NMH Magazine 2012 Fall

NMH Magazine

12 fall/winter

volume 14 • number 2

Northfield Mount Hermon

Think BelÄąeve

What we mean when we talk about religion

FALL/WINTER 2012 Volume 14, Number 2 Editor Jennifer Sutton P ’14 Managing Editor/Photo Editor Sharon LaBella-Lindale Class Notes Editor Sally Atwood Hamilton ’65 Contributors Susan Pasternack Mary Seymour Kate Snyder Hannah Wareham Archivist Peter Weis ’78, P ’13 Design Lilly Pereira Class Notes Design HvB Imaging Director of Communications Cheri Cross Head of School Peter B. Fayroian Chief Advancement Officer Allyson L. Goodwin ’83, P ’12, P ’14 Northfield Mount Hermon publishes NMH Magazine (USPS074860) two times a year in fall/winter and spring/summer. Printed by Lane Press, Burlington, VT 05402.

NMH Magazine Northfield Mount Hermon One Lamplighter Way Mount Hermon, MA 01354 413-498-3978 Fax 413-498-3021 nmhmagazine@nmhschool.org Class Notes nmhnotes@nmhschool.org Address Changes Northfield Mount Hermon Advancement Services Norton House One Lamplighter Way Mount Hermon, MA 01354 413-498-3300 addressupdates@nmhschool.org

NMH Magazine

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departments

2 3 4 36 43 96

letters leading lines on campus alumni spotlight class notes parting words

97 giving back features

12 Think Believe What we mean when we talk about religion.

18 Democracy 101 Students act out presidential politics with the VOTES project.

20 In Deep Blending science and art, choreographer Jodi Lomask ’92 ventures into the sea.

24 Home Land A farmers’ market teach-in gets NMH students thinking about local agriculture.

26 Portraits of a Workplace Some of the people who make NMH go.

32 Those Who Teach, Learn What faculty members did on their summer vacations.

SUNRISE, SUNSET A quiet spot behind the Rhodes Arts Center

Cover illustration: Rafael Lopez Table of contents photo: Mark Yates, P ’12, P ’13 Back cover photo: Glenn Minshall

letters

Reach us at: NMH Magazine One Lamplighter Way Mount Hermon, MA 01354 Or email us at: nmhmagazine@ nmhschool.org

To the Editor: I was stunned and hurt by Steve Pollock’s letter [Spring/ Summer 2012 issue], in which he accuses me of being part of the problem, not the solution, in the case of a particular student. Mr. Pollock claims I was responsible for this student’s dismissal from Mount Hermon in the 1968–1969 school year because I denied him credit for a book review of Eldridge Cleaver’s Soul on Ice on the grounds that Cleaver was an “inappropriate author.”

Mr. Pollock’s accusations are false. I was a faculty member from the fall of 1966 through the spring of 1968.

As I wrote in my letter [Fall/ Winter 2011 issue], I defended this student at the faculty meeting held not long after the assassination of Dr. King in April 1968. I left the campus shortly after the spring term

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ended. I was not on campus in the 1968–1969 school year, when the episode which Mr. Pollock reports occurred.

I have never rejected any student’s work on any subject for any reason at any time in my teaching career.

Mr. Pollock should have taken care that, in expressing his feelings, he did not falsely accuse me and recklessly hurt my feelings. I may not have been part of the solution, but I certainly was not part of the problem.

Michael L. Hays

Las Cruces, N.M. NMH’s human resources office confirms Mr. Hays’s employment from September 1966 to June 1968. The school confirms the student’s enrollment through the fall term of 1968, but it no longer holds records detailing his departure. As the revised statement of editorial policy suggests, NMH regrets publishing Mr. Pollack’s letter.

To the Editor: I would like to bring attention to the Afro Am Society, a subject that not only is important to me, but also, I am sure, to many alumni who remain silent because there is not a lot in the pages of this magazine that is relevant to their experience at NMH. I came to NMH in 1971, the first year the school became coed. I am the nephew of a member of the class of 1953, and my brother graduated in 1983 and also taught at NMH. I am very grateful to NMH because not too long before I was a student there, it was, I believe, one of the few schools in New England that accepted African Americans.

The Afro Am Society was an important part of my NMH experience. The 65 or so African American and Puerto Rican students in the organization were my brothers and sisters. The Afro Am Society was a beacon for the

other secondary schools in New England. We presented our Black Arts Festival each year and invited many students of color from other schools to attend. The year I was president, Muhammad Ali was our keynote speaker, just months before he fought George Foreman in Zaire.

I read NMH Magazine and I don’t see many faces from the Afro Am Society. You did an article years ago about Valerie (Bowman) Jarrett ’74, senior counsel to President Obama.

She graduated with me and was a member of the Afro Am Society. Her family has quite a legacy at NMH, but there are others who have also made their mark in the world.

Before NMH’s current affinity groups existed, there was the Afro Am Society. I believe it is a good lesson for today’s students to know who and what came before them.

Anthony E. Bledsoe ’74

Hawthorne, Calif.

Editor’s note: The Spring/ Summer 2012 issue of NMH Magazine highlighted the installation of a new cupola atop the barn at the NMH Farm. However, we neglected to reference the carpentry work of Tim (Walter) Tyler P ’94 (near left, with Richard Odman), who worked in NMH’s department of plant facilities for 18 years.

Photo: Glenn Minshall

WHAT DO YOU THINK? NMH Magazine welcomes correspondence from readers. Letters and emails may be edited for length, clarity, and grammar, and should pertain to content in the magazine.

by PETER B. FAYROIAN, Head of School

leading lines

The Lay of the Land

Twenty-one home-cooked meals, five pies, and two bags of dog biscuits made me feel welcome.

Your passion for NMH makes me feel inspired.

There is something to be said for geographic disposition. As I write, it’s been only one month since I stepped onto campus for the first time with my wife, Rachael, our daughter, Sofia, and our two dogs—but already, this place is home.

The dark green of the hills across the Connecticut River in the morning and the deep red of the barns in the evening light feel awfully familiar to these Midwesterners, and not just because I studied at Middlebury and the University of Vermont. Rachael and I recently recalled one of our first trips together a few years ago, touring New England and hiking in the Green Mountains.

Looking south from the summit of Camel’s Hump, we imagined a life together on a boarding-school campus in this neck of the woods, long before Northfield Mount Hermon came into our view. Timing, as they say, is everything.

The grandeur of the campus and its setting, unsurpassed by any school I’ve seen, is only barely responsible for our easy transition from Michigan to Massachusetts. The people who live here—teachers, staff members, and their families—and the people who have lived here in the past—specifically, alumni— have embraced and supported us in NMH faculty and ways that are, in fact, stereotypically Midwestern. Twenty-one meals, five staff make me feel pies, and two bags of dog biscuits later, we are fat and happy in Mount proud to call this Hermon, and that would be more community home than just an expression if it weren’t for my own family, also for the great recommendations for hiking trails. and motivated I’ve already spent a good deal to begin the work of time visiting with NMH comthat lies ahead. munity members who live within a few hours of campus. Whether they are Northfield alumnae or Mount Hermon alumni, no matter which side of the river they called home if they graduated from the two-campus Northfield Mount Hermon, and regardless of the year they received their diplomas (I’ve already broken bread with alums from nine different decades), their passion for this school is astounding—but not surprising. Every story I hear

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Photo: Glenn Minshall

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has the three threads of head, heart, and hand running through it. Every memory embraces the shared experiences, the spirit of fellowship among peers and with teachers, and the unique setting for work and play. There is an enduring quality of the NMH experience that reaches beyond place and still resides in so many of you.

In many ways, this reach of mission is exactly what D.L. Moody intended. The campuses he conceived became spiritual and intellectual epicenters, but they were not meant to be ends in themselves. After “engag[ing] the intellect, compassion, and talents of our students,” NMH has for centuries “empower[ed] them to act with humanity and purpose,” not just in these verdant Massachusetts hills, but from Wall Street to Hollywood, from the towers of Taipei to the streets of Shanghai. I’ve had the opportunity to extend my hand to only a small fraction of you so far, but already I’ve met people in just about every enterprise—artists, academics, businessmen and -women, farmers, politicians—and they each carry into their professional and personal lives NMH’s core values of excellence, respect, integrity, persistence, creativity, and teamwork. Moody would be particularly fond of the school’s commitment to cultivating its students to be meaningful contributors rather than mere consumers.

I encourage you to consider these core values of NMH. I think you will agree that if you are an alumnus or an alumna, these are values you carry within yourself and find in your fellow graduates. If you are a parent, you will see them manifested in the lives of your children. I’m finding them in our teachers and their families, in the men and women who care for our grounds and buildings and who keep the school running smoothly. They make me feel proud to call this community home for my own family, and motivated to begin the work that lies ahead.

I will do my best to exemplify NMH’s core values. They existed when we were two schools; they existed when we were one school on two campuses; and they exist today on our onecampus home for 650 students. Like the green on the hills and the red on the barns, those values are a light that has shined on this school for 134 years.

fall/winter 2012 I 3

on campus

Mentors, Problem Solvers, Diplomats Student “Resident Leaders” help keep dorm life running smoothly.

They are role models for students, problem-solving confidants for their classmates, and peacemakers when things get out of hand in the dorm. Resident leaders— known as RLs—are integral members of each dorm’s staff, and along with their day student leader counterparts, they provide a meaningful link between faculty and students. “We’re a community resource,” RL Gwen Umbach ’13 says.

A recent switch from the moniker “student leader” to “resident leader” “defines who these students are more accurately,” says Dean of Students Nicole Hager, and represents how the program is concentrating more seriously on residential life.

Resident leaders are charged with taking an active role in developing a sense of community and spirit in their dorms.

This year, there are 51 resident leaders assigned to NMH’s 14 dorms: six staff Overtoun, the largest single dorm; two work in Rikert, the smallest. Eleven day student leaders round out the group.

On campus, the position of resident leader is considered an honor. The students who hold it must adhere not only to community standards, but also to a detailed 4 I NMH Magazine

/ on campus /

Mentors, Problem Solvers, Diplomats

They are role models for students, problem-solving confidants for their classmates, and peacemakers when things get out of hand in the dorm. Resident leaders— known as RLs—are integral members of each dorm’s staff, and along with their day student leader counterparts, they provide a meaningful link between faculty and students. “We’re a community resource,” RL Gwen Umbach ’13 says.

A recent switch from the moniker “student leader” to “resident leader” “defines who these students are more accurately,” says Dean of Students Nicole Hager, and represents how the program is concentrating more seriously on residential life.

Resident leaders are charged with taking an active role in developing a sense of community and spirit in their dorms.

This year, there are 51 resident leaders assigned to NMH’s 14 dorms: six staff Overtoun, the largest single dorm; two work in Rikert, the smallest. Eleven day student leaders round out the group.

On campus, the position of resident leader is considered an honor. The students who hold it must adhere not only to community standards, but also to a detailed 4 I NMH Magazine

Photo: Glenn Minshall

Student “Resident Leaders” help keep dorm life running smoothly.

list of expectations, including “to help adults be aware of developing problems, work with dorm staff and deans in solving these problems, and assist in making the school community a safe place for every student.” Resident leaders are required to sign a contract that outlines these responsibilities and codes of conduct.

But before the real work begins at the end of August, resident leaders arrive on campus ahead of other students for four days of preparation. Besides a quadrathlon (crossword puzzles, biking, canoeing, and a run) at Shadow Lake that tests their endurance and teamwork skills, and information sessions in multicultural and international education and health and wellness, they participate in mediation training, which prepares them to intervene and assist with the resolution of disagreements. According to English teacher Bob Cooley, who oversaw the mediation training, resident leaders are “the first step in resolving dorm conflicts.”

“Mediation starts and ends with storytelling,” student mediator Hyun-Bum Yang ’13 said during the training session, explaining the importance of listening while helping students negotiate conflicts. “You need to remain neutral,” advised Katie Chang ’13, another student mediator who also is a resident leader herself. “Help students find a solution themselves.”

In addition to the resident leader title change, the program now invites juniors to become leaders serving in ninth-grade dorms and as day student leaders. This year, there are eight juniors involved.

They must be < Resident leader nominated by a Cassie Hunter ’13 faculty member in prepares for a “trust fall” into the arms the spring of their of her fellow RLs as sophomore year in part of their training order to apply, but in August. by pulling more students into the selection and training process, Hager says, “we have stronger kids in these positions by virtue of having a larger pool from which to draw.”

Photo: Sharon LaBella-Lindale

on campus

Hobby Lobby Remains Owner of Northfield Campus For Now The future owner of the Northfield campus remains uncertain after a preliminary agreement to transfer the property was called off in late October.

The current owner is Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., the arts-and-crafts retail chain owned by the Green family of Oklahoma City. Hobby Lobby purchased the 217-acre core Northfield campus from Northfield Mount Hermon in 2009, with the goal of giving the property to a Christian educational institution. After investing more than $5 million in renovations of campus buildings, Hobby Lobby announced on Sept. 21 that it intended to transfer the property to Grand Canyon University (GCU) of Phoenix, Ariz. GCU, a for-profit school, hoped to open a Northfield branch in fall 2014 with 500 students and increase that enrollment to 5,000 students in five years.

A little over a month after that much-anticipated announcement, GCU president Brian Mueller said his school was unable to accept Hobby Lobby’s gift and had decided to dissolve the deal. GCU had begun conducting a due-diligence process to obtain the necessary legal, regulatory, and accrediting approvals.

“As we got further along in the process, additional infrastructure and possible environmental costs became apparent, and we realized it did not make a lot of economic sense,” said Bill Jenkins, GCU’s vice president of communications and public affairs.

“We were willing to invest up to $150 million, but it started looking like more than $180 million. We also felt

that we were getting pushback from the town of Northfield, which we understood. The bottom line is that it was a financial decision.”

Kathleen F. Wright, chair of the Northfield Selectboard, learned of GCU’s decision by reading a news story published by the Washington Post on Oct. 29. She said town government officials had not had contact with GCU since the September announcement. “People in the community were concerned about the size of GCU, and there has been some public outcry, but there also were many people who were excited about it,” she said.

Hobby Lobby officials issued a statement, which read, in part: “We were disheartened when Grand Canyon University had to reverse its decision on the Northfield campus, but we also understand the various issues they may have faced.” Hobby Lobby will now renew its effort to find a recipient organization for the campus.

Northfield Mount Hermon’s Chief Advancement Officer Allyson Goodwin ’83, P ’12, P ’14, who oversees alumni programs and fundraising, said that she and her staff are carefully monitoring the Northfield campus situation and understand the feelings of alumni. “We recognize that this time of transition is difficult for NMH community members who have been connected with the Northfield campus,” she said.

For updates, please visit the NMH website: www.nmhschool.org/northfieldcampus-frequently-asked-questions.

fall/winter 2012 I 5

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This fall, Northfield Mount Hermon revamped its concussiontesting program, joining a movement among schools that calls for baseline neurocognitive tests for every enrolled student, not just those who participate in high-contact sports.

The new program is intended to help faculty and staff better support students with head injuries as they heal.

Most secondary schools use similar tests for students who play football, hockey, and other high-impact sports, but it is not just that small handful of student-athletes who are at risk for a concussion. “We have seen hits to the head in almost all sports, and even from slipping in the shower,” says Director of Student Health Services Beth Buyea.

At the beginning of the school year, each NMH student took a computer-based test to record a normal baseline, Buyea explains. If a student sustains a head injury, health center staff can compare results of a subsequent test to the baseline and use them to assess and monitor neurological deficits, recovery, and healing.

The baseline test takes between 20 and 30 minutes to complete and measures verbal memory, visual memory, reaction time, and impulse control.

One part of the test, for example, displays names of colors in the same colored ink as the word (e.g., the word RED appearing in red ink). The student is instructed to identify as quickly as possible the words that are presented in the correct matching ink.

Margaret van Baaren, director of NMH’s Learning Skills Program, says the results of a baseline test can be quite different from those from a test taken after a head injury.

“The characteristics of a concussion are similar to the characteristics of a learning disability,” van Baaren says; they can include “processing-speed deficits; verbal or visual memory deficits; difficulty with sustained attention and focus; difficulty with executive skills like time management, organization, and planning; and chronic, disabling headaches.” A student who has suffered a concussion needs considerable support and understanding from teachers and other adults on campus, and may need to modify his/her routine to fully heal.

“The best advice is to rest, take it easy, and avoid electronic media,” van Baaren says—a prescription that many students struggle with. “Kids want to get back on the field, stage, or court, and they also want to stay on top of their work. But if they do any of these things before recovering fully, the healing is delayed and the symptoms can linger.”

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Run. Then Run Harder.

Photo: Risley Sports Photography

Concussion Testing Goes Beyond High-Impact Sports

For nearly two decades, Northfield Mount Hermon was a cross-country running powerhouse. Coaches Pat and Ginny Mooney steered the boys’ and girls’ teams through one undefeated season after another, and the evidence is displayed in a pair of glass cases in Forslund Gymnasium—more than two dozen first-place trophies from the 1980s and 1990s.

The current varsity crosscountry coaches, Grant Gonzalez and Katie Chaput, are all too familiar with the Mooneys’ record. But almost a year ago, they watched NMH’s boys’ varsity team place fourth at the New England Championships, the school’s best showing in 15 years. The team had already risen from 11th to seventh place the previous year. Was this the beginning of a comeback?

“There was a time when NMH won more titles than any other school in New England,” Gonzalez says.

“With hard work, we can get

back there. But we’re a smaller school now. Other schools have twice the student body we have. We have to do more with less.”

This fall, Gonzalez and Chaput served as varsity coaches for their third years, working with JV coaches Mary Hefner, a longtime science teacher, and Michael Corrigan, NMH’s chaplain.

Both Gonzalez and Chaput are competitive runners, which Athletic Director Tom Pratt considers a source of motivation for the team. “They’re modeling the behaviors they are asking of students,” he says.

The coaches’ current goal: “to take a serious attitude, refresh the program, and make it something students can feel proud of,” Gonzalez says. That means promoting winter and summer running programs that prepare students for the fall season; bringing the girls’ and boys’ teams together for group drills to build morale; and, most important, challenging the students, most of

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whom had never run a race before they joined the team, to “really push past where they think they can go,” Chaput says. “We get some experienced athletes, and we also get students who’ve never done a sport in their lives,” she says. “Cross-country doesn’t have the glamour of soccer or lacrosse, where kids dream for years about making the team.

But anyone can go out and run. It just takes a lot of hard work to build endurance.”

Brothers Edwin and Christian Hidalgo ’13 joined the cross-country team their sophomore year after playing a season of football as freshmen. Despite having to cope with injuries this fall, they say their running has changed drastically. “I was pushed from the start by both my coach and teammates, and I saw drops of one to two minutes every time I raced,” Edwin says.

“We want students to gain a sense of accomplishment about the effort they put in, and learn what it means to really strive for something,” Gonzalez says. Christian Hidalgo already has. “The greatest feeling you can get,” he says, “is the freedom that comes from proving yourself wrong after thinking you could give no more.”

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There was a time when NMH won more titles than any other school in New England. With hard work, we can get back there.

“Jerusalem” Takes Center Stage at 2012 Olympic Games

On July 27, television viewers around the world tuned in to watch the opening ceremonies of the Games of the XXX Olympiad in London. NMH alumni and students were caught by happy surprise when the Four Nations children’s choir launched into William Blake’s “Jerusalem”—NMH’s school song and the Listen to NMH’s version unofficial victory anthem for Great Britain. of “Jerusalem” at The social media response was quick and impasvimeo.com/23170353 sioned: “How cool is it that every single one of us thought of NMH at the exact same time!” Haegan Forrest ’90 posted on the school’s Facebook page. Twitter followers chimed in: “Proud to be a Hogger right now,” Ruthann Zientek ’14 wrote, reporting that she “sang like a champ.”

“Jerusalem” was one of many artistic performances orchestrated by British director Danny Boyle for the opening ceremony, officially titled “Isles of Wonder.” The children’s choir’s rendition differed slightly, however, from the version sung occasionally by students during Monday morning meetings in Memorial Chapel. The one thing the children’s choir got wrong—at least according to Facebook follower Jeremy Abel ’06: “They didn’t yell ‘Bring me my arrows!’” he lamented.

THE GALLERY @

WORK BY FIVE The Bi-Annual Visual Arts Faculty Show Philip J. Calabria, Eleanor Conover, William Roberts, Lauren Scott, and Mona Seno Sept. 14–Oct. 13, 2012 SELECTIONS FROM THE NMH PERMANENT COLLECTION Oct. 19–Nov. 19, 2012

PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGES

BY SAM PETTENGILL ’80 Nov. 30, 2012–Jan. 13, 2013 Opening Reception: Friday, Nov. 30, 6:30 pm PAINTINGS BY MARY ARMSTRONG ’66 Feb. 1–March 8, 2013 Opening Reception: Friday, Feb. 1, 6:30 pm ANNUAL NMH STUDENT ART SHOW March 29–April 24, 2013

THE ART WORK OF JENNY TIBBETTS May 3–June 9, 2013 Opening Reception: Friday, May 3, 6:30 pm

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Posted @ NMH Classes began Tuesday, Sept. 4.

What advice would you give to the class of 2016?

Mentoring New Teachers

To strengthen its intern program, NMH collaborates with UPenn.

facebook.com/NMHschool facebook.com/NMHArchives Lucy Polley Brinkley ’05: Cherish your time here. The four years really fly by!

Photo: Glenn Minshall

Megan Buchanan Cherry ’91: Open mind, open heart, tie your shoes and pull up your pants so you’re ready to move!

Randi Rourke Barreiro ’95: Conduct yourself as if your grandparents lived on campus with you.

Gail Myers Pare ’64: If you are homesick, hang on. It will go away, and being at NMH is worth it!

David Sarpal ’90: Give every ounce of yourself to your work and to those around you.

Martha Slater ’87: Speak up for what you believe in, and follow your curiosities even if they seem eccentric—NMH may be the most supportive community you ever encounter for building these skills.

Joung Hwang ’93: Hackneyed, but still— carpe diem!

@NMHschool @NMHHoggers @Arts_at_NMH @MichaelFosberg: Expand your scope; speak with a classmate you’ve never spoken to before. @JMixB: If you see something that looks like a cat on campus at night, it’s NOT a cat. It’s a skunk. Walk away slowly.

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University of Pennsylvania grad students and NMH faculty interns Hayley Very (left) and Iris Aliaj are inaugurating a new “residency master’s in teaching” program.

NMH, like many of its peer institutions, hires a handful of faculty interns every year to teach, coach, and advise students and learn the ropes of boarding-school professional life. This year, NMH is adding new structure to its intern program by collaborating with several peer schools and the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education.

Penn has begun offering a degree called the Penn Residency Master’s in Teaching (PRMT), which combines two years of graduate school with a practicum in teaching, and that is where NMH and six other northeastern boarding schools come in. Collectively, the schools (Deerfield, Hotchkiss, Milton, Miss Porter’s, St. Paul’s, and Lawrenceville) have hired 24 “teaching fellows” to inaugurate Penn’s program.

These new teachers will balance fulltime responsibilities at their boarding schools with course work for Penn; they also will attend several short-term teaching

sessions each year at Penn and the participating schools, and meet weekly with a mentor.

“At NMH, we’ve had a lot of success in bringing young teachers in, coaching them up, and having them do a great job,” says Dean of Faculty Hugh Silbaugh. “But among this group of independent schools, we’ve discussed at length the challenges of mentoring new teachers and the desire to do a more consistent, more thorough job of induction.”

For the next two years, NMH will work with a pair of PRMT fellows in the science and math departments, respectively: Hayley Very, a 2010 University of New Hampshire graduate who spent last year as a science teaching fellow at Andover; and Iris Aliaj, who grew up in Albania before graduating from Amherst last May with a degree in math and psychology.

“The unique part of the Penn program is that we’ll be completely

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immersed in boarding-school life,” Very says. “It’ll be interesting to see how what we learn through Penn compares with what we actually do as teachers.” Aliaj is optimistic. “I think it will be really engaging and useful,” she says. “The reading I do at night for Penn will help me the next day in my classroom.”

Silbaugh reports that NMH and the other participating boarding schools are approaching the PRMT

program with different goals. “Some see it as a way to have interns come in for two years and then send them out to find other jobs, but I’m looking at it as a way to develop future faculty members,” he says. “I’m excited about it. NMH has a senior faculty, and as we begin to go through a shift, this will give us access to people who are interested in boarding-school work and who have the right experience.”

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I think it will be really engaging and useful.

The reading I do at night for Penn will help me the next day in my classroom.

NMH Farm Products ORDER FORM Download an order form at nmhschool.org/ nmh-farm-products or return a copy of this order form, along with a check payable to Northfield Mount Hermon, to: Farm Program, NMH, One Lamplighter Way, Mount Hermon, MA 01354.

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Lavender lip balm HEAR YE, HEAR YE On September 9, NMH kicked off the school year with Opening Convocation. This year’s ceremony was special: It also marked the installation of Peter B. Fayroian as NMH’s 10th head of school.

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What • Who • Why What I The Adventure Challenge Who I Glenn Minshall and Steve Allison of NMH’s Outdoor Program

Every year, NMH puts its own twist on a triathlon. Instead of running, swimming, and road biking, teams of two people take on a 1.7-mile mountain bike ride, a lap around Shadow Lake in a canoe, and an orienteering session in the woods around campus. Typically, more than 100 people—mostly students, but sometimes faculty, staff, and alumni—participate in each Adventure Challenge.

Launched about a decade ago, the Adventure Challenge now attracts a mix of contestants. Some are outdoor-program regulars familiar with mountain bikes and canoe paddles; others are traditional athletes taking a brief break from fall sports. The Challenge also has evolved into a kind of social icebreaker activity: resident leaders—the students who serve as peer mentors in the dorms—each form a team with a new student whom they don’t know well.

Northfield Mount Hermon Summer Session june 29–august 3, 2013

“The people on each team have to work together, discuss their skill sets, and strategize,” says Glenn Minshall, director of NMH’s Outdoor Program, which puts on the Adventure Challenge. Some students prepare by actually learning how to ride a bike; others must adapt from the soccer field and basketball court to topographic maps and rocky trails in the woods.

Minshall and Steve Allison, who helps run the Outdoor

Program, truck NMH’s 110 bikes to the starting line, rent canoes to beef up the school’s 12-boat fleet, and invite lots of volunteers to help produce the event. The average time for completing the course: about one hour. “It’s an opportunity to confront challenges and succeed,” Minshall says. “It’s not about winning. Though we welcome the competitive spirit, it’s always the last people to cross the finish line who get the loudest cheering.”

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Photos: Glenn Minshall

Why I To help students get outside, work together, and gain confidence.

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From the Archives

by PETER WEIS ’78, P ’13, NMH Archivist

Mr. Moody in 1899 (left) and as a young man.

The Moody Legacy

Photos: Courtesy of NMH Archives

What does it really mean?

D.L. Moody touched thousands of souls, traveled and spoke tirelessly, and founded four schools, two of which continue today as Northfield Mount Hermon. But does he, as his son-in-law A.P. Fitt once put it, “still live”?

The NMH impulse to claim a connection to Moody—to uphold “the Moody legacy”—can be found in the 60-odd feet of books by and about the man that reside in Schauffler Library, and it is solemnized every year on Founder’s Day, that Sunday in February closest to Moody’s birthday on the fifth. Yet the paradox inherent in this event has been evident for nearly 70 years. Witness school president William Park’s opening words at Founder’s Day in 1944: “There is a great deal to be said for the statement that all institutions ought to be dissolved at the death of their founders.

One reason is the fact that most institutions become very different from what their founders intended.” Park went on to detail activities allowed at the schools that Mr. Moody opposed, including dancing,

theater, card playing, billiards, and smoking (this last, once again, is not allowed!).

While we might try to uphold Mr. Moody’s legacy without upholding these ideals, they aren’t the only issues that separate us from him. In 1934, a decade before Park’s address, Elliott Speer, headmaster at Mount Hermon, had written to his successor on the board of trustees, Wilfred Fry, defending a Bible instructor who wished to teach the creation and flood stories in Genesis as allegory instead of historical fact. Speer said, “Certainly, we do not believe exactly the same things which Mr. Moody believed.”

Let’s be clear about one thing: Were he alive today, Mr. Moody would deprecate any efforts to promote his legacy. His younger son, Paul, explained in 1937, during centennial celebrations of his father’s birth, “…[My father] would be surprised and perhaps impatient with what he considered the absurdity of talking about him.

He would insist, for he was the humblest

man I ever knew, that there was nothing to say about him. He would think it far better to talk about the only thing which to him gave value and meaning to his life.” That was, of course, the Christian gospel.

Which leads us to ask: What part of Moody’s vision does NMH uphold today?

After all, it is more than 40 years since the school (or its parent institutions, Northfield and Mount Hermon) claimed to provide “Christian education.” NMH seeks to show students, inside and outside the classroom, that loving one’s neighbor, which Moody considered to be perhaps the most important Christian virtue, is present in all religions. What it means to behave as a good Christian is no different than what it means to be a good Jew or a good Muslim—a good person. I believe that the way that NMH encourages young people to act in the world—with humanity and purpose—makes us true heirs to what Moody was all about.

fall/winter 2012 I 11

What we mean when we talk about religion

12 INMH Magazine

T Bel

Think l覺eve Interviews by

JENNIFER SUTTON

with

VAUGHN ALLEN

GARY PARTENHEIMER

REVEREND MICHAEL CORRIGAN

The days of compulsory chapel have passed, but soul-searching inquiry and spirituality remain cornerstones of an NMH education.

Whether students arrive on campus with their own religious traditions or not, they start talking about big questions in 9th- and 10th-grade humanities classes. Of the many faculty members who guide these academic discussions and who lead spiritual groups outside of classes, three share their thoughts with NMH Magazine.

fall/winter 2012 I 13

Think Q&A

WITH VAUGHN ALLEN, RELIGIOUS STUDIES AND PHILOSOPHY DEPARTMENT CHAIR, AND GARY PARTENHEIMER, FORMER DEPARTMENT CHAIR

What is the goal of the religious studies and philosophy department today at NMH? VA: We want to look at philosophical

and religious ideas in an academic context. We want students to be literate, to have a world-religions perspective, to be able to really navigate the world around them.

In the Middle East, for example, to understand the difference between a Sunni and a Shiite, it’s necessary to have a basic understanding of Islam in today’s world. To have an understanding of Daoism and Confucianism when you’re studying China is really essential.

GP: We’re not trying to convert

In Humanities 1, we sometimes went for walks

anybody or take away anybody’s religion. You don’t get more points if you’ve already been confirmed or studied for a bar mitzvah. It’s all about respecting the academic process that allows people to step back from their differences. You might have a student from the Occupied Territory sitting next to a Jewish student whose parents met on a kibbutz. It is better to learn how to negotiate that kind of thing in the classroom than to blow each other up.

around Shadow Lake and read poems about nature. We have so much technology that we don’t always see what’s around us.

Stella Cai ’15

What makes NMH’s curriculum unique?

GP: In the late 1980s, we started

the ninth-grade humanities program, a combination of English and religious studies—two teachers working with one group of students—and that interdisciplinary, collaborative teaching became a

14 INMH Magazine

model, a strategic agenda. NMH was ahead of the curve, and we had a steady stream of people from other schools—deans, teachers, curriculum directors, and school heads—coming to visit our classrooms.

We continued that zipping up of the humanities curriculum— English, history, and religious studies—into the sophomore year, looking at themes of identity, lifestyle, and worldviews. So ninth graders focused on the questions: Who am I? What do I believe?

What does it mean to be human?

Then, in the sophomore year, they focused outward, on world religions and world history.

Why is it important for 14and 15-year-olds to dive into religious studies?

GP: They come in thinking, “I

know what school is.” They see “religious studies” and at first they think that means Sunday school or Hebrew school. But we introduce ideas they haven’t thought about before, questions that are religious and philosophical and that introduce them to the diversity of religious experience. What’s a Muslim? The stereotype is someone in a white outfit or a veil, and the negative stereotype is that they blow up airplanes. These students are hungry to find out more about that history and belief system. It’s a hunger they don’t even know they have.

If all students had to do was take a religious studies course at some point in their NMH career, they could go through three years of school and then walk into a philosophy course as a senior. By then, it’s too late. They’re thinking the way they’ve always thought. But if we get them in the early grades, we can show them a new way of thinking and it carries over.

How has the curriculum changed over the years?

VA: For much of the school’s history,

students took religion classes every year. Then the broader curriculum began filling up, first with new subjects like computer technology and then because students were coming in with advanced skills—for example, in mathematics—so that by the time they got to their senior year, there was no math class for them.

The school had to respond.

Now we have a two-year religious studies requirement, which is still more than our peer schools have.

We have the required ninth-grade humanities program, and most sophomores still take Humanities 2 (world history and world religions), but it is no longer required.

Sophomores, juniors, and seniors instead can choose to take a new course we’ve created called World Religions: Traditions in Transition.

How do these changes affect the religious studies and philosophy department’s goals?

GP: What’s at stake is the difference

between a palette and a program. At most schools, religious studies takes the form of a little of this or a little of that. In mathematics, though, you work through a sequence of courses, and it’s the same in the languages.

At NMH, we have a program that every student goes through; they’re exposed to a way of thinking—about themselves, about knowledge, about the world—that is powerful and, we would say, necessary. It’s also part of a legacy from D.L. Moody of what an educated person should know.

How does the history of the school influence the work of the religious studies department today? How would D.L. Moody view your work?

VA: Mr. Moody was interested in

social justice as well as Christian evangelism. He was trying to help students be better people and be concerned about the world. We’re

still doing the secular social-justice piece, which is a testament to what Moody was all about.

GP: It’s sort of like asking, would

Beethoven like the Beatles? Are we talking about the historical Beethoven or the Beethoven who is alive in spirit? Mr. Moody the person believed in no dancing, no newspapers, no hanging your clothes outside to dry. He would be shocked by the way the students dress and that not everybody goes to chapel.

The spirit of Moody is alive and well, however, and that is what has kept me here—the emphasis on social justice, that you should give something back with your education.

How have the teachers in the department changed over time?

GP: As the department has moved

beyond the traditional Christian emphasis, there has been a gradual trend away from our teachers being Protestant ministers. It used to be that most of us were seminaryeducated. Now, the number of ordained people is well in the minority and the number of us who have ministry credentials is much smaller. Yet most of us are practicing.

I’m a deacon in the church.

That informs who I am, but my credentials to teach religious studies are my academic credentials.

How does the religious studies and philosophy department connect with spirituality on campus outside the classroom?

VA: The two areas fit together

well. The chaplain (who oversees spiritual life on campus) teaches a biblical interpretation class in our department. And we have students who are involved in religious affinity groups and are able to do further academic study to supplement their practice; for example, we have a group of Jewish students taking an independent Jewish studies course this semester with a religious studies teacher.

GP: The flip side is that the two

areas don’t fit. At NMH, they join forces because they both come from the Moody tradition, but we want students to understand that there is a difference between religious studies—the study of the religious dimension of human life and its diversity and its complexity, and its corresponding ethical and philosophical dimensions—and participation in a particular tradition.

How do you as teachers adapt to or feel influenced by changes in society and culture?

GP: We now live in a culture that

says religion is an option, not a necessity. But at NMH, we teach

Selected Religious Studies and Philosophy courses REL 111/Humanities 1: Introduction to Religious Studies REL 211/Humanities 2: Religions of the World REL 312: Ethics REL 413: Eastern Religions REL 414: Introduction to Philosophy REL 417: Violence and Nonviolence REL 423: Biblical Interpretation

“New students come in thinking that ‘religious studies’ means Sunday school or Hebrew school. But we introduce ideas they haven’t thought about before.” this subversive idea that everybody has a kind of religion, which is a set of shared assumptions about what the world is, and should be.

For example, my particular interest now is environmental ethics and philosophy. We’ve always figured that the world can just keep growing and we don’t have to make choices about who gets what. But we’re now looking at a world of limits: Maybe there is only so much water to go around, so much oil, so much air. Who gets it? The person who’s always had it? The person who gets to it first? Or the person who hasn’t had it yet? To look at the world through the critical lens of landscape history and ethical issues and the future is to essentially ask big religious questions. What kind of world do we live in? How do we make meaning in it?

That’s challenging for students who’ve come to a prep school because they want to better their chances in life. To be told that their lives might be linked to the life of a Bangladeshi peasant who’s been displaced from his land because of the rise in sea level caused by climate change—that’s a pretty demanding thing.

My Humanities 1 teachers have opened up my worldview—times 20. Because of that class, I’ve started asking myself questions like: Do I want to be religious? Do I want to take it seriously? I’m still figuring it out.

Ben Nicholas ’15

fall/winter 2012 I 15

Believe Q&A

WITH REVEREND MICHAEL CORRIGAN, NMH CHAPLAIN

What is the school’s responsibility today in supporting people’s spiritual and religious needs?

MC: We bring students to campus

from many places, many cultures.

Obviously, we cannot be all things to all these students, and we can’t even remotely reproduce what some of them have in their own homes, but it’s important that we pay attention to where they’re coming from and try to have different avenues of spirituality that they can explore or continue on.

If I were giving a tour of the campus, I would definitively take people to the chapel. It’s the coolest building on campus. I’m a deacon there, which means I help with the service on Sundays.

Zeke Smith ’15

Our mom is Jewish and our dad is Catholic. I really like spirituality, and I’ve found that I enjoy the sermons on Sundays, so I go.

Because Zeke is a deacon, I often will hear him speak.

Isabelle Smith ’14

Many NMH students are away from home for the first time. How does their faith change, or not change, as they experience this new independence?

MC: It does change, because now

they have to own it. A few may have families pushing them, but for the most part, they have to take responsibility for their faith here, probably for the first time in their lives. Those of us involved in the different programs will certainly tell them about the opportunities and invite them to attend, but nobody’s going to wake them up on Sunday morning and send them off to church.

How does practicing a faith and leading a spiritual life fit in with academics and sports and arts groups and all the activities kids are involved in?

MC: For some students, it’s a high

priority, and for others, there isn’t any room for it. The great part for students is that they can become leaders very quickly. You don’t have to wait until you’re a senior to be a

16 INMH Magazine

deacon in the chapel or a leader of one of our other religious groups.

And then you’re collaborating at an equal level with adults.

What percentage of the student body practices a faith?

MC: Between day students, some

of whom practice at home with their families, and the different groups here, I’d say about a third of the students are practicing in some way.

What does that look like?

MC: It could mean going to

Breakaway (a music-centered Christian gathering) on Friday night. It could mean going to services in Memorial Chapel or an off-campus Catholic Mass on Sunday. It could be fasting for Ramadan. It could be attending Buddhist meditation, or a Passover Seder.

Do you see the school doing everything it can to support students who want to practice their faith?

MC: We work at it. Are we successful

all the time? No. For example, the fact that a rabbi started coming to campus every other Friday this year is huge. Jewish students had been requesting this and rightfully so.

I’m thrilled that the school made a commitment to it.

How has spirituality on campus changed over time?

MC: Spirituality has always been

a part of life at NMH, but in the past it was much more connected to organized religion, which was chapel-based and connected with Old and New Testament courses that students were required to take.

So religious studies and practice were intertwined?

MC: Yes. It was more dogma and

more doctrinaire. You could respond to it any way you liked, but if you

enrolled here, you went to the prescribed chapel services. If you really felt you had to go elsewhere to pursue your spirituality, maybe that was arranged. For a long time now, Catholic students have been able to attend Mass off campus, but not much attention was paid to the needs of folks who came from other traditions, such as Judaism or Islam.

It was: Here’s our requirement; you won’t be worse off for it.

That was decades ago. What about in the more recent past?

MC: When I arrived here (in 2005),

I observed a campus that was in the middle of a backlash against the religious right and the politics connected to that. The chapel services here had been espousing an ethical message about how to be a good citizen in the world and how to live a good life; it was on the right side of the angels, no doubt. But it could have come from almost any tradition. I wanted to foster an atmosphere where there were more opportunities for people to profess and practice their specific faiths, and where they felt truly comfortable doing that.

So we started offering more participatory roles for student and faculty deacons in the chapel. I started going to Breakaway, the off-campus Christian gathering, several times each year, and encouraging Breakaway leaders to become deacons in the chapel.

We moved the Buddhist meditation group to the chapel for more space and visibility. I spent more time talking to Jewish students about their hopes and leadership needs; keeping the administration and the school community apprised of spiritual events on campus; and making sure people had permission to observe their religious holidays by going to services, fasting, or not attending classes, if that is what their faith leads them to do.

How do students experience spirituality on campus today?

MC: What I see now is a movement

toward free will and volunteerism, people doing and following what they want to do and follow. In the chapel, all are welcome, no matter what your tradition or background is. It’s still very much a Christian service, though, not a pan-religious service. We’re glad to have people participating to whatever degree makes sense to them, and it is my hope that other religious groups on campus engender that same spirit.

How familiar are today’s students with religious information that was common knowledge in NMH’s past?

MC: It’s interesting to work with

some of our Asian students, especially those from China. About 90 percent of them come with no religious background at all, and they’re encountering these ideas for the first time. This is getting more into the religious-studies realm, but in the biblical interpretation class I teach, I tell students that they are studying the most influential book in Western civilization. Law, literature, history, religion, art, architecture, music—nothing has had a greater influence than the Bible. When they start to read it, all the students begin to see the connections. They see something that sounds a lot like the Steinbeck story or the Shakespeare they just read for English class. Or they say, “That story’s really familiar. I saw a movie that was sort of about that.”

How do you respond to students who say they are spiritual but not religious?

MC: Some of them say, “I’m spiritual

because I take time to think about this or to contemplate that.” They’re certainly on the right track. But most of us need more discipline and structure in setting time aside, and being ready in that time to do some serious thinking and practicing

“It’s important that we try to have different avenues of spirituality that students can explore or continue on.” with others. You don’t necessarily need to go to a school to get an education, but will you really order your life around getting it on your own? Some people will. But they are few.

And how do you respond when parents say they plan to let their children choose whether or not to be religious?

MC: I might ask the question:

“Would you do that with reading?

Would you do that with education?”

You expose young people to ideas and activities so they can learn something. Whether they carry it on in their lives, of course, is their call. I see a lot of students whose chances of exploring a spiritual life are not very good because they don’t see it modeled at all.

Is religious experimentation encouraged among NMH students— trying new things spiritually?

MC: Students try on a variety

of hats and explore a variety of avenues and I’m all for it. But there’s a difference between exploring something and claiming it. Don’t say you’re a Buddhist unless you’ve studied and gotten yourself grounded in Eastern culture and tradition and done the work.

Conversely, when a student says, “I was raised a Christian, but I think it’s a bunch of bull,” I say, “Really?” Some of the greatest

thinkers in human history have given their entire lives to studying and practicing and following it.

Then I ask the student, “What exploration or reflection have you truly put into studying or practicing this particular faith?”

How does religious practice benefit teenagers—people of all ages, really—if they choose to follow that path?

MC: We’ve gotten got so caught

up in the “Mister Rogers” way of thinking: It’s all about individuality, being special, celebrating what makes us different from others.

If we focused more on how our similarities bring us together, we’d be in a better place. It’s natural to pick out differences: You look different from me; you act different.

But the more I see you as me, the more respectful I’m going to be of you. The more I won’t do something inhumane to you. [NMH]

Religious Groups/Services on Campus Breakaway (Christian) Buddhist Meditation Group Deacons of the Church of Christ Interdenominational chapel service Jewish Student Alliance Muslim Student Association St. Edmund Campion League of Catholic Students Services for nature-based believers (neo-Pagan), Native Americans, Hindus, and Unitarians, among other groups, are available locally.

fall/winter 2012 I 17

On November 6, Americans elected their president, but students at NMH and 130 other schools across the country elected theirs first. For 24 years and seven presidential races, NMH’s VOTES project has invited teenagers around the country to debate political issues, cast their votes, and take the temperature of the nation.

DEMOCRACY 101 On the evening of November 4, two days before the presidential election, a crowd buzzes with anticipation in Northfield Mount Hermon’s James Gymnasium. At 6:30 pm, the NMH Jazz Band strikes up a patriotic tune. Students acting as news anchors, political analysts, and interviewers gather on a stage set up to resemble a TV studio and take their places in front of the cameras. Election-night media coverage is about to begin.

This is the culmination of two months of work by students on the VOTES project— Voting Opportunities for Teenagers in Every State. It is a civics curriculum conceived 24 years ago by NMH history teachers Jim Shea and Lorrie Byrom that invites high school students across the country into an exploration of electoral politics. Since the project began in 1988, nearly 340,000 students have participated.

The week before the rest of the country goes to the polls, NMH students vote in a campus mock election, as do students at more than 130 other high schools involved in the 2012 VOTES project. In James Gym,

18 I NMH Magazine

on “election night,” Jim Shea feeds the voting results to NMH students who report the outcome, block out red and blue states on a giant map, offer political commentary, and gather reaction from the audience of students and faculty. Other students, operating cameras and computers, record the entire event.

There is always a handful of students discussing politics at NMH, but during a presidential election season, the interest intensifies, and this year is no exception. When the VOTES project held its initial meeting during the second week of classes, nearly 175 students showed up. They vied for positions

BY KATE SNYDER

typical in the political landscape: campaign managers, poll workers, TV interviewers, among others. Every student who wants a VOTES job gets one, and throughout the fall, they enact the final stages of a campaign: They hold rallies and debates; drum up voter interest; and, after the mock elections at NMH and other participating schools, simulate media coverage as the vote counts come in.

One of the political correspondents is Enzo Viarengo ’14 of Greenfield, Mass. “I’m really interested in politics, and I’m hoping to learn more about the political system by doing VOTES,” he says. “It’s one thing to debate

Photos: Bob Handelman and Glenn Minshall

policy in the classroom, or with individual people. This is bigger. It’s a more exciting hands-on experience.”

Rai-ya Wilson ’13 of Trenton, N.J., will serve as a TV interviewer alongside Viarengo; she got involved with VOTES because she wants to persuade people to take voting more seriously. “I come from a fairly impoverished neighborhood, and I see how the decisions politicians make can have a huge impact on people’s lives,” she says. “My mom wasn’t going to vote. She said, ‘My vote doesn’t make any difference.’ But I talked her into it.”

Helping prepare high school students to be citizens in a democracy is one of the goals of the VOTES project. “It creates a collective sense of civic knowledge in a large number of students, most of whom will be eligible voters in the 2016 election,” says Shea. “Students in the project develop a sophisticated awareness of the American political climate, which is clear when you hear them speak about the election issues.”

When Shea and Byrom started the project in 1988, their intent was to enlist one public school and one independent school in each state, plus Washington, D.C., to conduct mock elections a few days before the general election. Not only would the process get more teenagers involved in presidential politics, they reasoned, it also could gauge the national political climate.

In part, that’s why VOTES has been the subject of press coverage from USA Today, the Boston Globe, the Christian Science Monitor, and National Public Radio. While the program’s main goal is to educate, not promote or predict, Shea says, students get excited when the media pays attention. At Harvard-Westlake School, an independent school in Studio City, Calif., that’s one of the ideas that engages students, says David Waterhouse, who teaches government and history and runs the VOTES program there. “The students take it more seriously [because] they’re excited about the fact that their votes are tallied in the newspaper,” he says.

This year, approximately 60,000 high school students nationwide will take part in

the 2012 VOTES election. At NMH, all students not only are invited to vote; they also attend the debates and campaign rallies produced by the VOTES participants, as well as talks by political experts with a variety of perspectives. There is an essay contest to enter and political films to watch.

For the students who carry out the project with Shea and Byrom, however, the feeling

of being a “political practitioner” is even stronger, according to Isaac Goldstein Luria ’01, who debated on behalf of Ralph Nader and the Green Party during the 2000 VOTES election. He remembers a faculty member approaching him after that debate and confessing that he hadn’t known what the Green Party stood for until hearing Luria speak. That ability to inform and influence was seminal for Luria; though he had considered becoming a biomedical engineer, he went on to co-found J Street, a group that lobbies for peace in Israel. He now trains religious leaders to use social justice techniques in their work.

Participating in VOTES led other students toward politics, too. Douglas Garrison ’05, who anchored media coverage for NMH’s 2004 mock election between Republican incumbent George W. Bush and Democrat John Kerry, helped launch President Barack Obama’s campaign in Colorado in 2007. Yet VOTES is less about guiding students into political careers than it is about teaching them the value of respectful and thoughtful debate. Garrison appreciated his VOTES discussions with Republican and Libertarian friends. “Having those views voiced on an otherwise staunchly liberal Democratic campus was great,” he says.

Colleen Nielsen Gibney ’89, VOTES’ first co-anchor during the 1988 contest between Republican George H.W. Bush and Democrat Michael Dukakis, agrees. “We’ve entered a time where civil discourse is rare,” she says, adding that TV pundits could learn a thing or two from NMH students, who, through the VOTES project, take time to craft wellinformed arguments that go beyond political tropes.

All those well-informed arguments are on display during the November 4 election-night event in James Gym. VOTES students have spent hours readying the broadcasting “set,” the equipment, the giant map, the celebratory balloons and streamers. By 7 pm, the crowd starts to quiet down. The cameras start rolling. It’s showtime. [NMH]

2012 I 19

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fall/winter 2012 I21

his was not, as any observer might have guessed, the first science-inspired multimedia performance from Capacitor. The brainchild of dancer and choreographer Jodi Lomask ’92, Capacitor has created performances that combine art and science since its inception in 1997, often collaborating with scholars and researchers and finding a balance between scientific accuracy and artistic integrity. “We are looking for an understanding of nature that supersedes precise adherence to facts,” Lomask says. “We’re mining the science for metaphors.

We welcome mysteries and abstraction, but we’re We’re mining also trying to reflect the passion and knowledge of the researchers.” the science for While Capacitor has explored a variety of scientific metaphors. We concepts, including reproduction and outer space, the company has focused on environmental issues in the welcome mysteries past five years. “The more I collaborate with biologists, and abstraction, the more the work goes in the direction of environmentalism,” Lomask explains. “We’ve ended up as environbut we’re also mental activists simply by knowing too much.” trying to reflect Lomask has only recently taken on environmental issues in her work, but she has been a dancer most the passion and of her life. “The story goes that when I was 3, my parents would take me to a show, and it was all they knowledge of could do to keep me from running right up the researchers. onto the stage,” she laughs. Her mother soon enrolled five out of the six children in the family—including Lomask, the youngest—in ballet class. By age 10, Lomask was commuting from her home in Connecticut to Massachusetts, where she performed with a dance company in schools, special events, and nursing homes. She was the youngest person in the company, yet she began choreographing pieces for her fellow dancers.

Dance was a major reason why Lomask later chose to attend Northfield Mount Hermon.

“It was one of the only schools that had a dance company,” she says. During her junior year, Lomask won the athletic department’s “Female Athlete of the Year” award, the first time the school had ever given that honor to a dancer.

Following high school, Lomask headed to one of the top dance programs in the country at Purchase College, State University of New York. She also spent a year and a half studying in Europe—a trip that greatly influenced her choreography. “What I came away with was that modern dance in the U.S. seemed to me to be about simplicity and stripping away theatrical elements. In Europe, there was much more attention paid to props and costumes and lighting and stage effects and I loved that,” Lomask says.

After college came a three-month stint in Xalapa, Mexico, where the choreographer studied Tai Chi and African dance. Then, in 1997, Lomask packed up her belongings and made a beeline for San Francisco, where she still resides. Her goal, even then, was to start a dance company. She initially joined three other companies, but ultimately decided to focus on her own projects. That’s when Capacitor was born.

“

22 INMH

Lomask’s first full-evening show premiered in 2000. Titled “futurespecies,” the show focused on the future of reproduction and humanity and marked the first time Lomask consulted with scientists— “to have some grounding in what was truly happening before I let my imagination run wild,” she says.

She created Capacitor Labs, which turned out to be a unique process for collaborating with scientists.

Each month, Lomask invites a group of scientists into the dance studio to meet with members of her company as they create new work. The point is not to make each show as scientifically accurate as possible. Instead, the science is a jumping-off point for creativity. The first collaboration—with astronomers—resulted in the work “Within Outer Spaces,” which focused on Earth’s connection to space.

Around the same time, Lomask also was searching for a way to draw more young people into her audiences. Her solution: to produce and perform events in nightclubs.

Since club promoters were wary of having live performers compete with DJs—a barrier that made it difficult for Lomask to secure theater-quality technical support—“We decided to rent a club ourselves, hire the DJs, and become the promoters,” she says. The result was Flux Capacitor, which was part performance, part dance party, described by SF Weekly as getting “club kids and ravers to groove alongside performers.” The show, inspired by “Within Outer Spaces,” was integrated with DJ sets and rigged aerial structures that allowed the dancers to practically fly across the club. More than a thousand people showed up.

In 2007, Lomask’s work took an environmental bent with “Biome,” a show focusing on forest canopy, the upper layer of mature trees. She

recruited Dr. Nalini Nadkarni, an ecologist at the University of Utah, who took Capacitor performers to Washington State to scale 250-foot-tall Douglas fir trees. They also traveled with Nadkarni to the Monteverde cloud forest in Costa Rica, where they climbed trees, went on nature walks, and took in lectures by Nadkarni and her colleagues. “It was a very intense retreat,” says Lomask.

“Instead of bringing the collaborative team together to just learn information, we were actually sharing an experience.”

