Loomis Chaffee Alumni Magazine by Loomis Chaffee

Magazine

The Brain Senegal on the Island Alumni Writers

SPRING 2013

Spring 2013/ Volume LXXV, No. 2 ON THE COVER Our cover illustration ponders the brain and how it learns, a subject that fascinates neuroscientists and Loomis Chaffee teachers alike. See our feature story on this topic beginning on page 20. Illustration: Patricia J. Cousins / Istock ON THIS PAGE Juniors Lawson Kelly and Christina Wang Photo: John Groo DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING | Lynn A. Petrillo ’86 MANAGING EDITOR | Becky Purdy CLASS NEWS | James S. Rugen ’70 OBITUARIES | Katherine A.B. Langmaid CONTRIBUTORS | Rachel Allen, Katherine A.B. Langmaid, Jeuley Ortengren, Mary Coleman Forrester, Karen Parsons, Alexandra Muchura, Lisa Salinetti Ross, Timothy Struthers ’85, and KeriAnne Travis DESIGNER | Patricia J. Cousins PRINTING | Lane Press 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@loomischaffee.org PRINTED AT LANE PRESS Burlington, Vermont Printed on 70# Sterling Matte, an SFI sheet SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY INITIATIVE POSTMASTER Send address changes to The Loomis Chaffee School 4 Batchelder Road Windsor CT 06095

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INSIDE

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Sophomore Robert Finlay Photo: Tom Honan

20 | Gray Matters

As recent leaps forward in neuroscience begin to unveil how the brain learns, teachers at Loomis Chaffee are drawing from the discoveries to develop new teaching methods and fine-tune existing approaches that work well.

30 | The Spirit of Senegal An idea for bringing a guest percussionist to campus this winter grew into a two-day, interdisciplinary exploration of Senegalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s music, art, language, history, health care, and culture.

38 | The Write Stuff Our annual update on alumni authors features Keith Scribner â&#x20AC;&#x2122;80, a novelist whose stories explore the American Dream and whose writing has earned critical praise and a growing readership.

Go to Loomis Chaffee online @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. Scan the QR code at left with your smart phone and instantly link to the magazine or go to loomischaffee.org/magazine.

Headlines | by Sheila Culbert

Community Building

hese are exciting times on the Island. This spring we break ground on a new dormitory, which, if all goes according to plan, we will open in the fall of 2014 just as we celebrate the school’s centenary. Located across from Sellers Field baseball diamond and adjacent to Sellers Hall, home to the Office of Admission, the dormitory will form a small, intimate quadrangle along with Gwendolen and Kravis halls. The dorm’s architect, Craig Saunders, also designed Sellers and Kravis halls, as well as the Hubbard Music Center. He has a keen sense for the Loomis Chaffee aesthetic and is careful to maintain the architectural integrity that distinguishes us.

The dormitory will house 50 students, four faculty families, and a state-of-the-art Health Center. Gwendolen Hall, erected in 1919 and named for Nathaniel Batchelder’s first wife, who died in childbirth, has served as our Health Center since it opened. Unquestionably a beautiful Georgian building, it is nonetheless outdated as a health care facility. The new Health Center, which will keep the Gwendolen name, will bring together all of our health-related staff, including nurses, physicians, and counselors, under one roof where they will continue to be available 24/7. Once the Health Center and the College Guidance Office move, we will renovate Gwendolen, under a new name, into a small dormitory for 22 students and two faculty families, perhaps by 2016. The two projects together will add 72 new beds for boarding students. We will, however, 2 |

close the small Longman Hall, which currently houses 10 students and one faculty member, and also will relieve crowding in some of the existing dormitories so that the total of new beds added will be around 50. These additional beds will allow us to respond to the realities of our changing market, where the demand from boarding applicants is significantly outpacing the demand from day applicants. We remain strongly committed to both student constituencies,

Head of School Sheila Culbert reviews plans for a new dormitory with senior Rekha Kennedy, sophomore William Parsons, senior Shannon McCabe, senior Amy Ward, sophomore Michaela Esteban, and sophomore Aidan Dunlavey. Photo: John Groo

At left is an artist's rendering of the east side and north entry of the new dorm. Tecton Architects Inc

even as the addition of the new dormitories returns the ratio of boarding to day students to the one we had during the first half-century of the school’s existence. The larger of the two new dormitories will most probably be for girls although the new boarding students will not all be girls. So, we will need to reconfigure the gender make-up of the existing dormitories—no easy task! Just as some past male graduates of the school had to become accustomed to the idea of girls in Palmer, Mason, and Ammidon, so perhaps future female graduates may have to get used to having boys Building | continued page 52

Our dormitories become homes for generations of students, some of whom are away from home for the first time. Here they will find a warm and safe haven where they can forge deep friendships that will last them a lifetime, where they will learn a measure of independence and self-reliance, and where they will live with adults who care deeply about their well-being.

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A Vista on the World

arch Break brought adventures in travel and community service for several groups of students on school-sponsored trips. The Center for Global Studies organized trips to India and the Dominican Republic as international learning experiences for two groups of students. And the Community Service Program led a trip to Florida, where students volunteered at Give Kids the World, a storybook resort for children with life-threatening illnesses.

The global studies trips spanned more than two weeks and engaged the students in other cultures. “The central theme that we are trying to convey with these trips abroad is cultural empathy and a cross-cultural understanding. It sounds rather simplistic, and the beauty of it is that it is,” says Alexander McCandless, Christopher H. Lutz director of the Center for Global Studies.

Alec and Associate Director of College Guidance Andrea Rooks ventured to India with 14 students. The group traveled in urban and rural areas, visited the Taj Mahal and other landmarks, and spent time at the Fabindia School in Bali, Rajasthan, a school dedicated to providing affordable and equal-opportunity education at the rural level. “While the trip at times could be overwhelming and emotionally and physically challenging, it was absolutely amazing,” Alec says. “There were times when your psyche was assaulted by poverty, beggars, women with screaming babies,

extremely loud traffic, and just the mass amount of people that were all in one area, but it was paralleled with such vibrancy and appreciation for life, which was an eye-opening experience for everyone included. The scope of poverty and wealth that students were able to see gave them a sense of what a few dollars of [gross domestic product] capital means. We are constantly simplifying, and we give generalizations to kids to help them to understand the world, but the truth is that you can’t make simple statements about a world that is so complex. Students realized that India is just as complex as the U.S., even if shown in different ways.” In another global studies trip, Marley Matlack, associate director of the center; Charles Bour, Spanish teacher; and eight students traveled to the Dominican Republic, where they worked with Cambiando Vias, a U.S.-based non-profit continued next page

Students visit the Taj Mahal during their travels in India in March. Photo: Alec McCandless

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organization that builds international partnerships through the construction of houses for families in need. The group worked with 90 members of the Dominican community to build a complete house, ready for occupancy, in one week’s time. “It was so wonderful to see the kids do hard work and be so willing to jump in wherever they were needed. They were all really excited about the community and the connections that they were able to make regardless of language barriers,” Marley says. “On the last morning that we were in the small, rural town, the house was complete, and we said goodbye and thank you to the family. We all had tears in our eyes because of the time that we had spent together.” Helping others was also the aim of a March trip to Orlando, Florida, for seven students and Roseanne Lombardo, director of the Loomis Chaffee Community Service Program. At Give Kids the World, which provides week-long, cost-free fantasy vacations to children with life-threatening illnesses and their families, the Loomis group participated in theme parties to entertain the guests, played games, helped with crafts, and cooked and served various meals. “We were really able to see that it’s the small things that matter and can make a difference in someone’s life,” Roseanne reflects. Juniors Whitney and Victoria Smith proposed the community service trip after volunteering at the resort the previous March Break. “I researched it and thought that it was a fantastic way to help,” Roseanne says. “I think that it’s amazing that these students took a week of their spring vacation to participate in such a non-selfish activity just because they really believe in the cause and are passionate about it. It was an honor to work with and watch them be so enthusiastic about volunteering.”

Photo: John Groo

Spirit Prevails as Spoon Tradition Ends

celebrated tradition has ended after 65 years with the announcement in April that the Loomis Chaffee and Kent football teams no longer will play each other in the storied Spoon Game.

Because of new rules in the Erickson Football League, of which Kent is a member, the Lions will not play the Pelicans on the gridiron next fall, marking the end of a football rivalry that has special meaning and memories for many in the Loomis Chaffee community. Kent will continue to play Loomis in other sports. The Erickson League recently adopted a rule that requires each of the eight league teams to play all other members of the league. With an eight-game schedule, just one non-league game remains on these teams’ schedules. “We had hoped that Kent would keep us on their schedule, even if that meant moving the Spoon Game to earlier in the season, but Kent has chosen to play Andover in its open slot next fall,” explains Bob Howe ’80, Loomis Chaffee director of athletics. Hotchkiss, another member of the Erickson League, also has chosen to play a school other than Loomis for its non-league game next fall. Loomis is a member of the New England Class A Independent Football League. The Pelicans will play a schedule next fall that includes Class A League members Andover, Choate, Cushing, Deerfield, Exeter, Northfield Mount Hermon, and Worcester and Erickson League members Avon and Trinity-Pawling.

Sophomore Kelsey Duffy, senior Javier Barreto, junior Jesse Joffray, and senior Caroline Landy approach a statue of Christopher Columbus in the Parque Colon in the Colonial Zone of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Photo: Marley Matlack

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For many years, Loomis Chaffee was a member of the Erickson League, a league named for Ralph Erickson, the legendary

Loomis football coach and athletic director. However, four years ago, the school decided to leave the league, believing that the league’s rules limited Loomis’ chances to improve its struggling football program and compete effectively both in the league and against non-league teams such as Deerfield, Andover, and Exeter. Over the past four years under the guidance of head coach Charles Reid, Loomis’ football program has flourished, attracting large numbers of players of all experience levels and fielding competitive varsity, JV, and III teams. The varsity team has posted 5-3 records for each of its last two seasons. After their years on the Island, footballplaying graduates contribute positively on the fields, in the classrooms, and on the campuses of some of the country's top academic colleges and universities. “I will miss the tradition and school spirit surrounding the Spoon Game, but I know that a rivalry reveals a school’s spirit rather than creating it,” Head of School Sheila Culbert comments. “Whether we strive to win an oversized spoon or some other symbol of bragging rights, we still have great teams, a great school to rally around, and a wealth of unflagging pride in our Loomis Chaffee.” Although competition for the Spoon has ended, Bob says both schools want to continue the tradition of playing for the Ward Bowl, which goes to the school that wins the most games (soccer and field hockey) between Kent and Loomis on the last day of the regular season. For more information about the change and a link to Sheila Culbert’s blog on the topic, go to loomischaffee.org / magazine.

Grant Launches Environmental Fellowship Program

recent $250,000 grant from the Wallace Research Foundation has led to the establishment of the Gilchrist Environmental Fellowship program at Loomis Chaffee, contributing to the sustainability efforts already in place at the school. An oversight committee this spring awarded the first fellowships under the annual program. Students, faculty, and staff can apply for sponsorship and funding through the program for projects they want to pursue to advance environmental efforts at the school. The fellowships enable recipients to immerse themselves in their projects and watch them come to fruition — from formulating the idea and proposal to analyzing costs and coordinating with vendors. Each awarded project will receive recognition in an awards ceremony and in a placard installed near the completed project. Named in honor of Thomas Gilchrist ’29, former Trustee (1962–1980) and chairman of the board (1975–1980), the program results from a grant initiated by his son, Alex Gilchrist ’80, a director of the Wallace Research Foundation.

“The program evolved organically,” LC Sustainability Coordinator Jeff Dyreson said. “Alex was interested in doing something with Loomis and found a synergy between his own interests and that of the school when it came to sustainability. The program allows anyone within the Loomis community to bring forth a sustainable initiative and submit a proposal for their idea, which is then reviewed by a committee and has the chance of becoming sponsored and awarded.”

he Gilchrist Environmental Fellowship Committee announced the T following funded projects in April: onstruction of an additional composter and chicken enclosure, • C awarded to Work Program Coordinator Peter Gwyn. ttendance at the Green Schools Conference in February in Florida, • A awarded to junior Alida Ratteray, junior Minsoo Kim, sophomore Biri Guerrero, and faculty member Jean Sapula. • Installation of new water fountains with bottle-dispensing capabilities, awarded to sophomore Anna Costello. • E xpansion of the community garden plot, awarded to Biri, Minsoo, and the Grounds Department. • Installation of low-energy LED lighting in the Loomis Dining Hall, awarded to junior Lauren Rubino. • A ttendance at a Brown University summer program in environmental leadership, awarded to junior Keara Jenkins. “Anyone who has contributed to a campus project now, in 2013, can come back in 20 or 30 years when sustainability is a way of life and say that they were in on the grassroots movement, that they were on the forefront of this,” Jeff said. “Since the fellowship is an endowed fund, it is now part of the DNA of the school, and the spirit of sustainability will be something that’s ongoing. … We’re especially excited about how many areas this can potentially impact across campus and the educational impact this can have for the students here.”

Green Gains

oomis Chaffee this year placed third — its highest finish ever — in the Green School Alliance Green Cup Challenge. The school has participated in the annual challenge for the past 10 years, and this year’s savings of 1,456 kWh per person, a 9.6 percent reduction in electricity usage since last year’s challenge, outdid all but two of the 19 boarding schools competing in the challenge. The effort resulted in an estimated $2,600 savings in electricity costs for the school. The Green Cup Challenge aims to raise awareness about climate change and encourage resource conservation at schools across the country. At Loomis, a council of faculty and

students organized the school’s effort. The council included physics teacher and lead faculty for the challenge Julia Hinchman, Sustainability Coordinator Jeffrey Dyreson, Assistant Athletic Trainer Jean Sapula, and juniors James Dion and Keara Jenkins. The challenge ran for one month this winter. Each dormitory was monitored for electricity reduction, and all dorms dropped their energy use significantly. The school offered incentives to encourage student participation in the conservation effort. Dorms received prizes for saving energy, students could earn permission to wear jeans during the class day, and individual students who

More than 50 students and faculty members from 14 schools spent April 15 at Loomis Chaffee for the New England Independent Schools Sustainability Conference.

were seen committing sustainable acts were entered into a raffle for gift certificates to businesses such as Starbucks.

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Financial Aid Initiative Gains Momentum

he Financial Aid Initiative, launched by an anonymous donor in 2010 to significantly increase funds for student financial aid, continues to gain momentum. In its first three years, the initiative has attracted 41 gifts and pledges, each of $50,000 or more, for a total of $5.8 million, and the anonymous donor has added $1 million to the initial matching pledge.

The initiative supports a founding ideal of Loomis Chaffee: accessible education. The philanthropic vision of the five founding siblings was to create a school that talented students could attend regardless of their socioeconomic or ethnic origins. Loomis Chaffee maintained this vision until the 1950s, when it was forced to begin charging tuition. Despite this reality, the school seeks to preserve the ideals set forth by the founding siblings, aspiring to enroll the best and brightest students regardless of their ability to pay tuition. In the spring of 2010, the anonymous donor committed $3.3 million in matching dollars to establish the Financial Aid Initiative. The premise of the initiative was simple: All gifts and pledges of $50,000 or more to the financial aid endowment would be matched by 50 percent. The initiative quickly attracted interest, generating 14 gifts and commitments totaling more than $1.4 million by the fall of 2011. Inspired by the positive response to the initiative, the anonymous donor has committed an additional $1 million in matching dollars, for a total of $4.3 million. Once completed, the initiative will provide $13 million for the financial aid endowment. Approximately $1.4 million in matching funds remains available.

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Photo: John Groo

Establishing a scholarship fund not only provides access for a worthy student who would not otherwise be able to attend, but also offers a meaningful way for a donor to honor his or her Loomis Chaffee association. Jay Wiener ’73 was pleased to have the opportunity to further his own commitment to financial aid. Jay, who will celebrate his 40th Reunion in June, recently established the Jay L. Wiener Class of 1973 Scholarship Fund through the Financial Aid Initiative. This scholarship, which is intended to support a student from the South, enabled Jay to express appreciation for his Loomis Chaffee experience by providing scholarship support for a student with a background not unlike his own. Remarks Jay, “Having no family, this scholarship serves as my way of educating the next generation to lead and make the world into a better place to live. With the cost of education rising, I know that Loomis Chaffee will be well served by my support.”

Another recent participant, Lucinda Petersen Bingham ’60, took advantage of the Financial Aid Initiative to establish a scholarship in honor of her mother, Marion F. Petersen, who instilled in Cindy the importance of a good education. While recognizing her mother’s longstanding commitment to education, Cindy also wanted to honor her Chaffee experience by having the scholarship benefit a deserving female student. “The women in my generation were not expected to have careers, but our entire class adapted to the changes and opportunities that came in the ’60s for women,” she says. “I believe our Chaffee experience provided the foundation to make that possible, and I am pleased to help provide that foundation for future generations of young women.” As Loomis Chaffee prepares for its second century, the issue of affordability remains a top priority. For the 2012–13 academic year, the school provided $7.9 million in grants to 34 percent of the student body, with average grants covering 75 percent of tuition. By comparison, many of Loomis Chaffee’s peer schools were able to offer financial aid to 37 percent to 45 percent of their students. Although more and more students are applying to the school each year, the number of families requesting financial aid is increasing at a quicker pace. In fact, each year the school faces a $1 million gap between financial aid dollars available and the amount of funding needed by all of the students the school would like to admit. Through the generosity of this anonymous donor, Loomis Chaffee is working hard to close that gap.

Photo: New York Times

Bruni ’82 to Speak in June

rank Bruni ’82, an op-ed columnist for The New York Times and author of the bestsellers Ambling into History and Born Round, will speak at Loomis Chaffee’s Commencement on June 7. Originally from Avon, Connecticut, Frank attended Loomis Chaffee for three years. He was co-editor then editor of The Loom, played varsity water polo, co-captained the varsity swim team, and received the Brown University Book Prize. He went on to attend the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in English, was a Morehead Scholar, and served on the staff of the daily student newspaper. After college, he attended Columbia University, won a Pulitzer Traveling Fellowship, and received a master’s degree in journalism. Frank worked at The Detroit Free Press before joining The New York Times in 1995. He worked as the Times’ Rome bureau chief, lead reporter on George W. Bush’s 2000 presidential campaign, White House correspondent, chief restaurant critic, cocktails columnist, and staff writer for The New York Times Sunday Magazine before becoming an op-ed columnist in June 2011. He is the first openlygay columnist in the history of The New York Times. He has written about a variety of topics, from the political to the cultural to the personal.

Blonde Ambition Legally Blonde hit the NEO stage in February. The sold-out musical, tracing a sorority girl’s unlikely path to defense attorney stardom, featured the acting, singing, and dancing talents of 30 student cast members; the backstage and booth skills of a student technical crew; and the musicianship of a live pit orchestra that included students, faculty members, and guest musicians. In this scene, main character Elle Woods (senior Sarah Horowitz) “applies” to Harvard Law School. Photo: Wayne Dombkowski

Board Adopts Diversity Mission Statement

“

he Loomis Chaffee Board of Trustees this winter unanimously adopted the diversity mission statement proposed by the Diversity Task Force last July. In their discussion of the statement, the Trustees reaffirmed the board’s and school’s commitment to diversity, inclusivity, and multiculturalism. “From its founding, Loomis Chaffee has held both diversity and community among its highest aspirations. The diversity mission statement reflects just how essential those values remain to the school, serving not only to affirm our profound belief in this common good, but also to inspire all of us to remember, always, our best selves,” said Pauline Chen ’82, Trustee and chair of the task force. The diversity mission statement will be part of the Loomis Chaffee story in print and electronic communications, including the website, and will serve as a guide for students, faculty, staff, and administrators. Meanwhile, offices and departments across campus are working toward putting the task force’s other recommendations into practice. Head of School Sheila Culbert will update the board on diversity initiatives as part of her regular communications with Trustees,

We honor our Founders’ intentions as we broaden our perspectives. Greater diversity places emphasis on the collective ‘common’ even as we continue to define and foster ‘good.

”

— Al Freihofer ’69

and the Diversity Task Force will reconvene next fall to conduct a comprehensive review of the progress toward the report’s recommendations. Task force member Al Freihofer ’69, director of the Norton Family Center for the Common Good and a former Trustee, reflected on the board’s action. “While it’s almost a cliché to state that diversity at LC is an imperative because we are so closely tied to — and are quickly coming to

mirror — the global community of which we are a part, I am especially optimistic regarding the expansive definition of ‘diversity’ embraced by ... the school,” he said. “We honor our Founders’ intentions as we broaden our perspectives. Greater diversity places emphasis on the collective ‘common’ even as we continue to define and foster ‘good.’” Diversity Mission Statement The Loomis Chaffee School is committed to sustaining an environment in which diversity is one of the cornerstones of our community. Only when the community fully commits to the pursuit of justice, equity, and inclusivity is it then able to maximize the benefits of diversity. As an institution steeped in the liberal arts tradition, students and faculty regularly engage material that is enhanced by the multiplicity of voices within our school. We fundamentally believe that we become better people when we learn from and embrace others who have different experiences and perspectives from our own. Accordingly, the Loomis Chaffee School places great value on respect for the dignity and contribution of each and every one of its members.

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Around The Quads | The Big Picture

Paneled Rooms Junior Juwon Jun’s untitled painting on five, hinged panels received a national Gold Medal Award in the Scholastic Art Contest this year. The painting, inspired by Virginia Woolf’s essay “Professions for Women,” draws on the abstract idea of “room” and peers into the physical rooms of five individuals, capturing them in their private spaces. Juwon’s work will be honored at a national awards ceremony in Carnegie Hall in New York City at the end of May. Photo: John Groo

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Learning from Artists in Residence

nstallation artist Lorrie Fredette and printmaker Lynn Peterfreund each spent a week on campus students this winter sharing their craft with Loomis Chaffee students through the school’s Visiting Artist Program.

