Stevenson Alumni Magazine Spring/Summer 2012 by Stevenson School

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A l u m n i Ma g a z i n e

Homecoming October 5 – 7, 2012

Things may have changed, but Stevenson spirit is forever! Come back to Stevenson for a weekend of fun activities, athletic competitions, festive gatherings, and more. Alumni and the entire Stevenson community are invited to participate in this event. For more information, please visit www.stevensonschool.org/homecoming.

Run in the Forest October 6, 2012

The 16th Annual Stevenson Run in the Forest celebrates the start of the Stevenson school year. Choose from a 5k run/walk or 10k run. The race concludes with awards and a celebratory breakfast buffet in Reid Hall. For more information, please visit www.stevensonschool.org/run.

Call your fellow teammates and save the date! Men and women alumni lacrosse and basketball players are invited back to Stevenson for the annual Alumni Games on the Pebble Beach Campus. For more information, contact alumni@stevensonschool.org.

Holiday Receptions December 2012

Celebrate the season with fellow alumni at the annual Stevenson Holiday Receptions held in Los Angeles, New York, Pebble Beach, Sacramento, and San Francisco. The Pebble Beach reception is scheduled for Saturday, December 22, 2012. Dates and locations for other receptions will be announced soon. For more information, contact alumni@stevensonschool.org.

Reunion Weekend 2013 June 7 – 9

Classes ending in “3” and “8” — it’s not too soon to mark your calendars and start planning for your next reunion! For more information or to get involved in helping, send an email to alumni@stevensonschool.org.

Pebble Beach Campus, 3152 Forest Lake Road, Pebble Beach, California 93953 Carmel Campus, 24800 Dolores Street, Carmel, California 93923

tel (831) 625-8300

tel (831) 626-5200

www.stevensonschool.org

SS-296 SS Alumni Mag SprSmr 2012 Cover_Final.indd 1

fax (831) 625-5208

fax (831) 624-9044

info@stevensonschool.org

spring/summer 2012

Classes ending in “2” and “7,” rekindle that Pirate spirit and return to Stevenson. Reunion weekend is a great opportunity to return to Pebble Beach to visit with classmates, friends, family, and reconnect with Stevenson! Also, help your class bring home the hardware in the 3rd Annual Alumni Reunion Challenge. For more information, contact Frank Stephenson at fstephenson@stevensonschool.org.

Alumni Games December 22, 2012

alumni magazine

Reunion Weekend 2012 June 8 – 10

Stevenson sc ho ol

EVENTS Calendar

Stevenson Stories

A Frank Discussion on the Last 50 Years

Alumni Spotlight On

Vincent Ma ’83 Elliott Easterling ’89 Brian Bajari ’90 Amanda Wixted ’00 Peter Douglas ’60:

A Life of Inspiration, Service & Gratitude

infopk-8@stevensonschool.org Spring/summer 2012

Susan Slusser ’83 is

Making Her Mark in the Major Leagues 5/9/12 4:58 PM

Come back to

Do you ever wonder what our students will miss out on if you skip your annual gift? Ryu ’12 Jazz standards sheet music. . . . . . . . . . . . . . $13 AP Art supplies per term. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $100 Ryu’s food for Wilderness Expedition. . . . . $59

Homecoming Weekend

JJ ’13

October 5–7, 2012

Beakers and goggles for chem lab. . . . . . . . . . $23 Water polo ball. . . . $50

A weekend for alumni and the entire Stevenson community to visit and catch up with the school and with one another. Join us for athletic competitions, relaxed social gatherings, the Run in the Forest, food, festivities, and more.

Package of 50 exam blue books . . . $31

Kirsi ’12 Mowing Wilson Field on game day. . . . $25 Referee for home basketball game. . . . $121 Operating costs for one day of KSPB . . . . $83

For a complete schedule of events, please visit www.stevensonschool.org/homecoming

Your gift of $25, $50, or $100 makes a difference to Kirsi, Ryu, and JJ. Help keep the chem lab stocked; paint in the art studio; balls in

, Things may have changed ver. but Stevenson spirit is fore SS-296 SS Alumni Mag SprSmr 2012 Cover_Final.indd 2

the pool and the gym; and buses going to the state parks. Bring these pieces together and support our students. Make your gift to the Stevenson Fund today.

GIVE NOW at www.stevensonschool.org/giving or call (831) 625-8354 5/7/12 11:34 AM

A LUM N I M AGAZI N E

Peter Douglas ’60 at the Coastal Commission office in 1981.

F E AT U R E S 32 Peter Douglas ’60 on Following Your Bliss

38 Susan Slusser ’83 is in a League of Her Own

Peter Douglas ’60 dedicated his life to preserving the California coastline. He was instrumental in creating the California Coastal Commission, where he served for 26 years. A man of principle who believed he “spoke truth to power,” Douglas inspired others to follow their bliss and to never give up a fight.

Cover photo: Susan Slusser’83 sits in the press box at the Oakland Coliseum in April 2012. The Oakland A’s are about to take the field against the San Francisco Giants. Photo by Paul Schraub.

For the past 13 years, Susan Slusser ’83 has been the go-to source for any and all news about the Oakland A’s. This year, Slusser’s authority will expand beyond the baseball field. She was recently elected vice president of the Baseball Writers Association of America, and this October she will become the first woman president of this century-old organization.

2012 ALUMNI MAGAZINE

DEPARTMENTS

3 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

MAIL & CONTRIBUTORS

STEVENSON STORIES

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

29 © Steve Townsend / www.zzzone.co.uk

Alumni shine with their exceptional personal achievements in tech, media, education, and philanthropy.

13 CAMPUS NEWS

Carmel Campus becomes an Ocean Guardian School and has a Medieval Feast, while the Pebble Beach Campus installs “The Rocket,” and learns how to shape a “Gameful Life.”

18 SPORTS WRAP

Pirates are victorious against rivals Carmel High and Catalina, girls tennis takes first in the MTALs, Robbie Farrens ’15 proves he’s one of the top-ranking road bike cyclists in the U.S.A., and six seniors will play for Division 1 colleges.

20 FACULTY NEWS

Teachers dive deep into Monterey Bay, MaryAnn Wilkinson teaches in the garden, Greg Foster returns to the Pebble Beach Campus, and Michele Grogan takes the next step in her education career.

22 EVENTS

Holiday Receptions, Alumni Games, and East Coast gatherings bring the Stevenson family together.

27 THE PIRATE REVIEW

Stevenson alumni pursue a wide range of creative ventures that showcase their varied talents.

44 ALUMNI AT LARGE

Get the latest scoop on fellow alumni.

60 VIEW FROM THE BACK PORCH

Frank Stephenson offers insight on how we learn more from failure than success.

25 GO PIRATES! The New Pirate Revealed

STEVENSON SCHOOL

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Last month I met an alumnus who had returned to Stevenson for the first time in several years. As we toured the campus, he remarked that the buildings looked markedly different, and even though he was impressed, he said, “The place has really changed.” We discussed Stevenson’s up-andcoming facilities projects, including the nearly completed Barrows Hall, and the impending departure of some valued Stevenson personnel. Frank Keith is retiring at the close of this, his 50th year at Stevenson; Michele Grogan is leaving to become head of school at Burke’s in San Francisco after 21 years as teacher and head of Stevenson’s Pebble Beach Campus; and Director of Alumni Relations Frank Stephenson retires following 14 memorable years linking alumni with their school. After talking with Patricia Dick, our evening receptionist, and two students studying in Douglas Hall, among others, the visiting alumnus admitted that, rapid change or not, Stevenson/RLS/Robert Louis Stevenson still felt like the school he remembered. Alumni often ask if Stevenson has changed, if it is still “their school.” The answer is, of course, yes and yes. The world around Pebble Beach has changed and we had to keep up, and often lead. When Mr. Ricklefs assembled the 18 boys around the fireplace on that first day in 1952 to discuss their plans for the morrow and their hopes for the future, he promised, “We are all starting out on a great adventure in learning.” Webster’s defines adventure as “an exciting or remarkable experience involving unknown risks.”

Great adventures imply a level of change and a certain amount of daring. A quick review of Stevenson history illustrates that, in fact, dramatic changes have occurred at our little school in the forest from the very beginning. In the first five years, we grew from 18 to 108 boys, with 65 percent of them living on campus. From 1957 to 1972, 11 buildings were constructed, including Talbott Hall, Lindsley Science Center, SFB Morse Arts Center, Keck Auditorium, Reid Dining Hall, and Ricklefs Library. By 1972, we had grown to 292 boys, 59 percent resident. And in 1976, 41 day girls enrolled, leading to a transformation that by 1982 saw day students outnumber boarders by 2 to 1. Resident girls arrived in 1987, swinging the balance once again, and in 1988 we added the Carmel Campus which now enrolls students Pre-Kindergarten – 8th grade. Another building era also began in 1987, and by 2003, five new dormitories and the Rosen Family Student Center had been added, and the school enrolled 525 students, evening the ratio between boarding and day students. Change has been our ally and has kept us in a position to “do our best.” Stevenson’s

Great Adventure in learning continues today. New buildings will emerge, others will be renovated. Academic programs will continue to evolve, veteran faculty will retire, and new stars will take their place. But all students will continue to undertake their own personal adventures when they join this exciting community. That adventure remains the constant for our students and alumni. So keep in touch. We want to hear your Stevenson stories and add them to the lore that marks our shared journey through this great adventure. Come to Homecoming; plan your class reunion; attend a Holiday Reception; drop us a line; or say “yes” when we ask to visit. Stevenson is still, and will remain, your school. Go Pirates! Jeff Clark Director of Advancement & Editor

NEW ALUMNI LEADERSHIP After an intensive interview process that included many outstanding and qualified alumni applicants, Mia Bambace Peterson ’89 has been hired as the new director of alumni relations, and will replace Frank Stephenson at the end of the school year. Mia and her husband Mark ’89 live in Carmel Valley with their two children Isabel ’20 and Jake ’23, who attend the Stevenson Carmel Campus. Mia is currently working closely with Frank to facilitate the transition.

2012 ALUMNI MAGAZINE

MAIL

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Have an opinion about the Stevenson Alumni Magazine? Any thoughts on a past story or an idea to share? We want to hear about it! Please email your feedback, opinions, and letters to alumni@stevensonschool.org and we’ll feature it in the next issue.

Fall/Winter 2011 Stevenson Alumni Magazine

ALUMNI SURVEY RESULTS Thank you to the nearly 300 alumni, current and past parents, faculty, and staff who took the time to complete the Alumni Magazine survey earlier this year. Overall, the Stevenson community enjoys the magazine, and 94 percent of respondents told us it helps them feel more connected to the school. We are working to fine-tune the content to focus on areas where you indicated the most interest.

More than 80 percent of respondents ranked the “Alumni at Large” section as “Important” — the highest ranking of all the sections. So keep your updates coming — your friends and classmates want to hear from you! And congratulations to Elliott “Sandy” Roberts ’63, Katy King ’79, Sue Crampton (mother of Seb Crampton ’14), Rob Thompson ’91, and Madeline Tamagni ’05. Their names were drawn at random as the lucky winners of a Stevenson sweatshirt!

FACT FIXES The following donors were mistakenly omitted in the 2011 report of contributors: Mr. & Mrs. Ken Celli Mrs. Deborah Etienne Mr. Dirk Etienne Mr. Glen Leedy Ms. Julia Leedy Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth Treadwell We thank you for your generous support of Stevenson. Two members of the first class of girls at Stevenson were not listed in the article “First Girls of Stevenson” in the Fall/Winter 2011 issue. Penni HunterMignano ’78 and Katy King ’79 were part of that outstanding group of pioneering women, and we deeply regret this oversight.

C ON T R I BU TOR S 1 PAUL SCHRAUB is a professional photographer based in the Monterey Bay area. With more than 25 years of shooting, he specializes in a wide range of photography, including architecture, portraits, promotion, lifestyle, food, products, and even dogs. 2 ANN KILLION is an award-winning sports journalist based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is a contributing writer for Sports Illustrated and Comcast Sports Net and is the co-author of two books, including the soon-to-be-released Solo: A Memoir of Hope. 3 JANET

KORNBLUM is an award-winning, nationally-known journalist with an investigative background.

At USA Today, she covered a wide-range of topics ranging from social networking to caregiving, green issues, health, science, and breaking news. Janet is now a full-time independent journalist, writer and investigator. 4 TEAM STEVENSON is a group of faculty, staff, and students who contribute to the magazine through their writing and photography. These include: Warren Anderson, assistant director of communications; Connor Loken ’13; Topher Mueller, coordinator of technology for the Carmel Campus; Elena Rhodes Sexton ’89, director of communications; Frank Stephenson, director of alumni relations; and Cole Thompson, fine arts faculty.

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STEVENSON STORIES

A FRANK DISCUSSION Director of Alumni Relations Frank Stephenson recently sat down with 50-year Stevenson veteran Frank Keith to talk about the school, its history, and its future. Both Frank and Frank retire this year, after a combined 64 years at Stevenson. FRANK S: Many of us want to know, what has kept you here for 50 years? FRANK K: The fact that Stevenson is a dynamic community, constantly changing, constantly moving forward. Each spring, students graduate and each fall new students arrive. Each year has its own particular magic. So I had 50 separate years of new experiences at Stevenson rather than just a repetition of the same thing over and over again. FRANK S: Students and teachers come and go, and leave their mark. Have there been constants? FRANK K: Yes. I came to Stevenson as assistant head and academic dean under Mr. Bob Ricklefs. The total student body then, in grades 7 through 12, totaled 193 boys; and 140 of them lived on the campus. It was a country-type school in terms of small classes, dedicated teachers, opportunities beyond the classroom which included sports, hiking, camping, ski trips, all the things families offer their children, and more. One of my first impressions was the dedication of the teachers; their real love of teaching that inspired the students to really do their best. These are all constants in my mind. FRANK S: Stevenson alumni have vivid memories of their teachers, and one example is the reference to Bob Aughtry

by John Simpson ’65 in the recent Alumni Magazine. FRANK K: Bob was the epitome of the talented and dedicated teacher. He introduced an advanced biology course for the seniors that was well received and became a benchmark for other teachers. So within a short time, we had advanced placement (AP) courses in all major disciplines. And this had the reciprocal effect of raising performance levels in all courses below them, so our students would be ready for these AP courses when the time came. FRANK S: Values are important in life to individuals and institutions. What was Stevenson saying about this subject then and now? FRANK K: Well, from the outset the school reflected values that were well defined by Bob Ricklefs. This included the highest moral and spiritual values, excellence in scholarship, and the development of leadership. These were core values in the 60s and I think remain core values today. FRANK S: Every young school has challenges. What were Stevenson’s challenges in your early years here?

FRANK K: Well, when Barbara and I arrived we saw great opportunities for ourselves and our family. At the same time, it immediately became obvious that the physical facilities did not fit the quality of the program. So one challenge was financial, to keep the school alive; and another was to create a cadre of people that loved the school, just as we loved the school, and were willing to help build it. FRANK S: Was being able to move the entire academic program from the north campus to the brand new five-building academic quadrangle on the south campus in the late 60s and early 70s a phenomenal achievement? FRANK K: It was indeed. It unified the campus, increased the firepower of academic life, and gave all of us a renewed sense of pride in what we were doing. FRANK S: You’ve always been interested in the quality of teaching. What kind of teachers has Stevenson attracted over the years? FRANK K: Well, Stevenson always attracted well-trained, versatile, really wonderful teachers. And because of their personal background and professional 2012 ALUMNI MAGAZINE

Frank Keith (left) and Frank Stephenson (right) retire this year, after a combined 64 years at Stevenson.

ambitions, in the early years Stevenson became a teacher training school. And after giving everything they had to the school for a few years they would move to other schools or to graduate school, or to some other profession. Fred Roth is an example of this except that after teaching here from 1963 to 1965 and going on to earn his PhD and teach at other schools, he returned to us in 1991 as head of our English Department until his retirement in 2007; and raised the standards for all of us. FRANK S: In conversations with Mark Stross ’80 and Josh Soske ’77, it seems that their access to technology here played a significant role in their lives. Tell us about your approach to introducing new ideas to students. FRANK K: Well, when I was the academic dean I always attempted to be sensitive to the interests and needs of the students, and try to provide opportunities for talented teachers to be innovative within their classroom environments; and sometimes this resulted in a group of kids becoming interested in new things, in this case aspects of technology, 6

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especially the beginning of the use of computers. Very early on we used a Monroe calculator almost as a computer and then moved on to the very early Commodore and then Radio Shack computers. And this goes back to the quality and enthusiasm of our teachers. FRANK S: You’ve been associated with Stevenson for 50 of its 60 years. How would you like to be remembered? FRANK K: Well, my greatest interest has always been students. So whether it was encouraging teachers to implement new ideas, especially in the fine arts, and helping create an environment where they could flourish, or helping to develop a strong summer program which I ran for 11 years, or creating a solid college counseling program for over 25 years, I would like to think of myself as a catalyst for bigger and better things to come. The challenges were everywhere; the satisfaction of having a hand in solving some of them is great. FRANK S: Well then, what about Stevenson’s future?

