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s c h o o l
Winter 2013
Living into Our Episcopal Identity
o ur e piscopal iden tit y Explore the many ways we honor our Episcopal identity while celebrating diversity and nurturing grand intellectual pursuits.
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St. Stephen’s Episcopal School
co nten ts
Winter 2013
Spartan Magazine
2 More than Mere Words 3 A True Friend-Raising Event 4 New Dining Hall/Student Center
in the Works
6 What Makes the Dell Pedestrian
Green “Green”
8 Putting Fun Back in Fundraising 9 The Day We Revisited Our Past 10 The Transformative Legacy of head of school Robert E. Kirkpatrick
11 Remaining Faithful to the
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editor
Founder’s Vision
12 Honoring His Father’s Memory
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Anne Marie Becka
John Hines
13 What It Means to be an Episcopal
class notes editor Lou Porter Bailey ’71
School
design
14 Spartan Life
Ellen Buckmaster, Bucko Design
20 Alumni News
contributors Christine Aubrey Lou Porter Bailey ’71 Hayden Blood Gayden Breckwoldt Kristine Brown Sherry Buchanan Rick Cantu Chris Caselli ’82 The Rev. Todd FitzGerald Emily Hummel ’86 Joan Hyde Bob Kirkpatrick Megan Lyon Jon McCain Mark Matson Elizabeth Moon Rachel Nation Sarah Todd
23 Class Notes on the cover
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The great live oak, where the Rt. Rev. John Hines broke ground for St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in November 1949, overlooking the Brewster Memorial
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Spartan magazine is published twice a year for constituents of St. Stephen’s Episcopal School. Copyright © 2013 St. Stephen’s Episcopal School
subscription information and address changes Shirley Hamilton shamilton@sstx.org or 512.327.1213 x 158
inside cover
Shandy Maccow, Genny Spear and Samantha Richards performing at the Festival of Lessons and Carols
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a me ssage from the h e a d o f s c h o o l
Winter 2013
purpose
spirit reason love
INCLUSION respect
social action responsibility
community Character Honor
More than Mere Words A t St. Stephen’s we often speak of our founding vision and of its direct descendents, the school’s mission and values—those clear and unequivocal core foundations upon which our school was built. At the heart of these guiding principles are the key elements of our identity as an Episcopal school, the subject of much of what follows in this issue of Spartan magazine. St. Stephen’s founders were not only men and women of vision, but of faith. The Rt. Rev. John Hines, the Rev. William Brewster and the founding trustees drew their inspiration from scripture and a strong calling to create a school that would embody God’s love for all and bear witness to the truths and teachings of the Gospels. Among them was a commitment to social action and responsibility; a belief in the sacredness of the individual; the importance of establishing a community where inclusion, compassion and respect reigned; a need to cultivate the spirit and the inner self; and the value of living a life of faith enlightened by reason. This would be a unique school, one that the Rev. Brewster characterized as “a spirit-centered community that honors all faiths [and is] grounded by worship in the Episcopal tradition.” What inspired and guided the founders is as relevant and alive today as it seemed aspirational in 1950. The faces, facilities and programs have changed throughout the years, but examples abound of our continued effort to live into our essential beliefs and principles. Today, they are much more than fading memories or idle words to us; they explain our existence and demonstrate who and what we are today as a learning community. Rigorous study and inquiry, overseen by caring and talented adults, continue to arm students with the skills and perspective necessary for living full and productive lives. Our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion is borne out of our history and has taken on a global dimension beyond what the founders may
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have imagined. Reaching out in service to others, pursuing what is right and just, and seeing beyond ourselves extends from this campus to the greater Austin community and to places around the world where we are called upon to “make a difference,” as our school prayer states. Improving communication with all our constituents is not simply about informing, but building a shared sense of purpose and understanding toward an even stronger sense of community. Living a reflective life—exploring the inner self and strengthening the heart and spirit—is most obvious in daily Chapel and theology programming, but continues throughout all aspects of school life where some of life’s greatest questions are being asked. In these and many other ways, we remain grounded in the basic tenets of our founding. As you read about the enduring values of our school over time, the Hines legacy, the experiences of community members in the school’s early days, and the qualities and spiritual underpinnings of our identity as an Episcopal school, look for evidence of these “essentials” in your St. Stephen’s experience. You may find these pages reaffirming and refreshing in a number of ways. They may highlight the many reasons for your affiliation with the school or inspire you to connect with or support St. Stephen’s in new ways, all while underscoring those essentially immutable beliefs and ideals that continue to give meaning to what we say and do here every day. — bob kirkpatrick, head of school
“
Our commitment to diversity, equity
and inclusion is borne out of our history and has taken on a global dimension beyond what the founders may have imagined.
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paren ts ’ associatio n
Spartan Magazine
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It is important for members of
our community to gather for the sake of gathering.
”
A True Friend-Raising Event
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p h otos TOP TO BOTTOM President Megan Lyon, Marnie Near, Claudia Burnett and Nicole Cormier; Alumni Director Lou Porter Bailey ‘71 and Kimberly Johnson; Gene Dooley with Upma and Manish Chauhan; Cody Hoover and Amanda Nevins
very October, St. Stephen’s raises a large tent on The Hill for reunion weekend activities. As president of the Parents’ Association (PA) it occurred to me that this tent could have many uses. Episcopalians often refer to “a tent” when talking about the Episcopal Identity, which means that we are covered by a large tent, where everyone is welcome. Simply put, at St. Stephen’s it does not matter what school you came from, what grade your child is in or if you are from Austin or the other side of the globe. It does not even matter if you are Episcopalian or not. Everyone is welcome under our tent. The PA’s Tent Event is a simple concept. It is about building friendship and getting to know and understand one another better. It is important for members of our community to gather for the sake of gathering. Not for fundraising. Not for athletics. Not for fine arts. Not for performing arts. Not for academics. Really, for no other reason than for parents, faculty, staff and trustees to come together — a true friend-raising event. As we began this quest this year, we went in with some trepidation. It might not work. It might rain. Would anyone show up on a Thursday evening? Would parents think we were trying to strong arm people into volunteering? I am very happy to report that the PA’s Tent Event was wildly successful. Thanks to the hard work and unwavering dedication of Nicole Cormier, Marnie Near and Claudia Burnett, the PA hosted more than 125 parents, faculty and staff at its first annual potluck event on Oct. 25. Spanish instructor Jorge Muñoz helped create a festive atmosphere with the music of his wonderful band. The potluck proved to be a wonderful event that we look forward to continuing every year for the sake of getting to know others in our community. The tent also proved to be a great symbol for the evening. It provided cover and protection while all sides remained open so that all were welcome. — Megan Lyon, president of the Parents’ Association
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f ram e the fu tu re ca m pa ign
Winter 2013
Construction Begins on New Dining Hall and Student Center
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STUDENT CENTER PORCH ST. STEPHEN’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL 21 SEPTEMBER 2012 ANDERSSON WISE ARCHITECTS
hen you ask students what makes St. Stephen’s special, many will comment on our committed faculty and the rigorous academics that prepare them for the next stage of their lives. They will talk about how St. Stephen’s helped to shape their sense of social justice, and they will also mention the land. Spartans have a fierce attachment to the land. This special 370 acre tract, initially spotted by the Rev. William Brewster from the shores of Lake Austin and quarried by some of the first students, helps our students develop a love and appreciation for the land. The new Dining Hall will allow everyone on campus to enjoy the soaring views of the Hill Country from the sunset dining terrace. The expanded service area will better accommodate our chef-prepared offerings, designed to give students choices from many well-rounded meal options. The project was inspired by the St. Stephen’s tradition of encouraging students and faculty members to exchange ideas in an informal setting beyond the classroom. The communal dining experience is an integral part of the St. Stephen’s experience, connecting students and teachers in an informal, family-like setting. The new Dining Hall and Student Center complex is another triumph of an effort that began in 1993, when a group of committed trustees and administrators established a Campus Master Site Plan that set the tone for all future campus development. The plan is a shared vision that guides campus development, character and boundaries. An updated plan was completed in 2008. In 2009 the Frame the Future Campaign was launched to fund much-needed new buildings and the Emerging Scholars Program and to add to the school’s endowment. St. Stephen’s engaged award-winning architects Andersson-Wise to design the complex. The Student Center will centralize the resources that our students rely on outside the classroom, housing our deans, College Counseling offices and International Program. It also will offer plenty of study space, as well as recreational areas for students to relax and enjoy one another. We anticipate that the new buildings will be completed in time for the start of the 2013–14 school year. Naming opportunities are still available. Join the other members of our community who recognized the significance of this important new center of Spartan life.
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— hayden blood, campaign director
Spartan Magazine
Community Dedicates Newest Campus Enhancements
On Sept. 3, 2012, the St. Stephen’s school community
p h otos TOP TO BOTTOM Director of Fine Arts Liz Moon reads a prayer during the dedication alongside the Rev. Todd FitzGerald, the Rt. Rev. Dena Harrison and Jessica Manzano-Valdez; Henry Tschurr, Helen Harman, Peyton Malesovas, Karrie Poppinga, Chloe Hooks, Dawn Goodfriend, Christopher Colvin and Julia Mewborne; Thunder drummers Charlie Ozburn, Matt Wong, Max Green, Hadie Evarts, Gabe Sperling, Miles Grossenbacher and Megan Nater
and honored guests gathered amid the spirited call of highland bagpipers for a Ceremony of Thanksgiving and Dedication to mark the official opening of three major campus enhancements. The Rt. Rev. Dena A. Harrison, Bishop Suffragan of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas and St. Stephen’s board chair, officiated at the dedication program. Following the invocation and opening hymns, Bishop Harrison led the more than 700 attendees to the Roger Bowen Arts Studios, the first among the three campus additions. Located just below the Helm Fine Arts building, the 7,500-square-foot arts studios house the school’s Theatre Focus, digital photography and film programs. Following a blessing, participants proceeded to the Michael & Susan Dell Pedestrian Green, which significantly enlarges the green space in the heart of campus. Comprised of limestone paths and beds filled with native Hill Country plants, the Dell Pedestrian Green serves as a pedestrian-friendly gathering area for the school community. Attendees then turned their attention to the two-story Wycliff-Freeman Dormitory complex, which serves as home to 60 boarding students. Ten new faculty family residences were built at the ends of and around the dorm. Arthur Andersson and Chris Wise of Andersson-Wise Architects designed the new Wycliff-Freeman Dormitory, as well as the Bowen Arts Studios. Their past campus projects include the Linda Lanham Douglass Middle School addition and Arther Temple Jr. Upper School. Joan Hyde, owner of Resource Design in Austin, designed the Dell Pedestrian Green. Her past campus projects include Moody Walk, Sooch Courtyard, the Chapel exterior and many other spaces around the school. The latest enhancements to the St. Stephen’s campus were made possible by the school’s ongoing Frame the Future campaign. “Our community of donors has worked hard to fulfill our founders’ vision to create an inclusive village of teachers and students living into the promise to develop sharp minds, have humble hearts, and be willing to see beyond themselves,” said Christine Aubrey, director of advancement. “We are grateful for their tremendous generosity, as well as their strong dedication to upholding the guiding vision of our school. “Every new building and landscape site reinforces the master site plan envisioned by William Brewster and John Hines,” Aubrey added.
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f ram e the fu tu re ca m pa ign
Winter 2013
What Makes the
”
green” Dell Pedestrian Green
— joan s. hyde, principal of resource design
Summer 2012 brought monumental changes to the pedestrian center of campus with the installation of the new Michael & Susan Dell Pedestrian Green. More than two acres of land were transformed from a ragged, eroded hillside into a sustainable terraced landscape with a separate visitor turnaround and drop-off. Most users appreciate the improved function and beauty of the campus environment, but may not fully realize the work the landscape is performing. Take the quiz below to test your knowledge and find out more about the intents and impacts of the project, including how the Dell Pedestrian Green is ecologically “green.”
