Thacher Magazine Spring 2010

The Magazine of The Thacher School * Spring 

THACHER

Making Music From freshman in drumming circles and gold-medal Chamber Singers to Grammy-Award winning alumni, Thacher musicians advance learning and elevate the spirit.

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Ever wondered which California post offices have the best acoustics?

Tone Bent hits the road to find out.

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An integral part of school history and culture, music is in the spotlight these days at Thacher. Find out what’s happening on campus and in the lives of some of our most musical alumni.

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ON & OFF CAMPUS

ALUMNI & COMMUNITY NEWS

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Educating and elevating wth music.

t 6Q 'SPOU Does Thacher have a School song?

t 3FBEFST 3FTQPOE We share your letters and e-mails.

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

t *O .FNPSJBN t ÉĽF #FTU 8F $BO %P How Thacher honors exceptional teachers.

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An assemblage of noteworthy School and community intelligence.

FRONT COVER

Like a promise of music yet to come, the zebra maple grain of an unfinished guitar evokes the look of a musical score awaiting notes. Photo by Chris Land.

BACK COVER

Katherine Krey ‘12 leads her horse, Willie, to pasture.

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*NQSPWJOH UIF 2VBMJUZ PG &BDI %BZ WHEN ERNEST SHACKLETON interviewed potential crew members for what would become his ill-fated expedition to the Antarctic, he placed special weight on selecting those who loved singing and playing musical instruments. Expedition Master Shackleton knew just what he was doing, and that was looking after the morale of those who placed their lives in harm’s way in what would become an ice-bound adventure and trial for the ages. In his memoirs, Shackleton noted that recruiting cheerful and resilient musicians was the most important thing he did to contribute to the spirit of this otherwise tortured expedition.

Sherman Thacher, another turn-of-the-century expedition leader, also believed greatly in the value of song and music. He had his boys learn all the college and popular songs of the day and that tradition continued until the size of the School and the increasingly cynical sentiments of the student body (with the advent of the polarizing 60s) brought that tradition to a sad end. Many a Thacher old boy has told me how very much he enjoyed this singing and has lamented its passing.

But do not fear. It may be counterintuitive but it is a great example of how, as Churchill noted, we shape our buildings and then they shape us: The construction of the Milligan Center for the Performing Arts has ushered in a whole new and dynamic era for music, formal and informal, at Thacher. For one, the new building creates an enticing venue for students to learn and perform; second, students from across the country are arriving at Thacher in anticipation of performing in the Center and with a great interest in all of the performing arts such as theater, dance, and orchestral (jazz ensemble, classical, and individual instruments), and of course, singing. Our music maestro, Greg Haggard, oversees this music boom, and he is ably aided by Evan Avery, our talented jazz band leader, and Andy Radford, director of the Instrumental Chamber Music Ensemble, as well as a team of highly qualified private teachers on a variety of instruments.

But lest the old guard become alarmed that music is now just for the musical, all should take heart in knowing that even those without great preparation or excellence are being swept along in the new age of music at Thacher. The student coffee houses for performers are now running over two hours as various students sing, play instruments, perform, and otherwise entertain their peers and faculty, (and now, I notice, visiting parents who are sneaking in at the back of the room to witness this vast array of Thacher student talent). Mr. Haggard has also published a new songbook that kids take on camping trips so that we actually can sing around the fire

without having to grope about for lyrics. And yes, old guard, many of your favorite songs (which have passed the political correctness test, of course) are included.

In short, music is literally coming from every direction.

And like Mssrs. Shackleton and Thacher, I know this is a very good thing.

Music, instrumental and vocal, raises energy, releases endorphins, brings students and faculty together, bonds the School, and is also simply a lot of fun. Like any great art form, music can uplift the heart, give meaning, and transform our day. It brings us together and holds us together. Whether we are singing Domine, The Banquet Song, or The Smell of Horses, or listening to student a capella groups, student bands, jazz ensembles, or sophomore Jackson Howard sound the charge on his trumpet at the opening of Big Gymkhana, music unites generations of Thacher students in a shared experience, in a common medium, and improves the quality of each day. And as Thoreau said, to “improve the quality of each day, that is the highest art form.” That is what music did for the Shackleton’s ice-bound sufferers in the Antarctic; it is what improved each evening for the Thacher old boys; and it is what has made this year at Thacher a very special one for all of us.

Michael K. Mulligan, Head of School

SDT (center right with cello) surrounds himself with musicians.

the thacher school 

up front…

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They’re playing our Song Putting together this issue on music at Thacher raised a question for me: Does Thacher have a school song? Surely every great school has a rousing anthem, something to sing in unison at ceremonial gatherings or on the sidelines during athletic contests. Do we? of course there’s The Banquet Song, Sherman Day Thacher’ lyrics set to an old irish tune. it’s got the pedigree, for certain; and its paean to honesty, fairness, kindness, and truth has been known to pry a tear from even the driest of old boy eyes. is there another song that better captures the heart of this School?

There’s always Domine. You can’t beat the gravitas of Latin, but it’s not exactly catchy and any song that invokes a fatherland—regardless of what language it uses—is in for an uphill battle.

The Banquet Song has some tough competition in This Place. A relative newcomer, this evocative anthem composed by Music Director greg haggard in 2000 has become a staple of Thacher’s commencement ceremony: Here out in the western sky Our hearts, they will remain Wherever our dreams may fly Wherever we may be There’s one thing One that stays the same This Place

A dark horse candidate might be Peggy Thacher’s Horses and Manure (set irreverently to the tune of The Halls of Ivy): A band of toiling grooms with pitchforks and with brooms, We build our biceps, muscles, and morales.

A smell of rich manure – A scent so ripe and pure Will always call to mind our old corrals.

Oh, the pungent smell of horses In our mem’ries will endure.

It’s not the rose will haunt our nose – It’s horses and manure.

2 SPRING 2010

Perhaps there is such a thing as too much honesty. it might be that the kind of song most representative of Thacher isn’t any one tune in particular. A few years ago i accompanied an extra-Day trip to Zion national Park where we hiked beneath towering red rock escarpments and arches along the lush banks of La Verkin Creek and grassy hop Valley, exploring slot canyons as we went. Some days the trail stretched endlessly ahead of us; food and rest seemed as though they would never come. At these times the students would often lapse into song. Some songs i recognized; others had familiar tunes, but lyrics that were strange to me (and sometimes just downright strange).

The hikers made them as they went along, adapting familiar melodies to the moment. And often, i must add, to hilarious effect. Most of it escapes me, but i can still recall ruth Sawyer CdeP 2006 improvising a hymn-like ditty about “the sacred cows of Zion.”

But the point was, they were making it up as they went along, setting familiar tunes to new lyrics. is it fair to say that is the school song? (Perhaps SDt came up with his lyrics to The Banquet Song under similar circumstances.) regardless of which song is the school song, you can expect to hear This Place, Domine, and The Banquet Song being sung at our traditional events and ceremonies. And, as Mr. Thacher did, students will continue to set their own words to old tunes.

Meanwhile, we hope you enjoy this issue of the magazine and its coverage of music at Thacher and in the lives of alumni. of course the irony of a magazine issue about music is that there isn’t any music in it, just words and pictures. So, i invite you to visit www.thacher.org/ magazine for supplementary audio and video.

Christopher J. Land, Editor

readers respond…

The Magazine of The Thacher School * Fall 2009

THACHER

Cultivating Community On and off campus, members of Casa de Piedra’s extended family actively sow the seeds and reap the fruits of community. Learn about some of the ways we nurture, improve, and reflect upon the places that matter to us.

Also: Report on Giving for 2008-2009

bolstEr rEunion convErAgE As a longtime fundraiser and former head of the alumni association, I know that the best bonding and fundraising tool we have is to get people to attend their reunions. The School does a great job on the program and food/ beverage end, but I think the festivities are way shortchanged in the publication and have been for a long time—especially the 25th and the 50th. I was glad to see that captions were put on the photos this year, but the class of ’59 photo—their 50th reunion—was so small that you need a magnifying glass to recognize the people. If it were up to me, which it isn’t, I’d double the coverage to four pages.

Bob Gardner CdeP 1960

cAsE for A “tWinning” PArtnErshiP I just read “View from Olympus” about “Cultivating Leaders,” and also the interview with [Joy and Michael] in the latest Thacher magazine. Great stuff. I found myself literally weeping for joy (lower-case J) upon reading about William Kamkwamba and the meaning that [Michael] took from his story. This represents potential gold for the future of Thacher and indeed America.

There’s a case for building a “twinning” partnership between Thacher and the African Leadership Academy (ALA). I think you have identified the nature of the exchange: how both sides could benefit—and Thacher more than ALA because Thacher has the greater capacity to absorb lessons faster.

Imagine if every Thacher student could spend six months at ALA (or at similar schools that will be founded in other African countries) soaking up what it has to offer. And imagine how Thacher students could help ALA to implement the recommendations you have given them. Africa can be a learning laboratory, either late in a Thacher education or immediately after it.

World Institute for Leadership and Management in Africa (WILMA) is already doing something analogous for students of NYU’s Wagner School of Public Service, under its Capstone Program. My NYU students will be getting their master’s degrees in public administration next May. Tanzania is their learning laboratory, and the students they are learning with are getting their master’s degrees next May from the Institute of Development Studies of the University of Dar es Salaam. I will be spending most of next month with these two groups of students in a workshop at UDSM, followed by a field trip to a poor rural region out west where WILMA has projects under way that need their leadership.

The education of an entrepreneurial leader of African “development” (which Joe Stiglitz aptly defines as “transformative social change”) probably starts with the right genes, blossoms in the home, matures through primary and secondary education, and, for the lucky or supercharged few, gets refined through a broad-gauged university program of arts, sciences, engineering, and technology.

But what is the optimal program of education for the entrepreneurial leadership of development? Suppose that educators like [Michael and Joy Sawyer-Mulligan] and ALA Head Fred Swaniker set out to build a profession for this field. Suppose your students at secondary school level want to prepare to join it. What’s the “course”? It ain’t pre-med or pre-law. What IS it?

Food for thought!

Again, I much enjoyed this issue of the Thacher Magazine.

Paul Armington CdeP 1958 President, World Institute for Leadership and Management in Africa

Thacher

The Magazine of The Thacher School Volume 4, Issue 1 Spring 2010 Editor Christopher J. Land AssociAtE Editors Amy Elmore Jane D. McCarthy Alumni Editor Suzie Nixon Bohnett clAss notEs Editor Diane Murphy Archivist Bonnie LaForge dEsign Charles Hess, design director Corky Retson, designer contributors Leslie Britton CdeP 1980, Drew Denbo CdeP 1991, Toby Elmore, Bill Horvitz CdeP 1965, Whitney Livermore CdeP 2004, Alison Terbell Nikitopoulos CdeP 1982, David Pinkham CdeP 1991 PhotogrAPhy And illustrAtion Toby Elmore, Jerry Holden, Christopher Land, Robert Leiter, Lydia Keating ‘13, Brian Pidduck CdeP 1992, Joy Sawyer-Mulligan, Amy Schneider, Cam Spaulding CdeP 1992 hEAd of school Michael K. Mulligan dirEctor of dEvEloPmEnt Rick Wilson dirEctor of Admission William P. McMahon Thacher 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.

Copyright © 2010 The Thacher School 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 is printed by V3 Corporation using an environmentally friendly waterless printing process, soy-based inks, and recycled paper.

The Thacher School 3

The Pergola…

Extra-Day trips

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rom the SeSpe to the Channel ISlandS, from point reyes to death Valley, via horseback, backpack, kayak, or tall ship, Thacher students fanned out across the Southwest for six days of adventure and discovery, reflection and pushing physical limits during this spring’s extra day trips.

4 Spring 2010

Nick Hwang ‘10 (top left) entertains fellow campers and sea life aboard The Bill of Rights tall ship (photo by Lydia Keating); In the other three images, students enjoy expansive views of trees and valleys, as well new views of friends (Brianna Bohnett ‘10 with “natural mustache”) in Sequoia National Forest (photos by Cam Spaulding CdeP 1992).

sEnior Exhibitions

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Fter nearly a year of research and weeks of practice, this year’s graduating class presented their Senior exhibitions in the early spring. From the past (ancient egypt) to the present (Biosphere II), from fantasy (Comic Books) to reality (Thacher’s Finances), and from crisis (refugee Camps) to the fanciful (disney Films), this year’s multi-disciplinary, in-depth studies of diverse topics were showcased in polished, articulate presentations augmented with professional audio-visuals and demonstrations to the delight of students, faculty, and many parents. read more about this special weekend on Thacher’s website: Senior exhibitions 2010.

Gymkhana 2010

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hIS SprIng’S BIg gymkhana Weekend included the familiar thundering hooves and dust, great food and smiles across generations, and a diverse array of auction items, but also some new features: different locales for events, a family dinner on the Upper School lawn, a multi-generational dance on The pergola, and a fund-raiser aimed solely at financial aid support. In all, generous donors added more than $400,000 to Thacher’s coffers. once the last horse race was run, several teams competed in the pack race just before nine students joined the ranks of the Silver dollar Club: Jean-Jacques e. ntshaykolo ’13, grady Jacobsen ’13, Cody renfrew ’13, Brisha howe ’13, Bea taylor ’12, Shravan rajasekaran ’13, Carson leydecker ’13, olivia Stonehouse ’11, and Wohona delgadillo ’10 . The Weekend’s final activity—an ecumenical service at the outdoor Chapel—offered a time of quiet reflection and gratitude for this happy reunion of families just one month shy of summer break. you can read more gymkhana results at Thacher’s website: Big gymkhana Family Weekend 2010.

Michael Stenovec’s Senior Exhibition featured Minimalist Composition, including Cycles, an original composition for woodwinds and piano.

Left: Nan Macmillan ’13 finishes a race for the Green Team; right: JJ Ntshaykolo ’13 successfully snatches a silver dollar at Big Gymkhana with a little help from Sunny.

Juniors Look, sEniors LEap This spring, as the members of CdeP 2010 awaited their fat envelopes, the class of 2011 surveyed their options at the annual Thacher-Cate College Fair. Here’s a list of the schools the seniors will attend: Barnard College Bennington College Bentley University Berklee College of Music Boston University Bowdoin College Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo Carleton Chapman University Claremont McKenna (2) Colby College Colorado College Connecticut College

Cornell University Dartmouth College Duke University (2) Emory University (2) Evergreen State College George Washington University Johns Hopkins University (2) Lewis & Clark College Marymount College MIT (3) Middlebury College (5) Northwestern University (2) New York University

Oberlin College Occidental College Olin College Princeton University (2) Queen’s University Skidmore College Stanford University (3) Swarthmore College (2) Tufts University (2) UNC Chapel Hill United States Military Academy UC Davis UC Los Angeles (2)

UC Santa Cruz University of Chicago University of Colorado at Boulder University of Notre Dame University of Oregon University of Pennsylvania University of Portland University of Richmond (2) USC (3) Washington University Wesleyan University Whitman College Yale University

The Thacher School 5

The Pergola…

a musicaL puzzLEr

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mUSICIan Undertook to hide an important historical document by invoking a “musical” encryption system. The results are neither melodious nor easy on the ear, but the message is there nevertheless. What was his system, what was the original document, and where is the “music” in his diabolical scheme?

oursornsvnyrsoourthrsrouhtorthonthisontinnt,nwntion,oni vinlirty,nittothpropositionthtllmnrrtqul. nowwrninrtivilwr,tstinwhthrthtntion,ornyntionsoonivnsoi t,nlonnur.Wrmtonrtttl-ilothtwr.Whvomtoitportionothtil,sin lrstinplorthoswhohrvthirlivsthtthtntionmihtliv.Itisltothrittinnproprthtwshoulothis.

scorEboarDs Fall SportS

ut,inlrrsns,wnnotit--wnnotonsrt—wnnothllowthisroun.Th rvmn,livinn,whostrulhr,hvonsrtit,rovourpoorpowrtoortrt.t hworlwilllittlnot,norlonrmmrwhtwsyhr,utitnnvrortwhtthyi hr.Itisorusthlivin,rthr,toithrtothuninishworkwhihthywhoo uhthrhvthusrsonolyvn.Itisrthrorustohrittothrttskrmininorus--thtromthshonorwtkinrsvotiontothtusorwhihthyvthlstullmsurovotion--thtwhrhihlyrsolvthtthsshllnothviinvin-thtthisntion,unro,shllhvnwirthorom--nthtovrnmntothpopl, ythpopl,orthpopl,shllnotprishromthrth.

Send your answers to Kurt Meyer via e-mail (kmeyer@thacher.org), or via U.S. mail at the School address.

“ ” From thE toaDbLoGs:

Some of the best times I’ve had at Thacher involve playing music with my friends. Whether we’re playing at the small coffee house, destroying Battle of the Bands, or indulging in some sludgy, post-rock jam, it’s always a great time.

— Michael Stenovec’10

6 Spring 2010

FootbaLL record: 9-2 (4-0 league) Captains: Kyle Dietrich ’10, austin Krause ’10, and Morgan Krey ‘10 Highlights: this year’s team featured a stellar group of senior leaders (16, in fact). the squad captured its fourth Condor league championship in five tries with a 42-34 win over Cate, after coming back from a 28-0 deficit. It went on to win its first two playoff games with ease before losing to eventual champion Santa Clarita on the road in the semi-finals.

cross country BoYS Condor league Champions; 2nd in the CIF Southern Section; 4th in the State of California Captains: alex Macmillan ’10 and Joel reimer ’10 Highlights: the second Condor league meet of the season was a harbinger of things to come, as thacher won by a 39-point margin over runner-up Midland. the team finished 3rd at the Brentwood Invitational and 5th for Division 5 at the Mt. SaC Invitational before capturing their third straight Condor league championship. the team then went on to place 2nd in their heat at the CIF prelims and then 2nd in the Southern Section. at the California

State Championships, Will Callan ’11 finished first for Thacher with a time of 16:15 on a 5K course as the team placed fourth.

GIRLS 2nd in Condor League Captains: Sarah Boneysteele ’10 and Kelly Timmes ‘10 Highlights: This small but mighty team—comprised of four regular runners and three freshmen—performed well over the course of Condor League competition.

Jasmynn Roman ’13 finished 2nd and 3rd in the last two Condor League meets of the season and qualified for the CIF Prelims.

VOLLEYBALL VARSITY GIRLS Record: 8-6 (3-3 league) Captains: Iona Hughan ’10 and Natalie Swift ‘10 Highlights: This young squad developed into a cohesive unit by the end of the season with its scrappy defense, good serving, and strong net play. After advancing to the winner’s round at the Santa Paula tournament, the team swept Santa Paula and Fillmore in non-league play. The highlight of the season came in the team’s home matchup From left to right: Alec Grushkin ‘11 leaps over a Cate defender, helping the Toads emerge victorious; The 2009 Thacher Varsity Boys Cross-Country team after they placed 2nd in the Southern Section; The Varsity Volleyball team’s power quartet of sophomores celebrate a point; Austin Krause ‘10 goes up for a layup against Laguna Blanca School.

against Cate. A win meant a tie for 2nd place in the league and a chance at a CIF opportunity. In front of a packed gym (later dubbed Toad Nation by Athletic Director Rich Mazzola), the team came back from a 1-0 deficit and rattled off three straight wins for the match. The victory was punctuated by the coin flip, which fell in the Toads’ favor and earned a CIF playoff berth. A tough Serra High School team brought the season to a close for the team in the first round of the playoffs.

JUNIOR VARSITY GIRLS Record: 9-6 (7-2 league) Captains: Maggie Miller ’11 and Noelani Nasser ‘11 Highlights: An early season come-from-behind three-set win over non-league opponent Fillmore set the tone for this team. In league play, Thacher notched two straight set wins over Cate (a first in at least nine years), an exciting 29-27 win over Dunn in game 2, and closed out the season with a four-game winning streak.

TENNIS VARSITY GIRLS Record: 4-7 (2-4 league) Captain: Taryn Van Vliet ‘10 Highlights: This team came ready to work hard every day and played with passion and determination. Despite tough matches against Cate and Laguna Blanca in league play, the squad notched victories over Dunn and improved greatly in match play.

JUNIOR VARSITY GIRLS Record: 5-3 Captains: Amanda Brown ’10, Hannah Yelton ’10, and Lauren Zakarian-Cogswell ’10 Highlights: This ersatz squad, which delighted in themed practices on Fridays, team dinners at In-N-Out after matches, and going down to the football field at the end of practice to move the blocking sleds, also won matches against Laguna Blanca, Besant Hill and Villanova.

