Class Notes

keeping in touch Class Notes

1945 Robert Farwell recently retired as a substitute teacher after 17 years in the middle and high schools of the Hancock and Pass Christian School Districts in Mississippi. “At age 92, health is very good,” he says. Bob says he enjoyed reading the essay by Scott Triedman ’78 in the last issue of Cupola as he knew Scott’s father Leonard ’46.

Gifford Arch, 1963

1948

1947

1947 Charles Staples and his wife Joan stopped at MB during their annual east coast summer trip to see campus, visit with Perry Buroker and find their seat plaque in the Woodman Center.

1948 Seven seniors recently presented on this year’s Class of ’48 Awards and were joined by Fran Sargent and Mary and Ray ’48 Mountain. This year’s award winners traveled to volunteer in Pakistan, studied photography in Maine and created a fictional animation about urban villages in China. One recipient traveled to the Netherlands, Lithuania and Poland to research her family’s connection to WWII and the Holocaust from both the Jewish standpoint on her father’s side and the viewpoints of her maternal family who hid Jewish families. Another attended AIM High, a medical school immersion program at Nova Southeastern University. Others studied school safety and started a middle school robotics team for underserved students in Newport. Thank you to the Class of ’48 for their support of these projects.

1954 Ralph “Buzz” Mills has been in touch with classmates Michael Bate, Henry Beckwith, Richard I. Burton, Richard D. Burton, Bill Gill (who was facing surgery in great spirits), Dave Lawton (who reminisced about an infamous trip as he drove a bunch of classmates to Fenway Park to see the Sox), Dave Ridderheim, Allen Shepherd and Dan Young. Jim Allen wrote to Buzz that he was a retired professor of geography at California State University Northridge and has two award-winning books. He and his wife Nancy have two children and three grandkids. If any other members of the class of 1954 would like to reconnect, please reach out to Buzz at buzzmills@gmail.com.

1960

1960 Stephen Estee recently completed hiking the 2193-mile Appalachian Trail. He completed about 700 miles each summer starting at Katahdin in Maine in 2016, Springer Mountain in Georgia in 2017 and Shenandoah in 2018 and finished in southern Virginia this past June. Steve says that this was the hardest, and perhaps most rewarding, thing he has ever attempted.

1962 Rick Turner has received his third U.S. patent with his youngest son, Elias, for a new class of microphones for acoustic musical instruments, particularly violin family, mandolin, banjo and piano with more instruments coming in the next year or so. They are working on licensing the technology to a major manufacturer for building and distribution and hope to have a deal settled this winter. Rick says, “Thank you, Moses Brown and my teachers, for encouraging my curiosity and tendency to tinker!”

1973 John Kirby is working and living temporarily in Colorado. “I invite any MBers to come visit me,” he says. “I’ve been here for 7 months and love it.”

1975 Nick Pernokas is a saddle maker, writer, actor and cowboy. He competed successfully in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and in the American Quarter Horse Association. In the late ’90s, he wrote a book on evaluating contemporary saddles which led to writing for various equine and leather industry magazines. Nick was also the senior staff writer at Shop Talk magazine for ten years. Nick credits his success in writing to the strong English program and excellent teachers he had at MB. His roping has led him to becoming involved in the film industry and he recently played an outlaw in the feature film Showdown on the Brazos. Nick and his wife Lindy live on a ranch outside of Stephenville, Texas where he continues to rope competitively and is still “playing cowboy.”

1975

M o s e s B r o w n

A l u m n i A s s o c i a t i o n 2019-2020 MB Alumni Association Board The mission of the Moses Brown Alumni Association is to foster lifelong relationships with the school and fellow alumni.