That idea carried over to “Okeanos,” Capacitor’s latest work. As part of her preparation for creating the show, Lomask became a certified diver and studied coral restoration and marine protectorates in Bali. “I think of things in terms of form and structure,” she says. “I project myself into outer space, or I want to go deep into the earth and find out what’s there; I want to stand on top of trees, or in this case, I wanted to go deep into the ocean,” she says.

Lomask traces her interest in the ocean, and in science in general, back to her father, Morton Lomask, a trained physicist. She remembers hearing his stories about Auguste Piccard—the inventor of the bathyscaphe, a deep-sea submersible— and his son, Jacques, who asked her father for ideas for research they could perform in their self-propelled submersible. “So he designed a piece of equipment to study sound waves at different depths in the ocean,” Lomask explains. Her father eventually joined Jacques Piccard’s bathyscaphe team in the Mediterranean, where he embarked on several deep dives with the group.

Lomask’s own collaboration with underwater experts involved

monthly meetings (six in total) with marine biologists and oceanographers at the California Academy of Sciences, where the scientists gave lectures and the dancers presented “Okeanos” to gather feedback during its development.

Dancers were encouraged to research their “characters,” which included octopi, clams, seahorses, and a type of mollusk called a nudibranch.

Oceanographer Sylvia Earle and marine biologist Tierney Thys provided narration for “Okeanos,” their words blending into the musical score. Thys says she found the experience “mind-opening.” “I tend to be more literal and Jodi is more about, ‘Let what we’re doing be freely interpreted.’ It was an exercise in letting go, and letting the dance speak to us.”

Ultimately, Thys believes that Lomask succeeded in blending science, environmentalism, acrobatics, dance, underwater footage, and narration into a cohesive and exciting experience. “When I fully realized the scope and breadth of what the performance was going to be, I thought, ‘You’re kidding,’” Thys says. “And you know, she pulled it off.” [NMH] Ariel Schwartz is a writer in San Francisco and an editor for FastCoExist.com.

fall/winter 2012 I23

by hannah wareham photographs by glenn minshall

home land A farmers’ market “teach-in” gets NMH students thinking about local agriculture.

1 Talking with farmers 2 Meeting a baby emu 3N MH calves having a field day 4 T asting a foraged plant 5U nder the tent in Beveridge Bowl 6P lanting a spiral herb garden

nder a large white tent in Beveridge Bowl last May, Steve Jeong ’13 forked over $2 for a pound of potatoes from Simple Gifts Farm of North Amherst, Mass. “I’m going to make a curry,” he said as he pocketed his change.

Jeong was one of hundreds of Northfield Mount Hermon students participating in the school’s first farmers’ market teach-in, which was organized to help students learn about local food sources and farming practices, and to allow them to meet experts in farming, food security, plant science, and landscape-connected politics. “The Pioneer Valley is blessed with a thriving agricultural industry that’s on the cutting edge of the local slow-food movement,” says NMH science teacher Becca Leslie, who planned the event with students and other volunteers. “I wanted to give our students a chance to explore and celebrate that, and identify ways to get more deeply connected.”

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Supported in part by the AyersGilbert Fund for Sustainability and the Environment, the teach-in brought 36 farmers and other agriculture professionals in New England to campus for a day to share their knowledge, experience, and products, and to discuss their work during morning classes. Some NMH teachers also focused their own material on different aspects of agriculture; math teacher Donald Marshall, for example, led his students in examining whether the size of a farm affects its level of productivity. In the afternoon, the visiting farmers continued to meet with students in a traditional market setting.

Perry Holmes ’13, who helped identify and invite participants for the teach-in, got involved because the rapidly expanding organic farming industry is making agriculture legislation a growing political issue.

“As citizens and future voters, we should be interested in the production of our food,”

he says, “and as consumers we should be interested in what we put in our stomachs.”

Classroom visitors included restaurateurs, landscape designers, and scientists as well as farmers. “We were looking for local programs with a history of reaching out to the public to educate and build community connections around land use in the Pioneer Valley,” Leslie says.

Permaculture expert Lydia Silva worked with students in art teacher Mona Seno’s sculpture classes to design and plant a spiral herb garden for future use by dining services staff. “The spiral is a design that allows farmers to fit a lot of things in a small space,” Silva told students gathered behind Alumni Hall; it also creates a different microclimate for each plant in the spiral, which, in this case, rose to a height of about 12 inches in the center.

Three chemistry classes met with Sarah Weis ’71, an agricultural chemist at the University of Massachusetts–Amherst. She

discussed how the gas ethylene is used to artificially delay or expedite the natural ripening process in fruit.

Some tomatoes, for example, are shipped before they ripen, and then get exposed to ethylene gas to jump-start an artificial ripening process. “Nothing bad is going to happen” if a tomato is picked early and then treated with ethylene, Weis said. “It’s just that some good things don’t happen.” Tomatoes left longer on the plant have more time to develop their natural starches into desirable sugars and to break down pectins.

Weis also helped students link the science of ethylene to food politics. The apples that work best with ethylene are grown more often, she said, which leads to fewer apple varieties available in grocery stores. Eating different varieties of apples encourages diversity in public demand, and that, in turn, increases the cultivation of varieties that may rely less on artificial chemicals. “When you run into an apple you’ve never heard of, buy it!”

Weis advised.

Later in the day, Jim Shea’s government class heard a similar message from Wm [sic] Levine, chairman of the Amherst Agricultural Commission and an organic vegetable farmer who rents conservation land from the town of Amherst for his

“ When you know where your food comes from and how it’s made, it makes it all the more significant every time you buy it.” fields. His double role allows him to work within the local political system to improve market access for growers at the Amherst Farmers’ Market, which is privately owned and allows a set number of vendors to participate—a restriction Levine calls “a failed understanding of economics.”

“If you open up participation, it puts pressure on commodities,” he said. “If every vendor has a cucumber, the price of cucumbers goes down. It benefits the consumer, and encourages the producers to diversify.” Levine’s suggestion: “Grow a yellow cucumber!”

That kind of “tactile example of the material we learn about in the classroom” was eye-opening, according to volunteer organizer Kyra White ’12. “The teach-in is a great way to show not only students, but also faculty and other community members, how sustainable agriculture and environmental issues are connected with other subjects,” she says.

By midafternoon, the farmers’ market had opened to the public, and students joined alumni and other visitors under the market tent—tasting local salsas, petting alpacas and baby emus, and talking with individual farmers about their work.

5

Roxanne Maduro ’13 purchased a honey stick from Warm Colors Apiary of South Deerfield, Mass., and got into conversation. “Soon I knew how honey was made, how it was harvested from a honeycomb, and that there are different varieties of honey,” she says. “I came away from the market knowing a lot more about the food I was buying than I would ever know from simply going to a supermarket.

When you know where your food comes from and how it’s made, it makes it all the more significant every time you buy it.”

Exactly, says Dean of Faculty Hugh Silbaugh. “We wanted to put food and farm and work at the center of students’ experience here,” he said. “It’s part of the school’s commitment to sustainability, responsible resource use, food awareness, and health—both our own and the environment’s.”

And it’s safe to say that the visiting farmers and other experts valued the teachin as much as the students did. “When I asked vendors how it went,” Leslie says, “most didn’t even mention selling their products. They talked about how neat it was to connect with students.” [NMH]

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PORTRAITS OF A WORKPLACE

THERE ARE MORE THAN 190 STAFF MEMBERS WHO WORK BEHIND THE SCENES AT NMH. THEY CLEAN BUILDINGS, COOK MEALS, RAISE SCHOLARSHIP FUNDS, MOW GRASS, FIX COMPUTERS, PAY BILLS, DELIVER MAIL—AND THAT IS JUST A FRACTION OF WHAT THEY DO. MEET A FEW OF THE PEOPLE WHO HELP MAKE NMH GO. INTERVIEWS BY JENNIFER SUTTON PHOTOGRAPHS BY MICHAEL DWYER

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Cecile dela Cruz P ’16 DINING SERVICES, LEAD GENERAL S E R V I C E S A S S I S TA N T 6 Y E A R S AT N M H

Cholin dela Cruz P ’16 DINING SERVICES, PA N T R Y W O R K E R (SALAD ROOM) 1 3 Y E A R S AT N M H

CHOLIN: Originally we are from the Philippines, but we came here from Hong Kong. I worked with Richard Mueller (former NMH head of school) when he was the U.S. Consul General there.

I worked in the consulate residence and at special functions, and when I would see all the U.S. dignitaries on TV, like the presidents, secretaries of state, and senators, I would say, “Oh, my goodness: I served him; I served her.” I was always with people, so I was used to it when I came to NMH. I love being surrounded by the kids. It’s a friendly environment—it doesn’t feel like working for a regular company. I like the diversity of people here, too. I don’t feel like an outsider because I see kids from different cultures.

CECILE: I’ve got eight people working with me and we’re responsible for the special events deliveries, and the dining rooms in Alumni Hall; we make sure everything is nice and clean, especially the floor. I’m also the supervisor of the work job students assigned to the dishroom and that’s a huge challenge. We’re trying to lead them in the right direction and teach them how to be responsible for their jobs. It amazes me how they do it with their busy schedules.

They are a big help for us and we enjoy working with them. Every day they say hi to me; they shake my hand and they introduce me to their parents during Family Days. That is really cool. It makes NMH feel like our home away from home.

fall/winter 2012 I 27

David Losius

P L A N T A N D P R O P E R T Y, LEAD CARPENTER 1 9 Y E A R S AT N M H

WE

DO A LOT OF REMODELING and maintenance, everything from digging a hole to you name it. We go into an office or a house and tear it out and put it back together. We have a pretty good shop, some good tools. We do a lot of kitchens and bathrooms, window work, counters. We’re used to doing it all. Summers are usually our busiest time because that’s when faculty move. In some of the places, people have lived there a long time; they hate to leave and they hate to see change. But the new people coming in do want change.

I really like the guys I work with. The trades are pretty close. We have to be. We sometimes do whole houses in a matter of weeks, so it can get kind of crazy. We did a house on campus over the summer, turned the whole thing around in three weeks. There were about 10 guys working in there. We work with some good outside contractors who go out of their way for the school. We did a new kitchen, new bathrooms; refinished the floors; it got fully painted, interior and exterior. We even added a laundry room.

I try to keep a good attitude. I like to keep people on their toes, keep it light, no matter who I’m talking to.

I’ve got a pretty good rapport with people on campus.

Before NMH, I worked for a private contractor and I was on the road a lot, so coming here was probably one of the best moves I ever made. It’s close to home. I watched my kids grow up.

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Joanne Kelly P ’94

ADMISSION, OFFICE MANAGER, FINANCIAL AID A S S I S TA N T 2 3 Y E A R S AT N M H

MY

JOB IS TO HELP make the admission process enjoyable for new families. I work with a team of skilled and dedicated support staff and counselors, and the office is always bursting with energy from all the student ambassadors, coaches, and faculty who come through to talk with the kids and parents. I also work with families who apply for financial aid. They can be very shy about it, but I like making them feel comfortable about the whole process. I tell them they can call me 100 times if they need to.

Sometimes I think about how lucky I’ve been to fall into this work. My job title is only a starting place for what my day may bring; I have to be on my toes all the time. And I love being around young

people. I see kids who are preppy, who are athletes, who are nerdy, or punk, or crunchy. I see so many different kinds of kids, and I see them being intelligent and mature and respectful; they let each other be who they are.

When prospective students come for interviews, they usually start out looking shy and awkward and scared, but by the time they come back from their campus tour, they’re glowing. Our student tour guides will hug them as they’re leaving, or shake their hands, and I’ll see how that prospective student— that child, really—has evolved in the short time they’ve been here. They leave feeling good about themselves.

fall/winter 2012 I 29

WHEN

I STARTED HERE, I worked in the salad room in dining services. Then I did a combination of radio work for the trades, telling them to go here and there for various jobs; I answered the switchboard; I did some accounting. When the school decided to put in its own network and telephone infrastructure, they needed someone to go around with the vendor and identify every phone jack on both campuses; then they needed someone to manage the system.

I remember going home and telling my husband, “I have no idea what I’m doing.” But it was the best decision I’ve ever made.

Every day is different. I’m always learning something new. I’ve learned about running the telephone switch and voice mail systems, terminating jacks, running phone lines, wiring, programming—everything, top to bottom. There are 682 phone lines on campus, so I’m constantly going around to all the different departments. I get to know everybody.

I take pride in you sitting down at your desk and being able to use your phone.

I like to give people tools that make their jobs easier. Now that everybody’s got cell phones, I always ask my boss, “Am I going to have a job next year?” I hope so. This place has a different feeling than just “Sit down and do your job.” People want you to grow and better yourself.

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Wendy Pomerantz

I N F O R M AT I O N T E C H N O L O G Y, T E L E C O M M U N I C AT I O N S M A N A G E R 2 1 Y E A R S AT N M H

Paul Bartlett DIRECTOR OF CAMPUS SAFETY 1 2 Y E A R S AT N M H

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CAME TO NMH as an officer on the second shift. I’d been working for Wackenhut Security in New Jersey as a manager, and I had to adjust what I’d known about the security and safety field.

I’ve never worked anyplace that had such a sense of community. I know we hear that a lot, but people here really do work together collaboratively. It’s like a large extended family.

And when you work this closely with folks, both within the safety department and with other departments, you develop trust. That’s huge.

I remember my high school and it was nothing like this. In the 12 years I’ve been at NMH, we’ve only responded to two fights. That boggles my mind. So I’m pretty thrilled with these students. They definitely are the soul of this school. They are the reason we’re here,

and I’m constantly letting the officers know that we don’t put on our badges and go out and police the campus. We’re making sure these students are safe, and we’re making sure the buildings are secure. Anything we can do to help out, even if it’s giving a ride to a student with a cast, we need to do that.

In this job, more than in any other security job I’ve had, I feel that I’m actually contributing to society. We’re helping to make sure these kids are safe, so they can get an education and move on and do some pretty fantastic things in the world. Just knowing that feels pretty good.

[NMH]

fall/winter 2012 I 31

THOSE WHO TEACH, LEARN Come June, NMH teachers disperse and go into the world to sharpen their teaching tools and build upon their already considerable skills. They take a class; they teach a class; they climb a mountain; they contemplate number theory. In art residencies and technology workshops, in AP training institutes and curriculum overhauls, they find fresh ideas and inspiration to bring back to campus.

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•

alapagos Islands: Mary G Hefner, Craig Hefner, Becca Leslie; scouting future student trip Costa Rica: Steve Allison, Meg Donnelly, Becca Leslie; teacher training Seoul, Hong Kong, Beijing: Diane Arena, meetings with NMH families and alumni St. Petersburg, Moscow: Sean Foley, scouting future Humanities 2 trip

• • •

• • •

Baltimore: Erik Chaput, Society of Early American Historians conference Truro, MA: Bill Roberts, Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill North Andover, MA: James Greenwood; Diversity Directions, Independent School Seminar

Cambridge, MA: Kate Moriarty, Hugh Silbaugh, James Greenwood; Harvard Graduate School of Education, “Closing the Achievement Gap: Strategies for Excellence with Equity” St. Johnsbury, VT: Donald Marshall, Julia Kameron; AP Institutes in computer science and calculus Johnson, VT: Lauren Scott, Vermont Studio Center artist residency Rockport, ME: Glenn Minshall, Maine Media Workshops

Acadia, ME: Mona Seno; Schoodic Education and Research Center Institute, AP Studio Art portfolio workshop 2012 New York City: Drew Inzer; The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, “Economic and Financial Crises in American History” Ellis Island, NY: Philip Calabria, photographic expedition

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Istanbul, Paris, Reykjavik: Eleanor Conover, Kate Moriarty, Janae Peters; research Hargeisa, Somaliland: Grant Gonzalez, teaching at Abaarso Tech San Diego: Lara Freeman, TJ Skulstad-Brown; Center for Accelerated Learning, “Creating an Effective 21st Century Learning Culture” San Francisco: Lynee Connolly; California Institute of Integral Studies, Ph.D. program

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Wind River, WY: Donald Marshall, National Outdoor Leadership School Minneapolis: Sheila Heffernon, Chorus America Conference Toronto: Gary Partenheimer, World Future Society conference Hartford, CT: Craig Sandford, Hartt School of Music

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T HO S E WHO TEACH, L EARN

Running in Somaliland HISTORY AND SOCIAL SCIENCES, ARABIC

By Grant Gonzalez

I

traveled to Abaarso Tech in Somaliland to teach and to meet Mohamed Abdirahman Hussein, a new junior at NMH (second from right). I wanted to get acquainted with Mohamed’s background before he arrived in our corner of the world. I was also thrilled for the opportunity to teach in such a different culture and to learn all I could.

Abaarso Tech is a boarding school founded in 2009 by Jonathan Starr, a graduate of Worcester Academy. The school has 135 students from throughout Somaliland who are admitted only if they fall in the top 2 percent of those who take the national exam and then pass the school’s own stringent entrance test.

While there still is much work to do to prepare the students for matriculating into universities, there is a palpable feeling of lives being transformed at Abaarso Tech. The students do not back off from challenges, which I quickly discovered as I helped them with their essays late into the night. With exacting diligence, students often leap two or three reading grade levels each year.

There is no reliable Internet service at Abaarso Tech, no working copier, no projectors in the classroom. As a result, I was stretched as an educator in instructive ways, while the students were largely free from the distractions of fast-paced technology.

Outside the classroom, students did their form of work job, which included breaking rocks to improve the soccer field and volunteering as tutors at the local orphanage. As an avid runner, I was excited to run with some very talented kids and to organize a race near the end of my stay. Mohamed, who ran with me nearly every day as we filled each other in on life at NMH and in Somaliland, respectively, came in second!

Walking in Darwin’s Footsteps SCIENCE

By Mary Hefner and Craig Hefner

T

he Galápagos Islands, off the coast of Ecuador, make an ideal biology “laboratory” for students. We traveled from island to island with a naturalist guide, who helped us begin planning an NMH trip that would involve study and enjoyment of the wildlife, community service, and outreach with local students on both the islands and the mainland.

The Galapágos are a newish (a couple million years old) volcanic chain of islands where Charles Darwin first put together his ideas about evolution. This was our bucket-list trip; a biologist going to the Galapágos is like a historian working with primary documents.

With a natural history of no predators on the islands, the wildlife is easily accessible for observation and study. For example, the mating ritual of the blue-footed booby can be seen from a meter or two away: At first, it seems comical, as the bird slowly shifts its weight from one

34 I NMH Magazine

foot to the other, but you can see that it follows a precise and beautiful choreography. Such fine-tuned behavioral cues are part of the process that keeps one species’ gene pool isolated from another’s, which is part of Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection.

Each year, NMH students visit local beaver ponds and fields to observe the phenomenon of “ecological succession”—the process of one community of organisms being replaced by another. In the Galápagos, they’ll be able to start at the beginning and observe “pioneer species,” the first plants that move into what appears to be an uninhabitable landscape of hardened lava. How can cactus and grasses survive in what seems like sterile ground? A closer look at the lava fields reveals fissures in the rock that are able to hold just enough moisture to allow these hardy species to take root.

In Search of the Real Russia HISTORY AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

By Sean Foley

N

MH currently sends groups of sophomore humanities students to Brazil, China, India, and South Africa. The next place for immersion learning may be Russia, a former superpower and a fast-growing petrol economy. To explore opportunities for travel and study in that country, I went to St. Petersburg, Moscow, and smaller cities such as Vladimir, Suzdal, and Bogolyubovo— “the real Russia,” according to a nuclear physicist I met on the Nizhny-Novgorod train.

In St. Petersburg, the streets teemed with cars whose drivers ignored lane lines and any semblance of auto etiquette. The city was infused with incredible energy from its famed “White Nights,” which were at their zenith: The sun set for only about three hours every night, and even then there was enough light to read by. This vibrancy contrasted sharply with the unsettling World War II landmarks that dotted the city, commemorating the siege of Leningrad from 1941 to 1944.

From St. Petersburg, it was on to Suzdal, the once powerful and wealthy holding of Muscovy princes. Today it is a UNESCO world heritage site crammed with dozens of Russian Orthodox churches and monasteries. Famous for its mead, this tranquil village was a welcome respite that preceded the city bustle of Moscow, my next stop. A memorial celebration of the Great Patriotic War occurred during my time in the capital, and I met a number of veterans who spoke of their experiences in Chechnya. Sipping down libations, they told me of their “fire dreams.”

The common denominator among the places I visited was great food. In the small towns along the Golden Ring that circles Moscow, I consumed traditional Russian kasha, b’lini, and salted fish. In Moscow, I sampled Belorussian, Kazakh, and Georgian cuisines. In St. Petersburg, I stumbled upon Uzbeki, Azeri, and Ukrainian restaurants and tried several different types of tongue and also skewered ram’s testicles—an acquired taste, to be sure.

Russia is a country with a provocative history, full of ethnic and religious diversity, and it is standing at the crossroads of authoritarianism and democracy. As I evaluated accommodations, made contact with a Muscovite school, and tested the mettle and knowledge of different guides, I became convinced that a curriculum built around this country would be invaluable to NMH students. [NMH]

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alumni spotlight Chronicles of a Reunion

This year, NMH Magazine asked a small handful of alumni to “cover” the weekend’s events.

From Hymn Sing to the Alumni of Color reception, two alumnae report.

[ 50th Reunion ]

The Hemlocks Have Grown Large

By ENID FREUND HAYFLICK ’62

It’s a long drive from Ridgewood, New Jersey, to NMH. Along the entrance road, I am struck by how large the hemlocks have grown, a sure sign that it is indeed 50 years since I graduated from the Northfield School for Girls. How can that be? There is great energy and wonderful spirit here on campus, yet how do you summarize so much of your life? The major highs and lows; college, travels, careers, passions; for some of us, marriage, children, divorce.

Hymn Sing in Memorial Chapel: I know I’m not alone in feeling that this event is one of the high points of reunion and of being back on this lovely campus.

I reflect on the great joy and exhilaration I felt then—and still feel now—of making music together, of being part of “the singing school.” I know all the words of “Jerusalem” by heart.

I take a walk on a road in the back of campus, where I’ve never been before. It is lovely and peaceful, and I’m recalling the “Quiet Time” walks I took at Northfield so many years ago.

At the Northfield School for Girls luncheon, the tables have floral arrangements

with ‘sturdies’ in them! For those of us who are—and will always be—Northfield girls, this is a most welcome recognition of the school we all remember.

I go to an interesting talk by the NMH chaplain, Rev. Michael Corrigan, on the school’s approach to religious studies and practices. No compulsory chapel every day, not even on Sundays—who would have thought? During trips to campus for planning meetings during the school year, I’ve seen how diverse the student body has become. The school has had to flex its policies with the changing times; and that’s the way it should be. I’d love to be a student here now, but I don’t know if I’d be able to get in!

Back at Crossley for a breather. There’s a group of guys huddled around a laptop in the lounge, Skyping with one of their absent classmates and singing him a rousing rendition of “Jerusalem.”

Sage Chapel for the class of ’62 memorial service: many memories of days gone by and of classmates no longer with us. The Chapel looks the same outside, different inside, but beautifully restored.

On Sunday, the hallways of South Crossley grow increasingly silent, with only a few voices echoing down the corridor. As I gather my things, I think about all the different kinds of endings I’ve experienced through the years.

The 5oth, top to bottom: Hymn Sing, sturdies in the centerpieces, walking into Memorial Chapel, Northfield’s class of ’62.

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reunion

alumni spotlight

[ 5th Reunion ]

I Feel Like Rejoicing

By BLISSE WILKINSON ’07

I drive up to NMH from New York with people who were among my best friends in high school, and we talk the entire ride about some of the more memorable moments. Theo and I joke about competing for the class president position.

Amani, Ayana, David, and I laugh about all the fun we had hanging out in Crossley after study hall.

The best part of the drive to NMH has always been when you first see the sign off the highway. We drive along the long, treelined road and at the first glance of the lake, we begin talking about Rope Pull, then Mountain Day. As I walk into Alumni, I instantly think about Sunday brunch—my friends and I would wake up late and sit there for hours, talking, giggling, and people watching. At lunch, everyone discusses the wonderful days of grazing hours and how we wish they existed in college!

Passing Forslund Gym and the track, I’m reminded of my more active days playing a different sport each semester, and the

track meets that left me with feelings of accomplishment and exhaustion—at the same time.

The Alumni of Color reception is a great addition to the weekend. I meet several alumni of color from different years, and I see Benita Pierce, whom I connected with during my junior year, when she was an NMH trustee and I was active in student government and diversity initiatives. She has been a mentor and a guide for me in the world of finance.

Crossley is definitely one of my favorite places on campus. I lived there for two years (the second as a student leader). This is a place where I met some of my best friends and where I grew into myself. I feel like rejoicing as I relive my days as a highschooler. I matured so much at NMH. A lot of people cared about my education and my experience when I was there.

The 5th, top to bottom: Crossley, members of the class of ’07 at Reunion and Rope Pull, and scenes of active times—the gyms and Mountain Day.

fall/winter 2012 I 37

/ alumni spotlight /

Reunion Snapshots “NMH is a place where I grew into myself.”

See more Reunion photos at www.flickr.com/nmhphotos

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reunion

alumni spotlight

A Passionate Commitment

During reunion in June, NMH got a big boost from the class of ’62.

2.2

$ million The five-year 50th reunion gift

62% of classmates participated in giving

30%

 increase

over class Annual Fund giving last year

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION AWARDS 2012 Distinguished Service Award Ruth Alice Morgan-Jones ’62 Lamplighter Award Rebecca Campbell Parfitt Kennedy ’67 and Vincent Kennedy ’67 Community Service Award Bruce Burnside ’67 William H. Morrow Award Charles A. Tierney III Richard D. Odman Alumni Citations Melvin F. Smith ’52 Darrell Maynard Cooper ’57 Kathe Dennison Chipman ’62 J. Lucinda Kidder ’62 Michael Menne ’62 Elizabeth Hall Olszewski ’87 Andrea Wolcott ’92 Justin Wai ’02 Anne Morgan ’02

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/ alumni spotlight /

Read • Watch • Listen marathons in Boston, New York, and Moscow, among other cities, to the BemisForslund Pie Race at NMH (chapter four), Daniloff ran to feel strong and to forgive himself. “We pace each other, the past and me,” he writes. “And some days, I go faster.”

Never Fall Down

BY PATRICIA MCCORMICK

Balzer + Bray, HarperCollins

Running Ransom Road

BY CALEB DANILOFF ’88

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

In NMH circles, Caleb Daniloff was known as the student who got expelled on the day of his graduation— just hours before his father, the international journalist Nicholas Daniloff, delivered the Commencement address.

The younger Daniloff abused alcohol for 15 years, throughout his teens and twenties. He got sober in the late 1990s, and eventually stepped onto a treadmill at the gym. That move changed, and perhaps saved, his life.

“I didn’t set out to be a runner, just as I never set out to be a drunk,” Daniloff writes in his new memoir, Running Ransom Road. “When I took up running, I found not only a new central pattern to my life, but a forum in which to confront myself.” In just over a year, Daniloff ran road races in all the places where his drinking had led him to wreak havoc with his own life and the lives of those close to him. From

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Arn Chorn-Pond ’86 is the inspiration for this young adult novel by National Book Award finalist Patricia McCormick.

Recalling Chorn-Pond’s haunting experience during the 1975 Khmer Rouge takeover of Cambodia, the book tells the story of child survivors of the regime who came to the United States as refugees.

Chorn-Pond was separated from his family at a young age and sent to a labor camp, where he witnessed horrific violence at the hands of sadistic Khmer Rouge soldiers and was pulled into what is known today as the Killing Fields. He survived by learning to play the

flute and performing revolutionary songs for the soldiers.

He eventually escaped to the jungle, but not before he was handed a gun and forced to become a soldier himself.

“I have headache and stomach­ache sharing this story,” Chorn-Pond said in a recent interview with New York Times writer Seth Mydans.

“But telling my story heals me.

I cry a lot now. I’m addicted to it.”

South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu calls the novel “one of the most inspiring and powerful books I’ve ever read.

Never Fall Down can teach us all about finding the courage to speak our truth and change the world,” he says.

The novel takes its title from the simple credo that fueled not only Chorn-Pond’s survival in Cambodia, but also his pursuit of an education in the United States and his success as a humanitarian: “Over and over I tell myself one thing,” he says. “‘Never fall down.’”

One in a Thousand

BY IAN CORISTINE WITH DONNA WALSH INGLEHART

McLellan Interactive Publishing

Donna Walsh Inglehart wrote her first novel in 1991, during her 28-year tenure as an English teacher at NMH. That book, a mystery for young adults, as well as her second novel, was set in the Thousand Islands in the St. Lawrence River. Her most recent book, however, transforms the region from scenery into centerpiece.

Yet One in a Thousand cannot be categorized as just a book. This interactive ebook, available only for the iPad, combines Inglehart’s words with voices, music, maps, and images and video made by Ian Coristine, a racecar driver turned pilot and photographer.

The narrative is Coristine’s, and it follows in the tradition of A Year in Provence and Under the Tuscan Sun. By chance, he discovers the Thousand Islands during a floatplane outing. He makes his home on a small rocky island, rebuilding a 100-year-old cottage.

When Inglehart’s second book, a 2010 historical novel about Thousand Islands life in the years after the American Civil War, caught Coristine’s interest, their collaboration began to take root. The interactive project, Inglehart told North Country Public Radio in an interview, “has absolutely changed my understanding of how stories can be told.”

alumni spotlight

The Axmann Conspiracy: The Nazi Plan for a Fourth Reich and How the U.S. Army Defeated It

BY SCOTT ANDREW SELBY ’91

Berkley Books, Penguin

This well-documented book, with an average of more than 40 footnotes per chapter, focuses on a lesser-known Nazi figure: Arthur Axmann, who led the Hitler Youth during World War II and was a member of Hitler’s inner circle.

After volunteering 200 boys to serve as a human shield to help the Führur escape from Berlin (an offer that Hitler declined just days before committing suicide), Axmann himself escapes capture and attempts to restore the Nazi Party and position himself as the future leader of a Fourth Reich. Enter U.S. Army Counter Intelligence Corps Officer Jack Hunter, the hero of Selby’s book, who discovers Axmann’s conspiracy and, with his fellow undercover agents, foils it.

Part history text, part dramatic spy thriller, The Axmann

“

The Axmann Conspiracy…is as timely as it is chilling and engrossing.

“

Conspiracy follows Selby’s first book, another thriller titled Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History. Author Dean Koontz calls the new book “chilling and engrossing.” The question that remains is this: Who will play Axmann and Hunter in the Hollywood movie version?

NMH Alumni Council Welcomes Four New Leaders

—Dean Koontz

“My Bonneville” Annie and The Beekeepers ANNIE LYNCH ’04

Cape Cod native Annie Lynch, backed by the band The Beekeepers, released her third album at the end of the summer. “My Bonneville” is an upbeat ode to the inspiration for many an American folk song: the automobile. The title track is a foot-stomping elegy to the car Lynch drove when she was 16, a 1985— you guessed it—Bonneville.

Backed by folksy guitar and banjo, Lynch’s lilting voice threads through the campy headliner, leaving listeners humming the chorus long after it’s over. Other notable tracks include the haunting “Wake Up Mama” and “A Light At the End,” a simple, beautiful song that truly allows Lynch’s voice to shine.

Annie Lynch ’04, far right, with her band, The Beekeepers

Left to right: Mike Stone ’95, Kate Hayes ’06, Peter Donald ’05, and David McClintock ’91

Peter Donald ’05 Council role: Annual Fund Chair Education: Catholic University of America, 2009 Current city: New York, New York Profession: Spokesman, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office Kate Hayes ’06 Council role: Young Alumni Chair Education: Northeastern University, 2010 Current city: New York, New York Profession: Director of Operations and Strategic Initiatives, Minds Matter National, Inc. David McClintock ’91 Council role: Vice President Education: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, master’s in computer science, 2001; Wheaton College (Massachusetts), 1995 Current City: Cherry Hill, New Jersey Profession: Software engineer Mike Stone ’95 Council role: Area Club Chair Education: New School University, master’s in international affairs and economic development, 2005; Bard College, 2000 Current city: New York, New York Profession: Senior reporter, dealReporter, Financial Times Group

fall/winter 2012 I 41

Become a member of the Lamplighter Society

/ alumni spotlight /

formerly known as the Heritage Alliance Society

KEEP IN TOUCH Help us save paper AND keep you connected with NMH! Send us your current email address and we’ll make sure to update you via email on major school happenings.

ADDRESS UPDATES addressupdates@nmhschool.org NMH’S ONLINE COMMUNITY community.nmhschool.org SEND US NEWS nmhnotes@nmhschool.org

STAY CONNECTED FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/NMHschool

“If we cannot be a lighthouse, let us be a tallow candle. In the old times, people used to come to the evening meetings bringing their candles with them.

The first one would not make a great illumination, but as more came, there was more light.” —D.L. Moody

Please join the more than 650 alumni and friends of NMH who have made a bequest to the school or notified us that a planned gift is included in their wills.

TWITTER www.twitter.com/NMHschool FLICKR www.flickr.com/photos/nmhphotos NMHSOCIAL www.nmhschool.org/nmhsocial ALUMNI EVENTS www.nmhschool.org/alumni

For more information, please contact:

Jeffrey A. Leyden ’80, P ’14 Director of Planned Giving 413-498-3299 n jleyden@nmhschool.org

www.nmhschool.plannedgifts.org

Wrap Yourself in NMH Pride

Lift Thine Eyes The most complete historical record from D.L. Moody’s vision to today • Hard cover at $50* • Soft cover at $37.50* Order online: www.nmhbookstore.com/products/lift-thine-eyes *Tax, if applicable; domestic postage and handling not included.

For international orders call: 413-498-3411 or email: erende@nmhschool.org.

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The NMH bookstore can help oufit you and your family.

Visit the NEW and IMPROVED online store for great gift ideas.

nmhbookstore.com

class notes VITAL STATISTICS pg 92 / IN MEMORIAM pg 94

If you are an alumna or alumnus from a class without a secretary, please send news to Sally Atwood Hamilton ’65, Class Notes Editor, in one of the following ways: • by regular mail to: Northfield Mount Hermon One Lamplighter Way Mount Hermon, MA 01354 • by fax to 413-498-3021 • by email to nmhnotes@nmhschool.org

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From the Alumni Office: Violet Warren Ayres

celebrated her 100th birthday in April. She is in good health and lives alone in her own apartment near Syracuse, N.Y. Asked recently about how she came to attend Northfield, she recalled that her parents, dissatisfied with the local school, followed the recommendation of friends who had sent their daughter to Northfield some years before, when D.L. Moody was still alive. Violet’s son is Warren Ayres ’65.

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Jane Morgan Johnson recently celebrated her 95th

birthday with a cake, balloons, and her favorite lobster bisque. She has been staying temporarily at the Armenian Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Jamaica Plain, Mass., following a bout of pneumonia. She has lived in Marshfield since ’66 and has

three children, David, Wendy, and Pamela. Jane continues to be active, writing poetry, reading the classics (Charles Dickens remains her favorite), enjoying “Masterpiece Theater” every week, collecting costume jewelry, and caring for her cat, Zanzibar, her only pet after the recent death of her other cats, Coco Chanel and Sinbad.

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EDITH BENDER SOUTHWICK 395 N 70th Street Springfield OR 97478-7206

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(B. J.) ELIZABETH JANE SMITH JOHNSON 167 Main St Wenham MA 01984-1446 robert.johnson53@comcast.net

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CHARLES F. HALL 3801 East Crest Dr Apt 2202 Bryan TX 77802-5706 hallboy4@hotmail.com

Alice and I recently welcomed a new great-grandson, Jackson Wyatt Towles, the first son of J.R. and his wife Brittany. I now sing with the “BBC” (Bill, Bill, and Charlie), an all-bass trio here at Watercrest that sings on special occasions. At our July fouth celebration, we had a program during which I read Longfellow’s “Midnight Ride of Paul Revere,” and the BBC sang a medley of armed forces songs.

Al Stites is amazed at the number of us still around and active. He published his fifth book in July in print and ebook. Al (90) formed his own

publishing company during the summer.

Had a nice letter from Fred “Brad” Bradford: He went to Princeton, then into the service, where he ended up as a B-29 navigator in a squadron ready to ship to Okinawa when the war ended. Brad spent his working life in news jobs, including 31 years at the Kalamazoo Gazette, 15 as “curmudgeon” city editor. Brad and his wife of 63 years have a daughter and one grandchild. Last fall Brad selfpublished Information Age Tales: From Adam’s Apple to Apple II and Beyond. Ebook inventor Michael Hart, who also founded Project Gutenberg’s free digital classics nonprofit firm, wrote the foreword and epilogue. Brad writes: “The book recaps the histories of earlier IT—speech and language, pictograph, phonetics, paper, block print, Gutenberg typography, and Ottmar Mergenthaler’s wondrous linotypes that filled the back shops of all the papers that I worked on until 1980, when I led the Gazette newsroom from hot type to digital photocopy. Each earlier IT upset the balance of power in a major civilization by expanding the sharing of the power of knowledge.”

Price Gwynn writes that he stays in shape by walking two and a half miles daily and playing golf weekly. His recent letter brought back fond memories; he reminisced about his Hermon days and asks what happened to Thorlief Henriksen, the football, swimming, and baseball coach, who was in the Army Reserve and called up to active duty during our senior year, and Mr. Hatch, who taught physics to so many of us and was the last teacher appointed

by Mr. Moody. Price speaks of many more on his trip down memory lane.

SUBMIT A NOTE We hope to include you in our next issue!

•S end news/notes to your class secretary.

•S end photos to your secretary, but be sure

Violet Warren Ayres ’31 celebrated her 100th birthday in April with son Warren Ayres ’65.

Jane Morgan Johnson ’35 celebrated her 95th birthday in June.

to put your name/address on the back if you would like them returned.

• I f you want to send digital photos, please make sure they have sufficient resolution for print (300 d.p.i. and at least 3 inches wide) .

•C olor photocopies will not be accepted.

•E mail news to: nmhnotes@nmhschool.org.

•T o maximize photo coverage, we may choose from among similar shots. Also, if space doesn’t permit, we will choose alumni shots over photos of your relatives.

fall 2012 I class notes I 43

/ class notes /

Bob Paddock writes of a recent trip to Germany and highly recommends the Great Rivers of Europe tour. Who else but Bob would make such a trip at 90? Bob keeps in shape by doing water aerobics three times a week—says it keeps those old bones wiggling well.

It is always nice to receive letters that express appreciation for the work I do as class secretary, but it has been a two-way street for it has enabled me not only to maintain but also to reestablish old friendships, and I thank you for that.

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DORCAS PLATT ABELL 30 Walden Lane Pittsfield MA 01201-1572 sabell3@nycap.rr.com

I am sad to note the passing of Estelle Huff Kay on 6/12/12. I had many telephone conversations with her and always enjoyed working with her.

She contributed a great deal to the class of ’41 reunions. Claire Haswell Randolph died 7/15/11.

She lived in Alfred, N.Y., taught second grade for many years, and was active in the community. I remember her face and that she was quite tall. She leaves her husband Winfield, two sons, one daughter, three grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

I had three wonderful months in Ft. Myers, Fla., but am happy to be back in the Berkshires for the summer. I still play tennis (doubles, of course) and enjoy our pool. I have many friends here at Walden Village and also enjoy my church activities.

Daughter Pat visits often, and we have great games of Scrabble. Son Peter is the reason I have this laptop computer and am keeping up with some of the technology of this generation.

Would love to hear from you by phone (413447-7539), mail, or email.

From the Alumni Office: It is with sadness that we share the news of the loss of class secretary Estelle Huff Kay on 6/12/12. A former NMH reunion chair and phonathon volunteer, Estelle earned a bachelor’s and master’s from Clark Univ. and taught in high school and at Quinsigamond Community College. After retiring, she attended Andover-Newton Theological School and became a pastor in churches in Massachusetts and Maine.

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CORA LEE GETHMAN GIBBS 355 Blackstone Blvd, Apt 554 Providence RI 02906-4953 coraleegibbs@aol.com

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LOREN BULLOCK 204 Upshire Circle Gaithersburg MD 20878-5234 mlbullock9@gmail.com

Please note my new email address: mlbullock9@ gmail.com.

I had planned to attend our 70th reunion, but my plans got mixed up and I missed it, much to my disappointment. Al Lecrenier, Alex Stewart, and Ken Franz were there. I did meet with Alex Stewart the week before. He lives in Northfield, and we enjoyed memories of the Northfield Summer Conferences when we were small boys, as well as our Hermon days.

I still get down to the Smithsonian each week with my cane to give tours. Jean and I remain active. Jack Burke writes that he works out, plays golf weekly, and has a drink before dinner every evening. “My losses are Lou Piper, John Harmon, Bernie Sternsher, and others, but life has been good, and Carolyn and I enjoy life every day.”

Ed Obert gets about with a walker and says he is looking forward to turning 88, never expecting that to happen. Walter “Woody” Wood in Riverview, Fla., is “still making helicopter gear and planning for retirement.” Bob Sharp has been a dog handler and breeder for many years, and has been judge and adjudicator at dog shows all over the world but says the Saratoga-area New York Best in Show in August may be his last, since his legs don’t work as well now. Sounds familiar to all of us.

I had word of the death of Francis French on 3/29/12. He settled in Erie, Pa., in the ’50s, starting his own business, Erie Copy Products, which he sold in ’86. He moved to the Fort Myers-Cape Coral, Fla., area in 2000.

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N ROBERTA BURKE BURPEE 8311 Sago Ct Englewood FL 34224-6607 bobbieburpee1925@comcast.net

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CARLETON FINCH 612 Rindge Rd Fitchburg MA 01420-1310 zeke137@aol.com

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Gloria Savcheff Gancarz visited Janet Kehl Tenney at Noble Horizons, Salisbury, Conn., in

May to wish her a happy birthday. Glo reports that Jan receives excellent care and is grateful to be there.

Glo is active in her church and volunteers in Gales Ferry, Conn., but she is trying to ease up and be home with her husband.

Betty Jean Purrington Bradley and Dave are

well and love living in a retirement community.

They have lectures, music, trips, and never enough time to get everything done. Dave and Betts have been married for 60 years and celebrated with their sons and family this summer.

I was concerned about Grace Kemp Harris due to the fires near her house in Colorado but was unable to reach her. I heard from Frances White Church in Virginia that there was a lot of smoke and one could see the fire jump across the road.

Fran’s daughter from Ft. Collins, Colo., had just arrived to help celebrate her dad’s 90th birthday.

When I called Barbara Schott Van Waes, I found she has moved to Fountain Hills, not far from Scottsdale, Ariz. Bobby had just returned from a swimming lesson. Grandson Christopher Dover ’97 attended reunion in June and hopes one of his three can go there someday. That would mean four generations attending NMH. Bobby is happy and healthy but still feels sad regarding the move across the river.

Patricia Drummond Mode is still in Green Valley, Ariz., and sounded like the Pat I remember when I called her in June. She is trying to find the best solution to improve her balance and misses being able to ski, go on cross-country hikes, etc. She stays in touch with Elizabeth Van Zandt Adams, Gladys Greenip Polhemus, and Joan Martindale Schneiter. Pat was enjoying the last issue of NMH Magazine and reading about the new head of school.

I surprised Gladys Greenip Polhemus when I called her. She is in good health with a wonderful attitude, and her macular degeneration is under control. Gladys has lived in the same house for 40 years in Auburn, Calif. Her daughter lives with her now, which is a tremendous help.

It is with great sadness that we share the news of the loss of Emily Jennings Hollman on 1/16/12.

Em was our class secretary from 1944–2005. After Northfield, she earned her bachelor’s from UConn and her master’s from Syracuse. Em was employed at CIGNA for 18 years, serving as one of the first female officers and retiring as asst director of development and editor of CIGNA’s corporate newspaper.

Elizabeth Pilon Peck Kozikowski passed away 7/6/11. Bette retired from CIGNA in ’85, and then began volunteering at the Tunxis Senior Center of Farmington/Unionville, serving as secretary for eight years and head of the ways and means committee. Predeceased by her first husband, Allan Peck, Bette married Louis Kozikowski in ’92, and they traveled extensively in their retirement. They also sang for many years with the Bristol Choral Society.

I would like to remind everyone that in ’13 we will celebrate our 70th reunion. Time flies when you’re having a good time. I am planning on attending and would enjoy seeing you. In the meantime, thanks for keeping in touch, and please update your email or home address and phone number with the alumni office.

/ class notes /

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ANNE WEBB BURNHAM 44 River St Rehoboth MA 02769-1314 awburnham@aol.com

I am sad to report the loss of Olive Katheryn Thurman Wong, who passed away in San Rafael, Calif., on 4/5/12. She lived in South Hall her senior year—such a highly respected, friendly member of our class. She had been a librarian, theatre director, writer, and costume and fashion designer. She is survived by her two children and three grandchildren.

We also lost Olivia Heminway Ruth last year (6/20/11). She was living in Royal Oaks Manor, Bradbury, Calif. Olivia graduated from Pembroke and later became a librarian, a career spanning 35 years. She is survived by her husband of 61 years, Stuart, a sister, three daughters, three grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. Our love and prayers go to the families of these good friends.

Dave and I went to NMH for reunion as I was a class teacher of ’52. The hymn sing Friday night is still my favorite event. We did go to Northfield and were able to go into the chapel. We were married there in ’52, so it was special as it was almost 60 years to the day when we stepped inside. The campus looks lovely.

Hobby Lobby has put a lot of time and money into keeping the campus and buildings in great shape. We shall know soon what will be housed there.

The last bit of news came from Bobbie Fink Renfrew from Raleigh, N.C. She had a bad fall last March and suffered a hairline fracture in her upper leg. This didn’t happen in the middle of the night but while she was playing ping-pong. Good physical therapy ever since has made a big difference, and she is almost ready to give up her cane but not ping-pong.

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CHARLTON R. PRICE 1501 17th St, Apt 514 Seattle WA 98122-4103 charlton_p@hotmail.com

Our star contributor this time is Francis Kendrick, now 17 years in Venice, Fla., after a distinguished career in the U.S. Public Health Service. (He retired with an 06 rank, equivalent to Navy captain). After earning a degree in dentistry and a doctorate in pathology from Northwestern, he spent his career at the National Institutes of Health in Maryland in research and research administration, especially in the field of teratology (research on, treatment of, and maybe—let’s hope—progress toward prevention of birth defects). Francis is very active politically (his politics are akin to Pete Leyden’s and

Ken Kolkebeck’s, they’ll be glad to know). He also is an ardent advocate of what he calls consumerdriven health care (CDH), through which the insurer allows you to carry a very high deductible on your health insurance, say $10,000. Ergo, the better care you take of your health, the lower your health-care insurance costs (health-care insurance helps cover medical and hospital expenses, and is, therefore, illness-based, with no reward to you for prevention). Insurers don’t like CDH because of the low premiums, but Francis says brokers can and will locate a CDH plan for you, though brokers may try to talk you out of it because low premiums also mean lower sales commissions. If you’re interested in learning more about CDH, persist in your quest for information. (I have Francis’s phone number.)

John “Dink” Hopkins, my hip South Crossley roommate and Hermon Knights pianist, died in 10/11. A Harvard graduate, he had a successful business career—CEO of one company and a corporate director of others—with lots of golf and sailing in Buzzards Bay. He leaves wife Nancy, a son, and two daughters. (Precious memories: weekends of yesteryear in Brockton, Mass., featuring his mother’s extraordinary clam chowder, Glenn Miller 78s, “Mairzy Doats” on the car radio, and double-date operating at the Totem Pole Ballroom.)

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ARLENE FINCH REYNOLDS 273 Erie Rd Columbus OH 43214-3600 arlenerey@aol.com

Norma Jilbert Paul is busy with Poets of Barnegat, a group of six local poets who meet to read and critique once a month. They attend readings by published poets throughout N.J. and were planning a reading at the Barnegat Library in late June.

Barbara Baldwin Knapp is in good health, enjoying her grandchildren and great-granddaughter, and keeping busy with gardening and working on restoring the American chestnut. “We are making steady progress on the mission of eventually bringing this great tree back to Appalachian forests.

It is a long-term project, so I hope that my greatgrandchildren might see a successful end result.”

Barbara is secretary of the Maryland chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation.

Nat Cole Hamilton and Gordon spent February and March in St. Augustine, Fla., and when they returned had lunch at the famous Maine Diner with Peter and Jane Howarth Richter. “It was what you could call a working lunch.”

Ele Cox Lawrie has been a missionary for a number of years and has been in 50 countries. She is back in Concord now. “It has been an incredible life. We are praying that the right people get the

Northfield property.”

Jackie Snyder Johnson writes: “I spent the winter in Florida and apparently missed the mildest winter yet in Canada.” Jackie still volunteers and takes aquatics classes.

Dorothy Morse Cooper and John stayed in San Antonio, Texas, after his retirement from Southwest Research Institute. Last year they moved to a cottage in a church-sponsored senior retirement community there. They travel to San Francisco about once a year to visit their son. Dorothy also visited her roommate Cynthia Slosson Emmet there until Cynthia’s death last August. “We had kept in touch the past 62 years.”

Jay Matthews Kuchar spent four months in Ponte Vedra, Fla., where her oldest son lives.

When she emailed, they had just returned from the Masters golf tournament, where her grandson, Matt Kuchar, tied for third. “I was so hoping he’d be wearing that green jacket. Maybe next year. We keep busy with bridge, gardening, and reading, and we belong to a great group called the Winter Club, which is our family when we’re here.”

I spoke to Connie Caldwell Lambert, who considers herself a Floridian, living at Riviera Beach near Palm Springs from October until May. She is in a seniors tap-dancing company called The Coquettes, which dances for senior groups and for veterans’ hospitals. She also has taught international folk dancing there and in Ithaca, N.Y., for more than 50 years.

Camilla DeWitt died 3/ 3/12 at home. She was with us for two years and then graduated from Kingston High School. She earned a bachelor’s from SUNY Geneseo and a master’s from SUNY Albany.

Camilla was a librarian for 34 years before retiring in ’84. She is survived by nieces and nephews.

Irma Klein Schachter reports that we exceeded our goal for donations to our class fund, raising $15,700 from 57 classmates. Thanks to all who contributed.

Now, my (Arlene) news. We just celebrated the 40th wedding anniversary of daughter Annette and her husband Tom. I live with them, my son Paul, granddaughter Rebekah, and great-grand Gavin, who all care for me so I can stay at home while having health concerns. Three of my great-grandsons graduated from high school this year. On 5/3/12 my granddaughter Natalie and her French husband Jean Francois Mach had twin great-grandsons.

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PETE DEVENIS 9 South Meadow Ridge Concord, MA 01742-3000 ingadevenis@aol.com

Inga and I are still trying to play the 100 top golf courses. We have played 78 and will add five more

fall / winter 2012 I class notes I 45

/ class notes /

after a trip to Ireland in August.

Colin Selley was honored by the North American Annual Congress of Travel Agents held in Bermuda last April. Colin, in Bermuda shorts and knee socks, of course, led the opening ceremonies procession, carrying the organization’s flag.

Ralph Schwaikert still trades on the stock market, is active in Boys and Girls Clubs and other charities, and mentors four people to help organize their lives. He does not play golf much anymore.

One time he got down to a handicap of two. Wife Susan keeps a flower and vegetable garden, which we saw two years ago at Thanksgiving at Hilton Head with Colin Selley and Calvin Swan. They have a wonderful art collection of famous artists.

Some of you may remember Ralph as a soccer goalie at Mt. Hermon before he left to attend another school.

I finally caught up with elusive Tony Arrott, who was planning to attend our last reunion but at the last minute had other commitments. He still does research at Virginia State Univ. and National Standards Laboratory and publishes technical papers and books on magnetic materials and other physics topics. Tony presented a paper at the First International Conference on Magnetism and Magnetic Materials in ’55 and again in 2010. To quote the chair of the conference: “What an impressive accomplishment—we should be so lucky to share a similar passion for our work and longevity in our chosen field.” I remember Tony when he solved some extra-credit problems in algebra and Mr. Netter, who never gave 100 because “nobody is perfect,” gave him two 99s instead of 100.

After sending out 68 letters to everyone on the class list, I have received some responses and would like to hear from more of you.

Don Krueger retired after 40 years in the printing business and has a hobby with wife Anneliese — traveling. They have visited more than 100 countries.

Buzz Spellman reports that wife Mollie passed away in April. He is recovering from surgery in February. Buzz was an engineering geologist investigating many hydroelectric dam sites, such as Hell’s Canyon on the Snake River.

Dean Clarke enjoys motorcycle trips, especially when three generations of Clarkes, all of them on their own Harley-Davidsons, get together. Edwin Sample is retired and lives with wife Gaye in Washington, N.C. Ed is in good health but has given up golf and choral singing. He sees Bob Davidson and Roger Tuttle ‘42 occasionally.

After graduation, Leland Simons entered the Navy and served in the Atlantic until the end of the war, then entered Penn State, studying agriculture and animal husbandry. He retired as director of quality control for an aircraft engine overhaul facility to live on a beef cattle farm in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Leland and wife Sharon have three children and seven grandchildren.

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Paul Canada is legally blind and lives with his son. He walks one or two miles every day and enjoys listening to books on tape, especially classics and spy stories.

Starr Truscott passed away on 9/3/07. We extend our belated condolences to his wife of 59 years, Estelle. Starr enjoyed working on the farm at Mt. Hermon but left to finish up at Loomis and then attend Univ. of N.C. He worked for NASA for 29 years and later farmed 160 acres at Birmingham, Ohio.