FRANK K: Well, obviously, I trust and hope that the school retains its core moral and spiritual values, and its quest for excellence in scholarship and leadership. I also hope it will keep encouraging experiential learning through opportunities like KSPB, service learning, and internships; things that allow students to integrate theory and practice in a learning environment, to try out their talents in a larger world. FRANK S: Are there moments of special pride for you in your relationship with Stevenson? FRANK K: Within the sweep of 50 years, I think I was proud of the school all the time. I was approached from time to time to consider something else, but I could always see the next challenge, the next thing to be done, the next excitement, the next adventure here, and this led me to stay at Stevenson. If the moment had ever come when I wasn’t proud of Stevenson, I would have left. FRANK S: Thank you very much, Frank. It has been an honor and pleasure to work with you at this special place.

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Get the inside scoop on alumni who shine with their exceptional personal achievements in tech, media, education, and philanthropy.

THE GAMES WE PLAY AMANDA WIXTED ’00 Called “the Jay-Z of the tech world” by The Huffington Post and listed as one of the “ten lady innovators Best Buy could’ve put in its Super Bowl ad,” Amanda Wixted ’00 has made a name for herself as one of the world’s top game developers. Every iPhone game she’s worked on has earned

a spot on Apple’s list of the top 10 free apps in the App Store. Formerly the tech lead on Zynga’s iPhone team and the company’s first mobile engineer, Amanda helped develop iPhone apps for hit games like FarmVille, Live Poker, Mafia Wars, and Scramble.

She also worked at Namco Networks, where she created Pac-Man and Ms. PacMan for the launch of the iPhone App Store. Amanda wasn’t always a “techie” and she found her way into this career almost (continued next page...)

2012 ALUMNI MAGAZINE

A L U M N I SPOTLIGHT accidentally. After Stevenson, Amanda went to Tulane University, where she had chosen to major in creative writing and dance. While taking a calculus class, she met students through her study group who were computer science majors. They showed her what they were working on, and the next semester she enrolled in a class. She was “totally hooked.” Amanda transferred to the University of Arizona for its computer science program and landed a job right out of school with Octopi, a mobile game development company. “I was really lucky to get a job as a game developer right out of school. I was at the right place at the right time,” Amanda says about her Octopi stint, where she developed 10 games for Nokia phones. In 2008, she joined Zynga “before anyone had even heard of them” as the first

developer hired for its mobile gaming program. She was the only female on a team of 14 programmers. When online magazine TechFemme asked what it was like to lead an all-male team, she said,

“I think computer science will soon be as critical to curriculum as science and math. And if I can help make it fun, all the better.” “I don’t know any different, so it’s hard to say. But I think individual personality differences outweigh the gender differences.”

And in May 2011, she started her own company, Hyperspace, developing a mobile, location-based game called Turf Geography Club, which Amanda describes as “a cross between FourSquare and Monopoly.” Amanda says, “The key element of a successful app is its social virality, which comes from building features that encourage users to share relevant, engaging information about

STEVENSON SCHOOL

their activities on the app with their online social circles.” Amanda loves the technical challenges of her job and creating “cool products that I know people will enjoy.” She relishes the hours at the computer developing code and problem solving. And some of this tenacity and patience she attributes to her experience on the Sophomore Wilderness Expedition at Stevenson. “There were extremely hard moments when you’re cold and hungry, and you don’t think you can make it another step. Then someone tells you you can, and then you do. Expo taught me you can do the things you didn’t think you could do.” And there’s not much Amanda doesn’t think she can do. She’s currently consulting for other gaming companies while she figures out her next big challenge. She says, “I’m interested in creating games to help kids learn about computer science. I think computer science will soon be as critical to curriculum as science and math. And if I can help make it fun, all the better.”

MAKING A MARK IN THE WORLD OF MOBILE APPS: Turf World (left) was developed while Amanda worked at Hyperspace, and while at Namco Networks, she created Pac-Man (right) for the launch of the iPhone App Store.

THE POWER OF SOCKS

BRIAN BAJARI ’90

Since graduating from Dartmouth in 1995, Brian Bajari ’90 has led a life dedicated to pursuing his spiritual beliefs and helping others. He has been a youth leader, a crisis counselor, a marriage minister, and a pastor. In the years that he ministered with various congregations, a nagging question began to haunt Brian. He noticed that even in the warmest, most compassionate spiritual communities, there remained a socio-economic segregation. Where were the poor, the disenfranchised, and the homeless? Where was their church? Brian set out to learn more about how he could help the less fortunate in Monterey County, California. He began by asking questions, “I was talking with a paramedic friend, who has had experience in responding and treating the homeless, and asked him what a small group of friends and I could do to help.” The answer was simple — but not what he expected, “My friend told me they needed clean, warm socks — socks are like gold to a homeless man or woman.” So Brian and some of his friends coordinated a “Sock Hop” at a local pub, with the cover charge being a new pair of socks. In one night they collected more than $300 and 200 pairs of socks. That Saturday, he and a few friends went to a food distribution site near the coast, where the homeless gathered once a week, and he handed out the socks. Word spread, more volunteers wanted to help,

and eventually Brian and three of his friends created Pass the Word, a nonprofit dedicated to bringing resources, support, advocacy, and mentoring to the disenfranchised in Monterey County.

“We try to help each person figure out one or two small choices they can make that can positively change their lives.” Now, every Saturday more than 20 volunteers from all different faith communities come together to help hand out clothing, socks, and necessities to more than 75 people in need. They also have given out more than 85 mountain bikes. “We get to know each person’s history and personal story — we hear how they arrived at this point in their living,” says Brian, who offers spiritual counseling and practical guidance. “We try to help each person figure out one or two small choices they can make that can positively change their lives. Those small choices can lead to bigger, longer-lasting changes.” “We’ve helped get more than two dozen people off the streets and into stable living environments. I don’t know if that’s a lot or a little, but its 24 men and women whose lives are better because a small group of people decided to come together, embody a positive message, and give out some free socks.”

Brian Bajari ’90 lends an ear and offers advice to the many disenfranchised who attend the Saturday morning food and clothing distribution.

Brian lives in Carmel with his wife Suzie and their four children: Mykaela, Palmer, Norah, and Jaden. He continues to offer spiritual counseling and marriage services for people of all denominations throughout the Monterey area, and occasionally travels to East Africa with Care Corps Intl., a crisis and trauma counseling NGO for former child-soldiers and communities impacted by war and natural disaster. You can email Brian at bbajari@gmail.com to learn more about his efforts. 2012 ALUMNI MAGAZINE

A L U M N I SPOTLIGHT

DIGITAL SAVANT

ELLIOTT EASTERLING ’89 Artist, photographer, humanist, 10-time Burning Man attendee, world traveler, and digital savant, Elliott Easterling ’89, CEO and founder of Red Bricks Media, is one of the last people you’d describe as a “corporate suit.” Yet his drive, innovation, and business savvy have helped build one of the most highly respected digital marketing agencies, with offices in San Francisco, New York, and Hong Kong, and land powerhouse clients including Warner Brothers, Sony, and Hitachi.

the Caribbean. Upon his return to San Francisco, he invested in an art gallery and café, bringing together his passion for art and business.

His path to this point has not been linear, nor has it been traditional.

“The digital marketing world is changing daily as the need to capture and analyze the enormous amount of consumer data available grows. You have to evolve or die.”

After completing his B.A. from Amherst College, Elliott spent six months exploring Central America by Subaru, taking some time to think about what he wanted to do next. He returned to San Francisco, taking a job with a nonprofit and eventually the Environmental Protection Agency, but was soon frustrated and disenchanted by the bureaucracy and inefficiency. He obtained his first copy of Adobe Photoshop from his brother, a self-taught programmer. His interest in the digital realm blossomed, and he was soon pursuing a graduate degree in international affairs from UC San Diego with a focus on technology management. Simultaneously, he developed his first website and business called pimpin.com, focused on selling surf, skate, and snowboard VHS tapes. To clear his head and gain a new perspective, he took eight months off to travel the world, visiting Asia, Europe, and 10

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And finally, in 2003, he met a friend at his gallery who was working on search engine optimization (SEO), which is the process of improving the visibility of a website or a web page in search engines via search results. Elliott saw

an opportunity to market this business, created a PowerPoint presentation, and shopped the idea around. Businesses were interested in the concept and, naturally, liked the idea of increasing their searchability on the web. Shortly after, Red Bricks Media was born. Starting with just three people in a kitchen, today RBM is a leading digital marketing agency that helps large organizations develop integrated datadriven digital programs. Its services include SEO, search engine marketing (SEM), social marketing, analytics, and creative, media, and web development.

Elliott says his career requires a unique combination of right-brain and leftbrain skills, which he attributes to his Stevenson education, where he was able to be an artist, an athlete, and a scientist. These same skills and passions keep Elliott on the top of his game, always looking for the next opportunity. “The digital marketing world is changing daily as the need to capture and analyze the enormous amount of consumer data available grows,” Elliott says. “You have to evolve or die.” When not traveling, Elliott splits his time between San Francisco and New York. You can follow Elliott on Twitter at @E_Easterling or learn more about Red Bricks Media at www.redbricksmedia.com.

Vincent Ma ’83 stands with West Kowloon sprawling out behind him, including the International Commerce Centre, the world’s fifth tallest building (left); and Vincent passes out toys during a community fun fair (above).

PAYING IT FORWARD

VINCENT MA ’83

Vincent Ma ’83 didn’t expect to run a school. After graduating from Stevenson in 1983, he went to UCLA for a BA in economics and to Columbia for an MBA in finance, spent a couple of years on Wall Street, and eventually returned home to Hong Kong to join the family business, Soma International Ltd., a toy manufacturer. There he began to appreciate the education he had been given and the importance of “paying back” by supporting schools he had attended, and “paying forward” by getting involved in education as a volunteer. For the past 20 years, he’s been the face of Stevenson School in Hong Kong, organizing activities for alumni, working with prospective students and families, and being a generous, thoughtful host to visitors from Stevenson.

But events have a way of shaping our destiny. With marriage and family, and the opportunity in 2008 to succeed his late mother-in-law as volunteer supervisor of 40-year-old Chan’s Creative School (Hong Kong Island), a primary

Vincent’s challenge became clear: to create a new business model and lead the school to sustainability. school founded by his late father-in-law providing free education to children of the North Point community in grades 1 – 6, Vincent became formally involved in education. It seemed straightforward enough, like managing a business, but in less

than a year of Vincent’s tenure, the Hong Kong Government Education Bureau threatened to terminate the school due to substantially dwindling enrollment caused in part by the change in the physical and social mobility of the area. The school was qualified as a “government-aided school,” which means the government supports daily operations financially. That support terminates if the school fails to meet a set enrollment benchmark. Vincent’s challenge became clear: to create a new business model and lead the school to sustainability. He had two months to submit a strategic plan and six months to execute the initial phase, or the doors would close. The business adage that crisis focuses attention was playing out! He focused first on the demographics of North Point District, then on mission, then on goals and strategy, and finally 2012 ALUMNI MAGAZINE

A L U M N I SPOTLIGHT “Most of us treasure our Stevenson days very much... The joy and the laughter made there will not fade away, not in 10 years, not in 30 years, or in a lifetime.” on the people involved. The program itself was modified to encourage more creativity through exposure to arts and music without losing the emphasis on core subjects. He helped implement a professional development program for teachers and staff, expanded the Governing Board, appointed a new principal, and improved the quality of the teaching staff. Enrollment surged and the Education Bureau was satisfied. The school would continue. Vincent’s mission for the school is to produce confident, competitive students, and his leadership has made a positive change in the school and his local community. He has been elected president of the North Point Kai-fong Welfare Advancement Association, a local interest group focusing on betterment of the community. Working with local politicians has enlarged his perspective on his hometown, the difference between what people want and what policy can give, and he has even been encouraged to become a part-time politician, which is not uncommon in Hong Kong. Vincent doesn’t see that working out, “I just don’t think I could spare that much time for politics for now, especially when cutting into family time. Besides, I don’t believe being a politician can be a part-time job.” As U.S. History was one of Vincent’s favorite classes at Stevenson, he shares with us one of his favorite quotes from President Theodore Roosevelt, “Do what 12

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Golf outing with Stevenson President Joe Wandke and Stevenson alumni in Shenzhen: (left to right) Peter Lam ’82, Lester Woo ’91, Sammy Lee ’82, Joe Wandke, Vincent Ma ’83, Victor Ma ’91, Roy Ma ’85

Appreciating a calligraphy exhibition with students of Chan’s Creative School (Hong Kong Island)

you can, with what you have, where you are” — which is also a motto for him. Stevenson remains in Vincent’s heart, and he enjoys being a member of the Stevenson Board of Trustees and participating in Stevenson events in Hong Kong and the United States. Stevenson has produced more than 100 graduates from Hong Kong. Vincent says, “Most of us treasure our Stevenson days very much as it is a unique life experience that transforms and seals our formative years. This is where one makes friends and keeps them for life. It was our home away from home. The joy and the laughter made there will not fade away, not in 10 years, not in 30 years, or in a lifetime. Just

Vincent with his wife Lily and their children Nathan and Annette on Chinese New Year

look at the more senior alumni and you will know.” Vincent lives in Hong Kong with his wife Lily and their children Nathan and Annette, ages 12 and 6, respectively. He is managing director of Soma International and is developing an upscale baby product specialty retail and distribution operation, “Honey Berrie” (www.honeyberrie.com). Vincent is past president and advisor of the Rotary Club of the Peak, and he volunteers as scout leader at his son’s school.

CAMPUS

STUDENTS “THINK PINK” TO RAISE BREAST CANCER AWARENESS

NEWS

Wearing “Carmel Campus Thinks Pink” t-shirts and handmade “We Care” buttons, 263 faculty, staff, and students focused on increasing awareness and raising funds for breast cancer during October. Students raised more than $900 for the Carol Hatton Fund for Women. Kirsten Matsumoto, Grade 5 teacher, Stevenson parent, and two-time breast

cancer survivor, spoke to the school during an assembly, sharing her experience and the message of awareness. “Hearing Mrs. Matsumoto speak made me think how many other people are going through this and how much worse it could be for them, and how I can help,” said Hunter Wenglikowski ’17.

2012 ALUMNI MAGAZINE

CAMPUS

NEWS

“ The Rocket” Launches Green Efforts at Pebble Beach

Sierra Garcia ’13, Faculty Advisor Willow Manspeaker, and Khoa Phan ’15 get ready for the official launch of “The Rocket.”

Aligning with the school’s overall commitment to sustainability, the Pebble Beach Campus recently became one of only four businesses in the United States to install and begin using “The Rocket” composter, a technology-driven, high-capacity, food waste composting solution. More than 350 gallons of food waste from the cafeteria is “fed” to the composter weekly, helping the campus decrease food waste removal costs, reduce its CO2 footprint, avoid contributing to production of methane and leachate in landfills, and save energy by not having to transport waste to the landfill. The student-led Environmental Club manages day-to-day operations.

SYMPOSIUM 2012

Trevor Lam ’12 playing chess (left) and Tiffany Otto ’08 and Amanda Wixted ’00 (below)

Keynote speaker Jane McGonigal shares her insight about gaming.

The title of this year’s Symposium was “To Shape a Gameful Life,” and true to the Stevenson School mission statement, this Symposium sought to explore in a seriously fun way what makes humans happy and more productive individuals. Through a wide range of presentations and workshops, students explored the emotional and educational benefits of play, the theory and practice of good game design, various international and cultural perspectives on game play, and 14

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the application of game theory in different disciplines, as well as learning about the ever-expanding digital game industry. The featured keynote speaker was Jane McGonigal, world-renowned game designer and author of the current New York Times best-selling book Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World. Ms. McGonigal joined a long list of other speakers and workshop presenters — including Stevenson students, faculty, staff, alumni, and parents — who shared their

insights, perspectives, skills, and passions about a variety of topics related to games. This year’s alumni guests included Tiffany Otto ’08, Amanda Wixted ’00, Will Schaeffler ’00, and Bob Cole ’88. Symposium at Stevenson is an annual event that brings together the entire Pebble Beach Campus as a community of learners to study and discuss — on the same day — a significant issue of timely, global importance.

Students Advance to State & International Science Fairs

Jimmy Lin ’12 will advance to the Intel International Science Fair in Pittsburgh.

Nathan Xu ’13 and Jimmy Lin ’12 both received recognition at the Monterey County Science Fair and will advance to the California State Science Fair and the Intel International Science Fair, respectively. Jimmy’s project “Investigating the Inhibitory Effect of Resveratrol on Ovarian Cancer Cells” received high recognition, including Grand Prize (1st Runner-Up) and First Place in Biochemistry/Molecular Biology. Nathan worked closely with

the Naval Postgraduate School on his project “Optimal Trajectory Planning for an Unmanned Helicopter — Bifurcations in the Presence of Obstacles” and also garnered several awards, including First Place in Applied Mechanics and Structures and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronauts Point Lobos Section Award. Good luck to both Jimmy and Nathan as they move to the next level!

NATIONAL MERIT STUDENTS HONORED Eleven talented seniors from the class of 2012 have been honored by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation for their outstanding academic achievement as National Merit Semifinalists and Commended Scholars. Two Stevenson

students — Jackie Choi ’12 and Tom Kim ’12 — were selected as National Merit Semifinalists, and nine Stevenson students were named National Commended Scholars. Pictured left to right: Jackie Choi ’12, Phil James ’12,

Fiona Alfait ’12, Farah Abouzeid ’12, Christian Trenka ’12, Kevin Tang ’12, Tom Kim ’12, Annie Miller ’12, and Carolyn Bruckmann ’12 (Tilly NamkaiMeche ’12 and Elizabeth Wickersham ’12 not pictured).

