The Gunnery Bulletin

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SPRING 2015

B U L L E T I N

“Today a reader, tomorrow a leader.”

– MARGARET FULLER

the gunnery Alumni Entrepreneurs - A Class Act 4 Serving the People 8

Celebrating Faculty 14 Letter from Head of School Trustee News

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Off Campus

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Recommended Reading

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Athletics

What is ?

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School Store

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Supporting The Gunnery Class Notes

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The Gunnery Fund

While The Gunnery – today – has made great strides in nearly every aspect and a visit to campus will make this clear, you can rest assured that you will recognize your school and be proud of the innovative ways Mr. Gunn's Mr. mission is evolving. To ensure that this momentum continues, Gunn’s School Established 1850 please consider making a gift to The Gunnery Fund again this year.

the Gunnery

thank you for your support

Support us online at www.gunnery.org or by mailing the enclosed envelope with your gift, by June 20,2015.

– JOHN LOCKE

On Campus

Arts

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“Reading furnishes the mind only with materials of knowledge; it is thinking that makes what we read ours.”

Chapin Miller Named Assistant Head of School 13

a few words

from the Head of School

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;Why do we do what we do, the way we do it?â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Peter Becker

s I visit with alumni and learn about our school through their eyes, my understanding of, and appreciation for, Mr. Gunnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s school only grows. And my picture grows deeper, more complicated, and more nuanced. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s as if Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m interviewing a group of people who have lived in a great American city. Take Manhattanâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the city sounds like a very different place depending on if you speak with someone who lived there in the 50s, 70s, or in the 21st century; someone who lived on the East side or the West, Soho, Greenwich Village, or near Columbia; a native or a transplant; someone with disposable income or just making ends meet.

This takes different forms for The Gunnery: the school before and after Ogden Miller and his intentional efforts to create new traditions, many of which remain vital today; before and after coeducation in 1977 (not to be confused with Mr. Gunnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s original effort at coeducation); the Gunnery of the late 60s was very different from the Gunnery of the 50s and early 60s; the Gunnery of Susie Grahamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tenure different than that of Michael Eanes, though both dedicated more than two decades of their lives to serving this great school. Similarly, alumni from the 50s ask why more students today donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t matriculate to the same small group of elite colleges they did; we are Gunnery, the Gunnery, The Gunnery, or who remembers when we were The Gunnery School for Boys; a vibrant outdoor program in the 80s; a storied football rivalry with South Kent (South Kent no longer plays football); international trips; the Stray Shot; the JRP (so central to alumni from the 90s, and 2000s but unknown to prior generations) and, most formatively, the iconic facultyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;be they named Beebe and Rowe or Taylor and Smallâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;who create the context within which students live, move, and have their being.

In the midst of these diverse voices, three strong, common threads emerge: t 0VS DBNQVT BOE JUT JOIFSFOU CFBVUZ BOE JOUJNBDZ UIF XBZ JUT DPOUPVST TIBQF PVS MJWFT together and remind us of our humanity, even as buildings come and go t .S (VOOÂ&#x2030;IJT FYBNQMF BOE IJT JEFBT XIBU * WF DPNF UP UIJOL PG BT IJT XJTEPN BOE IJT courage t 0VS TJ[FÂ&#x2030;XF BSF BU PVS DPSF B TNBMM TDIPPM 5IF SFMBUJPOTIJQT QPTTJCMF CFUXFFO students, between students and faculty, and between faculty at a school of 200, 250 or 300â&#x20AC;&#x201D;but not much more than 300â&#x20AC;&#x201D;are essential to Mr. Gunnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ideal and are the natural result of our campusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; scale.

follow the gunnery online â&#x20AC;&#x201C; www.gunnery.org You can also ďŹ nd us on these social media sites. facebook

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BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND SCHOOL OFFICERS Peter W.E. Becker Head of School Gerrit Vreeland ’61 Chairman Joan A. Noto P ’97 Vice Chairman Jonathan M. Estreich P ’06 Vice President Peter S. Twombly ’74 Secretary Patrick M. Dorton ’86 Treasurer William Graham Cole, Jr. Sarah A. (Scheel) Cook ’82 Duncan “Dick” Ebersol P ’08

These three factors create the context and boundaries within which we engage in the process of strategic planning. (If you did not receive by email a survey related to our strategic planning process, please notify us by sending an email to strategicplanning@ gunnery.org.) We are asking important, often difficult, questions about the school and we seek answers from every possible angle in the belief that “there is nothing to fear but fear itself” (with apologies to President Roosevelt for paraphrasing his important Tommy—BIll idea out of context).

Gretchen H. Farmer P ’05 James R. Gallop P ’15, P ’18 Beth Glynn Peter R. Houldin ’92 David E. Kaplan ’81, P ’13, P’15 Jonathan S. Linen ’62 Francis X. Macary ’77, P ’03, P’05, P’07, P’15 Kirsten Peckerman Eugene A. Pinover P ’01 Christine B. Stonbely P ’99 Richard N. Tager ’56 William T. Tolley P ’08, P’14

added to this side of the TRUSTEE EMERITI background image to widen it please Leo D. Bretter ’52 & P ’88 David N. Hoadley ’51 reproduce

One theme that has emerged in my conversations with alumni is the cost of maintaining a small school. As most people know, at $20 million, ours is a small endowment relative to our peers. To clarify that, here are the schools with which we overlap most consistently in admissions these days (another aspect of school that has changed over the years) and their respective endowments Berkshire ($126 million), Suffield ($41 million), Pomfret ($39 million), Millbrook ($33 million), Salisbury ($57 million). My hope in sharing these figures is not to be dispiriting but to clarify the lay of the land in which the school operates today. Moreover, by committing to remaining a small school, which is non-negotiable for all of the reasons shared before, we commit to a steeper, narrower road. We will, inevitably, forgo certain economies of scale that have led all of the schools listed above to grow substantially in recent years—a boarding school, whether one with 250 students or 800, requires a basic level of staffing—a Head of School, Dean of Faculty, CFO, Director of Admission, Director of Alumni and Development, etc. While we protect against administrative creep and continue to practice the Yankee thrift that has guided us over 165 years, we have chosen to remain a place that Mr. Gunn would recognize in scale and ethos even if that means choosing a less economically efficient model. It is for these reasons that I have committed to speaking frankly with alumni and parents about the financial needs of our school and the tremendous impact their giving makes on the school today, whether a first-time $100 or $1,000 gift or an increased gift to The Gunnery Fund, a gift to the endowment or a capital project, or including the school in a will. Our scale and our prudent spending mean gifts go further here than at other institutions.

Our future is so bright, but it depends, as always, on the generosity of our alumni.

That will not change, no matter the era. Nor will my gratitude—for the generations of alumni whose generosity got us to the place of strength we enjoy today. I am grateful for the increased giving (both in participation and total dollars) we have seen over the last two years, and for the enthusiasm surrounding the school today.

Val J. Prevedini ’69 ALUMNI ASSOCIATION CO-PRESIDENTS John M. Greenwood ’71 Laura Eanes Martin ‘90 BOURNE ADVISORY COUNCIL Peter W.E. Becker William S. Smilow ’82 Stephen P. Bent ’59 Jonathan M. Tisch ’72 Leo D. Bretter ’52 & P ’88 Gerrit Vreeland ’61 Edsel B. Ford II ’68 Roy S. Walzer ’65 & P ’86 Jonathan S. Linen ’62 GUNNERY COUNCIL R. Whit Matthews ’98 – President Charles W. Allen ‘94 Nicholas Molnar ‘72 Patrick V. Baker ‘89 Elizabeth R. Newman ‘93 Peter J. Bergen ‘84 Juan D. Padro ‘92 Sheila M. Boyd ‘91 Altan R. Sadik-Khan ‘06 Alessandra L. Carlin ‘97 Krystalynn M. Schlegel ‘96 Tara J. Friedman ‘03 Scott A. Schwind ‘89 Bobby Gordon ‘87 Omar Slowe ‘97 L. Michael Hersom ‘89 Jonathan P. Sullivan ‘98 Peter S. Lorenz ‘03 Steven R. Vitale ‘92 William S. McKee ‘06 Jin Young (Clifford) Yang ‘98

PARENTS FUND CO-CHAIRS Rick and Lisa Judd P ’14, ‘15, & ‘17 COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE CONTACT Michael Marich Director of Marketing and Communications, Editor E-mail: marichm@gunnery.org ALUMNI AND DEVELOPMENT OFFICE CONTACT Sean Brown Director of Alumni and Development E-mail: browns@gunnery.org ADMISSIONS OFFICE CONTACT Sara Lynn Leavenworth Director of Admission E-mail: leavenworths@gunnery.org CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Tom Hollinger P ’01 & ’04, Paula Gibson Krimsky, Sean Brown, Kiersten Marich, Chelsea Stuart, Matias Schrader ’17, Wendy Healy

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PHOTOGRAPHERS Coffeepond Photography, Phil Dutton ’81, Anna Daylor, George A. Krimsky ’60 DESIGN & PRODUCTION CEH DESIGN – Bethel, CT

Alumni Entrepreneurs a Class Act Students learn from grads how to run a business in ďŹ rst-ever class in entrepreneurship

Mr. Siskâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s class and members of the Shark Tank panel gather in the Bourne Reading Room after the student presentations

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snack shack on the Quad, an on-demand campus food delivery service, and a revolving Christmas tree stand were the mock business ideas developed by students in The Gunnery’s first entrepreneurship class last fall.

Taught by Math and Economics teacher Jarrod Sisk, Entrepreneurship gave 13 students a chance to learn real-life lessons from Gunnery entrepreneurial alumni, as well as to participate in a team project developing a product or service -- from concept to execution.

“I have always wanted to offer a class like this,” Mr. Sisk said. “It was something different from what the students would normally do. No tests, quizzes or reading assignments, and bringing a different avenue of learning to the kids. It was fun and hopefully they learned a lot.”

Student teams included Regan Butler, Storm Donovan, Alexander Hopkins, Zhaodong Li, and Hannah-Rose Michalik, representing the mock Giggles and Nibbles campus food delivery service; Charles Gallop, Mitchell Hill, Joseph McDonough and Austin Waldner, of Top Gunn Snack Shack, a made-up store on the Quad selling beverages and snacks; and William Howell, Carl Rosa, Jordan Vazzano, and Ethan Marsh of EZ-Tree-Z, an imaginary manufacturer of revolving Christmas tree stands. Each student took a leadership position in their mock company, from CEO to marketing and sales.

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Added Mr. Sisk, “I looked at this as a microcosm of what we expect our students to get out of a Gunnery education. We looked at independence, discipline, and character as three things that this class fostered. Allowing them the independence to choose their own project and timetable (within guidelines) was a new experience for most of them. They needed to have the discipline to follow through and to set plans. And to try again if their plan failed. And they needed to learn to work within the group dynamic.”

