Moses Brown Cupola alumni magazine fall 2020 | Adaptation

Moses Brown cupola

A D APTAT ION FARHAD ZALTASH ’77 ROLANDO CAMPOS ’79 JOHN TORGAN ’87 ANDY WIGREN ’92 BECKY SHAW O’HARA ’99 ALISON CONNOR ’07

fal l 2020

Moses Brown School Board of Trustees Gabe Amo ’05 Issmat Atteereh P ’13 ’18 Neil Beranbaum ’86 P ’22 ’24 ’28 Clerk, Alumni Association Maitrayee Bhattacharyya P ’20 Carl Bogus ’66 GP ’30 David Bourns Cheryl Schadone Cohen ’81 Joanne P. A. Debrah ’97 P ’20 Jane Dietze P ’20 ’23 Clerk, Investment Committee Albert Dobron P ’21 ’23 ’25 Lisa Donahue P ’21 Clerk, MB Parents’ Association Victoria Ekk Thomas J. (T.J.) Fullam P ’14 ’17 Gary I. Goldberg ’87 P ’17 ’19 ’20 Clerk, Campaign Steering Committee Austin Jaspers ’11 Dolph Johnson P ’20 ’23 William (Tad) Jose ’78 Rebecca Leuchak P ’04 ’09 Shaun Levesque P ’12 ’14 ’17 Treasurer & Clerk, Budget & Finance Cmte.

Dele Mabray P ’17 ’20 Mike McGuigan Friends Coordinator Kara Milner P ’19 ’21 ’27 Recording Clerk of the Board Stephanie Ogidan-Preston ’97 P ’22 Clerk, Enrollment & Marketing Alisha Pina ’96 Vincent Porcaro, Sr. ’83 P ’11 ’24 Yiguang Qiu P ’20 Peter Ramsden ’82 P ’16 ’19 Clerk, Buildings & Grounds Cmte.

Jane Ritson-Parsons P ’17 ’21 Assistant Clerk of the Board Paul Salem P ’19 ’19 ’22 ’24 Clerk of the Board Megan Smith Ahvi Spindell ’72 Liesa Stamm Ariana Steele P ’26 ’29 Reza Taleghani ’90 P ’21 ’23 Clerk, Governance Committee Stephen Thomas P ’27 ’30 ’34 Dawn Tripp P ’19 ’24 Clerk, Nurturing Friends Education Carlton Tucker P ’18 Matt Glendinning Head of School Frederick Weiss Clerk of NEYM

Stay in touch!

Send thoughts on this issue or suggestions for our next edition to kcurry@mosesbrown.org. Please be sure we have your best email and mailing addresses for MB news and event invitations. Direct address changes, news or photos to alumni@mosesbrown.org.

Find us here: mosesbrown.org /mosesbrownschool

/mosesbrown

/mosesbrownschool

/mosesbrownschoolnews

Cupola Fall 2020 Letter from Matt Glendinning........................................................................1 News from Moses Brown Today ................................................................... 2 Gifts in Action ................................................................................................3 Departing Faculty & Staff.............................................................................. 4 Adaptation, Farhad Zaltash ’77, guest editor......................................................... 6 MB Alumni Events and News.......................................................................16 Class Notes...................................................................................................18 Commencement 2020................................................................................ 28 In Memoriam................................................................................................31

Moses Brown, a Friends school, exists to inspire the inner promise of each student and instill the utmost care for learning, people, and place.

—Moses Brown School mission statement

Digital Cupola

If you want to opt-out of the print magazine and just get a digital copy of the next magazine, please let us know — email alumni@mosesbrown.org.

About Our Cover — Lower schoolers study and play in

pods this year and enjoyed some fresh air outside this fall.

Photo by third grade teacher Joe Mirsky. “Our school days look different this year,” he says, “but children are experts at being resilient, welcoming and adaptable.”

Cupola — A semi-annual magazine for Moses Brown School alumni Editor: Destenie Vital P ’22 Director of Alumni Relations: Karin Morse ’79 Assistant Head of School for Institutional Affairs: Ronald Dalgliesh P ’21

Managing Editor:

Photography:

Kristen A. Curry

David O’Connor,

Class Notes:

MB Communications

Kate Tompkins P ’28 Designer: Timothy Furman millionsofimages.com

FSC Placeholder

Printer: Signature Printing, East Providence, certified by the Forest Stewardship Council

Cupola is produced by the offices of Communications and Alumni Relations for alumni and friends of Moses Brown. Your feedback is welcomed. Please send comments to: Cupola, Moses Brown School, 250 Lloyd Avenue, Providence, RI 02906. Send suggestions, class notes and address updates to MB Alumni Relations via mosesbrown.org or alumni@mosesbrown.org; 401-831-7350 x114. Moses Brown School is a nonprofit institution. mosesbrown.org

A LETTER FROM MATT GLENDINNING, HEAD OF SCHOOL

Adaptation A Way of Being at Moses Brown In so many ways, life is different during a pandemic. We keep masks by the front door and spares in our car. We wash our hands like surgeons, and we’ve altered how we work, exercise and socialize.

The world has changed, and it’s important for us to reflect on the ways that Moses Brown needs to change in response. A hallmark of MB’s success over 236 years has been its ability to evolve while staying true to its time-tested values. At Moses Brown, in other words, adaptation — the theme for this issue of Cupola — is a way of being.

Amid the current disruption, we’ve all had to evaluate what is most essential in our lives. Preparing children for the future is too important a job to stop, even in a pandemic, and schools at all levels are undertaking enormous changes in order to continue serving children.

At MB, we created a multi-modal plan that allows us to shift between full in-person teaching, full remote or a hybrid of the two as public health conditions dictate. We have embraced new technologies, developed new teaching methods, and taken on new roles and responsibilities. It’s not an exaggeration to say that we have rethought every inch of campus and every action and interaction in the school day, and we continue to refine our plans as new information emerges.

Of course, the pandemic isn’t the only seismic shift reshaping our nation and impacting our school. Over the spring and summer, a collective social consciousness has risen in the call for equity and racial justice. According to the New York Times, the Black Lives Matter protests over the murder of George Floyd may have been the largest civil rights movement in the nation’s history, with at least 15 million people participating by early June, and many more since.

As a Friends school, we have a role to play in the fight for justice. We also have work to do in ensuring that MB nurtures the Inner Light of all and is fully inclusive and equitable in the opportunities and supports we offer our students, families and employees.

This fall, the school will be reassessing its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts and formulating a strategic plan to guide future progress. In this work, disruption has revealed the necessity for change. We must strive to see things differently, letting go of old beliefs and behaviors that no longer serve the interests of our whole community.

Consistent with a spirit of innovation and adaptation, we’re pleased to share stories of opportunity, renewal and hope in this issue of Cupola.

NEWS FROM MOSES BROWN TODAY

Hope & Lloyd

This summer, Moses Brown welcomed two new members to the school’s administrative team. AJ Kizekai is our new Director of Athletics. Vickie Monta is the new Chief Financial Officer.

Recent events have caused our nation to examine its racism.

During this time, Moses Brown is also examining ways to be better allies and seek the truth. Alumni have shared their stories of acceptance, or non-acceptance, at MB, and how it impacted their lives. We thank you for speaking out. If you’ve had experiences at MB you’d like to share with the school, as part of a way forward to improve the MB experience for all students, please contact any member of the Moses Brown administrative team, Chandra Harris / Kelena Reid (upper school) or Karin Morse (alumni relations).

Several upper school students were inducted into the Moses Brown Cum Laude Chapter this fall. Congratulations to Hayley Chisholm, Charles Costa, Vaibhav Duggirala, Vishwas Duggirala, Vibha Kamath, Madeline Klipfel, Kevin Masse, Gianna Paratore, Elias Reville, Greta Shuster and Marie Zha. Recently, Niche released its yearly best school rankings. Moses Brown was named the #1 Private High School in Rhode Island, #1 Private K-12 School in R.I., #1 Best High School for STEM in the state, and the #1 Best College Prep Private HS in R.I. Go Quakers!

Congratulations to faculty award winners, recognized this spring.

Kate Turner is the recipient of this year’s Bilodeau Award.

Tara Tsakraklides received the James T. English Award.

This fall, the MB drama program staged Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream outdoors in the Peace Garden.

For more current MB news, please 2 Moses Brown on social media! follow

CUPOLA

GIFTS IN ACTION:

Dreaming Big, Supporting Families “We’ve always known that Moses Brown was a special place, but

MBeThere 2020 exceeded our wildest dreams.

Your commitment to every single child in our community is inspiring. All we can say is THANK YOU for showing up, THANK YOU for your care, and THANK YOU for rallying to provide emergency scholarship support for current families,” – Katie Kinnell P’24’27 and Gina Gesamondo Martish P’27’33, MBeThere 2020 Co-Chairs

MBeThere, Dream Big took place on May 20, 2020 as a 24-hour virtual fundraising event hosted by the Parents’ Association. The event began with a live kick-off from the Woodman Family Community & Performance Center which included remarks from Matt Glendinning, parent John Donahue (shown left at podium) P’21 and upper school English teacher Claudia Perlini. There was also a surprise recorded music video from the upper school chorus singing “Rise Up” in honor of the Class of 2020.

In partnership with the school, the Parents’ Association decided that all proceeds from the event would support scholarship for MB students with the primary focus to keep the Moses Brown community intact by supporting families whose needs may have changed due to COVID-19.

Given the generosity of the entire MB community and the involvement of over 45 faculty and staff (including, top to bottom, Emilia Pena-Disla, Sarah McShane and John Doll ’94) and 270 contributors, MBeThere’s virtual event netted $143,227 for emergency scholarship, surpassing the 2019 proceeds by $55,000. These additional scholarship funds allowed 24 families to stay at MB. FALL 2020

3

Departing Faculty & Staff MB SAYS THANKS AND BEST WISHES TO LONGTIME EMPLOYEES WHO DEPARTED MB THIS SPRING. WE WILL MISS YOU. Marie Del Padre celebrated a remarkable tenure of 33 years supporting Moses Brown students, parents and faculty. Since 1987, middle school students, parents and faculty were greeted each morning by Marie’s warm and welcoming spirit. Marie was at the center of everything and understood the pulse of the middle school experience better than anyone. As caretaker for faculty and as a calming voice for concerned parents, we counted on Marie’s consistency, patience and love for the students to make our middle school function effortlessly. Whether it was navigating the never-ending requests for details about calendar dates, times and locations, chasing down the student who forgot about a mid-morning orthodontist appointment, sharing a recipe or a book with colleagues or providing gentle supportive words to a student or parent, Marie did everything with grace and care. Marie plans to spend more time with her grandchildren and volunteer to support homeless veterans’ needs.

