Toaxnoes Summer 2013 by Nichols School

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31 Years at Nichols

A Tribute to Rick Bryan

Campus Clips A.

A. Sam Stark ’15 and Jake Zarzecki ’15 lend a hand with boxes of donations for the annual food drive to benefit the Food Bank of Western New York. This year’s effort was another great success, with over 3,500 pounds of food donated. B. Lorena James ‘17 soars through the dance studio during class. C. Charlotte Young ‘20 and Jenna Dhafir ‘20 enjoy the fare at the fifth grade’s Medieval Feast. D. From late January through February, the School hosted writer, Sherry Robbins, through the Just Buffalo Residency Program. Book artist, Joel Brenden, worked with students in various English classes as well. E. Talia Stoffman ’18, Libby Malone ’18, Sheila-Zohara Zamor, Leah Kramer ’17, Clare von Simson ’17, Kendra Jones ’17, Leanna Jones ’17, Lara Sherris ’17 and Caroline Magavern ’17 on the first Middle School French exchange trip.

Editor’s Note This month, documentary filmmaker and photographer, Gail Mooney, visited Nichols as the 2013 Prince Lecturer. The series was established by S. Warren Prince, Jr. ’47 in memory of his parents and brings accomplished individuals to the School to share their life’s work with our community. Ms. Mooney met with Upper and Middle School students to speak about her film, “Opening Our Eyes,” with an open audience. Ms. Mooney and her daughter took a 99-day journey around the world following 11 people, on six continents, who devoted their lives to making the world a better place for others. They created the piece as a call for action to inspire people to make a change, featuring stories ranging from a young American woman building a home and school for orphans in Nepal to a man devoted to rehabilitating homeless youth in Sydney. The film is beautifully shot and the stories are motivating and heroic—they stand to make even the most accomplished, service-oriented among us feel unworthy, but that isn’t their intention. The hope is to multiply good deeds and move others to take up a cause with meaning to them. People feel compelled to make a difference after seeing the film, but they don’t know where to begin. The options seem limitless. The everyday outreach at Nichols is different, without a doubt, but it dawned on me that it is just as touching and important to our young people. Time that teachers, advisors and other adults in this community spend with students in need is momentous. From inspiring a lifelong passion to offering support

Staff

Spring/Summer 2013 Editor Nina Barone nbarone@nicholsschool.org Contributors Cory Adamczak Stephanie Angelakos Nina Barone Charlie Barth ‘06 Richard C. Bryan Genevieve Carbone Donald D. Ehre ’67 Alex Epstein ‘08 Neil Farmelo Leslie S. Garcia Sean Heidinger ‘07 Connie Klinck Klopp N’73 Alex Logel ‘09 Gabriella Pelosi Kevin Powers Apryle Schneeberger Blake Walsh ‘98 Designer Kelley Rechin, Duffy Moon Design Photographers J. Matthew Kianka Tom Maynor ‘81

and a listening ear, our students and alumni alike know what a difference our faculty and staff make in the lives of our students. That, in itself, may be a life’s calling fulfilled. Front Cover: Rick Bryan served Nichols for 31 years, with 19 years as Head of School. Read more about his life and legacy on page 30.

Keep in touch,

Nina M. Barone Director of Marketing and Communications Interim Director of Admissions

– means “that which is true” and is pronounced “taw alay théss.” is published twice a year by the Development Office. Telephone: 716.332.5151 • Fax: 716.875.3931 Third Class postage paid at Buffalo, New York. Nichols is an inclusive community. Acceptance granted to qualified students. Nichols School 1250 Amherst St., Buffalo, NY 14216 • 716.332.6300 • www.nicholsschool.org

Back Cover: Springtime at the corner of Colvin and Amherst is always beautiful, especially when the magnolia tree is in full bloom!

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Head of School Report .........................................................................

Awards & Recognition...........................................................................

Wellness: Healthy Mind and Body .......................................................

Calendar of Events ...............................................................................

Alumni Working at Nichols .....................................................................

Big Green Athletic Celebration ........................................................

After Nichols – Gale Burstein ’82 .......................................................

Workshops Attract & Hone Talent ......................................................

Poetry Contest ...................................................................................

Chemistry Symposium ......................................................................

Nichols on the Menu .........................................................................

Smith Visiting Fellow – Jill McCorkle .................................................

GOLD Alumni ....................................................................................

GOLD Alumni Events ........................................................................

The International Experience .............................................................

A Tribute to Richard C. Bryan ................................................................

Sports Focus – Boys’ Varsity Squash ...................................................

Getting to Know Bill Clough .................................................................

After Nichols – Nicole Mansfield ’01 ..................................................

William Nichols Society .......................................................................

Old Guard Luncheon ............................................................................

Alumni Gatherings ...............................................................................

Club Profile: Eco-Schools ...................................................................

Alumni Holiday Gathering ...................................................................

Worldwide Nichols Day ......................................................................

In Memoriam .....................................................................................

Remembering Kim Kimberly ’47.........................................................

Ani Hoover - September 2013

Class Notes .......................................................................................

Felice Koenig - November 2013

Faculty Profile – Aranya Maritime ......................................................

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Contents

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Head of School Report

Reflections on 31 Years at Nichols by Richard C. Bryan

I still recall the July day in 1982 that I first came to work at Nichols. Entering Mitchell Hall, I spent 30 minutes looking to find someone who would let me into the office at the end of the hall. As I recall, David Strachan ’51 was the first to find me that morning, to talk about the Upper School schedule he was preparing. Bill Fitzhenry was next to update me on the fall athletic season. And the morning was rounded out with Chet Dann ’49 welcoming me to the neighborhood in his folksy and friendly manner. The first year was a blur. Getting school underway in September, getting to know the faculty and as many students as I could. I had a lunch table with seniors, Roach, Rickers, Coppola, Fitzhenry, Rhue, Celniker and Berlow, in which we quickly perfected a method of getting a second round of chicken patties. October brought our daughter KC’s diagnosis of cystic fibrosis, and Judith and I knew that our lives were forever changed. In November, the water pipe burst between our house and the street. Since we were still paying the mortgage of our unsold house in North Carolina, it seemed a little unfair. March of 1983 brought the union movement by the Nichols faculty just months after Bethlehem Steel had announced plans to close and the economy of Buffalo was in free-fall. There were disciplinary challenges and long days. There was the wisdom and encouragement from people like Cornelia Dopkins, George Kloepfer ’68, Tim McCarthy, Gerry Connolly, Peter and

Carolyn Cobb, and the delightful Grace McKendry. And then Keith Celniker ’84 died the weekend before graduation. It remains one of the saddest days I remember on our campus. It was a bleak first year, but the start of my life’s work. In the midst of it all, I discovered I loved the School and the spirit of Nichols School. The school community rallied around Judith and me and our girls. The union movement gave way to a renewed direction, and the School’s focus turned away from adult concerns to a mission that was student centered and focused. More than anything else in those early years, I was proud to be a leading force in helping turn around the tone and becoming the exciting and positive school we enjoy today. Secondly, I have been enriched by the talents and accomplishments of so many fascinating, bright, engaging and impressive young people. Every day I hear about the amazing accomplishment of a Nichols alumnus, and I am reminded that Nichols has a national reputation because of the accomplishments of its alumni. I believe that great schools are no longer measured by the names of the colleges to which their students matriculate, but rather by how well our graduates do at the next levels. Our surveys tell us that we are succeeding in our vision of producing young men and women of distinction, who will desire to accomplish something special in their lives. I am reminded over and over again that it has taken so many people working

together, sacrificing and caring, that led us to three successful capital campaigns that raised over $45 million. I am grateful to have had the talent of Elizabeth Stevens Gurney ’75, as well as numerous members of the Board of Trustees, like Charles Balbach H’52, Bill Constantine ’62, Stuart Angert ’58 and Clotitde Dedecker, and especially Presidents Jack Walsh ’63, Jock Mitchell ’66, Robert Gioia, Ted Walsh ’72, Bill Gisel ’70 and Jane Cox Hettrick ’78, who forged a spirit of strategic planning and vision for the future. We have a campus that we can be proud of. New buildings for the arts, Middle School, athletics, and for technology, science and mathematics that are first-rate, and have created the right atmosphere for learning, achieving and creating. We also have an endowment that has grown from $6 million in 1994, when I became Headmaster, to over $27 million today. These dollars, carefully stewarded by the Board’s Endowment Committee, have allowed Nichols to slow down the level of tuition increases, provide financial aid possibilities to so many young people, and have aided in curriculum development and the growth of programs on campus for environmental sustainability, global engagement, technology and multicultural awareness. I have had the pleasure and the honor to meet and get to know so many generous benefactors of Nichols School,

continued on next page Spring/Summer 2013

and delight in great classes, like the amazing Class of 1963. As a result of the kindness of so many, we find ourselves in 2013, with balanced budgets, no debt, a growing endowment, and two straight years of solid enrollment despite a shaky local economy. My colleagues over the years have been very special. They are the heart of Nichols School, just as alumni are the soul, and students are the joy. Over these 30 years, I have been blessed by their dedication not just to their subject areas or the sport that they coached or the play they directed. Rather, they have been committed to the idea that great schools are defined by the character and leadership development of the students. We have been of one voice in demanding that students treat their peers with respect and compassion, that honesty prevail in all that we do, and that it is perfectly fine to make mistakes as long as we learn from them. Lately, we have also focused on the value of resiliency in our students. It is clear that the demands of the next century will require our students to be tough enough and strong enough to meet challenges head on, instead of taking the easy way out. I have loved sharing stories with my colleagues, laughing and thinking about ways to improve the School or help a struggling student. I am grateful for the support of my wife, Judith, throughout all these years. She put up with hours of me recounting my days and asking for advice on a tough situation. It was her hospitality that made the senior dinners so special in our home, and her understanding that school days often extended long into the evening or weekends. I am thrilled that my daughters, KC ’97 and Ginny ’00, both graduated from Nichols School, and both thrived

under great teachers and coaches. I am equally grateful for the support of my extended family throughout my years as Head of School. We are so grateful for all the support the Nichols community has generated for research into cystic fibrosis and myoclonus dystonia, in honor of our children. In reflection, I am the last of the old style Headmasters who had to make the transition to the modern Head of School. The changing reality of independent schools has also changed the role of the School Heads. Most like me came up through the ranks of teaching and coaching, becoming Department Chairs, and then Division Heads. Often, little prepared us for the modern challenges of raising Capital

Watching four Nichols teams win state basketball championships in Glens Falls. The parade of alumni marshals at my convocation in 1994. Going to the Lawrenceville tournament with George Truscott ’55, Kim Kimberly ’47 and Dave Strachan ’51. Attending school meetings in the gym, the Pond and the Flickinger. Watching Frank Sacheli, Beth Stone and Jim Kramer coach. Commencement in the Quad. The moment when the 5th grade students greets their pen pals from the 50th Reunion class. Watching great, inspired teaching on a daily basis. Dogs on the Nichols campus. Calling the play-by-play for the football home games. Seeing 5th graders mapping the campus with their iPads. The Jazz Band. Visiting the exchange schools in Le Havre, Wuhan and Gijon. Cabaret. Touching base with Larry Desautels in the morning. Alumni Reunion night in the Quad. Dick Stratton reading “Casey at the Bat.” The bells tolling in the Albright clock tower. The dedication of the green roof. Friday night hockey games in the Rink. Any play directed by Kristen Tripp Kelley. The faculty band. The Geography and Spelling Bees in the Middle School. The thrill of handing out diplomas to joyful graduates. What will I miss? Each of you who makes Nichols so special. It has been my honor to have been at Nichols School all these years. I believe that the School’s best years are yet to come, and I look forward with excitement and anticipation to new ideas, new innovations, and many more talented young people joining the ranks of the impressive Nichols alumni core.

As a result of the kindness of so many, we find ourselves in 2013, with balanced budgets, no debt, a growing endowment, and two straight years of solid enrollment despite a shaky local economy.

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Campaign funds, working with architects on campus design, working with professionals on Marketing and Communications, or understanding today’s social media and technology innovations. In my 19 years as the Head of Nichols, I had the pleasure to work with students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents and volunteers who taught me so much and enriched my life and my family’s more than anyone will ever know. I grew along with the times thanks to their combined knowledge and help. Together we helped forge Nichols School proudly into the 21st century. What will I miss? The laughter in the hallway on Opening Day. The excitement of the opening night in the Flickinger Performing Arts Center. Sept. 11, 2001, when I realized that the two divisions of students were safe on one campus.

Awards & Recognition

William S. Wright ’34 Award by Nina Barone Alex Llugany Montante ’86 was the 2012 recipient of the William S. Wright ’34 Award, which is given annually to an outstanding volunteer of The Nichols Fund. The honor was presented on Friday, Nov. 30, at a Board of Trustees meeting. Alex and her husband, Michael, have led the charge on annual giving for the past three years as Chairs of The Nichols Fund. With their dedicated team of volunteers, they are taking annual giving to record-breaking heights. In addition, Alex was a dedicated volunteer for annual giving for many years prior. She previously served as Parent Division Chair and a Class Agent, and supported the Headmaster’s Society, now the Leadership Giving Societies. Currently, Alex is a member of the Board of Trustees and remains active in both alumni and parent volunteerism. The School is extremely grateful for her countless contributions of time and talent.

Alex Llugany Montante ’86, William S. Wright Award recipient, and Leslie Garcia, Director of Development

Local Hero: Bob Carnevale ’91 by Blake Walsh ’98 people and saving lives, it’s the camaraderie we share as firefighters. Bob Carnevale ’91, already a respected professional firefighter of We literally put our lives in each other’s hands. It is essentially like Engine 37 in the City of Buffalo for the past 16 years, became even having a second family. We actually live together. Often times, more of a local hero last November when he helped save the lives we actually spend more time with each other than we do our own of multiple residents stuck inside a burning apartment building on families.” the corner of Amherst Street and Delaware Avenue, just blocks One of the few firefighters who from the Nichols campus. preceded his father in making it As reported by The Buffalo News through the firefighter academy on Nov. 16, Bob happened to be (his father got started at the young driving by the apartments at the time age of 50 and is now enjoying of the fire. Residents were forced to retirement as a grandfather), flee outside into the winter weather, Bob says his advice for anyone some still in their pajamas, and one considering his line of work is that woman was even forced to jump from “you have to genuinely like dealing a second-floor window to escape the with and helping others. People flames. Bob rushed into the building skills are very important…You have on his own accord and crawled to be willing to be a team player.” through smoke and fire to evacuate As for how Nichols may dozens of residents who were trapped have helped shape his eventual inside. Due in large part to Bob’s brave professional desires, Bob says, “the efforts, the fire resulted in no fatalities. most valuable lesson I learned at “I can’t imagine doing anything Nichols was to treat people equally, else,” Bob said. “I believe I may have Bob Carnevale ’91 with his wife, Marinela, on their wedding day regardless of status or anything else. enjoyed being a police officer, but not Treat people as you would like to like being a firefighter. There’s just be treated.” Ever equipped with that mentality at the forefront of something about the job that I’m not sure any other profession has, his daily routine, Bob has indeed made a positive and life-saving with the exception of maybe being a soldier. On top of helping difference in his community.

Spring/Summer 2013

Gabriella Pelosi, Admissions Assistant and Wellness teacher, leads 5th grade students in yoga.

Wellness: Healthy Mind and Body by Gabriella Pelosi

Rigor and balance are among the five core values at Nichols School. Our challenging expectations and structured environment develop student potential. Each student is encouraged to find balance among academic, artistic, athletic and extra-curricular involvements. As a result, we have developed a wellness program that promotes a healthy mind and body. With proper guidance, students can perform to their fullest potential inside and outside the classroom and make informed decisions along the way. We are proud of our age appropriate and cutting edge wellness curriculum. The curriculum covers balancing nutrition and fitness, stress management, managing depression and anxiety, promoting a positive body image, and preventing at-risk behaviors that lead to eating disorders. The curriculum provides the proper tools to help avoid substance and alcohol abuse and discusses sexually transmitted diseases, healthy relationships, rape and sexual orientation. The wellness program varies by grade level. The Upper School 8

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offers a freshman wellness program, which meets one day out of the seven-day rotation for 40 minutes. Each co-educational class is led by Danielle Vallas, Director of Wellness, and includes 10-12 students. Middle School students in grades seven and eight participate in a single-sex introduction to the wellness curriculum led by Wendy Amato â&#x20AC;&#x2122;86 and Gabriella Pelosi. The Middle School curriculum includes nutrition, proper hygiene, self-respect, sexting, cyber bullying, character education, stress management, healthy

Calendar of Events Wednesday, June 5 Senior Thesis Night 8th Grade Moving Up Ceremony Friday, June 7 – Sunday, June 9 121st Commencement (June 7) Reunion Weekend relationships, body image and making healthy choices. Girls in grades five and six participate in a yoga and wellness class every other Friday. Topics covered include self-awareness, meditation, nutrition, eating disorders and body satisfaction. The girls learn basic yoga movements to help with relaxation, posture and stress management. The class culminates with a final project. The focus of the wellness program is to inform students about critical health issues, so that they can make the best decisions and choices for themselves, and ensure that they are aware of their resources on and off campus. In addition to these instructors, speakers from community agencies and videos are used as teaching tools. This past February, a speaker from Kids Escaping Drugs came to speak to our 7th and 8th grade students about alcohol and drug prevention. He shared his story about addiction and recovery and gave students the opportunity to ask questions about his experience. Furthermore, students in the Middle and Upper School organized to have UNYTS, Upstate New York Transplant Services, come to campus for a blood drive and raise awareness about organ and tissue donation. Operation Beautiful took place in January as an attempt to end negative self-talk and “fat talk.” Post-it notes were hung around campus with positive messages and quotes reminding students of how beautiful and special they are. Additionally, Freedom from Chemical Dependency week took place in January. Nichols had a speaker from the non-profit organization come to share its mission: to provide educational communities with the guidance and training necessary to implement comprehensive, effective approaches to substance abuse prevention, promote awareness of alcoholism and other drug addictions and to teach children and adults how to recognize the early warning signs of substance abuse and to intervene appropriately. Lastly, we have also engaged Girls on the Run, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating a world where every girl knows and activates her limitless potential and is free to boldly pursue her dreams. Coordinators Lisa Sauer and Gabriella Pelosi met twice a week with 5th - 8th grade female participants. The girls were taught life skills through dynamic, conversationbased lessons and running games. Part running and part lesson, the curriculum is taught to help girls understand themselves, value relationships and teamwork, and understand how they connect with the world. At the completion of the season, the girls complete a 5K running event, which provides them with a sense of accomplishment and confidence. The wellness team is excited to help students begin their lifelong journey toward health and wellness. For further information, or questions, please contact Gabriella Pelosi at 716.332.6327 or at gpelosi@nicholsschool.org.

