Thacher Magazine: Spring 2009

The Magazine of The Thacher School * Spring 2009

THACHER

Science & Society Many of today’s most pressing social issues are rooted in the sciences.

How does Thacher’s science program prepare students to play a role in solving these problems? And what are our alumni already doing about them?

Spring 2009 * Volume 3, Number 1

CONTENTS 4

12 • Armchair Wandering

Follow an alumnus on a career path from ophthalmology to photography and into to the backcountry.

14 • Science & Society

Whether or not a student plans a career in the sciences, science education matters like never before. By putting more teachers in the class, and putting more classes in the field, Thacher continues to refine its ongoing experiment with hands-on-bootson approaches to science.

on & off campus

Alumni & community News

01 • Up Front

26 • Gatherings

About this issue.

02 • View From Olympus Faculty and administrators harness the winds of change through innovative approaches to teaching and new commitments to sustainability.

03 • Readers Respond

14

We read your letters and e-mails.

04 • The Pergola

Events and news involving the extended Thacher community.

28 • Class Notes, etc.

Alumni news, milestones, and news from faculty, staff, and friends.

39 • In Memoriam 40 • The Best We Can Do The science (and heart) of philanthropy.

An assemblage of noteworthy School and community intelligence.

FRONT COVER

The leaf pictured on the cover of this issue was plucked from a white alder in Horn Canyon, just like the leaves Trudy Park ’11 has taken back to the lab to process as part of a Thacher paleoclimatology research project in collaboration with Caltech. For more, turn to “What the Hills Teach” on page 16.

BAck COVER

26

A Lazy Susan Viewpoint of a Thacher Breakfast, from the camera of Jesse Garrett ‘11.

up front…

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Science: Dead or Alive Specimens in jars and diagrams in textbooks do not do justice to the vitality and complexity of the natural phenomena scientists study any more than photos and text can adequately capture the learning processes that take place in (and beyond) Thacher’s science classrooms.

The leaf pictured on the cover, however, a white alder picked in Horn Canyon, provides its own representation of science as it is taught at Thacher, where the faculty works hard to present science in living color, as the evolving, mysterious, and critically relevant discipline it is. Like science, the leaf is highly structured with its orderly branches and divisions, yet it is also constantly changing, growing (or it was before I picked it), and it contains mysteries we only begin to understand.

This white alder leaf is also connected more literally to a project that does a better job of illustrating the exciting work teachers and students pursue in Thacher’s science program. Through a research project initiated

by Chris Vyhnal, chair of Thacher’s Science Department, Thacher students have been collecting and preparing white alder leaf samples from Horn Canyon as part of an ongoing collaboration with Caltech to refine tools for measuring climate change.

In this issue, you can read about that project and other ways the Thacher science program helps students understand the connections between the science in their textbooks and the work scientists do in the field. You’ll also hear from some of those scientists themselves as we check in with Thacher graduates extending the reach of science in areas that matter, or should matter, to all of us.

As with every issue, we are indebted to many collaborators. In this case, a lot of them seem to share the last name of Meyer. Wearing the hat of assistant head of school and director of studies for much of the past school year, Kurt was the natural choice to offer some administrative perspective on the science curriculum (page 2). He also happened to be one of the faculty members in the Science and Society course that was the brainchild of Alice Meyer (see page 15). Their son, Ryan CdeP 1998, a guest speaker in that course, was kind enough to share his thoughts on the inseparable nature of science, human values, and public

Where would you rather learn? Below, Thacher students get their feet wet in one of Brian Pidduck’s Environmental Science classrooms.

policy (page 20). Of course, we wouldn’t have had much to say at all without the many contributions of Doc V and the rest of the science faculty.

Jack Huyler and Tom May CdeP 1952 took time to share their memories of science at Thacher in days gone by. And we are grateful to the many other alumni who contributed words and photos to these pages.

Again, we looked to Brian Pidduck CdeP 1992 for some photos and Jesse Garrett ’11 was kind enough to share one of his shots for the back cover.

As much as you’ll find in the following pages, there is a lot that did not fit. For bonus content relating to this issue, visit the magazine’s web page (www.thacher.org/magazine). There you’ll find more about Thacher alumni/ae working in the sciences.

Enjoy the issue.

Christopher J. Land, Editor The Thacher School 1

view from olympus…

There is a Chinese proverb that says “When the wind changes direction, there are those who build walls and those who build windmills.”

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so, when associate college counselor and AP Psychology teacher Alice Meyer breezed into Peter Robinson’s office two years ago and announced that she had an idea for a new interdisciplinary course, he did not roll his eyes. Knowing both her longstanding reputation for brainstorms and her singular gift for communicating them passionately, he took a deep breath and ushered her in. But looking back, what was embraced, in that critical formative discussion, was a particular way of thinking about classrooms, team teaching, and making connections between academic and worldly ideas, between the life of the School and the life of the mind.

Alice’s innovation was to assemble not just a working pair, but a large team of teachers who would cooperate to create a diverse yet focused and connected program examining science’s role in today’s world. The trimester seminar brings each of eight teachers to the front of the class (the other seven sit and learn and ruminate with the students), to present the week’s topic. The readings and films early in the week lay the groundwork for a lively culminating discussion on Fridays-and it’s not always peaceful!

Stem cell research, homosexuality, genetically modified crops, space exploration, intelligent design, climate change-there are no sacred cows in this course, and the unusual combination of several adults and students in the room produces a veritable tinderbox of debate. Is there time for deep study of each topic? No. But that is not the point. The students take away an understanding of the complexity of these issues (a needed antidote to the oversimplification we suffer from the media), and an appreciation of the many (typically opposing) facets of consideration that make many of these In a starving nation, is it ethical issues so intractable.

The team approach to withhold genetic modifications makes sense for interdisthat will double or triple per-acre ciplinary courses because of the breadth of content, food output and more quickly but it also yields a windfall as students get a taste relieve human suffering?

2 spring 2009

I believe that all I have learned of the complexly collaborative and deliberative up until now in my life has work that awaits them in prepared me for this class, adult life. What is revealed to students is a world in and now having taken it, I am which knowledge is already to go further in the ways emerging; in which world, limited only…by my new science corrects old science and old problems own creativity. are recast in new terms.

-Alessandra Waste CdeP 2008 History is full of examples, as is Thacher history.

Twenty-five years ago the burning question on campus was “where do we find a bigger landfill?”

Today, we address this old problem of our waste stream in a new way as we look to do our part, in a larger, long-range effort society-wide, to essentially eliminate waste. “Waste, after all,” says John Todd, University of Vermont professor and authority on eco-subjects, “is merely resources out of place.”

Adopting more “closed loop” systems locally and on campus, Thacher can better prepare students to solve real problems, while reducing environmental impact and institutional costs. If our horse manure is used to grow alfalfa and hay for our herd (or vegetables and dairy for our students, who will return compostable dining hall waste back to the farm) we have reduced impact and taught good lessons at the same time.

Ex-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice testified to a Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 2006, “I can tell you nothing has taken me aback more as secretary of state than the way that the politics of energy is-I will use the word ‘warping’-diplomacy around the world.” The real-world connection between science and politics is never a simple one to resolve, and such issues are not likely to get easier. Only students with broad training across disciplines and who, at a young age, are asked to begin to imagine solutions to such problems will grow up believing there are ways >> to put them in place.

readers respond…

Thacher

The Magazine of The Thacher School Volume 3, Issue 1 Spring 2009 Editor Christopher J. Land Associate EditorS Amy Elmore Jane D. McCarthy Alumni Editor Suzie Nixon Bohnett

Putting Names to Faces

An Invitation We welcome and will consider printing letters that are timely, constructive, and presented in a spirit of honor, fairness, kindness, and truth. Letters will be edited for length, clarity, grammar, and style.

To submit a letter, send it via e-mail to thachermagazine@ thacher.org, or to “Thacher Magazine Editor” at the School’s street address.

To be published, letters must be signed and meet one of the following criteria: • Relate to an article published in Thacher magazine.

• Pertain to events and issues connected to The Thacher School.

• Be of particular interest to our audience of Thacher alumni, parents, and friends.

Our faculty have taken notice, to be sure, and similar approaches are appearing elsewhere in the curriculum, most notably in Spanish.

There, our post-AP offering (Spanish VI) is team-taught by Cecilia Ortiz, Molly Perry, Jeff Hooper, and Roger Klausler, where current issues, both domestic and abroad, serve as the glue that binds the literature and research upon which the class is based. The multiple perspectives, the fact that students and faculty are learning simultaneously, not to mention the absence of an authoritative center, all contrib-

Really enjoying the new Fall Thacher Magazine.

Thanks so much for the wonderful photo of Sarah and Alain (page 28). Also, however, for those with sharp eyes: Among the unnamed “other Williams graduates” in the photo on p.

35 of Norman and Whitney Livermore are our nephew Martin B. Sawyer CdeP 2004 (second from right in cap, gown and Hawaiian lei) and his sister/our niece Ruth B. Sawyer CdeP 2006 (far right). Martin has parleyed his Thacher and Williams training into a professional ski patrol job at Dodge Ridge, near Pinecrest, California, and is having a ball. I had lunch with Ruth two weeks ago in Sacramento upon her return from a fall semester in Chile, before she returned to finish her junior year at Vassar.

Rob Sawyer (Son of Brooke E. Sawyer, Jr. CdeP 1942, father of Jessi CdeP 1997 and Sarah CdeP 1999, uncle of Martin CdeP 2004, Ruth CdeP 2006, Katherine Anne CdeP 2008 and Kristin ‘10, brother of teacher, coach, and horseman Peter)

Family Ties Especially enjoyed the last issue (and loved the cover shot) of the Thacher Magazine which featured some very interesting articles on David Lavender, Sr. (written by my old prefect, David Lavender CdeP 1976.) Another wonderfully western and literate Thacher family.

Go Toads!

Will Wyman CdeP 1978

ute significantly to the experience.

The Department of Energy wants this nation to produce 20 percent of our electricity from wind by 2030. Rather than be swept away, Thacher students intend to help lead the way.

This is science and society; it is science in society.

Kurt Meyer is chair of the Mathematics Department and one of the teachers of the Science and Society Course. Last year he took Peter Robinson’s place as assistant head of school and director of studies while Peter served as head of school.

Class Notes Editor Amy Bransky Archivist Bonnie LaForge Design Charles Hess, design director Corky Retson, designer Contributors Ryan Meyer CdeP 1998, David L. Williams CdeP 1960 Photography and Illustration Bryan Florer, Charles Hess, Jesse Garrett ‘11, Caitlin Jean Photography, David Kepner CdeP 2007, Christopher Land, Robert Leiter, Elizabeth Mahoney CdeP 1988, Brian Pidduck CdeP 1992, Javier Quiroz ‘10, Jilly Wendell, David L. Williams CdeP 1960 Head of School Michael K. Mulligan Peter R. Robinson Director of Development Rick Wilson Director of Admission William P. McMahon Thacher Magazine is published twice a year by The Thacher School, and is sent free of charge to alumni, parents, and friends of the School. Every effort is made to ensure that contents are accurate and complete.

If there is an omission or an error, please accept our apologies and notify us at the address below.

Third class postage is paid at the Oxnard Post Office.

POSTMASTER: Please send form 3579 to the following address.

Editor Thacher Magazine 5025 Thacher Road Ojai, CA 93032 www.thacher.org thachermagazine@thacher.org 805-640-3201 x264 Send Class Notes to: alumni@thacher.org 805-646-1956 (fax) Thacher Magazine printed by Ventura Printing using an environmentally friendly waterless printing process, soy-based inks, and recycled paper.

The Thacher School 3

The Pergola…

Eyes to the Hills Arising on the spot where the Topa Topa and Matilija dorms once stood, the Hill Dormitories have taken shape steadily this spring. Comprising six buildings connected through a series of cantilevered porches and walkways, the design takes advantage of views south to the Upper Ojai, includes a terraced common space with rocks and native plantings, and will house three families in split-level homes. Faculty families and sophomore girls are expected to move in this fall.

Among the 20-plus offerings of Arts Weekend in February was a boomerang workshop; Steffi Star ‘11 decorates hers.

Crescendo or Sforzando?

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here crescendo is a musical notation for a gradual increase in volume, sforzando is a sudden, strong accent. Thanks to a generous gift from James Newton Howard CdeP 1969, Thacher’s music program recently scored a lot of both. The $1 million gift provides a marked increase in resources and, by gradually funding an endowment, provides sustained growth of the program’s resources for years to come.

As a result, dozens of students will receive weekly private music lessons regardless of their ability to pay. The gift also covers the refurbishing of pianos and the purchase of portable choir shells (pictured at left) that optimize acoustics.

4 SPRING 2009

Teddy takes the next step Thacher’s third E. E. Ford Fellow, Teddy Reeves, graduate of Hampton University in Virginia, will be a tough act to follow. His energetic and compassionate style expanded students’ awareness of race, gender, and inequality in the context of literature. This spring, he offered an English course entitled “Race, Religion, Creed” that included weekly community forums on topics including homophobia, the effects of music on society, and race and social hierarchy in America. According to mentor Jake Jacobsen, “Teddy is a natural communicator who is exposing the students to subjects often not addressed in the core curriculum.”

Teddy’s contributions, however, were not bounded by the classroom; he was also a major force on the team that produced this year’s unProm and a dynamic participant in dorm life.

We wish Teddy all the best as he moves on to teach English next year at the Providence Day School in Charlotte, North Carolina. Standing by to become the next Thacher Fellow (the position has a new name) is Erica Jones, a recent graduate of Dartmouth. Erica will begin work with the History Department next fall.

Arts Weekend photo (Facing Page): Bryan Pidduck CdeP 1992

Senior Exhibition photo ops Months of research and hours of practice bore edifying and entertaining fruit this spring as seniors came through with an impressive array of Senior Exhibitions. This year’s lineup ranged from the topical (Pirates) to the edible (Bread Making); from the aromatic (Fragrances) to the acrobatic (Aerial Dance); and from the obstetric (Midwifery and Home Birth) to the esoteric (Math: Invented or Discovered?).

Pictured at far left is Madi Manson ‘09, who soared over the Milligan Center stage as she presented an original aerial dance piece. Meanwhile, Chris Rowe ‘09 reprised his Senior Ex at Assembly by leading the School in a session of Qi Gong (assisted by Kelly Joy Brown-Lewis ‘09, pictured at left).

The Thacher School 5

The Pergola…

Numeracy: Science in the Sierra­—A Camping Conundrum

Scoreboards

On an Extra-Day Trip to the Edison Lakes region in the western Sierra, a student paddles a makeshift raft out to the middle of a small pond to do some fishing. He arranged a 10-pound rock on a rope to use as an anchor. Having arrived at a propitious fishing location, he tossed the rock-anchor overboard and turned to his tackle. Here is the question: When he cast the anchor overboard (ignoring the rope) did the water level of the pond go up, go down, or stay the same? Please accompany your answer with a line of reasoning.

BASKETBALL

Answers To The Last Puzzle Top honors go to Michael Newkirk CdeP 1978 (with honorable mention to past parent Steve Hauge and Mike Martin CdeP 1944). Mr. Newkirk’s solution: Let the number chosen by the first person be a1, the second person’s number be a2, etc. Then five equations can be established for the even-numbered positions: (a2 + a4)/2 = 3 (a4 + a6)/2 = 5 (a6 + a8)/2 = 7 (a8 + a10)/2 = 9 (a10 + a2)/2 = 1 Solve for a6 by simple substitution to find a6 = 1.

Once again, Thacher’s Equestrian Team qualified to compete in the Interscholastic Equestrian National Championships in Ohio, earning its second top ten placement in the ten years they have been attending. At right, Leandra Cooper ‘09 takes a jump in Thacher’s arena.

6 SPRING 2009

Winter Sports

Varsity Boys Record: 10-6 (5-3 league) Captains: Trevor Currie ‘09 and Joe Tobin ‘09 Highlights: Finishing in second behind a strong Besant Hill team, the Toads averaged 55 points per game, maintained 66 percent free-throw accuracy, and set a high mark for unselfish play with an average of 12.4 assists per game.

Junior Varsity Boys Record: 9-3 (7-1 league) Captains: Tom Kim ’10 and Joel Reimer ‘10 Highlights: Balance was this team’s biggest strength: The top four scorers were separated by only eight points, the top two rebounders separated by one rebound, the top two assist guys separated by three assists, and the top four steal performers separated by nine.

Third Boys Record: 4-2 (2-2 league) Highlights: Strong interest in basketball among freshman boys resulted in a third team that received coaching from a sextet of coaches. Two big victories over Cate were balanced against two hard-fought losses to Midland’s JV team.

Varsity Girls Record: 9-8 (5-1 league) Captains: Kaitlin Bond ’09, Annie Ford ‘09, and Mariah Gill-Erhart ‘09 Highlights: By honing skills in tournament play early in the season, this team enjoyed a superlative season in which it tied with Cate for the Condor League championship, the sixth championship or co-championship in the last seven years.

Varsity Girls Record: 3-6-6 (1-2-4 league) Captain: Kristen Findley ‘09 Highlights: Great parity among the four Condor League teams (Dunn, Cate, Laguna Blanca, and Thacher) made for some very tight matches. One highlight was the firstround playoff win on the road against New Community Jewish School, due to numerous great saves.

