KnightTimes Winter 2019 by Pace Academy

WINTER 2019

T H E M A G A Z I N E O F PA C E A C A D E M Y

Through the Lens of

HISTORY

A Photographic Retrospective

THE MAKINGS OF A DYNASTY VO L LE Y BA L L WI NS AG A I N !

A N N I V E R S A R Y I S S U E

A D IA MON D KN I GHT CELEBRATING 60 YEARS

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

TOP: In a photo from the 1997–1998 school year, former Head of School MIKE MURPHY and former Spanish teacher BECKY WHEELER meet with students on the steps behind Kirkpatrick Hall, Pace's iconic "Castle."

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I have a photo problem. Before phones came equipped with cameras, I carried a Nikon point-and-shoot in my purse, prepared to capture memorable moments; shoe boxes full of prints and plastic bins of albums occupy a corner of my attic; early in our relationship, my now-husband counted 72 framed photographs of family and friends in my 750-square-foot apartment. Needless to say, I’m a big believer in the power of an image. Photographs celebrate life’s milestones, bring far-away people and places closer to home and commemorate loved ones lost. They articulate experiences and emotions in ways words cannot. They transcend time. And so, in this issue of the KnightTimes, as we celebrate Pace Academy’s 60th birthday, we use images to share the Pace story. In places, we juxtapose decades-old prints with recent photos; in others, we let the pictures do the talking. I’m grateful to Creative Services Manager RYAN VIHLEN, our unofficial archivist, for organizing old files, digitizing slides and negatives, and selecting the many photos that appear on the following pages. I hope you enjoy reminiscing as much as I have. Here’s to many more years of photo-worthy Pace moments!

CAI T LI N G O O D R I C H J O N E S ’00 D I R E C TO R O F C O M M U N I C AT I O N S

PACE CARES When our families and staff are in need, Pace Cares.

1998

1997–

BL AST HE PAST! FROM T

KnightTimes

GUEST WRITERS

966 W. Paces Ferry Road NW Atlanta, Georgia 30327 www.paceacademy.org

HEAD OF SCHOOL FRED ASSAF

DIVISION HEADS MICHAEL GANNON Head of Upper School GRAHAM ANTHONY Head of Middle School SYREETA MOSELEY Head of Lower School

COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT CAITLIN GOODRICH JONES ’00 Director of Communications, Editor OMAR LÓPEZ THISMÓN Digital Content Producer RYAN VIHLEN Creative Services Manager, Graphic Designer LELA WALLACE Digital Communications Manager

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS FRED ASSAF

F R E D

G L A S S

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After graduating from Pace, FRED GLASS attended the University of Georgia as a business major and went on to receive his MBA in finance from Georgia State University. He is president of Glass Financial in Atlanta. Glass is the husband of ELIZABETH GLASS, a member of the Pace Academy Office of Advancement, and father of MERRITT ANN GLASS ’19 and KATHLEEN GLASS ’22. The Glass family lives in Atlanta’s Buckhead community.

06 NEWS

LAURA INMAN

08 AROUND PACE A look at what's happening on campus 12 LIFE TRUSTEE PROFILE DON INMAN '81

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

14 PACE FUND PROFILE MARTHA PAFFORD SCHINDHELM '64

MELANIE POPE DANA RAWLS

16 CASTLE CIRCLE PROFILE JEAN TREMEGE ROBERTSON

HAYLEY SHOJI ’12

OUR MISSION To create prepared, confident citizens of the world who honor the values and legacy of Pace Academy. To contribute ideas for the KnightTimes, please email Caitlin Jones at caitlin.jones@paceacademy.org.

ALL ABOUT PACE ARTS 18 BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 20 HOLIDAY PROGRAM

24 FALL SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS Football cheerleading, water polo, mountain biking, softball, cross-country and football 30 ICGL The Isdell Center for Global Leadership

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K E L LY

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HANNAH KELLY is a senior at Duke University studying English and computer science. While at Pace, Kelly was a member of the Barbara and Sanford Orkin Society, the National Honor Society and the Cum Laude Society. In her free time, she enjoys reading, running and playing with her cat.

CONTENTS

GEMSHOTS PHOTOGRAPHIC www.gemshots.com

SMAX PHOTOGRAPHY www.smaxart.com

H A NN A H

30 ISDELL GLOBAL LEADERS STUDY ENERGY IN VERMONT AND WEST VIRGINIA

32 GLOBAL LEADERS Inspiring individuals within the Pace community 33 FACULTY PROFILE SALLY FORB 34 BACK-TO-BACK TITLES Varsity volleyball earns its second state championship in school history 38 ORIGIN STORY The complex birth of Pace Academy 44 PACE AT 60: PHOTO ESSAY The story of the school in 100+ photos 52 ALUMNI UPDATES 58 OUT & ABOUT 60 FORMER FACULTY PROFILE MARY ELLEN BAUMIE 61 ALUMNI IN LOVE

LETTER FROM THE HE AD OF SCHOOL Dear Pace Family,

THE COVER During the 1982–1983 school year, DAVID HALL '86 and HELENE MENGERT '86 stood atop the Castle stairs and posed for a photo celebrating their outstanding performances in policy debate. The view from the top of the stairs looks quite different today. It includes the updated Pace Gardens and the Arthur M. Blank Family Upper School, completed in 2014. Cover photograph by Digital Content Producer OMAR LÓPEZ THISMÓN Special thanks to FRANCE DORMAN

TOP OF PAGE The campus in late 1979

“It started 60 years ago with a spark, an idea that a school of unparalleled quality could become a family, and the belief that that family could change the world.” So begins The Power of Pace, a film we released this past fall in conjunction with Chispa House, formerly DTproductions. The film continues: “The warmth of that spark has sustained our school community, lighting fires of discovery for generations of Pace students, propelling us forward together.” In this issue of the KnightTimes, we celebrate that spark and share the story of the community leaders who, in 1958, joined forces to launch Pace Academy. Those individuals represented diverse backgrounds and religions; they overcame leadership struggles and financial uncertainty; they believed in the unlimited potential of partnership between parent and school. True to the vision articulated in our motto, Pace’s founders possessed “the courage to strive for excellence.” The Pace community today continues to strive for excellence, and we do so in ways our early leaders might not have imagined. But without a doubt, those first Pace Knights would recognize the spirit that radiates throughout this campus. It is the same spirit they felt six decades ago, the same spirit future generations of students will embrace. “The power of Pace is in our connections,” our film concludes. “It’s in our diversity of experiences. It’s in our shared commitment to striving for excellence, and the belief that our collective energy is a force to be reckoned with.” Thank you for being part of the Pace story—for contributing to our collective energy. Here’s to sustaining our spark for decades to come! Sincerely, 2006

FRED ASSAF HEAD OF SCHOOL

Watch The Power of Pace on our homepage, www.paceacademy.org.

BL AST HE PAST! FROM T KnightTimes | Winter 2019

NEWS What you ne ed to know

THINKING CRITICALLY ABOUT THE NATURE OF PARTICIPATION Critical Theory and Interaction Design, recently released by The MIT Press, includes a chapter by Director of STEAM and Design DR. KIRSTEN BOEHNER (shown right). The book juxtaposes classic texts by the likes of Aristotle, Kierkegaard, and Foucault with essays by leaders in the fields of interaction design and humancomputer interaction. It asks the question “Why should interaction designers read critical theory?” and argues that critical theory can help designers “introduce new ways of seeing… provoke… and teach wisdom itself.” Boehner’s contribution to Critical Theory and Interaction Design explores artist Allan Kaprow’s work and the nature of participation. “As a multidisciplinary field, HCI research draws from a range of theories and practices to make sense of how we design, use and evaluate technology,” Boehner says. “In this case, Kaprow’s writings about subverting expectations of performers and audience prompts us to reconsider the roles of designer and user in technology design. Likewise, today’s performance culture and the range of media platforms for expression suggest a revisiting of the avant-garde.” Taken together, the essays in Critical Theory and Interaction Design show “how critical theory and interaction design can inform each other, and how interaction design, drawing on critical theory, might contribute to our deepest needs for connection, competency, self-esteem and well-being,” The MIT Press states.

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Lund, Mathis & Allen Receive “20 Under 20” Recognition Atlanta INtown newspaper named seniors ABIGAIL LUND (right) and DAVIS MATHIS (left) to its 2019 “20 Under 20,” a list of young people who “somehow manage to juggle their busy lives with doing extraordinary things to make Intown and the world a better place to live.” Lund and Mathis were recognized for their work with Project Esperanza, an organization that serves the Haitian refugee and immigrant populations of Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. Inspired by a 2015 Isdell Center for Global Leadership study tour, the girls have returned to Puerto Plata the past three summers to coordinate academic camps for the children Project Esperanza serves. Senior ALEX ALLEN, an active volunteer with The Center for Civil and Human Rights, was a “20 Under 20” runner-up.

Outplaying the Competition The Upper School cast and crew of Almost Maine, a romantic comedy by John Cariani, took the show on the road to compete in the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) region one-act competition. For the second year in a row, Pace Academy’s performing artists brought home the region title, and several individual members of the cast received awards. Senior ANNABELLE CRITZ and junior JACKSON GRAY were

named to the All-Star Cast, while sophomore ALIVIA WYNN received the Best Supporting Actress Award, and senior JACOB SLOMAN was named Best Actor. At the state competition, Pace performers earned two ratings of Excellent and one Superior, and Sloman and junior MADISON EDWARDS were named to the All-Star Cast.

RISING STARS IN ROBOTICS The Knights of the Galaxy rocketed through the competition during the Georgia FIRST LEGO League 2018–2019 season. The Middle School’s co-curricular robotics team began its march to the state championship at the regional competition, where the Knights came away with two top awards: the first-place Champion Award and the Robot Performance Award. From there, the team advanced to the super regional tournament and competed in four categories—Core Values, Projects, Robot Design and Robot Game—placing fifth in the Robot Game competition. Its combined scores across all four categories earned the Champion Award and merited one of only 24 spots in the state tournament. At state, the Knights of the Galaxy finished 13th overall in Robot Game and received the Gracious Professionalism Core Values Award, given to the team that demonstrates high-quality work while blending knowledge, competition and empathy. Congratulations to Knights of the Galaxy coach ZACH SLANEY, eighth-grader BELLE DIVINE, and seventhgraders STONE CHAMBERS, ALEX FINN, MORGAN GOLDSTROM, MARY ELLIS IRVIN, AARAV KOKANE, JAXON PRAISE PEREZ and ETHAN RUCKER.

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AROUND PACE A look at what's happening at Pace

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AROUND PACE

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HARMONY, DISCORD AND THE NOTES

IN BETWEEN

In November, 11 faculty and staff members and six Upper School students traveled to Nashville, Tenn., for the National Association of Independent School’s (NAIS) joint conferences: the People of Color Conference (PoCC) and the Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC). Drawing more than 6,400 educators and students from around the country, the conferences focused on the theme of Equitable Schools and Inclusive Communities: Harmony, Discord and the Notes in Between. PoCC strives to provide independentschool faculty and staff of color and their allies “a sanctuary and networking opportunity as [they] build and sustain inclusive school communities.” SDLC, a gathering of high-school student leaders, helps participants “develop effective cross-cultural communication skills and better understand the nature and development of effective strategies for social justice.” Workshops and speakers examined and advanced educational issues through the lens of people of color and their experiences with the goal of developing a culture of racial equity, social justice and inclusion in independent schools. “To be in a safe space where the exchange of ideas and experiences was so plentiful was special for me,” says Digital Content Producer OMAR LÓPEZ THISMÓN. “Being at PoCC allowed me to feel comfortable in my own skin. I felt empowered and inspired to continue to fight for social justice.” Director of Libraries MATT BALL had an equally inspiring experience, for different reasons. “As great as the keynote speakers and workshops were, some of the most powerful moments for me came from close conversations with other attendees, and especially with my fellow Pace colleagues,” he says. “Hearing the intimate stories of the day-to-day challenges of people of color is very sobering, and continues to serve as a check on my own privilege. I have much still to learn on the road to being a good ally.” Relationships were also at the heart of sophomore JORDAN BENJAMIN’s time at SDLC. “The highlight of the conference was participating in small-group activities,” she says. “Those discussions resulted in me bonding and becoming very close with everyone in my small group and even led to some friendships that are still going strong.”

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a debate update Participation in debate takes Pace Academy Upper School students all over the state—and the country—as they perfect the art of argumentation. Highlights of the Upper School debate season thus far include a fifth-place finish in the Lincoln-Douglas division of the Chattahoochee Cougar Classic Debate Tournament for sophomore DYLAN KAMINSKI and, at the same tournament, second place in the policy division for the team of seniors TYLER HENDERSON and BEN NOTTINGHAM. At the Johns Creek Gladiator Debates, sophomore DENZEL WELSH was named co-champion in the Novice LincolnDouglas division. Junior FRANCESCA VANERI was crowned co-champion at the Peach State Classic; she also qualified for the state tournament. Henderson and Nottingham finished third at the Isidore Newman Invitational, where Henderson was the top speaker.

AROUND PACE

ITH W T U O T A NIGH

WE'RE TAKING THE FUN TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL!

Annual Pace Race SATURDAY APRIL 13, 2019

Pace Academy parents DENI-KAY FREIER, NICOLE FELTON and DEBRA ROSENBLOUM enjoy the festivities at A Night Out with Keeping Pace last November. The three were members of the host committee for the annual fundraiser, in its second year, held at the Urban Tree Cidery on Atlantaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Westside. Event proceeds of over $30,000 support Keeping Pace, an academic and enrichment summer program at Pace that has served middle- and highschool students from underserved metro-Atlanta communities since 2006.

FUN RUN 8:30 a.m.