Monday, Aug. 12 Nichols Alumni Golf Day Wednesday, Sept. 4 122nd Opening of School Monday, Sept. 9 New Parent Welcome Reception Thursday, Sept. 26 Worldwide Nichols Day Founders’ Society Dinner Friday, Oct. 4 Convocation for Bill Clough Saturday, Oct. 5 Homecoming Friday, Oct. 11 – Monday, Oct. 14 Fall Break – School Closed Thursday, Oct. 17 Leadership Giving Societies Reception Monday, Nov. 11 Veterans Day – School Closed Friday, Nov. 15 Big Green Athletic Celebration Tuesday, Nov. 26 Grandparents and Grand Friends Day Friday, Dec. 6 Old Guard Luncheon Friday, Dec. 20 Alumni Holiday Gathering

For the most up-to-date event information, please visit our website and click on “School Calendar.”

Spring/Summer 2013

Alumni Working at Nichols by Cory Adamczak Over the years, we have been fortunate to have a multitude of Nichols alumni return here to work at the teaching, staff and coaching levels. We took a moment to ask several of them why they returned to Nichols. The responses ranged for a variety of reasons, however they all agreed that giving back to their alma mater was one of the biggest driving factors. They felt compelled to give current students the high level of education that they themselves once received. Returning to the place they once called home gives them the opportunity to learn and grow alongside their students and athletes. The following offers a sample of some of the responses:

Faculty Julie Alford ’84 Middle School Science As a young girl I always felt very lucky to be a student at Nichols, and today I feel even luckier to be teaching here. When I started teaching at Nichols 11 years ago, it was like coming home. Wendy Castiglia Amato ’86 Middle School Wellness Nichols was a very important part of my life. It was where I learned to learn, learned to challenge myself and learned that with hard work and determination, I could do whatever I set my mind to. When the opportunity to work here fell into my lap, how could I say no? Now I have the honor to challenge the students whose lives I touch and help them to grow into 10

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wonderful young adults. Every day that I drive through the parking lots I am overwhelmed with both a sense of déjà vu and ‘Wow, this place is really cool!’ How lucky I am to work here; and now to be able to provide this experience for my daughter.

F. Rob Greene ’90 Upper School History

Sandra Cunningham ’93 Middle School Science It was really the opportunity to work with the teachers and coaches who inspired me and were so instrumental in my development as a person, a student and an athlete. This set the opportunity to work here head and shoulders above any other opportunity that I had. I feel fortunate to have been able to call them not only my former teachers, but my colleagues and friends, and hope that every day I pass along some of their legacy as I continue to forge my own.

George Kloepfer ’68 Middle School English I started teaching at Nichols because of the opportunity to work with and learn from the great teachers who had been so important to my development as a student and athlete. I also get to work with the School’s singular student body to whom I hoped to pass along some of the things those great teachers had imparted to me. Those icons of the 1960s had pretty good lights; I’m doing my best to share some of that light to Nichols students in the 21st century.

Thomas Franz ’76 Upper School History It was my experience with several teachercoaches that led me to return to Nichols. They were able to define the qualities necessary for growth and success in a way that I could recognize their importance in the classroom and on the field. I knew that Jim Waltz asked for the same sincere effort on the field as Sue Schapiro asked for in her Value Theory class. They also modeled a sincere love of what they did and showed respect for even the most modest contributions to their classrooms and teams.

Tom Maynor ’81 Middle School Computers and Technology The reason I work at Nichols has to do with many things, though the overarching factor is the great circle it completes. I eagerly got my hands on my first computer (a DEC PDP8/e) as a 9th grader at Nichols. Now I have the pleasure of paying forward my Nichols experience by teaching about computers and technology to our current eager students! Did I mention my wife was also in that 9th grade class...?

Gregory Plumb ’96 Middle School Science

Roddy Potter ’82 Upper School English and History

Stephanie Tibollo ’06 Upper School Math

Danielle Vallas ’95 Director of Wellness

Staff Adrienne Ptak ’98 Associate Director of Admissions When I was a student at Nichols, I loved being part of such a warm community where the faculty/staff and students were so close. My advisor throughout high school, Brenda Weber-Miller ’78, and I have remained in touch over the years and I wanted to give back to Nichols students what she gave to me during my time here. There are many physical aspects of Nichols that have changed since I graduated, but in my opinion, the tightknit community has remained the same. Blake Walsh ’98 Director of Alumni Relations Boys’ Junior Varsity Soccer Coach I had enjoyed working in the alumni/development field at the university level for almost seven years when the opportunity to work at Nichols arose in 2010. I think I felt compelled to take the job here mostly due to the fact that the School had evolved on many significant fronts since my graduation in 1998, chief among them the robust arts and wellness programs, and the recent new wave of energetic young faculty and staff. Nichols has changed for the better over the past 15 years and this tight-knit campus has thus remained vibrant for me.

Laura Lombardo Yusick ’96 Director of Financial Aid The faculty. The faculty makes this place a living, breathing center of intellectual thought and humor. They are dependable, thoughtful, scholarly, motherly, fatherly, sisterly, brotherly; they are family. I came back to be surrounded by people who not only care about their craft, they doggedly pursue it. They care about the students and the students know it, depend on it, and sometimes take advantage of it. But that doesn’t matter. Our teachers care. Who doesn’t want to work in a place like that?

Coaches Charlie Barth ’06 Boys’ Varsity Squash Coach Adam Bellows ’05 Boys’ Prep A Hockey Assistant Coach Colin Brinson ’85 Varsity Football Coach At Nichols, the idea that “academics come first” is a core value, not just a slogan. Athletic participation is considered a supplementary component to our students’ education. We encourage all of our athletes to play multiple sports. Multiple sport athletes get a wellrounded educational experience, because they learn to work with different groups of teammates and coaches in a variety of settings. Ted Marks ’78 Boys’ and Girls’ Varsity Crew Coach

Spring/Summer 2013

Big Green Athletic Celebration 2012 by Stephanie L. Angelakos On Friday, Nov. 16, 2012, the annual Big Green Athletic Celebration that supports our Athletic Department was held in the Gerard Gymnasium with great success! Over 240 parents, alumni, faculty, staff and coaches enjoyed a wonderful evening in our gym with its new look that included a tailgating theme featuring a silent auction and a delicious buffet supper. Being the time of year to start holiday shopping, our guests certainly did a lot of that throughout the evening with the many wonderful items offered in the silent auction. This year, the Big Green raised over $25,000 for Athletics! This successful event was accomplished through the hard work and effort of our dedicated Chairs and Committee. Co-Chairs Jackie Ennis and Kathy Gates and their enthusiastic volunteers of 30 parents strong worked relentlessly to acquire unique and exciting silent auction items and on setup day worked tirelessly to make the auction tables and our gym look absolutely fabulous! Special thanks 12

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to all the student volunteers who helped the evening of the event. Thank you to all who contributed to and attended this year’s event! If you missed it, make sure you plan to join us at next year’s event. This casual evening is great fun and a wonderful way to connect with other parents and alumni while helping to support all of our student athletes! A. Harrison Oates ’15, Ross Cominsky ’15, John Ennis ’15 and Zachary Serotte ’15 B. Pauline & Frank Sacheli browse the silent auction items available. C. The Gerard Gymnasium buzzed with excitement throughout the evening. D. Event Co-Chairs, Jackie Ennis and Kathy Gates pose with their thank you gifts after a wonderful event. E. Troy Dobbs ’14 and RJ Gicewicz ’14 talk with Bill Clough, incoming Head of School.

What’s Your Legacy? Q: I want Nichols School to carry on for generations to come, I also need to provide for my loved ones. What can I do? A: You can do both and it’s easy. Consider… • Designating your retirement plan • Leaving a life insurance policy • Making a gift through your will • Making a gift now and receiving income for life Many such gifts can help you and your family today and also allow you to create your legacy and help Nichols School carry out its mission years into the future. Some gifts you can even put into place today without affecting your cash flow during your lifetime. This is intended to provide general gift planning information. Our organization is not qualified to provide specific legal, tax or investment advice, and this publication should not be looked to or relied upon as a source for such advice. Consult with your own legal and financial advisors before making any gift.

Want to learn more? Call Leslie S. Garcia, Director of Development at 716.332.5163.

After Nichols

Gale Burstein ’82 by Blake Walsh ’98 Dr. Gale Burstein ’82 was appointed as Erie County Health Commissioner (or “the Commish,” as she calls it) in January 2012. Amidst a busy role that finds her wearing multiple hats, from public spokesperson to focused pediatrician, Gale reflected with us on her career since Nichols. Congrats on your appointment as “Commish!” This has been the best job I have ever held. Although this position is very busy, I feel hopeful that I can contribute to making Erie County a healthier place to live. I also continue to practice clinical medicine at Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo general pediatrics clinics two evenings a month. I can’t give that up! I love taking care of kids. What motivated you to get involved in this line of work? I think I always knew I wanted to be a physician, but my Nichols experiences exposed me to thinking about opportunities working in international and public health. My junior year summer exchange student experience in Quito, Ecuador opened my eyes to the effects of socio-economic and health disparities. The following summer entering my senior year, [former Nichols faculty member and Honorary Alumnus] Ed Williams took me and three other Nichols students on the trip of a lifetime to Kenya. I was so inspired by the excitement of a new, exotic world and realized that career opportunities had no borders and that I had to think out of the box. I feel that Nichols truly prepared me for college and life beyond by teaching me to 1. study, 2. budget my time and 3. write. I continue to use these invaluable skills every day! Where did you go to college? I attended Union College in Schenectady, N.Y. I majored in math and biology. I was also able to study abroad for two trimesters and truly enjoyed my four years at Union. Where do you live currently? I currently live in Amherst, N.Y. I moved back from Atlanta in 2005. My husband, Peter Bloom, who grew up in Snyder, N.Y., and I felt that Erie County was a great place to raise a family. We both had good jobs in Atlanta, but felt that it was more important to make the investment to move so our sons would know their extended family and enjoy the rich educational opportunities and quality of life that we enjoyed growing up. 14

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What advice do you have for others who may want to work in your field? For those interested in medicine, try to go to the least expensive medical school. I had the good fortune to attend SUNY at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences where I received an excellent medical education. Essentially free from the heavy burden of large debt from medical school tuition loans gave me the financial independence to do anything after I graduated, such as travel, getting another professional degree and working in public health. What is the most valuable lesson you learned at Nichols? I had some great female role models who ingrained in me that gender was not a professional barrier. What is your favorite Nichols memory? Where do I start? I cherish my happy memories from that summer [in Kenya] with Ed Williams and my classmate and friend, Peter Upson ’82, who have since passed away. My Nichols memories are studded with numerous unforgettable parties in classmate David Rosenthal’s basement. On the academic side, I remember “spieling” in Dave Strachan’s math classes and discovering that I really love math. I will never forget the fun of learning about the male and female reproductive track in Mr. Titus’ 10th grade science class alongside my male classmates. The openness and comfort of sexuality discussions at that impressionable age helped to set the stage for me to pursue a medical career in sexually transmitted diseases research and prevention. What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment? My greatest personal accomplishment is raising with my husband two really nice and bright sons, Zachary and Joshua. So far my greatest professional accomplishment was to define chlamydia epidemiology and put chlamydia on the map as a huge public health problem with an important paper published in 1998 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Chlamydia is the number one cause of preventable tubal infertility and ectopic pregnancy. But I am not done yet. I hope to be able to make some great contributions to Erie County in the next three years. What do you like to do for fun? I love to spend time with my family. I have not been able to shake that travel bug. Although I love to swim, can’t seem to get to the pool in those early mornings as much as I would like.

Students engage in shadow theatre while working with Kate Olena, Middle School theatre teacher.

Workshops Attract & Hone Talent by Adrienne DeCarlo Ptak ’98 the Nichols campus with the hopes of learning more about their You’re a fifth grader at a local middle school. Your teacher informs the favorite subjects. Each workshop begins in the Flickinger Performing class that there is a Young Scientists’ Workshop at Nichols School in Arts Center with an inspiring keynote address from our faculty and October that all 4th, 5th and 6th, graders in Western New York are students. We’ve had dance performances, faculty speaking about the invited to. I can make slime and extract DNA from strawberries? How importance of letter writing and even witnessed a hover craft on stage. about building paper towers, learning about forensics or changing the The participants break into small groups and attend three different color of pennies? Or with the Young Writers’ Workshop in November, sessions for 45 minutes each. The Nichols faculty, Nichols students have a chance to be with 180 other kids my age for three hours to learn and friends of Nichols lead the students through exercises and projects. about poetry, news reporting, creative writing and how to create a story The workshops are all hands-on, creative, innovative and energizing. in a bag? And then, yet another invitation comes for the Young Artists’ We’ve had history and language teachers lead writing workshops. Workshop in March. Playing with masks, zumba, shadow puppets and We’ve had English and art teachers lead science button making? I can’t wait to tell my workshops, and science and math teachers, as friends. well as several talented Nichols students, lead For almost 30 years, Nichols has hosted art workshops. This cross disciplinary teaching a Young Writers’ Workshop inviting not only allows our teachers and students to young minds to come learn about writing. explore other subject matter, but it enhances The workshop remains the most popular the wide range of “writing,” “science” and “art” admissions event all year with nearly 180 that is offered in each workshop. local 4th, 5th and 6th graders on campus The best kind of compliment we can receive on a Saturday morning in November. Five is like the one following this year’s Young years ago, with the success of the Writers’ Scientists’ Workshop. One mother called to tell Workshop in mind, the Admissions us that her daughter came home from Nichols team decided to create a Young Artists’ that day and set up her kitchen with all the Workshop, using the same format as a way Mary Kate Morrow, Middle School vocal music necessary supplies to replicate what she had to showcase our state-of-the art Flickinger teacher, gets students moving during her “Music in Motion” workshop. leaned on campus that morning. And before Performing Arts Center, dance studio we hung up, she signed her daughter up for the and art spaces. When we discovered that Young Artists’ Workshop. kids in Western New York were equally excited about this event, it The excitement generated from these workshops enticed us to only seemed natural, with the opening of the Class of 1963 Center offer a similar event this year, which we called the Young Scholars’ for Mathematics and Science to bring in the math and sciences. In Workshop, for 7th and 8th graders. It allowed us to showcase the rest October 2010, we offered the Young Scientists’ Workshop – the third of the challenging and stimulating material that makes up a Nichols in our Workshop Series. education. We look forward to continuing to expand upon these events On each of these Saturday mornings, eager students from as far and share Nichols with even more students around Western New York! as Holland and Lockport, and many towns in between, gather on

Spring/Summer 2013

Poetry Contest

Give a Little Love by Nina Barone

Middle School students had the chance to let their creativity shine this February when they crafted poems for a Valentine poetry contest. Five poems, ranging from personal and heartfelt to witty and imaginative, were chosen as the winners. Sarah Sauer ’20 won for the category, “Loving Your Family,” Om Acharya ’19 won for “Most Likely to Be Hired by Hallmark Greeting Cards,” Max Derrick ’19 won for “Loving What You Do,” Gracie Newman ’17 won for “A Love of Nature” and Lorena James ’17 won for “Romantic Love.” Below are the winning poems for your reading pleasure.

Loving What You Do…

Basketball Under the Lights By Max Derrick ’19

I head out at night Turn on the head lights Practice my jump shot Lean back loftily Post up is my job on the court And then I’m ready I call my brother out And when I start playing I get lost in the game My jump shot is working I hear the swish Nothing else matters

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Loving Your Family...

Super Parents By Sarah Sauer ’20

In our crazy house, you may wonder how everything gets done, My parents make it happen and they’re always on the run. They cook, they clean, and do the laundry and meet my every need, They come to my games and performances, there’s never a heed. They’re very, very loving parents, they hug me and give me a kiss, They teach me things I’ll need in life and make my life such bliss! Even though our schedule’s packed, there’s always time for love, My parents are wonderful blessings, they’re angels from above. I always feel safe in the hands of my mom and dad, They’re so amazing, there’s no way my life is bad! How do they do it? Well no one really knows, But the love we share for each other definitely shows.

