285 Cory’s Lane Portsmouth, Rhode Island 02871 www.portsmouthabbey.org Address Service Requested
P ORT S M O U T H A B B E Y
2021
2020 With due regard for the health and safety of our community, Reunion 2020 (originally scheduled for September 25-27) will be postponed and now shared with Classes ending in 1 or 6.
NEW DATE FRIDAY, APRIL 30 – MAY 2, 2021 Please mark your calendar for a weekend of fun and nostalgia with your family, friends and classmates. For more information, please contact Carla Kenahan at 401.643.1186 or at rsvp@portsmouthabbey.org.
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SUMMER ALUMNI BULLETIN 2020
PORTSMOUTH ABBEY
PORTSMOUTH ABBE Y SCHOOL
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT FOR CLASSES ENDING IN 0 or 5
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS OF 2020!
SUMMER ALUMNI BULLETIN 2020
PORTSMOUTH ABBE Y SCHOOL
MISSION STATEMENT
THANKS YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT
The aim of Portsmouth Abbey School is to help young men and women grow in knowledge and grace. Grounded in the Catholic faith and 1500-year-old Benedictine intellectual tradition, the School fosters: Reverence for God and the human person Respect for learning and order Responsibility for the shared experience of community life
BOARD OF REGENTS Very Reverend Michael G. Brunner O.S.B. Prior-Administrator Portsmouth, RI Mr. W. Christopher Behnke ’81 P’12 ’15 ’19 Chairman Chicago, IL Mr. Christopher Abbate ’88 P’20 ’23 Newport, RI Ms. Abby Benson ’92 Boulder, CO Mr. John Bohan P’20 ‘22 Newport, RI Dom Joseph Byron O.S.B. Portsmouth, RI Mr. Creighton O. Condon ’74 P’07 ’10 Jamestown, RI Mrs. Kathleen Cunningham P’08 ‘09 ‘11 ‘14 Dedham, MA Mr. Gang (Jason) Ding P’18 Qingdao, China
Mr. Patrick Gallagher ’81 P’15 Providence, RI
Abbott Gregory Mohrman O.S.B. St. Louis, MO
Mrs. Meg S. Healey P’91 GP’19 ‘21 ‘24 New Vernon, NJ
Mr. Philip V. Moyles, Jr. ’82 Annual Fund Chair Rye, NY
Mr. Denis Hector ’70 Miami, FL Dr. Gregory Hornig ’68 P’01 West Palm Beach, FL Mrs. Cara Gontarz Hume ’99 Hingham, MA Mr. Peter M. Kennedy III ’64 P’07 ’08 ’15 Big Horn, WY
Mr. Emmett O’Connell P’16 ’17 Stowe, VT Mr. Shane O’Neil ‘65 Bedford, MA Brother Sixtus Roslevich O.S.B. Portsmouth, RI Mr. Felipe Vicini ‘79 P’09 ‘12 ‘19 Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Mr. William M. Keogh ’78 P’13 Jamestown, RI
Mr. William Winterer ’87 Boston, MA
Dr. Mary Beth Klee P’04 Hanover, NH
EMERITUS
Ms. Anne-Marie Law P’19 ‘21 ‘24 Duxbury, MA
Mr. Peter M. Flanigan g ’41 P’75 ’83 GP’06 ’09 ’09 ’11 ’11 ’19 ’19 ’21 Purchase, NY Mr. Thomas Healey ’60 P’91 GP’19 ‘21 New Vernon, NJ
Dr. Debra Falvey P’18 ’20 Plaistow, NH
Mr. and Mrs. David Lohuis P’10 ‘10 ‘21 Co-Chairs, Parents’ Association Morristown, NJ
Mrs. Frances Fisher P’15 San Francisco, CA
Father Edward Mazuski O.S.B. Portsmouth, RI
Mr. William Howenstein g ’52 P’87 GP’10 ’17 ’21 ’22 Grosse Pointe Farms, MI
Dr. Timothy P. Flanigan ’75 P’06 ’09 ’11 ’19 Tiverton, RI
Ms. Devin McShane P’09 ’11 Providence, RI
Mr. Barnet Phillips, IV ’66 Greenwich, CT g Deceased
When times are good...
When times change...
When we need each other most
Portsmouth Abbey School expresses its deepest gratitude to the 1,486 alumni, parents, and friends who contributed $2,004,069 to the 2019-20 Annual Fund, a record high total for the seventh year in a row and the first time in School history the Annual Fund has surpassed the $2M mark. Your generosity helps strengthen the School’s mission while providing it with the resources to rise to the unexpected challenges of today’s world. During these times, we have leaned on each other for support and have persevered thanks to the incredible resilience of our community and the abiding faith that guides us. Thank you. A special thank you to the Alumni Leadership Council, Class Agents, Reunion Committee members, Parents’ Association leadership, and other volunteers whose tireless efforts made these achievements possible.
FROM HEADMASTER DAN M C DONOUGH
In the beginning of the school year when I was still traveling, I was sharing some thoughts with our alumni, parents, and friends at our receptions. Those thoughts were primarily about the juxtaposition of our celebration of the 100th anniversary of our monastery and the dedication of our new science building, and also thinking about our “science monk,” Dom Francis Crowley. I hope you will bear with me for a moment while I re-
man never dreamed, after he left St. George’s and be-
flect on the founding of our monastery 100 years ago.
came a Benedictine monk in Washington, DC, that he
In Matthew 6:33 we hear that we must “seek first the
would be sent back to RI to found another school. But
kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these
as a man under monastic obedience, he came back here
things will be given you besides.” Think about it: we
in 1924 to help found the School whose own 100th an-
are here tonight because of something that happened
niversary we will celebrate in 2026.
100 years ago starting with Father Leonard Sargent who purchased the Manor House and the surrounding land. He was asked by another monk at one point, “How did you get such a place?” Father Leonard replied, “Dropped a medal of St. Benedict into a field as we drove in.” To which the first monk replied, “The same old superstition, but it always succeeds.”
And so thanks to these men and those that have followed after, much indeed has been given to us: a thriving School that includes our splendid new Science Building, but more importantly a rejuvenated Monastery with eight resident monks. For this we give no small thanks to St. Louis Priory and three of their monks who have made a long term commitment to Portsmouth. Fa-
Father Leonard wasn’t thinking about a school. It was
ther Michael Brunner of St. Louis is the prior-adminis-
his thought, and I quote, that “After the war there will
trator at Portsmouth Abbey now. I also want to thank
be much to do in spiritual contributions to the readjust-
Father Francis Hein of St. Louis who came out here by
ment of life, and a Benedictine house can surely do its
himself three years ago and has now returned to his
part in this.” In this, he was simply following the first
home community at St. Louis Priory.
line of the Rule of St. Benedict: “Listen carefully, my son, to the master’s instructions, and attend to them with the ear of your heart.” Certainly Father Hugh Di-
And I would be remiss if I did not mention that last summer we lost someone that many of you knew, Brother
summer Alumni BULLETIN 2020
PAGE 1
Francis, a modern man with a Ph.D. in Chemistry, who
our students. But we did not let that deter us from ad-
entered the monastery 30 years ago at age 50 after a
justing rapidly and providing an excellent educational
successful corporate career. He, too, decided to listen to
experience for our students. Credit for that goes to our
the ear of his heart, to seek first the kingdom of God.
extraordinary faculty. As I told them halfway through
Those of you who had him as students may remem-
the spring, “You’ve taken on something none of our
ber him frequently telling you that he loved you. All of
predecessors could even imagine, and you are doing it
your teachers love you, but most of us are afraid of say-
with grace and humor.”
ing it to your face. But he said it, and it is reported that one day a student finally said to him, “Brother Francis, you don’t even know us. How can you love us?” And Brother Francis replied, “That makes it easier.”
I mentioned to the faculty that when I first started here as a math teacher in 1984, Norman Marcoux pulled me aside and gave me advice that I have repeated to every new teacher whom I have hired. He told me that no
As I said at the beginning of this essay, these were the
one really knows during the first year of teaching in
kind of thoughts I was sharing when I was “still” travel-
a boarding school whether it is right for you because
ing. Since March, nearly all of my travel has been end-
you have no time to really think about it as you are
less walking loops around a deserted campus. As I write
immersed in the 24/7 world of teaching, coaching, and
this, we intend to open with students back on campus
living in a House. But, he told me, when you are doing
in September, but almost certainly with a long list of
it for the second time in year two, you will start to real-
safety protocols and restrictions at the same time. Nev-
ize whether the life attracts you or repels you. My point
ertheless, the spring was valuable not only for the stu-
to our teachers was simply that our spring trimester
dents who were able to complete their school year dur-
was like being first-year teachers again, but if we have
ing distance learning, but also for the faculty who had a
more episodes of distance learning, we will be ready for
chance – like it or not – to be students again themselves!
it. And so September can’t come soon enough for us.
I think it is safe to say that none of us became teachers with the idea that we would not be in the same room as
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P ORTSM O U T H A BB E Y S C HO OL
in this issue
Stay Connected To keep up with general news and information about Portsmouth Abbey School, we encourage you to bookmark the www.portsmouthabbey.org website. Check our listing of upcoming alumni events here on campus and around the country, and find out more about Reunion and our Annual Golf Scholarship Tournament. If you would like to receive our e-newsletter, Musings, please make sure we have your email address (send to: info@portsmouthabbey.org). To submit class notes and photos (photos must be original high-resolution jpegs), please email to: classnotes@portsmouthabbey.org or mail to Portsmouth Abbey Office of Development and Alumni Affairs, 285 Cory’s Lane, Portsmouth, Rhode Island 02871.
Portsmouth Abbey’s Alumni Bulletin is published bi-annually for alumni, parents and friends by Portsmouth Abbey School, a Catholic Benedictine preparatory school for young men and women in Forms III-VI (grades 9-12) in Portsmouth, RI. If you have opinions or comments on the articles contained in our Bulletin, please email: communications@portsmouthabbey.org or write to the Office of Communications, Portsmouth Abbey School, 285 Cory’s Lane, Portsmouth, RI 02871. Please include your name and phone number. The editors reserve the right to edit articles for content, length, grammar, magazine style, and suitabilty to the mission of Portsmouth Abbey School.
New Regents
4
The Class of 2020
8
Homily for the Class of 2020 by the Very Rev. Michael Brunner, O.S.B.
10
At A Distance: How the Abbey successfully repositioned its curriculum to virtual learning, and why they hope never to do it again by Annie Sherman ’95
12
Portsmouth Abbey’s Virology Specialist Discusses COVID-19 by Annie Sherman ’95
15
Very Unexpected Ways by Director of College Counseling Corie McDermott-Fazzino
16
Alumni Profiles: Q &A with Dr. Robert Poirier ’90 Sarah Auer ’12 by Fletcher Bonin ’13
18 25
Haney Fellowship: Feeding the Most Vulnerable Nigerians by Udenna Nwuneli ’21
27
Portsmouth Institute for Faith and Culture: Letter from Executive Director Christopher Fisher
29
Philanthropy During a Pandemic by Matt Walter, Director of Development & Alumni Affairs
32
From the Office of Admission by Steve Pietraszek ’96
34
Parents’ Association: Letter from Co-chairs David and Mary Beth Lohuis P ’10 ’21
35
Winter Term Athletics 2019-20
36
In Memoriam:
40
Dom Francis Crowley, O.S.B.
Headmaster: Daniel McDonough
James F. Burke ’83
Director of Development: Matthew Walter
John S. Lackner ’72
Editor/Art Director: Kathy Heydt
William O. Melvin, Jr. ’55 W. Peter Miner ’48
Photography: Louis Walker, Marianne Lee, Bill Rakip, Kathy Heydt
John A. Walsh ’41
Individual photos found in alumni profiles have been supplied courtesy of the respective alumni.
Milestones: Necrology, Weddings, Births
46
Class Notes
50
VISIT OUR NEW SQUADLOCKER STORE Shop Online for all your Abbey Athletics Apparel, Spirit Wear and Accessories! Find the Store at portsmouthabbey.org in the Athletics Section. perFormance tees
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new regents ANNE-MARIE LAW P’19 ‘21 ‘24 Anne-Marie Law is the executive vice president, chief human experience officer of Alexion, responsible for human resources, patient advocacy, and digital & IT globally, with the goal of turning patient insights into innovative solutions and building world-class leadership and innovation capabilities across the organization to advance Alexion’s mission to be the No. 1 patient-centric rare disease company. In this role, she enables the organization to deliver meaningful, connected, and integrated patient and employee experiences. Upon joining Alexion, Anne-Marie spearheaded Alexion’s transition from a product to a customer-centric company and defined the cultural and technical capabilities necessary to deliver on that intent. She has guided the executive committee to make bold talent bets including a HQ move to Boston, investments in talent capabilities, and a profound focus on achieving growth ambitions through patient centricity accelerated by digital and new technologies. Anne-Marie brings more than 25 years of experience transforming global organizations by consistently driving exceptional business results and culture change. She has held various roles across healthcare, retail, and technology and has led complex teams including multi-national and cross-cultural workforces in many global locations. Anne-Marie is experienced at transforming organizations through a focus on people and she has applied this approach in various contexts including rapid business innovation, re-organizations, M&A, divestitures, turnarounds, spinoffs, new business and geographic expansion, and crises.
PAGE 4
Anne-Marie is passionate and experienced at designing ‘purpose-built’ organizations and building people functions dedicated to driving business agendas through customer connectivity. She is an advocate for the role people play in delivering competitive advantage and embedding human-centered design to drive organizational change. Anne-Marie is described as an inspirational leader and a change agent who ignites employees toward achieving a vision by personally connecting them with the strategy. She is dedicated to creating environments for people to live their purpose, belong, and perform work that is fulfilling, valuable and meaningful to each. She enjoys mentoring peers and leaders and is sought after as a trusted advisor across the company. She co-sponsors Alexion’s Purpose Driven Leadership Program and is invested in the success and growth of Alexion’s top leaders. Prior to joining Alexion, she served as chief human resources officer at Hyatt Hotels Corporation, where she was responsible for building the strategy to support 100k employees worldwide, designing talent systems to create leadership and customer connectivity capabilities. She previously served as executive vice president and head of human resources for Baxalta Incorporated, where she played a pivotal role in guiding Baxalta’s spin-off from Baxter and eventually Baxalta’s successful integration into Shire. Anne-Marie also lead the people function at McKesson Corporation, Specialty Health Division, was CHRO at VeriSign, held leadership roles at Xilinx, Inc and started her career at Marks & Spencer U.K limited. Anne-Marie was born and grew up in London and lived in various cities across the UK and Ireland before emigrating to the United States in 2004. She currently resides in Massachusetts with her husband, Michael, her three teenage children – John-Joe, Danny and Eloise – and her two rescue dogs. Anne-Marie received an undergraduate degree from Leicester University and a Personnel Management Diploma from the National College of Ireland.
P ORTSM O U T H A BB E Y S C HO OL
DEBRA FILOCOMA FALVEY P’18 ’20 Debra “Deb” Falvey grew up in Brooklyn, NY, and graduated from Fordham University summa cum laude with a degree in natural science before enrolling in SUNY Stony Brook’s School of Dental Medicine. She moved to the Boston area after dental school to pursue specialty training in pediatric dentistry at Children’s Hospital, where she served as chief resident. She went on to become a clinical Instructor at Children’s Hospital and an assistant professor in pediatric dentistry at Harvard School of Dental Medicine from 1990-1999. She has been on staff at Portsmouth Regional Hospital since 1995. In addition, Deb has been in private practice since 1990 and became a partner at Portsmouth Pediatric Dentistry in Portsmouth, NH, in 1996. It is the largest pediatric dental practice in the Seacoast area, and has grown to include six dentists at three locations, including Plaistow and Exeter, NH. Deb and her husband, Chris, have been committed volunteers to the Abbey, most recently serving as chairs of the Parents’ Association for the past three years. They have also been generous supporters of the School, supporting both the Annual Fund and the Science Building as well as the Portsmouth Institute. Outside of her work, Deb has served on the St. Augustine School Advisory Board since 2008, where she served as chair for four years, and presently is an emeritus member. She also sits on the St. Augustine School Finance Committee, and has been a member of the St. Augustine Parish Council. Deb and Chris chaired the fundraising committee for the parish school gymnasium and are currently their parish Catholic Appeal coordinators for the Archdiocese of Boston. Deb and Chris live in Plaistow, NH with their two children, both graduates of the Abbey, Mary Beth ’18 and Ted ’20.
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new regents BR. SIXTUS ROSLEVICH, O.S.B. Br. Sixtus Roslevich is a monk of St. Louis Abbey who moved to Portsmouth Abbey in July 2019 as part of the English Benedictine Congregational support team, in particular to serve as the Director of Oblates. In the 15 years since he entered the St. Louis community on April 1, 2005, he views his life from a missionary standpoint and, after living in Tuscany and Rome for a year, has worked with Benedictine communities in Zimbabwe at the Monastery of Christ the Word (2008 & 2016), and with the Manquehue Apostolic Movement in Santiago, Chile (four visits). In his pre-monastic life he was an adjunct professor for 29 years in both the Conservatory of Theatre Arts and the Film Department at Webster University in St. Louis; a production designer for theatre, opera, film & television; and a two-term member of the Board of Directors of the St. Louis Black Repertory Company. Born and raised in northeastern Pennsylvania and a proud graduate of The Pennsylvania State University, Br. Sixtus is happy to be living, for the time being, back in the Eastern Time Zone, near the ocean, on beautiful Aquidneck Island.
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P ORTSM O U T H A BB E Y S C HO OL
FELIPE A. VICINI ’79 P’09 ‘12 ‘19 Felipe’s involvement with the School as an alumnus spans several decades. He and his wife Liza chose to send all three of their children to the Abbey, Felipe ’09, Juan ’12, and Lisa ’19, and have hosted admissions and alumni receptions in the Dominican Republic for years. Most recently, they have supported such projects as the Church of St. Gregory the Great restoration, St. Brigid’s House, St. Martin’s House, and the new Science Building, all while providing ongoing support of the Annual Fund. Of the opportunity to serve on the Board of Regents, Felipe said, “I am glad to have been asked to join the Board of Regents. It is an honor. With the 100th anniversary of the school fast approaching, I hope I will be able to contribute in helping the school plan for the next 100 years.”