In her three decades teaching math at MB, Patricia Savage brought a calm, clear, direct approach to teaching, providing structure and safety for countless middle school students. Patricia made math accessible for all and her impact on our middle school culture was immeasurable. We’ll miss her patience and wisdom, care for students and integrity as a colleague. She is remembered by students as trustworthy and kind and by colleagues as a supportive and wise counsel. “It was a great pleasure to teach at MB,” Patricia said. “I enjoyed interacting with the bright and interesting middle school students. This is an interesting and often exciting time in their lives and it was fun to help students navigate their way through the complexities of mathematics as well as the complexities of life.”

Hilary Major came to MB as a second career after working in business. “I now have the best job in the world,” she reflected once. “It is a pleasure to work in an environment that fully supports the arts and encourages every student to find their voice.” Hilary built MB’s String Orchestra and Chamber Music programs from scratch and held many titles at MB, from admissions associate to upper school community service director. She designed and led countless programs, classes and collaborations including Brown Bag recitals, the Equal Voice club, music trips, AP Music Theory and side-by-side concerts and was a recipient of Swan and Miller grants. Hilary’s care and mentorship for students and colleagues was a defining characteristic of her MB career. Her grace, wisdom, humor, leadership and high standards for excellence will be missed.

4

CUPOLA

Barbara Ruscetta was an important member of the school’s Auxiliary Services team. Barbara helped build our program from just four summer camp offerings to our current 19. She was also a wonderful support for our bookstore and MB After 3 programs. Barbara brought a thoughtful and organized approach and can-do attitude to all her work. Before departing MB, she commented, “It has been a pleasure working at MB and I am grateful for the wonderful experience of being part of this community for the past 15 years. I will miss everyone and trust that the valued friendships I developed over the years will last into the future.” Barbara also says that her loyal sidekick Brewster enjoyed all the attention, affection and treats received from the many visitors who stopped by her office to say hello — “it made him a better dog.”

As MB Athletic Director, Jeff Maidment worked tirelessly on behalf of students and coaches and helped to see graduating student-athletes be celebrated this past spring. “I value the role athletics plays in the lives of young students,” Jeff once said. He helped strengthen many aspects of MB’s Athletics program — providing professional development for coaches, soliciting feedback from students, emphasizing strength and conditioning and managing key facility projects. Jeff was named Athletic Director of the Year in 2011 and twice received the National Award of Merit from the Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association. During his tenure, MB teams won 33 state championships and 64 division titles. Jeff also coached football and baseball, represented MB in numerous state and national committees and was a tireless advocate for all students. He plans to continue his work with families and in the community, launching a career in real estate.

Mino Bouthavong worked in MB’s technology department since 2006 and was a valued member of our school community. In addition to his regular duties, Mino was a dedicated middle school tennis coach and led a student volleyball club. He had strong connections to our middle schoolers through the iPad program, and his elaborately decorated office and ready candy supply made his office a regular stop for many. Outside of work, Mino was an active outdoors enthusiast. He holds degrees from Bryant University and New England Institute of Technology.

Shaun Buckler was MB’s Director of Finance & Operations. Shaun joined MB in 2010 and quickly brought his extensive financial management experience to bear on all aspects of MB’s operations. During his tenure, Shaun strengthened our budgeting process by developing forecasting tools that facilitated decision making by the Board and Administration. He helped research and craft sound personnel policies, managed risk assessment and coordinated stewardship of MB’s historic 33-acre campus. Shaun played a significant role in helping the school prepare for and execute a $50+ million capital campaign, including major facilities projects such as the Woodman Center, the Y-Lab and the Gorgi Family Squash & Education Center. He also guided the school in securing debt financing and coordinated oversight of MB’s investments, which nearly doubled in value under his watch. A lover of music, Shaun was a frequent participant in the MB faculty/staff band.

FALL 2020

5

GUEST EDITOR: FARHAD ZALTASH ’77

Adaptation I remember the first day I arrived at MB, after a long flight from Iran to New York, then to Providence. I walked up the front stairs, handed my acceptance letter to Ms. Perry, receptionist at the time, and in broken English told her who I was. She made a call and shortly after, Dalton Winslow showed up. I did not understand a word he said but realized from his body language that he was welcoming me. I had practiced and memorized a few sentences in English and said, “My name is Farhad Zaltash. I am sorry I don’t understand much English but it is nice to meet you.” He paused, gave me a warm, welcoming and reassuring smile and slowly said, “No problem Farhad, I understand; welcome to your new home at Moses Brown.” Then, he showed me my room and introduced me to David Penn and Gary Rayner, asking them to help me with my luggage. That night, the school held a dinner for boarders. It was my first attempt at the food in the dining hall: tunafish with fries, which I found dull and boring. After all I was coming from Iran known for its elaborate cuisine: dishes of saffron, turmeric, wild herbs, cardamom, dates, raisins, lamb shanks, ….

6

Later that evening, Gary and David took me to Thayer St. My first adaptation journey began, exploring new food through experimentation and the trial and error of different eateries on Thayer: McDonald’s, Spats, Paragon, Andrea’s, Italian grinders, pizza, etc.

The language barrier was more serious. Coming to MB in my senior year with limited English, I had to work hard to overcome the challenge; I spent long hours in the lounge, watching TV to improve my comprehension, and talked to my teachers. Mr. Shaw spoke at a slower pace during calculus, which was helpful. Ms. Greenhalgh told me that she expected me to study twice as hard but in return she would grade me based on my extra efforts in English rather than the class curve, which seemed like a bargain. This was my way of adapting to the challenges learning a new language at a new school in a different country, by working harder. In hindsight I should say that MB’s faculty also adapted to me in order to help me navigate the challenges.

After graduation I went to USC, and while a freshman in college, the political situation in Iran started deteriorating, leading up to the 1979

CUPOLA

Life’s challenges and difficulties give birth to the resilience of the human soul to rise up and defy odds. revolution. Iran’s pro-west secular monarchy was replaced by a religious theocracy.

An officer in the Imperial Army, my father escaped with the rest of my family just a few days before the Shah left the country.

If my adaptations in Providence seemed challenging, they were nothing compared to what was to come. The revolution changed everything and our future remained uncertain. We had to support ourselves, find a way to stay here legally, adjust to a new culture and accept that the life we knew had vanished. News from Iran was not good: political executions, purges, property confiscations, takeover of the U.S. Embassy, hostage crisis, Iran-Iraq war, economic meltdown, mass exodus ….

same route I used to take with my friends. As I walked toward MB, a floodgate opened up.

Having to adapt again, I started working multiple jobs while at USC to help support my family. We eventually received asylum, becoming permanent residents and U.S. citizens, but a deep void remained in my heart. The news out of Iran and its role in the Middle East became grimmer every year. I worked hard and life eventually stabilized, but a deep void about “home” remained in my heart.

After working more than three decades in traffic engineering and transportation planning, I am semi-retired, with my own consulting firm, these days. I spend most of my time living my lifetime passion of traveling the world. The Iran of my childhood is always part of my heart even though that country and life as I knew it no longer exist.

But, whenever I travel in the world, I know I can always go back home to 250 Lloyd.

I have adapted and learned that wherever seeds of goodness are planted, nourished and nurtured, roots begin to grow and that Elm Tree becomes like a home in the heart.

After MB graduation, I was happy to leave Providence; at the time it was only one year since I had left Iran. I was homesick, the culture was still new, and I did not care much for Rhode Island winters. The following year, when I heard about the blizzard in Rhode Island, I thought I had made the right choice to move to sunny Southern California.

I did not know about MB reunions until 1997 when I accidentally crossed paths with a former classmate. I guess the reunion notification letters had been sent to our home in Iran, which had by then been confiscated by the revolutionary government. I had mixed feelings about reunion, but decided to fly back for it. The day after arriving in Providence, I parked my car on Thayer and started walking toward campus, taking the

FALL 2020

The 20-minute walk felt like I was finally going back home. It was clear I had discovered a deeper meaning of Home. I had adapted beyond my own imagination. I was walking home.

I remembered Dalton Winslow’s warm welcome at the front door, Mr. and Mrs. Mullin and their daughter Kristin and their kindness to students, the help given by Bruce Shaw. I recalled having philosophical and political discussions with Jim Tull in my broken, limited English. I remembered the cafeteria food, nighttime dorm life, and Mrs. Lambrese who always smiled warmly and said hello as we passed by her office.

The need for adaptations does not arise from a comfort zone or easy life. Life’s challenges and difficulties give birth to the resilience of the human soul to rise up and defy odds.

The alumni in this Cupola demonstrate hard work, passion and courage: overcoming a birth defect to become a great athlete and human; sacrificing to risk one’s life to serve patients during a pandemic; thinking outside the box and re-engineering the operational methods of a community program to provide services to the vulnerable; protecting Rhode Island’s environment against global warming; remaining steadfast in a shrinking industry, only to rise up another day.

Farhad Zaltash arrived at MB from Iran in 1976 and says, “The dorm life was a life unto itself after 6 p.m.”

MB’s Quaker values and education, a teacher’s influence, hard work practiced and learned, and the personal need to overcome difficulties provide the inner strength to adapt and overcome challenges. Moses Brown should be proud of his children.

7

ANDY WIGREN ’92

Navigating Change What motivates someone in their 40s to take up a new sport known for its intense physical demands, compete against athletes half their age, and represent the U.S. at World Championships in less than two years?

In a word: adaptation. For Andy Wigren, adaptation has been a core part of his life experience.

Andy was born with a birth defect that caused his right leg to grow at a different rate than his left leg; as he got older the difference increased. When he was four, doctors recommended an operation that would amputate Andy’s right foot with a new prosthetic foot taking its place and accommodating the differential. Since then Andy has been physically active on almost a daily basis; he believes learning to adapt at an early age has benefited him in all aspects of his life.