A Love of Nature…

Courting the Sea By Gracie Newman ’17

Affable, foamy fingers froth as they clutch and flirt at my feet, An affable current gurgling, excited to greet, I slink into the emerald depths and bury myself in its embrace, Waves cascading above me, rushing to the shore in an enthusiastic race. The corals of lustrous colors paints my soul with wonder, As fish accept me as their own in the world very far under, The sand sits like sugar, soft and still, Endless marine grains of fluff perched on rolling hills.

Eels flit and shoot like bullets from secret nooks under withered rocks, And a hungry, open-mouthed turtle swims regally and gawks, As fish of rich and ludicrous colors trickle by in an urban stream, The blissful utopia’s life, glows with peace and blissfully teems. Down beneath the depths of salty water, the only place I truly adore, I float with the gentle tides and pray to stay, for I could think of nothing more, Nothing more perfect, to eternally reside in the place that I love best, Where I am most loved and what I in turn love back most, in the sea my spirit can rest.

The water diffuses the sunlight to kiss the glittering waves just so, That a brightness lights the marina as striking as a first November snow, A royal octopus strolls across the mucky seaweed park, And the silver schools of minnows swim alongside a sand shark.

Spring/Summer 2013

Poetry Contest Most Likely to Be Hired by Hallmark Greeting Cards…

Together By Om Acharya ’19

What’s Lelo without Stich? What’s Tigger without Pooh? What’s Aladdin without Jasmine? And what’s me without you? What are eggs without bacon? What are crumpets without tea? What are pancakes without syrup? And what’s you without me? What are zebras without stripes? What are peacocks without feathers? What are turtles without shells? And what’s us not together?

Romantic Love…

Where the Moonflower Grows by Lorena James ’17

Beneath the palm trees, ferns, and willows, She rests her head upon a green pillow. With a pale face, and cloaks of white, In a soft cocoon curled up tight, She turns her head away from the glow, From the sun as everyone knows. It’s not until night, When her full beauty is revealed, When she turns her head towards, The one she appeals. His face equally pale, Spotted with freckles, His hair midnight black, With glowing radiant speckles. She begins to unfurl, at the sight of his face, Now extroverted and full grace. Moon beams replace the suns blaze, For she can’t come out without his gaze.

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The dark winds blow, And toss her hair, Revealing to all, her loving stare. Happy while being together, And feeling care free, A light appears, As the night moon sets into the sea. For since she is nocturnal, She is no longer livened, She begins to curl up, And disappear into the horizon. He saddened by this, A tear falls down, Leaving a glittery path, Marking a frown. But like every night, he knows she must go, To meet again, Where the moonflower grows.

A. Dan Rosenblum, Science Department Chair, visits the students’ projects at the Chemistry Symposium. B. Elaine Gardner learns about silk from Rebecca Regan ’15. C. Karim Hassanali ’15 shows his teacher, Apryle Schneeburger, the circuit board demonstration that accompanies his project.

Chemistry Symposium by Apryle Schneeberger At the start of the New Year, Apryle Schneeberger’s Advanced Chemistry class launched a cross-disciplinary research project examining the historical impact of various chemical structures. The project was inspired by Le Couteur and Burreson’s “Napoleon’s Buttons,” which explores the cultural and technological influence of 17 molecules. Successfully completing the project required collaboration with multiple faculty members. The students were guided by Susan Allen, Director of Libraries & Academic Technology, on using a federated search to find vetted sources and properly citing works. The search provided them with the resources necessary to identify a chemical structure, investigate how the compound works, and deduce the role the compound may have played in shaping the course of history. Once the students amassed references, Lolly Errickson, Upper School English teacher, assisted them in the writing process and structuring of their papers. Working with multiple faculty members during the research and writing process allowed the students to receive feedback from different perspectives, enabling them to further develop their writing skills. The research stimulated many discussions among the students and the project culminated in a Chemistry Research Symposium

during which the students presented their findings to Nichols students, faculty and staff. While browsing the tri-fold posters in the Reading Room, one could partake in discussions on the variations of amino acids in silk and the connection to the Silk Road with Rebecca Regan ’15, or hear John Ennis ’15 explain electrolytes and the cultural impact of the sports drink industry. Katie Riter ’15 enlightened listeners to the use of herbal remedies throughout C. history and how mandrake, foxglove and belladonna appear in literary works from “Romeo and Juliet” to “Harry Potter,” while Derrick Tang ’15 analyzed the agricultural impact of nitrates in fertilizers. Ultimately, the students were excited to showcase their projects and engage the Nichols community in academic discussion. Most recently, many more math and science students undertook projects that were presented during The 7 Days of Center ’63 Symposium. The Symposium ran weekdays, May 13-21, with a different set of students showcasing their work each day. Students are also encouraged to submit their papers or projects for publication in The Prometheus Math and Science Journal, which has recently relaunched.

Spring/Summer 2013

Nichols on the Menu by Blake Walsh ’98

Any seasoned restaurant/bar goer will tell you that a truly worthwhile establishment is more than just the taste of the food or the savor of the drink. Patrons frequent a particular place because of the quality of the nook sensation – the people, the conversations, the sounds and smells – that it may provide. In the city of Buffalo, no fewer than 16 establishments owned by Nichols alumni and current and alumni parents dot the local landscape, succeeding popularly in pleasing their own respective clientele thanks to a commitment to originality. As Buffalo is a community that indeed loves its food and drink, here’s your Nichols connection guide to dining out.

Mike Shatzel ’90, Owner Cole’s (1104 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo) Blue Monk (727 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo) Liberty Hound (1 Naval Park Cove, Buffalo) Anyone from Buffalo with a palate likely knows the Shatzel name. Mike ’90 currently owns and operates Cole’s and Blue Monk on the Elmwood Strip, and the newly opened Liberty Hound on the Buffalo waterfront. Cole’s, established in 1934, is a Buffalo institution and does the burger, beef on weck and wings staples as well as anyone in town. In addition, Mike has stepped up

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the food offering in recent years thanks to a revamped menu that features more unique dishes like Thai salmon and risotto balls. The Belgian pub room that is Blue Monk offers a distinct and refreshing vibe to the Elmwood area by offering hundreds of tasty imported beers that this author for the most part cannot pronounce, and an unparalleled menu featuring the likes of duck frites, poutine, mussels and carbonnade flamande. Says Mike, who has taken the reigns at Cole’s in recent years from his father, David: “Besides getting to sample a number of beers, I’ve really enjoyed the business as an avenue to meeting new friends and seeing old ones with great frequency. I’ve also really enjoyed the public appreciation that came with the vision of a new business like Blue Monk – it’s a great feeling.”

Liberty Hound had great success in its first summer on the water last year and promises to grow at a healthy clip as the Buffalo waterfront project rolls towards completion in the coming years. Kudos to Mike for being the first to take a chance on a prominent bar/restaurant in this previously neglected yet promising part of town.

Marilynn Propis Militello ’71, Owner Sonoma Grille (5010 Main St., Snyder) Bijou Grille (643 Main St., Buffalo) Marilynn Propis Militello ’71 first got into the restaurant business in 1991, when she and her husband, Michael, bought the Mediterranean-style bistro Bijou Grille on Main Street in Buffalo’s downtown theater district. The Militellos also own Sonoma Grille in Williamsville, which offers a combination of fine dining with elegant bar nightlife and weekly live music. Despite the long hours that come with the territory of running a successful restaurant, Marilynn is inspired by the relationship she maintains with her customers and her staff. “They’re like my family!” she exclaims. Sonoma is soon to undergo a dramatic renovation/facelift and the property’s neighboring Lord Amherst Hotel will soon be completely renovated. In addition, a new Hyatt Place hotel is soon to be built on the plot behind Sonoma, so it’s safe to assume even more out of towners will be calling on Marilynn to keep them well fed. “The restaurant always has something going on. Our private rooms are busy with corporate events, small and large. Sonoma is a very eclectic place. When people visit from out of town, I know that we succeed in showing them what Buffalo is all about!”

Dennis Brinkworth ’79, Owner Colter Bay (561 Delaware Ave, Buffalo) Colter Bay, located on the busy corner of Delaware and Allen in downtown Buffalo, has long served as a hub for the work week lunch crowd, late night weekend revelers, and everyone in between who may be looking to kick back for a beer in a relaxed atmosphere. Dennis Brinkworth ’79 first got the management itch while working in Boston for Stroh Brewery Company in the mid 1980s. Like Shatzel, Dennis was introduced to the business at a young age while bussing tables for his father. By 1987, Colter Bay was up and running, and 25+ years later, is still going strong. “Colter Bay is a place with strong traditions amongst many generations of people in the city of Buffalo,” says Dennis. “The Nichols community has been an outstanding supporter of Colter Bay, which stems from the tight-knit environment that has always existed amongst students, faculty and alumni at Nichols.”

Dale Segal ’98, Owner Encore (492 Pearl St., Buffalo) Encore has emerged as a popular theater district staple in recent years, offering a diverse menu to dinner crowds and a booming nightlife to weekend partygoers. Dale Segal ’98 is co-owner, overseeing the daily operation and nightly transformation from fine dining to club scene. Equipped

with outdoor patio and multi-level dining rooms, the site of the former Hemingway’s Restaurant now packs a multifaceted punch to your taste buds. “Growing up, I always told my parents and friends that I would eventually like to open a restaurant/night spot with a unique fusion of world cuisines,” says Dale. “My multicultural background (he is of Dutch and Korean descent) had me living all over the world, from South Korea to the Netherlands, and of course the United States, so I was exposed to many different styles of food since my childhood.” Encore does Dale’s vision proud by specializing in quality steak entrees and a wide variety of delicious sushi rolls. Segal feels that despite the 24/7 grind of staying competitive in the restaurant business that Encore will continue to thrive for years to come because of its dualism: “If you enjoy great food, variety, or a fun night on the town, we have something for everybody and any size group. And we do it all with a smile on our face in an effort to put one on yours.”

Many Nichols parents have a stake in the Buffalo restaurant/bar scene as well: Mark Goldman P’04, ’98, ’96, Owner Allen Street Hardware (245 Allen St., Buffalo) Black Rock Kitchen (491 Amherst St., Buffalo) Elaine Greco P’09, Owner Brodo Restaurant (4548 Main St., Snyder)

Mark Supples ’77, Owner Mothers (33 Virginia Pl., Buffalo) How many places do you know where you can saddle up to the bar at 2:00 a.m., order a meatloaf entrée, and find that it tastes as good as your own mother’s recipe? Well naturally, that place is Mothers, owned by Mark Supples ’77. A cornerstone of the Allen Street dining scene, Mothers blends the restaurant and bar vibes so flawlessly that you typically forget if you came there to eat or simply enjoy a glass of wine from their excellent wine list. By night’s end, you’ve probably done both amongst the typical attending crowd of local celebrities and downtown happy hour goers.

Nick and Angela Kotrides P’11, ’14, ’16, Owner Empire Grill (1435 Hertel Ave., Buffalo) Faherty’s (490 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo) Toro Tapas Bar (492 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo) David Schutte P’12, ’15, Owner Creekview Restaurant (5629 Main St., Williamsville) Oliver’s Restaurant (2095 Delaware Ave., Buffalo)

Save the Date!

2013 Homecoming – Saturday, Oct. 5

Nichols School

Smith Visiting Fellow

Jill McCorkle Breathes Life into Fiction By Nina Barone

Jill McCorkle’s latest novel, “Life After Life,” is an engrossing story seen through the eyes of its diverse cast of characters. With humor and hope serving as anchors, the novel looks at life and its end from a vantage point that is justifiably bleak at times, but always thoughtful. From March 11-12, Nichols was fortunate to host Ms. McCorkle as its Smith Visiting Fellow at the start of her national book tour. She visited Buffalo to speak at Nichols, thanks to the Graham W. Smith ’48 Fund and Larry Desautels, Upper School English teacher and Graham W. Smith ’48 Chair. The fund celebrates and promotes writing at Nichols by bringing visiting writers to work with students. Ms. McCorkle has the distinction of having her first two novels published on the same day in 1984. Since then, she has published three other novels and four collections of short stories. Five of Ms. McCorkle’s books have been named New York Times notable books, and she has received the New England Booksellers Award, the John Dos Passos Prize for Excellence in Literature and the North Carolina Award for Literature. Her teaching career includes time at UNC-Chapel Hill, Tufts and Brandeis, where she was the Fannie Hurst Visiting Writer; she also was a BriggsCopeland Lecturer in Fiction at Harvard

for five years and chaired Creative Writing. Ms. McCorkle currently teaches Creative Writing in the MFA Program at NC State University and is a core faculty member of the Bennington College Writing Seminars. In addition to working with Upper School students in English classes, Ms. McCorkle addressed students, faculty and staff at a special Upper School Morning Meeting on Tuesday, March 12. Students heard Ms. McCorkle read from “Life After Life,” which the author described as “very much a novel that depends on these individual voices.” The story focuses on the daily triumphs and challenges of the

residents and staff of Pine Haven Estates, a retirement facility that is home to many of Fulton, North Carolina’s older citizens. She began with Abby, the youngest character in the story, who reflects on her friends at Pine Haven, her dog, her home life and her parents’ seemingly inevitable divorce that’s yet to be announced. In the candid voice of a slightly wounded 12-year-old, Abby muses about her mother’s shortcomings, particularly her competitive nature and shallow view of the world. She wishes her mother wasn’t throwing her a 13th birthday party with an idiotic theme—Former First Ladies, as in Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton—and that her dog, Dollbaby, would return home. The dog’s recent disappearance is extremely suspicious, with her mother left looking rather shady. Part best friend, part surrogate little sister, Abby feels a terrible void without Dollbaby. “To forget what it feels like to be an adolescent is to forget what it feels like to feel,” the author said of writing Abby. Next, Ms. McCorkle introduced Abby’s best (human) friend, Sadie Randolph, a

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retired third-grade teacher who believes we are all eight years old in our hearts after years spent teaching every child in her town. A perpetual optimist, wheelchairbound Sadie was widowed at a young age, but maintains that she and her late husband, Horace, had a wonderful life together, although it ended too early. Sadie is an animal lover, and reflects on her favorite dogs, especially her little Pekingese, Rudy, who she misses dearly. The resident cat, Harley, spends a great deal of time with her, which makes the other residents glad he isn’t near them because they think he curls up with the next one to pass. Although her health is beginning to decline and dementia is taking root quickly, she sustains her friendships and her small business, which involves taking photographs of people and superimposing them in places they’ve never been, but would like to be. Lastly, the audience heard a hilarious rant from Toby, a retired English teacher, who Ms. McCorkle admits she relates to after years of teaching writing. Armed

with a spunky attitude, Toby arrived in Pine Haven after throwing a dart at a map, and she brings with her some emotional baggage after being burned at her last job and forced into retirement. She stresses that teaching only started getting hard “when everything changed,” particularly the students’ names and the subject matters they wrote about became increasingly more unusual. Toby was sick of stories about werewolves, dwarves and other alien-like creatures; she longed for the days of stories featuring orphans and uncertain teenagers coming of age. “What I would have given for a stained soul,” she laments. “Just one good old stained soul.” Eventually, Toby was asked to leave her position as a longtime teacher for swearing in class, which she stresses occurred because she corrected the grammar of a student who used the word himself. After getting steady laughs from the audience throughout her reading, Ms. McCorkle took questions from several students, particularly regarding how she develops different characters’ identities.

She said: “I’m a big note taker, so I see things throughout the day that grow into the lives of these characters…I wanted a fair interpretation of a whole town. I just wanted that whole chorus of what life in this town or place was like.” When imagining the characters’ individual stories, Ms. McCorkle noted she wanted to take it past stereotypes and build from what distinguishes each one as a person. Interestingly, she asks herself what each character’s secret is. On the evening of Monday, March 11, members of the Nichols community joined with book lovers from around Western New York at Talking Leaves Book Store to hear Ms. McCorkle read from “Life After Life.” With the same wit and grace she weaves into her written words, Ms. McCorkle shared more stories from her own life that inspired her characters and storylines. We were extremely fortunate to have Ms. McCorkle with us, and the students undoubtedly enjoyed their time working with her and learning from her!

1st Annual Nichols Alumni Golf Day

SPACE IS LIMITED!

Monday, August 12, 2013 • Orchard Park Country Club Reconnect with your alma mater, spend a day with old friends, and make new ones all while enjoying a great day of golf at Orchard Park Country Club! Online registration is now open. Alumni can register a foursome, a twosome or a single. Registration includes:

• Golf • Cart • Practice facilities • Prizes • On-course rangers • Scoring and hospitality from OPCC staff

• Locker room facilities with attendants • BBQ lunch on the patio • 2-hour open bar for cocktails and networking after your round • Full steak or chicken dinner with dessert

• A complimentary group speaking lesson from Gary Occhino ’94, Nichols alumnus, PGA Professional and founder of INDARE golf

You can reserve your spot now by emailing your party’s name(s) to Blake Walsh ’98, Director of Alumni Relations at bwalsh@nicholsschool.org. One non-alumnus per foursome is permitted. Questions? Call Blake at 716.332.5164. Visit www.nicholsschool.org/alumnigolf

alumni By Genevieve Carbone Did you know there are over 900 Nichols alumni who have graduated in the last decade? GOLD stands for Graduates Of the Last Decade.From California to Scotland, our young alumni are peppered all over the globe, partaking in new and exciting opportunities. Whether we hear about our GOLD alumni accomplishments and achievements right from their mouth, a news source, a former teacher or coach, or their best friend’s parents, we are amazed at the span of careers and activities in which our young alumni are involved. Here, we bring together a selection of GOLD alumni with diverse careers and interests. If you’re a GOLD alumnus (or know one!) and would like to share your life after Nichols, email alumnioffice@nicholsschool.org.