Ms. Fredette’s work is inspired by the world of environmental and medical news revolving around pandemic and epidemic diseases. “I became attracted to this idea one morning when I was reading the science section of The New York Times,” she says. “I was surprised that I gravitated toward these articles and realized that I didn’t understand a lot of what I was reading. That’s when I decided to take it to the studio. I use my art as a way to explain different phenomena using the human body as a landscape and creating a portrait of it on a microscopic level.” Ms. Fredette uses wire, muslin, and beeswax in a repetitive nature to create cell-like structures that represent infectious diseases. Each installation creates a neutral palette, enlivening aroma, and velvet-like texture — a technique she uses to lure viewers into the work of art and begin a conversation that raises awareness. “In our society, we always want beauty and whatever is beautiful,” she says. “The work that I do has been said to be just that, beautiful, and entices touch. I like the idea that when you view or touch my work, you think you’re seeing or touching something beautiful, but it’s really infectious.”

Photo: Patricia Cousins

Camera Obscura Views Lorrie Fredette Photo: Jeuley Ortengren

Mr. Morell’s work revolves around the idea of taking a closer look at everything in life, transforming the familiar into something surprising, blurring lines of reality and fiction, and demonstrating that the ordinary is not so ordinary. Using different perspectives, his work not only confuses, but also jars the viewer’s expectations. Many of his photographs take everyday objects and events, such as water pouring from a jar, books, maps, or American money, and manipulate their images using camera obscura techniques, creating an ominous and dramatic effect.

Ms. Fredette has made social commentary on a variety of medical and environmental issues, including malaria; small pox; the swine, avian, and Spanish flu epidemics; and the expanded incidence of poison ivy with the increase of greenhouse gases. Ms. Peterfreund shared her passion for printmaking with art students during her week on campus. She says she developed an interest in the medium during her own high school art class.

Lynn Peterfreund Photo: Rachel Allen

She describes printmaking as revolving around the element of surprise. Her most recent work consists of 206 monotypes of crows that are woven together seamlessly to simulate an animation. The work is hopeful, showing our necessity to go through obstacles in life and be successful, she explains. Ms. Peterfreund uses a combination of materials to create her prints, including rollers, brushes, spatulas, and cloth. She says she tries to create each image so that it has a certain character and a particular lyrical mood. Much of her work uses a layering technique that makes each image unique. “It can be complicated, knowing what you want and having several different ways of getting it,” she said. “But I love that moment of quiet where you are just the printer.” To see and learn more about both artists, go to loomischaffee.org / magazine.

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oted Cuban American photographer Abelardo Morell visited campus in February and presented a slide lecture on his work.

“We cannot afford to see life directly without any means or mediums; life is too big, too radiant, too chaotic, so we all need some way to observe life,” he has said. Mr. Morell’s visit to campus and an earlier viewing of the film Shadow of the House: Photographer Abelardo Morell were presented by the Center for Global Studies and the Visual Arts Department. Mr. Morell was born in Cuba and immigrated to the United States with his family when he was still a boy. He lives in Brookline, Massachusetts, with his wife and children and continues to create art, teach, publish, and exhibit his work. He recently visited his homeland after 40 years living in exile.

brilliant!

Windsor High School's Teens of Praise Gospel Choir performs in Founders Chapel. Photo: junior Sarah Regan

MLK Week Brings Song, Dance, Discussion

week-long campus celebration in January of Martin Luther King Jr. and his legacy featured song, dance, poetry, and heart-felt discussion.

has autism, whose parents are deaf, and who was raised by his grandfather; and a man with cerebral palsy — Mr. Fowlin drew from many of his own experiences.

Student performances at an all-school assembly paid homage to Dr. King. The student multicultural organization PRISM held a “hot topics” discussion. The dining hall served a meal that included Dr. King’s favorite dishes. Guest speaker Michael Fowlin presented a moving one-person show, “You Don’t Know Me Until You Know Me,” followed by smallergroup discussions. And the Windsor High School Teens of Praise Gospel Choir shook Founders Chapel with a standingroom only performance, including two numbers with members of the Loomis Chaffee Concert Choir.

His performance dealt with a wide range of issues, including race, discrimination, violence prevention, personal identity, suicide, gender equity, homophobia, and the emotional pain felt by special education children, and he tied his overriding message to the teachings of Dr. King. “I think that Dr. King wasn’t speaking of an equality for certain people, but equality in general, and until we are all equal, we are all oppressed,” he told the captivated audience of students, faculty, and staff in the Olcott Center.

Keynote speaker Mr. Fowlin, who has performed on campus several times through the years, crafted his one-person show to turn moments of tragedy and pain in his own life into something helpful for others. Portraying a cast of characters — a 6-year-old boy with attention deficit disorder; a gay, black football player; a Jewish boy; a high school girl battling anxiety and an eating disorder; a freshman at Brown University whose brother

Mr. Fowlin encouraged his listeners to reveal their true selves to people and to accept others for who they truly are. “We constantly want to present our best face and hide our shadow self,” he said. “Most of you, your best friends don’t even know who you are. … What we don’t realize is that the things that change us [for] better are oftentimes the things that have hurt us — we understand other people’s pain if we’ve been through the same kind.”

 In its seventh year, the Mardi Gras Benefit Dinner, organized by the Pelican Service Organization, raised more than $2,500 for donation to the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center and various Hartford-area children’s antiviolence programs. More than 250 members of the Loomis Chaffee community attended the dinner in the Wilbur Dining Hall and enjoyed festive dishes prepared by parents, faculty, staff, and students.  Strong contingents of Loomis students participated in Model United Nations conferences hosted by Yale University and Boston University this winter. At the Yale conference, LC students represented the Russian Federation and Colombia, and six Loomis participants received awards for their contributions. At the Boston University conference, Loomis students represented delegations from India and the Dominican Republic, and five LC students received awards.  For her poem “Las Raices,” junior Natalia Gutierrez was chosen as a semifinalist for the Smith College Poetry Prize for Girls, a regional contest for sophomore and junior girls.  Junior Suzie Jung won a Silver Key Award in the regional Scholastic Writing Competition for her personal narrative delving into the effects of school bullying.  Based on his intensive science research on osteoarthritis last summer, senior Leon An was named a semifinalist in the Siemens Foundation Competition in Math, Science, and Technology.  Members of the senior class donated $444.75 to the Loomis Chaffee Annual Fund during the Senior Dollar Drive this winter and topped 96 percent participation. With a challenge pledge from Trustee Jason Karp ’94, who matched senior contributions and added $1,000 for every 10 percentage points above 50 percent participation, the class raised a total of $4,889.50.  Senior Robert Francalangia’s essay on freedom of speech earned second place and a $500 prize in the Annual First Amendment High School Essay Contest sponsored by the Connecticut chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.  Juniors Victoria Smith and Eliana Zhou went undefeated and placed second out of 24 novice teams at the Debating Association of New England Independent Schools Parliamentary Debate Tournament in February. Sophomore Terry Roh had the third-highest novice speaker score at the tournament. The previous month, juniors Leah Rubin and Alexandra Smith, sophomore Billy Holloway, and freshman Laurie Zielinski each recorded two wins and one loss at the Connecticut Debate Association Tournament, and Billy was two points away from the top varsity speaker at the tournament.  Senior Nina Sayles (mallet percussion) and junior Elizabeth Lee (double bass) participated in the Connecticut Music Educators Association All-State Music Festival in early April.

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Around The Quads

Leaders and Lollipop Moments

uest speaker Drew Dudley stood in front of the school’s 650 students and asked a question: “How many of you are completely comfortable with saying you’re a leader?” A few students raised their hands, as Mr. Dudley had expected. He wanted to change the minds of those who had kept their hands down. “We take the title of ‘leader’ and we treat it as if it is something that one day we are going to deserve," he said. "We start to devalue the things that we do every day. We start to take moments where we truly are a leader, and we don’t let ourselves take credit for it, and we don’t let ourselves feel good about it.” Mr. Dudley, founder of Nuance Leadership Development Services, visited Loomis Chaffee on February

7 as part of the Hubbard Speakers Series. He spoke to students about the checklist that can dictate people’s lives. “We treat this list like a giant scavenger hunt where everyone has identical cards, and it’s a race to check off as many accomplishments as you can because you are competing with everyone else," he said. "We have undefinable goals on undefinable timelines where we allow professors’, teachers’, and employers’ opinions of us to matter more than what we think of ourselves.” He offered four guidelines for students: “Number one, you are way more brilliant than any test you will ever take. [Number] two, school is the last place where your ability on a test is more valuable than helping, changing, and doing things. [Number] three, success and leadership

Students meet Drew Dudley after the convocation. Photo: Patricia Cousins

can’t be measured by job titles and paychecks. And [number] four, work incredibly hard to make your grades extraordinary because they will open doors, even kick them down, but do not make them a measure of your worth as a human being.” Mr. Dudley wove into his presentation stories of people in his life who had helped define his understanding of the word “leader.” Among them was the story of a student at his alma mater who told him that he had changed her life, in one moment — a phenomenon that he has dubbed a

“lollipop moment.” “Every single one of you has been a catalyst for a lollipop moment,” he told the audience. “It can be frightening to think we matter that much to other people because as long as we make leadership something bigger than us, as long as we keep leadership something beyond us, as long as we make it about changing the world, we give ourselves the excuse not to expect it every day from ourselves and from each other.”

Author Explores Complexities and Contradictions of Modern India

“I

ndia is a very complicated place,” author Siddhartha Deb told a convocation audience in February before proceeding to show, through his talk and readings from his book The Beautiful and the Damned, just how complicated his native country is. Mr. Deb’s book tackles the challenges facing modern India. His juxtaposition of characters in the non-fiction narrative offers metaphors for the current state of the country and examines the social, gender, political, and class divides that pervade India. Mr. Deb read excerpts from the first and last chapters of the book, which portray the lives of a management guru who owns a business empire and a middle-class waitress who

works at an upscale restaurant in New Delhi. The book also follows farmers who battle debt and climate change’s repercussions, coal miners who suffer from the daily hardships of a life path they might not have followed if given a choice, and other individuals representing the spectrum of life in India. Health, especially of women, is a major problem in India, Mr. Deb noted during the convocation. “You can easily tell the class of a person by their size, their weight — the contrast is very visible,” he said, “and while I was working on my book, I found that there are people who are willing to admit after looking around that there is something very wrong with the system where they are living.”

Following the convocation, students met with the author in the Parton Room for a question-and-answer session. Mr. Deb discussed issues in India ranging from the class system and gender inequities to the dilemma of land and food abundance. “I’m really glad that I wrote the book, but looking back now, I know I should have been more critical,” he said. “In talking about democracy, the right to be critical is what it’s all about. I keep going through VISA regimes [in traveling from abroad to the United States] because I want the right to be able to criticize and the right to say that in the functioning of democracy [in India] that something is deeply problematic.” Photo: Mary Forrester

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Mr. Deb’s visit was part of the Hubbard Speakers Series, which this school year is focusing on democracy in the United States and abroad.

Around The Quads | ISLAND Array

Winter happenings, night and day, inside and outside, at Loomis Chaffee Inside Chamber Music Ensemble in Hubbard Performance Hall

Robotics teammates: juniors Noah Christiano and Cameron Nelson

Senior Kiss Day: Mark Crawford gets a smooch from Amy Ward.

Games Night in the dining hall

Melanie Vangel and Nana Minder at a junior class dinner

Senior Amy Ward in the ceramics studio

Junior Liana Barron at a Saturday night luau

Day

Colgate Resolutions a capella group, including two LC alumni, after a performance in Founders Chapel

Night

An active language lesson in Charles Bour’s Spanish class

Shovel crew Founders Hall

Signs of spring outside Palmer Hall

Festooning for Mardi Gras Dinner

Winter bonfire on the Meadows

Late winter Frisbee on Grubbs Quad

Whitman, a 3-year-old spinone italiano and “owner” of faculty member Eric LaForest

outside

Photos: Patricia Cousins, junior Shannon Deveney , Mary Forrester, John Groo junior Jack Kelly , Missy Pope ’04, and junior Sarah Regan

loomischaffee.org | 13

Around The Quads

Talent Storms the Stage to Benefit Hurricane Sandy Relief

n Saturday, February 23, more than 150 students, parents, and faculty members attended a benefit concert hosted by the Loomis Chaffee Student Council. The benefit raised $1,200, which was donated to the Red Cross to help communities damaged by Hurricane Sandy, the October storm that devastated coastal towns in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.

More than 20 students and faculty performed in the concert, with acts that included an electric cello performance, dance numbers, South American medleys, and magic tricks. “The concert was a great way to showcase the talent of students

and faculty on campus and also a great way to have a fundraiser to raise awareness and donations for those affected by the hurricane,” said LC Student Council President Paul Lee.

Senior Paul Lee, senior Haley Magwood, and freshman Madden Aleia were among the performers at the benefit concert. Photos: junior Laura Paddock

Kabul on the Line

hen Afghan educator Shabana Basij-Rasikh visited Loomis Chaffee last fall to speak at a convocation, she mentioned to junior Keara Jenkins that the students at the School of Leadership, Afghanistan (SOLA), which Ms. Basij-Rasikh founded, often Skype with students in Englishspeaking countries to practice their language skills. Keara, president of the Loomis Chaffee chapter of the organization Girls Learn International, decided that Loomis should be one of those schools. She arranged for a Skype discussion this winter between Loomis students and several girls at SOLA in Kabul. “It started off a bit bumpy because of the time difference,” Keara says. “We arranged the call for a Friday night at 10 p.m., and I had a whole group ready to go and a conference system setup thanks to Mr. [Daniel] Corjulo [Loomis Chaffee’s information technology director].” Then Keara got a Skype call at

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10 p.m. on Thursday. It was Friday in Afghanistan. On the other side of the screen and across the world were 10 students in Kabul eager to speak to her and her classmates. “Keara never panicked,” recounts Keara’s dorm head, Mary Forrester. “She simply went around the dorm and found quite a few girls more than willing to chat on a moment’s notice with the kids in Afghanistan.” The impromptu discussion went well. “It was all so natural and, at the same time, surreal,” says Stanford Forrester, Mary’s husband, who serves as an affiliate in the dorm. “It was as if the kids in Kabul were sitting right there in the social room. It was really amazing to watch it unfold.” The Loomis and Afghan students shared popular music that they like and discussed what they do for entertainment. They also talked about their hopes and aspirations for the future. “A lot of them want to

Afghan students (on screen via Skype) and Ammidon Hall girls meet virtually. Photos: Stanford Forrester

be doctors,” Keara says. “They were really impressive, and they spoke English really well.” One of the SOLA students who participated in the call was accepted this spring to attend Loomis Chaffee next year. “I am so grateful and extremely happy for this smart, bright, Afghan girl! She is going to be one amazing leader!” Ms. BasijRasikh wrote in sharing the news on Facebook.

SOLA was founded in October 2008 “to expand educational and leadership opportunities for the new generation of Afghan women,” according to the school’s website. In addition to operating a boarding school in Kabul for girls from across Afghanistan, SOLA sends students to boarding schools in the United States and elsewhere, and SOLA students have gone on to attend such colleges as Middlebury, Mount Holyoke, Smith, Tufts, Williams, and Yale.

Around The Quads | OF Note | Faculty & Staff

 Alexander McCandless, Christopher H. Lutz director of the Center for Global Studies, and Timothy Lawrence, director of studies, traveled to the Middle East at the end of January to explore several study and exchange opportunities for Loomis Chaffee students and faculty. The pair visited King’s Academy in Jordan, a boarding school that was modeled after Deerfield Academy. Named for King Abdullah II of Jordan, who attended Deerfield, the school will welcome a junior exchange student from Loomis next year. Alec and Tim also visited three schools in Israel and the Ramallah Friends School in Palestine.  Director of Alumni & Parent Relations Lisa Salinetti Ross presented at the national Independent Schools Conference in January sponsored by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education and the National Association of Independent Schools. Lisa discussed the Senior Dollar Drive at Loomis Chaffee during a session called “Create a Culture of Student Engagement, Loyalty and Giving.” Along with a representative of St. Stephen’s Episcopal School, Lisa talked about ways to engage students in philanthropy. Nearly 100 percent of Loomis seniors give to the Annual Fund each year during the Senior Dollar Drive, a program that emphasizes participation in giving.  Music teacher and percussionist Bill Solomon appeared in the traditionally staged production of Hamlet featuring well-known actor Paul Giamatti March 15 through April 13 at the Yale Repertory Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut. Bill and three other musicians remained on the stage throughout the play, performing underscoring, in-scene music, and music for

“

“It’s great being a professional musician and being able to perform different types of music for a living, and although it’s a lot of work, it’s beyond gratifying,”

”

— Bill Solomon

scene changes. “It’s great being a professional musician and being able to perform different types of music for a living, and although it’s a lot of work, it’s beyond gratifying,” Bill says. A member of the Loomis Chaffee community since 2005, Bill teaches percussion and piano, coaches the Chamber Singers and Percussion Ensemble, and is comusic director for student recitals. An accomplished musician, he has performed widely, specializing in solo and chamber contemporary classical music performance.

 The Community Art Show featured the creations of 15 faculty and staff members this winter. Paintings, sculpture, photographs, stained glass, prints, and other artwork by talented community members were displayed in the Barnes and Wilde Gallery of the Richmond Art Center in January and February. Exhibitors were Assistant to the Director of Development Donna Burrall, former faculty member Dominic

Alec McCandless and Tim Lawrence at the historical site Petra in Jordan.

Failla, faculty member Stanford Forrester, former faculty member Martha Hess, science teacher Jeffrey Holcombe, art teacher Chet Kempczynski, Head of the Art Department Jennifer McCandless, art teacher John Mullin, Spanish teacher Elizabeth Parada, foreign language teacher Kathleen “Kitty” Peterson ’72, science teacher Ewen Ross, Director of Development Timothy Struthers ’85, Arabic teacher Lucy Thiboutot, and Chinese teacher Bo Zhao. Visiting artist Zbigniew Grzyb, who completed 18 paintings while in residence in December, also contributed artwork to the show.

EDITORS’ NOTE A story on alumni faculty members in the winter 2013 issue incorrectly described two individuals' coaching responsibilities. Seth Beebe ’78 is head coach of the boys III basketball team, and Margaret “Maggie” Kennedy ’05 is head coach of varsity softball as well as assistant coach of girls varsity hockey and head coach of girls JV soccer.

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Around The Quads | Athletics | by Bob Howe ’80

No Ordinary Pelican

For lack of a better description, Zach fits the mold of a modern Renaissance man. From his role on the wrestling team as a captain and a punishing opponent to his stature as an honor roll student and award-winning artist, there is hardly a space on campus where Zach has not left his mark.

unior Zechariah Harris comes to us from Canaan, New Hampshire, where his parents, Steven and Alisa, live and work at the Cardigan Mountain School. There are 10 siblings in this family, and Zach is the third oldest. Brothers Caleb ’11 and senior Nathan have also spent their high school years on the Island, and next year Zach, along with the rest of us, will welcome younger brother Elijah and sister Moriah to the campus. Eden (age 5), Ezekiel (7), Sarah (8), Hannah (10), and Mattie (11) are the five remaining brothers and sisters who will make the trip south from time to time to visit and support their older siblings at athletics events. This is an extraordinary family, and Zach is no ordinary student. His time so far at Loomis reflects a level of commitment to community and well-roundedness that few of us ever see. Throughout Zach’s life, Caleb and Nate have set powerful examples for him. Both brothers have played multiple sports, captained their teams, and led various student organizations, such as the Darwin Club. They were elected dorm leaders and spent many hours volunteering their time around campus to help Loomis to be a better place. By the time Zach arrived on campus in 2010, the Harris name was already legendary. Now Zach is ready to lead the school both in his classes and all about campus. He carries the legacy proudly, and next fall, with the arrival of two more Harris children, Zach will further enjoy his senior year knowing more is still to come from his family. 16 |

Let’s begin with Zach as a student. “I think my favorite thing about Loomis is the amount of opportunity available to each and every student,” he says. “Everyone who graduates will acquire skills unknown to them when they arrived on campus for the first time.” Zach carries an A- average over his three years at Loomis. These are strong grades on their own, and when you examine everything else in which Zach is involved, you begin to see how remarkable his academic achievements are.

Photo: Bobbi Moran

“

Loomis has taught me countless lessons about life and becoming independent. Living away from home can be scary to some people, but Loomis has made it an experience to look back on with happiness.

