Spring 2023 Journal

PRINCETON DAY SCHOOL SPRING 2023

REFLECTIONS

Paul J. Stellato on his transformative 15-year tenure at Princeton Day School

INSIDE

CODE FOR CHANGE LEAPS AND SOUNDS

RAISING THE BAR

Spring 2023

Volume 61, No. 1

Deanna Harkel EDITOR

Ashley Stenger DIRECTOR OF PUBLICATIONS

Kelly Koching ART DIRECTOR

Carlos Cara

Benjamin Malone

Sarah Oskay

Evan Paine

Ann Wiley ’70 CONTRIBUTORS

Greg Carroccio

Thatcher Cook

Bob Handleman

Eunice Kim

Kelly Koching

Andrew Lee

Neil van Niekerk

PHOTOGRAPHY

About the cover: An oil portrait of Head of School

Paul J. Stellato by artist James Fox. Photo by Thatcher Cook.

The Journal is published twice annually by Princeton Day School. Comments and story ideas from readers are welcome. Please send all correspondence to editor@pds.org.

pds.org/journal

© Princeton Day School Princeton, New Jersey All rights reserved.

11th Head of School Paul J. Stellato reminisces on his time at PDS and the remarkable legacy he leaves behind.

We have fun, take breaks and make exceptional guacamole. Chef’s kiss

Our musicians, performers and visual artists pour themselves a cup of ambition every day, working hard to present a plethora of productions throughout the year.

FREQUENT FLYERS

Take a peek into a small handful of the 350+ events, performances, exhibitions, clubs, athletic games, affinity gatherings and service opportunities that happened this year through the student and faculty-designed flyers that promoted them.

Regular community gatherings like Diwali Night are open to all and offer opportunities to explore and celebrate various cultures, religions and perspectives.

With the proceeds raised from this year’s Empty Bowls event, 25,000 meals were provided to those in need.

Fifth-graders identified everyday problems and presented innovative, tangible solutions to family and friends at the annual STEAM Night. One of our favorites? A self-folding device for your clean laundry.

Vanessa Kara, professional soccer player, was one of many visiting guest speakers who addressed topics including civil rights, sustainability, education and more.

Our 45+ incredible student-run clubs and initiatives include award-winning literary and arts magazine, Cymbals.

Flower, vegetable and herb seed packets were in high demand during the annual third-grade seed sale.

“We will keep you close always, for with and among you we have found our hearts’ content on the Great Road.”

A Fond Farewell

I have used this space often in the last 15 years to ask and answer questions as, with all due respect to the unbounded promise of ChatGPT, I continue to believe that there is simply no better, surer, more satisfying and enduring way to figure something out than to wrestle with and subdue it by writing about it. My formula for doing so is pretty straightforward (as if that is a surprise): Ask a question, wring my hands for a paragraph or two and then find answers in the wisest group I know — our students.

From the start of the academic year, as Maureen and I have contemplated the close of our 15-year relationship with Princeton Day School, we’ve tried to place our rich, varied experience in some meaningful perspective and capture the immense beauty of the place and its people. At the same time, as I pass the portrait of our first head of school, Doug McClure, many times each day, I have begun to seek an answer to that most urgent question we all will likely ask at some point in our lives: Will anyone remember?

How timely it was when, just a week or so ago, two of my junior advisees arrived in my office with their own personal, urgent questions. It went something like this: “Mr Stellato, we know you’re leaving and everything, but you’re still going to write us a college recommendation, right? And you’re still going to be a head of school, right? That will count, won’t it?”

Asked and answered!

At the close of my tenure (and as I try one last time to figure out why Wi-Fi doesn’t work in two of the Behr House bedrooms), Maureen and I thank you for welcoming and embracing us. We will keep you close always, for with and among you we have found our hearts’ content on the Great Road. Should we lose it for even a moment as we begin our next adventure, we need only to recall your many kindnesses and the faith and trust you placed in us along the way.

We have cherished these opportunities of a lifetime you have offered us. Every day.

Paul J. Stellato Head of School

WORK IN PUTTING THE

Mike Mazzei knew when he arrived at Princeton Day School that if he wanted to lead his new team to greatness, he would need to be great, too.

“I was always good at cross country,” he said, “but I didn’t get really good until I had a great coach.”

Mazzei’s motivation to leave an indelible mark on his team stems from his own experience.

“When I was at Rider University, my coach helped me see what I was fully capable of as a runner. He showed me that I was the one who had the power to be successful. That was a big confidence booster,” he shared.

Teaching his new team of runners to practice and compete with confidence would prove to be just as important as the physical training. Mazzei reflected, “Cross country is very physical, but it is also incredibly mental. You have to learn how to push through so many thoughts of giving up and learn how to give it your all.”

As Mazzei’s team learned to trust him to guide them in the right direction, they would also learn about his high expectations for stamina. Students began their training for the fall season in the summer months and logged weekly mileage in an app that allowed the coaches to interact in real-time with each athlete. At the end of summer, some runners were logging between 35 and 50 miles a week.

Maddie Weinstein ’23, a captain on the team, was intimidated by the mileage at first, but saw the benefits that went beyond the strength she was building as a runner. She said, “I think this year our training schedule consisted of more mileage per day than I have done in the past, which helped prepare me for our meets. We all worked hard together especially on our long run and interval training days!”

That sense of teamwork would prove to be an integral piece of the puzzle when it came to the team’s success.

Emily McCann ’24, another captain, shared how Mazzei’s summer schedule was the beginning of what would become a very special bond among the teammates. “We started the season with optional pre-season practice and fun activities at the end of practice. A water balloon fight or a walk to a local bagel shop, to name a few. As the season progressed, the

bond of the girls’ team strengthened. The captains planned and carried out a pumpkin carving competition and even team apple picking. This was one small difference that made the season much more successful and fun.”

The team was growing closer and their individual skills were becoming stronger.

“It’s important to make sure that everyone is adapting well to the training,” Mazzei said, “and I saw that there were so many improvements happening all the time. It’s less about the run times for me — I just want to see growth.”

And growth he saw.

“I came to Princeton Day School with the hopes of winning the championship and building a community. I notice that a lot of cross country coaches only pay attention to their top seven, but if you’re only concerned with winning, you’re not a coach. A good coach wants to coach everyone, and when the whole team is consistently improving, that’s a huge win,” Mazzei reflected.

Laying the foundation for a strong community that trusted his approach seemed to work in Mazzei’s favor, especially on November 1, 2022, when the team won the first ever Prep B Championship in Princeton Day School history.

“It’s so rewarding to watch these girls build accolades and to see how proud they are of themselves. I had a coach who changed my life because he believed I could be great, and I know that these student athletes are going to continue to do great things.”

So, what can a coach who has already won the top accolade do to improve his team even more? Mazzei has already established a three pronged plan for the future:

1) Start the girls’ cross country season in Mid-July instead of August.

2) Defend the Prep B Championship title.

3) Win the boys’ cross country Prep B Championship.

He said, “I am who I am today because of athletics. I have seen the amazing things that can happen when you put the work in — so we’re going to keep putting the work in.”

BUILDING EQUITY & EMPOWERMENT IN COMPUTER SCIENCE

Toni Dunlap is a degree-holding computer scientist and specialist in computer science education, but she didn’t always have access to the resources or tools necessary to pursue the field.

“It wasn’t until I started working at PDS that I reflected on the fact I only had one computer science-themed course during my entire PreK-12 experience, eighth-grade web design,” Dunlap shared. “Once I got to college, I better understood what I wanted to do, but so much of my experience was focused on the theoretical. I felt underprepared going into the experiences that emerged and found myself overcoming a steep learning curve as I worked to connect the dots between my conceptual knowledge and the hands-on skills I needed to develop. The struggles I faced are part of what drives me to provide each of my students a wide range of opportunities to explore and enhance their skills.”

Dunlap began her teaching journey at PDS through the Independent School Teaching Residency program, a partnership between the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education and two consortiums of the nation’s leading boarding schools and day schools. Known on campus simply as “Penn Fellows,” the program requires master’s degree candidates to spend two years at a partner school, developing and honing skills in curriculum instruction and pedagogy. It was through this program that Dunlap solidified her teaching philosophy: opportunities to learn computational thinking should be accessible to all.

“Equity is more than equality. It’s recognizing that every student has an entry point. It’s providing curricula that can be modified as needed and encouraging students to engage with learning in a way that feels natural for them. The ultimate goal is for my students to see themselves in the work,” she shared.

In Dunlap’s classroom, that means striving to make her curriculum accessible to all learners.

“Meeting students ‘where they are’ can be challenging, and this is a challenge I strive to combat daily. No two students are the same; all students learn differently and bring varying levels of knowledge and experiences into the classroom,” said Dunlap. “App and web development classes offer students who are just starting out a great deal of confidence to realize they can create something of their own. For students who are further along in their journey, they can dive deeper. Offering opportunities for growth regardless of experience or skill level affirms the message that all students will be supported in their learning.”

The need for PDS students to be empowered, regardless of their skill level and prerequisite knowledge, has become a central focus for Dunlap.

“I’ve noticed our department is currently serving two demographics of students with diversely different needs — the students who have had opportunities to engage in computer science via summer camps, attending off-campus classes or receiving mentorship from family members or friends in the industry, and those whose interest in computer science is just beginning. Our department is constantly considering ways to empower students with experience without depriving those without. We strive to combat the inequity that comes with students entering into computer science classrooms from various entry points,” she shared.

Defying stereotypes and working towards equity is something that Chandra Smith, math and computer science department chair for grades 5-12, embraces wholeheartedly. “We have spent a significant amount of time as a math and computer science faculty working together to implement an anti-

racist department, and it is central to our mission, vision and philosophy,” Smith explained. “That means reflecting on our teachers, students and the spaces — physical, social and intellectual — that we share.”

Bringing an entire department to the same page can be daunting work, but Smith found that being honest with students and transparent with faculty was a way for her to lead and enact change, not only within the department but schoolwide. Despite commitment to the work as a group, there remains an opportunity to provide the training and education that will lead to more understanding and everyone’s capacity to develop and implement concrete practices.

Dunlap recognizes this disparity and has made advocacy and peer-to-peer professional learning a top priority. Last summer, she applied for and was accepted into the Computer Science Teachers Association’s Equity Fellowship (CSTAEF), a yearlong leadership development opportunity focused on just that.

“The experience has been transformative,” said Dunlap. “Working with educators from around the country and getting a sense of the national equity landscape has sparked so many ideas surrounding how we can continue to build upon our equity practices at PDS.”

Dunlap’s involvement in the CSTA Equity Fellowship has led to an exciting partnership between PDS and the Microsoft Technology Education and Learning Support (TEALS) program, set to begin during the 2023-2024 academic year. TEALS is designed to help build, grow and sustain high school computer science programs nationwide and provide educators with industry volunteers who offer classroom mentorship and support. The computer science department believes this partnership will further open doors of opportunities for student learning and discovery.

As PDS works to remain ahead of the curve, a shift to focusing on creating equitable opportunities for all students to succeed in computer science is crucial.

“There’s an opportunity for us to build upon our reputation as an elite institution by offering even more than the traditional view of the classroom. Diversity among our student body gives us all an enriched and nuanced learning experience,” Dunlap shared.

This includes ensuring the success of all learners by prioritizing the use of accessible platforms.

“For the majority of the coding-based platforms we use in class, modifications can be made to the curriculum for every student. For example, let’s say a student needs to incorporate screen readers while engaging in a lesson — that technology is embedded within the lessons. Instructions are available in both written and audio forms. For various classes, I also really

enjoy creating custom self-paced NearPod lessons. They allow students to engage at their own pace and display their learning through a variety of interactive mediums,” she shared.

Dunlap believes that accessibility as a key component of equity is critical. “Some of the most brilliant minds our world has ever seen include individuals who learn differently or who have been challenged by traditional education — for example, take Bill Gates, Steve Jobs or Lady Ada Lovelace, the writer of the first computer program. All three are or were neurodivergent, with both Gates and Jobs having learning disabilities. Nonetheless, the innovative work of these individuals has permanently transformed life as we know it today. It just goes to show that reaching the next generation of changemakers and innovators requires accessible opportunities to learn and grow within the field.”

To further her goal of creating more accessible learning opportunities, Dunlap has partnered with three colleagues from CSTAEF to design a website that serves as a computer science access resource hub.

“The website consists of resources, lesson plans, lesson modifications, instructional support and more. Many lesson modification resources are aimed at addressing various learning needs including neurodevelopmental disorders, hearing or vision loss, mobility and more,” she shared. “The goal of the access hub is not only to serve as a resource to current computer science educators, but also to support educators from all backgrounds with computer science classroom integration.”

And, with the abundance of computer sciencebased programs and opportunities at PDS from Middle School rotations and ninth-grade STEAMinars to the everpopular computer science education week, there are more entry points than ever before. One of those options is Girls Who Code, a national nonprofit organization and subsequent school program that supports young women interested in exploring the field. Sophia Zhou ’25, one of

the club’s leaders and a regular in Dunlap’s classroom, has seen firsthand how empowering access to computer science can be.

“I’ve been experimenting with code since I was seven years old,” she said. “My dad told me computer science would be the future of the world and that if there was one thing that I should learn, it was coding.”

While she didn’t quite understand his message at the time, she took it to heart.

“In middle school, I watched a crash course video about HTML. I remember proudly showing my first website to my mom when she got home from work. I loved how logical coding was and I found myself continually seeking opportunities to further my knowledge.”

Among those opportunities was the option to take a class with Dunlap the following year, which she loved. As Zhou transitioned to the Upper School, her feeling of confidence grew as she continued to pursue computer science. Soon, she would find herself recruiting friends to Girls Who Code who always wanted to learn to but never had the opportunity.

Zhou feels empowered by her experiences despite knowing that, for many women of color, the field can be fraught with inequalities.

“I’m grateful to be surrounded by peers who challenge my thinking and teachers who support my aspirations as a computer scientist, who urge me to think from different points of view and who encourage me to ask questions,” Zhou shared. “And, I enjoy helping to defy the gender stereotype.”

As Smith and Dunlap consider the future of computer science, they exude excitement about the massive role it will play and the opportunities it will bring to all students across the divisions.

“Computer science is forever,” Dunlap said, “It will always be part of our world, and because of that, the demand for skilled computer scientists is higher than ever. I am so proud to expose all types of students to computer science because, regardless of skill level, the goal is they’ll leave my classroom knowing that they are capable of success. If we never stop striving to make the material accessible to all, and if students feel like there is an entry point for them, then we are bound to empower them.”

As Paul J. Stellato, Princeton Day School’s eleventh head of school, prepares to step away from the post after fifteen years of extraordinary service, we celebrate the legacy he and his wife Maureen leave behind. Through conversation with his longstanding colleague and friend Carlos Cara, Stellato reflects on the indelible mark his leadership has made upon the institution.

REFLECTIONS

CARLOS CARA: I’d like to start our time together by reading you a quote from your installation speech on September 8, 2008. You said, “At this moment, we are all a part of something much larger, much greater than ourselves. I’ve come from Virginia with my family because of that belief and because of the ideals and values of Princeton Day School and those who are here today: values of patience, equity, excellence, empathy, justice and respect.” That’s a powerful and lasting statement. Do you remember that day and how you felt as you began this journey?

PAUL STELLATO: Wow. Yes, I remember that day quite vividly. You know, my experience here from the moment I stepped on campus to interview was incredibly powerful. I began to pick up in conversations a deep love and fondness for this school that I just hadn’t experienced elsewhere. And PDS is my sixth school. So you can say I’ve been around the block! (He laughs). But there was something incredibly powerful happening here, and then it just amplified.

CC: Did you find that same energy and emotion in the students?

PS: Oh, certainly. I knew that getting to know the students was most important and also would be the most difficult. So every two weeks for a year, I had lunch with student leaders. The editor of the Spokesman, Jake Felton ’09, even wrote about our lunches. So, I was able to get a good feel for the beating heart of the school. Which was, of course, the students. That perhaps was a different approach for the school at the time.

CC: Yes, it was. I believe you were the first head to write to every faculty member asking to meet individually that summer. You and I had a great conversation, and then you did that with, what, another 100 people?

PS: It was terrific. And I think it perhaps inspired me to get back into the classroom. I couldn’t commit to a yearlong Upper School course, but I taught a Middle School elective for four or five years. Many of those students I taught gravitated to this office to become my advisees when they moved to the Upper School.

CC: I think that’s the beauty of PDS. You know, Kathy Schulte [assistant head of school for advancement and strategic priorities] has a quote about you that ties to this. She says, “Paul put the mirror up to our faces and made us see the magic.” Meaning that not only did you appreciate what was here and the traditions and the people around you, you wanted to take it one step further. You saw the possibilities.

PS: Well, I think, even going back to the years of Miss Fine’s School and Princeton Country Day School, this was a place of history and achievement and aspiration. The school had and has the one virtue among many, the one virtue that every school covets and very few schools have — it’s prized academic and intellectual excellence and rigor. And so, with that, anything is possible. Not to mention the incredible faculty who prize both the minds and the hearts of the students they’re working with.

CC: Speaking of the faculty, it’s dawned on me just how many faculty and others have sat here in your office on this very couch over the years. I’m sure it’s heard many a conversation.

PS: (He laughs). I remember once when some middle schoolers needed me to remind them on how to be their best selves, and I was asked to attend a Focus Assembly to speak to them. And so I introduced myself and said, “My office is across the hall from the Health Center, and I have a couch across from my desk. I have lots of conversations on that couch, and it’s often the case that if you’re invited to sit on the couch, things may have gone astray. So I invite you to sit on the couch for the right reasons.” And, what do you know, the next day I had a parade of middle schoolers poking their heads into my office.

CC: Is that the magic of the couch?

PS: I think it’s a privilege of being the head of school. It’s the privilege and the responsibility to often speak with people at their most vulnerable moments. And, one reality of my work is that, despite having a packed schedule, I rarely get through my day as it’s lined up. Because my door, and my couch, are open.

CC: I know that any time I’ve appeared in your doorway looking for advice or to talk, I’ve always been invited in. Invited to the couch. “Have a seat on the couch,” I think, is the infamous line.

PS: We just hosted an alumni reception in Boston and Isaac Rosenthal ’16 and Rory Finnegan ’13 introduced me — apparently I’ve been around long enough that my former advisees are now introducing me at alumni gatherings — and they both say, “Is the couch still there? But more importantly, you don’t let anybody sit in our seat, do you?” (They laugh).

CC: Do you reflect on the conversations you’ve had in this office when you’re away from campus? When you’re fishing, let’s say. What do you think about? What memories come and go for you?

PS: (He pauses and reflects). When I returned from my medical leave, I stood on the McAneny stage in front of the entire Upper School, and the first thing I said was, “When I was in treatment every day, I thought about coming back to the stage. It’s what kept me going. It was the thought of all of you, it was the thought of this.” I reflect constantly on my work, on the students and on the remarkable transformations and self-discovery that happen here. And in those reflections, I realize I have, too, been changed. You can only do this work by evolving and adapting.

CC: I feel that when I walk from the parking lot every day. And what you said about transformation goes beyond the individual — you had transformative visions surrounding the institution as a whole from day one. Even the positions you created — the director of wellness services, director of diversity, equity and inclusion, director of service learning, director of performing and fine arts and design…

Paul Stellato with Lower School students in 2008.

Paul Stellato and faculty member Carlos Cara reminisce about Stellato’s extraordinary tenure.

in some ways, you put things in place before we realize that we needed them. Amazing results came from that.

PS: That’s a lovely way of putting it. I remember a conversation very early on when I asked Treby Williams ’80, former board chair, for direction. She said, “We trust you to take your time to get to know the school.” That stuck with me. So I started teaching, I started meeting with the students and I soaked it all in.

CC: And then the ideas began to flow?

PS: Well, yes, but always in partnership with others. Years ago, former Head of Upper School Carlton Tucker, several past faculty members and I got into conversations about the social, emotional and mental health of our students and the ways in which stress was compromising the learning taking place. Because of their insight, a group of faculty wrote a proposal for funding from the Edward E. Ford Foundation in New York. There was an opportunity for us to build a wellness program that stands alongside our academic program. We received the funds which gave us legs to approach donors for additional support, and we were fortunate to receive an endowed gift. Then we were off and running. It’s always the confluence of the idea, the financial support and the people.

CC: I agree. And I think you could say the same thing for the STEAM initiative.

PS: Absolutely. The STEAM initiative really took off when three faculty members arrived almost at the same time: Jason Park, Lee Rosenberg and Jason Robinson. You get those three giants in a room, and they’re bringing all of their resources together around one idea and giving it shape. I just stepped out of the way. Now we have extraordinary STEAM facilities in each division. We were very fortunate they all landed at PDS at the same time. Fortunate that Candy Shah [director of wellness services] was here, fortunate that Lisa Surace [associate head of school] was here.

CC: It really is remarkable. But I don’t think it’s just luck. Under your leadership, people are encouraged to create, to push the envelope, to have ideas and come to you or go to others and say, “Look at this possibility.” There has to be some catalyst that allows that to happen.

PS: I appreciate that. You know, sometimes it’s directing one way or the other, and sometimes it’s just listening and nudging. Take the sustainability program, one of our signature programs. I arrived in June of 2008, the garden had been built in late April of that year. This was a very new program. One of the first people to visit me that June was our former colleague and friend, Liz Cutler. I knew nothing about sustainability. Nobody did — except Liz.

CC: She certainly did!

PS: I quickly realized that my job with that program was to always support it, support Liz, but also occasionally challenge it. And always get out of her way! (They laugh). She knew where we were going, and the worst thing I could do was to stand in the way.

CC: People, resources and a little push in the right direction.

PS: I think so. And the right circumstances. Take our DEI work, which is central to our institution. I knew Tony McKinley [director of diversity, equity and inclusion] when he was a student of mine at Millbrook School. I bumped into him there 20 years later as a teacher, and he was surrounded by a group of kids. I said, “When you’re ready to move, come and talk to me.” He came here and was a great English teacher and a very successful coach. When the world began to understand — and I began to understand, because I didn’t understand the way I should have — the challenges presented to students, people of color, I knew I needed to listen. I was able to turn to Tony for guidance and benefit from a relationship of 20 years.

CC: That could be a difficult conversation. Having built those bonds made it a lot easier, I’m sure.

PS: Absolutely. Bonds are built through peril and prosperity because there is richness and there are lessons in both parts of that. They go hand in hand, especially in a school. You know, the people who were at the helm of the Thrive! Campaign will tell you there are really two campaigns. There’s the one I thought up by myself, which did not work, and the one that was crafted through the good advice and the guidance of those around me, which did.

CC: There it is.

PS: All I did, in the end, was give voice to it, to speak about the school in a way people recognized.

CC: It needed to resonate with them.

PS: Yes. I want people to be proud of PDS and to see themselves in that narrative. You know, when Jack Wallace ’48, the longest-serving board member and graduate of Princeton Country Day School, comes to an event, he always says to me, “Are you reading off a sheet of paper or are you speaking from the heart? If you’re speaking from the heart, I’ll be in the front row.” It’s about being moved by the moment.

CC: I recognize when you are fully invested, when you are speaking from the soul, and I truly think I’ve learned something from you every time I listen. And Thrive!, by the way, really allowed incredible things to happen here — increased endowment for financial aid, for faculty support, new facilities like the Athletic Center…it’s remarkable.

PS: Visitors to our campus should have a memorable welcome. The elegant front sign and the warm Colross living room, both designed by David Burkett [architecture teacher]. The main building, with gleaming spaces in every direction — the arts atrium straight ahead, an inviting Shepherd Commons and its classrooms to the left and language and math classrooms to the right. A wall of glass for the STEAM Center, allowing everyone who walks by to be pulled into the space. And the Princeton Day School Athletic Center and its Linville Lobby, from which spectators can watch games in every direction. We’ve built beautiful spaces that enhance the experience for all.

CC: Absolutely. And of course, faculty benefit from this, too, which means our students benefit.

PS: I wanted us to attract and retain the best students we could find. A number of very generous donors helped us build an extraordinary endowment so we have more funds available for need-based financial assistance. But I didn’t want to lose kids to other schools. I wanted the most committed, engaged and curious kids we could find, which then goes to what the student body becomes over the course of 15 years. And so they have shaped the program, they have made of it things that I couldn’t imagine, that you couldn’t imagine. That’s the beauty of it.

CC: I’m curious, as you’ve spent so much time and energy invested in the growth of PDS. What happened when you got home at the end of every day?

PS: Much of what I may feel at the end of the day I talk to Maureen about. Maureen and I have lived our entire adult lives together in schools. She is deeply steeped in it. And she’s been and continues to be a vital part of the success of this institution. And I listen very closely to what she has to say to me, so I’ve gotten some good advice.

CC: I’m certain that’s true.

PS: But I’ll say also, Carlos, that I have been in partnership with four world-class board chairs. Treby Williams ’80, who brought me on board, steadied the school (and its new head) during the recession of 2008-2009, guided and supported me and set us on the right course. Barbie Cole ’78, a brilliant thinker and strategist, generous and empathetic, as dear a friend as I will ever have. Rebecca Bushnell ’70, whose trajectory was altered profoundly by a world-wide pandemic and social awakening. And Marc Brahaney P’11 ’15, who began our relationship as a member of the search committee that hired me, will close our school relationship as the board chair and who shared these wise words with me on the day I was appointed: “You’ve successfully led a school that struggled, and we’re excited for you to lead a school that is flourishing.” Those words capture the trust that each of them had in me and in the hopes they have had for our school.

CC: So, now, it’s time to begin anew and build new relationships steeped in trust in your role as head of school at Friends Academy in Long Island. What drew you there?

Paul Stellato greets Upper School students at the start of the school day.

PS: At the core, what I sought and valued in this community, I believe I have found at Friends Academy. And I found it there. It’s about the students, that’s where the meaning is for me. I imagine people sort of scratched their heads when I announced this new role and said, “Why?” But, truly, the ‘why’ is actually all around us every day.

CC: It goes back to the question of if teaching is a profession or if it’s a calling.

PS: That makes me think of my final interview as a candidate for this job 15 years ago. The first classroom I ever stepped into on this campus was one of your freshman biology classes. So my impression of the school, of its academic and intellectual rigor and of its deep and abiding care of students…you were present at that creation. It’s one of the reasons I’ve sought you out so often. And it’s one of the reasons this is a community that places such value on that. I see the enormous pressure

put on our students and also our faculty — achieve, achieve, achieve. Push, push, push. And yet, we are surrounded by — and we spend our days in the middle of — people who care about the habits of heart and soul as much as they care about the habits of mind.

CC: That’s true. This leads me to my last question, which I’m not sure you can do, but we’ll give it a shot. (They laugh). Can you sum up your time here, the lessons learned, the inspirational moments, the ups and downs, the good and the bad…can that all be summed up in one word?

PS: (He pauses). It’s been renewing. I’ve been renewed at almost every turn. That’s what it is. This also answers the question of why I’m taking on a new role. To feel renewed, to continue to be renewed. Why would I stop?

CELEBRATING MAUREEN

When I first met Maureen, she and Paul were visiting Princeton in advance of beginning their tenure as part of the Princeton Day School community. I was assigned by the Transition Committee to show Maureen around, and we immediately connected. She was so down to earth, easy to talk with and a fount of great school stories. As we chatted about PDS and our children throughout the day, and as I got to know Maureen’s hilarious sense of humor, I realized that we were destined to become good friends.

Since then, Maureen, like Paul, has become a visible and vital member of the PDS community. As half of this power couple, Maureen, with years of independent school experience in her own right, served as a wonderful counselor to Paul, and has been a particularly important advisor during the most challenging periods of his tenure at PDS. I am certain that she always had her own perspective on changes and challenges at the school, and I imagine she shares her views unhesitatingly with Paul. She is also always in his corner and his staunchest supporter.

Maureen has been a familiar face to faculty and staff, parents and decades of alumni as she hosted and attended events on campus and around the country. She’s often found on the sidelines or in attendance at a myriad of games, concerts, art openings and theater productions. Not only my friend but also my colleague, Maureen has been an important part of the PDS advancement team. She planned many of the school’s most important events and showed her love and deep respect for the institutional traditions these events honor. A devoted member of the Princeton Garden Club, she also ensured our floral decor was on point (helpfully preventing me from using daisies in mason jars as centerpieces on a number of occasions).