Student Shark Tank Caleb Elston ‘05, founder of delighted.com, Skyped in with the class

The students were taught how to work on teams, think independently, do market research, develop a company mission, write a business plan, get along after disagreements to solve problems, and relied on alumni for advice. “They also learned that it’s OK to fail and flop,” Mr. Sisk said, “but in business, and in life, you have to make adjustments.”

In addition to fostering an entrepreneurial spirit, the class creatively bridged current and former students and gave alums a reason to return to campus, according to Kiersten Marich, Director of Leadership Giving, whose office arranged for five alumni business-owners and serial entrepreneurs to address the class, either in person or via Skype.

Speakers included entrepreneurs and businessmen Doug Gordon, ’06, founder and CEO of Fundation.com, an online provider of business loans; Victor Bogachev,’09, and Austin Reis, ’09, of Soter, an app-maker for college campus alerts; Caleb Elston, ’05, of Delighted.com, a customer feedback company; and Charles Allen, ’94, of Bitcoin Shop, an online merchandiser using bitcoins.

The Gunnery has graduated hundreds of alums over the years who have started businesses, and the school is very grateful for their generosity of time and participation in this project. As former Gunn Scholar Caleb Elston, who launched two businesses, recalled: “The Gunnery helped me learn how to think and unpack complex problems. The experience also taught me that every system or product was created by someone, and if you want to change something you can. The Gunnery fostered a sense that you can influence things, and that’s super-powerful.”

Students were divided into three groups, each simulating a business team tasked with developing a company. Near the end of the class, the teams presented their business ideas to a panel of eight alumni, parents, business leaders and entrepreneurs.

The Nov. 10 presentation, called the Entrepreneurship Business Challenge, was The Gunnery’s version of the popular TV show, Shark Tank, with students pitching their ideas to a roomful of adults. The presentation was streamed online and can be viewed by going to: (http://hscu.be/e/384828) Unlike the real Shark Tank, where investors offer partnerships and money, The Gunnery’s alumni panel invested in the students by giving valuable comments and feedback on their projects.

The business panel included Charles via conference call; Victor, Austin, Tom Paron P’13, President, Compass Capital; Sarah Macary ’07, Vice President, Hobs Industries; Bill Tolley P’ 08 and ’14, Senior Vice President, Hubbell Inc.; Brandon Dufour ’02, All-Star Driver; and Amanda Seitz ’00, owner and buyer at J. Seitz Co. and Luxe Vegan Design.

“The students found that starting a business isn’t necessarily easy,” said Mr. Sisk. “If you have a good idea, you can carry it a long way, but a lot happens in between startup and follow-through.

They took away that they can do it. If they work on it, they’ll have opportunities. They also learned that it’s OK to fail. We had a lot of failures, providing an opportunity that we often don’t have in school. They learned that they can fail and fix it.”

“For example,” said Mr. Sisk, “the Giggles and Nibbles food delivery service started with a plan to deliver any item at any time.

The students quickly learned,” he added, “that the logistics weren’t viable, and revised the business to focus on snack items only.”

Students were encouraged to research their market and competition, and develop a business plan. Victor, whose business is a start-up, suggested that the students plan well. “Be as thorough as you can when you prepare business plans and look for as many crazy disasters as possible. We’ve tried to poke holes through your plans to show you how to plan for the worst case.”

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Real-Life Lessons While the students got real-life experience in presenting their plans to the panel, the real test would come later in the month when they turned in full-fledged business plans to Jarrod. “No tests, no quizzes…so the business plan was very important,” he said. Throughout the class, Jarrod said he told the students that the businesses had to be realistic and viable. “No making up the numbers.”

EZ-Tree-Z was first to present to the panel, giving a thorough and detailed presentation that quickly caught the entrepreneurs’ attention. The team showed a photo of a prototype of the revolving stand, and projected sales two years out, planning to invest in a factory in years 3 or 4.

Acknowledging that paying salaries to sales staff at the Snack Shack would be impossible to manage, the Top Gunn team discussed incentivizing workers with free refrigerators for their rooms.

The panel wondered whether this would be enough to keep workers interested.

The presentations, including PowerPoint visuals that the students completed themselves, and Facebook pages were so impressive that Brandon said, “If anyone wants an internship, just call me.

Good job, guys.”

Victor Bogachev ‘09 and Austin Reis ‘09 with the class

The Ez-Tree-Z leadership envisioned saving on start-up costs by having the students produce 20,000 tree stands in a home basement at first. While the panel lauded their ambition, the reality of a basement assembly line was quickly challenged “It has got to be a pretty big basement,” someone joked. The panel also questioned the students’ plan to sell the stands in local hardware stores at first, encouraging them to trademark the name and expand distribution to Big Box stores and online channels.

Recalling the hassles of climbing behind a Christmas tree to hang ornaments, parent Tom Paron lauded it as a great idea. “If you’ve ever decorated a tree, you need to buy this,” he said with a smile.

The other two groups, Giggles and Nibbles and Top Gunn Snack Shack, were both based on the need to satisfy students’ desire for munchies when the dining hall is closed and during evening study breaks.

Top Gunn Snack Shack budgeted $1,200 to $1,500 to build a modest store, while Giggles and Nibbles anticipated branching out from chips and Gatorade to one day selling fresh fruit and other perishable food. “If it’s 11:59 p.m., and they want a bag of chips – we can do it,” said Regan, CEO of Giggles and Nibbles. “If you want a banana, we can do that. If you want candy, we can do that, too. We’ll expand our product line as company grows.” The business panel encouraged the students to consider the logistics of maintaining a large inventory and keeping produce fresh.

Charles took a broader interest in the two campus food businesses, asking the students if the idea could be franchised and sold to other schools.

With prodding from the panel, the student teams explored the business concepts of franchising, accepting credit cards vs. cashonly, buying a car for delivery, making social media and marketing dynamic, using advertising, and copyright and patent issues, among other things.

Victor, who comes from an entrepreneurial family and knew early on that he would one day start a company, said that the class was a great way to expose students to self-employment. “Everyone has the idea that founding your own business is easy and a convenient way to avoid the hassles and hardships of working in an office. The entrepreneurship class helps open their eyes to what it’s all about, what the requirements are, what your mindset should be, and what kind of ideas you need to have.”

Jarrod was pleased with the presentations and said the students did a good job of fielding questions, standing on their own two feet, and being exposed to real-life issues. “In general, we’re in a world now where things move quickly. Even if you’re not an entrepreneur and work for someone else, you have to have a mindset of change and adaptability, understanding that things will always change,” he said.

“One would hope that education hits all the kinds of learning that you need to do – learning how to stretch your brain in different ways. Project learning is also very important. Students set their own plan in this class, something that teachers usually do. It was great for the school to let us bring this to them. I hope they learned from it and that it helps them in their lives.”

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QUITE A FEW W GUNNERY GUN ALUMNI have chosen politics and government service as careers. At a time when the American political system seems in particular stressâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;with public approval of Congress in the single digits and scandals popping up with regularityâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;we decided to talk with alums who have chosen the path of government service. One of the oddities uncovered in our research is a huge gap in the final two decades of the 20th Century. Most of the living alums we know to have chosen this path graduated either before 1980 or after 1999.

In interviews about their careers, we asked why that might be.

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Michelle R. Young ’99

credits her Gunnery teacher, coach and mentor Julia Alling ’81, and former faculty, for inspiring her to try politics when she was at American University in Washington, D.C. “At the time, there were a lot of foreign policy decisions being made in Washington that I didn’t philosophically agree with and I knew then that I wanted to seek a career in this field so that I could make a difference and stand up for what I believe in.” She interned first with Congressman Ray LaHood and later with Senator Dick Durbin. Two weeks after graduating from college in 2003, she moved back to Illinois and started working, for then Illinois State Comptroller, Dan Hynes, who was running in an eight-way U.S. Senate primary race. Hynes finished second to then State Senator, Barack Obama.

Even though she had always expected to return to work in D.C., Michelle’s career took a turn when she realized that she loved the campaigning side of politics. “The teamwork and leadership skills that I acquired through sports at The Gunnery were instrumental and have played a great role in my career. Campaigns are definitely not a one-person shop, just like sports teams aren’t a one-person show either.

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Christopher Healy ’76 did not set out

to be a political operative, though he says: “It was in my DNA … my parents were politically active conservatives in Manhattan during the birth of the modern conservative movement in the 1950s.” Chris says that his passion for writing, with a competence developed at The Gunnery, set him on a communications path leading to initial jobs as a political reporter for community newspapers. Having risen to be bureau chief of the Torrington Register Citizen covering the state government in Hartford, he was open to government service. “There is a common thread – educating, organizing and advocating – that made the transition seamless.”

Chris is the Communications & Policy Coordinator for the Connecticut State Senate Republican caucus in Hartford.

He has served his party and his state in many capacities, including mayoral aide, Congressional press secretary, Special Assistant at HUD, lobbyist for major corporations, and Chairman of the Connecticut Republican Party. “My four and a half years as Chairman of the Republican Party were

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Teamwork is key.” Michelle is Political Director for Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, managing her fundraising and political matters, and successfully managed her re-election campaign in the fall of 2014.

When asked about the satisfactions of her job, Michelle doesn’t pick one event, “While I could easily say the feeling of victory on Election Night is the greatest, it’s really the day-to-day and many milestones along the way that are most satisfying.” She says she even got great satisfaction managing an unsuccessful campaign, because it looked so daunting (polls showing a 2-1 margin) and they brought it within 1 percent by election night. “It was a prime example of why it is important to never give up.”

Michelle says the perks of the job are working to elect a great candidate, “The number one advantage is working to elect great people who actually make a positive difference. The drawbacks are the time demands and the necessity to find a balance for one’s personal life.”

As for the 20-year gap in the choice of politics as a career, Michelle wrote, “Perhaps this is attributed to a trend of discontent with government and the direction the country was headed during those times.”

the most satisfying… There was never dull moment, with a mixture of failure and success that made it all worthwhile.”

Chris has advice for would-be politicos: “It never works out as you think but I have been very fortunate. I was able to climb the political food chain – but there was no straight line. There never is. You need to be flexible. You need to be curious and you need to develop relationships. Building a network of contacts, working them earnestly and being generous to them in time and opportunities strengthens your chances at climbing.” He also advises those seeking a political career to begin by volunteering as an adjunct to another field.

“It will provide perspective and make any future career in government or politics memorable and fulfilling.”

Chris had this to say about the gap between the 1970s and the 2000s: “Some have argued that people in the late 1970s decided to take the calling due to the Watergate crisis. As someone who thought, and still thinks, highly of Richard Nixon, I think that is too easy an answer—even for liberals.”