Andy attended MB from kindergarten through 12th grade and says he never felt treated differently at MB. “My mom came in to help me tell my story on the first day and that was it.” Lacrosse and hockey were Andy’s primary sports at MB and he credits coaches Rob Hollis and Kevin Matson for instilling a work ethic that would serve him well as he took up new sports after MB. “I’ve had to adapt to things my entire life,” Andy says. “Adaptation means finding new ways of achieving similar results. Where I’ve been successful is adapting quickly, learning every day. Each day you are getting better or getting worse. You need to choose which. Homeostasis does not exist in the human body or any aspect of our lives. You need to approach new challenges with intention, expect that things will go wrong, be okay with that and figure out how you’re going to adapt.”

Andy used to daydream about what his athletic career might look like had he been “normal,” without the need for a prosthetic. He says, “I used to think I would have been super successful athletically if it were not for my prosthesis. This however is 180 degrees wrong; I am successful athletically because of my prosthesis.

Because of my prosthesis, I am comfortable being uncomfortable. Very comfortable, in fact. This gives me a mental advantage over most able-bodied athletes. Once I embraced this, my athletic pursuits really started to see results.”

Today he talks to students about having a prosthetic leg and how that isn’t easy but that personal growth happens when things aren’t easy. When speaking at schools, he talks about how differences — physical, mental, socioeconomic or racial — are a source of strength. He tells students to embrace difference and think about growth: “Growth doesn’t happen when things are easy.

There’s no stimulus to change. When you’ve felt pain — mental, emotional or physical — then you can decide what you want to do about it, how can you adapt, evolve.” He says most students have some kind of personal challenge. “Some people adapt really quickly, others more slowly.”

Look Ahead When trying a new sport, Andy works with a prosthetist to try new legs. Despite advances in prosthetic technology, he says the KISS principle is one he embraces. (The more parts there are in a system, the more things can go wrong.) A prosthetic may have more tech-

Photos: US Rowing

Andy Wigren played lacrosse and hockey at MB and added cycling, squash and CrossFit as an adult. He plays hockey on the U.S. Standing Amputee Team and bikes the 163-mile Pan-Mass Challenge annually, raising thousands of dollars for cancer research. He now embraces his prosthetic leg as a strength.

Last year, Andy represented the U.S. in the Rowing World Championships in Austria. He and his partner won Nationals and placed sixth at Worlds, despite his recent entry to the sport and competitors decades younger. “It was the thrill of a lifetime to make a national team — to compete with the U.S. flag on my chest and represent the country,” he says.

“What makes you different is not a weakness, it’s likely a strength, you just might not know it yet.” nology but that can also make it heavier or increase the likelihood of parts failure. He finds it most frustrating when a prosthetic breaks through no fault of his — as when four bolts on his prosthetic came off in the Miami airport on a business trip. He had to hop to get to his hotel and find crutches to get to his meetings. Now he travels with a backup, despite the added weight.

Andy works as an investment analyst for Fidelity and feels that the challenges of COVID-19 also offer the opportunity for businesses to improve. “We’re seeing a lot of business models having to react and pivot. COVID has affected every business on the globe in some capacity. I think the businesses that will come out in the best shape will re-evaluate, adapt and look for benefits and growth. They will say, because of the virus, we ended up with a more sustainable, efficient, diverse operation. Those who evolve adapt the best. If you can’t evolve as an institution, a human or an entity, you’re going to be left behind.”

Team Player Perhaps Andy’s most successful athletic endeavor to date began only a few years ago. In 2018, after coming in second in his division in the World Indoor Rowing Championships with little training or coaching, Andy moved from the ergometer to the water to launch his rowing career. Ultimately, Andy and his partner won trials in the PR3 Men’s Pair, earning a spot on the 2019 Senior National Team and the opportunity to represent the U.S. at the 2019 World Rowing Championships in Austria. They finished sixth. Next, Andy’s boat won its class in the 55th Head of the Charles Regatta.

FALL 2020

Now, he’s training for the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics. “My competition is literally half my age and often has been rowing for much longer than me, however I’m improving quickly and am looking forward to competing for a seat in the PR3 Mixed Coxed Four (the sole PR3 Paralympic event) or at Nationals next year for the opportunity to represent the U.S. at the 2021 World Championships in Shanghai.”

Andy loves rowing’s balance of endurance, strength and technique: “You have to bring all three to go fast. This requires complete mindfulness. I’m terrible at meditation, but rowing forces me to be completely focused in the present moment. In this digital age we are constantly being bombarded with emails and cellphone alerts; being able to focus your attention for a period of time each day is really special.”

Adaptive Athlete Successful individuals adapt and evolve more rapidly than others, taking current stimuli and repatterning how they go about daily life. Andy Wigren says the physical accommodations he has had to make to navigate daily life are such that some of his skills now are sharper than others. For him, it’s his proprioception abilities, important to rowers.

9

ROLANDO CAMPOS ’79

Serving Community New York City was one of the earliest epicenters for this year’s pandemic. Just as in his MB cross-country days, Rolando had to be fast on his feet to keep up with the sudden demands at work (and home). Rolando runs a program in New York City to help support people with HIV and AIDS in NYC, serving nutritious meals to 1,000 people a day. Rolando’s work in New York sheds light on the on-going challenges and adaptations in providing essential medical services during this critical time.

This was not the first time Rolando faced an emergency where the impact was felt drastically and immediately. The last major life-changing event before COVID-19 was Superstorm Sandy which hit NYC in October, 2012. That storm prepared Rolando to respond and deal with new emergencies. When COVID-19 became a reality in NYC, his organization began to prepare. One thing he and others were not prepared for was how this new emergency would affect their personal lives when shelter-in-place orders came. Since Housing Works is a medical service organization, they were considered an essential service and thus Rolando and his staff were deemed healthcare workers, tasked with maintaining daily services as best they could to serve homebound high-risk patients all over the five boroughs.

Another issue to overcome was having to compete for food supplies with higher prioritized organizations and hospitals. Because of this, Rolando’s preplanned menu went out the window. They switched to in-house scratch cooking which helped their budget as takeout supply costs skyrocketed.

“But nothing that could have helped prepare me and others for the toll on the human psyche,” he says. “The death toll at the onset of the pandemic was astronomical but when you lose a family member, it’s devastating.” Rolando lost a close family member in March who contracted the virus during a non-COVID-related stay at a local hospital. “That’s when I realized that I not only had to worry about job-related food and client issues, I had to ensure the safety of my own family. Taking the subway every day to work without knowing who was infected and possibly sitting next to you drove me crazy. All I could do was listen to the experts and protect myself as best I could.” Rolando washed his hands, carried hand sanitizer, wore face masks and did all out-of-home shopping and errands to minimize exposure for his family.

10

Quaker Roots “It’s funny how you don’t realize how your education will affect your future life until way after it has,” Rolando says. “My MB Quaker education has most certainly helped sway my career choices. Over the years each of my jobs involved some sort of community interaction. I focused on the results of the day rather than the size of the paychecks. I enjoy helping and making a difference in another person’s life.”

Community “As I look back on my interactions with clients this year to my personal experiences with stress, it’s hard to convey. It’s been a scary period in history for the human race, but I take some solace in knowing I gave (and will continue to give) my all for others.”

CUPOLA

ALISON CONNOR ’07

On the Frontline Back to School Alison was picked to be the student speaker at her nursing pinning ceremony at Rhode Island College last year.

At the start of her MB career, Alison Connor, BSN, RN, thought about becoming a doctor, interested in both math and science. When she went on to Boston University, she discovered psychology and furthered her interests in community service and working with people.

Alison eventually felt drawn to a career in nursing, as a way to combine her early foundational interests with her extroverted nature and philosophy of caring.

“My path to becoming a nurse was winding and not without struggle,” she reflects.

“Determination and grit are what brought my dream to fruition, skills that Moses Brown helped to instill in me from a young age. Nursing school once seemed impossible and then it was done.”

After graduating from nursing school last year, this year Alison found herself a novice nurse at the Miriam Hospital in Providence during this unprecedented time. At one point, her floor was all COVID-19 patients.

Before the pandemic, 2020 was deemed the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife by the World Health Assembly as the year coincides with Florence Nightingale’s bicentennial as the founder of the nursing profession. Who anticipated that nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals would be in such need this year?

In the Shadow of the Elms Having the privilege of being a Moses Brown alumnus opened many paths for her future, Alison says. She values the sense of community and togetherness in education found at MB and credits advisor Tara Tsakraklides as an influence.

“Although I never had her as a teacher in class, I learned many important life lessons through her guidance.”

FALL 2020

Reflecting on her first year as a nurse, Alison says what she experienced was not what she envisioned: “COVID-19 initially changed the lenses through which I viewed my beloved profession,” she says. “I found myself on the frontlines of a battle against an unseen enemy.

I had to revert to my inherent values, many of which I learned at MB. I found a sense of community with those I worked with and comfort in remaining caring and compassionate.”

“As the dust will eventually settle, I emerge from this experience strong and determined as ever, finding a sense of pride in what I have contributed. This is what the World Health Assembly intended for nurses in 2020. I hope that despite or in spite of the pandemic, MB graduates will feel empowered and inspired to join the healthcare community. It may be a personal sacrifice in trying times, but it is not without reward. Thank you, MB, for shaping me into the type of person who can face any adversity and find peace and solace even if in small moments.”

11

REBECCA SHAW O’HARA ’99

Changeup This year, the welcome spring ‘plink’ of bats hitting balls was missing and ballfields across the country, at all levels of play, never opened their gates. The signature call to “play ball” wasn’t heard until summer.

As senior manager of product development at Rawlings Sporting Goods in St. Louis, Becky Shaw O’Hara had an up-close view on the year without a baseball spring.

“It has been a tough year for manufacturing,” she says. As Rawlings works with factories in China and across Asia for many of their products, they were affected early by the pandemic. By the end of March, the demand for baseball products was essentially zero. All of the company’s domestic manufacturing had to shut down and they cancelled orders with foreign suppliers also navigating the crisis.

Rawlings quickly realized that they were going to be hit hard financially — being a baseball company in a spring without baseball is a tough place to be. To survive, they had to furlough about 75% of their U.S. workforce in April; the R&D department was hit hard since they are not critical to day-to-day operations.