5K RACE 9 a.m.

www.paceacademy.org/pacerace

AROUND PACE

DON I NMAN â&#x20AC;&#x2122; 81 12

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AROUND PACE

ife Trustee HUGH “DON” INMAN ’81 is clear about what he believes is most important at Pace Academy: “The facilities are great,” he says, “but what matters is what goes on inside those facilities; the beauty of Pace happens inside its walls.” This is a powerful statement from an alumnus whose family name graces the building at the heart of the Pace campus— the Inman Student Activities Center, a buzzing hub where students eat and socialize, study, and practice and play sports. As an alumnus, parent of alumni, former Trustee, past Alumni Board president and now Life Trustee, Inman has spent the better part of five decades engaged with the Pace community. He and his wife, BETH INMAN, have four children who all attended Pace: HUGH “TREY” INMAN III, SAM INMAN, JOHN INMAN ’08 and MAGGIE INMAN ’15. JOHN INMAN ’83, Inman’s brother, and his wife, TISH INMAN, also chose Pace for their children, JIE INMAN and MITCH INMAN ’16. John Inman has served as a member of the Board of Trustees and remains deeply involved with Pace as well, chairing the committee for the Alumni Scholar Award, one of the school’s most prestigious honors. Inman’s Pace story began in 1971, when his parents, BETTY ANN INMAN and the late HUGH INMAN SR., enrolled him in the third grade. He joined his brother—two years his junior—who had begun kindergarten at Pace the year before. “John likes to say he had to pave the way for me to get in,” Inman jokes. While growing up, the rhyme between the brothers’ names was an occasional

source of confusion, Inman admits. “My mom had a big time with Don and John.” Pace was small enough, however, to eliminate confusion between the boys at school: the teachers knew each and every student well. Inman thrived in the intimate setting, where he received hands-on attention from

teachers and coaches—an experience replicated during his children’s years at Pace. “Looking back, it’s crystal clear that the quality of people Pace put in front of the students was tremendous,” he says. “And seeing the teachers my children had, it’s remained that way.” “Many teachers had a profound impact on me,” Inman recalls. “[Retired math teacher] CHARLIE OWENS was a terrific teacher and ambassador for the school. The late RAY BUCKLEY, a science teacher, soccer coach and track coach, had a wonderful sense of humor.” Buckley challenged Inman to achieve at the highest levels. “He could get more out of me than anyone,” says Inman, who played soccer and ran track, and tried wrestling his junior year. “Buckley encouraged me to run hurdles my senior year, which I’d never done before.” Although Inman was a novice, Buckley’s coaching and his own hard work paid off, and Inman qualified for state. Inman also speaks with pride of Pace’s soccer team, on which he played throughout high school. “We were very, very good; we were in the fall league then, and we won state championships.” Inman went on to study engineering at Clemson University, where he used his Pace soccer foundation to walk on to the football team as a self-taught kicker all four years. While he didn’t play his freshman year, he’s proud to have been a member of the 1981 team that won the national football championship. He adds, “Maggie [who now attends Clemson] has had two national football championship experiences. It’s been a tremendous amount of fun reconnecting with Clemson through her.” Inman met Beth after she arrived at Clemson as a junior on a track scholarship, and they became engaged a year later. He was smitten by the long-distance runner, who, he mentions, did not share his mathematical acumen. Inman attended her senior-year math class with her because “without it, she wasn’t going to graduate. I tutored her so it wouldn’t mess up the whole marriage thing. The rest is history.” The Inman family’s history has unfolded alongside the Pace story. Inman’s parents were active volunteers and served as team

parents and Booster Club members. “Parental involvement is what Pace is all about,” he says. “It’s a family school; that was the case then and the case when I was a Pace parent; I believe it’s still that way now.” During his children’s early years in the Lower School, Inman served as Alumni Board president, which “gave me a seat at the table [during Board meetings].” He eventually joined the Board, then chaired by Life Trustee GREG DEXTER. During that time, the vision for a new student activities center was conceived. “Pace was ready to begin a facilities expansion or replacement,” Inman explains. “My folks were in a position to make a gift. The confluence of conversations between all of us resulted in my family’s lead gift to build what is now the Inman Student Activities Center. It’s a place where students can gather; it’s consistent with all we thought was special about Pace.” After his parents made history with the first seven-figure contribution to Pace, Inman chaired the $16-million capital campaign that built the center and also funded expanded athletic spaces, classroom renovations and an endowment supplement of almost $4 million. While Inman was busy raising funds and subsequently overseeing building projects, “Beth ‘worked’ at Pace in all the volunteer roles parents take on,” he says. “The school was a big part of our lives.” The relationships Inman formed at Pace have been lifelong. “Many of my best friends today are friends from Pace,” he says. “The small size and culture fostered close friendships. I cherish Pace because of that.” Now, as a Life Trustee, Inman’s role is “to be an ambassador and to be financially supportive.” He enjoys the connections with Board members who have played formidable roles in developing the school, and he hopes that “the culture will stay consistent; that the intimate relationships that form at Pace remain the centerpiece of how the school defines itself.” He adds that the Class of 1981, with 60 members—at the time, the largest in Pace history—“has left its mark on the school.” Without a doubt, Don Inman and his family have left a very special mark on Pace as well. l

KnightTimes | Winter 2019

AROUND PACE

Martha Pafford Schindhelm ’64 On June 7, 1964,

the 12 members of Pace Academy’s first senior class graduated. “We graduates will remember our school as a dominant factor and influence in our lives,” class member LYNN BALLOU ’64 wrote in the 1964 yearbook. “We will proudly wear the name of the first graduating class of Pace Academy, and carry forth, with determination and dedication, the tradition of our motto that has been instilled into our hearts and minds—To have the courage to strive for excellence.” Ballou’s classmate MARTHA PAFFORD SCHINDHELM ’64 captures the spirit of those early years at Pace as she recounts memories of her high-school days. Schindhelm arrived at Pace in the ninth grade after her mother, secondgrade teacher SALLY PAFFORD, joined the faculty in 1960.

“My

mother was looking for a school environment that allowed her to share her passion for teaching in a smaller setting focused on celebrating the potential of each child,” Schindhelm explains. “She discovered just such a place at Pace, then a relatively new private school that had recently purchased the Ogden mansion on West Paces Ferry Road. During her interview with the young headmaster, FRANK KALEY, my mother learned that Pace was adding a ninth grade to its existing K–8 classes—the first step in fulfilling the school’s goal of making Pace a full-fledged K–12 institution. Since I was scheduled to enter the ninth grade the following fall, everything fell into place. The deal was sealed.” Schindhelm describes Pace as “an almost magical environment for teaching and learning.” She continues, “The Ogden home’s exquisite arched entryway, stately turrets and elegant leaded windows remain the distinguishing features that have made Pace an iconic landmark. The original home accommodated all of Pace’s 179 students at that time and space was at a premium. “My ninth-grade homeroom, the former study, was also the headmaster’s office, where Mr. Kaley taught us biology. Every inch of the ‘Castle’ was put into service—from the downstairs living and dining rooms, to the upstairs bedrooms and maid’s quarters. Within this environment, my peers and I shared a unique educational experience supported by virtually one-on-one teaching and learning that gave us the freedom to learn at our own pace, in our own way, and always with an eye on achieving excellence,” she says. Teachers in Pace’s early years laid the foundation for the excellence of today’s Pace faculty. Schindhelm remembers chemistry teacher MARY ANN HAGEWOOD as “bound and determined to help me learn and appreciate a subject that was near and dear to her heart.” She adds, “She would stay after class to help me memorize formulas in a way that was actually fun. Failure was not an option under her gentle instruction.” JOHNIE BELL BRUMFIELD taught Latin, an option given to those who leaned more toward the liberal arts, Schindhelm explains. “Mrs. Brumfield could read Latin as if it was the most beautiful, eloquent language in the world.” Brumfield’s passion and enthusiasm were contagious. “To this day, I refer to Latin to decipher the meaning of little-known words and phrases. And I still treasure the little Latin book labels she gave our class upon graduation,” she adds.

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THE PACE FUND DONOR SPOT LIGHT MARTHA PAFFORD SCHINDHELM ’64 was among the members of Pace Academy’s first graduating class, the Class of 1964. Schindhelm remains engaged with Pace through the Golden Knights, alumni who graduated 50 or more years ago, and regular support of uknight: The Pace Fund.

“WYNN CREAL, who was barely out of college when she began teaching at Pace, guided several of us though four years of French in what had been an upstairs bedroom. Reading Madame Bovary in that room somehow embellished that story, and many others,” Schindhelm recalls. The concept of the “Pace family” emerged in those early days. “I know it sounds like a cliché, but we really were like family, and very protective of one another,” Schindhelm says. “There was never any teasing or bullying that I can recall. We found our niche, and felt safe and secure under the close watch of Frank Kaley, Coach BOB CHAMBERS and the rest of the staff. If you got into trouble, you would be gently guided into Mr. Kaley’s office, with a firm but fair reprimand made more bearable by the proverbial twinkle in his eyes.” The students enjoyed their freedom on the beautiful campus behind the Castle, which included gardens and spaces that hadn’t yet been developed into athletics fields. “Between classes, we were free to roam the gardens behind the school,” she explains. “At that time, they stretched far to the back of the property and were a favorite place to eat lunch or just hang out. On May Day, the azaleas were always in full bloom.” Lunch was typically served in the former library/dining room, which was “distinguished by a magnificent mural that has remained throughout the years,” Schindhelm says. “Meals were prepared in the original Ogden kitchen, which kept its original commercial appliances for many years.” The engaged parent community of today’s Pace has its foundation in those early days. Schindhelm describes the parent mentality as “all for one and one for all.” She says, “You have to remember that helping Pace grow and reach its potential was a grass-roots effort back then. Mr. Kaley’s door was always open, to students and parents alike; there was never a hint of special privilege; we were all privileged, and knew it. I was the daughter of an English professor and second-grade teacher; several of my fellow students came from well-known Atlanta families. Others, I’m sure, had to rely on some type of assistance or lower tuition rate. None of these circumstances mattered; we were all treated the same—constantly motivated by the example Frank Kaley and his staff set for us.” Of Schindhelm’s many Pace memories, the most vivid is the day President John F. Kennedy was shot: Nov. 22, 1963. “I was walking out of the newly built high school (eventually replaced by the Arthur M. Blank Family Upper School) toward the Castle when JIM CURRY ’65 came rushing down the foyer declaring that President Kennedy had been shot,” she says. “It is poignant to recall the reaction to this tragic event when one considers the current political environment. The country was consumed with grief for days. People from all backgrounds reached out to one another awash in tears.” The members of the Class of 1964 comprise the first class of Golden Knights—Pace alumni who graduated 50 or more years ago. Schindhelm sadly reflects on the loss of four of these alumni: LINDA MOORE COOPER ’64, DIANE HERBERT GUNTER ’64, DANNY THOMPSON ’64 and DOUG BILLSTEIN REED ’64. Each died too soon, she says. “Today, when we get together, we never fail to remember the days and years we 12 spent together.” Schindhelm believes her Pace experience set the stage for her future career. “The feeling of safety, inclusiveness and caring in an academic environment prepared me not only for college, but for the years after. Frank Kaley’s motto, To have the courage to strive for excellence, was my guidepost for years to come, including when I left for New York City at 23 years old and never looked back—confident that I would succeed,” she says. “And I did—becoming an advertising and PR manager for McGraw-Hill Book Company. I credit Pace with giving me the courage to pursue that dream.” l

ABOVE Pafford's senior portrait BELOW Pafford's mother, second-grade teacher SALLY PAFFORD, received the yearbook dedication in 1966. Her classroom is now the Head of School's office.

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AROUND PACE

THIS PAGE Robertson at Pace in late 2018 OPPOSITE Robertson during the 1965â&#x20AC;&#x201C;1966 school year

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AROUND PACE

THE CASTLE CIRCLE MEMBER PROFILE

JEAN TREMEGE ROBERTSON JEAN TREMEGE ROBERTSON has lived in many cities and “loads of countries,” as she explains it, and has enjoyed extraordinary adventures over the years. Yet she describes her experiences at Pace Academy as some of the happiest of her life. A former Pace French and science teacher, Robertson’s wide-ranging Pace memories date back to the mid 1960s. Her children, PHILIPPE TREMEGE LINDSAY ’78, JACQUES TREMEGE, ANN FRANCE TREMEGE and MARY MIKELL ROBERTSON SPENCE ’78, and her grandson, KEITH TREMEGE ’14, all attended Pace. Robertson’s appreciation for Pace and its special role in her life inspired her to include the school in her estate plan through a bequest in her will. By making plans for a future gift to Pace, Robertson joins The Castle Circle, which recognizes individuals and couples who arrange for a planned gift to the school. “I’ve included Pace in my will to help it continue its good work; I’ve appreciated my experiences as well as the wonderful education it provided my children and grandson,” she explains. As one of the first 60 to join in Pace’s 60th year, she will be honored as a Castle Circle founding member. Before embarking on her teaching career, Robertson worked for the U.S. government’s intelligence community, which sent her abroad. “I wasn’t a spy,” she clarifies, “but was there to harmonize with the people in the countries where I lived.” Stories from Robertson’s time overseas include crossing the Sahara Desert on a

camel and driving alone through three Middle Eastern countries while en route to an assignment. She made new friends at each step of her journey, including a man from French Algeria, whom she later married. “My mother used to say I should write a book,” she says, but her life raising four children and teaching countless others was too busy. Robertson and her husband returned to the U.S. and lived in numerous cities before eventually settling in Atlanta, where she began to teach French in the independent school community. In 1965, Robertson accepted a position at Pace— her favorite school. She says, “I love Pace—it has a nice feeling.” She recalls, “We knew every child, from kindergarten up. Children who felt alone in big places loved it here. Pace was home.” Her first classrooms were in the Castle, where she taught the youngest Pace students French. “I never spoke English; I always spoke French,” Robertson says. “The little children thought I couldn’t speak English; I remember one saying something to me in English, and another saying, ‘Tell her in French—she can’t speak English!’ I had a hard time avoiding laughing.” When the doors opened on Bridges Hall (replaced by the Arthur M. Blank Family Upper School in 2014), Robertson’s classroom was relocated to the new building. “There, I began teaching the Upper School students to prepare them for college,” she says. Eventually she became head of the language department. Teaching French

was her passion; however, as a pre-med student during her early college years, she was also qualified to teach science—and was called upon to fill science teaching positions many times during her Pace tenure. Attuned to the educational value of international experiences, Robertson organized a yearlong exchange between Upper School students and a group of French high-school students—foreshadowing the international study tours Pace offers students today through the Isdell Center for Global Leadership. “I hadn’t planned to be a teacher, but I loved it once I started,” she shares. “I just enjoyed working with the children and knowing their parents.” Robertson, who spent 15 years of her life at Pace, will soon spend time with a young child again; her first great-grandchild arrives in early 2019. For more information about The Castle Circle or opportunities for a planned gift to Pace, please contact Dana Rawls at dana.rawls@paceacademy.org or at 404-262-3534. l

KnightTimes | Winter 2019

All About PACE ARTS

Tale as Old as 18

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Beauty and the Beast makes its Upper School debut

Time

Once upon a time, the Pace Academy Upper School theatre department brought to life one of Disney’s most beloved classics, Beauty and the Beast—and, certain as the sun, it was magical. The musical, shepherded to the stage by Upper School Theatre Director SEAN BRYAN, played to packed houses, delighting audience members young and old with its unique approach to the show’s “enchantments”—characters like Mrs. Potts, the teapot; Lumiere, the candelabra; and Cogsworth, the clock. Rather than costuming the actors as household objects, Beauty and the Beast’s creative team constructed puppets that the actors manipulated to represent the individuals concealed inside. “Faith in the audience's ability to see the furniture puppets as the spirits of the humans trapped within was a brave gamble that paid off beautifully,” says Bryan. Technical Director SCOTT SARGENT’s enchanting set design contributed to the production’s success, as did musical direction by SUSAN WALLACE and choreography by J. KOBY PARKER. “Theatre education is more than just the art of acting,” says Bryan. “It reaches into the worlds of design, construction, music, dance, collaboration, literature and problem-solving. Theatre education is life education, and students were involved in every element of this production. There were late hours, setbacks and triumphs—all in the name of providing an excellent theatre education.”

