Portsmouth Abbey School Summer 2011 Alumni Bulletin by Portsmouth Abbey School

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A BB E Y S C H O O L PORTSMOUTH ABBE Y SCHOOL SUMMER BULLETIN 2011 SUMMER BULLETIN 2011

MISSION STATEMENT 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

Right Rev. Dom Caedmon Holmes, O.S.B. Abbot and Chancellor Portsmouth, RI Mr. John M. Regan, III ’68, P ’07 Chairman Watch Hill, RI Mr. Thomas Anderson ’73 Gwynedd Valley, PA Sr. M. Therese Antone, RSM, Ed. D. Newport, RI Mr. W. Christopher Behnke ‘81, P’12, ’15 Chicago, IL Dom Joseph Byron, O.S.B. Portsmouth, RI Dom Francis Crowley, O.S.B. Portsmouth, RI Mr. Stephen M. Cunningham ’72 Greenwich, CT Mrs. Kathleen Cunningham P ‘08, ‘09, ‘11, ‘14 Mr. Tim Cunningham ‘74 Dedham, MA Mr. Peter Ferry ‘75 Fairfield, CT

Dr. Timothy Flanigan ’75, P ’06, ’09, ’11 Tiverton, RI

Mr. Alejandro J. Knoepffler ’78, P ’12 Coral Gables, FL

Mr. Peter S. Forker ‘69 Chicago, IL

Ms. Devin McShane P’09, ’11 Providence, RI

Dom Gregory Havill, O.S.B. Portsmouth, RI

Rev. Gregory Mohrman, O.S.B. Creve Coeur, MO

Dr. Margaret S. Healey P ’91 New Vernon, NJ

Mr. Ward Mooney ‘67 Boston, MA

Dr. Gregory Hornig ’68, P ’01 Prairie Village, KS

Mr. James S. Mulholland, III ’79 Sudbury, MA

Mr. M. Benjamin Howe ’79 Wellesley, MA

Ms. Deborah Winslow Nutter Medford, MA

Rev. F. Washington Jarvis Dorchester Center, MA

Mr. Barnet Phillips IV ‘66 Greenwich, CT

Rev. Dom Damian Kearney, O.S.B. ‘45 Portsmouth, RI

Mr. Robert A. Savoie P ’10, ’11, ‘15 Bristol, RI

Mr. Charles E. Kenahan ’77, P ’12 Swampscott, MA

Mr. Rowan G.P. Taylor P’13 New Canaan, CT

Mr. Peter Kennedy ‘64, P ’07, ‘08, ‘15 Big Horn, WY

Mr. Samuel G. White ’64 New York, NY

Mr. Edward G. Kirby ’83 Jamestown, RI

Very Rev. Dom Ambrose Wolverton, O.S.B. Prior Portsmouth, RI

Cover: Matt D’Arrigo ‘90, founder of ARTS (A Reason To Survive) in San Diego with his student, Tashia. ARTS is now celebrating its 10year anniversary of using the power of the arts and creativity to transform youth facing major hardships. Matt and his staff work with a variety of kids – homeless, abused, terminally or chronically ill, emotionally and behaviorally challenged, physically and mentally challenged, juvenile courts, etc. Ninety percent of the children served are low-income and minority. Read more about Matt and his work on page 28.

Portsmouth Abbey thanks the hundreds of alumni, parents, and friends whose philanthropic participation helped the School reach another Annual Fund benchmark. Your generosity is vital to every moment in the classroom, every lesson learned on the athletic field and stage, and every friendship built in our student houses. Each year, your generous participation ensures the continuation of Portsmouth Abbey's unique campus atmosphere and reaffirms your singular role in the Portsmouth Abbey community. On behalf of every student, teacher and monk, thank you! Special thanks to the class agents, the reunion fundraisers, the parent volunteers, and the Alumni Leadership Committee, whose dedication made this year such a tremendous success.

RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE SHARED EXPERIENCE OF COMMUNITY LIFE by Headmaster James DeVecchi, Ph.D. This year’s Commencement ceremonies for Portsmouth Abbey School were a glorious time for Sixth Formers and their families. At 48 boys and 59 girls, the Class of 2011 is Portsmouth’s largest ever, and the strong presence of girls provided a wonderful tribute to our 20th coeducational graduating class. Our Commencement Weekend each year consists of Prize Day on Saturday and graduation on Sunday. Prize Day allows for our students, families and faculty to cite the special achievements of some of our students while recognizing the contributions of all members of our Abbey student body. We were able to take pride in recognizing that each and every one of our students has contributed to what is good here on our Abbey campus. The Commencement ceremonies are a celebration of pride for a job well done by our graduates and satisfaction in a successful and significant investment by their families. For the graduating class, the emotions are joy in a great Abbey experience, relief that they made it, and excitement (combined with a healthy dose of anxiety) to be moving on— exactly the right combination of feelings, since it is our job to prepare them to move on and then to send them off in style! For me, the highlight of the weekend is being with our Sixth Formers for one last time and looking into their eyes as I award their diplomas. Collectively and individually, this class was an integral part of Deb’s and my lives for the past four years; they are great young men and women, and being with them was our and the faculty’s pleasure. Commencement also allows for reflection on our School Mission – that of helping young men and women to grow in knowledge and grace by fostering Reverence, Respect and Responsibility. Each year we begin our Commencement ceremonies with Mass, and each year Abbot Caedmon’s homily reminds us of Portsmouth’s fundamental value of “Reverence for God.” Our ability to experience this “Reverence” is greatly enhanced by the wonderful renovation of our Abbey Church of St. Gregory the Great—a renovation that was strongly supported by our Abbey constituency, as many of our alumni and friends continue to

generously embrace the notion of sharing in the responsibility for community life on our Abbey campus in this most fundamental of ways. In my Commencement remarks, I highlighted “Respect” as an integral part of the fabric of the Class of 2011, both collectively and individually. Indeed, respect is fundamental to our Abbey student culture and clearly influences not only what our students do but also how they do what they do – the “how” being much more important and fundamental than the “what” in most cases. Furthermore, it was nice to hear Mike Flanigan’s ’11 Valedictory Address and Ben Stein’s Commencement Address echo the messages of Reverence, Respect and Responsibility. The “Responsibility” in our Mission Statement is for the shared experience of community life and is informed by the example of a Benedictine community whose tradition is of a common life of prayer, study, work and recreation. Our monks take a vow of stability, which for them means that they have committed themselves to live in our Monastery for the rest of their lives. For our students and faculty, that vow of stability reflects the strongest commitments to our community. A favorite story of mine concerns the father of a recent alumna. Referring to the influence the monastic community’s presence had on his daughter, he said, in following the example of the monks who have committed their entire lives to something good in which they believe, he hoped his daughter would similarly be able to commit part of her life to something good in which she believes. Our Abbey students are very active indeed in sharing in the responsibilities of community life. Under the leadership of Blake Billings ’77, Christian Community Service activities on campus are thriving. There are many examples of our students taking the lead on supporting national and international causes, either directly through their own, hands-on participation, or indirectly by raising funds for the cause. From the School’s signature programs like Clothe-a-Child

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RESPONSIBILITY continued Headmaster Jim DeVecchi (left), Chairman of the Board of Regents John “Mac” Regan III ‘68, P’07, and Abbot Caedmon Holmes exit the tent following the commencement ceremony.

ematics at this year’s Commencement ceremonies. Surely the most common experiences shared with me by alumni from the 1940s, ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s are the uniquely kind, and often truly random, acts of benevolence bestowed upon them by Dom Andrew. Though the Jenks Chair is intended to promote excellence in Portsmouth’s Mathematics Department, anything established in Dom Andrew’s memory serves to promote humility and kindness as Portsmouth continues to develop global citizens formed in the tradition of Dom Andrew’s example. and the Appalachia Service Project, to blood drives and walks for cancer, to hosting local Special Olympics events, to tutoring at local schools and Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs, to our annual pilgrimages to Lourdes, to creative service and unique activities inspired by the Haney Fellowships in some of the most remote parts of the world, our students are motivated and are being formed to share in the responsibility for helping others who are in need. More fundamental are the service activities in which our students engage on the Abbey campus. Through programs like St. Gregory’s Alms, which is based on the monastic theme of work and prayer, our students are directly involved in enriching the spiritual lives of their schoolmates through activities that provide leadership and example in our Sunday liturgies and morning Masses. The many student volunteers in Red Key (admissions tour guides) showcase the very best ambassadors of our campus culture to prospective students and their families. From our prefects to our athletic team captains, to the Gregorian (yearbook) and The Beacon (School newspaper), to students tutoring fellow students, to bookstore and library student workers, to Student Council and the Social Committee, our students take a lot of responsibility for the quality of campus community life. However, it is the less formal acts of kindness – random or otherwise – that occur continuously and often without any recognition (the spirit here being, “virtue is its own reward”) within our Abbey campus community that truly define how our monastic and lay faculty and students take responsibility for the shared experience of community life. There perhaps is no better example of these ad hoc acts of compassion and thoughtfulness than those performed by the late Dom Andrew Jenks, O.S.B. Dom Andrew was a monk of Portsmouth, and I was most pleased to name Dan McDonough as the first holder of the Jenks Chair in Math-

In many ways, the single most significant quality and opportunity for the formation of our students in Portsmouth’s Benedictine boarding school culture are those moments of random acts of kindness and teachable moments that occur continuously on our Abbey campus. At a recent meeting, our faculty was asked to rate twelve personal qualities, or the potential for a quality, that we should be seeking in our applicant pool – characteristics such as Catholicism, intelligence, character, academic achievement, special talents. The quality of character was the almost-unanimous first choice of our faculty, the feeling being that nearly all of the other personal qualities derive from character. Indeed, as I work with Dean of Faculty Nancy Brzys in recruiting faculty, the qualities we find in a person that ultimately will lead to a successful Portsmouth teaching career are support of our Mission, character, and academic enthusiasm and expertise. In our residential School community, students learn and are formed by the example of our adults; the fact is, students watch us like hawks and are strongly influenced by the messages we send, through our own actions and the example we set. Good adult character breeds good student character; strong adult commitment to the spiritual mission of the School breeds spiritual depth in our students; faculty love of ideas and teaching breeds love of learning in our students; kindness by adults breeds kindness by our students; adult joy for Abbey campus life breeds joy in our students – the list goes on and on! I emphasize the value of their good example to our teachers during our faculty orientation – as well as the opportunity it offers – and try to remind experienced teachers of the importance of their example whenever I have the chance. It is the good example set by our adults, such as Dom Andrew, and of our students for each other that defines the Portsmouth Abbey experience of our students; their growth in knowledge and grace during their time here is, no doubt, through the good example by all in Reverence, Respect and Responsibility.

CONTENTS Stay Connected To keep up with general news and information about Portsmouth Abbey School, we encourage you to bookmark the www.portsmouthabbey.org website. If you are an alumnus/a, please visit and join our Alumni Community. Check our our listing of upcoming alumni events here on campus and around the country. And please remember to update your contact information on our Alumni Community pages where you can find out more about Reunion 2011, our Annual Golf Scholarship Tournament, and share news and search for fellow alumni around the world: www.portsmouthabbey.org/page/alumni.

Responsibility For the Shared Experience of Community Life by Headmaster James DeVecchi, Ph.D.

Meet Portsmouth Abbey’s New Regents

Report From the Monastic Renewal Program Office

Faculty Notes

Commencement 2011

The State of College Admissions by Mary McDonald, Director of College Counseling

Portsmouth Institute 2011: The Catholic Shakespeare? by James P. MacGuire ‘70, Director of Portsmouth Institute

Annual West Point Ring Melt by Frederick Zilian, Ph. D., History Department

Alumni Profiles: Robert Riera, Jr, ‘65; Matt D’Arrigo ‘90; Christian Vachon ‘95; Adam ‘95 and Jessy Berretto ‘96 Donaldson; Bernadette Pine Cizin ‘96; Lisa Hoffman Walker ‘02; Brendan Rok ‘03; Evan Piekara ‘03; Charlie Holmstrom ‘06; Katie Collins ‘08; Christopher Waterman ‘11; Philip Lozier Youngberg ‘11

Interview with Kevin Morrissey by Michael Bonin, Ph. D., English Department Head

The Third “R” and Christian Community Service by Blake Billings, Ph. D. ‘77, Director of Spiritual Life

Appalachia Service Project Reflection by Therese Thomas, Christian Doctrine Department

From the Office of Admissions

The Performing Arts Department by Jay Bragan and Joshua Horsch, Performing Arts Department

Parent Auction 2011 by Fran Cook, Director of Special Events

From the Office of Development & Alumni Affairs by Anna Jones, Senior Development Officer

Headmaster: Dr. James DeVecchi

Winter/Spring Athletics

Assistant Headmaster for Development: Patrick J. Burke ‘86

Milestones 62

Editors: Kathy Heydt, Katherine Giblin Stark

In Memoriam

Art Director: Kathy Heydt

Class Notes

If you would like to receive our e-newsletter, Monthly Musings, please make sure we have your email address (send to: info@portsmouthabbey.org). To submit class notes and photos (1-5 MB), please email: alumni@portsmouthabbey.org or mail to Portsmouth Abbey Office of Development and Alumni Affairs, 285 Cory’s Lane, Portsmouth, RI 02871.

The Portsmouth Abbey 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.

Photography: Dom Joseph Byron, Jez Coulson, Nick DeLieto ‘13, Julia Driscoll, Andrea Hansen, Blake Jackson, Kate Whitney Lucey, Kevin Morrissey, Louis Walker Individual photos found in alumni profiles have been supplied courtesy of the respective alumni.

Visit our website at: www.portsmouthabbey.org Join us on Facebook: Log in and search Portsmouth Abbey Shop online at the Portsmouth Abbey Bookstore: www.portsmouthabbey.org/page/school_life/bookstore

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Meet Portsmouth Abbey’s New Regents and Fixed Income Research & Sales, the majority of which was with Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse First Boston. Peter and his wife, Lily, recently returned to the United States after 30 years, 25 of which were spent in Asia (including time in Hong Kong, Tokyo and Singapore), and five years in London prior to that. The Ferry family is now living in Fairfield, CT. Peter and Lily have two children, Lucy, 13, and Oliver, 12. Peter has been a long-time supporter of Portsmouth Abbey. Peter M. Kennedy III ‘64, P’ 07, ‘08, ‘15 Peter Kennedy was born in Boston, MA, and resides in Big Horn, WY. He is a graduate of Resurrection School, Portsmouth Abbey School, Wabash College (B.A.) and the Baruch School of the City University of New York (M.B.A.). As a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, he served as a platoon leader in both the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg and the 101st Airborne Division in the Republic of Vietnam.

W. Christopher Behnke ’81, P ’12 , ‘15 Chris earned a B.A. in Political Science from The University of the South (Sewanee) in 1985 following his graduation from Portsmouth. Chris and his wife, Erin, reside in Chicago, IL, with their children, Greta ’12, William ’15, and Meghan. Chris entered the insurance industry in 1985 as a bond underwriter for Aetna. In 1991, he returned to Decatur, IL, to take over the family business following the death of his father. This past November, Behnke & Co. was acquired by Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in Itasca, IL. Chris is currently managing all downstate operations in Champaign-Urbana, Bloomington, and Decatur, IL. In addition to his considerable underwriting and brokerage experience, Chris has an extensive background in surety, executive risk, and commercial property and casualty insurance. Portsmouth ties include brothers John ’76, Steve ’78, and Bill P’13. A consistent School supporter, Chris and Erin have also hosted both alumni and admissions gatherings for the School in Chicago. Peter C. Ferry ’75 Following his graduation from Portsmouth Abbey, Peter earned a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1979 and M.B.A. from Hong Kong University in 1993. He is the director and co-founder of Ward Ferry Management Ltd., which manages investment funds focused on the Asia-Pacific region for clients worldwide. Prior to the establishment of Ward Ferry Management, Peter was the fixed income investment specialist at Lloyd George Management. He has 27 years of experience in Global Equity

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Peter joined Bank of America in 1968 in New York. He rejoined the Bank following military service and worked in various corporate banking positions in New York. He opened the Hong Kong corporate office for Bank of America as manager in 1980. In 1982, Peter joined Dominick & Dominick in New York. Dominick, founded in 1870, was believed to be the oldest continuing member of the New York Stock Exchange. Peter became president and CEO in 1986. In 1994, he joined Eighteen Seventy Corporation, a private investment firm with interests in banking, manufacturing and ranching, as its president. He is currently chairman and CEO of Eighteen Seventy and its subsidiary companies, including Dominick Company AG, a Zurich-based private bank. Peter served as a member of the Executive Committee of Portsmouth Abbey’s Board of Consultants during his term as a Board member from 1994-2000. He has served as chairman of the Investment Committee while a member of the Board of Trustees at the School of the Holy Child in Rye, NY, and since 2005 has been a trustee of Wabash College. Peter and his wife, Carroll, are the proud parents of six children and three grandchildren. Peter’s brothers, Paul ‘66 and John ’75, son Matthew ’07 and daughter Catherine ’08 are also graduates of the Abbey. His daughter, Mary, will attend the School as a member of the Class of 2015.

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in 1971 and a M.A.S. in 1973. During the summers of 1969 and 1970 he taught English and Ancient History at the Portsmouth Abbey Summer School Program. Throughout his working career Ward has been active in commercial banking and finance, both at larger institutions (BankBoston, Bank of America) and at firms that he and his team have been able to establish and grow (GBFC, Back Bay Capital, Crystal Financial). Currently Ward is CEO and a founder of Crystal Financial, a specialty finance company focused on providing debt capital to middle-market companies throughout North America.

Very Rev. Dom Gregory Mohrman, O.S.B. The Very Rev. Dom Gregory Mohrman is currently the Prior of the Abbey of Saint Mary and Saint Louis. Previously, Father Gregory served as headmaster of Saint Louis Priory School, from 1995 to 2005. His other duties at the Abbey and School include serving on the Monastic Council, Novice Master, School Chaplain, and Choir Master. He also teaches English and Theology, with a particular interest in Shakespeare. Father Gregory graduated from the Priory School in 1976 and continued his education at the University of Pennsylvania where he was recognized as a Benjamin Franklin Scholar and from which he earned a B.A. in English. He holds a M.A. in Theology from St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota, and a M.A. in English from Middlebury College’s Bread Loaf School of English. Father Gregory was ordained to the priesthood in 1986. He holds the dual distinctions of being Saint Louis Abbey’s first alumnus-monk and the Priory School’s first alumnus-headmaster. Among his interests are music, literature, swimming, ecumenism, youth ministry, and counseling. Father Prior also dedicates several hours each week to facilitating Lectio Divina prayer groups, a great interest of his.

Ward is a member of the Board of Directors of the American Repertory Theater at Harvard University, a member of the Board of Overseers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, MA, and a member of the Board of Directors of The Casual Male Group (CMRG). He has served as President and Chairman of the Turnaround Management Association, headquartered in Chicago. Ward and wife Lucy live in Boston and their two daughters, Laura and Grace, live and work in New York City.

Ward K. Mooney ’67 Ward graduated from Portsmouth in 1967, and toured Europe that summer with Father Hillary Martin and seven other members of the class. He then attended Johns Hopkins University, receiving a B.A. Deborah Winslow Nutter Deborah Winslow Nutter is the senior associate dean and Professor of Practice of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy of Tufts University. She is also the founding director of the Global Master of Arts Program (GMAP), Fletcher’s signature hybrid residency and internet masters program, and holds the post of Advisor to the Provost for the International Board of Overseers of Tufts University. Dr. Nutter teaches foreign policy leadership and team dynamics in the Global Master of Arts Program, which attracts senior international affairs professionals from around the world in business, government, the United Nations, and NGOs. She lectures and writes on the intersection of geopolitics and global leadership, using major

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historic world leaders and the challenges they faced as a basis for evaluating leadership performance and success. Dean Nutter earned a Ph.D. in Political Science from Columbia University, where she held several fellowships, including an Honorary Presidential Fellowship. She holds her A.B., Phi Beta Kappa, from Colby College and studied at Oxford University. For many years she taught political science at Bowdoin and Simmons Colleges, serving as Chair of the Department of Political Science and International Affairs at the latter institution and leading its internationalization effort. Dr. Nutter has been a Fellow at Harvard University at both the Center for International Affairs and the Center for Science and International Affairs. She has also served as President of the Northeast International Studies Association and the New England Political Science Association and is presently on the Knowledge Advisory Council of the World Economic Forum. Her publications include Soviet Foreign Policy in Transition with Cambridge University Press, which has been reissued in paperback, and journal and newspaper articles on security studies, transatlantic relations, international political leadership, and India’s role in world affairs. She is currently working on a book about the inner circle around leaders. Barnet Phillips, IV ‘66 Barney recently retired as a partner at the law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. He is a nationally and internationally recognized tax expert with over 30 years’ experience providing tax and structuring advice to private and public clients in connection with corporate mergers, acquisitions, dispositions, spin offs, leveraged buyouts, reorganizations and bankruptcies, real estate funds, joint ventures and partnerships, real estate invest trusts (REIT), and charitable organizations. He was the first head of Skadden’s REIT Practice Group, and his transaction work has included: BlackRock’s $12 billion acquisition of Barclays’ asset management business; BlackRock’s $9.5 billion acquisition of Merrill Lynch’s asset management business; the liquidation of LongTerm Capital Management; the reorganization of Petrie Stores/Toys “R” Us; the sale of Nicholas-Applegate Capital Management to Allianz AG; the sale of Private Capital Management to Legg Mason, Inc.; the sale of Heine Securities Corporation to Franklin-Templeton Group; Metropolitan Life Insurance Company’s acquisition of New England Mutual Life Insurance Company; and the tax-free combination of Entergy Corporation and Gulf States Utilities Company.

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Barney and his wife, Sharon, are residents of Greenwich, Connecticut, and are the parents of two grown daughters. Barney is a graduate of Yale (B.A.), Fordham (J.D. - Associate Editor, Fordham Law Review), and New York University (LL.M. - Graduate Editor, Tax Law Review). Barney’s father, Barnet Phillips III, was a 1935 graduate of Portsmouth Priory; his nephew, Jim O’Donnell ’86, and niece, Dr. Stephanie J. Muylaert ’00, are also Portsmouth graduates. Among the charitable organizations with which Barney has been affiliated are the St. Thomas More Catholic Chapel and Center at Yale University where he serves as president of the Board of Trustees; Barney is the co-founder and a current mentor and board member of Shepherds Inc., a nondenominational, nonprofit organization that provides disadvantaged inner - city Connecticut youth with a quality college preparatory education at a non-public high school and the introduction of a positive role model– a Mentor– who fills a void in their lives. He is also a former member of the Student Sponsor Partners Board (1989-1995), a charity similar to Shepherds that serves New York City. From 1990-2002, he was a member of the Portsmouth Abbey School Board of Consultants and served as its Chairman from 1998-2002. Rowan G. P. Taylor P ’13 Rowan is a Founding Partner of Liberty Hall Capital Partners, a private equity firm based in New York City that invests primarily in the aerospace and defense and related transportation and industrial sectors. Prior to founding Liberty Hall in 2011, he was a Partner at Oak Hill Capital Partners, a private equity firm with offices in New York City, Connecticut, and California, where he led its industry group focused on “Basic Industries.” Prior to joining Oak Hill in 1999, Rowan worked for The First Boston Corporation in New York City and its merchant banking affiliates, The Clipper Group and Monitor Clipper Partners. He holds a B.A. in economics, Summa Cum Laude, from Washington and Lee University, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Rowan and his wife, Julie, are the parents of four daughters: Callie ’13, Mary Lena, 13, Felicity, 11, and Pippa, born in January 2011. The family resides in New Canaan, CT. The Taylors are active parishioners at St. Aloysius Roman Catholic Church in New Canaan, are members of the Order of Malta, are active in alumni affairs at Washington and Lee, where Rowan currently serves as chairman of the board of advisors for the undergraduate business school, and are community and school volunteers.

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R EPO RT F ROM T H E MO NAST IC R E N E WA L PRO GRA M OF F IC E ( M R PO )

The MRPO has been concentrating on three main efforts. First, we have been attentive to some short-term wins in making the monastery more physically attractive. Rooms have been reorganized, bathrooms have been fixed, and the top floor has new wood/laminate flooring. (Fr. Damian very cheerfully has reorganized the open/ common areas on the third floor -- desks and other detritus have been removed; the books were removed, dusted and replaced after some judicious culling.) The area is entirely brighter, the eastern sun comes shining through, and the new look is appreciated by all who live there. Next is a complete renovation of the novitiate, and an overhaul of the lavatories. Flowering plants and perennials are being ordered for outside the monastery reception room. This will greatly enhance the attractiveness of the north entrance.

Second, we have been pursuing a multi-pronged effort to re-present the monastery as a modern institution worthy to receive vocations. We acquired a very attractive traveling booth with table that provides a good frame for conventions – we have used it to good effect at two FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) conferences in Baltimore and Nashville. We also printed an evergreen supply of new cards in four-color to serve as “giveaways” for attendees. These can be “re-purposed” over a number of years, and we took advantage of bulk discounts to print a large quantity – Brother Gregory chose the pictures to good effect, and was the key design person for the booth. More importantly, last Fall we retained Partners+simons, an award-winning advertising and communications firm in Boston, to create an integrated advertising/marketing platform for us, including a threepart video presentation about vocations to Portsmouth Abbey. The videos are attractive, intimate and friendly. They had their debut in late January to coincide with the FOCUS conferences through posts to our new Facebook page, PortsmouthAbbeyMonastery. This page will be updated frequently with photos, posts and events to try to keep our friends list growing.

The three videos form the basis of our new Web site, completely re-designed with vocations visits the prominent, unapologetic theme. As part of the effort we have created three print ads for carefully selected publication that will stand out against their neighbors – the ads are designed to drive viewers to our Web site, which is designed to make a vocation visit easy to arrange. Titles include First Things, The Tower (Catholic U newspaper), The Pilot (Boston archdiocese), and National Catholic Register, and will do electronic insertions in some of their digital versions. We will also be engaged in a Google AdWords campaign with Partners+simons’ advice, hoping to catch people with a disciplined and economical approach that can be tested and tweaked to see what is working and what not. We will adapt the print ads for banners on thirdparty websites that will be chosen for appropriate contextual placement.

Particularly worthy of mention is the interview of Abbot Caedmon, me, and Tom Simons by a business reporter for The New York Times, arranged by Parters+simons’ PR firm, which ran on April 18. We have already received a number of solid inquiries since then, and had 25,000 unique visitors to the Web site within 36 hours of publication, and a couple of thousand “tweets.” Abbot Caedmon and I were the featured guests on WGBH radio in Boston on May 18 to talk about our digital efforts. As of this writing the hyperlinks to both the Times article and the WGBH interview are still live on the monastery’s Facebook page. Check them out! Finally, we have completely revamped the internal vocations effort. Abbot Caedmon is the vocations director, something radically new for us, as the superior has never before seen this as his role. The distinct advantages are that the inquirer will see how seriously we take vocations and will behave accordingly, and will know that he has free access to the superior during his discernment. Abbot Caedmon, Brother Gregory and I constitute the Vocations Committee. This has facilitated communication, and better visit planning. Each aspirant is different, has different needs, and often needs some encouragement to “commit” to a visit. Having a layman involved can give the visitor a sense that his material/ physical needs will be looked after by someone easily approachable. I also can answer or anticipate certain questions that a visitor may find hard to put to the brethren. We have had many inquiries, a few very good visits, and are excited that we are, for the first time in an integrated way, presenting the Monastery as a terrific place, full of beauty and activity, for a person feeling a call to the religious life. I can add that the monks really are quite hospitable, whether it is a vocations visitor, our Manquehue friends, seminarians on retreat, or occasional visitors who are friends of one or more of the monks. –David E. Moran ’71, Director P.S. Our latest endeavor is an elegant, four-color, 16-month wall calendar beginning with September 2011. Fr. Damian and Br. Gregory worked hard on it. The calendar has entries for saints’ days and important School dates. We will have more information on its availability soon – those who approve of the MRPO effort can support it in this tangible way. The best way, as always, to support the MRPO is to pray for new vocations to the Abbey, and for those who are making exploratory vocation visits here.

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Faculty Notes

Aileen Baker

Michael Bonin

Janice Brady

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Director of Admissions Meghan Fonts and Dean of Residential Life Aileen Baker attended the conference “Serving the International Student Successfully,” sponsored by NEASC and ISANNE. A highlight of the program was speaker Suzanne Fox, founder and principal of Fox Intercultural Consulting. Her presentations focused on understanding the background of Chinese students, a very relevant topic given Portsmouth Abbey’s current student body composition. Suzanne spoke about creating orientation programs designed for the international student, building relationships with the international students’ parents, and being mindful of course selection for the first year, as well as other relevant topics for students whose native language is not English. Other topics included legal issues and program implications with regards to international students. The day was very productive and gave Meghan and Aileen valuable information to share with the rest of the School community aimed at helping our international students adjust better and feel more at home here at the Abbey. Director of Spiritual Life Blake Billings ‘77 attended a symposium in June at Yale’s Berkeley Divinity School, on “Addressing the Deepest Needs of Adolescents.” The symposium was directed by Rev. Tony Jarvis, former head of Roxbury Latin School and current member of Portsmouth Abbey’s Board of Regents. Rev. Jarvis challenged participants to recognize the profound spiritual needs of adolescents, including the most basic need to affirm their desire for God. The dayand-a-half-long gathering included three presentations by Rev. Jarvis, with responses from Rev. Harold “Skip” Masback of the Congregational Church of New Canaan, CT. Participants also joined in evensong and Eucharist in the divinity school’s Marquand Chapel. English Department Head Michael Bonin was selected for the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) Visiting Team that went to Brooks School in October for its ten-year reaccreditation. The team was chaired by Phil Peck, Head at the Holderness School; Phil was also the chair for Portsmouth Abbey’s

last reaccreditation. The team included teachers and administrators from Pomfret, Middlesex, Loomis Chaffee, Andover, and Hotchkiss. Team members were chosen based upon their experience with boarding school and their areas of expertise: academic disciplines, admissions, marketing/communication, athletics, etc. In addition to focusing on Brooks’ English program, Michael was responsible for the overall “Faculty” section of the team’s final reaccreditation report. Science teacher Janice Brady helped develop and publish a lab as part of the Green Chemistry Workshop in the Beyond Benign foundation’s high school Green Chemistry curriculum. A few years ago at the National Science Teachers Convention in Boston, Janice had attended a lecture given by John Warner – one of the founders of Green Chemistry. A charismatic speaker and well- published chemist, he raised concerns about how chemists seek to solve problems in industry and society. The death of his young son caused him to question if his work with these molecules could have contributed to his death. As a result he founded Green Chemistry, the goal of which is “to minimize the impact of science on the environment and to develop a sustainable approach to chemistry.” Janice has been interested in Green Chemistry ever since. The Beyond Benign foundation (which is involved in environmentally responsible research) offers workshops world wide to educate science teachers. Last summer Janice applied to a Massachusetts workshop and was awarded a scholarship. It was an introduction to the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry and caused the participants to evaluate how they teach and present material.Part of the lab-oriented program was to develop green replacement labs for their courses. Janice’s group worked on a lab called “Chemical or Physical Reaction?” which is on the Beyond Benign website. She has a number of lab ideas gleaned from the workshop that she would like to develop in her Green Chemistry course this coming year. Matt Brady completed a computer science course at the University of Rhode Island. His goal was to deepen his skills in this area of technology, and to meet and share ideas with colleagues in the math profession.