She also shared many of her interests with me — her passion for gardening, her birdwatching and her love of summers and winters on Cape Cod. Now, after fifteen years of friendship and seeing firsthand the impact of her time here, I can say that Princeton Day School will truly miss her. So will I.

– Jill Goldman ’74 P’05 ’08 ’11 ’14

TRANSITIONS

Eight impactful retiring and departing PDS faculty and staff members were honored at the annual end-of-year employee celebration this June. Collectively, they represent over 165 years of service to the school.

JAMES ATKESON P’11 ’13 ’17 Middle School

Technology Coordinator, Middle School STEAM Coordinator

YEARS OF SERVICE: 38

“Jamie is an educator’s educator and a gentleman. He’s served the PDS community in so many capacities. He learns your name, understands your needs and helps solve problems with creativity and expertise. Jamie’s mischievous, playful side makes him a magnet for Middle School kids. I am grateful to call him a colleague and a friend.” – Renée Price P’27 ’29, Head of Middle School and Assistant Head of School for Academic Life

TODD GUDGEL P’14 ’16 ’18 Upper School Latin Teacher YEARS

OF SERVICE: 33

“Todd is not only a master teacher, but he is also a wonderful colleague, a respected dean, a supportive mentor and the wise and caring friend we all wish to have in our lives. He encourages students to think, he kindles their intellectual curiosity and he opens their minds to new perspectives. The connections Todd has created over the years are very strong, and we will miss him terribly.” – Laurence Farhat P’16 ’19, Classical & Modern Languages Department Chair

DOLORES WRIGHT

Administrative Assistant, Office of Advancement

YEARS OF SERVICE: 31

“Dolores was a warm, familiar smile for our alumni community for over 30 years. She helped make the work of the Advancement Office successful, and will be missed by so many members of the community.” – Courtney Hodock, Senior Development Officer

KATHY SCHULTE P’17 ’20

Assistant Head of School for Advancement and Strategic Priorities

YEARS OF SERVICE: 20

“Kathy’s impact can certainly be seen in the fundraising efforts she’s led, but it is most felt by those lucky enough to work with her. By offering a listening ear, sharing a new way to look at a situation or simply showing up, Kathy leads by example and inspires those around her to do the same. Her generosity of spirit will leave an indelible mark on the Great Road.” – Amy Gallo ’03 P’32 ’35, Director of Donor Engagement

ELIAS MONTES

Custodial Services

YEARS OF SERVICE: 17

“At the tail end of the day as we were heading out to the fields for games, it was always so wonderful to see Eli’s warm smile. We will miss his friendship, his engaging personality and his willingness to always lend a helping hand.” – Scott

Bertoli, Associate Director

of

Athletics and Director of Middle School Athletics

GENE HARTWAY

Custodial Foreman

YEARS OF SERVICE: 10

“What a pleasure it has been to work with Gene. The way he guided and supported his team members was an incredible thing to experience, though his care did not stop there. He would make it his business to create touchpoints with community members, to ensure all of their needs were being met. He will be missed.” – Robert

Clemens, Director of Facility Operations

JILL GOLDMAN ’74 P’05 ’08 ’11 ’14

Director of Annual Giving

YEARS OF SERVICE: 10

“Jill is one of the most good-natured, genuine and dedicated colleagues I’ve had the pleasure of working with. She is always ready to jump right into whatever needs to be done and always willing to go the extra mile, no matter how small the task. She’s a wealth of institutional knowledge and believes deeply in the school and her work. PDS won’t be the same without her.” – Julie

Cucchi P’21 ’23, Director of Admission and Financial Aid

MARITONI (CANDY) SHAH P’21 ’22

Director of Wellness

YEARS OF SERVICE: 8

“Candy has been an invaluable asset to PDS, consistently demonstrating her exceptional skills and unwavering dedication. We not only benefited from her expert medical knowledge and tireless commitment to the wellbeing of every member of our community but came to depend on it. She brought a sense of energy and passion to her work, elevating the health and wellness program to new heights.” – Lisa

Surace P’22, Associate Head of School

Noelle Moore ’33 learned when she was a toddler that building sustainable rockets was the future. And it’s a future she plans to be a part of.

At just three years old, Moore attended a robotics competition with her older brother and encountered an all-female panel of aerospace engineering students. It was the first time she realized what she wanted to be when she grew up.

“I really like space and think building rockets would be pretty cool,” Moore said. “If I create a rocketship, maybe I could go in it, but I don’t think my mom would let me.”

Parental permission to travel to space aside, Moore got her first taste of what life as an aerospace engineer might be like when she entered the Future Engineer’s Power to Explore Challenge sponsored by NASA. Students were tasked with answering a simple question: If you could plan a mission in our solar system or beyond, where would you go and what would you explore?

The parameters called for the fictional but fact-based missions to be powered by Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS), and also asked students to think about how their own “power” — whether a skill, personality trait or other personal strength — would help the mission succeed.

Moore’s mission was a look into the year 2038 when she is building a spacecraft as an aerospace engineer. According to Moore, “The RPS on my spacecraft will fuel and heat my spacecraft so that I can do research around how we can tap into ancient pockets of water in Olympus Mons to help encourage settlement on Mars.”

And her superpower? Overcoming her own challenges with dyslexia. She shared, “I think my superpower will help me work at NASA because I am very talented at math and science, and I’m a creative thinker. A percentage of NASA employees are dyslexic, so I think my superpower will help me fit in.”

Moore’s powerful and well-researched entry was chosen as a top 15 semi-finalist out of 1,500 entries. Soon, she would learn that she made it to the top three.

“I was really excited. I just like to learn and read about space and I like the books at the library here. That’s where I first learned about things like Olympus Mons. I think it’s two times the size of Mt. Everest,” shared Moore. (For those of us who need to brush up on our knowledge of planetary geology, Olympus Mons is the largest volcano in the solar system, found on Mars).

According to Moore’s mother, Sarah Moore, this is nothing out of the ordinary for her daughter.

“Noelle has dreamed of being an aerospace engineer from the time she was in Pre-K,” she said. “We credit Noelle’s interest and passion for aerospace engineering and astrophysics directly to PDS. The school has given her an environment that nurtures her love of science and math.”

ounds & SLEAPS

How four aspiring musicians are learning what it takes to make it in the industry.

Jacobson Scholars Thomas Poljevka ’24, Zoë Latanision ’23, Ben Maschler ’23 and Nathan Campbell ’24 stand on the McAneny Theater stage.

WhenZoë Latanision ’23 entered Princeton Day School as a freshman, the Jacobson Music Scholars Program was one of the first things she learned about.

In her words, “I knew I absolutely had to be a part of it.”

A singer-songwriter, Latanision was thrilled to learn how her passion could become a major part of her academic schedule.

“Besides having time within the day to focus on my craft, I also had the opportunity to showcase pieces I had been working on throughout the year. It drew me into the program even more,” she said.

Frank Jacobson, music teacher from 1967-2000, created the program in his final year at PDS intending to provide a course of study for students serious about performance or composition. 23 years later, it’s evolved into a competitive signature opportunity for students who wish to pursue music at the collegiate level and beyond. The goal is to expose the scholar to the unique rigors associated with pursuing a music performance degree and offer a taste of what life could look like as a professional musician.

While Jacobson passed in 2022, his legacy lives on.

“I started at PDS in 2007, and even though Frank retired in 2000, he was still coming to school to assist with various musical

productions,” remembers Tom Buckelew, music teacher and director of the Jacobson Program since 2018. “He immediately made me feel at home here. I’m grateful for him and for his vision of the future of music at PDS.”

BREAKING NEW SOUND

Becoming a Jacobson Scholar begins with a formal application complete with a statement of purpose and letters of recommendation. Selected students entering their junior and senior years are then invited to participate in the next step in the process — a formal audition. Each year, between 2-4 students are accepted into the program.

Once enrolled, their work begins. Scholars maintain a rigorous load, balancing participation in various ensembles, private instruction and independent study and enrollment in AP Music Theory. They perform twice during the academic year to an audience of their faculty and peers.

“It requires a serious commitment,” Buckelew shared.

To help offset the level of commitment, the scholars are allotted an extra period during the week to use as they see fit — often for rehearsing, writing or studying for the program. Despite the intense requirements for the program, established mastery is not one of them. Ben Maschler ’23 explained how the program interested him at a time when he still had a lot to learn.

Music faculty observe during winter juries.

“When I joined the Upper School band, I couldn’t read music to save my life!” he said. “My then-band teacher saw potential in me and encouraged me to apply for the Jacobson Program to hone my skills.”

Director of Performing and Fine Arts Stan Cahill believes the partnership and encouragement of the faculty is a deep benefit of the program.

“The arts faculty at PDS are practicing, working artists,” he said. “They engage with students in a totally different way — they collaborate and they co-create. We are always learning together.”

While learning together is central to the Jacobson Program’s philosophy, so is the importance of learning to work independently and seeking out support when needed.

“The landscape of music has changed so much since the program started. Since the beginning, it has given serious musicians the opportunity to practice their craft independently and get credit for it,” shared Cahill.

Of course, every student uses that time differently. For Latanision, she finds that some of her best rehearsals happen within the practice rooms on campus.

“I love our practice rooms, I rehearse there all the time,” she shared. “Whenever I’m working on something for Jacobson, I’ll be in a room. Prior to PDS, I would have to travel to the city to train.”

Composer and pianist Nathan Campbell ’24 disagreed.

“I actually find it difficult to produce on campus,” he shared. “But I practice piano here almost every day.”

Buckelew has to strike a challenging balance between supporting the students’ independence and also guiding them to achieve their goals.

“The scholars have a lot of free time to practice, but it’s also important they use that time to think about what they want their brand to be,” he shared. “What kind of lighting enhances my performance? How can I improve my stage presence? Reminding them of the extraordinary number of people working behind the scenes to support them. These are conversations we have all the time.”

That mentorship and continued conversation between faculty and scholars set the tone for the performance assessment of the year: winter juries.

GROWTH, NOT PERFECTION

“Winter juries are a big deal,” said Buckelew. “We’re assessing tone, technique, rhythm and even professionalism. But the work that the students put into them is what really matters. Our job is to guide them through those challenging parts of

being a musician and a student, but also to take care of this very important moment in their lives as they’re preparing for the next chapter.”

Preparation for a juried performance looks different for each student, but simultaneous anxiety and excitement are ubiquitous. Just before his performance, aspiring film composer Thomas Poljevka ’24 was feeling good.

“I’m presenting a film score that I wrote for the Berlin Film Scoring Competition. I also have plans to present an arrangement that I’m working on as well as a piano solo,” he said. “I’m a little nervous but ready.”

As he walked across the stage to a mostly empty audience, sans a handful of faculty, Poljevka appeared calm and composed. With his original score playing in the background of an animated short film, the intimidating setting seemed to slowly fade away. The composition fit within each scene perfectly, blending moments of loss and grief with moments of triumph. Poljevka watched on as his work was being synthesized, and eventually graded.

Once the film ended, the faculty took turns asking questions about the technical aspects of Poljevka’s composition. He answered each question confidently, then turned to the piano that sat next to him on stage and played several pieces. After, Poljevka realized he perhaps underestimated how intimidating the experience would be.

“It was nerve-racking to showcase my pieces, but I think it went really well. I feel confident about it despite the nerves.”

As a second-year scholar, Latanision reflected on her jury as a junior, hoping the faculty will see her growth and progress over the past twelve months.

“Last year I performed mostly a mix of classical and musical theater,” she shared. “This year, I’m incorporating more original work. I’d like to showcase other parts of my voice for the panel.”

The panel was not disappointed, and neither was Latanision.

“I feel so good about it,” she said. “It was actually my first time performing one of my songs publicly and I got a lot of helpful feedback and ideas for how to approach my final recital in the spring.”

A BALANCING ACT

Reflecting on the success of the juries for all scholars, Buckelew said, “This is the most diverse group of talent we’ve had in the program. Everyone brought something different to their performances, and you could tell that they prepared for it. That can be hard to do with so many competing priorities.”

It’s no surprise that high school students have a lot going on.

Outside of rehearsing, studying and preparing for Jacobson, the scholars are balancing a rigorous academic course load and are actively involved in a myriad of clubs, affinity groups and outside activities.

But Cahill says it’s all part of the process.

“These students are essentially experimenting with the life of a musician,” he shared. “They’re playing in concerts, they’re performing at prom, they’re in the pit for the musicals and they’re living their lives in other areas – they’re getting a sense of what it feels like to always be working. At the same time, they’re also finding every opportunity they can to do what they love”

As seniors in the program, the next chapter is a significant one for Maschler and Latanision.

“I want to pursue vocal performance and hopefully minor in songwriting,” Latanision explained. “I’ll finalize my minor once I figure out where I’m going next year because different schools offer different musical courses and programs.”

Although she hasn’t committed to any of the several schools that offered her a spot, Latanision knows that no matter what, she’ll be prepared.

“I will carry with me everything I’ve learned from Jacobson and apply it to stages around the world,” she shared.

As for Maschler, he’s excited to integrate into the music scene at Duke University.

“I want to continue improving as a performer and learning music theory,” he said.

The charisma and confidence that each of the scholars now embodies is unmistakable. According to Cahill, that’s the power of being an artist and a direct result of their experience as a Jacobson Scholar.

“This program makes you believe that you really could earn a living making music,” he said. “It’s a place to gain self-worth, to learn how to be a professional and be yourself. These students are self-assured and confident because they’re learning all the time what it means to triumph and what it means to fail.”

ONWARD AND UPWARD

As the warm weather creeps in, Upper School students are a constant outdoor fixture — playing frisbee, gathering around picnic tables and studying on blankets across the lawns. For the scholars, their days are increasingly spent inside practice rooms, rehearsing for the culmination of their year within the program: the spring recital.

“This performance has always been part of the program, even with the first Jacobson Scholar in 2000,” shared Buckelew. “It’s eagerly anticipated.”

Well aware of the year’s final hurdle, the scholars have easily spent the better part of the last eight months preparing.

“I still have a lot of work to do!” Poljevka laughed. “My performance has a lot of moving pieces. I’m performing two originals with a string quartet, some woodwinds, brass, a saxophonist and a drummer. We’ve been rehearsing nonstop.”

Allotted 20-minute performances for the juniors and 40 minutes for the seniors, the recitals take place during the school day in hopes of encouraging faculty, staff and students to fill the seats of McAneny Theater.

“What I love about the spring recitals is that these students were self-motivated all year, and the performances are an opportunity for them to show that they never squandered their time. I think by the end, they realize how precious it was,” shared Buckelew.

When asked to reflect on the impact of the program, Campbell discussed how he learned how important it is to share space with a community of creators.

“I never realized how much I benefited from being part of the PDS music community,” he said. “I was able to focus on my own growth as a musician while being surrounded by so many other talented musicians. It’s a really encouraging environment.”

The independence and self-confidence that Latanision found through her time in the program is something she will keep with her forever.

“I got to focus on what I wanted to do and work at my own pace. I can’t overstate how prepared I feel for college and the professional world because of this,” she shared.

For Poljevka, his sense of responsibility has empowered him to take on competing priorities confidently.

“I was surprised by how much responsibility I have as a scholar,” he said. “It’s up to me to decide what to do and how much time to spend on it. That also means it’s on me to know when I could do certain things on my own, or when I needed help.”

And for Maschler, the experience was the perfect way to end his time at PDS.

“I’ve had the time to work on and really improve my slap, fingerstyle and improvisational skills, and that was just the technical side,” he said. “The program has been so freeing to me. To have complete control over what songs I am playing, when I play them and who I perform them with...that kind of creative freedom has been so empowering.”

Clockwise from top left: Ben Maschler ’23; Nathan Campbell ’24; Zoë Latanision ’23; Thomas Poljevka ’24.

9 SUMMER

MUST-READS

Curated by the Upper School

English Department

THINKING, FAST AND SLOW

By Daniel Kahneman

Recommended by Jill Brown

Daniel Kahneman’s research has been applied to psychology, economics, sports and a myriad of other areas. It’s a fascinating look at how our minds work, how we make decisions and how understanding the shortcuts our minds take can help us see things more clearly.

Perfect for: Anyone interested in a deep read about how our brains make judgments — and anyone who wants to make better decisions — will enjoy “Thinking, Fast and Slow.”

ALL ABOUT LOVE: NEW VISIONS

By bell hooks

Recommended by Annu Dahiya

A New York Times best-selling book that argues love — self-love, familial love, romantic love and community love — can be both a personal and political source of healing.

Perfect for: Anyone who wants to (re)think the role of love in their life, and how it can be harnessed for social change.

MISLAID

By Nell Zink

Recommended by Leila Estes

An unconventional narrative about Peggy, a lesbian college student, who falls for a male poet and college professor, Lee. The latter is also gay. Nevertheless, their union results in two children, but Peggy decides to run away with their eldest child. Concerned she may be followed by Lee, Peggy decides to hide in plain sight in an all-Black community.

Perfect for: Anyone looking for a pleasantly intellectual read that’s still light enough to take to the beach.

THE FIFTH SEASON

By N. K. Jemisin

Recommended by Seraphine

Hamilton P’33

Calling all fantasy enthusiasts. Essun returns home to find her son murdered and her daughter missing. She must harness a power she’s attempted to keep secret for fear of discrimination — she can use Earth as a weapon. As she travels across her continent, the Stillness, to find her daughter, she must revive her power and reconnect with her past. It’s delicious.

Perfect for: Anyone who wants a read they just can’t put down. I mean it, you’ll excuse yourself from all requirements and not go to sleep until you’ve finished it!

DEMON COPPERHEAD

By Barbara Kingsolver

Recommended by Karen Latham

P’15 ’18

An incredible coming-of-age novel told in an authentic teen’s voice that is part Holden Caulfield, part Huck Finn and part Pip (or David Copperfield which inspired Kingsolver). The story takes you through a young boy’s challenging upbringing in Appalachia complete with foster homes, child labor, derelict schools, love, loss and addiction.

Perfect for: Anyone, anywhere. Once you start this novel, you won’t be able to put it down.

ONE LONG LISTENING

By Chenxing Han

Recommended by Caroline Lee

It’s all in the title. Han’s memoir allows one to reflect not only on the beauty of languages but also on the silences and presence of and within human experience. This is a memoir that allows for deep reading and deep listening.

Perfect for: Anyone who enjoys storytelling, values listening and takes the time to sit in silence with a good book.

NOTHING TO SEE HERE

By Kevin Wilson

Recommended by Jessica Manners

It’s almost better to go into this one knowing nothing because when the premise becomes clear, it’s so delightfully bizarre and surprising that you’ll be happy you didn’t see it coming. If you need something to go on, though, the beginning of the book’s blurb is an okay start: “A novel about a woman who finds meaning in her life when she begins caring for two children with a remarkable ability.”

Perfect for: Anyone who is looking for a novel that is laugh-out-loud funny. It is.

WARLIGHT

By Michael Ondaatje

Recommended by Jamie McCulloch

In London near the end of World War II, 14-year-old Nathaniel and his sister Rachel are left in the care of an enigmatic figure named The Moth, their parents having moved to Singapore. The Moth affiliates with a motley group of eccentric, mysterious and in some ways nefarious characters who dominate the children’s experience early in the postwar period.

Perfect for: Anyone who enjoys a good coming of age, espionage and the homefront side of World War II.

ZEN FLESH, ZEN BONES

By Paul Reps

Recommended by Thomas Quigley P’12 ’14

This introduction to Zen helped me begin to grasp life. It contains famous koans from the 14th century and bushels of stories and philosophies as you seek to make positive changes within.

Perfect for: Anyone looking for a great summer book with short chapters you can dive in and out of.

For Upper School English teacher and Mock Trial advisor Jill Brown, this year’s state championship title was a total surprise and also somehow inevitable.

“This was my first year advising the team,” she shared, “so I really didn’t know what to expect. Once practices got underway in November, I saw the students’ love for Mock Trial, their willingness to put in long hours. Most notably, I saw how much they love working with our attorney coaches and how generous our coaches are with their time and knowledge. We have four exceptionally committed and exceptionally credentialed coaches,” said Brown.

That combination of commitment and credentials played a large role on March 20, 2023, when PDS defeated West Morris Mendham High School in the state finals. The victory capped an undefeated season and marked the first time in school history that the team earned the state title. The annual competition, sponsored by the New Jersey State Bar Foundation, is in its 41st year.

“Mock Trial brings so many benefits to the students,” Brown shared. “With each round of competition, the students learn to think with greater subtlety and precision. The work with the coaches has an incredible impact.”

“And,” she laughed, “at PDS, Mock Trial is mostly a family affair.”

While all four coaches share a deep knowledge of the law and a tie to PDS, three of them also share a family tree.

“I started coaching the team in 2005, the year after my son graduated,” Kathy Flicker P’04 shared. “And I’ve been doing it ever since.”

Flicker, who served as the director of the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice from 2002 to 2004, was the first woman to hold that position. She spent the bulk of her career in the Office of the Mercer County Prosecutor, serving as acting prosecutor, first assistant prosecutor and deputy first assistant prosecutor.

As a trial prosecutor, Flicker handled every type of criminal trial including homicide cases, kidnappings and sexual assault. She was named by the New Jersey Law Journal to their first class of Lifetime Achievement Award winners based on the totality of excellence in her professional career.

Flicker’s husband, Michael Rosenberg P’04, is also an accomplished attorney in the areas of civil litigation, complex multi-party product liability and toxic tort litigation. A certified civil trial attorney, he’s tried a wide variety of cases, both civil and criminal, in State and Federal courts throughout his 45-year career. Rosenberg has also worked in real estate tax law and as a private criminal lawyer, a public defender and a prosecutor.

After observing his wife’s experience working with the students, he began to volunteer alongside her and has been an integral part of the team for over a decade.

“The most important thing to remember is that these students probably aren’t future lawyers,” he said. “I was excited at the prospect of being part of their experience in learning how to be skilled public speakers, how to make a great first impression and especially how to prepare, which is really what it’s all about.”

Their son, Scott Rosenberg ’04, was never part of Mock Trial while he attended PDS.

“I was a theater kid,” he said. “That’s the thing about my parents — it didn’t matter that they didn’t have a prior connection to Mock Trial, they just wanted to help students. Sure, they loved PDS because I had such an outstanding experience, but they just wanted to have fun and help build some really valuable skills.”

The younger Rosenberg received his law degree from Temple University, though now works in business operations for a NYC-based creative agency. Hearing about his parents’ experience coaching the team, he was eager to join them.

“I love helping students with anything they’re passionate about,” he said. “I’ve been guided by passion my whole life, and my parents made that philosophy possible. It’s really neat to give back.”

Coach Lisa Warren ’71 P’13 feels the same.

“I was approaching retirement and flipping through one of the PDS Journals,” she explained. “I saw a write-up about the team and thought it would be a lot of fun and a great way to show my gratitude to PDS. They already had three wonderful coaches in Kathy, Michael and Scott, but they still welcomed me and valued my perspective.”

A coach since 2018, Warren spent more than 30 years of her distinguished legal career with Johnson & Johnson, overseeing product liability and managing employment litigation as assistant general counsel. Her experience has been a great strength for the team, who is now preparing for the upcoming national championship in Little Rock, Ark. in May.

While the overwhelming success of the season left everyone feeling confident, the team knows how much work lies ahead.

“The students are really excited to be competing and I am, too,” Warren shared. “But this case isn’t anything like what they’ve worked with before. It’s very dense and it will require a lot of dedication.”

Scott Rosenberg agreed.

“This case has pages upon pages of law theory and some really heavy sections of witness testimonials. The students have so much going on — AP exams, senior projects, finals — it’s an enormous amount of work,” he said.

Still, with the guidance and support of the coaches, advisor Jill Brown is eager to see them shine on the national stage.

“It was amazing watching them succeed this season,” she said. “With every new competition, the students got markedly better at thinking on their feet. They could respond in the moment without getting rattled. I can say with certainty that they learned these skills from Kathy, Michael, Lisa and Scott.”

Flicker has learned a thing or two from the students, as well.

“We get so much back from them,” she said. “They may not know what they’re teaching us, and maybe we can’t exactly articulate it, but spending so much time with these bright, talented, interesting students is so rewarding.”

The love is mutual.

“I couldn’t have dreamed about us going even remotely this far, and our performance is a testament to the level of commitment of everyone on the team, but especially the coaches. I’m grateful for them and for PDS,” said team member Akash Bhowmick ’23.

Reflecting on his time as a student, Scott Rosenberg shared, “When I was at PDS, I knew the school was a special place. I gained such a variety of skills. And I was never limited, I was always encouraged to think bigger, try something new. These students — they really can do anything.”

Attorney coaches Lisa Warren ’71 P’13, Scott Rosenberg ’04, Michael Rosenberg P’04 and Kathy Flicker P’04.

Attorney Arjun Kumar ‘23 pictured during the state finals.

Maya Sethuraman ‘24 hugs Kathy Flicker P’04 after the championship win.

ALUMNI WEEKEND

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Blue and White Day, 1990

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR OF THE BOARD

It is one thing to blaze a trail alone — you might go fast, but perhaps not so far. It is another matter to ignite an entire community with a bold vision, and then rally that community to give the vision life. Paul Stellato, in his 15 exceptional years as head of school at Princeton Day School, has done just that.

Paul has been, with his wife Maureen’s never-ending support, a transformational leader. This is my seventeenth year on the Board; I was here before the Stellatos arrived in 2008. When Paul began his headship, I thought PDS was a very good school, and I felt fortunate that my children were happy members of its warm community. What I know now is that a decade and a half later, we are an extraordinary school.

Paul reimagined the entirety of the campus. We now have STEAM centers in each division and our classrooms have been renovated and equipped with innovative technologies. Our libraries have been remade to support both the dynamic way information is available for students and the collaborative nature of project-based learning. We have a new athletic center that houses a dramatically-expanded squash program, provides significantly more court spaces and serves as a wonderful venue for all-school gatherings.

These projects add up to much more than bricks-and-mortar enhancements. Their collective significance and brilliance lie in the academic and extracurricular programs they house, made possible because of the remarkable faculty and staff members who run them. Here, too, Paul has been a transformational leader, recruiting a dedicated team of teachers, administrators and staff members at all levels of the institution to carry out the school’s mission. Through the Thrive! Campaign, over $58 million was raised for faculty support along with financial aid, academic programs and facilities projects. It is an astounding accomplishment for our entire community and, again, a testament to Paul’s visionary leadership.

During his tenure, there were also moments that needed immediate and decisive action. Only a few months after Paul began, the world experienced a shocking financial crisis. Working with the Board and the Leadership Team, Paul made sure there would be no layoffs at PDS. Families and students were supported. The crisis abated, and we carried on with renewed purpose.

In the summer of 2020, Paul organized a series of community listening sessions to hear and understand the many perspectives of our students, families, alumni and employees. Realizing the conversations would require ongoing education, application and commitment, he created the position of director of diversity, equity and inclusion to develop and oversee the integrated, collaborative implementation of a more equitable and welcoming experience for all. There is a deep commitment to continuing this important work.

And, of course, there was the global pandemic. Initially, the way forward was not clear. Mandates from governmental agencies were in flux. Through this uncertainty, Paul did not hesitate, quickly investing in classroom technology to support remote learning and assisting the faculty and staff through the transition. Because of his leadership and the fortitude of our community, we made it through.

In 2008, Paul’s starting point was the institutional strength he inherited from previous school leaders. Fifteen years later, he leaves us with an unparalleled legacy of success that will carry PDS far. It has been a privilege to serve alongside him, and volunteering in this capacity has been my way of expressing my deep appreciation for the holistic education my children received here.

As my time on the Board comes to a close and with the new leadership of Dr. Nicholson-Flynn, Board Chair-Elect Christopher Bobbitt P’22 ’26 and Vice Chair-Elect Ashley Aitken-Davies P’27 ’28 ’30, I know the future of our school is bright.

