Nobles Magazine, Spring 2016

Page 1

Nobles THE MAGAZINE OF NOBLE AND GREENOUGH SCHOOL

SPRING 2016

Kylie Atwood ’07 Blazes the Trail


PHOTO OF THE DAY January 6, 2016 Students and faculty gathered in Morrison Athletic Center for the annual whole school photo. PHOTO BY BEN HEIDER


contents SPRING 2016

caption

IN EVERY ISSUE Letter From the Head 3 Reflections What Nobles folks are saying on campus and online

2

4

The Bulletin News and notes

16

By the Numbers Buildings and Grounds

17

My 5 Books Nourishment by memoir

18 Sports The girls do it again 20 Development Campus projects announced

FEATURES 24

Building Opportunity Ten years of Nobles in New Orleans

28

Food for Thought Three grads focus on food

36

Cover Story: On the Campaign Trail Kylie Atwood ’07 covers the candidates On the cover: Kylie Atwood ’07 started her career in journalism with the Nobleman. Media legend Bob Schieffer was her mentor. Now, she is covering the 2016 presidential campaign—and loving it. Photo by Christian Fleury

22 Perspectives The work that matters 40

Graduate News Nobles graduate updates: what, when, where, why and how Nobles grads are doing

56 Archive


Nobles

letter from the head

SPRING 2016

Keeping It Civil HOW DO YOU EDUCATE STUDENTS for, as the school mission

describes, “purposeful citizenship on local, national and global levels” in an era when the level of civil discourse seems to be deteriorating, especially in our public political conversations? Our students witness this deterioration daily in the media and in the presidential campaigns, yet it is critical in a secondary school that we construct an environment that encourages the dialectical process and create a space where sharp disagreements in pursuit of truth are mutually respectful. The faculty and administration at Nobles have been discussing this challenge privately and publicly over the past several months. There are no simple responses, but as a teacher of AP European history, I can tell you how I approach the situation. History affords many examples, and it is critical for adolescents to perceive that their current experience of the American political culture is neither unique nor irresolvable. In the 19th century, many of the political terms that persist in the 21st century came into common usage in Western civilization. These include ideological labels like liberal, conservative, socialist, nationalist and authoritarian. The precise meanings, contexts and implications of these terms have certainly shifted, and in some cases have been quite significantly transformed, yet elements of their core assumptions remain consistent and represent responses to life in industrialized, urbanized, technologically advancing Western society. I discuss Emperor Napoleon III of France, for instance, who ruled from 1850 to 1871, with the perspective that he proposed authoritarian solutions for a deeply divided and troubled nation, and yet was profoundly influenced by liberal notions of equality before the law and universal male suffrage. I present Prussian, and later German, Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, who was in power from 1866 to 1890, from the point of view that this intuitively conservative member of the ruling caste also appropriated both nationalist notions from liberals and commitments to the welfare state from socialists. My intention through these conversations is to help students perceive synthesis, pragmatism and broader historical forces. They then make their own connections to the current American predicament, as well as to the ideological currents that underpin the views of current political candidates. Other academic disciplines directly and indirectly strive to instill similar respect for process and rationality in the development of ideas and approaches, in contrast to emotion and impulse. We also seek to foster empathy and perspective in contrast to assumption and insensitivity. This does not constitute political correctness; rather, it places emphasis on mutual respect and human dignity, and on reflection and reasoning. None of this is simple, and students are experiencing this at the same time they are striving to understand and articulate their own identities and beliefs, sometimes in contrast to or in defense of family or religious values. In the end, however, what I am describing is at the heart of a liberal arts education, with roots in the Enlightenment of the 18th century, and the role of education in a culture and society that seems to be increasingly divided and materially high-tech. Because Nobles is a human institution, we will surely do this imperfectly, but the ongoing effort cuts right to the core of the mission of the school to inspire leadership for the public good. —ROBERT P. HENDERSON JR. ’76, HEAD OF SCHOOL

2 Nobles SPRING 2016

Editor Heather Sullivan DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

Assistant Editors Kim Neal

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

Ben Heider

DIGITAL VIDEO PRODUCER/WRITER

Alexis Sullivan

WRITER/CONTENT MANAGER

Design 2COMMUNIQUÉ WWW.2COMMUNIQUE.COM

Photography Tim Carey Michael Dwyer Christian Fleury Ben Heider John Hirsch Julie Kraft Leah LaRiccia Kim Neal John Risley The Editorial Committee Brooke Asnis ’90 Greg Croak ’06 John Gifford ’86 Tilesy Harrington Bill Kehlenbeck Nobles is published three times a year for graduates, past and current parents and grandparents, students and supporters of Noble and Greenough School. Nobles is a co-educational, non-sectarian day and partial boarding school for students in grades seven (Class VI) through 12 (Class I). Noble and Greenough is a rigorous academic community that strives for excellence in its classroom teaching, intellectual growth in its students and commitment to the arts, athletics and service to others. For further information and up-to-the-minute graduate news, visit www.nobles.edu. Letters and comments may be emailed to Heather_Sullivan@ nobles.edu. We also welcome old-fashioned mail sent c/o Noble and Greenough School, 10 Campus Drive, Dedham, MA 02026. The office may be reached at 781-320-7268. © Noble and Greenough School 2016


Want to read more community musings? Go to www.nobles.edu/blogs. You can also follow us on Instagram at instagram.com/nobleandgreenough.

We have each other. We believe in who we are. And that matters. —BILL BUSSEY, PROVOST, ON “THE VALUE OF VOICES,” FEBRUARY 2016 NOBLES PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER

Although today’s threats are real and, in some cases, dire, I worry that too many of our generation’s leaders are talking far too often about fears instead of dreams, problems instead of solutions, differences instead of the empathic community-building ethics, principles and values that so many of us share. As we prepare for, and worry about, today’s challenges and threats, I wonder what we teach our children: about human potential, about what they can and should expect from themselves and others, about the values and ideas for which they should work hard, about the primacy of hope in a life well lived. —MICHAEL DENNING, UPPER SCHOOL HEAD, ON “A DICKENSIAN HOLIDAY: CONVERSATIONS WITH MY GRANDMOTHER AND SPIRITS OF THE PAST, THE PRESENT AND THE BETTER DAYS YET TO COME,” JANUARY 2016 NOBLES PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER

It seems to me that the great musicians are actually great spirits who’ve chosen music, or music has chosen them, to communicate with the rest of us. Here are a few great spirits. —PAUL LIEBERMAN, PERFORMING ARTS FACULTY, INTRODUCING THE BAND AT THE SECOND ANNUAL GREAT BLACK POP MUSIC ASSEMBLY IN CELEBRATION OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH

JANUARY 7, VIA INSTAGRAM: Mr. Shumway introduces students to the complex world of technology. Image by Tim Barry ’16 #NoblemanOnline

JANUARY 30, VIA INSTAGRAM: Nobles basketball defeats Roxbury Latin, cheered on by a crowd of more than 150 fans from @noblesdawgpound. Image by Tim Barry ’16

It really opened my eyes to the world of academic support, learning disabilities, study skills and neuropsychological evaluation. It has made me think of ways in which I can speak to all 12 or 15 of my students at least once before they leave class every day. —MIKE HOE, SCIENCE FACULTY, ON THE EFFECT HIS MIND, BRAIN AND EDUCATION M.A. FROM HARVARD HAS ON HIS TEACHING STRATEGIES, JANUARY 2016 NOBLES LEARNING SPECIALISTS’ “STUDIES SHOW” PODCAST SPRING 2016 Nobles 3


the bulletin NEWS FROM OUR CAMPUS & COMMUNITY

From left to right: George Lee ’84, Frances Jensen P’08 and Nell Irvin Painter challenge conventional wisdom.

What’s the Big Idea? Getting to know the unknowable In winter 2016, Nobles welcomed distinguished speakers to campus to help the community consider big ideas as diverse as the construction of being “white,” the possibility of humans fusing with technology, and why teenage brains are special. Here’s a sample of what our guests had to say. GEORGE LEE ’84, CO-HEAD OF GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY, MEDIA AND TELECOM BANKING, GOLDMAN SACHS On January 19, George Lee ’84, a Goldman Sachs partner with a proclivity for hightech innovation, spoke to graduates. His talk, “Intro to the Future,” focused on the exponential acceleration of development in technology and how that might affect

assembly highlights

human existence. The following day, Lee spoke to students in long assembly. “I’m here to talk about the future,” he said. Lee suggested that the future should be studied with the same rigor that students at places like Nobles study history. “If there is a place where the future bleeds into the present, it is Silicon Valley,” he said, citing the mindsets of

innovative entrepreneurs like Tesla Founder Elon Musk and Uber CEO Travis Kalanick who see themselves as inventors of the future. Lee put technology developments since his adolescence into perspective: “On Google, I can immediately tap into 100 times more information than President Reagan had access to during his presidency.” Lee cited Moore’s Law, which predicts a doubling in technological capability about every two years. “It’s an inexorable upward path,” Lee said. “If this historically inexorable path continues, things are going to get weird in the world of technology.” Lee also posited that artificial intelligence could surpass human intelligence in the next 20–30 years. He also

in high school. When

even harder. Although

a four-year spot on the

is open about the

coaches discouraged

repeatedly cut from

U.S. Naval Academy

hard work and mental

Sailoring On

about overcoming fail-

him from pursuing

teams, Accomando re-

crew team, followed

commitment it took to

English teacher and

ures in cross-country,

their sports, challeng-

jected limitations that

by coaching success

overcome his initial

crew coach Josh Ac-

hockey, football and

ing his ability and

others placed on him.

at Harvard and now,

setbacks, and inspires

comando opened up

rowing as a student

confidence, he trained

His drive landed him

Nobles. Accomando

the same work ethic

4 Nobles SPRING 2016


spoke about the advent of gene editing, advanced robotic surgery and driverless cars, which could deliver a trillion dollars or more of societal benefit. Many of the advances call for a greater emphasis on the role of ethics and philosophy in technological change, including the need to program ethical parameters or “behavioral guard rails” into artificial intelligence, he said. “It’s the beginning of a new era of technology. The fabric of socioeconomics and government is going to be strained by these technologies.” Lee cited many profound opportunities and challenges of living in the new world. “We will need to manage and coevolve [with technology] and make it a force for good.”

FRANCES E. JENSEN, NEUROSCIENTIST AND AUTHOR

On February 16, Frances Jensen, neuroscientist and mother of Will Murphy ’08, spoke at a faculty meeting about her research and some of its implications. Jensen’s book, The Teenage Brain: A Neuroscientist’s Survival Guide to Raising Adolescents and Young Adults (Harper Press, 2015), is a layperson’s guide for understanding how the frontal lobe—and other fledgling areas of the teen brain—allow for sometimesbizarre, sometimes-brilliant behavior. “The brain is the last part of the body

to mature, [which is why] we sometimes call teens ‘Ferraris with weak brakes,’” she said. She talked about plasticity and the extraordinary number of synapses that allow for efficient learning, both good and bad. “The teenage brain is a learning machine—it can do amazing feats,” she said. Jensen’s book offers context related to stress, memory, sleep, addiction and decision making. She is chair of the Department of Neurology in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Jensen spoke to faculty members about the importance of helping teens scaffold in the midst of behavior that can baffle those whose synapses have been significantly pruned over time (adults). “Don’t alienate them. You want to give them a frontal lobe assist,” she said.

NELL IRVIN PAINTER, AUTHOR AND PROFESSOR EMERITA OF HISTORY AT PRINCETON

On February 17, Nell Irvin Painter spoke at long assembly about her book The History of White People (W.W. Norton & Company, 2010). “My book is about discourse. It is about the construction of whiteness,” she told students and faculty members. Painter explained the origin of the word “Caucasian” as related to the beauty of people of the Caucasus,

the region where Europe and Asia meet, between the Black and Caspian Seas. The term was coined by German philosopher Christoph Meiners in the late 18th century, and it was popularized by German scientist Johann Friedrich Blumenbach, she said. Through the history of science and anthropology, the assumed number of races has changed. Painter also said that scientists have never agreed on what to measure to determine race. She explored ideas and shared historical anecdotes related to eugenics, the right to vote and how, in the 19th century, thought leaders, including Ralph Waldo Emerson, believed in “English traits” that made Anglo-Saxons superior to the Celts. “People like Emerson thought they belonged to a different race. Irish people were stigmatized,” she said. She further traced the evolving idea of race, including the effects of Nazi Germany and postWorld War II suburbanization. Painter identified the messiness in distinguishing between race and ethnicity and talked about the evolution of what’s “packed into whiteness”: political power and wealth. Ultimately, Painter said that race won’t go away, and that the murkiness of its borders will continue to defy absolute categorization. “Human history is a story of migration and sex,” she said. —HEATHER SULLIVAN

and positivity in his

stage with French

lowers with terrorism

peaceful, kind and

Honoring Scalia

Antonin Scalia. Den-

students and athletes.

teacher Amadou Seck

and violence. Instead,

compassionate lives

History teacher and

ning admitted, “If you

to dispel misconcep-

Seck shared that

that seek to benefit

Upper School Head Mi-

had told me 10 years

Mythbusters

tions about Islam and

truly faithful Muslims,

those around them.

chael Denning honored

ago I’d be up here do-

Head of School Bob

reject associations of

the overwhelming

the legacy of the late

ing this, I would have

Henderson took the

the religion and its fol-

majority, embrace

Supreme Court Justice

been surprised;

SPRING 2016 Nobles 5


the bulletin

Denna Strong DENNA LAING ’10 and her Boston Pride teammates entered Gillette Stadium on New Year’s Eve 2015 for the Women’s Winter Classic, poised to make history. Along with the Montréal Canadiennes, they would be the first team ever to take part in a professional women’s outdoor hockey game. Laing’s dreams took a gut-wrenching turn when she crashed headfirst into the boards and suffered a severe spinal injury that paralyzed her below the waist and limited the mobility in her arms. Now she channels the singular spirit she’s known for bringing to the ice into physical therapy at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. On January 20, she promised her Facebook followers, “My goal every day is to do one thing better or do one thing more than I did yesterday.” Friend and teammate Marissa Gedman ’10, now a science teaching fellow at Nobles, says, “Denna has been teaching me since the day we met in seventh grade in the Morrison Forum, from her days in the dorm, where she was legendary for her ability to connect with people from all backgrounds and unite the boarding community, to her legacy down at the Bliss Omni and Flood Rink, during her six seasons on the varsity team.” Coach Tom Resor says, “Denna has always been the quintessential teammate: Dedicated and unselfish, she is sincerely concerned about the fabric of the group, and she loves being part of a

“My goal every day is to do one thing better or do one thing more than I did yesterday.” —DENNA LAING ’10

team that works together to achieve a goal that is more important than individual accomplishments. She was part of five ISL Championships and two New England Tournament Championships. Denna played the first tournament with a broken bone in her hand and the second tournament with a dislocated rib. Despite being limited to one good hand, she found a way to make plays and never missed a shift as we won both championships.”

Laing has received overwhelming support—not only from her hockey “family” in the United States and abroad, but from countless sports teams and young athletes who admire her fire. The Boston Bruins and the NHL have each pledged $200,000 to the Denna Laing Fund, and organizations, from Boston Pride to her alma mater Princeton, have held “Denna Days.” The 2016 Charity Beanpot Challenge, held by the Travis Roy Foundation

I disagreed with many

about them for the

voters as we select

A Piece to Remember

spection involved in

revolve around quan-

of his positions. But he

past 30 years.” During

the president who

Vocalist and pianist

the college process.

tifiable achievements

was an intellectual gi-

this election year,

will be responsible

Sabrina Li Shen ’17

“So much of our lives

and competition with

ant and helped shape

Denning urged, “We

for nominating our

performed an original

as high school stu-

each other, which I

the laws of our country

need to think about

next Supreme Court

song she composed,

dents—specifically as

recognize as neces-

and the ways we think

our responsibility as

justices.”

inspired by the intro-

Nobles students—

sary, but I still find

6 Nobles SPRING 2016


Earning for Achieve

Above: Images like these, of hockey teams forming Denna’s jersey numbers, are flooding Twitter and Instagram. Laing played #10 for Assabet and Nobles, #14 for Princeton, and wore the two for #24 for the Boston Pride. Left: Laing playing for Nobles during her final season in 2010.

and the Mark Bavis Leadership Foundation, also set aside $50,000 for a cominghome fund for Laing. At Nobles, students and faculty wrote messages of encouragement to Laing on a poster in Gleason Hall and delivered it to her hospital room in January. During a series of home hockey and basketball games on February 18 and 19, students raised funds by selling “Denna Strong” shirts and bracelets; athletes wore the shirts during warm-ups, and hockey players donned yellow tape to honor Laing. Gedman says, “I am so grateful to Denna for showing me the way to make valuable relationships and how to be a leader, but most recently, I am learning from Denna that life isn’t perfect, but despite the cards you’re dealt, what is

most important is how you play them. With a smile on her face and determination in her eyes, Denna is once again showing her character in the face of this recent adversity, and as only she can do, handling it with grit and grace.” Less than two weeks after her accident, Laing posted on Facebook, “For a long time I have been looking for a new challenge. Even though I was not expecting it be this, here we go.... I don’t want you to feel bad for me. This is a moment to remember for women’s hockey.... I would never take those moments back.”

Achieve, a tuition-free program housed on Nobles’ campus, provides intensive academic support and social enrichment for low-income middle school students from Boston. On February 2, the Bruins chose Achieve as their featured charity for a 50/50 raffle. More than 40 volunteers sold $17,000 worth of raffle tickets, earning Achieve $8,500. “Despite the Bruins giving up a 3–1 lead [over the Toronto Maple Leafs] in the third period and losing in overtime, it was a hugely successful evening and so much fun!” said Achieve’s Development Officer Cat Kershaw of the event. The evening was made possible by a grant from the Boston Bruins Foundation.

—KIM NEAL For more information and to donate, visit dennalaing.org.

myself wishing for

sounds, it comes down

Flamenco Beats

mesmerized with her

Japan, she moved to

Morocco, Cyprus and

something bigger and

to this: I want to be

For a flamenco per-

expressive move-

Madrid 20 years ago

Canada with Cristóbal

better. Writing this

remembered for some-

formance in February,

ments and enviable

to study the traditional

Reyes Flamenco Com-

song was my way of

thing greater than

audiences clapped

rhythm, is not your

Spanish dance; since

pany, Sueño Flamenco

working through that,

numbers and scores

along and yelled, “Olé!”

traditional flamenco

then, she’s performed

and Ballet Flamenco

and as contrived as it

and words on paper.”

Yosi Karahashi, who

dancer. Originally from

in Spain, Japan,

Olé Madrid. Accompa-

SPRING 2016 Nobles 7


the bulletin

Chinese Hockey Hopefuls Come West On January 30, 2016, the New York Times featured an article on Chinese youth coming to the United States to improve their hockey skills. The piece, titled “Honing Skills in U.S., a Group of Teenagers Is Fueling China’s Hockey Shift,” featured a photo of Phillips Academy Andover and Nobles facing off on the ice. Nobles player, Ou Li ’16, (not pictured) has played for China’s U18 team in addition to Nobles.

Katie Benzan Scores 2,000+ Points On February 10, 2016, Katie Benzan ’16 became the 64th student-athlete in Massachusetts to reach the 2,000-point mark. As senior captain of the varsity girls basketball team, Benzan scored 18 points in Nobles’ 65–33 win over Independent School League rival Groton. Benzan helped lead her team to its 13th consecutive ISL Championship. The Boston Globe and the Boston Herald reported Benzan’s milestone. She will play basketball at Harvard University next year.

nying guitarist Anto-

each year to hone his

ternational Flamenco

Lawrence Auditorium

swords. Lingos-Utley,

Spontaneous Fist. As

nio Tiriti has studied

technique. He has

Guitar Composition

as kung fu student

a first-degree black

a national competitor

music since he was

performed numerous

competition.

