Building
Supporting
FRONT COVER
Students huddle up at the second bi-annual Toadal Showdown, a campus-wide relay race.
ON THE GROUND
A Message from Head of School Jeff Hooper
Amidst the many activities and events of a typical school year here at Thacher, this year we have also been engaged in the important work of Strategic Planning. While this may sound esoteric or vague, at its core our strategic planning process involves welcoming the voices and perspectives of our broader Thacher community in exploring and setting a strategic direction and guiding compass for the future of our school—one that both honors its long history and looks ahead to its next exciting chapter.
For me, one of the highlights of this work so far has been the opportunity to engage with community members near and far, both in-person and virtually, as my colleagues and I seek your input, insights, experiences, and expertise. From Portland to Washington, D.C., NYC to San Francisco, Ojai to Boston and beyond, these conversations have not only helped us gather thousands of data points, but also been a wonderful reminder of the tremendous number of people who care about this place long after their years on campus and how far-reaching but closely connected the Thacher community truly is.
As you look through this issue of the Thacher Magazine , you will see some other important points of connection for us here on campus, too. The connection between our food and the agriculture of this dynamic region, between the development of our student leaders and the school culture they build, and between our outdoor program and the magic of the natural world are just a few of the ways
ON THE GROUND
that the Thacher experience builds lifelong ties for our students to both the world around them and to each other.
I hope this magazine is also one more point of connection for you to this remarkable school and community. While nothing can replace the energy of being here in person, this snapshot of our fall and winter together showcase the hard work, joy, and fulfillment of our students and teachers in and out of the classroom. Thank you for the many ways you support that work, remain engaged with
this community, and contribute to the vision for our future as a school. I hope the new year brings more opportunities for us to come together, either here on campus or out in the world. Until then, best wishes for a happy and healthy 2025.
In Community,
Jeff Hooper Head of School
Jeff Hooper speaks to seniors at the start of the school year during an off-campus gathering in Ojai.
At Thacher, intentionality, genuine connection, and joy take center stage, and our social media shares a glimpse into our days spent together at Casa de Piedra. Follow along, like, and share to spread the word!
@thethacherschool (Main School Account)
@thachercdep (Alumni Account)
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS Carly Rodriguez
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS Scott Nichols
CLASS NOTES/IN MEMORIAM
HEAD OF SCHOOL Jeff Hooper
DIRECTOR OF ENROLLMENT AND PLANNING
William P. McMahon
DIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT: PHILANTHROPY, GOVERNANCE, AND STRATEGY
Jeffrey D. Berndt
DIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT: ALUMNI AND DEVELOPMENT
Sara Billings
Thacher is published twice a year by The Thacher School, and is sent free of charge to alums, 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 © 2024 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 93023 thacher.org thachermagazine@thacher.org 805-640-3201 x266
How to Submit Class Notes Online: thacher.org/mythacher/alumni E-mail: alumni@thacher.org Thacher is printed by V3
THE PERGOLA
Out of the Darkness
Student Wellness Ambassadors and Community Service and Student Disability Union members helped coordinate a crew of volunteers for the Out of the Darkness Community Walk led by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention this fall.
THE PERGOLA
In Affinity
Following Fall EDTs, affinity group student and faculty leadership participated in a retreat at the Topa Institute, learning more about the history of affinity groups and student-led organizing, becoming familiar with the policies and practices they’d use throughout the year, and planning within and across groups for the year ahead.
Sweet!
Thacher’s student-powered Beekeeping Program supports a healthy, productive colony of local bees that pollinate campus plants and have supplied the community with more than 90 pounds of honey. This fall, students and faculty and staff came out to help harvest—gathering, processing, and bottling our delicious Thacher honey.
Hit That Snooze Button!
Upper School students got up early to muck stalls and do barn jobs so that our 9th graders could get a little more sleep.
Hoedown Throwdown
Thacher’s Pack and Spur Club hosted a hoedown at the hay barns, complete with roping, pack mules, a photo booth, dancing, and live music performed by our talented students.
Pumpkin Palooza
Fall was in full swing at the Wellness Center for this year’s first Pumpkin Palooza featuring games, cookie decorating, camaraderie, fall treats, and pumpkin carving, of course.
Election Elective
xBlocks are single-term electives revolving around inquiry-driven learning in which students and teachers explore topics and projects outside our core curriculum in a spirit of collaboration and discovery. Among the offerings this fall, a U.S. Presidential Election xBlock explored the 2024 election's key campaign issues, discussed the candidates' strategies and approaches, considered the merits of the electoral college, examined the most pivotal presidential elections in U.S. history, probed the viability of a thirdparty candidate, offered Zooms with experts in the field, and modeled appropriate civil discourse and leading with kindness.
OUTSIDE OUTLOOKS
VISITING SCHOLARS, ARTISTS, AND EXPERTS SPARK NEW IDEAS AND INSPIRATION
OUT OF THIS WORLD
Professional astronomer Dr. Phillip Macias visited us in October, giving a talk in Hearst Hall for all those interested in anything and everything astro, with an emphasis on black holes and his current work on neutron star collisions and supernovae.
A NATURAL FIT
Brigid Reedy is a talented singer, songwriter, fiddler, poet, storyteller, teacher, and horsewoman who, as part of her degree in natural horsemanship and English from the University of Montana Western, has now visited Thacher twice—once in April of 2023 and again this fall. During her recent visit, Reedy fulfilled an internship working in the colt program under the direction of Thacher's Assistant Director of the Horse Program, Jeff Seely. In addition to her experience with horses, Reedy is a sought-after performer and music instructor who is featured at festivals across the country. An apprentice of renowned saddlemaker George Holt—with whom she also teaches—Reedy spends time soaking up traditional leather-working skills. An extensive exhibit of her leatherwork was recently on display at Montana Western's Fine Arts Gallery.
WINTERS IN FALL
Dan Winters is a portrait photographer, illustrator, filmmaker, and writer known for the broad range of subject matter he is able to interpret, including celebrity portraiture, scientific photography, photo illustrations, drawings, and photojournalistic stories. During his December visit to Thacher, Winters spoke with the community during a Head’s Invite talk, and met with budding student photographers to share his advice and experiences.
gOD-TALK
Dr. Teddy Reeves, the curator of religion in the Center for the Study of African American Religious Life at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture, and a teaching fellow at The Thacher School in 2008-09, returned to campus this fall for a screening of his film gOD-Talk, the culmination of over five years of study and oral history interviews about Black millennials and faith. This groundbreaking project was led by the Center for the Study of African American Religious Life in association with Pew Research Center. Dr. Reeves also hosted a post-film discussion and Q&A at the Outdoor Chapel and met with the Library Council to share his expertise on history and archival/curatorial work.
SCOREBOA RD
An oversight from our Spring 2024 issue left out Boys' Lacrosse, so we're bringing you their write up now. Better LAX than never!
Boys’ Lacrosse
Coach Tim Sullivan summed it up perfectly in his season wrap-up at a school assembly last May: “We talk a lot about Second Scoreboard, and this team is a perfect embodiment of those values. So when a team is faced with such a daunting task of suiting up and playing a tough game when they can predict the outcome (we only won one game) there’s an inward focus that we relied upon to buoy our spirits.” Then-senior captains Augie Thorne, Ian Housden, Harry Morfit, and Justin Park all exemplified the mentorship and poise towards their younger teammates, and provided incredible leadership and focus to the team. Notable accolades include now juniors Max Laird and Craig Watkins named Most Improved Players; Team Spirit belongs to Lance Jin-Ngo ’25; and Jackson Slaughter ’26 earned the Unsung Hero title. Look to current seniors Andy Dachs, Jin-Ngo, Pierce Kelly, and Dyon Thompson to step up into captain roles in the spring of 2025.
Girls’ Volleyball
Girls’ volleyball completed their season with an overall record of 8-8, garnering a spot in the playoffs, a first for newly named Head Coach Etienne Emanuel and veteran Assistant Coach Doc Vyhnal.