Chair of the Board of Trustees

GET TO KNOW

Beginning on July 1, 2023, Christopher Bobbitt P’22 ’26 will assume the role of chair of the PDS Board of Trustees. A member of the Board since 2019, Bobbitt has served on several committees including Buildings and Grounds, the Executive Committee, the Capital Projects Core Committee and the Head of School Search Committee that recruited Dr. Kelley Nicholson-Flynn. He is also chair of the DEI Ad Hoc Committee charged with guiding the Board in advancing the school’s goals and expectations for a diverse, equitable and inclusive community.

Bobbitt and his wife, Tiffany Smith, are the parents of two Panthers: Frances ’22 and Henry ’26, both lifers. In addition to his work on the Board and his experience as a PDS parent, Bobbitt also spent the past two years in the Middle School teaching eighth-grade architecture, a role he will be disappointed to pause during his tenure.

“From my very first interaction, I’ve always been impressed by PDS. I remember touring the Lower School as a prospective parent and being shown around by fourth graders — their confidence was impressive! Each August, my kids couldn’t wait to go back. It’s an incredibly welcoming, genuine, supportive community that continues to inspire me,” shared Bobbitt.

Bobbitt grew up in Los Angeles, Calif., and graduated from Brentwood School. He went on to attend Stanford University earning an undergraduate degree in urban studies, and the University of California, Berkeley where he received his master’s in architecture. Today, Bobbitt is the founder and principal of Interurban Architecture, a firm focused on sustainable design and community-based solutions. In 2018, he was elected to a two-year term as mayor of Lawrenceville.

Looking ahead, Bobbitt shared, “I’m incredibly excited to be a part of this new chapter. PDS has always worked to create a sense of community for all, and I think we have an extraordinary opportunity to continue that trajectory, to help our students become better global citizens, to provide them with opportunities and experiences so that they can better understand themselves and the world around them.”

CHRISTOPHER BOBBITT P’22 ’26 BOARD CHAIR-ELECT

MESSAGE FROM THE ALUMNI COUNCIL

The landscape of independent schools, especially within the leadership of these communities, has shifted over the last 20 years. Heads of schools traditionally held decades-long appointments, oversaw multiple administrations and spearheaded numerous initiatives and campaigns. As the 2010s rolled through, there began a change in these leadership trends — the longstanding figureheads of institutions were an echo of the past. Along came shorter appointments for heads, five years or less, which have since continued. I share this context to cement and celebrate the 15 years that Princeton Day School was fortunate to have Paul Stellato at the helm.

Throughout his time, our great school has grown and evolved in ways that would have even the most visionary leader marveling. Our community saw expanding building space, witnessed enrollment growth and welcomed more talented, diverse and valuable members into the PDS community than ever before. Faculty excellence, while always present, became an even more visible and applauded aspect of programming while always centering the student experience. Students have access to exceptional resources and signature programs, a myriad of student clubs and activities, a world-class arts curriculum and an athletics program that nurtures the body through competition. And, as the 2021-2022 fiscal year concluded, PDS experienced its most successful campaign, Thrive!, ensuring that what we have come to expect and love about PDS will continue for generations.

In my time with Paul, I have been fortunate to call him a mentor and a friend. As I navigated my professional career within independent schools, Paul often shared salient advice with me. During one conversation, he said, “Paris, no person is bigger than the institution, even the head of school.”

This level of deference sustained Paul over these 15 years. He led our school community through a market collapse, the COVID-19 pandemic and racial unrest within our country. While always available, with an open ear and heart, Paul knew that this work, the work of our school, was never about him. He often leaned on the talents and gifts of others and keenly knew to surround himself with great people. I believe that, while Paul is accurate in the advice offered to me, his legacy and impact will stand tall within the history of our school.

While Paul and his wife, Maureen, may no longer reside on campus, their 15-year tenure and love of PDS will exceed any timeline. He and Maureen will forever be Panthers, champions of our community, and they will always be able to call the Great Road “home.”

Paris McLean ’00 Alumni Council Executive Board President

CLASS NOTES

But we were blessed with the whole family for a wonderful Christmas together. Consequently, I haven’t done my job. I have not heard from Jean Milholland Shriver but assume everything is OK as I have not heard otherwise. I did get a very full holiday letter from Wendy McAneny Bradburn who is well and lives with her husband Norman in a retirement community in Arlington, Va.

1940

Phyllis Vandewater Clement pvanclement@gmail.com

I am looking forward to my 100th birthday on May 2 with many friends whom I enjoy. I am lucky enough to have three interesting and attentive children, and one good friend from Miss Fine’s school who graduated with me in 1940. Peggy Munro Griffin is delightful and we enjoy our phone calls between Sonoma County California and Cape Cod Mass. Peggy will soon be celebrating her 101st birthday.

1949

Lucy Law Webster lucylawwebster@gmail.com

1950

Donata Coletti Mechem doe@mechem.org

A VERY busy holiday season with seven or eight family members staying with us for two weeks, and one staying for an additional month for health reasons — got us behind on everything.

1953

Hope Thompson Kerr Sporthope33@gmail.com

Mary Butler Nickerson wrote: “After I retired from the Noble and Greenough School library in 2000, I started tutoring first graders in the Boston Public Schools. These were kids who were having trouble learning to read, and most of them were not born in the U.S. It was huge fun. All they really needed was attention and games dreamed up to help with whatever puzzled them. I did that for 16 years until my husband’s declining health required more of my time. But before that decline, he and I traveled in Europe every spring and every fall. Wonderful.

“Although I’m a staunch feminist, I enjoy a bunch of domestic skills. I’ve made a whole lot of quilts, both traditional and modern. I like to cook, and I do a lot of cookie baking for various groups. I read, oh boy, do I read. Every June our family has a reunion on the Cape, about 16 of us, and I try to keep up with them during the rest of the year. I work in our church’s food pantry every week and I exercise every day. That about does it.”

I spoke with Anne Carples Denny. She and her husband are living in a senior place. Her husband, Collins, has health issues, so Anne spends a couple of hours a day with him.

I called Ellen Kerney, as well. She is mostly housebound as she is in a wheelchair, so she

Phyllis Vandewater Clement ’40 celebrated her 100th birthday on May 2.

Peggy Munro Griffin ’40 celebrated her 101st birthday this year.

doesn’t get out very much. Her brother is staying with her to help. She’d enjoy hearing from any of you.

My life has changed as I now live with my twin sister, Hilary Thompson Kenyon. I left N.J. in mid-March 2019 after both of our husbands had passed away. I have moved in with her in a senior living home — a wonderful huge one here in Bend, Ore. She’s been living here since it was built 20 years ago. She has a cottage; I have the bottom floor and she is on the first floor. Very nice. Her daughter lives nearby. We both still enjoy being outside — we play lots of pickleball, golf, take wonderful hikes... No more trips for us — we have been to 66 countries but with the world going through troubles and at our age it’s best we stay here and enjoy Oregon. My two daughters and their families have moved to Dallas, Texas. We’re fine. If any of you ever come to the West Coast let us know and come for a visit. My email is sporthope33@gmail.com. Would love to hear from everyone.

1955

L. Chloe King lchloek@comcast.net

Jo Cornforth Coke wrote: “In my infinite wisdom at the age of 85, I decided to get a puppy! A beautiful Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, he is intelligent and determined…. and so it is necessary that I be more so! In my spare time, I work with the League of Women Voters, AARP, our orchestral board, Rotary, our antiques museum and the annual Mayor’s Council for Women Conference for which I was privileged to host two Ukrainian women for four days: quite an experience. But the dog comes first!!!”

Jean Crawford wrote: “I am anticipating a week in June with my family on a Downeast island. The excuse is my 85th; daughter Karen’s 60th; son-in-law Michael’s 60th; granddaughter Annie’s 25th and grandson Nolan’s 20th.”

all summer and visit during the ‘off-season;’ I try to meditate conscientiously.”

Alice Marie Nelson wrote: “I have been asked to participate in an extended learning program run by the University of Binghamton. It’s their Lyceum program and consists of a two hour Zoom presentation, in my case the subject will be ‘Portrait of a Career in Opera.’ It will be recorded for posterity and will be available on YouTube in the future. I’m busy gathering photographs, programs, videos, and recordings to create the portraits. It’s a lot of work but a real ‘trip down memory lane’ and will be fun to do once I get organized. Other than that, life goes on with its ups and downs. Ann and I have heard some wonderful operatic and symphonic performances this season and are looking at some more to come. I mean, why live in New York if you don’t take advantage of its cultural riches?”

Laura Travers Pardee, wrote: “No special news from Florida. Fortunately, we continue to stay very healthy and active in a variety of ways.”

Joan Kennan joankennan@gmail.com

Terri Beck Morse wrote: “Despite horrific and confusing world news, every day brings with it some surprise and delight of still being able, at such unexpected antiquity, to find a great many joys. Having children and grandchildren, nearby in-laws, and ‘chosen family’ friends, and attempting to keep up with their pursuits in science, the arts and adventures is daunting, but exciting. I am still working on our Hungarian family saga and finishing the project to prepare it for donation to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. I still love to read, paint, knit and felt. The wonderful Afghan family upstairs is doing remarkably well! Their escape from certain disaster (all connected to the UN in various ways) puts our lives here in perspective.”

Lucy Busselle Myers wrote: “I am so looking forward to seeing Chloe and Barb at our gathering on March 24. Otherwise…. I continue teaching my writing workshops, including my favorite one at a women’s prison; I swim my laps three times a week; I walk our darling cockatoos; I check on my children and grandchildren on the Vineyard, where I own a little house that I rent

L. Chloe King: At last, the right shoulder is well healed!!! Not ready to pitch for the Red Sox yet, although the team could use a strong right arm! I am writing from North Hill in Needham simply because we are not on Anna Maria Island, Fla., this winter for a variety of reasons. As I write this, snow is falling beautifully! It’s the first snowfall of the winter. I love it! I am busy doing a variety of things here, and thoroughly enjoy living in this very special place! I, too, am looking forward to seeing Lucy and Barb next month! Thanks to everyone who sent news…. still missing news from a few classmates. Maybe next time. Hugs to all!

1956

Charlotte Cook ccook@csus.edu

1957

Rosalind Webster Perry rosperry@impulse.net

With sadness, we send condolences to the family and friends of classmate Nancy Hagen Spaulding, who passed away last November. After attending Miss Fine’s until ninth grade, she graduated from Penn Hall School, Pine Manor College and the University of Idaho, with a bachelor’s in education. Nancy lived in Hawaii from 1962 to 1983, where she married Vernon Spaulding and raised their two sons, Lance and Peter. Nancy had creative energy and flair in all she did and was well-known in Hawaii for her needlework shop. Nancy and Vern relocated to Northern California for their work in the 1980s, and eventually retired in Windsor, Colo. For many years, Nancy’s job recruiting prospective students for colleges took her all over the

Merriol Baring-Gould Almond ’55’s son at a cooking school in Marrakech, Morocco, after he had attended a medical meeting in Europe.

Merriol Baring-Gould Almond ’55 with her husband, Doug, in Great Barrington, Mass., a midway point for meeting with some of their kids.

country. She never failed to visit classmates while on her travels and I was always delighted to see her when she came to Southern California. She had a cheerful, upbeat personality and a real talent for connecting people.

Alissa Kramer Sutphin saw Nancy often when she was in the Princeton area. Alissa emailed me: “I was so sorry to learn of Nancy’s recent death. She was such a constructive, positive person and a good friend. In the years she worked recruiting students for Pine Manor College, she would visit us here in Princeton. Also, we were fortunate to see her when she visited one of her nieces in Hopewell. Those get-togethers were wonderful and had a special sparkle of enthusiasm. She always inquired about our other classmates with warmth and caring. How lucky we all are to have had her part of our lives.”

Susie Smith Baldwin told me that during her time as class secretary she loved talking with Nancy, who was always so “joyful and filled with gratitude, especially for husband, Vern, and their two sons.” Susie mentioned how caring, kind and exuberant she was. “Nancy loved connecting people — whether in her jobs or among friends. What a joy it was getting to know Nancy better. Nancy’s loving care of Vernon through years of his serious health challenges was later matched when their sons returned home to support Nancy during times of ill health.”

Anne Gildar Kaufman said she has wonderful memories of spending Friday afternoons with Nancy, a “lovely young lady.” Anne added that she is very happy to be living in an independent senior community, Lantern Hill, in New Providence, N.J., near two of her children. “It was such a wonderful decision. There are so many activities to choose from, one can be busy all the time. I’m really enjoying the book group and trips to museums and concerts!”

Nancy Miller is also enjoying her senior community. “I am volunteering at Newtown Friends School, which is right next to Pennswood, my CCRC. I spend an hour in the kindergarten once a week and I love it. Things are really opening up here, so there are many activities and committees available. I really like it very much — a big change from living in one’s own house, but at this time of life, a good one. I remember Nancy Hagen as always friendly and kind. She was the only other Nancy that I knew growing up. Here, there are quite a few of us!”

Bonnie Campbell sent an update from Denver: “I managed to avoid COVID, but I feel the aftereffects have had a profound undesirable effect on society. I still hike but have yet to go skiing or snowshoeing this winter. We’ve had so much snow in the mountains that I long to get up there, but weather conditions have been a deterrent. My sister, Sally Campbell Haas ’63, also lives in Denver and together we get back to Cape Cod for visits every year. Besides enjoying the outdoors here, I try to take in cultural

offerings and continue to work tax season for the AARP tax program.”

1958

Nancy Hudler Keuffel acornnhk@aol.com

1959

Ann Kinczel Clapp AnnClapp@hotmail.com

I am sorry to report that Dana Conroy Aymond and Nan Nicholes Goodrich both lost everything in their homes in Sanibel Island, Fla. Dana is selling her home in Michigan and probably moving into a retirement home in Florida with her Mountain Man. Nan said she will rebuild.

Lucy James, Susie Stevenson Badder, Judy Levin, Cecilia Aall Mathews, Abby Pollak and her partner, Helen, ate, drank and laughed a lot at a mini reunion in the fall at my house in Manasquan.

Judy Levin and Lucy James took a Viking cruise together in the fall and are still speaking!

Just before Valentine’s Day, Judy Levin, Lucy James, Susie Stevenson Badder and I attended a DOG WEDDING, a fun fundraiser for a Baltimore shelter. The human bridesmaids carried KITTENS in lieu of flowers. The next day the four of us drove to New Rochelle, N.Y., to visit Jennifer Dunning who is so happy to have moved recently into a nursing home there. Jennifer is just as attractive and interesting as ever!

1960

Penelope Hart Bragonier Pbragon@gmail.com

1961

Mahala “Polly” Busselle Bishop mahalabishop@yahoo.com Julia Cornforth Holofcener holofcenerltd@comcast.net

Sheila Long reported: “The highlight of the past year was a two-week trip to Italy in September. I am still working on learning Italian, and have just found a new tutor online, with whom I hope to improve my ability to converse.”

Fiona Morgan Fein wrote: “I have been sooooo happy to participate in the new normal performing arts life in NYC — especially the music. The New York String Orchestra Seminar, with which I have been associated since 1976(!), and which optimistically reconvened in December 2021 only to be canceled halfway

Nancy Hagen Spaulding ’57

Alissa Kramer Sutphin ’57 and her husband, Bill, with their two youngest grandchildren, who live just three miles away.

Alissa Kramer Sutphin ’57’s granddaughter, Lyla Sutphin, after completing the Seattle half marathon in November 2022.

through due to COVID, had its full ten days of orchestra rehearsals and chamber music coaching sessions and performed twice at Carnegie, as usual, which was a joy for all concerned. I continue to serve with pleasure on the board at Wells College as the nation tries to figure out where it stands on higher education — don’t get me started. I hope we are all demonstrating and supporting, each in our own way, the value of a liberal arts education. Happily, the message is loud and clear at PDS. I traveled to San Diego in October to see a dear college friend — no hitches, no contagion, phew. I’d forgotten what a fabulous city it is. And finally, I continue to marvel at the strength and longevity of our MFS connections over the years. How lucky we are!”

Lucia Norton Woodruff sent: “I was grateful to have heat and lose only a few branches during the recent Austin ice storm. Paul and I had all of September in Maine seeing friends, family and fall color. I was able to play quartets with the group I used to work with three times a year until the pandemic, a real treat. The really dramatic thing was flying by private jet to get to Maine, expensive but the only safe way to get there with Paul’s endangered lungs. Spoiled for life!”

Cynthia Weinrich wrote: “I had a good summer mostly out of the city, but unfortunately tripped over a misplaced Amazon box in my building lobby in mid-September. Miraculously no bones broke in my full-frontal splat onto the granite floor, but I did do serious damage to my right rotator cuffs. So... decided on surgery, since it is my hopeful intention to stay active for at

least the next 10 years(!) Tibby was one of my ‘angel’ friends who came down to spend a few days with me after my mid-November surgery. All seems to have gone well so far, and have now started helpful PT, and am back playing Sunday services. Unfortunately, it interrupted my intentions of submitting some of my writing to possible outlets before the end of 2022, so I’ve had to accept setting a newer time plan (with some interior grumping and grinding of teeth). But, as I say, it could have been much worse, and at least I have a physically quieter wintertime to get fit to enjoy a hopefully more normally active ‘outdoor season.’ And considering all the things

that some of my friends have had to deal with this past year, I’m still a very lucky person.”

Nancy Smoyer reported: “My life in Fairbanks continues with many activities interspersed with trips to the Lower 48 and overseas. This past year I went to Portland, Ore., to see my niece and tulips in May; Marion, Mass., in July to see family; Tampa for a great Vietnam Helicopter Pilots reunion; Dartmouth’s 55th reunion of Billy’s class; Williamsburg where I visited with Joan; the Wall in November for Veterans Day. And then my January get-out-of-winter trip this year was five weeks in New Zealand (three weeks with OAT and two on my own) and five days in Fiji. Coming up in May is our MFS reunion and back to DC.”

Joan Yeaton Seamon wrote: “Our calendar mostly revolves around the three kids, the six grandchildren and two great-grands from Italy to Texas to Philadelphia to Arlington, Va.,... and soon California. Plus, my brother’s family in Ireland and London. All such a gift! The grandkids’ sports and special events, especially, take us traveling.”

Cherry Raymond wrote: “I wander discomforted through an eerie un-winter. Except for a single killer blast from the Arctic, it has mostly seemed like March. The plants and trees, birds and beasts are likely confused, too. Last week I began meeting with a book midwife — yes, that is

1959 classmates Susan Stevenson Badder, Ann Kinczel Clapp, Lucy James and Judy Levin celebrated at a dog wedding!

MFS 1959 mini reunion this past summer: Ann Kinczel Clapp, Susie Stevenson Badder, Abby Pollak, Lucy James, and Cecilia Aall Mathews.

Enjoying their mini-reunion at the NJ shore were 1959 classmates: Lucy James, Abby Pollak, Susie Stevenson Badder and Judy Levin.

Lucy James ’59 and Judy Levin ’59 “detained in Prague for flirting with Castle guard.”

the scope of my unreasonable optimism. I speak French in the mornings, stay up late on YouTube, visit now and again with neighbors Trudi and Tibby and eagerly await our May reunion in beloved Princeton. I have the Connecticut Valley’s resources still to explore in terms of social connections — the process got postponed by my arrival here in the 2020 peak of COVID.

“I have grown aggrievedly accustomed to the progress of the Sixth Mass Extinction. Recently news came that each irreversible climate ‘marker’ has been occurring right on schedule, as predicted in a 1972 climate study by MIT. It goes on to predict the collapse of civilization around 2042. The brain body simply cannot capacitate this or the process. A real End Time?

“So, we live wall-eyed, split. One eye tends the ‘normals’ of daily life, assuming that the future will simply continue the present as we know it. The other eye scopes out the proliferating momenta of global changes, gathering evidence of human and natural systems failing. We’re all variously doing this, in fits and starts, waves, and blows, as we learn activism or surrender, as we learn to grieve and, perhaps, to love ever more deeply.”

Julia Cornforth Holofcener: I have been very busy the last few months. I returned to West Palm Beach from London in September to pack and put my condo up for sale. I almost killed my sister, as she accompanied me and ended up packing all of Larry’s bronze sculptures, which were stored in a rental unit, as well as all of his paintings which were in another unit. I said good-bye to West Palm and traveled with the moving truck to another rental unit near my daughter, Laurie’s, home near Richmond, Va. Then on to my lakeside apartment in Drums, Pa., next to my other daughter, Liz’s, home to deposit the paintings and belongings. It was a full day! I then drove back to Virginia for my grandson’s graduation from Old Dominion University. Thanksgiving and Christmas were spent traveling between New Jersey and Virginia in order to spend time with family. I now have two greatgrandchildren, a boy and a girl.

Professionally, I organized in London a reading of “Alliance” with Simon Callow, a well-known English actor playing Churchill. The response from the audience was very positive. This has been a six-year project, and I’m sure it will be another year before the wider public gets to view it. Turning 80 in May, and I can’t wait to be able to say, “I’m 80” and look at the reaction. If I smile a lot, the wrinkles don’t show as much!

1962

Linda Maxwell Stefanelli linda.stefanelli@gmail.com

Many thanks to retiring class correspondent Susie Shea McPherson for doing such a great

job of keeping us all connected for the last 10 years. That’s a lot of emails and news; we appreciate her efforts on our behalf.

It was great to hear from Paige Aaron who gets the prize for being the first classmate to reply to my first official plea for news. She said, “Life is good here in Maryland. I live on a wonderful 60-acre farm with my family nearby. I am hoping to volunteer with hospice in the near future.”

Last summer, Kate Sayen Kirkland returned to Princeton for a family celebration, and I got her over to our house for lunch. We spent a fun afternoon paging through old Links, reminiscing and catching up. Unfortunately, she called soon after with the news she’d tested positive for COVID. Tony and I weren’t affected at all and she had only mild symptoms and recovered quickly. (I held out until last December when I had a mild case after a trip to Florida. Tony, again, slipped through unscathed.) Tassie Turkevich Skvir and Dan h’73 were unable to come for lunch with Kate but are enjoying their new neighborhood just down the road from us in Pennington — quite the change after being on Rollingmead for so many years.

I was in touch with Cindy Brown after Hurricane Ian hit the west coast of Florida back in October, causing terrible destruction in Sarasota County. Thankfully, she wasn’t affected too much and even managed to deliver food to a neighborhood in East Fort Myers that had suffered extensive damage. She wrote of the aftermath, “It took months for crews from all over to get the (repair) work done. Now it seems every other undamaged house is getting reroofed, (many) due to insurance issues. It is a cacophony!”

Tony and I are planning a trip to the east coast of Florida in March to get warm and to visit our daughter, Debbie, who spends half the year near the equestrian community of Wellington, and to see our 32-year-old(!) granddaughter, Hayley, who lives in Deerfield Beach full-time.

The next class notes won’t be due for about five months, which is plenty of time to do something newsworthy and pick out some photos that would make the column come alive. We’d really love to hear from you, even if it’s just to say hi. In the meantime, happy spring!

1963

Virginia Elmer Stafford vesalb@aol.com

The big news for our class is our upcoming 60th reunion!! I know, hard to believe!! It has been great communicating with many of you about plans. A couple of classmates have sent regrets that they cannot attend along with hopes of enjoying some posts or perhaps a Zoom.

Turid Helland regrets that she doesn’t think she can make the trip abroad but remembers that the year spent at MFS with Sally Campbell Haas and her family was in many ways groundbreaking for her. She shared the memory of thinking that when asked “How are you?” that she looked sick, and how much her English improved that year!! She is mostly retired but “can’t let go” so continues to be involved in some language and dyslexia research. She spends much time with family, grandchildren, and friends, and enjoys some hiking trips in the mountains. She regrets that “times are not good world-wide” but hopes that change will come soon.

Kleia Raubitschek Luckner regrets that she won’t make it to the reunion due to some painful mobility issues. She is busy with PT and water aerobics to regain mobility and become “surefooted with no falls.” She keeps busy enjoying her three grandchildren and wonderful memories of her family, Princeton, MFS, Georgetown, Yale, her fabulous life with her husband, Kurt, in the museum world and her work improving care and services for pregnant women.

Andy Updike Burt wrote that several months ago a friend asked if she had ever had a sabbatical….a break from community organizing and social activism. So, this winter she and Stephen escaped the icy roads of Midcoast Maine and spent two months with their youngest son and family on the Big Island of Hawaii, where they farm, teach school and create beautiful metal art. Andy took up needlepoint, doing some pastels, and sitting on beautiful beaches in the company of humpback whales who are also on their annual winter visit to calve and frolic. She returned to Maine in early March to

Paige Aaron ’62 blindfolded by her cat.

resume advocating for an environmental rights amendment and tribal sovereignty.

Laurie Rogers wrote that after a two-year postponement due to COVID she and Bob finally did a tour of London, Paris, Rome and Madrid with a great tour director. She is glad that the trip accomplished what she had hoped in introducing Bob to each city and giving him an idea of where their next vacation should be. She also wrote that they have made regular trips to Boothbay, Maine, to see friends, a trip to see a great-niece graduate with a degree in architecture from University of Virginia and trips to Pennsylvania for a shower and Bob’s grandson’s wedding. They also enjoyed a summer of sailing both for pleasure and racing. She regrets that the end-of-year festivities were somewhat overshadowed by the decline and death of her brother-in-law, Bob Stokes, who was a remarkable writer and journalist.

Polly Miller wrote that her “most fun” news was playing her grandmother, Marian Longstreth Thayer, in the musical “Titanic” on Nantucket. They rented costumes for N.Y. and had the best show ever for their company, On the Isle Productions. Her highlight after COVID was to get two mini-Nubian goats, which love to snuggle, are very expressive and go for walks into town on halters and leads. She did fall chasing one in December and broke her perfectly good hip (no arthritis or bone loss), but she is recovering nicely, although not dancing for a while. They have a grandchild studying environmental law at Tulane, one at Princeton, one at Dartmouth, one still deciding and the youngest at Middlesex prep school. COVID hit most of her family but not Polly. She and Nick are enjoying life. Polly sees Sharon Stevenson Griffith and her sisters and talks to Sally Campbell Haas from time to time. She is trying to get together with Wylie O’Hara Doughty whom she misses as they shared a lot growing up. She looks forward to the reunion and can’t believe how time has flown. She has fond memories of a band with Jane, Sharon, KK, Ellen and her gut bucket, but does NOT miss the old math teacher or going in front of Miss Fine a lot!

Bonnie Grad Levy is looking forward to the reunion and says she majored in English because of Mrs. Smith. I am sure many of us were inspired by some of the amazing teachers at MFS. I still remember enjoying Latin class with Kleia’s parents and felt so honored to have them there.”

Cyndy Bull Tyler wrote that she is off soon to a Christian Science conference in France, then to Canada for a memorial event for her brother and finally to NYC where she will give an all-day talk to a group of Christian Scientists. She is also an “involved” grandmother of six ranging in age from 4-18!!

Sharon Stevenson Griffith sent along her Valentine’s letter, which included a lot of fun family news about children and grandchildren. She and Chuck wintered in Vero Beach and took trips to the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State (instead of Nantucket) and a big trip to London, Norway and Finland.

Virginia Elmer Stafford: I continue to enjoy working from my living room with a view of the Puget Sound and wonderful visits with grandkids and friends exploring this new part of the world. I bought my first boat this summer and enjoyed sunny days exploring the beauty of all the many inlets. I am very much looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible in May at our 60th!!

1964

Barbara Rose barbarabrose@me.com

1965

Margaret Woodbridge Dennis hotyakker@gmail.com

We try to do more traveling before we get too old to indulge. A Viking River cruise in September down the Rhone with Bob’s brother and sisterin-law; our annual October leaf peeper house party with friends in Vermont; and Christmas this year in Yellowstone National Park. Except for too many meetings still by Zoom, life is pretty much back to normal. My big hooray: I finally finished writing the book I started years ago: “The Bride’s Tears: The Rochesters of Spanish Town.” It’s now with a professional editor, and I look forward to publication. My big, new challenge: singing tenor (I was a soprano all my life) in Encore Rocks, our senior rock and roll chorus. The hardest part is training my eyes to go to the lower part of the stave, and not migrating to the tunes with the sopranos.