Junior Varsity Girls Record: 3-6-1 (3-5-1 league) Captains: AhKeyah Allahjah ’11, Katharine Gifford ’10, and Lauren Joseph ‘10 Throughout the season, this team experienced tremendous growth as the girls became students of soccer, learning the rules, individual skills, and cooperation needed to be a successful unit on the field. Many players were transformed from unsure, timid participants into fierce, competitive athletes by season’s end.

Yoga The students worked well together to learn various sun salutations, restorative (restful) yoga, Ayurveda, Thai yoga massage, and partner yoga. Since six boys took the class, the teacher shifted to more aerobic techniques.

They also traveled off campus to new a Bikram “green” yoga studio and a ropes class in Ventura.

Junior Varsity Girls Record: 2-4 (2-3 league) Captains: Emily Kirkland ’09 and Anna North ‘09 Highlights: Although JV opponents were scarce in the Condor League, this team improved greatly throughout the year as evidenced by smaller losses in subsequent games against Ojai Valley School, and finally beating OVS by three points in the final match-up.

Photos: Elizabeth Mahoney CdeP 1988, Robert leiter, christopher lanD

SOCCER Varsity Boys Record: 7-8-1 (5-4-1 league) Captains: John Callander ‘09, Sam Rhee ‘09, and Chris Rowe ‘09 Highlights: After a slow start early in the season, this team roller coasted through its opponents and finished second in the Condor League, when it finally lost to Poly (Pasadena) in the first round of CIF playoffs. The team was superior to its opponents in the second half of every game and had a tenacious, never-give-up attitude throughout.

Junior Varsity Boys Record: 9-0 (5-0 league) Captains: John Lehrkind ’09 and Nicky Wilder ‘09 Highlights: This team outscored opponents 43-4 and only trailed its opponents for three minutes during the entire season.

Third Boys Record: 2-1-2 Captains: Doug Coughran ’10 and Hampton King ‘10 Highlights: Two big wins over Cate, two hard-fought losses against the Midland JV team with big comebacks that fell just short, and one killer comeback win against Viewpoint.

Captions

Elements of winter sports: Stephen Yih ‘10 (facing page) seems to float on a cushion of air; Javier Quiroz ‘10 (top) watches his opponent take a water break; Teresa Findley ‘10 (near left) fires a goal kick; and three Toad fans take in the action on one of the most scenic athletic fields on Earth.

The Thacher School 7

The Pergola…

Casa de Piedra 2009 At the last Assembly in March, Thacher’s seniors sat in the first two rows of the Library Amphitheatre and the juniors stood at the back, a symbolic means of saying that all of the seniors have been accepted by at least one college and will become freshmen again next year.

College Counselors Maria Morales Kent, Alice Meyer, and Kara Hooper performed the latest rendition of the “Happy Dance” and invited seniors to drop by their office for Martinelli’s and chocolate-chip cookies to celebrate their accomplishments.

8 SPRING 2009

Barnard, 1 Bowdoin, 1 Brown, 1 Claremont McKenna, 1 Colby, 3 Colgate, 3 Colorado College, 2 Colorado State, 1 Columbia, 1 Davidson, 2 George Washington , 2 Kenyon, 1 Lehigh, 2

Lewis & Clark, 2 Loyola, 1 Northwestern, 1 Oberlin, 1 Occidental, 1 Pitzer, 2 Pratt, 1 Princeton, 1 Santa Barbara City College, 2 Sarah Lawrence, 1 Scripps, 1 Skidmore, 1

Stanford, 2 Trinity, 2 UC Berkeley, 1 UC Irvine, 1 UCSC, 2 UNC, 1 USC, 6 U Penn, 1 Vanderbilt, 2 Warren Wilson, 1 Washington U, 1 Whitman, 3 Yale, 1

FROM THE ARCHIVES 100... 50... 25.... YEARS AGO AT THACHER

TWIN PEEKS

100 (1909) February 4: One characteristic of the new schedule is the informal reading after the mid-day meal. Mr. Thacher, in explaining its extreme informality, said that it was even permissible to lie around on the floor.

He was taken at his word to such a degree that a stranger would have mistaken the parlor for an emergency hospital or a morgue. It was one of the most remarkable mixtures of arms, legs, and heads that ever littered a carpet. (El Archivero 1909) Denham Lord CdeP 1909 (who would return to teach at Thacher 19161963) was described in El Archivero 1909 as “one of that small but brilliant circle which descends on the chemical laboratory four times a week” to “carefully weigh the proper elements, acids, bases, salts, catalyzers, dehydrating agents, oxidizing agents, reducing agents; carefully arrange the proper retorts, flasks, beakers, test-tubes, stands, glass tubing, rubber tubing, clamps, screws, funnels, crucibles, pneumatic troughs; light a lamp or two, and then retire behind the doors and furniture to await the results. …then the apparatus blows up with all the suddenness of an April Fool joke, and the chemistry class follows the line of least resistance through the doors and windows. (El Archivero 1909)

50 (1959)

PHOTOS: CdeP 2009: Caitlin Jean Photography; Chem lab: Jilly Wendell; UNPROM: Javier Quiroz ‘10

Mr. Chelsey and the radio club launch “Radio Thacher”: “Mars-like though its appearance is, the station has proved more than just a recreation as shown by the recent ‘phone-path’ contacts with hams in Honolulu allowing Mr. and Mrs. Hermes to talk with their son….” (The Thacher Notes, 1959)

25 (1984) The Thacher News reported on the Silver Anniversary of the Thacher Summer Science Program: “Softball has been as much a part of the program’s activities as looking through the astrographic telescopes high atop Beeleville Hill. (The Thacher News, Spring 1984)

Focus on science: Thacher’s newly upgraded laboratory classrooms enable students to enter experiment data directly into laptops for immediate computation and validation of results.

At left, Alex Simon ‘09 got in one last swing on the new equipment before graduation. Right, UnProm revelers dressed by decade to suit this year’s theme of “A Wrinkle in Time.”

The Thacher School 9

The Pergola…

BlurB & Squib Books A new edition of the correspondence of Thornton Wilder, a member of Thacher’s class of 1915, has been published and makes mention of the playwright’s time at Thacher, where he penned his first play (now lost), The Russian Princess.

The Selected Letters of Thornton Wilder contains more than 300 missives culled from some 7,000 by editors Robin G. Wilder and Jackson R. Bryer.

The book is published by Harper.

Glen David Gold CdeP 1981, author of the bestselling Carter Beats the Devil, has published a new novel centered around the life of Charlie Chaplin. As Gold describes it, Sunnyside is an attempt to understand how Chaplin “became the repository of the soul of the 20th century through an especially mysterious alchemy….

Sunnyside plunders film theory, fairy tales, arcane Hollywood business practices and the private lives of its most famous citizens so I can question in the end whether the universe actually has meaning, or if narrative is our last, best attempt to beat back a crushing loneliness that almost none of us can comprehend.” (Quoted from Amazon.com.)

Wide Open

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ith the Mulligans’ departure for an eight-month sabbatical, some concern arose about Saturday evening Open House.

Who could possibly cover this cookie-baking, movie-showing, hip-hopping, and game-playing extravaganza? Dean of Students Sabina McMahon took on the task and gave it a new twist by offering the event in various locales, with new food options (create your own sweet treat vs. chocolate chip cookies), and alternating hosts (math teacher Howard Hall who oversees the Head’s Home in their absence was a critical player). Sounds like Saturday evenings haven’t missed a beat. .

Journalism A series of stories by Associated Press correspondent Rukmini Sichitiu Callimachi CdeP 1991 on exploited children earned her spot as a Pulitzer Prize finalist in the category of international affairs reporting. The stories in the series, “Begging for Islam, “Toiling for Gold,” and “The Slave Next Door” expose the exploitation of impoverished children from Africa to California. You can download and read the stories at www.thacher. org/thachermagazine.

Documentary Women in Boxes, a film produced by Harry Pallenberg CdeP 1985, recently debuted on the Documentary Channel. The film reveals and celebrates the lives of the unsung heroines of stage magic: the assistants who endure being cut in half, lit on fire, stuffed into boxes, and who never give away the secrets. Copies may be ordered here: http://www.filmbaby.com/films/3277

00 spring /summer 2009

Amidst the fun and games of Open House, there’s always room for an impromptu session of math help. Above, math teacher and Open House host Howard Hall works through a solution with a few students. Below, freshman boys pose an insoluble problem of their own: Is there such a thing as too much pizza?

Left (L to R): Cameron Kemp ‘09 (Nathan), Josh Jackson ‘09 (Sky), and Sam Meyer ‘10 (Nicely) call on lady luck in Guys and Dolls, this year’s winter musical. Sarah Boneysteele ‘10, as Adelaide, leads the girls at the Hot Box through a number.

Excerpt: Memo to Riders From: Cam Schryver To: Spring Riders Subject: Riding in General

Top-ten duo Derek Gulick-Stutz ‘12 and Carson help put the Orange Team over the top to win this year’s Gymkhana Season.

PHOTOs: Bryan Florer, Joy sawyer mulligan, christopher land

I

t seems like a long haul sometimes learning how to ride. Balance, judgment, and technique are just not that easy to acquire. Horses fend for themselves if they don’t understand or are scared or don’t like how things are going.

Learning a new athletic skill on the ground is difficult. Learning a new athletic skill that is done through a partnership with another being and through another body that does not speak any of our languages or even think like us is comparatively more difficult. Factor in the emotional component that horses and their riders create and you have a whole other can of worms.

Like many generations of Thacher riders, you are gaining a lot of knowledge and skill.

Gymkhana in big groups is not easy and plays into a lot of the reactive side of horses. So, there are challenges. But, compare yourselves to how things were going in the fall. You are not even the same people anymore. I hope you are proud of how far you have come. I am. Whether you stay with it or not, like it or not, you have learned a lot about yourselves, horses and the rewards of completing long-term, difficult tasks.

The Thacher School 11

armchair wandering…

Wilderness Ophthalmologist:

The Careers of David L. Williams

E

ver since childhood, David Williams CdeP 1960 wanted to practice medicine—and so he did, spending 25 years as an ophthalmologist enjoying “the opportunity to significantly help people on an almost daily basis” and teaching eye surgery at UCLA. But when a spinal injury put an early end to that career, he turned to his artistic side and long-ago memories from Thacher days to get back in the saddle again—quite literally, as a wilderness ranger with the U.S. Forest Service.

“Despite my efforts to focus on achievable life goals, life for me turns out to be more of an interesting journey with unforeseen opportunities just out of sight over the horizon,” says David, who retired from his second career on December 31, 2008.

“During my first career I maintained a private office in Santa Barbara and practiced medical and surgical ophthalmology. In addition I volunteered my time both locally and with Surgical Eye Expeditions (SEE). I was part of a team that took ophthalmic lasers to Manaus, Brazil; taught local ophthalmologists how to use them; and left the lasers as a gift.”

About 25 years into his practice, he herniated a disk in his neck and experienced excruciating pain. Unable to concentrate, he gave up surgery and focused on office practice. But at times the pain was close to unbearable.

“I remember getting through the day by sitting in a lounge chair and telling myself I was able to take the previous breath, now all I had to do was take another.”

His neurosurgeon offered a choice: He could fuse the vertebrae and relieve the pain, but it would most likely reoccur. Or David could quit practice and over a period of months the neck would probably permanently heal.

“I elected the latter, devastated that my career was prematurely over.

Months went by and the pain gradually subsided. I was left wondering what I would do with the rest of my life. I decided I would do something completely different; perhaps see if I had an artistic side. I took a Brooks Institute course in nature photography, thinking I might become a professional photographer.”

During one of his photographic shoots David met a Forest Service ranger who told him the Forest Service just lost the person who administered the Santa Barbara ranger district horse and mule program and they didn’t have a replacement. David proposed feeding and caring for the stock as a volunteer if he would be allowed to ride and pack the stock.

“Soon I was enjoying horseback trips into the backcountry,” he recalls.

“I started inviting friends to help me pack supplies to trail workers camped in the wilderness. After a couple of years of volunteering I found myself hired as a full-time Forest Service ranger.”

This second career brought many diverse duties: He surveyed all the Santa Barbara ranger district trails and submitted digital data for the

map data base. He went to Patagonia, Chile, as part of a team that taught rangers there how to engineer hiking trails. He patrolled the backcountry and packed supplies to trail crews in the wilderness. He started an allvolunteer group called the Wranglers, who helped with the packing. Later he was asked to be a member of an Interagency Incident Command team and served as base camp manager and facility unit leader. He helped find lost horses and extract them from remote locations.

“On several occasions I found myself first on the scene of a vehicle over the side of a cliff in the backcountry and coordinated rescue operations,” he says. “There seemed to be no end of tasks to do for the Forest Service.”

It was satisfying work, and not without amusing moments.

“I devised a method of painting out graffiti on forest water catchment

David L. Williams, U.S. Forest Service Ranger

12 SPRING 2009

“Thacher’s stock and camping experiences made my second career possible. Over all, Thacher instilled in me a love of learning and the joy of hard work.”

tanks. Later I was in charge of a work group comprised of incarcerated delinquent boys. I discovered their reticence to paint out graffiti was due to their authorship of same.”

David says his Thacher years well equipped him for both of his very different lives.

“Thacher gave me a solid academic foundation that was invaluable during my first career. Thacher’s stock and camping experiences made my second career possible. Over all, Thacher instilled in me a love of learning and the joy of hard work.”

Memories from his student days include numerous adventures in the backcountry.

“I volunteered to make a Baked Alaska for a Pack and Saddle Club initiation held at Patton’s Cabin. The endeavor involved packing ice cream in dry ice by mule. Halfway up the mountain the mule started kicking and bucking so hard he threw his pack at a place now called Utensil Point, for obvious reasons. It seems I forgot to insulate the mule’s side from the dry ice, a point I sheepishly discovered and quickly corrected as I repacked to resume the journey.”

On another trip, facing a bitterly cold night in a camp by the Sespe River, David thought it might snow so he threw a tarp over the camp table and crawled in for the night, snuggling into his warm down sleeping bag.

“Toward morning I woke up to find the world turning white and thought it had just started to snow. Concerned for my exposed friends, I yelled, ‘Hey, wake up, it’s snowing!’ It seems they had been awake, shivering in the snow, most of the night. Needless to say, I was not very popular come breakfast time.”

Another time, camping in a spot known to be frequented by bears, David’s group hung their food high in a tree, hobbled their horses, and stretched out under the stars in sleeping bags for the night.

“Hours later I roused from my slumbers enough to feel a hot, pulsating breath on my face and a strange grinding sound coming from directly above me. Thinking the worst, I waited for the bear to strike. Seconds ticked by. I remember thinking, ‘If I am going to die, I might as well see it coming.’ Snapping my eyes open I saw a huge dark shape towering above

me. I waited for strike, but it didn’t come. Looking again I discovered my horse had slipped his hobbles and I was lying under his belly. He had gently nuzzled my head off the grain bag I was using for a pillow and had helped himself to a midnight snack.”

In both of his careers David took pleasure in helping others. As a surgeon, he performed pro bono eye muscle surgery on a two-month-old girl with eyes so severely crossed only the whites of the eyes were visible— her irises were turned in toward her nose, leaving her blind. The surgery went well, her eyes were straightened, and the girl regained her vision.

“Some 20 years later a letter arrived on my desk, forwarded from a local hospital. The patient, now a bride to be, was inviting me to be the honored guest at her wedding in Hawaii,” he recalls. “What a wonderful celebration that was.”

David says he frequently received letters from patients excited about new sight made possible by a cataract extraction. Said one: “Thank God for Dr. David. I can now read ‘made in Japan’ on the oil rigs in the channel.”

Over his 25 years in ophthalmology, David watched technology transform what was possible in that field. Yet one crucial factor—compassion— remains more important than ever.

“During my practice I witnessed the invention of soft contact lenses, the application of various laser machines, a revolution in the way cataracts are removed, LASIK corneal surgery, and much more. Currently techniques are being perfected to stimulate the occipital cortex of the brain without involving the eye, thus allowing a ‘blind’ person the sensation of sight.

“Technology and science offer a bright future for ophthalmology. However, ophthalmology is not technique alone. A caring, compassionate physician who is genuinely concerned about patients is essential. Hopefully, this aspect of medicine is being taught in medical schools along with technology. When these two aspects meet, the future of the discipline is assured.”

As for his own future, and possibly even a third career, David remains open.

He says, “Interesting opportunities continue to be just over the horizon as I search for my life after second retirement.”

The Thacher School 13

diptych abstract science image here

SCIENCE AND SOCIETY: Bringing Science to Life What do young adults coming of age in the early 21st century really need to know about science?

By Christopher J. Land

M

any of today’s most pressing social, moral, and political issues-global climate change, human population, energy production, and genetic engineering, to name a few-take shape in the tangled web where emerging knowledge meets public policy. Can a high school science program prepare students to navigate these currents and to play a constructive role in the real world challenges they will face as adults?

