Milton Magazine, Fall 2018 by Milton Academy

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2018

MiltonMagazine

M I LT O N M A G A Z I N E

milton.edu

/MiltonAcademy1798

@Milton_Academy @miltonacademy

ta ble of contents

Features

Departments

Playing for Real After playing Division I soccer at Columbia, and working in global markets at Morgan Stanley, Beverly Leon ’10 signed with professional teams in Iceland, Italy and England. What she learned from “following an unconventional passion” is fueling her career today.

10 Coaxing Pinot Noir to Be Its Best Self The Sonoma winery that Web Marquez ’97 and his two partners started in 2004 has attracted attention across the country. Web is happiest when the wines he produces each year clearly reflect the particular qualities of their different vineyards.

14 Handmade: How Bunny Merrill ’79 Turned Crafting into a Career With the inspiration triggered by a gift, and the help of her well-loved goats, Bunny Mauran Merrill developed Elmore Mountain Farm Soap Works.

18 A Friend of Foodies, Bruce Shaw Knows the Trends Bruce Shaw ’70 and co-founder Adam Salamone tweaked the business incubator model to support entrepreneurs at the intersection of food and technology. Bruce is both mentor and investor in a lively business sector.

22 What’s Fun, From Your Point of View? Nine Milton students explain how their “free time” pursuits bring them stress relief, laughter, peace and a sense of accomplishment.

32 If Only… Second Graders Try Persuasion Seven year olds ply their most convincing techniques, persuading their parents to grant an important request.

36 Commencement 2018

Across the Quad

53 Retiring Faculty, Staff and Trustees

A Master Class in Make-Believe

60 On Centre 48 Classroom 64 Faculty Perspective

Character Study: Students View Classic

66 Sports

Works Through Many Lenses

68 Messages 50 In Sight 73 Class Notes

Photograph by Michael Dwyer

76 Board of Trustees 52 Head of School Should Milton Mirror the Intensity Around Us?

92 Post Script Comics and More

by Todd B. Bland

Editor Cathleen Everett Associate Editors Jennifer Anderson Marisa Donelan Liz Matson Design Stoltze Design

Photography Doug Austin Michael Dwyer John Gillooly Kjeld Mahoney Photography Evan Scales Joby Sessions Stephen Smith Greg White

Milton Magazine is published twice a year by Milton Academy. Editorial and business offices are located at Milton Academy, where change-ofaddress 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, 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, national or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship programs, and athletic or other School-administered activities. Printed on recycled paper.

40 Reunion Weekend

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M I LT O N M A G A Z I N E

WEBSTER MARQUEZ ’97

Having Fun How does fun figure in your life? Finding joy in the pursuit of an activity, or a craft or a skill, is valuable beyond its short-term pleasure. Play, even when itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s actually hard work, profoundly affects emotional balance, self-esteem, competency and drive. Play is a vital resource for successful people. In this issue, Milton Magazine brings stories about alumni ventures that have been labors of love. An observer might think their work looks like fun. Driven by a particular passion, these alumni end up pursuing creative work that is as challenging as it is rewarding. We ask Milton students, as well, to describe how they find fun in their busy, committed lives.

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acro s s t h e qua d

A Master Class in Make-Believe The playwright who wrote the lyrics and book of Shrek the Musical took in Milton’s performance of the show last spring — and there’s no bad seat in the Ruth King Theatre. Afterward, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Lindsay-Abaire ’88 answered plenty of questions from cast and crew, and let them in on aspects of his career in the performing arts. Here’s a sample. Q: What inspired you to write Shrek the Musical?

Q: What shows did you do when you were here?

A: I wrote a play called Fuddy Meers and when it opened

A: We did Arms and the Man. I played the Friar in Romeo

in the West End of London, it was produced by Sam

and Juliet. The Class IV play was A History of the American

Mendes, who is a well-known film director. It was his idea

Film, a musical by Christopher Durang. I then went on to

to turn [the 2000 film] Shrek into a musical. He went to

read all of Christopher Durang’s plays and tried to steal his

Dreamworks and said, ‘I want David Lindsay-Abaire to

style. Then, when I got into Juilliard, Chris Durang was my

write it because his sense of humor is so weird and absurd.’

teacher. He was the guy running the program. He just retired

I had never written a musical. I like to say yes to things

three years ago, and he asked me to replace him.

I’ve never done before. Q: If you could simplify your writing process, how would Q: Do you have suggestions when it comes to colleges and

you describe how you go from idea to finished product?

training for theater?

A: I have about a dozen ideas in my head for things that

A: There are lots and lots of places where you can study

might be turned into a play. I live with them for a long time. If

theater. My greatest advice is to read a lot of plays. Do a

they don’t go away, I think, ‘Maybe there’s a play here.’ I’ll

lot of scene work in acting classes, and try to get into plays,

take two or three of those ideas and smash them together.

but just absorb everything — and read and read and read. The more plays you read, the better an actor you’ll be.

Photo of David Lindsay-Abaire by Evan Scales. All others by Michael Dwyer.

M I LT O N M A G A Z I N E

Q: Did you know when you were our age that you wanted to be a playwright? A: I wrote a lot of plays when I was at Milton, but I didn’t know that I would be a playwright. After we did A History of the American Film, my classmate suggested we do a Class III play, and said I should write it. And so I wrote a play in 10th grade, and another in 11th grade, and then for my senior Q: How would you recommend dealing with harsh criticism,

project, I wrote a musical about a co-ed prison, called Inside

and people who tell you you’re not going to be successful

Outside. It was not good. Then I went to Sarah Lawrence

in this field?

College, mostly to be an actor, and just kept writing plays to

A: You know what to do, right? You ignore them. The work

fill up my theater program. It wasn’t until I got into Juilliard

has to be more important than their opinion. The best thing

that I thought, ‘Oh. Maybe I’ll do this playwright thing.’

I’ve ever done was to keep going. It hurts, and ignoring them doesn’t take the pain away, but if you stay with it long enough, you develop a thicker skin, and it hurts less. When you open a show in New York, you’re going to be reviewed by 25 different publications, so no matter what, there are going to be reviews that are critical. You push those aside. And you sleep with the nice ones under your pillow. Q: What about writing Shrek did you enjoy most? A: The best part was getting to know and working with Jeanine Tesori, the composer. Afterward, I said to Jeanine, ‘Let’s do a musical in the same way that I’d write a play, where nobody else is involved. It’s not based on a movie that everybody knows; it’s not produced by a Hollywood studio.’ And we just finished our first draft of a musical.

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B E V E R LY L E O N ’ 1 0

Playing for Real Beverly Leon ’10 A young soccer player’s dream: stepping out on the green pitch as her name echoes around the stadium to the roar of the crowd. Student-athletes in all sports pursue this feeling, hopeful to play at the collegiate level and maybe, someday, to go pro. For the majority, the dream remains just that — particularly for female athletes, whose professional opportunities are limited. And even elite competition is a mix of highs and lows. “Women’s soccer, at the professional level, is in transition.

days were over, which was difficult. “Coming out of

It’s really difficult to think long-term as a player,” says

undergrad is challenging for most athletes. I didn’t know

Beverly Leon ’10, who most recently played as a striker for

if I would ever play again. Mentally, I hung up my cleats

the Sunderland AFC Ladies team in the English Premier

and told myself, ‘I will have a great career, and this is

League. “Especially if you are not one of the top 200 players

where it begins.’ I was working with great people at a great

in the world, where you know you can move to a team and

company and it seemed like the right transition.”

earn a decent salary. Most professional women players, and

Some of her former teammates were playing professional

definitely most semi-professional women players, live in

soccer, however, and the idea was appealing. Her former

this kind of career limbo. Even when you want to be fully

college coach ultimately gave her the nudge she needed. “He

committed, it can be challenging because the salaries are

convinced me it was still possible to play at the professional

quite low.” Beverly was one of Milton’s all-time great studentathletes. She was an ISL MVP in soccer, an ISL All-Star

level. Then he helped me contact people about playing abroad, which gets increasingly harder the longer you sit at a desk.” After a year with Morgan Stanley, she signed a contract

and Team MVP in basketball, an ISL All-Star in track, a

to play for a women’s team in Iceland; she moved to

Boston Globe Player of the Year, and the recipient of Milton’s

Reykjavik in May of 2015, and played the summer season.

Priscilla Bailey Award. She followed her dream to

“It was the first time I only had to focus on training and being

Columbia University, where she majored in history and

game-prepared. At an Ivy League school, academics is a

played Division I soccer. “I loved being a student-athlete

huge piece of the student-athlete’s life. At the professional

TOP LEFT

at Columbia. My team was incredible, and the coach who

level, the sole focus is on performance and growth in

recruited me is still one of my mentors.”

training sessions and matches.”

LEFT

Joby Sessions

After Beverly graduated, she went to work in global capital markets at Morgan Stanley. She assumed her soccer

When that season ended, Beverly signed with a team in Verona, Italy. She was only one of two international

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“One of the funniest parts about entering the world of women’s sports at a professional level is that the résumé I had worked so hard to curate at Columbia didn’t serve any purpose in meetings with a coach and manager scouting players to fill 11 spots. They’re like, ‘Great, you did equity capital markets and can run a financial model, but can you score a goal?’” She could. After Verona, Beverly signed to play for Sunderland. The move was an easier transition because of her British roots (both of her parents are from England and she has many relatives in the country). And, of course, there was no language barrier, only an adjustment to the Geordie accent/dialect of northeastern England. In Europe, many of the women’s programs, such as Sunderland, are supported by the established men’s teams, similar to the NBA/WNBA model. Here, her whole focus was the team. “It was probably the most developed program of my teams thus far. Every day, I was just taking care of myself and training. I had to perform at a high level, so I was even more conscious of how I treated my body. My livelihood depended on my performing and bringing a professional mindset to what I was doing.” But in the middle of the season, the league downgraded the women’s team to semi-professional when they lost their funding from the men’s club. “Some of the women’s teams have folded unexpectedly, so that uncertainty makes you uneasy. If you’re in a career you’re quite passionate about, which might end in six months or a year, how does that align with what’s financially viable? How does it align with where you put your energy and build a players and her coach did not speak English, so she had to

home? That puts female footballers, myself included, in

learn Italian quickly. Compared to other European leagues,

precarious situations. You have one foot in the door trying

women’s soccer in Italy is in the early stages of development.

to train full time, hoping that it pays off. Then you keep

Many players worked day jobs, so the training commitment

looking around so that if something does happen, you have a backup.” Beverly knew that her backup would be to continue her

“Great, you did equity capital markets and can run a financial model, but can you score a goal?”

education, but that meant moving away from something she had worked hard to achieve. “It connects back to the fears of following a passion that is a little unconventional. The risks compound the older you get and you hear the message that you should be midway into your career and building on that. That informed me to look at programs to see how I could use the experience I’ve

was only at night. Beverly used her free time to work for a

had as an elite athlete and tie it back to other things I’m

tech start-up that needed someone who understood equity

passionate about.”

capital and could work with international investors. Her Morgan Stanley experience came in handy.

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After Sunderland, Beverly began a graduate social policy program at the University of Oxford. Her focus was

labor market structure and family and gender policy, and

venture trying to motivate and incentivize civic engagement

how they’re adapting in a globalizing world. Drawing on

at a local level — t rying to build a platform or app that

her own experience, her thesis examined school-to-work

reduces the barriers and allows people to participate easily

transitions for young adults in Boston and New York City

and enjoyably. That’s where most of my energy goes now.

(looking specifically at disconnected youth). She also

Part of the reason I’m going to Columbia is to figure out how

worked for a nonprofit called Coaches Across Continents,

it could materialize.”

which develops sports-education programs that have social impact in communities worldwide. This fall, she is back at Columbia pursuing her MBA

She will always continue to work developing women’s sports. Whether as a coach or a volunteer, she wants to help find ways for clubs to better support their growing women’s

with a focus on social entrepreneurship and social innova

programs. She is also helping former teammates and recent

tion. As someone who has had to move to new communities

college graduates find their way to professional teams.

and situations numerous times in a short period, Beverly

“It’s really rewarding to help these athletes see what

is interested in how people make connections and foster a

their options are. It’s nice to see other players visualize

sense of belonging.

their dreams and see them come true.”

LEFT The FA / Shutterstock

by Liz Matson

BELOW Joby Sessions

“I don’t know exactly where I want to be or where I’ll end up. I’m currently working on a social entrepreneurial

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WEBSTER MARQUEZ ’97

Photos by Stephen Smith

M I LT O N M A G A Z I N E

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WEBSTER MARQUEZ ’97

Coaxing to Be Its Best Self Web Marquez ’97 Web Marquez, a relaxed, plaid-shirted California entrepreneur, and his cheery Entlebucher Mountain Dog, Stevie (a female Stevie), are clearly at home in this cool, high-ceilinged cavern of a barn, with muscular towers of oak wine barrels surrounding them. Web has set up a slender, rectangular table with ready glasses, matched with opened bottles of Anthill Farms wines, evidence of his craft. The Sonoma winery that he and two partners started in 2004 has attracted attention across the country. Food and Wine Magazine named Anthill Farms Winery its Most Promising New Winery in 2009. Web tries to get at the root of what the wine

underside of academia discouraged him,

apprentice, doing vineyard work (at about

making endeavor means: “The French word

however. Then a summer job at Deutsche Bank

$18,000 a year, living in a cheap apartment,

is elevage,” he says. “You are raising the crop,

in London took the idea of working in an office

existing on cabbage and beans).

as you would a child.” You take the grapes, build

off the table.

them up, and help them become the fullest version of themselves. The arc of winemaking is hugely appealing

In the meantime, thanks to a tip from a girl-

“But it was like going to school,” Web says. “I got tons of good experience. Virginia was a

friend, he started a weekend job serving wine

great place to learn, because it’s so painful to

in a tasting room at a Virginia winery. He found

make wine there. It’s hard.

to Web: “It’s as elemental as growing a vine in

himself reading books about wine in the back

dirt,” he says. “The same rules apply to grapes

room during downtime, getting more and more

summer. You could have a great vintage, and

as they do to strawberries or blueberries, or

into the art and the science. Eventually he

everything is going hunky-dory, and a

rhubarb. There’s equipment in common, and

persuaded the winemaker to let him help out.

hurricane comes through in September, or

there’s working hard, hand in hand with the

“I’d help pick on the weekends, I’d pick up fruit

“It’s hot, it’s cold, it’s wet. It rains all

remnants of a tropical storm. And then every

people who do the labor. But in the end, you

boxes, move them around, I’d wash floors. I

grape disease known to mankind is on the

create something that people seek out, and

spent two years washing floors, pretty much.

East Coast. You had to learn how to work the

drink at fine restaurants.”

That was my college job.”

vines in such a way where you mitigate those

Web had been inclined toward an academic

The owner offered him the job of running

problems. I couldn’t have imagined just how

career, imagining a professorial role, when

the tasting room when he graduated—“just a

thankful I’d be to have learned in Virginia.”

he studied political science at the University of

retail manager’s job,” Web said, but he took it

In 2003 he moved to what he calls the

Virginia after Milton. A close look at the

and eventually also became an assistant, or

center of the industry, and found a job as a

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harvest helper at Williams Selyem. Wineries

They are directly reflected in the quality of

while we’re young, while we can live cheaply.

need three or four times the normal work force

wine. So you need to care. And the tough thing

We could have other jobs, and do our own

from August through November, when they

about wine is that you only get one chance

thing for free. That’s three people working.”

bring in the grapes, make them into wine, and

every year to do it.”

get it into barrels. Getting experience in making wine happens by working, so harvest helpers interested in the

Wondering whether he should go back to

To start the company, they each put in $2,000. That first year they had three tons of

school, Web explored degree programs at

grapes, some purchased and some in return

the University of California – Davis, Fresno

for their taking care of a vineyard. They made

industry follow a Northern Hemisphere harvest

State, and Cornell, to find that he’d need to

seven barrels, and that felt huge. They were

with one in the South. Web went to New

get a second bachelor’s degree, centered in

happy. “Let’s keep doing this,” they decided.

Zealand, and afterward worked in a vineyard

the sciences, then complete a master’s in

in France, near Nîmes — then returned to

viticulture of enology.

California, working at Rutherford Hill in Napa. “The wineries need bodies, but experienced

While contemplating these steps, Web says, “I just lucked out.” He started working in a

“We don’t have identical palates,” Web says about himself and his partners, “but we have the same approach toward making wine,” which is why they have specialized in pinot noir. “Although few things about wine are

bodies are better, hence the desire to flip over

wine lab in Healdsburg (Sonoma), “and then it

a season in one place with a season in another.

just built from there.” He and his friends

People need to move things around with their

started Anthill Farms at the same time (2004).

shows place so transparently as does pinot.

“There’s an old joke about how to make a

Pinot doesn’t insert its personality between

hands, clean things, and move grapes through various pieces of equipment. That’s not necessarily skilled work, but wine is so sensitive, processing methods really matter.

small fortune in the wine industry,” Web says, “which is to start with a large fortune.” He and his friends used another strategy: “Let’s start

empirical,” Web says, “there’s no grape that

an expression of place, the vineyard, to your mouth. Pinot is a lens through which you have a sense of time and place.” They aim to have their winemaking process as consistent, and almost formulaic, as possible. That allows the vineyard itself to shine through, which is their goal. Fine wines and “supermarket wines” differ in one key way. With supermarket wine, Web explains, the winemaker is trying to emphasize sameness. You choose a zinfandel from “x” winery because it’s predictably within a tight range of a certain taste. The winemaker adjusts the grapes in the barrel to achieve this goal. It’s harder winemaking, because you’re adjusting something that is different every year, to make something that tastes roughly the same. “With fine wine,” Web explains, “the wineries are trying to emphasize difference: different vineyards, and vintages, the specific qualities of those different vineyards,” like soil, sun, air, pruning and managing agricul tural issues that emerge. The point to their effort, Web contends, is to allow the differences to express themselves. Musing about the Anthill Farms 2016 Abbey-Harris pinot he has just poured, Web enthuses: “What’s so cool is that you can think about it almost like an x-y graph, where you have a line for place and a line for time, and that wine is right where they cross. It’s literally an expression of what the summer of 2016 was like in that place.”

M I LT O N M A G A Z I N E

“I often describe the pinot texture as

quickly lose the flavor compounds, the tannins

the people in the field with him, and other

crystalline: it’s clear, straightforward, it has

and other elements, and end up very generic

farmers, all the way through “the billionaires

a sense of presence without much weight,”

tasting. Achieving organoleptic balance, it’s

who come out here to hire you to do some new

he continues. “The structure comes from acid,

called. Improving yield is an annual challenge

wine project.”

which is what makes pinot so food-friendly.

as well—deciding when and what to clip:

There’s a gilded aspect to the wine industry,

“Flowers versus baby-sized fruit, versus fruit

and a mystique. Web says the mystique label

good wine is that it has a long finish: you

that’s bigger, versus mature fruit,” Web says.

might be an earned one, because it is “literally

can taste it for a long time. You could empty

Accruing experience happens one vineyard,

mysterious.” But the gilded idea is one that

your glass and smell what’s left over.”

one harvest at a time. “A decision I make on a

comes from the outside. “For those of us who

Acid makes it quenching, too. One mark of a

fluke, on a Saturday in the summer, we can

are doing it, it’s not necessarily a fancy life.

is often separated in California today, unlike

end up talking about four years later,” he says.

It’s a fun life, and a really fulfilling life.”

Vineyard ownership and winery ownership

Anthill Farms makes eight single-vineyard

the familiar paradigm of the estate-owned

Information from nearby wine labs and

vineyards, where visitors stop into the stucco-

the opinions of colleagues can help, but every

pinots and two appellation wines each year.

and-tile building where the wine is made from

decision is his own. Attention to detail is

Depending on the vintage, they will also

the grapes outside. Instead Anthill Farms either

essential. Subtle things really matter, in the

produce two or three syrahs and a chardonnay.

buys grapes, “and we only work with vineyards

growing and in the processing.