Bobby Shuttleworth ’05

goalkeeper and during his time with the Bulls managed a 2008 second-team AllBobby received much attention back in MAC selection, and he was selected to 2009 when he decided to forgo his senior the All-Tournament year at the University squad in the 2007 at Buffalo, where he season. played as starting Long before he goalkeeper, to sign was playing the with the New England MLS and for the UB Revolution. The New Bulls, Bobby was on England Revolution the field at Nichols is an American making school professional soccer club history, assisting in Foxborough, Mass., in the winning of that competes in Major two back-to-back League Soccer. NYSAIS State Currently, Bobby Championships. is in living in Boston, Bobby explains, “I Mass., and is in his enjoyed my time at fifth year playing for Nichols both on and the New England off the soccer field. Revolution and also Photo credit: New England Revolution I made a lot of close serves as the soccer friends through those coach at Bentley years especially through the sports I played. University. Since the start of his career Those great experiences just helped me to with the Revolution, Bobby has served continue playing and fortunately be able to as the goalkeeper. At the University play professionally.” of Buffalo, Bobby also played as the

Bobby credits Nichols for his ambition to become a professional athlete: “The main lesson I took away from my experience at Nichols was that I had the opportunity and ability to do/be whatever I chose. Leaving Nichols, I felt prepared to move on and enter the next phase of my education and athletics.” Bobby has most recently embarked upon a new season with the New England Revolution after a strenuous pre-season.

Jon Medieros ’05

A 2005 graduate of Nichols, Jon hit the ground running after Nichols, when the summer between his senior year at Nichols and freshman year at Bennington College, he worked on the set of a movie filming in Buffalo. An avid fan of movies by Troma Entertainment, he caught wind of one that would be filming in Western New York and

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Madisson Lank ’09

contacted the producers for an internship. At Jon’s persistence, the producers gave in and offered to have him come down to the offices. Showing up every day and doing whatever looked like it needed to be done, he caught the attention of the producers and quickly received promotion after promotion on the set. Eventually earning the title of Senior Production Manager on the credits, the movie, “Poultrygeist: Attack of the Chicken Dead,” ended up being shown around the world and reviewed in the New York Times with positive reviews. Since the debut of that movie, Jon has since work on sets in West Virginia, Virginia, NYC, Buffalo, Cleveland and Pittsburgh in a variety of capacities. After graduating college in 2009, Jon headed to New York City in hopes of finding a job in the film and television industry. While looking for a job there, he heard from a colleague offering him a week on the set of a Russell Crowe movie in Pittsburgh. Within less than 24 hours after receiving the call, Jon was heading to Pittsburgh. The week on the set turned into the remainder of the movie and since then, Jon has worked on just about every movie that is filmed in Pittsburgh, which surprisingly is a lot. In his current role, Jon is a Production Assistant and has worked on countless films, most recently on “The Avengers,” “Lincoln” and “Jack Reacher.” He explains his job as “an extremely simplified way, sort of like an assistant set manager when it’s at its most demanding, and a step or two above a personal assistant when it’s at its least.” The next step in his career would be joining the union as an Assistant Director. He will be eligible to do this in under two years, rendering him a very young AD.

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Even before entering the halls of Nichols, Madisson Lank ’09 knew she wanted to be a pilot. She graduated from Seneca College this spring with a bachelor’s degree in Aviation Sciences, along with a commercial pilot license and other ratings required to become an airline pilot. Prior to graduation, Madisson received an offer from Air Canada Jazz to fly a Q400. Madisson credits Nichols for her success at Seneca College and securing a job in a time when many college graduates are struggling to find work: “Nichols taught me how to study and use my time wisely. After getting accepted into my dream flight college, I was still nervous about passing my highly demanding courses and completing my airplane flying lessons on time. Thankfully, Nichols had taught me how to properly study to make the most out my little free time. My program began with 130 students, and after four years, the program has dwindled to 38 of us. Nichols is why I am part of that 38.”

With the busy life of a student and completing internships, Madisson still finds time to give back through volunteer work. As she explains, “Nichols taught me to give back to my community. I always enjoyed our volunteer days at school and it helped me realize that there is so much more I can do to make this world a better place. Nichols taught me how rewarding it is to help those in need.” In Toronto, she volunteers at a senior citizen center as an event coordinator and also uses her flying skills to volunteer with “Pilot N Paws,” where she flies dogs from high-kill shelters to new homes. Last summer, she volunteered building orphanages in Africa with Sean Griffin ’10. In July, she will be traveling to Nepal to teach English to Buddhist Monks.

Madisson is currently living in Toronto, Ontario, and in her spare time she enjoys curling and golfing. “Even with such a male-dominated industry, Mr. Montesano and the golf team still taught me how to out-drive all the boys!”

Tori Vossler ’10

A rising senior at St. Lawrence University, Tori Vossler ’10 recently completed an internship at Christie’s in New York City. Christie’s is an ideal placement for Tori, an Art and Art History and Economics double major, as it has the largest auction sales of any fine art auction company in the world. “My time at Christie’s was the perfect opportunity for me to put both of my interests side by side: art and business. My supervisor at Christie’s is an alumna of St. Lawrence University, and working alongside her was a rewarding experience,” explains Tori. While at Christie’s in New York, she worked in the Press Department. Tori hopes to pursue a career in the art business field. For her spring 2013 semester, she took advantage of St. Lawrence’s study abroad program and spent a semester in London, England. While she was overseas, she continued her work at Christie’s in London while exploring England and other European countries. Tori credits Nichols for sparking her interest in art and art history. During her senior year at Nichols, she had the opportunity to take an art history class with Mr. Potter. She explains that this course was the first step in realizing she wanted to pursue a career in the field. With a full resume even before she receives a bachelor’s degree, Tori has also completed internships at the AlbrightKnox Art Gallery and the University at Buffalo Art Galleries in Buffalo. She is expected to graduate from St. Lawrence in the spring of 2014.

alumni events

Back: Tom Tobias ’07, Brendan McCarthy ’07, Peter Randaccio ’07, Dan Swift ’07; front: Brett Roell ’07, Tyler Van Schoonhoven ’07, Matt Parker ’07, Sean Heidinger ’07

By Sean Heidinger ’07 Nichols Alumni Board Toward the end of 2012, over 150 GOLD alumni members, as well as a handful of alumni from older classes, gathered in Buffalo at Allen Street Hardware on two separate occasions for Alumni Happy Hour events. Between the two events, over 150 Nichols alumni gathered in the back room of Hardware for a private cocktail hour. These two events proved to be the more successful alumni gatherings as the timing was crucial. Those who now live out of town were in Buffalo for the holidays, which seemed to have a massive influence on the attendance. Alumni poured into Hardware in large groups and marched right to the room where a large group of fellow Nichols alumni were to welcome everyone with handshakes and hugs. Attendees shared custom Nichols drinks, including “The Verdian.” There are many more GOLD alumni events to come. Hopefully they will continue to be just as successful!

Spring/Summer 2013

On Dec. 9, Huize “Jack” Shi ’15, Un-pil Baek ’13, Shuhao “James” Yang ’15, Weiyi Li ’15 and Soo Min Kim ’14, visited Niagara Falls with Stephanie Angelakos (front, center).

The International Experience by Stephanie L. Angelakos As growing numbers of international students seek a college education in our country, many are turning to American high schools as a stepping stone. Far from home, some from over 7,000 miles away, these brave young teenagers leave their families, friends and life as they know it, and travel to a “new world” in order to experience a different culture, learn a language and get a better education than their own countries can offer. These are our international students, coming from far away countries to study at Nichols School and live with host families for the full academic school year. For the past 26 years, Nichols has been accepting students from other parts of the world to study here. Students have come from Belgium, Ireland, Croatia, Sweden, Singapore, China, South Korea and Canada. Some came for a short period of time, but more recently, most come for at least one year, with many for multiple years and graduation from Nichols as their goal. Several years ago, we contracted with an agency and made a more concerted effort to attract international students. The seven students currently studying here are from China (three), Korea (three) and Australia (one), which is consistent with the national trend of private and university applicants. 28

Nichols School

So why do they come here and why do we welcome them? Our current students have come to escape their rigorous and structured educational systems, dictated by rote learning and a test score on accumulated knowledge that would determine if they will go to a university at all, and if so, a score that channels them into a profession they might not have chosen for themselves. They come with the desire to become more fluent in the English language, learn the application of knowledge, gain entrance to American universities, and experience our culture firsthand by living with host families. We accept them to Nichols so that we can provide our school community with diversity and multicultural experiences that will enrich our lives – an important part of our School’s vibrant community. Contributing to our classroom culture, arts, sports teams, social groups and our school, these students offer us a fabulous opportunity to enrich our lives on a personal level and within our school community. Un-pil Baek ’13, a student of three years here, chose Nichols School because “It was in New York, and New York in every foreigner’s eyes is NYC(!). It had more AP classes and a more diverse curriculum than any other school I considered; the campus is beautiful and skilled, experienced

teachers would help me reach my goals and achievements. Plus, I the individual, a family and indeed, a nation. A world that gets smaller wanted to live with a host family instead of having a dormitory life every day necessitates the ability to bridge cultural divides in order to for my high school years.” What he discovered at Nichols included survive and succeed. For me and my family, hosting an international “diverse opportunities and artistic immersion, improved science student over a period of years has strengthened our connections to laboratories and apparatuses (Cosmic Ray Detector: just impressive!), one another and as individuals, brought each of us to a higher level of the friendly environment and a clean and wonderful campus where mindfulness and sensitivity.” everyone understands each other’s differences.” When Un-pil was asked what his greatest challenge was with this These students’ attendance to private schools support us financially experience, he answered, “My experience with host families has been with highly motivated and qualified students. In the global world in one of my hardest experiences…I never realized how difficult it is to which we live, these students, along with our own diverse community live with other people (non-parents)…I struggled to find the balance of cultures, remind us every day that this is the world we are preparing between my host family’s needs and my needs. It is essentially hard, but our graduates for. All of our students learn from their peers about I believe that I have learned more about myself, interaction with others the leadership roles each of us can assume in a world that is based on and social interaction with my friends and society.” His experience at globalization and interdependence. Preparing our students to be “global Nichols “was extremely positive. I was excited by all the opportunities citizens” is our goal for their future success in a global world. to express myself! Cosmic Ray Detector, Chorus, piano, film, dance, The majority of our international students come through Nacel Cabaret, understanding teachers and students who helped me survive Open Door, an agency that screens and supports them, as well as our and cope.” His greatest reward from the experience was “learning to host families and our school, while they study here. The majority live with others, an increased knowledge in humanities and the arts, of our students live and being able to share with host families with my American from year to year. friends different These are Nichols opinions and have families of all shapes meaningful interaction and sizes who open and relationships with their hearts and homes them.” from late-August to Jin Sol Park ’13 mid-June to these also commented on teens who become her advancement a member of their educationally, as well families for the school as her relationship year. Students and host with her host families families sometimes and friends: “Living choose to keep the in a foreign country experience going for without any family more than one year, members has helped which provides a very me to become a different experience more mature and The group, including Ben Gerhardt, Upper School Spanish teacher (back, center) and for everyone as the independent person. Ron Montesano, Upper School Spanish teacher (front, right) enjoys dinner at Hard Rock Café. relationships evolve You have to learn to over the extended time take care of yourself. and become richer and deeper. I loved the fact that I could play sports all year long at Nichols Jennifer and Richard Carlson hosted Yoon-Kyoung Kim ’11, now because in Korea there is no such thing as sports teams in school. a student at Johns Hopkins University, for three years. When asked I have gained lifelong friends here.” Jin has plans to major in about her hosting experience, Jennifer shared her thoughts: “Hosting International Relations in college. international students is, above all else, an exercise in self-reflection. Nichols supports its international students and families in By sharing activities of daily living with someone that subscribes to multiple ways. As Director of International Students, I meet with a different cultural paradigm, our own attitudes, expectations and these students on a regular basis and offer help and support to behaviors stand out in relief. We begin to recognize that every move we them. I also support faculty members if there are concerns on the make is informed by our beliefs about what is important, and that those academic side. We arrange for fun local activities to participate in habits of mind are very often borrowed from parents, grandparents as a group. I also talk to host families on a regular basis and give and so on. We have absorbed them imperceptibly over time. Hosting them support with the challenges of having an additional teen from students gives us pause to examine those parts of our lives that are so another culture living in their home. It is a constantly changing deeply engrained that they are not part of our consciousness.” and evolving relationship. Together as a team, the School and “It is a fascinating phenomenon that by endeavoring to learn about agency support these students’ needs and their host families while another people and culture, we end up learning more about our own!” they are here with us. It is such a joy and my pleasure to work she continued. “It is also both the most enriching part of being a host with these students and host families! What we all gain firsthand family and the most challenging. It can be a harsh awakening to the from the international experience is enriched understanding and sometimes irrational and strange habits that we collectively accept as a deeper awareness of global differences and similarities that we fundamental truths. Conversely, the process of exploring the ‘why’ of recognize can work together harmoniously, and hopefully offer a our cultural doctrine can be enlightening and growth-producing for small part to the larger efforts of gaining world peace.

Spring/Summer 2013

A Tribute to Rich by Nina Barone Nichols School was quite a different place before the arrival of Rick Bryan. The corner of Colvin and Amherst was home to the Upper School, while the Middle School sat on Nottingham. Today, one only needs to look around the Nichols campus to see what a positive impact Rick’s 31 years of leadership have made to the School. Beyond the physical transformation of the School, Nichols has garnered a fantastic amount of achievement in the 19 years that Rick has served as Head. Rick saw the School through three major Capital Campaigns, raising over $45 million for facility construction and renovation, endowment growth, technology infrastructure expansions and curricular innovation. He led the consolidation of the Middle School with the Upper School campus to bring the School together as “One Community.” His campaign leadership and strategic planning contributed to the construction of Regan and Donaldson Halls, The Scully Gymnasium, the Flickinger Performing Arts Center, the Class of 1963 Center for Mathematics and Science, Peek and Strauss Truscott Fields, improved parking and roadways, added campus green space and more.

So what was life like back in 1994 when Rick became Head of Nichols School? Here’s a bit of trivia as we take our journey back! 30

Nichols School

The Verdian dedication: Peter Cobb The Senior dedication: Rick Bryan

The President: Bill Clinton The Mayor of Buffalo: Anthony Masiello

The nation’s attention was captured by: The arrest of OJ Simpson and the attack on Nancy Kerrigan by Tanya Harding

chard C. Bryan With the increasingly rigorous and dynamic demands of tomorrow as a driving force, Rick oversaw curriculum transformations to develop the School’s 21st century core competencies beginning in 2005. Imagining what a Nichols education in 2020 would require, faculty conducted research and engaged in stimulating conversations on a continual basis in order to craft the thoughtful results. These ultimately led to exciting curricular innovations and programmatic advancements, including the addition of new courses, such as Chinese, Engineering and Computer Programming. The competencies focused on three main areas of a student’s development: in the classroom, as part of a community and individually. Rick has also spearheaded school-wide initiatives in environmental sustainability, known as the Big Green Initiative; taken global education to new heights with the expansion of the School’s international exchange programs, including the most recent addition of the Chinese exchange in Wuhan; and reawakened

a dedication to take multicultural awareness from theory to practice, straying from terms such as tolerance and acceptance, and focusing instead on inclusivity. Furthermore, his commitment to environmental initiatives led to the green roof of Center ’63 being named for him. Rick reveled in chances to bring the entire student body together in one room, with the Flickinger Performing Arts Center offering the space to enjoy school-wide gatherings, such as the annual Earth Day special assembly. Rick’s presence was undoubtedly felt in every area of Nichols. From calling the football games to being in the stands of basketball games, he was a regular cheerer for the Big Green. Last fall, the School dedicated The Bryan Booth in his honor. Remarkably, Rick was as much a champion for the arts as he was a lover of athletics. In the Flickinger Performing Arts Center, Rick could be found in one of the seats nearest to the front row, watching plays, listening to musicians and vocalists impress the audience, and delighting in

Super Bowl Champions: Dallas Cowboys

Stanley Cup Winner: New York Rangers

World Cup Winner: Brazil

World Series Champions: None, player strike!