Oliver Hayes passed away on 1/5/12 after a long illness. Ollie graduated from Harvard and obtained two master’s degrees from Columbia. He was in military service during WWII and the Korean War. He worked as a librarian in several states, retiring in ’92 as library director at Eastern Connecticut State Univ. We extend our condolences to his wife of many years, Anne.

Ross Spencer passed away on 3/5/12. After Mt. Hermon he graduated from Ford Marketing Institute and joined the family auto dealership, working through all the departments to become president of Spencer Brothers Inc. in ’65. After retirement in ’90, his hobbies included computing and antique cars. At Mt. Hermon, Spence played hockey for four years. During WWII he served in the Army Air Force in Iceland. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Carolyn, a son, daughter, sister, brother, and many nieces and nephews.

David McCoubrey passed away on 4/9/12 after a long bout with lung cancer. Dave attended Mass.

Maritime Academy and Boston Univ. During the Korean War, Dave was a naval officer and navigator on an ammunition ship. He was passionate about sports and worked for Sports Illustrated as director of market research and advertising. His job entitled him to one of the most difficult-to-obtain tickets in sports—the Masters Tournament, which he attended proudly for 19 years. At Mt. Hermon he lettered in hockey and baseball. He spoke fondly and often of his time at Mt. Hermon, and in an interview someone did of him (from which I spoke at his service), he told a story about driving out to Northfield for a reunion “I was returning to Mt. Hermon for my 50th anniversary. I was driving to Northfield to register and go to the Mt. Hermon campus on the other side of the river when from a distance I could see the buildings across the river, and suddenly tears came to my eyes. I had no idea that this school had meant enough to me to bring tears to my eyes.”

Due to space limitations, I will keep other replies for the next issue. Keep sending me news about yourselves.

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BETTY BOLGER FLEMING 456 Riverside Dr Princeton NJ 08540-5421 bettyb.fleming@verizon.net

Podie Shipton Brunton is back to an active life again after a series of challenges. A hard fall last October required six weeks of physical therapy to strengthen her legs and balance. In January, she was hit by the Norovirus (“cruise ship virus” but without the cruise), landing in the hospital and ICU for a week. Coming home in a wheelchair, she started all over with another four weeks of physical therapy. She started with swimming and finally has made it back to the tennis court. Quite an accomplishment for someone who survived knee and hip replacements previously. She and her husband say they are glad to have each other, even in less diminished levels of activity. Their daughter and family live nearby. Their granddaughter graduated from high school this year. Another son lives with his accomplished family in Kentucky. Grandson Jack has been accepted into the Kentucky School of the Arts at age 10, the 8-year-old has been onstage, the 13-year-old has taken up the harp, and the 4-yearold tries to do everything around her.

Jane Everett Haslun and husband Bill Haslun (Mt. Hermon class secretary) have moved from their home of 45 years, and town of 56 years, to an independent living cottage in Southwick, Mass. Bill says that it is an adjustment, but they are making it. They have a two-bedroom cottage with a threeseason porch, patio, and garage on lovely grounds.

There is also an assisted-living building where they can take any dinners or lunches on a pay-as-you-go basis. Read more in Bill’s column.

Connie Callahan Hornickel is enthusiastic about both the NMH Magazine and the new head of school. She and her husband are going on a week’s trip to a Presbyterian Mission school in New Mexico in September. They do landscaping repairs, remodeling, and whatever else is needed. Since they have not been there before, they will fill in details for the next issue. They are also busy with volunteer work at church, plus they enjoy the symphony, bridge, and book club. Their three grandchildren are in town when they are not off on their own interesting pursuits in band and sports.

Sunny Sundt-Busch attended the Northfield club of alumnae women in Denver recently and says it was a nice luncheon. “Seven alums attended with only Audrey Farr Watters from our class there.

She is a widow now, lives in Denver, and looks just fine. It was good to chat and share stories. Even Bill went and was welcomed warmly by Josie Rigby. She is a very capable rep from school, answering many questions about campus, buildings, dummy, and general up-to-date activities. She reports that Sacred

/ class notes /

Southwick, MA 01077) and reside in an independent cottage in a retirement community. We are still adjusting after 45 years in our wonderful home and lovely community, but I feel we did the right thing. And so, my dear classmates, I say goodbye with so many memories of our younger days. I hope some one will step up and be the class secretary for the years ahead. Know that I think of you all and wish you the very best in our years to come.

R.S. “El” Elliott ’47 ushers at Stanford basketball games.

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Concert was held in the renovated Auditorium.

There might be a picture in the next news. We closed the meeting with singing the ‘Northfield Benediction,’ a nice sound once again. Try it yourself—it warms the heart.”

As for me, Betty Bolger Fleming, I have been tending to a recovering husband, so I have not been in touch with as many classmates as I would like for this issue. I’m happy to say that our granddaughter was chosen to speak at her high school graduation. The title for her talk was “Have a Great Life” (prompted by her orthodontist, who took off her braces for the final time). As she wondered what that great life would be, while stressing the value of friendships, I realized again how lucky we all were to have the experience of Northfield. If you’d like to tell your classmates a bit about the great life you’ve experienced since Northfield, please write your thoughts and send or email them to me. I’ll share them in the next NMH Magazine.

Despite my determination not to report further on the death of our classmates, it is difficult not to tell you that Barbara Perkins Stuart died 5/13/12.

Barbara was one of our outstanding class leaders.

She was an excellent student, athlete, choir and Esty member, and editor-in-chief of the Northfield Star senior year. We’ll miss you, Barbara.

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HUGH FINDLAY 500 Ocean St Apt 152 Hyannis MA 02601-4766 findlay22@verizon.net

From Bill: Ala Rah, Ala Rah, Yo-Ya and greetings to all my fellow classmates who are still “standing.”

The time has come for me to bid you farewell as your class secretary. It has been fun and a great privilege to have served the class this way. News has dwindled to zero, although I know you are keeping up your contacts with close friends in the class. By all means, continue to do that. It means a lot. My eyes have reached a point that makes typing this letter almost impossible. Magnification doesn’t help, unfortunately. Wife Jane Everett and I have moved 20 minutes up the road into Massachusetts to Southwick (43 Sawmill Park,

JOAN PEARSON TURNER 49 Seymour Ct Concord MA 01742-5753 turnerjoan4@gmail.com

Editor’s Note: Cynthia Baldwin Dutton contributed the news and reflections that appeared in this column in the spring ’12 issue of NMH Magazine.

Cynthia has resigned after nearly eight years as your secretary. Joan Pearson turner will serve as class secretary starting with the spring ’13 issue.

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CHARLES A. KENNEDY PO Box 112 Newbury NH 03255-0112 chask@myfairpoint.net

It was a glorious weekend with cooperating weather and lots of good conversations around the dinner table and at various meetings. The intrepid students of the class of ’47 set a new school record for reunion participation. It took some help from the Northfield girls, but there were at least 25 of us enjoying the campus, the food, and the friendships after 65 years of life in the wide world.

From our side of the river were Chris Armen,

was caught in a wet towel fight in West Hall kitchen when one of the missiles hit Al Petschke in the face (one hour extra work). Bill Samardak tried his hand at making hard cider while living at the Forslunds’.

The early-morning explosion brought Axel running and Bill explaining. Steve Berman was picking apples on a ladder in the orchard until the basketful toppled over, resulting in a reassignment for him.

I’ll save other stories for another column, but it was clear that the work program remains a vivid factor in our experiences on the hill.

At our class dinner in Alumni Hall (West Hall to us), Roly and Leon Carapetyan did some improvisational duets to serenade the group, and later in the evening they did an encore at the open mike cabaret in Grandin (Camp Hall). Chuck did his “Shreik of Araby” routine with appropriate costumes.

Roly also had some of his paintings on display in the Rhodes Arts Center: a watercolor of an Appalachian Trail scene and some “fruity” still lifes.

Check it out on YouTube—Roland Coates.

At the chapel service on Sunday morning, we remembered classmates who had passed away in the last five years: Lester Albee, Donald Allen, Bernard Blee, Donald Bullis, Walter Bundy, Marshall Chandler, Kenneth Cutting, Justus Fischer, William Hashagen, Clifford Johnson, R.R. Thornton Jones, Hugo Matson, Philip Merrow, Joseph Robbins, Robert Stoller, Donald Stowe, Allan Twombly, Irving Wasley, and Goddard Winterbottom. R.I.P.

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JAN HIBBS TESTA 1926 Parkwood Dr Scotch Plains NJ 07076-2618 hillbeech@aol.com

Steve Berman, Leon Carapetyan, Ev Clement, Roly Coates, Jack Daggett, R.S. Elliott, Chuck Kennedy, Bill Samardak, and Ev Wright accom-

PHIL BAKER 1900 N Signal Hills Dr Kirkwood MO 63122-6831 bakpn30@earthlink.net

panied by spouses or children. There were also notes from a couple of classmates who had to change plans at the last minute—Al Anderson and John Greenwood, as well as greetings from Karl Fezer and George Becker. Owen Jander’s sister Sylvia Jander brought his greetings with the good news that he is at home after rehab following a stroke.

Steve Berman said he had never met as many Northfield girls when he was a student as he did at our class meeting.

In addition to the great program arranged by the reunion committee, the class had its own meeting under the chairmanship of president Roly Coates.

The chief order of business was to recount stories from our work program assignments and it took little prompting for the tales to emerge. Ev Wright

From Jan: Class secretaries have been asked to keep their columns to about 2,000 words. It may mean I won’t enthuse over your accomplishments as much as I’d like, and it is possible some of my adjectives will wind up on the cutting-room floor. Do add lots of your own as you read along.

Jessie Miller Linicus finds it difficult to imagine the entire class of ’48 in their 80s, but that certainly hasn’t slowed us down at all. She spent part of winter ’12 in Florida golfing.

Becky Waller Bright spent ’11 taking two trips to Florida for a tour of Old Town Tampa and a day at Epcot for food and wine tasting. Summer brought a musical conference in Philadelphia and an installation of a nephew in D.C. as president of

fall / winter 2012 I class notes I 47

/ class notes /

the National Medical Association. Next came St. Maarten for water, sun, and R and R. Much singing as well, as Becky performed for the Federal Clubs of D.C. Thanksgiving in North Carolina convinced Becky they should all be on diets.

When last heard from, Marjorie Bowen was jetting off to London for a family Christmas.

Jeanette Hotchkiss reports that other than having scoliosis, she feels fine but needs a walker. A kind neighbor takes Hotch to appointments.

Mary Yergan Hughes says she is up to her neck in Northfield, while napping that is. Bunny won a beautiful Northfield dorm throw at the N.J. NSFG luncheon, and she is still delighted with that entire day.

Nancy Heflin Johnston says she’d love to make another trip to NMH just to see what our campus looks like now. The perfect time would be our 65th reunion in 6/13.

Connie Krull Hutt and Earl were feted by their children for their 60th wedding anniversary with a celebratory dinner onboard the Cape Cod train from Hyannis to Buzzards Bay. Anne Denisevich Anderson writes that a kitchen flood and subsequent renovation and emergency appendectomy for her husband Al ’47 kept them busy in ’11, but by Christmas they were both singing in a cantata with their church choir.

Downsizing is in. Amy Blatchford Hecht wonders why they ever needed all that “stuff.” Amy and Jim live now in a complex with a direct view of the Rockies from their apartment. A trip to hear the Philadelphia Orchestra and another to Big Wolf Lake in the Adirondacks helped fill ’11. Amy and Jim have developed a new interest—helping people in Nepal market their tea in the U.S. Another who finds downsizing the thing to do is Lindy Clapp MacFarland, who is still happy with her move to a senior complex near Buffalo, where she joined many friends. After a recent bout of illness and radiation, she writes that her prognosis is good. A daughter and family joined her for Christmas ’11.

Marjorie Ingham Stahl Warren is going to follow up her trip to China with another to Alaska via Yellowstone National Park. Her last visit to Glacier National Park resulted in a close encounter with a bear. When you read this, Marge will be settled into her new condo in Ft. Myers, Fla. Nancy Blake and Suzanne Germond Chandler, both in Sarasota, and Joan Donnally Taylor in Venice, are also West Coast Floridians.

Your secretary’s news is that a heart attack out of the blue laid my husband low on 4/15/12. As I write, he is recuperating here in New Jersey, and there are definitely some lifestyle changes ahead for us. Both my girls from California and New Hampshire were here with me. Because of this, I will miss reunion for the first time in many years.

Esther Compton Miseroy, Joan Clausen Vander Vliet, and Anne Denisevich Anderson have

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registered as of this writing.

Callie Nakos McCrocklin and I talk frequently.

There is nothing like dear old friends, which reminds me—do write a check to the NMH Annual Fund or the Class of ’48 Scholarship Fund or both, and mark your check accordingly. Honor our 65th reunion with a donation and with your presence. We want to see you on campus in 6/13. We will be guests of the school. Now how’s that for a senior discount?

I am saddened by the passing of Elizabeth Schultz Heines on 1/29/12 in Orleans, Mass. Betty was with us for two years, living in East Hall. She went on to Green Mountain and Upsala Colleges, where she sang in the choir as she did at Northfield.

Travel was a great joy in her life and she, with her family, made trips to Italy and excursions as far north as the Arctic Circle, as well as to Kenya and China. The class of ’48 extends its sympathy to Betty’s husband Donald, two sons, and four grandchildren, who survive her. You can remember Betty with a contribution to the Class of ’48 Memorial Scholarship Fund.

Do send a note to your secretary with a few lines about yourself. Since I haven’t used my full 2,000 words, let me write about you in the next issue. Perhaps the editor will award me the unused words next time.

From Phil: Had a nice letter from Mal McVeigh, which was followed by a phone chat. Mal is a Methodist clergyman and was a missionary for many years in Angola, Zaire, Kenya, and the Congo Republic. He earned a Ph.D. from Boston Univ. in order to teach in Kisangan, formerly Stanleyville, on the Congo River. Eventually, due to family medical needs, he returned to the U.S. to enter parish ministry from which he eventually retired. He and wife Pat have three daughters and multiple grands.

They have lived in Whiting, N.J., since the mid-’70s.

A ’48 yearbook photo showing the MH soccer team described it as “fairly successful at 4–3.”

Mal wants us to know his research conclusively reveals it was successful at 5–2, having beaten KU, Williams frosh, Choate, UMass frosh, and Williston. Moreover, its two defeats, to Deerfield and Kingswood, were 1–0 cliffhangers. Members pictured along with Mal include ’48ers Bob Barnes, Bill Wilcox, Manny Fernandez, George Getz, Henry Hanna, and Ted Colton.

Bill Wilcox reports that he and wife Shirley enjoy life at Linden Ponds, an independent living facility in Hingham, Mass., where he is in a chorus that puts on two shows annually. He also helps lead discussions in Great Decisions, dialogs on foreign affairs. His four children are married and doing well, and last year he, Shirley, and daughter Laura went to North Dakota, where Bill had spent 10 years leading churches and working with Native Americans at the Ft. Berthold reservation. Said he was drawn back after 50 years to see people who had influenced his life. Though he’s been eager to return to Mt. Hermon, injuries previously got in

the way of doing so. He hopes to make it yet.

Charlie Kellogg remains blessed with good health and looks forward to tennis season. He energetically continues to invent things, seeking commercial success. His current item is a motor-driven screener for topsoil or compost. He also works Friday and Saturday nights as an auditor at a local resort in Guilford, N.H., to keep himself in play money.

Enjoyed a phone chat with Bob Ball. An expert on several subjects, including arms and ammunition, he has authored five books and numerous pamphlets, which have been published online. Wife Joanne is also a successful writer.

Bev “Sandy” Anderson Baker and I celebrated our 60th in June. We have three children, seven grands, and two great-grands. Just realized we have been in St. Louis for 50 years. Time really does fly.

They still tell me I talk funny (Rhode Island-eze).

Being from Southington, Conn., Sandy never did.

Go figure.

We were saddened to learn of the death of James Locke on 5/23/12. His home was in Syracuse, N.Y. Let me know what’s going on in your corner of the world. Love to hear from you. Anytime. Any way.

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CAROLYN “CARRIE” NOBLE SANTORO 88 Henry Ave Harrison NY 10528-4421 doncary@optimum.net

Mary Bartlett Bunge writes: “I am still working and still challenged but enjoy trying to make a difference in spinal cord repair.” This spring (’12) she received the Distinguished Faculty Award from U. of Miami. She also took a five-week Linblad/ National Geographic trip along the west coast of Africa from Capetown to Morocco.

“The news from the west is weather,” says Barbara McAllister Naughton. “It is dry. There was not enough snow pack during the winter, from which we derive water, and no spring rains. There are bad forest fires and the summer fire potential is not good.” Barbara gardens, participates in UU fellowship, and keeps track of four grandchildren.

We received news of the death of Ruth Parker Sears on 10/16/11. After Northfield, she married Raymond Sears and moved to Worthington, Mass., where she was active in church, school, and local politics. She was past president of the American Legion Auxiliary, and a member of the Eastern Star, as well as deputy sheriff. She is survived by two daughters, a son, eight grandchildren, four greatgrandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren.

Her husband of 60 years died in ’10, and a son died tragically in ’73.

I continue to enjoy singing with the Westchester Choral Society, which presented Brahms’s Requiem

/ class notes /

this spring. I am looking forward to another summer in New Hampshire with my grandchildren.

George went there maybe twice a year on business, so they didn’t do any tourist things, just flat-out relaxed. George says he read four books (none assigned by T.D.) on the trip. The last grandlings MH are finishing school. The youngest, a granddaughter, JIM HANCHETT graduated cum laude from high school last spring.

300 1st Ave, Apt 8B Next: as of graduation day, she was on the way to New York NY 10009-1844 Texas A&M. George says he and Peg have been jch46@cornell.edu lucky. He’s a cancer survivor. She’s beaten it twice.

Don Mayhew takes a salty view of the outDAVID DURHAM side world, a few miles off the shore of Martha’s 149 Ontario St. Vineyard, his ancestral home. He looks ahead to our Honeoye Falls NY 14472-1139 65th. Meanwhile, he still rebuilds and restores older dedur@aol.com computers and “does some instructing.” He reports that daughter Laurel and husband Kevin have mulFrom Jim: Veteran “reuner” Harland Williams reptiple advanced degrees in engineering and physics resented our increasingly senior class at the NMH between them, but have left their technical jobs to reunions in June. He and Iris Helk Williams ’52 had enter Colorado State as undergraduates in music. a fine time with the codgers of ’47 and the kids of They have played with jazz groups over the years, ’52. Harland says they’re planning on coming back for but they really dig classical music. our 65th in ’14. They travel a fair amount. Harland In case you missed it in the vital statistics departremains active with the Coast Guard Auxiliary. ment of this publication, which arrived here just George Hamilton reports from Vienna the onset before reunion, it is a sad duty to report the death of octogenarianhood “with no serious consequences.” of John Whitaker last September. You may recall He remains a working freelance journalist “specialty his prowess over the hurdles and in football and is energy, although I do some movie critiquing, ecowrestling, not to mention Whit’s wit. In the same nomic reporting, and other bits and pieces.” As an column were noted the passing of Win Jones’s active member of the Club of Economic Journalists, brother R.R. Thornton Jones ’47; Bill Schultz’s sishe’s “in touch with top government and business ter, Elizabeth Schultz Heines ’48; Richard Thayer leaders, which keeps the mind alert.” He says his ’48; Winfield Carlough ’50; and Carl Swanson ’50. collection of small printing presses has grown—and In the devout belief that “meals are an unnatural, they are used. He, like Johnny Woods with whom unbiological artifact of civilization and rarely helphe stays in touch, consider themselves “contented ful as a socializing device,” Bob Kay is “never really Europeans, not expats.” Johnny’s lived in Sweden for hungry, because I’m nibbling small amounts, 20 to maybe a half century.

25 times a day. With two ‘decent’ meals a week.” He George was planning two summer months in avoids bread, cake, cookies, and cereals . “I limit the U.S. this year. There were to be meetings and myself to five slices of pizza, two plates of French fries conventions “on hobby publishing and printing a year.” He grazes on fruit, veggies, hummus, olives, and the not-yet-lost art of typecasting.” Maybe a dates, raisins, nuts, seeds, spinach dip, wheat germ, look in on railroad museums. George holds that green tea, orange juice . . . a few potatoes a week, espehe “has in no way slowed down, even considering cially sweet ones, fish bits like salmon and sardines, (his) eight decades. Concerts booked for the complus turkey, ham, a bit of steak, and chicken with a ing season—11 series in Vienna’s two main concert little fat attached. Plus orange juice, mushrooms, oathalls, about 70 in all, plus the odd items that come meal, and blueberries.” He says he’s lost 30 pounds along outside a series. Plus the opera. Plus film. Plus and blood pressure is way down. After all, he adds, theatre. ‘How do you do it all?’ some friends ask. I “after age two, kids will self-select a good diet if such is don’t know. Must be habit.” offered in preference to junk food.”

David Durham checked in from the U.K., where he was completing yet another tour as minister in a British Methodist church with plans to return home and retire (again). “It has been another smashing year for Kathy and me,” he notes. “We even helped the queen celebrate her Diamond Jubilee. And we have ’14 on our calendar to celebrate our 65th Jubilee at NMH.” George Byers noticed that he had a surplus of Marriott miles cluttering up the old homestead.

It occurred to him that he and Peg ought to use them before they would be taken away. So, they Bob White ’50 and wife Faith ride in the Sunderland went back to Hawaii for relaxation. For many years,

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Memorial Day parade.

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JANET-MARIE FITZGERALD WHITLEY 6794 Willow Rd Vacaville CA 95687 janwhitley@aol.com

ROBERT C. WHITE 100 Old Amherst Rd Sunderland MA 01375-9558 rcwhite@admin.umass.edu

From Jan: Jean Cook Glidden is doing an important part of her genealogy that she says “was swept under the rug” in the northern province of Parma, Italy. She is tracking her info through Italian, French, and Latin documents. Jean’s great-grandmother, who was from Parma, was a runner and very athletic, but this wasn’t well known because the culture did not accept athleticism in women at the time. When the French occupied the region, Empress Josephine’s ideas about an outdoor lifestyle, athletics, and education for women became popular.

Jean’s grandmother was a bicyclist, and her mother had multiple athletic talents. Jean believes the idea of women athletes came to the U.S. from Italy. Dick and Jean celebrated their 58th anniversary in 6/12.

Jane Sisson Sibley finished another year at the Harvard Institute for Learning in Retirement. She loves it because all the people there want to talk politics. BJ Graves Porter reports the successful removal of a malignant tumor from her foot. She considers herself lucky to have a rare cancer manifest itself on her foot, where it was almost immediately noticed.

Diana Bond Holtshouser suffered a heart attack in 1/12 resulting in quadruple bypass surgery. This was followed by a root canal and two cataract surgeries. She still faces a knee replacement. She went to North Carolina to see a grandchild play the lead in Music Man and to attend the first communion of a grandson. One grandson (18), a hockey player, will do a postgraduate year at Brewster Academy.

She is saddened by the passing of Joan Abbott and Lee Hoskins Di Cesare. “Lee was a really bright spot in this world and suffered for so many years.

She was blessed to have Mario at her side.” Harriet Refro Locke kept in touch with Mario, to keep up on Lee’s condition. Harriet is going to France to celebrate her 80th birthday with her sister, who lives there.

Lois Seekamp Dole says my mention of her soap making being international was a bit overblown. She says the international part was a purchaser who sent some soaps to friends in Europe.

Also, her husband is not totally retired and keeps busy helping others as a full-time minister.

We’ve lost several classmates since the last issue.

Alice Bowers Jenkins passed away 3/13/12. She

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/ class notes /

graduated from Johns Hopkins with a nursing degree in ’55 and married that year. Her husband, who predeceased her, was a radiologist. She is survived by two children and two grandchildren. Ellen “Billie” Williams Miller passed on 1/29/12 from leukemia. She earned a bachelor’s from Syracuse and a master’s from Columbia. She taught in the speech and theatre department of the State University College of Oneonta (SUCO ) for more than 35 yrs.

Among her survivors are a daughter, Amy Miller Rider ’82, and granddaughter Hannah Rider ’08.

The class of ’50 lost Yum-Yum from our beloved Mikado. Lee Hoskins Di Cesare passed away on 1/3/12. Lee earned her bachelor’s in English from Harpur College, SUNY Binghamton. She married Mario Di Cesare, professor and chair of English, and took on his six children. Lee completed her Ph.D. in English in ’80. She devoted her talents to Medieval & Renaissance Texts & Studies, a scholarly press Mario had established at SUNY Binghamton.

She served as managing editor for the next 15 years, training and inspiring scores of undergraduate and graduate students in the mysteries of book design, editing, typesetting, and proofreading. Retirement did not lead to golden years. She endured a 14-hour operation to remove only a fraction of a brain tumor that left her badly damaged. She is survived by her husband, nine children and stepchildren, 12 grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.

As for our family, Janet-Marie Fitzgerald Whitley, our fifth great-grandson was born in 5/12.

Our grandson (23) enters paramedic school in July. Our new home is still in the works. Son Doug increased his hay production to more than 300 acres and works it all alone.

I found amusing Bob’s notation that our class notes are now very close to the beginning. I didn’t mind 50, 60, 70, but this 80 is something again.

Yes, I can still Zumba and do aerobics classes, but it is the perception of others that I now need help up and down stairs and, heaven forbid, I stand when there is a chair available. On Valentine’s Day in ’13, we celebrate our 60th.

You will read this in the fall, so I hope you had a great summer. It gets more difficult each time to elicit news from you, my classmates. You never will be respecting me too much if you pile info into my mailbox. I gladly took on this job several years before I retired the first time, and that was 24 years ago, so I’ve been at this for a while. I still gladly continue on with the job.

From Bob: A nice note from Mark Jander, giving the results of our classes’ participation in the Annual Fund drive, reminds one of how much we owe Mark for his steadfast support of the school and his leadership in our class efforts to make sure that NMH is there for future generations. A bonus for us all is the beautiful setting, which never ceases to inspire, regardless of the season. Mark gives credit to Al Higgins “for having successfully signed up all

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of his troops” this year with Pete Lanoue and Jerry Steege close behind. And no, we still haven’t met our class participation goal.

A visit today to deliver a copy of Augustine “Bruce” Roberts’s book Finding the Treasure to Peter Weis ’78, NMH archivist, for the library (Charlie Drummey says, “A remarkable book. Bruce’s personality, as I remember him, comes through clearly.”) and found that Ford Cottage is being renovated and having an elevator installed. (I understand that one of our classmates is making that fiscally possible.) This is good news for us “youngsters” in the event that we visit and get invited to stay in one of the third-floor bedrooms.

The class of ’62 was just on campus for its 50th and their committee has done a nice job in preparing their yearbook. You can review it online. Early in its pages is a tribute to faculty members, and our own Al and Mary-Ann Efird Higgins ‘51 take center stage with accolades and a narrative of their career path in academia with details you probably didn’t know. A quick scan of comments reflects the impact of music on so many, the quality of that program through Al Raymond, and the beauty of the Northfield campus in particular.

Richard “Pete” Lanoue claims not to be a speed typist so he called instead to share an update. He enjoys reading about classmates in the column and realized that he hasn’t been doing his share to contribute. Although he was diagnosed with lymphoma this past winter and is undergoing chemo treatments, he sounds good and is still busy with Big Band sounds at church and works at a food pantry. At the end of May, a fourth grandchild was added to the family tree, a gift from his daughter. He is involved in events that benefit charities: a natural outgrowth of the “Hermon influence.”

Roland Smith enjoys the clear air in Vermont, and although he has made flights to Florida in his “homemade” plane, he is about to build another.

Faith and I will celebrate our 60th in December so I include a picture taken of the “old folks” during the Sunderland Memorial Day parade this year on their “Positive Addiction.”

I look at the picture taken at our 50th reunion and lament the passing of members whose smiling faces won’t be joining us at our 65th in ’15 (recently, Pete Carlough, Carl Swanson, and Jerry Steege).

As we pass even more milestones, try to remember to stay in touch, and keep ’15 on your calendars.

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PAT MCCORMICK HOEHING 7125 San Benito Dr Sylvania OH 43560-1129 sylv.snail@bex.net

With sadness, I received the obituary of Ann Pyper Shedd on 2/17/12. Ann was in South Hall with

us and then went on to Weston. (I digress a bit as I reminisce about our freshman days together in the annex of the old sprawling Northfield Hotel and its golf course setting. We were the last class to enjoy that opportunity.) Ann was an avid gardener and active participant in the Cape Cod COPD support group. I have recently received word of the death of Lee Scanlon Cameron on 6/23/11. Lee was a town student all four years but took full advantage of the opportunities and friendships at South Hall and on campus. Residing in Albany, N.Y., since ’69, she received multiple awards for her community volunteer work, most notably in the field of childabuse prevention.

Patricia Pickens Emery has moved to Dublin, Calif., to be nearer to her daughter and family. Pat and her son Seth live companionably in Waterford Place within walking distance of stores and amusements. She loves the sunshine. Chris Triebe Donahue sends greetings from Eugene, Ore. “All my family is good and I’m very happy and content with a log house and a little farm on the banks of the Willamette River, four dogs, feral cats, a flock of goldfinches, five border horses, and a pig. I do League of Women Voters and nurse-type stuff at my church to keep from being a hermit.”

Mary-Ann Efird Higgins and Al Higgins ’50 have had a hectic winter and spring providing both emotional and physical support for their son David ’89. He underwent an involved surgery for a rare cancer of the ear canal in Houston in April. A successful outcome has thankfully been projected.

That’s all for now. Please continue to keep your news coming.

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FREDERICK W. MILLER 479 Carleton Ave Glen Ellyn IL 60137-4705 fwcemiller@sbcglobal.net

Ronald Miles Decker passed away on 6/17/12 at his home in Georgia after a long illness. Ron was a four-year man at Hermon. He ran track three years, lettering in junior and senior years. He was in the Outing Club two years, president his senior year. Ron participated in a number of other clubs and sports, including the press club and the Hermonite for two years each. He attended our 50th reunion in ’01. After Hermon, he went on to graduate from Cornell and had a lifetime career in management for Western Electric, a division of AT&T. Hiking the Catskill Mountains energized Ron and motivated him Ron Decker ’51

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to participate in two N.Y.C. marathons. He also traveled the world and enjoyed long-distance sailboat cruising.

Ron was predeceased by Katherine, his wife of 45 years, and is survived by Viviane, his wife of eight years, three sons, six grandchildren, and a brother.

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JULIE TAYLOR CLEMENS 2258 Lamberton Rd Cleveland Heights OH 44118-3552 jtclemens@cs.com BRUCE G. HOLRAN 80 Sycamore Dr, Apt 313 Elizabethtown PA 17022-3016 (10/1–5/31) PO Box 293 Lake Clear NY 12945 (6/1–9/30) bruceholran@comcast.net

How many hours would it take to describe three days of a fantastic NMH 60th reunion? How about a few highlights? First, there was the usual registration, then on to get settled either in a dorm (MacKinnon with elevator and a/c) or at the Fox Inn, where Russ Broad made sure there was a welcoming group of classmates and a chance to meet and greet before returning to campus for our lobster dinner. At least 80 gathered in the somewhat quieter room in Alumni Hall for that. First there were hors d’oeuvres and wine, and then students helped those in need while many just joined the lines for the long tables of food, including the lobster. The 50th reunion class also had lobster, thanks to our precedent-setting Melissa and Ian Walker.

As you might imagine, there was a great deal of meeting and greeting, swapping of memories and tales from days of old. Classmates tended to sit with cherished friends and welcomed others to enlarge their class view as well. There isn’t room to include all the stories here, but there will be an email blast to the class by your scribe in order to give a more complete picture. If you haven’t been receiving these longer class notes, be sure that NMH has your correct email address.

The story of how the class of ’52 was able to reach its goal of “60 for the 60th” is a long one and this scribe will tell it from the Northfield side primarily in extensive eblasts. However, the planning committee included Steve Waters, Russ Broad, Muriel Hopkins Beahm, and Julie Taylor Clemens, with the help of Bruce Holran, Sybil Benton Williamson, Mel Smith, and staff members Josie Rigby and Sue Clough.

We became aware of some missing classmates who had been expected at the reunion: Stan and Leanna Young Brown had a busy schedule and an illness in the family; Mimi Brewster Hollister had to be at the hospital with her husband for an

emergency operation; Conway Redding was in a car accident en route; Mary Merin Tinkham spent many hours contacting East Gould classmates but was unable to make all the arrangements to come from Portland, Ore.; and several spouses needed to remain at home. We sorely missed all who wanted to come but were sidetracked on the way.

Friday was Alumni College Seminars. Mimi was unable to give her talk, “A Glimpse at Global Church Connection,” a big disappointment.

However, the room was so packed to hear David Hartman that it was moved to Grandin Auditorium, where a lively debate took place on the subject of “How Effectively Does the Media Inform Us Today?”

The audience jumped in when invited by Dave with questions followed by a discussion of why much news reporting is entertainment due to the speed of dissemination by modern technology. Later, Stape Roy addressed a large group on “The Rise of China: Can America Rise to the Challenge?” With his background as ambassador to several countries, Stape spoke to the need to understand China and our imperative to take it seriously as an up-andcoming economic power.

The Alumni Association hosted an afternoon reception for all. Some alums traveled to the Northfield campus to look around. The chapel was open for several hours, but none of the other buildings were available. The Rhodes Arts Center had superb and disturbing pictures of Ellis Island. Barc and Muriel Hopkins Beahm joined some 30–40 “reuners” at the farm and reported: “There are an amazing number of facets of the farming business that are covered in this NMH endeavor.” After dinner with the class, many proceeded to Memorial Chapel for the annual hymn sing.

Saturday brought many together for the class pictures followed by the Annual Convocation of the Alumni Association in Memorial Chapel. Many awards were given, including one to Mel Smith in “recognition of outstanding volunteers at NMH.” Mel has kept everyone in this class informed, especially the group that convened at minireunions. For 15 years, Mel and Anice helped make the minis happen. This turned out to be the catalyst for the high turnout for our 60th. We missed Anice for this occasion.

Saturday afternoon was full with a head of school and student panel, a tour of the farm, a student concert, and then a ’52 class meeting. Our class dinner was held in Beveridge Hall, which turned out to be a little tight for our huge group. Special accolades go to two Northfield class teachers who have been at all our class reunions: Anne Webb Burnham ’44 and Sally Curtis. Thank you both for your years of caring and watching us return to NMH. Awards were presented to those who had given a great deal of thought and time to the class, including Josie Rigby, Sybil Benton Williamson, Melissa and Ian Walker, Mel Smith, Brad and Nan

Stewart Roberts (whose pictures have been deposited in the archives), Julie Taylor Clemens, and Bruce Holran. Bruce is interested in receiving “life stories” from classmates and will send those out.

Think about sending him yours.

Sunday morning found some going to choir practice before the service in Memorial Chapel while others had to leave to make long drives home.

It was a sad parting, since many of us realize this was our last big reunion with so many being able to participate. We missed those who couldn’t make it and know that many do want to keep in touch.

Again, if you receive the NMH Magazine but are not getting class notes by email, let your scribe know your email address. Lots of news from classmates has been sent this way so that it is more pertinent and timely.

Do keep in touch. Take care and enjoy remembering the “days of old” when NMH or Northfield and Mt. Hermon students were “blessed for their fostering care” (from “Oh Northfield Beautiful”).

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WILL LANGE 1309 Towne Hill Rd E Montpelier VT 05651-4143 willem.lange@comcast.net ABBY “AJ” NICHOLSON HODGES 2300 Totem Trail Minnetonka MN 55305-2242 ajhodges@comcast.net

From AJ: Sally Roman Wright and Doug enjoy winters in Sarasota, Fla., and summers near Keene, N.H., where her sister now lives. Their grandchildren are the eighth generation to be there in Keene.

N.Y.C. architect son Doug and family live in New Jersey and spend much of the summer in New Hampshire. Their other son lives with his wife and three children in Knoxville, Tenn., and they come to New Hampshire every other summer. In Florida, Sally volunteers, raising funds for the cancer support committee, which helps to create and assist support groups led by cancer survivors for people going through cancer treatment. Sally and Doug also like to travel—Egypt last fall.

Marjorie Land Largey and Art have lived in Raynham, Mass., for more than 50 years. In ’02, Marge retired from volunteering in a thrift store benefiting a mental health group in the Staunton, Mass., area. She’s been called back into service by a Saint Vincent de Paul store and is really enjoying it.

AJ Nicholson Hodges and Morry continue to live in Minnetonka, Minn., where they’ve been since ’74. Children and grandchildren keep them hopping. Morry retired as chief of cardiology at the Hennepin County Medical Center but continues research at the Minneapolis Heart Institute

fall / winter 2012 I class notes I 51

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Foundation on sudden death from irregular heart rhythms. AJ is gradually pulling out of the organic fertilizer business by combining it with another business. She’s looking forward to retirement but not from the church choir, where she’s been keeping up the Northfield love of singing for 36 years.

Bev Bolton Leyden and Gerritt Vander Veer attended the class of ’52’s 60th reunion and are fired up about our own, coming up in 6/13. We’ll be starting a campaign of personal contacts with classmates to get as many people back as possible.

We’d like to break the ’52 record, so you’ll be hearing from us.

From Will: I’m in frequent touch with Stewart Crawford, my old roommate, who’s still publishing international shipping rates (I think). Lately he’s begun to apply his accounting expertise to advising churches that don’t seem to have as much money as they thought they had. I’d guess he’s not the most popular guy in Southern California, but if it gets folks back on track, who could argue? He and Nelva still have their condo in Panama but no immediate plans to move there. They hope to get east in July.

Bob Chutter and Aileen just returned from a trip to Scandinavia to see old friends from Army days. Just yesterday he and I drove up Mt. Philo near his house in Charlotte, Vt. My physical therapist is getting married there in August, and I need Bob’s military expertise in planning a fireworks display to complement the ceremony.

Anne Eubank Jolliff is in Waco, Texas. Son Dave Jolliff ’84 teaches at a charter school there.

His daughter Brooke (8) keeps Grannie Annie occupied. Son Rob is a fishing guide with a degree in earth science, a junior-high-principal wife, and daughters Emily (14) and Rebecca (7). They live about 25 miles south of Waco. Daughter Jen, a professional artist, lives near Anchorage, Alaska, with significant other, physicist Ian, a fellow Middlebury grad. They have a son Springer (5) and continue to build a mountainside house in their spare time.

Anne went to India about a year ago and hasn’t gotten over it yet. Spectacular.

Barbara Lippy Cahill moved to Houston and is temporarily residing with her youngest son and his family. She hopes to move to the Katy area in September. She would love to hear from Northfield classmates at cahillbarbara@comcast.net.

Bob Dixon writes: “Might try to get to the fall Pie Race. Won’t be able to run (bad knees), but how about you and I biking it? I’m still able to ride.

Traded my road bike for a mountain bike. Very different and lots of fun. Here in South Jersey there are quite a few long-approach bridges spanning the bays from the mainland—some 45 to 55 feet high— that replaced old drawbridges. About the nearest thing to hills or mountains.”

Ellin Messolonghites Johnson writes: “My English and foreign-language teaching days came to an end on my 75th birthday, sadly, after 49 years in some sort of school system in some sort of teaching capacity. Fletcher and I have had some jolly travels this year and hope to have some mixed doubles activity here in Portland, Ore. It’s a quiet but very pleasant existence in Portland, with its perfect ecosystem for our vegetable garden.”

Here in Vermont, Ida and I continue to be busy—while recognizing it takes less nowadays to keep us busy. She helps feed the walk-ins at Christ Church’s weekly free lunch, and I still do my newspaper column, TV show, and radio commentaries.

In early June, one of our shows won an Emmy at the New England Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Awards ceremony in Boston. I guess you could call that late-blooming.

Keep the news coming.

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DENNIS KELLY 668 Main Ave Bay Head NJ 08742-5346 dskelly007@gmail.com

BE JAY FROEHLICH HILL 747 Water St Apt 349 Framingham MA 01701-3236 bhill24@juno.com DAN FRICKER 165 King St Waterville CQ, Canada J0B 3H0 dcfricker@hotmail.com

Willem Lang ’53 (center) holds the New England Emmy Award won for “Saving Songbirds,” a onehour special Will hosted for New Hampshire Public Television. Others who worked on the program include (l to r) Steve Giordani, Carla Russell, Phil Vaughn, and Schuyler Scribner.

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MARGEE WELLS NEWELL 72 Matthew Dr Brunswick ME 04011-3275 jmnewell3@yahoo.com

From Dennis: I hate being the bearer of sad news.

First, we lost John Page to cancer on 5/23/12. John was low key but always in good spirits and had a wonderful sense of humor. I really enjoyed his

Dennis Kelly ’54, Susie Craig Hastings ’54, and Fred Rice ’54 in Hilton Head, S.C., in Jan.

company. I last spoke to John on 5/16. He seemed very weak and frail. Then I received an email from Will Lange ’53 a week or so later with the news that John had passed away. John spent three years at NMH, running on the cross-country team, skiing, and playing on the tennis team. He was also in the Outing Club and on the Hermonite. John went on to UNH, where he majored in history and then received a master’s in historic preservation from William and Mary in ’69. John taught at Suffield Academy, was curator at the Hartford State House, and then became executive director of the New Hampshire Historical Society. In retirement, John served as president of the Haverhill Historical Society, and he loved restoring antique Model A Fords. He is survived by his wife Ruth and sons David and Christopher. We all extend our sympathies to his family.

I then learned of the death of Richard “Ham” Hamilton. Dick passed away on 4/18/12 from a massive heart attack at his home in Ballston Spa, N.Y. Dick spent four years at NMH, playing football, baseball, and skiing. He also served on the Hermonite his senior year. He went on to Emerson College, where he received a degree in speech, and then served three years in the U.S. Army. Dick’s passion was thoroughbred horse racing, a field in which he spent most of his life. He worked for the New York Racing Association, and the last six years he was appointed steward, responsible for enforcing the rules and maintaining the integrity of racing. In retirement, Dick became the communications officer for the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. He was mentioned as a source by Laura Hillenbrand in her best-selling book Sea Biscuit. Dick regularly vacationed on the coast of Maine, and his ashes will be spread on Bailey Island in Casco Bay. We became good friends when we both lived on third south of Crossley, and I will certainly miss Ham and his wit and repartee.

On a lighter note, our old friend Fred Rice has relocated from Cape Elizabeth, Maine, to Old Orchard Beach, Maine, and has become friendly with a new girlfriend, Teresa, whom he met at a bingo game. Fred and Teresa drove down to Hilton Head Island, S.C., for a week in January. Susie Craig Hastings also spends a portion of the winter in Hilton Head. I, too, decamp for Hilton Head in

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January, where I must look after a rental property.

One evening, Fred, Teresa, and Susie came over for cocktails, and then we all went to dinner. It was great fun. Susie reports that Ed Snyder has moved to Arizona to keep company with his new girlfriend.

This past spring, Fred Rice asked me to help him bring his 38' trawler yacht from Casco Bay, Maine., down to a town on the Hudson River, where he hopes to sell it. The trip took us four days, and during the second day we had to make a stop for fuel in Scituate, Mass. Our classmate Bill I. Young lives in Scituate, and I would have called him to invite him to come down and have coffee with us, but I didn’t have his phone number. A couple of weeks after completing the voyage, I called Bill, and we had a nice chat. Bill owns a successful foam fabricating company and holds several patents. He has developed a product that contains microbes that eat oil and gas in the bilges of boats, and this cleans up nasty places. He promises to send me a sample because I could sure use such an item. Bill was a big-time golfer at NMH and broke the course record while there. He celebrated his 50th wedding anniversary in July and promises to come back to our 60th reunion.

Bill has been in touch with Frank Foster over the years. Frank was the photographer for the Hermonite and must have some old photos or negatives that might be of great interest to our archivist. Bill also reported that his namesake and our classmate William H. Young died in an automobile accident shortly after graduating from Princeton years ago.

I had a note from Stu Leyden, who sent me a copy of an article he had published in a quarterly religious journal. Stu is a retired Presbyterian minister and lives in a suburb of Atlanta, Ga. He was, and still is, a skilled tennis player and promises to be at our 60th reunion.

In April, I attended a reception of the D.L. Moody Society held at the New York Yacht Club in N.Y.C. Stan Peck and wife Nancy were there, as was Marcia Samuel. Bill Rhodes ’53, who donated a large part of the funds for the construction of the new Rhodes Arts Center, was there. The Rhodes Arts Center is referred to as the “RAC” by the current NMH students. I had an opportunity to tour the N.Y.Y.C.’s famous model room, which is truly a museum of yachting, containing hundreds of models of members’ yachts dating to the 1870s.

I have heard from my old roommate Ralph Perry. Ralph lives in Pasadena, Calif., and practices law in L.A. Ralph recently had both knees replaced in a six-hour operation but was able to walk to a chair two hours after the procedure. Now he plays handball everyday. I sometimes consult with Ralph about various legal scrapes I get myself into, and I am, therefore, a proud graduate of the Ralph Perry Law School.

Finally, I had a nice chat with Phil McKean,

who has relocated to Claremont, Calif., during the winter but comes back to his home in Cushing, Maine, in the summer. I hope to catch up with Phil this summer if I sail on the coast of Maine, as I usually do, though I think my sailing days are rapidly coming to a close. I chartered a 42' motor boat this past spring and cruised the canals of central France with some friends. Jumping on and off the boat as we negotiated 23 locks down the canal and 23 locks back became a bit much at 76.

Thank you all for contributing not only to the Annual Fund, but also to the McVeigh Scholarship Fund that we set up to honor our old track and cross-country coach, French teacher, and dorm head Fred McVeigh. I hope to provide the latest financial status of the fund in my next column. Please keep the phone calls and notes coming so I can keep this column going.

From the Alumni Office: Check out the photo of Burton Karp in the class of ’99 column.

Don Hiller ’55 and brother-in-law Peter Koch ’59 (in front) trying to learn rafting in Costa Rica.

From Lisa: Don and I traveled to London in January and Budapest, Vienna, and Prague in May. During both trips, Don had excessive bleeding and wound up in a hospital. The care was exceptional.

In London, he went to an emergency care clinic to

have a nosebleed cauterized and was kept overnight for observation. The cost to us—zero. In Budapest, he had internal bleeding and spent three nights in the hospital in a VIP section—private room with balcony, and English-speaking doctors and nurses.

We paid about $3,000 for the room, medicines, endoscopy, and colonoscopy, and we were reimbursed by our travel insurance for the hospital visit, my extra nights in the hotel, taxi rides to and from the hospital, train fare to Vienna, and taxi to our hotel there. I think the U.S. can learn much from European health care.

Sylvia Barnard writes that she had a successful trip to Israel but wished she’d had contact with some of the peace activists. “The regular culture seems very militaristic despite the beauty and amazing history. However, I recommend everyone to go.

My four Latin students at the Doane Stuart School all did very well, and I’ll be back next year (after the minireunion.) This summer I’m volunteering in a citizenship preparation class, which fell in my lap when Doane Stuart ended. I’ll go to England later in the summer. Will be reading some of my poems at Poetry in the Park in July.”

From Don Freeman: Lloyd Fisk reports a visit

by Al Smiley during Al’s periodic visits to his property at Kerr City, Fla. Lloyd sings in his church choir and is active on various committees. His grandson presented Lloyd and Holly with a greatgrandson. Lloyd is taking weekly senior noncredit courses at his local community college and is even experiencing some exam anxiety.

Dick Fitts writes that wife Sharon had her 50th

Svein Arber ’55, Helen Crawshaw Bogle ’55, Al Smiley ’55, and Don Freeman ’55 at the NMH scholarship luncheon in April.

Packer Wilbur ’55 at Moorabbin Airport near Melbourne, Australia, where he was the oldest pilot trainee by nearly 50 years.

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DONALD HILLER 102 Javelin Ct Cary NC 27513-5110 dhiller@nc.rr.com LISA TUTTLE EDGE 1110 Cooperskill Rd Cherry Hill NJ 08034 (11/1–5/31) 180 Main St Chatham MA 02633-2424 (6/1–10/31) etedge@aol.com DON FREEMAN 23 Avery Brook Rd, PO Box 132 Heath MA 01346-0132 d.freeman4@verizon.net

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Mimi and Rich Rice ’55 at Bell Rock, Exuma, in the Bahamas.

reunion at Lasell College in May. She is currently on Lasell’s board of overseers. Dick and Sharon’s son Doug Fitts ’87 recently had his 25th reunion at NMH. Connie and Don Hiller spent two weeks in Costa Rica. Don reports they enjoyed zip-lining, riding horseback, and navigating an outrigger canoe in the Pacific. Don writes: “This country is a birder’s paradise,” tempered by the presence of howler monkeys and crocodiles.

Packer Wilbur, having obtained his pilot’s license in his golden years, has written a manual for new pilots, Captain Zulu’s Quick Reference for Pilots, available online at www.CaptainZulu.com.

Packer says the book is designed for flight students and anyone interested in learning more about flying small aircraft.

In May, Don Freeman sang in his eighth Sacred Concert since moving back to western Massachusetts, where he and Margaret have just finished their 10th year of retirement.

Rich Rice has been retired for 10 years and loves it. He and Mimi sailed their 30' catamaran to the Bahamas and back recently, meeting lots of young people, who seemed surprised to see them.

They’ve been doing a monthly radio theatre broadcast with WMNF, their local public radio station in St. Petersburg, Fla., performing lots of parts they’d never get to play onstage. “It’s a wonderful prank on old age,” Rich writes.

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NELSON LEBO 1046 Millers Falls Rd Northfield MA 01360-9622 nlebo@nmhschool.org

DEBBY ADAMS MCKEAN 633 Leyden Ln #203 Claremont CA 91711 (10/12-5/13) P.O. Box 137 Cushing, ME 04563.(6/13-9/13) deborah.mckean39@gmail.com

From Debby: I begin with news of the death of our classmate Thetis Group on 1/20/12. She was

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dean and professor emerita at Syracuse Univ. and adjunct professor at the Univ. of Utah College of Nursing, Salt Lake City, Utah. Thetis earned a bachelor’s from Skidmore College, a master’s in nursing supervision, another master’s in community health nursing, and a Ph.D. in nursing education from Columbia. As president of the N.Y. State deans of nursing council, she helped establish the bachelor’s degree as the minimum entry level into nursing and helped to secure the right of nurses to practice autonomously with prescriptive authority.

These actions raised the standards of the profession and the status of nurses. In ’79, she received “the Women of Courage Honorary Award” from the central New York chapter of the National Organization for Women.

I had the pleasure of catching up with Eugenia “Genie” Tracy Kirchner at an NSFG gathering at Scripps College in Claremont, Calif., in the spring.

My husband Phil McKean ’54 and I just returned from a trip to Israel and Palestine with a group from our community at Pilgrim Place.

Swimming in the Sea of Galilee and having lunch with the mayor of Bethlehem brought us into the peaceful past and the conflicted present of this important region.

Former Weston Hall ’56ers Karyl Allen Condit and husband Roger from Maine, and Susan Djorup Reilley and husband Andrew from Florida, gathered for a spring visit at the home of Ann Carpenter Holbrook in Raleigh, N.C., where they shared memories of their “adolescent selves in transition in the Northfield environment.” They missed their roommate and dear friend, Diane Floyd Baker, who died in ’92. They enjoyed the famous tomato, bacon, noodle casserole from the Northfield cookbook. Karyl writes: “The laughter that prevailed during the whole visit was so good for our souls and our bodies. We shared gratitude for our NSFG experience fostered by our founder, D.L. Moody, for those women before us, and for the depth of our friendships over 57 years.”

Dorrie Krakower Susser attended the 4/22/12 wedding of Walt Jones and Yvonne Sammalian, second marriage for each. Mt. Hermon was represented by Jean and John McClintock, Betsy and Bruce Zimmerli, and Dave Tait. Dorrie shared a special memory of a spontaneous “happening” at the end of the reception. “The Zimmerlis and Dave Tait got up to dance the last dance as a threesome; then John and Jean joined them in a hug; and then Bob and I did. Then other people joined and soon there was a circle all hugging. Then Bruce spoke and wished Walt and Yvonne well; then everyone in the circle spoke, ending with Dave, who said the Northfield Benediction. I think no one there will ever forget.”

On 5/2/12, Benita Pierce, Jan Mitchelhill Leas, Evie Walsh Stevenson, Kate Guthrie Bergen, Sue Chandler, and Dorrie Krakower

Susser met for lunch in Manhattan and then went to see Anything Goes. “Catching up” on family, friends, lives, and then enjoying Cole Porter’s music together was a memorable experience.

Dorrie Krakower Susser reports seeing Ruth Ann Fredenthal, “looking as snazzy and youthful as ever, “at a gallery opening in Manhattan in May. From Nelson: In April, I attended the third annual scholarship luncheon. Joining me were Dick Chutter and Benita Pierce. Five students sat at our table, including the class of ’56 scholarship recipient, Casey Leveillee ’13. She is quite an athlete.

Also sitting at our table again this year was Arthur Chatman, a relative of our deceased classmate Lister Chatman.

The 118th Sacred Concert was held in the Northfield Auditorium on 5/5/12. The music, as always, was wonderful, and the interior of the Auditorium after a redecoration was spectacular.

The Northfield campus is being well maintained.

Walt Jones married Yvonne Sammelian in Naples, Fla., on 4/22/12. Classmates attending included Dave Tait, Bruce Zimmerli, John McClintock, and Dorrie Krakower Susser. The weather cooperated, the bride was beautiful, and the groom was “maturely” handsome.

