Class Notes

Penn Charter magazine wants to hear from you, and your classmates do, too! Submit your news (limit 150 words) and photos at penncharter.com/classnote. Digital photos should be 300 dpi JPEGs.

1689

Bruce MacCullough writes, “I am enjoying my retirement (I prefer ‘re-wirement’) and to my surprise, in roughly April 2019, I felt an inner impulse to write a book, Jesus Beyond Religion: The Truth that Sets You Free. The book is a culmination of my faith journey of many decades and offers a discussion that criticizes ‘the many weeds of religion,’ but behind which there remains the wonderful, broad and inspiring message arising from Jesus and the Hebrew prophets. It is concise and presents a compelling way of life that leads to ‘fullness of life,’ including a deep involvement in working for the wellbeing of all of God’s children.” Bruce’s book is available on Amazon.

1950

Richard T. Claus writes, “Since retirement 23 years ago as the CEO of an industrial chemical company, I have immersed myself in a longtime hobby of collecting antique toys. As frivolous as this may seem, it has not only been personally rewarding but profitable. The driving force is the history much going on back here either. Our 70th PC reunion got cancelled, of course, rescheduled for next year. Look forward to that. Daughter Pam Nauen and family are nearby and we do cross paths a lot. Granddaughter Sammy Nauen is now in sixth grade at PC, and all think PC did a first-class job with remote teaching last spring. Good to hear. Hope many ’50 classmates will make it back for our rescheduled 70th.”

H. Curtis Wood was elected treasurer of the Paradise Coastmen Barbershop Chorus in January and has spent a lot of time since then mastering the task. “No rehearsals or performances because of covid-19. Bonnie and I continue to enjoy life here in Naples, Fla., where the weather is great and we remain active on campus.”

of the objects and what they represent. The research required is often quite daunting. I have also authored and published two books and many articles on the subject. Hopefully this will continue to spark my interest as the years progress.”

Allen W. Donahower writes, “My wife, Ann, died nine years ago. I am living in Florida and at the Jersey shore. My three sons and eight grandkids are all well.”

William S. Kurtz writes, “We’re still in Washington, D.C., on the Hill. Christine and I are both retired now. I’m busy writing and publishing. My first book, Letters from a Soldier, is a collection of WWII letters from the European theater, including the Battle of the Bulge. Proud to say, it is being included in the permanent collection of the Library of Congress. Working on a six-volume children’s book of letters from a group of animals. First volume was published last year; number two might make it by the end of the year. Christine stays busy being grandma and keeping us going on the homefront. Having cancelled our usual trek to an island in Northern Michigan, we are working our way through quarantine, waiting to be liberated. We’re using the time to restore a bedroom in our old Victorian row house and visiting our daughter and her family in Alexandria, including a new grandson.” When Bill wrote, he and Christine were awaiting the birth of their first great-grandchild, in Madrid.

Christopher W. Parker writes, “This selfquarantine bit for the virus has slowed things down a lot for Janie and me. We did our annual stay in Sanibel, Fla., in JanuaryFebruary, but things were very slow; didn’t go out for dinner at all or even get to see Bon and H. Curtis Wood in Naples. A bit of a bust. Not

1951

W. Michael Cassell Jr. writes, “I try to keep in touch with Old Penn Charter every 60 years or so, so here it goes. I graduated from Colgate University and earned three master’s degrees from the Episcopal Seminary in Philadelphia and Temple University. I was ordained a priest and wound up serving as rector and headmaster in parishes from Washington state to New Jersey. Upon my retirement from parish ministry, I served as a fundraiser for Food for the Poor, raising millions of dollars for the poverty-stricken of the Caribbean, from Haiti to Dominica. We build schools, houses, leprosariums and much more. I have five successful children and was married to Sharon Cassell, a psychotherapist, until her death five years ago. At present, I live in Delray Beach, Fla. I have lived in Florida since 1985. I miss the excellent teachers I was blessed with while at PC.”

1952

Arthur U. Ayres and his wife, Ann, live at Valle Verde (a retirement community in Santa Barbara, Calif.). He writes, “Prior to covid, we were playing tennis and I was working two half days a week. We hope to get back to tennis and pickleball.”

William H. Brehm reports that he is doing well in Florida.

Eugene M. Cheston reports that he enjoyed many escapades flying with classmate Michael N. Wood in his plane in the early years, and then flying became an important activity in his life. Gene, who retired as a managing director of Morgan Stanley in NYC, spent the greater part of his career reporting to former company president Richard B. Fisher OPC ’53. He has been blessed with nearly 60 years of marriage and two wonderful children.

George (Skip) Corson Jr. keeps busy, as always, in numerous ways for Penn Charter. Recently, board meetings and other PC business were conducted often by Zoom or similar media. Skip is now in his 42nd year as a board member (or senior board member). Friend Penny Brodie was busy in her sign-printing business through much of the covid “lock-in,” with health-care signage often replacing the charity golf tournament business.

Frank F. Embick writes, “In January, we spent some time in Florida lounging in Naples and on Marco Island. Then, in early March, we left our high-rise condo for a dwelling closer to Mother Earth; our seventh move in Houston, all in the same zip code (don’t ask!). The new address is: 20 Villa Bend Drive, Houston, TX 77069. In April, Anna and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary. Miss all my classmates and only hope that we can get together in the not too distant future.”

John L. Graham reports that he and Martha were not distressed by the isolation. Jack was in his studio producing his Red Relics, an assemblage of recycled metal parts painted Calder red. Weather permitting, he was on his farm, doing tractor chores. Martha is an artist and has a home-based studio, so all was good, and Limousine, their doxie, loves this lifestyle.

David M. Jordan has now published 13 books, his most recent a biography of Robert A. Lovett. He reports that attempting a 14th book during “covid-limited” outside research activities might be too frustrating. Dave’s grandson Charlie Jordan-Weinstein OPC ’20 graduated from Penn Charter (virtually) and started at the University of Pennsylvania this fall. His granddaughter, Grace, is in 10th grade at PC. William (Wally) A. Loeb, George C. (Skip) Corson Jr. and Penny Brodie have kept in close touch over the years.

William J. McGuckin and Carol enjoyed their summer home on Lake Mooselookmeguntic near Rangeley, Maine. With the covid restrictions, they went to Maine on May 1, tolerated a few late-season snowfalls, watched the ice go out and, in mid-summer, enjoyed the 75-degree lake and escaped the heat and crowds.

Joseph B. VanSciver and his wife, Carol, learned some new skills, including how to use Zoom with their family. Also, Carol was Skyping piano lessons and Joe was Skyping guitar and ukulele lessons with family. “We

Michael P. Ritter, as Facebook friends may know, has enjoyed music all his life. He, along with Joseph B. VanSciver, Arthur U. Ayres and others, entertained us at PC with their Sleepless Knights music. Until covid appeared, Mike was playing music (sax, trombone, clarinet, trumpet) every Tuesday night (for the last 17 years) with the Arcadians at the Court in Leesburg, Va., and every Thursday night in Alexandria, Va., with the Not-So-Modern Jazz Quartet. Also, wife Margo hopes to be back to her iceskating instruction soon.

are doing okay at home during this time, and while we missed summer parades, there’s lots of FaceTime with grands and friends! Best to all!”

F. Bruce Waechter and Janet continued their visits to the Lancaster County Amish country to marvel at the productive farmland. They make a regular stop at the stand of an Amish farmer, who reports that his 12 children and their families are within a buggy’s ride away. “By contrast, we enjoyed Sunday 5 p.m. Zooms with family members, scattered hundreds or thousands of miles away.”

Charles F. Wuestner and Grace are doing well at Willow Valley Communities in Lancaster. This is their 14th year living in the lush Amish countryside. They enjoy getting the Class of ’52 updates.

1953

Donald S. Luria writes, “I've been in Tucson for 39 years and dealing with our summer heat. I am almost totally retired, having resigned from 25 arts organizations, and have had some well-appreciated accolades: in Arizona, the Governor's Arts Award, Scottsdale Center of the Arts Lifetime Achievement Award and Southern Arizona's Arts & Culture Alliance's Culinary Vision Award. My wife, Donna Nordin, and I are still active in culinary tours in France and California.