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Athletic Director Al Brown attended the National Strength and Conditioning Conference in Dallas, TX, in December. He continues to maintain his certification in this area to keep current with strength and conditioning practices for all sports. Al was named EIL Coach of the Year in Boys’ Lacrosse for the spring 2011 season, as well as vice president of NEPSAC Football and chairman of the TABS Athletic Guild, which was formed to provide a format for boarding school athletic directors to meet, discuss topics and share ideas specific to boarding schools. In addition, Al ran the Top 150 Lacrosse Camp this summer, bringing over 60 college coaches and 350 student- athletes to campus from 38 states. Modern Languages Department Head Roberto Guerenabarrena led the Salamanca Program in July with URI, and was a Spanish AP Language Table Reader in Cincinnati, OH, in June. Roberto has advanced from being a reader/corrector to a table leader at the annual AP Spanish Language Exam grading. Director of Music Joshua Horsch participated in the International Conducting Workshop in Ann Arbor, MI, in March. While studying with renowned conducting pedagogue Gustav Meier, he conducted the music of Mozart, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Debussy, and Stravinsky. In June, Josh traveled to Kiev, Ukraine, as one of six conductors from around the world invited to the International Conductors Festival. He conducted four concerts with the Lyatoshinsky Chamber Orchestra. In July, Josh conducted a concert jointly presented by Portsmouth Abbey and the Newport Music Festival. A memorial concert for Mark Malkovich, III, the concert featured sacred works for chorus and orchestra by Toru Takemitsu, Norman Dello Joio, Henryk Gorecki, and Arvo Part. In addition, Josh was a participant in the University of Michigan Summer Choral Conducting Symposium in July, where he conducted Mozart’s Requiem while studying with eminent conductors Jerry Blackstone, Eugene Rogers, and Julie Skadsem. Corie McDermott has taken on the job of Assistant Director of College Counseling and, as such, will be responsible for guiding ap-

proximately 45 students through the college application process. To prepare for this task, she has been attending conferences in order to network with fellow counselors and college representatives and to stay current with trends, issues, concerns, successes and failures. Corie attended the New England Association for College Admission Counseling (NEACAC) conference held at Stonehill College in early June. While there she toured Wheaton College, UMass Dartmouth and Dean College. Next up was a week at Occidental College in California to attend the Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools (ACCIS) new counselor conference. While there she toured UCLA, UCSB, USC, the Claremont Schools (Harvey Mudd, Scripps, Pomona, Claremont McKenna) and UC Irvine. “This gave me a good feel for some – although there are many more – West Coast schools our students tend to be drawn to, while also allowing for networking time with our reps,” reported Corie. She also plans to attend a workshop at Skidmore College and tour some of the Washington, D.C. schools to which our students apply. On campus, Corie has been “combing through our Naviance/Family Connection system to familiarize myself. Additionally, I have been going over my students’ files to: 1. start writing letters of recommendation; 2. help students focus college lists; and 3. get a sense of trends in our office.” In addition to her college counseling duties, Corie will be teaching a Fifth Form English class, running the girls’ varsity squash program and houseparenting in St. Mary’s. Math Department Head Dan McDonough, while on sabbatical for Spring Term, attended two conferences closely related to his work in the math classroom. In February Dan attended the Teachers Teaching with Technology (T3) annual conference sponsored by Texas Instruments in San Antonio. The annual 3-day T3 conference explores the integration of technology into math and science classrooms, but the special focus this year was the next generation of TI calculators for classroom use. The math department also used its yearly professional day

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Roberto Guerenabarrena

Joshua Horsch

Corie McDermott

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FACULTY NOTES

Peter O’Connor

to bring in a TI workshop leader to demonstrate the new calculators for department faculty. The Math Department expects to transition to the new calculators in 2012-13 and will be preparing for this transition in the coming school year. In addition, Dan attended the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) annual conference in Indianapolis, IN, in March. The annual NCTM conference is focused specifically on math teaching, both with and without technology. The annual 3- day conference affords the opportunity to hear more than a dozen teachers and curriculum developers from a choice of several hundred conference offerings and is a quick way to stay up-to-date with developments in math education. Dan brought back quite a few materials to share with the Math Department for the 2011-12 school curriculum. Humanities Department Head Peter O’Connor was awarded a summer sabbatical to complete a translation of Cicero’s De Senectute and to begin a translation of Dante’s Inferno. The opportunity to work on these translations will enhance Peter’s classes in humanities, and will be beneficial to the curriculum of the annual Humanities Rome trip.

Kate Smith

Science teacher John Perreira spent time over the summer renewing his Athletic Training License. Math teacher Kent Rudasill ‘86 continues his work on his mathematics Ph.D. in combinatorics at the University of Rhode Island; he hopes to take his comprehensive exams in the coming year.

Kent Rudasill

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Study Skills Specialist Christine Sahms attended the Northeast Association of Learning Specialists (NEALS) Conference in April on language support for international students. Christine reports, “The conference appealed to me because of the increase in international students at our school. Speakers, teachers and international students provided concrete examples of ways to meet the needs of international students. I hope to use this information to help the students who come

to the Study Skills Office, and I hope to give concrete tips to classroom teachers to improve communication with international students.” Robert Sahms attended the Western States Swim Clinic with over 200 swim coaches and 60 swimmers in attendence, with seminars led by three college coaches on each of the strokes, on dry land workouts, on nutrition, and on team building. In addition, three former Olympians were there to work with the swimmers. The Olympians at one point went into the pool to demonstrate the drills they use. Robert promises,“Swimmers on my team can count on doing a lot more kicking!” Kate Smith attended a College Counseling workshop at the Taft Summer Institute for new college counselors in Connecticut. Various aspects of planning and conducting a secondary school college counseling program were presented. Topics for the workshop included working with students and parents, writing college recommendations, constructing college lists, developing relationships with college representatives and school officials, and helping students make wise and informed decisions about their future. The workshop included a visit to Yale, where participants worked on an admissions case study exercise. Also included was a “Dean’s Forum” with a number of representatives from colleges and universities such as Fairfield, Mount Holyoke, Quinnipiac, Trinity, and Wesleyan. Emma Stenberg and Therese Thomas attended a workshop in April sponsored by the Association of Independent School in New England (AISNE) titled, “Teaching Girls,” presented by Joann Deak, Ph.D. Dr. Deak gave a dynamic presentation about the physiological differences between male and female brains, using the metaphor of elastic bands. Some of her major findings include: the importance of encouraging girls to take academic, athletic, and social risks; developing fluency in areas of need by “stretching” those “elastics”; minimizing use of social media and technology during the night; optimal time for low-risk homework during the formative hours of the evening; and the increasing need to develop empathy in youth by providing opportunities to care

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for peers, children, and animals. Her anecdotes made the presentation lively and engaging, and Emma and Therese took home many practical suggestions for classroom teaching and dorm life. In addition, Emma completed a course at the University of Rhode Island on some of Shakespeare’s major works. According to Emma, “I hadn’t taken a class solely on Shakespeare’s plays during my undergraduate career, so this seemed a fitting opportunity to further my knowledge about a particularly relevant piece of our English curriculum.” In support of her positions as Student Activities Director and Head Houseparent, Emma attended a 3-day TABS (The Association of Boarding Schools) workshop at Boston University in July called “Residential Life Academy.” Topics of interest included technology issues and implication, social/emotional issues in the dorm, and the multicultural experience. In addition, Therese accompanied the World Youth Day pilgrimage to Madrid and Fatima, Portugal, this summer. She and her charge of five Portsmouth Abbey students met up with a Youth In Europe pilgrimage group led by Eduardo Verastegui. They were in Madrid, Spain, for the World Youth Day festivities with Pope Benedict, and then traveled to Fatima, Portugal, to visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima. Visual Arts Department Head Joney Swift had eighteen photographs chosen by the South Coast Hospital Group to hang in the new South Coast Center for Cancer Care in Fairhaven, MA. In additon, Joney won an honorable mention award for a landscape in the South Coast Artists’ “Art and Soul” contest. She also completed a Photoshop course at Rhode Island School of Design, which, according to Joney, “helped me to develop and teach the Photoshop segment of my photography curriculum this past Spring Term.” Over the summer, Joney traveled to Prague and met with the Lobkowicz Foundation that oversees the Royal Palaces containing the vast collection of art, music and historical heritage from the 14th through the 20th centuries. With the Foundation’s help, Joney will be creating a student trip for the summer of 2012. In addition to studying the artifacts of the Lobkowicz collection, the itinerary will include the exploration of the historical architecture, cathedrals and museums of Prague.

July. As a nurse, this gives Nancy another perspective on helping the sick. The incredible experience of service at Lourdes has encouraged her to keep going back. History teacher Fred Zilian has published four essays in the Newport Daily News. His subjects include: the 20th anniversary of German unification; China’s rise; the revolutions in the Arab world; and the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War. Check out Fred’s blog, www.zilianblog.com, to read his essays.

Joney Swift

Below, Jose Soares P ‘02, who works in the Stillman Dining Hall and Monastery, is a gifted artist who has exhibited his work in the McEvoy Gallery of the McGuire Fine Arts Center and also has a work permanently mounted in the lobby of the Burden Classroom Building. Here, Joe touches up the Dom Bede-created banner that hangs in the hockey rink. The full caligraphic inscription reads, “O ye ice and snow; Praise the Lord.” Nancy Weida

School Nurse Nancy Weida traveled on her third consecutive Ampleforth Pilgrimage to Lourdes in

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Commencement

P O RT S M O U T H A B B E Y ’ S

107 graduating Sixth Formers were encouraged to “remember that a firm belief in God is vital” at the School’s 81st Commencement exercises, held Sunday, May 29, on the Holy Lawn.

shared experience of community life,” said Dr. DeVecchi, “you have put your individual and collective knowledge and gifts into the service of others. You have done this well here at Portsmouth, and I am confident you will go out into the world and serve others well.”

Diplomas were conferred upon the Class of 2011 by Headmaster Dr. James DeVecchi, Abbot Caedmon Holmes, Chairman of the Board of Regents John “Mac” Regan ’68, P ’07, and Commencement Speaker Ben Stein, before a crowd of more than 1,200 family members and Abbey faculty and students. The graduating class for the first time consisted of more females than males, befitting the School’s marking of the 20th anniversary of coeducation.

Dr. DeVecchi noted the two graduates who had received appointments to U. S. service academies. “Our School community is deeply proud that two members of the Class of 2011 have answered the call to serve,” he said, as he congratulated Philip Lozier-Youngberg, now at the U.S. Naval Academy, and Christopher Waterman, now at the U.S. Air Force Academy. In addition to the service academies, this year’s graduating class received acceptances to many fine colleges and universities (see sidebar on page 21).

The graduates, representing 13 states and 14 countries, were applauded by Dr. DeVecchi for their respectful nature and sense of responsibility. “In keeping with the heart of our School’s mission – responsibility for the

Dr. DeVecchi acknowledged the accomplishments of the class, led by Head Girl Kelly Buckley and Head Boy Drake Bonin, including performing arts and music contributions

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under the leadership of Performing Arts Head Jay Bragan and Director of Music Joshua Horsch. Dr. DeVecchi called 2010-11 “our strongest year in music in recent history,” noting the growth of the Abbey Singers and Pro Deo Orchestra along with new, studentinitiated and -directed musical groups. During Commencement ceremonies, Dan McDonough, associate headmaster and Mathematics Department chair, was named the first recipient of the recently endowed Dom Andrew Jenks Chair in Mathematics, the first of several planned endowed chairs that will be funded through the Capital Campaign. Dr. DeVecchi spoke of the other campaign initiatives that have come to fruition since the Class of 2011 entered the School: the completion of St. Brigid’s, and the current construction of the new boy’s residential house; the restoration of the Church of St. Gregory the Great; increased scholarship and endowment support for students and faculty; and the active planning of a new science center.

THE CLASS OF 2011 Dr. DeVecchi congratulated the Abbey families whose final child was graduating – the Flynns (Jake ‘11, Sean ‘01 and Griffin ‘98), Hansens (Julia ‘11, Madison ‘10 and Taylor ‘08), Kinnanes (Riley ‘11, Brendan ‘07 and John ‘03), Minondos (Epi ‘11, Martin ‘09 and Elena ‘08), and Sgarros (Andrew ‘11, Katie ‘11 and Victoria ‘11) – as well as the second-generation Portsmouth families among the graduates: Tiernan Barry (grandfather Gordon ‘41 f); Adam Crimmins (grandfather Bill ‘48); Emily Cunningham (father Tim ‘74); Lani Griffiths (grandfather John Dale ‘65); Riley Kinnane (father Brendan ‘77); Theresa Lonergan (father Tom ‘71); Mauricio Posada (grandfather Jaime Urrutia ‘60); and Kate Skakel (grandfathers Peter Flanigan ‘41 and George Skakel ‘41 f). He gave special recognition to this year’s Valedictorian, Michael Flanigan, representing the third generation in the Flanigan family to attend Portsmouth, following his father, Tim ‘75, and grandfather, Peter ‘41. Mr. Stein, an award-winning actor, political commentator, author and economist who is perhaps best known for his iconic dead-pan portrayal of an economics teacher in the 1986 movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” gave a commanding address. He began by thanking his long-time friend, Peter Flanigan, for bringing him to the School, and also paid tribute to another friend and Portsmouth alumnus, the late John Gregory Dunne ‘50. Stein regaled the crowd with a few jokes before giving the graduates several pieces of advice he said he wished he’d been told at his high school graduation. Stein lamented what he called the “dismal” current state of U.S. public education: “The ignorance of much of this nation is stunning… we’re not going to remain a first-class power without first-class education.” He looked to the graduates as the next generation of leaders: “We’re going to need your strength and the values you have learned here to lead our country in the even more uncertain times ahead…but it means we need to be more certain than ever in our personal lives.” Stein told the students, “It is vital that you have in your heart a true belief that you have a God who is your best friend, your teacher, your boss.” He also admonished the students to show gratitude to their parents and

Lucas Greene Adams Nicholas Clark Albertson Oliver Wolcott Allen Claire Allman Jasmin Amaral Charlotte R. C. Anderson Jose Roberto Arzú Jenna Rose Marie Banky M. Tiernan Barry Nicole Monique Beede Brigid Loretta Behan Garrett C. Behan Francesca Marcia Bessey Lauren Elizabeth Bolusky Drake Richard Bonin Kathleen Mary Buckley Georgiana Claire Callahan Young Rim (Liz) Chang Andrew Brian Clendenen Justin Eric Coleman Christopher Nelson Correia Adam Simonton Crimmins Emily Margaret Cunningham Katia DaSilva Thomas Francis DiMare II Elizabeth Anne Dubovik Catherine L. Fairhurst Minondo Mary Elizabeth Falvey Michael Peter Flanigan Jake Xavier Flynn Sean Michael Fredericks Ryan James Gladney Joaquin A. Gomez Mitchell Andrew Green Morgan Green Lesley-Ann Larissa Griffiths Gabriela Gutierrez Machado Thomas Ryan Hammatt Julia Hansen Meghan Ann Harrington Taisa Sophia Hutchison Sun Woo (Katie) Kahng Claire Marie Kelley Edward Spencer Kielb Hyun Jeong (Kathy) Kim Jung Hun (Ryan) Kim Riley Simpson Kinnane Victoria Elizabeth Kyriakides Han Kyu Lee Min Jung (Helen) Lee Shao-Cheng (Joseph) Lee Kara Patricia Lessels Teresa Marie Lonergan John “Jack” Anthony Manory

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Emily Ann McCutcheon Felicity Marie McDonough Timothy J. McGuirk Jr. Michael Francis McLaughlin Jr. Grace Elizabeth Medley Eugenia Mercedes Minondo Isabella Minondo Duran Bromley Moore Sean Lawrence Morrissey Andrew Robert Morsilli Shannon Grace Mulholland Henry Joseph Mullen Chijioke Valentine Obijiofor William James O’Farrell Hyun Ji Park Thomas Robert Passarelli Kaitlin Rose Patton Mauricio Posada Urrutia Donovan Reyes Gabrielle Alix Rossi Madeleine Eugenie Savoie Julia Grace Scanlon Andrew Duncan Sgarro Katharine Anne Sgarro Victoria Redmond Sgarro Catherine Lee Shanahan Abigail Jewel Shea Huijia Shi Nuo Shi Kate Corroon Skakel Abigail Carleton Ryan-Skinner Benjamin Myers Slade Taylor Marie Smariga Eduardo Jose Soriano Jr. Sheamus Anthony Standish Sara Stratoberdha James Thomas Tasca Samantha Mary Theriault Tara Angela Tischio Silvia María Vásquez Sandoval Ligia Vela Steven Long Vo Daniela Vollmer Megan Frances Wart Christopher William Waterman Christopher Richard Weber Daniel Joseph Welch Kelsey Brown Wensberg Sophie Erika Whitmore Nutchanon Yongsatianchot Jeong Sik Youn William Michael Young Philip Oliver Lozier Youngberg

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C O MMENCEMENT Headmaster Dr. Jim DeVecchi (left) and Board Chairman John “Mac” Regan III (right) with Commencement speaker Ben Stein (center).

Mike Flanigan, selected by his classmates to give the Valedictory Address, talked about his class’s record, not just “all things academic, like SATs, tests, grades, classes attended and classes skipped,” but “a record of friendship, too…a record of hidden talents, of determination, and a record of generosity.” He cited with pride the varied accomplishments of his fellow classmates – a lead role in the School musical, a record-setting athletic achievement, numerous benevolent and charitable efforts on behalf of others less fortunate, and simple acts of friendship among classmates – as part of the record of the Class of 2011, adding, “This record is not ours alone; we owe so much of it to the Abbey faculty and monks.”

their teachers, friends, family members and colleagues – “you cannot walk this world alone” – to find the right spouse and stay married to him or her, to pick their companions wisely, to stick with their beliefs even if they are unpopular – “it shows who you are” – and to “be extremely grateful to be in America and to be an American.” “This country is the absolute best,” Stein continued, “the first nation to allow its citizens to make the best of themselves and to live by their talents, the first large nation to govern by consent of the governed, and the first to run its economy on the principles of the free market.” He spoke of the country’s “incredible progress” in many areas, including advances in medicine, technology, and the end of segregation and the near-eradication of racism, but he cautioned there is much work yet to be done: “This has become a much greater country than we ever thought it could be, but we still have big problems.” As an actor, Stein added that the stars in this country are “… not in Hollywood. The real stars are wearing the Stars and Stripes on their shoulders in Afghanistan and Iraq, they are police and firefighters, teachers in inner-city schools, doctors in emergency rooms, men and women of faith who minister to the desperate, and our ancestors who fought in World War II to

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keep us free. When we think of them, we can see that America’s best days lie ahead.” Stein finished with a challenge to the Class of 2011, paraphrasing John F. Kennedy’s Presidential inaugural address 50 years ago: “We all ask God to bless this great nation, and we all ask God to go to work for this great nation…but here on Earth, God’s work must surely be our own.’ Get to work, kids!” Board Chairman John “Mac” Regan challenged the graduates while in college to “try some things that are truly challenging – a course, a sport, or volunteer work.” Saying a distinguishing characteristic is “the willingness to empathize and connect with others,” he encouraged the students to hold fast to the beliefs instilled in them at Portsmouth and take responsibility for their individual and cooperative futures: “Your Abbey education has prepared you to question the status quo, to solve problems, to respect others, and to ground your decisions on timeless ethical and moral platforms… you understand better than most reverence for God, respect for the human person, and responsibility for the shared experience of community life. Use these as a backbone for your individual choices and your community participation, both in college and in your remaining lives.”

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Flanigan recalled a conversation with Dom Francis in which the monk shared that he’d come to the Abbey after making a list of everything he loved to do, and then trying to find a life that would include them all. He said, “While we have been busy making our lists and creating a record over the last four years here, the Abbey has been preparing us… to take our own journey that same way it prepared Brother Francis to join the monastic community. As we stand here today, we can already begin to see how the Abbey has prepared us to become contributors to the world. And years from now, when we return, where will we see our record? We’ll find it in ourselves.” On Prize Day, held Saturday, May 28, Dr. DeVecchi paid tribute to the students who had excelled during the 2010-11 school year. Those receiving special recognition included Edward Kielb, who was awarded the William Griffin Kelley Memorial Trophy, for making the most significant overall contribution to the life of the School. Ed will attend the University of Notre Dame in the fall. The Excellence in Scholarship Award, for achieving the highest cumulative academic average among the class, was presented to Francesca Bessey, who will attend the University of Southern California in the fall. The William Barry McCoy Award was given to Timothy McGuirk for his “influence upon his classmates through Christian attitude and constructive leadership.” The

Headmaster’s Award was presented this year to Henry Mullen, who, in the eyes of the Headmaster, “…has through his goodwill, personal example and effort been a force for good in the School.” Tara Tischio was given the Dom Luke Childs Memorial Medal for her exemplary qualities of citizenship, intelligence, virtue, and concern for others, so prized by Dom Luke. The Mary Louise Kearney Award, given in memory of Dom Damian’s sister to the member of the class who has distinguished herself through her character and contributions to the community, was awarded to Theresa Lonergan. Jasmin Amaral received the Matthew Penney Perseverance Award, in memory of Matt Penney ’07, for showing determined perseverance

Top right: Cum Laude Society (l-r): Francesca Bessey ’11, Andrew Sgarro ’11, Ed Kielb ’11 and Taylor Smariga ’11 (missing Hyun Ji Park ‘11). Middle right: The Kinnane family (l-r), Brendan ‘77, Riley ’11, John ‘03, Ellen and Brendan ’07. Below: The Flanigan/Skakel family (l-r): Susan Skakel ’09, Luba’s mother Pierrette Dumenco, Robert Flanigan ’83, Kate Skakel ’11, George Skakel, Peter Flanigan ’41, Mike Flanigan ’11, Nicholas Flanigan, Dan Flanigan ’09, Ben Stein, Patrick Flanigan, Tim Flanigan ’75, Thea Flanigan, Megan Flanigan Skakel, Luba Flanigan, Harry Skakel, Theresa Flanigan ’06, Anna VonOswald and Peter Skakel.

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to the course along with character and kindness. Elected this year to the Portsmouth Chapter of the Cum Laude Society were Francesca Bessey, Ed Kielb, Hyun Ji Park, Andrew Sgarro, and Taylor Smariga. Portsmouth Abbey Athletic Association awards, which recognize Sixth Formers who have exhibited “outstanding playing ability, sportsmanship, leadership, effort and dedication in each of the three seasons of athletics,” were presented to Nick Albertson, Jasmin Amaral, Brigid Behan, Ed Kielb, Liam O’Farrell, Abby Shea, Tara Tischio, and Dan Welch. The Dom Peter Sidler Awards for Excellence in Teaching were given to Elliott Moffie as the junior faculty member and Janice Brady as the senior faculty member. Transcripts of Commencement speeches as well as a full listing of Prize Day awards can be found on our Web site at http://www.portsmouthabbey.org/ page/7118.

Above: Jasmin Amaral ‘11 receives her Portsmouth Abbey School diploma. Top left: The Sgarro family (l-r), Doug, Breda, Andrew ’11, Katie ’11 and Tori ’11, celebrates three graduations. Middle left: Jack and Donna Flynn celebrate their third Abbey graduation (l-r), Jack, Jake ’11, Griffin ‘98, Donna, and Sean ’01. Bottom left: The Hunter/Griffiths family (l-r), Hunter Dale, Emily Dale, Priscilla Dale, Peter Dale, Lani Griffiths ‘11, Lara Dale Griffiths and John Dale ’65.

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Top left: Tiernan Barry ‘11 and her uncle, Bruce McShane ’68, share a Portsmouth Abbey bond. Top right: The Savoie family (l-r), Alexandra ’15, Heather, Maddie ’11 and Bob help Maddie celebrate her achievement. Middle left: The Bonin family (l-r), Laureen, Michael, Drake ’11, Sydell and Fletcher ’13. Drake served as Head Boy for 2010-11. Middle right: New graduate Young Rim “Liz” Chang ’11 celebrates with her family (l-r), Jae Chil Chang, Liz, Jin Young Chang ’15 and Jeong Ok Shin. Bottom right: The Lonergan clan gathered for Teresa’s graduation (l-r), Alan Russo (uncle), Deborah Grenier (aunt), Renee Thresher (godmother), Elisa Lonergan ’14 (sister), Zachary Strom (boyfriend), Susan Grenier (grandmother), Teresa Lonergan ’11, Tom Lonergan ’71 (father), Joe Faryniarz (godfather) and Delores Grenier (mother).

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PRIZE DAY

Top left: The McDonough family (l-r), Sean ’14, Felicity ’11, Dan, Diane (in front), Mary Jean and Mary ’07. Felicity received the Music Prize and an award for her dedication to altar service. Felicity also received the Classical Studies Book Prize and was the School winner of the Level IV National Latin Exam in Poetry. Top right: The Kielb family (l-r) Mark, Janice, Ed ’11, Frannie ’13 and Ellie ’15. Ed was the recipient of the William Griffin Kelley Memorial Award and was elected to the Cum Laude Society. Ed was inducted into the Portmouth Abbey Athletic Association and received the Scholar-Athlete Award in addition to a number of additional awards for excellence in scholarship. Middle left: Headmaster Jim DeVecchi presents Francesca Bessey ’11 with her Excellence in Scholarship Award. Francesca also received a number of awards for excellence in scholarship, was a National Merit Scholar recipient and was inducted into the Cum Laude Society. Middle right: Kevin Morrissey presents Tim McGuirk ’11 with one of his prizes. Tim received the William Barry McCoy Award, as well as the St. Gregory Award (for community service) and the Music Prize. Left: The Mullen family (l-r) Sheila, Henry ’11, Tim, and Tom. Hank was the recipient of the Headmaster’s Award.

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THE STATE OF COLLEGE

ADMISSIONS Through the Looking Glass… or possibly down the rabbit hole! Grinning cats, rabbits with watches,murderous queens and opium-smoking caterpillars seem rather tame compared to some of the wild and crazy shenanigans going on in the world of college admissions today. Example? How would you like to send your son or daughter to any school in the country (well, any school he or she can be admitted to) without having to pay a cent? No problem… just go to www.whypaytuition. com and they will match your darling daughter or sporty lad with an opposite - gender soul mate, and then, assuming that the two parties enter into a legal marriage, for the next four years, the couple will live happily ever after, most likely not at the same college, most likely never seeing each other again. Well, until the divorce proceedings. This is the point at which my four-year-old grandson would say, “What the heck??” and you are probably thinking the same thing. Stay with me… according to the www.whypaytuition.com website: “As soon as you get married, you no longer fall under your parent’s income. (You don’t have to provide any information on your parent’s income, savings and investments.) Most colleges provide free tuition or reduced tuition for low- income students, some colleges even provide assistance with fees and dorms. Since you are no longer providing your parent’s income information, your financial responsibility is based on your income alone. If you marry another college student you both could qualify for free tuition, tuition assistance, grants and scholarships.” Okay, that makes sense. Sort of.

my Sixth Formers received from a college, stating, “We were just talking about you in the admissions office, and we hope to see an application from you soon.” This is a student who had never even heard of the school and who certainly wasn’t on the verge of sending an application soon. Or, for that matter, late. “We were just talking about you”? Really?? They said what??? Another disconnect: two colleges gave us a lot of rigmarole about admitting two of our girls; a lot of, “well, it’s going to be tough,” and “I’m not sure about this- I’ll have to take it to committee,” or “well, [test scores, GPA, you choose] is a good bit lower than what we look for.” In fact, one initially rejected our applicant, then changed its mind and admitted her. The other delayed and delayed and delayed before finally admitting the second young lady. And in the end, not only were both girls admitted, they were each offered an ACADEMIC scholarship by the schools that initially balked at admitting them because of their “low” academic profiles. Is anyone in charge here? Testing, testing, testing. Early research indicates that the score on the recently added writing section of the SAT may be a better indicator of college success than are the traditional verbal (now called critical reading) and math scores. So why is it that the vast majority of colleges still don’t take the writing score into consideration when evaluating a candidate? And why is it that, even though those schools do not “count” SAT writing scores, for students who choose to submit ACT scores in lieu of SATs, colleges require that the

And your name is??? One of my favorite inanities this year was the email one of

Photo: The College Counseling team (l-r) Kate Smith, Corie McDermott, Elizabeth Wall, and Director of College Counseling Mary McDonald.

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C O LL EGE ADMISSIONS

students take and submit scores for the (otherwise) optional ACT writing section? Curiouser and curiouser… You’re kidding, right??? And then there is the Never Never Land of financial aid. The number of schools whose financial aid offers left quite a significant gap between a family’s demonstrated need and the amount that the school was willing to provide was appalling, and in several cases this practice deterred students from attending their first-choice schools. Expecting a family of three with an income in the low $30,000s to take out loans of more than $10,000 a year as part of the financial aid “package,” and then find an additional $10,000 to $11,000 to close the “gap” between what the school costs and what the school is awarding the student just seems, well, crazy. What are they thinking?? “The time has come,” the Walrus said, “To talk of many… applications.” Yes, the number of students applying to colleges, and, in particular, the number of applications submitted, continues to soar. In a classic catch-22, students apply to more schools because they aren’t sure where they can get in, making getting in harder than ever because students apply to more schools. And still, even after so many complaints from college counselors and so many negative articles in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Washington Post, The LA Times, The Boston Globe, and numerous other national and regional publications, many colleges continue to think it is okay to entice students to apply, by hook, crook, or the so-called “fast app” (called something else entirely by beleaguered college counselors), when they already have significantly more applications than they can admit. So what’s a girl to do? Or a boy, or, for that matter, a parent? While it is true that the whole college applying process has become pretty crazy, there are ways to manage the stress and complications. Of course, it helps to have a sense of humor. Beyond that, information, communication, and an open mind are key. While it is not a good idea for parents of lower formers to start pressuring their sons or daughters about college, it does make

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sense for those parents to start doing research to familiarize themselves with trends and issues and to learn about schools that might be outside of their ken. Keeping an open mind is also very important; many colleges are significantly different today from what they were twenty or thirty years ago. Logging in to Portsmouth Abbey’s Family Connection software is an excellent way for Portsmouth Abbey’s families to begin exploring schools. There are several college searches that can be done from within the software, and there are links to external search engines. The homepage lists books and websites on topics ranging from finding the right college “fit” to gap years, from test prep to the application process. There are articles on financial aid, using the Internet to do college searches, what colleges look for in an applicant, visiting colleges, and much more. There is information about summer programs, applying to colleges outside of the U.S. and scholarships. The schedule of colleges visiting Portsmouth is also available through Family Connection, and is updated regularly. Information about special college events in the area is also updated regularly. Parents are encouraged to take advantage of this resource early and often. And it’s not too early to visit a few colleges. Planning a trip soon? Why not check out a school or two in the area? Even if your son or daughter doesn’t end up applying, they – and you – will have a better sense of what college “looks like.” Parents are also encouraged to contact the College Counseling Office whenever they have questions or need information. Students can help themselves by focusing on doing well in challenging classes, identifying activities that they enjoy as well as trying out new ones, getting involved in all aspects of the Abbey community (and their home communities, too), and establishing strong relationships with their teachers, coaches, and other adults in their communities. There is no need to start “the list” early, but it can be helpful for students to start thinking about what sort of school they might like. Again, Family Connection is a wonderful resource for discovering new colleges as well as finding out more about old favorites. What can college counselors do to help fend off the Mad Hatter that personifies college admissions today? Forewarned is forearmed, and the Portsmouth Abbey college counselors

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DESTINATIONS work to stay abreast of current trends and issues, through participation in e-lists and other group communications with colleagues at other prep schools and in college admission offices, attendance at regional and national conferences, and visits to college campuses. It is also important that our counselors present colleges with a clear picture of the mission and programs of the Abbey. The school profile, a document that is shared with all visiting college reps and that is included with School material sent with each application describes the academic program, with particular emphasis on the Benedictine influence, the Humanities course, the writing program, and the overall academic rigor. In addition, each college representative who visits the Abbey spends time with one of the counselors, learning more about the community that is Portsmouth Abbey. Communication is important. The Portsmouth Abbey college counselors maintain a rich trove of information in Family Connection, regularly updating articles, information and links. Sixth Formers and their parents receive regular email updates and reminders of upcoming events and deadlines. Third, Fourth and Fifth formers are also kept “in the loop” through several class meetings during the year and through access to Family Connection. Counselors maintain email and phone communication with representatives at the colleges to which Abbey students are applying, working to ensure that our students are getting a “good read.” The bad news is that the world of college admissions is likely to get crazier and crazier over the next few years. But we need not let it drive us crazy. After all, even during this time of application inflation, Portsmouth Abbey students are still getting into top schools. Forty-five percent of the students in the Class of 2011 were admitted to schools ranked “most competitive” (i. e., the so-called tier- one schools) in Barron’s Profile’s of American Colleges. Abbey students from the fifth and sixth deciles of the class were admitted to schools that generally admit only students in the first two deciles. We think the formula works: maintain a sense of humor; stay informed; communicate with your sons or daughters and their college counselors; and keep an open mind. And for goodness’ sake, don’t go chasing after rabbits wearing watches! – Mary McDonald Director of College Counseling

Alfred University

Pepperdine University

Assumption College

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (2)

Babson College

Roger Williams University

Bates College (2)

Rollins College (6)

Bentley University

Saint Joseph’s University

Boston College (2)

Saint Michael’s College

Boston University (3)

Santa Clara University

Brown University

Santa Fe College

CCRI

Savannah College of Art and Design

Colby College (2)

Skidmore College

College of the Holy Cross (2)

St. Mary’s College of Maryland

College of William and Mary

The Catholic University of America (2)

Columbia University

The College of Wooster

Connecticut College (2)

The George Washington University (2)

Dalhousie University (2)

Trinity College (2)

Drexel University

Trinity College, Dublin

Duke University

Tulane University

Eastern Connecticut State Elon University Emory University (4) Fairfield University (1) Florida Institute of Technology Fisher College Fordham University Georgetown University (2) Gettysburg College (2) High Point University Holy Cross College Johns Hopkins University (2) Kenyon College Lyndon State College Mass Maritime Academy Merrimack College Miami University, Oxford Nichols College Northeastern University (3) Pace University, New York City

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign United States Air Force Academy United States Naval Academy Universidad de La Sabana University of California at Davis University of Connecticut University of Mass, Amherst University of Miami University of New Hampshire (2) University of Notre Dame (2) University of Oregon University of Rhode Island (5) University of Southern California University of Vermont University of Wisconsin, Madison Villanova University Washington and Lee University Washington University in St. Louis (2) Xavier University

Pennsylvania State University

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P O RT S M O U T H I N S T I T U T E

2011

The Catholic Shakespeare?

