IN A RAPIDLY CHANGING WORLD, MILTON’S FOCUS IS ON THE FUTURE.
“ We think of housing as a commodity, but it is so much more.”
Illustrator Chad Hagen’s cover image captures the energy and promise of this issue’s theme of building and the builders who are working to meet the needs and challenges of an
All Adding Up
The newly renovated Farokhzad Mathematics Center gives Milton a
YIMBY (Yes In My Backyard)
For architect Anne Torney ’83, helping address the Bay Area’s housing crisis over the past several decades has been both challenging and immensely rewarding.
Reimagining VC
Allan Jean-Baptiste ‘08 and his colleagues at Ansa are shaking up the traditional realm of venture capital.
32 An Introduction to Architecture middle school ............... 36 The Long Picture in the news 40
Biotech entrepreneur Robert Langer at Seminar Day, 50 Years of Jazz, “Boys with the Bus” goes viral, and more class notes.
50 reunion 53 alumni books
62 in memoriam 66 board of trustees
67 n.w.o.t.Q. 70 n.k.o.t.Q.
71 postscript 72
HEAD OF SCHOOL
Alixe Callen
CHIEF COMMUNICATION OFFICER
Eileen Newman
EDITOR
Sarah Abrams
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Marisa Donelan
CLASS NOTES EDITOR
Jacqueline O’Rourke
COPY EDITOR
Martha Spaulding
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Alexander Gelfand
Lewis Rice
DESIGN
MO.D/Patrick Mitchell
André Mora
CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS
Michael Dwyer
Mari Fouz
Verónica Grech
Mike Haddad
Abbey Lossing
Kjeld Mahoney
Bob O’Connor
Phil Robson
Evan Scales
Brad Trent
Moritz Wienert
Winni Wintermeyer
George Wylesol
milton magazine is published twice a year by Milton Academy. Editorial and business offices are located at Milton Academy, where change-of-address notifications should be sent.
As an institution committed to diversity, Milton Academy welcomes the opportunity to admit academically qualified students of any gender, race, color, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, or national or ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally available to its students. It does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, or national or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship programs, and athletic or other school-administered activities.
QUADIVAL On the Friday of the first week of classes, the Quad transformed into a lively midway, with carnival rides, games, food, and more.
photograph by Kjeld Mahoney
Building the Future
COMMITTED
TO
PROVIDING AN EDUCATION THAT BUILDS SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, AND PURPOSE, MILTON IS PREPARING STUDENTS TO TAKE ON THE DEMANDS OF A CHANGING WORLD.
When I f I rst heard that the topic for this issue was builders and building, I thought immediately of all the ways we talk about building in schools— building skills, building understanding, building relationships. Over the past few years, we have also spoken a lot about the actual buildings in which we build knowledge and connection. What does a state-of-the-art math/science/arts building look like? □ Increasingly, I also wonder how schools should be building skills for the future. What will students need to know and be able to do in the coming decades? Undoubtedly the disruptive forces we are currently witnessing—artificial intelligence, climate change, political polarization, geopolitical strife, shifting demographics—will fuel a changed world. In keeping with generations past, I want Milton students of today to be uniquely qualified to lead in this shifting landscape. □ So, what does that mean for schools? Are the traditional disciplines appropriate? What should we be asking students to produce? What does this mean for teachers? The questions are seemingly endless. □ Milton has always been a school ahead of the curve, ready to contend with the challenges of the day. Today is no different. We are prepared to build the school of the future. Thankfully, Milton’s historic strengths offer perfect building blocks on which to expand. Communication skills—both written and spoken—have always been valued at Milton. Current Events and Public Speaking (ce/ps) has been a requirement since before I arrived at Milton as a student. Every one of us has learned how to structure a strong essay free of grammatical errors. We have also learned the power of language. Despite the prevalence of
ALIXE CALLEN ‘88 , HEAD OF SCHOOL
so-called large language models, the ability to connect and communicate will continue to be valued.
Great schools, by their nature, play a vital role in building the future by building students’ confidence, sense of identity, independence, resilience, talents, and passions. Milton, as a K–12 school, has a front-row view of the beautiful, complicated, and inspiring development that occurs from early childhood to young adulthood.
Milton’s educators—whether they’re introducing our kindergartners to the very fundamentals of learning or challenging our seniors to dig deeper into advanced inquiry—treasure their role in building up the young people in our care. It’s a tremendous privilege to witness and take part in the remarkable transformations that happen in adolescents, and we take seriously our duty to provide the tools and skills they need along the way. The same little kids we see nervously take the stage for the first time in the Lower School blossom into self-assured young adults who testify before lawmakers on Beacon Hill and win national debate championships. The same novice players who pick up their first racquet or ball in Middle School grow into captains leading entire varsity teams. The same students who struggle to conquer megablunders in English become confident and successful writers.
We also see the power in building as a community. I often remind Milton employees—faculty, staff, administrators, coaches—that every adult at our school is an educator. Our work revolves around students, and we are all invested in their growth. When a program or an
initiative is successful, it’s because of the contributions of many. When something isn’t working, we invite creative and thoughtful ideas, and we often make progress through debate and developing a shared understanding. We’re strong as individuals, but we’re stronger together.
“Milton has always been a school ahead of the curve, ready to contend with the challenges of the day. Today is no different.”
Personally, I have always appreciated Milton’s focus on developing a sense of agency in its students. Milton alums are well aware that human ingenuity has been the catalyst for all societal growth. Further, we possess a deep understanding that we have the ingenuity, the skills, and the responsibility to instigate change, to build a better society, to lead.
Indeed, the alums featured in this issue all possess that sense of agency: the belief that they are capa-
ble of building something. Whether that’s building high-quality affordable housing—homes that bolster their residents’ pride and allow families to thrive—in one of the country’s most expensive regions; building businesses around the best ideas, rather than exploitive profits; or designing spaces for the future of learning, Milton graduates are unafraid to create. They refuse to be intimidated by big problems, and when there is no ready path to an established solution, they clear the way.
I hope that as you read these stories you’re reminded of the tools you’ve been given—or you’ve developed yourself—throughout your life. I hope they help you reflect on all the ways you’ve grown. I hope they inspire you to keep building. ■
illustration by Mike Haddad
Building Connections
NEW UPPER SCHOOL PRINCIPAL RACHEL STONE CONSIDERS THE CHALLENGES— FROM AI TO EMOTIONAL
HEALTH—CONFRONTING TODAY’S STUDENTS.
Upper School Principal Rachel Stone
rachel stone joined Milton as the Upper School principal on July 1. A dedicated educator with more than 30 years of experience in independent boarding schools, Stone was most recently head at the Canterbury School in Connecticut, following two decades at Blair Academy in New Jersey, where she held several faculty and administrative roles, including assistant head of school, dean of faculty, and science and math teacher.
Stone earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from Yale and a master’s degree in public health from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. Her master’s thesis focused on how independent schools could identify students’ key health and social challenges and use them to drive the guiding principles for creating a new health curriculum.
Milton Magazine interviewed Stone before the start of this school year.
WHAT EXCITES AND INSPIRES YOU ABOUT WORKING WITH YOUNG PEOPLE?
I was a biology major in college and was planning to go to medical school. But in my senior year at Yale, I just wasn’t 100 percent sure. I had worked and done some teaching in summer camps, and I had a roommate who went to a boarding school, so I knew about the environment. I took a job teaching science at an independent school right out of college, thinking it was a oneyear stint. But working in a boarding school is so immersive, and I realized that teenagers are fun, and they’re quirky, and they’re inspiring, and every day is different. In this
profession, you’re never bored. I was so surprised, that very first fall, that I loved going from the classroom to a practice to the dorm. Working with adolescents stuck. Whatever your job is in a school environment, working with students is a remarkable privilege.
The way these communities work best is when you take into account the perspectives of others. I think that’s true of most industries, but independent school communities especially are built on relationships and a common mission and values. Certainly a big part of this year will be developing a rapport with both students and colleagues so that they know that I’m happy to listen and work on things collaboratively.
TECHNOLOGY, SUCH AS THE EMERGENCE AND EVOLUTION OF GENERATIVE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) TOOLS, IS EXPANDING AT A RAPID PACE. HOW CAN MILTON TEACH AND USE THESE TOOLS WHILE RETAINING ITS EXCELLENT, TIME-TESTED ACADEMIC STANDARDS?
I’m still learning what Milton is doing, but I think, generally speaking, good schools are taking the time to first give adults a chance to learn and experiment with some of these tools. Before we can make good decisions, we need to be educated ourselves. I think we have a responsibility, as a school, to give the adults some time. We also have the responsibility to acknowledge this is part of our students’ lives. It will be in college and it will be in the workforce, so ignoring or banning it is not an option; as educators, we must decide what the skills and outcomes are that we want to protect. What are the skills that we want to make sure students have, independent of technology?
And then, how do we teach them to use AI and other tools that are going to help them and complement or supplement their own skill sets?
TEEN MENTAL HEALTH HAS BEEN IN THE HEADLINES FOR SEVERAL YEARS. HOW CAN MILTON MAINTAIN ITS STUDENTS’ WELL-BEING IN SUCH AN ACADEMICALLY RIGOROUS AND BUSY SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT?
As I interviewed for this position, the theme of academic excellence permeated several questions, and it’s clear that Milton’s academic rigor is a source of enormous pride.
Something I bring to Milton is a background in public health. The research that’s coming out around teenagers and mental health is something I pay attention to, and one of the things that the Centers for Disease Control (cdc) has highlighted is that students who feel engaged at school also feel a greater sense of emotional well-being, so community is paramount. It’s not an antidote, but building connections is one of the skills that helps young people manage their mental health and seek resources when they need them. At independent schools, we work hard to know our students individually. Classes are smaller, students participate outside the classroom, they socialize on campus, and students here have a good opportunity to better understand emotional health. Another piece of good news is that families and schools are now so much better equipped to understand and explore mental health.
I also think some of the bump in diagnoses of anxiety and depression comes from a better understanding of mental health; adults are working together to help young people
identify and address problems when they come up. We know it’s not a quick fix, and it’s OK to talk about it. This acceptance and social norming is very important to students; they’re seeing it discussed in professional sports, they’re seeing it in media, they’re learning that help is available. Students are also learning that they can self-advocate; you can be one of the top students or get the highest sat scores and also be able to say, “I need to go to bed early tonight,” or “I need to talk to a friend.”
WHAT DO YOU THINK IS IN STORE FOR INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS LIKE MILTON IN THE NEAR FUTURE?
The pandemic showed us that there is nothing better than in-person learning. I want to acknowledge that not everybody can access independent schools, but generally speaking, this is an environment that allows for great connection and collaboration.
Milton is in an excellent position as we consider where we’re going. We have the opportunity to graduate students who have a broader perspective on the world, partly because they’re living and learning with other students whose experiences have been different from those of the kids they grew up with. When they head off to college and work, they’ve had this incredible experience. They’re
self-aware, appreciative of collaboration, and appreciative of diverse thinking. We bear a responsibility to help our students go on and be of service in the world. The bottom line?
Milton is wonderfully positioned to continue serving as a leader among independent schools for our commitment to academics, inclusion, and community.
“Independent school communities especially are built on relationships and a common mission and values.”
illustration by Mike Haddad
“DARE TO BE TRUE” IS NOT JUST A MOTTO FOR MILTON, IT’S A HUGE PART OF THE CULTURE. HOW DO YOU THINK MILTON CAN ADVANCE THIS IDEA IN THE SCHOOL AND BEYOND?
This generation of teenagers has been through a lot, considering the pandemic, social injustice, racial reckoning, and the isolation of remote learning during covId. At the same time—in part as a response to
these challenges—and because the world is becoming more empathetic and able to celebrate and acknowledge differences, this is also a generation of teenagers who have grown up in a world where diverse identities are discussed and appreciated. I’m not sure there’s ever been a better time in the history of our country for teenagers to be true to who they are. My first reaction has been that the motto highlights the culture in the Milton community.
“Dare to be true” is human and honest. I think it’s aspirational, and my sense is that Milton wants it for all members of the community. The work is hard, but it’s worth it, and it’s a challenge to all of us to show up with integrity, to build relationships, and to step up—both formally and informally—to lead. ■
THE BUILDERS
THEY ARE THE CREATIVE, AMBITIOUS, AND ENTREPRENEURIAL INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE WORKING IN COUNTLESS WAYS TO SHAPE OUR WORLD. THE MILTON ALUMNI FEATURED HERE ARE OFFERING— THROUGH A BLEND OF GREAT VISION AND PERSISTENCE—THOUGHTFUL, SOLUTION-ORIENTED APPROACHES TO CREATING BUSINESSES, SERVICES, AND IDEAS THAT INNOVATE, INSPIRE, AND IMPROVE ON THE STATUS QUO.
It’s All Adding Up
THE FAROKHZAD MATHEMATICS CENTER USHERS IN A NEW ERA FOR INQUIRY AND ANALYSIS.
Story by Marisa Donelan
Photographs by Bob O’Connor
The Hobbs Family Commons, a new assembly space donated in honor of William B. R. Hobbs ‘67 P ‘04 ‘06 ‘07 ‘09, comprises a large portion of the first floor in the new Farokhzad Mathematics Center. The space, which includes flexible seating for up to 200 people, writable “whiteboard” tabletops, screens, and projectors, provides a much-needed gathering area for speakers, events, and independent group study.
The space is crowned with a three-paneled painting by several of Milton’s most talented student painters in a special collaboration with artist Sara Egan. Egan, who did the preliminary design, visited campus in early 2024 to tour the unfinished space and meet the students and Visual Arts Department Chair Jenny Hughes. Hughes and the students then traveled to New York over spring break, where they worked on the painting in Egan’s Brooklyn studio. The project was a unique opportunity for the students to learn about studying a space for commissioned artwork, select colors to best complement an environment, and leave a creative mark on the campus that will remain long after they graduate.
“I’m going to live here. I am going to do all my work here. I want this to be my home.”
Early in the morning before Convocation in September, a trio of girls made their way into the Farokhzad Mathematics Center (fmc) to explore the new space. As sunshine poured in through the two-story windows, they marveled at the study areas, assembly space, and welcoming design.
“I’m going to live here,” one of the students announced. “I am going to do all my work here. I want this to be my home.”
It was clear as the first few weeks of classes unfolded that the new building was already a lively hub of learning and discovery, as well as a new favorite spot on campus for group work, socializing, and studying.
The ambitious project became possible through a generous gift from Milton parents SHADI and OMID FAROKHZAD P ’23, ’25. Milton has had a profound impact on their children’s lives since they enrolled in the Lower School. Both Shadi, an endodontist and educator, and Omid, a physician-scientist and biotech entrepreneur, have a deep commitment to stem (science, technology, engineering, and math) education. When they learned about the long-standing plan to expand the school’s math space, it seemed like a perfect fit for their support.
“Our children had an incredible experience at Milton,” says Shadi, who also serves on the school’s Board of Trustees. “Witnessing their growth from small children to articulate, thoughtful young adults has been truly inspiring, and we credit much of that to the school. When we considered how to express our gratitude, we were aligned and thought, ‘Well, let’s do
something transformative.’”
“We were thrilled to support this wonderful project, which reflects our gratitude for all the ways that Milton Academy has benefited our family,” says Omid. “The school had a profound and positive effect on our children, so it felt appropriate to show our appreciation in a way that propels Milton forward. We got a chance to tour the building once classes started and to witness the space in action—to see students excited to work and learn together— is rewarding and inspiring.”
Milton has long been renowned for its world-class English and humanities instruction; recent investments into stem spaces and programming—such as the stateof-the-art Pritzker Science Center and upgraded robotics labs in K–12 buildings—support the school’s commitment to the importance of stem learning, says Head of School ALIXE CALLEN ’88.
“I’m excited for math to become more visible at Milton,” she says. “Moving it from being tucked away in corner spaces to a building literally in the middle of campus allows us to see math in action in ways that are new to Milton. And these collaborative spaces that didn’t exist before now are really exciting.”
The layout and design of classroom spaces and academic buildings have a significant effect on students’ learning: Lecture halls and auditoriums create a sense of passive learning, while classrooms with ample space for movement and different groupings of students and teachers promote active learning, where students feel engaged and empowered. A 2017 study in the Journal of Learning
Spaces concluded that flexible, open classroom design “affords students and instructors to move around the classroom enabling social interaction and collaboration. Students felt that [open design] ‘erased the line’ between instructors and students, which encouraged interaction and led students to feel closer personal connections with their instructor and their peers, creating a sense of community and enhancing student engagement.” The same study showed that providing a variety of writing surfaces and availability of screens and presentation technology better allows teachers to provide feedback in real time as students work on problems and talk through their challenges.
The building demonstrates Milton’s commitment to evidence-based research on how students learn best, Shadi says.
“We’re leaning more into open spaces and collaborative, peer-topeer relationships. This new math space with so much light and visibility really fosters that type of learning. This building is coming at a perfect time to support that collaborative, community-focused learning.”
Pedagogical research shows that conceptual mastery—fully grasping how and why numbers and formulas work—is far more important to math fluency than memorization and speed. Working through problems slowly, collaborating, asking questions, and exploring different approaches are far more effective methods, and the fmc ’s layout and design support that kind of deep learning. As students develop their understanding of different mathematical concepts, their confi-
Extracurricular Math Programs Take Off at Milton
Capping off a nearly perfect year of competition, the Milton Academy math team finished first in the New England Math League (NEML). Milton was just one point shy of perfection, scoring 179 out of 180 possible points across six contests.
Milton’s math competitors bested dozens of public and private schools for the championship— the runners-up scored 172 and 160 points.