John Mitchell, accompanied by Brian Walsh of the Advancement Office, recently completed a trip literally around the world. Their mission was to reconnect with alumni and network in building new student sources. Stops included Taipei, Seoul, Hong Kong, Hanoi, Singapore, two stops in India, and London. John continues to serve as a trustee of NMH and generously contributes his time and finances in support of the school.

Newland Smith reports that on 5/20/12 he served as a peace guide and speaker at the rally and march in protest against the NATO and G8 war and poverty agenda in Chicago.

Neil Sheeley reports he typed “Jerusalem NMH” into Google and found two really good websites.

One was “Jerusalem” being sung at a recent Sacred Concert, and he recommends it to all alumni. On a plane to Tucson, his wife was reading Moneyball and came to a page that had several references to and quotes from classmate Pete Palmer and the field of sabermetrics. Neil writes: “So we can all be

Walt Jones ’56 and Yvonne Sammalian at their April wedding in Naples, Fla.

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Michael Doudoroff, Joseph Harrington, Martha “Mary” Johnson, Joy Goddard Knightly, Virginia “Ginger” Roe Lang, Jeanne Swartz Magmer, Robert Mansfield, Gail Minault, Lloyd Mitchell, Arthur Moss, Malcolm Peck, Eleanor “Ellie” Gross Pendleton, Sarah “Terry” Drew Reeves, Paul Reyes, Stephen Springer, Jonathon Staley, Charles Streeter, Barbara Tuttle, and David Williams, plus 12 spouses.

NMH couples celebrating the marriage of Walt Jones ’56. Front: Bob Norkin (Dorrie’s husband), Dorrie Krakower Susser’ 56, Walt Jones ’56, his new wife, Yvonne, and Jean McClintock. Back: Betsy and Bruce Zimmerli ’56, John McClintock ’56, Dave Tait ’56.

proud that we went to school with one of the originators of sabermetrics and such terms as on base plus slugging.”

Cork Phippen reports enjoying another summer in Maine with family, hiking and especially canoeing on stretches of the Sheepscott River.

Carol and I spent most of March in New Zealand visiting our son and daughter-in-law. They were recently granted residency and along with it health care. Our last week was in Australia, where we reconnected with former NMH exchange teachers in Melbourne. Both Dwight Kennard and Tom Veal commented to me about their visits to New Zealand in the early ’60s while in the military. Both were taken with the country, and Tom has returned seven times, the most recent just two years ago. Tom also reports he still enjoys his orthodontic practice and sees patients three days a week, with wife Karen keeping things running smoothly as office manager.

Roger Gerdes reports that he and wife Joan also visited New Zealand last August for a Habitat for Humanity build near Auckland, which they followed with a couple of weeks of touring on the south island. He states, “Most of our recent travels have been back to Vermont to visit with brother Barry at the farm in Halifax, but I managed to do another HFH build in China last October, and Joan and I spent a couple of weeks in Istanbul in January.”

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DAVID C WILLIAMS 619 East Side Dr, PO Box 6 Alton NH 03809-0006 revdcwms@metrocast.net

JEANNE SWARTZ MAGMER 12705 SE River Rd Apt 103A Portland OR 97222-9701 jeannemagmer@comcast.net

Our 55th reunion has come and gone. Attendees were: Darrell Cooper, Anne Boothby Dickens,

We shared good food, fine weather, memories of days past and classmates we’ve lost, and visited the Northfield campus one last time. The campus is as pretty as ever, and the restored Sage Chapel is magnificent. We also took time to look ahead to ’17 (for our 60th reunion) and brainstormed ways to bring many more of you back. The best incentive we noted was that for 60 years and beyond, we alums get to come free.

One of the highlights of the weekend was our class meeting—for the first time ever—no longer N and MH, just NMH. We thanked Barbara Tuttle and Paul Reyes for chairing this reunion, and we elected Darrell Cooper, Ellie Gross, Lloyd Mitchell, and Terry Reeves as cochairs for our 60th. We thanked Darrell Cooper for his service as class gift chair and Lloyd Mitchell for creating our class of ’57 website and rejoiced that both will continue to serve for the next five years. We appointed Jeanne Swartz Magmer and David Williams as our class secretaries and expect they will find new ways to keep us updated on what’s going in our collective lives and figure out how to get more of us back for our 60th.

Joy Goddard Knightly glowed about the visit to the Northfield campus and chapel in particular. Said she: “Hobby Lobby refinished the floors, pews, pulpits, and choir area. The organ was located and returned to its rightful space. It was a beautiful day and the lawns were all mowed.” She also heard from Sunni “Debbi” Fraser Falconer, who reported that she and Cliff have sold their property in New Hampshire but continue to vacation in New England.

At our memorial services we lifted up the names of all the classmates we’ve lost, and especially those we’ve lost since ’07. They are: Richard Bergland, Nicolette Friederich Brown, Phyllis Behuniak Bruce, Allen Gates, Grace Grybko, William Hamilton, Virginia Cusick Hanlon, Robert Hempstead, Nan Pauley Johnston, Peter Marshall, Patricia Hull Pease, and Robert Pease.

We also noted the passing of faculty members John Clark and Fred Bauer in these past five years.

Looking ahead, regional class gatherings are happening in at least two areas, and we encourage others to convene in other places. We know that Darrell Cooper will host one in South Portland, Maine, on the eve of the NMH lobster roast, and that Jeanne Swartz Magmer and Steve Springer are organizing an event in Oregon this fall and will

be welcoming Art Moss as a new resident on the West Coast after all these years in Hawaii. Please pay attention to the invitations that flow to us through the years, and let us know if you are planning an event and want us to promote it. Give us lots of lead time for class notes, but do post timely notes via the website.

Please stay in touch through email, and sign on to www.classcreator.com/Mount-HermonMassachusetts-Northfield-Mount-Hermon-1957 for our class website, managed by Lloyd Mitchell.

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CLAIRE KURTGIS-HUNTER 7595 Solimar Cir Boca Raton FL 33433-1034 mizzengift@bellsouth.net WILLIAM HAWLEY PO Box 91927 Anchorage AK 99509-1927 hawleys@acsalaska.net

From Claire: Katrinka Craw Greger moved to Stonington, Conn., last November. She and John are getting the boat ready to embark from Rockland, Maine, and look forward to the summer on the water. Ellie Watson Payzant and Trinka shared their 50th reunion at Connecticut College, where they were roommates freshman year. “We were more proud than ever of Conn College and its values, which echo NMH’s.”

Debby Martin Pearse spent Memorial Day weekend with Missy Greening Swan and Norma Kerlin in Cape Porpoise, Maine. Debby’s church had a fundraising dance that Saturday, so “we trooped off to the church’s Cargo Shop (thrift store) to choose our outfits for that night. Unfortunately, we had to miss the dance because of a problem with our rental cottage, so we don’t know whether we would’ve won the prize.”

Trinka and Bruce purchased an RV on their way home from a road trip to Wisconsin, something they’ve been talking about buying for 25 years. They were looking forward to several short summer trips with perhaps a major road trip next year.

Norma Kerlin hosted 10 members of her orchestra, the New Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra, at her home in early June. She writes: “Last night was New Amsterdam’s last concert of the season, and very well received. Music well played with a terrific conductor is a great high. Next weekend many of the New Amsterdam winds/brass plus others will arrive to play a Richard Strauss wind symphony.”

Mariamne “Amy” Zipp Boothby says she “always enjoys reading about everyone’s adventures.”

Amy is now a legal secretary in Arlington, Mass., with fewer hours, interesting projects, no commute,

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/ class notes /

and great people. She also adopted a kitten named Ginger. Amy’s been in touch with Lynn Williams Kern and Sandy Thompson Ketchum. She loves getting news of NMH, is so glad the school is doing so well, and is keenly interested, as we all are, in the future of our Northfield campus. Her new email address: mariamneboothby@comcast.net.

Gina Lyman, along with her sister and cousin, had a blast spending nine days in Arizona in February visiting Molly McClure. “The Desert Museum outside of Tucson was spectacular.”

Jane Hougen Fast had a spring jaunt to Paris.

Stay tuned for her next adventures in travel.

Tom and Ellie Watson Payzant attended Bob Burnett’s “Celebration of Life,” where there was a full house. The Burnett family all participated in some way, including the grandchildren. The two remaining Highwaymen performed along with two others, and those gathered sang several folk tunes.

The Highwaymen’s most famous gold record was “Michael Row Your Boat Ashore.” Ellie says: “It was a very touching and truly meaningful time.”

Tom and Ellie attended the NMH trustees’ meeting in San Francisco in January, where they saw Mary Beth and Bob Starzel. They also attended a Moody donor event in Boston. In May, Tom and Ellie sang in Sacred Concert. “A treat to join with Sheila and talented students and orchestra. The campus was in tip-top shape.” After the concert, Trinka Craw Greger, John Stone, Steve and Joan Millett Walker, and the Payzants enjoyed dinner at Bella Notte.

Ellie says this is the year of the 50ths for them— her 50th at Conn College, Tom’s 50th at Williams, and their 50th wedding anniversary.

Lynn Williams Kern has moved to senior living at the Carmel Valley Manor in Carmel, Calif. “We are happy to say that, although it took some effort to downsize, it has been well worth it. It did not take long to find a Hermonite, Gordon Smith ’40, who is very active here on campus.” Contact Claire for Lynn’s address and phone number.

Steve and Joan Millett Walker had a good winter in Florida, where they spent time with

Anne Webb Burnham ’44, Dave Burnham, Al Burnett ’62, Kathy Burnett (Bob’s widow), Ellie Watson Payzant ’58, Tom Payzant ’58, Trinka Craw Greger ’58, and John Stone ’58 at the musical tribute and celebration for Bob Burnett ’58 last May.

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Norma Kerlin ’58, Debby Martin Pearse ’58, and Missy Greening Swan ’58 in Cape Porpoise, Maine.

daughter Elizabeth and her family. Daughter Pam recently moved there. Joan also spent time there with her sister Craig Millett Yohn ’60, who has kept her Parkinson’s at bay for 25 years. Joan and Steve drove to NMH for Sacred Concert. “A visit to the Northfield campus was nostalgic, and though the chapel was closed, it looked great on the outside.

Holly Lobby has refurbished the Auditorium: the fresh paint seemed incongruous, but it looked terrific.

As always, Sacred Concert was beautiful. Meanwhile, Steve is working on the rental house in Nantucket and the boat and plans to bring it to Rhode Island so we can get in much sailing this summer.”

Your secretary, Claire Kurtgis-Hunter, is having a great summer on Nantucket. Our Spiritual Heritage Nantucket speakers this June are Brit Hume and wife Kim. Working on the SHN committee for a luncheon at the Great Harbor Yacht Club opens a summer promising to be filled with excitement and fun. The first Hunter greatgranddaughter was born in June and joins three great-grandsons. Paul and Claire look forward to a two-week trip in late October to Kauai, where they will visit two nephews living there. Finally, a reminder to mark your calendars for our 55th reunion next June. Our 50th was terrific and our 55th looks to be even better.

From Bill: In January, John Abel caught up with Susie and Bart Ferris while in N.Y.C. for the Met Opera. They joined John for brunch at the Cornell Club of N.Y. and then a visit to the Frick Museum.

Bart persists in maintaining activities but has limited ability to walk. He continues to follow NMH and college wrestling.

John has been retired from Cornell since ’08, but maintains an office on campus and has stayed active.

Son Bill Abel ’91 has moved home so John no longer lives alone following the death of wife Lynne in ’06. John invites classmates passing through or near Ithaca to stop by for a tour of campus and the nearby spectacular state parks, as well as a boat ride on the lake. You can make reservations at the Abel B&B at jfa5@cornell.edu.

John’s daughter and family live in Plymouth, Minn., where she is on the German faculty at Macalester College, and her husband works at Best Buy headquarters. Will (12) and Natasha (9) are

Gina Lyman ’58 and Molly McClure ’59 in Arizona in February ’12.

in Spanish immersion schools. John writes: “In a reprise of spring ’09 when I was ‘Grandpa Nanny’ in Vienna while Britt ran and taught in Macalester’s study abroad program, it now looks like spring ’13 will be similar. Tough duty, but someone needs to suffer through time in Vienna and the capitals of Eastern Europe.”

In pursuit of John’s activities as president of the International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures (IASS), he had trips to Sarajevo, Bosnia, in April, and Seoul, Korea, in May. At the latter, John’s presidency expired after two three-year terms.

John says his greatest accomplishments as president were the creation of a new website (www.iass-structures.org); an increase of membership to more than 900 engineers, architects, students, companies, and subscribers; and editing a 500-page book observing the 50th anniversary of the association, titled Fifty Years of Progress for Shell and Spatial Structures.

Norm Barstow was in Bulgaria last summer and planned to visit a Bulgarian school in the role of “Mr. Science” to present a science lesson to a group of fifth graders. Norm hopes that his Bulgarski will be understood.

Stan Cort, Carla, and their twins, Camilla and Carlton (7 1/2), are based in Cleveland Heights, where the twins just completed the second grade at Gilmour Academy. In June, the family planned to make their annual move to their beach house in Euclid until Halloween. Cammy is an accomplished equestrian and a creative fashionista. Carl is an avid hockey player—he leans toward defense—and has progressed from Star Wars and Pirates of the Caribbean video games to his own finely detailed re-creations of WW II battles.

Carla’s mobile PET-CT (positron emission tomography) business is doing well. It is a useful foundation for expanding the platform into two promising health-care-delivery–related information system businesses. May marked Stan’s 50th at Harvard. He is glad not to have aged as his old duffer classmates have. Stan is emeritus at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve Univ. and teaches a high school senior/junior elective in management and entrepreneurship at Gilmour Academy. So far, retirement has not been dull.

/ class notes /

David Eberhardt spent two weeks in Queensland, Australia, in May mainly snorkeling, but he also enjoyed good tours on Captain Cook and out of Cooktown on Aboriginal life. Shortly thereafter, Dave and Cathy enjoyed the Oberlin 50th reunion with Rick Bromund. Bill Stevenson had just retired from La Jolla Country Day in California, so he had a good excuse for not coming. Charley Wantman ’59 was there sizing up plans for his class of ’63 reunion next year. Like our own 50th at Hermee’s Hump, all was well organized, with the added benefit of many recitals from Oberlin Conservatory students. Dave’s third book of poetry—Poems from the Website, Poetry in Baltimore—is available from Amazon.

Betsy and Bill Hawley were traveling to Borneo in June and looking forward to viewing the orangutans and other wildlife there.

Jane and Ken Holden attended Ken’s 50th reunion at Bates College in May. They met Tom Day there. Ken made a presentation on fly-fishing.

Faith and John LeBaron have settled back in Acton, Mass., where they lived for 30 years and raised their two children. Son Matthew added a fifth daughter to his family last August. Jessie operates an urban gardening business in N.Y.C. In February and March, John and Faith joined college friends for five weeks in Santa Fe and San Diego.

“We had the good fortune to visit the Grand Canyon the day after the huge March blizzard.”

Mike (wife) and John Quenell joined the ranks of the snowbirds recently, purchasing a home in The Villages, Fla. They weren’t really planning anything of the kind; it was a spontaneous decision. Long, frigid Adirondack winters aren’t as much fun as they used to be. In June, John and Mike were back in the North and busy refurbishing a 30', 1916-vintage motor launch for summer cruising. They are also contemplating their 50th wedding anniversary in August.

Gordon Wosak is semiretired and volunteers at the Hagley Museum and Library, Wilmington, Del., where he is helping to restore a 19th-century waterwheel turbine, and at Joanna Furnace in Berks County, Pa. In June, Gordon was warming up his harmonica for a local musical party. Gordon and his wife live in Chester County, Pa. Ken Holden, Scott Lowden, and John Stone attended the New Englands wrestling tournament in February, held at NMH and won by NMH. Great tournament with lots of action in the new (to us) gym.

On 5/27/12. a musical tribute and celebration of Bob Burnett’s life was held at the Blackstone River Theatre in Cumberland, R.I., where Bob and the Highwaymen had performed a number of times.

Nancy and Scott Lowden, Tom and Ellie Watson Payzant, John Stone, and Trinka Craw Greger attended. Participants in the tribute included Steve Butts and Steve Trott—two of the original Highwaymen from Wesleyan.

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NANCY BISSELL GOLDCAMP 2002 Chantilly Dr Sierra Vista AZ 85635-4866 ngoldcamp@cox.net

PETER WELSH 10246 Old Shiloh Rd Pefferlaw ON, Canada L0E 1N0 peter@cantope.ca

From Nancy: Kristin Kellom ’80 sent me a thankyou note she received from Yvonne Rondeau ’14, of Chicopee, Mass., the recipient of the Class of ’59 Memorial 50th Reunion Scholarship for the 2010–11 academic year. Yvonne plays ice hockey, field hockey, and rows on the crew. She also sings in the concert choir.

She writes: “I didn’t know what it felt like to push myself until I arrived at NMH last year. My NMH experience has been stressful, painful at times, but also very beneficial. It has given me the chance to branch out, meet new people, try new things, and most of all, be myself. I’m extremely thankful for the opportunity I’ve been given. Since coming to NMH, I’ve gained many new and close friends, I’ve grown out of my shy self, and I’ve even become a vegetarian, something I’d wanted to try for a long time but was never presented with the options that I have here at NMH. I chose NMH because of the feeling of community. No matter where the tour guide took us, there was always someone who would wave and smile to her, or say hi, like in a friendly little neighborhood. Even on the first day of orientation, everyone was so friendly, and it made me feel at home; NMH is like my second home.

“This scholarship has been such a gift to me and my family, and I really appreciate it. It will help me continue my studies and activities at NMH throughout the next three years, and it makes me so happy to know that it isn’t so much of a burden to my family to pay full tuition for me to attend NMH. I know it’s made my family’s life a lot less tense.”

From Peter: I have now used the school’s eblast a couple of times, but I get little or no feedback.

However, my last column did activate Mr. Faithful Dan Waugh, and I sent his epistle via eblast. Here is an edited version.

“In ’10, we spent significant time in Iran, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey as I continue to work on a book about the Silk Roads. We were also in China (Sichuan, Tibet) that summer on a Yale program and are still hoping to go back this coming year. A year ago we were in Uppsala, Sweden, for three months. Ostensibly, this was for continuing work on a yet-unfinished Russian history book project with a colleague there, but we went to enjoy the wonderful Swedish spring. This past February we were in Germany for a conference and for some

touring, and then the U.K., where I gave talks in Oxford and Cambridge and where we thereby learned how “the other half (one percent?) lives. We never tire of the London museums and may try to get back there in November. In September, we go to Provence and will also spend some time in Paris.

“I have been involved with the Seattle Art Museum on programs related to some of their special exhibitions, currently one on Central Asian textiles, for which I share pictures and ideas from our travels. One of my recent presentations was on Islamic culture and art. We also did a presentation for a Univ. of Washington retirement association, where we shared our experiences in Syria, Jordan, and Turkey.

“I can increasingly appreciate why some in our generation prefer to move to a warmer clime and why my more or less regular jogging in our local woods seems to be more and more of a challenge.”

And then, our forever young Ken Boyle sent along this: “Ellen and I competed in the world indoor rowing championship (aka CRASH-B’s) on 2/19/12 in Boston. I qualified in January at the Mid-Atlantic ERG Sprints in Alexandria, Va., meeting the world standard for my age category set by Concept2. My airfare, race registration, and discounted hotel room were paid by Concept2 to compete in the CRASH-B’s. Didn’t win but finished fourth, beaten by a Brit, an Italian, and a former defensive back of the Cleveland Browns.

Ellen raced well and placed sixth. It was quite an experience; we had been training for over two years for the event. We are training hard for next year’s championships, with hopes of being one of the medal winners.”

Most of you are aging as I am, and now folks are beginning to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversaries. Neville and Jane Fisher Davison passed the milestone in January with Carol and Rick Dowden in attendance, and the number-one host family in Northfield, Lynn and Randy Foster, will celebrate on 8/11/12. The Davisons plan to attend while they are east to visit Mary Williams (one of our honorary class teachers).

Bob Meyers is cruising coordinator for Corsair Cruising, which he says “is meant to encourage all sailors with friends as crew but especially spouses

Ken Boyle’59 (center with black-banded shirt) competed in the world indoor rowing championship in Boston in February.

fall / winter 2012 I class notes I 57

/ class notes /

and children. The destinations are designed for recreation and exploring as a group. If any of the Corsair sailors have apprehensive families or friends they would like to introduce to sailing, this is the place to have a fun and relaxed sailing adventure.”

I can remember TV hosts signing off with the request to “keep those cards and letters coming.” You now have it much easier—just send me a newsy email.

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HANNAH SIBLEY GRAY 306 Cotuit Bay Dr Cotuit MA 02635-2916 hsgray@verizon.net SARAH MAHONEY RUGGLES 2945 Ash Meadows Blvd Zanesville OH 43701-9795 sruggles@columbus.rr.com AL CHASE 1141 Kumukumu St Apt A Honolulu HI 96825-2645 nmh60uh66@yahoo.com

From Sally: Brenda Bolte Way writes: “ODC, my dance organization based in San Francisco’s Mission District, opened its renovated/expanded theatre last year with a site-specific work, ‘The Architecture of Light.’ We inhabited the building with ODC’s 10 company members and 30 additional dancers, musicians, filmmakers, and young people. Reviews of the building were rolled into responses to the work and all of them were enthusiastic. Now, with a two-facility campus, a school student body of some 15,000, and a presenting program that features 80 concerts each year, we have moved on to thinking about food. We plan to open a gallery of artisan foods in the coming months in a café space that adjoins the theatre lobby. The owner of a hot new San Francisco restaurant, AQ, is leading this charge. As for the dance company, after a largely soldout season at Yerba Buena Theater, we’re off to Singapore and then Beijing this summer and have begun new production projects with avant-cellist Zoe Keating, dramaturge and hip-hop marvel Marc Bamuthi Joseph, and a three-way invention with New York choreographer Kate Weare. I also do my best to visit my four kids (three academics and a lawyer) and six grandchildren in their homes across the continent. I’m not seeing much of a slowdown in the foreseeable future but am definitely considering a nap.”

Sheila Raymond Hazen writes about the Raymond Financial Scholarship supported by alumni. “Last year, the award went to a day student, who has written me enthusiastic letters about her activities, which include playing violin in the

58 I NMH Magazine

student orchestra, playing lacrosse, and singing, all while maintaining excellent grades. I am particularly pleased to hear such enthusiasm for our alma mater from a current student.”

Sue Sawyer McAlary enjoyed the 50th reunion and writes that she is “Hoping to retire eventually, but enjoying the area (Chicago) in the meantime.

Lots to do and see, live theatre, etc.”

Carol Christy Rickauer reports that she is still hiking and snowshoeing the trails of Colorado.

Having left the workaday life, she volunteers with trails and for social service needs. Five children and eight grands keep her going, too. She encourages everyone who has an opportunity to attend one of the Northfield get-togethers. “I almost passed it by and am glad I didn’t—fun time, conversation, and singing.”

From Al: David Mitchell and Ellen, his wife of 43 years, have no plans to retire in the foreseeable future. “I’m not practicing law anymore, but I have a small title abstracting company. I’m still active in antiwar activities and other political activism. I sometimes run into Frank Brodhead (another political activist from the class), who lives across the Hudson River from me in Westchester County.”

Mitchell’s activism began in the ’60s while he was a student at Brown when he demonstrated against the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba. His college road took him from Brown to the Columbia School of General Studies and finally to Seton Hall Law School. Ellen is an educator, teaching teachers more than children these days.

Doug Barrett still reflects on the great memories from our 50th reunion. “What a trip down memory lane.” In 9/11 Doug and wife Sally celebrated their 48th anniversary with a trip to Paris that included a Viking River Cruise to Normandy and a walk on Omaha Beach. That summer they enjoyed a beach day at Watch Hill, R.I., with Layng Martine and wife Linda. Overall, Doug says he enjoys these exciting times with family, biking, golf, the beach, and the many events surrounding their 11 grandchildren, while working with a couple of local charities.

Rick Borger and wife Judy spent four days cycling from Columbia to St. Charles, Mo., on the Katy Trail Bike Trek with the road scholar (Elderhostel) program in June. They averaged 25 miles a day over a trail that was essentially flat, although there were several lengthy grades. Rich writes: “Some riders were very experienced bikers; others were complete neophytes. Judy and I were in the middle. For a moderately strenuous undertaking that involved more physical exercise per day than we are used to, this trek produced a somewhat startling result: I gained five pounds. It must have been all that good German food, beer, and wine we enjoyed at the end of each day.”

Tom Draper sent a lengthy update on his world.

“I have no plans to retire. I am having a lot of fun— faith, family, and friends. That’s my focus.” Tom’s

world consists of two vineyards (his word). First, his family owns two affiliated local television stations (CBS and Fox) that employ 125 people on the Delmarva Peninsula. “It is a fun business and I love it. I’ve been blessed to have a great cast of fellow workers in these ventures.” The other side of Tom’s life deals with the family farms, some 3,000 acres worked on a share-crop basis with five or six families. Corn, soybeans, and wheat are the main crops.

Tom has four children and nine grandchildren. His oldest is Mariah Draper Calagione ’89, married to NMH sweetheart Sam Calagione ’88. Mariah serves on the NMH Board of Trustees. Tom’s latest philanthropic endeavor is his support of the Breakaway group at NMH, a voluntary Christian group for NMH students run by school treasurer Rick Wood and wife Marianne. “The group is inspirational. Mr. Moody would be very proud.”

To follow up on the news former class secretary Doug Wilson offered about his heart condition in the last issue, Doug writes: “Things are going well.

There are things I have to do and if I don’t, Kathy will be on my case. The doctors encourage doing the right things to help the pacemaker and the medicines I take. There have been no complications.”

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GRETEL PORTER P.O. Box 369 Damariscotta ME 04543 sangam1008@yahoo.com CRAIG WALLEY 573 S 6th St Columbus OH 43206-1272 bozocraig@aol.com

From Gretel: It’s a year since our 50th—hope it’s been a good one for all. Rhoda Smith Fantasia missed the 50th due to a major sailing engagement. “Since graduating from Simmons in ’65, I have lived in the Boston area; in Cambridge since I married Joseph Fantasia in ’70—42 years together and two children. Our passion has been sailing: east to Maine, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and south to Bermuda on many Marion-Bermuda races. We retired and bought a boat in Italy, sailing

Gail Phillips Fairfield ’61 and Barbara Joy Hare ’61, in Penobscot, Maine

/ class notes /

for 10 years around the Mediterranean and the Adriatic, visiting Croatia, and spent a winter in Venice. Then a different boat in Connecticut and four Caribbean winters, leaving the boat in Trinidad for hurricane seasons. Now we sail a small boat out of Portsmouth, R.I., summers and have scaled back ocean passages.”

Louise “Petis” Robinson retired from real estate four years ago and enjoys herself in Salisbury, Conn. Gigi Goepner Ledkovsky keeps busy in Massachusetts with the Wellfleet Preservation Hall.

She will manage eight weddings this summer and run a special art auction of painted lunch boxes to raise funds for the Cape Cod Children’s Place.

Patty Howell is now president of Healthy Relationships California, a nonprofit that teaches relationship and marriage education programs throughout California. They have taught more than 125,000 participants over the last five years. In July, she will travel to Geneva to address the European Leadership Conference on the “contribution of families to peace, human development, and prosperity.” Patty has just returned from Alaska and a dogsled ride with Iditarod-caliber dogs.

Susan Meader Tobias of Washington, D.C., and Cynthia Van Hazinga of New Hampshire and N.Y.C., are joining Marta Weigle in Santa Fe, N.M., retracing the ’61 journey when Marta and roommate Cynthia went west on a vision quest. Marta never returned and is now a renowned anthropology professor at the Univ. of New Mexico and author of many books. Tobey Hiller writes from a family holiday on Mallorca that she’s a grandma, writer, organizational consultant, dishwasher, wife, mother, poet, fickle gardener, occasional climber, and traveler.

Please send news, creative thoughts, or call to chat. We want your thoughts.

From Craig: Graham Cole writes: “Thoroughly enjoyed my stint as acting headmaster at Lawrenceville last year from June to December, a tour that reminded me of how much I love the hurly-burly of boarding school life, and have now returned to retirement, which has kept me quite busy. Carol and I are reveling in being grandparents for the first time.”

Brian Walsh writes that since his wife retired from Dartmouth Medical Center, they have spent more time traveling, painting, and “taking care of my aging self.” This past spring he was chosen by Dartmouth as the recipient of the Nelson A. Rockefeller Distinguished Public Service Award. His talk on the occasion, “Democracy at the Local Level: 25 Years of Lessons and Some Questions,” can be found at www.youtube.com/ watch?v=h1NNRPlYc-0). He continues as director of Americans for Campaign Reform and of the New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies.

Dick Squires and wife Diane visited Ellen and Bruce Jackson in San Francisco and enjoyed golf

at Spyglass and the Olympic Club. They report that they are not yet ready for the senior tour.

Bruce Schwanda and Anne celebrated their 40th anniversary on Kauai. They expect to visit John Gagnon and John MacKay in San Francisco this summer.

Connie and I are training for our 1fouth Italian bike trip this fall and, like many of you, are already looking forward to the 55th reunion in a few years.

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SUE SAUNDERS CHANDLER 3/50 Walsh Street South Yarra Victoria, 3141 Australia susanchandler1@mac.com

It was a truly fabulous reunion. As promised, it was full of festivities and fun, with plenty of time to reconnect with old friends, make new ones, and learn about NMH today. The weather was glorious, so we saw the campuses at their lush green best: misty mornings, sunny days, and luminous summer twilights.

Our class has a special energy and enthusiasm. So many of us treasure our experiences at Northfield and Mt. Hermon and the friends we made there.

With 41 percent of the class returning, we broke the school’s 50th reunion attendance records. In all, 127 of us showed up: 67 from Northfield and 60 from Mt. Hermon. By the end of the weekend, we learned that our fundraising had reached $2,282,180. An awesome class.

On arrival, we were given ‘hang around the neck tags’ featuring our names in BIG letters and, amusingly, our yearbook photos from ’62. Finding old friends was a delightful experience. In an instant, something—the eyes, a certain expression, smile, gesture, or a familiar voice—brought back a whole personality along with floods of memories.

On Friday, we had the opportunity to share views with classmates at the Alumni College Seminars presented by distinguished NMH alums, many from the classes of ’62. With 22 seminar choices, all looking most interesting, I was torn. In the end, I opted for a discussion on trends in world energy markets for the first session, then climbed into a golf cart (there was a fleet of these driven by

Kate Dennison Chipman ’62, Enid Freund Hayflick ’62, Al Burnett ’62, and Cindy Kidder ’62 at reunion

Members of the class of ’62 kicked off their 50th reunion by climbing Mt. Monadnock. Front (l to r): Debbie Dain, Joan Diefenbach Owen, Lucinda “Cindy” Kidder, and Jock Bethune. Rear (l to r): Kit Durgin and Joel Solomon.

charming NMH students) and went to the NMH farm for a tour. After lunch, I joined a briefing session about the policy implications of the tensions between the U.S. and China, and then finished the day with a stimulating panel discussion on education, particularly, what makes a great education and the importance of global awareness. Wow. How did it feel to be on what was once the MH campus? From conversations, I gathered that most of us felt surprisingly at home. We quickly found our way to Alumni Hall, a grand dining room and venue for chatty breakfasts (piles of Bishops Bread) and long lunches. The food was excellent. On a number of occasions over the weekend, we experienced the joy of singing together. “Jerusalem,” the “Northfield Benediction,” and favorite old hymns carried us powerfully back to our roots. We remembered our musical training, as verse after verse came back by heart. Our combined classes sounded better than ever.

Of course, the old Mt. Hermon campus was not the same as our beloved Northfield, but with the same beautiful expansive views and similar architecture, it felt very familiar. As we met current students, we found articulate and confident young people deeply involved in their studies, the life of the school, and the world around them. I got the impression that the Northfield spirit is alive and well on the combined NMH campus. The school now seems to be “right size”’ and focused. I left the campus feeling most optimistic about its future.

For those of you unable to attend, you were missed. Almost as good as seeing each other in

Cecelia Navarro Martinez ’62, Gail Ryerson Parsons ’62, Nancy Hooper Lancy ’62, and Charlotte Treacy Judd ’62

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/ class notes /

Susan Saunders Chandler ’62 and Karen Anne Smith Zee ’62, roommates in Wilson, reconnected at reunion.

Jeanne and Dan Kleinman ’62 and Cynthia and Dave Stocking ’62 at their 50th reunion

person was reading the fascinating entries that so many classmates submitted to the excellent Northfield and Mount Hermon Schools 1962 50th Reunion Yearbook. The information about your lives, careers, opinions, and memories, plus current photos, were much enjoyed by your classmates at the reunion.

There was so much going on over reunion weekend that I can only offer a few impressions here. So please, send in your own favorite stories and photos—and if you have not written in for a while, we would love to hear your news..

events, we assembled back at Crossley in our ground-floor lounge and exchanged stories, memories, and dreams. Saturday’s Alumni Convocation featured Mike Menne’s Alumni Citation and multiple awards for our Northfield classmates delineated elsewhere in this issue. In the afternoon, we assembled in Russell Sage Chapel on the Northfield campus for a moving memorial service commemorating our deceased brethren. The class dinner that night featured singing by a decent assemblage of our double octet and the overall celebration of a successful 50th reunion. More than 125 of the combined classes came back; this set a school record—thank you, Jock and Cindy. On Sunday, festivities wound down with a chapel service for all, and we flew our separate ways.

Reunions tend to be about snippets—small factoids gained in short conversations that start with something like, “So, where are you now?” or “So, are you retired—enjoying it?” And so some anonymous snippets: One of our classmates has a “chit” from the godfather of Rhode Island—“Take this number. Just call anytime you need something.”

Another is coaching executives on job acquisition skills—his oldest client is 72 years young. At least three classmates are bored with retirement. One classmate and his wife have a quite enchanting story of meeting in their early teens, almost marrying, marrying others, and finding each other after first marriages ended, wasting no time getting hitched and living happy ever after. Another classmate shared a reunion with his daughter, who was up for her 25th. At least one classmate has worked for one company for his entire postmilitary career and is enjoying rising to the challenges of today’s DoddFrank world of banking. Finally, we have a classmate

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E. SCOTT CALVERT PO Box 1236 Ashland OR 97520-0042 scottcalvert@mac.com

And so we are 50. The reunion weekend started with brave souls hiking Monadnock on Wednesday followed by Thursday’s “best meal in town,” the 50th’s lobster dinner, where Jock Bethune and Cindy Kidder welcomed the substantial number of early birds, and we were joined by many faculty of our era. The school’s interim head, Charlie Tierney, welcomed the “great class of ’62” to the campus and wished us a good weekend. All in all, we were blessed by good weather—crystal skies interspersed with big clouds whose rain mostly missed us.

Friday was Alumni College day. Bill Arnold and Hill Huntington’s presentation on the geopolitics of oil, “The Energy Transition After 50 Years of OPEC,” was reasoned, rational, and interspersed with impassioned audience participation on a complicated subject. In the afternoon, there was another impassioned panel, the class of 1962 panel on “A 21st-Century Education: The Importance of Global Education and Northfield Mount Hermon’s Leadership,” featuring multiple Northfield ’62 reps. Richard Mueller and Phil Handy, who is a Romney education adviser, represented our side of the river. At Friday-night’s hymn sing, once again we sang the wrong version of “Once to Every Man & Nation.” Mike Menne accompanied Sheila with aplomb and verve.

As always this weekend, after the scheduled

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Al Burnett ’62, Peter Halle ’62, Helen Thomas-Williams ’62, and Jean Meyer Martin ’62 at reunion

Members of the class of ’62 gathered outside Alumni Hall. Doug Werner, John Wilson, and Ladd Jeffers in foreground. Brent Bowers and Dick Fisk in background.

who continues financial consulting, splitting time between N.Y.C. and London. Confused? Want to know who they are? I’ll trade you the names for a submission for future notes. I know it’s a shameless gimmick, but I’m nothing if not shameless.

Want more? More than 60 of our classmates wrote memories and observations for the “Classes of 1962 Yearbook.” So, there’s an easy way to hear all your classmates—just go to https://community. nmhschool.org/Reu2012/1962yrbk and order your very own copy of our acclaimed 50th reunion yearbook—hurry, there is a limited number of copies.

And after you’ve finished reading, it’s time for you to get off your duff and write me some notes—time’s a wasting.

On a personal note, Kori Hedman ’67 and I are temporarily homeless. We’ve sold Leighton Cottage and are moving to Ashland, Ore.—a very big adventure.

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DIANE SEWALL CHAISSON 25 Williams St N Grafton MA 01536-1237 diane@meadowlarks-farm.net WILLARD THOMEN 417 Nicholson St Joliet IL 60435-7043 wthomen@stfrancis.edu

From Diane: This is the next to last magazine before our 50th reunion. I hope you all filled out your profiles, because your classmates want to know what you have been doing all these years. If you didn’t, send the info to Deb Jenks as soon as you can. She might be able to add it or print an inclusion. Now is the time to plan for returning to campus 6/6–9/13. I know it is not our personal campus, but it is our school. Last weekend several members of your planning committee “observed” the ’62 class and their reunion. We also went over to Northfield to tour and went into Sage Chapel for a memorial service and to see how beautifully it has been restored. The chapel once again looks glorious.

/ class notes /

Let me know what teachers you want to join us for reunion. We will send out invitations to as many of our past faculty as we can.

Hopefully you are going to the www.

NorthfieldMountHermon63.com website and enjoying classmates’ responses, but here are few nuggets sent directly to me.

Betsy Sigler Roman retired recently from medical transcription due to a layoff. She is now pitching in more fully with her daughter and her two preschoolers. She writes: “A lot of good stuff is rising up out of the situation, and I have to say I’ve drawn heavily on my years at NMH for emotional stability.” Betsy lives in the Napa Valley but spends much time in Berkeley with the grandchildren. She had what she describes as a “head-spinning encounter” in 1/12 when she attended one of the Northfield teas held at Mills College in Oakland, Calif. “Of all the women present, our little Moore Cottage was a story in itself. Totally unplanned, three of us from the same era showed up. My junior-year roommate Kit Durgin ’62 and Barbara Hazard ’66, one of the first freshmen to live at Moore. We are now enjoying follow-up get-togethers in each other’s niches of the Bay Area. I recommend those gatherings as you never know who will show up.

Mimi Woodcock Karlsson wrote with news of Joan Erlanger: She is retired and lives with a huge organic garden two blocks from the ocean in Oregon. She calls it paradise. She and Chester are comfortable, no debts, but they don’t travel much except to see family. They made a trip east years back before NMH was sold and toured the campus.

It’s not likely she will be able to come to reunion, but she wants people to visit her in her paradise.

Suzanne Abbott Harris touched base after many years. She married recently and enjoys stepchildren and step-grandchildren. She has had a long career in nursing and done much traveling. Several trips to Cuba have had a transformative influence on her faith and her appreciation of what we have here in the U.S. She now lives in Florida. Look up the full story on the ’63 website.

Wendy French Palm writes: “Carole Larson Pratt and I talk regularly on Facebook and sometimes on the phone. We are literally worlds apart since I am in New Hampshire and she’s in Alaska.

We also look at the world differently, but we agree to disagree and value our 50-plus-year-old friendship. My old roommate Lydia “Lolly” Davis and I reconnected after and during the ’62 Christmas concert emails last year. It’s amazing to look back and realize how significant our teenage relationships have been in our development as people. Lolly and I both attribute good things we see in ourselves to each other. Wendy and I are meeting on an NMH Boston Bay cruise in July after many years as well.

A few of you have referenced concern over the cost of reunion. There are mechanisms in place to cover the costs of reunion if you want to come.

There is scholarship money available, some from the school and some from past reunions collected for that purpose. For others who want to, there is a space on the reunion registration form to make an additional donation to cover expenses for classmates who need it. The financial aid is private between the attendee and the NMH reunion staff, so no one knows. We want you all back, so please think about this option.

From Will: Just got back from observing a memorable 50th reunion of the class of ’62. They broke the record for the number of alums returning (127) representing 41 percent of the class. They also were blessed with great weather. Pray that we may be as fortunate next year when we celebrate our golden jubilee. Believe me, the 50th reunion is the big one. You are the toasted and feted celebrities. Seven observers from our class attended: Bill and Nan Browning Freiheit; Deb Jenks (who is in charge of our 50th anniversary yearbook and needs your bios and pictures ASAP); Mimi Woodcock Karlsson; Don Glascoff, who presented another outstanding film documentary from the Nuclear World Project, In My Lifetime, as part of the Friday Alumni College sessions; Diane Sewall Chaisson; and me. We shadowed ’62 all weekend, noting their high points and not-so-high points. The reunion committee meeting on 7/24 will be fine-tuning our weekend events. One item to finalize is getting presenters for each of the four Alumni College seminars held on Friday. Another is to line up artwork and publications of our classmates to go on display in the Rhodes Arts Center. With nearly all of our leads from our Gilbert and Sullivan musical returning, we want to fix a time for a “sing through” of the highlights of the score. Bridesmaids, sailors, and ancestors, we need you back for this. Many thanks to all of you who responded so quickly to my email poll in January to determine who is planning or hoping to attend next June. Unfortunately, I was not able to reach all of you, so I will reach those for whom I did not have email addresses by phone. Our fall class newsletter will continue to update the listing of everyone who plans to be back.

In June, Ricker Winsor and wife Jovita were off to Indonesia for six weeks to scout out their new home in Malang, East Java, for the coming year. They will also be in Surabaya (Jovita’s hometown) and in Bali. Ricker loves Indonesia’s diversity, culture, and “some of the best food in the world.” He has been doing a lot of abstract painting recently. He writes: “I grew up with it in N.Y.C., where I knew some of the greats of the N.Y. School, including Bill de Kooning, Rube Kadish, Richards Ruben, Charles Pollack (Jackson’s older brother), all through my great friend, the late Herman Cherry, one of the very best. My friend Lorna Ritz has worked this way for more than 30 years so I have had that great influence, too. I have gone down this road tentatively before and always pull back and

may very well again. For sure, I will never give up working outside when I can [paint] directly from nature.” Ricker has more paintings on his website (http://rickerwinsor.com/www/painting/paint.htm) and a link to his music page, where you can see a video of his last concert.

Will Thomen took part in two major anniversary celebrations in New Hampshire this past summer: the 250th anniversary of the town of Fitzwilliam, N.H., in July, singing with the Community Church choir under the direction of Bill Davis ’62; and the 225th celebration of the town hall in Washington, N.H., in August, directing the Washington choir, all dressed in Federal attire, singing anthems by William Billings.

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EASTY (ROBERT) EASTMAN PO Box 218 Shaftsbury VT 05262-0218 rheastman4@comcast.net

PAMELA STREET WALTON PO Box 33 Spofford NH 03462-0033 pawalton@myfairpoint.net

From Pam: By the time you read this column, our Northfield campus will be under new ownership, free of charge to one of the finalists selected by the Green family. It is their hope and ours that Moody traditions will be continued and the beauty of our former campus/buildings will be maintained.

Fast-forward a couple years; 6/14 will mark our 50th reunion. Time flies, so make plans now. If you live far away, combine reunion with a visit with family/friends in the Northeast, or maybe a vacation to the Maine coast. The point is: be in touch if you have been incognito, be sure NMH has up-to-date contact info, and do plan. Step one is to sign up on the reunion website.

After my last website plea, Ann Palmer Holsey registered at northfieldandmounthermon64.com—a great way to reconnect. She has been retired six years and loves her new life. Ann began college at Simmons with me and several other Northfield grads, but finished her bachelor’s in nursing at the Univ. of Michigan.

Sadly, her younger son is deceased, as is my middle daughter. We noted that while it takes a long time to heal, we are both enjoying life. Her older son is married, lives in N.J., and works in N.Y.C. She is attempting to convince her sister, Susan Palmer Dishmon ’66, to come east with her to visit the Northfield campus and see NMH. Susan Delaney McConchie will be at reunion, even though all the McConchies are now on the West Coast. Trevor ’01 married Arriane last January and they live in Olympia. James “Chip” ’99 married Melissa in April, and they are in San Francisco. Todd

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The class of ’64 gave new plaques for the entrance to campus.

’93 and wife Anna lured Sue and her husband to San Diego a couple of years ago. I’m sure it was the attraction of their two grandkids. Sue sings in several choruses and continues to work on her gardens and house.

They miss having easy access to NMH and seeing friends around campus.

I am in awe of the activities of Diana Atwood Johnson and husband John. John rehabs old buildings into commercial and residential use (most recently, Allen’s Spool Mill in Mystic), owns a maritime art gallery, and was chair of the OpsailCT2012 celebration in New London, Conn., which attracted thousands to see the tall ships parade of sail and other festival activities. They are both deep into volunteer activities. Diana is chair of Old Lyme’s open space commission and the state’s open space matching grant program. She has joined the board at the Trust for Public Land Conn.; she is passionate about birding and preserving land for future generations. In addition, she chairs the college she helped found in the late ’70s, Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts. No wonder that this past winter Diana was nominated Citizen of the Year in Old Lyme for her arts and environmental activities. In her email, Diana added that they have three grandchildren and two loving kitties, and are continually surprised by their ages.

In addition to leading free public tours of the permanent collection at the MFA, Kathy Childs Jones has a second tour-guiding gig: leading tours of the Jason Russell House in Arlington, Mass. Kathy leads weekend tours and helps with the Arlington Historical Association’s third-grade education program. She enjoyed outings with several classmates this past year and has relayed what is happening in their lives as well.

Joan Latchis Amory volunteers for environmental causes. Joan has two granddaughters: One lives in Portland, Maine, and the other is in the Boston area. In late January, Kathy as well as Bob and Gayle Landgraf Leaversuch, went to the MFA in Boston to tour a special exhibit, “Degas and the Nude.” In May, Gayle and Bob met Kathy and Alison Phillips Cushing at Wellesley College Club for lunch. After lunch they walked across campus past Tower Court, where Kathy and Marcia Cleveland lived when enrolled at Wellesley. Becky Elwell plans to attend our 50th. She retires in 12/12 and will relocate to Cape Ann, moving into the home once owned by her grandmother and

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mother. She has two grown daughters. One lives with grandchildren in Gloucester. Our 50th will be the first Northfield reunion for both Gayle and Becky.

In February, Kathy Childs Jones and Kathy Marsh spent an afternoon at the 164 Hasty Pudding Theatricals There Will Be Flood. Both were impressed with the professionalism of the song, dance, costuming, and puns of the theatrical performance by Harvard undergraduates. Dinner followed at Grafton Street, a favorite Harvard Square restaurant. They ran into each other again in late March at Symphony Hall, and in May they attended Harvard’s commencement exercises together. President Drew Gilpin Faust, a Civil War historian, spoke of the role of history in the growth of the university. And who was there to hand them their programs … none other than Virginia “Weegee” Look Brooks. She continues to work as a fundraiser at Harvard. I was told Weegee looked stunning in all black attire with a fashionable black hat perched on her dark hair. Kathy Marsh commented that Harvard’s commencement is produced with such pageantry that it’s fun to attend, even if you don’t know a soul in the crowd.

Bob and Gayle traveled to Sicily, Scotland, and London in ’11. Their next international trip is to Southeast Asia 1/13. Their third grandchild was born a few days after Christmas ’11. Bob has been granted his American citizenship and will vote for the first time in the fall Massachusetts and national elections.

Gail Myers Pare still enjoys volunteering for NMH—Alumni Council, history projects, alumni choir. She is recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery and hoping this will fend off total replacement. She helped produce and present the premiere of a short movie on Louis de Rochemont. He produced “The March of Time” series and several major motion pictures, but few remember him. She is hoping the film will remedy the lack of recognition.

Finally, husband Ken and I continue to embrace retirement—his first year. After passing the MPRE (an ethics exam), he applied for admission to the New Hampshire bar. Once admitted, he will establish a pro bono practice, his future volunteer activity. I play tennis, volunteer locally, and am always chasing deadlines.

One of my recent activities had me researching lake dams, and I was asked to call the woman who does the newsletter for Silver Lake, N.H. Turned out to be Edith Rouse Fallon. Edie lives nearby, so we plan to do lunch before the next column.

Now it’s time for you to make some calls. The 2012 50th reunion class set a new attendance record with 127 returning. We can beat that number if you plan now.

From Easty: The new plaques installed at the entrance to NMH by the class of ’64 are a small but important part of our 50th reunion gift to the school. The old markers said Mt. Hermon and the date reflected its founding. The new plaques show that we are truly one, and the date is the founding of Northfield. While the project is done, it is not yet paid for in full. If you would like to donate, please write 1964 plaques in the memo line and send a check

Barbara Lanckton Connors ’65, Alison Marshall Zanetos ’65, and Liz Spear Graham ’64 celebrated Alison’s 65th birthday together.

to Jennifer Williams Davis ’87 at NMH, One Lamplighter Way, Mt. Hermon, MA 01354. Our scholarship fund is also coming along. If you would like to make a donation to the fund, you can also send it to Jennifer with 1964 scholarship in the memo line. Remember, you can spread your pledges out over five years.

From Phil Sargent: “Congratulations on retirement. I can tell you from experience that for the last seven years, it is the best job I have ever had. Loved John Carl’s comments, and again from experience, a new hip is a wonderful thing. Mine was done four years ago, and like most people I realized afterward that I waited a year or so longer than I should have.” Phil has two daughters and two grandchildren. Older daughter is an LCSW doing family therapy and is a child trauma specialist. Younger daughter is a stay-at-home mom in Great lakes, Ill. Phil spent nine days in Ireland and five days in South Dakota pheasant hunting last fall.

They got in 27 days skiing at Sugarloaf along with their annual winter yurt camping and snowshoeing trip over Presidents Weekend. Phil writes he “did two deliveries on Grand Banks 46 and 41s from Newark and Cape May to Maine. Comfortable boats and easy passages.”

B.J. Shaw retired in April and is looking forward to his first summer off since ’59. He worked almost 39 years (two weeks shy) with the same company, though it changed names and owners from NCR to AT&T to Axiohm to TPG to CognitiveTPG, with a couple of bankruptcies thrown in and going from 1,200 to 1,900 to 26 to 36 people. B.J. kept the same phone number through it all. He bought a 62-acre farm three years ago and rented the pasture to a guy who breeds horses, so they’ve had seven mares, seven foals, and a stallion on the property from May through October. He is working part of the farm and hopes to get in enough hay to feed the two or three horses they want to buy. They are setting up an antiques shop, Black Cat Antiques, in half of the hay barn, and B.J. has done the remodeling with someone he used to work with. He’s also planted about 70 trees for a future Christmas tree farm on the north end of the property.

As of 6/18/12, our website—www.northfieldandmounthermon1964.com—has 145 active classmates and has had 12,785 hits. Why not join us today? If you have any questions or problems with the site, please email or phone me and I’ll try to help.

Write soon and send money.

/ class notes /

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WENDY SWANSON-AVIRGAN 106 Blueberry Dr Stamford CT 06902-1828 wsavirgan@aol.com HENRI RAUSCHENBACH 2 Endicott Lane, PO Box 1064 Brewster MA 02631-7064 henri.rauschenbach@comcast.net

From Wendy: We received sad news in April from Gail Buerger Kerr ’61 that Barbara Buerger Abernathy died 3/ 8/12. Following Northfield,

Barbara graduated from Duke and received her master’s in library science from UNC Chapel Hill.

She began her professional career at Burroughs Wellcome and later worked as a law librarian and transportation specialist, in addition to volunteering at her church and the local symphony. Deepest condolences on behalf of the class to Barbara’s family.

Linda Ames Nicolosi writes: “I was sad to hear that the C.S. Lewis Foundation may not have the money to start its Great Books college at the Northfield campus after all. What a wonderful way this would have been to return Northfield to its roots—a tolerant, open institution but one that was sure of its core Christian identity. I am convinced that D.L. Moody would not be happy with what has happened to our school over the years, where traditionalist voices now feel unwelcome. I admit to being glad the Northfield campus has been sold; in fact, if it finally falls into the hands of a group that will return it to the Moody vision, I will believe that the school has at last come full circle.”

Kathleen Beckett Day wrote and illustrated the just-published children’s book, The Sweet Song of Rainbow Bird. She’s already at work on another book. Kathleen and Ken live in Solvang, Calif., where she knits, sews, makes jewelry and children’s hair decorations, and cranks out about 200 pair of socks per year (on antique sock machines). Most of the things she makes go to charities.

Henry Davison wrote in May that he and Sue Lightner Davison ’66 definitely intend to be at the 50th reunion.

Jane Frost retired in June after 25 years as a public-school art teacher. She hopes to resist taking on more volunteer work in order to get to more of her own painting.

Robert Kowal and his wife recently bought a house on a lake north of Spokane, Wash., and are busy getting it fixed up. Bob is class rep for his class at Hobart. The last time he was at MH was in ’96 when he rode his bike from Washington State to Maine with his son (15). Bob, retired as a lt. col. in the Air National Guard and also retired from teaching in the public schools, has published a science book, spent five weeks hitchhiking around

New Zealand right after graduate school at Univ. of Maine, taught school in Australia for a year, walked across England with his wife, and hopes to walk the Camino de Santiago from France across Spain next fall. Bob also enjoys skiing, white-water canoeing, camping, hiking, traveling, fly-fishing, and yoga.

Bob and his wife have a son and two daughters.