“...a well-credentialed group of Shakespeare scholars convened ‘across the pond’ to address the matter in more detail. Jesuits, Benedictines and other American and British scholars gathered June 10-12 at the Portsmouth Institute, a summer conference held at the Benedictine Portsmouth Abbey School in Rhode Island.” – National Catholic Register, July17, 2011 (http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/shakespeare-closet-catholic)

OVER 150 ATTENDEES FROM

from around the country and several foreign countries enjoyed the stimulating talks, concerts and dramatic presentations that made up this year’s Portsmouth Institute from June 10-12 on The Catholic Shakespeare? Abbot Aidan Bellenger of Downside Abbey opened the conference with a powerful presentation entitled The Blasted Heath: The Death of Catholic England, in which his description of the Henrician suppression of the monasteries gave the audience a detailed historical background with which to understand the circumstances that Catholics (including Shakespeare’s family) faced under Queen Elizabeth’s continuing oppressive policies. Professor John Cox spoke on Shakespeare’s prayers, Clare Asquith, Countess of Oxford and Asquith, gave an innovative reading of As You Like It, as did Dr. Gerard Kilroy of Romeo and Juliet, both interpretations drawing on hitherto unexplored contemporary historical events that influenced the composition of those plays. Dr. Glenn Arbery spoke on the Henry VI tetralogy and its importance in understanding Richard III and other Shakespeare history plays. Dr. Dennis Taylor

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spoke on The Tempest and Catholic Exploration of America, and Father Richard Beauregard concluded the conference with an address on Virtue and Human Dignity in the Taming of the Shrew. The keynote address of the conference was delivered by Father Peter Milward, S.J., the “father” of Catholic Shakespeare studies in recent times, who traveled all the way from Japan for the occasion to speak on The Catholic King Lear and received a standing ovation. In addition to the lectures, Troy Quinn, former music director for Portsmouth Abbey School, conducted an orchestral concert of music associated with Shakespeare (Walton’s Henry V Suite and Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture). Troy also conducted a brilliant and moving rendition of William Byrd’s Mass for Five Voices at the Pentecost Sunday liturgy. Portsmouth Abbey’s Performing Arts Head, Jay Bragan, directed scenes from the School’s production of Romeo and Juliet on Friday evening, and on Saturday the conference traveled to Newport to see an adaptation of Hamlet presented by Theatre of the Word and narrated by Joseph Pearce of EWTN in the historic and newly renovated Newport Casino Theatre. In his closing remarks, Abbot Aidan said of the Portsmouth Institute to general applause, “This is the sort of thing that every Benedictine monastery ought to be doing.” – James P. MacGuire ‘70 Director of Portsmouth Institute

P ORTSM O U T H A BB E Y S C HO OL

Visit: www.portsmouthinstitute.org

Opposite: Jamie MacGuire ‘70, director of the Portsmouth Institute, opens the conference. Top left: The Rt. Rev. Dom Aidan Bellenger, O.S.B., Abbot of Downside Abbey, delivers an address entitled, “The Blasted Heath: The Death of Catholic England” to conference attendees. Top right: Conductor Troy Quinn leads the Portsmouth Institute Orchestra in A Shakespearean Concert, held on the first evening of the conference. Middle left: (l-r) Cecile Thompson, Mary Bowers, Rebecca O’Keefe, Patrice Thompson and Andrea Campana enjoy refreshments on the terrace. Middle right: James Lucier, Jr. (left), and Rev. Donald Miniscalco attend one of the sessions. Lower left inset: Claire Asquith addresses the audience regarding “As You Like It and the Elizabethan Catholic Dilemma.” Lower right: (l-r) Thomas Lonergan ‘71, Portsmouth Academic Dean and Humanities teacher Kale Zelden, conference speaker Professor Glenn Arbery, and Donald Carlson enjoy cocktails on the Winter Garden patio.

Note: Transcripts and videos of the conference events are available at www.portsmouthinstitute.org.

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ANNU AL WE S T PO IN T R IN G M ELT Brings Together Abbey Grad, Abbey Parent, and Abbey Educator By Fred Zilian, Ph.D. Left: Cadet Katie Collins, Portsmouth Abbey Class of 2008, with Dr. Fred Zilian

ley. Also attending was the Abbey’s own Cadet Katie Collins, now a junior at the Military Academy. She indicated that “the Ring Melt was an amazing experience and adds so much meaning to the ring I will don this fall.” Several West Point officers also participated: Colonel Joseph DeAntona ’84, brigade tactical officer, Lieutenant Colonal Michail Huerter ’90, class advisor, and Major Mike Rodick, class officer in charge. To complete the contingent, two representatives from the West Point Association of Graduates took part: Ms. Nadia King, ’91, director of class support, and Maryellen Picciuto, ’86, senior director of alumni support. This year’s annual Ring Melt of West Point rings on March 7 brought me together with Cadet Katie Collins, Abbey Class of 2008, at the company of Pease and Curren Refiners in Warwick, RI, owned by Mr. “Kip” Curren, father of Laura Curren, Abbey Class of 2006, and Frank Curren, Abbey Class of 2003. During this now- annual ceremony, donated West Point rings are melted down and added to the mix of gold used to fashion the rings for the next West Point graduating class. The first Ring Melt occurred in 2001, in which donated rings from graduates were melted down and eventually mixed with the gold to produce the new rings for the Class of 2002. Starting with the second Ring Melt in 2002, the event has taken place at Pease and Curren Refiners, in Warwick. West Point graduate Keith Edwards, Class of 1985, an employee of the company at the time, was responsible for bringing the event to Pease and Curren. He has stated, “I am proud to say that we transformed the Melt into a meaningful ceremony that commemorates the ring donors’ service to the nation linking them, where possible, to historical events that shaped our history.” He is responsible for the program’s current format. After opening remarks, a short biography of each donor is read aloud, illuminating the donor’s military career and achievements. Either a family member, a classmate, or another alumnus then places the ring into the melt pot. In some cases living donors place their own rings into the crucible. The most recent Melt was conducted on March 7, 2011, and was attended by some forty people. From West Point came six cadets; five were the class officers of the Class of 2012: Cadets Grant Sepp, Haley Johnson, Chase Cappo, Joshua Orr, and Isaac Dud-

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Each year a small amount of gold is extracted after each Melt to be saved for future Melts. This is added to the manufacturing process of the successive rings for the upcoming class. The particular sample for this year’s Melt contained gold from one hundred eighty-eight previously donated rings. The oldest ring belonged to Colonel William Guthrie, Class of 1901. His son, Major General John S. Guthrie, also wore the ring. The newest ring was from an unknown member of the Class of 1997. The youngest donors, Scott Edwards and Karl Lundsberg, both Class of 1984, are living donors. The highest-ranking donor was General Hamilton Hawkins Howze, Class of 1930, who commanded the United Nations Command in Korea and the Eight Army, and after retirement was the vice president of the Bell Helicopter Company. With the melting of the twenty-nine rings from this Melt, gold from a total of 217 rings will now be part of this line of rings. These new rings came from graduates ranging as far back as Colonel Percy M. Kessler, Class of 1896, and extending up to Mr. Frederick W. Coleman IV, Class of 1964. The Melt featured six rings from the Class of 1962; therefore, the cadet officers from the Class of 2012 – the 50th anniversary class – were invited to attend and read the individual biographies. Once the rings were completely melted down into a bar of gold, the entire group assembled and the gold was ceremonially transferred to the cadets present. The cadets then passed the bar to representatives of Balfour Rings, the company that will produce the rings for the Class of 2012. Some individuals need only themselves to weather a storm, however long and merciless. In her bestselling book, Unbroken, on the life of World War Two hero Louie Zamperini, we learn of his

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unyielding will to endure whatever trials nature and his Japanese tormentors hurled at him. He never surrendered his determination to endure and to survive. Beyond their individual, inherent grit, graduates of West Point have always had the noble and enduring ideals of the USMA from which to draw strength. Douglas MacArthur, in his farewell speech to the Corps in 1962, stated to the assembled cadets: “Your guidepost stands out like a tenfold beacon in the night: Duty, Honor, Country.” As he closed, he indicated that “in the evening of my memory I come back to West Point. Always there echoes and re-echoes: Duty, Honor, Country.” Here at Portsmouth Abbey School, we cherish those enduring and noble words from our Mission Statement: To help young men and women grow in knowledge and grace. Perhaps knowledge can be measured to a degree; grace cannot. It is one of those intangibles which eludes measurement, along with the core Abbey ideals of Reverence, Respect, and Responsibility. However intangible, these ideals may often be the very words that draw our graduates back to the Abbey – for reunions but also for solace and anchorage that can provide them with renewal, direction, and sustenance in lives grown perhaps too focused on the material, the worldly, and the tangible.

d Dr. Fred Zilian is an educator at Portsmouth Abbey School and a 1970 USMA graduate. He is also a freelance writer and blogger at www.zilianblog.com. Keith Edwards and Kim Michalik made contributions to this article. Photos, clockwise from top: An alumnus places the ring into the pot. Melting the rings at the Pease and Curren Refinery in Warwick, RI. The liquid gold from the melted rings is poured into the bar mold. The cadets receive one of the gold bars from the foundry man at Pease and Curren. Katie Collins ‘08 is at far right. Cadet Sepp passes a gold bar to the Balfour representative. Balfour is the company that will produce the rings for the Class of 2012.

SUMMER BULLETIN 2011

ALUMNI PROFILE

ROBERT (BOB) RIERA, JR. ‘65 After basic training, I reported to Beeville, TX, to complete my advanced training in gunnery, formation flying, bombing, night flying (always interesting) and continued practice in landing on carriers. For most carrier aviators, as compared to landing on a carrier at night on a pitching deck and virtual zero visibility, everything else is a “piece of cake.” My aircraft at this training site was the F-9 Cougar – my first jet.

Rank: Captain, USN Ret. What/who first inspired you to attend a military academy or enter the service? How old were you? I decided to enter the Academy during my final year at the Priory (now Abbey) at about the time everyone was making college decisions. While my father never pushed me one way or another, I am sure growing up in a Navy family all my life was both a conscious and sub-conscious inspirational factor. My dad was a pilot and Air Group Commander during World War II ultimately serving 40 years in active service. He retired as a Rear Admiral, having been selected for this position sometime in my graduating year from the Priory.

Why did you select that particular academy over the other U.S. military academies or service branches? My dad was an Academy Graduate (class of 1935), making it a natural selection. At the time of my nomination for the Academy (class of 1969), he was stationed in Alaska, making it easy for me to get 1 of the 2 Senatorial nominations.

What were your first days at the academy like? For most new “Plebes,” day one was pretty terrifying, as this was really their first time on their own and after months, or even years, trying to get through the rigorous entrance process, usually about 40-50 quit on day 1. I felt like I had been on my own for five years and other than the harassment felt it was no big deal. I have excerpted a passage out of the USNA Parent Survival Guide (see this in Bob’s complete online transcript) to give you some sense of Plebe Summer. Trust me – it’s a lot worse. On the good side, I came away from the Priory mentally, scholastically, and physically above the majority of my classmates, which made the year tolerable albeit not pleasant. A quote worth remembering during Plebe Summer: “Success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm” – Winston Churchill

Can you share a bit about your boot camp/training experience? After graduating from the Naval Academy, I reported to Pensacola, FL, for flight training. On arrival I was told there would be an 8-month pilot pool due to a pilot training backlog. I bemoaned the training delay on the outside, but rejoiced on the inside – 8 months on the beautiful beaches of Pensacola couldn’t be all that unpleasant? Unfortunately, four of my closest friends and classmates convinced me to sign up with them for a Masters in Aeronautics program as it meant we could begin flight training immediately. Against my better judgment I signed up with them and was the only one selected, leaving me to begin flight training, as well as my Masters program, immediately. It left them with eight months on the beach. I cursed the Priory at that time as I blamed it for giving me the academic background which enabled me to successfully pass the Master’s program entrance exam.

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Because of the need for pilots in Vietnam, I completed my training in Beeville early (also completed my Master’s thesis there) and left on Christmas day for San Diego to report to my first operational squadron for final training in the F-4 Phantom – a period of about 6 months where I then stood by awaiting assignment to my first squadron – VF 51 Screaming Eagles on station Vietnam. I ultimately received my first active squadron assignment as a replacement for a pilot and his back-seater who were just shot down and captured.

Where and for how long did you serve? Not counting my four years in the Academy, I was in active service for just short of 30 years. I achieved the rank of Navy Captain (06). (See Bob’s full military bio in his profile online.)

Did you see combat/casualties in your unit? I served in the last part of the Vietnam War and was on some of the first missions off the Coral Sea into Hanoi. I have 27 combat missions and a Navy medal for destroying a bridge during one of our bombing missions. In those days, we did not have precision bombs so your “kill” rate was achieved by a very steep angle (felt like you were diving straight into the ground) and a low pull out, making you more vulnerable to enemy fire. Nowadays, precision bombs are dropped well out of range of most enemy fire.

What are a couple of your most memorable experiences? I was a carrier fighter pilot with over 2000 hours and 400 carrier landings, first in the F-4 Phantom but primarily in the F-14 Tomcat of “Top Gun/Tom Cruise” fame. I believe most “carrier” Naval Aviators will say their most memorable experiences are carrier landings at night on a pitching deck. I have excerpted a description of what it is like from a “tailhook” article (see description in Bob’s full online profile). The carrier deck is slanted so if you miss the wire you can safely become airborne without running into all of the other parked planes, and the ship is moving from your left to right at about 30 knots, you have to maintain exact angle of attack, airspeed and descent rate and when in the clouds – called “in the goo” – you may not even see the “ball” until you’re 500 feet above the water and miles away from the ship, which, when traveling at 170 knots or so, translates to seconds, and the deck may be pitching up and down 35 feet or more. Then, if you miss one or more times and need gas, you have to go find a tanker,

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Bob (Riera ’65) in front of one of the F-4 Phantoms he flew as a pilot with a Fighter Squadron during the Vietnam War.

rendezvous on it, and try to put your refueling probe into its widely oscillating basket no more than about 27 inches in diameter. Then you get to try it all again. Another memory was my first bombing mission in Vietnam. Excitement was high as I flew overland with my wingman lead for my first target. He gave me the detach signal and I departed and flew what I felt was a brilliant delivery. I then lit burner and got the hell out of there at 500+ knots. Feeling pretty exhilarated, I proudly rejoined my flight lead over water, and prepared to triumphantly return to the ship. After he checked me over, he came up on the radios and said that I still had all my bombs. In my excitement, I had forgotten to hit Master Arm. I was told to return to my target and do it all again, knowing that no one on the ground is very happy with you after you just made a bombing run on them. Returned safely, of course, but never ever forgot to Master Arm again. Lessons are learned the hard way in war.

How did you stay in touch with your family? In my day, we did not have email, cell phones, etc. We were totally reliant on “snail” mail, which was as slow as the name implies and very intermittent as we needed special planes called CODS – Carrier On-board Delivery Systems – to get the mail to the ships. It could take months for letters to catch up so your spouse pretty much had to make most of the decisions herself (the military was all men in my days). Mail was such a special event that we would even move the aircraft called the Alert 5 off the catapult so we could recover the COD. The Alert 5 was the designated aircraft that was supposed to be able to launch in 5 minutes to intercept a possible incoming enemy aircraft like the old Russian Bears. When the COD came, it could take 45 minutes or more to get the Alert 5 reset in case we were attacked, but no one cared – it was mail from home.

What most impressed you while serving in the military? This could be a long answer but I would choose to say that for the most part the people with whom I followed or led were talented, dedicated and selfless. You basically had to be, as we were on multiple cruises where separations from our family were as long as 11 months, with 6 to 9 months being the average. These tours could also be back-to-back for very little pay relative to what our counterparts were making for much fewer hours (and certainly not 24/7). A typical day on the carrier ran about 18 hours. Again, for the most part, these men and women served without complaint and made me proud to either follow or lead. As I said earlier, I would do it all over again.

How did Portsmouth prepare you for your time in the service? Portsmouth prepared me in two ways. First, it helped me establish, at a very early age, an independence and confidence that would serve me well as I started the Academy and every new assignment. It forced me to be disciplined and to take responsibility for my life in all aspects. While the Priory provided structure, discipline and assistance, you had to make your own decisions to take advantage of those services, which, I might add, were unequalled. Secondly, it prepared me academically, including the ability to know how to

study. I used to make the statement and still do that it took the Academy, a highly respected academic institution, two years to catch up to where I stopped at the Priory. My teachers, primarily monks during my time, were brilliant, tireless and totally dedicated to their responsibilities to teach. While I can’t say I loved it at the time, I can say that it has served me well throughout my military and civilian career.

Was there any one thing/person at Portsmouth that/who helped prepare you more than anything else? Father Damian was my inspiration and savior. First, he instilled in me the ability to write with his weekly 3-hour “blue-book” writing marathons. What made his course so valuable was the fact that he would meticulously review your work and cover your book in red ink making sure you knew what you had done right and what was…well, “crap,” so to speak. Additionally, when Father Philip could no longer tolerate me in his dorm, Father Damian took me under his wing and got me through until graduation. But that’s a story for another day.

Did your time at Portsmouth influence your desire to serve? It did not influence my desire, which as I said above was fostered through my family legacy. It did, however, influence my ability as basically stated in a number of the above. I do feel that the Priory gave me a very strong head-start over my peers and continues to do so to this day.

Anything else you would like to add? I would like to acknowledge the other military heroes, and that’s our families. I have been married to my wife, Cindy, for 42 years. When I left for cruises, which lasted from 6-11 months, she was expected to pick up the lead for the family, the dogs, the house, etc., and just as easily return the mantle to me upon my return. She was expected to move with me every 2-3 years, and if she had a job she had to quit it and find another one. Many times she had to find a house, buy or rent it and move in by herself, because I was on cruise. She was/is a saint. Likewise, my children (Shelly and Scott) were required to change schools every few years, make new friends and then move again. They also had to deal with their dad being gone for extensive periods of time when they needed him most. They sacrificed much for our country as well.

What you are doing now? Since 2005, I have been Acting Deputy, Veterans Health Organization (VHA), Chief Information Officer (CIO). Bob provided many more interesting reflections in his interview. To read the entire transcript, and to view more photos, please visit: http://www. portsmouthabbey.org/page/7169.

SUMMER BULLETIN 2011

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ALUMNI PROFILE

MATT D’ARRIGO ‘90 Please describe your journey from the Abbey to the present. After Portsmouth I attended Spring Hill College in Mobile, AL, to study Fine Art and Philosophy. After my freshman year, my mother and sister were both diagnosed with cancer, which would eventually set me on my life path. Upon graduation, I moved back to Boston for a short time and then headed out to Oregon to live with friends, work on my art, and explore the Northwest. After about a year, I grew tired of the rain and felt it was time to get serious and “grow up.” Seeking one last adventure, I packed a backpack and walked/hitchhiked down the entire West Coast for two months – one of the best experiences of my life. I arrived in San Diego in 1997 and got a job as a scenic artist for a major event company, creating stage sets and scenery. I then created and managed my own design department within the company – building it from the ground up, which provided me with invaluable “start-up” and business experience in a safe environment (i.e., using other people’s money!). After 3 years, I was ready to move on and start ARTS. My sister bought me a book on how to start a non-profit, and ARTS was launched in 2001; I’ve never looked back.

What/who first inspired you to work in service to others? I would say my parents were my first inspiration to be of service to others. Both walked the walk – my Dad was (and still is) heavily involved with charities in the Boston area and my mother was a nurse for the poor and underserved at St. John of God Hospital and a community volunteer. They set the foundation and example for me.

How did ARTS come to be and what it is about? Towards the end of my freshman year at Spring Hill, I got a phone call from my Dad with the unfortunate news that my mother had been diagnosed with stomach cancer. It was devastating. A couple months later, my sisters and I returned home from college for the summer and my sister Kate was diagnosed with lymphoma. We couldn’t believe it. Our whole world was turned upside down. It was an extremely difficult year in which my mother passed away, but, fortunately, my sister recovered. I stayed at home that year and helped out. The one thing I turned to every day was my art and love of music. I would go to my bedroom where my studio was set up, shut the door, put on my stereo and paint. Everything would disappear and be forgotten. It was extremely meditative, therapeutic, and transformative. I would “emerge” with a whole new outlook and sense of hope, that everything would be okay no matter what happened. One day, after one of these “sessions,” it all came to me: THIS is what I am supposed to do with my life. I was supposed to provide that same transformative experience to kids who were fac-

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ing their own difficulties and crisis – if it worked for me, it would work for them. Within a half- hour I had it all planned out. I was to create a non-profit that would provide visual, performing, and literary arts programs to kids around the globe who were suffering. Just like I had my bedroom studio to escape to, I would create ARTS Centers – safe, nurturing, creative environments for kids to escape, express, and create new outlooks on life. Even the name came to me right away: A Reason To Survive…ARTS. I took it as a sign; this is my purpose in life. ARTS is now celebrating our 10-year anniversary of using the power of the arts and creativity to transform youth facing major hardships. We work with a variety of kids – homeless, abused, terminally or chronically ill, emotionally and behaviorally challenged, physically and mentally challenged, juvenile courts, etc. Ninety percent of the kids we serve are low-income and minority. We not only give these kids A Reason To Survive their circumstances, but A Reason To Succeed in life. We have created a unique sequential program framework and model based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs – Heal, Inspire, Empower – that utilizes therapeutic arts programming, arts education, and art-based college and career readiness. It’s a one-stop shop that truly transforms kids’ lives. We run the Pat D’Arrigo ARTS Center (named after my mother) that offers every creative outlet under the sun We have an Artist-in-Residence program for schools and social service agencies in the community, Van Go! Transportation Program – taking kids to the ARTS Center but also to arts and culture events in the community – ARTS Enterprises that employ our high school youth, and Community Art Projects that beautify low-income neighborhoods and schools. With our proven model and track record in San Diego, I am now starting to focus my attention on my original dream of bringing our programs around the globe. We have numerous opportunities in place we will be pursuing in the coming years as well as getting more involved with advocacy and helping similar organizations build their capacity to grow and expand their own programs, reaching more kids in an indirect way.

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Left: Matt (D’Arrigo ’90) working with ARTS children at the Pat D’Arrigo ARTS Center in San Diego, CA.

Thomas Merton once said, “The arts enable us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” I think that is what ARTS is all about.

What is the favorite part of your work? My favorite part of work is creating the community, connections, and environment to bring joy and happiness to others. It may sound “fluffy,” but we take happiness and joy very seriously – it is at the core of what we do and the foundation for what everything is built. If people feel joy and happiness, then that means they have a sense of hope, well being, and fulfillment. With those in place, anything is possible. This takes many shapes and forms; the most obvious is with our kids and families, who use the arts as a vehicle to find joy and happiness and then start rebuilding their lives around it. Secondly is with our volunteers and staff – finding joy and happiness by being of service to others. Finally, I love helping our donors find it by accomplishing their philanthropic goals and dreams – aligning their values and beliefs with our mission and programs. To see the joy and satisfaction they receive by seeing the impact of their donation is priceless.

Can you share your most memorable experiences with ARTS? There are so many experiences over the years that I am proud of. But one of my favorite memories is with the very first kids with whom I worked – Riley and Alexis, a sister and brother at Ronald McDonald House. Riley was three years old and battling cancer, and his sister was five. I worked with them for about a year before Riley passed away. It was extremely sad. I drove the four hours to their hometown in Blythe, CA, to attend the funeral. I was greeted outside by their uncle who asked me, “Are you Matt, the artist?” I said, “Yes.” He went on to tell me that I would be getting up to speak after the Dad. I was in shock and thought they had the wrong guy, but they didn’t – luckily it was easy to talk about Riley. I walked into the church and saw artwork displayed all around his little casket. It represented a bright spot and happy memories in what had been a devastating year for the family. The artwork was Riley’s legacy and something tangible the family could hold onto to bring happy memories for years to come. I knew then and there, this was the work I was meant to do.

What has most impressed you about the people whom you serve and the other adults with whom you work? I am always impressed with the human spirit of the people we serve and work with – their strength, resiliency, passion, and resolve to improve themselves and make the world a better place. In a time when we are inundated with media and technology that focuses on and celebrates so much negativity, I am lucky to see the opposite everyday in the work we do and the people who carry it out. It gives me perspective and faith in mankind.

How did Portsmouth prepare you for the work in which you are now involved? The biggest impact was the value and importance of prayer, contemplation, and faith. All three play a huge role in my life and work everyday. I am more spiritual than religious per se, but feeling connected to a greater purpose and power, the importance of looking inward for guidance, and faith that it will all work out as planned helps to keep me balanced and encouraged every day. With the Abbey’s rigorous academics, team sports, and focus on faith, I was also able to understand the importance of nourishing the body, mind, and soul. These pursuits also taught the importance of relationships, teamwork, hard work, empathy and understanding. Being in an environment with students from around the world with very different cultures, backgrounds, and life views gave me a unique perspective and understanding at an early age. It was a great “incubator” for the real world.

Do you see your work as an extension of the Benedictine way of life (ora et labora)? A lot of my work is around fundraising, so I do a lot of praying while I work! But in all seriousness, as stated above, the work I do is very aligned with the Benedictine life.

Was there anyone at Portsmouth who inspired or prepared you for your service work or career more than anyone else? Well, Mr. Fulweiler and Ms. Stone were my art teachers and had a big influence on me. I was not a strong student and really didn’t have a sense of self or identity when I started at the Abbey. But they saw some talent in me, grew it, encouraged me and built up my confidence. That laid the groundwork for identifying art as a core part of my life and a pathway for a career. For a while I planned on being an artist or art dealer. But when life’s events unfolded, I was shown what my true calling was. I think the Abbey prepared me by opening my mind to see that opportunity when it presented itself.

If you could spend time with anyone who has, in your opinion, been a great champion of service to others, who would it be? This is a tough one because there are quite a few – I have a list of heroes in the field. But I am biased, because I would give anything to spend time with my mother again. Now that I am an adult with a different perspective on life and a deeper understanding of who she was as a mother and person, she really exemplified the meaning of service to others. I also think she’d get a kick out seeing what I’m doing….and a bit relieved that I turned out okay!

Anything else you would like to add? If any alumni want to find happiness and fulfillment by being of service to others, give me a call! (www.artsurvive.org)

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CHRISTIAN VACHON ‘95 Christian Vachon lives in Cairo and reports on the political climate of the country. His work can be found on The Rumpus.net, an online magazine focused on culture, as opposed to “pop culture.” Christian is followable on Twitter. The following is one of his reports of the upheaval in Egypt last January.

Cairo: Scenes from a Revolution by Christian Vachon All books about all revolutions begin with a chapter that describes the decay of tottering authority or the misery and sufferings of the people. They should begin with a psychological chapter, one that shows how a harassed, terrified man suddenly breaks his terror, stops being afraid. – Ryszard Kapusciski — Jan. 25, 2:58 p.m. Tahrir Square is teeming with protestors. There are men of all ages and some women, too. There are teenagers in sweatshirts and baseball caps, a few men in traditional Muslim garb and females wrapped in hijabs. The police, decked out in black riot gear, are outnumbered 100 to one as they attempt to corral the uprising like sheepdogs herding cattle. But the authorities have an advantage: the protestors have yet to psychically overcome three decades of fear engrained in them by the secret police. From the distance, on the other side of the square, a green tank inches closer to the crowd. On the roof is a water cannon that shoots a powerful warning shot in the air — its falling mist a harbinger of what’s to come. No one moves. As the cannon descends on the protesters, they lower their heads to accept the blow. First their faces. They hold their breaths and attempt not to choke. It pounds their necks. It pounds their chests. Some in the front lines fall backwards into the arms of the people behind them. One protestor, a teenager in a red T-shirt, does more than just take it. As the others hold their ground, he darts up to the tank, steps onto the vehicle’s front bumper and hoists himself up onto the roof. Atop

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the tank, he reaches for the cannon and aims the water stream away from the protestors. For a moment, the teenager keeps the cannon’s aim away from his countrymen. A plainclothes officer follows him onto the roof and jumps onto his back. The t wo fall to the pavement below. The plainclothes officer jumps on top of the protester’s chest and pounds his face with closed fists. Seeing this, the front half of the crowd fall to their knees, bow to the ground and pray. Officers in riot gear charge the young man as he is beaten. When they lif t him up, his face bloodied. His legs buckle as they pull him to his feet and drag him behind police lines. “Who will be the next hero?” the protestors shout in unison as the man in the red T-shirt is led away. “Who will be the next hero?” — Jan. 29, 2:11 p.m. When I step out of the taxi in front of the Ramses Hilton in downtown Cairo, I’m over whelmed by the noxious fumes emanating from across Tahrir Square — from the charred concrete shell that was once the headquarters of Hosni Mubarak’s National Democratic Party. The building is razed but the embattled leader of Egypt is still in power. As I gather my things from the taxi, a sea of Egyptians march by me, following the path of the Nile. They are holding banners and chanting, “The revolution and the army are one.” It’s a rallying cry reflecting the Egyptian military’s apparent disinterest in quashing the civil unrest. I reach into my bag for a camera, but I have barely raised it to my eye when three boys, no more than 12 years old, run up and cover the lens with their hands. “No photos,” they repeat until the camera is at my side. Fear of the secret police is rife. 24 hours ago Egyptians withstood of a day of beatings, gassing, and rifle fire to take Tahrir and begin their revolution. In response to this defeat, officials have removed all police from the country. In their place, the army has moved in to help secure the country. Earlier, an Egyptian friend with military contacts warns me against going to Tahrir. “If the military sides with the people, the protestors might see this as

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a license to riot and pillage,” he says, adding that the violence could be directed at all things western, including myself. “Do not go downtown,” he says.

