8 minute read
Looking Back
Worldwide Sit-Down Dinner
The global fun stretched around the world as 600 Ancients got together in 11 countries, 27 states and online on Feb. 25 for the fifth annual Worldwide Sit-Down Dinner. Ancients of all ages happily reconnected and reminisced at dinners from Sydney to Seoul and from Miami to Honolulu.
Far-flung fun
Head of School Kate Windsor and a team of Farmington leaders traveled to meet Ancients at receptions in Beverly Hills (April 28), Chicago (May 5) and Hanover, New Hampshire (June 14) this spring. Gatherings in 10 other locations including Jackson Hole, Wyoming; Fishers Island, New York; and Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts were planned for summer and fall.
Together we give, together we bloom
This year’s Farmington Give Day was the most successful in its history, raising over $560,000 from more than 600 people from 38 states and six countries on April 13. Because tuition alone does not cover the full cost of a Porter’s education, the MPS Annual Fund provides vital resources to ensure that students have the opportunities and experiences they need to grow to their full potential.
Back to class
May 3 was a special day just for grandparents and “grandfriends” to spend time on campus, and 107 spent the day attending classes, taking a tour of the campus gardens, getting up to speed on mastery learning and more.
Submitting your note!
1956
DEADLINE
Jan. 15, 2024
DELIVERING PHOTOS
Please submit your digital photos at the highest possible size and resolution. Photos must be sized 1 MB or larger.
BY EMAIL
Share your note via email: classnotes@missporters.org.
THINGS TO NOTE
If emailing from your phone or computer, make sure that the software doesn’t shrink or compress your photos. Lowresolution or low-quality photos may not be included.
Digital photos are preferred. Prints may be mailed, but we cannot return them.
Please provide the full name and class year of every Ancient in the photo (from left to right) and the date and location of the occasion. Include your name, your year and a caption for every image.
Jean Chapin enjoyed visiting classmate Lucile Walker Hays on Spring Island, South Carolina, where Lucile lives part time. “Her family owned this beautiful island in the ’60s and ’70s,” Jean writes. “After it was sold, it was developed in an extremely ecology-sensitive manner. … Lucile wrote a book about its history, which is in the school library, I believe.”
1960
Mariana Poutiatine Cotten writes, “Still in beautiful Sarasota, enjoying good health and old friends. So lucky.”
1961
“Knowing that I love challenges, a friend suggested that I compete in the London Marathon,” Sally-Jane (Cowley) Coode reports, “and 362 training miles at fast walking later, the day arrived. Accompanied by a very noisy and encouraging 100,000-person crowd lining the route, plus many bands, I crossed the finish line in just over seven hours. Thankfully, no blisters or pains and a lot of money [was] raised for a local Cornish charity what an experience in my 80th year!”
1964
Abbie Bingham Endicott was thrilled to assist her husband, Bill, as he initiated and co-founded Operation Renew Prosthetics for Ukrainian soldiers. The effort garnered press coverage from NBC and CBS, and she was honored to help Bill welcome soldiers home and cheer them on as they adjusted to their prostheses. Bill and Abbie are now working with foundations that help fund and organize travel, housing, food and transportation for the soldiers.
Abbie writes, “Sending best wishes to all of you at MPS with congratulations on the beautiful job you do of instilling joy and also confidence to take on what we are called to do in this precious life we’ve been given!”
Do you have a middle school girl who is passionate about social change?
Does she want to learn how to make a real impact?
Then the ChangeMaker’s Institute is for her!
In this virtual six-week course, participants learn about the history of change making and change making today, they discover what they are most passionate about, and they connect and collaborate with a diverse group of girls from around the world.
Learn more at pcgl.porters. org/young-changemakers
Enroll by January 10, 2024
1966
Beverly Chan became a grandmother on May 4, 2022, when her daughter, Leslie Paisley ’00, gave birth to a baby boy named Kenji James Kojima.
In Vero Beach, Florida, Ancients gathered in March to hear Elizabeth (Fluff) Alsop Winthrop talk about her new book, “Daughter of Spies, Wartime Secrets and Family Lies,” at an event held by Literacy Services of Indian River.
1997
Lisa Lazarus was an honoree in the eighth class of 100 Women of Color. The award recognizes her civic engagement and philanthropic and professional efforts to create a more equitable and inclusive society.
1999
Leah Wright Rigueur hosts a three-part podcast series titled “Reclaimed: The Story of Mamie Till-Mobley,” for which she won Best Host at the Awards for Excellence in Audio aka the Ambies. The podcast has also been awarded Best Writing Shows and Documentary Shows by the Signal Awards.
1981
Mary Nevius Lansing and Pamela Gadsden Dahill toured campus to see all the wonderful renovations.
1995
Jaime Cheshire was appointed executive director of the Afghanistan War Commission, established by the U.S. Congress in 2021 to conduct a comprehensive review of key decisions related to U.S. military, intelligence, foreign assistance and diplomatic involvement in Afghanistan from June 2001 to August 2021. Jaime previously served as executive secretary for the Central Intelligence Agency.
2000
“On March 14, I was honored by the Hispanic Chambers of Commerce of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Business Association with an award at their International Women’s History Month event,” Imani Brown reports. “They also surprised those of us who received awards with a Certificate of Honor from the Board of Supervisors for the City and County of San Francisco. I feel truly blessed and humbled.”
Pamela Miele Chadwick and husband Michael Chadwick welcomed a baby girl, Claudia Helena Chadwick, on Sept. 5, 2022, in Greenwich, Connecticut. She was christened at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Bedford, New York, on June 25, 2023.