Anthill Farms releases their wines to their

that we’re allowed to be super crazy about

Web’s group has only added vineyards

where the growers follow our growing specs,”

over the years — never dropped one. “We do the

Web says, or they lease vineyards, which

same thing over and over, so that way you

means that they are responsible for the farming. Growing the vine is not difficult, but farming it so that the fruit is balanced with the vegetative growth, and achieving good concentration in the grape, is the challenge. With the wrong cropping, the fruit can

really know the vineyard. Since you only make

mailing list, and to restaurants and wine shops in locations across the country. by Cathleen Everett

wine once each year, it takes a long time to really get to know each vineyard.” Web is the general manager at Anthill Farms (the three founders started paying themselves 11 years into their venture), but his first love is the farming itself. Most days, Web has his hands in the dirt. “I love that. And also, that there’s a whole universe of applied theory to it all, too, that you can talk about. So does having nearly daily contact with all different types of people: from

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BUNNY MAURAN MERRILL ’79

Handmade

How Bunny Mauran Merrill Turned Crafting into a Career Bunny Mauran Merrill ’79 Bunny Mauran Merrill might just own the best-smelling barn in Vermont. Duck under the cobwebs into the dimly lit, 19th-century, red wooden barn — be sure to stop and say hello to Helen, the goat matriarch of the place — and follow the scents of lavender, bergamot and lemongrass to a door in the far left corner. Inside you’ll find a cozy workshop; metal

she says. “I took over half the garage. I thought, I’d better

laden with essential oils, waiting to be

find something to do with it, because I can’t just let it pile up.”

wrapped in cheesecloth and shipped

were selling in a natural bath and body store in Stowe.

pucks, the hand-crafted goat milk soaps

The first reorder came quickly. “We started in one store and

were the first products from Elmore

have grown every year. I’m not one of those people who

Mountain Farm Soap Works, the natural

ever had a plan. It just happened,” Bunny says.

husband, Peter, run. “There’s something incredible about making soap. I love how simple it is, how natural it is. A lot of heart and soul

“We’ve been able to run it profitably and in a way that has been satisfying for us, both in terms of scale and in the products that we’ve offered, and the customer relationships we’ve developed,” Peter says. Each soap sold under the Elmore Mountain brand bears

goes into it, and I so appreciate that something I make is

a label, designed by Peter, featuring a cartoon goat lathering

appreciated by others,” Bunny says.

up. On their utility balm, the same goat is leading a horse;

The inspiration came from a friend who gave Bunny

for their maple syrup, the goat is in flannel, tapping a tree;

some handmade soap in the summer of 2005. She and Peter

and a goat sprawled on a massage table, surrounded by

had goats at their farm, so she thought she’d try her hand

candles, is the symbol of the brand’s massage oil.

at making soaps to give as Christmas presents. Using books

By the summer of 2006, Elmore Mountain Farm soaps

out. Shaped like honey-colored hockey

body care company that Bunny and her

Photos by Doug Austin

“Christmas came and went, and I was still enjoying it,”

racks hold thousands of discs of soap,

The company also makes private-label products for

and Internet tutorials as a guide, she developed a recipe

other companies, including the Stowe Mountain Lodge spa,

and made soap in the kitchen of her house, which overlooks

the Alchemist brewery and SmartPak Equine. Their

the ski trails at Stowe Mountain.

products are available in shops and co-ops throughout

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B E V E R LY L E O N ’ 1 0

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then his assistant requested a lavender utility balm to protect herself and her horse from bug bites. During a phone call with the owner of a store in northwestern Vermont, Bunny was prompted to make lotion. “He asked, ‘You mean you don’t have a goat’s milk lotion?’ I said no. He said, ‘Well, that’s stupid,’” Bunny recalls. “One product led to the next. My second product was lip balm. Then, a friend requested foot balm, because she had dry, cracked feet. It’s interesting to look back and see how all the different things came about.” Donning protective goggles, Bunny combines lye with natural plant oils, goat’s milk, water and pure essential oils to make an emulsion that she then pours into cylindrical molds. Once the soap sets, she extracts it from the molds and cuts it into disks using equipment Peter custom-built for the workshop. “The natural fats provide a bubbly lather without drying, and goat’s milk is the gentlest base for human skin,” Bunny says. The essential oils provide lasting, but unobtrusive, scents. New England, and online. Bunny estimates that 85 to 90 percent of the business is wholesale. “We’re in a smattering of Whole Foods stores around

“The saponification process, during which the lye reacts

the Boston area, and we’re in pretty much every store in

with the other ingredients, happens very quickly, and you

Vermont where we would want to be,” Bunny says.

only have a few minutes to pour the mixture into the

That’s not to say that enterprising fans don’t track them down. Although the road in front of the farm has no signs

molds before it starts to set up.” The soap is left to cool overnight before Bunny pushes it

or obvious indication of the business — and the workshop is

out of the mold, then cuts it into the discs. On a given day,

not set up for retail — visitors have stopped by, like a group

she’ll make between four and eight batches, with about 90

from China who showed up one day, unannounced.

bars per batch. The soaps rest a few weeks to harden before

Nothing is wasted in production: the baling twine used to secure the soap’s cheesecloth packaging is thinned by hand, so the company gets more from each spool. Bunny remembers getting funny looks as she pulled apart threads of twine while watching their two sons’ soccer games and mountain bike races. Scraps of soap left behind during the cutting process are recycled into discs and paired with parsley for Elmore Mountain’s “Green Soap.” The goats’ milk is stored in a commercial freezer before it’s ready to use, and everything is meticulously dated. It took time to tweak recipes before Bunny found the right formula — she jokes that she was not a chemistry scholar at Milton or Middlebury College. Every book and tutorial she read seemed to encourage the use of palm oil, a common ingredient in household and beauty items whose harvesting has caused deforestation in tropical climates. As she perfected her recipe, she removed palm oil from Elmore Mountain products. Product lines expanded with requests: A friend suggested a rosemary-scented soap, so Bunny developed a rosemary-lime version. The same happened with a geranium-lemongrass soap. Their veterinarian was the inspiration for a non-petroleum-based farmer’s balm;

“So much of soap-making is getting the ingredients measured, melted, mixed and ready to go,” Bunny says.

M I LT O N M A G A Z I N E

being packaged and shipped.

“Bunny makes it sound easy, but a lot of trial and error went

Peter estimates the company shipped between 50,000

into developing formulas that she liked and that she could rely

and 75,000 bars of soap in 2017, in addition to other

on to consistently produce high-quality bars of soap,” Peter says.

products. The workshop, efficient as it is, is currently at

The farm’s four goats are valued members of the team.

capacity, and Bunny and Peter find themselves at a

Their milk is used in Elmore Mountain Soap products, and

juncture: move the business off the farm and into a larger

Bunny and Peter also buy milk from other farms. Their

commercial space — or sell the brand. Bunny worries about

younger goats — Gretel, Farley and Mo (the pair are named

losing the farm-based feel of the business, while Peter’s

for the novelist Farley Mowat) — a re a mix of Oberhasli

focus is already shifting to his new role as Vice President

and Alpine breeds, while Helen is a pure Oberhasli. With

of Sterling College. They have decided to sell the business.

striking, golden eyes and soft coats, the goats are voracious eaters; during an April visit, they munched on old Christmas trees and pretzels. They spend their days exploring a large, fenced-in paddock with a pair of elderly chickens. “Like every animal, the more time you spend with the goats, the friendlier and more lovable they are,” Bunny says. Besides Bunny and Peter, two other employees, one

Staying put with Bunny and Peter will be their maple sugaring business, and the goats. They’re family. “We’re proud of what we’ve created,” Bunny says. “It’s been such an interesting, wonderful ride, and we really hope the next owner shares our passion and vision. On the one hand, it’s hard to walk away from something that’s become such a part of our lives and identities; on the other,

full-time and one part-time, work in production for the

it really feels like it’s time to hand it off to someone who’s

company, making for somewhat tight quarters in the busiest

ready to take it to the next level.”

seasons. The couple have hired carefully — personalities matter in small spaces.

by Marisa Donelan

FA L L 2 018

pa s s i o n f o u r

B R U C E S H AW ’ 70

A Friend of Foodies, Bruce Shaw Knows the Trends Bruce Shaw ’70

M I LT O N M A G A Z I N E

If you’re feeling virtuous, you may want to climb the four flights of stairs to reach The Food Loft in an old Boston building that has harbored many enterprises over the decades. But be warned, ceilings are high here. The elevator’s a treat, anyway: tucked beside the lobby, a dark door pulls open to reveal an iron, accordion gate. Choose your destination, close the gate and hum while your linoleum-floored cab ascends confidently. Inside The Food Loft, warm kilim rugs, comfortably chic furniture, burgeoning bookcases and a dazzling collection of wall art and sculpture surprise the first-time guest. It’s a lively place with plenty of comings and goings, and clusters of people in purposeful conversation. as heart disease or cancer patients; food delivery services; restaurant reservations for different kinds of space needs; and point-of-sale efficiencies to improve the guest experience. In addition to providing spaces for conferences, right-sized, furnished offices, and a kitchen, The Food Loft hosts events, like workshops on digital marketing or receptions with BostInno, Boston’s innovation journal. Bruce notes the importance, also, of maintaining a willing advisory board as resources for their resident entrepreneurs. The operation is time-intensive: “I spend a lot of time talking to entrepreneurs, usually, about their businesses,” Bruce says. He and Adam have something that innovators have found valuable, Bruce says. “We understand the food and marketing side of an idea that, in all likelihood, a creative techie (who may claim to be a foodie) has hatched, about how technology can better service the food world.” Bruce Shaw ’70 and co-founder Adam Salamone fashioned this workspace for food start-ups from space where Bruce’s publishing house, Harvard Common Press, operated. In “a supportive community space that helps food businesses

The Food Loft positions Bruce midstream in the flow of food trends. Partnering with Adam, he’s an investor himself now, since investing in the website Yummly in 2009. Bruce’s migration to the venture capital world is a modern

launch, grow and thrive,” as it’s self-described, Food Loft

tale with ancient elements: sticking with what you love,

members can find mentors, strategic resources, office and

and finding opportunity in challenge.

meeting spaces, and early stage investment. Bruce’s and Adam’s idea was to tweak the business incubator model to support entrepreneurs at the intersection

“To be clear, out of college, my passion was really books and reading,” says Bruce. “That’s what I did as a child. I was a reader. I was not athletic at all. I just love books. And

of food and technology. Food start-ups need distinct services.

that sort of runs in my family. My grandfather was a

The workspace Bruce created beckoned to people with

publisher and wrote some books.”

business ideas just when food innovation in Boston was ramping up. In fact, a “Boston food map” on thefoodloft.com

After graduating from Bowdoin, and a short stint at a bank, Bruce interned for Boston publisher David Godine,

shows the virtual pileup of new companies, as well as other

and ultimately earned street credentials and sales

incubator sites where food production and distribution is the

savvy peddling Godine’s publications to college libraries

focus, rather than foodtech. The food-and-tech combo might

throughout New England. He then bought “a very, very,

include online recipe resources for particular groups, such

very small publishing company,” he explains, “and I make

FA L L 2 018

that point because it didn’t cost very much.” In 1984, he moved the Harvard Common Press into his current South End building, and 15 years ago relocated to the spacious fourth floor because “we were growing; we were hiring people and needed more space.”

“It’s one of those things where it all came together. We had authors who absolutely knew what they were doing, and knew how to write, along with a great cookbook editor. And in publishing, you have to have that for a book to really be successful,” says Bruce. For example, Smoke and Spice,

“I know the food world. I’ve been in it for my whole professional life, really, and particularly over the last 20 years.”

about barbecuing with smoke, was published by Harvard Common Press in 1994. It’s a book that sold well over one million copies, “and continues to sell well every year,” Bruce says. Cookbook publishers are necessarily very involved with food, Bruce explains, understanding trends in the food world — what and where people are eating, who’s coming along, chefs or writers, and who’s bringing out new ideas.

“So up until 10 years ago we were publishing in three

everyone here did.” Bruce says, “Everyone who worked here

guides and cookbooks. We ended up licensing a series of

was a real expert on the food world.”

travel guides to Houghton Mifflin [Where to Stay in New

When Adam joined the staff in 2008, Harvard Common

England, and follow-up guides about various national and

Press was trying to figure out how to digitize and monetize

international sites], and I became the editorial director of

all their content. As were all publishers, they were taking up

the series, which was a very sort of fun and an interesting

the challenge of how their content could earn money, other

thing to do.”

than between two paper covers. “We figured it out,” Bruce

As Houghton Mifflin published the travel series, Bruce’s press began to focus intensely on cookbooks. They’d had

“I did a tremendous amount of reading and learning, as

or four different areas: books on small business, travel

says, so that everything is available on all devices. Energized by new digital possibilities, Bruce got to

solid success with several of their cookbooks in particular,

work researching a concept for an ambitious travel website,

and the marketing of cookbooks was a distinct specialty

the likes of which he may have wished he had when he

among publishers.

was writing his travel guides. While he and Adam shopped

M I LT O N M A G A Z I N E

around this travel site idea, they encountered investors interested in their background, and in the combination of food and tech. Bruce was intrigued by founder Dave Feller’s concept for Yummly, a site designed to match people’s taste preferences with recipes curated for exactly those tastes.

publishing floor into a thriving workspace for startups and

He and Adam invested in Yummly (which was eventually

a constantly fresh source of ideas. Bruce and Adam have

bought by Whirlpool). “It was kind of an extension of the

offices in New York and San Francisco, as well as Boston.

idea of digitizing our content,” Bruce explains. “We created

“We’re very serious about this,” Bruce says. “I know

recipes, and what he was going to be dealing with was

the food world. I’ve been in it for my whole professional life,

recipes, so that was the touch point.”

really, and particularly over the last 20 years when we

They came to realize the power of their expertise in food, food trends and the marketing of food. One of their early

started to crank up the cookbooks. I live and breathe it. So when someone comes in with an idea, and even though we

investments, for example, was in a food delivery company

may not yet understand how the technology behind it might

called Caviar, which was bought by Square. The fire had

work, it’s a food idea, so we can start seeing it and put some

been lit, and Bruce and Adam started looking at other invest

skin on it. I think that’s fascinating. I just really enjoy that.”

ments around food, where their experience and proficiency balanced out an entrepreneur’s idea about what might be

by Cathleen Everett

possible through technology. “And that’s what we do, here.” Bruce says simply. “We invest in start-ups.” Both Bruce and Adam know much more about technology’s opportunities now, and they’ve only increased their knowledge of food, specialized marketing for food-related business, and aspects of the food world that are targets for innovation. The publishing company’s business success fueled the new companies, which led to ultimately shrinking the Harvard Common Press and the transformation of the

a t m i l t o n

What’s fun, from your point of view? Daisy Marshall ’20

Create your character. Roll the dice. Laugh a lot. Daisy can persuade you to try Dungeons and Dragons, even if that’s the last thing you’d ever do. A podcast called “The Adventure Zone” moved her, and many others, toward what Daisy calls “a more modern revival of the Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) game.” She’d heard that The Adventure Zone was a comedy, with elements of the high fantasy found in D&D, with good characterization across the board. “Because D&D was a game about using different classes, and especially different races, to play to the skills of your character. And it also had LGBTQ characters. I thought that was really interesting, and liked it because it’s such an open-ended game.” Having only been in two “campaigns”

and charisma. Players determine their

herself (those are long D&D stories), Daisy

characters’ actions, and a roll of specialized

found a host of interested, novice players at

dice determines the success of each action.

Milton and launched her own D&D campaign

Daisy likes that improvisation is key to the

as the Dungeon Master. The Dungeon Master

game. “I’m trying to foster the players to be

sets a barebones skeleton of a plot, Daisy says,

unafraid, to branch out, express themselves

“I build the sets and do lights and other production-related things, because I realized that being on stage was a stressful thing for me. But I’ve been able to express the same kind of creative juices in a way, doing D&D.” Daisy says she still has a ton to learn. She

and the objectives. “Your opening scenario

in ways they haven’t before. You can make

doesn’t know all the rules, for instance. But “to

has to allow lots of different possible inter

a character exactly like yourself, or someone

have a reason to get together with my friends,

actions, or else you could be guilty of what’s

quite different. Whatever you create, you learn

and tell a silly story and make stupid laughs —

known as ‘railroading your players.’” Players

about how people interact with people, and you

it’s really fun. This has been inspiring, in its

customize characters with class, race and

see how that interaction plays out.” Meeting in

own way, for me to reach out and try more stuff.

alignment (a range from lawful to evil and

person gives the players a sense of connection

It all started from this podcast, which connected

chaotic). Then characters have statistics based

that you don’t get in other ways, Daisy believes.

me to the game, and the game connected me

on strength, dexterity and constitution (like resilience), along with intelligence, wisdom

M I LT O N M A G A Z I N E

Daisy acted on stage when she was younger, and now she does theatre tech at Milton.

to the community — and doing this just helped strengthen our friend group, as well.”

The vital role of play in the lives of successful, creative people has been documented in research for at least a century. Play affects social competency, resiliency, curiosity, and emotional control, among many attributes. Milton Magazine asked students what they really love to do, outside of class and school activities. They were quite clear about how having fun makes a difference in their young lives.

Marcus Falcone ’19 for Marcus. However, he sees himself as

of snow computer models project disparate

somewhat outside the standard expectation of

snowfalls and storm tracks. He admits

a meteorologist: “You don’t necessarily think

to getting a little distracted from homework

A Weather Center

of someone who plays football.”

when a storm is mounting. “I have 15 kids

Weather watching was an early addiction,

middle school, faculty caught on to his hobby

admits Marcus. He was too young to

and asked him to set up and manage his

understand the babble of the Weather Channel

own weather board, which he did, offering his

strong program in meteorology, and if it

announcers, but just liked seeing the icons

weekly sixth-grade forecast. “I spent a long

includes football, like Penn State, so much the

for snow amounts, the maps, and the graphics

time doing those little animations and pictures

better. Ultimately he’d love to be a broadcaster,

that showed what was happening. Try as

of snowflakes falling,” he says.

or work at NOAA. “NOAA’s main mission

she might, his mom couldn’t divert him toward

He’s a middle linebacker at Milton. In

Snowstorms are his particular passion,

texting me saying, ‘Are we going to have a snow day?’” He’s intent on attending a university with a

is to protect lives and property,” Marcus says.

Nickelodeon. “Many people want to be

which might change depending on where he

Superman,” Marcus says. “I just always

relocates for college. For now, he likes digging

they’re focused on safety, working there

wanted to be a meteorologist.”

in to the NOAA website, and the Midwest

would give me a good feeling, knowing that

Computer Snow Output, where different types

I’d be doing some good.”

He progressed from just watching snow

“They track rivers, streams, flooding. Since

speculation to focusing on the physics behind storms, monitoring their track and intensity, and everything associated with understanding them. He’s worked on landing an internship with the Blue Hill Observatory, and a corollary senior project. He’s attended weather camp during two summers at Penn State — and this year will “age up” to the summer weather program at Texas A&M. The hands-on approach at Penn State was exactly what he wanted: the kids used the “giant forecast satellites, and launched and tracked weather balloons,” Marcus says. They toured the Accuweather headquarters, and used a green screen to broadcast their own forecasts. Marcus inadvertently wore a green shirt for his broadcast, so the memorable video of that morning features what looks like his head and hands “dancing on the screen.” Everyone at the program loves the weather, which was fun

Zacary Omar ’21

En Garde. Ready? Fence. If Zacary’s dream were to come true, Milton would launch a fencing program. The Goodwin House resident started fencing when he was about 8 years old, following his three

athletic you are, if you can’t beat their blade out

have support from their family or a coach,

older siblings to The Fencers Club in Manhattan.

of the way or nail your footwork, you’re not

really, giving up is never an option.”

He chose to compete in the sabre when he

going to get anywhere.”

started, “because it had more to do with aggression and speed,” Zacary thought, but

After a point or two, according to Zacary, you analyze what your opponent likes to do —

“When your opponent has a touch on you, it’s important not to let your confidence go down. If you do that, you won’t have the

after trying épée, his siblings’ competitive

attack or defend — and you change your

strength and speed and concentration that you

choice, he fell in love with that.

game. If they’re very offensive, you might

would if you just moved on to the next point,”

At the club, one coach leads your classes, Zacary says, and then works one-on-one with you on basics or different types of hits. The same coach, goes with you to competitions, “to be right on the strip with you.” Zacary’s coach, who has also coached his siblings, will be with

want to be offensive too, to show strength, so

Zacary says, adding that he’s learned from

your opponent might back off. “Fencing is

fencers his own age, from coaches, opponents

very much about strategy,” Zacary says,

and his siblings.

“changing your game to see what works well in the moment.” This summer, Zacary began practicing

him throughout his fencing career. “It’s like

right away, knowing he’d be rusty, to get ready

he brought up all my siblings. He’ll point out

for summer training camp in the Berkshires.

something that’s unique about my fencing,

“The camp’s goal is to get you in good shape for

Fencing as shared ground is part of his family relationship. “We’ll pretend to fence each other, walking around our home. They’ll see me doing something, and then they’ll parry it, or show me how to get around it, so it’s always really fun.”

that’s similar to my siblings, which is always

the season and then work on skill. Olympians

fun to realize. He’s strict, and makes sure

come to talk to us, and I’ve actually fenced

follow his siblings along, but then as he

that you’re as close to perfection as possible.”

against the U.S. national team.”

made friends in his club, and continued to go

Épée particularly demands expertise in skill,

Zacary has watched bouts turn very quickly:

When he started, Zacary thought he’d just

to competitions and tournaments, “It just

pace and technique, Zacary explains. “We

points and time may be against fencers, but

became something I was really into, something

have target practice, because no matter how

they come back. “Whether it’s because they

I would look forward to.”

M I LT O N M A G A Z I N E

Olayeni Oladipo ’19

When the Music Moves You Olayeni is the fourth of five Oladipo sisters, all of whom sing. Her parents infused the house with music, “and we believed from an early age that music is a powerful language,” says Olayeni. “We were forever singing around the house.” She and her sister Oladunni ’17 made their debut as the Oladipo Sisters with the Boston Pops at the 2011 Gospel Night, performing songs — w ritten by their two older sisters — from their first album, “The Mighty One.” Together and separately they have performed at the Massachusetts State House, on NPR’s “Here and Now,” WHDH Channel 7 and WCVB Channel 5, and at numerous metro-Boston ceremonies and benefits. Concentrating on Milton academics, sports and campus commitments slowed their production and performing schedule over the

exams and another week in March, they

“For me,” Olayeni says, “singing gospel

recorded the album in Texas, working in the

music is a form of praying, of worshiping God,

studio six hours a day.

which I believe is very important. It’s a way

With age, Olayeni says, she and Dunni were

to be grateful, to be faithful. And to get rid of all

last few years, but during the months of her

able to put ideas together in a song, and their

the stress and baggage from other areas of

junior year, Olayeni and Dunni jointly wrote

older sisters could now shift to other roles, like

my life. When you listen to the lyrics of our new

and recorded a new CD. Dunni was in England,

marketing. Before the school year ended, they

CD in the car, you’ll feel things, and be

on a gap year before college, and she would

released a single from the album to Spotify and

one within yourself and with God. So that’s

write and send Olayeni text messages with

iTunes, and other outlets.

something I’m now able to grasp so easily.

voice recordings. “I’d fix them up, add things,

In “The Rebirth,” they intended to

“We want our music to reach people, to

and send them back,” Olayeni says. “The

reference the roots of gospel, so they drew

spread that message of peace, love and joy,” she

album is called ‘The Rebirth,’ and that seems to

inspiration from songs they listened to when

continues. “We’re young people, sisters, singing gospel music. We want to share the

be what was happening as we wrote back

they were younger. Other songs introduce

and forth — rebuilding this passion for gospel

new styles and bring in some African beats

message that you don’t have to give in to all the

music. We, together, came up with nine

they like. Olayeni thinks it’s “really cool”

societal pressures of high school. You can

new songs, and remixed one from the original

that this album mixes “all the cultures that

do what’s important to you, and you don’t need

gospel album.” In a week after January

we are, that we have, and that influence us.”

to give that up.”