“Welcome to our revolution,” he says. From my room I can see roving bands of protesters across Tahrir Square, isolated fires and the Nile under a purple night.

On the drive from my upper-class neighborhood of Maadi into the center of Cairo, all police checkpoints are vacated. The roads are littered with blown-out shells of armored police wagons and teenage boys have taken it upon themselves to direct the traffic at intersections. The streets are flooded with thousands, giddy with revolution and the intoxicating effects of living history. Aside from passive soldiers posing for photographs with civilians, and boys mounted atop tanks like they were overgrown ponies, there are no traces of authority. My phone rings, a friend from back in Maadi. “They have opened up the prison,” he reports. “Thugs are walking up and down the streets. There are gunshots. I just saw a guy with a bullwhip. All the boabs are standing guard outside their buildings with knives and clubs.” There is speculation that the release of prisoners and the absence of police is a tactic by Mubarak: Destabilize the country, terror ensues, then Mubarak and his police swoop back in and restore order to a grateful populace. When you fear for your life, the long view goes out the window. Inside the lobby of the Ramses Hilton, I’m greeted by a pleasant hotel desk clerk who is seemingly unmoved by the chaos outside. “How long will you be here, sir?” the gentleman asks.

He nods and types on his computer. “Sir, would you like our room with the demonstration view?”

A bell-hop takes my bags and shoots me a smile.

The Ramses Hilton is a fortress. Roughly 50 yards from the front door are t wo tanks, a smattering of soldiers, and a barricade that protect the guests from the growing instability of the Cairo street. I step outside to get some air and a glimpse of the chanting crowds headed to Tahrir Square. From where I stand — in the Green Zone of the Hilton — the chants are distant but growing in confidence. In an instant, the din is pierced by the sound of broken glass and the shrill scream of a woman. Someone has breached the perimeter. A dusty red coupe is speeding toward me leaving panicked bystanders in its wake. I turn and begin to run for cover.

“Definitely tonight,” I say. “Maybe longer.”

“Yes.”

— Jan. 30, 4:05 p.m.

Pop! The sound of a gun. Like a baseball bat hitting my hamstrings. I’m shot. I run my hands across the back of my legs. All control over the lower half of my body disappears and I am thrown chest first on the pavement. For a second I lay there, face to the ground, as the pain and paranoia set in. I came to Cairo to teach at a private school, but since the uprising in Tunisia, I’ve been filing dispatches under a pseudonym for a blog based in New York. For the past week I’ve been on the streets, with Egyptians, photographing, t weeting and reporting on the revolution. In that moment, face down on the curb in front of the Hilton, I wonder if I’m under suspicion and have been targeted by the secret police. I feel utterly alone and in that moment decide I have to leave the country. I’m carried inside the lobby and taken to my room by a team of security officers. A doctor follows behind us. “Rubber bullets,” the doctor says looking at my legs. “You’re lucky.” An hour later, I limp onto the elevator and run into a reporter from

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– Feb. 1, 8 a.m. For 200 Egyptian pounds I find a driver willing to take me to the airport. At this time of the morning, the protesters are fast asleep and the army controls the traffic on the major highways. As my car heads toward the airport, the streets of Maadi are dark and empty, save for the vigilante groups warming their hands over charcoal fires. Storefronts are dark and empty. Giant broken tree limbs and felled street lamps have been dragged into the middle of the street to slow vehicles. At the intersections, ad hoc neighborhood patrol groups peer into the windows of passing cars. They carry clubs. Two weeks ago this was one of the most vibrant neighborhoods in Cairo – now it looks like a war zone. CNN. I tell him of the drive-by, the rubbers bullet and the security unit in my room. “It’s getting hard here,” he says. “This af ternoon, some of our guys almost had the shit kicked out of them by the secret police. “Put some ice on those legs,” he tells me before exiting. In the hotel bar, the head of security approaches. “Good news,” he says, “The army has caught the criminals who shot you,” he continues. “They are back in jail now.” For a moment, I’m relieved to be merely a man in the wrong place at the wrong time. I see the hotel manager and want to share the good news. “They caught the criminals who shot me,” I say. “You were not shot by criminals,” he replies. “If they were criminals, then they would have used real bullets.” “Then who shot me?” The manager flashes a grin implying I should connect the dots myself, and then walks away.

We never talked about Egyptian politics in my class, but the shadow of Mubarak was always present. I remember once trying to explain the meaning of the word “tyrant.” “Can you think of a world leader who rules forever, simply by instilling fear into the hearts of his people?” I asked. There was a very uncomfortable silence. “Don’t answer that question,” I said, and moved the discussion into safer waters. At the airport, I immediately feel the privilege of being American. While thousands of tourists from the rest of the world are packed into the international terminal, stuck in lines so dense that they bleed into each other to form one entropic mass, the US government has full control of the spacious VIP terminal on the opposite end of the airport. I wait in a line of t wenty and walk straight onto a direct flight to Istanbul without stopping to purchase a ticket. We sign vouchers promising to pay for the flight at a later, more convenient date. On the tarmac, each of us comes off the plane, one row at a time, to identify our bags before authorities put them on the plane. At the end of this, there is one bag no one claims. It is lef t behind.

– Feb. 1, 2:15 a.m. I’ve spent the last 24 hours in hiding at a friend’s apartment in Maadi. I am on the phone with the State Department in Washington. They are telling me to go to the airport, where my name is on a manifest for an outgoing flight. “There is danger on the roads,” I say. “I am hearing reports of people being pulled out of their cars.” I am told that unfortunately the embassy cannot pick me up. I will make an attempt on my own in the morning. Before we hang up, I am cautioned against sleeping near any windows or doors.

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– Feb 13 10:00 p.m. Mubarak has been deposed for 36 hours. Egyptians are now free to speak, and they can’t stop talking. “Things are safe now,” my driver, an Egyptian man in his 50’s explains when he takes my bag at the arrivals gate, “but this country will never be the same.” We walk out the front doors of the Cairo International Airport, past army guards securing the entrances. There are no police officers in sight. I ask my driver where they have gone, “Protesting for higher pay,” he laughs. “The Minister of the Interior is under arrest,” he tells me as we stop at the airport tollbooth, “he was found with 8 billion Egyptian pounds. The Minister of Information, he is also under arrest. Now on the state television, people are calling up and criticizing the government. This has never happened in my life.”

tions – had been suspended. Egypt will be under martial law for the next six months as the country prepares for elections. “I have never voted in my life because my voice meant nothing,” he says before we stop and I get out, “Now I will vote.” – February 15, 1:30 p.m. Friday af ternoon prayers in Tahrir Square have drawn 100,000 and by mid-af ternoon downtown Cairo is a Disneyland of patriotism. Tens of thousands of Egyptian families walk through the streets. Children sit on the shoulders of their parents, their faces painted the colors of the flag. Street children rush through the crowd selling Jan. 25 bumper stickers and single-stemmed roses. While photographing graffiti from the revolution I come beside the charred remains of a police transport vehicle destroyed during the uprising.

We continue on to Maadi. The morning I lef t Maadi was a warzone, but as we drive through the night, the air is cool, the windows are down, and we move freely through the city while my driver reports all that I have missed. “This revolution happened because there was no leader,” he tells me as we drive downtown. “In the past when there were protests, authorities arrested all of the leaders. This time when they asked, ‘who are the leaders?’ there were none. There was no one to arrest. It was all planned on Facebook. This American, Mark Zuckerberg? He is a genius.” “The Tunisians showed us this was possible, and they helped us. On Twitter they gave us advice during the protests. They told us to bring bottles of Pepsi to the demonstrations. Pepsi is good for treating tear gas.”

As I photograph the truck a 29-year-old man stops beside me. “The government was the first enemy, “ he says, pointing up at the vehicle, “America is the second enemy.” He asks if I am American. I grin, nod, and introduce myself. “They arrested and tortured us, but it was part of an American policy to treat us this way,” he continued, “I lost three years of my life in prison. No lawyers. No trials. I just graduated dental school. They accused me of working with a Palestinian terrorist group. Then last year, they told me I could go. Now I’m a practicing dentist.” There is pause bet ween us. I try to think of something to say but feel like a fool even opening my mouth. The man senses this, smiles and says, “Our anger is with the U.S. government, but we have nothing against its people.”

We wind through the side streets of my neighborhood. My driver repeats the headlines of the af ternoon. The constitution has been dissolved. The Parliament – a product of last November’s fraudulent elec-

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ALUMNI PROFILE

ADAM ’95 AND JESSY (BERRETTO) ’96 DONALDSON As the first Abbey alumni married couple, Jessy (Berretto ’96) and I (Adam Donaldson ’95) pay special attention to the many changes to the campus where two friends went to prom and returned fourteen years later with their first child. None of the new buildings are as exciting to us, however, as our perception of a renewed emphasis on community service. In fact, we would suggest that the 10-hour service requirement in Form IV be applied to all students and faculty annually.

Over a period of six years, Jessy and I would serve in the Peace Corps (her idea), working with children in Uzbekistan and Jamaica, and each complete graduate school service-learning fellowships that brought us to the streets of Baltimore City. I would work with the coalition that lobbied Congress to pass the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act and greatly expand federal support of volunteerism and programs like AmeriCorps. Jessy would work on a private foundation initiative to rebuild the neighborhood of Central City in New Orleans. In each instance, the difference made was in our lives. Living in Jamaica, we helped to integrate technology into rural schools and improve the sanitation and health education of pre-schools. We also had the humbling experience of being the only white people for miles. Adopted by a Jamaican great-grandmother who nicknamed me “Puppy,” we expanded our family to her family and then to the community. We found ourselves for the 40th anniversary of the Peace Corps leading more than 30 Peace Corps Volunteers, dignitaries, and twice as many Jamaican neighbors in a one day service project to improve our local elementary school building and grounds. Sargent Shriver, who founded the Peace Corps, said in a speech at his alma mater: “Break your mirrors!! Yes – shatter the glass. In our society that is so self-absorbed, begin to look less at yourself and more at each other. Learn more about the face of your neighbor and less about yourself. “ We believe there is nothing more self-interested than following his advice. And once you do ten hours of community service, you will want to complete thousands.

We never would have said that as students. Jessy and I left the Abbey as admitted nerds, infused with a love of learning from faculty who challenged and guided us. We disappeared into books at a traditional liberal arts college that in many ways extended the Abbey another four years. Partly to test the idea of teaching as a career, I volunteered at a rural public high school during my college senior year and postgraduation joined City Year Columbus, an AmeriCorps program focused on literacy and positive school climate. Following our pattern of doing things together, Jessy joined me as a volunteer to lead middle school students in service-learning activities each Saturday. There is an idea that you perform community service to make a difference in the lives of others. You teach a child or serve a meal at a soup kitchen as a pure act of charity. But we quickly realized the cliché that the child teaches you more and the meal feeds your understanding. Jessy and I were taught stark lessons about public systems and racism by the youth we aimed to mentor in Columbus, and they expanded our own hearts like Seuss’s Grinch on Christmas morning.

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Top left: Jessy (Berretto ’96) on her last visit to Bethlehem Basic School in Ewarton, Jamaica. Above: Adam (Donaldson ’95) with his charges in the Polly Ground Primary School yard, St. Catherine Parish, Jamaica. Jessy and Adam worked as Peace Corps volunteers in Jamaica and Uzbekistan.

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BERNADETTE PINE CIZIN ‘96 Fmr. Lieutenant, USN Who first inspired you to attend a military academy or enter the service? My family has a strong tradition of military service... lots of former Navy, plus my Dad who went to Vietnam as a Marine. With Newport, RI, as my hometown, it was inevitable that I’d want to drive ships... I knew for sure when I was sixteen, but suspected long before that.

Why did you select that particular academy over the other U.S. military academies? Again, coming from Newport, the Navy was the natural fit. I looked into the Coast Guard but it was always the Navy I really wanted to be a part of.

What were your first days at the academy like? Hectic... sort of amusing in retrospect, but not at all amusing at the time.

Where and for how long did you serve? After Commissioning, I stayed in for seven and a half years. I was a Gunnery Officer on a Guided Missile Cruiser (got to drive), a Reactor Mechanical Division Officer on an Aircraft Carrier (operated a nuclear reactor), then an instructor at Trident Training Facility Bangor.

What are a couple of your most memorable experiences? Taking a reactor critical for the first time, doing a couple of reenlistments on the USS Arizona with my Mom there to see, being part of the crew that sailed USS Constitution back in 1997... and, of course, 9/11 and what came after.

How did you stay in touch with your family? Email primarily... when the carrier pulled in to port, some of the American phone companies would arrange inexpensive connections back home. On leave, typically I travelled to see my husband – he was assigned to a ballistic missile submarine.

Where did you travel while in the service? Canada, Malta, Bahrain, Greece, Turkey, Malaysia, Japan, Australia, and all over the USA. Also, Belize (and Mexico) while still at the Academy, with the Catholic Midshipman Club, to work with school kids there.

What did you think of your mission? Our mission in the Persian Gulf not long after 9/11 was difficult to disagree with. None of the other missions were particularly controversial. The carrier was maintaining a forward presence

in the Pacific and Indian Oceans; instructor duty was a support function.

Did you keep a personal diary? No – just a “lessons learned” notebook to pass on information I had come about “the hard way.”

What most impressed you while serving in the military? The people! In the Navy I had the opportunity to work with personnel from all over the country who brought an amazing spectrum of talents to the table. My post-military profession has been in the civilian nuclear industry. It is chock full of former Navy nuclear personnel. I am completely honest in saying that I would be pleased and proud to work again with, or for, any of the personnel who worked for me when I was a nuclear officer.

How did Portsmouth prepare you for your time in the service? Days at the Academy were structured very similarly to those at Portsmouth – this made adaptation infinitely easier. Trade assemblies for formations, make the dress code a little less colorful... we even had Forrestal Lectures one night a month just like Dom Luke Childs Lectures. Perhaps more significantly: the exceptional academic background provided by the Abbey gave me a huge advantage over most of my peers at both Annapolis and Naval Nuclear Power School.

Was there any one thing or person at Portsmouth that/who helped prepare you more than anything else? The one person who helped me more than any other was Ms. Janice Brady. She gave me the opportunity to be a dorm prefect, an experience which gave me insight on and a sense of humor about the circumstances I found myself in at USNA. She was also an excellent chemistry teacher – something I have been grateful for on many occasions. Not only did it make my training easier (both formal and vocational), it helped my understanding and confidence regarding the reactor chemistry I dealt with every day on the carrier. She would have laughed to see me up to my elbows in radioactive reactor coolant during qualifications – and will probably laugh even more if she finds out I was the lead instructor for a chemistry and radiological controls course for nuclear officers. Most importantly, however, Ms. Brady had faith in me – she didn’t treat me a certain way because I lacked a complete private school pedigree, she considered me based on my actions. I like to think I interacted with the enlisted personnel I was responsible for in the same way.

What you are doing now? I live in the People’s Republic of China with my husband and son. My husband is involved with a project to build more nuclear power plants here. I am a full-time Mom. Photo: Bernadette (center) with her son Gregory A. Cizin, her mother-in-law, Naomi Cizin, and her husband Gregory J. Cizin, on the Bund in Shanghai.

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LISA HOFFMAN WALKER ‘02

grade, it’s the time when most students read chapter books like James and the Giant Peach and learn about equivalent fractions and multiplication in math class. In contrast, many of my students couldn’t sound out monosyllabic words in Spanish or English, and they all counted on their fingers when presented with “four plus two.” It took an enormous amount of work, but my kids achieved a huge amount.

Describe your journey from Portsmouth to the present. After graduating, I moved to Washington, D.C., where I attended Georgetown University as a Political Science major and Spanish and Psychology minor. I applied to Teach For America in my senior year and moved to New York City in June 2006. I taught in the Bronx for two years, and spent the last three years working on the Teach For America staff in New York and San Francisco.

What/who first inspired you to work in education and service to others? There were several factors. My parents really emphasized the importance of service from a young age. I used to walk dogs with my dad at the Potter Animal Shelter when I was in elementary school, and participated in a pet therapy program with several local nursing homes. This continued at the Abbey, where I participated in Dr. Billings’ community service program at a few elementary schools, St. Clare’s nursing home and the Norman Bird Sanctuary. I became interested in education while at Georgetown, when I had the opportunity to volunteer with an afterschool program called the D.C. Schools Project. Through this program, I started tutoring Miguel, a 7-year-old Salvadoran immigrant, at his family’s apartment twice a week. Over the course of my years at Georgetown, I got to know the family well and worked with his three siblings as well. It was this experience that really spurred my interest in issues facing immigrant populations and English language acquisition and influenced me to apply to Teach For America.

Can you explain a bit about Teach For America and what you did there? After completing Teach For America’s intensive summer training institute, I taught third grade in a transitional bilingual program in the Bronx. This meant that I was working with mostly immigrant students whose native language was Spanish, and I taught in both languages in order to transition help them gain English proficiency while catching up in other key subject areas. It was incredibly challenging-- if you don’t remember third

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As a program director, I worked with thirty-five teachers (“corps members”) in the Bronx and Manhattan. I was their coach and mentor, helping them get the tools they needed to succeed in the classroom, offering professional development and a variety of support, and pushing them to be the best teachers they could be. Last July, I moved to San Francisco with my fiancé and transitioned to a new role in the organization. As a recruitment director, I managed Teach For America recruitment of college seniors studying at Stanford, UC-Davis, and other schools in the Bay Area. The corps members I recruited will be teaching in nearly all of Teach For America’s forty placement regions across the country. I’m looking for my next step right now, but I know I’ll continue to be a lifelong advocate for educational opportunity for all children.

What was the favorite part of your work? I loved any kind of growth I saw, but the most satisfying thing was changing a person’s perception of what is possible. When I went into my classroom, other teachers at my school warned me about my class. I was in essence told that they were behavior problems who didn’t try and that they didn’t have any chance of succeeding, so I shouldn’t worry if I didn’t do a good job. The worst part was, my kids believed this--they didn’t try because they honestly, at eight years old, thought they were stupid. By the end of the year, their success had proven to themselves, and everyone else, that they could achieve as much as any other kid. When I was working with teachers, there were several occasions when a principal expressed a lack of confidence in a struggling first-year teacher’s ability to succeed in the classroom. It was a great feeling to see the same principal praise the teacher for their successes after their hard work to improve their classroom had paid off. My kids, and my teachers, are living proof that just about any difficulty can be overcome with perseverance and creativity. Photo: Lisa with two of her Teach For America students

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Can you share a couple of your most memorable experiences with Teach for America? There are so many...Here are a few that stand out: Ivanka, who cried every day in September because she was so intimidated by learning to read, got in trouble in fourth grade for walking down the hallway with a chapter book glued to her face because she didn’t want to put it down at the end of class. Dangerous, but pretty fantastic. Scottie, who didn’t even know his letters on the first day of school, read a book for the first time. At the end of the day, he couldn’t wait to show his mom – he made her sit down on the floor of the lobby so he could read to her before they went home. Francisco, a recent PhD in biochemistry from Stanford, came to my booth at a career fair in October to tell me that he credited a large part of his success to a Teach For America teacher he’d had in 1994, when he was a 7th grader in an under-resourced Phoenix middle school. I looked up and contacted the alum, who was speechless to hear about his former student’s success.

What most impressed you about the people whom you served and the other adults with whom you worked? I am impressed by so many things. First, I was impressed by the opportunities people turned down when they decided to teach in a low-income community. I had friends who had been offered Fulbrights, scholarships to law school, teaching positions in well-resourced and better-funded school districts, and high-paying finance jobs, but chose to take on this challenge. Mostly, I was impressed by their commitment and drive. The job was not easy, but the people I worked with found success by never taking “no” for an answer, never giving up, and always pushing themselves to be better for their students.

How did Portsmouth Abbey prepare you for the work you did with Teach For America? I think it prepared me in a lot of ways. First, without my years of Spanish at the Abbey, and particularly my III and IV Form years with Sr. Guerenabarrena, I would not have been in a position to work in a bilingual environment. Less directly, I think that the great education I had growing up made me even more incensed at the educational disparities present in our country. I was lucky that my parents were able to send me to the Abbey, where teachers held me to high standards, pushed me, and encouraged me. While not everyone can attend the Abbey, every student deserves a great education, and it is outrageous that, in many cases, the quality of a child’s education is dependent on their zip-code rather than their ambition or ability.

The Boy Scouts visit Brendan to ask questions and to see the H-60 helicopter that he pilots.

BRENDAN ROK ‘03 Rank: Lieutenant, USN What are you currently doing? I am currently deployed to Army Camp Buerhing in Kuwait with the 2515th Naval Air Ambulance Detachment. I am a MEDEVAC pilot and helicopter aircraft commander. My squadron is the HSC-21 Blackjacks based out of San Diego, CA, where I live.

What/who first inspired you to attend a military academy or enter the service? How old were you? I really just wanted to fly ever since I was young and figured the military was the best way to do that. Then, the more I learned about naval aviation, the more I thought I’d like the service. Plus, having grown up in the Ocean State, the Navy seemed like a no-brainer. I applied to the Naval Academy with the help of a few graduates including retired Marine Lt. Col. Findlay (father of Matt ’03 and Rebecca ‘06) and retired Navy Capt. Collins (father of Connor, ’06 and Katie, ’08). Thanks to a few recommendations from some great teachers (John Ingram and Fred Zilian), I was accepted.

Why did you select the Naval Academy over the other Service Academies? I chose the Naval Academy because, after much research, I realized flying in the Navy would be more rewarding for me than anything else. I loved the idea of operating off of ships and the independence of operating as a small detachment. Also, I found that the Navy provides some of the best real estate on the globe. (A football team that went undefeated amongst the service academies for my four years was a nice plus.)

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ALUMNI PROFILE Brendan sailing off San Diego.

How were your first days at the academy ? Long. After “Induction Day,” we began “Plebe Summer.” It was an arduous and mentally draining seven weeks. The worst part was the routine, daily grind while the best part was the tight group of friends those challenges created.

Can you share a bit about your training experiences? Plebe summer and in fact all of plebe year (freshman year) is an exercise in humility and obedience. We were taught to follow (sometimes meaningless) rules and memorize large volumes of (always meaningless) information, which you then repeat verbatim on command. Of course, memorizing Ode on a Grecian Urn in Peter O’Connor’s Humanities class, although by no means meaningless, had me pretty well prepared for some of the verbatim memorization. We, of course, throughout the four rigorous years of school were put through a thorough core curriculum, including classes in Navy core values, basic Navy etiquette, navigation, leadership, ethics, and plenty of math, science and engineering. Though the Academy offers a taste of “the fleet,” the real on-the-job training begins after graduation and commissioning. For me, that began with flight school.

Where, for how long, and in what capacity have you served? After the initial phase of flight school in Pensacola, Florida, I was stationed with VT-27 for primary flight training in Corpus Christi, Texas. Six months later I elected to fly helicopters and returned to Florida and a small town called Milton just north of Pensacola. It was there I learned to fly helicopters at HT28, after which I was fortunate enough to pick up orders to San Diego. After just under a year learning to fly the MH-60S Nighthawk helicopter, I was assigned to the HSC-21 Blackjacks stationed on North Island, San Diego. I have now been flying with The Blackjacks for almost two years and am currently deployed for the second time to support U.S. and coalition forces in Kuwait and southern Iraq as an air ambulance.

Have you seen combat/casualties in your unit? I have been fortunate enough not to see any casualties from any of my units, although there have been a few training-related deaths from sister units which affect the whole community. Unfortunately, in the business of flying medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) missions, in-theatre casualties are part of the job. Though I have never lost anyone aboard my aircraft, I have arrived at the scene to discover we were too late.

What are a couple of your most memorable experiences? Though enough time is spent in training (where everything is new and memorable) to fill a short book, the most memo-

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rable experiences involve operational missions. One particular night while standing the 24hour MEDEVAC alert, my crew was awoken at midnight by the “MEDEVAC” call on the radio. Within 15 minutes we were in the aircraft and heading out to a ship in the North Arabian Gulf as fast as possible. After a series of en route glitches and a nerve-wracking 45 minute transit to the hospital with the critical patient onboard, we arrived back at base in time to see the sun rise. Flights like that make the long training hours worth it. Another exciting experience was on one of my first flights as the aircraft commander. On this particular night we were tasked to provide search and rescue support to several Marine Harrier jets that were doing training on a ship off the coast. After multiple delays due to maintenance issues on the helicopter, we arrived at the boat just in time to commence the operation. However, once we landed on the ship to refuel we were informed that there was a fire in the fuel room. We were then stuck there unable to launch due to the emergency onboard, too far from home to communicate our situation, running low on fuel quickly, and observing some nasty weather rolling in. On top of all this, we were informed of a possible casualty from the fire that would need immediate MEDEVAC to the nearest hospital. Everything worked out in the end as the sailors were not seriously injured, the fire was contained, and we received fuel and avoided the encroaching weather. Just about everything that could go wrong did, and that always makes a flight memorable.

How do you stay in touch with your family? I never quite appreciated the power of the Internet until I was deployed. One of the benefits of being deployed on a land base is the constant connectivity. Despite a 7-hour time difference, it’s relatively easy to video chat with family and friends back home. Of course Facebook is the new standard for connectivity, always reminding me of friends’ birthdays, weddings, new dogs, feelings about the latest episode of “Dancing with the Stars,” etc.

Is there something special you do for morale/entertainment? There is certainly plenty of down time on deployment. Most of us use the opportunity to get into shape and catch up on movies, TV, and books. The base has an excellent air-conditioned gym (essential when it gets up to 140 degrees during the summer days) dubbed “Globo-gym,” while we have a much more modest gym in the hangar which we affectionately refer to as “Average Joe’s.” The Navy is good about sending a box of newer movies on 8mm tapes every couple of months.

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What do you do when on leave? I try to travel as much as possible when on leave. So far I have been fortunate enough to be able to get home for the holidays. Unfortunately, that means I’m often deployed all summer and miss one of the best times to be home in Rhode Island.

Where have you traveled while in the service? So far I’ve deployed to Kuwait and Iraq. My various training commands and cross-country flights have taken me everywhere from home in Newport down the eastern seaboard to the Florida panhandle, the Texas gulf coast to the New Mexican deserts, and up and down the Pacific coast.

What do you think of your mission? On deployment right now, my primary mission is air ambulance, though we can be called on to do anything from hauling passengers and cargo to search and rescue to tactical troop insertion. We fly medical evacuation missions for U.S. and coalition troops and government employees, and I love it. In choosing what I wanted to fly for the Navy, I strongly considered the types of missions that would come with whichever aircraft I chose. Part of my decision to fly helicopters was for the opportunity to fly missions like this and I’m grateful to have been afforded the opportunity to do it.

Did you keep a personal diary? I’ve tried to, but failed. I thought that’s why we post pictures on Facebook?

What has most impressed you while serving in the military? There is no doubt that I have met some of the most amazing and talented people in the military. Before joining I prepared myself for what I thought was going to be somewhat more of a one-dimensional and conservative group compared to the New England and Portsmouth Abbey communities I was used to. To my surprise, I found a great diversity in the military community, and the ability of all these different people to come together to accomplish a single task is pretty amazing.

How did Portsmouth prepare you for your time in the service? The word ‘discipline’ stands out in my mind. Also, Portsmouth Abbey forces students to develop an effective approach to time

management without which I would be lost. And of course, without my Portsmouth Abbey education I wouldn’t have even been accepted to the Naval Academy.

Was there any one person at Portsmouth who helped prepare you more than anyone else? Yes. John Ingram taught me more about my own personal potential than anyone. I never had him as a teacher in class and he was only among the Abbey faculty for three years, but in that time he took me under his wing as a coach, mentor and friend. I think he had this affect on most students who were fortunate to interact with him.

Do you feel your time at Portsmouth influenced your desire and ability to serve? Portsmouth afforded me plenty of opportunities to serve and realize how great it can be. I was lucky enough to spend my spring breaks with Clarence Chenoweth and the rest of the Appalachia Service group fixing houses for poor families in Kentucky. Those trips were an eye-opener for me in a couple of ways. I quickly realized just how fortunate I was and that life isn’t so easy for most of the world. I also found that being part of a solution for problems like these, even in the smallest of ways, is incredibly rewarding.

Did your formation at Portsmouth increase your ability to cope with the challenges of service? I think the years that one spends in high school are perhaps the most influential, at least in early life. Portsmouth is where we were transformed from children into young adults, and that transformation is not always an easy one. I’m thankful that Portsmouth offered me the right combination of challenge, pain, support, and reward to help me negotiate everything life has thrown me since then.

Left: Brendan piloting an air ambulance for MEDEVAC missions in Kuwait and Iraq. Above: Brendan with sister Clare ’04 in San Diego, where his squadron, the HSC-21 Blackjacks, is based.

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EVAN PIEKARA ‘03 Please describe your journey from Portsmouth to the present. I was drawn to Portsmouth Abbey in 2000 as a sophomore largely because of the call to service, educational opportunities, and emphasis on fostering a well-rounded education. At the Abbey I served in many clubs including the band and debate club, was a prefect of St. Hugh’s, and captain of the basketball and track team (one of which won a New England Championship under Coach McDonough). I wanted to continue to build upon this well-rounded education, and attended Connecticut College. At Conn I was a double major in government and economics, participated on the track and field team, co-founded the club basketball and debate team, and ultimately would be elected Student Body President. While writing my thesis in economics on “Wealth and Income Inequality in the United States” I recognized how valuable of a role education played in the divergence between rich and poor. I decided to enroll in Teach For America and devote at least two years teaching in the South Bronx. I have just completed my fourth year teaching 6th and 7th grade English and social studies in the South Bronx and will use this experience to guide me in my next step, business school.

What/who first inspired you to work in education and service to others? There were several factors that led me to become involved in education and service. First, I found myself extremely fortunate to have great teachers and role models like Dr. Bonin, Mr. Hobbins, Mr. Gittus, Mr. McCarthy, Mr. Chenoweth, and Mr. McDonough. The education and opportunities that were available to me at the Abbey were not available had I attended public school in my hometown of Belchertown, MA, and I knew few would have these opportunities. I wanted to spread this educational goldmine that I had received around. In college, I noted that I was much better prepared than many of my classmates, and those from lower-income communities often struggled at first to get caught up. I did not feel it was right that

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your income or where you were born should determine your ability to receive a good education and I wanted to be a small part of the solution.