Becky Shaw O’Hara works in the industry representing the oldest professional sport and league in the U.S. Baseball has weathered challenges in the past, from wartime and the flu epidemic to economic downturns and more.

A bat engineer, Becky was even featured on an episode of the PBS show Design Squad.

She says sports’ emphasis on a team approach gave her a great foundation for engineering and life 12 in general.

Becky went from managing a team of six to being one of only two people left in R&D. Her main job was to work with the company’s office in China and a skeleton U.S. team, keeping some key projects moving. Rawlings has since been able to recall most of their U.S. workforce; all domestic manufacturing locations have re-opened, although not back to full capacity yet since demand for baseball equipment is still low.

Becky normally travels quite a bit, both to Asia and to the company’s U.S. bat factory in Minnesota, and isn’t sure when she’ll be able to travel again. “This is hard for me,” she says. “I find a lot of value in meeting with people face to face, both our internal employees and our third-party suppliers.” Becky says that doing business in other countries can be a challenge, especially in Asia where there is both a language barrier and significant time difference. She says it’s important

CUPOLA

In graduate school, Becky worked as a research assistant at the University of Massachusetts Baseball Research Center. In addition to working for Rawlings in St. Louis, Becky has also worked for the company in China, designing and overseeing bat manufacture. At home in normal times, she enjoys cheering on the Cardinals with her family.

to keep an open mind and try to understand some of the culture of the country or region where one is working. “Email is a great tool that allows us to work across time zones but can also lead to a lot of misunderstandings. I have found that traveling and meeting with people in person goes a long way in understanding more about them both personally and professionally.”

The shift to working from home this year was particularly difficult for R&D in another way, as well. “As engineers, we are very hands-on and spend a lot of time reviewing and testing physical samples. We’ve been able to manage by mostly working from home but all going into the office whenever necessary to review samples or make prototypes. Shifting to collaboration by video calls is a change but we are getting the hang of it.”

“Rawlings has been around for more than 125 years so to see our business drop the way it did this spring was pretty shocking,” Becky says. “About five years ago the company decided to exit the business we had in football and lacrosse equipment and focus on what we do best — baseball and softball. Focusing our business had really paid off, until the pandemic halted the baseball season. The history behind our brand and our relationship with MLB definitely helps in times like this. Even after a bad year, the Rawlings brand will not be forgotten.”

MB Memories Becky was part of an historic class at MB, the last graduates of the millennium. A 15-year veteran, she played catcher for the Quakers. Becky is also the daughter of longtime upper school faculty member Bruce Shaw (right) and says her dad definitely influenced her toward a career in engineering and choosing her specific discipline.

“Working in baseball has always been a lot of fun.

Baseball and softball have always been a huge part of my life so being able to work in the industry is amazing.

Throughout all the challenges this year has posed, there’s never been a doubt in my mind that baseball will return.”

FALL 2020

13

JOHN TORGAN ’87

Coasting with Change 14

John Torgan, state director of the Rhode Island Nature Conservancy, has made a career of advocating for Rhode Island’s environment.

He grew up on the water and worked summers in high school and college on charter fishing boats out of Point Judith and on Block Island.

CUPOLA

As the pandemic has made people realize how precious access to nature is in Rhode Island, more people are on boats, walking trails and heading to the beaches whenever they can.

John Torgan understands the calling to get outside. “When I’m on my boat on Narragansett Bay,” he says, “all is well in the world!”

John is the state director for the Rhode Island Nature Conservancy and says the current economic impacts on nonprofit environmental organizations have made their work more challenging at a time when having a refuge in nature is most needed. TNC in Rhode Island has been fortunate to have been able to continue their core conservation and climate work this year, and he is hopeful about the future.

John credits King Odell for helping him along the path that led to his career. “Doc was my teacher, advisor and coach but he taught me the most as my boss,” John says.

For five summers, John worked for Doc at the Narragansett Inn on Block Island as a bellhop and desk clerk.

On Block Island, John loved to paddle and fish and explored every inch of trail and shoreline there. Doc introduced John to Keith Lang (father of Gillian ’05) and Robert Ellis Smith ’58, leaders of the early conservation movement on Block Island.

Both also worked years earlier for Doc at the ’Gansett as bellhops. Keith would later become the first Rhode Island state director of the Nature Conservancy.

John says he recently asked Doc if he knew he was planting the seeds of the future conservation movement. “It was the farthest thing from my mind,” Doc assured him.

Get Outside With 11 protected sites across Rhode Island, the Nature Conservancy protects iconic landscapes and natural places for people to enjoy and wildlife to thrive such as Aust Family Preserve in Lincoln.

Working with partners, the Nature Conservancy has helped to conserve nearly half of Block Island for nature and for all people to enjoy. TNC has protected more than 35,000 acres in Rhode Island. But they recognize that protecting land alone is not enough and are working to also protect fresh water, mitigate and adapt to climate change, and restore tidal rivers and coastal waters.

Rhode Island is a leader in coastal adaptation, John says. Following Superstorm Sandy, the Nature Conservancy worked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove two major dams from the Pawcatuck River for flood control and fish passage restoration. They also restored two tidal marsh systems at Narrow River and Sachuest Point in Middletown using “thin layer deposition,” a process that spreads fine layers of sediment to elevate the tops of coastal wetlands that are being lost to sea level rise and erosion.

Working with the State of Rhode Island, TNC recently constructed a large-scale “living shoreline” in East Providence at Rose Larisa Park. This hybrid stone and marsh grass installation illustrates a way to adapt to rising sea levels and storms that provides a beautiful habitat for fish and wildlife and has other public benefits.

“When used in combination with strong steps to reduce carbon emissions, these nature-based strategies can offer practical and effective ways to adapt to a changing climate in the Ocean State,” John says.

FALL 2020

John Torgan and his staff at the Nature Conservancy are working to advance conservation across Rhode Island for all and helping the Rhode Island coastline adapt to climate change.

John has spent most of his career working to clean up and protect coastal waters.

Prior to coming to the Nature Conservancy, John worked for 18 years for Save The Bay. John served as Save The Bay’s first Baykeeper where he served as a public watchdog for Narragansett Bay and was involved with virtually every issue affecting Rhode Island waters, from coastal development to wastewater treatment.

15

MOSES BROWN ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

Alumni Events Back Inside the Front Gate: Reopening MB A Conversation for Alumni with Matt Glendinning

After MB welcomed students back to campus for the first time in nearly six months, Head of School Matt Glendinning provided an inside perspective in September on the joys, complexities, and practical aspects of reopening.

MBAA

Near or far, your MBAA is working hard to connect alumni. The executive committee (above) gathered on the front steps this fall: Jane Knowles ’81 (Recording) (left), George Panichas ’83 (MB Connects), Vincent Porcaro ’83 (Communications), Neil Beranbaum ’86, Clerk; David Murphy ’91 (Treasurer and Finance), John Baldwin ’94, Assistant Clerk (Nominating), Jason Engle ’98 (Local and Awards), Margaret Moran ’08 (National Committee).

MB Connects

This program connects the passions and experiences of alumni with real needs at MB, allowing alumni to engage with the school in ways that are personally meaningful.

Before school closed in March, several alumni enjoyed working with students in Immersion programs on campus. Zach Kenyon ’88, R.I. EMS Chief, reunited with former advisor and EMT Kevin Matson to present to the 911.......

What’s your emergency? Immersion. Zach and Providence Police Officer Peter Salmons ’04 also spoke with the Immersion group focused on Hunger and Homelessness in Rhode Island, organized by faculty Kelly Joseph and Jennifer Stewart. Ahvi Spindell ’72 and George Panichas ’83 participated in Moses Brown’s Campus, organized by Tom Andrew.

16

The MBAA’s Maggie Moran ’08 and John Baldwin ’94 made a special trip to campus to personally give an MBAA YETI tumbler to each member of the Class of 2020 as part of the “Campus Caravan” Senior Celebration in June.

Howard Yang ’15 photographed.

CUPOLA

Congratulations!

Fall MBAA Award Recipients Zoe Bell ’05

Outstanding Young Alumnus/a Award Zoe Bell works in game design, recently as an executive producer at Big Huge Games.

Zoe says MB gave her a broad creative and analytical background, which has been invaluable in her career. She credits Abby (Hertzmark) Phyfe, Ransom Griffin and Lenke Wood as particular inspirations.

Gary Goldberg ’87 P’17 ’19 ’20

Karin Morse ’79 Service to Alma Mater Award Entrepreneur Gary Goldberg, CEO of SquadLocker and Cleanbrands, is a third-generation textile engineer who has enjoyed designing textile consumer products for some of the world’s most recognized retailers and brands. Gary has served on the Development Committee since 2007.

He is clerk of the Campaign Steering Committee, among other roles.

Steve Toro

Faculty/Staff Member of the Year Steve arrived at Moses Brown in 1994 and has been a driving force in transforming the instrumental music program and the school’s arts program. When he began as wind and jazz director, there were literally just a dozen students who participated in the jazz band. In recent years, almost half of students participate in the music program, and the musicians often outnumber the audience. Steve is respected as a musician, but even more so as a dedicated, compassionate and caring teacher.

View from the MBAA

Neil S. Beranbaum ’86, P ’22 ’24’ 28 Clerk of the Moses Brown Alumni Association MB alumni have remained deeply connected to one another and interested in our school, and this time is certainly no different. Alumni actively support the school in a variety of ways, and your involvement ensures Moses Brown’s tradition of excellence and adaptability as is represented in Cupola.

I’m delighted to work with my fellow MBAA Board members (see page 19), representing nearly 7,000 alumni around the world. I have enjoyed seeing so many of you on campus, pre-COVID-19, and now via Zoom. I love sharing the work of the MBAA with you and hearing your perspectives on Moses Brown, both from when you were a student and today.

The Alumni Association is here to include you — with social and informative programs including alumni speakers and diverse events including a different Reunion 2021; through Cupola, alumni e-news and our social media. And through MB Connects, you are encouraged to share your passions and talents with the school and fellow alumni virtually and later on — in person.

I encourage you to stay engaged with Moses Brown — participate remotely for now and return to campus when the time is right.

In addition to being a proud member of the Class of 1986, I’m also an MB parent; my three daughters are in the 5th, 9th and 11th grade, so I appreciate that children are having such a good in-person experience here this fall.

