Singapore American School Journeys June 2007, Volume 2 by Singapore American School

MICA(P) 245/04/2007

SAS

Volume 2 June 2007

ourneys Singapore American School Alumni Magazine

IASAS Anniversary 25 years of sports, music, drama and the arts at SAS

Inside features: • Farewell to Bob Gross • Alum fights for justice • 3 special people retire • Alumni reunions • Class notes & quotes

Published by the Office of Communications and Development 40 Woodlands Street 41 Singapore 738547 Tel: (65) 6363-3403 Fax: (65) 6363-3408 www.sas.edu.sg journeys@sas.edu.sg

SAS Cover

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Vol 2 June 2007

C o n t e n t s Bob Gross made a difference

Editor Junia Baker Superintendent Bob Gross Director of Communications and Development Beth Gribbon Designer Josephine Yu

SAS Journeys is published by the Office of Communications and Development of the Singapore American School.

Cover photo: Ninety-six middle and high school students performed in Singapore’s Chingay Parade on February 24 under the direction of SAS dance teachers Tracy van der Linden and Heather Rodocker. As part of their preparation for the event, the dancers trained with Melody Lacayanga and Ryan Conferido, finalists from the U.S. reality show “So You Think You Can Dance,” at a workshop in December. The annual Chingay Parade is a highlight of the nation’s Chinese New Year celebrations.

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Eight pages on departing superintendent and some of the changes he instigated and inspired and the cheerful school he leaves behind.

SAS Education Foundation

Results and goals of the SAS Education Foundation and a warm thanks to the generous donors to the 2006-07 Annual Fund.

Alumna on the USS Abraham Lincoln

Singapore Today: National Museum reopens

SAS Annual Fund has Star Appeal

Annual fund-raising event honors continuing support of Khoo family as well as commitment of Superintendent Gross and school community to the Education Foundation.

IASAS is 25 years old and going strong

SAS hosted all three final season sports competitions in April. There were over 400 athletes and coaches at the 3-day event.

SAS Today: Interim Semester in Soweto and Tibet

Trash man alum fights for justice — and wins

Alumnus takes his case for freedom of speech to the Supreme Court.

New superintendent

SAS Board of Governors selects Dr. Brent Mutsch to lead the school.

Farewells for special people

36, 38, 45

Nat Bava, Boni Kapel and Pat Liew all retired from SAS this year.

Alum remembers 1956 Singapore

Singapore and SAS as they were in the school’s first year.

SAS Today: Dr. Jane tries SAS Sensory Trail

Alumni news, upcoming reunions, class notes, quotes and photos

5/28/07, 6:30 PM

From the Director Dear SAS Alumni, As we head into the final weeks of our fifty-first school year, it is clear that growth and change will be with us at the Singapore American School for the foreseeable future. Only two years after the completion of the expansion and renovation of the Woodlands campus, we have again reached enrollment capacity, with over 3,700 students. Looking forward to the 2007-2008 school year, we have wait lists for admissions at almost every grade level and are again facing the need to expand. Students from 54 countries attend SAS, and the diversity of their backgrounds, culture and personal experiences enriches the school. With a reputation for excellence, SAS is frequently the preferred school for expatriate families. Strong demand, with the resulting wait lists for enrollment, means that the Board of Governors is again considering the best way forward. They have endorsed prior commitments of the board to limit enrollment at the Woodlands campus to the current level, so growth must come from an additional facility. As plans take shape, we will keep our alumni informed. We welcome your input on this very important issue. The end of the school year also marks the end of the long and successful tenure of Superintendent Bob Gross, who will be moving to Washington, D.C. to work for the U.S. State Department, Office of Overseas Schools, as a regional representative for Europe. We wish Bob all the best as he moves on to this exciting new opportunity. The past eight years have been ones of remarkable growth and positive changes, and Bob will be missed by the entire school community. Brent Mutsch will be joining SAS in August as Superintendent of Schools, moving to Singapore from Saudi Arabia, where he has worked at the Saudi Aramco Schools as the superintendent. Brent is a highly respected educator with many years of experience in the United States and overseas. He will be joined by his wife Maggie, a third grade teacher. The SAS Education Foundation, launched last year to expand and enhance the educational and enrichment opportunities available for students and to secure the financial future of SAS, is now on a steady course of development. This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s annual fund campaign raised over S$500,000 for the foundation, S$400,000 of which was raised at the second annual Star Appeal Dinner held in March.

Again this year, the Khoo family and the Khoo Foundation underwrote the entire cost of the dinner, ensuring that all the funds donated went directly to the SAS Education Foundation. The Memory Garden project received additional support this year with the donation of S$3,000,000 from the Stephen Riady family. The donation will be used to enhance the area between the theaters, creating a Performing Arts Center, and will include the Memory Garden, which is adjacent to this area. This donation is the largest single donation ever received by SAS, and we are so truly appreciative of the generosity of the Riady family. SAS alumni relations will gain additional focus and support next school year with the appointment of Lauren Thomas as the Associate Director of Alumni Relations. Currently working in the Admissions Office at SAS, in August, Lauren will move to this newly created position within the Office of Communications and Development. She is looking forward to supporting SAS alumni and welcomes your feedback and suggestions. Write to Lauren at alumni@sas.edu.sg. As a part of the expanded alumni relations support, the alumni magazine, SAS Journeys, will be published twice a year (in June and December), and alumni email newsletters will be sent on a regular basis. SAS Journeys editor, Junia Baker, will be seeking input for feature articles and alumni news for future issues of the magazine. Write to Junia at journeys@sas.edu.sg and register on the alumni website at http:// alumni.sas.edu.sg to ensure you receive all our alumni publications and to stay connected with your SAS friends. We appreciate that so many of you have taken the time to visit SAS this past year and look forward to seeing many more of you in the near future. SAS is clearly a place that many of you feel is worth going out of your way to visit. We hope you continue to feel that way and appreciate the great value our alumni connections bring to SAS. Warm regards,

Beth Gribbon, Director Office of Communications and Development 3

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Bob Gross made a difference By Beth Gribbon The parents, students and staff of the Singapore Amerian School said goodbye to a good friend this year. It was not an unusual occurrence â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the transient nature of the school community means that every year many teachers and students and their families leave behind good friends and fond memories, moving on to a new school in a different country. However, this year the friend who left is Bob Gross, who has served as superintendent for the past eight years. The school community will long remember the positive impact he made during his time here. In eight years, he did something we all hope to do â&#x20AC;&#x201D; he made a difference. During Bobâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tenure, the enrollment at SAS grew from 2,600 to 3,770 students, made possible with a $75 million building project, which added classrooms, supporting facilities and enhancements to accommodate the growth of the student body in a way that supported and improved their educational experience. With his leadership, the building project was completed on time, within budget and without debt. And because of Bob, even with this substantial growth, SAS continues to maintain the personal touches of a much smaller school, a place where students are taught by dedicated faculty who encourage them to learn by exploring and challenging themselves and where they gain the skills that will enable them to continue to learn far into the future. Working in public education in the United States as a

Bob and Judy Gross with Steve Studebaker (82), Karen Studebaker (parent and faculty), Susan Studebaker Rutledge (80) and Greg Rutledge (78) at the 50th anniversary celebrations. The Studebakers contributed greatly to the success of the anniversary.

teacher, an administrator and a superintendent for 35 years, he came to Singapore with no experience in international education, but it was quickly evident that this lack was not going to be an issue. SAS and Bob have grown together over the past eight years. It has been an incredible journey and has set SAS on a course for a strong future. Steering a steady course of growth for SAS, Bob implemented many positive changes at the school. Over 50 nationalities are represented at SAS. The modern language program, in particular Mandarin, has been enhanced. Art and music programs have grown dramatically. The new high school facility boasts a magnificent fine arts suite and a fabulous library. At the elementary 4

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An all-state wrestler in college, Bob was always around for school competitions — and music, and theater, and art ...

Working with Bob was a constant lesson – in leadership, in decision making, in personal relations, in motivation, in seeking excellence, in self-discipline and in that special mixture of humility and justified self-confidence that is trademark Bob Gross. The board, the staff, the school and community could not have asked for a better role model or a more effective leader. Working with him was an experience for which I’ll always be grateful. Haywood Blakemore, SAS Chair 1997-2001, 2003 5

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level, student work is showcased throughout the school, and every student has an opportunity to explore their interests in the arts. Music programs offer vocal and instrumental courses for students at all grade levels. The high school offers 28 AP courses, and almost 100 percent of high schools students take at least one AP course. Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; special needs are a priority, whether through enrichment or remedial services, so that all students have opportunities to reach their potential and excel. After school activities have been expanded, offering students opportunities to enjoy many academic and non-academic interests beyond the traditional school day. Community service has become a part of the fabric of the school, providing opportunities for students to give and share. These changes, as well as many others, speak to the ways that Bob has left his mark on SAS during his tenure. He would be the first to say that SAS can continue to improve, that the school should always work to

make things better. But with his guidance, the school has grown and thrived and is ready to take on new challenges. In recognition of his great leadership at SAS, in 2006 Bob was named the International School Superintendent of the Year by the Association for the Advancement of International Education, the preeminent U.S. organization for American and international education. He has also served on the board of directors for the East Asia Regional Council of Overseas Schools (EARCOS) for the past five years, most recently as vice-president, sharing his vision and leadership with other international schools in Asia. Bob and Judy are moving to Washington, D.C., where he will work for the U.S. Department of State, Office of Overseas Schools visiting and advising international schools in Europe. Bob has led SAS with great passion and care. We will all miss him.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Superintendents have the opportunity, and the obligation, to make a difference in the lives of children and the future of the school community.â&#x20AC;? Bob Gross

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The home that Bob built “One reason I’m grateful for my many years in education is because they taught me that our egos and titles are not important — how we work with others and how mindful we remain of others are important pieces of this work.” Bob Gross

By Junia Baker

Bob. He cheered with enthusiasm at sports events, attended all the arts performances, knew everyone’s name and needs and was very, very approachable — not to mention that he was also a wise and considered governor of school interests. Most of all, he taught us all to take pleasure and pride in our school. His focus and encouragement led the community to contribute to the look and feel of 21st-century SAS. The Board of Governors, under the respective leadership of Haywood Blakemore, Beth Gribbon and Shelley DeFord, had a vision for the future that they shared with parents and students, the Booster Club, the Arts Council and the PTA, who then gave the vision substance. Student art, cozy sitting areas, laughter and warmth fill the school. Every wall and every hall invite

