Class of 1974 Reunion Book

May 2024

Dear Members of the MFS Class of 1974,

It is my pleasure to congratulate you as you celebrate your 50th Reunion on Alumni Weekend. Your continued dedication to your classmates and to the school is impressive!

I would like to especially recognize and thank Chris Eni, Scott Franklin, Jean Kennedy, Anne Rosenberg, and Deb Collins Williams for the time and effort they have invested in planning for this important milestone.

While I’m sure many things have changed since your time as students at MFS, I can assure you that our commitment to nurturing the whole child, to building a vibrant community in which young people can grow and explore, and to fostering academic success and Quaker values very much remains at the core of what we do each day.

As you reflect on your years at the school and approach this important milestone, I hope that you feel that your time at MFS was transformational and long-lasting in the impact it has had on your life and the lives of your classmates.

Warmly,

Julia de la Torre Head of School

Nancy Axelrod

Life Reflections: My dad gave me a poster in high school that I live my life by. It read: “Be what you is because if you be what you ain’t then you ain’t what you is!” This has helped me commit not only to be steadfast in my own values and integrity, but to respect the dignity and individuality of all others Now that I’ve had children and grandchildren, I have gained the perspective that if you can get through all the angst of adolescence, life really does get better After spending the first decades of my life propelled by anger and feeling like I singlehandedly had to make the world a better place, I am happy, in my “third chapter of life,” to have softened into acceptance, humility, and peace (not an easy task given how f--’ed up the world is). I helps that I spend a lot of time with women 10-15 years my senior who share their wisdom with me

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Suzy K. Brown Chenail

Spouse/Partner: Greg Chenail

Children, Name/Age: None

Profession/Employer: Part time Cater Waiter

Education: BA Sociology U of MD College Park

Organizations/Associations: AARP, Club Circle, and a 45 year marriage

Activities/Interests/Hobbies: Traveling

Travel: Almost anywhere, anytime. Most recently Kenya.

Fondest MFS Memory: March 1973 trip to Italy which kickstarted my wanderlust and those powder blue graduation tuxedos.

Influential MFS Faculty Member or Coach and Why: Warren Shelley, every time I get behind the wheel.

Since leaving MFS: I have lived at 17 addresses in 5 states and 2 countries. Now, I’m back in NJ “down the shore.” You can go home again.

Susan Gilman Elmore

Spouse/Partner: Jim Elmore

Children, Name/Age: Scotch Bruce 44yrs.

Profession/Employer: CRNA (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist) Retired 8/22

Education: BSN, MSNA

Organizations/Associations: Audubon Society, Habitat for Humanity, Conflict Resolution of Michigan

Activities/Interests/Hobbies: Audobon Steward Low Country of SC, Road Biking, building houses with habitat, pickleball, and just beginning as a mediator in Michigan

Travel: Lots…most recent and memorable trip to Antarctica 2024 With Lindblad/National Geographic.

Fondest MFS Memory: Senior Project

Christopher W. Eni

Life has been a journey of memories since our high school days. Celebrating 50 years calls for reflection and gratitude. Since graduating, I've built a beautiful life with my wife, Jennifer, whom I married in 1996. Our journey expanded with our three incredible sons, all of whom are MFS graduates: CJ-27, Dylan-25, and Chase21. After graduating from Widener University as an engineer, I've navigated through the complex world of operations at Dietz and Watson, where every day is a new challenge. As 3rd generation family members, my brother Louis, and sister Cindy, and I have taken the business from a local small brand to a continually growing international food manufacturer. We are now transitioning this family business to the 4th generation of our family. My love for skiing and deep-sea fishing still ignites my spirit. Ocean City is where our family spends our summer down time, and traveling as a family has been a priority for Jen and myself. As a lifer at MFS, the favorite teacher question is tough as there are so many, but the 2 standouts are John Caughey and John Mahoney. The best memories are from on the soccer fields with my teammates. Glad to be able to celebrate our 50th together!