FALL / WINTER 2019-20 Neil Beranbaum ’86, Clerk John Baldwin ’94, Assistant Clerk 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 Vin Porcaro ’83, Clerk, Communications Committee Maggie Moran ’08, Clerk, National Committee Gabe Amo ’05 Taylor Rotondi Anderson ’02 Cheryl Schadone Cohen ’81 Joanne Debrah ’97 Alex Egan ’03 Alexa Gold ’04 Kate Gorgi ’08 John Lewis ’09 Nicole Navega ’89 John Pariseault ’97 Lauren Pelletier ’94 Adam Pennacchio ’01 Mia Rotondi Puddington ’09 Jon Rappoport ’93 Jenny Reavis ’13 Matt Romano ’14 Matt Runci ’64 Miles Rutter ’04 Bob Samors ’77 Conal Smith ’06 Glenn Sparr ’85 Jamie Worrell ’85 Michael Yules ’10

Thanks to everyone who participated in the 2019 Quaker Classic! This year’s tournament was a great success and will go a long way toward strengthening the Bliss Scholarship Fund and expanding MBAA programs locally and around the country. Special thanks to alumni sponsors: Doug Scala ’78 (Webster Bank), Keith Monchik ’90 (Ortho Rhode Island), Nancy Pasquariello ’91, David Murdock ’93, Ross Mattis ’95, Michael Yules ’10, Jamie Reavis, Jenny Reavis ’13, and the Rampone, Engle, Baldwin and Murphy families.

1979 Georgetown professor Jim Millward is frequently called on to comment on the world stage and published an opinion piece on the U.S.’ China policy in the Washington Post in August. Jim is a professor of history at Georgetown University.

1980 Thanks to Kim and Frohman Anderson P’10’12 for sharing at MB about the benefits of a plant-based lifestyle, including hosting an event last spring with Dr. Neal Barnard and a free screening of the documentary Code Blue this fall on campus. The film reveals lapses in the current state of medicine and provides a common-sense solution by showing how lifestyle medicine can prevent, manage and reverse chronic diseases. Thanks to the Andersons, Dr. Saray Stancic was on hand for conversation with the audience during the film screening. Ted Widmer is distinguished lecturer at the Macaulay Honors College of the City University of New York. He has a new book, Lincoln on the Verge: Thirteen Days to Washington, coming out this spring.

1981 The MB Alumni Association celebrated Jane Knowles this fall with the Service to Alma Mater Award; see page 7.

1981

Linda and Jeff Fine ’81 enjoyed visiting MB recently, touring campus and meeting with middle school science faculty Caitlin Kelly and Katie Evans Goldman ’06. The Fines live in California.

1983 Lou Izzi is now the director of athletics at the University of Bridgeport and also has a dual role as the school’s vice president of enrollment management and athletics. Thanks to John Slafsky for lending his support and professional expertise to students in the Economics of Social Innovation class at MB this fall. John is an attorney in Palo Alto, Calif., specializing in trademark, copyright and advertising law, so his advice has been especially helpful. Congratulations to Ted Fischer, selected to be a speaker at this year’s TEDxProvidence event. Ted is co-founder and CEO of Ageless Innovation and the Joy for All brand. Inspired by his relationship with his grandmother, Claire, Ageless Innovation is focused on re-imagining how we live and age by unleashing the power of play.

1983

Enjoying warmth and camaraderie, several alumni from the 1980s and 1990s enjoy gathering together annually.

Hugh Madden visited with classmate — and MB lifer — Adam Shepard in NYC recently; Adam was showing off the lower school coat that he still has in his closet!

1986 Thanks to Devin Kelly (below) for co-hosting the MBAA’s fall reception at the Guild in Pawtucket in November. Davide ’92 and Stefano ’89 Dukcevich provided the charcuterie. Alumni enjoyed a talk and tour of Devin’s brewery. If you missed the night, stop by!

1986

1987 Janet Dryfoos Hixson and her husband Tim live in Virginia. Their daughter Kaitlyn is a high school senior this year, and busy applying to colleges.

