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Alumni Notes
1950s
Ralph Danson ’59 takes great pride in being the first class under the Chapel Oak. He and his wife of 50 years, Carolyn, live in Greensboro, Georgia on Lake Oconee. He is the great uncle of Kristin Hodge Jackson ’00 and the great grand uncle of Lewis
Jackson ’32.
After teaching social studies for 40 years, including 4 years at St. Johns, Charles Keisling ’59 has now been retired for about 16 years. He is enjoying retirement and has two children in college at the University of North Florida and Florida State College at Jacksonville. For the past 5 years, he has enjoyed administering a Facebook group called “Historic Sites.” It started out just sharing photos and information about the places he had traveled to, but now it has become so much more than just that. Charles encourages the St. Johns community to check it out.
1960s
Elizabeth Towers ’69 was named the first executive director of Florida’s Colonial Dames. ▲ Members of the classes from ’68, ’69, and ’70 participated in a Zoom happy hour during the coronavirus pandemic. The members included Jan Ritch Bolena ’70,
Thornton Lurie ’69, Bobby Knight ’70, Helen Newton Hartung ’69, Mandy Graves Rough ’69, Barbara Fulghum Foster ’68,
1970s
Tia Apperson Bacheller ’77 has relocated from the chaos of central Florida to life on the Satilla River in Georgia.
1980s
▲ Jenny Rainey Edwards ’86 visited campus this past January to speak to the students about her new book, Bumping Down Highways. Michele Evans Sorrell ’88 is living in Pace, FL with her husband, Brent. She works as the Employee Relations Manager for CocaCola United. When she and her husband are not working, they enjoy spending time with their five children, five grandchildren, and four fur babies.
1990s
▲ Traci Peacock Livingston ’90, Beth Guswiler Johnson ’91, and Laura Fisher Proffitt ’92, cheered on the Girls Varsity Basketball team during their district championship game this winter.
▲ Lisa Wilson Allen ’93, was elected as a County Court Judge in the 13th Judicial Circuit in Hillsborough County, Florida in November of 2018. She took the bench in January of 2019. Lisa’s sister Allie Wilson ’17 and Katie Gibbs Schmidt ’93 traveled to Tampa for her investiture and Marc Peden ’93 was one of her campaign endorsers. She is currently presiding over dockets in the County Civil and Domestic Violence Divisions. If any St. Johns Alumni happen to visit the courthouse in Tampa, Lisa says to please come say “hello.”
Saumil Oza ’95, cardiac electrophysiologist and chief of cardiology at Ascension St. Vincent’s Riverside, was recognized for his work in a wireless pacemaker clinical trial which puts St. Vincents on the map as one
Michael Harrell ’70, Jim Simpson ’69, and
Rudy McKinley ’69.
of the leading heart centers in the country. ▲ Julie Walker ’95 welcomed her second child, Poppy, on January 27, 2020. Poppy’s sister, Vivanne, loves being a big sister!
Caterina Castruccio-Prince ’97 joined the Fitzhugh Mullan Institute for Health Workforce Equity at George Washington University as a research program manager working on a grant developing a behavioral health provider tool for Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
▲ Brad Jackson ’98 and Kristin Hodge Jackon ’00 welcomed their second child, Clara, on September 6, 2019. Their six-yearold, Lewis ’32, is very excited about being a big brother!