“We have a lot of really talented and intelligent people here,” said Vickie Mao ’26. “It’s very fun but we take it seriously, and it’s a good way to challenge yourself.”
Advisor and Math Department faculty member Phil Robson said the team had 17 students compete in all six contests this year, the school’s highest ever participation. “They’re extremely motivated, and it’s been rewarding to see it pay off.”
In addition to the math team, students have plenty of opportunities to flex their math skills in clubs and groups outside of class, including the data and sports analytics club, economics club, GAINS (girls advancing in STEM), investment club, Invest in Girls (a national organization founded at Milton), microfinance club, and the robotics team.
Math Department faculty member Michael Kassatly teaching in his new Farokhzad Mathematics Center classroom.
“It’s not just about memorizing formulas and applying them. We want kids to understand what is at the root of these concepts; not just the functions but why they work. Why is something true? How does it apply to other things?”
HEAD OF SCHOOL ALIXE CALLEN ’88
dence and ability to communicate their learning grows. These analytical and critical-thinking skills will serve them long after graduation.
Every design choice in the fmc—from the colors and textures of building materials to the use of light, technology, and artistic elements—was made based on research into how students best learn math. Natural light beaming through the walls of windows helps students stay energized and focused. Multiple writing surfaces—including desk tops that double as dry-erase boards—provide lots of space for working through complex problems together and individually. And the breakout rooms throughout the building are cozy and quiet, giving students spaces and opportunities for deep focus when they need it.
Before this year, Upper School math classes were primarily held in classrooms at the top of Ware Hall, where space for the 19-person department was tight; the fmc nearly doubles the school’s number of math classrooms, accommodates seventhand eighth-grade math classes, hosts assemblies of up to 200 attendees, and provides faculty meeting areas to foster collaboration.
Adaptive reuse—the renovation and repurposing of existing buildings on campus—has been at the heart of Milton’s recent capital improvements. The practice has allowed the school to take on cost-effective, sustainability-focused projects to meet current and future needs while reducing waste and prolonging the useful life of older structures. Rather than constructing new and de -
molishing old buildings, adaptive reuse lowers carbon emissions, improves energy efficiency, and preserves the architectural identity of the campus. Refreshing existing buildings has a significant financial advantage, allowing the school to avoid costs associated with site preparation, structural engineering, and building materials; it also shortens project timelines.
The fmc project injected new life into the building that formerly housed the William Coburn Cox Library, which last year reopened in Wigglesworth Hall. The new math center retains its brutalist exterior style with one significant change: A second entrance from the lawn in front of the Kellner Performing Arts Center. This creates a clearer and more accessible path connecting Ware Hall all the way to Pritzker. Now, there is a straight line connecting the physical spaces for math, visual arts, robotics, computer science, performing arts, music, and lab sciences.
The finished project is the result of years of thoughtful planning by Milton’s operations team—facilities, campus safety, special projects, and technology services staff—who worked with engineers, designers, architects, and builders to identify the best approaches for the space.
In collaboration with the Math Department, the group, which included representatives from Architectural Resources Cambridge (ARC) as well as the construction company Skanska, tested layout concepts and furniture in the previous math classrooms in Ware Hall.
The interior is designed to connect occupants with nature through the selection of colors and materi-
als, which support a visual balance between calm and dynamic activities. All-new, state-of-the-art electrical, fire, HVAC, and technology systems were added. Efficient and smart lighting systems reduce visual strain; acoustical materials keep excess noise down; and wide corridors and stairways provide for seamless movement throughout.
From addition and subtraction in the Lower School through the highest levels of advanced math in the Upper School, Milton teachers focus on conceptual understanding, Callen says. “It’s not just about memorizing formulas and applying them,” she explains. “We want kids to understand what is at the root of these concepts; not just the functions but why they work. Why is something true? How does it apply to other things?”
Math, like language, appears everywhere: Students who go into the arts and humanities need to develop an understanding of patterns, statistics, and data science. A strong math foundation is essential for everything from correctly interpreting data—and being a knowledgeable consumer of information—to managing personal finance.
Struggle is a necessary part of building that foundation. Wrestling with a concept, getting it wrong, correcting mistakes, and working with feedback are all important components to learning math, Callen says. The new math center provides ample space for students to meet with teachers individually and in small groups, and the ample gathering space inside and outside
Design elements throughout the Farokhzad Mathematics Center, like wood acoustic paneling, combine natural materials and warm colors with geometric patterns.
of the fmc—including a shaded patio where students can work in nature—helps to keep students close by when they’re working on projects and homework.
“Our students like to work hard, and they like to be challenged,” she says. “We want them to be able to sit with the struggle. In order to do that, we have to be formative with our feedback: It’s not just a student taking a test and receiving a score. How are they going to grow from it? How are they going to learn and deeply understand those concepts so they can apply them in future contexts? We have to help students work through that.” ■
A Lasting Impact: Andrew Larson ’08
Architectural designer and Milton graduate ANDREW LARSON ’08 finds it challenging to express what it means to leave a mark on his beloved alma mater.
Larson, who works on the design team at Architectural Resources Cambridge (ARC), contributed to both the new Farokhzad Mathematics Center (FMC) and the William C. Cox Library projects, the school’s most recent, large-scale capital projects.
“It’s hard to put into words, because Milton played such a big role in my life,” Larson says. “It was great to work on these projects and see where the school is today. It gives me a sense of purpose because Milton created a lot of meaning for me and I know that it will continue to do that for students. It feels incredible to be part of it.”
Larson joined ARC more than two years ago, and has worked on projects for other independent schools. The firm takes extensive care to learn about how spaces will be used and the feelings they should evoke. In designing the FMC, the firm took a biophilic approach, increasing the connection between the interior and its surrounding environment.
“We know that connecting people to the natural world has calming and positive effects,” he says. “Bringing nature indoors can help relax the mind so you can deeply process things. It’s a big part of the building, and it creates a very comfortable environment for learning. It’s really rewarding to give new life to this space.”
YIMBY*
FOR THE ARCHITECT
ANNE TORNEY ’83 , HELPING ADDRESS THE BAY AREA’S HOUSING CRISIS OVER THE PAST SEVERAL DECADES HAS BEEN BOTH CHALLENGING AND IMMENSELY REWARDING.
Story by Sarah Abrams
Photographs by Winni Wintermeyer
*Yes In My Backyard
TheSan Francisco architect ANNE TORNEY ’83 enjoys discussing why she’s so passionate about her work as an architect of urban affordable housing. Its design, she says, offers the potential to address two of the most important issues of our time: social inequity and climate change.
One of three managing partners at Mithun, a 200-person architecture firm with offices in Seattle, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, Torney heads up the San Francisco office, where she leads a 40-person team of architects, landscape architects, planners, and interior designers.
Over the course of her career, Torney has been working to right the wrongs of decades of neglect in meeting the housing needs of Bay Area residents. Resistance to new development and lack of funding have resulted in a dramatic lack of affordable-housing construction over the years. Those with the least resources are impacted the most.
“The consequences have been staggering for many of the area’s residents, who have been struggling for decades with soaring housing costs,” Torney says. “People want to be housed. We have thwarted that ability and we have thwarted people’s ability to thrive.”
The average home in San Francisco today costs more than $1.4 million, and nearly half—45 percent—of Bay Area renters are rent burdened. “It’s not affordable for folks of most incomes,” she says, “but the real crisis is for people at the very low end of the income scale who fall out of housing and become homeless. More than 160,000 Californians are unhoused, and 38,000 people in the Bay Area are experiencing homelessness.”
Currently, affordable housing provides relief to only a fraction of the area’s residents, who compete in a lottery system for the city’s few available subsidized units. “It’s highly, highly competitive,” Torney says. “This is a crisis that is completely of our own doing, and the scale of the challenge is epic. We have under-built for decades, and it is going to take years for us to get out of it.”
Over the past several decades, through high-quality, thoughtfully conceived design, Torney has been demonstrating how affordable housing provides “layers and layers of benefits” to a community. From the revitalization of isolated public housing into a 16-block mixed-income neighborhood to a small infill project for seniors experiencing homelessness, the projects are significant not only for the housing they provide a community, she says, but also for the economic, cultural, and ecological infrastructure they offer.
“We think of housing as a commodity, but it is so much more,” Torney says. “It provides infrastructure in the same way that bridges, tunnels, and roads provide important services to a community. It provides a strong economic infrastructure by locating housing closer to transit and jobs, a cultural infrastructure by preventing displacement and providing space for public art and cultural institutions, and finally, an ecological infrastructure by designing sustainably conscious buildings that support community health and wellness. Many of our recent buildings are fossil-fuel free, make use of renewable energy, and forgo parking,
“People want to be housed. We have thwarted that ability and we have thwarted people’s ability to thrive.”
all of which help move our culture toward a low-carbon way of living.”
Mithun’s Casa Adelante 2060 Folsom housing project, which last year received the American Institute of Architects’ (aia) Committee on the Environment (cote) Top Ten Award, exemplifies how mixed-use developments benefit a community. The 127-unit, mid-rise building, which overlooks a city park and community garden in the city’s Mission District, provides community services, is transit-accessible, and almost 80 percent more energy-efficient than comparable housing. All units are reserved for low- and verylow-income households, and 27 percent of the units are designated for youths aging out of foster care.
At Kapuso at the Upper Yard, completed in 2023, underutilized land at a busy transit hub was transformed into a 130-unit apartment building with a new landscaped plaza that serves residents, commuters, and the wider community. The building’s ground floor includes a childcare center, a youth arts program, a bike-share center, and space for a locally owned cafe. Most residents are employed but make no more than 60 percent of the area median wage; regardless, rent is capped at 30 percent of their income.
“That’s the joy of being an affordable-housing architect in San Francisco,” Torney says about the work she does. “You have the opportunity to design really beautiful neighborhood-serving buildings. Well-designed affordable housing can enhance neighborhoods and bring up property values, and are also regionally serving. Kapuso is helping encourage transit ridership, because what was once a kind of
windswept no-man’s-land is now an active community hub with public art, neighborhood amenities, and childcare. We’ve made it more comfortable, safe, and fun for people to take transit.”
Torney’s love for drawing and literature—subjects that would prove foundational to her future career— began at Milton, she says. Living on campus, including in Wolcott House as a young child, she attended Milton from kindergarten through graduation. Her parents, JOAN and JOHNSTON TORNEY ’37 taught at Milton, her mother in the Lower School and her father as a Latin and English literature teacher in the Upper School. He also served for several years as the Upper School principal of the Boys School and in 1992 was awarded the Milton Medal in recognition of his extraordinary service to the school. Her brother, IAN TORNEY ’82, was for many years chair of Milton’s Visual Arts Department and continues to serve on the faculty and as executive director of the school’s Nesto Gallery. It was in an introductory course at Princeton that Torney discovered her love for architecture. From the start, she enjoyed the collaborative process—how students worked together in studios brainstorming and sharing ideas. “It’s actually how architecture happens in real life,” she says. “The experience in the studio prepares you for designing and getting a building approved and constructed. You never work alone, but always in collaboration with many, many others: colleagues, interdisciplinary design teams, clients, city
with her brother, Ian ’82 (left) and father, Johnston Torney ’37 (center). OPPOSITE: Playful biophilic patterning animates the open-air walkway at Casa Adelante 2060 Folsom affordable housing.
ABOVE: In front of Wolcott House in 1969. Anne Torney ‘83 (right) grew up on the Milton campus. Torney
staff, and community members.”
After college, Torney headed to San Francisco, where the direction of her career began to take shape. She spent several years at the architectural firm David Baker Architects before enrolling in a master’s program at UC Berkeley where she met Professor Daniel Solomon, an architect and leading exponent of new urbanism, who became her mentor. Soon Torney began working for Solomon at Daniel Solomon Design Partners, where she quickly rose to become a partner. In 2012, the firm joined forces with Mithun, an integrated design firm highly focused on sustainability. aia recently awarded Mithun its 2023 Architecture Firm Award for “its holistic, interdisciplinary pursuit of architecture.” In addition to being one of Mithun’s three managing partners, Torney sits on its board of directors.
Torney’s appreciation for collaboration has been critically important to the work she does. Guiding an affordable-housing project through
the design process and ensuring that the design helps win funding is complex. “It involves multi-agency coordination and political forces coming together,” she says, “and designing housing and public space that support and invigorate each other, so the project is serving the broader neighborhood.”
Over the years, Torney has seen an appreciable change in the number of groups involved and issues raised in the process. “It used to be that community engagement meant homeowner engagement—the people concerned about the impact on their property values of bigger, denser buildings or people of different backgrounds living in their neighborhood,” she says. “We make sure to engage the full range of stakeholders and a wide array of perspectives, especially neighborhood advocates and those who represent income groups and racial groups that have been systematically marginalized and are often those who are most impacted by the extreme cost burden of housing.”
Torney is encouraged by the broader recognition that the need
OPPOSITE, TOP AND CENTER: Casa Adelante 2060 Folsom. An 80-foot mural by San Francisco artist Jessica Sabogal of her mentor Yolanda Lopez, one of the Mission District’s most respected artists and activists, faces visitors from downtown. The buiding provides 127 affordable units, a community room, a garden courtyard, a youth lounge, a childcare center, and parking for 150 bikes. OPPOSITE, BOTTOM: Zygmunt Arendt House offers permananelty affordable housing for formerly homeless seniors. Set in a neighborhood of carefully tended Victorian row houses, the building offers 47 studio apartments, service offices, a community room and kitchen, a residents’ lounge, a roof deck, and garden plots. RIGHT, BOTTOM: The ground-floor courtyard at Casa Adelante 2060 Folsom was designed as a town square so that residents and those using the groundfloor services have a view onto the park.
for affordable housing is now receiving. “The perception around affordable housing is slowly changing,” she says. “Folks are beginning to realize that it’s hypocritical to consider yourself a champion for social equity and the environment, yet oppose dense, well-located, transit-oriented, affordable housing. It’s still an epic challenge, but we’re really starting to align around it,” she says. The “Not In My Backyard” (nimby) voices persist, she says, but the voices saying, “Yes In My Backyard” (yimby) are gaining greater traction and political power.
Today, Torney says, the greatest hurdle to addressing the housing crisis is adequate funding to meet the overwhelming need. Currently in the Bay Area, more than 40,000 approved affordable units are unable to proceed to construction because of a lack of funding. “By state law, San Francisco is required to build 82,000 additional homes by 2030,” Torney says. “We will have to be building homes at two or three times the rate that we have in years past to achieve this goal.”
Over the years, Torney has earned the respect of both her community and architectural peers for her contributions in making the Bay Area a place where residents of diverse socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds can afford to live. In 2018, she was inducted into the Wm. S. Marvin Hall of Fame for Design Excellence for her “contributions to residential architecture and af-
fordable housing.”
In addition to her work at Mithun, Torney sits on the board of the San Francisco Housing Action Coalition—a group providing statewide political support for key affordable-housing legislation. She also finds time to help educate the broader community when she can, writing opinion pieces for leading newspapers on zoning regulations, leading walking tours to show the advantages of affordable housing to the city’s residents, and speaking at conferences across the country.
Torney believes that timing has played an important role in her career. Finding her calling when she did, she says, coincided with a time when cities were starting to broaden their vision for how to create and expand affordable housing. “San Francisco was beginning to understand the importance of high-quality design as critical to affordable housing,” she says. “City officials understood investing in affordable housing as part of a strategy to make neighborhoods that are not only beautiful, but also equitable and highly just. I was very lucky to be an architect in that environment.”
And while there is so much still to be done, the progress she has witnessed over the years has been gratifying. In an article for Women in Architecture, Torney explained what it means to see people enjoying their new homes: “People moving into our housing and playing in our open spaces, I’m moved by what a difference it makes in people’s lives to live in safe, stable housing that’s as beautiful as any in the city.” ■
ALLAN JEAN-BAPTISTE ‘08 AND HIS COLLEAGUES AT ANSA ARE SHAKING UP THE TRADITIONAL REALM OF VENTURE CAPITAL.
×
Photographs by Brad Trent
Reimagining
Story by Alexander Gelfand
Some people wear their values on their sleeves. ALLAN JEAN-BAPTISTE
’08 wears his on his walls.
Allan Jean-Baptiste ‘08 at his Milton graduation
The offices of Ansa, the venture capital firm that Jean-Baptiste cofounded in 2022 in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood, are the epitome of corporate chic: glass-walled conference rooms abut a common workspace featuring exposed wood beams, and every sightline includes one or more striking works of modern art. Yet the paintings on the walls aren’t just attractive. Many were cre-
ated by emerging artists with an interest in innovation, exploration, and technology, all of which speak to the firm’s own core interests and values.
When he decided to found Ansa with his partner, Marco DeMeireles, Jean-Baptiste had more than a decade’s worth of experience in the financial sector—enough to have identified a number of cognitive biases in the way venture capital traditionally operates.
Venture capitalists raise money from limited partners (endowments, pension funds, high-net-worth individuals) to invest in startups, placing risky financial bets on early-stage businesses in hopes of reaping outsized returns. They also provide technical and managerial expertise to the fledgling companies they back, helping them navigate the path to success.
As an engine of entrepreneurial innovation, the VC model has helped launch household names from Apple to Zoom. But it has also become somewhat blinkered, according to Jean-Baptiste.
Most venture capital firms, he says, focus on startups that are in either the earliest or the latest stages of development, ignoring those in the middle that are poised on the brink of expansion. What’s more, they tend to overlook founders who lack the right pedigrees or professional networks—those who, as Jean-Baptiste puts it, “didn’t go to Stanford and study engineering and live in Palo Alto.” And they have trouble recognizing the potential of companies that don’t fit neatly into received categories, either because they straddle existing markets and business models or because they represent entirely new ones.