Bob Gross asked me to talk with Mary Gruman, an SAS parent, about the many lovely changes that she and the Arts Council have made to the school. (He also asked me not to include much about him in SAS Journeys.) Mary’s reply to both requests was, “Nothing would have happened without Bob’s encouragement and support.” Many, many people agree with her. Like the tin man, SAS needed a heart when Bob arrived in 1999. Students, faculty and staff had moved in 1996 from the folksy open-air halls of the King’s Road campus and the familiar funky “pods” on the Ulu Pandan campus to the slick, concrete bunker in Woodlands, and they were not happy campers. Then along came 7

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An exceptional educator and leader who made commitment a mission and excellence a habit. An administrator with uncommon dedication and sincere passion for the quality of education at the Singapore American School. A kind man whose friendship is unconditional. SAS is poorer for his leaving but richer for his legacy. A leader, a mentor, a father and a friend who will be sorely missed. The SAS Community

the eye with pottery, murals and photographs. Tiny gardens pop up unexpectedly, as does the odd cow. Each class year proclaims its individuality in posters, and photos of former campuses adorn administration walls. SAS is now a warm and welcoming home for everyone. It couldn’t have happened without Bob’s support and encouragement, but it couldn’t have happened without the generous contributions of time and dollars from many, many others. As Bob said recently, “It’s been a wonderful eight years. There are many stories to be told, but the biggest story is what we have accomplished as a community.” 8

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There has been some beautiful music created at SAS during the past eight years. Thank you all for the privilege of service. Bob Gross

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Leaders should behave in ways so that when the work is done, the people will say, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We did it ourselves.â&#x20AC;?

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Education must be more about the journey than the destination â&#x20AC;&#x201C; an experience of facing the unknown and the unexpected beauty of discovery along the way â&#x20AC;&#x201C; not a forced march past all that which is worth seeing and doing

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Education Foundation S$500,000 Donated to Annual Fund in 2006-07

•Community service •Special projects

The Singapore American School Education Foundation is now firmly established as a strong and well supported institution. This, the second year of fund raising for the foundation, was again very successful, with over S$500,000 raised for the benefit of SAS students. As was the case last year, a substantial portion of the funds will support school programs and provide financial aid in the coming year. The remaining donations will be placed in an endowment fund, helping to secure the future of the Singapore American School. This year the finance committee of the SAS Board of Governors has determined that the donations be distributed as follows: •Financial assistance •Visual and performing arts •Athletics and intramurals

The remaining funds will be placed in an endowment fund, where the interest earned will help finance future initiatives of the Annual Fund drive. This year, through the support of the foundation, we have been able to provide a full scholarship at SAS for a sixth grade student from Cambodia. It is our hope that she remain at SAS for her entire middle and high school years. The success of the Annual Fund this year will ensure that, at least for the 2007-2008 school year, she will continue to attend SAS. Thank you for your support of the SAS Education Foundation.

S$ 120,000 S$ 30,000 S$ 30,000

Beth Gribbon Director of Communications and Development

Making a donation

Best Foot Forward Travel Fund — Founding donation by PTA honors Bob Gross

You may contribute to the SAS Education Foundation by check or credit card. Checks in Singapore dollars should be made payable to: The American School Trust Limited. Checks in U.S. dollars should be made payable to: Singapore American School Foundation.

One of the stated goals of the SAS Education Foundation is financial asistance for students who have been selected for traveling teams, competitions or honors programs outside of Singapore, but who are unable to participate due to financial hardship. The PTA hopes to advance this initiative with the creation of the Best Foot Forward Travel Fund, a part of the foundation specifically restricted to providing financial assistance for students to participate in traveling competitions or honors programs. In honor of Bob Gross’s incredible contribution to SAS, the PTA’s foundation donation of S$50,000 will ensure that the Best Foot Forward Travel Fund will have a solid start. Donors who wish to give money to the foundation may designate their donations to the Best Foot Forward Travel Fund.

Checks should be mailed to: Office of Communications and Development Singapore American School 40 Woodlands Street 41 Singapore 738547 Credit card donations can be made over our secure server by clicking the Make a Gift Online link on the donations page. Go to http:// alumni.sas.edu.sg/donations. All donations made online or by check in U.S. dollars are tax-deductible in the United States through our U.S. foundation.

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S$ 20,000 S$ 50,000

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Thank you for donating to the 2006-07 Annual Fund of the SAS Education Foundation ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

1956 Circle

S$50,000 and above

• Han Kyu Shik and Song Eui Jeong • Han Sung Ae • Kirk and Janice Hulse • Mavis KhooOei • Leonard Kim • Kim Hui Su • Kim Min Jeong • Sun Bae Kim and Rachel Kim • Howard and Joon Kim • TK Kwon and Jane Cha • Kwon Jin Young • Jonathan Wilson and Cindy Leake • Lau Hock Lee • Amy Yip and Gary Lee • Lee Hye Kyung • Lee Joo Bae and Eun Hee • Walter Lee • Raymond and Lily Leung • Tom and Cheryl Linton • Imalda Msagung • Sanjiv and Devika Misra • Rudolph and Andrea Muller • Hiromichi Niimura • Polen and Mark On • Janie Darmadi Ooi • Masa and Yuki Otani • Edan and Bon Sun Park • Julia Park • Park Yun Joung • Memory of Kendra Chiota Payne • John and Sue PitfieldRhee Youn Soo • Eun Young Sim • Brent and Sandra Smith Ajay and Sukeshi Sondhi • Rho Ki Ran • Kim Eun Kyung • Yao Xu Quan and Xue Qiong • Sante Fe Relocation Services (S) Pte Ltd • Tati Santosa • Bonita Siregar • Maria Sitohang • Fae Sugiharto • Chris and Chantal Tan • Leonora Tan • Jeff and Cindy Tay • Lima Teo • Jocelyn Tijoe • Evi Lauw Tjandinegara • Wang Gye Ja • Beth Yao • Yoon Hyong Jin • Yoon Ji Yi • Raymond Yu Jr. • Harrison and Sheila Wang • Diana Widjaja

William and Jamie Amelio • Khoo Teck Puat Foundation • Stephen Riady and Shincee Leonardi • SAS Parent Teacher Association TigerICircle

S$10,000-S$29,999

Citibank N. A.• DBS Bank Ltd• DHL Express (Singapore) Pte Ltd • Bob and Judy Gross • Colin and Claire Holdstock • ING Private Bank Ltd • Richard Seow and Jacqueline Kwee • William and Lois Lyndens • John and Paula McCarvel • Stephanie and Stephen Russell • Standard Chartered Bank • Visa International • Wee Ee Chao • Sofina Wee • Wendy Yap • Dr. Yan Chee Hong Peter Gecko Circle

S$5,000-S$9,999

Gary and Dominique Dwor-Frecaut • Hussein N. El-Lessy • Ma Zuo Yun and Marie Ma • Y.S. and Suzie Nam • Steven and Maya Roll • Anne and Carl Stocking • Philip and Sandra Widjaja • Eric and Susanna Wong Orchid Circle

S$1,000-S$4,999

Lanette Abdelnoor • Will and Mimi Ball • Richard O. Barry III • Bart and Valerie Broadman • John and Janine Byrne • Judy Byun • Tony and Melanie Chew • Jenny Chiam • Choi Yoon Hee • Chin Wai Phin • Simon Cheong • Choo Yeow Ming • Jeffery and Vicki Crocker • Allen Chu and Mary Kuo • Belinda Chua Xiaovum • Philippe and Judy Damas • Phil and Shelley DeFord • Michael and Eva DeNoma • Lilies Djuhar • Eric Foo • Scott and Valerie Graddy • Gary and Sally Greene • Jim and Beth Gribbon •Lowell and Mary Gruman • Thee-Woon Goh

Traveler’s Palm Circle

James Allen • Ju-Lie Bell • Brunoehler Family • Bob and Monika Comstock • Jaroslav and Jana Gaisler • Juan and Dee Gallo • Katherine Justo • Nam Joon Kim • Susan Shaw • Garth and Roxanna Sheldon • Kim Yun Tae • Memory of Mark Thomas Higgins

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S$100-S$999

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Alum Spotlight

Journalist on the USS Abraham Lincoln By Bob Dodge SAS history teacher 1983-2006

correspondent for Bloomberg News. In 1998 she became a staff producer/editor for Reuters and has been in Germany and Switzerland ever since. Her coverage included terrorist attacks in Madrid, conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, Rus-

The tall girl who wore strange things in her hair, but always had a pleasant smile, had said she wanted to be an astronaut way back in 1984. It is hard to remember students from even two years ago, but she had an unusual name, Pilar Wolfsteller. Now after all these years, she visited Singapore for the first time since February 1985, when she returned to New Jersey after living in Indonesia and Europe, then being at SAS for grades 8 and 9 plus half of 10. I’d been her teacher in Modern European History. She said she wanted to thank me for “helping light a spark, even though at the time, I didn’t know it,” which was flattering, and became clearer as she continued, “after a relentless, very bloody, losing battle with 12th grade physics, I succumbed to literature and history.” Pilar is now very much the sophisticated businesswoman, serving as press spokeswoman for Julius Baer, Switzerland’s largest dedicated private bank. When they opened an office in Singapore this year, she took time from entertaining a cabinet minister and supervising a lion dance around the new office to meet with me. The business world is something new, as she has been a journalist for most of her career. After studying history at Queens University in Ontario, Canada, Pilar took her master’s degree in journalism at Columbia. I thought I’d check Google to see whether anything she had written would turn up — there were 2,000 entries. Her career has been fascinating. She began as an intern in the sports department of CNN in New York. She reported on political and economic developments for the Baltic Independent in Estonia after learning to speak Russian. Her next move was to Germany, where she was also at home with the language, and worked as a

Pilar Wolfsteller (87) on board the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Persian Gulf in March 2003.

sia’s presidential election and Kursk submarine disaster in 2000 as well as reports on European Union and G8 summit meetings. The story that took the most time and effort as well as emotional and physical energy was during her two tours as an embedded journalist on a navy vessel in the 14

