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CONTENTS
6 Harness Your Potential. Own Your Destiny.
8 Gambé!
14 Whale of a Tale
A remarkable community of learners
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CREATIVITY IN MOTION: ONE STUDENT’S EXPERIENCE ON THE WHOA!BOTICS TEAM
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Roots 12 Founders’ Day/Reunion Recap
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Alumni Events
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Fall sports Wrap-Up
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Expanding Horizons: G.I.F.T. Grants
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Class Notes
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In Memoriam
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On the Cover
On Founders’ Day (October 5, 2012), all
Lower School students experiment with their robots in an after-school class. Read more about robotics at the Academy on Page 4.
students, faculty, and staff line up for the 175 photo. See more photos from the celebration on Page 18.
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A REMARKABLE COMMUNITY OF LEARNERS EDITOR
Haley Wilson
CONTRIBUTORS
Lawrence C. Connolly
Greta Daniels
Dana Friedman ’83
Carla Garfield
Harry Giglio
Avery Lesesne ’14
Melinda Miller
Kolia O’Connor
Winthrop Palmer
Mandi Semple
Susan Sour ’55
James R. Wardrop ’57
Haley Wilson
DESIGN
Third Planet Global Creative
www.333planet.com
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Dear Readers of Sewickley Speaking, Schools like Sewickley Academy often speak about the need to educate our students to deal with the vagaries of an ever-changing world, one in which the expected path may increasingly be characterized by unexpected twists and turns. The skills that we see as the ones that will best position our graduates for success include innovation, creativity, problem-solving, communication, adaptability, and intercultural competence. This issue of Sewickley Speaking provides a wonderful glimpse into the range of innovative, creative, and sometimes unexpected turns we can take both as students and adults. As with so many areas of teaching and learning, the most powerful examples come from modeling, and in this we are fortunate to have dedicated and talented faculty, supported by the Home & School Association’s new Grants for Innovative Frameworks in Teaching (G.I.F.T.) program. The program was launched this fall with a generous grant of $25,000 from the Home & School Association, and as you will read in the following pages, the effort has already inspired faculty to join together to propose new and innovative ways of reaching their students. Now in its second full year in the Lower, Middle, and Senior School, our emerging robotics program provides students with stimulating and novel ways to think about problem-solving, by harnessing their own powers of imagination to develop robots to address a range of issues. Avery Lesesne ’14 shares her experiences as an early participant in and leader of the program. Avery is, perhaps, positioning herself to follow in the steps of Erica Dwahan ’03, who is living out her passion to transform and inspire leadership (especially female leadership) in Generation Y (read more about Erica on Page 6). Not to be outdone, yours truly shares some thoughts about a visit this past summer to China, and finally, reflecting those unexpected twists and turns one’s life might take, Dana Friedman ’83, who was in corporate advertising for 20 years before he found his true calling, shares his personal account of the rescue of a gray whale from a fishing net! From supporting the development of leadership to solving problems using robots, from developing ever more effective ways to inspire and educate students to modeling what it means to push one’s comfort zone, this issue of Sewickley Speaking reminds each of us what a remarkable community of learners, innovators, and adventurers we are. In our 175th year, this is certainly something to celebrate and of which to be proud.
the basis of race, gender, religion, national or ethnic origin, or sexual orientation in the administration of its educational policies,
Sincerely,
financial aid program, athletic program, or any other policy or program.
C Printed on 100% recycled paper that is processed chlorine-free.
Kolia O’Connor Head of School
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Letters to the Editor Show Your Panther Pride!
I so enjoyed the summer issue of Sewickley Speaking for two reasons. One, I think my sister and I are on the cover in the 1947 Maypole Dance photo. I can remember being there, and that is an accomplishment considering I am now 82! Also, I so enjoyed the picture of Jenny Edson Scott ’49 on Page 39. I knew her and her whole family, and it has been about 30 years since I last saw her! - Laura Ingham Jennings ’46
Our online store has options for the whole family! www.sewickley.org/sagear
What Do You Think? We welcome your letters and comments on this issue of Sewickley Speaking. We may edit your letters for length and clarity, but please write to hwilson@sewickley.org or Mrs. Haley Wilson, Sewickley Speaking, 315 Academy Avenue, Sewickley, PA 15143
Get the SA App! Available for free download through the iTunes App Store. Access the event calendar, the alumni directory, and more!
Upcoming 175th Anniversary Events Celebrate SA!: A Musical Review Casting Call to All Alumni and Families! Can you sing a little, dance a little, say a few lines? If so, we need you for the Celebrate SA!: A Musical Review this spring! Directed by Marguerite Gregg Park ’95, the musical will take us through moments in school history in a “most delightful way!” We promise you “one singular sensation” in joining alumni, current students, faculty, parents, and grandparents as we work together for this very special event. Performance dates are Friday, May 10, and Saturday, May 11, at 8 PM. Contact Susan Sour at ssour@sewickley.org to participate.
175th Anniversary Grand Finale Family Picnic Saturday, June 1, 12-3 PM Join us for an SA community-wide gathering that features parent-child games, good food, carnival booths, and campus tours.
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Sewickley Speaking Now on Your Tablet Access the digital issue at www.sewickley.org/publications.
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Creativity in Motion: One Student’s Experience on the Whoa!Botics Team By Avery Lesesne ’14
This year, the robotics program at the Academy has taken root in all three divisions. In the Lower School, students are learning the basics in an after-school club. Middle School students have the option to participate in a robotics class as well as a club. In the Senior School, a group of students compete on a robotics team. The following is a Senior School student’s account of her experience on the team. I first joined the Senior School robotics team as a sophomore. My decision was fairly impulsive: the club fit into my schedule, and some of my friends were in it, so I signed up. I had no idea that I would become fully immersed in both the team and the robots that we built, or that I would learn so many new things in the company of such a dedicated and close-knit team. Ever since I joined the robotics program, I have gained a deeper understanding of mechanics, developed an avid interest in computer sciences, and learned to value teamwork and unity. I admit, I was always slightly intimidated by robotics, but now I know that anyone can be good at it as long as they have strong commitment, a little creativity, and a lot of imagination. I think I can say without exaggeration that the students in the SA robotics program are pretty special people. Mr. Benjamin Spicer, Senior School robotics advisor, wholeheartedly agrees. “The team is a diverse group Avery Lesesne ’14 (center) and her teammates at the 2012 FIRST Robotics Competition. of kids who know how to share a few laughs,” he says. “Serving as the SS robotics club advisor has given me the opportunity to see students grow into risk takers who learn From the day we decided to enter the tournament, we put all from making new mistakes every day.” of our energy into our robot – designing, redesigning, building, disassembling, rebuilding. It was a much larger job than I As a robotics team, we’ve had our fair share of mistakes, but we originally thought, but that didn’t curb my enthusiasm in any way. always manage to get over the various obstacles we encounter. In fact, it only made me more excited to be a part of it. Of course, When our team entered the 2012 FRC (FIRST Robotics Competition) we had a little help from others along the way – if it wasn’t for in March, I delved into vast reserves of patience, resilience, and the guidance and support from the robotics department at Robert creativity that I didn’t know I had. When one undertakes the task Morris University, I don’t think we could have built our robot. We of building a robot that plays basketball and balances on bridges, spent months building our robot from the ground up and making there are more than a few things that could go wrong. However, it sure everything was in order so the tournament would go as was the mistakes along the way that made us feel pride and joy at smoothly as possible. even the smallest of successes.
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Well, at the tournament things didn’t go quite as smoothly as we would have liked. While we made a few rookie mistakes here and there, there weren’t any major problems – most of the complications we faced were connected to our robot and were easily fixed or modified. Our robot might not have been the most impressive one there, but we never lost hope in Zippy (that’s what we named it). Even after getting run over and losing its arm – twice – Zippy was always miraculously ready to compete by the time our next match came up. Our robot didn’t give up on us, so we couldn’t give up on our robot.
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On December 15, 2012, at the Western PA FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Regional Tournament hosted at the Academy, the Middle School team, the Robopanthers, finished seventh in the table competition (robot performance), earned the judges’ first place award in the programming category, and took eighth place overall out of 19 teams. The Robopanthers also earned a spot in the Grand Championship at the National Robotics Engineering Center in Pittsburgh and posted their best overall score yet!
I think our team’s positive attitude was partly due to the environment at the tournament. All of the teams there were so friendly and helpful, many of them even lending out their own tools for other teams to use. In between matches, teams would go around handing out buttons and bracelets to anyone they saw, and neighboring teams would casually chat with us and make sure we weren’t having any problems. This warm and friendly environment proves my original point – that people on robotics teams are really special individuals. All of our hard work earned us 29th place out of 45 teams. Personally, I couldn’t be happier with those results. This was the first time we ever attempted a project this large, and we did better than 16 other teams! We were a rookie team of students with widely varied levels of experience, and we worked together to build a robot that (sort of) played basketball and (kind of) balanced on bridges. I think that’s something to be proud of. While we’re proud of our accomplishments so far, we’re not stopping there. Last year, we realized one of the main areas that needs improvement is autonomous programming – programs that a robot can perform by itself, without being controlled by a human being. To accomplish this goal, we decided to use a new kind of programming software called RobotC. Over the summer, our team advisors made sure we had everything we would need to start using the software as soon as possible, and so far we’re steadily improving and on our way to becoming experts at autonomous programming.
In the Lower School, students are experimenting in class and in an after-school program with beginner robotics kits, such as Bee-Bots and WeDo robotics kits. The students learn about mechanics and how to think sequentially as they program the robots to perform specific tasks, but what excites Lower School Technology Coordinator Julia Tebbets is the creative problem-solving that is displayed when students begin to experiment. “So far this year, I’ve seen students succeed at their given task and then begin questioning, ‘What would happen if we changed this?’” It is this out-of-box thinking that opens worlds of opportunity for learning.
This year, we’re entering FTC (FIRST Tech Challenge), a robotics competition where we will be able to put our new programming skills to the test. I don’t know what the future will hold, but I’m certain that whatever happens, we’ll have lots of fun every step of the way.
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Harness Your Potential. Own Your Destiny. Erica Dhawan ’03 is on a mission to inspire Generation Y leaders and future-thinking companies to change the world. With a blend of Ivy League prowess, Wall Street experience, and a few Bollywood dance moves, Erica works to facilitate powerful workplace conversations, inspire innovation and creativity, and advise leaders on how to take ownership of their talents. And she’s good at it.
After graduating from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Erica Dhawan ‘03 accepted a coveted position at Lehman Brothers in New York City. By every account, she was following the perfect trajectory towards professional success. It didn’t take long for Erica to realize that not only was Lehman Brothers the wrong environment for her, but that no Wall Street firms or top-level financial institutions were truly gearing themselves towards the creative and tech savvy millennial employee. Erica took this opportunity to strike out on her own and, at age 24, she founded a global volunteer network for Acumen Fund, which now boasts more than 2,000 members. During this initial venture, Erica started to learn about the personal characteristics needed to be a true leader in 21st century enterprises and how the potential of all generations must be harnessed to drive innovation to address the world’s most pressing challenges.
As a globally recognized leadership expert, Erica now leads workshops and delivers keynotes for Fortune 500 companies and universities around the world that focus on bridging generational differences to drive business results. In addition to building her own multigenerational consulting business, Erica addresses these same issues in articles written for Forbes and Huffington Post and as a researcher at Harvard’s Center for Public Leadership. She has even been featured in Business Insider, Newsweek, Teen People, and USA Today. Erica shares her personal philosophy, tips for Generation Y leaders, and thoughts about the future of American business on her popular blog. Read two of her insightful posts below. Learn more about Erica at EricaDhawan.com. Twitter.com/Edhawan
Facebook.com/EricaDhawan
How to Get Noticed, Get Hired, and Get Just About Anything Else You Want, Too Posted on August 7, 2012 When I was 20 years old, I went to work at Citi for a summer internship. I didn’t really have a clue what I was doing, but I went to the office every day and worked on a basic scenario analysis project. I knew I could spend my summer only partially invested in my work or actually try to learn something. I chose the latter. I went to all the speaker events, every lunch meeting, and all of those happy hours. I had lunch with different co-workers and senior leaders every day. I emailed and followed up with everyone I met. All that persistence paid off – by summer’s end, I had one-on-one meetings with the chief financial officer of Citi, the chief diversity officer of Citi and more than 10 managing directors. Me! A 20-year-old intern! Some decade-long employees at Citi said they’d NEVER talked to that many senior leaders. At the end of the summer, my managing director remarked, “Erica, somehow you’ve been able to get noticed everywhere you go.” I didn’t realize this was a gift until much later in life. When I was 27 and on stage at the World Economic Forum at Davos 2012, activist Desmond Tutu told our group of 70 millennial leaders that we can lead a revolution in the world. That’s when it clicked for me. But this blog post isn’t about me. It’s about YOU. It’s about the fact that I’m not the only suburban-born, Indian-American girl who can get noticed. The truth is, getting noticed isn’t much about me either. It’s about how I translate my gifts to others. When we share ourselves in a genuine way, we build real relationships and create ways for others to help us grow. Erica Dhawan ‘03
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Here are my top six tips on how to get noticed, get hired, or get just about anything you want: 1. Every time you meet someone, focus on how you can support them first. “Give, give, get” is a mantra that has helped me build deeper connections with others. 2. Be self-aware. Don’t ask for too much of someone at the beginning. Build the relationship and understand where they’re coming from. 3. Honor yourself and speak with confidence. Be honest about what you are hoping to get out of a conversation, no matter who you’re talking to. Everyone is busy and wants to have conversations that matter. 4. Don’t shy away from emailing anybody for a meeting. If you write a succinct email and politely ask for what you want; you can talk to just about anyone. Believe me; I’ve talked to everyone from Sheryl Sandberg to Bill Gates – all because I asked! 5. Have fun with it. When you do get that meeting, ask informed, thoughtful questions, and they will remember you. Make sure to do your research so you know what to say. And don’t forget to have fun with it. People want to be around those who are doing fun stuff. 6. Start with your story. Every time I have a meeting with a new person, I start by sharing my personal story. Rather than discussing what I want from someone else or how I’m going to do it, I first share why I’m talking to them and what led me to this point. My story evokes my values and creates a connection with others that builds a real relationship.