ROCK CLIMBING Most Valuable Climbers: Doug Coughran ’10 and Nick Orr ‘10 Most Improved Climber: Sarina Patel ‘10 Rookie Award: Mac Combs ‘12 Highlights: After starting the season with bouldering at the Gymkhana Field and learning critical knots and belay techniques on the lawn in front of Camp Supply, the group moved on to using ropes on Y-Crack and Banjo Cave in our backyard. Day trips included Foothill Crag, Sespe Gorge, and San Ysidro Wall; the group also took weekend camping trips to the Needles in the Southern Sierra and Joshua Tree.

FALL DANCE Seniors: Laura Ammons, Jane Fisher, Sam Meyer, Trudy Park, Eunice Ruiz, and Sarae Snyder Highlights: Students worked on ballet, modern dance, and jazz, as well as strengthening and stretching exercises, alignment and turnout, and techniques for jumping, turning, and floorwork. The group had a special West African Dance workshop at the end of the term.

WINTER SPORTS

BASKETBALL VARSITY BOYS Record: 12-5 (10-2 league) Captains: Austin Krause ‘10 and Casey Wyman ‘10 Highlights: Wonderful senior leadership contributed to spirited team play and kept the team focused and driven throughout the very successful season. Highlights included a season sweep of Cate (we’re now 7-1 over the last four seasons) and a thrilling season-opening win against Santa Paula in which Austin Krause scored 39 points!

JUNIOR VARSITY BOYS Record: 5-3 (4-1 league) MVP: Tae Soo Kim ‘10 Highlights: Beating Dunn on the road with only seven players. Jack Sligh ‘11 and Jackson Berler ’10 got nearly no rest throughout the game and played especially well on the defensive side. The guards scrapped and fought hard

The Thacher School 7

The Pergola… for every loose ball and each took a turn playing the other forward spot. tHIrD BoYS record: 5-1 (5-0 league) Captains: Will Kirkland ’12 and Michael Xu ‘12 Highlights: By scoring an average 59 points per contest this team became the highest scoring thacher team of the season. they improved their skills and awareness on the court while exhibiting good sportsmanship and integrity every time they stepped on the floor.

VarSItY GIrlS record: 6-15 (4-2 league) Captains: Emily Combs ’10 and remy Fisher ‘10 Highlights: Seniors Emily Combs, remy Fisher, ashley Sauvain, and Katherine Gifford were instrumental in helping this young team through a tough season. their encouragement, humor, and play made the team better now and in the future.

JUNIor VarSItY GIrlS record: 4-4 (league 3-2) Captains: trudy park ’10 and Sophie Subira ‘10 Highlights: this team’s three tenured veterans—seniors trudy park, laurel poolman, and Sophie Subira—set the

tone this season as they led by example: working hard and laughing harder throughout the winter.

soccEr VarSItY BoYS record: 6-5-2 (league: 5-3-2; third place) Captains: Kyle Dietrich ‘10, alex Macmillan ‘10, and Cole ryder ‘10 Highlights: led by its nine seniors, this team had a very successful season in what Coach Fred Coleman saw as “the most competitive Condor league in many, many years, probably ever.” the boys played an attractive style of possession soccer that was fun to watch, and never more so than in the playoff game v. arrowhead Christian. (photo by rob Dutton.)

JUNIor VarSItY BoYS record: 5-1-1 (league 3-1) Captains: McCoy Becker ’10 and Charlie Sun ‘10 Highlights: Beating Cate 4-0 in the second game and coming from a two-goal deficit to beat Villanova 4-2, with all four goals scored in the second half. tHIrD BoYS record: 3-1

From left to right: Kyle Dietrich ‘10 intercepts a lobbed ball; Kelly Schultz ‘10 flies down the field with the soccer ball glued to her foot.

Captains: Doug Coughran ’10 and tom Wilkinson ‘10 Highlights: according to Coach Harris, “this team had its usual fun” and learned a lot practicing with the JV team.

VarSItY GIrlS record: 2-10 (league 2-6) Captain: Kelly Schultz, Sarra Wynn, Natalie Swift Highlights: this young and very inexperienced team made tremendous progress against a lineup of tough Condor league opponents, gaining valuable seasoning for the group returning next year.

JUNIor VarSItY GIrlS record: 3-3-2 (league 3-1-2) Captain: teresa Findley ‘10, Grace lowe ‘11, and Sarina patel ‘10 Highlights: this team—distinguished by solid defense, energetic midfield play, heartfelt runs to goal, and good-natured cheering on the sideline—worked its way up to some pretty soccer at the end of the season, which included a great win over a well-matched Cate team in which Gracie Farese ‘13 had a hat-trick.

yoGa an enthusiastic, cohesive, engaged, and athletic group of 11 students explored a variety of asanas, standing twists, backbends, forward folds, balancing and strengthening arm balances that got more intense as the semester went on. they also explored related aspects of yoga and self care including what you can do off the mat to bring about more calm and well-being.

8 Spring 2010

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

TWIN PEEKS

A Backward Glance Through the Pages of CdeP Publications

100 March 1910: The Notes reports on the “usual concert” that took place, which “came off with unusual success.” Eight pieces were included, three of which were played by the whole orchestra. Also featured were a piano solo, and a banjo and guitar duet. According to El Archivero, “one Sherman…sat in the front row and made faces at the players.”

June 1910: In summarizing the music scene at Thacher for the year, editors of El Archivero report that “The orchestra as a whole…was a very great success and gave fellows who took part in it many a pleasant time. The practice of playing with other fellows which it affords is invaluable to those who wish to try for some club of some kind in college.” They go on to credit any future success to the invaluable training by Mrs. Walter St. Clair Lord, the music teacher and lone female faculty member at the time.

50 March 1960: On the night of the Big Gymkhana the Indoor Committee put on the annual Winter Dance, featuring the theme “Blue Moon.” Music was supplied by a local band, while Thacher’s own Royal Tones performed as well. This group featured Robert Gardner CdeP 1960 at the piano, Charles Bonner CdeP 1960 at bass, Charles Storke CdeP 1962 on the trumpet, and Wilbur Bailey CdeP 1961 on drums.

1959-1960: Throughout the year the Glee Club, led by president Hugh Gordon CdeP 1960, sings to the School on Tuesday evenings, as well as the traditional concert at Christmas and two services at the Presbyterian Church in Ojai. Throughout the year a string trio, consisting of Charles Bonner CdeP 1960 on the cello, Mr. Shagam on the violin, and Mr. Ehrhardt at the piano, provides entertainment for the School.

25 Spring 1985: In an editorial for The Thacher Notes, Kent Brown writes, “Here at Thacher, popular music is played on our local radio station, KROK. This station is a tool of expression…its DJ’s are different and so are their ideas.” He notes that Mr. Warren has increased the power of the station, so no one will have trouble receiving the broadcasts.

10 Spring 2000: The Dance Ensemble performs at Grandparents Days and Gymkhana Weekend and takes a piece on the road to the Dance Educators of America competition. El Archivero notes that this ensemble “makes up the most versatile and technically skilled Dance Ensemble Thacher has ever had.” As such, an award is soon named in their honor: The Class of 2000 Dance Award.

May 2000: Will Barkan CdeP 2002 writes about the formation of the Thacher Music Guild in The Notes.

This group of “about twenty or thirty active musicians” met every other Sunday “to play what they have learned or just to have a good time jamming.” While the Guild tried to offer a casual setting for any level or type of performer, “some people feel there is a larger emphasis on acoustic and light rock music.” At the end of the year, the group played a gig at the Local Hero bookstore in town.

June 2000: Greg Haggard directed “This Place” at graduation for the first time, dedicating the song to the Class of 2000. It has become a staple of Thacher commencements.

5 Winter 2005: El Archivero reports on winter independent projects and notes that Ellen Adams CdeP 2005 writes songs for her winter independent project. Ellen recently returned to Thacher for our Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration and spent the weekend performing; she also facilitated a workshop with students on MLK Day. February 2005: The Thacher Masquers perform the musical You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown in the Study Hall with an intimate cast of six actors and six dancers, as the Milligan Center of Performing Arts is still under construction.

Thacher celebrated Jack Huyler’s 90th birthday at a spring Assembly by playing some of his recorded ballads, Chamber Singers performing one of his favorite tunes, A-Rovin, and everyone singing Happy Birthday and enjoying cake together.

The pictures above are of Uncle Jack in 1965 and this spring.

The Thacher School 9

The Pergola… bLurb & squib books Raising Happiness: 10 Simple Steps for More Joyful Kids and Happier Parents, by Christine Carter, PhD CdeP 1990, was published in February by random house. one reviewer described the book this way: “Brimming with brilliantly distilled science, poignant stories from her family, and what parents so urgently seek—clear, practical, and informed guidance—it is an encyclopedia of wisdom for raising children in today’s multitasking, multimedia world.”

Ani’s Asylum, by Marian huntington Schinske CdeP 1982, tells the true story of the author’s friendship with a tibetan refugee who was seeking political asylum in the U.S. and seeking reunification with her daughter, whom she had to leave behind in India during the political-asylum application process.

A

ni’s Asylum unfolds a true story about the author’s friendship

“Ani.” After escaping from Tibet, Ani came to America. From

political asylum in the U.S. for herself and her daughter, who had to wait for 5 years in India before she saw her mother again. Ani’s name and the names of others have been changed for their protection and privacy. The author

Sonabai: Another Way of Seeing is on exhibit at San diego’s mingei International museum until September 5, 2010. Curated by Stephen huyler CdeP 1969, the installation presents the work of Sonabai rajawar, a self-taught Indian artist whose forced isolation brought forth joyous and highly original expressions of art. The mingei has published a book on the exhibition and a documentary film produced and co-directed by Stephen has garnered film festival awards. learn more at www.sonobai.com.

has also altered some details to ensure the safety of people mentioned in the book.

M A R I A N S C H I N S K E is a former award-winning journalist for The Point

PAGE COUNT

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78529-SCHI_6X9_Hardcover - Dustjacket

Ani’s A

s

y l u m

MARIAN SCHINSKE

Reyes Light and a professor of journalism at Sonoma State University. She began writing Ani’s Asylum after losing her job at the university, which laid off professors due to state-budget cuts. This loss turned into a blessing. During her early friendship with Ani, Marian launched a new career. She founded a nonprofit called KarmaSpirit, which does business as “NovatoSpirit,” offering athletic scholarships to youth with financial needs (www.novatospirit.org). Marian lives with her husband and son in Novato, California, and practices karate and tai chi whenever she can.

pErFormancEs

The Corbian Visual arts and dance Company, of which Michael Quintana CdeP 2004 is a member, is traveling with its current show, Darwin: An Adventure for All Ages. The show is a “fantastical blend of puppetry, technology, and dance...using electroluminescent creatures” in a darkened theater. according to their Workshop Statement, “The basis for our medium is simple: flexible electroluminescent wire sculpted with rigid aluminum and copper wire to create different creatures and characters....much of our work includes stories or tales that include lessons or moralistic value.”

9.125 in

Exhibition, book, anD FiLm

with a female Tibetan Buddhist refugee fictitiously called

2004-2009, Ani worked with the author and immigration lawyers to obtain

0.375

SPINE SIZE

Author Photo by John Gompertz

ISBN: 978-1-4500-6469-9

ªxHSLEPAy06469 zv*:+:!:+:!@ (78529)

Matt Shakman CdeP 1993, founder of the Black dahlia Theater in los angeles, recently directed the world premiere of Forgiveness, a play by david Schulner. The production garnered enthusiastic reviews, including the following from Variety: “matt Shakman unerringly steers a family ensemble...into stinging emotional reality, another solid hit for the ever-gutsy Black dahlia company.”

instaLLation Doug Makemson CdeP 1971 received a commission for a sculpture installation at the atlanta airport dog park. next time you are passing through hartsfield-Jackson atlanta International airport, don’t miss “abby” and “ain’t gonna roam no more,” two sculptures fashioned from scrap metal and salvaged machine parts and inspired by a couple of doug’s canine acquaintances. It was at Thacher that doug learned to weld. learn more about doug’s art at www.makemsonsculpture.com.

10 Spring 2010

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New Head of developmeNt

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his summer Thacher will welcome a new director of development. Brandon Doyle will join the Thacher community with 11 years of fundraising experience in higher education. he started his career at his alma mater middlebury College where, as a member of the annual fund staff, he helped the College achieve its Bicentennial Campaign goals working with young alumni and the phonathon. Brandon then moved for two years to Columbia College (NYC) where he established the Class Agent Program. For the past seven years, Brandon worked in New York City as a major gifts director for Cambridge in America promoting interest in and support for the university of Cambridge (uK) and its constituent Colleges among alumni and friends in the united states. recently, he worked closely with Cambridge alumni in southern California through a successful 800th Anniversary campaign with a goal of raising 1 billion pounds worldwide.

Brandon grew up in Newton, mass., and has family ties to Vermont where his grandfather raised morgan horses. he is a classically trained French horn musician who played in a regional youth orchestra with the New england Conservatory and at the Aspen music Festival in the summers. he was an outstanding scholar-athlete in soccer and lacrosse, and earned high school All-American honors as a lacrosse player. he went on to play on eastern College Athletic Championship teams at middlebury while captaining the middlebury lacrosse team in 1998. Brandon’s fiancée, Dana Cesnik, joins him in his move to Ojai.

Brandon will take over for rick Wilson, who, after successfully leading the school through The Campaign for Thacher and seven years of growth for the Annual Fund, has accepted a position as director of advancement at Westridge school for Girls in Pasadena.

siNgiNg aloNg

Thacher student volunteers take on all kinds of community service, from raising funds to relieve faraway disasters to tutoring at schools in our own backyard. About once a week, a carload of Thacher students—usually accompanied by faculty member Kurt Meyer—swings through Ojai to deliver the gift of music to residents of St. Joe’s and The Acacias, two local retirement homes.

Shakman

Faggioli

HaNdiNg over tHe reiNs

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T The sPriNG meeTiNG of Thacher’s Board of Trustees, the business included appointing a successor to Board President Justin Faggioli CdeP 1969. By a unanimous vote of the Board, Andrew shakman CdeP 1990 will assume his new role when the Board meets again in the fall.

Justin, who has served on the Board since 1988 and as president since 2003, led the school through the last round of strategic planning and the successful completion of The Campaign for Thacher that raised more than $80 million. “The school thrived under Justin’s leadership,” said head of school michael mulligan. “We look forward to Andrew’s. Justin will stay involved as a Trustee emeritus.”

As michael reminded the school at a recent Assembly, he and Andrew arrived at Thacher the same year: Andrew as freshman, michael as a newly appointed dean. “it is perhaps my karma that i will now answer to Andrew as he once had to answer to me.”

While at Thacher, Andrew served as Chair of the school; he matriculated to stanford university, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in drama, and then earned a master’s in Fine Arts in motion Picture Producing from the university of southern California. From 1995 to 2002, Andrew served as president and CeO of Nine Dots, an interactive marketing firm. he is president and CeO of LeanPath, inc., a technology and consulting company providing management solutions to food service and hospitality industries. During his nine years as a Thacher Trustee, Andrew has chaired the Buildings and Grounds Committee, sat on the executive Committee as vice president, and has served on the Finance and Personnel Committees. Andrew lives in Portland, Oregon.

The Thacher School 11

armchair wandering…

Sundays at the post Office

By Bill Horvitz CdeP 1965

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am very happy to be one half of a singer-songwriter duo called Tone Bent. The other half is my wife, songwriter-composer-painter Robin Eschner.

One evening, in the middle of rehearsal, Robin asked if I’d ever noticed how the acoustics in Post Offices were always amazingly great. She singled out the P.O. in Sebastopol, wondering if the sound had something to do with the materials used in the boxes or maybe the way P.O.s are built. “Always?” I wanted to know. And it was immediately apparent

that we were facing your basic proof-is-in-the-pudding kind of moment.

So, we packed up our guitars and headed out the door to test the theory. Our first visit was to our hometown post office in Forestville, California. Acoustics were fair there, not remarkable certainly, and it seemed that the theory had been instantly rendered bogus. But now our curiosity was piqued, and so we continued on over to Sebastopol to experience first-hand the stellar acoustical properties that Robin had noted. Indeed the sound there was rolling ‘round the room and coming back and expanding again–a treat to the ear.

Concerned that perhaps this was not such a treat for the postal patrons nervously coming in at night to retrieve mail, yet wishing to continue our quest, we opted for Sundays at the Post Office. Many Sundays these days, Tone Bent plays in at least one new Post Office, noting the 12 spring 2010

acoustics, ambience, and encounters. Now we leave a “Tone Bent was here” card at each P.O.–sliding it under the interior door when we’ve finished.

Some website visitors have asked ”if you’re going to be playing at our post office, would you let us know ahead of time so we can come listen?”

We’re pondering this one.

Our music is folk-based, with two guitars, the occasional banjo, and harmonies. In the folk tradition, we also tell stories, which is great fun.

Robin writes most of our material. We have recorded one CD, “Say What You Will,” and are recording our second. We perform in the SF Bay Area and occasionally tour to the Northwest, Canada, and other locales.

My Sunday sorties with Tone Bent represent just one of several projects that have been part of a musical journey that began when I was young. Though I entered Thacher in 1961 with ears already open to a broad spectrum of music, it was in the dorms that I encountered in depth some of the musicians and composers who would profoundly influence my musical life.

The range of music, usually played at deafening volumes, was exhilarating: Stones, Coltrane, Ives, Beethoven, Ventures, Beatles, Miles Davis, Webern, Eric Dolphy, Pete Seeger, Booker T, Coasters, Supremes, Henry Mancini, Chinese Opera, Peter Paul and Mary, and on and on.

Since then, I’ve been composing, performing, and recording a somewhat similar range of styles. I began playing folk guitar in my teens and before long had moved into jazz. From there I gravitated to some of the more edgy styles of jazz and improvised music, moving to NYC in 1978, where I had the great fortune to be part of a vibrant music community. In 1988, I returned to the West Coast, a move that coincided with the birth of my son, Asa, who has just graduated from Wesleyan University with a music degree.

Between 1988 and the present, I’ve continued performing, primarily

Field Notes:

Selected List of Post Offices Visited California Forestville first PO, hometown sebastopol third-best sound (formerly first-best) tomales best audience occidental most likely place to run into another choir member Healdsburg worst vibe, most soulless valley Ford coldest, most bovine-odorous Jenner smallest, barely room for both of us and two guitar cases

with a trio of saxophone, drums, and guitar, composing music that is in part scored and in part improvised, much in the tradition of musicians like Ornette Coleman. All the while I’ve found myself slowly returning to where I began, playing acoustic guitar and singing. One of the places I did this was at Golden Trout Camp, where I went for thirteen summers.

The other main project I’ve been working on the past few years is called the “Bill Horvitz Expanded Band.” It is a 17-piece band with a mix of reeds, brass, strings, drums, bass, guitar and piano. This band has evolved out of music I began composing in 2006 as a tribute to my youngest brother, Philip, who passed away suddenly of heart failure in 2005 at the age of 44. The music is highly arranged, mostly jazzbased, along with some other flavors, and includes sections that are improvised. We have a conductor who conducts both the scored and improvised parts.

When we perform this music, I talk about my brother, as each of the pieces relates to some aspect of his life. When I compose the music, I don’t set out to write something directly about him, though I invariably notice a connection as I work. Speaking about Philip in concert helps me feel that he is not far off, and provides audiences and the musicians a way to experience the music on a deeper level. It can also be quite funny as Philip was a livewire, an inspired actor, writer, dancer, and a person who had more very close friends than anyone I’ve ever known.

Thus far, the “Expanded Band” has performed in the SF Bay Area in 2006 and 2009 and in NYC in 2007. We are about to record our first CD, which should be out in 2011. That, along with Tone Bent, a 10-piece vocal/instrumental group that Robin and I are working with, composing and performing music for plays, and teaching private guitar lessons, is keeping me very busy. I feel incredibly lucky to have been able to pursue music all these years. Music as a life path can be pretty dicey, hard to know what is coming up around the next bend, but at some point it switched from being a matter of making a choice to one of having no choice in the very best way imaginable.

duncan’s mills most charming, first e-mail greeting from a postmaster morro bay first performance for postal employees through a mail slot cayucos best sound for a long time but now replaced, first communication with a postal worker (sorting mail in back behind PO boxes) and we quote, “right on!”

Harmony least believable as an actual post office pHilo newest inverness thinnest walls, second-best sound (except for traffic noise) monte rio first inaccessible PO guerneville longest corridor, great sound rio nido second inaccessible PO santa rosa main p.o. most enthusiastic audience member, Mika the very small dog

livermore first CD exchange with a fellow musician, next time we are in Livermore we’ll meet at the PO and play together montgomery village, santa rosa second lowest rating for lack of atmosphere geyserville acoustics were best up against the glass doors, fairly unremarkable overall. bodega bay what a setting! Sadly, the acoustics were unremarkable.