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Alum Spotlight

Persian Gulf. The nuclear-powered USS Abraham Lincoln is a $3.8 billion aircraft carrier that is so big it has its own zip code. More than three football fields long, from keel to mast, the ship is as high as a 24-story building and is home to 5,500 sailors. This ship can catapult 54,000 pound F-14 Tomcats and ultramodern F-18 Superhornet aircraft from zero to 130 miles an hour in two seconds. Her March 21, 2003 story began with President Bush giving the order to fire the first Tomahawk cruise missiles over Iraq. Pilar filed her story then climbed to the top of the carrier, six floors above the flight deck, to look out over the ocean and was surprised to find crew members there, each carrying a new American flag. She describes what came next: “One after the other they raised their flags from the signal bridge for a few seconds, then lowered them again. I asked why they did that and one

Viking and landed on the four-and-a-half-acre deck of the ship. Wearing a green flight jacket and holding a white helmet, he stepped out to greet the troops before addressing the nation. A great banner hung from the tower above him that read “Mission Accomplished,” declaring that major combat operations had ended in Iraq. One of Pilar’s colleagues on board at that time, “told me how White House and Pentagon PR people basically hijacked the ship in preparation for it.” That sounds accurate, since CNN later revealed that the “Mission Accomplished” sign wasn’t made by the crew of the ship, but was supplied by the White House, and the great photo op lost some of its magic. After seeing Iraq and many of the world’s other trouble spots and trying to bring them to the world’s attention, it isn’t surprising that Pilar has chosen to step sideways to a more comfortable life in Switzerland’s bank-

The White House and Pentagon basically hijacked the ship in preparation for President Bush’s “Mission Accomplished” visit. Even the sign was supplied by the White House answered, ‘It’s for my family. I want them to have a flag that flew from the mast of the Lincoln on the first day of the war for freedom.’” The next day her story began, “Baghdad is burning as I write on this aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf.” Some questions apparently were creeping in along with the reporting because later in the article she added, “I was torn between my respect for the men and women of this ship who had trained many years to do the task, and the feeling that something was somehow wrong, and not a long-term, rational solution.” Later, back again on dry land, her questions increased. She wrote, “Of course, there was never any doubt about who would win the ‘major combat operations’ in Iraq. The tanks rolled from Kuwait to Baghdad in 20 days. But winning the peace is a lot harder.” The Lincoln is probably best remembered for May 1, 2003, when President Bush piloted a Navy 3 S-B

ing world. She really enjoyed being back in Singapore, with the smells of spices and the familiar, yet redeveloped places that reminded her of a happy stay many years ago. She surprised me when she recited perfectly the entire SAS school song (“In the east, in the west, SAS is always best, and the Eagles go marching along. In the classroom on the field…”). She suspected she might be the only person on the planet who still sings that song, and maintained she “drives people nuts” when she does. She wasn’t around last year for Jim Baker’s performance (the other person who knows it) at a school assembly leading up to the 50th anniversary. A very interesting woman who certainly no longer wears odd pins and sticks in her hair, Pilar Wolfsteller is truly cosmopolitan. Although she did not graduate from SAS, she valued her time here and knows it helped make her the person she is today.

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Singapore Today

Beautiful and historic National Museum reopens After more than three years and a US$80 million makeover, the National Museum of Singapore reopened last December. The renovated and expanded museum is a must-see for tourists and residents alike. It’s always been an icon, and now it’s an icon and a wonderful tour of the nation’s history. One of the highlights is the ultra-large Singapore History Gallery, which visitors tour with the help of individual tape recordings that narrate the story of the Lion City from its legendary beginnings in the 14th century to the modern period. Visitors literally walk through the stories, told in first person narratives by “little” people, such as fishermen and coolies. If you get “lost” in the narrative, each exhibit has a number, and you can push that number on your “magic box” for an explanation.

The fascinating Singapore Living Galleries focus on food, fashion, film, traditional theater and photography. You can sniff and see the food, trace the development of Chinese opera and view the history of families from various races and religions over the past 100 years. In addition to the permanent galleries, the museum showcases blockbuster exhibitions, such as the recent Art of Cartier and Maria Theresia and the Schönbrunn Palace and the current one on Singapore architecture. At 119 years, the National Museum is Singapore’s oldest museum building. Built in 1887, it was known as the Raffles Library and Museum and was particularly famous for its excellent zoological and ethnographical collections of Southeast Asia. Renamed the National Museum in the 1960s, the building was known as the

Photo courtesy Lighting Planners Associates, Japan

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Singapore Today Singapore History Museum after 1993. Now “the old lady,” as the building is often called, has not only undergone a complete facelift but has been infused with a young, innovative soul. Its stunning architecture somehow manages to blend the well-preserved historical part of the building with the new extension, 107.600 square feet of glass, metal and black concrete. These architectural juxtapositions do not clash but form a typical Singaporean identity, perfectly befitting the country’s National Museum: a titillating harmony of ultra-modernism and colonial charm.

1834 American bell returned to museum

bassador to Singapore Patricia Herbold) At a ceremony marking the return of the bell to the museum in May 2006, U.S. Ambassador Patricia Herbold thanked the museum, saying that the embassy was honored to have displayed it for so many years. Director of the National Museum Lee Chor Lin thanked the embassy for its care of the bell and said with a smile, “now it’s going home.” The bell is on display in a section of the museum on nineteenth-century trade among Americans, British, Dutch, Malays and Indians in Southeast Asia.

The recently re-opened National Museum contains a significant piece of American folklore in the form of a bell from the workshop of Revolutionary War patriot Paul Revere. The bell arrived in Singapore in 1834, and was given to the Church of St Andrew by Revere’s daughter, Maria Ballestier, wife of the first American consul to Singapore. The bell remained in the church until 1889. In 1911, it was loaned to a military church in the Tanglin area. Soon after, the bell cracked and was abandoned in the yard of the Tanglin Barracks. It was “discovered” in the 1930s, refurbished and placed on display in the Raffles Museum, now called the National Museum. The museum loaned the Revere Bell to the American Embassy in 1997. It remained in the embassy foyer for nine years as a reminder that “through the years, American relations have remained a constant as strong and durable as the Revere Bell.” (U.S. Am-

Photo courtesy U.S. Embassy

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A family tradition of giving – Library named after Singapore philanthropist The man honored with a plaque at the entrance to the SAS high school library is Tan Sri Khoo Teck Puat. In 2004, the Khoo Foundation gave the school $2 million toward the building of this impressive repository of books, archives and media resources, but the plaque and the name of the library recognize the man behind the foundation, the man whose generosity and philanthropy led to a family tradition of giving. Khoo was born in 1917 in Singapore, the son of a rice merchant, landowner and banker. He was a founder of Maybank in the 1960s, participated in the founding and running of the National Bank of Brunei, held a substantial percentage of Standard Chartered Bank and owned a huge portfolio of hotels. Although he was a visionary and pioneer business leader in international banking, hotels and property, Khoo believed that his success was the result of hard work and effort, that his achievements were not goals in themselves. His granddaughter Lauren quotes him in the 2004 Islander as believing that, “Everything comes full circle. Only you can defeat yourself.”

Tan Sri (Sir) Khoo is greatly admired for his generous donations to medical and educational causes and for setting up the Khoo Foundation in 1981. Since his death in 2004, the foundation has continued to focus on education, health care and medical research. Khoo passed his altruism as well as his legacy on to many of his 14 children and numerous grandchildren. In the words of the SAS mission statement, he instilled in them the “competence, confidence and courage to contribute to the global community.” His daughter Elizabeth recently said, “He inculcated a sense of community commitment in his family members.” The Khoo Foundation gift to the SAS library is one of many recent projects, which include the purchase of the ninth-centur y Tang Treasure for a museum on Sentosa and $80 million for the Duke-NUS Medical School. For SAS, its greatest gift is the continuing support of the Khoo family in thought and deed. Several Khoo grandchildren attend the school, and the family contributes to the growth of the Annual Fund for the SAS Education Foundation. 18

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Star Appeal dinner raises $400,000 Tribute by Shelley DeFord, Chairman SAS Board of Governors Star Appeal Dinner, March 2, 2007 Tonight is a tribute to Bob as well as honoring the SAS Annual Fund. We know that he would prefer to sneak out of town and have no fuss made about him, BUT he knows he has to let us honor him. A special thanks to the Khoo family. The inspiration behind and the underwriting of the Star Appeal dinner has been such a wonderful gift to the SAS Education Foundation. The generosity of everyone here and the hard work of the organizing committee has made tonight truly memorable. Ladies and gentlemen, please raise your glasses to this man of such hard work and respect for others, to this man of humor and humility, to this man of immense character and uncomon common sense. The eight years he has given us will forever be a part of SAS. To Bob!

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25 Anniversary of IASAS 36 teams compete on SAS campus By Michelle Brunoehler Eagle Booster Club President

the lives of hundreds of high school students in six international schools in six different countries. Since the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s founding in 1956, athletic competition has been an important part of student life at SAS. As the school grew so did the interest in providing opportunities for competition between SAS students and athletes from other schools. Although some opportunities existed to compete against local Singapore schools, travel to other countries in Southeast Asia to participate in sports exchanges and competitions rapidly became a way of life for SAS students. Established in 1982 by the Singapore American

This year the Interscholastic Association of Southeast Asian Schools (IASAS) celebrated its 25th anniversary. In April, the Singapore American School hosted all three third season sports, welcoming badminton, softball and track and field athletes and coaches from the six IASAS schools. This momentous occasion marked the evolution of a program of athletic competition, fine arts exchange and forensics that has become a major influence on 20

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Student athletes in the high school strive for the opportunity to participate in an IASAS tournament in one of ten different sports. In 1982, the schools played six sports — soccer, volleyball, swimming, basketball, softball and track — but cross country, rugby, tennis and badminton have been added over the years. The first season sports are cross country, soccer and volleyball. The second sports season is the largest and because of the holidays spans the longest time period; the sports are basketball, rugby/touch rugby, swimming and tennis. Cheerleading is also a second season sport but not an IASAS activity. The third season consists of badminton, softball and track and field. There are girls and boys teams for all IASAS sports. IASAS athletes practice most days after school from 4 to 6 p.m. Local games usually are at night or on weekends. Before sending these exceptional athletes to IASAS, they are recognized at a pep assembly at school and the Booster Club gives each athlete a travel shirt and an IASAS sports bag to carry their equipment.