Felipe Vicini comes from a large extended family that has sent three generations of Ravens to the Abbey, starting with his uncle Felipe in the Class of 1952 and extending to his youngest child Lisa in the Class of 2019, along with several cousins. Following his graduation from the Abbey in 1979, Felipe matriculated at Northwestern University where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications and graduated in 1983. When asked about his time at the Abbey, Felipe remarked: “Having been a member one of the last classes to include Second Formers (remember those?) and as an international student, people ask if there any regrets ‘leaving home’ and for FIVE years. My answer: ‘Not at all.’ I would not change anything. My goal back then as a student at an American school in the DR was to go to a college in the US. What better preparation for that than the Abbey?”
Felipe is the Managing Partner of INICIA, a private asset management firm that operates through partnerships with unique managers focused on the Northern Latin American Region to capture long-term value for investors, clients, partners and associates. Outside of his work, Felipe is a strong supporter of baseball in the Dominican Republic, having served as president and current board member of the Escogido Baseball Club, one of the six professional teams in the Dominican Winter Baseball League, which is affiliated with Major League Baseball. He is also the founder and president of Creando Sueños Olimpicos (CRESO), a non-profit organization, which invests in the education and training of high-performance Dominican Olympic athletes. His involvement in the Olympic Movement includes membership in two commissions of the Central American and Caribbean Sports Organization (CACSO/ODECABE), as well as serving as a delegate representing the Dominican Republic Olympic Committee in meetings of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC). He is a member of the BARNA Management School Board of Trustees, as well as other NGOs in the Dominican Republic. In addition, Felipe serves on various boards of Dominican based companies. Felipe also has a strong interest in the film industry and has been a producer and director.
summer Alumni BULLETIN 2020
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THE CLASS OF 2020 Eloise Rudolph Abbate
Theodore Joseph Falvey
Christina Miller
Emma Grace Alexander
Thomas Vincent Filippone
Namugenze N. Mpemba
David John Appleton
Caitlyn Elizabeth Foley
Luke John O’Reilly
Zachary Samuel Bartley
Mauricio GarcĂa Gojon
Nkem Julia Ogbuefi
Teresa Ahn-Heejin Billings
Gavin Michael Gibbons
Melissa Minseo Oh
Paynton Hartfiel Black
Margaret McEwan Gillespie Girard
Victor Kent Otero
Alberto Boggio
Gregory R. Guyon
Kaitlin Maria Pacheco
Cecilia Grace Bohan
John Owen Habib
Jenna Nicole Palmer
Rafael Belizario Borromeo
Alexis Grace Handy
John David Perik
John T. Boudreau
Shane Patrick Hoey
Joshua Plumb
Nathaniel Baird Bredin
Camille Joyce Holley
Ivana Rasch Chinchilla
Ashley Comstock Breyer
Lily Dianne Hovasse
Delaney Leighton Rauch
Owen Roderik Brine
Luke Rogers Humphrey
Diana Margaret Reno
Aidan Kennedy Brown
Nicole Senechal Huyer
Cortez Jesus Sanchez
Adrian Alexander Castellanos
Ian Wood Jackson
Catalina Seoane-Pampin
Rodolfo Castillo
Jamarya Love Jackson
Ruoyan Shang
Cristian Castillo Saravia
Siwan Leia Jang
Meihui (Jessica) Shi
Joshua J. H. Chen
Hyun Jun (Ryan) Jo
Dean Michael Simeone
Crystal Grace Chojnowski
Claire Yeonkyeong Jung
Sean Joseph Smith
Simona Maria Christian
Emma Riley Kerr
Shayna Marie Sousa
Alyssa Grace Civiello
Madelynn Elizabeth Knudson
Annie Isabelle Augustine St. George
Patrick James Conlan
Luke Charles Kuyper
Sarabeth Marie Surber
Harrison David Connelly
Samuel McMahon Kuyper
Ryan Quinn Tarmey
Steven J. Crabtree
Nathaniel X. Landers
Anthony Thomas Vallone
William Francis Crowley
Ethan Merrill Leviss
Mathilde B. Wadson
Danny De Oleo Peguero Jr.
Jade Faye Liang
Matthew Thomas Walter
Meagan Nicole Dennis
Alexandra Roueche Lippke
Zihao (Alex) Wei
Tessa Noelle Dennis
Matthew Nicholas Liuzza
Christopher James Zaiser
Holly Rose Diomede
Blake Lord
Isabella Deidre Zangari
Katherine Sinead Driscoll
Mackenzie Rose Macomber
BaiCheng Zhao
Peter Viktorovich Dwyer
Elizabeth Marion McBreen
Jingkai Zheng
Laila Ann Fahmy
Daniel Ladaga McKenna
PAGE 8
P ORTSM O U T H A BB E Y S C HO OL
DESTINATIONS The celebration of the Class of 2020 took place on Sunday, May 24, the original date planned for Commencement.
American University
School of Art Institute of Chicago
Babson College
Sewanee:
Boston University (7)
The day began with a live-streamed Mass for the graduates, followed by a prerecorded video message from Headmaster Dan McDonough and individual callouts from each student’s advisor. The video also included recorded greetings from several alumni, including Charlie Day ‘94, and ended with the traditional Sixth-Form slide show.
Bucknell University (2)
Headmaster Dan McDonough explained why the Commencement and Prize Day ceremonies were postponed, rather than held virtually. “In our conversations with the members of the Class of 2020, it was clear that they were eager to reschedule their Commencement Weekend for a time when they could come back to campus for a live ceremony. When classes adjourned for spring break on March 5 – pre-lockdown for the country – the School had not yet reached the decision to transition to distance learning. Our students had anticipated returning to campus, so they missed the opportunity to say goodbye to their teachers, coaches, classmates, and friends with whom they had lived, worked and thrived for almost four years. Our original thought was to reschedule for August as our students were heading to college, but it became clear too many restrictions would still be in place to allow that. The weekend planned for June 11-13, 2021, will be a wonderful opportunity for the class to reunite, celebrate together, bid farewell to their classmates and thank their teachers. We look forward to seeing the Class of 2020 all back on campus then.”
Connecticut College (3)
View a gallery of graduate profiles as well as the celebration video and Mass on the School website (https://www.portsmouthabbey.org/learn/schoollife/celebratingtheclassof2020).
Providence College (3)
summer
Catholic University of America (2) Colby College Colgate University College of the Holy Cross (2) Colorado School of Mines Cornell University Dartmouth College Davidson College Emmanuel College - Boston Fairfield University Fordham University George Washington University (2) Grove City College Harvard College Howard University Johns Hopkins University (3) Kenyon College Lindenwood University Loyola University New Orleans Marist College Naval Academy Northeastern University (2) Pace University-New York Purdue University-Main Campus Rhode Island College (2) Salve Regina University
The University of the South (2) Smith College Southern Methodist University (3) St. John’s University Stonehill College (2) Syracuse University Trinity College (2) UNED-Madrid United States Merchant Marine Academy (2) University of Houston – Clear Lake University College Dublin University of Cincinnati-Main Campus University of Georgia University of Illinois at Chicago University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign University of Michigan-Ann Arbor University of Notre Dame(2) University of Pennsylvania (2) University of Rhode Island (3) University of San Diego University of San Francisco University of South Carolina--Columbia University of Southern California University of St. Andrews University of Virginia Villanova University Washington University in St. Louis Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Alumni BULLETIN 2020
PAGE 9
Prior Administrator Very Rev. Michael G. Brunner’s graduation homily from the celebration Mass, Sunday, May 24: Today we celebrate the graduation of our class of 2020, in a very different way than any of us planned or wanted.
There was Philip (from the same town as Peter and Andrew,) also a follower of John the Baptist, who then roped in Bartholomew, and introduced him to Jesus. And there was Matthew, a despised extorting tax collector who cooperated with the Romans.
The Book of Ecclesiastes says: “Consider the work of God. Who can make straight what God has made crooked? On a good day enjoy good things, and on an evil day consider: Both the one and the other God has made, so that no one may find the least fault with him.”
There was Thomas, the skeptic. There was another James (also a cousin of Jesus) son of Alphaeus, and Judas the son of James, not the Judas the apostle who turned against Jesus. And finally Simon the Zealot, a devout pharisee and Jewish nationalist.
God knows better than we do what is best, and can bring good out of what we only see as bad. God loves to surprise us, and perhaps today is a day of surprises.
In the Gospel today Jesus says about these Apostles in his prayer: I will no longer be in the world, but they are in the world.
The first reading today names Jesus’s prized students, his apostles, and speaks about them right after their graduation, as it were… Jesus’s Ascension. That was the moment Jesus their teacher left them so they could put into practice what he taught them. They weren’t promising material to start with. There were two clusters of them….fishermen from Galilee and followers of John the Baptist, also from Galilee, which was where Jesus was from. Galilee was not where the beautiful people were from; it was not known for scholars; it did not have tier 1 rabbinical schools; it did not even have tier five rabbinical schools. It and its people were rather like the way we used to view Appalachia in this country. There was Andrew, brother of a fisherman and a follower of John the Baptist; he was perhaps the first to recognize who Jesus was, and he roped in his brother Peter, a married man who owned Know that this his own fishing boat.
Today you graduates too are going out into the world, a different world than the one you have known here, a world in which you will have more freedom and responsibility …and more opportunity... to build upon what you have learned in your time here. It would be sad if you have not now become different from what and how you were when you first came here. Those apostles had changed from when they began, but on the first days when they were left on their own, they were hesitant and frightened. Jesus knew that they would be, so he told them to wait. In a short ten days they were overcome by the Holy Spirit and they became men on a mission and they changed the world.
family, this Abbey family, your family, is always here for you.
There was James and his younger brother, John, from a family of some means but still sons of a fisherman and who worked on his boat; they were first cousins of Jesus; Jesus called them sons of thunder; they were loud, precocious, ambitious and their mother thought them very special. They too were followers of John the Baptist who left to follow Jesus for a while and then went back to fishing, before suddenly giving it all up and suddenly quitting their jobs and their father on the boat.
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How have you changed and how will you change the world? We hope that while you were here with us at Portsmouth Abbey you came to better understand yourself, your best self and the God-ness within you, but most importantly, we hope you encountered that primary face of God – the One, The Only, The Holy, and Totally Other, the perfect community of persons – The Father, Son & Holy Spirit, whom we worship here this morning. That God is the mirror in which we see and find our best selves.
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We truly hope and pray you will meet and recognize a new face of God in a loving community at the college or university to which you will now be going. Now the Gospel of St. Mark says of the liberated Apostles, “they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.” Today you are going forth, out into new & separate parts of this country & the world, and you will carry signs of what you stand for. I hope you will take to the places you go and to the people you meet all that you have learned here. And you have learned more than you realize, as you shall soon see for yourselves. If you truly learned how to form and be a community, you have learned something truly important. Such unity & harmony does not come easy to people. After just a few years of college, our time, the time of this world will be truly your time. In the letter he wrote to the Church, St Peter tells us, “Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear.” The world desperately needs you to explain your hope and the reason for it. The world desperately needs you and your gifts; It needs you to grow them and produce fruit in larger fields. As you have shared your gifts with us, and we have shared our gifts with you, share the gifts each of you has for the needs of the world that Jesus came to save. The world needs the gift of your faith, your witness to the eternal truth of Gods love, because the world needs true love more than anything else. And faith in that love is the best possible witness, because the world you are going into has little regard for what cannot be proven or demonstrated by science or that cannot serve utilitarian principles; and you cannot prove love or God in laboratories or test tubes. The greatest commandment is to love God with your whole being, and to love your neighbor as yourself, because your neighbor is the image of God. The world needs good, loving neighbors. The world needs you to confirm the word of God’s love in your lives. The world needs your gifts in the sciences & the humanities, because science & the world are always in danger of and from inhumanity. The world needs your courage. There’s a very good reason that the nations of the world use young men and women to fight in their wars; it is because you have courage, strong hearts. To paraphrase
a sound bite from General Patton, the world needs you not to give up your life for a cause but to live your life for a reason, beyond yourself. That takes real courage. That’s the reason that the apostles were relatively young, some very young… because they found the best reason to live and love for, and yes even die for. A love that is not worth defending unto death when and if necessary is not a love worth living for. The world needs your dreams and visions, because the dreams that individual talented men and women pursue are the dreams that come true, and become a reality for everyone.
A love that is not worth defending unto death when and if necessary is not a love worth living for. The world needs your dreams and visions, because the dreams that individual talented men and women pursue are the dreams that come true, and become a reality for everyone. Now your time is coming, as you enter college, to focus sharply your sights on your dreams, dreams which you will spend your lives in bringing to reality. I hope you find that the seeds of those dreams were planted or at least watered here at Portsmouth Abbey. May what you have learned and experienced here at Portsmouth Abbey School guide and protect you for the rest of your lives. Know that this family, this Abbey family, your family, is always here for you. So like those Apostles turned loose into the world, be men and women full of hope. There will be good days and bad days, good times and hard times. It’s hard to hope sometimes: when, by all measurable means, things are falling apart; when human logic tempts us to give up and say, “Forget about it.” We need what gave Jesus himself strength, hope and confidence. In a word... we need the Holy Spirit. Jesus made a promise to his Apostles that he would not leave us orphans, struggling on our own, but that he would send us an advocate, the Holy Spirit. It is a promise he kept. So it’s good advice for all of us, young and old… be men and women full of hope.
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How the Abbey successfully repositioned its curriculum to virtual learning, and why they hope never to do it again By Annie Sherman ’95 The waterfront campus in Portsmouth was still for the first time in months. Students had abandoned their Houses, classrooms sat silent of instruction, athletics fields and the Stillman Dining Hall were bare. This was the immediate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic that wreaked havoc across the world this past spring, emptying schools while filling hospitals. At Portsmouth Abbey School, most students left campus for March break as if they would return in a few weeks, leaving behind clothes, textbooks and laptops. They stayed home, of course, and for the rest of the semester, campus remained devoid of the academic, athletic, social, and spiritual activities that make it a home for hundreds of students, faculty and monks during the school year. But teaching and learning continued, as teachers and administrators quickly changed tack to create a distance learning program that resembled their in-person curriculum, and that their global student body could absorb. Zoom meetings replaced classrooms, digital reading and homework supplanted physical books, and virtual conversa-
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tions superseded personal connections. Though computers make poor substitute teachers and Zoom fatigue became a surprising new challenge, the sense of what they all accomplished is mighty tangible. “In order to make this whole thing work, we needed buyin. We needed them to trust that we were going to work together to bring this online in a very short timeframe, that we would be supportive and available, and we would guide our students to port,” says Dean of Faculty Kale Zelden. Adds Assistant Headmaster for Academics Nick Micheletti, “and there were times when we had to patiently figure out what worked and didn’t work, but everyone – teachers and students – worked together and made the most out of a bad situation.” Nick, Kale and the faculty needed to ask many existential questions to get liftoff. Do they try to fit as much of their typical term’s worth of material into the virtual medium, or do they take it very slowly and simply and be grateful that
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they get anything done? How much work is too much? The answers were a happy medium, and what they got up and running seemingly overnight was unlike anything they have done in their professional careers, they say.
a scavenger hunt to prepare for the Advanced Placement exam. She also deployed problems to solve on the school’s digital Learning Management System (LMS) where each class posted tools and assignments.
“In the best of executions, we didn’t believe our program could be delivered without our students on campus. But we heard they were happy with what we delivered in the context of its necessity,” Micheletti says. “The necessity nevertheless remained…. How do we teach our classes? How do we keep the students connected? How do we all support each other through a very difficult time?”
“I was excited to see the students’ level of interest and participation. Several groups emailed me regularly asking questions, and I was especially impressed with the beautiful 50-page report that one of my groups submitted,” she says. “Distance learning was an adjustment, but I was glad to find a way to reach my students through video labs, activities, and one-on-one meetings in conference periods.”
Assistant Headmaster for Operations John Perreira led an ad-hoc committee that established the synchronous schedule, with twice weekly virtual classes from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. eastern time, plus supplemental asynchronous work, like office hours, advisory meetings and homework, all on Zoom. Bisecting the week with Wednesday off allowed students and teachers to recover from the fatigue of heightened computer use, and within a few weeks, they were in a groove.
The essence of one subject taught and learned virtually is different from another, however, so while teachers employed varying techniques, so did students. Though most of her teachers had scanned books like The Great Gatsby or Latin III for digital reading, rising Sixth-Form student Lucia McLaughlin of Alaska read them on a Kindle, while reading her math and chemistry books via digital PDF that teachers shared on LMS.