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Pearce Crocker ’19

How You Tell Time Pearce joins enthusiasts worldwide who are captivated by and insatiably curious about timepieces. He wears a favorite from his collection, an elegantly simple 1962 watch by the Swiss watchmaker, Oris; he explains, “I’m interested in mechanical engineering, and that’s why I appreciate mechanical watches — spring-powered with a mechanical movement, not digital or battery-powered. Mechanical watches are examples of an art form that hasn’t changed for roughly 200 years, when many of the great Swiss watches were invented, and companies that make them still pride themselves on remarkable craftsmanship.” The movement varies, watch to watch, Pearce explains, but they’re all spring-powered, they have a counterbalance which is like the pendulum in a clock, on a much smaller scale. Often, mechanical watches have a display back made of glass so you can see the movement. Pearce uses websites, blogs and YouTube to keep up with new designs and developments. Baselworld, an annual convention in Basel, Switzerland, showcases cutting-edge technol ogy and design in the mechanical world. Newly developed calibers are super accurate — they don’t lose seconds, and have power reserves of roughly 90 hours before they need to be wound. Some have a chronograph (timer) and a perpetual calendar. A new watch by Patek Philippe will tell the time mechan

timekeeper of the Olympics since 1932. He

street wear “an amalgamation of art-house

ically in any time zone.

owns a watch made by HTV, for instance:

design and high fashion, mixed with athletic

Hindustan Machine Technologies. “This was a

wear. It’s kind of fascinating.” Most high-

company based in Delhi, India,” says Pearce,

schoolers don’t want to draw attention to

Pearce loves a Bulova Accutron watch that belonged to his grandfather, Edgar Crocker ’49. His great-grandfather, also a fan of mechanical things, had a mechanical pedometer, custom-

“when India was part of the British Empire,

themselves, Pearce admits, but he finds

and was independently created by citizens of

developing his own style gives him a

India separate from the British rule. These

confidence and sense of identity. He shares

watch was a $30 Timex, and he’s intrigued by

watches were widely used by British soldiers

those style ideas on his Instagram account,

the colorful history of that company, including

in the First and Second World Wars.”

@prepclassique. “I like a more classic idea

the fact that it supplied U. S. servicemen

“Watches are personal expressions of style,”

of men’s wear — not un-relaxed, not stiff,

with military watches in World War II. Pearce

he points out, in a segue to his correlating

just classical and traditional. I really

researches the histories of the world’s

interest in men’s fashion, again with inter

appreciate the way you can present your

legendary firms, like Omega, the official

national awareness. He calls today’s U.S.

own style, and kind of have fun with it.”

M I LT O N M A G A Z I N E

Ryan Cervoni ’19

Landing Trophy Trout Resting his boulder-sized backpack for a moment before heading to varsity baseball

Soon, he thought it would be cool to fish away from shore. His family helped him

practice, Ryan beamed his excitement at the

scout out a fishing kayak from a convention in

prospect of talking about his passion: fishing.

New Hampshire. “You can stand in it,” Ryan

and brown trout. He seeks out the deepest

It’s an inclination rooted in family; Ryan’s

says. “It has an adjustable seat, rod holders,

ponds in nearby towns and paddles the kayak

parents are native Floridians, and frequent

compartments in the front and back to store my

way out, sometimes starting at 3 a.m. on a

saltwater fishing trips with his grandfather in

cooler and backpack, and a bag for the fish.”

summer morning — when it’s cool the trout are

the Sunshine State color his childhood. But as a 13-year-old, the Wolcott House

The kayak drifted in Walden’s pond

more likely to come closer to the surface. He

currents, so he and his dad improvised an

prints out depth charts, and tries to locate

resident taught himself freshwater fishing. The

anchor solution. Now everything’s perfect —

himself on the pond. Of Ryan’s friends who

occasion was a summer away from baseball

Ryan brings three rods, casts two up with

like fishing, at least one is as devoted as he

after elbow surgery. “I looked at online videos

worms, and sets them in a rod holder. Then

is. Others, he says, “do it as a fun activity.

and went to the tackle shops, got the right

he might use a lure on one of his other rods,

I do it as a lifestyle.” His hobby demands

tackle, the right line, and rigged up my rods,”

depending on the type of fish he’s after.

patience — plenty of patience. But along with

he says, and tested the scene at Walden Pond

He’s familiarized himself with the

the watchful waiting comes a break from

and White’s Pond, near his home. “I fell in

diff erences among freshwater fish like

stresses, and a chance to reflect on things in

love with it.”

smallmouth and largemouth bass, rainbow

his life, Ryan says. “I just love being outdoors,” he adds, “the scenery, the smell, the water. I’m willing to wait for a fish. Catching one is rewarding.” Ryan has lots of plans and goals for the coming year — not only experimenting with his new gear, like a depth finder on his kayak and a new Garmin fish finder, but also landing one of those trophy trout, as well as learning more about fly fishing and starting to use it. He’ll fish forever, he thinks. “It’s a skill you learn and keep learning. There are so many fish out there, so many species. “

FA L L 2 018

Nick Johnson ’21

a bit whether it was weird to like skating, or

really good,” Nick recalls. “After that, people

just different, he decided to continue, “because

would start skating with me,” Nick says. It

this is what makes me, me,” Nick says.

turns out he was able to do things on his

His dad taught him, and then they’d travel

skates beyond what they had mastered. Nick

to places where roller skating is big, like

thinks it was all that time at the rink — about

Baltimore. “I just followed along with other

eight hours most days, along with exposure to

people that I saw, and I’d ask ‘Oh, how do you

other skaters.

guys do that?’” Nick learned quickly, and got

“Roller skating for me is an escape from

better, he says, but the main thing was how

everything. I don’t worry about homework,

Wheels on Your Feet

much fun it was. “The entire experience of

friends, social life, anything — just me and

skating was just relaxing. It was like dancing,

the people around me. It’s like my form of

During the summer, Nick roller skates every-

but not, because you’re on wheels.”

where: to his job at the community center,

Last fall he started doing many things he

meditation, really relaxing.” The event was a “big meetup” for people passionate about

to visit friends, to his cousin’s, back home. Not

hadn’t been able to do, but he was surprised

skating. “You don’t have to know anyone, but

only does he nearly float over flat surfaces, he

to learn what a big skill breakthrough he’d had

people will come up and compliment your

flips, skates on his toes, spins, does cartwheels —

during the summer. A rink-owner invited

skating, then you skate together, making up a

with effortless grace.

him to an adult-only skating event. “Why is

little rhythm that you follow through on the

When his dad started to skate more often, he bought Nick, then 4 years old, a pair of

this kid here?” the Forbes House resident

rink.” Nick is grateful for all the people he’s met

imagined the skaters asking themselves as he

who enjoy skating as much as he does.

skates, and they went off to the tennis courts.

met them. “Yeah, I’m pretty good at skating.

Nick tied on those eight wheels about once a

I’m not great, but I’m good,” Nick told them.

annual event. Nick says he’s kept them all.

His dad’s gifts of skates have become an

month, but around his sixth grade summer, he

When he got on the skating floor and did a

They represent his different stages. “Each year,

starting skating with his dad every weekend,

couple of simple things, everyone seemed to

a different skate, a different me, but at the

and during the week as well. After wondering

say, “Oh, that’s why he’s here. Because he’s

same time, the same me.”

M I LT O N M A G A Z I N E

Avery Miller ’20

“There’s Just So Much to Explore” “I’m the type of person who goes online looking for designs of super complicated rockets,

engineering in general. They help her find

engineering group of interns at a robotics

ways to tie it in with her courses; for her

firm in Florida last summer. Space, she

Class IV physics DYO (Design Your Own)

says, has just brought together her wide-

experiment, she built rockets, for instance,

ranging interests.

and for math she gave a talk about projectile

A certain freedom comes with having

and just looks at them and thinks, ‘I wish I

motion. Her end-of-year project had to do

an interest so deep, Avery acknowledges, but

could do that!’” says Avery. A Halloween photo

with parabola motion. For history, she’s done

with it comes a kind of pressure. “Having

of Avery in her astronaut’s uniform is a clue

papers on the space race, and on women Air

something you know you want to do forever

as to when her interest in space started. As a

Force pilots in WWII.

means that everyone is watching to make

child, she would regularly rattle off NASA

Feminism is another focus for Avery, who’s

sure you’re doing that thing. It can be a bit

facts, which she assembled from the “never-

well aware of the low numbers of women in

suffocating. But I just love the unknown,

ending supply of books” at her house. One

the STEM fields. Already, she was the only girl

which is why being constantly in search of

of her favorite books was about space and

and the youngest person in the mechanical

answers is so tempting.”

spaghettification, or what happens when matter gets sucked into a black hole. Even tually she started connecting her reservoir of facts to what she was doing in school. At Milton, the engineering aspect of space piqued her interest. In Lower School, Mr. Shrager (science) “was into letting people build stuff, and just experiment.” She made some “crazy things” and decided “I’m not half bad at this.” The era of 3D robotics printing for kids had opened up, and she used the Maker Bot to create. She attributes her willingness to head off to Mars to a certain optimism. “The Earth is great and I love it, but there’s so much to explore, and I’d love to explore a different planet and provide information that might provide solutions to problems, or ideas for cool inventions,” says Avery. She acknowledges how much has to be addressed before a Mars trip; still, “it’s a dream,” she says, “but an achievable one.” She’s not a fan of the privatization of the space industry, however, because it might limit access to information and experimentation. Research should serve the greater good, she believes. Avery still loves to read, and is involved in robotics and rocketry outside of class, but faculty know how much she loves NASA and

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Eva Westphal ’18

A Violinist Turned Vocalist “I always sang around the house when I was little, but I was terrible,” laughs Eva. “I was really a horrendous singer. Even my parents thought so, but I loved it so much.” She played violin at an early age, but apparently some of her musical talent took a bit longer to shine. “I started musical theater around age 12,” Eva says. “I also started classical music training. I became more serious about it.” Eva persuaded her parents to buy her a guitar and she taught herself to play; then she began to craft her own songs. At Milton, she was able to expand her singing and develop her voice. Freshman year, she sang at Beatnik, the student open mic night. “I sang an original song, but I was so embarrassed I didn’t tell anyone it was an original. But the experience gave me the confidence to do more,” Eva says. Balancing demanding academics and dreams of a singing career, which Eva describes as “two very different competitive worlds,” she continued to work hard on her own music, jumping at chances to perform.

I was singing acoustic, I didn’t have as much

the long term. There are very few people who

She stopped musical theater, but continued

control as I do now. It’s interesting to hear what

succeed at a solo career and for most, it’s pretty

classical singing at the New England

I sounded like four years ago because there

short term and fleeting.” But she does see herself

Conservatory. She sang “God Bless America”

was a lot of uncontrolled belting. During

in the music business, whether as a songwriter

at a Red Sox game and performed at Outside

sophomore year, I started writing jazzier songs.

or on the business side of the industry.

the Box, a Boston music festival. She’s

I still like a lot of those songs, and one of them

performed in prestigious spaces such as at

is going to be on my album.”

Jordan Hall and Carnegie Hall as well as live on local radio stations. At Milton, she continued to play the violin

Eva’s album is a five-song project she’s developed with well-known producer Richard Spillberg. Sitting solo in a dark booth singing

in both the orchestra and chamber orchestra.

into a mic for hours at a time might sound

During the chamber singers and orchestra trip

lonely, but Eva says she loves the work. Today

to Italy during spring break this year, Eva

her music leans more toward pop; her songs

played violin but also sang a solo during each

tell stories from her life, her peers, her

performance. “I am so grateful for Milton

generation. She performed these songs at her

because I don’t know many other places that

senior project performance.

would have allowed me to go on tour as an orchestra member but also sing as a soloist.” “My voice has changed a lot,” Eva says. “I’ve cycled through different phases. At first, when

M I LT O N M A G A Z I N E

Before she begins at Columbia, Eva is taking a gap year to travel and to pursue some music opportunities. She is realistic. “I’d love to have some sort of solo career, but I don’t see that for

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p aat sm s ii ol n t otn wo

WEBSTER MARQUEZ ’97

If Only… Second Graders Try Persuasion Celebrating culture, tradition, personal stories and love, Grade 2 students present their Family Museum, sharing their months of exploration into their own families and history. The students interview family members and collect artifacts from their history—this year, a 200-year-old family bible, a military medal, a Milton diploma, a Korean hanbok, a fraternity leadership gavel, and a traditional shofar were among the exhibits. They also design their own family crests, record videos, share unique family traditions, tell parts of their family stories in Spanish, and write persuasive essays to their parents. “The students take away an appreciation for who they are,” says second-grade teacher Sue Munson. “A lot of them have not had these kinds of conversations with their family members. They’re learning so much about where they’re from and the special people in their lives.” This year’s persuasive essays ran the gamut from requests for new pets to encouraging new family traditions. Here are some of the students’ letters to their parents.

“And I’d really be happy if you’d let me. And that’s what you gus always like, rite? Happyy childrin?”

M I LT O N M A G A Z I N E

pa s s i o n o n e

B E V E R LY L E O N ’ 1 0

“I believe we should start a tradition called yes day every month. On yes day children and adults have to say yes to every request.”

“Because I can play with the parit and it can play with me and that is why I want a parit!”

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c o m m e n c e m e n t 2 0 1 8

How to Believe in Yourself CJ Hunt ’03

Every graduation speaker says, “Believe in yourself.” But no one tells

Think about who you were when you first stepped foot on campus. Now,

you how to believe in yourself. It’s like saying to beach-goers, “The ocean

think of all the things you’ve tried since then. The times you stepped

is rough out there. So remember: don’t drown.” Advice is useless if you

out on a limb and thought, “Here we go. I hope I don’t embarrass myself.”

don’t tell us how. So that’s what I want to do today: give you some advice on how to believe in yourself. Fifteen years ago, I was a student here. What I love about Milton:

I’ll bet that somewhere among those tries, you discovered something about yourself that you never saw coming. I’ll even bet that some of you now define yourselves by talents or skills you discovered here. You

this a place for reinventing yourself. At Milton, you have space to try on

are different today because of the things you’ve tried here. Some

new parts of your personality just to see how they fit.

members of your family would even say you are unrecognizable from

In my junior year, I was lucky to try speech team. Every speech tournament is the same. You wake up and iron your suit while the

the kid they dropped off years ago. And that’s because trying changes us. Not in any way that you can

morning is still quiet and blue. You board a bus to a sprawling public

notice in the moment, but it shows us new parts of who we can be.

high school where you are just one of 100 professionally dressed teens.

Trying is how you learn how to believe in yourself.

And you have 10 minutes to show a panel of judges that you are more compelling, or funnier, than everyone else in the room. And it was terrifying every time. No matter how many times I won,

Believing in yourself isn’t about optimism. Pushing through the fear I felt in every speech tournament made me believe that I could pull off an improv and sketch comedy senior project. And that made me believe

I’d approach every tournament thinking: I hope I don’t suck this time.

that I could audition for my college improv group. Which made me

No matter how much I prepared, I’d worry that that day would be the day

believe that I could start my own sketch comedy group and tour the

I discover: I don’t belong here. I’m sure you’re familiar with that feeling.

country. Which made me believe that I could write and film sketches.

M I LT O N M A G A Z I N E

And when those sketches landed me in front of people who asked if I

The most valuable thing Milton gave me is a habit for risk. I can’t

could write and direct for late night television, I looked back at the trail

remember a single grade I received, but I remember the words to

of evidence and thought, “Um, yeah...I believe I can.”

every single speech team warm up. My brain held on to those because

Every time you try something new, you create a trail of evidence about what you like, what you don’t like, and, most importantly, what

they are habits that help me face what scares me. This School has done the same for you. The leaps you’ve taken at

you can do. Trying new things is the only way you find the you that

Milton aren’t just fodder for college essays. They are the armor that

you’re supposed to believe in. And the only obstacle, every time, is fear.

will shield you when doubt and fear come charging in. They are the

I don’t think we talk to students enough about fear. We tell you to ignore it, but we don’t tell you how strong it is, how cunning it is. How it will find its way into everything you do. So let me be clear: Class of 2018, you will change the world . . . but the whole time, you’ll feel like a total imposter. You will challenge the status quo, you’ll cure diseases, expand the

evidence you’ll exhibit in your own defense when the troll accuses you of not being enough. That’s how you believe in yourself. You create a mental playlist where you save all your greatest leaps. And when the troll comes stumbling in, just press play, and turn up the volume. Let the sound of your leaps drown him out. He’ll try to yell back at you, “How dare you?” To which

boundaries of art, and ignite movements that make society more humane.

you can respond: I dare often. I dare habitually. I dare so much that I kinda

But following your dream involves a crushing level of self-doubt.

forget I’m doing it.

When we think of trolls, we think of sad men on the internet. But the

Now is a time when we need to be battling trolls. The darkest, most

strongest troll you’ll ever encounter is the troll that lives inside your

troubling aspects of America are forces bent on telling others: You don’t

own head. It’s the nagging critical voice telling you that you’re not enough.

belong here. This isn’t your country, this isn’t your bathroom, this isn’t your

Not smart enough. Not experienced enough. That you don’t belong here.

place to protest. In a world like that, it is a radical act to know that you do

We all have a troll. Sadly, when most people hear that voice echoing in their head, they assume it’s telling the truth. But to do what you love, you need to be able to recognize that voice, and remember that it’s not the truth. It’s just the troll talking smack. My troll is super strong right now. You’re catching me at time when

belong. In a world like that, the best work you can do is to remind others that they too belong. Graduates of 2018, I wish you the courage to try endless new versions of yourself. Some of them will be great. Every version will show you what you can do. Lastly, I hope you never let go of the people and things you

I’m starting something new. After doing comedy for 16 years, I just

found here that make you feel strong—that remind you just how much

landed a job on The Daily Show. I’m a field producer, which means I write

you belong. I have full confidence that whatever you face out there, you can

and direct the pieces where correspondents leave the studio.

handle it. Because you’ve already been here. Congratulations, you got this.

Spoiler alert: The troll doesn’t go away when you get your dream job. He only gets stronger. My job depends on my ability to show up every

Excerpted from the commencement address given by CJ Hunt ’03 to the Class of

day, take a few deep breaths, and remind myself that I belong in the room.

2018. CJ is a comedy writer and director, and a field producer for The Daily

If you want to do work that’s meaningful, you have to become excellent

Show. He is a regular host of “The Moth” storytelling show, and is directing his

at reminding yourself that you belong in the room. That you’re not here

first feature-length documentary about America’s curious love affair with

by mistake. That you have years of evidence about how good you are,

Confederate monuments.

about what your mind can do. In two days, I’ll wake up in a hotel to direct my first Daily Show fieldpiece. I will do what I always do before a big life event: I’ll wake up when the morning is still quiet and blue and iron my shirt and pants like I’m getting ready for a speech tournament. To get this job and every job before that, I have had to walk into TV buildings that make me feel small. As I walk past security and down hallways lined with framed pictures of my heroes, I pretend that I am just getting off the speech team bus, headphones in, looking for the room where I’m supposed to perform. These little rituals work for me because they remind me that I’ve been here before. Not on this specific stage, not in front of these people, but I’ve been here . . . facing down a troll who says I’m not brave enough to take the leap. And as the evidence suggests, I’ve made it every time.

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com m encem en t 2 018 , con t.

College Matriculation, Class of 2018

Amherst College 4

Colby College 3

Bard College 1

Colgate University 1

Barnard College 2

Colorado College 2

Bentley University 1

Columbia University 7

Boston College 4

Cornell University 2

Boston University 4

Culinary Institute of America (CIA) 1

Bowdoin College 3

Dartmouth College 4

Brandeis University 1

University of Denver 2

Brown University 6

DePauw University 1

Bryn Mawr College 1

University of Edinburgh 1

Bucknell University 2

Emmanuel College 1

California Polytechnic State

Fordham University 3

University 1

George Washington University 1

University of California, Berkeley 1

Georgetown University 6

University of California,

Gettysburg College 1

Los Angeles 1

Hamilton College 2

Carleton College 1

Harvard College 10

University of Chicago 7

Harvey Mudd College 1

the talbot baker award On the day before graduation, at the spring prize assembly, four faculty members were honored with the Talbot Baker Award, recognizing excellence in teaching. Created in 1968 to honor Talbot “Bake” Baker ’25, this award “provides a living memorial based on a confidence in the humanity of teachers and the quality of teaching” that Mr. Baker experienced as a student at the Academy and as parent to Nick ’51, Toby ’53 and Ben ’57. Alisa Braithwaite (English Department Faculty) Suzanne DeBuhr (Director of Spiritual and Community Development) Chris Kane (Admission Office, Director of Financial Aid) Sachiyo Unger (Grade 2 Faculty)

M I LT O N M A G A Z I N E

left Jack Sloane, Class of 2018 Speaker

Hobart and William Smith Colleges 1

New York University 10

Tufts University 2

College of the Holy Cross 1

Northeastern University 1

Tulane University 2

University of Illinois at

Northwestern University 1

Union College 2

University of Notre Dame 1

U.S. Military Academy, West Point 1

Indiana University Bloomington 1

University of Pennsylvania 3

University of St Andrews 2

Kenyon College 2

University of Pittsburgh 1

University of Virginia 1

Lehigh University 2

Pitzer College 2

Wake Forest University 2

Macalester College 1

Pomona College 1

Washington University in St. Louis 3

Maryland Institute College of Art 1

Princeton University 2

University of Washington 2

University of Maryland 1

Providence College 1

Wellesley College 1

Urbana-Champaign 1

Massachusetts College of Art and Design 1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology 1

Rochester Institute of Technology 1

Wesleyan University 2

University of Rochester 3

Wheaton College 3

Santa Clara University 1

Whitman College 1

University of Southern California 2

Williams College 2

University of Massachusetts, Amherst 2

St. Lawrence University 1

University of Wisconsin, Madison 1

University of Massachusetts, Lowell 1

Stanford University 1

Yale University 3

University of Michigan 1

University of Toronto 2

Middlebury College 2

Trinity College 3

Accurate as of July 10, 2018

left Edowaye Idahor, Class of 2018 Speaker

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reunion weekend

by the numbers

801

attendees traveled from as far as New Zealand, Italy and Switzerland to join the celebration the class of 1973 led total giving, raising

1.28m

the class of 1958 were tops in milton fund giving, raising

$204,733

111

alumni served as class volunteers, spreading the word, designing innovative class programming, and encouraging philanthropy

63% More than 40 guests got a weekend workout by participating in alumni baseball or yoga

M I LT O N M A G A Z I N E

of the Class of 1963 made a class gift

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M I LT O N M A G A Z I N E

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M I LT O N M A G A Z I N E

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c l a s s r o o m

Character Study: Students View Classic Works Through Many Lenses “When we reject the single story, when we realize that

In her talk, Adichie describes her first exposure to

there is never a single story about any place, we regain a

children’s literature: Though she lived in Nigeria, she had

kind of paradise.”

access only to British and American stories. When she

So says the writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, whose TED Talk on the dangers of single stories and exclusively

began writing as a child, her stories featured white, blueeyed characters living in snowy climates.

dominant narratives inspired English department faculty member Olivia Robbins to ask her students to approach some of the world’s most studied texts from several new angles:

What arguments would volley between the members of the chorus in Oedipus Rex?