In addition to Teach For America, can you explain a bit about the other non-profit organizations with which you are involved? I have volunteered for several nonprofits that are educationbased as well. I have served as a mentor to a student from a low-income community through the Minds Matter program. Additionally, I have tutored a high-performing 7th grader through the Prep For Prep program that prepares underrepresented students for top boarding and independent schools. I have served as a volunteer assessing potential candidates for the Posse Foundation, which recognizes young leaders and offers them full scholarships to top colleges. I have also served as a Policy Team Member for Educators 4 Excellence, an emerging nonprofit seeking to give an independent voice to teachers. We drafted a white paper, met with legislators and even Mayor Bloomberg to present our proposal on seniority-based teacher layoffs. Additionally, I was selected as a member of the New Leaders Council, an organization that chooses top young professionals between 22-35 and grooms them to run for office or become more involved in politics. I served as the co-chair of a fundraiser that shattered last year’s fundraising record and increased last year’s total by nearly 315%.

What is the favorite part of your work? My favorite part is interacting with students on both a personal and an academic level. It’s really rewarding when you see a student grow both socially and academically, and feel more confident in their knowledge and leadership abilities.

Can you share a couple of your most memorable experiences with Teach For America? One of my most memorable experiences was in my first year when I had a student who was struggling academically, attending school only 60% of the time, and was three years behind

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level. I developed a plan with that student and if he met the conditions of the plan, I would play basketball with him each time he made progress. It led to a tremendous change; the student began showing up to class, turning in all of his homework, and students began wanting to partner with him on group projects. When he took our final exam he felt confident that he had been doing well (he had been scoring in the 40s). He wanted me to grade it right away, and so I did and he scored a 92%, the second highest grade in the class. We called his mother, who picked up expecting him to be in trouble, but when she heard the news both she and her son broke into tears. There have been so many memorable experiences like these where students’ hard work, resilience, and intelligence have inspired me.

What has most impressed you about the people whom you serve and the other adults with whom you work? Every day my students encounter obstacles. They are in the lowest-performing district in the state, and one of the poorest communities in the country. Poverty, drugs, violence, broken homes, gangs are the norm. It is a very different situation from what many people at the Abbey might be used to, and for me it was really impressive seeing the teachers and students knowing these issues were happening and showing up every day to combat them. It was not always easy and there were definitely good days and bad days, but you could rely on the teachers in TFA to do what they could to provide students with a better education.

How did Portsmouth Abbey prepare you for the work in which you are now involved? On one level, it helped me become better organized, structure my time, and become more adept at problem solving and working with many different people from different backgrounds. The Abbey really helped me to grow as a leader in the classroom, on the field, and in the dorm room. On a more sociological level, it helped me see more of the divide that exists in America and the gap in education.

thinking skills. As houseparents and coaches, Mr. Gittus, Mr. Chenoweth, and Mr. McDonough also had a large influence on my development as a leader.

Do you see your work as an extension of the “third R” in the School’s Mission Statement, “Responsibility for the shared experience of community life?” Without a doubt. My experiences in high school, college, and with TFA have shown me how interconnected we are and I believe we need to use our unique talents and skills to address many of these issues that are affecting our country.

If you could spend time with anyone (living or dead) who has, in your opinion, been a great champion of education and service to others, who would it be and why? I have always admired Dr. Martin Luther King for his courage and tenacity in addressing racial inequality. I’ve also admired Chief Justice Warren for taking a stand against educational inequity with a 9-0 decision in Brown vs. Board of Education. However, I’d like to sit down and ask them how they feel about the fact that nearly 60 years after that landmark decision, schools have grown even more segregated.

Anything else you would like to add? I recently self-published an e-book on my first two years teaching called The Lion’s Den: Heartbreak, Hustle, and Hard-work in Inner NYC Schools that is available for all e-readers and on Amazon, Apple, Barnes and Noble, and all other vendors. It’s a work in progress and I hope it eventually gets picked up by a publisher. I welcome any feedback on it. After 4 years in the classroom I will be heading to Washington, D.C., to attend Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business. I hope to ultimately develop or head a nonprofit that addresses educational inequity and poverty.

Was there any one at Portsmouth who inspired or prepared you for the work you do?

Photos show Evan with his Teach For America students in the South Bronx.

I was so fortunate to have so many great teachers. Since I am an English and social studies teacher I really tried to use Mr. Gittus’ and Dr. Bonin’s approach in having students analyze and use critical-

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CHARLIE HOLMSTROM ‘06

KATIE COLLINS ‘08

Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL, USN

U.S. Military Academy

English Department Head Michael Bonin (whose father was a Navy officer and member of some of the earliest UDT/SEAL teams), recently corresponded with Charlie Holmstrom ‘06, who after finishing at Annapolis and being commissioned as a Navy officer signed up for the SEAL teams. Michael said of Charlie’s decision to join the SEALS, “That meant being posted to Special Warfare Command at Coronado Island, CA, where Charlie has made it through Hell Week, the most severe test during the notoriously brutal first phase of SEAL training, BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL). A typical BUD/S class will have a dropout rate of 70-80%.” Charlie wrote:

What/who first inspired you to attend a military academy or enter the service? How old were you?

“Hell Week is definitely the most challenging thing I’ve done to this point in my life. The hardest part was dealing with the cold and having to run with the boats on our heads everywhere we went (I think about 60 miles alone of just running with the boats on our heads). In particular, the first 36 hours are the worst physically, and additionally on everyone’s mind in the beginning is, ‘How am I going to do this for 120 hours?’ with only an hour or two of sleep the entire week. By Thursday, thinking about ‘hitting the surf’ caused most people, including myself, to shake involuntarily even if we were in the galley and were not that cold at that particular moment… I really believe that the academic rigors of the Abbey and the Naval Academy prepared me. One can only get so tired before he falls asleep, and there were plenty of times when I forced myself to stay up and study at the Abbey, only to wake up and realize that I had fallen asleep and was drooling on my textbooks. By Friday morning during Around the World (a paddle from BUD/S all the way around Coronado Island) we were hallucinating pretty badly, but when we realized what we were saying it was more funny than anything else. ‘Hey, did I leave my car keys in my pocket?’ someone asked, and the reply was ‘No, the movie is in the laundry room.’ I don’t know what they were seeing or thinking when we were paddling, but it was funny listening to it.” Charlie’s two brothers, Anders ’04, and Isaac ’08, also attended the Abbey before heading to Annapolis, their father’s alma mater. Anders is now a helicopter pilot whose squadron has just been deployed to Bahrain, and Isaac just finished a submarine cruise near Hawaii, before heading back to Annapolis to break in the new plebes, including Phil Lozier Youngberg ’11. Top: Charlie in his quarters at Coronado, wearing his Abbey Athletics t-shirt after surviving Hell Week.

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My father is a retired naval officer and graduate of the Naval Academy. He has always been a role model to me, but I didn’t imagine that I would follow this close in his footprints until I started visiting colleges. I realized after visiting countless schools that I really wanted to attend an academy and serve my country. My parents encouraged me to make the most educated decision possible. Therefore, I attended summer seminars at the Naval, Coast Guard and Military Academies. It took me four months, numerous pros and cons lists and lots of prayer to realize that the Army was the right choice for me.

Why did you select the USMA over the other U.S. service academies or service branches? I was inspired by the concept of an organization truly focused on its people. In the Army, people are our biggest resource. Additionally, the fact that we are training and currently implementing these skills around the world, for instance in the current conflicts in the Middle East, motivates me. There is an old saying: “If not me, then who? If not now, then when?” While I truly believe that all services are vital to any successful mission, it is our Army soldiers with their ‘boots on the ground’ that are doing the heavy lifting in the current war on terrorism. I want to do all I can to support them. Therefore, I believe the best place for me to make a difference was in the Army.

What were your first days at the academy like? My first few days at the academy are being currently relived, but on the other side. I am currently a cadre member at Cadet Basic Training, so lots of memories are resurfacing. My first days at West Point were stressful, confusing and generally uncomfortable. However, it is through this experience that the incoming class learns basic soldier skills including teamwork and following so that in the future they can become better leaders.

Can you share a bit about your boot camp experience(s)? My first seven weeks at West Point was our Cadet Basic Training, known as “Beast.” This experience transitioned me from the civilian to the cadet world. High expectations and a steep learning curve were expected. The following summer, I attended Cadet Field Training at Camp Buckner. This was to learn

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more soldier skills and become educated on different branches in the Army (e.g., Armor, Field Artillery, Air Defense Assets, Infantry, etc.). This summer I returned to Camp Buckner for Cadet Lead Development Training, where my classmates and I rotated through leadership positions while conducting a myriad of realistic combat missions. After that training, I started in my current role where I am leading 40 New Cadets and cadre for the first half of their Cadet Basic Training. Beyond strictly military training, I have been fortunate enough to have some firsthand experience in the area within the Army where I hope to work, the Medical Corps. In the summer of 2009 I was able to spend a month interning in Washington, D.C., at the Walter -Reed Army Medical Center. The following summer I again interned for a month, this time in Fort Lewis, WA, at Madigan Army Medical Center. Another medical training I had the opportunity to participate in while at West Point was as a camp counselor at one of Paul Newman’s “Hole in the Wall” summer camps for children with chronic or terminal illnesses.

Where and for how long have you served? In terms of service, I truly have only served as a student and cadet in the military thus far. I have traveled in that capacity to South Korea, where I shadowed a 1st Lieutenant in the Medical Service Corps. I also traveled to Corsica, France, an island in the Mediterranean Sea this past spring break, where I sky dived with the French Foreign Legion. I am on the West Point Sky Diving Team, and our team all went to Corsica to practice. I am currently finishing my last year and preparing to serve upon graduation as a commissioned officer. I have spent the last three years at West Point, and next May I will begin military obligation.

What are a couple of your most memorable experiences? Memorable experiences I have had range from day-to-day activities like sky diving with my team and working out the kinks of leading others. Beyond that the opportunities I have had to work with other cadets and military personnel who are always striving to do their best and be their best makes this a fantastic environment. It really challenges me personally to be my best.

How did Portsmouth prepare you for your time in the service? The Abbey prepared me with a great academic education, sturdy spiritual foundation and the necessary communication skills to be able to effectively interact with other people. Interpersonal relationships are so important in the Army. The Abbey’s focus on respect and professionalism really prepared me not only West Point, but also for the Army and even more so, for life in general.

Was there any one thing/person at Portsmouth that/who helped prepare you more than anything else? Mr. [Brian] Clifford, my humanities teacher, had a significant influence on me. He shared his love and passion for academics, while serving as a great role model. He showed me how to truly work hard for my goals while still maintaining humility.

Did your time at Portsmouth influenced your desire to serve? The Abbey was such a wonderful experience for me. I truly wish that more people could experience that rich environment. It is thanks to service men and women serving overseas, not my service as a student, that places like the Abbey and other American institutions are able to continue to safely function. Having the good fortune to enjoy such a rich high school experience compared to most young people in our world, I am motivated to work to spread places like the Abbey beyond Portsmouth.

Did your formation at Portsmouth increase your ability to cope with the challenges of service? The Abbey’s scheduled structure helped me transition to West Point quite well. When I arrived there, I already had relatively good time management skills.

If you could spend time with anyone who has been a great champion of service to others, who would it be? Jesus.

Anything else you would like to add? I am flattered that you thought of me.

How have you stayed in touch with your family? With the exception of my first seven weeks at Cadet Basic Training, I have had close contact with my family. My parents have season tickets to Army football games and visit as often as they can. While I do not spend typical holidays or vacations at home like Christmas or Spring Break, I am blessed to spend that time with my teammates in national competitions or training events.

What has most impressed you while serving in the military? The Army is a people organization. I have truly been impressed by my fellow soldiers’ ability to understand that people are our biggest resource. Army folk support each other in an extremely selfless manner.

Opposite: Katie (Collins ’08) with her father, a USNA graduate, at the Ring Melt ceremony at West Point. Above: Katie and teammates skydiving at 11,000 feet while training in Texas

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ALUMNI PROFILE

CHRISTOPHER WATERMAN ‘11

Chris during basic training at Jacks Valley, Colorado Springs, this summer

U.S. Air Force Academy What/who first inspired you to attend a military academy? How old were you? I was first inspired to join the military when I was about five years old. That was about the same time my dad started taking me to the Rhode Island Air Show at Quonset. I fell in love with the aircraft and the military in general.

Why did you select the particular academy you will be attending over the other U.S. service academies? When I really began to look into a military life, I wasn’t sure which branch to join. Then I remembered that it was the Air Show that really got me interested in the military, so I began looking into the Air Force during my sophomore year. Then, when I visited the Air Force Academy during the summer before my senior year, I knew that that is where I wanted to go. I’ve visited both the naval and military academies as well, but they did not impact me the same way that the Air Force Academy did.

What are you most looking forward to about being at the Academy? The structure! It’s best for me to stay busy all the time, because that’s when I work the best. It’s when I have a moment to rest that things start to go downhill…! But I can rely on the Academy to not give me even a second of rest; I’m sure there will always be something for me to do!

What are you least looking forward to? Basic Training! How has Portsmouth Abbey prepared you for the next four years (or perhaps a career in military service)? Because I boarded at Portsmouth Abbey, I will have an advantage over the people in my class who have never spent a long amount of time away from home. The Abbey has also definitely given me a solid educational background that will come in handy while facing the rigorous academics of the Academy.

of support, and knowing that they will be there when I need them going forward, are going to be what will get me through basic training and the first few months of military life.

Do you feel that your time at Portsmouth Abbey influenced your desire and ability to serve? Yes, knowing that other graduates of all of the military academies have come from the Abbey, and have done exceedingly well, helps me feel confident in my ability to serve. The Abbey’s busy schedule also made me think that I have the ability to face the demanding schedule of an Air Force cadet as well.

Do you feel that your formation at the Abbey increased your ability to cope with the anticipated challenges of service? The Abbey does give its students many chances to take up leadership roles, some of which I participated in myself. Two of the Abbey’s core values are leadership and service. This service can be to God, or country, both of which are well represented on a plaque, located at the back of the Abbey Church, that contains the names of all Portsmouth graduates who have died in wars. It’s these values I learned at the Abbey that may well have helped me make that final push, inspired me to try for the academy.

Anything else you would like to add? It was a difficult decision to willingly give up my summers, my free time, and overall civilian life in order to go to a U.S. military academy. Yet, if it hadn’t been for the Abbey, I might not have made this life-changing decision. Thank you to everyone at the Abbey!

Is there any one thing that has helped prepare you more than anything else? As corny as this sounds, my friends and family have always been there for me when I needed them. Their letters Chris’s mom, Cindy, dad, Will, and sister, Steph ‘12, at his graduation from Portsmouth

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ALUMNI PROFILE

PHILIP LOZIER YOUNGBERG ‘11 U.S. Naval Academy What/who first inspired you to attend a military academy? When I was sixteen the idea of going to the Academy was floating around, but I was still uncertain until my sailing coach, Ryan Minth, who was once the Head Sailing coach at the Naval Academy, really gave me a real and appealing picture of being a Midshipman and also pursuing my love for sailing while serving my country.

Why did you select the particular academy you will be attending over the other U.S. service academies? I grew up in San Diego, California which is Navy town USA! My neighbors, friends, pastor and teachers are or were members of the Navy community. I was adopted into this community despite not having any family members in the military, but the fine men and women of the Navy became the role models that I wanted to emulate.

What are you most looking forward to? To wake up every morning and a new adventure begins. Academy life is hard and not without dark times to overcome. These challenges make me grow up, and I wanted to be part of an institution and community that assists me in my growth as a man and as a responsible American.

What are you least looking forward to? I’m not looking forward to 90 F heat and 100% humidity that comes with an Annapolis summer, but that’s something I can’t control.

How has Portsmouth Abbey prepared you for the next four years (or perhaps a career in military service)? My prep-year at the Abbey has been amongst the most rewarding experiences I have had. My education there has given me confidence in the course material I will be taking at the Academy. Also, living in a dorm with other young men and being 3,000 miles away from home created the conditions in which I decided how to prioritize my time and achieve my goals. At the Academy I must live up to higher expectations, which demands not only more out of test scores but also on ability to organize time and work as a team with fellow Midshipmen to get through some of the not-so-great things of Academy life.

Is there any one thing that has helped prepare you more than anything else? I would not say “thing” since that “thing” is a person. My mother is the most important person in my life. She raised my sister and me by herself despite being alone and broke. She struggled and sacrificed so much in my early childhood but we made it

out of those dark times. She is a true testament to a mother’s unconditional love and an example of a devoted American citizen.

Do you feel that your time at Portsmouth Abbey influenced your desire and ability to serve? The Abbey’s athletic teams helped me become more physically fit and more competitive all around in sports to get me ready for some of the hard physical training that comes with joining the military.

Do you feel that your formation at the Abbey increased your ability to cope with the anticipated challenges of service? My faith in God has never been stronger. I never grew up going to Sunday Mass, in fact the Mass at the beginning of the Abbey school year was my first Mass. I have always believed in God and read the Bible independently growing up but my family was not into going to Sunday service. My further study of Christian Doctrine from Mr. Hobbins and the monks at the Abbey answered a lot of questions of why I am here and taught me that Christianity has been the greatest movement for human progress and prosperity in human history. These ideals further strengthened my respect and love for mankind for we are all in His image.

Anything else you would like to add? I cannot thank the Abbey’s faculty enough for their support and direction. I may have been a “high school repeat,” but it did not feel like I was repeating a year of high school. The Abbey challenged me morally, academically and physically to a point where I know no burden will be too great at the Academy. I have had amongst the greatest teachers, coaches and advisors ever in my life. It has been a wonderful privilege! GO NAVY!

To view more photos from the Alumni profiles in this issue, or to read additonal profiles from other issues, please visit: http://www.portsmouthabbey.org/page/7169.

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“When my country asks me to serve...” At the 2009 Veterans Day Assembly, math teacher and boys’ hockey coach Kevin Morrissey addressed the School. His speech extolled the ideal of military service, an ideal Kevin himself upholds as a Major in the Army Reserve. He ended his speech with an unexpected announcement. The day before, he had received orders from the Army; he would spend 2010 on active duty in Afghanistan. Here is Kevin’s speech. Who answers the call to serve in our nation’s military? Upon graduating from college, I was commissioned in the U.S. Army as an Infantry officer. And so, twenty-one years ago, I began my service in the military. I served six years on active duty, got out, and several years after that, I joined the Reserves, which I am still a part of today. I have always enjoyed the military, being a part of an organization, and have always been proud to wear the uniform. Veterans Day is a time to pay tribute to all those Americans who have, and currently do, serve our nation. Who are our veterans? Our military today is a 100% volunteer force, and has been since the draft was ended in 1973. Our current service members are a true mix of what America is and what we as a country represent: men and women from all corners of the country, from every ethnic and economic background. While colleges and universities may boast about their “diversity,” none of our nation’s schools comes close to the true melting pot that is the United States military. The people who serve today put country before self, deprivation and hardship before comfort and self satisfaction, and know the importance of a strong military and its role in America’s might. I have proudly served with countless men and women who share the notion that there is something more important than self, something worth standing up for and protecting. While in today’s society many stand idly by and ignore any sense of devotion to country or cause, we are fortunate that our nation still produces men and women of character and integrity, who possess values that are so lacking in the people whom young Americans look up to. I ask you students: think of your favorite athletes, actors, musicians, and even our elected officials. Who among that crowd would answer the call when their nation asks for them? People such as these never have a sense of devotion to anything other than themselves and their own self-worth. Who among them has the moral fortitude to answer the call when it is made? I would argue that very, very few of them do, yet you young adults turn to these people as role models.

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Despite what the current occupier of the White House may state, I know that the United States is the greatest nation on the face of the earth. I am not boasting, just stating a simple fact. I am proud of what America is and what we represent. The world turns to the USA for leadership and guidance in troubled times, and it turns to us because of our military and the power and might we project. Now, I know some think we randomly just go trotting across the world looking to stick our nose into other people’s business. Think about the position we held directly after World War II, the power we possessed throughout the Cold War, and what awesome military might we have today. If America was not a good, decent, honorable nation, we would have run over the other countries of the world many times over in the past sixty-plus years. Are we perfect? No. Do we make mistakes? Of course, there is no earthly perfection, but we get it right more than we get it wrong. There are a lot of nations that would love to have the power and be in the position America is. Think of Russia, China, a nuclear Iran. . . what would the world be like if one of these nations had the status of lone superpower? We may not be perfect, but clearly we are the best option available. This Veterans Day is also the time to share an e-mail message I received, the attachment of the e-mail I shared with my wife and family yesterday. I also spoke to Dr. DeVecchi about it, and now I share it with you. As an Army Reservist, I have been ordered to active duty on January 3, 2010, with Afghanistan as my duty assignment. I will be deployed overseas in support of Operation Enduring Freedom for, hopefully, just 12 months. I will miss my family and the Portsmouth Abbey community, but I depart with a sense of dedication to duty and an obligation to serve and stand up and answer the call when my country asks me to serve. I go forward like so many great and decent American soldiers before me, putting country before self and personal comfort. It is the least I can do for this great nation. Thank you.

At top: Kevin with members of his immediate family at Sean’s graduation from Portsmouth in May, from L-R: Ruth Morrissey (Kevin’s mother); Sean; Kevin; Kyle Morrissey ’15; Lawrence Morrissey (Kevin’s father); Michael Morrissey (Kevin’s brother); and Margaret Morrisson (Kevin’s aunt).

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After Kevin returned from his deployment in Afghanistan, the Bulletin spoke with him about the idea of service, and in particular the service project he organized while in the Kabul Province, arranging for Portsmouth Abbey School to donate school supplies to the Rheeshkor School.

MB: When the activation orders arrived, how did you think about them?

KM: I actually felt I was long overdue for deployment. I know quite a few Reservists who have been deployed two or three times since 2003 and felt it was only a matter of time. In some by Dr. Michael Bonin ways I was relieved. It is hard to comprehend, but MB: What led you to I felt that since I never had been deployed, I owed it to all the other volunteer for the Army? Did the idea of service or commitment service members who had been deployed. In my mind I felt I had to something larger than self appeal to you, or was it a more never really done my part and, once it sank in that I was going, practical decision? there was a sense of relief and excitement that now, finally, I was KM: Like many young adults, I wanted a challenge in life beyond stepping up and helping. whatever college could provide. I grew up listening to stories from my father, who enlisted in the Marines and served in the Korean MB: How did your time in Afghanistan affect your sense of serWar. I wondered, “Am I as tough as he was at my age?” and “Can vice and your understanding of the U.S. mission over there? I handle the stress and demands of military life?” I needed to KM: It was tough to embrace the U.S. mission, because no one prove something to myself and challenge myself both physically really ever articulated what we were trying to accomplish and how and mentally. we could measure success. As an individual officer and the team The idea of service and commitment to something other than self leader for 15 guys, I knew what my day-to-day tasks and responwas not initially part of my decision, which I think is true of many who join the military. However, once enlisted, and all through training, it is constantly beat into you that you are just a small part of something much larger than yourself. These themes are hammered home in the military: teamwork; commitment to your fellow soldiers; selfless service. The more time you serve in uniform the deeper the idea of serving something other than yourself becomes.

INTERVIEW WITH KEVIN MORRISSEY

MB: What have you learned about service/dedication in the Army? KM: “Mission, Men, Myself.” That’s a phrase I heard many times after I joined. As an officer and leader, your own personal welfare and comfort come at the very end of that list. The best and most cohesive units are led by men who put themselves last. Accomplishing the task at hand is the single most important part of any military operation; personal gain or comfort must come last. The team and its members are more important than self or any one individual. Compared to other jobs (say, teaching) the idea of service is what drives the military. I would like to think that I conduct myself in all that I do with that sense of service and commitment to the task at hand and not to my own agenda.

Top: Kevin and MSG (Master Sergeant) William Tripp visit a girls’ classroom, at the Rheeshkor Family School, about 30 miles south of Kabul. MSG Tripp was the team sergeant and second-in-command in Kevin’s group. Above: Kevin and some of his team outside an Afghan Army base west of Kabul. Front row, L-R: SGT Philip Fernandez; MSG Tripp; SGT Amanda Thornstein. Back row, L-R: Mohammad Daud (interpreter); SFC (Sergeant First Class) Doug Hersey; Abdul Sabir (interpreter); John Norris; Kevin; SPC Jeremy Garcia; Wahidullad Sabir (interpreter); and SGT Charlie O’Rourke (medic).

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and the village leaders. The Rheeshkor School was in a remote part of Kabul Province: dirt roads, no electricity, awful sanitation, broken desks and windows, overflowing with kids, worse by a factor of 100 to any school over here.

sibilities were, but just why we were doing it, and to what end, was impossible to gauge. If I had never gone to Afghanistan, would the situation be any different today? I honestly think that Afghanistan would be the same, with me or without me. However, my sense of service extended directly to the guys I was in charge of. If you asked me if I was working for a “better Afghanistan” or for my men, once I sensed there was no way we (the U.S. military) could change the place for the better, I focused my energy on the guys on my team. If the place improved, great, but I didn’t see it changing for the better, no matter what we did. But I could make my guys better leaders by giving them responsibilities; talk to the younger guys about going to college and getting an education when they returned; encourage the two guys interested in becoming officers. I could try to build up that sense of teamwork and camaraderie all successful teams and organizations have.

I asked for Portsmouth Abbey’s help, and the whole School jumped right on it, sending over 700 pounds of school supplies. The support of our School, students, teachers, staff, parents, was outstanding. The Rheeshkor School headmaster had tears in his eyes when we arrived with trailers filled with school supplies and soccer and volleyballs, which we handed out directly to the kids. He never expected any support for his students, let alone help from a U.S. school, a Catholic school (a fact I was proud to point out to him). We went back to the school about a month later, and there were the kids, walking up the dirt roads to school, carrying the things we gave them, giving us a thumbs-up. If you can help someone, then you have an obligation to step forward and help them. That is the idea of service and commitment to something other than self.

It all comes back to what every soldier learns when they first enter the service: taking care of your people. MB: How did your work for the school in Afghanistan fit in with your sense of that mission or your own service to the country? KM: This was the highlight of my deployment. The school project allowed me to get right down on the ground and directly impact lives. It was tough to drive by Afghani kids and not see the obvious need to help out in some small way. I saw the need and knew that, as a teacher, I could get involved and help out. I asked one of my interpreters if he knew of a school out in the hinterlands that could use some help. He, too, really got involved, helping set up meetings and getting me in contact with a school

MB: Did you come back to Portsmouth Abbey with a new attitude – about service, mission, or the Abbey? As I said earlier, I was relieved to have gone to Afghanistan. Now I could say that I had done my part. It is like being a fireman during a big fire, but you don’t get to go into the building. You sit on the outside, longing to do what you have trained for. I feel I finally got into the building.

Top left: Kevin and members of his team are introduced to a classroom, under a tent, of boys during their first visit to the Rheeshkor Family School: L-R, school teacher Haseebullah; Kevin; SGT Charlie O’Rourke; MSG William Tripp; and school Headmaster Gul Ahmad. Above: Some of the supplies provided by Portsmouth Abbey en route to the Rheeshkor Family School. Left: SGT Amanda Thornstein loading supplies for the Rheeshkor Family School.

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The Third “R” and Christian Community Service about-me motivation are antithetical I have been asked to write about to the message of Christ, and leav“the third ‘R’” in our mission. Now, ing this motivation unquestioned which again is the third “R”? I tend can only be seen as insidious, and to forget the order – reverence, redestructive of the human communispect, responsibility – I think this is ty. The responsibility associated with because the three are inseparable in a position of authority – in medicine the mission of the school, as they or law, politics or business, educaare in the life of a follower of Christ. tion, or whatever career it may be to The order is not a priority ranking. which our students aspire – this reThis mirrors the radical belongingsponsibility is towards others: those together of the double commandone serves professionally, those in ment that Christ directs us to folthe family one supports, those in low – love God and love neighbor. Daniela Vollmer ‘11 with a Star Kid on Fall Fun Day the community in which one lives. It is seen in the clear and repeated And the salary one may gain from teaching that what we do unto oththis employment is not merely reward, it is indeed an additional reers, we do unto Christ himself. We begin to see how far this extends sponsibility: treasure for which our God holds us accountable, talent in the teaching that we must be prepared to wash the feet of others, which He, who is Love, calls us to share. and especially of those considered least in our earthly kingdoms. All this tells me that reverence for God cannot exist separately from reMy own experience in our community service programs has taught sponsibility to others. Responsibility for others cannot exist separately me many things, but perhaps the two most significant are these: (1) from a sense of respect for what they are. Our three R’s express one There are great needs in our community, both local and global. (2) We Reality – one that is at least as old as Abraham, and must go back have tremendous talents at Portsmouth to bring to bear to help with even further, to the creator God hovering over the waters, calling that those needs. Our students, in working with a child struggling through chaos to order by His Word, in the beauty of His divine plan. homework at an afterschool program, begin to see the need young children have for caring and stable role models. But they also see, More concretely, “community service” has remained a visible, tangible despite their own academic disappointments or pressures, how much element of life at the School for as long as I can remember. Inchoate in they have to offer these kids. Our students traveling to Appalachia see the days of Fr. Andrew’s seemingly surreptitious trips with students to a vastly different and struggling economic world that challenges their the Bristol Vets, but more simply and substantially manifest then in the assumptions, and many express how they realize their own gifts and monastic community’s total commitment to the School, the presence privileges, that they have been taking for granted. of a sense of service has expanded over the past fifteen years or so to include more of us. Many of our faculty and parents assist in these I discovered an exhortation in a sermon of St. Gregory the Great, efforts. And many students already arrive at the School with extensive the patron saint of our community, that expresses what I am trying volunteer resumes from their elementary school careers. This shows to say: “He that hath a talent, let him see that he hide it not; he that the influence of a general culture, both in the United States as well hath abundance, let him quicken himself to mercy and generosity; he as in nations that are home to our international students, that mainthat hath art and skill, let him do his best to share the use and the tains civic and volunteer expectations. Many students are concerned utility hereof with his neighbor.” I often return to the accomplishments to keep pace with their peers in volunteerism, particularly in light of of Gregory, one of just three popes designated as “Great,” to regain college demands. As a “requirement” or “expectation,” the demands a sense of what our little School should strive for. Gregory was treof volunteer experience can appear to be an indentured servitude or a mendously active in the service of others: through his assistance to kind of conscription – a reason our hours requirement remains relativethe poor, through his diligence in shepherding of the church, through ly small and unobtrusive. Yet despite the downward pull of this obligahis efforts to enhance culture, through his commitment to prayer and tory character, a spirit of generosity manages to shine through. There liturgy. He was well educated and well connected – and offered it all, is an “objective good” in this work that seems to redeem it, when even in return, to God and to others. He rightly is known for seeing his role the slightest spark of genuine altruism is present. in the papacy as “Servus servorum Dei” – “Servant of the servants of God” – a title first attributed to him. This designation expresses both In fact, I often marvel at our willingness to assume without question his humility and his greatness, and should inspire us as a model to that English or history or mathematics courses must remain obligafollow in our own lives, and in our work to further the mission statetory, but that service to others should be considered voluntary. My ment’s third “R.” And it should remind us that we revere a God who astonishment is not that obligatory service is experienced negatively. Himself, for those He loves so much, “took the form of a servant.” My astonishment is that we do not consider academic study as, most basically and most ultimately, a service to others. Why are you taking – Blake Billings ‘77 all those courses? “So I can get into college, get a job, elbow my way Director of Spiritual Life into influence and affluence.” The assumptions behind such an all-

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Appalachia Service Project Reflection by Therese Thomas

Coming from different social circles, athletic teams and class forms, our Portsmouth Abbey students this past spring responded to the call to roll up their sleeves to serve– and have a little fun in the process. Armed with overalls, safety goggles and open hearts, they embarked on a mission to assist a variety of families from the small town of Gary, West Virginia. The many projects they tackled included scraping and painting houses, cleaning up debris and doing yard work, insulating basements, fixing broken water heaters, remodeling bathrooms and helping clear out years of accumulated trash from a local community center. I have always felt that initial impressions are an important part of our human nature. We become conditioned to see certain items, people or actions in a way that elicits a response based on our personal experiences. However, I learned after embarking on the Abbey’s Appalachia Service Project that these established cultural stereotypes quickly vanish in the light Appalachian Mountain breeze. For example, when one comes upon a swing set, one expects to see children. Would you expect to witness a Director of Operations pumping his legs so hard that others fear he may break an ankle when he jumps from the height he’s reached? Oh, of course, he must just be letting out some energy after successfully organizing a number of safe, efficient work sites for groups of student volunteers all morning. That’s our own Paul Jestings.