No birds attacked. graton solid acoustics. First-ever conversation with a postal patron asking where she should buy a guitar. paso robles, ca best sound by far, like playing in the world’s largest shower Beyond eugene, oregon best murals, highly recommended eastsound, WasHington kind of strange deer Harbor, WasHington best view and all around setting olga, WasHington one of the smallest boulder city, nevada best view of a raptor albuquerque, neW mexico first song exchange a lovely woman listened for a bit, left the PO, returned with her teenaged son, borrowed a guitar and sang a gorgeous song for us in Spanish Find more information at: www.tonebent.com www.billhorvitz.com www.robineschner.com The Thacher School 13

12 FALL 2009

Making Music

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Tradition and spontaneity harmonize to create the Thacher soundtrack

here are many kinds of music at Thacher. Forest Cooke named eight “significant sounds” in his “A Thacher Litany” that included “rain on your roof, a running brook heard from your sleeping bag under the stars,... and your horse nickering when you come to feed it.” Indeed music, be it that of nature or something created by people, has always been integral to the Thacher experience. Guitars and mandolins in the earliest photographs of CdeP show that music accompanied the work of clearing the brush and rocks from this place to make way for the ranch that would become a school.

And over the decades music, both formal and spontaneous, has provided a steady and varied soundtrack to the generations of students and teachers who have studied, worked, and played here. From the well-rehearsed Chamber Singers performance at a Family Weekend Showcase to the impromptu song that helps ease the final mile of a long day on the trail, music enriches and humanizes us, supplying a crucial part of the School that many alumni carry into their lives after graduation. At a time when Thacher has devoted new resources and energy to music and music education, we devote the following pages to tracing the role of music in the life of Thacher and in the lives of several of its more musical alumni. >>

The Thacher School 15

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urInG TheSe reCeSSIonAry TIMeS when educational institutions must consider various scenarios to reduce financial expenditures, non-academic courses—such as the arts—often face the chopping block as a means of balancing budgets. Current Thacher Toads are fortunate that performing arts offerings, particularly in music, are actually increasing in both depth and breadth. Several factors combined to create this phenomenon: the Milligan Center for the Performing Arts along with the Commons provides state-of-the-art practice and performance space; a generous donation gives students greater access to private music lessons and brings more professional musicians to the campus to work with students in ensembles; and musical groups of various genres and focuses offer opportunities for students to perform more often. These enhanced offerings give applicants and their families a glimpse of Thacher’s focus on expanding students’ talents in and appreciation of the arts as part of a well-rounded education, which often results in a life-long interest in the arts. And, as head of School Michael Mulligan likes to quote, “If you build it, they will come.” Indeed, more students with considerable musical talent have matriculated to Thacher in recent years.

Beginning with the Introduction to Music course, Thacher’s curriculum exposes students to the fundamentals of music, including sight singing, appreciation of musical styles from the renaissance through the Jazz Age, and how to read music. Starting with a recorder á la Michael ehrhardt (taught at Thacher 1946 until 1977) or a drum in more

recent years, even students who have never made music get their start.

Following this basic course, students may choose electives or private instruction in vocal or instrumental music, or may choose to express themselves outside the classroom in casual settings or extensive performances and productions.

Thacher’s Chorus is open to all students who enjoy singing. Learning to blend their voices and developing a listening ear to sing effectively in an ensemble are key goals with this group. Chorus performs pieces from various musical periods—Baroque to Classical, romantic to Modern— including some in foreign languages. Thacher’s Chamber Singers is a group of 12 to 16 students created through a selective audition process.

This group sings a cappella and works on intricacies of music to bring out the artistry in each piece. They sing in adjudicated competitions and typically return home with gold medals for superior performance. They have traveled to the heritage Festival music competition, for instance, which attracts the top 10 percent of the nation’s high school groups.

More casual opportunities to sing include Thursday night singing at convalescent hospitals as part of the Community Service Program; participating in the Music Guild, which serenades diners on The Pergola on Friday evenings; and, of course, pick-up groups who sing at coffee houses in the Commons. Students also form single- and mixed-gender groups, sometimes with faculty, to sing pieces in genres spanning from renaissance through hip-hop and folk songs. on the instrumental side, the ensemble, directed by Andy radford,

These 1904 upperschoolers might have been part of the Mandolin Club, which was begun

by Stanley Robinson CdeP 1902. It was around this time that SDT penned a couple of verses and set them to the Irish tune “May All Those Endearing Young Charms.” Thacher students know it today as “The Banquet Song.”

When he wasn’t helping SDT clear brush and rocks to make way for orchards, friend and neighbor Lawrence Abbot brought music to Casa de Piedra. In this photo from the spring of 1889, Abbot is accompanied on the banjo by Elizabeth Thacher as Sherman pours tea from a bucket.

16 Spring 2009

According to the 1912 El Archivero, Chorus began this year, singing at the Ojai Tennis Tournament to “such wild applause that they were forced to partially repeat [their] efforts.”

gives experienced student musicians the opportunity to learn chamber music—primarily Baroque and Classical—that they perform at Family Weekend, the holiday concert, chapel services, and Assembly. The Jazz ensemble, directed by evan Avery, focuses on jazz performance, theory, and improvisation. other students also play in the pit band for the winter musical. Gone are the days when a trio—piano, bass, and drums— played “watered down” scores in the Lamb Auditorium on a corner of the floor displacing audience seating. The proscenium of the Milligan Center stage allowed a pairing of professional musicians with students who shared, for instance, cello or trumpet parts. This allowed students to perform the original Broadway score for this winter’s musical Seussical, while learning fingering and techniques from the professionals. “Playing with them was an amazing experience,” said Jackson howard ’12, who plays trumpet. “not only was it really fun, but I got much better. There’s something about playing all together in the pit that makes the musical so much fun.”

“Thacher’s music program is in an evolutionary and burgeoning state right now,” said film composer James newton howard CdeP 1969 and father of Jackson. “There’s no shortage of talent in the student body, and I think that’s been demonstrated a number of times—most recently in the Seussical musical. The singing talent, the jazz band, the work that Greg haggard and evan Avery have been doing with the kids is really starting to bear fruit.” Thanks to a generous gift from James, more professionals are available for private music lessons, regardless of financial

standing. More students are taking lessons than ever before, making them better musicians with the ability to play more advanced and intricate music. The goal of this gift is to ensure that the performance of music is solidly supported at Thacher; to enrich the lives of students through music; and to give students the opportunity and outlet to express themselves, which can be a great comfort when balancing the demands of a Thacher education. new this year is a state-of-the-art Mac Computer Lab, where students learn how to digitally compose, manipulate, and record music.

Several times this year, interested students, including those in the electronic Music class, spent a day at James’ recording studio in Los Angeles, where musicians were playing his scores for the upcoming films. he challenged students to write their own music for a film clip, encouraging students to rely on their own creativity and feelings for the scene to create appropriate accompaniment. not only do these enhanced offerings benefit current students who participate in the wide range of performing opportunities, but Thacher’s community hears more varied and better music, and more students develop musical skills that they can enjoy throughout their lives.

To learn more about Thacher’s music program, visit the new Performing Arts Blog on the Thacher website where visitors can find a firsthand account of daily activities occurring in music classrooms, jam sessions, rehearsals, or lessons.

—Jane D. McCarthy Previous spread (L to R): Jacquelyne King ‘13 belts out a jazzy number; Chamber Singers harmonize. This spread (L to R): Julie Park ‘10 and faculty member Donna Jones performing original music by Greg Haggard; Bruno Ferrari CdeP 2008 at his senior independent performance; Matt Eilar CdeP 2008 entertaining at Assembly; Nan Macmillan ‘13 at Family Weekend Chapel Service.

During his two years at Thacher, Howard Hughes CdeP 1923 played saxophone with classmates as “Hank’s Hilarious Hextet.”

Interest in music grew appreciably in the early 30s and generated an accomplished Glee Club and wellbalanced Orchestra, which undertook difficult pieces under Mr. Stetson’s direction.

Rounded out by a few faculty members, the Glee Club performed Gilbert and Sullivan’s operetta Iolanthe in the Outdoor Theatre (1946).

The Thacher School 17

Music Spoken here: A Conversation with James newton howard

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hen profiled by classmate Marshall Milligan in The Thacher News more than a decade ago, James newton howard Cdep 1969 had notched two Academy Award nominations for his movie scores. one Grammy award and six oscar nominations later, James continues to show himself to be the sort of versatile talent that has earned him credits (more than 100 films to date) in a succession of major hollywood movies, including Blood Diamond, Charlie Wilson’s War, and The Dark Knight. These days, James has another starring role: that of Thacher parent to son Jackson ’12 and stepdaughter Anouk ’12. being a Thacher parent has given James a fresh perspective on the School’s music program, occasion to reflect anew on its role in his life, and new opportunities for sharing his gifts with the School. your musical career began with classical training, took a detour through rock and roll, and now finds you focusing on film. how did this path unfold?

This trajectory unfolded over many years. To some extent, it’s been a case of being at the right place at the right time. While my early training was as a classical piano student, during my late teens I developed a passion for popular music, which eventually led me into a new direction: rock and roll. I joined up with elton John’s band in 1974, toured with him on keyboards and worked on orchestrations for his records. Perhaps it is ironic that I learned so much of the mechanics of an orchestra through my work with elton John. My exposure to the classical repertoire combined with the experience from recording an album proved to be a formidable combination of influences. It provided me with a wellequipped toolbox, if you will, when the opportunity presented itself to write music for film. I believe that this versatility and fluidity in many different styles of music is essential to any good film composer.

beyond this chameleon-like versatility, are there other skills or characteristics a film composer needs?

The old adage 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration is certainly applicable. The way I look at my career is that I have been given a respectable amount of talent that I have milked for all it’s worth with sheer hard work and determination. People oftentimes don’t have any perception of what a film composer does. of course, there is some divine inspiration involved that even I cannot put my finger on and for which I am always grateful. however, much of my time is spent working out large amounts of music in manageable increments.

Scoring a film must be a very collaborative process, which is somewhat contrary to the picture many of us may have about the way creative artists work. does that require a particular temperament? yes, it requires two things: a collaborative nature and a resilient spirit.

Composers come into a movie at the end of the process after the principle photography is finished and the film is in some kind of a roughly edited version. A lot of times there are things in a movie that aren’t working very well. The film is over budget. everybody’s tired. The director’s been trying to get the project off the ground for a year or two. And the filmmakers need a lot of support—a lot of handholding, if you will.

Music is a language that most people are extremely intimidated by. It really is like alchemy as far as they’re concerned; it’s just complete magic.

So it’s a tremendous comfort to a director if a composer is able to put them at ease and, through a very elaborate demo-making process, demonstrate to them what the end result will sound like. But it’s very much dependent on people skills. realizing that you’ll spend most of your time rewriting material, not writing it. And that is the hardest part. It can be devastating to have weeks of work rejected in a playback session with a director and then have to start from scratch again with the same enthusiasm and passion.

In the 1950s Mr. Ehrhardt’s unorthodox method of instructing groups of new players together rather than individually attracted many students who had never before picked up instruments.

Earlier in the 70s, Headmaster Ted Sanford had encouraged the Stage Band to play music by Goodman, Miller, and Ellington, but this ensemble preferred a younger sound (1978).

The Honeytones quintet began in 1963. In the last part of the 60s, lots of recorded music was played in the dorms, sometimes accompanied by students who played instruments.

18 Spring 2009

now that you’ve had the opportunity to experience Thacher as a parent, what do you think about the role music can or should play in a high school education?

First of all I would offer that at any educational level, music and the arts add unique value to a student’s experience and development. So, I do believe passionately having this artistic outlet available is absolutely essential to a young person’s life. Music really gave me great, great comfort when I was going through challenging times as a teen. Art in any form, be it music, drama or the visual arts, will only ever enhance one’s spiritual and intellectual life. It is therefore indispensable as an integral part of a young person’s education. In fact, over the last decade numerous studies have proven the correlation between music and learning in other areas, most notably math. I certainly never expect Thacher to be a school for the arts. That’s not what Thacher is. Thacher clearly embraces sacred traditions of high achievement academically and development of kids of great character who will do interesting things with their lives.

And the horse program and everything else should continue in all of its glory. At the same time, I also would like to prevent a situation where a kid makes a decision not to go to Thacher because of any perceived deficiency in the arts or the music programs. The music program and offerings have made tremendous strides since I was enrolled. There are now over a dozen variations of choral groups and music ensembles. The shared ambition of the music faculty and students made this happen. I think that the art and music programs can be very much an attractive force for Thacher in the years to come. realizing that schools, including Thacher, have been hit hard by the last years’ recession, we who support the arts must put our money where our mouth is. Michael Mulligan and I, along with other parents and the Board of Trustees, are committed to working on finding the balance between outstanding academics, a glorious horse and outdoor program, and a well-developed music program.

As one part of his effort to help catalyze a new campus-wide commitment to music, James has hosted several groups of Thacher students at his studio and at recording sessions for his score to The Last Airbender, a movie due out this July.

—Christopher J. Land

Below and right: Completed in 2005, the Milligan Center offers a fantastic venue for the Chamber Singers performances and has given rise to more ambitious musical productions such as 2010’s Seussical.

A 1997 Assembly performance by Tzuki Tsuki and friends: (L to R) Michael Mulligan, John Friborg, Jake Jacobsen, Thomas Beatty CdeP 1999, Andrew Barkan CdeP 1998, Robert Morrill CdeP 1998, Ryan Meyer CdeP 1998, and Kurt Meyer.

The Thacher School 19

Music lesson: The Art of fusion with ozomatli

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T’S been SeverAl yeArS since The Thacher News checked in with raul pacheco, Jr. Cdep 1986 and his Grammy-Award-winning band ozomatli. in the meantime, the group, which takes its name from the nahuatl word for the Aztec astrological sign of the monkey (also a god of dance and fire), has continued to release new music, reap critical acclaim, and entertain audiences with its boisterous live performances. between touring and recording commitments that have included a peformance for the first Couple and the Ted Conference, somehow, before a recent gig at the Soho Music Club in Santa barbara, California, raul found the time to sit down with Toby elmore, history teacher, coach, and avid live-music fan. Together they discussed the origins of ozomatli and the band’s recent stint as “cultural ambassadors.”

There is a tension both within the individual and between the individual and the collective that typifies the musical panoply that is ozomatli. raul puts it this way: “I think that’s an age-old dilemma, you know, the beauty of being human is being an individual, but the difficulty of being a human is being an individual.”

Any attempt to pigeonhole this group of musicians into any genre will no doubt leave one or more of the members or their respective backgrounds behind. With musical influences as varied as Carlos Santana and the 1990s Southern hip-hop unit Arrested Development, every tune laid down by ozomatli feels like a lyrical and tonal trip around the world… at breakneck speed. however, to label ozomatli simply a musical group is to miss the mark and ignore the essence of this dynamic and talented group of musicians. Born of, in the words of lead man raul Pacheco, an “act of civil disobedience,” ozomatli has spent the better part of the last 15 years fusing social activism and music, enjoying tremendous success in each realm. This fusion can be seen not only in the activism that gave birth to ozomatli, but also in the way that their musical style and personality developed from this action. raul describes the birth of the band as a difficult but rewarding musical and cultural exploration. While lending a hand to an attempt to ensure that property in downtown Los Angeles continued to be utilized for local inhabitants, the early members of the

Raul and the band caught in the act at The Soho in Santa Barbara (photos by Toby Elmore).

20 Spring 2009

band were forced to fuse together varied musical experiences. To draw attention to their cause, raul spoke of trying to create music by laying down traditional Mexican folk songs atop funk and reggae bass lines, which were, without a dedicated percussionist, laid down alongside looped tracks from DJ Cut Chemist. This tension between musical styles is what makes ozomatli so unique in the musical world. rather than allow their varying backgrounds and approaches to music impede the creative process, raul believes that this has benefited the group tremendously. he explains: “As a musician, I think the reason we evolved the way we did and the way we grew up was because we didn’t have an agenda… we just needed music. We were more into not everyone being the same, but everyone actually maintaining their individuality and allowing that to be...the thing that resonated, these kinds of differences.”

From this musical and activist experiment came numerous businesses that exist today, along with written and lyrical artists still performing, including not only ozomatli but also successful Los Angeles hip-hop group Jurassic Five. ozomatli’s embrace of this fusion of music and social activism took a new and somewhat unexpected turn recently when they were appointed as “cultural ambassadors” by the u.S. Department of State. While the members of ozomatli have generally found themselves on the progressive end of the political spectrum, after a great deal of soul-searching, they decided to make this leap to musically and socially represent the Bush administration towards which they harbored some animosity.

In their ambassadorial role, the band undertook a round-the-world trip—from nepal to egypt to Thailand to a Palestinian refugee camp in Jordan—where they performed in an effort to engage the local population in a cultural and musical dialog. The mission was not without challenges. raul explained that from both ends there was a great deal of work to be done to break down stereotypes and achieve a comfort level that would allow them to genuinely connect with these populations. In the end, their ability to play music with those whom they visited, coupled with their humanist approach, allowed them to break down barriers and connect with these varied populations in much the same way that they have been able to do in Los Angeles. For raul, it boils down to this: “There are good people everywhere in this world, and everyone is pretty

much struggling with the same things: decent housing, decent food, and a decent situation for their children.”

There were other struggles too. A new song called “Malagasy Shock” recounts raul’s harrowing experience of being electrocuted on stage in front of thousands during a show in Madagascar. he offers, “Sometimes you are shocked into realizing life must be lived with a profoundly energetic fervor.” he pauses, then adds, “...and sometimes you are just actually shocked!” unable to stay away from their roots for too long, ozomatli recently returned to L.A. to both record a new album (entitled Fire Away and due to release this spring on Mercer Street records/Downtown records) and lend a hand to the “Be Counted” project for the 2010 Census. raul

stated that he and the other members of the band believed this to be a worthwhile and important cause, as at stake are not only the millions of individual voices to be counted, but also funding and representation for many communities fearful of speaking out. The similarities between the aims of this movement and the activism that gave birth to ozomatli were striking, reflecting that while this group of musicians has hit it big and achieved great success, a primary focus of theirs is still the community from which they came.

An inspiring and provocative individual, raul Pacheco and ozomatli are a testament to the power of fusing one’s passions to make a difference at a global and local level.

— Toby Elmore

The Thacher School 21

in the Key of life: Alumni profiles Major Music!

Alison Terbell nikitopoulos Cdep 1982 how doeS SoMeone wiTh A phd in MuSiColoGy end up in children’s ministries at an episcopal church? I believe it all began at Thacher, where I learned to explore my wide-ranging interests and to follow unusual paths.

If I claimed that my musical education at Thacher was first rate, I would be misrepresenting the truth. It was disjointed, even eccentric.

I arrived in 1979, joining one of the first classes to include girls. I was in tenth grade, and each of my three years brought a different music teacher. The first, Dr. Geoffrey Block (now one of the world’s authorities on the Broadway musical) led us through university-level music theory, taught us to create a beautifully blended sound, and had fits every time someone would tap a pencil or click a ballpoint pen. he was replaced by a guitar-playing folk musician who had the Chorus sing Beach Boys songs. he, in turn, was quickly replaced by Peter Gibeau, who introduced me to unusual choral works by 16th-century composers like Gesualdo. I have been hooked ever since.

Life continued as it should after I graduated from Thacher: a bachelor’s degree from Brown followed by an MFA and PhD from Princeton. I entered Brown planning to major in math, but having been given some excellent advice, I took a wide variety of courses including computer science (had to drop that), geology, and music theory. I enjoyed the latter so much that I eventually declared music as my major.

At both Brown and Princeton, I did plenty of performing: I sang in jazz groups, madrigal groups, Gilbert and Sullivan productions, choirs, choruses, and operettas. By my sophomore year I somehow managed to take part in five singing groups (that’s too many, by the way).

I then headed to Princeton for graduate school in musicology, did research for my dissertation in Milan (on “Mefistofele”, based on Goethe’s “Faust”, by one of Verdi’s librettists, Arrigo Boito), married a man from Greece whom I had met at Brown, and moved to Baton rouge, Louisiana, where Dimitris was an assistant professor at Louisiana State university.

There I earned a master’s in vocal performance. I performed a couple of opera roles, and got a taste of the world of practicing musicians. Then, while looking for an ever-elusive full-time job in my field, we had two boys (now 15 and 11). LSu hired me part time to teach music appreciation, and I felt that I had found the life I wanted: time for work and time for children.

In the meantime, I was hired as a soprano section leader at St. James, a downtown episcopal church with quite a history and a fine choir. A common challenge for our choir is that the members are getting older; younger volunteer members are increasingly rare. This is a trend I am trying to combat with my two children’s choirs.

When I first started a children’s choir, I felt completely unprepared. But I remembered what had worked for me as a child, and built a program that now includes about 30 children.

My choir of 3 to 8-year-olds sings every Sunday. The empha22 Spring 2009

sis is on group singing, either a cappella or with a gentle organ. The older children (8-11 years) are learning to follow a musical score and to hold parts by themselves. During Lent this year, we sang a couple evensong services that included a line of Gregorian chant!