2000s
▲ Kyle Sawicki ’03 and his wife, Lindsay, welcomed their first child, Amelia Kate, on January 28, 2020. She was 7lbs 9 oz and 20.5 in long. Kyle is currently senior counsel at Rayonier Inc., a publicly traded timber company, and Lindsay is the chief investment officer of West Point Business Group. They currently live in San Marco. ▲ Haley Van Wagenen ’03 married Scott Kadlec, of Chicago, IL, on January 18, 2020. They met while working for the same architecture firm, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP. They were both assigned to a
project for the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, which gave them the opportunity to live in London and Geneva for a few years. Their wedding took place during a perfect weekend at The Cloister at Sea Island, GA. Several St. Johns alumni were in attendance. Hunter Van Wagenen, Haley’s brother and an ordained Anglican priest, performed the ceremony. Her sister, Hilary Van Wagenen ’98, was the matron of honor, and Teddi Longard Bair ’03 was a bridesmaid. Her parents Wick Van Wagenen ’72 and Helen West Van Wagenen ’71, her aunt Lynn Van Wagenen DeRosa ’72, her uncle Walt West ’69, Gayle Garrison ’94, and former teachers Sam and Erin Cox were in attendance. Scott and Haley now reside in Chicago. ▲ Jessica Palombo Gustafson ’04 stopped by to have lunch with the School’s journalism fellows, Julia Nichols ’21 and Sheila Hodges ’20. Jessica, the news director at WJCT, shared some of her own experiences throughout her journalism career and offered some advice to the students. Barron Martin ’05 is a senior associate with Boyd & Jenerette in Jacksonville. He is getting married this November in Cashiers, North Carolina. ▲ Caitlin Booth ’06 graduated from Duke University with her master of arts in Christian Practice. Due to the cancelation of Duke’s commencement ceremonies, she was hooded on June 7, 2020 by her pastor, Scott Smith at First United Methodist Church Ormond Beach.
Carter Weber ’07 and his wife, Katelyn, welcomed their second child, James Scott Weber, on March 2, 2020.
▲ Mitch Agee ’09 proposed to his girlfriend, Carly Hubert, on Christmas Eve in Stuttgart, Germany.
2010s
▲ Rachel Brown ’10 graduated from Harvard Business School in May 2020. She was a recipient of the Dean’s Award for distinguished service to the school.
Kori McKenzie ’10 was named the 2020 Young Engineer of the Year by the Dallas chapter of the Texas Society of Professional
Engineers.
▲ Emily Wood Meagher ’10 and her husband Kyle welcomed their son, William “Hudson” Meagher on February 26, 2020. Hudson’s big sister, Caylin ’30, loves being a big sister.
Patrick Kmieciak ’11 has been accepted into the PhD program in accounting at the University of Florida. He will begin taking classes this fall.
▲ Cali Slaughter Burkett ’12 married Joshua Burkett on January 18, 2020 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church on Fleming Island and a reception followed at the Club Continental. Mother of the bride, Jan Slaughter, brother of the bride, Cody
Slaughter ’06, Tori Slaughter Todd ’01,
Christie Slaughter ’05, and Ali MacDonald ’12 were all a part of the big day. ▲ Austin Franklin ’12 took time out from his Wake, Rise, and Smile book tour to visit with St. Johns’ Middle School students. Each student received a signed copy of his book. ▲ Sarah Hartley ’12 graduated from the Florida State University College of Medicine in May. She will begin her career in June as an OB/GYN resident at Saint Joseph Hospital in Denver, Colorado.
Corina Mercado ’12 graduated with honors from the University of Oklahoma with a masters degree in global terrorism and is currently pursuing a career in the federal government.
Andres Carrasquillo ’13 is engaged to Gabby Gleichman.
▲ Lexi Frasier ’13 and Jacob Dautel ’13 got married at Epping Forest on December 21, 2019. Lauren Sado ’13, Natalie Shaykh ’13,
Spring Dautel McManus ’96, Dylan Dautel
’13 and Greg Murray ’13 were all a part of the wedding party. ▲ Tiffany Felts ’13 married Nicholas Huff on December 8, 2019 at the Clay Theatre. Monica Ilaria ’13 was the maid of honor and Christine Grimming ’13 was a bridesmaid. ▲ Brooke Lucas ’13 graduated with her doctorate of physical therapy this spring from the University of Florida.
▲ Lindsay Marshall ’13 has been working with the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in Miami and this summer will move to New York to attend NYU College of Dentistry.