Barbara Lanckton Connors writes: “I’m still working at Front Range Community College as the tutoring coordinator. Larry works as a palliative care physician, and Matt works for a subsidiary of Warner Music in L.A. Went to Alison Marshall Zanetos’s 65th birthday party on our last L.A. visit.”

Alison Marshall Zanetos and Liz Spear Graham ’64 live in Hollywood Hills and hike/walk together weekend mornings. They have also been in the same book group going on 15 years, and their families have celebrated many important events together. Alison writes: “I’m still working full time and hope to until I can’t: 36 years for Neil Diamond as his executive assistant. I don’t go on the road but work at his recording studio, and he is a very busy man.” Alison and Dean have one grandchild. They still return to Massachusetts several times a year to visit his family, but Alison hasn’t been back to campus in 46 years. “I always enjoy reading about our classmates; really, the names bring me right back to how we all looked in ’65. I’m still in touch with Debby Peck and Deborah Epstein Popper. The three of us met our first day at Holton and are still friends, even if by email.” Deborah is the director of Macaulay Honors College of CUNY at College of Staten Island. Frank is a dean at Rutgers, and they also teach at Princeton.

Judy Mintie Scollay enjoys quilting, gardening, genealogy research (including a week in Salt Lake City), water aerobics, weight training, family camping trips, and teaching sewing. Rich Scollay still works and enjoys biking 30–40 miles a day.

Nan Waite enjoyed participating in reunion weekend as a member of the Reunion Advisory Committee. She writes: “I was pleased that Channing Harris ’72, Holly Harris’s younger brother, introduced himself to me. We talked about a fund that was created several years back to buy some photography equipment in Holly’s memory.”

Thanks to all who sent news and photos.

Remember to keep your contact information, including current email address, up to date with NMH to receive news of our class and the school, including announcements of alumni events that might take place in your local area.

From Henri: Well, who says that Groundhog Day isn’t manifest in the lives of Mt. Hermon alumni? Most of the crew from our last dinner at Locke Ober’s in Boston returned for a special evening with the one and only Peter Goelz ’66.

Joining Peter were Mark Boeing, Peter Barber, Christopher Parker, Matt Couzens, Brian Ackerman, and me. It was a great evening full of

ruminations on Carroll Bailey, Bert Clough, Judson Stent, and a host of other immortals. And Peter Goelz gave us some great stories about life with the government in strange lands. We will do this again.

If any of you want to join this curious cast of characters, let me know.

I recently heard from John “Flash” Clark, who had been “intrigued by a picture of a bunch of old men sitting around a table” from the last NMH Magazine. When he looked in the mirror after that (he says), he realized it was his classmates. John said he was leaving soon to walk across Canada. When he returns he is hoping to be a surprise guest at the next dinner. We’re banning mirrors at the meal.

Paul Houston dropped me an email from Georgia, where he is the dean of the College of Sciences at Georgia Tech. He sees a lot of Peter Ticconi, who works at Tech, too, and their gym lockers are three feet apart. He lives in Atlanta and misses Ithaca.

I received an email from Dave Stone with an email embedded therein from Chris Murray congratulating Dave on his retirement. Chris says retirement doesn’t free up much time. Dave is the reunion ’15 cochair with Candace Lindsay. He keeps in touch with Tony Cantore.

Bruce Johnson has been coordinating a 50th birthday party weekend for 6/20–21/12. This is a year for a lot of celebrating, so hopefully many of us will have participated in these events and have that noted in this column in the next issue.

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MARILYN ATTWATER GRANT 43 Spring St Hope Valley RI 02832-1628 magrant2@cox.net

FRANK SAPIENZA 425 Washington St, Apt 6 Brookline MA 02446-6128 sapienzafc@cdm.com

From Jean: Warm greetings from my boat on the calm sea, where I decided to write these notes as they are brief. No news has come in lately—are we all that busy? A core group of your 50th reunion committee met on campus in May to look at where we stand in our planning process and what needs to be addressed now and later. A wonderful two days of looking ahead, of interacting with energetic, engaging, welcoming students, of attending a dance performance that was absolutely stunning in the fabulous new arts center, of meeting with delightfully competent alumni office staff, and of exploring the campus that is evolving into an even more exciting place than it has been. The farm was a highlight for Jim Weiss, Frank Sapienza, and me as we

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expedition to go canoeing and ride some rapids in northern Maine. Bill is a true outdoor enthusiast, even in his work as a hydrologist for the USGS, which takes him to some remote places. That’s all for now—happy trails.

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Reunion committee members from the class of ’66 met on campus to do some planning. Peter Fulton, Jean Penney Wheeler, Jim Weiss, Suzie Steenburg Hill, Barbara Tweedle Freedman, and Frank Sapienza.

sampled (a pint among the three of us) raspberry ice cream that had been recently made with NMH cream and raspberries. We will be meeting again in October, so please, if you have ideas for reunion or would like to help, let me know. I will be taking a leave of absence as your secretary, as the reunion cochair position is sufficiently time consuming, but a classmate yet undetermined will be keeping you all up to date. Cheers, and Carpe Diem.

From Frank: First an update on our 50th reunion committee. A small but lively group, including Jim Weiss, Peter Fulton, Jean Penney Wheeler, Barbara Tweedle Freedman, Suzie Steenburg Hill, Lois Lake Church, Elsa Calderon,

and moi made it back to campus in May for a planning session and a good time. School was in session, and it was interesting and reminiscent to see the students going to class and sports and socializing. Our morning session was all business: class lists, regional activities, and reunion yearbook. Peter Fulton’s creative juices were flowing, so watch out for this yearbook. We ate lunch in Alumni Hall (formerly West Hall). The selection and quality of the food were incredible, nothing like I remember. Afternoon we toured the campus: we were fascinated by an animal show on campus of alpacas (beautiful animals, kind of a cross between a llama and a sheep) treated ourselves to ice cream made on the NMH farm, and that evening enjoyed a dance production put on by the students at the new Rhodes Arts Center.

Other news—literally bumped into Ben Blake in a Stop & Shop on Cape Cod. Ben was stocking up for the Figawi sailboat race—they sail from Hyannis to Nantucket. Ben has sailed up and down the coast to Nova Scotia, Florida, and I think Europe. I caught up with Charles Noth. Charles lives in Saranac Lake, N.Y., and works as an accountant. He continues to run and stay in good shape and good health. He asked about his former roommates, Greg Gardner and Steve Squires.

I had a great chat with Peter Talmage. Since Peter lives in Northfield, he fills me in on the latest happenings on campus. Peter has winterized his motorized recumbent bike and rode it to work (12 miles each way) all winter long. Also heard from Bill Bartlett, who was just departing for his annual

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DONNA EATON-MAHONEY 97 Gifford St Falmouth MA 02540-3306 dmeato@aol.com

DANA L GORDON 106 Westphal St W Hartford CT 06110-1183 mounthermon1967@comcast.net

By the time you read this report, several months will have passed since our 45th reunion. By all accounts, everyone who attended had a magnificent time. It was especially gratifying to see several first-timers.

One of those was Ross Mason who, after a bit of prodding, finally relented and returned to the campus where he never really wanted to spend his high school years. Being back and seeing so many old friends and teammates made the good memories finally begin to eclipse the bad ones. Ross has already decided he’ll be back for the 50th.

It was also the first reunion for Peter Savas but not his first time back to campus. His son Perry ’11 and daughter Elizabeth ’10 attended NMH, where Perry swam and they both played soccer and rowed crew, the first male and female legacy rowers.

Peter revealed that during his time at school, he was inspired to take up music after being impressed by performances of the Led Balloon Jug Band and in particular, Bruce Burnside. So it was especially fun for him to join Bruce, Will Melton, Jim Baldwin, and others for the impromptu Saturday-night jam session in Hayden lounge. Pictures and video courtesy of Jim Smolen and Claudia Stanley Moose were furiously uploaded to the class website and class Facebook page by Dana Gordon. To say Peter was enthusiastic about his first reunion is an understatement. He not only plans to return for the 50th, he volunteered for the reunion committee and immediately began generating ideas.

Bruce Burnside brought distinction to our class as the recipient of one of the school’s highest honors, the Community Service Award, given in recognition of his tireless efforts to bring music education to schoolchildren in rural Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan who would otherwise be deprived. Bruce recently released another CD, Head, Heart and Hand, inspired by his NMH experience.

Bruce was not the only classmate honored.

Vin and Becky Parfitt Kennedy received the

Lamplighter Award, the highest honor the Alumni Association can bestow, for service to the school.

Becky accepted the award for them, as Vin had to miss a reunion while recuperating from knee replacement surgery earlier that week.

Will Melton reports that he enjoyed the 45th reunion and the chance to hear Jim Baldwin “rock out” for the first time. Will left Scripps Research Institute in May for the College of Natural Sciences at UMass-Amherst and the chance to live in one of his favorite places in the world, the Pioneer Valley.

He and Eliza Childs endured a spring and summer cacophony of dust, noise, and plenty of disagreement as they renovated their circa 1937 home in South Hadley.

Just days after the reunion, Will and Eliza joined Tom Hanna and wife Elke for dinner at a restaurant near campus, where they encountered Carol Ball.

After almost 30 years in the employee benefits world of group insurance, she found her compliance job was eliminated in ’09. Realizing it would be impossible to find a similar position in the area, Carol embarked on a new career at the Farm Table at Kringle Candle in Bernardston. Being in the hospitality industry made it impossible for Carol to sneak away to attend reunion, despite her proximity. When she does have spare time, she enjoys running and has managed to win her age category in some local road races.

Laura Thompson had a wonderful time reconnecting with old friends and getting to know some she did not know well back in the day. She and reunion roommate Helen Fowler explored the school’s farm, where they produce what Laura described as the best raspberry ice cream she’s ever tasted. After a taxing year teaching special-needs kids in an economically challenged town, she was ready for a relaxing summer of gardening, enjoying her pool, decluttering her house, and preparing for retirement in ’15. Helen sold her large house and moved across town to a condo. A year filled with medical issues has not stopped her from her love of travel. She had just returned from exploring national parks in the western U.S. Now retired from TD Bank, Chris Crosby spent many days at the ball park over the summer with an all-access pass to Target Field, home of the Minnesota Twins, but he didn’t see that much baseball because he was working on a book that delves into everything that goes on behind the scenes on game day, all the action other than what takes place on the field.

Another class author, San Francisco–based attorney Walter “Skip” Walker, is having a novel published in the spring. It has been 13 years since his last book appeared.

Also traveling from the Pacific Coast was firsttimer Janet Fleming Mulwitz. Jan lived in Virginia and Chicago before settling in Washington close to the Oregon border.

Holly Taggart Joseph, Chuck Streeter, and

/ class notes /

Linda Hoff-Irwin and husband Jim were also on hand for the occasion. Bonnie Parmenter Fleming returned. We were saddened to hear that husband Bill died shortly after we saw her last. Bonnie continues to work as an accountant for H.P. Hood.

Unfortunately, Kit Williams Krents had to cut short her visit to spend time with her father, who was ill in Connecticut.

Arriving just in time for dinner on Saturday were Steve Billias, Jim McBean, and wife Susan. Also there to honor class teachers Carroll and Elaine Rankin Bailey ’55 and enjoy the Saturday festivities were Sheila Morse, Tina Dobsevage, Robin Whyte Reisman, Gary Barnes, and Dave Keene.

Claudia Stanley Moose recently had a visit from Deborah Buhrman Topliff. They were hoping to present at Alumni College this year, but had to cancel because Debby was busy packing for Scotland. She is heading to St. Andrew’s Univ. for a year to study for a master’s in the theology, imagination, and the arts program, where she hopes to focus on the technique of studying the Bible visually.

Her husband will continue his publishing strategies work via Skype between rounds of golf. Debby reports that she is planning to be at the 50th.

Reminiscing about their swim team days, Jim Smolen and Bill Johnson spent some time in the pool. This was also Bill’s first reunion. With encouragement and assistance from Donna Eaton Mahoney, Bill and Jim Johnson joined the class Facebook page, sending our membership over 100. The nostalgia continued for Jim when he was upgraded to a snappy Inferno Orange Chevy Camaro at the rental agency.

Unfortunately, there were those who wanted to be at the reunion but could not attend. One was Rick Stoller, whose treatment for prostate cancer left him with too little energy to make the trip from Boston. Due to his medical condition, he has done considerable research on cancer and prostate health and is more than willing to share his information with fellow classmates. Rick lamented that people often act differently or avoid contact altogether when they learn a friend is suffering from cancer, particularly an aggressive type such as his. He would be delighted to hear from any of his old school friends at poorrixalmanac@yahoo.com. He’s also not ashamed to admit that his medical ordeal has been a drain financially. He wonders how many other classmates may be in similar circumstances and if there could be some mechanism through which those who are willing and able could provide a helping hand to those in need.

Bill Cooper had his ups and downs but is pulling his life together. After being a “hippie English major” at Stanford, then a cook, carpenter, and Boston cab driver, Bill began thinking about life and working at the arts of neigung and taiji. He was blessed with a new partner, became a nurse assistant, and then a massage therapist.

Sadly, we have lost a classmate since our last report. Carolyn “Lynn” Klyce died on 4/9/12.

After 35 years of an academic anesthesiology practice, Peter Freund has retired as professor emeritus to enjoy his island home on the northwest coast of Washington. He continues to work on his cabin in Montana. High on his bucket list is to gain some advanced knowledge and cultural/travel experience stimulated by his Mt. Hermon education.

For the second year, Tony Peters and his teammates were first in the USTA Eastern Region Adult Men’s League, defeating 25 teams and 400-plus players. Tony reports that making that distinction once in a tennis career is an achievement; twice is rare. They missed the nationals by a mere two points.

No sooner did reunion wrap up than Wendy Alderman Cohen, newly retired from teaching, headed back home to spend her last few weeks in Medfield before she and husband Jeff packed up and moved to their new home on Cape Cod. Keep up with all the class news on our web page.

Go to www.nmh1967.com or just scan the QR code on your smartphone. To join our Facebook group, put Northfield Mount Hermon, Class of 1967 in the search box. And our editions of Gateway and Highlights yearbooks are now online at www.classmates.com.

Scan this QR code to reach the class of ’67 web page.

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KRIS ALEXANDER ESCHAUZIER 49 W Lynne Ave Portland ME 04103-1656 pkeschauz@maine.rr.com PETER L. ESCHAUZIER 49 W Lynne Ave Portland ME 04103-1656 pkeschauz@maine.rr.com

MARK G. AUERBACH PO Box 60784 Longmeadow MA 01116-0784 mgauerbach@gmail.com

Mark writes: Reunion ’13 is less than a year away.

Becky Bright Freeland and I spent reunion ’12

as observers of ’67, so we can help make our 45th engaging, fun, and fruitful. While on campus, we

had dinner with Pam Beam and Dave Hickernell, both involved with Alumni Council activities. We also saw Steve Tower, Tony DuBois, and Nancy Alexander Randall. Class teachers Jeanne and Dale Conly ’52 were there and wrote “fun to see Dave Hickernell present the Alumni Citation and awards at the Alumni Convocation. Many well-deserving recipients. Hopefully we will see you all next year for a rip-roarin’ softball game. Dale will volunteer to pitch if you are desperate.”

I lunched earlier this spring with Wendy Golenbock and her wife CB Stein.

Betsy Brunner Lathrop’s son Todd got married in Sonoma, Calif., in June. Judy Molesworth Darnell and her family joined in all the festivities.

Buzz Constable describes his world of late. “It’s been a rhythm, not a rut, and the melody has been pretty good. Thirty years of living in one town (Lincoln, Mass.) and working in one city (Boston) as a partner in a large law firm and later a privately held commercial real-estate firm (owner/developer) has provided a consistent backbeat to a diverse life.

A management consultant son (31) and three steps are scattered across the country with one grandchild in L.A. An educational entrepreneur, wife Nancy is the organizer behind an array of mind-altering adventures over the past 20 years, and her business partners in New Zealand mean we get there occasionally. While old knees now prevent us from camping from kayaks in places like Iceland, Tasmania, and Patagonia, we still manage to experience nature in locales like the Galápagos, Great Barrier Reef, and most recently the mountains and trout lairs around Bozeman, Mont. I have spent seven years on the NMH Stewardship Committee, helping determine how best to honor Northfield’s heritage while recognizing its value.

“I have enjoyed dozens of committees and commissions from our little town to the state, including more than a decade each leading the Central Artery (yes, the “Big Dig”) Environmental Oversight Committee and Boston’s Regional Planning Agency.

Much of my charitable life is about land conservation, historic preservation, affordable housing, and smart growth. A quarter century as CEO of the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust has yielded perks, such as spending most weekends managing 60 miles of trails and 1,000 acres of open space only 15 miles from Boston. That unpaid career has grown into an informal consultancy with the state and national land trust associations and, more recently, a board membership on the Trustees of Reservations, the oldest land trust in the world.”

Ted Finlayson-Schueler writes: “Steve Tower and I (and spouses) came back to sing in the Alumni Choir for Sacred Concert as has been our tradition for many years. Always see my sophomore roommate Jay Ward, who continues to serve the school in many ways.”

Paul Haagen is professor of law at Duke

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/ class notes /

variety of innovative solutions and coaching for schools. He was pleased to have the NCAA lacrosse finals nearby in Foxboro, where he saw many former players and coaches from his own lax career.

He sends shout-outs to Stony Collins and Don Stanton.

Rafe Sagalyn writes: “I continue to represent

Judy Molesworth Darnell ’68 and Betsy Brunner Lathrop ’68 at Betsy’s son’s wedding in June.

and in July became the law school’s first associate dean for international initiatives. In ’13, Paul will become the new director of the Asia America Institute of Transnational Law at the Univ. of Hong Kong. Last spring he gave a series of lectures at the Univ. of Palermo in Sicily on law and sports in the U.S.; this summer he taught a short course at the Univ. of Geneva in Switzerland on the resolution of international sporting disputes. Older son Jonathan returns from China after seven years to attend Wharton. Younger son Christopher also lives in China, where Paul’s wife gave a series of talks this spring. Paul added that he was elected to the board of a NASCAR racing team. He continues to advise Duke athletes going into professional sports, including the first player selected in the MLS draft, another who signed with the Seattle Seahawks, and a third who went #22 to Toronto in the MLB draft.

John Hansbury and his fellow board members of the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund raised more than $115,000 at “Stand Up For Madeline,” a benefit at Caroline’s in N.Y.C. in memory of his late wife, actress Madeline Kahn.

Audrey Kubie Goldsmith has three grown children living in N.Y.C. and two grandchildren (4 and 2). “They come to our apartment for the day, four days a week while their mom is at work. There is nothing that David (husband of 37 years.) and I could adore more than these amazing children.”

Audrey had dinner with Ruth Stevens, Lillian Tang, and Adrienne Faison recently. Audrey also volunteers at Mount Sinai Hospital on the auxiliary board and for the multiple sclerosis center.

Anne Mitchell Murcek’s daughter Catherine Murcek ’01, the only NMH graduate of her four kids, was at reunion. Anne thinks Catherine will accompany her and Bob to reunion next June and is hoping that Ann Griffin Wilson and her husband will be there.

Larry Myatt checked in. Son Brad graduated from Bates and daughter Leanne from Virginia Commonwealth Univ. Larry’s firm Education Resources Consortium is doing well, providing a

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authors and books as a literary agent in Washington, D.C. After a 15-year run in Bethesda, we moved our office to the Dupont Circle neighborhood. We represent a variety of authors and projects, all on view at www.sagalyn.com. My wife Anne is a psychiatrist in private practice. Daughter Rebecca is in grad school at Georgetown in computer science; daughter Erica graduated from George Washington Univ. last year and now works in a research lab at NIH.” Richard Staples was named Volunteer of the Year by his employer, Fannie Mae, honoring him for his work as an adaptive ski instructor for AbilityPLUS at Attitash and Wildcat ski areas in New Hampshire, as well as other community development and affordable housing commitments. His and Betsy’s younger son graduated from Virginia Tech with a bachelor’s in housing.

Nancy Stevens ran into Marjorie Swett unexpectedly at a retreat in upstate New York “We hadn’t seen each other since graduation, and with only an hour to do 43 years of catching up, we just hit the highlights. She’s a clinical social worker in private practice in D.C., a doting aunt to several nieces and nephews, and lives in the family home that originally belonged to her grandparents.”

Ruth Stevens was appointed to the board of directors of the Business Information Industry Association. Ruth plans to attend reunion and will try to rope in Adrienne Faison, Lillian Tang, and Audrey Goldsmith Kubie, the gang of four N.Y.C.based Hibbard friends.

Condolences to the families and friends of Alfredo Schildknecht, president of the Latin American airline Grupo TACA, who died in 9/11, and Steve Peck, who passed away after a short battle with cancer in 3/12. Mark Auerbach attended Steve’s memorial celebration in Greenfield as a representative of NMH ’68.

Anne Mitchell Murcek ’68 and her family

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SUE PINEO STOWBRIDGE PO Box 26 Silver Lake NH 03875-0026 nfld69@aol.com

Fortunately, several classmates sent some news, even though your trusty correspondent didn’t allow much time. Thanks to all for keeping in touch and for understanding that many entries were edited for length.

Sarah Allen-Oberstein lives in New Mexico and tries to keep technological intrusions out of her weekends. Sarah and husband David have two children, Daniel (28) and Ellie (26). “I love their generosity, their sense of humor.” She welcomes NMH visitors to Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Sarah says she still dreams about what could or should have happened to the Northfield campus.

Bonnie Blair Peterson completed a doctorate in public administration and is adjunct teaching online at Valdosta State Univ. in Georgia, where her husband is head of the political science department. Their daughter has a doctorate in physical therapy, is married, and lives in Atlanta. In early ’12, they traveled to India to visit their daughter’s in-laws. Bonnie’s father, who had Alzheimer’s, lived with them for more than two years and passed away in ’11. Her mother is in assisted living.

Susan Griggs recently retired after 27 years as a school psychologist. She is off to Wenatchee, Wash., to be a United Methodist Church pastor, establishing a Spanish-speaking church for the Mexicans who live there. She will be closer to her daughter and family and will halve the distance to Maui, where her son and his family live. Susan’s husband died in a car accident about three years ago, and that motivated her to take a chance and do something different. She says: “It is going to be quite an adventure, and I will appreciate any prayers to help me in my new challenge.”

Alice Hamilton Farley has a design practice and serves as the national chair of part of the Garden Club of America. She enjoyed trips over the winter to Botswana and the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco.

Children Alex, Patrick, and Libby are or will be architects, making five in the family. Alice has seen Annie Bennett Petronis, who is an EMT near her home outside N.Y.C. Alice thinks about living in France after they retire. (When the time comes, Alice should talk to Madeline Baum.)

Kate Holland lives near the Potomac River in Virginia, where she and husband Jim are able to run or hike the parks every day. Her older daughter earned a bachelor’s and master’s in biology, was a teaching fellow at Phillips Andover this past year, and joins the Choate faculty in the fall. Kate’s son is now in his first year at Vanderbilt, and their younger daughter is a high school junior. The family still summers together in Maine, but Kate wishes she could slow the passage of time.

Margie Hord Mendez teaches English to Mexican university students and has been a La Leche League leader since starting a group more than 25 years

/ class notes /

ago. She enjoys writing and has been published in a Christian magazine—a short story inspired by her daughter being robbed in her small clothing store and a meditation based on the Monarch butterflies that winter in the mountains there. She enjoys having five grandchildren nearby.

Bev Knoll Tosi works at SimplexGrinnell, wearing multiple hats in a company doing more with less, in the Greensboro, N.C., district office. Husband Dave retired in ’10 and is pursuing a lifelong desire to be a blacksmith. Their second grandson was born 5/10/12, joining brother Jack (2). Bev also has increasing responsibility for her mother (86), who lives nearby, and tries to keep in touch with old friends via Facebook.

Katie Lane Margo’s son married a woman from Bulgaria last summer and started law school at NYU. Oldest stepdaughter Jenny had their first grandson, and stepdaughter Judy is getting her Ph.D. in public health from Boston Univ. She is very proud of them all and finds herself thinking of retirement. “Would love to see other ’69ers in Philadelphia.”

Sue Pineo Stowbridge enjoyed a gathering of the NMH clan in June to celebrate the arrival of Brianna Gwenneth Simmons on 5/10/12. MarthaJane Tippett Peck came from Alton Bay with husband Rob and daughter Sara, and Susie Stowbridge Simmons ’02 brought Brie for her first overnight adventure while daddy Alan was away on business. Jen Stowbridge ’05 recently returned home from nine months teaching English in South Korea. A lovely way to celebrate the opening of one more screen-porch season.

Claire Robinson has been in Philadelphia since attending medical school in ’75. She says: “I’m now long divorced with no children. For the last 22 years, as an attending physician and as part of the teaching staff at Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia, I’ve loved my work but look forward to retirement and travel in the not-too-distant future. I’m keeping busy with perpetual renovation of my home and trying to be an arty photographer.”

Wendy Rosan Costa wrote from California, where she was visiting her son and grandson (1). She went to Costa Rica with a friend in January and on a bicycling trip in Holland in April. She still enjoys boating and working at Mount Harmon Plantation. She would love to have classmates visit.

Becky Rounds Michela and husband Joseph

Sara Peck, MarthaJane Tippett Peck ’69, Jen Stowbridge ’05, Susie Stowbridge Simmons ’02, baby Brianna Simmons, and Sue Pineo Stowbridge ’69

serve in their church and work at things they enjoy and find challenging. Becky still manages a swimming pool, works at a health food store, and has an occasional job subbing in a life skills class of severely mentally challenged high school-age individuals. She helps at a local food pantry a few times a month and remains the assistant coach of a high school swim team. When time permits, they go to Maine to work on family property.

Donna Thurston Downing reports son Peter and wife Steph gave birth to Adalynn 9/30/11. Peter and younger son David live nearby, as do her parents, who are still “holding their own” in their home. Donna just completed her second year of teaching in the occupational therapy department at UNH. She loves the work and students but not the commute. Having the summer off is a true reward. Husband Tom enjoys his new position as director of Lifeline Workplace Program at Maine Medical Center. Their 39th anniversary is soon.

Carol “Cricket” Ward and her brother Craig Ward ’72 and their families spent two weeks in June rowing and paddling down the Grand Canyon. No motors, no cell phones, no cyber anything. Their mother, Becky Ward Sparks (faculty at Northfield) is 90, lives in Colorado near Craig, and gets out on her snowshoes every day in the winter.

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PETER KROPP 150 Seaview Rd Brewster MA 02631-1532 pkropp@cape.com

Just as I was preparing to send my class column, I received this sad news from Steve Shapiro about Ike Goldemberg.

“I just returned from Ignacio “Ike” Goldemberg’s funeral in Miami. Ike (60) was not in particularly great health. He died of natural causes, whatever those are. His five children were there, and his daughter spoke beautifully about her father. It was quite moving.”

Ike came from Medellin, Colombia. He attended Miami Beach schools and then finished with two years at Mt. Hermon. He went on to Brandeis and moved back to Florida after graduation and began a career in real estate. He developed warehouses among other things. You may remember Ike as a smart and charismatic charmer. He used his suave, endearing style to easily capture the hearts and minds of friends, family, and clients. He was a great salesman and will be missed.

“During the eulogy, the rabbi, speaking to Ike’s youngest son, remarked kiddingly that he did not know where Ike’s son’s athletic prowess came from, but most likely not from his father. My memory of Ike and sports at MH was a singular attempt at C-squad soccer, which he didn’t enjoy, because it involved too much sweating. I think he somehow cajoled a professor into substituting work or study

for his participation in sports.”

Bill Ward emailed me with the following: “This season is a ‘moving experience’ for me. Moved my younger daughter home for the summer, from the Univ. of Florida, where she is a biology major.

In August I will move my older daughter to Ann Arbor, where she is enrolling at the Univ. of Mich.

Graduate School of Public Health. Vacationed with both the young ladies and my mom in Arizona with visits to Sedona and the Grand Canyon. I continue in my service as director at the community foundation of Volusia and Flagler, and debuted our new website in Daytona Beach at www.communityfoundationvf.org.”

Brian Robie writes from Atlanta that he still works for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on a project to reduce motherto-child transmission of HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia. He is running a 10K road race on 7/4/12.

George Chaltas emailed in June: “Boys, we know you—hell, we are you—and it’s time for you to embrace the most important aspect of getting older—denial. That’s why we’re here to help.”

The San Francisco ’69ers (George Chaltas, Ed Craine, Al Gilbert, Bob Linderman, Steve Pollack, Rob Steinberg, and Sam Tobin) want

you to come west, old men, and join us for a Columbus Day ’12 weekend celebration of ourselves, gracefully aging men doing incredibly stupid things. We’re going to eat (the Bay Area has awesome restaurants), drink (a lot), and party like it’s ’69. (OK, maybe that part is exaggerated.)

Please remember that we now have many social networks to keep in touch with each other on a regular basis. Take the plunge into Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn. Try it, you’ll like it. Look me up on Facebook. You can even use that “old fashioned” email.

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DEBORAH PERSONS BROOKE 68 Hidden Bay Drive South Dartmouth MA 02748 dpbrooke@gmail.com

Margaret Wilson writes that she sees Ellen Frost regularly. They were at a mutual friend’s wedding recently and this summer will spend time together at a family camp in Maine. “Our Northfield friendship has created a strong, cherished bond in our lives.”

Margaret broke her ankle in the fall and found it to be quite a wake-up call about the aging process.

Ellen Frost has been doing executive recruiting for the past few years and feels fortunate to be able to work from home, as she lives in a very remote area of Connecticut. “I see more cows go by in a day than I see people.” Her younger son (16) is still in high school, and although she has her house on the market, with plans to move back to N.Y.C., she doesn’t think that will happen until he finishes

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school. She misses the N.Y.C. culture and activity.

Ellen is happy to spend the summer with her boys at her beach house in Rhode Island. Later this summer, Ellen expects a visit from Janet Persons, who will be coming east from her home in New Mexico.

Holly Babbitt Cobb moved from Westport, Conn. to Atlanta in ’00. Holly is an underwriter for an insurance carrier and Bill has his own consulting business, specializing in workforce management. They play lots of tennis, some golf, and like UGA sports. They are also involved in special-populations tennis. One daughter lives in Westport and does freelance event and marketing projects. The other daughter lives in N.Y.C. and is senior director of cause marketing at AOL. She was chosen to be in this year’s First Movers Class of the Aspen Institute. Holly and Bill will be in South Africa for a couple of weeks in August, exploring Capetown and going on safari. Holly hasn’t encountered any NMH classmates in the Peach State, but she has given me her contact information and would love to hear from classmates.

Val Gresham Mount writes that after many years as a special ed teacher in Tampa, Fla., and just as retirement approaches, she has become certified in and is now teaching middle-school math. “My oldest daughter is a practicing vegan, in Austin, Texas, at the Natural Epicurean Cooking School.

My son will begin Northeastern Univ. this fall. My youngest is a freshman in high school and just finished her first year of rowing. We have had lots of fun traveling all over the Southeast as well as Philly for regattas.” Val continues to think fondly of all of her classmates and friends from NMH. Laurie Reich Kiely writes: “I’ve just completed an eight-week program in mindfulness-based stress reduction at the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at UMass Medical School. I hope to integrate meditation and mindfulness into my clinical work with a variety of psychological conditions. Neil ’70 and I are blessed with two grandchildren—Madeline (3) and Camden (1). We celebrated our youngest son Patrick’s marriage to Adare Lindsey in 8/11 in Chatham, Mass. We got back home to Bristol in time to help the Blithewold grounds crew clean up some fallen trees after Hurricane Irene swept through.” Laurie sends thanks to Sue Pineo Stowbridge ’69 for helping her connect with

Ellen Frost ’70 and Margaret Wilson ’70

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Bonnie Blair Peterson ’69. “After 40 years, it was fun to catch up with my junior-year roommate.”

Muffie Michaelson writes: “Our older daughter graduated from Emory Medical School in May, and since neither boyfriend nor friends could join her on her graduation-present trip to the U.K., we had to throw ourselves on that sword. Ten lovely days in London, the Lake District, and Bath, followed a week later by me behind the wheel of a Penske rental truck as Alex and I caravanned to St. Louis, where she starts her internal medicine residency at Wash U/Barnes. Our younger daughter is employed at pr firm Edelman in Chicago.”

Britain Hill writes: “I am still photographing after 38 years. I have sled dogs and am active in canine health and genetics. It requires endless reading, and I am not scientifically trained but am learning all the time. I live in a remote part of New Hampshire with the dogs, and it is a good base for working, travel, and mushing.”

Sue Hurlburt Jacques’s daughter graduated from Boston College graduate school of social work and got a job the next day. Sue still works in the Worcester, Mass., school system with autistic students during the school year and at camp Lanakila in Fairlee, Vt., for two months every summer.

And as for me, my youngest son, James, an organic farmer, recently moved to Sweden to work on a vegetable farm outside Stockholm. It’s a different kind of farming with those endless daylight hours. His older brother, Tyler, has been with Barclay Bank in N.Y.C. since ’09 and could not have asked for a more unexpected learning experience than Wall Street of the past few years. I am really enjoying semiretirement—first time without a full-time job since ’74, and I am not complaining.

Contact information for classmates can be found in the alumni directory under the alumni link on the NMH home page. Then go to https:// community.nmhschool.org/ and log in. If you don’t find the info you need, contact me directly and I might be able to help you find a “missing” or “missed” classmate. And feel free to send your news to me at any time.

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NEIL KIELY 111 Ferry Rd Bristol RI 02809-2902 neil@marketinginmotion.com

By the time you read this, our second annual MH ’70 minireunion will have taken place in Maine.

Titled “Turf and Surf,” the trip will include a hike up Mt. Katahdin in Baxter State Park and a whitewater rafting trip on the Penobscot River. Details and an injury report in my next column.

Peter Huntsman checked in with a heartwarming story. Deanna, his wife of two years, has been

the guardian of her niece (8) and nephew (9) for the last six years. It was their understanding that the third child in the family, Angel, was living with her mother in Japan. Last fall they discovered that Angel (7) had been in an orphanage since she was an infant. They worked with the U.S. Embassy, State Department, and the orphanage to get custody.

In June, they flew to Tokyo, where they were met by two orphanage and three embassy officials, and Angel. They brought her home to Connecticut to be reunited with her siblings Joshua and Jasmine.

Angel, who only speaks Japanese, joins her acquired siblings—sisters 26 and 22 and a brother 23. Peter, whom the children call “Daddio,” states: “I’m pretty much smiling all the time.”

Bruce Berk, Greg Szumowski, Jesse Eichenbaum, John Gordon, AJ Eckert, Ted Martellini, and Sam Brett recently completed their

2fouth annual Hoggers golf tournament, this time in Myrtle Beach. The green jacket was won by Jesse, who recently sold his chain of veterinary clinics in North Carolina, which will allow him to spend more time in Colorado, where they lived before moving east. If we ever want to see Jesse or Sam, we will have to attend one of these tournaments, because I can’t remember the last time either attended a reunion.

Mark Jacobsen just celebrated 32 years of marriage but can’t figure out why “each year she gets better and I get worse looking.” Mark has developed a neurological disorder they are trying to control with meds, so far not successfully. At the moment it is affecting two of his great loves—playing tennis and motorcycle riding. He enjoys bantering with Steve Row, “the only liberal Baptist I’ve ever met.”

Steve is “still in school and still broke.” He hopes to write and publish two books before he dies: My Journeys as a Pastor and My Faltering Attempts to Harmonize Theoretical Physics with My Faith. Steve, I’m not sure what the second title even means, but if you write it I’ll buy it.

Steve Chiasson just completed his first year as student information system manager in Skowhegan, Maine, schools. “Went better than expected, and going forward I can work from home, which will help a great deal when we move to Belfast Co-Housing Village in 8/13.” This move is a huge downsize, so they have already started to go through 35 years of accumulated stuff in preparation.

Alex Lotocki de Vilegost’s daughter Isabelle ’15 just completed her freshman year at NMH and is attending summer school there for the second year in a row. She loves it, and Alex and wife Susan enjoy being on campus multiple times during the year. Alex is downsizing his condo in N.Y.C. and recently discovered a 42-year-old roll of undeveloped black-and-white film. It was intact and revealed amazing shots of campus, which showed how many of the stately elm trees around campus were destroyed by the Dutch elm disease plague of the ’70s. Alex is looking for a copy of our senior

/ class notes /

Gateway yearbook and is willing to pay $100. Let me know if you have one you are interested in selling.

Bruce Parmly is property manager for 180 individually owned units in Topsail Island, N.C. He wants to get back into an executive position with a conventional 3–5-star hotel anywhere in the U.S. Bruce recently became an ordained deacon in the Presbyterian Church. Ron Berglas has three children from his two marriages and is a first-time grandfather. His granddaughter lives in London, where Ron acted for many years. In addition to teaching, Ron is broadcasting on the local PBS station in California.

Jeff Marks recently celebrated his 25th wedding anniversary. The party took place at their home in Peaks Island, Maine, where they hope to retire. Stan Stalla wrote from Bujumbura, Burundi, Africa, where he works as a food for peace officer for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). He has held similar positions on several continents during his 33-year career. He hopes to “hang up my overseas cleats” in ’16 and reunite with his U.S.-based wife Patricia “at our lovely little home that overlooks Maine’s Penobscot Bay.” Mark Andrew was laid off in February when gas prices began to fall. He now works as a consultant in the oil and gas industry. You may remember that Tom Kastner had to pull out of our last reunion at the last minute because of a job interview in Dubai.

Nothing happened at that time, but he is about to go to Dubai for a minimum of six months. He will be “working on housing and health-care projects, in particular, hospital design and construction, for the kingdom, which intends to spend billions.” He is “not looking forward to the heat but I’m thrilled that I won’t have to pay taxes.”

Tom Durwood wanted to attend minireunion this summer but was asked to teach courses at the Naval War College. He will be teaching basic communication and public speaking to groups of Navy Seals. His ebook Teddy’s Tantrums has been released. It discusses a little-known incident during Roosevelt’s presidency when in 1906 he summarily dismissed 167 members of the 25th Infantry in what one historian called “one of the most glaring miscarriages of justice in American history.”

I was recently asked to serve a term on the NMH Alumni Council. My subcommittee is the reunion advisory committee (RAC). We work closely with classes about to have reunions to offer guidance, suggestions, and provide support. This June, one of my classes was ’72. It was wonderful to see so many familiar faces. Even though I wasn’t close to many of them 40 years ago, I certainly recognized their names and faces, and we had lots to talk about since we shared so many of the same experiences. It was fascinating to hear them talk about the two years after we left, especially since they were the first class to graduate after the merger.

It is still my goal to gather 100 percent of your

email addresses (for my use only) and to report on all of you between now and our 50th reunion in 2020. Appreciate your helping me reach that goal.

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REBECCA GOHMANN BECHHOLD 4755 Miami Rd Cincinnati OH 45243-4037 rbechhold@gmail.comt

Greetings all. Always great to hear from you. Please feel free to shoot me a note anytime between editions of the NMH Magazine. I will save your news for the next column.

I ran a half-marathon in N.Y.C. with my daughters—placed in the top 10 percent for my age group.

Totally done with that. Have no inclination to do an entire marathon. Hats off to all of you who have.

Robin Craig had a challenging year. She was ordained as a minister in the Presbyterian Church and diagnosed with breast cancer in the same day.

She is the pastor of Nankin Federated Church. She is particularly active in advocacy for bereaved parents and suicide prevention after the death of her son Josh Williams ’03.

Marian White Blackwell lives in Bradford, Mass., and spent a week in Maine with Lauren Jarvi. She was sorry to miss the reunion, particularly after seeing the photos.

Annie Nashold teaches art at N.C. Botanic Garden. This is her second career after retiring from the Duke Gardens as education director.

Allyson Davis Ledoux has retired from a career as a choral and music teacher in Vermont. Allyson already has five grandchildren. She lives in Wilder, Vt., with husband Bill.

Jane Merrill Berube teaches dance and directs a troupe—Mas Uda Dancers. You can find more on their Facebook page. She also judges belly dancing competitions. Her daughter is married and lives in Denver. Her special-needs son works and participates in Special Olympics—he can dead lift 150 pounds.

I am sad to report the passing of Suzanne Hiles.

She lived in Wilson, and you will remember her for her sunny disposition and cheerful countenance. I think it was from living in Florida. She always got to return to a warm, sunny clime for vacation. She died in Colorado, where she worked as an editor.

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Kjeldsen: “My life has undergone some dramatic changes over the past year. My Canadian banker wife was transferred from the Virgin Islands to headquarters in Toronto. I closed my practice after 25 years and moved here in December. It’s almost impossible to get work here if you are American, especially in law. Hence I’ve been sitting around between here and South Florida, where I have a place to stay. I have decided to take the Florida bar in July, although I have had a bellyful of practicing law. I may try a little writing. I’ve been published in a couple of car magazines (my father had more than 60 antique and classic cars in his collection in Massachusetts in the ’70s and ’80s). I could do some sort of sales work, as I’ve been selling juries shit for years. How hard could it be to sell high-end cars? I don’t miss the islands at all. Man, we did have some good laughs, didn’t we? Le plus que choses change, le plus c’est le meme chose, or something like that.”

As Rudy Weber would attest, French was never Joe’s strongest point. But I’m starting to think he may, in fact, be married after all. Which brings the latest recent social-media event that linked me up with Brad Foster, who provides the following update: “It’s been six years since Sheila and I moved to Richmond, Va. Without kids in school, we opted for urban life. Small yard, solid old brick home on which I spent most of my waking hours. Quit my job last year when the accountants took over at my old employer. Joined a start-up, Alliance Machine and Engraving, competing in the industrial engraving, embossing, and calendaring machinery.

Eldest daughter awaiting a second deployment to Afghanistan with Army Intel-Special Forces. Slightly nervous at that prospect. Still travel for business— try to do my ‘penance’ working out at the Y and running regularly. Counteracted by the occasional cigar. Can’t believe we’re staring at the big 6-0.”

Indeed. Am and Stets Heiser report welcoming their first grandchild in June. But as planning for all the big 6-0 parties start, how ’bout some reports from y’all? News has been thin here lately.

Tell me about yours, and I’ll tell you about mine (in January.) (If I remember.)

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KAREN BESHAR ZAKALIK 397 Woodbridge Ave Buffalo NY 14214-1529 karen.zakalik@gmail.com

MH

DAVID C. ELDREDGE 311 E 10th St, Apt 1B New York NY 10009-5106 d.eldredge@verizon.net

TOM SISSON 86 Punchbowl Trail West Kingston, RI 02892-1033 1972nmh@gmail.com

In what could be plate tectonic–shifting news, the following email from Joe Mingolla was, at his request, forwarded to yours truly by Dave

From Tom: It’s a few days after our 40th reunion, and it has taken me some time to come down from

fall / winter 2012 I class notes I 69

/ class notes /

the “high” I experienced during the weekend. It was wonderful to see so many classmates, some for the first time in 40 years. For those of you who have not attended a reunion, it’s difficult to express the love that I felt from everyone. I am amazed that after 40 years one can feel like the time has never passed and that June of ’72 was only yesterday.

Find our class page at: http://www.facebook. com/#./groups/47624874849/. We have hundreds of pictures from reunion and other years as well. We are tagging the photos, so after you guess who is in them, you can see if you are right by passing your cursor over the picture.

Ed and Ginny Brooks and Joe and Barbara Elliot attended our class meeting and dinner. The Brookses live in Harrisville, N.H. The Elliots live around the corner from the school. Joe still plays the organ every Saturday in the Catholic church in Northfield. They all look wonderful and were just as excited to be with us as we were to be with them. A few of us went to Northfield to visit Walt Congdon.

He and wife Betty have been retired for 18 years.

Special thanks to Jeff Kessler for taking so many pics and posting them on Facebook. Thanks to Nancy Klarman for tagging photos that Jeff posted. And most of all, thanks to Nancy, because under her leadership the class of ’72 exceeded its goal for the Annual Fund.

To Ric Stobaeus, thank you for allowing me to do my thing and putting your trust in me that the reunion would be a success. Ric spent his time at the farm giving tours and explaining the wonderful things that happen there. His love for the farm is undeniable. He has given months of his time, working and helping wherever it was needed. He was instrumental in the rebirth of the farm, and his excitement for it goes back 40 years.

To my friend and class secretary partner Karen Beshar Zakalik, who drove 411 miles with a car full of treats so none of us would go hungry, thank you for all you did to help ensure a great reunion.

Mark your calendars for June ’17—our 45th reunion. We will have tears of joy when we arrive; we will enjoy the beauty of NMH; we will be up all night and have a great time; we will renew and reminisce; and we will depart with tears in our eyes as a sign of our longing to see one another again.

From Karen: Classmates traveled from California, Colorado, Connecticut, England, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont, and West Virginia to celebrate the 40th anniversary of our youth. For some it was their first time back, and for others it had been five years since their last visit. Time and distance vanished with the arrival of Rodney Bannwart, Nick Biddle, John Bleh, Teresa and Donald Bolton, Deborah Henderson, Bob Burke, Paul Burnham, Colyn Case, Carol Chase Craig, Andy and Jennifer

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Doane Cross, Brig Elliott, Janet Archibald Fish, Toya Doran Gabeler, Connie Gee, Jane Backus Gelernter, Mary and Brad Graves, Channing Harris, Nat Herold, Lane and Jane Hubbard Jennings, Jay Kaplan and Marcy Brown, Jeff Kessler, Nancy Klarman, Toby Wolinsky Liebowitz, Erik Lindgren, Lance MacLean, Joan and Jeff Marotta, Sharon and Bill Matthews, Ann McCarte, Barbara Macartney, Joan Elgosin Milnes, Kim Montague, Stephen Nettleton, David Nickerson and Brenda Galli, John and DeeDee Higgins Nuanes, Ellen Patton ’73, Gene Peno, Aimee Philpott, Crispin Philpott, Linda Phinney, Donna Babbitt Reinman, Anne Rice, Bob Riesman, Gwenne Rippon, Ken Roberts, Jane and Brent Robie, Christina Schoen, Bill Shea, Brad Sherman and Jan Dubois, Margaret Sieck and Bob Baldwin, Tom Sisson, Jay Spence, Ellyn Spragins, Ric Stobaeus, Margaret Stone and Ted Cox, Darius and Faith Glazier Toraby, Eric Van, Stephanie Bennett Vogt, Becky and Craig Ward, Loie Williams, Mariella and Brian Winthrop and their children Veronica and Jeffrey, Harrison Wood, and Karen Beshar Zakalik.

Margery “Stick” McCrum lives in Brattleboro,

Vt., where she is “juggling an integrative medical practice, teaching voice, and occasionally performing with area musical groups.”

After NMH, Janet Archibald Fish attended Lawrence Univ. in Appleton, Wis., and then Hamline Univ. in St. Paul, Minn., where she met husband Carleton. They have been married 32 years and have a son and a daughter.

Darcy Mason Westall has been married to Dave for 34 years, and they have four grandchildren. Darcy is a registered nurse and has worked at a local nursing home for 20 years, the last 13 in the Alzheimer’s unit.

Hilary Herrick Woodward teaches early childhood education and directs church choirs and grade-school choruses. She and husband Eric live on the east end of Long Island, and have raised two daughters.

Andrew Howe and his wife have lived in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, for 17 years. He has worked in the sailing/boating industry for almost 30 years, currently with SAIL magazine. The word retirement has been excised from all dictionaries in sight.

Nancy Weaver lives and works in Tisbury, Mass.

She enjoys spending time with friends and getting around (nine mph) on her bicycle.

Jennifer Doane Cross writes: “I feel as though my years at NMH were the best of all my academic experiences.” After graduating from Smith, she returned to West Virginia and became an academic librarian at West Virginia Univ.

DeeDee Higgins Nuanes and husband John enjoyed a cruise in February from Ft. Lauderdale to L.A. through the Panama Canal.

Charlie Bristol writes: “By the time these notes

are published, I expect to have finished my sevenweek, cross-country bike trip. When I return, I plan to give serious consideration to deciding what I want to be when I grow up.”

Randy Fox took early retirement from the Rio Tinto mining company and started Capstone HR Services, Inc., a regional consulting business. He likes being an entrepreneur and not traveling for work.

Gwenne Rippon has been married to a dairy farmer for 23 years. She helps a local orchard sell its produce and sells “Rippon” beef at local farmers’ markets and at their store. Gwenne attended her first NMH reunion and, best of all, she and Loie Williams roomed together.

Ginger Perry Bisplinghoff has been doing holistic nursing for more than 23 years. In her free time she makes jewelry and teaches bead weaving.

Christina Schoen lives in Old Greenwich, Conn., is married, and works for Citibank Private Bank in Manhattan. Her daughter starts high school in the fall.

Kathy Ploss Salmanowitz is in touch with her roommate Nancy Weaver and with Lucinda Young. Kathy and her husband live in Menlo Park, Calif., but she still considers herself to be an East Coaster at heart.

Isaac Menasche lives in Westminster, Md., with wife Kathleen. He has been practicing law for 31 years and would love to hear from anyone passing through the area.

Joan Elgosin Milnes accompanied husband Brad to the Gulf Coast, where he completed visiting all 50 states. They traveled from the Florida Panhandle to the Big Easy in Louisiana.

Vance Harris asks: “How do you condense 40 years into a few words?” For the past 35 years, he’s worked for A.H. Harris Construction Supply, the past 17 years as the director of HR. “I still sing when I get the time, but nothing will ever top singing and directing a 100-man chorus at Carnegie Hall in ’88, a seed planted at NMH with our great Sacred Concerts and remarkable singing tour of Romania in the spring of ’72.”

Loie Williams continues to row in an eight on the Charles River, rides in the Pan Mass Challenge to raise money for cancer research, works, and sees lots of friends. “Seven years cancer free.”

Johanna Boyce lives in Williston, Vt. She is a psychotherapist and is doing a training program in psychoanalysis. She and her husband have two daughters.

Joan Connor has been teaching creative writing and literature at Ohio Univ. since ’95. Joan still summers in the Northeast and would “love to hear from former classmates.”

Craig Ward writes: “Yes, acorns don’t fall far from the tree.” Son Michael was named to the “B” team of the U.S. Nordic Combined team for 2012–13. Craig coaches for the Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club.

Ric Stobaeus updated on his children: Nobuki ’04 graduated from veterinary college in May ’12;

/ class notes /

Keiko ’07 returned from the Peace Corps early due to unrest in Mali; Emiko starts at the College of Coastal Georgia this fall; and Kenji (10th grade) and Akira (ninth grade) attend Glynn Academy.

John Espy couldn’t attend reunion because his wife suffered a stroke in ’10 and his time, when not working, is devoted to her recovery.

Young Il Chun writes that the distance between Seoul and NMH and other matters precluded him from making “the journey to the place that influenced me more than any other place in my life.”

Katey Downs lives in D.C. and works at the International Finance Corp., which requires her to travel to Latin America every month or so. “I still have very fond memories of NMH.” Jeff Marotta and wife Joan saw Stan Houston and his son Christopher recently. Stan is a figureskating master coach in central New Jersey. Jeff is still the director of human resources at Rogers Foam.

Aakhut Bak (formerly Richard Armstrong) has just completed 21 years at Morehouse College in Atlanta, where he serves as an associate professor of physics. He thanks Walt Congdon for investing in a green ninth grader from Chicago and making science interesting. Aakhut is the proud father of son Jawad and grandfather of Jawad’s daughter Logan.

Live long and prosper.

Stephen Williams recently led a discussion of Michael Ondaatje’s The Cat’s Table at the library in Rockville, Md. “Being exposed to British culture from time to time (I was born in London), I was drawn to this book.” A visitor from Sri Lanka helped make the discussion special.

Robin Dawson responded to our request for news with this deeply personal and poignant message. “It wasn’t my choice to take this particular road, the less-traveled road of bipolar illness. In the years following NMH, I learned valuable life lessons, even in the harshest of circumstances. This became a 10-year divergence. But now, my two older children have scooted the coop. My partner of 15 years and I are raising a creative, lively boy (9) we adopted from Russia. I am beginning to understand just why this earlier road was necessary and the value it has given my life.”

Jeffrey Kessler lives up the road from NMH in Newport, N.H., where he and wife Laura raised a son and a daughter. “We take advantage of the resources and opportunities of living in our area, and we both give back to our community, serving on various town and regional boards and committees.”

Eric Van has spent most of the year working on a neuroscience/philosophy of mind/physics paper titled “A Testable Theory of Phenomenal Consciousness and Causal Free Will,” which is to say, a solution to the mind/body problem and an answer to the vexing question of free will.

Erik Lindgren is working on a symphonic commission that expands four previous African American spiritual arrangements into a 25-minute,

six-movement symphonic suite for orchestra. The symphony will feature bass baritone soloist Oral Moses and will premier 10/13/12 at Zion Baptist Church in Marietta, Ga. Robert Cavanagh lives in San Diego, has been married for 30 years, and has two children. “When I think of NMH, there’s lots of learning, lots of fun, some sheer terror, some exhilaration, some embarrassment, and some memories of really great teachers, like Ed Alexander, who got me into the French program in Arcachon—and that really changed my life.”

Deidra Dain lives in Winchester, Va., and manages a project that promotes recovery for people with mental health and substance use issues. “It’s infinitely inspiring, and I feel that after many years, I’ve reached a place where my strengths are in use.”

Elizabeth Corcoran Murray loves keeping in touch with people through Facebook. She moved to the West Coast in ’74—first to Oregon, then to Washington. She is an MSW and has worked in the field of developmental disabilities for 20-plus years.