A first-round match-up pitted Thacher against Rancho Verde, and it proved to be one of the most exciting and thrilling matches in the fall season for any sport. Thacher prevailed in the fifth game after a tall leap and powerful smash by Cata Brown ’26 to win the nail-biter of a game. Not to be overlooked, the sound of a roaring home crowd in both the student section and the amassed crowd of adults from the community provided unwavering support in their energetic chants and cheers and certainly buoyed the girls in this epic battle.
The Toads’ momentum nearly kept their playoff hopes alive through another five-game match in the second round, but they were narrowly defeated by the eventual Div. 9 CIF Champions, Rialto.
Thacher had a great core of senior leaders, featuring Captain and Second Team All-League outside hitter Caiden Bang Julia Bressie garnered First Team All-League for her efforts as middle blocker, and led the team in kills. Maddie Lee received honorable mention for her work at the setter position. Her hustle and spirit led the team in many tough spots. Kaili Chu made strong contributions as an opposite hitter and helped captain the team.
Look for juniors (with honorable mentions) Bodil Clarke and Tomoka Sato, and Brown (Second Team All-League) to lead the team next season. Tenth graders Annabel Billings and Elle Feira, along with 9th grader Ori Ouermi, will bring valuable experience performing in pressure situations to the squad.
Cross Country
Never missing an opportunity to “beat Cate,” the XC teams did exactly that in the Southern Section Regionals at Mt. SAC's brutally tough course. Edging the Rams by one point, Thacher’s girls’ cross country team was able to join the boys’ team in securing a spot in the CIF State Championship in late November. Seniors Carlos Ochoa, Avery Lieb, and Julie Lui, joined with juniors Mateo Escalante, Matthew Daum, Lucas de Clercq and Annikka Zhou, sophomores Charlie Clarke, Willem de Clercq, Caroline Jeffers, Lola Clemens, and ninth graders Alec DiLullo and Nell Lieb as Thacher’s runners in the State meet. The girls’ team finished in 18th place, and the boys’ finished in 13th, definitively placing the Toads among the best schools for cross country in California. Resilience, determination, and incredible camaraderie defined this successful group of athletes, and Coach Sarah DelVecchio heaped praise in every direction for the student athletes. Chloe Hamilton '26 and Quinn Armstead '26 received Most Inspirational awards; Willem de Clercq and Lola Clemens won awards for their relentless dedication; Julie Lui and Mateo Escalante won Most Valuable Runner awards; and 9th graders Alec DiLullo and Nell Lieb were awarded Shooting Star awards for their prowess and skill as new team members. Finally, All-League Awards went to Daum, Lucas de Clercq, Escalante, Avery Lieb, and Lui.
Football
After a two-year playoff drought, the varsity football team entered the season with a large group of seniors committed to building a strong team culture rooted in camaraderie and joy. The team showed remarkable determination and grit, winning several close games in the fourth quarter on their way to a 5-3 record in the regular season and a second-place finish in the Tri-Valley League. A notable zenith of the season was the 20-6 victory over Laguna Blanca in the third-ever home night game where senior Angus Harris made an incredible one-handed interception and runback for a touchdown. Not to be outdone, Lance Jin-Ngo '25 also had a stunning ESPN-worthy long and winding run against Valley Christian to win the game in the last minute of play.
Coach Hooper exclaimed his pride for a supportive and positive team culture, specifically mentioning his seniors on the team and several All-CIF Honors: Axel Hansen (All-CIF), Matt Stoney, Henry Molfino, Hiram Hooper, Serapion Fernandez, Sam Lust, Jin-Ngo (All-CIF), Harris (All-CIF), Andy Dachs, Johnson Ngota, Thomas Bilek, and Jayden Lee (All-CIF).
Girls’ Tennis
Capitalizing on a strong team bond and veteran leadership, Thacher’s fall tennis squad finished as CIF Division 6 Finalists this year. Coach Juliet Henderson cited the team’s work ethic and drive for improvement as catalysts for their successes.
Notably, it was lone senior Linn Wallmark who received top accolades from Coach Henderson. Wallmark was a tremendous captain, and guided the team to set and meet high expectations of hard work, sportsmanship, and camaraderie.
Overall, the team finished in third place in the Tri-Valley League with a 9-6-0 overall record. Notable wins include a hard-fought victory over Foothill Tech and their third-round upset of #1 seed Laguna Blanca.
Wallmark and Tenzing Lama ’26 played #1 doubles together and were an incredibly strong team who reliably turned in victory after victory. Rising seniors to watch next year will be Taylor Carney, Georgia Browning, Hannah Housden, and Lama.
in the FOREST Our FOOTING
After several years in regulatory limbo, the future of Golden Trout Wilderness School is secure once again.
Tenth Grade students hike near Golden Trout during their fall 2024 EDT
Photo by Lu Rodriguez '27
The camp in the Inyo National Forest that is now home to Golden Trout Wilderness School (GTWS) has been in uninterrupted use for well over 100 years. After acquiring the lease in 1967, Thacher’s stewardship of the property has focused on providing young people with access to wilderness areas. As a result, thousands of students, Thacher alumni and families, and other visitors have connected with the ancient foxtail pines, endangered Sierra bighorn sheep, and a wide range of other unique flora and fauna that make up the beautiful alpine ecosystem of the southern Sierra Nevada.
Over the last 15 years specifically, the camp's activities have centered more intentionally on access and education for underserved youth (all programming for whom is offered at no charge). Through both longstanding partnerships and new initiatives, thousands of young people have accessed wilderness areas for the first time, and we are proud to be among the largest, most tenured, and most impactful organizations providing no-cost wilderness programs for underserved populations in the region.
When the area around the camp was designated as the Golden Trout Wilderness in 1978, the Federal Committee on Energy and Natural Resources specifically endorsed the continuation of the camp as an “important facility” advancing “conservation education,” and judging
it to be “consistent with the provisions of the Wilderness Act and an appropriate use of this area.” However, securing and maintaining permits for this use has proved difficult in recent years.
Thacher’s most recent special use permit was issued in 2007 and expired in 2017, and the School was engaged in the pursuit of a renewed permit throughout that time. Changing personnel at the Forest Service, understaffing, and the pandemic complicated the process, which dragged out until the summer of 2024. But thanks to sustained efforts by many, including Thacher leadership and staff, as well as helpful volunteers in the wider community, the Forest Service approved a 20-year renewal of our permit.
“This is a major milestone that makes our footing in the forest more secure and allows us to plan confidently for the future of that iconic property,” said Jeff Hooper, head of school.
For Thacher students specifically, camping at Golden Trout is an iconic experience that generations of Toads share—a timeless experience that has changed very little over the years and was deeply missed during the pandemic. That connection continues each fall when all tenth graders visit Golden Trout on their EDT, gathering with classmates around the GTWS tables and campfire, deepening their personal connections while climbing mountains, swimming in alpine lakes, and enjoying the grandeur of the Sierra in its richness together.
With our new permit in place, GTWS can now move forward and continue to offer its vital programs."
— CAM SPAULDING CDEP 1992 Director of the Outdoor Program
"With our new permit in place, GTWS can now move forward and continue to offer its vital programs to the Thacher community, underserved youth from around the state, and budding natural historians of all stripes." said Cam Spaulding, director of the Thacher Outdoor Program.
Thacher will continue to welcome alumni to Golden Trout for a oneweek encampment each summer on a first-come, first-served basis as the schedule allows. The Alumni & Development Office will be handling reservations and waitlists for the trips, so interested community members should contact them via email at alumni@thacher.org for more information.
Golden Trout Wilderness campers circa 1967
FARM
Building a menu from local ingredients at scale for Thacher’s community becomes a quest through the hills and backroads of the region.