“I did not know that people like me could exist in literature,” she says. “The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story.” Olivia, who earned her master’s degree from the

What would a minor character tweet about the events in The Odyssey?

University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education

How might writing yourself into The Inferno challenge your opinion of Dante’s moral authority?

this fall.

in the spring, spent the past two years in Milton’s English department as a Penn fellow. She joined the full-time faculty Three seemingly discrete factors caught Olivia’s attention in her first year teaching Founding Voices, an examination of classic world literature. First, her students saw the works as they would artifacts in a museum. “The students were approaching the literature as if it were a statue, which gave them a singular understanding of what ancient

What happened to Tiresias?

literature was supposed to be,” Olivia says. “I really wanted to counter that notion, or make it more complex, and to make the literature more accessible.” Second, Olivia noticed in classroom discussions that students crafted their comments to show mastery of the work, rather than listening and engaging with each other in the moment. Third, she noticed an absolutist attitude among students about their own abilities. “Some students were talking about disciplines as things they were either ‘bad at’ or ‘good at,’ and making blanket statements like, ‘I can’t do math,’ or ‘I’m going to fail that test,’” Olivia says. “Just because some things are more challenging for you doesn’t mean you’re a bad student.

M I LT O N M A G A Z I N E

“While these all seem like different issues, I saw a common theme among them, which was that students were

participation experiences along with their successes, challenges and confusions with assignments. They debated,

not attending to alternative viewpoints or perspectives,”

they wrote themselves into the stories, and answered

she explains. “How could I encourage them to take on

questions about the works from multiple perspectives.

alternative viewpoints — alternative viewpoints about what literature can look like, alternative viewpoints around

Students reported at the end of the year that they were able to feel more empathy toward minor characters and

the table in discussions? I also wanted them to shift their

underrepresented voices in the text, and were better

mindset about their own potential, to have a new story.”

equipped to detect bias from the stories’ narrators. One

Olivia decided to focus her master’s inquiry project,

male student, in retelling parts of Gilgamesh through the

a thesis of sorts, on helping her students form counter

perspective of a temple prostitute, gave voice to a character

narratives in Founding Voices. Working with English

whose actions are controlled by others and related her

faculty member Jessica Bond, Olivia created a series

story to sexual abuse by clergy in the modern age.

of assignments that challenged students to view their

“Over the course of the year, students ended up picking

reading through multiple lenses. The classes watched and

characters who are further away from them and their own

discussed Adichie’s talk in the beginning of the year.

experiences,” Olivia says. “Initially, they were more likely

Students read works ranging from Gilgamesh to Medea,

to choose someone who shared their gender identity or their

Ramayana to Macbeth. For this course, Milton’s English

racial identity, but as the year progressed, we’d see them

faculty have intentionally selected works with a broad

trying on a perspective of someone who was different from

geog raphic range, but there are consistent limits with

them in terms of their identity markers.

foundational world literature: stories were written, typically,

“They retold the stories, and I had them keep authors’

by men in positions of power, about royalty or members

notes to explain what they were trying to accomplish in the

of a society’s aristocracy. Majoritarian stories traditionally

retelling, and they loved the activity,” she explains. “It feels

center “heroes” who are white, male, middle- to upper-class

very much like a fun and creative thing to do, but it’s sort of

and heterosexual. Research shows that using a counter-

like slipping kale into a smoothie. You don’t notice it, but

story can expose, analyze and challenge majoritarian stories

it’s healthier. For the students, it didn’t feel like writing an

of racial privilege (Solórzano and Yosso, “Critical Race

analytical essay, but they were, because they made

Methodology, Counter-Storytelling as an Analytical Frame-

arguments through the characters they chose to focus on,

work for Education Research,” 2002), and Olivia sought to

and how they portrayed those characters.”

challenge other dominant narratives in the same way. After studying The Odyssey, students read The Penelopiad,

Olivia employed what she describes as a “liberal revision policy,” which prompted the students to review

a novella by Margaret Atwood in which Odysseus’ wife

and react to her comments, and they could meet and

Penelope recalls the events of The Odyssey from her perspec-

speak about ways to improve their analyses. Every student

tive, restructuring the narrative Homer has given her. “The reaction from the students was, ‘You’re allowed to do this with books? You’re allowed to write from another

who attempted a revision improved his or her grade, with one exception, whose grade remained static. Discussions around the Harkness table improved, as

character’s perspective?’” Olivia says. “Margaret Atwood

well, as students became more comfortable exploring

is such a master of voice that she gives Penelope fire and

other perspectives.

opinions we don’t see in The Odyssey, where she’s in the background, crying and waiting all this time for her husband.” Students were asked to retell the stories they read from the perspectives of minor characters, to “try on” an

“I hear them using the terms ‘from my perspective,’ or ‘I understand where you’re coming from,’” Olivia says. “It’s not the language of right vs. wrong; it’s the language of ‘I hear you.’”

understanding of antagonists, and to keep discussion and feedback journals, in which they recorded both their

by Marisa Donelan

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in sight

PHOTO BY MICHAEL DW YER

head of school

BY TODD B . BL AND

Should Milton Mirror the Intensity Around Us? of higher education drive students

when it involves healthy amounts of fun.

toward trying to compete even

You can find joy and laughter in and out of

more effectively, remembering that

the classroom on the Milton campus, from

fun is an essential part of learning

Kindergarten through Grade 12. Many Milton

is especially important. We must hold the constant beat of achieve

though, comes as a result of struggle and

who have participated in every grade here, will

ment in check. Not only does

point to teachers like Gary Shrager in the

our desire for students to reach

Lower School, an acknowledged “King of Fun.”

for success in college cloud our

Mr. Shrager’s science classes are jam-packed

judgment, so does our intense

with scientific inquiry, data collection, fact-

desire to help them learn as much

based arguments and purposeful laboratory

as possible in every class and at

work. As Mr. Shrager says, “Science is

every stage of their lives at Milton.

amazing. How could it possibly not be fun?”

Healthy fun and play, laughter

In theory, learning is fun. Plenty of learning,

“lifers,” as we affectionately call the alumni

The Middle School faculty deeply

and self-directed processes are as

understands the developmental needs of our

important as other key elements

12- to 14-year-olds. Adults on the first two

of learning. Fun enhances, rather

floors of Ware Hall are unified on the critical

than detracts, from rigorous study

importance of a vibrant, high energy, quirky,

and high achievement.

step-out-of-your-comfort-zone atmosphere as

Of course, laughter and games aren’t the only valuable routes toward the goal. Trans

they pursue high-end achievement. In the Upper School at Milton, as the

frustration. Every spring, our seniors remind

formative learning sometimes requires a

academic program intensifies and students

us about the effect of fun on their motivation,

struggle. And struggle can cultivate persever

ramp up their academic preparation for life at

commitment and achievement. Their senior

ance. Focus often brings understanding. A

college and beyond, should we lose the humor

projects show us, in living color, the power

level of positive stress can be a motivator.

and the lightness? My answer is, assuredly:

of self-designed learning, as they develop

Frustration yields breakthroughs and making

and carry out projects to culminate their

mistakes opens doors to new approaches.

choices get more serious, for good reason. We

Milton experiences.

Reaching a sense of accomplishment through

prepare students for a difficult and intense

challenge is where the fun is, sometimes.

world. Must we mirror the world’s intensity

Senior projects span a range of efforts, from making movies to researching in science,

Making sense of an author’s ideas so

“No.” As we approach adulthood, issues and

during teenagers’ high school years? We note

from interning in medical institutions to

you can connect them to your own thoughts

writing poetry, from creating code to caring for

or contribute your insights to a discussion

elders and young people, to creating photo

is thrilling. Looking at a piece of your own

graphy and composing music. The projects’

writing and thinking, “Yes, this is what

institution? The list of goals is a long one, but

common thread is that students shape them to

I meant!” and feeling confident that others

I hope that we remember the importance of

do something that inspires them and to enjoy

will understand your ideas is exhilarating.

joy, happiness and laughter in the learning

a substantive — a nd fun — experience as they

Surmounting a mental barrier, finding

environment that we cultivate. How exciting for

the trend and push back. Where should excellent schools go from here? How should Milton grow as an

conclude their high school careers. Watching

a missing link and reaching an excellent

today’s students, and those in the future, to

seniors light up as they describe the rewards

solution to a math problem — t hese are

know that Milton continues to share the joy of

of their last month at Milton is amazing.

great moments.

learning, as an essential element of our mission.

As shrinking college admission rates continue to dominate headlines and institutions

M I LT O N M A G A Z I N E

milton.edu

Research shows that learning is indeed deeper, more transformative and more effective

/MiltonAcademy1798

Success, as we define it, involves having fun and loving learning for a lifetime.

@Milton_Academy @miltonacademy

r e t i r i n g fac u l t y a n d s t a f f Charlene “Char” Grant Athletics and Physical Education Department, Coach Member of the Faculty, 1979–2018 They say “time flies when you’re having fun,” and it seems

Char came to coach varsity soccer, varsity basketball,

like only yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting Charlene

varsity softball and to teach physical education. Not only

Grant, one of the physical education teachers at the Girls’

was she a varsity head coach for three seasons, Char

School. I was impressed with Char’s philosophy toward

simultaneously served as the head coach of the JV soccer

athletics and physical education. Our initial meeting was

and JV basketball teams for five years. Since 1979, no other

back in 1980, and it is hard to believe I stand here today

coach has overseen three varsity programs. In her

celebrating Char’s 39 years of teaching and coaching at

inaugural season, Char coached the varsity soccer team to

Milton Academy.

their first winning season. What a way to start a career!

Char has been a valuable member of the Milton faculty

Serving as a three-season varsity head coach for five years

since 1979. She has seen significant changes during her

is amazing, and it demonstrated her commitment to Milton

tenure. She has been a physical education teacher, a head

Academy students.

coach, and an athletic director for the Middle and Upper

Among many facts and statistics about Char’s coaching

School from 1984–1991. Char has been instrumental in the

career, there is one that stands out. Seven of Char’s seasons

development of new programs such as the girls’ varsity

as the head coach of the girls’ JV soccer team were

ice hockey and coed swimming teams, as well as the

undefeated: 84 consecutive wins. Coaching one team to an

expansion of the third and fourth teams for most girls’

undefeated season is rare, and coaching seven seasons

sports, providing greater access for young women to

without a loss is incredible.

participate in competitive athletics.

Char has always been a staunch advocate for growing the girls’ athletic programs. She has remained true to her philosophy and firmly believes every student should learn how to play a lifetime sport as well as learn how to appreciate different types of physical activity. Hearing comments from her students such as “That was so much fun,” “I never thought I could do that,” and “Can my friend and I come back and play during our free period?” is not unusual. For those students who did not see themselves as athletes, Char provided a safe environment where they could still find success. Her calm demeanor and words of encouragement provided a comfort zone for all to try new and challenging activities. Observing her students taking risks and master ing new skills provided Char with joy and satisfaction. Char is a professional who has a positive influence and has been a role model to students throughout her career. Milton has benefited from her unwavering commitment to and advocacy for the physical education program, especially for girls’ sports. I will miss our conversations and the chuckles that came with them. We wish the best of luck to Char and Carol as they begin their new adventures. Larry Fitzpatrick Athletics and Physical Education Faculty Member Head Athletics Trainer

FA L L 2 018

r e t i r i n g fac u lt y a n d s ta f f, c o n t.

Debbie Simon Upper, Middle and Lower School English and Performing Arts Departments, Speech Coach Member of the Faculty, 1980–2018 Debbie Simon is one of most acclaimed speech coaches in America. The Massachusetts Speech and Debate League voted

These awards have come because of her extraordinary work here at Milton. As a coach of the Upper School and Middle School speech teams, Debbie has guided individual

her into the Coaches’ Hall of Fame. The National Speech

students to local, state, district and national champion

and Debate Association voted her into its Hall of Fame.

ships, and her teams have done as well. We’ve lost count.

Two years ago, the NSDA chose her as Middle School

Debbie’s versatility as a teacher is legend, too. For

Coach of the Year. And just last year, the Speech

37 years, she taught “Growing Up Female” to hundreds of

Communication Association of America chose Debbie

Class IV girls, the last vestige of the history of Milton as

as Co-Teacher of the Year.

two schools. She taught English in the Upper School, from Class IV grammar to Class I electives; oral interpretation in the arts program; and a host of performing arts courses. Most powerfully, Debbie has directed over 50 plays at Milton, in the Lower, Middle and Upper Schools. All of these facts about Debbie’s career are amazing, but they only suggest the special personal story. They point to what we all know — t hat Debbie is tireless. This committed teacher never stops, giving her talents to everyone, student and faculty members alike. The light in her room or office is on later than anyone else’s. Her weekends are spent at tournaments and coaching. When called upon to help, Debbie simply will not say no. The facts also suggest Debbie’s unusual creativity. Give her a novel to teach, and she will turn it into a wild visual experience. Have students study plays, and they will be writing one-acts at semester’s end. Have her coach a speech performance, and she will invent new actions, voices and characterizations for the student on the way into the national finals. Give Debbie a Middle School play to direct, and she will create a script for 40 students. Where does this never-tiring invention come from? What the facts do not tell us at all is the very large heart of Debbie Simon. Her dedication to teaching, her care for her students, her passion for the arts all emanate from the love that Debbie pours forth daily. Her time at Milton has been one very big, welcoming embrace, and we will not find another person like Debbie Simon soon. Dale DeLetis Founder of the Speech Team Former Chair of the Performing Arts Department Friend

M I LT O N M A G A Z I N E

Joan Eisenberg Lower School Librarian, 2000–2018 Children sat snuggled together on the couches, overstuffed chairs, or on the floor in the library, listening intently to Joan Eisenberg’s every word. Soft-spoken by nature, her quiet voice drew them close, creating an intimate space where they could cozy up, settle in and hear a great story like Mo Willems’ Elephant & Piggie, or The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo. In the dark of winter, when everyone needed a boost, she’d help to plan a pajama day and children would scurry across the circle in their PJs, where she’d even provide hot chocolate. Every child loved going to library, and they especially loved Mrs. Eisenberg. They appreciated her because she really got know them, to know what kind of a reader they were, and to recom mend books that she knew they would love. She hooked reluctant readers by talking with them and finding out their passions. One book at a time, she reeled them in, and before they knew it, they were begging for more. From the home reading program in the Junior Building to the annual Summer Reading book project each fall, to the Caldecott unit in Grade 3 and the Massachusetts Children’s Book Award challenge in Grade 5, Joan made reading adventurous and fun. The Lower School naturally wanted to make a book for Mrs. Eisenberg in honor of her retirement this spring, and each member of our K–5 community, all 192 of us, created a written tribute to her. Time and again, students expressed their love and gratitude, thanking her in pictures and words for her insightful literary recommendations, and for guiding them to a love of reading. Always a teacher, Joan was also a lifelong advocate for social justice. In the late 60s and early 70s she was a VISTA volunteer on a reservation in North Dakota, and

connected curriculums and interdisciplinary learning, and found a lively place to do so in Milton’s Lower School. Part of the infamous Cambridge/Somerville carpool for

an elementary teacher on a Zuni reservation in New

the past 18 years, Joan is definitely not going to miss

Mexico. In New York City, during the women’s liberation

slogging through daily traffic on the Southeast Expressway.

movement, she, along with 45 other employees of Newsweek,

Soon, she’ll be moving back to Falmouth with her husband,

successfully sued the magazine for gender discrimination.

Paul. They look forward to spending more time with their

She was a union rep during the time she worked at the

2-year-old grandson Teddy, and enjoying all that retired life

Cambridge Public Library prior to coming to Milton, and

will bring them.

has always been a supporter of literacy programs for underserved populations. Joan cares deeply about others

Sandra Butler

and about our connected humanity. She also believes in

Lower School Art Faculty Member

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r e t i r i n g fac u lt y a n d s ta f f, c o n t.

Linde Eyster Science Department Member of the Faculty, 1990–2018 and harnessing our own curiosity such that it felt like she was more guiding us through this strange world than ‘instructing’ us in a top-down sense. It would be hard not to compare her to Ms. Frizzle from The Magic School Bus.” Students who entered Linde’s classes were often intimidated for the first few sessions. Linde always expected a lot from her students, and this started from the first day of class. What they learned quickly was that her intensity was compassionate, and her expectations were equally strong for herself. I have had the distinct pleasure of observing many of Linde’s classes, and I can say that I have never seen a more thoughtful practitioner. In The Courage to Teach, Parker Palmer wrote, “Good teachers possess a capacity for connectedness. They are able to weave a complex web of connections among themselves, their subjects, and their students so that students can learn to weave a world for themselves.” Linde’s classroom weavings are beautiful and intricate, but never too showy or overly complex. She has an amazing talent to pace her classes for the students in front of her, and not for some exterior standard. Linde’s teaching awards are many. She holds the Pratt Chair for teaching at Milton, she was the Norfolk County Science Educator of the Year, and she was awarded the Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching. Linde inspired Milton Academy students to find their voice in Helix, our campus science magazine. She also has been In Reconstruction in Philosophy, John Dewey wrote, “Scientific

instrumental in the development of the Honors Biology

principles and laws do not lie on the surface of nature.

curriculum. While these awards and achievements are

They are hidden, and must be wrested from nature by an

impressive, I would say that the impact she had on students

active and elaborate technique of inquiry.” In the 28

and faculty each day will be her enduring legacy. I am a

years Linde Eyster has been teaching at Milton Academy,

better teacher because I have been Linde’s colleague, and

she has been uncovering the hidden world of biology

I am the tip of the iceberg. There are legions of former

with her students.

students inspired to understand their world through the

In my time at Milton, Linde has been the heart and soul

lens of biology because of Linde. Milton Academy is a

of our department, and a champion of the messy and yet

better school because of Linde’s time here, and her shoes

productive process of scientific inquiry. When Linde came

will be hard to fill. It is with great respect and admiration

to interview for a job at Milton, she was serenaded by Tom

that we say goodbye to Linde. I am confident that through

Sando and Jim Kernohan. It is a miracle that she decided

her art, and because she is a teacher to her core, her impact

to take the job, but we are thrilled that she did. One of

on others will continue.

Linde’s former students said, “She had an ability to create

a unique, tight learning community that really felt like a

Michael Edgar

separate world in itself. She had a skillful way of evoking

Science Faculty Member

M I LT O N M A G A Z I N E

Susan Wheelwright Lower School Faculty Member, 2003–2018 I met Susan Wheelwright in the late 1980s, when we both

the year knowing that each day would bring engaging

worked at Fayerweather Street School. Arriving at

activities filled with purpose and possibility.

Milton in the fall of 2003, Susan already had a long and

Susan knows children’s literature, and which books

distinguished career. Beginning what would be 15 years

would elicit passionate discussions. Their imaginations

as part of the dynamic third-grade duo that included Jane

ignited, her students crafted beautifully written reflections

McGuinness, Susan’s kind, caring and straightforward

they loved to share with classmates. She masterfully

nature was immediately a perfect fit for our community.

guided students to a deeper understanding of immigration

Susan has shared her steady and gentle spirit with

as she read carefully selected immigration stories and led

students and faculty alike. Likened by a colleague to a “child

the students into steerage — in character — and onto a “ship”

whisperer,” she spoke to children in such a warm, quiet

that sailed in the early 20th century.

way, she could reach any child and bring out the best in each

Susan’s love of poetry, ice skating and monarch

of them. Her classroom was a whimsical place where

butterflies were all hallmarks of the third grade. Every year,

kids found and created magic.

the love of the natural world that Susan infused into the

To fully appreciate the immeasurable gifts that Susan Wheelwright bestowed on her students, one only had to walk into her room and study the walls and surfaces. They were filled with found objects from nature: shells, nests,

third grade ended with the excitement of a culminating trip to the Farm School. Shepherding third-grade students, and guiding us all with her warmth and humanity, Susan leaves behind

hives and rocks, along with guidebooks, knick-knacks

a legacy that is long-lasting. We will miss Susan, and we

and amazing works of student art. Susan’s classroom

wish her well in this new chapter of her life, as she

was carefully orchestrated for her students, to maximize

spends more time with her daughters and her grandson,

their engagement. Her ability to notice the interests of her

and gets to do some exploration of her own.

students is legendary. It was magical for both child and teacher, and the connection grew and strengthened so that

Gary Shrager

the bond between them solidified. Susan’s students spent

Lower School Dean and Science Faculty Member

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r etir ing trustee s Mark Denneen ’84 Milton Academy Board of Trustees 2009–2018 A powerful intellect and extraordinary scope of experience

how alumni, parents and prospective families understood

allowed Mark Denneen ’84 to ask questions of Milton that

the School. Making his company’s resources available

we as a School had not yet asked ourselves.

once again, Mark led a committee of administrators, faculty

More than 10 years ago during a Head of School Advisory

and trustees in developing Milton’s first comprehensive

Council meeting, Paul Rebuck made a presentation on his

institutional survey. With clear, credible information,

team’s difficult task: admitting the best students for Milton

Milton could build communication, development and

with a limited financial aid budget. Mark’s curiosity was

admission plans on real data. Mark managed the work with

piqued. He could clearly see the long-term, big-picture

objectivity and unwavering professionalism.

impact of our situation. With 98 percent of the population

Mark served on Milton’s Strategic Planning Committee

unable to afford private school, our ability to admit the most

and on the board’s Building and Grounds Committee; he

talented students was deeply compromised. Financial aid

also chaired the Audit Committee. His consistent contribu

funding would remain stagnant if tuition was the primary

tions have been a healthy objectivity and professionalism

source of funding. Students could still get a great education

in the interest of the School he loves. The second oldest of

at our peer schools with healthier financial aid budgets —

four boys to attend Milton, Mark excelled in so many ways.

it was Milton that would miss out on the world’s most

Revered English faculty member A.O. Smith described

gifted students, jeopardizing the character and identity

Mark’s effort in class as “characterized by duty, dedication

of our School.

and thoroughness.”