Stop Networking and Build Real Relationships Posted on March 16, 2012 When we network with individuals to get a new job or business deal, we often ask: What sector have you worked in? What was your rank/title? What skills do you have to offer based on your prior experience? All of this thinking is based on past patterns, and influenced by systems that encourage each of us to take a certain type of “role.” Getting a business card or becoming a LinkedIn contact does not build trust or a real relationship. It’s because we often do not ask the right questions when we network. We don’t tap into what the other person really wants to do. Our system encourages us to network for Facebook friends and business cards rather than to build trust. What about asking: When have you had your greatest accomplishments and why? What does success look like for you? What work environments do you thrive in? Why did you choose certain roles? What challenges did you face? What do your challenges call you to do now? There is a complete shift in thinking when we ask different questions. Many MBA students talk to me about how networking provides the groundwork to meet a lot of people, yet networking does not delve to the core nor does it inspire. It may be conducive to getting a referral, but it will rarely get you a commitment. In order to build relationships, we need ask difficult questions and be willing to truly listen. So the next time you are networking, while you may have a specific goal in mind, let the relationship drive what the partnership might stand for. Explore one another’s interests first, instead of telling someone what you want and letting them decide if they want to join up.
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Gambé! By Head of School Kolia O’Connor
Built in the 14th century, the Bell Tower of Xi’an stands at the heart of China’s ancient capital.
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Gambé! This is one of the six Chinese words I learned during my 10-day trip to China last June. I went to visit our new partner school in Changsha, which is the capital of Hunan Province. The First High School is one of the top schools in all of China, and together we are establishing programs to support both student and faculty exchanges. Their leadership team visited us last spring, and now it was our turn to see their school in action.
I had never been to China before, and while fairly well traveled, I had never before been to the Far East. In anticipation of my trip, I did some reading both on the history of China from ancient times to the present, as well as on the current thinking about the challenges post-revolutionary China faces in its emergence as a world power. During my visit, I was guided by my belief that one should always learn some of the language, especially how to say at least “please” and “thank you”; eat and drink at least some of whatever is being served; make no assumptions; and generally to go with the flow. In the end when travelling to new places, I always expect to be surprised, but I am nevertheless surprised when those moments come. My hosts at the First High School of Changsha were unfailingly attentive and gracious and kind. My every need was anticipated and provided for. At every meal, a surfeit of delicacies was ordered and served up, and I tried each one. I should note that, the more rare and special the food, the more likely it was to have eyes and watch me as I ate. China is a big country with 1.3 billion people. That is almost 1 billion more than the population of the United States. This means that people are accustomed to being in groups, traveling in groups, eating in groups, conversing in groups. It may be that as a guest, I was provided with regular and consistent company beyond the norm, but I was never in danger of being lonely. At the First High School of Changsha, I was given a tour of the campus, home to 3,300 students in grades 10, 11, and 12. Classes averaging 60 to 70 students
Head of School Kolia O’Connor presents Academy-themed gifts to Mr. Zhou, Head of First School of Changsha (left), and Mr. Goa, Head of High School (right). SA Mandarin teachers Jing Zhou (third from left) and Shan Callaghan (far right) joined Kolia on the trip.
are about 50 minutes long and run from early in the day to late in the afternoon. At around 10:30 AM, 2,200 students (seniors having graduated) filed out of the buildings and on to the play areas, arranging themselves into perfect rows and columns, turning their attention to a platform where a single teacher with a microphone directed them in about 25 minutes of calisthenics. After toe touches and Tai-Chi, the students paraded back towards the classroom buildings ready to hit the books again. All of this was accomplished in silence, except for the instructions of the P.E. teacher, leading the students through their routine. Later, when I met with a group of about 15 students, I found that, in addition to having an impressive command of English,
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they were also inquisitive and thoughtful, asking engaging questions about our school and about what I had been observing at theirs. Later, when I met with a group of faculty – whose English was not nearly as good as the students’– I was struck by the justifiable pride they took in their fine school. While they are eager to learn about what we are doing, they, no less than we, are proud of how they serve their students. The one line of questioning that revealed what they are most concerned about improving were those questions having to do with fostering creative thinking and nurturing curiosity, things that they feel we do particularly well. This is, in fact, the position taken by Professor Yong Zhao at the University of
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GAMBE! [continued] Oregon, Eugene, in his book Catching Up or Leading the Way: American Education in the Age of Globalization. While the Chinese have performed extremely well on the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) and other international tests, he notes that the Chinese are not celebrating. Professor Zhao suggests that this is because the Chinese have come to understand that the rote memorization at which Chinese students are so adept – in the absence of a creative and independent thinking – is not likely to be able to allow China to move as quickly forward as it would like. Of course, this begs an enormous set of questions about whether or not schools can foster qualities in their students that are counter-cultural. As schools embrace a commitment to prepare students for an ever-changing world, there may almost inevitably be countercultural pressures where schools seek to introduce students to ways of thinking and problem-solving and interacting with the world that are very different from those of the past, the idea that “we must educate our students for their future and not our past.” The conflict lies, of course, in who is to say what the future will look like. In China, the future is as unknowable as it is here in the United States, but the current leadership in China, including the leadership in their schools, is betting that curiosity and creativity and independence of thought will be critical, and this is one of the reasons they are looking to develop partnerships with schools like Sewickley Academy. In a state such as China, however, with such direct control over the lives of citizens, this is certainly an educational trajectory that could potentially lead to conflict. It may be that the levels of state control currently exercised over the citizens of China will be incompatible with the educational imperatives that have been identified by their educational leaders. The fostering of creative and independent thinking requires tolerance for a certain amount
On the outskirts of the ancient capital of Xi’an stand the Terra Cotta Warriors. These sculptures depict the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China, and date back to third century BC.
of messiness – lack of control. Whether or not this will be supported by the state only time will tell.
see the switchboard that was installed in the Forbidden City in 1910 at the twilight of the Qing Dynasty. How strange a sign of modernity in the heart of a palace built in 1406!
Of course, what’s past is prologue, and China’s past is At times, there thousands of creative, pro“At times, there seems to be a seems to be a struggle between ductive, and instruggle between a rich hisa rich history of spirational years tory of accomplishment and accomplishment long. What an and a desire for extraordinary a desire for modernity ...” modernity as well thing to look out as for a greater over the Terra role in the world community. Old, someCotta Warriors on the outskirts of the times dilapidated and crumbling teneancient capital of Xi’an, to read about ment houses stand (barely) cheek by jowl the technology that allowed for chrome with gleaming skyscrapers. Everywhere plating 2,200 years before this technolI looked, construction was rampant: new ogy was developed in the United States construction of residential towers as far and Germany, to stand on the Great Wall as the eye can see. and contemplate the vast resources that were expended to build this largest The general movement of the Chinese man-made structure in the world, and to population is from the rural areas to the
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smaller cities and from these smaller cities to the larger cities. This internal migration is transforming China, formerly a traditional agrarian society, into a modern urban society, with all the challenges and opportunities that such change brings. It is the pace and scale of that change which stagger the imagination, and in light of our own recent real estate meltdown, one cannot help but wonder about the strength of the Chinese real estate market in the face of economically challenging times. What might happen if, as in the United States, the boom is a bubble built on credit too easily provided to people who cannot really afford their payments? And what about the quality of construction that is happening so fast? Only months ago, a number of people were killed when a brand new stretch of elevated highway collapsed, revealing the corner-cutting by contractors eager to make a Yuan and then move on. The importance of the past to the Chinese is also evident through their deeply ingrained sense of hospitality and graciousness. For instance, eating in China is a lot more than consuming calories. With every meal comes an array of dishes, each one having a story, some important connection with the life and traditions of China. The stories tell us why a certain dish is prepared and served the way it is, from the 108 slices that it takes to serve the true Peking Duck, to the reason certain dumplings have their shape. Even the traditional Chinese dinner table – round, of course, with an enormous Lazy Susan in the middle – emphasizes the circle of family and unity and harmony, with each diner taking what she wants in small portions from the shared dishes onto her own plate, enjoying each bite, and perhaps waiting for the wheel to turn again to bring some delicious treat back around and within striking distance of nimble chopsticks. Meals are social occasions, lingered over and savored both for the food and the company.
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To visit China is to surrender yourself to a world of sensations that are so bountiful that even at several months removed, I have trouble sorting through everything. I wonder if my impressions are even accurate or if I have given them meaning so that I can frame the experience for myself and give some narrative form to the overwhelming number of wonderful, interesting, and new experiences. At my first dinner in Changsha, hosted by First High School Principal Mr. Zhou (a very distinguished, intelligent, and gregarious man), I was feted in grand style, and there were many toasts at the table, a large number of them offered by Mr. Zhou, who insisted that the rice wine flow liberally. We toasted with little glasses just twice the size of a sewing thimble, and at the end of each toast, Mr. Zhou would raise his glass, click it against mine, and say “gambé!” And we drank. After several days, I became quite familiar with this ritual and ventured to offer my own toasts, proudly saying one of my new Chinese words: “gambé!” Later, when in Beijing at Hua’s Restaurant in a neighborhood not too far from the Forbidden City, I had one of the last meals of my stay in China. Wanting to thank my Beijing host and show off my newly acquired toasting skills, I held up my glass and offered my toast, concluding as I had learned with the final word, “gambé,” which I had assumed to mean “cheers.” Only then did my guide lean in and advise me that “gambé” really meant “bottoms up” and that I ought to drain my glass.
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The Academy’s Grade 7 Lion Dance team welcomes the Chinese exchange students with a dance.
The reciprocal exchange with the First High School of Changsha is in its first year at the Academy. Eighteen Chinese students spent three days at the Academy in January, and in June, 12 Academy Middle School students will spend two weeks in China, living with host families. They will also have excursions to some of the most famous Chinese sites. Exchange chaperone and MS Mandarin teacher Shan Callaghan says, “This is a great learning experience for our students not only to learn Chinese culture, language, environment, and people, but is also a unique opportunity to learn about Chinese schools.” Keep up to date on the group’s travels at http://saglobalstudies. posterous.com.
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By Middle School history teacher Carla Garfield
This summer, Middle School history teacher Carla Garfield traveled to Ireland and England as the recipient of the Sculley Sabbatical, which provides support for one faculty member each year to undertake enriching global travel. This is a personal account of her journey.
To say that I grew up in a large family is an understatement; my grandmother had 91 cousins, many of whom made their way to Pittsburgh from Ireland, early in the last century. If you’re Irish Catholic, your grandparents or great-grandparents lived in Oakland, and if your last name is Cain, Toole, Herwood, or Coyne, we’re probably related. Like me, you may have grown up singing “Molly Malone,” “Patsy Fagan,” and “Danny Boy.” Your great-uncles may have marched in the St. Patrick’s Day parade because they were Pittsburgh firemen or policemen. Just as I was graduating from college, the television series Roots, based on the Alex Haley novel, was enthralling the nation – myself included. I was inspired to identify my own roots and get to know my extended family better, and thus was born a family tree project that continues to this day. I’ve been able to share this tree and its accompanying photographs and documents with relatives near and far, to their delight and mine. As of this writing, there are 1,411 little pink or blue boxes on my family tree.
Middle School teacher Carla Garfield sits on the bridge that leads to the Coyne family farm, near Maam Cross, Ireland. This is the same bridge from the 1952 film “The Quiet Man” with John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara.
years of age, Phil is as spry as a man half his age. He knows the family tree like the back of his hand, especially because he and his brother visit Ireland every summer. Over dinner, he gave us the contact information we’d need and explained the logistics of visiting as many relatives as possible. I sent letters asking if we could visit, and everyone called to invite us to stay. At least I think that’s what they said in their thick Irish brogue!