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. ,Ć&#x2026; ÄŚĆ&#x2026; ), (4Ć&#x2026;ÄŻ58 is currently the Director . ,Ć&#x2026; ÄŚĆ&#x2026; . ,Ć&#x2026; ÄŚĆ&#x2026; ), Communication Communic o s for the Massachusetts Executive OfďŹ ce off Communications E Envir off Energyy and Environmental Affairs. This position has him wo closely elyy wit w working with one of the Governorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cabinet secretaries. a k He acknowledges that he is on â&#x20AC;&#x153;the steepest of learning curves in the new position.â&#x20AC;? Having majored in journalism at Northeastern University, Peter says his communications skills and ability to craft a message began in Pam Taylorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s freshman English class. She used to say, â&#x20AC;&#x153;You learn a lot more with your ears than with your mouth.â&#x20AC;? He also took to heart the Gunnery motto, â&#x20AC;&#x153;A good man/woman is always a learner.â&#x20AC;?

Peter describes himself as conservative and was exposed early to lively political discussions at home. After college, when looking for work, he sent many resumes, including one to the State Senator for his district, Scott Brown. He was surprised and gratiďŹ ed to receive a personal answer saying that the senator did not have an open position, but that the Massachusetts House Minority Leader was in need of a legislative aide. With that position, he advanced to Communications Director for the minority leader in a few short years.

Peter says that he is â&#x20AC;&#x153;lucky to love my jobâ&#x20AC;Ś government is a place where you can make a difference â&#x20AC;Ś there is such an advantage to be serving at such a unique time.â&#x20AC;? Peter urges aspiring students to â&#x20AC;&#x153;put your neck on the line, try internships, step up and serve, and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t box yourself inâ&#x20AC;Ś Sometimes it is the classes you hate that leave you with the lasting beneďŹ t.â&#x20AC;?

He feels that he is constantly evolving, becoming more aware of information about causes and situations. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My activities are taking me places, introducing me to people and ideas.â&#x20AC;?

Peterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attitude is collegial. He was surprised to run into schoolmate Nick Collins â&#x20AC;&#x2122;02 who is the new State Representative for South Boston in the State House elevator. â&#x20AC;&#x153;At the end of the day, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re friends,â&#x20AC;? he says philosophically, â&#x20AC;&#x153;although heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on the other side of the aisle.â&#x20AC;?

As to what brings the millennials to government service after decades of drought, Peter points out, â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is our time: If you have a calling to public service, these are our problems, and we need to ďŹ nd our solutions.â&#x20AC;?

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./ ,.Ć&#x2026; 0#. (Ć&#x2026;ÄŻ<6 also comes from a family involved in government ./ ,.Ć&#x2026; 0 ./ ,.Ć&#x2026; 0#

service. His father w was a member of the Nassau County Social Services Board on Long Island, N.Y. and ch chaired his village Board of Appeals for 25 years. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Other than a few years as as a newspap newspaper reporter and more recently as a radio host and free-lance writer, I new have ha spentt my my enti eentire professional career in the public sector,â&#x20AC;? he writes. He has served in his city of Madison, Wisconsin, as a mayoral appointee, as both a member and chair on city boards, and since 1987, has been a staff attorney, arbitrator and mediator for the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I used to love my job, which consisted of spreading labor peace and imposing industrial justice,â&#x20AC;? he says. Recently he has become disheartened by the politics of his home state: â&#x20AC;&#x153;since municipal collective bargaining was eliminated, all I do is hear appeals of suspensions and terminations by state employees, most of them prison guards.â&#x20AC;? Stuart plans to retire later this spring.

Stuart had no ďŹ rm opinion about the reasons for the missing two decades of alums in government service. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My era produced lots of public sector typesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;we were impressionable children when JFK came to ofďŹ ce, we took to heart â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;ask not.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? He was referring to John F. Kennedyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s s inaugural speech in which he said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.â&#x20AC;?

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Thomas F. ((Tim) Upson ’59 is a Judge Trial Referee in CT Superior Court in Waterbury, specializing in juvenile cases. case Like Li Chris Healy and Stuart Levitan, he comes family. He remembers being inspired com s from a political pol politi

by Bob Bahney, “an excellent history teacher” while he was B h at The Gunnery.

They initiated the staging of mock political conventions and included nearby independent schools.

Mr. Bahney had the students read the Lion and the Fox, and seniors dressed up in tuxedos and burned the books in protest.

Tim has experienced many roles in government service, both at state and national levels. He was in the executive branch working at the Department of Commerce from 1970 to 1974. He ran for

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Nicholas Patrick Collins ’02

represents the 4th Suffolk District, including Dorchester and the Boston Harbor islands in South Boston, Massachusetts. Nick comes from a political family; his father was a state representative, but the thoughts that steered him toward his chosen career, came as he considered his future after graduating from Babson in business management in 2007. He could see that the markets were shrinking, but more importantly, he wanted to be in a position to make a difference in the public arena.

He joined the staff of Massachusetts State Senator Jack Hart.

He volunteered one weekend in Vice-President Joe Biden’s presidential campaign in the New Hampshire primary and was hired on the spot. He went from there to the Obama / Biden campaign as regional field director in Philadelphia where he worked for the successful the election in 2008. He later returned to Senator Hart’s office, where he worked on an omnibus Bio-Tech Bill for then Governor Duval Patrick and the Democratic legislative majority.

With encouragement from his local Democratic leaders, he ran for the state legislature to represent “one of the most historic districts in Boston.” He won by the largest margin

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congress in 1976 while in his early 30s, but lost to a more experienced candidate.

“Oggie Miller (fifth headmaster at The Gunnery) was a big help.” He later moved to Waterbury and continued his law practice. Tim never thought of himself as a judge (he says he didn’t like law school much), but that job came later in his career. He started out on Republican town committees and was on the Republican State Central Committee, before running successfully for eight terms in the State Senate.

When asked to name the pitfalls of his chosen career, Tim was quick to point out that civil service is not a lucrative pursuit, although now that he is in semi-retirement as a judge trial referee (required after 70 years of age), he can do anything a judge can do—choose his caseload and take liberal vacations (unpaid).

of anyone with more than one opponent in the race in a fourperson primary and a five-person race. As a state senator, his most satisfying work has been a broad-based bill passed the last night of the first session to address the state opiates abuse epidemic.

“Government service lets you work on what’s important and helps create the kind of place you want to live in,” Nick says. “Don’t get discouraged and sacrifice the ‘good’ if it’s not perfect … after all, nobody has a monopoly on perspective.”

Nick remembers the profound effect 9/11 had on him when he was at The Gunnery. “A number of us resolved to go into the military. The students suddenly thought less about themselves and more about working together. ‘How can I help?’ was the message.”

Nick likens the 2000s to the 1970s, with the tensions of race and war; “Events and circumstances play a large part in determining a person’s choice of career… The 1980s and 1990s were the period of strong economies under Presidents Reagan and Clinton.”

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Markk Rhoa Rh Rhoads ’04

graduated from Providence Business Studies Certificate in the Political College with a Busin Having worked in the office of the mayor Science Program Program. H during his college years, he chose to stay in off Providence durin du where R Rhode Island wh h he teamed up early with Rhode Island State Treasurer, Gina Raimondo, who is now Rhode Island’s first woman governor. At The Gunnery, where he captained the varsity baseball team, Mark recalled coach Ed Small admonishing the team after away baseball games. “Leave the locker room cleaner than when you found it.” Mark found the comment trivial at the time. “But this concept of civic duty and progress stuck with me. As a public servant, and even as an everyday citizen, it is one’s duty to make your community a better place to work and live.”

Mark’s infectious enthusiasm, work ethic, and quiet competence have served his candidate’s campaigns and administrations well. He deems himself lucky that Governor Raimondo chose him as her first hire in 2010 for her campaign for State Treasurer. “I remember her husband asking me if I have ever fundraised before, which I had not.

We raised a million dollars that year, which was a lot for a down-ballot race at the time.” Mark marvels at the paths they have traveled, “For me, it was very special watching her campaign with the President, First Lady and the Clintons last November. It was amazing to think it all started with

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Peter Slone ’73

credits Mac Simms and his Gunnery senior ISP as an intern in the Connecticut legislature for the impetus which set him on the path of governmental service and public policy advocacy. The experience inspired him to apply to Georgetown where he “was smitten by Potomac Fever.” With his experience in the Connecticut Statehouse, he moved to the Washington office of Connecticut Senator Abe Ribicoff where he worked three years as a paid intern.

Prepared as what he terms “a superb generalist,” Pete had two more goals – high level presidential campaign experience and a desire to go deeper on public policy. Peter joined the Walter Mondale for President campaign in Iowa in 1983 and served in various capacities in the campaign across the country. As a result of that experience, he realized that “one must choose at some point between policy work

raising support at her dining room table and to see how far we had come.”

He is clear about what will bring success to those who are interested in entering the field. “Work for someone you believe in and invest yourself in your work and community.

It will prove to be a rewarding experience and you have an opportunity to make a meaningful difference.” Mark continues at his position in the Investment Division of the State Treasurer’s Office as a fiscal analyst and says that he is “exploring various opportunities in economic development in the Governor’s office.“ As for the long pre-millenial gap in government service, Mark made an analogy: “We saw a similar theme play out after 2008 where the best and brightest didn’t go into finance, but chose to work for more mission-driven tech startups instead.”

and campaigns.” He worked 17 years on disparate policy issues for the lobbying clients of Gold and Liebengood, finally settling on health care and joining his current employer and former client, Medtronic. “Once I settled on public policy in Washington, D.C. as my passion, the rest of my career has been a logical progression.”

Like others in his field, Peter emphasized the importance of professional networking and learning “the rhythms of a legislative body” in establishing a career in public policy.

“There’s no better teacher than Capitol Hill,” he says. “So many bright, young people who have served in government learn vital and transferrable skills around how legislative and regulatory processes work and the collaboration required to gain competitive advantage … You can’t learn this at a young age and so intimately elsewhere.”

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Chapin Miller P ’12 Named Assistant Head of School

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n March 10, 2015, The Gunnery’s Head of School, Peter Becker, named Academic Dean, Chapin B. “Chip” Miller, Assistant Head of School.

“Chip’s strengths as a leader stem from his diverse experience inside and outside of schools,” said Mr. Becker. “He excels in connecting people, disciplines and departments to the end of constantly improving curricula and teaching and identifying future opportunities. As a humanist and naturalist, Chip also embodies the ideals of Frederick Gunn and these ideals remain the school’s North Star as we look to the future.”

In his new role, Mr. Miller will be responsible, with the Head of School, for setting the school’s vision for academics and intellectual life within the context of The Gunnery’s mission. He will also continue to work closely with the other Assistant Heads of School, the Dean of Faculty, and the Department Chairs.