“I'm most proud of my four children and four grandchildren. Debbie retired after more than 32 years at Gallaudet and is living outside Washington, D.C. Cindie has become a successful real estate agent in Tucson. Michael was named assistant dean of corporate and community engagement at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Andrew is in West Hollywood and is a senior director at ADP. My oldest granddaughter got her PhD in clinical psychology and is at Boston Children's Hospital. Casey got her doctorate in physical therapy and just moved back to Tucson. Hunter is working toward a degree in education in Pensacola, Fla., and Max is an honor student at U of A.”

Edward W. Veit writes, “My three years at Penn Charter was a self-imposed disaster. I finished ranking 59th in a class of 60. I returned for a post-graduate year, to try and improve my grades and to play soccer. So when the senior classes were off to places like Tufts and Dartmouth, I took a position as a fingerprint clerk for the FBI in Washington, D.C. At 21, I became a patrolman for the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department. I had a two-year stint in the Army, then returned to D.C. and spent two years walking the beat. On one of my infrequent trips back to North Wales to visit my family, I revisited Penn Charter and ran into soccer coach Chick Conard, who asked how I was doing and I told him, "I need a life; I want to go to college." Chick got me into West Chester University, but I had to play soccer. While there, my coach got me a job at Malvern Prep establishing their soccer program. Championship tournament. In 18 years of coaching, my teams had one losing season.

“By 1976, I had two master’s degrees: one from Johns Hopkins University and a second from Loyola University Maryland. Also, I earned a FIFA class C soccer coaching license. In 1982, I became involved with TABCO, the Teachers Association of Baltimore County, eventually becoming its president in 1989 and 1991. After retiring from the public school system in 1994, I took an adjunct position at Harford Community College, where I taught English and established the college newspaper. Then I moved to York College as an adjunct instructor of English and writing.

“In 1992, there was a reunion of Penn Charter’s 1952 IAAA championship soccer team—I went because Chick Conard would be there and I needed to thank him for ‘giving me a life.’ I learned Chick had cancer; we corresponded for several months. I attended the 45th reunion of the Class of 1953; I finally felt I earned a place at Penn Charter.”

“At West Chester, I became an English major and was 30 years old when I graduated. I moved to Baltimore County, Md., to work at Dundalk High School, teaching English and journalism, advising the school newspaper and coaching soccer. The soccer team gave me instant school credibility, as we went undefeated and won the county and District III championships, then went on to win three more championships and two state titles. After seven years at Dundalk, the soccer teams went 73-6-5: I had gotten players into colleges all over the East Coast, including four into the Naval Academy. I then became the soccer coach at University of Maryland, Baltimore County and the soccer success continued; 1977 was the banner year. The UMBC team went 15-2, winning the Mason-Dixon Championship, ranking 19th in the country and securing a place in the NCAA Division II National Former PC teacher and soccer coach Chick Conard

1955

David (Hugh) Rosenbaum writes, “During lockdown at Quadrangle (my retirement home) we were not supposed to go out for anything except taking walks in the fresh air on campus. So I and a few others took that to mean we could go and work at pulling vines off the trees and were out ‘in the vines’ every day for a few hours. Strenuous and rewarding. In the photo, that pile of vines came off a tree. Look at the size of that root!”

1957

Thomas W. Budd writes, “I got my second hole-in-one not long ago, so now I’ve had one at age 70 and another at 80. I'm looking forward to 90 and hope I play at Pebble Beach. Attention, Bruce M. Ambler: I'm ready to take another shot at Pine Valley if you need a fourth. Happily, we still have quite a few guys left from the Class of ’57, so you all must be eating right or something. Hope all of you are well!”

Philip L. Cohan reports, “I anticipated that becoming an octogenarian would have benefits, but so far it only means that I don’t have to remove my shoes at airport security. Carolyn and I sold our home in D.C. and moved into an apartment, while spending R. Dale Sonderup pens, “Unfortunately, last September I ‘celebrated’ the 42nd anniversary of my 39th birthday. Some day, I hope I’ll have really interesting news to pass on to you via Penn Charter magazine— something like winning the lottery or some other exciting event. Meanwhile, I’m looking forward to our class mini-reunion at the soonto-be new home of Gigi and G. Allan Dash. Barb and I lived in Reading for six years and found Lancaster County to be a great location. Enjoy it, Dashes!"

Peter S. Stern writes, “I'm actively practicing elder law in Palo Alto, Calif., working around the restrictions imposed by covid to get documents to my clients, whether in person or via FaceTime. All of my summer travel plans went on hold due to borders being closed etc., which left a lot more time for reading, planting a vegetable garden and keeping my 1965 Pontiac Tempest on the road. I hear occasionally from James G. Masland and John E. Sjostrom, who are well, and of course follow the daily Facebook posts of G. Allan Dash.”

most of our time at our place on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Recently, we were in Chestnut Hill for a funeral, and I was surprised that the town looked unchanged from my days of hanging out with Benedict (Ned) Saurino, the late Stanley (Lee) A. Brooks, J. Peirce (Butch) Anderson and James G. Masland Jr. I enjoy going back there, with all its memories and where I still have many good friends. Even though I left Philadelphia more than 50 years ago, it still feels like home.”

G. Allan Dash writes, “After 13 years on Cape Cod, my wife, Gigi, and I are settling into our new home at Garden Spot Village retirement community in Lancaster County, Pa. Thus far we haven't bumped into any fellow OPCs, despite my wearing a PC alumni cap all around the campus. I'll keep trying!”

Daniel P. Mitchell writes, “This year, the class of 1957 one by one turn 81; being one of the youngsters, I’ll be one of the last on Dec. 21, 2020. I’m sure most of us are adapting to the challenges of age-related maladies. I’m as healthy as when at Penn Charter; my only complaint is a lower back soreness that originated on my first football practice in the fall of ’56, doing a cross-body block on Albert W. Morton. We had a championship team, and guys like Thomas W. Budd, Philip L. Cohan and Paul Wells were truly good players. I’m grateful for my junior and senior years at Penn Charter. Looking back on all the schools I attended, Penn Charter was by far my best educational experience. As for life now, Maurine, my bride of 58 years, and our five children and seven grandchildren still live in California. We sold our FM radio station in Palm Springs in 2009, and I’m learning to be a residential real estate broker for Keller Williams OC Coastal Realty of San Clemente, Calif. I have fun meeting people and assisting them in selling or finding beautiful houses in an area with perfect weather year-round. Retirement just does not appeal to me. Every day is a blessing to be savored and enjoyed.”

1959

Rob H. Ezerman, the son of a World War II veteran, has survived a brain shunt, spent 11 years in “over-the-road, big-truck driving” after he retired from medicine, is divorced and lives in Vermont. He enjoys seeing his son and two grandchildren each summer at the family’s Lake Dunmore property.

Robert R. Matzke Jr. writes, “After a long career at Monsanto Co., I retired in 1999. My wife, Martine, and I have been married 53 years. We have two daughters and three grandchildren. In 2002, we moved from St. Louis to Denver. We divide our time between Denver and Breckenridge, Colo., where we enjoy hiking, biking and sailing in summer, then skiing and other snow sports in winter. Most years we travel, but not much in 2020. Our daughter Heather lives in Denver and recently retired as

senior VP, chief accounting officer of a local corporation. Her husband is a pilot and flies private jets. Our Denver grandson, Camden, just graduated from the Leeds School of Business at UC Boulder and faces a tough job market at the outset of his career. Our daughter Nika lives in Ossining, N.Y., and is a department head at Johnson & Johnson. Her husband teaches at a local high school. Our granddaughter, Ellie, is a musician in the Westchester Youth Orchestra and a varsity level athlete on her softball team. Our grandson, Max, plays bass in a jazz combo and is becoming a very good tennis player. I went to our 60th reunion in Philadelphia last year and was glad to see 11 classmates there. Best wishes to all 1959 OPCs still on the green side of the grass.” (See photo.)