”

— Junior Zach Harris

Zach has been a three-sport athlete for all three years. He comes from a football family, and when he arrived at Loomis, he began on the school’s III football team as the starting tailback. With his incredible work ethic and determination, Zach has developed into an impact player at the varsity level. In wrestling, he is known for his skill and his leadership. This winter he was 16-1 during the regular season after having to sit out a few weeks early on with an injury. A junior captain alongside brother Nate, Zach won the New England 170-pound weight class. Perhaps what was most impressive about this feat was how Zach won the continued 18

Junior Patrick Dickert

Freshman Kendra Offiaeli

Junior Michael “Tripp” Miller

Junior Mia Scanlon

Senior Daniel Tirone

Varsity Scoreboard Sport Record Accolades Skiing Boys Basketball 9-12 Girls Basketball 14-8 Boys Hockey 13-11-1 Girls Hockey 13-9-1 Boys Squash 10-7 Girls Squash 5-11 Boys Swimming 7-3 Girls Swimming 4-6 Wrestling 16-1

6th place Brigham Ski League Founders League Tri-Champion New England Quarterfinalist

Founders League Champion Founders League Champion

Individual Highlights — Wrestler junior Zechariah Harris: New England Champion in 170-pound weight class — Hockey goaltender sophomore Brittani Bugalski: All-New England Second Team — Hockey goaltender senior Daniel Tirone: All-New England First Team — Basketball players junior Abigail Pyne and sophomore Stephanie Jones: Class A All-Stars

Senior Melissa Haganey Photos: Tom Honan

loomischaffee.org | 17

Around The Quads | Athletics | by Bob Howe ’80

event in the United States where professionals from universities, colleges, museums, and art galleries gather to showcase pieces. This is a great accomplishment for someone who, while he was creating the ceramic piece, “Identity Crisis,” also was preparing for competition at the New England and national wrestling tournaments.

continued from 16

title. In his three matches leading up to the finals, he pinned all of his opponents before the first period ended, and in the finals, against a wrestler who had beaten him earlier in the season, Zach won convincingly, 15-1. “Wrestling itself takes loads of mental toughness along with physical endurance and strength,” Zach comments. “Preparing for matches has always been a tough thing for me, as the mental aspect has always been straining. This year I worked hard on getting a better grip on my emotions. I felt myself preparing for matches differently, especially the big ones. Instead of putting all the pressure on myself, I tried to enjoy the sport more than I had in previous years. This helped me to relax and wrestle better.”

Zach’s talents are emerging works in progress, and his energy to do more than what’s expected makes him the leader he has become. Students who come to Loomis and who learn to give back to others often are the ones who gain the most from their experience. Zach never has hesitated to step forward, try something new, and make those around him better just by giving his best effort in everything he does. Zach with his award-winning ceramic sculpture

Zach’s wrestling coach, Ben Haldeman, describes him as the ultimate captain. “After his winning the title at the New England Championships, Zach ran over to the crowd of LC wrestlers no longer competing for a group hug,” Ben recounts. “As good as he is as a wrestler, he’s an even better teammate.” Coach Haldeman will also attest that when there is a big match, when there is a lot at stake, nobody prepares and executes the way Zach can. He is a big-match performer. Perhaps that is why Zach has qualified for the wrestling nationals all three years that he has wrestled at Loomis.

bined with a unique work ethic has given Zach the ability to be a college-level recruit in multiple sports. However, athletics is only a part of who Zach is. If he didn’t look so athletic, you wouldn’t assume he was an accomplished athlete by talking with him. His interests are varied, and so are his friends. His dorm head in Longman Hall describes him as friendly and helpful on many levels. He is the kind of student leader who takes his role seriously and never leaves anyone behind. He sits with a different crowd at lunch nearly every day.

This spring Zach, who played two years of Loomis lacrosse, is joining the track program, where he will find ways to contribute to an already strong program. His athleticism com-

On snowy winter days Zach, working with work job coordinator Peter Gwyn, leads a group of students all over campus shoveling snow before the campus wakes up and heads to the

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Photo: Patricia Cousins

“Loomis has taught me countless lessons about life and dining hall. This responsibility becoming independent. Living has evolved over the years as a away from home can be scary Harris family tradition, with to some people, but Loomis has Zach taking over from Nate, who made it an experience to look inherited the responsibility from back on with happiness,” Zach Caleb. Doing things for the good reflects. “I cannot express in of others when nobody is watchwords what an impact going to ing is important to Zach, and Loomis has had on my family. every day he finds something to Because my family is so large, do that helps someone. I would never have dreamed about going somewhere as elite This winter we saw yet another as Loomis.” Zach, like his brothside of Zach. He received an ers before him, is an extraoraward, along with fellow junior dinary leader and a worthy Paige Mickel, for their work in representative of the school’s ceramics. His work and Paige’s mascot, the Pelican, a symbol were selected out of 713 juniorof self-sacrifice, nurturing, and level entries to be displayed love. at the National K12 Ceramics Exhibition Foundation. The exBob Howe ’80 is the director hibition showcases outstanding of athletics. ceramic work completed by students, and the conference that coincides with the exhibition is the preeminent annual ceramic

Share Your Story I

N 1886, Founder Osbert Loomis wrote to his brother John with great feeling about his desire to record a “perfect account of the L[oomis] I[nstitute] from its origin to its present status.”

That enthusiasm continues today as co-authors and editors John Ratté, former headmaster, and Karen Parsons, archivist and history teacher, prepare a history of the school for the upcoming centennial celebration. Available in the fall of 2014, the book will highlight many perspectives and voices from the school’s first century. When Osbert and his four siblings defined the school’s unique vision, character and mission, they laid the groundwork for a future history “flooded” with great stories. Please share your story — send to centennial@loomis.org.

Aerial view of flooded campus, 1936. Photo: Loomis Chaffee Archives

loomischaffee.org | 19

GRAY MATTERS how does the brain learn? New discoveries inform and explain the effectiveness of Loomis Chaffee teachers. By Becky Purdy

Behold the teenage brain, that complex and convoluted organ whose workings amaze, mystify, and at times even infuriate us. Anyone who’s ever been a teenager knows that a lot is happening between those adolescent ears, but exactly what is happening, and how, has remained largely a mystery. Now, with recent technological advances in neuroscience, we are beginning to see what goes on inside the brain, including the rapidly changing adolescent brain. As a result, the mist is starting to clear around why some approaches to learning — which is, in essence, changing the brain — work well while others do not. continued on page 23

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Photo illustration: Patricia Cousins & John Groo

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Science teachers Scott MacClintic ’82 and Naomi Appel work with seniors Catherine Dunlavey and Wyatt French in a "flipped classroom" in advanced biology. Photo: John Groo

continued from page 20

At Loomis Chaffee, many faculty members are inching forward in their seats at these new discoveries. They are drawing from the growing understanding of how the brain learns as they develop new approaches to teaching as well as fine-tune existing methods that work well. They have introduced “flipped classrooms,” experimented with self-directed syllabi, developed interdisciplinary courses, and moved the school to a later class day, among other unconventional approaches that reflect the spirit of educational innovation at Loomis as well as the influence of new mind-brain discoveries. Loomis teachers also have gained insights from the emerging neuroscience into why certain tried-and-true methods of learning are highly successful, reinforcing the importance of those methods in the classroom toolbox and enabling teachers and students to use them even more effectively.

The research is eye-opening. Take a relatively simple example: Generations of teachers (and parents) have urged their students not to put off studying until the last night before a test. Cramming doesn’t stick, they have pointed out, and we’ve all experienced, or at least witnessed, this hard truth. We stay up late memorizing facts and definitions, and the next day we exhale all those details onto the test paper. We might pass, or even ace, the test, recalling all of the facts and figures we were expected to know. But — and here’s the reality check — a week later, we can’t remember half of what we “knew” on test day. By most measures, we haven’t learned that information at all. Now we know why: Memorizing facts places them in our long-term memory as a chemical reaction, which the brain can hold onto temporarily, such as overnight. Until our brains fully process the information, manipulating and applying it, soaking it in

Loomis classes of all kinds feature collaboration, small-group discussion, individualized and detailed feedback, and other aspects of the flipped classroom model that teachers and students can attest, and neuroscientists are beginning to confirm, bolster learning.

through sleep, and reinforcing it through repetition over time, the chemical changes do not convert to physical changes in our brains. In a few hours or days, the chemical reactions dissipate and the facts and figures exit our long-term memories. The teachers’ drumbeat — “Study a portion of the vocabulary words/historical details/geometric theorems/ periodic table every night. Don’t wait until the last minute.” — makes sense and holds truer than ever in the context of neuroscience. Although much remains unknown about how the brain works, the recent leaps forward in neuroscience have opened windows to the inner mechanisms of our minds. Technology such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI, which shows the location of brain activity) and magnetoencephalography (MEG, which shows the timing of brain signals) enable researchers to see parts of the brain “light up” loomischaffee.org | 23

Andrew Watson

in reaction to stimuli, emotion, new information, and other experiences, and they can observe the brain adjusting over time to these experiences, lighting up different parts of the brain or in different combinations. They are watching the brain learn like never before. “The technologies that we’re using to study brains are so recent that, before 1995, I could study your brain [only] if it had been damaged,” notes Andrew Watson, a former Loomis Chaffee faculty member who founded the neuroscience-education consulting firm Translate the Brain. “Only since the mid1990s have we been able to get any information at all about healthily functioning brains.” Andrew, who has a master’s degree in mind brain education from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, leads workshops and presentations for teachers, parents, and 24 |

Photo: Stratton McCrady

students on developments in neuroscience and their practical applications to teaching and learning. In September he presented a convocation at Loomis showing students how they can learn most effectively or, from a practical perspective, how they can learn more without adding more hours to their homework. Andrew believes that neuroscience should not direct education but that brain science discoveries can help enhance and strengthen teaching and learning. And he sees collaboration among teachers and neuroscientists as the cutting edge for future mind-brain research. Examples abound at Loomis if you know where to look for them. Science teachers Naomi Appel and Scott MacClintic ’82 teach Loomis’ advanced courses in

Andrew Watson, a former Loomis Chaffee faculty member who founded a neuroscienceeducation consulting firm, sees collaboration among teachers and neuroscientists as the cutting edge for future mind-brain research.

microbiology and molecular biology as “flipped classrooms.” Unlike a traditional classroom structure, where a teacher lectures during class and the students go home and apply the day’s lesson to their homework assignments, a flipped classroom delivers lectures as homework and has students apply the new lessons during class time, with the teacher nearby for support. Naomi and Scott have developed and recorded video lectures on the content of the course. Like regular lectures, the teachers explain new concepts and use visual aids such as PowerPoint slides, but the lectures do not take up faceto-face class time. Students watch the lectures at home on a YouTube channel devoted to the course. They can rewind and replay sections that they didn’t follow or understand the first time. They can pause on

How the Brain Learns Vision

nd Sou u Stimuli from the five senses bombard us.

s Ta

u Our attention acts as a filter, letting some of the stimuli into our consciousness and blocking the rest from reaching our brain.

u The filtered stimuli churn in our working memory, calling up information from our long-term memory, inviting new stimuli into the process, and manipulating the combined information until some of it enters the longterm memory.

EMOTION OTION

visuals that they need to digest further. They can fast-forward through explanations that they already understand. Setting their own pace, students can make sure they understand the new information thoroughly without interrupting the flow of an in-class lecture or letting their confusion persist because they don’t want to interrupt others. And they can return to the videos as many times as they need refreshers in the following days and weeks, either as new content builds or as a test or lab nears. During class, students in flipped classrooms put what they are learning into action. In the molecular and microbiology classes at Loomis, students conduct labs (testing a sample for a particular protein among thousands, for example, or cloning genes), discuss and analyze lab results, work on problem sets, ask questions, and talk

I O

WORKI WOR WORKIN WORK W ORK ORKIN RKIN KIN NG NG WORKING MEM M MOR RY MEMORY

To u

MOTIVATION MO OTIVATION

LONG TERM MEMORY

u Working memory has a tiny capacity, holding information for no more than 60 seconds and quickly overloading when too much new information tries to enter at one time.

u Long-term memory has a much larger capacity than working memory.

Sme

Graphic: Patricia Cousins

about what they are learning with each other and with the teachers. Although this approach might not work for every discipline or every topic, Naomi and Scott have found the microbiology and molecular biology courses perfectly suited for a flipped classroom. Naomi also has developed a flipped classroom approach for her chemistry classes. Students “come into class already having heard this stuff so therefore have questions to ask and are ready to apply it,” she reports. The students also aren’t sitting at home when they find themselves stuck on a problem; the teacher can step in and answer questions or guide students toward the correct solutions. “It really lets you engage with every kid on a daily basis about what they do and don’t understand,” Naomi says.

u u Spurred on by emotion and motivation, information in the long-term memory consolidates and solidifies in the brain through repetition and deeper processing.

It has become increasingly clear that neuroscientists and educators are advancing toward the same answers, hidden deep in the recesses of the brain.

Scott, who also is director of the school’s Henry R. Kravis ’63 Center for Excellence in Teaching, asked students for feedback on the flipped classroom, an approach he has used exclusively for three years. “I could watch the video lectures at my own pace and rewind when I personally missed something or did not understand something. In normal classes, I sometimes hold back a question because I don’t want to stop everyone else for something that I missed,” one of his students responded. “It definitely helps students, especially independent and responsible ones who will watch the videos and take notes, to ask better questions in class and have better discussions with their classmates,” wrote another student. The key arguments for using a flipped classroom have more to do with behavioral science (learning and teaching) than loomischaffee.org | 25

Holding models of plasmids (circular DNA molecules), Scott MacClintic ’82 and Naomi Appel explain the process of creating recombinant DNA as the molecular biology class prepares for a lab. Photo: John Groo

brain science (neurons and neural networks.) Scott emphasizes that it is important to draw this distinction. But brain science’s discoveries help to explain why a flipped classroom can be so effective as a teaching and learning tool. It helps to start with a common vocabulary for the brain’s learning system. Andrew explains the learning process this way: We are constantly bombarded with stimuli through our five senses. Our attention system filters out stimuli that are not useful to us at the moment and allows other stimuli into working memory. Working memory, which has a tiny capacity and can hold information for only 15 to 60 seconds, has to do something with the information it receives or that information quickly expires or is pushed out by new stimuli. So the brain manipulates the information in working memory, pulling in information from the higher-capacity long-term memory bank (a process that experts call “activating prior knowledge”), and using the new information in novel ways. As it 26 |

Science teachers Naomi Appel and Scott MacClintic teach Loomis’ advanced courses in microbiology and molecular biology as “flipped classrooms.”

is processed and manipulated, the new information works its way into the long-term memory, where repetition and deeper processing solidify the knowledge. The brain learns. Two important factors in the success or failure of all this manipulation and processing are emotion and motivation. Both can act as catalysts for and barriers to learning, depending on the

nature and direction of the emotion and motivation. The flipped classroom, Andrew says, engages several aspects of the learning process. Video lectures can provide support for the working memory. A student can replay the video as many times as needed to channel the information into the working memory. (And he or she can do so without the embarrassment of asking the teacher to repeat the lecture during class. Embarrassment, not surprisingly, is an emotion that hinders learning.) Video lectures also help to keep the attention filter functioning well because students can watch the lecture in a place and at a time when they are not distracted. It’s reasonable to think that the flipped classroom leverages motivation as well, Andrew notes. Learning new material is more interesting for most students than repetition of problems, so students are motivated to watch the video lectures at home because they want to learn about something new. When working through problem sets during class, stu-

dents gain motivation from collaborating with peers and connecting with the teacher. The flipped classroom approach also helps the brain to activate prior knowledge — the step of dipping into the long-term memory to manipulate new information — because a student can pause the video lecture and refresh his or her recollection of a more basic concept, if needed, before proceeding, Andrew explains. A grammar lecture on indirect objects sinks in much better if the students understand active verbs and direct objects, but if they are rusty on these previous concepts, they can look them up and then continue learning, more successfully, about indirect objects. Finally, it makes sense from a neuroscience standpoint that juniors and seniors who are advanced in science take the microbiology and molecular biology courses where Naomi and Scott employ the flipped classroom. While Naomi’s chemistry classes are not all advanced or populated with upperclassmen, the students usually are

Psychology teacher Ruth Duell and her Social Psychology class gather around a discussion table. Photo: John Groo

sophomores or juniors and have completed high school biology. Older and more advanced students are likelier to have the prior knowledge and the necessary motivation to take advantage of this approach, Andrew says. They also typically have a higher level of what experts call “metacognition,” the ability to think about how they think. Most teachers at Loomis have not adopted flipped classrooms, and the jury is still out on whether the flipped classroom works as well in humanities classes as it does in quantitative disciplines such as science and math. Still, Loomis classes of all kinds feature collaboration, small-group discussion, individualized and detailed feedback, and other aspects of this model that teachers and students can attest, and neuroscientists are beginning to confirm, bolster learning. Lecturing is still necessary for delivering information, according to Scott, but it is one of the least effective techniques for teaching and learning. “The

way we learn things is by doing,” he says. Doing science can involve conducting experiments and drawing conclusions about the results. Doing history can mean role-playing, such as the Alhambra Banquet enacted by World History classes at Loomis each year, or an assignment in which students write letters to an 18th century governor trying to persuade him to change a policy. Students in English classes write, revise, edit, and rewrite, putting their grammar and language skills into practice. Foreign language students speak and write in the language they are learning. Spanish teacher Charles Bour took this learning technique a step further this winter by connecting his students through the Language Learning Lab with native Spanish speakers who are learning English. Math students solve problems, but “doing” math also involves approaching real-world situations with a mathematical thought process, Scott adds. Traditional word problems provide too much information, he says, and

students must only pick out the numbers and operators to plug into formulas they know. Deciphering and finding solutions to a problem with a Space Shuttle, however, leaves more room to “do” the math. This approach also is called “problem-based learning,” and Scott believes it is the best way to learn. There is one caveat, however. Problem-based learning is highly motivating and emotionally engaging, two keys to setting the brain’s learning process in motion and keeping it going. And solving a real-world problem using new concepts in combination with things you already know engages the working memory to manipulate, process, and ultimately learn the new material, placing it in the long-term memory. The risk, however, is that problem-based learning almost immediately overloads a beginner’s working memory, Andrew explains. Without enough basic information in the long-term memory, everything has to churn in the working memory, which quickly clogs up and seizes. Neu-

rologists would advise using problem-based learning only with older, more experienced students. Interdisciplinary courses, by their nature, involve problembased learning. Students take what they know about two or more different disciplines and intertwine them to understand a new idea, solve a problem, or gain a different perspective. Two years ago, Loomis began offering interdisciplinary courses as electives for seniors. Oil in Water: Topics in Environmental Law, for example, looks at large oil spills from the perspectives of science, law, economics, and society and explores issues of energy use, conservation, pollution, and environmental cleanup, among others. Other interdisciplinary courses include Global Literature and the History of Sport in Society, Desegregation and Democracy in Southern Africa, The Model T and the American Industrial Revolution, Just What in the World Is Going on Out There: The Economics and Statistics of Human Behavior, and Food loomischaffee.org | 27

in the Americas: An Interdisciplinary Study. Neurologists likely would nod approvingly to hear that these term courses are designed for seniors, whose brains are likely to have greater stores of prior knowledge and thus less potential to overload their working memories with problem-based approaches. Another innovation that several Loomis teachers have tried is the student-directed syllabus. In the popular course Death and Dying, psychology teacher Ruth Duell introduces students to traditional Western attitudes toward death. Then she asks them where they want to look next — in various developing countries or the Far East or any number of other cultures. Ruth says every unit of her courses starts with some variation on these two questions: “What do you know?” And “where do you need to go from here?” Even within units of study, she gives students the reins but keeps her hand on the slack in case she needs to help. In Social Psychology, the first assignment is for the class to determine how to go about reading the first book, Ruth says. They must research the author, learn about the context of the writing, find out the major influences on the author’s ideas, and, armed with this information, determine a path for exploring the book’s content. “What I’m trying to get to is, ‘How do you learn best?’” she explains. One class this year decided to divide up the chapters, with each student reading a chapter of the book and teaching it to the whole class. After the first chapter, however, the 28 |

Ruth Duell sets metacognition in motion with her students. Photo: John Groo

students felt they all needed to do all of the reading, so Ruth guided them to switch strategies. They decided that everyone should read the entire book, but they divvied up the chapters so that each student still teaches a section of the material to the class. The student teaching aspect remained, on purpose. “The act of teaching,” Ruth notes, “requires an entirely different engagement than sitting here and listening to me talk.” Neuroscientists would say that a self-directed syllabus invokes student motivation in the learning process. “One of the great motivators is control,” Andrew says. Having some control also reduces stress, which, in too large a dose, inhibits learning. Andrew referenced a study in which two groups of people were asked to place their hands in an ice-cold container of water, a painful experience that naturally causes stress. One group was told to leave their hands in the container

By asking her students to steer their own learning, psychology teacher Ruth Duell also helps them to develop metacognition, the ability to think about their thinking.

for a set amount of time. The other group was told that they could choose when to remove their hands but that the goal was the same amount of time as the first group. Both groups kept their hands in the icy water for the full amount of time, but researchers found that the first group had much higher levels of cortisol, a stress-reaction hormone, than did the second group. Choice made the experience less stressful. By asking her students to steer their own learning, Ruth also helps them to develop metacognition, the ability to think about their thinking. Honing this skill enhances every realm of academic learning, as Mary Jo Regan, Loomis’ director of academic support services can attest. When Mary Jo works with individual students on study skills, she encourages them to consider how they think and learn, and she makes suggestions for improving their studying by explaining what is happening in their brains when they use one study technique

Mary Jo Regan, director of academic support services Photo: John Groo

“I really, genuinely think that teachers are going to be central to this conversation going forward,” he says.

versus another. “I’m constantly trying to get them to understand where they are in brain development,” she says. Brain science lay the groundwork for a school-wide change in 2010, when Loomis shifted the class day to begin later in the morning, at 8:30 a.m. instead of the previous 8:10 a.m. start. The intention was to enable students to get a better, longer night’s sleep. The scientific evidence is clear, Scott says: More sleep improves cognitive function, and better ability to think leads to better ability to learn. In addition, researchers have found that teenagers’ circadian clock, influenced by hormones, makes them naturally more alert later in the day. A later class day means high school students’ brains are operating at full power when they are learning, both because they are more alert and because, at least in theory, they have slept longer the night before. Loomis students and faculty have found the 20-minute shift has made a difference. Whether students have kept the same

bedtime and are sleeping 20 minutes later than in the past depends on the individual, but many report feeling more alert and ready to learn during the first period of the day. Faculty have noticed a subtle change in their first-period students as well. Whole fields of study focus on the science of sleep, but an abridged version of the research connecting sleep to cognition goes like this, according to Andrew: There are five main types of sleep — rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep and four kinds of slow-wave sleep (SWS). And there are two types of memory that are crucial to academic learning — declarative memory and procedural memory. Declarative memory stores information that you are aware of knowing, that you can state out loud (thus “declarative” memory), such as, “The capital of North Dakota is Bismarck.” Slow-wave sleep is important for well-functioning declarative memory. Your brain consolidates this kind of information during the slowwave cycles of sleep. Procedural

memory involves things your mind and body do without your full awareness, such as conjugating verbs fluently or jumping rope. Once ingrained, these thought processes or actions feel automatic. REM sleep is very important to procedural memory. Neuroscientists have established that the brain cycles through slow-wave sleep and REM sleep in the course of a full night’s slumber with most of the REM sleep taking place in the second half of the night. Skipping any of the five key types of sleep impairs cognition for academics. Put simply, you don’t think well if you haven’t had a good night’s sleep. It will be a very long time, by anyone’s estimate, before all of the “whys” of learning are answered, but it has become increasingly clear that neuroscientists and educators are advancing toward the same answers, hidden deep in the recesses of the brain. And people like Andrew Watson believe that collaboration between the scientists and the teachers will bring the next series of leaps forward in these discoveries.