Sonia Lingos-Utley

sash, studies a style

in a male-dominated

13, and flamenco

times in Spain and has

’17 whirled across

called Tzu Zan Chuan,

sport, Sonia prides

guitar since he was

won third place in the

She Fights Like a Girl

the stage, skillfully

which means the Way

herself on excelling at

20. He travels to Spain

Foro Flamenco’s In-

An awed hush fell over

slicing the air with

of the Natural and

sparring, semipadded

8 Nobles SPRING 2016

HOCKEY IMAGE: GRETCHEN ERTL/THE NEW YORK TIMES/REDUX


PINNING THE PROFOUND to life in general. He exemplifies noble character and inspires After 35 consecutive years, Coach Steve Toubman has chosen his students and wrestlers to aspire to higher goals. He has been to step down from his position as head coach of Nobles’ wresinstrumental in shaping the lives of Caitlin and Andrew.” tling program. Since his decision last spring, the local wrestling Eric Nguyen, who teaches mathematics at Nobles and community has worked to honor the career of the man who, as coached alongside Toubman for four years, speaks of his hisDirector of Athletics Alex Gallagher ’90 described in assembly, tory with Toubman: “I remember competing against Nobles “very quietly went about becoming one of the greatest coaches when I was in high school, and I always admired and respected in the 150-year history of this school.” Steve for his integrity, the way he connected with his athletes Hans Vitzhum ’11, who was a 2010 Warren E. Storer Award and his knowledge of the sport. That I would have the opporrecipient and selected for All-League in 2011, expressed appreciation for Toubman, saying, “More than anything, Coach tunity to coach alongside him is one of the reasons I chose to come to Nobles. He has been a phenomenal mentor and has makes adults. A foundation of discipline and hard work are too helped me become a better coach, teacher and person.” cliché to describe what he gave me and every other wrestler The Independent School League Council recently honored who enters that room. He affected more lives than any of us Toubman with the ISL Excellence Award, which is reserved realize. The wrestling seasons were my happiest times at for those coaches who, as Gallagher explained in assembly, Nobles. I can’t thank him enough for everything he has done.” “have crossed the line from great coach to legend.” Nobles will Aditya Mukerjee ’08, a winner of the Wilbur F. Storer Award, commemorate Toubman’s influence with the Steve Toubman says Toubman’s influence on his life continued long after his graduation. “The most valuable lessons I learned at Nobles—the Award, given to a member of Nobles’ wrestling team who exemones that affect me day in and day out even today—are the ones I plifies superb sportsmanship, positive leadership and a passion for wrestling. Martin Williams ’16 is the award’s first recipient. learned on the mat. Coach Toubman, through wrestling, taught me not to fear hard work, either physical or mental.” —ALEXIS SULLIVAN Parents of Coach Toubman’s wrestlers also recognize the profound effect he has had Toubman, at right, was honored with the ISL on their children. Camellia Bloch calls Coach Excellence Award. Toubman a “mensch,” remembering the day her son Jonathan ’14 decided to join the Nobles wrestling team. “It didn’t take long for us to realize how special the wrestling team is. We cannot say enough about the impact Steve Toubman has had on our son.” Joyce Fai, the mother of Caitlin ’10, Andrew ’14 and Caroline ’21, commends Coach Toubman’s integrity on the mat, in the classroom and in his everyday interactions. “Mr. Toubman,” she says, “is the epitome of an honorable and dedicated Nobles educator, mentor and coach. His lessons transcended the classroom

fighting. “There’s no

Lingos-Utley trains

that has gotten me

with have become as

grew up in the Bronx;

from, from everyone

question of my work

at USA Kung Fu Acad-

to where I am today

close as family, and

there is no one I know

around you, keeps

ethic or skills, and the

emy in Hyannis with

and will continue to

there are few people

who values people

you going and makes

term ‘you fight like

instructor Sifu Eric

be my base for the

I hold higher in this

more than him. The

you so much stron-

a girl’ has become

Cruz. “Kung fu has

rest of my life. The

world than Sifu. He

constant support, no

ger, both mentally

a compliment.”

taught me everything

people I’ve trained

is Puerto Rican and

matter where you’re

and physically.”

SPRING 2016 Nobles 9


the bulletin

Faculty in the News Recent accomplishments of Nobles faculty and staff members demonstrate their engagement with the world beyond campus. The following faculty members provide diplomatic, emotional and educational support to local and global communities alike. After a nomination by the Senegalese community, its acceptance by President Macky Sall and its confirmation by the U.S. State Department, Nobles French teacher Amadou Seck will serve as the honorary consul for the Republic of Senegal in the State of Massachusetts. Seck’s diplomatic duties will include the assistance of local Senegalese compatriots as they obtain legal documents and the facilitation of trade opportunities between America and Senegal. He will participate in events involving Senegalese officials and visit Senegalese prisoners in local jails. Seck aims to bring the Senegalese community together and increase its visibility in New England. To do so, he plans to establish contact with authorities of Massachusetts, including Governor Charlie Baker and Mayor Marty Walsh. Focusing her efforts more locally, Nobles history and social science faculty member Jenny Carlson-Pietraszek recently joined the board of directors for the Arlington-based grief-support organization the Children’s Room. The Children’s Room provides emotional support for children up to age 19 and their families as they cope with catastrophic loss. Ever since she and her daughters began attending TCR’s peer sup-

port groups in 2009, Carlson-Pietraszek has been increasing her involvement with the organization. As she explains, “I want to do what I can to ensure that families can receive the types of support my daughters and I benefited from when we were living under the dark cloud of grief.” In addition to her work with TCR, Carlson-Pietraszek also co-chairs the Board of Diversity and Inclusiveness Committees at Tenacre Country Day School and cofounded the Alliance of White Anti-Racist Educators (AWARE) at Nobles. Carlson-Pietraszek was also instrumental in the recent accomplishment of Nobles librarians Talya Sokoll and Emily Tragert. Starting with Carlson-Pietraszek’s elective world religion class, Sokoll and Tragert are working to more frequently collaborate with Nobles teachers as they integrate the library’s collection into their curricula. Sokoll and Tragert reported on their efforts in an article titled “Project-Based Collaboration: Young Adult Novels in Content Area Curricula,” which was published in the December 2015 edition of School Library Connection. In the article, Sokoll and Tragert presented their work with Carlson-Pietraszek as a model for other school librarians hoping to increase their involvement in the curricula at their own schools. Sokoll and Tragert described the mutually beneficial collaboration between teachers and librarians as vital for schools moving toward the interdisciplinary scholastic models of the future. —AS

Girls Got Grit

hosted the NEPSAC

Championships. Girls

Championship. Katie

rade Player of the Year.

’16 was named best

Winter 2016 was

Girls Basketball

varsity basketball

Benzan ’16 not only

Girls varsity hockey

New England Division

another victorious

Championship Games

trounced No. 1 seed

scored her historic

dominated Loomis

I Player of the Year.

season for Nobles girls’

and All-Star Games,

Tabor Academy 61–45

2,000th point this sea-

Chaffee to earn the

athletics. The weekend

and the NEPSAC D1

for their fifth straight

son but was named the

Division I Champion-

A Story to Tell

of March 5, Nobles

and D2 Girls Hockey

Class A New England

Massachusetts Gato-

ship; Caitrin Lonergan

During his NED Talk,

10 Nobles SPRING 2016


Strange Surroundings This winter’s Foster Gallery exhibition Strange Surroundings features the work of Somerville-based artist Resa Blatman. Her collection speaks to current environmental issues through cut-edge paintings and installations that show composites of natural images fractured by organic forms. According to Blatman, Strange Surroundings “speaks to the vulnerability of the earth” by recalling “a warming planet, invasive plant and animal species, rising tides and environmental transformations.” For her installations, Blatman spends three to four months digitally designing the surface format, which she then has professionally laser-cut. Once the base structure is complete, she layers, hand-cuts and paints the pieces to produce shapes and shadows that are

at once “both chaotic and dystopian.” Although her work includes a strong focus on a major contemporary issue, Blatman shies away from the term “activist.” She is, as she says, primarily an artist. “While I’m not a scientist or climatologist,” she explains, “I feel deeply motivated to make work that speaks to this pressing issue, and to do my best to provoke thought and spark action in the way in which others view the resources of, and life on, our planet.” Nature has always been an inspiration for Blatman, but it was Josh Fox’s documentary Gasland 1 that motivated her more recent focus on environmental issues. As she says, “This documentary spoke to my fear for life on earth and our destruction of the planet. Gasland 1 made me cry.” Since she began exploring environmen-

tal issues in 2010, Blatman has seen a blossoming of environmental concern manifest in the curriculum of the schools where she displays her artwork. Although her subject is no longer as unusual as it once was, she hopes her collection “offers the audience some beauty and hope in the face of environmental despair.” Blatman enjoys exhibiting her work for academic communities like Nobles. “The conversations I have with the students are valuable to me,” she says, “and I’m inspired by their friendliness, intellect and determination.” Blatman holds an MFA in painting from Boston University and a BFA in graphic design from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Last summer, she took part in the Arctic Circle Residency, where she witnessed evidence of climate change firsthand. —AS

William Wang ’16 said,

one you have to tell.”

country’s history and

membered as the 228

Among those they

when Taiwan held

“Everyone’s an expert

Wang spoke admir-

shared many of his

Incident sparked a pe-

targeted were doctors,

its fourth democratic

on at least one thing—

ingly of his Taiwanese

experiences with his

riod of violence when

lawyers and artists.

election this year, he

their own story. There

grandfather, who

grandson. On February

the Chinese National-

Wang’s grandfather

took it as a sign that

is always someone

grew up during a

28, 1947, an anti-

ist Party forces killed

devoted his life to

his efforts had been

who cares about the

tumultuous time in his

government protest re-

thousands of civilians.

promoting democracy;

rewarded. “Democracy

SPRING 2016 Nobles 11


bulletin

Painting History In an experiential lesson about the Spanish Civil War, Spanish V students reimagined and re-created Pablo Picasso’s masterpiece Guernica. The project was the product of a collaboration between modern language teachers Liz Benjamin-Alcayaga and Laura Yamartino with visual arts faculty member David Roane. The Spanish Civil War, as Yamartino explained, was the testing ground for technologies used by the major players of World War II. Picasso’s masterpiece reflects the chaotic violence of a German warplane attack on a small Spanish town. With Roane’s guidance, the students charted, graphed and divided Picasso’s work to produce a miniature

“Picasso chose shades of gray to portray a sense of grim suffering, but we’re challenging our students to portray that same message with color.”

—LIZ BENJAMIN-ALCAYAGA

re-creation. While the students worked intently on their portions of the painting, Benjamin-Alcayaga explained their assignment: “Picasso chose shades of gray to portray a sense of grim suffering, but we’re challenging our students to portray that same message with color.” In the first attempt at this project, students were excited to break out of their ordinary classrooms and learn about an important piece of world history in a unique way. Adrianna Brown ’16 studied Guernica in art history the year before. “We learned about the artistic techniques in the work last year,” she said. “Now, knowing more about the people and the context has given me more of an emotional connection to the piece.”

The class included many students who had never taken a painting class before. Roane taught them the basics and encouraged their natural talents. “Working with language classes can be a great way for visual arts faculty to broadcast what we do,” he said. Annie Pascucci ’16 used cool colors against a warm background to highlight a bird in her portion of the work. Explaining her interpretation, she said, “The bird seems significant to me. It’s a living creature in a dramatic scene. It seems to represent the living things that have no control over these events.” Will Clarke ’16 echoed her sentiments; “Tengo más respeto por Picasso.” —AS

is a beautiful thing;

rights in the upcoming

veteran and ballet

company, Exit12.

The group helps those

through trauma. “The

it’s not to be taken for

elections.

dancer Roman Baca

After returning from

affected by war, both

strength of what we

took the stage to

his tour of duty in

in America and in

do involves connect-

granted. It’s hardearned,” said Wang,

Leaving It on

describe his unique

Iraq, he and his wife

Iraq, by using dance

ing cultures and en-

encouraging eligible

the Floor

perspective and the

started Exit12 Dance

and other forms of

couraging empathy,”

voters to exercise their

U.S. Marine, Iraq War

mission of his dance

Company in 2007.

expression to move

he said.

12 Nobles SPRING 2016


2016 Massachusetts Regional Scholastic Art and Writing Awards Nobles congratulates the 2016 winners of the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards: Kevin Chen ’20 (Gold Key, self-portrait; honorable mention for illustration); Katia Rozenberg ’18 (Silver Key, painting); Devon Tyrie ’20 (Silver Key, mixed media); Sarah Mansour ’19 and Emily St. John ’19 (both honorable mentions, mixed-media self-portrait); and Amar Scherzer ’19 (Silver Key and two honorable mentions in writing). More than 50 judges evaluated 15,000-plus pieces of art and approximately 2,500 writing submissions for this year’s prestigious awards. Winning entries demonstrated originality, technical skill and personal vision or voice. Gold and Kevin Chen ’20 Silver Key winners were invited to a ceremony at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts on March 12. Chen’s selfportrait was also featured at an exhibition at Education First. Art teacher Lisa Jacobson said, “I am inspired by so much of the work that our students do; it’s affirming for them when some of their amazing pieces are recognized by a prestigious outside organization. They take an emotional risk to put their work out there for judgment. I’m also proud of them for being willing to do that.”

Pictured are Ellen Efstathiou ’21 as Tyl, Olly Ogbue ’20 as the doctor, Henry Patterson ’21 as the father, Cozette RussoNeale ’20 as grandma and Sakura Hinenoya ‘20 as the cousin, Suzanne.

MARVELOUS ADVENTURES MIDDLE SCHOOL PLAY The Nobles Theatre Collective debuted a theatrical performance in the Morrison Forum for the first time in more than a decade this winter with the middle school production of The Marvelous Adventures of Tyl. This fairy tale featured a cast of 12 actors playing 36 different roles and told the story of a kid named Tyl who grows up and rebels against an unimaginative society. SPRING 2016 Nobles 13


the bulletin department

Climbing Every Mountain Scarlet swaths of fabric and a glittering chandelier transformed Vinik Theatre into Austria’s elegant Franz and Zelma Liebkin Concert Hall to transport the audience of The Sound of Music to 1937 and the iconic story of the Familie von Trapp. 2015 marked the 50th anniversary of one of Hollywood’s most beloved musical adaptations from Broadway to film: Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music. With the guidance of Director Dan Halperin, The Nobles Theatre Collective staged the 1959 version in February and March, hoping to “both honor the original and create an engaging and believable theatrical work for our community in 2016, reflective of who, when and where we are.” The production included a cast of 47, a crew of 23, a musical revue of 13 and an onstage orchestra and band singers—all of whom Halperin calls “talented, passionate and hardworking.” Novice Maria (Alexa Serowik ‘16) leaves the sanctity of the abbey to care for the children of widower Captain Georg von Trapp

14 Nobles SPRING 2016

(Nick Hunnewell ‘16) of the Austrian Navy. As Maria bonds with the children and develops feelings for their father, his staunch demeanor softens and he finds himself completely disarmed. Their relationship plays out against the historic backdrop of the rise of the Third Reich and Germany’s Anschluss with Austria. The family members’ love of music binds them together, and their loyalty to Austria compels them to escape to Switzerland, rather than joining Hitler’s fascist movement. The Sound of Music includes well-known songs including “The Lonely Goatherd,” during which the von Trapp children maneuver marionettes played by members of the ensemble; “Climb Every Mountain” sung in the rich, transcendent voice of Mother Abbess (Caitlin McGrail ‘16); and Hunnewell’s tender rendition of “Edelweiss” in peaceful protest of the Reich during the festival performance the Von Trapps use as their getaway. —KN

ART CREDIT


READY TO LEAD Ten-year-old Andrea Ross would never have foreseen belting out “The Hills Are Alive” from the top of the Rocky steps while being circled by a drone for a national broadcast of Philly’s 2015 Thanksgiving Day Parade (photo at right). As a kid, she was busy putting on “performance after performance in my bedroom, the car, anywhere” for her less musically inclined but infinitely supportive parents. Now the ’09 graduate is the understudy for Maria von Trapp in the 19-city national tour ensemble of The Sound of Music. Ross first got involved with the performing arts through local classes in her hometown of Franklin, Mass. An audition at the Wheelock Family Theatre in Boston landed her a lead role in the musi“Nobles by itself is so exciting cal adaptation of Tuck and challenging, and then on Everlasting when she was top of that I was working on a only 10, and her career career—but that’s really why grew from there. it was the best place for me, Theatre Director Dan Halperin first saw Ross perbecause they support that form at the Stoneham Theindividuality and creativity.” atre and encouraged her to —ANDREA ROSS ’09 check out Nobles’ growing arts program. He remembers, “Andrea’s work as the title character in our production of Thoroughly Modern Millie was among the most spectacular of any student in my 16 years at Nobles.” Ross’s experience at Nobles was atypical, since she was works. While grueling, her New York years have also given Ross splitting her time between Dedham and London, where the confidence she says is “a huge reason why I’m doing the she was collaborating with composer Andrew Lloyd Webnational tour now.” ber on her Moon River album. “It was really tough, but havRoss was first tapped to play Maria only a few weeks into the ing the community of Nobles to come back to was the best production. “I was really excited, because it’s such a dream role part.” She credits a good group of friends and caring teachfor me. Honestly, it was also very nerve-wracking, because I had ers—even those who didn’t have her as a student, like Tim never understudied before, and it was a totally different skill Carey and Nick Marinaro. “Nobles by itself is so exciting that you have to use. But it went really well, and at the end of and challenging, and then on top of that I was working on it, it was just that feeling of ‘I never knew I could do that.’” She a career—but that’s really why it was the best place for me, says three-time Tony Award–winning director Jack O’Brien’s because they support that individuality and creativity.” approach of stripping the show down to the characters at the The intense high school years led Ross to take a gap year foundation makes his interpretation more relatable. before pursuing theatre at Pace University in Manhattan. Songbird Maria is a natural fit for avid chanteuse Ross. “I’ve She calls New York “a totally different ballgame...it is ceralways related to her love of music and finding the truth in tainly the hardest place to make it. My biggest challenge has everything through music; we all have something like that that been finding out who I am and what I bring to the table.” She’s we are really passionate about and have as the foundation for especially excited about surrounding herself with friends who finding our way.” —KN are writers and creatives with whom she can produce new SPRING 2016 Nobles 15


by the numbers

BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS

197

432,000 Total volume, in gallons, of the pools on campus

Total number of years’ experience the buildings and grounds (B&G) team has maintaining Nobles’ campus.

24

Number of on-campus buildings that the B&G staff maintains

15

Number of B&G snow shovels on campus

65

Gallons of paint used on the Shattuck Schoolhouse walls this winter

7

Number of fields the B&G team grooms for spring sports

Dozens

Times electrician Chris Roposa has been in Shattuck’s ceilings this year

125 Tons of road salt needed to keep the campus roads manageable every winter

3

Days it takes four people to wax all the floors in the Morrison Athletic Center

132

Windowpanes on the front of the Arts Center lobby

16 Nobles SPRING 2016


my books...