“Knowing institutions and brands as well as he does,

Mark served in class leadership positions, was managing

Mark knew the competitive importance of Milton retaining

editor of the Curtain Call, earned a Persky Award and

its brand strength — the caliber of our student body,” shares

was founder of the Milton Paper, perhaps one of his most

Cathy Everett.

cherished roles. His foray into independent journalism —

Mark chaired a committee of trustees and administrators

freeing kids to ask real questions — may have been a

seeking a more comprehensive understanding of the

precursor to the open-minded inquiry he pursues today.

financial and strategic implications of financial aid funding,

It’s those same questions that helped Milton see the big

and our competitors’ positions. He then aligned his own

picture and secure the long-term health of our School.

growth strategy company to provide months of research and data analysis, pro bono. The data he collected was a powerful tool. The resulting report became an essential building block in our future strategic and campaign planning, putting financial aid and all that it makes possible at the center of many conversations. The financial aid budget was no longer a problem for only admission to grapple with, it became an institutional priority. “I have always found Mark to be extremely bright and astute, and a superb analyzer of institutional complexities,” says Head of School Todd Bland. “His analysis and insights are powerful; he has a way of cutting to the chase. Mark often clarified what all of us saw, and by putting it to words so eloquently and clearly, gave us strength to move forward.” Challenged by rigorous, complex problems that could sink others, Mark looked ahead to another cornerstone project for the School: our identity and brand. In 2009, Milton had new leadership and needed a clear sense of

M I LT O N M A G A Z I N E

Mark, thank you for sharing your talents and commit ment with all of us at Milton.

Chris McKown P ’13 Milton Academy Board of Trustees 2010–2018 person, but firm in his leadership, his efforts helped establish a roadmap for a five-year plan and a 10-year vision for the School. “It’s easy to understand what a massive impact Chris has had,” Todd says. “Our entire institution is guided by that plan, and the capital campaign wouldn’t exist if not for that endeavor. He’s extremely humble and would always defer credit, but his leadership has been critical.” Beyond his work on strategic planning, Chris has provided a dependable and collected presence at all board meetings, offering insightful perspectives in a calm, clear and compelling manner. Chris offered his guidance on the Trustees and Campaign Committees, and more recently, on the Engagement and Diversity Committees. His service on the Academic Affairs, Student Life and Enrollment Committee, which he chaired from 2014 to As Milton approached a strategic planning process in 2011,

2017, beautifully connected the work of the board to the

it was clear the project required strong trustee leadership.

everyday buzz of campus.

Chris McKown P ’13 was the person for the job, a shining example of how Milton parents share their talents with our School in countless ways. Joining the board a year earlier, he hit the ground running

Trustee Stuart Mathews reflects on Chris’s tenure. “Chris has been invaluable at helping Milton think bigger,” Stuart says. “He’s helped bring best practices to our discussions from his involvement with other organizations.

as chair of the Strategic Planning Steering Committee,

He is never afraid to speak his mind, but has done so in

guiding Milton toward some of its biggest milestones.

a way as to contribute to a collective, better decision rather

“There probably hasn’t been a more complicated board task than to confront the needs of the institution and

than insisting the group accept his idea.” The Milton community respects Chris for his meaning

develop a set of articulated priorities,” shares Head of School

ful investment in Milton, admiring his genuine engagement

Todd Bland. “Many institutions get paralyzed by the

with the School. Leading by example, Chris has

magnitude of the effort, but Chris always kept his eyes

consistently shown his commitment through his presence

on the goal.”

on campus, making everyone feel heard and appreciated.

No stranger to solutions that put people first, Chris

Chris was an active and involved parent, familiar to

used his expertise leading a patient-centric health care

many faculty and staff as a thoughtful and unassuming

management company to outline priorities for Milton,

man with a dry, funny wit.

putting students and faculty above all. Knowing Milton’s

His integrity and deep sense of responsibility infused

complexities, Chris navigated sensitivities with nuance

our work years, and will be felt for many years to come.

and grace, advancing the work through carefully considered

Thank you, Chris, for devoting your leadership talents

suggestions and poignant questions. Described as a gentle

to Milton.

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on centre Seminar Day Connects Students with Thought-Provoking Experts and Activists Journalist, author and cultural critic Touré ’89

Giving them a voice to talk about what makes

returned to campus as the Sally Bowles ’56

them amazing — their genius and the tactics

Keynote Speaker for Seminar Day 2018.

they took to get ahead in life.”

“As journalists, our integrity is under assault,” said Touré, who hosts The Touré Show podcast. “Media people are deeply aware of the impor

Not one to shy from controversial topics, Touré, who has hosted various television programs, discussed what is happening in

tance of trust; we are the cornerstones of

the media today — for example, how Fox

democracy. Media people are obsessed with

News compares to MSNBC.

getting to the truth. These are people of high integrity and they take their duties seriously.” Touré discussed his time at Milton and his

“The right-wing media give untrue information,” said Touré. “They lie to their audience all the time. This leaves their

rising activism at Emory University, where

followers unable to understand reality. These

he started a black student newspaper. He told

are people pretending to be journalists, but

stories about getting his start as an intern at

they are propagandists.”

Rolling Stone magazine, eventually becoming a writer for numerous publications covering a

Touré said one fault of mainstream journalists is they don’t want to be perceived

wide range of artists from Eminem to Kanye

as biased or unfair so audiences get “false

West, Zadie Smith to Jay-Z.

equivalence,” where two sides of a story are

“In my career it’s always been about truth, particularly adding complexity to black people.

presented as equal, even when they are not. Touré cited news stories on President Obama’s

Nancy Anderson Leads the Middle School When students returned this September, a familiar face

published books, articles and multimedia professional

Milton’s K–8 math coordinator and Grade 8 math teacher,

development resources. She frequently speaks at

has assumed the title of Middle School principal.

conferences, such as the annual meeting of the National

During the search process, Nancy researched and eval-

Council of Supervisors of Mathematics (NCSM). Nancy

uated every aspect of the Middle School, from curricular

focuses on using discussion in math class, the value of

work to student discipline, diversity and identity work

mistakes in teaching and learning, and the development

to faculty professional development. Now in her sixth year

of teacher content knowledge. She co-authored Talk Moves:

at Milton, she stepped into the role fully committed to

A Teacher’s Guide for Using Classroom Discussions in Math,

the Middle School, saying, “I’ve said many times, and I

and is lead author of its companion resource, Classroom

continue to say, ‘I want to retire at Milton.”

Discussions: A Facilitator’s Guide to Support Professional

“After a thorough search, it was wonderful to find that

Learning of Discourse and the Common Core, which was

the best leader was already part of Milton,” says Head of

awarded a Golden Lamp Award in 2012. Her latest

School Todd Bland. “Nancy has great educational vision,

publication is What’s Right About Wrong Answers: Learning

a calling to serve children and their families, a strong

from Math Mistakes. She is finishing a book with Upper

work ethic and an absolute love of middle school and its

School mathematics faculty member Gregg Reilly.

students — not to mention a wonderful sense of humor. We are thrilled to have Nancy step into this role.”

Nancy is a well-known math educator. She has

greeted them, but in a new role. Nancy Anderson, formerly

M I LT O N M A G A Z I N E

milton.edu

/MiltonAcademy1798

“I’ve never met a more dedicated, dynamic group of colleagues,” Nancy says about Milton faculty. “They’re

@Milton_Academy @miltonacademy

The Sally Bowles ’56 Keynote Speaker

birth certificate, where both sides were given equal play in the media even though only

Fund fulfills the wishes of Sally’s family and

homelessness; the plight of young immigrants; the value of investing in social

one side — he was born in Hawaii — was a

friends that speakers come to campus who

progress; and the placebo effect in genetics.

factual truth.

reflect the intellectual curiosity and rigor that

Many Milton Academy graduates and several

“This is why the mainstream media had

marked Sally’s pursuits, as a student and a

parents were among the guest speakers,

trouble covering the rise of President Trump.

professional. Sally was focused on big, bold

stimulating great questions and discussions.

Even though he was speaking untruths, the

ideas affecting millions of people. She was on

Called the Keyes Seminar Day, this

media, for a long time, restrained from saying

the team that developed the Peace Corps; she

lively event has been one of Milton’s most

the L word,” Touré said, referring to lies. “They

helped decentralize New York City public

important traditions since 1977. It is

didn’t want to be seen as biased. It’s hard to

schools; she was the director of Medicaid; and

named in honor of its founder, former faculty

have your industry denigrated all the time

ran Connecticut’s welfare programs. Over

member Peter Keyes, a legendary promoter

by the president. But the media need to continue

time, and thanks to this Fund, students listen

of student interest in the political process

to be as dogged as possible to pursue the truth.”

to varying perspectives on issues critical to

as well as public and governmental affairs

the health of society in the United States and

and service. In the Milton spirit of

around the world.

developing students’ confidence and

During the Q&A following his talk, students had a range of questions, particularly

Twenty-two other experts and activists

about the “divide” between liberals and

competence to live by our motto, “Dare to

conservatives in the United States, listening to

followed the keynote address, covering a wide

be true,” Seminar Day brings to campus

both sides and whether Touré was espousing

range of publicly debated domestic and inter-

individuals who have made compelling

national issues. Among many topics, students

choices. They are scholars, business people,

could choose to learn about progress and

scientists, educators, writers, political

not about silencing but reconciling. I would

challenges in pediatric cancer care; democracy

leaders and artists making a difference

appreciate a more truthful dialogue.”

in the Middle East; children living in

in the world.

the “silencing” of one side. Touré answered, “We shouldn’t silence one side and we can’t. It’s

really good at what they do and no Middle School faculty simply teach content area and go home. They’re knowl edgeable about issues related to diversity, they’re coaches, they’re advisors. They have a deep understanding about what it means to develop the middle-school student as a social, emotional being, not just a growing learner.” The Middle School will stay committed to the best ways to teach students in all content areas, says Nancy, and renewing curriculum is work that never ends. “As the students change, the curriculum needs to change. We know that new research about teaching any subject is always coming in, so you can never say, ‘We’re done.’” Nancy is also focused on how the Middle School works within the K–12 community. Many of its students come from the Lower School, and are preparing to enter the Upper School, so curricular programs need to align with what incoming students already know and what they’ll need to be ready to manage in high school. “I will look for opportunities to expand coherence with the other divisions,” Nancy says. “We should take advantage of the benefits of being a K–12 school. The opportunities are there, and we need to seek them out.”

FA L L 2 018

on cen t r e , con t.

Jennifer Anderson, Chief Communication Officer Milton welcomed Jennifer Anderson as the

public relations, marketing, digital, and

School’s chief communication officer this

creative services professionals.

spring. In her role, Jennifer will develop and

“We are delighted about Jennifer’s arrival

implement a comprehensive communication

at Milton,” says Head of School Todd Bland.

strategy for the institution, including

“For years, our office of communication has

oversight of Milton.edu, Milton Magazine,

been exemplary. Jennifer brings extensive

parent newsletters and social media

experience and an ability to offer a fresh

channels, leadership communications,

perspective at a time when communications,

and issues management.

both at Milton and in the world, have grown

Prior to Milton, Jennifer was senior director

increasingly more complicated. Jennifer will

of communications services for Harvard

evaluate our current efforts, assess our

Milton Writers, Getting Published and Winning Awards

University, and she worked for more than eight

position of strength, and make thoughtful

years in the university’s central communica

and careful enhancements to the ways we

Numerous Milton students were

tions office. She led a high-performing team of

communicate with alumni, parents, students,

recognized for their short stories

faculty, staff and friends of the School.” At Harvard, Jennifer and her team managed university-wide marketing and

the Stars,” will be published in

branding, promoted faculty research and

Hyphen magazine. Founded in 2002,

student life, supported crisis communications,

Hyphen is a nonprofit news and

and spearheaded internal and external

culture magazine that tells the stories

communications campaigns on a range of

of Asian Americans. Jessica began

academic and administrative priorities,

writing the story at the end of her

including the arts and humanities, science

junior year in her creative writing

research, campus planning and development,

class, and continued working on it

sexual assault prevention and response,

over the summer at the Iowa Young

and information security.

Writers’ Studio.

Before Harvard, Jennifer worked in public

M I LT O N M A G A Z I N E

“When I’m looking for story ideas,

relations and marketing communications,

sometimes I Google random things.

including at SERMO Inc., a health care social

I looked up the word for autism

networking company, and the University

in Chinese and it translates as ‘child

of Notre Dame. She also spent several years

from the stars.’ So I wrote a story

in academic publishing at Harvard University

about two Chinese girl students

Press and the University of Missouri Press.

in an all-white school; one is autistic.

Jennifer earned her bachelor’s degree from

The other student is assigned to

the University of Iowa. She and her husband

be her translator. At first, she doesn’t

live in Arlington with their two children.

want to become friends with her

“I’m thrilled to be at Milton, and for the

and poetry this year. Senior Jessica Wang’s short story, “Child from

because she doesn’t understand

opportunity to work with alumni, faculty and

autism, and sees her as a burden.

staff to support Milton’s academic mission,”

But as their relationship develops,

Jennifer says. “In the short time since I arrived,

they become better friends.”

it has been a privilege to meet and learn from

This is not the first piece of

so many members of the Milton community.

Jessica’s writing to be recognized.

I look forward to deepening those conversations

In her sophomore year, she was

and working to ensure that Milton’s

a semifinalist for the Smith College

communications best support the institution’s

Poetry Prize for “In the Kitchen

current priorities and future aspirations.”

with My Mother.” Her poem “Like

July” was published in the 2016 edition of Apprentice Writer. Last year, she won Silver Key and Gold Key awards for poetry in the Massachusetts Scholastic

Milton Math Student Competes in USA Junior Mathematics Olympiad Qualifying among the country’s

Art & Writing Awards, and this year

most competitive math students,

she won three Gold Keys for her short

Lawrence Kim ’21 represented

story, poetry and writing portfolio.

Milton in the highly selective United

Nine Milton students had fiction and poetry published in The Marble Collection, a Massachusetts high school

States of America Junior Mathematics Olympiad (USAJMO). Lawrence qualified for the

magazine of the arts: Evita Thadhani

USAJMO with high scores in a series

’20, Max Li ’18, Sarah Hsu ’19, Alex

of math competitions. He then sat

Millard ’18, Serena Fernanopulle ’19,

for the nine-hour USAJMO over

Tatiana Meyer ’19, Jennifer Chen ’19,

a two-day period, where he competed

Hana Wideman ’19, and Alex Paul ’18.

against fewer than 250 other

In addition, Evita, Sarah, Serena

students from the United States

and Tatiana were selected to read their

and Canada. The test consisted of six

writing at the Marble Collection gala

questions, for which Lawrence had

celebration that took place at the

to present essay-style mathematical

University of Massachusetts Boston. Evita, who submitted a flash fiction story about a strained motherdaughter relationship from childhood

arguments, and required him to work in a testing room away from all electronics and outside influences. “I was really nervous, but at the same time, very excited to compete. It was the longest

to adulthood, said she enjoyed

test I’ve ever taken,” Lawrence says. “There is a lot of critical thinking involved in the

using the Marble’s offer of tutoring

problems. On the first day, I solved the questions I knew how to solve and then went to

sessions with a college student

work on the others. The next day, I worked on explaining my answers.”

via FaceTime. Evita also was named

When he was younger, Lawrence would borrow his older sister’s math homework

a finalist, along with Max Li and

and solve the problems on his own. Math competitions help him challenge himself and feel

Malia Chung ’20, in the Helen Creeley

empowered to take risks, he said.

Student Poetry Competition. Malia

Milton’s Math Club is a great opportunity to explore new topics in math outside

won the competition and was asked

a classroom setting, Lawrence says. Recently, the club has learned about game theory

to read her poetry at the Massachusetts

and paradoxes. “I would encourage people to check it out. Some people think of math

Poetry Festival.

as just a school subject they have to get through, but it’s much more interesting than that.”

Malia also won the Smith College Poetry Prize, a national contest sponsored by the Poetry Center at

“Lawrence is at the level where he can think about math creatively,” says emily bargar, who coaches him on the math team. “He thinks like a mathematician.” A handful of students scoring at the top levels of the Olympiad qualify for a summer

Smith College. At Smith, Malia was

math camp, from which an even smaller selection is chosen to represent the United States

asked to open, reading her own

at the world level. Although he did not qualify this year, Lawrence intends to try again,

poetry, for the renowned poet Marie

and he has applied to summer math programs this year.

Howe, who judged the contest.

Heather Sugrue, chair of Milton’s math department and Lawrence’s teacher, describes Lawrence as a “fantastic student who is engaged in class and eager to dive into explorations.” “His classmates know that he is a great resource, and they enjoy working with him. He is an unassuming young man who will happily work with anyone in a small group setting, and helps move conversations forward with good ideas,” Heather says. “It is very exciting to us in the department to have a Class IV student with this type of talent and interest. We look forward to finding more ways to support him and help his interests grow.” Milton Academy previously was represented at the International Math Olympiad by Paul Valiant ’01, who competed at the world level three times.

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fac u l t y p e r s p e c t i v e

“Teaching Shakespeare” David Smith, chair of Milton’s English department for 11 years and faculty member from 1981 through 2015, describes his recently published book, Be a Teacher, as “a memoir in 10 ideas.” David crafts the irresistible essays in his book with artfully rendered scenes, lively and idiosyncratic characters, unfailing wit and unfettered honesty. From his exploration of ideas about teaching and learning as they evolved over decades of experience, Milton Magazine excerpts:

Shakespeare was my own first literary love affair (not

watch Paul Schofield, in the Peter Brook movie, heave over

counting Hornblower and the space operas of Heinlein

a table in Goneril’s refectory and send the plates and

and Bradbury), and whenever I start teaching a play

cutlery flying, I think that Schofield and Brook (and the Fool)

it is like renewing an old, old relationship, one that can

have got it right: it’s too bad this tantruming toddler

be set aside and picked up again without a missed beat.

became old before he became wise. Why ever did I choose

Like most relationships, though, it is more complicated

to overlook such egregious bad behavior?

than it at first seems — or, at least, it has a history. The

The play that has changed the most for me, however, is

pure linguistic intoxication that I felt when I imbibed

that ultimate canonical work, Hamlet, with which I became

Richard II in the spring of 1958 is still with me, but

obsessed as a junior in college. I identified with the Prince, who seemed to me like a more romantic and more eloquent version of Holden Caulfield. I relished both his

“I identified with the Prince, who seemed to me like a more romantic and more eloquent version of Holden Caulfield.”

scathing tirades and his flippant repartee. Unlucky in love myself (or so I imagined despite having experienced nothing but the most rarefied crushes), I felt the full anguish of his rejection by Ophelia. His melancholy was an intoxicant, his anger a rush of righteousness. I scorned the distance that my teachers insisted was the proper stance toward a character in a literary work. When Olivier,

many of the plays seem to have shifted shape over time.

sword in hand, leapt from a stone staircase to dispatch his

Today I can scarcely believe how much slack I once cut

uncle, I leapt with him. The existential laugh that Burton

King Lear, how ready I was to accept his self-serving claim

gave at the end, as he sank down on the vacant throne

to be a man “more sinned against than sinning,” and how

to let the poison do its work, seemed to come from my own

I idealized the priggish daughter who is so hung up on telling

mouth. That my goggle-eyed hero-worship of a character

the truth that she provokes a deadly familial war. When I

in a 350-year-old play might seem odd to the girl I took to the

M I LT O N M A G A Z I N E

Burton film did not occur to me — or, if it did, demoted her in my mind to just one more pretty but uncomprehending Ophelia, who might better head straight for a nunnery than go on another date with me. I first taught the play the year I was a Fellow at Andover. By way of mentoring, the chairman asked me to teach it not to my own students but to those of one of the senior department members, who would watch and offer suggestions. The teacher had little rapport with his class and was happy to sit back and let me do what I could, which was, by comparison with the enormous weight of meaning that Hamlet had for me, not much. By this time I had most of the text memorized, and I had spent an entire Christmas vacation gleaning nuggets of commentary from the variorum edition and inscribing them in the margins of my book. I was prepared to be both guru and drudge, but neither role seemed to have much effect. I talked and talked. When they talked — and they did so rarely — none of the students expressed anything like my affinity for the Prince. Their papers were dutiful but uninspired. After the last meeting, my would-be

goat has married his mother. But Hamlet talks too much

mentor complimented me on my knowledge of the play but

and thinks too much. He’s a habitual procrastinator —

had nothing to say about the non-event of my teaching it.

probably never turned his papers in on time back there

His mentoring, like most I received in those figure-it-out-

in Wittenberg. If he wants revenge, he should get on

for-yourself days, was a non-event piled on a non-event.

with it and not let things fester. Worst of all, like Holden,

Mostly, he seemed dispirited at the prospect of having to

he’s too cynical, too ready to write off the world and

take the class back on his own narrow shoulders.

all its juicy opportunities.

My students today are often fascinated by Hamlet the play,

I’d like my students to like Hamlet a little more than

though they have their doubts about Hamlet the character.

they usually do. His philosophical questioning is

I show them the 38 pages of notes that one website coughs

appropriate to the age group, and so is his weltschmerz.

up on possible meanings of the phrase “smote the sledded

But I can’t help admiring their refusal to be swept along

pollax on the ice” and we share a laugh at the expense of

by the conventional assumption that he is a hero, and I have

X-treme literary scholarship. Then we get down to gauging

to love their reflexive faith that life must be more than a

the extent of our sympathy with the Prince. I am smart

pestilent congregation of vapors. As for me, my identification

enough by this time to get out of the way and let the room

with the Prince has weakened considerably over the

fill up with the questions that Shakespeare’s words

years, and I even begin to feel a certain fellow feeling for

naturally evoke. If a consensus emerges, it is rarely in favor

Claudius. He is no better than he should be — indeed, a

of Hamlet. True, he’s surrounded by insensitive adults

good deal worse — but he has been around the block often

and unsympathetic (and even treacherous) peers. True,

enough to understand that we must try to make our

he has some reason to believe that his uncle poured poison

peace with living in a fallen state. This perspective, too,

in his father’s ear — and he knows that the drunken old

is a useful one for young and old to consider.