Thacher’s footprint in the Ojai Valley has long celebrated the bountiful plethora of local farmers and cuisine. In the contemporary sense, we know these places well—the tangerines from Friend’s Ranch, the bottled sunshine from Ojai Olive Oil Company, and the fresh, organic delights from Earthtrine Farm. In September, the community was fortunate to have those farms, and others within a 150-mile radius from campus, participate in the annual Eat Local Challenge, part of Bon Appétit's Farm to Fork umbrella program, focused on utilizing locally grown food for a dinner hosted and prepared by Thacher’s Dining Hall staff.
For twenty-seven years, Richard Maxwell has thoughtfully and expertly directed the dining services at Thacher. He’s a maven of the kitchen and the community, a stranger to no one. So when Bon Appétit, Thacher’s food service contractor, announced their annual Eat Local Challenge, Maxwell immediately mapped out his plan to source the ingredients locally. In the end, 99% of the meal achieved this feat.
Citrus from the Thacher family's Friend's Ranch is a campus staple year-round. Today it will be a key ingredient in the meal's salad dressing.
Farms understand their microclimates and growing regions and are able to rotate crops and minimize reliance on toxic herbicides or fertilizers.
to
FORK
Bon Appétit’s Farm to Fork program is celebrating 25 years of an initiative meant to strengthen partner schools’ relationships with local farms and food producers by spending 20 percent of their annual budget supporting family and small owner-operated farms. Just as it is for Thacher’s local connections, so it is for the more than 80 schools under their umbrella. Many of the small farms supported in the Farm to Fork and Eat Local Challenge programs operate with annual budgets less than $500,000.
The investment in local farms is an important one in the face of increased consolidation of farms by larger corporate entities. Local farms understand their microclimates and growing regions and
are able to rotate crops and minimize reliance on toxic herbicides or fertilizers. Thacher’s carbon footprint is also lower by sourcing produce and meat from local farms.
Driving around the local roads of Ojai and Meiners Oaks in Richard Maxwell’s pick up truck, he points out houses and people he’s known through his lifetime in the area. He’s excited as he shifts gears, and with that comes a rapid-fire stream of consciousness about local food, the challenges of cooking for 260+ people on any given night, and the expectation of maintaining a diverse and healthy cuisine while staying within a reasonable budget.
Chef Logan DeBone leads his kitchen staff with expert knowledge and dedication to his craft.
On the menu for the special night of local foods were the following dishes:
Ojai mixed greens salad—roasted shishito peppers, cherry tomatoes, watermelon radish, and squash ribbons dressed in Ojai fig and citrus dressing
Earthtrine Farm herb seasoned grilled Mary's Chicken with Thacher-raised egg and garlic chive aioli
A.H. Ranch beef pot roast, sustainably raised and donated by a Thacher family
Weiser Family Farms sunrise medley potatoes with Ojai Olive Oil and Earthtrine Farm herbs
Di Stefano Cheese mozzarella, Tutti Frutti Farms heirloom tomato, Earthtrine Farm basil, and Ojai Olive Oil balsamic vinegar caprese salad
Grist and Toll hard red wheat baguette
Baked streusel-stuffed Cuyama Orchards apples with Thacher honey drizzle and whipped cream
“My favorite aspect of the Farm to Fork program is connecting with the farmers when I pick up the produce,” said Maxwell. “It helps me to appreciate the work that goes into bringing their bounty to the table. Of course, supporting local agriculture and serving the best possible produce and having all of our efforts be appreciated—from the farmers to our culinary staff—makes it all worthwhile.”
Maxwell’s first stop on his gathering journey begins at Friend's Ranch, a fifth-generation family farm now operated by descendants of the Thacher family. Warm handshakes and laughter ensue on the loading dock of the packing house that overlooks the orchards and hillsides split by Route 150. Today the boxes of tangerines and oranges Maxwell collects will be used in a salad dressing. Each school year the community of students, faculty, staff, and visitors to campus eat more than a ton of the locally famous citrus.
As Maxwell guides himself back down the hills and into the local citrus and nut ranches of Ojai proper, his next stop is at Earthtrine Farm, a five-acre farm owned and operated by Robert Dautch, otherwise known as “BD” to the locals. Proudly celebrating more than 100 organic varieties of produce, BD and his team offer some of the finest foods grown in the Ojai Valley. This is as fresh as it gets, and Maxwell loads up his truck bed with all sorts of greens, herbs, peppers, and cherry tomatoes. Two bushels of figs suddenly appear, all picked the day before and offering a surprise add-on to the bounty from BD—a perfect example of the goodwill shared between Thacher and the community.
Having gathered the remaining outstanding orders of local produce, Maxwell heads back to Thacher to begin preparing the meal with Executive Chef Logan DeBone. In his fourth year at Thacher, Chef DeBone previously worked as the Executive Chef at The Ranch House, one of the most sought-after and renowned restaurants in the area.
“Allowing our team to have a deeper understanding of how and where our food comes from makes the Eat Local Challenge worthwhile for a
Richard Maxwell and BD at Earthtrine Farm in Ojai, CA.
multitude of reasons,” said DeBone. “I’m inspired on a personal level when I’m teaching team members about something they may not have seen or dealt with before. Watching their experience and food knowledge grow is a meaningful experience. As a team and a company, we always look forward to the gift of locally sourced fresh ingredients and strive for a more healthy and sustainable future for the guests and our community as a whole.”
The Bon Appétit-contracted Dining Hall kitchen staff are excited as the boxes emblazoned with family farm names begin to emerge from the walk-in refrigerator while the staff who worked breakfast and lunch shifts express disappointment about not being on for the dinner prep. As soon as the produce is cleaned, split, julienned, and otherwise prepared, the kitchen is awash in a bouquet of aromas.
Baker Chris Melton pulls a pan of baked Cuyama Orchard apples from the oven; Lola Ramos arranges the diced heirlooms onto flatbreads; Artemio Gallardo stirs the simmering beef in a massive cauldron; Chef DeBone pours from a gallon jug of olive oil; watermelon radishes and button squash are expertly sliced.
Almost at once, the meal is ready for service. The racks of citrus-dressed salads are wheeled out of the walk-in refrigerator. Steaming bowls of pot roast in broth stand at the ready. A drizzle of fresh olive oil and a pinch of salt are added to the caprese salads. The vegan and vegetarian meals have also been prepared with the same professional scrutiny and care as one would expect. The walker bell rings over campus and students gather outside the doors, awaiting a brilliant meal from Bon Appetit and Thacher’s culinary team.
The intentionality of the Farm to Fork program is one that will continue in Thacher’s day-to-day operations. Maxwell visits BD’s farm for fresh herbs and offerings each week, and our long-standing relationship with Friend’s Ranch flourishes with each harvest of tangerines. Thanks to many adults and students on campus, Thacher’s chickens provide plenty of eggs, and the bees keep producing honey. These distinctions of Thacher’s attention to and standing within the Ojai community make for a more sustainable existence in the culinary world, one plate at a time.
LOCAL PARTICIPATING FARMS INCLUDED:
The Thacher School, Ojai, CA eggs and honey
Friend's Ranch, Ojai, CA
tangerines, oranges
Ojai Olive Oil Co., Ojai, CA
extra virgin olive oil
Earthtrine Farm, Meiners Oaks, CA
mixed lettuce, squash, eggplant, cherry tomatoes, basil, figs, watermelon radish, Habanada and shishito peppers, chives, various herbs
Tutti Frutti Farms, Lompoc, CA heirloom tomatoes
Di Stefano Cheese, Pomona, CA fresh mozzarella
Cuyama Orchards, Cuyama, CA sweetie apples
Weiser Family Farms, Tehachapi, CA potatoes and sunchokes
Grist & Toll, Pasadena, CA
hard red wheat and Sonoran white wheat
Pitman Family Farms, Hanford, CA
Mary's Organic Chicken
Baker Chris Melton and the streusel-stuffed Cuyama apples; Mychal Arata and Roberto Robles put the finishing touches on the caprese salad.