MIXING TASTE AND TENACITY IN PROSE

BY JUDITH MERRITT, REGISTRAR

Writing memoirs demands honesty and intimacy. By writing about the influence of cooking and sharing meals, these authors attempt to make sense of lives that were at turns tragic, dysfunctional and loving. The result gives hope that even the unpredictable experiences of an innocent childhood or the humiliation of job loss can be a lifeline for future creativity, connection, nourishment and love. BLOOD, BONES AND BUTTER: THE INADVERTENT EDUCATION OF A RELUCTANT CHEF, BY GABRIELLE HAMILTON The early years of Gabrielle Hamilton’s life were filled with parties, lamb roasts and sleeping under the stars with the smell of wood smoke in the air. All of that changed when her parents divorced. Hamilton had to learn how to survive. At 12 years old, she lied about her age so she could get a job as a dishwasher. Gradually she worked her way up in the restaurant business, but she was disillusioned by the lack of passion for food. A trip to Europe opened her eyes to a new sense of place and tradition, and the importance of fresh local foods that would infuse her cooking for the rest of her life. When she eventually opened a restaurant in New York City, she drew strength from her hardscrabble education and her relentless work ethic. Finally she could again create food made with love. THE SHARPER YOUR KNIFE, THE LESS YOU CRY: LOVE, LAUGHTER, AND TEARS IN PARIS AT THE WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS COOKING SCHOOL, BY KATHLEEN FLINN The first lesson Kathleen Flinn learns at Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris is that if your knives are dull as they slice through onions, they crush the cells and the odor released will bring tears to your eyes. Although attending this school had been Flinn’s dream for years, many days she returns to her apartment in tears, frustrated by the difficulty of the French language and the absence of encouragement from the strict, arrogant teachers. After tasting her duck à l’orange, one chef screams at her, “Vous perdez votre temps” (“You are wasting your time”). Although she questions whether she made the right decision to attend Le Cordon Bleu, in the end Flinn realizes that “the joy of life is in the trip” and not the destination. A HOMEMADE LIFE: STORIES AND RECIPES FROM MY KITCHEN TABLE, BY MOLLY WIZENBERG Molly Wizenberg learned many lessons about life through food. Her father always said, “You know, we eat better at home than most people do in restaurants.” Her book has 45 chapters and 45

recipes, complete with author’s notes. For instance, in her decadent recipe for coeur à la creme with raspberry puree, she writes, “It’s cool and unfussy—a little like ice cream, but better, and perfect for a warm, sticky night.” The details of meeting her future husband are poignant and funny. When they are really pinching pennies, they eat a favorite dish that I cannot imagine—radishes and butter with fleur de sel.

LIFE FROM SCRATCH: A MEMOIR OF FOOD, FAMILY, AND FORGIVENESS, BY SASHA MARTIN The first pages of Sasha Martin’s memoir are riveting. Her curiosity, her burned hands and her trip to the hospital begin a downward spiral. Even when she is sent far from her home in Jamaica Plain, she never forgets the lessons she learned from her mother about cooking. She endures more tragedy than any child should experience, and she learns to find solace and healing in preparing and sharing food. As an adult, she embarks on an ambitious project to create food for her family from every country in the world—195 recipes in all. The book includes several dozen recipes as varied as Mom’s Curious Cinnamon Raisin Pizza, Cambodian grilled eggs and the fabulous Dark Chocolate Guinness Cake with Bailey’s Buttercream. THE AMERICAN PLATE: A CULINARY HISTORY IN 100 BITES, BY LIBBY O’CONNELL, CHIEF HISTORIAN ON THE HISTORY CHANNEL Libby O’Connell is a historian, and her book presents American food within a historical context. Beginning with the food that nourished Native Americans, including maize, bison and maple syrup, she traces food choices throughout our country’s history. During the Civil War, Americans ate fried catfish, beer and pretzels. She researched a recipe for Mary Todd Lincoln’s White Almond Cake that sounds delicious. The Great Depression and World War II are responsible for the creation of Hershey Bars, meatloaf and SPAM. O’Connell’s thorough research and detailed writing style highlight the influence of the global diet on the American plate.

SPRING 2016 Nobles 17


Alijah Rue ’17

sports

On the Playing Fields ALPINE SKIING

All-League: James Mortimer and

Girls Overall Record: 19–1 (ISL Champi-

Awards: Clarke Bowl (for contribution

ons, sixth consecutive year); NEPSAC Class A Champions Boys Overall Record: 19–13 (4th in ISL); NEPSAC Class A Championship 11th place All-League: Nicola Katz ’16, Izzy Kocher ’18 and Colby Conley ’17 Honorable Mention: Sophia Kocher ’17 All-Scholastic ISL: Nicola Katz ’16 (third consecutive year) All–New England: Nicola Katz ’16, Izzy Kocher ’18 and Sophia Kocher ’17 Awards: James H. Bride Ski Bowl (for enthusiasm, spirit and sportsmanship): Nicola Katz and Aidan Crawford, both ’16. Coaches’ Award (for selfless attitude and consistent effort): Sophia Kocher ’17, Sonia Lingos-Utley ’17, Colby Conley ’17 and Patrick Stevenson ’18. 2016 Captains: Sophia Kocher, Sonia Lingos-Utley and Colby Conley, all ’17 BOYS VARSITY BASKETBALL Overall Record: 14–11 ISL Record: 7–8

Alijah Rue, both ’17

to team spirit): Isaiah Fontaine ’16. 1983–84 Basketball Award (for the player who best exemplifies the spirit, dedication, determination, attitude and improvement of the 1983–84 team): James Welch ’17 2016 Captains: James Mortimer, Alijah Rue and James Welch, all ’17 GIRLS VARSITY BASKETBALL Overall Record: 24–4 ISL Record: 12–0 (ISL Champions, 13th

consecutive year); NEPSAC Class A Champions (fifth consecutive year) All-League: Katie Benzan ’16, Amy Duggan ’16 and Amaya Finklea ’17 Honorable Mention: Ashley Ducharme ’18, Camille Walter ’16, Charlotte MacDonald ’18 and Julia Ford ’16 All-Scholastic ISL: Katie Benzan ’16 All-New England: Katie Benzan ’16, Amy Duggan ’16 and Amaya Finklea ’17 NEPSAC MVP: Katie Benzan ’16 Awards: Seadale Bowl (given by the Seadale family for overall contribution

to the basketball program): Katie Benzan and Amy Duggan, both ’16. Richard Nickerson Award (in honor of the longtime coach, awarded to a nonsenior for courage and determination): Addy Mitchell ’17 and Maya Keenan-Gallagher ’18 2016 Captains: TBA BOYS VARSITY HOCKEY Overall Record: 15–10–3 ISL Record: 8–5–1 (2nd in ISL); NEPSAC

Large School quarterfinalists All-League: Luke Stevens ’16, Michael Fahie ’16 and Cam Burke ’17 Honorable Mention: Danny Jacobs and Pat Murray, both ’16 Awards: Terry Flaman Award (for the JV player who demonstrates spirit, enthusiasm and love of hockey as exemplified by Terry Flaman): John Picken ’17. 1974 Award (for improvement in hockey): Colin Mahoney ’17. Sziklas Hockey Trophy (for contribution to the team):

Season Highlights ■■

■■ ■■ ■■

Winter afternoon program teams and groups collected over 2,500 clothing items and 500 pairs of shoes for the Gear Up drive and donated them during spring break EXCEL trips to Rwanda, Romania and South Africa. For a fourth consecutive year, all of the Girls Varsity programs swept ISL Championships. Katie Benzan ’16 was named Gatorade Massachusetts Girls Basketball Player of the Year. GV basketball won their 13th straight ISL Championship and their fifth straight New England Class A Championship.

18 Nobles SPRING 2016

■■

■■ ■■ ■■

GV hockey won their 17th straight ISL Championship, the 35th annual Harrington Invitational Hockey Tournament and the New England Division 1 Championship. Hayden Folgert ’16 and David Yeh ’18 won Graves-Kelsey Wrestling Championships. Gracie Doyle ’17 won the U17 division U.S. Junior Open Squash title. Girls alpine skiing won their sixth straight ISL championship and the New England Class A Championship.


Katie Benzan ’16

Nicola Katz ’16

Danny Jacobs ’16

Austin Bonasia ’16. Flood Shield (for devotion to the game, physical toughness and emotional control): Luke Stevens ’16 2016 Captains: TBA GIRLS VARSITY HOCKEY Overall Record: 31–1–1 ISL Record: 12–0–0 (ISL Champions, 17th

consecutive year); NEPSAC Division 1 Champions All-League: Caitrin Lonergan ’16, Bridget McCarthy ’16, Lucinda Quigley ’16 and Becca Gilmore ’17 Honorable Mention: Charlotte Abrecht and Tess Dupré, both ’16 All-Scholastic ISL: Caitrin Lonergan ’16 NEPSAC MVP: Becca Gilmore ’17 All-New England: Caitrin Lonergan ’16 and Becca Gilmore ’17 NEPSAC Division I First Team: Caitrin Lonergan ’16, Becca Gilmore ’17 Awards: Anne Dudley Newell Hockey Cup (for dedication and excellence): Charlotte Abrecht, Tess Dupré, Bridget McCarthy and Lucinda Quigley, all ’16 2016 Captains: TBA BOYS VARSITY SQUASH Overall Record: 8–3 ISL Record: 6–3

All-League: Reg Anderson ’17 and

Patrick McElroy ’18

Honorable Mention: Cole Koeppel ’19 Awards: Cutler Cup (awarded to the

member of the team who has shown the greatest devotion to the sport): Ross Liftman ’16 2016 Captains: TBA GIRLS VARSITY SQUASH

Overall Record: 13–0 ISL Record: 8–0 (ISL Champions, fourth

consecutive year); NEISA Division A 2nd place; Division I Nationals 5th place All-League: Emily Woodworth ’16, Alexis Lazor ’17, Jesse Brownell ’19 and Sara Keene ’17 All-Scholastic ISL: Gracie Doyle ’17 Awards: Cutler Cup (awarded to the member of the team who has shown the greatest devotion to the sport): Emily Woodworth ’16 2016 Captains: TBA VARSITY WRESTLING Overall Record: 10–5 ISL Record: 8–4, 3rd place team in dual

meet standings; 12th place team at Graves-Kelsey Tournament All-League: David Yeh ’18 (Graves-Kelsey

1st place at 120 lbs), Hayden Folgert ’16 (Graves-Kelsey 1st place at 182 lbs) and Martin Williams ’16 (Graves-Kelsey 2nd place at 285 lbs) Honorable Mention: Ethan Porter ’19 (Graves-Kelsey 4th place at 106 lbs), Clay Mizgerd ’17 (Graves-Kelsey 3rd place at 113 lbs), Christian Yeh ’16 (Graves-Kelsey 4th place at 132 lbs), Cam Camacho ’18 (Graves-Kelsey 3rd place at 138 lbs) and Bassam Qasrawi ’19 (Graves-Kelsey 3rd place at 145 lbs) Additional Graves-Kelsey Place Finishers:

Mark Xiao ’18 (6th place at 126 lbs), Ian Riley ’18 (5th place at 160 lbs) and Teddy Dawson ’16 (6th place at 220 lbs) All-New England: Clay Mizgerd ’17 (5th), David Yeh ’18 (3rd), Christian Yeh ’16 (8th), Bassam Qasrawi ’19 (8th) and Hayden Folgert ’16 (3rd) Awards: Warren E. Storer Award (for hard work and improvement): Clay Mizgerd ’17. Wilbur F. Storer Award (for the most outstanding wrestler): Hayden Folgert ’16 and David Yeh ’18. Steve Toubman Award (for sportsmanship, leadership and dedication to wrestling, exemplified by Coach Toubman’s 35-year coaching career): Martin Williams ’16 2016 Captains: Clay Mizgerd ’17 and David Yeh ’18

SPRING 2016 Nobles 19


development

Hall of Fame This year’s Hall of Fame class features one team and four incredible athletes The 1996 girls crew team made history

when it won the ISL, New England and National Championships. The first boat was made up of coxswain Sara DelRosso ’97, stroke Jill Walsh ’96, 3-seat Jenny Sherman ’96, 2-seat Katrina Letson ’97 and bow Alison Silveira ’97. During their championship run, the boat broke the course record at the New England Championships, a record that still stands. The boat went on to the Henley Royal Regatta, making it to the semifinals. Skip Wood ’66 was a standout athlete in three sports at Nobles, collecting nine varsity letters. In football, Skip was an All-ISL, All–New England cornerback for two years, helping lead Nobles to two 5–2 seasons. In hockey he played firstline wing for three years, had a career 115 points, was All-ISL his senior year, and

helped lead Nobles to a 16–2–2 record and the ISL title. Yet Wood’s best sport was tennis, where he was captain, played for four years, and played in the No. 1 spot for two seasons. These combined honors earned him the ISL MVP. In his entire four-year career, Wood never lost a singles match. Robert Alevizos ’76 was the standout athlete of his class. Recipient of the Nobles Shield, Alevizos received eight varsity letters in his four years at Nobles and was All-ISL in two sports. He was also selected by the ISL coaches as a high school All-American his senior year. He would go on to play four seasons of varsity baseball at Harvard, where he was an All-Ivy and All-New England pitcher his senior year. He was drafted into the Chicago Cubs organization, where he saw success at the minor league level. Mark Fayne ’06, currently a defenseman for the Edmonton Oilers in the NHL, was a standout on the football, hockey and lacrosse teams. Over a fivegame stretch during the 2004 football season, he pulled down 34 catches for 632 yards and seven touchdowns. He

was the ISL MVP his senior season on the hockey team and continued to dominate on the lacrosse field in the spring. His defensive skill set in hockey translated seamlessly to lacrosse as he consistently shut down opposing teams’ best offensive weapons. He was All-ISL in all three sports. Ayla Brown ’06 set two school records in basketball with 1,440 career rebounds and 2,358 career points, the highest total among males or females. She is also the sixth-highest scorer in Massachusetts history among girls, and 13th overall. She was a three-sport All-ISL athlete from the moment she entered the school as an eighth-grader, earning All-New England recognition on the cross country team and winning an ISL-championship with the softball team. Since graduating from Boston College in 2010, Brown has made her living in Nashville as a country music singer with six studio albums and has appeared on ESPN’s Monday Night Football, a GOP presidential debate on CNN and at the Grand Ole Opry. — GREG CROAK ’06, DIRECTOR OF GRADUATE AFFAIRS

Rally Day 2016 On Nobles Rally Day on March 3, Nobles aimed to bring in 610 new gifts for the Annual Nobles Fund (ANF)—one gift for every Nobles student. By the end of Rally Day, the Rally Day team counted 624 gifts, totaling $137,650 for the ANF from 529 graduates, 53 parents, 26 past parents, 12 Nobles faculty and staff members, three grandparents and one friend. During the three weeks leading up to Rally Day, Nobles spotlighted some of the students who benefit from ANF support. Daily Rally Day videos on the Nobles Graduate Facebook page featured students’ favorite stories about their time at Nobles. Throughout the day, Nobles students posed for social media photos with the beloved Nobles Bulldog mascot, with signs thanking individual donors. Over the past three years, Rally Day has become a meaningful community event. Nobles is grateful for the support of the entire school, the many wonderful volunteers and, of course, each and every generous gift made to the ANF. Thank you! —ALLIE TRAINOR, DIRECTOR OF THE ANNUAL NOBLES FUND

20 Nobles SPRING 2016


BUILDING THE FUTURE On March 9, Nobles publicly shared the architectural plans and models for the new Academic Inquiry Center and the Baker Science Building renovation. The Nobles board of trustees is expected to approve funding for the project at its May meeting, and groundbreaking on the Academic Inquiry Center is set for June. Head of School Bob Henderson ’76 spoke at the event to explain how the project will reflect the changing function of libraries and science centers. The new Academic Inquiry Center will include space for both collaboration and quiet study as well as several classrooms, a couple of which will be designated “innovation” classrooms. The new building’s open design will improve the function of the Putnam library, including the librarians’ ability to support and supervise students. The renovated Baker Science Building will more easily accommodate long-term projects in the rapidly multiplying and evolving areas of scientific inquiry. The project’s architectural team, William Rawn Associates, took the time to understand the unique character of Nobles’ campus and community. As Henderson said, “They’ve shown tremendous intuition about this community—who we are and what our values are.” Andy Jonic, the architectural project manager, attended assemblies and spent a month touring the grounds. “[The Academic Inquiry Center] is a community-centric project,” he said. “We wanted to create a space that would be conducive to learning, with a quiet study area that will overlook the neighboring

woodland. We’ve designed the building so that it settles into the landscape and feels like it has always belonged there.” The committee involved as many people with a stake in the plans as possible. As librarian Talya Sokoll said, “The school has kept us extensively engaged in the process. They made sure the library was both aesthetically pleasing and could meet the needs of the community.” Brown Brothers Harriman hosted the celebration in the Stokley P. Towles Atrium at their new offices in Post Office Square. Digger Donahue, who calls himself “a grateful Nobles parent” and longtime friend of Towles, spoke on the significance of the event’s location. A longtime trustee, parent and honorary graduate of Nobles, Towles was, as Donahue said, “devoted to Nobles and one of the school’s most committed and enthusiastic supporters.” According to Donahue, Towles repeatedly argued for the importance of investing in secondary education. “There is no more important stage of life and no more impactful way to invest,” Donahue remembered Towles saying. “Not college, not graduate school. No, secondary education is the unique stage where the positive potential to affect young lives is most pronounced.” Donahue concluded with a glance around the Atrium. “I know an evening to celebrate Nobles moving forward is something [Towles] would not want to miss,” Donahue said. “I feel like he is with us here tonight.” —AS SPRING 2016 Nobles 21


perspectives

How Does Change Happen? The work is what matters  BY SARA MASUCCI,

LEARNING SPECIALIST AND HISTORY FACULTY MEMBER

Once, in the midst of a challenging situation, someone said, “Well, that’s just the way it is. There’s nothing to do about it.” My response, uttered without conscious thought, was, “I have never felt that way in my entire life.” For me, there is always something to do. But how you do that “something,” now that’s the fun part.

I

n graduate school, I read Virginia Woolf’s Three Guineas. In it, she grapples with the question of where she should donate her money to effect societal change. What stuck with me from this book is the question of whether or not change is best effected from inside or outside “the system.” I cannot say I have an answer to this, and that’s okay. The power of her question is in that grappling. As a history teacher, I look to the past regularly to see what has worked, what has failed, and what remains unclear (this is by far the largest category). I tell my students that the purpose of studying the past is for the future: Learning about what has happened can inform what may happen. As far as my past goes, I am the product of a school that in many ways is like Nobles, and yet there was a unique aspect to my high school experience that few will relate to (excepting, perhaps, the girls who arrived at Nobles in the mid-1970s). When I began ninth grade, it was the second year of coeducation, and there were nine girls in my class. Four years later, there were nine girls on the graduation stage. The experience of being the only girl

22 Nobles SPRING 2016

in the room, of feeling that you are, simply by your presence, changing the culture of the school, shaped much of who I am today. What I learned in those years was that being part of change was empowering, and challenging, and even a little daunting, but most of all, it was worth it. I left high school with the senior superlative “most likely to be the next Gloria Steinem,” and my college years provided boundless opportunities to focus on activism and channel my inner Gloria. As college campuses are, in many ways, bubbles for social justice, this certainly validated the sense that working for change was empowering. My mentor in college gave me a pin (pins were big in the ’90s) that read “If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention.” The words fit me, and I took that sentiment into the real world. Entering the real world, though, was quite a shift. The bubble burst, and the challenges that are part of taking action became more clear. I have a strong opinion about everything. In my years of school, voicing my opinions and taking action on their behalf was typically met with support. My first experiences getting pushback about an idea or belief

were hard. Yet it was through these moments that I realized that the work— the slow, hard process of trying to shift perspectives and increase awareness— is what matters. Change is more about commitment than flash. I still say what I think—it’s central to who I am. But I also know that what I think is stronger and more powerful when it connects to the thoughts and work of others. My students make me think all the time; they push me to view ideas through different lenses. The community at Nobles encourages critical thinking and questioning, integral steps in broadening one’s perspective.