1. When did the idea for separating cars from students and making the campus core pedestrian originate? a. Last year b. 3 years ago c. 5 years ago d. 20 years ago 2. I understand the pedestrian part, but why is it called “green?” a. The project is a model of green infrastructure and sustainability b. It is a popular trend right now c. It has lots of vegetation and pedestrian open spaces d. Both A and C 3. What exactly is green infrastructure? a. Pipes are painted green to blend with the environment b. An environmental art piece by Christo composing a lattice from colored PVC pipes c. A method of using landscapes and plantings in lieu of pipes and sand pits to manage storm water d. I have no idea
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St. Stephen’s Episcopal School
4. How far did they have to haul the boulders in front of the Middle School? a. From the old quarry on the edge of St. Stephen’s property b. From Jarrell, Texas c. From Rome, Italy d. They were harvested on-site e. All of the above 5. What percentage of tuition dollars went toward the Pedestrian Green project? a. 1 percent b. 0.5 percent c. 0.25 percent d. None 6. What major campus issues did the project address? a. Safety: conflicts between cars and pedestrians b. Flooding at Marshall House c. Middle School drop-off with easy access for rolling backpacks d. Improved site lighting e. All of the above
7. What additional campus functions were achieved? a. Handicap access to the Chapel and lower level of the library b. Visitor parking c. Shady study and gathering areas d. Visually softening the west facade of the library e. Emergency and delivery access to The Hill f. All of the above g. A, B, D and F 8. What environmental functions are served by the project? a. Reduces and filters water runoff, increasing infiltration to the soil b. Solar energy collection c. Groundwater recharge d. Rainwater harvesting e. Minimizes irrigation and maintenance needs f. Supports health of existing live oaks and other trees g. All of the above h. A, C, E and F
Spartan Magazine
9. How does the project slow water runoff and increase infiltration to the soil? a. Terraces created by stone walls and boulders flatten slopes, slowing the water b. Space behind walls hold water when it rains, allowing it to soak in c. Pervious pavers at visitor parking collect water in the joints, releasing it slowly d. Through bioinfiltration e. All of the above 10. What is bioinfiltration? a. Using porous soils and special plants to absorb water, promoting infiltration and transpiration while trapping sediment and excess fertilizer b. Using a filamentous algae to bind water molecules to plant root hairs c. Using microbes specially adapted to transport water d. All of the above
11. What plant characteristics support bioinfiltration in the Austin area? a. Drought tolerant b. Flood tolerant c. Succulent d. High surface area to volume ratio e. All of the above f. A, B and D 12. What is the vertical elevation change from the top of the project by the library to the drainage channel below the turnaround? a. 18 feet b. 25 feet c. 30 feet d. 34 feet
Site Planning and Design: Joan S. Hyde, Resource Design Civil Engineering: Robert Thompson, Thompson Land Engineering Project Construction: Rogers O’Brien; Tim Smith, project manager Stone Mason: Longoria Masonry Boulder Terraces: Environmental Survey Consulting Landscape Installation: Choate USA
Check Your Knowledge 1. (d) Creating inviting pedestrian areas that connect The Hill to the dining hall with a separate roadway and drop-off was first adopted in the 1993 Site Master Plan and confirmed in subsequent updates; 2. (d); 3. (c); 4. (d); 5. (d) The project was funded entirely by a generous grant from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation; 6. (e); 7. (f); 8. (h); 9. (e); 10. (a); 11. (f) Plants must tolerate drought conditions between rains and inundation after storms. Succulents are not suitable because they are adapted to hold water rather than release it through transpiration; 12. (d)
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annual givin g
Winter 2013
Putting the ‘fun’ Back in fundraising!
A
s you know, Annual Giving is the cornerstone of fundraising at St. Stephen’s. Participation in Annual Giving is the most important way you can demonstrate your support for the school and your belief in the importance of a St. Stephen’s education. Parent chairs Liz and Eric Goldreyer helped us kick off the 2012–13 Annual Giving campaign in September — with the St. Stephen’s Thunder drumline leading the charge. Under the Goldreyers’ outstanding leadership, more than 120 volunteers have dedicated their time and worked together to help ensure the success of this year’s campaign. Thanks to everyone’s strong commitment to Annual Giving, more than 75 percent of our community has contributed to date.
We thank you for your tremendous support. Following our successful kick-off event, we extended the excitement with a thank you party for leadership donors and Annual Giving volunteers, which was hosted by Tess and Gregg Peters in October. And the fun is not over yet. Stayed tuned for more exciting Annual Giving event news! Each gift makes a difference in the life of the school and helps ensure the quality of the school’s programs year after year. No gift is too small. If you have not yet given, please consider a gift to Annual Giving first. Your gift will be gratefully received and wisely used. — sherry buchanan, director of annual giving
p h otos Clockwise from top left Liz and Eric Goldreyer; Suzanne Schlesinger and Wendy Thompson; Jacquetta and Lowell Feldman; Kathy Keig and Sheldy Starkes; Class Captains, 2012-13 8
St. Stephen’s Episcopal School
board of trustee s
History Mapping The Day We Revisited Our Past
O n A u g . 1 7, 2 0 1 2 , t h e b o a r d o f t r u s t e e s a n d members of the faculty and staff gathered on campus for the annual board retreat. Going into the meeting, group members expressed the vague anxiety of people unclear about what had been planned for the next four hours: “We are doing what? Why is that?” In my defense, the afternoon’s plans represented an effort to wrap up several years of school community work on our marketing, branding and communications project. This retreat exercise was planned as the capstone moment that would summarize the work of the previous two years for the trustees, faculty and staff in attendance. We wasted no time getting started. The Johnson Recital Hall was covered with broad sheets of butcher paper that were labeled with the decades of the school’s life, starting with the 1950s. Our facilitator, Margaret Vaughan Robinson, explained the plan and quickly divided us into six smaller groups, one for each decade of the school’s history. She invited us to brainstorm with our markers: Everyone in the group was to write on the decade paper in front of them what they remembered from those 10 years. As we moved through that hour, each group rotated around the room to have its turn with each decade, creating a historical timeline of the school. Each of us had different levels of insight into each decade. Some people wrote personal remembrances, such as the bland taste of
Spartan Magazine
p h otos left to right Head of School Bob Kirkpatrick and Trustee Scott O’Hare; Trustee Chris Phillips ’65; The Rt. Rev. Dena Harrison, Trustee Lynne Rupp, Trustee David Sugeno ’83 and Campaign Director Hayden Blood
the saltines and milk served before bed in the 1950s, the story of the first gift to the school on Christmas Eve, the sound of the bell on cold winter mornings, the chores of school keeping, and the beauty of the sunset over the Colorado River. Others remembered William Brewster’s funeral and watching John Hines pace up and down the sidelines at school football games. Current trustees Greg Hicks ’68 and Anne Moultrie ’69 shared their experiences as the school’s first African-American boarding students. Several others described how both awesome and awful historical events impacted the school community, including the day Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated and, as a result, raising the money from reluctant Austin churches for a scholarship for an AfricanAmerican student; listening to the Cuban missile crisis unfold on dorm room radios; and watching the World Trade Center towers crumble and the subsequent efforts to calm the fears of our Muslim students and their parents. When our collective writing session was over, Robinson urged us to probe more deeply into what the events said about our founding values and how those values of social justice, inclusiveness and rigorous learning carry through to today. We talked about former head of school Allen Becker’s condition for taking the job — that he be allowed to integrate the school. Bishop Dena Harrison talked about Bishop John Hines’ prophetic vision and radical interpretation of the Gospel, in the wake of World War II, through his work founding St. Stephen’s, a community “dedicated to the recovery of humans.” When we came to the end of the history mapping session, we understood how the school continues to live into the vision of our founders, Hines and Brewster. Although it is 62 years later, we continue to hold close the ideas and ideals that led them to start this extraordinary school on a hill. — christine aubrey, director of advancement
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Li v i ng in to Our Episc o pa l I d e ntit y
Winter 2013
The Transformative Legacy ofJohn Hines
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“St. Stephen’s Episcopal identity includes the religious values that underlie the school’s commitment to justice and service,” explained the Rt. Rev. Dena A. Harrison, Bishop Suffragan of the Diocese of Texas and chair of the St. Stephen’s board of trustees. “The school does not exist to get kids into a great college, although that usually happens. Its purpose is to train courageous, moral servant leaders for the world. “Young people do understand the importance of serving others when they are formed in that tradition,” continued Harrison, who credits the school’s founder, the Rt. Rev. John E. Hines, with developing the strong culture of community that exists today. Hines and the first headmaster, the Rev. William Brewster, sought to create an academically rigorous school that welcomed students from around the country and across the socioeconomic spectrum. “Hines was a prophetic voice in the world, a man incredibly gifted by God and empowered to speak the deepest Gospel values,” Harrison said. “He was a great leader because he had the courage to be unpopular.” According to the Episcopal Archives, Hines was called to serve the church as an advocate of the “Social Gospel” and took an “activist approach to social issues,” particularly racial inequality and poverty. As Bishop Coadjutor of the Diocese of Texas in the mid-1950s, he “worked to integrate all the institutions and agencies of the diocese and urged advocacy for civil rights among Episcopalians.” During this time Hines worked to integrate St. Stephen’s as well, despite harsh resistance and dissension among some parents, some of whom withdrew their children from school. Thanks to his unwavering vision, St. Stephen’s became the first coed Episcopal school in the nation and the first integrated boarding school in the South. “Hines’ motto was, ‘We are all children of God,’” Harrison explained. “That’s why we work so hard today to build our scholarship capacity. Inclusion is a core value of the church and is what motivates us to focus on maximizing scholarships for anyone who qualifies for admission.”
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St. Stephen’s Episcopal School
By all accounts, Hines spent his life working to transform the lives of individuals and of society as a whole. Harrison believes that legacy is realized today in the school’s ability to empower students to become substantial, courageous, compassionate adults who see beyond themselves. “These great values give rise to a particularly strong focus on community, which is formative for individuals,” she said. “We are bonded to the school and to each other because of the transformative process that happens here. “Education provides the opportunity to form thoughtful human beings. And we believe we have a way to do that for the betterment of the world. Our Episcopal identity leads us to form citizens of the world who care about their neighbors and who understand the responsibility they have to share their incredible capacities with others.”
Spartan Magazine
remaining faithfulto the Founder’s vision “I am excited by the vision of St. Stephen’s founder; particularly, that education here should be personal without being prejudicial, profound without being incomprehensible, religious without being merely pious,” said the Rev. Todd FitzGerald, who was installed as St. Stephen’s chaplain last fall. “I’m excited about the potential of living into that history, understanding it more deeply and helping to work alongside members of our community to build those beliefs in our students. “St. Stephen’s is a unique place, where children are formed in community,” he said. “They are socially conscious and selfconscious, have a well-formed head but also a well-shaped heart.” Anyone who knows FitzGerald would say he fully embodies those same ideals. Raised in Shreveport, La., he attributes his own exploration of faith in high school to his mother’s corresponding mid-life search for self. “My mom’s examination of her self-identity outside of being a mom led to her deepening faith,” he explained. “As she became more explicit about her spiritual beliefs, I started to explore my own.” While FitzGerald was busy playing sports and “trying to get dates,” he also became more active in his local Episcopal Church. “As I explored parts of my life, one constant throughout was my emerging and deepening Christian identity. I began to understand that I was a reflection of God’s love, and I realized I could be that for others.” By the time he left home to attend Texas A&M University, he had begun to consider a life in the ministry. While earning a bachelor’s degree in English, FitzGerald attended the Episcopal Student Center and regularly met with the college chaplain to discuss entering the priesthood. It was during this time that he began to struggle with “a self-imposed need to be perfect,” believing that if he were good enough, then he would deserve to serve God. “I thought I had to be perfect to be worthy of God’s love; I thought I had to be righteous,” he explained. “I now know that is a distortion of Christian truth. You cannot earn God’s love. His love is bestowed on us because God is good. His love is unconditional.”
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After graduating from A&M in 1991, FitzGerald became a youth minister for a church in Houston. He was decidedly miserable in the role and now realizes he was “not mature enough to understand the social dynamics of a large suburban church.” He spent the next two years working as a bilingual docent at a children’s museum. “That was such a cathartic time for me; I needed time spent as a member of a spiritual community without trying to be a role model.” During this time, he reconnected and fell in love with Amy, whom he met in his teens at church camp. “At the same time, I fell out of love with the perfect image of myself — and realized I was now ready to devote my life to the church,” explained FitzGerald who moved with his new wife to Evanston, Ill., where he earned a Master of Divinity from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary. “Seminary is not unlike boarding life; you work on academics, make friends from different backgrounds and pray together,” said FitzGerald, who went on to serve as chaplain for five years at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Austin and for seven years at St. James Episcopal School in Hagerstown, Md., before joining the St. Stephen’s school community last fall. FitzGerald and Amy now live on campus with their two daughters, Stella and Florie. FitzGerald said he was drawn to serve at St. Stephen’s by the school’s diversity and its Episcopal identity. “We need to be a community willing to have and hold religious convictions close, but we don’t want to be exclusive and say our way is the only right way,” he explained. “Our goal is not to convert, but to help strengthen others in their own faith. If you come to St. Stephen’s Jewish or Muslim, we want you to leave stronger in your beliefs because of the religious rigors of the school. If you enter the community as a Christian or even an Episcopalian, we hope your Christian faith is deepened by your experiences here.” No doubt, with FitzGerald serving as spiritual leader of the school, the founder’s legacy is in good hands.
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Li v i ng in to Our Episc o pa l I d e ntit y
Winter 2013
honoring his father’s memory
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“My father was committed to human rights and devoted to the betterment of the human condition through education,” said the Rev. Will Brewster ’51, son of the founding head of school, for whom he is named. Called upon by the Rev. John E. Hines to establish an Episcopal boarding school in the West, the elder Brewster conceived of an inclusive church boarding school set high in the Texas hills that welcomed children of every economic and social group. A member of the first graduating class, the young Brewster joined his father at St. Stephen’s in the fall of 1950 for the inaugural school year. Among the first members of that tight-knit, hard-working community were seven faculty members and 77 students. “School life was rugged,” he remembered. “There were only five buildings on campus. As a student, I helped build some of the structures still standing today.” “School-keeping,” as it was called, was expected of all community members, who were required to help maintain the property, work in the dining hall and clean the dorms. Brewster said school-keeping came to St. Stephen’s as part of his father’s DNA, based on his experiences school-keeping as a student at the Kent School in the early 1920s and his reaction to heading “pampered” students on the East Coast. “My father had spent six years at St. Mark’s School in Massachusetts, where students wore uniforms and dressed in tuxedos for dinner every night,” he explained. “He thought it was important to bring up children who were not coddled by maids, who made their own beds and cleaned up after themselves.” The younger Brewster attended St. Stephen’s for one year, but said the time was “the most life-changing experience” of his life. He joined the U.S. Navy and served in the Pacific following the Korean War after graduating from St. Stephen’s and the University of Texas. He eventually “took up the family business,” becoming the fourth generation to wear the Episcopal collar. “I grew up with an important set of values and an understanding of the value of service,” he said. “I don’t mean service projects, but a lifelong commitment to helping people and ensuring others are cared for.” Although he now lives in Maine, Brewster returns to St. Stephen’s when he is able to speak in Chapel and honor his father’s memory. “I think my father would be astounded and delighted by the way the school has been built and rebuilt throughout the years and by the caliber of the students and teaching. “He would be proud of what you have achieved here at St. Stephen’s.”