“So many things about our usual routine made little sense in a virtual setting, so this was the best possible stretch of time for students spanning the globe,” Micheletti says, “though our Asian students went nocturnal, the Californians became early birds, Europeans had it easy, and the Alaskans (my heroes!) may never speak to me again.” Each department head shaped his or her own adjusted coursework and followed their established curriculi as best they could. Many teachers scanned entire textbooks because students had left theirs on campus, while offering algebra tutorials to empty rooms. Science teacher Mitchell Green ’11 filmed himself completing a biology lab or lecturing on difficult material and shared the video for students to watch as homework. The following class, they discussed it and students completed worksheets in small groups on Zoom. This allowed them to work at their own pace rather than being subject to the pace of others, he explains, which might be too fast to understand or too slow to maintain focus. Chemistry and statistics teacher Susan McCarthy got creative to engage her students, assigning chemistry students
“With English, Latin, and American History, we’re writing papers, reading classic novels and taking online quizzes, but using PDFs of my math book was complicated because it was pictures of concepts. Math is my hardest subject anyway, and I am a hands-on learner, so doing it virtually was a challenge because Zoom can be chaotic. I couldn’t brainstorm with classmates, and there was no blackboard to do problems,” McLaughlin says. “A surprising positive take-away is that I learned a lot through Khan Academy videos and quizzes my math teacher assigned. Although they were time-consuming, we could take a quiz as many times as needed to get a perfect score, which forced me to keep trying until I fully understood the concept.” Doing all of this while sharing space with seven siblings and waking up for a 5 a.m. class was a unique obstacle for McLaughlin and her sister Caroline, Class of ’23, whose four-hour time difference posed logistical challenges that East Coast students didn’t face. Though she said she is normally productive in loud places, she is accustomed to a private room on campus or the library for undisturbed study time. When taking quizzes or tests online in her family home, she didn’t have that automatic quiet space, and there were so many more distractions as younger sib-
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Dr. and Mrs. Bonin’s advisory group in April
ing the inflections in their voices needed to be emphasized. While the face time wasn’t perfect, the firm commitment to synchronous learning proved instrumental to students and adults, she says.
lings wanted to bake or play outside. “I feel like I work pretty hard, but I called my advisor the fourth day because I felt like I was slacking off already, and I was worried about my grades. During quarantine I became a person who needed more quiet time to get work done, because I forgot what it was like at home with so many temptations,” she says. “But I scheduled teacher conferences, figured out a routine, and did pretty much the same grade-wise, so I’m happy with that.” Those virtual performance indicators looked different too. Though the administration opted for a graded term versus pass/fail, which McLaughlin says some students wanted, Micheletti says grades ultimately were on par with what they would have been in a traditional setting. And given the distractions, added stress and quick adjustments everyone made, he says he’s all the more impressed with the outcome. “The biggest surprise for me was the students, as I knew our teachers would always pull off the impossible,” Micheletti says. “I didn’t doubt students’ abilities, but I kept thinking to myself, ‘If I were a senior in high school and the world snatched away my final months with my friends, and in exchange there would be distance learning, I would revolt. If I were a freshman and they told me that I didn’t have to go to school and I could just feign effort over the internet while spending hours playing video games, I would have done it.’” On the surface, distance learning seemed like it would be easier than the rigorous daily schedule on campus, says Assistant Headmaster for Student Life Paula Walter, but she found it to be much harder, more time consuming and slightly overwhelming. Combing through mountains of information and daily webinars, she noticed that the need for connectedness became so apparent, that the joy in talking with someone in person, in seeing their faces and hear-
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“Technology, willingness, faith, ability to adapt… All of these things were needed, to be sure. And colleagues needed to be willing to do a little extra at the end of the day. After they had already spent hours on Zoom, and set aside time to meet with a student who was in a time zone 12 hours ahead, and figured out how to grade and guide and mentor in the virtual classroom, and check in with the spring sports team they were coaching, they needed to put on their advisor hats or their houseparent hats,” Walter says. “All of this while juggling the new challenges the pandemic was forcing upon them in their own lives.” Walter focused on fostering a sense of connectedness despite the distance, highlighting the Class of 2020 through a series of nine celebratory videos, which she says didn’t scratch the surface of a traditional Sixth-Form spring, “but we tried to remind them on a near-daily basis that they were cherished,” she says. Overall, successes and failures seemed to equal each other out. The biggest successes were that students continued to learn, teachers pushed out of their comfort zones, and all found ways to foster their usual community interaction in a virtual setting. “By the end, we all figured out how to make do with a distance-learning format. But I don’t think anyone would choose it. We all learned some new tricks and were able to continue our academic program. My students and I found that we could get into deep conversations in a Zoom meeting, which weren’t quite as natural as being together in person, but they were stimulating nonetheless,” Nick Micheletti says. Adds Kale Zelden, “If anything, this has made me miss my classroom and my students. We can’t wait to get back to the real thing.” Annie Sherman ’95 works as a freelance writer in Newport, R.I.
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PORTSMOUTH ABBEY’S VIROLOGY SPECIALIST DISCUSSES COVID-19
By Annie Sherman ‘95 Dr. Steve Zins was following news from Wuhan, China, where COVID–19 originated, on Day 1. A specialist in virology, teaching a course in infectious disease, Zins immediately incorporated discussion of the novel coronavirus into the classroom on January 9, three weeks before the World Health Organization declared it a “public health emergency of international concern.” “It was in the news, on Twitter, and we put it into context,” Zins says of the pandemic. “The beauty of this course is that it’s timely and there was no shortage of content to discuss. So, we devoted the entire spring term to COVID–19.” This was the first year the course was offered, and Zins saw a huge opportunity. Introducing infectious diseases at–large, as well as tools to talk about them, he broadly discussed viruses like Ebola and SARS, then was intending to integrate bacteria and parasites during the term, until a unique collision of public health and world history dropped in his lap. Of course, he pivoted to cover current events as they happened. Students devoured it. Though Zins dictated the coursework, students brought in news articles, asking ‘Can we talk about this, can we talk about that?’ and demanded more discussion about whatever drove their curiosity, he says. Once they realized they had an agency in what they could learn, it kept them interested outside the classroom. “They felt like rockstars (with the pandemic). Everyone was learning about it, and they knew how to talk about it,” Zins says. “I was amazed at how calm they were, when everybody else was panicked. They learned about the virus, how it was transmitted, how to deal with it if it came here. The information they learned calmed them; they wanted to learn more as it kept going.” Teaching high school students about parasites, viruses, immunology and vaccines could be daunting on the best days, when there isn’t a global public health crisis changing the curriculum every week. But Zins and his students took it in stride, using it to fuel, rather than extinguish, their conversations. “COVID-19 can be a pretty tiring topic to discuss every day, so I incorporated topics like malaria and the microbiome for a break from what was going on with COVID-19,” he says. “Instead of a textbook, I assigned them popular books about immunology and infectious disease for a lay audience. They read a chunk for that week and then we went over it, and let it develop into a free-flowing conversation. That’s what they loved most. They
were the drivers of everything. ‘Here’s what I love about this reading, here’s what I hated...’ We hardly ever left early — they loved to talk about it.” Being engaged citizens was a valuable lesson that went beyond the literal and virtual classrooms, he says. Learning the importance of science communication and where to find and interpret relevant and accurate intelligence is a life-long pursuit. But he says science is full of uncertainty, and at its best, new information changes the story daily — it’s not a failure of the scientific enterprise or someone lying. It’s the normal process of progress, an imprecise evolution of data, and students must learn to negotiate that independently, practicing precision and humility in their academic and personal lives. “If more intelligence comes in and scientists aren’t changing their minds, that’s a problem. Being wrong and failing happens in science all the time. It should happen,” he says. “Hopefully through that disagreement it gets the truth out. It’s incredible to watch it play out.” As an expert in viruses with a Ph.D. in pathobiology from Brown University, this science department head has a rare position from which to view this pandemic and teach its warnings. Remembering the world’s response to similar viruses, SARS in 2002 and MERS in 2012, Zins hopes we can learn lessons for testing and vaccination so that when this happens again, it will be better. A 2007 paper that he showed his students explained this coronavirus will happen again. “It was reputable and (our leaders) didn’t follow it. It laid out why it will be coronavirus, what was developed from SARS and MERS, and a platform to start with in the future,” he says. “We didn’t start out from scratch with this coronavirus. We just didn’t carry all the lessons to completion. “The positive side is that faith gives us a firm foundation to rely on when things in the world don’t make sense,” he adds. “It humbles us and makes us realize that we aren’t in control. My faith dictates who IS in control — God.”
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by Director of College Counseling Corie McDermott-Fazzino We feed the birds. I’m sure our cars would be cleaner if we didn’t – the feeder hangs ten feet away from our driveway – but we enjoy it too much to care. The ritual of it marks the rhythm of the seasons and gives our son, Wyatt, an opportunity to learn about nature.
Very Unexpected Ways
In the winter, our yard rivals a National Geographic avian documentary. Chickadees flit here-and-there. Woodpeckers (we host three different species) squabble over suet and squawk angrily when I loiter too close while buckling Wyatt into his car seat. The surrounding overgrown yews house at least three cardinal pairs (Crazy fact: One male cardinal has a bald head after surviving being pinned by a hawk against our kitchen window…which I witnessed, mouth agape, while on the phone with a college representative.) The greater landscape surrounding our house might appear dormant in February, but our massive American Linden tree is alive with activity. During the summer months, bugs and worms replace our feeder food – but our yard is no less busy. Chirping starts around 3:45 AM, and it is loud. Like, so loud that for the first year living in the house, it would wake me, regularly. In mid-May we hang the hummingbird feeder so the ruby-throats have nectar awaiting them after their long flight from Mexico. While tiny, hummingbirds have big personalities. They prefer Domino sugar water – and snub all other mixtures. They are territorial and aggressive, often chasing each other and colliding in mid-flight. They are also particular about feeder maintenance: it must be cleaned and changed often. It took us two years to establish a ruby-throat population– but these days, our feeder usually buzzes with activity. What does this have to do with college? I’m getting there. On May 10th, with Wyatt at my heels repeatedly asking “what’s that?”, I hung up our hummingbird feeder for the season. “Just wait,” I told him as he watched me struggle with the feeder clip. “Hummingbirds. They’re so cool.” “So cool,” Wyatt echoed as he wandered away toward his toys.
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After one week of waiting, and pointing it out to Wyatt each time we returned from an estuary outing, we hadn’t seen any activity. Hummers can be slow to reacquaint with a feeder. But the hummers also drank 36 ounces of nectar per week last summer. Surely, they would remember those good times and return. One morning during breakfast I saw a large bird awkwardly dangling from the hummer feeder, the wrong bird. An oriole! I knew they were nectar drinkers, too, so I wasn’t surprised; but I also wasn’t expecting it. I leaned out of the open window to scare him away. “What’s that?” Wyatt asked, concerned by my outburst. “An oriole,” I said. “It’s the wrong bird. It’s a big bird.” “Big Bird?” Wyatt asked. It’s amazing how often Sesame Street characters worm their way into our everyday conversation. Four days later, we still hadn’t seen any hummingbirds. And then, once again during breakfast while Wyatt alternated between eating and smashing blueberries, I saw yet another all-too-big bird at the feeder: a red-bellied woodpecker. What is he doing there? Evolution designed his beak to drill bark for bugs. This isn’t normal. “Hey, shoo!” I yelled leaning out the door. “Shoo!” Wyatt echoed, finding my reaction hilarious. At this point, I was worried. Summer was nearly upon us, and we had yet to see a hummingbird. I spent countless mornings chasing away other birds– a rather odd twist given our religious birdfeeder maintenance during the winter months. The woodpecker was particularly insistent and ingenious: during one of his many visits, he removed and discarded a nectar cover to give him better access. I doubted finicky ruby-throats with a sugar preference would frequent a feeder occupied and sullied by other birds. This was not what I was planning for or expecting. School – and its infinite Zoom sessions – started to wind down. I graded final papers. I juggled work and Wyatt care with my husband. I washed the feeder and replaced the nectar weekly. The sun finally started to feel warm during our family walks. One day, while holed up in the backroom of our house plowing through a final Zoom marathon, I happened to look outside at the hummer feeder – and there it was! A ruby-throat. I hadn’t changed
the nectar since the last other bird visited that morning. The formerly finicky ruby-throat adapted to these odd circumstances. His desire to survive won out. COVID-19 (this spring’s woodpecker) changed everything about the college process. It up-ended the re-decision process for Sixth Formers still choosing between college offers: it moved re-visit days into virtual spaces; reframed how colleges deployed waitlists; pushed back deposit deadlines; disrupted family financial stability; reframed questions of feasibility and safety. Fifth Formers engaging in the early stages of the college process have had to manage seismic shifts in policy and practice. This new reality (which is still fluid) ushered in massive changes in how we conceptualize access to higher education. It has demanded that we all discard our expectations and adapt. Despite all of this change, I do hope that what lies beyond the admission process stays intact. Sure, higher education has had its woes over the years, and these days call for innovation. But, at its best, college invites students to explore and take good risks while surrounded by resources and experts. It’s both an individual odyssey and an intense community experience, all at once. If we have to adapt – and we will – I hope the university educational model retains certain core principles. Before the Class of 2020 graduated, the Office of College Counseling asked a few short survey questions about matriculation plans and program experience, including a question about COVID-19’s effect on the college process. The responses were wide-ranging, but one in particular caught my eye: “I know now that no college is perfect and that I will have a great time and get a great education where I am headed. Especially as we all go through COVID-19, I’ve realized that life comes together in very unexpected ways. The future is not entirely up to me.” These days I don’t chase away the oriole or the woodpecker or the sparrow because a charm of hummers frequent our feeder despite the disruption. Wyatt has yet to catch sight of a hummer – he’s a bit boisterous for birdwatching– but eventually, he will. And in the meantime, we are staying open to the unexpected possibility that an even stranger bird will find his way to our feeder.
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ALUMNI PROFILE
Robert F. Poirier Jr., M.D. ’90
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ALUMNUS PROFILE Providence Journal clipping courtesy of Carlene Ventura P ’91 ’93 ’99
IN HIS SIXTH-FORM YEAR AT PORTSMOUTH ABBEY,
Rob Poirier ’90 and classmates Matthew Milano ’90, David Barrett ’91 and John Ventura ’ 91 won the state Future Problem Solving Bowl. Their challenge: addressing the future problem of a new disease epidemic in the year 2020. The win qualified the team to compete in the national competition in St. Louis, MO. Today, Poirier is clinical chief of the Emergency Department (ED) at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, confronting COVID-19, a new virus that is the cause of a global pandemic. Truth, as they say, is stranger than fiction. Poirier recently spoke with the Office of Development & Alumni Affairs about that prophetic Future Problem Solving Bowl challenge, his experiences in the current pandemic, and the ways in which his time at the Abbey prepared him for a successful career in emergency medicine.
Q:
What do you remember about that 1990 Future Problem Solving Bowl challenge? Did you feel that a pandemic was possible or even imminent at that point?
A: I do not remember feeling at that time a pandemic was imminent. It wasn’t until I became involved in clinical research with antivirals that I realized the potential impact novel viruses could have on the world. I would love to see what solutions our team wrote 30 years ago to the problem we now face, but from what I remember, we modeled our solutions after some of the learnings from the 1918 influenza worldwide pandemic. We predicted technology would be significantly advanced in 30 years and beneficial to managing/controlling the new 2020 epidemic. I remember we focused on solutions concerning disease testing, scientific efforts to find cures/vaccines, isolation, quarantine, law enforcement powers, ethics, public education, public hygiene, national logistical and manufacturing coordination for supplies, supporting the economy, supporting public health and retraining unemployed workforce to help with containment efforts. We talked about computer tracking/tracing (computers were in their infancy still in 1990). We modeled potential solutions from learnings about what worked and did not work from the 1918 pandemic. The cycle goes around; we can learn a lot from history.
Q:
Did the competition experience spur your interest in the world of medicine?
A:
Since I was a young child, I have always asked a lot of questions. I have a curious mind by nature and an unrelenting inner drive to figure things out. I think it drove my parents nuts at times. We did not have Google back then, so I was told often to seek answers at the school or public library. Eventually we acquired a set of encyclopedias which I would often read. Joining the Future Problem Solving team at the Abbey just felt natural. In medicine there are unlimited questions to be asked and answered along with problems to solve. Early on in college at Georgetown I took a course to become an EMT and work for the campus, student-run volunteer ambulance group called GERMS (Georgetown Emergency Response Medical System). My work study job was in the hospital. Later I became an emergency department technician and secretary and student president of the GERMS organization. My interest in becoming a doctor began at the Abbey and resulted in my choosing pre-med at Georgetown. My passion to become a physician only strengthened through my college experiences.
Q:
What are your current responsibilities as clinical chief of Washington University’s Emergency Department?
A:
Within Emergency Medicine (EM), we have 56 EM residents (one of the largest EM residencies in the country); 80+ physician faculty; 40+ Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants; and 40+ administrative and research employees. This team serves a high-volume, high acuity inner-city Emergency Department seeing 90,000+ patients a year along with the St. Louis Children’s Hospital Emergency Department and two community Emergency Departments. Together, these operations serve 200,000+ patient encounters a year.
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ALUMNUS PROFILE – ROBERT POIRIER ’90
Additionally, I am the principal investigator on numerous research clinical trials evaluating new antibiotic and antiviral medication; I teach undergraduate, medical students, and residents regularly; and I serve as a Physician Advisor to executive teams at Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital.
Q:
After completing your medical degree, you decided to earn your MBA as well. What motivated that decision?
A:
Working in the Emergency Department of a large complex hospital, you soon realize there’s a lot that can be further optimized clinically, administratively, and operationally. As chief resident and later faculty here at Washington University/Barnes-Jewish Hospital, I was tasked with many projects to improve operations, teamwork, patient safety/quality, patient experience, and community outreach. I personally
day with COVID-19-like symptoms, although test shortages did not allow us to test everyone for COVID until the end of April. As ED physicians, we evaluate patients, performing lab tests and radiology diagnostics to determine if admission to the hospital is warranted. During the height of the COVID crisis, volume in our main ED dropped by about 30 percent. Similar and higher reductions in ED patient visit volume were seen throughout the country as most surgeries were stopped and patients were afraid to come to the hospital for care.
We completely revamped our ED operations to manage COVID-19 patients safely. COVID-19-suspected patients were seen in different areas of the ED, separate from patients with no COVID-19 symptoms. We analyzed what learned calming and was happening overseas and wellness techniques through prayer and Large, prestigious academic instituin hard hit areas like New York tions like Washington University are City and Washington State meditation; both are stabilizing in times complex organizations. Washingand quickly implemented of crisis and when quick decisions need to ton University and Barnes-Jewish new strategies to protect our Hospital function as two companies staff and patients. COVID-19 be made. The Abbey monks taught these working as one to serve a large and testing supplies and Personal valuable techniques to students who were diverse patient population here in Protective Equipment shortthe Midwest. Together, our instituages proved challenging. open to the concepts. tions are a $4+ billion-a-year nonEmergency physicians are profit operation. Teamwork and significant political navigaconsidered the “MacGyvers” in the medical field. We tion are crucial to execute on performance improvement were innovating with new processes and equipment daily and efficiency projects at the institution. to best handle patients who had the virus. Understanding the business side of medicine is vital to the success of our ED operations. I decided to pursue an MBA so I could improve my understanding and better speak the language of business needed to continue successful growth while also improving care for patients seeking emergency care.