As I interviewed my relatives for the tree, I heard dozens of stories about “the old country.” Many relatives had saved up to make the trip back. My father made the pilgrimage and saw for himself the stepping stones across the stream on the family homestead that his own grandfather had spoken of many times. He told me that as soon as he saw the property, he had an uncanny feeling that he had been there before. My brother came back from his trip with stories of singing Irish songs with relatives who looked just like our grandparents. Needless to say, I soon came to hear the siren call of Ireland.
On July 6, we flew to London and headed straight for our rental cottage in the Cotswolds. As a garden maven and as a member of the Academy’s Secret Garden Committee, I was thrilled to have the privilege to visit several quintessential Cotswolds gardens I have longed to see, such as Hidcote and Kiftsgate. At the gardens of Blenheim Place in Woodstock, the birthplace of Winston Churchill and home of the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough, I picked up some ideas that we can use in the SA Secret Garden.
When I wrote the Sculley Sabbatical application, I dreamed big. Since the theme was “roots,” and I teach U.S. history, I planned a second adventure to visit the homesteads of some of our Founding Fathers. So, my husband, Allen, and I arranged to spend one week in Ireland and one week in England. This was a dream that took many years to be fulfilled, and without the Sculley Sabbatical, it might have taken many more. I had planned my trip in my head so many times that when I learned that the Sculley was mine, I was ready to go. But first, I needed to talk to my grandmother’s cousin, Phil Coyne. At 94
When I lived in Virginia years ago, I visited George Washington’s birthplace, several of his father’s properties, and, of course, Mt. Vernon. Now I had the opportunity to visit Sulgrave Manor, in Northamptonshire, the Washington family home dating from 1539. Many of the Tudor features are still extant in this beautifully
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preserved home, maintained as a joint venture between England and the United States. It was a real treat discussing the life and times of Washington with the docents in this lovely home, in the country whose defeat Washington ensured.
On the second morning, with my cousin and her husband as our guides, we went to visit the family homesteads. The Coyne family farm, near Maam Cross, is still in operation, divided up among family members, and the original stone house still stands. This house is barely larger than the size of my classroom, yet my Towards the end of our week, we journeyed to Shropshire and the great-grandmother and her 15 siblings were raised here. It still ancestral home of the only brothers who signed the Declaration brings tears to my eyes to remember seeing it for the first time. of Independence, Richard Henry and Francis Lightfoot Lee, and If you’ve ever seen the movie The Quiet Man, with John Wayne of their nephew, Robert E. Lee. Though Acton Burnell Castle is in and Maureen O’Hara, you’ve seen this property. The bridge that ruins, the church on the property, St. Mary’s, where the Lees are John Wayne sat on as the sun set behind him is here, and of buried in magnificent tombs, is well-maintained and still in use. course, Allen and I took each other’s pictures sitting in the same On Saturday, we said goodbye to England and flew to spot. It’s a popular tourist attraction; a couple of tour buses Shannon Airport. After a few days stopped while we visited. Also of sightseeing along the coast, still extant on this property is the we headed for Oughterard, north school that the Coyne children “This house is barely larger than tiny of Galway, where many of my attended, with the same pictures ancestors are buried. Here, we the size of my classroom, yet my of the saints on the walls that have spent a couple of days with the probably been there for 100 years. great-grandmother and her 15 entire Coyne clan. Several of my Next we headed to my grandfather’s siblings were raised here.” relatives live on sheep farms, but side of the family. My maiden name most had homes overlooking Lough is “Cain” because the spelling was Corrib, where they gaze daily upon changed at Ellis Island, but in Ireland, it’s Keane. The original one of the most beautiful water views I’ve ever seen. There house has been replaced, but many of the farm buildings were many pictures taken, and many hugs and tears, especially remain, as do the stepping stones over the creek and the stone because so many of them looked just like my beloved aunts, walls that stretch up into the picturesque hills. Martin Keane, uncles, and grandparents, now gone. My grandmother’s cousin my second cousin once-removed who lives on the homestead, gave me a photo of my great-grandmother, Bridget Coyne Toole, helped me fill in some gaps in the family tree, and I gave him a which is a real treasure because it’s the only picture of her that copy of the marriage and birth certificates of his grandparents. I have. Later in the day, we paid our respects at the cemetery. The biggest surprise of the trip came at the end of the final day. I was standing outside of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, when I turned around and saw Lynn Sanborne, school counselor at the Academy, who was there as a chaperone for an Academy Global Studies trip! We spent that evening sharing our adventures and raising a glass to Sewickley Academy for according me this opportunity to see my dream fulfilled. In the coming months and years, I plan to share with my students what I’ve learned about the roots of our Founding Fathers, and what would make them leave such beautiful country to make their homes here. I also hope to incorporate some of the ideas I learned from the Cotswolds into the Secret Garden. And last, but not least, I hope to convey to my students the personal joy to be gleaned from searching out family roots.
During their time in England, Carla and her husband stayed in the Cotswold town of Snowshill, a tiny village with an historic manor on one side, a lavender farm on the other, and a charming pub in the middle.
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Whale of a Tale By Dana Friedman ’83
Dana Friedman ’83 and his whale rescue team track down June, a 45-foot Pacific gray whale entangled in commercial fishing gear.
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Thirty years ago, I was a teenager graduating from the Academy and heading to a too-small, too-expensive college in the middle of the woods where I planned to ski, read, write, and hopefully figure out what else I was supposed to do. I was leaving behind a C+ average and a letter of recommendation from my favorite English teacher, Paul Kolakowski, informing college admission officers, “Dana has yet to find his potential.” My teachers gave me the leeway that SA allows to explore and combine what I liked with their requirements for assignments. At that time, I enjoyed creative writing and knew I was good at it. I knew nothing else.
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Like a lot of Americans, after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, I began to re-evaluate the worth of what I was doing. Many people had invested a lot of effort and time to ensure that people like me could get possibly the best education available in the world. I owed it to them and to myself to figure out how I could pay it forward. And in the days, weeks, and months following 9-11, I realized I could make a more significant contribution through public service. I had worked side by side with dozens of lifeguards, park rangers, fish and game wardens, and animal control officers while rescuing marine mammals on our local beaches, and I was always excited by the nature of their work. When the Atlanta Falcons quarterback (who shall remain nameless) was arrested, convicted, and imprisoned for animal cruelty charges related to the running of an illegal dog fighting ring in 2007, I knew I had to make a change.
I’m positive neither I nor anyone who knew me at that time imagined that today I’d be wearing a uniform and carrying pepper spray, a collapsible baton, handcuffs, and a pocket full of dog treats. When I graduated from Colby College in 1987, I was confident that I would find my potential in the advertising industry. I loved magazine ads and TV commercials – the good ones that actually elicit a little emotion from the viewers.
And so, while still creating web content for system integrators and merger and acquisition consultants, I began to seek out the training and certifications required to become an animal control officer. In 2009, after years of interviewing for every relevant job opening in the area, I finally joined the profession that had been waiting for me and was hired by the Coastal Animal Services Authority, the agency serving both San Clemente and Dana Point, California – two cities with an amazing diversity of domestic animal and I nor anyone who wildlife issues.
In 1988, I got into the business helping car dealers sell more cars and can take credit for uncountable promotions offering free car vacuums for taking a test drive. When the tech boom began, my ideas and copy were printed in magazines read by the captains of telephony, power plant, and budding Internet “I’m positive neither industries. After 10 more years, I knew me at that time imagined that today One of the most exciting and went out on my own as the B2B rewarding experiences I have ad guy to hire – writing website ad I’d be wearing a uniform and carrying had so far in my career happened banners that shaped the evolution pepper spray, a collapsible baton, handlast spring when I was part of a of computing as we know it: group that saved the lives of two creating buzz over a weird, new cuffs, and a pocket full of dog treats.” Pacific gray whales and freed a connectivity technology called third (which sadly died several “USB” and pitching software days later) that had become entangled in commercial fishing gear – solutions that, to this day, I don’t know what they solved. gillnetting and pot line – in the space of two weeks. Where was the glamour in the ad business I had been striving for Gray whales are curious animals; they, like humans, apes, monkeys since high school? It belonged to the people who were actually and other mammals, are efficient enough feeders that they play good at it. Guys like the Smith brothers (Lindsey ’83, Miles ’84, with the intriguing stuff they come across. But unlike the rest of and Bronson ’88). Their ads made people laugh, cry, and think. the group, whales don’t have thumbs. When they get wrapped up in Me? I was spending my days convincing techies to convince their line and netting badly enough that they can’t swim efficiently, they purchasing agent to convince their chief technology officer to buy either drown, starve, or both. one black box over another. I didn’t need anyone to tell me that I wasn’t achieving my potential. Rescuing a whale that has been entangled in commercial fishing gear is, if done correctly, a systematic, highly regulated operation. Getting me through the days of advertising were my wife, Lynn, Many good Samaritans around the world have been killed and the weekends when the two of us would volunteer at the Pacific attempting such a feat on their own. The National Oceanographic Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach, California, to rescue and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and National Marine and care for sick and injured seals, sea lions, and dolphins that were Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) Large Whale Entanglement Response stranded on local beaches. Doing our part to mitigate the impact Training is designed to eliminate much of the risk that is involved we humans were making on local wildlife was like a physical and in such an operation. It is done in steps. First, someone actually mental sanctuary from work weeks filled with disillusionment.
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WHALE OF A TALE [continued] spots a whale that is compromised by fishing gear and reports the sighting. The report makes its way (hopefully in a matter of minutes) to NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service, which contacts the local marine mammal rehab facility to evaluate whether a response is warranted. If NOAA authorizes a response, it mobilizes a rescue crew, like the one I am on, to assess the situation and take certain, limited actions. In the case of the adult gray whale we named June last spring, the NOAA authorized us to approach the whale inside the 150-foot distance limit mandated by the Marine Mammal Protection Act to determine if the whale was suffering from a human-caused condition, and if it could be mitigated by our intervention. When we caught up with June three miles offshore, we saw that the whale’s entanglement presented some dangerous challenges. This 45-foot healthy adult was dragging 100 feet or more of nylon line commonly used with commercial fishing traps, that was caught up with some buoys tangled with anchor-like kelp. June’s entanglement involved the whale’s left flipper and its mouth – the “danger zone,” in whale rescue speak. In comparison, the fishing gear that killed Bart, the juvenile gray whale we had disentangled three weeks prior, was dragging a complete ecosystem – rocks from the sea floor, dead sharks, rays, crabs, fish, and a sea lion. The weight of this load was too much for the yearling gray whale, and even freed of its entanglement, Bart washed up dead on Long Beach Harbor three days later. The previous week’s whale, Nelson, had line wrapped around its caudal peduncle (tail stalk) and fluke, which took our team two full days to cut free.
Drawing closer to the whale by pulling on the control line, Dana and his team get a better view of June’s entanglement. One hundred feet of nylon line and buoys were entangled in what rescuers call the “danger zone” – the whale’s left flipper and mouth.
was that of a healthy 45-foot, wild, frightened animal. If left alone, June would die from starvation months, if not weeks, from now. We got our gear ready and began to chase down yet another unwilling patient. The seas were choppy, and our 20-foot Zodiac gave us a rough ride as we bounced from swell to swell, chasing the whale for at least a mile, waiting for it to surface, racing to where we had last seen it, and guessing where it would surface the next time. We threw our grapple multiple times, only to just miss hooking onto the trailing knot of rope and buoys. Finally, one throw connected, and our Nantucket sleigh ride was on.
Unlike the smaller, younger whales with which we had worked, June was actively trying to evade us. NMFS gave us the go-ahead to get a large, highly visible buoy on the whale – which at minimum would make the whale easier to identify from a ship or aircraft – and if needed, a line we could use as a control line, which we would hang on to and use as a “ski rope” while we made attempts to cut the entanglements using specialized knives attached to long poles. June’s ability to swim was impaired, but not completely. By our observations, the whale appeared to have been recently entangled because its body condition, aside from the gaping, bleeding wounds,
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“We threw our grapple multiple times, only to just miss hooking onto the trailing knot of rope and buoys. Finally, one throw connected, and our Nantucket sleigh ride was on.” We got a better view of the entanglement as we drew our boat closer to the whale. And the whale got a better view of us. It began wildly waving its fluke from side to side, and diving in spirals beneath our boat. It was, frankly, treating us as it would a pursuing Orca – its only known predator. It was trying to kill us. Four hours later, now 10 miles offshore, we had managed to make some significant cuts on its entanglement, and then, given the health and behavior of the animal, rough sea conditions, and lack of sunlight, we added another visible buoy to June and reluctantly let go. Our hope was that it would reappear the following day, if not in our jurisdiction, then perhaps in a location where another response team could find it. Incredibly, June was completely freed from the nets three weeks later by a commercial crab fishing crew who had spotted our buoys hundreds of miles north, off of Bodega Bay. When my team freed our first entangled gray whale in 2010, we assumed we would not see each other again under those circumstances. We couldn’t have been more wrong. Now four rescues later, we keep in touch and train together, knowing that in a few short weeks we will be called upon again as the gray whale migration heads back up the California coast from their breeding grounds in Baja, Mexico, navigating their way back to Alaska through a mess of netting and trap gear placed by Mexican, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Norwegian, and many other commercial fishing operations. Working as an animal control officer for Coastal Animal Services Authority, Dana gets called out on wide variety of domestic animal and wildlife issues. Here, he is pictured with pit bull Dually, one of the dogs he rescued on a call.