The erratic nature of my musical experiences at Thacher helped me to exercise independence. Many doors were opened; with freedom and pleasure, I’ve been able to explore the rooms on my own. As a result, I am now working full-time with the children’s program at St. James Church.

Alison Terbell Nikitopoulos CdeP 1982 lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with husband, Dimitris; 2 sons, Vaki, 15, and Anthony, 11; 2 dogs and 5 cats.

A digital revelation drew denbo Cdep 1991 i CleArly reMeMber My love AffAir wiTh MuSiC starting in the late 1970s in San Francisco, when my mom introduced me to Michael Jackson, James Taylor, and the Beatles on the all-in-one record player/ stereo in our living room. I couldn’t get enough of Rubber Soul, Off the Wall, and the rest of her now-classic albums. My interest in music progressed while at Thacher, where I played drums in the short-lived band Love Axe, with fellow alums Will redfield on guitar, Charlie Jang on bass, ned Clark on guitar and vocals, and Jamie Deyoung as our improvisational dancer (including a one-time cameo vocal performance of “Bad Moon rising” by Michael Mulligan).

While at Washington and Lee university, I booked bands for the Student Activities Board, bringing in acts such as George Clinton, hootie and The Blowfish, the hoodoo Gurus, and Drivin’ n Cryin’. This role sparked my interest in the music business. During my senior year, I worked with industry contacts to find a music-related job, but they ultimately talked me out of what they deemed the low-paying, high-stress business of music.

After college, I worked for a financial services firm and then a technology firm, oracle. Both were good jobs at excellent companies, but I realized quickly that I would be happy only if I could find a job about which I was passionate. While I was at oracle, several small Silicon Valley start-ups began distributing music over the Internet. I was living with alums David Van horne and Alec Perkins in San Francisco when I downloaded my first album over a dial-up connection. The experience was painfully slow (the download took several hours) and the selection was limited but I was immediately hooked. I imagined that the potential for Internet distribution of music was endless; people would one day be able to find any music they wanted, from anywhere in the world. Musicians would be able to distribute their music, worldwide, without having to deal with the complexity and cost of physical distribution. I knew I had to be part of the digital music space.

In 2000 I joined a Silicon Valley start-up that eventually launched rhapsody, the first online legal music service of its kind. I have recently

joined a Berkeley-based company called MOG. MOG has created an ondemand music service called MOG All Access, which allows music fans to access a 7.5-million track catalog on their computer for a flat monthly fee.

In the coming weeks we will launch our mobile application on the iPhone and Android, giving subcribers the ability to download unlimited songs to their mobile phone and access the MOG library from the computer for $9.99 per month. My role at MOG has two core components: first to develop distribution partnerships with companies that can help us introduce our service to consumers—wireless carriers, cable companies, etc.. My other responsibility is to partner with consumer electronics companies, handset manufacturers and auto companies who can help us realize our vision of allowing people to access their MOG account anywhere.

I feel fortunate to work with a product that I personally use every day and in an industry that is constantly reinventing itself. The music industry has come a long way since the days of the LPs I enjoyed with my parents and the CDs I listened to at Thacher. I am very excited, as a music fan and as a participant in the business, to see what is next.

Drew Denbo CdeP 1991 lives in his hometown of San Francisco where he enjoys spending quality time with his family and local Thacher classmates Tyson Schmidt, Alec Perkins, David Van Horne, and Amy Hunt (O’Shea).

Music Making a Difference Leslie Britton CdeP 1980 As A new stuDent At thACher in 1977, I found myself academically overwhelmed. A product of Southern California public schools, whose students spent more time with surfboards than with schoolbooks, the classroom expectations at Thacher took me by surprise. I recall my first English class, being given a poem to analyze—and all I could come up with was that it was interesting it did not rhyme. My first French class— shocked there were only three other students—but absolutely appalled I had to try to speak French … out loud. My first European history test returned with a big red D … what do you mean I had to memorize the dates?

One day that first fall I found myself at the piano in the auditorium and I started to practice. I found such peace in playing that day that I went back the next, and the next. Amidst the D’s, the jumbled essays, and nonsensical je suis’s, I found something I could do: I could make music.

Around that time an extraordinary teacher, Geoffrey Block, encouraged me to take a music class, and I was hooked. Sitting in Dr. Block’s studio, I learned how to analyze a classical sonata … and grades on my English papers improved. When I learned to play a Bach prelude, I conquered a new language … and speaking up in French class suddenly did not seem so intimidating. Singing with the choir gave me a sense of belonging … and my history D’s became B’s as I was inspired to compose musical jingles to

help me learn those darn dates. Music, and Dr. Block’s belief in me, guided me through high school with a semblance of confidence and success.

Today, as artistic director of the Rocky Mountain Children’s Choir (RMCC), I continue to marvel at the impact music can have in the lives of young children. With over 40 percent of the 330 participating singers qualifying for the federal lunch program, the challenges these kids face are significant. The goal of the RMCC is simple: make a positive difference in the lives of children and encourage them to believe in themselves.

Children from different cultures, races, religions, socioeconomic means come together each week for the simple purpose of making good music, and they quickly learn that they have more in common than they thought. The RMCC promotes musical literacy and gives children the tools needed to achieve high levels of musicianship. Although music alone cannot pay the electric bill or put food on the table, the RMCC does provide a place where children learn success is possible.

Over the years I have witnessed firsthand the difference music can make: grades improve, confidence grows, and the experience of achieving success takes RMCC graduates into colleges, music schools, and meaningful careers. One of the greatest pleasures is hearing from RMCC alumni how music made a positive difference in their lives.

A few weeks ago, while on a college trip with my daughter, I had the privilege of having lunch with Geoffrey Block at the University of Puget Sound, where he has been a professor of music history since leaving Thacher in 1980. I tried to convey how much his belief in me has directed my life’s path, but it felt a lot like being in French class again, as I struggled to express my gratitude to him. Although he may not have heard exactly what I was trying to say, I do hope he heard the thousands of young voices from Denver singing thank you to him, too.

Leslie Drescher Britton CdeP 1980 lives in Castle Rock, Colorado, with her husband, Eric, and their children: Paul, 19, and Genell, 17. More information about the Rocky Mountain Children’s Choir can be found at rmchildrenschoir.org.

say “Yes” to Music! whitney Livermore CdeP 2004 As we ALL know, DeMAnDs on thACher stuDents are great and schedules are often tight. During my time at Thacher, music came in a clear second—or sometimes third, or fourth—to students’ numerous other commitments. So, the Chamber Singers rehearsed during lunch, the jazz band practiced before breakfast, and the bluegrass band, and the duets and trios Mr. Haggard loved to help organize to sing at Assembly met whenever they could.

What did this mean for us? It meant that whoever showed up really, really wanted to be there.

We flourished simply because we were so grateful to have found time to work together and, under the energetic leadership of Mr. Haggard, we had an immense amount of fun.

Mr. Haggard delighted in every single thing he did with us.

The Thacher School 23

he also loved having us perform, regardless of where we were or who was listening (or, occasionally, not listening). When the Chamber Singers went to hawaii in the spring of 2003, we found ourselves singing everywhere— not just at the schools and performance spaces for which we had planned and rehearsed, but on the bus, in restaurants, and in myriad other public places, too. Although we may have rolled our eyes at the time, Mr. haggard’s was a beautiful passion to witness, and we knew it.

As with most things at Thacher, what we learned went far beyond the music and the friendships that we made. We learned how to turn our passions and desires into action; the inconvenience of not having enough of time or space (or personnel) became inconsequential when we focused on the process—the joy that we found in making music together, and the support that we knew we would receive from the Thacher community when they became our audience.

I realize now that this after-hours, piecemeal structure was what allowed music to become the seminal part of my Thacher experience that it was: a necessary segment of each day during which I reaffirmed both my love for making music and my larger commitment to myself to keep saying “yes” to opportunities—a philosophy that I had learned from Mr. haggard himself, who never once turned down an opportunity to help us, to teach us, to make any kind of music with us at all. his was a life lesson that I took with me to Williams College, where I happily became a member of an all-female a cappella group. I loved music—couldn’t imagine a life in which I wouldn’t be singing—and I was eager to become part of a new music community. Ironically, our funny music schedules at Thacher had prepared me well for the a cappella life: We, too, found ourselves squeezing rehearsal time in between sports practices and meetings with professors and late-night library study sessions. But we loved it just the same, and strove to embody that kind of can-do attitude that Mr. haggard had so easily brought me to cherish.

Although Thacher’s Music Program has expanded and improved dramatically since I was a student, it is my greatest hope that the students of Thacher still have the chance to know music as I did: a maze of opportunities to be grasped, learned from, and enjoyed. Those interactions and collaborations, both planned and spontaneous, will give a new dimension to their already-rich Thacher experience.

Whitney Livermore CdeP 2004 is thrilled to have returned to San Francisco after four cold years in Massachusetts. She recently started a small afterschool singing group at the middle school where she works, and is trying her very hardest to channel her inner “Mr. Haggard.” It’s harder than it looks!

remembering Mr. earhardt by david pinkham Cdep 1961 C. MiChAel eArhArdT, who taught music at Thacher from 1946 to 1977, was a seminal figure in my development. I think I took most of the courses he taught, and I also took piano lessons which culminated in a rousing performance of “rhapsody in Blue” arranged for two pianos. Mark Lambert played the primary piano, and I played the arranged orchestral accompaniment. We practiced side by side, but the recital in front of the whole school included two pianos facing each other, with the curves nestled into one another. oh my! We faced each other over removed piano covers, and were able to read every nuance of expression that either of us, 24 Spring 2009

or the pianos, evinced. With pianos joined at the hip, so to speak, we rollicked through Gershwin in front of the School. I hope, to great acclaim.

Well, life goes on. I had, at Thacher, memorized all the musical themes of each Beethoven symphony movement, performed Gershwin before an appreciative audience. Before I graduated, Mr. earhardt told me that I would never be an accomplished pianist, but that I should never give up playing the piano, because to him it seemed that it gave me so much pleasure. I took note, and moved on. Life intervened. university, the Peace Corps, Vietnam, the family business, the non-family business, marriage, a daughter, another, entrepreneurship, divorce. I came back from europe to the Thacher Centennial.

Shortly thereafter, an unexpected e-mail from Michael. he called it “blessed e-mail,” because it connected him to folks who would otherwise be lost to him. Physically constrained, he was living in Southern California. of course, I visited as soon as I could. he had his fingers in musical pies: instructional schemes, arrangements that probably would not have been done without him, and opinions on performances that could come to him on his television. We laughed about his sentence to me on piano performance. We talked at length about his practice, almost life long. I saw how he viewed e-mail as blessed—it connected him in new ways to so many more people than he could imagine before e-mail was invented.

I started my e-mails to him with “hi C,” thinking it would be an amusing musical evocation. Michael moved back to Georgia. I spoke to him twice in the weeks before he died. he had been practicing most of his adult life, and was comfortable with death. But, as he once said wistfully, even though we are prepared, it is still unknown.

I mourn Michael. I mourn the lost sensitivities he taught me as a teenager. I mourn the delicacy with which he nourished my musical awakening. I mourn his unique acceptance of the human condition he conveyed to those who would listen.

I celebrate Michael. he taught me about joy, about diligence and discipline, about discernment, dissonance and harmony. And all the rest. he did this in the Music Box. Grand pianos and uprights, window seats that caught the warmth of the afternoon sun. And Michael, whose face beamed like a sun as he taught, or whatever he did. his energies infected me. I have been smitten ever since. I have thanked Michael, but I also need to thank The Thacher School for implementing the situation and allowing it all to happen.

May all the benefits Michael created by his teaching, the benefits he conveyed to pupils like me, the beauty he unveiled to countless students, the discipline he demanded of his proteges, the example he left in living and dying, be celebrated and dedicated to the benefit of all beings.

David lives in Modoc with Beatrice; unless he is globetrotting, or teamstering with his mules Samsara and Khenpo (Sam and Ken) in various charitable or historical events. Life goes on, while he’s planning everything else.

photo/illustration credit here

Mr. Haggard conducts the pit orchestra (top left) as the cast of 2007’s production of Annie Get Your Gun kicks up its heels (left). In recent years Peter Dragge CdeP 1969 has turned his guitar workshop into a classroom; here (upper right), three student projects await their tops. On the trail or in the Milligan Center, in spurs or spike heels (in this case Emily Combs ‘10 and Brianna Bohnett ‘10), Thacher musicians can be counted on to supply the School’s “restless tattoo.”

The Thacher School 25

class notes…

*

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1939

1943

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

1944 1946

^

EMERY ROGERS was one of six people selected to receive the Avenidas Lifetimes of Achievement Award for 2010.

Avenidas is a nonprofit agency that provides support to seniors on the Mid-Peninsula. The award recognizes people over 65 who have made outstanding contributions to their local communities. Emery’s numerous accomplishments include creating a foundation for Hewlett Packard, serving as president of the board at Children’s Health Council and vice president of the Palo Alto United Way, as well as chairing several other boards. Emery has three children, five stepchildren, and eight grandchildren, and he and his wife, Nancy, currently live in Palo Alto. Emery was further celebrated by Avenidas at a garden party in May. ROY HOLLAND writes, “Jackie and I are settled comfortably in the South Dakota Black Hills, and we have parked our RV after logging 182,000 miles in 25 years. Our hope for this summer is to get better acquainted with our new home state!”

ELLERY McCLATCHY spends half the year at his Pope Valley farm, where he has a small vineyard of cabernet sauvignon grapes, and the other half of the year in Rancho Mirage, in the Coachella Valley.

1951 1952 1953

MICHAEL MARTIN’s youngest daughter, Megan Leandra Martin, aged 24, recently got engaged.

NICHOLAS CUNNINGHAM shares, “It’s been a year of ‘stills’—I still teach at the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons; I am still working on a couple of books; I still play tennis weekly and string quartets every week or so. Though he’s far from still, I still exercise OZ (a 5-year-old Wheaten terrier) daily, usually while whittling cedar canes from a hedge my grandfather planted about 130 years ago. I am still active in the American Academy of Pediatrics, particularly on a blog dealing with how to help build sustainable maternal and child health care where it is most needed in lesser developed areas of Africa and SE Asia. And I try to help my talented wife, Cathryn, who is still in active practice. Our children are still OK, and there are even three grandchildren, who are just that: grand!” JOE GLASGOW writes, “…Let us not forget that the 65th year reunion of the class of 1946 is in June 2011. Best wishes to everyone.”

BROOKS CRAWFORD has received the University of California, San Francisco Medical School’s Alumnus of the Year award for 2010.

EDWARD EMERY and his wife, Ginny, report that they have moved to Manchester, Mich., not far from Ann Arbor. One of Ed’s activities is writing poetry.

JAMES GRIFFITH was named grand marshal of the 2010 Tucson Rodeo Parade and rode in the coveted first carriage on Feb.

Making Music RHODES SPEDALE CdeP 1955 While at thacher, c. Michael ehrhardt encouraged my early jazz improvisations. in fact, i mailed him copies of my cDs shortly before his death in 1999 and he replied that his son liked them. i have fond memories of jamming in the music building with my classmates alex Farrand, Bill Minney, Jim taylor, et al. i graduated from Pomona college in 1959 with a Ba in government and received my llB in 1962 from tulane University. While at Pomona college i was a student of the late jazz pianist hampton hawes for two years. i also studied under renowned New York pianist John Mehegan. in 1972, i began producing a Sunday evening program, Jazz Sketches at WWNO, a local radio station in New Orleans. This program explored all forms of jazz, from traditional to avant garde. Following that program, i hosted Jazz from Congo Square on WWOZ in New Orleans. i also enjoy writing about jazz and my reviews and articles have appeared in a number of publications. in 2000, i chose to retire from the bar to devote more time to playing piano. i released a few cDs around that time, which you can review on www.jazzvignette.com. currently, i play with trumpeter Dwayne Burns and his band at the Maison Bourbon once a week when i am not playing solo piano at various venues around town. i also perform with the Delgado community college Jazz Band, at private parties, and in the annual French Quarter Festival. i am currently in discussions to write an updated edition of my 1984 book, A Guide to Jazz in New Orleans.

26 spring 2010

Photos (L to R): Emery Rogers ’39 ; John Wheaton ’56 puts his Thacher Centennial bandana to good use during a trip to the Galapagos Islands

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

25. Jim also received a Lifetime Achievement Award for his work in literature of the Southwest from the Tucson Public Library.

BILL MILLER invites any of his classmates who get near Woodland, Calif., to stop and see him. He is retired and somewhat housebound. Bill and his wife, Gilda, are in good spirits, though she is no longer ambulatory. BILL NIGH’s wife, Polly, showed their Welsh terrier, Ch. (champion) Wagabound’s Wildfire, in the 2010 Westminster Dog Show. Though she was not a prize winner, it was huge that they were invited to enter “Tigger” in the prestigious event. WINSLOW ROBINSON and his wife, Sally, managed to travel to Tunisia, New Zealand, Holland, France, Switzerland, Germany, Morocco, and Nepal, all in one year, even with their grandchild tally going up to eight, plus a new dog and cat, plus 80 sheep. Winslow and Sally explored the British Isles with CHARLIE STEPHENSON and his wife, Tracy, in May.

1956 1958

1959

^

JOHN WHEATON put his Thacher Centennial bandana to good use in the hot Ecuadorian sun during a trip to the Galapagos Islands in March 2010.

JOHN SANGER and his wife, Randi, “enjoyed three months exploring British Columbia’s Inside Passage up to Prince Rupert on the Alaska border aboard our small (32-foot) trawler. We ran into ROGER FARQUHAR ‘61 and his wife, Giselle, also out on a cruise of the Inside Passage this summer in their new trawler.”

WILL STRONG shares, “I finally decided to go into retirement.

It was during an endless 15-hour flight to Seoul that I started to think—after flying the Pacific 100 times or more (Who keeps count after 50 crossings?) and flying the Atlantic 100 times or more—maybe enough was enough, and decided to come home and retire. I am very happy with my new lifestyle. My wife, Linda, and I have our eyes on several golfing meccas we are considering moving to: maybe Pinehurst, maybe Hilton Head, maybe Sea Island; but we are not moving anywhere until we sell our house; and Charlotte is in a serious housing slump. Soooo we wait.”

TONY THACHER helped bring water filtration systems to elementary and secondary schools in Patzcuaro, Mexico, through the Carpinteria Morning Rotary Club and members of Matilija Junior High School’s Club M.A.D. (Making a Difference). “It costs about $500 per school,” said Tony. “Club M.A.D. raises $500 and our club matches it, and then a couple of the Rotarians match it as well, so we’ll be doing four filters.”

DEREK ANDERSON and his wife, Pat, have moved permanently to Lake Almanor, Calif. Derek shares that they now feel “it should have been done years earlier. Life is not just looking at the lake, however.” Both are busy managing their investment in the Almanor Bowling Center in Chester, and Derek is active in structuring IP licensing agreements with Japanese tech companies similar to the one executed with Intel in 2004, as well as managing a controlling interest in a homeowner association management company in San Diego overseeing over 5,000 condos.

RUSS CALLANDER sent in a DVD of his class’s 50th Reunion at

Making Music ROGER COATES CdeP 1957 little DiD i realiZe, while singing with Mr. ehrhardt in the late 50s, how much pleasure i would realize from choral singing during life after Thacher. Though i have never been good enough for solo roles, i have managed to find a satisfying spot near the bottom of the bass section of choirs in two colleges, four cities, and one aircraft carrier. highlights of the journey include a sweaty hug from Maestro rostropovich after a Kennedy center concert, a gig with the chorus and a spear in a Washington D.c. staging of Aida, singing in renaissance attire with the Queen’s Court during the inaugural year of Maryland’s Renaissance Festival, and leading my current ensemble in a concert at Piccolo Spoleto Festival in charleston.

The latest musical project with that group is leadership of an apprentice program for promising high school singers in the charlotte, N.c., area.

Who knows what school interests and hobbies will gain traction to complement a career!

The Thacher school 01 27

Photos Left (L to R): Statue of athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos, prominently displayed in the center of the SJSU campus; David Pinkham ’61 drives his mule team.

class notes…

Photos Right (L to R): John Barkan ’67 and guests holding kazoos at son Andrew Barkan ’98 and Polly’s wedding; John Aaron’s ’71 nonprofit art organization, CHALK4PEACE; Doug Makemson ’71 and one of his commissioned scrap-metal dog sculptures at the Atlanta airport; the “evil twin” of Kris Meisling ‘71.

Thacher with a note saying, “As a foreign exchange student my year at Thacher, I had a life-long benefit: I learned that people differ little, that they are more important than politics, that the U.S.A. is hugely diverse and complex in culture, politics, and geography, and that fine schools make the finest citizens of this troubled world. I am grateful still for the kindness afforded me.