“Venture is a pattern-match -
ing business,” Jean-Baptiste says. “I probably speak to 600 companies a year, and I’m building patterns in my head about what ‘good’ looks like. But when you’re starting a new market, those benchmarks don’t really make much sense.”
As a result, many promising entrepreneurs and companies—especially those trying to build new markets—are passed over by the industry, bereft of the funding and guidance they need to succeed.
Jean-Baptiste and DeMeireles set out to fill these gaps in the VC model by concentrating on mid-stage startups in “undercovered” markets and sectors: ones that sit at the intersection of existing categories or seek to invent new ones; ones whose founders hail from nontraditional backgrounds or otherwise fail to conform to traditional venture’s view of what a successful entrepreneur looks like. The two assembled a team of fellow venture capitalists and other personnel who had a wide range of experiences and built a fund that is committed to making “non-consensus” investments that conventional venture firms might never even consider.
“Our ground-truth principle is ‘the best idea wins,’” Jean-Baptiste says. “And if you believe in ‘the best idea wins’ and not ‘the best idea comes from X type of person,’ then you’re going to believe in a level of openness. He adds that “the best ideas probably come from a population-representative group of people.”
Thanks to that underlying ethos, Ansa’s portfolio is as focused on emerging categories and innovative startups as its interior decorating scheme is on emerging artists and innovative artworks.
Jean-Baptiste’s commitment to pluralism and his belief in the importance of seeing beyond entrenched, monolithic perspectives have deep roots.
Born in Randolph, Massachusetts, and raised in Milton, he grew up in a large Haitian immigrant family where French, Haitian Creole, and English were all spoken. He entered Milton Academy as a kindergartner, two years behind his older sister, ANNIE JEAN-BAPTISTE ’06, and for the next 13 years, he straddled two distinct worlds as a day student at the school.
“It was really interesting, because I went to a New England prep school—but I also went home,” he says, likening the experience to being “constantly on both sides of two very different cultures.”
Jean-Baptiste flourished at Milton, where he played the viola, competed as a nationally ranked gymnast, and joined the speech team. (“I think speech is one of the most helpful things for venture,” he says, citing the value of being able to clearly articulate one’s ideas when laying out the logic of an investment or negotiating a deal.) But he graduated without a clear sense of what he might want to do in life.
That began to change when he went to Harvard. A long-standing interest in mathematics and quantitative reasoning led Jean-Baptiste to econometrics, which applies statistical methods to economic data, while his family origins—coupled with Haiti’s history of natural disasters, public health crises, and economic troubles—piqued his interest in the relationship between health and wealth in the developing world.
Music has always been a big part of Jean-Baptiste’s Milton life and career. Starting in the seventh grade, he was in the Milton Chamber Orchestra, graduating as a violist. Below: The Milton Chamber Orchestra and Chamber Singers at the 2008 Tour of Prague. Left to right: Bora Kim ’09, Lily Kaiser Wagner ’08, Cullen Heater ’09, Ben Mansour ’09, Jean-Baptiste, Gabi Starfield ’09, Nicolas Ginsburg ’09, Steve Wagner ’08, and Samara Bliss ’09
“The best ideas probably come from a populationrepresentative group of people.”
“We have this family motto: It’s better to roll down the hill than walk up it. Do the thing that’s hardest first, then shift once you’re already on top.”
He wrote his thesis on the Haitian cholera epidemic of 2010, and graduated in 2012 with a degree in economics, global health, and health policy.
The work was intellectually satisfying, but Jean-Baptiste quickly came to suspect that if he were to take a job at one of the larger organizations that address issues of health and wealth in the global South, it might take him years to see tangible results. So by the time his sophomore year rolled around, he had already begun formulating a plan to pursue his other passion: technology.
“Technology is a force for equity, because it gives you access to better information,” he says. “So tech was something that I was always interested in.”
The turning point came during a lunch date with his sister Annie, who happened to be interning with an investment bank. Hearing about the quantitative financial analysis she was performing, Jean-Baptiste began to wonder: “What if I became a tech investor? Then I could marry my love of technology with my love of math and analysis.”
Having studied neither corporate finance nor accounting, Jean-Baptiste figured that he would have to find some other way of developing the skills required of a professional investor. So he threw himself into the deep end, interning for two summers at Goldman Sachs before ultimately joining the investment bank’s tech group. The learning curve was brutal, but that was the point.
“We have this family motto: It’s better to roll down the hill than walk up it,’” he says. Translation: “Do the thing that’s hardest first, then shift
once you’re already on top.”
It worked. After two years at Goldman, Jean-Baptiste moved to San Francisco to join Google’s investment arm, CapitalG. “Google was the place where I learned to invest,” he says.
It was also where he developed his taste for midstage startups: companies with maybe 30 to 100 employees, a dozen customers, and $3 million to $30 million in revenue that need the right combination of money and mentoring to scale up into mature businesses.
In 2016, Jean-Baptiste returned to the East Coast to help launch a latestage venture fund at the private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (kkr). While he was there, he also joined the Kauffman Fellows Program, a two-year networking and development opportunity for accomplished investors.
DeMeireles, whom Jean-Baptiste met while living in the Bay Area, was part of the same Kauffman cohort, and by the time the two decided to raise their own venture fund, they had already helped finance such wildly successful tech firms as the cryptocurrency platform Coinbase and the cybersecurity unicorn CrowdStrike. Despite the worst fundraising environment in a decade, those connections and track records allowed them to raise more than $130 million from limited partners such as Princeton University and Henry Kravis of kkr
Since then, Ansa has made a series of $5 million to $15 million investments in four midstage startups. All make use of artificial in-
telligence, which Jean-Baptiste believes will be a necessary component of any tech-related business that wants to stay competitive in the coming years.
The firm plans to invest in a total of 15 startups with the proceeds from its first fund. That’s far fewerthan the 20 or 30 portfolio companies that most venture funds would back, and it allows Ansa’s 10 team members to provide a bespoke level of support and service that larger funds cannot match. For example, the firm supplies its founders with mentors who are themselves startup veterans with direct experience scaling up mid-stage companies. And it offers them access to a whole network of industry experts who can serve as additional counselors and advisors.
The idea, Jean-Baptiste explains, is to give founders and companies the care and attention they need to thrive. And that’s good for everybody.
“The strength of my career is fundamentally going to be based on how these specific companies do,” he says.
And while he is trying to maintain a healthy work-life balance (he and his wife, Lisa, were married this past January, and he is a devoted uncle to his two nephews), when it comes to his professional ambitions, he is still very much focused on getting to the top of that hill.
“Our goal is not to be a boutique fund forever,” he says. “We want to own this stage of the market.” ■
ALEXANDER GELFAND IS A FREELANCE JOURNALIST LIVING IN NEW YORK CITY WHOSE WORK HAS APPEARED IN SUCH PUBLICATIONS AS WIRED , THE ECONOMIST , AND THE NEW YORK TIMES
On Centre
Student Life at Milton
illustration by
George Wylesol
An Introduction to Architecture
MILTON’S FIRST ARCHITECTURE COURSE, OFFERED BY THE VISUAL ARTS DEPARTMENT, IS OPENING STUDENTS’ EYES TO THE WORLD AROUND THEM, WHERE BUILDINGS BECOME LESSONS IN HISTORY, FORM, AND FUNCTION.
BY MARISA DONELAN
“There are plenty of examples all around that show how the design of one building influences the next.”
MOLLY SWAIN
the instructions were straightforward: Select any location and create a site-specific concept for a functional building there, designing it artfully and using sustainable materials from the surrounding area.
The results were beautiful, complex—and, sure, maybe a bit whimsical—indicative of the imagination and resourcefulness of students in Molly Swain’s Architecture class: A lighthouse powered by hydroelectric energy on the coast of Newfoundland. A Mediterranean cave home. An underwater “maiden’s tower” at the bottom of the Bosporus Strait. A modern house perched on a cliff overlooking a Norwegian fjord.
The popular elective, offered by the Visual Arts Department as a full-year course for the first time in the 2024–2025 school year, challenges students to think critically and creatively about the spaces we occupy. Architecture is a truly interdisciplinary field of study, requiring practitioners to consider math, physics, environmental science, art, history, technology, business, and behavior. Swain’s students focus on art, learning about differ-
ent design styles and their origins, considering materials and the use of space in each project. They also consider accessibility, landscape, and artistic appeal.
The course serves as an introduction to the field, and although some students may go on to study architecture after Milton, the overall goal is to get them thinking critically about space, design, and function.
“It provides a foundation to appreciate and experience the architecture around you, noticing the way a space makes you feel and whether it’s serving its purpose,” Swain says. The Art and Media Center, which was built in 1970, houses the visual arts, film, and robotics programs, is a teaching tool in itself. A hulking, brutalist-style fortress, the building can feel disorienting at first, but those who love it find comfort in developing familiarity with its warren of rooms and halls. “I think of it like Boston streets,” Swain says. “It’s not always easy, but once you know it, you’re home.”
Swain hopes that the architecture program will continue to expand at Milton. “There’s enough interest
illustration by Mari Fouz
“Having the vision and then thinking through the logistics of it is incredibly interesting.”
JP
GIGLIO ‘25
bread-house-style design that must incorporate an architectural style of the students’ choosing. They then construct models using a combination of glue, cardboard, and snacks. Previous designs have included a Japanese pagoda, a roller coaster with pretzel tracks, a mid-century modern home with a swimming pool, and a soccer stadium.
and material to cover that we can build upon it.” The course currently doesn’t cover the engineering or financial aspects of architecture— other than challenging students to consider materials and practical use of space—but Swain hopes future classes will begin introducing students to those concepts.
In addition to the opportunities Milton’s own campus provides, like the Pritzker Science Center, which opened in 2010, students have easy access to the rich architectural offerings of Greater Boston. Students are able to study the evolution of architectural styles across centuries, from the First Period homes constructed in the earliest days of British colonization to modern buildings designed with light and sustainability in mind. Field trips to cutting-edge architectural havens such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology help demonstrate limitless creativity.
“There are plenty of examples all around that show how the design of one building influences the next,” Swain says. “There’s a lot of history to see right around us.”
One perennial favorite project of the course is a ginger -
MIKA HSIEH ’26 designed the hydro-powered lighthouse for her site-specific project. She researched some of the windiest coastlines on earth and found that the powerful tides off the coast of eastern Canada met her needs. An underwater turbine would power the building, constructed from local materials such as limestone. “This project incorporates everything we’ve learned in the course,” she says while putting the finishing touches on her design. “Whatever we’ve designed, in any project, we have to be able to communicate why we’ve made the choices we did.”
JP GIGLIO ’25 used a tablet to create plans for his site-specific design. Knowing the challenge of housing shortages in densely populated cities, he wanted to build up—designing a residential tower with ample greenery atop and around the structure to support air quality and also help insulate and cool the building.
“Having the vision and then thinking through the logistics of it is incredibly interesting,” Giglio says. “Before taking the class, I noticed architecture in the world around me but never thought about all the planning and intention involved in every aspect of a project. We’re thinking about the function of every little space. It’s been cool to discover all of that.” ■
FAST TRACKED
The 2024–25 academic year kicked off with a bang for Milton’s fall athletes, who are following a strong 2023 season, including the girls’ cross country team, the returning Independent School League champions.
The Long Picture
ROBOTICS COACH BRIDGET SITKOFF BELIEVES THE LESSONS LEARNED ON THE MIDDLE SCHOOL ROBOTICS TEAM EXTEND WELL BEYOND THE MIDDLE SCHOOL YEARS. BY SARAH ABRAMS
“The students’ first robots are often lessons in persistence.”
BRIDGET SITKOFF
twice a week during the school year an enthusiastic group of middle schoolers meet up in a large open space on the ground floor of the Art and Media Center. They come together at the end of the school day in a room filled with sheets of metal, gears, and tubes to build robots they hope will compete successfully in VEX Robotics competitions held across New England in the coming months.
“That’s a big commitment for a young student,” says Bridget Sitkoff, coach of the Middle School’s robotics team and the Middle School’s computer science teacher. “After a long day, they choose to spend another hour and a half at school. Opting into this, you have to care about it.”
Eighth-grader ELLA FREEMAN ‘29 couldn’t be happier about the time she spends as a member of the team. “I love the problem-solving aspect of robotics—being able to engineer your own solutions to different problems and improve upon your design throughout the year,” she says. In addition to the after-school meetings, the students
attend qualifying events and tournaments on weekends through the fall and winter.
The youngest on an all-girls team last year, Freeman loved how her teammates made her feel comfortable. “I’ve learned a lot about teamwork and about how to make the best possible robot through how you build the specific robot itself,” she says. “There are so many different possibilities: different metals and the kinds of building and attachment methods you can use. What you do with your robot can change the overall design and how it operates.”
Sitkoff is proud of the team’s enthusiasm, determination, and accomplishments. Each year the team has qualified for the Middle School New England Championships. And just as important, she says, are the skills and independence they gain as they prepare for high school and beyond.
“The students’ first robots are often lessons in persistence,” Sitkoff says. “It’s not at all unusual for the robots to break and stop working in the middle of a game. During tour-
“ I love the problemsolving aspect of robotics—being able to engineer your own solutions to different problems . . . .”
ELLA FREEMAN ’29
naments, the students will hear ‘Get that robot off the field’ because it’s dropping parts as it drives around. They won’t hear anyone say, ‘OK, you win anyway.’ They hear ‘Get that off the field and try again.’ And the students figure out they have the resilience to do that. Years later, those same kids go to the Robotics World Championships.”
“I love it when they win because it makes them happy,” Sitkoff says, “but it’s that long picture that I also care about. If you figure out when your robot breaks down that you don’t need an adult to fix it for you, then you’re going to win when you’re 16. You don’t have to win when you’re 12.”
An important feature of the program is that the Middle and Upper School teams occupy the same space. Sharing the space—set up for each team’s VEX robotics game—is a great advantage for both groups, says Sitkoff. It’s a unique opportunity for students from the two schools to interact. The older students enjoy helping out their younger counterparts. “They will often show up at the younger students’ tournaments,” she says. “You look up in the bleachers and there’s our Upper School team,”
The Upper School leadership is huge. Sitkoff says: “When the younger students see these older students who have worked with them and tell them stories about how hard it was when they were younger, and then they see them going to the World Championships, that means a lot. When we streamed the older students competing in the regionals last year, the middle schoolers were here every day at lunch. It was really lovely.”
Milton’s Middle School Robotics Team competes in the VEX Robotics competitions held across New England, and each year the team qualifies for the Middle School New England Championships. Photos courtesy of Bridget Sitkoff.
Twelfth-grader JOEY MUSSALI
‘25, a member of the Upper School robotics team, believes his participation as a middle schooler was essential as he moved up to the Upper School. “Exposure in those early years helps get all those moments out of the way when you’re just learning about the design process,” he says. It’s a great introduction.”
Last spring, the Upper School robotics program, coached by Chris Hales, sent two teams to the World Championships in Dallas, where they qualified for the quarter finals. Two banners recognizing design and robots—won last year at the Southern New England Regionals— hang on the robotics room wall. Sitkoff and Hales are pleased to see participation in the program grow—in both size and diversity. The two are committed to making sure that Milton’s robotics program is seen as open to everyone. “Chris and I have worked really intentionally to try to make this happen,” Sitkoff says. “There are a lot of all-male robot teams, but that’s not at all who we want to be.”
Both Hales and Sitkoff are starting to see the results of their efforts. “We’re starting to build a reputation as a program that welcomes kids from diverse backgrounds and identities,” Sitkoff says. “We’re hearing that students are coming on tours and applying because of the program’s inclusivity, which is great. We want to be there for those students who might be wondering ‘How can I be in a technology and engineering space and have my identity feel welcome?’ If we can be that place, Chris and I would be delighted.” ■
In the News
50 Years of Jazz at Milton
Current and former Milton Academy musicians (and some special guests) gathered in April to celebrate 50 years of the jazz program at Milton. The event featured performances by Milton students from the classes of 1978 through 2030 and a panel of alumni: BARON TYMAS ’78, AARON GOLDBERG ’91, ROBBIE LEE ’99, JASON YEAGER ’05, HENRY TAYLOR ’20, and special guest artist Horace Alexander Young. Also on hand for the celebration was the noted jazz bassist, educator, and composer Rufus Reid, a surprise visitor to honor Milton’s jazz director Bob Sinicrope, who retired in June.
Speech and Debate Teams Soar
Milton’s Speech and Debate Teams celebrated a strong 2023–2024 season, which culminated in a national championship for one debate student and several team recognitions.
RHYS ADAMS ’26 was crowned national champion in the Student Congress category at the National Catholic Forensic League’s annual tournament and placed third in National Debate: House at the tournament of the National Speech and Debate Association’s (NSDA) in June.
The NSDA also recognized Milton for attending its 50th national tournament this year, and named the team’s coach, Scott Caron, the year’s “Best New Chair” for his work as chair of the New England District.
SPEAKERS
Farah Pandith ’86 Returns for Fireside Chat
FARAH PANDITH ’86 spent a day with our K–12 community as part of the 2024 DEIJ Speaker Series. Pandith is an author, foreign policy strategist, and former diplomat. As a world-leading expert and pioneer in countering violent extremism, she is a frequent media commentator, and she returned to Centre Street to share her insight and expertise with students.
Classes she took as a Milton student sparked her interest in world issues and ultimately led to her career in foreign policy, she said during a Fireside Chat moderated by student leaders in the Upper and Middle Schools.