1988 It was great to see many MB families at Convocation this September including Beth and Chris Runci with their son Harry, a senior this year, one of the co-clerks of the 2019-20 Student Senate and a leader of the Student Alumni Association. The Runcis’ son Alex ’19 graduated MB in June and is now at the University of Vermont. Chris’ father Matt ’64 also is an MBAA board member and class agent.

1989 Marc Patrick has recently departed from Nike after 21 years. He is moving on to a new chapter as senior vice president of marketing for Beyond Meat, Inc., a leading brand in the plantbased meat industry. Marc was previously vice president of global brand marketing at Nike.

1991 Sighted in the wild jungles of Borneo: Cupola! And Adam Olenn. Adam brought Cupola with him while speaking at a conference there.

1991 1988

1992 Thanks to Jay Sitton for his invaluable assistance with the MB Archives project being unveiled at Reunion this spring (see page 8). Jay studied architecture at RISD and now lives in Pennsylvania where he works in the field of museum installation. He will soon be working on a project at Mystic Aquarium. Thanks, Jay!

1994 John Doll has returned to MB to teach science in the upper school after 15 years as a teacher, department chair and coach at Dana Hall School. John has a B.A. in Biochemistry and History from Rice University and a Ph.D. in Biology from MIT. At MB, he is teaching biology, physics and science electives and coaching on the football, girls’ varsity basketball and softball teams; he also is a member of the Upper School Diversity Committee. Welcome back, John!

Several alumni enjoyed the chance to take a wreath-making workshop with Semia George Dunne ’94 this December at her Providence studio, including Lisa Harrison Speidel ’95 and Morgan Lewis. See page 19 for more and watch for more MB Presents events like this.

1996 Piggybacking on her first successful Note2Self speakers showcase with leading Rhode Island women in 2018, award-winning reporter and motivational speaker Alisha Pina held Note2Self Men’s Edition in the Woodman Center in October. More than 100 people listened as seven diverse men, leaders in their careers, shared lessons that they would give their childhood selves if they had the chance. The panel included former MB parent and internationally known storyteller Len Cabral P ’99 ’02 (right).

1997 Sarah Chiappetta and Nate Ekblom welcomed a daughter Gwendolyn in June. They live in Waltham, Mass. Congratulations to the happy family and also grandfather Larry! 1997

photo credit: zDean Photography

1996

Three alumni joined the Moses Brown board of trustees this fall: Ahvi Spindell ’72, Cheryl Cohen ’81 , Joanne P.A. Debrah ’97 P’20, as well as past parent Rebecca Leuchak P’04’09. Thanks to all for their service on behalf of the school.

1999 Congratulations to Tim Hurley, who is now co-host of a country music show on Go Country 105 in L.A., the top country station in the U.S. Congrats, Tim!

Middle school graduation: Head of Middle School Jared Schott and Joe Lasser ’98.

2000

2000 Carlos Andrés Gómez’s new poetry book Hijito recently became a #1 national indie bestseller. He visited Books on the Square this fall for its Providence launch and will return to MB in April as this year’s annual visiting poet.

2003

2003 Jay Read served as best man for the wedding of his brother Andy ’05 this past summer.

Current Parent / Alumni Families:

Did you know that 59 children of alumni are currently enrolled at MB? If you’re the parent of one, we’d love to hear from you for our alumni communications. We hope your children are having a good school year and would love to get a photo or an update on their year or time at MB. If you’re an alumnus with a child now at MB, send us a photo and/or note. Take a photo with your MB student, perhaps at a favorite campus spot, and send it our way! Email to alumni@mosesbrown.org. Thank you!

2001 Becca Rotelli Mignanelli and Matt Mignanelli welcomed Enzo in July. The family is still enjoying NYC life but spent some time in Rhode Island and Martha’s Vineyard this summer with the kids. Stephanie LaShoto-Westfield married Isaac Westfield this past May in Boston at the Old South Church, complete with a small ensemble of handbell ringers. Stephanie currently works for JVS Boston, a workforce development agency, coordinating ESOL and basic computer classes for entry-level workers around Boston; Isaac is a post-doctoral research fellow at Northeastern. Mark Castro was appointed as the Dallas Museum of Art’s first Jorge Baldor Curator of Latin American Art, a new position created earlier this year. With more than a decade of experience as a curator, scholar and educator in Latin American art, he is a leader in the field.