A Blast from the Past Over the course of his 44 years at Pace Academy, Upper School Theatre Director GEORGE MENGERT (above, left), now retired, directed 128 productions, and the annual fall musical became a highlight of the Pace calendar. Productions took place in local churches and the Pace cafeteria before 1991, when the current, state-of-the-art Fine Arts Center opened. Mengert’s shows often featured Pace faculty, staff, alumni and parents—he even appeared onstage himself from time to time. His memorable roles included Max Detweiler in the 1973 production of The Sound of Music and Fagin in 1983’s Oliver! (above).

PACE ARTS

For the 28th consecutive year, Lower School students shared the stories of Hanukkah and Christmas with the Pace Academy community through Light One Candle, a beloved holiday tradition.

A Blast from the Past Former Head of Lower School ANNA VALERIUS worked with local religious leaders to ensure the holiday program script accurately represents Christian and Jewish beliefs and traditions.

1997

‘Twas the Season

Lower, Middle and Upper School performing artists celebrated the most wonderful time of the year at holiday concerts. DONNA POTTORFF and SUSAN WALLACE directed the Upper and Middle School choruses, while TARA HARRIS and NIRVANA SCOTT’s strings students presented beautiful programs. DANNY DOYLE and JACK WALKER led the Middle and Upper School bands in their festive performances.

A Blast from the Past

2003–2004

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Participation in the Lower School Minstrels, now called the Knight Stars, has been a rite of passage for Pace students. Former Lower School music teacher MARILYN HUMPHRIES (left) long directed the group. The Knight Stars, a vocal ensemble made up of fourth and fifth graders, perform at Pace and community events throughout the year.

donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let the light go out

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PACE ARTS

Daydreaming in Darcy’s Cinematic Life Middle School Drama Director PATRICK CAMPBELL led a talented cast and crew into the complicated teenage brain in Darcy’s Cinematic Life, a play by Christa Crewdson. The seriously comic adventure follows 16-year-old Darcy as she experiences the trials and tribulations inherent in adolescence as a series of short movies, or daydreams. Through fun and fashion, romance, and rivalries, Darcy struggles with the desire to fit in and discovers that she’s wonderful just as she is.

A Blast from the Past à Upper School English department chair MARSHA DURLIN (upper right) arrived at Pace in 1979 and oversaw the junior-high drama program in her early years at the school. The Ugly Duckling (right) and Bye Bye Birdie were among her first productions.

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Pace Arts Alliance Educates, Inspires “Every child is an artist,” painter Pablo Picasso once said. “The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” With the help of the Pace Arts Alliance (PAA), the visual and performing arts department exposes students in and outside the classroom to professional opportunities in the arts. In November, Middle and Upper School students enjoyed a behind-the-scenes look at creative careers in the entertainment industry at the PAA’s All-Access Backstage Pass event. During two special assemblies, a panel of industry professionals discussed opportunities in film and television and shared how traditional educations led to their successes in competitive, nontraditional fields. The panel, moderated by Pace parent, writer and producer CHRISHAUNDA LEE PEREZ, included Perez’s husband and fellow Pace parent, filmmaker JASON PEREZ; photographer Tina Rowden; costume designer Sarah Phillips Collins; and animator and creative director Matthew T. Maloney. That same month, award-winning sculptor Taylor Robenalt

(shown below) shared her time and talent with Upper School visual art students. Students sculpted animal totems as an expression of their “symbolic narratives” during the two-day workshop. As the semester came to a close, the PAA’s All-Access Backstage Pass series continued with a visit from actor Will Buie Jr., who met with the cast of the Middle School spring musical, Rock of Ages, to talk about acting and his role on the Disney Channel’s Bunk’d.

A Blast from the Past æ Visiting artists have long flocked to Pace Academy. In 1998, world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma performed for students during a special assembly and conducted workshops with the junior-high and high-school bands. Visiting artist Taylor Robenalt

PACE ARTS

Photograph from Korean Dreams

A Fall Full of Photography Pace Academy once again partnered with the nonprofit organization Atlanta Celebrates Photography to present a series of exhibits throughout the fall semester. In October, photographer Nathalie Daoust’s Korean Dreams probed the unsettling vacuity of North Korea through images, and seven Upper School students participated in Atlanta Celebrates Photography’s ACP Open Exhibition, a pin-up show celebrating the democratic nature of photography, on display at Binders Art Supplies at Ponce City Market. Throughout November, visitors to the Fine Arts Center took in the works of Upper School students and faculty members FRANCE DORMAN and RYANN SMITH from a photography-focused Isdell Center for Global Leadership study tour to India last June.

A Blast from the Past à Students dedicated the 1999 yearbook to photography teacher France Dorman, who joined the Pace faculty in 1985 and also served as public relations manager in his early days at the school. “Extremely gracious and generous, Mr. Dorman sincerely loves his students and teaches them to be kind to each other,” the Class of 1999 wrote.

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FALL SPORTS Highlights

A ST A BL F ROM PA ST T HE

HIGHLIGHTS

M O U N TA I N B I K I N G C L U B Coached by JESSE MARSHBURN and DAN BROOKS Open to students in grades six through 12, the mountain biking club completed its fifth season this fall. The group participated in five races with the Georgia Interscholastic Cycling Leagueâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;criss-crossing the state from Braselton to Milledgeville to Jackson. The bikers braved extreme heat and rough terrain as they battled to place among the races' top finishers. Senior BEN SOLOMON, a four-year member of the club, will be missed this coming fall.

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VA R S I T Y SOF T B A L L Coached by JEWELL MARABLE, JOHN LEGERE and RACHEL LEGERE

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The varsity softball team shined bright on the diamond this season. With a roster of just nine, the Knights racked up a 13–11 overall record and were 9–3 in Region 5-AAA. For the eighth consecutive year, the team advanced to the state playoffs, but fell to Franklin County High School in the first round. Following the 2018 season, five members of the team were named Georgia High School Association (GHSA) All-Region: senior CAELAN CORBALLY, junior CAROLINE LANDIS, and sophomores LANE BRICKLEY, JAMIE KORNHEISER and SYDNEY SILVERSTEIN. The Knights

will miss Corbally’s leadership as they aim for another trip to the state tournament next year.

A BL AST FROM T HE PAST The 1984–1985 school year marked the launch of Pace’s varsity softball program. The team, coached by math teacher TOM FOX, lacked a home field but managed to pull off an even 8–8 record.

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FALL SPORTS

VA R S I T Y FOOTBALL CHEERLEADING Coached by LORI BAKER and CAMERON RUSS ’17

A BL AST FROM T HE PAST

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Before the advent of the football program, soccer cheerleaders lined the sidelines in the fall. Pace played fall soccer before joining the Georgia High School Association’s spring league in 2005.

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The 18 members of the varsity cheerleading squad braved heat, rain and chilly temps to cheer the varsity football team to the state playoffs for the fifthstraight year. The squad kept Pace spirit high at games and pep rallies and around campus. During home games, the girls performed halftime dance routines on the field, wowing fans with complex cheer stunts and tumbling moves. Next year, the team will miss seniors ALEX ALLEN, DEVAN JOHNSON, EMILY PAYNE, JILL RAWLS and KENDALL WILLIS.

VA R S I T Y FOOTBALL

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In the 10th year of the varsity football program, the Knights finished with a 6–4 regular-season record and competed in the state playoffs for the fifth consecutive year. Highlights of the season included the Knights’ first-ever road victory over the Lovett Lions, a new single-game scoring record (67–14 over the Towers Titans) and a 17–16 win against Eagles Landing Christian School that ended the Chargers’ 37-game winning streak. Pace finished the regular season tied with Lovett and Westminster for the No. 2 seed in state playoffs. A three-way coin toss for the first-round game pitted the Knights against the No. 1 Monroe Area High School Hurricanes, who prevailed over the Knights 38–22. Senior kicker PATRICK MARKWALTER was named to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Class AAA Preseason All-State Team. He also made the 5-AAA AllRegion Team with sophomore linebacker JUSTIN JOHNSON. The Knights say goodbye to 12 seniors: SAM ASSAF, JACK FERGUSON, CAMERON HAMILTON, AHSAN HENNINGS, CHASE KARAMANOLIS, Markwalter, DERON MOORE, KEASHAWN PERRYMAN, JARED RAYMAN, PARKER SPILLERS, PATRICK THURMAN and CHILTON TOLLIVER.

Coached by CHRIS SLADE, TERRENCE EDWARDS, KEVIN JOHNSON, BRANDON JONES, BILL LELLYETT, JUSTIN MILLER, RICHARD MONCRIEF, CEDRIC OGLESBY and ED WILLIAMS

A BL AST FROM T HE PAST Pace celebrated its 50th birthday and launched a varsity football program during the 2008–2009 school year. The first squad, led by coach MATT HALL, finished the season with a 3–7 record. It should be noted that the Knights opened the season with a 30–13 win over Mount Paran Christian School.

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VA R S I T Y B OY S CROSS - COUNTRY Coached by STEVE CUNNINGHAM, JOLIE CUNNINGHAM and GUS WHYTE After placing third at this year’s region meet, members of the varsity boys cross-country team concluded the 2018 season on the state podium, finishing fourth in the Georgia High School Association Class AAA. Junior GEORGE ADAMS brought home the 10th-place individual medal. All seven of the Knights’ state competitors—juniors G. Adams, SAM ADAMS and QUILL HEALEY; sophomore ROBERT HOUSER; and freshmen EDWARD BLAHA, GEORGE BLAHA and ROBERT MALLIS—will return next season, a sign of good things to come for the team. Next year, the Knights will miss the leadership of seniors COLE CAMPBELL, JOSEPH HIRSCH, TASE KARAMANOLIS, AARON PASCANER, DREW SCHIFFER, LARRY SIMPSON, JACOB SLOMAN, MICHAEL STARR, HENRY TODD and CHARLIE TRIMBLE.

VA R S I T Y G I R L S CROSS - COUNTRY Coached by JOLIE CUNNINGHAM, STEVE CUNNINGHAM and GUS WHYTE

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The varsity girls cross-country team followed its third-place finishes at the 2016 and 2017 state meets with a repeat performance in 2018. The Knights, also third in the region, once again claimed the GHSA Class AAA bronze medal. Juniors PAULA SANDOVAL and PAYTON PAYNE, sophomores KATHRYN HOOD and LAURA ROMIG, and freshmen LAURA ARENTH, MARGO KAYE and JORDAN WHITE represented Pace at the state meet. Two members of the team placed among the top 10 runners: Sandoval was sixth, while Arenth was eighth. The team bids a fond farewell to seniors MADELINE ARENTH, HOLLAND CARLTON, SIOFRA CASEY, CARLY IRVINE, JUSTICE JACKSON, SOPHIA LOCHAN, BLAIR MYERS, KATHRYN REISNER and VERONICA SANDOVAL.

A BL AST FROM T HE PAST STEVE CUNNINGHAM began coaching varsity cross-country in 1982; JOLIE CUNNINGHAM joined the coaching staff in 1992; they were married in 1993. Their daughter, CALLIE CUNNINGHAM ’14, was a member of the 2013 state-championship team. Cunningham also coached QUILL HEALEY ’86, the father of junior QUILL HEALEY, a member of this year’s state team.

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FALL SPORTS

A BL AST FROM T HE PAST Several water polo alumni have gone on to play and coach around the country. KATIE MAYER LARSON ’97 (above, during a special coaching session with the Pace team) coaches the University of Florida’s women’s water polo team; JENNIFER KING ’94 coaches the Lovett water polo club; and DYLAN STEINFELD ’15, JAKE JENKINS ’16 and MITCHELL ZWECKER ’17 play on Georgia Tech’s club team.

W AT E R P O L O C L U B Coached by JOHN AGUE and ROSS BROWN ’07 The water polo club’s A team put in a near-perfect performance this fall, wrapping up the regular season with an 11–1 record in the Georgia High School Water Polo Association’s (GHSWPA) Division 2. Memorable matches included runaway victories over Lovett, Wesleyan, Lakeside and Wheeler. The AquaKnights advanced to the finals in the Division 2 state tournament, where they fell to Collins Hill High School, 13–8. The second-place finish earned the team a spot in the Division 1 state tournament, where the AquaKnights tied for seventh place. The B team tied for fifth place in Division 3. Following the season, four members of the team were selected to play in the GHSWPA All-Star Games. Senior ANDREW JENKINS and junior JOHN O’BRIEN competed in the Division 2 match, while junior BLAKE MANER and eighthgrader DAVID GRICE played in the Division 3 game. Post-season honors included: O’Brien, Division 2 All-State Second Team; Grice, Division 3 All-State First Team and Division 3 Player of the Year; Maner, Division 3 All-State Second Team; JOHN AGUE, Division 2 Coach of the Year. Jenkins, the team’s lone senior, leaves an impressive legacy. A four-year member of the All-Star Team, Jenkins was named to the GHSWPA Division 2 All-State First Team in 2017 and 2018, and was Division 2 Player of the Year in 2017 and 2018. He concluded his Pace career with a record-setting 360 goals.