“Can there be big, blow-it-all-up change? Of course, and history shows us the value and necessity of such moments. But they are rare, and often they represent the public result of years of small victories and setbacks.” — SARA MASUCCI

At the end of Three Guineas, Woolf does not present the reader with a simple answer because, of course, there is no simple answer. Instead, she makes the case that change comes from bringing new voices and methods into the conversation and from being open to the idea that “the way we’ve always done it” does not have to be the way

we will always do it. For me, this is the work of change. Change doesn’t mean, and should not mean, that everything must go. Instead, change is most often brought about by small shifts and incremental movements. Can there be big, blow-it-all-up change? Of course, and history shows us the value and necessity of such moments. But they are rare, and

often they represent the public result of years of small victories and setbacks. I may not be changing the world, and who knows if I’m even doing it right, but I like to think I’m part of making the world a place that’s better than it was yesterday. I do know that it matters to speak your mind and stand up for your beliefs. So I’ll keep doing it. SPRING 2016 Nobles 23


Building OPPORTUN Ten years of healing and hope in New Orleans

STORY A N D P H OTOGRA P H Y BY KI M N EA L

DAVID YEH ’18 WINCES as he pries a rotted soffit from the build-

ing that New Orleans business owner Burnell Cotlon dreams of transforming into a neighborhood Internet café for the Lower Ninth Ward. (Read Cotlon’s story, right.) Cracking open the soffit is like peering into a time capsule. The 10-foot roofline was almost certainly underwater when Hurricane Katrina drowned the city in August 2005, and the building’s cavity reveals wayward items carried by the flood. Among the first discoveries is a vintage glass gavel, circa 1967–68. The irony in finding this symbol of justice in a place that has become synonymous with one of our nation’s grossest misjudgments in history is remarkable.

24 Nobles SPRING 2016

Pre-Katrina, National Weather Service predictions for the Gulf Coast states foretold of the devastation and uninhabitability that the catastrophe would incur. New Orleans, a city surrounded by water, with an average elevation of six feet below sea level, was especially vulnerable. Then the levees broke and erased the poorest neighborhoods, many of them predominantly black. The inaction and misappropriation of resources by the government and its agencies following the storm drew nationwide anger; it became starkly apparent that of the hundreds of thousands affected by


Not Gonna Stop

ITY Left: 2008 Nobles volunteers frame a new home. Above: The 2016 Nobles group gathers at one of three housing sites for this year’s service.

the storm, a disproportionate number of those who suffered were poor and black— and Katrina only magnified the injustice those populations had long endured. Now, in 2016, New Orleans’ vibrant center shows little trace of the meteorological monster, but in certain outskirts like the Lower Ninth, its physical and psychological toll is still painfully evident— those are the places where, for the past 10 years, Nobles has gone to serve. Since 2005, Nobles has sent about 350 students and 65 adults to New Orleans, where they have dedicated more than 18,000 hours of service to recovery efforts.

“You know how you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” Burnell Cotlon chuckles about his approach to the herculean task he and his wife, Keasha, have taken on since Katrina devastated their community in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward (L9). “So many people see New Orleans on TV; they see Bourbon Street, the Superdome, and they think, ‘Oh, New Orleans is good.’ But they don’t see the Lower Ninth. We’re forgotten, but we’re still hurting.” On the last day of their week of service in New Orleans, Nobles students hang on his every word, marveling at his optimism and humor under circumstances that would render many defeated. The Cotlons were the first in their neighborhood to move back to the L9 after the storm. Now they want to help it match the recovery they’ve seen in central New Orleans. Along with the loss of lives and homes, local businesses were literally washed away. Prior to Katrina, the ward was home to 14,000 people; almost 11 years later, barely 3,000 have returned. Big-box stores won’t build there because there aren’t enough customers, but people won’t move back because there is no infrastructure. The Cotlons aim to break that cycle. “If you have the schools and the stores to make a community, people will come back,” Burnell says. The Cotlons provide goods and services residents so desperately need but can’t find within several miles. For nine years, the Lower Ninth Ward had no grocery store. In 2009, Burnell and Keasha bought a small, severely storm-damaged building for $3,000 and restored it themselves. They opened the Lower Ninth Ward Market in November 2014 and reinvested all profits into renovating and restocking the store. To date, they have spent more than $100,000 of their own. Before the market opened, some neighbors—about 30 percent of ward residents—took as many as three city buses to buy a loaf of bread. Children in the area still board school buses at 3 or 4 a.m. and spend 12 to 13 hours away from home; there are no schools left standing. Burnell recalls, “I cried many times on the roof of this building, but seeing people getting off the bus with their kids and all the bags motivated me to work even harder.” The Cotlons have since added a barber shop, and with the help of fellow New Orleanian Ellen DeGeneres, a small-scale laundromat. In an adjacent building on their lot, they envision an Internet café where teens can come do homework and college applications. The Lower Ninth Ward Market has become a place for children to come read and listen to music and for Dani Abouhamad ’18, adults to come talk politics and Burnell Cotlon and David Yeh ’18 visit; it brings people together. “I’m just an average guy with above-average dreams. I’m not gonna stop; I’m gonna keep on going, rocking and rolling, no matter what,” says Burnell, focused on the Nobles students gathered around him. To learn more about the Lower Ninth Ward Market, visit https://www.gofundme.com /LowerNinthWard SPRING 2016 Nobles 25


"I watched a lot of the news circling the 10-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, and the press almost made it seem as if the rebuilding effort was complete. We’ve done tremendous work as a school, and touched the lives of many in need, but there is still more to do." —MATT ABATE ’17

26 Nobles SPRING 2016

The trips began when Stephanie Grace ’83—a political columnist for the Times-Picayune, who received a Pulitzer for public service journalism in 2006 for her team’s Katrina coverage—connected with Community Service Director Linda Hurley. Hurley led the trips until 2015, when Assistant to the Head of School Lauren Overzet joined her as a coleader and coordinator. Hurley says, “New Orleans is truly unique in its history and culture. The people are incredibly resilient and gracious—they keep us coming back. I love that I have been able to experience the trip over the years with so many students, faculty and staff. “The NOLA trip wouldn’t be what it is without Linda Hurley and her desire to connect people. Linda is a New Orleanian living in a New Englander’s body. She is the gregarious, inquisitive person who puts a story to every face she encounters. We meet people like Robert Green and Burnell Cotlon, we learn from their shared experiences, and it makes the service work that much more significant,” says Overzet.

Thanks to the relationship between Hurley and Grace, early groups of students had the opportunity to meet with the journalists who had covered the storm. Among them was photojournalist Ted Jackson, who captured the now-iconic image of Lower Ninth Ward resident Robert Green draped in the flag belonging to his mother, a Navy veteran and Katrina victim. Jackson and Green are both longtime friends of Nobles and continue to share their stories with students. Accounts like theirs—about their fierce love of home, frustration at the government’s failure to respond and the biased allocation of emergency resources and services—shape students’ perspectives. Looking into someone’s eyes while they explain that Katrina robbed them of all they had in this world, it’s impossible not to feel despair at the sheer numbers who were displaced or worse. Many of this year’s volunteers are 16–18 years old. To them, the hurricane is only an abstract memory, if that. To come to New Orleans and do work in the areas hardest hit is to come to terms with the fact that even now, Katrina has left forsaken areas from which the waters have receded but the need is still high. Among the tales of loss are also those of resilience: hearing not only what New Orleanians mourn, but also how they find strength to rebuild, gives students empathy and inspiration. Christian Pisano ’17 said, “This trip made me realize how fortunate I really am. The people of New Orleans are very strong and have been through great hardship. They taught us how to move on from your worst moments in life.” The needs of volunteer organizations in New Orleans have not changed as much in 10 years as one might think, because assistance for many communities has been neglected. In the first couple of years after Katrina, Nobles trips focused on immediate disaster relief. Students worked with the New Orleans Parks and Recreation Department rehabbing playing fields. They volunteered at a community center


in St. Bernard Parish that helped neighbors get groceries and process paperwork for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and local organizations. Over the years, Nobles has partnered with numerous organizations in New Orleans, among them Habitat for Humanity, Second Harvest Food Bank and several schools. This year’s partner was the St. Bernard Project (SBP) of New Orleans, which seeks to provide affordable housing; its mission is to help disaster-impacted citizens recover and get back in their homes. They estimate that 6,000 families displaced from Hurricane Katrina still need help, and that they have enough work to last through 2020. This March, Nobles volunteers put up drywall, sanded, mudded, painted

“More than anything, I was touched by its [the Lower Ninth Ward's] inhabitants. Their heart, drive and hope made me realize the magnitude of help that New Orleans still deserves.” —ANNA HAIGH ’16 and laid flooring at three different SBP homes in various stages of development. On one job site, the home’s soon-to-be resident came by to thank students. She shared how she and her toddler daughter were displaced by Hurricane Katrina, then abandoned by a contractor who conned her out of $68,000. Over the past 10 years, she and her daughter (now 13) have moved nine times. “People come in cars from Georgia and Florida to help, and we appreciate it. But for y’all to fly all the way down here to give your time—

I can’t tell you how much it means.” Moments like these are common through EXCEL (Experiential & Community Engaged Learning) and the school’s mission of leadership for the public good. Ten years of Nobles in New Orleans bring with them countless stories. Ask a volunteer from any year about the trip, and without fail, those exchanges are what they remember most. Through the work we help people, but hearing their experiences connects us and changes us. N

Doing His Part This March, Assistant Director of Graduate Affairs Michael Polebaum ’08 returned to New Orleans with Nobles for the first time since his senior year, this time as a chaperone. Kim Neal: Tell me about the first time you went to New Orleans with Nobles, in 2008. Michael Polebaum: You couldn’t walk around the neighborhood without feeling the desperation. Almost every other house was in a state of disrepair, marked with Xs, because adjusters had to check for damage and search for bodies. Those Xs were on houses that were lived in, too—they just hadn't gotten around to painting. People were angry and lost. But there was hope, too, because people were doing good things. We worked with the Community Center of St. Bernard where Louisa Harrison ’08, [former college counselor] Kate Coon and I met a guy named Richard. He was not in a good place. He wanted to kill himself. KN: And you’re listening to him, and you’re 18 years old… MP: I’m 18 years old. But we get him talking, and by the end of it, he’s laughing and sharing stories. His wife died because of the storm, his kids weren’t in the area, he lived in a FEMA trailer in front of his home that had been destroyed. His job, as he put it, was to drive around a woman who lost her car and had no other way to get around. Focusing on that helped him to see that maybe it wasn’t the best decision to end it. The next year, Richard and his family were at the Community Center to thank Nobles. I tell students, if you do anything on this trip, listen, because this is a community that hasn’t been listened to for decades. KN: How is the trip different now from what you remember? What are the challenges? ART CREDIT

MP: Instead of gutting houses, we’re building opportunity housing for low- and middle-income families. That work should be happening everywhere, including before the storm hit. It just wasn’t. As we get further from Katrina, we’ll need to do more to make sure kids understand how and why this happened. It’s quickly becoming history in their minds. In ’08, we could say, “I’ve seen what 20 feet of water looks like. I’ve seen people standing on the roofs.” That’s the difficulty going forward. KN: I’m curious now if your trip in ’08 influenced your choice to enter politics, even though it’s no longer what you’re doing full-time. (Note: Polebaum spent three years serving various roles in the world of Massachusetts politics.) MP: Yes, I’m still involved Michael Polebaum ’08 and volunteering. Change only occurs if we make it occur; much of that comes through governmental policies. We need to make sure the right people are in place. Katrina showed what inaction does; the lack of leadership was evident. It made me angry, and it made me want to do something. This country’s still not what it should be. That’s the beauty of it, though, right? We’re supposed to be perfecting our union. We each have a duty to do our part. SPRING 2016 Nobles 27


food BY H EAT H ER SULLI VA N A ND A LEX I S SULLI VA N

though 28 Nobles SPRING 2016

PHOTO BY JULIE KRAFT


ht

Food, like love, is a universal language—a unifying need. The late M.F.K. Fisher, a renowned and profound food writer, once mused, “I still think that one of the pleasantest of all emotions is to know that I, I with my brain and my hands, have nourished my beloved few, that I have concocted a stew or a story, a rarity or a plain dish, to sustain them truly against the hungers of the world.” Meet three Nobles grads who, in distinct ways, do just the same.

SPRING 2016 Nobles 29


“ I don’t have flowery stories of gardens and children who are chewing on carrots that I had from my earlier career. But I ensure those programs have the resources to be successful across California.” —KATIE HELWIG PANARELLA ’94

30 Nobles SPRING 2016


A

policy maker “ACCORDING TO THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL, 86 percent of our medical costs are related to chronic disease, many of which are diet-related and preventable,” says Katie Helwig Panarella ’94. “Physical activity and eating well need to become an accessible, acceptable norm—a basic right for all families—reinforced at the individual, organizational, institutional, professional and policy level.” Panarella’s path to her current position at the Youth, Families and Communities Statewide Program of the University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCANR) wasn’t always straight and narrow. While in college at the University of California, Berkeley, Panarella knew she wanted to work with a nonprofit, but she always thought she would focus on poverty alleviation in developing communities in Latin America or the Caribbean. Early stints had her working as a research assistant analyzing environmental effects of export processing in Bangladesh and looking at the effects of shrimp farming in North Africa. Living in California and between positions, she took a restaurant job to earn money, then spent six months traveling in Europe, Latin America, Patagonia and Central America. When she returned, she found a position in Truckee, Calif., as program director and hunger prevention coordinator for Project MANA (Making Adequate Nutrition Accessible). The common denominator was always food. Panarella said that since her time as an athlete at Nobles, she had always had a personal interest in nutrition but hadn’t considered how it might relate to her interest in nonprofits. Finally, it all came together: “The job in Truckee combined my background in resource management, poverty elimination and working with low-income families. In Tahoe, there’s tourism and money. But there are also people supporting tourism industries who are really struggling to make ends meet. There was just incredible need.” That need prompted Panarella to manage three community gardens. While earning her bachelor’s degree at Berkeley, she had spent summers working with a landscape architect, and she had volunteered at a community garden working with children, so she had ideas about how the gardens could impact lives. “That was around the time a lot of data came out about the importance of connecting children to food. The kids would do activities in the garden—pick their own salads. I got into that because I love children, I have a gardening background, and I could keep the garden growing.” The Tahoe nonprofit eventually lost funding, and Panarella landed at the San Francisco Food Bank in 2005, where she was

tapped to design the city’s nutrition program. Around that time, she says, data correlating poverty and obesity exploded. “I couldn’t make sense of it. We had really just started integrating emergency food and chronic hunger with nutrition. If someone has the choice between Chef Boyardee and nothing, you’re not going to tell them to eat nothing. It was delicate. How do you increase a focus on nutrition without decreasing actual access to food?” Panarella helped develop a cooking curriculum in partnership with Leah’s Pantry in San Francisco, a step toward complementing food access and nutrition education. Her next effort in San Francisco was to help manage a USDA snack program for children. As part of that work, she managed federal contracts and said she began to understand the importance of blending local and federal resources. Soon after, Panarella began working with the Children’s Council of San Francisco, where she managed the USDA Child and Adult Food Care Program. In addition to ensuring that day-care providers prepared healthy meals for kids, the program offered cooking classes and featured other events focused on nutrition. By now, Panarella was passionate about nutrition policy and went in search of a graduate program to help her better understand research, scientific method and broad policy issues. She completed a dual master’s program at Tufts University, earning an M.S. in food policy and applied nutrition from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, plus a master’s in public health from the School of Medicine, with a concentration in nutrition. As part of her graduate work, she was a consultant and research-evaluation specialist for a children’s cooking lab project—ChopChop—which assessed objective and short-term outcomes in low-income Boston neighborhoods. SPRING 2016 Nobles 31


Last year, Panarella started her position as associate director of the Nutrition and Family and Consumer Sciences Program and Policy at UCANR, which is a land grant institution, established in the 1800s, to connect university research to farmers and the public. The youth program 4-H, which fosters understanding of agriculture and home economics, is one outgrowth of land grant institutions. “The work we do now is really engaging Californians throughout the state to address local issues at the county level,” she says. Panarella works with a team that tests changes in programmatic delivery, assessing their effectiveness. With colleagues, she might, for instance, look at a garden-based curriculum or another specific nutrition curriculum, or at specific age groups, to understand the impact on people’s behavioral changes. Her group looks for shifts in diet quality and physical activity, food resource management, food security and food safety. “I don’t have flowery stories of gardens and children who are chewing on carrots that I had from my earlier career. But I ensure those programs have the resources to be successful across California,” she says. Panarella calls nutrition programming and analysis an “imperfect science” that involves incredible complexity, including self-reporting of food consumption and navigating the 70 languages that Californians speak, leaving much subject to effective translation. “Yet our educators are doing an amazing job. It’s my job at the state level to make sure they have the skills to collect the data and to report to the USDA so we keep our funding and continue to help 32,000 youth and 7,000 adults every year.” 32 Nobles SPRING 2016


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farm team NINE YEARS AGO, WHEN NOBLES COLLEGE COUNSELOR Kate Ramsdell looked at the bearded founder of “CHAMPIONS: the Chin Hair Association for Magnanimous People Intent on Nobles Spirit” sitting before her, she pointed the young Jack Frechette ’07 in the direction of Carleton College. “I swear,” Frechette laughs, “before I came to Minnesota, I could barely put it on a map. Now I’ve completely adopted the life out here.” That Minnesota lifestyle, for Frechette and his girlfriend, Julie Kraft, meant starting a small, sustainable and humane farm with about 100 animals and 234 acres. Frechette followed a circuitous path to his country lifestyle. A religious studies major, he took a side job as an assistant grower in the biology department’s greenhouse at his college. “It was just a job I took on a whim to make some extra cash,” he says. “But agriculture really drew me in.” After working on different farms all around Minnesota, Frechette moved back to the Twin Cities to live with Kraft. He was working on an urban farm, but they both decided they wanted to lead a simpler, more meaningful life in the country. Kraft, who grew up on a vegetable farm near Buffalo, N.Y., was quick to join in Frechette’s excitement when they decided to “give the farming thing another go.” In December 2014, Frechette and Kraft bought a beautiful piece of land in Hinckley, Minn. They now have 100 lives depending on them but have realized the need to pace themselves as they expand. “It’s always exciting to get new animals,” Frechette says, “but we have to temper our excitement and make sure we’re always still profitable as a small business.” The top priority of Frechette Farms (pictured, p. 28) is to raise their animals humanely and sustainably for their community. “We are committed to being a local producer,” Frechette says. “Be it vegetable or poultry or red meat, we want people to feel a connection to our farm. Every animal, no matter what it is or how irritating it can be on a daily basis, is extremely important to us.” This means extra time, money and effort to maintain low stocking densities for their animals and to resist using pesticides and herbicides on their vegetables. “It is much more expensive and takes a whole lot more effort to raise animals humanely,” Frechette says. However, Frechette Farms produces a completely different product than what is sold at most supermarkets. “Animals that are raised well are not just happier animals,” Frechette explains. “They lead to food with serious health benefits for the consumers.”