“Seeds that are planted when you are very young help you to think about the world in a different way,” said Pandith as she reflected on learning about ancient Egyptian history as a fourth-grader at Milton.
Throughout the assembly, Pandith spoke about the importance of diplomacy, self-advocacy, public speaking, digital hygiene, the “us vs. them” ideology, the difference between facts and opinions, and more. She said, “If you leave today with nothing else, the bottom line is that you should never let anybody tell you what to think and who you are.”
SPEAKERS
Seminar Day Speakers Urge Persistence and Creativity
Luminaries in the fields of science, public policy, technology, media, and beyond spent the 2024 Keyes Seminar Day sharing insights and ideas from their lives and careers with Upper School students.
Biotech pioneer, entrepreneur, and educator Robert Langer gave the Sarah Bowles ’56 Speaker Fund keynote address, detailing the path that led him from undergraduate training as a chemical engineer to becoming one of the world’s most respected medical researchers and a prolific inventor. Langer’s advancements in drugdelivery systems and tissue engineering have had a profound effect on patient care.
One of the nine Institute Professors at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology—MIT’s highest title—Langer had an “inauspicious start” at MIT, but plugged away at his goal: to find a mechanism that would stop blood vessels from growing and prevent the development of tumors. It would be 28 years before the Food and Drug Administration approved the first drug that functioned with this technology. “To me, science and engineering are wonderful,” he told students. “You can make discoveries and do things that really change human health, that have never been done before. I hope what I’ve tried to show you is that I had these dreams I wanted to see come true, that they didn’t come easily, and they certainly came with a lot of criticism. Whatever
michael dwyer, evan scales
dreams you have, whether in art or writing, science or politics, make them big dreams—dreams that can change the world.”
Breakout sessions included talks by Trustee and Milton parent RANA EL KALIOUBY P ’21 ’27, about the need for ethical and human-centric artificial intelligence; Boston Housing Authority administrator KENZIE BOK ’07, about the importance of public housing; public-radio reporter Bob Seay, on local journalism; activist Kathy Raiz about environmental advocacy; and Board of Trustees President CLAIRE HUGHES JOHNSON ’90, about scaling businesses for growth. Other topics included adolescent mental health, legal careers in the finance industry, string theory, and careers in foreign service. The day was coordinated by the student Public Issues Board, which chose the theme (AI and Activism) and invited speakers for a day of thought-provoking talks.
The best-selling author Ben Mezrich closed the day with the stories behind some of his most successful books, including The Accidental Billionaires, about the founding of Facebook, and The Antisocial Network, about the amateur stock traders who initiated the GameStop short squeeze in 2021, causing chaos on Wall Street.
Mezrich encouraged students to pursue their passions, even if they seem impractical or out of reach to others. “You have to believe, despite all evidence to the contrary, that this is what you were meant to do,” he said.
Girls’ Swim Team Wins ISL
Milton’s swim teams made quite a splash last winter. The girls’ team finished first in the Independent School League, while the boys finished in second place. Boys’ team member JP GIGLIO ‘25 set two Milton records in the 50- and 100-meter freestyle events, with a time of 21.58 seconds for the 50 and 47.87 seconds for the 100.
GRADUATION 2024
Milton awarded diplomas to 186 seniors during this year’s graduation exercises on June 17, 2024.
THE CLASS OF 2024
● Matthew Abati
● Oluwatamilore Toluwalope Adewumi
● Oyinkansola Oluwatobi Agunloye
● Jack Raymond Allieri
● Maame Badu Amoah
● Christopher Amodeo
● Bryce Anderson
● Charles Thomas Anthony
● Talia Gigi Argov
● Hallelujah F. Ashenafi
● Diane Asiedu
● Emily Katherine Baldwin
● Georgia Ford Barrett
● Maddi Basterretxea Larrión
● Braden Benzan
● Samantha Michaela Berk
● Oliver Thomas Blais
● Liam Boukris
● Michael Bradley
● Eli Breyer Essiam
● Thatcher Joseph Brown
● Samantha Joyce Buonato
● Alexa Catherine Burton
● Brianna Renée Cadet
● Kaifu (Kyle) Cai
● Sam Callahan
● Zoe Zhao-Hui Campbell
● William Cannata
● Dingning Cao
● Kaitlyn Tucker Cappillo
● Jonathan Careri
● Madison Carty
● Alex Cesaretti
● Justin Chen
● Matt Childs
● Claire Ellen Choe
● Carsten Chow
● Murphy Chuang
● Jason Clayton
● Aidan R. Cole
● Devon Connerly
● Emily Helen Counihan
● Hailey Paige Coval
● Cecil Joseph Cox
● Grant Jonathan Cressman
● Dylan Crowley
● Katherine Suzanne Cullinane
● Caroline Adams Curtis
● Soraya Lillian Darvish
● Jordyn Davis
● Charles Norman Prince de Ramel
● Samuel Alexander DeGrappo
● Jaiden Delva
● Tallulah Charlotte Doeringer
● Monica Ganeto D’Oliveira
● Erika Juhee Drisko
● Abigail Dunn
● Brady Earle
● Hugo Roger Eechaute
● Scarlett Emily Eldaief
● Kevin Michael Farmer
● Ben Fawcett
● Elena Maria Ferrari
● Melanie Shepley Forney
● Allison Fung
● Blain Gelhaar
● William Harter Clarkson Glick
● Ella Goldberg
● Sam Goldings
● Chrisangel Gonzalez
● Henry Good
● William Leatherbury Grant
● Yuxin (Christina) Gu
● Gabriel Joseph Guerrero
● Laurianie Isabelle Guiteau
● Eliot Jotimuttu Fedson Hack
● Robert Silas Hamblett
● Omar Hesham Hamoda
● James M. Hamory
● Kevin Yu-Shi Han
● Christopher James Happy
● Aimée Gabrielle Heard
● Curt Aiden Heath
● Ava Montes Heredia
● Matthew Higgins
● Owen Howlett
● Ingrid Hsu
● Po-Tao David Hsueh
● Grace Hull
● Emily Huneycutt
● Austin Ward Hunt
● Anna Rose Hutter
● Adam Ibrahim
● Chloe Grace Wood Johnson
“Whatever it is that you’re going for, whatever it is that you want for yourself, whoever you see yourself being, stay hungry for it. From when you’re just thinking about it to when you’re actively working towards it to when you think you have it, stay hungry.”
JASON BOWEN ’00
ACTOR AND EDUCATOR
● Haley Jones
● Rachael Jones-Booker
● Melvin Joseph
● Christian Kakhome
● Daphne Mathilde Karlen
● Anna Smyers Kaufman
● Riley Sophia Keblin
● Liam Kralik
● Will Connare Lavallee
● Mai Thanh Le
● Zachary LeBlanc
● Anthony Lee
● Connor Kar Yau Lee
● Jackson Han Lee
● Peter Leitzes
● Danny Ray Li
● Kylie Lick
● Cooper Andrew Love
● Nicholas Kenneth Mack
● Ainsley Michelle Madden
● Serhii Malevych
● Tara Ming Wai Mallela
● Sonya Therese Martin
● Anna McDaniel
● Andrew Millington
● Alexander Min
● Jai Mitta
● Jia Mittal
● Micah J. Moise
● Clare Reidy Mone
● Zach Munson
● Dylan Michael Murphy
● Keith Nally
● Neha Thawani Nanda
● Jonah Nash
● Navid Nasser Ghodsi
● Evan Ning
● Riley Nordin
● Kristian Uke Etienne Okali
● Olajuwon Beatrice Motunrayo Oladipo
● Lily Joy Park
● Stephanie Se-Aun Park
● Ryan Parker
● Andrew Parkes
● Rio Pearlstein
● Elizabeth Shields Pener
● Alexa Anderson Garcia Montalvo Peraza
● Eric Perreault
● Sophie Petherick
● Nick Petronio
● Taya Elizabeth Puner
● Yevgeniya Regent
● Gustavo Leonardo Reynolds
● Benjamin Rhodes-Kropf
● Katherine Elizabeth Risden
● Carolina Rose Ritchie
● Abigail (Abby) Jo Rochelle
● Sebastián Romero
● Michelle Nicole Rubeiz
● Anthony Cristian Ruscito
● Jacob L. Schwartz
● Imran Serifovic
“The single most important thing I learned during my time at Milton is how to ask a good question. It’s in the way we look people in the eyes, to remind them that we’re listening. It’s in the way we pause when we ask someone, ‘How are you?’”
BRYAN SUKIDI ’24
“I would guess that each and every one of you has … felt the need to cling to familiarity in the face of change. But why? Why are we so afraid of change? … we must tell [our inner children] that we don’t have to be so afraid; these fears may just be opportunities to grow…”
LILY PARK ’24
● Ryan Patrick Shea
● Zain Ahmad Sheikh
● Benjamin Louis Siegel
● Caden Simmons
● Frederick Joseph Simpson
● Liam Kalil Simpson
● Sanaa Choyce Slayman
● Alitza Leilani Garcia Soiffer
● Abigail Meihua Song
● Maya Spektorov
● Tuhina Mehek Srivastava
● Samuel Asher Stayn
● Connor William Steele
● Jordan Chase Stuecken
● Bryan Sukidi
● Ellie Sullivan
● Akshaya Sundraraj
● David Sunshine
● Christina Nicole Sweeney
● Darren Szeto
● Sean Szeto
● Finlay Taylor
● Vijay Dev Thakore
● Shu-Wu Tsai
● Emily Rebecca Vaz
● Luke Witkowski
● Meiyi Naomi Yu
● YiXuan Yu
● Alex Zhang
● Keira Zhuo
Where They’re Headed
“Boys With the Bus” Goes Viral
Recent Milton graduates captured the attention of millions with their 2024 senior project.
, BEN RHODES-KROPF, JUSTIN CHEN,
ROMERO, and KEVIN HAN, all members of the Class of 2024, bought an old school bus and converted it into a functional camper for their senior project. The Instagram and TikTok accounts they started to chronicle the project (@boys.with.the.bus on both) quickly amassed millions of followers, catching the attention of local media as well as Good Morning America. They set off in July on a cross-country road trip with friends, capturing it all for their enthusiastic fans.
BENJAMIN SIEGEL
SEBASTIAN
MILTON PAYS TRIBUTE TO RETIREES
MILTON RECOGNIZES THOSE EMPLOYEES WHO RETIRED IN JUNE FOR THEIR MANY YEARS OF DEDICATED SERVICE.
Cheryl Aveni ASSISTANT, HEAD OF SCHOOL 1998–2024
“Most of you will never know the extent of all that Cheryl has done for Milton. Working beside her, I had the unique privilege of witnessing her unparalleled dedication every single day. She made all the highs even higher and the lows much easier to bear.”
—TODD BLAND, HEAD OF SCHOOL, 2007–2023
Bob Sinicrope 1973–2024
MUSIC DEPARTMENT
“When Bob came to Milton as a full-time math teacher …, he brought not just a way with numbers but a way with the world. Bob challenged Milton to move beyond its exclusive focus on Western European music and include jazz in its curriculum. What began as a single combo with six students grew at one point to 75 students and 10 combos, the top units able to hold their own with the very best in the country. It was a revolutionary, groundbreaking program.”
—ROD SKINNER ‘72, DEAN OF COLLEGE COUNSELING
Rod Skinner ’72
DEAN OF COLLEGE COUNSELING 1989–2024
“Ultimately … Rod is a man of heart, and a great big one. He is full of love, which he shows by singing for us, baking for us, or, if necessary, dropping everything to sit with us. And when there’s a righteous battle to be fought, Rod is there, ready to bring what one friend calls ‘inspiring ferocity.’”
—TERRI JAMES SOLOMON, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF COLLEGE COUNSELING
Vivian WuWong
HISTORY DEPARTMENT 1992–2024
“As the first female Asian American department chair at Milton, Vivian believed that we should always look out for the members of our community who are struggling and support them.... That listening is as important as speaking ….”
—JOSHUA EMMOTT, HISTORY DEPARTMENT CHAIR
Nick Parnell
DIRECTOR OF FACILITIES 2015-2024
“I have personally learned a great deal from Nick—and never once felt that I could not ask him a question or ask him to re-explain issues I did not understand the first time around.”
—HEIDI VANDERBILT-BROWN, CHIEF FINANCIAL AND OPERATING OFFICER
“Some of her roles have changed names more than once since she first took them on. She has at various times been chair of the Classics Department, head class advisor or class dean, director of studies, dean of studies, academic dean, Upper School principal, and dean of faculty.”
—DAVID SMITH, FORMER MEMBER, ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
“To me … Sarah’s greatest gift to Milton [is] the model she provided for balancing caring about students with caring about scholarship.”
—CAROLINE SABIN, FORMER MEMBER, ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
reunion
June 13–14, 2025
Calling all class years ending in 0 and 5! Mark your calendar. Connect with friends. Make your next Milton memory by joining us Friday, June 13–Saturday, June 14! Details and registration information to follow. In the meantime, check out your class page to connect with fellow alumni, join your class committee, and make a gift in honor of your reunion year. Learn more at www.milton.edu/reunion.
Volunteer With Milton
“I decided to become a volunteer because Milton has been such an important place for me since I came here in 1994 as a freshman. I have participated and volunteered in all of my reunion years since I graduated, and it’s been so incredible to see how my classmates have grown and to get to reconnect with people.”
Joanna Ostrem ’99
Alumni volunteers serve as a vital resource for our students, build community for those who are no longer on campus, and support our annual fundraising activity. If you would like to explore ways to stay connected and give back to the Milton community in the upcoming year, please take a moment to complete this brief form to indicate your interests, and a member of our team will be in touch to discuss volunteer opportunities: https://forms.gle/yz9UhMwTXxrMNBDr6.
The artist EMILIE STARKMENNEG ‘02 exhibited her work earlier this year at the Farnsworth Museum in Rockport, Maine. Shown here: Daylily Rider by Stark-Menneg.
1948
JOHN BELASH, at the start of his 22nd year living on Nantucket, is reaching out to any classmates who may respond. All the classmates with whom he had friendships or knowledge of their life after Milton have passed on, including GEORGE HARRIS, who died this past year. John shared that his mobility is rather limited but he is otherwise healthy enough to have just re-upped for a three-year term on the Nantucket town committee, which annually reviews applications from nonprofit organizations in the human services world that seek to share in the significant annual amount allocated by the town for this purpose. If anybody out there is interested, John’s email address is john.belash@ live.com.
1949
ELINOR “NELL” MOORE reports that since graduating from Milton 75 years ago, she has been married twice, had two children and two stepdaughters, graduated from McGill University and got a B.Arch from CCNY, and lived in New York then Boston then Maine, commuting seasonally to Portland, Oregon, where her daughter Sara Fischer lives. In 2022, Elinor moved into a retirement community in Portland called Holladay Park Plaza and hopes to have a few years left to enjoy this new life and new neighbors!
SISTERS ISABELLA “BELLA” HALSTED ’55 AND ELINOR “NELL” (HALSTED) MOORE ‘49
HARRISON COLEMAN NORRIS reports that he is still breathing at 92 but needs help to do that, saying he probably shouldn’t have smoked all those Camel shorts. He is still dividing time between his house on Pewaukee Lake, Wisconsin, and his Chalet am Renn in Grindelwald, Switzerland. The pace of life has slowed way down, but he still enjoys many houseguests at both locations. He was very sorry to miss his 75th Reunion, but breathing problems and the necessary paraphernalia have made traveling more difficult.
1950
75TH REUNION, JUNE 13–14
1951
DEAN LEBARON is speaking to his few classmates who have yet to move on to the heavenly sporting fields that await all of us. Dean offers a recap of activities: a five-volume biography written by his ghostwriter wife, Donna Carpenter LeBaron; a dozen or so other volumes written by
him; and real-time videos from several of the places around the world where they have lived. And a once-a-day link to sundown Eastern Time ringing of the LeBaron Bell for the ancestors honored by Parc LeBaron on Casey Key, Florida. Visit www. deanlebaron.com to see for yourself!
1952
KITTY (BIGELOW) BENTON believes that Milton Academy graduates are overwhelmingly interested in the arts, sciences, the classics, the environment, history, and current events, which is a good reason why the four Milton
ICON
BIRTH
BOOK
RELOCATION
WEDDING
PASSING
alumnae pictured below came to live at Laurelmead. Its residents have similar interests, which are reflected in the variety of interesting programs, concerts, and lectures that Laurelmead offers. First to arrive was MARY SHEPARD ’62. Then, last December, whilst reading bios of new residents on the bulletin board in the mailroom, Mary spotted the fact that Kitty, who had just moved in, was also a Milton graduate. Kitty had heard about Laurelmead from her cousin Jan (Warren) Buell Rogers, who taught English at Milton in the 70s. Next to arrive was KATE (HADLEY) BAKER ‘68 from Houston, who was perusing the class notes in a recent Milton Magazine when
L-R: KITTY (BIGELOW) BENTON ‘52, MARY SHEPARD ’62, KATE (HADLEY) BAKER ’68, and ARRIA (CHASE) BILODEAU ’63.
she came upon Kitty’s enthusiastic post about having moved here from New York City. So, Kate checked it out, spent a few days visiting, and moved here last February. ARRIA (CHASE)
BILODEAU ’63 had been a long-time resident of Providence so the move was easy for her. She already knew all about Laurelmead but was not expecting to find a hotbed of Miltonians. The four gathered for dinner recently, and while reminiscing about Milton days, they quietly started singing both verses of “Jerusalem,” the school hymn, all the way through from memory. Not as quietly as they thought! A neighbor at the next table overheard them, immediately took the photo, and commissioned this vignette for the Laurelmead Magazine, which she edits.