Mr. Miller said, “In my 18 years here, I have seen The Gunnery help so many students think creatively and critically, and grow into adults who are intellectually and morally courageous and ambitious. We have always helped students become their best selves. This is a particularly exciting moment for us. The faculty is the best group I have ever had the privilege to work with, and

our innovative and ambitious Curriculum Committee is poised to do great things. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work alongside Peter, the faculty, and the administrative team to bring our vision to fruition.”

Mr. Miller earned his B.A. in American Studies and Political Science from the University of New Mexico, a masters degree in Liberal Studies from Wesleyan University, and spent six years doing surveillance in the Air Force before his appointment at The Gunnery in 1997. He is the great-great-grandson of The Gunnery’s founder, Frederick W. Gunn.

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CELEBRATINGfaculty KAREN JOHNSON LINCOLN P ‘01, P ‘06, P ‘08: The Gunnery’s Master Teacher At my age, when writing about events that took place long ago, fiction will unwittingly settle in among the facts. Here is my account of Karen Johnson Lincoln’s tenure at The Gunnery.

—By Ed Small

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s a senior at Mount Holyoke College, Karen Johnson accepted The Gunnery’s invitation to visit campus to interview for a position that we had open in the Mathematics Department for the following fall. She visited during the early spring of 1981. While I am not sure of the exact date, I do recall that Joe Jacob was head of the mathematics department at that time, and he was in charge of being her host for the entire day. Joe Jacob and others toured the campus with Karen. There was a long list of Gunnery personnel who wanted to interview her, and as a consequence, the whole process became a protracted affair. The end result was that Karen was here on campus longer than she had anticipated. One of her final stops before heading back to Mount Holyoke was Emerson Dorm, where my wife, Peggy, and I hosted a gathering of department members. We were a young crowd then with Peggy and me being the youngest. The idea was that seeing our younger side as a school might make Karen feel more at home, and might make her feel more inclined to see that The Gunnery would be the right choice for her in respect to employment for the following fall. Engaging conversations became more animated as the evening drew longer. Karen would confess in short order that she was not much of a drinker, that she had to proctor a test for a mentoring teacher the following day, and that she needed to make a phone call before an impending snow storm actually arrived.

Conversations and storytelling were frequently interrupted with laughter. A long day had very real potential for getting a whole lot longer. While I was not a party to the conversation she had with her Mount Holyoke classmate concerning Karen’s return to her school, it went either one of two ways. Most would believe that she confessed for the third time that evening and then asked for a reprieve or forgiveness. A more likely scenario is that Karen reassured her classmate that she would be on time to proctor the test for her mentoring teacher the following morning. Somehow Karen always managed to meet all of her commitments, even though circumstances might sometimes conspire against her.

A few years later, Karen’s dog Belle was hit and killed when struck by a car while Karen was away from school. When she returned, I helped Karen bury Belle. There is a perfect place near the High Wykeham field that was suitable as a last resting place for such a noble canine as Belle and that is where we headed. Burying Belle was a somber affair, and I was not surprised when Karen produced a family bible for the occasion. I was surprised, however, when she asked me to read a verse that she had selected. With Karen’s encouragement I was able to do the verse justice. It is difficult to explain how you feel

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when your dog dies, but at this moment no explanation was necessary. I knew how she felt and I appreciated the reverence that Karen showed Belle during our brief ceremony.

Karen is the second daughter ahead of three brothers.

Karen’s widower dad was a military man who raised five children while still maintaining an active career. By Karen’s own admission, her brothers tested the limits.

In contrast, her sister and she were the voice of reason.

Karen’s dad recently passed away. When Karen speaks of her dad, she does so adoringly. Respect oozes out of every word that she uses to describe her dad.

Fifteen years ago Karen met and quickly married Clyde Lincoln, and Karen took on the role of supporting stepmother to three daughters. Karen is careful not to use the word stepdaughters when referring to Tricia, Heather, and Lindsay. They are undeniably daughters to her. All three attended and graduated from The Gunnery. All three, with Karen’s encouragement, found their own place here. It is not surprising that all three attribute their success here to Karen’s nurturing.

Karen has held the Tisch Family Chair for Excellence in Teaching and the Noto Family Chair for Dedicated Service to the school. The school thinks highly of her, as do her colleagues. She has served her school well and she has pointed many young faculty members in the right direction without taking credit for their successes. She has taught mathematics and she has chaired the World Languages Department. Coach, dorm parent, advisor, search committee member for two Heads of School, and much more has earned Karen our trust. She has almost single-handedly (and she would never say so) reinstated community service as a primary focus of the school’s curriculum, quietly mustering the support of colleagues and new administrators and encouraging students to step out of their comfort zones.

Old friends do not need constant reassurance that they are friends. Silences speak too, when you know someone as long as I have known Karen. When we do speak, our chats are framed by over 30 years of history; hers and mine together would actually make that over 60 years. When Karen speaks during faculty meetings or casual conversations, I have a reference that I trust her implicitly. I am honored to be able to say that I have had Karen as a colleague for over 30 years. It has been a privilege to be able to call her my friend.

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TOM HOLLINGER P ’01, P ’04 At first glance, Tom Hollinger wears his 27 years of service to The Gunnery lightly: his unfailingly dapper appearance, highlighted by a moustache straight out of the 19th Century, and a twinkling humor delivered with deadpan expression.

—By Paula Gibson Krimsky

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ut the exterior disguises a deeply caring educator and school administrator who takes on any task within his grasp, recalls necessary details others have forgotten, and cherishes decades of relationships with fellow faculty, administrators and students.

It is those qualities, which propelled him from his first and deepest professional love – teaching – to the essential job of raising money for The Gunnery as the director of the Development Office.

With B.A. in History from Kenyon College and a masters from Fairfield University inspiring him to teach, Tom started as a history teacher at the Grier School in central Pennsylvania, having grown up in western PA, and went on to chair the history department there.

In 1988, he and his wife Kathy, also an educator, moved to her New England homeland, where he joined The Gunnery. He and Kathy had two sons to raise and educate, Philip ’01 and Charles ’04, both of whom attended Mr. Gunn’s School on Washington’s Green.

In the days when Tom first entered administration, the world of independent schools was beginning to change rapidly. Private and not-for-profit educational institutions came to realize that they had to conduct themselves as accountable corporations and keep up with new ideas and technology that their students both craved and needed.

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“Never sit down, keep moving, and never forget to communicate your enthusiasm for the subject.”

When The Gunnery hired its first female head of school, Susan Graham, in 1991, Tom enthusiastically joined her ambitious Campus Enhancement Plan, shepherding the fundraising and financing for an enclosed rink, a new Performing Arts Center, an upgraded and expanded field house, an alumni center, the Woodward Arts Center, the acquisition of Mowbray house, and a new expanded work area for the maintenance department in “Bent Barn.” Among Tom’s most impactful achievements are the Solley Dining Hall and student center complex and Teddy House, (a 44-year-old project brought to fruition.)

With all the capital projects that Tom was an integral part of during an era of rapid expansion, he had to find time also to manage a staff of three tasked with the annual fund, which reached its first million dollar year in 2005-2006. In addition, he had to bring the endowment from $2 million to $20 million in the Campaign for The Gunnery.

However, he never abandoned the educator in himself. Many years later, he shared the following tip with a terrified, neophyte teacher: “Never sit down, keep moving, and never forget to communicate your enthusiasm for the subject.” The advice served her well.

What Tom chose not to forget, however, was the crucial importance of students, alumni and history, the life-giving roots of any institution with a mission to shape young lives.

Tom is also an accomplished landscape painter, whose work has been exhibited and sold all over New England. He also is on the vestry of his church, St. John’s Episcopal, and vice-chairman of Washington’s Historic District Commission.

In the years leading up to his retirement, Tom added educator to his job description once again. He became co-director of the Gunn Scholar program, along with Paula Gibson Krimsky, mentoring each year a select senior in an independent study project focused on a specific aspect of Gunnery history.

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TRUSTEEnews William Graham Cole, Jr. Joins The Board of Trustees

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raham Cole was recently elected to The Gunnery’s Board of Trustees.

Mr. Cole’s career spans five decades in secondary education, including classroom teaching, administration, consulting, and board membership at a variety of schools in the northeast. Before retiring in 2010, Mr. Cole was the Head of School at Westminster School in Simsbury, Connecticut for 17 years.

After graduation from Mt. Hermon School, Mr. Cole spent a year at Fettes College in Edinburgh, Scotland, on an ESU scholarship before attending Williams College, where he earned a B.A. in History with High Honors. He later earned a masters degree in History from Columbia University.

After four years in the United States Air Force, Cole’s teaching career began at The Lawrenceville School where he taught history, was a housemaster for nine years, coached lacrosse and football, and, ultimately, served as Dean of Faculty for 12 years.

SPRINGtrips The Boys Baseball, Boys Golf, and Boys and Girls Crew teams escaped the harsh New England winter to train in Florida over Spring Break. The Boys Lacrosse team used the new state-of-the-art turf field on campus to get ready for the season.

During his tenure, he was also Acting Headmaster for one year. He left Lawrenceville in 1993 to become Head of School at Westminster.

Since retiring in 2010, Mr. Cole has served a second term as Acting Headmaster at Lawrenceville, and was Senior Consultant to the Development Office at Collegiate School in New York City.

He has volunteered for a variety of educational and cultural organizations including, most recently, as a trustee at Governor’s Academy in Byfield, Massachusetts. Mr. Cole also chaired Decennial Evaluation Committees at Roxbury Latin, Wilbraham-Monson, and Northfield-Mt. Herman Schools.

Mr. Cole resides in Lawrenceville, N.J., with his wife, Carol, and their youngest son Jamieson. He stays busy consulting educators, riding his bicycle, and coaching lacrosse. He and Carol also travel often, including frequent trips to Chicago to visit their eldest son, Joshua and his family.

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ONcampus EPAC and Fitness Center Receive Upgrades Students returning to campus after winter break were greeted with a new curtain in Emerson Performing Arts Center and new equipment and flooring in the Fitness Center. Thank you to everyone who supports the school via The Gunnery Fund and through our capital initiatives.

Head of School Peter Becker joins TABS Executive Committee of North American Boarding Initiative Peter Becker was asked to join the executive committee of The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS) North American Boarding Initiative. A direct outgrowth of TABS Strategic Plan 2013-2017, NABI is an intensive, team effort to better understand and to reach the domestic boarding market. The mission is simple: over the next 18 months, develop a clear, comprehensive, and compelling set of recommended actions designed to achieve a single objective—over time, to lift demand for college prep boarding schools among targeted North American students and their families.

#SocialMediaForGood The Gunnery Welcomes Patrick Meier Mr. Meier, is the author of the forthcoming book Digital Humanitarians: How Big Data is Changing the Face of Humanitarian Response (2015). He is an internationally recognized thought-leader on the application of new technologies for crisis early warning, humanitarian response and resilience. During his talk, courtesy of The Gunnery Speaker Series, he shared with students, faculty, and guests his work developing and prototyping technologies that help humanitarian organizations provide rapid coordinated disaster relief.