Q: What has a typical day been like for you since the COVID-19 outbreak?
A:
A “normal” pre-COVID-19 day in our main ED would involve seeing average of 250 patients a day. We had our first test-proven COVID case around March 14th. A few days later, our ED was seeing 60 to 80 new patients every
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Our ED admitted 20-30 patients each day with serious COVID-19 symptoms to the hospital. At the height of our first viral wave, as many as five patients a day might require intubation because of severe respiratory failure. The intubation procedure (putting a breathing tube into a person’s airway and taking over breathing for them) aerosolizes the virus and poses the most danger to our medical staff, so we had to learn new ways to intubate patients safely while also protecting ourselves and staff caring for these very sick patients. In the beginning of May, we began to see slow reductions in patients with COVID-19-like symptoms. Reductions continued through May with only a few days of
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small, manageable spikes in cases after social distancing and stay-at-home orders were relaxed. COVID-19 case numbers stabilized further in June and as of June 11 were slowly going down again. We’re very proud that after almost three months of seeing COVID-19 patients, we did not have any spread of COVID-19 from patient to staff, staff to staff, or staff to patient. Protection measures we put in place for staff and patients are working!
Q:
When did your cases peak and where are you in the cycle today?
A:
related issues. We have introduced new stressors into society with stay-at-home orders, social distancing, and furloughs/layoffs. Tensions have continued to rise as some want to ignore the new social distancing rules while others want everyone to follow new guidelines to reduce viral spread. Tension from police issues along with a focus on longstanding racism has further increased societal stress.
Q: Have you felt fear during this uncertain time? A: I have not felt fear particularly but have felt worried for others and have been frustrated that we were not fully prepared to handle the coronavirus impact.
We experienced our first-round peak in St. Louis cases between April 10 and May 5. Our highest volume, most intense day was April 21. As of June 11, our COVID volume and census rested at half the peak and continued to decline slowly. Our non-COVID-19-related patient volume is returning, and we are now seeing an average of 220 patients coming through the ED each day.
My training and experience have prepared me to deal with situations like this in a calm, measured way. Portsmouth Abbey taught me how to solve problems, innovate, and think outside of the box. The Abbey instills a reverence for faith and all humans along with a respect for learning and order, teachings I have used throughout my career and try to teach to others.
We are seeing an uptick in visits for domestic violence, gun violence, behavioral and mental health issues, and suicide attempts along with drug/alcohol intoxication
Although the shared experience for community life has changed with social distancing, it should still be practiced to the best of our ability. I personally learned calming and wellness techniques through prayer and meditation; both
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are stabilizing in times of crisis and when quick decisions need to be made. The Abbey monks taught these valuable techniques to students who were open to the concepts. To be meditative, faith-filled, optimistic, persevering, and resilient is all a credit to my many teachers at Portsmouth Abbey, including Mr. Robert Sahms, my most significant mentor and role model at the Abbey. He was like a second father to me throughout my four years. He instilled in me a passion for science and using the scientific method to find answers to my many questions. These characteristics have been tested and fortified during my many life experiences throughout college, medical school, residency, and my career. Without the Abbey’s spiritual, leadership, and service focus, I do not believe I would be doing what I continue to do today. The Emergency Department where I work is always in a state of controlled chaos. We see and treat five-to-ten patients a day with gunshot wounds. We treat, support and connect to services five-to-ten patients a day suffering from heroin/opioid overdoses. Life and death hang in the balance almost every minute of the day. I absorbed much through the Benedictine experience at the Abbey and later through Jesuit teachings at George-
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town. Stay energized; treat others how you would want to be treated; BE HUMBLE; be a life-long learner; approach problems with openness and problem solve using logic, skills and all the tools you have acquired – all were seeds planted in me by the Abbey. Reverence, Respect, Responsibility: the mission of Portsmouth Abbey still rings true in my heart even though I graduated 30 years ago.
Q:
You’ve shared that at the Abbey you learned calm through prayer and that this helps ward off fear for you. Are you able to transfer that feeling of calm to your hospitalized patients who are fearful, and if so, how?
A:
Yes. I have used faith and prayer with patients and families when end of life has been reached or when there seems to be no hope. I routinely help patients and their families find inner peace, wellness, and calmness when very distressed by unexpected emergent conditions. Connecting to people through emoting that you care and have faith is helpful when guiding patients/families through grief and fear.
Q:
Do you feel you it is important to share this gift with young medical students and residents?
P ORTSM O U T H A BB E Y S C HO OL
ALUMNUS PROFILE – ROBERT POIRIER ’90
A:
Definitely. Practice is needed and you do not always get it perfect. But patients don’t want perfect, they just want to know they are being cared for and others care about them.
Q:
How do you teach medical students and residents to have hope?
A:
Q: Any insight into a possible recurrence of the virus in the fall of 2020 and can you offer any advice for prevention?
A:
I cannot be exactly sure what things will look like going forward, but as stay-at-home orders expire and restrictions for social gatherings loosen, we will likely see some rebound in COVID-19 numbers. We still have a lot to learn from this novel virus. I think we will get a bit of a break from high viral prevalence in the warmer months of summer and fall but once it gets cold again late fall/early winter, I do believe we will see another significant spike in cases. I would not be surprised to see a need for stay-athome orders and more strict social distancing once again during our seasonal winter viral season in the U.S.
Incorporating physical, mental, and spiritual wellness techniques into physician education provides healthcare workers with the tools to prevent burnout, build resilience, reduce compassion fatigue, and maintain passion for the profession. Faith and hope run together. Teaching student physicians to have faith in themselves, in their profession, in their colleagues, in community, in people, in their religion (if they have one), and in life are all keys to internal well-being and The Emergency Department hope. The Abbey taught me that.
In terms of prevention and limiting spread, we should all be washing where I work our hands often and wearing masks is always in a state of controlled chaos. when in public and not able to socially distance. We should avoid How has your faith served We see and treat five-to-ten patients a day touching our face, mouth, and nose. you during this pandemic? with gunshot wounds. We treat, support We should avoid large crowds and In all the ways mentioned gatherings until we have identified and connect to services five-to-ten patients above as well as in practical a successful protective vaccine and a day suffering from heroin/opioid overways now available to me. Prayer further enhanced our COVID-19 is highly correlated with mindtreatment measures. Everyone doses. Life and death hang in the balance fulness. Mindfulness is crucial should seek evaluation and possible almost every minute of the day. during times like these. I have treatment when feeling symptomatic missed seeing and hearing the with fever and shortness of breath. Abbey Masses over the years. Being able to watch reThose feeling symptomatic can seek out testing that corded vespers and holy Masses at the Abbey’s Church should be more readily and widely available soon. Selfof St. Gregory the Great is a source of inspiration and quarantine to prevent the spread to others will be impormindfulness. tant. Contact tracing and notification play a valuable role in limiting spread. We will beat this virus, but it is going Although socially distanced in this COVID-19 time, we to be a marathon over the next couple of years, not a few have learned ways to become more connected through months’ sprint over a finish line. Zoom, Teams, and other technologies, making it easy to
Q: A:
connect our past and present. Many messages of inspiration and hope are out there in our new world. Technology and COVID-19 have shown us we can access these messages whenever we need to and want to. I recommend fellow Alumni go to https://portsmouthabbeymonastery. org/ and experience once again the spiritual wellness and mindfulness of the Abbey Mass with its special Benedictine hymns and chants.
Q:
The term “the new normal” is now ubiquitous. What do you see as the new normal, and what do you think will be the most challenging adjustments we will all have in our lives?
A:
The “new normal” will not be so normal for many of us…at least for a while. We are going to be dealing with COVID-19 in one way or another for the next several
summer Alumni BULLETIN 2020
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ALUMNUS PROFILE – ROBERT POIRIER ’90
years. Naturally, we all want to go back to what we considered “normal” pre-COVID-19, but there is significant community risk if we do not take precautions that reduce the spread of the virus, at least until we find a successful vaccine that reduces morbidity and mortality among the most vulnerable of our society. Benefits must ultimately outweigh any risks. Prevalence of the virus in our communities will wax and wane over the next few years. We must all do our part to prevent the healthcare system from becoming overwhelmed by surges that occur. This means we must enact reasonable measures to slow the spread, the practice known as flattening the curve. Some in our community, such as the elderly and those with multiple chronic medical problems, will be more heavily impacted by the virus. Consistent social distancing, which we must perform to the best of our ability when virus is in our community, will be a challenge. More challenging will be stay-at-home orders that may continue to come and go based on the toll the virus is taking in our local community at any one point in time. If we follow the ten hallmarks of Benedictine education, along with its core values, we as a society will do well. Using technology will help us remain connected during these times where social distancing is required for the common good. Perceived loss of some freedoms we had pre-COVID-19 will challenge many. With discipline, humility, and innovation we will learn to overcome these challenges. We will eventually get used to wearing masks when around others and it is not possible to remain socially distanced. We will get used to having our temperature checked often and undergoing testing when feeling sick with potential COVID symptoms. Despite our best efforts, we are not going to stop the continual spread of the virus long-term; we will only slow it, thus giving us time to adapt. When and if we get sick with COVID-19, we will need to quarantine ourselves to limit spread to others. Making sure we have capacity to provide the best medical care to all those who suffer ill effects from the virus is the goal. Fortunately, it appears the young are minimally impacted by the virus. Severe illness from COVID-19 fortunately is rare among this group in the population, but not zero percent.
PAGE 24
Humans are innovators by nature; we will find new ways to live life to the fullest in this new COVID-19 age. We will survive this crisis and it will eventually pass. Ultimately, we will come out of this stronger and more knowledgeable.
Q: A:
Any final thoughts to offer our Raven community?
I encourage people to take holistic care of themselves, with a focus on your physical, mental, and spiritual health and wellbeing. When feeling physically ill, do not be afraid to seek medical attention. There are many avenues through which to do this now. Telehealth will become more common and accessible. Call 911 if experiencing any acute emergency. I have seen some who waited too long to seek care throughout this crisis and now have permanent disability; some ended up dying. Healthcare settings have established preventative strategies to make seeking evaluation and care safe during this new COVID-19 era. Exercising, lowering stress levels, and eating well balanced, nutritious meals strengthens your immune system. It is OK to cheat and splurge now and then, but not too often. With respect to your mental health, you should immerse yourself in something you feel passionate about. Go back to arts, music, literature, and hobbies you may have given up previously. Find things that make you happy and offer a mental break from the regular stress of the day. Spiritual health plays a HUGE role in your overall wellness and can have a significant impact on how you approach/perceive things. Prayer, faith, and meditation are crucial to your spiritual health but also provide significant benefit to your physical and mental wellness. It is all connected, just as we were taught at the Abbey.
Q:
Any advice for students seeking to get the most out of their Portsmouth Abbey experience?
A:
Try to learn just as much from your teachers outside of class – mentors, coaches, house-parents, Abbey employees, and fellow students – as you do within the classroom. Try anything and everything you might have an interest in; you may not get another opportunity in the future. Be OK with failure and remember to fail forward, not backwards. Take time to discover and find out what your passions are in life. The Abbey is the perfect place to experiment.
P ORTSM O U T H A BB E Y S C HO OL
ALUMNI PROFILE ALUMNA PROFILE – SARAH AUER ’12
Sarah Auer ’12
the more spectacular routes for a CDC-encouraged social distance walk. Trekking about campus, one might encounter the delightfully impassioned chatter of Mr. Micheletti engaged in a fervent discussion with one of his knee-high children. Taking out the trash is no longer the mundane nightly chore it used to be, but rather an opportunity for a pleasant dumpster-side chat with Mr. Calisto. And even though much of our time is spent indoors, my family has discovered a veritable menagerie right in our front yard - cardinals, turkeys, chipmunks, squirrels, a recalcitrant gopher, woodpeckers, a skunk, and of course the chickens from Señor Guerenabarrena’s coop that occasionally meander across our shared driveway. (Insider tip: if you’d like to see Dr. Bonin’s face alight with an expression approaching childlike giddiness, you need only ask him how many species of birds he’s seen on his daily bird-walk.) The point is that in the age of COVID-19, every human interaction (from six feet apart, of course) is a welcome one.
by Fletcher Bonin ’13
Despite the uncertainty and fear that governs much of the
Affixed to the wall next to the door in my parents’ house is
present, the Abbey campus remains a stunning outcrop-
an abrupt metal bar with short hooks extending from the bot-
ping of Aquidneck Island peopled with friendly individuals,
tom. Several limp masks dangle off of these hooks. Some
a fact not to be overlooked when so many people are suf-
are faded tie-dye colors while others bear small print images
fering. Fortunately, not all Portsmouth Abbey alumni come
like crossed oars or colorful lettering. These patterns, like the
back to live with their parents. In fact, the school has pro-
pandemic-mask accent piece neatly centered on the wall,
duced many men and women who continue to exemplify
are distinguishable as the high-water mark of taste in the CO-
Reverence, Respect, and Responsibility well beyond their
VID-19 era.
graduation dates and into their careers.
The reason for my intimate familiarity with the wall-
One such alumna is Sarah Auer ’12. Having completed
mounted pandemic accoutrement in my parents’ home is
her Master of Public Health degree at the Rollins School
because I (like many Americans fortunate enough to do so)
of Public Health at Emory University in May, Sarah entered
have fled from the hazards of the country’s metropoli to in-
the workforce with a highly applicable skill set given the
stead ZOOM from the safety of the suburbs. This flight has
ubiquity of the pandemic. Unsurprisingly, the demand for
landed me back on Portsmouth Abbey’s campus, where my
public health professionals has never been higher. She
parents - Dr. and Mrs. Bonin - continue to live and teach.
quickly landed a job with the Council of State and Territorial
However, the pandemic has temporarily ended the stigma of
Epidemiologists, or CSTE, in Atlanta. In her new role, Sar-
the twenty-something male moving back in with his parents
ah is deeply involved in the nation’s coronavirus response.
(or at least that’s what I’ve been telling myself).
For the next year or so, she will be working on CSTE’s epi-
That said, there are far worse places to be trapped during a global pandemic than Portsmouth Abbey - especially in the summer. Like many others, we have discovered that the train tracks at the bottom of Cory’s Lane offer one of
demiology capacity assessment. Generally speaking, this assignment will entail a detailed examination of how effectively health departments across the country addressed the virus in their respective communities.
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ALUMNA PROFILE – SARAH AUER ’12
Of course, Sarah’s interest in public health predates the coro-
When asked if there was one piece of advice she might
navirus pandemic. She became interested in public health
impart to readers looking for guidance in the midst of this
after majoring in anthropology at Skidmore College. As an
pandemic, her answer is simple: “Wear a mask! The things
undergrad, Sarah took a course in medical anthropology
we can do to protect ourselves are really easy and really
and was intrigued by how societies deal with illness and dis-
cheap. It’s working in other countries, and that’s all you need
ease. She became especially interested in maternal and child
to know.” On this topic of personal responsibility, Sarah is
health, Sarah says, “because the United States fares pretty
emphatic. “Listen to scientists! Epidemiologists have existed
poorly on health outcomes for mothers and babies despite
for a long time, and COVID-19 should never be political.”
how ‘developed’ we are as a nation.” This burgeoning curiosity led her to the MPH program at Emory University. There she learned that there are a multitude of ways to contribute to public health, from evaluating ongoing programs to exploring the ways the environment impacts people’s health. As Sarah puts it, “my favorite saying about public health is that if we are doing our job right, the public barely knows it’s happening. I think that’s true now more than ever.”
Sarah reflects on a formative moment at the Abbey that influenced her current career and interests. Even before matriculating at Skidmore, Sarah foresaw a slightly different path from many of her fellow Class of 2012 graduates. In a move that she deems “unconventional,” she took a gap year before starting college, which “ultimately allowed me to graduate college in three years and get more public health experience before pursuing my MPH.” She credits Ms. Smith with
These aspects of public health work still excite Sarah, and
encouraging this decision. In her capacity as Sarah’s college
she is grateful that her new position with CSTE will allow her
counselor, “Ms. Smith supported this decision from the outset
to be involved in evaluation and research. Her “favorite part”
and never made me question taking a slightly different path
of working with public health data is “the ethical responsibility
from many of my peers. I think my gap year allowed me to
of doing something with that research.” The action-oriented
hone my interests before attending college and impacted the
nature of the field appeals to Sarah, as does the tangibility of
path I am on today.”
its societal benefits. As she states, public health has “always contributed to bettering the health of the population.” At its core and by its very nature, public health is “important work because it is making people’s lives better.”
I have little doubt that long after these days of mask wearing, compulsive hand sanitizing, and awkward fist bumps in lieu of handshakes are over, Sarah will still be addressing the public health needs of our country’s most vulnerable citizens.
While Sarah admits that the coronavirus is fascinating from a
When so much uncertainty has disrupted our daily lives, it is
public health perspective, she is more interested in the latent
comforting to know that people like Sarah are hard at work
crises that the pandemic has laid bare. For her, “the pandem-
addressing society’s most pressing concerns.
ic has served to further demonstrate deeper issues within our nation, like racism, that play out in people’s health outcomes. We cannot look at population health without understanding the circumstances and stressors that people live with every day.” Furthermore, “the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized that my work in maternal and child health (and public health, generally) must always be intersectional. The outcomes for COVID-19 are not the same across race and class and that is not a coincidence.” Sarah sees the lack of adequate funding for public health initiatives as a symptom of greater fissures in the American healthcare system, “which is disappointing because public health is paramount.”
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P ORTSM O U T H A BB E Y S C HO OL
Fletcher Bonin ’13 is a second-year master’s candidate in the Catholic University of America English Department where he also works in the Writing Center. After completing a BA in English Literature at Salve Regina University, he taught English to elementary students in Chiayi, Taiwan, and then worked at a TV studio in Manhattan. His literary interests include 19th-century American literature, authors of the diaspora, and creative writing.