LEAD Learning to
The Class of 2025 gathers in August to set their intentions as community leaders.
A core component of the Thacher experience is the development of young leaders who, in the words of the School’s mission,
The foundation of this work begins on day one of the ninth grade year and is both baked into all aspects of the Thacher program and thoughtfully constructed to expand and evolve as a student advances through their time at the School. Patiently working to manage a stubborn horse, volunteering to take extra group gear while backpacking in the Sierras, stepping up on the sports field or in the riding arena to help out a teammate, or just infusing a day or event with joy—these are the kinds of real responsibilities and personal challenges that provide Thacher students across all grade levels with the necessary tools to lead. By the time they reach senior year, all seniors demonstrate leadership and have crucial roles to play.
“We truly believe that the heart of strong leadership lies in how you show up in community every day— respectfully speaking to, treating, and including others, bringing positive energy and inspiration, modeling and living Thacher's Honor Code, and looking out for those who need it the most,” said Megan Carney, director of student life at Thacher. “Leadership is not about having a specific title or having the most positions; rather, it is about embracing responsibility and wanting to put in hard work because you care about something bigger than yourself.”
“live for their own greatest good and for the greatest good of their fellow citizens in a diverse and changing world.”
Over the past several years, the number of formal leadership opportunities at Thacher has grown exponentially, expanding beyond just a handful of coveted positions to a much wider range of roles and responsibilities that align with students’ skills and interests, fit within their schedule to support their health and wellness, bring them joy, and empower them to better their community.
Thacher places significant trust in student leaders to strengthen the School, and faculty and staff play a pivotal role in supporting their growth and capacity for successful leadership. Eleventh grade student programming is rooted in training for senior leadership, and all seniors take part in orientation in the fall as well as engage in organic training throughout the year.
“Truly empowered leadership depends on trust between adults and seniors,” said Jeff Hooper, head of school. “We open each year with a special outing with the seniors upon their return to campus in August. There, we speak explicitly and directly about that trust as a two-
way street, highlighting that adults and student leaders are mutually interdependent. We want the seniors, individually and collectively, to feel inspired to embrace the opportunity and responsibility they have to shape the School—not just that year, but for many to come.”
Faculty advisors and student leaders follow a formal process to identify strengths, areas for growth, and specific goals, naming ways they have really stepped up as well as ways they have not. The hope in doing this is that they will gain more self-awareness that will help them at Thacher and beyond while also building their capacity for hearing and acting on constructive feedback.
“Faculty leaders work hard to make sure students follow through on their responsibilities, even when times are really challenging,” said Carney. “We don’t want students to learn that leadership is a title you can have without actually being committed to the work and embracing the responsibility. Instead, we want them to authentically feel and understand how hard work
rooted in serving others can uplift and bring with it a real sense of fulfillment, increased confidence, and purpose.”
Leadership for the Greatest Good
Thacher relies heavily upon the leadership, direction, and maturity of its students to set an example, establish the school culture, act and speak in ways that represent the School’s values and Honor Code, and demonstrate what it means to be kind, honest, and inclusive. To that end, there are between 100-130 head positions available for seniors, some being elected by their peers and some being selected through an application and interview process. Students know going in that they most likely will not get every role to which they apply, and faculty work with them in navigating disappointment as well as success. As part of their work, seniors oversee younger students and mentor them as they take on specific roles within various groups and organizations. This helps seniors further develop management
2024-25 School Chair Lance Jin-Ngo welcomes students at the New Year's Banquet in August. Student Council membership, including two class presidents from each grade level, is one of over 100 head leadership positions available to seniors.
Leadership doesn't have to be loud or charismatic, it doesn't have to be high profile or schoolwide, but by pursuing passions with integrity, by investing time and resources toward an endeavor that will benefit others, all seniors model leadership for younger students and build culture.
— JEFF HOOPER Head of School
and leadership skills while also providing younger students with opportunities to develop their own and be prepared to be strong heads when they are seniors, thus ensuring progress and hard work is not lost over time. Additionally, there are over 40 assistant roles as well as opportunities to lead as team and riding captains, artists, club heads, etc. All of these positions provide crucial student leadership.
"The landscape has evolved over time in really positive ways when it comes to student leadership at Thacher,” said Carney. “There are so many ways for students to follow their passions,
Student Leadership Opportunities
ACADEMICS
Astronomy Heads and Head Tutors
AFFINITY GROUPS
Currently ten identity-based groups led by students and supported by faculty
EXTERNAL RELATIONS
Head Tour Guides, Communications, and Alumni & Development Ambassadors
HONOR COUNCIL
One senior head plus two representatives from each grade level (one from each dorm)
RESIDENTIAL LIFE
Dormitory Prefects and RAs
take on real responsibility, and significantly contribute to systems and programs that make this place work. There is no one position that is seen as better or more important than any other; we need strong leaders in all of these roles to be the best community we can be.”
Continues Carney, “I look at our students who are getting up super early to collect our food waste to feed the pigs, students who are doing incredible work bringing fun, well-being, and creative outlets to campus during a time when teenagers really need it (and when it is incredibly difficult given the
SCHOOL ORGANIZATIONS
Includes leadership within the following organizations: Afternoon Activity/Athletics Program, Backcountry Program, Community Service, Environmental Action Committee (bees/chickens/hogs, environmental justice, sustainability, resource management, Swap Shop), El Archivero (yearbook), Indoor Committee, Thacher Pack and Spur, Thacher Activism and Human Rights, Tech Crew, Tech and Innovation, The Notes (school newspaper), Voices and Perspectives, Wellness Ambassadors.
STUDENT COUNCIL
School Chair, as well two class presidents from each grade level (one from each dorm)
power of social media), students who are spending hours on their weekends clearing our trails and teaching younger students to ride, students who are committed to making sure everyone feels they belong in our community and that Thacher is their school—and I am repeatedly inspired. This is some of the most important work we do with our students, and I feel so proud seeing them learn, grow over time, and shine. We ask a lot of them, and my hope is they get a lot back. I know Thacher as a whole certainly does."oa
Affinity group student leaders and advisors for 2023-24 come together at the end of the school year.
GATHERINGS
This summer and fall, we visited many of our GOLD alums, welcomed alumni back to Golden Trout, cooled off at the beach with alumni and current parents, hosted an event across the pond in London, held our second annual ToadX series, and kicked off the Strategic Planning process with in-person and virtual Think Tanks. We can’t wait to see what 2025 has in store, and hope to see your face in the next magazine’s gatherings section!
LA BEACH DAY WILL ROGERS STATE BEACH
To close out the summer, we hosted an LA Beach Day at Will Rogers State Beach for alumni, alumni families, and current Thacher families. The event took place during a heat wave, so we were all grateful to be together while enjoying a nice ocean breeze and refreshing waves!
ALUMNI ENCAMPMENT
A group of alumni and their families set out for the Alumni Encampment at Golden Trout in August with Director of the Outdoor Program Cam Spaulding CdeP 1992. The week's highlights included many hikes around the Sierra, mushroom hunting, dips in the Cottonwood Lakes, an almost-summit to Mount Langley (cut short by a storm), and Golden Trout Wilderness School Olympics back at camp. We look forward to the next trip in Summer 2025. Special thanks to Kent Arnold CdeP 1978 for these amazing photos!
GOLDEN TROUT
TOADX SERIES
The second annual ToadX Series made its way to Seattle with an incredible lineup of alumni and Thacher parent speakers. The event was hosted by Thacher parents Ladi and Sean Carr P’26 at the incredible facilities of the University of Washington's Global Innovation Exchange (GIX). We had the opportunity to learn from and engage with Omar Barraza CdeP 1990, Vivienne Long P’25, and Alexia Allen CdeP 1996. Thank you to everyone who helped make this event possible. We look forward to where we take this series next!