Friend of the Green Award Laurie Lamarre and the Institute for American Indian Studies (IAIS) were honored with the “Friend of the Green” Award at the annual Holiday Party. (L to R:) Peter Becker, Laurie Lamarre, Craig Nelson (Trustee), Susan Payne (Trustee, Former Director), Ed Sarabia (Chair, Board of Trustees), Debbie Swigart, Paul Swigart, Ted Swigart.

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OFFcampus San Francisco, CA

The Gunnery gathered at Trou Normand in San Francisco for a wonderfully attended reception

China

Sean Brown, Director of Alumni and Development, and Peter Becker in Sanya, China

Seoul, Korea

Peter Becker and Sean Brown in Seoul, Korea

Boston, MA

Alumni from many different eras turned out for our most successful Boston event in recent memory

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New York City, NY

New York City gathering of alumni and parents, including our guest speaker Mark Lazarus ‘82, Chairman, NBC Sports

Los Angeles, CA

ABOVE: Peter Becker with LA area young alumni (L. to R.): Perry Costello Helderman ’06, Willie Charleton ‘08, LB Schmidt ‘08, Pat DePeters ‘06, and Matt Helderman ‘07

LEFT: Eight decades of alumni turned out for our reception in Los Angeles

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THE GUNNERY

RECOMMENDEDreading ED SURJAN Library Director The Narrow Road to the Deep North

by Richard Flanagan Winner of the Man Booker Prize

August, 1943: Australian surgeon Dorrigo Evans is haunted by his affair with his uncle’s young wife two years earlier. His life, in a brutal Japanese POW camp on the ThaiBurma Death Railway, is a daily struggle to save the men under his command. Until he receives a letter that will change him forever.

A savagely beautiful novel about the many forms of good and evil, of truth and transcendence, as one man comes of age, prospers, only to discover all that he has lost.*

KAITLIN VARGA English Faculty Last Night in Twisted River

by John Irving

In 1954, in the cookhouse of a logging and sawmill settlement in northern New Hampshire, an anxious twelve-year-old boy mistakes the local constable’s girlfriend for a bear. Both the twelve-year-old and his father become fugitives, forced to run from Coos County to Boston, to southern Vermont, to Toronto—pursued

by the implacable constable. Their lone protector is a fiercely libertarian logger, once a river driver, who befriends them.

In a story spanning five decades, Last Night in Twisted River depicts the recent half-century in the United States as “a living replica of Coos County, where lethal hatreds were generally permitted to run their course.” What further distinguishes Last Night in Twisted River is the author’s unmistakable voice—the inimitable voice of an accomplished storyteller.*

LAURA O’BRIEN Chair, World Languages & Culture Their Name is Today: Reclaiming Childhood in a Hostile World

by Johann Christoff Arnold

There’s hope for childhood. Despite a perfect storm of hostile forces that are robbing children of a healthy childhood, courageous parents and teachers who know what’s best for children are turning the tide. Johann Christoph Arnold, whose books on education, parenting, and relationships have helped more than a million readers through life’s challenges, draws on the stories and voices of parents and educators on the ground, and a wealth of personal experience. He surveys the drastic changes

in the lives of children, but also the groundswell of grassroots advocacy and action that he believes will lead to the triumph of common sense and time-tested wisdom. Arnold takes on technology, standardized testing, overstimulation, academic pressure, marketing to children, over-diagnosis and much more, calling on everyone who loves children to combat these threats to childhood and find creative ways to help children flourish. Every parent, teacher, and childcare provider has the power to make a difference, by giving children time to play, access to nature, and personal attention, and most of all, by defending their right to remain children.*

CRAIG BADGER History Faculty Islands in the Stream

by Ernest Hemingway

First published in 1970, nine years after Hemingway’s death, this is the story of an artist and adventurer—a man much like Hemingway himself. Beginning in the 1930s, Islands in the Stream follows the fortunes of Thomas Hudson, from his experiences as a painter on the Gulf Stream island of Bimini through his anti-submarine activities off the coast of Cuba during World War II. Hemingway is at his mature best in this beguiling tale.*

*Taken from Amazon book review

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Wait Until Dark Thrills the Audience There was a hair-raising adventure to be had in the Emerson Performing Arts Center at The Gunnery the first week in November. The fall play, Wait Until Dark, co-directed by Elizabeth Hawley Dayton ’08 and Jennifer Wojcik, opened to critical acclaim.

Return to the Forbidden Planet The Gunnery Drama Society in the Emerson Performing Arts Center presented the winter musical, Return to the Forbidden Planet, in February.

Performing Arts Chair, Jennifer Wojcik and Elizabeth Hawley ’08 were the co-directors of the musical, starring Tim Cervera ’17 as Captain Tempest, Lexi Nanavaty ’17 as Miranda, Sabryna Coppola ‘18 as Ariel, and Ollie Williams ’17 as Prospero.

Gunnery Students Spread Christmas Cheer at Holiday in the Depot “It was a great night to share our holiday spirit with the town,” said Jennifer Wojcik, Performing Arts Chair and director of The Gunnery Troubadours. During Holiday in the Depot on December 11th, the new public park and meeting space at the old Texaco garage in the center of downtown Washington was alive with the Troubadours’ Christmas carols as children gathered to make s’mores on campfires and watch Christmas movies supervised by members of the Community Service group and volunteers from the Senior Capstone group.

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The Gunnery Hosts “Art of Tomorrow” Exhibition This past fall, The Gunnery mounted an exhibition in The Tisch Family Library Gallery entitled “Art of Tomorrow.” Graphics featured artists in the “Founding Collection” of the Solomon Guggenheim Museum. Curated by Steven Lowy of Portico New York, Inc., the show included nonobjective and figurative lithographs, woodcuts, monoprints, pochoirs and drawings from artists such as Wassily Kandinsky, Rudolf Bauer, Werner Drewes, Hilla Rebay and Rolph Scarlett.

Gunnery Participates in the After School Arts Program Fourth Annual Celebration of Young Photographers On December 6, 2014, the After School Arts Program Fourth Annual Celebration of Young Photographers took place at the Litchfield Historical Society. The contest highlighted student work from schools all around Connecticut in grades 3 to 12. Gunnery participants Miranda Yang’s ‘17 and Miranda Levin’s ‘16 works were chosen out of hundreds to form part of the 55 photos on display.

A Visit with Artist Sam Posey ‘62 Mr. Richard’s After School Art class took a trip to nearby Sharon, Connecticut to visit Sam Posey’s ‘62 studio. Mr. Posey, the accomplished racing driver, broadcaster, artist, and author, took time to give a tour of his studio while speaking to the students about his start as an artist and career driving race cars.

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Photography Contest Winners 1: Eli Italiaander ’17 2: Regan Butler ’15 3: Katie Devlin ’17 4: Sylvia Wang ’18 5: Miranda Yang ’17

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Russell Sage College Theatre Honors Weekend Regan Butler ’15 (Left) and Claire Geagan ’16 (Center) had a chance to test their mettle at the college drama workshop at Russell Sage College in January. Seventeen students from the lower New England and New York area were nominated by their drama coaches and directors to take part in the three-day event. Regan and Claire are joined here on stage with Lexi Nanavaty ’17 in the fall play, Wait Until Dark.

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GUNNERYathletics

National Letter of Intent

Fall Season All-Stars and Award Winners

Virginia Dodenhoff ‘15 is joined by English Faculty and Head Crew Coach Katy Varga and Head of School Peter Becker as she signs her National Letter of Intent to row at the University of Alabama.

Fall Season All Stars: (L to R): Carl (Nico) Rosa ’15, Albert Sutton ’15, Fredrik Blomgren ‘15, Patrick Iannone ’15, Matthew Logue ’15, James Sullivan ’15, Virginia Dodenhoff ’15, Caitlyn Darosa ’15, Taylor Annicelli ‘15, Gabby Bruck ‘17, Mikayla Michals ’16

FALL 2014 TEAM RECORDS CROSS COUNTRY – Boys Varsity 5-1 CROSS COUNTRY – Girls Varsity 2-4-2 FIELD HOCKEY – Girls Varsity 7-8-1 FIELD HOCKEY – Girls JV 1-4 FOOTBALL – Boys Varsity 3-5 FOOTBALL – Boys Highlander 1- 3 SOCCER – Boys Varsity 3-10-2 SOCCER – Boys JV 10-2-1 SOCCER – Boys Highlander 9-4 SOCCER Girls Varsity 1-12-1

WINTER 2015 TEAM RECORDS

Fall Season Award Winners: (L to R): Mikayla Michals ’16, Jan Silverman ’16, Taylor Annicelli ’15, Gabby Bruck ‘17, Fredrik Blomgren ‘15, Isaac Lee ‘15

BASKETBALL – Boys Varsity 3-17 BASKETBALL – Boys JV 0-14-1 BASKETBALL – Boys 3rd’s 2-12 BASKETBALL – Boys Highlander 0-7 BASKETBALL – Girls Varsity 5-9 BASKETBALL – Girls JV 2-9 ICE HOCKEY - Boys Varsity 20-6-2 ICE HOCKEY - Boys JV 17-2-1 ICE HOCKEY – Girls Varsity 9-12-1

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Girls and Boys Hockey Compete in New England Championships

Girls Varsity Hockey capped a highly successful season, advancing to the New England Championships where they were defeated in the first round by the eventual champion Rivers School 2-1

Boys Varsity Hockey competed in the New England “Elite 8” Championships for the sixth time in seven years, lost to Dexter Southfield School 3-2 in the semifinal game

Women’s World Championship

Celebrates Winter Season Award Winners

Noemi Neubauerova ’18 plays in IIHF U18 Ice Hockey Noemi Neubauerova ’18, member of the Varsity Girls Hockey team, was selected to play for the Czech Republic National U-18 Women’s Ice Hockey Team, which competed at the 2015 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship from January 5-12 in Buffalo, N.Y.

Winter Award Winners (L to R): Arkadiy Azavayan ’15, Austin Cooke ’15, Virginia Dodenhoff ’15, and Jacob Kotcher ’15

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Gunnery Vineyard Vines Navy Tie

What’s New

at the School Store Looking for a gift for your favorite Gunnery fan?

The School Store has many great new items in stock, call or email Deborah Doody at 860-868-7334 x223 or doodyd@gunnery.org – she can tell you about additional items and help you place your order in time for the summer.

Under Armour Short Sleeve T-Shirt

Gunnery Lacrosse Hat

League Collegiate Outfitters Women’s Grey Short Sleeve T-Shirt

Gunnery Logo Titleist Pro V-1 Golf Balls

Gunnery Crew Headsweats Hat

Gunnery Car Magnets

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SUPPORTING

the gunnery

A MESSAGE FROM THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

Dear Fellow Alumni, One of the benefits of going to boarding school is the built-in alumni network that you have access to once you graduate.