Let’s hope we all make it to our 60th!” CHRISTOPHER HENZE writes “On a recent visit to San Jose State University, I was overwhelmed by the huge, three-times-life-size statues of SJSU athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos, prominently displayed in the center of the campus. Smith and Carlos were the Olympic medal winners who bowed their heads and raised their fists in the Black Power salute during the award ceremony at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City. Their highly controversial gesture caused them to be banned from future Olympic competition and sent home. The heroic statues, made of bronze and ceramic tiles, were dedicated in 2005. That they stand today at the heart of a state university campus makes a positive statement about America. Coming from France, I was very moved.”

Making Music BRUCE DONNELL CdeP 1963 i treaSUre the MeMOrY of Michael Ehrhardt’s patience in teaching me to play the piano. I wasn’t really bad, but it was clearly not my destiny to become a concert pianist. Michael did, however, encourage me in all things musical, which did lead to a career in music. Music in those days at Thacher did not occupy the same place in the life of the School as it does today, so more individual initiative was necessary. The Music Box had a storeroom full of 78 rpm recordings that seemed to be of no interest to anyone except me, and my introduction to several of the operas that i later directed began with listening to these wonderful classic performances. i enjoyed painting, although it also was not in my future to be a painter.

I spent many happy Saturdays, however, with paint and canvas in Gui Ignon’s studio, where he would allow me to listen to the Metropolitan Opera Saturday broadcasts, which i know i enjoyed more than he. life at Thacher was much more confined to the campus in those days than today. Fred lamb, among others, would drive us several times a year to hear concerts in Santa Barbara, usually the los angeles Philharmonic, but sometimes visiting orchestras such as the amsterdam concertgebouw (at which concert we all thought the conductor eugen Jochum was the spitting image of Michael ehrhardt). also, it was possible, if one knew whom and just how to ask, to obtain permission for special trips. The San Francisco Opera toured to los angeles then and it was a great treat from time to time to attend Sunday matinees at the Shrine Auditorium, having convinced Barbara Griggs or rosemary Brown that they absolutely must hear a certain performance and take a few of us along. This was sometimes followed by a dinner at a fellow student’s home in Los Angeles or, failing an invitation, a gourmet meal at Du Par’s. in large part owing to my hunger for music, i attended columbia in New York, and after a few detours, started a career as an opera stage director. i have had the privilege of working in many theaters, among them the Metropolitan Opera, at which i have worked on and off over a span of 34 years. i am grateful to my early mentors at Thacher who encouraged me to follow my muse, even though it was a long way away from Ojai.

^

1961

1963

* 1965

MARK LAMBERT writes, “After 35 years, I have decided to retire this June from the practice of nephrology in Marin County.

I will continue to live in Hollywood with my wife, Mary, pursue photography, and enjoy the theater, arts, and music of Los Angeles (not to mention balancing the electrolytes and pH of the swimming pool). Maybe a little weekend work at Cedars-Sinai to keep my hand in.”

STEVE GRIGGS says that, since retiring from teaching and coaching, he has been doing a variety of part-time activities. “I am working on special projects for School Year Abroad with our president, WOODY HALSEY ‘65, and Executive Director NELSON CHASE ‘66. It is great to have reconnected with these guys on the East Coast. We grew up together at Thacher as faculty brats and in recent years have been enjoying an annual dinner which also includes NICK THACHER. In addition, I help the Yale Alumni Association with its new service tour program which brings doctors, small business experts, teachers, and more to very poor areas outside Monterrey, Mexico.

I will be running my soccer camp in July in Lakeville, Conn.

This will be our 21st year. Also, I am teaching some tennis and platform tennis in New Jersey.” WILL WYMAN ’78 shares that HARWOOD “BENDY” WHITE has been elected to the Santa Barbara City Council. He was sworn in on Jan. 12, 2010. Bendy is one of six council members charged with setting policy and passing ordinances pertaining to the city.

EDGAR RHODES writes, “My latest ‘windmill’ that I am tilting, i.e., co-chairing, with a former mayor of Carpinteria, is a ballot measure committee formed to fight Venoco’s Paredon Oil & Gas Development Initiative in Carpinteria (www.citizensagainstparedon.org).” JOHN TAYLOR retired in January 2010, after nearly 35 years at Sandia National Laboratories. His newly

found “life of leisure” includes lots of “honey-do’s,” plus working on two new books and a play, breaking one of his horses to drive, singing in a men’s barbershop chorus, working to restore a 1940s-vintage steam locomotive to full operation, and spending lots of time with two beautiful granddaughters (Emma, 12, and Madison, 9). John says, “Who has time to work when you can play like this?”

1966 1967

1969

HISAKAZU HORISE shares that, after nearly 30 years of teaching civil law at the University of Tokyo, he accepted the invitation to become a professor of law at a Christian university called Aoyama Gakuin University. He still teaches one class at the University of Tokyo Law School, as professor emeritus.

* 1970 1971

^

JOHN BARKAN announced that on Oct. 24, 2009, his son ANDREW BAPTIE BARKAN ‘98 married Pauline Hall in Little Rock, Ark. (see Marriages.) John says, “She is a fellow Amherst alum, to our delight. His groomsmen included best man/brother WILL BARKAN ‘02 and sister (yes groomsman, but in a dress) PHOEBE BARKAN ‘03. A fine time was had by all.”

PETER DRAGGE let us know what he was up to, music-wise: “As for the guitar business, I am actually semi-retired and working on what might well be my last instrument—for now anyway. I am also teaching a very small class on guitar making to a couple of excellent local musicians/craftsmen, in order to pass on what little knowledge I have gleaned over the past 30 or so years.”

JOHN SAVAGE retired from his law practice in December 2008 and is now working on personal and family businesses.

He writes, “Used to be a real estate developer, now real estate ‘caretaker’! Our door is always open to any Thacherites passing through western Colorado. Looking forward to our 40th year Reunion. (I am not that old!!)”

^

JOHN AARON’s international CHALK4PEACE project was recognized by Yoko Ono when she posted information about it on her website. Go to http://imaginepeace.com/archives/10205 to see the post. DOUG MAKEMSON creates large scrapmetal sculptures of canines. His sculpture commission was installed in November 2009 at the Atlanta airport dog park. Next time you are at the Atlanta airport, Doug says you can find the sculptures to the left after you exit the terminal at the ground transport end. You can also see his work on his website, www. makesculpture.com. KRISTIAN MEISLING and his wife, Ginger, moved from Houston to the family homestead in Palo Alto last year. Kris shares, “I separated from the BP mothership last year and am now working as a consulting geologist. Though I suspect it is some sort of administrative mistake, I have been appointed a consulting professor in the geology department at Stanford. Ginger and I are still playing Latin jazz, and my evil twin is still playing pedal steel in various country & western outfits. We are thrilled to be back in the Bay Area, but are missing the great musical scene and all our friends back in Texas.

^

^

Making Music

PHOTO/ILLUSTRATION CREDIT HERE

ARNIE MOORE CdeP 1963 SInGInG SonGS hAS BEEn an important part of life at Thacher for generations. Singing “The Banquet Song” is something nearly every one of us could do. Mr. huyler would usually lead such sessions in my years at the School.

We have all heard that playing Mozart during a math test will raise scores. however, recent studies have shown that merely listing passively to music is not enough. The process of learning an instrument, or singing, is the factor that counts. Four mighty voices, The honeytones: Fred Keeler, Steve Griggs, and Nick Thacher, and i, all classmates in the class of ‘63, would practice at the music studio, up the road from the Middle School. Singing mostly barbershop style, we would dress in slacks, white shirt, and bow tie to perform at School events. a few years ago, Michael Mulligan was addressing a gathering in my area, and in his explanation of why we would want to spend several million dollars for a performing arts facility, he said that it was another example of Thacher helping young men and women find their passion. My experience with The honeytones was another extension of my interest in music, and i ended up with a 35-year career as a studio musician in hollywood.

The Thacher school 29

Photos (L to R): Malcolm Plant ’71 hanging out on the Amazon; Eric Thomas ’75, Noah Rifkin ’75, and Scott LeFevre ’75 at a rendezvous in San Francisco way, way, way back in the 1980s

class notes…

All is well, and I am enjoying my new freedom: Bikram yoga, skiing (poorly), still gigging (guitar and vocals), lifting weights (whenever I can find the time), and, oh yeah, training the new addition to the family, Loki (5-month-old mini-Australian shepherd). He is too cute, extremely smart, and living up to his namesake, the Norse god of mischief and cunning. Hope to make the Reunion—regards to all.”

^

1974

* 1975

30 spring 2010

1976

RYAN BECKHAM’s younger daughter, Annie, will enter Thacher as a freshman in the fall. He shares, “We are very excited to stay connected to the School and to have her experience many of the same traditions and venues I have so enjoyed. We celebrated living in Paso Robles for 20 years and continue to love the Central Coast. Come visit!” JIM COVER is now living in San Clemente, Calif. He is still practicing law and is also spending a lot of his time on political activities. Check out www.WeSurroundThemOC.com. REUBEN HALLER, professional clown, writes, “I performed in Hangzhou, China, last October on a 12-day tour. The Chinese kids were a bit shy at first but warmed up to us fast. Their parents were absolutely obsessed with getting photos of their kids with the performers. Parents routinely interrupted funny moments or wonderful interactions to get everyone to pose. So posing became comedy! I like the Chinese food better in San Francisco, but humor is universal.” RANDOLPH HEAD became chair of the University of California Riverside’s history department in January 2010. Randy feels these are “perilous times for our public universities! Wish us all luck as the state decimates its higher education system.”

HARRY HANSON left Choate Hall & Stewart to join The Feinberg Law Group, LLC, in Wellesley, Mass., as a partner. He shares, “After 25 years in downtown Boston, including 10 wonderful years with Choate, I thought it was time to take a look at life from the entrepreneur’s perspective. FLG currently has eight lawyers with an exclusive focus on the representation of high-growth technology companies and their related investors in connection with finance, mergers and acquisitions, strategic commercial and IP-licensing arrangements, executive compensation, and corporate governance.”

THOMAS MORGAN felt a little communication was in order.

He says things are always changing and, regarding Citizen Auto Stage Company/Gray Line Tours, he is “still running the family business (founded by Gramps in 1916), and it has been a tough year. Things are improving, but transportation and tours were hit hard by the economic slump. Divorced recently, both kids living with me, and every day is a new adventure in testosterone (two boys, 16 and 21 years of age).

1977

PETER MATTHEWS attended meetings in Washington, D.C., in November, 2009, to discuss his WORKFORUM proposal. Peter reports, “The day started with staff-level meetings at Pennsylvania Senators Arlen Specter and Bob Casey’s offices in the Senate office buildings. Then I met with the president of the Council on Competitiveness and several of her VPs for a spirited exchange. The Council has invited me to join their board, a round-table of CEOs and university presidents, which sounds very interesting. In past weeks, I have been communicating with the staff of Vice President Biden’s economics advisor, who has been giving the updates on the stimulus bill. Interestingly, before leaving for Asia, Obama announced they would hold a job creation ‘forum’ or summit. While their urgent concern is to address the immediate crisis, my focus is more on the long-term challenge.” DONALD OSBORNE was very excited to be leading a five-day camp in east Texas in April, inviting 60-plus participants to pursue their passions while taming their fears, doubts, and anxiety, called “The Journey of the Enlightened Entrepreneur.” JOSHUA ROSENBLATT is excited to have landed a new job with IBM, writing references and case studies, and working out of his home office in Easthampton, Mass. His wife, Kate, is working at Different Drummer’s Kitchen in Northampton—an upscale kitchen and cooking supply store.

Their oldest daughter, Sarah, graduates from RPI next month with an architecture degree and will be attending Columbia in New York City next year for a master’s in historic preservation.

Their other daughter, Ali, is in her second year at Sarah Lawrence and will be studying abroad next year—Cuba in the fall and possibly Ghana in the spring. Joshua reports they are all healthy and happy.

FRED BURROWS was appointed the new resident director for Merrill Lynch in Santa Barbara, Calif. Fred writes, “Having started my career on Wall Street with Merrill Lynch in Los Angeles, it is great to be back!” He lives in Summerland with his two children—Henry, 17, and Katherine, 14. KENDRIC FOULTZ shares, “I am enjoying catching up with Toads through Facebook and looking forward to our next Reunion, when everyone in our class will be at least 50 years old. That should be a hoot!” MURRAY ORRICK shares, “Besides being a very happy husband and dad to my three girlies, I have been very involved with music and entertainment for the last few years; producing, writing, recording, singing, and playing in a wide variety of situations, which suits me quite well. The most significant project that I am involved in right now is “Let’s Go Green—Inspiring Young Minds

PHOTO/ILLUSTRATION CREDIT HERE

We look forward to seeing some of you at some point in the not-too-distant future. In the meantime, life is good.” MALCOLM PLANT writes, “Ann and I are still very happily married and living in Berkeley, Calif. We have got one son, Hayden, at UC Santa Barbara and another, Elliot, at Marin Academy in San Rafael. Both considered Thacher, but frankly, I would not have missed having them at home for their high school years for the world. Elliot and I just spent a wonderful week touring East Coast colleges. He was particularly enamored with Princeton, though Tufts and Brown are running a close second.

If anyone has a secret way of getting someone into one of these three, let me know.”

Photos (L to R): Will Wyman ’78 and his opponent, son Casey Wyman ’10 at the Alumni Day basketball game; Michael Conway’s ’81 kids: Olivia, Charlotte, Liam, and Nelson

to Go Green through Music, Fun, and Laughter.” I wrote and produced a 10-song album with my partners, Randy Phillippe and Scott Urquhart, called Let’s Go Green Kids, which we are promoting through our website www.letsgogreenkids.com.”

1978

1979

1981

^

WILL WYMAN shares this highlight from the alumni-versus-students basketball game at Alumni Day 2010. “After hitting the first shot of the game with a swish for two points, Will Wyman ’78 got schooled by CASEY WYMAN ’10, who hit the next shot of the game for three points. This father-son duel lasted all through the game, with Casey leaving his dad in a heap on the floor. Casey led the students with 12 points, doubling down on his dad who had six points. The ol’ Toads were slower but wiser, with a final tally of Alumni 62–Varsity 56.”

1982

ROBERT FRANKEL has relocated to Bishop, Calif., where he is practicing rural and family medicine for the folks in the Owens Valley. He and Kymberlee enjoy the great outdoors, traveling, and staying home with their three dogs and a cat. Visitors or passersby are welcome to stop by.

^

MICHAEL CONWAY says that his four kids are finally old enough to carry their own bags. So, barring emergencies, he, his wife, Meghan, and their kids (Olivia, Charlotte, Liam, and Nelson) will be at Reunion. Mike writes, “We are enjoying life in Connecticut and I am tolerating work in New York. I just pulled a book off the shelf with a Bart’s Books bookmark inside and found myself missing those warm days in Ojai. Speaking of books, do not miss GLEN DAVID GOLD’s newest, Sunnyside, an amazing story that draws you in to the point that when his characters got cold, I got cold. (Of course I am stuck in the Northeast, but....)”

HUNTER HOLLINS shares, “In addition to my job at the Smithsonian, being a husband, and dad, I am also the operations advisor for Art Works Projects, a position I am so proud to have. I help my classmate LESLIE THOMAS and the staff at Art Works Projects raise awareness of global humanitarian crises. In a modest way, I have been working with Leslie for the last couple of years to develop, tour, and exhibit photography

Making Music

PHOTO/ILLUSTRATION CREDIT HERE

CHRISTIAN LEEFELDT CdeP 1974 i have tO SaY MUSic iS MY liFe. twenty-six years ago, i began creative Spirit recording Studio in chico, calif., so that my business partner and i could co-produce and record local talent as well as our own creative endeavors. in addition, we developed a line of video guitar lessons that are still being used today by students in the local area.

In my first studio I learned how to write and record music methodically, as a way to develop my own style of playing and recording. i play guitar, bass, piano, and drums. This way, i can write and record a musical piece within hours. During the last several years, i have written and recorded approximately one tune a week, making 74 easy listening, melodic rock music cDs of my own. i also produced an award-winning album by Keith Secola, Native Americana, with me playing electric guitar and keyboards on two of the tracks. The album won Best country album at the Native american Music awards. One of my goals is to have a large repertoire of original guitar themes that can be used for motion picture sound tracks, commercial advertising, and as a backdrop to my photography. This work is featured on www.arizonavisionart.com.

During my freshman year at Thacher, i went from playing acoustic guitar to electric guitar. i had my amplifier in my room for a while, until it was recommended that I move it up to the piano room across from the science building. it was there that i began to play piano and ended up taking lessons from Mr. ehrhardt, who was musical director at the time. he taught me the basics which inspired my own style of music. i was very surprised and moved when he awarded me the title of Most accomplished Beginning Piano Student. next door to the practice studio was Mr. Barber’s woodshop. I wanted a bigger sound out of my amplifier so I purchased speakers and built an oversized speaker cabinet with Mr. Barber’s help. (It was so big that i had to leave it behind when i left school.) it was these intimate moments of lessons and practice room jams that became the stepping stones to my love and creation of music to this day.

31 The Thacher school 01

class notes…

depicting human suffering—suffering that can be lessened by political change. We have had exhibitions at the United Nations, art museums around the world, and on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Governments are listening as people are moved by the exhibitions to demand change. Please check out artworksprojects.org to see what is happening now.”

MARIAN HUNTINGTON SCHINSKE just published a book, Ani’s Asylum. Muffet writes, “It is about my friendship with a Tibetan refugee who was seeking political asylum in the U.S. and seeking reunification with her daughter, whom she had to leave behind in India during the political asylum application process.” (See Blurb & Squib for more info.)

1983 1984

grateful for all the reconnections I have made on Facebook with Thacher classmates. It has been wonderful to get in touch with old friends on a regular basis.” CLAUDIA OREJUELA STEEVES writes, “Our family just left Curacao after five years and we are now living in Portland, Ore. Portland is by far the most beautiful city I have ever been to. Now that we are closer to California, we hope to make it to the next Reunion. Our kids are growing fast! Nico is 10 and Carina is 13.”

* 1985

WENDI HAGGARD is writing a book called The Long Engagement. It is the story of Wendi and her husband, Gerd. They were engaged in college and then lost track of each other over the years (see Marriages).

ELIZABETH ROBERTS FARLEY is working part-time for Nancy Thacher (wife of DAVID THACHER ‘74) in Redmond, Wash.

Beth shares, “Nancy is one equestrian extraordinaire—dressage expert and stable owner—what a great opportunity to improve my skills. I am also working part-time as a web designer and am

THATCHER BROWN writes “I have recently moved to Dubai, surrounded by wind, sand, stars, and lots of tall buildings!

Family is well. Still in the hotel business and enjoying the journey.” NICOLE DeFEVER lives in Portland with her husband and little boy, and works with the Oregon Department of Justice as an assistant attorney general. She has fond memories of Mr. Shagam’s classes, as well as of his bold ties. DINELI GUNAWARDENA AHEARN writes, “I am living in Boston (a place I never imagined this Sri Lankan/Californian would ever end up in) watching our 12th inch of snow come down this morning! I married a Bostonian and have joined the older moms’ club with two spunky girls, Lilly (5) and Julia (3). I’ve been here for the past 20 years—came for medical school and never left. I’m working as a primary care physician at Tufts

Making Music MARTHA LAVENDER HOWARD CdeP 1980 AFtER GRADuAtInG FRoM thAChER in 1980, i studied music at hollins college and the University of california Santa Barbara. My degree is in composition, but i pursued the study of voice and performed during my college years and beyond. i still write and orchestrate for instrumental and vocal performance groups, and i have taught voice privately for over 20 years. i feel lucky to have been under the guidance of Michael ehrhardt, who was at Thacher from the 1940s to the 1970s, and Geoffrey Block, head of Thacher’s music program in the late 70s. Dr. Block encouraged my curiosity about music theory and history, and introduced me to jazz. More than once at Thacher, i had a desire to dissect a piano concerto, or do an in-depth study of an operatic work, and Dr. Block created a class (even if i was the only one in it) to explore such topics. i was even lucky enough to be part of the cast that debuted the first musical he wrote in the spring of 1980. Dr. Block’s dedication to his students, his desire to instill in them a true love of music, and his willingness to go above and beyond for them, all had a profound effect on me. i am certain he influenced the way in which i have developed as a teacher.

Through music (in sight-singing class at UcSB) i met my husband, Brian, and he, too, is a music educator. Our work with music recently brought us to the east coast, where my husband is arts department chairman and instrumental director at a private K-12 school, and where i have a voice studio of approximately 30 students ranging in age from 9 to 55. Both of our children are active in the performing and visual arts, as well. Our daughter, Merritt, is currently auditioning for professional ballet companies across the country; our son, alex, plays piano and guitar, sings, paints, and is involved in theater at school. i believe my life is richer because of the music in it.