ALUMNI REUNION
LONDON
Alumni gathered in London for an evening of connection hosted by Wesley Liang CdeP 2015, Kathryn Lynch CdeP 2016, and Rae Murphy CdeP 2011.
Second from the left: Evan Glenn CdeP 2019, Joshua Jackson CdeP 2009, Ian Fuller CdeP 2009, Wesley Liang CdeP 2015, Caroline Eastburn CdeP 2016, Kathryn Lynch CdeP 2016, Sophia Fung CdeP 2017, and Rae Murphy CdeP 2011.
GOLD GATHERINGS
As a reminder to all Graduates Of the Last Decade, if you are interested in getting a group of GOLD alums together, reach out to the Alumni & Development Office! We can help sponsor the event and make it happen.
We met with NYC GOLD alumni in the East Village to share a meal and hear their thoughts about the future of Thacher through a Strategic Planning Think Tank. Our young alumni have an incredible lens when it comes to Thacher and their hopes for the future. Thank you to our amazing hosts Nevin Bernet CdeP 2016, Eric Oregel CdeP 2017, Maggie Sonenshine CdeP 2020, Lawrence Langan CdeP 2022, Keira Yin CdeP 2022, and Yenny Salcedo CdeP 2023 who helped get this dynamic group together.
The Langan siblings all attended the GOLD NYC dinner: Vincent Langan CdeP 2020, Lawrence Langan CdeP 2022, James Langan CdeP 2020, and Annie Langan CdeP 2018.
Lawrence Langan CdeP 2022 and Keira Yin CdeP 2022 hosted a Barnard-Columbia-Cornell GOLD alumni gettogether this fall.
Tristan Oriol CdeP 2023, Yenny Salcedo CdeP 2023, Cecily Bush CdeP 2023, Keira Yin CdeP 2022, Ezinne Okonkwo CdeP 2024, Annie Wang CdeP 2024, Teal Smith CdeP 2024, Sophie Benello CdeP 2021, and Maxine Tamas CdeP 2021.
Grace Yang CdeP 2023 organized a special dinner for Brown University GOLD alumni in Providence, RI.
Nico DiLullo CdeP 2023, Kosuke Mikitani CdeP 2023, Fabiola Peñafiel CdeP 2024, Grace Yang CdeP 2023, PJ Wrubel CdeP 2024, and Grace Zhong CdeP 2024.
Reyna Kleemeier CdeP 2021 and Toby Arculli CdeP 2020 continued a beloved tradition by hosting a gathering for Thacher alumni attending The Claremont Colleges. The evening included classic Open House favorites like cookie baking and Bananagrams.
Trevor Carson CdeP 2022, Maria Galgon CdeP 2024, Ellena Reposa CdeP 2024, Mariana Thacher CdeP 2024, Elizabeth Dominguez CdeP 2024, Graham Rogers CdeP 2024, Toby Arculli CdeP 2020, Reyna Kleemeier CdeP 2021, Ellis DelVecchio CdeP 2022, and Elena Townsend-Lerdo CdeP 2022.
Lily King CdeP 2023, Reyna Kleemeier CdeP 2021, Ellis DelVecchio CdeP 2022, Ethan Zhang CdeP 2022, Jordan Yates CdeP 2023, and Toby Arculli CdeP 2020.
Toads take over Tulane University! Kara Hooper visited New Orleans this fall and hosted a breakfast for GOLD alumni Evie Stoen CdeP 2024, Lila Janss CdeP 2024, Jake Mitchell CdeP 2020, and Hayden Hooper CdeP 2023.
CLASS NOTES
1948 SAM WRIGHT caught us up on his life and the happenings of his classmates. He shared, “I am 94 plus, lost my wife of 72 years this past year, and I still see myself as my (1948) class secretary and stay abreast with the doings of my three remaining classmates: JOHN BISSELL, SIDNEY LIEBES, and SANDY WALKER. Sandy is somewhat of a phenomenon; he began his career as an architect after graduating from Berkeley and is still designing houses with an office in San Francisco. I live on a nearly 20-acre piece of property in a home Sandy designed and we built 30 plus years ago. I am a horticulturist and have an extensive garden, have written seven books, and am involved in a series of charitable endeavors.”
1959 Many members of the Class of 1959 gathered this past June to celebrate their 65th Thacher Reunion. They gathered at the Ojai Valley Inn for lunch before making their way onto campus to enjoy all that Reunion Weekend has to offer. Lunch photo from left to right: Pam Gallaway, Mary Ellen Boyd, Karen and HARRY WYETH, Suzanne and RUSS CALLANDER, Linda Mayne, GEORGE CLYDE, BOB BOYD, ROB GALLAWAY, and STEVE MAYNE
1976 Several Thacher and Emma Willard alumni got together in June at a wedding rehearsal dinner for SARAH SOULE OLIVA EWS 1977 and Leigh Oliva. They all participated in the Emma Willard and Thacher exchange program in the spring of 1975 & 1976 and have remained friends to this day! From left to right: KATE READE ROSENBLATT EWS 1976, JOSH ROSENBLATT, ALDRENA MABRY EWS 1977, MARTHA CLARKE
DEDRICK EWS 1977, Karen Casey Lavender, Leigh Oliva, DAVID LAVENDER, Sarah Soule Oliva,
1970 Although his Thacher ties will remain strong in perpetuity, after nine years of generous and thoughtful service as a Thacher trustee, NEWLIN HASTINGS CDEP 1970 retired from the Board this summer.
In addition to being a graduate and a Trustee, Newlin served as Co-Chair of the Parents Association along with his wife Liz from 1998 to 1999. Newlin and Liz have two children who both attended Thacher: Shannon Higa CdeP 1999 and James Hastings CdeP 2002. Newlin’s father Thomas Hastings CdeP 1934, uncle Robert Hastings CdeP 1929, and brother Hill Hastings II CdeP 1966 are also Thacher alumni, as well as many nieces and nephews.
Said Newlin in 2014, “Raising our kids on a ranch, we surrounded ourselves with horses,
REILLY POLLARD, Jan Pollard, NICK NOYES, Kate Stenberg, and LINDA GILL ANDERSON EWS 1977. Missing from the photo, but at the event: MARTHA LAVENDER 1980*, MORGAN SMITH 1985*, and SARAH LAVENDER SMITH 1986
1991 MORGAN WARD published the book Take It All Off, under the pen name M.C. Welsh. Both funny and disturbing, this very personal novel runs the gamut from comedic to tearjerking. Follow the story of Cat as she navigates
the outdoors, camping, and the fulfillment of lifelong dreams. Through it all, Thacher has had a significant influence on daily life, family, and relationships…”
During his tenure on the Board, Newlin played a valuable role through his service on many committees, including Development, Personnel, Buildings and Grounds, Audit and Risk Management, and Architectural Review.
Said Board Chair Danny Sonenshine CdeP 1991, “The School and Board extend our deep gratitude to Newlin for the many ways he has contributed to the Thacher community, including in his role as Trustee. Thank you, Newlin, for your vision, care, leadership, and generosity of time and service in support of the School.”
a complicated upbringing and journeys to peace, personal understanding, and self-approval. You can find the book for purchase on Amazon and Blurb.
2002 JAMES EVERETT just assumed the position of Commanding Officer at Miramar (the Top Gun base!) in San Diego this summer. JAMIE HASTINGS also just assumed the position of Commanding Officer of his Air Force Reserve unit (Air National Guard). "Jamie & Jamie," as they were known at Thacher, reunited for the Change of Command Ceremony.
2004
Written and directed by CHRISTOPHER HILLS EATON, produced by ANDERSON CLARK, composed by JACK SLIGH 2011, and special thanks to PETER GIERKE, the animated short film Driftwood has won Best Film at UCLAxFilmFest 2024, the Bill Paxton Award for Best Local Filmmaker at the 2023 Ojai Film Festival, and a handful of other Best Animated Short awards. Driftwood tells the story of Lt. Askr and his beloved driftwood. Askr survives the attack on Pearl Harbor by clinging to a floating driftwood log, but when he’s finally rescued, he refuses to let go, leading to a relationship of sacrifice and respect that spans generations.