OK, let’s be honest, many of us did not think about that when we were 14, 15, 16, 17, or perhaps even when we went to college.

Many of us did not think about it until we needed an internship or moved to a new city where we didn’t know anyone.

Today, who you know is almost as important as what you know.

Your network can open doors that you may have never imagined.

In our roles as Co-Presidents of the Alumni Association, we have learned about many of our alumni who are in business together, starting companies, working in similar industries, but perhaps different branches. The opportunities are endless.

As you may have noticed, in the last several issues of The Bulletin, we are trying to provide profiles of alumni in different industries.

Last spring the issue focused on Entrepreneurship. Subsequent to that, we were able to bring in alumni speakers during Mr. Sisk’s senior elective on Entrepreneurship. Please see the article on page 4 for more details. It was a fascinating experience for both our seniors and the alumni involved.

In this issue, we have chosen to focus on alumni who have careers in the political field. It is fascinating to see what led each to their respective careers. We can only do these kinds of stories if your career information and contact information is correct.

Have you had a life event? New job, marriage? Have you moved?

Take a few minutes to check with the alumni office and make sure that we are up-to-date on your personal and professional contact information. You could be in the next feature.

John Greenwood ’71

Laura Eanes Martin ’90

HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT THIS:

Call the alumni office at 860-868-7334 or email your information to alumni@gunnery.org Go to the Gunnery Alumni App and see if it is current. If not, you can update it there.

Go online to www.gunnery.org and log in.

We are so proud of all that you have accomplished, and we want to celebrate you and what you have achieved.

Warmly, John Greenwood ’71 Laura Eanes Martin ’90

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ince settling in Washington last summer, I have had the good fortune to spend time with a number of alumni, parents—both current and past—and friends of The Gunnery in a variety of settings. I am grateful for the time you’ve all spent with me and I look forward to the opportunity to meet even more of you in the coming years. Whether we’ve sat down together in the city where you live, crossed paths on campus, met at an event, or talked on the phone, you’ve all shared with me—in one way or another—your passion for The Gunnery.

The experiences are uniquely individual and yet, universally, there is a common theme: the feeling that the school has made an indelible impact on you and/or your children, and the inherent desire to see that same opportunity afforded to future generations of worthy students.

The Gunnery is a special place. We are a school guided by the principles of its founder; a small school—in a small town—both rich with history and undeniably linked to one another. The fact that we remain, 165 years later, standing squarely on the ideals of Mr. Gunn is no coincidence. It is, arguably, the characteristic that most distinctly defines us.

Sean Brown Director of Alumni and Development

Clearly, we owe our identity to Mr. and Mrs. Gunn. But if not for the benefactors of our first century and a half, our mission and our school might be very different. The common bond we share is the same as the one shared by those previous generations, and we must acknowledge their investment in our future.

There are two important, strategic initiatives under way at the school right now.

The first is a fundraising effort to complete critical capital projects on campus, the second is a planning process that will guide our path for the next decade. Neither of these efforts will succeed without the support of our community. Thank you to those of you who have participated thus far; the strategic plan survey was returned by over 12 percent of our alumni. Additionally, over $5 million has been raised toward a goal of $10 million; the new turf field and the future Graham House being manifestations of this support.

There is great excitement around our school right now, but we have farther to travel.

I ask that you stay connected to your school, and invest in its future. The Alumni and Development Office stands ready to help with both. Please contact us to update your contact information, share your thoughts and feelings about the school then and now, and let us work with you to find ways to ensure a lasting legacy.

SUPPORTING

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hank you to all of the February Face-off donors who contributed this year. Alumni from around the country celebrated the greatest season of all—you know, hockey season—by giving a gift to support their alma mater during the month-long competition.

The battle was Gunnery vs. Gunnery with graduating classes of 2000 to 2014 looking to claim bragging rights. In the end, it was the class of 2008 which was victorious with 12 percent. In total, we received 60 gifts, many of which were from first-time alumni donors.

Young alumni are encouraged to participate and stay involved with The Gunnery. If you’d like to make a gift in honor of your class, a favorite teacher, or a program that is close to your heart, you can do so until June 30, 2015 by returning the enclosed envelope or going online to the Support Us tab at www.gunnery.org.

HOMECOMING 2015

Mark your calendars and plan to come back to campus on October 24, 2015 for Homecoming! Bring the family, connect with fellow classmates, and interact with students, trustees and parents. Enjoy a fall day in New England, complete with football, apples, hot cider, donuts, chili and kettle corn.

OCTOBER 24, 2015 Please check www.gunnery.org and The Gunnery’s Facebook and Twitter pages for more updates.

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Download The Gunnery Alumni mobile app today One of the best things about boarding school is no doubt the connections that we make with friends and faculty. By just being here you have a built-in connection, a common bond. As the years pass, we stay in touch with some people and lose touch with others.

Is an Alumni Weekend on the horizon and you’d like to reconnect with old friends?

Are you moving and long to see a familiar face in a new town?

Ever wonder who else is in finance, marketing, education or engineering?

Whatever your reason for reaching out, now there’s an easy way to do it!

The Class of 2013, through their Senior Class Gift, made possible a Gunnery Alumni app. This will be the go-to place for locating and connecting with fellow alumni.

The app is available by searching for “The Gunnery” in the Apple App store and Google Play. It is compatible with iPhone, iPad and Android devices.

For a detailed guide to downloading and using the app, please visit the alumni portal of our website.

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photo to be scanned by printer

A Reverence for the Teaching Power of Nature From its inception, Mr. Gunn instilled a reverence for nature in the curriculum and conduct of his school. However, a course recognizing the importance of the natural world in Gunnery life was not established until 1947. In that year, faculty member William Chattin Wetherill founded the Outdoor Club. In the early years, the club was primarily for students who were exempt from sports for medical reasons.

The club became a key learning tool for the students, with activities ranging from surveying and establishing trails in Steep Rock, to brush clean-up and compass courses, soil and water testing, wildlife management and forestry techniques. Interest waxed and waned over the years, but resurfaced in the late

1950s when Ned Swigart, a biology teacher with a masters degree in science from Yale University, took the helm.

In the early 1960s, a Woodsmenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Weekend was held between competing schools. Log rolling, canoe jousting, lumber cutting and archery were among the contests. The Gunnery was usually triumphant in these games, which included college teams, and the prominence of the program resulted in its being added to the Athletic Program and saluted at the athletic banquet.

Patches were designed for those members of the team who passed a rigorous set of skills tests. (Note to reader: if you have such a patch and are willing to part with it, the archives would be much obliged).

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1945 70th Reunion 1947 Story Talbot sent along a fascinating account of

his time in the theater from 1954 to 1967. He went to New York after spending his last two semesters at Cornell in the drama department.

He wrote to ask famed author, Thornton Wilder, for advice on playwriting and met with him for critiques of his work. In New York, he had success both as an actor and director. He met and married his wife on stage. “I wrote many plays for her (30 in all produced in that period), collected a band of devoted actors and made my own off-off-Broadway company, created our own theater on East 10th St. called The Off-Bowery Theater.” In 1967, he left New York for San Francisco, where he was drawn to the spiritual elders of many tribes which appealed to his Native American background.

For more about his current activities, please visit http://circleway.org/

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1950 65th Reunion

1 Story Talbot ’47 with wife, Ellika Linden

1951

2 1949 Baseball Infield: (L to R): Roger Snell ’51, Don Courtney ’49, Paul Mortell ’49, Bob Ilsley ’50, and Clayton Parks ’50.

A valued photo of the 1949 baseball infield came from Roger Snell. (L to R): Roger Snell ’51, Don Courtney ’49, Paul Mortell ’49, Bob Ilsley ’50, and Clayton Parks ’50.

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1953

We received some wonderful school history of the World War II era from David Phillips who wrote about the sports schedule being severely curtailed by gas rationing and the school emptying out as the students enlisted. His class worried that it would be the last. A loyal alumnus over the years, David was last here for his 65th reunion in 2009. He missed seeing the students and the advent of coeducation.

Of his Gunnery experience, David wrote, “I have such fond memories of the school. It was more my home than any place else during those war years.”

1944 Lloyd Elston writes that he is living near his

daughter in Snohomish, Washington.

Ted Koven wrote, “I have been struck with a bit of nostalgia so I called Harry Jones and proposed to our class agent the possibility of getting some information about what you and your family have been doing since 1953. It does not have to be a life history.

Children, grandchildren, where you live and what you do are some of the things we want to hear about. As a sample, I will tell you about myself: Stephanie and I have lived in the same house in Tewksbury Township, N.J. since 1962. We have a small farm located in a steep valley where we raise sheep, chickens and have big beautiful gardens. We have three children: Nina who is a real estate agent, lives about three miles away and has two boys and one daughter, Ted, a civil engineer, lives about 45 minutes away and has two sons.

Stephanie, in the publishing business, lives in New York City and has one daughter. We live three months a year in Sanibel, Florida, where I enjoy wonderful birding, jogs (walks)

reading and cooking. At home in New Jersey, I am on the board of New Jersey Audubon, The Newark Museum and The Tewksbury Land Trust. I was elected to the Tewksbury Township Committee for three terms and served several years as mayor. We keep busy in the garden, hunting with a local pack of Basset hounds, deer hunting and local and county politics. We rent a house on Block Island for a few weeks and have our children and grandchildren stay with us. I see Harry Jones quite often and over the years he and I have taken long bike touring trips around the United States, hiked in Ireland, Switzerland, France and Idaho. We have slowed down a bit but have a lot of great memories.”

The first responder was Tom Dawson who still lives in Farnham, UK, with his wife, Olwyn. They have a son and daughter, four grandchildren and one great grandson all living in the same town. Tom retired at 66.

He was chairman of a group of monumental masons. I am not sure what that is but it required a lot of travel and his favorite destination was India. Never one to just sit around, he became chairman of Cruse Bereavement Care in the Farnharm area.

His wife, Olwyn, was a counsellor for over 20 years and was decorated by the Queen with an M.B.E. Jake Page wrote, “Good idea. I’d like to

see what has become of our class.” He has spent the last 60 or so years involved in one or another end of the publishing world—founder of the Natural History Press in NYC (now defunct), 10 years at the Smithsonian Institution as book publisher and science editor, and columnist for Smithsonian Magazine. Three daughters.

Subsequently divorced, remarried a leading DC photojournalist (Susanne) with three more daughters—all six pre-teenagers. One lasting image is a dank 6-foot high pile of laundry in the basement of our house in DC. Susanne was asked by Hopi Indians to document Hopi life—first such an invitation since 1910. One thing led to another: I quit the publishing biz to be a writer, tagged along with Susanne to Hopi country (some 30 trips in all), moved to glorious New Mexico where we lived a freelance life well into the ’90s. Then we moved to Lyons, Colorado, and were hit by but escaped the worst flooding of 2013. I have produced 48 books—see Amazon for the list.