2004 Congratulations to Kyle Anderson, recently named regional director of rehabilitation at Ortho Rhode Island where he will oversee all physical therapy, hand therapy and athletic training services. Kyle earned his master’s in physical therapy from Springfield College and is an Orthopedic Clinical Specialist through the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialities. He also recently earned his MBA with a focus in Healthcare Administration through UMass Amherst. Kyle began as a staff physical therapist at OrthoRI’s Providence office in 2011 and acted as clinical operations manager and director of PT prior to his new role. He is also involved in advising Rhode Island high schools and teams on the best ways to stay healthy throughout the athletic seasons. 2001

2001

Tom Frater ’82, David Murdock ’93, Brian Panoff ’94, Todd Machtley ’00, and Austin Jaspers ’11 recently concluded service to MB on the Moses Brown Alumni Association board. Thank you for your service!

2005 Gabe Amo was honored by the MB Alumni Association in November, receiving the Outstanding Young Alumnus Award From MBAA President Neil Beranbaum ’86. Watch for more from Neil in the next issue of Cupola. See page 7 for more. Jessica Gazin married husband Stefan Smith in October in Keystone, Colorado. Jessica’s sister Nicole ’08 was her maid of honor and her father Paul Gazin walked her down the aisle. Congratulations to Andy Read on his recent wedding. Andy got married in August in Park City, Utah with a strong MB contingent in attendance from the Class of ’05 and his brother Jay ’03. Pictured (l-r): Jon Cesaro, Brad Wasserman, Joe Altieri, Andrew Matson, Lily Ferguson, Liz Sweitzer Matson, Evan Wallick, Andy Read and wife Megan Read, Ian Woolverton, Mike Markarian, Micah Clasper-Torch, Harrison Weinfeld, John Lucier, Brad Engle and John Harwood H’05. 2005

2007 Nick Gilson will be the 2020 Commencement speaker; see page 3. Thank you to Sarah Lindblom for guest editing this issue of Cupola! See page 8.

2007

2007

2011 Sidney Lane Smith is currently working with Project Weber/RENEW as the Transgender Outreach Program Coordinator and has worked with other local social service agencies including Sojourner House. At Weber/RENEW, Sidney is helping with important local work, supporting vulnerable and at-risk members of our community.

2011

2005

2006 Congratulations to the White family (John ’06) who were recognized by the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities in October, with the Lifetime Achievement in the Humanities Award, celebrating their family’s commitment to excellence in the humanities and enriching public life in Rhode Island.

2013 Ben Sack just returned from a trip to Vietnam and Thailand where he was joined by his brother Daniel ’10 and Erik Matson. They’re shown hiking through a rice paddy field in Sa Pa, Vietnam.

2013

2013

2015

2013 (continued) Mitch Maloof ran the San Francisco Marathon in July with Jake Jordan ’11 and Ben Sack at the finish line cheering him on.

Welcome to the board! Joining the MB Alumni Association board this year are Bob Samors ’77, Jamie Worrell ’85, Jon Rappoport ’93, Lauren Pelletier ’94, Adam Pennacchio ’01 , Alexa Gold ’04, John Lewis ’09, Michael Yules ’10 and Jenny Reavis ’13.