Scott B. Franklin

It’s hard to believe that a half century has passed since we graduated from Moorestown Friends School in 1974. Over the years, I have been in touch with Stan West, Wayne Nieme, Anne Rosenberg, Donna Kipp, Deb Collins, Chris Eni, and Chris Knisley. I have actually spoken to Stanley West every year on his birthday since we graduated from MFS. Stan was born on February 29, 1956, so in reality I only had to wish him Happy Birthday once every four years.

After I graduated from Moorestown Friends, I went to Tufts University in Boston, where I got a degree in Political Science and French. I actually spent my junior year abroad in Aix-en-Provence, France, where I became fluent in French and picked up a French minor.

After graduating from Tufts in 1978, I took a year off to work in my family’s music stores in the Hartford, Connecticut area. During that year, I applied to law schools. In September of 1979, I entered the University of Connecticut School of Law and obtained my J.D. degree in May, 1982.

After I graduated from law school, I got a job in a transactional law practice, where I specialized in estate planning, estate settlement, business and real estate law. They made me a partner after three years. In the fifth year, I left and started my own practice in West Hartford, Connecticut, call Scott B. Franklin and Associates. I have been practicing in the same location in West Hartford since 1987. I still practice transactional law and have an Associate and three incredible paralegals.

I got married in 1986 and had three children with my first wife. Connor, my oldest son, is 36 years old, lives in Denver, Colorado and is an expert in web accessibility for Morgan Stanley Company. Paul, my middle son, is 32, lives in Middletown, Connecticut and works for Amazon. And my youngest son, Douglas, who is 30 years old, has his own tech business and lives in Portland, Oregon. I do not have any grandchildren yet.

When I was in law school I took up cycling with a vengeance. For 35 years in a row I went on a long cycling trip with several friends from law school. We traveled all over the United States, Maritime Canada, and Western Europe. We carried all of our baggage on our bikes and camped out and cooked out every night. It was a wonderful way to see the world.

I always appreciated Moorestown Friends School because you could make a difference if you wanted to. I felt like I was a big fish in a small pond at MFS; whereas, when I went to college I was a small fish in a big pond.

Scott B. Franklin

Moorestown Friends taught me to give back to the community and think outside the box. I fondly remember Richard Tyre, who taught us English. We had to read The Trial by Franz Kafka. I simply couldn’t read it, but when I got to the final exam, I realized that 50% of the grade was based on answering questions about that book. I sat in my chair shaking for a few moments until I realized that Mr. Tyre would have wanted me to think outside the box. So I sat down and composed a poem as to why I did not read The Trial. Suffice it to say, Mr. Tyre appreciated it and gave me an A+++ on the final exam.

Scott B. Franklin

I was Co-founder of the Diamond Ball Corporation, which helped raise $2 million to build a new baseball facility in town; I was President of the West Hartford Youth Soccer Association and coached youth soccer for 30 years; I was co-founder of The Grounds, Inc., which was a coffee house for high school kids and a place for them to play their music; I started my own law practice, obtained my real estate broker’s license and started a commercial brokerage company called the Turn Key Group, LLC;

I purchased an office building in 1993 and have run the building for the past 30 years; I served on the Board of Directors of the Literacy Volunteers of Greater Hartford; I was a lecturer for the Small Business Administration in the City of Hartford; I headed up the interviewing program for high school students entering Tufts University; I started an organization called LLC Express, which helped clients form limited liability companies and corporations; I was a Justice of the Peace for many years and performed numerous weddings; I was a den leader with the Boy Scouts of America; I was co-founder of the Blue Back Farmer’s Market, which is a spring, summer and fall farmers’ market in the town of West Hartford, Connecticut.

Now that I am almost 68, I have brought in an attorney whom I hope will be able to take over my firm sometime within the next couple of years. Having gone through COVID and realized how fragile life is, I don’t want to work into my seventies. My wife, Mary Collins, is an author and a creative writing professor at Central Connecticut State University and teaches the summer creative writing program at Yale University. We both share a love of cycling and exercise and are looking forward to the next chapter of our lives.