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the st. stephen’s school prayer
Create in this school on a hill, Lord, respect for the earth, peace for its people, love in our lives, delight in the good, and forgiveness for past wrongs. Seeing our life as a journey together, empower us to make a difference in the world with open minds, open hearts and open doors. We pray in the name of the One who knows us and loves us. Amen.
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what it means to be an episcopal school
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On a recent Tuesday morning, a 10th grade student played a Chopin piece in Chapel as part of a contemplative service. In these services, two periods of silence are marked by the ringing of a bell, and these periods usually follow Scripture readings or a musical offering. The student’s offering was masterfully delivered, and it was enthusiastically received. In fact, the silence following her offering was delayed by sustained applause during which all eyes were on her in the front row. With a beaming smile and her characteristic humility, she stood to acknowledge the applause, and then we sat for our second period of silence. During the silence, it occurred to me that I had just witnessed one of the most poignant moments in Chapel since the academic year began. On that cool winter morning, the Chapel service was a blessing to us all, and the reaction was spontaneous gratitude and sincere appreciation. As is frequently our custom, we stood together to recite the School Prayer from memory, and then we spilled onto The Hill. As I watched students and faculty file out, I realized that I had just been given two valuable lessons about this Episcopal school community. First, I learned how much the community valued beauty in our daily worship. And second, I was reminded that one can tell a great deal about a community by what it knows by heart. One of the distinguishing characteristics of Episcopal schools is that they make
room for creative and majestic worship in the daily schedule. For more than 60 years, the St. Stephen’s school community has begun the day by bringing our very best to God in song and story, art and prayer. This year, too, beautiful music has been carefully presented, timeless stories from Scripture have been thoughtfully shared, art has been displayed to inspire, and prayers of comfort and praise have been faithfully repeated. The liturgical traditions from which we draw are deep and wide, and our capacity to bring these resources into our Chapel to create reverent worship in an authentic way is limitless. And while we gather in a Christian sanctuary with a giant wooden cross suspended above us, we honor and embrace the different religious traditions in the community. Our commitment to beautiful daily worship is complemented by our willingness to humbly engage each other as children of God, whose paths may be different from our own. Within our beautiful worship, members of the community inevitably value some practices more than others. Singing one popular hymn, for example, may be more highly valued than another equally majestic hymn that is less familiar. One of the practices that is universally appreciated and deeply valued, however, is the recitation of the school prayer. Its recitation, in fact, is one of the clearest ways that the St. Stephen’s Episcopal identity is lived out in our daily routine. This three-year-old prayer was developed by intentionally looking into our history in order to connect the modern prayer with the founding vision. We believe that our founders would be pleased with the result, as well as with the fact that it has become a guidepost for the current community as we learn, serve, play and pray together. It is a daily petition in which we ask God to be co-creator in our lives, to help us build a community that is different in particular ways than the world around us. And it is a faithful request to send us out from this school formed into people who will build a more just society, strive for a more loving community, and advocate for a more peaceful world. May “the One who knows us and loves us” bless us in this extraordinary endeavor and continue to bless St. Stephen’s Episcopal School. — the rev. todd fitzgerald, chaplain
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Spartan Life
The Festival of Lessons and Carols The fog was so thick it was difficult to see across the street. Yet, the weather did not dampen the buzz throughout town. It was the first Sunday in Advent, which meant Lessons and Carols at King’s College Chapel in Cambridge, England. Exhausted and chilled to the bone, this young traveler found herself at the end of a line of hundreds of people waiting to get inside the chapel for this special service. I heard the opening phrases of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” through the thick, ancient walls and kept my eyes on the door. Finally it opened, and my friend and I were beckoned in. The vivid memory of entering this sacred and magnificent candlelit space, hearing the pure voices of young singers, and joining the mighty congregation in hymns and carols returns to me each year as we enter the holiday season. First presented at King’s College in 1918, Lessons and Carols has become a St. Stephen’s tradition as well. This truly is a magical moment in time, made possible by the entire school community. The setting is our own historic Chapel, graced by paintings from the school’s visual studies students. Traditional luminarias, created by talented Fine Arts students, line the paths to the Chapel. Organist Karen Haverlah welcomes participants and carries us through the service. The story of the Creation and the fall, the passages of hope and prophecy, and finally the good news of Christmas are expressed in words and music. Led by the Rev. Todd FitzGerald and an array of readers, supported by the music of the Middle and Upper School choirs and Madrigals, under the direction of Rick Gabrillo, together with select members of the Upper School orchestra, under the direction of John Moon, we make this Advent journey together. Since the late 1950s, the wonder of Lessons and Carols is carried from the St. Stephen’s campus into the hearts and homes of our students and their families, faculty and staff, alumni and former parents, neighbors and friends of the school ― all of whom take this opportunity to celebrate the season and share their unique connection to this special school on The Hill. — elizabeth moon, chair of fine arts
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St. Stephen’s Episcopal School
Winter 2013
Gray eyes Gray sky echoes of soft light blanket of twinkling white gentle silence is whispered through the trees cold dust rests on wrinkled leaves my heavy breath falls unnoticed to the quiet pale earth waiting to shine once again. — caroline aung, class of 2016
p h oto s FROM top TO BOTTOM
Seniors Spencer Dunkerley-Offor and Ta’Ron Middleton; St. Stephen’s families enjoying the choir performance; Senior Yasmeen Farra
Spartan Magazine
School Community Raises Much-Needed Funds for Haiti
p h otos FROM top TO BOTTOM Sixth graders Jacob Hale, Benjamin Pryzbocki, Lee Trahan, David Lucid, Mac Schelbert, Marco Saucedo and Tyler Wong; Brittany Adams and Michaela Dunkerley-Offor; Head of Middle School Magnus Maccow; Jacob Price, Marty Grossenbacher and Ben Ellison; FAR RIGHT Ursula Cedillo-Johnson and Chelsey Lee
Last October St. Stephen’s celebrated its fifth annual Haiti on The Hill and raised close to $10,000 to benefit our sister school St. Etienne’s in Salmadere, Haiti. St. Stephen’s founded St. Etienne’s nine years ago in co-operation with the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti. Haiti on The Hill encourages the value of philanthropy throughout the school community with food, music and fun. Students hosted booths for selling items such as t-shirts, Haitian art and jewelry, food items and baked goods, and activities such as face painting and karaoke. Students and staff were encouraged to make cash donations as well. “If each St. Stephen’s student donated $18.03, the St. Etienne’s operating budget would be fully funded for the year,” said Yvonne Adams, director of diversity and a faculty event sponsor. “You don’t have to give a large amount to make a difference.” All money raised covers the tuition of 275 K-8 students and teacher salaries. Students participate in a number of activities to benefit St. Etienne’s throughout the school year. Vicki Woodruff, an English teacher and faculty sponsor of Haiti on the Hill, leads sixth grade students in constructing school supply kits that are sent to St. Etienne’s students. “St. Etienne’s is not just a place, but individuals and personal stories,” said Woodruff. “This activity introduces our sixth graders to the idea and importance of service, upon which they will hopefully build throughout the remainder of their years at St. Stephen’s.”
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Spartan Life
photos clockwise from top Sarah Todd with alumna HaRam Kang in Korea; St. Stephen’s exchange student Michelle Hull ’15 at St. Margaret's Girls’ School in Tokyo with Headmaster Wada and teachers; Bob and Sue Kirkpatrick and Sarah Todd at the Shanghai parent dinner; Daigo Satoh ’03, Kenjy Oka ’02 and Shin Onozawa ’02 toast St. Stephen’s at an alumni gathering in Tokyo; Far right Bob Kirkpatrick at National Palace Museum in Taipei with the mothers of Cosmo Wei ’14, Xander Chen ’16 and Henry Chen ’15
Winter 2013
St. Stephen’s in Asia Last fall, Bob and Sue Kirkpatrick and Sarah Todd had a highly productive and rewarding school visit to East Asia, making stops in six cities during a 14-day period. Together they visited Taipei, Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul, Tokyo and Hong Kong. In addition, Todd kicked off her trip with a visit to our exchange partner, St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Osaka. She concluded her travels by visiting members of the St. Stephen’s community and private schools in Shenzhen, China; Bangkok, Thailand; and London. The purpose of this Asia trip was to enhance existing ties and develop new relationships with current and past parents, alumni, school admissions contacts and recruitment agents, and prospective families, as well as potential donors within our extended school community. Means for doing so included attending parent and alumni dinners, receptions, and meetings; establishing an admissions presence at six school recruitment fairs in the region; enlisting the aid of St. Stephen’s parents and alumni in the process, and visiting other private schools. Interest in and support for St. Stephen’s in Asia remains very strong. Maintaining these ties halfway around the world remains a key factor in our ability to recruit and retain a diverse student population, which is so critical to the achievement of our school’s mission. — sarah todd, director of international program
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St. Stephen’s Episcopal School
Spartan Magazine
Spartans Celebrate Homecoming
Photos by Gayden Breckwoldt
p hotos FROM top TO BOTTOM Spartans taking the field for the Homecoming game; Students and faculty during the halftime parade: Maddy Blankenship, Kaydee Reese, Abbey Griscom, Instructor Michael Oberle, Gretchen Diede, Caroline Sandall, Gabi Eisenberg and Jessica Harmon; Noah Murphy, Trey Foster and Savannah Brilliant; FAR RIGHT Caroline Herrera and Missy Mouritsen
On Friday, Oct. 19, the St. Stephen’s community celebrated homecoming and cheered on the Spartan football team in its defeat of The John Cooper School from The Woodlands, 39-0. The animated crowd of more than 300 students, faculty and alumni arrived at St. Stephen’s Denius Stadium to the rousing beat of the school’s Thunder Drumline, which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. The Spartans scored first on a 36-yard run by sophomore Joey Carter to make the game 7-0 early in the first quarter. Carter led the St. Stephen’s offensive with 142 yards rushing and three touchdowns. The Spartans’ ground game was dominant all night with more than 300 yards in rushing. The Spartans took a 17-0 halftime lead after a 36-yard field goal by senior Colin Spears. When the Spartan team returned for the second half, they picked up where they left off. St. Stephen’s defense swarmed to the ball all night, creating five turnovers during the game: four interceptions and one fumble recovery. Spears led the turnover battle with two interceptions. At halftime, the boisterous crowd enjoyed the second annual Homecoming Halftime Parade ― a celebration reflecting the creativity of each upper school class. School mascot Martin the Spartan served as Grand Marshal of the parade. The St. Stephen’s Madrigals choir led the crowd in a rendition of a historic 1960s Spartan fight song, which was revived last year by history Instructor Kathryn Respess and Alumni Director Lou Porter Bailey ’71. Mark Kazanoff, jazz band director, arranged the music to reflect the original tune. The school’s cheerleading squad, led by captains Caroline Sandall and Kaydee Reese, also performed a buoyant half-time routine that had the crowd on its feet. — jon McCain, director of athletics
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Spartan Life
Winter 2013
Faces Off the Court: Brittany Adams What’s been your favorite volleyball moment this season? Winning the [Leander ISD] Volleypalooza tournament [in September 2012]. It showed how much of a great team we have. We clearly weren’t the most athletic team, but we wanted it more than anyone. Winning that tournament put our team on the map and that was pretty cool.
Photo by Mark Matson, MarkMatsonPhoto.net
What do you like most about St. Stephen’s? I love the diversity. I like that I can have conversations with people from China, the Bahamas or Mexico on a daily basis in my classes. I get a chance to experience different things from different cultures around the world, and this has opened my eyes to be more accepting to different types of people. Why has your team been so successful this year? Our coach, Karrie Poppinga, has helped us develop team chemistry and taught us to play for the person next to us. The girls on the team don’t really have that much in common off the court, but when we get on the court we put all the differences aside and play to win. If you could have dinner with any four people in the history of the world, who would they be? I’d love to sit down with [the late] Flo Hyman, one of the greatest volleyball players of all time. I would like the meet Rosa Parks and Malcolm X because they stood up for what they believed in and what was right. Also, Ruby Bridges, because she was the first African-American student to attend an all-white [elementary] school [in 1960]. I respect her because I kind of understand what she went through. Not to the same extent, but I respect her because she wasn’t afraid. If you had the choice of being all-state in volleyball or valedictorian of your class, which would you choose? Definitely valedictorian because tons of people can say they made all-state or all-conference every year, but there’s only one valedictorian. Where did you get your competitive streak? Probably from my mom and dad, who were both collegiate athletes. They always quote this verse from the Bible: “To whom much is given, much is required” and that drives me to compete and do my best in every aspect of my life. What is your favorite course this fall? Probably English, because my teacher, Ben Hines, is really chill. I like how he talks to us the way a teenager can easily understand. It makes class more fun and interesting. When you’re not playing sports, what do you do for fun? I usually just hang out with friends, cook for my family or check Twitter or Instagram because I’m pretty addicted to my phone. Tell me something about yourself most people don’t know? I paint my nails before every match or tournament. If you could take a vacation anywhere in the world, where would you go? I’d go to Paris to shop and experience the great food.