And let’s consider our preconceived expectations of an Executive Chef. How often would you expect to see one charging after students with a kickball, ferociously intent on knocking them out in a highly competitive dodge ball tournament? But remember, earlier our dining services executive, Stephanie Petreccia, did prepare a delicious dinner for our hungry volunteers; but someone double dipped, and she’s finding her vengeance well merited. Then, there is the classic Latin teacher. Preconceived notions might not conjure the image of one hanging off the side of a slanted, tattered roof to apply a final coat of new paint – all while debating the outcome of the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Our roof-hanging Nick Micheletti ‘04 was, in fact, debating basketball moves with a parent of several young Abbey alumni, Seraphin DaPonte. Mr. DaPonte is that father who has given up a week of his vacation time to donate his landscaping and construction expertise to the project – all with an infectious sense of humor. In addition, one might catch a glimpse of a Third Form Houseparent, being begged to lend her killer quarterback skills to a pick-up game of touch football. This would, however, come as no surprise if one had witnessed her earlier agility in teaching eager students how to lay up fiberglass in a confined space. This was Corie McDermott, who is also a dedicated English teacher and college counselor.

Let’s also not forget how we might envision a typical Dean of Students. I’m sure you would guess, once you see him in action, that he has 14 years of experience under his tool belt leading teenagers into rural, impoverished communities to rebuild the hearts and homes of so many in need. And yet, Clarence Chenoweth is the driving force of the Appalachia Service Project each and every year. This unconventional description of our unique faculty, staff and parents at Portsmouth Abbey School is one of the reasons why I love teaching and working here so much. Fundraising all year, then traveling south together in a van to spend a volunteer week with 17 students, is a common Spring Break occurrence for many of them. And the best part about their selfless dedication and the example they set is that the young teens under their guidance rise to the challenge of using their unique God-given talents to help others. Despite the productive work that we accomplished, the most incredible thing I witnessed this year was our students’ ability to look past the Appalachian stereotypes –and beyond the poverty– to see the people they were helping. No matter how soiled or odorous some of these homes were, our students fought the conditioned response to turn away, and instead, they reached out, with love, to see the dignity of each human person they encountered. What a gift for a teacher to learn from your students how to let go, and let God in!

Top left: Ford Bauer ’12 (left) and Donovan Reyes ’11 (middle) with a man whose home they helped renovate in Gary, WV. Top middle: The 2011 Appalachia Service Project group. Top right: One of the Portsmouth Abbey ASP teams at work. PAGE 50

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FROM the OFFICE of ADMISSIONS When our new students arrive on campus this September, some will come from as far away as Nicaragua, Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, or Harbin, a beautiful city in northeast China known as the “Ice City.” Others will travel from cities around the USA including Austin, Chicago, Miami, San Francisco and the District of Columbia. And the addresses of the suburban towns surrounding Boston, New York and New Haven will be added to the geographic composition of this group of over 100 new members of the Portsmouth Abbey community. Whether it takes these students and their families two to three hours of driving time, six hours on a plane or a 20-hour intercontinental flight to safely turn onto 285 Cory’s Lane, each student will arrive bringing his or her individual talents, family traditions and cultural heritage to our community. The Portsmouth Abbey School community believes in a “responsibility for the shared experience of community life,” as stated in the third stanza of our School’s mission statement. When our students arrive with anticipation and excitement to become part of our community, we in the Admissions Office believe this is what they find. The “shared experience” begins when a Red Key student admissions ambassador introduces himself to a new Third Form boy from Colombia and then assists his parents by carrying the new student’s oversized trunk – with the JFK baggage sticker still wrapped around the handle – or when our Dean of Residential Life, Aileen Baker, has a gentle and encouraging conversation with an inquiring mother about the many activities from which her daughter will have to choose during our long weekends here on campus. These initial interactions are the fabric of the shared experience of community life at Portsmouth. The welcome we give our students and parents is a major attraction to many, if not all, of our new students at the Abbey, and it is this resolute responsibility we have to each other that begins with the efforts of the Admissions Office and continues over the next four years. As stated in the more detailed description of the mission statement, “We seek to honor the dignity of every person as a child of God, and strive to nurture the talents of each individual for service and leadership in our own community and in the larger world.” The Office of Admissions seeks individuality and diversity among its applicants every year so that when “Opening of School” arrives, the new student cohort not only replenishes the graduating class in numbers but with its own distinctive characteristics. The composition of the class, or the “diversity” of this group, can be defined by its geographic, social, economic, ethnic and gender differences. For the 2011-12 academic year, 19 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and 23 countries will be represented, 36 percent of the student body will have been awarded financial assistance, 71 percent will be boarding students, and boys will represent 51 percent of the student body, with girls representing 49 per-

cent. These distinctions enhance our School community and enrich the culture of Portsmouth. Over the past five years the admissions effort has expanded far beyond the New England region to create this rich and ideal community. No longer do our inquiring families need to time their phone call to ensure the Admissions Office will be open; what once was a telephone exchange from a family in another part of the country or world is now an email exchange with an attachment of an applicant’s picture sent at any given time of day. The student no longer needs to wait for the view book to arrive – the view book has been posted and is available as a PDF file on the School Website. And as recently as this past admissions cycle, Skype now allows the applicant, from any distance, to appear to be sitting in the Manor House having his or her personal interview. This year alone 19 percent of our interviews were conducted via Skype. These interviews were not only with international students but domestic candidates as well. An increasing number of interested students do not have the means to make the initial visit to campus but are able to complete the application process and use their resources to return for the “accepted student visit” in early spring. Technology has not only offered greater access to the international community but also to highly motivated domestic students who might not otherwise have access to our School, thereby offering Portsmouth the ability to strengthen the diversity of our student body.

“We seek to honor the dignity of every person as a child of God, and strive to nurture the talents of each individual for service and leadership in our own community and in the larger world.” This outreach has made a significant impact on the culture of our School. In the Office of Admissions we form relationships with each new student and his or her family through the eight-month application process, and have great aspirations that each student will impact our community in a positive way. Once the students start their journeys with us, it is the faculty who assume this shared experience firsthand. Nancy Brzys reflects on her French 2 class, saying, “My class benefits from a diverse group of students who represent a wide geographic range. We can discuss, in French, family traditions, holidays, and travel, and we hear from students who come from near and far. This adds so much interest to a class, enlivens small group discussions, and teaches us all about each other and our varying experiences.”

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O FF IC E OF ADMISSIONS

Our U.S. History teacher, Derek Gittus, commented on one of his students who came as a Third Former and was taught by Derek during her Fifth Form year. He writes, “I had the privilege of teaching AP U.S. History to Naseemah Mohamed ‘08 during the 2006-2007 school year. Raised a Muslim, she converted to Catholicism while she was a student here. She was a native of Zimbabwe, and her U.S. history background was so poor that she barely knew who George Washington was at the beginning of the class. Her incredible talent and persistence earned her an A- for the year in this challenging course. This young woman could speak, eloquently and from experience, about dictatorship and human rights, where I could only speak of them in theory, based on what I read. When I wrote her college recommendation, I stated that ‘this young woman could very well change the world for the better’ because of her worldliness and compassion. My statement was not hyperbole. Naseemah is now entering her final year at Harvard.” And when Michael Bonin, head of our English Department, was asked to reflect on the impact of our School’s global community and our shared experiences, he offered the following regarding the required recitations in his Sixth Form class. “In all the Abbey’s English classes the students memorize and recite classic poetry. In my Sixth Form classes I teach the history of the English language, and I have the students chant warriors’ verses in Old English (the archaic Anglo-Saxon of Beowulf), and Middle English dating to 1400, from Chaucer’s Prologue to his Canterbury Tales. So this year alone I had the pleasure of listening to ancient English (“Mod

sceal te maere,” “To ferne halwes, couthe in sondry londes”) declaimed in the accents of Korea, China, Thailand, Nigeria, Guatemala, and Spain. That’s along with, of course, the regional inflections of my American students: the Lousiana drawl, the Texas twang, the Boston bray, and the various sharps and flats from Chicago, Virginia, New York, Long Island, Wisconsin, and Southern California. Sometimes I feel like Henry Higgins in my classroom. Any linguist sitting in could fill up notebooks for weeks without even reaching such fine distinctions as, say, the Little Compton versus the Pawtucket ‘r.’” As the Office of Admissions embarks on a new cycle of recruitment this season, we plan to continue to reach far beyond our state of Rhode Island – “Little Rhody.” The miles our students travel that first week of September to reach Portsmouth will be those we will travel throughout the fall. Our inquiring families have already begun scheduling their interviews, some on campus and others ready to Skype from distant locations; as we did last season, we might even find ourselves speaking with a girl form Seattle, a boy from a U.S. Air Force base in Japan, or sisters from Guatemala. We have great optimism that we will continue to see a rise in interest from families seeking the Portsmouth Abbey education and experience. Our ultimate goal is to attract students with individual talents, family and cultural traditions, and a strong sense of community to be developed and shared within our Portsmouth community. – Meghan Fonts, Director of Admissions, and Steven Pietraszek ‘96, Associate Director of Admissions and Director of Financial Aid

Come Take Root at our open house 2011

Sunday, October 16/Sunday, December 4 | 10:30am-2:30pm Call to reserve your space by Monday, October 10 or Monday, November 28 Office of Admissions 401.643.1248 PAGE 52

The Performing Arts Department by Jay Bragan, Director of Performing Arts Winter 2011 In the Winter Term, the Abbey Player’s presented Rogers and Hammerstein’s beloved musical, The Sound of Music. With a full professional orchestra, including musicians from the Rhode Island Philharmonic, the talented Abbey students (cast and crew) created a remarkable production.

The Abbey Dancers The Abbey Dancers, now in their third year of development, gave an outstanding recital in November. Under the direction of Cheryl Burns (from the Island Moving Company) and Sherry Winn (owner of the Just Dance studio in Bristol, RI), the dancers met each afternoon to work on various forms of dance, including Ballet, Jazz, Lyrical, Tap, and even Hip-Hop. Based on the hit show, So You Think You Can Dance, the dancers put on a diverse recital, with choreography from the teachers and students. The dancers this year were Kate Britten ‘14, Abigail Byrne ‘14, Cici Chen ‘12, Mary Frances Kielb ‘13, Elisa Lonergan ‘14, Anna MacGillivray ‘13, Meg Owens ‘14, Lauren Thompson ‘13, and Megan ‘11 and Molly ‘13 Wart.

Corinne Cotta ’12 wowed the audience as Maria Von Trapp, leading the cast in “Do-Re-Me,” “My Favorite Things” and “Lonely Goatherd.” Ryan Gladney ‘11 gave an outstanding performance as Captain Von Trapp. Chris Waterman ‘11 and Emmy Falvey ‘11 were delightful as the Captain’s friends, Max and Elsa. Courtney Macomber ’12 and Ligia Vela ‘11 ran the Von Trapp household with efficiency and humor. The heart of the show, the Von Trapp children, included Mary Frances Kielb ‘13, Joseph Yates ‘13, Melanie Camacho ‘13, Vittorio Frescobaldi ‘12, and Abby Byrne ’14 and her real-life siblings (St. Philomena’s School students), John and Celia Byrne. Jimmy Fallon ‘12 and Mary Frances Kielb sang the wonderful duet “Sixteen Going on Seventeen.” Greta Behnke ‘12, Darren Colbourne ‘12, Eduardo Soriano ‘11 and Andrew Morsilli ‘11 added elegance to the ballroom dance, and later created tension as invading Nazis.

The Abbey Players Fall 2010 The Drama program kicked off the year with its fall production of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet. Playing the title roles as the “star-crossed lovers” were Ann Gallagher ‘13 and Drake Bonin ‘11, both of whom gave powerful, vibrant performances while adeptly handling Shakespeare’s complex text. The supporting cast was led by Francesca Bessey ‘11 as Benvolio, Nick DeLieto ‘13 as Mercutio, and Monica Urquijo ‘13 as Juliet’s Nurse, all of whom delighted the audiences with their humorous and energetic portrayals. Strong performances were also given by Andrew Morsilli ‘11 (Friar Lawrence), Ryan Gladney ‘11 (Tybalt), Erin Shaw ‘13 (Capulet), Corinne Cotta ‘12 (Lady Capulet), Jamie Chapman ‘12 (Montague), Allison Bolles ‘13 (Lady Montague), and Felicity McDonough ‘11 (Prince). The ensemble cast was also an important element of the play, as they set the tone for many of the tense fighting scenes and performed a delightful dance at the Capulet party. Inspired by architecture from the Greek islands, the stage crew created a lush set upon which images, such as a field of flowers or actual photos from ancient tombs, were projected at points throughout the performance. Live music was provided by Dami Lee ‘12 on the piano and Kathy Seo ’12 on the cello.

As the Mother Abbess, Felicity McDonough ‘11 led the nuns at Nonnberg Abbey, which included Nahyung Kim ‘12, Gabrielle Fontes ‘12, and Cheyenne Fafard ‘12 who sang “My Favorite Things.” Supporting them were Kate Britten ‘14, Dani Banky ‘14 and Gabby Rossi ‘11, and three members of the faculty who made cameo appearances, Lizzie Benestad, Therese Thomas and Suzi Duncan. All of the nuns brought the audience to tears with their final song, “Climb Every Mountain.” While working on the production, Father Damian told the director, Jay Bragan, about an extraordinary connection that Portsmouth Abbey had with the Von Trapp family. Apparently, the real Maria Von Trapp sent one of her sons to Portsmouth in the 1950s. While here, she noticed that Portsmouth did not have a music program, and so the Von Trapp family held a benefit concert in New York City on behalf of the School. Maria

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P ER FORMING AR TS

Von Trapp also arranged for Maximilian Albrecht, the former conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, to be the first music teacher at the Abbey. Mr. Albrecht was living with the Von Trapps at the time, after being fired from the Philharmonic for refusing to release Jews from his company. This remarkable story of the Von Trapp’s connection to the School was even highlighted in an article from the Sakonnet Times entitled, “From Nonnberg Abbey to Portsmouth Abbey.” The cast and crew felt proud to tell such a renowned story that was associated with their School.

lighting board and Meg Owens ‘14 worked the new wireless mic system. Frank Padula ‘13 hit all the music cues with the CD player backstage, while Nut Yongsatianchot ‘11, Daniel Jackson ‘13, Laura Baudet ‘13, Katherine Normand ‘13 and Anna MacGillivray ‘13 helped to smooth all the transitions by striking and setting furniture and platforms. The cast and crew can all be commended for this highly entertaining play.

Spring 2011 For the last play of the year, The Abbey Players presented The Craving, a horrific comedy in two acts. Chris Waterman ‘11 played the leading role of Terry, a screenwriter whose sentimental love story was picked up by a Hollywood studio. His dream, however, turned into a nightmare as the studio transformed his script into a zombie movie. Drake Bonin ‘11 played the enigmatic director and Emma Smith ‘12 was his off-the-wall assistant. Taylor Smariga ‘12 jumped off the stage crew for this production and gave a delightful performance as a timid young actress. Kim ‘13 and Michelle ‘13 Mehrtens, along with Kelsi Harper ‘13, played outrageous, slightly twisted producers, reminiscent of the three weird sisters in Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Lani Griffiths ‘11 was marvelously manipulative as a producer who got Terry to sign a contract without his agent (played by the robust Andrew Morsilli ‘11). Felicity McDonough ‘11 skipped into each scene as the script polisher, often adding more zombies. Terry’s imagination was often displayed onstage, with over-the-top love scenes, played by Nick DeLieto ‘13 and Gaby Gutierrez ‘11, and even a nightmare sequence that included much of the cast as zombies emerging from a foggy stage. Once the “filming” started, a quirky cast acted out the scenes. Ryan Gladney ‘11 played the stereotypical hunk, even saying, “I’m hot, that’s why I’m here.” Monica Urquijo ‘13 pranced about as the Paris Hilton- type celebrity, known more for her fame than her talent. Kelsey Wensberg ‘11 played an intense veteran of horror films, showing off her skills in a scene where she is eaten by zombies (all to be computer-generated later). And Toni Ramos ‘12, with a thick Eastern European accent, brought down the house as the somewhat stubborn Ukrainian actress, Magdalena. The stage crew did an outstanding job building the sets, which included painting posters of past horror movies. Julia Scanlon ‘11 and Megan Wart ‘11 worked as stage managers, while Mo Kouassi-Brou ‘13 ran the

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MUSIC DEPARTMENT NEWS by Joshua Horsch, Director of Music It’s been an exciting year for the music department. Four new ensembles have been created and the program has grown considerably as a whole. New this year are the Abbey Schola, the jazz ensemble, the G Sharps, and the world drum ensemble. The Abbey Schola is a dedicated liturgical choir that provides music for School Masses and church functions. Focusing on improvisation and style, the jazz ensemble has become another creative outlet for our talented student musicians. The G Sharps is our new boys a cappella group that had a highly successful debut at the Spring Concert. Finally, the world drum ensemble is a fun new group that focuses on world rhythms and musical styles. Both the Abbey Singers and the Pro Deo Orchestra have also grown in size this year. With the creation of the Abbey Schola, the Abbey Singers have become a dedicated concert choir that focuses on both sacred and secular concert works. In the fall of 2010, several of our most accomplished student musicians participated in chamber ensembles as their afternoon activity. As always, the Winter Term collaboration with the drama department was a huge success with the production of The Sound of Music.

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PARENTS’ AUCTION JANUARY 22, 2011

pella group, the A Flats, singing a lively medley during the cocktail hour, to the musical performances of the Pro Deo Orchestra and various individual student musicians. Guests were also treated to a preview vignette from the Abbey’s winter musical, The Sound of Music, and a grand finale of a creative dance performed by the School’s Abbey Dancers. When the final tally was in, the auction had raised $102,500. Jay Bragan, director of performing arts, was elated and grateful that his department had been chosen as this year’s recipient of the auction proceeds. His wish list for the department, made in collaboration with the theater, dance and music programs, is coming to fruition over the summer thanks to the contributions of many.

It was a night to remember. The Parents’ Auction Committee, comprised of over 25 parent volunteers and chaired by Tricia Coleman P ’11, Liz Kinnane P ’12, ’15 and Martha Tasca P ’09, ’11, worked for months preparing for this one night. The fruits of their labor paid off. Parents, parents of alumni, grandparents, faculty and friends of Portsmouth Abbey gathered Saturday, January 22, for the third biennial Parent Auction to show their support for the Portsmouth Abbey’s Performing Arts Program. And support it they did! The evening included a wonderful array of silent auction items that boasted a collection of fine artwork, handmade furniture, home décor items, sports outings and delightful dinner/theater packages. The outstanding line-up of live auction items included trips to Grenada, London and Mexico (to name a few), and special outings with Emma Watson (“Harry Potter” star Hermione) and Tim Gunn (“Project Runway”) did not go unnoticed as auctioneer Steve McDonald (radio personality for WHJJ and WHJY in Providence) skillfully handled the spirited bidding in the room, all while keeping the crowd in stitches with his well-timed wit. Students involved in the Performing Arts programs dazzled the crowd with a compilation of performances ranging from the a cap-

“This was an enormous validation of our programs,” said Bragan. “It was a thrill to see parents of current students and alumni, grandparents, faculty and friends of Portsmouth Abbey, come together to show their support for what we do in music, dance and drama. Each of the program heads was thrilled to get everything on their respective ‘wish lists.’” As a result of the auction’s success, many new items have already been purchased. The Auditorium has been freshened up with new paint and lush curtains along the windows and on the stage. Behind the scenes, a new light board, follow spots, and 16 wireless microphones were acquired in time for the spring play. The music program purchased many new instruments for the students, a PA system to bring music “up from the basement,” and new choral risers for concerts. The dance program will soon purchase Marley flooring that will be rolled out for the next recital in November. The Parents’ Auction Committee would like to thank all those who contributed to this wonderful event. The success of this endeavor would not have been possible without the generosity of the entire Portsmouth Abbey Community. It was, indeed, a night to remember… - Fran Cook Director of Special Events

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From the OFFICE OF DEVELOPMENT AND ALUMNI AFFAIRS This edition of the Portsmouth Abbey Bulletin highlights service of many varieties. Among the alumni profiled we have members of the armed forces, teachers and volunteers. We honor and appreciate the service that our alumni, parents and friends of Portsmouth Abbey School provide day after day in their local communities and beyond. Service has always been an important part of the Portsmouth Abbey curriculum, most specifically in our service outreach and Confirmation programs and more subtly through the daily life and actions of those on campus. In this edition, Jim DeVecchi’s letter highlights the “three Rs”: Reverence, Respect, and Responsibility. People remain the central focus of these values within the School’s mission. Perhaps the most relevant of the three Rs for this issue of the magazine is: Responsibility for the shared experience of community life. Service to one another is a core value of Portsmouth, and teachers, both monastic and lay, set the example for those around them. It is most fitting, then, that we would look to discuss the effort to fund endowment to support faculty within this publication – surrounded by stories of service. As was noted in the Winter 2011 Bulletin, increased funding for endowment to support faculty is a major component of Growing in Knowledge & Grace: the Campaign for Portsmouth Abbey School. Faculty members create the classroom experiences that challenge and inspire students. Everyone associated with Portsmouth can point to at least one member of the faculty who helped to shape him or her. Equally important, as a residential community, the interactions and relationships built outside the classroom play a role in creating the culture at Portsmouth. Attracting, supporting, and retaining the best faculty who believe in and fulfill Portsmouth’s mission remains a priority. The establishment and funding of Endowed Faculty Chairs can help achieve this goal. As permanent components of the School’s endowment, faculty chairs provide financial certainty to Portsmouth. Annual income from the endowed chair will provide salary and benefits support for an extremely qualified teacher. Additionally, income will provide financial resources for the chairholder to use in pursuit of excellence within her or his discipline. Our intention is to name an endowed faculty chair in multiple academic departments; the impact on Portsmouth’s financial picture will be dramatic. By endowing a source of faculty support, we are easing the demands on the School’s unrestricted operating budget and eventually relieving the pressure on tuition revenue. In a competitive world, we believe our enhanced fac-

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ulty support will serve to benefit the institution by helping us to retain our quality faculty members. As you have heard from us over the years, the first two endowed faculty chairs were created for the Mathematics Department, in memory of Dom Andrew, and the English Department, in honor of Dom Damian ‘45, both men having devoted their lives to the monastic life and having given selflessly through their work as teachers, mentors, housemasters and friends to generations of Portsmouth Abbey students. Dom Damian Kearney ‘45

With much excitement, we were able to fully fund the Dom Andrew Jenks Chair in Mathematics this spring, with a total fund in excess of $1,000,000. Dr. DeVecchi named Daniel McDonough as the inaugural chairholder and recognized this distinction at Commencement on May 29. Dan will undoubtedly continue to give of himself in pursuit of excellence in the Mathematics Department as well as mentoring fellow faculty members and students in their development. Summer at Portsmouth is an important time for planning and looking ahead. As we look to the 2011-12 fiscal year, we aim to mark the year by fully funding the Kearney Chair in English in honor of Dom Damian. A member of the English Department from 1953 to 2005 and chair of the department from 1974-1999, Father Damian remains an active member of the Portsmouth community and looks forward to sharing in the excitement of naming the first recipient of this special chair and fund. With the help of many, we are confident we will achieve this goal, and look to name the inaugural chairholder at Commencement 2012. Discussions have also begun to name and fund the remaining endowed chairs; we look forward to sharing news with you along

P ORTSM O U T H A BB E Y S C HO OL

WHERE ARE YOU NOW? WHERE ARE YOU GOING? HOW WILL YOU GET THERE? the way. We extend our thanks to the many committed members of the Portsmouth Abbey community who appreciate the value of investing in our faculty. Together, we can achieve great heights for the School and for the generations of students who will enjoy the privilege of a Portsmouth Abbey education, one greatly influenced by dedicated, enthusiastic and talented faculty. – Anna Jones, Senior Development Officer

The First Dom Andrew Jenks Chair

The monks of Portsmouth Abbey have found answers to these questions in the Rule of St. Benedict. . . Could this be the answer for you?

Dan McDonough joined the Portsmouth Abbey faculty in 1984 to teach mathematics, to coach cross-country and track, and to serve as a houseparent. In 1987 Dan left Portsmouth to teach at the Kiski School. He returned to Portsmouth in the fall of 1990, and since then has taught mathematics at every level, including AP calculus, to hundreds of students. Additionally Dan has served the Portsmouth Abbey community as houseparent, coach, summer program director, director of admissions, academic dean, and dean of faculty. He is currently associate headmaster and head of the Mathematics Department. Dan earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Humanities and Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1983. In 1997 he earned a Master of Science Degree in Mathematics from the University of New Hampshire. Dan continues to live on campus with his wife, Mary Jean; they have six children, four of whom are graduates of Portsmouth Abbey School.

We invite you to experience a week of prayer, work, rest, and recreation in our Monastic Life Experience Program for single, college - educated, Catholic men, 21- 45 years old, who wish to consider a call to monastic life. The “open-ended” program will be scheduled to suit you – you may spend a few days to a week or more at the abbey, experiencing the life of the monk – Ora et Labora – including daily mass, common prayer, lectio divina, manual labor, and conferences on monastic history or spirituality, with opportunity for exercise and rest on our 500 acres on Narragansett Bay. The program is an opportunity to familiarize yourself with monastic life and consider the possibility that This Call May Be For You. www.portsmouthabbey.org Vocations inquiries: abbotcaedmon@portsmouthabbey.org

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TARYN MURPHY ‘12

LIAM O’FARRELL ‘11

SEAN BUCKLEY ‘12

MORGAN GREEN ‘11

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KATIA DA SILVA ‘11

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winter 2010-11 athletics Boys’ Basketball Dom Bede Gorman Memorial Basketball Award: Liam O’Farrell ‘11 MIP: CJ Obijofor ‘11 Captains-Elect: Matt Brigham ‘12, Liam O’Connor ‘12 Record: Overall 12-12 EIL: 10-8 Liam O’Farrell ‘11 scored 1042 points in his four seasons of varsity basketball Girls’ Basketball The Pfeffer Cup: Jasmin Amaral ‘11 MIP: Annie Kirscht ‘13 Captain-Elect: Akunna Onyiuke ‘12 Record: 12-8 EIL: 10-2 Boys’ Ice Hockey The Andrew M. Hunt and Carol Meehan Hunt Hockey Award: Danny Welch ‘11 MIP: Garin Tracy ‘13 Record: 8-3-12

JASMIN AMARAL ‘11

Girls’ Ice Hockey The Andrew M. Hunt and Carol Meehan Hunt Hockey Award: Catherine Shanahan ‘11 MIP: Sarah Sienkiewicz ‘13 Captains-Elect: Casey Brown ‘12, Taryn Murphy ‘12 Record: Overall 2-1-15 EIL: 1-1-8

Winter 2011 All-League Selections Boys’ Basketball – Liam O’Farrell ‘11, Donovan Reyes ‘11 Honorable Mention: Matt Brigham ‘12

Swimming Coach’s Award, Boys: Sean Buckley ‘12 MIP: Philip Lozier ‘11 Coach’s Award, Girls: Jackie Wagner ‘12 MIP: Isabella Minondo ‘11 Captains-Elect: Sean Buckley ‘12, Sarah Auer ‘12, Ceara Bowman ‘12, Jackie Wagner ‘12 Record: Overall: 3-5 Boys 1st place, Girls 3rd place EIL Boys’ swimming won the EIL Invitational. Sean Buckley ‘12 broke his own school swim record in the 200 IM. Jackie Wagner ‘12 set new school swim records in the 100 Butterfly and 100 free. Boys’ Squash Carlos Xavier Araujo ’96 Memorial Squash Award: Steven Vo ‘11 MIP: Andrew Sgarro ‘11 Captain-Elect: Jeff Heath ‘12 Record: 6-5 Girls’ Squash Coach’s Award: Tara Tischio ‘11 MIP: Epi Minondo ‘11 Captains-Elect: Karyssa Edwards ‘12, Jamie Chapman ‘12 Record: Overall 8-9 EIL: 2-4

Girls’ Basketball – Jasmin Amaral ‘11, League MVP Brigid Behan ‘11, Abby Shea ‘11 Honorable Mention: Akunna Onyiuke ‘12 Girls’ Ice Hockey – Casey Brown ‘12 Honorable Mention: Ally Tessier ‘13 Girls’ Squash – Katia DaSilva ‘11 Boys’ Swimming – Nick DeLieto ‘13, Connor Wray ‘13, Sean Buckley ‘12, Chris Soriano ‘13 Girls’ Swimming – Jackie Wagner ‘12

Junior Varsity Awards Boys’ JVA Basketball: Mike Keane ‘12 Boys’ JVB Basketball: Kilian White ‘14 Girls’ JV Basketball: Amberlee Majewski ‘14 Boys’ JV Squash: Jake Lee ‘12 Girls’ JV Squash: Clare Allman ‘11 GJVB Squash: Meredeth Horan ‘13 BJVB Squash: Doel Jarosiewicz ‘12 Boys’ JV Ice Hockey: Dan Jackson ‘13 Girls’ JV Ice Hockey: Caitlin Villareal ‘12 Boys’ JV Swim: Steve Cho ‘13 Girls’ JV Swim: Daniela Vollmer ‘11

Visit our athletics photo gallery at www. http://portsmouthabbey.org/page/athletics/photo_gallery PHOTOS BY LOUIS WALKER

www.louiswalkerphotography.com/Sports

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spring 2011 athletics

Baseball The Baseball Coach’s Trophy – Liam O’Farrell ‘11 MIP: Billy Young ‘11 Captains-Elect: Darren Colbourne ‘12, Chris Brown ‘12, Sean Quinn ‘12 Overall Record: 10-9 EIL Record: 5-3 Girls’ Golf The Golf Coach’s Trophy – Taryn Murphy ‘12 MIP: Sally (Xiao) Liu ‘14 Captains-Elect: Taryn Murphy ‘12, Wenting Xu ‘12 Overall Record: 2-6-1; Taryn Murphy ‘12, 6th Place Independent School 9-Hole Tournament Boys’ Lacrosse The Frost Family Trophy – Mitchell Green ‘11 MIP: Zach Pray ‘12 Captains-Elect: Matt Brigham ‘12, Trevor Kenahan ‘12, Drake Kreinz ‘12, Liam O’Connor ‘12 Overall Record: 14-2 EIL Record: 7-0 EIL Champions

Boys’ Tennis The Boys’ Tennis Coach’s Trophy – Ed Kielb ‘11 MIP: David Armenta ‘12 Captains-Elect: Sean Buckley ‘12, David Armenta ‘12 Overall Record: 3-7 EIL Record: 1-5 Boys’ Track The Track Coach’s Trophy – Young Hoon Chung ‘12 MIP: David Clinton ‘13 Captain-Elect: Will Parsons ‘12 Overall Record: 2-5; 3rd Place Odell, 17th Place New England Div. 3 Girls’ Track The Track Coach’s Trophy – Kaitlin Patton ‘11 MIP: Julia Thompson ‘13 Captains-Elect: Amelia Gray ‘12, Emily Kaufman ‘12 Overall Record: 5-2; 1st Place Odell, 5th Place New England Div. 3