Michael P. Rauch writes, “This past year I was surprised and saddened to see how many of my classmates have passed away. I retired years ago after too many years in the computer industry and have tried to enjoy myself since. After my wife of 47 years passed away a few years ago, I downsized and moved next to my son’s family here in Lancaster County, where I’ve lived for almost 50 years. Four months of the year I stay here, doing a little gardening, a little drag racing, target shooting and reloading. Another four months of the year I live with a friend in L.A., touring the state, seeing friends, mountains and visiting wineries. (Old age has forced me to cut back on microbrewery visits.) The remaining four months I travel and have been fortunate to see a good deal of the U.S. and the world, most recently two months in France, Spain and Portugal. Last year was a tour around the Pacific, including a second visit to Vietnam since 1967-68. I’ve been all around South America and Europe. This year, the pandemic canceled my two-month tour of Africa. I’ve been planning a trip to Italy, Venice, Vienna, Budapest, Istanbul and Bucharest for a month-long river cruise to Amsterdam. Now if this damn pandemic will end, we can all enjoy life.”

1960

James M. Arrison writes, “After retiring from Merrill Lynch in 2012, Susan and I moved to rural Kilmarnock, Va. We’re blessed with good health, relaxing summers at our island cottage in the 1000 Islands, Canada, Viking excursions to Eastern Europe and talented grandchildren. Our oldest is finishing his last year at the Naval Academy; two are at the University of Virginia; one is married and working in Colorado Springs while the youngest, age 10, enjoys baseball and school in McLean, Va. We intersect with classmates Alan R. McFarland, James R. Buckley, Samuel H. Francis, David A. Scott and Richard P. Allman annually at the PC golf outing, ocean sailing in the Caribbean and Mediterranean with Samuel Francis and John T. Rogers Hon. 1689; and at Army-Navy football games with Kathleen and Alan R. McFarland Jr. Tangentially through Jack Rogers, we keep up with Penny and James E. Morrison, Robert E. Ward, Charles G. Douglas and George F. Ingersoll. Jack even visited with C. Merrill Ambler in Florida. We look forward to seeing many classmates when we gather at our 60th reunion.” Pictured with Jim: Sam Francis (left).

1961

David L. Geyer writes, “Working with classmates to prepare for our 60th reunion next year, with the goal of making it even better than our 50th. Looks like we’ll have a great turnout! Meanwhile I’m waiting out covid in disguise.”

1962

John Sheridan will be included in the exhibition “From the Ground Up,” celebrating the first 50 years of the Peters Valley School of Craft in New Jersey. The Hunterdon Art Museum in Clinton, N.J., will present the catalogued show from October through January of 2021. John arranged an apprenticeship at Peters Valley in 1973 and 1974. His handmade stool and a cherry wood spoon (pictured) will be shown.

1963

Charles L. Burrall and Penny spent time walking in West Laurel Hill Cemetery in the spring. On Memorial Day weekend, he came across the grave of Fred W. Kulicke OPC ’61, killed in the Vietnam War in 1969. “It was a very poignant experience to be drawn to this cross,” Chuck wrote, “and in the spirit of a Quaker Meeting, I felt it was worth sharing.”

Charles Kurz reports that he was in Arizona visiting Paul R. Kroekel (pictured below, right) and that he and his wife, Nicky, expected to spend most of the summer at the New Jersey seashore. “I look forward to meeting both the Class of 1963 and the Kurz Family scholars sometime soon at PC.”

1964

Scott K. Ambler writes, “My wife, Robin, and I have retired, moving from South Florida to Gibson Island, Md. (waving at all the folks on I-95 going the other way). Our son, Charlie, is a mechanical engineer in San Francisco and came to stay with us for a couple of months, which was the good part of the covid-19 lockdown. Our daughter, Susan, son-in-law Ashley, their 7-year-old son and twin 9-month-old daughters (pictured) all came to stay at the beginning of the lockdown and were here for the summer. They live in D.C., which was our reason for moving north. We were last at PC for the 50th reunion in 2018 and had a great time connecting with classmates.”

Stephen M. Cushmore reports that his wife of 47 years died on Nov. 1, 2018, and he has moved to a new retirement community called Echo Lake in Malvern. He also reports he was diagnosed about four and a half years ago with Parkinson’s disease. It hasn’t slowed him down too much yet, and he enjoys singing with a barbershop chorus called the Mainliners. Steve and his classmate and PC teammate Lee S. Ambler went to spring training in March and saw the Phillies win four games out of four before the whole thing was shut down, a few days after they left.

James R. Smith Jr. writes, “As my wife, Sylvia, and I celebrate 53 years of marriage, we have downsized to a small house for just the two of us near Reading, after 51 years of child-raising with a full house. We have had the privilege of raising eight children, who now range in age from 51 to 21.” Foster parents for more than 20 years, James and Silvia fostered 50 children with special needs and adopted five to add to three biological children. “We now have 10 grandchildren and don't get to see all of them as much as we want. For a time, I drove a school bus for the Berks County Intermediate Unit special needs department. For 14 years, we opened our home to clients with special needs from Threshold Rehabilitation Services, similar to adult foster care. Truly, Sylvia, with such a big heart for others, has been a terrific caretaker for me, our children and our guests. And now we are back where we started, the two of us. It is both a great new adventure for us and somewhat sad as we think over all the fun and laughter and sadness and tears we shared through the decades, with lots of people in our home. We have gotten back to Penn Charter on some PC/GA days. I enjoy deer hunting in Central Pennsylvania on Blacklog Mountain with good friends each year. I also am my son's personal care aid, as I work with him each day. We have some ideas for our next horizon, but we will do whatever God gives us the strength to do. I have always been grateful for my four years at Penn Charter. I was able to thank my parents, now deceased, for putting me under the discipleship of good men in my educational years: John F. Gummere OPC 1918, Ralph F. Palaia Sr. Hon. 1689, George B. Weigand Hon. 1689, Wilbur Braxton Hon. 1689, Coach Ray Dooney Hon. 1689. Good years, for which I am very grateful.”

Jonathan D. Stanley writes, “My wife, Dorothy Atchley, and I moved to Washington state from Ladysmith, Wis., about three and half years ago to be near our younger son, Peter, and his family (wife Liz and son Miles, age 4). Our older son, Thomas, and his wife, Huaqun Li, have a daughter, age 1, Alice (named after my mother). They live in Fairfax County, Va., which makes getting the family together difficult, and this year, just about impossible. We all enjoy good health, at least, and look forward to better times. I have never regretted attending Penn Charter,

even if I did not fit in well at PC after living the previous four years in Japan. In every way I feel I have been fortunate to have lived the life I have experienced.”

1965

William R. Hutchison writes, “Lots of changes for me in the past few years. I was widowed in 2018 after 42 years of marriage to Lori, and pulled through that trauma with plenty of support from children, friends and my church community. In 2018, I sold Hutchinson Consulting, retired and got remarried to Jane Carney. Our retirement plans for ambitious travel got walloped this year by covid-19 but we are enjoying the summer with kids and grandkids in the backyard and around the pool. A month ago, a new left knee moved in. I named him Louie. Ralph comes aboard at the end of September.”

Georg Jarzembowski continues to enjoy his retirement and—as a former member of the European Parliament—to thoroughly follow the developments of the European Union. His wife, Gabriela, his son, Daniel, and he were not infected by the coronavirus following the German restrictions of social distancing and of wearing masks in shops and in public transportation. He writes that he was and is very worried about the severe coronavirus situation in the States that is not comparable to that in Germany.

Frederic L. Peace notes he is “Trying to stay out of harm’s way during these crazy pandemic times, the most disruptive force in our lifetime. Helping out with Polly’s day care center, which has been open throughout, providing child care for county essential workers here in Westchester, N.Y. All members of the Peace family from East to West Coast, so far, are unscathed by the virus. I hope, classmates, that is the same with all of you.” John David Rulon writes, “Although it is probably crazy at 73 years young, I am involved with five other adventurous people trying to launch a start-up in which I was the original inventor. QuicBloc Building Systems, Inc. has created a patented next-generation, innovative concrete block that provides a mortarless, lightweight and insulative building solution.”