Frechette and Kraft focus on each animal’s individual needs, which means that every animal on the farm gets a name. “Naming the animals is actually a long process,” Frechette laughs. “We take it very seriously. Some of the names we give the animals are more personal or are names of people we know. We usually get two pigs at the same time, so we give them buddy names. We had Bonnie and Clyde before, going off the idea that the original Bonnie and Clyde didn’t make it out of their last situation and, well…” Frechette attributes the success of his small business to the farming community around him, the beautiful land he now owns and the wonderful animals he works with every day. He also thanks Kraft, who spends her days as a therapist for children with autism and her spare time helping Frechette on the farm. “She has been a great partner,” he says. “She grew up with that farmer’s temperament that anything can go wrong at any time. While some days are tough, we certainly feel very blessed. “There’s no question I could be doing a thousand other things,” Frechette says, “but connecting my work to a general sense of purpose has been really important to me. Being on the farm involves working with my hands and working weird hours that nobody else works, but it’s all worth it when I see the physical results of my efforts manifest right in front of me.” Frechette is excited to join the growing community of people committed to local and sustainable farming. Recognizing that the movement always has space to grow, Frechette says, “We’d love to be able to help spread knowledge about holistic management of animals and local and sustainable farming so that we become a catalyst in that growing conversation. I’m lucky enough to put in the time on the ground to make a difference here that might make a larger difference in the future.” SPRING 2016 Nobles 33


I

food as theatre IN A SPRING 2015 ONLINE VIDEO, SALLY JACKSON ’96 demonstrated how to prepare a cucumber-jicama snack. Jackson is part of what’s known as the B-Team—celebrity chef Bobby Flay’s core team of writers, recipe testers and assistants who help manage the $20 million enterprise that employs about 1,500 people and includes restaurants, cookbooks, cookware and even equestrian pursuits that comprise an empire. “I’ve definitely always been interested in food. Growing up I really enjoyed baking with my mom and my sister [Susannah Jackson Sullivan ’01]. My sister is now one of my favorite cooking partners.” In the summertime, the sisters and extended family get together on the Cape, where they make lemon sole, salads and favorite desserts—simple food, she says. Jackson also worked during college at True Circle, a Cape Cod restaurant where she waited tables and first worked in a commercial kitchen. Jackson moved to New York to become an actress and, in the early 2000s, she took a job at Bolo, one of Flay’s restaurants (at that time, she didn’t even know her boss’s name). More than a decade later, Jackson—a cookbook aficionado whose old favorites include The Silver Palate, Moosewood and America’s Test Kitchen books—is now, in many ways, the voice of Flay. She writes the foreword to every book as well as recipe notes for Flay’s books, while another member of their team, Stephanie Banyas, acts as lead on recipe testing, perfecting the details. “Bobby’s books are all geared toward the home cook. I can understand Bobby’s mindset and vocabulary and put into words his thoughts about recipes,” Jackson says. “In the beginning, I would get out a little tape recorder and sit down and interview him about each recipe and take copious notes. Now I definitely will talk about certain recipes and the origin and why do you particularly like to use this ingredient—and then I can expand upon that. I have been paying pretty close attention to my boss for the past 14 years.” In September, Jackson published her seventh cookbook as part of the Flay and Banyas team, Brunch at Bobby’s: 140 Recipes for the Best Part of the Weekend. The latest addition is getting strong reviews on Amazon, and Publishers Weekly cites Flay’s signature emphasis on bold flavors as appealingly present. Jackson’s first collaboration was Bobby Flay’s Grilling for Life, and it still might be her favorite. As part of the foreword, she wrote for Flay, “Grilling is the most basic method of cook-

34 Nobles SPRING 2016

ing there is. It dates back to the time of cavemen—food plus fire equals good.” But Jackson asserts that not all of her lines struck mellifluous gold upon publication. In an earlier book, one line—in retrospect—stunk. “I included the line, ‘I smell a party,’ and somehow that got past Bobby and the editor,” Jackson says, noting that it continues to be a joke among the team. Jackson’s role extends beyond word choice. She is also a regular at events, including Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by Food and Wine magazine. She helps manage media, scheduling, contracts and accounts, and even Flay’s equestrian interests. “He has always been into horses and horse racing,” Jackson says. “That interest just ballooned over the years, and it became a real business. It’s a breeding and racing business, and a thing that I’ve sort of grown with.” Clearly, Jackson isn’t bored. In addition to her work with Flay’s empire, she’s married with two young children and lives in Harlem. And she cooks for them, too, something Flay has asked her to represent in her cooking demonstrations on his website, bobbyflay.com, where Jackson has latitude to play with ideas and ingredients that appeal to her. “I wouldn’t presume to think that Bobby’s core audience is turning to him for posts on marinated tofu and quinoa, but goodness knows that there is a huge population of people who are interested in that way of eating, so why not be open to exploring it all?” she says.


“ Bobby’s books are all geared toward the home cook. I can understand Bobby’s mindset and vocabulary and put into words his thoughts about recipes.” — SALLY JACKSON ’96

Jackson’s love of cooking as a young person in Massachusetts has developed into an eclectic, sometimes glamorous job. Yet it’s still about the food and collaboration, she says. Two of Jackson’s favorite dishes from the cookbooks are Brussels sprouts with a pomegranatemolasses syrup and a tomato strata (recipe below). While she doesn’t write recipes, she says that Flay includes other members of the team in brainstorming and cooking retreats at his home, where

he welcomes input on the food. “Bobby is direct, forceful, engaging and always happiest in the kitchen. He really does know his stuff. I may kid him about his old line about using honey not to sweeten but to balance spicy flavors— but he’s right, and you know it the second you taste his food. He understands how to create balance with contrasting flavors and textures no matter what the cuisine. “It’s great to work with a person who has that kind of talent. He had a lot of suc-

cess early on, but he’s earned it,” she says. “He’s not a flash in the pan.” Jackson’s ability to articulate the vision of one of the country’s most successful chefs was learned, in part, at Nobles. She credits English faculty member Vicky Seelen with a lifelong love of The New Yorker, she says, and she still has dreams about whether she has finished a paper for Mr. Philip Burnham. Clearly, Jackson’s sharp syntax is no fluke. N

TOMATO STRATA More of a baked panzanella than anything else, this strata, bursting with tomato flavor, is a lovely side dish for poached or scrambled eggs. It can be prepared in advance and is delicious served hot or at room temperature. (SERVES 4 TO 6) ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■

1⁄2 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for the dish 3 garlic cloves, smashed 1 medium French baguette, cut into 1⁄2-inch dice Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 3 pounds ripe beefsteak tomatoes, seeded and diced Pinch of sugar Pinch of red pepper flakes 6 large eggs 1⁄4 cup lightly packed thinly sliced basil leaves 1 cup freshly grated Romano cheese

ART CREDIT

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 2-quart baking dish with olive oil. 2. Put ½ cup of the oil and the garlic cloves in a large high-sided sauté pan over medium heat and cook the garlic until lightly golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes. Add the bread cubes and salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the bread cubes are lightly golden brown on all sides, 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, sugar and red pepper flakes to the pan and continue to cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, transfer to a bowl, and let cool. 3. Whisk the eggs in a small bowl and add to the tomato mixture. Season with salt and pepper and add the basil. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with the cheese and drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Bake until the top is browned and the tomatoes are bubbly, about 30 minutes. SPRING 2016 Nobles 35


ON THE CAMPA TRAIL In her relatively short career, Kylie Atwood ’07 has covered the Boston Marathon bombings live, worked closely with media legend and former host of Face the Nation Bob Schieffer, and teased presidential candidate Bernie Sanders about his underwear. Here’s what Atwood, a digital campaign journalist with CBS, had to say to Nobles magazine editor Heather Sullivan. 36 Nobles SPRING 2016


BY H E AT H E R S U L L I VA N | P H OTOGRA P H Y BY C HRI ST I A N FLEURY

IGN Heather Sullivan: How did your interest in journalism begin? Kylie Atwood: My love for all things journalism started with photography at Nobles. I had always loved taking photos but senior year, I was a photographer for the Nobleman and my photos became a storytelling tool. At Middlebury, I started as a photographer for the paper, and then I decided I wanted to start writing. I would write anything they needed. It was a great way to learn. I also interned for the local NBC affiliate every Friday in Burlington (Vt.). I would wake up at 5 in the morning senior year to go there. You don’t do that senior spring unless you love what

you’re doing, right? My internship at Global Post as a junior, and then at 60 Minutes as a senior, made me realize I wanted to get into the broadcast side. I love what I do now because I get to do a little bit of everything. I get to write. I get to take pictures. I get to shoot video. HS: What happened next? KA: I was going to work for CBS New

York, and they called and said, “Would you be interested in moving to D.C.?” I said, “Yes. What do you need?” The woman said, “Bob Schieffer is looking for an assistant, and you would need to start next week.” I said, “Great. I’m

going to D.C. next week.” She said, “Actually, he’s in New York City tonight. So if you could interview this afternoon in New York, that would be better.” I hung up the phone and sprinted to find an outfit. I interviewed with Bob, and before the evening news started, I had the job—all in less than 24 hours. It was the best job I could have asked for. I learned an immense amount about politics. I worked for Bob for three years, which was the thrill of a lifetime because of everything I got to cover with him, everything I learned from him and because, simply put, he is one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met.


HS: What’s the most important thing you

learned from working with him? KA: When I’m out on the [campaign] trail, the advice I constantly remind myself of—that he is a big advocate of—is, “Ask the question that everyone wants to ask. Ask the obvious question.” You have to know what’s happening in the news cycle to ask newsworthy questions, but you also have to have a sense of what the everyday person would like to ask this candidate. If you constantly come back to the basics of journalism, which Bob mastered, you don’t get as overwhelmed. A fun example of that is when I was covering Bernie Sanders in Iowa. That weekend, [comedian] Larry David had imitated him on Saturday Night Live. It was the first time we had seen Larry David do the full Bernie Sanders. I asked him what he thought of the impression, and he gave the generic, “Oh, I think it was good.” My follow-up question was, “Well, Senator Sanders, do you have more than one pair of underwear?” Because in the skit Larry David said Bernie Sanders only has one pair of underwear that he cleans every day. It was hilarious. It was a spot-on assessment of how the American people view this 74-year-old senator from Vermont. You could hear his press person in the back go, “Oh, my gosh. No, no, no.” Bernie Sanders said he has more than one pair of underwear and actually has more than one suit. I asked the question that the normal American who is watching Saturday Night Live wants to ask. That’s the main takeaway from my time with Bob—at least how it translates to the work I’m doing right now. HS: Tell me about how, still working

as Schieffer’s assistant, you ended up covering the Boston Marathon bombings live in 2013. KA: I hopped a plane to Boston for the marathon, because my best childhood friend was running in it. Ironically, I had taken that day off work. I was about 50 yards from the finish line. There was this overwhelming sense of jubilation personally because I had just seen her go by, and the whole Boston downtown was electric. I ended up being between the two bombs that went off. It was awful, and it 38 Nobles SPRING 2016

was scary, and it was completely overwhelming. At first we thought maybe one of the manholes had erupted. In a literal second after, I remember slowing down because we were all running away. Then I just started taking pictures. I knew I had to capture this moment in order to explain to people what I was seeing around me. I started taking videos, but I was really shaky. As scary as that day was, it also made me realize that even without any experience of covering a live breaking news situation, I sort of instinctively knew what to do: Just go out, try and figure out what happened, talk to people, do interviews, talk to the police. I ended up being there all night doing a live hit on CBS Evening News, which is something I never in a million years thought I was going to be doing that night. I learned so much about what it means to cover breaking news and how you can be in any place at any time and have to go into action. I was the only person from CBS News Network on the ground for a while. We had our local affiliate WBZ there, [and] I was doing live reporting as part of a CBS special report. The first person I called when this happened was Bob Schieffer, and he told me, “Call the assignment desk right now.” I realized that that’s what I’m passionate about. I had been doing a lot of research and politically based news, but [the marathon] made me realize that I wanted to be out in the field. HS: What’s life like on the campaign trail? KA: No two days are alike and there is

no time to sleep. My job is to cover the candidates’ events, ask them questions, get a sense for how people are reacting and collect the best material for all CBS News platforms. There are a lot of factors at play. It is pretty exhilarating to see my footage on CBS Evening News and my original reporting on the CBS website. I really hit the ground running in August 2015. I moved to Iowa and got an apartment, and then I went to the state fair for 11 days straight. Who would have thought that the state fair is ground zero for presidential campaigns? Well it is. And at that point, you get to get really close to them and ask anything you want. As I watched

Jeb Bush sport a pair of cowboy boots and drink a beer in the beer tent, I chuckled to myself. I knew that his Iowa state director wanted him to drink that beer so he would look more like an everyday man. It is not easy. Some days span 18 hours, like on March 14, when Bernie Sanders had five events in four states. We woke up in Ohio and went to bed in Arizona. Then there are other days, like the afternoon I got to get Blue Bunny ice cream as I waited for Chris Christie’s event in Le Mars, Iowa. It is incredibly important work. Every day I remind myself that I am living history. I get to dive into the issues with the candidates. On the Democratic side, a main issue recently has been trade deals—who would have thought that I would be getting a crash course in international trade? But the point is that I am learning so much about specific topics as well as journalism, this country and these candidates. I write up stories if I can, and I live-tweet. At a typical event, I set up my camera, and then I live-log the whole event and mark highlights. At the end, I send a quick summary, including a readout of what the crowd reaction was, and what audience members had to say, to producers deciding what to use for CBS Evening News and CBS This Morning packages. It is a lot of fun because you are on the front lines and people want to talk to you and tell you what they think. That is my favorite part: talking to the people.


HS: Can you share some of your close

observations of the candidates? KA: I hadn't covered John Kasich before South Carolina. His main message was one of uplifting the American spirit and bringing people together. I watched one teacher ask how he’s going to make the education system better, and he told her he would work on it, but ultimately it’s up to the community. How can they make the education system better in their town? He’d turn things around on the audience, which I found pretty interesting. He recognized me after covering him for a few days. I was backstage before the CBS debate in Greenville, and it was three minutes before they were going to go onstage, and John was out there, and you see Jeb Bush walking around, shaking everyone’s hand in a very presidential way. He fixed Donald Trump’s tie, which I found hilarious. These people are about to go have one of the deciding nights of their campaign, and I get to see the excitement and nervousness before they hit the stage. Kasich is standing there looking at the ground, and all of a sudden he bumps me. He doesn’t know my name, but he knows I cover him, so he starts chatting with me. He said, “How long do we have before we hit the stage?” I said, “Governor, you have two and a half minutes. How are you feeling?” He said, “We’re going to have so much fun.” He wanted that human contact before hitting the stage.

HS: How has seeing some aspects of the

heartland of America surprised you? KA: If you had told me when I was at Nobles that I would be living in Iowa when I was 26 years old, I would have thought you were crazy. Now Des Moines is one of my favorite cities in the country. I know the baristas in town at all my favorite coffee shops. I know their political views, who their kids are. I know that they grew up on a farm that’s 30 miles outside Des Moines. There are pieces of the American story that you learn out on the campaign trail, too. You can live anywhere and find stories anywhere if you’re willing to look for them. I also love traveling, and I guess I just never thought traveling would take me to Iowa and South Carolina and D.C. One thing I’ve done a lot of is take pictures of kids on the campaign trail. On Face the Nation, they used a bunch of my still photos [from Instagram] to close the show. It was like my career had gone full circle. I was in those control rooms for so long putting that show together, and now I was out on the campaign trail, and they’re using my videos, my interviews and my still photos, which goes back to when I started journalism as a photographer at Nobles. HS: Can you comment on how you’ve seen

social media functioning in this campaign?

KA: I can’t imagine the campaign

trail without social media. Every time Donald Trump tweets, CBS News gets

an alert, and that comes from the digital journalist who covers him. This is a social media campaign. I think most of the candidates have an Instagram, and most of them have a Snapchat. It’s not just Twitter. It’s every front. When you get retweeted by a Bernie Sanders supporter—and your Twitter blows up because you have 30 new followers—you have to pay that much closer attention to what you’re putting out into the universe because it’s being seen by more eyes than you can imagine. HS: What's it like on the front lines of

campaign rallies?

KA: I covered tons of Trump rallies in

Iowa. As a journalist I loved covering him. Why? Well, for better or worse, Trump rallies are a place where his supporters feel they can voice their opinions. It was also interesting to watch Trump suck the air out of any room I have been in with him. In person he has a very commanding presence and he likes to have complete control. That was evident when he threw journalist Jorge Ramos out of a press conference. I witnessed that moment and chased Ramos out of the room to talk to him. Trump’s thirst for control is also clear when he calls out the press at many of his events. I have been 10 feet away from him when he has called the press scum. You learn to roll with the punches. I have also learned that everyone has a story, you just have to ask them. N SPRING 2016 Nobles 39


graduate news NOTES & ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM CLASSMATES

Graduate Notes Policy: ■■ Send graduate updates

and photographs to class correspondents if you have one. ■■ Digital photographs must be high-resolution JPEG images (1MB+) to appear in print. ■■ Editorial staff reserves the right to edit, format, and select all materials for publication, to accommodate eight decades of classes in the magazine. ■■ For more information, please visit the Graduate Notes submission page on our website at www.nobles. edu/gradnotes. ■■ Contact us if you’re interested in becoming a class correspondent, to collect and compile news of your classmates to share.

1940 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Percy Nelson 617-244-4126 percylnelson@comcast.net

1941 William P. Hall announced that in 2015, his family welcomed “a great-grandson, grandchild #11, named William—the first so named since me.”

40 Nobles SPRING 2016

1942

1948

CLASS CORRESPONDENT

CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Putty McDowell 781-320-1960 pbmcd2@verizon.net

Bill Bliss 781-326-1062 wlbliss@comcast.net

1946

1949

CLASS CORRESPONDENT

CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Gregg Bemis 505-983-7094 gbemis@swcp.com

John Guilbert 520-887-0628

Gents: Reviewing notes from our 10th reunion (yes, I saved them), from September 1940 until graduation, we had a total of 24 class members. Due to departures for WWII and other causes, while we carried 16 on our graduate rolls, we actually only had 11 at graduation in June of ’46. Further attrition since then has brought us down to five remaining members, to my knowledge. With our 70th reunion coming up next spring, I hope we can all gather together one more time. I had a good message from Jim Homans recently, who had nothing startling to report but was in his usual good humor. Dick Lucas also reported that he had had a good conversation with Beezer, who sounded terrific and can be reached at 781-3207812. He would like to hear from us. All’s well here in Santa Fe. We’ve had a foot of snow this past week. Tough on an old back. Hope to see you all in May.

1950 CLASS CORRESPONDENTS

Peter Briggs 513-474-2520 hbriggs@cinci.rr.com

door on the afternoon of this past Christmas Eve but Bill Russell. Next followed two hours of happy conversation at a nearby coffee shop. One thing we discovered was that we each had written our Little Essays on the same author, the late but not forgotten E.B. White. Small world indeed. Ralph “Tad” Powell writes, “I retired as of January 1, 2016. I am looking forward to more time to visit offspring, travel (Italy in July), etc. Maybe some of you guys have advice for me. I hope so. Please send some along.”