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St. Stephen’s Episcopal School
— rick cantu, austin american-statesman reprinted with permission of the author
Spartan Magazine
St. Stephen’s Schedule: There’s an App for That! Visions of a Colorful Future
St. Stephen’s rotating school schedule can be daunting for students and parents alike. Now, thanks to junior Xiaoyong “Eric” Liang, an international boarding student from China, a solution is as close as your mobile phone. Last year Liang became interested in computer programming, so he bought a few Apple program language books and taught himself to write code. After watching his classmates take screen shots of their schedules to send to parents and friends, he came up with the idea to create an iPhone app to help his peers and their families manage their schedules. Liang’s app, SSES Schedule, allows users to input class information for a specific day, which is then automatically distributed to other days based on the school’s rotating schedule. Students also can send parents or friends an automatically generated text message with their schedule information. Thanks to Liang, SSES Schedule has become a go-to app for St. Stephen’s students and their families. “It feels good to have made a difference,” said Liang, who uses the feedback he receives from users to plan for future updates. Planned improvements include expanding the class selection to incorporate the Middle School schedule, adding a multiple user function for parents who want to see different students’ schedules at one time, and integrating a Facebook component. Liang’s free app will be available this spring in the iTunes App Store on your mobile phone.
“
It feels good to have made a difference.
”
“I believe painting is my calling,” said Zach Van Den Berg, a sophomore at St. Stephen’s and a member of the Austin Visual Arts Association. After studying beginning painting in eighth grade, Van Den Berg began taking both group and one-on-one classes with a professional artist in Austin. Thanks to the hundreds of hours of intensive training he has put into learning his craft, Van Den Berg believes he has reached a milestone in his work. “I feel that I’m developing my own independent style,” he explained. “I focus on portraiture because I want to feel that I’m in touch with what I’m painting, that I have an emotional connection to my work.” Van Den Berg also tries to take a unique approach to his subject matter. For his oil painting “Homecoming,” which depicts a soldier returning from war, he chose to make the soldier female. “When we think of a soldier, we typically think of a man,” he explained. “I want to do something in my paintings that is unexpected.” Despite being a newcomer to the art world, Van Den Berg has received a number of honors for his skillful expressionistic portraits. “Homecoming” was selected a top pick in the 2012 Congressional Art Competition and now hangs in Rep. Lamar Smith’s office in Washington, D.C. “It is exciting to have people show interest in my work,” he said. “I love how accepting everyone at St. Stephen’s has been. That makes the time and energy I put into my painting all worth it.”
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alumn i n ews
Winter 2013
The Class of 1977
alumni reunion 2012
Lauren White Motloch ’02, Sara Gill ’02 and Class Rep extraordinaire Kean Tonetti ’02
It was a beautiful weekend in Austin for the 2012 St. Stephen’s Alumni Reunion. We began the festivities with the installation of our new chaplain, the Rev. Todd R. FitzGerald, that morning in Clayton Gym. After lunch, alumni were invited to attend classes
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St. Stephen’s Episcopal School
with students. They visited a variety of classes, including English, history, Latin, Spanish, biology and several slightly more esoteric subjects, such as astrophysics and multivariable analysis. The evening on campus concluded with the homecoming football game against the John Cooper School from The Woodlands, Texas, which we won by a score of 39 to 0. Go Spartans! Alumni came from all over the country to see friends and revisit their years at St. Stephen’s. A number of classes had their own reunion parties on Friday night. Paul and Aline McAshan Gaubert hosted the 50th Reunion Class of 1963 party in their Austin home. The 45th Reunion Class of 1967 headed to the County Line for some barbeque and lively conversation. Margaret Miller Pierce invited not only her 40th Reunion Class of 1972, but also the Classes of 1969, 1970 and 1971 to celebrate at the Miller childhood home. Her sister, Kathryn Miller Anderson ’71, helped host the party. The Class of 1987 met for happy hour at Maudie’s while the Class of 2002 chose to go to Donn’s Depot later in the evening. The Class of 1982 met at Elizabeth Alford’s house for a wonderful
Spartan Magazine
p h otos clockwise from top left Anthony Yen ’83 and his wife, Summer, with their children; The Class of 1972; Isaac Grombacher ’93, Monika Powe Nelson ’92, Chuy Barron ’92, Rozelle Fernandes Simpson ’93 and Rana Afeiche ’92; The Class of 2002; The Class of 1982
dinner by Bridget Weiss ’83; Wendy White Naughton was co-host. One of the most glorious events of Reunion this year was the gulch hike on Saturday morning, led by our webmaster Rachel Nation. Hikers returned from their outing exhilarated, covered with leaves and dirt, and embracing a renewed love for the natural beauty of the St. Stephen’s campus. The gulch hikers and other alumni had lunch in the dining hall, accompanied by Johnny Beans gourmet coffee bar drinks. Golf cart tours of campus left from the dining hall and included the newest campus enhancements: Wycliff-Freeman Dormitory, the Bowen Fine Arts Studios and the Dell Pedestrian Green. Later in the afternoon, the Alumni Association meeting was called to order on The Hill, during which Jenny Cook ’89 was elected president and Robin Dodds ’92 was named secretary. Watching the sun set over the Texas Hill Country was a highlight of the Decade Reception, which included a dinner of Guero’s fajitas held under the large white tent on The Hill next to the Chapel. Bistro tables overlooking the Brewster Memorial proved to be a picturesque setting for intimate conversation and familiar laughter, accompanied by the music of Bossamania, a band headed by St. Stephen’s Spanish teacher Jorge Muñoz. Reunion drew to a close on Sunday morning with a chapel service, led by the Rev. Todd FitzGerald. We prayed for all those alumni who have died and, in particular, those who have died since the last reunion. Although no longer in our physical presence, they will always be a part of the St. Stephen’s family.
— lou porter bailey ’71, director of alumni relations and planned giving
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alumn i n ews
Winter 2013
Alumni Hike the Gulch Four decades of intrepid Spartan alumni joined together for a Saturday hike to the gulch, led by St. Stephen’s webmaster Rachel Nation. It was a gorgeous fall morning when everyone scrambled down the steep incline to see that the creek was flowing, a rare sight during the latest Hill Country drought. Alumni also caught a glimpse of a red-tailed hawk and reminisced that the gulch today looks just as it did in years past with its yaupon holly, mountain laurel and lichencovered boulders. Murray Sexton ’82 said the hike proved to be a “rejuvenating way to reconnect with the heart of St. Stephen’s natural beauty.” Everyone enjoyed trading stories of their times at St. Stephen’s, including their favorite teachers, dorms and activities. Alumni hikers included Emily Williams ’87, Phil Howard ’67, Murray Sexton ’82, Darrell David ’72, Felicity Williams Turner ’90, Ellen Smith ’91 and Lisa Beauvois ’90.
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St. Stephen’s Episcopal School
Spartan Magazine
Class Notes 1951 W ill B rewster
wmbrew34@comcast.net
1952 F red H eldenfels
fheldenfels@gmail.com
Will Brewster ’51 journeyed from Maine to Austin to give the sermon on All Saints’ Day in the St. Stephen’s Chapel. He spoke about his father, the Rev. William Brewster, the first headmaster of our school. He talked about his father’s experiences that informed his ideas about what kind of school St. Stephen’s should be. He described what the school looked like on opening day in September 1950. There were only four buildings; two dorms separated by a pipeline, a classroom
located on the Chesapeake Bay. Tomorrow I return to Alexandria, Va., and sit out the remainder of the storm. Miss all my friends on the Hill - Sergeant at Arms Office, U.S. Capitol Police, Hill staff and members. After 17 years on the Hill you really get attached to everyone. I miss
1953 E dna N oel H eldenfels
fheldenfels@gmail.com
Winston Miller ’53 and his wife, Sandi, celebrated 56 years of marriage on Sept. 1, 2012. Congratulations and best wishes to them!
them all. Am doing well and enjoying life. Recently, I was appointed by Secretary Napolitano to serve on the Homeland Security Board of Advisors to the Secretary. Oh well, so much for the thought of retirement. Marilyn who?” Bill also received the Admiral Carey Foundation Commitment to Leadership Award at the Annual Award Ceremonies and Reception at the Capitol Hill Club in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 16, 2012.
building and an all-purpose building that included the dining hall, chapel, library and faculty lounge. There were no paved roads or walkways. Brewster wanted to see where the people walked between buildings before paving anything. A few of the students hauled rock for the new buildings before school opened that fall. Several students hauled cedar stumps for the fire upwind of the water tower to keep it from freezing that first January. Thank you, Will, for an interesting and moving sermon. And thank you to those students who labored long and hard to build and maintain those early structures.
1954 M ike H ines
mjhines1@cox.net
Bill Livingood ’54 wrote, “I was married to Marilyn Engle, an environmental scientist at the Environmental Protection Agency, on Oct. 1, 2011. I retired from the Hill as Sergeant at Arms of the U.S. House of Representatives on Jan. 16, 2012, and am serving on two boards and starting an advisory group. I am presently sitting out
1955 C harlene M oore M artin
cma92837@aol.com
Bartel Morgan ’55 reported that “for the first time in ten years, on July 28, we had 12 in for Beverly’s birthday: All four kids and both grandchildren and their significant others from all three coasts, including our great-grandson, Connor, 10.”
the very beginning of Hurricane Sandy in Easton, Md.,
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alumn i n ews
Winter 2013
Kathy Patman, widow of Philip Patman ’55, sent us a
1958
1959
photo of the cast of a 1953 play. Philip is the one in the
J. P. B ryan
T om R omberg
crown. If you can identify the name of the play or any of
BryanJ@teai.com, ClinganK@teai.com
tromberg@onr.com
the other players, please let Alumni Director Lou Bailey know. The costumes are fabulous! Well done, troupe!
The first grandson of Buddy Campbell ’58, Christian Bannerman Glenewinkel, was born on Jan. 4, 2012.
1960
His youngest daughter was married on April 14, 2012.
Pat Fatter B lack
He went on a brown bear hunt in Alaska in May, and
ggpat@gmail.com
discovered that he “can still shoot more than a thousand doves in a day in Argentina in June.”
In September, Pat Fatter Black ’60 enjoyed a week on the Riveria near Nice visiting with a grade school
Jeannette Schaleben Cook ’58 was happy to miss
friend. “Lovely weather, people and art museums
some of the reunion festivities in order to babysit her
— especially Matisse and Chagall.” She then joined
granddaughter Vivienne, whose mother Stephanie
members of the Berkshire Choral Festival to sing in
Cook Vacroux ’92 was out celebrating her 20th St.
Mondsee, Austria, performing in the Basilica where
Stephen’s reunion.
the wedding was held in the “Sound of Music”. On Sunday, they performed a Haydn mass as part of the
Philip Patman ’55 as the king. Can you name the rest?canlan ’59 and Betty Osborne ‘62
Deanna Dunagan ’58 reported, “I am still living in
Eucharist in the Dom (cathedral) in Salzburg. She said
Chicago ― grateful to be working. For four months
Austria is a jewel and hopes to return to sing again.
this summer I appeared in a beautiful production of Stephen Sondheim’s “A Little Night Music” at Writers’ Theatre, a lovely little theater in the Chicago suburb
1961
of Glencoe. In December, I began rehearsals for
S teve J olly
E llen M c C or q uodale M artin
“Other Desert Cities,” which will run for a couple of
stevejolly@mindspring.com
EMcCorq@aol.com
months at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago’s Loop.
1956
A small independent film, “The Cherokee Word for
1957
Water,” in which I played Irene Mankiller, the mother of the first Cherokee woman chief, Wilma Mankiller,
Ruth W ilson W itten
was screened in Tulsa the end of November. In
Ruthwitten@aol.com
September, I taped a guest appearance on “Private
1962 David Sanders rdavidsanders@msn.com
Practice,” which aired on ABC in November. My
Mary Pillatt Felter ’62 wrote, “I will retire from
John Price ’57 told us, “I have written a book that
recurring role in the CBS series “Unforgettable” may
my public information officer position at the Anne
Harper’s will publish in the late spring/early summer
resume next summer, at the whim of the writers. My
Arundel County, Md., Department of Aging and
next year. It arises from the fact that I’ve visited with
son Ken lives in Cincinnati and flies internationally for
Disabilities effective Oct. 31 ― Halloween ― but I
217 people so far who have died and been resuscitated
Delta, mostly to Africa.”
am encountering a trick and not a treat, Hurricane Sandy! It means my last five days are occasionally
or who spontaneously came back to life and told me about their experiences while clinically dead. There are
Jim Mehaffy ’58 wrote that “Maris and I are fine, as
24/7 — not fair! I’m also supporting the county’s
dozens of books out there by people who’ve had the
are our four kids. Son Tom, 25, just graduated from
disAbility Awareness Day at a local mall, which honors
experience, over a half dozen by physicians who have
Fudan University in Shanghai with a masters’ degree
a special needs architect as well as a community
explored the subject scientifically and declared it valid,
in the Chinese Economy and is now in law school at
college disabled services support manager. We will
but this is the first book by a pastor who has visited
the University of Oregon. Son Pat, 22, just graduated
have 35 exhibitors and demonstrations by service
with so many and written about the implications arising
magna cum laude from Texas Tech a year early and is
and assistance animals. How perfect right before
from these accounts. They assigned an interesting title,
headed for law school, too. Daughter Haylee, 25, is a
a hurricane/snow storm in the mid-Atlantic region.