2005*
This fall, SARAH CHAMBERLAIN, an acclaimed writer and literature lover, came all the way from London and hosted an xBlock for students and the Thacher Literary Society. She was in Ventura for a book tour
celebrating the release of her first romance novel, The Slowest Burn
2006 AMANDA NONOMURA, ETHAN
NONOMURA 2008, and ELIZABETH WOOLFWILLIS 2007 enjoyed a trip to Alaska together this summer. Keep an eye out for Amanda as she is one of your newest Thacher Alumni Council members!
2008
ROBIN WALTER won the Academy of American Poets First Book Award for her book of poetry, Little Mercy Robin’s honors include an Academy of American Poets University and
College Poetry Prize from Colorado State University and the Merriam-Frontier Award for Poetry. She teaches at Colorado State University and lives in Fort Collins. You can find this collection of poems at Barnes & Noble and Amazon.
2012
We introduce you to Penny Ann Vestergaard who was born March 2024 to ALICE HYDE and her husband, Michael Vestergaard. We hope that one day this tadpole becomes a Toad!
What happens when Thacher faculty/staff Tamara and Gregory Haggard and Dr. Chris Vyhnal go hiking in the Dolomites at 9,000 feet elevation? They run into BRIDGET PARK who was completing on-site research and producing a show for Korean television.
2019 YAO YIN graduated summa cum laude from Harvard with a bachelor’s degree in physics in May. Yao's undergrad thesis and work on the Large Hadron Collider has been awarded the prestigious Thomas Hoopes Prize.
ANNA-LIISA EKLUND recently met up with ALICE TANG and YAO YIN in Paris. She shared, “I recently moved to Madrid to teach English at a local high school. Alice and Yao live in Paris; Alice is working in fashion, textiles, and embroidery, and Yao just started a PhD in physics.”
CLASS NOTES
2020 * WILL HARDING graduated from UChicago in May with both a BA in public policy and environmental and urban studies, and an MA in social science. Will was selected for the Howell Murray Alumni Association Award, one of the College's highest honors. This award recognizes graduating seniors who have made outstanding contributions to the University through co-curricular activities. Will was a leader in the Phoenix Sustainability Initiative and a founder and manager of the reSOURCE Thrift Store at UChicago.
2023
HAYDEN HOOPER is currently a practice player for the Tulane women's basketball team. He has been enjoying intramural basketball and volunteering as a tutor at a local high school.
Building off her positions as a head of Thacher’s Asian Student Society and Thacher’s Astronomy Program, ASHLEY ASHIKU has become a board member for her school's chapter of the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE) and the Ryerson Astronomical Society at UChicago. She is also an engineer for UChicago's PULSE-A project, a student-led project building a NASA-sponsored nanosatellite set to launch off the International Space Station in 2026 to test space-to-ground
communication using a polarized laser, and a Project Manager for L'SPACE, a NASA workforce development program, designing a lunar rover mission with NASA-standard deliverables.
2024 KELLEN MONAHAN is enjoying his first year at UT making friends, joining the Sigma Chi fraternity, and studying microeconomics. He shared that in his spare time he is “going to football games in a stadium of over 100,000
people–pretty close to the crowds we used to get at my Thacher football games! Go Toads and Hook 'em Horns!”
One of our 2023-24 Alumni and Development Office Ambassadors, CONNOR MENG, is off at Amherst, playing club rugby, and has joined the investment, outing, and skiing clubs. He has considered applying for a job in the Alumni and Development Office at Amherst as well!
FABIOLA PEÑAFIEL is in a cohort of firstgeneration college students called Kessler Scholars, which has put her in contact with an incredible community on campus at Brown University. It has helped her transition into college, and she looks forward to the programming they have planned and the support they offer for the next four years.
IN MEMORIAM
ALUMNI
Richard Lyttle CdeP 1945
Richard Lyttle CdeP 1945 passed earlier in 2024. Rick and his two brothers, John and Herb, all attended Thacher while growing up at the Rancho dos Rios. “Thacher was a formative experience for them and their frequent stories were the reason I attended,” grand-nephew Trevor McProud CdeP 2000 stated as he made a 2024 Walker Bell gift in his memory.
Alexander Van Dyke CdeP 1946
We learned of the passing of Alexander Van Dyke CdeP 1946 in December 2023. Alex (also known as "Ike") was born November 26, 1928 in Long Beach, CA.
After attending Thacher, he graduated from UCLA in 1951 with a degree in business administration. He then decided to pursue a career in medicine and attended medical school at the University of Cincinnati and received his doctor of medicine degree in 1956. After an internship at St. Mary's Hospital in Cincinnati, he returned to Southern California with his medical degree and a classmate he met in Cincinnati, D. Lael "Dee", whom he had married. He served in the U.S. Naval Reserve at Camp Pendleton as a lieutenant in the Medical Corps for the next two years, attached to the 1st Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force of the U.S. Marine Corps.
In the two years following, he was a resident at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. In 1961, Alex joined his father, Harold Milton Van Dyke, MD, and brother-in-law, Richard C. DeGolia, MD, at Pediatric Medical Center "PMC" in Long Beach.
Alex enjoyed his practice and friends at PMC for more than thirty years. Alex was an attending pediatrician at The Long Beach Children's Clinic for a decade, served as the clinic's medical director for five years, and served on the clinic's Board of Directors for fifteen years. He was on staff at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, St. Mary Medical Center, Long Beach, and Children's Hospital, Long Beach. He held many academic appointments and was among teaching staff at Long Beach Children's Hospital, and the University of Southern California Medical School, Department of Pediatrics for almost three decades.
Alex married Penelope Jones in 1983. The two moved to Bellingham, WA in 1989 to raise their two young boys.
Alex loved the ocean, sailing, and adventure, and he loved his children. His children have many fond memories of him, including boating adventures with him around Catalina Island and the San Juan Islands.
In his years leading up to retirement, Alex joined Holland America Line to work as a physician on cruise ships. He mostly worked onboard the ship MS Rotterdam for five years, which allowed him to practice his love of medicine and enjoy his love of the sea, and the assignment offered him and Penelope the opportunity to travel extensively.
Alex is survived by his five children, Alexis Van Dyke, Harold Milton Van Dyke II, Elizabeth Van Dyke, Scott Jones and Todd Jones MD; five grandchildren, and fourteen grand- and greatgrandnieces and nephews.
Norman Lawrence Rosenblatt died peacefully on August 18, 2024, at the age of 92. He lived a life full of family, love, enthusiasm, and music.
Norm was born in Salt Lake City, UT, the eldest of four children to Joseph and Evelyn Benowitz Rosenblatt.
Norm attended public schools in Salt Lake for elementary and middle schools before coming to Thacher. Norm was able to attend his 75th Reunion in June here at Thacher, accompanied by his son, Josh CdeP 1976. He was the eldest attendee and was able to lead the Saturday evening dinner Banquet Song.
After graduating Thacher, he attended Yale in New Haven, CT. He then enlisted in the United States Navy and served as a lieutenant communications officer for four years.
While at Yale, on a blind date, Norm met and fell in love with Nan Chisholm, then a student at Connecticut College. The two were married in 1955 and settled in Salt Lake where they began a family. Norm worked at EIMCo Corporation in Salt Lake for several years until he left to start a weekly newspaper, the Rocky Mountain Review, which evolved into a commercial printing business.
In 1973, Norm and Nan started a new chapter in their lives when they moved the family to San Francisco. Norm teamed up with Nan, who had become a successful interior designer, to open a 19-room boutique bed-and-breakfast hotel. The Washington Square Inn was soon followed
by The Inn at Union Square, a 30-room hotel in downtown San Francisco.