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sports

Today’s Trainers Support the “New” Student-Athlete by Liz Matson

On an unusually hot and humid spring afternoon, assistant athletic

their side when they wake up from surgery. All four trainers say their

trainer Nicole Hall stands on the sidelines and keeps a close eye

most important role is just being there for the student-athletes.

on the girls’ varsity lacrosse game. She already introduced herself

“When I was younger and started in this field, I was really focused

to the opposing team coach, set down water and a cooler of iced

on injuries and understanding them, but over time I realized that

towels. Now she is laser-focused on the athletes, from both teams,

was not how I wanted to practice,” says Larry, who is the head athletic

watching out for collisions or hard hits, or if any player is limping

trainer. “Knowing the student is most important because it allows

or showing signs of struggle. Nicole notices one student wheezing

me to understand their injuries better. Developing that relationship

when she runs off the field and goes to check on her. Fortunately,

and trust is paramount. The relationship is first and the injury

that’s the only action needed from Nicole today.

second. I like to talk to kids and see what makes them tick. Milton

Milton has four certified athletic trainers — Larry Fitzpatrick, Nicole, Cameron Larocque and Steve Darling, who also serves as the School’s strength and conditioning coach. During home game days, they spread out across campus, each covering different games based on injury

can be challenging at times, and I can easily tell when they’ve had a rough day. My words, I think, can help.” Milton provides athletic training services for students in Grades 6 through 12. The athletic trainers also make themselves available

risk level. They put in long days and their responsibilities are wide-

to staff and faculty. The training room is tucked behind the fitness

ranging: taping and prepping athletes before practices and games,

center on the second floor of the Athletic and Convocation Center

icing and assessing after, teaching physical education courses, dealing

and the trainers are outgrowing the space. Since Larry started at

with insurance paperwork, communicating with concerned parents

Milton in 1980, the field of athletic training has changed tremendously

both near and far, making sure athletes follow physical therapy regimens,

as high school athletics transitioned from three-season athletes who

and dealing with on-field medical emergencies. For students who live

played fairly low-key competitions to specialized athletes who play one

on campus, the trainers drive athletes to doctor appointments or sit by

highly competitive sport year-round, inside and outside of school.

M I LT O N M A G A Z I N E

“In our area, this trend leads to overuse injuries,” says Larry. “Trying to get kids and parents to understand that can be difficult, particularly because they believe this sport might be the hook to get into college. Most athletes started off playing because they are having fun, and somewhere along the line it becomes a big part of their identity. Some parents feel their child has the skill to play at a high level. They’re paying a lot of money to outside programs to try to get them to that next level.” As the strength and conditioning coach, Steve Darling helps the athletes stay healthy; improve their flexibility, strength and overall aerobic fitness; and prevent these overuse injuries. All varsity athletes do in-season strength training workouts to help maintain their strength during the season and to aid in injury prevention. Workouts are before

When an athlete is injured, whether in practice or a game, the athletic

or after practice and focus on big movement exercises, such as squats and

trainers are the first responders, but Larry stresses that the next steps

deadlifts. Steve also incorporates core strength and power movements

and decision-making lie with parents.

along with a few isolation exercises to strengthen smaller areas. “Teaching how to do the exercises correctly is the first priority, and

“When a child is hurt, parents are in charge,” says Larry. “The majority of our kids are under the age of 18, so we can’t assume their health

once the athletes understand how to execute the lifts correctly, we

care decisions. It’s the parents’ prerogative on how they want us to move

then may test their strength and develop a periodization resistance

forward. We act as a vehicle to help them navigate the system and to get

program for the remaining weeks of the season. This allows each

their child seen as quickly as possible during what can be a stressful time.”

athlete to reach max strength in a safe and effective way,” says Steve, who has been at Milton for 16 years. For athletes in an offseason, Steve runs a fitness and conditioning

Emailing and texting parents makes communicating easier than in the past. Trainers can make sure parents who are far from Milton are up-to-date on a daily basis. Trainers also work in conjunction with the

program the students nicknamed “Darling’s.” This runs in the fall and

nurses and director of medical services at Milton’s health center, as well as

winter. In the spring he coaches track and field, where many athletes

with an outside orthopedic consultant. If the injury is a concussion, Milton

compete to keep up their conditioning. Although Milton has its share of

follows a strict protocol (using the ImPACT program) and the trainers

high-level athletes, Steve says he enjoys working with athletes at all levels.

work with the deans’ office if academic accommodations are necessary

“I love seeing improvement in kids who put in the time and the energy, especially an athlete who isn’t as gifted as some, or who’s just starting to learn how to lift and gets frustrated at the start, but then

during recovery. Following an injury or surgery, students can choose to follow their physical therapy regimen on campus, with Milton’s trainers. On campus,

after a few weeks feels more confident,” says Steve. “By the end of the

they can do PT four or five times a week, compared to the usual once

program, they’re doing something they thought they’d never be able

or twice a week. However, for busy students, sticking to regimens is not

to do. I also love seeing kids succeed on the court or on the ice or the

always easy.

field, knowing their hard work and their consistency off the field was a big part of why they were successful.”

“One of the most challenging aspects of dealing with athletes this age is noncompliance,” says Cameron, who worked with college athletes before coming to Milton. “You tell kids one thing and they don’t listen and go off and do the other thing. Or you know someone is hurt and not playing for Milton, but they still go and play their out-of-school athletic event. Then they come back the next day complaining of the injury.” Nicole agrees. “When they are here working out or competing,” she says, “we can tell coaches what to look for regarding their injury and we keep an eye on them. It’s the sports outside of school that we can’t control.” Challenges aside, all four trainers express true joy in their work. Larry says it’s all about “helping them recover and getting them back out to do what they love.” “Some situations with athletes who have had tough injuries have been trying,” says Cameron. “They are hurt and feeling down while also dealing with the rigors of academic life. Seeing them get back, feeling 100 percent again, happy and succeeding, makes everything worthwhile. It’s awesome. I can’t really describe the feeling other than that way.”

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m e s s a g e s Paul Yoon

“Books were my first teachers, my best teachers,” writer Paul Yoon told Milton students while on campus as this spring’s Bingham Visiting Writer. Mr. Yoon’s first book, Once the Shore, was selected as a New York Times Notable Book, a Best Debut of the Year by National Public Radio, and won a 5 under 35 Award from the National Book Foundation. His novel, Snow Hunters, won the 2014 Young Lions Fiction Award. He is a former fellow at the New York Public Library’s Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers, and his stories have appeared in Harper’s Magazine, VQR, the PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories, and The Best American Short Stories. The Mountain was released in the summer of 2017. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with his wife, the writer Laura van den Berg, and he is currently a Briggs-Copeland Lecturer at Harvard University.

“As a student in the ’90s, a lot of the curriculum was based on the work of dead authors. Although I loved it, because they were writing in a time that wasn’t mine, I felt really distanced from it. It was when my teachers gave me contemporary books, books from authors of color, that I came to think about writing as an active art form.”

Brina Milikowsky ’96

Gun control has been the “third rail” of American politics for decades, stirring such passionate argument and deep division that compromise on gun-safety measures sometimes seems impossible, gun-control activist Brina Milikowsky

’96 told students. But once you move past messaging from politicians and powerful lobbyists, there is greater hope for agreement among Americans on both sides of the issue, says Brina, who recently worked as chief strategy officer for Everytown for Gun Safety, and is now a political consultant. Brina attended Harvard University and the New York University School of Law. Her career in law, policy and politics

“We are proving every day to elected officials

reproductive freedom, voting rights and immigration. She was

that we demand leadership on this. The student

a policy advisor and counsel to New York City Mayor Michael

leaders all around the country who are pouring

Bloomberg and joined the Mayors Against Illegal Guns team,

into the streets and maintaining the pressure

which evolved into the nonprofit Everytown for Gun Safety

on politicians are permanently changing our political conversation in a way that’s laying the groundwork for policy change.”

has led her to work in commercial litigation and advocacy on

M I LT O N M A G A Z I N E

following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012.

Megan Phelps-Roper

Born into “the most hated family in America,” Megan PhelpsRoper grew up believing that she was working to save people from eternal damnation with her church’s extremist messages. By the age of 5, she was on the picket lines with the Westboro Baptist Church, protesting everything from plays to military funerals with profane signs and slogans. Ms. Phelps-Roper, who left the Westboro Baptist Church — a nd most of her family — visited Milton as this year’s Class of

1952 Religious Understanding Speaker. Ms. Phelps-Roper’s 2017 TED Talk was one of the year’s 10 most popular. Her memoir, This Above All, will be adapted into a film written by Nick Hornby and produced by Reese Witherspoon. She has appeared on the television shows “I Love You, America” and “The Story of Us.” As a keynote speaker and educator,

“I began to develop an undeniable

she engages with schools, faith groups, law enforcement,

understanding that we’re human and

and anti-extremism organizations on strengthening human

fallible. We are not divine. That was

bonds through better public discourse. She has been

the beginning of the end for me. Through

featured in The New Yorker, The Guardian, VICE, The Globe and Mail, NPR, and other international organizations.

ongoing conversations on Twitter, I was learning a new story about people I had thought were my adversaries. In spite of their abhorrence of my beliefs, they befriended me.”

Rahsaan D. Hall

Rahsaan D. Hall, the Racial Justice Program Director for the

ACLU of Massachusetts, visited campus as the Onyx Assembly speaker in recognition of Black History Month. Prior to joining the ACLU of Massachusetts, Mr. Hall was the deputy director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice. Mr. Hall also served as an Assistant District Attorney for the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.

“For so many people, there is no justice in the system. You have to educate yourself about what the roots of these issues are: why it is happening, where it is happening,

In addition to leading the ACLU of Massachusetts’ Racial Justice Program, Mr. Hall serves on the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation’s board of directors, the Hyams Foundation’s board of trustees, and co-chairs the Boston

and to whom this is happening. There is a role for people

Bar Association’s Civil Rights and Civil Liberties section. He

to play in deciphering and sharing that information.

is also a member of the Massachusetts IOLTA Committee.

We need economists and statisticians who can analyze how incarceration impacts communities. We need health professionals to look at how incarceration impacts

He is a graduate of Ohio State University (B.A.), Northeastern University School of Law (J.D.) and Andover Newton Theological School (M.Div.). He is an ordained reverend in the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

families; the health impacts for children of incarcerated people; and how and why mental illness and substance use are overrepresented in our prisons.” FA L L 2 018

Gabriel Gomez

Navy veteran and former Senate candidate Gabriel Gomez was this year’s Conservative Club speaker. Mr. Gomez, the son of Colombian immigrants, attended the United States Naval Academy and later became an aircraft carrier pilot. Within a few years, Mr. Gomez joined the Navy SEALs after passing its intensive selection and training process, and he spent his SEAL career primarily deploying to South

America, Central America and the Caribbean. Mr. Gomez, who rose to the rank of Lieutenant Commander, is one of very few Naval servicemen who have served as both aircraft carrier pilots and Navy SEALs. Following graduation from Harvard Business School, Mr. Gomez worked in private equity before running as a Republican in the 2013 Massachusetts special senate election to replace newly appointed Secretary of State John Kerry. Mr. Gomez won the Republican primary but lost to Democrat Edward Markey in the

“If you become politically active, I implore you to be open-minded and

general election. He co-founded O2X, which provides training and education to first responders, with several Navy SEAL veterans.

do it for the right reasons, and don’t get stuck in the dogma. Think about what this country needs: people who can compromise and work together. I’m a firm believer that this country is much better than its politics.”

“For a lot of pro athletes, it’s a job, and they treat it like work. It’s very refreshing to cover sports at the high school level because the vast majority of kids are doing it for the love of the game.”

Danny Ventura

Over more than three decades as a sports journalist, Danny Ventura has covered high school matches, college championships and history-making professional sports events, and athletes at every level have left lasting impressions

on him, he told students. Mr. Ventura has worked for the Boston Herald for nearly 30 years. In addition to his Sweet 16 football rankings, Mr. Ventura also writes a weekly “Around the Horn” baseball/softball notebook, the “In the Paint” basketball notebook, and a “No Holds Barred” wrestling column. His “High School Insider” blog was the first of its kind in Massachusetts. He has been honored by the Massachusetts High School Football Coaches Association as well as the Massachusetts Basketball Coaches Association. A winner of the prestigious Fred Ebbett Award of Distinction by the MBCA in 2004, as well as the David C. Weidner Media Award from the Agganis Foundation in 2007, Ventura was inducted into the state Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2011.

M I LT O N M A G A Z I N E

“Be very scholarly about the news, and investigate what is being presented to you as fact. It’s not just important to recognize biases, but to understand why they exist. False information and conspiracy theories carry a lot of weight in Syria because it’s a region where outside, international powers have had competing interests for so long.”

James Bowker

News coverage from heavily patrolled conflict zones in places like Syria can have

wildly different angles, depending on the sources of information — a nd which international power has control over the sources, said James Bowker, an analyst and former journalist who has witnessed and tracked the shifts of power in Syria and the Middle East. Mr. Bowker was this year’s SIMA (Students Interested in Middle Eastern Affairs) guest speaker. Mr. Bowker attended Tufts University and studied abroad in Amman, Jordan, receiving his B.A. in Arabic language and

Wilhemina Agbemakplido

Middle Eastern studies in 2013. He later worked in Jordan, facilitating study abroad programs, then as a journalist for a Syria-focused news website based

Climate change affects more than ecosystems and air

in Amman. Since moving back to the United States in 2015, Mr. Bowker has

quality — it directly impacts communities of color

worked in Washington, D.C. as a Syria researcher and analyst.

and lower-income families more significantly than wealthier, white communities, said climate activist Wilhemina Agbemakplido, this year’s Earth Day speaker. Ms. Agbemakplido’s visit to campus was sponsored by

“We’re so familiar now with this war that

the student groups Lorax and the Sustainability Club. She

we’ve become desensitized to the deaths of

is the energy program manager for the Mass Climate

Syrians. I ask people to try to see the human

Action Network. Prior to joining MCAN, Ms. Agbemakplido was a co-founder of Refugees Welcome! and worked as

face of the war. When we are empathetic in

a youth and police dialogue facilitator with YW Boston.

looking at problems, we start thinking of

She graduated from the University of Massachusetts

creative ways to solve them.” —Sari Samakie

Boston with a master’s degree in mediation and conflict resolution. She is passionate about engaging communities of color in the grassroots efforts to organize for communitybased climate action.

Jordan Hattar and Sari Samakie “If we are to continue to rely on natural resources, we need to start listening to indigenous people who live in the natural world.

Activist and public speaker Jordan Hattar visited Milton as this year’s Amnesty International speaker. Mr. Hattar began his humanitarian work in South Sudan shortly after graduating from high school. He later returned to the United States to

study Arabic and international affairs before traveling to Jordan

We cannot turn a blind eye to how

to provide aid and housing to Syrian refugees. During the

rapidly our world is changing.”

assembly, Mr. Hattar opened a Skype session with Sari Samakie, a Georgetown University student and Syrian refugee. As a teenager in Aleppo, Mr. Samakie was kidnapped and detained three times before fleeing to Jordan. Mr. Samakie said speaking out is his way to honor the Syrian civilians who have been killed in the conflict, and said he hopes displaced Syrians will someday return home safely. Mr. Hattar received his master’s degree in international relations and politics from the University of Cambridge. He held an internship in the office of former First Lady Michelle Obama. His work providing housing units in Jordan was featured in the 2016 documentary, “After Spring.”

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NAME: Bill Thorndike ’49, P ’73, ’74 CAREER: The financial business, first with an investment firm, then insurance. I started my own company in 1974, which continues to this day. I CAME TO MILTON: As a day student during WWII, then I lived in Robbins House starting in Class IV. This was assisted by my father’s youngest brother, Albert Thorndike, “Uncle Bertie,” a beloved Milton teacher. He became a second father while my own was on active duty in the Army. FAVORITE MILTON MEMORIES: Shenanigans at Robbins House; being a successful baseball pitcher; Sunday night chapel—mandatory attendance and a dress code, including coat and tie. Falling in love 100 times. Developing a great admiration for Reggie Nash, Stokey, Arthur Perry and Frank Millet. Getting a diploma. AT MILTON I WAS SURPRISED TO LEARN: I was a good singer. With Howard Abell’s encouragement, I joined the school choir and have experienced many church choirs, choruses and solos since then. Music is extraordinary. I’ll be forever grateful to Howard. WHY I SUPPORT MILTON: I want to play my part in helping this institution continue to be a leader for years to come. My life would not be what it is today without Milton Academy. I must give back!

For more information on supporting Milton, contact: Mary Moran Perry, Director of Planned Giving: 617-898-2376 or mary_perry@milton.edu

M I LT O N M A G A Z I N E

milton.edu

/MiltonAcademy1798

@Milton_Academy @miltonacademy

class notes If your class year ends with a “4” or “9,” 2019 is your reunion year! Save the date for June 14–15. Would you like to volunteer to be on your reunion committee? Email alumni@milton.edu to help plan your reunion.

1945 George Loring and his wife, Sally,

woman! George would love to

from Seattle to be near her

celebrated their 69th wedding anni-

hear from other classmates.

children and grandchildren. She

versary in June. They have lived at

has been singing in her church

Brooksby Village in Peabody, Massachusetts, since November

1950

choir, volunteering at a local food

2009, and are happy there. There

Nancy Chase shares that, if you

art gallery for 25 years. In Seattle,

are nearly 1,800 folks in the

see the movie Chappaquiddick and

Constance had been playing the

retirement community, some of

say, “That looks like Joe Chase

organ and was active in Palestine

the most interesting and talented

’85 ,” her son, you are correct!

peace issues and anti-racism efforts. She lives in Greenfield, a

people George has ever met. George is still tooting his cornet

bank and participating in a local

more rural community than she

in several groups, including

1952

The Brooksby Village Irregulars,

John Eliot and his wife have

been a challenge, but she is glad to

with which he is one of the regular

thoroughly enjoyed their six years

see familiar Eastern birds.

vocalists. In his previous band,

in the Riderwood community

Gid’s Giddy Gang, he didn’t sing

outside of Washington, D.C. They

is used to, and the weather has

1955

because he couldn’t sing in the

take classes, swim regularly, and

keys he could play the tunes in,

have been very active in church

Kitty Stinson Carleton and long-

but now the “Irregulars” will play

activities. For the past four years,

time companion, Kevin Burke,

songs in keys that fit his vocal

John has been compiling a

are loving their “two-condo” snow-

range. It’s fun! “The Giddy Four”

religious anthology that is now

bird life. From May to November,

is the name of his current group.

about 60 percent complete and

they are in midtown Peterborough,

Nancy Chase ’50 shares

will be accessible at no cost in the

New Hampshire, surrounded

that, if you see the movie

George and Sally have four living children, ages 65 to 60; five

cloud. They are fortunate that

by river views and near a large,

grandchildren, ages 32 to 21; and

both of their daughters live nearby,

always-something-going-on park,

no greats. Some live near enough

and they enjoy attending their

walking to almost everything

to visit regularly; some only

grandsons’ sports events. John

they want or need!

infrequently. George has enjoyed

looks forward to hearing about

seeing or chatting by phone with

his Milton classmates.

several local former classmates.

From November to May, on Florida’s east coast beside the Indian River, with boats coming

Malcolm Ticknor still lives in

dolphins playing and fishing

The bridge club George Harris

Concord, Massachusetts, with his

in front of the condo, and pelicans, herons, sea birds galore!

in and out of a nearby marina,

founded his senior year at Milton

wife, Susan, taking walks and

just lost its third member, Lucius

reading every day while fighting

Wilmerding ’48. Of the original

Parkinson’s. His three children and

health and for keeping their

five, only John Belash ’48 and

10 grandchildren keep him busy!

senses of humor, especially if Kitty

They are grateful for continued

ignores her arthritis and the

George remain standing. He is at work on a biography of the

her son, you are correct!

Kitty and Kevin are in Vero Beach

1953

1948

Chappaquiddick and say, “That looks like Joe Chase ’85,”

fact that her eldest grandson is the

grandmother of a Girls’ School

1954

age she was when she gave birth

graduate, Holly Ketron ’60. The

Constance Trowbridge moved

to his mother 56+ years ago. It’s a

subject was truly an amazing

back to western Massachusetts

great day when Kevin can find

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cl a s s no t e s, con t.

his hearing aids, glasses, cellphone, and the car keys, all at the same time. They are lucky that their children and grandchildren are mostly happy and healthy. Kitty’s three children (and seven grandchildren) are in the Seattle area, but Kevin’s three children (and five grandchildren) add quality to their time in N.H.! Katharine (Tinka) Gratwick Baker

is proud to report that her granddaughter, Eloise Sinclair

Paul Toulmin is on the West Coast

▲ Vcevy Strekalovsky shares

Baker ’18, graduated from

with no plans to leave. His health

his doctor’s view that he’ll live

Milton cum laude in June, and is

is still holding up. Paul wishes the

longer if he keeps working. He

headed to Brown in the fall.

best to all of his class.

can walk to his Hingham office,

As a rower, she also qualified for

Strekalovsky Architecture, and

the Youth Nationals in California

1956

manage a variety of private

in June. Longtime Milton class secretary Philip Rand ’57

spends life doing Astanga Yoga, traveling and fiddling with the Filemaker database.

and public projects. Membership

▼ Hanna Bartlett and Mary

in the Copley Society, Providence

Strang have just had a great visit

Art Club, and several galleries

Paul Robinson passed away

at Hanna’s apartment in Boston,

gives him a venue for his painting,

on March 18, 2018, at the age of 81.

reliving their first summer

and his knees still support skiing

Paul had a five-decade career in

in Colorado in 1955 (along with

and tennis. Vcevy’s daughter

health care beginning as a Deputy

Marian Schwarz and Lisa

Anna and Milton daughters

Commissioner for Addiction

Graves ’57 and a few from

Elisabeth ’83 and Kate ’85

Services during Boston Mayor

Windsor), catching up on children

brought Vcevy four grandchildren,

Kevin White’s administration,

and grandchildren (and Mary’s

from 19 months to 25 years old,

followed by many years establish

two great-grandchildren),

and they have happy reunions

ing nationwide HMO and

and celebrating being together

near Middlebury, Vermont, where

PPO medical networks. In later

on Mary’s 80th birthday.

he met his wife, Jane.

years, he became the unofficial mayor of Wellesley Park, the picturesque Victorian enclave of

M I LT O N M A G A Z I N E

1957

Dorchester, where he held court

Philip Rand spends life doing

from a rocking chair on his front

Astanga Yoga, traveling (mostly to

porch. Paul was also an

opera houses, often in Germany)

accomplished artist and enjoyed a

and fiddling with the Filemaker

life-long passion for golf. Milton

database. A bizarre trip in March

Academy is grateful for Paul’s

included Bonn, Amsterdam,

many years of dedicated service;

Berlin, Copenhagen (less than 24

through his efforts, classmates

hours, for an opera of Adès),

felt a kinship and connection to

Prague, Vienna and back home to

one another, and to Milton.