HANEY FELLOWSHIP
Feeding the most vulnerable Nigerians The Haney Fellowship was established
These realities have persisted for many years, but
in 1998 by William “Bill” Haney, III
have been further worsened by the economic and health
‘80, in honor of his father, the late
shocks and food shortages related to the COVID-19
William Haney, Jr., who lived and
pandemic. This is where non-profit organizations like
worked at Portsmouth Abbey School
Lagos Food Bank come in. It was founded in 2015 by
from 1968 to 1991 as a chemistry
Mr. Michael A. Sunbola, motivated by his own child-
teacher, houseparent and golf coach.
hood experiences. As the third child in a family of five
This creative and generous fund was
children, his parents did not have a steady means of in-
established to provide Fifth Form
come. According to Michael, “most times, I ate one meal
students with a unique educational experience during the
per day, going to school on an empty stomach, and went
summer before their Sixth-Form year.
to bed regularly without food. We started fending for
Students submit proposals that include a statement of purpose, a description of the program that the applicant wishes to pursue, and a documented estimate of costs. Students focus their plans on a course of study or travel/work experience that significantly furthers an existing academic interest or allows for the pursuit of a specialized opportunity. Udenna Nwuneli ’21 applied for a Haney Fellowship early in his Fifth-Form year, before the world was set on edge by the global pandemic. His original plan to cover the Olympic Games in Japan was scrapped when
ourselves at a tender age selling nylon bags at a nearby market to get food. If we failed to make sales, we would stroll into a nearby farm to pick fruits that fell from the tree.” Even during holidays like Christmas, food was not readily available, and Michael and his siblings were compelled to depend on their neighbors. These experiences motivated Michael to devote his life to helping vulnerable people faced with food insecurity, especially mothers and children.
the games were postponed, so Udenna, intent on spending his summer engaged in a worthwhile endeavor, resubmitted a proposal to work with the Lagos Food Bank, an organization where he has volunteered since he was 13 years old. The following, written by Udenna for Business Day, a daily newspaper based in Lagos, is his account of his work with the Food Bank.
According to the United Nations, Nigeria has a poverty rate of 42.6%. Furthermore, the country ranks 93 out of 117 in the Global Hunger Index. The percentage of the population covered by Social Protection support is
Michael at an outreach event pre-COVID-19
only 5.2%. This means that many families struggle to
Operating in a megacity with millions of food-insecure
make ends meet, and the most vulnerable are faced with
people is not an easy feat; as a result, Lagos Food Bank
food insecurity and malnutrition, leading to many pre-
has carved out its niche. First, the nonprofit organiza-
mature deaths of children and the elderly.
tion attracts volunteers, individual and corporate part-
summer Alumni BULLETIN 2020
PAGE 27
HANEY FELLOWSHIP
“As someone who has volunteered with Lagos Food Bank on several occasions since I was thirteen, I have observed the organization’s commitment to transforming lives, and the unique benefits of volunteering to serve the most vulnerable.”
ners to support its vision. Then the team identifies and
outreach activities, changing its approach significantly
selects an underserved area that is in dire need of food
to ensure social distancing, mask distribution, and other
and contributions, prioritizing children from the ages of
health precautions.
5-16, vulnerable teenagers, widows and indigent adults over the age of 50 in these communities.
As someone who has volunteered with Lagos Food Bank on several occasions since I was thirteen, I have
Churches, police stations, and hospitals also lend a hand
observed the organization’s commitment to transforming
by providing Lagos Food Bank with useful insights into
lives, and the unique benefits of volunteering to serve the
which districts need the donations the most. The orga-
most vulnerable.
nization provides both perishable and non-perishable
While we all need to continue to support the Lagos Food Bank and other credible nonprofit organizations focused on feeding Nigerians, we ultimately must ensure that we work together to ensure that we reduce poverty in our country. This long-term intervention will ensure that more households have access to nutritious food, and more children do not go to bed hungry.
Volunteers carrying donated items for distribution during the COVID-19 pandemic.
food products like rice, garri, beans, noodles, beverages, spices, vegetable oil, and baby food. They also offer nonfood items like toothpaste, soap and toilet paper, and other essential products that we take for granted. This is all made possible because of the generous and consistent donations made by individuals and organizations. Since its founding in 2015, Lagos Food Bank has reached 86 communities, has 7,000 registered volunteers, and has impacted over a million beneficiaries. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization has experienced an outpouring of support from individuals and corporate funders and donors as well as volunteers, to feed more vulnerable people. It has also increased its
PAGE 28
– Udenna Nwuneli ’21 reprinted from Business Day, July 17, 2020
P ORTSM O U T H A BB E Y S C HO OL
EXPLORING CATHOLIC THOUGHT. RESTORING CHRISTIAN CULTURE.
A Benedictine center for the Catholic intellectual and contemplative life at Portsmouth Abbey and Saint Louis Abbey Learn more and join our mission at portsmouthinstitute.org summer Alumni BULLETIN 2020
PAGE 29
Dear Friends of the Portsmouth Institute, Amid the challenges our country has faced these past months, the Portsmouth Institute continues to be a sanctuary of hope, peace, and friendship for so many students, teachers, and lifelong learners who have made us part of their spiritual and intellectual lives. I’m humbled and grateful for the encouragement you’ve offered us. Thank you for your prayers, your support, and your willingness to help spread the word about our shared work. The Portsmouth Institute’s annual summer conference has become New England’s premier forum for the Catholic intellectual and contemplative life. You can imagine how difficult it was for us to not be able to gather in person this year. However, in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, we moved swiftly to take our summer conference online and offer intellectual and spiritual nourishment to people in need of hope and encouragement. The virtual summer conference occurred over two parts: In Part One, we released one on-demand video per day via email over the course of a week. In Part Two, we hosted small-group Zoom discussion sessions throughout the day on Saturday, June 20. Participants had the chance to engage in personal conversation with some of America’s leading Catholic voices, including Catholic University of America’s President John Garvey, spiritual writer Heather King, cultural commentator Sohrab Ahmari, and popular retreat leader, monk of Saint Louis Abbey, and Portsmouth Institute senior fellow Fr. Augustine Wetta, O.S.B. The summer conference was graciously sponsored by our friends at the Center for Catholic Studies at the University of St. Thomas, Thomas Aquinas College, Fellowship of Catholic University Students, Cluny Media, the Manquehue Apostolic Movement, Aquinas Institute: Catholic Campus Ministry at Princeton University, the Providence College Humanities Forum, the Grace J. Palmisano Center for Campus Ministry at Merrimack College, the Brown-RISD Catholic Community, Collegium Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture, and the Center for the Restoration of Christian Culture at Thomas More College of Liberal Arts. While we could not meet in person at the Abbey this year, our virtual summer conference offered an experience of conversation, contemplation, and (virtual) hospitality that some many have come to expect from the Portsmouth Institute. Of course, the summer conference is the tip of the iceberg for the Portsmouth Institute programming these days. In our initial response to the pandemic, we offered a virtual retreat in April, Crisis Converted: A Benedictine Guide to Hope, featuring Fr. Augustine Wetta, O.S.B. Over five days, viewers from around the world joined
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P ORTSM O U T H A BB E Y S C HO OL
Fr. Augustine’s virtual retreat to discover how five Benedictine disciplines – stability, obedience, conversion, silence, and death – offer opportunities for hope and spiritual growth. Portsmouth Abbey students gathered virtually over the course of the spring to participate in the Portsmouth Institute events. Students attended a Zoom film screening with Catholic filmmaker Charles Kinnane, director of The Human Experience, and logged on for a Zoom seminar on the intersection of faith and science with noted Catholic physicist Dr. Stephen Barr. We were also pleased to support the heroic efforts of student and parents who faithfully attended virtual lectio divina groups over Zoom throughout the spring. Over 900 registrants join for our co-sponsored webinar on Flannery O’Connor: Imagination, Solitude, and the Oddities of Life, hosted by the Collegium Institute at the University of Pennsylvania. The panel featured four distinguished thinkers, all women, who discussed their fascination with one of the greatest American female writers. We also joined forces with noted Princeton Theological Seminar professor Dr. Margarita Mooney and the Scala Foundation to co-sponsor a scholarly webinar featuring Dr. Carlo Lancellotti on the meaning of Benedictine education. Before COVID-19, the Portsmouth Institute hosted our second annual Catholicism and Culture Symposium at the University Club in Providence, Rhode Island. This year’s program, which addressed the topic “To Save the Church: Perspectives on Catholic Duty,” featured New York Times columnist Ross Douthat. Dr. Jeremy Wilkins from Boston College offered a response, and the event was and moderated by Dr. James Keating of Providence College. The event was co-sponsored by the Humanities Forum at Providence College. We were thrilled to see so many monks, faculty, parents, and alumni of Portsmouth Abbey School at the event, alongside Auxiliary Bishop Robert Evans and many clergy from the Diocese of Providence. The Institute also took students to a performance at the Boston Symphony Orchestra, sponsored a faculty panel of Pope Francis’s Laudato Si’, organized a winter stargazing party for students, and much, much more. Thank you for all you do to help the Portsmouth Institute flourish. As always, please let me know if you have suggestions to make the Portsmouth Institute even more effective. Best,
Christopher Fisher Executive Director Humanities Teacher cfisher@portsmouthabbey.org
summer Alumni BULLETIN 2020
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P H I L A N T H R O P Y D U R I N G A PA N D E M I C
The London Reception
Portsmouth Abbey School entered the 2019-20 school year with several lofty goals for development and alumni affairs. The first was to continue the School’s streak of consecutive record-setting Annual Funds which had been extended to six years following the 2018-19 campaign. The second aimed to close out the Securing Our Academic Future: Science in the 21st Century at Portsmouth Abbey campaign with a $1 million challenge. And the third involved expanding the School’s international outreach through travel to Central and South American and Europe while continuing domestic engagement through a series of regional and national receptions.
December 31. The School had just completed a successful trip to England in January for a reception hosted by Jose Vicini ’96 and his wife Elle at Annabel’s in London. This well-attended event complemented travel in Central and South America a few months earlier. By the grace of God, the year seemed to be going according to plan as Spring Break started in early March. Then coronavirus arrived and changed everything… almost! It did not change the spirit, fortitude, and generosity of the Abbey community in support of our singular institution.
With the world in lockdown by mid-March, the Office of Development and Alumni Affairs turned its focus to virtual and digital engagement of our community. Our second annual Giving Day, which had originally been scheduled for March 31st, was postponed to June. Receptions for Los Angeles, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Washington DC and Denver were held via Zoom. While virtual receptions were no replacement for gathering in person, we were grateful be able to connect with many of you around the country through this new digital platform. The Office of Development and Alumni Affairs also undertook making care and concern contact with as many of our alumni as possible either via email or by phone. Importantly, the School launched a new, From left, Ligia Vela’11, Elle Vicini, Jenny Singer’95, José Vicini’96 and Jay Yao’10 long-awaited Online Alumni Directory allow-
By February of 2020, the School was well on its way to accomplishing each of these goals. The $1 million challenge for the science building campaign had reached $836,688. The Annual Fund stood at a record high as of
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P ORTSM O U T H A BB E Y S C HO OL
OFFICE OF DEVELOPMENT & ALUMNI AFFAIRS
The Washington, D.C, Virtual Reception
ing alumni to connect with each other through multiple search criteria such as geographic location, profession, and employer. Through this platform, alumni can also update their contact information and review their own giving history. We are pleased to report that more than 500 alumni have already registered for this valuable resource and we invite all remaining alumni to access our worldwide network of Ravens by registering as well (see below). Philanthropy resumed in May with the focus shifting to Giving Day on June 16th and to the end of the fiscal year. Thanks to the incredible support of our community, our second annual Giving Day set new records for both donors and dollars at 660 and $475,619 respectively. This provided the impetus needed to end the school year on a fiscal high note with the Annual Fund not only making goal, but also setting a record for the seventh consecutive year and reaching an all-time high of $2,004,069.
mouth Abbey, THANK YOU! for coming together to prove that not even a once-in-a-generation pandemic can halt the philanthropy of our world-wide Abbey community. We celebrate you. We are grateful for your support. We are emboldened as ever to fulfill our mission of helping young men and women grow in knowledge and grace. And we look forward to working with you in the months and year ahead as we continue to engage in philanthropy during a pandemic.
On behalf of the Office of Development and Alumni Affairs and the students, faculty, staff, and monks of Ports-
THE ONLINE ALUMNI DIRECTORY IS READY!
All alumni have a username which was sent via email in April from Portsmouth Abbey School with the subject line, “The Alumni Directory is Ready.” Once you locate your username in the email, please follow the instructions below to create a password and log in. If you did not receive an email, please contact Database Administrator Stefanie Polgar at spolgar@portsmouthabbey.org or 401.643.1269.
• Visit my.portsmouthabbey.org.
• Type in your username.
• Select “Set my password/Forgot my password.”
• Type in the email address by which you received your username.
• Follow the instructions on creating your password.
• Log in at my.portsmouthabbey.org with your username and newly created password. •
Upon logging in, please be sure to update or confirm your personal information by clicking “My Profile” in the left-hand menu. You can choose which information you would like to make public or keep private.
summer Alumni BULLETIN 2020
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FROM THE OFFICE OF ADMISSION
It goes without saying that the year 2020 has been full of surprises. As an admissions office, one of the biggest days of the year is traditionally March 10th when acceptance letters arrive to new students. A huge part of the recruitment cycle takes place over the next month and usually culminates with our Closer Look or on-campus revisit programs for accepted students in late March. This year, I remember enclosing our invitations to these events in the acceptance package thinking “what if…” Well, by now we all know that the many “what ifs” happened. Our school community pivoted to on-line learning and our admissions recruitment had to do the same. Due to COVID-19, the re-recruitment process for accepted students went virtual. We hosted Zoom events for accepted students, in which they met with faculty members and current students. They followed a day in the life of our students on Instagram, and could tour campus in a stunning 360° tour (You can check out the virtual tour now on our website – www.portsmouthabbey.org/apply). At the end of it all, the people of Portsmouth Abbey – students, faculty, and parents – did a wonderful job helping our accepted students and their families understand the community, opportunities, and culture of the school from afar. The good news is that over 100 new students will join the Portsmouth Abbey School community in the fall! The Office of Admission recruited these students by travelling to over 90 events in 16 states and five countries during the
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fall of 2019. Our new students will bring a great deal to our community. They have diverse backgrounds, coming from 17 states and 11 countries. They have strong academic records and achievements, coming from some of the best public, parochial, independent, and junior boarding schools in the United States and beyond. Altogether, new students are enrolling from over 80 different middle and secondary schools. Their co-curricular pursuits in athletics, arts and community service are equally as impressive. As excited as the Office of Admission is about the new class of Ravens, we must turn our attention to recruiting the next class. Now more than ever, we need your help! Word of mouth is continuously our most valued referral source. In these uncertain times, we are confident that your family, friends, and coworkers will trust your input and opinion if they have a son or daughter considering boarding school. Please tell them about your experience with Portsmouth Abbey School and encourage them to reach out to the Office of Admission. We hope to be able to recruit as we did before COVID-19, but with so much uncertainty we are doing our best to plan for a variety of situations for our fall travel and campus visit season. If you would like to help with our recruitment efforts or have any questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at spietraszek@ portsmouthabbey.org. – Steve Pietraszek ’96, Director of Admission
P ORTSM O U T H A BB E Y S C HO OL
FROM THE OFFICE OF PARENT RELATIONS Summer 2020
Dear Abbey Parents, Above all, we hope that our first greeting to you as newly appointed Parents’ Association Chairs finds you and your loved ones safe and in good health. We are honored to serve in this role and grateful to you for your continued engagement. While our daughter Martha came to the Abbey as a new Fifth Former last September, we are actually returning parents of twins Ryan and Patrick, members of the Class of 2010. That said, we have not had an opportunity to meet many of you and look forward to that occasion when it is safe to do so. As our cherished students will be welcomed back to the Abbey in September, we will have much to consider as we adapt to new protocols amidst the complex, unprecedented challenges that are before us. We have great faith in our school leaders, faculty and staff, and monks who are all working tirelessly to assure the health and safety of our beloved community. The Abbey’s ongoing commitment to ensuring that our students are offered an unsurpassed education that nurtures the mind, body, and spirit will continually unify and enlighten all of us. As many of you know, the Parents’ Association’s newsletter, “Communitas,” arrives monthly via email, and we encourage you to read it for general campus updates and for updates specific to your student’s form. You will find information on academic, social, spiritual, and athletics and performing arts events for each of the upcoming months throughout the academic year. We have found this to be a terrific resource and a helpful roadmap for new parents. The Parents’ Association also welcomes all parents to volunteer and engage in school programs, initiatives and events. We always appreciate your thoughts and ideas. Your contributions allow better communication of our shared goals as parents and are critical to our efforts in support of the collective benefit of our children and our Abbey community. We also look forward to partnering with you during Parent Participation Month in October when the School asks our parent community to demonstrate its support through contributions to the Annual Fund.