1966

Stephen R. Gretz married Patricia Paarlberg on June 14, 2017, “in the garden of a villa we rented on Lake Como, Italy. Attending the wedding were our combined seven children (five are mine, two children and one fiancée are Patricia’s). Our primary residence is in South Holland, Ill., and we split our summers between time in her home on Lake Michigan and my home in East Hampton, N.Y. Tricia is a retired teacher and I am currently an investment advisor at Merrill Lynch. This is my 42nd year with the company.

Donald L. Hanlon writes, “After 35 years of university teaching, I am now a University of Wisconsin emeritus professor. My wife, Napa Chayaworakul, and I, both architects, have traveled over the years primarily in search of beautiful architecture. We prefer the old stuff. So, for example, a recent trip to Andalusia was solely to absorb the spectacular buildings and landscapes of Moorish designers in southern Spain. And we unknowingly slipped under the pandemic wire last autumn on a hunt across northern Italy for all of the buildings by Andrea Palladio, with the work of Giulio Romano as a rich dessert. Alas, no more of that for quite awhile. Not even a visit to Mexico, where I am a “permanent resident.” I send my best wishes to all my former classmates for good health and well-being.”

W. Tonner Hays and Kitty Bone are immersed in life on the Pacific Coast: “Our speck on the Pacific Rim includes a mature spruce forest, a dynamic view of the ocean and more projects than our lifetime will see. We closed our graphic design business mid-2018. At the end of 2019, we both stepped away from leadership roles in local all-volunteer community services. We succeeded in securing the future of South Lincoln Resources and partners. Leaving this good work after so many years has been emotionally harder than moving on from any career path. Our attention is now turned back to much needed work on the old house and property. The worst part of staying safe at home has been not having direct contact with our kids and grandkids.”

Peter S. Linton, Leonard C. Schwarz, OPC ’61, and Allen F. Steere have been keeping in touch every Friday by Zoom. Peter lives in Brussels, Belgium, and summered in St. Tropez, France (pictured), and hosts the phone and video chat. He goes live at 9 p.m. his time; it's 3 p.m. in Philadelphia when Allen joins in, and 12 noon in San Francisco where Leonard resides. A lot of the conversation focuses on the major sports leagues and memories of days spent at Old Penn Charter.”

Robert W. Ulmer, Randal J. McDowell and Allen F. Steere, in June 2020, walked to raise money for the Ivy Hill Therapeutic Equestrian Center. Ivy Hill provides equine therapy for more than 150 disabled children, young adults, adults and seniors in Bucks and eastern Montgomery Counties. The walk raised over $12,000 for Ivy Hill.

Peter Z. Westberg writes, “To my classmates, I salute you. Keep strong, and may God bless your loved ones.”

1967

McKinley C. McAdoo writes, “Like everyone else, I’m coping with our new covid world. However, the highlight of the last several months was a virtual gathering with Christopher L. Allen, Robert C. Buckley, Harry S. Cherken Jr., Paul G. Harrington and William H. Safrin. I’m looking forward to getting together again with those guys very soon.”

Gareth W. Rosenau writes, “Following my retirement from the Federal Railroad Administration in 2017, I have been enjoying having more time for family, friends and travel. I’ve been on a number of wonderful trips, including spending almost a month in India last January. Of course, my travel wings have been clipped by covid-19. I’ve also spent a good amount of time in Snowmass Village, Colo., where my deceased parents had their home. My sister and brother-in-law live there during winter and summer, and I try to spend 1-2 weeks in the winter and two weeks in the summer there. I particularly enjoy hiking in the Rockies. In this photo, I am up near the continental divide, not far from Aspen.” Frederick S. Schofield writes, “My recently published book, A Run to Hell, Second Edition, glances at a prominent city councilman and president of the U.S. Olympic Committee, namely John (Jack) B. Kelly Jr. OPC ’45, and his Academy Award-winning sister, the Princess of Monaco, Grace Kelly Grimaldi, a Ravenhill grad. The first edition sold out years ago and my small publisher went belly-up. A few remaining new first editions sell on Amazon for more than $900. Meanwhile, I’m told my style matured and the characters have more depth. Go figure. In reflecting, my greatest writing influence was Mr. Schug’s English class at Old Penn Charter, where I remember telling Stephen A. Bonnie OPC ’66—or maybe Joseph A. Picardo: ‘If I fall asleep, wake me.’ Like many teachers at PC, John R. Schug Hon. 1689 was a terrific instructor and influence. His memory lives.”

1968

Edwin S. Skinner writes, “It has been five months of self-quarantine so far! We have stayed in and go nowhere. Pamela and I Zoom with kids and grandkids every week to stay in touch. We hope everyone is safe and stays healthy!” Samuel M. Wilson writes, “While taking measures related to covid-19, I've journeyed inward and have read more by James Cone and Howard Thurman. I'm currently enjoying reading Thurman's impressive autobiography, With Head and Heart. In 1929 at Haverford College, Thurman studied with and was greatly influenced by Rufus M. Jones, cousin of PC headmaster Richard Mott Jones. Thurman, in turn, was a spiritual leader to Martin Luther King Jr.

“We are well and I'm still working part-time at the local Wound Center. We live in the boonies on a lake in upstate South Carolina, near the southern Appalachians—it’s a great place to self-isolate. We frequently go to a family cabin in Highlands, N.C.”

1969

Thomas M. Sadtler writes, “My wife, Jane, and I celebrated our 41st anniversary. We live in Concord, Mass. We have two children, Hannah and Sam (pictured). Hannah lives in New Orleans, and Sam lives in Brooklyn. Jane and I have graduated from full-time work and are both now part-time executive coaches. Jane coaches for the Startup Innovation Forum and I work for a start-up in San Francisco called BetterUp. The coaching is almost all through video. It is very rewarding for both of us. In addition to the U.S., I’ve coached people in India, Canada and Mexico. This is one of the ways I give back. We live in a small house, but there is always an extra bed. I am glad to host anyone who comes to Boston from my class or from PC looking at the many colleges in Boston.”

1970

George J. Hauptfuhrer lives in Atlanta and has been in the investment profession since 1979. Since 2006, he has been an investment consultant with Prime Buchholz LLC, serving primarily endowments and foundations. He has been married to Sally since 1981, and they have three children and five grandchildren. Over the years, George has been an active volunteer on a number of boards. He is currently a director on the Board of Pensions of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and a trustee of the Princess Grace Foundation-USA. (Pictured below.)

Robert C. Maiocco writes, “Living the dream of a retired PC graduate who wakes up and plays golf or tennis or reads or day trades or looks for the next vacation spot. Can’t wait to see my PC classmates.”

1971

Daniel W. Reese shares, “I was at OPC from second grade on, was captain of three sports (golf, tennis and squash) and was on the soccer team for three years. Bert Linton was our golf coach. I was all-Inter-Ac, second team, in soccer, and led two student strikes: one for changing the dress code and eliminating neckties, the second to change the way blues and yellows were selected for Color Day. Before our sit-down strike, if a team was short, vacancies were filled by only the grade below; after the strike an equal number from upper and lower grades were selected. And yes, neckties were eliminated. I went on to Trinity College in Hartford and Columbia Business School.”

1972

George A. (Jay) Buffum, Jr. visited Robert K. Hirshland in Los Angeles, Calif., a month before the covid-19 shutdown. Jay and his wife, Diana, have been retired for three years. They live in Randolph, N.J., and are traveling to enjoy retirement. Bob is still working at JP Morgan Chase. He and his wife, Rasa, are doing great, with thoughts of perhaps retiring in the Santa Barbara area in a couple of years.

John W. Burkhart writes, “Having retired after 40 years of teaching history and advising 40 Penn Charter Class Records, I have yet to develop a marketable skill.” [Editor’s note: Penn Charter disputes this.]

