Scott H. Cantor ’73 ex officio -- Alumni Association
Trustees Emeriti
Maia Brogan - Honorary
Michael Brower ’63
Robert Cobb’58
Robert Corey, III ’63
Jack D’Angelo H’13
Harrison M. Davis ’56
Thomas Delaney ’58
Stephen Duffy ’71
Peter Duggan H’58
Lawrence Fain ’58
Michael Fischer ’82
Stanley Freilich P’11
Herbert Gelhardt ’48
B. deRacey Gilbert ’60
Margaret Harbison
Norman Jeavons ’48
Hon. Harold Kennedy ’73
Peter Lamb ’72
Bettina Murray GP’20
Arthur Reis ’75
David Riker ’50
John Settel ’50
Jeremiah H. Shaw P’95
Karl Soderlund P’91
James Sollami P’02,’08,’09
Robert D. Williams Jr. ’54
Suzanne Van Der Woude P’74,’75
Peter Wunsch ’73
The Storm King School does not discriminate against any individual on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender orientation, marital status, national or ethnic origins, age, disability, or any other classification protected under State or Federal law.
Contributors:
On the Mountain is made possible by the enormous effort of our school community. Special thanks go to:
Dr. Massoud Amin ’79
Roger Auerbacher ’66
Patrick Bozeman ’96
Scott Cantor ’73
Lynn Crevling ’72
Robbin Dilley
Tom Donahue
Chip Fitzpatrick
Jeremy Freeman
Anne Fulton
Sarah Fulton ’09
Mark Gero ’70
Joseph Graziosi
Ray Hecht
Jonathan W.R. Lamb
Les McClean, PhD
Moises Ortega
Marek Pramuka
Michalea Pramuka
Karen Ruberg
Madison Sergi ’14
Toni Scherrer
Elizabeth Taviloglu
Contact info: Communications Office
The Storm King School 314 Mountain Road Cornwall on Hudson, NY 12520
845.534.7892
otm@sks.org
On the Mountain, the official journal of The Storm King School, is published for the benefit of the greater school community, including alumni, families, friends and faculty. On the Mountain is designed to communicate the School’s mission, values, and culture with accurate information and stories about members of the school community past and present, current news, upcoming events and other information of interest to our community.
PHOTO: Christian “Chris” Quartey, Class of 2017
ON THE COVER: Tim Terry ’65, left, and Jim O’Koon ’65, right, at Reunion 2016
On theMountain
6
SESQUICENTENNIAL : Past Traditions, Future Visions
A look back at the first 150 years of our school as we prepare to celebrate our Sesquicentennial
20 Unsung Heroes
Honoring those who impact our lives from the sidelines: Scotty Taylor and Chip Fitzpatrick
24
A Life’s Work Sparked by Invention
Take a walk with “the father of the smart grid,” Dr. Massoud Amin ’79
30
The Cutting Edge of Education
An Interview With SKS Dean of Faculty, Jeremy Freeman
46 Report of Giving July 1, 2015 – June 30, 2016
With a message from the Chair of the Board, Roger D. Auerbacher ’66
From Spy Rock
Head of School Jonathan W.R. Lamb reflects on life at SKS
Leadership: Bard Model U.N. Conference, Arts: Fall Theatre production of Neil Simon’s Fools , From the Classroom: An Experiment in Biodiversity, Community Service: Soccer Meets the Solar System, Athletics: A New Level 36
The Common Room
Alumni Connections: A message from Alumni Association President Scott Cantor ’73, Alumni Profile: Mark Gero ’70, Our Common Ground: Former Faculty Tom Donahue 1968-1976, Reunion 2016, Reunion Awards 2017, Why I Give: Madison Sergi ’14, I am SKS: Patrick Bozeman ’96
Letters/Comments
“With the Reunion this weekend I wanted to pass along some thoughts. I was again impressed by the quality of On the Mountain. I read it, cover to cover, with great interest.
One article really caught my attention- “Going the Extra Mile!” I was definitely impressed by the attitude and performance of Palmer Smith. Please pass along my congratulations to him as he moves forward with his dream. Of interest-My mother went to Parsons School of Design.
What is really amazing is Palmer’s story and my path in work/running. I retired after 20 years at Chemeketa Community College in 2013. I received a plaque which read “Thank you for your dedicated service and for always “going the extra mile.” As a Student Services Specialist at the college, I helped hundreds of students. One student tracked me down two months ago and wrote for the News Register Newspaper. The title of her article was “Going the Distance.” I just finished a book titled Go the Distance
A Storm King School education taught me many lifelong principles. I did not pursue track or cross country while at SKS, but concentrated on soccer, basketball and baseball. However, Bill Batchelder always wanted me to join the track and cross country teams.
As a Navy veteran, I am raising funds for Salute, Inc. (Injured Military & Their Families). In exchange, I will be running the Chicago Marathon on October 9, 2016.”
My best to classmates and alumni,
—Edward “Ted”
“I read ON THE M OUNTAIN from cover to cover. I had and ear-to-ear grin. It takes me back.”
—Richard Shapiro ’69
PLEASE SEND COMMENTS TO: otm@sks.org or OTM: The Storm King School 314 Mountain Road Cornwall on Hudson, NY 12520 OntheMountainreserves the right to publish none, parts or all contents of a letter.
“I want you to know that I really enjoyed reading your new OTM spring issue. Especially the articles dealing with the Clark family on pages 15 and 16. I knew them both when I was there between 1946 and 1951. Also, the article on Richard Wormser starting on page 38. He was in my class. They all contributed to my happy days on the Mountain. Seeing the picture of David Van Dyck on page 3 really brought back memories for me. He was living at Spy Rock House when I was living there. What a nice guy and teacher. I looked him up on Google and he had a nice interview for his time at the School. Do tell all who put the OTM together that it was as nice a job as any school I have seen. Do give my best to all who remember me, for my years attending SKS were wonderful.”
PS: I turned 84 last week and I am still playing competitive tennis like I did at SKS and the University of Virginia.
Yours truly,
—Lionel “Rebel” Rowe ’51
Gross ’62
OTM
INQUIRED, YOU RESPONDED
In our Spring 2016 issue, OTM asked alumni and friends to help us fill in gaps in our archives by supplying information about the now discontinued Traditions Cup, later called the Spy Rock Cup, and the names of past recipients. Here is what we heard back:
Bob Cohen ’69 - The Headmaster’s Cup
During a visit with Lynn Crevling ’72, Director of Leadership Support and Alumni Relations at The Storm King School, Bob Cohen ’79, recounted his experience of being awarded The Storm King School Headmaster’s Cup. “I was stunned,” he recalled fondly, saying that his graduation day was also his birthday. “It was a great present,” he said. Bob attended SKS for four years where he played soccer, was an audio-visual aide, ran the time clocks and score boards for games and was head waiter in his senior year. He said that he was very fond of Headmaster Thad Horton, and his favorite teacher was Mary Meynardie.
Bob Bicknell ’61 – The Traditions Cup
“I am sending this photo in response to Bruce Hanson ’62’s letter in the last issue asking if other alumni received the Traditions Cup in the past. I am (from the left) holding The Storm King Cup; Dan Natchez is holding the Traditions Cup (now called The Spy Rock Cup) and Harry Skolnick, holding The Headmaster’s Cup at graduation 1961.”
From Spy Rock
HEAD OF SCHOOL JONATHAN W.R. LAMB
Dear Storm King Family,
Did you know that the oldest person in the United States is 115? If you and I managed to live for 149 years, we would feel it in our bones and know that we would be lucky to have reached our personal sesquicentennials.
With this in mind, I am happy to tell you that as The Storm King School prepares for our 149th Commencement this coming June, our community is as healthy as it has ever been in the School’s long and storied history.
Dec. 2016, SKS students enjoying cookie decorating festivities at Spy Rock with Head of School Jonathan Lamb and “Ms. Toni.”
Enrollment today consists of 183 students. Our domestic enrollment is climbing, now including a record 47 day students, as well as 136 boarding students from the United States and 25 different countries. Our faculty and administrative team are exceptionally strong. Our academic program is vibrant and our classrooms extend into Black Rock Forest, New York City, and other parts of the region. Our students matriculate into some of the best colleges and universities. Our athletic teams in multiple
sports have had unprecedented success, not only in the Hudson Valley Athletic League, but in New England tournaments as well. We continue to have an incredible Fine Arts program in theater, music, film, dance and the visual arts, and each year we send a number of students to top art schools throughout the country. Our community service program takes our students into Newburgh, Black Rock Forest and numerous other places where students and staff help mentor youngsters, clean up
the Hudson River, build trails in Black Rock Forest and houses for Habitat for Humanity. In the past three years, our students have traveled to Costa Rica, Fiji, Cuba, New Orleans and other places around the world to study alternative energy, culture, and perform community service in these distant places.
In this edition of On the Mountain, we celebrate the life and work of one of our graduates and a former board member, Massoud Amin ‘79, and the sculptures of Mark Gero ’70. We recall fond memories of former staff member Scotty Taylor and faculty member Tom Donahue. Other features include an interview with our Dean of Faculty Jeremy Freeman, a classroom study of the invertebrate biodiversity of Black Rock Forest, an account of our fall production of Neil Simon’s Fools, and other aspects of the School today. As a special feature in honor of our 150th year, we will also recount the story of the early era when The Storm King School was known as the Stone School in the first decades of 1900s - the first in a threepart series aimed at highlighting our school’s unique and rich history.
Over the next years, we will take every opportunity to celebrate our 150th year. Toni and I and other members of the staff will be visiting alumni all over the country and the world where each meeting and each event will offer us the chance to reminisce about Storm King’s past, to talk about the wonderful state of the School today, and to strategize ways to build an even brighter future for this magnificent institution on the shoulder of our majestic Mountain above the Hudson River. At the same time, I urge
you to find the time and resources to make a trip back to the Hudson Valley at this special time in our school’s history. Last June, I ended my final comments to the Class of 2016 with
the following words. I offer them equally to all of you who walked these grounds whether last year or fifty years ago:
“….today is the day you leave us and move to the next phase of your lives….but don’t leave us forever. Storm King is still your home away from home. Come back in the next few years and tell us about college. When you find a job, return to help speak to our students on career night. Come back with your spouse or a friend some summer to climb the Mountain again. When you have the chance, bring your children back and let them run on the fields where you once played. And when your own children have grown and moved on and you are looking back on your life to measure what it has meant, return to the Mountain to remember where you played and learned and grew. The School and the Mountain are always here for you to harken back and savor your days, to laugh with old friends or seek solace and healing: we are always the place for you to come home.”
Past Traditons, Future Visions
From June 2017 through June 2018, we will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the charter that established The Storm King School. The Storm King School’s Sesquicentennial year is a time to commemorate the institution, honor our heritage, applaud the difference–makers who have marked our first 15 decades, and reflect on the School’s future in helping to make our world a better place.
In honor of this series of events, On the Mountain wishes to take you back in time, to revisit parts of our School’s rich and varied history in the three upcoming issues leading up to our 150th year. Please join us on this historical journey. It is our history, after all, that makes us the exceptional educational institution we are today. And it will be our history that carries the School and its students through the 21st century and beyond.
JUNE 1888
THE 1888 BASEBALL PLAYERS
The Early Years: 1867-1927 CORNWALL HEIGHTS TO THE STONE SCHOOL
Early History of the Highlands WhenHenry Hudson’s expedition vessel the Half Moon entered the bay that would become New York Harbor in 1609 and headed up river, the crew of 15 men from the Dutch East India Company were surprised to find human populations totaling in the tens of thousands dotting the Hudson River Valley. The explorers’ journals tell of treacherous travel, rugged mountain terrain, and an abundance of ferocious wild animals. Hudson wrote that “the land is the finest for cultivation that I ever in my life set foot upon.”
Soon, English and Dutch immigrants were establishing villages up and down the Hudson River in what became known as New Netherland. The end of the Anglo-Dutch War in 1664 resulted in New Amsterdam being renamed as New York City. Early Dutch settlements were also founded in the area of present-day Newburgh and began to grow with agricultural abundance and fledgling river trade.
Home of the Revolution A century later, in the final year of the American Revolution, George Washington would command his army from newly established headquarters in a home overlooking the Hudson in neighboring Newburgh. It was also here that General Washington was famously offered the opportunity to become king of the United States, in a constitutional monarchy, but strongly rejected the idea.
A Booming Economy
The 19th century saw the Hudson River Valley’s best days coming to life in the area of Butter Hill, the descriptive name given by Dutch settlers to the imposing heights that would eventually be renamed Storm King Mountain.
The Hudson Highlands area was booming, with shipping and manufacturing creating an economy that took advantage of its natural assets. Mills,
tanneries, brick and lumberyards, and other beacons of commerce dotted the valley, filling mast ships and steamboats to deliver goods to parts south and west downriver.
Cornwall— a 19th century fresh air retreat
The village of Cornwall had modest beginnings. It was settled in the early 1700s by several branches of the Clark family, who purchased a substantial amount of land for farming. Their children acquired even more land where the town was eventually built, but Cornwall remained a rural community well into the mid-1800s. Meanwhile, to the south, New York City continued to grow, along with the frequency of respiratory ailments and other health concerns that went hand in hand with city life. Doctors began to tout the fact that the elevation and clean mountain air of the Highlands, and being away from city smog were good for one’s health.
By the turn of the 19th century, Cornwall had become a popular destination for day trips up the river for passengers travelling on steamships from the city. Visitors were struck with the area’s natural beauty, fresh air and cool breezes. Thus, Cornwall’s reputation as a health retreat grew throughout the
19th century and into the early 1900s. Many well-to-do families and business travelers made excursions to Cornwall a regular event, and some eventually bought property there, living in both places. Even today, many residents choose to live in Cornwall and its surrounding areas and commute to the city for work. It was during this time that the village at the foot of Storm King Mountain became known for its boarding houses and small hotels, usually rooms in someone’s home that were made available during the summer months to these health-conscious travelers.
The School at Cornwall Heights What we know today as The Storm King School first came to be in 1867 when Dr. Louis Palamon Ledoux and his wife Katherine Reid, founded the School following calls from area parents to establish “a Christian school in the home of a Christian gentleman.” Ledoux, a graduate of Amherst College and New York City’s Union Theological Seminary, Honorary Doctor of Divinity at Indiana State University, and pastor of Cornwall Presbyterian Church, was already a noted teacher of his native French and saw this as an opportunity to return to his roots.
One New York City merchant, Mr.
THE 1888 TENNIS TEAM
McCreery, who was boarding in Cornwall at the time, was one of the first families to arrange for the Ledouxes to receive his boys into their home. As their good reputation spread, they soon had as many boys as they could teach. In hopes of further expanding the School, they decided to purchase a tract of land on “the Heights,” the western slope of Storm King Mountain, which was the former Wood farm. There, they converted an existing boarding house into classrooms, establishing what was known then as the Cornwall Heights School. For the next several years, Cornwall Heights attracted boys from across the region that came to the Mountain in search of a comprehensive college preparatory education in a healthy environment: mental, physical, and spiritual.
Despite their successes and their dream having come true, the Ledoux family could not overcome long standing illness. In search of treatment for Katherine in Europe, they were compelled to sell the School in 1872, with the hope that someone new could compound their efforts. The buyer was Dr. Oren S. Cobb, who would serve as headmaster for the next 15 years.
Dr. Cobb was also a Presbyterian minister with a heart for education, and he would operate the School along with his wife Adele Bisbee Cobb, for the next 15 years from a spartan campus: the students and faculty lived in one building, with cooking and bathing facilities in the basement and dormitories on the first and second floors. Classes continued to be held in the original
structure for many years. Toward the end of his tenure, Cobb took on the task of expanding the facilities with additions to the main structure that later became known as the Main Building.