Parents’ Association Chairs David and Mary Beth Lohuis, parents of Martha ’21 and Patrick and Ryan ’10
Sixth Form Chairs Anson and Marilyn Stookey, parents of Ella ’21 and John ’19
Fifth Form Chairs Brendan and Laurie Loftus, parents of Michael ’22, Eve ’19 and Joy ’16
Fourth Form Chairs Albert Dahlberg and Hilary Fagan, parents of Alexis ’23
We are looking forward to meeting you all when our children assemble again for the fall term. Please feel free to contact us or your Form Chairs with any questions, comments, ideas. Warmest regards, David and Mary Beth Lohuis P’10 ’10 ’21 Parents’ Association Chairs
Third Form Chairs – Frank and Rhonda Landers, parents of Regan ’24 and Nathaniel ’20
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ATHLETICS winter term athletics awards Boys’ Basketball Coach’s Award: Shane Hoey ’20 MIP: John Boudreau ’20 Captains-elect: Luke Fonts ’21, Joseph Parella ’21 Girls’ Basketball The Pfeffer Cup: Kate Driscoll ’20 MIP: Meghan Farnham ’21 Captains-elect: Meghan Farnham ’21, Julia Sisk ’21
Girls’ Squash Coach’s Award: Laila Fahmy ’20 MIP: Hannah Best ’22 Captains-elect: Hannah Best ’22, Lily Sones ’21, Wrestling Coach’s Award: Owen Brine ’20 MIP: Danny McKenna ’20 Captains-elect: Blake Rossiter ’22, Darrell Opoku-Kwateng ’22
Boys’ Ice Hockey The Andrew M. Hunt and Carol Meehan Hunt Boys and Girls Hockey Award: Will Crowley ’20, Dean Simeone ’20 MIP: Michael Patko ’23 Captains-elect: Markus Keller ’21, Alex Leef ’21, Aidan McAvoy ’21 Girls’ Ice Hockey The Andrew M. Hunt and Carol Meehan Hunt Boys and Girls Hockey Award: Lily Hovasse ’20 MIP: Claire Fink ’22 Captains-elect: Lillee Dougherty ’22, Avery Korzeniowski ’21, Lulu LePage ’21 *EIL Champions 3-2 over Berwick, Double OT Boys’ Squash Carlos Xavier Araujo ’96 Memorial Squash Award: Matthew Liuzza ’20 MIP: William Hurlbut ’23 Captains-elect: Flynn O’Connell ’22, Will Hurlbut ’23 *New England Class E Champions
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SHANE HOEY ’20
P ORTSM O U T H A BB E Y S C HO OL
WINTER TERM ATHLETICS 2019-20
KATE DRISCOLL ’20
junior varsity awards The Portsmouth Abbey Junior Varsity Award is given to the athlete who best demonstrates the spirit of Abbey Athletics. The award recognizes hard work, individual improvement, sportsmanship and a willingness to do what is best for the team. B JV A Basketball Award: Chris Dring ’21 Boys JV B Basketball Award: Truman Curtis ’23 Girls JV Basketball Award: Dami Opawumi ’23 G JV Squash Award: Isabel Altamirano ’22 B JV Squash Award: Peter Dwyer ’20 Coed JVB Squash (Boys) Award: Andrew Liu ’21 Coed JVB Squash (Girls) Award: Alexandra Bordelon ’22 Boys JV Ice Hockey Award: Nick Flanigan ’21 Girls JV Ice Hockey: Beau Fenley ’21 JV Wrestling: Blake Rossiter ’22
WILL CROWLEY ’20
DEAN SIMEONE ’20
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post-season individual and team awards Boys’ Basketball (EIL) All-League: Shane Hoey ’20 Luke Fonts ’21, Honorable Mention Girls’ Basketball (EIL) EIL All-League: Nicole Huyer ’20 Kate Driscoll ’20, Honorable Mention Girls’ Ice Hockey (EIL) EIL Champions All-League: Lily Hovasse ’20, Lulu Lepage ’21 Dani Longuemare ‘23, Honorable Mention: Jacque Martin ‘22, Bella DiReda ‘23
LILY HOVASSE ’20 LAILA FAHMY ’20
Boys’ Squash Class E New England Champions Girls’ Squash (EIL) All-League: Ashley Breyer ‘20 Laila Fahmy ‘20, Honorable Mention Wrestling (EIL) All-League: Owen Brine ’20, Third Place New England, Qualified Prep School National Tournament Kene Ogbuefi ’22 Danny McKenna ’20, Honorable Mention Garrett Roskelly ’23, Honorable Mention Mauricio Garcia Gojon ’20, Honorable Mention David Yuan ’23, Honorable Mention
MATT LIUZZA ’20
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BOYS’ VARSITY SQUASH - CLASS E NEW ENGLAND CHAMPIONS
P ORTSM O U T H A BB E Y S C HO OL
OWEN BRINE ’20
ASHLEY BREYER ’20
NICOLE HUYER ’20
Photography by: Louis Walker (www.louiswalkerphotography.com) and Bill Rakip
GIRLS’ VARSITY ICE HOCKEY – EIL CHAMPS
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IN MEMORIA M
“I am Brother Francis, Benedictine monk, teacher, environmentalist, scientist; this is my resumé. It explains who I am and what my background has been. I don’t know why, but some people think it is strange that someone with a science background could be a monk; I find both have fit very well together in my personal journey.”
DOM FRANCIS CROWLEY, O.S.B.
Dom Francis Crowley, OSB, a monk of Portsmouth Abbey, passed away August 14, 2019, after a brief illness, at Rhode Island Hospital, in the 79th year of his age and the 25th year of his monastic life. Born James E. Crowley in Providence, RI, to Daniel Crowley and Eleanor (Sauter) Crowley in 1940, he grew up in Providence and began his education at LaSalle Academy. He graduated in 1958 and attended Providence College, where he completed his undergraduate studies in chemistry. After earning his master’s degree at Brown University, James returned to Providence College, earning his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry in 1970. During his advanced studies he found joy as a teacher, holding positions at Cranston West and Moses Brown School and later at Roger Williams College and Rhode Island College. In 1970, he entered the private sector, and began a 20-year career with CIBA-GEIGY Corporation, from which he retired his position of Corporate Director of Environmental Technology in 1991. As a lay person, his life was divided into family and work. He was married for twenty five years and had two daughters: Lisa and Michaela. As Brother Francis was fond of saying, he entered the monastery a
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mere forty minutes after he retired on his last day of work. He made his solemn profession as Dom Francis Crowley, O.S.B., a monk of Portsmouth Abbey, in 1994. At Portsmouth, Brother Francis taught in the science and Christian doctrine departments, putting the young Third-Form students through the paces in conceptual physics. He reveled in teaching and said “the best part about being a teacher at Portsmouth Abbey is that I finally realized my job here is to simply love the students and let them share their joy of discovery of science with me.” He knew that this joy could only be experienced through the often painstaking adherence to the steps. Though this was frustrating for many, the students knew that he loved them. This was even more conceptual or foundational than the science. He would say audaciously, over and over again: I love you. For 15 years, Brother Francis also served as the community’s master of ceremonies, overseeing the liturgies and celebrants and altar servers with exacting precision and a keen eye for detail. He demanded much from his servers, but he was always quick with his sincere and joyous laud -- “terrrific” for a job well done. He said “I love the students like a grandparent; I love to see them come, and I love to see them go…and when they are away, I miss them.” A Mass of Christian Burial was held on Friday, August 23, 2019, at Portsmouth Abbey’s Church of St. Gregory the Great, with interment in the Portsmouth Abbey cemetery.
P ORTSM O U T H A BB E Y S C HO OL
IN MEMORIA M
JAMES. F. BURKE ’83 The Abbey can be proud of my brother James for representing the best of qualities that the School and the church has striven to impress upon the youth, especially today with so much drawing youth and adults away from the Godcentered traditions. Jim was my brother and while I certainly speak highly of him because of that, I truly believe he had profoundly important examples of character and virtue that should be spoken of and honored in future generations. He was a truly great man. He revered God and the family and our American Nation and the civilization the Church built. He was the son and grandson of devoutly Catholic mothers and traditions, and he grew up in a military family surrounded by these traditions, in historical Acton/Concord. James was a boy scout, an award-winning athelete in his youth, and he embarked on a life of education and shaping of his ethics and values, in which our dear mother and grandmother played key roles, as well as Portsmouth Abbey School. He graduated from the Tufts University, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and attended Leningrad University in the old Soviet Union. He became involved in intelligence work, playing key roles in several programs that helped to destroy the tyranny of Soviet communism and its threat to our world. He was fluent in Russian, and later Arabic and French, and worked in myriad intelligence-related think tanks. He met with dissidents in Latvia and played a role in their uprising against the Soviet system, once being interrogated by KGB.
Jim loved his golf! He actually taught me just last year the basics. He was a great golfer, and seemed to excel at all he set his heart and mind to. His love of history, and knowledge of it was profound. Most important to Jim though, was always family. He was the selfless son and brother who strove to live for God and Family in as exemplary life as possible, such as taking care of our mother and grandmother and me through many years; it took its toll on Jim. The financial industry as well is known for high degrees of stress and limited lifespans. I said at my brother’s funeral that God’s love is most beautifully expressed through the love of family. Jim’s love for us throughout his life, and literally to his last days certainly expressed this in ways that will forever bless my memories of him and I ask that others see Jim for the kind of man that has profoundly important lessons for us all and for generations to come. Jim always kept his Abbey patches, photos and yearbooks and always fondly recalled those years, and often donated to the school. Portsmouth Abbey played a very important role in the shaping of my brother’s life. I want to thank all of you at Portsmouth Abbey for being such a meaningful part of my brother’s life and thus our family’s life as well. I also thank the monks for the Mass in his name. It will all be remembered and spoken of with reverence in future generations, as I have a baby girl due in August. Jim had truly hoped one day to have children and he was truly happy to know that he was to be an uncle. I will always speak well of you all and teach my children of the important role you had in this life and how it was an important part of what made him the man he was and of course the traditions of the church. You may find it of interest that in honor of Jim’s lifelong Catholic faith and his defense of our nation and Western Christian Civilization, this past Christmas of 2019, our last together, I gave him a Knights Templar Sword with the Latin inscribed upon it’s blade: ”non nobis domine,non nobis sed nomimi tuo da glorium.”
Jim had a very interesting life, most of it unknown and “unsung.” He was never a boaster – always a quiet, thoughtful and moral man whose strength of character I have always looked up to in awe. He studied all his life, and could speed-read large volumes of texts that took most people weeks to comprehend, and Jim could do it in a day! And actually recall virtually all of it!
There is so much more that can be said, but I believe it must be seen in the larger context of God’s plan for us in this universe. On the first page of my brother’s “Last Words” he began:
In later years Jim became a key figure in the financial industry applying his genius of mind and background in intelligence into the capital markets intelligence field. It was this work that became his passion and was his way of defending our nation and our way of life from foreign interests seeking to undermine our country through financial manipulations.
“The guiding hand is real!
Thank you God, Mom, and Dad For my life
Defend America, for the love of God!”
Please remember him fondly, as do I, with love in your hearts and teach his example through time. He was truly a great man. And he was my brother and in whom I have known God’s love. God Bless James F. Burke. God Bless You All. – John Burke
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IN MEMORIA M
JOHN SKEEHAN LACKNER ’72 John Lackner died on June 8, 2020; he was 66 years old. John was the beloved son of Vincent F. and Margaret Skeehan Lackner of Sheraden, PA. He attended Holy Innocents Grade School and Sewickley Academy, and graduated from Portsmouth Abbey School in 1972. John enjoyed meeting people and made friends easily. He was multi-talented and became an expert in many fields on his own. A gifted athlete, John pitched a Little League no-hitter and had a triple play at the age of eight. In high school, he starred in basketball and soccer. As a junior, he was named to the all-New England basketball team. In July 1971, he traveled with the Rhode Island High School Select team that played teams in England and Scotland. His team won the International Club Tournament in Edinburgh, Scotland, and he was the leading scorer in several of the games. With a raconteur’s tendency to enhance his stories, John came back from the trip to the UK talking about one player he had to guard and claimed that he was 7’6” and weighed 350 pounds. We did the normal adjustment and took off six inches and 50 pounds. It turns out that John understated his opponent’s size: he was actually 7’6-1/4” and all of 350 pounds, and held the record as the UK’s tallest man from 1967 through 2007. John’s cred within the family shot up from that day forward. For the rest of the 70s, John played lead guitar in the Walnut Band, a Grateful-Dead-inspired group popular in Boston and at colleges and nightclubs up and down the East coast. After the band broke up, he worked in construction on homes and highways and managed explosives in building tunnels in Pittsburgh. In yet another switch, he opened perfume shops in Shadyside, East Hampton (NY), and Denver, where he was adept at mixing natural oils to create custom scents for his clients. Ahead of the times, John then co-founded AMPS Wireless Data in Phoenix, a company that developed one of the first wireless credit card processing devices ever used, with particular focus on stadiums, taxicabs, golf courses, and airplanes. Some seven years later, he moved on to sell luxury cars in Phoenix and Los Angeles.
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John playing one of his Skeehan Custom Guitars. See a photo of John with his 1972 classmates at their reunion dinner on page 52.
Always quick to respond to people’s needs, John returned to Pittsburgh in 2010 to help care for his aging parents. He managed home repairs, built a wheelchair ramp off the front porch, installed a first-floor bathroom, expanded the vegetable garden, and became an inventive cook. During his last three years, he made some 50 Skeehan Custom Guitars, named after his grandfather. Each guitar was a work of art that impressed not only his friends and family but also big-band stars. See https://www.skeehancustomguitars.com to read John’s story in his own words. John was grateful for the opportunity to receive immunotherapy treatment that allowed him to extend his life for several years. He lost his long battle with lung cancer on Monday, June 8, 2020, and died at home in his sleep. The thoughts and prayers of the Portsmouth Abbey community go out to John and his family.
P ORTSM O U T H A BB E Y S C HO OL
IN MEMORIA M
WILLIAM O. MELVIN, JR. ’55 Bill Melvin of Vero Beach, FL, passed away March 27, 2020, at his home, surrounded by his loved ones. He was 83 years old. Bill grew up on the banks of the Hudson River in Ardsley on Hudson, NY. He was the eldest of six children of Eileen Monks Melvin and William Oscar Melvin. In his youth, he attended Immaculate Conception School in Irvington, NY. Bill continued his education at Portsmouth Abbey School, then Portsmouth Priory, graduating in 1955. He learned some of his most valuable skills, and life lessons during his time at Portsmouth and was forever thankful for his time spent there. A leader on and off the field, Bill was named all-state in football while at the Priory, and competed in both hockey and football while earning his degree at Brown University. He then joined the Army National Guard to do his part in serving his country in a time of war. This allowed him to live out a hidden passion for riding motorcycles in the deserts of southern Texas. Bill moved to Scarborough, NY, and spent his career in financial management. He honed his skills on Wall Street before starting his own firm, Acorn Derivatives Management Corporation, in White Plains, NY, where he managed some of the largest pension funds in the world until his retirement in 2010. In addition to his family and career, Bill’s greatest passion in life was the game of golf. Bill spent countless days perfecting his skills and walking the hills above the Hudson River at Sleepy Hollow Country Club where he was a member for over 50 years. In Vero Beach, FL, he was frequently found at The Moorings Yacht & Country Club or Riomar Country Club golf courses.
Both Bill and his wife, Ellen, were known for their generous philanthropic ventures. Bill served on the board of directors for Phelps Memorial Hospital in Sleepy Hollow, NY, for many years and started the Phelps Memorial Classic golf tournament in 2003, raising millions of dollars for the hospital. During the 9/11 crisis Bill and Ellen donated a hyperbaric chamber to Phelps, which helped save the lives of many burn victims and first responders. Bill also gave very generously to the School over his lifetime, culminating in a $1 million gift to the Science Building in honor of his favorite math teacher Dom Andrew Jenks to whom he gave much credit for his success in life. Bill will always be known as a true gentleman and chivalrous being. His undeniable fondness for witty humor and positivity about the world around him made him a joy to be with. He never shied away from showing his appreciation and affection toward those he loved. Bill is survived in death by his beloved wife, Ellen, with whom he spent 45 inseparable years. He is also survived by three of his four children. The Portsmouth Abbey community extends its sincerest condolences to and prayers for the Melvin family. As a result of Bill’s wonderful memories and deep affection for Portsmouth Abbey, the Melvin family has designated Portsmouth Abbey for memorial contributions in honor of Bill’s life and legacy. Your charitable contribution may either be mailed to Portsmouth Abbey School Office of Development and Alumni Affairs or may be made online at https:// www.portsmouthabbey.org/support/give. Kindly specify the gift to be made: In Memory of Mr. William O. Melvin ‘55.
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IN MEMORIA M
W. PETER MINER ’48
Peter Miner, a beloved acting teacher and esteemed director, passed away on March 26 after a brief illness. He was 90 years old. Peter grew up in and around show business. The son of television pioneer Worthington Miner and actress Frances Fuller, the father of former actor Peter Miner and actress Rachel Miner, as well as the cousin of television director Kirk Browning, he was a child actor who made his Broadway debut at age eight and was described by Joshua Logan as “the best child actor I ever saw.” A graduate of Georgetown School of Foreign Service, he earned a B.S. in Diplomatic and Consular Practice. Following a distinguished career in television, he dedicated himself to teaching at Columbia University’s Graduate Film School and T. Schreiber Studio. During his television career, he directed One Life to Live (awarded two Emmys and eight nominations); produced “Dark Shadows” and “Hey Cinderella” (featuring Jim Henson’s puppets); aired the first Marvel animated series, “Spider-Man”; directed and produced numerous short films, TV series and plays. Throughout his career, teaching and mentoring actors and directors was a passion and a calling. He joyfully dedicated his heartfelt focus to this role, developing a loving and talented following. His first wife, “Mimi” passed away in 1970. He is survived by his wife, Diane who partnered with him in teaching; children Peter, Caroline, Robert, James and Rachel; son-inlaw, Shaughan, daughters-in-law, Joan and Rosemary; grandchildren, Caila, Peter and Zachary and sister, Margaret. We pray for the repose of the soul of Peter and send heartfelt condolences from the Portsmouth Abbey community to the Miner family.
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P ORTSM O U T H A BB E Y S C HO OL
IN MEMORIA M
JOHN AMAND WALSH ’41
Rear Admiral John Amand Walsh, USN Retired, Portsmouth Abbey Class of 1941, died April 17, 2020 after a short illness from the COVID-19 virus. He was 96. Jack spent 33 years in the U.S. Navy, serving as an intelligence officer and a submarine commander.
ham, MA, for 37 years until Sheila’s death in 2015. Jack became very active in his adopted town, now the City of Framingham, serving on the Historical Society and other city organizations. He and his family enjoyed visits to the beloved vacation home at Birch Island, ME, where the family spent time fishing, sailing, mucking for clams on the tidal mudflats, and keeping busy with work that entailed no dire consequences.