Madison Powers ’13 graduated with her master’s in business administration in luxury brand management from the La Rochelle Business School Excelia Group in LaRochelle, France.
Sabrina Tomlinson ’13 graduated from
Georgetown Law School this past spring. ▲ Garrett Hays ’14 married Brooke Sawyer on July 4, 2020.
Merrick Isley ’14, 2nd Lt USAF, received his Air Force Pilot Wings on April 10, 2020. Merrick was selected to fly the F-35 Lightning II. He received three awards during the winging ceremony — Distinguish Graduate, Academic Award, and Order of Daedalians AETC Commander’s Trophy. Merrick will train on the F-35 at Luke AFB in Phoenix, AZ.
Emily Merritt ’14 moved to Dallas, TX and has accepted a federal judicial clerkship with the Honorable Brantly Starr of the Northern District of Texas.
Kendall Perkins ’14 graduated in May from the University of Michigan with a master of science in biological chemistry. She is pursuing a PhD at the University of Michigan through the Program in Biomedical Sciences.
▲ Courtney Powers ’15 graduated from the University of South Florida with her masters in business administration. Kirby Powers ’15 graduated from the University of South Florida with her masters in business administration. Phillip Powers ’15 graduated from the University of South Florida with his bachelors in communication and a minor in entrepreneurship. ▲ Lauren Remolde ’15 has been selected to attend Ross University Veterinary School in St. Kitts. The accelerated program began in May and Lauren will travel to St. Kitts once it is safe. Her final clinical will be conducted in the emergency equine unit. ▲ Brooke Arnett ’16 finished nursing school during the worldwide pandemic and quarantine and graduated with her bachelors of science degree in nursing from Jacksonville University’s Keigwin School of Nursing. She will be joining the frontlines this July at Ascension St. Vincent’s as a registered nurse.
Catherine Randall ’16 graduated from the University of Mississippi with a bachelor of science in integrated marketing and communications and a minor in business administration. She is planning on pursing an MBA, also from Ole Miss, in the fall of 2020.
Serena Shah ’16 graduated with honors from the University of Miami with a bachelors of science in neuroscience and minors in chemistry and public health. She is currently finishing research projects with the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in the Philip Frost Department of Dermatology and Subcutaneous Surgery. She plans to attend medical school at the University of Miami this fall. ▲ Libby Coen ’17, a Garnet and Gold scholar, graduated Summa Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in communication science & disorders from Florida State University in May. She will begin the master’s program in Speech Language Pathology at Rush University in Chicago this fall. ▲ Lauren Hodges ’17 graduated from Liberty University this past spring with her
bachelor’s degree in studio and digital arts and a concentration in graphic design.
▲ Thomas Maierhoffer ’17, shown with Lauren Hodges above, graduated from Liberty University this past spring with his bachelor degree in business administration and a minor in finance. He will leave in August for Naval Officer Candidate School.
Yasmin Mercado ’17 is a junior at Virginia Commonwealth University studying communication art. She was chosen by her professors to be interviewed for her artwork, and her interview and artwork will be featured on the school’s website this fall as one of their outstanding art majors.
Molly Urnek ’17 is studying fashion design and magazine editing and publishing at Florence University of the Arts in Italy.
Lea Shah ’18 is currently a sophomore at the University of Miami majoring in neuroscience. She is currently the vice president of philanthropy for the Gamma Alpha chapter of Zeta Tau Alpha and she also serves as the head of sponsorship for a large Indian dance competition, 305 Tran
Taali.
▲ Matthew Drake ’19 was selected as a finalist for the “Excellence in Visual Arts Exhibition Award -Undergraduate” at Florida State University. You can check out his artwork on display in the Honors, Scholars, and Fellows House on the
university’s campus.