My day job today is a world apart from what I did for 20 years, and from what I expected, planned, and trained to do when I graduated from SA. From one moment to the next, I never know what my next call will involve. Not only have I been involved with whale rescues, I have pulled yogurt cups off of skunks’ heads, rattlesnakes from under kiddie pools, and reunited lost Labs with their families on Christmas morning. At 7 AM I might be found cleaning road kill off a curb, while at noon the judge I am asking to sign an arrest warrant sniffs the air and wonders why her office smells like skunk. At 4 PM I could be pulling a fish hook from a pelican’s beak, and then watching it fly away while the sun sets over the ocean. I get thank you cards from people to whom I have written leash citations. I get crudely written threats from people I have never met. There is
a woman in town who has been arrested several times, once while wielding a shotgun, who is now six months sober and credits me with having something to do with it based on an interaction I had with her and her dog. I never saw it coming, Mr. Kolakowski, but I am pretty sure I have found my potential.
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Founders’ Day On October 5, students, faculty, and staff kicked off the 175th Anniversary Celebration during Founders’ Day. Throughout the day, students were educated about SA’s history, participated in fun team activities, and even learned the SA fight song!
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2 1. During the relay games, Noah McAdams ’21 and his teammates form the “bucket brigade” to put out the fire threatening the cupola, echoing the 1970 fire. (Cupola painted by Academy parent Candice Betters.)
5 3. Students of all ages were placed on teams to compete in various academic and physical challenges during the day. Here, Team Nichols lines up for the morning handshake to greet students the way legendary Headmaster Cliff Nichols did.
2. Teammates Natalia Juliano ’17 and Billy Snyder ’21 wait for their turn to compete in relay games.
4. The Black Team competes against the Red Team in a round of tug of war on Frick Field. By a narrow margin of 22 points, the Black Team won the overall Founders’ Day challenge.
See upcoming 175 events at www.sewickley.org/175.
5. Grade 4 teammates take a rest for lunch. The unseasonably warm weather made it the perfect day to spend outside.
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REUNION WEEKEND 2012 Alumni traveled in from near and far to attend Reunion Weekend. The weekend featured a Reunion Gala, special history lecture, class parties, and an anniversary concert during which music teacher Vanessa Candreva and a group of student and alumni musicians premiered Vanessa’s original composition, Sweetwater Anthem, in honor of the 175th Anniversary.
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5 Save the Date for Reunion Weekend 2013! October 11-12, 2013 Stay tuned for more info on www.sewickley.org/reunion.
3 1. Dick Hull ’57 greets Cynthia “Dingy” Hays ’67 at the Reunion Gala. 2. Former faculty member Larry Hall catches up with Heather St. George Gibson ’92. 3. Classmates Jay Miller ’77, Candy Kappel Bolte ’77, and Kelley Kendrick DeVincentis ’77 look through class photos and reminisce about their days at SA. 4. Lorilee Huizenga Beltman ’82 embraces classmate Karen Gray ’82. 5. The gala opened with the reading of a special proclamation from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives recognizing the Academy’s anniversary. Pictured here: Mayor of Glen Osborne William Boswell, Sewickley Academy Board Chair Amy Simmons Sebastian ’80, State Representative Mark Mustio, Head of School Kolia O’Connor, and Mayor of Sewickley Brian Jeffe.
Help plan your class’ reunion party by contacting Director of Alumni Relations Greta Daniels at gdaniels@sewickley or 412.741.2230 ext. 3044.
Call for Nominations: Sports Hall of Fame The Alumni Office is calling for nominations for the 2013 Sports Hall of Fame induction that will take place during Reunion Weekend. Please send in your nominations for the Sewickley Academy Sports Hall of Fame by May 1, 2013. To learn more about nominee eligibility requirements or to submit your nomination, visit www.sewickley.org/sportshalloffame.
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Reunion WEEKEND 2012 [continued]
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Class of 1957 – 55th Reunion Row 1: Kay Graham McCullough, Ward Wickwire. Row 2: Dick Hull, Todd Baker. Row 3: Alexander “Hi” Hays IV, Jamie Wardrop, David Drain. Row 4: Craig Wilson, Michael Hunter, Cap Coyle. Row 5: Peter Amerman, Bill Marks. Class of 1962 – 50th Reunion Row 1: Elizabeth Fleming Frost, Margy Buckman Heldring. Row 2: Betsy Burden Wilson, Kathy Ratcliffe Lang. Row 3: Sally Stites Owens, Charles Alexander. Row 4: Tabby Amerman, Caroline Lord MacKenzie. Row 5: Helen Rose King, Ken Moller. Row 6: Nancy Hayes Kilgore, Rob Leighton. Row 7: Gigi Todd Prindiville, Carol Ranson O’Keefe, Marni Madden Eaton, Stephanie Rice Ellis. Class of 1967 – 45th Reunion Row 1: Susan Nevin Cockrell, Dingy Hays, Melinda Roberts O’Rourke. Row 2: Thomas Jody, Robert Mann. Class of 1972 – 40th Reunion Row 1: Betsy Dithrich Halcomb, Meghan Fawcett Wise, Debbie Korb. Row 2: Mark Colavincenzo, Lance James. Row 3: John Wise, Greg Etter. Class of 1977 – 35th Reunion Row 1: James Angel, Elisa Cavalier, Evelyn Harkins Spencer. Row 2: Dave Bradley, Jeff Lenchner. Row 3: Jay Miller, Kelley Kendrick DeVincentis. Row 4: Tom Tiernan, Candy Kappel Bolte. Row 5: Sam Halcomb, Tim Hastings. Row 6: Scott MacLeod, Althea Standish Kaemmer.
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Class of 1982 – 30th Reunion Row 1: Lorilee Huizenga Beltman, Karen Gray, Kate Poppenberg Pigman. Row 2: Ralph DeStefano, Alyson Barker Korman. Row 3: Chris Standish, John Moyer. Class of 1992 – 25th Reunion Row 1: Heather St. George Gibson, Heather Snyder McLane, Lundy Semple Waldo. Row 2: Andrea Sirko-Delancey, Craig Mattern.
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Alumni Events
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5 UPCOMING ALUMNI EVENTS Join us for an event in your city this spring. Atlanta Cocktail Party: March 14 Pittsburgh Networking Breakfast: April 8 Boston Cocktail Party: April 18 175th Anniversary Party in Washington, D.C.: April 24 To find out more about these events and to RSVP, visit www.sewickley.org/alumni.
3 1. Alumni gather at the Kennebunkport beach house of Jamie Wardrop ’57, Nina Wardrop Brooks ’62, and Frank Brooks ’62 in July to reconnect with one another, hear SA news from Head of School Kolia O’Connor, and enjoy delicious Maine fare. 2. Keynote speaker U.S. Army Captain Goldwyn Harper ’ 00, SA faculty member and Naval Captain Lori Yost, and SA parent U.S. Air Force Brigadier General Keith Kries were all part of the annual SA Veterans Day assembly in November. 3. As usual, the annual alumni hockey game had a great turnout of alumni. The final score rested at 13-1, and fun was had by all. Players, coaches, and fans alike walked away feeling like it was the good old days.
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4. Members of the Class of 2006 reconnected over cocktails at the annual Alumni Holiday Party on December 22. 5. Meredith Doyle ’12, Olivia Ahearn ’12, and Chrissy McGinn ’12 catch up at the Alumni Holiday Party – their first SA event as alumni.
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FALL SPORTS WRAP-UP Girls’ Soccer (21-2-1) The varsity girls’ soccer team captured the WPIAL section championship with a record of 14-0, finishing 21-2-1 overall. The Panthers defeated Riverview, Avonworth, and Mohawk in the WPIAL playoffs to advance to the WPIAL championship game where they were defeated 2-0 by Greensburg Central Catholic. The Panthers advanced to the state quarterfinals before falling 3-1 to Shady Side Academy. Teammates Amy Kolor ’13, Sarah Rooney ’13, Maggie DeWitt ’14, Melina George ’14, and Ali Torrence ’14 were selected to the All-Section and All-WPIAL soccer team. Boys’ Soccer (21-2-1) The boys’ varsity soccer team captured the WPIAL section championship with a 12-0 record and an overall record of 21-2-1. In the PIAA tournament, SA defeated Mercer, Riverside, and Biglerville to advance to the PIAA championship game in Hershey. With the stands packed full of Panther fans, the team controlled play in the first half, but Mountain View was able to convert on one of their few shot attempts in the second half and fend off scoring attempts by the Panthers. Jake Mulholland ’13, Max Proie ’13, JP Bowell ’14, and Steven Munn ’14 were selected for the All-Section team, and Max, JP, and Steven were also selected for the All-WPIAL team. Steven was chosen for the All-State team.
Beating the defender to the ball, Connor Zierden ’14 looks to play the ball forward in the PIAA quarterfinals against Riverside.
Girls’ Golf (8-4) In just the third year as a varsity team, the girls’ golf team made the WPIAL playoffs by finishing second in the section with an 8-4 record. The Panthers hosted the WPIAL section individual championships at Allegheny Country Club where four SA players competed: Micaela Becker ’13, Brianne Thomas ’15, Tanvi Rana ’15, and Jane Blaugrund ’16. In the WPIAL playoffs, the Panthers captured second place in the championships at Cedarbrook.
Field Hockey (7-7-1) The varsity field hockey team finished second in the section with a record of 6-3-1 and an overall record of 7-7-1. In the semifinals of the WPIAL tournament, the Panthers defeated the Ellis School in overtime at home on our new turf field. SA scored in the second half of the WPIAL championship game against Shady Side before falling in overtime 2-1. Alexis Bosilovic ’13, Megan Johnson ’13, and Grace Meakem ’13 were selected for the All-WPIAL team.
Boys’ Golf (16-3) The varsity boys’ golf team captured the WPIAL section championship with a 12-0 record en route to an overall 16-3 record and silver medal finish in the WPIAL championships. In the WPIAL semifinals, the Panthers finished first out of 10 schools by shooting a school record of 387. Jordan Milo ’13 earned Player of the Year honors in the section and went on to finish 11th in the state championships. Keenan Hickton ’14 earned All-State honors by finishing sixth in states.
Cross Country The varsity cross country team fielded a quality group of runners on both the girls’ and boys’ teams and competed against the best collection of teams in the WPIAL. Led by the seniors, SA runners demonstrated consistent improvement throughout the regular season. In the WPIAL championships, Carly Little ’14 and Maggie McClain ’14 finished seventh and 20th, respectively, and advanced to the PIAA championships.
Girls’ Tennis (15-5) The varsity girls’ tennis team captured the WPIAL section championship with an 11-1 record and an overall record of 15-5. The Panthers defeated Mt. Pleasant, Derry, and South Park in the WPIAL playoffs before falling 3-2 to Quaker Valley in the WPIAL championships. The team advanced to the state quarterfinals and was defeated by Berks Catholic. Amy Cheng ’14 and Jappmann Monga ’14 captured the WPIAL doubles championship. Sydney Miggantz ’14 finished third in the WPIAL singles championship to earn a berth in the PIAA tournament.
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Expanding Horizons: G.I.F.T. Grants Look to the Future By Senior School English teacher Lawrence C. Connolly
Imagine a future where pens turn lessons into videos, briefcases expand into recording studios, and stereotypes are erased through the power of story. Now imagine it’s all right here, right now. Thanks to the generous support of the Academy’s parent association, Home and School (H&S), teachers and administrators throughout all divisions are developing projects in which students will explore the world in ways undreamed of only a few years ago. “When a small group of parents met with Claudia Gallant, assistant head of school for academic affairs, to discuss how H&S could support the school by integrating the arts into the teaching of the core subjects, it became obvious that our great teachers often have ideas that are innovative and interdisciplinary in nature, but do not have the funding to bring the ideas to fruition,” says H&S President Lorraine Houston. As a result of those discussions, the Grants for Innovative Frameworks in Teaching (G.I.F.T.) was launched in August. G.I.F.T. provides teachers with a mechanism that will allow them to capture unexpected opportunities for innovative, interdisciplinary projects where collaboration and experiential learning is the focus.