1951 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Sid Eaton Jr. 503-223-7548 sidandmeg@msn.com

Galt Grant 781-383-0854 galtgra@gmail.com

Just over a year ago, when our new neighbors, Jonathan and Jessica Russell, were moving into the house next to ours, I asked Jonathan where he was from. “Wellesley, Massachusetts,” came his answer. On a chance, I asked him if he had attended the Noble and Greenough School in Dedham. “No,” he replied, “I went to the Roxbury Latin School, but my father, William Russell, attended Nobles.” I hurried to my Nobles Alumni Directory, and, sure enough, there was William “Bill” Russell listed as a member of the Class of 1958. Even surer enough, who should knock on my

1952 & 1953 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Winston “Hooley” Perry perrydise@tampabay.rr.com Unfortunately, in 2015, I had a number of sad announcements to send out to everyone regarding some of our dearest classmates and close friends who finally succumbed to old age, and all that goes with it. The Class of 1952 lost Everett “Ev” Kiefer, Bobby “Kitty” Catlin and Dudley “Doodles” Dumaine, while the Class of 1953 lost Louis “Lived to Give” Newell. Also, David Thibodeau ’53 lost


his lovely wife, Connie, to cancer, so all in all, 2015 took a big toll on all of us, leaving the Class of 1952 with 18 surviving members, and the class of 1953 with 19 surviving members still aboveground (or “on the right side of the grass” as Peter Hallett ’52 calls it). So on that sad, negative note, I’m going to switch to more positive and happy news. I hear from “Hollywood Hal” Knapp ’52 that the Disney movie The Finest Hours, which Hal and his elderly Willy’s Jeepster convertible had bit parts in, is finally hitting the big screen early in 2016. The Finest Hours is the remarkable true story of the greatest small-boat rescue in Coast Guard history. On February 18, 1952, a massive nor’easter struck New England, pummeling towns along the Eastern seaboard and wreaking havoc on the ships caught in its deadly path, including the SS Pendleton, an oil tanker bound for Boston, which was literally ripped in half. The senior officer realized it was up to him to take charge of the frightened crew, and to inspire the men to work together to ride out one of the worst storms to ever hit the East Coast. As word of the disaster reached the U.S. Coast Guard station in Chatham, Mass., the warrant officer ordered a daring operation to rescue the stranded men, who set out in a wooden lifeboat with an ill-equipped engine and little, if any, means of navigation, facing frigid temperatures, 60-foot-high waves and hurricane-force winds to save

the crew. As I write this, Hal isn’t sure if he ended up in the movie’s big-screen final edition, or if his bit part and takes ended up on the cutting-room floor, but Hal said that it was a great and fun experience. Also, Hal and Carol are planning their usual midwinter “let’s get warm” trip to Longboat Key in Florida, so Andrea and I are planning to “do lunch” at St. Armands Circle with them in Sarasota. In early November 2015, I heard the latest cruising news from Peter Willauer ’52 and his lovely first mate, Carol, who had purchased a Monk 36’ Trawler earlier in the year and were motoring back and forth between Portland, Maine, and Key West and Stuart, Fla., “under power for once” as Peter calls it. I checked out a Monk 36’ online, and it certainly looks like a very civilized way to get from point A to B while enjoying whatever boat drinks and hors d’oeuvres are prepared and presented for your cruising pleasure. So Peter and Carol still have that water wanderlust coursing through their veins, without now having to pay any attention to the setting of their sails. Just fill her up with diesel fuel, cast off the lines, “crank her up, and go.” Of late, I have been the enjoyable recipient of numerous and interesting emails from Jack “Denny” Farlow ’53. Jack seems to have endeared himself late in life to his computer (which many of us reluctantly have) and has, knowing Jack, worked hard at figuring out

where “the good stuff is,” which he then forwards to classmates he thinks might enjoy them. I think that we have a hard-working budding scribe in our midst, but knowing Jack as I do, I’m not surprised. John Childs ’53 and his great party-organizing wife, Jean, have finally decided to vacate their large and long-held home on Old Farm Road in Wellesley Hills, and move to the North Hill Retirement Village in Needham (sorry “Scroot,” there goes the neighborhood). Knowing John and Jean, their choice of living space will be quite expansive for entertaining and the storage of John’s curling paraphernalia, but since they won’t have any skating pond in their backyard, their hockey skates and sticks and snow plow and snow shovels will be put into storage for the foreseeable future. I’m sure that North Hill Village will be a lot easier to find than Old Farm Road was at night, because I can’t tell you how many times I drove ’round and ’round and ’round Wellesley Hills trying to find my way to their home, and vice versa. Quite regularly I receive Australian postcards and promotional materials from Bo-Bub Wakefield ’53 and his lovely traveling companion Catherine, from all over the Far East and beyond, extolling the beauty of the areas that they happen to be visiting and enjoying in retirement. Sometimes Bo includes some of the foreign local currencies in various denominations with

his cards and letters, which I often think I should forward to David Thibodeau, who is our class agent, which can then be credited to Bo’s generous donations to the school. But my not knowing what the current exchange rate is, it makes me wonder if it would be at all worth it. On second thought, I’ll just send the foreign money to David (aka “Tib”) and let him figure it out. Every little bit helps the school. Also, on November 14, 2015, Bubby had a surprise 80th birthday party put on by his family and friends, so he has finally reached the magical age of 80. Congratulations, Old Man. To ring in the new year, Peter Hallett, and his lovely wife, Carol, trekked down to their home in Florida and visited us in Old Homosassa, after Peter decided that last year’s winter snowstorms in New Hampshire were just not that much fun anymore. Unfortunately, Peter found out that because of his lack of TLC with their southern home, (a) their water supply lines weren’t working very well, (b) their hot water tank wasn’t making any hot water, and (c) their electrical system had rusted out in spots and wasn’t working well at all, which required replacing a number of its breaker switches. So, needless to say, they stayed with us for a number of days until Peter could twist the arms of some local plumbers and electricians to work through the holidays, especially ’cause it’s turkey-, deer- and hog-hunting season down south right now, with

SPRING 2016 Nobles 41


graduate news

some fishin’ thrown in depending on what the moon’s doin, y’all. Fortunately, our southern winter weather was its usual 70 degrees during the daytime, so life is good, if you don’t mind real cold showers. You may remember that back in September of last year, I tried to organize a “Redneck Reunion Party Get-Together” on Amelia Island, Fla., in early March 2016, which would give some of you Northerners a chance to start on your spring tans. But unfortunately I received such a tepid response from a lot of you old guys who don’t travel well, plus I found out that there were a number of large events scheduled on the island around that time, that I decided to pull the plug on the event, much to the chagrin and disappointment of Wink Childs ’52. After a great deal of thought, I have finally come to the realization that late summer/September lunches in Plymouth really work out best for most of our classmates, for the ease of daytime driving from and back to your homes, especially after a glass or two of wine for relaxation and medicinal purposes only (under doctor’s orders of course). So stay tuned. I’m sure that all of you must have received the heartfelt and “soon-to-be-leaving at the end of June 2017” letter from Bob Henderson ’76. As I think back over the many years of our association with Nobles, and our amazing headmaster Eliot Putnam (who was a surrogate father to many of us), Mr. Putnam (as we all reverently called him) was, and still is, “a very hard act to follow.” Yes, there were a few headmasters after him, and many changes at the school that some of my classmates still have a hard time

42 Nobles SPRING 2016

accepting for one unknown reason or another, but I think that Bob Henderson is as close to a dynamic leader as Eliot Putnam ever was. The many positive changes and additions to the school that have been accomplished over the past 16 years are due to the leadership, entrepreneurship and hard work of Bob Henderson. As all of you know, our love for Eliot Putnam knows no bounds, and never will, but I have to give credit where credit is due, and therefore I have to profoundly thank Bob Henderson for all he has done and accomplished for the betterment of Nobles. He too “will be a hard act to follow,” and I wish him well in his retirement.

1954 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Peter Partridge 508-548-9418 ppart767@comcast.net

1955 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Bob Chellis 781-237-9436 bchellis@campuscontinuum.com There are advantages to living in the orbit of our old school. Saturday, December 19, the new Putnam plays—Betsy and Arthur— by ETP’s grandson Jesse Putnam, were staged for the first time. These were outstanding short dramas. Kleenex was handed to an overflow audience at the Vinik Theatre. The two plays were written, staged, and acted with real insights and sensitivity, giving us some sense of the loss the Putnam family suffered—losing those two

children in the same summer. Jesse Putnam effectively played his grandfather leading the morning assembly, and as a grieving father. Young Arthur was played by Wally Stimpson’s grandson, Alex Stimpson ’19, and he was a natural on stage. As was his dad, of course, if you remember Arsenic and Old Lace our senior year, and the annual plays before that. After the plays, Susie and Wally Stimpson, Gerry and Sam Gray, Tyler and Larry Flood, John Harrison, Koko Doty and Gage Bailey ’56 converged on Fox Hill to join Bob Chellis and Sandy for cocktails and a steak dinner. In January, Nobles invited all old wrestlers or fans to the NoblesMilton match, followed by a reception at the Castle, honoring coach Steve Toubman’s three decades of coaching. It was a great excuse to visit the new wrestling room and see some of the wrestlers from other classes, and to honor coach Toubman—a worthy successor to our wonderful coach and teacher Wilbur Storer. After the downsizing/reorganizing we all should do sooner or later, Dick Finlay sent some of his Nobles memorabilia to join Mike Jonsberg’s in the school’s archives. Linda and Charlie Nichols visited Dick in Dallas and Santa Fe this winter. Meanwhile, the Stimpsons headed back to Naples, Fla., for the winter. And the Floods, when not enjoying some exotic travel, spend far more time in Blue Hill, Maine, than in their historic Dedham house. And Bebo Gregg may spend more time at his Adirondacks camp than in Hancock, N.H. After a false alarm a couple of years ago (sorry Bob), Bob Taylor’s son Bobby was

happily married on the grounds of the family’s Old Town Farm in Peterborough, N.H., surrounded by mountain views. Gerry and Sam Gray are mostly on the shore in Wareham but still do an intrepid amount of sailing—from the Chesapeake Bay to the Dalmatian coast— and keep a cabin in Wyoming. And Charlie Nichols and Linda—always striving for perfection—are moving yet again! This time from historic, artistic Chadds Ford to the also historic, elegant and elite Kennett Square, with its museums and mushrooms. I hope to see you all at the Castle the Friday of reunion weekend in May. As you remember, they do a great job entertaining every class, every year, with cocktails and dinner once we’ve passed our 50th Reunion. And if you take a moment to look over the battlements, they are usually staging a lovely baseball game on the sunny field below the Castle. Pretty idyllic. Have a great summer.

1956 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Gren “Rocky” Whitman 410-639-7551 grenwhitman@verizon.net

1957 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

John Valentine 413-256-6676 jvalj1@yahoo.com

1958 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Chris Morss knossos@aol.com


Penny and Bill Cutler ’59 celebrated 50 years of marriage at Rimrock Ranch in Cody, Wyo., in August 2015.

Tappy Wilder enjoyed “marvelous face-to-face time with Peter Wadsworth in Newport last summer (he of many lively interests and good spirits). I continue to manage my Uncle Thornton’s works. Ahead this spring: a major production of his The Matchmaker in March at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, at which I will speak, and a revival of Wilder’s long-lost adaptation of Ibsen’s Doll’s House— a Broadway hit for the work in the late ’30s—at Brooklyn’s marvelous new stage, Theatre for a New Audience. In addition to preaching the Gospel of Wilder at the show, I’m writing a preface for the work’s publication for TCG Press.” Bill Danielson writes, “Esther and I traveled through Norway and Sweden last summer, in part to track down Swedish relatives. Success there inspired me to join the genealogy bandwagon. It has been fun to discover I’m related via my Swedish links to the former King of Jordan and Marilyn Monroe. And it makes me think of my Nobles classmates as metaphorical brothers, still connected on our own branch of the noble-and-genealogical tree, but having grown and

matured in so many diverse ways!” Bill and Jan Russell spent Christmas in Portland, Ore., visiting two of their children. Bill’s son lives next door to Sidney Eaton Jr. ’50. Bill and Sid enjoyed a long conversation over coffee at a café.

1959 CLASS CORRESPONDENTS

Whit Bond whit.bond@verizon.net Buzz Gagnebin bgagnebin@mac.com John Gibson jgib1963@aol.com William W. Cutler III has coauthored an entry on the private (independent) schools in the Philadelphia area for the Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, an online resource for both scholars and general readers. Like Nobles, most of these schools are very old, some dating to the Colonial era. Some moved to the suburbs after World War I, and many went coeducational in the 1970s. They pride themselves on their

academic and athletic excellence. The essay can be found at: http:// philadelphia-encyclopedia.org/ archive/private-independent-schools. Bill shared a photo (left) with his wife, Penny, in Wyoming last summer. “We gathered at a Dude Ranch there with our whole family (including seven grandkids) to celebrate 50 years of marriage.” Bill Taylor (“Tayles”) reports, Jesse Putnam called me and we had a lengthy chat about ‘the family’ and how the Yankee way was not to discuss emotional events. He has spent the past year or so researching his family and their friends and he is playing ETP in his own play. He said he talked extensively with Tim Coggeshall as Tim and Luby were the only people who actually talked about the deaths with the Putnams. I am looking forward to seeing it. I suggested to him and the school that it would be great to gather any old home movies taken at sporting events throughout the years and convert them to digital format and put them on a YouTube channel as a historical school archive.” Tayles later reported, “All is well here on the balmy shores of Gloucester, Mass., where I remain blessed with good health, friends, family and plenty of snacks! In December I went to the play by Jesse Putnam held at the Nobles theater. It was two short plays about the lives and untimely deaths of Eliot Putnam’s children, Betsy and Arthur. I had remembered a very poignant time when ETP tried to recite the 23rd Psalm before Monday morning breakfast to a room of sleepy boarders. That man of superhuman strength broke down in the middle of it because his son, Arthur, had died that Friday afternoon in a

freak accident. Jesse had compiled amazing amounts of information about the two children’s lives, but he had not heard about that difficult morning ETP had standing before us, and he changed the play to reflect this after I told him the story and how it was as clear in my mind as ever from 60 years ago. I saw Whit Bond ’59 there, and a few other ‘old folks’ I recognized, like Gage Bailey ’56, Bobby McLeod ’57, Nim Marsh ’57 and Bob Chellis ’55. The theater was just about full, and it was an emotional performance, and well worth seeing. It always amazes me how built up Nobles has become.” Steve Grant ’59 reported in September, “You don’t always get a second chance. This is the link to my talk at the Boston Athenaeum this month: https://vimeo.com/ album/3310726/video/139975245. You can watch it in your PJs. Please visit www.stephenhgrant.com for information on my books.” Steve later reported a ’59 mini-gathering. The 10 percent of the class who has lived in Arlington, Va. (he, Ted Mann and John Gibson), met for dinner. John came up from his “new” home (of 30 years) in Shreveport, La., for an actuarial meeting and a visit to his son. The three had previously gathered in Alexandria in 2014 with John’s family to celebrate John and Irina’s 20th anniversary. John reports enjoying and finding satisfaction returning to teaching after almost 50 years, helping his wife teach chemistry and physics at Airline High School, even if very part-time. He also organized a One Nation Under God Interfaith Musical Prayer Breakfast. Highlights were the

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graduate news

cantor’s singing of the 150th Psalm in Hebrew and English, and the author of the Russian Methodist Hymnal singing Thanksgiving hymns in Russian after the cantor sang in English, followed by duets in both languages simultaneously. Charles Castellani reports, “This past year has been one of great adventure and change for Margaret and me. In April and May, we had the unique opportunity to travel to South Africa with friends who were born there, and grew up there, and have long since lived in Colorado. Towns and seaside sights reminded me of Cape Cod, with quaint art colonies with small streets and shops, often with both the ocean and bodies of fresh water in view at the same time. Many a family from Northern Europe has a vacation home along the byways and sandy knolls. We spent much of our trip in game reserves such as Phinda (owned and run as a resort by &Beyond) in South Africa, the Tree House Hotel and elephant sanctuary near Pletenburg Bay, Chobe, and Xaranna in the Ocavanga Delta. Central to our trip was a visit to the spectacular Victoria Falls, staying at the vintage, historic Victoria Hotel nearly overlooking the falls itself, where the spray from the cascading Zambezi River supports a magnificent rainforest. Without the wind and cold, it felt like a stiff squall! Of a different venue, we visited the historic town of Kimberly, site of one of the largest, if not the largest, diamond mines in Africa. By a vote of the citizens of Colorado, it can be said with assuredness that Denver is the Mile High City, with the legalization (on the state level) of marijuana. As if

44 Nobles SPRING 2016

the long-standing forecast of a contiguous city from Ft. Collins on the north to Pueblo and Trinidad on the south were not convincing enough, the legalization of ‘MJ’ has brought an out-of-control growth to the City and County of Denver. On average, 10,000 people per month have been moving in. No longer the proverbial cow town it once was, or the Queen City of the Plains, the capital is suffocating under gridlock on nearly all roads. Gone from conversations are references to ‘rush hour’ traffic! For me, 47 years living in Denver ended in 2015. Margaret and I decided to embrace adventure and embarked on an entirely new lifestyle in the Black Hills of South Dakota. We purchased a comfortable mountain cabin, which she aptly named Serenity— sans pollution, traffic, gridlock and noise, replaced by majestic forests, clear nights filled with stars, plains, bald eagles and genuine, friendly people whose word is their bond, sealed by a handshake. Pretentiousness knows no address out here. Nice to have true neighbors who help one another as integral parts of a vital community. We physically moved November 6, 2015. Rapid City is within an hour, and it’s a little farther to Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse Monument. Wish we had moved earlier. No time like the present!” Buzz (Charles L.) Gagnebin reports that this fall he has been appointed class agent for Dexter ’53, where he and many of you Nobles folks went through the elementary grades at school. “It is amazing to catch up with folks from our early years and learn about the great things you have accomplished in life. For those of you who may not

know, Ron Perera, who went to Groton, then Harvard ’63, has become famous in the music world, and for the past 30 years taught at Smith College out in western Massachusetts. There are many others of note in that Dexter class. Since Dexter moved out to the old Lawrence estate, then merged with Southfield, many of us have lost connection with the school, but it is a great place and highly recommended to reconnect. Well, I was the home base manager once more for a reunion of the 1961 football team that won the first Ivy League championship for Harvard. My predecessor as head manager, Champ Lyons, a retired Alabama Supreme Court justice, remarks that at no other time in his life has he had as much managerial authority to command things his way as he had as Harvard head manager, undergraduate manager of football. Connie and I continue to enjoy tricycling. It’s amazing how many people in the area stop to chat with you, and you make so many new connections with so many interesting people this way. Check out my website: cambridgetricycleclub.org. Best of 2016 to all you guys, and we hope to have a lot of 150th anniversary items to report to you about Nobles this coming year.”

1960 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Albert Vandam arvandam2@comcast.net

1961 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Jim Newell 802-467-3555 newell43@gmail.com

Your class secretary thanks classmates who have written in; I encourage others to do the same. The ’61 classmate 2015 event of the year for me (Jim Newell) and Sally was attending the lavish wedding of Jack Lowell’s youngest daughter at the Ritz-Carlton on Key Biscayne, Miami. Beautiful people, beautiful setting, great sitdown dinner for 400, wonderful entertainment, music and dancing. When you get this in May, we will be celebrating our 55th Reunion (at Nobles, Friday evening, somewhere yet to be determined for Saturday). Plan to attend! Peter Ward writes, “My new book, What Really Causes Global Warming? Greenhouse Gases or Ozone Depletion? will be out November 1, 2015. I show 1) that man did cause the world to warm from 1965 to 1998 by manufacturing CFC gases that depleted the ozone layer, 2) that man stopped the increase in emissions and warming by 1998 via the Montreal Protocol, 3) that 2015 is the warmest year on record due to an eruption of 33 square miles of basaltic lava in Iceland that depleted the ozone layer, and 4) that greenhouse gases have no significant effect on global warming. Get the details at whyclimatechanges.com and whatreallycausesglobalwarming.com.” Brad Willauer writes, “Ann and I have been bareboat sailing in Greece this September. We spend our time here in Prouts Neck sailing, skiing, and attempting golf, looking in on our seven grands, fortunately all here in Maine—two oldest in Brunswick, two youngest in Freeport and three middle ones in Owls Head. We got a chance to


1967 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Drew Sullivan 781-461-1477 drewsull49@aol.com

Left: Jim Newell ’61, “Quo Vadimus?” Right: Rip Cunningham ’63, recent inductee into the Fishing Hall of Fame, as photographed for the fall 2015 Babson alumni magazine by Greta Rybus.

go to New Zealand last January— a marvelous experience, a first for us. Regards to all.” Peter Meeks writes, “I like your idea of coming together as a class Saturday evening and would gladly host same if I still lived in Dedham. Regards to all.”

1962 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

David Mittell damittell@gmail.com

1963 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Jim Lehan 508-520-1373 jblehan@aol.com Excerpted from the fall 2015 Babson alumni magazine: “Colin ‘Rip’ Cunningham, MBA ’72, knows his way around the rod and reel. Since

1973, he has hung his fishing hat at Salt Water Sportsman magazine, serving in a variety of roles, including owner, editor in chief and, currently, conservation editor. The Dover, Mass., resident is also dedicated to fisheries management, serving as a longtime member on state and federal fishing commissions. This fall, the International Game Fish Association inducted him into its Fishing Hall of Fame. ‘It’s a huge honor,’ he says.”

1964 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Ned Bigelow 781-704-4304 moe9817@aol.com

1966 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Ned Reece ned4047@sbcglobal.net

Dick Byrd writes, “My brothers and I just republished Salty: Recollections of a Yankee in Politics, grandpa’s book about his life in politics. [Editor’s note: He refers to Senator Leverett Saltonstall]. For those of you who don’t know, it was his father who was head of the Nobles board when the school moved to Dedham. Three of my uncles attended Nobles, as did all four of us. We republished the book because of how grandpa writes about his very good relationship with John F. Kennedy when JFK was first elected to the Senate. The two men were of different backgrounds, different generations and different political parties, but they got along famously and passed some legislation together—something lacking in Washington today! The book is available everywhere.”