The Stone School With only moderate success of the public school system and the coming and going of other private schools in the area during the late 1800s, the efforts of both Dr. Ledoux and Dr. Cobb had succeeded in establishing Cornwall Heights as a permanent and sought-after educational institution. It was the School’s next owner and headmaster, Dr. Carlos H. Stone, who would cement its reputation as a leading independent school, a reputation which has carried through until today.
Stone purchased the School from Oren S. Cobb in 1889. Under Stone’s undying vision and leadership, the course of the School was set for the next 30 years – that of continuous growth and innovation, keeping it at the forefront of the times. Under Stone, the School witnessed ever-increasing enrollment, important expansions to the campus, and the growth of its academic reputation. By his second year, Stone had already refurbished several buildings, moved facilities, and added steam heat and other modern amenities. These improvements created momentum that increased through the years; a property acquisition in 1893 added additional acreage to campus; the Main Building was enlarged yet again in 1895; a new dining room was added in 1902; the School’s stables burned in 1906 making
room for a new Administration Building; the Cottage dormitory was doubled in size in 1907.
The early 1900s also saw not only the expansion of the campus and facilities, but along with it, the diversification of student life. In September of 1900, The Echo, a school literary magazine and precursor to The Quarry newspaper, made its first appearance with Editor-in-chief Jim Robertson. In March of 1903, a new student theater group was formed, known as the Cornwall Heights Dramatics Club. Over the years, the club has been known by various names, such as The Players Club, The Mountaineer Players and Mountain Top Players. In all of its incarnations, the group shared the goal of cultivating student creativity and interest in the theater and performing arts. The first yearbook called The Jabberwocky, was published in 1911 that reflected important developments in athletics and student life. According to the publication, eight senior boys graduated that year who participated in sports that included football, tennis, baseball and a newly created “minor” sport–ice hockey.
In 1912, as the School approached its 50th year, it was decided, after all that Stone had accomplished, to change its name from “the Heights,” to the Stone School. One of Stone’s most significant and lasting legacies followed soon after in 1914, with the decision to incorporate the Stone School under New York State law.
For the next two years, Stone’s contributions the School continued until he passed his headmastership on to Alvan E. Duerr in 1917, the School’s 50th year. 1917 was also the year that the United States joined World War I, and more than two million American soldiers went to fight under Major General John J. Pershing across France. Plans for the School’s 50th anniversary were abandoned due to a preponderance of alumni enlisting to fight in the war. However, special events were planned at commencement that year including speeches by Dr. Albert Ledoux, son of
founder Louis P. Ledoux, and Congregationalist theologian and author Dr. Lyman Abbott, grandfather of Beatrice Abbott Duggan, a future patron of the School. The senior class of 1917 gave the School a gift of handmade bleachers, while a group of alumni donated a flag, flagstaff and the funds for the construction of a swimming pool.
The End of an Era is a New Beginning As Headmaster, Duerr worked diligently to continue the legacy of his predecessors in
spite of imminently encroaching war. Meanwhile, Stone traveled to Belgium to work on relief efforts, and was one of the last American aid workers to leave the country before the German advance. Later, he settled in France, working as the director of the YMCA at General Pershing’s headquarters and remained in Paris until 1919. He later returned to New York for his retirement and passed away in 1934 after an extended illness. Stone’s passing signified the end of an era for the School that mirrored the
times at hand. It was a time that ended the innocence of a nation at war and the absolute shelter for many young boys on the Mountain. But as most endings pave way for new beginnings, the legacy of what Ledoux, Cobb and Stone established would prove formidable and enduring, and would serve to bring the School into the new postwar era of expansion and development, keeping it, as always, at the forefront of the times.
Biography: Our Founding Father Dr. Louis p. Ledoux
Dr. Louis Palamon Ledoux was born in Opelousas, LA, in 1822, the son of a French emigre. Instead of following the path of his older brothers and settling into plantation life, the more studious Louis left home in 1840 and went north to Groton, MA, to prepare for college at Lawrence Academy. The family’s intent was for him to enter the legal profession, but after a period of soul-searching, he announced, to the dismay of his Catholic family, his desire to become a Protestant minister.
Although the death of his parents deprived him of financial support, the undaunted scholar enrolled in Amherst College in 1844, where he supported himself by teaching. In 1848, he graduated and entered Union Theological Seminary of New York City and received his degree in 1851. Rev. Ledoux began preaching at the Presbyterian Church in Dobbs Ferry, NY and was pastor successively in Newport, NY, Monroe, MI, and Richmond, VA. The Presbyterian Church of Cornwall-on-Hudson called him in 1858. Three years later the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity was bestowed upon him by Indiana State University in recognition of a treatise on “The Hypocrisy of Infidelity.”
apartment building at the foot of Mountain Road.
In April, 1867, Dr. Ledoux bought the Wood Farm and moved his school to the new location on a spur of Storm King Mountain. The Wood family had owned this farm for more than a century. The property was part of a tract of land purchased in 1763 by Luke Wood from Robert J. Livingston of New York. The Wood farmhouse was probably the first dwelling built on the Mountain; a portion of the original framework and the old chimney still stand as part of the Cottage.
In September of 1865, circumstances changed the course of his life. Because of repeated attacks of a bronchial condition that finally resulted in him losing his voice, he resigned his pastorate. In order to support his family (he had married Katherine Reid, and they had two sons Albert R., b. 1852 and Augustus D., b. 1858) he decided to take up teaching. This was not a difficult choice, for as a pastor he had taken into his family a few sons of summer parishioners who were very grateful to have their boys spend the winter in the country. During the village period his school was located at the southeast corner of Bayview Avenue and Hudson Street and later in what was to become the Elm Park Hotel, currently an
The principal building that Dr. Ledoux used as his school – known then as the Cornwall Heights School – was a three-story Noah’s Ark-shaped house that Ira Wood constructed for use as a boarding house, primarily for summer guests. Even after the relocation, the facility was rented out during the summers, for Cornwall was a very popular resort in those days.
The little enterprise flourished, but never exceeded 30 boys. In 1872, because of the ill health of his wife, Dr. Ledoux decided to sell the School. His wife had shared equally in the care of the institution and had stamped upon it the quality of a “home school,” influencing its students probably as much as the various members of the faculty.
Dr. and Mrs. Ledoux traveled to Europe, and after two years and her recovery, they returned to the Heights. Here, they built the “Tower House” on land reserved from the Wood Farm and conducted the “Ledoux School.” This second venture could never exceed 12 students, a stipulation that Mr. Oren Cobb insisted upon when he had bought the Cornwall Heights School back in 1872.
On September 30, 1885, at the age of 63, Dr. Ledoux succumbed to a complication of heart failure brought on by his old nemisis bronchitis, and was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in nearby New Windsor.
Dr. Louis Palamon Ledoux
Mountain Road
2016 BARD Model U.N. Conference: STUDENTS TACKLE WORLD ISSUES
By Karen Ruberg
The Model U.N. Club at The Storm King School brings together students interested in international relations and politics. The group, headed by History and Social Sciences Chair Karen Ruberg, meets weekly to discuss world issues and prepare for regional Model United Nations (M.U.N.) conferences.
On November 12, SKS was well-represented at one of the area’s largest M.U.N. conferences held at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. Eight outstanding student delegates discussed global issues with confidence, including freshmen Sera Gungor, Pierce Pramuka and Naunet Leonhardes-Barboza, sophomore David Lu, juniors Can Tetik, Alex Chang and Kakazi Kacyira and senior Jutta Appiah.
David Lu, in his first experience as a delegate in a Model UN, represented Indonesia well while he provided valuable support to the SKS Team in the U.N. General Assembly debate on nuclear proliferation. In the General Assembly, Sera Gungor and Jon Tetik represented Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates. Both were recognized as strong delegates by their colleagues and as strong contributing members of the SKS team. Pierce Pramuka, representing Brazil, was an experienced Model U.N. participant and clearly one of the most effective delegates in the General Assembly. Pierce built a broad alliance with other delegates and led the drafting of one of the two final resolutions.
In her first model U.N. experience, Naunet Leonhardes-Barboza joined Alex Chang in taking on very challenging subjects in a very fast-paced Joint Crisis Committee. Naunet and Alex showed great skill and poise in representing members of the government of North Korea. Alex used his previous experience
in Model U.N. events to help coach fellow SKS team members and demonstrated his skills over the course of a long day facing complex development and security issues related to North Korea.
In a unique committee on the African Union, Jutta Appiah and Kakazi Kacyira represented the Republic of Congo and Nigeria. Jutta and Kakazi combined a lot of preparation and research with their informed personal views in a complex debate on the International Criminal Court and Africa. They quickly emerged as two of the most talented and knowledgeable delegates on the committee and clearly earned great respect from their fellow delegates.
At the conference’s closing ceremony, SKS delegates received a number of awards. Alex Chang, Sera Gungor, and Jon Tetik received formal commendations for their efforts during the day. Jutta Appiah and Pierce Pramuka received Honorable Mention Awards and Kakazi Kacyira was recognized as an Outstanding Delegate in the African Union Committee.
The Storm King School can be very proud of the performance of its professional and talented team of young diplomat delegates at the 2016 Bard Model United Nations Conference. Special thanks go out to Ms. Gallese and Mr. Hauser for their tireless efforts in support of the SKS Model U.N. Team.
Fall Theatre: AUDIENCES
ENJOY A FIRST CLASS PERFORMANCE OF FOOLS
The Storm King School community flocked to the Mountain this November to see the latest SKS fall theatre production, a quirky and colorful performance of Fools. Three performances of Neil Simon’s comedy took place at the Walter Reade Jr. Theatre on November 11-13.
Anne Fulton’s theatre students put on a first class show highlighted by fantastic acting and commanding stage presence by the cast, and rich and authentic sets and costumes. The story, set in the late 19th century in the small village of Kulyenchikov, Ukraine, follows the amorous journey of Leon Tolchinsky, played by Scott Rolon. Tolchinsky is an enthusiastic schoolteacher who comes to town with the job of educating the simple but beautiful daughter of Doctor Zubritsky and his wife, Lenya, played by Jack Besterman and Olivia deBree.
To Leon’s dismay, he soon learns that
there is a curse on the village that has made everyone painfully stupid. When Leon falls in love with his student, the lovely Sophia, played by Caroline Hecht, he is challenged by an animated Count Yousekevitch, played by freshman Chris Chang. Yousekevitch also wants to marry Sophia and break the curse.
A lot of drama and comic one-liners ensue, bringing the audience to the final wedding scene. Supporting cast members rounded out the show with solid performances including Mya Carter as Yenchna, Zoe Stene as Something Something Snetsky, Allegra Walker as Mishkin, Seren Yiacoup as Slovitch, Stuart Hutzler as the magistrate, Nick Budich and his powerful voice as the town crier and Gabby Quartey and sophomore Paul Cohen-Addad as wedding guests.
The SKS production of Fools was directed by Anne Fulton and Karen
Eremin, who was also the costumer for the show. “I found this group of students to be very easy to work with,” explained Fulton. “They weren’t familiar with Neil Simon’s work, but they got the jokes! I played the part of Lenya in a community production a few years ago and it was fun to work with Olivia deBree on that role in particular. She and Jack Besterman had great comic timing as the Zubritskys,” she said.
Both of the play’s directors were impressed by the hard work and dedication of the cast members. “Scott Rolon had a huge amount of dialogue to memorize. He was in practically every scene and was performing in a community production of The Addams Family during most of the rehearsal process,” said Fulton. “Needless to say, he was exhausted, but he still managed to give a good, energetic performance as Leon Tolchinsky. Caroline Hecht was a very charming Sophia - many of her lines were pretty nonsensical, so they were NOT easy to memorize, but she managed nonetheless,” said Fulton.
Several cast members were also involved in the technical aspects of the production. “Olivia deBree and Zoe Stene did quite a bit of work on the set and lights, in addition to performing in the show. All of the cast members showed real dedication to the production and worked well as an ensemble,” she said.
Many thanks go out to all who contributed to the success of this year’s fall performance. A special thank you goes to Rose and Alan Douches of West West Side Music in New Windsor, New York, who provided professional sound and microphones for the show. The colorful sets with authentic Ukranian flare were created by Liz Connell’s stagecraft class. Stagecraft is an after-school course at SKS where students work together to design, plan and build all technical aspects of a show. Each year, the class works in cooperation with the fall theatre group and the course culminates with the School’s fall production.
Moving Water and Leaves of Green & Brown
BIOLOGY STUDENTS AT THE STORM KING SCHOOL USE BLACK ROCK FOREST AS THEIR CLASSROOM TO LEARN ABOUT BIODIVERSITY
By Elizabeth Taviloglu
Our scenic location on the crest of Storm King Mountain and our proximity to neighboring Black Rock Forest Consortium have always been integral parts of academic and campus life here at SKS. This fall, juniors and seniors in Robbin Dilley’s Biology class took full advantage of their surroundings when they decided to use several areas in the Forest as their open-air classroom. Their mission: to learn about invertebrate biodiversity and to determine which environmental factors lead to a greater number of species.
A BIODIVERSITY FIELD STUDY
To accomplish this, students developed different investigable questions and created permeable leaf packs designed to allow them to test variables such as light exposure, water depth, water speed, and different types of leaves and the effect they have on biodiversity. These packs, which provided a suitable habitat for invertebrates native to this area, were placed in various locations in Black Rock Forest and left for two weeks, allowing species to thrive and grow.
GATHERING RESULTS
The biology class was buzzing with excitement when it came time to collect and open the packs. After carefully studying the results, Ms. Dilley’s students concluded that the highest level of biodiversity, measured as the number of different species present, occurred in the leaf packs that contained both green and brown leaves and were placed in moving water. Leaf packs that were placed on land, in still water,
or with a single type of leaf resulted in fewer species, thus a lower level of biodiversity. They also found that water depth did not seem to have an effect on biodiversity.
During the experiment, students were able to identify a variety of aquatic invertebrate species including water beetles, snails, worms and several species of larvae, including those of damsel flies. They were also able to compare these invertebrates to terrestrial invertebrates which included two spider species, slugs, and pill bugs.
NOT ALL CLASSROOMS HAVE FOUR WALLS
Ms. Dilley’s experiment has been a great way to teach students about biodiversity. It is also a key example of how students at The Storm King School benefit from project-based learning and teaching outside the classroom in the scenic Hudson Highlands.
SOCCER MEETS THE SOLAR SYSTEM Community Service:
By Elizabeth Taviloglu
IT WAS
A COLD,
BLUSTERY SATURDAY MORNING this past October as The Storm King School’s Science Department Chair Dr. Paul Feffer, along with several members of the SKS boys and girls varsity soccer teams, ventured out to complete a few of their required community service hours. For some, it was their first trip to the Armory Unity Center, located in Newburgh, New York. They didn’t know what to expect. As the rain came down, our students couldn’t help but think it was a perfect day to sleep late, stay in their dorms and watch movies. Once they arrived at the Armory, the young athletes took their places in the “Kitchen Chemistry” room. This room, in the airy brick building that was once a real armory, is used by The Storm King School every Saturday morning to help local children develop a love for science through simple, fun experiments. Who knew that for some, what began as a mundane trip, would soon turn into an uplifting morning filled with fun, happiness and learning.
THE FEFFER HUDDLE
As local K – 6 boys and girls arrived, the SKS athletes gathered around Dr. Feffer for a pre-session huddle. The subject for the day was the solar system. In the lesson, students would have the chance to learn interesting facts about their planet, present their favorite facts, build the solar system and make model rockets! Once the SKS student mentors were prepped about the game plan, they split up and began to get to know the kids.