Merethe Lange-Nielsen Ytterstad wrote that “Norway is doing fine after the pandemic in spite of higher costs for electricity, petrol, and food. The tourists are back, two to three buses from Hurtigruten every morning. I guide twice a week to Sortland, mainly French and English. Børge is still very active and plays piano weekly for retired people at our public library. This is very popular. Our son, Petter, is organizing a big concert at our cultural house to celebrate Børge’s 80th birthday on April 15th. We had one fine month recently in the Canaries, great to get away from snow and ice, especially the latter. We hate climate change; snow and rain every-other day and stormy weather.”

Barbara Putnam wrote: Last summer, our daughter, Emma, asked her dad, who was a justice of the peace, to marry her to her long-time boyfriend, Jesse Rizutko. She knew

his cancer was advancing and that we didn’t have much time. With ten days’ notice, we had a tiny wedding in our backyard in Litchfield, Conn., with just the parents and the newlyweds in attendance. In September, Bob Berson, who I married in 1981, ten years after we met, died of bile cancer at home in the house we built together. I’m adjusting to being a widow. The most healing thing I have done, after planning his funeral, is poetry. Sonnets keep popping up, and I write them down. I’ve been advised not to make big decisions the first year, so I’m making lots of little ones: rearranging the drawers in the kitchen and giving away his clothes. Much of my time and energy since then has gone into dealing with what he left behind. I continue to serve as registrar of voters for our town, but I have withdrawn from the Democratic Town Committee. Spending time with friends and family is a higher priority at this phase of life.”

1943

Peter Erdman perdman700@comcast.net

1948

John Wallace njnb1@aol.com

1950

Michael Erdman mperdman57@gmail.com

1951

Edwin Metcalf ehmet@comcast.net

1952

Philip Kopper pospress@aol.com

While our number continues to diminish, my classmates continue to exhibit admirable vitality. For this issue I am proud to relay reports from every one of the living and more about the dear departed.

Bucky Shear died after a brief illness, according to Town Topics, the ancient local journal now owned by one of us (see below). Archaeologist and scholar, Bucky’s eighty-five years were lived between two poles, Princeton and Athens. He was born in the Greek capital where his namesake father, T. Leslie Shear Sr., was directing the excavation of the Agora. Bucky grew up here on Library Place, still his home until last September.

After PCD and Lawrenceville, he entered Princeton University and graduated summa cum laude in 1959, then earned a doctorate in classical archaeology. After a short stint at Bryn Mawr, he returned to the university where he spent the rest of his teaching career, retiring in 2009. Like his father, he directed ongoing Agora excavations; he also ran Princeton’s classical archaeology program, which trained generations of classical archaeologists.

Archaeology, for Bucky, was a family business. It was on a dig that he met his late wife, Ione, the

daughter of another distinguished archaeologist who herself became an expert in Bronze Age Mycenaean domestic architecture. Their daughter, Julia, is now in turn a senior associate member of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens. Both Julia ’86 and her sister, Alexandra ’89, attended PDS. Bucky’s enduring scholarly contributions include two books, “Kallias of Sphettos and the Revolt of Athens in 286 B.C.” and “Trophies of Victory: Public Building in Periklean Athens.”

Tim Cain’s wife, Judy, admitted to having done all of her husband’s typing since their courtship many decades ago. She reported: “In your 70s, you are the people who ‘go to Florida for the winter.’ And in our 80s, some of us become the people who ‘used to go to Florida for the winter.’” This year they lucked out in Upstate New York, as the dark season was relatively mild “other than a few days of deep freeze,” Tim acknowledged. “I’ve enjoyed a couple of good books, “Horse” by Geraldine Brooks and “After One Hundred Winters” by Margaret D. Jacobs.” In passing he revealed a curious diversion: antique firearms. While COVID limited the Cains’ travel, “we did go to York, Pa., for a Kentucky rifle exhibit and show. It was a good time, and I continue my interest in those rifles.”

Bob Hillier carries on as the majority owner of Town Topics, publisher of Princeton Magazine and proprietor of StudioHillier, the 30-person architecture firm that succeeded his mega shop. Last fall Bob’s wife, Barbara, died, not unexpectedly, at the nursing home where she lived for a couple of years. Bob got word of her passing as he was being rolled onto a gurney

to undergo open heart surgery. The procedure was successful and at this writing he continues rehab, as ever the optimist and achiever: “I am doing fine with it; got 102 percent grade for my performance last week.”

In January more than 500 friends, relations and colleagues attended Barbara’s memorial service. Meanwhile, Bob sold the house they shared on the Delaware River and is building a new home on Lake Carnegie. It is a “zero carbon” building heated and cooled by geothermal power, with 2,000 square feet of solar cells on the roof. “I don’t know about you,” Bob wrote, “but I find myself working very hard to get a lot done, because I do realize there is not much time left.”

No slouch at getting things done, John Wellemeyer and his wife, Louise, took their sons to Egypt last winter, visiting the Aswan Dam, the Valley of the Kings and Queens, Luxor and Alexandria. Young Douglas ’18 won his Yale diploma in December, having taken a short break during COVID, and soon starts a job with Blackstone. His twin brother, James ’18, who took a year off for internships in Washington will graduate from Columbia this spring.

Meanwhile, John has signed on for another year as a PDS trustee to assist with the transition from Paul Stellato’s headmastership [is that a word?] to the new regime of Dr. Kelley Nicholson-Flynn. Ergo: Ave Atque Vale and welcome aboard, respectively.

As for me, I could just as well copy my previous reports for this Journal, except that in addition to editing and publishing other people’s books I am now finding time to write something of my own. A novel? A memoir? Stay tuned. Meanwhile, each year a few new titles appear with Posterity Press’s colophon — a sunburst on a marine horizon, the sun either rising or setting. Your choice!

1953

To submit news or volunteer as class secretary, please email classnotes@pds.org.

1954

Fred Blaicher fritzblaicher@yahoo.com

1955

Patrick Rulon-Miller prmiller322@gmail.com

Clark Travers cgt1781@gmail.com

Bob Fernholz sent a portion of what he submitted to the Princeton University Alumni Weekly this past year. An excerpt follows: “By 1940, the center of the mathematical world had

John Wellemeyer ’52 in Egypt.

John Wellemeyer ’52 and his family in Egypt.

moved from Göttingen (Germany) to Princeton (N.J.). The change was brought about, first, by political developments in Germany, and second, by the efforts of Professor Oswald Veblen, a mathematician at Princeton University and later at the Institute for Advanced Study. In the 1930s, Veblen instilled in the university an enlightened attitude toward the accommodation of refugee scholars from Europe and influenced the decision to locate the Institute in Princeton rather than in Newark, where its founders seemed to prefer.

“Oswald Veblen created a synergy between the university and the IAS that continues today to make Princeton a world center for mathematics. To help keep it this way, my wife, Luisa, and I endowed three math professorships: one at the university, one at the institute and one a joint professorship between the two. The joint professorship took a bit of patience, but Luisa and I were in a unique position to establish it since at that time she was the chair of the Princeton Mathematics Department Advisory Council, and I was a trustee of the institute. The joint professorship is currently held by Professor Bhargav Bhatt, a world authority on algebraic geometry, among other things.”

1956

Robert Dorf dorfb@outlook.com

1957

James “Tim” Carey tim_carey@nobles.edu

I want to start by thanking my PCD classmates for being so faithful in replying to my requests for news. And, for the most part, the news is good. We have reached the age of 80, and we remain active in family life and other adventures, walking, writing, traveling, volunteering. So, we rock on into the next decade heading toward our 90s.

I recently corresponded with Harrison (Pony) Fraker whose father’s photograph appeared in a recent Princeton Alumni Weekly. The story focused on Baker Rink, which Pony redesigned a number of years ago, and the history of hockey at the university. The photograph was of his father, Harrison Fraker Sr. in his hockey uniform, taken 1938, the year they won the Ivy League. And you will see below Bob Smyth ’s note about attending a game recently at which there were a number of the Peter Cook Sr. family and, he thinks, Pony himself.

As I usually do, I take what classmates write, edit for the Journal, and let their words speak for themselves.

Staff Keegin: “Since our house was rebuilt from the 2017 fire, we’ve been spending a fair amount

of time in Sonoma County (more than just weekends). I’m still doing a lot of chain sawing of charred but wonderfully seasoned firewood. But the interesting thing is we have at least two mountain lions around us sometimes nearby. One has an Audubon Canyon Ranch mountain lion project collar but the other one doesn’t. Must be a newcomer. All three daughters are here (even Hillary and her two boys are here from Angers, France). The other two are living in the East Bay and have three kids among them. I’m still working, but not particularly hard (mostly database content licensing). Hoping to be in good enough shape to be sailing in Maine this summer, but at 80, you never know.”

Joe Wright: No Joe news, which at our advanced age, is almost certainly a good thing. Wife, Betsy, needs a new knee and is scheduled for surgery in Boston in March at MGH. I do three miles a day…but your legs are longer! His response to my saying that I try to do five each day.

Andy Harris: “At our age no news is good news!”

Adam Hochschild: “I continue to write and was particularly pleased in December to have articles published in the Wall Street Journal and the socialist magazine, Jacobin, in the same week — an odd combination! I had a nice lunch with Harrison Fraker a few months ago. Our oldest son, David Hochschild, is in the forefront of fighting climate change as chair of the California State Energy Commission, which controls or regulates a vast array of things to do with energy and is making impressive strides towards generating ever more of it from renewable sources. If our state were a nation, it would have the world’s fifth largest economy, so his work makes a big difference.”

Rob Kuser: “I have now recovered from three cases of COVID during the past nine months. The quarantining was the most bothersome aspect.

“Mary Kay and I had so much fun hiking in Yellowstone and Grand Tetons to celebrate my 80th, that we are now planning to celebrate her 80th hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains. Wonderful to be outdoors in nature.”

Bill Smith: “Still serving on the board of my condominium association in Pompano Beach, Fla. It has been a busy three years for the board — foreclosures, a murder and now a $2.7 million roofing project for the seven townhouse buildings.

“During the COVID epidemic, my wife, Maria, and I spent our time homeschooling grandson, Blake. Maria taught Spanish. I taught ancient history with a focus on the Roman emperors. Teaching Roman history brought back memories of our seventh grade Latin class with Mr. Clark and Mr. Robinson and our green Latin textbook. With the COVID epidemic apparently now

over, Maria and I are back to our normal travel schedule. This May, we will be traveling to Ann Arbor to watch grandson, Zach, graduate from University of Michigan. This fall, we expect to travel back to Princeton again to visit friends. Good luck to all of you. Great that we all survived the epidemic.”

Bob Smyth: “In March it will be one year since my ankle replacement surgery. All is well, and I can walk over a mile pain-free. Recently, I watched the Princeton men’s hockey and basketball teams in action. The Tiger hockey team defeated Brown 3-2, coming from behind in the third period. Unfortunately, the next night, it fell to Yale 4-0. In hoops, the team won its first game handily, but disaster struck the next night, as despite leading Yale by 19 points early on, the Tigers lost by 10 in overtime. But the good news is that Princeton qualified for the Ivy League Championship tournament (top four teams), but the seeding will depend on the final weekend’s results. At the Brown hockey game, Baker Rink was a complete sellout with standing room only. Amongst the Baker faithful were John Cook ’56; his wife, Jeanne; brother, Pete ’53; son, Jack ’85; and daughter, Robin ’87. I also think I spotted Pony Fraker in the building. Truly a formidable squad for the Carnegie Pond Hockey League.”

Hugh Wise wrote: “I may be too late to catch the Dinky for its junction with the Journal. Nonetheless, it is always good to hear from you and relive days of yore. I was thinking of skating on Dean Mathey’s pond and losing pucks at the edges.

“We are surviving a cold, snowy winter, but because of a hip replacement, at least I can shovel this year. Adam Hochschild’s “American Midnight” is a masterpiece about a terrible time in America around WWI and features local hero, Woodrow Wilson, who has not only egg on his face, but a full-fledged omelet. I recommend it.”

Sandy Kirkpatrick ’58 and his wife, Jeanie, in Georgia this past Thanksgiving.

I, Tim, continue to volunteer at Boston Children’s Hospital and at Nativity Prep, a small Catholic middle school for under-served students of Boston. I also continue to photograph both college and high school sports events, everything from hockey to cross-country to squash. My wife, Mary, and I traveled to Banff last summer with our daughter, Zoe, who will be married this summer. Beautiful place indeed. The hiking? Pretty challenging, but I managed. Just got to do it!

1958

Toby Knox toby@tobyknox.com

David Stewart reported from our nation’s capital that he is still “professing” international law at Georgetown but spending more time yelling about the fools and their antics reported on the nightly news (the class correspondent does the same…). He still has good memories of PCD. Occasionally, he thinks back to those lovely Wednesday afternoons (no school) and he’d ride his bike over to Renwick’s for a burger and fries. He thinks one could add a milkshake and it possibly would come to an extra .50 cents, but he states that was real money back then. He states that the fall was the best, crisp, clear, lovely leaves. Halloween was magical. His memories include hockey on the lake — shoveling snow to make a rink. He said he always worried about doing that on the canal. He wonders if there is much snow now or if the lake ever freezes.

Jobe Stevens dug into his PCD memory bank and offered the following tidbits: “Getting older, as I will be eighty this year, and still can remember Mr. McAneny trying to teach me English. He was better at soccer for me. I liked him very much for both. ‘I Like Ike’ buttons at the school store along with pencils and paper. George Peterson came to school one day with all new clothes. His house in Hopewell had burned up on a cold winter’s night. The Petersons had a great overnight skating party at their ‘Glenmore Farm’ (?). The hockey trip to the Kent School in Connecticut, played on an outdoor rink freezing and frost-bit feet. My mother was one of the volunteer drivers. So many more memories, but since I have always had a short attention span, I will let it go with these. PCD was special in many ways for me.”

Jobe and his wife, Ludie, live in Shelbyville, KY on a small farm where they keep busy with animals and property maintenance. Their eldest daughter, Sarah, teaches students with learning differences at the Lewis School in Princeton. Their son, Ben, is a chef in Park City, Utah, and finds time to ski, etc. Liza, the youngest daughter, lives with Jobe and Ludie and is a vet tech for horses. He sends his best wishes to all.

Emile (Bubby) VanderStucken. One of my memories of Bubby was as the son of our Cub Scout den mother. Why Mrs. VanderStucken signed up for this task is unknown. My career as a Cub Scout was short, but I have memories of Bubby’s mom trying to keep order among the unruly bunch. I expect though that she placed more demands upon Bubby than upon the rest of us. Rest in peace, Bub.

As of this writing, Kathryn and I are on St. Simons Island, Ga., escaping a portion of the Vermont winter weather and playing some golf. As I recall, both Oliver Hamill ’s and Perry Rodgers’ 80th birthdays are in January and came before mine on the 20th. It’s hard to fathom that most of us are, or soon will be, 80. In PCD days, 80 seemed sooo old!

It seems impossible that the days of playing marbles under the trees on Broadmead, piling hockey equipment in the back of a yellow school bus for the short ride to Baker Rink, gobbling down chicken chow mein or chipped beef on toast in the basement lunch room, male students playing female parts on stage in the school plays (why no MFS students?), navy blue blazers with the round white and blue PCD patch with white pants for graduation and, of course, Wednesday afternoon “pink slips” for some of us less academically gifted all took place sixtyfive or more years ago. Best wishes to all fellow classmates and PCD friends.

1959

Stephen Cook stevecook566@gmail.com

1960

Karl “Pepper” Pettit karl.pettit@comcast.net

1961

Peter Raymond peterh.raymond@protonmail.com

Every class needs at least one member who can’t bear not knowing a thing that deserves publication. In Randy Hobler we have one, proven by this note: “Back in 2011, when trying to find ‘lost’ classmates, [Father] John Sheehan got Eugene Armstrong ’s sister’s e-mail, and with today’s internet tools and other research, in the spirit of dear Gene’s Santa tracker (see below), I was able to track him down, even to a recent picture. I’m saddened to report that Gene died in 2014. After PCD, he went to St. Andrew’s School in Delaware, but before graduating transferred to The Hun School to letter in swimming and crew and play on the football team. In December 1965, he became a member

Toby Knox: First and foremost, I want to enter into the record the sad passing of our classmate, Peter Morse ’61 celebrated his birthday in 1953.

August 27, 1946 — December 16, 2014 Eugene Armstrong ’61.

of Company B, 12th Regiment of the National Society of Pershing Rifles, after which Gene attended Boston College and later graduated from Rider University in 1972. A 22-year Army career Sergeant First Class, he was awarded two Bronze Star Medals with oak leaf clusters and Vs for valor while serving in Vietnam from 1966 to 1969. He was also awarded the Combat Infantry Badge. He served at HQ EUDAC/EUCOM from 1980 to 1983 in Vaighen, West Germany, and then with the U.S. Space Command at Colorado Springs, Colo., and HQ NORAD at Cheyenne Mountain, Colo., as a programmer/ analyst until he retired in 1988.

“His favorite task was creating the first ‘real-time’ Santa Tracker System for NORAD (not the original one which started in 1955). His real-time tracker allows television stations to show Santa and his sleigh on Christmas Eve, traveling around the world. The tracker receives several million visitors from more than 200 countries and territories, and volunteers on the Santa hotline answer over 130,000 calls per year from children everywhere. It has always been curious to me that despite his ‘radar’ system, Gene was off PCD’s radar for 63 years. He enjoyed hiking in Germany and Colorado,

playing soccer and slow-pitch softball, but most of all being with family and friends. He is survived by his wife of 36 years, Linda; his daughter, Heather; granddaughters Kaitlyn and Samantha; and his sister, Ellis ‘Ellie’ Kehoe ’68. I vividly remember his home outside Princeton where one Halloween we all were invited for apple-bobbing. Yesterday something triggered a long-pent-up need to find out whatever happened to Gene. Another chapter closed.

“Another recollection is of Latin teacher Mr. Lea, one of many PCD teachers from prestigious schools who benefited us. Mr. Lea, whom we loved, made the mistake of revealing his service in North Africa during WWII, no doubt including Libya. I was mischievous, and seven minutes into a class on the ablative absolute, I raised my hand with, ‘Sir! Tell us about the war in North Africa!’ Much like Colonel Hall being distracted by Sgt. Bilko, Mr. Lea spent the rest of the class regaling us with war stories. And here I am, a half-century later, reflecting on my year in Libya with the Peace Corps.

“ Peter Morse’s widow, Melissa, sent me a photo from Peter’s birthday in 1953, two years before Peter and I were at PCD together. Other guys in the photo were from Valley Road School, so I must have known him from there. That’s Peter in the middle and me peeking from the back left side. Note how every one of us has a crew cut!

“Sheehan has a wealth of stories such as the time he and Bill Shea knocked on Einstein’s door and were invited in for milk and cookies as Einstein played violin for them.” This, according to supersleuth Hobler, is hardly 1961’s only elbow-rubbing with great ones; apparently T. S. Eliot, who made Bustopher Jones famous, lived a number of years at 14 Alexander Street, the home of our Hank Tomlinson!”

Randy also discovered this obituary of our classmate Guy Vicino: Guy Louis Vicino, 41, of Ft. Lauderdale, died Tuesday, March 15, 1988. Born in Newark, N.J., he grew up in Princeton, N.J. He attended the Lawrenceville School, Boston University, and graduated from the University of Miami. He served in the U.S. Coast Guard. He owned and operated Oz, a fashionable boutique on Galt Ocean Mile for a number of years. He was an interior decorator in Ft. Lauderdale, a yacht broker with Charles Erwin Yacht Sales, Inc., Ft. Lauderdale. He is survived by his mother, Mrs. Dorothy Vicino; brothers, John and Neil; and his sister, Jane Terrin.

Regan Kerney sent this in: “Many of us learned to skate in the venerable Hobart A. H. Baker Memorial Rink when we could not traipse down to Lake Carnegie and test our luck on the natural ice. The school buses dropped us off outside the old engine room where a pair of groaning flywheels the size of small buildings ran compressors that froze the sheet. After we laced up and hit the ice, we found Princeton coach Dick Vaughn, who helped Bud Tibbals teach us to play hockey.

“On January 6-7, 2023, Princeton University marked the 100th anniversary of the rink with a party where I caught up with former teammate Steve Cook ’59 and his brother, John Cook ’56, along with the venerable Harry Rulon-Miller ’51. The rink now boasts more efficient ice-making machinery and modern locker rooms designed by Pony Fraker ’57. The weekend also reminded me of the 1964-65 freshman team that included me, Peter Raymond and Randy Hobler. Our record was 13-2, and we had a heck of a good time. I have not been on skates for years (the only ice I now seek belongs in a martini) and Lake Carnegie does not freeze over firmly enough to carry skaters nowadays. Today, PCD/PDS has its own first-rate rink, which must be luxurious compared to our rink 60 years ago. No matter. I would not trade those frigid afternoons on the lake for the world.

“Retirement is a joy. I have read a stack of books, had surgery to replace a creaky hip, and still do a part-time stint at Lawrenceville teaching one course on Abraham Lincoln and another on press coverage of the Vietnam War.”

And this report from Father John Sheehan:

“I spent many hours at Eugene Armstrong ’s farm playing the best of seven sets on their tennis court — with a break, of course, for lunch. I came to their Halloween party in an old-woman costume, pretending to be one of the girls, and even danced with several boys. Rob French ’62 and I used to go there not only to shoot targets and skeet but also to make a film on shooting safety. It includes a wonderful moment with Rob leaning casually against the business end of a shotgun.

Princeton Freshman Hockey 1964-65 included several 1951 PCDers: (front row) Regan Kerney center in pads; (back row): Peter Raymond sixth from left, Randy Hobler third from right.

Father John Sheehan ’61 and Pope Benedict.

“I went to summer camp at the Kehoes where I took my first fencing lessons with Stanley Sieja, Princeton University’s coach who had a son at the camp. I also learned how to drive a tractor and tie a necktie.

“I spent some time looking at Gene’s photo but didn’t find the face I remember. Age! Similarly, once lunching with Tom Chubet in N.Y., about halfway through the meal I ‘found’ the face I remembered; it’s funny how that works. I had the same experience with Brunie Dielhenn ’62, having not seen him for years and then halfway through the evening recognizing his face, too.

“As a young actor doing character roles, I kept a collection of faces of people before and after aging to see how they changed. When I needed to ‘age’ I learned how my own face might adapt to time, a strategy that worked so well that following a production of “Ruddigore” (my first New York Times review) playing Old Adam, I was invited to audition as custodian for the first road company of “1776.” I was the youngest person auditioning by about 40 years. Someone had seen the show and thought I was an old guy. Unfortunately, my argument that a young guy who could play old was good for a touring company didn’t sell.

“This has been one of those years. For six months I was chaplain at the University of Saint Francis, which I left in July to fill in for eight weeks at two local parishes. I then did a week in Baltimore with the national convention of the Catholic War Veterans — I’m still National Chaplain — and returned to Fort Wayne where I’m ‘in residence’ awaiting assignment. I’ve been working with the Military Vicariate about returning as a military chaplain, but despite the shortage of priests, their website shows a scarcity of job openings, and governmental pace makes a snail look speedy.

“I’ve done some writing, occasional singing around town, and am currently picketing occasionally for musicians of the Philharmonic. As a member of Actors’ Equity for 50 years, I am happy to support another union.

“This morning was the funeral of Pope Benedict. Invited to deliver a paper at an international Vatican conference, I gave him a two-volume set of the Gospels in Braille as well as a medal our American Legion Post had struck for the 10-year anniversary of 9/11.”

This incomplete overview of the Class of 1961 must suffice for the meantime; nevertheless, out there are somewhere as yet untold as stories of classmates’ lives, events, and memories of which the above is but a small sample. In closing, most is well in this house though it be wronged by freeze-exploding pipes and radiators. And yet those are mere things as are walls and basement clutter. A dear friend some years ago interrupted my mourning lost youth and vigor with a surprising truth. “Isn’t it wonderful,”

she exclaimed, dark eyes wide, “to have lived long enough to figure stuff out? I didn’t know anything when I was younger.” I think she was right. For those of us who remain, what an undeserved gift of 27,000 days we have enjoyed, to try, with each dawn, to figure more stuff out.

1962

John Gaston jmgaston3@gmail.com

1963

John Ritchie jhnritchie@yahoo.com

1964

William Ring mwmaverick@gmail.com

Donald Woodbridge maderacito@yahoo.com

1966

Deborah Hobler dvhobler@cox.net

Please join us for our 55/57th reunion at PDS on the weekend of May 19 and 20, 2023. I will be flying in from California to attend and hope to see fellow ’66ers!

Reports have arrived that there are actually ’66 classmates that are still alive and well! Since I have been accused by a certain Ms. Jaeger of being a ‘relentless’ class secretary, I backed off from “inquiring” (as in hounding) classmates about their whereabouts and activities. However, the Christmas spirit must have moved them…

In early January, Barbara Sullivan wrote that she and her husband, Michael, had been visiting her grandchildren, one in San Diego, and the other in Pittsburgh. Barbara reported that she is still enjoying yoga, gardening, and teaching ESL to adults. In September, her second book was published by the UNC Chapel Hill Press: “Climate Change Gardening for the South.” Congratulations! One of the book reviews said, “In this lively and heartening guide, Barbara Sullivan offers an essential easy-to-use resource

for adapting to the new realities of climate change. She surveys the science behind climate change and gardening, gives advice on planning and installing gardens that will not only thrive yet also helps address environmental challenges.” We need all the information we can get now on Mother Nature’s revenge on the human species. At the moment, February 24, I am watching a giant rain/snowstorm (they are calling it “blizzard conditions” for our state) pass through Santa Barbara. Oh, we just got a flood watch alert, too. It appears the whole northern part of the country has been hit hard by storms this week.

Ms. Sarah Jaeger, after a large bribe, agreed to tell me that as a visiting artist at the Archie Bray Foundation, she has organized a series of collaborative ceramic discussions (“Speaking of Pots”) through May. These series of conversations offer an opportunity to consider any aspect of pots (form, surface, materials, techniques, intention, etc.) and to share questions and ideas. It is open to the public. Go, Sarah!

In response to an email I sent out to classmates to announce our upcoming 57th reunion (May 19-20; the school is allowing us to celebrate our 55th as well, since the pandemic erased our reunion). I was so pleased to hear from Mary Carol Bilderback who started an email discussion about our class 1966 theater production of “Our Town.”

Mary had been writing an assignment for Earth Day and shared, “Out of some cobwebby cranny in my brain came ‘Oh Earth, you are too wonderful for anyone to realize you.’ A famous line uttered by our star Susie Bonthron, who played the lead.” Mary also shared memories of seeing Andrea, Patience, and me (Debbie) “running up and down the hockey playing field between Morven and the Miss Fine’s School building with such grace. I can see our pleated blue tunics and white blouses — Debbie’s, if I recall correctly — was always meticulously

The cover of Barbara Sullivan ’66’s newest book.

ironed. Patience and Andrea not so much! And of Margery Cuyler ’s ‘For Never Neverland’ creations in creative writing class — how you printed them in funny caps and letters in different colors facing the wrong direction or upside down. Do you remember when no one (except Sarah) had done the homework for George Packard, he would not despair but give us prompts like ‘Describe each other falling down the steps.’ Or he would have us empty our pockets and have us write about a person who belonged to all those items. And Anne Shepard made us memorize every god and goddess in both Greek and Latin!”

Dale Marzoni Kellogg has become a quilter during and after the COVID lockdown as she had to stop skating during that time. Send us a photo of one of your creations! She is now back

to judging skating competitions, enjoying her family, and hopes to go abroad this year to Greece.

Margery Cuyler took a beautiful nature walk by the Delaware Raritan Canal to help her write about a new middle grade novel about the ghost of a boy who drowned in the canal during the Civil War and was able to help his family escape the Battle of Antietam. I am sure doing the research is interesting on this particular well-known battle. But I must say, Margery, you have been haunted by ghosts from past American wars for a long time!!