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ENERGY

LIFE-CHANGING LESSONS FROM VERMONT & WEST VIRGINIA

ON THE ROAD I

n the fall, seniors MADELINE ARENTH and VERONICA SANDOVAL and juniors VIRGINIA HOBBS and SANDY LUM—our 2018–2019 Isdell Global Leaders (IGLs)—traveled with Director of the Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL) TRISH ANDERSON and science teacher DR. KAYLAN HAIZLIP to Vermont and West Virginia to explore the ICGL annual global theme of ENERGY. In the spring, they’ll continue their research in Puerto Rico. Read on as the IGLs reflect on their experiences. We recently returned from Vermont and West Virginia, where our goal was to gain a better understanding of the issues facing U.S. energy systems. Based on our preliminary research and our time with ICGL Visiting Scholar Jeff Goodell, we left Atlanta with insight into the transitional, and perhaps revolutionary, period of change in which we find ourselves—for the first time in history, renewable energy is comparable in cost to fossil fuels. With this in mind, we began our field study in Burlington, Vt., the nation’s first city to run off of 100-percent renewable electricity. There we met with Mayor Miro Weinberger, Burlington Energy Department leaders and renewable-energy advocates at the Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG). We learned that while the electricity generated in Burlington is created from renewable sources such as solar, wind, hydro and biofuels, the state of Vermont only produces about 40 percent of the electricity

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it consumes. This dependence on out-ofstate energy sources for electricity made our transition into West Virginia, an energyexporting state, even more compelling. In West Virginia, we often found ourselves in awe of the natural beauty of the Appalachian Mountains, only to be bewildered by the abrupt appearance of massive coal-mining operations, power plants or ethane cracker plants. As we learned about everything from mountaintop removal to toxic coal slurries, the meaning behind the phrase “dirty energy” became abundantly clear. It was obvious that the poverty, exploitation and poor health of West Virginia’s small-town residents are results of unsafe work environments and pollution by big coal companies. While Vermont and West Virginia appear diametrically opposed, they share in common communities comprised of individuals who appreciate the beauty of the land, understand the value of maintaining that land and possess the tenacity to bring about positive change. We hope that reading our story will increase your understanding of the complex nature of our energy systems and inspire action toward a clean-energy future.

VERMONT

America’s “greenest” city, Burlington is working toward a net-zero plan to ensure that all the energy Vermont residents consume is produced in the state. To that end, Burlington is targeting city-wide transportation systems, electrical utilities,

and commercial and private heating systems, and has engaged in strategic social, economic and infrastructure initiatives that have transformed energy production and reduced overall consumption, setting a world-class example for future energy developments. We met the Esdells, local advocates for the clean-energy movement, who have retrofitted their home for energy efficiency with air source heat pumps and solar panels—increasing efficiency and saving around $2,000 a year. They believe the sweeping changes needed to make our national energy systems cleaner and more efficient begin at home. Yet, without state or federal incentives, few homeowners are willing or able to invest in these technologies Ben Walsh, climate and energy program director at VIPRG, advocates for legislative support to increase community participation in clean-energy programs. Walsh has worked on Vermont’s renewable energy and appliance efficiency standards to ensure steady progress toward a low-carbon future. He encouraged us to engage in clean-energy advocacy work to promote change in our home community: to point out dirty energy’s costs—global warming, health risks, air and water pollution—and to vote for candidates who support renewable energy. With perspectives from the Esdells and Walsh, we met Dr. Josh Farley, a professor at the University of Vermont focused on “the design of an economy capable of balancing what is biophysically possible with what is socially, psychologically and ethically desirable.” Farley asserts that energy drives the modern economy, and that fossil fuel reliance has enabled cheap industry and commerce—leading to two distinct problems. One is the limited supply of fossil fuels. If we continue to produce and consume at current rates, an estimated 40 years of oil and 100 years of coal remain on Earth. This has tremendous economic consequences. When demand increases for essential resources (such as food, water or, in this case, fossil fuels), markets respond by escalating prices. Soaring fuel prices will destabilize global markets and cause increased competition at the time countries should instead be collaborating on solutions for a shared energy future.

ICGL

The second problem is energy waste. The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory estimates that of the energy the U.S. generates (89 percent from fossil fuels), about 68 percent is rejected—the equivalent of 36 million tons of coal or 8 trillion gallons of gas. If we continue using current amounts of energy, the switch to renewable energy will be difficult, if not impossible. Hypothetically, even if we wanted to switch to renewables tomorrow, the gap between the amount of energy renewables provide using current technology and how much energy we use as a nation is staggering. As Farley puts it, if we are serious about switching to renewable energy within the next 30 to 50 years, we need to seriously consider how to redesign the economy to balance what is biophysically possible with what is socially and ethically desirable. With this idea of balancing economics and resources, we visited the Burlington Energy Department, which seeks to serve clients’ energy needs in a safe, reliable, affordable and socially responsible manner that includes decreasing consumption through efficiency. In fact, strategic decisions that led to the closing of a coal-fired power plant, the addition of hydro-electric and wastewood biomass plants, and a new system that allows locals to sell privately-owned renewable energy back to the energy grid, have significantly reduced city-wide energy consumption. Burlington showed us that community collaboration can result in a switch to clean and reliable energy. With great optimism, we set flight to the mountains of West Virginia, the heart of coal country.

WEST VIRGINIA

West Virginia stands in sharp contrast to Vermont—small communities replace cities; mountains dominate the landscape. Our first stop was Coal River Mountain Watch (CRMW), an organization dedicated to ending the destruction to West Virginia communities and the environment caused by mountaintop removal mining. There we met Junior Walk, a full-time CRMW volunteer who had previously worked with Massey Coal Company. Witnessing the physical and environmental effects of coal mining motivated him to advocate against the industry.

Walk’s work is seen as an extreme threat to coal mining corporations and the West Virginians they employ; he’s been the target of threats and felt his life was in jeopardy. At one point, Walk was featured on a poster in the Massey Company dormitories that read “Wanted—Dead or Alive.” Undaunted, Walk believes his work will pay off. Walk provided first-hand examples of the toxicity and destruction wreaked by coal mines. For example, a few miles up the road from CMRW headquarters sits an abandoned primary school. The toxicity of an adjacent coal slurry pond forced the school to relocate. Held in place only by a thick, man-made mud wall, the pond holds about 2.8 billion gallons of poisonous chemical toxins—the runoff of nearby coal mines. Neighbors live in fear that the pond will overflow and send poisons into the soil and water wells below. Walk also explained the practice of mountaintop removal—an aggressive way of extracting coal by removing land from the peaks of mountains using explosives. A group from Yale Environment 360 found that as much as 10 percent of the landscape has been leveled in West Virginia due to mountaintop removal, and up to 800 feet of land can be desecrated during a single procedure. We saw an array of these sites—some hidden from public view. From the peak of Kayford Mountain, we could see the remnants of a mountain blasted with ammonium nitrate fuel oil. It looked like a valley, with grass and rocks placed to mask the damage. The procedure had destroyed plant and animal species in the area and released into the ground poisonous toxins that re-emerge when it rains. Nearby communities’ water systems contain poisons, especially after rainwater runs into local creeks. Babies born there have a 43 percent higher rate of birth defects than babies born to women who smoke; a residents’ life expectancy is 18 years shorter than the average American. Despite the severity and scope of this destruction, we were encouraged to learn about the work of groups like Sustainable Williamson, which celebrates rather than shames the coal-mining heritage, while seeking to promote healthy lifestyles. This approach helps coal-mining families

embrace new, progressive programs such as local gardens, annual farmers markets, coalthemed fun runs and community healthcare. We also learned about natural gas, “a bridge fuel,” which is a cleaner source of energy than coal that has become less expensive due to fracking—an efficient way of extracting this resource from deep in the bedrock. This alternative is not without adverse effects, however. “While gas can burn cleaner than coal,” staff at the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition told us, “methane leaks that occur during the fracking, waste disposal and pipeline processes are generally not included when officials tout ‘clean’ gas.” Methane emissions are roughly 84 times worse than carbon dioxide emissions because methane traps more heat into the atmosphere, leading to a more aggressive greenhouse effect. As the sun set behind the West Virginia mountains and our trip came to a close, we realized that our IGL journey had just begun. Our new knowledge gave us deeper insight into the world; we saw the positive and negative effects of energy consumption on the environment and communities; environmental advocates opened our eyes to what collaboration can truly accomplish. Now it’s our turn to educate our community—we hope to collaborate with Pace students and their families, our neighbors, and others on the need to reduce energy consumption and increase the use of renewable energy sources. Let's tackle the energy revolution together as a Pace family!

SOURCES • Burlington, Vermont Becomes First U.S. City to Run On 100% Renewable Electricity by Anastasia Pantsios, EcoWatch, Feb. 2015 • Costs and Benefits of Air Source Heat Pumps, EnergySage.com, 2019 • U.S. Energy Information Administration, Vermont State Profile and Energy Estimates, 2018 • A Troubling Look at the Human Toll of Mountaintop Removal Mining by Richard Schiffman, Yale Environment 360, Nov. 2017

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THE MAKINGS OF A MAESTRO

GLOBAL LEADERS

The word “wunderkind” perfectly describes classical violinist AMARTYA KALLINGAL. During his years in the Lower School, the eighth grader wowed audiences with solo performances in Light One Candle, the annual holiday program; he has played with the Metro Youth Symphony Orchestra and the All-State Middle School Orchestra, highly selective ensembles; he was a Middle School Arts Laureate; and he currently performs with the Atlanta Junior Chamber Orchestra. Kallingal’s largest audience, however, came this past winter when he performed with the Moscow Ballet through the organization’s “Musical Wunderkind” program. The

program acknowledges the talent of preprofessional Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition winners across the country, providing “an unprecedented live-performance opportunity.” During the Ballet’s recent U.S. tour, one Wunderkind in each city accompanied principal ballerinas in Saint Saen’s Dying Swan from Carnival of the Animals. Kallingal took the stage in Atlanta. “To prepare for the performance, I practiced a lot, sought guidance from my violin teacher and listened to professional recordings,” Kallingal says. The practice paid off—Kallingal performed beautifully. “The experience helped me enhance my big-stage confidence,” he says. “[Going forward,] I want to build my repertoire, improve my technique and stay active in the youth music community.”

on t s i IP tw H h S s R e r U f E a N E R P E R ENT

“Never do business with friends or family,” the old adage goes. It’s advice senior LILY WAGONER (left) and her sister, freshman NORAH WAGONER (right), have chosen to ignore. The same goes for “mixing business with pleasure.” The self-taught designers and best friends are passionate about jewelry and run Twist by W from their supremely organized home office, selling and shipping handcrafted necklaces, bracelets and earrings all over the country. “Twist by W started in August 2016 when I

needed a gift for a friend,” Lily says. “I wanted to get in touch with a local jewelry designer, but no one I contacted would get back to me, so Norah and I decided to make the gift ourselves.” The enterprising sisters’ project soon became a hobby and—thanks to the marketing magic of social media—a business. “We would post pictures of our pieces on Instagram to see what people liked,” Norah recalls. Friends and family began purchasing the Wagoner sisters’ wares, and before long, buyers were snatching up beaded bracelets and leather chokers at the Pace Fall Fair and local trunk shows. Twist by W’s rapid growth required new skills of its young owners. Lily researched website providers and payment platforms before designing and launching twistbyw.com in early 2017; Norah created the company’s original logo; the team learned to strategically source materials, manage inventory and quickly process orders; they determined how best to photograph each piece for the website; they pitched local retailers; they registered as an LLC; and, in the midst of it all, they managed to do their homework. “It’s all about priorities,” Norah says. “We stay on top of everything that we do. It’s our job, and we’ve already learned so much.” Lily agrees: “I want to major in business or marketing. This experience has helped set that path for me. It’s given me life skills, like money management. And I’ve learned all about taxes… taxes aren’t fun.” Along the way, the girls have sought guidance from their parents, DEBORAH CELECIA WAGONER ’84 and MICHAEL WAGONER, and from advisers within the Pace Academy community. “[Upper School visual arts teacher MARK KNOTT] has been a big supporter,” Lily says. “I took a finance and business ethics class that [Head of Upper School MIKE GANNON] put me in, and [Pace parent and Sandpiper boutique owner JUDY JOHNSON] has been an incredible mentor. Really, the whole Pace community has been amazing.” The feeling is mutual. Students, faculty, staff and parents sport Twist by W pieces all over the Pace campus. “Sometimes, I’ll walk into a classroom and all my friends will be wearing our pieces,” Norah says with a smile. “That’s a pretty great feeling.”