Teachers at Loomis, where Andrew taught English and served as dean of faculty, “are doing the things that neurologists would tell them to do even though they don’t necessarily understand the neuroscience for why they should do this,” he says. “My point isn’t that teachers should do what scientists tell them to do,” he adds. “My point is that what scientists are learning could be extremely helpful to teachers in combination with their own expertise.” Since its inception, Loomis Chaffee has fostered innovation in teaching — and not just experimentation for the sake of trying something new, but measured, carefully-considered, progressive teaching. The Kravis Center, which the school launched in 2010, embodies this spirit of innovation. As neuroscience uses powerful new technologies to observe the brain at work, experts are coming closer to pinpointing why certain innovative teaching methods are so effective. At the same time, as neuroscience better explains how the brain functions and rewires itself, astute teachers are taking clues from the scientific discoveries to steer innovations in the direction brain science is pointing. © To watch video lessons from Loomis’ advanced biology courses, go to loomischaffee.org / magazine.

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The

SPIRIT SENEGAL OF

An Interdisciplinary Exploration of the Art, Music, and Culture of Senegal By Rachel Allen

Amidst the sandy plains and rolling, forested hills that cover the

majority of Senegal, an African country of progress and equality with a tropical climate that brings both seasonal flooding and periodic droughts, live 12,969,606 individuals whose homeland is bordered by the Senegal River. Roughly 3,700 miles northwest of Senegal, on 300 acres overlooking the confluence of the pastoral and seasonally flood-prone Farmington and Connecticut rivers in historic Windsor, Connecticut, Loomis Chaffee is home to 650 students from 30 U.S. states and 31 countries.

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A Small Idea

These two separate and, in many ways, starkly different areas of the world share an interconnectedness rooted in humanity and cultural globalization — the rapid movement of ideas, attitudes, and values across national borders — creating an opportunity for exploration within an expansive marketplace of ideas. The increasingly complex world in which both of these communities live lends itself to transformative educational experiences and interdisciplinary initiatives. That kind of global, interconnected experience is just what unfolded at Loomis on February 18 and 19 when the school community engaged in a unique endeavor involving faculty, students, staff, alumni, and parents. Titled “Perspectives on the World: The Spirit of Senegal,” the interdisciplinary project inspired active scholarship, promoted personal discovery and growth, and brought together cultures separated by thousands of miles.

The campus-wide project began as a smaller idea earlier this year in the course World Music, which focused on sub-Saharan Africa, particularly the country of Senegal. “Whenever I teach World Music in the winter term, I like to have guest musicians representative of the course of study come to the school,” explains Faith Miller, who teaches the course and is head of the Music Department. “This gives students the opportunity to learn through a global lens fostering open-mindedness and [curiosity], preparing them for an increasingly interconnected world.”

Metamorphosis — the moving portrait of a Senegalese woman Photo: Beatrix Jourdan

Faith reached out to Tony Vacca, a previous guest at Loomis and an innovative American percussionist specializing in jazz and world music, to be the guest musician for the course. Mr. Vacca has visited western Africa on more than 14 occasions and has collaborated with many well-known Senegalese performers. He, in turn, contacted Abdou Sarr

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and Massamba Diop and invited them to join him as guest artists. Mr. Sarr, who is from Dakar, Senegal, teaches Senegalese dance — a rhythmic commentary on social life involving complete body articulation. Mr. Diop is master of the tama, also known as the talking drum, a sophisticated communication tool that mimics the tonal speaking patterns of different villages in Africa. (When Mr. Diop encountered issues with returning to the United States shortly before the event, Sekou Sylla agreed to fill in. Mr. Sylla, who is originally from Guinea, is a master of the sangban drum, an instrument closely related to the tama.) The project quickly evolved into an interdisciplinary effort and grew organically from there. “I started thinking about how we could look at this area of the world from different perspectives and tie in various disciplines and centers across campus,” Faith reflects. “At Loomis, we see a real convergence in the curriculum, especially in thinking about the common good and in thinking about people in other parts of the world and how they relate to us here. The faculty was very openminded and interested in working across disciplines to demonstrate the real-world relevance of various academic courses.” Collaboration for the project began in Chaffee Hall in the Norton Family Center for the Common Good, which opened in the fall of 2012. The Center for the Common Good explores and puts into practice the mission underlying the foundation of the school — “to advance the development in spirit, mind, and body of boys and girls drawn from diverse cultural and social backgrounds

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Abdou Sarr teaches the Loomis Chaffee Dance Company the most popular Senegalese welcoming dance. Photo: Patricia Cousins

and to inspire in them a commitment to the best self and the common good.” The center this year launched freshman seminars to engage students in multi- and inter-disciplinary explorations of citizenship, community service, responsibility, and leadership. The Senegal project “certainly could have been terrific if it was solely in the Music Department,” Al Freihofer ’69, director of the center and English teacher, comments. “But the direction

of the project was guided by the mission of the school, which is very present here in a multitude of ways. This led faculty to think of the possible connection it could have to their area of Loomis life and became an opportunity to ‘live the mission’ more so than we do already. Faith took her broadband sense of what education is and caused us to think a little more creatively and connect the coursework to Senegal. It’s unique at Loomis that you are able to just pick up the phone,

call a colleague, ask them to work something into their already planned syllabus, and they respond with such willingness and an appetite for creativity.” As faculty interest spread in creating a hands-on learning experience, the collaboration morphed into the exploration of the history, culture, music, and art of Senegal. Faith invited Chris Helfrich ’99, director of the United Nations Foundation’s Nothing But Nets campaign also to be a featured

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Original planning sketch for Loomis Chaffee community involvement in the Spirit of Senegal

guest because of his efforts to raise awareness and funding to fight against malaria â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a major health problem in Senegal as well as the leading killer of children under five in Africa. The project touched on a number of areas of Loomis academic and extracurricular life, from math, science, foreign language, global studies, and the Center for the Common Good to dance, music, multicultural affairs, dining, and athletics. During the two days, the guests contributed to coursework in a variety of classes, including Human Populations and Impact, Statistics, French, and dance and music courses. More than 14 faculty members, in addition to Faith and Al, wove Senegal into their syllabi to bring the project to fruition. They included Joseph Cleary, math teacher; Marley Matlack, science teacher and associate director of the Center for Global Studies; Alexander McCandless, social science teacher and Christopher H. Lutz director of the Center for Global Studies; Katherine Ballard, head of the Modern and Classical Languages Department; Lucy Thiboutot, Arabic teacher; Delphine Robison, French teacher; Katharine Loughlin, head of the LC dance program; Susan Chr34 |

zanowski and Kenneth Fischer, music teachers; James Rugen, music teacher and associate director of communications; Elizabeth Parada, director of multicultural affairs; Elizabeth Conger and Koby Osei-Mensah, science teachers; and Jennifer McCandless, head of the Art Department.

The Student Connection Students in statistics shared graphs they developed comparing America and Senegal and each of their home states on such subjects as prison populations, divorce rates, life expectancy, and occurrence of AIDS. In Human Populations and Impact, Mr. Vacca spoke to students about interconnectedness and the spirit of generosity as these ideas relate to real-world issues. In French, students engaged in conversation with Mr. Sylla and Mr. Sarr, both of whom speak French, and discussed the French colonization of Senegal as well as cultural facts related to food, clothing, and music. In music classes, students learned rhythms and chants of West African songs, and in a special dance class, students learned the most popular â&#x20AC;&#x153;welcom-

Students interact with the world class talent in dance and drumming workshops and at the day time concert. Photos: Patricia Cousins, John Groo

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Dance company students on stage with Abdou Sarr during the evening benefit concert Photo: Mary Forrester

Chris Helfrich ’99 addresses Common Good Seminar students. Photo: Patricia Cousins At left: Chris Helfrich ’99 speaks to the Loomis Chaffee community during the daytime concert. Photo: John Groo

Sekou Sylla interacts with Katherine Ballard’s French class. Photo: Mary Forrester

ing” dance from Mr. Sarr while Mr. Sylla and Mr. Vacca played the drums to accompany the moves. “It was incredible to have such talented individuals visit us here and become a part of the curriculum,” Faith says. “Mr. Vacca is such a skilled player of African music and so full of energy. Mr. Sarr is a wonderful dancer and so acrobatic in his moves that it appears as though he’s floating. And Mr. Sylla is such an admirable musician and a very thoughtful person. I couldn’t have been happier.” Finding out that Mr. Diop would not be able to attend the event presented a challenge, Faith reflects, but the alternative plan worked out wonderfully. “With any interdisciplinary project, you have to be ready for some last-minute changes,” she says. “We would have loved to be able to advertise about Mr. Sylla more than we were able to, but it was really great to 36 |

have him here. He’s a renowned dancer, musician, and also speaks French, which ended up working really well in conjunction with the classes that were participating.” Chris Helfrich spoke to students in the Common Good seminars and in the Globalization course about applying their academics to the real world. He encouraged students to follow their passions and shared information about his organization. “It was a pleasure to have Chris visit considering his busy schedule,” Al notes. “He came back to Loomis in the most modest way; that’s the kind of person that you like to think we foster here — a type of learner, a participant, and a national leader. Having him in the seminars was especially effective because he was able to connect with the freshman experience. He approached each conversation telling students that he sat in the same chairs, walked the

same pathways, and had no idea where he would be in the future. His message to them was simple: follow your bliss.” In addition to engaging with the four guests, students connected with Senegal’s people and culture in other ways. Common Good seminar students wrote letters to students in Senegal and received responses, creating a discussion focused on the common good. The Athletics Department staff, knowing that soccer is among the most popular sports in Senegal, sent used soccer uniforms in the spirit of giving for families in that region. The Music Department engaged in a music exchange, in which Loomis students created musical recordings, sent them to Senegal, and musicians in Senegal collaborated long-distance by intertwining their music into the created pieces. And on the second day of the project, the dining hall served traditional Senegalese

stew for lunch. The school also hosted a photography exhibit in the Hubbard Center by Beatrix Jourdan, a photographer and graphic designer who focuses on Senegalese everyday life as well as still life and Senegalese traditions, such as wrestling. Also in conjunction with the Senegal Project, an art opening in the Mercy Gallery on February 19 featured Dan Mead and Sally Eagle, photographers who take travel photos from around the world, including Africa. Mr. Vacca, Mr. Sarr, and Mr. Sylla performed a day-time concert, and shortly after the concert ended, more than 30 Loomis student musicians joined the world-class talent on stage. “Faith had hoped that at some level everyone within the Loomis community would have a chance to have a taste of the cross-curricular activity over the course of two days,” Al reflects. “I really think that was accomplished, even if you

Tony Vacca engages with Common Good Seminar students and teacher Al Freihofer ’69. Photo: John Groo

just went to the dining hall and chose to have the stew or walked down the hallway and stopped to look at the display of photographs.” The two-day project culminated in an evening benefit concert in the Hubbard Performance Hall, which raised awareness of the global malaria epidemic. “It’s really interesting to me how music connects us and allows cultures to come together,” senior Ben Russell comments. “During the evening concert, I had the opportunity to play on stage and it was really great for me as a musician to be able to participate. Having a project centered on a different area of the world allowed us to look beyond our community at Loomis and broaden our horizons. We learned something about a culture [that] I’m sure a lot of us don’t know that much about.”

Audience members at the benefit concert were encouraged to donate $10 to purchase a life-saving mosquito bed net. In total, the concert raised $1,675, allowing for the purchase of 167 bed nets to be sent to West Africa. The funds also pay for informing the families who receive the nets about how to use them effectively to protect themselves from malaria-carrying mosquitoes. “It was a very emotional experience for me since I’m from Africa,” sophomore Richard Ochefije says. “It’s great to see that Loomis is a very diverse and accepting community that wants us to learn about different cultures, and for me, it’s great that the school was particularly interested in and wanted to learn more about where I come from, my home.” ©

Warrior — a traditional Senegalese wrestler

Photo: Beatrix Jourdan

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The write stuff | by James S. Rugen ’70

Featured Writer: Keith Scribner ’80

“I

n all my novels, social class, the American Dream, and a sometimes dark humor keep rising to the surface,” notes Keith Scribner ’80. His three novels to date — The GoodLife (1999), Miracle Girl (2003), and The Oregon Experiment (2011) — have earned him considerable critical praise and a growing readership admiring of the subtlety of his observations, his skill at building tension over long arcs, his deft handling of unexpected narrative twists, and his integration of contemporary political and social issues into the fabric of his examination of individual lives. Narrated from five different points of view, Keith’s debut novel, The GoodLife, is based on the true story of the kidnapping of an Exxon executive in suburban New Jersey. Named a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, the novel also was selected for the Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers series. “The drama, we realize, is not simply about the kidnapping … but how one marriage strangely destroys another, how a father’s belief in his son endures naively for decades and how economic defeat pushes people through despair into savagery.” (New York Times Book Review) Keith’s second novel, Miracle Girl, presents unusual events in upstate New York, where a beautiful Vietnamese-American girl seems to have healing powers, inspiring hopeful pilgrims and a miracle mania — and

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affecting the disintegrating life of miracle doubter John Fitzgerald Kennedy Quinn. “Keith Scribner’s fascinating novel … explores how greed can compromise men of (supposed) faith. John Quinn is one such man who reconnects with his faith — not just the kind that religion provides but also a deeper belief in himself, in others, and in the power of love to transform individual lives.” (Washington Post Book World) In his latest novel, The Oregon Experiment, Keith presents an intense narrative focusing on Scanlon and Naomi Pratt, transplanted Easterners in a college town in Oregon, whose lives become enmeshed with a number of Northwest secessionists and anarchists. Scanlon is an academic who studies radical movements, and Naomi is a “nose,” a professional scent designer who has lost and regained her acute sense of smell. The couple’s entanglements with Sequoia, a voluptuous secessionist, and Clay, a psychologically wounded anarchist, propel them into deeper and deeper danger. Daniel Stolar (The Rumpus, August 2, 2011) writes: “In many ways, The Oregon Experiment belongs in the same class of modern social realism as Jonathan Franzen’s The Corrections and Freedom. It is a hugely ambitious, decidedly modern, distinctly American novel, with complicated family dynamics, and remarkable depth of character and psychological nuance.”

Keith Scribner ’80

Keith speaks of a common thread in his three novels: “In The GoodLife, I was interested in the ways in which the American Dream can produce a sense of entitlement in characters who think they’ve played by the rules. In Miracle Girl, I was interested in exploring the relationship between the American Dream and religion in this country — and our foreign policy, often our failed foreign

Photo: Shannon Bedford

policy. In The Oregon Experiment, I’ve returned to some of those same themes again, and I’d say primarily what I’m exploring is the way in which certain characters are shut out of the American Dream.” Keith received his bachelor’s degree from Vassar College and a master of fine arts degree from the University of Montana. He was awarded Wallace Stegner and John L’Heureux

“

My four years at Loomis Chaffee were profoundly influential on who I’ve become as a person, as a writer — my whole world view, really. Like most writers, I’m a little too obsessed with my own past, so many of the friends and acquaintances I had at Loomis Chaffee — even those I haven’t spoken with since graduation — remain present and powerfully alive in me.

”

—Keith Scribner

Fellowships in Fiction at Stanford University, where he went on to teach in the Creative Writing Program as a Jones Lecturer. He currently teaches in the master of fine arts program at Oregon State University and lives in Corvallis with his wife, the poet Jennifer Richter, and their children. Keith’s fiction and nonfiction have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The Daily Beast, Five Chapters, TriQuarterly, American Short Fiction, Quarterly West, The North Atlantic Review, The San Jose Mercury News, The Baltimore Sun, and the anthologies Flash

Fiction Forward (W.W. Norton) and Sudden Stories: The MAMMOTH Book of Miniscule Fiction. He received both Pushcart and O. Henry Prize honorable mentions for his short story “Paradise in a Cup” (TriQuarterly, #121). Keith finds that his teaching informs his writing: “Teaching has always been very stimulating to me. I get to see what young people are writing about — their concerns, fears, obsessions, aesthetics — and what they’re reading. Until I first taught creative writing at Stanford, I never articulated basic ideas of storytelling and craft that were shaping my work on a gut level. Working with my graduate students — many of whom are writing novels — I’m always learning about fictional technique as I see what’s riveting in their drafts, and what falls flat.” At work on his fourth novel, Keith reveals that it contains two narratives, one contemporary and one in the late 1970s, and is set both in Oregon and in the Connecticut River valley. He adds, “My four years at Loomis Chaffee were profoundly influential on who I’ve become as a person, as a writer — my whole world view, really. Like most writers, I’m a little too obsessed with my own past, so many of the friends and acquaintances I had at Loomis Chaffee — even those I haven’t spoken with since graduation — remain present and powerfully alive in me. Which is to say, there’s a Loomis Chaffee novel coming some time. Maybe number five.” ©

Books by Alumni Authors Recently Published or Recently Added to the School’s Master List A more complete list of books by Loomis Chaffee authors can be found on the school website. The editors ask alumni to send updates and corrections to magazine@loomis.org. L.H. Knickerbocker ’54 Jockey on a Crocodile: A Memoir — Almost

Deborah Baker ’77 The Convert: A Tale of Exile and Extremism

E. B. Boatner ’59 M-O-T-H-E-R Spells Murder

Thomas A. Foster ’87, editor Documenting Intimate Matters: Primary Sources for a History of Sexuality in America

Gahan Hanmer ’61 The Kingdom on the Edge of Reality Susan Sterling ’64 Dancing in the Kitchen

Jeanne (McLeod) McNaney ’87 The Legend of Honey Hollow Miracle in Sumatra: The Story of Gutsy Gus

Michael Bogdasarian ’65 The American Civil War: A Lecture Series

Cathryn Prince ’87 Death in the Baltic: The World War II Sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff

David Margolick ’70 Dreadful: The Short Life and Gay Times of John Horne Burns

Alexandra Socarides ’92 Dickinson Unbound: Paper, Process, Poetics

Morwen (Swilling) Two Feathers ’74 Universal Heartbeat: Drumming, Spirit and Community

Jessica Grogan ’94 Encountering America: Humanistic Psychology, Sixties Culture & The Shaping of the Modern Self

John Backman ’75 Why Can’t We Talk?: Christian Wisdom on Dialogue as a Habit of the Heart Anthony Wade Florence ’76 Listen Closely: The History of a True Story

Samuel Amadon ’98 The Hartford Book (poetry) Chris Vola ’03 Monkeytown

David Pratt ’76 My Movie (short stories) Adam Rome ’76 The Genius of Earth Day: How a 1970 Teach-In Unexpectedly Made the First Green Generation Steven Strogatz ’76 The Joy of x: A Guided Tour of Math, from One to Infinity

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OBJECT LESSONS | by KAREN PARSONS

The Mark of an Epic Flood Windsor, according to Mr. B., saw “no real suffering.” But the flood did interrupt school life. The football team practiced among the stately elms in the quadrangle (now known as Grubbs Quadrangle) while water receded from the playing field. The school’s central heating system failed, and for a few days Island residents, according to Mr. B., “hovered around open fires in the dormitories.” Two enterprising students, Rushmore Mariner ’28 and Ripley Swan ’31, borrowed Mrs. Batchelder’s three-person row boat and on a Sunday afternoon ran a ferry service between campus and the center of Windsor. Mr. B. nicknamed this the “Loomis Navy.” Nearly three decades later Howard Morse recalled in a LOG interview that each of the three early 20th-century floods “really put us out of commission.” Fortunately, according to his grandson Trip Morse, Howard could make light of difficult situations with his great sense of humor and unfailing kindness, and these surely must have come in handy in the days of the 1927 flood.