Girls’ Lacrosse The Girls’ Lacrosse Trophy – Samantha Theriault ‘11 MIP: Annie Kirscht ‘13 Captains-Elect: Casey Brown ‘12, Devon Hogan ‘12, Caitlin Villareal ‘12 Overall Record: 8-6 EIL Record: 7-2 Sailing The Robert Price Sailing Trophy – Lucas Adams ‘11 MIP: Sean Morrissey ‘11 Captains-Elect: Marguerite Crandall ‘12, Andrew Godfrey ‘12 Overall Record: 10-4 JULIA HANSEN ‘11

Softball The Softball Coach’s Trophy – Abby Shea ‘11 MIP: Rachel Sousa ‘14 Captains-Elect: Karyssa Edwards ‘12, Jamie Chapman ‘12 Overall Record: 10-3 EIL Record: 6-2 Girls’ Tennis The Girls’ Tennis Coach’s Trophy – Georgia Callahan ‘11 Epi Minondo ‘11 MIP: Frannie Kielb ‘13 Captains-Elect: Frannie Kielb ‘13 Greta Behnke ‘12 Overall Record: 4-6 EIL Record: 4-4

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P ORTSM O U T H A BB E Y S C HO OL

YOUNG HOON CHUNG ‘12 DRAKE KREINZ ‘12

ED KIELB ‘11

Spring 2011 All-League Selections Baseball Liam O’Farrell ‘11 – All-EIL Sean Quinn ‘12 – All-EIL Billy Young ‘11 – All-EIL Chris Brown ‘12, Darren Colbourne ‘12 – Honorable Mention, All-EIL Boys’ Lacrosse EIL Champions for the third out of four years Nick Albertson ‘11 – All-EIL; East-West All-Star Game Justin Coleman ‘11 – East-West All-Star Game Mitch Green ‘11 – US Lacrosse Academic All-American; All-EIL; East-West All-Star Game Morgan Green ‘11 – US Lacrosse All-American; All-EIL; East-West All-Star Game Riley Kinnane ‘11 – All-EIL; East-West All-Star Game Matt Brigham ‘12 , Drake Kreinz ‘12 – Honorable Mention, All-EIL EIL Coach of the Year: Al Brown Girls’ Lacrosse Casey Brown ‘12 – All-EIL; NEPSWLA All-Star Maddie Savoie ‘11 – All-EIL Samantha Theriault ‘11 – All-EIL Caitlin Villareal ‘12 – All-EIL; NEPSWLA All-Star; 2011 High School Underclassmen All-American/National Lacrosse Classic; 2011 US Lacrosse Academic All-American; scored 100 goals in season, bringing her career total (with one season remaining) to 175 Ann Gallagher ‘13 , Devon Hogan ‘12 – Honorable Mention, All-EIL

Junior Varsity Awards JV Baseball: Tom Biagetti ‘14 Boys’ JV Lacrosse: Zack Tipton ‘13 Girls’ JV Lacrosse: Isabel Keogh ‘13 JV Sailing: Hugh MacGillivray ‘14

Sailing Atlantic Coast Challenge (ACC) Champions 6th Place at N.E. Fleet Racing Championship 3rd Place at N.E. Team Racing Championship 6th Place R.I. States, 3rd Place at N.E. Women’s Invitational Softball Placed 2nd in the EIL with a 10-3 record Karyssa Edwards ‘12 – All-EIL Tara Tischio ‘11– All-EIL Abby Shea ‘11– All-EIL Jamie Chapman ‘12 , Kelly Plageman ‘12 – Honorable Mention, All-EIL EIL Co-Coach of the Year: Elliott Moffie Boys’ Tennis Ed Kielb ‘11– EIL MVP; All-EIL Girls’ Tennis Georgia Callahan ‘11– All-EIL Epi Minondo ‘11 – All-EIL Katie Sgarro ‘11– All-EIL Emmy Falvey ‘11, Frannie Kielb ‘13 – Honorable Mention, All-EIL Girls’ Track Odell Invitational, 2011 Champions, placing first of 9 teams Brigid Behan ‘11 – All-EIL, 800 meters Julia Hansen ‘11 – All-EIL, Pole Vault Kaitlin Patton ‘11 – All-EIL, 1500 meters, 3000 meters

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Boys’ JV Tennis: Michael Cheong ‘12 Girls’ JV Tennis: Hadley Matthews ‘13 Boys’ JV Track: Connor Wray ‘13 Girls’ JV Track: Emily Magnifico ‘14

CAITLIN VILLAREAL ‘12

MILESTONES

BIRTHS

1996

1984 A boy, Andrew Patrick, to Debbie and C. Michael Smith March 1, 2011

A girl, Madeleine Grace, to Michelle Kahn and Enrico Palazio February 10, 2011

1989 A boy, William Ward, to Rebecca and Sean Spicer March 5, 2011 1992 A boy, Sam, to Lisabeth and James Dwyer. A girl, Emersyn Elizabeth, to Paige and Christopher Bell March 1, 2011

Above: William Ward Spicer with parents Rebecca and Sean Spicer ‘89 and sister Rigby.

A girl, Annabelle Lybrook, to Catherine and Christopher Block April 20, 2011 A girl, Isabelle Kingsley, to David and Heather Hawes Dwyer December 19, 2010 1997 A boy, Adain Philip, to Elizabeth and Jamie Fessenden March 1, 2011

1994 A boy, Andrew Phillip, to Michelle and Peter Lucas February 13, 2011

Right: William and Rigby Spicer

1995 A boy, Tucker Edward, to Kiana and Brian O’Reilly February 2, 2011 1995 & 1996 A girl, Maria Teresa Pilar, to Dan ’95 and Tita ’96 Christoffel June 2, 2011 Emersyn Elizabeth, daughter of Paige and Christopher Bell ‘92, sports her Abbey onesie. Sam Dwyer (right) and brother Paulo Santiago, sons of Lisabeth and James Dwyer ‘92.

Matthew Bolduc, Jr., son of Tiffany Costa Bolduc ‘99

Noah Yoon, son of Jenny and Paul Yoon ‘01, was born in January.

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MILESTONES

A boy, Fynnegan Henry Hazard Merchant, to Maura Fitzgerald May 20, 2011 A girl, Margaux Anne Marie Miller, to Celine Thyssen-Miller June 30, 2011 A boy, Charles Philip, to Kimberly and Matthew Sluter May 30, 2011 A girl, Taylor Elaine, to Carissa and Ken Tambaschi June 2, 2011 A girl, Mary Elizabeth, to David and Alexia Karousos Trainor April 18, 2011 1998 A boy, Braeden Michael, to Jeffrey and Christina Reyna Williams March 7, 2011 A girl, Micaiah Jordyn-Inez, to Alandra VanDross July 13, 2010 1999 A boy, Matthew Jr., to Matthew and Tiffany Costa Bolduc December 30, 2010

Nolan Carter Flynn joined sister Olivia and parents Kyle and Jenna Flynn in November.

2000 Triplet girls, Cameryn Louise, Corinne Siobhan, and Eleanor (Nora) Geraghty to Ryan and Eleanor Sheehan Lynch May 27, 2011

Proud dad Kale Zelden and his wife, Dimi, welcomed Maribel Therese into the family in May.

WEDDINGS

1989 Keith Minihane to Kelly McMahan July 18, 2010

2001

1993 Mark Pappalardo to Courtney Burpee April 9, 2011

A boy, Sebastian Fernando Judge-Espinoza, to Fernanda and Matthew Judge February 17, 2011

1994 Leila Howland to Jonathan L. Davis June 25, 2011

A boy, Noah, to Jenny and Paul Yoon January 4, 2011 2003 A girl, Jocelyn, to Caleb and Joan Jisun Lee February 24, 2011 FACULTY A boy, Nolan Carter, to Kyle and Jenna Flynn November 1, 2010 A girl, Maribel Therese, to Kale and Dimi Zelden May 14, 2011

1997 Alexandra Krol to Patrick Riordan October 16, 2010 Christopher Runey to Kate Petersen April 30, 2011 Woulguine Stervil to Jerome Olorunmaiye December 18, 2010 1998 Patricia ten Bosch to Ross Pritchard March 19, 2011 Jorge AndrĂŠs Cedron to Maria Cristina Brandon November 2010

Madeleine Grace, daughter of Michelle Kahn and Enrico Palazio

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MILESTONES 1999 SunMin Lim to Seung Eun Kim August 2010 Jonathan L. Fitzgerald to Amber Meisner March 2010

Kate Magee to Dave Varela April 30, 2011

Lisa Hoffman to Robert Walker June 4, 2011

Beck J. Bennett to Jacqueline Daley September 18, 2010

2003 Joan Jisun Lee to Caleb Jaemyung Cho June 20, 2009

Christopher T. Beer to Jessica Laird February 26, 2011

2001 Sean F. Flynn to Marjorie Powers November 6, 2010

2000 Joseph L. Ciorun to May Ann Navera December 21, 2010

2002 Jonathan Pitts-Wiley to Kimberley Morrison March 20, 2010

Woulguine Stervil ‘97 and her husband Jerome Olorunmaiye on their wedding day

2004 Michael H. Yamamoto to Erin O’Reilly June 25, 2011

Leila Howland and Jonathan L. Davis

Right: Wedding guests of Kate Magee ‘00 included (l-r) Conor Collins ‘06, Nick and Polly Antol, Kate and Dave, Courtney Macken ’00 and Matthew Leary ‘90

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Sean Flynn ‘01 and Marjorie Powers on their wedding day

SunMin Lim ‘99 and Seung Eun Kim were married in August 2010

Alexandra Krol Riordan ‘97 gets carried away on her wedding day by Matt Forbes ‘97, while in the company of Leslie Heller ‘98, Ann Marie Forbes ‘96 and Lori Goodrich ‘97

Jorge Andrés Cedron ‘98 and Maria Cristina Brandon

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NECROLOGY

NECROLOGY Antonio G. “Tony” Barreto Husband of Betty Barreto July 3, 2011 Anthony N. Bonadies ‘73 January 29, 2009 Steven S. Bremner ‘68 Brother of John P. ‘66 June 4, 2011 George F. “Buzzy” Butler Basketball, baseball and football coach from 1954-1961 February 8, 2011 Michael A. Cantalupo ‘68 August 22, 2010 Robert W. Ensign ‘48 Grandfather of Robert W. H. Ensign ‘08 September 10, 2010 Bernard F. Flynn ’52 October 10, 2010 William F. Fuller ’48 April 26, 2011 Elyane Hale Great aunt of Seth Van Beever ‘94 January 7, 2011 Richard K. Hawes, Jr. Grandfather of Heather (Hawes) Dwyer ’96 and Jillian Hawes ’99 January 29, 2011 Col. Francis J. Holbrook Grandfather to Francis Holbrook ‘08 February 15, 2011 Christopher C. Irving Father of Jennifer Irving ’09 Uncle of Michael Irving ‘09 February 6, 2011

Christopher D. Kerr ’63 Brother of Colin P. ‘67, John M. ‘67 and Gilbert A. ‘71 March 21, 2010 Mark Lallande ‘73 January 26, 2010 George A. Mendonca February 2, 2011 Mary T. Mendonca February 1, 2011 Cornelius J. Minihane Father of Neil ‘85, Derek ‘87, and Keith ‘89 June 20, 2011 E. Alexander Mitchell ‘48 January 25, 2011 Paul J. Murphy ‘47 Feb.19, 2011 Liza Quinn Sister of Chris ‘70 June 2, 2011 Jennie Shorey Grandmother of Glenn ’07 and Thomas ’09 November 25, 2010

WILLIAM F. FULLER ‘48 Born in New York City, Bill matriculated at Harvard University after graduating from the Priory, and earned his BA and MBA degrees there. While there, he was a member of the Hasty Pudding Club and the Phoenix Club. He was a founding member of the Wall Street Rugby Club. Bill served in the U.S. Marine Corps and with the U.S. Army in Korea, where he received the Commendation Ribbon. He married Barbara Jane MacNeil and settled in Darien, CT. They later moved to Marion, MA. In his business career, Bill specialized in municipal bonds, first for White Weld & Co. and later for Paine-Webber. He retired as executive vice president with Rotan Mosle and Co. Bill excelled in chess and in music, was an accomplished sailor, and restored and conserved antique books. In retirement, Bill wrote and published Reckless Courage, a history of a Norwegian family during the German occupation. In 2009, Bill was named an Honorary Son of Norway. In addition to his wife, Bill is survived by five daughters, a sister, a half-brother, and nine grandchildren.

Theresa I. Sparks Grandmother of Alexandra ’04 and Graham ‘06 March 27, 2011 Duk Sung Son Grandfather of Lahna Son Cundy ‘05 March 29, 2011 Edda M. Tuite Grandmother of Robbie Tuite ’14 February 12, 2011

Harry Jackson Father of Matthew Jackson ’84 April 25, 2011 Long-time dining services employee Betty Barreto lost her husband of 60 years, Tony, on July 3, 2011

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IN MEMORIAM Jackson with his sculpture of John Wayne. 1964

BERNARD F. FLYNN ‘52 Bernard F. Flynn, Jr., Class of 1952, died on October 10, 2010, in Sacramento, CA, of heart failure.

HARRY JACKSON, P’84 Harry Jackson, father of Matthew ’84, died at the V.A. Hospital in Sheridan, WY, on April 25, 2011. He was 87. Jackson was a prominent realist artist who was known for his paintings and bronze sculptures that often captured western scenes of cowboys and Indians. The largest collection of Jackson’s work can be seen at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, WY, but his pieces are also featured at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Denver Art Museum and many others. Queen Elizabeth II, the Vatican, the Italian Federal government and the Saudi Arabian royal family all have his work in their private collections. Jackson donated the bronze sculpture of his son on a horse that is in Portsmouth Abbey’s collection. Born in Chicago in 1924, Jackson ran away from home at the age of 14 to explore the West and work as a ranch hand and cowboy. Soon after he turned 18, Jackson enlisted in the Marine Corps as a sketch artist for the Fifth Amphibious Corps. Jackson was awarded the Purple Heart after the battle at Saipan. Jackson would become the youngest official Marine Corps combat artist, and his drawings and paintings of his combat experiences can be seen in the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, VA. Influenced by the work of Jackson Pollock, Jackson moved to New York and began working in Abstract Expressionism. A trip to Italy in the 1950s brought him back to the realism, and Jackson returned to the westerns that had first captured his attention. In 1958, Jackson was commissioned to create two muralsized paintings that resulted in “The Stampede” and “The Range Burial,” which he later recreated in bronze and as lithographs. In addition to his son Matthew ’84 of Cody, WY, Jackson is survived by sons Jesse of Miami, FL, and Luke of Brooklyn,NY, daughters Molly Keating of Brownsville, VT, and Chloë Lear Jackson of Los Angeles, and four grandchildren.

Barney, as he was known by friends and family, was the third of fourteen children born to Bernard Flynn, Sr., and Miriam Flynn of Los Angeles. After graduating from Portsmouth, he attended Harvard University, where he was a Spee Club member and champion rower. He later earned a M.A. in English from California State University, Chico, and completed all but his doctoral dissertation at the University of California, San Diego. Barney lived in Chico for over 30 years and was much involved in managing the family ranch properties known as Shasta View Farms. In his youth, Barney and his siblings spent several summers living at the Stanford Ranch in Vina, CA, until it was sold to a Cistercian order of Catholic monks in 1956. It is now known as the Abbey of New Clairvaux. Barney worked as a banker in New York before returning home in 1986, following the deaths of his brother and father, to manage Shasta View Farms. In 1998, he formed River Partners, a non-profit corporation dedicated to conservation and habitat restoration. Utilizing Barney’s innovative restoration practices, including software programs he developed, River Partners has conducted numerous state and federal reforestation projects. In 2006, his contribution to river conservation led to his nomination as a finalist for the Purpose Prize, a national competition that recognized his distinguished contributions as an elder “social entrepreneur” whose work advanced not personal wealth, but the social good. After Barney’s retirement, he remained on the Board of Directors. For the last decade Barney had lived in Sacramento with his partner, Nancy Plesha, spending most of his time doing what he liked best, sailing in San Francisco Bay and in Benicia, CA, aboard his boat, Triton. Early in life he developed a love of sailing, and the special joy he felt being on the water continued throughout his life. Barney was married from 1962 to 1971 to Ramona Rodriguez, and from 1972 to 1999 to Michele Shover. Survivors include his partner, Nancy; his children, Elena and Bernard, III; two grandchildren; and eight of his siblings.

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IN MEMORIAM

GEORGE AND MARY MENDONCA George and Mary Mendonca, longtime Green Animals caretakers, and friends and part-time staff of Portsmouth Abbey, passed away just one day apart last February. Mary was 93 and George was 101. “It really wasn’t as big a surprise as you might think,” said Jim Donahue of the Preservation Society of Newport County on the timing of their deaths. “We always said their names as one… GeorgeandMary. It’s hard to imagine one without the other. It’s good in a way that one didn’t have to live without the other.” Mary lived on the grounds near Green Animals for nearly her entire life after her father, Jose Carreiro, started the topiary. Carreiro was hired in 1905 by the Brayton family of Fall River to cultivate a garden that would give them fresh vegetables and cut flowers on their summer property in Portsmouth. Carreiro’s father and grandfather had been estate gardeners in the Azores, so he was soon creating fanciful arches, spirals, animals and globes when he was given complete discretion over the garden. Today, Green Animals Topiary Garden is a seven-acre estate overlooking Narragansett Bay. It has a collection that contains 80 sculptured trees and includes teddy bears, a camel, an ostrich, a giraffe, an elephant, two bears and many other fanciful forms that have all been painstakingly shaped from California privet, yew and English boxwood. In addition, more than 35 formal flowerbeds, geometric pathways, a rose arbor, fruit trees and vegetable and herb gardens are included in the estate. Mary began her early association with Portsmouth Abbey as a young girl living in the caretaker’s cottage on the Brayton estate. According to Dom Damian Kearney, she knew Father Leonard very well after he settled in Manor House in 1919. She later named two of her sons after Father Leonard and Father Paul, who was at Portsmouth in the 1940s and ‘50s. D. Damian himself brought Mary to work at the School in the 1950s. “I hired Mary when we desperately needed a relief operator,” he said. “Father Peter (Sidler) was away on vacation, and I had taken over for him.” She remained with Portsmouth for many years, and she also did many of the sewing repairs for the sacristy and some of the monks.

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George, a Newport native, was born in 1909 and was a natural fit for the topiary. His family’s company, Mendonca Nurseries, was originally hired by Carriero to help clean up the brush after a hurricane in 1938. By November of the following year, Mary had married George, who put his horticultural knowledge to use and eventually took over as the superintendent of Green Animals. George continued to work in the topiary after it came to the Preservation Society of Newport County in 1972, and was still a fixture there after his 1985 retirement. During his tenure, George added many new pieces to the garden, watching it grow from a small topiary into an attraction that draws thousands of tourists each year. Mary was always present on the grounds, gathering flowers and tending to her award-winning gardens. She was also an accomplished seamstress. She remembered her father designing the original gardens on butcher paper at their home, and she would interpret his designs in her needlework. In 1997, George was profiled in Errol Morris’ Oscar-winning documentary “Fast, Cheap and Out of Control,”which was intended to delve into the lives of those with unusual professions. It helped spread the story behind George’s craft beyond Aquidneck Island. “It didn’t change George a bit,” John Tschirch, the Preservation Society’s director of museum affairs, told the Ocean State Independent. “They lived their lives on the grounds, in the caretakers’ cottage, while the world kind of developed around them.” Many of the Portsmouth Abbey monks regularly visited the Mendoncas and were always warmly welcomed into their home. Mary also lent her sewing needle to the performing arts department and made floral arrangements for the church, while George was always available for gardening advice. “They were ideal neighbors, interested and concerned about what was going on at the school and monastery, and always welcoming anyone connected with Portsmouth to their house and the Brayton garden,” said D. Damian. The Mendoncas are survived by their sons, Gregory W. Mendonca of North Andover, Mass., G. Leonard Mendonca of Portsmouth, and Paul E. Mendonca of Wenham, Mass.; her brother Adolph B. Carreiro of Lovell, Me.; his sister Virginia Mendonca of Portsmouth; their six grandchildren; and three great grandchildren.

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IN MEMORIAM

Left to right, Thomas G. Fitzgerald ‘71, Gerald F. Fitzgerald, Jr., Julie Fitzgerald Schauer, Peter G. Fitzgerald ‘78, Marjorie Gosselin Fitzgerald, Gerald F. Fitzgerald, and James G. Fitzgerald ‘70) in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, Fall 2004.

Even as Fitzgerald’s success and fortune grew, he stuck to his conservative financial principles. In the 16 years since his retirement, the banking industry that he once loved so dearly became increasingly foreign to him. “He was an old-school banker, and he didn’t think it was safe for a bank to lend more than half of its assets,” Peter Fitzgerald told the Chicago Tribune. “He thought the banking industry had absolutely become more reckless, and it was unrecognizable to him. The lessons we learned from him helped us survive the recession.” Fitzgerald’s four sons all followed their father into the banking industry.

GERALD FRANCIS FITZGERALD, P’70, ‘71, ‘78 Gerald Francis Fitzgerald, a prominent Illinois banker and father of three Portsmouth Abbey graduates, passed away on October 30, 2010. He was 85. A longtime supporter of Portsmouth Abbey, Fitzgerald was one of the first members of the Board of Consultants in the 1970s. Three of his five children are Portsmouth Abbey alumni. “Dad loved Portsmouth and wanted his boys to attend not only because it was a Catholic school, but also because it was strict and emphasized a classical education,” said his youngest son and former U.S. Senator, Peter Fitzgerald ‘78. “Dad felt Portsmouth would instill discipline in his boys – and he was probably right.” The elder Fitzgerald graduated from Fenwick High School in Oak Park, IL, before serving as a sergeant in the U.S. Army in Europe during World War II. His official title was “combat engineer,” but his actual job was to personally sweep for mines with a metal detector as the Allied troops pursued the retreating German army. Upon returning home, Fitzgerald completed his education at Northwestern University. In 1961, he founded the Suburban Bank Group of Palatine, IL, which eventually grew to a network of 13 banks with 31 locations that was worth more than $1.3 billion at its peak. Fitzgerald was known for being a conservative lender but a very progressive banker. He became an expert in automation and efficiency, and was among the first in his state to install ATMs at his banks in the mid-1960s. Fitzgerald established the first multi-bank holding company in Illinois in 1980 as soon as the state passed a law permitting it. He also pioneered interest-bearing checking accounts.

Beginning in the early 1970s, Fitzgerald began visiting Africa every other year and became an advocate for and supporter of its people and wildlife. He contributed to medical buildings for the treatment of AIDS and tuberculosis at Albert Schweitzer’s missionary hospitals in Gabon and enjoyed going on safaris and hunting and fishing trips. On one trip in 1973, he spent more than three months circumnavigating the entire continent in a small plane with his good friend, former Air Force Gen. John “Jock” Henebry. Fitzgerald wrote a travel memoir about the experience upon his return, recounting his days as the expedition’s navigator. In 1976, Fitzgerald served as a NATO consultant and was a member of the Illinois Racing Board from 1968 until 1971. He collected books, maps, paintings and race horses, and was a gifted storyteller. “Dad was the single most well-read person I’ve ever known,” Peter said. “For most of his life, he read almost a book a day. He was knowledgeable about history, exploration, science, art, finance, politics, whatever… you name it. When we were kids growing up, if we needed to know some fact or information, we just went to dad and asked him. He was like having a living Google machine before the Internet was invented. As we grew older, few things were more enjoyable than just spending time chatting with dad.” Fitzgerald is survived by his wife of 61 years, Marjorie, whom he met at Northwestern and married in 1949; his sons Gerald, Jr., and his wife, Denise, James ‘70, and his wife, Jane, Thomas ‘71, and his wife, Joyce, and Peter ‘78, and his wife, Nina; his daughter, Julie Ann Fitzgerald; and nine grandchildren. The Portsmouth Abbey community extends its sincere sympathies to the entire Fitzgerald family.

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CLASS NOTES

45 I On May 19 James C. Meade was honored by Downtown Oklahoma City with the 2011 Stanley Draper Award. This significant honor is awarded annually to the individual who has made an outstanding contribution toward the revitalization of Downtown Oklahoma City. Meade was an important factor in the revitalization of the Oklahoma City Museum of Art and its move into the Arts District in Downtown OKC. He is a past president of the Board of Trustees of the Oklahoma City Museum of Art and is currently a lifetime trustee, having served on the Board of Trustees for 25 years. Jim is currently chairman of Meade Energy Corporation and Meade Oil & Gas LLC.

Peter Smith ‘60 unearthed this photo of the Priory boys with Dom Bede in the Barn in 1957. It made its way back to Portsmouth Abbey via Jim Robinson ‘60 and Jamie MacGuire ‘70 who met up at the Washington, D.C., reception. The jammied boys are: Bottom row: (l-r) Pauly, Urrutia, Robinson, and Tennant is barely seen in the bottom corner; Row 2: Doyle, Chappalett, Marion, and Coutes; Row 3: Burden, Kennedy, McDermott, Walker, Fr. Bede, Cogley; Top row: Cavanagh, Bergin, Ferrer, MacGuire, Richardson. Absent are Wray, Neblett, and prefects Reilly and Gillis.

50 I Michael C. J. Putnam translated and published the first complete English translations of Jacopo Sannazaro’s Latin poetry. Sannazaro is considered by some authorities as the finest Neo-Latin poet of the Italian Renaissance; he is most famous for having written in Italian, the first pastoral romance in European literature, the Arcadia, in 1504. The collection, Jacopo Sannazaro: Latin Poetry, was published by the Harvard University Press in 2009. Michael is the W. Duncan MacMillan II Professor Emeritus of Classics in the Departments of Classics and Comparative Literature at Brown University.

moon” trip to Europe that will keep him from the 50th Reunion... “maybe the 75th?”

62 I Tom Hewitt is transitioning to the singular position of Interstate Hotels & Resorts chairman. Tom has held the additional role of chief executive officer since 2005. Interstate Hotels & Resorts is the United States’ largest independent hotel management company. The company and its affiliates manage and/or have ownership interests in 334 hotels with more than 61,200 rooms in 39 states, the District of Columbia, Canada, Mexico, England, Ireland, Belgium, Russia, India and China. As a leading hotel real estate investor, Interstate has ownership interests in 56 of its managed hotels and resorts, including six wholly owned assets... Chris Ogden sends regards. “Still moving around,” reports Chris.

63 I Red Cummings has just authored and published a new historical novel entitled,The Last Fling, Stories from Hurricane Carol 1954. It is available through his web site www. thelastfling.net.... John Lamenzo shares: “We continue to evolve... not ever really knowing what might come next. The photo is from a few

55 I Frank Lane became a grandfather for the tenth time last December. The current count is 9 girls, 1 boy! The latest was another girl!

57 I Jo R. Carroll, Jr. attended his 50th college reunion party in February then spent a month in New Zealand before embarking on a kayak trip.

61 I

50 TH REUNION v SEPT 23-25

Bill Ewing writes to say that he is taking a long-planned 2-month “anniversary/honey-

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Bill Ewing ‘61 and his wife, Lynn Lockwood, are taking a long-planned two-month “anniversary/honeymoon” trip to Europe

P ORTSM O U T H A BB E Y S C HO OL

John Lamenzo ‘63 with his three daughters

years ago. My three daughters are doing amazingly well. My oldest, Julia, received her Ph.D. in cellular and molecular biology from Brown, went on to spend 10 years at Harvard Medical School, and is currently at Tufts Medical School. Her daughter, Delilah Mae Fox, is my first grandchild. My middle one, Narangkar, just received her M.F.A. from UC Berkeley School of Art and has an awesome website: www.narangkar.com. My youngest, Siriji, is a personal fitness trainer in Oakland, CA. As for me, it seems I’ve done it all...but I’m still broke! Some of you might be interested to know about my four - year apprenticeship in Amazonian Shamanism, probably the most intense experience of the mystical/physical death paradigm known to the human species. And now ... it’s all about ‘chopping wood, carrying water,’ a Zen koan that says it all. Peace.”...Curtiss Roach and Leslie are still in CT, but have recently bought a house in Delray Beach and are becoming FL residents. Their three daughters, Schuyler, Jamie and Paget, have all moved to the Darien area and have brought along husbands and 6 grandchildren so they will retain a place in CT to see them. Morgan, their son, graduated from Vanderbilt last June and is presently working at Morgan Stanley and living in NY. They continue to go to Africa most years and have become quite involved in animal conservation over there. He reports that life couldn’t be better!... John Cadley writes, “I was introduced to the guitar at Portsmouth by Regan Kerney ‘64. We formed a Kingston Trio-style group

called the Rum Runners with Jeremy Kinney and Phil Childs and played before the Saturday movie every week to thunderous applause from our friends. I never stopped playing or being in groups, even when my Housemaster would confiscate my guitar so I would be forced to study. All I did was play the thing. Still going. Have recorded two CDs with my bluegrass group John Cadley and the Lost Boys (www.lostboysbluegrass. com), and one John Cadley solo CD in Nashville. Still performing and touring regularly with the Lost Boys and with my girlfriend Cathy Wenthen (www.cadleyandwenthen. com). We’re recording a CD right now. Have a regular gig in a casino, of all places, in addition to the coffee house circuit. Thanks to Portsmouth and Regan Kerney for giving me

my life’s work. (In the pic, I’m the one with the guitar) And tell Father Damian I still read great literature thanks to him. All us St. Benet’s guys loved him and still do, even if he didn’t always love us.”

64 I For 17 out of the past 20 years, Peter Morse and his wife (and children when they were in elementary school) have been living overseas in Colombia, Nigeria, Indonesia, and Kazakhstan where he has worked for Chevron as a geophysicist. They currently reside in Nigeria and expect to repatriate to Houston, TX, in about a year. They have a home in Houston and would welcome anyone to come by for a visit once they’re back.

John Cadley ‘63 (center) with his bluegrass group John Cadley and the Lost Boys

Curtiss ‘63 and Leslie Roach with their family in Africa. “Life couldn’t be better,” reports Curtiss.

SUMMER BULLETIN 2011

Peter Morse ‘64 and his family currently reside in Nigeria.

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Members of the Class of 1980 with one of their favorites: history teacher Cliff Hobbins (seated)

68 I Paul G. Florian of Florian Architects was showcased in Perspectives on Design Chicago with two recent residential projects. The houses illustrate the firm’s stylistic diversity and philosophy that architecture is a communicative art that must reflect the client’s way of living, character, and interests. They were also highlighted in the January/February 2011 issue of Quintessentially New Trier, a new Illinois magazine, for a house on Lake Michigan they built as a “dream home” for a couple from Winnetka, IL.

69 I John M. Brady is back from Los Angeles, CA, after serving as COO for Life Alert. He is now living in South Carolina.

70 I Sky Schrode and Jamie MacGuire met for lunch in Pompano Beach, FL, in April and enjoyed catching up on Abbey news. Jamie was gearing up for the 2011 Portsmouth Institute entitled, “The Catholic Shakespeare?” of which he was the director. Read more about the June event on page 22.