In this issue of Thacher Magazine, we explore some of the ways that Thacher students and faculty are pushing the science curriculum out of the textbook and into the world in order to study science as the dynamic, evolving, and fundamentally questioning enterprise it is. We’ll be reminded that the work of scientists does not take place in a vacuum and that knowing about science includes knowing about the social values and needs implicit in deciding where our research is directed and how the findings are applied. We’ll find out some of the ways Thacher leverages its location and outdoor programs to bring science to life for students.

And we’ll hear from some alumni in science professions who report back about how Thacher prepared them for their careers and why what they do should matter to the rest of us. remembers Alice. “I can trace back to that experience the impetus to help students develop an understanding about the global issues that are taking What do young adults coming of age in the early 21st century need to place on their watch, many of which represent lingering issues that they, know about science? A year ago, the question came up as table talk when as adults, will have to tackle.” the Thacher Science Department gathered for its annual holiday dinner.

And in Science and Society, they tackle some big ones. Weekly topics Alice Meyer proposed to her colleagues a course that would be team taught, allowing students and faculty to learn together. From that idea, an have included human population, issues of water use and water access, evolution and intelligent design, and nuclear waste disposal. Throughexperiment was launched: a class called Science and Society in which stuout the course, attention is paid to the role of statistics in presenting dents and the entire Science Department faculty examine complex social scientific data and the way statistics are used in policy discussions. Disissues from a scientific perspective.

The course description makes the claim that it is “more and more essen- cussions inevitably pull back from the “pure science” to examine how work in the sciences is framed by moral and cultural values. For example, tial in these modern times for educated citizens to strive to understand how do social values influence what science gets funded? Do we study the science underlying contentious public issues.” To cultivate that unfar-away galaxies or climate change on Earth? And what role do moral derstanding, each week a different teacher introduces the class (students matters play in the laws that are passed as a result of scientific underand faculty colleagues alike) to an issue, providing readings and leading standing? Are our laws about reproductive rights or genetic engineering discussion on the topic. based on science or morality?

In addition to the value faculty members see in giving context to sciGiven the ambitious scope of the class, teachers work hard to strike the ence, the teachers enjoy the opportunity—rare in Thacher’s busy schedright balance between providing an adequate scientific foundation and ule—to benefit from one another’s expertise. With a faculty to student ratio of roughly 1:2, this class is an extreme of example of what Peter Rob- exposing the related issues and perspectives. But when balance is struck, great things can happen. For students, the format and the content can inson likes to call the virtuous inefficiency of the Thacher curriculum. Thbe eye-opening. Doug Coughran ’10 says Science and Society “challenges, acher may not be able to top the breadth of course offerings at our larger interests, and engages me like no other class I’ve had.” Kendra Carter also peer schools, but we can offer an enriched and innovative core of courses, gives it high marks “because the iswhere flexibility and individual stusues that we discuss are so relevant dent attention are the norm.

“One of the best outcomes of the course is not in today’s world that we can apply Speaking for the students, what the students end up knowing, but what they them to our everyday lives.”

Kendra Carter ’09 observes, “I also One of the course’s best outlike the dynamic of the classroom recognize they don’t know.” comes is not what the students because all of the science teachers know in the end, but what they are involved in the discussion and recognize they don’t know. One student introduced her position on a we get to hear all kinds of perspectives on the issue for that week.” But controversial topic like this: “I don’t presume to know nearly enough the sense of a shared learning enterprise goes deeper than studying about the matter to make an accurate assessment of who is right and the same materials. For this class there is no faculty textbook with the wrong, but I think….” answers in the back. Thus, students benefit as faculty members model And thinking, not just knowing, is the desired outcome. Praise for good thoughtful and rigorous inquiry on topics where many answers remain student work comes in phrases such as “willingness to see many sides of unknown or open to debate. an issue” and “delight in an opinion that was different from his own.” AnAlice Meyer locates the seed of this course in her own school days as other teacher praises a student who “will be better equipped in the future she interviewed for an exchange-student opportunity and was asked to consider multiple viewpoints as well as have the understanding to reabout the Cuban missile crisis. Though she was not old enough to know search issues and sources which support differing opinions.” much about it when it happened, she felt a responsibility. “Here was an It may not be a solution to all of the world’s problems, but it’s not a event of global significance that subsequent generations might see as havbad place to begin. ing taken place on my watch, and I had nothing intelligent to say about it,” We’re All in This Together: An Experiment in Learning

The Thacher School 15

WHAT THE HILLS TEACH: Learning beyond the lab

“Let these books and these hills and these horses be your teachers.”

—Sherman Day Thacher

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ften, science at the secondary school level focuses on the knownwhat scientists understand about the sciences-with some attention given to methods and skills.

Yet, despite the inherent stodginess of textbooks and lesson plans, there is another side of science, one that the best teachers bring to life in the classroom, and often outside it: the sense of science structured Short of subhed for this essay. as Short subcuriosity, collaborative discovery, and the purShort suit of solutions to real problems. subhed for this essay. Short Of course, this “other” science builds thisand, essay. from what is known as intriguing as the unknown sounds, you can’t get there from here without a firm grasp on established knowledge and a mastery of scientific method. Therein is the science teacher’s dilemma: how to balance the necessary background and knowledge with an understanding of the methods and an excitement about where that can lead.

“We need to provide our students with a grasp of the current state of scientific knowledge and prepare them for the next level of science they’ll encounter at college,” explains Doc V (Chris Vyhnal, chair of Thacher’s Science Department). “But the trickier part of a high school science program is to help them develop the critical science skills of inquiry, observation, and creative problem solving.”

16 spring 2009

For that, explains Doc V, Thacher science teachers often look outside the classroom. Fortunately, we have an advantage at Thacher. You can see stars here.

The campus sits on an alluvial fan in a valley with a fascinating geological story. We abut nearly two million acres of national forest and are within an easy day trip of Channel Islands National Park, sometimes called “California’s Galapagos.” And that’s just our immediate neighborhood. Meanwhile, our outdoor program provides the perfect vehicle for carrying science out of the classroom and into the “real world.” Add relentlessly curious and engaged students catalyzed daily by talented and committed faculty members and you unleash a chain reaction that’s been running at Thacher for more than 100 years.

Sometimes, you’ve got to let the lesson plan go out the window and invite students to connect the science in their textbooks to the world around them.

This notion, older than Mr. Thacher’s first vision ofhed the School a place for “out-of-door life and for thisasessay. study,” was clearly in evidence when Tom May CdeP 1952 was teaching science at subhed for Thacher from 1956-61.

As Jack Huyler tells the story, one Wednesday students and faculty members trooped into the Study Hall for Assembly and were startled to see a giant hawser coming through a window in the back of the room and traversing the room to the podium. Mr. May spoke from the podium: “This hawser represents geologic time. It starts at the tractor shed and if I had enough rope to be accurate, it would wind all the way back from here to the tractor shed.” He picked up the end of the rope, pointing to the piece of tape wrapped around the hemp to keep it from unraveling. “That one-inch tape represents Life on Earth. “The thickness of this Kleenex is Man’s time on Earth.” May blew on the Kleenex until it separated, “This is the recorded history of Man.”

photos this spread: Thacher archives, Christopher Land

Ostensibly on campus for a post-college visit, Tom had been persuaded to sign on after a member of the science faculty became seriously ill. In those days, science classes had just moved into the new “bug lab” north of Study Hall. Tom recalls classrooms that were a far cry from the recently refurbished, computer-equipped facilities we have today: “long benches instead of chairs, a large storage closet containing supplies and an assortment of stuffed animals and archeological items removed from the old ‘bug lab.’” But the out-of-doors was as well equipped for teaching then as it is today.

“The five years that I taught the Physiography course I emphasized the local geology, which the boys saw on the riding trails and camping trips. On occasion, I took truck trips to the desert or Cuyama to dig and note interesting fossils and minerals.” In those days, continental drift and plate tectonics were theories in the process of gaining wider acceptance; and “ecology” was just acquiring its current-day meaning. Trips in the Thacher backcountry were a natural way to introduce students to new scientific ideas that had not yet made their ways into textbooks, and to bring these ideas to life in ways that no textbook could.

The close-the-book-and openthe-door approach is not simply about making science more fun (though who wouldn’t rather learn about a chaparral ecosystem from the back of a horse than from a text?), but it aims to connect scientific knowledge with the skills and tools of scientific inquiry, and to help students understand the role science plays in framing and addressing challenges that matter in the world.

Archival photos on this spread show that hands-on learning has long been central to Thacher’s science curriculum. Above, students in the Summer Science Program use an astrograph to take advantage of Ojai stargazing in 1965. Below, EnviSci students complete an annual inventory of life in nearby Reeves Creek, and (lower right) support School sustainability goals by evaluating the effectiveness of Lower School’s efforts to sort trash from recycling.

The same goals were in evidence back in 1959 when Thacher’s headmaster at the time, Newton Chase, launched the Summer Science Program. He thought that high school science programs were doing an inadequate job of introducing promising science students to the range of possibilities for careers in the sciences and engineering. Capitalizing on the stargazing potential of Ojai’s night sky, the program gave talented students the opportunity to conduct “real science” among talented peers and a faculty that at times included Nobel laureate Richard Feynman. The program has moved from Thacher’s campus, but the observatory on Beetleville Hill, donated by UCLA, serves as a reminder.

Today, Thacher’s hands-on-bootson science tradition is alive and well in myriad ways. When subject matter and opportunity align, there are field trips, like the ones Brian Pidduck’s Environmental Science classes take trips to Reeves Creek to conduct a census of invertebrates, or when a physics class turns the Soule Park playground into a physics lab, measuring the centripetal and centrifugal forces at play in a merry-go-round, or explaining the physics of “pumping” on a swing. One ongoing EnviSci project is an agriculture experiment comparing gardens using organic and industrial growing techniques.

Increased attention on furthering the sustainability of campus systems has spawned several opportunities for science-based projects. Two solar arrays—one that is fixed and one that tracks the sun—yield data for student analysis. And to find out how well Thacher dormitories separate trash from recycling, a brave troupe of EnviSci students recently plugged their noses and donned gloves and goggles to sift through trash. Included in the group’s findings, published in the The Thacher Notes, was the reminder to freshman boys that “cookies are not recyclable. Sorry.”

The Thacher School 01

18 spring 2009

Collaborating with CalTech

Occasionally, the stars align and students not only glimpse real science being done, they get to participate in the doing. This has been the case recently as Thacher students have collaborated with Dr. Alex Sessions from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) on a paleoclimatology project that is part of ongoing efforts to understand and measure global climate change.

It is amusing that a project of such global significance began with a task as mundane as updating a Christmas card list, but that is what Doc V was doing when he discovered that his old grad school

photos This spread: Brian Pidduck, Christopher Land

Experimenting with Extra-Day Trips

This year’s spring Extra-Day Trips explored several opportunities to fold science into the camping mix.

Heather Grant and Brian Pidduck led a flotilla of kayakers who paddled along the Gaviota Coast carrying zip-lock bags containing daily readings in marine biology, and keeping observation journals as they went (see photo above). Readings covered elements of the marine environment that Heather expected the group to encounter on their paddles: dynamic features of the coastline, seals, sea lions, dolphins, kelp beds, and tide pools.

“From my first interview at Thacher,” says Heather, “I thought, wow, I’ll get to take kids into the wilderness for a week. This is the perfect opportunity to do field work. And then teaching Marine Bio last year in the spring, I realized how tricky it can be to find even one day to take kids to the coast.” But combining field work with an Extra-Day Trip turned out to be the ideal solution.

“The dream that I had about organizing a trip like this was to have kids be more active observers of the world around them.” Heather and Brian sought to add just enough academic structure to the trip that students would “become a little more active in the observation process.” The idea was to help them develop an eye for observation, and begin to see beyond the obvious.

To me,” explains Heather, “tide pools have always been that hidden world that is there if you look long enough and know what to look for.”

With a little academic structure and a lot of knowledge supplied by the trip leaders, the natural curiosity of the students was fed and connected back to their classroom study. One of the kayakers, Sarah

Boneysteele ’10, said, “Often when you go tide-pooling with your parents, you ask, ‘What’s this?’ and they say, ‘I don’t know, let’s go get ice cream.’ With Ms. Grant, though, you’d ask, ‘What’s this?’ and she’d explain it all and then ask if we had more questions.”

Bo Manson took his group to Santa Cruz Island, the largest and most diverse of California’s Channel Islands, to work with a local organization dedicated to habitat restoration. Bo’s trip put in three days of labor to eradicate invasive species, identify native species, and transplant seedlings at a fieldstation nursery. Meanwhile, on another Channel Island, Kurt Meyer’s backpacking trip hit the new Trans-Catalina trail, setting down their packs for an afternoon to learn about the Catalina Island Conservancy’s native-plant nursery, and to pitch in by replanting seedlings and watering plants.

The impetus to study science on the hoof does not originate solely with faculty. Senior Katy Bartzokis, winner of this year’s camping award, channeled her love of the outdoors into a Senior Exhibition on “The Natural History of the Sespe.” In the process, she spent many weekends immersed in her topic, both literally and figuratively. She took a long weekend on her own, walking out of campus, climbing over The Ridge, and then spending time by herself at Patton’s Cabin. In Katy’s case, it can’t really be said whether a love of science lured her into the backcountry or a love of camping spawned a love of science, but her experience is hard to imagine at another school. As she has written, “I learned the value of silence and listening with an open mind. I’ve reinforced that value by working with my hands and communing more deeply with nature.”

buddy from Dartmouth was living in Pasadena and conducting research at Caltech. After reconnecting, Doc V wondered whether it might ever be possible for his students to participate in a Caltech project.

The project that emerged involves ascertaining whether waxy compounds present in terrestrial plant leaves possess stable isotopic signatures that might record climactic information, even after that leafy material has found its way into sedimentary strata.

Part of the challenge is to rule out factors other than climate change that might be responsible for variations in the stable isotopes over time. The contribution of Thacher students is to investigate these other factors—for example, height of leaf in the tree, location of the tree, tree species—that may contribute to isotope variations.

For their part in this research, Doc V’s chemistry students have been collecting leaves from a variety of tree species they have flagged in Horn Canyon.

Students have then worked in a Thacher chemistry lab to extract waxy compounds from the leaves in a multi-step process that involves warming the samples in an ultrasonic bath. The wax is then purified, collected in vials, and shipped to Caltech for analysis by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. The students have also traveled to Caltech to tour the analytical facilities where their samples are processed. This year, Trudy Park ’10 (pictured at right) became the latest student to take a special interest in the project. “Seeing Thacher’s equipment was like ‘wow’ to me. I’ve studied science in programs at college facilities before, so I know what college labs are like, but having it at high school is really good for the students. And it was amazing to be able to collaborate on this project with Caltech.”

Trudy entered her work in the Ventura County Science Fair, where her project placed fourth in the Environmental Sciences Division and was lauded by one judge as a “college-level experiment done by a college-level high schooler.” More gratifying for Trudy and Doc V was the recognition she received from the California Association of Professional Scientists, which selected her project as the one that best reflected application of the scientific method and the mechanics of scientific research.

Trudy came away from the fair with some hardware and prize money, but also with a new apprecia-

“Whether students pursue science on the trail, from a kayak, in a lab, or around a seminar table, the important thing seems to be a program that is invested in creating connections between what scientists know, how they know it, and why it matters.”

tion for her project: “There, the judges were actual scientists and they were telling me what a great opportunity this was…that this was real science where we were working together and breaking new ground.”

Does science education need to leave the classroom in order to come to life? Of course not. Witness the success of the Science and Society class (see story page 15), which brings scientific inquiry to life through readings, guest speakers, and a discussion format that encourages students and teachers to learn together, often probing the fuzzy frontiers of scientific knowledge, public policy, and human values.

Whether students pursue science on the trail, from a kayak, in a lab, or around a seminar table, the critical factor seems to be an investment in creating connections among what scientists know, how they know it, and why it matters. It’s this last element-“why it matters”-that links science to the choices we make as individuals and as a society. And it is that link that so often enlivens a lifelong interest in sciencewhether this is expressed in a career path or personal choices-and inspires students to carry science with them out of the classroom and into the world. ­­—Christopher J. Land

the ineluctable marriage of science and Politics Science offers powerful ways of understanding and solving the world’s problems, but who decides what we study and how we apply what we learn?

By ryan m. meyer cdeP 1998

Science matters. It would be tough to come

up with a more obvious statement. But the consequences of this fact present some fairly tricky problems, which deserve our awareness and attention, and which can help to explain the current dynamics between science and politics.

It has become fashionable, when commenting on politically charged science issues such as climate change, stem cell research, or evolution, to bemoan the politicization of science. The notion here is that something as important as science should be kept pristine, separate from the corrupting influences of values, bias, and self-interest. But I would like to convince you that science needs politics. In fact, science, like any other human endeavor, is inherently political and values-driven.

To explain this, let me start by offering two very different accounts of science.

Science: authoritative, bipartisan, unquestionably good

Science has come to occupy a very special role in our society. We celebrate science as a source of reliable, authoritative, and at times powerfully transformational knowledge, and we look to its experts and their research for help on some of our most daunting challenges. We fund medical research to cure disease, and Earth systems research to understand long-term climate change. Many volumes describe the role of scientists in winning the Second World War, and we hope that science will lead us through a transformation of energy systems that will reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.