32 spring 2010

Martha Lavender Howard ‘80 (far left) with castmates (L-R) Michael Branch, Criss Leydecker, and Doug Smallwood in Geoffrey Block’s original musical An Element of Doubt.

Martha Lavender Howard ‘80 with husband Brian and children Merritt and Alex in their home music studio.

PHOTO/ILLUSTRATION CREDIT HERE

Photos (L to R): Tiffany Chamberlain Hill ’86 and family in Chicago on the 4th of July; The SmithLavender-Kirkpatrick-Reed kayak adventure in New Zealand: (L-R) back row: Morgan Smith ‘85, Carolyn Reed Kirkpatrick ‘86, Doug Kirkpatrick ‘86, and Sarah Lavender Smith ‘86; front: Colin Kirkpatrick, Kyle Smith, Liam Kirkpatrick, and Colly Smith; Victor Wykoff ’88, wife Carla, and son Patrick, with Hod Dunbar ’88, his wife Winnie, and son Loki, at the Singapore American Club pool.

Medical Center. I do clinical work, teach medical students and residents, and do some management work (sort of like House... but much more perky and cheerful).” CAROLINE HOCKADAY SCHUSTER wrote to say that she had seen HARRY PALLENBERG’s documentary, Women in Boxes: A Documentary on Magic’s Better Half, on New York channel 25. Caroline works in production and development at ESPN. MARK KLITGAARD has opted for a quieter life, which (according to STEVE LEWIS) seems incredible to anyone who watched Mark play defense on the JV and varsity basketball teams roughly 25 years ago. Mark reports, “I am still doing international tax work, while my wife, Robyn, is still at the probation department. We are still in San Jose. I feel like the Slowskis in the Comcast ads—nothing much is changing. Robyn is in the Junior League in San Jose (doing a lot of good work for kids, etc.), and they have a fashion show every couple of years. So, this past February I was a model, which was very humorous (although I did manage not to fall off the stage).” ALI MAFINEZAM is director of research at the Mosaic Institute in Toronto, an organization focused on harnessing Canada’s ethnic and cultural diversity for international peace and development. Ali received his master’s and PhD degrees from the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University.

His book, Iran and Its Place among Nations, was published by the Connecticut-based Greenwood Publishing Group in 2008. JAMIE TAYLOR writes that he is still married and still has seven kids. His oldest, Beatrice, is a sophomore at Thacher, along with ED EVANS’ son, Charlie, and Bea is currently the reigning female varsity work-crew captain. Jamie shares: “You cannot believe how hard it has become to get into Thacher these days. Last year, Thacher was the single most competitive boarding school in the nation, only accepting 17 percent of all applicants… and 85 percent of those accepted in turn decided to go to Thacher. Mike Mulligan has really done some neat things with Thacher since we left (Wait—because we left?!?).” TONY THATCHER is still working in Montana, skiing, and building boats. Tony shares, “No kids, diplomas, marriages, job changes, pets, or life events to report. Just enjoying life in Montana, doing some traveling and staying out of trouble (mostly). RODD KELSEY and I did manage to hook up for a couple of trips, which is always a good thing.” In fact, last spring he, Rodd, and their wives spent some quality time in Costa Rica. JEREMY WALKER traded the glare of Manhattan for his hometown, Malibu, and spends his time reading, gardening, and writing about movies for his hometown paper.

“I always wanted to be a film writer, or at least since Peter Robinson let me read an issue of Film Comment with Meryl Streep on the cover during detention.”

1986

^

TIFFANY CHAMBERLAIN HILL says that her kids loved the deep freeze the South had this winter because even an inch of snow gets them out of school. They are planning a trip to the Napa and San Francisco area this summer. SARAH LAVEN-

^

DER SMITH and her husband MORGAN SMITH ‘85 hit the road last summer for a year of round-the-world travel, schooling their two kids (and themselves) along the way. They have been blogging about the life-changing and challenging experience at away-together.com. A highlight of the journey was living with their classmates DOUG and CAROLYN KIRKPATRICK ‘86 for two weeks in New Zealand and taking an epic multi-day kayak trip with them in Abel Tasman National Park. Morgan and Sarah are ending their trip in Ojai, getting back from Europe just in time for Morgan’s 25th Reunion!

1987

1988

miCHÈlE baRNEtt bERg writes, “After our one-year adventure in Hong Kong, we are very happy to be back in Switzerland.

We have had a great winter of skiing and enjoying the Alps.

Over the holidays, we caught up with NATALIE STAMIRES DONAHOO and ELEANOR WHELAN O’NEILL and their families, which was a lot of fun. In July, we are very excited to stay with AMI BECKER-ARONSON ‘86 and her family in Washington, D.C., and my boys will get to experience their first July 4th ever. Thacher friendships do stand the test of time!” TOM COLE writes, “The Cole Family (Tom, Linda, Allie, and Tobias) have relocated back to Santa Barbara after a number of years in East Africa. However, much of our work still is focused on Uganda and Ethiopia. After close to a year of post-production we have managed to finish our video telling the story of the plight of women and girls in Northern Uganda and how the small organization we started and run, Community Action Fund for Women in Africa (CAFWA), is working hand-in-hand with many of them to rebuild after decades of conflict.” J.P. MANOUX writes, “Flew all the way to New Zealand to get away from Thacher graduates. No such luck. Bumped into a trekking THOMAS JOHNSON ‘07 in spectacular Milford Sound before spending a delightful evening with DOUG KIRKPATRICK ’86 and CAROLYN REED KIRKPATRICK ’86. Queenstown, New Zealand, is quickly becoming Ojai South.”

TERRY MULHOLLAND and her husband, Brad, have welcomed a baby boy, Gabriel (see Births). Also, after spending the last eight years as a carpenter and an architect at a local design/ build company, Terry started her own business last year. Mulholland Design specializes in residential remodels and additions in the Seattle area. VICTOR WYKOFF, wife Carla and son Patrick, relaxed by the pool with HOD DUNBAR, wife Winnie and son Loki, in January 2010 at the Singapore American Club. Vic’s family is in their third year in Singapore, while Hod’s family is returning to Santa Barbara after both Hod and Winnie completed medical fellowships in Sydney, Australia. DEJ PATRATHIRANOND served as engagement manager, hosting Hod’s family in Bangkok, and alerting Vic to Hod’s Singapore visit.

^

* 1990

CHRISTINE CARTER’s book, Raising Happiness: 10 Simple Steps for More Joyful Kids and Happier Parents, was released The Thacher school 33

Photos (L to R): Justin Hunnicutt Stephens ’95, daughter Parker, and wife Seana in front of their work-in-progress Hunnicutt winery cave; Antonia Fairbanks Sivyer ’95, husband Zander, and dog Angus; Amanda Johnson ’97 and Eddie Wolfe

class notes…

at the beginning of 2010. HEATHER ESKEY-HAMASAKI and her husband, Tetsuya, recently moved back to the U.S. from Tokyo, where they had lived for close to five years. Heather had been practicing U.S. law in Tokyo as a corporate associate at Davis Polk and Wardwell. They have a 2-year-old son, Ronan Eskey Hamasaki, and at the moment they are enjoying being able to spend time with him as they consider whether to settle on the West or East Coast. JENNIFER PRINGLE won a national award for her work as an advocate for children.

She received the 2009 Outstanding Service and Leadership award from the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children & Youth. Jennifer also serves as the project director for the New York State Technical and Education Assistance Center for Homeless Students (NYS-TEACHS). EMILY THACHER AYALA and her father, TONY THACHER ’58, were featured in a recent addition of California Country Magazine article about Friends Ranch. You can read the article at www.californiacountry.org.

1992

1994

AMELIA RANNEY says she spends half her days teaching freshman English composition at the University of New Mexico, and the other half chasing her toddler, Elizabeth, around Albuquerque!

MAGGIE RENIERS writes, “Something new is on the horizon.

I bought a small hotel in Otavalo, Ecuador, and will be relocating in June to live and work at the hotel. It is something completely different than anything I have ever done, but I am excited for the adventure and the challenge. Luckily, there is plenty of opportunity for me to continue teaching ESL—once I take a break from it for a little while. Look out for the hotel’s website in June, www.posadaquinde.com (designed by CLAIRE MILLIGAN ’02).”

FREDERIKA HOWE TOLL was happy to connect with LAURA BRINTON THOMPSON recently while she was visiting Salt Lake City. Rika writes, “We introduced our girls to each other and talked about future pony rides, motherhood, and Thacher memories.” JUSTIN HUNNICUTT STEPHENS shares, “Seana and I are expecting our second in early June.

Our first, Parker, is doing great and will likely make a great big sister. Our Hunnicutt Winery construction finally got underway and, if all goes well, we anticipate cave completion as of winter 2011 and full occupancy the following fall. We welcome you to follow our progress on Facebook by searching ‘Hunnicutt Winery,’ and/or visit our tasting room if you find yourself traveling to Napa Valley. Although they live in Boston, we see Kirsten and ALEX SLAWSON ’95 fairly frequently. We hope all is well with our fellow alums and your families!”

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* 1995 34 spring 2010

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ROBERT DELF shares, “It has been a crazy couple of years— sold my first business, now working on another. Rachel and I are living happily in Hollyweird with a big dog named Stella.”

1996

ALEXIA ALLEN STEVENS writes from Woodinville, Wash., near Seattle: “My little farm is taking off, and I am hosting an earthen oven-building workshop in August, complete with a beautiful pole-built shelter to keep off the northwest rains.

Then a bread-baking workshop, with honey extracted from my beehives. I still teach at Wilderness Awareness School, and will be competing in endurance rides this summer. Thanks Thacher!” ROCKY BROWN, his wife, Michelle, and toddler son, Mica (see Births), live with their two dogs in Ventura, Calif.

Rocky shares, “We thought we were busy before with Michelle being a second-grade teacher and me a wildlife biologist for an environmental consulting firm, trying to keep the desert tortoises from getting run over by the inexorable push to expand renewable energy production in the Mojave desert.

Trying to keep up with Mica has shown us just how busy we can be, not to mention how much love we have to share.”

BRADY HUANG is working at the UC San Diego in the radiology department. SPENCER MORGAN reminded us of the legend of the Doo-wop Boys, the choral group he started in 1995. “The Doo-wop Boys’ one-and-only public performance was at Parents’ Weekend that year. We stole the show. The Doo-wop Boys disbanded shortly thereafter but the glory of that moment—and the many practice sessions, which revolved around pizza and of course required ducking formal dinner and many ingenious assembly announcements—remains one of the great accomplishments of my life.” DANIEL VILLIERS is currently completing his postdoctoral residency in clinical psychology at the University of Rhode Island, and will be

PHOTO/ILLUSTRATION CREDIT HERE

1991

ABIGAIL JOHNSON CANNON and her husband, Brown, celebrated their son, Rev’s, first birthday on March 20. Abi shares, “He is quickly becoming a full-throttle toddler, which is hilarious. One of his favorite pastimes of late is riding ANTONIA FAIRBANKS SIVYER’s dog, Angus, like a pony. I just launched my new business, Ohana Birth Services, with a fellow labor-support doula. It is an exciting and challenging way to practice Chinese medicine. I will miss seeing you all in June—especially the little ones you bring along. I am on call for a birth due on June 12.” ANTONIA reports, “I am working as an environmental project manager on some challenging water and power projects for the city of San Francisco. Zander (short for Alexander) is a structural engineer/principal with Holmes Culley, working primarily on seismic retrofits of historic buildings. We love to get out road biking, skiing, and playing with our dog, although these days we are mostly busy getting ready for the birth of our first child in June. On that note, we will be sorry to miss the Thacher reunion this year!” EMILY WILSON and her husband, Mark Winger, live in Austin, Texas.

Emily writes about their infant son, Jesse: “Watching our baby grow is awesome. Each little step feels so momentous!

But what I love most is how happy he is. What joy to wake up every morning (and all through the night!) and be greeted with a big, gummy smile! “(see Births)

MIlestones taking the board exam for licensure this July. Dan is currently living in Newport, R.I., with his wife, Sarah, and two golden retrievers, and enjoys sailing on Narragansett Bay and lawn tennis at the Newport Hall of Fame on the occasional day off.

After hopefully passing the board exam this July, Dan will be moving to West Hartford, Conn., to open an anxiety disorder treatment clinic, and to be closer to family.

1997

CAMERON BOSWELL shares, “My wife, Cherilyn, and I are expecting our first child in May—it is a boy and we are very excited. We are living in Corcoran, which is in the Central Valley of California near Visalia, in between Fresno and Bakersfield. I am working at my family business, the J.G. Boswell Company (agriculture), as the assistant environmental specialist, helping make sure we are in compliance with environmental regulations.” AMANDA JOHNSON is currently living in Germany. Before moving there, Amanda wrote, “In less than a month I will be relocating to Germany and cannot wait to get there; should be an amazing experience. Eddie and I will be there for at least two years, possibly longer. I have been living and working in Washington, D.C., for the last year and half as a photographer, which has been amazing. Hopefully it is something that I will get to continue doing once we get overseas.”

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1998

ERIC MORRILL shares that on Oct. 24, ANDREW BARKAN and Polly Hall were married in Little Rock, Ark. (see Marriages.)

Per Eric, “A lot of Toads were in attendance: RYAN MEYER, CASEY MULLER, and I (all CdeP 1998, and all groomsmen), as well as fellow classmates LUCIA MARY HALLE CRAVEN with her husband, Brad Craven (who drove in from Alabama), BRYSON BROWN, and CYNTHIA LEE. Ryan was accompanied by ELIZA GREGORY ‘99 (they’re a newlywed Thacher couple as of last June); Casey was accompanied by his soon-to-be-bride, Ana Yang; and I was accompanied by my wife, Raphaëlle Rabanes. THOMAS BEATTY ‘99 was undoubtedly there in spirit and may have been there in person but, if so, was wellhidden. Not to mention Barkan family members! The festivities were both original and—unsurprising, given Andrew and Polly’s professions—musical, including a saw player before the ceremony, a procession in which all guests played ‘You Are My Sunshine’ on kazoos, and an impromptu round of Thacher songs after dinner (also, incidentally, on kazoos). WILL BARKAN ‘02 gave a robust presentation on the joys of marriage, and PHOEBE BARKAN ‘03 and I posed in assorted boas and tiaras at the costume booth provided for guests at the reception dinner. Parents of the groom, Joan and JOHN BARKAN ‘67, were simply beaming throughout the weekend’s activities, attended by John Barkan’s cousins, JOHN GILPIN ‘68, and DAVID GILPIN ‘70. The late A. WILLIAM BARKAN ‘35 would have been proud to see his grandson make his half of such a stellar matrimonial choice. The guests were sent back to their homes with trees in tubes, ready-to-plant in Polly and

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WEnDI hAGGARD ’83 married Gerd Nitschmann, whom she met when they attended The american college of Switzerland together (see class Notes). (photo 1) StEVE LEWIS ’85 married Jessica Van de hoven in March 2009.

BRIAn LEWIS ’87 married Keiko tsusumi on July 11, 2009. (photo 2) AntonIA FAIRBAnKS ’95 married Alexander Sivyer on Sept. 27, 2008. her matron of honor was ABIGAIL JohnSon CAnnon ’95 (see Class notes). (photo 3) tIM hAtCh ’95 married Katherine Morgan on May 30, 2009. The happy couple now lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. Katherine is the sister of SPeNcer MOrGAn ’96. (photo 4) AnDREW BARKAn ’98 married Polly hall in Little Rock, Ark. on oct. 24, 2009. Groomsmen included Andrew’s brother WILL BARKAn ’02, sister PhoEBE BARKAn ’03, and classmates CASEY MuLLER ’98, ERIC MoRRILL ’98, and RYAn MEYER ’98. other guests included LuCIA CRAVEn ’98, CYnthIA LEE ’98, BRYSon BRoWn ’98, and ELIZA GREGoRY ’99. Andrew’s father, John BARKAn ’67, and his father’s cousins John GILPIn ’68, DAVID GILPIn ’70, and Andrew’s grandmother, Joan, widow of A. WILLIAM BARKAn ’35, were also in attendance. (photo 5) JACEY RoChE ’03 and RoBERt CERDA ’03 were married on Jan. 5, 2009, in costa rica. (photo 6) ELIZABEth JACKSon ’04 and Jared Scott Smearman, ensign United States Navy, were married on Dec. 19, 2009, in Washington D.c., despite two feet of snow and the biggest storm there since 1922. (photo 7) KIRStY MARK ’05 married Jacob Poore on June 21, 2009. Kirsty shares, “i was lucky enough to celebrate the day with KAY BRADFoRD ’05, ERIKA SAttERWhItE ’05, and LAuREn BAnGASSER ’05, along with my family and close friends.” (photo 8)

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DJ SIGBAnD ’95 and his fiancée, Emilie Lasseron, will be married in Palm Springs on Oct. 23, 2010. They met in graduate school. DJ shares, “We live in San Francisco and she works as a consultant for iDeO. Since she is French, we are also going to have a small ceremony in 2011 in Provence, so her extended family can attend.” (photo 9) The Thacher school 01

class notes…

Andrew’s honor. I plan to plant a grove of three giant sequoias in France in November.”

Making Music It’s fair to say that few couples in academia have done more to understand and explain one of the world’s most complex

troubled places. Both Al and Polly grew up hearing stoMARISA BINDERandCdeP 2000 ries about Africa and they first met in the Congo – Al was of a LIFE latter-day Phillip Marlow and Polly a budding I nEVER IMAGInEDsomething MY EntIRE would revolve around In fact, anyone who to despairs jump-starting the music, though i knewresearcher. it was incredibly important me asof a chaninternational economy – a perennel for all my nervouscontinent energy. into (askthe anymodern of my poor classmates nialme source of anxiety to thestudy Worldhall.)

Bank– who had to put up with warbling through it ought was to spend an afternoon. while i was at Thacher that i realized how important music was to me–thanks to the support of Greg haggard, my singing teacher Jaye hersch, and other supportive faculty members–and had exposure to a more professional world. i completed a summer program studying opera in austria for six weeks, and during my senior year, i sang the soprano solo on an oratorio piece with the Ojai camerata. My year as an english-Speaking Union Scholar sowed the seeds of possibility when i auditioned at the best music college in england and was told that i was either accepted or short-listed, depending on my musicianship skills. although i returned to the States and majored in just about everything other than music, the deep desire to explore it lingered. Unsure of what i wanted to do after graduation, i moved to San Francisco. Exactly a year later, I started master’s studies at the San Francisco conservatory of Music. today, i sing with local companies in operas and musicals, or in recitals. I also work for the San Francisco Girls Chorus doing communications and outreach and sing as a paid church singer on the weekends (the best way to learn sight-singing ever!) i consider myself lucky that i get to immerse myself so thoroughly in the world of music, in both the artistic and the business side, and i can guarantee my former classmates that i have a lot more musical options to warble at them through dorm walls whenever we see each other next!

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* 2000

SARAH BRUSS GABRIELSON shares, “My husband, Jeremy, sons (Neil, 4, and Ezra, 2), and I are enjoying living in a small town in downeast Maine, where we know our farmers, musicians, grocers, mechanics, and neighbors. I am taking care of the kids and going back to school part-time. Inspired by Ezra’s peaceful birth at home, I am becoming a doula to assist other women to have a successful birth experience. I missed you all at the 2009 Reunion. I’ll be at the next one!” MELANIE LARKINS is starting classes this spring to cover some prerequisite requirements for the certified nurse-midwife BSN-MSN program at Emory. Melanie shares, “I am excited to finally be getting back into school, but this will certainly be a long process.

It will be an adventure.”

LUCINDA BROWN was in Malaysia, working as a lead analyst for PFC Energy’s Kuala Lumpur office. She shares that PFC Energy is a consulting company specializing in oil and natural gas. Lucinda spent the fall of 2009 in Cambodia studying French and Khmer. She then moved to Singapore in January to start an MBA at INSEAD and will spend 2010 traveling between their Singapore and France campuses. SPRINGER BROWNE is in his fifth and final year at University College Dublin studying veterinary science. He will be graduating the Monday after Reunion. In addition, Springer is on the Irish Lacrosse Team and will be playing in the World Games in Manchester this summer. It is unlikely that he will be able to make it to the Reunion this year due to graduation, but Springer shares, “I will be back there soon enough. I usually hike Twin Peaks every year or so with some of my old classmates.” SURIYA JAYANTI writes, “I am living in D.C. with DAVID BABBOTT ’01, and working as a law clerk to the Chief Judge of the D.C. Court of Appeals—I figured that my affinity for trouble made law school a good self-preservation move. Not much else to report, but I am looking forward to seeing most of you in June.” HANNAH HOOPER is in a band called Group and writes, “We are in the middle of hearing from labels and putting a tour together. We have a very new MySpace page as well that will soon have our tour info and anything else going on with us, and I am making art still, which can be found on hannahhooper.com.” MATTHEW SCHUMAN has taken a permanent position as an associate attorney in the law offices of William D. Ross, a boutique firm with offices in Los Angeles and Palo Alto that specializes in land use and also represents local governments throughout California.

