Strike Force in Cleveland and Brooklyn. David became deputy chief of the nationwide Strike Force program in 1976, and he moved to Washington, D.C. He was elevated to chief in 1979 and served in the role until 1990. During that time, David took a seven-month leave of absence to implement the president’s directive establishing the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces. The department achieved its most notable successes against organized crime figures during David’s tenure. In his 25 years as associate deputy district attorney, David served as the Justice Department’s trusted and effective problem solver 62

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to the administrations of both political parties. Despite his many obligations, David found time to mentor and befriend hundreds of colleagues who were drawn to his integrity and sound judgment. He also was known among his colleagues for his mischievous sense of humor and a knack for assigning nicknames. David rarely strayed from his six-day-per-week work schedule but occasionally would take time off to catch a Washington Nationals baseball game, attend his grandchildren’s sporting events, or have lunch with a department alumnus. Adorning the walls of David’s office were numerous awards, photographs, knickknacks, and letters from presidents and attorneys general, which served to preserve memories from significant moments in his working life. David loved Elvis, the New York Yankees, Willie Nelson, and a good steak. He took great pride in the accomplishments of his two daughters and derived immense pleasure from his grandchildren. David was survived by his wife of nearly 50 years, Deborah Lipman Margolis; his brother, Charles; his daughters, Kimberly and Cheryl; his son-in-law, James Mackie; and his four grandchildren. A celebration of David’s life at the Justice Department was planned for late summer 2016. A scholarship has been established at Loomis Chaffee in David’s memory. Donations may be made through the school’s website, www.loomischaffee. org/giving. Please indicate that the donation is in support of the Margolis Scholarship.

Penelope Pepek Murphy, on June 8, 2016, with family by her side in Hartford, Conn. Penny was a four-year student

who lived in Hartford and Windsor throughout her life. At Chaffee, Penny was active in soccer and Ten Pointers, and she served as president of the Political Club. After graduation, she attended Hartford College for Women and earned a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Connecticut. While at UConn she met Philip A. Murphy Jr. The two married in 1970 and joyfully welcomed a daughter, Pamela Ann, in 1981. Penny’s professional life included brief employment at the Hartford Society for Savings followed by a career with Aetna Life and Casualty, where she became the first woman to manage health care accounts for major employers. She left Aetna after Pam was born to look after her family. Later, Penny began another career in education at the Capitol Region Education Council (CREC) working at CREC’s Polaris Center with middle school and high school students. From there, she joined the International Magnet School for Global Citizenship, working initially with preschool and young school-aged children. In addition to running the school lunch and after-school programs, Penny was responsible for organizing and planning special events and activities. In 2013, Penny was named CREC’s Employee of the Year and was honored at a CREC-wide conference. A dedicated and talented gardener, Penny served as a coordinator for Knox Foundation’s greenhouse program and tended her own gardens at her summer home in Niantic, Conn. She loved animals and cared for numerous cats and dogs, including several strays that found their way to her door. Recently Penny welcomed her grandson, Donovan, into her life and characteristically devoted herself to interactions

with him that included exercise, nursery rhymes, numbers, and letters. She enthusiastically followed his daily activities at day care and at home and treasured his pictures, cards, and other gifts. Penny was survived by her husband, Phil; her daughter, Pamela, and husband Gary Woodruff; her grandson; and her extended family members. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on June 14, at St. Patrick-St. Anthony Church, followed by burial in Cedar Hill Cemetery, Hartford.

Amanda Angie Elliott, on May 16, 2016, in West Hartford, Conn., after a long battle with cancer. Mandy, as she was known, was originally from Independence, Mo., and was active in the visual arts at Loomis Chaffee. After graduation, Mandy attended Middlebury College and Paier College of Art. She was a talented visual artist and enjoyed an accomplished career as an interior designer. She was survived by her mother, Patricia DeWitt Elliott; her siblings, Victoria and Chip; and Chip’s family.

Tony Lorenzo Wright, on July 25, 2016. Tony was a three-year student from Palatka, Fla. After graduation from Loomis, Tony earned a bachelor’s degree in business from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Wash. He served in the U.S. Army and worked for the federal government as an auditor. Later he became owner of ZZ’s Chinese & Pop Jones Barbeque restaurant in Tacoma. Tony was survived by his wife, Barbara Jean Wright; his five sons, Eric, Tyron, Robert, Austin, and Jamari; and his three

Obituaries

grandchildren. A funeral service was held on August 4, 2016, in Windsor, Conn., followed by burial in Mount St. Benedict Cemetery, in Bloomfield, Conn.