I am looking forward to seeing many of you at our upcoming Alumni event on Saturday, May 4th. I am hopeful that there will not only be our friends from our graduating class, but also many people who left MFS earlier and graduated elsewhere but who remained friends with many of us.

I hope that you can all make it to the reunion, and I look forward to seeing you.

Brian Hubbell

After I last saw you all in 5th grade, I attended middle school at Moses Brown in Providence RI, also a Quaker school, spent four summers at Harrie Price’s Flying Moose Lodge in Maine, and graduated from the Putney School in Vermont.

In 1975 and 1976, I worked as a carpenter in Manhattan renovating brownstones and downtown lofts.

In the fall of 1976, I returned to MIT’s architecture school, working through both undergraduate and graduate school as a builder and with several Department of Energy grants demonstrating passive solar technology.

In 1986, I married Liddy, an MIT architecture classmate, and was employed as a construction superintendent through 1989 by a large Boston contracting firm.

Liddy and I bought a very small mountain in eastern Maine, built an off-grid home, and shifted our design-build business there from Boston’s Fort Point Channel

Brian Hubbell, MFS 1961-1967

Brian Hubbel

I continued contracting and project management, published a bit, and, after our daughter Nora was born in 1996, we bought another small house in Bar Harbor where I got elected to the local school board.

As Maine is essentially one extensive small town, I became engaged in state-level education policy and, in 2012, I was elected to the state legislature and served until I was term-limited in 2020.

Following that, I continued as a policy advisor to the Governor on climate, energy, economic development, and infrastructure issues and I now serve as the House Speaker’s budget policy advisor.

While legislative policy work isn’t as different from construction as one might

think, I’ll allow that an early imprint of Quaker values probably has been equally foundational wherever I’ve found success at the statehouse. It has taken a lifetime to appreciate just how insidiously effective that cultural indoctrination was. But I now recognize it readily when I cross paths with others who came up through a Quaker education.

I’ll add that I retain specific gratitude to Harrie Price, with whom I maintained a friendship through his death in 1992, and to his family for what has turned into a lifelong loyalty to the state of Maine via a not uncommon axis from MFS to Flying Moose which others in this cohort shared.

And, for those in our class who attended the earliest years, I want to honor the memory of our deceased classmate, Marjorie Stokes, whom I remember fondly for our shared experience in Mrs. Stiles’ 2nd grade reading classes.

May we each be well, happy, and loved as ever.

Marjorie Stokes

Jean Kennedy

Though not a Miley Cyrus fan, her writers got it right when they wrote “I used to be young.” But even so, there is no fooling anyone.

After June of l974 and MFS, I took a windy path. It had many peaks and valleys, but this journey was never without excitement and adventure. I would share my story here but so many folks have encouraged me to publish a novel. Who knows, perhaps I will find a fine ghost writer. Younger friends suggest I do a podcast!

Jokes aside, after retiring in my mid 50’s, I am now happily married residing in sunny Florida with my husband Roberto. My bonus is that Roberto’s daughter is the daughter I never had and Aiden is the grandson I am lucky enough to enjoy, through marriage.

My passions are many (mirroring my exuberance) and include traveling, photography and sharing both. Mom (depending on your age you would have known her as GAK or GAB if you were younger) got me started on the travel bug. Dad got me onto photography. The love of sharing I claim as my own.

I am still traveling while much of it I now do solo. My recent journeys have taken me to Africa, the Balkans, Europe, of course, Central America and most recently Cuba. Enjoying being home for a few months and brushing up on my rusty bridge game, I am busy designing a few small group trips to Italy for ladies. A couple of other sojourns are on the burner as well.

My energy has not allowed me to slow down as I age. Sure some people might say I am still crazy, but I prefer to romanticize my adventures I have by calling myself a female enjoying the Peter Pan syndrome.

Neil Kozarsky

Spouse/Partner: Married to Megumi. Reside in Mt Laurel.