THE PLANETS CAME ALIVE
First, each child was allowed to choose a planet or the Sun. They were given a sheet with interesting facts about their planet such as its size, diameter, mass, composition, and the date it was discovered. The SKS team members took charge and made the younger children feel right at home, discussing their planets and helping them prepare for their presentations.
In no time at all, the groups became engaged in lively discussions. Some of the SKS students articulated their lessons in Spanish to make sure their young students absorbed all they
could. One young boy was so knowledgeable about the solar system that he actually taught his mentor a few facts. At times, it was hard to tell who was having more fun – the children or our soccer team!
Then, it was time for each child to stand up before the group and present their favorite three facts about their planet. They also had the chance to paste a picture of their planet to the wall at its appropriate distance from the Sun. By the time the group reached the farthest planet, Neptune, the model of the solar system stretched all the way across the room.
BUILDING ROCKETS FROM STRAWS
In the final part of the exercise, the young learners were given simple materials like straws, scissors and heavyweight paper to construct air-propelled mini rockets. Dr. Feffer showed them how to cut fins from heavy paper and attach them to the straws, then seal the open edges with Play-Doh. Then, he demonstrated how to blow into a second straw and send their mini rockets soaring through the air.
In a matter of minutes, the room became a shower of straw rockets arcing in all directions and children laughing out loud. Of course, our students, being athletes, urged the youngsters to compete, so the children started comparing the distances each rocket could fly.
By the end of the session, the children had a lot fun while they gained appreciation for science and the solar system. At the same time, the Storm King students had the chance to mentor them. It was a win-win situation.
SKS COMMUNITY SERVICE AND THE ARMORY UNITY CENTER
Each Saturday morning, a group of students and a rotating faculty member from the SKS science department travel to the Armory Unity Center to teach “Kitchen Chemistry” and other science-related experiments. The Storm King School is committed to a lasting contribution through a year-long plan of community service at the Armory, where our students attend three 12-week sessions per year. This year, two students from the SKS National Honor Society will also lead sessions at the Unity Center.
Community service is a requirement at SKS, where all students must complete 20 hours per year toward various causes. The Unity Center has become a favorite and several students have enjoyed the experience so much that they’ve gone above and beyond their 20 hours of required service.
ABOUT THE ARMORY UNITY CENTER
The Newburgh Armory Unity Center (NAUC) is a place where community members of all ages come together for athletic, educational and civic opportunities, in order to engage with others and advance the community.
The Center aims to be an effective sign and instrument that embodies and promotes civic unity among people of diverse racial, ethnic, religious, and economic backgrounds and conditions. NAUC enables participating organizations like The Storm King School to conduct their own programs with their own expertise, and collaborates with other programs, for the overall benefit of the community.
A NEW LEVEL
BY JOSEPH GRAZIOSI, SKS ATHLETICS DIRECTOR
The fall of 2016 produced what is considered to be the greatest single season in the history of athletics at The Storm King School, with three teams—the boys soccer, girls soccer, and boys cross country teams—winning the HVAL (Hudson Valley Athletic League) championships. All three teams were undefeated in conference play, giving SKS, with the addition of our volleyball record of 8-3, an astounding 42-3 overall record for the season. This translates into a stunning 93.3 winning percentage. Even more remarkable is the fact that all four teams received bids to attend the NEPSAC (New England Preparatory School Athletic Council) championship tournaments, quite possibly a first for any school, with each team finishing in the top eight in their respective sports.
The boys varsity soccer team enjoyed a record-breaking season, winning 18 games and finishing conference play at 14-0. Our boys played their most difficult schedule to date, facing five tournament teams and six powerhouse Class C and B teams, including St. Luke’s School, Rye Country Day School, and Masters School (Dobbs Ferry). Storm King was led by the brilliance of senior Alex Conjic, who truly demonstrated the beauty of the game of soccer. Newcomers Eduardo Pena, Daniel Amandi Moreno, Pablo de la Camara, Alonso Gonzales, and freshman Emmanuel Davis, coupled with returning veterans Henry Alleman and Igor Zelenko, played a dominating tiki-taka style that entertained fans and baffled opponents. Our boys scored an incredible 115 goals and averaged nearly five goals per match. This warranted a second seed in the
NEPSAC tournament where our boys, riddled with injuries, lost in the semifinals after a dazzling double overtime victory in the quarterfinals.
The girls varsity soccer team completed a record-setting season, finishing 12-0 in league play, while scoring a total of 98 goals. Our girls rolled through the HVAL, winning both playoff games by double-digit margins. The team was led by Cierra Martin, who finished her two-year Storm King career with 98 goals. Many players contributed to the team’s success, including Aryana Martin, Shania Roehrich, Tiana Vazquez, and Samantha McCullough. Naunet Leonhardes-Barboza showed dramatic improvement in the goal throughout the season. The girls received a bid and the seventh seed in the NEPSAC tournament, where they lost in the quarterfinal match. This was far and away the best season for girls soccer in our history.
The boys cross-country team dominated their competition throughout the HVAL season, taking six out of the top 10 places in virtually every race. Senior Keegan Jemal was the top finisher in every race, and many other Storm King runners, including Cem Taviloglu, Sebastian Zucker, Lorenzo Pretto, and Misha Medvedev, were strong finishers for the harriers. In early November, the team travelled to Maine for the NEPSAC championship meets and finished in seventh place. This marked the end of an outstanding season with the team winning their second straight HVAL championship.
In volleyball, SKS finished the year with an 8-3 record in league competition. Led by senior Ashira Mayers, our girls established themselves as one of the top teams in the HVAL. The girls personified teamwork and grew to be a top contender in conference play, losing only to Faith Christian Academy in the league championship match. Developing young players Rory Tobin, Liza Shilgerska, and Margot Yang, along with with senior Alice Chen, played outstanding seasons, both offensively and defensively. The girls were invited to the NEPSAC championship tournament losing to eventual champion King School in the quarterfinals, ending a fantastic season.
Fall 2016 was the start of a great athletic year for The Storm King School’s Department of Athletics. With many teams carrying mostly freshman and sophomore players, the future continues to look spectacular for our student-athletes and coaches—and we are looking for even greater accomplishments in the years to come.
unsung heroes
Thinking back on one’s educational years, most can recall an influential person who was significant in molding aspects of their learning. Chances are that person encouraged you to strive harder, reach farther, and do better in order to solidify a deeper understanding of our world and our individual roles in it.
Many of us might be thinking of a special teacher whom we connected with, that encouraged us to pursue a molecular biology degree or master a Mendelssohn concerto—but sometimes the most influential people in our schools don’t head a classroom and they aren’t the teachers who challenge us to explore the kinetic theory of gas or take on a deeper, more meaningful reading of Jayne Eyre. Sometimes the people who affect us the most are cheering us on from the sidelines and are there to support us in other ways, like David “Scotty” Taylor or Chip Fitzpatrick; two incredible Storm King School staff members who have impacted countless lives at the School—of both faculty and students, alike.
Almost anyone who has encountered these men will have fond memories to share, a testament to how special they are. They hold a distinguished place in The Storm King School legacy and will for years to come, a sentiment that is evident in both their stories.
Scotty Taylor
By Les McClean, PhD
I met David “Scotty” Taylor the first day I arrived at The Storm King School. Scotty, over 70 years old at the time, was the School’s painter, and he was known for covering holes with masking tape then painting over them. He also took care of the gym, cleaned uniforms, maintained the athletic equipment room, and each winter, he made an eight-foot-tall wreath that hung on the Storm King Commons wall.
He was a five-foot-two, stocky, square man with a heavy Scottish brogue, an eternal smile and contagious laughter. He was rarely seen without his fedora hiding a full shock of curly white hair, and he would come right up to you, look straight into your eyes and immediately become your friend. Scotty was an icon of the Storm King magic; he liked everyone and everyone liked him.
I heard he worked in the Scottish coal mines but escaped to the United States as a professional soccer player in the 1920s. When the Great Depression hit, the soccer league disbanded, leaving Scotty to his own devices in New York City. He took on various occupations there, including one as an opera singer. Married, he moved to Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York, and worked at West Point, among other jobs, until retirement when he came to The Storm King School in 1968. Outliving two wives and marrying a third, Scotty had a son who became the county treasurer and a step-daughter who worked in The Storm King School business office.
One sunny autumn day, I was coaching one of SKS’ championship soccer teams. We were scrimmaging as Scotty came from Spy Rock, calmly strolling in his fedora across the field and right into the middle of the action. He stole the ball from a player, dribbled around others to the top of the penalty box and kicked a screaming shot past my diving all-American goalie into the upper right corner of the net. Everyone froze in disbelief as Scotty threw his head back and jogged off the field, laughing all the way down to the gym. After practice, we came into the locker room, and I saw Scotty hanging up jerseys. I said, “Damn Scotty, what happened? I didn’t know you still had it in you!
Man, you’re too old for that.” Scotty didn’t look up. He kept hanging the shirts, and with a smile on his face, he said, “Ah, laddie. It’s when you die, not when you’re born, that counts.”
Now, being past 70 myself, I remember and try to live up to his words.
When I was working and living at SKS, I was the Director of the Urban Youth Program for the City of New York and the Palisades Interstate Park Commission during the summer. Two SKS alumni, Tim and Mike Hankinson, ’73 and ’74, were also living and working on campus that summer, and one day, we noted the town of Newburgh was hosting an international soccer tournament that Saturday in the park. It was an important semifinal match, and we decided to go, asking Scotty if he wanted to go with us.
After we picked him up and got sandwiches at the Cornwall Deli, we headed to the park and noted several hundred people surrounding a field with no barriers. We found a shady spot, spread out a cover and sat down to enjoy our lunch before the game when Scotty disappeared. About 20 minutes later, as I was finishing my huge Italian sub and my second beer, he reappeared after meeting and becoming friends with all the dignitaries, as well as the coaches and players of both teams.
He learned the referee and linesmen were not coming. It was 15 minutes after the posted game time, and both teams were ready to go, so Scotty says, “Well, laddie, I told them that you could referee the game, with Tim and Mike as linesmen.” After that big sub and two beers, I pleaded incompetence to no avail. With my whistle and cleats from the car, in Bermuda shorts and T-shirts under a clear, hot sky, Tim, Mike and I called a 90-minute close, hardfought contest. Meanwhile, Scotty hobnobbed with the dignitaries at the scoring table.
As we walked off the field, exhausted and sobered from the sun, Scotty and the dignitaries met us. Scotty said, “Well, laddies, they were impressed—and they want you to referee the finals between Columbia and Venezuela tomorrow. I told them you would, of course.” Speechless, we took our stuff to the car as Scotty bid farewell to his 20 new friends.
We refereed the game the next day, a real blood feud with fights on the sidelines that came out onto the field twice. I signaled to Tim and Mike that after the game we would make a very quick exit. However, we were intercepted and invited to a post-game party for both teams. Amazingly, the two groups who were killing each other earlier on the field were now arm in arm, singing and dancing!
And where was Scotty? He was sitting at the head table with his new friends . . . laughing. That was Scotty Taylor—everyone’s friend.
Scotty Taylor retired in 1981 at the age of 78 after 19 years of service to SKS. More than 50 years after he had left his native Scotland, family and friends at SKS surprised Scotty with a round trip ticket “back home” to see his brother. He said it was the trip of his lifetime.
Les McLean, PhD was the Chairman of the Science Department, Athletic Director and Activities Director at SKS from 1970-1974. After being a headmaster and educational consultant, he failed at retirement and now teaches physics at Concord High School in Wilmington, DL. Les has remained connected to SKS, still in touch with his students and attending SKS events.
Chip Fitzpatrick
Originally hired six years ago as a security officer at The Storm King School, Chip Fitzpatrick does just about everything around campus. On any given day, you might find him tending the lawn, driving students to take their TOEFL tests or to and from doctors’ appointments, coaching the varsity baseball team or offering moral support to someone in need. He is the guy students reach out to when they need advice and don’t feel comfortable asking a teacher, and he is the first person some students meet at the airport, where Chip often goes to pick them up and welcome them “home.”
“[He is] a mentor, role model, dad, grandfather, best friend and sometimes even a bug killer,” said Miriam Sefcikova, ’14. “Since I graduated from Storm King, there has not been a day that I wouldn’t think back at times I spent with Chip and all the fun memories I got to share with him.”
And that is the Chip so many Storm King students know and have grown to love. He is always there, always helping others, always making them laugh, and never asking for anything in return.
Chip lives with his wife in New Windsor, New York. His kids are grown and have their own children. He is a retired fireman who put in 21 years of service at the City of Newburgh Fire Department, and he’s looking forward to his 70th birthday this year; but he’ll be quick to tell you he doesn’t feel like it—or look like it, either.
On top of all his responsibilities at SKS, he owns his own awning company where he services about 350 clients, putting up their awnings in the spring and taking them down
in the fall. And he doesn’t mind the hectic schedule; he’d rather keep going.
“I think I’m one of the few guys at 70 that doesn’t look forward to retirement,” he said. “I think when I stop doing everything, I’ll age quickly,” which is part of the reason why he is so dedicated to The Storm King School.
The other part of the reason?
“It’s the kids,” he admits. “I don’t come down here for the paycheck because I don’t need the money . . . the kids here are phenomenal. This school is the culmination of all nationalities, and how they get along is amazing.”
Chip didn’t have the same experience when he was in school. Graduating from Newburgh Free Academy in 1966, he admitted that many of the students there had trouble getting on—a reality that was put into perspective when most of his classmates were drafted into the Vietnam War, and where five of his best friends were eventually killed.
Because his father passed away and he was needed at home to help support his family, Chip was granted a hardship deferment. But he felt guilty for not being with his friends, and after thinking about what he could do, he applied for a position at West Point. For his first job, he was hired in the Department of Ordinance right out of high school.
“I ended up getting a top security clearance at West Point, and I was learning a lot about things they were inventing for the war,” he said. “I wasn’t allowed to talk about it for years. For a young kid that’s tough to do.”
Chip joined the fire department after his time at West Point. Since then, he has also worked part-time as a security guard in other schools, some of which were especially rough, so when his good friend, the former New Windsor town supervisor, George Meyers, introduced him to SKS—the School where a typical security emergency included a lost cell phone—he accepted a position.
Despite enjoying the job, he also acknowledges it’s tough, especially when his favorite kids graduate and he has to say good-bye. He relates the emotion to what some teachers must feel when they send off those special students who learn everything they’re taught and never seem to get in trouble.
But among those students that leave, some find ways to keep in touch with him, whether by sending him letters, connecting with him on Facebook or calling him on the phone when they need his guidance.
A student who had recently graduated from SKS and is pursuing an engineering degree once called Chip when he was pulled over for speeding in Arizona. “What should I do?” he asked.
Chip—like any father would do—told him to pay the ticket.
After six years of his devoted service, Chip is still appreciative of his post: “I’m almost 70 years old and I can’t wait to come to work every morning,” he said.
Luckily for The Storm King School, Chip’s retirement can wait.
WHAT COMES
OUT OF DARKNESS IS LIGHT. WHAT COMES OUT OF CHAOS IS NEW MEANING.
—Dr. Massoud Amin ’79
- DR. MASSOUD AMIN ’79 -
A LIFE’S WORK SPARKED BY INVENTION
KNOWN AS THE “FATHER OF THE SMART GRID,” DR. MASSOUD AMIN, A 1979 STORM KING SCHOOL GRADUATE, GREW UP IN TABRIZ AND TEHRAN, IRAN. IT WAS HERE
THAT HE FIRST BEGAN TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT OF ELECTRICITY ON THE HUMAN CONDITION.
His father was a professor and surgeon, the founding dean of the Tabriz University Medical School and chief surgeon at the American Hospital in Tabriz. After World War II, his mother began her studies in Sorbonne, an edifice of the Latin Quarter in Paris, France, and completed her postgraduate study at Cambridge University. She subsequently went on to work for the Iranian Red Cross. Going from village to village with his parents as they did volunteer work treating patients, Amin recalls seeing families trying to farm “plots of earth so parched, they cracked under the searing sun.”