‘Revealing Heaven: the Christian Case for Near-Death
UTSA grad and headhunter in San Antonio. Daughter
Sigh.”
Experiences.’”
Elizabeth, 44, got her masters’ in English Lit from UTSA, and she and her husband live in Austin with
Sue Leverton ’62 reported that “our 50th reunion
Ruth Wilson Witten ’57 sent “Greetings from Big 10
our red-headed grandchildren, 11 and 13. Maris and I
was wonderful. Thanks to all my classmates who
country. We are about to make our first family football
both continue working. I retired as district judge six
made it possible. We returned home by way of Big
weekend when Indiana plays Penn State. Our grand-
years ago, and I now work as a mediator, and Maris
Bend, which I had never visited as a Texas native ...
daughter Samantha is a freshman at Penn State, and we
is the assistant administrator at a large orthopedic
a bit warm for a California sissy.”
live in Bloomington. Sam had made us promise not to
group. We travel some, most recently to Greece and
wear anything IU but underwear. Oh what we agree to
Turkey. Tom and I traveled around Asia several times
for our grandchildren.”
in the few years he was in school in China, and Pat and I went to Australia in January. Nothing real exciting in Beaumont, but life is good.”
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St. Stephen’s Episcopal School
Spartan Magazine
1963 J ulia C authorn
Julia@texancapital.com
Richard Fullerton ’63 is “still hanging doors and acting. If you really want to see me do the latter, I had a little role on episode five (I THINK it was five, who can tell these days?) of a new Cinemax series called “Banshee.” If you do, tell me how it was, because we don’t get Cinemax… If you want to check out all the doors I’ve hung with the fancy mortise locks and whatnot… well… you need a new hobby.” John M. Hines ’63 said that he and Maria are still dividing their lives between Louisville, Ky., Cashiers, N.C., and Waimarama, New Zealand. He is doing some interim work for the Diocese of Kentucky, playing golf and watching Maria ride horses.
Duncan E. Osborne ’62
1964 J oiner C artwright J r .
joiner.cartwright@gmail.com
Bayard Breeding ’64 greatly enjoyed being able to drive to Reunion this year. He relayed, “It was great to see so many folks. My trip to Colorado to look at some potential land for purchase was revealing. Great country up there and getting out of the Texas humidity was a plus. Driving through a snow fall in Kebler Pass was a real thriller for sure. I do not want to try that drive in the snow again.” Jim George ’64 reported, “It was a very hot summer here in South Texas. Looking forward to a mild winter. Had a case of the shingles this summer. You don’t want that, so all you 60-ish people better get the vaccine. I adopted an abandoned dog. He is mostly rat terrier, and I named him Frankie. He’ll probably outlive me, but he is a great companion now. Fishing hasn’t been very
Nancy Scanlan ’59 and Betty (Bachman) Osborne ‘62
good lately but the golfing season is coming so I’ll be playing more golf.” Elizabeth Shepperd Pittman ’64 wrote that “Tom and I continue to enjoy our 50/50 life — fall and winter in Austin, spring and summer in Asheville. We get to play music with friends, and there’s a steady stream of visitors in both places. My daughter, Silke, and her family live in Munich, so of course I have to go there several times a year to stay caught up with Silke, Nelan, and my 4-year-old granddaughter, Marley Elizabeth. Fortunately, my son Joaquin still lives in Austin with his wife, Keisha, and son Aldion.”
New Campus Park Named for Duncan Osborne ‘62 During a campus tour in early November, Duncan E. Osborne ’62 was surprised by family and friends, who gathered for a special naming party of the Duncan E. Osborne ’62 Park, which is nestled behind the new Wycliff-Freeman Dormitory. The park was named in honor of Duncan with a gift to the dormitory project from the Susan Vaughan Foundation. After Duncan was surprised, the group enjoyed lunch on the patio outside Wycliff-Freeman. In attendance were Betty (Bachman) ’62 and Duncan Osborne ’62, Susan Garwood and George Peterkin, John Peterkin, Ellen (Osborne) ’86 and Mark Ray, Natalie Ray ’16, Jessie Hite and Frank Bash, Jill ’64 and Stephen Wilkinson, Patti O’Meara, Mark and Olivia Osborne, Nancy Scanlan ’59. Also present were Director of Advancement Christine Aubrey, Director of Alumni Relations and Planned Giving Lou Porter Bailey ’71, Director of Annual Giving Sherry Buchanan and Campaign Director Hayden Blood.
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alumn i n ews
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1965 Pat B ooker
patter78703@yahoo.com
1966 H elen T hompson
Helent17@aol.com
If anyone wants to find members of the Class of ’66, your class rep suggests they start hanging out at an airport. Our class seems to be ever on the move, as David Barnett ’66 wrote after a recent trip to Spain to celebrate his birthday. News from Gen. Charles Campbell ’66 also included travel: “The schedule for the fall is full. I am committed to supporting the Joint Flag Officer Warfighting Course
Anne Johnson Moultrie ’69, Michelle Childers ’69, Randy Parten ’67 and Director of Advancement Christine Aubrey
(JFOWC) at Maxwell AFB in Montgomery, Ala., in the latter part of September. I then travel to Afghanistan with the Joint/Coalition Warfighting Deployable Training
1967
there in the Hill Country, away from the coast. Jake’s
Team to do an assessment of the ISAF Joint Command,
R andy Parten,
health problems kept him from attending the reunion.
which is currently led by a former subordinate and
jrparten@parten.com
Emory (Kim) Cantey ’67 sent emails about the wisdom
good friend, James Terry. I will be in Afghanistan through mid-October. I will fly back through
Randy Parten ’67 reported that his class made more
of Thomas Sowell, apparently having the same reaction
Washington, D.C., to attend the CSA hosted Four-Star
gifts to the building of the new Wycliff-Freeman dorm
to our government as many others of us from all
Retired General Officer Conference. I missed last
than any other class. He sent updates on behalf of the
political stripes.
year’s Retired Four-Star Conference because of MCTP
Class of 1967, including news of those who could not
commitments. I am looking forward to the session; I
attend Reunion this fall.
always enjoyed it in the past. The latter part of October
Monty and Bambi Buhler Carter ’67 are both still in Spokane but other info was scarce.
I will return to Korea to work with Eighth Army, the
“We, the graying few of the original buffalo herd of
2nd Infantry Division, and the 1st Brigade/2nd Infantry
1967, trooped up to the County Line Barbecue house
Division. My focus will be on combating weapons of
for a pre-reunion reunion of sorts. In attendance were
mass destruction. In mid-November I will travel from
the following usual suspects: Jack O’Quin ’67, who
Steve Hines ’67 is now said to be retired but continues
Korea directly to Fort Hood, Texas, where I will support
spends most of his time making music with two bands;
to fill in for clergy at churches in the Southeast from his
the conduct of the III Corps Mission Command
Phil Howard ’67, who is still living near Rockport and
mountain hideaway at Cashiers, N.C.
Seminar. I then plan to return to Shreveport to
spends retired teacher time trying to outsmart the fish;
participate in a Wounded Warrior Charitable Event
Janet Meek ’67, who is building a mud and straw house
We talked some about Vicki Gasche Holzer ’67, who is
that I am supporting. Dianne and I plan on spending
(this is not a pig story) in Kerrville to the suspicious
very involved in racing Arabian horses but not the kind
Thanksgiving in Shreveport. I depart for Europe
consternation of her neighbors; John Stiles ’67, who
of horse racing you usually think about. These races go
(Grafenwhor, Germany) the latter part of November
is retired in San Antonio but who spends a lot of time
about 100 or more miles and require extreme endurance
for three weeks to support the Unified Endeavour
visiting children and traveling to far-away lands; Jamie
for both horse and rider. I couldn’t ride in a cab that
Exercise that will prepare a host of units to deploy
Stirling ’67 of Stirling Tile International, who kept us
long, much less on a horse.
into Afghanistan. I expect we will spend Christmas in
all straight and on subject, agreed to do a book for
Copperas Cove.”
our 50th reunion. He is still in the Hill Country near
Blackie Jones ’67 was not in attendance, although he
Wimberley doing tile and keeping up with Gwin Steph ’71,
threatened to show. Blackie has spent years looking
Ann Gately ’66 saw David Barnett ’66 in New
who lives in Sisterdale. I was of course there with Mike
after his parents. He is now looking into whether he
Mexico, where they hiked and biked over a gorgeous
Childers ’69, who was kind enough to make the
wants to stay in Baytown or move, possibly to Austin.
fall weekend. She extends the invitation to all her SSES
reservations for us old people, including directions
friends to come and visit. She visited Italy, England
for all those (there were two) who went to the wrong
Michelle “Mike” Childers ’69 relayed stories of the SSES
and the Netherlands over the Thanksgiving holiday.
County Line on Bull Creek Road.”
swim team, before it was disbanded, holding a number
Sue Haisten ’67 is in India studying with a spiritual leader.
of state records. The longest underwater swim was held Phil Howard’67 bought land in Llano from Jake Billingsley ’67 and is trying to spend more time up
26
St. Stephen’s Episcopal School
by Janice Moody ’67, who simply swam until she passed
Spartan Magazine
out and floated up — at which time she was rescued by teammates. She won, though. Hanson Ling ’67 is still in Lubbock collecting stamps and recommending that everyone be heavily armed for the Armageddon that is surely coming up. Hanson Ling with an AK-47 protecting our borders might be a poster to have. Steve McKee ’67 hoped to make it but has a conflict with taking his kids to Europe. We tried to find someone with news of Bill “Chilly Willy”
1968 Would you like to be the Class Rep? We still need one for the Class of 1968. Ellen O’Brien ’68 tells us that “as of Sept. 8, 2012, I retired from my full-time job as the director of our small town library. I am able to spend more time with my husband since Duane retired in July! I did keep a parttime job as a reference librarian at Brookdale Community College in nearby Lincroft, N.J., so I will still be able to call myself a librarian. So far, we’ve spent time hiking in Maine and Watkins Glen, N.Y., and biking around here in New Jersey. Life is good and full of wonder!”
Phillips ’67, but everyone came up with nought. There have been no recent sightings, which probably means he is just fine and hunkered down in Carbondale, Colo. Renn Rhodes ’67 and Marty are moving from one spec-
1969 J osh H arrison
JHarrisonLaw@aol.com
tacular high rise apartment in San Francisco to one even more spectacular. I suggest we all go out there to see it when it is finished. Robert Tamminga ’67 was another blank for everyone. The invitation sent to his last known address was returned, but when I listened to my vmail the Monday after Reunion, it was Wild Man himself trying to find out about the party. He is spending most of his time in San Antonio, participating in that city’s apartment explosion with some time in Austin and D.C. with the kids. Daryl Hause Tanner ’67 and George were not in attendance but have acquired a beautiful Hill Country ranch near Kerrville and try to spend as much time as
1970 E llen J ockusch
ejockusch@gmail.com
Sean Gardner Turner ’70 said “2012 has been a bit more difficult for me. I do still live in my beautiful lake home, but am having difficulty staying here. I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, as well as mitochondrial myopathy and MELAS, which I knew I had for several years. It seems when the mito decided to fast forward, the Parkinson’s did also. Always something, isn’t it? Argh! I am coping as best anyone could. My philosophy has always been to look to the good in life, so that’s what I do.”
possible there. We can all stop there on the way to Renn’s. Finally, Randy Parten ’67 also reported that he and Mike Childers ’69 have been doing what they have always done: Drilling a few oil and gas wells and farm and ranch work. “Now, as of June, we can cross off ranch. We sold all our cattle after the last two-year drought and can now focus exclusively on petroleum and farming, both of which are better to us. Mike has been professor of social work at the University of Texas at El Paso; she was voted best professor three years straight, but has opted to retire and move to Houston where we have bought and renovated a 1920s house in the Houston Heights Historic District. We still spend most of the time at the ranch at Sand Ridge near Madisonville. You are all invited to come there and stay with Mike and me on our way to Daryl’s and Renn’s. Recommended: A new PBS film made by the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas, ‘When I Rise.’”
Hail to the Chief ! “Every time I get reinvolved with St. Stephen’s, my life gets better,” explained Jenny Cook ’89, who was elected Alumni Association president during Reunion Weekend in October. “I become a better version of myself when I come back ‘home’ to the school; I flower.” Cook was highly involved with St. Stephen’s activities as a student, but the demands of college and law school left her little time for connecting with the school after graduation. Since earning her J.D. from the University of Houston in 1993 and working in real estate law
1971 K athryn M iller A nderson
zjmiller@austin.rr.com
Andy Fraser ’71 reported that “Michael Emery ’71 and his wife, Beverly, took a trip to California in July and visited him in Los Alamos, N.M., on the way back to Austin. He said, “Here’s a photo of Mike and me along with J. Robert Oppenheimer and General Leslie Groves in front of the old dining hall of The Los Alamos Ranch School. JR and Leslie shut the school down for the good of the country. In September, Marguerite and I took a bike tour of Tuscany that REI organized. We spent the nights in fortified medieval hilltop towns, and during the
for more than six years, she has been able to reconnect with her St. Stephen’s family. “I’m now reengaged with the school and am more active with my classmates,” said Cook, who hosted their 20-year reunion in 2009. As she embarks on her three-year term as Alumni Association president, the aspiring novelist has one primary objective in mind during her tenure: “I want alumni to participate with St. Stephen’s as much as they do with their universities. People graduate and do dynamic things. We should stay engaged in that, witness that, share that.”
days we biked through the valleys in between. Parts of the landscape look sort of like the Texas Hill Country. In addition to the bike tour, we spent some time looking at Roman ruins and Renaissance museums. It seems to me that they went overboard on pictures of Bible stories.