In 1986, Norm and Nan built and operated the Garden Court Hotel, a 62-room luxury hotel in Palo Alto. The couple's final venture was the Vineyard Creek, a 300+-room hotel they built and operated in Santa Rosa's wine country.
Norm was a unique athlete. He took up running before it was popular (people would stop to ask if he was being chased). To keep both mind and body sharp, he memorized poetry on the treadmill. Until very recently, he would walk from the Embarcadero up the many hills to their apartment on Nob Hill, soaking in the city he loved.
Above all, music was Norm's passion. He inherited that passion from his mother, an accomplished pianist. As a young boy, he took piano lessons in classical music and then jazz. In his 40s and beyond, he played Broadway musical numbers at family events. He composed parody lyrics to that music, cleverly tailoring them to the activities of family members. Over time, this ability and passion lead to combining his piano composition skills with his love of poetry. He used his favorite published poems as libretto for original pieces of jazz music. He formed a band, including his piano teacher Ken French and vocalist Clairdee, who performed the pieces in jazz clubs. They can be heard at https://www.jazzvoice.net.
For several years before he died, he was composing his masterwork, a cantata setting to music the poem The Undressing by renowned poet Li-Young Lee. He was a rare and special person who remained at the height of creativity in his 90s.
Norman leaves behind his loving wife, Nan; his siblings, Steve (Martha), Toby CdeP 1956 (Sally), and Mindy (Evelyn); his children, Darcey (David), Josh CdeP 1976 (Kate), Brooke (Marc), and Eli (Amanda); as well as seven grandchildren, Sarah (Joe), Ali (Jhonattan), Benjamin, Coby, Martha, Solomon and Victoria, and two great-grandchildren, Jade and Maya.
Peter Henze CdeP 1957
We recently learned of the passing of Peter Henze CdeP 1957.
Sandy Larsen CdeP 1962
It is with great sadness that we report the death of William G. “Sandy” Larsen, Jr.
Sandy passed away peacefully from cancer on June 12, 2024. He was 79 years old. Having grown
Norman Rosenblatt CdeP 1949
up in San Mateo, CA, Sandy arrived at Thacher as a Lower Upper and quickly became a well-respected and busy member of the class. To his roles as editor in chief of The Notes, co-captain of the second soccer team, and a trusted school prefect, he added those of “guidance counselor” to the Indoor Committee, and “Bassanio” in the Masquers’ production of The Merchant of Venice. After Thacher, Sandy graduated from Princeton University in 1966, and, subsequent to a motorcycle tour of Europe with classmates, he joined the Marine Corps. As a bombardier/ navigator, Sandy flew A-6 Intruders in Vietnam; he valued his service highly, ultimately attaining the rank of first lieutenant.
Following his military service, Sandy earned an MBA from Stanford, and, upon graduating, worked for Price Waterhouse then Bank of America as a senior loan officer. Subsequently, with a Princeton classmate, he founded and developed a highly successful executive staffing enterprise for the marketing/advertising industry; he was able to sell the company and retire to his beloved Sonoma home.
Sandy enjoyed maintaining close relationships with high school, college, and military friends. When he moved to Sonoma in 2000, he helped form the monthly “Bill & Dave” hikes to explore California mountains. As a docent for the California State Parks, Sandy’s expert navigation skills were greatly appreciated—he was known to have led hikes in groups of 2 to 200 all over the country. His memorial service in a redwood grove near his Sonoma home was attended by nearly 200, many of whom he had led on those mountain treks.
Sandy often shared that Thacher was “the most important part of my educational life." The Class of 1962 will miss their dear friend, as he was smooth, warm, funny, and, as one Thacher classmate put it, “always made the day a better one.” Sandy was buried wearing his fatigues and with full military honors at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Dixon, CA. He is sorely missed by his younger siblings, Kay and Bob, by his soulmate, Mary Lou Hicks, and by all who knew him.
Douglas Grimes CdeP 1966
Doug Grimes was born in Oxnard, CA on June 16, 1948. The extended Grimes family owned and managed the local newspaper, the Oxnard Press-Courier
Doug grew up with an older brother and a younger sister. Attending Thacher nurtured his
interest in horses, camping, nature, and foreign cultures. He proceeded to Yale University, where he became enchanted with Transcendental Meditation (TM). He graduated with a major in economics in 1970.
After Yale, he became a TM teacher and spent several years teaching it, first in California, then in five countries in Latin America. He relocated to Southern California, became a real estate broker, and joined a real estate firm where he sold and managed real estate investments, first in San Diego, then in Tucson, AZ. He was married for ten years.
In Tucson, he earned an MS in management information systems at the University of Arizona, which led to a career in software consulting in Colorado, Iowa, and Connecticut. He eventually returned to San Diego, where he worked as an elder care volunteer before enrolling in a PhD program in computer and information sciences at UC Irvine. His dissertation, guided by Dr. Mark Warschauer of the UCI Department of Education, investigated the use of Artificial Intelligence as an aid to writing instruction for middle school students.
After receiving his PhD in 2008, he served his elderly parents in Connecticut in their final years, then returned to work in real estate in San Diego. After retirement in 2021, he discovered a deep spiritual connection with Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, and the new understandings they brought to ancient spiritual teachings.
Doug is survived by an elder brother, Robert, and a younger sister, Diana.
John Anderson CdeP 1968
John Anderson Jr. was born on March 8, 1950 in Los Angeles, to parents John and Margaret "Peggy" Anderson. John had four siblings: Susan, Judith, Deborah, and William. The family lived in the San Fernando Valley before moving to the Hancock Park area of Los Angeles during John's elementary school years. John's family were members of Beverly Vista Presbyterian Church, where his maternal grandfather, Dr. James K. Stewart, served as the minister. As a child at Beverly Vista, John met Doreen "Dori" Dodson, who would later become the love of his life and wife of 48 years.
John's high school years were spent at Thacher where he played on the soccer team, and excelled in history and music. John developed a love of horses while at Thacher, and enjoyed a great
deal of success in gymkhana competitions. As a horseman, he had special intuition and "great hands" which served him well on the golf course in his later years. Throughout his life, John considered himself an honorary cowboy of sorts. During his time at Thacher, John experienced several family tragedies, with the passing in close succession of his mother, Peggy; his grandmother, Margaret; and his sister, Debbie. After completing his studies at Thacher, Ojai remained a special place to John, and he enjoyed spending time over the years there on his family's citrus and avocado ranch.
John graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in history, and earned a second undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. While living in Santa Barbara, John worked in a handson role helping children with special needs. After moving back to Los Angeles, John began dating his childhood sweetheart, Dori Dodson, and they were married in 1975. Both earned MBA degrees from the business school at UCLA, which would later be renamed UCLA Anderson School of Management after John's father, John E. Anderson. In the years that followed, John and Dori had four sons: John III, Michael, James, and Kevin.
John worked for Arthur Andersen LLP, before joining his father in their family business, Topa Equities Ltd. (now Anderson Holdings), in 1978. John led Ace Beverage Co., Topa's Los Angelesarea Anheuser-Busch distributorship, for over 35 years. Ace experienced significant growth during John's tenure. John was president of the California Beer Wholesalers Association and was a respected industry leader. John also served as Topa's vice chairman, overseeing its real estate, insurance, and automotive retail subsidiaries, in addition to its growing beverage division, which expanded to include businesses in Hawaii, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Los Angeles. He was very active in non-profit organizations throughout his career.
John had an active Christian faith, and served in various leadership roles in churches and ministries. Over the years, he coached his sons (and many other young people) in various sports, and enjoyed teaching his children and grandchildren to play golf. After taking a step back from dayto-day responsibilities at Topa in 2017, John and Dori moved to Indian Wells, CA. They joined Palm Desert Community Presbyterian Church, and John became actively involved with the Coachella Valley Rescue Mission and was a board member of Mama's House. John also finally had time to enjoy longer visits to his beloved Sun Valley, ID, where his extended family had vacationed for over forty years.