Even at a young age, Amin remembers recognizing both the engineering and human aspect of electricity, an understanding that sparked his passion for solving infrastructure challenges early on and continues to drive his life’s work today.
His research and innovations revolve around the idea that foundationally, electricity is one of the most impactful and fragile linchpins of modern society, an awareness that was reinforced in his teens when he trav-
ELECTRICITY IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPACTFUL AND FRAGILE LINCHPINS OF MODERN SOCIETY...
Most people in these villages only lived to their late 40s, an average life expectancy that was low compared to the surrounding, more developed areas.
In the mid-to-late 1960s, electricity began to reach these villages, and Amin noticed the difference it made in people’s lives. Within a year of accessing electricity, life blossomed with lighting and refrigeration, with access to deeper wells and electric pumps providing cleaner water and improved irrigation, and the once-barren farmland became green and fertile. In turn, children grew up healthier and people lived longer; the population began to grow and thrive. Little by little, the villages began to flourish with new businesses, schools, and medical facilities setting roots nearby, driving a more stable and diverse economy.
eled to the United States to visit The Storm King School. During this trip, a 16-yearold Amin also visited Midtown Manhattan, and witnessed firsthand the New York City blackout on July 13, 1977. A series of lightning strikes wiped out power to the metro area for 25 hours and sent it spinning into chaos.
As recounted in an article published in the New York Times, the blackout closed LaGuardia and Kennedy airports and brought traffic to a standstill as 4,000 people were evacuated from the subway system and over 1,000 fires burned throughout the city. Looting and arson ensued, triggering scenes similar to what some witnessed on streets like Brooklyn’s Broadway, where “the rumble of iron store gates being forced up and the shattering of glass preceded scenes of couches, televisions, and heaps of clothing being paraded
ELECTRICITY IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPACTFUL AND FRAGILE LINCHPINS OF MODERN SOCIETY...
through the streets.” Amin was shocked to see looters smash into an electric store just 20 yards away. The temporary cut from power resulted in 3,800 arrests and over a billion dollars in damage. Some had attributed much of the pent-up angst to economic pressures in addition to fear about a local serial killer known as the “Son of Sam.” Amin’s early experience with electricity showed him how a society could be built up by innovation, but the blackout helped him understand that the opposite was also true —that when a society relies so heavily on electricity and
University in St. Louis.
Amin was recruited by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) in Palo Alto, California to become the Head of Mathematics and Information Science in 1997, where he’d held positions that addressed infrastructure protection and security, grid operations and planning, energy markets, and risk and policy assessment. It is there that he pioneered the research and development (R&D) of the smart grid, which began with researching an automated system that could be applied to aviation, to complex military or civilian transportation/logistics networks, and had little to do with electricity at the time. During a military exercise in May of 1983 over the Negev (a desert region in southern Israel), an F-15 fighter plane collided with an F-4 Phantom. The pilot, Ziv Nedivi, had no idea that during the collision, he had lost about 90% of his right wing, yet he landed safely against all odds. Later, Nedivi said that if he had known how much damage had been done to his plane, he would have ejected from it. It was a miracle he was able to land at all—and at more than twice the nominal landing speed for his aircraft. With the type of damage his plane sustained, he should have lost symmetry and dropped out of the sky. The ability to land his aircraft within such a small margin for error inspired a question: If humans have the ability to quickly correct themselves in situations like these, is it possible to develop complex, automated systems that can also quickly sense problems and correct themselves?
loses it, the security of modern life is also compromised.
Amin recognized the need to fix a system, and not just any system, but the fundamental infrastructure of modern society — a critical infrastructure that needed to be made smarter, more secure, more resilient, and more efficient.
After graduating from SKS, Amin went on to earn his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and master’s and doctoral degrees in systems science and mathematics from Washington
Both planes were built by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing Phantom Works), where Amin was funded by NASA to develop solutions. After three years, a system was developed that could identify if something was wrong within a fraction of a second and compensate for the damage. The technology was tested with hydraulic failure in airplanes. Subsequently, his work on saving complex systems from failure and making them more resilient, secure and agile was applied to squadrons of fighter planes, and during 19921997 to the entire logistic networks and battlefields. Starting in January 1998, Amin applied “all he had learned” to power and energy networks. After implementing over 960,000 simulations in the western United States, and over 1.6 million in the eastern part of the country, three layers of architecture in the grid emerged. It showed that the smart grid was behaving in the same way a
Above: Looting during the 1977 NYC blackouts; historicgreenpoint.wordpress.com/2014/06/07/
human brain does, with the lower levels moving extremely fast, within a fraction of a second (the lower, oldest part of the brain—the reptilian brain—also moves extremely fast, regulating things we don’t need to think about, such as breathing); the middle levels doing a lot of coordination (like the limbic brain, the part of the brain associated with emotion, coordination, and behavior); and the top levels forecasting strategically, recognizing that what was coming was centralized (similarly to the neocortex, the logical and strategic part of the brain that help us develop language, imagination, and learning abilities).
Using that three-layered architecture for the smart grid, which has real-time monitoring and reaction, and allows the system to constantly modify and tune itself to an optimal state, it also has anticipation, which enables the system to automatically look for problem areas that could trigger larger problems and disturbances. And it has rapid isolation, which allows the system to isolate parts of the network that are going through failure or about to fail from the rest of the system, enabling a more rapid restoration.
As a result of these three functions, the self-healing grid can reduce power outages, minimize their length, detect abnormal signals (whether it’s cyber attacks, material failure, human error, or a storm that is beginning to blow), make adaptive reconfigurations to the system, and isolate disturbances to eliminate or at least minimize their impact on the larger system.
In 1998 at EPRI, Amin led the creation and launch the Complex Interactive Networks/Systems Initiative (CIN/SI), a new R&D initiative intended to heighten national security with smart grid technology in response to growing concern that the national infrastructure was
increasingly vulnerable. EPRI and the United States Department of Defense collaborated to fund and develop six research groups that comprised 108 professors, over 200 researchers in 28 American universities, and two energy companies. Amin supervised all aspects of the program, including content creation, concept development, program direction and evaluation, funding, and contracting. Amin’s research accomplished in the CIN/ SI also led the development of over 24 technologies that have since been brought to market in their respective industries.
Ironically, Amin was at a meeting, less than a mile from the Pentagon, discussing disaster risk management with White House, U.S. Department of Defense Officials and other agencies when the terrorist attacks took place on September 11, 2001. In response to the 9/11 tragedies, he was promoted and directed all security R&D at EPRI for all North American utilities. He advised leadership of public and private sectors,
IS IT
POSSIBLE
including Secretary of the U.S. DHS, the White House and the National Science Advisor at the OSTP, Director of NSF and NIST, Undersecretaries at the U.S. DoE and DoD, DIA, FBI, and other agencies, while developing effective, data-driven applied solutions and deployed strategies against advanced threats.
Six years later, he watched from his office window on the West Bank of the University of Minnesota as the I-35W bridge collapsed into the Mississippi River below — both devastating events re-enforcing his belief that more needs to be done to protect our critical infrastructures and make them more resilient, secure, and robust in face of a broad range of destabilizers. Within less than a year after the August 2007 collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a city of sorts on the south side of the former bridge took shape, complete with a host of heavy-duty equipment pieces, temporary on-site areas for casting and other tasks, and crews constantly at work. The days and months that followed required extraordinary efforts from many, including thirteen of his former students and alumni of the University of Minnesota’s Technological Leadership Institute, who were involved in the design and reconstruction of the new I-35W bridge. They incorporated a sensor network into the new I-35W bridge (at less than 0.5% of total cost) that
TO DEVELOP COMPLEX, AUTOMATED SYSTEMS THAT CAN QUICKLY SENSE PROBLEMS AND CORRECT THEMSELVES?
The Storm King School Class of 1979
MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE TO PROTECT OUR CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURES AND MAKE THEM MORE SECURE AND ROBUST IN FACE OF A BROAD RANGE OF STABILIZERS.
provides full-situational awareness of stressors, fatigue, material, and chemical changes, so as to measure and understand the precursors to failure and to enable proactive and corrective actions.
“As an infrastructure/energy professional and an electrical engineer, I cannot imagine how anyone could believe that in the United States we should learn to ‘cope’ with bridge collapses and blackouts—and that we don’t have the technical know-how, the political will, or the money to bring our infrastructure up to 21st century standards,” Amin said at the time.
“I do not believe the American people would—or should—settle for a substandard critical infrastructure. Coping, while needed in face of losses, but used primarily as strategy is ultimately defeatist. ” Amin has given five briefings at the White House and ten briefings
Awards between 1999 and 2002 for his leadership. In his 2012 TEDx talk, titled “Powering Progress: Smart Infrastructure and the Future of Cities,” that he gave at the University of Minnesota (where he is currently Director of the Technological Leadership Institute and a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering), Amin shared a map of the Earth at night showing major cities across the globe lighting up more than other, less-developed areas. He attributes the rise of these major cities to having access to a high degree of affordable electrification. He also points out that currently, the world has 19 megacities (cities with 10 million people or more); by 2020, there will be more than 30, and by 2050, there will be nearly 60. With increasing population, the need for resources will also increase, and the world’s electricity supply will need to triple by 2050 to keep up with demand. In order to meet this growing demand, Amin recognized the need for our existing 450,000 miles of high-voltage power lines to be supplemented with other means, such as wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass energy.
to Congress. He has also spoken at many major national and international forums, including the United States Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on smart grids, security, and leadership in scientific R&D. He has served as a U.S. delegation representative to several world engineering and scientific congresses and has been interviewed and featured in the media with major publications, such as the New York Times, USA Today, Forbes, and the Wall Street Journal.
Dr. Amin has also authored and coauthored more than 200 research papers and served on the editorial board of seven academic journals. He has received several awards, including the 2002 President’s Award for the Infrastructure Security Initiative, the 2000 and 2002 Chauncey Awards, and six EPRI Performance Recognition
The current electrical system is already under an enormous amount of stress. In the United States, power outages cost the country between 80 to over 187 billion dollars per year. The problem with this scenario is that, nearly 40 years after the blackout in New York City, some of the most advanced societies in the world are still depending the same technology that faltered in the 1977 blackout.
Amin’s former organization, EPRI, concluded that, in order to enable more efficient electrical grids, carriers need to add another nine percent (about 40,500 miles) of power, and the most economical way to do so would be in the form of electricity’s most efficient carrier: electrons.
The total cost of a stronger transmission system would be about $82 billion dollars over the next decade. Additionally, to create a smarter end-toend power delivery system, we must invest between $17 billion and $24 billion over the next 20 years. Investment in a smart grid would nearly pay for itself by reducing stupendous outage costs, a savings of $49 billion per year, and improving energy efficiency, a savings of $20.4 billion per year. Likewise, through smart grid-enhanced energy efficiency, by 2030 carbon dioxide emissions from the electric sector would be reduced by 58%.
The need to develop a better, more efficient way of using electricity is apparent and has fueled much of Amin’s progress developing—and push to implement—his work on the “smart grid,” an electrical power system that utilizes digital technology
Dr. Massoud Amin ’79 lecturing at the Pentagon
DR. MASSOUD AMIN ’79
(such as sensors, automation controls, and secure communication networks) to overlay the current electrical grid. The overlaying, secure digital grid would then use real-time communication technologies to monitor any potential issues and heal itself within a fraction of a second to prevent outages and other system upsets by rerouting electricity through other pathways while the physical problem is fixed (downed power lines, disabled power stations, faulty equipment, etc.). Implementing a smart grid over our existing system could help prevent power outages by unforeseen catalysts like severe weather, human error, or even sabotage.
During his time at The Storm King School, Amin found a haven that allowed him to learn and grow in peace throughout a turbulent time in his homeland. In 1978 and 1979, Iran experienced a major revolution that led to a period of civil unrest, and war - Saddam Hossein’s Iraqi invasion of Iran - which lasted for over a decade. Amin recalls that, “the staff and students at SKS, combined with the majesty and peacefulness of the Mountain, provided a safe place to think, to grow, and to plan [his] future.”
He also observed this transformational experience helped other students cope with a variety of hardships; everything from poverty and the effects of racism and discrimination to the loneliness that resulted from leaving one’s family.
Amin found a second family at the School, in addition to an education system that would nourish, encourage, and inspire him in his work.
“These experiences left a very positive and everlasting impression on me. I had terrific, demanding, supportive, and engaging teachers with sharp and precise minds, and great mentors who held high bars for us by challenging us regularly and positively.” One of the aspects of SKS he also valued was the willingness of the students and staff to celebrate uniqueness and help each student grow in their own way.
When asked what advice he might have for future and current SKS students, Amin emphasized the importance of commitment, hard work, and leadership, which “begins from within and fundamentally depends on values like courage, decency, honesty, empathy, and care toward ourselves and others.” In short, it’s a good idea to forget one’s insecurities, cultivate a quiet mind, and prepare, as best as possible, for the road ahead. He added that we live in a promising time where scientific discovery, technological progress, and innovation are being challenged and developed in powerful ways. Relying on the power of an idea and asking “why not?” or “what can I do to make a positive difference” can go a long way.
And the most important quality Amin thinks future and current SKS students should embrace? Humility. As George Washington Carver once said, “How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and the strong. Because someday in life you will have been all of these.”
From court to field,
Storm King athletics invigorate campus life and instill core values.
As we work toward our goal of creating even greater opportunities for our athletes and coaches, we thank you for helping to build a championship program with your gift to the Storm King Fund.
CLIMBING QUIETLY ALONG THE CUTTING EDGE OF EDUCATION
AN INTERVIEW WITH SKS DEAN OF FACULTY JEREMY FREEMAN
Academic. Philosopher. Musician. Outdoorsman. Father. These are only a few titles that describe the multi-faceted man that is SKS’ Dean of Faculty Jeremy Freeman. But perhaps none conveys his quiet manner, progressive approach and instinctive passion for teaching better than “educator.” For nearly a decade, Mr. Freeman has been committed to the development of his students and faculty here at The Storm King School – the epitome of a true 21st century educator. As the School approaches its 150th year, his vision is helping to shape our future, keeping us on the cutting edge.
Q: What are your views as an educator in the 21st century here at SKS?
“The world is changing faster than it ever has, and we have the honor to teach a generation of young people who have grown up totally immersed in the digital world. As humans, we are witnessing unprecedented technological growth and scientific discoveries, and the students we teach are the heirs of that. So, what is there to do as a teacher when we do not yet know what our young people are going to face in the next 10 or 20 years?
I try new approaches all the time, especially student-centered approaches. I am lucky to teach literature because I think it will always be valuable educational experience for students no matter what field they choose. Literature is a record of our humanity, our world’s soul, if you will. We can know a lot about science and technology, and that is fantastic, but what good is it if we do not understand
ourselves and try to make meaning of our lives in this mind-stretching era, in this awe-inspiring world?
I want future engineers who have read about the torments of Dr. Victor Frankenstein. I want future social activists to have read the struggles of Jane Eyre. I want environmental scientists to have read Ishmael’s environmental treatises in Moby Dick. I want the businessman to have read and cried over Toni Morrison’s Beloved
So, as a teacher, my job is to promote these texts, to trick students into being interested and engaged. I don’t always know in the moment what is sticking, but in the long run, when you get a handwritten letter in the mail from a student about to graduate college, I am reminded that I might be doing something right, and that I cannot become complacent and that I must keep going to conferences, workshops, keep talking with my colleagues, continue to learn alongside the students. Maybe there is an axiom here, that if the students are to learn, the teacher must be learning too.