During a writing workshop, Summerbridge student Zainab Adisa and SA student Ilze Smidt ’17 discuss their “Where I Am From” poems. Through these workshops, Academy and Summerbridge students will together bring their stories to life through writing.
Currently, 11 G.I.F.T. grants have been approved, ranging from high-tech programs involving smartpens and iPads to communitybuilding activities incorporating storytelling and food preparation. Together, these projects will take the Academy experience beyond the classroom and into new realms of collaborative learning.
The Danger of a Single Story “The single story creates stereotypes,” says Nigerian writer Chimamanda Adichie. “The problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete.” The truth, she says, requires many stories.
Let Me Hear Your Heartbeat Traditionally, students have learned about the benefits of lifelong physical activity by listening to their teachers and coaches. This year, PE teacher Lori Yost plans to give students the opportunity to learn by listening to themselves.
This year, Summerbridge Pittsburgh Executive Director Sarah Walters and Middle School English teacher Deborah Golden will work with their students to examine the ways in which they are defined by story. Over the course of four workshops, Academy students and Summerbridge Pittsburgh students will together bring their stories to life through writing. In the culmination of the project, poet and educator Terrance Hayes will work with the students to experiment and explore the power of a story.
In a project she calls “Let Me Hear Your Heartbeat,” Lori will use heart-rate monitors to “help students and athletes better understand the benefits of fitness and physical activity.” Also, beyond these initial applications, she plans to work with the Grade 5 team of Chris Carney, Noble Newman, and Christina Pales on the implementation of a “Fit 4 Education” math program, designed to help students in Grades K through 8 “explore mathematical concepts while using exercise as a medium to assist in learning.”
Sarah explains, “Our passion behind this workshop lies in the idea of helping Summerbridge and Academy kids to more fully know each other and, subsequently, help break down others’ preconceptions of their fellow workshop participants.”
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Flipped Teaching and Pencasting For the past few years, Senior School math teacher Matt Michaels has been recording online videos to provide off-site instruction for his students, giving them the opportunity to learn new concepts at home. In this way, the functions of homework and classwork are flipped, with the classroom serving as a place to demonstrate and practice material learned at home. One impediment to working with video lessons has been the massive size of the files. To address this concern, Matt and his colleagues, Linda Bowers and Linda Carpenter, are experimenting with pencasting. In pencasting, a teacher can demonstrate a math concept using a pen that records written notes. A pinhead microphone built into the pen captures the teacher’s spoken narration, and the result is a compact video featuring animated writing and vocal instruction. (See a pencast at www.sewickley.org/giftstory.)
Using Edward R. Murrow’s “This I Believe” radio program as a model, Jalen Lee ‘13 and Amy Kolor ‘13 record podcasts about life lessons they have learned using the equipment funded by a G.I.F.T. grant.
Once the math department innovators master the process, they look forward to sharing it with the other divisions, teaching their colleagues to flip the roles of homework and classwork through the use of compact, handheld technology.
Endless Possibilities Other G.I.F.T. sponsored programs include a cross-divisional World’s Fair project in the Middle School, a health and language department collaboration to combat obesity through an appreciation of food and culture, and a history department initiative for creating and maintaining a multimedia website titled “Making History Relevant.”
Believing in the Future Two years ago, the Senior School English department launched Senior Seminar, where students in their final trimester of Grade 12 capture life lessons learned through personal experiences. Using Edward R. Murrow’s This I Believe radio program as a model, the students shared their lessons as a series of audio recordings made using low-fidelity computer microphones. This year, thanks to G.I.F.T., Senior Seminar students will have access to five briefcase-sized packages that will unpack to turn any classroom into a recording studio.
In addition, to ensure that all divisions have the latest technology to devise future programs, G.I.F.T. is underwriting the purchase of iPad, Nexus, and Lenovo ThinkPad Tablets to be made available to teachers in all divisions. According to Middle School tech coordinator Stephanie Roccon, the goal is “to bring the educational experience to the next level by providing cutting-edge technologies that children can use to engage in collaborative problem-solving, experiment with design, and imagine new solutions to old problems.”
If the recordings produced in past years have been impressive (you can hear some of them at www.sewickley.org/giftstory), the new easier-to-use hardware should allow seniors to take this year’s podcasting project to a whole new level.
Thanks to Home and School’s G.I.F.T. program, the future looks both brighter and closer than ever.
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How I Give Back to SA:
Name: Lauren Gohh ’12, Freshman at the University of Pittsburgh
Made a five-year pledge to the Annual Fund along with several members of the Class of 2012.
Arrived at SA: Grade 9 PARTICIPATED in: Field Hockey, Key Club, Bowling, Strings Ensemble, Chinese Culture Club
Most transformational experiences at SA:
Day of Service and Diversity Conference.
My Plans for the Future: Pursue a doctorate in physical therapy and open an athletic training and physical therapy clinic that uses martial arts to recover and prevent injuries, and helps athletes become stronger.
How I Give to the Community: Volunteering at the Pittsburgh Marathon and participating in the Pitt Make a Difference Day. Scott Smathers Photography
“I decided to pledge my support because the Academy helped me get where I am today. I am so grateful for all that SA did for me.” Your gift to the Annual Fund will support Sewickley Academy students like Lauren as they discover their full potential through rigorous academics and diverse extracurricular activities that enrich the SA experience and enable our graduates to become caring and conscientious members of the global community. Please join Lauren and pledge your support to Sewickley Academy’s Annual Fund today.
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ClassNotes
Boys from the Classes of 1968-1970 test their limits in physical fitness training.
1937
1948
George Gibbs ’37 recently celebrated his 90th birthday. “Happy to report that I’m in good health but did have one knee replacement a few years ago. I’m playing tennis typically three times a week year-round. My wife, Sally Quinby Gibbs, is also doing well but has stopped playing tennis. We both take lots of nutritional supplements and, more importantly, are careful to eat only good nutritional food. We subscribe to several excellent health letters for the latest research findings and recommendations. Our extended family now consists of three married children, eight grandchildren (two married), and two greatgrandchildren. All are more or less residents along I-75 between Michigan and Cincinnati.”
“It must have been Madame Rougraff who taught us some basic French, especially songs and poems, that began my interest in France,” writes Alex Brassert ’48. “Though at the time, I did not suspect that this would be an important influence on me. After a career in the U.S. Army, I have lived in Paris for almost 40 years!”
1954 John Brassert ’54 is now a widower living in San Diego on Coronado Island. He has lots of grandpa duties to fulfill – fishing, football, band practice, etc. He also has plenty of travel to enjoy – Europe, Vietnam, Costa Rica, and Egypt. “If any Sewickley-ites get out this way, stop in and see me!”
1955 Betsy Gardner Riley ’55 writes, “Finally after two and a half years, we sold our renovated
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Betsy Gardner Riley ’55 and husband Gil are enjoying life on the coast of Maine.
Lincolnville Beach house in Maine. Our plan was to build a house in Warren, Maine, but we got a God wink and instead found a terrific place perfect for us in Tenants Harbor. It was exactly what we were looking for and very affordable with a lovely tidal cove right across the road. Tenants Harbor is on a peninsula south of Thomaston with Fort Clyde at the end of it. It’s truly a wonder world for us both. Passers-by are welcome.”
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CLASS NOTES Harris Wainwright ’55 reports, “After 20 years of widowhood, I have married a blondhaired, blue-eyed beauty from Budapest. We live 10 km. from Passau where the confluence of the Inn, Isar, and Danube unite to become the Danube, which flows toward Vienna and Budapest. I have a master’s in horticulture, a serious hobby of mine, and the summer in Niederbayern (Lower Bavaria) was sensational, with the robust maturity of the vegetable crop a perfect reflection of ideal weather and rich soil. I climbed ladders to collect plums and am learning the ropes of canning, glassjarring, and containering, plus freezing of nature’s bounty. I am enrolled in a Deutschkurse, an adjunct to Rosetta Stone, and have joined Munchen Rugby Club where I will debut in the springtime on a team of juveniles over 60 years old. Every day is an adventure for me. We are moving to a farm in Austria a bit north of Salzburg this year.” Susan Ratcliffe Sour ’55 visited Don ’55 and Pam Foster at their beautiful home in Wareham, Massachusetts. It was wonderful catching up on news. After raising three of their grandchildren, Don and Pam have both retired, although Pam still does some special projects for the local bishop. Pam is an Epis-
copal priest, most recently at Trinity Church in Boston. Don began his career at Mellon Bank, Pittsburgh. They moved to Alexandria for several years, then moved to Boston.
1957 After graduating from Andover and Harvard, Todd Baker ’57 began his career at Mellon Bank. In 1970, he married Lynda Johnston and moved to Washington, D.C., where he continued to work in banking at Lynley on Capitol Hill. In 1978, they moved to Athens, Greece, where Todd worked for a former customer who had a large company headquartered there. “In Athens, we both got homesick for a real hamburger with Heinz ketchup, so we moved to Boston.” In 2000, Todd had a stroke, went back to work briefly, and then retired. A friend approached him to volunteer at a local elementary school. “After two years roving through all the grades, where I became an expert at finger painting, growing vile stuff in Petri dishes, and pasting paper chains for all sorts of art-related projects, I was ‘promoted’ to head librarian, where I stayed for four more years before retiring. Since my real retirement in 2006, my life has been quite full.” He has been the assistant coach of the local high
Don ’55 and Pam Foster during a recent visit with classmate Susan Sour ’55.
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school golf team for six years. His team has gone to the state tournament twice in the past four years. “The other two items that take up a lot of time are gardening and motorcycles. Ever since I started riding a motorcycle on the fields below the Wardrop’s Pink House, I’ve really enjoyed the freedom (and speed and engine roar) of a big bike. There are some great roads up and down the North Shore, and we love to explore them all summer long.” Kay Graham McCullough ’57 writes, “Sam and I have four daughters and six grandchildren between the ages of 6 and 24. We’ve had a tradition for about 15 years of the whole family coming to Naples over the Thanksgiving holiday. It’s one of the few times a year when we all get together without other distractions. Our family is somewhat scattered – one daughter in New Jersey, two in the Philadelphia area, and the youngest and her family on St. John in the Virgin Islands. Our only recent travel was a cruise to Alaska in June with another couple. I absolutely loved coming to the reunion - it was such fun seeing classmates, some of whom I hadn’t seen or talked to in 50 years.”
Friends from the Class of 1962, Tabby Amerman, Helen Rose King, Margy Buckman Heldring, Elizabeth Fleming Frost, Nancy Hayes Kilgore, and Betsy Burden Wilson, enjoy catching up at the Reunion Gala on October 5, 2012.
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1958 Mark your calendars for your 55th class reunion – October 11-12, 2013! Visit www. sewickley.org/reunion for more information. Stimson Kennedy ’58 was recognized by Cerebral Palsy of Colorado as its 2011 Volunteer of the Year. Over the past 29 years, Stim and his co-founder, Thomas Scott, raised almost $2 million for this worthy organization. One of their most successful fundraisers is the Colorado Concours for Sports and Exotic Cars held annually in June. To learn more about the organization and Stim’s amazing work, visit www.cpco.org. “I am honored with this award and will continue to participate as long as my failing health will allow. Thanks to growing up in Sewickley and attending the Academy, I developed a knowledge and appreciation for collector automobiles, which has enabled me to benefit others through our many car shows.”
1960 The Class of 1960 will plant a tree in memory of the late Jonathan Gordon ’60 in Sewickley Academy’s Secret Garden this spring. The Academy will host a brief memorial ceremony when the tree is planted and all friends and
alumni are welcome to attend. Details regarding that ceremony will be shared as they are available. If you would like to make a contribution to the Jonathan Gordon ’60 Memorial Tree, you may send it to the attention of the Advancement Office at Sewickley Academy.
1962 Tabby Amerman ’62 reports, “The Class of 1962 (the last ninth grade graduating class) gathered en masse for our 50th reunion in October and had a fantastic weekend together! From as far east as London, and as far west as Hawaii, we came to celebrate our very special relationships based on shared memories of our privileged (and blessed) childhood at Sewickley Academy. We were 15 when we left, and we are 65 now. Amazing.” Karen Hanley Colbert ’62 reports that life in Delray Beach, Florida, with husband Britt ’62 continues to be very happy. She is winning awards for her photography, most recently the Juror Award of Merit in the Still Life category by the International Fine Art Photography Competition: Grand Prix de la Decouverte, Paris, France. “My vision comes from being present when looking through the lens, being in the moment – looking for and
‘seeing’ the possibilities.” To view some of Karen’s photos, visit http://BeingPresent. zenfolio.com. Mia Youngquist Dean ’62 did some camping with her family on Cape Cod in June and celebrated the wedding of her son, Ben, and his bride, Shelley, on Nantucket in August. Helen Rose King ’62 reports, “My family had a really fun, special experience this past June when we spent five nights in Ouray, Colorado. Ouray sits high in the mountains and is breathtaking. We rented a big lodge. Each family had its own room and we were surrounded by 50 acres on a river. It was so
Helen Rose King ’62 (seated center right) with her family during their reunion this past June.