School (SAS), International School of Bangkok (ISB), Jakarta International School (JIS) and International School of Kuala Lumpur (ISKL), IASAS was organized to facilitate student athletic competition in a league format. The International School of Manila (ISM) joined the league in 1985, and the Taipei American School (TAS) followed in 1986. Because of the unique format of the IASAS games (i.e., team sports played in six games over a three-day period under a tropical sun or sometimes in un-air-conditioned gymnasiums), it took many years to develop standard rules for each sport, which grew to include student conduct and curfew regulations. Yearly IASAS athletic directors’ meetings continue to tweak the rules. IASAS was and is a key factor in student life at SAS.

In the 1980s, the Cultural Convention awards banquet was similar to Oscar Night with “best play,” “best actor” and “best dance performance” awards

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IASAS is more than sports IASAS became more than a sports conference when Cultural Convention began in 1983. Its festival of the arts consisted of music, drama, forensics and dance — art was added in 1985. In the beginning, all the disciplines came together each year at one school — an extravaganza of the arts, including six one-act plays, dance performances, music adjudication and honors performances by individuals and an IASAS choir and orchestra. The awards banquet was similar to Oscar Night with “best play,” “best actor” and “best dance performance” awards and medals for forensics. SAS hosted the last of these grand shows in 1988, one of the high points of the dec-

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Cultural Convention is about being different and celebrating our differences, but coming together and working as one, celebrating our feeling of being one. Arturo Correa, visiting artist, SAS Cultural Convention 07

ade. The next year, Cultural Convention split into two venues. Music and art were in one group; drama, forensics and dance are in the other. The sponsors of drama, dance and music also decided to take the competition out of their disciplines and concentrate on performance, so “Oscars” now only go to forensics participants. IASAS also took over the sponsorship of the Asian Model United Nations in the mid 1980s. The host school, structure and evolution of the event each year is determined by IASAS, but delegations are invited from all over Asia — India, Japan, Korea. MUN was held this school year in Taipei, and the issues included the containment of pandemics, the prevention of torture, intellectual property rights and nuclear technology. A recent addition to IASAS is the annual Student Union Leadership Convention. The Leadership Convention began in 1999 and is unique in that it is organized and operated by students under the guidance of student council advisors and athletic directors. It is intended to increase opportunities for cooperation and teamwork among IASAS schools to develop skills, build confidence and acquire leadership skills as well as promote social service activities. About 50 students from the six schools meet for two days each September to participate in team building activities and share ideas about leadership projects and challenges at their schools. The delegates also visit a selected charity that is the recipient of funds raised by the students. 23

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Track and field mom Karen Witherspoon (left) with Michelle Brunoehler.

Booster parents led by “the silent Eagle” sums of money to supplement the school activities budget. Using their funds to pay for opportunities outside the school budget, the Boosters also went into the school spirit business, selling school shirts, hats, boxers and souvenirs. Today, the Boosters, led by the hugely supportive Michelle Brunoehler, whom Superintendent Bob Gross calls “the silent Eagle,” are as active as ever. They provide volunteer parent support for high school athletic, cultural, extracurricular and scholastic activities. They actively encourage awareness of the programs and accomplishments of the students through Interim Semester and Senior scholarships and Senior Spirit Awards. They assist with visual and performing arts productions and sponsor honor roll recognition events, awards evenings and the Senior Breakfast.

In the school year 1984-1985, a Boosters Club was formed initially to raise the funds for good quality uniforms that would remain with the school from year to year. The Boosters played an important role in raising school spirit and pride in the teams in the early years. As time went on, the school’s budget caught up with IASAS costs, but the Boosters had established themselves as a key school support organization. Ordinarily Boosters are associated with sports only, but at SAS they are equal supporters of the arts. Throughout the years, they have provided the extra touch that the programs need. Over the years, the Boosters have helped with housing visiting participants; organized awards banquets and slide shows; carried coats for freezing choirs; checked kids in early at airports so they would not miss class time; provided hospitality for visiting coaches; and raised large 24

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;The effort that all the parents and students put into IASAS made the athletes feel as if they were competing in the World Olympics.â&#x20AC;? Maribel Tirona (94)

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IASAS 2006-07 IASAS Sports

Volleyball Soccer Cross Country Basketball Rugby Tennis Swimming Track Softball Badminton

boys

girls

gold silver fifth silver silver bronze gold gold gold fifth

gold gold fourth bronze silver fourth gold silver gold sixth

Cultural Convention Art • Music • Dance • Drama • Debate • Oral Interpretation • Original Oratory • Extemporaneous • Impromptu Model United Nations Leadership Conference

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SAS Today

Cherishing Interim Semesters in Soweto and Tibet By Casey DeFord (07)

really excited about this trip, and it ended up being even more amazing than I had imagined. The children whom we tutored were all so excited to be learning, and they valued everything we taught them. I became so attached to them in just eight days that I realized that later in my life I want to go into a profession where I can help people who are less fortunate. It taught me so much about the world in which I live and how lucky I am to have everything that I have. After such an incredible time, I knew that my senior year Interim probably wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t going to be nearly as

I have been blessed with four fantastic Interim Semester trips, but two of them were especially outstanding â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Soweto, South Africa my junior year and Dharamsala, India my senior year. These trips were polar opposites. I went to Soweto to work in an afterschool care program and help at a center called the Bridghman Center. Our daily activities included scraping linoleum tiles off the floor, installing computers, tutoring children and cleaning the center. I was initially

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SAS Today

My Interim Semester trips helped me learn to adapt to situations where I wasn’t always comfortable and built me up to be a way stronger person. They changed me for the best

rewarding, I was tempted to sign up for Soweto again, but I thought I would regret it If I didn’t experience something new. I immediately crossed the Europe trips off my list, not because they were bad trips, but I just couldn’t imagine just sight-seeing after Soweto. So I signed up for Trekking in Tibetan India. At first I was really excited, but closer to the departure date, I began to dread it. I didn’t want to go to India because I had heard rumors that everyone got sick, the trains were horrible and the food was bad. I am so glad that I got over my fears and went because it was another amazing experience. It didn’t offer the same obstacles as South Africa, but it was a different kind of challenge. For the first time in my life, I slept in a tent, battled freezing cold weather and went somewhere with people I barely knew. There were times during this trip when I wished I was back in Singapore in the warmth and my comfortable home, but the more I endured, the more I loved it! Almost everyone on that trip was a total stranger, but by the fifth day, we were all good friends. I think these trips helped prepare me for college and made me look forward to next year. They helped me learn to adapt to situations where I wasn’t always comfortable and built me up to be a way stronger person. I mean it when I say that these trips changed me for the best. I know that five years from now I will cherish the times that I had in these countries and with the people who went with me. I am sure that I won’t ever forget these experiences, and I am so lucky to have had them. 29

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Alum Spotlight

Supreme Court declares U.S. private contractors working for the government have First Amendment rights

Above left: Keen the trash man criticized county officials in weekly newspaper columns. Above right: Keen the lawyer celebrates graduation from law school with SAS sweetheart Eileen.

In 1991, Keen Umbehr (SAS 77) sued Wabaunsee County, Kansas commissioners after they canceled his trash-hauling contract in retaliation for newspaper columns he wrote criticizing the county government. Keen took his case to a lawyer and eventually to the Supreme Court. He won in 1996. Free speech advocates hail the case for “expanding the rights of free speech, free press, petition and freedom of information for tens of thousands of government contractors and for the public in general.” In 1998, The Freedom Forum presented Keen with the Free Spirit Award, the organization’s highest honor,

for dedication, determination, vision and enterprise in serving fellow citizens. Keen was also named a Distinguished Kansan by the Topeka Capital-Journal in 1996. In a newspaper interview in 1999, Keen said that his respect for the First Amendment and other constitutional ideals stretched back to his childhood, when he was a student at SAS. “We were American students, but we were not living the American experience. We got to see firsthand the contrasts between America and countries that didn’t have First Amendment rights or constitutional rights.” 30

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Alum Spotlight

Small Town Showdown By Eileen Umbehr (76) Published by ??????

forward with even more serious allegations. This led Keen to compile all of his findings for the county attorney, who turned them over to the Kansas Attorney General’s office. After the investigation was concluded, the commissioners ended up with a slap on the wrist, but they were plenty angry nonetheless. I know I’m biased, but I think the story is or could be an inspiration to a lot of people. A trash man from a small Kansas town goes up against the powers that be — and wins in the Supreme Court! It took 5 1/2 years for our case to weave its way through every level of the justice system, but it was worth it. By going to the U.S. Supreme Court, our case established a national precedent that private contractors doing business with the government have the same First Amendment rights as government employees. As Keen said, “That’s the plum I take away from this case.” In fact, the case is taught in law schools now. (Keen saw it firsthand in his Constitutional Law book.) I guess you could say that he fought the law, and he won. It wasn’t easy on any of us, especially with four sons to care for, but Keen is a true patriot. When asked by a newspaper reporter how he would react if the Supreme Court ruled against him, he said, “If we lose, then they can bury me with the First Amendment.”