Everyone knows that the results of science have had, and continue to have, enormous impacts on our lives, many of them beneficial. The news is filled with exciting stories of breakthroughs around the corner—the promise of a cure, or a miraculous new gadget. This is why we teach science to kids beginning at an early age, and why we expect our government to fund scientific research. In this way, science seems to play a crucial but simple role in stimulating progress and contributing to our well-being.

Science: messy, diverse, contested, ambiguous

On the other hand, science is messy. It is fraught with uncertainty; it is constantly evolving and changing; it is never final; and it is often highly contested. The answers to complex scientific problems are never simple, a fact which renders our decisions about how to interpret scientific knowledge, and what to do with it, all the more difficult.

And science is incredibly diverse. It involves many disciplines and 20 spring 2009

many institutions, each with a unique view of the world and its own set of ideas about how to pursue knowledge. If I face a difficult problem, such as storing or getting rid of high-level nuclear waste, the solution may depend on whom I ask. If I ask a geologist, you can bet she will tell me the most effective way to bury it. If I ask a NASA scientist, you can bet he will tell me the most effective way to launch it into space. In dealing with tough problems we do not look to some monolithic, capitalS-Science for the one true answer; we sort through a seemingly infinite array of sources.

This is why debates involving science are never “science vs. nonscience”; they are “my science vs. your science.” This reality is actually a testament to the authority of science. Whether in the courtroom, on the floor of the Senate, or at the bar after work, everyone wants science on their side. It is seen as a way to win arguments. Even with an issue whose origins relate strongly to religious belief, such as evolution vs. creationism, many participants acknowledge the authority of science simply in the way they engage in debate. By arguing, for example, that evolution is not falsifiable, or that it cannot explain observations in the real world, proponents of creationism are mobilizing scientific arguments against the theory of evolution. It is one thing to deny an item of scientific knowledge and another entirely to repudiate science itself.

How should we think about science and politics?

My colleagues and I at the Consortium for Science, Policy, and Outcomes at Arizona State University are studying the complex role that science has come to play in our lives. We find that many people tend to accept the first account of science as authoritative, bipartisan, and unquestionably good. But this can only get us so far when we begin to confront the second account. In appealing to the authority of science, how can we deal with the mess? We are looking for ways to preserve a positive role for science in difficult policy debates, while also encouraging people to recognize that it will always be messy; it will never be final; and it can’t tell us what to value.

The most important issue to recognize is that science, on its own, will not lead us out of the woods. Our most difficult problems will not be solved by science, though our responses may be informed by certain kinds of technical knowledge. In the end we still need to make a lot of tough decisions that require a clarification of values through political deliberation.

Climate change is a great example of this problem. Large investments in climate research over the last several decades have taught us a lot about how the global climate works, and helped us to recognize

climate change as an urgent environmental and social problem. But our response depends greatly on what we value most, and what we can agree on. Even if I offered you a perfectly predictive model that could tell you just what the climate would look like at any point in the future, that model could not tell you the “right” course of action. It could not tell you how to balance things like biodiversity loss with poverty in the developing world, or who should bear the cost of decarbonizing our economy. Science has little to say about these things. Instead we must rely on political deliberation.

We need to change the debate over science. A lot of times (e.g., stem cell research, evolution, climate change, health research) it can seem like a question of more or less; yes or no. But that’s not the hard question. Everyone can agree that we need to maintain a robust and healthy research enterprise. As a political issue, science is generally bipartisan.

Government funding for research has been robust and growing for decades. And while the level of support tends to fluctuate from year to year like everything else, it is generally agreed—across party lines— that strong support of research and education in science is crucial to our success as a nation. Last year the United States spent around $150 billion on “research and development,” a number that is sure to grow substantially this year, what with the major boost in funding of science agencies through the stimulus package.

In the end, it’s not how much money we throw at science, it’s how we manage that investment. We need to recognize that there are infinitely many pathways to explore, and it’s up to us to choose the ones most consistent with our values. Again, science cannot answer these questions for us.

We should be optimistic about our potential to mobilize science to help us deal with big challenges, but we should also be suspicious of simple answers and absolutisms. We should respect the opinions of scientific experts, but remember that they are human beings with values and biases, who engage in political wrangling to get funding and to promote their work.

All of this requires acknowledging that science is a political, valueladen activity. This is a good thing! Individual scientists strive to maintain objectivity, but our values must guide our approach to science and our uses of it.

But by the end, we were asking and considering a far more nuanced set of questions related to the issue. For example: • •

• •

On what principles and through what processes can we ensure that research is ethically and morally sound?

In a world with countless health problems, many impacting certain disadvantaged populations disproportionately, how should we decide the most important areas of medical research?

What does it mean to temporarily close the door on certain areas of research?

Once we’ve walked through the door, can we ever go back?

In this class, students are not just learning the contents of textbooks; they are integrating science into their understanding of the world around them, while learning more about the complex social contexts in which science plays out. This is the future of science education, in a world where science will continue to play a crucial, if never simple, and always political, role.

After Thacher, Ryan majored in Biology at Bowdoin College. He is currently a fourth-year PhD candidate at Arizona State University. With its low disciplinary walls, emphasis on problem-based education, and a center devoted to this intellectual domain, ASU, says Ryan, is “a perfect place to study the relationship between science and society.”

What does this have to do with Thacher?

As I hope the preceding argument has demonstrated, science education is important, but so is our awareness of the broader context and dynamics of science. We need to teach and learn about why we do science.

The answers are not simple, but they matter.

I recently traveled to Thacher to participate in the new elective, Science and Society, where each week a member of the science faculty engages the students on a scientific issue with broad societal implications. This particular week, we discussed the always-controversial issue of stem cell research.

In the beginning, debate among the students closely resembled the simplistic two-sided account we often hear playing out in the media: “stem cell research, yes or no?”

Highly visible controversies over science issues often fail to recognize that science is an inherently political activity.

After Thacher: careers in the sciences

Six Thacher graduates talk about what they do, where they do it, how they got there, and why it should matter to you.

In Search of the Next Big Thing Brian Pierce CdeP 1973 b Technology Defense In his work on the frontier of technological development and innovation for the U.S. military, Brian Pierce relies on a balance of critical thinking and unbounded curiosity—traits he says he developed at Thacher.

What does your organization do?

I am part of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in Arlington, Va., the central research and development office for the U.S. Department of Defense. DARPA’s mission is to maintain the technological superiority of the U.S. military and prevent technological surprise from harming our national security. Notable achievements of DARPA over its 50 years of existence include the Internet, the global positioning system (GPS), and Stealth aircraft, as well as the Grand Challenge and Urban Challenge competitions for autonomous robotic vehicles.

What is it you do?

I am the deputy director of the Strategic Technology Office at DARPA. Like all other technical offices at DARPA, we are in the business of starting new programs that will result in the next technological revolution.

Specific areas being addressed are space; strategic and tactical networks; information assurance; underground facility detection and characterization; chemical, biological, and radiological defense; maritime operations; and small unit operations.

What path did you take to end up doing what you do today?

I have always been flexible about my path, which followed opportunities that kept me challenged intellectually. My experience at Hughes Air22 spring 2009

craft, Raytheon, and Rockwell Scientific was particularly enriching because it exposed me to a wide set of problems, and the use of systematic thinking to analyze these problems and synthesize solutions.

How does your work influence or matter to the average person?

Although DARPA’s focus is on supporting the Department of Defense, the technologies advanced by DARPA often matter significantly to the average person, such as the Internet or hand-held GPS units. Current DARPA programs in renewable energy will likely have impact, e.g., the biofuels program in our office, or the Accelerated Manufacture of Pharmaceuticals program in the Defense Sciences Office.

What do you like best about what you do?

DARPA provides a unique opportunity to [provide] service to the nation and to be at the cutting edge of science and technology over an extremely broad range of fields. It is very stimulating to be in contact almost every day with top minds with new ideas.

What are the biggest challenges you face in your line of work?

The biggest challenge is developing and finding really new ideas that could be the next technological home run like the Internet.

“Ours is a curiosity-driven research lab and each experiment increases our understanding of how the universe works.”

Attracted to Magnetism Scott Hannahs CdeP 1971 b Magnetic Lab Technician Scott Hannahs learned at Thacher to “question everything and trust in your own abilities,” which serves him well as director of instrumentation and facilities at the National High Magnetic Field Lab. What does your organization do?

Our facility is a National Lab, funded by the National Science Foundation and the State of Florida. We are a “user” facility that provides the highest magnetic fields available to the scientific research community.

We support qualified researchers from around the world who come to use our facilities. We not only research how to make better magnets but [conduct] fundamental research on materials, chemistry, and biology, and their behavior in high magnetic fields. We [also] work with students from middle schools, high schools, and colleges around the country.

What is it you do?

I make sure the facility runs—from the 56-megawatt power supplies and the magnets to the instrumentation and design of the experiments that are run here. I also do my own research on the behavior of materials in magnetic fields. I have published papers on organic superconductors, semiconductors, and magnetic systems.

What path did you take to end up doing what you do today?

After Thacher I got an undergraduate degree in physics and math from MIT. I went on to graduate school in experimental physics at UCLA and ended up working at the magnet lab when it was at MIT. When the new facility was constructed in Tallahassee, I was recruited to help set it up.

How does your work influence or matter to the average person?

Our work at the lab produces and trains the scientists and engineers of the future. We work hard to teach not only the principles but ethics of scientific investigation. Ours is a curiosity-driven research lab and each experiment increases our understanding of how the universe works. [Our findings] may help design new and useful materials far in the future as we contribute to the intellectual infrastructure of science and engineering.

What do you like best about what you do?

We run 200 research groups a year in my portion of the facility. Every day is a new challenge and a new problem to solve.

What are the biggest challenges you face in your line of work?

Putting up with meetings and managerial responsibilities. They have to be done, but I like doing rather than managing. Finding time to keep the place running while doing my own research.

Seeking Answers in the Ocean Dawn Alexandra Osborn CdeP 1989 b Marine Biologist Life is a day at the beach—and a whole lot more—for marine biology educator Dawn Osborn.

What does your organization do?

Educates students and [conducts] research in various fields.

What is it you do?

I teach in the Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology Department at UCSB. The course is a yearlong mandatory series for

aquatic biology majors called Environmental Processes in Lakes and Oceans. We cover everything: community ecology, ocean circulation, physics and chemistry, the importance of bacteria in the ocean, deep-sea biology, whales….

Did your Thacher experience influence or prepare you for the work you do today?

Yes, in so many ways they are hard to describe.

At Thacher, I learned how to try really hard and never give up. In order to get where I am, I had to take a lot of very hard, not-so-fun courses and I really learned how to focus at Thacher.

I gained a lot of confidence at Thacher and a strong belief in myself that propelled me to continue in the sciences. (The field has many more men than women.) I also learned how to get along with and communicate with many different types of people, which helps in all careers.

What path did you take to end up doing what you do today?

I went to UC Santa Cruz, which Mr. Robinson warned me might be too familiar in that I was still in California. But it was the right choice

for me because of the proximity to the ocean and the courses in the field. I have a BA in biology, an MS in marine science, and a PhD in ocean sciences. I have worked offshore, in deep water with submersibles, and in the intertidal zone—the area where the land and sea meet.

How does your work influence or matter to the average person?

With global climate change being an extremely important factor our society deals with today, my work is showing how intertidal animals and plants are affected by sea-surface warming and sea-level rise. So anyone who enjoys the coastal areas would care a lot about the work I am doing. But because a huge amount of oxygen we breathe is created by the plants in the ocean, everyone should care about ocean health.

What do you like best about what you do?

I love studying the organisms but also the interactions with different habitats. I love being out in the field collecting data and working with so many different people. I love doing something that is for the benefit of humanity.

The Thacher School 23

Standing Up for Endangered Species Julie Nelson Hampden CdeP 1990 b Herrera Environmental Consultants Helping public agencies comply with myriad environmental regulations is Julie Nelson Hampden’s niche.

What does your organization do?

Herrera Environmental Consultants is an interdisciplinary environmental consulting firm that provides its clients with services in the areas of geomorphology, hazardous materials, water quality and stormwater, engineering, planning, design, permitting, scientific, environmental compliance, restoration, and mitigation. The vast majority of our clients are public agencies and Native American tribes.

What is it you do?

I am a senior environmental scientist specializing in Endangered Species Act–related assessments and environmental and regulatory compliance procedures/permits/documentation. I am supervisor to four technical staff and also serve as general manager of the Natural Resources and Planning group (17 staff) at the firm.

Did your Thacher experience influence or prepare you for the work you do today?

Definitely. Thacher provided me with analytical and writing skills that are an essential part of my job.

What path did you take to end up doing what you do today?

In college I studied the links between environ-

mental contamination and human health (primarily cancer and thyroid disorders) as well as ecology. Post college, I was a seasonal field biologist for a two years, in Oregon, Montana, and Washington, completing fisheries and wildlife research and habitat assessments. I was an environmental educator for two years in the Olympic National Park, where I became particularly interested in salmon ecology and the role these fish have played in defining Northwest identity, culture, and economies. I completed my interdisciplinary graduate studies at the University of Washington College of Ocean and Fishery Sciences in marine affairs (focusing on the Endangered Species Act). Soon after completing my master’s degree, I began a career in environmental consulting, with an emphasis on Endangered Species Act compliance.

How does your work influence or matter to the average person?

Programs and projects are implemented every day by public agencies on behalf of their constituents—to accommodate projected growth or address public health and safety or improve environmental practices. My job is to ensure that these agencies uphold their environmental and social responsibilities by providing adequate technical review and public disclosure of these projects/programs and anticipated

Science can give us useful knowledge, but not absolute truth. Instead, it is necessarily a reflection of the beliefs, desires, and particular perspectives of those who carry it out, or the institutions that support it.

24 spring 2009

impacts.

What do you like best about what you do?

I enjoy the people I work with—their intelligence, enthusiasm, and commitment to the environment. Because my firm is interdisciplinary, it provides fertile ground for thinking outside of the box to develop and implement new solutions to minimize or avoid impacts to the environment, or to enhance existing habitats while also ensuring that public infrastructure and services are provided. I like to see our national and local environmental regulations implemented as intended.

What are the biggest challenges you face in your line of work?

Figuring out how to navigate the requirements of multiple regulations while meeting client expectations is a constant but entertaining challenge.

Keeping California Wet Catherine A. Ruhl CdeP 1989 b Hydrologist, U.S. Geological Survey Water has always been the lifeblood of California and Catherine Ruhl studies ways to keep it flowing.

What does your organization do?

I work for the U.S. Geological Survey in the California Water Science Center. The USGS conducts research on topics such as natural hazards (volcanos, earthquakes, landslides, floods, fires); groundwater geochemistry; surface water hydrology; and habitat restoration.

What is it you do?

I am a supervisory hydrologist studying the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta: the hub of the state’s water-supply system and a critical habitat for many native aquatic species.

Did your Thacher experience influence or prepare you for the work you do today?

The people I know and the lessons I learned at Thacher are an important part of my experience. The teachers and experiences (academic and otherwise) I had there certainly have influenced who I am today.

What path did you take to end up doing what you do today?

I studied environmental and civil engineering at Stanford, then worked in Germany as an environmental engineer for several years.

While applying to graduate school I took time to travel around the world, exploring many exciting new places. Then, after completing graduate school, I began working at the USGS as a staff hydrologist researching suspendedsediment in San Francisco Bay. After several years of “dirty work” I transitioned to surface water hydrology and became a supervisor for a dedicated team of people collecting data and learning about Delta hydrodynamics.

How does your work influence or matter to the average person?

The work that our project does in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta is critical to California. Over 23 million people depend on water from the Delta and the California agriculture business hinges on deliveries of water from

the state and federal water projects. The work we do has direct implications on decisions that will impact the entire state. In addition, fish populations are at record-low levels and we are working with biologists to understand the processes that may be controlling their successes and failures in the Delta.

What do you like best about what you do?

I like working with passionate, dedicated people. I also like getting out into the field— though that doesn’t happen as much anymore!

I also like informing people about the Delta and the importance of this unique and complicated region.

What are the biggest challenges you face in your line of work?

We’re dealing with the fallout from the state budget crisis and with funding issues at this point. Funding for science (even at a federal agency) is always a challenge—even for critical information like Delta hydrodynamics.

Fighting Diseases With Genetics Christopher P. Austin, MD, CdeP 1978 b Director, NIH Chemical Genomics Center Using insights from the Human Genome Project to seek cures for rare diseases is part of the work of Dr. Christopher Austin.

What does your organization do?

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the nation’s biomedical research agency. NIH funds most of the biomedical research done in universities and medical schools in the U.S., and carries on an active intramural research program in Bethesda, Md. I am in the intramural research program of one of the NIH’s 27 institutes, the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI). NHGRI led the U.S. part of the Human Genome Project, which was officially finished in 2003. The NHGRI is now focused on realizing the promise of the Genome Project for human health by funding and performing research to determine the function and therapeutic potential of all human genes, and to develop medicines based on that knowledge.

What is it you do?