At Reunion Weekend, classmates Dick Hull ’57 and Peter Amerman ’57 exchange stories past and present. Karen Hanley Colbert ’62 is enjoying life and winning awards for her photography.
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Ryan Duddy, Erica Dean Duddy, John Dean, Shelley and Benjamin Dean, Mia Youngquist Dean ’62, and Carl Dean.
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Ask Not What Your Country Can Do for You … In 2008, before Barack Obama was elected president, Emily Craig ’01 asked herself, “What can I do?” Turns out, quite a bit. During the years leading into that milestone election year, Emily became involved in the political world through her next-door neighbor, a successful Republican fundraiser. From stuffing envelopes to working photo lines at fundraisers, she became Emily Craig ’01 and President Obama during a active in Sewickley’s political rally at Carnegie Mellon University in July 2012. circuit, attending a series of events with Republicans like Arlen Specter, Rudy Giuliani, George W. Bush, and Lynn Swann. A combination of these experiences, a Sewickley Academy education that encouraged dialogue and debate, and a passion for politics fostered by an encouraging mother and father, put Emily in the unique position to be very successful on her own political two feet. When she and Nick Smyth ’01 joined forces to support the Obama campaign with a fundraiser in April 2008, they were blown away by the results. “The event took on a life of its own and ended up bringing together a really diverse group of people. We raised more money than we had ever anticipated.”
wonderful to go to sleep at night with all these loved ones under the same roof.” Marni Madden Eaton ‘62 writes, “I am a grandmother of three. I am blessed that all my children live in the same town as I do, so I get to see everyone quite often! I still have dogs, cats, and horses, and a wonderful husband who supports my passions! In my spare time I knit, quilt, and mentor a program called Education for Ministry.”
1966 Nancy Bennett Haynes ’66 writes that her daughter Inslee’s line of fashion stationary (www.inslee.net) is now carried in Pittsburgh at stationary and gift shop, Nota Bene. “Inslee’s whimsical paintings on her stationary and calendars remind me of the figures Becky Moseley ’66 used to sketch!” Carol Semple Thompson ’66 served as captain of the United States Women’s World Cup Team in Antalya, Turkey, in September. Carol previously captained the USA Curtis Cup Team in 2006 and 2008.
In early 2012, as a result of her success during the 2008 election, Emily was asked to be a delegate for Pennsylvania’s Congressional District 12. After accepting, she took on the tall order of gaining 250 signatures from people in her district to get on the ballot. On April 24, 2012, Emily received more than 41,000 votes and was officially invited to attend the Democratic National Convention in early September. “A lot of people tried to explain to me what the convention would be like, but you have to experience it for yourself to understand.” Emily attended the convention for two days and was in awe of the magnitude of the event. “Leading into the Time Warner Arena were endless media, VIPs, protesters, and tons of security. The stage was never empty – a famous singer would leave the stage only to be replaced by a mayor or governor,” recalls Emily. “You’d see John Kerry a few seats over, and Rose Byrne from Bridesmaids a few rows back. Then, Madeleine Albright walks by. When you’re a political geek like I am, that’s exciting.” She left the convention feeling inspired and plans to be active again in the Pennsylvania gubernatorial election in 2014 or the presidential election in 2016. “I want to play a meaningful role and do even more than I did in this past election.” In either case, though, the candidate must be someone Emily really believes in. “My heart has to be in it.” As for herself, Emily prefers a role that’s not directly in the limelight, something that is more behind the scenes. And that’s a good thing for the next candidate Emily chooses to support. She’s a good person to have in your corner, especially when you want to win.
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Carol Semple Thompson ’66 carries the American flag during the opening ceremonies of the World Amateur Golf Tournament.
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1967 David Liddle ’67 retired in 2010 and loves it! He is staying busy with his wife and two Shiloh Shepherds. They hike daily, fish, golf, garden, and take care of their cars. “We love the beautiful mountains of North Carolina!” Henry Steers ’67 writes, “Now that I am retired, I have been making trips back and forth from Maryland to Long Island, New York City, and Connecticut doing genealogical research. While doing this I was able to attend the 50th anniversary of the sinking of a tugboat called the Gwendoline Steers, which sank in Long Island Sound with the loss of nine crew members. For more info, check out my Facebook page!
1968 Mark your calendars for your 45th class reunion – October 11-12, 2013! Visit www. sewickley.org/reunion for more information.
1969 Sally Willets Nichols ’69 and family are still living in Sacramento, California, after 28 years. She writes, “I recently wound down my college admissions consulting business so that I could indulge in golf, tennis, skiing, gardening, pets, and most of all, our adult children
Mark MacWilliams ‘70 and wife Kaori at Tsukiji Market in Tokyo.
and first grandchild. Two of our daughters, Annie and Allie, as well as our son-in-law and granddaughter Abigail, live 90 miles away in San Francisco. I am on that road weekly. Our middle daughter, Charlotte, has recently moved to Minneapolis, but we are hopeful that she will return to the Bay Area eventually. Grove continues with his consulting business, primarily in real estate-related areas of CALPERS, the largest public pension fund in the U.S. We have both been very involved with our K-12 school here, Sacramento Country Day, which has served our family so well. We are amazed by the campus and programs that the Academy is able to offer. I am not sure there is an equal in our state. I am looking forward to our 2014 class reunion. I miss visiting Sewickley where
David Liddle ’67 takes a break on the Garden Creeper Trail with his Shiloh Shepherds.
I often had a chance to catch up with Cherry Semple White ’69, Kim Sharp Fierst ’69, and Liz Coyle Devens ’69. I do see my sister, Penn ’59 (San Francisco Bay Area), and my brothers, Ack ’66 (Louisville, Kentucky) and Jeff ’76 (Swampscott, Massachusetts), several times a year. We are lucky to be so close- knit that the first cousins know each other as siblings! We’re going to need a bigger dinner table as the grandchildren list grows!”
1970 Mark MacWilliams ’70 writes, “I am still teaching at St. Lawrence University in northern New York. I built a Japanese garden on campus, and this fall gave a lecture on
Sally Willets Nichols ’69 (second from the right) and family enjoy a day hike near their home in California.
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CLASS NOTES among many others. He keeps us young! Life is good.”
film and pop religion at Kokugakuin in Tokyo. In other news, I got married, bought a new house, and am always trying to keep track of my four kids – Ziv, Zoe, Zel, and Zia!” Jim Thornton ’70, who rarely if ever earned better than a gentleman’s C- in Mr. Partenheimer’s P.E. class, and whose posture was routinely noted in Miss Schenerlein’s report card notes to suffer from pronounced “lordosis and duck-footedness,” achieved an unlikely distinction in the summer of 2012. At Michael Phelps’ North Baltimore Athletic Club, he swam the fastest 100 long course meter freestyle in the country in the 60-64 age group, earning an individual “All American” honor from United States Masters Swimming. “I owe it all to those P.E. classes from the Academy,” Jim says. “That and the fact that I was able to cajole the nation’s truly fastest sexagenarian freestyler to take the summer off.”
1971 Hilary Higgins Parker ’71 writes, “Tom and I are midway through our 33rd year at Woodberry Forest School in Virginia, where Tom teaches English and coaches football and baseball, having done stints as both director of admissions and director of college counsel-
Hilary Higgins Parker ’71 (center) pictured with son Warren and husband Tom on their way from the Kalahari Desert to the Okavengo Delta on a family trip in Africa.
ing. After many years as assistant librarian there, I am now working part time doing archival work for Woodberry’s development office and serving as treasurer of our local five-county hospice organization. Our son, Warren, lives and works in Charlottesville, Virginia, where he is the production manager of the Jefferson Theater, a rock ‘n’ roll concert venue owned by Red Light Management, which manages Dave Matthews, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Amos Lee, and Taj Mahal,
Jim Thornton ‘70 trains for the 100-meter freestyle swim at the University of Pittsburgh.
Kim Partenheimer ’71 writes, “When I was asked this past April to manage the runway rehabilitation project at Pittsburgh International Airport, I was very hesitant to accept the assignment. It meant that I would miss the summer at home. Our older son had just completed his first year at Clemson. Our younger son was spending his last summer at home before starting at Clemson. However, we agreed as a family that it would be best for me to go. The project was very demanding but once over the major challenges, the summer and the fall were great. I was able to attend the Rooftop Party at the Smith Bros. Agency where I caught up with Drew Forsyth ’71 and Kevon Copeland ’71. Over the summer, I routinely had dinners with CB ’71, Dingy ’67, and Robin Hays ’73, John ’70 and Patty Heagy, and Drew Forsyth ’71. On October 5, Jeff Beales ’71 and Matt ’71 and Paulette Green joined the crowd for an evening out, followed by the SA/QV soccer game on October 6. I never anticipated the richness that this summer would bring. Visits to the Academy campus, the Edgeworth Club, and Nichols Field brought back memories that I had not thought about for decades. Once our sons went off to Clemson, Joyce was able to spend the last
Kim Partenheimer ’71, Joyce Partenheimer, Janna Eversmeyer, Kevon Copeland ’71, Jeff Beales ’71, CB Hays ’71, Drew Forsyth ’71, Matt Green ’71, and Paulette Green get together for a group picture in Sewickley.
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The Lead Story two weeks of August and all of September with me, which was the highlight of the summer. We had the time to visit places and meet with people that we just could not do over a reunion weekend. My time in Pittsburgh was truly a blessing that far exceeded my expectations!” Mary Carroll Weiss Ryan ’71 writes, “Life is great! Our son, Spencer, is engaged to Michelle and their wedding is planned for September 14, 2013, in Chestertown. Our daughter, Whitney, is the middle school dean of students at Severn, in Annapolis (the site of the first cheerleading event for the ‘Little Crucies’ in 1970). Stepdaughter Elizabeth and husband PJ are both lawyers in Baltimore, and stepson Will just moved to San Francisco with T. Rowe Price. Bill and I saw Hank ’70 and Cheryl Riehl on the Cape this summer, but the best was meeting their kids! Always great to have Reed Schroeder ’71 spend time with us, too! Thank you, John ’71 and Nancy ’72 Means, for helping us all reconnect last year. Time elapses, our families keep us busy, but we should never forget to make time for old friends!”
1972 Rev. Marion “Marnie” Nimick Silbert ’72 celebrated 30 years of ministry with her congregation this fall.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette subscribers may have seen a familiar name gracing the bylines of the newspaper this summer – Rob Wennemer ’09 worked as a newsroom intern in the features department and had more than 20 articles published, one even commanding prime real estate on the front page. The Kenyon College senior wrote a wide variety of stories on topics that included public health and medicine, personal profiles, cultural diversity, building design, pop culture, historical observances, and movie production. “The diversity of topics that I worked on over the course of my internship provided for a great ex- Rob Wennemer ’09 worked as a newsroom perience, as each one required differing intern in the features department at the styles of writing, means for gathering “Pittsburgh Post-Gazette” this summer. information, and forms of communication.” He adds, “Much of this came easily for me because the Academy taught me to write and think clearly, communicate effectively, and manage multiple tasks at once.” During the internship, Rob felt fortunate to be taken under the wings of the journalists and editors at the Post-Gazette – despite their tight deadlines and stressful schedules. “Everyone was willing to answer my questions and would typically share other tricks of journalism they had acquired throughout their careers as well. For instance, they taught me to step out of the role of writer and into the shoes of the reader when planning the path of my articles and selecting what information to include,” says Rob. Standing out as one of his favorites in the long list of articles was one about a community service project executed by Stefan Lessard, bassist of the Dave Matthews Band, the day before Stefan’s concert at the First Niagara Pavilion. “I am a big fan of the group’s music so it was an awesome experience interviewing Stefan, who is a really down-to-earth guy and cares deeply about the environment.” The goal of the project was to improve Grow Pittsburgh’s community garden at the Homewood-Brushton YMCA. “As I watched him perform at the First Niagara Pavilion that weekend, I was proud to know that I informed the people of Pittsburgh about his willingness to take time and serve the community, an act that many artists would disregard due to the hectic nature of tour schedules.” Set to graduate this May with a degree in English, Rob is charting his path for the future and plans on entering the field of journalism or communications. “As a journalist, I was treated with respect and kindness at each and every interview, and I sensed the pride and happiness when Pittsburghers talked about their city,” he says. “In turn, I took pride in keeping people up-to-date on the happenings of the city – a theme that I hope to continue throughout my career.”
Marnie Nimick Silbert ’72 (center) with her two daughters, Hannah (left) and Kate (right), on a family trip to Nova Scotia.
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1975
Mark your calendars for your 40th class reunion – October 11-12, 2013! Visit www. sewickley.org/reunion for more information.