Photo: Matthew Septimus

he flood of November 1927 surprised many at Loomis. Not since 1854 had the Farmington River spilled over its banks with such force and, as Mr. Batchelder noted, “we were not used to fall floods.” Howard R. Morse, Loomis’ first and longestserving business manager, commemorated the event with a cast bronze high-water mark of his own design. While the floods of 1936, 1938, and 1984 are legendary in Island lore, only this earlier event inspired an artistic — and playful — tribute, and it remains mounted on the side of the Powerhouse today. Mr. Batchelder described the flood in his end-of-year letter to alumni. He wrote of the rising waters and returning from a Saturday afternoon Loomis football game at Deerfield to observe “the highway fence on the front road entirely disappeared from sight, and the street lamps were only a few feet out of water. … [T]he baseball field was covered.” Overnight, the waters overtook the football field and the ground level of the 40 |

Howard fashioned a plaster model for the high-water mark in the months that followed the flood. The design reflected his playful sense of humor and featured a Noah’s Ark bearing elephant and giraffe passengers. Powerhouse. The cellar of Mrs. Batchelder’s art studio flooded with several feet of water, and, as Mr. B. recounted, “still the waters rose.” While other parts of New England, especially southern Vermont, suffered tragic casualties and extensive flood damage,

Howard fashioned a plaster model for the high-water mark in the months that followed the flood. The design reflected his playful sense of humor and featured a Noah’s Ark bearing elephant and giraffe passengers. This whimsical nod to the November flood appeared in the 1928 spring Loomis Art Show alongside works by renowned sculptors Daniel Chester French and Evelyn Longman Batchelder, the aforementioned Mrs. Batchelder who loaned out her row boat. Howard Morse and his 40 years of service to the school are honored with a large bronze portrait medallion, created by Evelyn Longman Batchelder and installed in the east end of Founders Hall. His place as a luminary in the early school’s history is unquestioned as is the spirit with which he helped Loomis take on — and fondly remember — all that came with what Mr. B. called in 1927 “the highest water we have known.” © Karen Parsons is archivist and teaches history.

ALUMNI News | Edited M Mby EJames Rugen ’70

M R O A G R

Where the wonders of summer meet the joys of learning June 27–August 1, 2013 For Girls & Boys Grades 7–12 Writing, Science, Robotics, Visual Arts, Dance, History, Mathematics, and Chinese

Learn more about our program at

www.loomis.org/summerprogram loomischaffee.org | 41

ALUMNI News | Edited by James s. Rugen ’70

1940

At 90, I am still enjoying life, and I have fond memories of Loomis,” writes Bob Ecob.

1943

Willis Abbey writes: “Still active at Charlottesville Senior Center: Administrative Council, the ‘Flashbacks’ (band) and ‘Silvertones’ (combo) and music library. New toy: a telescope. Fantastic!” William J. Gehron has written a booklet, Historical Vignettes In and About Lewes, containing a series of articles about the history of Lewes, Del., where Bill lives. He graciously donated a copy to the Katharine Brush Library. Dorothy Schoenfuss Howell keeps in touch with Janice Falkin, Mary Jane Halsey Small, and Marilyn Griffin Lombardo and reports that all are active and doing well.

1946

From Bruce Bidwell: “Robin and I are enjoying our cottage at Hartmeadow in West Hartford and our children and grandchildren in the Hartford area and Colorado. Son Matthew ’76 lives in Denver.” David Burnham sends this newsy update: “Anne and I had our 60th wedding anniversary last June. We continue to be very active in Community Church of Providence, R.I. I continue to be on the board of the Paul Cuffee School, a charter school I started in 2000. We have 690 students of very diverse backgrounds. I sail a lot in the summers. I run the English Speaking Union’s high 42 |

school Shakespearean recitation contest in Rhode Island every year. Am about to make my annual trip to the Dominican Republic for a week to work with Haitian sugarcane cutters. Am a very lucky guy with 10 wonderful grandchildren.”

1947

Edward C. Rhodes reports that he has settled in at Touchmark retirement home in Bend, Ore. He has a daughter, sonin-law, and granddaughter in Bend. He adds that the resident staff are very friendly and that he plays bridge, cribbage, and Jeopardy regularly.

1948

Ron Daniel continues to work at McKinsey & Company, where he has served for 55 years. He received two special honors recently: the Albert Gordon Lifetime Achievement Award from Harvard Business School and an honorary doctorate from Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. He holds two other honorary doctorates, one from Wesleyan University, 1988, and the other from Harvard, 2005.

1950

James B. Didriksen writes: “I am grateful and will always be thankful for my Loomis experience for preparing me not only for the demands of college life but also for the years afterward.”

1952

William L. Gamble writes: “I am extremely impressed with what I read in the Loomis Chaffee publications and the fine job the school is doing in

preparing its graduates for the challenges that they face.”

20 Reunion 13 June 14–16, 2013

“We’ve started a new chapter in our lives, moving to a retirement community in Medford, Ore.,” writes Stan Hayward. “We miss our California friends, but are delighted with our new surroundings and the friends we’re making here!” Rick Heym reports: “Still cooking, skiing, diving (now and then), and golfing.”

1953

Francine Berth Myles writes: “Have been running (literally) around being Granny nanny to our 3-year-old granddaughter, Paige Daley — a lot of fun seeing the world through her eyes. Evenings, I’ve been very active with three amateur theater groups: am president of the Snarks, a women’s group of long standing; a backstage stalwart of the Amateur Comedy Club, a men’s theatrical group of even longer standing; and stage manager for the Triangle Theatre. I enjoy them all, marveling at the talent that abounds in NYC, rivaling that on Broadway!”

1956

Quentin “Reg” Regestein writes: “One Loomis course in the 1950s was called Problems of Democracy. It seems that our American brand makes for more and more rules and a poor economy. This causes extra work for me and probably most others who try to offer goods and services. I’m trying to develop an unobtrusive device clinicians could use to record their patients’ behavior. I also work with a small tech compa-

Classes ending in 3s and 8s!

• Class dinners • Alumni and faculty presentations • Camp Pelican kids activities and evening child care • Receptions under the tent • Live music and dancing For schedule updates, lodging information, and to register, go to www. loomischaffee.org/reunion

Loomis Chaffee Annual Golf Outing Tumble Brook Country Club Friday, June 14 8:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. For more information and to register, go to www. loomischaffee.org/events

Community Service Project Friday, June 14 1:00–3:00 p.m. For more information or to register, go to www. loomischaffee.org/events

Chaffee

Book CluB

[

SAVE THE DATE: Wednesday, May 8, 2013 BOOK : How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming by Mike Brown Discussion Leaders: Alice Baxter and Ewen Ross, Science Department

Front: Elaine Title Lowengard ’46, Frances Woods ’44, Jenefer Carey Berall ’59, Lynn Hayden Wadhams ’61, Alice Smith Custer ’45, and Priscilla Ransom Marks ’66; and back: Arline Doxsee Herriot ’46, Gretchen Schafer Skelley ’45, Evelyn Smith ’50, Kate Butterworth De Valdez ’67, Miriam “Mims” Brooks Butterworth ’36, Anne Schneider McNulty ’72, Susan Seymour Reinhart ’60, Catherine Cox Reynolds ’45, Sally Hoskins O’Brien ’55, and discussion leader and Loomis Chaffee music teacher Susan Chrzanowski. Missing from photo: Florence Ransom Schroeter ’71.

s New Englanders made preparations for an impending snowstorm, Chaffee alumnae gathered on campus Wednesday, February 6, for the winter meeting of the Chaffee Book Club. After a dinner that featured music referenced in the selected book (including Tony Bennett, Dean Martin, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, and more), music teacher Susan Chrzanowski led a discussion of Kazuo Ishiguro‘s Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall. Ishiguro’s suite of novellas, with its cast of characters and recurring themes, made for stimulating conversation, especially when coupled with Sue’s dynamic orchestration of dialogue. A good book, a passionate discussion leader, lovely musical excerpts, and enthusiastic group participation made for another successful book club.

ny that supplies EEG biofeedback equipment to treat mental maladies like insomnia and depression. Initial results of an alcoholism treatment trial look too good to be true, but we’re checking them out. Alcoholism is the country’s most destructive prevalent mental problem, so this could be a big deal.”

1957

The school community extends condolences to David Caley, who writes that his wife, Katherine “Kitty” Maxwell Caley, passed away September 16, 2012, after a long illness. From Dick Hughes: “Daughter Kacy ’85 is early childhood program coordinator at Boston Children’s Museum. One grandson, Wyatt, 6. Son Chad ’89 has transplanted from Camden, Maine, to Traverse City, Mich.

Designs books and the fishing magazine for Down East Publications in Rockport, Maine. One grandson, Grayson, 2. Two stepgrands, 9 and 11. I’m accepting fewer architecture jobs to make room for archaeology. I joined FOSA (Friends of the Office of State Archaeology), which supports the state archaeologist. Am taking courses at Central Connecticut State University and working in the lab at the University of Connecticut as well as at numerous digs around the state during warmer weather! Wife Bev and I take at least one bicycling vacation per year as well as numerous shorter rides during the season. Actually, I’m still at it in spite of the cold, as long as the roads are dry!” “Greetings! All good here in Cambridge (Mass.),” writes

Murray Wheeler. “My tworoom B&B operation continues to be booked constantly. I enjoy running a small tennis club outside Harvard Square and playing three or four times a week, though at Harvard in the winter. I tutor almost daily, mostly middle school math. And I sing regularly in a chorus here in Cambridge and internationally with the Yale Alumni Chorus most summers — this July to Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, new terrain for me. Always something.”

1958

Arline Bishop Howard and John Howard ’56 report: “Life is great in sunny California. We live in easy reach of five of our seven shared kids and five of our eight grands. A yearly East Coast visit brings renewal with

two kids, three grands, and three brothers.” Steve Rosenthal was one of several teachers of an architectural photography master class held April 14–20 at the Penland School of Crafts, in Spruce Pine, N.C. Steve joined other noted photographers Neal Rantoul, Peter Vanderwarker, and Nick Wheeler in the week-long workshop, featuring conversations about their work, photography assignments in Asheville for their students, and critiques of the students’ work. Steve’s work has earned him the American Society of Media Photographers Architectural Photography Specialty Award, and he has had solo exhibitions at the Florence Griswold Museum (Conn.), the Waterworks Museum (Mass.), and the Cape Ann Museum (Mass.). loomischaffee.org | 43

’64

Ronald Bogdasarian ’64 and Donald Hooper ’64 (“Bogs and Hoops,” as Ron relates) enjoy a visit at Don’s Vermont home. They get together “someplace every year or three,” reports Ron, who adds “I’m still a full-time ENT doctor, but working in second gear, hoping to extend my warranty. Seem to be requiring more and more maintenance. Hope at least one of my six grandkids can get into Loomis.”

1961 John Metcalf Taylor Society News

IRA Charitable Rollover Extended for 2013

ood news if you are 70½ or older in 2013! The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 extended the IRA Charitable Rollover for 2013. What does this mean for you? If you are in this age bracket and have an IRA, you can make a gift of up to $100,000 from the IRA directly to a non-profit such as Loomis Chaffee. As the donor, you can exclude the amount gifted from your taxable gross income and can use the donation to satisfy any IRA-required minimum distribution for the year. To make such a gift, we recommend that you consult with your tax and estate planning advisor and then your IRA administrator. If you would like to make a direct contribution to the school, our address is 4 Batchelder Road, Windsor, CT 06095, and our Tax ID number is 06063119. For more information, please contact Tim Struthers ’85, director of development, at 860.687.6221 or tim_struthers@loomis.org.

44 |

“I had a week-long visit from Barbara Grimes Staats last July, writes Wendy McConaughy Cryan. “Backpacked the Yosemite High Sierra Loop in August — a spectacularly beautiful and challenging five-day adventure. I spend lots of time visiting Samantha’s family in Manhattan Beach and enjoying my grandson, Becket, born last May, and Cecily, 2. During the winter I work at Deer Valley and the Waldorf Astoria but always have time to ski with Park City visitors.” Lynn Hayden Wadhams reports: “John and I have downsized to a wonderful condo in Farmington. I am very active at the New Britain Museum of American Art and particularly enjoy my experiences as a docent.”

1964

From Harry C. Beaver: “Have finally retired from 34 years in the industrial automation business. Our children keep us busy visiting Charleston, S.C., and Naperville, Ill. Two grandchildren are enjoying baseball and soccer. Hope to see everyone at our 50th Reunion in 2014!” Ronald H. Shechtman is recognized as a “super lawyer” in the field of labor and employment. He is managing partner of Pryor Cashman in New York.

1965

“I went to Australia to see the solar eclipse,” reports Jim Taggart. “It was a real nail-biter. It was rainy and overcast until 30 seconds into totality. Then it abruptly cleared for about 10 minutes, and we got a glorious show!”

1966

Tom Andrews is busy working with the Rotary Youth Exchange Program for southern Arizona. “I manage healthcare and finances for three elderlies (including myself!), and fly around the Southwest in our 1948 Swift airplane. Next year, I will hike the Grand Canyon!” he writes. John Bonee writes: “I enjoy keeping in touch with developments at Loomis Chaffee via its excellent emails and publications, but also with informal chats on the corners of West Hartford’s Blue Back Square with such loyal alums as Pete Seigle ’65, who also has an office here and walks at lunch time! I especially enjoyed the Andrea Korzenik McCarren ’81 article, having grown up with her wonderful family on Terry Road in Hartford’s West End!”

1970

David Margolick has completed his latest book, Dreadful: The Short Life and Gay Times of John Horne Burns, to be published by Other Press in May. It is the first biography of Burns (1916–53), who taught at Loomis before and shortly after World War II and who received considerable acclaim for his first novel, The Gallery. His later novel, Lucifer with a Book, set in a thinly-disguised boarding school parodistically based on Loomis, earned Burns a good deal of criticism. David interviewed numerous alumni for his biography and was assisted in his research by school archivist Karen Parsons and several current and past members of the faculty.

1971

Lynn Weinerman Calder has been working as a computer technician at a local Internet service provider, MCN, doing tech help, graphic design, and website development; she has her own Computer One-on-One allowing her to “go to folks’ home or office for computer help.” She has participated in a fiveweekend Montessori teacher training

Pick a Pelican

’71

Lynn Weinerman Calder ’71 with her children: Zachary, Courtney, and Leif

and volunteering program at the Del Mar (Calif.) Learning Center in hopes of becoming a full-time teacher/supervisor beginning in September. Lynn homeschooled her three children, so she looks forward to working with children again. She writes: “My son Zachary, a senior city planner for the city of Los Altos, Calif., is getting married in July. My daughter Courtney is in the midst of yearlong Montessori training and assistant teaching part time in the Palo Alto Montessori school. Maybe someday she and I will open our own school! My son Leif does 3D computer graphics and is artistic director at a company of which he is one of the founders, Techtonic Games, in Santa Barbara. A very happy Mom am I!”

1974

“I am enjoying semi-retirement,” writes Alex Feldman. “I am currently a consultant for the Idaho State Board of Education, have done two deployments teaching math on Navy ships, and some other odd jobs. I can’t run anymore, so I do a lot more peak bagging. I’ve climbed over 100 peaks in Idaho, including the 40 highest. I occasionally see Mike O’Malley and his wife, Lauren.”

Christopher N. Otis writes: “Doing well in western Massachusetts. It is hard to believe that I have been practicing pathology and translational research in molecular pathology for so long. My wife, Roxanne Florence, practices pathology with me at Baystate Medical Center (Tufts University School of Medicine). Our 10-year-old son never ceases to impress me with his questions about all sorts of subjects. He is a ferocious reader. Hope he chooses to enroll at Loomis Chaffee. Looking forward to our next reunion.”

o you love Loomis Chaffee and know someone else who will too? We are always inter-

ested in learning about students who can become future Pelicans. It takes just a few minutes to fill out the online nomination form and help us “pick a Pelican.” Visit www.loomischaffee.org/pickapelican

“It’s been a year since my book Universal Heartbeat: Drumming, Spirit and Community was published,” writes Morwen Swilling Two Feathers. “You can find it on Amazon. com. I am into my second year as executive director of Odaiko New England, a Boston-based performing and teaching organization focusing on Japanese Taiko drumming.”

1975

John Backman has a new book out: Why Can’t We Talk?: Christian Wisdom on Dialogue as a Habit of the Heart, published by SkyLight Paths. In John’s words, his study “explores how ancient spiritual practices — as well as fundamental mindshifts loomischaffee.org | 45

Annual Fund 2012–13

Leadership Citizenship Service “One of my favorite Loomis Chaffee activities doesn’t take place on the Island. I volunteer at the Boys and Girls Club of Hartford with the Pelican Service Organization. We help students with their homework, and then we play with them in the gym. The kids really look forward to our visit and the positive attention we provide. For me, it’s the perfect break from studies and campus life. I definitely get as much out of it as the kids do!” — junior Justin Morales Thanks to the generosity of our Annual Fund donors, Loomis Chaffee is able to fulfill its mission to inspire in students a commitment to the best self and the common good. It takes only a few minutes to make a difference for today’s Loomis Chaffee students. Please make your Annual Fund gift today. www.loomischaffee.org/giving

From Tom “Chico” Lowell: “Moved to Florida and lovin’ it! Am among the youngest in the state. And among the minority down here that are not retired. Still managing money at Merrill Lynch.”

1976

“Still plying the museum trade,” reports Cindee Herrick. “Have an exhibit opening on the Missouri State Penitentiary. Still teaching at the local university. Dogs, gardens, and now beehive all doing well.” A new book by Adam Rome, The Genius of Earth Day: How a 1970 Teach-In Unexpectedly Made the First Green Generation, offers a compelling account of the rise of the environmental movement. The first Earth Day in 1970 created the first green generation. Earth Day 1970 also helped to build a lasting eco-infrastructure. Drawing on his experience as a journalist as well as his expertise as a scholar, Adam explains why the first Earth Day was so powerful and brings a great event to life. “This is not just history — it’s a highly useful guidebook for anyone trying now to summon the same passion and build the same movement that shook up the world in 1970!” writes Bill McKibben, author of Home and Away: Jail Cells, Beehives, and the Fight for a Working Planet. Michael Kazin, author of American Dreamers: How the Left Changed a Nation, writes, “Adam Rome has written the first serious history of the largest demonstration in American history — and it is likely to be the definitive one. His wise and captivating narrative explains the roots and remarkable success of Earth Day and should be required reading for anyone who struggles to prevent climate change today.”

1977

Andy Munro has received his doctorate in astronomy from James Cook University; 46 |

’75

and practical steps — can reorient our deepest selves, so we can appreciate our adversaries with civility and compassion.” An associate of an Episcopal monastery since 2005, John has published numerous articles on contemplative spirituality, dialogue, and related topics.

An associate of an Episcopal monastery since 2005, John Backman ’75 has published numerous articles on contemplative spirituality, dialogue, and related topics.

he studied cultural evidence for astronomy at Chaco Canyon, N.M., and no evidence in support of previously published lunar theories was found. Andy demonstrated that early 12th century (Late Bonito) monument architecture was consistently constructed at sites that enable viewing of dramatic December and June solstice sunrises and sunsets with reference to horizon landmarks. These findings support theories that Chaco may have operated as a regional ritual and pilgrimage center.

1978

Peter Fishman writes: “Looking forward to the Reunion this spring — hoping to see many of my classmates there!”

1979

From Jonathan Flatow: “On October 1, 2012, Cannondale Investments purchased OneSource Information Services from its parent company InfoGroup. OneSource will serve as Cannondale’s platform investment in the data-enabled business services industry. I have been appointed COO of OneSource, in addition to my duties as COO of Cannondale Investments, and will spend more than half my time overseeing operations at the OneSource headquarters in Concord, Mass.”

1983

Christopher J. Estes, president and chief executive officer of the National Housing Conference, Washington, D.C., has been appointed to the Baltimore Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, part of the nation’s central bank.

Matt Henderson Ellis ’87

att Henderson Ellis ’87 returned to the Island on April 1 to share his recently published novel, Keeping Bedlam at Bay in the Prague Cafe, with Loomis Chaffee juniors and seniors and to talk with students about his journey to becoming an author. After graduating from Loomis, Matt attended Bennington College. “When I graduated [from college], I decided that I really needed to get out in the world and live life the way that I had wanted to. I went to Prague for roughly nine months, and while the time I spent there was brief, it was beyond transformative,” Matt told the students. “It was really interesting to not only experience a foreign culture but to see the fetish with American culture and see the American culture as viewed by foreigners.” Matt’s novel, which takes place in the 1990s in the Czech Republic, conveys the atmosphere of a city in transformation and portrays attempts to make postCommunist Prague safe for capitalism. Matt didn’t try to write a first draft of the novel until 10 years after he had left Prague and the publishing industry in New York City. “That time in Prague was encapsulated in my mind, and I knew I had to do something

1984

“Life is good!” reports Tess Jackson Albert. “Our daughter is a freshman at Wheaton College (Mass.) and loving it, and our son is a freshman in high school. I continue to teach little ones (2-and-a-half- to 3-yearolds). Charlie and I celebrated 21 years of marital bliss!” John Rosenberg writes: “After years of bouncing around North America, and some Latin America, I now live in Greenwich, Conn., with my wife, Whitney, and our children, Hadley and Lucas. I recently launched an investment fund focusing on the water sector and certain adjacencies in clean tech and agriculture. I fondly recall many memories from the Island and to this day cringe when I hear the word ‘awesome.’ Thank you, Dr. Ratté.”