1968 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Andy Lord 617-899-3948 ajliii@hotmail.com

1969 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Peter Pach 860-267-9701 pbp06456@sbcglobal.net Among the rituals of our advancing ages is going through stuff. In our house, books insinuate

themselves into every space. My wife, Kathy, and I spent a couple of post-Christmas days culling the collection and packed nine sizable boxes for donation to a local theater group’s tag sale. All that done, and we’re left with full bookshelves and nowhere to put any new volumes. I can hear some of you who have jumped to Kindles and other forms of electronic reading saying, “Forget about physical books.” But I’m still fond of holding them and have begun to reread some, most recently Out of Africa, by Isak Dinesen, which was a nice change of pace from my book club’s choice of The Martian, a breezy, engaging science-fiction story. Brad Wilkinson and his wife, Mary, are much more ambitious, as they have spent the past year clearing out their Connecticut home as they anticipate “returning to the Boston area for the first time in 40-plus years. Decades of accumulated junk has to be disposed of. Adult children have to be notified that our house will no longer serve as the local E-Z Storage. Battles have to be won and lost between the throw-thebaby-out-with-the-bathwater husband and the let’s-save-thissweet-little-stuffed-armadillothat-hasn’t-seen-the-light-of-dayfor-thirty-five-years wife. And... the horror of the attic. Another five years, and we’ll have it done.” Scott FitzPatrick reports that he has “settled into Connecticut life pretty well” after moving back east a year or so ago to marry his college sweetheart. Happy to get a New Year greeting from Baird Brightman, who checked in from his California redoubt.

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graduate news

Always eager to hear what classmates are doing or if they have heard news of another classmate. Drop me a note.

1970 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Levy Byrd 781-449-7555 levbyrd@comcast.net

1973 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Craig Sanger 917-705-7556 craig.w.sanger@gmail.com

1974 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Kevin McCarthy 617-480-6344 kmac56@gmail.com On January 12, a few members of the class of 1974 got together in Boston’s famous Durgin Park restaurant to catch up, as has become practice from time to time. In attendance were Gary Markoff, Paul Ayoub, Tom Sleeper and myself (Kevin McCarthy). We talked about families, my going back to school and some of the charities we all support when we are not working. Paul made a toast to my new career as a clinical social worker, and Gary talked about the great work being done by Champions for Children’s Hospital. During the process of coming together, we were able to hear back from quite a few classmates. John Frank, who lives in California, was unable to make it, but he will be getting together with Ethan

46 Nobles SPRING 2016

1974 Clockwise from top left: Tom Sleeper and Kevin McCarthy, ’74 classmates, at Heading Home Inc.’s annual awards ceremony, which Tom co-sponsored; 1974 classmates gathered for lunch at Durgin Park (left to right: Paul Ayoub, Kevin McCarthy, Gary Markoff and Tom Sleeper); Nobles’ Common Fire Up & Out move for Heading Home was largely spearheaded by the Edie family. Melinda Edie, Class I, serves on Heading Home’s Youth Leadership Council.

Goldman, who is going west on business. Harry Elam sent his regards, as being vice provost at Stanford keeps him busy and on the road. I was in touch with Roger Coe for his birthday, and Tom Sleeper reports that he sees him around town regularly. There were New Year wishes from Jim Baird and Geoff Brooks, as well as shoutouts from Ted Wales and Allan Schmid. I am always kept in the loop by Bill Chandler in New Hampshire on Facebook. For more than 40 years, we have kept some fundamental camaraderie that we could not have found anywhere else. Last year, Gary and Tom attend-

ed the Champions for Children’s together, and in November I got to see what a compassionate and generous man Tom really is, when he and his company, Intercontinental Insurance Brokers, cosponsored the awards dinner for Heading Home Inc. (see picture of me and Tom at the event), a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending homelessness in Boston, of which I have been on the board for many years and for which a group of Nobles students volunteered their time and treasure to this past spring, through Common Fire, a Nobles-sponsored day of service. (See photo.) It was great to be a member of a class of men who truly live up to the spirit of the Nobles mission

of being “dedicated to inspiring leadership for the public good.” As a board member at Heading Home, I really want to thank the Nobles community for last year’s “Up & Out” move, as well as Paul and Tom’s individual support. Heading Home’s Up & Out Program offers up volunteer groups with the opportunity to make a huge impact on a homeless family’s life as they make the milestone move from shelter into permanent housing. Families moving into affordable, permanent housing through Up & Out have faced adversity, but leading up to and following the move, they receive intensive support services to remain on track and housed.


The actual move includes cleaning, furnishing, and personalizing the apartment to the family’s taste and transforming the apartment into a “home.” Furniture and housewares are either purchased new through funds raised, donated new, or gently used. The half-day experience concludes with revealing the apartment to the family and presenting them the keys to their new home.

1975 CLASS CORRESPONDENTS

Andrea Pape Truitt 609-646-5361 apape57@gmail.com Jed Dawson 508-735-9663 Jeddawson711@gmail.com Doug Floyd 781-788-0020 doug_floyd@yahoo.com Taking top billing this edition is Louisa Hackett, making her first submission to the magazine in 40 years. Yeah, Louisa! From Louisa: “In 2013, I founded Community Votes, a New York City–based initiative that leverages the connections nonprofits have in local communities to engage voters and, ultimately, strengthen those communities through active participation in the electoral process. Check out the recent New York Times article (12/11/15) ‘Mobilizing Voters in New York’s Housing Projects.’ And for more information, visit www.communityvotes.org.” Jed Dawson reports, “Well, the day finally arrived as Kirsten and I became ‘empty nesters’ for

the first time this past September, when Asher (Nobles ’15) went off to college. We now have three kids, Abram ’08, Hadley (Nobles ’10) and Asher, living in California, and Emily ’06 and Sam ’10 in New York City. The adjustment is still happening as I write these class notes. Home for the holidays, and then away they go. I am making good progress with the sale of our disinfectant technology to hospitals all over the country. It is a great time to be in the business of killing pathogens in hospitals. Kirsten continues her work at the aquarium to help save our oceans. Some exciting news arrived this morning when Abram was named to Forbes’s 30 under 30 in venture capital. Very proud parents we are! Check the link: www.forbes.com/30under-30-2016/venture-capital/. It was great to see so many of our classmates at our 40th reunion back in May. Thank you all for making the effort to come back.” Tom Pratt reports that he and his family have relocated from New Mexico to Lakewood Ranch, Fla. (near Sarasota). “After passing the bar here, I will be looking for a position as an attorney.”

Peter Rice submits this under the hypothesis that you never know who you will run into: “A few weeks ago, while teaching class, a girl touring the school came with her parents to my classroom. As I was talking to them, I must have mispronounced a word, and I said, ‘Oh, that’s my Boston accent.’ The mother said, ‘I’m from Boston.’ ‘What town?’ I asked. She responded, ‘Dedham.’ I replied, ‘I went to Noble and Greenough.’ She said, ‘I’m Eliot Putnam’s daughter.’ We did not talk long, but it was wonderful to meet her and reminisce about Nobles.” Tansy Parr Lovell reports, “Had the pleasure of a visit from classmate Ellen Quinlan in November as we were lucky enough to get our hands on some Dead & Co w/John Mayer tickets. Then, a couple of weeks later, I made it up to Boston and had a fun night out with another classmate, Asa Phillips, and Ellen. It was a great way to wrap up 2015. Old friends are the best friends!” Bob Phinney writes, “I am still a teacher/administrator at Dexter Southfield School in Brookline, teaching Latin, science, photography and computer coding. As

1975 classmates Ellen Quinlan, Asa Phillips and Tansy Parr Lovell during a night out in Boston.

director of the Clay Center for Science and Technology, I get to work with the huge telescope at the observatory. Come look through the biggest telescope in the area on a public Tuesday evening (www. claycenter.org) or call me for a VIP visit. My wife, Susan, still works for Johnson & Johnson worldwide, and my son, Matthew, is in New Mexico teaching/coaching MMA and professional boxing.”

1976 CLASS CORRESPONDENTS

Tom Bartlett +44 1908 647196 tom_bartlett58@hotmail.com Rob Piana 617-491-7499 robert.piana@vanderbilt.edu As we look forward to our class commemoration of 40 years of life after Nobles (Mr. Henderson exempted), it seems an appropriate time to preview coming attractions with news of what a few classmates are up to. Robin Cracknell writes that he has a show (he’s a notable artist, as noted in past Notes) at the Sous les Étoiles Gallery in NYC (yes, that’s New York, not Neuilly) on March 10, with an artist talk on the 14th. He mentions that this is his first return in a long time to his American “home” and that he’s hoping classmates will make it to the show. André Stark has brought new meaning to the word succinctness with his Facebook posts; the latest to this correspondent being “go, go, go!” Whether this is a reference to Robin’s show, an exhortation for me to attend reunion, or a dem-

SPRING 2016 Nobles 47


graduate news

onstration of a Boston Marathon spectator cheer remains a mystery. Whether or not this correspondent (Tom) will make it to the ’76 Nobles show in May hinges upon a few work ducks (not a reference to André) being put in a row, and upon how easily he can make the jump across the Big Pond. I left fulltime employment with the UK’s National Careers Service last October and now struggle forward as a “sole trader” working on various writing projects, including memoirs (www.warrencove.com). Having a few more Boston/New England– based projects will certainly up the odds, hint, hint! Rob Piana continues as an interventional cardiologist at Vanderbilt University, in Nashville, Tenn. “We travel quite a bit back and forth to Boston for family reasons, and we hope to spend more time on Cape Cod. Anyone near Dennis? Tom and I stay in touch over the Nobles notes, and one day I hope to cross the Big Pond in the opposite direction to visit Tom on his own turf. The snippets of news over social media from many classmates always provide a smile.” Bill Mees has retired from Lawrence Academy after a long, distinguished career there, highlighted by an art building being named for him. Rob Shapiro has been a true friend for these past 40 years. Truly, he and so many other teachers at Nobles influenced us in profound ways. Thanks to all of you! Congrats to Bob Henderson ’76 on such a tremendous tenure at Nobles. It would be wonderful to hear from the rest of the class for the Nobles notes. Write anytime. Hope everyone is well.

48 Nobles SPRING 2016

1977 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Linda Rheingold licorh@comcast.net Peter Gryska writes, “I have learned to permanently avoid the harsh New England winters by living in Houston, high and dry from the recent flooding. Both daughters have graduated from law school and college and are off the payroll. I am still actively working in the Foodservice Distribution chain. We are increasingly spending time in west Texas at our 110-year-old family ranch, bird hunting, building a ranch house, running cattle, and expanding the farming operations. If you are ever driving west on I-20, 150 miles west of Dallas, among the mesquite and prickly pear wondering, ‘Why would anyone live here?’ that is where we will be.”

1978 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Christopher Reynolds Cell: 800-444-0004 Home: 508-358-7757 chreynolds@comcast.net

1979 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

John Almy 617-448-3119 jwalmy@comcast.net Dan Rodgers 212-423-0374 drodgers@wfw.com You know, it’s hard to write this column when no one, absolutely no one, writes to tell you what is going on in their life. And when

your faithful scribe refuses to stalk all y’all (that Southern drool for “you guys”) on social media, there is really not much to say. So I guess I’ll have to tell you that I miss you and please write to me (or at least some of your Facebook posts for me). I promise that I will faithfully report your doings if you would be so kind as to report them to me. (And I might even make them sound more interesting than they might seem when you write them up—that’s called “literary license.”) In the meantime, live long and prosper. And now, a recitation, randomly (but alphabetically), of some names, just so it will seem to the eye that someone did something in their life over the past few months (think of this as a mini-reunion): Dwight Aspinwall, Bill Bliss, Steve Burnside, Mark Byers, Maura Cassidy, Martha Reiland Cebry, Danny Corcoran, Molly Conley Dempsey, Patsy McCormick DiGiovanna, Charlie Dow, Ginny Aldous Emerson, Lisa Heavey Evans, Lisa Hellawell Fargo, Amy Tayer Goldman, Wyc Grousbeck, John Hoagland, Nancy Pratt Hurley, Diane Ives, Scott Leland, Tim Lyne, Tim Mansfield, Harry Miller, Jim Morse, Donna Giandomenico Murphy, Kathy Newell, Tom O’Brien, Gordon Prescott, Fiona Jarrett Roman, Phil Rueppel, Joe Selle, Alex Childs Smith, Dan Standley, John Stimpson, David Vogel and Bruce Weber.

1980 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Rob Capone 781-326-7142 robcapwest@comcast.net

1981 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Kim Rossi Stagliano 203-610-1750 krstagliano@charter.net

1982 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Holly Malkasian Staudinger 914-925-2340 hmalkasian@verizon.net

1983 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Nancy Sarkis Corcoran Home: 508-785-0886 Fax: 508-785-0887 NLSC3@me.com Hello, Class of ’83: Happy 2016 to all. Thank you for keeping in touch all these years. I love hearing from you and staying connected. Only two more years until our 35th Reunion! Here’s the latest news. Haley Clifford Adams is starting a new career. She has been hired as a financial advisor for Edward Jones. “Much studying and testing in my near future!” Another classmate with a new job is Marc Gladstone. “I am now with the Child Mind Institute as an educational specialist. CMI is dedicated to supporting and transforming the lives of children with mental health and learning disorders.” I also heard from Sean Duane. He and his wife, Monica, are doing well and still living in Connecticut with their three kids: Lyndsey (17), Jack (16) and Alexsandra (11). He wrote, “All good here. Honestly, feel pretty blessed


Left: Sean Duane ’83 shared this photo of his kids, Lyndsey (17), Jack (16) and Alexsandra (11). Right (from left to right): 1984 classmates Kelly White, Jen Scott, Tamar Newell, Heather Alker, Sarah Weiss and Christine Hegenbart celebrating Sarah’s 50th, for which she received a (vintage) Dawg Pound Book of Recipes.

upcoming reunion and really hope that you all can make it back.” Finally, we have our 30th Reunion coming up, and the reunion committee would like you to know that “all of us on the planning committee are looking forward to seeing everyone back on campus for our 30th Reunion on Saturday, May 14, from Kate, Holly, Sara, John, Karen, A.J., Sandra, Ken, Heather, Heather, Jeff, Bob, Heather and Jessica.” See you at the reunion!

1987 with a happy, healthy family. Monica and I have been lucky—all three kids are good kids (so far) and usually a pleasure to have around. Love seeing the updates on everyone.”

Jessica Tyler 781-934-6321 jessicaytyler@gmail.com

1984

Stephen Jordan is living in Maine and writes “that Yankee Jungle (TV show on Animal Planet) was renewed for a second season, so I will be on television beginning sometime later this month. No firm date due to network schedule shuffling, but I will leave a post on the group’s page when I know for sure. Also, my doctor just informed me that I am cured from battling a case of Lyme disease I contracted in November of last year. It was a terrible experience, but I will say, in the process I lost 60+ pounds in a month, but I’ve gained back 12 pounds, so I am happy. I wish everyone the best and look forward to seeing everyone at reunion.” DJ Murphy writes, “My partner and I started cardnotpresent. com in 2011 as a B2B intelligence source for professionals in the

CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Christine Todd 617-699-1933 christinetodd@me.com At a 50th birthday gathering hosted by Jen Scott for Sarah Weiss, we marveled that there was no 1984 class representative for Nobles magazine. With this photo, I hereby volunteer for the job.

1985 CLASS CORRESPONDENT NEEDED

1986 CLASS CORRESPONDENTS

Heather Markey Zink 508-359-9553 hjzink@mac.com

Eliza Kelly Beaulac 703-476-4442 embeaulac@verizon.net

card-not-present payments space (companies that sell online, via mobile and/or over the phone). The company consists of an online publication and an annual industry event (the CNP Expo). I am responsible for all of the content, and my partner is responsible for sales and operations. The show and the publication both grew quickly, and we were acquired in November by Reed Exhibitions, the largest trade show organizer in the world and a unit of global publishing group Reed Elsevier. Being an entrepreneur for the first time in my life was terrifying and more fun than work had ever been. I don’t think it will be the last.” Jeff Patterson is “living in Lincoln, Mass., and spending plenty of time at Nobles, as I now have three kids there (Class II, III and VI). While some stuff has certainly changed since our era, I can attest that the dedication of the amazing faculty and the supportive community feeling of Nobles is still alive and well. I look forward to seeing many of you at our

CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Emily Gallagher Byrne 781-721-4444 egbyrne@verizon.net

1988 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

John Hesse john.hesse@me.com

1989 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Rachel Spencer 917-921-5916 spencerw@georgetown.edu rachelwspencer@yahoo.com

1990 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Elena Weiss MacCartee 202-882-2132 eisabelmac@gmail.com

1991 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Kelly Doherty Laferriere kellylaferriere@icloud.com

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graduate news

1992 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Lynne Dumas Davis 703-623-4211 LynneDumas@aol.com

1993 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Sam Jackson 978-409-9444 sambjackson@hotmail.com

1994 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Annie Stephenson Murphy 415-377-4466 annie_stephenson@yahoo.com Greetings from the snow! In a strange turn of events, those of us out here in the West are enjoying tons of snow in the mountains, and finally some rain to alleviate the drought in California. I’m finally getting a chance to teach my 6-yearold daughter, Ava, and 3-year-old son, Callum, to ski. And I’m pretty sure most of my classmates are staring 4-0 in the face right about now. Happy birthday, everyone!

Cole Parker reports, “I’m in Seattle for a five-month start-up incubator called 9mile labs. My start-up, www.jodone.com, is a human/robotic hybrid control system. We created a game out of controlling robots, for the betterment of humankind. If you’re in Seattle, reach out.” Elizabeth Geuss is also excited to share news about her latest venture: “I just launched an online shop called Artisanal Being (www. artisanalbeing.com). I’m the most excited about our main goals for the shop, which are to inspire curiosity and creativity, and to help people feel a little more loved and a little more cared for. Looking forward to growing the business this year!” Nancy Cremins is launching a Kickstarter in January for her organization, SheStarts, which helps women entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses. Keira Rogers is keeping herself very busy. She shares, “I’m still living in NYC, in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, with my two amazing children, Amina, 13, and Moses, 10. In addition to living in Riverdale, I am also working there at the Fieldston School. I’m now in my

fourth year there as middle school history department chair and an eighth grade history teacher. This year, I have the unique opportunity to work as an eighth grade teacher at the same time that my daughter is an eighth-grader. Although I am not her teacher, I teach a number of her good friends, and so we are learning a new way to function as mom and daughter in that space. This year, I have also started taking coaching classes to help others learn to problem-solve and get more satisfaction out of life. When I’m not superbusy with all of that, I’m running to maintain my sanity and good health, and squeezing in some of the fun that NYC has to offer.”

1995 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Kelly Flaman kflaman@gmail.com

1996 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Alex Slawsby ads@alumni.brown.edu Kate (Connelly) Wade writes, “We welcomed our son, Thomas Orazio Wade, on November 17, 2015. Big sister Emily loves having a little brother, and we’re just looking forward to getting some sleep sometime around the year 2020. All the best to the Class of ’96. Look forward to seeing everyone this spring!”

1997 CLASS CORRESPONDENTS Class of 1994’s Ama O. Lieb and Annie S. Murphy, with her daughter, Ava Murphy, meet up at the book signing party for Ama’s book, Phoebe Pope and the Year of Four (written under her pseudonym Nya Jade).