Now working on the 49th. Writers do not get to retire. Six daughters all over the place—a public defender, a landscaper, a banjo-playing song writer and artist and post-flood executive,

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CLASS a home schooler and writer, DC’s leading wedding cake maker and late blooming college student, and an elementary school teacher. I am perfectly happy to turn the earth over to the women—they run the place anyway.

Fond regards to all the rest of the ’53 folk, wherever you are.

Chip Freeman writes from Aspen, Colorado, that he has retired as a community banker after 42 years in Pennsylvania and eight in New Jersey. He also has a condo in Lititz, Pennsylvania. Chip and his wife, Helen, have two sons and one daughter, three granddaughters and one grandson who is involved in hockey at the University of Delaware. Their granddaughters; one living in Virginia, one a senior at High Point University in North Carolina and one a senior in Greensboro, North Carolina. Harry Jones had lunch with Chip in Aspen a few years ago. It’s a nice place to live.

Jim Millinger writes, “I’ve been into education since 1953 with two times out: one to re-play Mr. Pulver for two years in a real honest-togoodness refrigerated United States Navy cargo ship home ported in Japan (Oggie wasn’t my Captain—he was worse) and one to play for nine years the role of an academic dean. I retired at 65 back to Chebeague Island and played ferryboat captain for five years, then five more as a really retired “gentleman” and then we came ashore @ 75 to a fine retirement community where we are quite content and happy. Good folks around: great staff and interesting fellow-inmates. No shoveling, lawn-mowing, house-cleaning and the like.

Bowdoin College with many fine educational and cultural plusses is a 45-minute walk away.

A single 37-year-old daughter in children’s theatre in Arizona. Pom, my partner of 31 years, is a great companion. She has four kids and eight grandkids, one of whom will marry this summer. Slowing down and enjoying life!

Best to all my classmates.”

John Phelps, who lives in St. Simons Island, Georgia, says he also is a nostalgia fan. He says he thinks of The Gunnery often. If only we had co-ed students back then. I have always had an independent streak in my personality.

A few weeks after I arrived at The Gunnery, I wrote a letter to Ogden Miller urging him to offer courses that were relevant and interesting to the students… and to expand extracurricular activities. I took part in the March on Washington in August 1963 for civil-rights (Martin Luther King), and demonstrated

several times in Washington in opposition to the war in Vietnam. I was drafted for two years in the army as a medic… in 1956. I am single…no children. I worked for 30 years at small stock-brokerage firms, using my stockbroker’s license on order desks. I spend a lot of time watching the markets and follow business news. The years 2000 and 2008 were bad but I held on and now have good paper gains. I had two summers in Europe and the Middle East, and enjoyed visiting family and friends in the U.S. and Canada. Fell off my bike three years ago, and still can’t walk normally-but manage a mile daily with no pain. Volunteer at the Glynn Art Association and Mozart Society. I visited The Gunnery in 1997, but it was graduation day, and I didn’t try to meet anybody. All the changes at The Gunnery look like progress. I’m in contact with Alex Longolius, my roommate, who still lives in Berlin, Germany.

Tony DeLude wrote that he left New England in 1978 for Florida. He has four children, three living in the Jacksonville area, one in Port Orange. He has six grandchildren. He retired in 2000 after 24 years as an area sales manager for Berkel, Inc. Played golf for about 10 years, four times a week, now only once a month (“if I am lucky.”) Spends time on travel, Venice and Las Vega for weddings last year, stamps, and book. “Dave Hoadley ‘51, Dicka’s brother, and wife stopped in two weeks ago on their way to Vero Beach. He looks great!

Thanks Tony.”

George Auchincloss wrote that it’s hard to

believe that 62 years have passed since we were together at The Gunnery. “Believe me I never expected to live here, but, when my first marriage dissolved, I sent my youngest daughter to The Gunnery and on parents weekend in 1981, I came down from Albany where I had lived for 15 years and met the woman who became my second wife, Judy.

We met in October 1981, bought a house together in September 1983, got married in October 1984, and have been here ever since.

After leaving, The Gunnery, I lost track of a lot of friends because I had a PG year at Loomis and then two years as a medic in the U.S. Army. Tough duty at Schofield Barracks, Oahu, Hawaii. Weekends at Waikiki, where I ran into Archie Peck ‘54. After the war I attended Colby College until 1960. Then six years selling life insurance for the National Life of Vermont. By then I had three daughters and an active extracurricular life as a board member of a country club, and also of a hospital for 10 years. My

major activity became and still is golf, five handicap way back when, now 16. After moving here and meeting Judy we both went into the real estate business. To this day, she is one of the top agents in Litchfield County and I am happily her assistant—sort of retired.

We have lived in this house for 30 years, our closest house built by Chappy Moore, and two down from O. Miller—So that’s the short of it all.”

Alexander Longolius sent news of his work in Berlin—very impressive! He wrote, “That’s quite a job you and Harry want to do there. My respect!” I think the only way I can help will be to react right away and to be brief about it.

OK then. After the Gunnery days I had to go back to my school in Berlin to graduate there, then university (in Berlin), teaching for nine years. During college years I built a bilateral high school student exchange program with the U.S. (when I was a part of that, it was only Europe to the U.S.). In 1967 my party joined the Federal Government in a coalition and I started working for one of the ministries in the area of information work. Took three years off to run an evening school and inaugurated a high school degree program for people who had stopped their schooling after grade 10. It takes three more years in Germany to get the abitur which then admits you to universities.

That accomplished, back to government work. Additionally, party work, running for the Berlin State Legislature. Won a seat and kept it for 18 years, eight of them as Speaker Pro Tem. After reunification, I represented a district which was in former East Berlin.

Served as my party coordinator of talks we had with the ruling Communists in East Germany to see where we can alleviate life of Germans, Berliners especially. All these years I have been active in German-American relations, founder and President of “Partnership of Parliaments,” a German-American Council of State Legislators, Chairman of the Board of Checkpoint Charley until the end of 2014.

Married since 1959, two sons, Stefan (54) who lives with his wife and two boys (21 and 26 years old) in Westchester County, N.Y. and works in New Jersey for a big German pharmaceutical company, and Kai (50), a cameraman who lives in Vienna and Rome but moves around a lot and lives where they need him. He is divorced, no children, and has friends (many ladies among them) all over.

I had almost no time for leisure activities in my life, some reading, some tennis, a house in Austrian Alps. And that is it.”

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a lot of tennis and platform tennis at various clubs. To stay in shape, I became an every day runner, which has lasted for almost 45 years, including10 marathons. From age 60 until my ’70s, I competed in triathlon competitions, which I found to be the most fun.

Ted Koven and I started going back to Gunnery

3 Nick Munson ‘59 with Jim and Susie Graham H ’12 in Boca Grande, Florida

Harry Jones wrote, “Life after Gunnery has been interesting and fun. I will try to give a brief synopsis as to what events occurred in my life from 1957 to the present.

After Middlebury, I joined the U.S. Marine Corps and was immediately shipped off to Parris Island for training. Most of my time was spent at Pendleton and Okinawa.

My wife, Judy Jones, and I dated at Middlebury. We were married on June 17, 1961, in Kansas City, Kansas. Our first rental apartment was in Toledo, Ohio. One year later, we were transferred to Cleveland before returning to New Jersey. It was good to be back in Westfield, N.J. I was with a company called DeLaval Separator Co., located in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. My position was East coast sales for pressure leaf filters use in many food, chemical, and pharmaceutical processes.

During our stay in Westfield, we had our son, Harry IV, who now resides in Boulder, CO with his wife, Riki, and our grandchildren, Finn and Mia Jones. Harry IV graduated Gunnery in 1989.

During the late ’60s, my partner and I started our own business representing processing equipment, Tower-Jones Sales Group, Inc., and I retired from there in 2005.

In 1972, we moved to Bernardsville, N.J. and during the early seventies, Judy and I played

during the late ’70s to compete in the alumni soccer game. Ted was instrumental in starting the Tewksbury Foot Bassets (TFB) Soccer team to play other teams in our area. Ted and I also enjoyed doing the self-contained long distance bike trips with all gear on the bike, including tent and sleeping bag. Most of our trips started on the West Coast or somewhere in the Rockies. We decided after many trips, seeking out a motel with a restaurant and beer was the more appropriate way to travel. In addition to biking in Idaho, I took many bike tours. The two I enjoyed most was the Tour of Colorado and Tour of Wyoming. Each tour takes one week and covers 350-450 miles including at least two high Alpine passes over the Rockies.

My wife, Judy, and I spent our summers in Sun Valley, Idaho, hiking and biking, until her death from cancer in 2005. Judy’s passing has been difficult for our family.

The Gunnery School is doing extremely well.

I had the pleasure of serving on the Board for nine years. The last 20 years have been really good and it looks like this will continue for the foreseeable future. The student body is now 300, which is the maximum enrollment.”

a mixture of U.S. military, embassy personnel as well as heads of state from all the countries including USA. I left medical academia and started a private practice urology group in Connecticut, working at Yale and Bridgeport Hospital. I was involved in urology, trauma, and micro-surgery, and training surgical residents for the next 27 years. I met my wife, Jeanette, who was a nursing supervisor of all seven of our ICU’s and head of the Code Team. I operated on her father and he survived so she had to marry me. We did take time while working to travel extensively. We both retired as planned, myself at 60 and my wife earlier, in order to continue travels and pursuing our hobbies. I build 17th Century 3 museum piece nautical models of historic interest that are first-rate ships of the line as well as grandfather clocks; collect and work on antique automobiles; and actively photograph wild life. Only the cars are for sale. My wife pursues a great interest in cooking and making jewelry. We no longer travel except between an island home in Florida and a mountain home in North Carolina. We are both in good health.

We have never found time to be bored. ”

1955 60th Reunion 1959 Jim and Susie Graham had lunch with Candy and Nick Munson at the Pink Elephant in Boca Grande, Florida in February.

Marvin (Mickey) Lewin wrote saying, “Looking

back 62 years and recalling details of one’s life as result of 80 years accumulation of cortically stored memories; the content becomes blunted, depreciated, or simply exaggerated.

I was only at Gunnery for the last two years of “high” school, however, I felt it was a remarkable experience academically and a good model for social maturation. I then went to Yale and to Albert Einstein Medical School and then for internship and Residency in Urology at University of Iowa Hospital Center.