NBA Champions: Houston Rockets

Time Magazine’s Man of the Year: Pope John Paul II

Top Movies of the year: “Forrest Gump,” “The Shawshank Redemption,” “Pulp Fiction,” “The Lion King” and “Dumb and Dumber” Spring/Summer 2013

the wonder of experiencing live art. He also enjoyed making trips to the Middle School Pond to watch the School’s youngest students have their moment in the limelight through grade level plays and even during Morning Meetings. When Rick arrived at Nichols in 1982 from Charlotte Country Day School, he served as Head of Upper School, a history teacher and Associate Headmaster. As he oversaw the Upper School, he recognized the chance to help the School grow in several areas, developing initiatives in community service, wellness and diversity. He expanded awareness of the School’s arts program and bolstered additional support for faculty to engage in professional development opportunities. In 1989, Rick received the William Nichols Award, which recognizes members of the faculty and staff who have significantly contributed to the overall quality of the Nichols education. Rick was recognized with an Honorary Alumni Award in 1996. These honors were bestowed upon Rick because of his tireless devotion to Nichols and his unwavering commitment to the values that make this community so special. Rick’s ease and comfort with forging genuine, meaningful relationships created a collection of important partnerships for the School. While leading Nichols, Rick maintained an array of professional affiliations and volunteer involvements himself, including serving on the Board of Directors for several education institutions and associations. In 1998, Rick co-founded the Buffalo Independent Secondary Schools Network known as BISSNET, and has served as its President of the Board until now. From 2001 to today, Rick has served on the James H. Cummings Foundation Board of Directors. After being an active member of the New

York State Association of Independent Schools for many years, NYSAIS was fortunate to benefit from Rick’s guidance while he served as President of the Board of Directors from 2007-2009; he also participated on and has led their Board for the Commission on Accreditation. Always a champion for education and readily willing to help neighbor schools, Rick served on the Board of Directors for Allendale Columbia School in Rochester, N.Y., from 2003-2006. Most recently, he joined the Boards of Tapestry Charter School and University School, his alma mater in Cleveland, Ohio, and returned to the Board of Buffalo Prep after a previous stint. Rick also served on the Board of Directors for the Western New York Cystic Fibrosis Foundation for many years, and acted as its President from 2010-2011. The School’s annual Middle School walk and fundraiser, “Friends of KC,” has raised $61,297.44 in the past decade since its start. With his busy professional life and community involvement, many members of the Nichols community marveled at his ability to be present at such a steady stream of Nichols events and applauded his effort to balance it all. Rick’s wife, Judith Brown Bryan, is widely considered the “First Lady of Nichols,” thanks to her steadfast commitment to Nichols. Judith came to nearly every event the School held, from Homecoming to alumni receptions, and opening her home to members of the Senior Class each year for their trademark “Senior Dinners.” Judith herself was named an Honorary Alumna of Nichols last June because of her constant support of the School and its community members. Their daughters, KC Bryan White ’97 and Virginia “Ginny” Bryan ’00, have been a big part of the Nichols community as well.

Most popular TV shows: “Seinfeld,” “E.R.,” “Home Improvement,” “Friends,” “Rugrats” and “America’s Funniest Home Videos”

Grammy award for Record of the Year: “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston

Nichols School

Most popular bands and recording artists: Bryan Adams, Bon Jovi, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Aerosmith, Boyz II Men and Janet Jackson

Technology buzz: The White House launched its first website and the world’s first satellite digital TV service launched

Rick leaves an impression on all those who know him. The following memories and stories are what some members of the Nichols community have to say about Rick: I met Rick Bryan the first day he came to Nichols for an interview in 1982. I was Director of Development at the time and was on the Search Committee, and I interviewed him for the job of Head of Upper School and knew right away that he was the man for the job. Fortunately he took that job and we worked together since then. Anyone who knows Rick knows he’s a great guy—he’s honest, trustworthy and just a terrific guy. He loves education and is passionate about it. He’s a history buff—he started as a history teacher, and that shows true. But I would say most of all, that he’s a family man. He loves his family—Judith, KC and Ginny—and he loves his school, Nichols. It has become a huge part of his family, as has his whole family. One of the things that makes Rick a great leader is his desire to make everyone succeed. He wants the kids to succeed and do their best, he wants the faculty to succeed…he wants to bring out the best in everyone and really prides himself on leading a school of great leaders. He always shines the lights on other people, not on him. I think Rick’s legacy will live on forever here at Nichols. One of the things he did right from the start and has continued to do all these years…he never quit, he never settled for status quo. He’s always looking to what he can do next. He never gets tired of his job and wakes up every day thinking about how he can make Nichols a better school. He’s built an incredible administrative team and a terrific faculty…he’s set a great tone at this school. It’s a happy place. Clearly his legacy will live on in these buildings and this incredible campus. Elizabeth Stevens Gurney ’75

The Cost for a stamp: $.29

Average movie ticket cost: $4.08

Average price for a gallon of gas: $1.09

Average cost of a new car: $12,350

I’ve known Rick for over 30 years, which is hard to believe…his two girls are my daughters’ best friends, and Rick, Judith, Ginna and I have been very close friends for that time. Rick is very engaging and a wonderful listener. He gets to the core of who someone is and makes them feel special, and that’s what he’s done for all of Nichols School. He’s very collegial. He works with his colleagues and brings everyone along so they’re making the decision together. He’s ultimately the key decision maker, but everyone is willing to support him when he makes the decision. The legacy of Rick Bryan will be an extraordinary chapter. It spans over 30 years and many of us are proud to come on the campus and see how beautiful it is…the part that is greatest is how proud the alumni are of this community, and how strongly they support it. Ted Walsh ’72

I have so many wonderful and important memories of Mr. Bryan. His unwavering belief in me, a troubled and trouble-making teenage girl, made it possible for me to make it through high school. I am sure there were many times he wanted to just give up on me, but he never did. He was tough, sincere, and a true believer in all of us. Mr. Bryan impacted my life in a very meaningful way and for that I am grateful. Enjoy your retirement – you have earned it! Jennifer Nisengard Payne ’88

Notable world events: The Channel Tunnel was opened, connecting England and France. The Irish Republican Army and Northern Ireland declare a

cease fire. Nelson Mandela is elected president of South Africa in their first interracial presidential election. Spring/Summer 2013

One of my first wrestling matches in the Laettner gym comes to mind. After the match, Rick congratulated each one of us on our efforts. I’ll never forget how cool it was that the Head of School took time out of his day to watch my match and even stay after to praise our efforts. That personal attention and support was always evident in his character. He was a hands-on individual with tremendous people skills. You would be hard pressed to find a similar role model in other institutions. Nick Wagner ’05

Rick is a people person…During his time, he did a lot: he taught, he coached and he managed. He understands what educational teaching is about. The visual legacy he leaves is what you see with the shape of campus, the buildings and grounds, but behind the scenes, Rick made faculty members comfortable and made teaching fun. Rick’s great qualities are his sense of humor and his empathy. He reads people well and he’s always been approachable. I only feel sorry he has missed out on some of the fun. With him nobly handling all the School’s business, he has had very little of the joy that comes from the energy and humor of the classroom in recent years. Larry Desautels

Nichols School

The year was 1989 and it was the first day of freshman year. I had dutifully locked up all of my textbooks and belongings in my new locker...with my new lock. Unfortunately with all of my nervousness about starting in a new school, etc., I could not recall the lock combination. The locker room was thinning out and I began to panic. Announcements were starting soon. I didn’t know what to do. In a daze, I hightailed it out of there toward the freshman study hall room and ran into Mr. Bryan. He saw the terror on my face and asked me what was wrong. I explained while fighting back tears of embarrassment. He set out for the school bookstore where I had purchased the lock, and came to find me in the study hall room with my combination scribbled on a piece of paper: 26-4-18 (of course 23 years later, I still remember!). What a tremendous sense of relief. Thanks Mr. Bryan for going above and beyond the call of duty to help a panicking freshman on the first day of school - you made the day tremendously better! Christina Vladutiu Vaughan ’93

Back in the day when the current dance studio was the black box theater we held dance performances in that space. During some kind of private social meeting, Jack Walsh bet Rick $500.00 (I think that was the amount) to appear in tights in my dance concert in front of the public. Ever eager to go the extra pirouette for Nichols, Rick asked me if I could help. I thought of a way to make it all happen. We were working on dance history and shapes you can make with your body. I remembered the legendary choreographer Alwin Nikolai and his “Movement bags.” I also happened to have some lovely adult sized blue spandex unitards. A costume now similar to those for speed skaters. This was of course way ahead of the fashion curve in top

level athletic circles. Rick came to several rehearsals and learned some shape choreography and became part of the ensemble. Finally the show arrives. He made his entrance in a fantastic blue movement bag and matching unitard. He was clearly a fully participating member of the ensemble. Rick made fantastic shapes coordinated with the students and the music. His artistic enthusiasm generated much awareness in the crowd. There was a murmur who was the performer in the bag. At the end of the work the lights went black the cast members quickly assembled in a line to receive their deserved applause. Low and behold Richard C. Bryan was in his smashing blue lycra in the center smiling and bowing – Jack Walsh ’63, I believe, was also in attendance, grinning from ear to ear – but down $500.00. Elaine Gardner

When I was a Nichols student from 1990 to 1994, Rick was the Head of the Upper School. He was deeply involved in the daily running of the school, and in the students’ lives. My memories of Rick are of a firm, caring leader with a great sense of humor and a warm heart. I always felt like Rick cared about me as an individual and that my successes or failures were important to him. On numerous occasions throughout my time at Nichols, he went out of his way to congratulate me on a wrestling victory, to discuss music or sports for a few minutes, and to help me as I was preparing my college applications. I know that he did the same for others and that they are as appreciative as I am of his efforts on our behalf. I wish him all the very best as he moves on. Paul S. Greenman ’94

I reconnected with Nichols when I attended an alumni event in NYC 14 years ago. It was there I had the opportunity to spend some time getting to know Rick. I had heard great things from Nichols students about all the constructive changes which obviously continued to take place under his leadership. Even though my illustrious high school career didn’t finish at Nichols, Rick spent a disproportionate amount of time getting to know me. Whenever I get the rare chance to visit with him, we pick up right where we left off. Talk about creating interest and respect from so many for Nichols School. Rick’s character, sincerity and abilities will be sorely missed by this school he, and those he motivated around him, leave in such strong shape. Adie Jewett ’73

As a freshman at Nichols in the basement of Albright, my best friend Donny Arthur ’06 told me that John Hadala ’06 was using the restroom and had been in there for a considerable amount of time. At this point, I decided to turn the lights off and prank John leaving him in complete darkness to finish his business. Turns out I was the victim of the prank, and the person using the bathroom was indeed Rick Bryan. Rick exited the bathroom swearing vengeance upon the executor of the aforementioned prank. He had no idea who it was and nobody spoke a word to him. I have lived with this secret for roughly 10 years and feel that his departure from Nichols is the perfect time to come clean and willingly accept any retribution seem fit from Rick Bryan. …I am truly sorry, Rick. Sean Heidinger ’07

Spring/Summer 2013

Nichols has been very lucky to have Rick Bryan firmly at the helm for so long. Research shows that a major indicator for the success of independent schools is a long serving Head who has the support of the significant constituencies: students, teachers, parents, alums. Above all, the relationship of the School Head with the Board is a key indicator of excellence. Clearly, Nichols and Rick have together thrived over the last decades since his arrival in Buffalo in 1982. But beyond the Niagara Frontier, you should know that Rick has received great recognition for his leadership across the state and the country. As Head of the Board of Trustees of the New York State Association for Independent Schools, he represented us all well. As his successor in that post, I observed Rick brought fairness, discipline and wit to the meetings and proceedings of NYSAIS. Rick is also one of a handful of independent school heads across the country to have been elected, by his peers, to membership in both the Headmasters Association and the Country Day School Headmasters Association. Each national organization is limited to 100 active members; fortunately both have included women in their membership since the 1970s. One point of local pride: as “Country Day” observes the centennial of its founding in the 201213 school year, it is interesting to note that the first two annual meetings were held on the Nichols School campus in June of 1912 and 1913. The convener was Joseph D. Allen, Nichols’ second Headmaster. In his excellent and encyclopedic history titled “Nichols School: A Century of Tradition and Change, 1892-1991,” former faculty member, John M. Sessions ’62, includes a description of CDSHA founder, J. D. Allen. [He had a] “genial manner and warm personality.... The keen zest of living, the joy of doing, add a dynamic quality to the personality of this scholar and gentleman.” I believe the same can be said of Headmaster Rick Bryan. Congratulations! Steve Clement ’62

Nichols School

When reflecting back on Rick’s 30 years at the helm of our beloved school, his contributions are staggering, indeed. Others will describe and outline the impressive list but let’s focus on the individual—his personality, humanity, sensitivity, dedication and sense of humor—all exercised and dispensed willingly and with great verve. Just after his arrival, he was faced with simultaneous professional and personal challenges. Almost any other person might have been overwhelmed and opted out but not Rick! He seized the opportunity and seemed more motivated to attack each facet with a resolve and determination that were as impressive as they were contagious. To this day, had he not “held it all together,” the School just may have faced a severe crisis. Not only did he demonstrate great and necessary leadership, but he dispensed it with a sense of humor and clarity which motivated and inspired the entire community. His career was filled with many “peaks and valleys,” to quote the ol’ great one! He refereed countless “Pillsbury bake offs” that involved many individuals expressing territorial claims for a variety of wants, needs and of course personal priorities and preferences. Ah the turf battles—long may they endure! Behind the scenes, he was a skilled negotiator trading this for that and exchanging that for this. He made many difficult decisions, never pleasing all involved while maintaining the respect he merited always keeping the School as his top priority. And oh those infamous Dean’s lunches when we reviewed the previous academic year and those individuals who made each one so very memorable! Mr. Glue as Poncho was labeled during those initial difficult years when Nichols was preoccupied with stressful internal issues, kept all of us focused with our appropriate responsibilities and duties never losing focus of the ultimate goal. In 1982, when the Board began the search for a new Head, was there any doubt who would be named? Mr. Glue of course! In retrospect, it was one of the very best decisions it ever made. The outcome speaks for itself! Rick saw both daughters graduate from Nichols, his wife Judith ordained as minister and Tater emerge as the unofficial school mascot. Rick’s footprints

are everywhere and his legacy will endure throughout the School’s history. We are indebted to him for all he has done and been for Nichols. He has worn his mantel with dignity and compassion. His physical presence will be missed but never his impact. Steve Moscov

Rick is a compassionate, hardworking man who has dedicated so much of his life to our wonderful school. I think he can talk about Nichols until he is blue in the face. He doesn’t stop, and that makes it so clear how much he loves this place. I know I’ll miss him a lot. Jesse Baier ’05

I first remember Rick Bryan when I moved to the Upper School campus from Nottingham in the fall of 1986. “Hats off gentlemen!” he would boom. I remember thinking this is a pretty serious dude. He had that classic Mr. Bryan side-part in his hair and some stern looking eyebrows. Honestly, I was intimidated by Rick. However, throughout my time at Nichols and afterward as an alumnus, it became clear that Rick is far more than a serious dude. He is a smiling, laughing and most importantly a caring educator. Nichols has done well by Rick. Most curiously when one sees Mr. Bryan these days he looks exactly the same as when I arrived on the Upper School campus my freshman year. Is it me? Rick Bryan is timeless! What does he do to preserve himself? Does he really have to retire??? Knowing that Rick Bryan was at Nichols kept so many of us feeling like our Nichols experience wasn’t so long ago. Say it ain’t so. Nichols will miss you, Mr. Bryan! Ted Cotsen ’90

Few understand the work, pressure, anxiety and human toll that converge on a Head of School during the course of a career. If we are lucky and good at what we do, our various constituencies see only a seemingly effortless exhibition of a school’s unfolding reality. Yet even in a spectacular career, the work of a leader is fraught with difficulty, complexity, anguish and uncertainty. It can be a lonely and difficult job. I say this to underline the generosity, grace and spirit Rick Bryan shared with Nichols throughout his career, but particularly in his 19 years as Head. Anyone who knows Rick Bryan understands the essential humanity, dignity and humility of the man. His accomplishments over a 19-year Head career at Nichols are magnificent: the cultivation of a great faculty, the development of plans that honor the integrity and beauty of the historic campus; the continued emergence of Nichols as a nationally respected and admired day school; the support of a bright, diverse and talented student body; the successful completion of capital efforts to sustain and strengthen the mission. Yet in the end, we honor and celebrate Rick’s consistent commitment to the human side of the Nichols’ experience. He made time to honor, support, guide and mentor all members of the extended Nichols’ community. He set an example of independent school leadership, civic engagement and a life of hope, optimism and collaboration. He decided that his tenure as Headmaster would be one that met the essential challenges of a world undergoing profound changes. He was open to change, to innovation and to creative approaches to 21st century education. Yet, he held fast to the values and principles that his predecessors like Mr. Boocock embraced. And so we who worked beside him during his career count him as a friend, a mentor and a source of courage and inspiration. I hope Nichols will join me in thanking him for sharing his life with us. Daniel T. Roach, Jr.’75

Spring/Summer 2013

“Nichols made me realize the importance of college preparation. It didn’t become apparent how different my education experience was in the classrooms until I left Nichols. Nichols laid the groundwork by giving me the skill set and confidence to move forward and be successful. The least I can do is contribute back to the Nichols’ community to ensure that continues for generations to come.” Nick Wagner ’05

To donate to 2012-2013 The Nichols Fund, vist www.nicholsschool.org/give

Of nearly 5,000 Nichols alumni around the world, did you know that…? • 2,400 alumni live outside of Western New York • New York City, Boston, San Francisco and Washington D.C. are home to our highest four concentrations of alumni in the U.S.A. respectively • Los Angeles, Florida, Chicago and Philadelphia host the next highest concentrations of Nichols alumni

Our online Alumni Directory allows you to search for alumni by name, class year, industry and now by region. In addition, as a member of a particular region, you can message all of your fellow Nichols alumni in that same region with the click of a button. In order to access the Alumni Directory and Regional Alumni pages you must first log-in to the alumni website. Visit www. nicholsschool.org/alumni today.

Happy networking! 38

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Sport Focus

The team celebrates following their CISAA league championship win.