I have two roles. The first, as senior advisor to the NHGRI Director for Translational Research, was what brought me to NIH in 2002. In this role, I helped the NHGRI devise and implement programs to derive biological and therapeutic insights from the Human Genome Project. [I also serve as] director of the NIH Chemical Genomics Center, which develops chemical probes of the genome and starting points for the development of new therapeutics for human disease.

Did your Thacher experience influence the work you do today?

Thacher is where I first fell in love with biology and chemistry, courtesy of Mr. Brown (biology) and Mr. Carlson (chemistry). Both were infectious in their giddy enthusiasm for science, and I caught those bugs in a big way.

How does your work matter to the average person?

Much of what I do is pretty arcane, developing technologies that will help figure out what genes do and how cells work. But another part of it is directed at fundamentally changing how drug development is done, and changing the relationship between the public and private sectors in this process—with the aim of making the process more efficient and effective, and with the intent of producing medicines for the many diseases for which there are no treatments currently.

What do you like best about what you do?

It is scientifically fascinating, intellectually challenging, medically important, and has the promise of fundamentally changing how new medicines are developed. I also get to work with enormously committed and smart people. It doesn’t get much better than that.

The Thacher School 25

gatherings… remembering Alumni Days 2009 WINTER alumni day 2009

Top: Dave Kepner CdeP 2007 was back with his camera and captured this sunset silhouette.

Right: David A.Babbott CdeP 2001, Will Wyman CdeP 1978, and P.J. Benner CdeP 2006 gave their all on the soccer field, but the alumni team came up short against the current Toads, losing 2-4.

Far right: Alex Dotson and Alexis Jackson, both CdeP 2007, take a turn in the saddle.

“FAC-BRAT” REUNION IN OJAI!

W Left: Faculty members Bob Miller, Alice Chesley, Jack Huyler, Olga Ignon, Eddie Chase, Betty Saunders (Rough House model not fully pictured) Above: Fac-Brats circa 1950s-60s

26 SPRING 2009

By Roger Ignon CdeP 1962

hat started as a small reunion party for Thacher’s faculty children of the 1950s and 1960s became a large affair.

Everyone gathered at Soule Park on April 18 to enjoy an event that included a reception, dinner, parlor games led by Kim Chase and Ruth Huyler, and live music by Lance Ignon CdeP 1974 and John Wood.

The event marked several important milestones including Jack Huyler’s and Olga Ignon’s 89th birthdays and the gathering of four generations of faculty and their children, the “fac-brats.”

A cake with a not-so-scale model of the Rough House was served for dessert and wine was donated from the Thacher winery, compliments of Weezy Hagen and John Thacher CdeP 1957.

The event was organized by Peggy Chase, Weezy Hagen, and me, with help from Mike Hermes and Eddie Chase. A special recognition was made for Mike Hermes, who is retiring this year as president of Ojai Valley School.

We hope this will be the beginning of many more reunions for current and past faculty and their children to participate in some of the memorable traditions of faculty life at Thacher.

APPRECIATING OUR SPRINGTIME GATHERING HOSTS JENNIE TUCKER CdeP 2004 for hosting a Sunday brunch at her home for young alumni in the Washington, D.C., area.

ERICA REYNOLDS CdeP 2001 for scouting out a location for a New York City young alumni reception.

JENNIFER KRITZ CdeP 1994 for helping to organize a party for young alumni in Boston.

MARK LEYDECKER CdeP 1979 and NATASHA LONG CdeP 1991 for hosting a cocktail party at their home in Aspen and to JOHN GATES CdeP 1975 for spontaneously offering a second evening to celebrate the occasion.

PETER OBERNDORF CdeP 2004, BRENTON SULLIVAN CdeP 2003, and TROY POLLET CdeP 2003 for hosting a young alumni party in Santa Monica.

WALTER and ERICA FULLER (parents of Marc CdeP 2006 and Ian ‘09) for opening the Beaulieu Estate and hosting the Napa Valley gathering.

ANDREA BLACK CdeP 2001 and KATIE HALL, Trustee (and mother of ELIZABETH KNUTSEN CdeP 2007) for hosting an Alumni Fund phonathon in San Francisco.

MELANIE LARKINS CdeP 1999 and KEVIN WAGONER CdeP 1980 for hosting a Sunday afternoon gathering in Atlanta. Special thanks to Kevin and his wife Jennifer for opening their home and providing a lovely Southern lunch!

KRISTINA ALLEY CdeP 1991, her husband Timothy Farrell and parents James and Elisabeth Alley for hosting a Santa Fe shindig at the Alley Ranch in Santa Fe.

Top left: Jennifer and Kevin Wagoner CdeP 1980, gracious hosts of Atlanta gathering.

Top right: Melanie Larkins CdeP 1999 enjoyed the Atlanta gathering with her parents Mel and Marion.

Left: Sam Ditzion (Jennifer’s husband), Jennifer Kritz CdeP 1994, Allison Glass CdeP 1993, Jane Casamajor CdeP 1994 enjoying the Boston party.

summer and fall gatherings Alumni, Parents, Grandparents, Faculty and Friends: Mark your calendars with these upcoming fall gatherings:

Toad Road Warriors

DAvid Oxley CdeP 1979 and Rick Wilson, Director of Development, hosted a second summer ride for Toad Road Warriors on July 6-12.

September 23 Los Angeles October 13 Washington, D.C. October 14 New York City October 18 Chicago November 4 San Francisco November 8 Newport Beach Date TBD Santa Barbara For event times and locations, check out: www.thacher.org/alumni.

Coming up next Spring 2010!

A weekend reunion for our community-Las Vegas style! Thanks to an alumnus, we will have a package deal for individuals, couples, and families. Everyone will be invited for a weekend in April (TBD) to stay at the Hilton, see Hoover Dam, hike, golf, and join the local Thacher community for a Saturday evening reception. This is a rare event not to miss!

Hoover Dam

The Thacher School 27

class notes…

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*

INDICATES REUNION YEAR CORRESPONDING PHOTO ABOVE Some of the following Class Notes have been edited for length. For the most current—and complete—Class Notes, log in at www.thacher.org/alumni

1942

1946

^

GEORGE PFAU, JR. has gifted Thacher’s library with a copy of his recently published book The Peacock Papers, a HunterPfau family history including many fascinating Thacher reminiscences. On reading George’s book, Michael Mulligan wrote, “...I did not know that you and Jesse Kahle were responsible for bringing the Horse Program back from oblivion with the instituting of intramural gymkhanas. I was particularly astounded to hear that the Santa Barbara School for Girls came over and whipped us in gymkhana. How did that happen?” Among other tidbits is George’s account of asking his Thacher and Yale classmate GEORGE BECKWITH “to donate money for a perpetual gymkhana trophy in his name.”

NICHOLAS CUNNINGHAM, M.D., Ph.D., Emeritus Professor of Clinical Pediatrics and Public Health, Columbia University, shares: “My news: Ten years into retirement (except for teaching international MCH and Child Protection at Columbia University), I seem to keep asking myself questions, including,

‘Of all the (upper) schools I attended (Thacher, Harvard, Johns Hopkins Medical and Public Health, and London University), which helped me the most?’ Answer: Thacher.”

* 1954 1955

1958

BRUCE OXLEY tells us that “Carol and I are enjoying an active retirement here in Redmond, Ore. Our kids and grandkids in close proximity keep our lives interesting and active. We still enjoy seeing our beautiful country from horseback as often as we can. I look forward to seeing many old friends—literally— at my 55th Reunion this June. How the years gallop by!”

“I am currently president of my Rotary Club just outside Sacramento,” writes ALLAN GALLOWAY, “and have a trawler berthed in Trinidad in the Caribbean. I’m contemplating crossing the Atlantic next year or continuing to cruise the Caribbean. I still play tennis, but, needless to say, I don’t move quite as well as I used to.”

We hear from WILL STRONG, who lives in Charlotte, N.C.: “I just returned from a swing through Asia, going to some very remote islands in the Philippine archipelago. Also met some very interesting people along the way. Am now going down to Puerto Rico, also on business, but nobody believes me.”

careers in science: Reagan Moore CdeP 1963 responds...

What is it you do? I am a professor in the School of Information and Library Science; chief scientist for Data Intensive Computing Environments at the Renaissance Computing Institute; and director of the Data Intensive Computing Environments Center at the University of North Carolina. I lead a research team that develops software systems for organizing distributed data into shared collections. This technology is used to support international research projects, build digital libraries, build preservation environments, manage real-time sensor data streams, and implement processing pipelines. The resulting systems are used by NSF, NARA (National Archives and Records Administration), NIH, French National Library, UK e-Science data grid, Australian Research Coordination Services data grid, Taiwan National Archives, etc.

How does your work influence or matter to the average person? The data grids enable collaborative research on national and international scales. Projects using the technology include the Southern California Earthquake Center, the Biomedical Informatics Research Network, and institutional repositories such as the Carolina Digital Repository at UNC. These projects are driving advances in research that are needed to address societal challenges (global warming, disaster preparedness, understanding of the human genome).

Did your Thacher experience influence or offer preparation for the work you do today? I did gain early experience in science at the Thacher Summer Science Program. After Thacher, I majored in physics at CalTech (BS) and earned a PhD in Plasma Physics at UCSD. I worked my way through graduate school doing simulations of High Altitude Nuclear Explosion Phenomenology, and analyses of the equilibrium and stability of Toroidal Fusion Plasma devices.

What do you like best about what you do? We build technology that is used in production settings to advance and improve the conduct of science.

You can read Reagan’s response in more detail online at www.thacher.org/magazine 28 SPRING 2009

Photos (L to R): George Pfau ‘42 and wife Susie; Bill Peavy ‘64 and friend with a 100-pound python.

* 1959

* 1964

1965

1966

* 1969

How to Submit Digital Photos: • Shoot using your camera’s best photo setting.

• Files should be 200k or larger.

• Save photos as JPEG files.

• Identify every person in the photo, state time and place, and suggest a caption.

We can accept good, old-fashioned prints as well.

Unfortunately, we cannot accept photocopies or images from magazines or newspapers.

Two ways to submit photos: 1. E-mail digital files as attachments to alumni@thacher.org.

2. Mail prints or digital discs to: The Thacher School Alumni Office 5025 Thacher Road. Ojai, CA 93023

JOHN HEARD and wife Anne “are happily ensconced in Albuquerque after much globetrotting. I stay active in the consulting game—currently working on projects in Colombia, where we spent four-plus years recently—returning in mid2007. Two sons: DAVID ‘79 is actually a boomer and living in Miami with Julieta, his Brazilian wife, and two tri-lingual children. The other, Ted, an artist, lives near us here in Albuquerque. Looking forward to Reunion Weekend with much enthusiasm. David and family will also make it.”

^

BILL PEAVEY is planning a “Boys of ‘64” gathering. In the meantime, he sends news from recent travel: “Costa Rica has the world’s most flora and fauna. I’m told that the rain forest’s 300-foot canopy has 27 different shades of green. My favorite animal is the Howler Monkey. If you saw Predator, you may recall the roar of the alien creature. That’s a Howler Monkey. Add to that the spectacular echo corridors and the Costa Ricans’ ability to mimic the sound, which sets off a jungle cacophony. Very, very funny.”

Lots of exciting news from RICHARD PAIGE: “Another new year. Somehow they seem to go faster! Even though I am thrice retired and declared 100% disabled (no—not mentally!), I seem to keep myself in the middle of a lot of activities.

Probably the most significant at the moment is my ‘Youth Emergency Services Camp’ (YES Camp—www.yescamp.org).

The program began in 1999 and went on hiatus when I left the Mendocino Emergency Services Authority. After a great deal of prodding from friends and many emergency services agencies, I restarted the program, and the camp will field a program this summer. It has been adopted by the Boy Scouts of America (Bay Area) as part of the “Venture” program, although it runs separately and not under BSA management.

YES Camp is now a California nonprofit corporation (any volunteer attorneys out there?). I am looking for volunteers to help with the camp (Aug. 9-16) and also with procurement of grants, emergency services equipment (operational, serviceable), and construction of several obstacle/challenge courses.

It is clear that the Lord wants to keep me busy helping. If you stop, you might as well be dead. I continue to provide assistance to several churches and still preach on occasion as I substitute for vacationing pastors.”

From DOUGLAS GRIMES: “Finally finished my PhD in 2008.

Now I’m living in Connecticut to be near my parents in their final years. Doing freelance web software development and working on a couple of research plans for educational software, primarily for middle school students.”

Proud dad NEAL HOWE shares that “My daughter, Brisha, will start Thacher as a freshman in fall 2009.” DAN GREGORY’S newest venture is somewhat of a Thacher alum affair: “At Houseplans.com we just launched our FLEXAHOUSETM plan,

careers in science: Jonathon Walton CdeP 1971 responds...

What is it you do? I teach and do research at Michigan State University, a large land-grant university.

How does your work influence or matter to the average person?

My lab has two main research areas. One is bioenergy. As part of a large Department of Energy-funded center, we are doing basic research toward making “second generation” biofuels economically realistic. In my lab we work on developing better plants (from which we can extract the sugars in their cell walls) and better enzymes (for converting biomass to fermentable sugars). The other project is on poisonous mushrooms in the genus Amanita. Although it seems like a “fringe” area of research, this project is a lot of fun and, although my bioenergy research has obvious near-term potential impacts on the U.S. and the world, I would not be surprised if the work on Amanita toxins ends up ultimately having a bigger impact.

Did your Thacher experience influence or offer preparation for the work you do today? I became interested in biology at Thacher. I spent a lot of time camping (Sespe, Sierra), and I had a great biology teacher my sophomore year (Carl Brown). My educational path included graduate school at Cornell and Stanford and postdoctoral research in Italy and California.

What do you like best about what you do? I have a lot of freedom to decide what scientific problems I want to work on (or not). I can come and go as I please day-to-day, week-to-week (mostly). I get to travel a fair amount, on my own terms, and meet interesting people (in the recent past from Taiwan, Italy, Japan, Finland, Australia, Russia, and New Zealand, but the U.S. Treasury department wouldn’t let me go to a meeting in Cuba). Everywhere in the world are fellow scientists with whom I can communicate in a common language. >> You can read Jonathon’s response in more detail online at www.thacher.org/magazine The Thacher School 29 01

class notes…

commissioned from San Francisco architect and Thacher alumnus NICK NOYES ‘76. The plan forms an I-, L-, or T-shape to relate to various lot configurations…an updated ranch house. We’ve also launched our new ‘Exclusive Studio Collection’ of plans from an invited panel of architects, including plans by my Thacher classmate, New York architect ROSS ANDERSON. So, this is fast becoming a Thacher-oriented website, despite the fact that our chairman, Stephen Williamson, went to Cate, and our CEO, Will Thacher—a genuine Thacher, son of Gladys and Jim Thacher—went to Dunn!”

careers in science: Mark Petschek CdeP 1977 responds...

What is it you do? I am a software engineer/manager responsible for design, code, test, and integration of large-scale (> 1 million lines of code), hard realtime software projects How does your work influence or matter to the average person? Without scientists and engineers building new technologies (with a nod to the business people who provide the financing), life would be quite different. When I was a student at Thacher, we were on the edge of the transistor revolution. Today, we are in the computer revolution. Tomorrow, when the current students of Thacher are middle-aged, we will be in a new technological revolution.

Did your Thacher experience influence or offer preparation for the work you do today? In the 1970s, Thacher did not have any formal academics in engineering;however, it did offer advanced math and pure sciences. In addition, it offered opportunities. In my case, the opportunity was hidden in a secluded room in the old science building. Behind the physics lab and next to the ham radio, was a computer room. It consisted of a single “PDP-8E” mini computer. By today’s standards, it was large (2.5’ x 2.5’ x 6’), expensive (probably 3-4 times a year’s tuition at Thacher), and slow (more than 1,000 times slower than my $600 laptop), and it had no display or mouse. Its only human interface was a teletype. Not many people used that computer but it opened my eyes to the potential of computers and their ability to solve complex problems which I couldn’t solve on paper. I still think about one problem that I tried to solve at Thacher. The problem is: “How does one efficiently arrange the Thacher evening dining room seating?” (Seating capacity for different tables, achieving even distribution of classes at a table, minimizing duplicate tablemates, minimizing repeat students at a table, etc.). In 1976-77, the evening dinner seating assignments were generated by a program I wrote.

I wonder if Mr. Shagam ever figured out why I sat at his table 3 times more often than any other student?

What do you like best about what you do? The problems that I face and solve change every day and the technologies I work with change every year.

You can read Mark’s response in more detail online at www.thacher. org/magazine 30 SPRING 2009

1971

1972

* 1974

In early April, the Alumni Office received an invitation from JOHN AARON to his self-described “return to the stage in Santa Barbara to perform original mutant acoustic and spoken word for the first time in five years, with Jensen Music’s Singer/Songwriters Showcase: The Lost Dog Band- Juan Avocado and ReillyDog….one time only!” John’s nonprofit, “Chalk4Peace”, is having great success with events worldwide.

For info on Sept. 2009 events, go to www.chalk4peace.org.