2012 ALUMNI MAGAZINE

CAMPUS

NEWS

Students Inspire and Create at TEDxYouth@Monterey The 2011 TEDxYouth@Monterey event brought together more than 400 students, teachers, presenters, and speakers for a day of idea sharing and activities last November. Stevenson’s assistant director of technology Aaron Eden helped cofound the regional event,

along with Stevenson alumni Bob Cole ’88 and Sumaya Agha ’88. From King City to Big Sur, more than 25 schools and youth-focused organizations around Monterey County registered 400+ attendees and gathered at CSU Monterey Bay’s World Theater.

Nurihan Park ’13 creates a graffiti mural at TEDx Youth @ Monterey.

Richie Senegor ’13 demonstrates a science experiment during his presentation.

CARMEL CAMPUS BECOMES AN OCEAN GUARDIAN Thanks to the support and initiative of Stevenson parent Lisa de Marignac, Stevenson’s Carmel Campus was awarded a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Sanctuaries to become an Ocean Guardian School. An Ocean Guardian School commits to protect and conserve its local watersheds, the world’s oceans, and special ocean areas like national marine sanctuaries. Only 23 schools in

STEVENSON SCHOOL

California have been awarded this status by NOAA. At the kickoff event in March, students received stainless-steel water bottles to help reduce plastic use and waste on campus. The campus has also installed filtered-water stations across campus, allowing for easy refilling of the new bottles. As part of the program, Stevenson soon will implement a waste audit of the campus and coordinate a school- or community-based ocean stewardship project.

Class of 2016

MUSICIANS EARN ALL-STATE HONORS Jackie Choi ’12 and Sydney Yang ’14 received all-state honors for their outstanding musical abilities. Jackie performed on the viola in a concert with the All-State Symphony, and Sydney was selected to perform on the cello with the All-State String Orchestra. The ensembles comprise the best high school string instrumentalists in the state. The concert was held at the University of the Pacific Conservatory of Music.

History Comes Alive at Medieval Feast Grade 8 students stepped back in time to the medieval period as the multipurpose room at the Carmel Campus was transformed into a Great Hall. Dressed in character, students role-played as lords and ladies, vassals, monks, nuns, knights, troubadours, peasants, and serfs. All

Matthew Padgett ’16 and Bailey McEachen’16 (above) and Cameron Schirmer ’16 and Summer Ingham ’16 (right)

Jackie Choi ’12

delighted in “good victuals and merry company.” The Medieval Feast was the culmination of a creative history project that included incorporating social media tools and research to help them engage and understand this fascinating historical period.

Sydney Yang ’14

2012 ALUMNI MAGAZINE

NEWS

SPORTS WRAP

CAMPUS

Girls and Boys Soccer Teams Go to CCS Playoffs Both the girls and boys soccer teams had great seasons this year. The girls were undefeated in the Mission Trail Athletic League (MTAL) and clinched the MTAL championship and a berth in the CCS playoffs. The boys finished 2nd in the MTAL and qualified for the CCS playoffs for the first time in many years.

Bouncing back from a 1-point loss earlier in the season, the Stevenson boys basketball team defeated Carmel in a thrilling rematch by a score of 54-50. The win clinched a Central Coast Section (CCS) playoff spot for the Pirates and ended

a run of 30 straight league wins for the Carmel Padres. The Jungle, a loud, raucous, but (mostly) respectable student cheering section, came out in full force to cheer the Pirates to a satisfying victory.

Girls Tennis Ties for First Place in MTAL

The girls tennis team won a closely contested final match of the season over rival Carmel by a score of 4-3 to earn a 3-way tie for first place in the Mission Trail Athletic League.

A season highlight worth noting was the girls’ long-awaited victory over their chief rival, Santa Catalina, breaking Catalina’s 65-game Mission Trail Athletic League winning streak, which dated back to 2005.

BOYS BASKETBALL BREAKS CARMEL’S 30-GAME WINNING STREAK

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Robbie Farrens ’15 Wins Cyclocross State Championship

Robbie Farrens ’15 has earned both state and national champion titles as a cyclist and is one of the top-ranking road bike cyclists in the United States. He recently won first place at the California Cyclocross State Championship in December — a grueling competition consisting of many laps of a short track featuring pavement, wooded trails, grass, steep hills, and obstacles requiring the rider to quickly dismount, carry the bike while navigating the obstruction, and remount. Robbie Farrens ’15

STUDENTS TO PLAY FOR DIVISION 1 COLLEGES Many of our talented student athletes go on to play team sports at the college level after they leave Stevenson: competitive, club, and recreational. To be recruited to play for a Division I school, the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), is an honor and a testament to the commitment and talent of a student athlete. This year, we have six students who have signed or been recruited to play at this level: Skyler Finnell ’12 (golf, University of San Diego), Tucker Forbes ’12 (baseball, UCLA), Nick Halamandaris ’12 (baseball, UC Berkeley), Danielle Powers ’12 (swimming, Fresno State University), Scott Riley ’12 (golf, University of Idaho), and Mikaela Welton ’12 (track, UCLA). Congratulations and good luck to these outstanding athletes!

With Keith Defiebre ’85 as his coach, Robbie Farrens is one to watch!

Nick Halamandaris ’12 and Tucker Forbes ’12

Danielle Powers ’12

Mikaela Welton ’12

Scott Riley ’12 and Skyler Finnell ’12

2012 ALUMNI MAGAZINE

FA C U LT Y

NEWS

Focusing on Her Passion After more than 22 years, MaryAnn Wilkinson is transitioning to a new role in which she will focus her talent and passion in an exciting, new educational environment. MaryAnn will be the Carmel Campus Garden Coordinator, responsible for developing an all-school curriculum for the organic garden, focusing on watershed awareness, water conservation, and various science topics. MaryAnn has taught 6–8 grade science, human relations, study skills, and social studies. She was the Yearbook Coordinator, and also brought golf and girls’ flag football to the campus, and coached both sports. Prior to Stevenson, MaryAnn was both a zookeeper and a naturalist guide — the perfect experience for her new role engaging so many young minds (and hands) in the wonders of gardening.

Kirsten Matsumoto gets ready to dive down into Monterey Bay and takes a look out the submarine dome window (below).

TEACHERS EXPLORE BAY IN A SUBMARINE Faculty members Jim Fannin, Mark Tretter, and Kirsten Matsumoto had the opportunity to dive in a four-person submarine to the floor of Monterey Bay. They were part of an expedition from the OceanGate Foundation. The OceanGate Foundation explores the waters of Monterey Bay and the Monterey Canyon, believed to be an ancient outlet of the Colorado River before shifting

plates moved the canyon northward by the action of the San Andreas fault. OceanGate strives to help local partners inspire students and the local community through outreach programs.

Greg Foster Returns to Stevenson Following the news of Michele Grogan’s departure after the 2011 – 12 academic year, the search began for an interim head of school for the Pebble Beach Campus. Greg Foster, who was head of the Pebble Beach Campus from 1986 – 1998, has agreed to return to Stevenson in this important role. Greg’s career in education began at Stevenson School in 1973 as a teacher, dorm master, and coach, and within eight years expanded to include director of residence and History Department chair, among many other responsibilities. In 1986, Greg

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was named academic dean, head of the Upper School (Pebble Beach), and assistant headmaster, which he held concurrently for 12 years. After 25 years at Stevenson, Greg left in 1998 to become the academy principal at Punahou School in Hawaii, then served five years as headmaster at Alexander Dawson School in Colorado and six years as headmaster at the St. John’s Country Day School in Florida. Greg is currently acting as interim head of school at Lawrence Academy in Groton, Massachusetts. Welcome back, Greg!

THE NEXT STEP FOR MICHELE GROGAN After 21 years at Stevenson, Pebble Beach Head of Campus Michele Grogan has decided to take the next step in her education career. Michele has been named the new head of school of the Katherine Delmar Burke School (a K-8 all-girls school, known as Burke’s) in San Francisco, and will begin her duties there this coming July. Beginning as a history teacher in 1991, Michele also has been director of residence, dean of students, and coach of girls basketball, golf, and softball. She was appointed head of the Pebble Beach Campus in 1998 and was the first female head at the age of 33. In this role, she focused her efforts on faculty development, assessment, enrichment, and academic and curriculum development. She helped plan and implement significant technology strategies for the school, including development of a laptop program for both campuses; completed the wireless infrastructure for the entire multi-building campus; and launched a 21st-century skills curricular and assessment initiative. But if you ask Michele, the contributions she is most proud of are not the ones you can capture in a bullet point or place on a timeline. ”We’re all in this together,” says Michele. “I like to think that my leadership style helped create a more collegial environment and that we built a community of learning where all opinions were valued and listened to.” Additionally, Michele feels she directed a focused, mindful conversation around excellence in teaching and worked hard to empower faculty to be the academic leaders for their subjects, while she stepped back, trusting in their capabilities and guidance. “It was important to give the department chairs a much larger voice in curriculum

development and major academic decisions — they are the ones on the ground, working with the students, and ultimately, the ones responsible for delivering the content,” she says. Through her lead-by-example style, Michele’s priority has consistently remained on creating a learning environment based on trust, openness, and communication, “Stevenson is a safe place where students can navigate the adolescent experience, while being challenged and with responsible, caring adults guiding and supporting them throughout the journey.” School President Joe Wandke adds, “Michele’s most important contribution to the school has been through the enhancement of the academic life of the school, principally through the growth and change of the academic program and strengthening of the faculty culture. She has been a strong leader, an excellent educator, and a good friend to us all within the Stevenson community for more than two decades, and I wish her great success in her new venture.”

1. 2.

1. Michele Grogan, spring 2012 2. Michele speaks with students in her early years as head. 3. JV girls basketball team with Coach Grogan, 1995 4. Michele came to Stevenson in 1991 as a history teacher.

2012 ALUMNI MAGAZINE

CAMPUS

NEWS

EVENTS

Holiday Receptions: NOV & DEC 2011

Meena Payne, wife of Sylvain White ’93, President Joe Wandke, Julianne Polaha, and Kris Polaha ’95 at the Los Angeles Reception

Stevenson’s Holiday Receptions have been a festive tradition since the school was founded in 1952. Attendance has steadily risen over the past three years at our annual Pebble Beach, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York events, and this year, by popular request, we added a new gathering in Sacramento. These receptions bring together alumni, current parents, faculty, staff, and trustees to catch up, share holiday wishes, and enjoy the season. We especially thank Andrew Rosen ’75 for hosting the New York reception at the super-chic Theory headquarters in the historic, trendy meatpacking district. If you’re interested in bringing an alumni holiday reception to your region, email alumni@stevensonschool.org.

Faculty Member Cole Thompson, Jessica Aubuchon ’95, Noah McCormack ’05, and other guests at the San Francisco Reception

STEVENSON SCHOOL

Linda Liu ’07, Lok Ka Yeung ’07, and Vivien Cheung ’07 at the New York Reception

Charlie Moffett ’08, Faculty Member Biff Smith, and Evan Santos ’07 at the Pebble Beach Reception Jamie Staples ’03, Faculty Member Jeff Young, and Tucker Jackson ’02 at the San Francisco Reception

Michele Grogan, Bianca Sams ’97, and Shani Hatcher ’97 at the San Francisco Reception

Charlie Bates ’72, Deven Hickingbotham ’74, Curt Hayden ’64, and Director of Alumni Relations Frank Stephenson at the San Francisco Reception

Doug Keyston ’73, Major Gifts Officer Matt Magers, Director of Annual Giving Ashton Clarke ’05, and Board Chair Mark Hornberger ’68 at the San Francisco Reception

ALUMNI GAMES DECEMBER 17, 2011 More than 40 alumni returned to Stevenson’s Pebble Beach Campus for the 2011 Alumni Games on December 17. Men’s and women’s lacrosse games took place under a clear blue sky on Wilson Field. Frank Stephenson, director of alumni relations, flipped burgers and grilled hot dogs for the hungry players. And the day wrapped up with the men’s basketball competition in the gym. Everyone demonstrated outstanding athleticism and sportsmanship. Save the date and start getting in game shape for this year’s competitions — Saturday, December 22, 2012.

LACROSSE

Annie Lee ’09, Shannon Alconaba ’11, Sarah Howard ’09, Faculty Member Kelly Burnett, Carolyn Bruckmann ’12, Alisa Anderson ’10, Olivia Schulteis ’11, and Faculty Member Katie Klevan (Powers) ’95 (above), Alisa Anderson ’10 and Carolyn Bruckmann ’12 go for a pass (right) Faculty Member Zekai Akcan and Evan Santos ’07

BASKETBALL

Evan Santos ’07, Sam Burton ’07, Dave Kurtman ’07, Cooper Kehoe ’07, Sam Bennett ’08, Jack Burke ’11, Faculty Member Zekai Akcan, Brian Bhaskar ’10, Kenny Treadwell ’09, Abram Trosky ’97, Bryce McCoy ’03, Kevin Merfeld ’03, Ben Holber ’07

2012 ALUMNI MAGAZINE

ALUMNI GAMES

LACROSSE James (Jeems) Lochridge ’00 and Dave Kurtman ’07 (below) and Rick Storkan ’06, Jordan Beaudoin ’07 and Joe Woolpert ’11 (bottom)

BOTTOM ROW: Logan Allen ’08, Ted Minnes ’08, Andre La Mothe ’08, Tim Allen ’78, Andrew Clark ’10, Rick Storkan ’06, Tony Klevan ’98, Matt Bruckmann ’11 TOP ROW: Rob Stave ’01, Ryan Aeschliman ’99, Joe Stave ’01 , Gerard Martin ’81, Sam Bennett ’08, Ian Morrison ’05, Ashton Clarke ’05, Joey Fletcher ’09, Dylan Osborn ’10, Alex Tang ’08, Cooper Kehoe ’07, Alex Hungerford ’05, Dave Kurtman ’07, Willy Schaeffler ’00, James Lochridge ’00, Joe Woolpert ’11, Jordan Beaudoin ’07, and Bruce Dini ’77

EAST COAST ALUMNI GATHERINGS Each year the College Center has led a group of juniors on an eight-day tour of East Coast colleges. The goal of this tour is to help students learn about the various types of institutions available to them, what it is like to be a college student, what they like and do not like about certain types of schools, and

AnnaMarie Sintetos ’08, Tiffany Otto and Faculty Member Ron Provost

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’08,

to begin to take the yearlong college application process seriously. One of the highlights of this trip is the opportunity for students to meet with alumni and hear firsthand about the East Coast experience. Alumni gatherings are organized in Boston and Washington, D.C. concurrent with the trip.

Walter Chan ’96, Maddie Bairey ’11, and Tom Davies ’80

Chi Nguyen ’13 and Julia Bourque ’05

THE NEW

PIRATE

In 1963 Stevenson School adopted the Pirate as its school mascot (previously it was the Buccaneers), an appropriate choice for a school named for the author of Treasure Island, one of the most legendary pirate tales in history. Over the next half-century, a variety of mainstream pirate clip art images were used to represent the school, with two or three becoming the most widely accepted. But the Stevenson community never

2012 ALUMNI MAGAZINE

T H E N E W P I R AT E ABOUT THE PIRATE The Stevenson Pirate is strong and proud, yet approachable. He is adventurous and courageous, and is known for his keen intelligence and global perspective. He outwits his opponents through strategy, rather than brute strength alone, and looks forward to the many adventures that lie ahead, just beyond the horizon. But a Pirate is always a Pirate, so in his eye there remains a hint of mischievousness.

3. 1. 1. Nick Halamandaris ’12 models the “sporty look” at the Pirate Launch Fashion Show. 2. Justin ’99 and Aimee Bates and their daughter Anna model new spirit wear. 3. “Dress Like a Pirate Day” costume contest winners Ian McKay ’16, Jimmy Cork ’18, and Surya Daniels ’19.

In addition to the Stevenson Pirate, a complete spirit identity was developed for apparel, spirit wear, athletic uniforms, and promotional items, which include nameplates and logo marks that work together with the new pirate.

wholly embraced any one pirate image, and none captured the uniqueness or character of the school or its students. From a branding perspective, the school needed a strong, consistent identity to better align with Stevenson’s reputation for excellence in its athletic program and community. Through a combination of interviews, research, and focus groups, key characteristics and attributes for a

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pirate worthy of Stevenson School were discussed, debated, and ultimately agreed on by students, faculty, staff, and alumni. A professional artist, working in conjunction with school leadership, recently brought our pirate to life. In March, the new pirate design and spirit identity was unveiled to both campuses. Following an overview of the process and reasons behind the change, Pebble Beach students and faculty modeled clothing

and accessories during the student assembly. Later, all students received a free t-shirt with the new Pirate. Carmel Campus students celebrated the new pirate with “Dress Like A Pirate Day,” giant cakes decorated with the new pirate, and, supporting the Ocean Guardian Project recently launched for the campus, every student went home with a pirateemblazoned stainless-steel water bottle.

The

PIRATE REVIEW

Modern country music, eco-buildings, and a cowboy saloon... Stevenson alumni pursue a wide range of creative ventures that showcase their varied talents.