Rome. This June, he went to Bonn

milton.edu

/MiltonAcademy1798

@Milton_Academy @miltonacademy

boa r d of trustee s Robert Azeke ’87

Margaret Jewett Greer ’47

Yunli Lou ’87

Patrick Tsang ’90

New York, New York

P ’77 ’84 G ’09 ’13 ’14

Shanghai, China

Hong Kong

Bradley M. Bloom P ’06 ’08

Chevy Chase, Maryland

Emerita Emeritus Wellesley, Massachusetts

Eleanor Haller-Jorden ’75 P ’09

Stuart I. Mathews P ’13 ’17 ’17

Erick Tseng ’97

Vice President and Secretary

San Francisco, California

Waban, Massachusetts Kimberly Steimle Vaughan ’92

Wädenswil, Switzerland Charles A. Cheever ’86 Concord, Massachusetts

John D. McEvoy ’82 P ’19 ’20 ’25 Franklin W. Hobbs IV ’65 P ’98

Milton, Massachusetts Luis M. Viceira P ’16 ’19

Emeritus Douglas Crocker II ’58

New York, New York

Delray Beach, Florida

Wendy C. Nicholson ’86 New York, New York

P ’79 ’81 ’87 G ’12 ’14

President

Emeritus

New York, New York

Webster, New Hampshire

Randall C. Dunn ’83

Claire D. Hughes Johnson ’90

Chicago, Illinois

Menlo Park, California

Caterina Papoulias-Sakellaris P ’17 ’19

Edward E. Wendell, Jr. ’58 P ’94 ’98 ’01 Milton, Massachusetts

Liping Qiu P ’17 Beijing, China

Sylvia P. Westphal Boston, Massachusetts

James M. Fitzgibbons ’52

Peter Kagan ’86

P ’87 ’90 ’93

New York, New York

H. Marshall Schwarz ’54 P ’84

Elizabeth B. Katz ’04

Lakeville, Connecticut

Emeritus

Dorothy Altman Weber ’60 P ’04 Boston, Massachusetts

Milton, Massachusetts

Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

Belmont, Massachusetts

Vice President Harold W. Janeway ’54

Elisabeth B. Donohue ’83

Boston, Massachusetts

P ’18 ’21 ’25 ’27 ’27 Emeritus

Boston, Massachusetts John B. Fitzgibbons ’87

Ronnell L. Wilson ’93 Jersey City, New Jersey

Dune D. Thorne ’94

Treasurer

William A. Knowlton P ’23

Bronxville, New York

Boston, Massachusetts

Lincoln, Massachusetts

Kevin K. Yip ’83 P ’16 Hong Kong

Stephen D. Lebovitz P ’10 ’12 ’14 ’17 Weston, Massachusetts

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cl a s s no t e s, con t.

again, then Leipzig. As long as

the Wildlife Conservation Society,

officer at the Boston Conservatory.

low-cost flights are available, the

which demanded more time than

In 2016 The Conservatory

German railways, Deutsche Behan,

anticipated. WCS operates the

merged with the Berklee College

offer Angebot (special offers), and

Bronx Zoo, three other New York

of Music, and the Conservatory

the Italian railways whisk you with

City zoos, and the New York

at Berklee is rapidly becoming one

deals to Milan or Naples at 300

Aquarium, and has field research

of the finest performing arts

kilometers per hour, life will be full.

projects in over 60 countries. So,

institutions in the world. This past

never a dull moment.

year, Dina and Bob Bray ’56

Antonia moved one block south

1959

in New York City to a slightly

celebrated their 20th anniversary by selling their house in Milton

Phil Kinnicut is excited for the

smaller apartment. It necessitated

and moving to a nearby condo.

Class of ’59’s 60th Reunion from

clearing out accumulations of 32

Dina sings in a choir that will

June 14–15, 2019!

years—well worth it now that it is

perform Annelies, an adaptation

finished, but not a lot of fun—

of the Diary of Anne Frank into

Deborah Webster Rogers lives

although it was amazing to see

a large-scale choral work. Doubles

in her condo—with guestroom,

what surfaced.

tennis and squash are her

N.B.—in Des Moines. She is still

Just before the actual move she

favorite hobbies.

trying to get her translation of

went with WCS to see its projects

Die Zauberlaterne published. She

in Colombia. Antonia did not visit

is occupied with Bible study,

any place that anyone outside of

1963

Scottish country dancing and

Colombia, and many Colombians,

Tim Brooks thought the 55th Class

garage sales. Her daughter, Ellen

know about, going from national

Reunion was a wonderful

Rogers, lives in Milton.

park to national park. What a

opportunity to renew friendships.

remarkably diverse country.

Many thanks to John Bihldorff

Now she is moved and is feeling

and his wife, Jane ’65 , who

1960

fortunate—relatively healthy,

hosted the class dinner at their

Jim Kaplan ’62 has written

Bill Bradlee and Marilyn Bradlee

nice kids and grandchildren,

home in Canton. It was great

a pamphlet called

have five children: Jason, Allison,

ranging in age from 22 to 10—

to see everyone, including

“The Greatness of King Lear:

Harper, Tatum and Schyler, with

which helps withstand the daily

C.P. Howland, who came from

20 grandkids and one great grand-

news as we watch the continuous

California.

Its Matchless Tragedy

son. Most of their family is in

assault on our democracy and

Speaks to Our Times.”

New England; three are in Dallas.

the environment. Milton’s motto

Lee Kimball Byron missed reunion

Bill and Marilyn are living nine

has never seemed more timely.

due to her eldest grandson’s

Its Language Captivates Us.

months of the year in Naples, Fla.

M I LT O N M A G A Z I N E

high school graduation in Virginia. She works in real estate. Lee

Chas Freeman is about to begin

1962

his third year as a senior fellow

Dedicated “to Milton Academy’s

grandson to Panama in May and

at Brown University’s Watson

late, great Dick (Lefty) Marr, the

June. She took her youngest

Institute. He reports that he

best English teacher I ever had,”

grandchild to New England for

encountered Dan Cheever at

Jim Kaplan has written a pamphlet

their first trip in July, and

the 2018 Camden Conference,

called “THE GREATNESS

then to her nephew’s wedding in

which he keynoted.

OF KING LEAR: Its Language

Vermont with the rest of the

Captivates Us. Its Matchless

family. In mid-August, she went

1961

Tragedy Speaks to Our Times.”

Antonia Grumbach is finishing up

Diana (Dina) Roberts is starting

to see Scotland with the whole

her term as chair of the board of

her ninth year as senior major gift

family after the wedding.

milton.edu

took her 9-year-old Florida

to her English niece’s wedding in Northumberland, and then

/MiltonAcademy1798

@Milton_Academy @miltonacademy

1964

1967

Jesse Kornbluth wrote a play, The

started last year: Helen entered her

Steve MacAusland enjoyed some

Color of Light, about Henri Matisse

eighth decade in July, and her

conversations at his reunion that he would like to continue. Does

and the nurse/nun who inspired

elder daughter, Cecilia Zoe Brooke,

him to create his masterpiece, the

married her partner of 10 years,

anybody out there feel the same

chapel at Venice. The play had a

Myles Jeeves, in July 2017, at a

way? He is most interested in

successful premiere at San Diego’s

woodland venue in Norwich,

making the world a better place.

Vantage Theatre in January. It

England. In December, Helen and

He’s still at it!

moves on to a Westchester theater

her husband re-took possession

in the fall, and, eventually, he

of their Breton home after more

hopes, to NYC. Meanwhile, Jesse

than a year of renovation. They

1968

has finished another screenplay.

spent Christmas and New Year’s

Nicola Rose Walder is sorry she

If classmates and fellow grads feel

in Cancale near Saint-Malo.

was not able to come to the

like becoming producers, let him

To top it all off, daughter number

reunion but she looks forward to

know. Best to all.

two, Laura Brooke, married

receiving the class book with

her fiancé, Thomas Rogerson, in

updates. Nicola lives in Newcastle,

1965

August in Northumberland.

in the north of England, with

Helen and her husband live in

her husband, John. Two sons and

Edmund Beyer is pleased to

exciting times and look forward to

their families live nearby, five grandchildren in all, and their

announce his induction into the

the joy of grandchildren which so

Maine Baseball Hall of Fame on

many classmates, family members

third son and his wife are in Los

July 22 this summer.

and friends have told them are

Angeles, so Nicola and John see

so wonderful (no pressure, girls!).

them when they come to visit her

Helen Kimball-Brooke and her

She sends her wishes to all for

parents in Washington, D.C.

husband claim that 2018 is a ‘year

good health and memorable times

of new beginnings’ but it already

in 2018.

Edmund Beyer ’65

was inducted into the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame.

Nicola Rose Walder ’68

lives in Newcastle, England, with her husband, John.

1970 ◀ Deborah Weil Harrington is

celebrating Amanda Weil Harrington, M.D. ’01 graduating

from five years of surgical residency at Yale School of Medicine. In the photo, left to right: Tim Harrington ’98, Amanda Harrington, M.D. ’01 and Eliza Harrington Myers, M.D. ’95 .

1971 ▶ Margaret Trumbull Nash and Tish O’Connor reunited in Santa

Barbara, California, where Tish has lived for nearly twenty years, for a masterclass at the Music Academy of the West. Margaret has retired to Great Hill, the Stone family estate in Marion, Massachusetts. Tish, having lost

FA L L 2 018

1975 Paul Varney has enjoyed the last

Foerd Ames founded the first ocean

3–4 Milton vs. Nobles football

wave energy company three years

games, both home and away.

after Milton graduation and an acci-

Tailgating with him were Kent

dental carbon monoxide poisoning.

Lamere, Don Brennan, Ed

Using principles developed by

Giandomenico, Doug Lamont,

Buckminster Fuller, Class of 1913 ,

Sam Carr, Billy “White Shoes”

lifelong friend of Foerd’s grandfather,

Wheeler ’71, Bobby Grant ’75

Charles E. Ames, 1913, the modular

and Jay Williams. Come join

OWEC® Ocean Wave Energy

us this year at Nobles for a nos-

Converter generates electricity from

talgic tailgate party.

waves. Producing power, fresh water,

1974

while also sequestering coastal

Kevin Frank is retiring after 30

While at Milton, Foerd met with Dr.

years in the Navy, and spending

Fuller, at the home of Francis Hatch,

hydrogen, and oxygen from seawater

Cam Roberts ’72 is a

landscape painter living on Boston’s North Shore.

impacts of sea level rise is a goal.

a few more years at the Defense

1913 , and started reading all of

Intelligence Agency. Kevin

Fuller’s books. Bucky, who long ago

at Perpetua Press a year ago, is

received his Ph.D. in International

predicted many of today’s energy

re-imagining her future.

Development from the University

and climate problems, as well as the

of Southern Mississippi, and

Internet, would be very busy

1972

will be an Assistant Professor at

with Google Earth. Foerd recently

Campbell University in Buies

completed a five-year HVDC and

▼ Cam Roberts is a landscape

Creek, North Carolina, starting

ocean energy mapping project onto

her husband and business partner

painter living on Boston’s

in the fall. This is a shocking

this virtual platform. Foerd speaks

North Shore.

development for those who knew

about wave energy, water, and

him as a student at Milton.

climate management globally, with

Kevin Frank ’74 will start

as an Assistant Professor at Campbell University in the fall.

1973 ▶ Twenty-one graduates of the

Girls’ School gathered at Salter’s Point to enjoy a pre-Reunion Weekend get-together.

M I LT O N M A G A Z I N E

milton.edu

/MiltonAcademy1798

@Milton_Academy @miltonacademy

emphasis on the Indo-Asia region

minutes. The ER team would not

athletic field for girls’ lacrosse and

and islands. His fourth issued

give up, and he survived with no

girls’ field hockey.

patent describes his present work

brain, liver or kidney damage. He

with a new electrical generator

believes that Christ was with him

type that is motivated by recipro

all the way. God’s Grace be with

cal motions. The first wave energy

us always.

1980 Debra Spark and Polly Saltonstall ’80 ran into each other at a party

website is at www.owec.com.

for a mutual writer friend in

1978

Maine. Both Debra and Polly live

The profile of Amanda Weil’s

in Maine and were surprisingly

work as an artist in the Fall 2017

recognizable to one another after

Milton Magazine was certainly

having last seen each other at

a great overview that gave even

the age of 18. Debra is a writer

Amanda herself some insights

(largely of novels but occasionally

into the meaning of it all!

magazine articles) and a professor

She has moved to Inner

at Colby College. She recently got

Sunset in San Francisco where

a quick glimpse of some of Milton’s

▲ Last year was busy for Kym

she lives with her man and

new buildings, on the way to write

Lew Nelson: purging and

his 15-year-old daughter, while

a piece about the Eustis Estate.

downsizing to a two-bedroom in

her 15-year-old goes to boarding

downtown Cincinnati;

school in New Hampshire.

for her company, The KLEW

Barry Hynes shares that the Class

because what goes around comes

of ’79 is on the reunion clock, only

around: Kym met with John

a few months away! his wife, Kristin, and they live

John’s wife passed away about 11

in Beverly, Massachusetts. He has

years ago; Kym finalized her

two stepsons: Jonathan, age 14,

divorce four years ago. Kym and

and David, age 12. Both play

girls’ field hockey.

John started 2018 together—

hockey and lacrosse. Barry is

▲ Rebecca Williams is an award-

rekindling this old friendship

working at Cushman & Wakefield

winning author, consultant and

1977

again, the company where he

clinical psychologist in San Diego

started his real estate career 27

specializing in healthy recovery

years ago in Boston. He speaks

from mental illness and addiction.

regularly with Gene Reilly,

She is a program director at the

Paul Robinson bought a lovely

Bryan Austin, Pete Nawrocki

San Diego VA Healthcare System

house in Amherst, Massachusetts.

and Tom Robison, among many

and Associate Clinical Professor of

After 25 years on the West

other ’79ers.

Coast, he is enjoying having weather again.

Milton create a much-needed

Barry was married in 2013 to

found each other via Facebook.

has been fun.

Wallace Bennett helped

1979

various places in the U.S. Perhaps

Griffin ’74 after 40 years. They

Pete Nawrocki and Julie

turf field for girls’ lacrosse and

traveling to Manila several times Company; and to Europe and

Barry Hynes ’79 , Gene Reilly,

Recently, Barry was involved in helping Milton create a new

Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego. Rebecca is thrilled to announce her newest

turf field with Gene Reilly, Pete

book called The Gift of Recovery: 52

V-Nee Yeh had a massive heart

Nawrocki and Julie Wallace

Mindful Ways to Live Joyfully Beyond

attack. His heart flatlined and

Bennett, a great success story for

Addiction. Her book has been

remained dysfunctional for 56

the School and a much-needed

described as “a well-crafted,

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cl a s s no t e s, con t.

1983 beautiful illustration of the power

After a 12-year ex-pat posting in

of mindfulness in healing from

Texas, Macgill James moved back

addiction.”

East and settled in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, where he is working

1981

at UGI Corp as vice president of global supply strategy.

▼ Michael Denneen, a prolific

music producer who cofounded Q Division Studios with Jon Lupfer,

1985

1986

passed away in July. Tributes

Robin Corey has been in Marin

▲ Joe Vinciguerra met with

to Mike poured in quickly, from

County, California, for (gulp)

Sam Bisbee in Los Angeles for the

remembrances on Facebook to

20 years now. Jenn White lives

premiere of the movie The Hero,

a detailed Vanyaland piece

in her neighborhood and is a

which Sam produced and Joe had

chronicling Mike’s more than

frequent hiking buddy, but Robin

no part in — except to enjoy the film.

three decades of contributions to

doesn’t get to see her other Bay

the music scene in Boston and

Area classmates nearly enough.

beyond. Division Q has produced

Between her two teenage boys

music for the Pixies, Aimee Mann,

and work-life as a Realtor with

Fountains of Wayne, Patty Larkin,

Coldwell Banker, she is staying

Letters to Cleo, and Howie Day,

very busy.

among many others. Following his death, the famed Paradise

▶ John Darrell Sherwood

Rock Club changed its marquee to

recently met with Robert Damon

honor Mike, and his brother,

Sherwood ’86 and Todd Chayet ’86. In the photo from left to right:

will rename his scholarship in

Robert Damon Sherwood, Todd

Mike’s memory.

Chayet and John Darrell Sherwood. Photo: Michael Marotta, Vanyaland

Milton trustee Mark Denneen ’84 ,

1989 ▶ This spring, Cambridge

University Press published Marc Berenson’s book, Taxes and

Trust: From Coercion to Compliance in Poland, Russia and Ukraine. Taxes and Trust is the first book on taxes to focus on trust and the first work of social science to concentrate on how tax policy is implemented in Poland, Russia and Ukraine. It highlights the nuances of the transitional Ukraine case

M I LT O N M A G A Z I N E

1995 and explains precisely how and

▲ Bonnie Dundee married

He bikes to work from Somerville

why that ‘borderland’ country

Heather Tompkins in a tiny,

every day!

differs from the more ideal-types

happy ceremony at San Francisco

of coercive Russia and compliance-

City Hall on May 24, 2018.

Tim Harrington and his wife,

oriented Poland.

Susannah Bancroft ’94 and

Jessica, recently bought a house in

Haley Steele ’94 were witnesses.

Campbell, California. Their son

1991

They are thrilled.

Lius graduated from kindergarten

book titled The Sociopath’s Guide

1997

Josie, joins him and Justin

to Getting Ahead. She finds it

▶ Drew Hendrickson and Matt

School in the fall!

Priscilla Elliott released a new

College every day.

with flying colors. Their daughter,

both dark and funny to write as

Kennedy were on hand in Cape

the world tumbles into the

Town, South Africa, to celebrate

strange future.

Harrison Blum ’98

bikes to work at Emerson

Basilico’s son, Leo, at Hillbrook

Luke Crowley marrying Meg

Blair on February 17, 2018. Matt

1993

Thayer, who attended Milton from kindergarten until 9th grade and

Paul Tuchmann is sorry to have

the son of former Milton teacher

missed everyone at reunion. Paul

Nick Thayer, also attended.

will be a bit closer to Milton now,

Luke has lived in Cape Town

as he recently moved to New Haven

for 10 years and is working on a

after 11 years as an Assistant

project that delivers low-cost early

U.S. Attorney in Brooklyn,

education to children in various

prosecuting corrupt politicians

parts of South Africa.

and soccer officials. Paul’s

The photo features, from left

family moved last August when

to right, Matt Thayer, Drew

his wife, Deborah Coen, joined

Hendrickson, Matt Kennedy

the Yale history department after

and Luke Crowley.

ten years at Barnard. Their children, ages 12 and 9, love their new schools, and Paul started at

1998

a New Haven law firm in August.

Harrison Blum married Amorn

1999

If you’d like to join him for pizza

O’Connor in the summer of

Caroline Kinsolving recently

at Sally’s or Pepe’s, or if you’re just

2016 and now works at Emerson

received rave reviews for her work

passing through, please drop him

College as campus chaplain

in Tartuffe at the Shakespeare

a line at tuchmann@hotmail.com.

and director of spiritual life.

Theatre (Basil DeCambre came to

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cl a s s no t e s, con t.

see a preview!), participated in George Bernard Shaw’s Buoyant Billions at Symphony Space, Maggie Jackson ’78

and played the lead in the sci-fi

Author, Distracted: Reclaiming Our Focus in a World of

comedy series, “The Blue Marble,”

Lost Attention

shooting this summer. She also finally got a new website that

In the first edition of this groundbreaking book,

explains everything else she’s

Maggie Jackson sounded a prescient warning

been keeping herself busy with.

of a looming crisis: the fragmentation of attention that is eroding our abilities to problem-solve, innovate, and care for one another. Now in this updated

2000

edition, she offers both a renewed wake-up call and

▶ This past year has been a big

a path forward as we reckon with one of the most

one for David Chang and his family.

pressing problems of our time. How can we harness

David, his son, Crosby, and his

the technological marvels of our age more wisely

wife took a leap of faith and relo-

and turn data into knowledge and distraction into

cated to Helsinki, Finland, where

attention? How can we reset human bonds in a time of

they have immersed themselves

deep disconnect? We must, she argues, curb tech

in the world of hockey, saunas and

nological excess by cultivating the full gamut of our

self-deprecating humor.

attentional capabilities. We must look first to the

2003 Beau Rhee ’03 (Monica) lives in

New York City, and is an artist,

human behind the device. Maggie is our expert guide

Lauren Sierra Kruskall and her

in exploring the historic roots of distraction, the perils

fiance, Tristen Woods, were

began teaching at Parsons School

we face in melding human and machine, and the

featured in the ABA Journal for

of Design (Integrative Design

cutting-edge science that reveals the attentional skills

their work as animal rights

Studio & Sustainable Systems).

most needed in an age of overload. Timely and

activists in Kansas City, Missouri.

She recently showed her work

unforgettable, Distracted offers a harrowing yet hopeful

at Bard Graduate School Gallery,

account of the fate of our highest human capacity.