Sisters LILY and NORAH WAGONER balance school and a blossoming business. 32

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GLOBAL LEADERS

SALLY

Faculty Spotlight

Over her 42 years at Pace Academy, fifthgrade teacher SALLY FORB has observed a great deal of change. When she began at the school, 40 students were enrolled in the fifth grade; today, there are 65. In 1977, students sat quietly in rows; today, projectbased learning is the norm, and students collaborate throughout the day. New facilities and technologies have allowed for exciting growth and opportunities unimaginable four decades ago. The biggest change Forb has seen, however, is the addition of the Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL), a results-oriented program that cultivates leadership capabilities among students and faculty in Pace’s Lower, Middle and Upper Schools. “I have a special place in my heart for the Isdell family,” Forb says. “I taught CARA ISDELL LEE ’97 and met her parents, PAMELA and NEVILLE ISDELL, at that time. RORY LEE ’26, Cara’s son, is in my class this year. When the Isdells enabled the launch of the ICGL, it became a big deal in my mind. I love to see their passion for the program, and I love how they want to make a global education available to as many kids and faculty as possible.” Forb’s passion for global leadership and travel—and the cultural awareness and life lessons these experiences foster—began

long before the creation of the ICGL. She has taken 41 trips with more than 2,000 students to Charleston, S.C., to study the Civil War and visit historic sites like Fort Sumter. Forb’s dedication to the city is so remarkable that the mayor of Charleston named her an “Honorary Citizen” and officially declared May 14, 2012, “Sally Forb Day.” The proclamation—“one of the greatest honors of my life,” Forb says— hangs outside her classroom. Since the establishment of the ICGL in 2014, Forb has supported the program in myriad ways, most recently as an adviser on a 2018 Lower School study tour to Costa Rica. Forb tears up thinking about her time in Costa Rica, where students participated in community engagement activities and explored the rich biodiversity of the surrounding rainforest. The experience was life-changing. “We were able to get out of our neighborhoods and see families from a completely different culture devoted to their

neighborhoods and their families, and doing the same things we do here,” Forb says. “Our Pace students were on that like bees on honey. Every night we’d debrief on what they learned, and I would just weep at the things they would say. They were pulling lessons from their hearts and talking about how they were going to go home and save the world. I’m in the twilight of my career, but moments like those make me know we’re in good hands with the next generation. What they’re saying makes me feel so good about our future.” In addition to that international experience, Forb led fifth graders on an adventure closer to home during the 2017–2018 school year. Inspired by the ICGL theme of Conservation, she developed a unit on lemurs, one of the planet’s most endangered species. After reading about the Duke Lemur Center at Duke University, Forb knew her students needed to visit. She coordinated with ICGL Director TRISH ANDERSON to make the trip a reality. While in Durham, students also explored the Sarah P. Duke Gardens, which tied into their Pace studies on botany and environmentalism. In her classroom, Forb maintains a connection to the ICGL’s annual global themes as a project manager for the fifth grade. She loves the opportunity to innovate and create new curriculum based on a given year’s theme. This year, for example, she connected the theme of Energy to the students’ study of the Vikings and Scandinavia. “Moss doesn’t grow under my feet,” Forb explains. “I always want to be learning something new and creating new projects for my classes.” Forb has contributed to the ICGL in countless ways, but her pay-it-forward attitude is especially remarkable. She encour1978–197 9 ages all students and faculty to participate in the program. “Every experience I’ve had with the ICGL I would do again, but I want someone else to get to do it,” Forb says. “It’s your turn.” — by HANNAH KELLY ’15

KnightTimes | Winter 2019

VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

THE MAK I NG S OF A DY NA S T Y VA R S I T Y V O L L E Y B A L L BRINGS HOME B AC K - T O - B AC K S TAT E CHAMPIONSHIPS

KnightTimes | Winter 2019

VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

This team hasn’t won a state championship,” head coach ANNA BUSH told the 13 members of Pace Academy’s varsity volleyball squad in the summer of 2018. “Last year’s team may have claimed the title, but so many things have to go right to earn another chance at ultimate success.” And as the defending state champions launched their 2018 campaign, things did not appear to be going right. The Georgia High School Association (GHSA) declared junior SASHA RATLIFF, new to Pace, ineligible to compete as a result of her transfer; a serious ankle injury sidelined junior LUCY FERRY; the Knights’ early-season schedule proved difficult; and the team, made up of year-round club players and those who only play for Pace, couldn’t seem to gel. “Things were just not meshing,” Bush recalls, “so [senior PAIGE FLEMING] suggested a players-only meeting. We canceled practice, and the team met for almost two hours. It was the most productive day of the season and the beginning of the group coming together.” That the Knights faced stiff competition at the start of the season was no surprise to Bush. She intentionally scheduled matches against the likes of Walton High School, the 2017 national champion, and took the team to the Volleyball Tournament of Champions in Spartanburg, S.C., where the Knights competed against state champs from Georgia, Tennessee and South Carolina. The team went 1–6 at the tournament. All of their matches were close, but the Knights just couldn’t seal the deal. “Losing like that was hard,” recalls sophomore co-captain ADA JANE AGOLLI. “We had to remind ourselves that we wouldn’t see that level of play at the region and state levels, which was a challenge.” Senior co-captain DAVIS MATHIS agrees. “The tougher schedule made us more prepared, mentally and physically, for the teams we would face later in the season, but we were all exhausted.” Bush, on the other hand, was energized. “The Tournament of Champions was the best volleyball we played all year,” she says.

The Knights returned from South Carolina as a single unit, ready to take on the local competition. They notched wins over teams like Woodward, Wesleyan, Chattahoochee and Roswell, and defeated Lovett to advance to the area finals against Westminster. Pace had fallen to Westminster early in the season but triumphed on the Wildcats’ home turf to take the area title and the No. 1 seed in the GHSA Class AAA state tournament. With Ferry back in action and renewed confidence in their abilities as a team, the Knights cruised through the first three rounds of the state playoffs, sweeping Appling County, Islands and North Hall. The Final Four proved more difficult. “We had to play Lovett in the semifinals, which worried me,” Bush says. “Rivalries equalize talents.” Other elements created challenges for the Knights as well. Senior co-captain LILY RECKFORD developed a high fever, and Bush was unsure how a thumb injury might affect sophomore setter KALISSA GREENE’s play. As things got underway in a packed Inman Center, Hurricane Michael bore down on Atlanta; junior DOMINIQUE TURNER sustained an injury, which jeopardized her ability

KnightTimes | Winter 2019

VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

to play; the power went out in the middle of the third set; and the roof began to leak. Mathis, who played every position over the course of the season, jumped in. “Her solid performance made a huge difference,” says Bush. “Kalissa was purely amazing, and Dominique ultimately powered through her pain.” The Knights defeated the Lions 3–0 and, for a third consecutive year, advanced to the GHSA Class AAA finals to face the Wildcats of Westminster.

The Knights took the next two sets and claimed their second state title in as many years. Pace fans rejoiced. “It felt like a community win,” Baker recalls. “The crowd did such a good job staying classy and positive. They supported us instead of tearing down the other team, which made a big difference.” That positive attitude in the stands translated to the players’ performances on the court—during the finals and throughout the season. “I was very happy with how we represented our school and community,” Bush says. “At the end of the day, that’s what’s most important.”

The state-championship match took place at McEachern High School, about 20 miles west of Pace. The venue was unfamiliar territory for the Knights, and they weren’t sure fans would make the drive, but the Pace community did not disappoint. “The atmosphere was electric,” Bush recalls. “We packed the stands. Alumni came; teachers came; students came.” Despite the support in the stands, things got off to a rocky start. “We were nervous,” Reckford says. “We lost that first set because we made stupid mistakes, but once we got those out, it was game time.” Agolli, known for her motivational pep talks, gave a doozy between the first and second sets. “I can always tell how a match will end by the speech [Ada Jane] gives,” says Mathis. “I knew we were going to win. There was a vibe. We were not going to let this slip away.” Bush changed the line-up, and the energy shifted. “After we won the second set, we realized that the title was ours to lose,” she says. “[Senior co-captain ALEXANDRA BAKER] had the best match of her life. She made some plays that completely changed the momentum. And Turner—our best server and passer—came through huge. She was the team’s emotional spark.”

The team credits its return to the top of the podium to Bush’s “cool, calm and collected” demeanor and steady focus, and to assistant coaches SCOTT MCEWAN and JENNIFER JONES’s dedication and game-time support. Ratliff’s presence also had a transformational impact. “Even though Sasha wasn’t eligible to play, she came to every practice, every game,” Reckford says. “Having an incredible middle hitter to practice against made a huge difference. She was such a supportive teammate. Next year, I want to come to a couple games just to see her out there killing it.” Next year will look very different for the Knights as the team sends six seniors—Baker, SOPHIE BECK, Fleming, Mathis, NICOLE PETROSKY and Reckford—off to college. The history makers leave a legacy of grit and determination, and they’re confident in their younger teammates’ abilities and hopeful for the future of the program. “I know that these girls will dominate,” Mathis says. But, unable to shake Bush’s mantra, she also knows that they’ll start back at square one. After all, next year’s Knights haven’t won a state championship. l

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BACKTO-B AC K S TAT E CHAMPS ANNA BUSH, Head Coach • Georgia Volleyball Coaches Association Class AAA Coach of the Year SCOTT MCEWAN, Assistant Coach JENNIFER JONES, Assistant Coach ADA JANE AGOLLI • 4-AAA All-Area First Team • Georgia Volleyball Coaches Association All-State Team • PrepVolleyball.com Club All-American Honorable Mention ALEXANDRA BAKER • 4-AAA All-Area First Team • Georgia Volleyball Coaches Association All-State Team • Georgia Volleyball Coaches Association Senior All Star SOPHIE BECK LUCY FERRY • 4-AAA All-Area Second Team PAIGE FLEMING KALISSA GREENE • 4-AAA All-Area Most Valuable Player • Georgia Volleyball Coaches Association AAA Player of the Year • Georgia Volleyball Coaches Association All-State Team • PrepVolleyball.com Club All-American • 16s Club Pre-Season All-American DAVIS MATHIS MORGAN NEILL

BLAST

FROM THE PAST Pace Academy’s first volleyball team hit the court during the 1972–1973 school year. Physical education teacher CHARLENE POTCHARD coached the 16-member squad.

HANNAH PACE NICOLE PETROSKY SASHA RATLIFF LILY RECKFORD DOMINIQUE TURNER • 4-AAA All-Area First Team • Georgia Volleyball Coaches Association Honorable Mention CAROLINE SINGLETON, Manager KnightTimes | Winter 2019

ORIGIN STORY

F R E D G LA S S ’89 SHARES THE STORY OF P A C E A C A D E M Y ’S FOUNDING

KnightTimes | Winter 2019

ORIGIN STORY

T MILLS B. LANE, JR.

hat a new private school opened on Atlanta’s north side in September of 1958 is not all that remarkable when considering the issues in play. It was inevitable that someone would conclude that the time was right to start another school and act on a plan to do so. It was not inevitable, however, that the school would be open to families of all faiths and backgrounds and dedicated to imbuing its students with the tools needed for free thought and critical analysis. It is exceedingly remarkable that a school like Pace Academy was founded against the backdrop of events and prevailing attitudes existing in Atlanta in the 1950s and without any significant source of financial backing. Never was this struggle more evident than in 1958 and 1959, Pace’s first two years, and it was overcome by a dedicated group of ordinary people—parents, teachers, and business and civic leaders—who cared deeply for Atlanta’s future and whose children represented the promise of that future. SETTI N G TH E STAGE F O R A N E W S C HO O L

WILLIAM R. PATTERSON

ROBERT S. REGENSTEIN

JOHN L. WESTMORELAND, JR.

In 1957, a seasoned educator conceived the idea of Pace Academy. Her vision, entrepreneurial spirit and brief tenure at Pace set in motion the chain of events that enabled the school to open on Sept. 15, 1958. Pace’s founding was a relatively early development in the annals of Georgia education. The state’s first public schools opened in 1872; high schools received no public funding until 1912; gender segregation in city high schools was the norm until 1947. In the 81 years between the end of Reconstruction and Pace’s inception, Atlanta became the undisputed capital of Henry Grady’s “New South,” and the city’s economic rise only accelerated after World War II. Atlanta’s success brought with it an increased appetite for private education. The city’s private schools can be traced back to 1878 when two of George Washington’s great nieces established the all-girls Washington Seminary, which merged with the all-boys North Avenue Presbyterian School to become The Westminster Schools in 1951. Woodward Academy and Marist School were established as all-boys military schools in 1900 and 1901, respectively. The Lovett School opened as a primary school in 1926. The seminal event leading to the foundation of Pace Academy was the May 17, 1954, unanimous U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. The Warren Court declared that “separate

education facilities are inherently unequal,” and that state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students were unconstitutional. States were ordered to desegregate “with all deliberate speed.” All Georgia public schools were segregated at the time of the court ruling. Georgia Governor Marvin Griffin spoke out against the decision and pledged to keep Georgia’s schools segregated “come hell or high water... The rest of the nation is looking to Georgia for the lead in segregation,” he said. In 1956, the Georgia legislature proceeded to change the state flag, incorporating the Confederate Battle Flag in symbolic defiance of the federal government and the Supreme Court decision. In September of 1957, nine African American students, who became known as the “Little Rock Nine,” enrolled in the all-white Little Rock Central High School. Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus deployed the Arkansas National Guard to prevent these students from entering the school. When Faubus refused to comply with President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s request to abide by the court decision, Eisenhower federalized the Arkansas National Guard and added elements of the 101st Airborne Division to protect the students and enforce the court order for the remainder of the 1957–1958 school year. Faubus retaliated by shutting down all Little Rock high schools for the 1958–1959 school year. Atlantans watching the events unfold in Little Rock and the accompanying gubernatorial response became alarmed and concerned about the possibility of military escorts and the wholesale closing of Atlanta’s public schools. Many also were concerned about perceived leadership ineptitude and teaching practices employed by Atlanta’s public schools; others espoused racist views. For these reasons, affluent white Atlanta families of the late 1950s turned en masse to the city’s existing private schools. In 1959, Ernest Vandiver was elected governor of Georgia, pledging to defend segregation using the campaign slogan “No, not one,” referring to not one black student in a white school. Vandiver was later persuaded to change this segregationist stance by future Atlanta Mayor Ivan Allen Jr., future U.S. Attorney General Griffin Bell, Coca-Cola President Robert Woodruff, and banker and Pace Academy founder MILLS B. LANE, JR. P LA N T I N G T HE S E E D S O F P A C E A C A DEMY JANE TUGGLE always wanted to start a school of her own. She taught in the Florida public school system after graduating from Wheelock College in Boston, Mass., and moved to Atlanta in 1949. A year later, she founded the Stratford Country Day School downtown. Not long after, she opened Lad ‘n’ Lassie, a preschool at 53 15th Street.