WESTERN COUNTRY

Caleb Klauder ’89

Content excerpted from press materials on www.calebklauder.com

Born in the heart of Portland, Oregon’s red-hot music scene, Caleb Klauder’s new recording Western Country is set to transform how we think about roots music in America. Melding Nashvillequality songwriting with a love for early country, bluegrass, and old-time music, Caleb Klauder makes his mark on the scene with a notable perspective on country music in a new century.

2012 ALUMNI MAGAZINE

The PIRATE REVIEW

The Caleb Klauder Country Band (left) and their new release, Western Country (above)

WESTERN COUNTRY (continued from previous page) Caleb’s warm and professional stage presence comes from years of extensive touring, first with acclaimed folkrock band Calobo, a luminary in the Northwest’s burgeoning music scene, and then with the widely celebrated Foghorn Stringband. Over the past

Poisonous Yous, and now with Western Country, Caleb comes on like a young Hank Williams: singing familiar themes of heartbreak, revenge, love won and lost; all in the hard, simple spirit of true country music. Western Country is a tall glass of about-damn-time for American roots music.

The Caleb Klauder Country Band’s new release, Western Country, is a tall glass of about-damn-time for American roots music.

“Few voices in modern country carry the world-weary authenticity (think Hank Williams Sr., Charlie Monroe, Dwight Yoakam) that Klauder puts forward so effortlessly.” — Casey Jarman, Willamette Week

decade, Foghorn Stringband was signed to a major label (Nettwerk) and toured the globe. On and off the road, Caleb continued to write his own songs and dig further into his fascination with early country and honky-tonk music. First with his 2007 release, Dangerous Mes and

STEVENSON SCHOOL

“There once was a time when country music was straight up hard. A time when bluegrass was simply country music played by Bill Monroe, and Ira Louvin thought nothing of overlaying the electrified honky-tonk of (his) and his brother’s band with his mandolin. That time has more or less passed on by, just no one seems to have told Caleb Klauder.

If, by chance, you see him, don’t you dare spoil it for the rest of us.” — Iaan Hughes, KBCS and The Real Mr. Heartache (blog) “Western Country taps into the good, solid sound of old honky-tonk and early Nashville recordings. The sound is authentic and natural — Caleb doesn’t try to sound country: He simply is country to the core.” — American Standard Time, blog for KEXP’s The Roadhouse Caleb has spent the last 17 years living in Portland, Oregon. His son, Elijah Carson, is 16 and a sophomore at Portland Waldorf School. Caleb is a full-time musician and plays with three bands — The Foghorn Stringband, the Caleb Klauder Country Band, and the Cajun Country Revival and has also been involved in producing a few select records.

WE WANT TO FEATURE YOU IN THE NEXT PIRATE REVIEW! Have you published a book, released a wine, opened a new restaurant, or been featured in an art show? We want to know! Please email us at alumni@stevensonschool.org to be considered for the next Pirate Review.

GREAT BOW YARD : ANATOMY OF AN ECO BUILD Nigel Griffiths ’82

Nigel’s book Great Bow Yard: Anatomy of An Eco Build is the story of the building and integration of 12 dwellings within two standardized terraces on a piece of land suffering from neglect. As one reviewer wrote, “This frank and comprehensive account of the building of Great Bow Yard is intended to share lessons with builders, developers, local authorities, planners, and those involved at any stage in the building process. If the building industry is to play its part in reducing carbon emissions, it is vital that new housing is built to exceed the timid environmental standards that government has imposed on it. The Great Bow Yard has proved that environmentally sustainable development is not only theoretically possible but also practically achievable.”

who wants green but also wants all the conveniences we have come to expect from new homes. This sector of the market is more than a niche and Great Bow meets its needs with style.” Great Bow Yard: Anatomy of An Eco Build was published in 2007 by eco-logic books (www.eco-logicbooks.com). Nigel’s second book, Eco-House Manual, was also

“...environmentally sustainable development is not only theoretically possible but also practically achievable.” published in 2007, by Haynes Publishing, and is designed “to help homeowners alter or renovate their properties in ways that reduce their impact on the environment and, ultimately, benefit themselves.”

Nigel Griffiths ’82 came to Stevenson in the fall of 1981 through the English Speaking Union (ESU) exchange program. He has a B.A. degree from Oxford University and lives in Somerset (UK) with his wife Jo and daughter Bryony. Nigel specializes in the sustainable renovation of older property, and for many years ran a building company in the West Midlands. He was the project manager of the Great Bow Yard, the award-winning development of new eco-homes in Somerset. Nigel writes widely on conservation and eco-building, and is a visiting university lecturer on sustainability.

Differing orientations of the Great Bow Yard make the most of a natural site.

In the 18th century, the Great Bow Yard in Langport, Somerset was a warehousing transfer point for barges plying the river Parrett as part of the Stuckey & Bagehot trading empire. That it was previously used land was an attractive feature from an eco-developer’s point of view. Development on such land cleans up industrial wasteland without reducing the stock of greenfield land.

The project won The Daily Telegraph’s prestigious “What House?” award. The citation read in part, “South West EcoHomes has pulled no punches on its site, and fully deserves the gold award. This scheme is a watershed, appealing to the increasingly demanding home buyer

2012 ALUMNI MAGAZINE

The PIRATE REVIEW Trout is grilled campfire-fresh only a few feet from diners.

THE PIONEER SALOON

Duffy Witmer ’65

Duffy Witmer ’65 began working at the Pioneer Saloon in Ketchum, Idaho in 1973, and took ownership in 1986. In addition to the “Pio,” Duffy owns and operates another Ketchum favorite hangout, The Kneadry. At the end of the day, whether you’ve fished the Big Wood River, the Big Lost, Silver Creek, or one of dozens of other great angling options in the Sun Valley area, few places are more inviting than the Pioneer Saloon in Ketchum, Idaho. Like your best-buddy’s cabin, the place has a familiar, homey charm that regularly draws the locals for swapping stories and reconnecting before heading off to home. Stools at the long bar fill quickly in the afternoon and evening with a comfortable mix of anglers, hikers, skiers, climbers, and those poor souls who worked during a typical sunny day in Ketchum that begged for fun. Boots instinctively find their way to the tops of the coffee tables surrounded by communal benches, and nobody says, “Take them off.” Tall tales and wagers fly.

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Like most small towns in the American West, Ketchum has seen nearly exponential change in the past decade. While Main Street has become a canyon of maximum-height bank buildings devoid of business in the evenings, in the middle of it all The Pioneer has resisted the modern mandate to shine itself up.

“The Pioneer is only 25 feet wide, but there is some magical chemistry between those walls. A mystery, but it’s there.” — Duffy Witmer ’65

It’s tempting to say the “Pio” has aged gracefully, but the truth is, it hasn’t aged at all. And that’s the beauty of it. “If you want the true flavor of old-time Ketchum, and even Ketchum today, the Pio is still such a place,” says former Pioneer barkeep Clarence Stilwill. “When I was first here in town, the Pio was really

a derelict bar. Less lively even than the old Casino. If you stuck your head inside, there might be two, maybe three people in there,” Stilwill reminisces with a laugh. Stepping inside the heavy front door today, it’s hard to date the place. There are still drinkers in cowboy hats bellied up to the bar, and most people still wear jeans and boots to the Pioneer. But also there’s the telltale Gore-Tex hanging on the backs of barstools, and Ex Officio Buzz Off shirts on the backs of patrons. That’s nearly the only way to know that the year isn’t 1973. The Pioneer is one of the only places remaining in Ketchum where locals, visitors, laborers, and movie moguls sit elbow-to-elbow in a nearly seamless, convivial bunch. Here no one cares who your daddy is. The scrape of weighty wooden barstools on the old wooden floor mingles with the sounds of laughter and raucous storytelling. Everyone seems to feel like he or she owns a little bit of the place. Comfort is palpable. The enticing, irresistible smell of the grill wafts forward, drawing diners like lemmings to the back dining room for trout, salmon, prime rib, steaks, burgers, kebabs, and the Pio’s famously huge Idaho baked potatoes. “We want it to be like dinner just came off the campfire,” explains head chef Kevin Lincoln. “It’s like you just caught that trout and put it on the fire. Pretty basic, but that’s what we are, and people keep coming back for more.” A loyal customer base is the backbone of any good business, but according to owner Duffy Witmer ’65 that’s only half the equation. “There are three things that make a good restaurant: atmosphere, quality of food, and service. It’s the employees that make the Pio.”

1. Good people, good food, and great atmosphere combine to be the recipe of success for The Pioneer. 2. Front entrance of the Pioneer Saloon 3. Famously huge Idaho potatoes and their signature prime rib keep diners returning year after year to The Pioneer.

The Pioneer Saloon has always been a regular hangout — once for miners and sheep ranchers, later for ski bums and hearty souls, including anglers, who arrived in Ketchum searching for a life off the beaten trail. Now one of Ketchum’s oldest running businesses, the Pio itself is a legend. The Pio’s ad campaign clearly marks the saloon in Ketchum’s history. Its slogan is, “If you haven’t been to The Pioneer, you haven’t been to Ketchum.” “All I can say is this. The Pioneer is only 25 feet wide, but there is some magical chemistry between those walls,” says Duffy. “A mystery, but it’s there.”

H H H H H

George Matsumoto’s Teriyaki Sauce George Matsumoto, known as “Mats,” worked at the Pio for many years before his death over a decade ago — and some believe his spirit still lingers. The restaurant continues to use his famed teriyaki recipe.

H H H H H 8 cups soy sauce

Place all ingredients

/4 cup brown sugar

except potato in a

/4 cup sake

large mixing bowl

/2 tablespoon dry mustard powder

and mix well with

/2 tablespoon garlic powder

sure everything

Duffy came to Stevenson from Pasadena in 1962 in 10th grade, having already experienced Stevenson as a summer camper. He graduated in 1965 and matriculated at U.S. International University, San Diego, where he earned a degree in business. He and his wife Sheila have three children: Alyson, Chloe, and Dylan. Duffy was, and remains, an avid surfer, and divides his time between Mexico, Santa Barbara, and Ketchum.

/2 tablespoon dried parsley

a wire whip. Make dissolves completely, especially the sugar.

/2 tablespoon fresh ground ginger

Add the potato and

1 whole potato, peeled

at least three days

cover the bowl. Wait before serving.

Content and images excerpted from Big Sky Journal

2012 ALUMNI MAGAZINE

PETER DOUGLAS ’60:

A Life of Inspiration, Service & Gratitude BY JANET KORNBLUM

STEVENSON SCHOOL

Peter Douglas ’60 graciously agreed to participate in an interview for the Stevenson Alumni Magazine earlier this year. He welcomed our inquiries, and was forthcoming with his memories of his time here in the forest. Sadly, he passed away after a long battle with cancer just weeks before the magazine went to print. This interview, one of many for a man of such local and international renown, was conducted in March of this year — and we are honored to share it with the Stevenson community. Our thoughts are with the Douglas family and, on behalf of the school’s faculty and staff, we offer our support and condolences.

When Peter Douglas ’60 entered Stevenson — then called Robert Louis Stevenson — in 1955, he had pretty much flunked out of seventh grade at an Aspen, Colorado school because he found it too boring to attend. His grandmother, a concert harpsichordist who had known Albert Schweitzer and had escaped Nazi Germany, managed to get young Douglas into the prestigious school. But that didn’t mean he had a free ride. Douglas says that Headmaster Robert Ricklefs “sat me down and gave me a real stern talking to and said, ‘As long as you’re going to be here, and you’re going to be here on scholarship, you’re going to study, you’re going to learn how to study.’” And Douglas did. He also learned to think critically and analytically. But there was more than one way to learn at Stevenson. Douglas and three other students lived in a converted toolshed behind a garage, something that obviously would never happen in today’s world. At that time during Stevenson’s rapid expansion, many alternative spaces were converted to dormitories to accommodate the growing student population.

While some students might have balked at having to live in a shed, Douglas reveled in the freedom of being largely unsupervised. He learned hard work, helping out with dishes and table setting to earn his keep, although in truth, it was not the first time he’d exchanged work for schooling. While living in that shed, he also picked up a few other habits, “I learned to smoke,” he says, adding that his shed companions “bought bottles of sloe gin, and I learned to drink.” Obviously these were different times, and unlike most boys, he was unsupervised. The cook had three daughters. That’s how he “learned to kiss,” he says with a smile, pausing to cough. It happens frequently. These days Douglas struggles with his breath. He has lung cancer. The freedom he had living in that shed on the Stevenson campus also led him on a metaphysical journey that would ultimately forge his life path. On moonlit — or sometimes moonless — nights, he’d leave the shed and head into Del Monte Forest, where he would retrace trails carved by animals and hike solo down to the craggy shoreline of the Monterey Peninsula.

2012 ALUMNI MAGAZINE

Photo by Jeff Chiu, the Associated Press

Peter Douglas ’60 photographed at in his office in San Francisco. Douglas worked 40 years to keep one of the world’s most beautiful coastlines largely undeveloped.

“I loved coming out of the forest and hearing the drumbeat of the waves against the rocks, seeing the surf crashing into the rocks in the moonlight,” he says. Douglas remembers sitting there all those decades ago, “just thinking about the universe, and thinking about life, and thinking about philosophy, and thinking about how I want my life to be, and how I fit into this universe…. It was the best education I could have had.” On that rocky shoreline near Bird Rock, listening to the waves and gazing into the heavens, he realized how he wanted to spend the rest of his life. He wanted to “give back” and serve others. The seeds had actually been planted much earlier. Born in Berlin in 1942 into a Jewish family, Douglas had spent his first few years of life fleeing from Nazi Germany. 34

STEVENSON SCHOOL

“The horrors of war, of death and destruction, of hunger, deprivation and suffering were indelibly imprinted on my psyche,” he wrote years later. But something else also imprinted itself

“I decided to give back because I felt so grateful about what I’d been given coming to this country with nothing. I lost everything during the war except my life and my immediate family.” on his young mind — people could be terribly cruel and inhuman, but they also could spill over with generosity, risking their lives to save strangers, sacrificing

so that a smart young boy from another land might receive an education. In December 1950, he landed in New York with his sister, his mother, and a woman he calls his “soul mother.” (His father and mother had become separated after their house was bombed and his father stayed behind.) They had one another — but nothing else. Despite that, he was able to get a firstclass education, especially at Stevenson. “My colleagues were very generous to me, as was the school,” Douglas says. He says he “decided to give back because I felt so grateful about what I’d been given coming to this country with nothing. I lost everything during the war except my life and my immediate family.” To the young Douglas, giving back “meant dedication to public service.”

1. Peter Douglas at a staff meeting, 1995 2. Peter, staff, and public members on a Coastal Commission site visit in LA County, February 1994

There were “11 attempts to get rid of me. None of them succeeded. So there was always a target on my back. My staff used to chafe, and say, ‘You have to tone it down.’ My answer always was, ‘Why? Somebody’s got to speak truth to power.’”

3. Peter working on Prop 20 which created the Coastal Commission, 1971 1.

Of course, there’s no way he could have known that the public service he would dedicate his entire adult life to would be saving that very same shoreline (along with the rest of California’s majestic coast) where he had discovered his life’s mission. He also continued to be drawn to the unconventional. After Stevenson, Douglas went to the University of California, Los Angeles, graduating with a psychology degree. Then he decided to join the merchant marine. “I shipped out on a Norwegian chemical tanker to work my way across the Atlantic for graduate studies in Germany and to visit my pen-pal of six years, Roe,” he wrote. They married a year later. Again, he found school boring — “excruciatingly boring,” he wrote. So he dropped out of grad school and instead spent a year of what he calls “selfdirected” studies in Germany under the tutelage of a man he met while drinking in a bar in the medieval town of Marburg. “Henri Lohrengle was incredible — a retired high school teacher, concert violinist, linguist (he read, spoke and wrote 23 languages!), a Renaissance scholar extraordinaire, fine fly fisherman, great teller of tall tales, and simply the most knowledgeable person I had and have ever met,” Douglas wrote.

Eventually, Douglas and his wife moved to Los Angeles where Douglas attended law school “not because I wanted to become a lawyer, but because I wanted to understand how the institutions of governance and the legal rules of control over human behavior work,” he wrote in one of many online postings. He became an activist in law school, launching his life’s mission. But in 1969, disillusioned “by the turmoil of the times,” he and his wife again took the unconventional route. They left the country “searching for another place to settle. Their voyage lasted two years. In 1971 they returned. With their savings exhausted, Douglas looked for work doing poverty law. Positions were available — but nothing that really paid. When he heard about a job in Sacramento working for liberal state legislator Alan Sieroty on a bill to protect California’s coast, at first he balked at the idea of having to live in the state capital. But he discovered he actually liked Sacramento. He took the job. And he’s been working to preserve the coast ever since.