Thank you FALL 2020

to Ted Low ’44, Ed Leand ’55, Adrian Hendricks ’58, Evan Granoff ’77, Emily Low Boenning ’81, Jane Knowles ’81, and Bay Hudner ’04 for contributing to archival video recordings of interviews with Will Malloy ’20.

17

Recently added to the Archives: one letter sweater, property of Bruce Brigham ’39. Bruce proudly kept his MB letter sweaters all these years.

Class Notes keeping in touch

1943

1950

After following in his father’s footsteps at Trinity College, Richard Sherman served in the Navy for eight years in the Pacific and in Korea. After this, Richard provided test equipment for the Apollo Space Program. He is now in a retirement home in Falmouth and still in great health at 96.

1944

Ted Low says, “I am obeying the rules and staying home during this virus epidemic; and getting a lot of reading done and writing letters to old and new friends.”

1948

1948

This past June, Bill Myers celebrated his 90th birthday with a half-hour flight, courtesy of his son Tom ’77. Bill arrived early for ground school in Kissimmee, Florida to get familiar with the instrument panel and cockpit before climbing into the plane.

“You have to be a contortionist to get in the back, but I did it!” he notes. Bill was strapped into a 5-point parachute harness and a large helmet placed on his head; the 18

Foster Kinney ’52 enjoyed catching up with Marc Galleti ’86 at an alumni gathering in San Mateo in February. plane was towed onto the apron. All ready, the instructor pilot started the Merlin. “It was a bit noisy!” Bill recalls. They taxied to the end of the runway, ran the engine to full power, exercised the propeller, checked the magnetos — and opened the throttle. With an ear-shattering roar, the plane began to accelerate. In less than 5 seconds, Bill was airborne and took control of the airplane.

Within 3 minutes, they were 9,000 feet in the sky over Horsehead Lake. Since Bill’s hearing is not the best, they relied on hand signals: “Turn to the right, turn to the left, bring the nose up, bring the nose down and I had the joy of flying this plane.” When the airport came into view, Bill made a victory run over the runway before landing safely.

“It was truly an incredible flight, a oncein-a-lifetime thrill that I will never forget.”

Bill is grateful for the day’s experience as well as all the journeys he’s made since his MB days, commenting, “I would never have led the successful life I’ve had without my Moses Brown education.”

Harris Rosen has republished his book, Why? Because I Love You, which prompts the financial and household manager of a family to commit to writing all the information in his or her head, including final wishes and knowledge on finances, leases, health and medical, charitable giving, home service and repairs and computers. The book includes thoughts on downsizing and how and where to get rid of “all the stuff your kids don’t want.” The book is available on Amazon.

1952

Donald Track enjoyed the last issue of Cupola: “I totally forgot about having a served lunch, tablecloth, etc.,” he writes.

“That was a nice recent photo of something no longer experienced today.”

Donald flew in the Air Force and followed his Colby education with a degree in

1952

CUPOLA

physics, working at the MIT Instrumentation Lab on hydrostatics and earthquake detection. At Itek, he developed the ability to measure a large lens to 5 millionths of an inch and that lens remains at rest on Mars in the Lander. “Our current education can become tomorrow’s fun!” he says.

Worthy of a celebration! Mary and Rick Worrell (previous page, bottom) came out of their East Side home to celebrate the graduation of their granddaughter in June, after her car parade at MB. Caroline was the last of their three children and three grandchildren to graduate MB.

1953

Judith and John Dowling (right) were happy to return to campus to celebrate the graduation of their granddaughter Liv Murray ’20 this past June.

1957

1953

1957

Stanley Goldberg (shown here photographing his grandson Jude ’19, goalie and captain of the MB boys varsity lacrosse 2019 team) is still an active photographer, as when he was at MB, and recently enjoyed watching the virtual graduation of his granddaughter Honor ’20, the last of his three grandchildren and sons David and Gary to have graduated from his alma mater.

1958

Thanks to Nicolas Gross for taking the time to write in after the last Cupola. “Well, this issue of the Cupola really got to me,” Nik said. He really liked the photo we ran of a 1957 Tea Dance with students from Lincoln, so we dug up another one from the archives.

Enjoy!

1958

es Brow

n

ni

t io

A lu

m

os

n

M

We always welcome legacy family photos for Cupola. Shown here are Bruce Nixon ’58, John B. Nixon ’90, John R. Nixon ’60, Tad Donato ’33 and JT Donato ’29, photo kindly sent by John’s daughter Meredith Nixon Donato ’96.

A ssoc

2020-2021 MB Alumni Association Board The mission of the Moses Brown Alumni Association is to foster lifelong relationships with the school and fellow alumni.

ia

Neil Beranbaum ’86, Clerk John Baldwin ’94, Assistant Clerk; Clerk, Nominating Committee David Murphy ’91, Treasurer; Clerk, Hall of Fame Committee Jane Knowles ’81, Recording Clerk Jason Engle ’98, Clerk, Local Committee

George Panichas ’83, Clerk, MB Connects Committee

Cheryl Schadone Cohen ’81

John Pariseault ’97

Matt Runci ’64

Vin Porcaro ’83, Clerk, Communications Committee

Joanne Debrah ’97

Lauren Pelletier ’94

Miles Rutter ’04

Adam Pennacchio ’01

Bob Samors ’77

Maggie Moran ’08, Clerk, National Committee

Alexa Gold ’04

Mia Rotondi Puddington ’09

Conal Smith ’06

Jon Rappoport ’93

Glenn Sparr ’85

Jenny Reavis ’13

Jamie Worrell ’85

Matt Romano ’14

Michael Yules ’10

Gabe Amo ’05 Taylor Rotondi Anderson ’02

Alex Egan ’03 Kate Gorgi ’08 John Lewis ’09

1959

Arnold Gass has retired after 30 years as associate chief of staff at the San Diego VA Medical Center and professor of medicine at the UCSD School of Medicine. He has continued to teach across the curriculum and currently has part-time gigs doing disability examinations for veterans and working in occupational health. He follows news of MB 1957-1962 with interest and speaks regularly with Stephen Dashef. “I am proud of what MB was and even more proud of what it has become,” he says.

MB On Track Moses Brown has always been known for its track teams, both throughout the state and New England.

In the spring of 1953, MB runners hit the jackpot. The highlight of the season was the New England Prep School championship at Andover. The competition was divided into class A and B, which had nothing to do with the quality of the team but the size of the school.

MB was class B, but when all the events were tallied, they had swept not only class B but A as well with firsts, seconds or thirds in every event.

When it was time for the closing ceremony the bigger schools’ coaches insisted that they were only qualified to take home the class B trophy. “Nothing doing,” said MB’s longtime track coach F. Warren (Junie) Howe: “We beat everybody; we take home both plaques.”

“Great consternation ensued,” recalls William Winslow ’53, “but Howe dug in his heels. Now, it happened that that year Howe was secretary of the track association, and he had the plaques locked up in the trunk of his car. There they stayed until the victorious team and its treasure arrived back in Providence. What a celebration.”

Nat White writes, “My career can best be described by proceeding in the direction I happened to be pointing — no plan, but facing the challenge in front of me. The results surprised my parents and would have provided William Bixby and MB with some feeling of accomplishment. It’s not that I accomplished so much but the distance covered from graduation until now.” Nat completed a 39-year career as a Ph.D. astronomer at the famous Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. He served as vice mayor and on many boards and currently is an elected member of his local community college board. He recently rebuilt his 1940 Buick that he drove from Cumberland to MB every senior school day! He’s still running and holds many records, now mostly age group records from 800 meters to 20-mile mountain runs.

Richard Chaset reminisces that he enjoyed meeting up with other alumni in South Florida at past gatherings. Dick lives in Delray Beach.

1961

Rick Presbrey retired three years ago after a career in affordable housing. He and his wife live on Cape Cod where Rick serves on community boards, writes about Cape history, does home projects and walks their dogs. In the summer he has more time for sailing and racing vintage race cars (which will not surprise anyone who knew him at MB). Looking back at his time at MB, Rick regrets that his teachers couldn’t have believed that he learned much from them based on his grades, but the truth is that what he learned during his years at MB has had a profoundly positive influence on his life and values and he is grateful that he was lucky to go to MB.

1965

The Class of 1965 had a great turnout for their Zoom call in July.

Doc Odell provided an update and regaled the group with a series of stories. Thanks to Terry Mahoney, John Bartlett, Chris Kent, Tom Reed and Jana and Eric Schreuder for bringing everyone together.

1968

Since retiring from his position at the South Kingstown Land Trust, Clarkson Collins has been puttering around the house and building gardens this year.

20

CUPOLA

1970

Frank D’Alessandro ’78 celebrated the MB graduation of his daughter Gia ’20 this past June.

1979

1975

The Latino College Expo, Inc., founded by Antonio Aponte, is celebrating their 30th year.

Thanks to members of the class of 1970 who stepped up to plan an exciting 50th reunion — Neil Brier, Steve Buckler, Bill Kenyon, Jamie Lewis, Jim Mahoney, Peter Rotelli and Bruce Wilks — now slated to take place in May 2021.

Special kudos to Bruce for his excitement, encouragement and leadership and to Peter who will host the class at his home when reunion is rescheduled.

1976

Michael Voccola has two grown children and two grandchildren. He is entering his 20th year at Procaccianti Companies, Inc., headed up by Jim Procaccianti, and enjoys keeping in contact with many members of the Class of ’76.

1977

Thank you to Farhad Zaltash for guest editing this Cupola! See page 6.

1970

1978

Tad Jose says that he’s been working out more in his basement with Beachbody DVDs!

1979

Roger Goodman (above left) is living in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland, Washington, the original epicenter of the coronavirus epidemic in the U.S. where the first virus-related deaths occurred in late February. He represents Kirkland, Redmond and other Seattle suburbs in the state legislature and is running for his 8th term. The Speaker of the House designated Roger, as Chair of the House Public Safety Committee, to work to ensure the safety and health of detained and incarcerated persons throughout the state. Following a riot at the state’s largest prison complex after several prisoners contracted COVID-19, Roger conducted a site visit to the prison and met with dozens of prisoners and staff, terrified of living and working in such close quarters, where physical distancing wasn’t possible. Roger worked with the governor on an initiative for the release of almost 1,000 nonviolent prisoners in order to relieve pressure on the population and create more space in the facilities.