John passed away on May 8, 2024, peacefully and with family by his side. He is survived by his wife, Dori; three siblings (Susan McKinley, Judith Munzig, and William Anderson CdeP 1976); four sons and daughters-in-law (John III and Shannon, Michael and Jillian, James and Laura, and Kevin and Lauren), and nine grandchildren.
IN MEMORIAM
Dana Lynge CdeP 1974
Dr. Dana Christian Lynge, a Seattle general surgeon who combined a dry Nordic wit with a love of the wilderness, passed on June 21, while on an overnight backpacking trip with his wife, Dr. Martha Johnson, to see the summer solstice in the Cascade Range. He was 68 years old and a longtime associate professor of surgery at the University of Washington.
Dana was born in Copenhagen where his father was in a two-year surgical residency. Dana often cited an incident in his infancy when his parents, living in a small apartment in the city and hosting guests who were smoking during a party, swaddled the baby Lynge in a basket and hung him outside the window. Dana liked to refer to this event as stunting his social development and initiating a lifelong feeling of neglect and isolation. He'd make that claim with a straight face, but it was clear to both his father and his mother, Patricia Govier Lynge, that it was the dry Lynge wit at work.
Dana attended St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Saratoga and grew up with his younger brother, Eric, in the Santa Cruz mountains after his parents moved back to the states. At age 13, Dana was sent to St. John's School for Boys boarding school in Canada, where he gained outdoor survival skills, and got his first taste of harsh Canadian winters. At Thacher, he excelled in sports and academics, and fostered his love of the outdoors, camping, and horses. He grew close with his classmates who remember him fondly.
Following Thacher, he was accepted at Stanford University, and started in pre-law, but soon decided to follow his father into the medical profession. Dana received his medical degree from the McGill University Faculty of Medicine in Montreal. While there, Dana worked as a physician in the Arctic North serving the First Nation Inuit population. During his surgery residency in Seattle, he traveled to various conflict zones in the world to hone his medical skills and fulfill his ever-present wanderlust.
In 1995, Dana married Dr. Martha Johnson, an Anesthesiologist and fellow medical professional. Following the birth of their son, Bjorn, and daughter, Claire, Dana and Martha decided to move from Seattle to Vashon Island to raise their children in a rural environment. Dana commuted to work by ferry and bicycle in both fair and inclement weather. He enjoyed working on the family's small farm, coaching both kids' recreational soccer teams, and swimming in the Puget Sound. He also enjoyed traveling with his family to faraway places like Zambia, Patagonia, and Nepal.
Dana eschewed the formalities of academic institutional medicine. He focused on his vocation, which for him not only included surgery and caring for his patients, but also learning about each and every veteran's story. He was renowned in the hospital community for his tales, quips and satire, as well as the memorable nicknames he bestowed on most colleagues and friends.
Recently, Dana and the UW Department of Surgery initiated a Rural Surgery Program in partnership with the Billings Clinic to provide general surgery residents with education in rural surgery and serve rural communities in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. This program continues Dana's lifelong dedication to bringing surgical care to remote communities and helping those in need.
Dana is survived by his wife, Martha; son, Bjorn CdeP 2018; daughter, Claire CdeP 2021; and younger brother, Eric CdeP 1979. His Thacher CdeP 1974 classmates held a memorial gathering and created a memorial book for him this past summer.
Chris Willoughby CdeP 2004
On June 12, 2024 Christopher Todd Willoughby CdeP 2004 passed away at his home in Jupiter, FL.
From his very first day in 1986, in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, Chris charmed his family with a vibrant, independent personality. His childhood days were spent in Claremont, CA, and he attended Clairbourn School in San Gabriel. A local strawberry farm introduced Chris to what became his favorite fruit: strawberries plain or drenched in chocolate.
Sports and a love of outdoor adventures with family were two fundamental parts of his life. He spent many summer days at the family cabin near Yellowstone National Park where he enjoyed canoeing, fishing and hiking. He and his family visited many of our country’s national parks, historic sites and cultural centers. They took memorable trips to Canada, England, France, Hawaii, Japan and Mexico.
Chris approached his high school years at Thacher with vigor, playing sports, learning to ride and the care of his assigned horse, and studying with diligence. His Senior Commencement Tribute, noted: “Chris pursues knowledge and self-improvement with unyielding determination. His commanding presence on the football field, baseball diamond or basketball court discloses his athletic skill.”
Chris graduated from Kenyon College in Gambier, OH with a B.A. in History, Legal Studies, Public Policy and Humanities. He played on the college basketball team for several years. His leadership qualities and positive attitude won him the vote to serve as President of the Psi Upsilon fraternity.
Following college, Chris reveled in his work coaching a high school junior varsity basketball team in Claremont. His professional and enthusiastic approach was applauded by the athletes and their parents.
Chris’ career in business finance and investment planning led him to Florida where he worked for many years as a Senior Advisor Consultant at Lincoln Investment Planning. Living across the street from a beach where endangered sea turtles return to nest each year inspired him to support their protection through beach clean-ups and contributions. He was encouraged in recent years by the turtles’ record-breaking nest counts.
Chris approached his life with passion, always remaining cool and confident. He greeted everyone with a big, bright smile, and he had a natural gift of helping others build their confidence and self-esteem.
Chris is survived by his mother, Pam.
Several CdeP 2004 classmates and other Thacher community members gathered in the Outdoor Chapel on the Thacher campus in September to remember Chris with a memorial service, shooting hoops in the gym, and lunch at Boccali's.
FRIENDS, PARTNERS & INNOVATORS
After their Thacher graduation in 1959, Freeman Ford and Dick Rhodes initially went their separate ways—Freeman to Dartmouth, followed by flying off aircraft carriers in Vietnam with the Navy, and then Stanford Business School; Dick to Stanford followed by the University of Rochester.
“The first idea for founding FAFCO came when I was an undergraduate at Dartmouth talking to Dick, and we decided to start a manufacturing company when we graduated that would do good while doing well.” said Ford.
Freeman Arms Ford Jr.
Richard Olney Rhodes
The two remained committed to this pursuit, and in 1969 they combined that commitment, their friendship, hard work, and Silicon Valley technology to pioneer the modern solar industry through the founding of FAFCO, the first solar manufacturing company in the U.S.
FAFCO thrived over its 55-year existence, manufacturing 250,000 solar pool heating systems, avoiding the use of gas heaters, and reducing carbon emissions while providing the instantaneous electric power equivalent of five nuclear power plants. Motivated by climate change, the next chapter for FAFCO was the development of a residential solar-powered heat pump hot water product (sales of which are scheduled to begin in Q4 of 2025).
It’s no surprise their friendship has lasted given Ford’s commitment to longevity. “It's important to me that the things we make at FAFCO last a very long time,” said Freeman in a 2017 FAFCO investor video. “I drive a car I bought in 1968 that I still drive, we're living in a house we bought in 1969 that I still live in, and I'm running a business that I'm still involved with almost 50 years later."
Freeman served as President and CEO of FAFCO until his retirement in 2008 and then became Chairman of the Board. He still flies his twin Beechcraft, exercises daily, and enjoys interacting with his four children and ten grandchildren. Since its founding, FAFCO has depended on Dick’s inventions, which number over 20 with patents. In 2005, Dick began research on polymer thin-film solar collector designs, and in 2012 he also founded Rhotech
It's important to me that the things we make at FAFCO last a very long time.
Solar LLC. He enjoys time with his five grandchildren and three children, and continues to water kayak, sail, and hike.
Although 65 years have passed since these two friends started their lifelong partnership, Freeman and Dick remain close and see each other often, sharing “a lot of history over many decades,” said Freeman, and embodying Thacher’s mission of “living for their own greatest good and for the good of their fellow citizens in a diverse and changing world.” We’re certainly glad these two are in it.
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Lucas de Clercq '26 enjoying an afternoon of fly fishing in Yosemite National Park during Fall EDTs last August. Photo by Kevin Kang '26