2004
Allie Rebecca Shapiro ’04 and her husband welcomed their daughter, Kelly Shapiro Polinsky, on March 29.
2007
Pauline Roteta announced the birth of Rio Alexander Roteta-Subi on Feb. 14 in Jersey City, New Jersey. Rio is named after “my Miss Porter’s School roommate and lifelong friend, Alex Cabral,” Pauline said.
2008
Michelle Lee writes to report that Dr. Varina Clark Onwunyi and Dr. Chudi Onwunyi celebrated their marriage with their loved ones in San Diego, California, the weekend of April 2, 2022. They held a traditional Nigerian Igbo wedding ceremony and a traditional
American wedding ceremony. Carolyne Ouya ’10, Audrey Hudson and Michelle Lee showed up with tons of Porter’s pride and were honored to attend and celebrate this gorgeous couple!
Varina Clark Onwunyi ’08 and her husband at their wedding.
Varina Clark Onwunyi shares: “Our beautiful blessing, Serenity Onwunyi, arrived on Easter Sunday (April 9) at 7 pounds, 2 ounces. Serenity is strong and healthy and has so much personality and spunk! She is the absolute perfect addition to our family, and Chudi and I are over the moon! A huge thank you to the UCLA team for exceptional bedside care. We are forever grateful and wanted to share the news with our Porter’s family!”
Serenity, daught
2014
Susannah Davies completed the Boston Marathon with a new personal record of 3 hours, 9 minutes and 58 seconds.
Gertrude Achelis Scherman ’41 | 12/13/2022
Edith Graham Blake ’43 | 2 /25/2023
Ann Rockefeller Elliman ’44 | 6/16/2023
Anne C. Patterson 1978 Niece
Sarah Jane Gause Knaub ’44 | 2 /20/2023
Dian Chandler Schock ’48 | 6/3/2023
Margaret Porter Davis 1952 Cousin
Anne Blagden Blodgett 1957 Cousin
Irene C. Blagden 1959 Cousin
Frances Putnam Kalamaras 1961 Cousin
Hadley S. Higginson 1987 Niece
Gwynne Garbisch McDevitt ’49 | 6/14/2022
Cynthia Hayward Allen ’51 | 1 /3/2023
† Cynthia Polk Hayward 1927 Mother
Lynette Maxwell Cornell ’51 | 1 /5/2023
† Genevieve Mangam Maxwell 1917 Mother
Justine W. McGovern 1981 Niece
Virginia Lapham Pescosolido ’51 | 2 /11/2023
† Mary Lapham Kilroy 1948 Sister
Carol Pescosolido Austin 1957 Sister-in-law
Laetitia Frothingham Mead 1970 Daughterin-law
Sylvia Buffinton Tompkins ’51 | 2 /17/2023
† Dorothy Durfee Buffinton 1919 Mother
Suzanne Tompkins Ramseur 1943 Sister-in-law
† Elizabeth Buffinton Briggs 1944 Sister
Judith Coste Chapman ’52 | 5 /27/2023
Fufa Triplett Fullerton ’52 | 3 /1/2023
Fairfax Fullerton Fair 1975 Daughter
Blakeslee Cook Lufkin ’52 | 3 /4/2023
† Frances Collins Cook 1922 Mother
† Elizabeth Cook 1920 Aunt
† Noel Kennerly LeBlanc 1931 Cousin
Mary Lloyd Robb ’52 | 4 /22/2023
† Winifred Wadsworth Lloyd 1948 Sister-in-law
Lallie B. Lloyd 1970 Niece
Alice B. Lloyd 1973 Niece
Elizabeth B. Hobson 2000 Grandniece
Eleanor Parker Lindenmayer 2001 Stepniece
Mary Boyer Hambro ’53 | 6/14/2022
Courtney Schenecker Edwards ’54 | 1 /23/2023
Mimi McEwen Hodsoll ’54 | 1 /29/2023
† Margaret Hamill Stewart 1931 Mother
Penelope Potter Saxe ’54 | 3/3/2023
Mary Riggs Wolfe ’54 | 8/28/2022
† Georgiana Bailliere Finney 1951 Cousin
Jane Riggs Garcia-Mansilla 1963 Sister
Elizabeth Leggett Williams ’55 | 12/18/2022
Nancy Leggett Pitarys 1961 Sister
Caroline W. Leggett 1982 Niece
† Eleanor Leggett Sweeney 1985 Niece
Jean S. Chappell ’56 | 1 /27/2023
† Edith Chappell Sheffield 1903 Great-Aunt
† Elizabeth Chappell Reeves 1926 Aunt
† Caroline Smith Chappell 1930 Aunt
† Barbara Chappell Copello 1951 Cousin
† Susan Chappell McCabe 1954 Cousin
Ann Chappell Nyhan 1962 Sister
Whitney M. Simonds ’56 | 6/19/2023
Sophie P. Lewis 1951 Cousin
Edith Simonds Borden 1966 Sister
Sheila W. Johnson ’61 | 3 /9/2023
† Frances Tener Muir 1916 Grandmother
† Eleanor Muir Johnson 1938 Mother
† Elizabeth Kelley Johnson 1966 Sister-in-law
Christina M. Johnson 1997 Cousin once removed
Elizabeth Haneman Staniford ’63 | 5 /21/2023
Rebecca Faunce McDermott ’72 | 1 /26/2023
Robin E. Reed ’74 | 7/23/2022
† Nancy Noble Reed 1946 Mother
Linda Robb Boardman 1985 Cousin
Tamara Murdock Arkes ’93 | 11/22/2022