1977

(left-right) On a campus tour with Ian Gunderson ’20 are Jim Mahoney, Bruce Wilks and Bill Kenyon.

Times of change and adaptation at MB “My senior year, 1976-77, was the first year of re-introduced co-education at MB. The Class of ’77 included one female student, and The Quaker, for which I was editor-in-chief, included at least one female staff member. I do not recall that the transition was especially jarring as there had been at least several years of very public discussion and preparation, coupled with the fact that the exchange with Lincoln School meant having female students on campus and in classes was not unusual.

Obviously, this is a different time and very different circumstances, but my advice to current students is to accept the ‘new reality’ and find ways to make the most of it — take greater enjoyment of the time you have together with your classmates and teachers; find ways to contribute to the ‘new’ Moses Brown beyond your own school work; find or create opportunities to put to use the advantages of your Moses Brown education and the MB community to help the Providence community cope with and adapt to the ‘Age of COVID.’” – Bob Samors ’77

FALL 2020

21

1979 continued

To help Vermonters during the pandemic, Sue Minter, executive director of Capstone Community Action, created a consortium of nonprofits to form a Regional Response Command Center to ensure the safety of the state’s most vulnerable. Sue and her team moved 238 homeless individuals into motels to protect them from the virus and have since provided more than 18,000 meals. They also provided food and activity packs to Head Start children and their families, before turning their attention to collecting facemasks for frontline workers. “As the coronavirus hit Vermont, we knew that low-income people would be hit the hardest, as they are in every disaster,” says Sue. In 2014, Sue was instrumental in leading Vermont in response to the devastation of Hurricane Irene and has traveled the U.S. providing disaster-response expertise and training to other states. She says, “I know my Quaker roots at MB are the seed for why I am where I am at this moment in history. Jim Tull would be proud!”

See page 10 for more from Rolando Campos. Rolando lives with his family in the Bronx.

Joshua Ott has left Los Angeles and now lives in Little Compton. While in California, Joshua worked in the entertainment business, followed by real estate and then a long span doing law enforcement equipment sales. One of his proudest achievements is adopting three brothers, ages 2, 3 and 4, from foster care in Los Angeles. They are now 19, 20 and 21 and two are in East Coast colleges. Joshua says he is looking forward to going to MB gatherings once the COVID crisis has passed. “I still remember almost all of my classmates and love to see pictures of them,” he writes, “and look forward to face to face meetings in the future.”

1982

1982

Before school closed in March, painter Peter Morse enjoyed working with students in an Exploration of Modern Art Immersion led by faculty Elena Mansolillo and Chandra Harris.

1983

1980

Harriet Dashoff Lockshine says her son Louis graduated from high school and is now attending Seminole State College. She now lives in DeLand, Florida.

1983

Rock and Linc Wasserman, sons of Jessica and Richard Wasserman, were excited to start in MB’s lower school this fall.

1985

1986

1985

Brown All-American, and former Yale / University of Denver coach, Jamie Munro (JM3 Sports) worked via Zoom with MB’s lacrosse programs this spring.

Jamie Worrell was happy to help celebrate the graduation of his daughter Caroline (now at Tufts) from MB in June, joining siblings Olivia ’19 and Will ’17 (above).

1986

Thanks to Meg and Marc Galletti for hosting an alumni reception at their Calif. home in February (above).

David Husted, MB’s Director of Innovation and Design, used MB’s 3D printer this spring to create NIH-approved face shields for the Providence Community Health Center.

22

1986

CUPOLA

1987

1987

After 17 consecutive years of having a child at MB, Gary Goldberg and his wife Elizabeth celebrated their third and final graduation for their daughter Honor ’20 (right). Honor headed to Drexel this fall. Congratulations are also in order for Gary, being celebrated this winter as the recipient of the Service to Alma Mater Award; see page 17.

John Torgan, shown in the summer of ’86 at the Narragansett Inn with Steven Toulmin, shares more about his work on behalf of Rhode Island’s environment on page 14.

1987

1989

1988

Christina Banks Simmons has a daughter in the Class of 2020 and a son who was a freshman in high school this past year. They live in Fresno, Calif. and sheltered in place comfortably, she says, but hurt from the changes. Christina and her husband lead a church and she volunteers for several nonprofits and fosters about 100 animals each year for the SPCA. “I’m sort of a puppy-family matchmaker!” Christina says, “I think singing together is what I miss the most of all.” During the pandemic, she’s enjoyed seeing what Amy Lee is cooking each day. “Her photos on FB and IG are killer. Also fun is watching Heather Miles Pike and her amazingly fun and talented family via social media. Wyatt Pike. Remember that name!”

1989

The Class of 1989 was eager to get together when MBAA board member Nicole Navega reached out to everyone and brought this great virtual gathering to fruition. The group reminisced and made plans to see one another again soon.

1989

Juliet McGee Schweitner (right) traveled a great distance to attend her first MB alumni event and she and Karin Morse ’79 (her advisor and coach) were thrilled to see one another.

1990

A crew of about 15 classmates from California to Chicago, D.C. to Boston jumped onto the Class of 1990’s Reunion Zoom in May. Ken Bloom donned his football jacket and brought his commemorative ball from the 1989 season along with his son’s MVP ball from fall 2016 (Abe is a 2017 MB graduate). Special thanks to Julie Reitzas, always ready to jump on a reunion planning call!

1990

Heather Crump Bell and her son Harry Bell ’20 (next page) took part in the great class fence plaque photo tradition on Commencement. Heather says, “We are so proud of Harry and all that he has accomplished.”

Harry is attending Georgetown University and was named a National Merit Finalist this past spring.

Lori Geisler Malloy (right) and her daughter Ilsa, a new sixth grader, toured campus with Karin Morse ’79, ending in the cupola for a clear 360 degree view. It was also great to have Hall of Fame inductee (swimming) Lori and Ilsa meet MB’s new athletic director, A.J. Kizekai.

23

FALL 2020

Several 1980s business owners have pivoted business models in the pandemic including Vin Porcaro ’83, who dedicated his Rhode Island facility to making thousands of face shields for healthcare workers and Phil Kinder ’85 who went from making boat sails and awnings to shield masks for use in hospitals.

23

Congratulations to alumni with 2020 graduates in their family this year: Rick Worrell ’52 John Dowling ’53 Stanley Goldberg ’57 Stephen Fortunato ’59 Matt Runci ’64 Ed Ricci ’67

1990 1990

Frank D’Alessandro ’78 Margaret-Mary Boitano ’83 Greg Schadone ’85 Jamie Worrell ’85 Julie Thomas Berry ’87 Gary Goldberg ’87

Eddie Ricci ’87 Chris Runci ’88 Heather Crump Bell ’90 Joanne Debrah ’97

1991

When the pandemic hit, Hillary Monahan Ramos ’91 pitched in. Hillary is the owner of the Cookie Countess, a company specializing in unique cookie and cake decorating supplies in Warwick; they retooled to make protective medical face shields for use by local hospitals.

1992

Congratulations to Lara Ewens Montecalvo, nominated by Rhode Island Governor Raimondo to be the Rhode Island Public Defender. Lara has served as Assistant Public Defender since 2004.

1992

Since MB, Andy Wigren has carved a career as a road cyclist, Crossfit competitor and even qualified for the national rowing team, representing the U.S. at world championships in Austria.

He is married to Kelley Ciampi Wigren, who accompanied him to Linz last year with their children. See page 8.

1994

Anna (Porter) Johnston was happy to hear about rowing coverage in this issue of Cupola.

Anna rowed on the 1993 U.S. junior national team and raced in the double skulls in Norway that year. She and her partner were the first female junior skullers to qualify for the team.

1995 1998

The Class of 1995 has already made plans to re-start planning for 2021. Alumni from both coasts enjoyed a Virtual Front Circle Reception in May and getting a timely perspective on vaccination development from Dr. Barrett Bready.

1998

New MB students Caroline, Emily and Ethan Engle toured campus with their parents Jessica and Jason Engle ’00 (left) and stopped to see photos of their uncle Jeffrey Engle ’00 and Jason’s teammate Josie Chapman ’97 in the Hall of Fame.

Michael Dallman lives in South Carolina with his family. Mike works as a pediatric intensive care physician at Prisma Health Children’s Hospital and is an assistant professor at the University of South Carolina.

2001

1999

Becky Shaw O’Hara is an engineer with Rawlings Sporting Goods in St. Louis and says, “Working in the baseball industry in a spring with essentially no baseball was challenging to say the least!” See page 12 for more.

2001

Andrew Silver and Chris Savage (left) recently moved back to Providence with their families and are thrilled their children Caroline and Zoe are in adjacent classrooms at MB. 24

CUPOLA

2004

2004

Congratulations to Bruce Bickford on his recent wedding (right). Bruce and Meredith Torr were married last October in Maryland with a solid MB crew in attendance. L to R, back to front: Eric Egan, Andrew Jenkins, Dan Rampone, Terry Moran ’06, Peter Salmons, Jill Teverow, Kyle Dungan, Rob Treut, Chris Akelman, Tim Savage, Kyle Anderson, Bruce Bickford, former faculty Tim Bickford and Meredith.

2005

Liz Sweitzer Matson and Andrew Matson welcomed the newest member of the Matson clan, Isla, in April (right). The Matsons are enjoying being back in Providence. Andrew is an orthopedic surgeon for Brigham Health and Care New England.

2005

The Class of 2005 kicked off Reunion 2020 planning in November by getting together at the G-Pub Rooftop before the MBAA Reception; planning began in earnest when Tory Sadler Karlsen, Maggie Gordon-Fogelson and Karin Morse ’79 met early in the year.

In February, there was a reunion meeting on campus and a number of classmates participated remotely, including Steve Johnson who called in from England.

This summer Ben Freedman and his team at Loon started delivering internet service to Kenya. This marks a significant milestone, for what was once one of Google’s “moonshot” projects.

Zoe Bell is being honored by the MB Alumni Association in December, receiving the Outstanding Young Alumnus Award from the MBAA. See page 17.

2006

2006

Meredith Achey graduated with her MD in May from Duke University School of Medicine and was starting residency in general surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in July. She hopes to become a pediatric surgeon. Meredith joined a music department celebration of Hilary Major who “retired” from MB in June.