Jack was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on January 3, 1924, the son of Captain John A. Walsh, USN and Odette Fautrat Walsh. He graduated from the Naval Academy in 1945. He served on the cruiser USS Columbus (CA-74) during the Second World War. As a young officer in 1949, Jack served aboard the USS Carp (SS-338) on an expedition that began the first attempts for submarines to navigate under the polar icecap. In 1954, he served as an assistant naval attache at the American Embassy in Rome, working for Ambassador Clare Boothe Luce. While in Italy, Jack assisted in discussions with Auguste Piccard, which lead to the Navy acquiring the bathyscaphe, Trieste. Jack was commanding officer first in 1959 on the diesel submarine, USS Entemedor (SS-340). On the USS Dace (SSN-607), a nuclear attack submarine, he supervised its construction and then commissioned the ship into the Navy as its first skipper. Later, he commanded the ballistic missile submarine, USS Thomas Jefferson (SSN618). In Charleston, SC, Jack served as Commodore of Submarine Squadron Four and was awarded the Legion of Merit Medal in 1972. Jack earned a masters degree in economics from the University of Maryland. As rear admiral, he served as assistant director of the National Security Agency and chief of staff of the Defense Intelligence Agency. Jack married Sheila Hardwick Keliher in 1948, moving on an average of every year-and-a-half while a navy family. After Jack’s retirement, they settled in Framing-
Jack with his Portsmouth Priory football team
Jack had a quiet, enduring, but complex faith, anchored in his Catholicism. He was strongly attracted to the ideas of Dom Aelred Graham, a former prior of the Portmouth monastery, as presented in his book, Zen Catholicism. Often while on shore duty, Jack would attend mass daily. Jack’s faith was a thread that tied God, country and family together. For Jack his faith provided a spiritual structure similar to the regime that his career in the navy had provided him. Jack is survived by his son, David (Class of 1968), his daughter, Keliher Eckhouse, and six grandchildren. His son, John Christopher (Class of 1970), passed away in 2018, having served for seven years as the representative from Framingham in the Massachusetts state legislature. Jack’s two nephews also attended Portsmouth, Michael Veysey (Class of 1962) and Peter Veysey (Class of 1970). Jack will be remembered by his family and friends with a deep sense of loss, combined with the knowledge that he lived a very full, active, and interesting life. He will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery along with his wife, Sheila. The Portsmouth Abbey community extends its prayers and deepest condolences to the Walsh family.
summer Alumni BULLETIN 2020
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MILESTONES
NECROLOGY
Lewis C. Arnow Father of Cornelius O. Arnow ’86 and Joseph D. Arnow ’89 May 7, 2020 Pamela K. Balow Wife of the late B. Hugh Tovar ’41 and stepmother of Gregory H. Tovar ’67, Peter Q. Tovar ’72, Christopher D. Tovar ’76, and James R. Tovar ’79 March 15, 2020 Dolores W. Billings Mother of Hilary J. Billings ’71 and Blake B. Billings ’77 and grandmother of Fenton Billings ’15, John M. Billings ’17, Lucia Billings ’18, and Teresa A. Billings ’20 June 27, 2020 Robert P. Blume Father of Charles E. Blume ’80 April 8, 2020 Julie Bradley Mother of Amelia Bradley Tracy ’10 March 28, 2020 James F. Burke ’83 April 30, 2020 Virginia C. Chafee Mother of former faculty member Lincoln D. Chafee and grandmother of Caleb D. Chafee ’12 March 21, 2020
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Beatrice I. Childs Wife of Rick Childs ’75, mother of Elizabeth B. Childs ’08, daughter-in-law of the late Daniel R. Childs ’53, sister-in-law of Hilary T. Childs ’86 and Donald A. Macdonald ’73, aunt of Alexandra Macdonald ’02, Margaret R. Macdonald ’06, and Ian D. Macdonald ’08 April 20, 2020 Vincent J. Cioffi Father of former faculty member Mary Jean McDonough, father-in-law of Headmaster Daniel McDonough, grandfather of Joseph D. McDonough ’02, Gretchen M. Addison ’04, Sr. Mary F. McDonough of the Word Incarnate, O.P. ’07, Felicity M. McDonough ’11, Sean V. McDonough ’14, and Diane G. McDonough ’19 June 28, 2020 Richard W. Collins ’47 Father of J. Timothy Collins ’79 and brother of the late Timothy S. Collins ’48 April 7, 2020 Paul M. Conaty ’76 Brother of J. Matthews Conaty ’69 November 28, 2019 Herbert D. Condie III ’56 Brother of Parker B. Condie ’58 February 8, 2020 Marian P. Congdon Mother of John P. Congdon ’59, Roger W. Congdon ’72, and Edward B. Congdon ’75 and grandmother of Robert G. Congdon ’91 February 24, 2020
Katherine K. Connolly Mother of John F. Connolly, Jr. ’75 and Peter E. Connolly ’79 December 31, 2019 Dom Francis Crowley, O.S.B Monk of Portsmouth Abbey August 14, 2019 Alexander Fakadej Grandfather of Aidan J. McAvoy ’21 April 24, 2020 Louis M. Franzoni ’50 March 21, 2020 Charles R. Greene Grandfather of Grace E. Medley ’11 and Nicholas G. Medley’13 May 28, 2020 Lawrence W. Hegarty Father of Neale W. Hegarty ’94 April 7, 2020 James P. Healey Portsmouth Abbey School staff member June 20, 2020 Cassandra V. Helms ’02 May 16, 2020 De’Von Hyman ’01 March 15, 2020 Janet E. Kinnane Mother of Paul Kinnane ’75 and Brendan C. Kinnane ’77, grandmother of John H. Kinnane ’03, Brendan L. Kinnane ‘07, Riley S. Kinnane ’11, Emmett P. Conway ’12 and Fiona E. Conway ‘15 March 2, 2020
P ORTSM O U T H A BB E Y S C HO OL
MILESTONES
John S. Lackner ’72 Brother of Vincent F. Lackner ’68 and David F. Lackner ’75 June 8, 2020
Thomas R. O’Hearn Father of Kaitlin E. O’Hearn ’07 and Kara R. O’Hearn ’09 March 6, 2020
Owen Lea McGowan ’62 Brother of the late Patrick J. McGowan ’62 September 2, 2019
Edward S. Polgar Grandfather of Parker T. Polgar ’22 and Sadie E. Polgar ’24 and father-in-law of Portsmouth Abbey School staff member Stefanie Polgar May 2, 2020
Patrick J. McGowan ’62 Brother of the late Owen Lea McGowan ’62 October 17, 2019
John B. Poor ’64 April 13, 2020
Maura Jo McMahon Sister of Conor L. McMahon ’04 May 29, 2020
Teresa M. Romano Mother of John M. Romano ’75 November 27, 2019
Jerome E. Melvin ’56 Brother of the late William O. Melvin ’55 June 12, 2020
John A. Ruvane Father of John A. Ruvane ’81 and grandfather of Patrick A. Ruvane ’14 March 1, 2020
William O. Melvin, Jr. ’55 March 27, 2020, W. Peter Miner ’48 March 26, 2020 Patricia Niles Stepmother of Hannah M. Niles ’13 February 1, 2020 Timothy W. Niles Father of Hannah M. Niles ’13 February 1, 2020 Ann McGuire Normann Mother of Rose E. Normann ’04, daughter of former faculty members Donald and Eileen McGuire, sister of Donald T. McGuire ’74 and James L.McGuire ’78, and aunt of Willa McCafferty ’05 and Philippa R. McCafferty ’09 June 13, 2020
Jeane Marie Sage Grandmother of Mya J. Magriby ’22 April 15, 2020 B. Joseph Semmes ’67 June 18, 2020 Martin F. Shea ’49 June 14, 2020 Michael K. Sheehan ’55 Brother of the late Peter C. Sheehan ’57 and the late Barry C. Sheehan ’59, stepbrother of the late John A. Healey ’54, Joseph G. Healey ’56 and Thomas J. Healey ’60, uncle of Jeremy Healey ’91 and Jonathan Oglesby ’94, and great-uncle of Virginia A. Hagerty ’19, John M. Healey ’21 and Rebecca Healey ’24 December 23, 2019
Edwin A. Spence ‘53 April 17, 2020 Lisa Sullivan Wife of Andrew J. Sullivan ’96 June 15, 2020 Francisco A. Urrutia ’67 Brother of the late Jorge Urrutia ’52 and Jaime Urrutia ’60 , grandfather of Miguel Garcia Urrutia ’21, uncle of Francisco J. Urrutia ’87, Manuel L. Urrutia ’90, Nicolas Urrutia ’98, and Carlos E. Balen Urrutia ’03, great-uncle of Mauricio Posada ’11, Luisa Posada ’13, and Laura Posada ’14 March 9, 2018 Jorge Urrutia ’52 Brother of Jaime Urrutia ’60 and the late Francisco A. Urrutia ’67, uncle of Francisco J. Urrutia ’87, Manuel L. Urrutia ’90, Nicolas Urrutia ’98, and Carlos E. Balen Urrutia ’03, great-uncle of Mauricio Posada ’11, Luisa Posada ’13, Laura Posada ’14, and Miguel Garcia Urrutia ’21 April 15, 2019 John A. Walsh ’41 Father of David A. Walsh ’68 and the late J. Christopher Walsh ’70 and uncle of Michael C. Veysey ’62 and Peter J. Veysey ’70 April 17, 2020 James J. Ward, Jr. Father of Patrick N. Ward ’81 January 30, 2020 Maureen F. Yazbak Mother of Eugene P. Yazbak ’78 and Philip A. Yazbak ’81 and aunt of Philip R. Levesque ‘83 November 10, 2019
summer Alumni BULLETIN 2020
PAGE 47
MILESTONES
WEDDINGS 1986 W. Kent Rudasill to Ann Brett July 4, 2020 2001 Joshua Whalen to Gabrielle Benoist June 20, 2020 2013 Ann M. Gallagher to James McGlone June 27, 2020 O’Callahan R. Taylor to Alexander B. Azer March 21, 2020
Kent Rudasill ’86 married Ann Brett on the Fourth of July.
Callie Taylor ’13 and Alexander Azer on their wedding day
Ann M. Gallagher’13 and James McGlone were wed in June
PAGE 48
P ORTSM O U T H A BB E Y S C HO OL
MILESTONES
George Terence Keating
BIRTHS 1996 A boy, Oliver John Pietraszek, to Beth and Steven Pietraszek April 3, 2020
Margaux Elizabeth Isom
2007 A girl, Caroline (Carly) May Cusak, to Christin O’Brien and Alex Cusak May 2, 2020 A boy, Alistair James Gralton McCune, to Caroline and Grady McCune February 9, 2020
Rhys Norton O’Higgins
1999 A boy, Rhys Norton O’Higgins, to Sarah and Sean O’Higgins March 9, 2020
Tucker Anthony Tischio with mom, Josie Adams, and dad, Traver Tischio ’07
A boy, Tucker Anthony Tischio, to Josie Adams and Traver Tischio June 25, 2020
2000 A boy, Andrew Joseph McMenamy, to John McMenamy and Stephanie Muylaert May 13, 2020 2001 A boy, Maxwell Wilson, to Allison and Scott Wilson May 28, 2020
A boy, Harrison Heuer Memoli, to Ryan and Helen Heuer Memoli on July 19, 2020 2009 Three boys, James Edmund, Chase Harrison, and Riley Justin Hobbins, to Jillian and Adam Hobbins February 24, 2020
Caroline (Carly) May Cusak
2010 A girl, Sophia Rose Marie Weeden, to Sheena and Charles Weeden February 23, 2020
2003 A girl, Anaiya Sophia Piekara, to Prita and Evan Piekara October 2, 2019 2005 A boy, George Terence Keating, to Brighid Catherine and Jack Keating December 13, 2020
Faculty/Staff A boy, Augustin Blais Lavallee, to Katie Blais and Marc Lavallee February 13, 2020
2006 Sophia Rose Marie Weeden
A girl, Margaux Elizabeth Isom, to Wesley Isom and Abigail DiPalma Isom May 6, 2020
Gus Lavallee
summer Alumni BULLETIN 2020
PAGE 49
CLASS NOTES
Jacques de Spoelberch’54 is still busily active as a literary agent as he enters his seventh decade in the world of book publishing.
48 I Father Christopher Davis was recently elected president for the coming year of the Resident Council at the Grand Islander Center in Middletown, RI. He said, “I consider it an honor and said so when asked to say a few words.” He also said he misses everyone at Portsmouth Abbey.
50 I 70th REUNION APRIL 30 – MAY 2, 2021 Fred Fisher had a nostalgic question for his class, “Dear Class of ’50, Does anyone remember the Barn, a small dormitory in 1946? I was one of the PPS students there starting in 1946 and now I view the total Abbey School with awe and miss the Barn.”
54 I Jacques de Spoelberch writes from CT, “Just checking in to wish my fellow alumni all the best at the mid summer point of these parlous times. The old corpus is falling apart these days, but that is only to be expected. My spirits remain excellent for the most part, and I’m still busily active as a literary agent as I enter my seventh decade in the world of book publishing. See my small website at www. jdesassociates.com if you’d like to see the projects I’ve mentored that will be out this year, and next. I have quite a few memories of my 4 years at the Priory (as it was called then) that remain as vivid as if they occurred yesterday, most of those both interesting and pleasant.”
58 I John Charlot enjoyed renewing contact with John Tepper Marlin and others during their anniversary year. Since their life’s work was
Left, middle: Chris Ogden ’62, on the left, and Mike Calhoun ’62 reunited on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, in 2020 and recreated their 1961 photo from the Priory football team (bottom).
PAGE 50
P ORTSM O U T H A BB E Y S C HO OL
CLASS NOTES
Red Cummings’63 and his wife, Paula, on a visit to the Cape of Good Hope.
Red Cummings’63 with Moe Cadley’63 and Moe’s wife, Cathy, following a performance in CT.
such a topic of interest, Charlot wanted
know that he was creating a monster. John
to provide two web addresses where his
continues to perform and record with his
writings can be found: johncharlot.me and
wife, Cathy, in The Cadleys, although the
jeancharlot.org. Comments and criticisms
pandemic has been particularly hard on mu-
are gratefully received.
sicians. There have been no public perfor-
Moe Cadley’63 continues to perform and record with his wife, Cathy, in The Cadleys
mances for three months and none in sight,
62 I
so he is writing more songs for a new CD
Mike Calhoun and Chris Ogden, who
and has to do what normal people do, like
played together on the glorious (but not
mow the lawn and take out the garbage. He
very successful) Raven (or Priory or Abbey)
wishes all his classmates the very best and
football teams of 1960 and 1961, recently
hopes to see them for the 60th Reunion in
re-connected on Kauai where Mike used to
2023.... John Lamenzo has a new website:
work and Chris has lived since 2018. They
www.heartsoundhealing.com. He encour-
marveled how each had scarcely changed
ages you to check it out and “Transform
in the intervening sixty years, but acknowl-
with the Song of Your Soul.”
edged a naysayer or two might conclude otherwise.
64 I Sam White wrote a book titled, Stanford
63 I
White in Detail. This new book about Sam’s
Red Cummings recently joined five-year
great-grandfather, the illustrious American
classmate John “Moe” Cadley and his wife,
architect Stanford White, will be published
Cathy, at a concert they gave in New Haven,
by Monacelli Press in September. “With
CT.... John “Moe” Cadley is still pound-
lots of delicious pictures and very little text,
ing away on that guitar of his, 61 years
it will make the perfect hostess present
after Regan Kerney ’64 lent him one and
for those of us lucky enough to be invited
showed him a few chords. Little did Regan
somewhere ever again.”
summer Alumni BULLETIN 2020
Sam White ’64’s new book titled, Stanford White in Detail, about his great-grandfather, the illustrious American architect Stanford White.
PAGE 51
CLASS NOTES
Right: Christopher Buckley’70’s latest book, Make Russia Great Again, is a political satire that hit bookshelves over the summer. Below middle: Members of the Class of 1972 at their reunion dinner, from left, Chris Banks, Doug Elliot, Peter Tovar, Jamie Wilson, and the late John Lackner. Read John’s In Memoriam on page 42. Bottom: Members of the Class of 1972 at the Abbot’s Reception in New York City in December 2019, from left, Paul Risko, Peter Tovar, Larry Cummings, Steve Cunningham, and Chris Banks.
70 I 50th REUNION APRIL 30 – MAY 2, 2021 Christopher Buckley’s newest book, Make Russia Great Again, is a political satire that hit bookshelves this summer. The New York Times Book Review writes, “Buckley is intelligent and ingenious and at times pitch-perfect.”... Jamie MacGuire’s new book, Out of Time: Surviving the Sixties is a memoir of an iconic decade set on Long Island, at a boarding school on Narragansett Bay, in San Francisco, Washington, at Woodstock and Minnesota Outward Bound. The story chronicles a coming of age filled with uncertainty, intensity, increasing violence, and the search for drugs, sex, rock ‘n roll, and God. Jamie encourages, “Please consider buying it, and, if you like it, recommending it to others!”
72 I Jaime Wilson is a new grandfather. Jaime and Debbie’s son Scott ’01and his wife, Allison, welcomed their son, Maxwell, into the family on May 28, 2020.
PAGE 52
P ORTSM O U T H A BB E Y S C HO OL
CLASS NOTES
From left, Scott Wilson ’01, Debbie and Jamie’72 Wilson and new son/grandson, Maxwell.
74 I Joseph M. Sullivan is celebrating the completion of college for two of his three children. Sean graduated from St. Francis Xavier in 2018, and Connor graduated this past spring from Boston College. His third child, Ryan, will graduate from Boston Uni-
81 I
versity in 2022.
40th REUNION APRIL 30 – MAY 2, 2021
77 I
Nick Moran is spending his quarantined
Sharon and David Giblin recently cel-
NYC, doing yoga, and practicing three in-
ebrated their 35th wedding anniversary.
struments a day. His daughter, Nina, starred
After 38 ½ years with Marriott International,
in the indie movie “Skate Kitchen” and the
David decided it was time to retire and give
follow-on HBO Series, “Betty,” which is now
back by pursuing volunteer work. They have
in the writer’s room for a second season.
moved permanently to Marion, MA, and are
His son, Ian, just finished his freshman year
enjoying golf, tennis, boating and walking
at Rochester Institute of Technology.
1978 classmates Jas McGuire and Bill Keogh shared an afternoon of paddle boarding in Jamestown last December.
days staying healthy by bicycling all over
to the beach!