Boys’ Varsity Squash: New Kids on the Block by Charlie Barth ’06

The Conference of Independent Schools Athletic Association Squash Championships, held at the National Squash Academy in Toronto, Ontario, is a grueling day of squash. The day starts promptly at 9:00 a.m. when players disperse to their assigned courts to meet each of six different opponents over the course of seven hours. The Nichols team has been physically and mentally preparing for this day all season; a demanding match schedule coupled with more than the occasional court sprint after practice was about to pay off. To help the team step up the conditioning, alumnus, Peter Marlette ’06, fresh off a stint of professional soccer overseas, has been a fixture at Monday practices, putting the team through a variety of demanding strength, speed and endurance exercises. The team was confident and ready. After dispatching Crescent School, 6-3; Ridley College, 9-0; Upper Canada College, 9-0; Trinity College School, 6-3; and Appleby College, 9-0, the team faced six-time defending champions St. Andrew’s College, which was fittingly the only obstacle that remained in the way of a Nichols CISAA Championship. The first four players to get their matches underway were captains Greg Vanderhorst ’13 and David Sherris ’13, along with Leyton Johnston ’16 and Matthew Sherris ’15, all of whom were unbeaten on the day thus far. Each player dropped a hard fought first game against a formidable opponent. The team was now facing an uphill battle. However, the Nichols team met adversity without hesitation; all four of our players rallied to 2-1 victories in their respective best out of

three matches. Along with methodical 2-0 wins by Fred Maynor ’14 and John Bassett ’14, the team was on its way to a 6-3 win, and the first CISAA Squash Championship in the School’s history. Andrew Wolney ’14, Colin Hogan ’14, Jack Vanderhorst ’18 and Zach Cole ’14 rounded out the team in the finals, while varsity players Michael Montante ’13, Nathaniel Hughes ’14 and Matthew Hogan ’15 all contributed during the regular season. It was a gutsy performance to say the least, but simply winning was not as impressive as the way in which the team won. Led on the court by Leyton and John, the team is not short on skill, but every player showed an incredible respect for the game over the course of the season. With strong leadership from the captains and upperclassmen, composure and etiquette came naturally to this group of young men, and they represented Nichols School brilliantly with their conduct on and off the court. Two days later, the team finished an undefeated season in the Buffalo High School League by winning the Buffalo High School Championships with an 8-1 victory over Canisius High School. The team finished 26-3, and several players enjoyed tremendous success both for the team and individually in national tournaments across the United States. One of the hardest things to do in sports is to defend a title, but with next year’s captains, John and Fred, leading a strong returning team, Nichols will be hard to beat.

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Nannie Clough, Kaela Parentis ’17, Kendra Jones ’17, Bill Clough, Dylan Hall ’18, Tommy Elia ’17, Jack Pfalzgraf ’17, Brian Tank ’17 and Michael Berdysiak ’18

Getting to Know Bill Clough by Nina Barone Following a national search for the successor of Rick Bryan, the Board of Trustees elected Bill Clough as the twelfth Head of School. Bill comes to us from Berkshire School in Sheffield, Mass., where he has been working in administrative roles since 2004. He is currently the Acting Head at Berkshire while the Head of School is on sabbatical, and he previously served as the Associate Head of School. Prior to that, he was the Assistant Head of School and Dean of Faculty. Berkshire has grown tremendously during his time there. Bill holds two master’s degrees, one in education from Harvard University, and another in English from the Bread Loaf School of English at Middlebury College. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Colby College, and is a graduate of Holderness School in Plymouth, N.H. Prior to Berkshire, Bill was Head of Program at Exploration Senior Program, a three-week summer enrichment program for over 1,400 high school students entering grades 1012, held on the campus of Yale University in New Haven, Conn.

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Earlier in his career, he held faculty positions and coached at Tabor Academy in Marion, Mass., and Kent’s Hill School in Readfield, Maine. He and his wife, Nannie, have three children, Elias, Rawson and Eva. In his initial letter to the committee, Bill wrote: “Young people won’t risk doing anything worthwhile unless the adults in their lives model the way, so their teachers must be risk-takers themselves, committed to excellence, willing to try and even fail.” This deep commitment to students and to teaching resonated with all who met Bill, and we are thrilled to call him our next Head of School. Please join us in welcoming Bill and his family to the Nichols community. What motivated you most to consider leading Nichols? I’ve always known Nichols to be one of the premier day schools in the country. Also, my brother in law, Kurt Weber ’82, is a graduate of Nichols, so I’ve heard wonderful things about the School from him.

“I can think of no one more qualified than Bill Clough to lead Nichols School at this time. Bill has been preparing for this job all of his professional life, and he has the skills, energy, integrity and vision to do a terrific job.” Steve Norman, President of the Board of Trustees at Berkshire School; former Secretary and Officer of the American Express Company

that Nichols is reaching beyond the boundaries of Western New York to schools from other countries while serving its obligation to its own community. These partnerships are critical, and it’s exciting to imagine where we will allow research and technology to take us next. The trick, of course, is not to lose sight of our greatest responsibility: to help Nichols graduates to be decent, humane people who are committed to improving the world. The School’s mission places the responsibility of teaching character and service directly on our shoulders, and I like that it does.

After your first visit, what attracted you most to the School? The people. I was blown away by their kindness, passion and pride. I was looking for a strong sense of community, and I felt it immediately at Nichols. It is clear that people love the school and the city of Buffalo. How will your experiences at Berkshire serve you as Head of Nichols? I am fortunate to work with a team of bright, selfless people at Berkshire School who care deeply about kids and work impossibly hard to serve them. As Dean of Faculty and Associate Head of School, I have had my hand in just about every aspect of school life at Berkshire. Through thick and thin, we have kept our students’ best interest at the forefront of every decision we make, and I know that the same is true at Nichols. I feel fortunate to be trusted to serve the school on the heels of Rick Bryan’s impressive tenure as he’s clearly done a remarkable job.

What do you consider the most important virtue in a person? Integrity.

Bill Clough, incoming Head of School, and his wife, Nannie, meet with alumni on Wednesday, April 24.

What is your favorite part about being an independent school leader? I love hanging out with kids, that’s the easy answer. As a school leader, I can generate climate and culture, and this is my favorite part of the job. I like building teams, and I’ve found that I’m good at it.

Who is your hero or biggest influence in life? Without question my family and I mean that in the broadest sense. I am inspired and motivated by them.

Is there anything else you want people to know about you? I want people to know that I’m going to need their help and that I’m going to ask for it. I’m coming to Nichols because I want to serve the School and the greater Buffalo community. I’m interested in partnering with people who share the same commitment.

What major opportunities do you see for the School right now? There are so many. Like all schools, Nichols will have to continue to reimagine itself while holding on dearly to its traditions. The sense of history is palpable at Nichols, and this is something that attracted me to the School, but I like that Nichols is adapting to a changing world. This is necessary and prudent. The Class of 1963 Center for Mathematics and Science is an extraordinary statement about what the School values. Your students are doing important research, and there will only be more opportunities for this. I like

Save the Date: Join us on Friday, Oct. 4, 2013 for the Convocation to install Bill Clough as the twelfth Head of School

Spring/Summer 2013

After Nichols

Nicole Mansfield ’01 by Blake Walsh ’98 Nicole Mansfield ’01 recently participated in the Whitewater Grand Prix held in Chile in 2012, competing against female kayakers from all over the world. Sponsored by Pyranha Kayaks, she has been competing in white water kayaking events for many years. The event brought together 30 of the world’s best white water kayakers to compete in 5 events over a 14 day period. Nicole placed 6th overall among the women. She has also been featured in a video made about the women competing in the Grand Prix. A graduate of Dartmouth College, she currently resides in the city of White Salmon, Wash. What are you up to now? I recently moved to the Columbia Gorge area, which will be an ideal base to plan my next adventures while maintaining access to year-round white water kayaking and a plethora of other outdoor activities. I spent November through January 2012 kayaking throughout Chile, two weeks of which were devoted to competing in the Whitewater Grand Prix, an invite only, five-stage extreme kayaking race event. Relishing the experience of exploring new zones, I have lived in Alaska, Utah and Colorado, and traveled all across the world including Uganda, South Africa, Chile, New Zealand, Costa Rica, Mexico and Europe. For three summers, I toured the United States in a van with other Team Pyranha paddlers promoting the kayak brand, fostering the sport, and competing in freestyle and race events. With a focus on white water kayaking, I hope to visit an ever-expanding list of places within the U.S. and across the globe. Did anything from your time at Nichols inspire your career path? The Costa Rican exchange program I participated in during my senior year was a catalyst for my career path. It was the first time I was truly forced out of my comfort zone: living with a family with whom I could barely communicate; experiencing a different culture and lifestyle; taking cold showers; and eating mayonnaise-dressed French fries. Coincidently, a rafting trip on the Sarapiqui was also the first time I was exposed to white water. During those two weeks in Costa Rica, I discovered that I loved exploring new places and meeting new people. Then, when I tried white water kayaking in a college physical education course, I was instantly hooked on the thrill. White water kayaking continues to challenge me physically and mentally and has taken me to some incredible spots. If the sport ever starts to bore me I will adjust my life’s focus. But until that time, I am motivated to continue the adventure and share this passion for the outdoor world with the hope that others may be similarly inspired. 42

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What advice do you have for others who may want to work in your field? Always pay attention to people’s guidance and recommendations, but ultimately listen to yourself and trust your instincts. I also advocate always being open to trying new things because you never know where or when you will discover your true passions. Growing up in Buffalo, I never knew white water kayaking existed, so I can guarantee nobody would have recommended this lifestyle to me. College exposed me to a whole different world. Find what inspires you and pursue it, no matter how unrealistic or unfitting it may seem. If you want to be a white water kayaker, kayak every chance you can get! What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment? I’d have to say that my greatest accomplishment thus far has been managing to graduate from college with a double major while simultaneously discovering white water kayaking (which has been an addiction from the start). In college, I was constantly conflicted between pursuing my outdoor passions and studying for my major that had nothing to do with this new lifestyle I had found. How did Nichols prepare you for college and life beyond college? Throughout my eight years of attendance, Nichols taught me to attack the world with critical and creative thinking, [and gave me a strong foundation in] math, reading and writing. But, the values of dedication, determination and teamwork, have proved to be the essential elements for my college career and achieving my postcollege goals.

William Nichols Society The William Nichols Society honors all persons who have advised us that they have named Nichols in their will, a trust or other estate plan. A bequest to Nichols School is a gift that represents the donorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s concern for and commitment to the Schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s excellence in education. The William Nichols Society cites and honors all persons who have named Nichols School in their estate plans, usually by will or trust. Bequests were first tracked in our giving records as a specific category in 1991. Since then, Nichols has received 62 bequests totaling $4,230,748.67. Following are the names of alumni, parents, grandparents, faculty, staff and friends who are members of the William Nichols Society. Please note that (D) represents a deceased member.

Alumni Class of 1914 Mr. Clark T. Roberts (D) Class of 1916 Mr. Edward B. Archbald (D) Class of 1921 Mr. Harry D. Yates (D) Class of 1924 Mr. Robert L. Crane (D) Class of 1926 Mr. Wilcox B. Adsit (D) Mr. Hubert L. Perry (D) Class of 1929 Hon. Henry P. Smith III (D) Dr. Robert Warner (D) Class of 1931 Mr. Matthew N. Hayes (D) Mr. George B. Kellogg (D) Mr. Julian R. Oishei (D) Class of 1932 Dr. Warren R. Montgomery, Jr. (D) Mr. Harry B. Pinkerton, Jr. (D) Mr. Philip M. Schneckenburger (D) Class of 1933 Mr. Richard R. Chellas (D) Mr. Bryant H. Prentice, Jr. (D) Class of 1936 Mr. Scott McFarland (D) Class of 1937 Mr. Karr Parker, Jr. (D) Class of 1938 Mr. Richard E. Moot Mr. Robert S. Scheu (D) Mr. Edward C .Schlenker, Jr. (D) Class of 1939 Mr. Thomas H. Danforth (D)

Mr. Richard P. Hunt (D) Mr. John N.Walsh, Jr. (D) Class of 1940 Mr. James G. Hurley (D) Class of 1941 Mr. Edwin C. Andrews (D) Mr. John Brady (D) Mr. John P. Halstead Mr. R. Alfred Kirchhofer (D) Mr. Richard C. Smith (D) Mr. S. Thompson Viele Mr. Murray W. Warner (D) Class of 1942 Mr. Roderic B. MacDonald (D) Mr. Donald S. Rumsey (D) Mr. Edward M. Scheu, Jr. (D) Class of 1943 Mr. Allen Short Mr. Edward F. Walsh Class of 1944 Mr. Fulton M. Cooke Mr. John R. Griffis (D) Mr. E.W. Dann Stevens (D) Class of 1945 Mr. John P. Hoffman (D) Dr. James M. Orr (D) Mr. Donald B. Scully (D)

Class of 1948 Mr. Walter G. Goldstein (D) Mr. Charles S. Lauer Mr. William H. Orr Mr. Malcolm Strachan II Mr. Mortimer A. Sullivan, Jr. Mr. Henry D. Waters Class of 1949 Mr. Richard W. Cutting Mr. Robert E. Dillon (D) Mr. William H. Donaldson Mr. Hoyt M. Long (D) Dr. J. David Schnatz Dr. Bernard D. Wakefield Mr. Reginald V. Williams, Jr. Mr. Charles L. Yeager Class of 1950 Mr. Thomas R. Flickinger Mr. Charles W. Millard Class of 1951 Mr. James M. Dillon Mr. Stephen S. Gurney Mr. Edwin M. Johnston, Jr. Mr. David W. McCain Mr. William J. Regan, Jr. Mr. Alfred W. Rossow, Jr. Mr. Roger D. Severance Mr. Richard W. Shaughnessy Mr. John H. Wood (D) Class of 1952 Mr. Harold M. Graham (D) Mr. Richard W. Miller (D)

Class of 1946 Mr. Lawrence Osgood Dr. Ray G. Schiferle Class of 1947 Mr. Whitworth Ferguson, Jr. (D) Mr. Rodney W. Gartner Mr. William F. Kimberly, Jr. (D) Mr. Allan S. Lerner (D) Mr. Carlton K. Nicholson Mr. John G. Putnam, Jr. (D) Mr. Calvin G. Rand Mr. John A. Williams Mr. G. Frederick Zeller, Jr. (D)

Class of 1953 Mr. Willard C. Frank, Jr. Class of 1954 Mr. Denis Doyle Mr. James H. Park Mr. Kalman Ruttenstein (D) Mr. Albert B. Wende Mr. C. Penn Wettlaufer (D)

continued on next page

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Class of 1955 Mr. Wyndham Eaton Dr. John M. Wadsworth Class of 1957 Mr. F. Peter Boer Dr. James R. Cole Mr. James W. Greene II Mr. John B. Henry Dr. Charles A. Smith II Mr. David Wharton III (D) Class of 1958 Mr. Stuart H. Angert Dr. William F. Clayton Mr. Howard T. Saperston, Jr. Class of 1959 Mr. John W. Henrich Class of 1960 Mr. William N. Hudson, Jr. Mr. Donald W. Koch (D) Mr. Robert E. Raiser Class of 1961 Mr. Richard B. Adams Mr. G. Robert Moeschler, Jr. Mr. Kenneth M. Neil Class of 1962 Mr. Robert P. Lentz III Class of 1963 Mr. Warren B. Gelman Mr. William B. Loweth Dr. L. Sandy Maisel Mr. John N. Walsh III Class of 1964 Mr. P. Jeffrey Birtch Mr. Howard L. Schweitzer Mr. Kevin M. Wyckoff Class of 1965 Mr. Richard B. Benson Class of 1966 Mr. Theodore C. Jewett II Mr. Bertram B. Parker Mr. John A. Mitchell Mr. Robert F. Rahn Class of 1969 Mr. Jerry S. Ivers Mr. Frederick J. Lyle Mr. John J. Cordes Class of 1970 Mr. William G. Gisel, Jr. Mr. Edward W. Suor

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Class of 1972 Mr. John Mineo Mr. Edward F. Walsh, Jr. Mr. Denis T. Wettlaufer Class of 1974 Mrs. Eliz. Rydzynski Hulley Mr. Gregory D. Stevens Class of 1975 Mr. Neal V. Fatin III Mrs. Elizabeth Stevens Gurney Mr. George G. Smith III Class of 1976 Mr. Brian D. Dillon Ms. Katharine Jebb Norton Mr. Stephen J. Wydysh Class of 1977 Mr. John C. Farmelo Mrs. Anne Desbecker Sofarelli Class of 1978 Mrs. Stacey Fell Milne Class of 1979 Mr. Jeffrey T. Clifford Class of 1980 Sen. Donna M. Nesselbush Dr. R. Reed Stevens Class of 1984 Ms. Susan E. Hanifin Miss Joy C. Trotter Class of 1987 Mr. Mark H. Yellen Class of 1988 Mrs. Leah E. Hughes Class of 1990 Mr. W. Scott Saperston Class of 1991 Mr. Kenneth R. Robinson Class of 1992 Capt. Elizabeth Boll-Faris

Faculty and Staff Mr. Richard C. Bryan, Jr. Dr. Anne R. Clauss Mr. Neil R. Farmelo Mr. Guy M. Johnson (D) Mr. H. Richard MacKinder (D) Mr. Millard Sessions (D) Ms. Mary Sykes Mr. Albert Sutter (D) Mrs. Ginna Walsh

Friends Mr. David K. Anderson (D) Mrs. Marian C. Arms (D) Mr. Charles E. Balbach Mrs. Margaret C. Balbach (D) Mr. James Benson (D) Mr. Keith A. Blakeley Rev. Judith B. Bryan Mr. David N. Campbell Mrs. Gay Campbell Mr. Joseph J. Castiglia Mrs. Virginia L. Duffy (D) Mrs. Doris Farmelo Mrs. Sue Gardner Mrs. Patricia Gelman Mrs. Marion Goodyear (D) Dr. Lewis J. Greenky (D) Mrs. Patricia H. Haines (D) Mr. Richard M. Hemenway (D) Mrs. Gerald B. Henry (D) Mrs. Margaret W. Henry (D) Mr. Sherlock A. Herrick, Jr. Mr. Charles R. Hoff Mrs. James G. Hurley Mr. Clinton F. Ivins, Jr. Mrs. Thomas A. Jebb Mr. N. Michael Keiser (D) Mr. Chauncey C. Kennedy Mrs. Patricia M. Kennedy Mrs. Jean Knox Mr. Seymour H. Knox III (D) Dr. Richard Lee Dr. Oscar J. Llugany Mrs. Kate Ennis Mabette (D) Mrs. Claire McGowan Mrs. Garfield L. Miller, Jr. Mrs. Elizabeth S. Mitchell Mrs. Alice L. Peek Mrs. Jane Perry (D) Mrs. Sharon A. Randaccio Mr. Wayne R. Reilly Mrs. Mary Saperston Mrs. Martha S. Scheu (D) Mrs. Carolyn Schnatz Mrs. Catherine Schweitzer Mrs. Alma C. Scully Mr. Robert L. Stone Mrs. Marilyn Stradella (D) Mr. Gerald R. Strauss Mrs. Sue W. Strauss Mrs. Harlan J. Swift (D) Mr. Christopher Wadsworth Ms. Peggy Jane Wells (D)

Old Guard Luncheon A.