Stephan M. Pulst writes, “We as a family of physicians have been dealing with covid in different locations on the globe. Julie (Korenberg) and I are living our professional life by Zoom, doing research and seeing patients at the University of Utah from our home in Utah. Our daughter is an emergency doc in Saipan, and our son is a neurologist on the faculty at USC. Fortunately, everyone has stayed healthy, especially our daughter who is on the front lines in an under-resourced part of the U.S. We miss getting back to our house in L.A. and getting together with Robert K. Hirshland and Rasa.”

1973

Glenn S. Koach and J. Craig Shields hiked up a mountain north of Santa Barbara, where he lives, to get to a natural hot springs.

1974

Albert Monroe Greenfield III shares how much he looks forward to weekly calls with PC classmates, coaches and teachers. Monroe resides in Villanova with his wife, Wendy, and enjoys time spent with his three sons and granddaughters; taking long walks with his dog, Rhett; singing; throwing a baseball or football around; and a good cheesesteak from Dalessandro’s. He reports that he is very grateful for his classmates and PC connections.

David C. Hahn shares, “As I write, we are all enduring the mass grief and restrictions due to the pandemic, as well as the public anger over long-term systemic racism that continues to plague our society. The economic shock of these issues affects everyone. I continue to work on music at this difficult time. Despite the fact that rehearsing and studio recording is impossible, I am working remotely with musicians who contribute their parts online.” Hear David’s new works at soundcloud.com/davidhahn.

Kevin B. Hughes writes, “Kay is going into her fourth year at Mount Holyoke College. Claire and Bridget both graduated high school from Winchester-Thurston School in Pittsburgh. Claire is headed for Oberlin College in Ohio. Bridget is headed for Barnard College in NYC.

“I graduated, too! In May 2020, I received a master’s in electrical engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, through their part-time distance graduate program. My studies were concentrated in control systems and power electronics. In contrast, my first MSEE from Pitt in 1983 was focused on power systems and electric machine theory. It was very satisfying that one of my books from PC senior year (Mr. Linton’s calculus class) was a key reference for part of my thesis work at Wisconsin. The book is Calculus with Analytic Geometry, E.J. Purcell, c. 1972. Of course, there are many calculus books, but the Purcell book has an article on differentials that provided key insights that I thought were lacking in many of the other references.”

Arthur G. Lofton writes, “My wife, Victoria, and I celebrated our 32nd anniversary. We don’t have any kids, but we spoil our friends’ (and send them back).

“I attended Carnegie Mellon for mechanical engineering and landed a summer internship with GM engineering staff in Warren, Mich. Truly a dream job for a car nerd, and post-graduation, I stayed for six years. I had my first exposure to aerospace as I transitioned to Williams International, a Michigan company that does jet engines for cruise missile and business jets. As a test engineer, I ended up with responsibility for all the West Coast programs, which required me to relocate to Southern California. This was a life-changing assignment, as I met my wife there. A six-month assignment turned into seven years, and we decided that we preferred the sunshine of Cali. I then joined Northrop Grumman on the Brent Sherwood received the Columbia Medal from the American Society of Civil Engineers in March 2020, for “demonstrated leadership and dedication to space exploration, space architecture and in situ resource utilization. He has made a lasting impact on space exploration and continues to make leaps toward human settlement of the moon and eventual lunar mining ventures.” Based in Seattle, Brent leads the orbital and planetary business unit of Blue Origin, a company dedicated to enabling millions of people to live and work in space. The Blue Origin National Team was selected by NASA to begin to develop the Artemis Human Landing System that will put astronauts on the moon again.

B-2 Bomber. It is an amazing company and where I spent 28 years before retiring about 2 1/2 years ago. Victoria worked for Northrop Grumman as well, as an industrial engineer. She retired, as one of my assignments relocated us to Utah for 2 1/2 years. I’ve grown to love aerospace, with some amazing experiences. Throughout it all, I’ve maintained my passion for cars, in part through meeting my best friend of now 40 years, Harold Martin, who also worked at GM and whose family drag raced professionally. I was his crew chief for many years until moving to Cali and we still stay connected on car-related ventures.

“Victoria and I are enjoying the retirement life, traveling all that we can. I serve on a couple boards and have entrepreneurial ventures underway to keep active.”

1975

James C. Garvey III reports that the class of 1975 hosted a video call that was wellattended and enjoyed by all, and they hope to host another one in the new year.

1976

Michael J. Andris purchased the franchise for the cleanup and reconstruction company SERVPRO of North East Chester County last year, working with sons Mike and Chris.

1977

Alexander S.M. Gibson writes, “We are well in Atlanta, both personally and professionally. Over the last months I have been thinking about my ‘brothers’ more. I realize that, having gone to school with these boys, I have been blessed to be connected with so many good men. Having good people in one's life is a lesson that I have shared with my three daughters, and in June we were blessed to welcome a second granddaughter, Juliet Corinne, to this world where ‘Good Instruction Is Better than Riches.’"

Brooke D. Steytler writes, “I'm teaching virtual Teen Animation and Cartooning for Kids for ArtFusion 19464 in Pottstown. I hope to get back to in-person teaching soon, but for now this is the way to go!”

1978

Dag-Daniel Dittert reports that he was pleased to attend, from Germany, a virtual Meeting for Worship as part of the OPConnect series last spring. “You are friends to me. And I love having gone to a Friends school with Jews, Muslims, Christians and others. I like the idea that the PC community has become even more diverse since then.” Pictured: Sipping coconut water in Cuba.

1979

Richard A. Bedford writes, “I have been married for 34 years to my wife, Lisa, whom I met the second day of college. We have two sons, Rich (30) and Chris (28). I left Novo Nordisk in Princeton this year after 21 years as an executive sales manager for New York and New Jersey in the biopharm division of a California-based gene therapy company called BioMarin. We’ve lived in the NYC area in Bergen County, N.J., for the last 30 years. In my free time, I’m an NCAA men's lacrosse official, as well as a NYC high school basketball and NYS lacrosse ref and NJ football official. In the last few years, I have done a lot of volunteer work with the U.S. Navy corpsmen, NYC homeless and North Jersey police. Life has been good, and I wish I could get back to the Philly area and PC more often.” book our long-planned trip to the Greek Islands to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary!”

Mark J. Mendel writes, “I am still in Seattle; loving it and getting out often, skiing and climbing. I’ve recently co-founded 3C Bio, Inc., where we aspire to build mobile coronavirus testing laboratories to bring massive-throughput covid-19 testing to the workplace to clear it of asymptomatic infected individuals and thereby make it safe to return to normal operations.”

Allan Rosen-Ducat writes, “I am on the verge of publishing my first illustrated children’s book, titled In the Time of the Dented-Pan & The Strange Quiet. The main character in the story is the representative of my new children’s illustrated book brand, Mashuga Moose®. I live in Arizona with my wife. We sold our cabin in Maine due to covid; couldn’t get there.”

1980

B. Graeme Frazier shares, “It is pretty amazing that it's been 40 years since we graduated from PC! It was interesting to have the Zoom reunion call with some faces I hadn't seen for a long time. Becky and I still live in the area. Our two older kids are out of college and living independently, and our youngest is a junior in high school.”

Walter R. Grund writes, “Although the cancellation of our Asian overseas trip to Laos, Vietnam and Thailand was a disappointing result of the summer of covid-19, our family is thankfully doing well during this global pandemic. I’m currently working as the sous chef of the prepared foods department at Whole Foods Market in Plymouth Meeting, after 18 years as a culinary instructor at the now-closed Art Institute of Philadelphia. My wife, Betsy (the more essential front-line worker in our family) is a nurse practitioner at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children. Hopefully, if all goes well next year, we can

1981

Roy L. Hirschland writes, “Greetings from Cape Cod. My wife and I are hunkering down here for the time being. Typically, I split my time between the cape and our home in Boston's Back Bay. I am CEO of a real estate company. Our daughter heads to grad school this fall to get her master’s in medical ethics and philosophy of science. Very proud of her. My main Penn Charter interaction is with my brothers Michael J. Hirschland OPC ’84, Laurence S. Hirschland OPC ’82 and Robert K. Hirshland OPC ’72. I still remain the bestlooking of the "Hirsh" brothers! We reminisced the other day about having Gino Giants with friends for off-campus lunch on some days and cheesesteaks the other days. Wow. Stay safe, everyone.”