JOHN ELIOT now lives in a retirement community just outside Washington, D.C. He became an emeritus professor in human development at the University of Maryland, taught cognition and educational psychology for more than 35 years, went to seminary for a master’s degree in 2006, and moved to Riderwood in 2012. He has since been working on research projects in spatial intelligence and theology, and he will soon be publishing an anthology about Christianity. John rejoices in nearby family, including three grandchildren. Although he swam regularly for 50 years, he now spends time in physical therapy instead. He is
FALL.
lucky to hear from his many college and graduate students often and appreciates hearing from Milton too.
EMERY “EM” (BRADLEY) GOFF is still living in senior living in Portland, Maine. She lost her dear husband of 46 years, Bill Carhart, a year ago, and though we all know life must go on, as the poem says, sometimes we forget just why. She reports that the folks there try very hard to keep all the residents sane and healthy. Living in beautiful and historic Portland is a good change for her. Before this, she always lived in small towns or in the country. She can walk to the art museum, which is world-class. Her daughter Katrina, who lives close by in Freeport, is a real help, taking her to the UU church and out for excursions and shopping since she no longer drives. Two of her sons and their wives live in Florida (traitors!) and one lives two hours north in Orono. But she has several grandkids in the area, and her first great-granddaughter is an adorable red-headed two-yearold, also living near Orono. Em has been writing autobiographical sketches for Storyworth, a gift from her daughter. Storyworth
collects the essays and will bind them into a book for children and grandchildren. It keeps her off the streets and remembering interesting bits from her past. Lately, she has been in email contact with ABIGAIL “ABBY” LEWIS SUGARMAN, which has been delightful. Em tries not to obsess about the state of the country and the world and does not have a TV. But of course she VOTES!
1953
HUGH MARLOW is a tentative 90-year-old elder who enthusiastically looks forward to reading the class notes in each issue of Milton Magazine. He thinks it is always reassuring to see news of those he knows who are still out and about. And to one and all who care enough to read this random collection of thoughts, he sends his very best.
1954
LAWRENCE “LARRY” ALTMAN is a global fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (Wilson Center) in Washington, D.C., research-
ing and writing on the personal health of political leaders. He reported on the health of President Biden for the New York Times in early 2024. Later in the year, the Boston Globe published his articles about the health of elected officials that initially appeared on STATnews.com, an online medical publication.
JEAN (WORTHINGTON) CHILDS and SARAH (SPROUT) LOVETT joined eleven Boys’ School classmates for a lovely day of reminiscing, discussing serious issues a bit, changes in moving to different communities, and hearing about others who could not join them at Reunion in June. HUGH “DAVID” GREENWAY entertained the group on his beautiful terrace overlooking the Charles River in Needham on a Saturday evening. It was a wonderful ending to their select gathering. They missed the rest of you! They were impressed with the talks by the head of school, the president of the Board of Trustees, and especially by four articulate and poised students, one from Brazil, another from Ukraine. Jean continues to be involved with many committees to keep our North Hill Community involved in local civic affairs and environmental action with recycling and composting. She is a town meeting member in Needham and wonders if she should run for another three-year term. This summer, her family will gather for their annual week in Rockport. As grandchildren age, a few friends have joined them, but no one has become permanent yet!
EMERY “EM” BRADLEY GOFF (RIGHT) WITH HER SISTER, NAN, CELEBRATING NAN’S 90TH BIRTHDAY LAST
LEFT: JAMES “JIM” PERKINS, JR. AND JEAN (WORTHINGTON) CHILDS BELOW: SARAH (SPROUT) LOVETT AND WILLIAM “BILL” HARTMANN
SUBMIT A CLASS NOTE!
Have news to share? Your classmates want to know! Share your accomplishments and life updates with Milton and your classmates at https://forms.gle/ 4NHrztmPtjPpGq6n6. Your submission may be shared on social media, in an email to alumni, and/or in the next edition of Milton Magazine.
1955
70TH REUNION, JUNE 13–14
CATHERINE “KITTY” (STINSON)
CARLETON made a major move from the East Coast to the Seattle area to be near her two daughters, her son’s widow, seven grandchildren (aged 19 to 30), and five grand-dogs. The death of David (two years ago in September) nudged her interest in being nearer to family as her overall skills diminish and their lives get busier, and it overrode her distaste for the local weather! Her email address is cscarleton03@ gmail.com, and she encourages classmates to reach out.
1956
RUPERT HITZIG is healthy, wise, and wealthy with love. He’s still living in Los Angeles and pursuing the dream. And he still loves telling stories and is working on a collection of his lifelong experiences. It all started with Ms. Sedg-
wick, Milton’s drama teacher, and the plays she involved him in, and as a starting fire, she sent a spark that is still there. So did “Dare to be true,” and he tries to Iive by that credo. He says he misses the young ladies who passed his way in front of Warren Hall every morning as they walked to school. He was the go-between, collecting the flirtatious notes from the two schools, and was secretly attracted to most of them. He misses AO, Abell, and Pocock’s nightly watch at Wolcott’s barracks-like third floor (scared him to death), the Christmas story that Mr. Perry read each year, and Millet, Owens, Sturges, Cap Hall, Torney, and Stackpole, in retrospect wonderful communicators. But most of all, he says, he misses YOU, his classmates, and hopes to get back for the 65th Reunion. Rupert has a loyal wife, two sons, and three marvelous grandchildren, and still believes LIFE is the greatest gift of all!
1957
JAMES “JIM” BOWDITCH and his wife, Felicity, recently celebrated 60 years of marriage. This summer, they are planning to take a cruise through the Northwest Passage, now that it is navigable during the summer. They will fly to Greenland, take a small plane to the ship, and go west. The trip will take just under three weeks, ending in Nome, Alaska.
PHILIP TYLER RAND is headed off to visit friends in Languedoc (southern France) and Norway.
1956
JOHN BASSETT is still here. He resides in both Brookline and Rockport, Massachusetts. He is still playing a lot of music and melting a lot of bottles. You can check out his work at www.basglas.com.
1958
NEILSON ABEEL and his wife, Tori Bryer, stopped in New York City on May 1 to celebrate the 84th birthday of his Upton House roommate, JOHN DE NEUFVILLE ’57, at Pietro’s on East 43rd Street. They were on their way to Europe to see kith and kin. In London, at a tour of the Tate, during the show “Fashioned by Sargent” with Richard Ormond, John Singer Sargent’s great nephew, Neilson pointed out the portrait of the American artist Francis D. Millet, whose namesake was a longtime Milton master. Another person in the group
said, “I went to Milton.” It turned out to be PAULINE SARGENT ’63, younger sister of Neilson’s classmate, BEATRICE (SARGENT) ALLEN
ELIZABETH “BETSEY” (FARNHAM) BLAIR’s husband, Grosvenor Blair, passed at age 95 on January 11. They shared 43 wonderful years of marriage.
ELIZA (KELLOGG) KLOSE died peacefully in Salisbury, Connecticut, with her husband, Harding Bancroft, and her children Nina, Brennan, and Chandler at her side. She had suffered from dementia for many years. Eliza and Harding attended her 60th Reunion at Milton in 2018.
1959
CHRISTINA “CHRIS” JACKSON and her husband, Pat, spent an enjoyable weekend celebrating her 65th Reunion with her amazing classmates. The class meeting was especially informative. There were lots of relevant conversations with respect to retirement, the healthcare system, options for future living arrangements, estate planning, and more. The Jacksons plan to remain in their home in Yarmouth, Maine, for as long as possible. Even though the bluebirds are messing up their cars, the raccoons are stealing their birdseed, and chipmunks are undermining their patio, the joy of seeing soaring eagles and numerous deer in their field, and watching a family of foxes living under their garage, outweighs the inconveniences.
[CONT. ON PAGE 57]
Reunion Weekend 2024
On Friday, June 14, and Saturday, June 15, 643 graduates and guests joined us for an unforgettable weekend celebrating classes ending in 4 and 9.
REUNION WEEKEND
JUNE 14—15
Alumni celebrating their reunions returned to Centre Street in June to catch up with old friends, connect with new friends, and participate in a variety of activities—from choral and art events to student and leadership panels and family fun for all ages.
BY THE NUMBERS
3 5th through 75th Reunion Gifts total dollars: $1,168,480, from 551 donors (to the Milton Fund) 3 Class with highest Reunion Gift participation: 1959, with 55% participation
3 Class with largest Reunion Gift total: 1974, with $239,124 3 Class with the most Reunion Gift donors: 2004, with 65 3 Total attendees: 643 3 Furthest distance traveled: 10,514 miles, from Victoria, Australia 3 Countries represented: 7 (Australia, Canada, Denmark, Great Britain, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Norway) 3 Class with the highest number attending: 2004, with 120 attendees 3 Oldest class year attending: 1949 3 Classes represented: 15 3 Total Reunion Committee volunteers: 91 3 Songs played by the band at the All-Class Party: 40 3 Alumni presenting on what “Dare to be true” means to them: 4
3 Glasses of champagne toasted to the 25th and 50th classes: 104 3 Golf carts giving rides around campus: 8 3 Memories made: Innumerable 3 Connections made: limitless
3 Number of Milton faculty, staff, and administrators making the weekend possible: 75
3 Number of students who helped make Reunion special: 17 3 Number of balloon animals made during Family Festival: 45
“It’s been amazing to see how things are the same and different at the same time. A lot of the memories are coming back. I think I didn’t quite appreciate it when I was here. I’m really glad to have had the experiences I had at Milton Academy.”
—OLIVIA “LIV” KIM ’04
“The turnout for our class is just tremendous. It’s wonderful to see the passion for people coming back to the school where a lot of their journeys started and leaning back into Milton Academy. Everything looks beautiful here, but in many ways, it’s nice to see that things haven’t changed. There’s a lot of foundation here, and a lot of us started our life journeys here, so it’s really nice to see that a lot of it is the same as it once was and maybe a little bit better.”
—TIM DRIVER ’84
Alumni enjoying a gorgeous night at the All-Class Party. Below: A group of alumni posing for a selfie with Stan the Stang.
Alumni place pins on where they traveled from to get to Milton for Reunion.
REUNION EVENTS
● FRIDAY, 12 PM DARE TO BE TRUE: CELEBRATING THE CLASS OF 1974
To kick off their 50th Reunion celebrations, members of the Class of 1974 were invited to “Dare to be true: Celebrating the Class of 1974,” where current students answered alumni questions about life as a student at Milton in 2024.
● FRIDAY, 1:30 PM MILTON ALUMNI SING
On Friday afternoon, music faculty member Ted Whalen led a cheerful and talented group of alumni of all ages through performances of favorite tunes from the Milton songbook. “Jerusalem” and many other classics were performed. It was as if these alumni had never left Kellner—they sounded great and knew all the lyrics!
● SATURDAY, 10:15 AM SCHOOL LEADERSHIP SYMPOSIUM: CHARTING OUR COURSE
Head of School ALIXE CALLEN ’88 and President of the Board of Trustees CLAIRE HUGHES JOHNSON ’90 P ’24 ’27 engaged in a fireside chat for the program “School Leadership Symposium: Charting Our Course.” They were able to share their insights as Milton’s leaders on the School’s past, present, and future.
“My view is expanding with each activity I go to. I haven’t been to a reunion in probably 15 to 20 years, and I thought this was an important one. I can’t even believe it has been 50 years. As you get older, you realize how time really goes by. It’s a different campus and a different student body in many ways, but I am impressed. I have very fond, loving memories of Milton, and if I didn’t, I wouldn’t have come back.”
—PAMELA CROWLEY ’74
“It’s surreal. I feel so old but I am still young. It’s been so long but doesn’t feel like a long time. It’s nostalgic walking past everything that is so familiar. Not seeing everyone for so long and coming back makes for good memories.”
Upper School performing arts faculty member Peter G. Parisi moderated a panel of one new Milton graduate, Serhii Malevych ’24, and three Class I and II students, Breah ’25, Amelia ’26, and Gustavo ’26. The students discussed their involvement in various clubs and activities; their experiences as day, boarding, and international students; how they’ve grown during their time at Milton; and their favorite activities and traditions as Milton students.
● SATURDAY, 1:30 PM NESTO GALLERY RECEPTION: CLASS OF 2009 EXHIBIT
Reunion attendees were treated to the works of alumni on display in the Nesto Gallery exhibit “Class of 2009 Alumni Exhibit,” featuring DAVID BRUCE ’09, SARAH DIAMOND ’09, DOUGAN KHIM ’09, and JASMINE REID ’09
Jasmine Reid ’09
● SATURDAY, 2:30 PM MILTON TALKS
Head of School ALIXE CALLEN ’88 introduced four alumni, DAVID KETCHUM ’79, VIVIENNE LEE ’99, LYN SWETT MILLER ’84, and ANNA SAAVEDRA ’94, who shared their perspectives and insights on what Milton’s motto, “Dare to be true” means to them today. David reflected on how one dares to be true when the definition of truth is flexible. Vivienne spoke on the different meanings “Dare to be true” has for her today. Lyn highlighted the significance and importance of the “to be” in the middle of “Dare to be true.” Anna’s version of defining “Dare to be true” was presenting her work on identifying “major partisan differences” in LGBTQ and race issues being taught in schools.
“For me, ‘Dare to be true’ means finding your passion in life, whatever that path may look like, because I think it’s different for everybody.’ Secondly, I think ‘Dare to be true’ means acknowledging and overcoming your failures. Thirdly, I think ‘Dare to be true’ means being vulnerable and childlike enough to dream big and dream your heart out.”
—VIVIENNE LEE ’99
“‘Dare to be true’ is not about the dare, not about the truth, it’s about the ‘to be’ in the middle.”
—LYN SWETT MILLER ’84
“Not only does the definition of the truth change, but we change through time. When we think about ‘Dare to be true,’ that can change over time. Just because you think one thing one day and think differently another day, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t feel comfortable jumping out and shouting at the top of your voice. Even if what you say tomorrow is different than what you’re saying today.”
—DAVID KETCHUM ’79
“I love seeing all my friends and old teachers. It’s great to be back and reminisce about when we were young here. There’s a lot of new buildings, and things look different from when I was here, but what surprises me the most is almost everything is the same.”
—KIRAN SINGH ’99
“The fact that every five years we have the opportunity to reengage and reconnect with classmates is just so special. To this day, some of my closest friends are my high school friends. I think that is one of the reasons Milton is most meaningful to me.”
—KRISTIN (OSTREM) DONELAN ’99
● SATURDAY, 6 PM ALL-CLASS
PARTY
Reunion ended with a bang at the All-Class Party on Saturday night! Alumni and guests gathered on the Quad and in a tent to enjoy live music from local band Wario Speedwagon, along with a tour of Boston neighborhoods through food stations. The Milton spirit was strong and felt by all in attendance.
● SATURDAY, 12:30 PM
FAMILY FESTIVAL
Reunion attendees and their families enjoyed a beautiful and lively afternoon on the Quad during Family Festival. Guests of all ages participated in family-friendly activities, including airbrush tattoos, balloon animals, mini golf, and giant Legos. Attendees were also delighted with treats from Roxy’s Grilled Cheese, Uncle E’s BBQ Express, and Cookie Monstah food trucks.
David Ketchum ’79
Head of School Alixe Callen ’88 catching up with fellow Milton grads of the 80s.
L-R: REBEKAH “BEKA” STURGES ’90, STEPHEN “STEVE” BINGHAM ‘60, SHELDON STURGES ‘60, and JACK HARRIS ’90
[CONT. FROM PAGE 52]
RALPH JOHANSON credits his eight years at Milton’s Lower School for setting him up for life education ally, his academic success (such as it was!) at Wellesley Junior High School, Andover, Yale, and Columbia Law School owed a great deal to his Milton academic foundation. And though it isn’t possible to measure it quantitatively, there’s no question that whatever social skills he possesses owe a great deal to his interactions over eight years with the boys and girls in his Lower School class.
1960
65TH REUNION, JUNE 13–14
CHARLES BOLTON can report that he recently attended his 60th Harvard reunion and had a reason to see PRESCOTT CROCKER and his wife, Joan; RICHARD “DICK” KEYES and his wife; SHELDON STURGES, whose wife, Titianya, was in Europe; and ELIOT WADSWORTH II and his wife, Annick. A pretty rugged group!
WALDO FORBES published A Rolling Stone: Evolution and the Ematomic Veil in November 2023.
CHARLES “CHAS” FREEMAN, JR. remains active as a commentator on current affairs but has ended his gig as a visiting scholar at Brown and settled in Exeter, NH, where he was pleasantly sur-
prised to encounter JOHN KEMP and his wife, who have lived there for years.
ROBERT “BOB” NORRIS visited Forbes House and the house next door in May of this year on a tour and used the occasion to bore and/or inspire present occupants of both with adventures of derring-do between 1942 and 1959, when lots of little Norrises were around and about. A highlight of the tour was showing off the bedroom occupied by his parents for many years, only to discover that the bed was occupied by a sleeping student, who was able to depart the jurisdiction with speed and grace under the circumstances.
SHELDON STURGES, his daughter, REBEKAH “BEKA” STURGES ’90, and her husband, JACK HARRIS ’90, decided to go on the ferry out to the quite remote Île-de-Bréhat, off the northern coast of Brittany. They were on a sentimental journey to retrace the route of the 16 bicycle trips his father, former Milton faculty member J. B. Sturges, and mother, HILDA (WARE) STURGES ’26, led before and after the war. Sheldon looked at the back of this guy on the pier with white hair wearing a faded orange rain jacket and a blue beret and said, “Steve?” We had a most joyous time with STEPHEN “STEVE” BINGHAM and Françoise Bingham. They tramped 13,000 steps around the islands and went back to Françoise’s sister’s Breton home to toast the happy accident of their meeting.