KnightTimes | Winter 2019

ORIGIN STORY

á An early rendering by architecture firm Barker & Cunningham

FRANK D. KALEY

JEAN FORD

SARA PARKER

Both schools were well regarded and profitable, but to buy the property from Mrs. John Ogden for $500. To Tuggle, as an educator and a shrewd businesswoman, convert this option into a mortgage contract however, was drawn to the opportunity on Atlanta’s north side. Tuggle and Massey would have to raise $20,000 in The supply-and-demand dynamics caused by long priearnest money, $80,000 for closing and $100,000 to be vate-school waiting lists together with the public-school paid in monthly installments over the next 10 years. disruptions created an opportunity that was simply too The for-profit corporation Pace Academy Inc. was good for Tuggle to pass up. chartered on Feb. 11, 1958, with no assets other than Leveraging her two existing schools, Tuggle asa $500 purchase option. In prospectus papers filed sembled a team she felt would strengthen the project’s shortly thereafter, Massey is listed as “Trustee and odds for success. She approached friend and licensed President,” Tuggle as “Trustee and Secretary-Treasurer” psychologist T. BENJAMIN MASSEY, president of the and Patterson as “Trustee.” There can be no doubt consulting firm Psychological Services Associates. With that Pace Academy owes tremendous gratitude to psychology degrees from Duke University and North Tuggle for both the selection of the Ogden estate as Carolina State, Massey served on the faculty of Georgia the school’s campus and, incidentally, for the name Tech’s psychology department. Sensing a need for legal “Pace Academy” affixed to the new corporate charter. expertise and counsel, Tuggle and Massey approached well-known attorney WILLIAM R. PATTERSON. Together, E A RLY FI N A N C I A L S T RU G G LE S Tuggle, Massey and Patterson began to raise funds and distribute stock to Atlanta’s wealthy families in what was “I can’t tell you how hard we worked to design several initially a decidedly for-profit venture. different plans, or should I say ‘schemes,’ to raise Patterson was raised by two educators in Hickory, money [to launch Pace Academy],” Patterson recalled N.C. He served in the Pacific theater during World War in a 1999 interview. II and received a bachelor’s degree from Lenoir-Rhyne Despite their best efforts, Tuggle, Massey and College and a J.D. from Duke University School of Law. Patterson fell far short of reaching the $100,000 He came to Atlanta in 1950 upon joining the law firm required for Pace Academy Inc. to close on the Ogden of Sutherland Asbill & Brennan. Despite his reservaproperty. Patterson noted that they “raised a few tions about the for-profit aspect of this new school, bucks”—approximately $2,000—enabling the group Patterson developed a deep personal interest in seeing to secure a $18,000 loan from Trust Company Bank to Pace succeed. Over the next 31 years, he devoted satisfy the earnest money requirement, but they still countless hours and heroic effort to the project and needed $80,000 to close on the Ogden estate on May fulfilled a godfatherly role for the school. 21, 1958. Even before soliciting Patterson’s involvement, Tuggle The group quickly realized that more talent and was determined to secure the available Ogden family wisdom on the board would be necessary to raise the estate at 966 West Paces Ferry Road as the new school’s additional funds. On Feb. 18, 1958, a special meeting of location. On Jan. 22, 1958, Tuggle purchased an option stockholders was convened at The First National Bank

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ORIGIN STORY

RICHARD L. MOORE

J. DAN ANDERSON

ROBERT H. FERST

DILLARD MUNFORD

LANGDON C. QUIN, JR.

Building in Atlanta to elect Trustees, and seven individuals were unanimously elected: ROBERT S. REGENSTEIN, JOHN L. WESTMORELAND, CECIL ALEXANDER, JOSEPH H. PATTERSON, FITZHUGH M. LEGERTON, JEFF H. MCCONNELL and J. RALPH MCCLELLAND. Among the professions represented were pediatrician, attorney, architect and minister. All were personally and financially committed to the new school and believed deeply in its possibility for success. Despite their best efforts, however, Pace Academy Inc. went into default on the Ogden contract when it failed to obtain the required funds to close. Convinced that the for-profit aspect of the school was the problem, on May 28, the stockholders voted unanimously to dissolve Pace Academy, Inc., and on June 26, a new nonprofit Georgia corporation, also named “Pace Academy, Inc.,” was incorporated and assumed all the prior corporation’s assets and liabilities. Fortunately, Mrs. Ogden was still willing to negotiate as she hoped that the property would become a school. On July 2, 1958, just two and a half months before Pace Academy opened its doors to students, “cash in bank” was listed at a negligible $285.24, with liabilities far outpacing assets. Despite the precarious financial situation, Patterson sent a letter addressed to “Friends of Pace” to solicit contributions to the new non-profit. “The purpose of this letter is to let you know that Pace Academy will open in September,” it began. On July 28, Tuggle followed with another letter: “Again, let me assure you that Pace Academy will be open this fall, in temporary quarters if need be.” The letter, urgent in tone, explained that “important decisions regarding Pace’s future, in which you as an interested parent and friend have an important role, must be made prior to fall.” Those interested were invited to join Pace Academy Trustees at “a very important dinner meeting” to be held in the Dinkler Room of the Dinkler Plaza Hotel on August 3, 1958. This meeting was monumental to Pace Academy’s founding—17 families pledged $21,600, and Pace’s first fundraising campaign, The Founders Fund Campaign, was organized with a goal of $125,000. The enthusiasm was palpable as 27 parents volunteered to participate on the campaign committee. Well-known Atlanta businessman and zealous Pace supporter RICHARD L. MOORE agreed to chair The Founders Fund Campaign and articulated his motivation in a letter to Pace families: “1) I firmly believe in sound private school education for my children, and 2) I recognize that Pace must complete the purchase of the fine Ogden property at 966 West Paces Ferry Road by the first of September.” Within a week, The Founders Fund committee raised nearly $125,000, and C&S Bank President Mills

B. Lane Jr., inspired by the enthusiasm and energy of the school’s supporters, agreed to offer his conditional support. “You know, sometimes you’ve just got to do things with your heart instead of your head,” Patterson recalled Lane saying. Lane agreed to a one-year loan of $85,000 on Aug. 26, 1958, on the condition that he receive personal guarantees for the loan. Almost immediately, 25 Pace supporters provided personal guarantees. “I can’t tell you how many stepped up to the plate,” Patterson later commented. “I don’t believe I ever told my wife that I had personally guaranteed that confounded loan. She would not have appreciated it at all.” With the necessary funds and personal guarantees, Pace Academy Inc. closed on the Ogden contract on Aug. 29, 1958, and became the new owner of 966 West Paces Ferry Road. The school opened its doors to students at 53 15th Street on Sept. 15, 1958, so that preparations could be made at the new West Paces Ferry campus. Students, teachers and administrators moved into “the Castle” on Oct. 2, 1958. P A C E A C A D E M Y O P E N S I T S D O O RS Tuggle retained the administrative title of “director” of the new school and worked hard over the summer to assemble a faculty in anticipation of the September start date. In her letter of July 3, Tuggle mentioned that Pace boasted “an outstanding” faculty, and that “each faculty member has been contacted within the past week, and each has reaffirmed his/her intention to teach at Pace this year. Contracts for teachers are now being prepared.” A document included with the letter listed the highly respected educators who comprised the Educational Advisory Committee for Pace Academy: DR. BEN A. BOHNHORST, head of the Education Laboratory at Oglethorpe University; Reverend FITZHUGH M. LEGERTON, minister of Oglethorpe Presbyterian Church; DR. HERBERT O. SMITH, former principal of Boys’ High School; MRS. HOWARD C. SMITH, experienced teacher and cultural leader; and Massey, Tuggle’s original business partner. Tuggle did an exemplary job as director in putting together a committed and accomplished faculty for the 1958–1959 school year, many of whom she hand selected, like JEAN FORD and SARA PARKER. Ford accepted the position of principal and remained at Pace until the late 1970s. She later became a thirdgrade teacher, but her tenure at Pace was legendary. She was highly respected by her students, committed to academic excellence, and skilled at balancing academic rigor with discipline and a love of learning. Parker, a strict disciplinarian and a moral guide, taught first grade and was known for her love of children. The

KnightTimes | Winter 2019

ORIGIN STORY

BICKERTON W. CARDWELL

S. RUSSELL BRIDGES

DOUG FORD '67

1970 Pacesetter, dedicated in Parker’s honor, reads: “She has earned the respect and admiration of students, parents, and faculty, and it is a pleasure to commend a person whose efforts have resulted in excellence.” In all, Tuggle recruited 14 teachers: two per grade in grades one through seven, one kindergarten teacher, a French teacher and a physical education instructor. Many of these original faculty members remained at Pace long past its inaugural year. By Sept. 15, 150 students were enrolled at Pace Academy, far below its 225 target. Tuition—$350 for first grade and $400 for students in grades two through seven—had been set based on the projected enrollment goal, and the fledgling school found itself cash poor. “Pace was indebted to Mrs. Ogden, to C&S Bank and to the holders of the debentures, payment of which Pace had assumed when it assumed the liabilities of the first for-profit corporation,” Patterson recalled. “Pace had not been successful in raising adequate funds to assure its survival.” To address this issue, Lane suggested a “shot in the arm” from local business leaders and looked to the Young Presidents Organization, a network of executives, for new Trustees. The following individuals joined the Board on Jan. 22, 1959: J. DAN ANDERSON, president of Southland Coffee Company; ROBERT H. FERST, president of M.A. Ferst Ltd.; WILTON D. LOONEY, president of Genuine Parts Company; DILLARD MUNFORD, president of the Munford Company; LANGDON C. QUIN JR., president of Hurt and Quin, Inc.; BICKERTON W. CARDWELL, vice president and personnel director of C&S Bank; and S. RUSSELL BRIDGES JR., president of Piedmont-Southern Life Insurance Company. Regenstein was elected chair of the newly formed Board of Trustees and remained in that position until 1960. TH E P ACE F AM I L Y I S BO R N

TIMOTHY WEISS '71

DR. JAKE WARD

Undoubtedly, Pace parents were an indispensable factor in Pace’s founding. Their heroic efforts are remembered by Jean Ford’s son, DOUG FORD ’67, who, in a 2001 interview, fondly recalled moving into the Castle. “I think the school just wouldn’t have gotten along without the parents,” Ford said. “Not only did they have the same sense of purpose as the teachers, or maybe even a stronger sense of purpose, but they also kicked in and did a lot of the work that needed to be done, from raising a flagpole and putting in a fire alarm to grading for an athletic field. It was amazing. I remember the mothers coming in when we were still on 15th Street with little brown bags, and fixing peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for us… you don’t get that at any other school that I

KnightTimes | Winter 2019

can think of. Without the parents, the school just wouldn’t be here… and I don’t mean monetarily, although monetarily, as we all know, it’s also true.” The cozy Castle reinforced a “family feeling” among students and was the genesis of the “Pace spirit” that many alumni of that era felt strongly. TIMOTHY WEISS ’71, who started at Pace as a kindergartener at the 15th Street campus, remembered the periodic brotherly “pat on the head” from upperclassmen walking by in the hallway. Trustee DR. JAKE WARD attempted to explain Pace’s uniqueness in a 1999 interview: “The connection between size and quality is clear,” he said. “It seems to me that you can observe this in banks and in stores, too. When you grow too big, you lose quality; you lose that human touch. I always use Pace as an example, because I am convinced that as a school, even in the beginning, it was superior to anything else in Atlanta. By virtue of its very size, it was the place where you were most likely to get real, personal attention.” With only 150 students in 1958, every Pace teacher knew every student by name; parents looked after others’ children as their own; students helped their classmates as a sibling might. “What is unique about a small school is that it can’t have cliques,” a member of the Class of 1970 remembered. “You didn’t have enough people at Pace to look down their noses at the people who were geeks—and anyway, we were all geeks!” Teachers maintained open-door policies and encouraged students to visit—regardless of whether they taught the student—to facilitate a vibrant learning environment. Discussions often continued long after class and attracted the interest of other students and teachers, who joined the conversations. “We were blessed with wonderful teachers,” one alumnus said. “[They] really cared and created a nourishing environment. Sure, they had to meet certain requirements, but they were free spirits, and we all benefited from that. I think that was what Pace was all about.” As the Castle was the only building on campus, space was limited. Classrooms became lunchrooms and labs; teachers, students and parents shared bathrooms and other facilities; the Gardens served as playground, outdoor classroom and amphitheater; the library was located wherever books could be stored and frequently moved. Although equipment was almost nonexistent, athletic and music programs began in that inaugural 1958–1959 school year. Pace Athletics grew out of the physical education program, as the school had a dedicated PE teacher from the beginning.

A PACE FOUNDER A CHANGE IN L EAD ER SH I P Just months after school began, the leadership of Director Jane Tuggle was called into question by both parents and teachers, many of whom she had personally recruited. It was not long before the Board of Trustees began to hear the complaints, and it became increasingly clear that Tuggle did not share the Board’s vision for the school. By the spring of 1959, Tuggle’s relationship with the Board had become openly adversarial. Events escalated to the point that Tuggle hired Pinkerton Detectives to deny entry on campus to any of the “new” nonprofit Trustees. On April 21, Tuggle called a meeting of original stockholders in the for-profit corporation and prohibited new nonprofit Board members’ attendance in an attempt to seize power and elect new leadership. She telegramed the nonprofit Board members and advised them that their roles as Trustees had been terminated. In response, on April 22, the Board of Trustees fired Tuggle and appointed Trustee Bickerton “Bic” Cardwell as temporary director. Cardwell, a former teacher at Episcopal High School in Virginia, was the only Trustee with any school experience. “We just sort of said, ‘Bic, you’re elected,’” Patterson recalled. Cardwell dutifully accepted the post, and the search for a qualified director began—a search that led to the hiring of FRANK D. KALEY, Pace’s first headmaster, in July of 1959. Tuggle threatened personal and collective lawsuits against the Trustees but failed to attend scheduled hearings, and the motions were dismissed. When Tuggle parted ways with Pace, so too did the original for-profit Trustees. All those on the nonprofit Board remained, unified in their mission and the vision they had for the school that they wanted Pace Academy to become. l SOU RC ES America in Color: The 1950s, Smithsonian Channel, 2017 An Unfinished History of Pace Academy by Suzi Zadeh Obituary of T. Benjamin Massey Obituary of William R. Patterson