1982

Gary C. Adler writes, “I'm living in Portland, Ore., with my wife, Leah, and daughter, Elinor, who was named after my mom. At the end of 2019, I retired from the FBI, after 23 years as a special agent.”

Frank K. Clyburn Jr. has been named chief commercial officer at Merck.

1983

Eric M. Wilcots was just named dean of the College of Letters & Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

1984

Calvin B. Johnson has been named global head, public health and chief medical officer of the Royal Caribbean Group. In this new role, Johnson will lead the group’s global health and wellness policy, manage its public health and clinical practice, and determine the strategic plans and operations of its global health care organization. Calvin, most recently principal at Altre Strategic Solutions Group, is the former chief medical officer for Corizon Health and for Temple University Health System. He served as secretary of health for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 2003-2008, and was medical director for the New York City Department of Health, 1998-1999. He earned his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, a master of public health from Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, and a BS in chemistry from Morehouse College.

1985

Thomas F. Burke shares, “I just finished my 30th year of teaching high school mathematics (nine years at the Hun School of Princeton; 21 years at Pennsbury High School). My family has been living in Bucks County, since 1995. We have four awesome children: Christina, Sarah, Mary and Thomas. The two older ones are out of college, and Mary is at the University of Pittsburgh studying speech pathology. Thomas has two years of high school left at Pennsbury. Barb, my wife, is a nurse with Patient First. I volunteer for two ministries. For Bucks County Food Runners, I coordinate volunteers to pick up excess food from establishments and take it to food banks, food pantries and homeless shelters. I also work with BeHumankind, which sells iced teas, lemonades and bottled water, with the funds going toward purchasing, building and installing wells in several countries for people to have clean water for drinking, cleaning and washing. If anyone is interested in getting involved with making this world a better place for others through one or both of these nonprofits, please contact me at TFBurkeJr@gmail.com. I hope all is well with everyone in the class of 1985 and your families!”

1986

Mark B. Shoemaker writes, “After 25 years in private law practice, I was appointed as a judge of the superior court of New Jersey in September of 2019. I found it difficult to leave my practice behind, with many memories and lasting relationships with all of my clients, but I felt driven to serve my community by committing the remainder of my legal career to the bench. I reflected on what my father, B. Dawson Shoemaker OPC ’50, left behind as a legacy through his passion for family medicine, and decided to take on a new challenge and serve our neighbors in my own way. I celebrate my 27th anniversary with my wife, Tonya, this year, and our son, Zachary, attends Stockton University, studying criminal justice.”

1987

Leon D. Caldwell’s efforts to build community-based talent took another step forward, as he is closing in on a location in West Philadelphia to start STEAMIE, STEM-based skills development for underrepresented communities. He writes that he continues to be overscheduled in the pursuit of making the world a better place than he found it, but still found a window in the pandemic to go fishing with Mark L. Butler and Abraham Dunmeyer (pictured) and to heckle his classmates on social media.

1988

Sydney H. Coffin writes, “I was living out of the country for a yearlong sabbatical, but swung through Philadelphia before heading back to Paris to meet with a former student of mine, poet Alphonzo Lake. After being in three of my classes every day, we've maintained a close friendship over the years and published two companion articles about how teachers can impact the lives of at-risk youth.

“I was saddened to read of Joe Perrott’s death during the onset of covid-19 this spring but want to share how much I loved him as a teacher at Penn Charter. I am confident that all of my teachers at PC collectively helped me learn the value of good instruction—the very motto of our alma mater, and the day

Mr. Perrott told us to go find a phone and call someone we loved but whom we had not told this to, well, we all have our own story, but I wish I could call him now. The gift he gave us that day, and in reading What We Talk About When We Talk About Love by Raymond Chandler, persists in giving my life meaning, least of all that I spent the past two decades teaching high school English.”

Robert W. Moser writes, “I continue educating tomorrow's future leaders as a third grade teacher for the School District of Philadelphia, and recently completed my second master's degree in education. My son Devon, 18, graduated from Villa Victoria Academy and is attending Penn State University; he’s excited to begin this educational chapter and hopes to become a clinical therapist and then go on to become a doctor of psychiatry. I have enjoyed keeping in touch with Wes Humphreys, and Andrew Smith and my brother Thor Moser, both OPC ’82. Although life has been challenging with our global and local issues, we continue to support and lean on each other throughout these tough times. I remember all the support from PC teachers like Mr. Rogers and Mr. Smith, and enjoyed a laugh finding a copy of The Mirror from decades ago while helping my mom clean out her house. It was that support during my 13 years at PC that continues to drive and motivate me.”

Derek L. Riddick reports, “While I eagerly prepared in March to celebrate my 10th year as owner and head trainer of Strikezone Mixed Martial Arts, the coronavirus had other plans for us. With the New Jersey executive order to close all gyms and fitness centers, not to mention a statewide shelterat-home mandate, we faced an uncertain future. In the midst of this gloom and misery, however, there were some bright spots for my wife, Romy, and me. Our kids saved the day. Our daughter, Savanna, graduated from eighth grade and is excited for the high school era. Our son, Austin, finished up at Georgetown, still beaming with pride after winning the 2019 NCAA soccer championship. He headed to Harvard Law this fall. Best regards to all in the PC community. Stay safe. Be well.”

1989

Jeremy A. Dubin writes, “I am boardcertified in family and addiction medicine and am medical director of the largest network of outpatient addiction treatment centers in Colorado. We have over 50 points of care throughout the state and have clinics embedded in syringe-access centers, homeless shelters and counseling centers, as well as brick-and-mortar clinics and statefunded roving RVs that cruise throughout rural Colorado. I continue to speak locally, nationally and internationally on the field of addiction medicine. In April, I was honored by my medical school as a PCOM Hero of the Frontline. I am who I am today because of PC in so many ways.”

Erich J. Herbert writes, “I work as a media and marketing strategist for Boston 25/ Cox Media Group, a local broadcast news organization where I get to meet cool and interesting people. I live in southern New Hampshire, about 45 minutes outside of Boston, with my wife, Tammy, and two sons, William (19) and Brendan (17). William is currently going to the University of Maine, studying mechanical engineering and is part of the Maine Army National Guard. Brendan is a sophomore at Wilbraham & Monson Academy, where he is a leader on the lacrosse field as well as in the classroom.” Kenneth C. Murray reports, “A few members of the Class of ’89 had a small Zoom cocktail hour earlier this summer. Christopher D. Ball, Brian D. Gallagher, Graham E. Michener, Mitchell L. Simon, Neil B. Tanner and I enjoyed catching up.”

Christopher M. O’Dell writes, “Greetings from Houston! After graduating from Rice University in 1993, I tended bar at a pub in London, got a graduate degree in history from NYU, worked in city government in NYC, met and married my lovely wife, Therese, and then moved to New Orleans to attend Tulane Law School. We welcomed our first son, North (now a sophomore in college), during my second year. After law school, we moved back to Houston where I began practicing commercial litigation. Along the way, we were joined by Henry (now a junior in high school). In 2014, I helped open Arnold & Porter LLP’s Houston office, where I am now the managing partner. Still keep in touch with a number of fellow OPCs, including Christopher D. Ball (who moved to Houston last year), J. Eric Docktor, Brian M. Donaghy and Justin A. Sheetz. I’ve contrived to miss every class reunion so far for one reason or another, but I promise to make the next one!”

1990

Reuven (Richard) Dressler writes, “I have been living in Ma’ale Adumim, Israel (a Jerusalem suburb) for the past 14 years with my wife and six children, ages 3-17. I work as a family doctor with an additional focus in the field of addictions, most specifically to prescription medications. I served two years regular service in the Israel Defense Forces (a PC first?) and continue with plenty of reserve duty. Got involved with a group of guys starting up lacrosse in Israel and played for the national team in the Denver world championships back in 2014. Have tons of great memories of school, and owe PC a huge debt of gratitude. Anybody that comes over here (after covid), please give me a call. Drinks and dinner on me.” (See the alumni profile on Reuven on p. 14.)