2007

Nurse Alison Connor, elected student speaker at her pinning ceremony at Rhode Island College last year, hopes to inspire MB students to consider a profession in healthcare. See page 11.

2008

After working at Harvard for seven years, Olivia Whalen is returning to Providence as the associate director of the MPA program at Brown’s Watson Institute. “It feels full circle to be returning to work just a few steps from MB and contributing to academic life in Providence!” she writes.

Alumni of the 2000s have stepped up to help this year: Sam Daly ’02 re-created Superman’s radio plays for an arts charity, using original scripts from the decades-old radio series.

As Archives & Rights Manager at WGBHTV, John Campopiano ’04 worked with producers all around the world creating documentaries for Frontline, helping to cover Coronavirus from a number of angles. Erika Hodess ’04 is president of Protocol Management Services which provides all aspects of protocol for cleanrooms in the semiconductor, pharmaceutical, medical device, biotech and automotive industry; she donated 60,000 surgical masks, 20,000 pairs of gloves, and 10,000 pairs of shoe covers to Tufts Medical. Nicholas Fede ’07, owner of Kingstown Liquor Mart, began collecting tips from curbside pickup and donating them to the North Kingstown Food Pantry; to date, $11,000 has been raised.

2010

Simone Tubman is the Title IX Coordinator at Rhode Island School of Design; she passed the bar in 2018 in Mass. and R.I.

Moses Brown was one of the few organizations to safely reopen for summer camp this past summer, helping to pave the way for the school’s reopening this fall. Key to the camp program’s success was Allie Weitberg Spurling ’96 and Jerrett Wilson, as well as Michael Rawson ’19, demonstrating temperature check safety.

FALL 2020

25

2013

2015

2017 Jon Chase ’64/Harvard

2016

2014

2016

2013

2011

Sam DiBella works as a copy editor at a news magazine in London and recently completed an MSc in Media and Communications at the London School of Economics. His dissertation “The Uncertain Decorum of Online Identification” was selected for the school’s Media@LSE dissertation series and he will be presenting the results of his study at a research conference.

2013

Having met at the SF Alumni & Friends Reception in February, Ben Sack, Jake Jordan ’11, Mitch Maloof and Dean Copans ’94 (photographer) were pleased to join Peter Noonan ’63 for cocktails aboard Darkside in early March (above).

Jessica Jordan (above) hiked the entire 2,192 miles of the Appalachian Trail in 2019! She hiked for about five months and says it was the most challenging and rewarding experience of her life.

2014

Isaac Mocarski (top right) embarked on a busy rowing career after MB, including being a member of the 2015 National Championship team, training in Australia, winning two state championships and qualifying for world championship competition. Isaac also placed 14th for the U.S. at the U23 world championships. He has since retired from competitive rowing, having won four national championships, two Head of the Charles regattas, competed at two world championships, and competed at the Henley Royal Regatta twice. “I made so many amazing friends from all over the world and was mentored by some of the most accomplished rowers in the world — none of whom I would’ve met without rowing — and I was set down this path all the way back in 2008 when Lisa Evans encouraged me to pursue rowing at the Narragansett Boat Club.” Isaac studied cultural and biological anthropology at Boston University.

He now works as a graphic and apparel designer in Providence and plans to move to L.A. where he hopes to pick up his oars again.

26

2015

Mark Bucknam, Howard Yang and Bruce Bendheim (above) co-founded BYB Pictures during their first summer home from college in 2016. Now after graduating from college, they are guiding their young video production company through its first year of fulltime operation. BYB did a great job this year producing videos for key MB events, including Reunion, Campus Caravan, Commencement and an admissions ad.

2016

Isa Hage (top) was recently featured in the Skidmore Scope for her winning T-shirt design for the 2020 Saratoga Jazz Festival. Her t-shirt sales raised over $7,000 for the Equal Justice Initiative Fund. Isa graduated Skidmore this spring and was awarded the Miller-Reed Prize as the top design student at Skidmore. See isahage.com for more of her work; she hopes to become an art director at a design firm.

Ben Cassese was accepted into the astronomy Ph.D. program at Columbia University starting in 2021.

2017

Brigid Kennedy (top) is still rowing. She participated in the U.S. National Team training camp and is continuing to train for tryouts this spring.

Congratulations to Will Dickson, named the Providence Journal’s Boys Golfer of the Decade this summer.

2018

We were excited to welcome back Lucy Atkinson, Stephen Moss and Emmi Ahn ’19 who helped us celebrate the class of 2020 via beautiful music at Commencement (above).

Harry Wasser and his father Dave co-hosted a spring MB trivia tournament on Zoom. Congratulations to the winning team, The Red Hot Trivia Peppers, composed of Hana Flaxman ’16 and her dad David (shown), along with Tara and George Tsakraklides, Chandra Harris and Dawn Slack.

CUPOLA

2019

2019

Sam Andelman, Shaan Hossain and Max McGuire (above) got together in Padanaram Village this summer.

Lucy Handy is rowing at Dartmouth and says rowing there has been one of her most challenging and rewarding endeavors to date, pushing herself to new limits, savoring the beauty of the glassy Connecticut River, meeting friends and role models among her teammates. Lucy was a freshman last year, and surprised herself, rowing in the varsity 8 and earning the top 6k erg score on her team. Sadly the team didn’t have a spring, so she won’t know how her first college spring racing season would’ve gone. Lucy was not granted on-campus residency this fall, so she took a term off from classes and has spent the fall living in Park City, Utah with four other friends from her team. They found a way to keep doing what they love on the nearby Jordanelle Reservoir, thanks to the kindness of a Swiss rower named Niklaus who gave them access to an old four. “To me, that’s adaptation at full force — a year ago, none of us would’ve guessed we’d be in Utah, not taking classes, working jobs and internships and rowing on a foreign reservoir.

Although not what I expected out of my college experience, it is wonderful to feel somehow connected to my team and the sport I love again, after so much time training on my own in Providence at the onset of quarantine.”

Former Faculty & Staff

Kathy O’Connell (US) is still working at Starbucks and Alex and Ani and made it back to MB to time a couple of basketball games last season. She writes that her daughter Louisa is now in her senior year at Quinnipiac in nursing and is hoping to work in pediatrics.

Kathy says, “I love hearing about what my former students are doing today!”

Dennis Dobbyn (LS) said the last Cupola made him think about former colleague Adele Espo who now lives in Florida.

“She was the first Jewish teacher hired at MB,” Dennis recalls, “hired by headmaster L. Ralston Thomas when there were few of Jewish faith at MB. Her hire was controversial at the time. She was not welcomed by all of the faculty but she persevered.” Adele went on to teach in the lower school for 32 years (1948-84). “She taught me how to teach,” Dennis writes. “I and many others owe her so much.”

Former Director of Library Services Judi Lewis is still enjoying life on the Gulf Coast of Florida. She was teaching pool aerobics pre-pandemic and also serves on the board of her busy HOA. She asked how Doc Odell is doing. Well, we can report! Doc turned 91 this fall.

Steve Thomas, former Director of Admission, returned to MB virtually to join the Class of 1985’s Virtual Front Circle Reception.

Nice to “see” you, Steve!

Ellie Wickes (MS) shared some advice for the Class of 2020: “MB is a special place. Lifelong friends are made there. Wonderful networking opportunities will be realized in the future and you’ve made great memories. The Quaker influence will be felt in a positive and helpful way throughout your life.”

Tracing a Path: Lydia DeAngelo ’15 After Smith, Lydia DeAngelo was accepted to be a Research Fulbrighter in Argentina. Her project was aimed at developing better diagnostic techniques for neglected tropical diseases which affect some of the poorest people in the world. Ten days into her Fulbright, however, the COVID epidemic escalated, suspending Lydia’s program and forcing her to return home before beginning her project. As she grieved the loss of one opportunity, she recognized her unique position as an aspiring health professional to support the efforts of frontline workers. Within two weeks, Lydia became a contact tracer and case investigator for the Massachusetts Department of Health. Thus began a journey which has connected her to hundreds of patients, family members and sick people, while learning firsthand about systemic inequalities in public health. “Although this is a different health problem than what I originally planned, as a contact tracer closer to home, I have still connected to communities without reliable access to healthcare and learned firsthand about some of the health problems facing our own country.” She’s thankful for the short period of time she spent in Argentina and is grateful to have found a new way to contribute to global health efforts as the world encounters one of its biggest challenges of her lifetime.

FALL 2020

27

Commencement 2020 celebrating the class of ’20

Congratulations to the Class of 2020! This past spring, the MB community came together in remarkable ways to celebrate the Class of 2020 and all their talents, gifts, achievements and resilience.

In June, this year’s 102 graduating seniors and their families were welcomed to campus for a one-of-a-kind graduation. Over the day, small groups of seniors came to campus by advisory for their ceremony, where each senior walked across the stage to receive their diploma.

As their peers before them, this year’s graduating seniors still received their well-earned diplomas in the Grove.

28

CUPOLA

Class of 2020 College Matriculations American University Amherst College Bates College Berklee College of Music Boston College Boston University Bowdoin College Brandeis University Brown University Bucknell University Colby College Colgate University College of the Holy Cross Connecticut College Dartmouth College Davidson College Dickinson College Drexel University Earlham College Elon University Emory University Fairfield University Fordham College at Lincoln Center George Washington University Georgetown University Hamilton College Loyola University Maryland Massachusetts Institute of Technology Mount Holyoke College

New York University Northeastern University Occidental College Ohio Wesleyan University Princeton University Providence College Quinnipiac University Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Salve Regina University Sarah Lawrence College Southern Methodist University St. Lawrence University SUNY College at Cobleskill

Syracuse University Tufts University Tulane University Union College University of Auckland University of Connecticut University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign University of Miami University of Michigan University of New England University of New Hampshire University of Mississippi University of Pittsburgh University of Rhode Island University of St Andrews University of South Carolina University of Southern California University of Utah University of Vermont University of Virginia Vassar College Warren Wilson College Washington University in St. Louis Wellesley College Wesleyan University Wheaton College Worcester Polytechnic Institute

The MB community found a creative way for the entire class to be ‘present’ in the Grove for Commencement this year. It was a memorable and first-ofits-kind Moses Brown commencement.