Matthew J. McArdle, on August 29, 2016, at the Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, where he was awaiting a bilateral lung transplant. A one-year student from Cheshire, Conn., Matt was active in ice hockey. He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and environmental studies from Hobart William Smith College in 1990. In 1997, Matt received a patent on a Collision Mill, which was used to process biomass to clean energy fuels. He founded Mesa Engineering and Processing Inc. and Mesa Bioengineering and Processing, serving as president and chief executive officer until his death. The firm is located on the historic 60-acre Brinderfoff farm, established in 1789, owned by Matt and his wife, Cathy Indelicato McArdle. Matt served as the chair of the New York Bioenergy Association and was a board member of the Cayuga County Public Utility Services Agency. He was a respected leader in bioenergy in New York and nationally for more than 20 years. Matt will be remembered for his charm, great sense of humor, extraordinary wit, and generous spirit. Matt and Cathy enjoyed working together on their farm with their two Great Danes, Helga and J.J., always by their side. He was survived by Cathy, his wife of 10 years; his parents, Jim and Selina McArdle; his brothers, Chris and Joseph McArdle; and many extended family members, in-laws, and friends. A Celebration of Life service was held on September 25, 2016, in Auburn, N.Y.

Former Staff

More News

Norah Elizabeth Smith, on August 19, 2016, at home in Windsor, Conn. Norah had 20 years of service working for Aramark in dining services at Loomis Chaffee. Originally from Aldershot in England, Norah lived for a time in Bermuda and returned to England, where she completed her education and married her husband, Malcolm Smith, who was also on the Loomis staff for 38 years. Nora and Malcolm emigrated to the United States in 1958 and settled in Windsor in 1960, where they made their home and raised two children. Norah helped support the family doing odd jobs and later worked for Sage-Allen & Company. After retirement, Norah and Malcolm enjoyed taking trips during the winter months to Siesta Key, Fla., where they made many friends. Norah enjoyed family celebrations, Windsor Senior Center trips, British TV programs, and spending time with her daughters and grandchildren. She was a member of Grace Episcopal Church in Windsor. Preceded in death by her husband, Malcolm, Norah was survived by her two children, Lynn D. Lauridsen and Wendy E. Bultmann, and their spouses; her three siblings; her four grandchildren; and many special family members and friends throughout North America and England. A funeral service was held on August 25, 2016, in the chapel of the Carmon Windsor Funeral Home, followed by burial in Riverside Cemetery in Windsor.

The Alumni Office has learned of the 2016 passing of Lawrence Mason Baldwin ’33 on November 11, Thomas Clark Jackson ’39 on November 16, Austin Ross ’39 on October 8, James C. Cook ’41 on March 3, Richard L. Deane ’45 on October 28, William Clark Wilkins ’48 on October 15, Richard P. Litter ’50 on July 25, Arnold Lowell Case ’52 on November 1, Lee Hausser ’54 on October 8, Richard J. Rappaport ’70 on October 18, Thomas W. Stevens ’96 in June, and former faculty member and football coach William N. Eaton on December 9. Additionally, notification of the passing of Thomas E. Bates ’46 on September 29, 2015, was received. More information, as available, will be printed in future editions.

Winter 2017

Reflections

THEN: 1917 Loomis ice hockey team Photo: Loomis Chaffee Archives

Ice Hockey Then and Now Loomis Chaffee is celebrating 100 years of ice hockey at the school this winter. Here is a taste of the inaugural season: “ Now that the hockey season has closed, it is fitting that we should make mention of the first Loomis hockey team. …

Arthur Howe

We have not only had one team but we have had one that every fellow in the school can be proud of. They have won all the games that could have been expected for the first season of hockey and have established hockey as a regular winter sport at Loomis. Throughout the season there has been no question about the determination of the men. They have nailed boards, shoveled snow, and pumped water. … Another year should find us better equipped in every way. …” — Coach Arthur Howe, from “A Brief Summary of the Season as Seen by Coach Howe,” The Loomis LOG, March 14, 1917

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NOW: The 2016–17 girls varsity team celebrates winning the Patsy K. Odden Tournament at Taft in December 2016, and the 2013–14 boys varsity team rejoices at winning the New England Large School Championship Tournament in March 2014. Photos: (top) Chelsea Ouellette ’08 and (bottom) Anja Mutschin

The Loomis Chaffee School 4 Batchelder Road Windsor, Connecticut 06095 CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

Proud of their studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; performance, Orchestra Director Kalena Bovell and Wind Ensemble Director David Winer relax after the winter concert. Photo: John Groo

Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage Paid Loomis Chaffee School