1991

William A. Gallagher received the Elite Business Advisors’ prestigious Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) designation and joins an international community of business advisors as part of the Exit Planning Institute. Bill recently earned the designation after completing the Institute’s intensive executive MBA-style program.

1993

Laurel Neff writes, “Greetings from Northern Virginia. After a year, I'm changing jobs again. Last year I served as the Medical Corps deputy corps chief for all physicians in the Army. It was a humbling and remarkable experience as I took on topics like recruitment and retention, and maintaining skills despite fewer trauma cases (which is a blessing and a curse). Now I’m transitioning to serve a year as command surgeon at the National Defense University on Fort McNair, followed by a year as a student at the Eisenhower School. My family is doing well and has done a remarkable job of taking on distance learning; we are cautiously optimistic that next year they will be back with friends. Last night, we were reading about William Penn, and it gave me a chance to reflect on my experiences at PC. I pray for all of you to remain healthy, both mentally and physically, during these chaotic times.” Victor S. Olshansky writes, “When the bars and restaurants shut down in March, we were uncertain what would become of ZÍAMI Rum, but rather than close up shop, we decided to transform the distillery into a hand sanitizer factory. So far, we've produced close to 300,000 gallons of hand sanitizer and related alcohol products. Our customers have included a number of large corporations, government agencies and school districts, but we've also been able to donate a significant portion to first responders and nonprofit organizations. Fortunately, we're all staying healthy.”

1996

Rachel Sigman, after almost nine years with the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, has accepted a position with the American Friends of the Hebrew University as the new Philadelphia director. In her new role, she plans to increase the visibility of this prestigious institution locally and engage alumni and friends in programming. “I'd love to hear from anyone who studied abroad! I can be reached at rsigman@afhu.org.”

1997

Rachel Elfenbein recently published her book, Engendering Revolution: Women, Unpaid Labor, and Maternalism in Bolivarian Venezuela, with the University of Texas Press.

Gurtej Singh became a partner in the Centers for Advanced Orthopaedics, Orthopaedic Associates of Central Maryland division. CAO is one of the nation’s largest private orthopaedic groups. Gurtej specializes in interventional spine care as a key opinion leader in the field of neuromodulation and the use of spinal cord stimulation for chronic pain. More recently, he has expanded into the fields of microspine and endoscopic spinal decompression surgery, advancing patient care without the need for open spine surgery. In 2017, Gurtej did a fellowship in stem cell and regenerative medicine, which remains a cutting-edge tool in helping patients use their natural healing factors without repeated steroid injection. While he missed seeing everyone at the 20th reunion, he hopes all are staying safe and finding their own happiness each day.

1998

Michael B. McCrossen writes, “Since moving back from Miami, I have been practicing criminal defense for the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender in Camden. I have also had a great time teaching and coaching PC students in the Philadelphia Bar Association's High School Mock Trial Competition for the past three years.”

1999

Christopher T. Glowacki and his wife, Emily, are proud to announce their new business venture, 2nd Family Main Line, a nonmedical senior home-care business.

Located in Ardmore, the company assists families in need of in-home elderly care, including help with daily activities, errands, housekeeping and meal preparation. Chris serves as director of operations, while Emily, RN, BSN, serves as the company’s director of nursing. Married since 2008, Chris and Emily live in Wallingford with their two children.

2000

Adam K. Sperling writes, “Life in Connecticut has been good in spite of the chaos that’s surrounded us. I recently finished my 15th year at Hopkins School in New Haven. Back in February, I received the NEPSAC (New England Prep School Athletic Council) Wrestling Coach of the Year award, and our program had its first All-American since the early ’80s. In March, as the country was closing its doors, we welcomed our second son, Felix Irving, to moved on. Our kids go to Germantown Friends School and Miquon, I am a cardiac electrophysiologist at Temple, and my wife is a private investigator and also does pro bono work for the Innocence Project. I miss hanging with Daniel K. McKenna OPC ’01 and the Roslyn boys in San Francisco, but it's nice to be home.

the world. Since then, Leslie and I have embraced the challenge of teaching with two boys under 2 in the house. It has led to interesting classes, as Theodore has “helped” me teach pre-calculus and enjoyed “singing” along with Leslie's French classes. Also, in June, I was lucky enough to attend the wedding of Kathryn and Kyle Cousin; it was a beautiful backyard ceremony at their home in Weston, Mass.”

Isaac (Ziggy) Whitman writes, “My wife, Sanja, and I have finally settled ourselves back in Philadelphia with our three children (ages 10, 8 and 7), after having moved back in 2017 from San Francisco. Most recently, we have had the great pleasure of buying our first home—from Mrs. Scarpato, our former gentle and wonderful librarian. Mrs. Scarpato, her husband, and her children, Victoria C. Scarpato OPC ’01 and Victor W. Scarpato OPC ’04, have been wonderful in sharing their memories from their East Falls home and welcoming us into it as they

Jason S. Harrow OPC ’02 writes, “I got to argue in the U.S. Supreme Court for the first time, but because of social distancing, I did it from my office via conference call. The highlight was when I was asked by Justice Clarence Thomas whether Frodo Baggins, from Lord of the Rings, could be president. I reminded Justice Thomas that no, Frodo is fictional, so any vote for him would be invalid. It was a great experience, but I hope that if and when I get to do it again, it's in person at the podium. And if that happens, I'll save seats for as many of my OPC ’02 friends as I can; they’ve been my biggest fans. Here's a picture of it on C-SPAN. Hope all is well in Philly! I miss PC.”

2007

Samuel S. Biddle is going back to graduate school at Penn to study integrated product design. Human-centered design is at the heart of the program, which brings together design, engineering and business perspectives to create new products and experiences.

Shannon Harrington relocated to Germany to be the director of people for Das Lab, a digital platform for diagnostics testing with a current focus on covid-19 testing.

2008

Eric Binswanger reports, “In addition to my wedding news (see marriages), I also started my first official job as a TV writer on Shantaram, an upcoming Apple TV+ series based on the bestselling novel.”

Kashif O. Smith graduated from Temple University’s Lewis Katz School of Medicine— Emergency Medicine Residency Program. He recently moved to Reading, where he has begun work as an emergency department attending physician at Reading Hospital, the busiest ED in the state of Pennsylvania.

2009

Matthew D. Byrne writes, “After graduating from Penn in 2013, I stayed for three years studying Parkinson's disease in the laboratory of Dr. Virginia Lee. Currently, I'm finishing my fourth year of a neuroscience PhD at Thomas Jefferson University with Dr. Richard Smeyne, where I study Parkinson's disease and its interaction with viral infections, namely the influenza virus. Recently, our group has been invited to use our expertise to study how SARS-CoV2 affects the brain.”

Barbara Lally published her first book, The Trichster Diaries, in which she takes you on her journey toward self-acceptance with trichotillomania, a disorder that involves repetitive, irresistible urges to pull out body hair. The story begins through the eyes of a scared, insecure girl and finishes through the eyes of Barbara now, a woman who has worked hard to accept herself and a disorder that she cannot change. The Trichster Diaries is available on Amazon.

Samuel H. Lerner shares, “I proposed to my fiancée Sarah Layng on July 2, 2020, on Chebeague Island, Maine. We live in NYC and are getting married next October.”

A Cherished Keepsake

An OPC received a special keepsake from the family of his “favorite teacher ever,” the late Marta Zamora.

Derek Speranza OPC ’08 was presented with his former Spanish instructor’s Penn Charter Windsor chair, given to faculty and staff upon retirement, at an informal dinner ceremony planned by his friend Phil Cooke OPC ’11, son of PC board member Grace Sharples Cooke. The Cookes were well aware of Speranza’s fondness for Zamora, and when they learned she would be selling her house in Chestnut Hill to live in Costa Rica year-round, they helped the family arrange for the chair to be transferred into good hands. They surprised Speranza by presenting him with the distinctive black spindle-back Windsor at their house one evening in September.

