From the Alumni Board President

Alumni News

from the alumni board president

Sandy Campbell ’76 at the Alumni Holiday Luncheon I am grateful for the opportunity to serve as your Alumni Association president — it is my privilege to lead the finest collection of alumni in the country. Graduates of St. Mark’s continue to make outstanding achievements professionally and personally, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to work with you to advance the mission of St. Mark’s and strengthen alumni connections across decades and across the nation.

The 2021-2022 school year has been a refreshing return to normal. Our School’s perseverance through the last three challenging years has proven to be invaluable — students remained on campus for the entirety of the school year, and all co-curricular and athletic programs resumed. Two in-person Alumni Weekends attest to this perseverance and gave many of us the chance to reconnect with old friends and teachers for the first time in a long while. The Alumni Leadership Speaker Series provided a platform for critical conversation around Civic Responsibility and the importance of character-driven leadership.

Time-honored traditions were also carried out true to their roots — seniors and Lower School buddies placed their Christmas ornaments on the Great Hall tree, writers and creators presented at the Literary Festival and STEM Conference and, of course, seniors walked across the Commencement stage on a beautiful May evening before a large and appreciative crowd. St. Mark’s choristers made their return to England over the summer, where they embraced cultural learning opportunities and performed in St. Edmundsbury Cathedral. We couldn’t be prouder of our School’s success, and we owe a great deal of gratitude to the faculty, staff, alumni and students for making the year so memorable.

In partnership with the Office of Development and Alumni Relations, the Alumni Board measures the success of our work by focusing on (1) Dallas and regionally based programming and involvement, (2) the expansion of our Marksmen Network, and (3) maintaining our commitment to the St. Mark’s Fund through alumni participation of more than 50 percent. Thanks to the wonderful success we’ve seen as a School and Alumni Association this year, we were able to achieve 54 percent alumni participation in the St. Mark’s Fund, surpassing our 50 percent goal for the 14th consecutive year. For the first time in School history, alumni collectively gave $2.9 million to the St. Mark’s Fund, setting a philanthropic record for alumni support.

The success of our alumni program is directly correlated to the School’s countless volunteers who consistently demonstrate a willingness to lead, inspire, and challenge. In addition to our trustees, regional club volunteers, class agents, reunion volunteers and college ambassadors, I would like to thank my fellow Alumni Board members for their extraordinary work on behalf of the School and extend special recognition to the 2021-2022 Executive Committee for their leadership: Jamie Rogers ’85 (Vice President), Jamie Helwig ’01 (Secretary), Robbie Baty ’02, Charles Branch ’10, Topher Broom ’87, B.A. Cullum ’99, David Estes ’89, Michael Flanagan ’90, Lowell Ku ’89, Collin Lensing ’01, Jon Myhre ’96 and Hill Perot ’05.

While we have much to be thankful for, we have even more to look forward to — together.

Warmly and with gratitude,

Sandy Campbell ’76 Alumni Association President

Dr. John Perryman moderates a discussion with Dr. David Vanderpool ’78 and Matt Osborne ’90 as part of the Alumni Leadership Speaker Series