1961
DAVID “PETER” WILDER hosts an annual gathering of a few classmates at his Rhode Island summer house, which was attended by LAWRENCE “LAWRIE” COBURN; WILLIAM “BILL” HITZIG, JR.; DAVID “PETER” WILDER; PETER TALBOT; and ALAN CLARK
1962
DIANA “DINA” BYRON ROBERTS writes that she hosted a pre-Christmas luncheon at her home in Milton in early
December for several classmates from near and far. SUSAN SHERK lives in Newfoundland, and PAMELA “PAM” (WATSON) SEBASTIAN lives in San Francisco. KATHARINE “KATTY” (DAVISSON) CHACE lives in nearby Weston. They hope to make it a gathering again next year so that by then they can say, “80 is the new 50” to one another! Dina retired in April after 40 years as a successful professional fundraiser for several prominent nonprofit institutions, including six years as the director of the Milton Fund. Her third book, a novel called Missing Parts, was published
FRONT ROW: REBECCA “BECKY” JACKSON, JANE “JANNIE” (WILLIAMS) O’CONOR, AND GERTRUDE “TUDY” (STEBBINS) BARTLETT; BACK ROW: LIZA KETCHUM, MARCIA (MORGENSTERN) TINGLEY, FRANCES “FRANNIE” (SYKES) MOYER, WINIFRED “WENDY” (THOMAS) ZARA, CHARLOTTE (CHERINGTON) BURRAGE, AND ALICE “MARTY” (BARKER) CANHAM
Fly with Me
In Fly with Me, written and codirected by SARAH COLT ’88, historians and former flight attendants weigh in on the historic role flight attendants played more than 50 years ago in advancing racial and gender equality. As detailed in the almost two-hour PBS documentary, the job of flight attendant offered young women in the mid-20th century an opportunity for travel and adventure. “There was so much to see and do…,” says one former flight attendant interviewed in the film. “I was confronted with all the things the world had to offer,” says another. At the same time, however, the job demanded strict adherence to stereotypical gender roles. Age (retirement at 32), height, weight, and grooming guidelines were strictly enforced, and women who married were forced to resign. “No other job offered as much freedom with such a high cost of conformity,” notes one of the program’s narrators. Women of color were largely excluded. The documentary recounts the decades flight attendants spent fighting for equality and employment protection and how their efforts ultimately yielded significant gains. “Now a flight attendant can be male, can be older, can be married, can be any race or ethnic origin,” says one former flight attendant at the film’s end. “We’re different now. We kind of match the passengers.” Premiering last February on PBS’s American Experience, Fly with Me was produced by Sarah Colt Productions, Colt’s New York-based, Emmy Award-winning documentary company.
on July 19 and is available on Amazon.
1964
FRANCES “FRANNIE” (SYKES) MOYER hosted some classmates (below) at her home in Brookline during Reunion weekend to celebrate their 60th reunion. JUDITH “JUDY” (FIELD) LAING joined in spirit from her home.
1965
60TH REUNION, JUNE 13–14
1966
WARREN CHASE married
Natalia Perez in Santo Domingo on March 14, 2024. She is the love of his life, and she has a 13-year-old daughter, Fenely, whom Warren considers his own. They are in the midst of a move to the Los Casicazgos section of the city while arranging a new private school for Fenely. Warren is enjoying life in the Dominican Republic. The country has a good future, good government, lovely people, and is free of political and social angst.
FREDERICK M. FISKE II published a new book, The Grocer Who Sold McCarthyism, with Chestnut Heights Publishing on July 1. The book is about the show-business blacklist in the 1950s and a Syracuse supermarket-chain owner, Laurence A. Johnson, who used guerrilla merchandising tactics
with TV sponsors such as Borden and Kraft to sideline actors including Judy Holliday and Jose Ferrer for being communist sympathizers. One of his first steps as an anticommunist activist was to send a telegram to the sponsor of Arthur Goldfery and His Friends protesting the televised appearance of actor Jack Gilford. The grocer soon received a sympathetic letter in reply from the president of CBS, thanking him for bringing this to the attention of the network. For five years, working with like-minded activists, Johnson engaged in a pressure campaign of threats, boycotts, and blacklists that damaged the careers of Gilford and dozens of other actors, producers, and writers. He devised signs to post in his stores urging customers not to buy Swanson products that helped to support “Stalin’s Little Creatures.” Eventually, he was sweeping whole shelves
COME ON IN
Throughout his career, multimedia artist DANIEL CALLAHAN ’02 has been exploring the human experience and condition. His work in MassQing—which uses the human face as a canvas to reveal rather than conceal a person’s inner essence—has been employed in workshops throughout the community and shown at museums across the country. Last spring, Callahan turned his attention to writing and performing in Come On In—Live, a oneman show at Boston’s Strand Theatre that traced the trajectory of his life, from a childhood steeped in his imagination to an adulthood that challenged his sense of purpose and belonging. The child of a Baptist preacher, Callahan struggled to make sense of a life that stretched across divergent worlds, from Black churches to white schools to the golden age of hip-hop. The 87-minute show draws on the full range of Callahan’s artistic tools and talents, from narration to hip-hop and rap to digital projection. Below, Callahan talks about his decision to take on such a deeply personal project.
CAN YOU EXPLAIN A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW COME ON IN—LIVE CAME TO BE?
Ever since I was a kid I have always spent a lot of time in my head. It was such an incredible place for me growing up, because my imagination was so large that I could spend all day in worlds that I’d created. As I moved into my adolescence and teen years, however, my imagination became less and less
of a fun place to be. In my 20s, after I abandoned a long-held dream of a career as a hip-hop artist, my imagination became overrun with worry, anxiety, and darker thoughts. What was once a refuge began to feel more like a place I wanted to get out of but couldn’t. My artwork of MassQing—which started as a way for me to kind of calm my mind—helped get me through that time in my life. This show is really that journey—from childhood to adulthood and all the craziness that happens in between trying to figure out what it means to be a Black man in America. One needs only to look at the negative statistics around Black males in this country to see that there are problems in this society that are not being addressed. My goal with this show is to address some of the issues that I went through but also the lessons and blessings that got me through those challenges.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO TAKE ON SUCH A PERSONAL PROJECT?
It was a big step. Two years ago I wrote and directed the feature-length film Come On In That was my first attempt to
wrestle with these ideas of identity and the mind, but the film was fictional, so I was kind of able to hide behind that. I realized after the movie was released that the story I really needed to tell was my own. It was very difficult to speak on these things. The writing process required removing all the protective walls I’d erected throughout my life and being as truthful as I could. I worked with the producer Nerissa Williams Scott and the incredible director Iona Morris Jackson, who got me to peel back all the layers to really get to the core of the issues I was dealing with. The experience was enlightening and self-fulfilling, but it wasn’t easy.
HOW WAS THE PROCESS ENLIGHTENING?
What I learned throughout this whole process was the power of vulnerability. Growing up a Black male in America, you learn very quickly to put up walls to protect yourself from the society in which you live because it’s hostile toward you, and while that’s understandable and even necessary at times, you end up building a wall around yourself, which means you can’t grow. The power of tak-
ing down those walls and being vulnerable was immense. I found that the show resonated with so many people in such a deep way. I had a mother email me about her 15-year-old son who had come to the show. He told her, “That’s my story.” She wrote, “I’ve never seen my son like this.” Stories like that were so fulfilling to hear because that’s really what this project is about—having people know that the most difficult things we all go through, we don’t have to go through alone. We can get to the other side. My story shows the way I was able to get through my struggles, and I hope others can take something from it to apply to their own lives.
WHAT’S NEXT?
There are several venues here in Boston where we’d like to mount the show, but the longterm plan is to take it on the road. We’re building a tour of historically Black colleges and universities and their surrounding high schools. We see those venues as being a direct audience for this and we want to continue to expand that audience. I’m super excited about the possibilities.
clean of products whose manufacturers sponsored what he considered the “wrong” shows. Fred’s powerful biography exposes this little-known chapter of U.S. history, including a libel suit by CBS radio host John Henry Fault in 1956 that aimed to end the blacklist and to punish Johnson and others for their reckless attacks. Johnson ascended from small-time grocery operator to kingmaker wielding Red Scare hysteria as a cudgel to shape the landscape of entertainment and commerce. This is a cautionary tale about a pivotal time in American popular culture when the nation grappled with fear, ideology, and the delicate balance between freedom and security.
1968
KATE (HADLEY) BAKER retired in March 2022 and recently relocated to Providence, Rhode Island, where she serves on the budget and finance committee of the co-op where she now lives. (Follow the money to understand what’s important and not!) In the co-op’s poetry group, she recently read a poem by JAMES “HIVVY” HIVNOR ’67 that appeared in the Spring 1977 issue of Milton Magazine. Kate wrote to him about the group’s positive reaction and encouragement to keep writing, and he was kind enough to share one of his most recent efforts, fodder for a future meeting after Sandburg’s Four Preludes on Playthings of the Wind and Paul Jenkins’s 14 Stations
1969
JONATHAN M. JACOBSON
published a memoir of his legal career, My Life in Antitrust, in May 2024, which is available on Amazon. It tracks his great cases for Coca-Cola, Google, American Express, Netflix, and many others. It also touches on his service as a commissioner of the Antitrust Modernization Commission and as chair of the American Bar Association’s Section of Antitrust Law.
1970
55TH REUNION, JUNE 13–14
1971
SYLVIE PERON still enjoys editing Ultimate Jet, a quarterly lifestyle magazine dedicated to business
L-R: ARTHUR “CHUCK” HUNNEWELL, THEODORE “TED” SOUTHWORTH, R. HENRY “HARRY” NORWEB III, AND HENRY “GUILD” TUCKER
1966
R. HENRY “HARRY” NORWEB III hosted 1966 classmates at his home in Marion, Massachusetts, in early June. ARTHUR “CHUCK” HUNNEWELL came from Red Bank, New Jersey; THEODORE “TED” SOUTHWORTH visited from The Villages, Florida; and HENRY “GUILD” TUCKER traveled from Pattaya, Thailand. They last gathered at Ted’s home in 2022. They have planned their next rendezvous to coincide with the Class of 1966’s 60th Reunion, in 2026.
aviation. Working from home in Fayence, on the back hills of the French Riviera, she keeps a busy schedule. She attended EBACE2024 in Geneva last May, where the Lilium Jet, the first all-electric take-off and landing (eVTOL) jet was showcased at the convention.
1975
50TH REUNION, JUNE 13–14
SUZAN (HURD) GREENUP lost her husband, James Power, on March 12, 2024, owing to the early onset of Alzheimer’s. He was 66. Suzie will return to work for Wheaton College after working part-time for the past year.
MARTHA “EM” (SMITH) MCMANAMY retired from careers in affordable housing development and voice therapy in December 2023. This allows her to enjoy more time with her husband and her favorite activity, traveling. She just returned from her eighth trip to Cuba, where she volunteers facilitating a nonviolent conflict-resolution program that has been used worldwide since 1975: the Alternatives to Violence Project or AVP.” This work is extremely rewarding, offering much to learn every time!
1977
ALEXIS “YOSHI” BELASH celebrated 2024 with Dry January, highlighted by three weeks with three staffers alone on a small beach
and private reef at an eco-lodge accessible only by boat on Weigeo Island in Raja Ampat, West Papua. They called it their Survivor Island holiday. “No phone, no lights, no motor car, not a single luxury, like Robinson Crusoe, it was primitive as can be.” Actually, they had lights, spotty internet, an excellent local cook, and a nice reef to snorkel, but no roads or villages. Alexis got to dive on some of the world’s best reefs while there. She trekked inland to see 30 minutes of seven male red birds-of-paradise (BOP) doing their mating dance, and continued on to find the Wilson’s BOP. She also boated and trekked to Gam Island, the location Alfred Russel Wallace used when he was developing his theory of evolution in parallel with his friend Charles Darwin. Bali is on the tropical side of the “Wallace line,” first described by him to account for the difference in flora and fauna development on each side.
CHRISTOPHER “CHRIS” WEST shared that he and some 1977 classmates gathered for a trip on the Alaska Marine Highway in May and June of 2023.
1978
MAGGIE M. JACKSON published an opinion piece in the New York Times in January titled “How to Thrive in an Uncertain World.”
1980
45TH REUNION, JUNE 13–14
Jonathan M. Jacobson ’69
HELEN LIN SUN is the founder of an asset management company. She is excited to embark on her entrepreneurial journey to launch the first residential mortgage income in Hong Kong.
NICHOLAS “NICKY” TRAKAS passed away suddenly and without warning on June 21, 2023. He was a 13-year student at Milton, from the Junior Building to Class I Graduation. He was predeceased by his parents, Dr. John C. Trakas and Mrs. Anne P. Trakas. He is survived by his brother CHRISTOPHER TRAKAS II ’77 and JENNIFER TRAKAS-ACERRA ’78. He is also survived by his wife, Barbara A. Trakas; son, John N. Trakas; daughter, Elizabeth M. Lentine, and her husband Brandon; and brother-in-law, Stephen M. Acerra. He is also survived by an aunt, many cousins, and many friends, nieces, nephews, and in-laws who greatly treasured him. From his days in the Lower School, he was a constant presence in the Warren Hall computer room, writing and running computer programs with the older students. Those experiences led Nicky to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer science and an MBA. He then had a long career as a computer programmer and systems analyst. Nicky was very interested in mathematics, was on the varsity track team, ran cross country, and played squash. He was an entrepreneur as well, with real estate investments on Cape Cod and in Florida. He was also the owner of a food sales
CHRISTOPHER “CHRIS” WEST ’77 WITH CLASSMATES. L-R: WEST, PETER GREGORY, SUSAN “SUE” (TWITCHELL) ENGELMANN, MICHAEL “MIKE” RYAN, AND DAVID GIANDOMENICO.
business in the southern suburbs of Boston. As a testament to how honorable he was as a property owner, his tenants from Cape Cod drove up to attend his funeral and pay their respects. His happiest times were with family in Milton, Westwood, and Cape Cod. He enjoyed sitting on the beach on the Cape, searching for blueberries in the Blue Hills, and walking and exploring local and state woods and parks. He was always helping people with home construction projects, and he was the go-to person when someone had a computer or printer problem. Seeing someone happy and relieved when the problem was solved was his compensation. Members of the Milton community who attended the funeral were JOHN CUMING ’77, DANIEL FLATLEY ’77, CHRISTOPHER TRAKAS II ’77, JENNIFER TRAKAS-ACERRA ’78, JOHN CORCORAN, JR. ’80, NICHOLAS “NICK” ZERVAS ’80, and THOMAS “TOM” CORCORAN ’81.
CHARLES “CHARLIE” TOULMIN is diving into semi-retirement outside Boston after a long career in education policy, even as he continues to support two teenage daughters (one of whom is a rising high school senior looking at colleges!). Ah, the ups and downs of late fatherhood. He has stayed in touch with classmates ANDREW “ANDY” PILLSBURY, TIMOTHY “TIM” GAMES, and PAUL BARRESI, and he attended Andy’s wedding about a year ago in California. Charlie hopes to get back to Milton for his 45th Reunion in 2025!
BENJAMIN “BEN” JESUP and his wife, Pam, have taken the plunge and retired in June. Ben ended a career of 29 years with the solicitor’s office at the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), the last seven as assistant solicitor for fish and wildlife. Ben particularly enjoyed singing “Wild Thing” to Pam at his retirement party at the DOI. In addition to doing a lot of wildlife-oriented travel, Ben will do occasional guest teaching and speaking gigs related to the Endangered Species Act. He and Pam are excited to see what this next stage of life is like. If anyone is in the Washington, D.C., area, please look them up!
1982
Not Yet: The Story of an Unstoppable Skater
ZAHRA LARI AND HADLEY RIERSON DAVIS ’89 ORCHARD BOOKS
HADLEY RIERSON DAVIS ’89 was reading the New York Times and noticed an article about a figure skater from the United Arab Emirates, a country that had captured her interest at a young age. The subject of the article, Zahra Lari, said she was inspired to take up skating—an unfamiliar activity in a desert country with only one skating rink—after watching a Disney movie called Ice Princess when she was 11 years old. That movie was written by a first-time screenwriter named Hadley Rierson Davis.
“There was this instant realization that our life stories are enmeshed,” says Davis.
Davis rushed to her computer to write to Lari: “That my script inspired you to skate, and you’ve inspired girls all over the world, is the best happily-ever-after ever.” As it turned out, Davis and Lari would collaborate on their own happily-ever-after story in the form of their children’s book, Not Yet. The book tells Lari’s story upon announcing that she would be a figure skater. The girl hears myriad reasons why it will never happen, including that figure skaters don’t look like her. To every doubt, she replies: “Not yet.” The message, according to Davis, is “just because you can’t do something now doesn’t mean you won’t be able to someday.”
After she wrote to Lari, they became friends. They later met when Lari, the first skater to compete at the international level in a hijab, came to the United States to train and visited Davis in Los Angeles, where she lives.
“Although we are from different generations and practice different religions and live on different continents, we share a truly treasured bond,” Davis says.
Davis had her own “not yet” experience when she visited the United Arab Emirates recently to launch the book with Lari at the Emirates Festival of Literature. That country was founded not long before Davis wrote about it for a school project as a fourth-grader at Milton Academy. The same year, she also wrote an assignment for school about what she might do when she grew up. Someday, she imagined, she might become a children’s book author.