^

JOHN BOSCHE and wife Lynne (parents of LUCY ’08 and LAUREN ’10) joined current Thacher parent Helen Weld (IAN STRACHAN ’04, ANNIE STRACHAN ’05, and WILLIAM STRACHAN ’09) in Bo, Sierra Leone, Africa, along with alums JULIA ROBINSON ’04 and ANNIE STRACHAN ‘05. The whole crew worked together with the West Africa Fistula Foundation and Bo Government Hospital, doing everything from patient care and education to building repairs and upgrades. Their work is part of Helen’s vision for a planned health center in Bo, which will serve the 2.5 million people of the Bo region, integrating sustainable technology, agriculture, and micro-enterprise business. You can read more and see some great photos at Helen Weld’s blog, hwph.blogspot.com.

Springtime news of farm, family, and community from BEN CARTER: “At the time of this writing, things are very busy for the Carters. On the farm, spring ground preparation and planting are in full-tilt boogie mode. This is the time of year when there are not enough hours in the day to get everything done. Plum and mustard seed blooms are complete, walnuts are waking up from winter dormancy, cabbage seed is blooming, onion seed and carrot seed are right behind the cabbage, and wheat is heading out. We are working in our winter cover crops, drying out rice ground, preparing ground for cucumbers, watermelon, pumpkin, squash, and beans, planting sunflowers, and getting ready for our first cutting of alfalfa.

I am also president of the California Central Valley Flood Protection Board, a board that is responsible for oversight of California’s flood management system in the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys. I was appointed to the board in 2006 by Governor Schwarzenegger. As you might imagine, the combination of the State’s fiscal crisis, the slumped state and national economy, and the drought here in California, makes the board quite busy. Water resource issues are demanding much

Photos (L to R): Annie Strachan ‘05 and Julia Robinson ‘05 with Martha and Kumba at the West Africa Fistula Foundation clinic; Julia Robinson, Helen Weld, and Lynne and John Bosche ‘72; Julia Robinson with a gift from a grateful patient.

of my attention. Denise and I are looking forward to going to Thacher this spring to see KENDRA’S ’09 senior exhibition, the Big Gymkhana and, of course, graduation.”

1976 1978

* 1979

and cultural resources of the Pacific. I am scheduled to fly to Palmyra on March 11 and we plan to depart on the return sail on March 14. Our escort vessel, the Kamahele, will have a satellite uplink so that the teachers on our crew can update interested schools that will be following our journey back to Hawaii. If anyone is interested in this topic as a school project feel free to e-mail! The crew will try to twitter daily. Our twitter ID is HokuleaWWV. Aloha.” DAVID HEARD “is living in Miami with his Brazilian wife, Julieta, and two trilingual children…David and family will also make it to Reunion,” shares David’s father, JOHN HEARD ‘59.

CHUCK HENDERSON reports that “2008 was a big year. Our daughter, Michelle, got married on Jan. 13, 2008. Our new grandson, Dylan Wellington, was born on July 19, 2008.”

WILL WYMAN shares some exciting news about classmate RAUL VILLA, who was recently elected president of Occidental College’s Faculty, where he is a professor of English and Comparative Literature Studies.

On March 3, 2009, ROBERT FRANKEL set sail on this adventure: “I recently accepted a crew position as medical officer on the Polynesian Voyaging Society’s replica canoe, the Hokule’a.

It sails today from Honolulu on a training voyage to Palmyra, a small atoll about 1,000 miles south of Hawaii. Palmyra is jointly cared for by The Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This training voyage is the result of an historic collaboration of these three groups, embracing the conservation and/or preservation of environmental

1980 1982

“MARCOS ANCINAS works with Thacher alum PETER PFAU ’73 (architecture),” write Marcos’ parents Osvaldo and Eddy Ancinas in November 2008. “They have done lots of schools in the Bay Area.” (See 1983 for more news about the Ancinas brothers.)

GAYLE HEIRSHBERG MAH and husband Richard “welcomed our third child, Hayden, last May (see Milestones). He will be one year this May. He joins our other two amazing children, Jenna, who just turned 5, and Ty, who is 3 1/2. I still have a

careers in science: Andrea (A.J.) Van Dyke McCann CdeP 1987 responds...

What is it you do? I am a full-time OB/Gyn physician with Samaritan Health Physicians of Corvallis, Oregon, specializing in health care for women at all stages of their lives.

photo/illustration credit here

How does your work influence or matter to the average person? Most of my patients are “average “ people. I like to think I take care of them with compassion and understanding, taking time with every patient, and listening to their problems and attending to their needs to the best of my ability. I am also able to care for my Spanish-speaking patients in their native language.

Did your Thacher experience influence or offer preparation for the work you do today? I graduated from Pomona College with honors and completed medical school at University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston as a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society. I know I wouldn’t have been as successful in college and medical school if I hadn’t attended Thacher. In addition, I think Thacher gave me a wider perspective on the world and a better understanding of some of the social and political challenges of my time, mostly from interaction with my peers. I also studied Spanish at Thacher, and was a Spanish major in college. A large part of my fluency came from my AFS experience in Argentina between junior and senior years.

What do you like best about what you do? I love taking care of women. I am continually amazed at the miracle of birth and the fact that I am able to share such a precious, intimate moment with families. I also love the technical challenges of surgery, and the evolution of new procedures. I look forward to caring for the daughters of my patients and, eventually, delivering the babies of babies I delivered. Then it will be time to retire!

You can read A.J.’s response in more detail online at www.thacher.org/magazine The Thacher School 31

class notes…

horse, a beautiful Palomino quarter horse named Shaundiin, who I unfortunately don’t get to ride much with the three little ones. I’m keeping very busy as a stay-at-home mom these days and loving every minute of my life. I’m looking forward to the next Reunion!” “Hope all is well at the bucolic Thacher School,” writes BRUCE BELLUSCHI. “I just returned from a week at the Solid Waste Assoc. of North America (SWANA) western region symposium in Palm Springs, where I was a guest speaker discussing recently introduced solid waste legislation in Ventura County and the many benefits of the legislation to the County, its residents, the state, and the environment. While attending the symposium, I entered escrow on a new home in the same Camarillo neighborhood as my fellow CdeP ‘82 classmate, DR. PETER KARLSBERG. And, needless to say, my daughter Shelby, now age 11, and I thoroughly enjoyed our annual retreat to the beautiful hills of Ojai to ride horses at the recent winter Alumni Day. Unfortunately,

she was not overly impressed with my prowess at the shooting range, where I looked more like a member of the National Audubon Society than Ducks Unlimited. I remain hopeful that the shooting pointers DERICK PERRY ‘83 gave me at dinner afterwards will prove to be invaluable in the years to follow.”

JOHN HERZOG’S new love is the sport of triathlon. He spends 12-15 hours training each week and will be doing eight races this season, including his first Ironman 70.3 distance. His goal is to come in under 5 hours and 15 minutes. On being a new endurance athlete, he says, “it’s a bit different from my longest race at Thacher which was 200 meters!”

1983

Great news from KRIS ANDERSON in November: “We have successfully reached the three-year point from when our daughter, Karina, was diagnosed with leukemia. So far, so good….” Osvaldo and Eddy Ancinas, parents of RENE ANCINAS, write, “In case they haven’t told you, RENE is getting his executive MBA at the University of Washington.

careers in science: Eric Anderson CdeP 1988 Responds...

What is it you do? As an employee of the National Marine Fisheries Service, I am part of a group collecting genetic data related to the conservation and management of different species of fish, primarily salmon and rockfish. My area of expertise is in statistical methods and computational algorithms for analyzing genetic data.

Did your Thacher experience influence or offer preparation for the work you do today? Definitely. First, Thacher instilled in me a love of the natural world, which makes it gratifying to be working for an agency with a mandate to conserve natural resources through scientific research. Second, it was at Thacher that I gained an appreciation for and a degree of mastery in mathematics so was able to survive graduate school in quantitative science despite having taken few math courses in college!

What do you like best about what you do? The thing I like best about what I do is that I get to be helpful to scientists from all around the world. There are many people using genetic data to understand issues of basic animal or plant ecology and also to inform conservation; however, few of them have the specialized mathematical training that I have received. I particularly enjoy hearing about the biological systems that these colleagues study.

You can read Eric’s response in more detail online at www.thacher.org/magazine 32 SPRING 2009

photo/illustration credit here

How does your work influence or matter to the average person? The salmon fishery off the West Coast is worth millions of dollars to the economies of coastal California, Oregon, and Washington. A large part of our work involves using genetic data to understand the ocean distribution of threatened populations of salmon so that fisheries don’t have to shut down along the entire coast to avoid unacceptably high harvest rates. I also conduct research on the evolutionary relationships between rainbow trout and steelhead populations in California. This will ultimately influence the actions taken to attempt recovery of those fish under the Endangered Species Act. Some recent collaborative work on minke whale genetics in the Antarctic Ocean will likely enter the debate on whether scientific whaling should be expanded or not.

Photos (L to R): Darcy Daniel ‘84 with new niece Lily Daniel-Barnes (daughter of Leah Daniel ‘86) on the beach in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii; Jamie Christiano ‘85, wife Rucsandra, son Alex and daughter Ella in Berlin with Jamie’s great aunt; Leah Daniel ‘86, husband Thomas Barnes, and Lily Daniel-Barnes on Mothers Day 2009 near their home in Kailua-Kona on the island of Hawaii.

See Births for Leah’s baby announcement.

He is currently president of Port Blakely Tree Farms in Seattle.

He missed last year’s reunion because he was taking finals.”

1985

photo/illustration credit here

1986

^

JAMIE CHRISTIANO shares family and professional news: “I live with my wife, Rucsandra, in Newport Beach and I am loving my work at shoutpoint.com. I’ve been thinking fondly of Thacher as I watch my son Alex (8) and daughter Ella (5) grow up. We had a great time this summer taking the kids to visit family and friends in Berlin for a few weeks. I’m attaching a pic of us with my great aunt in Berlin. In 2008 I managed to catch up with REX COOK and ALEX BERTEA in person. I look forward to seeing more of you in person. I’ve also enjoyed chatting with the growing group of Toads on Facebook.” And from THOMAS KELSEY: “I am currently living in Sacramento and having fun with my work at Audubon California working on land conservation projects with farmers and ranchers in California. I have enjoyed making contact recently with some of my classmates and am looking forward to a Costa Rica surf trip with Tony Thacher and his wife Laurie this April. Our life here is consumed with work, riding bikes and travel. It would be great to hear from former Toads in the area.”

ANNE WALLACE MAULDING has a very full plate in Park City, Utah. She is teaching French to middle-schoolers, parenting her 5-year-old twin boys, training for triathalons, and caring for a new horse to boot!

SARAH LAVENDER SMITH sends “Congratulations to LEAH DANIEL! She and her husband, Thomas, gave birth to a daughter on Dec. 9, 2008 (see Milestones). Leah is doing great and is back in school at the University of Hawaii to earn a degree in accounting.” Sarah also caught up with DAVID GARMAN and ALEX WYLE EASTMAN recently. Dave is busy parenting his two kids (Josh, 7, and Emma, 5) and working at a small biotech company in San Jose, Arbor Vita Corp., where he is Vice President of Business Development and working to develop a drug to treat strokes. He has also become an avid cyclist, completing 10 “Centuries” (100-mile races). In addition to parenting and working with her husband at their equine vet practice, Alex is back in the saddle, riding and showing at three-day events, often with her oldest daughter, Devin, who is 10. And from JONG lee in March of this year: “Sonia and I just moved from Tokyo to Hong Kong with our kids, Isaac and Abigail. Macro is crazy and I am working on a public company restructuring, but family is much happier and content in Hong Kong. I’m missing L.A. big time!” We hear from CAROLYN CHERRY that she has lived in the Twin Cities (currently in St. Paul) for the past 15 years, where she works for Minneapolis Public Schools as an administrator. She is completing her doctorate at the University of Minnesota in Education Policy & Administration as well as requirements for licensure as a Director of Special Education and Principal. She’s thrilled to have reconnected with old classmates on Facebook!

careers in science: Andrew Beebe CdeP 1989 responds...

What is it you do?

I am the Managing Director of our Energy Solutions Division, the largest manufacturer of solar panels in the world. I am in charge of the design and building of large-scale solar power plants around the world. Previously, we’ve built solar panel installations for Google, Sony, Disney, etc.

How does your work influence or matter to the average person? My hope is that the work we’re doing will play a small part in making our planet cleaner, safer, and more equitable, one kWh at a time. For regular folks, this means we can all feel better about the fact that our clean energy use doesn’t have to come at the expense of another species lost, another fish we can’t eat because it’s toxic, or another war we have to wage to get access to energy sources.

Did your Thacher experience influence or offer preparation for the work you do today? Thacher prepared me in myriad ways. Probably the biggest was an almost “embedded” connection to the environment. The idea of melding my work with my love for the planet and everything living on it was a no-brainer. The concept of doing well while doing good on top of it was simply gravy.

What do you like best about what you do? My career has always been about building positive change through companies. Coupling that with the goal of doing things people generally have presumed to be impossible leads to some pretty interesting places. I love winning a big solar contract, but I also love the fact that even when our competitor gets the winning bid, we can feel good about the fact that large-scale solar power is going to be the result. It’s a nice silver lining.

You can read Andrew’s response in more detail online at www.thacher.org/magazine 33 The Thacher School 01

class notes…

1988

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careers in science: Kenneth Young CdeP 1997 responds...

What does your company/organization do?

In 2007, a college friend and I started Rooftop Collective LLC, a two-man software company, creating software that we own. Together, we do everything from brainstorming to hiring designers and lawyers to writing software and answering support questions. So far, we have created two cell phone applications. The first, iExcite, was rejected by Apple as potentially offensive because it features historical figures in a playful environment. Since Google’s platform is much more open, iExcite is available in their Android Marketplace.

Our second, 3D Me, uses wiggle stereoscopy to create a 3D effect with the user’s photos. The simple concept of ‘take two similar pictures, then show them rapidly in alternation’ can create a compelling effect. This application is available only through Apple’s application store.

How does your work influence or matter to the average person? The work I did at Wireless Generation is used by 1 in 10 public school elementary teachers in America. At this point, that work probably has a lot more impact on the average person than entertaining phone applications. Nonetheless, I like the fact that Rooftop’s software is available to everyone and, in the future, I intend to move beyond small entertainment applications into something with greater social benefit.

Did your Thacher experience influence or offer preparation for the work you do today? Absolutely. My first programming experience was is Kurt Meyer’s AP programming class. If it had not been for this class, I might never have imagined that I would enjoy writing software. I saw it as both asocial and as something beyond my reach and I imagined that in order to be a good software developer, you had to have started when you were 5 or something.

Secondly, my work depends as much on my communication and empathetic skills as it does on my developer skills. The rounded education I got at Thacher prepared me for my rounded job. Thirdly, with daily afternoon physical activity, Thacher has helped me to remember that I have a body that needs exercise.

What do you like best about what you do? Owning my work, in all senses of the word ‘owning’. Selecting the project, setting the schedule, setting the budget, making judgment calls on when to put extra effort into design, features, marketing, and financially owning the result.

You can read Kenneth’s response in more detail online at www.thacher. org/magazine 34 SPRING 2009

“Greetings from Singapore!” writes VICTOR WYKOFF. “I hope you are all well. We’ve lived in Singapore for 19 months and will remain through August (at least).” While in California over the winter holiday, Carla, Patrick, and Vic visited the family in Santa Clara and enjoyed a delicious meal with JERRY BANG, wife Hanh and their two girls Trinity and Caden. “We love catching up with other Toads, so drop us a line if you find yourself in Singapore without a guide.” LAURA McHALE reports that she “recently came back from a six-week trip to India: spent several weeks doing a special project working with a nonprofit, part of a new corporate social responsibility program sponsored by Deutsche Bank, the investment bank I work for. The project focused on micro-health insurance, which is a relatively new form of health insurance that targets low-income communities and families in developing countries.

The vast majority of India’s poor rural communities have no access to healthcare financing or risk pooling so, typically, families must borrow money at punitively high interest rates to receive medical care, which exacerbates the debt trap.

Micro-health insurance provides a basic level of insurance coverage for some of the most common diseases—as well as medicines and maternity care—for low annual premiums. It was great to get a fresh perspective and escape Wall Street for a while, but it is nice to be home. I’ve been living in Brooklyn for about six months now–really enjoying it. Would love to hear from any classmates visiting the Big Apple!”

1990 1991

1993

* 1994

Congratulations are soon due to SARAH HARRISONFINCHER, who writes, “My husband Allyn and I are expecting our second child on June 22, a boy! Our daughter Hollis is almost 2 1/2 and growing up fast.”

In April, we learned from MELE WHEATON that RUKMINI SICHITIU CALLIMACHI is a 2009 Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Journalism for her Associated Press reporting and “in-depth investigation of the exploitation of impoverished children in West and Central Africa who are often traded like animals by adults who prize their labor”.

From CAMILLA JOY LOUDEN we hear many glad tidings!

“It’s been a big year for me—after 14 years in Portland, Oregon, my husband and I decided to sell our house and move to the Boston area. Why the big move? So our daughter, Sylvia Joy Louden, born on March 20, 2009 (see Milestones), could be close to family. The transition has been challenging at times but, with great support from family and friends, we’re settling in.”