I’ve been working on Small Town Showdown for so long and have had multiple rejections, so I view anything like this article in SAS Journeys as just one more chance that someone might read about our experience and see the potential for a book and/or movie. If you’ve ever seen the movie Erin Brockovich — well, I see Keen as a male version of that story. He was in an occupation that garners little or no respect, but he didn’t let it define him as a person. He believed in what the Constitution stood for, and he hung on to that belief while he wrote that column — in spite of the fact that he was taking a huge financial risk by biting the hand that fed him. He believed that as long as he did the job he was hired to do, he could exercise his right of free speech. The fact of the matter is that there were a lot of shady dealings going on in our county (Wabaunsee, pronounced Wa-bun-see), and as Keen continued to write, citizens began coming

Sounds like a great book to me. Any publisher or agent alums who can help? Eileen may be reached at EileenUmbehr@aol.com. [Editor] 31

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SASer’s journey from trash man to lawyer By Keen Umbehr (77) During my time in Singapore (1970-77), particularly during my high school years, I was pretty sure that my mission in life was to buck the system whenever possible. I remember how I would intentionally break the uniform code by wearing cut-off jeans to Coach Baker’s class just so he would make (let) me run laps around the King’s Road campus. Don Kabel and I (and unnamed others) routinely engaged in activities that would land anyone in jail today. For example, we used to pull an imaginary rope across the road in front of the public buses, and one Halloween I donned a gorilla outfit, complete with a fake head, and directed traffic at the intersection of Orchard and Scotts Roads. Don and I were also known to challenge the incoming freshmen to egg fights at the Botanical Gardens. (That tradition came to an abrupt halt after my mom caught us carrying several cartons of eggs and confiscated our ammunition.) Our house was directly behind the SAS King’s Road campus. My mom organized and hosted the high school breakfast Bible studies on Tuesday mornings, and I never paid much attention until a Navigator missionary named Keith Lindaman came along. Coach Kasi let Keith coach

the rugby team, and he eventually led the SAS rugby team to the national finals in Singapore. As I look back on it, the sports that I participated in while at SAS not only taught me the importance of discipline but also that pain and struggle were just part of the journey. Victories were great, but it was the defeats that taught me the importance of endurance and perseverance. But the greatest lessons from SAS came from Paul McGraw’s U.S. history class. Having grown up overseas (Nigeria and Angola before Singapore), U.S. history was more like theology class to me. We were Americans, but we weren’t living in America, so it was especially fascinating to explore the contrast between the rights we had in Singapore (or lack thereof) and the hard-fought freedoms available in the United States. During my freshman year at SAS, I met my lifelong sweetheart, a sophomore by the name of Eileen Van Kirk (SAS 76). Eileen and I dated for about a year before her family moved back to the States. After two years 32

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Wabaunsee County commissioners. The case eventually wound up in the U.S. Supreme Court, where we won by a vote of 7-2. It’s a long story, but you can read a little more about it on www.keenjustice.com. Eileen has completed a book about our experience and is currently seeking an agent and/or publisher. In 1999 at the age of 40, I decided to sell the trash business and return to college. After graduation, I attended law school at Washburn University School of Law in Topeka, Kansas, and I am currently in my second year of private practice. I’m convinced that the education I received at SAS, along with the real-life experiences I encountered in Singapore (such as getting a “free” hair cut at the airport upon returning to Singapore from the States), truly shaped the person I am today and sharpened my awareness and appreciation for the civil rights and freedoms we enjoy in America.

of long distance romance and writing letters, we were married on June 10, 1978. Eleven months later to the day, our first son was born. Three more sons followed, and now two daughters-in-law and four grandchildren have joined our family (with one more on the way in October). My first attempt at college (Hamline University, St. Paul, Minnesota) lasted only one semester. Eileen and I decided to move to my family’s hometown of Alma, Kansas (pop. 850), where we could enjoy the wide open spaces. Two years later I bid on and was awarded a contract for hauling trash for our county. In my “spare time,” I began writing a weekly newspaper column called “My Perspective,” in which I would often criticize the local county commissioners. This didn’t get me any brownie points with the county, and I soon found myself without a contract. After finding a small law firm in Manhattan, Kansas that believed in my case, we filed a First Amendment lawsuit against the

Keen and Eileen were high school sweethearts at SAS in 1974 and 1975.

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Thais arrest “Sukhothai Six” for sacrilege

Eileen Van Kirk (76) and five other SAS students made international headlines on their Interim Semester trip to Thailand in January 1974. The students were arrested, fingerprinted and fined for climbing on a statue of the Buddha. This is Eileen’s version of events.

Thailand and anyone else who would listen, and asking them to help and intervene. The story (and pictures) went out on the AP wire, and many newspapers in the United States picked it up. It became somewhat of an international incident. Back in Thailand, there were numerous letters to the editors. I recall “reading” one which was all in Thai except for one English word — all in caps — S***. (Need they say more?) But one interesting editorial asked, “What would the Buddha do?” She said the authorities should be lenient with us because we were ignorant and not intentionally disrespectful. We attended a court hearing, which was difficult to understand because of the language barrier. I heard them say something about jail and immediately had visions of my mother handing me food through the bars. When everything was said and done, the judge determined that normally he would order jail time, but because of our youth and ignorance, he would be lenient. We were given 6 months probation. Needless to say, our parents were very relieved when we all made it home safely.

Well, what can I say? In our defense, we were all aware of the sacredness of the Buddha and never would have dreamed of climbing on the statues. However, when we visited the ruins of Sukhothai, they were just that — ruins. The bus traveled down some gravel roads to reach the abandoned site, which was literally in the middle of nowhere. The statues were in terrible shape and didn’t seem, well, sacred. One of us got the bright idea to sit on the shoulders with one person perched in the lap, then we rotated the people. When we were preparing to leave, some very excited Thai men appeared at the front of the bus and confiscated everyone’s film. After developing the film, they were able to identify the students who had been on the statue. Basically, it was viewed as a serious case of sacrilege, particularly because we girls were wearing shorts, and apparently a woman’s bare legs must never touch a statue of the Buddha. We were arrested, fingerprinted and detained in a local hotel (not a jail cell), while the rest of our classmates returned to Singapore. My father and his company and other parents and companies and the school burned up the telephone lines, talking with the U.S. ambassador to 34

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Dr. Brent Mutsch to lead SAS to the next level before that he worked for 21 years in public schools in the United States. In addition to serving as superintendent in Dhahran, he also concurrently served as president of the Near East South Asia Council of Overseas Schools. NESA is a non-profit organization of over 75 international schools committed to offering students the best possible education through embracing the “best practices” of both American and international education. The Mutschs’ home is in Dillon, Colorado. His wife Maggie will be teaching third grade at SAS. Both are looking forward to the move to Singapore for the professional and personal opportunities that are here. I met with Dr. Mutsch in April, and he told me a bit about his plans for SAS. He sees the school’s growth as the biggest issue in the coming year, and that resolving it will mean first focusing on its mission — Why SAS exists and who it serves. “The mission sets the context for the articulation of the vision, a statement representing the preferred future of the school.” He’s enthusiastic about taking on the new challenge. He also wants to focus on making SAS “the best school that SAS can be. I believe that I add value to SAS in working to lead an excellent school to the next level of performance.” He made an interesting observation on SAS’s “Vital Few” by metaphorically placing Academic Rigor on one side of a scale and Extraordinary Care for the Welfare of Each Child on the other side to achieve the balanced goal of Professional Excellence, adding that “a school should never being complacent about what it has achieved.” As for the people, he sees the school as humming with transactional relationships — student to teacher, teacher to parent, parent to principal, principal to child, etc., and he wants to be involved in the “life of the school as a respected professional, as a friend who cares, and as a leader who can be trusted.” I think it will be a pleasure to work with and get to know Brent Mutsch, and I think the SAS community is lucky to have him.

By Junia Baker, Editor

The SAS Board of Governors has appointed Dr. Brent Mutsch as the school’s new superintendent. He is currently Superintendent of Saudi Aramco Schools in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, and will begin to serve at SAS in August 2007. The Board of Governors Search Committee, under the leadership of Vice Chairman Garth Sheldon, did a thorough and inclusive search for someone with the skills, knowledge and wisdom to lead SAS. Governor Sally Greene said, “We had a ‘we are good, but we can still be better’ attitude and wanted to see what candidates could contribute to that.” Mutsch is their choice. He is a “highly respected educator with years of experience in administration and teaching in the United States and overseas,” said School Board Chair Shelley DeFord. Dr. Mutsch has been in Dhahran since 1994, and

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Thank you, Boni, for being you By Linda Clarke, SAS teacher From August 1970 through December 2006 is quite an employment record for anyone in this day and age when job hopping is the norm. But then Boni (did you even know her full name is Bonira Kapel?) is far from your average employee. Boni grew up in a traditional Muslim family and was not allowed to work until she was either engaged or married. She married Rahaman in 1969, and became a library clerk in the high school library in August 1970. That job lasted less than a year before she was transferred to the high school office as secretary to the principal. Her first “boss” was Harry Fogie. Since that day Boni has taken notes and typed hundreds of memos and letters for no less than 14 principals, and she has eased those principals and the school through each transition. Of those 14 principals three were interim principals, which means that they were superintendents as well as high school principals. Teachers around during those times knew who really ran the school — Boni! During her 36 years at SAS, Boni has moved offices at least four times — two times at the King’s Road campus and twice at Woodlands. She has worked on a manual typewriter and copied material with dittos on a duplicating machine, switched to electric typewriters with the whirling/tilting element and then learned to use the computer. She has taken notes in longhand, shorthand, off dictaphones, over the telephone, and keyed in via the computer. The teaching staff that she has worked with has grown from under 40 to over 100. The student body has increased from 400 to almost 1,200. One thing never changed over the years — in good times and bad, Boni always had a smile and a kind word for everyone. Principal Dave Norcott says that he will miss Boni’s positive attitude and great work ethic, as well as her cheerful disposition. “She’s a really nice person, a great lady.” 36

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In addition to her unfailing loyalty to the principals for whom she worked, Boni also took care of the teachers. They could always count on a discreet reminder if they were late turning in a form or a raised eyebrow that said maybe “now” was not a good time to approach the principal. Among the teaching staff, the answer to almost any question is “ask Boni” or “ask Azizah.” When alumni return to SAS to visit, their first stop was often the high school office to see Boni because she was so involved in much of the students’ lives — Interim Semester, graduation, attendance, lockers and even problems at home. Boni stayed at SAS all of these years because she enjoyed interacting with the adults and the kids. This kept her young and busy and always on the move. She had good support at all times and has made lasting friendships. And the “crazy but good rapport with people you work with” helped the office staff keep up the pace of running the high school. In this long career, there are some stories to tell, but most of them she would never repeat because that is Boni. One summer the staff was astounded to see Boni climbing a tree to get a close look at a wild orchid up on a branch. Another time Boni fell in a ditch and registration cards flew all over the ground. She has worked with a wide range of personalities in principals. She recalls Charles Johnson as more “familyish.” He was older and included his staff in everything he did in the office and at home. Her co-workers have also changed some but the years of “The Rowdy Bunch” — Boni, Azizah, Dorothy and Siti — were definitely . . . rowdy! Other names for her and her colleagues were the “Three Angels” and the “Purple Passion Ladies.” Boni was always in charge, but they kept all the high school running smoothly. What now? Boni hopes to travel on business trips with her husband of 38 years. She’ll also plans to enjoy being a grandma to Danial (3˚ years young). Both of her sons, Zaki and Andy, are married, and she hopes for a few more grandchildren. And Boni says that if someone needs help for certain projects at SAS, she is available. That’s Boni! Boni made an awesome contribution with her years of dedication to SAS, her ever present smile, her willingness to help new teachers get acclimated, her knowledge of how everything works, and her ability to keep her cool. She is a pillar of the SAS community and we will never forget her. Thanks, Boni, for being the person you are.