L O N GT I M E P A C E A C A D E M Y T RUST E E W I LLI A M R. P A T T E RS O N, UP O N C O M P LE T I O N O F H I S 3 1 ST Y E A R O N TH E B O A R D , R E SI GN E D O N M A Y 2 2 , 1 9 89. T H E F O LLO W I N G E X C E R P T F R O M H I S RE SI GN A T I O N LE T T E R RE C O UN T S TH E SC H O O L’ S F O UN D I N G A N D O F F E R S W O R D S O F W I SD O M T O C UR RE N T A N D F UT UR E SC H O O L LE A D E R S AS T H E Y E N V I SI O N P A C E ’S N E X T 6 0 Y E A RS. My involvement with Pace began in January 1958—more than 31 years ago. It seems to me that is long enough; by now I have shared with Pace all of the good ideas I am likely to have. And so I am submitting my resignation effective at the end of this school year. I do this with regret because I have been a part of Pace since before it was born, and it certainly has been a part of me. But it is time for the old guard to step aside, to let new ideas and more energetic younger people take charge. It would be nice to say that serving on the Pace Board has been a continuous pleasure, highlighted by one success after another. But that would not be true. Service on the Pace Board has been costly in time and money—it has required long hours of hard work—at times it required enduring the disdain of others (some because we took a leadership position in integrating private school education in Atlanta—some because Pace was perceived as an inferior school, and being prominently identified with it did not reflect high honor on the Trustee). Always service on the Pace Board required a willingness to persevere and a determination to stay with the job until we had achieved our goals. And what were those goals? They were to help Pace Academy become a genuine asset to the community—a school that would help young people develop an awareness of the need to serve their community, and the knowledge that excellence requires hard work, but is attainable and is worthwhile. To become a school with a recognized, superior academic program. A school where the Trustees, the faculty, the parents, and the students work together to develop a “spirit.” A school that is a good citizen and is a significant force for good in the community. We had this dream for Pace in 1958 when the opportunities to obtain a quality education for children on Atlanta’s north side were not adequate to fill the need. This is not to suggest anything in a negative way about the other schools; it is meant only to state that we saw an unmet need, and as a matter of community service decided to fill it. These goals were certainly not achieved in 1958. At the beginning, Pace was not recognized as having a superior academic program, and in truth, it did not then have one; it did not then have the “spirit”; it was not yet a significant force for good in the community. But over time, Pace has made great progress toward reaching these goals, and this progress reflects the dedicated efforts of the parents, the faculty, and the Trustees, and a continually improving student body. I am proud of the part I have played in helping Pace develop from a standing start to the position it occupies today. I am proud that when others in public and private schools were seeking ways to avoid integration, the Trustees of Pace, under no coercion except their collective conscience, said, “This is right—open the doors.” I think each person now serving on the Pace Board of Trustees should be proud to be part of this fine institution. Of course, we have not yet fully reached our goals, and perhaps we never will. Perhaps we never should. Once we feel we have met a goal, unless we replace it with a new goal, the incentive to strive for excellence is diminished. And so I admonish the continuing Trustees and the administration to bear in mind the words of the old mountain man: “Son, if the going is getting easier, you ain’t still climbing.” With great affection for Pace, WILLIAM R. PATTERSON KnightTimes | Winter 2019

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ALUMNI

NI ALUM E S AT UPD

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

1. Silverstein at work; Photo by Carli Rene of Inked Fingers 2. Mick Assaf 3. Chip Wile 4. Moriah Wilson (left) 5. Adam Chaikof 6. Jenni Ridall 7. Amelia Hess

8. Carolyn Propst 9. Dylan Steinfeld

The University of Georgia Alumni Association named CHIP WILE ’98 to its 2018 “40 Under 40” list. Chip is president of Daytona International Speedway and, at print time, was preparing for the 61st running of the Daytona 500. Chip and his wife, CATHERINE RIGSBY WILE ’98, live in Ormond Beach, Fla., with their three children: Woodson, 8, Rigsby, 8, and Jane Alyce, 5.

Eric’s cookbook includes 100 recipes for Asian street food with a modern southern and southwestern twist. “Crowd-pleasing favorites range from crispy Umami Fried Chicken and Korean Short Rib Pappardelle with Smoked Crème Fraîche to Asian Pear Miso Salad and Roasted Cauliflower with Nori Brown Butter,” Amazon writes. “This is Asian fusion at its best, delivering soul-satisfying comfort food with a kick!”

Chef and entrepreneur ERIC SILVERSTEIN ’00 has published The Peached Tortilla: Modern Asian Comfort Food from Tokyo to Texas, a cookbook from Sterling Publishing available May 7. Eric is the founder of The Peached Tortilla, a southern-Asian fusion-inspired award-winning food truck, full-service catering company, and brick-and-mortar restaurant in Austin, Texas. The New York Times named The Peach Tortilla “One of the Five Places to Go in Austin,” and Plate magazine recognized Eric as one of the “30 Up and Coming Chefs in America.”

JENNI RIDALL ’05 has launched TK Test Kitchen, a restaurant and event consulting business based in Charleston. TK Test Kitchen creates unique culinary content, with services that include recipe development and food and prop styling. Jenni recently worked on a cookbook with James Beard Award-winning author Nathalie Dupree, which will be published in October 2019. ADAM CHAIKOF ’10 received his master’s in public policy at Brandeis University’s Heller School for Social Policy and Management in May 2018 and is working as a

T WHA U O Y ARE O? T UP

research associate for the United Food and Commercial Workers Union. AMELIA HESS ’14 graduated from Tulane University with a bachelor’s degree in English and accepted a position as public relations coordinator for the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. She assists with media relations and publicity activities, including promotion of the Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors special exhibition and reinstallation. CAROLYN PROPST ’15, a senior at the University of Georgia Lamar Dodd School of Art, founded C. Propst Art. She specializes in hand-printed band posters and paintings of large-scale crowd scenes based on photographs from disposable cameras. In November, Carolyn painted live at the 2018 Art for Action event, which benefited Art on the Atlanta BeltLine; her

artwork was used on posters, T-shirts and scarves. Carolyn also contributed a mural to the Atlanta BeltLine Center. “I started seeing myself seriously as an artist in my junior year of high school at Pace Academy with encouragement from my teacher DONICE BLOODWORTH,” Caroyln told VoyageATL. “I always knew painting was a part of my identity but never saw it as how I should live my life until then.” This spring, DYLAN STEINFELD ’15 will graduate from Georgia Tech, where he majored in business administration, minored in Spanish, and completed internships with Kabbage and The Home Depot. He will begin his professional career as a business analyst in Deloitte’s Strategy & Operations practice in Atlanta. “At Deloitte, I will have the opportunity to travel all over the United States, servicing clients in industries from banking to consumer goods to the public sector, and everything in between,” Dylan reports. “I cannot wait to get started!”

MORIAH WILSON ’15, a senior at Rice University majoring in biochemistry and cell biology, received the Loewenstern Fellowship, which funded her service this past summer with the Foundation for Sustainable Development in Jinja, Uganda. Moriah worked at Njeru Health Centre III, an empowered, self-motivated health community that aims to provide sustainable, adequate and quality health services to patients. Her work ranged from collaborating with staff members to improve data collection and information management to developing and teaching computer lessons. She enjoyed learning about sustainable development, being immersed in a new environment and developing cross-cultural relationships. To discover more about Moriah’s experience, visit her blog at themoriahsimone.wordpress.com. At the University of Notre Dame’s Echoes Football Awards Show, MICK ASSAF ’16 received the 2018 Echo Award for Offensive Scout Team Player of the Year. “Mick comes

KnightTimes | Winter 2019

ALUMNI

to work every single day with an effort and drive to make our defense the best it can be on Saturdays,” Notre Dame Football reports. MCKENZIE BAKER ’17, a sophomore at Wake Forest University, is equipment manager for the Demon Deacons football team, vice president of the club volleyball team, and a member of the Black Student Alliance. She also writes for HerCampus, an online campus magazine. In her role as equipment manager, Mckenzie staffs the team’s summer camp and practices. She arrives an hour before practice to set up, then works with the players during practice. “I most frequently work with the defensive positions, like linebackers and safeties,” Mckenzie writes. “This is all in preparation for game day on Saturday. On game days, managers report to the stadium hours before the team and help set up the Wake Forest locker room and sideline. During the game, we make sure coaches have clipboards and that the sideline stays neat. This repeats every week until the end of the season. “Being thrown into a fast-paced environment has been a demanding but rewarding experience,” she continues. “I have enjoyed getting a behind-the-scenes look at how an ACC Division I program is run. It has been difficult navigating such a gendered space, being only one of two female managers out of the 15 total. When I first joined the group, many coaches and other male managers doubted my ability to assist in drills, but as the season went on, they realized they were mistaken. I have really appreciated becoming part of a community centered on athletics—something I had missed since graduating from Pace, where I was a threesport athlete.” DEON JACKSON ’17, a member of the Duke University football team, received 2018 All-ACC Second Team honors. Deon set the Duke single-game record for all-purpose yards (403) at the Blue Devils’ game versus the University of Pittsburgh in October, becoming just the third ACC player to reach 400 all-purpose yards in a contest. He led Duke in rushing yards (847) and rushing touchdowns (7), while ranking second in points (54) and fourth in receptions (26). He

KnightTimes | Winter 2019

ranked fourth in the ACC in all-purpose yards per game (123.2) and topped the conference in league games with 157.4 yards a contest.

MARRIAGES ALAINA BEACH ’00 married Patrick Chaffin on Nov. 17, 2018. Alaina is an attorney at Lewis Thomason and a country music artist. The couple lives in Nashville. CLAY BAZZLE ’02 married Erin Ross on Sept. 15, 2018, in Chatham, Mass. Pace attendees included JAY BROWN ’02, JON ARNOLD ’02, SCOTT KITCHENS ’02, CHRISTOPHER GODFREY ’02, RUSH BATTLE ’02, JASON HOOPER ’02, JEREMY CRITZ ’02, JESSIE DUHON ’02 and former student MARSHALL MACON. CLAIRE GRAVES ’03 married Christopher Bestwick on Nov. 3, 2018, at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History in Atlanta. Pace attendees were JULIANNA RUE CAGLE ’03, BLYTHE O’BRIEN HOGAN ’03, BROOKS FICKE ’03, ASA FLYNN ’03 and WILLIAM WATTERS ’03. ERIN MAZURSKY ’03 officiated. Claire will finish her surgical residency at Columbia University in June, and the couple will move to San Francisco, where Claire will conduct her fellowship in endocrine surgery at the University of California, San Francisco. RAHIMA DOSANI ’05 married Na'im Merchant on Aug. 4, 2018, in Toronto. The couple’s Mehndi and Pithi ceremony took place in the city’s North York district; the wedding ceremony was held at the Aga Khan Museum, with a reception at a banquet hall. Pace attendees included bridesmaids TAHIRA DOSANI ’00, MARYBETH CULP FREEMAN ’05, ALEXANDRA CUNLIFFE ’05 and former student CATHERINE HANCOCK. Rahima and Na'im met in 2012 in Lilongwe, Malawi, where they both worked for the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), helping increase access to lifesaving drugs, diagnostics and vaccines for citizens of Malawi. Rahima later moved to Myanmar to continue global health work for CHAI, while

Na'im went to graduate school in London. They lived in Boston for four years while in graduate school and recently moved to Washington, D.C. Rahima works in global health at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and Na'im runs a global health startup. BETH PETERS ’07 married Justin Peng on Oct. 13, 2018, in Cayucos, Calif. The celebration included FRANK PETERS ’09, JESSICA ABRAMS EICH ’07, ELEANOR LEVINE GERMAN ’07, LINDSAY STUART DUCK ’07, KATHLEEN NINAN ’07, CAM FLORES ’07, LAURA PETERS ’08 and former Pace student JAMES MORSE. Beth and Justin live in Redwood City, Calif., with their dogs, Mochi and Rio. Beth teaches math, chairs the math department and coaches girls soccer at Sequoia High School. In 2018, she received a master’s degree—her second—from Teachers College, Columbia University. Justin is a product manager at Facebook. The couple enjoys being outdoors; favorite activities include hiking, camping and going to the beach. MORGAN KIMBEL HUCKE ’11 married Matthieu Hucke on Nov. 4, 2018, at Rocky's Lake Estate in Woodstock, Ga. Pace attendees included MACKENZIE BARRATT ATKINSON ’11, ALLISON ROSENBAUM ’11, MICHELLE ROSENBAUM ’11, KAITLYN DINKINS ’11, KATHERINE FORD ’11 and TAYLOR GORDON HAFF ’11. “Taylor was my photographer, which made the whole experience even better!” Morgan writes. The couple recently moved to London, where Matthieu works as a corporate lawyer. Upon receiving her spouse visa, Morgan will look for a position in the events industry.

1. The Dosani/Merchant wedding 2. The Ross/Bazzle wedding 3. The Kimbel/Hucke wedding 4. The Beach/Chaffin wedding 5. The Graves/Bestwick wedding 6. Deon Jackson 7. Mckenzie Baker 8. The Peters/Peng wedding

HAVE SOMETHING TO SHARE? email alumni@paceacademy.org

KnightTimes | Winter 2019

ALUMNI

BIRTHS T.C. DEVEAU ’01 and his wife, Hannah, welcomed son Carter King on Oct. 8, 2018. T.C. is a patent agent at Thomas Horstemeyer LLP, and the family lives in Smyrna, Ga. LAURA BOLLMAN ’02 and her husband, Preston Cockey, welcomed their second child on Oct. 27, 2018. Marguerite “Margot” Ann is loved by the whole family—especially big brother Hamish, 3. Sarah and BROOKS FICKE ’03 welcomed Bryce William into the world on Oct. 22, 2018. He joins big sister Savannah, 2. In 2017, Brooks joined Atlanta’s Resurgens Orthopaedics as a hand surgeon. He works at the group’s St. Joseph’s and Roswell offices. EMILY HISHTA COHEN ’06 and JOEL COHEN ’06 had a daughter, Rose Hishta, on Nov. 23, 2018. Rose weighed 6 pounds, 8 ounces and was 19 inches. Joel is in his ninth year at MIT Investment Management Company, and Emily has start-

KnightTimes | Winter 2019

ed Heirloom Conservatory, a home studio where she practices book and paper conservation and makes art. “We enjoy living on the edge of the Middlesex Fells Reservation outside of Boston,” Emily writes, “and we love introducing Rose to the trails and other natural surroundings.”