Jack Henderson, wife Susan, two sons, two dogs, and a cat returned to Concord, Mass., after three years in Portland, Ore. Their daughter is still in Oregon, so they have an excuse to go back to a place they love. Jack is heading up an environmental engineering group in Albany, N.Y. Steve Wohlgemuth has been living in Norfolk, Va., for 30 years. He is a general/bariatric surgeon and his wife is an ob/gyn. They have two children.

Peter Hansen lives in Huntersville, N.C., with Julie, his wife of 19 years. They have three children.

Peter is U.S. distributor-part sales manager for Electrolux. He still plays keyboards and in 11/11 performed at the Earl Klugh Festival of Jazz in Kiawah, S.C. Peter’s working on a CD of smooth blue-jazz as part of the Otis Clifton duo.

Shirley Sulyok Klinger has been married to Gary for 37 years, and they have two sons. Shirley has been out of nursing for two years due to severe back pain and is scheduled for surgery in Philadelphia. She would like to hear from Mary Bridgetts.

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HEATHER BLANCHARD TOWER 46 Main St Northfield MA 01360-1023 smtower@comcast.net

catching up. It was a pleasure to attend the annual convocation and see Charlie Tierney and Rich Odman share the Morrow Award as well as the other awardees for their amazing work in the world and on campus. Now it’s time for you to think about next year’s slate. Think about our classmates and let the alumni office know who you’d like to nominate and why.

Graduation was special this year, as the speaker was Kimmie Weeks ’02. He has done some amazing things in his country and still remembers his time here with joy and laughter. The students challenged their classmates to stay connected to each other and take time to just be. It was a great class, and I had the opportunity to get to know some of them. The arts are thriving on campus, and the students continue to excel in their academics.

Some things haven’t changed.

My kids Chris ’05 and Sara ’07 have graduated from college. Chris is back at scout camp, as the reservation commissioner, under the command of Tom Sisson ‘72. Sara is having a blast working on a farm in Pennsylvania. Fall will bring new jobs and opportunities, yet to be determined. I seem to have a dearth of news, so let me know what’s happening in your worlds. As we ramp up to reunion, I’d love to hear from lots of folks and help reconnect.

From Bill: The class of ’73 Facebook group now has 98 members and is very active. John Lazarus is doing a lot to energize attendance at our upcoming reunion. John’s father passed recently, and John was joined by Tom Goelz, Andy Barnard, and Peter Allenby ’74 at the memorial service.

John Thomas and Michael Watkins recently met in Chicago. Moira Donovan has an interesting blog at ninecentgirl.com. Amanda Ristow Schmidtmann is in Sebastopol, Calif., and reports that it was Ireland, not Iowa, that she visited. Tom Bartlett will be at reunion and would like to organize a bike ride.

I spent May in Port Isaac, Cornwall, at an English medieval and Renaissance music workshop, followed by a desperate attempt to negotiate driving and ending up in London for several relaxing days with no car. I am now on the board of the West Edge Opera in Berkeley/El Cerrito and president of my choir, Kol Truah.

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BILL STEWART 28 Wildwood Pl El Cerrito CA 94530-2049 BillStewartNMH73@gmail.com

From Heather: Our reunion is coming. I had the privilege of attending this year’s in preparation and had a wonderful time. There were more than 1,000 alums on campus enjoying the classes, events, and

STEPHANIE LYNN GERSON 672 Old Mill Rd #263 Millersville MD 21108 Stephanie.L.Gerson@gmail.com

The class of ’74 needs you on the reunion committee. Our 40th reunion is June ’14. Please volunteer for these positions. Contact the NMH Alumni Office or post on our Facebook page to volunteer.

fall / winter 2012 I class notes I 71

/ class notes /

With sadness, I recognize the passing of four classmates. David Parker passed away on 6/28/12.

He specialized in historic restorations, was a Habitat for Humanity volunteer, a NYS ranked sailor, and a talented craftsman. David enjoyed mentoring his three sons and helping others.

Lyn Joy Maravell reports that Leslie Perlman Lipscomb of Portland, Ore., passed in 1/12 after years of illness, leaving her husband and three children. “I remember her fondly as the friend who showed up with gefilte fish, chicken, and a bunch of other stuff from her parents’ refrigerator when mine was bare. Motherhood is what she said she did best.”

Mike Price reports: “Friend and classmate Andrea Zeeman Deane, sister of Jon Zeeman ’73, passed away 1/29/12. After meeting Jon and Ande at NMH, I was lucky enough to become an adopted member of the Zeeman family. I’ve shared more than 38 years of my life with the Zeemans.

Ande’s parents and grandmother were responsible for my start in Palm Beach as a photographer, and I am forever grateful for their generosity and support.

Ande is survived by her husband and two children.”

Michael Maren ’73 reports the passing of Jane Rintoul Stroh of cancer in ’04. Jane was roommate of Priscilla “Bitsie” Lance Reynolds fall senior year. Faith Cowgill says Jane was a carefree spirit.

On a happier note from our Vermont and New Hampshire contingent. Peter King surprised Dawn Dayton King with a family visit to their former Brazilian exchange student with daughters Heather King Frechette ’02 and Jess King ’03.

All except Dawn crammed intro Portuguese for a week of music and samba in São Paulo, Paraty, and Rio. Dawn is coordinator, graduate writing seminars, at Bennington College. Peter continues at the Bennington VA clinic.

Marguerite “Peg” LeBaron Purdue and husband Michael live in Starksboro, Vt., where she gardens and is involved in the arts. Jan Shepard works in Burlington in a technical field and has two sons, 21 and 24. After C&S Wholesale downsized Webster Trucking, John Barradale became their national fleet coordinator in Keene, N.H. Josephine “Josie” Hart is starting her second five-year term as trustee of NMH. She stayed on campus after the May ’12 trustee meeting for Sacred Concert. “The Auditorium looks great, music was exhilarating, it was a special day.” She had brunch with Barbara Tweedle Freedman ’66 and sees Ian Pesses ’72 in South Florida winters.

“Mrs. Gilbert’s Spanish class in Billings Hall was a game changer for me, living in Miami Beach—50 percent of the population speaks Spanish,” writes Keith Gray. Son Max (16) had a four-week summer language intensive in Spain, followed by a week in Barcelona for Keith, wife Agnes, and Grandma.

“Talked to Josie Hart at a Boys and Girls Club event. So nice the NMH tradition of alumni making a difference in people’s lives continues.”

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Kerry Rosenthal is a Florida real estate attorney, recently at Mt. Everest Base Camp. He’s friends with photographer and writer Michael Price.

Lynne Furet Doherty misses NMH and hopes to visit. She attended a Boston junior college, returned home to Venezuela before working her way through Florida International Univ. in Miami. Lynne’s author husband passed away two years ago. She was his editor; she now edits for Mark Ford. Lynne would love to hear from Susan Wiener, Susan Beebe ’75, and Hope Webber ’75.

Lynne is in touch with NMH adviser Elizabeth Jane Powell, Mark deGarmo ’73, and David Johnston.

David was in Iraq in ’04 as legal counsel to private security providers, Sabre International, American Iraqi Solutions Group. He has a daughter and a son. David recently returned stateside, was admitted to the South Carolina bar in 6/12, and lives in Summerville, S.C. Everett Smith lives in Connecticut and works in N.Y.C., where he cofounded New World Capital Group, an environmental sector–focused investment firm. He’s been married 30 years and has three children. Everett is board chair of Rumsey Hall School, a K–9 day/boarding school in Washington Depot, Conn.

In ’10, Gail Doyle Ratte exchanged her paper industry career for an entrepreneurial start-up. Her five years in Ridgefield, Conn., encompassed feeding and shepherding three teens to college singlehandedly. Two kids did summer vision service in Guadeloupe and Black Feet, Mont. “I always feel I meet someone new when they return from these experiences; must be how our parents felt when we returned home from our own NMH escapades.”

Sailor and reporter John Burnham watched daughter Olivia graduate with a double major in Spanish and dance from Tulane with his parents, former faculty members Dave and Anne Webb Burnham ’44. In June, he celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary after sailing the 635-mile Newport to Bermuda Race aboard the famous 52' 1929 design Dorade. See boats.com, Dorade Log blog, and YouTube channel for videos and full story.

Connecticut-based Jill Harrington Nichols paints and teaches sailing, recently on a trip to Cornwall, U.K., during a yacht delivery from St.

Thomas to Bermuda, and aboard the Pajaro Jai 90' ketch from the Darien Rain Forest, Panama. Jill has three sons. Visit her at jillnichols.com.

Ginger Hinman McEachern’s Five Crows Gallery and Handcrafted Gifts in Natick, Mass., celebrated 10 years, sponsoring Five Crows Scholarship for Natick High School senior artists. She and husband Paul raised two daughters: Ginger’s artwork includes hand-painted papers, decorative and functional boxes, journals, and jewelry, and books recycled into art objects.

Sam Koch is head men’s soccer coach at UMassAmherst. Oldest son Chris plays center field in the western Massachusetts baseball tournament. Son Jeff is a high school freshman, dancer, actor, singer, flute and sax player, band leader, and class president.

Eighth grader Ben plays soccer, and sixth grader Katie plays basketball and softball.

Germany-based opera singer Bonita Hyman replaced driving lessons with rehearsals for the role of Mother Goose in Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress at Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Dusseldorf. Teaching and choral conducting continue. Son Cameron had a ball visiting Bregenz, Austria, while Bonnie performed the larger-than-life Negress fertility goddess and alien visitor in Festspieler’s world premiere of Stanslaw Lem’s sci-fi classic Solaris.

Chris Matthews writes that his son married recently, and his daughter (in Spain) gave birth to their third granddaughter. “Thankful to be alive and busy with our work and ministry here at Fundacion Abre, Sevilla, Spain.”

Bradley Schneider lives in Washington, Va. Wife Wendy is an author, teacher, and international

Priscilla “Bitsie” Lance ’74 and her son Adson Reynolds (13).

Seascape painter Jill Harrington Nichols ’74 with one of her canvases and painted plates.

Bradley Schneider ’74 resting on a hilltop in the Masai Mara, Kenya, during a 250-km horseback safari.

/ class notes /

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KAREN PERKINS 252 Monte Grigio Dr Pacific Palisades CA 90272 onoclea@verizon.net

Mike Price ’74 and Ande Zeeman Deane ’74 in Palm Beach, Fla., in ’10

riding clinician. Brad’s start-up, Recovered Energy Resources, develops renewable energy power plants and is progressing slowly since the recession, with signs of good takeoff this year. When relaxing, Brad and Wendy lead horseback safaris in Kenya’s Masai Mara, covering 250 km seeing wild game and spectacular views. “Like us on Facebook at Horsing Around International. Next excursion 2/13. Looking for former roommate Jim Stahl and other North Crossleyites.” Listening to Grease music reminds him of Dennis MacDonald ’73.

Following last year’s big Indonesia to Washington, D.C., move, Andrew Taber’s family is readjusting to life stateside. Deep thanks to all for area advice.

“Heading the Mountain Institute is rewarding, but running a nonprofit in uncertain economic times is a challenge. I enjoy this organization’s focus on mountain environments, communities, and cultures, broader than the solely wildlife-focused organizations I worked for before.” Andrew and family vacationed in Peru in the summer and were planning to go to Nepal in the autumn.

From Maine and Washington, D.C., Sharon Treat writes: “Here I am at sunrise outside the U.S. Supreme Court on the first day of oral argument on Obamacare, which I worked hard to pass. A member of the U.S. Supreme Court bar, I got in line at 5:30 a.m. and stayed in court for entire arguments: History in the making.” Sharon runs for her final Maine legislature term. Work includes traveling to Peru representing Maine’s affordable medicine interests in treaty negotiations. She’s happy living where she can kayak at lunchtime.

Anne Lawrence Sallee worked with David Agnew, White House director of intergovernmental affairs, and local Florida mayors during a Florida federal action strike team. January through June she had a flurry of weddings and family gatherings. Summer was sun and salt on the Gulf Stream. South Florida is beautiful, and she welcomes NMH passers by to visit.

Aileen “Cricket” Swenson Perry is refurbishing her 1840s upstate New York house with help from dogs Jem and Scout. Her hands are full caring for husband Charlie, and she’s happy that classmates are organizing reunion. Sans Internet access, please write her at 1202 Hard Scrabble Rd, Middleville NY 13406. Let’s give Cricket a round of applause

Sharon Treat ’74 outside the U.S. Supreme Court.

for her many years planning reunion.

After Wesleyan, Alison Gilchrist Picton went to Columbia and has lived in Connecticut since, working as Taft School archivist. She has two kids. Precious NMH moments remembered: Northfield communes, Spirit in the Flesh concert, Sacred Concert, medieval history, the math teacher’s basset hound Alice, and the incredibly beautiful campus settings.

Barbara Newman Wroncy teaches English in public school in San Diego. For entertainment, she goes camping and watches “Mad Men” and “Sons of Anarchy.” She remembers many little moments and feeling good at being part of the Northfield community. “It was the right place for me at the time.”

After Univ. of Denver, Geoffrey Aronson spent three years in Taiwan perfecting Chinese and finding his wife. They have two sons. After a career selling U.S.-made products in Asia, he now sells Chinese-made lab equipment in Latin America.

Friends all over the planet, with great food and no regrets.

David Winkler and wife Kathy have been in Ridgewood, N.J., since ’91. They have three boys.

David, senior vp at Willis insurance brokerage in N.Y.C., plays golf and squash.

Priscilla “Bitsie” Lance Reynolds has also been in Ridgewood, N.J., since ’88 after raising two daughters in D.C. She sees Pam Miller Dysenchuk while son Adson (13) plays lacrosse against Darien and keeps in touch with Jill Riihiluoma Lukasiewicz ’75. After 20 years in residential real estate, Bitsie now works with a commercial developer in Paramus and loves her four-mile commute.

She wants to hear about David Bralow ’73 and Hugh Kelly ’73. Thanks Andy Tofuri for getting her onto Facebook.

Roommates Joe McCarthy and Dan Fickett reconnected last spring at Needham Lane, Dan and wife Maura’s company in Adams, Mass. The fouth-floor Crossleyites waited 25 years but quickly regained their school rhythm. Joe lives in Princeton, N.J., and Dan hangs with James Taylor and Arlo Guthrie in Washington, Mass.

Thanks so much for making this another great turnout. Do join Facebook and then our Northfield Mount Hermon class of 1974 page when you get there. See you next time, and happy holidays.

First, I want to congratulate Rob Farley on his marriage to Gail Harper on 9/17/11. Rob writes: “Gail has two daughters, which brings my total up to five daughters. I am thinking more and more about retirement. Having passed the required number of years eight years ago, every day is like a Friday. However, I still enjoy going to work at the N.H. State Fire Marshal’s Office. I was recently asked to head up a new bureau called the Bureau of Special Operations, which oversees hazardous materials response, explosives, fireworks, and public education. Gail and I are selling our homes and combining our resources in a smaller home in the Pembroke, N.H., area.” Oldest daughter Kati is 27.

Heather (23) married in a small seaside ceremony in San Diego, Calif., in 2/12. Jess (25) is studying for her doctorate in physical therapy at Boston Univ.

Haley (21) just graduated from UNH with a degree in chemical engineering. Kelsey (17) will be a senior at Pembroke Academy this fall and will attend the advanced studies program this summer at St. Paul’s School in Concord, N.H. Leslie Ferrin writes: “Lots of connections to NMH this year through my kids competing in sports, Ultimate Frisbee, and on the ski team at Berkshire East and nearby Deerfield Academy’s school slope.” Leslie’s two kids have been at the Academy at Charlemont. One is heading to American Univ. in D.C. The other, with two years to go, is moving to Northampton High School.

Jeffrey Miller has spent much of the last eight years since his divorce raising his girls. Emily graduated with honors from KU and will be starting KU Medical School in July. Grace had a great year at Washburn Univ. and will do an internship with Disney in Florida in the fall. Felicia can’t wait for marching band to start again. She will be a senior in high school. “I’m preparing to go to Nepal in the fall. Been kayaking and will go on a raft trip and to a Red Rocks concert with my daughters in Colorado.”

Kathy Graff Low is associate dean of the faculty at Bates College. She attended Cheryl Smith Grady’s daughter’s wedding on the Cape in June.

Kathy writes: “The beginning of a new era—our children’s weddings. I see Lise Haas Erickson on occasion (she is still in greater Burlington, Vt.), and hear from Sandi Haiman ’76. My kids are out of the house and doing well. I ski as often and as fast as I can, trying to keep up with my husband Bill.”

Veronica Froelich Adams is an independent contractor, primarily doing training, design, and delivery, but is looking for the right opportunity in the training or organizational development field.

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She’s been getting her house in central Virginia ready to rent, but now can get back to her blog on the links between innovation and management best practices in Kowabunga. She hopes to relocate, ideally to California, to work for an innovative company. Leads are welcome.

Christina Farr Zaharchuk has a new puppy, who joins their other dog (5). Christina is traveling to Peru in September with a group of friends.

Henrietta Walker Koffi talks often with Frenise Logan, who is considering giving back to his community by going into teaching.

Brian Lehrhoff was in D.C. last summer and had dinner with Ronnie Froehlich Adams, Randy Showstack, and Elena Caudle Thompson. Brian writes: “The ladies had something red to drink from a tall iced pitcher. Randy and I stuck to beers. It was a fun night.” Brian also had dinner with Katrina Van Dopp and “they ate and talked for hours.” He also mentioned that he has lunch periodically in N.Y.C. with John Howley, who is doing well.

Caroline Connole Carroll says that after a brief stint teaching special education, she has decided substitute teaching fits her needs better, so she can travel to visit family who are spread around the world. A recent visit took her to Kyoto and Jeju Island, South Korea, which is like an uncrowded Hawaiian island.

She still raises puppies for Guide Dogs of America.

Caroline has one son living at home with a brain disorder, who helps her out with the puppies.

For me, personally, I spend most of my time teaching physiology to high school kids. I am also writing a book about my experience last year as principal of an urban L.A. school. My daughter made the dean’s list at Maryland Institute College of Art this year, and my son finished his Eagle Scout project and will be a senior in high school next year.

I got together with Mark Codey this spring. We talked about Mark’s awesome new job over a latenight Thai dinner in downtown L.A. I hope everyone is well. Don’t forget to send me your new email addresses.

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SUSAN LORING-WELLS 12 Ames Haven Rd, PO Box 273 Shutesbury MA 01002 loringwells@fastermac.net

JOE MCVEIGH PO Box 883 Middlebury VT 05753-0883 joe@joemcveigh.org

From Joe: Well-known class of ’76 drummer Travis Hudelson met his idol Ringo Starr in L.A.

in 1/12. Travis’s kids are all involved in music and performing, too. Daughter Molly is a senior at Case

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Western Reserve, son Luke is a sophomore at Tulane, and daughter Maddie is a freshman in high school.

Caroline Hemenway’s company works with government agencies and NGOs to help manage emergency, disaster, and environmental events and to provide electronic editorial production services.

She continues with civil rights advocacy and keeps fit by training for triathlons and coaching running.

Son Austin (24) works for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority; son Matthew studies physics, math, and computer science at James Madison Univ.; daughter Samantha (18) studies business at Va. Tech. Husband Martin works in IT for the Society for Human Resource Management. Caroline enjoys keeping up with classmates on the NMH class of ’76 Facebook page, but was even more pleased to reconnect in person with Dongsok Shin after 36 yrs. Dongsok was in the D.C. area playing a concert and recording with the Bach Sinfonia.

In the small-world department, Dongsok’s wife Gwendolyn Toth played harpsichord in a concert at Middlebury College in Vermont in which Will Torrey’s daughter Lucie sang in the choir. I (Joe) saw Will and family at Lucie’s graduation from Middlebury. Will’s son John is doing volunteer outreach work based at a church in N.Y.C. His daughter Kay is a freshman in high school.

After seven years as chair of the classics department at Yale, Christina Kraus is taking a sabbatical term off. She’s paying her dues by leading an alumni trip to the Mediterranean in fall ’12. Daughter Eleanor (14) is a freshman in high school. Apart from schooling young minds in Latin, Chris spent part of spring ’12 chronicling a home bathroom remodeling project. Chris is in touch with Terry Green, who describes taking a four-month selffinanced sabbatical of his own in which he traveled to his heart’s content in Asia, North Africa, and Europe. Terry was alternately accompanied by his mother and youngest daughter, Lucy, and by his wife Perri, and did some traveling on his own. Terry reports that it is a tough time to be a real estate developer, but he is engaged in some legal work as an expert witness.

Bob Hodgkins lives in Quincy, Mass. Son Ben (26) graduated from UMass-Amherst in ’08 and joined the Marines, rising to the rank of captain.

Upon returning from a year-long deployment in Afghanistan in 1/12, Ben was greeted by 500 cheering supporters in North Reading, Mass. Ben now works for Empirix in Bedford, Mass. Daughter Danielle (24) graduated from James Madison Univ. and works at Zoll Medical in Chelmsford, Mass.

Daughter Amber (21) is a pre-med student at UMass-Amherst.

John Muggeridge continues to work for Fidelity Investments as a vp of public affairs. He enjoys his work in the Rhode Island community and serves on the boards of the Preservation Society of Newport County (owners of the Breakers, the Elms, etc.) and

the R.I. Community Food Bank. On the side, John and some friends have developed a beer application, named Brewgene, for the iPhone and Android platforms that has attracted more than 35,000 users. He encourages beer aficionados in the NMH community to give it a try at www.brewgene.com.

In 4/12, Claire Gutekunst became the special master for N.Y.C. asbestos litigation and an independent mediator and arbitrator.

I (Joe) made two trips to the Middle East in spring ’12; one was to train English teachers for the U.S. Department of State in Oman and the United Arab Emirates, the other to give conference talks in Saudi Arabia. It was also a good chance to help promote a couple of my ESL textbooks, which are selling well in that part of the world. I returned to campus in June for the reunion of the class of ’77.

It was fun to see some of those folks as well as a number of faculty members from our era, including Dick Kellom, Bill Compton ’44, Sally Curtis, Grace Robertson, and Dick and Louise Schwingel. The campus was absolutely gorgeous. Drive through and stop and walk around if you are ever in the area.

After 18 years with the political science department at the Univ. of Nebraska-Lincoln, Andrew Wedeman moved to Atlanta to join Georgia State’s new China studies initiative.

Cornell Press recently published his third book on China, Double Paradox: Rapid Growth and Rising Corruption. Andrew spent the spring of ’11 as a visiting scholar in residence at Peking Univ.

He continues to split his life between academics, traveling in China, and the beach in Southern California.

Janet “Bunny” Rider is a licensed clinical social worker and a certified alcohol and substance abuse counselor in Syracuse, N.Y. She writes: “I love my work in direct practice with trauma clients, and I finally have found the best work environment ever.”

Janet was sorry to miss our last reunion but enjoyed hearing about it and vows: “I swear, nothing will keep me away in ’16.”

Much of our class communication takes place electronically. Stay in the loop. Be sure the alumni office has your current email address. If you are on Facebook, join the NMH class of 1976 page.

Well-known class of ’76 drummer Travis Hudelson met his idol, Ringo Starr, in Los Angeles in January.

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ANNE HOWSON 85 Sutherland Road #2 Brighton MA 02135-7159 ahowson@rics.bwh.harvard.edu

Our 35th reunion attendees included: Jeff Aliber, David Allen, Judge Arcaro, Mark Brandt, Paula Whitaker Carr, Paul Crowder, Scott Denning, Louis Edozien, Sarah Williams Goldhagen, Tim Graff, John Greenup, Jim Hallock, Adam Handler, Anne Howson, Neil Johnson, Sally Lockwood, Bryan MacDonald, Grace Mauzy, Sally James Mayer, Michael McCormack, Terry Meyerhoff, Mary “Polly” Campbell Moore, Christina “Tina” Neal, Rod Paine, Jon Rubin, Megan Wonnacott Sutton, Mark Tajima, Shahrokh Taleghani, Stuart Thomas, Richard Tranfield, Fred Treffeisen, Pamela Watson-Hogan, Joan Kaplan Williams, and Robert Krey.

Jeff Aliber writes: “I had an amazing time—the

conversations, sense of community, feeling of inclusion, the weather, and the facilities. If only we could live like that again.” Jeff’s oldest son graduated from Vanderbilt in May and returned to Boston employed. His middle son will be a second-semester freshman at Elon this fall, and his youngest son graduated from elementary school. Jeff works at Akamai in Cambridge in Internet cloud security.

David Allen writes: “Seeing so many from such a special time in our lives was a great way to kick off summer. My years at NMH were the foundation for my becoming an independent-school teacher.

Whether it’s seeing an NMH sweatshirt on a Seoul subway or learning my Interlochen student’s uncle was kicked out of Mt. Hermon, such vignettes strike a singular note. The time in between recedes when seeing classmates after five or even 35 years, due to our common times and familiarity. If you’re in northern Michigan, come for a sail.”

Judge Arcaro writes: “Whenever travel brings me near the NMH campuses and as each reunion draws near, a wonderful sensation fills me. Together, we simultaneously feel anticipation, joy, chills, spirituality, hope, melancholy, laughter, energy, and love.

Remember, when deciding to attend next reunion, to consider: many of us would like to see you; it won’t be complete without you; if you miss registration we’ll find you a place to sleep; you won’t have to sing, except “bowl of burning gold ...”; food in West Hall is much better than (some of ) you remember; parties are great, especially wherever the ’87 class is; you can climb trees, have a campfire, or play Frisbee; there are still some rules we can bend; you just might have a great time; and we’ll talk about you if you don’t show up. It always seems too long between reunions, and never long enough during them.”

Paul Crowder writes: “A great turnout and a hysterically good time. A number of folks showed up who had never attended, and some came whom

Rod Paine ’77, Paula Whitaker Carr ’77, Anne Howson ’77, Megan Wonnacott Sutton ’77, and Scott Denning ’77 visited the restored Sage Chapel on Saturday.

we hadn’t seen in many years.”

Scott Denning writes: “I had a wonderful time—don’t know why I waited 35 years. Great to see so many old friends and learn what became of those I befriended as a teenager.” Scott has two boys 15 and 18 and lives in Ft. Collins, Colo., where he is a professor of atmospheric science at Colorado State. They get away to a mountain cabin in Wyoming most weekends. Scott is on Facebook, so message him when you want to visit.

Olaniyi “Louis” Edozien traveled from Nigeria for the weekend. “The older I get, the more I value old relationships, people, places, and things. At the class meeting I really felt part of an enduring and very special institution. The Mec Peller race was a fitting memorial to my mathematics teacher, whom I remember like it was yesterday. Seeing new grandparents Mr. Peller, my soccer coach, and his wife Ellen, with whom I have stayed in contact, is always special. Surely NMH could not have been that beautiful when we were 16.” Louis has a wife and two daughters, 13 and 15. He has worked as an engineer in satellite communications, banking systems, mobile telephone data, and most recently in building new infrastructure for Nigeria’s electricity sector.

John Greenup enjoyed seeing all the changes on campus and reconnecting with classmates. “It’s sad that the Northfield campus is in mothballs but better to have that than no Northfield at all.” John is finishing his third year at Suffolk Law School, part time, and will likely focus on patent law plus trusts and estates. He just completed a new house near Harvard Square, acting as general contractor, architect, engineer, and cabinetmaker while coparenting an energetic 6-year-old. “Now sailing season is here, and I compete in a Wednesday-night beer-can racing club (for the 25th straight year with the same crew).”

Adam Handler had nostalgia-itis after going to Northfield. “I found out that the darkroom I practically lived in was laden with asbestos.”

Anne Howson had “a great weekend, exhausting, emotional, cathartic, reaffirming, and loads of fun.

NMH was for me, and our class group is one of the few places where I feel like I genuinely belong and am accepted. Like others, I had a wonderful time

At a Saturday evening campfire at Shadow Lake, Mark Tajima ’77 found himself surrounded by a bevy of admirers from his class: (from left) Sally Lockwood, Jen (Mark’s companion), Mark, Sally James Mayer, Anne Howson, and Grace Mauzy.

with old friends and making new friends from former acquaintances. A number of people attended for the first time: Sally James Mayer, Scott Denning, Rod Paine, Shahrokh Taleghani, Tina Neal, Mary “Polly” Campbell Moore, and Mark Tajima. I particularly enjoyed the Cottage V basement confabs with Tim Graff, Rod Paine, Neil Johnson, and I think Mark Brandt, very late Saturday, and rooming with Megan Wonnacott Sutton. It has been a pleasure to be your class secretary, as I have gotten to know so many of you (us) whom I did not know then. I will continue in my post, having been voted back. Come to the 40th, you all.”

Neil Johnson writes: “Reunion was terrific.

Crowds outdid himself again by setting up a secure line for us old folks to relive our youth climbing ‘the tree.’ You have no idea how liberating it is to enjoy an official cocktail party at the school. If you weren’t there, plan to be next time. You won’t be sorry.”

Sally Lockwood writes: “Having originally met as teenagers with all the drama that entails, we now see each other all grown and realize we’re a pretty cool class. We joked, laughed, climbed a tree, and told stories of wild days—scandalous things I had never heard about. Did you guys go to the same NMH as me? I felt much more bonded than I ever did in high school.”

Grace Mauzy writes: “Being on campus with close friends and people I really didn’t know all that well gives me an opportunity to be 18 again. We all have a fondness and a deep bond that keeps us close, even after years apart. I took a walk with Pam Watson Hogan, and it felt like what we would have done 35-plus years ago. I know that being at the tree had the same effect on many. I’m ready to start thinking of the big 40th.” Grace lives in Park City, Utah, with three daughters: a pro skier, a coming along pro skier, and a hockey player. She coaches adults and adolescents to wellness in nutrition, physical, mind-set, social, and spiritual modalities and teaches competition mind-set for young athletes. Grace is on Facebook at grace.mauzy.

Tina Neal enjoyed her first reunion and encourages everyone not to miss the next one. “I agree

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Grace Mauzy, reunion observers Erica Monsees McCormick ’78 and Maxine Alchek ’78, Joe McVeigh ’76, and assorted family members.”

Climbing the “tree” was part of reunion weekend for members of the class of ’77. Paul Crowder, left, provides a safety line to Grace Mauzy, who is up in the tree. Observers are Jeff Aliber, Jon Rubin, Shahrokh Taleghani, Joanie Kaplan Williams, Fred Treffeisen, Sally Lockwood, Bryan MacDonald, Rod Paine, Scott Denning, Paula Whitaker Carr, and Neil Johnson.

with Louie—did I really know as a teenager how beautiful NMH is, or how appropriately my NMH experience would prepare me for this increasingly connected and complicated planet?” Tina has lived in Alaska for 22 years, where she is a volcanologist with the U.S. Geological Survey’s Alaska volcano observatory, which tracks and studies Alaska’s 50-plus active volcanoes to issue warnings of activity threatening to people, aircraft, or infrastructure. She shares a home with partner Gail, where they raise raspberries and other produce in Alaska’s long summers. Any classmates venturing to the last frontier are welcome to get in touch at tneal@gci.net.

Rod Paine is in N.Y.C., “toiling away at my small interactive firm downtown.” He enjoys rock and classical concerts and studying languages. “My first-ever NMH reunion was great fun. Scott Denning flew in, and we drove up with Shahrokh.

Scott and I visited our old room, 111 in Overtoun, virtually unchanged since ’76, and stopped by the alternate ‘Quiet Smoker’ butt room I spearheaded.

Jim Block taught me a new phrase then when he referred to it as the ‘den of iniquity.’”

Jon Rubin says reunion gets better and better.

“We had a good turnout that included gate-crashers, a tradition that seems appropriate for our class.” Jon roomed with David Allen, who never made it to the room. “A particularly wonderful aspect is keeping up with fellow NMHers after reunion: Bryan MacDonald and I work on business initiatives together; Adam Handler takes me sailing; Sarah Williams Goldhagen and I are still working on grabbing a cup of coffee; plus the postreunion calls, emails, and visits, which may be the best of all. If anyone is driving the I-95 corridor between Boston and N.Y.C. and needs a cup of coffee midway, visit me in Guilford.”

Megan Wonnacott Sutton writes: “At dinner, Friday, I sat next to a guy who said: ‘Who are you? I’ve never seen you before.’ That guy, Scott Denning, and many others, enjoyed a great weekend. A particular highlight was getting to row after 35 years. We were joined by Joanie Kaplan Williams, Paul Crowder, Fred Treffeisen,

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Megan is in grad school for a master’s in teaching with technology to complement her library work.

She is a board member for a free health clinic and is involved in community forums looking at sustaining small schools. This fall her oldest daughter is heading to Ireland to work at a Camphill community, her son will attend Castleton State, and her youngest will be a high school senior.

Shahrokh Taleghani writes: “The best thing was seeing old friends and classmates after so many years. The hardest thing was being away from my little guy for the first time (he is only 20 months).”

Joanie Kaplan Williams “had a blast at reunion and will be organizing an interim party house event prior to our 40th.” This summer Joanie and a partner started Waterford Senior Living Group, LLC, a company that will specialize in assisted living and memory care management. They will partner with developers who build senior housing communities.

“I am so excited to finally be going out on my own.

When you all start forgetting things, let me know and I will make sure that I have a lovely apartment for you in one of our memory care communities.”

Now, news from classmates who couldn’t attend reunion. Cheryl Weiman Brice tested for her eighth degree black belt in the American Taekwondo Association in Little Rock, Ark., in June.

She is also competing for five world titles.

Peggy Dole Dolane has two kids (11 and 13) and loves learning new things as a freelance digital marketing writer and strategist. She recently published her first Kindle book, an ADHD parent care package. “If you are ever in Seattle and need tourism tips, tweet me @peggydolane.7.”

Lori Christopher Glenn had fun following reunion on Facebook. “There has been some followup discussion of possibly renting a beach house for an informal get-together before ’17. Joanie Kaplan Williams first mentioned Charleston, S.C., where Jean Pendleton and I both live. We would be happy to organize. Other places mentioned include Utah, the south of France, Cape Cod, and the Maine coast. If the idea holds momentum, more details will be in the next issue.”

Stephen Harriman wrote for the first time.

He has been married for 23 years and has two daughters: the older just graduated from Maryland Institute College of Art and the younger will be a junior at Bowdoin this fall. They live in Miami Beach, Fla., where he is group president for menswear at Perry Ellis International. His parents still live north of Boston, and he sees Matt Thurber when he visits.

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CARRIE NIEDERMAN 1021 Arlington St Houston TX 77008 elhsvet@aol.com CATHY ABRAHAM HOPKINS 2590 Centre St RR #1 St. Catharines ON Canada L2R 6P7 cathy.hopkins@gmail.com

From Cathy: Hi, folks. Apologies for having dropped the ball for the last couple of magazine deadlines. I never did like deadlines, as Mr. Clough would have attested. As next year is our reunion, I’ve resolved to help get a record number of you to come back and share the love of NMH. Erika Monsees McCormick reports that she and Maxine Alchek are off to NMH this afternoon to observe a reunion so that we can get great ideas for next year. We would love to get input from everyone on what you want to do—i.e., softball game against ’73, campfire by Shadow Lake, separate dining Saturday night, morning hike. We will do our best to make it fun, but the most important thing is to have as many people as possible come, so look up old friends and start talking up the reunion.

From our favorite Raytheon Missile Systems guy in Tucson, Hirath Ghori: “During the whirlwind travel schedule this past year, I had the opportunity to meet up and catch up with several of our classmates. Had lunch and ice cream with Lauren McKean on the Cape. Brunched and bowled with Mazin Abu-Ghazalah in Chicago. Dinner with Brad Arnold in Boston. Have been in communication with Chris Clement and (surprise) Mark Tajima ’77. Mark, Tracy, and I continue to have our weekly phone calls. I ran into Terry Sawyer Hardy ’79 in the Knoxville, Tenn., airport. My wife and I are preparing ourselves for the empty nest this fall. Our son is a sophomore at the Univ. of Arizona and is a member of the track team. Our daughter will attend American Univ. in D.C. as part of the incoming freshman class of global scholars. She’s got the international ‘bug’. Go figure.”

Paul and Edna Armstrong Montague have big news. Son Jim ’08 graduated from UVM with honors and will be going to grad school in civil engineering there in the fall. The whole family gathered for the event, including Paul’s mom, Claire Underwood; Dwight Montague ’72 and his son Dan; their sister Jean; Edna’s cousin Thomas Nuovo ’81 and his mother, Betty Nuovo. Jim’s been researching the impact of hydro fracturing processes on groundwater.

What fun to hear from Rich Miller and to see pics of him and Lisa Glovsky-Zeien at NMH. Rich writes: “My older son graduated Muhlenberg College this spring and even got a job. My younger

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son had a great freshman year at Cornell. He is a licensed EMT. Sally and I celebrated 25 years together this past May. As partial empty nesters, we have started traveling the world with trips to Greece, Turkey, Spain, Portugal, France, Croatia, Italy, and the Baltic capitals. Spent a wonderful day during the winter at NMH with Lisa Glovsky-Zeien attending the New England wrestling championships. Got to have a few beers with Dick Peller on campus without the fear of being busted. Also, saw Bob Cooley and Jay Ward ’68. Toured the new Rhodes Arts Center. It is amazing.”

On the music front, Kevin Goodspeed is a freelance recording engineer in Maryland, doing primarily tracking, mixes, and mastering. He has worked with Chris Isaak, Toad The Wet Sprocket, Tori Amos, Rusted Root, The Goo Goo Dolls, as well as helping on the sound part of many national commercials. He is finishing up his second solo CD titled “Beneath The Still.” Kevin has been working with Junior Marvin (lead guitarist for Bob Marley and the Wailers) and has cowritten a song with him. Kevin has a daughter who also plays guitar and piano, writes, and sings songs. Kevin writes: “I do hope to see all my dear friends from NMH real soon, but until then let’s reminisce.”

In Chicago, Bob Krebs is about to celebrate his 30th year at Wells Fargo Advisors LLC and has been managing director for the last five years. Recently, he and Drew Dolben went deep-sea fishing at the Ocean Reef Club. Bob also spends time at the family farm in Swanzey, N.H. On his way there, he stops by campus to visit Tom Pratt.

I’m always inviting folks who travel through the Niagara region of Ontario to give me a holler. Katy Hauke DuGarm did belatedly, writing: “I passed through your area over Memorial Day weekend.

Megabus from Buffalo to Toronto. Part of a grand train trip from St. Paul to Vancouver. We caught a Buffalo Bisons game during the six hours in town.

We admired grapevines while passing through the Niagara Peninsula but only got off the bus for border control.” Too bad, Katy, as we have some great food and wine we like to share with our guests.

What a great trip you’re on, though.

I do keep in touch weekly with Beth Graden Rom. She recently talked with Erika and Maxine after their visit to school for reunion, and they are ready to get us rallied for our reunion next year.

Beth writes: “It was great to see some Facebook photos and hear about what a wonderful time they had with the class of ’77. (I am not so secretly hoping David Allen ’77 will come back for our reunion.) I am grateful for the kindness of NMH friends during my mother’s struggle with ovarian cancer and since her death in May. I was pleased that Ellen Sennott McGillivray and Lisa GlovskyZeien could be at her service in Rhode Island (as well as Neil Keilly ’70). My mother was proud that Dale ’70, Gary ’73, and I were able to attend

NMH. That gift of educating head, heart, and hand will never be forgotten and is with us in our daily lives. See you in June (and to quote the great Cathy Hopkins—‘Woohoo.’).”

On the home front in Niagara, we survived the Wallenda walk over the falls and are back to normal.

I continue to run and finished the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run in California last year with crew support of Tom, my husband of 31 years, and son, John. What a trip that was. We hope to return to South Africa for our third Comrades ultramarathon in ’13. I continue to be grateful to my parents for making it possible for me to go to NMH. What a gift. Please keep in touch.

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PAIGE RELYEA LEHMAN 5236 SW 89 Ter Cooper City FL 33328-5140 paigerelyea@yahoo.com

CARY LIEBOWITZ BONOSEVICH 1972 Littleton Rd Monroe NH 03771-3275 bonosevich@hotmail.com

Mary Jane Curry is working on another book and just got a $2 million, five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education to help improve education for English language learners in Rochester, N.Y., and surrounding counties with a focus on developing curriculum for refugees. In June ’12 she gave a weeklong workshop on academic publishing in Mexico and in January ’13 will be giving a talk at Oxford.

Sara Hare writes that her mother, Betsy Brazil Hare Buchmiller ’52, just attended her 60th reunion. Her father is Edward Hare ’48, but her parents didn’t meet at the school. “The older generation is really hoping for the best possible outcome for the Northfield campus. Me, too. What about turning it into a magnificent spa resort?”

Anita Nordal writes: “Big news is that our son Aidan Conroy is going to NMH in the fall. We are all excited for him and have been so pleased with what we have seen of the school thus far. Daughter Emma will attend Union College in the fall, so we will be empty nesters—how did that happen so quickly?”

Tracy Longacre has had many cool experiences recently. “At this moment, I am about to finish my pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago—790 km from Roncesvalles to Santiago, Spain. I spent last year working in Katima Mulilo, Namibia, as an adviser to a local HIV and AIDS organization, then spent three months at a Franciscan friary in Dorset, England. After the Camino, I’m going to volunteer for a month at the Art Monastery in Labro, Italy, then visit a friend near Taizé, France. After that, I honestly have no idea, so I’m hoping something shows up soon.”

Matt Vought lives in Lake Worth, Fla., with wife Veronika—they married in ’08. He is a semiretired yacht captain, now working with a marine electronics company as a service manager. His wife is a ballet and fitness instructor and dancer. Matt also pursues a side career as a fine art photographer and has been successfully showing at a gallery in Delray Beach for about six years.

“Thank you for all you do to keep us close as a class,” writes Jay Kanzler. “I am looking forward to the release of my first feature film, 23 Minutes to Sunrise, starring Eric Roberts (Dark Knight, Pope of Greenwich Village) and Nia Peeples (“Pretty Little Liars,” “Walker Texas Ranger,” “Fame”). It is a film noir fantasy thriller that I cowrote and directed. I continue to practice law to pay the bills and my kids are growing up too quickly (13 and 10).”

Daphne Perry has lived in Salt Lake City since ’84. She graduated from the Univ. of Utah physical therapy school in ’93, was married for six years to the wrong man, and then found the right one, Bill Kushner, and married in ’05. They have a daughter (4) born when Daphne was 47. She raced bicycles for eight years prior and had success in both road cycling and mountain biking. Daphne’s father passed away 12/12/10 after an unexpected bout of respiratory distress turned heart attack and major heart surgery. They moved her mother closer to them in Salt Lake City and then found breast cancer. “After her two lumpectomies, I found out I had breast cancer and had a double mastectomy.

When that was all said and done, I had ovaries and tubes out in early March ’12, as I found I carry the BRCA2 gene. I have gone on to do quite well, as has Mom (this story, to date, has a happy ending).

I have been on the bike and trying to get stronger for my ride to give back to those who cared for me and my mother. On 6/16/12, I rode 75 miles in the Huntsman 140 for hope, for a cure, and to get the word out that a mammogram saved my life—as it did Mom’s. Next year, I hope to ride from Reno, Nev., to the Huntsman Cancer Institute. I am sure that many of my classmates have gone through something similar, as one in two men and one in three women will have some sort of cancer in their lifetime. Our Hometown Heroes team raised more than $100,000 for cancer research for this ride. I am proud to be a survivor and happy to give back to those who cared for me, my mom, and others.

To all you NMH rowers—there is a rowing program through my hospital on the Great Salt Lake.

Imagine rowing in saline water that is no greater than 20 feet deep. I hope the flies stay away.”

Estelle Dorain Burgess is excited that our reunion is just around the corner in ’14. She hopes to see many of you there.

Candace Roper lives in Lancaster, Pa., where she works at Franklin and Marshall College in the provost’s office and the international studies department. She has two kids, one (18) who is going to

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Univ. of Vt. in August and another (14) who is headed to high school. Candace is on the school board for her urban school district and is becoming more enraged at what is going on with public education. She is happy to be in touch with many from NMH through Facebook and is sad that the Northfield campus was sold for a pittance and that its future is uncertain.

Bill Heidbreder finished his degree in philosophy at the Sorbonne in Paris and is starting the master’s program in the humanities at Univ. of Chicago, where he plans to study philosophy and literature.

He still runs Academic English Editing, which edits papers for students, scholars, and foreign professors.

Any alums interested in doing editing work on a part-time basis should send him a note at editor@ academicenglishediting.com.

Jonathan Miller-Lane (since marrying Karen Miller in ’93) earned tenure at Middlebury this year and was promoted to associate professor of education. He also earned a promotion to third degree black belt in Aikido and is the chief instructor of Blue Heron Aikido in Middlebury. He often sees Tom Caliandro, who also lives in Middlebury.

Sharon Ultsch is in Ecuador with the Peace Corps, working at a university and helping them redesign the teacher training program. “The work is great and this country is spectacular.”

Mike Wise had a chance to connect with James Philcox and see his really nice B&B—Old City House—in St. Augustine, Fla. He gave Mike a tour of the oldest town in the U.S. See all the pictures at http://mikewise07.smugmug.com/NMH/Reunions.

While mastering social media (aren’t we all?), Dwayne Jones notes that old high school friends and “glory days” connections still matter after 32-plus years. “Friendships from NMH I think run a little deeper and obviously travel farther across the globe than most high school friendships.” Dwayne and his family were planning a side trip to France and planned to catch up with Ivanka Maglich Hahnenberger “who, even after not having seen or communicated with me since we graduated, still thinks enough of the NMH connection to extend hospitality to my family by helping get a place in her apartment building in Paris, and all because of a Facebook connection.”

Debbie Tompkins Sheehan says the news here is always fun to read. Son Ryan graduated cum laude from UMass–Amherst with an accounting degree and is now in grad school there. Daughter Tracy is in the middle of her undergraduate work at Univ. of Maine in Orono, and daughter Andrea is headed for UNH this fall. Debbie, who lives near Boston, plans to be back on campus this year as two nieces from Bozeman, Mont., will attend NMH. She hopes to reconnect at the next reunion.

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JACK FARRELL 22314 Cairnloch St Calabasas CA 91302-5873 jack@jackfarrell.org ANTONY PANG 33 Club St 08-14 Singapore 069415 aa1105@yahoo.com LYNELLE KUCHARSKI 94 Cambridge Dr Glastonbury CT 06033-1379 lynelle@lynellekucharski.com

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FRANK CHANDLER 20 Overlook Park Newton MA 02459-1344 frankchandler1@verizon.net class of ’81 website: www.nmh81.us

MARINA COLMAN PO Box 3555 Taos NM 87571 marinacolman727@yahoo.com LILIAN BLACKEN HANNAPEL 2809 Parkers Landing Rd Mount Pleasant SC 29466-6743 lxhannapel@aol.com

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SALLY WILLIS PO Box 1456 Frisco CO 80443-1456 willissally@hotmail.com

MICHAEL RICKARD 1470 N Grand St W Suffield CT 06093-2521 mrickard330@cox.net

From Sally: I am writing this just days after our 30th reunion. It was a wonderful couple of days, catching up with classmates, spouses, and children.

Those in attendance were David Whitman, Claire Rodman, Tarik Sivonen, Jenny Anderson, Amy Price Lutz, Juan Conde, Katrina Harriman Conde, Andy Hewitt, Andrea Sferes, Nancy Whitney– Carroll, Martha Holbrow Sandler, Oliver Brown, Peter Stull, Ann Burlingham, Mike Rickard, Izzy Ramirez, Tami Martin, Brett Jacobs Axelberg, Alison Mandaville, Sarah Meyer Stevens, Christoph “CJ” Hermjakob, and me.

Reunion chair David Whitman thanks everyone

who attended. “It was so nice to see people show up from near and far, and I am pretty sure everyone

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had a great time. The award for the longest distance traveled went to Christoph “CJ” Hermjakob, who came from Germany. The campus looks great. If you haven’t been back in a while, you must go and check it out. The Rhodes Arts Center is the standout new addition to the campus. Between the theatre, concert hall, dance studio, and the classrooms, the arts center is truly an amazing addition to our school. It was my pleasure to serve as reunion chair.

We will soon be looking for chairs for our next reunion. If you are interested, please let the class secretaries or me know.”

I (Sally) had fun helping David, including a planning excursion with him to campus on Homecoming, which turned out to be Snowtober. I volunteered to plan the memorial service and would like to thank Rosemary O’Neill, Kate Green Pichard, Mickey Gill, and Tod Dimmick for their writings on the lives of our friends who passed, and Katrina Harriman Conde, Andy Hewitt, Ann Burlingham, and Amy Price Lutz for doing the

readings. We had the service at Round Top on Saturday, and the sun came out just beforehand. It was wonderful to be able to visit the restored Sage Chapel and to have a little jaunt around the other half of home. It was great to see folks, and see the kids growing up, and to hang out sending harassing texts to those who couldn’t come. We got to have the Schwingels with us for the class picture, the Kelloms for Saturday lunch, and Chris Shepard and David Rowland for Saturday dinner.

Reunion always has some memorable moments and quotes, hanging out on fouth Crossley wondering what happened to Siv’s other two cousins and whether our class picture really will be in focus.

Check out reunion photos on NMH Class of ’82 on Facebook.

Don’t make our 50th reunion your first time back on campus. Join us in ’17 for our 35th. If you are interested in being involved in some way, please contact David, Mike Rickard, or me.

Shelagh Connelly writes: “I have been on campus many times this year, as my daughter Molly Riehs ’14 has just become a junior and my son Liam Riehs ’16 will be a freshman in the fall. I taught a few classes during the first NMH Farmer’s Market with Becca Leslie. I love visiting campus and watching the activities, especially Vespers. Being on one campus is great, and the new facilities are amazing.”

Alison Mandaville touched down briefly at reunion en route to a sweltering month in Azerbaijan. She wrote from the café at Baku Roasting Company, “where the coffee is passable, the a/c breezy, and the Wi-Fi superb. My third time in Azerbaijan—the first for a year on a Fulbright and the last two visits to give creative writing workshops to women and explore the literary and cultural scene here. After four years with Pacific Lutheran Univ. in Tacoma, Wash., in August I head to Luther College in Iowa for yet another stint as

/ class notes /

visiting professor—I seem to be permanently visiting, but it’s way better than being jobless. I continue to sneak comics/graphic novels into all my classes.

My partner, Doug, and I will be long distance, but I’ll be closer to daughter Marlys, who is at Macalester College. Anyone interested in a backpack/camping trip connected to the next reunion, get in touch—we’ll get planning.”

Cristina Flesher Fominaya is on the academic faculty at the Univ. of Aberdeen in Scotland, where she is a sociologist working in contemporary European social movements. She is cofounder and coeditor of Interface Journal, an open-access global social movements journal available online at www.interfacejournal.net. Cristina is also founder and cochair of the Council for European Studies Social Movements Research Network, coeditor (with Laurence Cox) of Understanding European Movements: New Social Movements, Global Justice Struggles, Anti-Austerity Protests forthcoming from Routledge, and is working on a book forthcoming from Palgrave on social movements and globalization. Christina lives in Scotland with husband Jesús and daughter Sofía (16).

Scott Jensen and wife Cyndie missed reunion due to the pending arrival of their first child. Aksel Mabrey Jensen was born on 6/19/12. Scott enjoyed looking at the class Facebook page to see what was posted. “If you ever do a memorial service for me, bring wine and celebrate that the service is not for you.” Scott has moved on from Stubb’s Bar-B-Q (still very involved as director/owner). For almost three years he’s been focused on start-ups Rhythm Superfoods, which makes superfoods snacks (Kale Chips available at natural stores), and Daily Juice, a retail multi-unit health shop that sells fresh juices and smoothies (Jamba Juice, but better). Scott travels to China and Hong Kong often for business and always tries to look up Eddie Lin but can never find a link to his whereabouts.

Vince Connelly is happy to serve as our Annual Fund chair, and he thanks all of our classmates who have generously contributed.

Coco Sadoski has been a private-practice radiologist in a western Boston suburb for 16 years.

Her two kids keep her busy and honest. Seb (17) is a senior at Choate and looking at colleges as a potential soccer recruit. Lexi (15) will be a freshman at Choate

Mark Rigdon ’83, Mary Mengel ’83, and George Miller ’83 at their 25th Oberlin reunion in June.

and is involved in the club swimming scene. She writes: “Frighteningly, I am a grandmother (actually step) of a 2-year-old. I still love to travel and remain active, recently taking up crew and biking.”

Amy Price Lutz, accompanied by daughter Hannah (17), loved attending reunion. Last summer Amy married Paul Baker in Aspen, Colo.

Paul is the director of sales for the Learning Outsource Group, a sales and sales management training firm. Amy works in marketing and sales in the legal division of Thomson Reuters. Both work from home in Highlands Ranch, Colo., and love lunching together every day and not having to combat icy roads or traffic. Hannah is a senior in high school and Olivia (12) is in seventh grade.

Kelly Armor is the education and folk art director at the Erie Art Museum. “Part of my work is helping refugees keep their art and music traditions alive in this country. This has included helping women use their native children’s songs in day cares and schools here, which has been immensely gratifying.”

Claire Rodman is with the same company but switched jobs in 11/10 to work in the Jersey City office on the collateral management team, prepping for Dodd-Frank. She writes: “The commute is annoying, but we have a great view of the Hudson for moments like the arrival of the Starship—I mean, space shuttle Enterprise. Last year I helped fundraise for my 25th college reunion, which gave me an excuse to contact my joint NMH/Sarah Lawrence connections. I also got to perform in the cabaret with lots of old theatre friends. I sing the praises yet again of email and Facebook, which have allowed me to be in touch with folks I wouldn’t otherwise get to see, and to get to know each other as adults with all our varied interests and ideas. So please join our class page, befriend each other, etc.