50 Nobles SPRING 2016

Bobbi Oldfield Wegner 617-980-1412 bobbiwegner@gmail.com

Jessie Sandell Achterhof 781-990-3353 jessie.achterhof@gmail.com

1998 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Dave Klivans dave.liquid@gmail.com Adam Taub writes, “This month I celebrate my five-year wedding anniversary with my wife, Anna. We are enjoying our new hectic life as parents in Menlo Park, Calif. We joyfully welcomed our son, Amos Morris Taub, to this world on October 24, 2015.” Jenn (Falchuk) Kollenscher relays, “My news is that we just welcomed our second girl, Jordan Elle, on December 17. Big sister Avery, my husband, Avi, and I are adjusting to and loving life as a family of four.” Nina (Freeman) Hanlon writes, “This year, Ron began teaching seventh-and-eighth grade history at Rye Country Day School. He changed grade levels after eight years teaching history on the fifthgrade team. I was recently named the new director of admission and financial aid at Greenwich Academy and begin my post in July. Our children, Simone and Dylan, are now 2 years old, talking up a storm, and keeping their parents very busy.” Yantee Neufville says, “As I reported last quarter, 2015 was certainly a busy year of personal milestones, which included getting engaged and married, and buying a home. In May 2015, I married Malika Fair in a private ceremony on Beacon Hill in Boston, followed by a September ceremony that included consecrating our vows in


my wife’s home state of Michigan. We had a terrific time with our family and close friends, who were there to witness and party with us in Detroit. Malika and I are now rooted in Washington, D.C.”

1999 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Stephanie Trussell Driscoll stephdriscoll32@gmail.com

2000 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Lisa Marx lisamarx@gmail.com Michael Sanders writes, “I married Melanie Hirsch in October. We live in Washington, D.C.” Alison (Fahey) Harrington reports, “My husband, Kent, and I welcomed our second daughter, Rosemary Lee Harrington, on October 5, 2015.”

2001 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Lauren Kenney Murphy Lauren.kenney1@gmail.com Jon Li writes, “I now live in San Francisco. Last year, I saw Justin Bain in Big Sky, Tom Bresnehan in Jackson Hole, Jeff Lee in Joshua Tree and Jason Krugman in Brooklyn—always great to rendezvous with Nobles folks. I started another tech company called Snack (it’s likely on the Internet). If you’re ever in the Bay Area, look me up: jonathanwli@gmail.com.” Jessica Lee writes, “My husband, Henry, and I moved back to Boston from San Francisco last May

and welcomed our son, Nathaniel, in September. See him on p. 55, clearly not yet sold on the concept of East Coast winters. I work in investor relations at Root Capital, and we live in Beacon Hill. Look forward to seeing everyone at reunion!” Elizabeth (Libert) Sterner writes, “2015 was a special year for my family as we welcomed our second son, George Clark Sterner, in October! I was also pumped to photograph my first editorial assignment for The New York Times Style Magazine, and to extend my client pool to quite a few fellow classmates. Finally, to say that I am looking forward to reunion and catching up with everyone would be an understatement—can’t wait!” Evie (Dabreo) Swaim writes, “Bryan Swaim and I were married in Boston in October, and naturally, Nobles was a big part of the day. As a tribute to our (first) first date freshman year, which was to see Titanic, our last dance was a power-ballad sing-along to ‘My Heart Will Go On.’ We figured it was really the only way to start the marriage.” Patrick Keneally writes, “Myles Peter Keneally was born on July 30, 2014. He is already excited to play for Michael Denning and the Nobles tennis team.” Ben McManama writes, “I’m coaching all the sub varsity hockey teams at Nobles, and I’m coaching middle school lax this spring.”

2002 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

William N. Duffey III 617-893-1040 williamduffey@gmail.com

Left: Jon Li and Tom Bresnehan, both ’01, fishing in Jackson Hole, Wyo. Right: Sara (Snyder) Phillips and Scott Runyon, both ’06, ran into each other at their five-year Stanford reunion, and lo and behold, Arthur Levy was there too!

2003

2006

CLASS CORRESPONDENT NEEDED

CLASS CORRESPONDENT

2004 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Carolyn Sheehan Wintner 781-801-3742 carolyn.sheehan@post. harvard.edu

2005 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Saul Gorman 617-447-3444 saul.gorman@gmail.com Tom Southworth married Emily Susen on September 5, 2015, in Bermuda. Emily is a childhood friend of Dan Perkins, and Tom and Emily were set up in college by Dan and Brendan Richards. Daniel Rosmarin is still living in London. Drop him a note if you’re passing through.

E.B. Bartels ebandersenbartels@gmail.com Resident harpist Krysten Keches wrote with exciting news: “On October 25, 2015, I married Daniel Smilkov at the Boston Public Library. My brother, Greg Keches ’07, stood beside me as my ‘man of honor.’ We also celebrated with Scott Runyon, his wife, Emily, and Gina Chen ’07. We’re planning a second wedding in Daniel’s hometown, Gevgelija, Macedonia, in May (one week after the 10th reunion).” Besides that, everyone is saving their updates to share in-person at our 10-year reunion on May 14, apparently. Can’t wait to see you!

2007 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Greg Keches gkeches@gmail.com

SPRING 2016 Nobles 51


graduate news

Greetings class of ’07! As I’ve said from the beginning, our graduating class continues to impress nationwide. We are truly changing the world, and this is absolutely embodied by our very own Max Mankin. Recently listed in Forbes’s “30 under 30 for Science,” Max is attempting to fulfill his dream of actually becoming Tony Stark. Max completed his Ph.D. in chemistry at Harvard, moved to Seattle, and co-founded Modern Electron, a start-up company dedicated to generating cheap, modular and reliable electricity for all. Expensive mechanical engines and turbines based on 19thcentury technology still generate the majority of the power used worldwide. Max and his team seek to replace them with paper-thin heat-to-electricity generators. The company has so far raised ~$11 million in venture capital funding and is recruiting very talented engineers and scientists http:// modernelectron.com. Couch surfers from the Nobles community visiting the Seattle area are most welcome anytime. Talk about amazing. I, for one, will be submitting my résumé. I once did an experiment in Dr. Craft’s chemistry class. I believe you were there to see it, Max. So, I’m a scientist. Call me.

2008 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Aditya Mukerjee 212-935-5637 aditya.mukerjee@gmail.com Alex Lang is currently working as a product manager for mobile and wearable payments at American

52 Nobles SPRING 2016

Express. This past year she led Amex in the launch of the Android Pay mobile wallet with Google. Katy Monaghan writes, “After two years of teaching in a Washington, D.C., public school, I moved back to Boston to earn my master’s degree in special education. I am currently a student at the Lynch School of Education at BC and am graduating this coming August. In addition to completing my master’s, I am teaching in Quincy as a fourth- and fifth-grade special education tutor.”

2009 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Liz Rappaport 617-413-6070 lizrap@gwmail.gwu.edu Carey Favoloro says, “I have stayed on for a second year at the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES) in Aspen, Colo. As a naturalist with ACES, I spend my days leading nature hikes and ski/ snowshoe tours. I enjoy talking about science with visitors from all over the world. Aspen is a huge outdoor playground, and I have loved the opportunity to adventure in the mountains. Skiing, hiking, mountain biking, and climbing have all become favorite pastimes. Sending best wishes to Nobles friends and teachers!” Cliff Reynolds says, “I’m teaching English at an Islamic high school in Mataram, Indonesia. I’ll be here until May, and soon after returning to the United States, I’ll lead a group of U.S. high school students overseas on a leadership development, community service and cultural engagement trip.”

2010 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Holly Foster 508-404-4616 hatherly.a.foster@dartmouth.edu

2011 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Katie Puccio 508-446-0726 krpooch@gmail.com Hey, guys! I hope everyone’s 2016 is off to an amazing start! It’s kind of crazy to think that this will be the year of our first Nobles reunion. Looking forward to seeing a bunch of you back on Campus Drive in May. I’m still living in NYC, but now with my new French bulldog puppy named Babz. I just started working for a music start-up called Mutrs, which helps discover new independent talent by allowing artists to offer stock in their original content on our digital exchange. I’m still singing and making music in my free time. I’m constantly running into Nobles grads in funny places throughout Manhattan. Hope everyone is well! Annie Winneg writes, “Hi, Nobles alums. So far, postgrad life is treating me well. Since moving to New York to pursue my career as an actor, I’ve been cast in three productions (Off-Broadway as well as Off-Off Broadway) including Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and Jane Martin’s H2O. When I’m not acting, I’m working as a nanny in Manhattan and trying to see as much theater as I can. Can’t wait to see Nobles again at our reunion!”

Laura Zwanziger reports, “I moved to New York City after graduation to pursue a career in fashion. I currently work in the design department for Oscar de la Renta in knitwear development. Unfortunately, I will be missing the five-year reunion, but I hope you are all doing well.” From Andrew Kenealy: “Hi, all! After graduating from college in June and spending a relaxing summer at home in Sudbury, I now live in Arlington, Va., with three friends from college. I research foreign policy at a think tank in the city, and I hope to continue in that field long-term, but I am also currently coaching high school rowing. I’m the varsity girls’ coach at Woodrow Wilson High School, which is the only public high school in D.C. with a crew team. I’m very busy between two jobs, but enjoying every minute of it! I can’t make our first reunion, unfortunately—it conflicts with one of my team’s spring races—but please let me know if you find yourself in Washington.” Chris Geary says, “I am a Teach for America corps member teaching sixth-grade math in Pueblo, Colo. Pueblo City is one of the lowest-performing districts in the state of Colorado, and the town itself faces many economic and social challenges. It’s been an incredible experience that has made it quite clear how great of a school Nobles is and how lucky we all were to attend such a school.” Roz Watson writes, “I’m currently working and living in Munich, Germany, as an au pair. After spending four years in New York, I didn’t want to move to a big city, so Munich felt just small and random enough for a year of


museums, language learning, soul searching, and, of course, working on my own art. Before I left the U.S. of A., I was lucky enough to go to the art and culture festival Burning Man with my dad and my aunt, so let’s say I haven’t been short of inspiration for a while. I just spent a week in Amsterdam for my birthday, and I’ve also been able to travel a lot around Europe during my free time: London, Paris, Budapest, Bavaria—so much to see! When I’m not traveling or working, you can find me in one of Munich’s famous beer gardens with my sketchbook or a book of German fairy tales. Haven’t run into any Nobles grads here yet, but who knows—I’m here until summer!” Tung Nguyen shares, “After graduating from Bowdoin, I moved to Shanghai to work for an investment group called AngelVest Fund. The group consists of 100-plus LPs specializing within their own industries. I think it’s a great opportunity to learn directly from these LPs and the hundreds of start-up companies that apply for funding every year. In other news, Shanghai is an amazing city. If you have the chance to visit, I’d love to show any of you around the block.”

2012 CLASS CORRESPONDENT

Coco Woeltz woeltz@bc.edu

2013 CLASS CORRESPONDENT NEEDED

2014 CLASS CORRESPONDENT NEEDED

memoriam Frank S. Waterman III ’41 passed away on October 7 at the age of 93. He was a devoted graduate of Nobles, as well as the Rivers School and Harvard College. Following his time at Harvard, Frank became president of the Waterman Funeral business, which was started by his family in 1832. Frank also served on a number of bank boards throughout the region, including the Wellesley National Bank and the South Shore National Bank. Later in his life, he began to research his family’s history in America, which spanned back to 1636. His book, 378 Years in America: The Watermans from 1636, the Funeral Business from 1832, and the Future of America in the New World, was published in 2014. Twice a widower, Frank is survived by his third wife, Ann Fecke Waterman; his children, Pamela Waterman Ryder and her husband, Hilton; John Waterman and his wife, Mallory; Annette Brodie and her husband, Peter; and Frank S. Waterman IV and his wife, Carrie; his 13 grandchildren; and his six great-grandchildren. Thank you to class correspondent Hooley Perry ’53 for the following tribute. Dudley Bradlee Dumaine ’52 passed away at

the age of 82 on Christmas Day, December 25, 2015, at his home in Cynthiana, Ky. Dudley was the widower of the late Susan Beth Emery Dumaine, who passed away in 2012. As many of his classmates will recall, Dudley was one of the chosen and fortunate few who attended Nobles for seven years, and among his many achievements, “Dud,” who was 6-foot 6-inches tall, towered over many of his classmates, where he played end on the unbeaten and untied 1951 football squad, in addition to being captain of the 1952 basketball squad. Dudley loved to anoint many of his favorite classmates with humorous nicknames: “Stretch” being Bob Cumings, “Scroot” being David Horton, and I, for some unknown reason, was called “Puppa,” so I always called him “Doodles.” Dudley was the son of the late Frederic Christopher “Buck” Dumaine Jr. and the late Margaret Keep Williams “Pit” Dumaine. He was an officer in the family business, the Amoskeag Company, in Boston, Mass., a veteran of the United States Army, where at boot camp he first met his beautiful wife, Susan. He was also a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association, a lifetime member of the Masons, and, after graduating from the Noble and Greenough School

in Dedham, Mass., he also graduated from Boston University. Dudley truly loved his seven years at Nobles, and I would often receive day and night phone calls from him asking all sorts of off-the-wall questions about “When did Eliot Putnam become headmaster?” and “Who kicked the extra points at the Roxbury Latin game?” (Wink Childs, of course) or “What was the final score of the Milton game?” plus many others. Dudley was a native of Weston, Mass., where he lived for many years before moving to a very beautiful 85-acre spread in Bourbon County, Ky., where his very capable daughter Meg Dumaine handles and trains all of the horses, goats, chickens and other livestock associated with a sprawling Kentucky horse farm. Dudley’s survivors include one daughter, Margaret Elisabeth “Meg” Dumaine; two sons, Chandler Andrew Dumaine and Frederic Christopher Dumaine IV; one grandson, Cameron Todd Williams Dumaine; and one sister, Ruth Brooking. “Doodles,” you big lovable guy, everyone will miss you and your singular personality, because you were truly an original. Rest in peace, my friend, as you ride off into the sunset. And what a ride it was.

SPRING 2016 Nobles 53


graduate news

Robert J. Schaefer ’56 passed away peacefully at the age of 76 on November 15, 2015. Born on June 9, 1939, Robert grew up in West Newton and entered Nobles in the eighth grade. Robert took his studies very seriously. He was a member of Deutscher Verein and was on the honor roll and cum laude his senior year. Following his time at Nobles, Robert went on to Harvard for both his B.A. and his Ph.D. Initially pegged by his Nobles classmates to be a naturalist in 10 years, Robert received his Ph.D. in metallurgy. His first job was at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C. He later moved to the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, Md. Building off his interest in birding at Nobles, Robert continued his love of the outdoors. He took multiple canoeing trips to the Arctic wilderness and was very active in the Audubon Society of Central Maryland and the Frederick Bird Club. Robert is survived by his wife of 41 years, Karin Wuertz-Schaefer; his daughter, Sylvia Schaefer; his sister, Lucile Henricks; and his brother, John ’62. Patrick Kelly ’96 passed away at his home in Snowmass Village, Colo., on February 4, after a two-year battle with an aggressive brain tumor.

54 Nobles SPRING 2016

He was 38 years old. Patrick was the youngest of four to attend Nobles, following his siblings: Tim Kelly ’85, Chrissy (Kelly) Baird ’87 and Moira (Kelly) Giacalone ’90. After Nobles, Patrick attended Middlebury College, where he studied religion and English. Following a stint serving as a congressional aide in Washington, D.C., Patrick returned to Massachusetts to work at Orion magazine in Great Barrington. In 2007, Patrick moved to Colorado to begin work for the Aspen Institute, a nonpartisan education and policy studies organization with a mission to foster leadership based on enduring values. As Patrick’s family wrote in his obituary: “He touched so many in his life with his calm manner, attentive listening, and deep intelligence. He faced his terrible illness with courage, grace, and hope, and Patrick’s death carried its own beauty and power. His faith remained unshaken, and he faced the end without fear or regret.” Patrick will be “remembered for his courageous and optimistic spirit, selfless character, personable nature and ‘infectious’ smile.” Patrick was predeceased by his father, Jim Kelly, and brother Tim ‘85. Patrick is survived by his loving wife, Collins Canada; his daughter, Clara Rose; his mother, Joan; and his sisters, Chrissy and Moira.

From the wedding of Tom Southworth ’05 to Emily Susen this past September. Left to right: Neil White ’05, Matt Cambria ’05, Brendan Richards ’05, Dan Perkins ’05, Tom Southworth ’05, Brendan Armour ’05, Tom Lamb ’76 and Mike Southworth ’14.

Evie (Dabreo) and Bryan Swaim (both ’01) as well as Derek Cash, Tom Bresnehan, Derek and Chrissie Marin, and Cindy Nguy (whose boyfriend, Tope, apparently snuck into the shot!).

announcements Marriages Yantee Neufville ’98 married Malika Fair in Boston in May; the couple also held a September ceremony in Michigan; Evie Dabreo and Bryan Swaim, both ’01, were married in October 2015 at Larz Anderson Park in Brookline; Michael Sanders ’00 married Melanie Hirsch in October 2015; they live in Washington, D.C.; Tom Southworth ’05 married Emily Susen on September 5, 2015, in Bermuda; Krysten Keches ’06 married Daniel Smilkov at the


Yantee Neufville ’98 and his wife, Malika, on their wedding day

Thomas Orazio Wade and big sister Emily, children of Kate (Connelly) Wade ’96

Big sister Virginia with Rosemary Lee Harrington, children of Alison Fahey Harrington ’00 and husband Kent

Alex Saltzman ’01 and his wife, Megan, welcomed a son, Noah Robert Saltzman, on December 21, 2015.

Patrick Keneally ’01 sent this photo of his son, Myles Peter Keneally, born in July 2014.

Adam Taub ’98 with wife Anna and newborn baby boy Amos

Nathaniel Lee, son of Jessica Lee ’01 and husband Henry

At the wedding of Krysten Keches ’06 to Daniel Smilkov, left to right: Scott Runyon ’06, Gina Chen ’07, Daniel, Krysten and Greg Keches ’07 Credit: KT Merry Photography

George Clark Sterner and big brother Calvin are the children of Elizabeth Libert Sterner ’01.

Boston Public Library on October 25, 2015. The couple is planning a second wedding in Daniel’s hometown, Gevgelija, Macedonia, in May 2016.

New Arrivals Sherrie (Selwyn) Delinsky ’94 and husband Jeremy Delinsky ’93 had a baby girl, Wrenna, in December 2015. She joins siblings Max and Ruby; Kate (Connelly) Wade ’96, husband Kenneth and daughter Emily were

Sherrie (Selwyn) Delinsky ’94 and Jeremy Delinsky ’93 shared this photo of children Max, Ruby and Wrenna.

joined by baby Thomas Orazio Wade on November 17, 2015; Jenn (Falchuk) Kollenscher ’98, husband Avi and daughter Avery welcomed Jordan Elle to the family on December 17, 2015; Adam Taub ’98 and wife Anna welcomed a son, Amos Morris Taub, October 24, 2015; Alison (Fahey) Harrington ’00 and husband Kent welcomed a second daughter, Rosemary Lee Harrington, on October 5, 2015; Jessica Lee ’01 and husband Henry had a son, Nathaniel, in September 2015; Patrick Keneally ’01 and wife Pamela welcomed a son, Myles Peter Keneally, on July 30, 2014.

SPRING 2016 Nobles 55


archive

DIVISIONS OF PROVISIONS Dick Baker and a few students from the Class of 1996 enjoy a perfectly portioned meal on plastic.

56 Nobles SPRING 2016

Correction: In “Archive” of the Winter 2016 issue, we incorrectly identified the location of the image as 44 West Cedar Street in Boston. The location was, instead, 97 Beacon Street.


Give the gift of experiential learning. Make your gift to the Annual Nobles Fund today so students can continue to grow through travel and service. Visit nobles.edu/giveonline or contact Director of Annual Giving Allie Trainor at Allie_Trainor@nobles.edu or 781-320-7005.


Noble and Greenough School 10 Campus Drive Dedham, MA 02026-4099

Kliptown Colors Thulani Madondo, founder of Kliptown Youth Program in Soweto, South Africa, leads KYP in a thank-you cheer. Students on the middle p. 42 school spring break trip to South Africa distributed 14 bags of clothes from the Nobles Gear Up Drive to members of the KYP community.

NON-PROFIT U.S. POSTAGE PAID BOSTON MA PERMIT NO. 53825


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