1986

“I have been living in Atlanta, Ga., since 2006 working with United Technologies Corporation as senior counsel in the

with it,” he said. “I wanted to write, not work on other people’s writing.” After composing four vastly different handwritten drafts, Matt finished his book in 2003, and received his first rejection shortly thereafter. “I thought that the book I had written was original, and it was so disheartening when I received the rejection letter,” he said. “It’s extremely hard to write an entire novel and evolve an idea across that many pages — most of what you learn about your writing happens when you are writing. My best advice is to be persistent and don’t quit.” Matt initially self-published his novel and marketed it on Amazon before the publishing house New Europe Books picked up the novel. The reviews have been universally positive. Matt’s talk at Loomis was the first lecture of the year sponsored by the Joseph S. Stookins Lecture Fund, an endowed gift from Richard J. Mackler ’57 to support visits of noteworthy literary or arts speakers.

Legal Department,” writes Dwinette Johnson-Bailey. “My husband and I enjoy metro Atlanta, but miss our New England home.” Philip Rudnicki writes: “Enjoyed visiting our son Caleb (sophomore at Loomis Chaffee) several times on campus since he enrolled in the fall of 2011, and got a chance to see him start in goal for the boys JV hockey team last winter. He loves everything about LC. He’s a tour guide, and he got to meet Jill Traverso Vogel at the beginning of December when she was visiting with her daughter and family.”

1987

For his political service, Charles Barwell was appointed an officer of the order of the British empire in H.M. The Queen’s New Year’s Honours List. Honours recognize those who have made a significant impact in British society. In March, Charles and his wife, Juliet, visited Buckingham

Palace, where the Queen bestowed on him a medal at the investiture. The award capped a wonderful year for Charles, the highlight of which was the birth of his and Juliet’s first child, a son, James, in October 2012. Thomas A. Foster is the editor of a new book, Documenting Intimate Matters: Primary Sources for a History of Sexuality in America, published by the University of Chicago Press. Included are 72 historical documents that trace the history of sexuality in America from the colonial period to the present. Tom is associate professor and chair of history at DePaul University. He is the author of Sex and the Eighteenth-Century Man: Massachusetts and the History of Sexuality in America (Beacon) and editor of Long Before Stonewall: Histories of Same-Sex Sexuality in Early America and New Men: Manliness in Early America (both New York University Press). Cathryn Prince Saldinger’s new book, Death in the Baltic:

’89

Shannon Leary Knall ’89, newly-appointed to the Simsbury (Conn.) Board of Selectmen

The World War II Sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff, was released in April by Palgrave Macmillan. (Note: Cathryn publishes under the name Cathryn Prince.)

1989

Marjorie Jaffe Goldner writes: “I have just started the most wonderful company and have to share the news. After a successful career in public relations and advertising, I have launched PregPrep, a new company dedicated to offering safe, natural products to promote fertility and healthy conception. Created by a team of four women (we are all family members!), our mission is to empower women to take control of their fertility. Our first product offering, the Make That Baby (MTB) Kit, is a two-month supply of three doctor-formulated products that optimize a woman’s chances of becoming pregnant. Check it out at www. pregprep.com.” Marjorie also offers this update: “I have lived in New York City since graduating from Boston University loomischaffee.org | 47

’94

’89 ’87

’95 Graduates celebrate the nuptials of Jonathan Bellobuono ’94 and Cassie Sawyer Bellobuono: Cy Peak ’94, Charlie Hatten ’93, Evan Welch ’93, the groom, the bride, Andy Cartin ’94, Geoff Sullivan ’94, Mike Bellobuono ’87, Chris Bellobuono ’85, Jodi Luster Brueggeman ’94, and Cara Papadopoulos Sharpe ’94.

in 1993. I have three children: Sylvie, 9; Rubie, 7; and Chase, 5 — and I have been happily married for 11 years. I often see Jackie Eckhouse, who lives in Brooklyn with her husband and adorable son, Theo. Feel free to reach out if you are passing through the city: marjorie@ pregprep.com.” The Simsbury (Conn.) Board of Selectmen voted unanimously in January to accept the nomination of Shannon Leary Knall to complete the term of Deputy First Selectman John Hampton, who was sworn in January 9 as Simsbury’s state representative. Shannon was sworn in to office January 15 at Simsbury Town Hall. Shannon is a member of the Simsbury Economic Development Commission and is host of The Simsbury Woman, which highlights issues of importance to women, on Simsbury Community Television. She served on the marketing committee of ArtWalk Simsbury!, and is a room parent at Latimer Lane Elementary School. Shannon is also founder and executive director of Well Served Tennis Academy, a Simsbury-based tennis camp for children with autism. As the Connecticut advocacy chair for Autism Speaks, she has been a tireless legislative advocate for people 48 |

with disabilities, working with state and federal policy-makers to pass important legislation regarding employment, education, and health care. A 10-year resident of Simsbury, Shannon lives with her husband, Mark, and their children, Jack, Patrick, and Jameson. She is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and holds a master’s degree in organizational behavior from the University of Hartford.

1990

“I can’t seem to leave boarding school life,” reports Holly Mason Macy. “I’m enjoying working as director of college counseling at Dublin School with John Adams ’05, who is a math teacher and head boys lacrosse coach.”

1991

Sylvia Anne Stella was born July 1, 2012, to Leah Gold Stella and Casey Stella.

1994

Jonathan Bellobuono owns a JB Mack macaroni and cheese franchise. (See photo and caption for more news about Jonathan.) Jessica Grogan recently published her first book, Encountering America: Humanistic Psychology, Sixties Culture &

the Shaping of the Modern Self (HarperCollins). A cultural historian, Jessica examines the humanistic psychology movement, influenced by a number of psychologists, such as Abraham Maslow, Rollo May, and Timothy Leary, that revolutionized American culture in the 1960s and 1970s. From the group of ideas that became known as New Age to perennial American anxieties about wellness, identity, and purpose, she traces how humanistic psychology continues to define the way we understand ourselves. Jessica has a doctorate in American studies from the University of Texas at Austin. She has taught courses in American history, culture, and psychology at Southwestern University, the University of Texas, and Mount Holyoke College.

1999

Coached by Pete Lepak, the Windsor High School boys soccer team earned its way to the Connecticut State Quarterfinals in Class L play last fall. The No. 17 Windsor Warriors beat No. 16 Masuk with 30 seconds left in overtime and beat undefeated No. 1 Watertown. Windsor played No. 6 Farmington and lost 1-0. Farmington won the state tournament. The tourna-

Sterling Roper-Kranjcec ’89 and Joe McGowan ’87 enjoying running into each other in Boulder, Colo. Sterling writes: “I love being the school counselor at Boulder Country Day School. Working on campus takes me back to my Loomis days. So does seeing Joe with his kids at BCD and at various events around town!” Izzy Jane Lucas was born at the end of September 2012 to Kimm Buettner Lucas ’95 and her husband, Tim. Big sisters Emma and Ellie are thrilled with their new baby sister. After maternity leave, Kimm returned to teaching fifth-grade English in January.

ment berth for Windsor was only its fourth in 12 years and its first quarterfinal berth in 25 years. In addition to his coaching duties, Pete teaches seventhgrade life science at Windsor’s Sage Park Middle School.

2001

François and Kathleen Noonan Brochu live in New Jersey with their son, Liam, 1. They eagerly await the arrival of baby boy No. 2 in June. Susie Keane and Wessel Boshoff of Johannesburg, South Africa, were married September 2, 2012, at Squam Lake, N.H. Lulu Lederman was in the wedding party, and attending were Jed Bradley ’02 and Michael Lederman ’71. Susie is a senior consultant with Trial-

ALUMNI News | Edited James Rugen ’70 Alumni Games bringby together graduates and varsity athletes

ack on the court and the ice, three groups of alumni athletes gathered in January to play games with current varsity teams on campus. Basketball alumnae convened on January 4. The men played in the Bennett Meyers Memorial Alumni/ Varsity Basketball Game on January 12. And hockey alumni took to the rink on January 19. Participants in the Alumni Hockey Game included Bob Barr ’69, Jak Bestle ’79, Kevin Day ’98, Mike Dolce ’99, Dan Dumais ’79 (father of Courtney ’07 and junior Owen), Dan Klein ’98, Chris Martin ’05, Scott Miller ’87, Gregory Reynholds ’97, Donald Kamm (father of junior Nicholas), and Pete McCormick (father of sophomore Seth). Spectators included Geoff Bishop ’69, Candice Naboicheck Dolce ’99, Al Freihofer ’69, Bill Graulty ’69, Steve Nightingale ’69 (father of Benjamin ’01 and David ’04), and Jeff Scanlon ’79 (father of junior Mia and freshman Ana). Participants in the Alumnae Basketball Game included (back): Ally Hopson ’12, junior Lauren Rubino, freshman Vanessa Young, junior Abby Pyne, junior Kayla Schreibstein, senior Brooke Marchitto, junior Sarah Breckinridge, and freshman Meera Miller; (middle): varsity head coach Adrian Stewart ’90, freshman Isabel Hanson, Moriah Moriarty ’94, Erin Champlin Barringer ’96, Samantha Tweedie ’06, Chloe Alexander ’12, and Missy Pope ’04; (front): junior Maxine Offiaeli, sophomore Chynna Bailey, sophomore Stephanie Jones, freshman Samantha Roy, and freshman Kendra Offiaeli; and (seated on the floor): Ellie Ross (daughter of former coach Lisa Salinetti Ross) and Emma Barringer (daughter of Erin Champlin Barringer ’96). Graduates who played in the Bennett Meyers Memorial Alumni/Varsity Basketball Game included boys varsity head coach Jim Dargati ’85, Scott Sadowski ’95, Dave Brown ’00, Dan Trompeter ’12, Nigel Richards ’93, Adrian Perry ’93, Tim Diehl ’00, Derek Raymond ’03, John Corbett ’92, Paul Mounds ’03, Franklin Perry ’00, Chris Smith ’08, Kenyon Binns ’92, John Lusa ’77, and girls varsity head coach Adrian Stewart ’90.

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ALUMNI News

ogue, a sustainability consulting firm; and Wes is with PwC in its corporate finance practice. To offset their corporate lives, they live on a small farm outside Johannesburg. After creating a sensation wearing a white gown by Jason Wu for the Obama inaugural balls four years ago, First Lady Michelle Obama chose another of Jason’s creations, this time ruby, the second time around.

2002

From Kathryn E. Kenney: “Today is Monday, December 17, 2012, and my heart aches for all affected by the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn. I hope that everyone in the class continues to find success personally and professionally. Following 48 months of being laid off, I have recently begun anew with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) as an accessibility compliance assistant. My work involves assessing how to make public-facing facilities more accessible to those with visible and invisible disabilities. My interests in design and social activism have come together, and I have never been more excited! I have truly found a position I love and hope to keep for many years. I plan to move to Boston during the spring to solidify my new life in this wonderful city. I am taking this spring off from the master of interior design degree program at the Boston Architectural College to focus on my new life and to prepare for the beginning of my thesis in the fall. I will focus on transitional housing for war veterans 50 |

’01

suffering from PTSD. Mental illness is a concept that is near and dear to my heart, and I want to see this country change how it treats those suffering from mental illnesses.”

2006

Chris McKay lives in Philadelphia and works in business development for Experis, an IT project solutions and staffing company. He also started Main Line Educational Coaching, a company based out of Villanova, Pa., with the goal of helping local middle school and high school students set and achieve goals, develop as students, and realize their full potential. Chris plays water polo with the Greater Philly club team at Villanova.

2007

“You can find me on a fishing boat in Kodiak, Alaska — if I’m not eaten by a bear,” reports Laney Correa. Sarah Frimpong is working on starting a new business in Washington, D.C. Broodjes & Bier is a Dutch-inspired sandwich start-up. “Our dream is to build a brick-and-mortar location where you and yours can enjoy a fresh broodje (sandwich) and cold bier (beer) as if you were sitting canal-side in Amsterdam. Our sandwiches will be made fresh, on-site, using locally-baked breads and fresh produce. Our cheeses will be the finest the Dutch have to offer.” A 2011 graduate of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, Nabil Hashmi majored in international political economy and received a certificate in international development. This

year, Nabil serves as a Princeton in Africa fellow, selected as a young leader committed to Africa’s continuing advancement. Nabil is assigned to the country of Gabon, an equatorial republic of 1.5 million people on the west coast of Africa. Nabil serves as a member of the corporate responsibility and sustainability team for Olam International, a Singapore-based agribusiness. He travels regularly to the company’s project sites throughout Gabon and has partnered with another Princeton in Africa fellow to design a community survey to measure how Olam has affected the lives of local people in villages near the project sites. He also has established a partnership between the company and the Gabonese chapter of the Red Cross to train HIV-AIDS educators, distribute condoms, and provide rapid HIV tests to local clinics. Maggie Trautman will be moving to New York City to begin a new job with Barclays, having spent the last year working in Washington, D.C., as a recruiter for the accounting firm Aronson. She is excited about the move.

2008

Justin Murphy-Mancini advanced to the semifinal round of the first Westfield International Harpsichord Competition last August. Co-sponsored by the Westfield Center for Historical Keyboard Studies and the Smithsonian Institution, the competition was held at the University of Maryland, College Park, August 12–18, 2012. Competitors ranged in age from 22 to 33 and hailed from three continents.

’01

Jennifer Gomez ’01 was recently appointed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to serve as special assistant at the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, located in Albany. She participates in the governor’s inaugural Empire State Fellows Program and was previously employed at the New York City Council as legislative counsel. Siena Kathryn Champagne was born June 18, 2012, to Laura Niemiroski Champagne ’01 and her husband, Eric. Joe Niemiroski ’74 is a proud grandfather, and Joe Niemiroski ’12 is an excited new uncle. Afton Pavletic ’08 recently completed a four-month externship with the Management Council of the National Football League at its headquarters in Manhattan as well as an internship with the Sports Legacy Institute, whose mission is to advance the study, treatment, and prevention of brain injury in athletes. Afton is a third-year law student at Cornell.

’08

Patrick Meggers marched as a senior cadet with the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in President Obama’s second inaugural parade.

Head’s holiday: Hartford, Washington, D.C., & New York city

lumni across the regions gathered on Thursday, January 31, for Loomis Chaffee’s annual Head’s Holiday events. This year, Hartford, New York, and Washington D.C.-area young alumni honored the long-time tradition of the school’s mid-winter break, celebrating each other and Loomis Chaffee. At West Hartford’s Bartaco, 30 guests escaped the cold to reminisce with fellow Pelicans; in Manhattan, nearly 100 loyal alumni filled the east side’s PS450 enthusiastically; and in Washington, 25 alums who gathered at Local 16 caught up with each other trading accounts of life since graduation. At each location, the Loomis Chaffee spirit was alive and well on this chilly winter night!

HARTFORD: Erin Champlin Barringer ’96, Laurie Perez ’89, Paul Mounds ’03, Moriah Moriarty ’94, Brandy Little ’96, Lexi Karn ‘08

HARTFORD: Jay Thornhill ’05, Corinne Johnson ’05, Corinne’s fiancé Pat MacDonnell, Miroslav Grajewksi ’08, Nick Giuliano ’05

To view more photos of the event, go to loomischaffee.org / magazine.

WASHINGTON, DC: Alyson Cunningham ’08, Jacob Zachs ’09, Liz McGuinn ’09, Drew Barnes ’09, Katie Earle ’08

WASHINGTON, DC: Alan Carniol (guest of Andrea), Andrea D’Amato ’01, Evan Barnes ’99, Amanda Barnes

NEW YORK CITY: Alums gathered at PS450 on Park Avenue in Manhattan.

WASHINGTON, DC: Steve Matzie ’98, Ben Williams ’98, Jason Mulvihill ‘95

Photos: Lisa Ross, Tom Southworth, Missy Pope ’04

loomischaffee.org | 51

ALUMNI News

’09 ’12

Garret Wilkes ’09 and Melanie Silverman ’12 visited campus January 14, performing with the 16-member Colgate Resolutions a capella choral group to a packed audience in the chapel. Garret serves at the music director for the ensemble. Caroline Nightingale ’10 and Randee Johnson ’09 co-captained the Haverford women’s squash team to the E-Division finals at the College Squash Association National Tournament at Yale in midFebruary. The team defeated Tufts 6-3 to capture the title.

2010

Shacoya Atkins was selected by the National Association of African American Studies and Affiliates to present her research, The Effects Children and Relationships Have on Domestic Abuse, in Baton Rouge, La. Cameron Sandquist has already enjoyed a noteworthy

’10 Join the conversation! Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram and join nearly 1,800 alumni on our private LinkedIn group. loomischaffee.org/mashup

career on the Yale football team. As a freshman, he scored on his first two receptions, and this past fall he caught a 99yard pass for a touchdown, the longest in Yale football history.

Please don’t forget to write!

Please email Alumni Newsnotes Editor James Rugen ’70 at james_ rugen@loomis.org with news to share with classmates and friends. Highresolution photographs are welcome; be sure to identify all people clearly. Thank you!

BUILDING | continued from 2

in Carter or Harman. We will decide on how to use the smaller dormitory at a future date. Regardless of whether the new dormitories are for boys or girls, the most important thing for us to get right is the character and atmosphere of the dormitories. Our dormitories become homes for generations of students, some of whom are away from home for the first time. Here they will find a warm and safe haven where they can forge deep friendships that will last them a lifetime, where they will learn a measure of independence and self-reliance, and where they will live with adults who care deeply about their wellbeing. In the 1920s, Edmund Barss—a master teacher in the early years of the school—wrote about the residential atmosphere that the school created. He wrote about a Saturday evening in the dormitory where faculty and their families mingled easily with the students as they snacked and talked about their day. Barss used a phrase to describe that sense of community that really resonates today. He wrote: “We have been living as a community without the consciousness of effort.” We continue to aspire to the same easy warmth, the same community without consciousness of effort.

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North facing and main entrance. Tecton Architects Inc

IN MEMORIaM | by Katherine A.B. Langmaid

Photo: Loomis Chaffee Archives

1936

helped found and was a former member of the Urban League of Hartford. Franny served as Frances Beardsley Hoke, at her home, on January 19. Franny Trustee for The Loomis Institute from 1960 to 1965. She loved was an honor roll student from to read and enjoyed reading to West Hartford. She served the others. Franny is survived by her Student Council as treasurer and husband of 71 years, Marshall P. as a member of the Nominating Committee. She was active with Hoke; five children, Marshall P. Hoke ’60, Margaret Hoke sub-school soccer and basketRiddle ’63, Alexander P. Hoke, ball. Following Chaffee, Franny earned a bachelor’s degree from David B. Hoke ’69, and Howard B. Hoke; 11 grandchildren, Smith College, where she was a Jonas, Daniel, Jamie, Francie, member of Phi Beta Kappa. She Hannah, Marshall, Gillian, lived for many years in West Hartford before moving to New Riley, Lat, Meghan, and Sarah; three great-grandsons; two London, N.H., in 1974, where she had been a summer resident great-granddaughters; and a sister, Margaret Beardsley Luce from 1956 to 1974. Franny was ’38. A memorial service was a member of the First Baptist held on January 26 at the First Church of New London. A consistent community volunteer, Baptist Church of New London, N.H. Burial will be at Fairview she served as head of the SumCemetery in West Hartford in mer Residents’ Committee in New London for many years. She the spring.