Not only did he co-author and help organize the 1972 ballot initiative that created the California Coastal Commission, he went on to co-draft the California Coastal Act of 1976. The next year, he became the commission’s chief deputy director and then was appointed executive director in 1985. Douglas spent 26 years there, retiring in November 2011, due to his cancer. 2012 ALUMNI MAGAZINE

SOME OF PETER DOUGLAS’S PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS: • An original member of the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Science Advisory Board, and appointed by President Clinton to the US Panel on Ocean Exploration that authored Discovering Earth’s Final Frontier: A U.S. Strategy for Ocean Exploration (October 2000) • Served on the China-U.S. panel on integrated coastal management, and provided consultation and technical assistance on coastal management issues to other countries including Japan, Turkey and Vietnam • Member, National Academy of Sciences Committee on Science and Policy for the Coastal Ocean • Member, H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment advisory committee for Sustainable Oceans, Coasts and Waterways Program • First recipient of the national Julius A. Stratton “Champion of the Coast” award for leadership in coastal management at Coastal Zone ‘95, an international, biennial symposium on coastal zone management • Participated in drafting the first regulations implementing the Federal Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 • Provided leadership in successful effort to prevent new Federal offshore leasing for oil and gas development on the Outer Continental Shelf in frontier areas lacking necessary onshore infrastructure support • Author of numerous articles on coastal conservation, environmental activism and public and private land rights • Co-founder and chair of two successful non-profit community organizations and in 1984, as a school board member, co-chaired one of the first successful grassroots campaigns in California — to enact a special parcel tax to support local public schools that remains in effect to this day • 2005 recipient of the Stevenson Alumni Association’s Merle Greene Robertson Award for Service to Society Text excerpted from California Coastal Commission http://www.coastal.ca.gov/pd-bio-comments.pdf

STEVENSON SCHOOL

Douglas was instrumental in preserving the coast, Sieroty said, adding that Douglas “loves people (and) loves his work…there’s something kind of spiritual about him. I’ve admired him and cared about him all these years.” Deeply philosophical, Douglas now writes about his struggles with lung cancer — as well as his triumphs. Today, he even refers to cancer as a “gift” because of how it has awakened him spiritually. But to be clear, he says that cancer is something “I would not wish on anyone and one I would rather usher out of my body with love and gratitude in my heart.” Douglas revels in a fight — as long as it is fair and just. While serving on the commission, he often faced opposition from property rights groups, large landowners, oil companies and local governments — to name but a few opponents. There were “11 attempts to get rid of me,” Douglas says. “None of them succeeded. So there was always a target on my back. My staff used to chafe, and say, ‘Oh God, you have to tone it down.’ My answer always was, ‘Why? Somebody’s got to speak truth to power.’” That he did. He survived by having a “thick skin,” a “great staff,” and, of course, knowing what he was talking about. “I also learned that it is important to be smart, not shrill,” he says. “Even my harshest opponent would say, well, we don’t agree with you, but at least we know where you’re coming from. Everybody knew where I was coming from. I wore my philosophical and public policy agenda on my sleeve.” It’s true, said Andi Culbertson, an urban planner and land use lawyer who found herself on different sides of the fence from Douglas more than once. Those who worked with him (and even against him) came away with deep respect for Douglas, she said.

“We argue all the time,” said Culbertson, who has known Douglas for about 30 years. “It helps that he’s a principled man who is very solution-oriented.” And while she often sat on the other side of the fence, she admires Douglas’ dedication. “It’s difficult to maintain your energy, let alone your passion,” she said. “It’s easy to lose your heart in it. He never has.” Even today, Douglas is still as devoted as ever, mentoring young activists, always happy to help with a cause, although these days, by necessity, he also needs to focus on his health. “My public policy agenda was integrity, professionalism, doing what’s best for the public, being aware of future generations, and our obligation to future generations,” he says. He has left the Coastal Commission in good hands, hiring strong staff members and continuing to mentor the next generation of activists, Sieroty and others say. Douglas is proud of his activism. In public service work, “you don’t get paid very well,” he says. “Money has never been a motivator for me because of my past. To me, the most rewarding, lucrative job one can do is that which fulfills one’s moral, philosophical sense of value. And I’m driven by that, not the money...I can pay the bills. I knew what I needed and it wasn’t much.” He has never thought much about his legacy, but now that he faces cancer, it’s a question that naturally arises. He says, “Yes, I’m proud of what I’ve done because I’ve been able to stay true to my principles. I haven’t compromised my principles. And I’ve inspired a lot of other people to follow their bliss and follow their principles. And yes, that makes me proud indeed.”

“Yes, I’m proud of what I’ve done because I’ve been able to stay true to my principles. I haven’t compromised my principles. And I’ve inspired a lot of other people to follow their bliss and follow their principles. And yes, that makes me proud indeed.”

1. A morning staff meeting during the early years of the Coastal Act 1976–1980 2. Peter backpacking with family in Yosemite 3. Mike Zelinsky ’60, Peter Douglas ’60, and Tom Henry ’60 4. Peter and his sons Sascha and Vanja, with Vanja’s wife Nell and grandchild Charlie at the Smith River

2012 ALUMNI MAGAZINE

Susan Slusser ’83 sits in the press box at the Oakland Coliseum in April 2012. The Oakland A’s are about to take the field against the San Francisco Giants. Photo by Paul Schraub.

STEVENSON SCHOOL

illion K n An By

IT’S EARLY SPRING AND THE ARIZONA DESERT IS STARTING TO FILL UP WITH BASEBALL PLAYERS, BEAT REPORTERS, RUMORS, AND RUMBLINGS.

High in the latter category is the growing speculation that the Oakland A’s are about to sign Manny Ramirez, the disgraced slugger who — when he was wearing a Boston Red Sox uniform — was one of the most feared hitters of our era. It’s an odd move: a low-budget team that traded many of their key players in the off-season making a big play for a former superstar, one who has twice tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs and abruptly retired in 2011.

2012 ALUMNI MAGAZINE

FOR THE PAST 13 YEARS, SLUSSER HAS BEEN THE GO-TO SOURCE FOR ANY AND ALL NEWS ABOUT THE OAKLAND A’S.

sees the team as a green-and-gold mine of stories and personalities, of which Ramirez is just the latest. “They’re a very interesting team to cover,” she says. “Manny is going to be great to write about.” That Slusser is involved with baseball surprises absolutely no one who knew her at Stevenson. “That was a no-brainer,” says Slusser’s best friend, Christine (Winge) Kerner ’83. “She was going to be involved in sports.”

The A’s move needs to be explained and analyzed. Which means Susan Slusser’s ’83 expertise is required. Her phone rings constantly — ESPN, Comcast Sports Net, radio stations across the country — all requesting her insight. Her Twitter posts and blog updates are mandatory reading. Slusser is asked to parse, probe, and clarify the Ramirez signing. For the past 13 years, Slusser has been the go-to source for any and all news about the Oakland A’s. Since 1999, she has covered the team for the San Francisco Chronicle, starting with the A’s star-laden playoff teams, through the Moneyball era, into their bottom-dwelling years, to the current season of low expectations and puzzling signings. This year, Slusser’s authority will expand beyond the baseball field. Last winter she was elected vice president of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA), which means that this October she will become the first woman president of the organization which was founded in 1908. “I love the organization,” Slusser said. “Baseball writers have a hard job. You spend eight months a year away from your family and have long days and lots of travel. Anything that helps baseball writers is something I want to be a part of.” Slusser’s passion for her job is hard to miss. Though some see the A’s as one of baseball’s less visible teams, Slusser

STEVENSON SCHOOL

But if Slusser’s high school self had had her way, she would be involved with the Manny Ramirez news in a different way. Her goal, as listed in her Stevenson yearbook, was “to own the Boston Red Sox.” If that prediction had come true, she would have been the one originally trading Ramirez away from the Red Sox, beginning his four-year odyssey that has brought him to Oakland this spring. “That was my ambition,” Slusser says of her ownership dreams. “Back then they were selling for only $10 or $12 million.” Times have changed in baseball. The Red Sox are now worth $617 million. And Slusser has changed along with them, adapting to the changing ways of journalism while continuing to dominate her beat. Full disclosure: I’ve been a friend of Susan’s for more than two decades and watched her evolve from a young reporter into arguably the most thorough and competent beat writer in baseball. Far from the romantic occupation that fans envision, baseball is a job that chews up writers and spits them out. The travel is relentless, the pace unforgiving. The season begins with 7 a.m. wake-up calls in mid-February and ends with midnight deadlines in November, followed by a month of hotstove news in December and a January of

player signings. There’s barely a day off in the calendar year. But baseball hasn’t worn down Slusser. To the contrary, she thrives on the daily routine and competition. “I love it,” she says. “Baseball writes itself. Sometimes the travel wears me down and the Internet has made the job more difficult, but I absolutely love covering baseball.” Slusser’s love of the game was honed in childhood. Her father Richard was a naval officer, and when the family was living in Guam, very little sports news was available, but Susan remembers reading baseball scores. The family moved to Alameda in 1972 when the A’s were at their peak; her father taught her the nuances of the game. In the four years that Richard and Joyce Slusser and their young daughter lived in Alameda, the hometown baseball team won three World Series, creating a fan for life in young Susan. But owner Charlie Finley broke up his dominant team, selling off the pieces. And when the Red Sox knocked off the A’s in the American League Championship Series in 1975, 10-year-old Susan — like any normal bandwagon-seeking child — switched her allegiances to the winning team.

“IF A GIRL LOOKS AT ME AND SEES A ROLE MODEL, THAT’S GREAT. BUT I DON’T THINK OF MYSELF AS A ‘WOMAN REPORTER.’ WHEN YOU’RE AROUND THE TEAM EVERY DAY, THE PLAYERS DON’T LABEL YOU BY GENDER.”– Susan Slusser ’83

Susan Slusser ’83 interviews Oakland A’s Manager Bob Melvin, before a game against the San Francisco Giants. Photo by Paul Schraub.

2012 ALUMNI MAGAZINE

1. Susan’s senior picture from the 1983 Spyglass, where she said her ambition was “to own the Boston Red Sox” 2. Varsity Softball, Susan is in the front row, third from right

3. Working

at KZSU Stanford Radio Station in 1987

4. Covering 5. Susan

the Moneyball premiere in Oakland

and Dan on their wedding day, November 1999

6. Kim

(Knorr) Williams ’83, Susan Slusser ’83, Mollie (Smith) Nelson ’83, and Dawn Woods ’83 5.

In 1976, the Slussers moved to Pebble Beach. At Stevenson, which hadn’t been co-ed for long before she arrived, Slusser relished playing sports: basketball, softball, volleyball, and a stint on the boys lacrosse team. She also worked at the school’s KSPB 91.9FM radio station, broadcasting the Salinas Spurs games and school football games. She worked at the Tusitala, the school newspaper. She was a straight-A student. “Stevenson had a lot to offer and I wanted to take advantage of all the benefits,” she says. “I think my classes at Stevenson were harder than the ones I took later at Stanford.”

STEVENSON SCHOOL

Slusser excelled in academics, but she also kept her love of baseball at the forefront. Kerner remembers her friend ditching a history final to go to an A’s/Red Sox game, knowing full well she would likely be caught. Though she was marked down for the final, Slusser still pulled an A in the class.

After graduating from Stevenson and a year at boarding school in England, Slusser enrolled at Stanford. She doublemajored in history and English, worked at the Stanford Daily, and broadcast baseball on the school radio station. She also played lacrosse and worked internships at local media outlets, including KCBS, KPIX, and the Sacramento Bee. At one point her French teacher admonished her for packing so much into her schedule. “You have taken too much from the buffet,” the teacher told her. Kerner says, “She’s one of those people that make you wonder if they have 50 hours in their day. You wonder how she has time to get it all done.” Slusser attributes her ability to multitask to her time at Stevenson.

“I really learned to juggle,” she says. “Stevenson taught me how to manage my time.” Her juggling skill is more important than ever now. In the changing media world, Slusser is expected to blog, tweet, write for the web, make newspaper deadlines, and be a radio and television personality. She also is an avid hockey fan — volunteering to cover the sport whenever possible for the Chronicle. And she volunteers at an animal shelter near her home in San Carlos. Oh, and she also finds time for her husband. After graduating from Stanford, Slusser went to work full-time for the Sacramento Bee. One of her early assignments was covering UC Davis football, where she caught the attention of a young reporter for the California Aggie, Dan Brown. “I said something clever about the game,” Brown says. “And she walked away from me.” But thrown together on the beat for months, she stopped walking away. By the time basketball season rolled around, the two were a couple. But finding sports writing jobs in the same geographical area proved to be a challenge. Slusser left California to work in both Orlando and Dallas, covering the Orlando Magic with a young Shaquille O’Neal, and later the Texas Rangers, while Brown took a job at the San Jose Mercury News. Brown thinks his wife’s reporter skills were honed in the competitive atmosphere of Dallas, where the Dallas Morning News and Fort Worth Star-Telegram were in a fierce newspaper war. “She was always smart and driven and professional,” Brown says. “But she didn’t change into the super intense reporter she is now until after the Dallas Morning News experience.” In 1999, Slusser was hired by the Chronicle to cover the A’s. Finally, settled in the same area, she and Brown married

in November 1999. But sharing an address didn’t mean sharing much time. For their first three years of marriage, Brown covered the Giants while Slusser covered the A’s. Since the A’s and the Giants rarely have simultaneous home games, husband and wife were practically strangers during the baseball season.

“I’VE BEEN A FRIEND OF SUSAN’S FOR MORE THAN TWO DECADES AND WATCHED HER EVOLVE FROM A YOUNG REPORTER INTO ARGUABLY THE MOST THOROUGH AND COMPETENT BEAT WRITER IN BASEBALL.” – Ann Killion, Sports Journalist

“Between April and October we saw each other 23 days,” Brown remembers. They were, quite literally, passing in the night — one would leave the car in short-term parking at SFO and board a flight, the other would land an hour later and pick up the car. They once met in Columbus, Ohio for lunch: Slusser was in Cleveland for an A’s-Indians series and Brown was in Cincinnati with the Giants. “We both had night games,” Brown says. “So we had lunch in Columbus and went to the mall.” Others found the baseball marriage amusing. Giants broadcaster Jon Miller, returning to the Giants from a Sunday night game that featured the A’s, told Brown, “Susan says water the plants.”

At the beginning, it was a novelty. But the arrangement became wearing after three intense seasons in which the A’s made the playoffs every year; the Giants made the playoffs twice; including a seven-game World Series and Barry Bonds broke the single-season home run record. Slusser says they were her most challenging years covering baseball. “They were high-maintenance seasons,” Brown says. “I don’t remember if there was a breaking point, but I finally went to my boss and said, ‘Anything but the Giants.’” There was never a debate about who would switch jobs. “She’s the baseball beat writer,” Brown says. “She’s wired that way and I’m not. I would dread it when the trade deadline rolled around and she’d thrive. You have to be a freak to be a baseball beat writer.” Slusser is one of the few women covering baseball full time; she thinks that she is currently the only full-time female beat writer for a daily newspaper. But, like most women in her business, she doesn’t want to be qualified by gender. “If a girl looks at me and sees a role model, that’s great,” she says. “But I don’t think of myself as a ‘woman reporter.’ When you’re around the team every day, the players don’t label you by gender.” Still, Slusser is breaking new ground with her election to the BBWAA hierarchy. As BBWAA president, she likely will be asked to speak on behalf of the organization about the controversial Hall of Fame ballot due next December. Baseball writers elect former players to Cooperstown, and the upcoming ballot will include some of the biggest names of the steroid era: Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, and Sammy Sosa. Once again, Slusser’s phone will be ringing nonstop. Good thing she learned to multitask so well in high school.

2012 ALUMNI MAGAZINE

Where are they going? Where have they been? Stevenson Alumni share the latest in their lives.

1960 Mike Zelinsky ’60: Joann and I are happy and healthy and enjoying our life in retirement and our family. Our six beautiful grandkids — Sirena (12), Finn (10), Ruby( 9), Katy (8), Aiden( 8), and Rachel (7) — keep us busy and entertained, as grandchildren will. Daughters Monta, Susan, and Jenny are, like many young people these days, working hard and, glad to say, successful in their businesses, and keeping house and home together with their husbands, Paul, Mike, and Carl (respectively). The aforementioned sons-in-law are also hardworking young men and terrific fathers. We often say we couldn’t have picked better sons-in-law if we’d had a catalogue to choose them from. This Joann and Mike Zelinsky ’ 60

May, Joann and I will be taking a week to visit New York, where we’ll do the usual stuff — shows, boat trip around Manhattan, Orchard Street on Sunday, great restaurants and greater delis. Then, in August, we’re headed to Michigan for a family reunion. We’ll be driving, taking in all the National Parks on the way out and on the way back, putting about 6,000 miles on our hot rod Cadillac CTS-V coupe. I could see my father smiling, knowingly, from the Great Golf Club Lounge in the sky, when I bought a Cadillac, the smile turning rapidly to a grimace when he saw that it had a 6-speed manual transmission! Life is good and as long as it is, I’m going to relish it and hope all my old classmates and everyone in the RLS family can do the same.

1963 Clinton Campbell ’63: I accepted a twoyear assignment in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia with Raytheon, which should finally get us to retirement. We will be keeping our residence in Tucson. Please let me know if anybody travels my direction.

1966 Angus Murray ’66 is blessed with issue, to wit a daughter, Sophia Catherine, born November 11 in southern Florida.

1967 Larry Pahl ’67 is painting and drawing full time after having retired from the publishing business.

1968 Jeff Smith ’68: After an extended trip to Italy in 2003, my wife and I decided to move permanently to Europe. Since making that decision, we have owned homes in Italy, on the island of Capri, and in France. We have now settled in the 7th Arrondisement in Paris. I have been able to continue my career in the real estate business, as during this time overseas

1964 Ed Haas ’64: Hi, gang! Currently I’m preparing an exhibit for the upcoming Makers Faire, to be held in San Mateo in mid-May. My life, such as it is, is all on flickr now; enjoy! www.flickr.com/photos/ steamboat_ed/sets/ Larry Pahl ’67

STEVENSON SCHOOL

Greg ’72 and Louise Henderson

was still there when I was there but I don’t recall whether he was teaching archery. I spent most of my PE time learning to play golf. Back then the cost for a whole quarter of group lessons plus unlimited play on Spyglass was $40.”