The keepsake became all the more meaningful when Zamora, who had battled cancer for years, passed away several weeks later from complications during surgery.

Speranza remembers his teacher best for her dry but generous sense of humor and for her intellectual range; class discussions often revealed Zamora’s extensive knowledge of everything from chemistry to the arts to sports. “I learned so much about every subject in her classes,“ he said, referring to Zamora as “basically a polymath.” The two stayed in touch after Speranza’s graduation. Zamora joined the PC faculty as foreign language chair in 1995 and retired in 2013 at the end of a 40-year teaching career. During her 18 years at PC, she restructured the foreign language department to align with national standards for language instruction, organized and chaperoned countless trips, founded PC’s Cultural Arts Series, and even co-coached Middle School boys soccer.

She passed away on Oct. 9, 2020 at age 76.

Derek Speranza at OPC Weekend 2018 with classmates Hannah Campbell and Katherine Damm.

Michael D. Massaro (pictured, right) recently became the commanding officer of USCGC SITKINAK (WPB 1329), which is a 110-foot patrol boat homeported in Portland, Maine. Mike’s primary missions are fisheries law enforcement and search and rescue.

Jeffrey Naids writes, “Married my high school sweetheart, Rebecca Tamarkin, in September 2019. We began dating while I was a senior at PC and never looked back. In late 2019, we moved to Long Island, N.Y., where we are both third-year resident physicians at the Nassau University Medical Center. I am in radiology and she is in physiatry (physical medicine and rehabilitation). We hope to return to the Philadelphia area after our training, to start a family and a practice.” Justin Renfrow is taking the year off from pro football due to covid-19. He and Khaaleedah A. Smith met up at Parc in Philadelphia to scout out restaurants for Justin’s new cooking show, What’s Cooking JR?

2010

Mick C. Foley writes, “I completed my doctorate of physical therapy in May 2019 at Neumann University. I currently live in Baltimore’s Fells Point neighborhood. I treat athletes, orthopedic injuries, patients diagnosed with osteoporosis, and those with balance difficulties. Looking forward to seeing some OPCs at Dan Mamalat’s wedding, as long as it happens this year.”

2011

Margaret A. Hilton was engaged to Kevin McCormick in Kiawah Island, S.C., earlier this summer. The two are planning to marry next year. Daniel Jarzembowski was awarded the title “Dr. iur.” (doctor of law), magna cum laude, last year for his thesis on “Basic Principles for a European Corporate Groups’ Liability for Privately Held Limited Liability Companies.” At present he is finalizing the last stage of his two-year legal internship and afterward expects to work as an attorney in Hamburg.

Elyse Wilkinson is excited to be moving back home to Philadelphia after spending three years in Los Angeles as a senior consultant at EY. This fall, she will be starting the full-time MBA program at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Go Quakers!

2012

Emma Cataldi is engaged to her boyfriend, Jake Stevelman. They live together in North Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and work for Facebook.

MaryKate O’Brien got engaged to Michael Boland in Rittenhouse Square on New Year’s Eve. They celebrated with family and friends, many of whom were fellow OPCs. Danielle Sienko, the ultimate friend, hid in a bush to take pictures of the engagement live. MaryKate also recently joined the Penn Charter development team as the assistant director of alumni relations. She welcomes you to visit Timmons as soon as campus is back open to visitors.

2013

Kathryn S. Decker and her boyfriend, Keegan, bought their first house together in Horsham. on comparative HIV prevention programs in Europe and North America as the topic of their thesis and hopes to translate their findings into policy reforms that will improve HIV prevention in the United States.

Sami Pathak, at Washington University in Saint Louis, received the Nishi Luthra Senior Prize for outstanding performance in physics courses.

Jonathan Weiss is a first-year bioengineering PhD student at Stanford University, conducting research on the development of 3D bioprinted heart tissues for human therapeutics.

2014

Jordan A. DellaValle graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2018 and has been working in San Francisco ever since. Recently switching jobs, Jordan now works for Windfall Data, a company that serves nonprofit and for-profit organizations by providing actionable consumer financial data.

2015

Emily Barkann writes, “This past July, I was honored to win a Sports Emmy Award in the Outstanding Trans-Media Sports Coverage category for my work as an associate producer on NFL Media's NFL 100 Greatest & All-Time Team. Rather than going to a fun awards show, I heard the news from my backyard in typical pandemic fashion.”

Henry B. McIlvaine is currently living in Philadelphia and working as an application engineer at Flowserve.

2016

Thomas M. Freitag has been selected as the recipient of the Kanders Churchill Scholarship, which supports the completion of a master's degree in public policy at the University of Cambridge. Thomas will focus

DEATHS

Former Teachers

Stephen P. Weislogel, on June 10, 2020. Stephen taught Latin from 1967 to 1978 and served as chair of the Foreign Language Department in his last year.

Marta Zamora, on Oct. 9, 2020. Marta was a Spanish teacher from 1995 to 2013; for many of those years she also served as chair of the Foreign Language Department. Read more at penncharter.com/zamora.

1944

Joseph H. Kenworthy, on Nov. 16, 2020.

1947

George S. Stewart III, on July 30, 2020.

1948

Albert T. Fisher, on Nov. 27, 2020.

1950

Alan C. Good Sr., on July 7, 2020.

1951

Wayne G. Brown, on June 30, 2020.

1952

Forrest J. French, on Aug. 22, 2019.

David E. Smith, on May 27, 2020. Michael N. Wood, on Nov. 24, 2020.

1953

William H. Bux, on Nov. 22, 2020.

1955

Arthur J. Wise Jr., on Aug. 5, 2020.

1958

Kenneth L. Jordan, on Oct. 19, 2020.

1959

James B. Coles, on July 12, 2020.

1961

Jeffry H. Tindall, on June 30, 2020.

1964

John T. Long Jr., on July 15, 2020.

1968

Raymond F. Green, on March 12, 2020.

1975

Peter G. Balbus, on April 4, 2020.

1976

Geoffrey R. Deacon, on Jan. 2, 2020.

1980

Jeffrey S. Mechlin, on May 22, 2020.

MARRIAGES

2000

Kyle Cousin married Kathryn Kuchefski on June 20, 2020. (Pictured with Adam Sperling, left.)

2008

Eric Binswanger married Holly Hickerson, on Oct. 6, 2020. He writes, "Holly and I started dating in ninth grade after meeting during a concert with Mr. Fitzmartin's Keystone State Boychoir. There were many OPC connections at the wedding: The ceremony was officiated by Katherine Damm with an Odyssey-themed speech in a special nod to Mr. Dougherty's ninth grade English class, and Matthew Star, Nathaniel Leach, Peter M. Binswanger OPC ’06, Elizabeth L. Binswanger OPC ’10 and Julia Binswanger were all groomsmen and bridesmaids, respectively. Fitz was even in attendance providing music for the ceremony!”

BIRTHS

1997

Welles Thomas, to Tracy and Christopher J. Rodgers on Feb. 19, 2020. He joins sisters Analee (6) and Sadie (3).

2000

Felix Irving, to Leslie and Adam K. Sperling, on March 7, 2020. (Pictured with big brother Theodore.)

2001

Benjamin, to Emily Ballengee Renwick and Matt Renwick, on June 11, 2020. He joins big sister Alice.

2003

Dawson Callaway, to Alexandra and Bradford R. Shields, on Oct. 2, 2019.

2004

Maxine, to Dominique L. Negron and Julien Franklin OPC ’05, on April 7, 2020.

3000 West School House Lane Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19144 Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage

PAID

Philadelphia, PA Permit No. 6118

Save the Date

JANUARY 28

Downtown Reception

MAY 7-8

OPC Weekend

JUNE 12

Commencement

Section of mosaic in the Middle School's Rosen Atrium, created for her Senior Comprehensive Project by the late Tara Parente OPC '05 (1986-2019)