This Strange Eventful History
CLAIRE MESSUD ’83
W.W. NORTON & COMPANY
Inspired by the memoir of her grandfather, novelist Claire Messud ’83 has crafted an epic tale of the Cassar family, from their origins as pieds-noirs—people of French descent living in colonized Algeria—through multiple generations who settle around the world in the aftermath of Algerian independence. The book begins with young François writing to his father, Gaston, a French naval attaché, to notify him that the Germans have crossed the gates of Paris in June 1940. The story proceeds chronologically through 2010, with each chapter focusing on a different character: in addition to François and Gaston, François’ Canadian wife, Barbara; his sister, Denise; and daughter, Chloe. Their family, “a colonial product,” as Gaston reminds them, experiences heartache, conflict, and displacement. The novel ends in an epilogue featuring Gaston and his future wife, Lucienne, a new couple who “believe as much in their country as in their love,” committed to building their life in Algeria while sharing a secret about their relationship. The year is 1927, when the memoir of Messud’s grandfather begins.
The Hollow Parties: The Many Pasts and Disordered Present of American Party Politics
DANIEL SCHLOZMAN ’99 AND SAM ROSENFELD
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS
Though political parties were once deeply rooted in everyday civic life in America, they now fail to engender trust and loyalty or provide meaning to most Americans, argue DANIEL SCHLOZMAN ’99 and Sam Rosenfeld, professors of political science at Johns Hopkins University and Colgate University, respectively. The diminishment of the parties began in the 1970s, when U.S. politics was reshaped by neoliberalism and party polarization, they write; since then, “a hollowed-out Democratic Party has been rendered listless by conflicting actors and a hollowed-out Republican Party pulled to radicalism by committed actors.” They trace the history of party politics starting in the 1830s with the growth of Jacksonian Democrats and the 1850s founding of the Republican Party, which in fighting the Civil War showed how parties can be transformative. The book also covers the visions of party that emerged after the New Deal, the Democratic Party since Ronald Reagan’s inauguration, and the Republican Party from Newt Gingrich to Donald Trump. The authors conclude by offering recommendations for party renewal to help meet the crises of our time.
Wicked Marigold
CAROLINE CARLSON ’02
CANDLEWICK PRESS
It’s not easy to be a child born after a perfectly good sibling, particularly a sibling whose “laugh could coax strawberries to ripeness.” It gets even worse when that sibling was kidnapped before you were born, and you are regaled with stories about the singular delights of the missing older sister you’ve never met while knowing that your smile has no effect on any plants in the garden. Such is the dilemma of Princess Marigold, the main character in a new book by CAROLINE CARLSON ’02, the author of several humorous fantasy books for young readers. Marigold’s life is upended when she is 11 and her sister, Princess Rosalind, returns to the kingdom after escaping from the evil wizard who kidnapped her. Rosalind is as perfect as advertised, annoying Marigold so much that she dumps a bucket of water on her sister’s head during an exuberant celebration of her return. When a royal steward calls Marigold a wicked child, Marigold decides she belongs with the wicked wizard, and readers will discover whether she is right.
Cemetery Citizens: Reclaiming the Past and Working for Justice in American Burial Grounds
ADAM ROSENBLATT
’96
STANFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
Marginalized cemeteries—burial grounds that have been neglected and degraded—are places of structural violence and systemic vandalism, impacting both the dead and the living communities connected with them,” writes ADAM ROSENBLATT ’96. Typically, he notes, those buried there were also marginalized in life, subject to racism and inequality. In his book, he spotlights people whom he calls cemetery citizens, who seek to reclaim the sanctity of the grounds and those buried there. Rosenblatt, a professor in international comparative studies and cultural anthropology at Duke University, focuses on three cemeteries: Geer, East End, and Mount Moriah, revealing their history and what drove them into decline. The book features interviews with cemetery citizens whose work ranges from the physical labor of making headstones that have sunk into the soil visible again to researching the stories of the dead. Through their efforts, they are creating new forms of public space and addressing overlooked injustice, he writes: “Cemetery citizens are concerned with righting wrongs that impact both the living and the dead, with restoring places and dignity. But they also make the dead matter in new ways.”
Tough Broad: From Boogie Boarding to Wing Walking― How Outdoor
Adventure Improves Our Lives as We Age
CAROLINE PAUL ’81 BLOOMSBURY PUBLISHING
In her previous book, The Gutsy Girl, CAROLINE PAUL ’81 encouraged girls to tap their bravery and pursue outdoor adventure for their fulfillment. In her new book, she is offering that message to the women who could be their mothers, grandmothers, or even great-grandmothers. Through stories of her own experiences and those of other women whose activities belie the stereotypes of their age and gender, the author contends that adventure “is within the reach of almost anyone, in spite of the differences in our physical, fiscal, and social situations.” She profiles women such as a 52-year-old who does BASE jumping (similar to skydiving but without the plane) whose derring-do includes an illegal jump off Yosemite’s El Capitan; an 80-year-old scuba diver; and a woman in remission from cancer who tries wing-walking on a flying plane for the first time at age 71. Paul also highlights the benefits of learning something new and embracing “disequilibrium,” exemplified by a woman who at age 59 overcomes a lifelong fear of swimming. There is greater peril in a sedentary life without challenges, she writes, than in an adventurous life.
Pay as You Go
ESKOR DAVID JOHNSON ’07 MCSWEENEY’S
The goal of Slide, the main character in the debut novel of ESKOR DAVID JOHNSON ’07, is deceptively simple: find a place to live— not just to exist but to truly live. “Where the floor underneath was a fertile ground for the planting of a soul,” he writes. “Somewhere to anchor myself against the winds of life, an end to all drifting, to wait out harsh tides and take stock of my cargo of hopes.” Slide’s quest to find his place in the fictional city of Polis (a kind of surrealistic version of New York, where the author lives) leads him to encounters with hoodlums and a litany of strange and shady characters. He eventually discovers “a Polis separate from the rest of Polis,” where laughing women play croquet, dogs wear luxurious coats, and coffee shops have 68 kinds of beans. But is it a place he can call home? Johnson, a native of Trinidad and Tobago, graduated from the prestigious Iowa Writers’ Workshop and was shortlisted for the Center for Fiction 2023 First Novel Prize.
1981
CAROLINE PAUL published Tough Broad in March 2024 (see pg. 63). The book is a celebration of strong, resilient women who defy societal expectations. Through compelling narratives and insightful reflections, she highlights the courage and determination of women who have made a significant impact.
1982
SOPHIA MARSHALL has published 50 poetry books since she started transitioning as a transgender woman. The poetry is about women and becoming a woman, nature, the city, and music. The books are available on Amazon.
JULIA (SHEPARD) STENZEL participated in Milton Academy’s TEDx event at the end of 2023. She loved being back on campus and sharing her perspective on how to navigate success on your own terms. She currently lives in northern California and is a life coach.
1983
ADRIENNE “RENNIE” BRODEUR is the executive director of Aspen Words, a literary nonprofit and program of the Aspen Institute. Her new novel, Little Monsters, is a bestseller and out
1991
JOHN AVLON (with his wife, Margaret Hoover) left CNN, where he’d been an anchor and senior political analyst, to run for Congress, winning New York’s 1st Congressional District democratic primary race this past June. Avlon was Milton’s Graduation speaker in 2023. To learn more about his campaign, visit johnavlon.com.
in paperback, and her memoir, Wild Game, is in development for a Netflix film. She moved back to Massachusetts five years ago, where she is enjoying connecting with many of her Milton classmates.
CLAIRE MESSUD published
This Strange Eventful History: A Novel in May 2024 (see pg. 62). Head of School ALIXE CALLEN ’88 says, “As a long-time Claire Messud fan, I am always excited to dig into her new work, and This Strange Eventful History does not disappoint. Drawn from stories of Messud’s own family, the novel is both sweeping and intimate—shedding light on important (and often untold) aspects of 20th-century history, while also delving deeply into the lives of her characters. The engrossing narrative is enriched
by Messud’s characteristically stunning prose.”
GWENNA (TONCRE) WILLIAMSON and her husband, Randy, moved to West Chester, Pennslyvania, after 17 years in Connecticut. The new digs are closer to extended family in Delaware and to their son, Zach (Princeton ’24). Downsizing is not for the faint of heart, but Gwenna says the move makes her feel 20 years younger. Less stuff means more time for life!
1984
EVELYN “LYN” (SWETT) MILLER is excited to celebrate the first anniversary of her newsletter, 13 Tons of Love. It is an ongoing visual “conversation” in which a midlife photographer explores
the wonders of transformation and renewal at the convergence of compost, climate, and creativity. Check it out at 13tons oflove.substack.com.
1985
40TH REUNION, JUNE 13–14
ELIZABETH “LIZ” DAVIS is a recipient of the 2024 Disability and Disasters Award, which is presented annually by the Natural Hazards Center and supports people with disabilities working in disasters, along with those who care for, study, or advocate in behalf of those with disabilities. The award was presented this past July in Colorado during the Natural Hazards Workshop and the Researchers or Practitioners Meetings. Additionally, Elizabeth has been appointed to the editorial
board of the Palgrave series in disaster science and emergency management. She will serve as a subject matter expert in disabilities and disasters and will edit, write, and mentor others in producing state-of-the-art volumes for students, academics, and practitioners.
1989
HADLEY (DAVIS) RIERSON published Not Yet: The Story of an Unstoppable Skater in February 2024 (see pg. 62). Rierson’s inspiring story chronicles the journey of a determined skater who overcomes numerous obstacles to achieve her dreams. This memoir is a testament to perseverance and resilience, resonating deeply with anyone facing their own challenges.
1990
35TH REUNION, JUNE 13–14
ALEXIS GREEVES got to catch up with EMILY FRANKLIN , SETH REYNOLDS , SAMANTHA “SAM” (ALLEN) ADAMS , DAVID “CUTTER” KIMBALL , ALEX TAYLOR , DAVID ZUG, JR. , JASPAUL “PAUL” SINGH , AMY SALTONSTAL, TANIA RODRIGUEZ , and ANDREW “ANDY” WELCH in April. It was such fun to see everyone! In June, Alexis had a great time seeing ANDREW “ANDY” WIEMEYER and AUGUST ERIKSMOEN in Duxbury for their annual summer get-together.
1991
DEBORAH “DEBI” CORNWALL was thrilled to catch up with AMY HAMILL and DANA
WILLIAMS this past summer. Debi marked 10 years after stepping away from a first career as a civil-rights lawyer by launching her third photography book, Model Citizens, which will also be on view as a multimedia exhibition at the Rencontres d’Arles festival in France through September 30.
1993
JESSICA “JESS” (HAYNES) MCDANIEL’s business, Boston Baby Photos, hit the 20-year milestone last year. She wanted to use her years of experience to help young parents change the way they use their phones to photograph their toddlers, so she launched “Iconic Set” by Boston Baby Photos. This past summer, she launched
the “Summer Iconic,” which was her first course. There were three fun summer challenges for parents of one-to two-yearold toddlers, resulting in three perfect iconic photos that told the story of this summer. In the fall of 2024, Jess is launching her “Iconic Photo Monthly,” which will be an inexpensive monthly subscription for parents of one-and two-yearolds. It is based on the same idea—that you should take just one iconic, perfect photo every month of your toddler. Learn more at www.iconicset.com.
1994
ANDREW BONNEY was appointed chief operating officer of Cape Air, which flies 98 commuter planes in 32 niche markets in the Northeast, the Caribbean, the Midwest, and Montana. Andrew is a line-qualified first officer for the airline and might be your pilot on your next flight to Nantucket or Martha’s Vineyard!
MARY LISIO gathered with many classmates to celebrate the life of KATHRYN “KATE” (DUNTON) MIDDLETON, who had passed away suddenly the week prior. Kate started at Milton in the 7th grade and had an impact on so many. While incredibly sad and tragic, there was great comfort in being with fellow alumni JESSE BAER, LARA (MARTIN) ARMITAGE, ELISABETH
“BETSY” CARNIE, ELIZABETH “LIZ” DUNN, IAN ZILLA, SARAH SCHECHTER, IAN BURNES, HEIDI A. BAER ’92,
Jessica “Jess” (Haynes) McDaniels ’93
□ TRIBUTE LASANDRA “SANDI” HANNIBAL (1943–2024)
In Memoriam
1940–1949
John C. Robinson ’49*
1950–1959
Elizabeth Boyd Stevens ’50
Stephen P. Endlar ’52
Sidney C. Graves, Jr. ’54
Cynthia Hallowell ’54
Augusta C. Stewart ’54
Sam Jewell ’55
Benjamin B. Baker ’57
Peter A. Jay ’58
Eliza Kellogg Klose ’58
Arthur H. Weed ’59
1960–1969
Timothy Yeatman Hayward ’60
Edward M. Guild, Jr. ’63
Susan Davidson ’64
William B. Gamble ’69
1970–1979
Elizabeth L. Culver ’73
1980-1989
Robert B. Oliver, Jr. ’80
Gavin R. Curran ’86
1990-1999
Kathryn L. Middleton ’94
Faculty and Staff
Jean Clark
Randall J. McCutcheon
Allan O’Toole
Juan Ramos
John C. Robinson ’49*
Barbara Smith
* FORMER TRUSTEE
ALUMNI, FACULTY, AND STAFF WHO PASSED JANUARY 1, 2024-JUNE 30, 2024. TO NOTIFY US OF A DEATH, PLEASE CONTACT THE DEVELOPMENT AND ALUMNI RELATIONS OFFICE AT ALUMNI@ MILTON.EDU OR 617-898-2447.
“An eloquent, forcefully persuasive advocate … for every individual”
BY NANCY FENSTEMACHER, DOTTIE PITT, AND ANNETTE RAPHEL
It is perhaps most fitting that friends rise to the occasion of sharing some of Sandi Hannibal’s story as storytelling was one of her most cherished values and talents in nurturing community. Sandi’s legacy goes beyond spellbinding assemblies and performances. She enriched the lives of her students, their families, and her colleagues by sharing her wisdom and asking impactful questions in inviting and thoughtful ways. Perhaps most obviously, she cared about supporting diversity in our school , which had not yet realized its legitimate commitment. For many of her Lower School colleagues, Sandi helped us take our first steps toward realizing and addressing issues around diversity. She cared about empowering young children to be curious, respectful, creative, independent, and authentic. Few educators manage to marry intelligence, respect for skills, and insistence on the contribution of the arts as well as Sandi did. Diminutive in size, with extraordinarily expressive hands, a ready and captivating smile, a dry sense of humor, a gorgeous melodious voice, and a love of her community (because of and despite its imperfections), Sandi was an exceptional colleague, a generous mentor, devoted friend, and extraordinary visionary. Her contributions to Milton are just a part of her amazing legacy.
Her time at Milton gave Sandi the perfect foundation to understand the intersection of constructivism and rigor that impacted so many schools beyond Milton. Sandi and her husband, Rev. Canon Preston B. Hannibal, were founding board members of the Epiphany School in Boston. She served on the boards of Bel-
became the Lower School Librarian and assistant director of multicultural and ethical education at the Norwood School in Bethesda, MD.
In 2003, when Preston was called by the diocese in Washington D.C., with a charge of pursuing “academic ministries,” in his portfolio was the initial idea for starting a high school for underserved youth in the city’s poorest Wards 7 and 8. In 2006, when the idea was formally being discussed, Sandi strongly favored it and successfully persuaded the founding board, of which she had become a member, to create an elementary school for boys, beginning their educational experience with impactful learning that would last a lifetime. She advocated for “a school in which children had access to books, and the BEST teachers, and music and art,” and hands-on experiential activities “pulled to -
er School mission and practice and worked to see it fulfilled in the Bishop Walker School, which opened in 2008 with a class of 13 four-year-old pre-K African American boys. Today the Bishop Walker School has just celebrated its 15th anniversary. Sandi’s impact at BWS touched students, faculty, staff, and parents. You may view extraordinary interviews with Sandi and Preston on the founding of the Bishop Walker School on YouTube.
To the end of her life, Sandi was an eloquent, forcefully persuasive advocate for the worth of—and the best possible educational experience for—every individual. In true form, she endured her final illness with fortitude and grace. She is survived by her husband, Preston, daughter ANIKA ’90, son MATTHEW ’95, and daughter ALEXANDRA ’02
JESSICA “JESS” (HAYNES) MCDANIEL ’93, ANDREW “ANDY” TOPKINS, WILLIAM “WILL” COLEMAN, JR., DOUGLAS “DOUG” CHAVEZ ’93, BRADLEY “BRAD” MITCHELL, DEVON (WHITE) ANGELINI, VANESSA (HYNES)
TAYLOR, ALLISON “ALI” (GOLDKAMP)
KEEL, JOHN SERAFINI, JEFFREY “JEFF” KURSON, HILLARY S. LOMBARD, ELIZABETH (PERKINS)
WILDER, and MOLLIE (NELSON)
WEBSTER. They heard from many friends and classmates who were unable to attend, and all are keeping Kate’s husband, Pat, and children, Sophie and Joe, in their thoughts. May her memory be a blessing to us all. Mary hopes to see you at the next reunion and shares, “There will be an after-party in Kate’s honor, and it will be epic!”
JOSHUA “JOSH” NASH started a new role as the chief of staff for the developer division at Microsoft just before his 15th anniversary at the company. Then, on the same day in June, his daughter, Hannah, graduated from the University of Washington (UW), and his son, Jonah, graduated from Milton! Jonah will be attending UW in the fall. And during the same week, Josh and his wife, Erica, celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary!
1995
30TH REUNION, JUNE 13–14
PAUL COSTELLO’s daughter, Elsie, is now 20 months old. She’s a little nature lover, and they are excited to be heading to Vermont this summer for Paul’s 30-year Mountain School Reunion.