This brings me to the exceptional faculty I have the privilege of working with each day here at SKS. The teachers here inspire me daily with their mastery of physics, biology, calculus, printmaking, coding, filmmaking, and the clever ways they pass on these skills to their students. And plenty of teachers here are on the cutting edge of pedagogical theory and practice. As Dean of Faculty, I have the pleasure of learning from them all.”
Q: Could you tell us about your background and any important experiences that shaped who you are as an educator?
“I was born in Austin, Texas. My father was a teacher then, and he still is today. He teaches Latin, Greek, and philosophy. My sister is also a Latin and Art History teacher. We grew up going to the independent K-12 school where my father taught. We started Latin in fifth grade. Latin taught me a framework for how language is organized and that helped me tremendously when I became an English and philosophy major in college.
In college, I was fortunate to have some wonderful literature professors. The poetry of the Romantic poets, Blake and Wordsworth, in particular, opened my eyes to the mystery and the depth of the human experience and the natural world.
When I was finishing college, I had no idea what to do next. The head of the philosophy department suggested applying to Yale and Harvar Divinity School, and that I would find room to think there and keep searching
and reading about what interested me.
By the end of my second year of graduate school, I was also teaching in an inner-city school in New Haven, my first teaching job. My first day of teaching went from utter anxiety to complete elation. I made it through the first day, the week, the semester. I just felt like being a teacher was a natural thing. I thought of my father and theorized that maybe it was in my genetics.
Q: Can you tell us about your life and experiences here at SKS?
I arrived at Storm King in 2008. My vision for the School is hard to put into words. SKS is unique, and I think we have realized that our special history and our amazing location are our greatest assets. The good leadership we have had and the excellent teachers that have chosen to work here are helping us live in our mission. Personally, in my classroom, each year I get a brighter and more talented batch of students. Other teachers, I think, would agree. Each class sets the bar a little higher, and the tradition of excellence in the School grows.
I want our students to send their own children to SKS. I know that sounds romantic, but that’s my answer. I can’t wait until my daughters are old enough to come here. . My oldest daughter, Zosia, loves it here. I mean, she is enamored with the place, the students, the teams and the open space. If we go anywhere, she always talks about how she misses it here.
Also, I would not have met my amazing wife, Ava, if I had not moved to SKS. When we met, she had just moved to the Hudson Valley area from Brooklyn. It is very difficult to think about what it was like living without her. I have learned so much from her about appreciating the little things in life. That can be hard for me since I am often too future-or goal-oriented.
She keeps me grounded and I love being a parent with her to our two girls. It is an exciting phase of life and I love sharing that with her.
Q: You are well-known not only as an educator, but as a musician. Can you tell us how you became a world-class piper?
One day, during my time in Colorado as a carpenter, I got a phone call from the School where I grew up in Houston. My old English teacher was looking for someone to teach AP Literature and bagpipes! While attending as a child and young adult, I had learned the bagpipes and had become quite good, enough to get a Scottish Heritage Scholarship to my undergraduate school Lyon College.
At the time, I thought I would at least fly down and visit, but I did not expect I would take the job. Well, I did end up moving. So when I returned to my old school, I reconnected with my former bagpipe teacher. I was blown away with nostalgia. Something inside of me urged me to re-immerse myself in piping. So I made the move, and left behind the Rocky Mountains, which I still miss.
I loved teaching English there. I had a great bunch of students. But mostly, I became obsessed with piping. My old teacher, Michael Cusack, was the best instructor one could hope for. He is very well known in Scotland and was the first American to win the Highland Society of London’s Gold Medal at Inverness and Oban. I wanted to follow in his footsteps, and he obliged.
I played pipes for at least four hours a day for the next four years, and he gave me much of his time to help me with the subtleties of playing Piobaireachd, which translates as “Big Music” and is the Highland Bagpipes equivalent of classical music. I travelled to Scotland and tried to edge my way into some of the prestigious invitational competitions there. I got very lucky in 2003 and won a big prize at a fairly notorious open event in Pitlochry, Scotland. The next year, I was invited by Scotland’s Competing Piper’s Association Board to play in the Silver Medal at Oban and Inverness.
At Oban, I played well but didn’t get a result. I didn’t expect one, really. Being an American does not work to your advantage. However, later in the summer of 2004, I had one of the greatest surprises of my life in Inverness. My heart stopped as I ran over to the crowd surrounding the list. The writing was clear. I had won second prize. In 2005, I was the only American in a field of 29
pipers to compete for the Highland Society of London’s Gold Medal in Oban and Inverness.
That was the last time I competed in Scotland. It had become very expensive to travel year after year, and that lifestyle was very hard to sustain. I again focused all my energy on being an English teacher. I spent another year in San Antonio, Texas teaching 9th grade English. Then, in 2008, I interviewed at SKS and took my job here.
Q: Can you tell us a bit about your second passion - rock climbing and the outdoors?
During my time in graduate school, I discovered outdoor adventuring, something I never experienced growing up in Houston, Texas - a flat, massive, concrete sprawl. One summer I had a chance to travel west to Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado-places with monumental geological formations and expansive skies. I was hooked on being outside as much as possible. So, when graduation came along, I headed west to Colorado with everything I needed in my car.
I was able to find an uninhabited parcel of land in near a wilderness area in Marble, CO. The owners of the land let me build a yurt to live in. So, for two months, I built my camp. I had a simple life there. I ate lots of trout.
More recently, my love of the outdoors has evolved in sport. I have become very obsessed with rock climbing over the last five or six years. I climb as often as I can. I want to teach students about climbing and hope more students will take an interest in it. I helped build the climbing wall in the student center, and I run the Climbing Club in the winter. I was able to pass my American Mountain Guide Association certification test a couple of years ago, and I really enjoy taking kids out to the Shawangunk ridge to climb. Climbing is a great lifetime sport. I have many climbing goals. Climbs are rated by difficulty and some climbs have a storied reputation for being bold or scary or just plain amazing due to their exposure, setting, and overhanging formations, so I have a lot of “projects” as they are called. A project is a climb that might be at the limit of your strength and endurance and it may take several attempts or days of work to complete it without a fall. My last big project took about five days and 20-something tries. I am 40 now, so I hope I have another 10 years of hard climbing and then I can focus on my daughters’ climbing, if they turn out to like it too. My three-year-old has been climbing a few times and seems to like it, so fingers crossed.
Alumni Connections
SKS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT SCOTT CANTOR ’73
Dear Alumni,
I hope that this letter finds each of you in good spirits and good health. As your Alumni Association President, I am glad to be able to report to you that my experience with The Storm King School is that our school is, indeed, in good spirits and good health. The campus is filled with record numbers of students doing what we did: crisscrossing the campus from dorms to classrooms, to athletic fields and The Commons. Our sports teams are once again a power in the Hudson Valley and have rekindled the SKS respectful way of winning – sportsmanship that goes back decades. SKS’ Facebook page keeps us abreast of their records and of innovative learning both in and outside of the SKS classroom. SKS’ arts events and indoor sports are now streamed live – check them out on the SKS calendar.
The Storm King School Alumni Association is separate from the School and represents alumni perspectives, supports the alumni community, and supports our school. At the last Board meeting, the Board and Headmaster renamed The Development Office to “The Alumni and Development Office”. It is staffed with people who have deep connections to the School. Please reach out to them and I hope that you will be open to them when they reach out to you.
The Development and Alumni Office has year round events and opportunities for alumni to come together and as well as participate with the current school community. These include a newly reinvigorated Homecoming and alumni/student soccer game; an alumni/student basketball game; Career Night where a dozen alumni come to interact with juniors and seniors; an Alumni on Campus Program; and of course, Reunion Weekend.
One of the things we will celebrate is 150 years of open doors to qualified and talented SKS students. These students benefit from our connection and support. Our long history of caring and sharing has enriched all involved. I also want you to know that your annual gifts to the Storm King Fund are used to support these students.
The School was breathtakingly beautiful this past fall. The newly graded and sodded main field was a brilliant green framed by magnificent red, orange and burgundy mountain colors. SKS is a great place to visit, reconnect and enjoy. I extend an invitation to all to participate at SKS. No matter your year or era, no matter the circumstances of your time here, you are valued and welcome. Join us.
Sincerely,
Scott Cantor ’73
ONE SCHOOL YOUR SCHOOL THE SAME SCHOOL
THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION NEEDS YOU! Join us today, and become an active part of the Storm King community.
An active community of alumni is vital to the success of our school. Through the SKS Alumni Association, we communicate our views, pass along our ideas, and help current and future generations of SKS students get the most from their Storm King experience. It’s also a great way to get involved, reunite with old friends and reconnect with your old school on the Mountain.
The SKS Alumni Association holds quarterly meetings, usually in conjunction with other alumni events or activities. All alumni are welcome to attend. The Mountain is calling you.
SKS ALUMNI EVENTS
Reunion Weekend
Homecoming
Holiday Party NYC
Alumni Basketball Game
Career Night
For information on meeting dates, visit: sks.org/alumni-events or contact lcrevling@sks.org; 845-458-7517
1 Alabaster Bust 1987
2 Alabaster Figure 1987
3 Marble Figure 1987
4 Fertility Totem 1986
5 Tribal Artifact 1979
6 Fertility God 1986
Artful Additions Appear on Campus Thanks to an Alumnus
MARK GERO ’70
Famous sculptor, producer, and green consultant
The Storm King School campus, renowned for its natural beauty, had some new and artful additions last fall. Several abstract marble sculptures were donated recently by one of our own— Mark Gero ’70.
SOME STONES
The sculptures, ranging from two to five feet in height and weighing up to 200 pounds each, are carved from pink, black and white Italian marble. They arrived on campus in September and have found their permanent homes at aesthetic locations around the SKS grounds. Three have been placed at the Art building and two in front of Walter Reade Jr. Theatre in commemoration of Gero’s time at SKS studying the Arts.
WHO IS MARK GERO?
Gero, better known to his classmates as Mark Gerolmo, began his art studies at Storm King in the late 1960s. He continued his education at Connecticut College where he worked with a stone sculptor for the first time. From that point onward he knew he was meant to sculpt. He majored, not in Fine Arts, but in Anthropology, which has expressed itself in the form of his hallmark abstract style that often features totems, goddesses and symbols of other cultures.
In the first years following his graduation, Gero became involved in the family business of entertainment working as a stage manager and producer on Broadway – a career move that eventually took him all over the world. All the while, he never lost his artistic calling to sculpt. Later in
his career, he turned his attentions toward sculpting full time.
Gero’s works, in his two favorite mediums of marble and wood, have been showcased in galleries and museums around the world. The pieces on campus were part of his solo exhibitions of the late 1980s at the Weintraub Gallery on Madison Avenue. Today, Gero resides in Croatia and balances his time between green consulting and development and spending time with his family.
BY TOM DONAHUESEQUELS
A year ago, I went to my 50th college reunion. It was the first time I’d been to a reunion. I wouldn’t have gone except that Judy and I were married in the chapel on the Colby College campus the same year we graduated. The symbolism and the synchronization of events were too great to ignore. We planned to stay for about three days but fled halfway through the second—only staying until lunch that day because they were serving lobster rolls. I came away pretty much convinced that I just wasn’t a reunion sort of person. End of story...
OR SO I THOUGHT.
I was fresh back from Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York, and The Storm King School reunion of June, 2016. Judy and I came away energized, moved, enthused, and positively soggy with good feelings about the place; about our long-departed roles there; and mostly about the wonderful time we spent with some of our former students who have now become friends in that unique kind of friendship that happens between old teachers and former students.
NOT incidentally, it’s worth noting that there is a huge body of literature in English that focuses on the impact of teachers on students, sometimes not felt for decades after the contact. There is far less writing on the importance of students in the lives of teachers, but that importance stood up and wacked me upside the head this past weekend. I have rarely come away from a two-day experience of any kind feeling so positive, and upbeat, and, yes, nostalgic.
I think I can explain it. Tolerate me.
Here goes: In the fall of 1968 (my God, it seems so long ago!) I moved into a small apartment attached to Lowmount Dormitory at The Storm King School. I had been hired to teach Spanish and coach soccer and be a dorm parent—the “triple threat” as it’s known in boarding school jargon. I had just turned 25. We would be there seven years. My wife was not with me. She was at her parents’ house in Natick, Massachusetts, in the very final days of pregnancy before the birth of our second child,
Kelly. With her in Natick was our first child, Jesse, born in Colombia, South America, almost two years earlier.
Why is any of that relevant to the reunion of 2016? Keep indulging me. I’ll get there.
In the five years or so prior to my arrival at Storm King, we had experienced the murders of John Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and a good number of civil rights marchers across the South. We had done a semester program in Guatemala where the countryside was sliding into a civil war that was to last 30 years. We had seen a small war in Asia grow into a big war in Vietnam. The cities across the country were on fire as the civil rights movement caught momentum. We had married and moved to New Orleans so that I could attend Tulane for a graduate program in Latin American Area Studies. I hated it. We had put that on hold to go to South America to teach English in Colombia for the United States Information Service, not knowing that the region of the country we would inhabit was rife with guerrilla activity. We spent two years there. We routinely heard gunfire at night. We experienced a large earthquake. We had ants crawl through our little house in a steady, unstoppable column over a three-day period. Guerrillas stopped buses and shot people. There were coral snakes and bushmasters. Our daughter was born in a dreadful little “clinic” attended to by a doctor who only just qualified for the title. There were spiders so large and hairy and venomous, that
we hung the child each night in a basket I suspended from the ceiling and wrapped in gauze for protection. There were rabid dogs. One hung from a tree limb for hours outside my classroom window, slowly strangling so as to “keep the evil inside” according to the man who hung it there. We went days without electricity. We shopped for food in an open market as filthy as any I had ever seen. We returned to New Orleans. I applied for teaching jobs. The headmaster of The Storm King School called me just at the end of June. Someone had backed out on him. He said he’d pay my way to the School and, if he hired me, he’d pay the way back. He hired me. It was the fourth of July, 1968.
When I think of that first impression of the School in the loveliness and quiet of summer on the side of Storm King Mountain, surrounded by miles of forest and with views out over the Hudson River seven or eight hundred feet below the campus, I had an inkling of what paradise might be like. I truly felt that the raucous, rambling, sometimes dangerous, often exciting, always risky, and, yes, stressful as hell, times had slid away behind us, and that we had…well…grown up. Kelly was born the day I started teaching. The headmaster’s secretary told me the good news. A family of four, a real job, a clean place to live, honorable work, something of a future with a reasonable chance of not being shot—hey, what’s not to like?
And then there were the boys in the dorm. Almost all of them were new to the School. They came from all over the country but mostly from the Eastern states. At the meeting we held the first night, parents then gone, I outlined what I thought good dorm behavior ought to be, pointed out that I had gone to a boarding school and knew a thing or two about being
new and a long way from home. They laughed at a few of my lame jokes. Life began. And over the following years we came to know each other in that daily grind kind of way: up by 7:00 am; breakfast until 7:30; campus clean-up; morning all-school meeting; off to classes; lunch; more class; athletics in the afternoon; dinner in the dining hall; quiet study hours; a break at 9:30 pm; lights out at 10:30. Repeat through autumn, winter and spring. We watched each one grow, graduate, move on. In time we could hardly bear the graduation ceremony because so many of them had wormed their way into our hearts that it was as though our own children were heading off into the world.
Teach in a day school and you say goodbye to the kids at three in the afternoon or on Friday. It’s a job. Teach in a boarding school and you live with them, 24/7, a year at a time. It’s a whole different ball game.