And check out the local area associations around the world (Hong Kong and Seoul, too) for events to come. The area associations have Facebook pages, too. Also, if you’ve changed your email address, please update the folks at NMH so other alums can get in touch with you. (Don’t worry. You can specify if you don’t want to be solicited.) You can access info on folks from other classes, too.”

Ann Burlingham celebrated her 10th wedding anniversary with Jason Parker, her “email-order Aussie husband” in June. Son Henry (9) has finished third grade. Ann lives on the family farm in Perry, N.Y., and is thankful that she does not have to farm. She rents the land to people who do. Ann opened Burlingham Books, an independent bookstore/espresso bar/gift shop, in Perry in ’06 and has seen a good deal of downtown revitalization since.

“The most unexpected thing I’ve done is become a Rotarian, albeit a Rotarian with purple (or pink, or green, all of the above) hair and known as ‘the’ liberal of the club. Jason works at Google, which has meant his living in Mountain View, Calif., and now

Pittsburgh, Pa., so I spend some time visiting him there (he spends more time coming to see me, bless him).” After reunion, Ann visited sister Kathryn Burlingham ’83 in Seattle and then went to Boone, N.C., in July. Ann is involved with a new literacy project in town trying to bring a community-wide sense of urgency to getting all kids reading, and all parents reading to them, from birth. “One lasting effect of my NMH years—when the stress of running a bookstore in a small town during a recession and when all the most prolific readers are getting ebook readers makes me want to run away, I daydream about going to work in a friend’s restaurant.

After all, I think to myself: I know how to scrub pots and pans. Thank you, three years of Gould kitchen work jobs.”

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ALLYSON GOODWIN 45 Mount Hermon Rd Gill MA 01354-8801 agoodwin@nmhschool.org ANGELA LAMBERT 249 Islington Street, Unit #10 Portsmouth NH 03801 drangela@mac.com

Stephanie Meyer Wilson and Janice Russell recently discovered that they live near each other and already had a 30th reunion planning meeting (June 7–9, 2013—note it on your calendar). Here’s Stephanie’s recent Facebook post about it. (Check out our class of 1983 Facebook post and request to join if you have not done so already. It’s the place to exchange news and find out details about reunion). “Today I hooked up with Janice Russell and discussed our 30th reunion. I may have lived under a rock for the last 30 years with my kids and busy life in general, but I am more than ready to see everybody next June. How ’bout you guys? I have enjoyed hearing stories and looking at photos from ’82’s reunion last weekend, and it has me pretty psyched about ours. I figure if we each reach out to a few old friends and apply some good pressure, we may just be able to gather a big crowd. Make a mental note for this time next year and clear your calendars. It could be epic.”

Freddy Maguire writes from Scituate, Mass., that his kids are major shredders and compete in all five disciplines of snowboarding. They went to the USASA nationals at Copper Mountain, and they both placed in the top five in the nation in the spring. Daughter Shannon will attend Gould Academy this fall and son Liam will go to school locally and then get a tutor in the winter so all of them can live at their place at Sunday River in the winter. Freddy says: “I have started to shred myself and have found the dark side to be pretty sweet. If

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anyone is ever up at River, give me a shout—would love to make some ‘terns.’” He’s hoping to make it back for our 30th in June.

Robin Hirshberg Jobe is looking forward to reunion. Her daughters are busy with school and soccer. They will spend time on the Cape this summer. She writes: “Skiing in Steamboat this past winter was horrible. We love staying with Rick Dowden ’59 and spending time with his family in Steamboat.”

John Hanzl is the aquarium dive safety officer for the New England Aquarium and competed with Team Tiburon in the Tough Mudder event (an extreme obstacle course) at Mt. Snow in May to raise money for an upcoming giant ocean tank renovation project that is dear to John’s heart. He and his team competed against fur seals in water challenges and other great things. Check out his blog: http:// news/neaq.org/search/label/Tough%20Mudder.

Sarah Redfield DelVecchio was sorry to miss reunion but it’s always the same weekend as graduation at the Thacher School in Ojai, Calif., where she teaches history. Sarah lives on campus and coaches cross-country and track. She and husband Greg have three kids ages 13, 11, and 8. All play soccer and run cross-country and track as well. “We live up against the Los Padres Mountains and have regular contact with rattlesnakes, bears, coyotes, bobcats, tarantulas, black widow spiders, owls, hawks, and the occasional mountain lion. For three years the older two kids slept in a tent (every night) in the backyard, but they are now in the house. If NMHers are in the area, please drop by.”

Katie McLane went to her 25th reunion at Smith and looks forward to our 30th at NMH. “I’m enjoying the 20th anniversary of my tutoring business—proud that we’ve survived the economic downturn. I continue to spend summers in Vermont. My siblings and I recently leased the maple trees on our property (12,000 taps) to a neighbor who produces commercial maple syrup.

We’ve spent the last few years preparing to rent the house on Mt. Mansfield as well—both efforts in an attempt to hold onto it long enough to pass the property to the third generation. Perhaps the biggest news is the wonderful discovery of a half-sibling.

My mother gave Susan up for adoption in ’55, a time when unwed mothers suffered unimaginable shame. Susan’s research led her to me a few years ago, and we’ve been fortunate enough to visit for a

Kirsta Schmidt Davey ’83 and Thekla Smith Alcocer ’84 won a local women’s hockey tournament called April Showers.

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week or more at least once a year.”

Daniel Bellow has realized his dream of becoming a studio potter. His work has appeared in Anthropologie stores from Los Angeles to London and in finer galleries nationwide. In April, he exhibited at the Pottery Invitational show at the Worcester Center for Crafts with his NMH teacher Tom White and 20 of the best potters in New England. See it all at danielbellow.com.

George Miller writes in on the ’83 Facebook page (with a great photo) about a reunion within a reunion at Oberlin. He writes, “The NMH-toOberlin pipeline has remained a healthy connection through the years. Nine or so from our class of 400-plus ventured to the plains of northern Ohio back when, and three of those nine were on hand this past June for our 25th reunion—Mark Rigdon, Mary Mengel, and me. Great times. We expect more of the same just over a year from now on the NMH campus.”

Claire Johnson-Hurry writes: “Having just celebrated my 25th Mt. Holyoke college reunion, 30 doesn’t sound so bad now. Minireunions pop up with cheering on Vera Heidolph running in the Jamaica marathon in December and relaxing with Bill Schubart when he visits our house in Columbia County, N.Y. It’s also fun reconnecting with friends (Audrey Hanson Davis, John Linfoot, Lilian Blacken Hannapel ’81, and Mickey Gill ’82) on Facebook.” Claire has a granddaughter, Sophie (1), who lives in the Czech Republic, and also has a new border collie mix, Chumley. Last winter Claire drove son Mac through the NMH campus between ski races in the Deerfield area. “I always rang my cowbell for the NMH racers.”

Dave Hiler purchased the former Riverview Restaurant in Brattleboro and is turning it into a new restaurant and brewery called the Whetstone Station. Check out his plans and get more info at Whetstonestation.com (a Facebook page for now).

He hopes to see many of us there this year and during reunion next year.

Leila Abu-Gheida writes: “I will be leaving Jakarta in July after four great years. (I may be writing to you from a van down by the river in the next update. Place your bets on which river now.) My son Pasi graduated from high school in May. I’m grateful that I managed to get him through all four years of high school in one place, something that

Chris Nagle ’84 and Olga Beach Lassalle ’84

seems simple for most people but in my profession is definitely not a given. Indonesia has been fantastic, and we will be sad to leave here.”

Lulu Lason Cannon writes on Facebook: “I can’t wait until our 30th. Maybe Pete Leinbach can get the band back together and play some tunes for us.”

Carrie Roantree Ahlborn ’75, one of our class teachers, writes: “Seth and I are making a huge move to Henderson, Nev. He will be head of school at Henderson International School, and I will be director of annual giving at the Univ. of Nevada-Las Vegas Foundation. We just bought a four-bedroom house with a great pool out back—lots of space for visitors from my favorite NMH class. Come on out.”

Angela Lambert has opened another practice, Ancient Traditions Natural Medicine, in Portsmouth, N.H., and loves being back in New England. She travels to Oregon monthly but is filling her life in New Hampshire Jordan Short ’12, son of Allyson Goodwin and Mark Short, will attend RIT in the fall to study engineering. Daughter Haley is NMH class of ’14.

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MARGGIE SLICHTER 294 Birnam Rd Northfield MA 01360 mslichter@nmhschool.org

Thanks for your news. Some common themes are “life is good” and an appreciation for all that NMH gave us.

From the West Coast contingent: Kim Kirby Matthews lives in San Clemente, Calif., with husband Colby and two Maltese dogs at the edge of a nature preserve. She is still vice president and general counsel for Jenny Craig, which is owned

by Nestlé, so she travels to Vevey, Switzerland, for meetings. “I know I haven’t spoken to any of you in years, but NMH is still very dear to me. I think the life lessons I learned at NMH are what have helped me succeed today. So I still think of all of you and the role you played in my prep school days and am very appreciative that I had such an opportunity (although I didn’t realize it then).”

On a trip west last winter, I was pleased to catch up with Ron Randall and son Tristan at an NMH event at the L.A. Athletic Club. From Ron: “Just

Marggie Slichter ’84 and son Mike VanCott ’10 in N.Y.C.

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sending you a little news to let you know that Tristan will be attending NMH for this summer school beginning in a couple of weeks before the start of ninth grade. He’s looking forward to seeing the place that had such a strong impact on me.”

Andy Rawson has been living in Los Angeles for 20 years and is starting his fouth season as the cinematographer on “Cougar Town.” His wife has been at Disney Animation for 12 years. His daughters are in fifth and eighth grade. Facebook has been a great way to keep in touch with old friends David Tait ’85, David Cain, and more recently, Heidi Kronenberg and Ceylan Onor Cross ’85.

Adam Berlew will move to the San Francisco Bay Area this summer and hopes to catch up with NMHers out there.

Steve Golden is a professional travel photographer. He has opened a photo gallery of his work in Singapore. Be sure to drop by if you are in town (Boddhi Tree Gallery, #5 Blair Rd). Check out some of his work: stevegolden.smugmug.com.

Julie Sawyer Helms and Debbie Nott are both in the Pittsburgh area. Julie has been in Pennsylvania for about 10 years. They raise sheep and a few other critters on a small farm. Julie has a home-school curriculum store (14 years now), and the home-school population in her area is booming. Her elder daughter just finished her first year of college and the younger will be a senior in high school. For the past year Julie has been editing for an online publisher. “I have to thank NMH and Mr. Hillenbrand for my love of English and the mechanics of writing.”

In ’08, after 15 years of retail store management, Debbie left corporate America to work for herself as a professional organizer. After three years of cleaning out people’s basements, closets, and offices, she took a position in May ’11 as a personal assistant and household/property manager for a wonderful woman. Debbie moved from southern New Hampshire to Pittsburgh and has not looked back.

“I love my life here. My job is great, this city has a wonderful and diverse culture, and the people are so friendly. I recently moved into a little house with my three cats, two parrots, and a dog. In my spare time, prior to coming to Pittsburgh, I worked with a small nonprofit animal rescue in Milford, N.H., and the four fur and two feather ‘kids’ came with the job. Martha Oncken Underwood ’85 and I have resumed our friendship as if we were never separated after NMH. Also, I have spent some time with Julie Sawyer Helms here and communicate with her often via Facebook.”

Doug Tirola is in film and working on an interesting project.

Deb Shope is still at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, working as a continuing care manager supporting and coordinating care for patients with multiple chronic health conditions. In the summer, she and her family spend as much time as

possible on Lake Champlain; winter finds them on the slopes at Killington. “We’d love to visit with any NMHers living or traveling in the upper valley or Champlain Islands.”

Linnea Hensley Van Hercke enjoys the challenge of sales for a small company. Her daughters 11 and 13 love ice hockey. “I still love to ski and the winter hockey trips to ski towns gives me a variety of places to choose from in Colorado. Summer vacation will include two trips to beautiful Colorado mountain towns.”

Great to hear from Doug Foregger, who lives with three kids on Nantucket and Tuckernuck islands, running his real estate businesses in St. Barth, Stowe, Nantucket, and Harbour Island, and sailing. He sees Joe Ferrigno on Nantucket, and Ethan Swift, Adrian Oates, Ed and Trinka Hamilton, Adam Tsapis, and Ted Gray ’85 from time to time in Vermont or on the island.

Adam Tsapis writes that all is well in Maine and plans for some time on Nantucket this summer.

Juan Rachadell has been living in southern Portugal for 10 years, working as a surgeon in a midsize community hospital. His wife works there, too, and their oldest son is studying medicine in Lisbon. “NMH was a watershed in my life, as I’m sure it will feel to many readers.”

Thena Berry spent most of ’11 rebuilding parts of the house from a tornado in February ’11. She lost her beloved father in October ’11.

In March ’12, Thena accepted a new position as senior manager of technical writing at Healthcare Management Systems in Tennessee, and daughter Imani completed second grade. She was planning a trip to California to visit Kerin Sloane for the birthday of her mother Shirley Banks Sloane ’49.

“All in all, ’11 was a rough year but ’12 is definitely a good one.”

Jim Caffry lives in Vermont and recently opened his own law firm to provide special-needs planning and advocacy to Vermonters with disabilities and their families. Wife Amy and sister Laura ’81 work with him. After working in other areas as a lawyer, Jim changed his practice a few years after his son was diagnosed with autism. In his new practice, Jim’s clients are families facing any kind of disability.

Jim works with them to figure out the complex maze of disability supports and services, and helps parents put a plan in place for when they are no longer able to care for their children with disabilities.

Check out Jim’s website at www.caffrylaw.com.

Bobi Koukounaris Leon lives in the Boston area and recently celebrated her 2fouth wedding anniversary. She has three daughters: Christina (18) graduated from Beaver Country Day School and is headed to Univ. of Southern California in the fall; Alexis (14) is starting high school at Noble and Greenough; and Chloe (11) is in sixth grade at the Park School. In addition to lots of driving, Bobi spends her time investing in and managing real

estate. She would love to hear from any of the thirdfloor Gould girls.

It was great to hear from Sarah Schmidt, who is vice president of finance and controller of the largest independent community bank in Vermont. “My boyfriend and I have two cats and a great view of the Adirondacks from our house near Burlington. I think about many people and NMH often... miss you all. Saw Bill Batty ’59 was honored recently, which was fantastic. I hope the reduction to one campus has been favorable for NMH. Would love to hear from people.”

Dina Duhl McLelland and brother Joshua Duhl ’80 lost their father on Christmas ’10. Our condolences, Dina. Last year on a trip home to see her mother in Cambridge, Dina had a great visit with Molly Greaney. In August she returned east for three weeks for a memorial for her father and got together with Christopher Crocker and his partner for dinner.

Sharyn Gewanter Collinson lives in Annapolis, Md., and writes: “I had the pleasure of hosting John Lyon’s daughter for a few days as she explored employment opportunities in the D.C. metro area.”

Chris Nagle, Olga Beech Lassalle, and Marggie Slichter got together at Olga’s horse farm in South Dartmouth, Mass., this spring. Olga keeps running into NMH alumni in her area and notes: “I’ve been surprised to find so many alums from other classes in my area. NMH is an instant bond with people one’s never met.”

From John Ravaris: “After 28 years of reading then saying I’m going to write a class note, here it is.

Live in Wisconsin, married 12 years, and have two girls, 10 and 8. Life in the Midwest is great, just a little flatter than we are used to in New England. It was great to see everyone at our 25th. For those who missed it, we had a great time. Love to see a bigger bunch for our 30th. I talk to Adam Berlew and get the occasional text from Rich Gross, Dave Brewer, and Toby Mason—all are doing well.”

By the time this issue comes out, our 30th reunion will be just a year and a half away. We did have a great time at our 25th, and it would be wonderful to get a big crowd back for our 30th. Becky Mosher has signed on to join the committee recently, and some of us die-hards are onboard to make the next reunion a great one. If you’d like to get involved as a class volunteer, please let me know. We need party planners and fundraisers; the more the merrier.

I enjoy work at NMH and am starting my 10th year here. I have an empty nest at the moment, and am adjusting to that lifestyle quite nicely. Travel for NMH takes me around the country, and I enjoy meeting with alumni and rekindling the NMH connections. Summer was spent sailing most weekends to the Vineyard or in Maine. Hoping to run the Pie Race again this fall (Who’s with me?). My kids Mike ’10, Olivia ’11 and Diana ’12 are all well and pursuing various interests in work and school.

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Be sure to join our class Facebook page (Northfield Mount Hermon Class of 1984) to share news, photos, etc.

Thanks to all who have sent in news, come to events, and supported NMH this year. I look forward to seeing many of you on campus and at an NMH event in your area in the coming year. Check the NMH website for event information and get great news from NMH today at www.nmhschool.org.

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JENNIFER BUELL HORSCHMAN Apdo 442-4013 Atenas 20501, Costa Rica jenhorschman@yahoo.com

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GEOFFREY LOCKE 19 Whittier St Northampton MA 01062-9722 gwlocke@gmail.com LI LIN HILLIARD HALLY 3584 SW Hillside Dr Portland OR 97221-4102 Lilinhally@hotmail.com

David Karkut has been appointed to a full-time faculty position in the Department of English Language Studies at Douglas College in New Westminster, B.C. He looks forward to visiting Steve Schechterle this summer, and together they hope to run a local road race. Tom Louderback has moved to Northern California. He’s unsure where he will settle as it depends on where he finds work.

Brother Jim Louderback ’79 lives in the area, and Tom looks forward to connecting with other NMH alums in the Bay Area. Tom had dinner with Rob Foregger, who lives in Stowe, but his company is based in San Francisco.

Catherine “Cricket” Crawshaw Johnson writes from Berkeley, where she teaches science at UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science and is preparing to launch a touring performing-arts company, Cricketsing, in the fall. It will have both a performance and an educational program. The Cricketsing. com website will be up and running soon. She hopes to line up a Cricketsing assembly at NMH this fall.

Faye(6), William (9), and Cricket are driving across the country this summer and will visit friends in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and New York.

Jim Rymes had dinner with Skip Bush, and they hope to see many ’86ers at the NMH Maine lobster bake. Jim’s business continues to be a success, and he has opened a new location on Martha’s Vineyard. Jessica Ginsberg Stoops has been making jewelry since ’09 and recently had a necklace published in the spring ’12 edition of Stringing magazine. Donna Kadis is spending the summer at

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the beach in North Carolina. After that, she’ll teach kindergarten in the fall. Brother Danny Kadis ’88 had a third child in 12/11.

Hiba Ramey Fennelly hosted NMHers Ina Anderson and Bruce Mendelsohn in San Diego in February. Then in April, Hiba met up with Bebe Brown and family in Sedona. They spent a few days together watching their children become friends.

Hiba made her annual summer pilgrimage to the Boston area in June to catch up with her East Coast family and friends.

M.J. Austin still works at eBay but has moved to PayPal in product development, where she works on improving site speed. Her two girls will spend the summer at her family’s summer camp on Cape Cod, and M.J. plans to join them in August. In her spare time, M.J. races her Laser sailboat in Santa Cruz, kayaks with boyfriend John, and practices archery with her girls. Nilda Lopez has moved to a new apartment in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. She recently had dinner with Julie Trela Tantillo, who was visiting New York to run a half-marathon.

Alex Beech completed a graduate program in musical theatre writing at NYU. She cowrote a musical titled Class, which is set in New Orleans.

She’s now writing a play titled Wombtown as a commission for Primary Stages and Aspen Theatre Masters. Alysa Ray is adjunct teaching at NYU and Hunter College and has started a private practice. Alysa crashed the 25th reunion for the class of ’87 and had an amazing time catching up with Felicity Bean Beede, Martha Slater, Geoff Weed, Siobhan Reagan, Kathy McGee Warren, India Lawrence, Jeff Spagat, and too many others to

name or count.

Aliina Laine keeps getting voted one of the best financial planners in the Northampton, Mass., area. Lately, Aliina has been on several guest spots on a local radio show called “Will Power.” Some of Aliina’s areas of specialty are retirement planning and accounts, such as IRAs and 401(k)s, long-termcare insurance, and life insurance.

Bruce Mendelsohn traveled to Rome and Athens and enjoyed all of the usual sites. Bruce is starting his fifth year at MIT, and he was recently honored by the Department of Athletics, PE and Recreation as the ’11 fitness staff “Eager Beaver of the Year.” Bruce also successfully ran for a three-year term on the Auburn, Mass., public library board of trustees. Amy Scwartz Saklad wrote from Skagway, Alaska, where she was enjoying a two-week trip with her husband and three boys.

From the Alumni Office: A novel based on the life of Arn Chorn-Pond, Never Fall Down, was recently published by Balzer & Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins. Author and National Book Award finalist Patricia McCormick traveled to Cambodia with Arn to meet the people and see the places from his childhood. You can read reviews and buy the book on Amazon.com.

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KIT GATTIS PO Box 380234 Cambridge MA 02238-0282 kitnmh@gmail.com class of ’87 website: http://nmh1987.org

When you read this, the autumn leaves will be falling, but I am writing it on the longest day of the year in 95-degree weather. A little over a week ago, we celebrated our 25th reunion. It was a blast for everyone who came. We know there were many of you who wanted to come but couldn’t: you were all in our hearts. Thanks to everyone who made it such a great success. I hope to see everyone at our 30th in ’17.

Highlights were the NMH ’87 basketballs donated by Steve Green; 25th reunion wine glasses; a raffle featuring a bike, a guitar, cabbage patch dolls, and many other exciting donated prizes; and guitar serenading from James Katz and Scott Lehman. A special treat was the Reverend Dick Unsworth ’45 gracing us with his presence at our reunion dinner. We had a fundraising goal of 87 participants and $87,000 and not only met that but exceeded it. We raised $166,303 with 119 participants. Thanks for all of your support.

Don’t forget to check out our class website at nmh1987.org: you can log in with your Facebook login. I’ll be posting our class notes, but you’ll have to be logged in to see them. You will also find links to the various NMH and NMH1987 groups and email lists.

And now, the notes: John Bete has moved back to his hometown of Centerville, Mass., with wife Robin and two children. He works at the Cape Cod Hospital pain center as an osteopathic physical medicine and rehabilitation physician. He is learning to play guitar (badly), still trying to unravel the secrets of time travel, and misses you.

Karey Lenz Bilker had a lot of fun at our 25th reunion. It was great to catch up with Jen Williams Davis and Elizabeth “Bitsey” Wright O’Brien and spend time with their families. She also had a minireunion with her parents, Ted Lenz ’62 and Anne Walker Lenz ’62, both attending their 50th reunion. Karey lives outside Philadelphia with husband Larry and Matt (15) and Leah (12). She works in the IT department at Procurian when she isn’t shuttling the kids various places.

On 5/19/12, Molly Wilson Guest graduated with a bachelor’s in business administration from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams. She will be starting the MBA program there this fall. Molly works at Williams College and hopes to continue a career in higher education. She lives in Williamstown with Lee, her husband of 14 years, and their three children.

Kai Kauppi lives in Durango, Colo., and teaches high school Spanish. He sometimes takes groups of kids to Spain for a three-week stint during the

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Molly Wilson Guest ’87, husband Lee, and their three children

summer—a home stay and language course. Kai had the most incredible time at reunion. His NMH brothers and sisters are the most incredible people that exist.

Chuck Linton, his wife, and two daughters had a great time at reunion. Lots of fun with the kids.

Now back to normal life in Houston consisting of work, taking care of kids, work, taking care of kids, and occasional McDonald’s and birthday parties.

Next big trip—Disney World.

O’Shea Gifford is enjoying his third midlife crisis, building his home in a warehouse in the Austin hill country, and thinking about getting a master’s degree in spiritual psychology. When asked, he said: “I tried to lead a normal life, I really did. Hey, do you hear someone whispering in your head, too?

Look me up in Austin folks—and bring a chicken for the altar.”

Alex Palmer Gormley had the best time ever at the reunion. It was so good to see friends she had not seen in 25 years and to reconnect with the class of ’87. Kai Kauppi visited Alex and her family in Redding, Conn. Next visit with Kai she won’t bother muddling up the champagne with orange juice; just keep it simple and go with the bubbly.

Alex’s son Zac (13) is a hockey goalie. Anyone going to a Danbury Whalers game should definitely give her a call. Daughters are Amanda (9), Elizabeth (6), and Anna Renee (4). Their goldfish Tom (6) died after a month-long illness of swimming upside

down in his bowl. There was no wake but a brief funeral for intimate family members was held on the property, near the compost area. After a brief reception, the family remembered how much fun Tom was while they drove to the beach.

Steve Green lives in eastern Pennsylvania and is owner of Bike USA, Inc., which distributes bicycles and skateboards nationwide. Steve brought wife Edith and daughters Sonya (12) and Maya (9) to reunion this year. They had a great time, made new friends, and ate lots of NMH fresh ice cream. Steve has been promoting his line of Punisher skateboards and Titan bicycles, running to China every two months. He is active on Facebook and hopes that old NMH friends look him up and chat, or email him at steve_green@nmh1987.org.

Paul McDaniel had an amazing time reconnecting with old friends and meeting new ones at reunion. His band, Wormburner (www.wormburnerband.com), is gigging regularly in N.Y.C. and played a big benefit show at Mulcahy’s in Wantagh, opening for The War On Drugs and Dean + Britta (Galaxie 500. Luna).

Rosie Compres Navarro was at reunion and states: “I never knew I loved so many people I didn’t know in high school. Makes me want to go back and relive those years so I can get to know them as 17-year-olds. They can’t have been much different.”

She had a lot of catching up to do with Suzanne “Topsy” Taylor King, Andrea Berry-St. Pierre, and Marya Felenchak. All four visited the Northfield campus, and with a stroke of luck were able to gain entrance to Moody and relive the dorm experience.

She’s looking forward to our 30th reunion and invites anyone who missed the reunion to visit the class of 1987 Facebook page to see pictures.

Kim Noerager had a fantastic time at reunion.

Having never been back for one previously, she had all the usual fears and jitters, but can now wholeheartedly recommend the experience to anyone who didn’t make it or was on the fence. Kim is now back to her regularly scheduled life in Boston, living happily with her dog and cat, and looking forward to seeing other NMHers more often.

Dick ’45 and Joy Merritt Unsworth ’45 joined members of the class of ’87 for their reunion dinner.

Will Sheats has taken a break from the production kitchen and the hectic curveballs that life has tossed him over the last several years. Currently residing in Columbus, Ohio, he is working on his bachelor’s online (after a million years) in culinary management from Johnson and Wales. He hopes to open a small, local, sustainable, organic diner and become a culinary institute instructor, as well as get back into the country club scene and pick up food writing—not necessarily in that order. “To all my bros and sisses from other mothers, peace—Let those that you love know that for there is never enough time.”

Siobhan Reagan and husband Kevin Roth live in upper Manhattan. Siobhan teaches ninth-grade English at St. Luke’s School in New Canaan, Conn., and Kevin is the head of the upper school at the Cathedral School, which is part of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Siobhan’s mother (Sylvia Barnard ’55) recently retired, but is teaching Latin at the Doane Stuart School and, in summer months, providing classes to those who wish to obtain U.S. citizenship. Please contact Siobhan through siobhan_reagan@nmh1987.org.

Cindy and Chris Slayton celebrated their fifth anniversary. In his professional life, he continues to follow his love of food in a culinary career. He went back to college in ’02 and graduated second in his class from the Le Cordon Bleu program at Atlantic Culinary College. Since graduation, he has been acting chef at three restaurants, sous chef at two, and now works at the local Manchester Country Club. When not cooking, he enjoys being uncle to Jeremy Slayton’s ’89 two sons. Reunion 25 was so much fun he plans on being at reunion 30 and will be working hard to get the full Gould crowd to attend. Culinary troubleshooting is always available for classmates via Facebook or email.

After yet another 3M transfer: Tamson Smith and husband Shannon Scott settled into the Twin Cities area. The Midwest is surprisingly fabulous and Tamson now gets to hang with Anna Meek and her family. Right after reunion, Sheila Heffernon arrived for a choral conference, and the three ladies had an amazing evening of catching up after attending a concert in which Anna sang with her choral group, Vocal Essence.

Nora Minton Urdi has moved from New Hampshire to Colorado to Indiana in the past seven years and now lives in Mammoth Lakes, Calif. She is doing some major fundraising work for a nonprofit education and arts foundation and schlepping her son (6) and daughter (8) to their respective activities. “Wishing I could be at the reunion and wishing everyone the best. Come visit me in Mammoth.”

According to Kathy McGee Warren, “the most important life lesson imparted to me from NMH that weekend was to schedule at least three days of vacation afterward to recover from the hectic schedule.” She went to four seminars on Friday.

Geoff Weed enjoyed seeing amigos old and new

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at reunion with daughter Georgia (10). He’s “still churning it out in Chicago and raising daughters Franny (13), Georgia (10), and Lilah (4). Doors are always open in Chitown for visitors.”

Gerald Autler has been counting the days since graduation and now the moment has arrived to break his quarter-century silence. He was sad to miss reunion, particularly after reading the effusive Facebook posts about all the fun, but he and his wife were expecting their second child around that time. Their daughter was, in fact, born a week before reunion. After NMH and college, Gerald spent a number of years making a nuisance of himself in various parts of the world, moved to California for six years to attend graduate school, and eventually moved back to Massachusetts. He now lives in Boston with wife Laura, son Isaac (3) and daughter Hannah, leading a pleasant and reasonably respectable life as an urban planner.

At the end of June, Brett Morrison moved to his hometown of Vernon, Vt. By midfall, his property in Jamaica destroyed by Hurricane Irene should be transferred to the town. He continues to work with SCA, helping to fund their conservation work and service with agency and nonprofit partners.

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ANNE STEMSHORN GEORGE 10 Fox Chase Lane Durham NC 27713-9458 anastasia.s.george@gmail.com

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of Architecture and the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and directs the Urban Ecology and Design Lab. After five years in Bloomington, Ind., Tarez Samra Graban and family are moving to Tallahassee for her new job in the Department of English at Florida State. Julia Clark was elected assistant chief of the Orland Fire Department, in Orland, Maine, where she lives. During the day she is curator of collections at the Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor.

Kathyrn Price has three kids and just celebrated her 16th wedding anniversary. She is halfway through seminary and hopes to graduate in ’14. Elizabeth Brekhus lives with her husband and three kids in Marin County (California), where she practices civil litigation. In June she was elected to the Ross town council. Finally, Åsa Elfving wrote in from Sweden, where she works as an orthopedic surgeon. She has two boys (8 and 7), who both love playing hockey.

She is still involved in women’s hockey, working as a doctor with the Swedish national team.

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ROBBIANNE MACKIN 101 West End Ave New York NY 10023-6349 robbianne.mackin@gmail.com TRAVIS LEA 2447 Claremont Ave Los Angeles CA 90027-4601 travislea@gmail.com

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CHRIS ROOF 465 Concord Ave Cambridge MA 02138-1217 roofsound@comcast.net

KRISTIN STEELE 458 Montauk Ave New London CT 06320-4606 kaste@conncoll.edu

JOHN CARROLL Box 4722, One Lamplighter Way Mount Hermon MA 01354-9638 jcarroll@nmhschool.org

TORYN KIMBERLEY STARK 1828 Birch Heights Ct Charlotte NC 28213-4047 torynk@yahoo.com

ETHAN KLINE 61 Ramdsen Rd, Flat 4 London England SW128RA ethankline@gmail.com CARYN CROTTY ELDRIDGE 20 Glover Rd Needham MA 02494-1414 caryn@eldridges.net

From Ethan: Greetings from London, where we just received more rain in a day than we usually get in a month. On a sunnier note, Alexander Felson’s wife Janine gave birth in May to Caroline, who joins Madeleine (10) and Lev (5). Alexander is an assistant professor at Yale between the School

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From Kristin: On 5/27/12, a group from ’90 gathered in N.Y.C. to honor and celebrate the memory and friendship of Mamadou “Duke” Johnson. It was planned by his family as a celebration, and a celebration it was. Singing, drumming, dancing, and pictures of Mamadou everywhere smiling at us, pole vaulting, or working the patented one-handed handstand. We were all blessed to have known him.

The gathering of alums included Kim King and Chuck Maysonet, Shirley Eng, Sky Lee, Meredith “Sue” Suejung Shin, Michelle Matteo, Lena Serrano, Dawn Crosby-Maqueda, Maisley Jones Paxton, Rick Lodato, Haegan Forrest, David Torres and Kristin Steele. David Febus ’89, Sharon Isaacs ’91, Tonya George ’91, and

Ini Obot ’92 Former NMH math teacher and dorm head Jeanne Rees celebrated Duke’s life with us.

How fortunate we are to have each other in our lives.

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DAIRO MORENO 3102 Durand Dr Los Angeles CA 90068-1614 demoreno@post.harvard.edu

First, our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Mamadou Johnson ’90. It’s difficult to articulate the sense of loss from the untimely passing of someone who had such a profound impact on the lives of so many. A celebration of his life was held on 5/27/12 at Riverside Church in Manhattan. Many NMHers from around the country attended to help celebrate his life.

Now, notes from our class. Jeremy Craig continues to run his tax shelter of an SAT preparation company in Singapore. This allows him to travel the region and maintain a single-digit golf handicap.

Erin MacLean moved to London in 9/11. She currently is in southern Thailand, doing Muay Thai training for a couple of months in between contracts back in the U.K. Camellia Chan and husband Baha Yahyagil, son Gian (4), and daughter Ayla (2) send greetings from Hong Kong. Camellia works in her family fashion manufacturing business but has recently shifted to four-day weeks so that she can spend more time with her children. She shares the same office as Baha, who is in the kitchen cabinetry business. Camellia is involved with different ministry opportunities aimed at the elimination of systemic poverty, partnering with various churches and organizations that are setting up prototypes of principles-based business practices. Through a recent reunion dinner with fellow Hong Kong NMH alumni from the classes of ’89–’92, initiated by Dr. Edward Chan ’89, who was visiting Hong Kong from New York, there was serious interest in establishing an endowment for Hong Kong students. If this comes through, it will be the first internationally focused scholarship at NMH. Hopefully it will inspire

Kristin Steele ’90, Akkad Ivey, Ini Obot ’92, David Febus ’89, Shirley Eng ’90, Kim King ’90, Haegan Forrest ’90, and Jeanne Rees at the memorial celebration for Mamadou Johnson ’90.

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Joon Kang ’92 and his family came to reunion from India.

others in various forms to follow.

Shawn Bush took his fire crew of 20 to Colorado for three weeks to help with the fires.

Matthew Weiner lives in Washington, D.C., with wife Colleen and daughters Josie (5) and Zoe (2). For the last three years, Matt has been the speechwriter for President Obama’s housing secretary, Shaun Donovan. He continues to make music in his (ever-shrinking) free time.

Scott Selby moved to Silverlake (Los Angeles) and has a nonfiction book coming out from Penguin called The Axmann Conspiracy: The Nazi Plan for a Fourth Reich and How the U.S. Army Defeated It. Info online at www.

TheAxmannConspiracy.com.

Colleen Thomas has been producing and hosting “Oh Joy, Oh Rapture!” a weekly radio series celebrating the Ohio Light Opera. Podcasts are available at www.ohjoyohrapture.wordpress.com.

Kira Zielinski, fresh from a week of rafting the Grand Canyon, is in the process of transitioning to life in Italy, where she looks forward to attending school in Cremona, playing and studying classical and early music, and learning how to make violins with husband Nathan. Kira invites anyone in the area or passing through to drop her a line at kirazielinski@gmail.com.

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JENNIFER SADULA DE VORE 2830 Brook Dr Falls Church VA 22042-2302 devorejr@msn.com INI OBOT 297 Sickles Ave New Rochelle NY 10801-3700 iniobot@yahoo.com

CATE STEELE HARTZELL 18 Rockledge Ter Chatham NJ 07928-1216 cate.hartzell@gmail.com

We had a great turnout for our 20th compared to our 15th. It was great seeing people. Alyssa

Shannon Spalten ’92, Maicharia Weir Lytle ’92, and Mirja Spooner Haffner ’92 at reunion.

Alyssa Creighton Soto ’92, husband Nicholas, and their children at reunion.

Creighton Soto attended from California with husband Nicholas and their four children. Tam Le and Santosh Dhanalal also traveled from California to reunion. Alex Fast Kennedy and her son made

Mirja Spooner Haffner, Mai Weir Lytle, Shannon Spalten, Alex Fast Kennedy, Ini Obot, and more.

Amy Lyman Nedeau and Molly Goggins Talbot

the journey from Idaho. Others who attended the weekend included Liz Bard, Brad Deboer, Laura Brooks, Ron Dolin, Jennifer Foxworth, Mirja Spooner Haffner, Sally Hitch Harrison and husband Michael, Cate Steele Hartzell, Dave Jasper, Kristen Kaschub, Joshua Kochin and family, Maicharia Weir Lytle, Kelly Bird Pierre, Shannon Spalten, Philip Stevens, Josh Thomas, Katherine Vail, Dave Williams and wife Gwen, and Andrea Wolcott. Emily Dean Lawrence came on Friday. I saw Francesca Pisa for a quick minute because she was leaving as I was registering. Tom Curly made it for Saturday’s dinner. He has taken a teaching position in N.Y. Courtney Yesman Fugere also made it to reunion on Saturday.

Liz Bard came all the way from France to

reunion. It was great talking to her about her first book, Lunch in Paris: A Love Story, with Recipes.

Check it out at her website www.elizabethbard.com.

I saved the best for last. Kudos to Joon Kang, who traveled all the way from India with his wife and kids to attend reunion. I hope people make an effort to come to our 25th reunion.

We saw alums from other years at reunion as well, including Sarah Miner Quina ’94, Amy Lyman Nedeau ’93, Molly Goggins Talbot ’93, David McClintock ’91, and Metta Dael ’93.

Matt Williams completed his Ph.D. in sociology at Boston College. His dissertation was on the strategic evolution of the U.S. anti-sweatshop movement.

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METTA DAEL Box 4804, One Lamplighter Way Mount Hermon MA 01354-9638 metta.dael@gmail.com

After a long hiatus, I thought it would be good to touch base. So short and sweet. Reunion weekend has passed and it was great to connect with the class of ’92 alums: Alyssa “Ali” Creighton Soto,

were also in attendance. They’re getting ready for the planning stages of our 20th reunion next year.

That reminds me: please make sure that all your friends call or write the Alumni Office and submit current contact information.

I learned recently that John Redler passed away in May. We keep his wife and son in our prayers.

Please contact me or the Alumni Office for his family’s address so you can share your condolences.

I hope to get an update from each of you soon, and don’t forget—if you’re ever in the corner of western Massachusetts, come on by.

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NEL ANDREWS 120 S Bouldin St Baltimore MD 21224-2201 nel_andrews@hotmail.com LAURA SNYDER CRAFORD 2015 N Jantzen Ave Portland OR 97217-7812 laurascraford@hotmail.com

From Nel: Some baby news to share: Joyce Wang Simons writes: “Big brother Declan welcomed iden-

tical twin sisters on 1/19/12. Riley Hope and Rose Olivia blessed us with their early arrival, and we are now a happy family of 5.” Kahlil Lozoraitis and wife Casey welcomed Violet Bayne on 5/2/12. Sophie Middlebrook Hayward and husband Boe welcomed William Jonathan “Jack” Hayward on 5/4/12.

From Laura: “I write to you from Tenakee Springs, Alaska, a town of about 150 people with one road (no cars) that you access by boat or seaplane. My husband is one of the owners of Alaska Seaplanes Service that services four small communities from Juneau, Alaska. If you are in need of an adventure, this is a good one. I am still plugging away on my master’s in social work and living in Portland, Ore., with my family.”

Trevett McCandliss lives in Brooklyn, where he is creative director at 9 Threads, producing fashion

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magazines. Trevett has won numerous awards for his work in design and art direction. He will be a featured speaker at the 2012 Magazine Conference in Copenhagen and Oslo this fall. Jordan Dann has been living in Brooklyn since ’09, where she works as a freelance theatre artist and educator.

Jordan runs a year-long rehearsal, comprehension, and performance program with the Shakespeare Society and just directed her third production with the project, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Last fall, Jordan employed Todd Sutler’s knowledge and passion for education to lecture and coach the team of teaching artists she manages for the program. She has taught for NYU, at Stella Adler Studios, and she is the artistic director of Mud/Bone Theatre Collective. In ’11 Jordan cowrote and directed two site-specific productions: 233A Play was performed by 13 actors in her eight-bedroom brownstone for an eight-night-run, and Star Alarm was based on singer/songwriter Chris Taylor’s music.

Max Ranall lives in Brisbane, Australia, where he works for the Univ. of Queensland as a research scientist doing “high throughput cell biology, biochemistry, and a bit of microbiology. In my spare time I mountain bike and scuba dive. My most recent exploit is an epic island holiday in the Yasawas archipelago of Fiji. Other recent adventures have included a couple of dive trips to Espirito Santo in Vanuatu, and the 2010–11 season snowboarding and skiing at Jackson Hole, Wyo. Any and every NMH alum passing through Brisbane should contact me for a cultural liaison/place to crash.”

Jean Billings Sanchez moved to Corpus Christi, Texas, in summer ’11 and started a new consulting business—Green Mountain Learning—in spring ’12. Jean says she loves the freedom to build her business around her three young children. “I can’t wait to see everyone at the next reunion.” George Tiggle is the director of Sage Partners Program at the Sage Colleges in Albany and Troy, N.Y. He is looking forward to our 20th reunion. Looks like we already have people planning for our 20th reunion.

I know I am.

From the Alumni Office: Yudha Kartohadiprodjo married Ranita Angkosubroto on

Yudha Kartohadiprodjo ’94 married Ranita Angkosubroto in Jakarta in January ’12.

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Joyce Wang Simons ’94 with husband Don and their children Declan and twins Rose and Riley.

Will Slocum ’95, wife Zoe holding Rory, Ben Schuman ’95, and wife Anne in California in ’11.

1/8/12. NMH friends who came to share in the celebration at Jakarta’s Hotel Mulia included Gregory and Alex Mak, Perry Wang, Chang Lieu, Warren Liu, Jong Yoon “John” Kim, Dennis Rahardja and wife, Dickie Widjaja ’95 and wife, Tony Taniwan and wife, Hendrik Wiyono ’95 and wife, Hardian Lorens ’93, Seng Ho Ong, Won-Goo Jung ’93, and Kartini Tanoto ’93. Yudha was the cofounding editor of Men’s Health Indonesia and launched a number of publications and media brands. He now works with the family company media group.

new disc ‘The Crux’ by the band Hurt, who are old, dear friends of mine. I’ve sung with them onstage before, but I’m now on the actual album, name credit and all.” Ben was nominated for a Colorado Broadcasters Association award and has been working on projects with Jonathan Kesselman, the writer/ director of the cult hit movie The Hebrew Hammer.

Last August, Ben and Anne spent time with Will Slocum, his wife Zoe, and child Rory. Ben still talks to John Doyle and Ben Shippee, and a few years back saw Adam McOwen, as he was playing fiddle for Hank Williams III’s band.

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AMINA GAUTIER 1219 West Grandville Ave Apt 3B Chicago IL 60664-1925 amina.gautier@gmail.com NICHOLAS VIDA 27 Sachem Rd Greenwich CT 06830

From the Alumni Office: Ben Schuman lives in Colorado with wife Anne, who is a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army. They were married in Savannah, Ga., in ’09 by David Burstein ‘85. Ben is a DJ at an alternative rock radio station (KRXP 103.9, www.1039rxp.com) in Colorado Springs doing the 7 to midnight shift. Ben writes: “After 14 years of playing songs on the air, I am actually making my singing debut on a record. I’m featured on the

Kahlil Lozoraitis ’94 with Violet Bayne Lozoraitis.

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JON RINI 40 Owen St Apt E6 Hartford CT 06105-3282 jonathan.rini@dechert.com HEIDI GEIS 2140 Woolsey St Apt B Berkeley CA 94705-1890 heidi_geis@hotmail.com

From Jon: Acadia Wallace Roessner and Michael welcomed twins Archibald “Archie” Lawrence and Amos Warren born three minutes apart on Father’s Day, 6/17/12. “Big brothers Gus and Asa are excited for Archie and Amos to come home from the NICU to join the family in their posh new digs on Capitol Hill.” Acadia promises to post some photos on the 1996 Facebook page.

Angus Morrison and wife Lisa welcomed a second child, Colin James Daly Morrison, on 5/12/12.

Jehanzeb “J.Z.” Ilahi lives in Bahrain with his wife and daughter while running a consulting company and traveling regionally for client engagements.

Heather Cook O’Donnell is busy in the Hudson Valley area of New York with husband Michael, son Quinn (3), and daughter Molly (1), and is thinking about returning to teaching one day.

Elida Salcedo married Shanil Vitarana in N.Y.C. on 6/17/12. Lorie Gumbs-Tyler and Florangel Collado attended. Elida will move to Dubai with her husband and join the legal department of

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Emirates Investment Authority in Abu Dhabi.

Colin Fredericks is working in physics education research at MIT. Marie Ternes married Micah Kellner in December in an intimate ceremony overlooking Central Park and the American Museum of Natural History. Marie’s father officiated and brother Paul Ternes ’98 gave her away. Christine Beardsley, Jared Reid ’95, Evie Stone, Bill Simmons ’95, Maya Winfrey, Anthony Rizzuto, and Rachel Simmons attended. Marie recently became an executive vice president with DKC Public Relations, Integrated Marketing & Government Affairs. Micah is an elected official serving in the New York state assembly.

I’m in West Hartford, Conn., with wife Josie and toddler Amelia, who lately is convinced she is a pirate king. In fact, she’s holding me for ransom right now for 10 doubloons and a barrel of rum.

Send help.

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LAUREL HAVAS 701 St SE Apt 402 Washington DC 20003-4813 laurelhavas@yahoo.com

JULIA COHEN 6 Lanark Rd Apt 1 Brookline MA 02445-1834 jmacleodcohen@gmail.com

From Julia: our 15th reunion was a success, though we missed so many of you. Among the faithful were Micah Craig, Jason Forest, Andrew Huggett, Will Dane, Eric Griffiths, Chris Dover, Erin Lyman, Regina Pontbriand Stanley, Liz Clough, and Cristian Rosario. Pedro Delbrey made a brief appearance as did Jenny Keech LaFortune, Meghan Tomb Gladstone, and Vanessa Cerillo

(accompanied by their husbands) on Saturday night.

A special prize goes to Vanessa and her husband Casey Hayman for bringing along their (then) nineweek-old daughter Josephine. All were happy to be together, see the beautiful Mt. Hermon campus,

NMH alums celebrated the wedding of Marie Ternes and Micah Kellner last December. L to r: Paul Ternes ’98, Christine Beardsley ’96, Marie Ternes ’96, Jared Reid ’95, Evie Stone ’96, Bill Simmons ’95, Maya Winfrey ’96, and Anthony Rizzuto ’96.

and start getting excited for our next reunion. If you visit campus in the meantime, Erin Lyman will be there, since she is now part of the NMH college counseling team.

Also, I hope to see/get in touch with more NMHers in the D.C. area, where we’ve recently moved. Let me know if/when you’re in the area.

John and Meredith Alan Southergill had their first baby, Ainsley Jean, in December. “We’re head over heels for her.”

Melanie Schafer Olajos and Tom Olajos ’98 have two new additions—twins Ashlyn Grace and Tristan Michael born 2/16/12. They join big brothers T.J. and William and big sister Ava. Jeff and Annie Peller Neill welcomed their second child, Chase Cheney Neill, just as reunion was kicking off in June. Jeff writes: “We made the very difficult decision to leave NMH this summer.

We will be heading to Western Reserve Academy in Hudson, Ohio, where I will be the director of college counseling and Annie gets to be a full-time parent for a year or two. It has been a bittersweet spring for us, as we could not have asked for a better seven years back at NMH, and we love the school more than ever. We look forward to new adventures and to watching NMH continue to blossom from a bit farther away.”

Lori Thompson lives in Los Angeles, where she works for a social justice organization, managing their online initiatives, which include technology development, user experience, and information design.

David Hughes is celebrating his 10th year as a small-business owner. David and his brother Jeremy ’94 cofounded Camp Doodles in Northern California and have served more than 5,000 very happy campers.

Nick Garzilli has a son Dominick (3). In spring ’10, he left his job as a waiter at the Ritz-Carlton in Marina Del Rey when wife Joanna had a breakthrough as an international intuitive consultant (BigMiracleBreakthrough.com). Nick became a stay-at-home dad and wrote the screenplay 25th Amendment. In the fall of ’10, Nick decided to run for U.S. Congress in Los Angeles for the ’12 election. In his research on how to solve societal and transportation problems, he came across Evacuated

Melanie Schafer Olajos ’97 and Tom Olajos ’98 with their children: twins Ashlyn and Tristan, big brothers T.J. and William, and big sister Ava.

Tube Transportation Technologies (ET3.com). Nick ended up suspending his campaign and dedicating all his time to getting ET3 made. Nick is now the evp of global development for ET3.

Yogiraj “Raj” Graham married Sasaneh Patricia Bailey on 4/22/12 in Los Angeles. Phil Dahn and David Choi attended. Raj is head of production for Seagulls Fly, a commercial production company in Los Angeles.

Stephen Woods, who has a son (4), is a hip-hop artist/producer/teaching artist, who just finished touring in Europe, the U.S., and Australia. Check it out at www.AlwaysKeepItReal.com.

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HEATHER KOLPA 73 S Quinsigamond Ave Shrewsbury MA 01545-4218 hkolpa@yahoo.com TOBY ROWER PO Box 275 Newbury VT 05051-0275 tobias_rower@yahoo.com

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AUDREY KORTE 5 Oyster Ln Warren RI 02885-1522 aekorte@cox.net

MELIA KNOWLES-COURSIN 427 Aaron Cir Durham NC 27713-3201 meliakc@gmail.com MOLLY LOVEDAY 175 Grant St Lexington MA 02420-2126 lovedaymoo@yahoo.com

Burton Karp ’54 and Heather McCurdy ’99 meet regularly at the Black Seal Bar and Grille in Essex, Conn. Heather writes: “Even though many years separate our time at NMH, the stories we share are equally relatable to both. My two years at NMH were some of the happiest times of my life. I feel

Burton Karp ’54 and Heather McCurdy ’99 in Essex, Conn.

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blessed to have spent that time surrounded by amazing people—friends, teachers, coaches, and house mothers. Burton and I enjoy remembering dorm life, sports, classes, chapel services, and for Burton, dating the Northfield girls. Through all the changes between ’54 and ’99, the mission of NMH to educate the head, heart, and hand and to promote community, responsibility, respect, and pride has endured and affected both of us deeply and permanently. Our daily outlook on the world is colored by NMH glasses, and we are so much the better for it.”

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KATHERINE “CRICKET” BORNTRAEGERWHEELER NISBET 15 Allens Rd Southsea, Hampshire, PO4 0QB, UK katherinebw@hotmail.com

From the Alumni Office: Elliott Bernstein has a new bilingual Chinese-English textbook, 100 Topics in Business English, published by Capital Normal University Press in Beijing.

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JOSH GRUBMAN 14 Deldorf St Quincy MA 02169-1820 joshuagrubman@gmail.com CHRISTOPHER A ZISSI 3333 Wisconsin Ave NW Apt 203 Washington DC 20016-3872 christopher.zissi@gmail.com

Natalie Bickerton married Garret Zetterquist on 1/2/10. Their daughter, Isabella Grace Zetterquist, was born 3/27/11. Natalie lives in Colorado, where she and her family are building their dream home and hoping to grow their family.

Ria Jodrie married Jim Kalinowski in Northampton, Mass., on 8/13/11. They live in Waltham, Mass.

Carrie Kidder Bentley ’02 and husband Marvin Bentley married in July ’11.

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ANNE MORGAN 150 E 56th St Apt 12D New York NY 10022-3634 annelucasmorgan@gmail.com

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DEE GUO 143 Separatist Rd Storrs Mansfield CT 06268-2003 deedith@gmail.com MIRA SHARMA 350 Prince Arthur West, Apt 1105 Montreal, QC H2X 3R4, Canada mira.sharma.mcgill@gmail.com

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DONNIE BLACKWELL 40 Passaic Ave West Paterson NJ 07424-2517 ptowndon@gmail.com ARJUN PANT 14 Egmont St Apt 1 Brookline MA 02446-3615 arjunpant@gmail.com JING PING ZHANG 1237 HBS Mail Center 500 Soldiers Field Road Boston MA 02163 jingping.ellen.zhang@gmail.com

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Gardner Howe married Emily Sadtler in Tampa,

Fla., on 7/14/12. They met while teaching at NMH’s summer session and now live in northern Virginia, where they work for the Fairfax County public schools.

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BRENDAN MYSLIWIEC 1207 N High St Unit 2 Columbus OH 43201-5000 brendan.mysliwiec@gmail.com JAMIESON BAKER 122 E 11th St Apt 4C New York NY 10003-5358 jamieson.baker@gmail.com

JANE WARREN 176 E 81st Street 2C New York NY 10028 janelillywarren@gmail.com

Saya Namikawa has moved to Italy, where she

works at Teatro all’improvviso (www.teatroallimprovviso.it), a theatre company for children, as a musician and coordinator. She has been touring in Europe and hopes to be near NMH one day.