While googling some PDS information, I came across an interview in the 1995 Journal with the then 82-year-old Shirley Davis (she passed away in 1999). First, I was struck by the fact that I thought Miss Davis was about 80 when she was at Miss Fine’s. Ah, youth! She had all white hair and was such an imposing figure, I didn’t have a clue that when the merger occurred in 1965, she was all of 51! I read the article and realized I knew nothing about Miss Davis’s background. I investigated and learned that her father, Darius Alton Davis, had held high executive positions with the International YMCA Committee in Europe, in which he helped prisoners of war and refugees during the Balkan, First and Second World Wars, he also became Associate General Secretary of the World Alliance of YMCAs. So, while growing up, Miss Davis followed her dad (and mom) all over Europe. First, her birth in Turkey, then living in Paris and Geneva. She graduated from the International School in Geneva, Switzerland, then Swarthmore College ’35 and then received a master’s degree in French from Middlebury College. She started as an elementary French teacher at the Baldwin School, and then took over as headmistress at Miss Fine’s in 1943 at the ripe old age of 30! When she arrived, there were no heads of Lower or Middle Schools, enrollment was at 133 students, there was no faculty salary scale and a debt of unpaid tuition bills. In her 22-year role as headmistress, Miss Davis turned everything around, as we all well know. Just ten years after she started, she had attained accreditation for the school, enrollment was up to 268, and the school’s income stream had tripled. So, I say bravo, Miss Davis, and thank you!

I am sad to report that Sally Behr Ogden Fisher ’s husband, Arnold Fisher, passed away on September 11, 2022. Arnold served as a

Sally Harries Gauldie ’66’s family got together for a meal during the Christmas holidays and are enjoying living so close to one another.

Susan Bonthron ’66 in “Our Town.”

Shirley Davis in 1954

ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

ANDREW FISHMANN ’68

Over the course of a decades-long career as a pulmonologist, Andrew Fishmann ’68 has seen it all — from treating patients in an old carpet factory in Nepal in the early 2000s to a formal appointment to the National Advisory Committee for Healthcare Research and Quality, a result of the George W. Bush administration’s growing interest in the impact of hospitalists on health care outcomes. But, long before he was saving lives, he was just a kid from Trenton, N.J., who found his way to Princeton Country Day School.

“I started at PCDS when I was in the ninth grade,” Fishmann shared. “I attended with four other guys from my town. We had a great experience, but our parents knew there was a big change coming.”

That change came in 1965 during Fishmann’s sophomore year when PCDS merged with Miss Fine’s School to officially become Princeton Day School.

“I remember going to the groundbreaking ceremony for PDS,” he recalled. “Many of my PCDS classmates decided not to stay when the schools merged, but I felt it was such a unique opportunity. Due to our small class size — there were 20 young women and 13 young men — we had to find inventive ways to establish things like a student council. Sometimes we’d have to include a third candidate who we knew wouldn’t win to split the votes!”

Unsurprisingly, it was Fishmann who became class president in his senior year.

Following his time at PDS, Fishmann attended Franklin & Marshall College and Temple University School of Medicine. As a physician, his ability to simultaneously appreciate the big picture and day-to-day nuances of medicine became an important part of his unwavering philosophy: patient care comes first, always. However, sometimes that means even your family comes second.

“My kids really struggled with my absence. Those early days were a drag. I was on call twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week as a critical care specialist.”

In the ’90s, noticing an opportunity to alter that narrative, Fishmann and his colleagues developed and formed Cogent Healthcare, a hospital-based healthcare management company that employs doctors in-house specifically for inpatient care. It was one of the first of its kind.

“So, we were part of the brand new hospitalist movement,” said Fishmann. “I was able to become a mentor as well as an intensivist and fly all around the country creating hospitalist programs. I went from working nonstop to spending one week a month on the road and the other weeks sharing call with junior partners.”

But Fishmann’s travels didn’t stay stateside for long. Before he knew it, he was working in developing countries with world-class orthopedic surgeons and providing care for patients with volunteer-led medical humanitarian organization, Operation Walk.

“We provided operations for patients who didn’t have access to that kind of healthcare. In countries that aren’t always able to provide accommodations like elevators or ramps, a hip replacement really is life-changing,” he reflected.

As Fishmann traveled the world caring for patients, it’s difficult to pinpoint a moment that had the biggest impact on his life; however, one moment that stood out came in 2004 when he was named The Society of Hospitalist Medicine’s Physician of the Year.

“That was my proudest moment in medicine,” he shared.

Fishmann went on to become the chief of staff at Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles. Even when his own health took a turn and he was diagnosed with cancer just three years into his appointment, he still worked to keep patients at the top of his priority list.

He said, “I had undergone two surgeries and six weeks of radiation. I couldn’t even talk during the last 2 weeks of radiation, but I still had a job to do. So, I used a chalkboard to communicate.”

Four years later and with a clean bill of health, Fishmann was preparing for retirement, but the COVID-19 pandemic was just beginning. Much like in his early days, Fishmann worked seven days a week during the first 12 months of the pandemic mentoring front-line doctors via Zoom from his living room and eventually offered in-depth telehealth consultations with patients.

Now? Fishmann is living his best life.

“I wanted to make up for the time I lost while in treatment. So, I continue to travel the world. I play golf three times a week. I spend time with my family. My dad lived until he was almost 100, and my mom is still alive at 99 years old! If the genes hold off, I know I’ve still got plenty of time to enjoy all of it.”

senior partner at Fisher Brothers, a highly successful NYC real estate firm responsible for more than 15 million square feet of commercial and residential properties during his career. Committed to philanthropy, his wide range of philanthropic endeavors focused on assisting members of the armed forces, veterans, and their families. He spearheaded the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund construction of the Center of the Intrepid, a physical rehabilitation center at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, the National Intrepid Center for Excellence on the Navy campus of Bethesda, Md., and 10 Intrepid Spirit Centers. For his lifelong commitment to philanthropy and service to the military community, Arnold received the 2008 Presidential Medal of Honor and an honorary Knight of the British Empire in 2005. We extend our deep condolences to Sally and her family.

1967

Susan Fritsch Hunter ares543@comcast.net

Julia Lockwood wrote: “When we went out West last October to visit our daughter, Rachel, in Boise, Idaho, we took the opportunity to visit Phoebe Knapp Warren at her home in Billings, Mont. We had a great time with Phoebe and Paul and saw her studio and her large sculpture entitled ‘Tomb.’ We also visited her ranch in Hardin and learned about its history and presentday cattle ranching. We also visited a museum dedicated to Chief Plenty Coups and learned about the history of the Crow Indians in that part of the West. What a beautiful country!”

Phoebe spoke of the “delightful” visit with Julia and her husband, Marc Miller, in Montana this past fall. “It was so great to see them,” Phoebe said.

Susan Fritsch Hunter: My latest news is that my poetry chapbook, “Unfinished Spaces,” will be published by Finishing Line Press in January 2024. I’ll let you know when the preorder period starts and where I’ll be having readings,

etc. Otherwise, things are going well here in Plymouth. I’m still writing for the Duxbury Clipper newspaper, Bill is substitute teaching and we see our grandchildren, Cam (seven) and Ellie (four) as often as possible. We had a great trip to Brazil in early January (yes, two days after the assault on the capital in Brasilia) to visit our daughter, Joycie, who’s teaching in São Paulo. We’re looking forward to a visit from Mary Young Bragado and her husband, Max, in April.

1968

Sophia Godfrey Bauer sbauer2086@gmail.com

Mary Hobler Hyson bassett7750@cox.net

We were sad to hear that Sandy Wandelt passed away on December 14, 2022. You’ll remember Sandy as an excellent multi-sport athlete, co-captain of the ice hockey team. Sandy and I met in eighth grade when he was at PCD and I was at MFS, and we were an item for a while, usually going to the movies or ice skating on

Baker Rink with a group of friends. As I recall, the group often included Susan Koch, John Claghorn, Evan Donaldson, Charlie Sampson (PCD), and Whit Raymond (PCD). Sandy helped run his family’s business, Gypsy Horse, and also held executive positions in several other companies. Because of his commitment to helping others, he was a very active member of the Big Brothers community. Our sympathies go out to his wife of 43 years, Wendy, and their daughter, Whitney.

Congrats to Annie Fulper who just got another story published. It is part of a collection entitled “Raconteur.” Her latest story is called “Artichoke.” Annie really knows how to put the words together — connecting one word to another like a jigsaw puzzle. Each piece of the puzzle begs the reader to pay attention to each and every description. A great read. Here is a quote from her story: “My hands look like the winter hand of an Irish washer woman with the DTs.”

I had a nice long phone call with Sia Godfrey Bauer who lives in Rhode Island with husband, Charles, but is spending a couple months in Florida this winter. There was another great phone call, this with Susan Koch LaTulippe, who is hunkered down for the winter in northern

Cameron (7) and Ellie Collier (4), grandchildren of Susan Fritsch Hunter ’67, taking a stroll in the woods near Plymouth, MA

Julia Lockwood ’67 (r) visited Phoebe Knapp Warren ’67 at Phoebe’s ranch in Hardin, MT this past fall.

Mary Hobler Hyson ’68 with classmate Katie Ecroyd in Kansas this past September.

Phoebe Knapp Warren ’67, left, and Julia Lockwood ’67 shared a happy moment near Chief Plenty Coups Museum in Montana in October.

Julia Lockwood ’67 and her husband, Marc Miller, at Chief Plenty Coups’ house in Pryor, Mont.

Vermont with her husband of 37 years, Steve. Sia and Susan both enjoy keeping up with their grandkids.

This past September, husband, Eric, and I went out to Kansas City to see our latest grandchild (number six), George. While we were in Kansas, we had a special visit with Katie Ecroyd at her home in Ottawa, Kansas, with lunch at a popular local barbeque restaurant.

In March, when Eric and I are in Florida, we plan to visit Leigh Keyser Phillips and husband, Peter, who live year-round in the Lake Wales area. We might be able to get Mazzie Madiera Gogolak (MFS) to come up from Naples, Fla., to join us.

Our 55th reunion will be held May 19-20. Hope you can join us. For details and registration, go to pds.org/aw. Thanks go to our Class Reunion Committee and Courtney Hodock from the Alumni Office for organizing the reunion and to Ann Wiley ’70 for another year of expert editing of the Journal class notes.

1969

Susan Denise Harris susandeniseharris@gmail.com

Karen Hoffman Friedlander wrote “Gardner and I are out in California helping with our two-week-old granddaughter, Josie. Our first granddaughter and the first child of our

son, David. This makes our grand total of grandchildren, three. Two live on the East Coast and now one on the West Coast. We couldn’t be happier.”

My 21st grandchild is thriving — Ruth Anita Wickline, named for my mother, Ruth Denise. My oldest grandson, Tyler Harris, will be going to Princeton in the fall.

Susan would like to retire as class correspondent since your graduation in 1969 — 54 years! Please let her or Ann Wiley ’70 (classnotes@pds.org) know if you would like to take on this fun task.

[Editor’s Correction: In the fall issue, Susan Schnur’s entry was inadvertently combined with Susan Denise Harris’ entry. Please accept our apologies. It should have read: Susan Schnur wrote: “Life is good!”

Susan Denise Harris: My youngest daughter, Megan, married Steve Wickline this past April combining their families of two eight-year-old girls, two six-year-old boys, a five-year-old boy and a four-year-old girl and awaiting a little girl. Life is full.

1970

Ann Wiley awileyemail@gmail.com

Judi Migliori Ward wrote just after she had returned from a trip to England and Scotland where she “enjoyed wonderful company and even the food. Spent time in Liverpool walking in the Beatles’ steps, which was a treat. Stonehenge rocks. Walked the soles off my shoes for ten days straight and had not a drop of rain in January with sunshine most afternoons. Lucky. Came home to plan cataract surgery and very glad I only have two eyes. I wonder how many of us have escaped that so far as we embrace seventy? Still playing on three women’s tennis teams here in Jupiter, Fla. In England, I finally got to recite the old English version of the first 14 lines of “The Canterbury Tales,” which Moyne Smith had us memorize in 11th grade…I can’t remember what I did yesterday some days but still know that. Hi to all my former classmates.”

Fred Erdman reported that he enjoyed playing in the Middlebury alumni hockey game this past January with his brother, Carl ’76, and Buzz Woodworth ’73.

Rebecca Bushnell reported: “Last July, after ten years on the PDS Board of Trustees and five as chair, I stepped off the Board and returned to civilian life. It was an exciting and challenging time to be Board chair, and I’m proud of what the school accomplished then. Now I look forward to seeing it flourish in the coming years, with new leadership. As for me, I’ll keep busy writing up a storm, serving on other boards and flying out to California as much as I can to spend time with our new granddaughter, Marion.” Rebecca, many thanks for all you have done for PDS!

Pam Orr March wrote: “Jack and I still enjoy winters on the west coast of Florida, and our summers on Cape Cod, not far from our three daughters and their families. The five grandchildren range in age from eight months to nine years; they keep us on our toes and bring us so much joy! In addition to keeping very busy with the grands, playing tennis and leading water classes, etc., I am currently finishing my first children’s book, “Jamani’s Lucky Day: Searching for Endangered Gorillas.” It was inspired by my trip to Rwanda and my trek to visit the wild mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park. I started writing when life as we knew it stopped during COVID; it has been a much bigger undertaking than I anticipated! It was exciting to recently receive the 27 beautiful watercolor illustrations from the illustrator, and I expect the book launch will be late this summer or early in the fall. Stay tuned!”

Wendy Lawson-Johnston McNeil reported from South Carolina: “Life is good in the South. Lots of outdoor things to do and a beautiful natural world to surround us daily. My sister, Tania

Wesley, the grandson of Hilary Martin ’70, at age 10.5 months. Bob Peck ’70 and his family’s 2022 Christmas card.

George Anthony Hyson, Mary Hobler Hyson ’68’s newest grandson.

1968 classmates: Susan Koch LaTulippe, Linda Hart and Leigh Keyser Phillips on their eighth-grade trip to Washington, DC in 1964.

Lawson-Johnston McCleery ’71, and I think of ourselves as ‘swamp foxes,’ which means that we can be very comfortable out in the woods but can dress up if we had to.

“Busier than ever at the museum. So many interesting projects going on with exhibitions, building a new museum in Abu Dhabi, a director’s search, DEAI initiatives and terrific impact programming. Hard to believe I am working harder than I did 40 years ago! All the kids are happy and doing well. Can’t ask for more than that.”

Janet Masterton wrote: “Our PDS 50-year class reunion was very nice, especially the dinner that Meg Brinster Michael hosted on Friday evening, prior to our actual alumni Saturday night soiree. For the next reunion, our 55th, which I think will be held at PDS in May 2025, I sure hope many of you will attend. The number of years since we graduated is quite simply SURREAL!

“I attended Will Fries, Ann Wiser ’s son, and his lovely wife, Caroline Brown’s, wedding in August 2022 in Jackson Hole, Wyo. To name just a few guests: Meg Brinster Michael, William Roebling ’65 and his wife, Maeryn…the ‘continuous’ wedding festivities were truly lovely and lots of fun!!!!

“I visited my brother and his crew in Nebraska and Colorado twice this past year. All are doing well!

“I went on my annual ‘ladies’ trip’, this year to the Dupont Gardens, always a good time! I am headed to Florida this March. We have a cruise to Alaska planned for July 2023. And I am doing volunteer work. Time permitting, I also consult for pharmaceutical companies!

“Be WELL, BE SAFE and BE HAPPY!”

Ann Wiley : I got back to travel in the past year — two trips had been postponed because of COVID. I love riverboat trips with AMAWaterways. In May, I was on the Douro River in Portugal and in December, my sister, Jane ’69, joined me on the Danube River, visiting many Christmas markets. By the time you read this, I will have returned from a trip on the Rhone River in France. I also had a “ladies” trip to the Berkshires. Otherwise, I do a lot of church work, this very part-time job of editing PDS class notes, former faculty/staff notes, and the In Memoriam page, and have many lunches/dinners with friends. I also have done a lot of needlepoint — some of my own and some I have stitched for other people.

1971

Thomas Worthington worthington_tom@yahoo.com

Nina Shafran shared: “I still enjoy my full-time work as an attorney at the FCC, although it continues to be a little strange working mostly

from home, meeting online. We’ve been told that starting May 1, we’ll be required to go to the office one or two days per week. I stay active with my church/church choir and see friends fairly regularly. Much of my free time is spent visiting with family; we gather in N.J. where my parents and sister, Paula Koerte (retired PDS middle school math teacher), reside. I have five nieces, two great-nephews and a great-niece; love them all to pieces. Last year we had a grand celebration for my father’s centennial birthday. Whoo-hoo!! Family and friends — about 150 people —came from around the country. We also had a small-scale celebration of my parents’ 75th wedding anniversary in November. My parents are remarkable people — much hardier stock than I, and they persevere despite aches, pains and ailments. I feel so blessed to have them in my life. As for COVID, it finally got me just in time to ruin this past Christmas — a total bummer. I was disappointed, by the way, that none of my classmates turned out for the PDS gathering here in DC last year. Hope you in the DMV region do better next time!”

Natalie Huston Wiles reported: “All goes well here in Springfield, Va. The most fun we had recently was a family trip to Paris for Thanksgiving! We rented an apartment for 10 days and flew with our son, Geoffrey, and his family to meet our son, Nathaniel, and his family who flew in from Mauritania. We had great cousin time for the grandchildren as well as a tour through Montmartre, private wine tasting in the apartment, lots of walking through neighborhoods and good food. Geoffrey and family returned to Virginia, while Ellis and I continued on with Nathaniel and family for a weekend at the Weihnachtsmarkt in Stuttgart, Germany, where we lived in the late 90s. It was magical for us to be there again with our son and his family. Of course, BEFORE we left on this trip Ellis and granddaughter, Mary, both had COVID. We all stayed COVID-free on the trip, however. What an adventure.”

Cintra Sedalik, daughter of Cintra Huber McGauley ’70, with her husband, Trey, and their one-year-old, Anton.

Allison Gilbert Kozicharow ’70 and Hilary Martin ’70 in Punta Gorda, Fla. this past February.

Scarlett (9) and Allison (8), the granddaughters of Allison Gilbert Kozicharow ’70.

Natalie Huston Wiles ’71’s grandchildren: Mary (4) and Will (2, on the left) with Thomas (3) at the Palais Royale in Paris. Photo by Katie Donnelly Photography.

Lisa Warren wrote: “Of course, I loved seeing everyone at our wonderful second 50th reunion in May. We went to Italy twice in 2022. First time in June to Venice, Florence and Tuscany where we stayed for a week in a wonderful villa. Second time was on a tour to Sicily, Puglia and the Amalfi Coast, which had been rescheduled from two years prior due to COVID. The first five days were fabulous. Then, unfortunately, my husband and I both got COVID and missed out on the last five. It was quite the adventure, quarantining in the beautiful hill town of Matera in a cave hotel. We had several less dramatic trips including a few to Atlanta where our daughter now lives. When home, I still volunteer to coach the PDS mock trial team, which I really have fun with (oh oh, a dangling participle!). I am still saving at-risk kids (youth shelter) and animals (SAVE). Looking forward to a trip to Costa Rica in March 2023. Life is good.”

Rick Kramer reported that he and Rick Bryant went whitewater rafting this past August in West Virginia at the New River Gorge after a twoyear hiatus due to COVID. They experienced rapids from Cat 2 to Cat 5. “It was exciting and a lot of fun. Afterward we went cruising around West Virginia in Rick’s convertible looking for, you guessed it, ice cream, and enjoying the scenery of ‘Wild Wonderful West Virginia.’” Stay safe!

William Remsen chronicled: “The year 2022 has had its challenges! The family is good and very busy. My wife, Jane, continues to recover well from her stem cell transplant. Second daughter, Allie, after finishing her federal judge clerkship after law school, recently eloped with Navy Seal Kyle Coleman, and then went active duty as a Navy JAG officer. They are both stationed in San Diego.

“I continue to have enough work to keep me entertained. Ongoing projects include working with the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston to assess and de-install a variety of historic

monuments, carrying out the conservation assessment of 792 of the oldest gravestones in the town of Stockbridge Cemetery and developing and carrying out plans for their cleaning and conservation, and serving as an instructor in Uzbekistan on a multi-year University of Chicago/Oriental Institute and U.S. State Department program to teach cultural heritage site managers from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan how to preserve and present historic sites. This season we successfully utilized a fourth century Buddhist monastery archaeological site (Karatepa) as a case study for condition assessments and site design. I also continue working with an international team on the conservation of the 500-year-old Timuridperiod Langar Ota Mosque in the mountains of Uzbekistan. This November, we just made it out

Rick Bryant ’71 (in the blue shirt up front) with Rick Kramer ’71 (in the gray shirt in the back) whitewater rafting this past summer.

William Remsen ’71 teaching at the 4th century archaeological site of Karatepa, Uzbekistan.

Natalie Huston Wiles ’71 (center) with her family (Maureen, Nathaniel and Thomas, Ellis, Natalie, Geoffrey and Mary, Kathryn and Will) at the Louvre on Thanksgiving Day. Photo by Katie Donnelly Photography.

Nina Shafran ’71 (second from left) with her sister, Paula Koerte, her mom-Mary Shafran, dad-Rev. Paul Shafran, niece, Alexandra Koerte ’00 and her two children, Elsa and Emmanuel, and Paula’s husband, Ludwig Koerte.

William Remsen ’71’s son, Peter, with William’s grandson/Peter’s nephew, Jamie O’Brien in Gloucester, MA.

before we got snowed in on the pass between Shari Sabz and Samarkand!”

Jane Cross provided: “I work a bit per diem as a pediatrician to maintain my license. I volunteered at the US/Mexico border last year and again in November seeing migrants in Mexico waiting, hoping to cross into the U.S. Years ago, I did similar volunteer work on Lesbos in Greece. Makes me ever more appreciative of all I have.

“I live in Northampton, Mass., with my husband, Paul, of 37 years. He does amazing political organizing, and I help with that. We also have one of our daughters in town with her husband and two kids — ages four months and four years. VERY lucky to see them almost daily. Our other daughter is in Maine with her husband and three-year-old, so not too far away. Grandparenting is amazing. We have a great community of friends here. I hike, sing a cappella, bike, knit, garden, travel and cook. I hope to see everyone at the 55th reunion!”

Bill Flemer, Tim Smith, Jeremy Bonner and I catch up on Zoom periodically, so I will share some of their news! Tim is busy developing documentaries and podcasts for a variety of outlets; most recently he is working on a podcast about Princeton’s own Hobey Baker. Bill lives in Hopewell and had major foot reconstruction surgery last year. He is recovering slowly, but well. Jeremy is slowly winding down his construction business in Asheville, N.C. Last fall, he made a road trip with his older brother to Margaree Harbour, Nova Scotia, where they spent many fun-filled summers in their youth fishing, boating and exploring.

Lastly from Tom Worthington (me): Melissa and I are enjoying life in Minnesota; our daughter and one granddaughter live very close, so we see them very often. Our son and his two daughters are in Washington, DC, but we still get to see them every few months. I stay busy on two nonprofit boards, most recently joining the Friends of Minnesota Valley Refuge. I play a lot of tennis, go birding (best recent find: American Three-toed Woodpecker, no Tim Smith, that is not a punchline to a joke), and remain active gathering Fish and Wildlife Service agency history.

1972

John Moore

johnlmoore3@gmail.com

Thanks to those classmates who responded to my retired/not retired poll. Out of 24 responses, 54% are fully retired, 29% are working full-time and 17% are half-time. I assume the rest of you are just very busy pursuing retirement or work! Once again, I am happy (and grateful) to share a bunch of news from our classmates, and per usual would love to hear from the rest of you!

Andy Scasserra wrote: “Have visited with Ginny Myer Kester and her husband, Greg; Cici Morgan Pastuhov and her husband, Stefan; Tom Reynolds; and Jim Harford ’73. We had a great reunion in Maine in September. Ginny returned to Maine to bury her mom’s ashes alongside her dad’s in the family plot in Wiscasset. Jim made a return visit for Thanksgiving and we kept busy putting together a liberty puzzle which was given to me by Ginny. I mostly keep busy doing things with my “kids,” all of whom have four legs. I traveled to Long Island in October to do a coursing event (Fast Cat) with Mik, my two-year-old Borzoi. We took some time off to explore the beaches on Fire Island, which amazingly I had never visited before. Beautiful!!!

Not to get overly sentimental, but as time passes I do realize that the friendships I developed way back at PDS are the absolute best ever. I am sad to think about those close to me who are already gone, Mardi Considine, Cheryl Holcombe Gates and Kathy Bissell Maloney, but I am so fortunate to still have so many here.

I received an additional email from Andy just in time for publication with a photo of our very own Harry Rulon-Miller ’51 whom Andy saw when she traveled to Princeton for a short visit in February to bury her brother’s ashes in the family plot in Rocky Hill. She also attended the Princeton-Yale hockey game, which was in honor of her brother, Ken Scasserra ’53! Alex Laughlin ’72 and Jim Harford ’73 accompanied her, along with family members. As Andy said, “We had a great time and when I walked into the Ken Scasserra Friends’ Room who was there? Harry Rulon Miller!!! So much time has passed

but wow, so many incredible memories from those days way back and so many friendships developed that allow us to pick up where we left off so long ago. It was a wonderful tribute to my brother and a tribute to my buddies from the PDS days.”

Susan Ecroyd reported that she is “fully retired, but busier than ever! Planning on visiting my mother in Princeton in early March (she is still going strong at 97!).”

Anne Robinson is “still working full-time at my company, Scottish Gourmet USA. Just finished a record haggis season for Robert Burns Suppers. Perhaps a poem was part of your PDS education… ‘the best laid plans of mice and men…’ Loved going to the reunion and seeing everyone after so many years.”

Jan Hall Burruss wrote: “Hi John! Thanks for doing all this. I did it for years, too, and it can be fun and frustrating. I retired from education at 60 and since then have been working 32-36 hours/week at the nursing home (where mom was) as an activity director. I’m facing the fifth change in management, so retirement is becoming more appealing.

“We have a new granddaughter, Ava, who was born in early December in northern Vermont to my son and wife. Ava joins sister, Emma, who is two-and-a-half. Our younger daughter got married in October and our older daughter is getting married soon, so it’s a happy time for our family. My complex symptoms from three autoimmune disorders are responding very well to treatment, so I’m feeling better and so happy about that! Stay well, safe and happy!”

Dickie Huber wrote: “Hi John. Thanks for doing this. Fully retired from the Organization of American States but manage real estate. Kitesurfing in the Dominican Republic enables me to skip cold winters on my arthritic old body!”

Jody Erdman is working “part-time with Callaway Henderson SIR. The market is busy and there’s no inventory. On Monday, we had 17 offers on a property!”

Jackie Webster Armiger is “working full-time at the Manheim Auto Auction in Bordentown, N.J.,

A watercolor painting by Hank Bristol ’72.

Harry Rulon-Miller ’51 at a Princeton hockey game this past winter.

JOHN D. WALLACE ’48 ALUMNI SERVICE AWARD

HELENA BRETT-SMITH ’73

In the early 1990s, as the HIV/AIDS epidemic was ripping through communities and the stigma of the disease ran deep, Helena Brett-Smith ’73 was a symbol of hope.

“One day, when buying an Amtrak ticket at the New Haven train station, the woman at the ticket office stopped short when I said my name. She burst out with a big smile and then proceeded to thank me for the care I had provided to one of her relatives. She had never met me in person before,” recalled Brett-Smith.

The first medical director of the HIV clinic at the Hospital of Saint Raphael (now the Yale-New Haven Hospital Saint Raphael Campus), Brett-Smith didn’t always plan on incorporating saving lives as a part of her day-to-day life.

“I took a bit of a wandering path,” she laughed.

A student of Miss Fine’s School and, following the merge, Princeton Day School, Brett-Smith has fond memories of her time at both schools. Whip-smart and curious, she eventually enrolled in a course about the human body. It was in the midst of that class that she considered for the first time the possibility of pursuing a career in medicine.