FALL 2020

29

Renina Wynn, daughter of Joanne Debrah ’97, received one of this year’s Faculty Awards.

Keep in touch!

Keep in touch!

30

Share a note for the next magazine: www.mosesbrown.org/classnote Give us your email for alumni e-news and event invites: www.mosesbrown.org/alumni Send news / notes / photos for Cupola to: alumni@mosesbrown.org CUPOLA

CONDOLENCES

In Memoriam Bruce Brigham, Class of 1939, earned his BA and completed the ROTC program at the University of Washington, and an MLS at Florida State University. He served in the Quartermaster Corps during WWII, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, and later as a prison librarian in Florida. Bruce loved his family and enjoyed writing, editing, crossword puzzles and antique collectibles. (3/10/20) Harmon Poole, Class of 1942, received an aeronautical engineering degree from MIT, his time there interrupted by two years of naval service. For many years — including last year at age 94 — Hap wore his uniform in Memorial Day parades, working tirelessly to honor fellow veterans. Hap worked as an engineer and sold packaging equipment, driving thousands of miles before retirement.

An avid skier and outdoorsman, baseball coach, volunteer, Red Sox and Patriots fan, great friend, family man, and lover of dogs and life, he was married to Nancy for 67 years. (5/15/20) Bruce Derbyshire, Class of 1946, studied medicine at Boston University and, during a year abroad at the University of Edinburgh, met the Scottish lass and love of his life; they were married for 65 years. He returned to Fall River to establish his practice as an orthopedic surgeon. Bruce loved nothing more than making new friends and connecting people with one another. Through his medical practice, every day was a new opportunity to help people and make the world better. (7/11/20) Craig Shaw, Class of 1948, graduated from Bowdoin and served as a Lieutenant in the Navy; he was a veteran of the Korean Conflict.

Craig operated Woonsocket Supply and Industrial companies and was an active member of the Masons. He served on the North Smithfield Library Board, as corporator of Woonsocket Institution for Savings and was involved with St. James Episcopal Church. A lifelong music aficionado, Craig sang with the Court Squires Men’s Quartet, Veritones choral group and St. James Choir. (8/14/20) Eugene Tortolani, Class of 1948, had a gentle heart and competitive spirit and was devoted to family; he sought truth and honor in all aspects of life. After graduating from Brown, Gene served in the Marine Corps as commander of a motor transport battalion in Korea. Throughout his life, Gene enjoyed adventurous travels with family and friends. He was an avid golfer, tennis player and loved card games; he had a quick wit and liked nothing better than telling a carefully crafted story with a humorous ending. (2/9/20) FALL 2020

Frederick Pratt, Class of 1949, was captain of the MB basketball team, ran cross country and pole vaulted. Fritz served honorably in the Korean War and returned and graduated from UMass before investing in a family jewelry company in Attleboro. He worked in the jewelry and casting supply business until retirement. Fritz and Jane adopted three children; their love of their children and the outdoors brought them to New Hampshire. (12/30/19) Frederic Blakeman, Class of 1952, ran track at MB and credited Warren Howe and Army Armstrong as influences. He valued the camaraderie and strong friendships he formed at Moses Brown.

Fred was a decorated veteran of the Vietnam War who earned his pilot “Wings of Gold.” After his Navy service, he embarked on a second career as a high school teacher. In retirement, he also sang in a men’s barbershop group. (12/19) Sidney Clifford, Jr., Class 1954, practiced law in Providence, served as a probate judge for Newport County and was an attorney for the R.I. Department of Transportation. Jerry’s greatest joy came from his devotion to many social, fraternal, historical and genealogical organizations in Rhode Island. He was a 33rd degree Mason, Grand Commander of the Knights Templar (Mass. and R.I.), Grand Marshal for the Grand Lodge of R.I., and a Governor of the R.I. Society of Colonial Wars. (6/3/20) Charles Edouard Houriet, Jr., Class of 1954, served in the U.S. Army and graduated from Brown. He lived in New York City, working as a stockbroker for most of his career and was a longtime member of the New York Athletic Club. Ed was an avid sports fan, most notably of boxing. (5/17/20) David Lawton, Class of 1954, attended Brown before enlisting in the Army Reserves, called to active duty during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Dave enjoyed boating on Martha’s Vineyard, spending time at the beach, reading and chatting with friends, and teaching his children, and then his grandchildren, to swim. He loved cars.

Dave was a consummate gentleman, devoted husband and loving father and grandfather. (9/5/20)

31

Will Wroth, Class of 1956, received his B.A. at Yale and his M.A. and Ph.D. at the University of Oregon. After serving as curator of the Taylor Museum in Colorado, Will followed his father’s footsteps into the world of antiquarian books, becoming a rare book dealer. His company, Almagre Books, specialized in western Americana. He taught at Colorado College as a visiting professor and lectured and published widely in Hispanic and Native American arts. (11/19) Victor Field, Class of 1959, earned his bachelor’s from Brown, MBA from George Mason and a master’s in healthcare administration from California State. He worked as a hospital administrator and was a founding partner of the Keystone Commons Assisted Living Facility of Ludlow. Vic was inducted into MB’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000. (1/25/20) James Roitman, Class of 1959, had a lifelong love of chemistry, starting in the basement of his family’s Grotto Avenue home. He graduated from Brown and earned his Ph.D. at UCLA and worked for the USDA in California for 36 years. A wine aficionado with a wry sense of humor, Jim loved to tinker with his Jaguars and snorkel in tropical waters. (3/12/19) Bill Criss, Class of 1960, held more letters in football than any member of his graduating class and was president of the Athletic Association in his senior year. He served in the Navy and enjoyed a long career in private banking. He was a devoted husband, father and grandparent. Bill was well-read and well-traveled dating from the days he carpooled to campus from E.G., driving his beautiful red and black 1949 Oldsmobile. (4/20) Kenneth Neal, Class of 1961, played three varsity sports at Brown and went on to receive his law degree from Boston College.

Ken’s professional life as a trial attorney was remarkable and especially his 30 years at Danaher, Lagnese & Neal PC, where he was a founding partner and mentor to many. Ken’s professional accomplishments were inspiring, but it was his family and friends that gave him his greatest joy. (7/4/20) Carl Bush, Class of 1965, attended Millsaps College after MB, receiving his B.A. in political science. He went on to join FoxEverett Insurance Agency, where he served as president and CEO. Carl relished being a grandfather and is remembered for his giving spirit, caring heart and love of details. (7/9/20) Thomas Gross, Class of 1965, served in Vietnam and lived for several years in Virginia before settling in Florida. He worked for the Naples Daily News and in real estate before embarking on a career as a boat captain and owner of a yacht maintenance company.

At work and at play, Tom relished challenges and sought to improve himself with equal parts passion and persistence. (4/16/20)

Rev. Joseph Mendes, Class of 1972, lived in southeastern Mass. and spent some 20 years working in prison ministry and churches in New Bedford. Joe dedicated his life to bettering his hometown, pastoring in the area, reaching out to those in need and overseeing a center for troubled teens, all while raising a family. (5/5/20) Thomas Greig, Class of 1974, worked for the Rhode Island Department of Health and served as the emergency management director and health officer in Jackson, N.H. Tom was a member of the Jackson Fire Department and the National Ski Patrol System, a New Hampshire EMT exam evaluator and an EMT for the Bartlett-Jackson Ambulance Service. An avid windsurfer and sailor, he also summered in Jamestown and competed in many major long-distance offshore events. (5/3/20) William Stanton, Class of 1978, attended the University of Nevada after MB and lived and worked in Arizona and in Las Vegas.

At MB, Bill was a dedicated athlete, competing in football and winter track, and was a member of The Quaker staff.

Maxwell Mann, Class of 2008, played football on MB’s defensive line throughout high school. After college, he lived in New York City before relocating to Denver in 2019. Max enjoyed being close to family there, enjoying skiing and flyfishing. Max’s sense of adventure led him to travel all over the world and his family and friends remember his quick wit, sincerity and kind heart. (2/20)

Former Faculty/Staff Vincent Colello was a native of Providence and beloved husband for 53 years of Natalie, father of Arthur, Natalie, Kathleen and Lisa.

They had 14 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren. Vin worked as an accountant for Rhode Island College for over 20 years, later working in Operations at MB, retiring after almost 20 years of dedicated service. (7/21/20) Paul Donovan, “gentleman coach” and English faculty, began his coaching career at Hope High, where he taught English and was department head. He coached Blue Wave baseball teams for 26 years, retiring in 1983. He continued his career at MB where his “Quaker Nine” went undefeated in his first season and won SENE championships three times. A Rhode Island Teacher of the Year (1973), Paul is a member of the La Salle, Rhode Island College, Hope High, Fox Point Boys Club, RIIL and Moses Brown halls of fame. (5/6/20)

Moses Brown’s memorial notes are based on published obituaries. Please forward to Office of Alumni Relations, Moses Brown School, 250 Lloyd Avenue, Providence, RI 02906; fax (401) 455-0084; email alumni@mosesbrown.org.

32

CUPOLA

U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith, 2018

Name a seat in the Woodman Center!

Love MB’s community and performing arts programs?

Celebrate our students and faculty by purchasing a seat in the Woodman Family Community & Performance Center.

Honor a student, a faculty or staff member, a parent or a classmate!

Fewer than 160 seats remain.

Peter Woodbury P’04’10 honored his wife Helen Scotte Gordon Michael Exstein ’73 honored his parents Louis and Blanche Exstein Gang Lu and Lei Chen P’21 honored their daughter, senior Chang Lu

Learn more at: mosesbrown.org/giving/woodman-seat-campaign #TakeASeatMB or contact Linda Kaplan at (401) 831-7350 x234 / lkaplan@mosesbrown.org

Moses Brown School 250 Lloyd Avenue, Providence, RI 02906 www.mosesbrown.org 401-831-7350

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Providence, RI Permit No. 421

For the Honor of Truth

Alumni parents: If this Cupola is addressed to a graduate no longer residing at your home, please contact alumni@mosesbrown.org or call x114 to update the address.

Maintain your MB connection!

Stay in touch with Moses Brown even in changing times and watch for updates on alumni events and news in the new year.

Save the Date!

34

Save the date for Reunion CUPOLA 2021 for classes ending in 0 / 1 / 5 / 6.