Natalie Bickerton Zetterquist ’01 and her daughter, Isabella Grace Zetterquist

LAKOTA COON 67 Coon Holler Lane Castleton VA 22716-2931 wackylacky@gmail.com KATE HAYES 215 E 95th St Apt 22K New York NY 10128-4084 kdahayes@gmail.com

From Kate: Hello, class of ’06. This past spring I had the opportunity to attend reunion and catch up with the classes of ’02 and ’07. Let’s get into the important topic at hand: where is everyone? To be included in future issues of the NMH Magazine, please email me at kdahayes@gmail.com.

I live in N.Y.C. and still see Amanda Kusek all the time. She recently went to the wedding of Crystal Jones in Aruba. There are quite a few ’06ers in the city, and it’s always fun to get everyone together. In the spring, Amanda and I caught up with Lily Vreeland, David Engel, Francis Bea, Tumpale Ngwira, Alex Mercado, Julian Giat, Sam LaCroix, and a few others (To those I didn’t include, I still love you.). I also ran into Chris Swoszowski and Ian Mangiardi, who were look-

ing at my building.

Moving a bit north, we do still have a large presence in the Boston area. Courtney Opalenik is doing research at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Cambridge and applying to graduate school. Sarah Woodbury is working on a master’s in Hebrew Bible at Harvard Divinity School and often enjoys lunch with Emily Estes. In her free time, Sarah judges middle-school debates in the Boston public school system. Moving west, Cookie Smith is in Dublin, Ohio, working at the Ohio Orthopedic Center in the physical therapy department. She still plays lacrosse and soccer, and coaches high school women’s lacrosse. She hopes to attend PA school within the next two years.

Congratulations to Tiarra Maznick Cooper,

/ class notes /

who was married in February. She completed a Fulbright Fellowship in Germany, where she met up with Rosa von Gleichen. Tiarra is in Austin, Texas, working for Apple. Zach Rogers is in Philadelphia working as a wage and compliance officer for the Philadelphia Housing Authority. Harvey Schaefer and Abby Follensbee are together in St. Petersburg, Fla. Laura Carbonneau finished her second degree in hospitality at RIT, being inducted into the Order of Omega and Rho Lambda, and is currently managing a French restaurant.

I’ve recently launched my first start-up, SocialForward, so when this goes to print, I’m not sure where my life will be. Join our class page on Facebook and keep us posted on events in your area, what’s going on in your life, and anything else.

Again, send me updates to be included.

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NAOMI-COLLETT RITZ 60 Merriam Rd Walpole NH 03608-5033 naomi.collett.ritz@gmail.com

LIZ DONALD, 340 E 51st St Apt 6A, New York NY 10022-7820 elizabeth.s.donald@gmail.com From Liz: Carla Cevasco graduated from Middlebury College in May ’11 and interned at NMH Summer Session in ’10 and ’11. She is working toward her Ph.D. in American studies at Harvard and would be happy to connect with NMH alums in the Boston area.

Pauline Stevens, Sara Potash, Elise Lubanko, Sara Eardensohn, Hanna Madrigan, and Claire Barber had a great time catching up over reunion

weekend (especially reliving Meat Market, Club Big Wave style). With two in Boston, two in Vermont, one in N.Y.C., and one in Alaska, it was the first time they’ve all been together since graduation.

After graduating from Rollins with a bachelor’s in psychology in May ’11, Ali Kren worked for AmeriCorps VISTA in the community engagement office at Alvernia Univ. in Reading, Pa. Her project was to implement an early childhood literacy program in area schools while recruiting and managing student volunteers from the university. Ali’s year of service with AmeriCorps will end in July, but she will continue her work at Alvernia in a new position as the program manager for an after-school program.

At reunion, Ali had a great time catching up with those who made it to our fifth year. If anyone finds themselves in the Reading, Pa., area, look her up.

After finishing at Georgetown, Bill Ward spent the past year working for Morgan Stanley. He is looking forward to his new job in Nevada with President Obama’s reelection campaign and hopes

to return to D.C. full time in January ’13.

Theo Samets finished his first year of law school at NYU and is spending the summer working as a clerk for the Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington, D.C. Alexandria Wilson earned a bachelor’s in philosophy and a minor in physics. She will attend graduate school at San Jose State this fall for her master’s in philosophy with an emphasis on the philosophy of physics and economic theory. In her spare time, she runs poetry slams at local cafés, is the lead singer/songwriter in a band called Cafe Girls, and volunteers with the San Jose City animal shelter. As she puts it: “It’s been a wild five years since graduation, but I don’t think I would have survived it if I didn’t hold NMH’s principles, experiences, and friends close to my heart.”

After finishing school at Earlham College in Richmond, Ind., Donnie Smith moved back to New York to work for the nonprofit A Better Chance. Donnie was offered a position at the Cambridge School of Weston as assistant director of admission and will move to the Weston, Mass., area in August.

After graduating from Union College last year, Cait Miner moved to Boulder, Colo., to work as a professional research assistant at the Univ. of Colorado on a neuroscience project funded by the National Institute of Drug Addiction, involving adolescent marijuana use. She will move to N.Y.C. over the summer to start medical school at the New York College of Podiatric Medicine. She has also been working at a local yoga studio for the past year and hopes to continue her practice in N.Y.C. Rachel Sperry transferred to Washington Univ. in St. Louis, where she spent the past year studying printmaking and working toward her B.F.A. This summer, she is working in St. Louis at Island Press, a print shop connected to her university. There she is working on editions for Trenton Doyle Hancock, Radcliffe Bailey, Ann Hamilton, and other artists.

Per Rachel: “I love the Midwest; it surprised me.”

After graduating from Mount Allison, Emily Thomas is still in Canada, having moved to Prince Edward Island for graduate school, focusing on islands and fisheries (to no one’s surprise). She is back in Maine for the summer doing an internship with a nonprofit.

Jeff Breau lives in San Francisco, works for Google, and spends lots of time in Deloris Park. Reunion highlights include: rowing on the Connecticut, hearing life updates, and spending more time in Tron than in his four years at NMH. Emily Tisdale has been in N.Y.C. this past year, working as a financial consultant. This summer she will move to Boston, where she will live with Rebecca Donald and work for IBM. Roberta Taggart graduated from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in ’11. She lives in N.Y.C. with Elizabeth Donald and works at

UBS in debt capital markets.

Rebecca Donald thought reunion weekend was awesome. The best part was catching up with great people. “It felt like we had never left. It was great driving out with Rupal Desai and Amrita AcharyaMenon—I forgot how much I missed these people.

Also, talking with Dina Eldib was a highlight.

Hearing her inside perspective on the current events in Egypt was really engaging. John Bleh, looking forward to you visiting Boston—I owe you a drink.”

Rebecca is looking forward to living in Somerville with Emily Tisdale this fall and is excited to reconnect with other NMHers there.

Noah Saxton supplied a phenomenal tent at reunion. Noah, you set the bar high. Hope you can secure the wizard tent for our 10th-year reunion.

Elizabeth Donald graduated from Penn last year and has been working for Spencer Stuart in N.Y.C., where she lives with Roberta Taggart. At reunion, she enjoyed laughing with her classmates at the alumni row, reminiscing about the “Rock Steady” soccer days on MacLamore field with Amrita Acharya-Menon, Claire Barber, Taylor McCormack ‘06, and Abby Zelenka ’08, and watching the sunrise from chapel hill with Noah Saxton, Danton Brewington, Doug Li, and Bill Ward. “To all who were not at reunion, I missed

you and hope you can make it in five years.”

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HENRY HUTCHESON 1940 Knox Ave S Minneapolis MN 55403-2839 henry.hutcheson@gmail.com EMILY JACKE 48 Bullard Rd Jaffrey NH 03452-5902 ejacke@middlebury.edu

LILLY RICHARDSON 929 Sabattis Rd Long Lake NY 12847-2801 lilly.richardson@gmail.com

From the Alumni Office: Brooke Evans graduated summa cum laude from Tufts University in May ’12 with a bachelor’s degree with a double major in Chinese and community health. Brooke was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and was awarded the Tufts University prize in Chinese language and literature. She will attend Georgetown University Law Center in the fall.

fall / winter 2012 I class notes I 89

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ANNA STEVENS 1329 Lapham Bay Rd Shoreham VT 05770-9612 annagstevens@yahoo.com GALEN ANDERSON 58 Piper Lane, PO Box 39 Harrisville NH 03450-0039 gjande01@syr.edu ESHALLA MERRIAM PO Box 2545 Brattleboro VT 05303-2545 eshallamerriam@gmail.com FAYETTE PHILLIPS 43 North St Upton MA 01568-1581 fayettephillips@gmail.com

From Eshalla: In May, I joined Rosie Driscoll, Louisa Diaz, Tess Vreeland, and Turner Delano

for commencement. It was so nice for us to catch up with each other; see our former coaches, teachers, and dorm parents; and congratulate the graduates. It was a brief reunion but definitely worthwhile.

In late April, I met up with Emma Golden in Washington, D.C., for the 100th annual Cherry Blossom Festival. And earlier in the year, I hosted Ruth Shafer, who was in town for a rally. We spent some time at the natural history museum beforehand, where we both thoroughly enjoyed the rock exhibit.

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ELI SPECTOR 1204 Autrey St Apt 2A Houston TX 77006-6041 eli.spector@rice.edu

Anna Mattei is studying business administration,

finance, and computer science at the College of Saint Rose. She’d love to see anyone who may be passing through Albany and reconnect with other class members. Erin Marley writes that she’s still playing hockey at Sacred Heart, and she now plays club lacrosse as well. She will be the editor-in-chief of her university’s newspaper next year.

Brady Ward went to Vespers in N.Y.C. last winter and enjoyed seeing lots of old friends. He is majoring in psychology/neuroscience at Yale. Last spring, he traveled to Paraguay, Turkey, and South Africa with his a cappella group. Erin Cromack is majoring in hospitality and tourism management at UMass–Amherst. For the second consecutive season, she was a coach for NMH’s track-and-field team.

90 I NMH Magazine

Derek Gould is studying economics and statistics at Elon in preparation for law school. Amelie Au is immersing herself in the world of graphic design, and she credits NMH for being an important stepping-stone in her life. Sharon Dunmore is majoring in criminal justice and sociology at Guilford, after which she plans to attend law school. This fall, she will be studying abroad in England while working at the British Parliament. Courtney Freese loves Florida so far and is majoring in art history. Last New Year’s Eve she celebrated with friends from NMH. As for me, I’ve managed to escape the brutal Houston summer by traveling to, of all places, the Middle East. I’m spending three months in Israel, where I am an intern at the Shalem Center in Jerusalem. I hope when I come back to the States that my Hebrew is much improved, only so that I can return to Israel and speak it. If anyone’s ever in the Houston area this year, please feel free to stay over in my apartment.

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OLIVIA VAN COTT 294 Birnam Rd Northfield MA 01360-1151 ovancott@stetson.edu

NISHA MALIK 50 College St South Hadley MA 01075-1423 nishamalik92@gmail.com

From Olivia: The class of ’11 is excited to share what we have been up to since graduation.

David Anderson enjoyed his first year at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., as a church music organ major. He sang in the Viking Chorus, made up of first-year men, and was part of the 100th St. Olaf Christmas Festival. He helped start the David Anderson Club on campus, along with two other student David Andersons and President David Anderson. In the fall, he is looking forward to singing in the St. Olaf Choir. The choir will be touring the West Coast this winter and Norway next June.

Sam Bassett’s college life has been awesome and he’s been enjoying his major. He spent his first summer as a college student making money and relaxing.

Dorothy Chong completed her first year at Durham Univ. in the U.K. She loves her new school and is playing on the university’s badminton team.

She is in the med school program and gets to meet with patients. She enjoyed her last long summer, because summer vacations in the clinical years of her school last only three weeks. She has at least four more years before she becomes a junior doctor.

She misses NMH and would love for any NMHers

to contact her if they are in the U.K. Oliver Dormody finished his first year at Vanderbilt, where he declared a double major in computer science and math, with a minor in engineering management. He spends his summers and his school year working in the IT department.

Caitlin Duffy spent the fall of ’11 walking across Spain and traveling in Europe with her dad and a few other Middlebury students. She started at Middlebury College in February ’12 and loves it. This summer she is traveling to South Africa to visit family and will be thinking of the HUM II class. If anyone is ever at or near Middlebury, please let her know.

Katherine Dumais is happy at Northeastern, where she declared a dual major in international affairs and economics. Katherine is on the club softball team and the stage musical theatre club. She spent the first part of her summer as an intern for ECPAT-USA, an organization working to combat child trafficking and prostitution. She spent the next part of the summer in Freedom, N.H., as boating department head at a sleep-away camp.

Leeanne Hadsel made dean’s list both semesters at Emmanuel College. She spent her summer working as a white-water rafting guide and kayak instructor. She is also representing Massachusetts as ANTSO (American National Teenager Scholarship Organization) Miss Massachusetts and living in Boston.

Max Macielak is returning to Hobart and William Smith College, where he is a member of the golf team. He spent this past summer working at Capital District Physicians Health Plan (CDPHP) Insurance Company. In his free time, he was on the golf course to keep his game up to par.

Eleanor Mackenzie had a great first year at UNH. She interned for President Obama’s grassroots campaign and worked in Portland, Maine.

Nisha Malik had a great time at Mt. Holyoke College. She spent the summer back at NMH as an intern at NMH Upward Bound for six weeks.

Scott Malloy attended Bishop’s Univ. in Lennoxville, Quebec, last year. Scott adapted well to French in class and on the field. He was part of the first national win in the history of the school’s lacrosse program. This fall Scott will transfer to High Point University in North Carolina to be a part of the new men’s lacrosse program. “I am so grateful for all of the opportunities NMH has given me to continue working toward top academics while playing a sport I truly love. A shout-out to a great coach, teacher, mentor, and friend, Jeff Neill ’97, to whom I owe so much.”

Bettie Pratt had a ton of fun on an archaeological dig in Hayesville, N.C., with her school, Western Carolina.

Adam Rosenthal spent last year at Union College in Schenectady, N.Y. He worked in Brooklyn for the summer as a woodworker and went to Costa Rica in August.

/ class notes /

Sina Sadeghi is studying mechanical engineering at Georgia Tech. He recently recorded a song in the same studio as Beyoncé, Bruno Mraz, and Shakira, and it’s currently in distribution worldwide.

His days have been filled with a lot of music and engineering since he left NMH. Andrew Stewart is enjoying life at Hobart College, where he feels that it has changed him for the better.

Ricardo Tarraf went to Uruguay to learn Spanish with Bea Garcia’s program, and then went home to Brazil, where he applied to a postgraduate school for one semester and applied to universities to start college in February. He was accepted at Mackenzie Presbyterian University to major in business. Ricardo visited NMH and participated at the international carnival events, helping the SALSA table, and did a workshop in the diversity committee. “It was great meeting everyone, all my good friends and teachers.” At college, Ricardo participated in two music groups and did a leadership program. He believes being part of the NMH community made it possible for him to accomplish so much.

Ndeye Khady Thiombane misses her home country Senegal but has decided to keep on learning about the “nomadic” life and acquire as much knowledge as possible to later serve her motherland.

She headed to Bremen in northern Germany, where she is majoring in biochemistry and cellular biology at Jacobs University Bremen. She stayed in Germany over the summer to work and travel. Most important, she is having fun and trying out new things. Windsurfing is on her list. Khady is looking forward to seeing NMH alumni joining her on the JUB campus next fall.

Olivia VanCott spent her first year in Florida at Stetson Univ. and loved the weather but missed home a lot. She has decided to take a year off and work hard to save money for a trip either to Asia or to backpack through Europe. On the side she will attend Greenfield Community College to take some classes while she plans her trip. Olivia is living back in Northfield and urges anyone who wants to visit to contact her if they need a place to stay.

Leigh Winters enjoyed her freshman year at Wake Forest Univ. in Winston-Salem, N.C. She joined Alpha Phi Omega, a national service fraternity, and volunteers at the local magnet school.

She plans to study public policy and health policy and administration. She stays in touch with many NMHers and even met Hanson Cheng for lunch in N.Y.C. over the summer.

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NMH PARKER PELTZER 120 Passumpsic Ave PO Box 453 Wilder VT 05088-0453 ppeltzer@gmx.com

faculty notes LYN KELLOM PO Box 1546 New London NH 03257-1546 rbmzkellom@comcast.net

Dean Fusto writes from Bement School in Deerfield, Mass., where he is head of the upper school (grades 6–9) and assistant head (grades K–9).

He has led 18 consecutive service trips to orphanages in the Dominican Republic and has two new books: The Next Best Thing to Being There (fall 2011), and Which Way Home, A Teacher’s Guide (fall 2012).

The guide is an accompaniment to a similarly named Emmy award–winning documentary. In May ’12 he earned a second master’s from Teachers College, Columbia University.

While at Dick’s Wesleyan reunion in May ’12, we encountered Allen Fitz-Gerald. Now a playwright, Allen gave a presentation to his own reuning class sharing “reflections on Wesleyan’s influence on his professional life.”

NMH reunion ’12 was spectacular. The sun shone brilliantly. Alums reconnected enthusiastically.

The food was unendingly delicious. The programs were appealing. The Rhodes Arts Center awed.

From Memorial Chapel burst inspired song. And returning retired faculty and staff attendance was astounding—Carroll Bailey and Elaine Rankin Bailey ’55, Ginny and Ed Brooks, Dave Burnham and Anne Webb Burnham ’44, Ben Carr, Bill Compton ’44, Sally Curtis, Barbara and Joe Elliott, Marion Ellis, Al Higgins ’50 and MaryAnn Efird Higgins ’51, Mark Jander ’50, Lyn and Dick Kellom, Alice Kells, Ronnie and Don LaChance, Ed Lemon, Carolyn Mann, Christine and Don McCollester, Ev Phillips, Jeanne and John Reese, Grace Robertson, David Rowland, Bill Schweikert, Dick Schwingel, Bonnie and Chris Shepard, Pam Shoemaker, Margot Torrey, Lee and Lou Turner, Dick Unsworth ’45 and Joy Merritt Unsworth ’45, Jeanne and Dale Conly ’52, Claire and Richard Mueller ’62, Carol and Nelson Lebo ’56, Bev Bolton Leyden ’53, and Anne Lyman. Can I have missed anyone?

My annual “good weather dance” for the Fud Fest did produce blue skies and bright sunshine. It also brought 90-degree temperatures. Nonetheless, a sizable crowd braved the heat and reminisced about times yore and apprised of days present. Gathered on the Kellom hillside were Sara Pilliod Allen, Jeanne and Dale Conly, Sam Greene and Phyllis Gansz-Greene, Barbara Harris, Cynnie and Terry Irwin, Nelson Lebo, Elliot Rowsey, Chuck

Sanborn and Wendy Blackman-Sanborn and Stephanie Blackman Stokamer, Pat and Charlie Tranfield, Mary Lou Treat, Glenn Vandervliet ’56, Mary and Bob Weis, Mary Covey Williams ’45, Barbara Piscuskas, Barbara Richardson, Anne Lyman, Carol and Marv Kelley ’60, Dave and Anne Webb Burnham ’44, Nancy Alexander Randall ’68, and Kristin Kellom Damon ’80.

To list and contemplate recent NMH obituaries is overwhelming, both numerically and emotionally.

All of these people were colleagues, many were good friends. Their collective years of service to the school are remarkable. Faculty who have passed away include Gail Demaine, 65, “consummate school person,” whose “favorite role was teaching English to sophomores”; Virginia Ferguson White ’30, 101, former NMH trustee involved in multi volunteer alumni endeavors, a gracious lady; Elizabeth “Jo” Dorchester, 93, gentle, quiet dedication to teaching students French and math for 40 years; Glenn Dulmage, 77, a giant in body and mind, director of the ESL program; Kay Rowsey, 71, devoted to family, loyal to friends, an inspiring, demanding, and distinguished teacher; Dr. Carol Gilmore, 71, professor of business at the Univ. of Maine, taught math, history, and sociology at NMH 1969–71; and Ruth Bauer, 87, religion teacher, ever-ready contributor to enriching community life, energetic wife of Fred Bauer. Among staff members recently deceased are Adelia “Dee” Chula, 96, smiling, friendly postmistress on the Mt. Hermon campus for nearly 40 years; Gretchen Caines, lively and efficient secretary to the Holbrook school deans; Joseph Patenaude, 82, stalwart in the purchasing department; and E. Weston Ball, 96, groundskeeper and custodian.

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/ class notes /

vital statistics Births and Adoptions ’82 Aksel Mabrey Jensen to Cyndie and Scott Jensen, 6/19/12. ’88 Eloise Kadis to Caroline and Daniel Kadis, 12/11. ’89 Caroline Felson to Janine and Alexander Felson, 5/4/12. ’93 Boone Lyons Psaradelis to Jennifer Dubois and Peter Psaradelis, 11/21/11. ’94 Riley Hope and Rose Olivia Simons to Don and Joyce Wang Simons, 1/19/12. ’94 Violet Bayne Lozoraitis to Casey and Kahlil Lozoraitis, 5/2/12. ’94 William Jonathan Hayward to Boe and Sophie Middlebrook Hayward, 5/4/12. ’96 Archibald Lawrence and Amos Warren Roessner to Michael and Acadia Wallace Roessner, 6/17/12. ’96 Colin James Daly Morrison to Lisa and Angus Morrison, 5/12/12. ’97 Ainsley Jean Southergill to Meredith Alan and John Southergill, 12/11. ’97 Ashlyn Grace and Tristan Michael Olajos to Tom ’98 and Melanie Schafer Olajos, 2/16/12. ’97 Chase Cheney Neill to Jeff and Annie Peller Neill, 6/12. ’01 Isabella Grace Zetterquist to Natalie Bickerton and Garret Zetterquist, 3/27/11. ’02 Brianna Gwenneth Simmons, to Alan and Suzanne Stowbridge Simmons, 5/10/12.

Weddings and Civil Unions ’56 Walter Jones to Yvonne Sammelian, 4/22/12. ’75 Robert Farley to Gail Harper, 9/17/11. ’94 Yudha Kartohadiprodjo to Ranita Angkosubroto, 1/8/12. ’96 Elida Salcedo to Shanil Vitarana, 6/17/12. ’96 Marie Ternes to Micah Kellner, 12/11. ’97 Yogiraj Graham to Sasaneh Patricia Bailey, 4/22/12. ’01 Ria Jodrie to Jim Kalinowski, 8/13/11. ’01 Natalie Bickerton to Garret Zetterquist, 1/2/10. ’03 Gardner Howe to Emily Sadtler, 7/14/12.

Deaths ’30 Margery Cole Baldwin, 8/15/11. Sister of Dorothy Cole ’26 (dec’d). ’30 Virginia Ferguson White, 3/11/12. Stepdaughter of Lionia Kelley Ferguson ’13 (dec’d).

Mother of David White ’57 and Stephen White ’58. ’31 Lorena Bawden Serino, 8/24/10.

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’31 Florence Porter Winters, 6/15/12. ’32 Elizabeth Fisher Blankenship, 7/14/12. ’32 Eleanor Irvine Volante, 6/12/12. Daughter of May Hood Irvine ’00 (dec’d). ’33 Edwin Page, 5/6/11. ’34 Dorothy Thayer Archdeacon, 2/16/12. ’34 Ellen Bolton Tosi, 7/29/12. Daughter of Ruth Crane Bolton ’04 (dec’d) and Arthur Bolton ’07 (dec’d). Sister of Horace Bolton ’33 (dec’d), James Bolton ’34 (dec’d), Miriam Bolton Ruggle ’39 (dec’d), Arthur Bolton ’40 (dec’d), June Bolton Generous ’41. Niece of Nellie Crane Gates’92 (dec’d), Cousin of Hattie Bolton Hall ’14 (dec’d), Ernest Bolton ’39, Lucile Bolton ’39 (dec’d), Sybil Severance O’Keefe ’40, Richard Bolton ’41, Shirley Severance Gaines ’41 (dec’d), Irwin Severance ’50, Beverly Bolton Leyden ’53, Aarolyn Bolton Lake ’54, Judith Holbrook Hurlbut ’59, Donna Holbrook ’61.

Aunt of Carol Bolton Dane ’68, Susan Bolton Agnew ’71, Donald Bolton ’72, Polly Severance ’76, and Julie Severance ’79. Great-aunt of William Dane ’97, Joshua Grubman ’01, Jeremy Grubman ’02, and Joanna Grubman ’06. ’34 Paul Wentworth, 2/27/10. ’35 Eleanor Loveren Dotter, 5/4/12. ’35 Donald Engley, 3/19/12. ’35 Doris Gay Hutchinson, 9/22/10. ’35 Frederick Neuberth, 6/28/12. Brother of Marlou Neuberth Bailey ’37 (dec’d). Father of Jeffrey Neuberth ’67 and Lee Neuberth ’69. ’35 Victor Salvatore, 2/29/12. Brother of John Salvatore ’39. ’36 Evelyn Pease Feeney, 6/16/12. ’36 Robert Slavin, 6/25/12. ’37 Frederick Buckley, 1/6/12. ’37 Jean Bunten Graham, 5/31/12. Sister of Richard Bunten ’40 (dec’d). ’37 Gladys Merkle Herschel, 5/7/10. Daughter of Anna Janson Merkle ’11 (dec’d). Niece of Esther Janson Porter ’11 (dec’d) and Emma Janson ’12 (dec’d). ’37 James Munford, 6/19/10. ’37 Warren Terwilliger, 12/5/11. ’38 Huntington Curtis, 9/13/11. Son of A. Pierson Curtis ’09 (dec’d). Brother of Winifred Curtis Stebbins ’40. Husband of Margaret Parker Curtis ’42 (dec’d). Father of Henry Curtis ’70 and Winifred Curtis ’67 (dec’d). Nephew of Ralph Curtis ’10 (dec’d), Helen Curtis ’13 (dec’d), and Gordon Curtis ’15 (dec’d). Greatnephew of Edith Pierson Evans’ 92 (dec’d).

Cousin of Virginia Baker Holmes ’38, Patricia Curtis Ormsby ’48 (dec’d), and Nancy Curtis ’50 (dec’d). Uncle of Martha Parker ’71 and Robin Hadlock Seeley ’73. ’38 Priscilla Jones Groves, 7/22/12. Daughter of Rupert Jones ’10 (dec’d) and Ethel Wilcox Jones ’11 (dec’d). Mother of Marilyn Groves ’70.

Grandmother of Jigme Groves ’07. Cousin of

Frances Barnes Tolman ’22 (dec’d) and Warren Barnes ’26 (dec’d). ’38 George Mirick, 3/31/12. ’38 Florence Anderson Simmons, 3/22/12. ’39 Constance Kent Guida, 3/8/12. Mother of J. Kent Guida ’65, Christopher Guida ’67, and Peter Guida ’75. ’39 Alice Molander Halstedt, 6/18/12. Sister of Barbara Molander Warner ’40. ’39 Sally Townsend Lesh, 10/10/11. Sister of Marie Townsend Morrison ’41. Cousin of Joan Carter Chevalier ’44, Helene Carter-Griswold ’54, and Joan Chevalier ’73. ’39 Grace Brons Main, 3/24/12. Sister of Jean Brons Brautigam ’43 (dec’d). ’40 Judith Kinne Chapin, 7/7/12. ’40 Mathias Hettinger, 5/13/12. ’40 Mary Fisher Wendell, 11/14/11. ’41 Edmund Brown, 3/5/12. ’41 Jeanne Fales Cummings, 7/31/10. ’41 Estelle Huff Davis Kay, 6/12/12. Cousin of Robert Janes ’51 and Marjorie Charles ’71. ’41 Jean Lacey Patterson, 8/22/12. ’41 Claire Haswell Randolph, 7/15/11. Daughter of Esther Denison Haswell ’14 (dec’d). Niece of Henry Standerwick ’07 (dec’d) and Blanche Standerwick ’11 (dec’d). Cousin of Marion Denison ’19 (dec’d), Henry Standerwick ’31 (dec’d), and Anne Standerwick Brown ’34 (dec’d). ’41 Benjamin Warner, 5/23/12. ’42 Carl Bell, 6/6/11. ’42 Mary Newcomb Davis, 6/1/12. ’42 Marian Adams Freese, 7/2/12. Daughter of Rachel White Adams ’23 (dec’d). Sister of Jeanne Adams Hallager ’43 (dec’d) and Sarah Adams ’45 (dec’d). Niece of Marion Adams ’19 (dec’d). Cousin of Edna Van Bibber Des Jardins ’34 (dec’d), Barbara Laumann Wonson ’39 (dec’d), Stanley Houston ’42 (dec’d), Janice Laumann Bamforth ’43, Mary Lyon Connor ’47, Paul Houston ’65, Douglas Houston ’69 (dec’d), Peter Connor ’70, Joan Connor ’72, and Stanley Houston ’72. Aunt of William Hallager ’70, Christina Hallager Thomas ’73, and Anne Hallager McGonagle ’77. Great-aunt of Rachel Martel ’00. ’42 Ellen Taft French, 12/3/10. Sister of Jay Taft ’38 (dec’d). ’42 Francis French, 3/29/12. Son of Harold French ’16 (dec’d). ’42 Ruth Russell Reel, 4/8/12. ’42 Lucy Willmott Sharpless, 5/23/12. ’43 Malcolm Allen, 3/6/11. ’43 Merrill Manning, 6/20/12. ’44 Miriam Allen Aikens, 10/8/11. Grandmother of Emily Pratt Straley ’02. ’44 Dudley Hall, 7/16/12. Father of Karin Hall ’77. ’44 George Putney, 4/3/11. Son of Charles Putney ’13 (dec’d).

/ class notes /

’44 Ruth Kammler Walters, 12/13/10. ’44 Olive Thurman Wong, 4/12. ’45 Camilla Dewitt, 3/3/12. Sister of John Dewitt ’42 (dec’d). ’45 Leonard Lundquist, 7/2/12. Father of Scott Lundquist ’79. Stepfather of Walter Palmer ’73 (dec’d). Former husband of Norma Salley Lundquist ’45. ’45 David McCoubrey, 4/9/12. ’45 Ross Spencer, 3/5/12. Son of Ross Spencer ’14 (dec’d). Father of Linda Spencer ’70. Nephew of Albert Spencer ’08 (dec’d), Simpson Spencer ’10 (dec’d), Haven Spencer ’14 (dec’d), Georgia Spencer ’16 (dec’d), Briscoe Spencer ’19 (dec’d), Mary Spencer Ackerman ’24 (dec’d), and Bessie Spencer ’24 (dec’d). ’46 Calvin Bloom, 3/30/12. Brother of Joan Bloom Reimer ’42. ’46 Barbara Perkins Stuart, 5/13/12. ’47 Katherine Kressly Durand, 9/29/10. ’47 Philip Reardon, 8/29/11. ’48 Cornelia Taylor Anthony, 3/30/12. Sister of Julia Taylor Clemens ’52. Cousin of Margery Fenn Williams ’16 (dec’d). ’48 Mary Taylor Gross, 6/17/12. Sister of Josephine Taylor Roberts ’47 and Margaret Taylor Bliss ’52 (dec’d). Mother of Carolyn Gross White ’72, Thomas Gross ’75, and Ann Gross Butenhof ’76. Grandmother of Russell Butenhof ’10. Aunt of James H. Bliss ’77. Cousin of Joan Taylor Sahler ’49 (dec’d), Marjory Bliss Stickler ’58, and Peter Symonds ’59. ’48 James Locke, 5/23/12. ’49 Donald Lunny, 6/14/12. Father of Donald Lunny ’78. ’50 Morey Gibbs, 1/13/10. ’50 Alice Bowers Jenkins 3/13/12. ’50 John King, 6/26/12. Father of James King ’81 and Paula King ’82. ’50 Craig Kraft, 6/6/12. Brother of Quentin Kraft ’52, Allegra Kraft McIver ’54, and Elizabeth Kraft Lee ’58. Nephew of Marjorie Avary McLean ’31 (dec’d). ’50 Orrin Main, 6/4/12. Son of Orrin Main ’18 (dec’d). Brother of Frank Main ’53. ’50 William Nelson, 6/20/10.

’50 Harrison Steege, 11/30/11. ’51 Ronald Decker, 6/17/12. ’52 Robert Ho, 2/17/12. Father of Jonathan Ho ’87. ’52 Richard Mason, 4/5/12. ’53 Sylvia Hathaway Allin, 10/7/10. ’53 Carol Blomquist Brown, 8/29/12. ’53 Janet Smith Hoyt, 4/14/12. ’53 Susan Holbrook Taylor, 5/27/11. Daughter of George Holbrook ’24 (dec’d). Granddaughter of Edward Holbrook ’95 (dec’d). Niece of Dorothy Holbrook Treat ’22 (dec’d), John Holbrook ’28 (dec’d). Grandniece of William Holbrook ’88 (dec’d), Annie Bishop Holbrook ’89 (dec’d).

Cousin of Richard Holbrook ’13 (dec’d), Sidney Holbrook ’14 (dec’d), Barbara Wood Hill ’44, Phyllis Wood Newman ’46 (dec’d), Constance Treat Aron ’47, Nancy Holbrook Ayers ’59, William Holbrook ’62, Mark Holbrook ’79.

Aunt of Tarik Sivonen ’82. ’53 Susan Vick, 8/14/12. Mother of Robert Magie ’79. ’54 Richard Hamilton, 4/18/12. ’54 John Page, 5/23/12. ’55 David Ganly, 8/4/12. Father of Samantha Ganly-Hicks ’88. ’55 E. Bradford Weaver, 2/28/12. ’59 Andrew Colby, 8/1/11. ’60 D. Richard Pooler, 7/1/11. Brother of S. Gordon Pooler ’55 (dec’d). ’60 William Roy, 6/14/12. ’61 Paul Dunn, 8/17/10. ’64 David Mitchell, 6/8/12. ’64 Joan Ranson, 10/12/10. Daughter of Claire Dobson Ranson ’29 (dec’d). ’65 Barbara Buerger Abernathy, 3/8/12. Sister of Gail Buerger Kerr ’61. ’65 Mary Leanna Driftmier Zamora, 4/24/12.

Cousin of Kristin Crandall ’98. ’66 Judith Landfield, 6/8/11. ’68 Stephen Peck, 3/10/12. Brother of David Peck ’71. Uncle of Laurel Daen ’01, Nicholas Daen ’06, and Rebecca Daen ’10. Former husband of Elizabeth Rugg Grybko ’72. ’71 Sarah Cornwall, 2/1/11. ’71 E. Suzanne Hiles, 6/7/12. ’71 Dana Peterson, 10/20/11.

’72 Michael Gassaway, 9/20/10. ’73 Michael Lancaster, 8/29/10. ’74 Leslie Perlman Lipscomb, 1/4/12. Sister of Lee Perlman ’73. ’74 David Parker, 6/28/12. ’79 Robert Bowhers, 7/5/11. ’85 Emily Gillen Ballou, 8/12/12. Cousin of Gail Rossitter ’83. ’86 Abram Gray, 1/4/12. ’87 Alexander O’Connor, 6/6/12. ’90 Mamadou Johnson, 4/29/12. Brother of Djassi Johnson Verini ’92, Yaya Johnson ’00, Djani Johnson ’02. ’93 John Redler, 5/16/12. ’96 Shawn Morey, 4/1/12. ’03 David Bell, 2/8/12.

Deaths—Former Faculty and Staff Ernest Ball, retired staff, 6/8/12.

Lynn Ball, retired staff, 3/18/12. Father of Emily Ball Jillson ’95.

Ruth Bauer, former faculty, 6/12/12. Wife of Frederick Bauer ’39 (dec’d). Mother of Dorothy Bauer ’69.

Ruth Berman, former faculty, 10/21/11.

Elizabeth “Jo” Dorchester, retired faculty, 3/21/12.

Glenn Dulmage, retired faculty, 4/22/12. Father of Cornelia Dulmage ’90.

Carol Gilmore, former faculty, 5/9/12. Aunt of Charles Bankart ’89.

Richard Kidder, former staff, 7/19/12. Father of Carrie Kidder Bentley ’02.

Joseph Patenaude, retired staff, 5/28/12. Husband of Sally Field Patenaude ’53 (dec’d).

Katheryn Rowsey, retired faculty, 5/7/12. Mother of Robert Rowsey ’80, Mary Rowsey Swinney ’82, and Katheryn Rowsey Fournier-DeCoste ’88.

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/ class notes /

in memoriam

BY NOELLE ANSON

Gail Carter Demaine

After a long battle with chronic disease, Gail Carter Demaine, 65, died on January 12, 2012. She served in many capacities at NMH from 1987 through 2011 but was best known as an English teacher, school dean, and coleader of term abroad groups.

Born on October 3, 1946, in Bronxville, N.Y., Gail was the eldest of three children. She graduated from high school in Westfield, N.J., in 1964, and then earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology and English from Susquehanna University in 1968. In 1973, she earned her teaching certification at the University of California at Riverside, where she later earned a master’s in education in 1976. She met her husband, David Demaine, in the summer of 1972 while she was working in the welfare department in Riverside. After they married, Gail continued with her career in social work both in Riverside and in New York City. By the early 1980s, the Demaine family included sons Daniel and Matthew, and in 1987 they all moved to Northfield.

Gail began her NMH career as an English teacher and dorm head of South Crossley.

She coached tennis and track. She also volunteered with literacy projects, as a mediator in small claims court, at the Dickinson Library in Northfield, and with Hospice of Franklin County. She and David led the term abroad Egypt group in 1996 and repeated years later to France and South Africa. In 1996, Gail became one of the deans on the Mt. Hermon campus, eventually becoming associate dean of students and student life in 2000. In 2003, she became senior associate director of community development, and then served as senior associate director of the Center for

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International Education before retiring in 2006. Gail worked as a learning skills tutor until 2011, when David retired and they moved from campus.

Gail was an ardent supporter of the arts, was a member of a book discussion group, sang in a Brattleboro chorus, knitted, and traveled to many countries with her husband. At her service in Memorial Chapel on February 12, 2012, retired faculty member Ted Thornton recalled a trip he and his wife took with the Demaines to Lebanon in 2006.

“We were amazed at how much Gail could pack into a day, given her long battle with chronic disease. With the help of those canes, she moved briskly and firmly. She made the utmost of every experience no matter what the challenges.” Also on that day, friend and colleague Meg Donnelly commented on Gail’s philosophy of life: “Gail refused to let her own sadness, fears, frustrations, and disappointments negatively affect anyone else. She chose to be happy, to make the best of things, to find joy.”

Gail is survived by her husband David; son Daniel ’96, his wife and their three children; her mother Annette Carter; and her two brothers. Gail was predeceased by her father and son Matthew ’00. Gifts in Gail’s memory can be directed to the Matthew Demaine Memorial Scholarship Fund at NMH, c/o Kristin Kellom in the Office of Advancement. ♦

Glenn T. Dulmage

Glenn Dulmage, teacher of English as a second language and director of the ESL Program at NMH from 1980 to 1995, died April 22, 2012, at the age of 77.

Born on June 2, 1934, in Jacksonville, Fla., Glenn graduated from Windsor Mountain School in Lenox, Mass., in 1951 and went on to earn a bachelor’s in English literature from Wesleyan. Glenn served in the U.S. Army from 1957 to 1960, and worked at other jobs

for several years before becoming the Sports Illustrated reference librarian from 1964 to 1970. He and Juliana married in 1968 and joined the Peace Corps in 1970.

The Dulmages spent five years in the West African nation of Côte d’Ivoire. They taught high school English and in a teacher training program. Daughter Corey ’90 was born in 1972. In 1975, the family moved to Mashhad, Iran, to join the English language program at Ferdowsi University. Both Glenn and Juli taught classes there, and, according to their supervisor, willingly served on every committee in the department, doing everything from curriculum development to directing a language course in Farsi for new staff members.

In 1978, they returned to the States.

Glenn earned a master’s in teaching English as a second language from SUNY-Albany in 1979 and that fall the Dulmage family moved to NMH. A year later, Glenn was appointed director of the ESL program, a position he held until his retirement in June 1995. Glenn developed computing skills and became an important resource for those in the administration. Former Head of School Richard Unsworth commented in 1985 that Glenn was “the world’s most gracious and generous instructor in computer utilization.” Glenn also worked extensively with foreign students, coled the Egypt program for several years, and traveled to Saudi Arabia and the Middle East as NMH’s representative.

At home, Glenn and Juli worked tirelessly for the Community Meals Program and Community Circle, both volunteering elsewhere as well. They were jointly given a President’s Award for their volunteerism in June 1989.

As he prepared to retire in 1995, then Head of School Jacqueline Smethurst wrote: “You have contributed fully and brilliantly to the life of the school.” Ginny Brooks, chaplain during his tenure, said: “I’ll always remember Glenn as being at the heart of community life at NMH. He had that classic ‘can-do’ spirit of ex-Peace Corps volunteers, ready to pitch in with whatever needed to be done.”

She continued, in a lighter vein, “Glenn was truly in his element enjoying supper at West (Alumni) Hall—both for the camaraderie and the cuisine. His absolute favorite was when the staff put out big tubs of ice cream for dessert. Once when Glenn was laid up at home with severe back pain, Ed and I made a pastoral call. I’ll never forget how Glenn’s face lit up when we presented him with a half gallon of ice cream to speed his recovery.” After retiring to Chestertown, Md., Glenn’s interests included volunteering with the AARP Tax Aide Program, photography, scuba diving, and birding.

/ class notes /

Glenn is survived by his wife of 44 years, Juliana Kasius Dulmage, his daughter Cornelia Dulmage ’90, and son-in-law Zachariah Schmitt.

A service celebrating Glenn’s life was held in Chestertown on June 2, 2012. The family requested that memorial contributions be directed to the Annual Fund at NMH or to a charity of the donor’s choice. ♦

Louise Elizabeth “Jo” Dorchester

Louise Elizabeth “Jo” Dorchester, 93, died on March 21, 2012, after a period of failing health. She taught mathematics and French at NMH for 37 years, from 1944 until her retirement in 1981.

Jo Dorchester was born on July 25, 1918, in Montclair, N.J. She chose to be called Jo, after the character in Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, because “she didn’t think she was a ‘Betty,’” according to her friend, former NMH faculty member Sara Jane Moss. Jo graduated from Montclair High School in 1935 and continued her education at Middlebury College, where she earned her bachelor’s in 1940. She returned to Middlebury decades later for a master’s in French, graduating in 1969. She never married.

During her high school years, Jo became a cook during the summers at Camp Kehonka in Wolfeboro, N.H. For the next 30-plus years, she spent summers at the camp, eventually becoming a counselor and then a teacher of canoeing, water safety, hiking, and mountaineering. Jo also served for a time as secretary to Laura Mattoon, founder of Camp Kehonka and the American Camping Association.

Jo taught French and mathematics in Newfield, N.Y., before arriving at Northfield School for Girls in 1944 to teach French and mathematics. She never left, considering that she had the best of both worlds, teaching at

Northfield and spending summers at camp.

In her years at NMH, Jo served as dorm parent, academic counselor, and administrator in charge of College Board testing. Unlike some others, she took the merger in stride, teaching at NMH until she retired and remaining in Northfield afterward. She moved to Brattleboro three years before her death.

Jo was an avid downhill skier. The other great interest in her life was the cello.

Although introduced to the instrument in her mid-fifties, Sara Jane Moss said Jo played with great enthusiasm until very late in her life. Jo volunteered at the Brattleboro Music Center, and she was a member of the Windham Orchestra and its music librarian for many years.

Jo is survived by two cousins. A memorial service was held at Centre Congregational Church in Brattleboro, Vt., on April 21, 2012, and burial was in the family plot at Mt. Hebron Cemetery in Upper Montclair, N.J. Memorial contributions may be made either to Hilltop House, 65 Harris Ave., or Brattleboro Music Center, 38 Walnut St., both Brattleboro, VT 05301. ♦

Katheryn “Kay” Johnson Rowsey

Katheryn J. Rowsey, known to everyone as Kay, was a faculty member at NMH for more than 30 years, teaching AP biology and related subjects until her retirement in 2002. She fought a decade-long battle with COPD, succumbing to its effects on May 7, 2012, at the age of 71.

Kay was born February 17, 1941, in Greenwich, Conn. An only child, she graduated from Immaculata High School in Detroit, and then continued her education at Nasson College, where she met Elliott Rowsey.

Kay and Elliott married in 1960, while Kay was still an undergraduate, and she graduated summa cum laude in 1962 with a bachelor’s in biological science.

After college, Kay and Elliott moved to Hampton, N.H., where Kay worked as a substitute teacher at Winnecunnet High School.

In 1970, the Rowsey family, now including two children, moved to NMH, where Elliott had accepted a position as registrar. The Rowseys’ third child was born in early 1971.

The following fall term, Kay began her NMH career as a biology teacher.

In 1980, Kay and colleague Carol Knox copublished Problems in Biology: A Biology Laboratory Guide that was used in their classes for years. In 1981, Kay traveled to the Galapágos Islands, later producing a pictorial exhibit on the theory of evolution for the school. She led a school trip to England in 1984, was awarded the Theodore Carpenter Fellowship for excellence in teaching in the field of science in 1985, and later participated in teacher exchange programs in Swaziland and Beijing. In the late 1990s, she and religion teacher Ed Brooks cotaught a course called Human Genetics and Ethical Decisions.

With Elliott, Kay traveled on sabbaticals to many countries, fulfilling a lifelong dream to travel around the world in the 1990s. In addition to teaching, Kay coached girls’ tennis, was a dorm head, served as a weekend dean, and was an adviser to the yearbook. Outside interests included tennis, cooking, cribbage and bridge, the Red Sox, and the Patriots.

After her death, Kelley Borg Duffy ’92 wrote on Facebook: “Kay Rowsey has been one of my heroes ever since AP Bio…that class transformed what I thought I could do.”

At her memorial service, Ed Brooks commented that Kay met “every day with joy… with a grit and determination to make the best of it. She knew how to manage bad news, how to stand up to disappointment, how to wring magic out of a vanilla Monday, how to plan a party when there was the slightest excuse for celebration.” Dick Peller added: “You could always depend on Kay to be refreshingly honest and direct…Those who didn’t know her well thought her gruff; those who got to know her loved her soft and sensitive side.” Retired faculty members Nelson ’56 and Carol Lebo said Kay was brilliant, loving, and competitive, played mean games of bridge and tennis, was not one to suffer fools gladly but was incredibly kind and generous with her friends, family, and students.

Kay is survived by her husband, Elliott; their children Robert ’80, Mary Rowsey Swinney ’82, and Katheryn Rowsey FournierDeCoste ’88; and eight grandchildren. A memorial service was held in Memorial Chapel on June 17, 2012. Memorial contributions may be sent to Kristin Kellom in the NMH Office of Advancement. ♦

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parting words

by KIMMIE WEEKS ’01

Your Victory Is What You Make It

As a child, Kimmie Weeks ’01 survived war and refugee camps. At Commencement 2012, he told graduates: “You can and must contribute to the eradication of human suffering.”

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but one day, the administration said there would be no more Chinese food delivery on campus. Everybody was sad. They thought they would have a semester full of misery.

I said, “Listen, back in Liberia, I was doing marches against warlords and dictators, standing up against tyrants and war criminals. My roommate in Tron had survived the war in Kosovo. So why couldn’t we organize a massive protest against the administration?”

I had grand ideas. Let’s go up and get Ford Cottage, I said. Let’s go slow on work job. But it was easier to organize against evil dictators in Liberia than it was to get NMH students to protest for the cause. So we did the next best thing: One of my dormmates, Samir Pancha ’02, helped us email a passionate letter to the entire school through SWIS. And in a few hours, every student on campus was emailing their passionate responses: Bring back the Chinese food deliveryman!

We held our breath, sure that Mr. Richard Mueller, the head of school, would suspend us. It never happened. In a few days, the Chinese food deliveryman was allowed to come back to campus and there was great jubilation.

This may seem like a trivial example, but today we are seeing major revolutions that are sparked by small, isolated events and that use previously unproven methods.

Whether it’s stopping corrupt governments and dictators or bringing back the Chinese food deliveryman, it is clear that great things start in insignificant places. Your victory is simply what you make it.

The world is filled with extreme challenges and troubles. Everywhere I go, I see the pains of the world’s people. I see mothers who cannot feed their children, young

women turning to prostitution to feed themselves, young men being forced into rebel armies as killers. I see people dying from illnesses that are inexpensive to cure.

It is a hard world and my challenge is that you can and must find a way to contribute to the eradication of human suffering, no matter what field you go into.

When I graduated from Amherst College, most of my classmates were getting job offers from all the big investment banks. They were coming to me on the eve of graduation, saying, “Kimmie, we’re going to get these fat jobs and make a lot of money. Please don’t un-friend us on Facebook because we’re not humanitarians.”

And I said, “No, go ahead. Make all the money you can make. Just make sure you send a check to my organization.”

So, no matter what you do in life, I admonish you to bring a little less pain into the life of at least one other human being. That, my friends, is the least you can do. There will always be those who speak against you; even the best of us will not be loved by everyone whose paths we cross. But your task must never be trying to be loved by all. Your task is simply to give love to what you do and give love to the world. You will be rewarded in remarkable ways.

Kimmie Weeks is an award-winning children’s rights activist and the executive director of Youth Action International.

Photos: Glenn Minshall

I entered NMH in 2000. I was fresh from Liberia, where I had experienced years of destruction and deep human suffering. My father died when I was 6 and my single mother was always troubled to pay my school tuition. There were many days and weeks that we were out of school as war was waged around us, and when we did go back, usually we were taught by teachers who had no books, no chalk, no pencils— and that was if they showed up at all.

When I arrived at Northfield Mount Hermon, everything at the school fascinated me. Some of the simplest things were significantly awesome: the fact that I could choose my own courses; the fact that some classes had eight students in them. I was coming from a place where we had classes of 50 to 100 students. I said to myself, “If this is Earth, then paradise has truly come down.”

The one year I had at NMH turned out to be the springboard for the rest of my life.

Even though at a certain point, I freaked out about how isolated the school was and wanted to get out, my experience there opened doors and created opportunities, gave me confidence in my ability to excel, and made me steadfast in my determination to succeed.

I come from a background of activism in Liberia. I had already begun to see that the revolutions that transform the world are often born out of nothing. Great things start small and in insignificant places. A few months after I got to school, a situation happened that demonstrated this.

This was way before Facebook and social networking and Twitter, but we students launched our own online activism campaign. We used to enjoy having Chinese food delivered to our dorm after hours,

“

There has to be an emotional component to giving, and knowing that one’s gifts are aiding remarkable young women feels wonderful.

giving back

“ Photos: Courtesy of NMH Archives

Embracing the Spirit of Northfield Good things happen in threes—and the Northfield School for Girls Scholarship Fund is proof.

In December 2011, NMH trustees Thomas ’58 and Ellen Watson Payzant ’58 wanted to make a gift to NMH but were unsure how to earmark it. Allyson Goodwin ’83, P ’12, P ’14, chief advancement officer at NMH and longtime Northfield enthusiast, had an idea. Through her work, she has met hundreds of Northfield graduates, and has always been struck by their spunk, intelligence, and pride in having attended one of the most rigorous women’s schools in the country. She had been thinking about starting a scholarship fund to support a female student who represents the spirit of Northfield, she told the Payzants. Were they interested?

Oh, yes. Yes, indeed.

Not only had Ellen Payzant loved her Northfield experience, she also had met Tom, her husband of 50 years—“my Hermonite,” she says—while she was a Northfielder. “I thought the fund was a terrific idea,” says Tom. “It validates the commitment to provide equal opportunity in an inclusive school community.”

Next came Suzanne Steenburg Hill ’66, who joined in with a substantial online donation. “The idea was so crucial at this particular time, while NMH is dealing with the loss of the Northfield campus,” she says. “There has to be an emotional component to giving, and knowing that one’s gifts are aiding remarkable young women feels wonderful.”

The same day that Hill gave to the fund, Goodwin received the unexpected news of a $500,000 bequest from the estate of Carol Chase ’58. The bequest, which went straight to the Northfield scholarship fund, was the third

piece of extraordinary luck—or, as Goodwin calls it, “kismet.”

With these three founding contributions, the Northfield School for Girls Scholarship Fund now totals more than $600,000—an unusually strong start for a scholarship fund, and a compelling opportunity for alumni to pay their life-changing experience forward.

Scholarship recipients will receive funding throughout their time at NMH. The hardest challenge of all may be finding a single student who embodies the Northfield spirit: a girl with outstanding academic skills, curiosity, confidence, caring, and poise; a girl who carries the grace and intelligence of her predecessors. Certainly, there is no shortage of candidates.

Contact Allyson Goodwin (agoodwin@nmhschool.org) for more information about the NSFG Scholarship Fund.

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The residents of Wallace celebrate at the 2012 Hogolympics in September.

calendar For more information about alumni and parent events, contact the advancement office at 413-498-3600 or email events@nmhschool. org. Find updates and other school information on the NMH website: www. nmhschool.org. To reach the switchboard, call 413498-3000.

Campus Vespers December 9

Family Days February 8â&#x20AC;&#x201C;9

Christmas Vespers in Boston December 20 Emmanuel Church

Reunion Work Day March 2 on campus

D.L. Moody Society Reception, NYC (by invitation) January 31

Concert of Sacred Concert May 5

D.L. Moody Society Brunch (by invitation) May 5 Commencement May 26 Reunion June 6â&#x20AC;&#x201C;9

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