Alumni Gatherings
This past January, the seniors traveled to Washington, DC, for their senior trip. While they were there, they had the opportunity to have dinner with alumni who live in the DC area. The dinner guests included Parker Robbins ’20, Jackson Powers ’20, Philip
Robbins ’08, Catarina Castruccio-Prince ’97, Sahaj Patel ’20, Sheila Hodges ’20,
Gayle Simpson Garrison ’94, Les Alderman ’91, Blair Burke ’10, Josh Soffler ’20 and Jim Townsend ’75. We can’t wait to continue this new tradition next year!
Gift Illuminates Campus Thanks to an anonymous gift in honor of St. Johns’ LGBTQ+ community, beautiful uplighting was installed last fall at the base of the Chapel Oak, lighting the way for years to come. St. Johns is truly grateful for the dedicated support of so many parents, alumni, parents of alumni, and friends of St. Johns. With your help, we are able to provide the many extras that make a St. Johns education—and the St. Johns Experience—truly the best on the First Coast. Thank you!
In Memoriam
Helen Brown
Adams was born on November 15, 1919 and passed away on April 18, 2020. She was 100 years-old. When Dr. and Mrs. Heinrich came to Orange Park in April of 1953 to explore the idea of a new college preparatory school, Mrs. Adams shared their enthusiasm and quickly arranged a reception for them on Saturday, April 4, at Mara Rio, now the main building of Club Continental.
Robert G Fulton II ’72 passed away on April 2, 2020. He is survived by his younger brother Chris Fulton ’75, his wife Laura, and three daughters, Emily, Melissa, and Shelby.
Reverend Robert M.G. Libby passed away on February 26, 2020. He served as chaplain at St. Johns in the early ’80s and taught world religions.
Raymond Knight Mason passed away on January 2, 2020 at the age of 92. He was the first President of the St. Johns Country Day School Board of Trustees in 1953. He and his wife Minerva were early supporters of the School and provided early financial support.
Bobby Stroud, father of Joseph Steven
Stroud ’84
We love to hear your news! Alumni, please send your updates to Director of Alumni Relations Jean Marie Maierhoffer Petty ’13 at jpetty@sjcds.net.
Published by
St. Johns Country Day School Mail: 3100 Doctors Lake Drive Orange Park, FL 32073-6997 Phone: (904) 264-9572 Email: info@sjcds.net Web: sjcds.net
Head of School
Valorie Baker vbaker@sjcds.net
Head of Administrative Affairs
Tanya Powers tpowers@sjcds.net
Director of Alumni Relations
Jean Marie Maierhoffer Petty ’13 jpetty@sjcds.net
Director of Communications
Regan Minners rminners@sjcds.net
Director of Development
Jordan Robbins Rechcigl ’10 jrechcigl@sjcds.net
Thank you to the 2019-2020 Board of Trustees
Officers:
Rick Gregson, President Richard C. M. Wilson, Treasurer/Vice-President Angela DeMonbreun, Secretary
Members:
James W. Branch Steven W. Conner Nicholas K. Courtney ’03 Brad Crews Margaret Rood Gibbs Daniel W. Hodges Dr. Carissa J. Kostecki John Maierhoffer Robin McMullen Eugene B. Nichols Pamela Petty Craig Phillips Daniel Towers Allan E. Wulbern
Trustee Emeritus:
Dr. Steven B. Kailes Dr. Arjav Ted Shah Sharon J. Suggs
Headmaster Emeritus:
Stephen F. Russey
Ex Officio:
Mary Virginia Fisher Acting Head of School
Save the Date!
Contact Director of Alumni Relations Jean Marie Petty at jpetty@sjcds.net to add or correct your mailing address, or for more information on these upcoming events: ◆ September 14, 2020: Founders Day ◆ October 23, 2020: Homecoming Tailgate & Game ◆ December 20, 2020: Alumni Social
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Seniors Christian Sabbagh, Marshall Bustamante, and Emily Serrano get their hands dirty in a March marine science and AP Biology trip to the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Station.