Irving Harold Schlesinger Jr., on January 14, with his family by his side. A four-year student from Windsor, Irv was a day fellow who was involved with the Student Council, the French and Glee clubs, and the Senior Committee. He was active with the soccer, hockey, and baseball teams. Following Loomis, Irv earned a bachelor’s degree, Phi Beta Kappa, from Yale University, where he was a member of the varsity soccer team and the Yale Glee Club. During World War II, he served in the European theater as a captain in the Medical Administrative Corps. Irv was a retired vice president for the Southern New England Telephone Company. He served as vestryman, warden, and choir member at Trinity Church on the Green in New Haven and was a director for the Quinnipiac Council of Boy Scouts, Blue

Shield, and the Clifford Beers Clinic. A former president of the Hartford Jaycees, he served the United Way, the New Haven Chamber of Commerce, and the Connecticut Economic Development Commission, and he chaired the North Haven Zoning Board of Appeals. An avid golfer, he was past secretary of the Connecticut State Golf Association. Irv was a member of the New Haven Country Club, the High Lane Club, and the Quinnipiac Club. He was predeceased by his sister-in-law, Lydia Ashmead Strother ’50. Irv is survived by his wife, Mildred; two sons, John H. Schlesinger ’66, and Peter K. Schlesinger ’68; a daughter, Ruth Schlesinger Bryant; nine grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. A memorial service was held on January 17 at Trinity Church on the Green in New Haven. loomischaffee.org | 53

IN MEMORIaM

1937

Daniel Francis Kelley Jr., at his home in Miami, Fla., on NovemBarbara Clark Johnson, peace- ber 10, 2012. Dan was a four-year student from San Juan, Puerto fully on January 8. A student Rico. He was involved with the from Windsor, Barbara was Loomiscellany Board, as vice named Most Likely to Sucpresident of the Stamp Club, and ceed, Best Dressed, and Most with the Riding Club. Dan was Sensible. Following Chaffee, active with the first soccer team, she earned a bachelor’s degree from Wellesley College. Her first first fencing team, golf, and tennis. He earned a bachelor’s job was designing and makdegree from Cornell University ing clothes, a passion that she and a master’s degree in busipursued through much of her ness administration from Haradult life. After her work career vard Business School. He then ended, she focused her time on served as captain in the U.S. raising her family. She was an Army from 1943 to 1946 before avid golfer into her last year of earning his law degree from Yale life and was a huge sports fan University. Dan was an associate who never tired of watching at Sullivan & Cromwell in New virtually any sport that was on television. She later came to love York before returning to Puerto the University of North Carolina Rico, where he was founding member of McConnell, Valdes, at Chapel Hill and was proud to Kelley, Sifre, Griggs & Ruizbecome a life member at Pinehurst Country Club and a season Suria, now McConnell Valdes, in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico. Dan ticket-holder at UNC basketball was instrumental in supportgames. She was a keen reader, ing the expansion of the island’s gardener, and lover of animals, economy following Operation particularly her cats. Later in Bootstrap. He is survived by his life, she came to love the radio, wife of 59 years, Katherine; his including music, late-night talk daughters, Consuelo Doria, Jean shows, and sports. Barbara was Consuelo, and Robin Doria; and predeceased by her husband, five grandsons, Sam, Max, Tom, Paul R. Johnson; her brother, Ethan, and Corey. Richard C. Clark ’40; and her late-in-life companion, Bob Pettigrew. She is survived by her sons, James M. Boak ’63, Jeffrey M. Boak ’66, and Edward Philip Haas Hamerslough C. Johnson; four grandchildren, Jr., on February 3. A four-year Sarah, Elizabeth, Zachary, and student from West Hartford, Edward; and her cousin, PatriPhil was involved with the cia A. Huntington ’50; as well Junior French Club and the as numerous nieces, nephews, Sophomore Reception Commitgrandnieces, and grandnephtee and was advertising manews. A graveside service was ager of The LOG. He was active held on January 19 at Elm Grove with Ludlow senior football, Cemetery in Windsor. Ludlow senior baseball, hockey, and golf. At graduation, he was voted Most Generous. Phil was a World War II veteran in the

1938

54 |

Army Signal Corps. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Williams College before earning a master’s degree in English literature from Yale University. His careers combined education and business, exemplified by his teaching English literature, becoming chief executive officer of New Dimensions in Education (creators of The Letter People), working under Sargent Shriver as director of recruitment for the Peace Corps from 1966 to 1968, and writing a book review column from his winter home in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Phil’s love of literature also led to his volunteer work at the Greenwich, Conn., and Rye, N.Y., libraries in his later years. Phil’s life was a celebration of learning, service, and love for such sports as sailing, golf, bicycling, and tennis. His enthusiasm was infectious, which made him a good teacher in the broadest sense of the word. He was an active member of Quaker Ridge Golf Club in Scarsdale, N.Y.; the Williams Alumni Association; and the United Jewish Association. He was a generous donor to many liberal, political, and environmental causes. Phil was predeceased by his son, Bruce. He is survived by his wife of 71 years, Edith, who was his greatest love and with whom he traveled the world. Phil is also survived by three sons, Philip, John, and Jimmy; and six grandchildren, Benjamin, Ira, Noah, India, Max, and Laine. A memorial service was to be planned for April. Eliot Francis Parkhurst, on January 22, at Beaumont Nursing Center in Northborough, Mass. Eliot was a two-year stu-

dent from Providence, R.I. He was involved with the Publications Board, Fall Dance Committee, and Endowment Fund Working Committee and as business manager of Loomiscellany, president of the Press Club, and assistant business manager of The LOG. Eliot was active with first team soccer, first team hockey, Ludlow senior baseball, the Nautical Club, and cheerleading. Following Loomis, Eliot earned a bachelor’s degree from Brown University. Eliot was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II. From 1943 through 1945, he served as a commissioned officer, first commanding PT 566, a motor torpedo boat in MTB Ron 29 assigned to the Mediterranean, and then in MTB Ron 12 assigned to the Southwest Pacific and based out of the Philippines. Squadron 12 was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for action in New Guinea from October 1943 to March 1944. Eliot then earned a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard Business School. He worked for Royal Doulton & Company of England in its fine china division from 1949 through its acquisition of Waterford Wedgewood and his retirement in 1990. He and his family resided for more than 50 years in Northborough, Mass., where he was active in local politics and served on the town’s Planning Board for many years. Eliot is survived by his wife of 60 years, Priscilla; his sons, Eliot F. Parkhurst Jr. and Jeffrey S. Parkhurst; his daughter, Martha E. Parkhurst; and his sister, Martha Parkhurst Sherman. A private service was to be held at a later date at the family summer home in Shelter Harbor, Westerly, R.I.

1939 Shepherd M. Holcombe Sr., on November 28, 2012. Shep was a four-year student from Hartford. He was involved in the Musical and Chess clubs, the Orchestra, and the Dining Hall Committee. Shep was active with the first soccer team, the soccer and squash squads, and the Tennis Club. Following Loomis, Shep earned a bachelor’s degree from Yale University before joining the Army Air Corps. The military sent him to New York University, where he studied meteorology. He then became a weather officer for the 459th Bomb Group, serving as captain in southern Italy. He was awarded the Bronze Star for his service. From 1945 to 1968, Shep worked at what was then Connecticut General Insurance Company, ending up as head of the actuarial consulting department in Group Pensions. He left to start his own actuarial consulting company, Hooker & Holcombe, from which he retired in 1989. Shep grew up in the house in which his family had lived since 1840 on Spring Street in Hartford. Shep was a staunch booster of Hartford’s history and lived his entire life not more than a few miles from the family homestead. He had a great passion for his hometown, and his involvements in Hartford reflect his devotion to the city, its history, and its cultural institutions. He served as a member of the boards of the Wadsworth Atheneum, Connecticut Historical Society, Old State House, Bushnell Memorial, Spring Grove Cemetery, and Waburton Chapel Trustees. His generosity is reflected in the Shepherd M. Holcombe

Photo: Loomis Chaffee Archives

Archives, created at the Bushnell Memorial in 2000; in the purchase of the sideboard for the Mark Twain House; and in the Emily Seymour Goodwin Holcombe Education Center at the Old State House, which honors his grandmother’s work. He served as governor of the Society of Descendants of the Founders of Hartford and Society of Colonial Wars in the State of Connecticut, president of the Mental Health Association of Hartford, and moderator of Weekapaug, Rhode Island, the beach community that he loved dearly. During retirement, he was president and then chairman of Hartford’s Ancient Burying Ground Association, working tirelessly for resto-

ration and preservation and continuing work begun by his grandmother. Shep was predeceased by his first wife, Catherine Smith; his second wife, Betty Wiese; and two brothers, Harold Holcombe and Seth P. Holcombe ’36. He is survived by his children, Shephard, Anne, and Emily; his granddaughter, Tally; stepdaughters Claire, Anne, and Jane; and five step-grandchildren. A memorial service was held at the First Church of Christ in Hartford on December 8, 2012.

Carlos A. Richardson Jr., peacefully on July 15, 2012. Carlos was a three-year student from New Britain. He was involved with the Glee Club, Political Committee, Dance Band, and Athletic Committee. He was active with the wrestling squad, the first track team, and the second football squad, for which he also served as co-captain. Following Loomis, Carlos earned a bachelor’s degree from Trinity College. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II as senior naval aviator and later in the Naval Reserves as lieutenant commander. In the 1950s, he worked at Point Mugu and Convair General Dynamics as flight test engineer. He earned a master’s degree from San Diego State University and was chief flight instructor at Montgomery Field until he retired. Carlos was a member of the Quiet Birdmen. He was also a longtime member of the Masons, for whom he served as past master in 2001, and belonged to Shriners International. He served as president of the board at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego, where he was a longtime member. In his later years, he was active in and a leader of the Informed Prostate Cancer Support Group of San Diego. He loved sports and was a loyal fan of the San Diego Padres and Chargers. Carlos was predeceased by his wife, Jean; his sister Frances Richardson Brautigam; and his brother, Robert W. Richardson ’43. He is survived by his children, Carlos III, Barbara, and Thomas; five grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandchild; two nephews, Robert W. Richloomischaffee.org | 55

IN MEMORIaM

ardson Jr. ’70 and Lawrence C. Brautigam ’72; and a niece, Amie Brautigam ’77. A memorial service was to be held at a later date. Walter B. Schatz, on November 5, 2012, in the comfort of his home. Walt, also known as “Ernie” during his Loomis days, was a bright, witty four-year student who traveled to Loomis from Hartford each day by train. He was a day fellow and a member of the Debating, Political, Rifle, and Junior French clubs. Walt also belonged to the Chess Club, in which he won “top of the ladder” during junior year. Walt was active with Allyn senior football and Allyn baseball. He was the first of three generations to attend Loomis: three daughters and two grandchildren have followed in his footsteps. In his later years, he loved sharing stories of his Loomis days in the 1930s with family and comparing his experiences with the post-millennial ones of his grandchildren. Following Loomis, Walt began undergraduate studies at Cornell University, which were interrupted by World War II. In the war, he had a distinguished career as a cryptographic technician in the Pacific Theater from 1943 to 1945. He entered basic training in Miami Beach, Fla., and then joined the Signal Corps Wing of the 13th Air Force. He was a decorated sergeant in the Signal Corps Wing of the 7th Air Force, Military Intelligence Service. Following his service, Walt earned bachelor’s and law degrees from Cornell University before returning to Hartford to join Schatz & Schatz, the 56 |

prestigious law firm founded by his father and uncle in 1917. Walt practiced law at the firm, which became Schatz & Schatz, Ribicoff & Kotkin in 1978, for more than 50 years. During his years of practice, he was highly respected as a teacher of the law and devoted countless hours of his time to mentor younger lawyers. From 1996 to 2005, he was of counsel to the firm of Krevolin, Roth & Connors in West Hartford. He was a member of the county, state, and American bar associations; served as chairman of the Anti-Trust Section of the Connecticut Bar; and taught Connecticut procedure at Suffolk University Law School in Boston. He served on the Executive Committee of the West Hartford Chamber of Commerce and was the recipient of the Key Man Award from the chamber in 1979. He also served on the West Hartford Republican Town Committee and the West Hartford Board of Tax Review and for many years was a justice of the peace in West Hartford. Walter served as a parajudicial officer from 1995 to 2004 for the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut, working primarily with U.S. District Judge Dominic J. Squatrito. Walt was a lifelong member of the Emanuel Synagogue, a synagogue his father helped to found. He was predeceased by his brother, Paul. Walt is survived by his four children, Louis Schatz, Beverly Schatz Therkelsen ’74, Carol Schatz Papper ’77, and Patricia Pipernos-Schatz ’81, and their spouses; and nine grandchildren, David Schatz, Amy Schatz, Carly Therkelsen, Matthew Therkelsen, Liza Therkelsen, Gaby Papper, Willy

Papper, Benjamin Pipernos ’14, and Sara Pipernos ’15. Funeral services were held on November 8, 2012, at the Emanuel Synagogue in West Hartford. Mary-Agnes Pratt Wine, at Falmouth House at Ocean View in Falmouth, Maine, on February 17. A lifelong lover of music, Mary-Agnes was cradled in soft music during her final days in this world. She was a four-year student from Windsor and a member of the Chaffers. She received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Mount Holyoke College before attending Yale Medical School. She married her husband, Ira, in 1946, and together they moved to Portland, Maine, in 1952, where they raised their family. Mary-Agnes’ passion was education. She taught biology at Bowdoin College for 22 years after teaching for a few years at the University of Maine, Portland (now called University of Southern Maine). She taught less formally as a naturalist for the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) hut system in the White Mountains and at the AMC’s Cold River Camp in Chatham, N.H. For many years she authored the “Wine’s Line” natural history column in the AMC Maine chapter’s newsletter. She also taught several Elderhostel courses and was involved in a project to provide more educational opportunities for the gifted children of Maine. Mary-Agnes loved to hike and spent much of her free time in the mountains of New England. She, together with her husband, was a proud member of the AMC Four Thousand Footer Club. After retiring from

Bowdoin, she found time for trips to England and Antarctica, and at age 75 hiked the famous 33.5-mile Milford Track in New Zealand. She and her husband were volunteer staff for the fall season for more than 25 years at Cold River Camp. In 2002, they received the AMC’s Joe Dodge Award in recognition of their various contributions to the organization over the years. As a naturalist and environmentalist, Mary-Agnes was involved throughout the years in many organizations, including the Josselyn Botanical Society, Maine Mycological Association, Maine Audubon Society, Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, and Friends of Casco Bay as a baykeeper. As a commitment to civic duty, she was a poll worker for the elections in Portland and, later, in Falmouth for many years. She was active in various committees and roles for more than 50 years in the Portland Friends Meeting, most recently serving on the Earth and Spirit Committee for several years. Mary-Agnes sang in many choral groups over the years and enjoyed going to concerts. She was predeceased by her husband of 55 years, Ira; and her brother, Aaron P. Pratt Jr. ’35. She is survived by her four daughters, Mary Patience Wine, Nancy Comfort Wine, Rebecca Hope Wine, and Abigail Grace Wine; seven grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; her niece, Virginia Pratt Root ’63; and her nephew, David W. Pratt ’76. A celebration of Mary-Agnes’ life was held in the Quaker tradition on March 2 at the Allen Avenue Unitarian Universalist Church in Portland, Maine.

1940 Mary Ellsworth Ransom, at St. Francis Hospital, on January 12. A lifelong resident of Windsor, Mary was a four-year student at Chaffee. She was active with the basketball team, involved in the Student Council, and voted as the senior who had “Done Most for Chaffee.” Mary earned a bachelor’s degree from Mount Holyoke College. She then took a position at Southern New England Telephone in Hartford, where she worked as a supervisor before leaving to raise her family. Mary was a lifelong member of the First Church of Windsor, where she helped start the nursery school. She was an active member of the Women’s Club and was one of the oldest living members of the John Warham Society. Mary also attended Poquonock Community Church and taught Sunday School. She had a lifelong love of reading and served for many years as secretary of the Windsor Library Association. Once her children were grown, Mary worked at the Camp Field Branch of the Hartford Public Library, retiring in 1993. Proud of her Ellsworth and Loomis family heritage, Mary was involved in many Windsor historic events and was a dedicated member and volunteer at the Windsor Historical Society. She was a member of the Republican Town Committee. Mary enjoyed spending time at her family beach cottage in Westbrook, playing tennis and bridge with friends, taking daily walks around the historic section of Windsor, and watching her favorite sports teams, including

with the Senior French, Glee, and Debating clubs and with the Founders Committee. He was active with Ludlow senior football, Ludlow senior basketball, Ludlow tennis, and the rifle team. Bob was a cast member in Green Pastures, The Sorcerer, and Trial by Jury. He proudly served in the U.S. Army as a staff sergeant during World War II. Bob worked for Ford Motor Company in Newark, N.J., as a sales executive for many years before retiring. He was predeceased by his wife, Margaret; and his brother James Manilla ’36. Bob is survived by his daughters, Lynne and Sandra. A private funeral was to be held. Photo: Matthew Septimus

the University of Connecticut women’s basketball team, the Boston Red Sox, and the New England Patriots. Mary was predeceased by her husband, J. Ford Ransom Jr. ’39; and her sister, Jean Ellsworth Northrop ’38. She is survived by her three daughters, Priscilla Ransom Marks ’66, Susan Ransom Nagy ’67, and Florence Ransom Schroeter ’71; three grandchildren, Natalie, John, and Thomas; her brother, Philip F. Ellsworth Jr. ’45; and many beloved nieces and nephews, including Philip F. Ellsworth III ’74 and Scott L. Northrop ’76. A funeral service was held on January 21 at the First Church in Windsor.

1941 Carol Anderson Heath, at Yale-New Haven Hospital on May 31, 2012, surrounded by her family. Carol loved read-

ing, playing golf, knitting, and traveling, but most of all she loved growing up and raising her children at the family lake house in New York state. For many years, she was very active in the Connecticut Women’s Golf Association, where she served as chair of the Rules Committee. She had been a member of the Clinton Country Club. Carol was predeceased by her husband, Robert; and her sister, Isabel Sexton. She is survived by her children, Jon “Andy” Heath, Robin Bryce, Michael Heath, and Christine Heath; 11 grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and a sister, Dorothy Elmore. A private service was to be held in New York state. Robert Manilla, at his residence on October 14, 2012. Bob was a four-year student from New York City. He was involved

Michael Sudarsky, on February 18. Michael was a four-year student from West Hartford. He was involved with the Nautical and French clubs, Scholarship Committee, and Band; as business manager of The LOG; as secretary-treasurer of the Publications Board; as study hall supervisor; and as a cast member of Ticket of Leave Man. Michael was active with the second football team, the wrestling squad, and Wolcott senior basketball, and he was coach of Wolcott baseball. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Yale University and a law degree from Columbia Law School. Michael served in the U.S. Navy during World War II aboard the destroyer escort Wilhoite. He received the Presidential Unit Citation. A member of the New York and Connecticut state bars, he practiced law in Hartford, initially as an associate in the office of Solomon Elsner; later as partner in O’Brien, Sudarsky and Hausman; and subsequentloomischaffee.org | 57

IN MEMORIaM

ly as partner in Murtha Cullina Richter and Pinney. After moving to Florida in 1992, he served of counsel at Murtha Cullina. At different times, he was chairman of the Real Estate Section and Business Law Committee of the Connecticut Bar Association. He was a former member, vice chairman, of the Hartford Zoning Board of Appeals; treasurer of the Hartford Republican Town Committee; member of the Connecticut Republican State Finance Committee; and a director of the Hartford Courant Company from 1961 until its sale in 1979 to Times Mirror Company. He enjoyed skiing, for many years vacationing at ski resorts in Europe, Vermont, Colorado, and Idaho. A frequent golfer and former member of Tumble Brook Country Club in Bloomfield, he was also a former member of the Breakers Club in Florida. Michael was predeceased by his former wife, Gail Gilman; and his brother Daniel Sudarsky ’46. He is survived by his wife, Olga; his brother Peter Sudarsky ’46; his nieces and nephews, Laura Sudarsky Belscher, July Sudarsky Gross, Dora Sudarsky Jones, Martha Sudarsky Kristi, Jennifer Sudarsky Lopez, John Sudarsky, Matthew Sudarsky, and Noah Marcel Sudarsky; and his cousins, including R. David Sudarsky ’43, Jean Helliesen Bishop ’44, John R. Suisman ’55, and Paula Rudy Sternberg ’60. Funeral services were held on February 21 at the chapel of the Weinstein Mortuary in Hartford. Interment was to follow in the Emanuel Synagogue Cemetery in Wethersfield.

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1943 Richard Denzler Hazen, on June 7, 2012. Dick was a oneyear student from Titusville, Pa. He was involved with the Corporal Military Drill and on the Grounds Committee. Dick was active with Allyn senior football and Allyn senior basketball. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II and made good use of the G.I. Bill upon his return. Dick earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Oklahoma and a master’s degree from Penn State University. His passions were family, friends, fishing, and telling stories, usually about family, friends, and fishing. Dick was predeceased by his beloved wife of 43 years, Patricia. He is survived by his five children, Rich, Lynn, Carla, Beth, and Jim; seven grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. Funeral services were held on June 13, 2012, at the Church of Holy Comforter in Broomfield, Colo. John Kraffert Henne, peacefully in his sleep at his home in Lynchburg, Va., on November 7, 2012. John, who was a descendant of Jonathan Titus, for whom Titusville, Pa., is named, was a two-year student from Titusville. He was involved with the Gymnasium Committee and Military Drill. He was active with fencing, flying, Ludlow tennis, track squad, and Ludlow soccer, the latter of which he served as a manager. John earned a bachelor’s degree from Haverford College and a second degree in teaching from Edinburgh University. He taught seventh- and eighth-grade Eng-

lish and served as varsity golf coach in the Titusville Public Schools for 17 years. In 2007, John was awarded an honorary doctor of education degree from Lynchburg College in Virginia in recognition of his generous and loyal support of Lynchburg College athletics programs and his continuing dedication and commitment to the education and enrichment of young people. He traveled the world, enjoying lifelong friendships in all corners of the globe. In addition to travel, John was passionate about cars — the faster the better — and his hometown of Titusville, the latter of which he supported through his extensive philanthropy and personal vision. Combining his passion for global travel and education, John was especially proud to have established the John Henne Study Abroad Endowment at Penn State Brehrend, which helps support deserving students who wish to study internationally. He also established the John Henne Scholarship program for students from the Titusville school district who wished to continue their education after high school. John was a member of the First Presbyterian Church. He was predeceased by his brother, Joe; and an adopted son, Auggie. John is survived by his lifelong friend, Todd Olsen; nieces; nephews; and a cousin, Nancy Kaffert Russo. Funeral services were held on November 13, 2012, at the First Presbyterian Church in Titusville. Henry Wiley Krotzer Jr., on September 9, 2012. Henry was a three-year student from Chappaqua, N.Y. He was involved

with the Scholarship and Dance committees. He served as manager of the Theater Work Group; president of the Music Club; chairman of the Library Staff; manager of the Stagehands Union; vice president of Le Cercle Français; assistant editor of The Loom; co-producer of the Puppet Show; and chairman of the Commencement Committee. Henry, who was an honor roll student, was awarded the Andrew De Wolf Barss Prize. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II and was a Fulbright Scholar to France in 1956. After earning his degree from Tulane University Architecture School, he settled in New Orleans, where he lived and practiced as an architect for more than 50 years. He had lived in Pennsylvania since 2007. Henry was predeceased by his wife, Louise Somerville Krotzer. He is survived by his daughters, Mary, Dorothy, and Deeth; three grandchildren, Emma, Caswell, and Somer; two sisters, Mary Ann and Jean; one brother, Lawrence; and nephews, nieces, and their children. A memorial service was held on November 10, 2012, at Trinity Episcopal Church in New Orleans. A burial was to be held at a later date in the Somerville family graveyard in Minter City, Miss.

