80s

Alexandra and David Murray ’97 of San Francisco, California, welcomed their son, Michael John Murray, to the world on November 7, 2022.

Le Retour de Jim Rees

After teaching at Pomfret for more than thirty years, from 1984–2018, Jim Rees was enjoying his retirement in North Conway, New Hampshire. But after receiving a call from World Languages Department Head Pablo Montoro Alonso, Rees found himself moving back to the Hilltop for part of Fall term.

While back at Pomfret, Rees caught up with some of his colleagues from back in the day who are still teaching, including fellow French teacher Tim Deary ’05, whom Rees also had as a student. He reconnected with other faculty members who were students during his tenure, including Katie Duglin ’01, Josh Wildes ’04, Remy Hatfield ’13, and Jack Lyon ’17. Rees had the opportunity to see children of his former students, including James DeNapoli ’24, the son of Grant DeNapoli ’93; Finn DeNapoli ’25, the son of Ted DeNapoli ’89; and Van Horvath ’24, the son of Laurence Horvath ’89.

Despite t he offer to stay for the winter term, the White Mountains and his wife, Diane, were calling. “We are very busy in the winter snowshoeing and cross-country skiing,” explained Rees. “But, it was fun to come back. I’m glad Pablo thought of me.”

Ringing in the New Year

If you were watching the Times Square Livestream this New Year’s Eve, chances are you saw singer, songwriter, and producer Chelsea Cutler ’15. As the final performer of the evening, she finished the final notes of John Lennon’s “Imagine,” as the sixty-second countdown to the ball drop began. In addition to closing out the show, she also opened it. Five hours earlier, she performed her hit songs “Sad Tonight,” from her freshman album How to Be Human, “Devil On My Shoulder” from her sophomore album When I Close My Eyes, and her latest single “Men On The Moon.”

On Instagram on January 1, Chelsea posted memories from the night along with the message, “Thank you, Times Square NYC, for an incredible opportunity and once-in-a-lifetime experience.”