John Macdonald ’75 and his wife, Gail, celebrated their daughter Parry’s (’06) marriage to Benjamin Tyler Krietzman on August 18, 2012. They are currently residing in Riverside, California, while Parry finishes her doctorate in entomology. John and Gail’s son, Timmy ’11, is a sophomore at Wheaton College and finished second in the U.S. National Scottish Fiddling Championship in early September. John has been traveling a lot this year as part of his work teaching at the Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge, including trips to East Africa, Uruguay, and England.
1974 Connie Wood Spencer ’74 spent a perfect fall weekend with Susan Weyrauch Williams ’72 and Jaye Moyer ’74 at Susan’s beautiful home in Boston. One of the many highlights was dinner with Brian Buckley ’74, Dick Stoner ’75, and Josh Gould ’77. “It was so great to laugh and reminisce about SA days and to catch up with life stories! There is a saying that true friends are ones with whom you can continue a conversation regardless of how long you have been apart. I am blessed with some amazing true friends.” After a dramatic run-in with U.K. Immigration and being asked to leave the country, Duncan Wilcox ’74 managed, with the help of brother Geoff ’75 and wife Nancy, to file the right visa paperwork and safely arrived in the U.K. to settle into the wee town of Seaton, Devon, with partner Alex and their happy Jack Russell, Billie. “We are now getting ready for my first northern hemisphere winter in more than 20 years – brr!”
Alex, partner of Duncan Wilcox ’74, and their dog, Billie, now reside in Devonshire in the United Kingdom.
Laura MacLeod ’75 recently launched her new business, “From the Inside Out Project,” which aims to use social work groups to improve employee performance. Laura is also teaching social work in the graduate program at the City University of New York. To learn more about her exciting new project, visit lauralmacleod.com.
1978 Mark your calendars for your 35th class reunion – October 11-12, 2013! Visit www. sewickley.org/reunion for more information.
Laura MacLeod ’75 learned to surf with her husband, John, on the Big Island of Hawaii last summer.
Heather Semple ’78 had the opportunity to view amazing historical sites in Ephesus, Turkey, during her summer trip to the region.
1979 Dinesh “John” Mascarenhas ’79 and wife Stacey Grieff welcomed their second daughter, Mira, on Christmas Eve 2011, joining older sister Maeve. Their life now is a continuous series of family activities, including little feats and escapades. John is still a partner in Sustainametrics, a small sustainable management consulting firm. Stacey is finishing a
The Macdonald family at the wedding of Parry ’06 to Ben Krietzman. SA alumni present included David Macdonald ’77, Allan Macdonald ’75, John Macdonald ’75, Parry Macdonald Krietzman ’06, Tim Macdonald ’11, and former Senior School registrar Myrta Macdonald ’45.
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friends can pick up where they left off.” After 18 months as assistant manager at Chico’s in Roanoke, Lisa decided to change careers and is now working for Fink’s Jewelry, a family owned business that has 16 locations throughout Virginia and North Carolina. “I love it and have really enjoyed getting back into the jewelry business.”
year off from her master’s degree studies in early childhood education at the Erikson Institute. This past June, Lisa Gebhardt Turner ’79 enjoyed five fabulous days in Nantucket with her sister, Joy Gebhardt Beuc ’91, her husband, Brad, and their two children. In September, Lisa returned to Sewickley to visit her parents who now live at Linden Place. While in town, she ran into Rody Nash ’79 as she headed out for a walk and he was on his way to one of his construction projects in the village. “Funny how so many years can go by and old
Mary Jean Foy Bretton ’81 writes, “Thanks to her sales prowess, classmate Cassi Grier ’81 was awarded one of her company’s highest honors and earned a trip to Cancun, Mexico. Fortunately for me, she asked me to go with her! We had so much fun giggling! It was like a high school sleepover all over again.” Scott Campbell ’81 received a doctorate in environmental studies from York University in Toronto. His doctoral dissertation focused on the awareness and understanding of mental health and physical disabilities and the impact on treatment during the past 40 years. This field continues to interest him, and he hopes to find a role in which he could further contribute to the meaningful recognition of these issues by both providers and recipients. He worked at Pendle Hill Center for Study and Contemplation last summer
Mary Jean Foy Bretton ’81 and Cassi Grier ’81 out for a snorkeling trip near one of the coral reefs in Cancun.
Greg Nicotero ’81 is one of the executive producers of the critically acclaimed national sensation The Walking Dead on AMC.
1982
1981 Heather Semple ’78 explored the ruins on a recent trip to Turkey.
near Philadelphia. Scott and his partner live in Toronto. He makes brief visits to Sewickley in order to escape the “big city” life and enjoy the village.
PJ Freshwater ’82 writes, “I am now less than a year from ‘retirement,’ and we are considering a move to the Grove City, Pennsylvania, area. Our family is healthy, happy, and enjoyed fall fly fishing in central New York.”
1983 Mark your calendars for your 30th class reunion – October 11-12, 2013! Visit www. sewickley.org/reunion for more information.
1985 Todd ’85 and Di Thompson have started new jobs in Colorado Springs after taking time off in Telluride, Colorado. “We are thrilled with the access to great biking, hiking, and skiing.” Foster Stewart ’85 is an attorney in Portland, Maine, with his own practice in business law.
Todd ’85 and Di Thompson hiking with their “mountain dog” Telli in Colorado.
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CLASS NOTES He came to Maine to visit his father’s family when he was young, chose Bates College partly because he loved Maine, and has stayed since law school at Duquesne. He and his wife, Laurie, have two daughters, Lindsay (15) and Morgan (11). They live in Cape Elizabeth, a beautiful, safe community – not unlike Sewickley – where children can ride bikes and have a good, somewhat old-fashioned life. The family is active on the water and has a ski place at Sugarloaf where they spend much time in the winter. His mother, Kathy Stewart, who was head of Sewickley’s Academy’s early childhood program, lives nearby after many years of being a lower school head in Jakarta and Lima, Peru. She is currently serving as interim elementary principal of Cayman International School in Grand Cayman, VI. She continues to travel the world with her grandchildren.
1986 Carrie Zuberbuhler Kennedy ’86 writes, “I’m happily married for 14 years, have two beautiful daughters, Grace (11) and Megan (9), and love living right next to North Park. I’m currently holding several teaching posts, including be-
ing an adjunct in the literary arts department of the Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School, where I have the amazing opportunity to teach using a textbook that I wrote! I’m also at work on two additional books, and am still thankful for the excellent foundation in writing I received at the Academy.”
1988 Mark your calendars for your 25th class reunion – October 11-12, 2013! Visit www. sewickley.org/reunion for more information. Matt Duncan ’88 is still in Colorado racing bicycles. When not on the bike, Matt is the manager of campus social media at University of Colorado at Boulder. Be sure to look out for Trevor Long ’88 in the new blockbuster Killing Them Softly with Brad Pitt. Trevor plays Steve Caprio in this actionpacked crime thriller.
1989 Josh Szabo ’89 was recently honored by the Arthroscopy Association of North America (AANA) with the Stephen J. Snyder Excel-
Matt Duncan ’88 rode the Peak-to-Peak Highway in September just as the leaves were changing.
lence in Teaching Award at its annual convention in Orlando, Florida. The AANA presented Dr. Szabo with this distinguished award to honor him for his outstanding lectures about arthroscopic shoulder surgery, knee ligament reconstruction techniques, and other orthopedic topics. In addition to his work with AANA, Dr. Szabo serves as the team physician for the U.S. Ski Team and Snowboard Association.
1991 After 11 years in Seattle, Shannon Schinagl ’91 recently moved to the small town of Newburyport, Massachusetts, where she is the head children’s librarian at the Newburyport Public Library. She is thrilled with her new job. “If you’d like to visit small town New England, come on up!”
1992 Julia Faye Carney arrived on May 9, joining father John Carney ’92, mother Abbey, and big brother Clark in Erie, Pennsylvania. John is currently working at UPMC Hamot Hospital as an anesthesiologist. “We are very happy in Erie and hope to settle here for a while!”
John Carney ’92 with wife Abbey, son Clark, and daughter Julia Faye.
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Ryan Heddleston ’98, wife Ashley, and 2-yearold daughter Emma welcomed Quintin Robert Heddleston to their family on December 5, 2012.
Melanie Keller Jones ’92 and her husband welcomed the newest member of their family, Valerie Eve, on January 11, 2012. Valerie joins big sister Samantha (16) and big brother Jacob (9).
Dan Usaj ’98 was recently hired as the new head coach of mens’ lacrosse at Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, Pennsylvania.
1993 Mark your calendars for your 20th class reunion – October 11-12, 2013! Visit www. sewickley.org/reunion for more information.
1996 Natalie Gielata Friel ’96 and her husband recently moved from California to Florence, South Carolina. “We are still working for Roche making oncology drugs, but have transferred to a new facility. I am hoping to be able to reconnect with more SA friends now that I’m back on the East Coast.” David Harrison ’96 and his wife, Iris, announce the birth of their first child, David Shing Chun Harrison, on October 7. Earlier this fall, David ’96 performed works by Marcello, Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, and Rachmaninoff at the Steinway Piano Gallery of Pittsburgh and the historic First Baptist Church on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh.
Valerie Eve and big sister Samantha, daughters of Melanie Keller Jones ‘92.
1999
David ’96 and Iris Harrison welcomed David Shing Chun Harrison this October.
1997 Anne Bryson Bauer ‘97 and husband Michael welcomed their first child, Oliver Edward Allan Bauer, on June 19, 2012. Proud aunts and uncles include Elizabeth Bryson ‘99, Mac Bryson ‘01, and Andrew Bryson ‘05.
1998 Mark your calendars for your 15th class reunion – October 11-12, 2013! Visit www. sewickley.org/reunion for more information.
Anne Bryson Bauer ’97 and husband Michael with their first child, Oliver Edward Allan Bauer.
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Nicole Pessolano Kopel ’99 married Ben Kopel on September 1, 2012, at the Rolling Rock Club in Ligonier, Pennsylvania. The couple was thrilled to have several family and friends from the Sewickley Academy community in attendance, including Nicole’s brother and SA teacher Louis Pessolano ’97, Andrea MacVicar ’88, Jennifer Riordan Miller ’94, Amanda Novissimo Goforth ’99, Emily Sandberg ’99, Adam Bender-Heine ’99, David Riordan ’01, and former teacher Mary Butler Nichols. The newlyweds live happily in Chicago, Illinois. Jim Leety ’99 recently accepted an associate position with Riley, Hewitt, Witte & Romano, P.C. in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania. He began working with the firm in January 2013. Michael Mele ‘99 writes, “Kara and I were blessed with a beautiful baby boy this holiday
Nicole Pessolano Kopel ’99 with her husband, Ben Kopel, at their September 2012 nuptials.
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CLASS NOTES Their wedding will be held in Pittsburgh on June 22, 2013.
Michael Todd Mele, son of Kara and Michael Mele ‘99.
season! Michael Todd was born on November 24, 2012, weighing 7 lbs. 2 oz. We are enjoying our new addition and our new city (Washington D.C.) – we moved again! Would love to get in touch with SA alums in the area.”
2002 Nina Barbuto ’02 was recently featured as one of Pittsburgh Magazine’s 40 Under 40. She was also a delegate at the One Young World Conference held in October 2012. Divya Kaushik ’02 recently got engaged to the love of her life and best friend, Amit Raj Dua.
Nina Barbuto ’02 with her mother, Antoinette, at the ceremony where Nina was recognized as one of Pittsburgh Magazine’s 40 Under 40.
After working as an associate in investment management/hedge funds for five years, Pallavi Golla Patil ’02 decided to pursue her passion for food and wine. She is currently attending business school at UCLA Anderson (graduating in June) and working on her startup business, VineLust.com – a wine e-commerce site that aims to understand consumer taste preferences and match them with small undiscovered producers. “We’ve partnered with some amazing sommeliers from San Francisco who have helped create our matching system. I am excited about my new journey and wanted to share it with the SA community!”
2003 Mark your calendars for your 10th class reunion – October 11-12, 2013! Visit www. sewickley.org/reunion for more information. Lauren Blood ’03 joined the North Boros Veterinary Hospital in June 2012. Lauren earned her veterinary degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Along with her passion for small animal general practice, Lauren has an
Divya Kaushik ’02 and her fiancé, Amit Raj Dua, will be married in June 2013.
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interest in soft tissue surgery. Justine Patrick ’03 recently appeared in the film Won’t Back Down with Viola Davis. It is fitting that Justine played a teacher in this film as she taught with SA’s Summerbridge Pittsburgh program while she was a student at Haverford College. Justine is currently living in Los Angeles pursuing her master’s in entertainment management with Carnegie Mellon University.
2004 Dana Mathews ’04 writes, “In April, I was honored to be in Emilie Smith Rubin’s (‘04) wedding. She is my oldest friend, and it was a very special day. There I got to re-connect with classmate Peter Dimmick ’04, which was awesome. This summer, while working at Vanity Fair, I hired Alaina Raftis ’09 to be my intern. It was the best decision I could have made – she rocked it and made a great impression there. In October, I left Vanity Fair to join Teen Vogue as their senior entertainment editor. Teen Vogue is the coolest place to work with an amazing staff. February was my first issue. From booking the covers to editing my section, “People Are Talking
Alaina Raftis ’09 visited Dana Mathews ’04 at her new office at Teen Vogue in NYC.