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Michael Emery ’71 and Andy Fraser ’71 our greatest fan as she traveled to watch me play field hockey, softball and all the other sports I played at St. Stephen’s and later at Texas A&M. She is missed by so many and especially me.” Mary Wilmer Mills ’72 said that “we still love it here in the San Francisco Bay Area. We live quite close to where I grew up until my family moved to Texas when I was 15. My Mom still lives in Salado and is going strong at 88. After many years in HR in high tech, I love my work as a leadership and career coach. My website is www.marywmills.com for anyone interested in coaching. I do a lot of coaching over the phone, so you don’t have to be local. Hello and hugs to my St. Stephen’s friends.”
1973 C hip A ndrews
qai@austin.rr.com
Marguerite liked the turtles that hold up obelisks in
California and back to Austin for their well-planned party.”
Florence. Her new slogan is ‘It’s turtles all the way down.’
Chip Andrews ’73 reported that “we had a great evening Oct. 19 celebrating with the Class of 1972 at their 40th
I’ll be 60 in two weeks. I would rather be youthing than
Phebe Davol ’72 wrote that “it was so nice seeing everyone
reunion party hosted by Margaret Miller Pierce ’72 and
aging. Also, I’ve been learning to ride a unicycle.”
at our 40th reunion. My brother, Frank Davol ’74, and I
Kathryn Miller Anderson ’71. It was really good to catch
were especially moved by so many who expressed their
up with friends, some I had not seen since ’72. Looking
University of Texas President Bill Powers wrote in a
sympathy to the passing of our mother, Laura Davol
forward to seeing many friends next year at the 40th
recent letter to colleagues, “Rudy Green ’71 will be
Bemis, on Sept. 25, 2012. Many of you remembered the
reunion of our class.”
leaving his position as director of University Compliance
fun times at our old house (Chisolm Trail Stagecoach
Services to become the first-ever vice president and
Stop) in Round Rock. We had a small gathering for a
Marianne Burke ’73 wrote that “in January 2012 I
chief compliance officer at the University of Miami. He
memorial at that house which is now the French Quarter
started a new position as a staff therapist at CrossRoads
will begin his new post in Florida in early January 2013.
Restaurant. It is always strange dining in my former
Counseling Centers in St. Louis, a nonprofit Christian
Rudy has served in his current role at UT since 2007 and
bedroom or the living room. We had a lot of fun times
counseling ministry. You can check out our website at
has been a tremendous asset to our campus, helping
there and many of us will remember that my mother was
www.stl-ccc.org. I very much enjoy the staff and
to ensure that compliance and ethics are an integral
atmosphere there, and am finding it gives me opportunities
part of our culture. In his new job, Rudy will oversee all
to offer many more services to clients, including
compliance functions at the University of Miami and will
Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Emotionally Focused
establish a program to better manage institution-wide
Therapy, EMDR, and group therapy. In October I opened
compliance with all state and federal laws, rules and
a new CrossRoads site 60 miles from St. Louis in rural
regulations, requirements of applicable governing
Owensville, Missouri, at the Gasconade Wellness Center,
bodies, and the university’s standards.”
which offers a full range of physical, exercise, nutrition and other therapies in a facility with state of the art exercise equipment. It is a wonderful opportunity to offer
1972
healing of mind, body, and spirit, and the staff there are
M argot C larke , margotclarke@austin.rr.com
wonderfully caring and skilled. I currently see clients
L i z F oster Luc z ycki , lfoster@mail.smu.edu
there once a week, but hope to expand to two or three times a week with the remainder of my time in St. Louis
Bill Quinn ’72 sent his regrets that he couldn’t come to
as I continue to build my counseling practice through
Reunion this year and says he is “looking forward to a
getting credentialed on a variety of insurance panels,
return to Constitutional government in the spring.”
and listings on a number of referral sites.
Alexandra Caselli ’72 said “it was great to see everyone
“My daughter Kathleen Kayembe moved to Denver this
at the reunion party! Three days of parties — WOW.
August and both she and my son, TK Kayembe, work at
Haven’t had so much socializing and laughter in years.
Only Natural Pet Supplies by day, and are developing
Margot Clarke ’72 and Kathryn Miller Anderson ’71 especially did an excellent job of luring me out of
28
St. Stephen’s Episcopal School
their creative careers by night, Kathleen as a writer and Mary Wilmer Mills ’72
TK as a music writer and producer. He recently produced
Spartan Magazine
“Werkin Girl” for Angel Haze, spent a weekend performing in Los Angeles and is hoping to continue to expand his musical business under the name of ‘Black Actors.’ Kathleen has published some short stories and is working on a novel. I am still a little surprised that both my children chose fields in the creative arts, but I hope that they can become successful in their respective creative passions! I am continuing to enjoy my home in St. Louis, and spend free time with my many friends from Central Presbyterian Church. God is good, and I am enjoying the blessings of a more stable and fulfilling life these days than in the previous 10 years!”
1974 A nn R hodes M c M eans
armcmean@TexasChildrensHospital.org
On Aug. 7, 2012, Kathleen Gamble ’74 had a Virtual Book Launch of “Expat Alien: My Global Adventures.” You can get it on Amazon. Bill Bond ’74 spent most of October at his place in
Award-Winning Alumna Exhibits in Scanlan Gallery Last fall award-winning photographer Brenda Lindfors ’80 exhibited two disparate bodies of work in the Nancy Wilson Scanlan Gallery on the St. Stephen’s campus. The gallery exhibit was special to Lindfors not only because she is a St. Stephen’s alumna, but her daughter, Kelly Hoover, is a sophomore at the school. “It is tremendously exciting and a real honor to show my work in Scanlan,” said Lindfors. “I hope the exhibition inspires St. Stephen’s students to find what makes them joyful and uncover things about their passions and pursue them.” The exhibition featured two distinct series, Convergence and Flora, which clearly reflect Lindfors’ artistic philosophy. “My primary inspiration is beauty, which then extends to my gravitation toward elegant lines, forms and shapes,” she explained. “I also love the idea of possibilities more than realities.”
Steamboat Springs, Colo. He is quite the mountain man. Kelly Crow Snowden ’74 is “comfortably ensconced at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas, as a research associate and adjunct professor. I just finished up a grant-funded photo-voice pilot project called ‘Sacred Places.’ You can read all about the project (and watch videos) by going to www.drksnowden.com. The Stone Fort Museum at SFASU will be sponsoring an exhibit on it in the spring, which I am absolutely thrilled
Lindfors said her love of elegant and simple lines complement her feelings about St. Stephen’s. As a student, she was inspired by the physical beauty of the campus and the surrounding Hill Country, and she loved the minimalistic beauty of the school’s chapel, where she got married in 1991. Lindfors is co-publisher of “Every Town Needs a Trail,” a photography project featuring the scenic and trails around Lady Bird Lake. The book received the Barbara Jordan Prize, the Ben Franklin Book Prize and the Independent Book Publishers top award for Regional Non-Fiction in 2007. Her work has appeared in the Austin American-Statesman, Austin Woman Magazine, and Texas Highways, among many others, and she has won national and international awards for fine art photography.
about. By the way, we are now expanding the project, so if you would like to participate, let me know! I’m still occasionally writing for the ‘Daily Yonder’ at www. daileyyonder.com. After living at the Kilgore College Demonstration Farm for seven years, we now have our
Brenda Lindfors ’80
own place, 10 acres in Gregg County. We finally have a place big enough for four horses, four pigs, an 1,800 pound bull, a goat, six cats, five dogs, and a duck. We’ve been here almost a year and it still looks like a construction site, but it’s getting there. We call it our own little redneck compound (but all the buildings match).” Mike Peters ’74 reported, “my wonderful wife, Suzie, and I recently returned from a two week vacation based in Fresno. We spent a few days in Sequoia and King’s Canyon National Parks. Sequoia is inspiring, and King’s Canyon was a beautiful surprise! We visited the Big Fresno Fair, which is worth the time. We spent a week in Yosemite, hiking and riding bikes and seeing ridiculous beauty. And on the way to spend a day at Mono Lake we went through the first snowstorm of the season on our way to Tioga pass. Mono Lake is a remarkable place, and
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alumn i n ews
Winter 2013
we were fortunate enough to catch a particularly gaudy sunset there. All in all, it was a great trip!
1975 M ary B randt, mlb0320@aol.com S ylvia M c I ntyre - C rook , sycrook1@cox.net
1976 K im Fairey
kim.fairey@gmail.com
1977 R obert E ttinger
robert@ettlaw.com
Dana Painter Parkey ’77 is “sorry to have missed our 35th reunion, but it looks like we were well represented!”
1978 K athy N orwood
katrijohn07@yahoo.com Kimberlie Birdwell Barrett ’78 wrote “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to attend Alumni Reunion Weekend this year. I was down in Austin the first part of October visiting family. I am never there long enough to see everyone. Montana is snowy now. I am excited about getting my skis out for some cross country adventures with my dogs. My Pilates studio is keeping me busy. I travel to Las Vegas next week for the annual Pilates Method Alliance Conference and I will get to see my mentor and friend Wendy LeBlancArbuckle from Austin. I just recently graduated six
Landis Armstrong ’85, Jennifer Dossett ’81, Paula Nelson, Martha Louise Armstrong ’81, Landis Hagerty, Tamara Dossett Sell ’82, Shannon Armstrong ’82 and Finn Hagerty
1980 M iles W right
miles@veatchwright.com
The St. Stephen’s student ensemble group, Theatre Focus, has been rehearsing under the direction of the award-winning John Ratliff ’80. John teaches and performs improv in Austin at ColdTowne, the Institution and the Hideout theaters. He was named Best Improv Teacher in the Austin Chronicle’s 2011 Best of Austin critics’ poll and voted Best Teacher or Coach in the 2011 ColdTowne awards. He has trained at iO and the Annoyance Theatre in Chicago.
students from the Level 3 Course for Pilates. I continue to be passionate about movement and the importance of exercise for a long healthy life.”
1981 charlotteesbrigham@yahoo.com
C arroll L ively R eeser
carroll@reeser.net
Christopher Smith ’79 said that “after 12 years working in the Middle East in merchant banking, my firm recently merged with a boutique investment bank headquartered in Washington, D.C. I am now director of Taylor DeJongh and will remain in Atlanta and work primarily with our Washington, London, Dubai and Beirut offices.”
E rica P eters S tafford
Erica.Stafford@bvcpa.com
Martha Louise Armstrong ’81 reported that she and a group of friends had a mini-reunion outside of Boulder this past summer and at the beginning of September. The summer group included Landis Armstrong ’85, who based in Austin but plays in Colorado regularly, Jennifer Dossett ’81, the one and only Paula Nelson, Martha Louise Armstrong ’81, Landis Hagerty (son of M.L. Armstrong ’82, and Finn Hagerty (son of M.L. Armstrong).
St. Stephen’s Episcopal School
wendy.naughton@gmail.com
The daughter of Tamara Dossett Sell ’82, Avery, is a junior at SSES this year. Mary Vondran Pontbriand ’82 wishes she could have been at Reunion. She still lives in New Hampshire. “My kids are growing up. My oldest just started college. Where has the time gone? St. Stephen’s feels like yesterday.”
My oldest got married Nov. 3, 2012. The two younger boys started high school. I volunteer at the high school whenever I can, but I only speak to the boys if they find me somewhere and speak first. I also work at a karate studio in our small town. I am enrollment director, which is really just a fancy title for someone who signs up students. My two younger sons are working toward their second degree black belts. I have not started my training yet. Maybe sometime soon, but my boys would be my teachers.”
plays lead guitar for the Paula Nelson Band, which is
Armstrong), Tamara Dossett Sell ’82, Shannon
30
W endy W hite N aughton
Kimberly Reid Seals ’82 said “life is full with my sons.
C harlotte S tuckey B righam
1979
1982
1983 L aura M ears M irecki
llynnmir@aol.com.
Caroline Blake Faris ’83 and her family have moved
Spartan Magazine
back to the U.S. after nearly 20 years in Asia. “My
From Emily Hummel ’86: Thanks to Erin Florence Jones
husband Steve and I first moved to Hong Kong in 1992.
’86 for her service to SSES as president of the Alumni
We eventually got to Singapore by way of San Francisco
Association. Her enthusiasm for all things Spartan has
in 1996 and stayed for almost four years. After a two-
been a gift to the school. You will be missed at the board
year stint in Austin, we went back to Singapore in 2001
meetings, Erin.