Judy and Tom Donahue
Tom Donahue in his role as a Storm King educator
It seemed that every year there were two or three boys, sometimes more, who really got close to us, and we to them. The headmaster sent me one that needed some disciplinary work I was supposed to administer. We spent the afternoon working together to clear some weeds. Got to talking. Judy made cookies. His father died not long after that, sometime early in his freshman year in college, if I recall correctly. He came by to tell me. We drank beer. He talked. He’s now the CEO of a company. He’s 61 (my God, how could it be?). He’s also a member of the School’s board of trustees and a damn fine human being. Who’da thunk it?
Another was hit by a truck in Spain during one summer he and eight or nine other kids spent with me there, traveling, learning. He survived, as the Spanish say, “only because God
wished it.” We talked a lot after that and became close.
There was the kid who taught me all sorts of skills with ropes and rock climbing. He was also a cross-country skier. He wasn’t much of a student. The outdoors was an escape for him. We’d often go miles through the forest together, too winded to talk, having a really good time with the snow crunching under our skis and the forest darkness settling on us in the short winter days.
We went to weddings, funerals, graduation parties. They’d come by after they’d graduated. To talk, they said. Judy fed them. I listened. Some brought girlfriends. Some brought sorrows.
In my 7 years Countless:
at The Storm King School, there were
Quests for laundry quarters.
Counseling sessions with students who were scared, lonely, sick or just feeling rotten for some reason.
Survival camping trips in the forest in winter with my outing club boys.
Climbs to the top of Storm King Mountain from where you could see south nearly to New York City, and the Hudson spread out below for miles in either direction.
Yawns...
Long walks through Black Rock Forest.
So that’s it, you see, pretty simple. It’s the shared experiences of life lived together. It doesn’t go away, though the memory of it warps and smooths over time, like stones in a stream, banging together as the water moves over them, and in time growing smooth and round and comfortable.
Some of those “boys” were there last weekend, now in their 60s and graying, balding, paunchy, some with wives in tow, pictures of their children and questions about my two and what became of them, sitting around the picnic tables on a lovely June evening; eating too much, laughing too loud, drinking too much wine, recalling with absolute certainty (sort of…) things we’d done and said in our long-departed youth. We talked late into the night.
It was pure gold.
On the endless drive back across Pennsylvania and Ohio to Michigan, Judy asked a couple of good questions. Should we ever go back? Could it ever be this good again? I had no answer. I still don’t.
Tom and Judy Donahue taught at SKS from 1968–1976. Tom taught Spanish, was Chairman of the Language Department, and headed the Outdoor Education program. Judy taught Spanish and Typing. Tom was selected for The Storm King School Margaret Clark Faculty Excellence Award in June 2009. He and Judy are now (mostly) retired and live in Midland, Michigan, and would be pleased to hear from SKS students and colleagues.
Buzz cuts.
Trays piled high with coffee and eggs.
Delicious lunches prepared by Mrs. Garcia.
Cross-country skiing on miles of wintry trails in the forest.
Pizza deliveries. Goofing off.
Cram sessions.
Snow fights.
9
REUNION 2016
CELEBRATING YEARS ENDING WITH 1 AND 6
There was music, great food, abundant beverages, including a special SKS IPA brewed by Chef Moises, the famous river and mountain views, hugs, stories, appreciation, and laughter. It was a weekend of different SKS generations joined by the common SKS experience.
“Seeing all of you and meeting your wives and family made for a truly spectacular time and one I think we will remember for many years.”
—Ross Carnes ’66, TX
“Reunion is one of my favorite times of the year because regardless of the paths life has chosen for us, it give us a chance to step back and celebrate our past, share our memories and make new ones. But most importantly, reunion reminds us that Storm King is, and always will be, home.”
—Gabrielle Garcia, ’15, NY
“These reunions are really important. It’s good to see where you came from and where you’re going. I really enjoy my visits here on the Mountain.”
—Larry Hunter ’71, ME
“Please don’t go wandering off, back to your “other” lives and forget about what you saw and heard this weekend…and most of all let’s not lose touch with each other again.”
—Roger D. Auerbacher ’66, NY
“If you’re on the fence, jump off on the side of Storm King. Come back!”
—Doug Burg ’71, NJ 8
“I get all choked up here. I’m feeling the power of what we had going on. It sounds kind of hokey if you didn’t experience it, but those of us that did, get it. We understand. We’re all busy with our lives and what we’re doing. But if there is any way you can get here, come back to the dorm you lived in, and sit in the dining room and look at the view. You know, it’s powerful.”
—Jim Magid ’71, NJ
“The reunion was a great time to catch up with a tremendous group of fellow graduates now employed in a wide range of professional settings. This would not have been possible without SKS’ support.”
—Rian Wroblewski, ’01, NY
“Last year, Reunion was fun, but it will be different this year. Last year was from a student’s perspective, and now as an alumnus, I think it will be even more enjoyable. As always, I feel like all of the alumni are very friendly and approachable, which always creates a great atmosphere for the students and alumni.”
—Joe Underwood, ’16, NY
1 Hessie Brawley, Nancy Coxon, Tom Terry ’66, Steve Duffy ’71, Andy Powell ’76, Lynn Crevling ’72, Phil Cunningham ’72, Carl Zirkenbach ’71
2 Kevin Bunin ’76, Lisa Somers ’76, Mike Sloan ’77, Wendy McCaw ’75, Kym Garbatini ’75 3 Jon Connor ’67, Bobby Monsted ’66, Ross Carnes ’66, Doug Capers ’67, Roger Auerbacher ’66 , Tom Terry ’66, Dave Coxon ’66 4 Jenna Esposito-Cannazzaro ’96, Matt Lawrance ’96, Tami Sylcox, David Elder ’96, Ed Sylcox ’96, Jeremy Cole ’96, Mike Stang ’96, Katie Stang 5 Sandi Terry, Ross Carnes ’66, Nancy Coxon, Jim O’Koon ’65, Tim Terry ’65 6 Erika Genovese ’96, Mike Stang ’96, Patrick Bozeman ’96, David Elder ’96 7 Tom Donahue, Sam Post ’71, Rick Reynolds ’71, Judy Donahue, Paul Vance ’71, Meg Vance, Gary Springer ’72, Jeanne Stoddard Edwards ’71, Scott Ruther ’73, 8 Anne Fulton, Sarah Fulton ’09 9 Ed Slycox ’96, Diethard Kolewe
THE SESQUICENTENNIAL KICK-OFF REUNION WEEKEND
JUNE 9-11
Come back to the Mountain to reconnect with old friends and make new ones. For more information and to register: www.sks.org/reunion-2017
Reunion Awards 2017
150th Kickoff Reunion Awards Recipients – Spanning more than 4 decades!
THE MARGARET CLARK FACULTY EXCELLENCE AWARD
Thaddeus Horton , Assistant Headmaster and Director of Admissions from 1970-1974 and Headmaster from 1974-1983 is this year’s Margaret Clark Award recipient. Multiple nominations were received and many alumni have commented on the impact Thad Horton had at The Storm King School during his 13-year tenure as a teacher, baseball coach and leader.
In Thad’s words: “I spend most of my waking life working at the proposition that school should…must be fun to be effective… prepare for college, certainly, but also… for creativity, awareness, for love, for peace, for adventure, for quiet excitement, for pride, for accomplishment, for tears, for joy: for the whole splashy, flashy palette of just being alive and well in this incredible time.” — Thaddeus Horton
The award will be received by Thad’s son Evan Horton, Class of 1977.
THE SKS SPORTS HALL OF FAME
Charles Cordero , Class of 1992. Charles was a four-year student with eight varsity letters; captain of the basketball team for three years and baseball team for three years; received four MVP awards and 2 coaches awards; and was named Athlete of the Year. Cordero said that “coaches and teachers taught me life lessons on the field and court.” He was also Student Council President and recipient of The Storm King Cup.
The 2012 Boys Wrestling Team led by co-captains Frank Conti ’12 and Johnathan Flores ’12. “This team had a 16-0 record and won the first championship for SKS after a long dry spell, exemplifying the “teamwork, grit, passion and integrity “ that changed the fabric of SKS Sports and paved the way for the 17 championships that have now followed,” said their coach, Joseph Graziosi.
The 1977 Boys Varsity Basketball Team led by co-captains John Meynardie and Homer Anderson. This team was undefeated in league play and the winner of the SKS invitational, won games by an average of more than 20 points, and was described as legendary and a “great and breathtaking team.”
WHY I GIVE
I come from a long line of Storm King alumni. My mom, two of my aunts, and cousins all attended. I give to continue our family legacy –one that I hope will last for generations to come. The community at Storm King is great. I always felt I was surrounded by family. I met some of the most important people in my life at SKS; people that continue to shape my life to this day.
I truly believe The Storm King School gave me the opportunity to grow as a person and as an individual. I encourage others to give to provide students with the chance to change their lives and to become better versions of themselves.
—Madison Sergi ’14
I AM SKS
“Very simply, I would not be who I am today without my experiences at SKS.”
Patrick Bozeman’96
WHY SKS?
I was born and raised in White Plains, New York. I came to SKS after a long search for a place for me to complete my high school education. The other high schools I attended did not match my learning style and didn’t know how to create a learning environment that could foster my creativity and manage my unique learning style.
MY CAREER
After graduation from SKS, I studied in Japan and lived with a family to increase my Japanese fluency. I graduated from Pace University with a degree in International Management. The majority of my career has been spent working in Creative and Advertising, producing work for Walmart, Nickelodeon, Mizuno, HTC, and AXE, to name a few.
MY BEST MEMORIES
My entire experience at SKS changed my life and put me on the path to who I am today. It is difficult to select any one single memory when so many of them shaped my experience there. What stands out most are my roommates my senior year, Daisuke and Shuhei; and two years on the lacrosse team under Mr. Chrysler; all the amazing life-long friends I met during my time at SKS.
MY ADVICE
Cherish your time at The Storm King School. There is no other school in the world like it, and your time here will leave you with some of your most precious memories.
REPORT
OF
GIVING
JULY 1, 2015 – JUNE 30, 2016
From the Chair of the Board
ROGER D. AUERBACHER ’66
Iwas recently communicating with Sarah Fulton ’09, our new Annual Fund and Special Events Manager at The Storm King School, and I mentioned how pleased I was that we had another SKS alum working on staff. At the end of the day, the simple truth is that the people who have been in some way part of our community, as a student, parent, staff, or faculty member, are the ones who “get it.” “It,” of course, being what it means, in some sense, to be positively affected by the time they, or someone they’re connected to, have spent on the Mountain.
The stories are as endless and varied as the people telling them but the overarching theme is often more than just vaguely familiar - this place, this mountaintop haven, this special enclave, was the place where I found a direction, where I found special friends, where I found true mentors, where I found myself.
That special sense is what keeps us connected to The Storm King School across a lifetime - sometimes in the stories we tell, sometimes with friends we’re still in touch with and sometimes in actually returning to the Mountain to appreciate the transitions of time or to breathe some fresh life into our best memories.
My class had its 50th reunion this past June. It was such a singular occasion that I couldn’t help but feel a little twinge of sorrow for those that couldn’t or wouldn’t attend. That special ‘glow’ is still around months after we all headed for our current homes. However, I believe that the group managed to take an important piece of mountain memories and SKS involvement with them.
I hope that in your own time and way you will reacquaint yourself with the past and present of SKS. Also, that you keep those memories foremost in your thoughts when Sarah comes to remind you that you can be involved with and support the School on many levels. The place that helped create and nurture those special moments.
The Storm King School expresses appreciation to all of its supporters for their generous contributions. If you note any discrepancies, we apologize for the oversight. Please do not hesitate to notify the Development Office at 845-458-7521.
The Storm King Stewards
Storm King Stewards are those supporters who have given faithfully to SKS for 10 or more consecutive years. We are grateful to these members who make such a difference in the life of our school.
Mr. and Mrs. Roger Auerbacher ’66
Brig. Gen. Raymond E. Bell, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Bicknell ’61
Mrs. Amy Bright ’79
Mr. and Mrs. Michael A. Brower ’63
Mr. David R. Collens ’65 and Mrs. Vivien Abrams
Ms. Dana C. Crevling ’77
Ms. Lynn Crevling ’72
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Delaney ’58
Mr. and Mrs. Gustav W. Eckilson ’53
Mr. Jeffrey A. Edinburg ’61
Mr. Stanley R. Freilich and Ms. Carol Marquand P’11
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Friedman ’98
Mr. and Mrs. John A. Gilchrist ’62
Mr. Lawrence J. Gratz ’61 and Mrs. Jane Schiff
Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey S. Hall ’74
Mr. and Mrs. Bruce L. Hanson ’62
Mr. and Mrs. James M. Harbison, Jr.