2001

08 spring fall 2008 36 2010

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PETER FRYKMAN reports, “I have been spending lots of time in India and China for my company, Driptech.” In the photo, Peter and his team are having some fun while installing their first sale of 200 drip irrigation systems in rural China.

Peter and Driptech were honored recently with a Tech Award

PHOTO/ILLUSTRATION CREDIT HERE

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Photos (L to R): Hannah Hooper ’00 on Group demo CD cover; Peter Frykman ’01 (driving the cart) with his team in rural China; Frykman (right) being honored with a Tech Award for his company, Driptech; Rob Dickson ’01 in Afghanistan; Jamal Thornes Hyson ’01, Julie Hodge, and their son, Jack Jay Hyson; James Everett ’02; David Gal ‘02

MIlestones for technology benefiting humanity. ERIN HAFKENSCHIEL is currently in the master’s in public policy/urban planning program at Harvard. Per her mother, “Erin is dreaming of the warmth of California and gets by with occasional visits from ANDREA BLACK, who is in the MBA program at Dartmouth.

She is only a $10 BoltBus ride away from Addie, who she keeps tabs on as well. JONATHAN TUCKER flies in and keeps things happening while he visits Boston.” ROB DICKSON has been deployed to Afghanistan. GAVIN MCCLINTOCK now has a Facebook page. ERICA REYNOLDS is now working at Bite Communications in San Francisco, and she is happy to be back in California. As of April, JAMAL THORNES HYSON and Julie Hodge have an almost 3-year-old son name Jack Jay Hyson (see Births). Jay says, “We had a home birth at our home in Camarillo. We moved to Tallahassee, Fla., to be closer to Julie’s family and to start our own residential-design business (www.hysonhomes.com) in September 2007. In January 2009, we returned back to my hometown, Oakland, Calif. Julie really enjoys the culture of the Bay Area and it is nice for me to be closer to my family. I am currently working at AT&T; since the economy slowed down in the housing industry, it became difficult to sustain a profitable business on our own.

Julie wrote a book last year (www.choosinghappy.com) and has recently launched a new website (www.milliondollarbabyfaces.com) that she is actively working on. She also works part-time for an engineering firm in downtown Oakland.”

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2002

BETSY BRADFORD wrote, “DAVID GAL, CLAIRE MILLIGAN, and I took a road trip down to Stanford last month to see Andrew Ho (former Thacher AP physics teacher now teaching at Harvard School of Education) give a lecture on ‘Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Gap Trend: Psychometric Distortions in the Left-Hand Side of the Equation.’ It was reminiscent of a few of our AP Physics classes at Thacher and a fascinating talk. Following the talk, Andrew treated us to a few rounds and some great Thacher reminiscences. It was great to see David on his quick trip back from Israel and hoping he will be back in California with us soon. In other news, I am headed to Stanford in the fall to get my MBA and master’s in education. I am really looking forward to spending more quality time with fellow ‘02 Toads ROB BRAY and ALEX HERBERT who are both currently at the Graduate School of Business.” JAMES EVERETT is now a first lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps. He received his wings, as both a naval aviator and a qualified Marine Corps helicopter pilot, on Oct. 23, 2009, in Pensacola, Fla. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis in 2007, and was named to the Commodore’s List “for sustained outstanding performance…[and] superior achievement in both the flight syllabus and academic curriculum during advanced phases of Naval Helicopter Training.” James continues to train in New River, N.C., until May, when he will be stationed in Miramar, Calif., flying C-53s. DAVID GAL has taken a leave of absence from graduate school to serve as an officer in the

PHOTO/ILLUSTRATION CREDIT HERE

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Markus Bobroussov Davies was born in Moscow and is 18 months old. he is the son of John DAVIES ’82 and his wife, Jelana. (photo 1) august c. S. Schuster was born on Jan. 22, 2010, to carOliNe hOcKaDaY SchUSter ’85 and her husband, Charles. Grandmother Joan hockaday reported that at birth he was “8 lbs. 2 oz., healthy, happy and hungry.” (photo 2) charles edward Bewlay was born on July 24, 2009, to Bernard and ShOShaNah aSNiS BEWLAY ’88. (photo 3) Gabriel Emil Wageman was born to tERRY MuLhoLLAnD ’88 and her husband, Brad Wageman, on Dec. 18, 2008, in the middle of a big Seattle snowstorm. (photo 4) Thomas lowe hollins was born to ina and LAWREnCE hoLLInS ’92 on June 7, 2009.

Lawrence shares, “My wife and I couldn’t be happier with our new family! We all live on a farm in Northport, Maine.” (photo 5) caleb William conarroe was born on March 30, 2010, to MarY everett cONarrOe ’94 and her husband, Jeff. Mary wrote, “his dad thinks he has huge feet, hoping he will be a basketball player. But caleb and i already agreed three months ago that he would play soccer. Don’t tell dad!” (photo 6) Noah henry Ditzion was born on Feb. 11, 2010, to JEnnIFER KRItZ ’94 and her husband, Sam Ditzion. They are enjoying family life in Boston and look forward to helping Noah with his application to join Thacher’s Class of 2028. (photo 7) cole James edwin Thomas was born on June 27, 2008, to Kimberly and DerMOND thoMAS ’94, joining big sister olivia.

In December 2009, RoBERt DonAhuE ’95 and his wife, Jessica, welcomed their son, luke, into the world. rob reports, “We are enjoying every minute of our time as new parents here in the beautiful Ojai valley. luke is looking forward to cheering on the toads in upcoming years.” (photo 8)

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class notes…

Israeli Air Force. LAUREL PETERSON received her MA in art history from the Courtauld Institute of Art in July, and has since been working in the prints and drawings department at the British Museum. Laurel shares, “I have loved living in London, but am looking forward to returning to the U.S. this summer. I am starting my PhD in art history at Yale in the fall. If travel plans call for New Haven, let me know!” HILARY WHITE shares that her classmate and good friend, NATHALIE WARREN, “was accepted to the University of Texas at Austin School of Social Work for her MSW. She starts next fall! We have been living together in an amazing apartment in San Francisco. I will surely miss her, but I am so excited for her adventure and can’t wait to see all the good she will do.”

2003

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PHOEBE BARKAN is finishing her second year teaching cooking and gardening at Willard Middle School in Berkeley. Her students are doing an awesome job raising baby chickens and throwing pizzas into the wood-fired oven. She is building an outdoor sink and greywater wetland, painting murals with seventh graders, and advising a student-run microbusiness with local restaurants. CAROLINE BLAYNEY is working on her Fulbright Fellowship to Jordan, researching diasporic remittances of human capital to the Iraqi refugee population in Amman, and using her Arabic and French skills, for which she thanks Ms. Halsey. She will write up her research findings for her dissertation at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London next year. This year she enjoyed her mini-reunion with SARAH SHAIKH and SARAH TAPSCOTT in New York before leaving, and with Sarah Shaikh in Jordan. Caroline plans to see fellow Toads when home in late September. WILL CHAMBERLAIN shares, “After taking the scenic route through university, I am finally completing my undergraduate degree in economics at the University of the Pacific this spring. I have been competing for the university’s speech and debate team for the last three years, and while I have had my share of successes, this one takes the cake. As of Nov. 18, 2009, my partner and I are ranked number one out of 552 teams in the National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence rankings, after a string of strong tournament placings throughout the fall.”

ANDERSON CLARK shares, “I am still living in Denver, managing a restaurant and living with my parents, where I will be through the month of July. Starting in August, I will be driving across the country, stopping in Chicago at least, and maybe other spots in between (passengers welcome), ending in New York City, where I plan to start out anew! No plans yet on where I will be living or working, but I am excited for a new, East Coast chapter. Please do not hesitate to give me a shout if you want to be a part of any leg of the journey, or want me to stop by!”

CHRISTOPHER EATON is currently living in the Bay Area, going to law school and training for the AVON Walk for Breast Cancer on July 10-11. Chris writes, “I am walking to show my support in finding a cure for breast cancer. With a history of breast cancer

in my family, including my grandmother, aunt, and my mother, I felt it was a great opportunity to get involved! If you are in the Bay Area, or going to be passing through, please don’t hesitate to give me a call.” PETER GIERKE is the manager of a mediumto-high-end outdoor furniture factory in southern China. He says, “We deal with clients from all over the world, ranging from Spain to Slovenia and Colombia. As of yet, the only major Western market we do not have much presence in is the U.S. This area of China is known, and rightly so, as the furniture region of the country. While much of the area has been hit fairly hard by the recession, it has been incredible to watch the turnaround in the last few months. Small and medium-sized manufacturing businesses have become flooded with orders. The contrast to how big business gets bigger in the U.S. during recession by absorbing smaller ones unable to survive is quite interesting.

Manufacturing in Asia has almost a 180-degree difference as to how they respond to the pressures of a recession. You can see the anticipation from the retailers and wholesaler companies, who come looking for stock for the upcoming year, and who all feel the market has gotten its feet back; I can only imagine this is an indicator that is not frequently reviewed in international economic study.” CALVIN LIEU says he is working freelance as an “outdoor consultant” in Hong Kong, and “it is a nice way of saying I take people climbing and camping (abseiling, zip-line, Tyrolean, etc.) I want to use this time to find out how hard I can climb before I get back into grad school again. So lots of training, races, and climbing competitions.” DAVID MOORE received his master’s degree in liberal arts from St. John’s College in December 2009. MICHAEL QUINTANA, a member of the Corbian Visual Arts and Dance Company, was part of a show called Darwin: An Adventure for All Ages. The performance used electroluminescent wire to create different creatures and characters whose stories or tales included lessons or moral values. They were brought to life by cast members, such as Michael, who wore or manipulated the creatures with their hands and bodies, in a blackout theatrical setting.

* 2005

ELLEN ADAMS shares, “I am in the last few weeks of my senior year at Princeton, where I will be graduating with a degree in comparative literature and minors in urban studies and creative writing. This year for my thesis I have written a collection of short stories which I will continue to expand next year into (knock on wood) book length. I have been busy playing concerts throughout New York City and New Jersey, and am at work on a new album. In early June, just days after graduation, I will be moving to Thailand on a year-long fellowship to teach literature at Payap University. I am excited to start this new adventure!

(Still waiting to hear my start dates, so hopefully I will be able to see you all at our Reunion.)” NED LEDERER has had a few great opportunities to volunteer overseas since graduating this spring with a focus on international health and development. He writes, “The first was doing research in the Peruvian Amazon on payment for ecosystem services through a group called Fauna

Photos (L to R): Conner Schryver ’05 and his father, Cam, at Super Bowl XLIV; Jedidiah Harris ’07 on the USS Bataan

MIlestones Forever. The overall goal was to try to preserve a few forested corridors between two major Peruvian eco-reserves to minimize the impact of a new inter-oceanic highway being built across South America. My second project was a four-month volunteer position at an orthopedics hospital in Da Nang, Vietnam, through an NGO I started working with at Stanford called Global Health Volunteers, Inc. Now I am waiting to begin my 27-month Peace Corps service in Mongolia, which starts in June. I will be working as a community health volunteer, likely focusing on sex education, nutrition, and the prevention of sex trafficking. Between the -40 degree winters, living in a yurt, and the almost exclusively meat, dairy, and root vegetable diet, it is going to be a hell of a trip. You can read more about my travels at awayfromharbor.blogspot.com.” KIRSTY MARK POORE writes, “At the end of 2008, I graduated Colorado State University cum laude with a bachelor’s in history and French language. I continued working full time for Foothills Gateway, where I have been now two years, assisting disabled people in a group home setting with daily activities. On June 21, 2009, I married my longtime best friend and wonderful husband, Jacob, and became Kirsty Poore (see Marriages). Now I am back at CSU again, working on a master’s in education, while working on my teacher licensure for social studies. Overall, life has been good to me and my new family, and I cannot wait to see what is coming up in this next year.” CONNER SCHRYVER is living in Orange, Calif., working for a company called Komax Systems, coaching high school lacrosse, and is looking forward to seeing everyone at Reunion. He says, “If anyone is in or ends up in the Los Angeles area, you should definitely let me know.

Especially if you are going to Disneyland, because I only live a couple of blocks from there.” He and his father, Cam, were guests of Roger Wachtell, father of ASHLEY WACHTELL ’13, and his company, at the Super Bowl, helping to fire confetti cannons. They even had to undergo an FBI background check for their field-level access.

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ELIZABETH “ANNIE” LATHROP spent the fall semester in Italy and is currently finishing a double major in international business and management information systems at the University of Montana in Missoula. AMANDA NONOMURA has had the luck of being placed as a resident assistant in the biggest, most diverse hall at Redlands University. It is clear she has quite a few students to wrangle.

BENITA CHAN is president of Northwestern University’s chapter of 85 Broads, a self-described “global network of trailblazing women.” The group’s name refers to 85 Broad Street, the address of the investment banking firm, Goldman Sachs, headquarters in New York City, from which the group was launched in 1997. JEDIDIAH HARRIS has been off the coast of Haiti doing relief aid, and he shared, “I am with a helicopter aviation squadron, HMH-461, based out of Jacksonville, N.C., at Marine Corps Air Station New River. We are responsible for fly-

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rev cannon was born on March 20, 2009, to ABIGAIL JohnSon CAnnon ’95 and her husband, Brown (see class Notes.) (photo 9) Jesse Falcon Winger was born on Jan. 7, 2010, to EMILY WILSon ’95 and her husband, Mark Winger. emily wrote, “Jesse is a big boy, now tipping the scale at 16 pounds–pretty impressive for a 12-week-old!” (See class Notes.)

On May 16, 2009, Michelle and rOcKY BRoWn ’96 welcomed their son, Mica Leonard Brown, into their family. rocky shared in March, “he is now 10 months old and getting ready to walk any day (lord help us).” (See class Notes) (photo 10) Zoë lee Benton was born on Oct. 5, 2009, to Justin and MoLLIE ottSEn BEnton ’96. emilia holmes was born in September 2009 to olivia and nAtE hoLMES ’96.

On Jan. 1, 2010, Kevin and JOaNNa Farrer MACKIE ’96 welcomed a baby girl, Eva naledi Mackie. (photo 11) twins girls, Brynne and Maddie Bowie, were born on March 21, 2009, to elaine and JaMeS BoWIE ’98. (photo 12) Ryan and LAuREn MCCLoSKEY ELSton ’99 welcomed daughter Palmer Mccloskey elston on Sept. 17, 2009. (photo 13) Soren Kanji Meyer was born in February 22, 2010, to Priya and toDD MEYER ’00.

Julie hodge and JaMal thOrNeS hYSON ’01 welcomed Jack Jay hyson into the world on July 3, 2007. Jamal shares, “Jack gets bigger everyday and is growing up too fast. he will be 3 in July!” (photo 14)

class notes…

ing food and water ashore to the Haitians and providing medical evacuations back to our ship, the USS Bataan, for casualties and so forth. A couple of babies have been born aboard, too! We have been here since three days after the disaster and will continue our efforts for a while longer, although we do not know when we will return to the States.” C.C. HAYNE is keeping very busy while attending Lake Forest College. Besides studying abroad in Greece from March until the end of May of this year, she is a double major in communications and psychology, plays defense on the varsity soccer team that earned third place in the Midwest Conference, serves as a member of the campus athletic council, and is vice president of new member education for her sorority. BRIGID MCCARTHY spent her winter quarter studying abroad in Florence, Italy. She went on a private tour of Galileo’s house, saw works of art and museums, visited Rome, Venice for carnival, the Alps for

Karleanne Rogers and Kevin Berigan at their wedding in Portland, with son Lucas Currie ‘12.

a big ski trip with her parents, and Dublin to visit BROOKE WHARTON. Brooke headed to Ireland in January to study abroad in Galway for the spring semester. She kept a blog of her time abroad so everyone could follow: http://bmw73.blogspot.com. JOSEPH WYATT is concentrating in finance as well as insurance and risk management at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He shares, “Other than that, life has been pretty busy. I am still very much involved with A Better Chance, as it is my work-study job. So I have been helping to recruit students from the Mid-Atlantic since I have been here. This summer I am going to be in New York working for Morgan Stanley.”

2009

WILL STRACHAN is spending his gap year in China with the program Where There Be Dragons. The organization is based out of Boulder, Colo., and KYLIE MANSON ’03 works for them. Will is having a fantastic time.

facUlty, staff & fRIenDs… FaCulty NEwS AARON AND THEANA SNYDER (teachers of Math, and English and Latin, respectively) welcomed our newest Toad, Gavin William Snyder, on June 11 at 2:38 a.m. . All are happy and healthy!

Thacher Fellow ERICA JONES accepted a position at the Dalton School in New York, where she will teach 10th-grade history and may coach soccer. She will also be taking classes at either Columbia or New York University.

Faculty Emeritus JACK HUYLER turned 90 on April 18. The Community celebrated by singing “Happy Birthday,” listening to some of his recorded songs, and eating cake at Assembly on the Friday before.

KRISTINE MARTIN was hired as the new controller in the Business Office. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration from the University of Redlands and has taken supplemental courses including advanced accounting, economics, and business law. Kris previously worked as director of finance for Malibu Presbyterian Church and People in Progress, Inc., in Los Angeles.

Thanks to a very generous anonymous donor, Thacher’s sabbatical program has been reinstated into perpetuity. ALICE and KURT MEYER will spend the fall

40 spring 2010

semester at the African Leadership Academy, where they will teach, mentor the new director of studies and faculty, and help with college counseling. Later in the year, they will visit the in-laws of their son Todd ‘00 in Mumbai and the new SYA in Hanoi, Vietnam. Finally, next summer they will study at Cambridge University in England before returning to Thacher.

After seven years of serving as Thacher’s director of development during, and following, The Campaign for Thacher, RICK WILSON has accepted a position as director of advancement at the Westridge School for Girls in Pasadena.

^

Director of Major Gifts and Planned Giving KARLEANNE ROGERS married Kevin Berigan in Portland, Oregon, on Aug. 1, 2009, in their backyard. Karleanne’s sons (Trevor ‘09, Lucas ‘12, and Nate) walked her down the aisle and each read a selection.

“It was a lovely family event,” remarked Trustee, new Board President, and her former student Andrew Shakman ‘90.

PaSt StaFF aND FaCulty NotES ELIZABETH BOWMAN, Thacher’s previous library director, writes to report that she has been granted a post as assistant professor/librarian at the Santa Barbara City College Luria Library. She writes, “It’s a perfect fit for me, a great job, with a good group of people I get to work with every day.”

In MeMoRIaM… fRancIs Boott DUVenecK, JR. cdeP 1935 Frank Duveneck died Dec. 13, 2009, in Monterey, calif., at the age of 93.

Frank was born in lowell, Mass., on Sept. 8, 1916, to the late Frank and Josephine Duveneck, and was the grandson of artists elizabeth Boott and Frank Duveneck. When he was a young boy, the family moved to Palo alto, calif. Nicknamed “Duvey” while at Thacher, he was described as a “big, smiling, and good natured, typical man of the West.” as an Upper Upper he was captain of the track team, secretary of the Pack and Saddle club, and an “a” camper. his younger brother, Bernard Duveneck, also attended Thacher for two years. after graduating from Thacher, Francis went on to columbia teacher’s College in new York and then to Stanford. During World War ii, as a Quaker with a young family, he was a conscientious objector, serving in Glendora and Florida. he later worked as a guidance counselor at Seaside high School in Monterey, and also as a carpenter, building his own home as well as many others in Monterey county.

Frank, his siblings, and his parents are known for creating hidden villa, an environmental and educational retreat in Los Altos, Calif. Frank’s hobbies included hiking, camping, fishing, collecting antique automobiles, poetry, reading, singing, and making music. in Monterey, he was known for driving a Stanley Steamer in local parades.

Frank was preceded in death by his late wife of 64 years, elizabeth, as well as their daughter, erica. he is survived by his sister, hope; his sons, Peter and David, and their wives; nine grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

cHaRles R. “DIcK” Bennett cdeP 1941 charles “Dick” Bennett passed away on Nov. 27, 2008, at the age of 85.

Dick was born in Quiguia, Guatemala, at the united Fruit Company hospital, to George Southerland and Dora Annie Schutt Bennett. he arrived at The Thacher School in the fall of 1936 from Panama “with a fine knowledge of bananas and a desire to work in the tropics,” according to El Archivero. his nickname was “Benny” at Thacher and his favorite subject was mathematics. he was co-captain of and a forward on the first soccer team, catcher on the first baseball team, and president of the Bit and Spur club. after graduating from Thacher, Dick went to cornell University for a year, and then served in the U.S. Navy during World War ii. he returned to Thacher in 1948 for a short time, where he taught science and mathematics, and helped lead the Bit and Spur club.