Milton Academy Board of Trustees 2023-2024
Claire D. Hughes Johnson ’90 P ’24 ’27
Bradley M. Bloom P ’06 ’08
James M. Fitzgibbons ’52 P ’87 ’90 ’93
Franklin W. Hobbs IV ’65 P ’98
Peter Kagan ‘86
David Cappillo P ’20 ‘24 ‘26
David B. Brewster ’90 P ‘25
Jason Dillow ‘97
Rana El-Kaliouby P ’21 ‘27
Shadi Farokhzad P ’23 ‘25
Yeng Felipe Butler ’92 P ’25 ’33
John B. Fitzgibbons ’87
Lamont Gordon ‘87
Sonu Kalra P ’23 ’26 ’28
Molly King
Ravi Mallela P ’22 ‘24
John D. McEvoy ’82 P ’19 ’20 ’25
Meika Neblett ‘90
Osaremen Okolo ‘13
Thomas R. Reardon, Jr. ‘92 P ‘26 ‘28
Gene Reilly ’79 P ’10 ’12
Hendrick Sin P ‘23 ‘25 ‘27
Gabriel Sunshine P ’22 ’24
Patrick Tsang ’90 P ‘27 ‘27
Justin Walsh ‘99
Caleb J. Weinstein P’26
Helen Zhu P’25
President Milton MA
Emeritus Wellesley MA
Emeritus Washington, DC MA
Emeritus New York NY
Treasurer New York NY
Secretary Wellesley MA
Cambridge MA
Greenwich CT
Milton MA
Chestnut Hill MA
Milton MA
Bronxville NY
Cranston RI
Milton MA
Wellesley MA
Moraga CA
Milton MA
Lincroft NJ
Cambridge MA
Cohasset MA
Delray Beach FL
Hong Kong
Boston MA
Hong Kong
New York NY
London UK
Hong Kong
1996
CHRISTIAN O’TOOLE moved his parents out of their 35-year home on Reedsdale Road in Milton to a new home at Fuller Village. Christian currently works as a video producer and editor for the nonprofit organization, Comic Relief US (CRUS), which just celebrated 10 years of their signature fundraising campaign Red Nose Day in the United States. Christian’s short documentary film about CRUS grantee-partner Blaze Sports, a sports program for disabled young athletes, was featured on a prime-time NBC broadcast to celebrate the 10year anniversary and was introduced by skateboarding legend Tony Hawk.
SAMUEL PHINNEY lives in Denver and works as a busy general surgeon. He is always looking to reconnect with former classmates in town or on the ski hills.
ADAM ROSENBLATT published Cemetery Citizens: Reclaiming the Past and Working for Justice in American Burial Grounds in April 2024 (see pg. 63.)
1998
KATHERINE COCHRANE’s debut romance novel, Wake Up, Nat & Darcy, will be published in November 2024.
THOMAS “TOMMY” VIETOR, JR. coauthored Democracy or Else: How to Save America in 10
Easy Steps, which was published in June. He coauthored the book with the cohosts of his podcast, Pod Save America. The podcast hosts went on tour during the summer of 2024.
SEBASTIAN MEYER recently settled down with his wife and two kids in western Massachusetts after 15 years covering foreign affairs as a photojournalist. Sebastian just completed his master’s in social work at Boston University and is working as a medical social worker in the emergency department at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Massachusetts. Thanks to his years at Milton, he feels that he has been able to embrace his new home in New England with the zeal of the converted and has even started making his own maple syrup… while wearing buffalo plaid, obviously!
1999
DANIEL “DAN” SCHLOZMAN co-authored The Hollow Parties: The Many Pasts and Disordered Present of American Party Politics (Princeton Studies in American Politics), which was published in May 2024 (see pg. 62).
2000
25TH REUNION, JUNE 13–14
MIJI LEE gave birth to her first child, Ethan Jinwoo Lee, on March 27, 2024.
1998 ANAMARIA “ANA” DE LA CRUZ released her debut album, Gone. You can find Anamaria’s music and stories behind the music on her Instagram, @anamariadelacruz.
2002
CAROLINE CARLSON published Wicked Marigold in July 2024 (see pg. 63). It was named one of People magazine’s Most-Anticipated Summer Books!
2005
20TH REUNION, JUNE 13–14
CATHERINE BUZNEY feels grateful to have found a satisfying and rewarding career in anesthesiology and currently works at a community hospital outside Boston, specializing in regional anesthesia and acute pain pro-
cedures for patients undergoing surgery, along with anesthesia for labor and delivery/obstetrics patients. After completing medical school and a residency program in anesthesiology at Tufts Medical Center, she relocated to Manhattan for a regional and acute pain fellowship at the Hospital for Special Surgery. She and her husband, Jake Housman, subsequently returned to Boston, where they settled outside the city and have since welcomed their son, James, who is nearly 19 months old and greatly enjoys visiting his mom at the hospital! Catherine is still playing the violin and nostalgic for the days of playing with
CATHERINE BUZNEY ‘05 WITH HUSBAND JAKE HOUSMAN AND SON JAMES.
the Milton Academy Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra under Dr. Don Dregalla, and singing with the Milton Chamber Singers and Octet with Ted Whalen and Louise Mundinger, most notably on their tours to Ireland and Hawaii! She maintains close contact with numerous friends from Milton and deeply cherishes the exceptional academic and social foundation that Milton provided.
ELISE LOCKAMY-KASSIM was named the inaugural Community Outreach Champion of the Year by the Atlanta Business Chronicle. Elise leads the Wellstar Health System Community Health Department and Center for Health Equity, where she drives the alignment of programs, partnerships, and policies with the needs of medically underserved communities.
2007
TIM FIFIELD and JOCELYN
“JOCIE” FIFIELD (The Mountain School S ’08) have seen a few classmates recently. They ran into MARTHA TUTTLE and her lovely young family on Long Island. They took a walk with GABRIEL “GABE” GERSHENFELD and his wife in the Arnold Arboretum, and they are 99 percent sure they saw CHARLES “CHARLIE” POSNER at Larz Anderson Park. Obviously, they take every chance to visit SARAH EBERT and her wife and young son up in Portland. Lastly, they welcomed their second child, Colette, into the world this past June.
2007 ESKOR DAVID JOHNSON came back to Centre Street in May to spend the day visiting creative writing classes and also, at night, hosted a reading, Q&A, and signing for his novel, Pay As You Go (see pg. 63).
ANNA “ANNIE” LAVIGNE continues at Johns Hopkins after joining the faculty of the Department of Radiation Oncology and Radiation Sciences in July 2023. Previously at Johns Hopkins, she served as the chief resident (2022–2023) and graduated from radiation oncology residency. She developed, launched, and now leads the department and institution’s first dedicated palliative radiation service, named PRISM (Palliative Radiation in Supportive Medicine), while also treating breast cancer as a member of the Hopkins Breast Group.
TINA NGUYEN published her book, The MAGA Diaries: My Surreal Adventures Inside the Right-Wing (And How I Got Out), in January 2024.
FRANK SMITH IV had his LGBTQIA+ comedy series, Open to It, premiere on Canadian cable channel and U.S. streaming service OUTtv this year! The show features several famous queens from RuPaul’s Drag Race. In June, Frank released a pride special, “Open to Drag Queen Story Hour.” The episode is about a drag queen story hour getting interrupted by protesters, with our heroes fighting back to defend the rights of trans and non-binary people to exist and create freely. RuPaul’s Drag
Race queens Laganja Estranja, Pandora Boxx, and Honey Davenport are featured, along with the globetrotting deaf drag queen duo, the Deafies in Drag. Watch at opentoitseries.com.
2010
15TH REUNION, JUNE 13–14
CAMERON PARSONS married Rose Park in a ceremony near their home in Nashville on June 22, 2024.
2012
MOLLY GILMORE and CHRISTOPHER “CHRIS” LEWIS ’15 may have met for the first time officially when they both began their roles in admissions at Milton; however, their love story extends further back. They missed each other as students at Milton by one summer; when Chris enrolled as a repeat sophomore in the fall of 2012, Molly was beginning college. But Chris was a familiar and friendly face to the whole Gilmore family long before Chris and Molly met! He struck up a close friendship with his classmate and Molly’s brother, ROBERT “BOBBY” GILMORE ’15, when they were co-captains of the track and field team their senior year. Chris spent time at Molly’s parents’ house in the
summer after Chris and Bobby graduated, although Molly was still away at college. The values and love for Milton that Molly and Chris share organically brought them back to campus, and they celebrated their third wedding anniversary in June 2024. They enjoy living in Hathaway House today, a familiar area of campus because Molly and Chris lived in Hathaway and Goodwin, respectively.
2013
OLIVIA ATWOOD is currently on a world tour with her one-woman show, Faking It, only slightly less well-known than the Eras Tour She’s been traveling to theater and comedy festivals across the globe, where she has received rave reviews and award nominations. She was in Edinburgh in August 2024 and has her sights set on an Australia leg of the tour in 2025.
2015
10TH REUNION, JUNE 13–14
CAROLINE WALL published two articles this year! “‘The Realm of Our Invention’: On the Role of Parody in Nietzsche’s Thought” was a peer-reviewed paper included in the March 2024 issue of The Journal of Nietzsche Studies, while “The Good of Grappling: A View From Ethics on What BJJ Adds To Our Lives” came out in Jits. Magazine in June.
2020 5TH REUNION, JUNE 13–14
NWOTQ*
*Newlyweds on the Quad ALUMNI WEDDINGS
L-R: Milton faculty member Tarim Chung, HSUAN WEI MATTHEW “MATT” CHEN ’12, HAEJUN “BRIAN” CHO ’13, HEYNA “HANNAH” CHO ’10, Milton faculty member Lisa Baker, ADELINE “ADDIE” OURSLER ’12, HAEYEON “TINA” CHO ’12, ANDY ZHANG ’12, former Milton faculty member Anne Neely, former Milton faculty member Douglas C. Fricke, ANNA CHILDRESS ’12, and AKANSHU SRIVASTAV ’12
HAEYEON “TINA” CHO’12 and ANDY ZHANG ’12 got married in New York City in October 2023. Former Milton faculty member Anne Neely officiated at their wedding. Many Milton friends were in attendance.
JAMES OLIVER ’13 and MICHAELA BRICKLEY ’15 got married on June 8, 2024. They began dating at Milton in 2013 and have been together since (over 11 years). Stangs forever!
THOMAS ENGLIS ’12 and Claire Quintrell were married at Half Mile Farm, in Highlands, North Carolina, on September 23, 2023. Milton friends in attendance included MADELEINE ENGLIS ’06, ALEXANDRA ENGLIS ’08, TETSUHIRO “TETSU” HIGUCHI, DYLAN BRENNAN, MATTHEW LEBOVITZ, Jack Platts, and Paul In. Thomas and Claire reside in San Francisco, where Thomas is a principal at Clearvision Ventures and Claire works for Anthropic.
MARY “MAGGIE” BLAND ’14 married Eleanor Ross on June 8, 2024, in Milton, Massachusetts.
L-R: Maggie’s parents, former head of school Todd Bland and Nancy Bland, EMILY BLAND ‘14, Eleanor Ross, MARY “MAGGIE” BLAND ‘14, Phylly Bland, NICHOLAS “NICK” BLAND ’13, and James Bland.
At a school dance at Milton in 2013.
NKOTQ*
*New Kids on the Quad ALUMNI FAMILIES & THEIR LATEST ADDITIONS
MADELEINE MURRAY ’08 and her husband, Danny, celebrated the birth of their daughter, Loretta, in early May.
ROBERT “ROB” WOODHOUSE ’08 and his wife, Kristina, welcomed their daughter, Ana Nightingale Woodhouse, in late November 2023!
NATALIE (MCCORMACK) RICHARDS ’00 and her husband, Jonathan Richards, welcomed a second son, Nathaniel Alfred Richards, born on July 4. Natalie also launched a boutique real estate brokerage and advisory firm, McCormack Richards Real Estate Advisors, in Brooklyn, New York.
Never does one realize how unnaturally and intentionally the persistent residential segregation of our region is extended by contemporary policy decisions than when you try to help families and seniors find homes they can afford.
Sometimes I wonder if it would help if we talked less about “units” and more about “homes.” What “character” of a neighborhood matters more than welcoming the vibrant life that people from every stage of life can bring to it? Is there anything less natural than communities with no place at all for even a double-earner median-income family raising kids, or an elder on a fixed income, or a person with disabilities who wants to live independently but close to relatives, or the 20-somethings who grew up down the street but can’t now stay? When I think of what I hope today’s Milton Academy students will have enough life experience to learn, it is this: All our communities are made up of people, each one of whom starts as a dependent child and hopes to end up as a retired elder, and for those people to thrive at every stage of life, we need decent, safe, affordable buildings for them to live in. p
KENZIE BOK ’07 IS THE ADMINISTRATOR & CEO OF THE BOSTON HOUSING AUTHORITY.
Homes for People
AS HOUSING PRICES SOAR IN URBAN AREAS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE TO PROTECT THE CITIES’ LOW-INCOME RESIDENTS AND THE VIBRANT LIFE THAT DIVERSE COMMUNITIES OFFER, SAYS BOSTON HOUSING AUTHORITY HEAD KENZIE BOK ’07 .
Each day as I arrive into work at the Boston Housing Authority, I’m greeted by a sign with the face of a smiling public housing resident and the words: “We are people, not buildings.” Sometimes the sign makes me chuckle to myself, as so much of what takes up my day is buildings: repairing roofs and elevators on a shoestring budget, retrofitting heating systems to be fossil-fuel-free, financing redevelopment of old structures, or determining where in the City of Boston we could build new affordable units. But if I could print many thousands of copies of that sign and hang it everywhere in America, I would.
I like to say that I run the most important public institution in Boston. Those could be fighting words in a city so proud of our public institutions— the home of America’s first public library, first public school, first public park, first public transit system (admittedly creaking with age!). But my point is that we could make all Boston’s other public goods as sparkling and high-quality as we like, and the accomplishment would mean little if we had locked all the people who most benefit from those public goods out of the city due to a lack of affordable housing. Cities are concentrators of opportunities, jobs, and public services; they should never become playgrounds only for those who have already won life’s lotteries.
We are lucky in Boston to have built public housing at its zenith, when the program had the momentum to take hold in every neighborhood. Among America’s cities, we are unusual in how spread out and well-located that housing is: from Charlestown to the South End, East
Boston to Dorchester, Roxbury to Roslindale. This history means that, whereas other housing authorities in America struggle to break into exclusive enclaves of opportunity, much of our task within the Boston city limits is to endure. These days, a high proportion of the families raising kids in Brighton live in our housing, because families can no longer out-compete students for the area’s market housing stock. The seniors able to stay in South Boston live in our housing. The average income of Jamaica Plain, which has
“What ‘character’ of a neighborhood matters more than welcoming the vibrant life that people from every stage of life can bring to it? ”
increased immensely over the past two decades, would be stratospheric were it not for our housing. To know the people who live in our buildings is to love them: kids who are curious and funny and kind, elders who have nurtured the communities they now just want to be able to stay and age in, parents who are feverishly seeking jobs good enough to cover the cost of childcare.
For those who think of public housing as moribund, I like to remind them that the market has come up with no other way to keep a place for these low-income community members in our city; we are still relying on the buildings we built 70 or 80 years ago. And there are 42,000 families on our waitlist. That’s why it means so much that Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has used city funds to back an ambitious program of renovations and green retrofits in our public housing buildings, along with the construction of 3,000 additional units over the next decade.
Many of the people on that overlong waitlist, however, are not just from Boston proper: They also hail from hundreds of surrounding towns. And even as we make these investments in Boston, we continue to see those suburbs turn a cold shoulder to creating the housing these families and seniors so desperately need. As a housing authority that administers vouchers usable throughout the region, we made a major change five years ago to allow those vouchers to pay enough for participants to access pricier suburban towns. That gave a lot more households a lot more options, but usually only where the towns have permitted multifamily dwellings.
Milton Now. Milton Forever.
Did you know you can make a gift to Milton that can bring you tax benefits while making a sustained impact on the school? And did you know that same gift can be made today or set up to leave a lasting legacy in the future?
Consider making a gift through your Individual Retirement Account (IRA)—an easy way to make a gift that benefits both you and the Milton community.
Today
If you’re 70½ or older, you can direct a gift of up to $105,000 per year to Milton directly from your IRA as a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD). Your QCD can support your favorite Milton Fund priority, such as financial aid or the student experience, while reducing your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) for the year (for those over 72), and it’s a taxfree withdrawal.
Tomorrow
Designating Milton as a beneficiary of your retirement account makes it easy to have an outsized impact on your school—at any age! If you care deeply about Milton, a legacy gift through your retirement account is a quick way to show just how much the Milton experience means to you. What’s more, when you designate your gift to the Milton Fund, you will ensure the school can support the people, programs, and spaces that make a Milton education exceptional.
“I feel a deep gratitude to Milton for my six years there, and giving to Milton produces ‘more bang for the buck’ than contributing to the larger institutions I support. Plus, giving through my IRA beats paying the appropriate taxes.”
—David H. Ehrlich ’54
Get started on making your personal impact on Milton today.
Visit our website or contact us to explore the many ways you can make your impact on Milton and learn how your retirement plan can benefit Milton’s students and faculty today, tomorrow, and forever.
Signe Lindberg, CFRE Director of Planned Giving
signe_lindberg@milton.edu
617-898-2376
plannedgiving.milton.edu/give-from-your-ira
to give.
“We have this family motto: It’s better to roll down the hill than walk up it.”
ALLAN JEAN-BAPTISTE ’08 CO-FOUNDER OF ANSA, A VENTURE CAPITAL FIRM. (SEE PAGE 24)