Aaron Moten ’07 Breaks a Leg in New York City
for 11 years. It is great to now be home. We’ve landed
“I found theatre works for me and how my mind
in Washington, D.C. Our two boys, Philip and Stephen,
functions; it’s what I like to do and find entertain-
in 12th and 9th grades respectively, are boarding at
1987
Episcopal High School (EHS) in Alexandria, Va. I am
C atherine H oey R andall
from The Juilliard School in 2011 before embarking
a college counselor working part time in the college
caterandall@sbcglobal.net
on a professional acting career in New York City.
ing,” said Aaron Clifton Moten ’07, who graduated
counseling office. I received my certification in college counseling in 2008 and my master’s in school counseling
Moten first became involved in theatre as a
in 2009. I LOVE my new job. Our daughter Juliet is in
1988
6th grade. She enjoys her new school, the friends she’s
M ark R owe
drama teacher suggested he audition for the play,
made, and the sports she plays. Steve is happy to get
markrowe@henna.com
“The Diviners.” Although he was skeptical about
middle school student at St. Stephen’s after the
his foot in the U.S. cloud computing market and put his
the idea, he landed the lead role. Subsequently,
years of expertise to good use.”
Moten became an active member of the school’s
1989
Michael Dalton ’83 recently became an empty nester.
L aura S canlan C ho
“My two boys are off at college. Michael is a sophomore
lcho@vervelabs.com
theatre program. Moten attributes much of his success at Julliard to his St. Stephen’s education and acknowledges
at University of Southern California, and Chase is a freshman at Vanderbilt. I am still working at Goldman
Hilary Williams Wang ’89 wrote that “my husband,
that not many actors come from such a rigorous
Sachs as managing director of their Loan Asset
David, and I welcomed a baby girl on Jan. 8, 2012. Her
academic background. “I think it will help me
Management Group in Dallas. Suzanne and I recently
name is Felicity (like my sister, Felicity Williams
carve out my own path,” he said. “St. Stephen’s
visited the St. Stephen’s campus in Austin ― it looked
Turner ’90, who also went to St. Stephen’s). Big brother
prepared me to be an artist of my generation.”
great. Looks like you are busy doing a lot of renovations.
Julian just turned 4 this week. I have been really lucky to
I got to say hello to Preston Johnson ’82 while I was
have nine months off for maternity leave but go back to
Last summer Moten appeared in the new
there, which was fun. I can’t believe how Austin has grown.”
teaching ESL at Portland State University in September.”
Broadway revival of “A Streetcar Named Desire”
Congrats also to Baby Felicity’s aunt, Emily Williams ’87.
with Blair Underwood and Daphne Rubin-Vega.
1984
After the play closed in July, he appeared in the pilot for a new HBO mini-series called “Criminal
S u z anne C antarino P feiffer
1990
Suzanne@pf2realty.com
J oseph F ris z
“The Flick,” a new play directed by Sam Gold and
friszman@yahoo.com
produced by Playwright’s Horizon.
Justice.” In January, he began rehearsals for
Jane Winters Schulte ’84 is “lovin’ life in the Midwest. After living in some big cities, we’ve found that Wichita, Kan., is just the right size for us and ideal for raising a
1991
family. Husband Matt and I travel for SCUBA and are avid
L i z F leming P owell
fly fishing anglers, too. My kiddos are aspiring artists
lz.powell@gmail.com
and excellent equestrians! I teach special needs infants and toddlers sign language so they do not miss out on
Peggy Clements ’91 writes that “about a year ago I was
precious time for communicating with their family/loved
in Austin for our 30th reunion. I had a great time,
ones. It’s incredible to see a 7 month old start to sign
enjoyed seeing everyone and was really glad to have
and rewarding to teach a 3 year old special needs child
made the trip. I moved to NYC in 1984 to finish college
to speak with his family for the first time.”
and continued to live there to work, complete a Ph.D. in developmental psychology, start a family, and work
1985
some more. I now live in Cold Spring, N.Y., with my husband, Chris Duffy, a comic book editor and writer,
L ibbie Walker A nsell
and son Peter, who just turned 15, but I still work in the
libbieansell@gmail.com
city as a research scientist at Education Development Center. Most of my research investigates effective uses
1986 E mily H ummel
of educational technology to support teaching and learning in mathematics for preschool through middle school.”
emhumm76@yahoo.com
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1992
1994
M onica P owe N elson
G retchen C onnally D oyle
giantmonsterprincess@gmail.com
gconnally@gmail.com
Thank you to Cile Montgomery ’92, who is stepping down as class representative after excellent service to her class;
1995
a hearty welcome and thank you to Monica Powe
R hea B enbow T homas
Nelson ’92 who has stepped up to take over Cile’s duties.
rheathomas@tx.rr.com; B eth C ockerham M ack
Sara Moore McEachern ’92 said that she has been living
bcockerham@hotmail.com;
in the Denver area for the past 12 years, married for 10 to
S eth A lley , sethalley@msn.com;
a great guy, and they have two wonderful little boys ages
A nn S trauser Palmer
1 and 4. She is the client services director for an apartment
annstrauser@hotmail.com;
loyalty program and stays busy running around with her
H awkins L i
boys, cooking, gardening and crocheting.
hli3@yahoo.com
Amy Smith Kingsolver ’92 is married and living outside
Jennifer Campbell-Allison ’95 said that after being
of Houston in Pearland. After 12 years of working in
the wife of a county official for three election cycles in
finance at Shell Oil Company, she is now a stay-at-
Bloomington, Ind., she was rewarded by her husband
home mom for her two boys, ages 2 and 4. She and her
returning the favor. “He followed me to Missouri for
husband are very active in their church and recently
my position as policy coordinator with the Missouri
returned from a mission trip to the Dominican Republic.
Department of Conservation. I survived my first Congressional briefing earlier this year! We have two
Monika Powe Nelson ’92 is recently remarried and living
four-legged children.”
in Dripping Springs, Texas, with her husband, Nathaniel, and sons Jack (12), Reid (10), and step-son Nathan (7).
Monica Loflin Smith ’98 and her husband, Jared Smith held in Austin, Texas. My husband is originally from Plano, and we reside in our home in Austin.” Congratulations to Kate Meredith Andrade ’98 and Pedro Andrade on the birth of their son, Patrick Thomas Andrade, on July 27, 2012. After a West Point undergraduate education, military service in Iraq, a Harvard Business School graduate education, and a career on Wall Street, Jeff Lau ’98 now
She is finishing up coursework on her way to becoming
1996
heads the Andy Roddick Foundation. Jeff plans to build
a lactation consultant and is looking forward to starting
E li z abeth A nne S ykes R ains
her clinical hours soon.
earains_lpc@yahoo.com;
professional not-for-profit organization focused on helping
S hannon P owers F lahive
On the Saturday of Alumni Reunion Weekend, the Class
spowers1@austin.rr.com
and transform ARF from an all-volunteer charity into a underserved youth through sports-based mentoring and education.
of ’92 had a small but fun reunion. Over the course of the day, we saw Chuy Barron ’92, Katie Howard Henry ’92,
Billie Waite Pennington ’96 reported that she is
Ethan Phillips ’92, Pogen MacNeilage ’92, Suzanna
still teaching physics and coaching field hockey at
Walker ’92, Kaitlin Graham Guthrow ’92, John Gibler ’92,
St. Stephen’s and is thoroughly enjoying her time at the
Joy Williamson ’92, Will Bown ’92, Grace Osborne ’92,
school. If any of you are ever on campus, stop by Hines
Cile Montgomery ’92, Monika Powe Nelson ’92, and
Hall and say, ‘Hello!’”
Rana Afeiche ’92. We were briefly joined on Facetime from Los Angeles by Susan Potter ’92, Gordon
1999 B ecky H ollis D iffen
Becky@beckyanddaniel.com
Becky Hollis Diffen ’99 and Daniel Diffen ’99 welcomed Darcy Jane Diffen to the world on April 11, 2012. Big
Stott ’92, and Jake Atlas ’92, as well as in person by
1997
brother Brydon, who turned 3 in December, loves his
Gretchen Connally Doyle ’94, Rozelle Simpson ’93,
C ameron B eesley
Isaac Grombacher ’93, Chris Rider ’91, Chris Lee ’91,
lears_fool@hotmail.com
a co-author of “Texas Wind Law,” the first legal treatise
and Andrew Guthrow ’90. Elisabeth McKetta ’97 published her first book in In true Class of ’92 fashion, we shut down the party on
December 2012, a poetry collection called “The Fairy
The Hill, and had no choice but to relocate and continue
Tales Mammals Tell.”
the festivities. We had a great time catching up, and to all of you who couldn’t make it, your presence was sorely missed. We hope we’ll see you there next time.
1993
little sister. Becky recently published her first book as on wind power. “We also built and moved into our new house last spring, so it has been a big year for us.”
2000 T racey S hababo
1998
traceyherman@gmail.com
Jared H ockema
Sara Bremen Rabstenek ’00 just moved with her
jhockema@mac.com
Davis B aldwin
Big news from Monica Loflin Smith ’98: Jared Smith and
dbaldwin@austin.rr.com
I “married on July 27, 2012, during a private ceremony
husband Tom to Atwater Village in Los Angeles. She had been working for video artist Ze Frank for the past two years, but loves her new job at Hello Design, a creative digital agency, where she’s worked as a Project Lead since June 2012.
32
St. Stephen’s Episcopal School
Spartan Magazine
Drew Harrison ’04 worked on the visual effects in the movie “Life of Pi.” She was a lead texture painter. She and her coworkers created the digital versions of all the animals and much more.
2005 R achel K at z , rpk228@gmail.com; S harina L offlad , s_shaw_2000@yahoo.com
Spring 2013 Campus Events
Catherine Woodward ’05 is a realtor with Capital City Sotheby’s International Realty at Barton Oaks Plaza in Austin. Real estate is something she has always had an Catherine Woodward '05
interest in. She handles the purchase, sale and lease of properties. Before joining Sotheby’s, she taught English
Will Ikard ’00 and his wife, Ledlie Loring, welcomed
in Spain and worked at a nonprofit for children.
Islay Hathaway Ikard to the world in August. Baby and mama are happy and healthy.
2006 Selina Strasberger, selina.strasburger@gmail.com
2001 J uliet F rerking
frerking@gmail.com
S arah C romwell , sarahcromwell@aol.com
Ginny Cumberbatch ’06 was featured in the Austin American-Statesman on Oct. 22, 2012, in “Virginia Cumberbatch fills young leadership gap.” Ginny works
2002 K ean T onetti
stonetti@gmail.com
Andrew Crosby ’02 is coaching middle school Spartan football, JV soccer and middle school lacrosse. He claims to be “living the David Paschall dream, one day at a time!”
for the communications firm Hahn, Texas. Her online employee description noted that she “gained a solid background in communications while interning at Texas Monthly and the National Education Association. Virginia’s varied interests in everything from sports to public policy keep her motivated to tackle editorial, events and everything else.” Her expertise is in healthcare, consumer products and urban activism.
Feb. 23 6 pm Spring Swing Gala March 2-17 Spring Break March 22 Grandparent and Grand Friend Day March 29 & April 1 Easter Weekend Holiday April 11 6:30 pm Topping Out Party for New Dining Hall/ Student Center April 13 & May 4 9 pm School Nights at the Observatory May 24 5 pm Baccalaureate May 25 9:30 am Upper School Graduation May 31 8:30 am Middle School Graduation For more information about specific calendar events, visit www.sstx.org/mysses.
2003 W ynn M yers
wynnmyers@gmail.com
2007 A nne B uckthal , anne.buckthal@gmail.com C ole A rledge , arledge@fas.harvard.edu
2004 B rian K aufman
Alex Verderber ’07 is in his second year of doctoral
brian.r.kaufman@gmail.com
studies in biomedical engineering at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In October 2012, Alex
Rebecca Woodruff ’04 is now living in Atlanta, Ga.,
was featured in a CNN segment about research using
working on a Ph.D. in behavioral sciences and health
roaches in search and rescue operations. Go to cnn.com
education at Emory University’s School of Public
and search for ‘remote control roaches.’
Health. “I had a fabulous time at the wedding of Madeleine Myers ’05 in Hunt, Texas, last October with
Ben Ferguson ’07 is a member of acclaimed theatre
Allison Pappas ’04 (bridesmaid), Evelyn Volz ’04,
troupe PigPen Theatre Co., which creates atmospheric
Katy Bowman ’04, Anne Mariah Tapp ’04 and
theatrical fables through a blend of original music,
Abby Broberg Mooney ’04.” Ginny Cumberbatch ’06
shadow puppetry, live action and clever lighting effects. PigPen debuted its first large-scale Off-Broadway
sstx.org
33
alumn i n ews
Winter 2013
2010 C arlotta G ar z a , carlotta.garza@gmail.com O mar Yaghi , omaryaghi2@gmail.com Ryann Y oung , rhy9@cornell.edu
Audrey Wozniak ’10 spent her summer as a reporter at ABC News covering events in China. Check out her Rachel Hinds '09, Becca Hinds '11, Corinne Trabold '11, Kaylin Balley '11, Caitlin Livsey '08, Helen Heymann '08, Margaret Weihs '08 and Caroline Pappas '08 after the alumnae-varsity field hockey game during the holiday break
story “In Beijing, Doubt Grows as Thousands Struggle to Rebuild After Floods” and many others. To see other articles by Wozniak go to abcnews.go.com and search
production, “The Old Man and the Old Moon,” on Sept. 26,
Justin Patrick ’08 is enjoying his first year at Harvard
2012, at The Gym at Judson.
Law School.