Photos by Paul Griffin

Above: Co-worker and friend, Azizah Sultan, presents Boni with memory books from past and present administrators, faculty and staff at a surprise farewell gathering in December 2006. Below: Superintendent Bob Gross talks about Boni’s enormous contributions to SAS. 37

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Bava’s Three L’s: Laughter Lubricates Life By Kathy Bordwell (07)

Junior Tiffany Fan said that not only was Bava “a really good advisor,” but he always “made people laugh.” Bava said one of his proudest moments at SAS was helping to start the IASAS rugby program. He was instrumental in getting other international schools involved. It is “the single achievement that stands out and the highlight as far as sports,” Bava said. Students who have had him as a track coach highlighted how helpful it was to have him train them, and students he didn’t personally train liked him as well. “He wasn’t my coach, but he’d always smile at me, and give me advice,” sophomore Nicole Banister, a track and field athlete said. “He was just a really nice guy to be around.” Bava said the death of four student athletes over an Easter break in 1990 was his saddest moment at SAS. He received a fond farewell speech on September 1 with students taking to a temporary stage in the cafeteria to talk about him and to say goodbye.

When Nat Bava fell in a food court last summer, he didn’t realize it would force him into retirement, but the 35-year veteran of SAS and one of its most admired teachers and coaches decided it was time to say goodbye. After two surgeries failed to fix his wrist, Bava was left with a permanent injury that would get in the way of his teaching PE. Bava made a tough “personal decision based on [his] doctor’s medical diagnosis,” and decided that he would not be able to give his students the quality instruction they deserve since it was virtually impossible to move his wrist to instruct students in sports like tennis and badminton. Students say they will most miss Bava’s sense of humor, and his congratulatory “Vundaba!” when they did something well and “hocus pocus” to help explain the tougher concepts in activities. 38

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Opposite: Talking with rugby team on King’s Road campus in the mid-1980s. Above left: Playing rugby for Singapore. Above right: Recent photo of the four SAS track and field coaches — Smith, Bava, Donalson, Baker. During his years at SAS from 1971 to 2006, Nat Bava taught physical education, was athletic director and coached soccer, rugby and track at Alexandra, Ulu Pandan, Kings Road and Woodlands campuses.

and the American community for giving him so many opportunities. As a Singaporean, he said, it “makes a difference coming from a different nationality,” but that he found the American community a “caring and helpful society,” key to making SAS such an “outstanding global institution.” Students say they will remember his always-cheerful humor and his three L’s; “laughter lubricates life.”

Though Bava has been at SAS through many changes to the facilities and campus locations, he has taken them all in stride, claiming he was able to adapt since he was “not only involved, [he] was committed to the cause of education.” Not sure what he will do after leaving except keeping mentally and physically fit, Bava said he is thankful to everyone at SAS, parents, teachers, board members,

Local athletic legend Nat Bava is a local athletic legend. In 1966, he was Singapore’s second fastest runner in the 100 m, 200 m and 400 m. He won silver and bronze medals in the third and fourth Southeast Asian Peninsular Games (1965 and 1967) and a bronze in the fifth Asian Games (1966). In rugby, he captained and coached the Singapore national sides through their most successful years and was awarded the Singapore National Olympic Council’s Coach of the Year award in 1979. The best testimonial to him comes from Steven Studebaker (82): Nat has had a star studded history here in Singapore and has been a tremendous conduit between SAS and the Singaporean community. He was a star athlete and coach in the community and for years has been an ambassador for SAS as well as Singapore in the sporting community. Over his long career Nat has not only been a tremendous teacher but he has been a coach, a mentor and a friend to many present and past teachers at our school. He has been a great source of wisdom and expertise and to the many students and staff that he has worked with over his 35 years at SAS and he moves on leaving a huge hole in our school and many heavy hearts. Nat is currently serving on the coaching committee of the Singapore Hockey Federation.

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In 1956…. By Stuart Lippe (59)

all over the island, hanging (illegally) onto the tailgates of trucks carrying rubber bales to the port (made easier by their 20 kph speed limit). Satay cost about a penny a stick from vendors in a vacant lot across from the Raffles Hotel. The Cathay cinema was one of the few, if not the only one, that had air conditioning. After a show there was (the original) Bugis Street for entertainment or dinner from the many itinerant vendors. There was no television, but the streets provided a better alternative — Malays, Chinese from many provinces, Javanese, Orang Laut, Babas, Tamils and Sikhs and more — all making up Singapore. The British and Americans shopping at Cold Storage looked pedestrian by comparison. Everybody else’s clothing was more interesting, and their food was better too. Speaking of food, the family cook was named Wong, but he didn’t make much Chinese food. His specialty was roast beef! An amah took care of my sister, and the driver was a tall Sikh. The legend was that he had been dismissed from the Singapore Fire Department for driving too fast. He was 70 years old at the time, and I loved the way he handled our Mark V Jaguar, whether the story was true or not. I learned to drive with that car — when my father and Mr. Singh were not looking.

In 1956, Singapore was still a British Crown Colony, with around 1.5 million people. The Cathay Building and the Asia Insurance Building were the tallest in town. They are dwarfed by today’s skyline. David Marshall was Chief Minister and Lee Kuan Yew a young labor lawyer, leader of the newly formed Peoples Action Party (PAP) — and an occasional guest at my parent’s home because my dad was labor attaché at the U.S. Consulate General. He was not then viewed by the British authorities in a particularly favorable a light because a lot of people thought he was too friendly with the communists, but when a radical labor leader drives a Studebaker, his apparent interest in communism is already suspect. Everyone knew that merdeka (independence) was coming. In January 1956, the Singapore American School had just opened on Rochalie Drive off of Tanglin Road. My memory was a yellowish Victorian house (later confirmed when I saw the watercolor of it at the SAS online store). Being fourteen years old is probably good almost anywhere, but this was especially so in Singapore. We bowled at the American Club, swam and rode bicycles 40

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We lived at 21 Leedon Park, and I would walk to Holland Road for a bus into town. No MRT, no LRT. I googled the address recently and the satellite image shows our rambler style house has been replaced with a much more imposing one with a swimming pool. In fact, it appears there are as many pools as houses in the neighborhood now. Instead of a pool, our garden had mangos and durians. Once in town, we wandered all over the city, but especially from Orchard Road to Raffles Place to Collyer Quay and Clifford Pier via Change Alley. Marina Bay and Marina Park did not exist, and Boat Quay was a real working area of shop houses and godowns. The Singapore River looks a lot cleaner today, and I would bet Thieves Market is gone. [It’s still here, but not half as interesting as it was in 1956. Ed.] Tiger Balm Gardens, the Padang, Chinatown and Little India were other destinations. Queen Elizabeth Walk was on the water then. One night, we stayed at a fishing hut on stilts, helping to pull up the nets. Hard work, in return for what couldn’t have been a fresher fish dinner. Of course, it wasn’t always idyllic. Once, my SAS classmate’s outboard lost a propeller, and we were drifting to Sumatra, with the waves becoming increasingly steep and scary, until a passing junk agreed to tow us back to harbor. Another time, returning from a holiday in Cameron Highlands, Malaysia, we discovered a bullet hole in the rear fender, no doubt cour tesy of the communist insurgents, who were still active then. This short look at Singapore in 1956 does not at-

tempt to explore the complex ethnic and political problems that existed and that were serious. There was real poverty, and communal tensions sometimes exploded. Students, public transport and dock workers and many others went on strike, and some protests degenerated into riots with looting and death. To remind me of the atmosphere during this period, I reread Lee Kuan Yew’s memoirs, The Singapore Story, which provides much more detail on the turbulence and high emotions of that time. When I was at Anglo-Chinese School before SAS opened, there were older students who had purposely stayed on at Communist Party direction to organize the younger students for some of those protests. While most in my classes were friendly, there were some confrontations with the political activists. (I and one other kid were the only non-Singaporeans in the school.) So, I was happy to transfer to SAS. SAS began with grades K to 9, and I was the first person to complete the ninth grade that year. So, in that sense, I was the first school leaver from SAS. Later, of course, the school grew to the full K-12. The 7th-8th-9th grades (there were six or seven of us total) were taught together on the back porch by the Principal Fisher and his wife. There was no yearbook that year. I was student council president and also a reporter on the school paper, which was called The Reporter (we weren’t very original). It was produced on a mimeograph machine. I have one original copy and will send it to SAS. Editorial policy called for sportsmanship between teams during recess, and especially admonished the five older boys (including me) for playing too hard. In sports, SAS was already doing well, with the elementary school team winning events against four British Army garrison schools (at Nee Soon, Tengah, Selarang and Blakang Mati). I understand Pulau Blakang Mati is now Sentosa Island. Well, things do change. In 1956… I couldn’t imagine looking 50 years down the road at what might come. Now I am looking back those 50 years. I missed the SAS 50th Anniversary but will get back one of these days.

Opposite: Stuart learned to drive in his dad’s classic Jaguar. Left: Downtown Singapore in 1956 bears little resemblance to the city today. 41

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SAS Today

SAS hosts Dr. Jane Goodall on Pulau Ubin By SAS teachers Kate Grace Thome,

chimpanzees has taught people so much about their primate cousins and disclosed many similarities in behavior, family structure and intelligence. As her work progressed over the years, she became increasingly aware of the challenges facing chimpanzees and other species due to habitat loss, poaching and the illegal pet trade and decided to create Roots & Shoots clubs in 1991. There are now 9,000 active Roots & Shoots clubs in over 90 countries. Roots & Shoots, conceptualizes a small, well-rooted young plant that has the strength to penetrate a solid

Martha Began, Zeeb McNicol and Steve Early

Saturday, November 4, 2006 was an extraordinary day for SAVE (Students Against Violating the Environment), ECO Club and Greenfingerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Garden Club. As members of Dr. Jane Goodallâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Roots & Shoots program, the students were asked to host the famous primatologist at an outdoor activity. Wow! What a privilege! Imagine our excitement at her visit! Her work with

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SAS Today for the Environment — fit perfectly with the concerns of these SAS clubs. We invited Dr. Jane to join us for a walk on Pulau Ubin with friends from the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped (SAVH) to tour our award-winning Sensory Trail, which is part of the National Parks Board Adopt-A-Park program. Launched in 2000, the trail was developed by SAS students in collaboration with our visually impaired friends. Students researched plants that are appealing to the senses and made signs in both Braille and English. The Sensory Trail has been a place of great learning for our community, not just because of our greater understanding of the local plants and animals. On a deeper level, our visually impaired friends

barrier, such as a brick wall. The program focuses on empowering young people to become those mighty shoots and lead others to make changes for the better, not just for animals, but for human beings and for the environment as well. Dr. Jane, as she prefers to be called, was in Singapore at the request of Education Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam to encourage high school and junior college teachers and students to join Roots & Shoots. SAS has been a member since 2000, thanks to the encouragement of Richard Hartung, an SAS parent whose daughter Kimberly (06) was an active member of the ECO and SAVE Clubs. The three themes of Roots & Shoots — Care and Concern for Animals, for People and

Opposite: About 300 people participated in the field trip to Pulau Ubin to visit the award-winning Sensory Trail, which was developed by SAS students in collaboration with the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped. Below: SAS teachers with Dr. Jane are Zeeb McNicol (Greenfinger’s Garden Club), Steve Early and Martha Began (SAVE) and Kate Grace Thome (ECO Club).