See Milestones for the birth announcement of the first child of Seana and JUSTIN STEPHENS. Secondary to this momentous news, JUSTIN shares in January that, “The wine business is going very well, although 2009 will be a more telling year. Regardless, we begin construction on a winery and tasting room this spring. Please give me a call if anyone would

^

Photos (L to R) Laura McHale ‘88 meets with rural families in India in need of health insurance for basic medical services; Laura McHale ‘88 at the Taj Mahal during her six-week India trip; Justin Stephens ‘94 and Seana enjoying their daughter Parker; T.J. Langer ‘01 braves a Southern California sandstorm at his company’s algae growing facility.

like to visit. We attended ALEX SLAWSON’S wedding on Jan. 3, 2009, to Kirsten Kintzer (see photo in Milestones). Both ZACH CLAMMER and JOHN MARSTON were in attendance.

It was a wonderful time. Al and Kirsten are a great pair and so fortunate to have each other. BRIAN BENNETT will be visiting today (the impetus for this note). I look forward to catching up with him as well as seeing many of our ‘94 classmates in June at Reunion. Until then, be well.”

1997 1998

* 1999 2000

KENN YOUNG lives in Brooklyn. His tiny company’s first iPhone application launched in March. “It’s called ‘3D Me’, shares Kenn, “ and takes animated stereoscopic photos—no need for glasses.” (Read more about Kenn on previous page.)

KELLY COLLIER married Nathaniel Janes, nephew of Fred Coleman. “We just welcomed Abel Faraday Janes, born Dec. 31, 2008 (see Milestones). He’s perfect. I am also the proud step-mom of Henry Janes (age 6) and I am still teaching physics and astronomy at the Khabele School in Austin, Texas.”

2001

ERIN CAMPBELL sends this update: “I spent the winter skiing in Jackson, Wyo., and have started a dog-sitting business that should keep me here through the summer as well. Hope all is well at Thacher, looking forward to reunion in June!”

“We’ve been hiking around the jungles of Borneo and seeing wild animals like orangutans and bearded pigs,” writes E. LUCINDA BROWN. MATT SCHUMAN is “graduating from law school at USC on May 15. “I’m planning to take the California Bar Exam in July to pursue a career in climate change law and in the development, purchase, and sale of renewable energy.” Kudos to you, Matt! An e-mail update from JUSTIN AND FELICITY ARNOLD: Justin is on temporary assignment in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. FELICITY has been volunteering in Thailand. “We plan to be back in Houston in August.”

^

T.J. LANGER catches us up: “After graduation from Vanderbilt University in Nashville with a degree in biomedical engineering, I moved back to San Francisco to work for a medical device start-up company working on rapid blood

Careers in science: Katherine Bechtel CdeP 2003 What is it you do? I help design and develop equestrian footwear and apparel (both English and Western), bringing the technology of athletic footwear and apparel to the horse world, specializing in innovation for English show apparel. I help design the styles and fit; and develop them; and, often, I wear-test our prototypes. When possible, I travel to horse shows to keep up with the latest developments in techology as related to equestrian product.

How does your work influence or matter to the average person? That depends…does this “average person” ride?

photo/illustration credit here

Did your Thacher experience influence or offer preparation for the work you do today? Growing up riding English and competing in hunter/jumpers, I was very familiar with one discipline of riding, so was thrilled to learn more about others; to ride gymkhanas and learn some reining and roping from Cam Schryver; to get lessons in dressage riding from Chuck Warren; and to go horse packing as a freshman with Austin Curwen. All these experiences helped to round out my understanding of how different people live and work with horses, knowledge that I use every day as a I work to raise the bar for technical equestrian apparel. Also, in a more a general sense, Thacher taught me a lot about maintaining a balance of hard work and recreation. Beyond the protective walls of academia now–and finding myself living in the “real world”–the time demands of work and other compulsory responsibilities loom.

What do you like best about what you do? I love that my lifelong passion is not just an inspiration but a direct tool in the process of designing and innovating for our customer. My work is engineering and creativity fueled by my love of horse sport. Also, I appreciate my particular company (Ariat International, Inc., but often referred to as just Ariat) because we have a very compact team for apparel design, allowing me to be involved in all aspects of design and development for all different categories.

You can read Katherine’s response in more detail online at www.thacher.org/magazine The Thacher School 35

class notes…

2002

2003

36 SPRING 2009

there will be a feature about it in the June-July issue of ESL Magazine, in print and online. The exchange, at this point anyway, is to serve people who are already on the island—locals, university exchange students, volunteers. If Thacher grads at university are interested in doing a term abroad here, they can visit http://www.usfq.edu.ec/gaias/ which is the university branch’s main website.”

* 2004

^

2005

DANIEL MOORE married Lana Kennedy of San Diego, Calif., on Nov. 8, 2008 (see Milestones). They shared their happy day with friends and family in La Mesa, Calif. Daniel and Lana are currently living in San Diego, where Daniel is a software engineer by day and a game programmer by night, and Lana is an artist and Girl Scout leader. “Say hi if you’re in the San Diego area!” “Geoff and I welcomed Lara Anne McGirt to our family last July.” writes STEPHANIE HUBBARD McGIRT (see Milestones). “She is now 8 1/2 months old and crawling around and getting into everything. Her favorite song is ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ and she loves to hang out with our dog Buddy, and her uncle, NICK HUBBARD ‘07. I will be starting school at the University of New Mexico’s School of Medicine in August.”

CHRISTOPHER CAHILL logs in on the Thacher website to post this news: “HA! This class notes thing is awesome. I’m heading to Burlington, Vermont, next August to go to UVM med school. If any of you folks will be in the New HampshireMaine-Vermont-Boston area in the short-term (i.e., to visit Mr. Warren) or long-term (to practice your icicle/snowman impression) let me know.” MARY LEIGHTON shares exciting news: “I’m teaching English in the Galapagos, at a branch of Universidad San Francisco de Quito. I started a language exchange here so that English and Spanish speakers can meet and teach each other. If anyone’s interested in the project,

“GRAHAM DOUDS and CHRIS GOLDMAN are in Arusha, Tanzania, for two months,” wrote Sally Chenault, Graham’s mother, in November 2008. “Both will be volunteering their time to teach in an all-African school. They are living with Suzanne Chenault, a U.N. attorney.” A call and email from ROB NEVILLE in early February yielded this news: “The business venture that PETER GIERKE and I are working on is called Bamboost.asia, at least for now. We are a company aimed at the primary goal of helping California wineries expand their brand and sales into the emerging Asian marketplace, focused on Mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.

We are offering wineries a number of services….at broker-rate commissions for the Mainland and Taiwan areas. In Hong Kong, we offer direct-to-retail opportunities for wineries…. we are making progress quite literally by knocking on doors to build interest in our company and to make contacts.” .

Thacher Registrar Mary Loney spotted this news about ELLEN ADAMS from Princeton: “The Lewis Center for the Arts faculty has selected Ellen Adams ‘10 as the recipient of the Mary Quaintance ’84 Fund for the Creative Arts Award.

Ellen, a comparative literature major pursuing certificates in creative writing and urban studies, will use the funding to produce a book of stories entitled Spaniard?, a compilation of characters who put into question what it means to be a Spanish citizen. Adams spent a year in Granada acquiring fluency and studying the view of Spanish mainstream society. Her goal is to represent Spain’s margins and minorities through literary means, turning social issues into stories and people.

More recently, ELLEN writes with more good news: “I also just found out that I was accepted for a creative thesis with the Creative Writing Program at Princeton, which means I will have the first drafts of a book finished by next year. I am thrilled!” Jack Huyler reports that MADDIE IGNON is Phi Beta Kappa at Connecticut College…go Maddie!

2006

From AMANDA NONOMURA: “As I slave away on final essays and exams, I can’t help but take a break to say, ‘Hey y’all!’

True to form, I’ve been keeping quite busy. Over the past two semesters, I’ve worked on eight different plays and musical theater productions. Even more exciting, I leased two horses this year, which has proven to be quite the endeavor. From exploring the hills around Redlands to seeing my classmates’ shocked faces when I rode into campus, I have certainly had some fun! Naturally, I have a few more adventures in store

photo/illustration credit here

testing for diseases. The medical industry allowed me the opportunity to help people, but green energy really appealed to me as far as the innovations happening and how they will directly impact our everyday lives. In the area of biofuels, I was able to make a transition from the medical industry to this now rapidly growing field. I moved from (my hometown) San Francisco to San Diego at the end of February to work for Sapphire Energy, a renewable energy start-up company that genetically engineers algae to produce transportation fuels, such as gasoline and jet fuel. These fuels require only sunlight, CO2, non-arable land, and non-potable water to produce a renewable fuel that can go right into existing infrastructure.

We recently flew a Continental Airlines flight using our fuels, and no, I was not on the plane. These fuels could potentially relieve our dependence on foreign oil, as well as sequester carbon dioxide as the algae use it for photosynthesis. The picture is from a brief sandstorm in the desert where we grow the stuff. I have been based in San Diego, going back and forth between our production and research facilities, but I think I will be sticking to the West Coast.” CANYON CODY is “back in Ojai after my Fulbright year in Spain. We recorded an album of flamenco Arab hip-hop fusion called ‘Granada Doaba’ that’s coming out in July. I’m working at a local recording studio and managing an indie record label, enjoying Ruben’s and tangerines.” ERICA REYNOLDS reports that she is learning a lot interning for the Charlie Rose show in NYC.

Photos (L to R): Self-described “monster” Rob Neville ‘04 terrorizing Hong Kong; Joseph Winters ‘07 receiving the Coast Guard Athletic Award; Coast Guard basic training graduate Joseph Winters.

MILESTONES before I return to school in the fall. I’ll be swinging out to Costa Rica to study tropical biology and then up to Kings Canyon for my fourth summer as a wrangler. Feel free to come visit me anytime in Kings Canyon this summer or in Redlands during the school year.” Inspired, CONOR FARESE reports: “Hey Everyone! So, thanks to Amanda’s note, I realized that this tool really did exist, and I figured that I would use it to (hopefully) reconnect with you all! Life at UNC is going really well, although I’m just a lowly sophomore at the moment. The semester is coming to a close, but plans for this summer are taking much greater precedence than studying for finals; I’m hoping to work with the EPA in DC or in Charleston, so let me know if anyone is going to be there!

In the meantime, I’ll be figuring out my (hopeful) future Student Body President campaign, which will entail writing a platform of 30+ pages and selling myself to this university for the next one to two years, depending on how the vote goes. I’ve been fortunate enough to see a lot of Thacher people on the plane rides back and forth from NC to the Bay Area. Seems like all are doing well! Oh, and Lee (my brother) is graduating from Thacher and coming to UNC after a gap year, and the little bro/sis Evan and Gracie will be freshmen at Thacher in the fall, giving me another four years to visit.

Hope you guys are all doing well, and definitely let me know if you’re ever in the area!”

2007

ANDREW JORDAN will be “spending a majority of the summer in Shanghai, China, working as an intern for Zuellig Pharma. I’ll be working from May 23 to Aug. 1, and will probably travel a little after my internship is complete. If you are in Shanghai, send me an email at andrew.k.jordan@gmail.com.”

News of JOSEPH WINTERS in late February, via his parents, Richard and Cheryl: “We’re heading to New Jersey to attend Joseph’s’ United States Coast Guard basic training graduation (on Feb. 26, 2009). He has been at a base in Cape May for eight weeks. I believe the term that he used to describe his experience was “gnarly.” However, he has persevered and will be graduating. Thanks, in no small part, to the Thacher outdoor and athletic program, he received the one and only “Athletic Award” given in his company of 98 recruits. He will be heading directly to Boston, where he will be stationed on a Coast Guard Cutter, patrolling up and down our Eastern Seaboard.

He is also qualified to enter the Coast Guards’s Elite Rescue Swimmer’s Program,’ which he is very excited about!”

photo/illustration credit here

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MARRIAGES

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3

4

5

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7

8

CAPTAIN JOSHUA FOSTER, USMC ‘95 married Tiffney Plew on Feb. 16, 2008, in Portland, Ore. Both brothers, RYAN FOSTER ‘96 and JAKE FOSTER ‘99, were the best men. Thacher alums SABRINA WHITE ‘95, MATT CHESLEY ‘81, and Matt’s wife Julie also joined in the celebration. (photo 1) Alex Slawson ’95 married Kirsten Kintzer on Jan. 3, 2009. Zach Clammer ’95 and John Marston ’94 were in attendance. (photo 2) Fred Coleman’s nephew, Nathaniel Janes, married KELLY COLLIER ’98.

Daniel Moore ‘02 married Lana Kennedy of San Diego, Calif., on Nov. 8, 2008. (photo 3)

BIRTHS Hayden Mah, third child of GAYLE HEIRSHBERG MAH ’82 and husband Richard, was born in May, 2008, joining sister Jenna, and brother Ty. Jennifer and MARK HORWITZ ’85 and have added to the Thacher community with the birth of their first child. Zachary Nathaniel Horwitz was born Dec. 23, 2008 in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Writes MARK, “Tipping the scale at 8lbs 10ozs, he was a most wonderful holiday gift for all of the family. Here’s to the class of ‘26!” (photo 4) LEAH A.K. DANIEL ’86 and husband Thomas Barnes welcomed Lilinoe Kamakahai Daniel-Barnes (their first child) on Dec. 9, 2008. (photo 5) CAMILLA JOY LOUDEN ’93 and husband Evan welcomed their first child, daughter Sylvia Joy, on March 20, 2009. (photo 6) John and DEE DONAHUE THELE ‘93 have a new friend for their daughter, Sarah, age 3. David was born March 20, 2008. Dee shares that “Big sister Sarah enjoys reading and singing to him.” (photo 7) Parker Hunnicutt Stephens was born June 10, 2008, to JUSTIN STEPHENS ’94 and wife Seana.

(See photo on page 33.)

Lara Anne was born in July 2008 to STEPHANIE HUBBARD MCGIRT ’02 and Geoff McGirt.

KELLY COLLIER JANES ‘98 and husband Nathaniel Janes are the proud parents of Abel Faraday Janes, born Dec. 31, 2008. (photo 8) (See Class Notes for other family news.)

The Thacher Thacher School School 35 01 The

faculty, staff & friends… faculty and staff News Mickey and Bronwen Halsey Murch CdeP 1998 made French teacher Katherine Halsey a grandmother for the second time; Arlo Ingram Murch arrived on Dec. 20.

Two newbies on campus: Mike and Susannah mcgowan, and son Javi, welcomed a baby girl to their family and the campus community. Aurora Katherine Thacker McGowan was born on April 15. Toby, Amy, and Charlie ELMORE will welcome another family member sometime in mid-August, just about the same time that they will move into their new residence on The Hill. Other folks moving to new Hill residences are David Harris and his wife Joanna Evans CdeP 1988, and Blossom Beatty and Brian Pidduck, both CdeP 1992, along with their yearold twins, Adeline and Daisy. During Winter Break, Peter Robinson and daughter Catherine CdeP 2006 traveled to Sierra Leone to visit Julia CdeP 2004, who spent a year managing a women’s fistula clinic, where Thacher parent Helen Weld (mother of Ian CdeP 2004, Annie CdeP 2005, and Will Strachan ’09) volunteers as a nurse.

Katherine Halsey and Dean of Faculty MOLLY PERRY CdeP 1985 attended a conference in Bristol, Rhode Island, in the spring to retrieve the results of a schoolwide survey focused on gender equity and diversity at Thacher. Over Halloween weekend 2008, the Science Department traveled to the California Science Teachers’ Association Science Education Conference in San Jose. They attended stimulating workshops and participated in field trips to the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories, the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, and the Elkhorn Slough for a naturalist-led kayaking trip. JASON AND MEGAN CARNEY attended the National Association for Independent Schools (NAIS) conference in Chicago, where the theme was “Schools of the Future—Sailing the Winds of Change,“ which challenged school administrators to understand and engage the opportunities of a 21st century curriculum. Back on campus in April to share their wisdom with students were two former Admission Office employees: BEN FARRELL, who now oversees a 600-person dorm at Columbia University while working towards his master’s degree, spoke to this year’s seniors about how to carefully navigate freshman year at college, and Christine Carter McLaughlin CdeP 1990 led a discussion on Thacher’s Honor Code and moral decision making. February 1 was a lucky day for Academic Secretary Mary Loney. She purchased the winning raffle ticket in support of Save the Rain (www.savetherain.org), a project led by Kelly and Dylan Coleman CdeP 1993, daughter-in-law and son of math teacher Fred Coleman. She’s now the proud owner of a Ford Escape Hybrid. “That’s the best $25 I ever spent!” Mary exclaimed.