On Dec. 7, 2012, over 60 Nichols alumni from the 50th Reunion classes and older returned to campus for the third annual Old Guard Luncheon in the Rand Dining Room. A. Rick Bryan addresses the Old Guard B. Fred Cohen ’61 and Ken Kahn ’58 C. Jack Karet ’52, Fred Batson ’46, George Laub ’46, Toby Strachan ’48 and David Strachan ’51 D. Dennis McCarthy ’52, Roger Dayer ’52 and Ed Walsh ’43 E. Russell Osborn ‘43 and Fred Cooley ’57

Spring/Summer 2013

B. B.

Boston Alumni Gathering Nov. 1, 2012

Hosted by Chris Gabrieli ’77 and his wife, Hilary Bacon, at their home in Beacon Hill. 46

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A. Nick Osinski ’12, Lindsay Wright ’12, Harrison Bacon ’12 and Michael Gates ’12 B. Hilary Bacon & Chris Gabrieli ’77 with Head of School, Rick Bryan and wife, Judith Bryan C. Ellie Beasley Walsh ’99 and Haley DeCarlo ’00 D. Ray Sullivan, Megan Brott Sullivan ’82 and Scott Aquilina ’80

Washington, D.C. Alumni Gathering

A. Cindy Woods and Steve Ruotsi ’06

Jan. 17, 2013

B. George Matthews ’01 and Carl LeVan ’88 C. Michael Miller & Ellen Considine Miller ’81 and Emily Donowick ’05

Hosted by Ellen Considine Miller ’81 and her husband, Michael Miller, at their home in Washington, D.C.

D. Allison LeVan Gersch ’84, Heidi Rauch ’87, Rick Bryan and Paul Tourbaf ’87

Spring/Summer 2013

San Francisco Alumni Gathering March 6, 2013

Hosted by the Nichols Alumni Office at The University Club of San Francisco 48

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A. Tim Brennan ’68 and Jack Wendler ’56 B. Ted Cotsen ’90, Leslie Biltekoff Myers ’93 and Chris Wilkens ’89 C. Rebecca Goodstein, Amanda Ramsey, Megan Carbone Steven ’96 and Kyle Walsh ’95 D. Andy ’61 and Molly Fleischman E. Fred Strachan ’76, Cameron Crone Bilger ’76 and Bob Lentz ’62

Students volunteer at the Community Action Organization’s greenhouse.

Club Profile:

Eco-Schools By Kevin Powers It has been a remarkably productive year for Nichols’ EcoSchools group. We’ve spent a lot of time and energy performing meaningful environmental service and forging strong relationships with community organizations active throughout Western New York. The goal was to get off of campus, perform community service, and to begin to make a difference in our city and region. There’s still a lot of work to be done, but we have made tremendous strides this year. Did you know that there is a large urban farm just blocks from the Nichols campus? Several of the photos included on these pages display our work. Since September, many of our most ecologically-conscious students have spent their Thursday afternoons and Saturday mornings (early Saturday mornings!) performing valuable community service at an urban farm located on the grounds of the Erie County Community Action Organization’s Green Entrepreneurial Center (CAO-GEC), located at 70 Harvard Pl., in the City of Buffalo. Through our service, we’ve learned about urban agriculture and organic gardening in partnership with the CAO staff and AmeriCorps volunteers. EcoSchool work projects have included helping to construct a large outdoor composting facility, replacing the roof of one of the CAO’s three on-site greenhouses, assisting in the installation of a hydroponic growing bed, and planting and harvesting chard, lettuce,

peppers and other produce – we worked, grew and harvested even during the coldest weeks of winter! This spring, our Eco-Schools group also worked to forge a second off-campus connection with another local environmental organization. On Saturday, March 9, we took part in a “toxic tour” of Tonawanda led by the Clean Air Coalition of Western New York. CAC Executive Director, Erin Heaney, took time out of her busy schedule as one of our leading local environmental activists to educate Eco-School students about the science and politics of air quality monitoring and also about local efforts to improve environmental and human health in the industrial neighborhoods of our community. Our tour of Tonawanda and Buffalo’s West Side neighborhoods was eye-opening. We A. are looking forward to deepening our connections through environmental service with the Clean Air Coalition in the coming months and into the next school year. We are excited to continue to build upon these community relationships. As a result of our community service work, the Eco-Schools Club has already received a $2,000 grant from the HSBC Bank Eco-School Initiative and a $300 grant from the Sierra Club Niagara Chapter. We are also working toward a $500 award from the Sustainable Earth Solutions’ Young Adult Environmental Leadership Program. The staff at the CAO urban farm has selected Nichols as the lead high school in its new Students Understanding Nutrition program. So, in the coming year we will be deepening our engagement with our community partners at CAO-GEC, at the Clean Air Coalition and elsewhere. Things are looking up for Eco-Schools! Questions? Want to get involved? B. Contact Eco-Schools advisor, Kevin Powers, at kpowers@nicholsschool.org. A. Disha Yellayi ’15 gardens during a trip to CAO. B. Iman Mamnoon ’16 works on one of the raised beds at CAO.

Spring/Summer 2013

Alumni Holiday Gathering A.

by Blake Walsh ’98 On Friday, Dec. 21, Nichols held its annual Alumni Holiday Gathering, welcoming back a crowd of over 250 to the Rand Dining Room. In light of a new calendar in which Nichols will present Distinguished and Honorary Alumni Awards during Reunion weekend in June, the December holiday reception now serves as a festive cocktail reception at which alumni can catch up with one another during the holiday season. Although no formal program was featured this year, Alumni Board President, Craig Semple ’98, did take a moment at the podium to publicly acknowledge Rick Bryan’s years of service to Nichols as Head of School. On behalf of the Alumni Board, Craig presented Rick with a set of engraved “Head of School” tumblers, encouraging that “one glass goes home with Rick, and the other glass stays here at 1250 Amherst Street, so that Rick will always 50

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have his own glass waiting whenever he’s back on campus.” Rick thanked the crowd, recognizing Nichols alumni specifically as the “backbone of our school.” Guests then enjoyed a video tribute to Rick, produced by Jock ’66 and John Mitchell ’96. A. Rand Dining Room B. Brett Roell ’07, Brendan McCarthy ’07, Rachael Kermis ’08 and Amelia Kermis ’07 C. Dillon Joseph ’10, Katie Flaschner ’10, Alexandra Mathews ’11 and Sebastian Augustine ’10 D. Pat ’05 and Siobhan Hanley ’10 E. Frank Sacheli, Liza Sacheli Lloyd ’88, Beth Stone and Wendy Stone ’01 F. Adele Jackson-Gibson ’09, Derek Robins ’09 and Eric DeRose ’09 G. Tim Vanini ’87, Phil Nobel ’88 and Matt Miller ’95

Spring/Summer 2013

Worldwide Nichols Day Head of School, Rick Bryan celebrates Nichols’ 120th birthday in his office.

by Genevieve Carbone

I hope that all is well in Buffalo and at Nichols. The new school year is off to a terrific start here at Cardigan Mountain School in Canaan, N.H. I appreciate my eight years at Nichols every day when working with my students and helping them become the best lifelong learners they can be. Happy 120th birthday, Nichols. Best wishes for many, many more. All the best, Jarrod Caprow ’98

Larry and Lucie Kennedy Desautels ’71 don sweaters previously owned by Doug Munhall ’33. 52

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On Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2012, Nichols celebrated its 120th birthday with the institution of Worldwide Nichols Day. We encouraged alumni, parents, alumni parents, students, faculty and all members of the Nichols community to share in the celebration wherever they happen to be. What resulted was a virtual party strewn about social media from Facebook to Twitter to Instagram featuring vintage swag, posts from foreign countries and the sharing of Nichols memories. We received many wonderful photos, cherished memories and kind words about Nichols, making the day all the sweeter. Maurya Fishburne Datka ’91 wrote to us regarding a double birthday celebration saying, “I didn’t realize we shared a birthday, Nichols! What sticks out in my memory is not only the passion with which the faculty taught, but the compassion they showed their students... right up to our amazing Headmaster!” Age is not a barrier when it comes to birthday celebrations as we heard from Allen Raymond ’41 who shared with us, “I graduated from Nichols in 1941, and my experience there – with such wonderful teachers – has lived with me for all of my life. And now, as I approach my 90th birthday on Jan. 16, 2013, I will thank my lucky star that I’m still healthy, no aches and/or pains, drive everywhere and can still remember my wonderful days at Nichols.” We thank everyone for sharing in this momentous occasion with us. We heard from people near and far, and are overwhelmed with the impact Nichols continues to have on alumni years after they leave 1250 Amherst Street.

Save the date! On Thursday, Sept. 26, 2013, join us for Nichols’ 121st birthday.

In Memoriam Alumni Daniel O’Donnell ’38 – Nov. 3, 2011 Greg Bradley ’77 – April 16, 2012 George Auffinger ’45 – Sept. 30, 2012 George Hyde ’40 – Oct. 6, 2012 Thomas Welmers ’57 – Oct. 25, 2012 Matt Salfi ’95 – Oct. 28, 2012 Chet Dann ’49 – Nov. 7, 2012 Bob North ’29 – Nov. 16, 2012 Bruce Garver ’51 – Nov. 21, 2012 Thomas Allen ’49 – Dec. 6, 2012 Mark Griffith ’82 – Dec. 6, 2012 Joe Fornasiero ’59 – Dec. 12, 2012 Larry Urban ’47 – Dec. 19, 2012 Edward “Ned” Wertimer ’41 – Jan. 2, 2013 Ray Urban ’48 – Jan. 17, 2013 John Russ ’57 – Jan. 26, 2013

Morgan Epes ’41 – March 8, 2013 Carl Reed ’44 – March 24, 2013 Eugene Miller ’39 – April 14, 2013 Bonny Levy-Vitali ’76 – May 4, 2013

Friends Sam Robinson – Jan. 5, 2013 – former Assistant Head of School, Business Manager Shirley Hanny – April 30, 2012 – wife of Dwight Hanny ’50; grandmother of Joseph Rembold ’02 Carl Burgwardt – May 13, 2012 – father of David Burgwardt ’81 E.K. Fretwell, Jr. – Oct. 29, 2012 – father of Jim ’75 and Katie Fretwell ’79 Mary Moses – Dec. 1, 2012 – grandmother of Bryan Allen ’99

Beth Wilcove – Dec. 10, 2012 – mother of Michael ’74, David ’76 and Jonathan Wilcove ’78 Rowland Richards, Jr. – Jan. 8, 2013 – father of Rowland ’87 and Jenny Richards Damon ’93 Mary Parentis – Feb. 5, 2013 – mother of Michael ’86; grandmother of Jacob ’15 and Kaela ’17 Scott Vershay – Feb. 8, 2013 – father of Madalyn ’10 and Wilson ’13 William Schapiro – March 1, 2013 – father of John ’74, Kate ’76 and Ann ’80; widow of Susan (former faculty) Mary Sullivan – March 27, 2013 – wife of Jim ’35; mother of Ken ’69 Virginia Tubbs – April 16, 2013 – mother of Eli ’70; grandmother of Laura ’04 Richard Lee – May 7, 2013 – father of Matt ’84

Remembering Kim Kimberly

“The Wind in the Willows” by Donald D. Ehre ’67 I was shopping for Christmas gifts for my greatgrandchild, Layla, at Barnes and Noble, and on display was a rack with various classic books, one of which was “The Wind in the Willows.” You may not know this, but a few months before he passed away, Mr. Kimberly contacted members of his 6th grade class (6-19) because as he was going through some papers, he had found a list of the students whose parents had purchased this book. As I then found out, reading “The Wind in the Willows” was not part of the established curriculum, but he had decided that this would be a very worthwhile addition thereto. When he emailed me, I originally told him that I thought that my copy had been lost in the flooding of my basement in 2000. I told him some stories about my memories of his class and homeroom. Such items as the 6-19 bird (This was a small ceramic pitcher that had a long spout. During study halls, if you had a question, you first had to ask the 6-19 bird, and if he did not provide the answer, then you could ask Mr. Kimberly.), the test on pronouns that I flunked and had to have a parent sign the test paper, and the only time that I received an ‘A’ in his English class was for when he assigned us the task of writing a story of what a nursing

home patient might be thinking as an ambulance pulled up to the door for another patient. I also told him that whenever I heard the song by Cream, “Pressed Rat and Warthog,” I always remembered the book. I had just recently moved to my new address, and remarkably I happened upon my copy of the “The Wind in the Willows.” I told Mr. Kimberly that I would re-read the book. When I finished, he asked me what I thought. I answered him that it was a cute story, but that the author had a great talent for painting the characters and scenes with his words. Mr. Kimberly emailed me back and told me that I had just earned another “A.” I have to admit that in school I was always more interested in math and science than English and history; probably the reason that I ended up a Civil Engineer. At the time that all of this was going on, I had no idea that Mr. Kimberly was seriously ill. Obviously, only what is typed comes through the keyboard and the internet. It was with great sadness that I learned of his passing, but when I bought that copy of the book for my great granddaughter the other day, I know that his teachings reside in all of us who were in his care. Mr. Kimberly, I give you an “A++.” Thank you.

Spring/Summer 2013

Class Notes 1940

1955

1958

Phil Mugler writes: “I turned 92 in May 2012, and decided to move permanently from East Otto, N.Y., to my Florida home in Marathon where the fishing is good year round!”

Tom Rumsey writes: “Still doing well except waking in a.m. with new pains (different every day)…trying to learn to play racquetball lefty, so-so. Still working selling janitorial and paper supplies. Got to pay the bills!”

Sidney Robinson writes: “My wife, Jean, and I are now living at Canterbury Woods Retirement Community in Williamsville, N.Y. Very nice!”

1956

Paul TenHoopen writes: “We had a gettogether in Vermont this past summer with Barney Hamby ’58, Peter Regan ’58, and Hugh ’58 and Stu Johnson ’58. [We] played a round of golf, had dinner on Lake Champlain and had a good time. Stu advised that he is beginning to write poetry and gave us a few samples . . . I was going to attack a couple [poems], but my wife advised against that idea – ‘You know, no one has really changed a bit.’”

1943

Howard Saperston’s grandson, Max ’20, is a fifth grader at Nichols, following in the footsteps of his dad, Scott ’90; his uncle, Howie ’89; his grandfather, Howie ’58; and his great grandfather, Bill Franklin ’32.

David Howard writes: “If all goes as planned, I’ll be at my 70th Reunion.

1946

Bill Kinkel was invited by the American Academy of Neuroimaging to serve as the opening speaker at the Academy’s Annual Meeting in Las Vegas in January 2013. Bill, who has been teaching neuroanatomy since 1961 at the University at Buffalo School of Medicine, is currently writing a book on the history of neurology in Buffalo.

1949

Mick Davis writes: “Babs and I are enjoying sunny Arizona. No snowflakes here. I often think of my fellow classmates and my favorite Nichols teachers. They taught me a lot more than the subject matter. My best to Buffalo and the great four years at Nichols!” After 35 years in Rye, N.Y., Howard Potter and his wife, Ellen, moved to Niantic, Conn., where they have been living for 10 years. They have two children and three grandchildren.

1950

Jean Kern writes: “Hello to remaining classmates from Annapolis, Md. Call if you’re in the area!”

Nichols School

On March 4 and 5 in Bonita Springs, Fla., the Nichols Class of 1956 held their “5th Annual Alumni Golf Championship,” which was hosted by Tim Norbeck at the Shadow Wood Country Club. In the finals were the teams of Tim Norbeck and Willard Pottle, both Hamilton College graduates, and Bob Battel and David Laub, both Brown University graduates. The Hamilton team eked out a 1-up victory on the 18th hole on the last day. Offers David, “It was a surprise victory for the Hamilton College twosome (Division III) over the superior Brown University twosome (Division I) and great credit goes to the underdogs for their surprise victory.”