“Two PDS teachers warrant acknowledgment as having planted the seeds for my interest in science and medicine. Deirdre Bannon, who taught the sixth-grade course on the human body, used a wonderful age-appropriate book called ‘The Human Body.’ It was oversized, and filled with colorful images of the different body organ systems. In the ninth grade, Mitchell Bronk taught Upper School Physics. He made it an approachable subject by focusing on mechanical problems and the physics of everyday objects,” she recalled.

After graduating from what she described as “the secure environment at PDS,” the world she entered when she arrived at Yale at age 16 was both full of possibilities and also intimidating. How to choose a path – the “right” path – seemed daunting.

She took a year off between her sophomore and junior years, but when graduation came, her path into post-college adulthood still seemed unclear, even as it was rushing toward her. She said, “I was enticed by the idea of living in another culture and using a language other than English. I thought I could perhaps use the French I had studied in the dramatic classes with Madame Whipple back at PDS. The outcome was that I signed up for the Peace Corps and was assigned to the Ivory Coast, a French-speaking country in West Africa.”

There, she worked as an assistant to a French midwife addressing basic maternal and infant health needs such as vaccinations and malnutrition.

“The hands-on experience with limited medical tools made the responsibilities of being a physician seem less frightening,” she shared

After her return to the United States, Brett-Smith felt confident that medicine was her calling. She attended Stanford medical school and quickly grew meaningful relationships with her mentors and peers, but the HIV epidemic was spreading, and not even doctors were spared.

“During my time at Stanford, two of the faculty whom I most valued died of HIV,” she shared.

Once she completed medical school, she returned to New Haven for a Yale medical residency. Describing her experience in those early days of the HIV epidemic, Brett-Smith said, “The HIV epidemic was raging. The medical issues were challenging but also fascinating. The doctor-patient relationships were intense, often involving family members and even home visits.”

As her fellowship was coming to an end, she was recruited to the smaller Catholic hospital across town to build up its HIV care program. “I spent a very intense eight years building an HIV care program with a busy outpatient clinic, as well as taking a heavy load of inpatient infectious disease consultations,” she said.

She continued, “Burnout became an unrecognized issue. Then, out of the blue, a job recruiter called and proposed that I interview for a position working on clinical trials with some of the newer HIV treatments being developed at the Connecticut research site for Bristol-Myers Squibb. At the interviews, the people I met surprised me with their dedication and commitment to doing work that would help patients. One research physician had done HIV-related work at the National Institutes for Health – another had also been inPeace Corps!”

She later went on to hold a variety of clinical positions within BristolMyers Squibb until the Connecticut research facility was closed in 2017. She then spent several years at a small biotechnology company as the chief development officer until her retirement in 2021.

While her path may not have been the most traditional, Brett-Smith urges current students who may not know what their next steps are to consider a similar journey of self-discovery.

“I am thrilled to see the confidence and courage of the current generation of students, and glad that the range of opportunities has expanded so much,” she shared.

“But for those who still struggle with the question of what to do with their lives, the best advice I can think of is to let go of the quest for the right thing. Just jump into something – anything – with commitment. And from there, the next steps will come to you.”

eight-and-a-half years so far. Also, owns and runs an alpaca breeding and fiber farm in Chesterfield, N.J., 22 years so far. Currently 27 alpacas. Retired from professional bank position in 2009 after 30 years.

Ellen Sussman is “still working full-time, both writing and teaching. Jean Beckwith Funk was my first friend when I started at PDS. We stayed close throughout school and then drifted apart for a while until we both ended up living in Short Hills, N.J. — and had our kids a week apart! We kept each other sane through the madness of those first couple of years. I moved away and again we drifted apart. But in September, Jean and I (and two other women) did a kickass eight-day self-guided inn-to-inn hiking trip in Scotland. And we had a blast! So here we are, fifty years after graduation!

Hank Bristol has “retired from teaching. Still working as an ordained deacon (Episcopal), artist and now grandparent!”

Lucinda Herrick has “retired from the corporate world and remains very active at the community level.”

Laurie Merrick Winegar reported that she is retired. “Met Susan Stix Fisher and Rick Albert in NYC last fall. We enjoyed a nice lunch and catching up. It had been a long time since we had seen each other. I went to Ireland with my daughter and her family for Christmas and New Year’s. We had a wonderful time. Hope all is well.”

Sally Rodgers Smith wrote: “I am very retired but working harder taking care of my three young grandchildren than ever I did teaching school. They are five, three and one, and very active!”

Kate Merlino is “Working part-time! Two parttime jobs, and part retired. Sometimes I confuse the parts.”

Steve Zudnak wrote: “I hope all is well in your camp. I am fully retired. I’m still blasting away, playing in my bar bands, and planning this

year’s motorcycle trips. Still loving every second of this life chapter. I’ve been a diehard Eagles fan forever, so I’m certainly enjoying this year’s football. At this writing, they have won the NFC Championship game, beating the 49ers. My wife and I happened to attend that game. We had a great time, needless to say. Why don’t you tell us something about your exciting life? Stay well my friend.”

To answer Steve Zudnak’s request…John Moore: I have been retired for a few years and look forward to when my wife retires so that we can move about the country and maybe the world. I have two grown daughters living in New York and New Hampshire; four step-kids living in W.A., O.H., N.C. and T.N. with our 11 grandchildren; and our mini goldendoodle, all of whom keep us pretty busy. Since graduating from Connecticut College, I’ve lived in Marblehead, Mass., then San Francisco, then Fort Lauderdale, then Los Angeles and now in Connecticut. Very recently I have picked up paddle tennis after a 20-year hiatus, and plan to add tennis and pickleball to my “senior sports’’ pursuits. I’m lucky enough to live in an area that has many wooded walking trails for my energetic dog and me to work on our aerobic health! A couple of weeks ago my wife and I had the pleasure of a brief lunch with Jean Beckwith Funk and Paul Funk as they traveled up I-95 on their way to visit Jean’s brother, David Beckwith ’74. I’m still enjoying the fun we all had at our 50th reunion — we really are a lucky bunch to share so many great classmates! Bless you all.

1973

Cassandra Oxley cassandra.oxley@gmail.com

1974

Mary “Polly” Hunter White pwhite2224@gmail.com

Ethan Johnson sent: “I am still working at Morgan Lewis (a partner in this global law firm) in New York City and Miami. I plan to retire in the next year or two. Have three kids: Sarah (Bernard Clemm von Hohenberg), Austin (Lily) and Whit and two grandsons, Gustavus and Casimir.”

Ted Dowey wrote: “I am still working on the New York City water tunnels. I am hoping to connect our two (2) mile long, 14-foot in diameter, 600-foot tunnel under the Hudson River Bypass Tunnel (for which I was the design manager) to the leaking tunnel in 2023. After this, I might retire.

“I still do two bike trips a year with Sab Russo Cole Harrop, who used to join us, has opted out by moving to France. Planning to go to #50 (our class’s 50-year PDS reunion) in 2024 if all goes well.”

From me, Polly Hunter White: In 2024, next year will be our PDS class 50-year reunion!! This will be a milestone reunion for all of us. Please consider joining us in person, communicate by letter, email and/or send in photos. It will be important to remember those we have lost. If you cannot join in person, let’s try to fill our alumni Journal class page with as many updates, news from you, those we have not heard from ever or in a long time. We really do want to hear about you, all of you.

Ellen Sussman ’72 and Jean Beckwith Funk ’72 traveled to Scotland.

John Moore ’72 with his wife, Kimberly, had lunch with Jean Beckwith Funk ’72 and Paul Funk ’72 this past winter.

Yuki Moore Laurenti ymlaurenti@gmail.com

Mary Sword McDonough mollyswordmcdonough@yahoo.com

From Yuki: What a pleasure to hear from classmates near and far! Some are retired, some have grandchildren, but everyone is active and engaged.

Jeff Streed reported: “This has been a big year for us, as my wife and I have both retired from teaching and are now out and about catching up with friends and family in the states, Canada and Europe. We are so lucky that our three sons are all in Boston and forever amazed at how quickly our grandchildren are growing up while we grow no older!”

Following on the topic of grandchildren, Mary Lane wrote: “I have just become a grandmother for the fourth time in thirteen months! Thrilled to bits for my three and their lovely babies!!”

Davis Sherman reported both good and bad news: “My two grandsons (three and one) bring great joy to Anita and me. I hope other classmates have the pleasure of grandchildren as well. Bad news: domestic heating oil spills are incredibly difficult and expensive to clean up and not always well insured. If you use heating oil, check the integrity of your tank and the fill pipe (we had a fine tank, but the fill pipe rusted out) and check your insurance coverage. Clean-up costs for a hundred-gallon spill immediately observed can easily exceed a quarter of a million dollars in Massachusetts. We were lucky to be fairly well insured under a policy form no longer in use. More bad news: if you have adult children in the young immortal age bracket, insist that they get period medical checkups no matter what. My son was slow to recognize and seek treatment for a rare blood disorder arising from a genetic mutation that would have been picked up in routine blood work.” Davis ended his report with the sad news that, with no family connections to the Princeton community, we are not likely to see him at future PDS reunions.

Susi Vaughn Meade and her husband, Jim, are still living across the river in Newtown, Pa. He retired during COVID while Susi is still working part-time, but, in a job that “enables me to take a lot of time off when Jim has an itch to travel!

We travel a lot to Rochester, N.Y., to see our two-year-old grandson, Elo, (our eldest, Gillian, is his mom) and to the Chesapeake area to see our middle daughter, Cassie. Soon we will fly to Arizona to help our youngest, Kallie, move back to the East Coast. She has been doing travel PT for a year and is ready to settle down back East. We are going to make a road trip out of it and visit several national parks on our way home. Other trips on our own include spring trips to Florida, camping in western Pennsylvania,

exploring Mt. Washington in N.H., weekends in Lewes, Del. This summer we plan to bike around Acadia National Park.”

Like many of us, Eric Dunn has turned 65. He continues to work full-time, while his wife, Susan, is now retired and “focusing on horseback riding. We live in Palo Alto, Calif. Son, Gregory, is married and lives in DC; both he and his wife, Ellen, work for the federal government. Daughter, Sarah, coincidentally also lives in DC and works for an environmental consulting firm. Had dinner with classmates Davis Sherman and David Apgar recently in Santa Cruz.”

Anne Russell noted: “So here we are 65… Not sure about the concept of being retired but more sleep and exercise are a nice alternative to the working pace. We are still living in St. Augustine, Fla., and involved with community happenings. My latest endeavor at meaningful employment has been pet sitting. I enjoy volunteering at a local school, which makes me deeply appreciative of my PDS education.”

For Lars Selberg, “2022 was a year of change for Julie and me. I tried to retire. We sold our house in Connecticut and relocated full-time to Maine. And I really retired (so why am I so busy?). Our daughter also moved and ended up a ‘soft hour’ from where we are, and we get to see her a few times each month. Our son is in California, working on his next startup (that whole mode of life is just so alien to this guy who retired after 37 years with the same company!) We took a trip to DC last summer and stayed with John Brinster on the way south and on the return — always good to see John. Bill McClellan lives further down the coast and we have plans to see him and Nelda.”

Ruth Barach Cox wrote that she is “still working in my private painting conservation studio, teaching interns, chairing a local chamber music performance board, playing the violin, and enjoying hiking and photography in my spare time. Greetings to one and all!”

Yuki Moore Laurenti: I continue to work at Princeton University and dutifully wear orange and black when, well, ‘on duty’ at alumni events. I juggle a number of community-service engagements (where I do not wear orange and black!), including service on the board of the Open Space Institute, a land conservation and environmental organization based in NYC, which has me in Charleston for a board meeting at the start of March. In January, we made our annual trip to West Palm Beach to visit a work colleague from my U.S. Trust Company of New York days — and while dining at Leila Restaurant in West Palm, from the corner of my eye, I saw a familiar face — Kip Herrick ! What a small world.

Best wishes to all for good cheer and good health in the coming year.

Anne Russell ’75 with her children, Maria and Ralph.

1975 classmates Yuki Moore Laurenti and Kip Herrick found each other eating at the same restaurant in Florida in January.

Kathy Kehoe kgkath@verizon.net

65! Seems unreal to me, and despite the onslaught of Medicare enrollment solicitations, which apparently are a rite of passage at this time, I am very much in denial. I used to think that being 65 meant being old, but I don’t feel old. And judging by the tales of globetrotting and biking you all have shared, I am not alone!

It is always lovely to hear about your exciting and more pedestrian pursuits. You all — we — never cease to amaze me with the diversity and commonality of interests, talents, and gifts that we possess and have shared with the world. For many of us, the old ties still bind and/or we’ve made new connections with classmates we may not have hung with back in the day. Nice.

It’s never too late to reconnect, and I was delighted to hear from Clarissa Bullitt with the story of her life since graduation. “After graduating from PDS, I attended BU for ~1.5 years, but then had an opportunity to move to Hong Kong, where I had my great ‘youth experience.’ I lived in HK and its environs for about three years and became a club DJ! I designed clubs, set them up, and played the ‘music.’ Ironically, my interest in East Asia developed to the point where I wanted to study its history and languages; so around ’82 I moved back to the U.S. and (finally) got my undergrad degree in East Asian studies at Columbia. I went to work as editor at the Asia Society for a

couple of years, then moved to London to work as translator from/to Japanese. I moved back to Princeton to help when my father became ill. After his passing, I returned to Columbia, gained a Ph.D. in clinical psychology, then taught at Columbia and Barnard and had a private practice. I was married for 11 years and have two daughters, Emmy (26) and Claire (24). I was in the subway under the towers when the first one came down; for the next ~3 days I was camped at St. Vincent’s, trying to help families find loved ones, working with area hospitals and the Giuliani administration. Can’t say anything more about that here. Eventually I wound up running training programs for psychiatrists and psychologists at different hospitals and educational institutions — a Mt. Sinai affiliate in East Harlem for a few years, then out to LI at Stony Brook U and its hospital for 11 years — while raising my children. As the years wore on, changes in educational standards, clinical standards, and the imposition of insurance companies on clinical care, all led to increased disillusionment with my field. I retired to Saratoga Springs, N.Y., (aka ‘nirvana’) in 2019, right before COVID. I am now a content old woman, gardening and taking hikes with my two big doodles.”

Anne McClure Noel wrote: “All well here in V.T. Snow last night but not as much as they forecasted. And it’s supposed to be in the 80s where Annie Wittke Morrissey lives. With all this crazy weather happening I hope that our classmates have been safe! Annie came to visit in late fall, and we had a fun time exploring some of the area and as always lots of laughs! Both

boys are engaged but no immediate wedding plans although I do think my youngest will elope! He can’t fathom spending that much money on one day when they could use it in a better way.”

Cory Fischer Sertl had quite the adventure to Argentina and Antarctica with Jennifer Walsh! Cory shared: “We were together on an awesome expedition on the National Geographic Resolution to Antarctica through the New York Yacht Club. Jennifer lives in Jamestown, R.I. most of the year where I am in the summer! Fun connection!”

Jonathan Stein checked in with a life change I’m seeing that many of us are experiencing — retirement. (Not this girl! I’m having way too much fun with my business still.) “I’ve retired from Hagerty after more than 18 years. There were incentives offered, and it seemed like a very good time to depart. I’ve launched Merkel & Stein, LLC, to continue my writing, editing, and consulting within the collector car world. I’ll also continue to judge at the major concours. In May, my daughter, Remy, and one of her oldest friends are meeting us in Johannesburg before we embark on a two-week safari in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana. It is our way of celebrating our 40th anniversary, which comes a few months later. Next week I am scheduled to take delivery of another old MG. One was not enough.”

Sandy Shaw also offered news of a lifestyle change: “Last May, I retired from a career as CFO for a local private investment firm here in the Sun Valley area. One of the first things I did was drive across the country to move my son to N.Y. — it was a great adventure! He’s

Cory Fischer Sertl ’76 and Jennifer Walsh ’76 on their adventure to Argentina and Antarctica.

Cory Fischer Sertl ’76 and Jennifer Walsh ’76 at Tierra del Fuego.

a registered architect working hard to make a change and break into the world of XR/AR design. After that I did a long road trip around the northwest — including attending a Mary Chapin Carpenter concert with Julie Stabler Hull — always a thrill to see her perform live! Mary Chapin’s ‘Songs From Home’ on social media during the early pandemic were a comforting treat — I highly recommend. I settled at home for the summer and trained for a fall bike trip around the Julian Alps area — really loved Slovenia. Came home with my first case of COVID — wah wah. Tons of snow early this winter — nice for skiing, but I am ready for spring, hiking and golf! The snow might be gone by June…Last April I had a truly wonderful mini reunion with Gwyneth Hamel Iredale, Eleanor Kuser and Julie Stabler Hull in Santa Barbara.”

Speaking of Gwyneth, her update also included their reunion: “Hello from the West Coast. I’ve been pretty busy still working at a software startup involving blockchain for real estate and title. The last PDS connection I made was last year on a visit with Sandy Shaw and Julie Stabler Hall to see Eleanor Kuser in Santa Barbara. We had a really nice time on our weekend jaunt sharing PDS memories around teachers who influenced us and also about figure and ice hockey skating; we were on the first women’s ice hockey team. After graduating, I went on to be a part of the first women’s team at Hamilton College. My 24-year-old son is at Pace University in NYC and a 20-year-old daughter is here in Eugene studying at a community college with hopes to transfer to the U of O (go Ducks!). My

mother, Phyllis Hamel, at 95 says hello to her friends in Princeton. I welcome visitors. Just google my name if you want to connect on a visit to Oregon. Happy to host any classmates.”

In addition to a mention of the same mini reunion, Julie shared: “I will continue my work on the MAIA board in Guatemala until the end of 2023, and last year I was invited to join the science/research-based board of Save The Elephants in Kenya, which feeds my love for elephants and gets me to Kenya at least once a year. Last but not least, we have a second grandchild on the way!”

Apparently, Phil Thompson shared my enthusiasm for the work-a-day world still: “I am one of those rare birds, who is having fun at work (CTO of an education company). Helping my son build a house on the front of our property: even using wood from our own sawmill! Next month I’m off on a trip to Italy...Between grandkids and public service volunteering, I think I slept a few days ago! (LOL)”

The grass never seems to grow under Murray Wilmerding ’s wheels: “My partner, Cyndi, and I are taking it to the road this year. We hit that magic 65 and why not. Both my parents (Adela in 2020 and Lucius in 2018) passed at the age of 86.5. They were integral to PDS as trustees... and support. Mobility and keeping it simple. Our 47th? WOW. I am sure there is a spot to park it by the hockey rink or by the Great Road. Kids and grandkids are all doing well. COVID has been a challenge to the education system and to kiddos to all involved in teaching. Yes, I’m

still biking. Age has brought the skin doc in to freeze a few...A sudden bout with arthritis (knee) gave me pause to reevaluate my three favorite food groups — hot grease, salt and sugar. Ok, kidding. Cycling definitely balances our love of good food. So many great memories exist for me with PDS, Lott, Denby, Jacobsen, Mr. Inky Dinky (Franz), Arlene Smith, Harry Skateon-Miller and many more. Looking forward to seeing PDS again.”

In response to my reminder that Bill von Oehsen’s home restoration will be featured on This Old House this spring, Tom Moore said: “Well, it’s a small world getting smaller! I bike by the house reasonably often, though I never noticed major construction going on. Maybe I was going too fast. :) I’ll be sure to stop in on my next ride.”

Bill provided an update: “I’m still working, albeit shorter work days. With the move to Massachusetts, my work is completely remote except for the occasional trip back to DC. It is considerably colder here, with much longer winters. So, I think we’ll have to plan an annual trip each February or March for a long vacation somewhere warm.”

Jay Trubee seems to balance retirement with work, but then again, I guess when our work is our passion it doesn’t really feel like work. “Just celebrated 29 years of Jillian’s Restaurant in Palm Desert, Calif.,—named after our first girl. Fed a lot of people over the years, a couple of presidents, but more importantly a few classmates. I recall Jeb Burns and Leslie Ring Burns, Billy Erdman, Julie Stabler, Eleanor Kuser; I know there are more I’m forgetting. Nick Brady got married here 20 something years ago. Don’t know if I’ll be doing it for 29 more years, as long as my feet hold out. We close for five months every summer and head East, brutally hot here in summer, but heaven in the winter. Never realized that I didn’t have to freeze in the winter. All the best, boy does time march on.”

Joanne Kind Hinton checked in: “Not a lot to report. Still doing real estate investment with GL Capital — the company owned by my son, Andrew, and his partner/wife, Jade. The best perks of working with them are being with Charlie and Anabelle, their children. We took two amazing trips in 2022: one to the Galápagos Islands, and one to Italy. Hoping to travel more in 2023. Would love to reconnect with anyone coming near Princeton; we still live in Bucks County, Pa.” I think most of you know that Joanne’s brother, Richard Kind, is an actor. She added this tidbit: “The show Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates Jr. researches people’s family history. My brother was on the show with David Duchovny.” So, we can tune in and learn about her family’s genealogy, which is kinda neat.

As for me, Kathy Kehoe, life at the moment is filled with tending to aging pets’ needs and

Murray Wilmerding ’76 with his partner, Cyndi.

working to grow my e-commerce business in the face of economic challenges, so I’m very much tied to the day-to-day. Hopefully travel will come when we are no longer homebound with the animals, but in the meantime my youngest is at least getting out there on our behalf with a second trip to Scotland in May to spend time with his fiancée. They are working on her visa with hopes that she can move stateside by the end of the year.

Keep on keepin’ on, my fellow young ‘uns!

1977

Sandra Benson Cress sbcress@aol.com

Trusty PDS Class scribe, Sandra Benson Cress here, with some updates from the class of ’77. I managed to guilt-trip some classmates into submitting “news” and pics, by telling them that I was writing as my daughter recovered from an emergency appendectomy (is there any other kind?), AND that this sadly interfered with our plans to see Bruce Springsteen, yet again, at Portland’s MODA Center…to which Pete Buck responded: “So sorry to hear about the day you had. I hope the surgery went well! Bonus round…Which one of our classmates had a burst appendix while at school in fourth grade? Answer: Sam Fussell.” Funny the things we remember from so long ago. (I didn’t remember this little factoid).

Lisa Yokana shared: “I can’t NOT email after that call for help! Blake and I just got back from a week in Buenos Aires. 90 degrees to 30 is a rough shock! I’ve been working with a terrific school just north of the city, so we made it into a vacation too: wine tasting in Uruguay, a day on a typical ranch, a boat trip down the river delta, as well as lots of walking and exploring the city! Other exciting news is that my youngest and her husband are expecting the first grandchild in late April — and since they live around the corner, we expect to spend lots of time with our grandson! And so, I’ve decided to leave my teaching job after 15 years at Scarsdale High School to pursue more consulting as well

as continuing to teach entrepreneurship at Iona University.

Hope this helps fill the column.” (Yes, Lisa, it absolutely did. And congratulations on the upcoming grandparenthood.) Oh, and back in November, Lisa ran the NYC Marathon! Way to kill it, Lisa!

Rod Paine chimed in: “What a terrible confluence of events! I’m sorry it had to turn out that way and I hope your daughter is doing well now. [She is] And that you got a tidy sum for the (Bruce) tickets. [I was grateful to get ticket costs recovered, as we also had a snowstorm]. I myself had an emergency appendectomy about 16 years ago and ended up in the hospital for 11 days. Yippee! About the Journal, sadly (or reassuringly) absolutely NOTHING is new with me. But your pitch was so sincere I jotted down the following ditty: Rod Paine is doing almost nothing new, still living on the UWS and taking the next step in a renovation, this time the kitchen. He’s off to the Netherlands in April to see the Vermeer exhibit and has found a 17th century townhouse in Amsterdam to rent. Spending a few days in Delft for the complete experience. Tulips galore on itinerary. Also planned is a side trip to Bonn for Beethoven fun, having missed this area the last trip. Will send pix.” This reminds me, I did get a Facebook message recently from Alice Britt , who told me that her husband,

Robert ’75, is the brother of our classmate Hendrik Gordenker, whom we haven’t heard from in eons, if ever, and that their younger sister Emilie Gordenker is the director of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. WOW!

Lex Arlett Kochman wrote: “We made the first of empty-nest downsizing moves to Bedminster, hoping to head to Charleston, S.C., next. Had my annual visit from Claire Treves Bezel with her yummy EVOO from the family grove and casale in Italy. It is the best you will ever taste.”

Claire Treves wrote: “Casale Sonnino extra virgin olive oil makes my world go round! After 45 years, Jan Baker and I reconnected because of you guessed it — our liquid gold! Golf is her game now, keeping her forever young and looking great. There is nothing like friends who knew you back when and remembered who your doubles partners were.

Cary Bachelder Dufresne and Melanie Thompson Fauchet ’78, are you out there???

Thank you Jan for reaching out and supporting our small family olive grove. #casalesonnino #romecountryvilla #bestitalianextravirginoliveoil.”

Harold Tanner shared: “The idea of relaxing as I approach retirement has not worked out. The more tension there is in the US-China relationship, the more people seem to want to know about Chinese military history. I’ve got more invitations to do talks, teach seminars and write stuff than I can handle and am trying to finish a book on war in modern China before the US and China go to war with each other. Sometimes I think back to that Chinese history class with Parry Jones, in a classroom down in the basement of Colross — a class that he taught using college level textbooks and at college-level expectations. I’ve still got the book — Immanuel Hsu’s “The Rise of Modern China.” That one class, which I took because everybody, it seemed, was taking European history and I wanted to be different, gave me a solid foundation for what somehow became my career. What else to say? Still enjoying life in Denton, Texas — a good town for local music, be it the sophisticated One O’Clock Lab Band, all-women psychrockers Pearl Earl, the nuclear polka of Brave Combo, or those punk rock paragons of bad taste and bad attitude, the Wee-Beasties.

Pete Buck’ 77 and Annabelle Brainard Canning ’77 at a Phillies World Series game.

Pete Buck ’77 hosted classmates Mark Zawadsky, John Haroldson and Chris Johnson, at a Phillies World Series game.

Lisa Yokana ’77 and husband, Blake, after she finished the NYC Marathon!

Claire Treves Brezel ’77 visited with Jan Baker while delivering an order of her extra virgin olive oil!

Fight the TicketMaster/LiveNation monopoly capitalists—support local music! Oh bondage . . . OK, signing off now, best wishes to all!”

Rachel Abelson Hickson and her husband, David, celebrated the marriage of their daughter, Jessamine, to Jacob Schwartz on May 15, 2022, in Rye, N.Y. “It was a magical day and a great result after a multi-year postponement due to the pandemic.”

Clooie Sherman shared: “Nothing much to report, Sandra. Life in Seattle continues apace. All are well. My great-nephews are growing like weeds. We replaced our furnace with a heat pump. Trying to be good planetary citizens. That’s about it!”

Andrea Avery Renault wrote: “For everyone, these have been complicated times during the pandemic. My son, Remy, moved several years ago to Paris, which has its pleasures, like a great excuse to travel there frequently. COVID, however, definitely put a wrench into our plans

several times. We were able to travel back and forth, but not without constant testing, delayed departures due to testing positive, and a missed shared Christmas in 2020. I hope you are all coming out of this period healthy and happy.”

Finally, from me, Sandra , it’s been a wonderfully busy summer/fall/winter (appendectomy aside) since we all gathered on the Great Road for our 45th reunion last spring. I spent July working as the transportation manager for the World Athletics Championships, which took place in Eugene, Ore. Then, in August I sang “in residence” with the Portland Trinity Cathedral Choir at St. Paul’s Cathedral (London) and St. George’s Chapel (Windsor Castle). It was truly bizarre, one month later, to watch Queen Elizabeth’s spectacular funeral service take place at the exact spot at St. George’s where we sang Sunday Eucharist and Evensong, with her body processing over Henry V’s tomb in the middle of the choir stalls and underneath the flags of the Order of the Garter. From London, I flew to Vigo, Spain, to walk 120km of the Portuguese route of the Camino de Santiago, a twice-COVID-delayed trip. I’ve been keeping quite busy with choral duties and flamenco classes, lots of reading and some non-profit volunteering as well.