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SAS Today have taught us how to enjoy nature through the use of our other senses and to value the experiences of our friends who live courageous and independent lives, despite their loss of sight. Dr. Jane has a special affection for the blind because of a blind friend named Gary Haun, who not only scuba dives and skis, but is a magician. He gave Dr. Jane a stuffed chimpanzee, “Mr. H,” and told her, “If a blind man can do magic, you can change the world.” She takes Mr. H everywhere she goes to remind her of Gary’s inspiration. We had a taste of Dr. Jane’s magic when she decided to walk the Sensory Trail blindfolded! We were all more than impressed, we were transformed! Students were at various stations to share information or to offer a taste of an indigenous fruit to Dr. Jane and Jane Goodall

Institute board members Kang Phee Boon, Kelly Kok and Richard Hartung. Guests from eight local schools and friends from the nature conservation community also enjoyed the tour. Our time with Dr. Jane was an incredible gift. She is an amazing teacher and communicator. By covering her eyes, she showed us how much we can learn when we seek a different perspective. She planted many seeds during her time with us. SAS’s Roots & Shoots is involved in helping to establish the Jane Goodall Institute in Singapore. The SAVE Club hosted a workshop for interested local and international schools in January 07 and then met with the core group of schools in March. Plans are also underway for Dr. Jane’s return visit next October.

SAVE Club member Lars Crawford (07) guides Dr. Jane along the SAS Sensory Trail on Pulau Ubin. Teacher Martha Began and colleague from the Jane Goodall Institute in Taiwan are in the background.

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Thirty lovely years in elementary school After thirty years of teaching at SAS, Patricia Liew has decided to take the big step and retire. Pat or Patty, as she was sometimes called at Ulu Pandan, has been a successful and much loved teacher in kindergarten, first, second, third and fourth grades. Pat’s teaching is characterized by her lighthearted sense of humor, her dedication to her students’ success and her professionalism. Recognizing her efforts, her administrators nominated her for International Teacher of the Year in 2000. She received the honor of being one of the top four finalists.

By Kirk Palmer and Kathy Tan, SAS teachers

Liao Biying joined the family. Kwok Leong has since retired from the Air Force with the rank of Lt. Colonel and is consulting for the local culinary academy, At-Sunrice, in Fort Canning Park. Bryanne completed her Bachelor of Law degree at King’s College in London, returning to finish her Diploma in Singapore Law at the National University of Singapore. She will be called to the bar in May this year as a full-fledged lawyer. Pat plans to travel quite a bit after she completes this school year in June. She hopes to pursue some charity work and is looking forward to having more time to play the piano. She maintains that she prefers tapping her fingers on the piano keys to computer keys (and admits that she’s techno handicapped and techno phobic). She is looking forward to attending a reunion at her high school in Sandakan, Sabah, in September to mark the 119th anniversary of the founding of her alma mater, St. Michael’s Secondary School.

Patricia Lui was born in Hong Kong and moved to Sabah, Malaysia at the age of six. There she attended elementary and high school. She moved back to Hong Kong for two years of junior college before heading to the United States. She earned a BA and MA in education from Illinois State University. In December 1974, she decided to head back to the East. After an extended trip through Europe and Asia, she settled in Singapore. She applied and was interviewed at SAS by then superintendent Dr. John Plank. She started teaching first grade in Mercury at Ulu Pandan in 1975 (when Orchard Road was a two-lane, two-way street). In 1979, she married Singapore Air Force fighter pilot Liew Kwok Leong and in 1983 daughter Bryanne 45

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Kendra Chiota Payne Biathlon Kendra Payne (02) is a recent and quite sad addition to the SAS Memory Garden. She was killed last year during triathlon training when her bicycle was hit by a truck. She was in her senior year at the University of California at Santa Barbara. Kendra was an amazing athlete with a zest for life, people and social causes. Her SAS yearbook quote is by Confucius, “Wherever you go, go with all your heart,” and she did. At SAS, where Kendra was on the varsity swim team and track and field team for four years, the annual swimming and running biathlon has been renamed the Kendra Chiota Payne Biathlon. At USCB, donations from family, friends and teammates have established the Kendra Chiota Payne Memorial Award to promote leadership and character through sports. For information about the fund, contact the UCSB Foundation Development Office.

Kendra broke several SAS and IASAS records in 2002, and her 4x400-m hurdles at 4:11.82 has yet to be beaten.

SAS swim team winners of the Kendra Chiota Payne Biathlon held in October 2006.

Singapore’s Eagles, the history of SAS — and Singapore — is on sale at the SAS online store. The photographs alone make it a book to cherish. See http://alumni.sas.edu.sg/ ?storefront or snail-mail Lauren Thomas, Associate Director of Alumni Relations, Singapore American School, 40 Woodlands Street 41, Singapore 738547.

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Young alumni at the American Club in Singapore, December 2006

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Notes & Quotes

1966 Class reps: Sandra Pinckney, sandraptv@aol.com

1967 Class rep: Michael Brown, mb2email@cox.net “How about Vancouver in July 2007?! It’s the 40th anniversary of our graduation, and how many times does that happen? Russ Ng and I will be there, not that that’s anything special, but we shared some wonderful times with Nancy Lalka Vance and Diane Fitzwater Travis in Singapore last year, and it sure would be great to see some other classmates.” Barb Bready.

Class of 75 at 2005 reunion Fischer, silk@hawaii.rr.com

1971

1970 Class reps: Wendy LamontWoolbright, wlamontwoolbright@ cox.net; Don Chambers, don@ donchambers.com; Thad Goff, thad_goff@hotmail.com

Kathleen Blake Reynolds, kreynolds@ laidlawcorp.com

1972 Class rep: Kathleen Moskal

1974 Class rep: Stephen Hurst, stephenhurst56@sympatico.ca

1975 Class rep: Jane Neale Etzel, jane.etzel@sbcglobal.net

1976 Class reps: Hugh Konigsmark, hkonigsmark@tycovalves.com; and P.J. Donner, pj.donner @sbcglobal.net

1977 Class reps: Vivien Ho, vivianho8@hotmail.com; Deborah Lau, deborahlau@hotmail.com; Judith Gambrill Brewer, jjgambrill@sbcglobal.net; Oteka Stevens McClain, oteka@ prismnet.com

Class of 74 photo at 2005 reunion 48

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Notes & Quotes

Tom and Theresa Thatcher Manning

1978 Class reps: Greg Rutledge, gregory@studebakerrutledge.com; GeeGee Vanvig, Geegee.vanvig@verizon.com Theresa Thatcher Manning and Tom Manning re-met online just six years ago and are now married. They say life is wonderful and hello to all the SAS friends they knew in the 60s and 70s. Richard Grayson: Geeezzzzz— there’s some memories. 8th Grade Trip to Borneo with Mr. Burgess — It has honestly been some time since I even thought about that.... We left S’pore in 1976, but I do keep in touch with some of the old crowd. Sue Lamson (76) and I remain fairly close friends after re-establishing

our relationship at Oklahoma State. Of course Rhonda Freiner was there as well, although I haven’t talked to her since 1983. Sue is working for TSA making us all safe from terrorist. I also keep in touch with Anne and Paul Konigsmark (77). Both are living in Austin and seem at peace with themselves. I am now with ConocoPhillips, yeah BIG OIL, and no, there is no secret pump out back where we can get cheap gas. Never thought it would happen — my father worked for Phillips for 33 years and here I am working for them in Houston. They are opening a position in Singapore and I have already volunteered — although sending a gwai loh out there for a marine position is going to be a stretch. Jennifer Rapson Collings: I am a definite for the Vancouver reunion!! Hopefully a lot of the 70s folk will also attend. It would be great to see the kids from back then. I’m into my second career as a paralegal in New London, CT and things are going well. I worked at Mystic Color Lab for 20 years finishing up as a production supervisor before our lab was closed when the parent company Valora sold us. So I went to Connecticut College and studied paralegal litigation. I have been in touch with Bruce Ward over the past year and got some pictures from Brian from the trip to Borneo I went on with Mr. Burgess’s class in the 8th grade. It was great to see those. My kids could not imagine spending a week out in the jungle with Dayak tribes!! My brother is back in the states in DC, he’s working as the Deputy Director of the Office of Mainland Southeast Asia for the State Department. It’s been great being

able to see him almost regularly since he had been out of the country for 11 years.

1979 Class rep: Katy Hayes Jordan, pukikj@msn.com Peter Danos remembers The Islander yearbook theme, Ulu Pandan, the sit-out, Satay, beer gardens & beer bongs, American Club, Mr Ho, Sentosa, Interim Semester trips, the student lounge, girlfriends and boyfriends, Football (Go Bulldogs!), cheerleaders (JV and V), Mr Clarke, Mr Longbottom, Ms Rinker, Ms Moeller, Mrs Ploen, M/M Abraham, Mr Cooper, Mr Johnson, Mr Hill, Mr Lai, Coach Vijay, Shangri-La Hotel, boom boxes, uniforms, the taxis, the buses, school dances, and Swan Lake!