1957

Alan Nordstrom, a professor of English at Rollins College, was named the winner of the 2012 Society of Classical Poets Poetry Competition. The society is a group of poets “dedicated to the revival and proliferation of good, new poetry that follows classical forms.” Based in New York, the Society holds an annual poetry competition with a $1,000 prize.

1964

Bob Nichols started his own law firm in Buffalo in 2011, Nichols and Sullivan. The firm concentrates on personal injury law, which is what Bob has done throughout his career. Bob is married to Pauline (44 years) and they have four adult children and three grandsons.

1965

Bill Bissett and his wife, Bonnie, have lived in Sarasota, Fl., for the past 18 years developing a residential property management and rentals business. Bruce Keiser writes: “I enjoy serving as Class Agent as it gives me an opportunity to connect with you all, both in writing and speaking on the phone. I value that in our 48th year away from Nichols and remind you all that in two years we will all gather on campus for our 50th Reunion! Being here will allow us to reconnect again eye to eye, to relive our experiences as students here and catch up on our doings out in the world since that time.”

1966

1982

1990

Hank DePerro writes: “After 20+ years as Director of Facilities Management at The Ford Foundation in New York City, I am retiring at the end of March 2013. I am looking forward to some travel with my wonderful wife of 44 years, Barbara, and to spending more time with my children and six grandchildren.”

Alan Randaccio is the proud father of James ’11, a current freshman at Tufts University, Lauren ’13, a graduating senior at Nichols, and Alex ’16, a freshman this year at Nichols.

Mike Shatzel and his wife, Suzanne, welcomed a son, Cole Michael Shatzel, on Oct. 18, 2012. Cole joins big sister, Nola.

1967

Daniel Rapalje retired in 2010 after 34 years of teaching and coaching. He writes: “It is great to have time to do things at a slower pace. The last three falls I have been to see my mother’s family in North and South Carolina, Virginia and Maryland. Vermont (my home) is cold by then [in the fall], but fall has just begun down there. Hello Nichols!”

1973

Kerry Sayers DeWitt lives in New York City and is the Senior Vice President, External Relations at New York Presbyterian Hospital.

1977

Laura Hopkins writes: “I am moving back to Buffalo after being away over 35 years.”

1978

Kimberly Buchheit writes: “I am looking forward to a trip to Buffalo in June for our 35th Reunion!”

1979

Jim Newman writes: “After thinking that there would never be a day that I was more proud to be a graduate of Nichols than the day I graduated, I am now the proud parent of two children who are on their own way through the magical journey of Nichols.”

1981

Jen Jarvis Hamberger started a new job as Chief Marketing Officer for Freed Maxick CPAs in Buffalo. Jen writes: “I am looking forward to a new chapter in my professional life.”

1983

Sarah Baird writes: “My husband and I are excited to be buying a vacation home in Buffalo this spring!”

1984

Monish Bhattacharyya joined the Buffalo based advertising and marketing agency SKM Group in November 2012 as a Senior Vice President and Executive Creative Director. Michael Roach, a partner in Connors and Vilardo, was inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers at the group’s annual meeting in New York City in the fall.

1985

Trevor Fuller won a seat as a Mecklenburg County Commissioner at Large in the recent general election in Charlotte, N.C. Trevor graduated from Hamilton College in 1989 and earned a J.D. from Georgetown University Law School in 1992. He is an attorney and Senior Partner for his firm Fuller and Barnes in Charlotte. Fuller, a first-time Democratic candidate, is past president of the John S. Leary Bar Association of Black Lawyers and a member of Board of Governors for North Carolina Advocates for Justice.

1988

Alise Shuart writes: “I am in my sixth year teaching and coaching at the Montclair Kimberley Academy in Montclair, N.J. I frequently see LeeAnn Fronckowiak ’85 at lacrosse events, and of course Nichols Coach Beth Stone!”

1989

Nandita Shenoy will be featured in the world premiere of Eric Pfeffinger’s “Some Other Kind of Person” at InterAct Theater in Philadelphia this June. Visit interacttheatre.org for more information. Nandita hopes “to catch Philly area classmates this spring.” Dan Williams and wife, Lindsay, welcomed a daughter, Amelia Josephine Williams, on May 25, 2011. This past year, Dan was promoted to Associate Professor of Urology at the University of Wisconsin and took over as Residency Program Director of the Department of Urology.

1991

Matt Enstice was honored with the Bernard L. Martin Award at Canisius College’s annual business awards dinner this past fall. Established in 1976 by the Board of Directors of the Canisius College Masters Alumni Association (MBAA), the Martin award “recognizes a distinguished graduate of the college’s graduate business programs – someone who has excelled professionally and also provided significant service to the community.” Matt received his MBA from Canisius in 2004. Ken Robinson has been promoted to Regional Chief Operating Officer this summer for the American Red Cross in the northwestern quarter of Ohio. He also became one of 13 people in the United States to be named by the American National Red Cross as a Certified Emergency Services Program Manager. He says, “In 17 years, I’ve never had a day that I wasn’t excited to go to work; I’m just excited to come home to Tara and the boys! I’m also enjoying service as District Trainer for Rotary District 6600 and as a Scout Leader for Will (14) and Jack (11).”

Former Nichols Alumni Board President, Mary Giallanza Carney, is running for Erie County Court Judge. Her website can be found at www.electmarygcarney.com.

Spring/Summer 2013

1995

Chris Catanzaro has been appointed as an Assistant Project Manager for the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation. Chris writes, “It is my aim to bring passion, integrity and a love for the city to this position. It has been a pleasure to engage in various conversations on the status of the city, as well as its waterfront. I look forward to continued dialogue, as well as valuable input, as I look to invest my energy and knowledge into a great period in Buffalo’s history.” Betsy Kreiner McCarthy and husband, Jay, welcomed a son, Emmett Martin McCarthy, on Aug. 4, 2012. Betsy writes, “Emmett’s delivery was a Nichols Reunion! Emmett was delivered by Dr. Lisa Gelman-Koessler ’93 with anesthesia from Dr. Bhaskar Gopalakrishnan ’87. He shares his birthday with aunt, Sarah Kreiner Godshaw ’99, and joins his big sister, Elise.” Jim Pieri lives in New York City and is the proud father of two daughters, Emelia Christine Pieri (born May 2010) and Ellison Diane Pieri (born November 2012).

1997

Rebekah Lowinger Elliott ’96 was the maid of honor, Alexander Glogowski ’05 was a groomsman and Julia Flemming ’97 was in attendance. Liza Walsh Keenan and husband, Sean, welcomed their third daughter, Addison Ryder Keenan, on Aug. 21, 2012. Addison joins older sisters, Avery and Hailey.

Rob Drake was promoted to Vice President and Branch Manager of M&T Bank. He will also work with M&T Partners to provide investments, insurance and mortgage services through the branch.

1998

2001

Nick Amigone IV lives in New York City and is a partner at MatlinPatterson, a private equity company. He and wife, Laura, are expecting their third son in March. Seth Seegert is an attorney and financial advisor, providing financial protection and wealth management with AXA Advisors in Williamsville, N.Y.

1999

Ellie Walsh Beasley welcomed her second child, Colette Virginia Beasley, on Aug. 23, 2012. Colette already has quite the collection of Big Green hand-me-downs from big brother, Grant, and enjoyed her first visit to Buffalo for Christmas in December. Ellie and her family live in Needham, Mass. Katie Crandall-Worley writes: “It was great to see Mr. Bryan, as well as classmates and fellow alumni at the Boston alumni reception in November 2012. I look forward to more events in the future!” Patrick Devlin, lives in Norwalk, Conn., and works as an engineer. He married his middle school sweetheart, Maureen McFadden, and they welcomed a child in February.

2000 Heather Glogowski married Trenton White on July 28, 2012 in Portland, Ore. Heather is a technical services librarian at Mt. Hood Community College and Trenton is a systems engineer at Webtrends.

Nichols School

Sean Devlin lives in West Roxbury, Mass., and works as legal counsel for a utility contractor in Boston.

Christine Hynes Arthurs graduated from UB Law School, passed the New York bar exam and joined Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman LLP as an associate in their Trusts, Estates and Elder Law practice area. Her husband, Wyatt Arthurs, continues to work as a financial advisor at Morgan Stanley.

Sheena Gilkar has designed a collection of men’s neckwear (ties, bow ties, pocket squares, cashmere scarves and ascots). Everything is handmade in Kashmir. Her website is www.sheen.la. From Dec. 1-14, 2012, Nicole Mansfield competed in the Whitewater Grand Prix held in Chile. The event brought together 30 of the world’s best whitewater kayakers to compete in five events over a 14 day period. Nicole placed 6th overall among the women.

2002

In the fall, Ken Blazick was featured on WIVB-TV after qualifying for the World’s Toughest Mudder on Nov. 17 and 18 in New Jersey. Tough Mudder is a 10-12 mile obstacle course designed by British Special Forces that tests strength, stamina, mental grit and camaraderie. After finishing in the top five percent of a Tough Mudder course, Ken took on the challenge of training for the World’s Toughest Mudder. Competitors have 24 hours to complete as many laps as they can on a given course without leaving the course. Ken and his brother raised money for Wounded Warriors, an organization that provides assistance to wounded military veterans. Raman Luthra won three BDGA events and nearly doubled his closest competitor’s points total in 2012.

2003

Marc Amigone has fully recovered from a recent serious injury and is now working at Hubspot, an inbound marketing firm in Cambridge, Mass.

2005

2009

2010

Project Manager at Sinatra & Company Real Estate, Matt Connors was named one of Business First’s “30 Under 30” recognizing him as an up and coming professional in the Western New York area.

Hobart College senior, Eric DeRose, was named to the 2013 Liberty League Men’s Squash All-Academic Team. An English and comparative literature major, DeRose has earned a spot on the dean’s list in each of the past three years. He posted nine wins this season. The Statesmen finished the season with a 10-14 overall record and won the consolation bracket at the CSA Team Championship’s Conroy Cup in February.

University of Hartford junior, Matt Angelakos, participated in an alternative spring break trip in Biloxi, Miss., where a group of 35 students focused on clean up from Hurricane Isaac. Matt and his fellow classmates focused on shoreline restoration, native plant propagation, sea grass restoration, wildlife habitat improvement, dune restoration, storm water treatment, public land restoration and invasive species removal.

Matt Felser is teaching Spanish and coaching soccer, golf and lacrosse at Vail Mountain School in Vail, Colo. Matt writes: “[I] spend time with Justin Vassar ’04 in Aspen and Peter ’04 and Mark Farmelo ’06 in Vail. Thanks to my mom and dad, Nichols and Williams [College]. Not a bad life.” Mike Kawi passed the Florida bar exam and is now a Public Defender in Miami-Dade, Fla.

2006

Matt Winkel’s case note, “The Not-So Artful Dodger: The McCourt-Selig Battle and the Powers of the Commissioner of Baseball,” will be published in Volume 31, Issue 2 of the Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal. A 2010 graduate of Fordham University, Matt is a third year law student at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York City and is a member of the Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal’s Editorial Board.

2007

Julia Butcher began working for the online restaurant reservation website, OpenTable, Inc. in their Boulder, Colo., office as a sales associate. In her new role, she supports members of the outside sales team by appointment setting, market research, prospect management and cold calling. She has five markets and one of them is French Canada, or more specifically, Montreal and Québec. Julia explains, “I actually call restaurants in that area in French which is fun. Basically, I try to initiate the conversation between the restaurant and OpenTable to get them to appear on our network.”

2008

Dal Ackerman works for the MarcyNewberry Association as a pre-kindergarten teacher in Chicago.

Bowdoin College senior, Kaitlin Donahoe, was named NESCAC’s Athlete of the Week twice in the 2012-2013 season following her performance on the Women’s Basketball team. At the conclusion of the season, she was honored in All-Conference accolades announced by the NESCAC. Madisson Lank writes: “I’m in my fourth year at Seneca College in Toronto. In May, I passed my Commercial Flight Test, officially making me a commercial pilot. A month after getting my commercial license, I got offered a job with Air Canada Jazz as a first officer on a CRJ. I start in June, once I finish my fourth year, and get my Bachelor of Science degree in Aviation Sciences and Aircraft Design.” Nick Williams graduated from the University of Rochester in three years and is currently studying for his law degree and master’s in political science at the University at Buffalo.

Captain of the University of Rochester Varsity Field Hockey team, Katie Flaschner, was named a Field Hockey All-American by the NFHCA on one of the Longstreth/ NFHCA All-American Teams. She earned Third Team honors for her performance during the 2012 season. Katie has boasted a successful year as she recorded her best offensive season to date scoring 28 points (11 G, 6 A) and was third on the team in scoring. Katie’s name is also listed on The University of Rochester’s All-American Wall located on campus. After receiving his real estate license this past fall, Bo Gurney has joined the firm, Gurney, Becker & Bourne as a real estate agent. Jake Herskind is a junior at Princeton and an Army ROTC cadet involved in Cadet Language and Cultural Immersion Training, the first training deployment as a cadet. After a weeklong training session at Fort Knox, Ky., the selected cadets are deployed to partner nations where they are immersed in the local culture and languages. The selected cadets will spend three weeks involved in assisting with current Army missions that range from helping build community projects to teaching English to local children.

Spring/Summer 2013

After spending 2011-2012 playing junior hockey for the New Hampshire Junior Monarchs, James Randaccio began as a freshman at Tufts University in Somerville, Mass., in September 2012.

played an integral role in the Heron defensive unit that has allowed just three goals in eight conference games.

2012

Mercyhurst University freshman, Emily Janiga, received College Hockey American honors in January. A member of the sixth-ranked women’s hockey team at Mercyhurst, she earned her fourth Rookie of the Week honor for her performance against Syracuse University.

Will Regan was named the University at Buffalo Athletics Athlete of the Week in the fall. A junior at UB, Will is a member of University at Buffalo’s men’s basketball team and averaged 15 points and 3.5 rebounds per game in University of Buffalo’s contests at Canisius and against Mansfield College.

2011

Bethany Bisone is in her sophomore year at Binghamton University, where she is studying Mechanical Engineering. She plays club soccer, was appointed to a residence assistant position this year, is involved in student government council and the Society of Women Engineers, and was selected to review/redesign curriculum for freshmen engineering students.

Amherst College sophomore, Maya Jackson-Gibson, has earned All-NESCAC (New England Small College Athletic Conference) recognition as a second-team selection. She was one of four Amherst women’s soccer players chosen for the prestigious award. 58

Nichols School

Kenyon College freshman, Caroline Fenn, released her debut album entitled “Fragile Chances” which was released on iTunes in January. Visit her website www.carolinefenn.com or like her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ carolinefennmusic for more information on her album and to follow her career.

Zoe Jackson Gibson, a first-year defender for the William Smith College soccer team, is among the student athletes who garnered honorable mentions for the 2012 All-Liberty League teams. She competed in all 17 matches, and earned assists in wins over Rochester, Clarkson and Bard. Zoe has

Colgate women’s soccer player, Catherine Williams, earned major Patriot League honors for her performance during the 2012 season. Cat was named Rookie of the Year after a very successful first year. She is the second straight Rookie of the Year and third in the last four years to come from Colgate. The freshman attacker finished second in the league with 28 points, tied for second with 10 goals and tied for third with eight assists. Cat was named the BRINE Rookie of the Week four times this season, making her just one shy of the record. She finished second in league play with 11 points – four goals, three assists. She started each game for the Raiders and has the fifth highest point total for a first-year player in school history with 28.

Faculty Profile

Aranya Maritime What is your position at Nichols? I am the Head of the Upper School, and I teach in the English Department. How long have you been teaching at Nichols? Since September 2001. What was your path leading to Nichols like? I went to a progressive independent high school called Calasanctius across the park from Nichols. Following Cal, I earned a bachelor’s degree in English and History at Vassar College. After Vassar, I completed a master’s degree in English at Boston College. Finally, I finished my Ph.D. in English at SUNY at Buffalo while teaching at Nichols. Before coming to Nichols, I was a teaching fellow and teaching assistant at BC and SUNY at Buffalo. I also worked for a while prepping the SAT at a major test prep company and taught spinning and other classes at local fitness clubs. What extra-curricular activities are you involved in at the School? I teach a cardio class after school and help with the Mock Trial team. Because I am Head of the Upper School I participate in or attend numerous committees: Academic Review Committee, Curriculum Committee, Student Conduct Committee, Professional Development Committee, Senior Thesis Committee, Trilateral Committee and Education Committee.

What is the best part of your job? Being in the classroom with students and working with student leaders. What are your hobbies and interests outside of Nichols? Let’s see—we have a pretty large family with the five boys and Fiona. Being together with my husband, Gillian, my step-sons and Fiona occupies most of my time outside of school. I like to exercise—running, cycling and dancing. And, when I can, I read and write. Is there anything else you’d like to tell us? While the best part of my job is working with students, I would be remiss not to say a few words about the faculty and staff at Nichols. I have been privileged to work with this dedicated group of professionals for the last 12 years. I look forward to coming to school every day because of the people who work here. There is a sense of a common goal at school. We are all working toward making this the best possible educational experience for our students.

Photo Contest Guess the year this photo was taken of the class’ National Honor Society members. Submit your response to development@nicholsschool.org and the first to answer correctly will win a Nichols prize pack. Like us on Facebook to play our First Friday contest where we share photos and other items from the Nichols archive.

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