Simi Olabisi ’07 was featured in an article on the Sierra
Another current Boston resident, Daniel Taylor ’08, is
Club website this fall for the research she started at
now working as a functional consultant at Green Beacon
Santa Clara University, where she studied bioengineering.
Solutions.
She created a solar infant incubator for areas with little or no electricity. The article stated that “Olabisi
Since graduating from Rice University last spring,
recruited six other seniors studying different kinds of
Rachael Startin ’08 has been living in Houston and
engineering, and they leveraged their student status to
working for Trinity Consultants as a consultant.
get the resources they needed. The group called itself Team Omoverhi, which means ‘lucky child’ in the
Mark Jackson ’08 graduated from Chapman University
southern Nigerian language of Urhobo. The four
last spring with a double major in international business
mechanical engineers designed the machine components.
and film production. He is now thoroughly enjoying
An electrical engineer oversaw everything solar-related.
himself in Los Angeles, working for CBS Television as an
Olabisi and a fellow bioengineer developed monitoring
executive assistant in Marketing and Affiliate Relations.
systems and kept things infant-friendly.” Santa Clara has
Mark works on daytime shows such as “The Jeff Probst
continued the research Simi started. She now works at
Show,” “The Doctors,” and “Dr. Phil.”
for ‘Audrey Wozniak.’
2011 L indsay R edman, llredman@olemiss.edu G ray T wombly, Twombly.Gray@gmail.com H enry S ikes , WHSikes1@gmail.com A lia Yahgi , ayaghi@stanford.edu
The Spartan Runner Initiative partnership with Breakthrough-Austin completed its third summer program commitment. A special thanks to the runners that shared part of their summer to support the Breakthrough Gets Fit PE program at the University of Texas: Ciaran Dean-Jones ’11 (UT Plan II), Jake Bruemmer ’11 (Washington University, St Louis), Taylor Nelson ’10 (Whitman College), Brooke Hepfer ’12 (West Point) and Charles Cochran ’12 (Vanderbilt).
Maxim Integrated in Chicago. Across the pond, George Shea ’08 is having a great time
2008
during his first few months working in London.
A manda K ushner
Blaire Metcalfe ’08 is enjoying her time thus far working
akk53@cornell.edu
for Teach for America out in Greenville, Miss. She keeps a detailed blog of her adventures and experiences with
Amanda has set up a Facebook group for the class
TFA, which can be found at http://texaninthedelta.
called St. Stephen’s Class of 2008.
blogspot.com
Natalie Blankenship ’08 has started her own social
Our anticipated December graduates include Travis
media company called New Digital Strategies. Natalie
Blankenship ’08, who will be graduating from USC,
and her fiancé, Ryan Wolfe ’08, are both currently
Hillary Metcalfe ’08, who will be graduating from Texas
residing in Dallas and looking forward to their wedding
A&M, and Clare Dickie ’08, who will be graduating
in June 2013.
from Texas State. Rachael Balaguer ’08, Raiza Aguilar ’08, Sho Sato ’08 and Michael Hart ’08 are all looking
Rae Toussaint ’08, who also graduated from SMU with
forward to their upcoming graduations, from Texas A&M,
Ryan and Natalie last spring, is currently residing in
Boston University, Hamilton College, and the University
Austin and working for Para Driving Aids.
of Texas, respectively.
Kristine Cruz ’08 is currently working for a law firm in Washington, D.C. Kristine is also doing a fellowship with
2009
the Polaris Project, a leading anti-trafficking organization
J. J. B otha
based in D.C.
jjbotha@gwmail.gwu.edu C hantal S trasburger
chantal.strasburger@gmail.com
34
St. Stephen’s Episcopal School
2012 H elen E li z abeth O ld , helenelizabeth1@me.com C aroline P ringle , caroline.pringle@yale.edu Jake P olitte , jake.politte@rocketmail.com Y osua A diyasa , yosua.adiyasa@hotmail.com
Brooke Hepfer ’12 and Piyachai ‘Phone’ Chansuk ’12 did their basic training at U.S. Military Academy at West Point this summer. Stephanie Moench ’12 helped the Nova Southeastern women’s soccer team win its conference opener against the Florida Tech Panthers 3-1, at the NSU Soccer Complex on Sept. 15, 2012. Congratulations to Stephanie for a great performance.
Fo rmer Faculty Laurence Becker is making lots of new connections. He recently spent three days at the Texas State Autism Conference, went to a book signing of Lois Lowry who wrote “The Giver” and attended a conference on faith and disability. Rosanne celebrated her 75th birthday with Laurence and all three of their adult children.
Spartan Magazine
Submissions Alumni are contacted by their class rep several times a year for news and information. For assistance contacting your class rep or to submit news directly, please call Alumni Director Lou Porter Bailey ’71 at 512.327.1213 x112 or lbailey@sstx.org. To find your rep online, please visit the Alumni page under MySSES at www.sstx.org. We welcome high resolution photographs with your Class Notes news summary. When you send a high resolution photo, please always identify everyone in the photo, make sure we can see all faces clearly, and make sure to send a JPG format in the largest size possible (at least 900 pixels, 3” wide at 300 dpi). John Wilcox ’73
Walter Crawford ’56
Printed submissions may be mailed to: Spartan magazine St. Stephen’s Episcopal School 6500 St. Stephen’s Drive
In M e m o riam
Austin, TX 78746 Webb Breeding ’67 passed away on Nov. 9, 2012, after
Walter is survived by his wife of 47 years, Suzanne
a terminal illness. His brother, Bayard Breeding ’64 told
Crawford of Beaumont; daughter, Louise Vaughan
us that “he had a tough time of it, and I am relieved that
Crawford of Houston; two sons, Walter Joshua Crawford
he is at peace now.” He attended St. Stephen’s for his
III of Beaumont and Benjamin McKallip Crawford of
sophomore year.
Denver, Colorado; and two sisters, Mary (Crawford) Wolff ’58 and Alice (Crawford) Thomas ’61, both
John G. Wilcox ’73 died on June 13, 2012, after a brief
It is the practice of Class Notes not to print pregnancy or engagement announcements, nor candidacies for political offices, due to the lag time between receiving such information and the publication dates. Spartan magazine editors reserve the right to edit or omit any information submitted.
of Houston.
illness. John grew up in Denison, Texas. At St. Stephen’s, his work as an artist drew the attention of faculty, as well
Karen Millerick Pedersen ’60 died on Jan. 21, 2012,
as galleries in Austin. John attended Colorado College
in Mill Creek, Wash., after a long illness. She was the
in Colorado Springs, where he earned a bachelor of fine
daughter of former faculty member Velberta Millerick
arts degree and completed commissioned work for the
Towner, who died on Sept. 4, 1996, and is survived by her
College’s Packard Hall of Art and Music. John had a long
step-father, former faculty member Dean H. Towner.
Join Your Classmates Online
career as an artist working in acrylics, oils and a variety of other mediums. John is survived by his brother, Dr.
A former member of the faculty, Edward W. Hooker, age
Like us on Facebook at:
David Wilcox ’76 and his wife, Charlotte Pierce, as well
83, of Tulsa, Okla., died of cancer on Aug. 7, 2009. From
www.facebook.com/StStephensAlumni
as Aidan Wilcox and Lillian Wilcox, John’s nephew and
about 1954 to 1960, Ed was on the faculty at St. Stephen’s.
niece, of Arlington, Mass., among others.
He was athletic director, coach and head of Boy’s Living,
Chat with us on Twitter at:
and he supervised the design and building of the then
www.twitter.com/ststephenschool
Walter Joshua Crawford Jr. ’56 died on Feb. 8, 2012.
“new” gymnasium. His Spartan teams won several
He was born Nov. 10, 1937, in Beaumont, the son of Mary
football conference championships. After leaving
Connect with us on LinkedIn at:
Edna McKallip Crawford and Walter J. Crawford Sr. He
St. Stephen’s, Hooker coached, taught and was chairman
www.linkedin.com – St. Stephen’s
was a third generation Beaumonter, a member of the
of the science department at Holland Hall School.
Episcopal School Alumni
Sons of the Republic of Texas, and the great-great-great-
He was chosen by the National Association of Biology
grandson of Susanna Dickenson, the only survivor of the
Teachers as outstanding teacher as well as Biology
Check out Our YouTube Channel at:
Alamo. At St. Stephen’s, he served as president of the
Teacher of the Year several times in Oklahoma. After
www.youtube.com/user/ststephensaustin
student body. He graduated from the University of the
retirement he excelled in Senior Olympics by setting a
South at Sewanee, Tenn., in 1960, followed by a year
new American record in the discus ring. Ed is survived
of graduate school at Tulane University. He graduated
by his wife, Marjory, two sons, two daughters, and
from Southern Methodist University Law School in 1964.
two grandchildren.
sstx.org
35
p lanned givin g
Winter 2013
A Renewed focus on Planned Giving
The Ease and efficiency
of Donor-Advised
funds
Perhaps it is because I was a boarding student, but every visit to St. Stephen’s feels like going home. The campus entrance has changed and many of the faces are different, but the spirit of the school is still the same. Looking up The Hill at the chapel reminds me of the values that have shaped the school for decades. I want to help ensure that mission of nurturing the body, mind and soul of each student continues well into the future. That is what led me to planned giving through the Legacy Council. Transforming your good intentions into lasting actions can be a fairly easy process. Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs) are an efficient, flexible way to manage your giving. Much like running your own foundation, a DAF can manage charitable donations on behalf of an organization, family or individual. However, a DAF is more cost efficient. And most funds can be established with as little as $5,000. You can set up a DAF through a financial institution, such as Fidelity or Schwab, or a community trust like Austin Community Foundation, which will administer the fund for you. You may contribute cash, stocks or other assets to the fund. Plus, you get a tax deduction and avoid capital gains on those appreciated assets. Your money is invested and grows tax-free. Best of all, you can indulge your philanthropic nature by recommending grant distributions to your chosen charities at any time, supporting as many organizations as you wish; the gifts are made in your fund’s name. Even after you are gone, you can continue to support the causes you care about by naming a successor to direct the charitable gifts or make final distributions to your favorite organizations. What will your legacy be?
36
St. Stephen’s Episcopal School
—emily hummel ’86, trustee
When my husband and I redid our wills last year, we had a fresh opportunity to demonstrate our love of and appreciation for St. Stephen’s and its mission. We had included St. Stephen’s in our previous wills, but this time we wanted to make a stronger statement in support of the school. With a renewed focus on ways to support St. Stephen’s, I asked the head of our department if I could assume more responsibility for planned giving when the former director left the school. As alumni director, I have helped in this area for a number of years. But lately I have come to realize just how important these kinds of gifts are to St. Stephen’s. Her answer was yes, so here I am writing to you today as the new director of planned giving. What do we mean by planned giving? The term generally refers to a gift that is not cash, which you give right now, but one that will be paid in the future. In addition to a bequest in your will, the term can include gifts of all or a portion of your 401K or other retirement accounts, life insurance policies, and charitable trusts and annuities. The plans can be simple or complex. I am happy to talk with you at any time about your planned gift. Please call me at 512.327.1213, e-mail me at lbailey@sstx.org, or stop by the school for a visit in my office in Brewster Hall. —lou porter bailey ’71, director of
alumni relations and planned giving
Annual Giving Leadership Volunteers Annual Giving Parent Chairs Liz and Eric Goldreyer Parent Class Captains Kacy O’Hare Vicki Zagrodzky 12th Grade, Class of 2013
The Giving Tree’s roots are deep, its trunk is strong, and so it goes, the strength of giving and the success of the school.
For more than 60 years, St. Stephen’s Episcopal School has offered students a world of possibility, where they are challenged academically, nurtured spiritually and encouraged at each stage to reach their full potential. No single thing makes our school such an exceptional place to learn. Indeed, the ability to create and sustain an outstanding educational environment depends on many things. It takes teachers who love to teach. It takes students committed to learning, parents who seek to support. It takes alumni who continue the tradition. St. Stephen's is a community where everyone plays a part. Supporting Annual Giving is a way to help guarantee that St. Stephen’s can continue to grow and sustain its roots not only now, for the students here today, but for those yet to come. If you give one gift to St. Stephen's, please give to Annual Giving, first! We are grateful for your generosity. Thank you for your support of St. Stephen's Episcopal School.
Tricia Altamirano Tess Peters 11th Grade, Class of 2014 Annie Dooley Liz Mewborne 10th Grade, Class of 2015 Erin Almanza Robyn Gill 9th Grade, Class of 2016 Kathy Keig Cheryl Parra 8th Grade, Class of 2017 Heatherly Ayres Terry Quinn 7th Grade, Class of 2018 Angela Hashman Chris Hicks 6th Grade, Class of 2019 Grandparent Chairs Dickie and Stanton Dossett Alumni Parent Chairs Molly Cagle and Roger Nevola Alumni Chair Laura Scanlan Cho ’89 Trustee Advancement Chair Ellen Osborne Ray ’86 Faculty/Staff Chairs Elizabeth Hansing Moon Rick Pearson
www.sstx.org/givenow
sstx.org
37
6500 St. Stephen’s Drive Austin, Texas 78746
address service requested To parents of alumni: If this magazine is addressed to a son or daughter who no longer uses your home as a permanent address, please e-mail his or her address to shamilton@sstx.org.
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snapshot Derek Hsu and the Patrick O'Hare performing with the Upper School Orchestra during the Festival of Lessons and Carols
non-profit org. u.s. postage paid austin, texas permit no. 2556