Wishing you all a wonderful next six months. Feel free to drop a line anytime and let me know if you’re going to be passing through Portland, Ore.!

1978

Nora Cuesta Wimberg nlazz@mac.com

We started 2023 with a new puppy. Meet Leonardo Simba Wimberg (Leo), a Yorkie who was named after the month he was born in the zodiac sign Leo. Our beautiful Lucky passed away in November after 14 years of a good life; when I came across this little guy, I could not resist. We are still in South Jersey. My husband, Charlie, is a third owner of his cousin’s two funeral homes so he is busy after he thought he was “retired” from the electric company after 30 years. We do get down to Florida a lot to visit our families. Charlie and I went to Orlando for Thanksgiving; we rented an eight-bedroom house for the week and the entire family got together for Thanksgiving Day. I still volunteer at the Red Cross and the food pantry. Love both. It is wonderful to be retired and in control

of my day’s activities. Hope everyone is doing great and I LOVE hearing from all of you, even if just a sentence. It tells me that we are all still connected.

Sue Fineman Keitelman wrote: “Nothing ‘earth-shattering’ to report. I am a reading teacher assistant at an elementary school and am teaching first to third graders phonics and decoding skills. Many of my students are not native English speakers, so although it can be challenging, doing so makes me realize how much I take speaking English for granted, especially when I try to help a child hear the subtle difference between the letters s and z or the sound of a short ‘e’ and short ‘i’. I’ve thought about possibly getting a third master’s degree so I can be a reading specialist, but I’m not so sure I have the ‘oomph’ to do that anymore!”

Brian Trubee wrote: “Not too much has changed with me since the last update, I am expecting my first grandson in April, I promise not to force people to look at photos of him when he arrives. I am looking at moving out of my rental house and purchasing a house at the Diamond Point Airpark near Sequim, Wash. My wife and I have been separated for a year now; life is good. I keep busy volunteering at the local fire department, build furniture, fly my plane, and keep busy in any myriad of ways. I plan on attending the reunion this May.”

Nancy Chen Cavanaugh wrote: “My husband, Steve, and I are still enjoying our home in North Carolina. Can you believe we’ve lived here for three years already? It does get cold in the winter, so we still have the change of seasons, but there has been no SNOW. My news is that I am finally back to volunteering at the local library. It

Andrea Avery Renault ’77 with her son, Remy, in France.

Lisa Yokana ’77 received the 2023 Tell Award for Outstanding Innovative Teacher.

Abelson family wedding photo included: (third adult from left) Daniel Abelson ’76 and (second adult from right) Joseph Abelson ’73.

is nice to feel useful, even in retirement. Also, I am dancing again! A new studio opened in Southport, N.C., and since there are so many retirees here, they decided to offer an adult ballet class during the afternoon. It’s perfect for me so I am very happy! Hope all is well with everyone. ’78 is great! Communicate!”

Chip Bristol wrote: “I don’t have much news other than I survived the holidays. I also had a book come out in December called, “Burning Faith.” It’s a story of a church that burns and how the people found their faith (and themselves) without a building. People seem to like it. It’s on Amazon. My other books are: “Spiritual Java,” “The Star” and “The Boy Who Likes to Wear a Red Cape.”

Sarah Jane Nelson wrote: “My first book, “Ballad Hunting with Max Hunter: Stories of an Ozark Folksong Collector,” is being released by the University of Illinois Press’s Music in America Series. I’ve already had my first book signing, and it was a BLAST! In April my husband, Andre, and I will travel to the Ozarks for my ‘Singing Scholar’ tour.

“We took a ‘sentimental journey’ back to Princeton in May. It was very moving indeed, especially when I realized that PJ’s Pancake House was still in existence. We took a walk in the woods behind the Institute for Advanced Studies; I played fiddle on the swinging bridge — just like the old days — well, sort of. Exciting Times!”

Sabrina Barton wrote: “Hi everyone. This is an interesting age/year for us. I hear talk of retirement. My version of that is taking a temporary break from gainful employment to spend some time writing screenplays. Two of my first scripts made it to the quarterfinals of the Austin Film Festival; that was encouraging. Sure wish I’d started writing about three decades ago. I’m in the midst of watching ghost-horror movies as research for a new project. Over Thanksgiving, I met up with my brother, Adam ’80, and my sister, Jessica ’77, to celebrate the occasion, and our father’s 90th birthday. If you’re looking for tips, my father attributes his longevity to racket sports and martinis. For those

who know my family, Adam still lives in the Bay Area designing beautiful houses and Jessica still lives in Watertown working as a therapist. She also spends time in Truro, Cape Cod, managing her fabulous rental house — also known as the place we siblings and our families get together once a year. Martinis play a role in our Truro visits, racket sports not so much. We’ve got half the longevity game plan covered.”

Keith Baicker wrote: “I continue to stay active in photography. For the second year, I have had multiple photographs selected for the Friends of Colonial Lake Park fundraising calendar. I have also been approached about a part-time job as an in-house photographer for a company in the Cranbury area. Someone from their graphics department approached me at the last arts festival I attended as a vendor.”

Gail Reeder Pyke wrote: “We still have our house in Prospect, Ky., but happily spend most of our time in Florida. Our son, Jack, lives nearby in the Tampa area where he is a technology analyst.”

Barbara Vaughn wrote: “After 20 years in San Francisco, our family migrated east last spring. We’re back in NYC, spending time in Princeton with my dad and sister, Phoebe ’84, and in Litchfield County, Conn., where I’m establishing a new studio. My next solo exhibition opens August fourth in Sun Valley, Idaho, at Friesen + Lantz Fine Art Gallery. Please come by if you’re in the area, and in the meantime, I look forward to seeing everyone at our reunion this May!”

Greg Morea wrote: “After what happened to Barbara and me last holiday season, it was a pleasure to have a quiet Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year! In the span of a week, we had the entire family over to our house for latkes, went to our son, Joseph’s, for a feast of fish on Christmas Eve and spent Christmas morning at our daughter, Rebecca’s, house having breakfast. Yes, wonderful food is a theme here. Also, this is a big year for Barbara and me. In June we will celebrate 40 years of a blissful marriage, and at the same time, I will become a master shipbuilder at Electric Boat with 40 years of service. Looking forward to it.”

Allison Ijams Sargent wrote: “I am still writing and teaching ESL, but on the family front, our youngest, John, is getting married this summer on the Connecticut College campus, (the happy couple’s alma mater — also mine, my husband’s, my sister’s, her husband’s and many more). My daughter and her husband are having their

Gail Reeder Pyke ’78 with her husband, Mark (r), and her son, Jack (l), in Longboat Key, Fla., in 2021.

Nora Cuesta Wimberg ’78 and her husband, Charlie, on their way to Florida for Thanksgiving.

Phil Clippinger ’83 and his daughter, Emily ’13, with Brad Clippinger ’78 and his children, McKenzie and Jack, who all got together for the first time in 10 years at Brad’s home in the Phoenix area.

Greg Morea’s home is decorated with “my lighting extravaganza; the pole with all the lights is twenty-five feet tall and has over 3000 lights on it.”

Leonardo Simba Wimberg (Leo), the new puppy of Nora Cuesta Wimberg ’78.

second child which will make me a grandmother of two which cannot be possible! Hurray for our 45th reunion!”

1979

Catherine White Mertz cathywhitemertz@gmail.com

Evan Press evanrpress@gmail.com

Ben Dubrovsky : “My wife, Alice Waugh, and I continue to live in Lincoln, Mass., and our daughters continue to attend Berklee College of Music (Sarah) and Oberlin (Becca). Alice and I enjoyed the recent gathering of PDS alumni in Boston, and the impromptu gathering of some of our class members afterward. I’m looking forward to our next softball game in just over a year.”

Katie Jeffers: “In 2021, we sold our apartment in NYC and moved to N.J. It takes a village to find a place, and Rob and I are ever so grateful to Jane Henderson Kenyon and her inner knowledge about all things Princeton. In 2022, we found a home at Constitution Hill and have been under renovation. We are getting to the end and are looking forward to seeing our life’s contents, which has been in storage for almost two years!”

Karen Polcer Bdera : “The past few months have been fun — a visit to Aruba (first time back since the onset of COVID) and a trip to New Orleans to celebrate my youngest brother’s wedding. And also, not so fun — finally caught COVID for the first time, just three days before Christmas. It was an easy case, thanks to Paxlovid, but the timing was terrible. I am looking forward to doing the TCS NYC Marathon in November (#24 NYC, but #25 overall—might be the last one — we will see).”

Adam Gibson: “First of all, thank you for the outpouring of love and support. The past year

has been challenging (with Kara’s youngest son dying in a car accident), but we have been able to cultivate joy in many ways, including travel, cooking and exploring parks for our nature photography hobby. We have been traveling — Spain, Mexico and across the country on various trips. We hope to get back East (we live in Indianapolis) in the coming months. Over the holidays, we took our children to Mexico to establish a new tradition. My architectural design work is keeping me quite busy and we are looking for a new home. Lots happening!”

Hazard Zenzie: “My wife, Kathleen, and I went on a scuba diving trip to Raja Ampat in Indonesia this past fall. We stayed at Misool Eco Resort, which was built on the site of a former shark finning camp. Except for contracting COVID (both of us) and nearly passing out one night after dinner (moi), we had a fantastic time. The coral reefs were spectacular: we saw an octopus, a cuttlefish, a manta ray, a tiger mantis shrimp, an electric clam, zillions of fish, and a blue ribbon eel (one of my bucket-list critters). After we returned to Boston, it took us about a month to feel normal again, but we would do it again in a heartbeat!”

Evan R. Press umpired 458 baseball games in 2022. He may never be the same. Daughter, Hartley, is graduating with her master’s degree in dosimetry from Suffolk University in Boston. She has already been fielding offers from various hospitals! Son, Nevin, is finishing his junior

year at Trinity University in San Antonio. He accepted a terrific internship offer to stay in San Antonio for the summer to work for Valero. Evan is preparing for our 45th reunion in 2024 by attending his 40th Rollins College reunion this year in Florida. His ‘handler,’ Maggie, is going with him. If she survives, you just might meet Maggie in Princeton.”

As for me, Cathy White Mertz, here are a few highlights (and a lowlight) from the last few months: visited Noah in Albuquerque where he’s working on his master’s in French literature and philosophy; shattered my left wrist (stairs were involved); spent lots of time on the Cape with my mom and sisters (Wendy White Brockelman ’84 and Liz White Meahl ’86 — check out the Class of ’86 notes to

Karen Polcer Bdera ’79 and her husband, Nick, in New Orleans.

Sandra Benson Cress ’77 with her husband, Doug, mother (94!), and daughter, Lauren, celebrating her birthday at Benihana.

Adam Gibson ’79 stirring a paella dish in Ribadesella, Asturias, Spain.

see a pic of the three of us). Recently, a few of us (Ben Dubrovsky, Hazard Zenzie, John Partridge and I, along with most of our respective significant others) attended a PDS reception in Boston, where we were BY FAR the oldest alums in the room. Afterward, we walked over to Sólás Irish Pub for really good cocktails, and food. SO much fun!!

We are very sad to report that Caroline Hartshorne’s mother, the lovely Val Hartshorne, passed away in January. You have our deepest condolences, Caroline.

Our sincerest condolences to Jay Nusblatt , as well, on the death of his wife, Ilene, who passed away in February after a long struggle with scleroderma.

Until next time…

1980

Suzanne Albahary D’Amato suzannemndamato@yahoo.com

Karen Kelly k2pk@comcast.net

Keep your news and updates rolling into us. It’s always great to hear what our classmates have been up to throughout the years. Besides using email, you also can submit news and photos to us through the Princeton Day School Class of 1980 Facebook page or directly to Wavelength (pds.searchwavelength.com).

Virginia Gilbert told us about her recent cross-country move. “On Dec. 30, 2022, I moved from Los Angeles — the city I’d lived in for 36 years — to Asheville, N.C. As an empty

nester whose office job became remote during the pandemic, I’m excited to live in a place that is more affordable, has better air, less traffic and a richer sense of community. I already knew people in Asheville when I moved but was pleasantly surprised to discover how easy it was to make new friends at the ripe old age of 60. There is a vibrant art and foodie scene here, and a gentler place that is conducive to mindfulness and creative pursuits. I’m so enthusiastic about this new phase of my life, in a brand-new city, that I started a Substack newsletter about it called Up and Gone To Carolina. Would love to see any PDSers who roll into town!”

Tim Murdoch sent this news via WaveLength: “I was recently featured in a story entitled, “What Business Leaders Can Learn from Lacrosse Legend Tim Murdoch” in Forbes magazine

(August 2022) with a story of my two-pronged career and a focus on positive leadership.

1981

Camie Carrington Levy camie@palousetravel.com

Kirsten Elmore Meister kmeister5@yahoo.com

Barbara Zeitler reported: “The big news is that after more than four decades, I have moved back to Princeton to be with my family. Five years ago, my mom married the man of her dreams. We all adore him. And he has three wonderful adult children who all live in the Princeton area.

My youngest of five went off to college last year, freeing me up to make moves. Three of my adult kids have settled in New York, one in Queens, one in Brooklyn and one in Manhattan, which is also where my granddaughter is. She is the light of my life these days. We are expecting her baby brother in April.

“One of my sons got married in December and just last week my daughter proposed to her boyfriend. So proud to have raised a feminist who is breaking through the gender stereotypes.

I am excited for the next chapter: Princeton Round 2.”

1982

Lorraine Herr LHerr@herr-design.com

Lindsay Suter, AIA, LEED AP, was honored by the Green Building Council with their

Cathy White Mertz ’79 and Ben Dubrovsky ‘79 at Sólás Irish Pub in Boston.

Adam Gibson ’79 and Kara Kavensky on a snorkeling excursion.

Hazard Zenzie ’79 giving a thumbs up at Sólás Irish Pub in Boston.

Coach Tim Murdoch ’80 in final 10-0 season at McGill University. Photo courtesy of McGill Athletics.

Green Advocate Award this year. The GBC is the premier non-profit institution for the development and implementation of sustainable design and “green” building. (Maybe you’ve seen one of their plaques on a LEED certified building). This is essentially their “lifetime achievement” award for architects and ecological/ community proponents. In his acceptance speech to the board of directors, Lindsey acknowledged, “On very rare occasions, you receive a compliment that you end up spending the rest of your life trying to live up to. This is surely mine.”

After finishing up a weekend of music and fun, Tom Marshall wanted to share photographic evidence of the epic gathering. Tom wrote: “We had an extraordinarily rare reunion of our PDS Class of ’82 band, And Back. We’ve gotten together over the years of course — but this was the first time in 30 years that all five members got together and wrote, played and recorded songs. We were at my house and Roger Holloway ’s house.”

And Back is made up of the following individuals: Marc Daubert, Dave Abrahams, Peter Cottone, Roger Holloway and Tom Marshall.

Lorraine Herr : Your trusty class of 1982 scribe began a new role in the fall of 2022. I joined the Kellogg School of Management as a career coach for the full-time MBA students. I can’t tell you how much I enjoy working with this remarkable cohort of talent from across the globe. Plus, the views of Lake Michigan from our offices aren’t too bad. If you visit Evanston, Ill., please look me up.

1983

Noelle Damico revdamico@gmail.com

Rena Whitehouse renawhitehouse@hotmail.com

1984

Edward Willard tcwillard@mac.com

Not much news submitted to me, but exciting news for us! Our youngest daughter, Jayne Willard, will be finishing her master’s in geology at Chapel Hill in May and has just accepted a position as a biological technician with the National Parks Service in Saint Paul, Minn. She will be continuing her research on beavers and their impact on local water systems, which is the basis for her master’s research. She now knows what she can spend her saved L.L. Bean gift cards on: warm clothes!

1985

Lynch Hunt lynchhunt@alumni.upenn.edu

Marisa Petrella sales4metoo@msn.com

Barbara Zeitler ’81 (fourth from left) next to her son at his wedding in December.

The And Back band got together again! 1982 classmates (l-r): Tom Marshall, Roger Holloway, Pete Cottone, Marc Daubert, Dave Abrahams.

And Back mini-jam with 1982 classmates: Tom Marshall, Roger Holloway, Pete Cottone and Dave Abrahams.

Lindsey Suter ’82 accepting award from the Green Building Council.

And Back Band practice was supplemented by a visit from Stewart von Oehsen ’83) From left, Tom Marshall ’82, Roger Holloway ’82, Pete Cottone ’82, Dave Abrahams ’82, Stewart with Mrs. Holloway (dark hair upper right) and Mrs. von Oehsen.

1986

Mollie Roth

mollie.roth@pgxconsulting.com

Liz White Meahl sent in: “Feeling a bit in the spotlight, sending something in for our typically empty Class of 1986 notes! Life in Maine happened when my husband’s employer offered it as an option. Portland has been a great place to live and raise our now adult kids. I am in the front office of a small expeditionary learning high school, which is challenging and awesome. After graduating from college, my son, Jack, started out in the corporate world and quickly determined that was not the right fit. He is now one of the two dedicated substitute teachers at the high school where I work! Nice seeing him daily and loving his work. My daughter, Sumner, is set to graduate this May, certified as a secondary high school English teacher. She will head back to Portland to pursue a master’s program in English. I am thrilled to keep our small herd in close proximity! As I write this, I’m on the Cape with my mom and my sister, Cathy White Mertz ’79, and we were all here a few weeks ago with Wendy White Brockelman ’84, too! During COVID, a number of us Zoomed and it was awesome

seeing PDS friends. That was May of 2021! I see Christi Curtin McCarthy and Kelly Noonan O’Shea each year but am woefully out of touch with so many long-lost friends. So, there’s a Class of ’86 post. Tag, you’re it!”

1987

Sofia Xethalis sxethalis@yahoo.com.au

1988

Mike Lingle mlingletonic@yahoo.com

1989

Doria Roberts doriaroberts@yahoo.com

1990

Deborah Bushell Gans gansdebby@gmail.com

1991

Aly Cohen alycohen@yahoo.com

Kate Muccino Gandhi reported: “We are doing well! I don’t have a recent family pic (last one was last summer at a wedding reception, but Naveen is now even taller and different looking). Malena is studying cartooning at the School of Visual Arts in the Village. She wants to create her own video game characters, write and author her own books, and what else, we will see! Naveen is 16, heavy into sports (XC, swim, track) and overall doing great.”

Aly Cohen: It’s been a busy 2023 already! My boys are enjoying their eighth and 10th grade school years at PDS and are regularly consumed with PDS sports and travel lacrosse. My eighth grader just had Mini-Course Week, Chocolate Immersion…some of us may remember this mini-week option from 35 years ago!!

On a professional note, I’m thrilled to share that Simon & Schuster has offered me a new book deal to discuss how immune disorders and autoimmune diseases are strongly influenced by chemical exposures in our everyday lives AND how we can all protect, effectively manage and even improve our immune systems for better health and longevity (to be published in the fall of 2024).

Lea-Lea Erdman Marshall ’82 caught up with And Back Band members and classmates: Roger Holloway, Pete Cottone and Dave Abrahams. Marc Daubert ’82 showed how it is done!

Dan and Kelly Noonan O’Shea ’86, Dan and Christi Curtin McCarthy ’86 and Liz White Meahl ’86 and Pierre got together in fall 2022.

Lea-Lea Erdman Marshall ’82 shooting the breeze with classmates Marc Daubert and Peter Cottone.

It was a wonderful surprise to see my classmate, Tony Mack at the boys’ varsity lacrosse practice along with his wife, Kim!

1992

Sharon Thomas Haber sharon@maiaeducation.com

Judson Henderson jhenderson@callawayhenderson.com

1993

Darcey Carlson Leonard darceyva@gmail.com

1994

Cynthia Shafto Cynthia.678@icloud.com

Well, it’s official…hell is freezing over! Sightings of snow at the Hollywood sign and hailing in La La Land. Dusk skies filled with cotton candy clouds and it’s only day five of Lent; I believe in miracles, and I imagine by April sixth I will have won the lottery and student loans will be canceled!! I will take us all to Disneyland. Let us pray.

Speaking of miracles, I was surprised with a visit by our very own Maggie Seidel Waterhouse last weekend in town for the Frieze art show. She is the senior sales director at Sperone Westwater Gallery in NYC! I got a private tour of their collection and she kept all eyes on me as Larry David waited for her attention, savvy are her skills. Larry can wait!!

Although it has been 20 years since I’ve seen her, within an instant, I felt more seen than I have in nearly as long, truth. For me it was the reunion my soul was seeking. LOVE! Memories of who

we were remind us of who we are. That the bonds of our Panther years will last forever, and I am eternally grateful for that and IT. I continue to believe the BEST has yet to come! Again, let us pray, I will accept no alternative. Until then I’ll be living in my Pink Noise wonderland waiting and watching for pigs in the sky.

Miracles continue as I have received some more updates to share:

Josh Anzel reported: “I live in San Francisco with my wife, Christina, and our daughter, Isabel (12), who is in the sixth grade. Our son, Dylan (15), is in the ninth grade at Phillips Academy in Massachusetts. I practice law in the area of affordable housing.”

Doug Berkman sent: “Your comments about the bond created so many years ago is timely. A bunch of us have had similar experiences getting together recently and feeling like no time has passed and we were all in unique company.

Andrew Katz was diligent in organizing a reunion for some of us guys this past fall: Andrew Katz, TJ Thornton, me, Alex Batcha, Pat Kerney and Andy Overman tailgated at the Penn-Princeton football game. After the game we had drinks at my place and otherwise spent the day catching up, making up for all the drinks we haven’t shared in 20 years and having a blast. Then in January, I was successful getting a crew of PDS guys to join into a long-running guys ski trip. Although I had seen Pat Regan at reunions and he had become a regular on the ski trip back in 2020, Katz and Overman hadn’t seen him in 20 years. Well, it didn’t take a minute to be back then. It was surreal. Anyway, as we all get older and kids go off to college for some of us (Katz) and others play with their grandchild (old man Regan) we are reminded how lasting and meaningful these friendships are.

Sarah Silverman Blaugrund lives in the Berkshires in western Massachusetts with her husband, Jeff, and two daughters, Irit, age nine, and Dalia, age seven. She’s been writing and performing as Sarah Aroeste (her mother’s family name) for the last 22 years as one of the few contemporary composers in Ladino, a 15th-century Judeo-Spanish language. She’ll be releasing her eighth album this spring, as well as her second children’s book. In the past year she got to hang with Kyra Skvir Frankel in the Berkshires and had a Jess Seid Dickler sighting while performing in Princeton in February! “Anyone swinging by the Berks, say hi!”

1995

Melissa Woodruff Mccormick mwoodruf99@yahoo.com

1996

Dana DeCore Falconi dana.falconi5@gmail.com

Wendy White Brockelman ’84, Liz White Meahl ’86 and Cathy White Mertz ’79 are always laughing when together!

Kim Ritter Mack, Tony Mack ’91, and Aly Cohen ’91 watching their boys, Ethan Mack ’24 and Asher Lewis ’25 at PDS varsity lacrosse practice in December.

Liz White Meahl ’86 and her family (Pierre, Sumner and Jack), in Florida in January 2022.

Andrew Katz ’94 is the official winner of the picture is worth a thousand words AWARD.: Here you go! Ski trip to Big Sky…guys are all awesome. Top picture then, bottom now (l-r) 1994 classmates: Doug Berkman, Patrick Regan, Andrew Katz.

1997

Ellyn Rajfer Herkins ellynrajfer@gmail.com

L. Amanda Rabinowitz Plonsky mandyplonsky@gmail.com

1998

Giovanna Torchio Lockhart gray.giovanna@gmail.com

1999

Joanna Woodruff Rominger jbw1980@gmail.com

2000

Sapna Thottathil sapna.thottathil@gmail.com

I had the chance to recently catch up with two classmates: Gerald and Paris.

Gerald Eugene is based in Atlanta, Ga., (after many years in Washington, DC) and is finishing his master’s degree in educational leadership. His family is doing well; he has a bright 11-year-old son.

Paris McLean recently took on a new role at Montclair Kimberley Academy in N.J. as the assistant head of school for diversity, inclusion and anti-racism. Paris and I actually had a lengthy Zoom call after the mass shootings in LA and Half Moon Bay here in California that impacted Asian and Latinx communities... and we talked about racism, national politics, challenges facing young adults today and, of course, our own experiences growing up. While our conversation had its sobering moments, how nice it was to chat and reminisce with a friend from long ago!

Sapna Thottathil: And on a more personal note, I am excited to announce that I’ve taken on a new position in the University of California, as managing director for the Center for Climate, Health and Equity. Aside from adjusting to my

new role, my husband and I are busily parenting our three young kids in Oakland, Calif., while fixing up our new home and garden. We miss the East Coast and hope to visit soon!

2001

Carolyn Yarian Morgan carolyn.morgan2012@gmail.com

Wilson Weed wweed1@gmail.com

2002

Aviva Perlman Fintz aperlman26@gmail.com

2003

Allison Marshall amarshall220@aol.com

1994 Classmates (l-r): Andrew Katz, Doug Berkman, Patrick Regan, TJ Thornton, Andrew Overman.

Josh Anzel ’94 with his wife, Christina and children, Dylan and Isabel, with their beloved dog, whose name is, wait for it…Haven! Named after Hoagie Haven, of course.

Sapna Thottathil ’00 with her family.

Will and JB, sons of Maggie Seidel Waterhouse ’94 and her husband, Ryan.

2004

Katherine Chimacoff Dickens Mrskatedickens@gmail.com

Scott Rosenberg rosenbergse@gmail.com

2005

Hilary Richards Conger hilary.conger@gmail.com

2006

Jacob “Mendy” Fisch mendyman@gmail.com

Kunle Onitiri wrote that his first child was born! OluwaDemilade King Ajani Onitiri was born January 30, 2023, at Penn Medicine in Plainsboro, N.J., weighing 8lbs. 2oz.

I also heard from Hannah Tamminen, who is busy with both acting and teaching across New York and New Jersey. She wrote: “Hannah relocated from Los Angeles to New York, and from February 25 through March 26 will be performing in Shakespeare’s “Pericles,” with Target Margin Theater in Brooklyn. The production is being directed by David Herskovits with a cast of seven actors; Eunice Wong is in the title role. Additionally, Hannah is a faculty member in the Theatre, Film and Television department at Rider University and has also been teaching courses with Princeton Adult School.”

The Navy has sent me back to Washington, DC after assignments in Norfolk, Va.; Great Lakes, Ill., and San Diego, Calif. If anyone’s around DC, get in touch.

Thank you to those who wrote in. I look forward to hearing from more of you for the fall edition.

2007

Nina Crouse ninacrouse@gmail.com

Vishal Gupta vishgupta2@gmail.com

Alexandra Hiller Rorick ali.rorick@gmail.com

Maria Cannavo married Justin La Luz in November 2021 in Morristown, N.J. They hosted a beautiful wedding and celebrated with their closest friends and family, including several PDS alumni!

2008

Tessica Glancey Crampton tessicaglancey@gmail.com

2009

Ashley Smoots asmoots@gmail.com

Vinay Trivedi vt1090@gmail.com

2010

Anna Otis annaotis92@gmail.com

Alexandra Feuer Portale awfeuer@gmail.com

Emilie Hamel Chowdhury wrote: “In 2022, we welcomed our son, Vincent, to our family; Vanessa has become the best big sister! We’re taking full advantage of Sweden’s generous parental leave policies and will be back to work late in 2023.”

2011

Evan Seto eseto17@gmail.com

2007 Classmates celebrated the wedding of their classmate Maria Cannavo to Justin La Luz: (l-r) Nina Crouse, Joe Horowitz, Eric Czapka, Luke Morehouse, Allie Crouse, Maria Cannavo, Jon Sydlo, Derek Mayer and Jon Chow.

OluwaDemilade King Ajani Onitiri, son of Kunle Onitiri ’06.

Kunle Onitiri ’06 with his family.

ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME

ANTOINE HOPPENOT ’08

Despite his overwhelming skill, Antoine Hoppenot ’08 never set out to become a professional soccer player.