1974

we have renovated several residential properties. The market in France remains strong, for in Paris there is a limited supply of properties and a continuing international demand for good, welllocated apartments. We enjoy very much living in Paris, in addition to the beauty, great food, and proximity to the rest of Europe; we have been able to make some good friends, and we often have visitors from the States who find themselves in Paris either on business or holiday. Cooking has become a big passion of mine, and I am constantly amazed at the variety and quality of the ingredients available in the open markets as well as the small local shops. Overall it has been a terrific decision, and we are looking forward to many more years as expats in this lovely city.

Benjamin Taylor ’72: I retired recently from American Airlines out of LAX. I am enjoying life in Huntington Beach with my lovely wife Diana and five of our six children. Our oldest married last year after a distinguished tennis career at BYU. I wish you all the best.

1973 Kevin Ford ’73 is a minister and member of the Board of Chaplains at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He responded to an email we sent him recently regarding Coach Wilson: “Coach

Bob Mateus ’74: I am a director of International Product Management at SanDisk in Milpitas, California. Hopefully, Stevenson alums at large are familiar with SanDisk flash memory products: CF cards, SD cards, microSD cards, USB flash drives (aka memory sticks), SSDs, and SANSA MP3/Video players. I am fortunate to travel to EuropeMiddle East, Latin America, and Asia to coordinate New Product Development, Qualification & Launch activities. Last summer, my younger daughter Elena (14) accompanied me to Europe & Israel; attached is a photo of Elena riding a camel near the Dead Sea in Israel. This summer my older daughter Veronica (16) will accompany me to Asia. I am in frequent contact with the following distinguished Stevenson alumni — Bob Mateus ‘74 and his daughter Elena in Israel

1972 Greg Henderson ’72 has 25 years of experience in software quality assurance. He was recently at YouSendIt Inc., where he led and grew a strong QA organization. He is currently working at MOBIbucks as the QA manager. He and Louise have four children and they live in Campbell, California.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Please email your personal stories* and digital photos* for the “Alumni at Large” section to alumni@stevensonschool.org.

*Please limit your update to 300 words or less. Personal updates must be written in the first person and will be reprinted as provided, please check your grammar and spelling. Updates may be edited for appropriateness. All photos must be high-resolution (300 dpi) and please identify the people in the photo(s).

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Phillip Wilhite ’76 and his mother

Rob Goodwin ’76, Tim Carmel ’76, Stuart Woo ’76, Warren Lee ’77, Bob Fox ’77, and Jim Evans ’79. We dine, attend sporting events, sport-fish, and gather from time to time to discuss the condition of man.

1976 Tom Bowen ’76 works with Marin Soil Solutions (www.marinsoilsolutions.com). Loren Hunter ’76 resides in Roseville, California. He is employed as a vice president/regional credit officer and is responsible for approving commercial and agricultural loans for Rabobank, a global financial services group headquartered in the Netherlands. Clients in his portfolio have offices and operations in locations from the Monterey/Salinas region to the Oregon border.

1977

1980

Daniel Powers ’77: The grass is always greener, but not much greener than that in Pebble Beach. Teaching at Stevenson is nirvana, as long as you care enough to profoundly know the content and process of your profession. Stevenson adds value in immeasurable ways, and that is why I’ll continue to do what I’m doing. My daughter Danielle graduates with the class of 2012, and my son Brad matriculates next fall as a freshman. Life progresses, yet one constant, over many years, is our family’s love for the school.

Stephen Dueker ’80 is president and CEO of Vitalea Science, a clinical microtracing company in Davis, California (www.vitaleascience.com).

1978 Gordon Schwabacher ’78: I am married to Melodie. She hails from Alabama and is the real redneck Martha Stewart. She is a soulful gal who cooks, creates, rides horses, shoots guns, loves life, and makes all feel welcome in our house. We have a wonderful 8-year-old girl who is a character with a big heart and a sense of humor. She likes school, rides horses, ice-skates, skis, fishes, and enjoys the outdoors. We have lived in some colorful places in Wyoming and Mexico. We finally have our own proper house in Jackson, Wyoming, where I manage commercial and ranch property. Other than the six months of snow and ice, it’s a pretty good place to live.

Matthew Upchurch ’80: Soon after leaving RLS, I began working alongside my father in the family travel business. I bought the business in 1997 and with key partners, transformed it into a new kind of organization. I am now chairman/ CEO of Virtuoso, the leading luxury travel network of more than 330 member agencies; 7,200 elite travel advisors in 20 countries; and 1,300 of the world’s best travel providers and premier destinations. We publish the award-winning magazine Virtuoso Life to inspire our readers to follow their travel dreams. In January 2012, I appeared on NBC’s TODAY Show to talk about the benefits of using a professional travel advisor. Virtuoso was also featured in a series of articles in Forbes, again with a focus on when and why to work with a travel advisor. At the heart of my work is my desire to know that my fellow travelers are empowered to have unique, unforgettable experiences while spending their most valuable asset — their leisure time. This Return On Life™ vision permeates every aspect of my business. Virtuoso is the exclusive

Phillip Wilhite ’76 visited the school in February with his mother to participate in a faculty in-service day on the topic of diversity. His book Surviving Chadwick was reviewed in the fall 2011 Alumni Magazine. The Stevenson athletics medal he is holding in the picture has been waiting for him since 1976! According to Athletic Equipment Manager Bill Hunter, his 28.7-points-per-game average in Stevenson basketball remains unchallenged. He went on to play at UC Berkeley, where he was known as “instant offense.”

Matthew Upchurch ’80

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partner in the Americas for the space travel pioneer company Virgin Galactic. My ultimate personal travel goal is spaceflight as a Virgin Galactic Founder Astronaut. I am married to Jessica Hall Upchurch and have five children, two daughters, and three sons, ages 22 to 3. We have homes in Fort Worth and Seattle (I couldn’t stay away from the ocean after my RLS years). I travel for both business and pleasure, and have enjoyed Return On Life™ experiences on every continent except Antarctica. That’s on my bucket list! Two RLS alumni, Greg Nacco ’78 and Sunny Irvine ’95, are members of our Virtuoso network. Funny thing, Greg and I reconnected with Sunny at 2 a.m. in a bar in Madrid last year.

1982 Jan Wright Bessey ’82: Hi, classmates of RLS ’82. A few years ago, Chris ’81 and I moved from San Diego back home to Carmel. In February of this year, we bought our dream home in Carmel Valley above CV Village. I’ve been in banking and real estate now since 1986 and this is the most optimal time for buying real estate in California that I’ve ever seen, just beyond anything I could have imagined. Now this spread in the sun allows me to really dig into the dirt with my huge love of roses, lavender, jasmine, honeysuckle, herbs, and such. Our son Guy will be 9 in April and is quite a baseball and football player. He’s a head taller than most kids and one of the fastest kids. A slugger and ace base stealer in baseball and the hardest-hitting and yet fastest kid in football. He’s also quite a good student and one of those nice kids. Yes, I am proud of our boy. Chris and I are both active in the local youth football league, Panther Football. He coaches and this year I am in charge of fundraising and promotions, much more suitable for me than my role as league secretary last year. We went to last year’s reunion for the Class of ‘81 and it was the most enjoyable reunion

Victoria Lam ’07, Joanna Lam ’07, Hok Leung ’70, Vincent Ma ’83, Justin Wong ’08, and Bernie Yiu ’09 at the Los Angeles Holiday Reception on December 2011

yet. I am excited for ours this year and think that Facebook makes it even more fun because now it feels like we’ve been in contact already with each other. We’ve sorted through most of the secret crushes, have caught up with each other’s lives, and have learned that maybe we are all just a little bit cooler than we thought we and others were back in the day. But I do need to ask, are we all really almost 50 years old? David Laurance ’82 is principal of Beechwood School in Menlo Park, California, a K-8 school working with low-income families from East Palo Alto and the Bellehaven neighborhood of Menlo Park. The school is having great success in turning around the high school graduation rate of students from these neighborhoods. Beechwood is dedicated to educating the whole child and pays special attention to the social and emotional well-being of our entire community. John Laurance ’87 is vice principal and a 4th-grade teacher. Beechwood is acquiring the land it currently occupies from the City of Menlo Park. After a long battle, the city has agreed in principle to sell it; the school will soon begin a capital campaign to raise about $8 million for new buildings. Groundbreaking is anticipated for the summer of 2013. Parent engagement is a huge factor in the success of the school. To learn more or donate to the school, go to www.beechwoodschool.org. Barry Mills ’82 is a chartered financial analyst and senior research analyst on

The Boston Company’s Core Research Team, covering the technology sector. He is also a co-portfolio manager on the Dreyfus Premier Technology Growth Fund as well as The Dreyfus Fund, Inc. and the Dreyfus Research Growth Fund. Prior to joining The Boston Company, Barry was a senior managing analyst at Dreyfus. He was responsible for covering stocks in the computer hardware, semiconductor, and other selected technology industries. He was also a co-portfolio manager for the Growth Opportunity Fund. Prior to that he followed technology stocks as a senior equity analyst with Phoenix Investment Partners, Ltd., and was co-manager of the Phoenix Strategic Theme Fund, a topperforming capital appreciation fund. He is a graduate of Hobart College, where he received a BA in economics. Susan Steffes ’82: I send my best wishes to Mr. Keith on his retirement. I have fond memories of him, and I especially thank him for intervening on my behalf with UCLA when I missed the acceptance deadline because I was an AFS student in Belgium. He convinced them that they needed to make an exception for me, and they did! Congratulations on a very fine 50 years!

1983 Bob Stephenson ’83 admits that he has the best life ever and he is sorry that not everybody can be like him! His career in television and film continues to develop. In the past 10 years he has appeared in

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1987

Dari and Jim Quirk ’84

32 films and/or TV series, and a number of high-profile national television advertisements. Most recently, he had roles in the TV series Last Man Standing and in films such as Larry Crowne, Our Idiot Brother, and Division III: Football’s Finest.

1984 Gordon Myers ’84 (in a note to Frank Keith): There have been, in fact, many happy days for me of late, and especially recently when I sold my first photo under a licensing deal to a band for their upcoming new release. Life is good, I can’t complain, and it’s good to see you doing what you did when I was there. Jim Quirk ’84 and wife Dari live in Pinedale, Wyoming with their children McKenna (10) and Colton (9). Jim is a Family Practice physician in the employ of Sublette County, which has seen dramatic changes in recent years with the discovery of natural gas. Jim graduated from Colorado College in 1988 with a BA in English and earned an MS in PreMedicine at the University of Colorado. He received his MD from the University of Colorado-Health Sciences Center in 1999 and completed his residency at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. A recent visit to Stevenson was highlighted by spending some time with Coach Young and attending a lacrosse game.

Ted Cominos ’87, his wife Julie, and their three girls Anya (7), Kyra (4), and Sara (1) have returned to the USA after spending approximately 12 years living and working abroad in Bucharest and London. Ted was a partner at London-based law firm Linklaters, and was responsible for its CEE private-equity practice. He recently joined a Chicago-based law firm to head up its international private-equity/venture capital practice. The Cominos clan regularly makes it back to the Peninsula to visit family and Carmel Beach, and are hopeful to soon see their girls start enjoying their summers at the RLS Summer Camp! Ariel Lang ’87 lives in Del Mar, California, with her husband and two daughters. She is a psychologist and professor in the Department of Psychiatry at UCSD. Her area of expertise is in treatment of anxiety and trauma-related disorders, particularly in military populations. She is also deputy director, PTSD/TBI Clinical Consortium Coordinating Center, VASDHS Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health. She holds degrees from Stanford (BA), UCLA (MA and PhD), and San Diego State (MPH). Robert Padgett ’87: On May 5, 2012, I will speak at the Elgar Society’s North American Conference about my groundbreaking research on Edward Elgar’s Enigma Variations. Premiered in 1899, this popular symphonic work contains a number of puzzles that have baffled experts and Elgar enthusiasts for more than a century. Most notable among these musical riddles is a missing principal theme on which the entire work is based. I will present evidence showing the mysterious missing melody is Ein feste Burg (A Mighty Fortress) by Martin Luther, and that confirmation of this discovery exists in the form of a music checkerboard cipher embedded in the opening measures of the Enigma Theme. This research came to the attention of

the Elgar Society through my blog (http:// enigmathemeunmasked.blogspot.com/), which has received more than 66,000 page views in the past year.

1988 Chad Greulach ’88: On the heels of a career as executive producer of several successful cable television series (American Chopper, Gene Simmons Family Jewels, Hardcore Pawn), I have partnered with actor and motorcycle enthusiast Lorenzo Lamas to form Lorenzo Cycles. Launched in 2009, the international motorcycle lifestyle brand consists of custom motorcycles and licensed merchandise, including apparel, jewelry, leather products, and motorcycle parts. Additionally, Lorenzo and I are developing a themed restaurant chain, Lorenzo’s Roadhouse Restaurant, as well as working with a major Indian manufacturer to develop a signature “Americana Series” line of alternative fuel scooters for distribution throughout India, the Middle East, Asia, and Europe. I live in Pacific Palisades, California with my wife Jeana and our two daughters, Matilda and Frances.

1989 Dana Dorsey ’89: Kendall Smith ’89, Lori Pretzer ’90, and I recently celebrated Lori’s 40th birthday in Sun Valley, Idaho, where my parents live. It was a nice getaway

Robert Padgett ’87

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Dana Dorsey ’89, Lori Pretzer ’90, and Kendall Smith ’89 in Sun Valley celebrating Lori’s 40th birthday

the fuss is about. We are elated to be parents and cannot imagine life before her! We look forward to her being a future Stevenson Pirate someday, but in the meantime she loves mushroom hunting and swimming and is ready with her passport to see the world. By the way, local grandma Patti Doran is finally blessed by having a grandchild without four legs and fur! Elliott Easterling ’89 is CEO, co-founder, and chief evangelist at Red Bricks Media (redbricksmedia.com), a digital marketing agency based in San Francisco, New York, and Hong Kong. Jennifer Spencer ’89 is managing director at Marsh Risk & Insurance Services in San Francisco (www.marsh.com).

spending time with the girls and skiing every day. For Lori’s birthday celebration we had dinner at Cornerstone, a new restaurant in town. Afterward, we went to Whiskey Jacques to see a band play and boogied the night away. We ran into Hunter Vogel ’92; he lives in Sun Valley with his wife and three girls. Everything else is going great! I live in Redondo Beach and love it! It’s a great place to raise kids and everyone is so friendly. My

Christi Gibowicz Doyle ’89 and her husband Tim with Clare Ellen

boys Ryder and Keller are 7 and 5 and just the sweetest, funniest kids. They constantly amaze me. I’m still freelancing as a motion graphic designer. Lately I’ve worked on set screen designs, including the People’s Choice Awards, Kid’s Choice Awards, and a Juanes concert! Christi Gibowicz Doyle ’89: My husband Tim and I welcomed a new addition to our family on August 30, 2011. Her name is Clare Ellen and now we see what all

Mark Schulze ’89 is vice president of business development with Clover Network Inc., a provider of proprietary payment networks for sending and receiving money using mobile devices. Formerly known as Kristal, Inc., the company is based in Mountain View, California.

1990 Kim Hensley De Simone ’90: My husband Gary and I recently moved up to southern Oregon and bought a 36-acre farm in the Applegate Valley. We hope to eventually run a farm-stay program where people

Kim Hensley DeSimone ’90 with her husband Gary and children Declan and Ella

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can come and have a farm-life experience (for a weekend, week, or month). Gary has his master’s in education from the University of Connecticut and is working as an operations manager for a business in Jacksonville, Oregon (as well as getting our farm started). We have two children, Declan (age 6) and Ella (age 4). I have my master’s in social work from Syracuse University and am working as the TRiO Talent Search Program Director for College Dreams, a program of the YMCA. I work with low-income, first-generation, college-bound 6th-12th graders. One of my goals is to create a “college-going culture” in an area where only 14 percent of adults have a bachelor’s degree. I am getting a lot of my inspiration from my time at Stevenson, where the question was not “Are you going to college?” but rather “WHERE are you going to college?” Patrick and Stephanie (Barnes) DeYoung ’90: Pat and I celebrated our two-year anniversary in November. Pat has his organic farm at Corral de Tierra called Pat’s Labor of Love. He is finishing his Winter CSA and the Spring/ Summer CSA starts next month and lasts through November. His website is bit.ly/ farmerpatslaboroflove. He has planted strawberries, broccoli di checco, arugula, chard, kale, lettuce, and collard greens. Carrots, beets, melons, tomatoes, pumpkins, and squash will be going in the ground in the near future. The children are growing quickly, with the Brian Driscoll’s ’91 children , Clare (11), Patrick (3), and Luke (9)

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oldest, Alexandra, continuing at Santa Catalina as a freshman next year. This year the 2nd-grade teacher and I are doing a pilot program with iPads. The students enjoy working with them. So far the favorite app is Splash Math! Last year school transitioned to Google Apps and I was the head of the transition team. I offer training classes for the faculty and staff, who are always on the move. I just submitted the students’ Doodles for the Doodle 4 Google contest. Fionnuala is enjoying 4th grade and loves her violin and helping with her baby sister Cordelia. Recently, our friend and classmate Steve Ladd ’90 stayed with us for a couple of days. He spoke to our 8thgrade English class about films and screenwriting. They absolutely loved him and the presentation! Joseph Foster ’90: Last year I left Daewon Foreign Language High School, where I’d taught for four years (we were featured in the New York Times and on NPR in my time there), and opened a private test prep center with some partners. Our shop, ALTO, has had a great year, with a bunch of kids in at top Ivies and three perfect 2400 SAT scorers. I also teach AP English Lit and foundational reading and writing for 8th- to 10th-graders. Life in Seoul is good; I spent a week in Vienna recently and I’m still playing and performing freely improvised music.