2002

The Kitchen and Kaaitheater

In October 2017, Anne Duggan

her Milton days, filled with

designer and educator. In 2017, she

Brussels. She fondly remembers

joined Partners Capital, an

jazz combo, orchestra, dance

outsourced chief investment

concert, Epic and Asian Society.

office firm that serves endow

The origin days!

ments, foundations, pensions, investment professionals, and high-net-worth families in

2004

Europe, North America and Asia.

Alyssa King will begin a tenure-

track position at Queen’s Ken Nakamura is wrapping

University Faculty of Law in

up five years of working in

Kingston, Ontario. She’d like

advertising in China and moving

to thank the many Milton faculty

back to Los Angeles to start

who modeled good teaching!

his MBA this summer. Ken just attended Karla Chien’s

M I LT O N M A G A Z I N E

Since the election of 2016, Emily

beautiful New Year’s wedding,

Phelps has been working with the

along with Clarissa Wang and

Indivisible Project, a progressive

Marissa Seamans.

organization that supports

2005 grassroots groups around the

▶ Dr. Yi Li and Dr. Grace

country as they hold their

Soon Kim were married in

members of Congress account

San Francisco on August 19,

able through local activism,

2017. They would like to

inspired by tactics that worked

introduce Caleb Junwoo Li,

for the Tea Party. She is

born May 18, 2018.

currently their press secretary. Meanwhile, her mom, Holly

Pianist/composer Jason Yeager

Wright, has officially joined

recently released his fourth

the “blue wave” and decided to

album, All At Onceness, a

run for office! After a career in

collaboration with saxophonist/

public health, Holly is challeng

composer Randal Despommier,

ing her state senator on the very

on Red Piano Records. Based

red Eastern Shore of Maryland,

in New York, Jason maintains an

where she moved not long after

active performance schedule,

Emily graduated.

recently earned a master’s degree

For the two of them, 2018 has

at the Berklee Global Jazz

been pretty surreal, extremely

Institute, and continues to teach

busy and a total adventure.

in Berklee’s Piano Department.

What makes Milton unique? Our people — our students and faculty, and the power of their experiences together. The Milton Fund supports financial aid, bringing diverse points of view to our student body and fostering lifelong friendships. Professional development and investment in faculty recruitment and retention fuel engaged teachers, encouraging transformational educational opportunities. Field trips, sports and affinity clubs inspire students to find their voices and dare to be their true selves. Your investment in Milton through the Milton Fund makes it all possible.

Make a gift today. milton.edu/donate 617-898-2447 FA L L 2 018

cl a s s no t e s, con t.

2006 Ned Littlefield married Danya

adventure. The details are yet to

French in 2014. He now is a Ph.D.

be determined!

student in political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, studying Latin American security

2012

forces. This summer, he took

▼ Henna Auerbach left boarding

Portuguese classes and conducted

school life in North Carolina and

field research in Colombia; Danya

now works at GoDaddy in San

recently earned a graduate degree

Francisco as an analyst. Elly Day

in city planning.

came to stay back in May and they had a blast!

Nick Dougherty recently won

BostInno’s “50-on-Fire,” and in the spring won MedTech Boston’s “40-Under-40.”

2007 Meredith Ruhl and her husband,

Patrick Farmer, welcomed their first baby, Cornelia Hoefler Ruhl Farmer, on September 6, 2017. Andrew Konove ’00

Author, Black Market Capital: Urban Politics and

2008

the Shadow Economy in Mexico City

Claire McKey Berkman completed

Andrew Konove traces the history of illicit

Practice at the Royal Central

her MFA in Advanced Theatre commerce in Mexico City from the 17th century

School of Speech and Drama with

to the 20th, showing how it became central

a focus on collaborative practices

2013 In May, Cole Morrissette finished

to the economic and political life of the city.

in contemporary musical theatre.

The story centers on the untold history of the

Claire plans to stay in London to

his M.A. in neuroscience at

Baratillo, the city’s infamous thieves’ market.

continue her investigations as a

Wesleyan, and headed to

Originating in the colonial-era Plaza Mayor,

Ph.D. through Practice as

Columbia University’s Vagelos

the Baratillo moved to the neighborhood of

Research with the development of

College of Physicians and

Tepito in the early twentieth century, where it

her new musical, Above and Below.

grew into one of the world’s largest emporiums for black-market goods. Andrew uncovers

Surgeons in August to pursue a joint M.D./MBA. Anyone

the far-reaching ties between vendors in the

2009

Baratillo and political and mercantile elites in

Angela Baglione and her partner

interested in medicine and biotechnology, please reach out!

Mexico City, revealing the surprising clout of

recently took a “pre-tirement” trip

vendors who trafficked in the shadow economy

around Europe for three months,

and the diverse individuals who benefited

learning about farming practices

Caroline Wall received a Dunn

from their trade.

abroad. This fall they will return

Fellowship Grant from the

M I LT O N M A G A Z I N E

milton.edu

/MiltonAcademy1798

2015

to their new-to-them farm in

University of Chicago to start

Monroe, Maine, where they will

research for her bachelor’s thesis

begin a full-time farming

on Nietzschean friendship.

@Milton_Academy @miltonacademy

In Memoriam Remembering Kay Herzog Kathy Herzog ’80

Class of 1939

Class of 1955

Oliver C. Biddle

Paul E. Robinson

Julia Bolton Dempsey Class of 1940

A beloved Milton Academy English teacher for more than 30 years, Kay Herzog died on February 18, 2018 in Oxfordshire, England, after a lengthy illness. While Kay always expressed a dislike for the euphemism “died peacefully,” that is what she did — slipping into death seemingly without

Eunice Hale Smith Class of 1943 Charlton Yarnall Jacobs Phelps William E. Smith Dr. Stephen L.Washburn Class of 1944

Class of 1956 Philip S. Robertson Class of 1958 Benjamin L. Wilson, Jr. Class of 1962 Peter A. Rabinowitz Class of 1964 Sarah Adams Aldrich

pain or fear. Mrs. Herzog taught English

The Honorable

Class of 1965

at Milton Academy from approximately

Thomas T. Clark III

Samuel Adams

1959 to the early 1990s. She originally

Cecilia Page Bourget

came to Milton with her daughter Anne

Anne Paton Langton

Udy, intending only to teach for one year, and then return to Cambridge, England. However, during that year she met Bradford Herzog, then Boys’ School mathematics teacher and house master of Forbes House, and they were married in June of 1960. During her long tenure at Milton, some of her career highlights include being the co-creator of both Senior Spring Projects and the Arts Program. She chaired the English department for many years, and was responsible for overseeing the development of the English curriculum during the years that the Girls’ and Boys’ Schools merged to become one. She was also

Class of 1946 Mary-Martha McClary Marshall

Class of 1967 Camilla Knapp Class of 1975 Edward A. Lindsay

James Perry Thurber, Jr.

Class of 1980

Jane Stewart Young

Jeanne M. Dolan

Class of 1947

Class of 1981

Edward O. Handy, Jr.

Michael J. Denneen

Class of 1948

Class of 1994

Lucius Wilmerding III

Coleman O’Toole

one of the faculty members responsible for creating and developing the student-teacher

Class of 1949

Faculty and staff

program at Milton in the mid-1980s, designed to assist in training teachers who aspired

Isabel Fulton O’Donnell

Arline Greenleaf

to work in private schools. Mrs. Herzog was the co-author of Visions and ReVisions: A Pictorial History of Milton Academy, and was a recipient of the Milton Medal. However, if one asked Kay what was important to her during her time at Milton, and indeed during her time as a teacher, she would focus on the joy she found in stimulating a student’s innate intellectual curiosity, as well as promoting independent, critical thought, supporting her students to be fearless in stating their ideas, and

Class of 1950 George P. Bates

Katherine B. Herzog Elizabeth Shea

Francis V. Cahouet Mary Wilde Carswell Class of 1951

defending their perspectives. She eschewed the more traditional teaching techniques

Nicholas J. Baker

with which she had been initially trained, and developed and embraced a model of

Theodore A. Chapman

teaching that was collaborative, respectful of student’s ideas, and dedicated to engaging students both in the classroom and during their studies. Perhaps the key to all this was that she herself never stopped learning, honing her craft of teaching, or thinking actively about her students. Kay Herzog loved Milton Academy. She used to admit that she loved all parts of life at the School, even faculty and committee meetings. However, this was not an unalloyed love: She would (and did) express criticism if she disagreed with a direction the School was taking, and she was not afraid to express a differing opinion. She gave a good deal of her life, her creative energy, and her love to her students and her

Alumni, faculty and staff who passed April 1, 2017– July 31, 2018, and were not previously listed in Milton Magazine. To notify us of a death, please contact the Development and Alumni Relations Office at alumni@milton.edu or 617-898-2447.

colleagues at Milton; even after she retired, she maintained contact with many of her colleagues and former students.

FA L L 2 018

cl a s s no t e s, con t.

◀ CLASS OF 1943 John Moir, John Goodhue

▲ CL ASS OF 1953

front row: Tom Lewis, Andrew Hertig, Jane Cheever Carr, Ann Higgins, Sandy Earle, John Webster second row: Evan Randolph, Lorraine Hamilton, David Sheehan, Joel Wechsler, Josephine Wechsler back row: Toby Baker, Mike Robertson, Win Hall, Barbara Marlow, Hugh Marlow

◀ CLASS OF 1958

front row: Todd Bland, Ted Wendell, Jody Howard, Neilson Abeel, Sam Otis, Betsey Blair, Star Hopkins, Kitty Carlson, Doug Crocker, George Davidson, Doug Bingham, Phil Tobey, Moyra Byrne, Henry Spencer middle row: E Pendleton, Jan DuBois back row: Sherry Downes, John Pruitt, Joan Dine, Freddy Gamble, Eliza Klose, Tally Forbes, Tom Butler, John Partridge, Andrea Schoenfeld, John Woodard, John Scholz, Neil Goodwin

M I LT O N M A G A Z I N E

milton.edu

/MiltonAcademy1798

@Milton_Academy @miltonacademy

◀ CL ASS OF 1963

front row: Judy Van Ingen, John Bihldorff, Peter Potter, Diane Shand, Ann Farnum, Arthur Chute, Kathy Weston Reardon, Kate Chute second row: Jimmy Roberts, Martha Brooks, Jane Bihldorff, Peter Forbes, Maureen Febiger, Chris Febiger third row: Tim Brooks, Helen “Sunny” Ladd, Edward Fiske, Jeff Ross back row: John Grandin, Roger Cheever, Dave Taylor, Bill Reardon missing from photo: C.P. Howland

▶ CLASS OF 1968

front row: Frances Hays, Ann McClellan, Joanna Phinney, Leslie Vappi Goldsmith, Sara Straus Byruck, Marion Stein Letvin, Martha Bailey Chamberlain, Cathie Dobson Wheeler, Roger Haydock, Bizzy Chatfield Gilmore, Forbesy Russell, Martha Shulman, Caroline Emmet Heald second row: Emily Driver Moore, Wissie Hayes Taylor, Dot Procter, John Luce, George Gibson, Jon Sobin, Tony Kane, Doug Hendren, Prudie Bell, Celestine Bohlen third row: Jayne Fallon Larson, Dominique Dreyer, Terri Watkins-Bryant, Judy Harkness Taft, John Kerr, Rich Wilson fourth row: John Mahn, Frank Heyburn, Cas Groblewski, Hilary Hamlin, Preston Grandin, Annie Munch, Paul Hornblower, Lorraine Clasquin, Wayne Kernochan, Bob Warren, Reid Minot, Peter Temple, Kate Steinway, Rosie Lee, Nat Ayer, Karin Lium, Tom Rea, David Cornish, Dick Fletcher, Peter Whittemore

◀ CLASS OF 1973

first row: Jonathan Goldbloom, Susan Seyfarth Lovejoy, Tamsin Knox, Catie Marshall, Ann Silk Munger, Marguerite Bailey Graham, Ed Giandomenico, Jim Gardner middle row: Jean Barrett, Liz deSchweinitz, Terry Parkinson, David Mark, James Williams back row: Jay Quinby, John Hughes, George Ticknor, Jane McDermott Hoch, Sarah Cleveland, Nina Pierpont, Susan Bancroft Espinoza, Paul Varney

FA L L 2 018

cl a s s no t e s, con t.

▲ CLASS OF 1978

front row: Dan Dwight, Marianne Cabot Welch, Carin Ashjian, Eugenie Albrecht Trowbridge, Renata “Didi” Belash, Sharon Miller Cumberbatch, Philippa Karmel Wharton, Lisa Foster, Janet Auchincloss Pyne second row: Alison Macdonald von Klemperer, Susan Woods Spofford, Laura Appell-Warren, Kathy Astrue, Bill Adams, Becca Badger Fisher third row: Pru Murray Bovee, Telly Jorden, Frances “Missy” Marshman, Susie Morrill, Jennifer Trakas-Acerra, Kim Godfrey last row: Philip Clark, Eliza Erskine Drummond, Tim Marr, Oliver Radford

◀ CLASS OF 1983

first row: Molly Bourne, Josh Thayer, Lindsay Burns Barbier, Guy Kurtz, Beth Colt, Tina Cortesi, Steven Walker, Ann Smith, Anne Torney second row: Meg Cabot, Roanne Kaplan Kolvenbach, Rick Russell, David Wood, Peter Creighton, Randall Dunn third row: Chris Robertson, Louisa Daley Winthrop, Jon Zonis, Laura Sloan Ongaro, Cliff Levin, Bob Cunha, Gerald McClanahan, Alexander Stephens last row: Marc Soto, Dave Jacobs, Fred Gallagher

▶ CLASS OF 1988

front row: Mike Cobb, Joe Koltun, Richard Mullen, Patrice Jean-Baptiste, Kentaro Tokusei, Jake Donahoe, Bruce Barry, Naomi Aoki, Katy Henrikson second row: Naomi King, Ellen Mitchell, Nicole Outsen, Marc Goodman, Adam Towvim, Stu Sclater-Booth back row: Charlie Byrne, Dave Ball, Steve Fitzgibbons, Brenda McElroy, Jonathan Donner, Brian Adair, Jennifer Hershfang, Taylor Fogelquist, Zang Garside, Geoffrey Gibbs

M I LT O N M A G A Z I N E

◀ CL A SS O F 1993

back row: Jonathan Cope sixth row: Lars Albright, Laurence Sacerdote, Doughas Goodman fifth row: Sadia Shepard, Katie Leeson, Michelle Lev, Talia Senders, Mike Sweeney fourth row: Gigi Saltonstall, Raymond Chan, Ali Balster, John Collins, Shanti Avirgan third row: Josh Hausman, Tim Morningstar, L. Sheldon Ison, Darren Ross, Leeore Schnairsohn, Zachary Sturges, Arkardi Gerney, Paul Frey, Christine Griffin, Benjamin Olken, Spencer Dickinson, Elizabeth Hanify, André Heard, John Twiss, Mike Fitzgibbons, Dennis Yun, Jessica McDaniel, Jaime Cowperthwait, Jamie Bell second row: Bob Seltzer, Peter Valle, Andrew Stern, Julia Rickert, Julian Cowart, Jenny Fernandez, Doug Chavez, Nancy Lainer, Greg Hampton, Tonya Platt, Jill Mannino, Keisha Powell-Burgess front row: Mark Boulos, Tina Aspiala, Graham Goodkin, Ronnell Wilson, Celina Kennedy, Tonya Horton, Oona Coy, Ben Barlow, Juan Fernandez, Sarah Bacon, Paula Campbell, Rose Sargent, Emily Reardon, Sue Lee, Oriol Alsina, Aryeh Sternberg, Will Schlumberger, James Liau

▶ CLASS OF 1998

front row: Desmond Nation, Andy Kelly-Hayes, Emily Sigman, Emily Weiss, Mayhew Seavey, Angie Tseng, Ellie Wendell Reiter, Kate Cochrane, Margaret Nyweide, Lydon Friedrich Vonnegut, Sara McGinty London, Kate Greer Dickson, Ethan Kerr second row: Ray Hainer, Bill Hilgendorf, Justin Basilico, Michael Haidas, Michael Stanton, Ian White, Erica Keany Blob, Rebecca Wangh, Harrison Blum, Graham McNally third row: Chad Bright-Reason, Rachel Nance Wade, Katherine Burrage Schmitt, Jessica Resnick-Ault, Lindsay Haynes Lowder, Martha Oatis, Cyrus Dugger fourth row: Ryan Harvey, Reif Larsen, Simon Rasin, Alex Henry, Nick Harlow, Lila Dupree, Patrick Burek, Nia Jacobs, Caroline Aiello, Marissa Miley, Lizzy Carroll last row: Tod Hynes, Greg Marsh, Dan Blumenthal

FA L L 2 018

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▲ CL A SS O F 20 03

front row: Ruth Samuelson, Chloe Walters-Wallace, CJ Hunt, Sarah Loomis, Taylor White, Erin Morley, Laura Maloney, Christina Sargent second row: Arkady Ho, Jonathan Magaziner, Norma Altshuler, T. Anthony Blandino, Philip Pitt, Henry Roth third row: Corey Baker, Lauren Murphy, Jamal Shipman, Muhammed Kirdar, David Scardella last row: Jamal Whyles

M I LT O N M A G A Z I N E

▶ CLASS OF 2013

first row: Ali Golden, Lucie Hajian, Hayley Fish, Zoe Kurtz, Matthew Sullivan, Elya Reznichenko, Jessica Blau, Chimene Cooper, Osaremen Okolo, Sophia Tsanotelis, Billy Murray, Edward “Teddy” Nwachuku, Abbie Higgins, Nina Wadekar, Mary Brown, Helen Kwon, Kasia Ifill, Javon Ryan second row: Jonathan Chuang, Shun Hagiwara, Will Mixter, Jeremy Mittleman, DJ WuWong, Brian Cho, Sam Curran, Jonah “Moose” Dwyer, Adam Basri, Lillie Simourian, Matt Rohrer, Nick Pagliuca, Mike McGee, Justin Lamere, Ryan Rizzo, Shannon Peters, Julia Cowen, Alexandra Aulum, Julia McKown, Isabel Wise, Amanda Beaudoin, Skye Russell third row: Kevin Ma, Calvin So, Charlie Wang, Jazmine Alicea, Lydia Emerson, Daniella Colombo, Carina Young, Sam Clifford, Jordan Quintin, Andrew Hase, Robert Shephard, Nick Bland, Ikemefuna Ngwudo, Lindsay Atkeson, Duncan Bowden, Sam Audette last row: Will McBrian, Eva Grant, Olivia Atwood, Allison Ward, Erica Mathews, Kailey Buxbaum, Delaney Flynn, Jessica Li, Nelson Barrett, Tristan Zeman, Max Nikitas, Gus King, Josh Ellis, Alex King

â&#x2013;ś CLASS OF 2008

front row: Steve Wagner, Lily Kaiser, Katherine Perzan, Kathryn Dwight, Molly Krause, Tonantzin Carmona, Rachiny Samek, Samantha Bondaryk, Alyssa Blaize, Marissa Simmons, Maddy Hobbs, Megan Campos, Mary Bruynell, Sophia Topulos, Michelle Fang second row: Massimo Soriano, Nick Hunnewell, Frannie McBrian, Mehur Chahal, Nop Jiarathanakul, Jenell Randall, Lami Oladipo, Jess Yanovsky, Barrett Takesian, Dineen Boyle, Sabrina Lee, Brooke Rice, Gail Waterhouse third row: Mark Jensen, Katie St. George, Derek Whelan, Annie McGovern, Abdool Corlette, Tyler Hayes, Greg Schwartz, Mike Chao, Liz Bloom, Miranda Wheeler, Will English last row: Tarit Rao-Chakravorti, Zach Pierce, Sam Panarese, Ned Morris, Shavonne Hart, Allan Jean-Baptiste, Matt Smith, Ivan Yeung, Sarah Miller, Ashley Bradylyons, Ali Brace, Ned Morris, Will Pride

post script

BY AMY KURZWEIL ’05

Comics and More

My mother likes to tell this story: It was

I began submitting cartoons to The New

Parents Day at Milton, honors math class, and

Yorker in 2015. I’d just finished and sold a 300-

there I was, for the whole class, gaze fixed

page graphic memoir (Flying Couch — check

on the margins of my notebook, doodling. This

it out!). It took eight years. I thought it seemed

was the latest in a subtle but long-suffering

fun to finish a project in less than eight years.

rebellion. I quit Math Club after sixth grade.

(One cartoon takes a few hours.) The first

At Milton, I’d forgone chemistry to fit two

cartoon I sold was about self-driving cars.

studio art and two creative writing classes

Technology has been making our lives better

into my schedule, plus dance. I was not going

and worse since fire. How we respond to its

to be an engineer, an astrophysicist, or a doctor.

miracles and damages reveals more about the

Now I doodle for a living. I also teach, and I let my students draw in class (often I force them to draw in class). I know that when you’re

nature of the human than of the machine. I believe a well-done cartoon reminds people with authority that the rest of us are paying

drawing, you’re still listening, that drawing

attention. I was listening in math class, but I was

can often facilitate remembering. Cartooning is

listening the way an artist listens, attuned to

a specific way of drawing, and it’s a specific

the way numbers make us feel.

way of seeing. A cartoon flattens and simplifies some dynamic of human life, and humor adds force to the observation. The reader says “A-ha!” recognizing a broad message, while also experiencing the unique style of the messenger, the human touch of one individual’s pen mark on paper.

M I LT O N M A G A Z I N E

To meet today’s learning needs, our academic spaces must do more: offer room for independent and group learning, broaden opportunities for collaboration across departments, and strengthen connections among students. Next summer, improvements begin with a 3,500-square-foot expansion of the Schwarz Student Center, along with an 1,800-square-foot terrace. A second phase relocates the library to Wigglesworth Hall. These changes will combine to create a versatile space that serves as the academic and social hub of Milton’s campus for years to come.

Dare: The Campaign for Milton is ensuring our facilities support our people, fostering the most meaningful interactions among students and faculty. Learn more about how you can support Milton today, and for decades to come. milton.edu/campaign • 617-898-2447 lisa_winick@milton.edu

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