“I have always been passionate about soccer, but it wasn’t until I reached college did I truly feel like it was something I could pursue as a career,” he shared.

Hoppenot’s emphasis on the importance of following one’s passion is central to his success as a professional athlete.

“I had the opportunity to play the sports I loved at PDS,” said Hoppenot, referring to his four years spent on the varsity soccer, basketball and lacrosse teams. “In fact, I think it was because I was free to do so that I ended up the soccer player I am today.”

It was also the mentorship and encouragement he received from his then-basketball coach Paris McLean ’00 that inspired him both on and off the field.

“More than just basketball or even sports, he taught me by his every day actions what it meant to be a good person,” reflected Hoppenot. “I carry that with me.”

Born in Paris, France, Hoppenot moved with his family to the Philadelphia area when he was a toddler. When his parents decided to move to Princeton in the year 2000, they put all three of their children through Princeton Day School’s (PDS) Upper School.

“My sister was the first to go to PDS,” Hoppenot shared. “It opened up a pathway for my brother and me to attend once we were entering high school.”

During his time at PDS, he gravitated towards the soccer field. Hoppenot had a season career high of 23 goals in 2007 and earned the Bill Smoyer ’60 Varsity Award during his junior and senior years. After PDS, he spent four years as a member of Princeton University men’s soccer team, tallying 26 goals and 15 assists. Hoppenot also amassed a plethora of titles including Ivy League Player of the Year and First-Team All-Ivy for three consecutive years.

Immediately following Princeton, Hoppenot spent four years playing for the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer. From there, he said, “It’s been a 12-year journey across the United States.”

Hoppenot’s trek included professional soccer clubs throughout six cities in eight years: Cincinnati, Ohio; Reno, Nev.; Tampa, Fla.; Louisville, Ky.; and Detroit, Mich. In 2022, he signed with Hartford Athletic of the United Soccer League (USL).

According to the USL, Hoppenot recorded 38 goals and 44 assists in 201 appearances in the past nine seasons, making him one of only seven players to have recorded both 30 goals and 30 assists in the league’s history. His 44 regular season assists all-time put him fifth overall on the all-time USL Championship leaderboard.

Hoppenot, while grateful to have been given so many opportunities to live in the moment, he also acknowledges the challenges that come with his lifestyle.

“It’s partially a dream job and, at the same time, an extremely stressful experience,” he shared. “Every day, I need to be at my best or I risk career longevity. And I am moving and putting down roots in a new place almost yearly — it can be tough.”

Frequent moves and fears of career longevity are inevitable pitfalls of the professional sports world. To overcome the unknown, Hoppenot relies on his philosophy of always remaining open-minded to passionate pursuits, a philosophy he shares with the PDS student-athletes of today.

“Focus your energy on things you are passionate about,” Hoppenot said, “And let that passion guide your career. It’s what I will do once my soccer career ultimately comes to an end.”

OUTSTANDING YOUNG ALUMNI AWARD

HANNAH EPSTEIN’08

Sometimes, we are presented with a perfect opportunity to fuse our hobbies and interests into one meaningful experience. For Hannah Epstein ’08, that time came when she was hired as the National Football League’s (NFL) first female staff cinematographer, blending her lifelong love of sports with her passion for the visual arts.

Thanks to her parents, Epstein was introduced to athletics and the arts at an early age. “I’m a true mix of genetics,” she shared. “My dad got me faster and stronger, while my mom encouraged me to pursue all avenues of music, art and photography. My dad put a basketball in my hand in elementary school and my mom introduced me to the piano.”

At PDS, Epstein was encouraged to continue to pursue both of her interests.

“It’s what drew me to the school. While I was playing varsity basketball and lacrosse for all four years in the Upper School, I was also taking photography classes,” she said.

Of course, finding the right balance between responsibilities, passions and hobbies took some practice. Luckily for Epstein, she found support and encouragement in the faculty and coaches surrounding her.

“I was so fortunate to have Eileen HohmuthLemonick or ‘Mrs. H’ as we called her, as a teacher,” Epstein shared. “We never took a photograph in any automatic mode. We learned how to use our tools fully and properly, and we learned through failures and experimentation. She made our eyes aware of light, shadows, different qualities of light, how it shaped a face and how the filters in an enlarger affected the contrast of that light in our print. Many of these principles have become second nature at this point in my career, but I use the knowledge every single day,” she said.

As for athletics, Epstein has the legendary Jill Thomas to thank for the foundational skills and lessons she learned that would later have such a positive impact on her life.

“Ms. Thomas was my lacrosse coach for four years at PDS, and she had a profound impact on my life and career, both athletically and professionally. Having played for her, under her coaching tenacity, demand for physical conditioning and work ethic, I was prepared to play at the collegiate level.”

Epstein attended Middlebury College where she played four years of varsity NCAA lacrosse and majored in film. After graduating in 2012,

she filled various positions within the NFL Films camera department. During seasonal employment, Hannah had the opportunity to play, coach, and film lacrosse overseas in Israel. In 2016 she was hired full time as NFL Films’ first female staff cinematographer, and now works as the Director of Photography for various shows airing across a variety of networks and platforms.

Looking back, Epstein can’t help but feel inspired by her time at PDS.

“My PDS experience was wonderful,” she reflected. “I have a better perspective now to realize that most people aren’t lucky enough to go to a school like PDS — a place where students have the opportunity to discover a passion at such a young age. It’s incredible just how much my athletic career and photographic journey at PDS prepared me for my job at NFL Films, which is the perfect marriage of sport and art.”

2012

Rachel Maddox rachelhmaddox@gmail.com

Annie Nyce Questell annienyce@gmail.com

Peter Powers peterfpowers@gmail.com

Annie Nyce Questell reported that she and her husband and kids are “enjoying their new home in coastal North Carolina. Annie looks forward to getting back into the studio and teaching ballet.”

2013

Leah Falcon lgfalcon04917@gmail.com

Robert Madani robert.s.madani@gmail.com

2014

Rory Finnegan ref8af@virginia.edu

Mary Travers marygrtravers@gmail.com

Jessica Toltzis played the role of Angela in episodes four and six in Your Honor on Showtime this past February.

2015

Grace Lee gracelee6666@gmail.com

Caroline Lippman crlippman@gmail.com

2016

Kathryn Cammarano camm1217@aol.com

Helen Healey helen.healey97@gmail.com

Peter Klein pwklein3@gmail.com

2017

Abigail Atkeson abigail.atkeson@gmail.com

Tyler Birch tbflyers@gmail.com

2018

Hallie Hoffman halliebryn@gmail.com

2019

Amon DeVane amond1234567@gmail.com

Raina Kasera raina.kasera@gmail.com

2020

To submit news or volunteer as class secretary, please email classnotes@pds.org.

2021

To submit news or volunteer as class secretary, please email classnotes@pds.org.

2022

Milan Shah milanushah1@gmail.com

FORMER EMPLOYEE NOTES

Alison Acker reported that she was married on July 7, 2017, at Saint James Plantation in Southport, N.C. “Larry and I live in sunny Venice, Florida. This past Christmas, we volunteered our home for the 2022 Holiday Home Tour. The service club sponsors this for a local charity. I had a wonderful team help me decorate the house; it was an experience that I will never forget. You can view the house on YouTube, search Bowers-Acker House Christmas 2022 for pictures. I am very proud of all the work done by my house team and the money we raised for charity. We are doing well and going on a second honeymoon on a European cruise in May.”

Steve Bailey sent news: “Heather and I continue to enjoy living in Vermont. We volunteer at the Montpelier Food Pantry and lead hikes, kayaking and cross-country ski trips for the Green Mountain Club. It’s hard to believe that I retired from PDS almost 12 years ago! Since the pandemic lessened somewhat in 2022, we were able to catch up on some traveling we had put off. In March, we visited Big Bend National Park for the first time. We were amazed by how big the park is (the size of Rhode Island) and by how varied the terrain is, ranging from rugged mountains to flat plains by the Rio Grande. In May, we met up with our son, Dave ’88, and his wife, Natasha, and our daughter, Melissa ’00, in Taos, N.M., for a week of hiking. It was great to have everyone there for Mother’s Day. The highlight of 2022 was the birth in October of our first grandchild, Quentin, to Dave and Natasha. We visited them in Seattle in December and were happy that Melissa was able to join us there. We also were able to see former faculty John Baldwin and Kate Winton, who have a new grandchild of their own.

Helen Bodel wrote: “I am ever a lazy nonna, reading poetry together with a lovely Vermont group, and driving the grands to sports and theater events—and already a little lonely just THINKING about Michael ’99 and family being out of town for several months! And always missing Anniebo ’03, a Californian for years now... I left the West Coast at 30 and still miss it; whenever I’m in San Francisco for a wedding or a visit I find myself overcome by memories of my Menlo Park girlhood and college and working years in the city. So much fun!

Michael and his family are heading to Madrid for six months. The children, now 10 and 12, are already enrolled in a Spanish school. Alex, their trilingual mom, will relax(!) and Michael will continue his work at Dartmouth, but remotely... I will have the opportunity to visit them in Madrid — as well as see my brother and his family in The Hague. It will be a wonderful spring!

“Annie defended her MA thesis in February at Moss Landing Marine Labs near Monterey, where she was a grad student on a NASA grant for several years. Her talk was viewed in person and online by hundreds of scientists who study ocean waters. It’s a timely subject for marine biochemists, oceanographers, geologists and the like, of course, all working to heal the world’s waters. So proud of her; she is now packing for her new position in San Diego!”

Peter Buttenheim reported: “Frances and I are writing to you from Kendal at Longwood in

Kennett Square, Pa., the retirement community where we have lived for almost two years. We are busy and well here, with many activities, new friends, and an atmosphere of liberal spirits. I think our decision to come to an LCC was a very good one for us.

“I need to brag about granddaughter, Francesca’s, delayed Mount Holyoke College commencement — from 2020 to 2022 — and granddaughter, Claire’s, commencement from Yale. Those events were five days apart in May of 2022. And, the other REALLY BIG event concerned Jennifer’s husband, Dmitri. Late in August, Dima became a US citizen after a long wait. HOORAY!

Steve Bailey holding his first grandchild, Quentin, with (l-r) Dave Bailey ’88, Heather Bailey, Melissa Bailey ’00 and Dave’s wife, Natasha.

Former Athletic Director Jan Baker caught up with 1976 classmates Creigh Duncan, Judy Glogau and Ann Wittke this past winter.

Maryjo Blewitt Collins and her husband, Sean, celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary.

Eileen Hohmuth-Lemonick’s grandchildren.

“My very best PDS connections in years consisted of many emails back and forth among Steve ’72 and Evan Bash ’74; Giaff ’72, Cam ’74, and Grayson ’75 Ferrante; John Gordon ’72; and Phil Benson ’75 surrounding the World Cup matches last November. All those extraordinary PDS graduates played soccer with me at PDS. More recently, I had a long and delightful email from Alice Dunn ’74 who left PDS to attend Wesleyan University where I was working after my tenure at PDS. Women at Wesleyan petitioned the University for a women’s soccer team, and Alice came out for the team. What a great treat that was for me.

“Anyway, a reporter for the Wesleyan school paper wrote a big article this fall about the advent of Title IX at Wesleyan with a long story about our creating that first women’s team in 1978. Alice was quoted in that article, and I found her email address. We have exchanged 45 years of our history since we both moved on from Wesleyan.”

Jan Baker visited with Maryjo Blewitt Collins this past summer. Maryjo taught physical education at PDS from 1978-1982. As the varsity field hockey coach, her team won the New Jersey Prep A tournament in 1981. Maryjo coached Middle School lacrosse during the spring term while getting her master’s degree at Columbia.

Kay Haartz Cortelyou wrote: I have just returned from a week of horseback riding and camping in the southern Andes of Patagonia, Argentina. It was a challenging trip physically and mentally. I am proud of myself and grateful that I am still able to do and complete such a challenging adventure. Kip and I love living near our son. We now have three granddaughters and keep very busy helping with their care.

Kip continues to grow vegetables while I still show my Morgan horses. We live north of Houston and enjoy connecting with friends and former students from PDS.

Liz Cutler reported: “After I retired from PDS, I became a sustainability consultant, working at schools around the country to help them become more sustainable. This past January, I flew to The Island School on Eleuthera in the Bahamas, to be their master teacher-in-residence for the semester, helping the young faculty and the interns grow in their teaching practice. What an adventure. I bike a thirteen-mile round trip to work under the stars (pre-dawn and post-sunset), and spend the day with students, faculty, and researchers. I even have a PDS grandstudent here. I am Miriam Pollard Cohen ’88’s daughter’s English teacher. How’s that for a small world!”

Alison Distefano reported: “Since leaving PDS almost two years ago, my husband and I finally opened our business, Vampire Penguin. We are a unique, boutique frozen dessert shop featuring shaved snow. We are located inside YB Eatery at 8 Court Street in Freehold. Shaved snow is a blend of ice cream and ice; it has all the creaminess and flavor of ice cream but is light and fluffy like shaved ice. It’s so different from anything around, and most people really do fall in love at first bite like we did! We recently purchased a food trailer and expect to be mobile by April! It’s been a fantastic new journey for my family and me. Definitely come check us out. You can find us on Facebook or Instagram.

Brent Ferguson wrote: “To those I taught at PDS from the classes of 2021 through 2025: I relish the time I had working with you in mathematics, my fellow classmates! Whether in calculus, precalc or geometry, we wrote lots!

We explored, we asked, we reflected, we revised and we tried again. We wrote some more. We grappled earnestly with challenging problems and I did my best to convey my utter confidence that you could in fact engage difficult thoughts and tackle big ideas! Some of us traveled to Greece. Others folded paper and used a compass and straightedge. All of us kept organized notebooks of annotated homework and learned how to ask a good, focused question or two each day of ourselves and of our neighbor. We learned each other’s names and stories and endeavored to help ourselves and those around us learn math. Boy, we sure did write a lot!

“To each one of you: I hope you have learned to BE who you are, to TRUST who you are becoming, and to ENGAGE others (and your best selves) in the process of constantly asking that latter question, “Who am I becoming?” The lessons I learned there inform my work this year at PHS and will do so going forward wherever I might be. The ongoing relationships some of you have sustained via email and the like have

Kay Haartz Cortelyou on her trip this past fall in Argentina.

Ben Hohmuth ’90, son of Eileen Hohmuth-Lemonick, with his eldest daughter who is a senior in high school.

Alex and Charlie (with Santa) are the grandchildren of Eileen Hohmuth-Lemonick and the children of Hannah Lemonick ’06.

been very encouraging, and I hope to continue to hear from you in the years ahead (ferguson. brent@gmail.com). If you ever wish to talk about teaching and learning, or to reconnect, drop me a line anytime. Pop quiz: (1) Do you still recall any of the four affirmations? (2) What learning endures for you beyond our year together — fundamental theorem of calculus, anyone? What else stands out for you? I think of each of you often, and I lift up a prayer each time!”

Dean Jacoby sent: “Greetings from New Mexico. I was the director of college counseling at PDS from 2001-2006. This year marks my 15th at Albuquerque Academy as a college counselor and soccer coach. I often think of the many students from PDS who impacted my life so profoundly and the colleagues who were role models and mentors. I love reading the Journal to see what everyone is up to. After 30 years as a college admissions counselor, I am about to go through the process as a parent. My daughter, born at the now closed Princeton Hospital, is a junior at Albuquerque Academy. Wish me luck!”

Louise Topp McClure wrote: “I’m still teaching strings privately — about 50 students per week — and loving it. I’m actually getting more efficient. The back-office work keeps me out of trouble, or continually IN trouble, depending on your point of view. I’m playing some chamber music but quit my chamber orchestra for lack of adequate practice time. A friend lent me his banjo, and I’m starting to figure it out.

“Two years ago, we bought a small place up in the Adirondacks, near Schroon Lake, on the eastern side. We’ve been spending summers and a few long weekends up there. It’s off a tertiary road but five minutes from the interstate, quiet,

surrounded by trees and hills, with pure air and water, and lots of hiking just out the door. The High Peaks are just an hour away. I tried cross-country skiing but couldn’t figure out how to control the tips, so I quickly became a contortionist. I’ve decided I prefer keeping my feet firmly planted on the ground, via shoes or snowshoes. Love to all my PDS friends and former students!”

Judy Rowe Michaels reported that she had a new poetry book, “This Morning the Mountain,” published in April. There was a book launch party, reading and signing at the Princeton Public Library in April. The book is available from Amazon. Or if you’d like a signed copy, send your address and $20.00 to Judy at 330 Zion Road, Hillsborough, N.J. 08844. She continues to spend much of the summer and fall at the cabin in Maine that she shares with her sister and brothers but when in N.J. she participates in two poetry groups and volunteers for the national program Survivors Teaching Students, speaking on their panels at medical schools in N.J. and NYC about her experiences with ovarian cancer and the importance of early diagnosis.”

Jenny Mischner reported: “My Chicago neighborhood is not only a walker’s paradise, but the 18-mile lakefront trail is also great for bike riding. Luckily the terrain is much flatter than the hill up the Great Road! I volunteer at the Lincoln Park Zoo once a week, enjoy stained glass open studio at the Lincoln Park Cultural Center, ring in an English handbell choir and play pickleball four times a week. I’m the program chair for the Windy City Knitting Guild and attend the Madison, Wis., Knitters Guild on my visits to Lindsey ’08 and family.

My two-year-old granddaughter got a baby brother in July! It’s amazing how quickly they grow; luckily knitting child and baby sweaters goes pretty quickly!

“Ken and I celebrated our 40th anniversary in September and our daughters threw us a surprise anniversary party in October! We have finally scheduled a trip to use the ticket vouchers from the wedding we were supposed to attend in Luxembourg in August of 2020.”

Irene Mortensen reported she was a think tank participant and presenter at the NAIS Annual Conference in Las Vegas this past February. “During my presentation, ‘What Would You Do? Case Studies for Admin Team Members,’ part of the NAIS Leadership Lab; two PDS graduates were in my session. It was great fun to bump into Rachel Levin ’00, assistant head of the Lower School at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Day School in Washington, D.C., and Jennifer Gladden ’00, Upper School dean of instruction at Polytechnic School in Pasadena, Calif. Both participated in my workshop presentation. What fun! I am currently dean of faculty at Gill St. Bernard’s School in Gladstone, N.J. We reminisced about PDS and talked about how many former students are educators. My tenure at PDS was 1991-2001.”

Jessica Anne Kabis Rodriguez reported that she had a baby in June; her name is Aurelia Irene.

Cindy Stadulis wrote: “I am in my fifth year as CFO/COO at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Austin, Texas, and 37th year as a business officer in independent schools. Where has the time gone? My fourth school, SSES, is my first day and boarding school. Tom and I are living on campus in the hill country with a wonderful

The front and back covers of Judy Rowe Michaels’ new book of poetry. The photo of Judy on the back cover was taken by former PDS Middle School English teacher Sybil Holland.

Pat McStravick visited N.J. this past fall and she couldn’t resist getting some Conte’s Pizza! Joining her were (l-r): Marie Kennedy, Jan Noonan, Pat, Barbara Brent, Ann Wiley ’70, Margery Miller, Wendy Varga, and Betty Snead.

Barbara Walker at Bread Loaf for the Middlebury Alumni College.

neighborhood of colleagues and friends. Our kids keep us traveling for visits. While Leslie ’06 (San Antonio) and Philip ’08 (Austin) are nearby, Meghan ’08 (Baltimore), Ben ’09 (Fallon, Nev.) and Sara ’12 (Ithaca, N.Y.) are still spread out across the country. We are enjoying time with our two grandchildren and starting to think about retirement. Sending our best to all!”

Evan Thomas reported: “I have recently started a new venture as a real estate agent licensed in P.A., N.J. and M.A. I’m also volunteering with the Animal Shelter of Martha’s Vineyard and helping several independent schools with website projects. I miss seeing my girls in the PDS hallways! They are both thriving at UVM in Burlington, Vt., where Kip and I visit regularly.”

Barbara Walker wrote: “‘Ars longa, vita brevis,’ Hippocrates said first in Greek; many great authors have famously quoted it as ‘Art is long,

but life is brief.’ It’s not plagiarism if I give the credits, right? Last spring, I became a docent at the Princeton University Art Museum, having prepared on Zoom classes during COVID, but if you are aware of happenings at Princeton, you are cognizant that the museum is osedclay — in pig Latin (apologies to students of Mr. Gudgel and Ms. Bodel), a big dent in the center of campus. Yet, the new building designed by David Adjaye is in the process of rising to very great heights in the fall of 2024. So far, I’ve given a Princeton Senior Resource Center class or two, an OLLI-RU, Rutgers Senior Outreach class, and am the connection between our museum and others for Zoom excursions for the docent group where I hope to enlist the talent of Charlotte Williams ’12 in the near future. Life has been challenging balancing this new responsibility with concerns for my mother’s health, a mighty woman at 97 living in upstate N.Y. This requires long-distance visits to the Adirondacks, so I strengthen myself with morning aerobic classes

in the Peddie pool and assuage my longing for my faculty friends with connections to docents and fellow pool gals, though I miss the English Department mightily. During COVID I instigated Grandma Barb’s Book Club with my grandsons in Boulder, Colo., sons of Jeffrey Walker ’88. We are reading our 18th book as I write this notice. I hit the poetry classroom in September at Bread Loaf for the Middlebury Alumni College. I sorely miss my former students and colleagues, and I cherish fond memories of you all.”

Bunny Webb reported: “Here in Buffalo in an independent apartment in a continuing care community at 91 years of age, I survived the Christmas blizzard and now a mild case of COVID. The staff slept on the floor because they couldn’t get out of the parking lot, so we were looked after and fed. My memories of PDS are fresh. I still miss Joan Baker, Bev Williams, Anne Rothrock, Janet Stoltzfus and many others but I am still here — just not in Princeton.”

Kate Winton sent greetings from Portugal. She and John Baldwin were spending two months there; they hoped to finish the trip with a couple of weeks walking the Camino from Porto to Santiago de Compostela in Spain “if knees cooperate. Our biggest news is we became grandparents this past year; Elliot Ann turns one next month, and oh my, she is a cutie! We feel very lucky to live so close to Erin and her husband, Scott, as we discover the joys of grandparenting!”

Retirees enjoying themselves in September 2022: (back row, l-r) Andy Franz, Marie Kennedy, Ann Wiley ’70, Sandy Bing h’87, Wendy Varga, Barbara Brent and Marie Shock, (seated, l-r): Donna Zarzecki, Leslie Hagen and Silvia Debenedetti. Attended but missed the photo: Jan Baker and Susan Reichlin.

PDS retirees gathered in October 2022: (standing, l-r) Betsy Rizza, Marie Shock, Barbara Brent, Ann Wiley ’70, Paula Koerte, Susan Reichlin and Paul EpplySchmidt; (seated, l-r): Harry Rulon-Miller ’51, Marie Kennedy and Donna Zarzecki.

Rachel Levin ’00, Irene Mortensen and Jennifer Gladden ’00 all attended the annual NAIS conference this past February.

Jenny and Ken Mischner celebrated their 40th anniversary in September 2022.

Marie Shock keeps busy with her grandsons Cameron and Caleb who will be two in August.

IN MEMORIAM

Evan Alter ’86

Hoyt Ammidon Jr.

Father of Eliot Ammidon Jacobs ’81 and Ashley Ammidon Quinlan ’83; Grandfather of Noni Ammidon ’08, Hoyt Ammidon IV ’14 and Hope Ammidon ’18

Phyllis Apple

Mother of Sharon Rose Powell, former PDS peer group director; Grandmother of Robert Powell ’90 and Katharine Powell Rowan ’93

Patricia M. Bernard

Mother of Suzanne Procaccino, PDS bookkeeper

Bob Berson

Husband of Barbara Putnam ’65

Mitchell Bronk

Former PDS Science Department Chair;

Father of Helen Bronk ’84

Natividad Nimatuj de Cerna

Grandmother of Assistant Director of College

Counseling Darling Cerna ’13, Val Cerna ’20 and Angie Cerna ’24

Oscar Cerna

Grandfather of Assistant Director of College

Counseling Darling Cerna ’13, Val Cerna ’20 and Angie Cerna ’24

Allen Cohen

Father of PDS Lower School Teacher Daniel Cohen; Grandfather of Sophie Cohen ’20 and Sam Cohen ’24

Stephen Conger ’37

Elizabeth “Liz” Ralston Dill ’43

Debra Egner

Mother of J. Scott Egner ’81 and Mark Egner ’82; Grandmother of Ashley Egner ’12 and John Egner ’14

Jane Thomas Fenninger ’38

Sister of Elizabeth Thomas Peterson ’56

Arnold Fisher

Husband of Sally Behr Ogden Fisher ’66

Jay Gemski ’85

Elizabeth “Jill” Stokes Halbert ’60

Valerie T. Hartshorne

Mother of Nathanial “Max” Hartshorne Jr. ’77 and Caroline Hartshorne ’79

Winthrop “Win” Headley

Former PDS football coach; Husband of Patty Headley, former PDS tennis coach; Father of Summer Headley ’01 and Jonathan Headley ’03

Barbara Hillier

Wife of J. Robert Hillier ’52; Stepmother of James B. Hillier ’84

Casey Huckel

Brother of Emily Exter Lampshire ’08 and Cody Exter ’10

George W. Hunter

Father of Heather Hunter ’89; Grandfather of Kirsten Ruf ’23 and Shelby Ruf ’25

Herbert Kendall

Trustee emeritus; Father of Richard Kendall ’70 and Nancy Kendall McCabe ’74

Marianne Mantell

Mother of Michael Mantell ’76 and Eva Mantell ’81; Grandmother of Rebecca Mantell ’08, Matthew Mantell ’10, Miranda Noden ’15 and Samuel Noden ’17

Scott Martin

PDS Adjunct Music Teacher

Dietrich Meyerhofer

Father of James Blechman ’82, William Meyerhofer ’84 and Andrew Blechman ’87

Janet Mills

Mother of Mary Mills Barrow ’72; Grandmother of Patten Mills ’13

Sarah Lambert Morgan

Sister of Trustee Emeritus Samuel W. Lambert III; Aunt of Kelly Lambert Walker ’83, Samuel Lambert ’86 and Sarah Lambert Dolan ’89

Robert Moser

Father of Alexander Moser ’02

Rebecca F. Notterman

Grandmother of Arielle Notterman ’00 and Benjamin Notterman ’05

Ilene Z. Nusblatt

Wife of Jay Nusblatt ’79; Mother of Ava Nusblatt ’16

William “Sandy” Otis Jr.

Father of Kim Otis ’72; Grandfather of Anna Otis ’10

Neil Rosenthal ’71

Mary Runyon Obaidy ’54

Peter O’Neill

Father of Michael O’Neill ’96

Han Jin Park

Father of Rebecca Park, PDS Middle School math and computer science teacher

Robert Salup ’70

Brother of Gary Salup ’75

T. Leslie Shear Jr. ’52

Father of Julia Shear ’86 and Alexandra Shear ’89

Nancy Hagen Spaulding ’57

William K. Starkey ’55

Susan Behr Travers ’60

Mother of Benjamin Travers ’88; Sister of Sally Behr Ogden ’66 and Helen “Lynn” Behr Sanford ’68

Joseph “Sandy” Wandelt ’68

Edwin Wislar

Father of Allison Wislar ’76 and John Wislar ’84

ART FOR CHANGE

As part of their advisory programming, seventh-grade students embarked on a service learning project in support of HomeFront NJ, a nonprofit organization committed to ending homelessness in Central New Jersey. In an effort to advocate for the cause, students created artwork that reflected their own concept of home and showcased their work at Small World Coffee in downtown Princeton during the month of May. Pictured above is a mixed-media piece by Silver Zhang '28 included in the gallery.

PRINCETON DAY SCHOOL | SPRING 2023

Princeton, NJ 08542

(609) 924-6700

pds.org

Bring on The Big Race! Maryam Sheikh, Isabelle Tora, Kayla Peckens and Ashlin Brady were all smiles as they represented the sixth grade during this year's Blue & White Day run.