1991 Brian Driscoll ’91: I live in Danville with my wife of 15 years, Tricia, and our three kids, Clare (11), Luke (9), and Patrick (3). The kids keep me busy playing ball with them and coaching their basketball teams. Professionally I am the CEO of Dublin, California-based Shamrock Office Solutions, Inc., an authorized dealer of Ricoh and HP multifunction systems and provider of outsourced Managed IT Services. I still play basketball three times a week, but nothing is more fun for me than spending time with my family and watching the kids in their various sports.

Grant Kaplan ’91: My wife Emily and I welcomed our first child, Maximilian Rafter, on March 8. The future Pirate checked in at 9 lbs., 2 oz. In other news, I received tenure last spring at Saint Louis University, where I’m a professor in the department of theological studies. Currently I’m on research leave to write a book on the implications of mimetic theory for Christian theology. Emily and I wed in September 2010. Fellow classmates Carl Jordan ’91, Sam Thacher ’91, and Joshua Cohen ’91 were in attendance. Sebastian Cohen was a ring bearer and Esther Cohen a flower girl. One of my highlights since moving to Saint Louis was meeting up with former Stevenson teacher JB Shank when he was at a conference here. It turns out we had a lot to talk about regarding the history of ideas and the European Enlightenment. He was surprised I’d remembered so much from European History in 1989!

1992 Chris Ferrari ’92 is principal at Ferrari Public Affairs, in Reno (www.ferraripa.com). Victoria Foster ’92 is vice president for production & development at Voyage Media Inc., in Los Angeles (www.voyagemedia.com). Stanley Li ’92: After few years of my career in sales & marketing, I have found that my passion is in health care. I am planning to advance my career in that area by pursuing a master’s degree in public health beginning this August at San Jose State University. Laura Kahn ’92: I got my bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Reed College in Portland, Oregon and my master’s in biochemistry/genomics/bioinformatics from the Universite de Provence (France). I now work at Genentech in the research department. I live in San Francisco with my husband, and we have a little boy named Elliot and a crazy dog called Leelou. Life is good. It’s amazing that it has already been almost 20 years since my graduation from Stevenson; the

Sylvain White ’93 in France

memories and impact the school has had on me have not been diluted by time.

1993 Matt Smith ’93 is happy to announce that his first children’s book Dahlia Jean, the Jungle Queen is coming out soon via Brighter Books Publishing House. He hopes everyone will check It out at (http://brighterbooks.com/books/ item/dahlia-jean-the-jungle-queen). Matt is a husband, father, amateur strongman, and telecommunications repair technician who grew up all over California. He currently resides in Santa Rosa, California, about an hour’s drive north of San Francisco. When he’s not at work, or lifting heavy things, he loves spending time with his two young kids Dax & Dahlia, his wife Carrie, and his old, wise dog Rouger. When his wife Carrie was pregnant with their first child Dahlia, Matt began writing poems for her. Even in utero, she loved to be read to. Today, eight years later, Matt draws much of his inspiration from Dahlia and her amazement and wonder at the world around her. Her heartfelt empathy for others, her love for all animals, and her fascination with different cultures and places of the world make her a perfect subject for a father’s stories -- about a little girl who loves to dream. Sylvain White ’93: I’m currently in Paris directing a new film that I wrote, with Gerard Depardieu and Marthe Keller. It’s a suspense crime thriller with a conspiracy angle. The shoot will also take us to Germany, Belgium, and Morocco. I’ll be coming back to LA later this year.

1994 Heather Bassett-Barnard ’94: My husband Jared and I have almost completed our first two years in the United Arab Emirates, where I have been teaching for the government schools. This summer, we will move to Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, where I will teach in a brand new IB school featuring one of the first 1:1 iPad schools in the Middle East, while also receiving my PYP training. Jared has been working for Airbnb, which has provided our family with wonderful vacation opportunities, most recently to Sri Lanka. We plan on spending at least another two years in the United Arab Emirates. Welcome to our blog at (http://travelingmom.com/home/profile/ userprofile/motherto3.html). Matthew Miller ’94: My fellowship paper was published in JBJS American, the number one orthopaedics journal in the world (www.jbjs.org/article. aspx?articleid=180805). It’s all downhill from here!

Heather Bassett-Barnard’s ’94 children Edward, Eden, and Ellison in Sri Lanka

until early this year, when it was bought by Oracle. It is interesting, he says, to suddenly go from a 500-employee company to one with 105,000!

1995 Ryan Anderson ’95 is completing 12 years as a sales, marketing, and business development professional in real estate and medical industries in Denver, Colorado. He earned a BA in Mass Communications & speech, with a minor in Asian history, played NCAA II lacrosse for four years, and currently coaches at a local high school. He has been with Fuller/Sotheby since 2008 and during

Ken Tabuchi ’94 and wife Michiko visited recently with their son Towa. They’ve been living and working in Sydney, Australia for the past year and are thoroughly enjoying the experience. They welcome Stevenson visitors to their continent! Alex Teng ’94 graduated from Boston College in 1998 with a major in accounting and a minor in computer science. He worked in Cambridge with Endeca, the leading provider of agile information management software Ken Tabuchi ’94 and wife Michiko with their son Towa

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co-chair of the Diversity Committee for the San Francisco Bar Association’s Barristers Club. I earned a “LEED AP” professional accreditation, which means that I familiarized myself with the U.S. Green Building Council’s requirements for achieving a LEED (“Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design”) certification for a building project. I would love to make a move into working as an attorney within the green building industry and/ or with green businesses generally, so feel free to contact me if that’s what you do or you have a lead! In my free time, I enjoy the city, samba and salsa dance, and work on improving my house.

Elisa Gil-Osorio ’95 and Gerrit Ritt

that time ranked in the top 1 percent of all Realtors in the Denver area. He also works in emergency medicine and has logged more than 7,500 hours in emergency medical ambulance services. Ming-Wai Chan ’95 is founder and CEO of T1M, The 1st Movement, a fullservice digital agency offering innovative solutions to advertising challenges using their mastery of technology to tell the story. For the second year in a row, T1M has made the Inc. 500 fastest-growing private companies in America list. They have offices in Pasadena and Denver (www.the1stmovement.com).

Elisa Gil-Osorio ’95 and Gerrit Ritt were married at Temescal Gateway Park in the Pacific Palisades on October 2, 2011. Elisa and her husband live in Los Angeles, where she has lived since graduating from Northwestern University in 1999. Elisa is now a real estate broker serving the high-end entertainment community with Nourmand & Associates in Beverly Hills (www.eg-properties.com). Peter Hannah ’95: I’m back in Oakland this year with three more years of formation until ordination to the priesthood. I was in Alaska last year on “residency” doing ministry at a parish the Dominicans run in Anchorage.

a small film production company, where they produced their first health care marketing film for her employer, MPSC. The film can be viewed at www.montereysurgerycenter.com. Natalie and Seth will be moving to Virginia this summer as Seth continues his military career. Jenny Kiatta ’95: After spending many years in New York City and a short interim stint in Monterey, I recently relocated to San Francisco, where I run my own business as a birth & postpartum doula and yoga teacher. A doula (do-luh) is an ancient Greek word for a woman who supports other women throughout the experience of labor, birth, and the early postpartum period. I am also coartistic director of The Lightbulb Theatre Company, a New York-based project that will be moving to the West Coast early this fall. In addition to these endeavours, I am in the slow process of composing music for lyrics written by my sister Hydeus (Heidi) Kiatta ’90, who passed away from colon cancer in 2006. If anyone knew Hydeus and is interested in

Natalie Lynn Harris ’95 married Major Seth Gibson, USMC on September 17, 2011 in Monterey, California. She works at the Monterey Peninsula Surgery Center as a registered nurse. Natalie is now stepmom to three fabulous kids and enjoys every minute of it. She and her husband started Jenny Kiatta ’95

Matty Dowlen ’95 is head of production with Obscura Digital, in San Francisco (www.obscuradigital.com). Anna Gehriger ’95: I have been living and working in San Francisco as an attorney for the past five years after graduating from UC Davis Law School. I currently practice civil litigation at Phillips Spallas & Angstadt, LLP. I am also the 2012 Natalie Harris ’95 and husband Seth Gibson

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examining the operationalization of justwar concepts in public opinion research. Abram earned a BA in philosophy from Washington & Lee in 2002 and his PhD in political science from BU in 2009. He can be reached at atrosky@bu.edu.

1998 Derrick How ’98: My wife and I welcomed our first son, David Anthony How, on Friday, November 18! Chris ’96 and Lisa Orosco and their daughter Élan Grace, at approximately 5 months old

working on this project with me as either a musician or recording artist, I’d love to hear from you. Please visit www.jenkiatta.info .

1996 Chris Orosco ’96: I’d like to announce that on July 14, 2011, my wife Lisa and I welcomed our first child to the world, and much to my mother’s delight, she’s a beautiful baby girl. Élan Grace Orosco, born a healthy 8 lbs., 11oz., has continued to breastfeed her way to a “robust” and delightfully squeezable stature! We are still living in our home at the mouth of Carmel Valley and loving our new role as parents.

1997 Tina Chan ’97 visited last fall. She earned BS and MS degrees in public policy from Carnegie Mellon and is executive director of The Chen Yet-Sen Family Foundation, a Hong Kong-based grant-making institution with a strategic focus on early childhood literacy, library development, and education enhancement in mainland China, Hong Kong, and West Africa (www.chenyetsenfoundation.org). She lived in Douglas Hall her first year (as a sophomore), the end room on the right, and her roommate was Renee Yung Fong ’97, whose father is Robert Yung ’69. Miles Throop ’97: I graduated from CU Boulder in December 2002 with a

BS in aerospace engineering and a BA in anthropology, then graduated in December 2003 with an MS in aerospace engineering. I then attended CU Denver and graduated with an MBA in July 2005. My wife and I recently moved to Washington, D.C., and I have just started a new job as a patent examiner at the US Patent and Trademark Office. Abram Trosky ’97 had an exceptional summer as a research fellow at the University of Calgary’s Consortium for Peace Studies in the Faculty for Social Work, in community organizing for transportation and food independence, and in finding time to return to raft guiding and hiking in the Canadian Rockies. He continues to work to complete his dissertation on humanitarian intervention and public opinion, but sharing his late mentor Howard Zinn’s philosophy of the inseparability of the personal and professional, he continues his extracurricular promotion of social justice and rescuing, repurposing, and recycling bikes, food, and electronic waste. For the past four years, Abram has been a frequent contributor to the Group on International Perspectives on Governmental Aggression and Peace (GIPGAP) in conferences and in print, including title chapters in volumes published by Praeger Security International and Springer. His dissertation project continues this work,

Jimmy Jia ’98: Hello, everyone! I have now finished my MBA program from Oxford University and helped start a company, Distributed Energy Management, based near Seattle. We “translate” energy costs into activity costs (such as dollars per degree) so that a manager can make an operational decision instead of making an energy decision. It is an exciting field and we’re making some good headway into the commercial real estate market. I’ve also joined the Bainbridge Graduate Institute as an expert practitioner to instruct the Energy Certificate as part of their MBA program. The student body is highly motivated to integrate

Abram Trosky ’97

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I relocated to Sydney, Australia, where I continued in special events with the American Australian Association, the largest public not-for-profit devoted to building strategic alliances between the United States and Australia. We enjoyed the work-life balance “down under,” especially opportunities to sail and travel. Jake and I look forward to returning to the San Joaquin Valley in June after diving the Great Barrier Reef, fishing New Zealand, and living with family in Italy.

2000 Chiara (Riggs) Sill ’99 and husband Jake, in Sydney

sustainability into business models. With it all, I’m still finding time to play violin when the opportunity comes up. Please drop me a line at jimmyjia@gmail.com if you’re in the Puget Sound area!

1999 Chiara (Riggs) Sill ’99: Since graduating from Vanderbilt University in 2003, I have worked in event management with Boston Properties in San Francisco, the University of California in Merced, and Occasions Caterers in Washington, D.C. In January 2011 my husband Jake and

Matthew Glick ’00 is a producer with the NBC Today Show. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 2003 with a BA in journalism. Jameson McFadden ’00: I thought it might be a good time to update my Stevenson peers on my life, and perhaps take advantage of the magazine for some shameless promotion of the new wine label we just launched! I moved to New York in 2006 after traveling for the better part of two years throughout Europe, Australia, and the South Pacific. I now work with Wellington Shields Capital Management as a managing director and research analyst. In the past three years we’ve doubled our assets

under management and our Capital Management Small Cap Fund was ranked #7 in the country in 2011 in a universe of more than 1,500 comparable funds. More excitingly, in the summer of 2011 my father and I launched a new organic wine label called Blue Quail (www.bluequailwine.com) for the East Coast market. I had trouble penetrating a saturated New York market with our flagship McFadden label, so I created a new label and offered a more competitive price point. In October we signed with our first New York distributor. In November we signed with a distributor in Boston and are now selling our sparkling wine, chardonnay, and sauvignon blanc in Boston’s Whole Foods markets. We are currently in talks with a large Texas wine retailer and a distributor in Georgia, while Florida, Colorado, Ohio, and Illinois are our next hopeful targets. We are projecting a 75 percent increase in wine production in 2012 over last year and hope to experience the same growth in 2013. We will also be introducing a sparkling rose this year to complement our brut sparkling wine made by methode champenoise. Our tasting room in Hopland is pouring these wines, but they can also be purchased online at www.mcfaddenvineyard.com.

Crystal Mangold ’01 and Joe Stave ’01 on their wedding day with fellow Stevenson classmates Laura Scherling ’01, Laura Oswald ’01, Nichole Simonsen ’01, Brian Orosco ’01, Erick Carl ’01, and Tyler Potter ’00

STEVENSON SCHOOL

Martin Brand, Sonja Bebber ’00, Nick West ’02, Cleo Maack Scheublin ’00, and Peter Cofresi ’08 at the New York Holiday Reception in December 2011.

2003 Daniel Kreer ’03 works with Morgan Stanley in New York in the company’s fixed income & commodities branch.

Will Riegel ’00: I’ve recently moved from Seattle to New York City, where I work in digital advertising. I am getting into the groove of things and exploring the city. I am always interested in reconnecting with Stevenson alumni. Allison (Morgan) Walker ’00: My husband and I welcomed our second child, Morgan Leslie Walker, on January 21. We are overjoyed with the new addition to our family and Dylan (2 years old in March) is a loving big brother.

2001 Jim Lindsey ’01 is an associate with Buvermo Investments, Inc., a real estate investment company in Bethesda, Maryland. Crystal Mangold ’01 and Joe Stave ’01 were married at Tehama in Carmel Valley on October 8, 2011, and enjoyed a fantastic honeymoon in Bali and Lombok, Indonesia. Most of the bridal party were Stevenson alumni, including Laura Scherling ’01, Laura Oswald ’01, Nichole Simonsen ’01, Brian Orosco ’01, Erick Carl ’01, and Tyler Potter ’00. Many of the wedding guests were Stevenson alums, creating a feeling of a high school reunion of sorts. Joe and Crystal will continue to reside in Pacific Grove with their dog Higgins, and hope to one day have their own Stevenson alumni.

2002 Sean-Wai Chan ’02 earned a BS in management from UC Berkeley and while an undergraduate was a member of Cal’s varsity eight-man crew. He lives in Hong Kong and works with Polo/Ralph Lauren. Josie Driscoll ’02 is sales leader with Northeast Restoration Hardware, in Corte Madera, California. Michael Ehrlich ’02 lives in Portland, Oregon and works in marketing with Adidas. Until recently he produced a very successful sports-oriented daily blog at ehrlthepearl.com. Work and time constraints have slowed him down, but he’s still available on Twitter. Jonathan Sockell ’02 graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in 2006 and will graduate this spring with an MBA from Vanderbilt. Catharine Stuart ’02 is working in film and was head costume designer on an indie feature shot in New York City. She also was involved in the shooting on Men In Black 3. Nick West ’02 earned BA and MA degrees in music from Northwestern and DePaul, respectively. He lives in New York and is active with a group that performs throughout the city. He also works with ZocDoc, a start-up that finds medical services for people and that was identified in the December issue of Fast Company as a possible high-flyer in 2012.