71 I

40 TH REUNION v SEPT 23-25

Thomas Lonergan’s daughter, Teresa ‘11, graduated from Portsmouth Abbey in May and was awarded the Kearney Prize. Tom’s younger daughter, Elisa ‘14, continues

Old classmates Sky Schrode ‘70 (left) and Jamie MacGuire ‘70 in Pompano Beach in April

Residence designed by Florian Architects, Paul G. Florian ‘68

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Elisa ‘14 (left) and new grad Teresa ‘11, daughters of Tom Lonergan ‘71 in New York

David Bardorf ‘84, commander of Headquarters and Support Battalion, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune

her education at Portsmouth as a Fourth Former. He recently retired after 26 years at CIGNA. In addition to performing all those long-neglected home repair projects, Tom is looking for a second career in the Hartford area. Join Tom at his 40th reunion in September.

83 I William McCann writes, “I’ve written an award-winning screenplay based on the true story of Ireland’s greatest hero, Daniel O’Connell. The Liberator traces O’Connell’s journey from the dirt floors of a Kerry peasant cottage to the marble steps of Westminster where he became the first Catholic Member of Parliament in 300 years. Please visit www.TheLiberatorMovie.com for more information and to view a stirring trailer.”

73 I Peter MacGuire has recently joined Wilkinson O’Grady as head of business development. His primary responsibility is to help the firm manage growth... Gust Stringos raced in the Bermuda 1-2, sailing single-handed from Newport June 5, returning double-handed from Bermuda on June 16. When he is not sailing, he gardens, keeps bees, and practices medicine in Skowhegan, Maine, where he has lived for the past 35 years!

75 I Dom Luke Travers celebrated his 25th Anniversary of Ordination to the Priesthood on May 22, 2011. Tom ’60 and Meg Healey, John ’82 and Megan Hagerty, and Jamie MacGuire ’70 were there to celebrate with him.

76 I

35 TH REUNION v SEPT 23-25

The Class of ‘76 was represented by Tim Garvey, Tim McKenna and Mike McTeigue at the annual scholarship golf outing. Mike reports, “We had a blast and got to know nearly every nook and cranny of that beautiful course! School looks great. It is easy to be proud of the School when you see that we are trying to be good stewards of the planet by harnessing the wind energy. We look forward to being back at the School for this falls’ reunion.”

77 I Jonathan Hunter-Kilmer welcomed his second grandchild, Cecilia, into the world this winter. He is a proud grandfather....Timothy Seeley has joined the Portsmouth Abbey School faculty as the director of summer programs. He left his position as headmaster at North Cross School in Roanoke, VA, to return to Portsmouth Abbey.

84 I

78 I Mark Malkovich IV is leading the 2011 Newport Music Festival as general manager. This is the Festival’s first season in 35 years without Mark’s father, Dr. Mark P. Malkovich, III, at the helm as artistic director. The Festival encompasses 57 concerts held at the Newport Mansions and other locations on Aquidneck Island. Portsmouth Abbey is honored to be the site of a Festival concert that will benefit the Mark P. Malkovich, III Memorial Fund.

80 I Uncommon Productions has released its latest film, “The Last Mountain,” directed and co-written by Bill Haney. Of the film Uncommon Productions writes, “Focusing on the devastating effects of mountaintop coal removal in West Virginia’s Coal River Valley, filmmaker Bill Haney illustrates the way residents and activists are standing up to the industry and major employer that is so deeply embedded in the region. With strong support from Bobby Kennedy Jr. and grassroots organizations, awareness is rising in the battle over Appalachian mountaintop mining. Forces are aligning to prevent coal removal on Coal River Mountain and preserve the region’s precious natural resources.” The film premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.

SUMMER BULLETIN 2011

Lt. Col. David Bardorf took command of Headquarters and Support Battalion, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, and after 20 years of service is still having a ball. He recently had the great honor of being the keynote speaker at the City of Rocky Mount (North Carolina) Memorial Day Remembrance where he was fortunate to spend the day with some real heroes and their families.

85 I Warner Bros. has moved Jon Kuyper to Sydney, Australia, for a couple of years to supervise some big films.

86 I

25 TH REUNION v SEPT 23-25

Chris Fix opened Velocity Cycling Studio in West Palm Beach, FL, in December, 2009. www.vcyclingstudio.com

88 I Chris Abbate, previously the head of the U.S.- leveraged finance group at UBS, is headed to Citigroup. Keith Cardoza has produced an independent film called “IN MEMORIAM.” It opened in Chicago, IL, on Friday, June 23. Roger Ebert has given it a “thumbs up” and a three - star review. For more information check out: http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/ apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110622/REVIEWS/110629992.

89 I Christopher Meyer is currently living in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood with

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Charlie Day ‘94 headlines with Jennifer Aniston in the newly-released film, “Horrible Bosses”

his wife, Anne, and sons, Charlie (6) and Will (4). He’s been working at E*TRADE Financial in the trading and market making group for the last 11 years where he is still in contact with various members of the Class of 1989 including Mark Colbert, Brad Zinser, Jim Koelzer and Tony Delvicario.

91 I

20 TH REUNION v SEPT 23-25

Inigo Elizalde checks in with news of his current work, “I have a rug and textile design business that’s been going for about three years now and is doing really well. I

Fr. Chris Clay ‘92 with his father, Catesby.

design everything and it all comes from my photography and drawing and painting. We started right when the market crashed, but are still around and busily stealing plum projects from larger companies and hope to be doing hotels pretty soon. It’s been a lot of work, but things are finally picking up and it’s all been a big, huge labor of love for me, so it’s all good. Check out our website: www.inigoelizalderugs. com.”

92 I Fr. Chris Clay wrote: “We had a close call here in Anderson County. We were about to start our Good Friday Service when the town sirens went off. There were funnel clouds seen in the sky above Lawrenceburg, but thankfully none of them touched down. The parishioners went to the parish basement and were down there praying the rosary, the litany of the Sacred Heart, then a consecration to the Sacred Heart. It certainly won’t be a Good Friday they will ever forget.”

94 I

Colin O’Higgins ‘97 at the christening of Hugo Stancioff, son of Sabine and Simmy Stancioff ‘97 (right).

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Leila Howland has landed a two-book deal with Disney-Hyperion. The first book, Nantucket Blue, is scheduled to be published in the summer of 2012. She was also married on June 25 in Providence where Abbey alum Kate Snow was in attendance. She lives in Los Angeles with her new husband, screenwriter Jonathan L. Davis... Charlie Day is starring in “Horrible Bosses” with Kevin

P ORTSM O U T H A BB E Y S C HO OL

Spacey and Jennifer Aniston, out this summer. In a role that is widely different but strangely similar to his role on “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia,” Charlie plays a dental assistant who tries to escape his boss’ many sexual advances, played by Jennifer Aniston. Charlie portrays Dale in his first lead role in a movie and is much more subdued than his bar-owning, self-absorbed character on “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia,” but both are deeply in love with their significant others. Charlie says that he is drawn to play characters in love because viewers can relate. “Horrible Bosses” opened on July 8th to good reviews and lots of laughs.

95 I Matt DeVecchi has been appointed assistant dean for development at the USC Marshall School of Business... Greg Oliphant writes that his favorite memories are of his friends and classmates at Portsmouth Abbey.

96 I

15 TH REUNION v SEPT 23-25

Angus Davis’ company, Swipely, which he founded in 2009, went through a significant overhaul this winter by helping create and facilitate loyalty programs for companies. The company works to turn everyday purchases into rewards for consumers, while helping businesses attract new customers and bring their best customers back.

97 I Colin O’Higgins attended the christening of Hugo Stancioff, son of Sabine and Simmy Stancioff, in Aix-en-Provence.... Janessa LeComte graduated from Salve Regina with a master of arts degree... Alexandra Krol Riordan reports, “I was married to Patrick Riordan on October 16, 2010, by Dom Edmund at St. Joseph’s Church in Newport. The reception was a

Jennifer Stankiewicz ‘98 is working as an educator at the Children’s Museum in Troy, NY.

blast! Abbey alums in attendance included Leslie Heller ‘98, Ann Marie Forbes ‘96, Matt Forbes and Lori Goodrich. It was such a great time, I was swept off my feet!”

98 I Since graduation from college, Chris Shonting has taken what Mr. Garman gave him and is running with it. He has been a photographer in NYC until his recent move to Los Angeles where his agent is located. Samples of his current customers are Puma, Nike and Saks Fifth Avenue Online... Jennifer Stankiewicz checked in to say, “I have settled into upstate NY, and am working as an educator at the Children’s Museum in Troy, NY. I give live animal shows with giant snakes and poop-prone turtles, and hope to be teaching full-time in the fall.”... Jorge Andres Cedron reports, “I got married in November of 2010 to my beautiful wife, Maria Cristina Brandon. We had a wonderful wedding in Lima, Peru. I was very happy that Roberto Kriete went to Lima to celebrate the occasion with us. I am still living in Miami and currently regional legal counsel at Stryker Corporation, in charge of its Latin America division.”

99 I Tiffany Costa Bolduc and her husband recently added Matthew Bolduc, Jr., to their family. They now have Kennedy (11/2) and Matthew (5 months). Tiffany is still teaching at the local high school and has completed her second master’s degree. This degree will allow her to obtain her principal licensure. They are looking forward to time off in the summer.

York City, where I will be taking the bar over the summer. I will be starting work as an associate at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP in the fall. I’m looking forward to getting back in touch with Abbey friends in the New York area!”... Daniel C. Murray is currently a full-time student at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, NY, and will graduate in 2013.... Eliza Pfeffer will be starting her second masters’ in the fall in Special Education. She is still working at Holabird Academy where she is in her sixth year of teaching. She moved to the fifth grade this school year after five years’ teaching first grade....Bryan Twomey was named salesperson of the year at Consumers Interstate Corporation by The Norwich Bulletin... Paul Yoon and his wife, Jenny, welcomed Noah Seong-Jun Yoon to their family and are both reveling in parenthood and could not be happier. He is currently finishing up his second masters’ in education at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education as a member of the School Leadership Program. After graduation, he hopes to be an administrator in a secondary school.

02 I Samantha Glover is working in Winston Salem, NC, as an audiologist at the medical center.... Jonathan Pitts-Wiley was named new artistic director at Mixed

Evan Piekara completed his commitment with Teach For America in the South Bronx in 2009 and stayed for two more years to work with the students. He recently self-published a book called The Lion’s Den: Heartbreak, Hustle, and Hard Work in Inner New York City Schools. You can check it out on Amazon. He will be moving to D.C. this summer to start his MBA at Georgetown in the fall.

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Chris Fleming ‘04 in Saudi Arabia for Booz & Co.

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Mariana “Maya” Bacardi is currently studying nursing at the University of Toronto and enjoying it. 10 TH REUNION v SEPT 23-25

Chris Hornig wrote to tell us: “I graduated from the University of Texas School of Law, in Austin, TX, in late May. My wife, Veronica, and I have now moved to New

03 I

Christopher Fleming was recently promoted to associate at Booz & Co., the global management consulting firm of which he has been a part since his previous employer, Katzenbach Partners, merged in summer 2009. He is part of Booz’s Organization, Change & Leadership group and focuses on the role of organizational culture in enabling strategy. In addition to regular client work across the country, he recently traveled to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates with senior partner Jon Katzenbach to meet with a handful of clients on this topic. It was a fascinating trip to say the least! At Booz he is the president of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) employee group, called Spectrum. Enhancing the experience of the LGBT staff and leveraging

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Magic Theatre in Pawtucket, RI, www. mixedmagicri.com.

Joseph Weaver ‘04 graduated summa cum laude with the second- highest grade point average in his class from Virginia Union University in May.

as director of operations for Capital Good Fund, a domestic microfinance fund based in Providence, RI.... Julia McGlynn is currently studying interior design at RISD... Joseph Weaver graduated summa cum laude with the second- highest grade point average in his class from Virginia Union University on May 14, 2011. He graduated with a bachelor of arts in religious studies.

Stephen Hess ‘05 completed his second year in the Masters of Divinity program at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis

05 I

their unique perspective as a value-driver for Booz has been an important part of his career... Whitney Connell wrote: “After an unforgettable five-year reunion, members of the class of 2004 traveled around El Salvador for our six-year reunion. Highlights included boating through mangroves, exploring Mayan ruins, sightseeing, water sports in volcanic crater lake, partaking in the city nightlife and catching up with good friends. Hoping to get a seven-year off the ground as well for anyone that is interested! Top three destinations include New Orleans, Bali and Croatia. Start saving that vacation time and airfare now!”...Kate Lyons graduated from Providence College with a M.B.A. this May and will be starting her new job

Stephen Hess and his fiancé, Britteny, will be getting married in St. Louis this summer. They started dating in college at the University of Richmond. Stephen has just completed the second of four years in the Masters of Divinity program at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis. In addition to full-time graduate studies, He is one of the managers of a local cafe, Nadoz....David Dufresne graduated from Brown with a B.A. and just completed a post-graduate program in computer science at Brown as well. He now works in Providence...Elena Fedyszyn works in Baltimore with Teach For America and although her two-year commitment is up, she is going to stay for a third year. She spends a lot of her time taking kids ice skating and rewarding them for good tests scores to motivate them!... Thomas Gleason is currently living in New York City and working at the U.K. Mission to the United Nations as a corporate services representative. He carries out financial and logistical duties for diplomats and the mission as

a whole... Alex Hogan graduated from the University of Richmond in 2009 where she majored in international studies and Spanish. She is now living in Washington, D.C., with college friends. After working for Congressman Kennedy, she is currently a legislative correspondent for Senator Reed. She works primarily on energy, environmental and transportation policy issues. She loves running into Portsmouth Abbey friends in D.C... Jack Keating is currently living in Manhattan and working for the law firm Davis, Polk and Wardwell, LLP as a corporate legal assistant where he provides support on capital markets transactions. He plans to attend law school in the fall of 2012... Lahna Son-Cundy opened a women’s shoe store with her parents in Newport, RI. She is also the general manager and buyer for their clothing store, Tropical Gangsters. Her job allows her to live in both Newport and New York... Pat Tobin is currently working as a mortgage consultant for MetLife Bank in Boston. He has been with MetLife for 2-1/2 years after finishing up at Stonehill College. He specializes in first-time buyers, condominium financing and jumbo financing. His biggest success story is becoming the youngest mortgage consultant in the company and being in the top 25% of all the producers in his region... Rachel Wigton ran in the Boston Marathon this year, finishing in 3:32:49.

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Whitney Connell ‘04 traveled to El Salvador with Abbey friends last year. Above: Whitney and classmates (l-r) Lesly Wood, Jeff Willis, Marco Salaverria, Eamon McGlynn, Julia McGlynn, Whitney Connell, Kate Lyons.

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P ORTSM O U T H A BB E Y S C HO OL

5 TH REUNION v SEPT 23-25

Sophie O’Reilly graduated from Saint Anselm College in Manchester, NH, where she was a liberal studies major... Audrey Nebergall graduated from Hamilton College in 2010 with a degree in Greek and Latin. While she was there, she helped the Conti-

Pat Tobin ‘05 is currently working as a mortgage consultant for MetLife Bank in Boston.

nentals to the 2008 NCAA National Championship in lacrosse. More recently, Audrey traveled in June to the Netherlands to speak at an international orthopaedic conference. She was awarded with one of the top three presentations at the conference and will be traveling to Prague at the end of the summer for another conference. She recently published her first paper on the same topic as her talk. She is working at the Massachusetts General Hospital in the Harris Orthopaedic Laboratory as a biomedical engineering technician... Vivian Auer works for Pratt & Whitney, an aerospace engine manufacturing company, as a technical engineer. She works specifically on F-22 Raptor engines. Her work sends her across the country, most recently to Tennessee... Kyle Biddick has had an incredibly busy first year out of college working at the accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers... Jesahel Cantarell was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army on March 24, 2011, and graduated OCS as a distinguished military graduate. He is currently attached to the 233rd

Quartermaster Company in Wilkes-Barre, PA, where he specifically works with the logistics of water and petroleum. Some of his major influences for joining the military stem from his time spent at the Abbey, specifically Dr. and Mrs. Zilian. He could plainly see the positive effect that the military had on their lives, and hopes it will do the same for him... Allison Chaplin is in graduate school for speech therapy at Longwood University in Farmville, VA... Christian Nebergall graduated with a B.A. in economics from Union College... Tom Harty moved to Boston this year and has started a belt company called Windward with Stephen McClintic, who is living in New Mexico. Check it out at: www. wearwindward.com... Charles Holmstrom graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 2010 and has been stationed in San Diego since then. He will be there into 2012... Tom Lessard moved to Boston after graduating from Holy Cross in 2010 and has just finished his first year of law school at Suffolk University... Chris Nelson moved out to California last summer after graduating from Villanova University to work for Teach For America in the Bay Area. He is teaching high school chemistry in East Oakland and loving it! He is really excited for the Abbey reunion and he hopes he can get the time off from work to make it back!.. Newport This Week reported in its June 23 issue that Ben Quatromoni is part of the Oakcliff All - American Offshore team (AAOT), the youngest American team ever to compete in the Transatlantic Race. Last held in 2007, the Transatlantic Race is a 2,975-nautical mile sailing race across the Atlantic, starting in Newport, and ending at Lizard Point, South Cornwall, England.... Lindsay Wilson grad-

Jesahel Cantarell ‘06 was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S, Army

uated from Gettysburg College last May and moved to New York City in February, where she is working at Trevor Day School, an independent N -12 grade school, in the development office.

07 I Geoffrey Larson transferred to the Culinary Institute of America in New York City and is now interning at Le Bernardin in New York... Priscilla Benkhart graduated from Ithaca College with a major in television/radio and a concentration in video. She graduated magna cum laude, lambda pi eta, and was in the Oracles Honors Society... Salvatore Max Brown updated us with: “I actually missed my graduation because I had an internship at the Cannes Film Festival in May – missing graduation was well worth it! I’m fashioning myself a screenwriter and producer, hoping to enter the film industry. At the end of the month I’ll be traveling to Taiwan to live for a few months and study Mandarin at a university in Taipei. I’ve always been in love with the East and I hope to break into the rapidly growing Chinese and Taiwanese film/entertainment markets with the Chinese language skills I will be honing.”...

Ben Quatromoni ‘06 is part of the Oakcliff All - American Offshore team (AAOT), the youngest American team ever to compete in the Transatlantic Race. Photo by Billy Black

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Mary McDonough ‘07 graduated from Saint Anselm College as a theology major.

Gus Gleason graduated from Fordham University this spring with a bachelor of science in biology and a minor in chemistry; he received second honors and was named to the dean’s list. He was named to the Atlantic 10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll and was awarded the Athlete-Academic Achievement Award after being a varsity athlete for four years and the Dorothy Day Center Senior Service Award. Gus will start at St. James School in Hagerstown, MD, as a biology and anatomy/physiology teacher as well as the soccer and conditioning coach... Tsz Guan will be joining PwC Auditing in Hong Kong after graduating from Washington and Lee University. If you happen to be in Hong Kong, please get in touch!.. Brendan Kinnane graduated with a B.A. in economics and was named a U.S. Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Scholar All-American this spring. He was selected to participate in the 2011 USILA/Lax World North-South Game in May at Goucher College, MD, to play for the North Team. Brendan was a four-year starter and team captain at Union College; he earned Liberty League Second Team honors after leading the team with 46 points (16 goals, 30 assists). Brendan was also a member of the Liberty League All-Academic Team... Na Hyun Lee will be graduating from Emory University in December 2011 with a degree in finance and marketing... Catherine Lessard graduated from Boston University in May and will be starting at Explorica, an international travel company in Boston, where she will be helping high school students travel abroad... Brendan O’Connor graduated from Salve Regina with a bachelor of science degree and started working as a business systems analyst at GTECH Corporation in Providence this spring... Chris O’Reilly was named to the dean’s list for the fall semester at University of Rhode Island... Alex Panosian graduated with honors from West Point with a bachelor of science in international relations. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Field Artillery and gained an assignment to Bamberg, Germany, where he will join the 173rd Airborne Division... Caroline Regan graduated from Saint Lawrence University where she majored in English

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and minored in film studies. She will be living and working in Newport this summer with friends from SLU... Kaitlin Rok graduated cum laude from Boston College with a double major in elementary education and human development. Next year, Kaitlin will complete a year-long teaching internship in an inclusive classroom at a Boston public school while she pursues her masters’ in special education at Boston College as a recipient of the Bradley Fellowship. The Bradley Fellowship supports the graduate education of students who are committed to teaching children with moderate special needs in urban school settings and to fulfilling the social justice mission of the Boston College Lynch School of Education throughout their professional careers... Glenn Shorey graduated from Fordham University on May 21 with a degree in English... Cornelia Vaillancourt graduated magna cum laude from the Catholic University of America with a B.S.B.A. in international economics and finance. Cornelia received the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond award for excellence in economics and is a member of the University Honors Program. Cornelia is moving to Boston this summer to start her career in finance at State Street... Lucas Zipp is excited for the next stage of life after graduating from the University of California, Berkeley this spring. He will be starting his Ph.D. in physics this fall at Stanford University. He would be happy to entertain any visitors in the Bay Area!.. Steve Kyriakides graduated from Salve Regina with a bachelor of science degree... Laura Rich graduated from Loyola University, MD, this spring... Georgia Markell received her B.A. from Mount Holyoke College in

P ORTSM O U T H A BB E Y S C HO OL

architecture with a minor in economics. She played soccer for the college in the fall and co-captained the lacrosse team in spring. She is currently working for the firm of Paul Burke Architects in Rhode Island... Max Klietmann graduated cum laude from Bentley University this past May with a dual bachelors’ degree in management and international studies. He is currently working as an associate consultant at Carlisle & Company in Boston, a global automotive and heavy industrial strategy consulting firm... Mary McDonough graduated from Saint Anselm College as a theology major... Grey “Grady” McCune graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and international relations from Pomona College this spring. He earned Sigma Delta Pi honors, was president of the Model U.N., received the Oldenborg Travel Grant and the Hart Institute Grant for research in American history, and won the Senior Prize in Romance Languages and Literatures... Lucy Wallace graduated with B.A. in psychology from the College of Arts and Sciences at Boston College. Before graduation she helped to bring a national championship to Boston College as a member of sailing team that won the Gill/ICSA Dinghy National Champions at the Columbia River Gorge in Cascade, Oregon... Jennifer Lynne Gerlach graduated with a B.A. degree from Stonehill College. Jen was also named to the dean’s list for the spring semester... Brian Pinter graduated from the United States Naval Academy with a degree in economics and was commissioned an Ensign in the United States Navy. Brian’s service selection is submarines... Emily Kerwin was a two-time Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) All-North Region selection for the Stonehill College Skyhawks, and was selected to play in the Division II North-South Senior All-Star Game. Kerwin posted career highs on defense this spring with 42 caused turnovers, sixth among all players in Division II, and 48 ground balls. Her caused turnovers are the second-highest single-season mark in program history, and she established new single-game career bests of seven ground balls and six caused turnovers. Emily played 63 career games for the Skyhawks,

Stephanie Perez ‘08 played for the Tufts Jumbos.

collecting 105 ground balls and causing 72 turnovers... Raoul Oloa completed his third season as a guard/forward on the Skidmore College Thoroughbreds Men’s Basketball Team... Juan Maegli continues to train in preparation for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Juan is working to obtain a berth on the Guatemalan Olympic Team sailing Lasers. Juan represented his country at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

08 I Mike Behan has been working for Flying Kites Global as the Magnet Effect program director for the past three months and will be there for another three months. The Magnet Effect program is designed to serve as a connector and partner for both international and domestic organizations specializing in various fields of development: agriculture, health, micro-finance, education, infrastructure. It has been fruitful work and a humbling journey. He is living at the organization’s children’s home in rural and densely green Njabini, Kenya, located at an elevation of 9,000 ft. in the foothills of the picturesque Aberdare Mountains in Kenya’s central province. He shares this home with 27 wonderful, inspiring children, six Flying Kites staff, eight volunteers from all walks of life, nine chickens, 10 rabbits, three goats and a cow. Needless to say, there is never a dull moment. Mike is also running a project called Njabini Apparel, which has seen tremendous support from the Abbey community, thanks to his brother, Garrett ‘11, who has so generously and actively been supporting this social business and all those involved in its Website. Please like us on Facebook, and thanks for your continued support... Michelle Brereton is studying

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psychology at George Washington University. She is living in D.C. for the summer and is taking summer classes... Marco DiMattino has just finished his junior year at Babson College where he has decided to get into the wine industry. As you read this, he’ll be farming on a vineyard in Tuscany... Frank Holbrook plays baseball at Wheaton College, where he was First Team All-Conference and Second Team All-New England as a pitcher. This summer he will be playing for the Mohawk Valley Diamond Dogs in NY. He studies philosophy at Wheaton and aspires to attend law school in the future... Carl Lichtenfels is studying economics and finance at Providence College. He is interning at State Street for the summer... Madison Nunes is majoring in Spanish and minoring in Latin American studies at The Catholic University of America and was named to the dean’s list this past fall semester. She spent her spring semester studying abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and will be spending more time this summer in South America traveling and taking classes... Molly O’Neil has completed her junior year at the College of Charleston where she is studying geology and is an active member of the sailing team. Molly is currently studying in New Zealand and will return to Charleston for graduation next year... Harry Holden had a solid season playing attack on the Endicott College lacrosse team. Harry tallied fourteen goals while helping his team compile a 16-5 record, repeat as Commonwealth Coast Conference Champions and advance to the second round of the Division III Men’s Lacrosse Tournament... Maggie McCarthy has completed three seasons as a midfielder on the Catholic University Women’s Soccer Team... Andrew Post and James Libutti are still teammates as members of the Rollins College Men’s Lacrosse Team... Emily Pederson will be traveling to Mexico this summer to pursue her photography interests... Stephanie Perez earned AllConference and Second Team All - American recognition for the 2011 season at Tufts where she plays midfield. She was on the All-NESCAC First Team for the second straight spring. Along with scoring 29 goals with six assists for 35 points, she leads the league in draw controls with a total

SUMMER BULLETIN 2011

of 63 that is seven more than anyone else. She’s also fifth in the league with 27 caused turnovers and is a force for the team in the transition from defense to offense. She had eight draw controls at Wesleyan on April 2, then scooped up a season-high six ground balls at Connecticut College. Stephanie was voted MVP for Tufts and will be a cocaptain of the team next year... Sydney Rey was named to the dean’s list for the fall semester at Northeastern University. She was also elected vice president of the sailing team.

09 I Bret Kroll is currently in his second year at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Looking back, he believes his PG year at Portsmouth Abbey was one of the key reasons for his success at the Academy. After undergoing the trials and tribulations of his first year, he has achieved success academically, militarily and athletically. He looks forward to completing his studies in environmental geography and his future service to our nation in the U.S. Army... Brendan Hammatt was named to the dean’s list for the fall semester at the University of Rhode Island... Kristin Harper traveled to Italy on an archaeological dig this summer with a team of classmates and a professor... Kerry Klemmer was a member of the 2010-11 Wesleyan University Women’s

Bret Kroll ‘09 is in his second year at the United States Military Academy at West Point.

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Squash team... Olivia Simone was busy on the Northeastern University squash courts where she was a member of the women’s team... Ryan Andrews played forward with the Walpole Express of the Metropolitan Junior Hockey League during the 2010-11 season... Ben Lichtenfels is living and working at Providence College this summer after finishing his sophomore year there this spring... Riley Grant ran a half - marathon this spring!

10 I Paul Clendenen loves Clemson University and living in the warmer weather... Shayne Coleman completed his first year of college at Northeastern University, where he is an engineering major. He loves being in Boston!.. Niamh Lehane was named to the Fall 2010 dean’s list at Salve Regina...William “Davin” Cooke worked to receive his commercial pilot’s license this spring... Ethan DaPonte thoroughly enjoyed his first year at The Catholic Universi-

ty of America. He has loved getting to know Washington, D.C., and saw action in sixteen games as a defender on the Catholic University Men’s Soccer Team.... John “Quent” Dickmann finished his fall semester on the dean’s list at the College of Engineering at Villanova University... Casey Hogan had quite an eventful freshman year! She studied in Thessaloniki, Greece, for the fall semester and traveled to Munich, Prague, Budapest, Paris, Istanbul and Cairo while abroad! She is now at Northeastern University studying business administration and loving her time in Boston... Greg Larsen is excited and ready to report to the United States Military Academy on June 27 for his first year of college... Michael Rhea had a great year at Lynchburg College. He loved being able to continue to play lacrosse... Diane Vankevich is currently living in Roanoke, VA, and attending Roanoke College with a double major in psychology and art. She is also working for the Girl Scouts of Virginia Skyline at the Skyline Shop... The Robertson Scholars Program at Duke University and

the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has invited Kaitlin Gladney to join the leadership program. The Robertson Scholars Program is a comprehensive leadership initiative that grants students a full merit scholarship and the opportunity to study at both UNC and Duke. Robertson Scholars take courses at both schools and spend a semester in residence on the other campus. Currently, 134 Robertson Scholars study at the two universities. The scholarship funds tuition, room and board and fees and provides up to three summers of domestic and international experiences. Robertson Scholars come together for research projects, leadership development, servicelearning programs and seminars taught by faculty of both universities. The Robertson Scholars Program was founded in 2000 by Julian and Josie Robertson of New York... Kathleen Timmons was a member of the Trinity College women’s basketball and lacrosse teams during 2010-11...

Classes of: 1941 - 1946 - 1951 - 1956 - 1961 - 1966 - 1971 - 1976 - 1981 - 1986 - 1991 - 1996 - 2001 – 2006 This is your reunion year! Members of the Diman Club (alumni from all classes prior to 1961) Please join us for another memorable weekend! We have a fantastic line-up of events for the entire family! Login to the Alumni Community from the Abbey website for more information on the schedule of events, accommodations, golf outings, class dinners, babysitting and to see who is coming to Reunion ’11!

Reunite ~ Reminisce ~ Celebrate Questions? Contact Fran Cook at (401) 643-1281 or fcook@portsmouthabbey.org

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BOARD OF REGENTS

Dr. Timothy Flanigan ’75, P ’06, ’09, ’11 Tiverton, RI

Mr. Alejandro J. Knoepffler ’78, P ’12 Coral Gables, FL

Mr. Peter S. Forker ‘69 Chicago, IL

Ms. Devin McShane P’09, ’11 Providence, RI

Dom Gregory Havill, O.S.B. Portsmouth, RI

Rev. Gregory Mohrman, O.S.B. Creve Coeur, MO

Dr. Margaret S. Healey P ’91 New Vernon, NJ

Mr. Ward Mooney ‘67 Boston, MA

Dr. Gregory Hornig ’68, P ’01 Prairie Village, KS

Mr. James S. Mulholland, III ’79 Sudbury, MA

Mr. M. Benjamin Howe ’79 Wellesley, MA

Ms. Deborah Winslow Nutter Medford, MA

Rev. F. Washington Jarvis Dorchester Center, MA

Mr. Barnet Phillips IV ‘66 Greenwich, CT

Rev. Dom Damian Kearney, O.S.B. ‘45 Portsmouth, RI

Mr. Robert A. Savoie P ’10, ’11, ‘15 Bristol, RI

Mr. Charles E. Kenahan ’77, P ’12 Swampscott, MA

Mr. Rowan G.P. Taylor P’13 New Canaan, CT

Mr. Peter Kennedy ‘64, P ’07, ‘08, ‘15 Big Horn, WY

Mr. Samuel G. White ’64 New York, NY

Mr. Edward G. Kirby ’83 Jamestown, RI

Very Rev. Dom Ambrose Wolverton, O.S.B. Prior Portsmouth, RI