1980 Class rep: Susan StudebakerRutledge, susan@studebakerrutledge.com

1981 Class rep: Steven studebaker, steves@group-air.com.vn July Ellis Jolley writes: Kudos to Karen Studebaker for sleuthing and following lead after lead to find so many alumni and get us registered on the site. It has been a joy to email, phone and reconnect with so many from SAS. Incredible memories and experiences. Eternally grateful to Karen and the hours and effort she has made to reunite all of us. Terima Kasi! Xie Xie Ni! Namaste!

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Notes & Quotes

Leanne Loth, Deb McNay, Steve Studebaker, Susan Studebaker Rutledge, their Mom, Mr and Mrs Abraham!!! and so many more... I will never forget these nine days. Thanks SAS and thanks Susan, Karen and everyone else who made this event happen. And J.P. I truely love you for you know what!!

1983 Mike Bushman and his wife Lana had a baby girl (Olivia) in September 06.

1985

Class of 81 visitors enjoy Singapore food at 50th Anniversary Heiko Oberleitner writes about the 50th: “I just came back from one of the strongest experiences in my life so far: I came back from what felt like home again. Once I got into the taxi at Changi Airport, smelled the taxi odor and enjoyed the way

S’pore taxidrivers rape clutch & accellerator — I felt home. Seeing all of these old friends & people again, some of whom I haven’t seen for 25 years, was overwhelming. Paul Taiganides, Paul Stolar, Ingrid de Vries Linder t, Birgit Hammer,

Class reps: Lenny Perry, leonarda perry@gmail.com; Lisa Kukula, ltkukula@hotmail.com; and LuAnne Boone Balelo, lujorio@earthlink.net Sean Bushman and his wife Incarna live in Spain and had a baby boy (Pablo) in October 06.

Class of 86 attendees party down and visit old King’s Road campus at 50th Anniversary. 50

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Notes & Quotes

1990 Class rep: Nathalie Vo-Ta Antus, nantus@msn.com

1992 Class rep: Jennifer Kahn Liguori, jenniferliguori@hotmail.com Randy Baker married Deb Sivigny last August (see photo, left). They live in DC and have a great little theater. See www.rorschachtheatre.com.

1993 Class rep: ben Rosenthal, Beaker_1427@yahoo.com

SAS alums at Randy Baker’s wedding: l to r, David (61), Robert (65), Jim (66) and Randy Baker (92), the bride Deb Sivigny, Lily Boone Santos (92), Jelita McLeod (88), Jonathan Gibson (92) and Dan Fleming (92).

1994 Class reps: Bryan Baker, bryanbaker@yahoo.com; Adil Hakim, msahakim@yahoo.com

1995

1986

1987

Class rep: Shannon Feuchter, tsvenni@msn.com

Class rep: Julie Vail Freedman, julie.vail@yahoo.com

Class reps: Heather Brown Hopkins, hmhopkins77 @yahoo.com; Carrie Taylor, carriebrooke@hotmail.com

1988

1996

Partial ID of Class of 86 group photo at the 50th Anniversary (opposite). Clockwise around left table starting at bottom: Dunno, Dunno, Kamisha Bulson, Brenda Stagg, Tim Bulson, Rich Stagg, Sparky Holtebeck (hand on glass), Alyssa Goodin, Karen Goodin. Front 4: baked Frodo, Chris S, K. Goodin’s husband, can’t remember. Clockwise around right table from Bottom: Ed Gaffney (hand up), Natalie No Va, T. Waldron wife, Todd Waldron, Kevin Reizer, Greg Waldon, John Stubbe (in back of table, romancing the beer).

Class rep: Lily Supardan, lsupardan@gmail.com Jennifer Vesper Wagner and Tom Wagner (90) have a son, Reid Thomas Wagner, born April 13, 2006. Visit us at www.tampatheatre.org.

1989 Class rep: Lauren Kuhbander Thomas, lkuhbander@yahoo.com

Class reps: Sara Dallaire, Sara.dallaire@gmail.com; Chris Ellis, wellis@gmail.com

1997 Class reps: Dennis Jol, Dennis.jol@jpjol.com; David Soeryadjaya, david@soerya.com; Micah Wojnowski, ariseone@ gmail.com; Alison Todd Smith, Ali2379@gmail.com

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Notes & Quotes

Alison Smith is living in New York, and working as a buyer for Macy’s. She sees Gahyan Tsui (96) on a regular basis, and before Sveta Srinivasan moved to Amsterdam, they were together often. Alison says she’d love to organize an SAS reunion in New York.

1998 Class reps: Jaclyn Schmidt, Jaclyn.Schmidt@gmail.com; Sari Vo-Ta, svota@hotmail.com; Stefan Clay, esumale2003@ abcglobal.net

1999 Class rep: William Mathopoullos, wzorba80@yahoo.com

2000 Class rep: Ingrid Heidenreich, ingrid_heidenreich@hotmail.com

2001 Class reps: Leon Bart-Williams, leon@ckb.corp.com; Jeffrey Kong, j-kong@northwestern.edu

2002 Class rep: Nathan Welling, Nate_welling@hotmail.com

Class rep: Cour tney Young, superchick_212000@hotmail.com

2005

2003 Class reps: Kerry Gribbon, kgribbon@mailcolgate.com; Sabrina Peck, Sabrina.peck @uconn.edu; Tate Sonnack, sonnack@hotmail.com; and Raymond Tjandra, ray_ban187@ hotmail.com Jessica Blakemore just graduated from Barnard College at Columbia University with a double major in Medieval History and Political Science. After graduation, she’ll head home to Paris briefly, travel in Europe for a few weeks and then expects to join a political campaign as a staffer. During her sophomore and junior years, she worked as an intern in Senator Clinton’s New York office and last year she was on the staff of Eliot Spitzer during his successful campaign for governor.

Class reps: Cordelia Ross, s87b@hotmail.com; Barnabas Lin, barnabas-lin@northwestern.edu

2006 Emily Blakemore is finishing her first year at the University of Virginia. She loves college and has kept herself busy with classes, volunteer tutoring and coaching for disadvantaged youth and sorority life. This summer she’ll vacation briefly at home in Paris, and then head to Los Angeles, where she’ll be working as a production assistant on a television show. Nicolai Gerebtzoff comments: we’re the biggest graduating class ever to come out of this school and there’s only a handful of us on the SAS alumni list...??? that’s kinda sad... Regional SAS Rep: Elizabeth Mainguy (74), babeth_mainguy@yahoo.fr

2004

From The Eye, December 06 Mr Hoe contributes to the environment by charging twenty cents extra for plastic take-away containers. The covers the cost of the containers, but Mr Hoe could charge more to further discourage their use and donate the excess to an environmental cause. From The Eye, September 06 New deputy roams halls with little blue book and no tolerance policy” In 1987, a new principal walked through the King’s Road campus with a black book under his arm. Dr Emma recorded the names of students who violated dress code in the book. Nineteen years later, Deputy Principal Doug Neihart has brought the book back…

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Notes & Quotes

Parent/Faculty Rep: Karen Ream Studebaker, kds@studebaker-rutledge.com The Blakemores were all together in May to do a week of Katrina relief work in Biloxi, Mississippi. Mel Kuhbander (Superintendent 81-90) continues to work full-time as a teacher at a local university. “I absolutely love it. No administrative headaches, no parents, and when the memos come from the central office why, heck, I can complain too.” Mr. Abraham says, “Thanks to all

my students and former colleagues at SAS for your prayers and best wishes during my illness. My myeloma is in near complete remission. If you pass through Singapore, please call me. Mike Imperi (teacher 83-97) is a middle school principal at Alexander Dawson School in Boulder. He leads student trips to Africa, Thailand and Fiji in the summer. Wife Kathi is director and teacher at a Montessori pre-school. Charles Longbottom is retired and spends his time touring the world. Dr. Dixie “Sue Cooper Allsbrook (guidance counselor 73-75) says

Three SAS alums — Jessica (98), Sabrina (01) and Kristina (06) Imperi in Boulder, Colorado.

SAS “was a grand time. I went on to work in higher education serving as a dean for many years. I retired from University of Nevada in 2006. But retirement is meant for new careers, so now I sell real estate in Las Vegas. Judy Bushman Scott is retired and now lives in San Antonio. Yvonne Tavares Loh (74-80) taught in Jupiter and Mercury. She had to teach in “the well” the first year because the school was so overcrowded that the common areas of each pod were used for classes. After several careers and obtaining an MBA, she is now in publishing in Singapore. Daughter Melissa Loh (01) is USC graduate and works as a scuba instructor and cruise director in Phuket. Daughter Elaine is an actress in LA. Dave and Terri Lewis (teachers 7374) are enjoying retirement in The Villages, Florida. Barbara Doenecke (teacher 71-74) retired from teaching in 04, and now travels and studies wildlife. Son Scott Doenecke and wife are expecting in August. Richard and Catherine Frazier (teachers 88-99) have returned to Peace Corps type work by conducting yearly science workshops in Sierra Leone (see http://members.aol/ salonesix). Catherine just received a PhD in Education/Sociology and would love to hear from former students and colleagues.

Please send your news and photos for the December 07 issue of SAS Journeys to journeys@sas.edu.sg. Please note that the magazine will not list telephone numbers or e-mail addresses. If you want to communicate with SAS classmates or teachers, please contact Lauren at alumni@sas.edu.sg or register with other alumni at http://alumni.sas.edu.sg.

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Upcoming Reunions What happened at SAS, happens in Vegas III! August 9-12, 2007 Las Vegas www.evite.com/app/publicUrl/ i@raoulrolfes.com/sasvegas3

Classes from 84 to 90 June 21-22, 2008 Orlando See www.sassemiannualreunion.com

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Upcoming Reunions Young Alums at American Club in Singapore Mid-December 2007 See http://alumni.sas.edu.sg

Classes from the 60s and 70s July 20-22, 2007, Vancouver Contact stephenhurst56@sympatico.ca

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MICA(P) 245/04/2007

SAS

Volume 2 June 2007

ourneys Singapore American School Alumni Magazine

IASAS Anniversary 25 years of sports, music, drama and the arts at SAS

Inside features: • Farewell to Bob Gross • Alum fights for justice • 3 special people retire • Alumni reunions • Class notes & quotes

Published by the Office of Communications and Development 40 Woodlands Street 41 Singapore 738547 Tel: (65) 6363-3403 Fax: (65) 6363-3408 www.sas.edu.sg journeys@sas.edu.sg

SAS Cover

2-3

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