84 I
78 I
Tom Hopkins has been mentoring Antony
Jas McGuire and Bill Keogh shared an
Ramirez ’19 and Tony Hooks ’19 for the last
afternoon of paddle boarding in Jamestown
year and a half to prepare them for op-
last December and made sure it was all
portunities on Wall Street. Antony landed
caught on camera.
an internship with JPMorgan and both are participating in a Bank of America Forum for
summer Alumni BULLETIN 2020
PAGE 53
The Manor House, the School’s first building, was originally called “Hall Manor.” The Hall Manor Society honors alumni, parents, and friends who have included the School in their estate plans or made a planned gift during their lifetime. These gifts can have numerous financial planning benefits and create a legacy for each donor while supporting the Mission of Portsmouth Abbey School. If you have included the School in your estate plan or would like to discuss a planned gift, please inform the Development Office and become a member of the Hall Manor Society. We would be honored to formally recognize your commitment to help young men and women grow in knowledge and grace, both now and for generations to come.
PLANNED GIVING
Career Development that guides freshmen
sharing a reunion year with Luke, Jon writes,
though career paths at the firm and leads
“We’ll both see you at our next reunion!”
to internships... Colonel Dave Bardorf, USMC, is back in the United States after a
86 I
two-year tour with III Marine Expedition-
35th REUNION APRIL 30 – MAY 2, 2021
ary Force in the Indo-Pacific Region. He is currently serving as the director of Ground Combat Element at Combat Development & Integration Command in Quantico, VA.
85 I 35th REUNION APRIL 30 – MAY 2, 2021 In 2019, Jon Kuyper produced a Ridley Scott series for HBO Max in Cape Town, South Africa, called “Raised by Wolves,” a title reminiscent of his St. Hugh’s days. Jon is now line producing Ron Howard’s next film, which will shoot in Australia in 2021. But he tells us he is most proud of his son, Luke, graduating from the Abbey this year! Now
PAGE 54
Artist Leo Villareal was recognized as one of the star attractions at New York’s prestigious Armory Show in 2019. The installation was the artist’s 75-foot-long LED work installed in the passageway connecting Pier 94, the main section, with the eastern part of Pier 92, where the VIP lounge and special projects are housed. The work, “Star Ceiling,” which was presented in partnership with Pace Gallery, was the largest digital-media artwork ever presented in the fair’s 25-year history. Villareal told artnet News that he was first approached by the show’s organizers in the fall of 2018 and was honored to create an immersive work for the fair’s anniversary.
P ORTSM O U T H A BB E Y S C HO OL
CLASS NOTES
89 I Sean Spicer was named a “Member on the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships.”
94 I
Lehman Engel Musical Theater Workshop, a
25th REUNION APRIL 30 – MAY 2, 2021
program that is widely regarded as the premiere training ground for emerging musical
Beth and Adam Conway are proud to
theatre composers, lyricists, and librettists.
announce that their son Jack Conway will
You can check it out here if you like: https://
be joining the Abbey’s Class of 2024 this
youtu.be/Bsny45P9JAc
fall as a Third Former. “We are very proud of him and we are looking forward to him
97 I
growing in knowledge and grace within
Ann Marie ’96 and Matt Forbes and
the Portsmouth Abbey School community.”
Alexandra Riordan were recently able to
Above left: Ron Passaro ’95 completed the two- year BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater Workshop. Above: Future Ravens from the Forbes ’96 ’97 and Riordan ’97 families enjoy a golf outing.
hit the links together at the Acoaxet Club
95 I
in Westport, MA! Will Forbes and Francis
This past June, Ron Passaro gave his final
of 2029 Ravens... In January 2020 (right be-
presentation to complete the two- year BMI
Riordan are future golf teammates and Class fore the world was turned upside down by
summer Alumni BULLETIN 2020
PAGE 55
CLASS NOTES
COVID-19), Daniel Hughes traveled to East Asia where he met up with fellow ’97 alumni Clara Sibal in Manila, Philippines, and Song Chol Hwang in Seoul, South Korea. They enjoyed great food and even better conversation together..... Colin O’Higgins and his wife, Renée, who is the director of instruction at Cape Arundel Golf Club in Kennebunkport, ME, and their son, Colin, are elated at the prospect of distantly socializing in Maine with Michael Anselmi, his wife, Emma, and their children, Elias and Thea. He’d mention Andrew Stancioff ‘55, who lives in Maine yearround, but Andrew doesn’t like how often Colin submits class notes. He shall consider
Top left: Dan Hughes ’97 enjoyed catching up with Clara Sibal ’97 in the Philippines. Top right: Dan Hughes ’97 and Song Chol Hwang ’97 enjoy a meal together in South Korea. Above: Bethany and Steve Pietraszek ’96’s children Ben and Emmy keep careful watch over new baby brother, Oliver. Right: Lily O’Higgins, daughter of Sarah and Sean ’99, is delighted to have a new brother, Rhys Norton O’Higgins.
PAGE 56
P ORTSM O U T H A BB E Y S C HO OL
CLASS NOTES
98 I Jason Weida has been named the principal deputy inspector general at the United States Department of Health and Human Services.
02 I Sean Ramm and Justin Hart have teamed up to bring the highest quality wigs right to your door. Justin shares, “It has been a sector of the market historically overlooked, with customers being provided with overpriced, poor quality, and sometimes even itchy products. Our ecofriendly wig line is made from 100% ocelot himself officially, but playfully, snubbed!...
which has unlimited benefits over traditional
Wolguine Stervil-Olorunmaiye’s family
fabrics. All materials used are sourced from
relocated from New Haven, CT, to Atlanta,
already deceased animals through our team of
GA. Her husband, Dr. Jerome Olorunmaiye,
‘collection helpers’ so we give these animals
received a job opportunity in metropolitan At-
a second life. We look forward to our launch
lanta so they packed up and moved with their
this fall and invite all alumni to a 30% discount
three children, Adebanjo (8), Folake (6) and
using code: RAVENABOUTMYNEWWIG at
Adewale “Wally” (2), and made the big move.
ecowigvisions.com (site going live 9.25.20).”
Wolguine is now working in the real estate industry as a senior real estate accountant in downtown Atlanta. She is also currently studying for the CPA exam and is scheduled to take the BEC (Business Environmental Concept) test in early May.
Above left: Wolguine Stervil-Olorunmaiye ’97 with her husband, Dr. Jerome Olorunmaiye, and three children (from left) Adebanjo, Adewale “Wally,” and Folake. Above: Justin Hart ’02 and Sean Ramm ’02, dressed for success, are launching their quality wig business this fall.
summer Alumni BULLETIN 2020
PAGE 57
CLASS NOTES
LT Phil Youngberg ’11 (right), the outgoing executive officer on USS TYPHOON.
Jack ’05, Brighid, and baby George Keating.
07 I Matt Kennedy works at Public, a social investing app that he co-founded. Public makes it possible to own the companies you believe in, with any amount of money . Public members can buy slices of stocks and ETFs, follow interest-based themes, and learn from a transparent community of subject-matter experts and friends along the way. Public maintains offices in New York At Callie Taylor ’13’s wedding were alumni Felicity Taylor ’18, Callie, Callie’s husband, Alex, Sarah Sienkiewicz ’13 and Mary Lena Taylor ’17.
City and Copenhagen.... After working for seven years in reality TV, Kyle Boston finally broke into more scripted content. He works as an associ-
04 I
ate editor in the TV/Film industry and hopes to
Jerome Igle is a manager at Corning Incorporat-
happy where I am right now and with the ac-
make the jump to editor soon. Kyle writes, “I’m
ed in North Carolina where he leads and oversees
complishments I have made.” Kyle first worked
key processes to optimize Corning Optical Com-
on HBO and the Duplass Brothers’ “Room 104,
munications (COC) pricing and pricing processes.
Season 4,” which aired on July 24 and ran with
05 I
12 episodes. He then worked on an HBOMax
15th REUNION APRIL 30 – MAY 2, 2021
pilot called, “Generation.” Finally, he worked on “The Other Two, Season 2” for Comedy Central.
Brighid and Jack Keating welcomed their new
Due to COVID-19-19, Kyle says he won’t be
son, George Terence, on December 13, 2020.
seeing this most recent work anytime soon. He
George was born in Greenwich Hospital and
looks forward to the time productions will began
weighed in at 8 pounds, 13 ounces. “We hope
again and he can get back to work.
he’s a future Raven!”
PAGE 58
P ORTSM O U T H A BB E Y S C HO OL
Chuck Weeden ’10’s daughter, Sophia Rose Marie, at four months old!
tion instructor at the U.S. Naval Academy.... Tim McGuirk is the communication manager for The National September 11 Memorial & Museum, a nonprofit in New York City that remembers and honors the 2,983 people killed in the horrific attacks of September 11, 2001, and February 26, 1993.... Having switched fields from history to chemistry, Kara Lessels has settled into her new role as a process development associate at Nitto Avecia in Milford, MA.
08 I
12 I
Pierce King recently finished working at Cam-
Jamie Chapman joined the Young Profession-
bridge Associates and moved to Durham, NC, to
als Board for Harbor House of Central Florida in
begin his MBA at Duke University. He writes, “Let
February 2020. Harbor House is a domestic vio-
me know if any Ravens are ever in the area!”
lence shelter that works to prevent and eliminate domestic abuse in Central Florida.
09 I Genevieve Gralton and her team at Underbares
13 I
have created and donated over 1500 masks for es-
O’Callahan (Callie) Rebecca Taylor and Al-
sential workers. https://underbares.com/products/
exander Bernard Azer celebrated their Nuptial
non-medical-grade-mask-donation.
Mass at Saint Mary of the Annunciation Catholic Church in Charleston, SC, on March 21,
10 I
2020. Callie’s attendants were maid of honor
10th REUNION SEPTEMBER 20-22, 2019 Charles Weeden and his wife, Sheena, welcomed their first child, Sophia Rose Marie, in February 2020. Chuck and Sheena began as a family-teaching couple at Boys Town in Rhode Island this past June. Family-teachers are the backbone of Boys’ Town residential care programs whose members live in Family Homes with six-to-
Sarah Sienkiewicz and bridesmaids (and sisters) Mary Lena Taylor ’17, Felicity Taylor ’18 and Philippa (Pippa) Taylor. Given the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Callie and Alex accelerated and celebrated their Nuptial Mass with ten others in attendance. A celebratory Mass and reception are scheduled for October 31, 2020, in Charleston, SC.
eight youth and provide care on a 24/7 basis.
14 I
11 I
Hayden Molinari graduated from RPI in 2018
10th REUNION SEPTEMBER 20-22, 2019
ing as a software engineer at Raytheon Tech-
LT Philip Youngberg is wrapping up his two-
nologies’ Integrated Defense Systems facilities in
year tour in Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain, as the
Portsmouth, RI. Hayden lives in Newport, RI.
with a B.S.in Computer Science and is now work-
executive officer (XO) for USS TYPHOON (PC 5). He will be relocating to Annapolis, MD, this fall to begin his position as a seamanship and naviga-
summer Alumni BULLETIN 2020
PAGE 59
CLASS NOTES
16 I
17 I
Carly Johnston graduated from Wake Forest
Kaity Doherty crossed the 100-point career
University in May and moved to Tampa, FL, to
mark in women’s lacrosse at Salve Regina
begin a new job with Equinix Inc. She was happy
University.... Andrew Fonts earned the Provi-
to reunite with some fellow Ravens this sum-
dence College basketball team’s Thomas Ramos
mer despite COVID-19 and wishes everyone a
Academic Award, his second consecutive year to
safe second half of 2020!... Sydney Welch has
receive this award. Drew is majoring in Finance
just completed the manuscript for a book to be
and English... In April, Grace Benzal was named
published in December of 2020! Pre-selling the
to All-SAISA Crew of the South Atlantic confer-
book began in July. The working title is The Art
ence of the Intercollegiate Sailing Association
of Collaboration, and it discusses how utiliz-
(ICSA). Grace is a junior at Jacksonville University.
ing collaborative practices can elevate creative endeavors. Sydney advocates prioritizing col-
18 I
laboration to lead us into a renaissance of our
Abbey Luth is a biomedical sciences major at
own time, where ideas reach their full potential
Nazareth College where she continues to excel
because of collaborative practices. The book is
in women’s ice hockey. In March, Abbey was a
a collection of interviews and commentary from
UCHC Second-Team Selection!
successful collaborators and includes anecdotes
The Art of Collaboration, by Sydney Welch ’16, includes anecdotes from Josh Okoro ’15, Bobby Cloughen ’15, Peter Vergara ’14, Jon Kuyper ’85, and Matt D’Arrigo ’90, among others.
from some Abbey alumni including Josh Okoro
19 I
’15, Bobby Cloughen ’15, Peter Vergara ’14,
At the conclusion of her freshman year at Baylor
Jon Kuyper ’85, and Matt D’Arrigo ’90. “The
University, Abigail Jackson was awarded a
inspiration stemmed from my love of art history
three-year full Army ROTC scholarship.
that began at the Abbey with Allie Micheletti ’05 and led me to focus on Italian Renaissance art at Arcadia University, eventually writing my thesis on Leonardo Da Vinci.”
PAGE 60
P ORTSM O U T H A BB E Y S C HO OL
PORTSMOUTH ABBE Y SCHOOL
MISSION STATEMENT
THANKS YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT
The aim of Portsmouth Abbey School is to help young men and women grow in knowledge and grace. Grounded in the Catholic faith and 1500-year-old Benedictine intellectual tradition, the School fosters: Reverence for God and the human person Respect for learning and order Responsibility for the shared experience of community life
BOARD OF REGENTS Very Reverend Michael G. Brunner O.S.B. Prior-Administrator Portsmouth, RI Mr. W. Christopher Behnke ’81 P’12 ’15 ’19 Chairman Chicago, IL Mr. Christopher Abbate ’88 P’20 ’23 Newport, RI Ms. Abby Benson ’92 Boulder, CO Mr. John Bohan P’20 ‘22 Newport, RI Dom Joseph Byron O.S.B. Portsmouth, RI Mr. Creighton O. Condon ’74 P’07 ’10 Jamestown, RI Mrs. Kathleen Cunningham P’08 ‘09 ‘11 ‘14 Dedham, MA Mr. Gang (Jason) Ding P’18 Qingdao, China
Mr. Patrick Gallagher ’81 P’15 Providence, RI
Abbott Gregory Mohrman O.S.B. St. Louis, MO
Mrs. Meg S. Healey P’91 GP’19 ‘21 ‘24 New Vernon, NJ
Mr. Philip V. Moyles, Jr. ’82 Annual Fund Chair Rye, NY
Mr. Denis Hector ’70 Miami, FL Dr. Gregory Hornig ’68 P’01 West Palm Beach, FL Mrs. Cara Gontarz Hume ’99 Hingham, MA Mr. Peter M. Kennedy III ’64 P’07 ’08 ’15 Big Horn, WY
Mr. Emmett O’Connell P’16 ’17 Stowe, VT Mr. Shane O’Neil ‘65 Bedford, MA Brother Sixtus Roslevich O.S.B. Portsmouth, RI Mr. Felipe Vicini ‘79 P’09 ‘12 ‘19 Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Mr. William M. Keogh ’78 P’13 Jamestown, RI
Mr. William Winterer ’87 Boston, MA
Dr. Mary Beth Klee P’04 Hanover, NH
EMERITUS
Ms. Anne-Marie Law P’19 ‘21 ‘24 Duxbury, MA
Mr. Peter M. Flanigan g ’41 P’75 ’83 GP’06 ’09 ’09 ’11 ’11 ’19 ’19 ’21 Purchase, NY Mr. Thomas Healey ’60 P’91 GP’19 ‘21 New Vernon, NJ
Dr. Debra Falvey P’18 ’20 Plaistow, NH
Mr. and Mrs. David Lohuis P’10 ‘10 ‘21 Co-Chairs, Parents’ Association Morristown, NJ
Mrs. Frances Fisher P’15 San Francisco, CA
Father Edward Mazuski O.S.B. Portsmouth, RI
Mr. William Howenstein g ’52 P’87 GP’10 ’17 ’21 ’22 Grosse Pointe Farms, MI
Dr. Timothy P. Flanigan ’75 P’06 ’09 ’11 ’19 Tiverton, RI
Ms. Devin McShane P’09 ’11 Providence, RI
Mr. Barnet Phillips, IV ’66 Greenwich, CT g Deceased
When times are good...
When times change...
When we need each other most
Portsmouth Abbey School expresses its deepest gratitude to the 1,486 alumni, parents, and friends who contributed $2,004,069 to the 2019-20 Annual Fund, a record high total for the seventh year in a row and the first time in School history the Annual Fund has surpassed the $2M mark. Your generosity helps strengthen the School’s mission while providing it with the resources to rise to the unexpected challenges of today’s world. During these times, we have leaned on each other for support and have persevered thanks to the incredible resilience of our community and the abiding faith that guides us. Thank you. A special thank you to the Alumni Leadership Council, Class Agents, Reunion Committee members, Parents’ Association leadership, and other volunteers whose tireless efforts made these achievements possible.
285 Cory’s Lane Portsmouth, Rhode Island 02871 www.portsmouthabbey.org Address Service Requested
P ORT S M O U T H A B B E Y
2021
2020 With due regard for the health and safety of our community, Reunion 2020 (originally scheduled for September 25-27) will be postponed and now shared with Classes ending in 1 or 6.
NEW DATE FRIDAY, APRIL 30 – MAY 2, 2021 Please mark your calendar for a weekend of fun and nostalgia with your family, friends and classmates. For more information, please contact Carla Kenahan at 401.643.1186 or at rsvp@portsmouthabbey.org.
195019511955195619601961196519661970197119751976198019811985 1 9 8 6 1990 1991 1995 1996 200 0 2 0 0 1 2 0 0 5 2 0 0 6 2 0 1 0 2 0 11 2015 2016
SUMMER ALUMNI BULLETIN 2020
PORTSMOUTH ABBEY
PORTSMOUTH ABBE Y SCHOOL
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT FOR CLASSES ENDING IN 0 or 5
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS OF 2020!
SUMMER ALUMNI BULLETIN 2020