Children, Name/Age: 3 children; Julie, Paul and Scott.

Profession/Employer: Have been in the family business for…44 years. THEM is a leader in Single Serve packaging for the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry. Claim to fame is recognition as being the company that introduced Stick Packaging to North America (think Crystal Light on the go, or Liquid IV packets as examples).

Education: BA class of ‘78 at Hobart and William Smith Colleges (think lacrosse but I played on the baseball team until softball passions were kindled).

Organizations/Associations: Interests and community give back includes Volunteers of America and decades sponsoring handicapable workshops that provide packing services for our clients.

Travel: I have lived in Japan for over 5 years when taking into account 10 days to 2 weeks/visit over nearly 150 trips since September, ‘92. My wife is from Japan and our principle machinery partner is based there.

Fondest MFS Memory: I treasure the friendships from MFS, and appreciate the faculty’s understanding that I still needed more time to “percolate” before becoming more productive in school. Mrs. Armando was very kind to me and Ruth Sawyer’s advice to “work hard to be lazy” is still appreciated.

Since leaving MFS: Life is joyous (most of the time but of course not always) because I’m fortunate to have a wonderful family, lifelong friendships, and a rewarding business that helps make consumers’ lives a bit bit better and easier millions of times/day.

Nona Manheimer Loehr

Spouse/Partner: Frank Loehr-deceased.

Children, Name/Age: Kara Ekelburg-43, Jana Loehr-37, Dana Loehr-32

Profession/Employer: Nurse- Psychiatric nurse then Infection Preventionist with the county for 30 years.

Organizations/Associations: Burlington County Medical Reserve Corp

Activities/Interests/Hobbies: All needlework, baking and watching my youngest grandson.

Travel: Spent time traveling to Texas and New Mexico among other places.

Fondest MFS Memory: All the wonderful people I spent time with in my formative years

Influential MFS Faculty Member or Coach and Why: Mrs. Paul- I was not allowed to use a word if I couldn’t spell it. I spent a lot of time with the dictionary. I continue her lesson today. Mrs. Sawyer- a very patient teacher.

Since leaving MFS: Sadly I wasn’t able to complete my education at MFS. I spent my high school years at public school. It was shocking to go from a small class to a school with over 400 students.

Carla Zimmermann Reiss

Spouse/Partner: Steven R. Reiss

Profession/Employer: Product Designer/ Reiss Design ASSOC, LLC

Education: Rochester Institute Of Technology, BFA 1978, Industrial Design

Organizations/Associations: Order Of The Eastern Star Of NJ, Women In Toys

Activities/Interests/Hobbies: Fiber Arts, Animals/ Nature, Our cats

Travel: Domestic

Fondest MFS Memory: Peg Cowan’s art class

Influential MFS Faculty Member or Coach and Why: Peg Cowan, who greatly supported my interest in the arts.

Since leaving MFS: Life career in design of children’s toys, currently designing sewing patterns for simplicity and Mccall’s.

Carla Zimmermann Reiss

I would like to share a memory of the Friendship Fair that became one of my late father’s favorite stories: To my best estimation, this story took place during the Friendship Fair in the late 60s.

My folks usually volunteered to either set up or work on one of the booths for the fair (actually, my mother volunteered, and my dad was coerced!). This particular year, they were manning the Fishing Pond. I’m sure whomever reads this will remember that it was a classroom with a cardboard pond “wall” painted to look like water and pond life. Kids would pay a small fee for “fishing” with a pole. A volunteer, behind the wall, would attach a small prize onto the rod’s “hook”.

At one stage of the evening, my dad stepped outside this classroom to take a break. I had returned from walking the fair and stood with him. Along came Jeanne Melchior, sauntering down the hall enjoying one of those lemons with a candy straw stuck into it. Nothing special about that, right? Wrong.