Roarke Satava ’03: I moved back to California on January 1 to help open the first West Coast location of SoulCycle (New York’s premier Indoor Cycling Studio, where I have been an instructor for close to two years). Located in West Hollywood, we opened in February of this year and have really taken off, building a great community of health enthusiasts, athletes, and movers-andshakers. Check out one of our many press writeups below. In addition to being a key instructor and teaching 10 classes a week, I’m auditioning and continue to pursue a career in acting — now focusing solely on film and television. After eight years in the Big Apple, I’m glad to be back in the California sun. I encourage any Los Angeles alumni to come check us out at SoulCycle soon (www.hollywoodreporter. com/fash-track/soulcycle-hollywood-katieholmes-296109)! Olivia Yu ’03: Besides taking care of my two wonderful kids Maxwell and Elizabeth, I’m also more involved with the charity foundation that we started a few years back. We focus mainly on helping children in China, building schools in both cities and remote villages, and providing scholarships for underprivileged students. We are also starting to work with hospitals to provide surgery for children with curable diseases. We create new programs every year. Last year we started a new model, in short, it’s a platform to connect college students with local grassroots NGOs. This program not only benefits the recipients, it also encourages more young adults to give back to the society. It’s gotten so much positive feedback from both the NGO and the students that the government is encouraging other charities to follow. We do environmental related projects and post-natural disaster reconstruction

2012 ALUMNI MAGAZINE

portfolio website is www.juliabourque.com. In her free time, Julia is continuing to learn more flips and tricks on the trampoline at a trapeze school, reflective of her years as an MTAL champion diver at Stevenson!

Tom Gerken ’97, Julia Stuart ’99, Kerem Yilmaz, Dirk Graham ’06, Phillippe Bouchard, and Maggie Green ’04 at the Los Angeles Holiday Reception in December 2011

Wing-Yin Alice Chan ’05 will receive her master’s in architecture from the Sam Fox School of Design at Washington University in St. Louis this summer. Catlin Erwin ’05: I just wanted to send you an update that I was recently promoted to associate from analyst and am still working in the Investment Banking Financial Institutions Group at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

programs as well. All this and my family are keeping me pretty busy these days.

2004 Max Backhaus ’04 works with the Boston Consulting Group in Germany, in which capacity he travels to major cities throughout Europe and in Russia. He has a degree in business from the Universität zu Köln. Jaimin Choi ’04: I graduated from Northwestern in 2008, and majored in political science and minored in jazz performance. After graduation, I took a couple of years off and traveled in Japan and Europe, and taught English in Korea. I’m currently in my second year as a law Alexa Garofono ’05

STEVENSON SCHOOL

student at Duke University. I play jazz in local bars around here with my band about once a month. Can’t thank Mr. Smith enough for his instructions!

2005 Julia Bourque ’05 graduated from Tufts University in 2009 with a BA in psychology, minoring in multimedia art. While interning at Walden Media and studying publishing at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, she discovered a passion for children’s books. Julia now lives in Cambridge and works full-time as a graphic designer for an educational publishing company while freelancing in design and illustration. Her

Alexa Garofono ’05: Since high school I have done a range of projects and jobs, but the one I find most fulfilling is my farm. In 2008, I took my family’s old ranch land in Arizona and converted it into a certified organic citrus farm, Arizona Organic Family Farms. As a small family operation, over the past few years we have sold to Whole Foods and Nature Delivered, but we also have retail and shipping licenses that have allowed us to reach individuals locally as well as other states. We have many varieties, ranging from tangerines, blood oranges, and Meyer lemons, to three types of grapefruit and two types of navel oranges. Some of the grapefruit trees are estimated to have been planted between 1912-1919, and possess the original grapefruit graft. We handpick, hand-sticker, and deliver the fruit in the

Trevor Steer ’05, Kiki Olson’05, Ryann Madden ’05, and William Hertlein ’05 at the Pebble Beach Holiday Reception in December 2011

Bob Wei ’06 and Maggie Wei ’08 visiting Stevenson in April 2012

Kana Imuta ’05 and Adria Orr ’05 in New Zealand

old family truck, which on paper seems tedious, but it opened my eyes to the basics of the agriculture industry, which was an aid as I attended Cal Poly SLO to receive my MBA with a specialty in agribusiness. Through farming I also became interested in home brewing and home winemaking, which started with some of our citrus as ingredients, attempting to discover various ways to sell our products. Home brewing then led me to my fiancée, another reason I am very appreciative for my farming endeavor. Adria Orr ’05: I’m currently in Apia, Samoa representing Kiva, a San Francisco-based organization, as a Kiva Fellow. I will spend four months here with their partner, South Pacific Business Development, learning about microfinance and strengthening the partnership between the organizations. Samoa, of course, is the country where our school’s Peter Cofresi ’08 and Nicole West ’05

namesake Robert Louis Stevenson spent the last four years of his life! I haven’t been up to Vailima yet, where there is a museum dedicated to him, but it’s a fun coincidence. On my way here, I stopped by New Zealand to visit Kana Imuta ’05 and we had an amazing time catching up and reminiscing about our good ol’ days at Stevenson. Nicole West ’05: I graduated from Stevenson hoping to continue my studies in dance. I attended Northwestern University, graduating in 2009 with a bachelor of science in dance, and after spending two years auditioning and freelancing in New York City, I was accepted into the Postgraduate Advanced Dance Studies programme at London Contemporary Dance School, in London, England. The school acts not only as an undergraduate conservatoire, but a hub for Contemporary Dance at The Place, Lindy Rush ’06 and Faculty Member Mark Tretter at the Pebble Beach Holiday Reception in December 2011

based in central London. During my first week at The Place, I was offered a position in the Postgraduate Performance company, EDge. EDge 2012 (www.theplace.org.uk) is a company comprising 12 dancers from across the world. The nature of the company is to have dances created or set on us, which we take on a tour of the UK and Europe, acting as a springboard for our dance careers. I am in four of five pieces in the company’s repertoire, ranging from the theatrical to extremely physical. The company keeps a weekly blog (www.facebook.com/EDgeDanceCo).

2006 Kyle Ankenbauer ’06: I am in a master’s program in Water Resources Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. My research site is Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park, so I have found a way to spend my summers in California again. Steve Shin ’06 visited in March. After spending two years fulfilling his obligation to the Korean military, he matriculated at the University of Pennsylvania (Wharton). He will graduate this year with a degree in finance and will move to Hong Kong to work with Barclays Capital. Bob Wei ’06 visited in April with his sister Maggie Wei ’08. After graduating from Bowdoin with a BA in mathematics and

2012 ALUMNI MAGAZINE

Monterey native and Stevenson alumnus sits at No. 30 on the LPGA Tour money list. Her best finish this season is a tie for 14th at the LPGA Thailand 2012 in February.” Tiffany Otto ’08 is president of KKG fraternity at Babson College, and will graduate this spring. While at Babson she also studied computer science at Harvard, worked with Rock Star and Fire Hose Games, and spent her junior year in Japan. Blythe Robinson ’08 graduated with honors in March from the Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, New York with a bachelor’s of professional studies. AnnaMarie Sintetos ’08 attended the Boston Alumni dinner in March. She will graduate this year from Simmons and will work in Boston for a couple of years before attending graduate school.

NYU students Katherine Pan ’11, Deanna Lee ’11, Sam Radseresht ’11, Natalie Jensen ’11, Allen Shen ’09, and Miles Mercer ’09

computer science, he joined Accenture as a consultant in technology. He lives in New York and so far has worked in Texas, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

2007 Vivien Cheung ’07 is living and working in New York. She earned a BA in economics from Cornell University and minored there in information science. Chin (Amy) Kao ’07 graduated from UC Berkeley and is living in Taiwan. She works in sales with Kingston Technology (FarEast Region), and in her spare time she cooks, bakes, travels, and plays on her PS3. Joanna Lam ’07 is in her final year at the USC School of Architecture.

2008 Garnet Abrams ’08 will graduate from Princeton this spring with a BS degree in geosciences. She will be working with Schlumberger in Alaska as a

STEVENSON SCHOOL

field engineer. She enjoyed Princeton immensely and was able to take many courses outside her major field of study, including a very stimulating one titled “Religion in modern thought and film.” Richard Aime ’08 is in his final year at Gettysburg College. He is vice president of the Student Senate and managing editor of The Gettysburgian; and he is majoring in political science, peace and justice studies. Peter Cofresi ’08 is living in downtown Manhattan and finishing his junior year at Pace University. He is majoring in communications with a focus on social and digital media. He will work at the Stevenson Summer Camp again this year and study at Regents College in London in the fall. Mina Harigae ’08 is in her third season on the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) tour. A note in a recent Monterey Herald reads: “With a tie for 38th at last weekend’s Nabisco Championship, (the)

Emily Talley ’08: This is my final semester in CU Boulder. I am excited for school to be over, but the uncertainty of the next step is quite daunting. I will be pursuing professional golf. I have been playing very well and enjoying it so much lately, so that is the plan. I am going to Norway in June and then to Asia for a month for the NCAA All-Stars trip. I will be participating in the LPGA Qualifying School tournament in September and what happens after that will depend on how I do there. Maggie Wei ’08 will graduate this month from Georgetown with a BS in the biology of global health, and will enroll Faculty Member Cole Thompson and Sami Silverman ’09 at the Pebble Beach Holiday Reception in December 2011

at Georgetown Medical School in the fall. She credits her admission to the medical school at the end of her sophomore year to the AP courses she took at Stevenson in chemistry, biology, physics, and calculus. She also had a great experience working ten-hour weeks in an internship with USAID. Justin Wong ’08 will graduate in June from UC San Diego with a BS degree in mechanical engineering. Besides being a student, he is an undergraduate teaching assistant for an engineering class and works part time as a quality engineer in a biotech company. He enjoys engineering, especially the design aspect of it, and is looking for more mechanical engineering or industrial manufacturing experience after he graduates.

2009 Arthur Kuan ’09 graduates in May from the University of Pennyslvania and is anticipating working in Hong Kong, Shanghai, or Taiwan in the financial

IN MEMORIAM

bachelor of science degree in three years and a master of engineering degree in the fourth year.

2010

Connor Stuewe ’11 was voted America East Conference Rookie Swimmer of the Year while helping Boston University Swimming & Diving to its first conference title sweep for men and women since 1994. He established a new school record in the 100 backstroke and new records in the 800 free relay and 400 medley relay.

Shelly Place ’10 is majoring in media studies and communications at NYU and is most likely going to do business studies as a minor.

2011 Maddie Bairey ’11 is a member of the MIT indoor track team and qualified for the Nationals. Natalie Jensen ’11 is enjoying life and her experiences at NYU. She is planning to major in media, cultures, and communications; she also plans to study abroad in Copenhagen in her junior year. Michael Lin ’11 will be moving to the United Kingdom in the fall to continue his studies in engineering at Cambridge University (St. Catherine’s College) following a year at USC. He will earn a

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Please email your personal stories* and digital photos* for the “Alumni at Large” section to alumni@stevensonschool.org. *Please limit your update to 300 words or less. Personal updates must be written in the first person and will be reprinted as provided, please check your grammar and spelling. Updates may be edited for appropriateness. All photos must be high-resolution (300 dpi) and please identify the people in the photo(s).

We are saddened by the notification of the following deaths in our Stevenson community since June 2011:

ALUMNI Bruce Finley Armstrong ’60 Peter Michael Douglas ’60 Cameron Fuller-Holloway ’04 Marc Sergei Kasanin ’84 David Shefik ’77 FACULTY & STAFF Anne Dick Mother of Lee ’66, Lawrence ’72, and Patricia Siegfried “Siggi” Krovelis Nicole Longfellow ALUMNI PARENTS & GRANDPARENTS Willie Russell Clark Mother of Michael ’65

industry to expand his accounting experience. His longer-term goal is to be involved in entrepreneurial ventures.

Sandra Dolce-Chappin Mother of Gina ’96 and Jared ’98

Torsten Andreas Matheson Father of Taylor ’89 and Blake ’01

George E. Dueker Father of Kenneth ’79 and Steven ’80

Barry Jack McMahon Father of Darrin ’84 and Heather ’88

Jane Benidt Gleason Mother of Wendy ’87, Holly ’92, and Ellen ’95

Malcolm Moran Father of Callie ’84 and Mandy ’99

Roy Nobuyoshi Hattori Grandfather of Thomas ’97

James M. Stephenson Father of Lynne ’78 and James ’80

Louisiana Abbot Leaver Mother of Tom ’70 and Grandmother of Amy Baker Rheim ’90 and Kelly Baker San Filippo ’91

Mariko “Mollie” Sumida Grandmother of Carli Sumida Harman ’94

Robert L. Little Grandfather of Amy Figge ’88 and Matthew Jr. ’90

Thomas F. Young Grandfather of Alyssa Jang ’11 and Sydney Jang ’14

Isaure de La Chapelle Lord Mother of Jacques ’75 and Mark ’79

Michael Lamont Younger Father of Michael ’02

Mrs. Dorothy Yeh Mother of David ’87

2012 ALUMNI MAGAZINE

VIEW FROM THE BACK PORCH

PLAY!

By Frank Stephenson, Director of Alumni Relations

On a Wednesday morning in late March in Keck Auditorium, 600 students and teachers joined hands in a chain to thumb-wrestle. For about a minute, everyone was physically connected by a game. It was the opening session of Symposium 2012 — “Play! To Shape a Gameful Life” — and when the chain dissolved, Jane McGonigal, keynote speaker and author of Reality Is Broken, suggested to our students that if they had any favors to ask from their teachers, they should do so immediately while the oxytocin streaming through them from the aforementioned activity inclined them to random acts of kindness. The subtitle of McGonigal’s book, Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World, reveals her intent, which is to educate skeptics about the power of games to increase brain power and imagination, and to provide their players “blissful productivity,” “urgent optimism,” a “social fabric,” and “epic meaning.” McGonigal is so enthusiastic that she predicts “gamers” will win a Nobel Peace Prize by 2023, or at least a Nobel Prize in Science. Among talk of the caudate, hippocampus, and thalamus (parts of the brain that

STEVENSON SCHOOL

get extensive use by game players) are some startling facts. Hard-core gamers will spend 10,000 hours playing by the time they are 21, and they will have failed 80 percent of that time (that’s like being a .200 hitter in baseball). If it’s true, as many experts state, that we learn more from failure than success, and that it takes 10,000 hours of directed practice to be really good at something, we need to look at these people through different eyes. And when we hear that it took a bunch of gamers 10 days to solve a problem that had baffled scientists for 10 years, perhaps it’s time to pay attention. A common belief is that “attitude is everything,” and throughout the day that point came back over and over again. When we ourselves choose a challenge, we experience positive stress (eustress); and when we experience positive stress, time becomes meaningless and failure is an opportunity to learn and get better. Not a bad way to go. Toward the end of the day, Amanda Wixted ’00 and Tiffany Otto ’08, alumni gamers who came in from New York and Boston, respectively, for the occasion, spoke with female students interested in the business. Asked what training or education she had that led her into game creation, Amanda told of her change from dance to computer science as her major

while at university, and advised the girls to grab every opportunity to learn and experience different things. “Remember,” she said, “throughout your life you will bring the sum of your experiences to everything you do.” And when asked about the kind of commitment it takes to succeed in the industry Tiffany responded, “You have to be passionate about what you do or you won’t do it for long. You can’t work 18- to 20-hour days doing something you don’t love.” Is there any better advice than that? A billion gamers are loose in the world, including 185 million in the United States (54 percent of the population) and 311 million in China (22 percent); and 700 million people have downloaded Angry Birds to their phones or pads, crossing all language and socioeconomic barriers in the process. If you want to get started, we were told, try Fold It, a protein folding game developed at the University of Washington. The possibilities seem endless. I batted .500 in the thumb wrestling, and I felt the goodwill that swept through our Stevenson community that morning. This is quite a special place.

Come back to

Homecoming Weekend

JJ ’13

October 5–7, 2012

Beakers and goggles for chem lab. . . . . . . . . . $23 Water polo ball. . . . $50

Package of 50 exam blue books . . . $31

Kirsi ’12 Mowing Wilson Field on game day. . . . $25 Referee for home basketball game. . . . $121 Operating costs for one day of KSPB . . . . $83

For a complete schedule of events, please visit www.stevensonschool.org/homecoming

Your gift of $25, $50, or $100 makes a difference to Kirsi, Ryu, and JJ. Help keep the chem lab stocked; paint in the art studio; balls

, Things may have changed ver. but Stevenson spirit is fore SS-296 SS Alumni Mag SprSmr 2012 Cover_Final.indd 2

in the pool and the gym; and buses going to the state parks. Bring these pieces together and support our students. Make your gift to the Stevenson Fund today.

GIVE NOW at www.stevensonschool.org/giving or call (831) 625-8354 5/9/12 4:59 PM

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PAID Salinas, CA Permit No. 467

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Homecoming October 5 – 7, 2012

Run in the Forest October 6, 2012

Holiday Receptions December 2012

Reunion Weekend 2013 June 7 – 9

Pebble Beach Campus, 3152 Forest Lake Road, Pebble Beach, California 93953 Carmel Campus, 24800 Dolores Street, Carmel, California 93923

tel (831) 625-8300

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fax (831) 625-5208

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spring/summer 2012

Alumni Games December 22, 2012

alumni magazine

Reunion Weekend 2012 June 8 – 10

Stevenson sc ho ol

EVENTS Calendar

Stevenson Stories

A Frank Discussion on the Last 50 Years

Alumni Spotlight On

Vincent Ma ’83 Elliott Easterling ’89 Brian Bajari ’90 Amanda Wixted ’00 Peter Douglas ’60:

A Life of Inspiration, Service & Gratitude

infopk-8@stevensonschool.org Spring/summer 2012

Susan Slusser ’83 is

Making Her Mark in the Major League 5/7/12 11:34 AM