Dick received a BS degree in electrical engineering from california institute of technology in Pasadena in 1950.

he worked for 37 years with texaco inc., serving in Panama, colombia, Puerto Rico, the Canary Islands, new York City, and Coral Gables, Fla. he retired as director of operations, sales, and marketing for texaco latin america, West Africa, and Coral Gables in January 1985.

Dick is survived by his wife, audrey; a son, charles richard (Donna) Bennett Jr.; a stepson, William Dawson lassiter; a stepdaughter, Jill lassiter chesser; three step-grandchildren: Sarah Meghan lassiter, courtney Dawson chesser, and Joel Bennett chesser; and several nieces and nephews.

BeRnaRD HenRy DUVenecK cdeP 1941 Bernard “Barney” Duveneck died in templeton, calif., on June 23, 2007, at the age of 84.

Barney was born in Palo alto, calif. he attended Thacher from 1937 to 1939, following in the footsteps of his older brother, Frank cdeP 1935. as part of the Pack and Saddle club, he and James Boswell built the new William l.

Thacher trail, “a pleasant four-mile ride connecting the hoyt-isaacson with the ingraham. to inaugurate its opening on Saturday, June 10, 1939, a banquet was held in the music box with Mr. William l. Thacher as guest of honor,” the Archivero reported.

Barney was said to have a big personality with a generous outlook on life. he attended cal Poly, was a World War ii veteran, and active in the community. he delivered meals to homebound seniors for over eight years, and donated a portion of his property in templeton to the county of San luis Obispo for a park. For many years his company, Barney’s Bulldozing and excavating, was a familiar local business in San luis Obispo. he was also a car enthusiast and enjoyed touring around the country in his Model a Woody. Barney even followed the same course he had traveled with his mother in the car in 1933, driving it to Boston and back. he was preceded in death by his first wife of 57 years, Liz, in 2000. he is survived by his second wife, Patricia Bailey; his sister, hope; his four daughters: christine, laurie, Barbara, and Penelope; his three sons: chuck, Sandy, and Steve; 15 grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren.

HoWaRD “tUcKeR” fleMInG cdeP 1943 howard Webster “tucker” Fleming, Jr., passed away on March 16, 2010, at the age of 85, after a battle with lung cancer. tucker was born in San Francisco on Oct. 18, 1924. he was the only child of Dr. howard W. Fleming and Ruth Gardiner Fleming. tucker’s father was one of the first neurosurgeons trained in the u.S., and served as an associate clinical professor of surgery at University of california School of Medicine in San Francisco. in 1938, tucker arrived at The Thacher School. according to El Archivero, he sang with the glee club, was manager of the baseball team, played on the soccer team, and was awarded the track cup for being the high-point man. his personality was described as suave and unperturbed, except during his endless horseplay with classmate Bob hiller. after graduating from Thacher, tucker served in the european theater during World War ii. he had been considered officer training, but instead The Thacher school 41

In MeMoRIaM… transferred to a surgical orderly program, and, as a result, worked in the operating theater in Normandy for a 1,000-bed hospital populated with 3,000 injured German prisoners.

After the war, tucker used the GI Bill to attend uC Berkeley, where he earned his Ba in general education in 1950. With one additional year of paid study, he chose to spend it in Paris at the Sorbonne. tucker had a successful career as an investment counselor. For the last few years of his life, he devoted his time to cataloguing and appraising his collection of memorabilia, covering more than a half-century of the movie industry. according to a fellow collector, tucker celebrated his 20-year membership in alcoholics anonymous in February, 2010, a milestone of which he was very proud. in addition, he was a passionate and very knowledgeable opera fan. at the time of his passing, tucker had lived in his home in los angeles for 50 years. his lifelong partner, charles Williamson, predeceased tucker by five years.

tHoMas BaRtlett Kelley cdeP 1946 Thomas Kelley died peacefully in his San Francisco home on Jan. 13, 2010, at the age of 81. tom was the son of Philip John Kelley and hannah Fisher Kelley. a native of San Francisco, tom came to Thacher as a lower Upper. he quickly assimilated into life at the School, and was a familiar sight on the trails with his horse, Pondo. he was fond of acting and appeared in every theatrical venture, with his portrayal of lady Macbeth given particular acknowledgement. tom was manager of the first basketball team and soccer team, and received commendations in both math and physics. tom went on to earn his BS and MBa at Uc Berkeley. he served in the army alaska communication corps, and worked for Marchand electronics, Kaiser, and iBM. he was an appreciator of music, known for singing lullabies to his children and regularly attending the San Francisco Symphony and opera. An “old Guard” member of the Bohemian Club, tom enjoyed weekends at the Grove, and reveled in family life and friendships.

The 1946 El Archivero observed: “Kelley has a quiet manner, but his dry, acute sense of humor will always be remembered and appreciated,” a comment echoed in his obituary in the San Francisco Chronicle: “he was a true gentleman, much loved for this dry sense of humor.” tom was predeceased by his brother, Philip Francis Kelley. he is survived by his wife, Mary; children, Susan and Philip; and granddaughter, valerie.

44 spring 42 fall 2009 2010

JaMes MalcolM stRatton, JR. cdeP 1947 James Stratton passed away on Nov. 17, 2009, at tahoe Forest hospital, truckee, calif., at the age of 81.

The son of Dr. James M. Stratton and Katherine Whitney Stratton, Jim was born in San Francisco and grew up in Berkeley. Jim attended Thacher for three years, and was a member of the Second Gymkhana team, Bit and Spur club, rifle team, track team, and third baseball team. he was part of the chorus of Peers in the April 1946 performance of Gilbert and Sullivan’s operetta Iolanthe, which drew people from all over the county to watch the Thacher Players in action.

Following graduation from Thacher, Jim attended Uc Berkeley for three years, and was then accepted as a U.S. Navy air cadet, serving two tours with patrol squadrons in Japan during the Korean War. he left the Navy as a lieutenant commander, became a pilot for Pan american airways, and then moved into corporate flying with volkswagen america. after retiring from flying, Jim moved from San Francisco to tahoe city, where he worked as a loan officer and then started his own voicemail and paging company. an avid skier, he managed to get in a fair amount of time on the slopes every winter, and filled his summers with boating, golfing, and mountain biking. Jim is survived by his brother, Dwight; sisters, Patty and Margo; and his daughter, Michelle Stratton.

JosePH otIs WIcKenHaeUseR cdeP 1949 Otis Wickenhaeuser died Sept. 26, 2009, at the age of 78.

Otis was born in New York city and received his early education on the east coast as well as in italy and austria. his family was stranded in europe following the outbreak of WWii, but they were able to return to the states in 1946. They settled in Santa Barbara, following which Otis enrolled in The Thacher School. During his three years at Thacher, he spent his free time painting, sketching, versifying, writing, and serving as editor-in-chief of El Archivero as an Upper Upper. after graduating from Thacher, Otis went on to receive his Ba from Pomona college. he started teaching at Ojai valley School in 1954, and taught art, history, English, Latin, Spanish, German, civics, and Latin American history at the lower and upper campuses for 10 years. he then went on to serve the school in other roles including director of development and dean of the upper campus.

Otis shared his love of learning and language in the classrooms of the howard School in Montecito, where he taught for 10 years, followed by two years as the school’s headmaster. he also worked around the world as a trainer for The experiment in international living, and was a talented writer, painter, singer, linguist, and protector of flora and fauna. he is survived by his wife of 42 years, Joann; their son John; daughterin-law, lori; and grandchildren, James and claire. “he held a belief that each person should do the best that he or she was capable of and then strive for more,” said Joann Wickenhaueser. “he enjoyed knowledge, but what he really enjoyed was what you could do with that knowledge once you had it.”

JoHn c. “JoHnny” BalDWIn cdeP 1957

RoBeRt l. WIllIaMs cdeP 1990

Johnny castle Baldwin passed away on May 6, 2009, at the age of 71. he died at The Queen’s Medical Center in honolulu after a struggle with lung cancer.

Johnny was born on april 13, 1938, in Paia, hawaii. he was the son of asa Baldwin cdeP 1925, manager of hawaiian commercial & Sugar co., and virginia “tootie” castle, a descendant of a founder of castle & cooke in hawaii. he attended Thacher from 1952 to 1954, was on the track team, and played defense on the undefeated fourth soccer team. in El Archivero 1953, it was noted, “Baldwin requests in formal english speech that the Smuts in english a take baths so that the room won’t smell for section B.” Johnny attended arizona State from 1959 to 1960, and was in the U.S. Marine corps from 1960 to 1966. his family had an extensive history in the islands, and Johnny represented it well. after interviewing him while writing a book about the Baldwin family, a reporter noted that Johnny was modest, kind, and unassuming, and that “he wore the mantle of being a Baldwin lightly.” Johnny was said to have a big heart, and contributed generously to a variety of causes statewide. he played the banjo for the turpentine cats, a group that met regularly to play a wide range of music, including folk, country western, light rock, and golden oldies.

Johnny is survived by his wife, Debby Baldwin; his three sons, Jeremy, Kittredge, and Thomas; his brother, Michael Baldwin cdeP 1952; and seven grandchildren.

rob Williams passed away on Oct. 26, 2009, at the age of 38.

Born Oct. 7, 1971, in Nashville, rob moved to california with his parents when he was 9 months old and always considered himself a native. in addition to Thacher, he attended laguna Blanca School in Santa Barbara and Wesleyan University in connecticut, where he received a Ba with honors through the college of Social Studies.

Following his college years rob worked as a project director/campaign coordinator for CALPIRG (California Public Interest Research Group) and cybersite, a website design company in Portland, Ore., founded by three of his Thacher classmates. he later attended Oregon State University and obtained an MS in forestry, social science and policy with a concentration in conflict management. This led to a career working as a mediator in resolve and The Meridian institute. always a gifted athlete, as well as an excellent student, rob participated in many sports: tennis, fencing, golf, baseball, basketball, and his favorites, soccer, and lacrosse. When he was a freshman in college, the intermittent back and leg pain which he had experienced since age 10 was diagnosed as ankylosing spondylitis, arthritis of the spine. Though this condition put an end to college sports, rob learned to control it with medication and exercise – lots of exercise. he developed an interest in triathlons and became a ranked amateur, ultimately representing the United States in the long-course world championship in alemere, the Netherlands, in 2008. in 2001, rob and his friend, Sandra Uesugi, cycled across america, from Washington D.c. to Santa Barbara to raise funds for, and awareness of, ankylosing spondylitis. rob approached life with passion and inspired others to do so as well. he was known for his big grin and even bigger hugs, for planning the parties, and even cooking the food. he loved his family and friends and kept in touch with both. Only those closest to him know of the battle that went on inside and the mental and physical pain he fought for so long. he was preceded in death by sister elizabeth cdeP 1994. rob is loved, mourned and missed by his parents, Janet and David Williams cdeP 1960, and numerous loved ones.

The following message was shared by andrew Shakman ’90: “About 200 people attended Rob’s Portland Memorial Service, including his parents, Jan and David Williams ’60, and his aunt and uncle, Phyllis and David, from Ventura. It was a fitting and memorable tribute to Rob: heart-wrenching, funny, touching. Memorabilia from his numerous triathlons decorated the room, a continuous slide show depicted photos of Rob throughout all stages of his life, tributes from his friends, girlfriend, and parents were given, Rob’s favorite foods and drinks were served. Nine Toads from CdeP 1990 were gathered: myself, Peter Bray, Peter Everett, Erik Bauer, Gideon Davis, Omar Barraza, Steve Yun, Brian Holl, and Jordan Gudebski. Incredibly moving to watch them together and witness the bond and love they share.”

JoHn e. leGRos, Jr. cdeP 1967 John Edward LeGros, Jr., died after a short illness on March 25, 2010, at the age of 60.

While at Thacher, John was known for his interest in astronomy and, according to El Archivero, “hauling a telescope to twin Peaks to watch the comet that wasn’t there.” he played on the first interscholastic lacrosse team at Thacher as a strong offensive player with eight goals and four assists in the season. academically, he received a national Merit Scholarship certificate of merit.

John graduated in 1972 with a BS in materials science from the University of California, Los Angeles. he then earned his master’s degree in engineering at Long Beach State in 1974. John received certifications from California as both civil engineer and professional engineer and was a long-time member of the american Society of civil engineers. he worked for more than 30 years as a senior engineer at hanson Pipe and Precast, gaining national recognition for his skills and achievements.

John is survived by his parents John and Beth LeGros, his sister, Clare, and brothers, tom LeGros CdeP 1970 and Richard LeGros cdeP 1973.

The Thacher school 45 43

In MeMoRIaM… FRIENDS M. BRooKe Halsey II cdeP 2000

MacDonalD Halsey

Brooke halsey died unexpectedly on Nov. 17, 2009, at his childhood home in Macdonald halsey–long-time teacher, haverhill, Mass., after a long struggle with severe recurrent depression. a coach, and dorm head at Thacher–died brilliant linguist, Brooke spent his junior year at School Year abroad in Beijing March 23, 2010, following a brief illness; perfecting the Mandarin chinese he had studied at Thacher. after graduathe was 91. Mac was predeceased by his ing from CdeP in 2000, he took a PG year at SYA France, where he rediscovwife of 65 years, anne ingram; their son, ered French, a language he had spoken fluently as a child. in the fall of 2001, Macdonald Brooke halsey cdeP 1962; and Brooke enrolled at Princeton Univergrandson, Macdonald Brooke halsey ii sity and subsequently transferred to cdeP 2000. he is survived by son, Woodharvard college, from which he gradruff cdeP 1965, and daughter, comfort; uated in 2006 with a Ba in biology. five granddaughters, one grandson, two complementing his time at university, great-grandsons, and a great-granddaughBrooke worked on an organic farm in ter. For a longer obituary and photos, see abruzzo, italy, where he became prowww.thacher.org/thacher magazine. ficient in Italian; spent a semester at Sterling College’s Center for northern Studies, where his courses included VIRGInIa lIVeRMoRe field work on the northern Isles of virginia Pennoyer livermore, widow of Scotland; and took a term off to work former Thacher trustee Norman “ike” livin Steven Pinker’s lab on a project ermore cdeP 1928, died on april 2, 2010. that explored language development “Dina” grew up in New York and long in twins. island, and knew ike only two months beBoundlessly curious, ingenious, fore they married. She traded her genteel, compassionate, and kind, Brooke lived Eastern refinement for the open spaces of in constant pursuit of new knowledge california, where she loved to hike, ride about any and all things that piqued horses, spend summers at lake tahoe, and his interest, making a broad range of friends as he went. Physics, climbing, explore the Sierra with her family. She math, languages, linguistics, crew, literature, biology, organic chemistry, armodeled her own values of patience, kindboriculture, bread-baking, cheese-making, farming, fire-fighting, music, and ness, modesty, and stoicism to their five more; nothing proved too humble for Brooke’s rapt attention. After a short children: two daughters (Penny livermore stint working with Dartmouth professor lee lynd in his lab developing viable and Pauline Jeffers) and three sons (Nortechniques for producing cellulosic ethanol, Brooke decided against a career in man cdeP 1966, Sam cdeP 1969, and Dave scientific research and went to work for timberhomes in Vershire, Vt., where cdeP 1973). he learned the art of timber framing.

Deeply influenced by a course on Thoreau at Princeton, Brooke looked to emulate some of the values he admired in the author: the importance of simlee RoMaGnano plicity, labor, and, above all, nature. increasingly, he sought the experience of lew romagnano, math teacher at Thacher his strong hands to verify the knowledge of his powerful mind. he ultimately from 1981 through 1985, died in January settled on a career in arboriculture, taking profound pleasure in climbing and 2010, following a five-month battle with working with trees as he mastered the art and science of caring for them. cancer. Known for a charisma and intensity Brooke’s disease turned out to be a powerful adversary. he likened his that blended with his unique brand of hulong struggle to a civil war within, one which he had fought hard to win, but mor, lew demanded a lot from his students, one which he had ultimately lost. On November 17, believing not only that he which they appreciated. he developed the would release himself from the unimaginable torment he lived with daily, but aP computer Science program at Thacher, also release his family and everyone who loves him from a lifetime of bearing as well as the winter sports offering—Pat witness to his recurring, deepening descent into madness, Brooke took his (Pain, agony, and torture)—which helped kids develop an interest in life-long physiown life. his decision, as he understood it, was a gesture of courageous love, cal fitness. Following Thacher, he worked to both for himself, and for us. improve the mathematics education in colorado; he served as president of the colorado council of teachers of Mathematics until his death.

44 spring 2010

the best we can do…

The Jerome h. Berenson FaculTy IncenTIve chaIr this unique faculty chair serves to honor faculty members who embody the values of the school — honor, fairness, kindness, and truth — by giving the financial support for their efforts to enrich the school environment.

…

Years at thacher The Chair was established in 1989.

sorts of school organizations that don’t have set budgets. Many times, it has been used for faculty and students to attend cultural events together outside the scope of the curriculum — opera and symphony concerts, plays, and lectures. The fact that it rotates to a different faculty member every few years is great because it makes sure that the funds are not focused in one area or absorbed by administrative costs. It is a very cool responsibility for a faculty member, most of whom never control any significant budgets.

PurPose of the chair To honor faculty members who exhibit a commitment to high ethical standards, intellectual honesty, compassion, and service on behalf of others, qualities that were so important to and so present in the life of Judge Jerome Berenson, and to enhance intellectual, ethical, and educational environment of the School.

Berenson CdeP 1968. Judge Berenson, president of the Thacher Board of Trustees, 1973-1978, sent two sons to Thacher: Jeff and Craig Berenson CdeP 1972.

Judge Berenson led a life of service, serving in the Navy during World War II, and working as a lawyer and judge in Ventura County for more than 35 years.

When he retired from his position as presiding judge of the Ventura County Superior Court, the Ventura Star Free Press newspaper editorialized that his retirement ended “one of the most distinguished careers in Ventura County.”

how it works The Chair is awarded every three years to a different faculty member. While holding the Chair, the faculty member is the administrator of a discretionary fund intended to enhance school life. Funds can be used for capital improvements, research projects, field trips and guest lecturers. In the past, it has been used to take students to visit museums, to listen to concerts, and to do service projects. The Fund has also supported visiting lecturers and artists. whY Jerome Berenson “My father was a man of strong character who was committed to the highest ethical standards and had a passion for education,” according to his son Jeff

chair holders Past and present Chairs include well respected and longtime faculty members Marvin Shagam, Peter Robinson, David Johnston, Chris Mazzola, and Jake Jacobsen. Dean of Faculty Molly Perry CdeP 1985 wrote of the current Chair, “Jake is a superlative teacher and a supportive colleague. As a teacher, advisor, mentor, and friend, he sets the standard in terms of intellectual engagement and community involvement.” Jake teaches English at all levels, advises junior girls, works on the Senior Exhibition and Admission Committee, and coordinates the Anacapa Scholars Program. He spends his afternoons teaching students to drive the School’s draft horses.

Importance to thacher Former Berenson Chair Chris Mazzola explains, “The Berenson Fund has done so much to further the mission of the School. The flexibility of the designation has made funds available to all

examPles of uses The Chair has supported student trips to see a Desmond Tutu lecture, a world-class flamenco performance, classical music concerts at Disney Concert Hall, Broadway plays in Los Angeles, and a service trip to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Funds supported visiting scholars and artists such Reed College Classics professor Walter Englert, documentarian Rick Stevenson, the musicians from the Mark Snyder Quartet, writer and environmentalist Bryce Andrews, and artist Mary Louise Porter.

Photos: (left) writer, conservationist, and ranch hand Bryce andrews cdeP 2001 worked with english and environmental studies classes. (center) Genevieve Jensen cdeP 2008 and kaggie orrick cdeP 2006 worked together to clean out a home in new orleans after hurricane katrina. (Below left) mark snyder of the mark snyder Quartet performed for the thacher community and held jazz workshops for students. (Below right) singer-songwriter Bernice lewis performed in the milligan center.

The Thacher School 5025 Thacher Road Ojai, CA 93023 Address Service Requested

NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID OXNARD, CA PERMIT NO. 1215

Willing Duets A horse will wander plainly, entirely open weathered.

We know they gather, dispensing, dispatching their own selves, avoiding peril, seeking relief.

They see you, trading life for life, grateful for you.

We sleep, steeped in dreams of hooves, hearts beating half again as fast as our own.

A horse stands sleeping, winking at storms, waiting for you, for forbearance.

She will do at least her own, all you have to do is stay on.

Willing studies is what we share: each to each, some solid devotion.

That’s all we have anyway, measured promises, lending leads around treasured, willing duets.

—Don “Skip” Porter, Jr CdeP 1962