Jeanne, quite obviously, had just visited the White Elephant booth. She had a pair of sawed-off deer legs slung over the shoulder opposite the lemon! Yes, picture this little bitty girl with the long deer legs. I kid you not. I am serious. The legs were still bloody and had small pieces of waxed paper held with rubber bands covering the ends. The waxed paper was quite compromised by the blood and was slowly disintegrating. Now, my father had the ability to find something funny in an otherwise quiet setting. The apple didn’t fall far from the stem; that’s why I got taken out of meeting for laughing hysterically more than once!

Anyway, my dad asked Jeanne what she was going to do with the legs. Without taking focus off her lemon treat, she shrugged and answered something like, “I dunno, but I think they’re cool.”. One can only imagine what happened when Jeanne joined her family and attempted to enter their car with these dripping deer legs. I would suppose they may not have even gotten as far as the Melchior trash can that night!

Now, whenever I see one of those hideous gun racks or other items made of deer legs, I’ll bet you can guess what comes to mind!

I wish the Class of 1974 a wonderful reunion, and I hope you get a laugh from this story. If anyone else remembered Jeanne and her acquisition from that night, please let me know...

Best wishes, Carla

Zimmermann Reiss

Anne Rosenberg

Children, Name/Age: Two grown sons who make me proud every day.

Profession/Employer: Retired from private practice in breast cancer surgery 10 years ago.

Organizations/Associations: Involved in numerous dog clubs and host dog events throughout the year. Multiple champion dogs in conformation and titles in all AKC sports.

Activities/Interests/Hobbies: Have transitioned from horses (which I still have) to breeding and raising wire hair dachshunds.

Stanley West

Spouse/Partner: Gina West

Children, Name/Age: Tyson West 29, Samantha West 26

Profession/Employer: Day trader

Education: BA Dartmouth College, MBA University of Southern California

Organizations/Associations: Center for Inquiry Investigations Group – promotes critical thinking; offers a $500K prize for anyone who can demonstrate a paranormal power under scientific testing conditions.

Activities/Interests/Hobbies: Pickleball, bike riding, cooking, and hiking

Travel: Whenever I can! Did a culinary bike tour in Italy last fall.

Fondest MFS Memory: Playing soccer

Since Leaving MFS: Surprisingly, Scott and I have called to wish one another happy birthday every single year since graduation

Debra Collins Williams

Organizations/Associations: USTA member (United States Tennis Association), Board Member of the Mt. Laurel Library, Finance & Library Committees of Moorestown Monthly Meeting, member of two competitive tennis leagues.

Activities/Interests/Hobbies: Spending time with family!! Playing tennis! Avid reader, love my beach visits, watching PBS/Masterpiece mystery & drama shows.

Travel: Right now, traveling to Colorado to visit the grandchildren.

Debra Collins Williams

Fondest MFS Memory: Oh, so many come to mind! Here's a few: Speaking @ graduation, Receiving the Herm Magee sports award, May Day 1974, Mock Political Convention, choir concerts, playing tennis during lunch, traveling for away matches/games (a time when the coaches/parents would drive the tennis team & bus rides for field hockey & basketball singing all the theme songs to shows), playing Whist & Hearts before school began, Monday morning announcements.

Influential MFS faculty Member or Coach and Why: Floss Brudon - My Field Hockey Coach - Need I say more, it's Floss we're talking about. She was the calmest coach I ever had in high school or college. Loved when she would yell up to me @

the tennis courts to come down & fill in for lacrosse. Sandy Heath - English teacher-Loved his English history course (Battle of Hastings through the Tudor Dynasty). I have a passion for it to this day.

Alex MacColl - Headmaster - He was my advisor & very approachable. He even attended our wedding. Nancy Whitlock & Fran Bobbe - Tennis Coach & Dean of Girls (also coached tennis) - My tennis coaches who always pushed me & had positive comments consistently through the years. I was thrilled when I made Varsity in 9th grade. Neil Hartman - Boys Tennis coach - He was ahead of his time. Mr. Hartman asked me to fill in on the boys tennis team for matches when needed. Very forward thinking for the 70's. I still remember the boys faces on the competitor's team when they saw they were playing a girlranged from shock to dismay. Richard Tyre - English teacher - He had the best classroom discussions. Still remember Stranger in a Strange Land. Grok! I remember the dinner we had for Mr. Tyre at Cinelli's when he was leaving MFS. Also a class trip to a movie theatre in Center City to see Anne of the Thousand Days where Donna Kipp & I got to ride in his Kharmann Ghia! Beth Oliviero - English teacherShe was passionate & very funny.