The Rev. and Mrs. Francis A. Hubbard P’03
Mr. and Mrs. Martin P. Kennedy ’50
Mr. and Mrs. Rocco Landesman
Mr. and Mrs. Sayre A. Litchman ’59
Mr. and Mrs. W. Barry Lorch ’56
Mr. and Mrs. Edward J. Merrell P ’77, ’79
The Brogan Society Gifts of $25,000 and above
Mr. Joseph Blount ’74
Mr. Kenneth Ryan ’72
Norma Gilbert Farr Foundation
Ralph E. Ogden Foundation
The Ledoux Society Gifts of $10,000 to $24,999
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Delaney ’58
Mr. and Mrs. John Settel ’50
Linus R. Gilbert Foundation, Wells Fargo Bank NA
Storm King Champions Gifts of $5,000 to $9,999
Mr. and Mrs. Roger Auerbacher ’66
Mr. and Ms. Richard Epstein ’59
Mr. and Mrs. David Hartcorn ’73
Mr. Jonathan Lamb and Ms. Toni Scherrer
Mr. and Mrs. Peter Wunsch ’73
Hillman Family Foundation
The Allen Family Foundation
The Pinnacle Society Gifts of $2,500 to $4,999
Ms. Hilary Ackermann P ’12
Ms. Ila Barton ’92
Mr. Richard Broughton ’54
Dr. James Factor ’70
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Fischer ’82
Mr. and Mrs. John Garrett ’63
Mr. B. deRacey Gilbert ’60
Mr. Lawrence J. Gratz and Mrs. Jane Schiff ’61
Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Hanson ’62
Mr. and Mrs. Ray Hecht P’19
Hon. Harold Kennedy ’73
Mr. and Mrs. Myles Megdal
Mr. and Mrs. Jason Milliren
Mr. and Ms. Alan Serinsky ’70
Mr. Thomas Sheppard
Mr. Michael Solender P’16
Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Wang ’69 Cornerstone Scholarship Committee
The Mountain Top Society Gifts of $1,000 to $2,499
Mr. Scott Cantor ’73
Mr. and Mrs. Nicolas P. Cohen-Addad P’19’
Ms. Michele DeFreece P’ 14
Mr. David Feltman ’72
Mrs. Roberta Gagne
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Graziosi
Mr. and Mrs. Harold Heno P’10
Mr. and Mrs. Pemberton Lincoln ’60
Dr. Robert Littman ’70
Mrs. Kathleen M. Lojkovic P’16
Mrs. Bettina Murray G’20
Mr. Edward Olejniczak ’94
Mr. Jerome O’Neill ’74
Mr. Robert Parke’57
Mr. Peter Redfield ’55
Mr. and Mrs. Scott Rutter ’73
Mr. Jerome J. O’Neill ’74
Mr. Jeffrey L. Patchen ’63
Mr. William Perry ’53
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Roberts ’60
Mr. and Mrs. John Settel ’50
Mr. and Mrs. H. Gregory Shea Jr ’62
Dr. Richard E. Slimak ’64
Mr. Kenneth Stuart, CFP ’65
Mr. Jen S. Wang ’72
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Went
Ms. Deborah Sergi ’75
Mr. and Mrs. H. Gregory Shea ’62
Mr. Josh Stene P’19
Mr. and Mrs. Bradford Tobin P’20
Mr. King Wong ’79
The Spy Rock Club Gifts of $500 to $999
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Brennan ’75
Mr. Douglas Burg ’71
Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Cahill ’75
Mr. Alan Coleman ’64
Ms. Lynn Crevling ’72
Mr. Philip Cunningham ’72
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Donahue
Mr. and Mrs. Colin Elgood ’71
Ms. Elizabeth Gaudet ’86
Mr. and Mrs. Roger Kaufmann ’63
Mr. Horace Keesey ’75
Mr. David Laster ’60
Mr. Alan Lewis
Mr. Robert Monsted ’66
Mr. and Mrs. John Moyer P ’89
Mr. Jeffrey Patchen ’63
Mr. Arthur Reis ’75 and Mrs. Maryann McGeary
Mr. William Sauerteig ’79
Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Sopher ’58
Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Steward ’81
Ms. Sarah Webb
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Williams ’54
Report of Giving
The Headmaster’s Club
Gifts of $250 to $499
Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Bissell ’64
Mr. Christopher Bonner ’66
Mr. and Mrs. Haddon Carryer ’61
Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Corriston ’76
Mr. Robert Cory and Mr. Joseph Sousa ’63
Mr. and Mrs. Todd Cunningham P’16
Miss Dominique DeFreece ’14
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Docherty ’72
Ms. Maria Eftimiades P’16
Ms. Jenna Esposito ’96
Mr. Taras and Mrs. Xenia Ferencevych
Mr. Karl Fischer
Mr. Wesley Gardiner ’45
Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Gelhardt ’48
Ms. A. Mary Gilbert
Mr. David Gilmore ’61
Ms. Nancy Greenhill
Ms. Margaret Griswold
Mr. Edward Gross ’62
The Rev. and Mrs. Hubbard P’06
Mr. and Mrs. George Klein ’73
Mrs. Susan Lanning
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Leeds ’69
Mr. and Dr. Michael McAfee ’75
Mr. Kota Nakamura ’95
Mr. John Page ’85
Mr. and Mr. Steve Parker ’82
Mr. and Mrs. Jay Pomeroy P’17, ’18
Mr. and Mrs. Samuel H. Post ’71
Mr. and Mrs. Norm Rasmussen
Mr. David Scheinman ’66
Mr. and Mrs. Irwin Seeman G’16
Mr. Matthew Seng
Mr. and Mrs. Jamie Smith P’17, ’20
Mr. and Mrs. James Sollami P’02, ’08, ’09
Mr. Jie Song P’18
Mr. Michael Stang ’96
Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Straub ’65
Ms. Justine Tobin
Mr. Jen Wang ’72
Mr. Robert Went
Mr. Rian Wroblewski ’01
Curb Appeal Landscaping & Tree Service
Hudson Valley Chrysler Dodge
Perry Plumbing Heating & Cooling
Cornwall Community Foundation
Ovivo USA LLC
Plants Map Organization
Friends of the Mountain Gifts under $250
Mr. Justin Abelson ’74
Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Amaral ’62
Mr. Paul Bacco ’60
Mrs. Kristen Barbosa
Mr. Christopher Bartschi ’01
Mr. James M. Bennett
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Bicknell ’61
Mr. Steven Bluth ’83
Mr. Octavio Bolivar ’61
Mr. Patrick Bozeman ’96
Mr. Robert Brawley ’66
Ms. Leslie Breton
Mrs. Amy Bright ’79
Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Broh ’74
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Brower ’63
Mr. Phillip Cameron ’64
Mr. and Mrs. Chris Capers ’74
Mr. John Carruthers
Mr. William Cesario
Mr. Chinfeng “Tim” Chen ’14
Mrs. Ingrid Ciunga
Mr. David Collens ’65 and Mrs. Vivien Abrams
Mr. Jonathan Connor ’67
Ms. Karin Damon
Mr. and Mrs. Jack D’Angelo
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Davis
Mr. and Mrs. Harrison Davis ’56
Mr. Paul Denecke ’45
Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Dennison ’68
Ms. Robbin Dilley
Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Dolph ’50
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Duggan
Mr. and Mrs. Gustav Eckilson ’53
Ms. Jeanne Edwards ’71
Mr. and Mrs. David Eng ’68
Mr. Paul Feffer
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Ferraro
Mr. and Mrs. Jose Figueroa P’17, ’18
Mr. Johnathan Flores ’12
Mr. Jeremy Freeman
Chief Donald Friedman ’68
Miss Sarah Fulton’09
Ms. Anne Fulton P’09
Ms. Jodie Gerson ’91
Mr. and Mrs. John Gilchrist ’62
Mrs. Lisa Girolametti P’16
Mr. Dylan Gould
Dr. and Mrs. Lynne Greene ’41
Ms. Sherry Gyuro P’15
Mr. and Ms. Refael M. Haham P’19
Mr. and Ms. Doug Hall ’76
Mr. Michael Hankinson ’74
Mr. and Mrs. Margaret Harbison
Ms. Carmen Hartnett
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Havlicek P’81
Mr. Christopher Havlicek ’81
Mrs. Helen Hecht G’19
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hof
Mr. Robert Israel ’65
Mr. Kevin Jacobson
Mr. Hamed Kandil
Mr. and Mrs. Mark Katz P’17
Mrs. Margaret Keeve P’74, ’76
Mr. and Mrs. Martin Kennedy ’50
Dr. Anne Kleinhaus G’16
Mr. and Ms. Amelia Kolach
Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Konrad ’52
Mrs. and Mr. Marge Kovacs
Mr. Peter Lamb ’72
Mr. and Mrs. Jim Leppla
Mr. and Mrs. John Lindsay
Mr. and Mrs. Sayre Litchman ’59
Mr. Daniel Loh ’52
Mr. and Mrs. W. Barry Lorch ’56
Mr. William Lulofs
Mr. Jim Magid ’71
Mr. Howard Marks ’76
Mr. Patrick Martha
Mrs. and Mr. Monte Martin P’17
Ms. Christina Massiala-Vaka
Ms. Elda Maxis G’17
Mr. and Mrs. Philip McDermott
Ms. Beverly McKenzie
Ms. Molly Meehl
Mr. Jonathan Meisel
Mr. and Mrs. Christian Merrell ’77
Mr. and Mrs. Edward Merrell P’77, ’79
Mr. Michael Merry ’65
Ms. Amy Messersmith
Mr. Christopher Milne ’73
Major Danny Mojica ’85
Mr. and Mrs. Vincent Morgan ’63
Mr. and Mrs. John Morris ’60
Ian Morris
Ms. Wendy Murray P’17
Mr. and Mrs. Chester Neumann ’68
Dr. and Mrs. Bonnie Newman P’92, ’93
Ms. Kaitlin Nolan
Mr. Jihoon Park ’08
Miss Danielle Parraud ’07
Mr. and Mrs. William Perry’53
Mr. Judson Phelps
Mr. Joseph Phillips ’85
Mr. and Mrs. Alex Piaseckyj
Mr. and Mrs. Donald Potter ’53
Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Powell ’76
Mrs. Dinah J. Pretto
and Mrs. Sylvia R. Cotto P ’20, ’21
Mr. Rick Reynolds ’71
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Roberts ’60
Mr. Michael Roberts ’70
Mr. Harry Rosansky ’64
Mr. and Mrs. Peter Rowe
Ms. Karen Ruberg
Mr. Stanley Schiffman ’77
The Sesquicentennial Capital Campaign Gifts
Ms. Jessica Schulte
Miss Madison Sergi ’14
Mr. Steve Singer ’71
Dr. Richard Slimak ’64
Mr. Bruce Sloman ’65
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Smidt
Mr. and Mrs. E. Ward Smith
Mr. and Mrs. Eric Smith ’63
Mr. Michael Sollami ’02
Mr. Logan Sollami ’09
Mr. Douglas Sperling ’73
Mr. Michael Spitz ’60
Mr. John Stebbins ’78
Mr. and Mrs. Francis Stillwell
Mr. Kenneth Stuart ’65
Thank you to these contributors for their generous gifts to the upcoming Capital Campaign
Mr. Douglas Allen ’66
Mr. Richard Broughton ’54
Ms. Lynn Crevling ’72
Ms. Michele DeFreece P’14
Mr. Thomas Delaney ’58
Mr. Richard Epstein ’59
1867 Society
Report of Giving
Mr. and Mrs. John Sweeney ’60
Ms. Kathy Syvertsen
Ms. Monifa Tarjamo ’90
Mr. and Mrs. George Tholken ’57
Mr. Rients Van der Woude ’75
Mr. and Mrs. Ellen Van Dunk
Mr. and Mrs. David Van Dyck ’40
Mr. J. Paul Vance ’71
Mr. John Williams ’69
Mr. and Mrs. Bill Wood ’67
Valley Septic Service, Valley Contracting
Empire Landscaping & Snow Plowing, Inc.
Network For Good Pitney Bowes
New York Life Foundation
Mr. Jonathan Lamb
Mr. Peter Redfield ’54
Mr. Frederick Sopher ’58
The Storm King School Board of Trustees established the 1867 Society in the 1990s as a means to recognize individuals who have included the School in their estate plans. By designating the School as a beneficiary of a will or living trust, or by including the School as a beneficiary in a life-income gift arrangement, forward-looking alumni, parents and friends invest in Storm King’s long-term health and prosperity. For more information, contact Lynn Crevling, Director of Leadership Support and Alumni Relations at lcrevling@sks.org or at 845-458-7517. * deceased
Mr. Werner F. Auerbacher*
Mr. Eliot F. Bartlett ’37*
Mr. Joseph W. Blount ’74
Mr. Michael A. Brower ’63
Mr. Robert T. Cobb ’58*
Mr. Joe I. Cooper ’46*
Mr. John E. Creveling ’63*
Mr. Peter Duggan H’58
Mr. Stephen P. Duggan, Jr. H’54*
Mr. Richard A. Epstein ’59
Dr. James Factor ’70
Mr. Antoine F. Gagne ’36*
Mr. Herbert G. Gelhardt, III ’48
Mr. Lawrence H. Gratz ’61
Mr. Bruce Hanson ’62
Mr. Edwin S. Jarrett ’24*
Mr. Malcolm Blake Johnson ’41*
The Honorable Harold Kennedy ’73
Ms. Joan F. Ledoux *
Dr. Robert Littman ’70
Mr. Henry O. Lumb ’21*
Mr. Andrew Masten
Mr. Bruce McCullough *
Mr. Chad Merrill ’84
Mr. Claiborne M. O’Connor *
Mr. Robert W. Parke ’57
Mr. David W. Peck, Jr. *
Mr. Wilfred L. Raynor, Jr. ’39 *
Mr. Arthur Reis ’75
Mr. Rick Reynolds ’71
Mr. David Riker ’50
Mr. George F. Ross ’64 *
Mr. Alan Serinsky ’70
Mr. John F. Settel ’50
Mr. H. Gregory Shea ’62
Mr. Michael Sloan ’77
Mr. J. Halsey Smith, Jr. ’46*
The Albert Sussman Charitable Remainder Annuity Trust
Ms. Florence E. Wall *
Mr. Robert Went
Mr. William R. Wheeler ’21 *
Mr. Robert D. Williams ’54
Ms. Elsie Wunsch *
Lily Snyder ’13 writes: I am currently a senior at Marist College majoring in Criminal Justice and receiving my Paralegal and Emergency Medical Technician Certification. I currently coach volleyball and basketball at SKS. Also, I volunteer at the Town of Newburgh Emergency Medical Services. My favorite memory about SKS is playing home games in the gym where everyone would come and support us. It was such a great feeling being a part of such a supportive community.
Kaitlin Soter ’14 is now studying game development at Full Sail University. One of her favorite parts about attending SKS was having the ability to participate in all the theatre productions. Acting class and rehearsals were her favorite part of the day. She enjoyed performing in The Drowsy Chaperone the most, and still remembers the first two nights when they received standing ovations. Although it was a high school musical, she recalls the great feeling of knowing people enjoyed it.
Kelly Seiz ’10 was recently appointed Vice President of Editorial Content at Skytop Strategies, a media firm specializing in multinational corporate conferences. She works directly with CEO Chris Skroupa’s Forbes.com column, “Moving On…,” conducting short Q&A pieces and longer features on a range of topics, including cybersecurity,
corporate water stewardship, and shareholder engagement. Her favorite SKS memory: crashing out on the couches after school before soccer, volleyball or softball practice; diving into personal essays as Editor-in-Chief of The Voice and hanging out backstage during theatre productions with her best friend (to this day) Sarah Fulton. She lives in Cornwall and graduated from SUNY New Paltz with a BA in Journalism.
Brendan Smith ’06 wrote: “Greetings to everyone on the Mountain. After 10 years of living in the “real world,” I thought it might be nice to touch base and let you all hear what I’ve been up to. For the few of you who actually remember me, you will know how involved I was with our theatre program. I practically lived backstage, to the point of being allowed to miss classes during tech week. Even after graduating, they couldn’t get rid of me, as I was contracted to work in the Walter Reade Jr. Theatre for a small wage, much to my delight! Well, those missed classes and endless hours were not in vain. I was accepted to a summer theatre internship at Gateway Playhouse in Long Island. It was there that I would hone my craft before returning to Storm King to show off my newly acquired skills. This went on for about three years, and I am truly grateful for that support. Since then, I have worked on three different touring shows as a stagehand, travelling across Europe, Indonesia and the United States. I now reside in Staten Island where I work as a grip (stagehand of the film industry) for the Motion Picture Union. If you watch any TV shows or movies that were shot in New York City in the past three years, there is a decent chance that I have been behind the scenes. I love what I do for a living. My passion for technical theatre was sparked on the stage at Storm King, and for that, I am eternally thankful!”
Rian Wroblewski ’01 , after attending his 15th reunion, wrote: “The reunion was a great time to catch up with a tremendous group of fellow graduates
now employed in a wide range of professional settings. This would not have been possible without SKS’ support of the diversity of ideas. As we revere their employment, we cannot forget those who are highly talented though unemployed in this unpredictable economy. To those individuals: Actively review the LinkedIn profiles of the thousands of SKS graduates. Contact those employed in your field and ask for help. With persistence you will win every time and have the resources to help others in the future. The value of the community does not die on graduation day. You are sitting on a gold mine of collective intelligence. Start digging!”
Jenna Esposito-Cannazzaro ’96
recently wrote that she is now a Mrs. Jenna married James Cannazzaro on May 21, 2016, and was thrilled that her best friends from SKS were able to join in the celebration. The wedding was held in Long Island, followed by an amazing honeymoon in Italy where they visited Rome and Positano. “I was sorting through my wedding pictures, and found a fun one with some of my best friends from SKS. I am attaching it here! Left to right, we have Fortune Esposito (my father, who also taught at SKS), Kerry Allen (didn’t graduate from SKS, but attended from 1994-96), Colleen Zlock ’95, me, Bliss Fager (maiden name Burrell, ’97), Doug Baughman ’96, and my mom, Sheila Esposito. Thought that it would make a fun addition to the next edition of On the Mountain.”
Tonia Faris ’91 sent this message to the Class of ’91: “Wow, so crazy how fast the times fly. I’ve done quite a lot since leaving SKS. I went on to study massage, yoga (including Bikram
yoga) and other fields covering the healthcare industry. I’ve been into different esoteric fields studying everything from avatar, polarity and meditation to balancing the chakras. I’ve also been studying the Eastern philosophy of the mind, soul and body of how we correlate on various levels of the spectrum. I moved to Santa Barbara, California in 2000 and discovered my natural roots of being born in Laguna Beach and meeting my biological father after 20 years of being estranged. I have been living in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica, for the last 13 years. I started a family, which I’m most proud of in all my endeavors: three handsome, smart and quite articulate boys. We live here in the jungle with the monkeys, sloths, toucans and other special and unique creatures. The vegetation is out of this world! We thrive in a humble lifestyle, along with my husband, who is my better half, and I’m learning to cultivate my skills to be a healer and helper in daily life. My life has been a whirlwind, and I am truly
grateful for its path. I feel blessed to be living in paradise. This country has so much to offer in nature, culture and an overall different way of life. It’s a lot slower than how I was raised in New York, but the philosophy “Pura Vida”* is right up my alley, and I am always falling in love with everything it has to offer.