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2008 About,” this is a dream job for me. Alaina paid me a surprise visit, and I hope that after she graduates, she will be working at Teen Vogue or another Conde Nast title. I really can’t thank Mr. Connolly enough for his encouragement and mentoring during Senior School English. I had no idea I wanted to pursue magazine journalism until he suggested it as a possible career path. Megan McAdams ’04 has been living and working in Guatemala with an organization called Safe Passage for the past two years. “Our mission is to empower the poorest, atrisk children of families working in the community of Guatemala City garbage dump, by creating opportunities and fostering dignity through the power of education. I have filled quite a few roles in my time at the project (English teacher, English program coordinator, and volunteer coordinator), and I have learned so much in each position. This past year, we celebrated the high school graduation of 11 amazing and inspiring youths, our largest graduating class to date! My next project at Safe Passage will be to prepare and support these youths as they take the next step after graduation! The Proximo Paso (or “Next Step”) program will prepare current students with professional development
Megan McAdams ’04 plays soccer with one of the Guatemalan students she works with at Safe Passage.
training and provide information on higher education opportunities while also supporting our graduates as they take that “next step” into the job world. Next year will be filled with resume writing workshops, interview practice sessions, and job fairs, and I couldn’t be happier! All 11 students who graduated this year from high school have achieved the highest level of education of anyone in their families. These young people inspire me each and every day, and I feel blessed to work with and learn from them!”
2006 Connor Blood ’06 graduated from Penn State University with a five-year architectural engineering degree and is now working for Trane in Baltimore, Maryland. Parry Macdonald Kietzman ’06 was married to Benjamin Kietzman on August 18, 2012, at St. Stephen’s Church in Sewickley. Also in the wedding was Brenda Gonzalez ’06. This past September, Brittany Urick ’06 began her studies at Oxford University where she is pursuing a master’s in public policy at the Blavatnik School of Government.
Benjamin and Parry Macdonald Kietzman ’06 at their August 2012 wedding in Sewickley.
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Mark your calendars for your fifth class reunion – October 11-12, 2013! Visit www. sewickley.org/reunion for more information.
2010 Pete Schramm ’10 and Catholic University mens’ basketball team have been climbing the ranks this season as they continue to beat nationally ranked teams. A group of SA supporters had the opportunity to see Pete play when CU took on Carnegie Mellon University in December. Pete is in China for the winter semester where he will pursue his studies in mechanical engineering.
WHAT IS NEW WITH YOU?! Just married? Found a new job? Started a business? Took an exciting trip? Met up with an old friend from your days at SA? Whatever your news, we want to hear it! Submit your news at www. sewickley.org/classnote.
Pete Schramm ’10 with his brother, Luke ’13 (right), and a cousin (front) at the game against Carnegie Mellon University in December.
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As of January 3, 2013
ALUMNI RICHARD THOMAS FRICK JR. ’39
JEFFREY F. ELDREDGE ’62
Richard Thomas Frick Jr. ’39 died quietly at his daughter’s home in Maine on November 10, 2012. He was 88 years old. The son of Virginia Rose Frick and Richard Thomas Frick, he graduated from Brooks School and Princeton University. His studies at Princeton were interrupted by WWII, when he enlisted in the Navy Air Corps where he trained as a pilot. He flew a PBY over the Caribbean Islands, sea, and coastlines, watching for enemy submarines. Returning to civilian life, he finished his studies at Princeton, then he and his wife, Katherine, moved to New York City and Greenwich, Connecticut, to raise their family. He worked for Chet La Roche of New York City on the Walt Disney account, then spent many years as a partner with G.H. Johnson & Company producing the Texaco Metropolitan Opera and the radio programming for the S.E.C. football programs. He was president of The Brook from 1976-1994. He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Katherine Reid Frick; his daughter and son-in-law, Katherine Frick-Wold and John Wold; his daughter Virginia Rose Frick; his son and daughter-in-law, William Ward Frick III and Mildred Cookman Frick, and several grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother, George R. Frick ’42, and his wife, Marion. He was predeceased by his son, Richard T. Frick III, and by his brothers, William Ward Frick Jr. ’38 and Thomas Whiting Frick.
Jeffrey F. Eldredge ’62 passed away on December 27, 2012. He was a mariner, artist, historian, naturalist, archivist, and humanist. He attended Tabor Academy and later Sewickley Academy where his father was a teacher. A graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in 1969, he sailed as a deep sea deck officer and towing vessel captain until the late 1990s. He had great talent with wood carving, sketching, and painting from an early age. When he retired from sea-going work, he turned these skills into a new profession, specializing in 19th-century ship portraits. A member of the American Society of Marine Artists and a Copley artist of the Copley Society of Boston, his work was shown at galleries throughout New England and currently appears in corporate collections and private homes across the nation. Jeff’s other great love was maritime history and archival research. A descendant of ship owners, he took great interest in his own family’s extensive maritime history and collected hundreds of old letters and photographs to compile a comprehensive genealogical history. He engaged in charitable work with food banks and Meals on Wheels. He leaves behind wife Roberta, daughter Elizabeth, son Jeff, sister Nancy, and brother Everett ’67.
CELIA SELKOVITS WHITE ’72
J. EVANS ROSE JR. ’46
Celia Selkovits White ’72 died on December 2, 2012. Born and raised in Sewickley, Celia graduated from the Academy, Boston University, and the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. She was creative, outgoing, and mastered many skills throughout her life. In recent years she started a photography business and was a pony girl and exercise rider, reflecting her lifelong love of art and horses. Celia is survived by mother Shanie T. Selkovits; husband Thomas R. White; and sisters Annie Selkovits Taylor ’74, Letty Selkovits ’78, and Fran Dava Selkovits ’82. She was predeceased by her father, Dr. Sidney Selkovits.
J. Evans Rose Jr. ’46 passed away on July 20, 2012. He graduated from Phillips Academy and Yale University. After his service as a first lieutenant in the Army, he graduated from the University of Pittsburgh Law School. He was managing partner and chairman of Rose, Schmidt, Hasley and Disalle Law Firm from 1958 to 1989. He was director and member of the executive committee of Cohen & Grigsby, P.C. from 1989 to 2009. He was a member and secretary on the Federal Judicial Nominating Commission of Pennsylvania; member of the Board of Visitors, University of Pittsburgh Law School; chairman of the Appellate Court Nominating Commission; member of the Judicial Council of Pennsylvania; and chairman of the Pennsylvania Lawyers’ Fund for Client Security. He served on numerous boards of trustees and was the president of the Sewickley Heights Borough Council for many years. He was chairman of the Thornburgh for Governor Committee, vice-chairman of the finance committee for Tom Ridge, and finance chairman for Jim Roddey. He was also finance co-chair, Pennsylvania, for Governor George W. Bush and for Bush-Cheney. Evans was the husband of Patricia Rose, former Sewickley Academy English teacher, and father of Virginia Rose ’78, Susan C. Rose ’79, and Hilary H. Rose ’81, and stepfather of Henry ’82 and Shelley Clement, and Jennifer Clement Kelley ’86. His mother and stepfather, Jane and Oliver McClintock, his stepmother and father, Esme and J. Evans Rose Sr., his sister, Mary McClintock Kennedy ’60, and brother Oliver “Tuck” McClintock ’53 preceded him in death. His brother, Andrew Rose ’61, and his sisters, Esme Rose Scott ’67 and Jocelyn Rose Thompson ’68, survive.
DOUGLAS TUCKER MILLAR ’76 Douglas Tucker Millar ’76 passed away on January 3, 2013. A graduate of the University of Vermont, he began his professional career with Commerce Travel, a business started by his father in 1972 focused on the specialized requirements of corporate travel. After the company was sold to American Express in 1984, he founded Traveler’s Service Company. Doug’s sense of humor was legendary, and his love of music enriched the lives of those around him. He was on the board of the Pittsburgh Opera for many years. He traveled to most of the planet’s well-known countries – and many off the beaten path as well – in a lifetime full of mountain climbing and other adventures. Diagnosed with adrenal cancer a year ago, he still traveled to Turkey, Greece, and Norway in the fall. He passed on his enthusiasms to his two children, such as climbing the Grand Tetons with his daughter, Meredith, before she was even in high school. With son Weston, he was frequently seen flying large, radio-controlled airplanes around the fairways at Allegheny Country Club. He is survived by wife Debbie, children Meredith and Weston ’14, and sister Anne Millar Wiebe ’75.
ANNE BRADFORD PETERS BROOKS ’53 Anne Bradford Peters Brooks ’53 of Owings Mills, Maryland, died peacefully at home surrounded by friends on September 13, 2012, after a long struggle with cancer. She was active with the Baltimore Museum of Art, Green Spring Valley Garden Club, Society of Colonial Dames of America, and other worthy causes. She is survived by her two sons, Christopher C. Brooks and Clinton C. Brooks Jr.; as well as by Clinton C. Brooks ’53 and Réné Pallace.
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Corporate Income Tax Program A Win/Win in Pennsylvania FRIENDS OF THE ACADEMY
Educational Improvement Tax Credit
EDWARD P. HAWES
Pennsylvania offers an education tax credit to corporations that make scholarship donations to participating schools such as Sewickley Academy. Participating companies have contributed more than $200,000 to Sewickley Academy scholarships in the past 30 months. Pennsylvania allows up to $100 million tax credits each fiscal year.
Former Academy math teacher and Latin tutor Edward P. Hawes passed away on October 15, 2012. Edward took over tutoring for his father, Edward Prince Hawes, at the Carnot Country Day School, and changed the title to the Sewickley School of Tutoring in 1958. He also taught at Moon High School for 23 years. He resigned from Moon High School in 1971 and began teaching mathematics at Sewickley Academy where he taught until 1978. Mr. Hawes is survived by wife Joann Gilmore Dye Hawes; children William David Hawes, Christine Diane Cassidy, and Sheryl Hawes Conrad ’72; and grandchildren.
Benefits to Corporations • Receive up to a $300,000 tax credit annually, per business. • Get up to a 75 percent tax credit for a one-year commitment, 90 percent for a two-year commitment.
FAMILY OF ALUMNI DAVID BOYD BORIE
Father of Mary W. Zara ’70, David B. Borie Jr. ’73, J. Stewart Borie ’74, and Lyssa B. Righi ’78 SHIRLEY DEWIS GORDON
Mother of Katharine Gordon Hilliard, John D. Gordon ’72, Thomas S. Gordon ’74, Sara Gordon Pylman ’76, Patricia Gordon Cooklin ’83, and Robert A. Gordon ’86; grandmother of Alexander Gordon ’19, Elsa Gordon ’21, and Mary Grace Gordon ’23 SHARON BUTTS HAYS
Wife of Alexander “Hi” Hays IV ’57 BETTY S. HETHERINGTON
Mother of Robert G. Hetherington ’56, Arthur F. Hetherington III ’58, and Edwin S. Hetherington ’67; grandmother of Ann Hetherington Deerin ’85, Elisabeth Hetherington-Heil ’88, and James Hetherington ’95 ELEANOR GARRISON OLIVER
• Companies can claim tax credit against:
- Corporate Net Income Tax
- Capital Stock and Franchise Tax
- Bank and Trust Company Shares Tax
- Title Insurance Companies Shares Tax
- Insurance Premiums Tax
- Mutual Thrift Institutions Tax
-
Personal Income Tax (subchapter S-corps and other pass-through entities can use the credit against shareholders’, members’ or partners’ personal PA income taxes).
Deadline for application for first-year participants is July 1; for second-year participants it is May 15. Applications are processed on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information visit www.sewickley.org/eitc or email advancement@sewickley.org.
Mother of Connie Oliver Swanson ’68, Margaretta Oliver Caesar ’69, and Charles Oliver ’72 NORMA ADAMS SPROULL
Mother of Edward I. Sproull III and Nancy Sproull Means ’72; grandmother of John K. Means ’00, Brandon Means ’03, and Mac Means ’09
Thank You to Our 1,268 Donors!
HELEN CLARK WALKER
Mother of Araminta Roberts Brown ’76 and Charles B. Roberts Jr.
We are grateful to all those who support Sewickley Academy and welcome you to view the 2011-2012 Annual Report, now available online at www.sewickley.org/annualreport. The password is ACADEMY.
232 463*-8 9 7 4378%+) 4-887&96+, 4% 4)61-8 23
315 Academy Avenue | Sewickley, PA 15143
Celebrate! 175th Anniversary Grand Finale Picnic Saturday, June 1, 12-3 PM Bring the whole family to campus for parent-child games, good food, carnival booths, and campus tours as we close out our year-long celebration! Stay tuned for more information!