Debra Collins Williams

Life Reflections, Thoughts & Perspectives: I am extremely grateful that my parents were able to send me to MFS Looking back, I'm sure sacrifices were made, but my parents never spoke about them or regretted their decision Thank you Russell & Helen Collins I have listened to others over the years as we compared our high school experiences & I believe I am one of a few people who thoroughly enjoyed my high school years. I have many terrific memories. MFS helped me to be more confident, gave me a moral compass, realization that I had a voice & numerous friendships that still exist today. The Quaker influence has stayed with me through my life. Who would have thought that I now enjoy Meeting for Worship instead of playing Hang Man during Meeting for Worship like we did in 8th grade?

Since Leaving MFS: Have I ever left? Life has been very kind to me & I am deeply appreciative The best part of life has been the adventure of things my husband & I have done together, including raising our children, Allison, Drew & Grant We now have 2 grandchildren, Reece & Henry The dynamic of our family changed when our firstborn went off to college & it has changed off & on since We cherish the times we can all spend together. After graduating college in 1978, I was a paralegal in a large law firm in Phila. in their Litigation department until 1989. I thoroughly enjoyed prepping for trial & the actual trials. Children came along & I eventually started volunteering @ MFS when our children were in the Lower School. The volunteer positions became part-time work positions, then full-time positions. I have been @ MFS for 34 years, spending time in the Development Office, Admissions, Publicity, College Guidance & Athletics. Athletics has been a part of our family - Allison played soccer for Lenape High School & Princeton University, Drew wrestled all four years at Lenape High School but not in college @ Rutgers New Brunswick, Grant played football & lacrosse at St. Joe's Prep & club lacrosse at Fairfield University. I continue to play tennis - one league for 40 plus & another league for 55 plus I still love the game!

I have seen many changes occur on the MFS campus & it's strange how things do physically change but yet some things still stay the same I do believe the doors that were to the library & the main office (during our time) are the original doors MFS is still a unique place & my wish for the current students is that they will appreciate their opportunities as they will reflect years to come MFS definitely had an impact on my life (teachers, coaches, friends, administrators) Thank you to you all!

In Memoriam

As we come together to renew friendships and recall our days at Moorestown Friends, we remember our deceased classmates and we celebrate their lives. We know their stories and they enrich the fifty-

Bruce Macrae

Roland P. “Sandy” Stratton III

Scott DuBois

1974 Through the Years

1974 Through the Years

1974 Through the Years

1974 Through the Years

1974 Through the Years

1974 Through the Years

The Class of 1974

Front Row (L to R): Debra Collins, Stephen Gin, Donna Kipp, Kenneth Weisner, Ann Rosenberg, Scott DuBois, Susan Gilman, Jon Milburn, Wendy Beckhart

Second Row: Scott Franklin, Beth Johnson, Robert Strang, Karen Kaufman, Gerrit Dunn, Nancy Axelrod, Frank Evans, Lora Urbanelli

Third Row: Leslie Miller, Anne Darlington, Donald McFarland, Suzy Brown, Wayne Nieme, Valerie Williams, Charles Perkins

Fourth Row: Mark Bisbing, Margaret Caughey, Christopher Eni, Margaret Forsythe, Lee Attix, Sharon Fisher

Fifth Row: Christopher Knisely, Samuel Haupt, Nancy Engle, Arisu Oshima, Rudi Grueneberg, Stanley West, Jean Kennedy, Sophia Koropeckyj, David Pogran, Edward Shamer, Elin Boethius