After spending time and falling in love with the Pacific Northwest last spring, past Development/Alumni Office Manager Peggy Whyte left Ventura to see how she enjoys living in Port Townsend, Wash., where her brother lives. Former College Counseling Office administrative assistant ANN WHITNEY is settled into life “Down Under” in her native Australia. As they live in “the ‘burbs” near Melbourne, they were not severely affected by the devastating forest fires, but they are rationed to use no more than 20 liters of water per day. Beyond spending most of their waking hours in the saddle, two Thacher cowboys have another similarity: national titles in their respective equine pursuits. At a competition held in March in Acton, Calif., Director of the Horse Program CAM SCHRYVER added another Extreme Cowboy Race belt buckle to his collection. Along with him were several Thacher students who took the first three spots in the youth division. Artist-in-Residence Richard Winters won the “Road to the Horse” event in Franklin, Tenn., when he competed against two other top clinicians to tame unbroken colts during three hours over two days. (Read more about these wins at www.thacher.org/magazine). In February, Director of Alumni Relations Suzie Nixon Bohnett spent her vacation in Cape Town, volunteering with the Shaster Foundation (www.shaster.org/za) to strategize creative and sustainable approaches to township life. Using planks of a lacewood tree that came down during the construction of the Commons, master wood craftsman John Bueti (father of Grace CdeP 2004 and Isabella CdeP 2006) fashioned a craftsmanstyle table and two end tables for the office of the Head of School. Another fine example of recycling on the Thacher campus.

38 SPRING 2009

Faculty Transitions Our thanks to some very fine folks who worked at Thacher and are now pursuing other careers. After her most recent three-year stint as Thacher’s Chinese teacher, Wei-Ying Lin will leave for the Far East to teach Chinese in the American School in Seoul, South Korea. Our third E.E. Ford Fellow Teddy Reeves will begin teaching English at the Providence Day School in Charlotte, N.C. Sabbatical-replacement history teacher April Word and study skills and English teacher Anita Wilson-Chisholm will move on as AUSTIN and ALISON CURWEN return from their sabbatical year in Bristol, England. While Austin completed a second master’s degree in maritime history, Alison ran herd over their three young children, read, and took classes. They also traveled to Wales, Australia, and Egypt.

Above: Javi’s little sister, Rory McGowan.

Right: Richard Winters gets to know Plenty Brown Hancock.

in memoriam…

FRIENDS John Spoor Broome, father of John S. Broome ‘70 and Elizabeth Grether, and grandfather of Robert Grether ’99, Ted Grether ’01, and Russell Grether ’03, died on April 10, 2009 at the age of 91. He passed away at Rancho Guadalasca, his home in Oxnard, California. He was an Oxnard rancher and avid sportsman whose philanthropy helped fund the library at CSU Channel Islands in Camarillo, which bears his name. Broome is survived by his wife Patricia, daughter Ann Priske of Houston, and five grandchildren, in addition to his son, daughter, and grandsons.

Anne Halsey, wife of Macdonald Halsey, passed away on May 13, 2009. She was the mother of Brooke ’62 (deceased) and Woody ’65, grandmother of Bronwen ’98, Brooke ’00, Phoebe ’03, and Eliza Cope ’07, and mother-in-law to current faculty member Katherine Halsey. She and Macdonald lived at the School from 1940 to 1962, during Macdonald’s tenure as a Thacher faculty member.

in memoriam…

Walter W. Hoffman CdeP 1940 Walter W. Hoffman, the son of a Ventura County founding family who was instrumental in getting the present Museum of Ventura County built, died Nov. 13, 2008 at his home in Camarillo, Calif.

Walter attended Thacher from 1936 to 1938, and completed his high school education at Villanova Preparatory School in Ojai. At USC, he studied engineering but left school during World War II to serve as a Navy communications and navigation officer aboard the destroyer Buchanan. As a descendant of local pioneers, Hoffman had “a great love of California history” and an interest in preserving it, said Katherine Russell, a daughter.

Land that his mother donated to the museum could not be developed partly because it contained Chumash artifacts. After his mother died in 1970, Walter and his sister gave another parcel to the museum, then helped raise the necessary funds to build the hacienda-like structure in downtown Ventura.

Walter was a pilot and past commodore of the Transpacific Yacht Club, which organizes the biennial race from Los Angeles to Honolulu that he raced in several times. His family considered him “the most professional amateur you could ever meet” because everything he did, he tried to do well.

Archibald Bard CdeP 1941 Archibald Bard CdeP 1941 passed away on May 7, 2009.

Archie was the nephew of Philip Bard ’17, brother of Richard Bard ’40, cousin of Arthur O., Spaulding, Jr. ’66, father of Thomas Bard ’72 and Gregory Bard ’68, and grandfather of Zachary Bard ’94.

Archie was born in Port Hueneme, a third generation Californian and part of a pioneering family with a distinguished history in Ventura County. While at Thacher, Archie was known for being “rarely indoors, for there is little to attract him…he enters into every sport that the School offers.” He was a special star on the track team, which he captained his senior year. After Thacher, Archie went to Princeton and was there when he enlisted with the Army Air Corps in 1942. After serving, Archie attended UC Berkeley, where he met Carla Marise Henny and married her in 1948. The newlyweds moved to Ventura County, where Archie joined the family business, Berylwood Investment Company. The birth of their four children, Gregory, Victoria, Thomas, and Jennifer, followed soon thereafter. Answering an inner calling to make his own mark, in 1958 Archie moved the family to Hollywood Beach (Oxnard) and founded his mushroom business, Del Norte Foods, Inc., which thrived for nearly 30 years. In ‘retirement’ Archie’s creative talents manifested themselves in his unique multi-media sculptures that are now constant testaments to his appreciation of the bizarre, and speak to his outlook on life and humanity. Carla, his wife of 49 years, died in a car accident in 1997, and in the following years, Archie focused his talents and energies on his lifelong passion for green waste recycling, composting, and sustainable greenhouse food production. Archie’s marriage to Else (Leinie) Schilling in 2001 began a new chapter in his life in Montecito as they immersed themselves in art and culture, travel, and philosophical explorations. Archie’s concern for the environment and for the future of mankind was evident in his insatiable thirst for knowledge and understanding. Even as cancer consumed his body, Archie’s explorations into the depths of the Internet, his lively and informed debates on wide-ranging topics, and his infectious humor, continued to provide enrichment to all those around him. His family writes that, “Archie’s unique ability to engage both young and old alike has given us all great cause to be thankful, blessed, and honored for his presence in our lives.

We love you Dad.” Archie is survived by his wife of eight years, Leinie Schilling Bard; his four children Gregory, Victoria, Thomas, and Jennifer; brother Richard and sisters Jana and Margaret; and seven wonderful grandchildren.

J. G. Boswell CdeP 1941 James G. Boswell CdeP 1941 died on April 3, 2009 at his home in Indian Wells, Calif. He was the father of James ’70, grandfather of Elizabeth ’95 and Cameron ’97, and uncle of William Larsen, Jr. ’62. At Thacher, JG (as he liked to be called) was known as a consummate athlete, camper, and horseman, and was first team in soccer, baseball, and tennis for three years. Following Thacher, JG served in the U.S. Army during World War II in the South Pacific. He went on to earn an economics degree from Stanford in 1946. At age 29 he became head of the family-owned J.G. Boswell Co., which remains one of the world’s top producers of the extra-long staple cotton that goes into fabric blends and high-end apparel. Over the next half-century, he transformed the business and more than tripled the size of the family farm, which peaked in size at about 200,000 acres and now spans 150,000 acres in the San Joaquin Valley. It is the country’s largest cotton producer and also grows tomatoes, wheat, sunflowers, and safflower. JG was known to be intensely private throughout his career. In a rare 1999 interview with The Fresno Bee, Mr. Boswell said: “I’d rather be dragged through a bed of coals 100 yards than talk about me particularly.” When refusing photographs during the same interview, he commented, “A lot of people pride themselves on their anonymity, and I happen to be one.” In addition to his son and grandchildren mentioned above, he is survived by his wife, Barbara Wallace Boswell; daughters Jody Hall and Lorraine Wilcox; and three other grandchildren.

Dan Volkmann CdeP 1942 Daniel G. Volkmann, Jr. died peacefully while surrounded by his family on April 27, 2009 in the afternoon at his San Francisco home. He was almost 85. Dan was the father of Daniel G. Volkmann III CdeP 1970, and William R. Volkmann CdeP 1971. He was grandfather of Abigail Volkmann CdeP 2008, Lucy Bosche CdeP 2007, and Lauren Bosche ’10. In additional to being one of Thacher’s most distinguished students in his class, Dan was known as “Sneezy” for violent hay fever attacks, and was also known for his conservative dress, accompanied by gaudy neckties. His senior yearbook characterized him as “one of the top-ranking students in school…slow to anger…pleasant in speech.” After Thacher, Dan went on to Yale, where he graduated in 1945 with a B.A. He served as a Navy ensign during World War II. After the war he studied architecture at the University of California, Berkeley, earned a master’s degree in 1951, and opened his own architecture office in 1952, which became the firm Bull Field Volkmann Stockwell. They designed a wide variety of projects winning many design awards. He retired in 1991.

Dan was from a pioneering California family. His grandfather, George F. Volkmann, was a partner in 1881 with August Schilling in the coffee, tea, and spice business, A. Schilling & Co. Dan married his wife, Marvin Johnson in 1949. Her family founded and owned the Union Lumber Company in 1881 at Fort Bragg which became the second largest redwood producer in California.

Mrs. Volkmann died in 1991. A dedicated fly fisherman, Dan fished in California, Austria, Argentina, and Alaska. He inherited from his mother a collection of rare books about the history of California, including fine press books, many of which were printed by the Grabhorn Press. He bought rare books for the next 39 years and finally held a complete Zamorano 80 collection, considered the 80 most important or rare books about California and the only Zamorano 80 collection held in private hands. The only other one is in the Yale University Library. Jennifer Larsen, a rare-book dealer who worked with Dan for over 30 years, said of his collection, “Completing a collection of Zamorano 80 books is an achievement that eluded many great collectors before Dan VolkThe Thacher School 39

in memoriam… mann’s success, and it is not likely that it can ever be accomplished again.” The Volkmann Collection of the Zamorano 80 was sold by auction in San Francisco in 2003. His library of California books, maps, and ephemera was auctioned in 2005 and his collection of fine California press books auctioned in 2008.

Dan wanted book collectors to have the opportunity to add these volumes to their libraries. He served as a trustee of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, S.F. Conservatory of Music, San Francisco Opera Association, Council of the Bancroft Library at UC Berkeley, Town School for Boys, Marin Country Day School, Cypress Lawn Cemetery, San Francisco Art Commission, and the Gleeson Library Associates of USF. He was also a member of the Olympic Club, Bohemian Club, and the Pacific Union Club, where he was an avid bridge player. Dan is survived by his three sons: Sandy of Missoula, Mont., Billy of San Francisco, David of Reno, Nev.; a daughter Wendy of Santa Fe, N.M.; and 5 grandchildren.

Steven H. Sorrick CdeP 1962 Steve passed away Monday, March 2, 2009 at the age of 64. His brother, Brian, shared with us that “Steve had a wonderful dinner with friends and lots of laughter,” on the night he died. “So he left us doing what he loved to do.”

Steve had faced and overcome brain surgery and a stroke in 1995 that left him physically disabled, and cancer in 2006. He was a warm and caring presence in the Thacher community, enthusiastically rallying his class to keep in touch and to support their School. Classmate Don (Skip) Porter writes that, “Steve Sorrick was not my best friend but he was the best of my friends. He was a samurai, a knight.

Courage was his essential quality. He did not exhibit this vainly; he kept it within his heart. In his quiet way, and with good humor always, he generously showered each of us with his loyalty, honor, and abiding friendship.

I was fortunate enough to seek his counsel on numerous occasions-mainly fundraising activities for Thacher. He always had a thoughtful and perceptive perspective on these matters and he was an excellent, selfless collaborator. He sought my advice a few times; I felt honored to offer whatever I had. I miss this best of my friends. We all miss him. Yet Steve’s heart continues to grace our world. ‘Like the maple leaves, the true heart of a samurai becomes a brocade when scattered by the breeze.’ (Izumi Takisida)” This thoughtful sharing captures the many remembrances and tributes from Steve’s family, friends, and classmates.

Steve’s academic career continued after Thacher, with a B.S. in electrical engineering from Cornell University in 1967 and an M.S. in business from Stanford in 1987. He worked for over 20 years as an executive with the Pacific Telesis Group before retiring in 1988. He will be greatly missed by family, friends, and the Thacher School community to which he was devoted.

Steve is survived by his sons Ward C. Sorrick CdeP 2004 and Clay H. Sorrick II; brothers Clay Sorrick (Karen), Alan Sorrick (Jane), Brian Sorrick (Lori) and Scott Sorrick Anderson (Angel); his mother, Muir Sorrick Shank, and former spouse and friend, Carol Sorrick Highton.

Giving in an Economic Downturn Historically, planned giving is a more attractive option in economic downturns than outright major gifts. Planned giving allows donors to realize their philanthropic aspirations without having to make the cash sacrifice today. Naming Thacher in a will or a living trust are two of the simplest forms of planned gifts. Other planned giving options (for example, a gift annuity) allow a donor to transfer assets into the annuity, which in turn offers a fixed stream of income now in exchange for leaving a portion of those assets to Thacher later. Many planned gifts offer significant tax savings.

Brooke and Barbara Participate in Thacher’s Pooled Income Fund Thacher’s Pooled Income Fund is a planned giving option. The pooled income fund is a type of charitable giving program that combines the tax advantages of charitable giving with the benefits of a lifetime income stream for up to two beneficiaries, which can include the donors.

Here’s How It Works: Give Make an initial contribution of securities or cash to the Pooled Income Fund and get an immediate partial tax deduction.

Receive Up to two income beneficiaries receive lifetime income generated by the Pooled Income Fund’s investments, in quarterly payments.

Grant The remaining value of the account is distributed to Thacher upon the death of the last income beneficiary.

1. Make an initial contribution of securities or cash

Amy L. Vanderloop CdeP 2003 passed away on May 22, 2009. An obituary was not available in time for this issue so will be included in the next issue. See http://www.facebook.com/group. php?gid=83219119699 for more information.

Pooled income fund

2. Beneficiaries receive quarterly income payments

40 SPRING 2009

3. The remaining value is distributed to Thacher

the best we can do…

In Barbara and Brooke Sawyer CdeP 1942, scientists who study altruism would find two worthy subjects who have dedicated their lives to the service of their communities. Among the gifts they have shared with Thacher are six Toad grandchildren and a son who teaches science here, in addition to generous gifts of time and money. And, as many studies of altruism reveal, in giving they not only receive benefits themselves but are motivated to give even more.

BARBARA and BROOKE SAWYER CdeP 1942

…

thrilled that our two youngest grandkids took to the theater because it gives us more opportunities to come to campus. We even came to Grandparents Day this year despite the fact that our youngest grandchild is away from Thacher on the Maine Coast semester.

Favorite Science Classes Mr. Lowry’s general science class and Mr. Cooke’s general sciences/geology class.

Best Camping Trip Spruce Falls on Lyon Creek.

Brooke’s Years at Thacher: 1937-1942 After Thacher I spent time in the Navy ROTC and was stationed in the South Pacific during WWII. I went on to Cal, where I earned a bachelor’s in agriculture, and more importantly, met Barbara. From there, I earned by my master’s at UC Davis before I went to Stanford to complete my doctorate in education. I taught in Chicago and worked in various administrative positions at Sacramento State, as it was then called, and Pomona. Barbara and I have been married now for 62 years and we live in Santa Barbara.

Unretiring Retirement I volunteer at the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum and the Sea Center on Stearns Wharf. I am the “wet deck” person, and help the kids see what oceanographers do. We test the clarity of the waters, using a plankton net to scoop up some water.

Of course, the kids see “nothing” in the water until they look at it under the microscope. I also attend weekly forums at the Santa Barbara Yacht Club and belong to the Santa Barbara Sunrise Rotary.

Staying Connected Barbara and I have three sons, none of whom went to Thacher. I am proud to say that all six of our grandchildren are Thacher grads or current Toads.

We visit campus as often as possible, and attend almost every event. We love coming to Gymkhana, plays, musicals, and other performances. We are

Brooke’s Favorite Thacher Memories I loved to play in the Rough-House and swim in the Reservoir. Sports were big, particularly soccer and baseball. I remember fondly Forest Cooke reading aloud from the classics almost every night after dinner in the Parlor.

Barbara’s favorite Thacher Moments: Reunions, Grandparents Day, and Big Gymkhana Thacher: Then vs. Now I’ve said this before and I am sure I am the not the only one to say it: The thing about Thacher is that the more things change, the more they stay the same. It feels the same today. The biggest change I see is the greenery. We had very restricted water use, and the campus was brown and dusty.

Why Establish a Planned Gift with Thacher?

Given the threats of the economic situation, what better place to put your money at a guaranteed 5 or 6 percent? It was the right time and it was advantageous for us to participate. We wish we had given more.

Brooke’s Favorite Thacher Memory (According to Barbara) It had to be when Shirley Temple came to Thacher as the date of Hugh Cover CdeP 1944.

Above: At the 2008 Thacher Graduation, Barbara and Brooke with their son Peter’s family: Kristin ‘10, Katherine CdeP 2008, Peter, and Donna. Peter and Donna both work at Thacher.

Left: The grandkids: Standing (L to R) are Jessica CdeP 1997, Martin CdeP 2004, Sarah CdeP 1999; seated (L to R) are Katherine CdeP 2008, Ruth CdeP 2006, Kristin ‘10

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