1944 Arthur Willard Lovell Jr., on January 20. “Bud” as he was known, was a three-year student from Essex. Following Loomis, Bud enlisted and served in the U.S. Air Force as a lieutenant until the war ended in 1945, when he returned to

Aerial view of campus, circa 1952 Photo: Loomis Chaffee Archives

Essex. Bud and his family owned and operated the Griswold Inn until the early 1970s, and these were some of his happiest times. During his tenure with the Griswold Inn, he and his father collected most of the marine prints, paintings, and other artwork seen on the walls today, as well as the antique firearms. The “Gris” became a well-known destination for people from all walks of life, and Bud thoroughly enjoyed his role as host. He and his family also ran the Steamboat Dock as a restaurant (The Upper Deck) and marina in the 1960s. Bud later became one of the founding members of the Connecticut River Foundation at Steamboat Dock, which preserved this historic structure and property as a museum. Bud loved Essex and was very involved in his community. For many years, he served on various committees at the First Congregational Church of Essex. He was on the Planning Commission for 10 years as well as on the Cemetery Committee. A member of

the Fraternal Order of Free and Accepted Masons, he was past master of the former Mount Olive Lodge in Deep River. Forever proud of having served in the armed services, he marched for many years in the Essex Memorial Day Parade wearing his original dress uniform and was elected grand marshal of the parade in 2010. After working in real estate in the 1970s and early 1980s, Bud went back to the Griswold Inn part time and continued to work there until shortly before his death. During his semiretirement he also enjoyed traveling with his wife. Bud loved boats and being out on the Connecticut River, and this led to his hobbies of collecting marine prints and building detailed ship models. He loved American history, Benny Goodman, Frank Sinatra, gardening, his 1931 Ford Model A Woody station wagon, airplanes, and anything having to do with animals and nature. Bud was predeceased by his brother, Willard, and his sister, Arlene. He is survived by his wife of 63

years, Priscilla; his daughters, Cynthia, Heather, and Deborah; two granddaughters, Hayley and Sarah; a nephew; and a niece. A memorial service was held at the First Congregational Church of Essex on March 1. Alexander Ogilby, on November 30, 2012. Sandy was a fouryear student from Hartford. He was active with the Glee Club, Octet, and Executive Committee. He served as managing editor of The LOG; secretary of the Debating Club, and chairman of the Scholarship Committee. Sandy was a cast member in Pirates of Penzance. He was active with Ludlow senior football, Ludlow senior hockey, and Ludlow senior baseball and was recipient of the Andrew De Wolf Barss Prize. Sandy earned a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and continued his studies at Columbia University, Union Theological Seminary, and Episcopal Theological Seminar, where he earned a bachelor of sacred

theology in 1954. In 1954–55, Sandy served as an assistant at Trinity Church in New Haven. But the greatest part of his professional life was served as a chaplain and teacher of religious studies at many schools on the East Coast: Groton School in Groton, Mass., from 1949 to 1951; Pomfret School in Pomfret, Conn., from 1956 to 1959; and St. Andrew’s School in Middleton, Del., from 1959 to 1991. He served in a variety of roles during his 32 years of service to St. Andrew’s School: chaplain from 1959 to 1971, assistant chaplain from 1971 to 1991, and chairman of the Religious Studies Department from 1959 to 1991. Sandy served his communities in other capacities as well, including as chairman of the diocese of Delaware’s Commission on Choral Music; commodore of the Watch Hill Yacht Club in Watch Hill, R.I.; and his greatest love, and following in his father’s footsteps, as president for 40 years of the Weekapaug Chapel Society in Weekapaug, R.I. For most of his loomischaffee.org | 59

IN MEMORIaM

working career, Sandy’s home was Middletown, Del., but his true home, his summer home since his youth and his retirement home, was Weekapaug. His love for Weekapaug, the community, and especially the chapel sustained him throughout his life and through his last years. Sandy was interested in biblical archaeology, church music, choral singing, reading, conservation, sailing, coaching baseball, and the Red Sox and the Bruins, but none of these matched his love for the Weekapaug Chapel and the chapel community. Sandy was predeceased by his brothers, Lyman C. Ogilby ’39 and Peter B. Ogilby ’39. He is survived by his nephews, Peter R. Ogilby ’73 and Hank Ogilby; his niece, Lois Ogilby-Rosen; and seven great-nieces and great-nephews. A funeral service was held at Christ Church in Westerly, R.I., on December 15, 2012.

1945 Albert David Anderson, on December 27, 2012, following a brief illness. “Andy,” as he was known, was a two-year student from Wellesley Hills, Mass. He was involved with the Political and German clubs, Turk’s Head, and the Dining Hall Committee. He was active with first team soccer, for which he earned a varsity letter; Wolcott senior soccer; Wolcott senior baseball; and the fencing team, of which he was an assistant coach. Following Loomis, Andy earned a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and a master’s degree in architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design. He worked his entire professional life as 60 |

an architect in the BostonCambridge area. He lived with his family in Sherborn, Mass., for 27 years before moving to Petersham, Mass., in 1985, where he continued to pursue his interest in both the built and natural environments. Andy was predeceased by his two sisters, Charlotte and Bethy, and his son, Seth. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Nancy; his children Maud, Amy, Kate, and William; his grandchildren, Amy, Aaron, Kirsten, Ethan, Torsten, and Macalistair; and one step-grandchild, Dorian. William Lawrence McCarthy, on December 2, 2012. William was a four-year student from Wethersfield. A day fellow, he was involved with the Library Committee, with the Stamp Club, and as a volunteer medical aide. He served as secretary of the Political Club, editor of Loomiscellany, senior editor of the handbook, and a cast member of Arsenic and Old Lace and Of Thee I Sing. William was active with Allyn senior football and as manager of the first baseball team. Following Loomis, William earned a bachelor’s degree from Yale University and a medical degree from Boston University School of Medicine and served in the U.S. Navy Hospital Corps during World War II. He practiced psychiatry at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Brighton, Mass., and Bournewood Hospital in Brookline, Mass. He was an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Tufts University School of Medicine. William was predeceased by his brother, Jack. He is survived by his wife, Janet; his children, Sara, Carol, David, Paul, and

William; and 12 grandchildren. A funeral mass was held on December 7, 2012, at St. Paul Church in Hingham, Mass. Ralph Morton Shulansky, unexpectedly, at his home on January 7. The first of three generations to attend Loomis, Ralph was a four-year student from Hartford. He was involved with the Bridge, Political, Glee, and German clubs; and with Turks’ Head. He served as business manager of The Loom and chairman of the Chapel Committee and as a member of the business board of The LOG, the editorial board of Loomiscellany, and the Publications Executive Committee. He was in the chorus of Of Thee I Sing; was a cast member in Arsenic and Old Lace, 4:26 for Washington, and Dead End; and in the concert orchestra for HMS Pinafore and Pirates of Penzance. He was active with Allyn senior basketball, Allyn tennis, and Allyn intermediate football. Following Loomis, Ralph earned a bachelor’s degree from Hamilton College and a law degree from Cornell Law School. He had a successful and respected career as a lawyer and banker. He began his practice of law in 1952 at Schatz & Schatz and soon founded Shulansky, Cohn & Williams, which prospered in Greater Hartford. In 1967, he became a senior officer at Connecticut Bank & Trust. Ralph also served on many company boards, including Kalart Victor Corporation, The Ames Department Stores, and Mott’s Holdings. He became chief financial officer of Ames Department Stores in 1981 until his retirement in 1987. In 1991, he was

appointed Connecticut banking commissioner, and he served with distinction until his second retirement in 1995. For nearly 20 years, he was a trustee of a number of private trusts and in 1998 became chairman of the board of Bankers Bank Northeast. He continued in these roles until his death. Ralph was extraordinarily generous to the community with his time and thoughtful intellect. In 1997, he established the Saul Shulansky Memorial Fund for Music, in memory of his father, to support the purchase of materials relevant to the appreciation of music at Loomis Chaffee. In 2003, in honor of Ralph’s 75th birthday, the Shulansky family established the Ralph M. Shulansky ’45 Lecture Fund to support an annual Loomis Chaffee guest lecturer in the field of English literature, rhetoric, and oratory. He was elected in 1956 and 1958 to the state Legislature representing West Hartford, and in 1960 to the state Senate representing West Hartford and eight other towns. He retired from elected office in 1965. He was a valued member of many boards of directors throughout his life, including the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority, Jewish Family Services, Hartford Symphony, Beth El Temple, Renbrook School, Duncaster, Hartford Chamber of Commerce, St. Mary’s Home, Jewish Community Foundation, and Easter Seals. He was a corporator of Hartford Hospital, St. Francis Hospital, and Hebrew Health Care. He was a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, and valued mentor. Ralph was predeceased by his sister, Louise Fechtor. He is survived by his wife of 60 years,

FORMER TRUSTEE Rufus Cutler Cushman Jr. ’52

Ruth Kaufman Shulansky; three children, John D. Shulansky ’72, Laura Shulansky Nassau, and Debra J. Shulansky ’77; and eight grandchildren, all of whom affectionately called him Poppy: Michael J. Shulansky ’06, Karah Shulansky, Daniel Nassau, Benjamin Nassau, Jonathan Nassau, Stephen E. Gershman ’07, Carolyn D. Gershman ’14, and Sara N. Gershman ’14. Funeral services were held on January 11 at Beth El Temple in West Hartford. The family has asked that gifts may be made to the Ralph M. Shulansky ’45 Lecture Fund at The Loomis Chaffee School.

1948 Martha Lyon Braun, peacefully at Middlesex Hospital in Middletown, Conn., on October 28, 2012. Martha was a four-year student from Hartford. Martha was president of Chaffers, literary editor of the yearbook, and named “Cutest” and “Most Impulsive.” She earned a bachelor’s degree from Smith College. She resided with her family in Riverside, Conn., where she thoroughly enjoyed her work as a children’s librarian at the Perrot Memorial Library in Old Greenwich from 1981 until 1995. She was a dedicated member of the Congregational Church of Hampton, where she proudly served on the Ladies Aid Society. Martha gladly gave her time as a volunteer for Fletcher Memorial Library in Hampton. She supported the Hampton community at voting times by helping to monitor the polling station. Martha was a member of the Hampton Historical Society. She was predeceased

by her husband of 52 years, Richard. Martha is survived by her sister, Beverly Lyon Ellis ’49; her children, Douglas Lyon Braun, David Hastings Braun, Elizabeth Bailey Vasileff, and Jennifer Wesley Braun Halfinger; seven grandchildren, Nicholas, Rhea, Alyssa, Brianna, Bailey, Nicholas, and Alden; and one great-granddaughter, Matilda. A memorial service was held on November 17, 2012, at the Hampton Congregational Church in Hampton, Conn.

1949 Charles Austin Pease II, on December 2, 2012, with his wife by his bedside, after a short battle with acute myelogenous leukemia. Chuck was a four-year student from West Hartford. He was a day fellow involved with the Political and Chemistry clubs, and he served as a study hall supervisor, volunteer medical aide, and a member of the Fall and Spring Dance committees, the Senior Entertainment Committee, and the Editorial Board of The LOG. Chuck was active with first team basketball, in which he earned a varsity letter; first team baseball; and Ludlow football, for which he was a manager. Following Loomis, he earned a bachelor’s degree from Yale University, where he was a member of Saint Elmo Society and the varsity baseball team. A left-handed pitcher, he played in the Hartford Twilight League during the summers of 1951 and 1952. He was named the league’s most valuable player in 1951. His love for baseball carried him into coaching after Yale. In 1959, he became the assistant coach of the Hayes-Velhage Post 96

Rufus Cutler Cushman Jr. ’52 passed away at his home in Marblehead, Mass., on February 13 following a battle with cancer. “Sandy,” as he was known, was a two-year student from Brookline, Mass. During his time at Loomis, he served on the Student Council, Dining Hall Committee, Library Committee, and Entertainment Committee, for which he cochaired the spring prom during his senior year. Sandy was active with Ludlow hockey, the wrestling team, first team baseball, and first team soccer, for which he earned a varsity letter. Following Loomis, Sandy earned a bachelor’s degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he also met his wife of 55 years, Joan. He had a long and prosperous career of 27 years at Fidelity Investments beginning as a portfolio manager. While at Fidelity, Sandy also ran the Bond Department and Personal Trust Group before retiring in 1998. A loyal Loomis Chaffee alumnus with a deep and abiding love for the school, Sandy served on the Board of Trustees from 1998 to 2004 and again from 2009 to 2011. During his tenure, he offered his wise and thoughtful counsel and demonstrated his firm belief in the mission of Loomis Chaffee. “Sandy was an early innovator of some of Fidelity Investment’s most successful funds. Having served two times as a Loomis Trustee, he enriched the ethos and the finances of the school, and his contributions were much admired by his fellow Trustees. We mourn his loss,” recalls fellow Trustee Andrew Carter ’58. A strong proponent of the importance of supporting faculty well for their efforts, Sandy and Joan established the Cushman Fund for Faculty Salaries in 2001. In addition to his service to Loomis Chaffee, Sandy served as a trustee of Proctor Academy of Andover, N.H.; president of the Gut ’n Feathers Club of Marblehead, Mass.; and president of the Miles River Marsh Rats of Manchester, Mass. He was an accomplished soccer, baseball, hockey, tennis, and badminton player and an avid outdoorsman whose passions included fishing, hunting, and skeet shooting. Sandy also enjoyed traveling the world with Joan and his family, sharing in his love of the beauty of the world. Sandy is survived by his wife, Joan Sprecher Cushman; his son, Thomas Cushman; and three grandchildren, Zoe Cushman ’12, Maxwell Cushman ’15, and Ian Cushman. He was predeceased by his daughter, Karen Lee Cushman. A memorial service is to be planned for the spring.

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IN MEMORIaM

West Hartford American Legion Team. This team, under manager Clayton Johnson, went to the national finals and finished third. Chuck’s passion for baseball later turned to golf, and he joined the Hartford Golf Club, where he played for 20 years. His business career started at Chicago’s Northern Trust. He later joined the investment department of the Hartford Fire Company. Chuck finished his business life with several brokerage houses, specializing in municipal bond sales. He was a member of the University Club in Hartford and the Order of Founders and Patriots of America. While raising his family, he became involved with West Hartford’s Saint John’s Church, where he served as usher, fundraiser, and vestry member. In 1990, Chuck and his wife moved to Farmington Woods in Avon, where, no longer able to play golf, he turned to landscaping. He served for five years as chairman of the Landscape Committee and remained an active contributor until his death. Chuck was predeceased by his first wife, Louise Galt Pease; his daughter Linda Pease Hicks; and his sister, Anne. He is survived by his second wife, Marilyn; his children Anne E. Pease, Susan Pease Gadoua, Nancy D. Pease, and Edward C. Pease; three grandchildren, Dodge, Jack, and Faith; his brother, Dwight A. Pease ’46; and his nephew, Stephen D. Pease ’68. A memorial service was held on December 7, 2012, at St John’s Episcopal Church in West Hartford.

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Former Faculty | Joseph Melvin McCarthy

Joseph Melvin McCarthy died on December 17, 2012, in Brooklyn, N.Y., following a long period of poor health. A native of South Boston, Mass., Joe received his bachelor’s degree in history and Russian from Boston State College (now University of Massachusetts, Boston) in 1967 and his master’s degree in Russian from Middlebury College in 1970. Subsequently, he earned two certificates at Moscow State University, in 1972 and 1979. He began his teaching career, 1967–73, at Austin Preparatory School in Reading, Mass., where he served as dean of extracurricular activities and chairman of the Foreign Languages Department. Joe was appointed to the Loomis Chaffee faculty in 1973, and he taught all Russian language courses and served as director of student activities (1973–82). Subsequently, he was appointed chairman of the Foreign Language Department (1983–89), interim director of the Loomis Chaffee Summer School, director of the Summer School (1995–2001), coordinator of the school calendar, and head coach of varsity rifle. Joe participated in two teacher exchanges to Moscow, in 1976 and 1979, and he spent his sabbatical year in 1982–83 as assistant resident director of the American undergraduate and graduate programs at Leningrad State University. In addition to his Russian language courses, Joe also taught European history. He served as a dorm resident in Mason and Warham halls, and as an affiliate in Kravis Hall. Joe coached the varsity rifle team to several undefeated seasons, and to the Western New England championship in 1998.

Photo: Loomis Chaffee Archives

In the course of his career, Joe led more than 50 student and adult tours of the Soviet Union and Russia, working for such organizations as Putney Student Travel, General Tours, the Russian Travel Bureau, and Citizen Exchange Corps. He taught at secondary schools in Moscow and St. Petersburg (formerly Leningrad). In 1981, Joe received a certificate of recognition from the National Slavic Honor Society “in deep appreciation of continued interest and efforts in Slavic studies.” Joe’s 1994 Loomis Chaffee citation for 20 years of service reads, in part: “His devotion to Russian language and culture is legendary, not only within the Loomis Chaffee community, but far beyond the borders of the Island. He is a frequently sought-after speaker at conferences on Russia, Russian education, teaching Rus-

sian language, and Russian iconography.” Joe left Loomis Chaffee in 2002, retiring to Brooklyn. Over his 35 years in teaching, Joe made a profound impact on his students; many went on to undergraduate and graduate study in Russian language, history, and culture. Gregarious, amusing, and generous, Joe is remembered for his vivid personality, his warmth, and his deep affection for Russian language, culture, and people. He loved classical music, fine cars, and his string of basset hounds. He had a strong spiritual side that found expression in his having considered a career in the Roman Catholic priesthood and in his affinity for Russian Orthodox liturgy and iconography. Joe was interred January 16 at St. Seraphim of Sarov Russian Orthodox Convent Novo-Diveevo in Nanuet, N.Y.

IN MEMORIaM

1951

1972

Merrill Augustus Sauerbrei Jr., on January 25, at his residence. “Jerry,” as he was known, was a three-year student from Port Chester, N.Y. He was involved with the Press Club, Maher House Committee, Senior Dormitory Committee, Senior Entertainment Committee, and LOG photography. He served on the Loomiscellany Board and was president of the Photography Club. Jerry was active with first team soccer, for which he earned a varsity letter; first team rifle, for which he was captain and earned a varsity letter; and first team track. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland, a master’s degree in public administration from Troy State University, and a master’s degree in teaching from The Citadel. He retired from the U.S. Air Force as a colonel after 30 years of service from 1956 to 1986. He was a teacher in Berkeley County, S.C., for two years and a substitute teacher with Dorchester County School District II in Dorchester County, S.C., from 1991 until 2008. Jerry served on the Dorchester County Election Commission in Dorchester, S.C., from 1996 until 2012. He was a member of Old Fort Baptist Church in Summerville, S.C. Jerry was predeceased by his daughter Toby. He is survived by his wife, Barbara; and his children Douglas and Margaret. A memorial service was held on February 9 at Old Fort Baptist Church in Summerville, S.C. Burial was to be held at a later date at Cedar Grove Cemetery in Fair Haven, Vt.

James T. Briggs, on November 25, 2012, with his loving family by his side, following a courageous battle against cancer. Jim was a three-year student from Rochester, N.Y. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Connecticut College and attended Harvard Business School for a program in management development. Jim worked for 25 years at Lawyers Cooperative Publishing Company, completing his career as president of the company. In retirement, he worked for many years on the boards of the Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and the Rochester Broadway Theater League. He loved golf, sailing, and good times with friends. He was a great dad and a champion of his children’s accomplishments and will be remembered for his strong spirit, his determination, and his unfailing sense of humor. Jim is survived by his wife, Paula; his children, Peter, Andrew, and Julia; his parents, Nancy and Joe; his sisters, Judy and Susan; and many nieces and nephews. A memorial service was held November 30, 2012, at Christ Episcopal Church in Pittsford, N.Y.

2001 Adam Joseph Solsky, on January 19. Adam attended Loomis Chaffee for one year before graduating from Fort Collins High School in Fort Collins, Colo. He attended Colorado University in Boulder, and later attended Colorado Mountain School in Vail, Colo. He was employed in retail sales at Ba-

Photo: Missy Pope ’04

nana Republic. Snowboarding was Adam’s passion, and he was a sponsored rider for several snowboarding companies. He loved the Colorado outdoors and being in the mountains. He spent time snowboarding, playing golf, downhill mountain biking, camping, hiking, snowmobiling, and riding his unicycle. Adam was predeceased by his sister Jennifer. He is survived by his parents, Cathleen and Archie; and his sister Caitlin. A memorial service was held on February 4 at the Timberline Church in Fort Collins, Colo.

More News The Alumni Office has learned of the passing of Donald Moyer Wilson ’43, on November 22, 2012; David Kunz ’44, on January 5, 2013; Jeffrey L. Morse ’63, on February 18, 2008; Rebecca S. Lo ’06, on November 21, 2012; and former faculty member Dorothy M. Fuller, on March 9, 2013. More information, as available, will be printed in future issues.

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The last Word | by Francis Olmsted Grubbs

A Loomis Personality

Editors’ Note: The following quote is from Francis Olmsted Grubbs’ tribute to Jimmy Shafer, staff member 1915–1955. Frank Grubbs served as headmaster from 1952 to 1967 and as president of the Loomis Institute from 1967 to 1973.

“

Francis Olmsted Grubbs

Jimmy Shafer was a dynamic character on the Loomis scene. … [He] was more than head janitor. He was chief advisor to the headmaster. He molded the political opinions of dozens of Loomis boys. … Hardly anyone remembers seeing him wield the broom, for he was always leaning on it while button-holing one lad or pounding the chest of a master to prove the folly of keeping that man in the White House or some similar political concern of the moment. Jimmy was, first of all, a Loomis personality of major importance to all of us who knew him.

”

— Frank Grubbs

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Jimmy Shafer in 1936 Photo: Loomis Chaffee Archives

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