2014 Congratulations to Jamie Marshall, co-founder of Snackpass, who made Forbes 2020 list of ‘30 under 30’ for her app!

2015 Maria Veale and Andy Tothy ’55 spent some time together recently at an MB event in New York. Brad Sunderland has been living in Hong Kong since graduation and recently had a chance meeting with fellow alum David Whittingham ’98. In June, Brad was three days into his new job and had a meeting with a potential client. Towards the end, they got to chatting about where they were from and he learned that the prospective client was from the Northeast. “It’s rare enough to meet Americans out here,” Brad says, “but he graduated from Moses Brown in the ’90s. Not only that, but he lived around the corner from me in East Greenwich, went to Cole Middle School and then MB. Dave Whittingham and I will plant the seeds for the MB alumni group in Asia!”

2016 Adam Romano concluded his football career this past fall. Middlebury was a regular season champion and also won the NESCAC championship, undefeated 9-0. Adam was also voted to the NESCAC All-Sportsmanship team by the NESCAC coaches. He wore his MB jersey for his last practice, celebrating the end of a happy era in the Romano family.

2017 We’re pleased to hear that Julian Krive is having a wonderful year studying at Cambridge in England for her junior year abroad. Julian applied and was accepted to Wellesley, then applied to Cambridge. She is now a regular Cambridge student while abroad, studying Latin and Ancient Greek. Julian also enjoyed getting the chance to visit Italy this winter. Abby Mansolillo, a junior at Providence College, is interning at NBC News 10 and visited MB in October for a new segment on their morning show titled “Sunrise School Shout Outs.” Brigid Kennedy represented the USA at the Rowing World Championships last summer, finishing fourth in the world, the best finish ever for an American.

2017

2017 2016

Several current students, faculty, alumni and parents traveled to Boston College in October to hear Bryan Stevenson, founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, joining up with current BC students Kieran Harrington ’16 and Skyler Sullivan ’18 (below).

2018 Collin McCormack designed and painted a mural for Landry’s Bicycles during his college summer break, a process which took approximately 40 hours. Collin is an Illustration major at the Massachusetts College of Art & Design and the mural is located at their Boston store on Commonwealth Avenue near BU. Collin hopes his design is one that customers and store employees will enjoy for years to come. Euan Smith is playing soccer in Scotland at the University of St. Andrews Football Club on their first team.

Former Faculty & Staff

Former students and colleagues enjoyed getting to see Connie Raymond on campus this fall. A past preprimary teacher, Connie stopped by to talk about Camp Street Ministries where she is a regular volunteer. Moses Brown students collected food items across divisions for the Camp Street Food Drive.

Former fifth grade teacher Beth Samuels and her husband are now living in South Carolina and spending summers in New Hampshire. This winter they vacationed in the Seychelles with their son, Dr. Aaron Samuels ’94, who 2018

2019 College Counseling’s Julia Baker was happy to see Aili Moffet at the Newport Bridge race in October. A few MBers participated in the Pell Bridge Run, running over the historic Newport Bridge.

works for the CDC in Kenya overseeing malaria research. “I miss all my colleagues, friends and former students,” Beth says, “but retirement is great!”

Larry Chiappetta (upper school) is enjoying retirement and time with his grandchildren Gwen and Amy. Larry lives in Peabody, Mass.

Bob Potter, former MB faculty member and baseball coach, has been teaching at Canterbury School in Connecticut since 1993. Bob was inducted into the MB Hall of Fame with the 1984 Baseball team in May. We enjoyed seeing Lee Clasper-Torch back on campus this fall. In November, MB’s Male Affinity Group for faculty and staff invited Lee to come and talk about his work as Men’s Engagement Coordinator at the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence, where he leads the Ten Men program.

Congratulations to former Head of Upper School Rachel Moulton on the publication of her debut novel, Tinfoil Butterfly! Tinfoil was named one of the top horror books of 2019 by Library Journal and Publishers Weekly describes it as “unrelenting and artfully crafted” and Moulton as a “must-read writer.” Congratulations, Rachel! photo credit: K. Street

This edition of Cupola focuses on Moses Brown, past and present. We’d love to hear from alumni who’ve dipped into their own archives. Send a note or comment or share a photo!