IN MEMORIAM BETH CHAMBERS passed away on Nov. 6, 2018, after an automobile accident. The beloved daughter of former Pace faculty members NELL and BOB CHAMBERS, Beth attended Pace until her family moved to Athens, Ga., where she graduated from Athens Academy. She went on to attend Brenau University. A devoted educator, Beth taught at Saint George’s Episcopal School in Griffin, Ga., and The Galloway School in Atlanta. “Beth was a loving and loyal member of her family. An eternal optimist, she was always looking for the best in all people,” her family writes. “Her sensitivity to the feelings of others was one of her greatest attributes. Forever determined to be surrounded by

joy, Beth filled her home with flowers, music and laughter. She will be remembered for her love and devotion to her boys, her caring nature and her beautiful smile.” Beth is survived by her sons, Samuel Chambers Murray and William Alexander Murray; her parents; sister Amy Chandler (Brent); brothers ANDY CHAMBERS ’82 (Kristen) and GREG CHAMBERS ’78 (Annabelle); nephews John David Chambers, Brent and James Chandler, A. J. Chambers and Ryan Chambers; and nieces McCall Chambers and Lila Chambers. She was preceded in death by brother DAVID CHAMBERS ’80. Memorial gifts may be made to Athens Academy, 1281 Spartan Lane, Athens, GA 30606; Saint George’s Episcopal School, 103 Birch Street, Milner, GA 30257; and Athens First United Methodist Church, 327 North Lumpkin Street, Athens, GA 30601. Former faculty member LILLIAN DRAUGHON passed away on Jan. 31, 2019. “Lyn” to friends, she was “Pi” to her husband of 58 years, Clyde Draughon Jr., and affectionately called the same by her 10 grandchildren. Lyn was a loving mother to her three daughters, always generous and fair.

ALUMNI

A native of Mobile, Ala., Lyn attended Murphy High School, where she met Clyde. They married in 1960. A graduate of Randolph Macon Woman's College with a master’s in education from Georgia State University, Lyn enjoyed a 30-year career in education and taught at Berry College, Augusta Preparatory School and Pace, where she served as head of the foreign language department. After her retirement, Lyn continued to work with young people as a volunteer for the Agape Youth and Family Center of Atlanta. “This and other enriching smallgroup activities were the foundation of her lifelong membership in the Presbyterian Church,” her family writes. “She was a faithful servant of Christ.” Lyn was also a lifelong learner. Fluent in Spanish and French, she studied the rudiments of many languages as she and Clyde traveled abroad. Their love of travel and hiking took them to 87 countries. The couple also enjoyed hosting friends and family at their home at Lake Burton in northeast Georgia. Lyn had many passions—reading, swimming, hiking, art and working in the

garden. She made lifelong friends through participation in exercise classes at Cherokee Town Club and Canterbury Court, book clubs, church circle groups and art classes at Chastain Art Center. “She was always looking for a new experience to learn and grow,” her family writes. “Capable, intelligent and pragmatic are words [often used to describe her].” Lyn is survived by her husband and their daughters, LEIGH DRAUGHON WALSH ’81 (TIM WALSH ’81), Karen Waddill (Danny), and Laura Kirby (Lem); and grandchildren JAMES WALSH ’12, JACK WALSH ’16 and MEGAN WALSH ’18; Wilson, Lillian, Evan and Henry Waddill; and Paul, Mark and Wallace Kirby. Lyn is also survived by her brother, Drew Henderson. Memorial gifts may be made to the Agape Youth and Family Center or Trinity Presbyterian Church. Former faculty member CAROLYN ELLIS MCLEAN passed away peacefully on Jan. 20, 2019, after a long battle with myelodysplastic syndrome and leukemia. Carolyn began her Pace career in 1976 and taught first grade until 2000. Ever the creative

spirit, her approach to children was always innovative and cheerful. “Always thoughtful, caring and warm, Carolyn brightened many lives,” her family writes. “Her loyalty and devotion to her husband was paramount to her life. High school sweethearts married 55 years, Carolyn and Andy loved each other with all their hearts. Carolyn's unwavering support of Andy was extraordinary and inspiring; it always lifted him toward his aspirations. Carolyn also was an exceptional wife, mother, grandmother and friend.” Memorial gifts may be made to Pace Academy’s upcoming campaign for a Lower School addition. 1. Carter King Deveau 2. Marguerite "Margot" Ann Cockey with older brother Hamish 3. Bryce William Ficke 4. Rose Hishta Cohen 5. Beth Chambers in 2010 at the dedication of Coach Chambers Court 6. Carolyn Ellis McLean 7. Lyn Draughon (second from right) with her family at the Walsh Field ribbon-cutting ceremony in 2014

KnightTimes | Winter 2019

Alumni Out & About 1

2) Graduates of the Class of 1986 JUSTIN WIEDEMAN, AUDREY HILL MCMENAMY, BRIT DARBY, CHRIS PAYNE, SUSAN WEBSTER PARKER and LARRY CUMMINGS enjoyed their annual Christmas gathering. 3) For four years, Pace has partnered with Athens, Ga.-based Chispa House, formerly DTproductions, to produce promotional films for the school’s admissions Open Houses, website and social media marketing. SAM BIRDSONG ’08 founded the video production company and serves as its chief operations officer. This year’s project, The Power of Pace, was a true Pace family project. Sam produced the film; Director of Communications CAITLIN GOODRICH JONES KnightTimes | Winter 2019

1) On a trip to Washington, D.C., in November, Upper School Spanish teacher PAULA PONTES caught up over brunch with GRAHAM HURLEY ’18, KATIE BROWN ’18 and EMILY DAVIS ’08.

’00 wrote the script; and Upper School faculty member BEN EWING ’06 narrated the piece. View The Power of Pace at www.paceacademy.org. 4) Two years ago, MICHELLE ROOKS USEY ’86 co-founded Daughters Against Alzheimer’s, an organization committed to raising funds for Alzheimer’s research. In January, the group hosted Battle for the Brain, a lipsync competition held at the Coca-Cola Roxy in Atlanta. The event included VIP judges and a performance by the Atlanta Falcons cheerleaders. Several of Michelle’s classmates attended Battle for the Brain, and CHRIS PAYNE ’86 with team Morgan Stanley brought down the house as Axl Rose with a spot-on performance of Sweet Child O’ Mine / Welcome to the Jungle! Pictured from left to right are JAMES GLENN ’86, COURTENAY SMELTZER PRESTEN ’86, Michelle Rooks Usey,

TOM HOOVER ’86, SUSAN WEBSTER PARKER ’86, Chris Payne, ANNE HALL ’86 and JAY MYERS ’86. 5) The Spirit Week 2019 finale brought alumni back to Pace in droves, and three lucky graduates served on this year’s esteemed panel of judges: ZOE WEITZNER ’17, KATE BETHEL ’17 and HAYLEY SHOJI ’12. 6) The Class of 1978 celebrated its 40th reunion at the Brookwood Hills Community Club with food trucks and drinks. EMILY NEILL BAZZEL, BRIAN KAHN, LEE KING and KIM RIPLEY O’BRIEN coordinated the evening. 7) PRASHANTH KUMAR ’17 returned to Pace on behalf of Harvard College’s admissions office and shared with students reflections on his experiences as a student at the Ivy League school.

ALUMNI

FACULTY & STAFF

MILESTONES

1) Director of Annual Giving COURTNEY HARRIS and her husband, Andrew, welcomed their daughter on Dec. 11, 2018. Carver Elizabeth was 6 pounds, 5 ounces and 18.75 inches.

2) Middle School teacher ZACH SLANEY and Ellen Bertschi Slaney were married on Dec. 15, 2018, in Acworth, Ga. 3) Graphic designer and yearbook adviser RYAN VIHLEN and his wife, Byrd, welcomed daughter Penelope Starr on Aug. 27, 2018. Penelope weighed 3 pounds, 13 ounces and is “the best baby in the entire world,” according to her very proud father.

YOUNG ALUMNI TOAST TO THE HOLIDAYS

ALUMNI SUPPORT THE HOME TEAMS

Members of the Classes of 2011 to 2017 reunited at Fado Irish Pub in Buckhead

Alumni and their families gathered in January to cheer on the Knights as the varsity

in December to reconnect and celebrate the holidays.

basketball teams took on Lovett.

4) Digital Content Producer OMAR LÓPEZ THISMÓN and his wife, Grace, had a daughter, Ella Grace, on Jan. 11, 2019. Ella weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces and was 19 inches.

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ALUMNI

No person at Pace has more to do than MARY ELLEN BAUMIE,” wrote former Pace Academy Head of Upper School DAVID WOOD, in 1993, about the longtime employee. Baumie, who spent two decades at Pace in executive secretarial positions, joined the staff in 1976, bringing 20 years of experience as a legal secretary to her roles—and her daughter, Lea Ellen, to Pace’s morning kindergarten class. Baumie was “often called upon to handle three jobs at once,” according to Wood. “She always does them well and does them with a smile. Her personality is engaging, her smile is catching, and she is one of the main reasons it is so enjoyable to work in the Castle.” Many members of the Pace community have vivid memories of Baumie, who also worked for former Head of Upper School BOB CHAMBERS and former Head of School GEORGE KIRKPATRICK during her tenure. Baumie worked at Pace for two decades, until she lost a valiant battle with cancer at the age of 59. Longtime Upper School Registrar NEVA MORRISON, now retired, says that Baumie served as “the unofficial hostess of Pace Academy,” in addition to her “real job.” Morrison says, “She loved holidays and parties and giving presents and adding an air of festivity to an ordinary day.” Physical education teacher JOLIE CUNNINGHAM says, “Mary Ellen was in charge of so many things—we joked that she ran the school.” Dubbing Baumie Pace’s “social planner,” Cunningham adds that Baumie assisted her with planning the details of her wedding to fellow Pace PE teacher STEVE CUNNINGHAM. “She arranged a shower for us at Pace, as well as flowers, reception food and more.” When the Cunningham’s daughter CALLIE CUNNINGHAM ’14 was born, the couple named Baumie as her godmother. “She was a wonderful, kind-hearted person,” Cunningham adds. Upper School history teacher HELEN SMITH remembers Baumie for the special “personal care she gave to so many people.” Smith says Baumie coached her when she was a new teacher learning the Pace culture.

KnightTimes | Winter 2019

The cial Unoffi s Hostes of Pace my Acade

Remembering

MARY ELLEN BAUMIE “Coming from small-town Iowa, this environment was so alien to any I had known. Mary Ellen helped me in so many ways. She meant so much to me,” she adds. Smith notes that Baumie’s home was a center for faculty after-school get togethers. She also remembers “how bravely she dealt with cancer,” remaining dedicated to her job even while receiving treatments during her illness. Lea Ellen, Baumie’s only child, remembers that her mother had boundless enthusiasm for all things Pace, and enjoyed “forging relationships with vendors, faculty and staff, parents and students,” in addition to those

she supported. Baumie had a hand in admissions as well. “She enjoyed sharing all she loved about Pace with potential candidates and helping Pace families new to Atlanta with the transition. [She] was warm and engaging, had a keen sense of humor and was a straight shooter.” Pace today remains a warm, welcoming place, open to new people and ideas—a community in which colleagues support each other as they strive for excellence. Baumie would be pleased that the familylike environment she championed and so loved still lies at the heart of the Pace experience. l

ALUMNI

Alumni in Love Since Pace Academy’s first class graduated in 1964, 3,813 Knights have received Pace diplomas. Of those individuals, 122 have enrolled their own children at Pace, and 102—51 couples!—have married. Three alumni couples share their stories.

Shari Abrams Marx ’77 & Gary Marx ’77

Kelley Harris ’00 & Jared Paul ’90

Andrew Hughes ’94 & Singer Westerlund Hughes ’94

GARY MARX ’77 and SHARI ABRAMS MARX ’77 began dating the summer before their senior year at Pace. “We went to different colleges and were off and on during those years, but we both ended up back in Atlanta and were married a little more than a year after we graduated from college.” The Marxes chose to send their children, LAUREN MARX ’05 and JEFFREY MARX ’07, to their alma mater, and Lauren was the first child of two alumni parents to graduate. “It has been amazing to see how Pace has changed,” Shari says. “I started kindergarten in 1964, and our elementary classes were in the Castle. My favorite things about Pace were the size and the close-knit community. You knew everyone.”

When JARED PAUL ’90 graduated from high school, KELLEY HARRIS ’00 was in the third grade. Needless to say, it was nearly 15 years later when a Pace connection ultimately brought the two together. A mutual Pace friend introduced the couple in 2004. Both in the interior design industry, Jared and Kelley bonded over their shared love for AP Art History teacher JANE SIBLEY, now retired, and reminisced about Pace traditions. Kelley loved free periods; Jared fondly recalls his class’s senior prank. They married in 2016 and departed their reception in Jared’s 1971 Volkswagen Beetle, the same car he drove while at Pace. Jared and Kelley’s relationship advice? “You are never ‘right’ in a marriage,” Kelley says. “It’s always about compromise.”

A chance encounter at a Buckhead bar reunited SINGER WESTERLUND HUGHES ’94 and ANDREW HUGHES ’94. “It was 1997, the summer before our senior year of college,” Andrew says. “A bunch of Pace Knights met up, and Singer was making weekend plans with friends. I invited myself. We were friends in high school, but we weren’t that close and never dated—although Singer says she always thought I was cute. But it’s Pace—you know everyone in your class.” Singer and Andrew remember “sharing a giggle at senior prom,” but sparks didn’t fly until later. “We still laugh about our prom experience from time to time, though,” Singer says. They also share memories of Spirit Week and the Great American Picnic—

That sense of family extended to faculty and staff as well, Shari says. “I think Gary, Lauren, Jeffrey and I agree that HELEN SMITH was our favorite teacher. All four of us had her for AP European History.”

Do you have a Pace LOVE STORY to share? EMAIL: alumni@paceacademy.org

favorite Pace traditions—and of winning state championships their senior year. Singer was a state-champion gymnast; Andrew brought home tennis gold. “I look at a relationship like a doubles tennis match,” Andrew says. “Sometimes you are playing your best; sometimes your partner is. No matter how the match is going or how well you think you’re playing, you have to remember that you have to play together if you have any chance of success.”

KnightTimes | Winter 2019

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WE NEED YOU! Which area is most meaningful to you? Pace Academy is a vibrant community composed of many parts, and we treasure the diverse passions represented within our school family. To ensure that your Pace Fund gift aligns with your Pace priority, you may elect to support one of seven areas of need. In other words, uchoose. For more information or to make a gift, visit www.paceacademy.org/support/uknight-the-pace-fund.