*A term present in the Costa Rican dialect for more than 50 years, “Pura Vida” means more than the translation “pure life” but is an expression of eternal optimism; life is wonderful—enjoy it.
Dorry Dimos, ’78, wrote that her life,
these days, is all about her three-yearold twin grandsons, great food and Bruce Springsteen! As the owner/operator of Dorry’s Diner in White Plains, NY, Dorry says she is dedicated to making
sure all her customers have a memorable experience. Upon entering the diner, it is clear that she is a big Springsteen fan. Photos, posters and memorabilia cover the walls, and most days, Springsteen’s music plays in the background. The conversation often centers around the next concert tour, his songs and the “Boss Specials.” Dorry has created a tribute to the man and the band that she has been hooked on since 1992. In September, Dorry scored coveted tickets to Bruce Springsteen’s new book signing and drove to Philadelphia to wait in line for over four hours to be one of the first to meet him. On September 29, Dorry realized a goal that most fans only dream of—meeting, hugging and having a photo with Bruce.
John Stebbins ’78 reported: “I had the
“Attending The Storm King School was a defining point in my life. On the Mountain, I made lifelong friendships as I matured physically, mentally and emotionally.
opportunity to visit SKS September 7, having not been back since I graduated in 1978. What a treat it was to wander around campus with Lynn Crevling, gracious host and tour guide! The campus seemed pretty much the same with some notable exceptions: Walter Reade Jr. Theatre, Ogden Library (now Ogden Hall) without books, Ledoux Terrace, the student center, art building, and a much more diverse student body! Having lunch in the dining hall brought back many memories, too. The highlight of the visit was meeting The Summit school newspaper staff, along with their adviser and Dean of Faculty, Jeremy Freeman. When I popped in to say hello, they immediately suggested an impromptu interview! Their many questions were excellent and I think it’s safe to say we all enjoyed our time together. The takeaway is this: SKS is strong and thriving. The students and faculty that I had the pleasure of meeting are very bright, engaged with the world, and interested in making a meaningful difference for themselves and others, today and into the future. The experience reinforced to me that my contribution dollars over the years have been well spent and made me feel proud to be a graduate of The Storm King School.”
Colin Elgood ’71 sent a note that he
and his wife traveled to Southeast Asia as tourists, “this time to places we had never had the time to visit when we lived there. It was great to see and talk to ‘Sam’ Somphon Charumilinda and ‘Peter’ Paramet Vantanapintu, classmates from ’71, in Bangkok, and travel to eight other cities and see the sites. While at home, I volunteer for the county level of the Federal Emergency Management Agency as an Emergency Operations
Center tech, search and rescue member, Chatham County Community Emergency Response Team member, damage assessment inspector, PODS worker, and just added volunteering as a County Animal Rescue Team member. We have been very lucky so far, it has mostly been training. Does anyone remember the poster in my room? “If you are not part of the solution…”
Doug Capers ’67, wrote “I’m look-
ing forward to our class of 1967’s 50th reunion next June and also to celebrate SKS’s 150th anniversary. I saw Jon Connor the other day and he hasn’t changed. He’s still taller than I am.”
Tom Terry ’66 sent the following note: “I
enjoyed meeting up with old classmates of 50 years, along with their wives, at Reunion 2016, and I am looking forward to visiting the Monsteds in New Orleans with the Brawleys soon. I strongly urge all alumni to visit their reunion as there is nothing like seeing your classmates down the road. I loved seeing everyone. One highlight to me was having a luncheon with my friend Jim Reffler at the Thayer Hotel at West Point. There was nothing like that experience, and it was not at all uneasy despite being our first meeting in 50 years! The stories we told stay at SKS, only between my buddies and me! That was fun! We went to SKS as boys and left as young men ready for college and beyond. SKS ruled for me, and I was so glad to have my wife, daughter and brother with me
at my 50th. This photo is of classmate Vance Brawley and his wife, Hessie, who came from Austin, Texas, to our home in Laguna Beach, CA, for five days to play—and play we did!
Doren Voeth ’63 wrote: “I came to SKS from the Collegiate School in NYC in the fall of 1959, and attended SKS for my freshman and sophomore years under Headmaster Warren Leonard. Stone Hall was home where I was the dorm leader during the last year. Balazs Szabo, ’63, ‘Racey’ Gilbert, ’60, Bruce Hanson, ’62, and Lon Gratz, ’61, were all contemporaries. My songwriter/publisher parents steeped me in music, but it was Racey who introduced me to jazz. As a lowly underclassman, I would hang out in Racey’s room during the evenings listening to music.
My SKS activities included JV soccer, track, cross country, student hockey manager in ’60–61, chess club, and classical music at Mr. Shapiro’s residence in Black Rock Forest. David Robb and I had a band using the dining hall piano with Dave’s drum practice above the gym. Vogel’s Taxi in Cornwall sold me their huge ’47 Chrysler limousine for $36, and I was allowed to store it at school until it could be driven away during summer break. Being a giving person with an enormous car, I volunteered to drive the Martha’s Vineyard Girl Scout Troop around the island all that summer.
Google Earth seems to show that the hockey rink is gone. Nights were spent flooding the rink with a hose run down the hill from Lowmount. As I revisit my SKS memories, I remember more and more of those threads that begin to weave into the tapestry of my time there.
After leaving SKS, I finished high school at Martha’s Vineyard Regional, went on to Berklee College of Music in Boston, then Hunter College in NYC and later taught music at Third Street Music School. I am currently staying in CA doing business development work; putting needs and wants together with resources and funding to make projects come to life, including helping an
African nation develop its first air and sea coast guard, and an African international airline maintenance base.”
Gerald Condon ’55 attended Boston University to study physical education after graduating from The Storm King School. He wrote that he found his true calling, however, as a firefighter of 38 years. He loved being part of a team and helping those in need. He also pursued his love of flying as a private pilot and even built his own gyrocopter with his brothers. Recently, he returned to visit SKS with while attending an airshow in nearby Newburgh, NY. He enjoyed visiting and felt welcomed. He recalled his time in SKS athletics fondly, and also reminisced about a German couple, John and Anna, who ran the kitchen where he would sometimes spend time helping out; peeling potatoes, etc. He found his medal from The Storm King School, “1955 Best All-Around Athlete,” while planning the trip.
Richard Wormser ’51 writes: “I thought that you might like to know that my latest film, American Reds, is a finalist in the Writers Guild of America competition for the best documentary script of 2016. I’ll know the winner by late February. I’m competing against Ken Burns’ daughter, so I’m not too optimistic about the outcome…but still being finalist for this prestigious award is satisfying.”
Submit Your Photos & Class Notes
otm@sks.org
OTM: Class Notes, The Storm King School, 314 Mountain Road, Cornwall on Hudson, NY 12520
Photos will be published based on quality and available space. Please be sure to identify everyone.
Fernando Sanchez ’44 of Miami, Florida passed away on February 28, 2016. From Havana, Cuba, Fernando attended SKS along with a rich legacy of four generations of Sanchez men. While at The Storm King School, Fernando Sr. was a member of the Cum Laude Society; and the recipient of many awards. The following is an excerpt from his senior write up in his graduation issue of The Quarry: “During the six years that he has been a Mountaineer, he (Fernando) has given evidence of leadership in scholarship and athletics. This capacity was recognized by his election as captain of the undefeated eleven. The same honor was bestowed on him in basketball. In baseball, he has held down the position at the keystone sack for the past two seasons. He was also one of the regular defense men on the season’s hockey team. Activities other than athletics have included the Player’s Club of which he has been president, the Rifle Club, the Dance Committee, and an associate editorship of The Quarry. “Pinky” has been able to earn himself many extra privileges by consistently high average in studies. The recognition of Fernando’s inherent worth was attested this past fall when the student body elected him to the position of Assistant Head Boy, and he and Robert Wharry have collaborated in directing the student body in a very successful year.”
Fernando Sr. was predeceased by his grandfather Bernabe Sanchez, who graduated from SKS in the 1800s; father Bernabe Sanchez ’18, great uncles Emilio ’16, Julio ’19, and Pedro Sanchez ’22, and his cousin Alvaro Sanchez ’59. He is survived by his son, Fernando Sanchez ’67, his brother Federico Sanchez ’47, and his nephew Pedro Sanchez ’69.
Omar Rivera ’81 of San Juan, Puerto Rico passed away in September 2016. He was predeceased by his brother Aldo ’78, and is survived by his brother Heli ’85, also in San Juan.
Patrick Joseph Buckley ’62 passed away on February 3, 2017 at White Plains Hospital after a prolonged battle with cancer. He left this world surrounded by family, friends, and the music he loved.
Michael K. Eward ’89 passed away on April 4, 2010.
Erick Nedweyzky ’03 of Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY, passed away on August 3, 2016. Erick attended Cornwall Central High School and transferred to and graduated from The Storm King School. He went on to attend Herkimer County Community College. Erick enjoyed vacationing in Cape Cod with his family and playing Monopoly. He also enjoyed participating in and watching sports. He had a sense of humor that was relished by his family and his friends.
Jill Priskie ’78 of Boca Raton, FL, passed away on July 4, 2016.
On the Mountain seeks to acknowledge and remember SKS alumni, former faculty and staff, and community members who have passed away. Please forward information, obituaries, photographs and remembrances to OTM: otm@sks.org or call 845-534-7892.
NYC HOLIDAY PARTY 1 Grace Vazquez P’19, Rose Smith P’17 & P’20, past faculty Les McLean, Elizabeth Taviloglu P’19, past faculty Bill Cesario, Lynn Crevling ’72, Stefan Ciunga, Ingrid Ciunga, Grace Vazquez P’19 2 Assistant headmaster; CFO Ray Hecht P’19, Dean of Academics Harold Heno, Visual and Performing Arts Chair John Carruthers, Superintendent of Building and rounds Jamie Smith P’17 & P’20 3 Daniella Jones ‘97 and Owen Frazier 4 Robert Docherty ’72, past faculty Bill Cesario 5 Rachel Perez ‘04, David Perez ’02, Lynn Crevling ’72 and Jim Glaser ‘82 6 Steinar Knutsen ’90, Charles Cordero ’92 and Jerry Carballo ‘90 7 Robert Docherty ’72, Chris Capers ’74, Headmaster Jon Lamb, Scott Rutter ’73 and past faculty Les McLean with live stream of SKS basketball game 8 Marilyn and Harrison Davis ’56 ALUMNI SOCCER GAME 1 Ken Stuart ’65, Assistant Head for Admissions and Marketing; Marek Pramuka P’20 2 Joesph Underwood ’16 3 Lily Snyder’13 4 Math;Assistant Dean of Students James Bennett 5 Ken Stuart ’65, 6 Academic Support Program - Science Luke Sollami ’08
EVENTS & NOTES
ALUMNI BASKETBALL GAME 1 Rear: Jon Flores ’12, Madison Sergi ’14, Frank Conti ’12, Sam Vilceus ’11, Yaw Andoh ’11, Lily Snyder ’13, Wei Xiu ’13, Jemar Bryant ’00, Mike Phillips ’09, Parker Walsh ’12, Sarah Fulton ’09, Christian James, Front: Moniesha Hayles ’16, Pedro DaSilva ’16, Trevor Hughes ’13, Sele Birchwood ’09, Luke Sollami ’08, Jack Liu ’11, Sam Knight ’12 2 Jemar Bryant ’00 NOTES 1 Lynn Crevling and Jen Wang, Class of 1972 in Raleigh NC, October 2016. 2 Sam Charumilinda ’71, Jung-sook and Colin Elgood ’71 and Peter Vanatanpintu ’71 in Bangkok, 2016 SKS FLAG 1 Past staff member Marge Kovacs with husband Joe in Ireland, 2016 2 Rob Teague ’81, Harold Kennedy ’73, Steve Duffy ’71 (seated), Bill Bivin ’65, Headmaster Jon Lamb and Roy Sijthoff ’72 in Houston TX, January 2017 3 Headmaster Jon Lamb and Brian Schuchman ’86 in Tempe AZ, January 2017 4 Assistant Headmaster for Finance; CFO Ray Hecht, Pierce Pramuka ’20, actor William Shatner, Carolyn Hecht ’19 and International Student Advisor, ESL Department Chair Cathy Hecht at Star Trek Convention, 2016 5 David Parks ’63, Jim Houstoun ’75, Tyresse Horne ’85, Headmaster Jon Lamb in Austin 6 Joe Souza and Bob Cory ’63 in Azores, Portugal 2016
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If you are planning a trip and would like to request an SKS flag to take along, please contact OTM: otm@sks.org with your name, address, travel plans and dates. Allow two weeks for delivery, continental US only; Upon your return, submit your SKS traveling flag photos to: otm@sks.org.
The Sesquicentennial Kickoff Reunion 2017 : June 9-11
Usher in the year leading up to the 150th anniversary of our School
Our Sesquicentennial is a time to commemorate our institution, honor our traditions, and set our sights on the future. Join us at Reunion 2017 to kick off this wondrous year of celebration filled with events leading up to our Sesquicentennial Gala in June 2018. There’s never been a better time to come back; to reconnect; to celebrate. We hope to see you all in June!
FRIDAY, JUNE 9
12-5pm Registration, Admissions and Development Building
9am-1pm Golf Outing, Storm King Golf Course, meet at Admissions and Development Building
10am-1pm Guided Hike, Black Rock Forest, meet at Admissions and Development Building
5-10pm Opening Cocktail Party & BBQ, Start out the weekend with casual fare, Ledoux Terrace
SATURDAY, JUNE 10
8:30am Registration, Orr Commons
8:30-9:45am Welcome Breakfast, Orr Commons
2 s & 7s SEE YOU SOON
10-11am Memorial Service, Remembering alumni and friends we’ve lost, Memorial Rock
11-12pm Alumni Meet Up & Coffee, Relax and reunite, Smidt Room at Orr Commons
12pm
Headmaster’s Lobster Luncheon: Join Headmaster Jonathan Lamb for the official Sesquicentennial Kickoff, Orr Commons
2-3:30pm Afternoon activities: Guided campus tours Field games: Softball, Corn Hole, Horseshoes, and more, Athletic Field
4-5pm Cocktail Hour, Ledoux Terrace
5-10pm Sesquicentennial Kickoff Banquet and Alumni Award
Presentation, A sumptuous meal served at 5pm with dancing/open mic from 8pm, Orr Commons
2-9pm
Silent Auction, Bid on items donated by alumni and friends with proceeds to benefit the Storm King Fund, Orr Commons
SUNDAY, JUNE 11
8:30-10:00am Farewell Breakfast, Orr Commons
GIVE TO THE STORM KING FUND
As we approach our 150th year, it is a time to commemorate our institution, honor our traditions, and set our sights on the future.
The Storm King Fund supports the operation of the School and provides access to scholarships for deserving students.
That’s why we need your support more than ever to continue the legacy of a Storm King Education into the 21st century and beyond.
There’s no time like now to donate to the Storm King Fund.
On the Mountain
THE SKS SESQUICENTENNIAL
150 years of excellence in education on the Mountain
The Storm King School will be celebrating its Sesquicentennial in 2017-2018. We hope you will join us for this wonderful time full of festivities, tributes, memories and lasting impressions.