I did two years of research after residency there and was offered a position as professor, but the Vietnam War changed those plans and I was drafted into regular Army and spent five years at Walter Reed as Assistant Chief of Urology. I ran the Urology Residency program there. Wars are hell for those in combat but an incredibly great experience and opportunity of surgeons to be creative and innovative. Our patient mix at Walter Reed in D.C. was

1960 55th Reunion 1964 Chris King has written the script for a new

musical, Images, which had a staged reading in Natick, Massachusetts in February. Music and lyrics are by Wil Breden. The two-act presentation includes 24 musical numbers and a cast of 16.

1965 50th Reunion A yearbook is being compiled for the 50th Reunion class.

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THE GUNNERY CLASS

1967 News included on William Boyd Morrison’s BRE is that he retired in April 2014, after a 43-year career with Caterpillar On Highway Diesel Engines.

1980 35th Reunion Melanie Klein-Robenhaar writes from Maine, “My son Ben Loiselle will graduate with the class of 2015. Can’t wait to celebrate my 35th in June …how can it be?”

1994 Yale M. Needel sent us articles about the interesting work with the military and an award he received from the Commanding General of Marine Corps University for the pre-deployment cultural awareness

training I provide Marines (and other service members). An Asia-Pacific analyst for the Center for Advanced Operational Culture Learning Yale says there is no substitute for making a favorable first impression. It’s for that very reason that as an expert on Asian culture, religion and politics, he counsels Marines about the dos and don’ts prior to their departure.

“Needel’s efforts haven’t gone unnoticed, as he was recently recognized by Brig. Gen. Thomas D. Weidley, president, Marine Corps University, for his labors. In addition, other branches of the military have recognized the value of his work and are in the process of trying schedule him to teach in between Marine commitments,” Lt. Col. Mark C. Smydra, operations officer, CACOCL was quoted as saying.

The articles can be found online at “marines. mil” as well as a print version in the “Quantico Sentry.”

1995 20th Reunion 1998 Emily Zyko-Rukobo and her husband, Tendai, welcomed their first child, Rumbi Tess, on November 25, 2014. They will call her Rue.

She also started a new position at New York Institute of Technology as the Director of the English Language Institute.

1999 Peter Feen and Becky Belcher Feen announce

with pride that Parker Norey Feen was born on March 15. “Becks and baby are doing great.”

2000 15th Reunion From Alexandra Kagan: “It is with beaming hearts that Patrick Soto and I introduce our son, Bodhi Locke Soto Kagan. The bundle of bliss and perfect health came into this beautiful world on Friday, January 23 at 8:25 p.m.”

2001 Tricia Lincoln is married to David Doran. They

SENIOR MUGS, NOT JUST FOR COFFEE It all started when alumna and former faculty member Julia Alling ’81 went on Facebook to bemoan the loss of her Senior Mug on graduation day those many years ago. (She suspects it was stolen but can’t prove it).

What she and no one else expected is that her FB post this February elicited an avalanche of responses from former students and colleagues, classmates and friends.

Ah, the power of tradition.

From the collected ceramic mugs with all those eager signatures on display in the Alumni and Development Office, we gather that this tradition was begun in 1952, just two years after the school’s centennial. The design shows only small variations over time.

Julia, in effect, asked her audience: “Do you know where yours is?” Most said, yes. The mug was on their office or home desk, in their cupboard, on a curio shelf, or in their mother’s safe keeping. But a few did not know or had had a mishap. The difficulty of getting a replacement became a commiseration.

No extras have been fired, and the template is only used once, so one must find a kindly classmate who is willing to share. Being the one senior who signed his/her name above the school name seemed to be one of the soughtafter attributes. The story continues.

Share yours with krimskyp@gunnery.org, and we will share it with you, as well as preserve it in our archive of special Gunnery traditions.

are busy in Traverse City, Michigan. They have a son, Leal, who will be 3 in February. Tricia teaches an online English course to college students.

2004 Otoja Abit “Wanted to share my first visit to the White House and officially meeting President Obama and FLOTUS at their holiday Christmas party. Experience of a lifetime.

The main thing he enjoyed talking about was basketball. And it’s not bad when I boast about my alma mater St. John’s and their top 20 ranking.

I’m still working my way and growing in this busyness/career. I was recently on Jon Robin Baitz’s NBC miniseries The Slap. I played a Coach in episode #2 titled ‘Harry’. I worked alongside of Zachary Quinto. I also have a role in the upcoming HBO miniseries CRIME.”

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See the article about Mark Rhoads and his work with the new Rhode Island governor, Gina Raimondo, on page 12 in this magazine.

He was enthusiastic about attending the Boston reception last winter.

2005 10th Reunion Dan O’Brien graduated from Yale School of

Drama with an MFA in acting in May 2014.

He recently wrapped up a new series from executive producers Steven Spielberg and Ed Burns called Public Morals that will premiere on TNT this summer. He is living in NYC and developing new work with his theatre company, Old Sound Room.

2006 Heather Lincoln is married to Andres Castillo.

They are leading a very busy life in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

2007 4 Otoja Abit ‘04 and Ann Edelberg at the 2014 White House News and Media Holiday Party 5 Alexandra Kagan ‘00 and Patrick Soto sent in this picture of Bodhi Locke Soto Kagan 6 Emily Zyko-Rukobo ‘98 and her husband Tendai welcomed their first child Rumbi Tess 7 Sean Kelly ‘07 teaching at Forman 8 Class of 2009 graduates (L to R): Josh Johnston, Joe Mashburn, Austin Ryer, and Kevin Tarsa at the New Year’s Day NHL Winter Classic

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Paul Henne is working on his doctorate in

philosophy at Duke University, writing lyrics and a drummer in a punk band. He says, “My advisor, Jennifer Wojick was the best!” His Facebook page is the source of information.

From the Forman School’s website, we learned about Sean Kelly’s job as the school’s video teacher. Kelly comes to Forman from New York City, where he worked as a freelancer in film and television production. While it was an exciting and fast-paced lifestyle, he was eager for a change of pace; he wanted to focus on work that was “creative and more rewarding,” he says.

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THE GUNNERY CLASS Kelly’s love of film began in fourth grade when he saw Jurassic Park. “I vividly remember the rush when I saw how Spielberg made T-Rex come to life,” he says. “Nothing beats the magic of cinema, and it feels like my duty to find, connect with, and guide students to experience that same joyful spark.”

2008 Jaime Heilbron interviewed and wrote an article about Monica Seles for the Huffington Post.

Lindsay Lincoln will be attending Georgetown Law School next year.

2010 5th Reunion Head of the Charles is just the place to run into old friends and former students who were rowers. Anna Daylor ran into Chris DePaola who reported that he was coaching JV girls rowing at Farmington High School.

2012 From the Massachusetts Maritime website we learned that junior Janine Prokscha will serve as one of the four Buccaneer Women’s Lacrosse captains in 2015. The web describes her: “Prokscha, a native of Washington, Connecticut and a graduate of The Gunnery, is one of the top returning scorers for Massachusetts Maritime this spring, as she netted 15 goals and six assists for 21 points in 12 contests last season and has amassed 32 points in 25 career outings.”

Junior Chester Hojnicki rowed for St. Lawrence’s men’s 8+ at the Head of the Charles Regatta in October.

2013 Tommy Burger paid a third visit to campus since graduation in December. At the invitation of the Gunn Museum, he reprised his Gunn Scholar lecture on Benjamin Foulois, the founder of the Army Air Force in connection with the museum’s World War I exhibit.

Izzy Bagi scored the third goal in the College

2011 Russ De Grazia’s success as a rower and

student at Hamilton College hasn’t cut into his penchant for giant pumpkin-growing (some may remember when he brought a couple of them to campus). Class Agent David Shaffer reports that he conducted a fundraiser at Hamilton with his pumpkin. The person who guessed closest to its weight won a television set. The pumpkin, by the way, weighed 1,523.5 pounds.

Steve Bailey reported that Chao Liu just

finished all required classes at MIT and will graduate in June... She is applying for grad schools but hasn’t heard yet... Looking at doctoral programs in nanotechnology (material science area).

UMass/Lowell’s senior forward Terrence Wallin scored the second and game-winning goal against the University of Massachusetts in February.

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of the Holy Cross win over Franklin Pierce University for ECAC Open Championship on March 1.

Skidmore boasted two Gunnery sophomore forwards, Anthony Bird and Mark Cibelli in their loss to Castleton State.

Wesleyan’s goalkeeper Dawson Sprigings stopped 31 shots in the 2-1 overtime win over Colby College in February.

Sophomore Dave DiGiordi caught eight passes for the Curry College football team in its loss to MIT in October.

2014 Sarah Hughson and Kayla Meneghin played

against each other in the NCAA Division III Women’s Ice Hockey Championship.

Congratulations to Kayla for scoring the game winner for SUNY Plattsburgh. Kayla ranks third in the nation in points per game and was named Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference West Rookie of the year.

Samantha Walther faced a remarkable 83

shots against goal in the Hamilton College loss to Middlebury in the NESCAC quarterfinal game. The game went into four overtimes.

10 9 Russ De Grazia ‘11 poses with his 1,523.5 pound pumpkin 10 Ivy Lee ‘14, Jenna Lee ‘15, Jeewoo Chung ‘14, Jessica Kang ‘15, Ria Han ‘13, and Yea Weon Kim ‘12

FORMER AND CURRENT FACULTY Report on retirement from Russ Elgin: “I am certainly enjoying retirement. People will ask, ‘what is the biggest change?’ and I will say that most of the time I do not wear a watch. I do miss the interaction with students and faculty, but don’t really miss the meetings, grading, preps and comment writing. (I am back in the meeting cycle here as I was just elected to the HOA board of directors. At least they only meet bi-monthly.)

It is great having my own roomy and modern home. The paying for gas, electricity and water is not necessarily one of the benefits. It is nice to no longer have shared walls and to have conveniences like a dishwasher.

Las Cruces has also been a good choice. The weather has been just what I expected. I am within five minutes of groceries, WalMart, Home Depot and a hospital. NMSU is ten minutes away and I have been to games,

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| CLASS THE GUNNERY notes bulletin concerts and plays there. There are also active theater and music series outside the university. One thing that I have really enjoyed is a group called the Academy of Learning in Retirement. Each month from September through May it host a series of four lectures by university professors. The topics have been cultural geography, nationalism, ethnic cleansing and genocide, a short history of theatre, how memory works and the most recent is the health system.

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I am trying to keep up with the point from my commencement address about travel. I have been to Tucson twice to visit my sister and also spent time with her when they were at a dog show in Alamogordo. I have made a trip to Santa Fe and Albuquerque. I was really nice to go in the fall without all the tourists in Santa Fe. I went to Mexico to celebrate my nonturkey Thanksgiving. My major spring trip is a river cruise from Amsterdam to Basel, with an extension for a few days in Luzern and Zurich.”

Cameron Patrick Garrity was born on October 29 at 8:02 pm. He was 9 lb 5 oz and 20 inches.

Kevin ’99 and Kate Merritt Garrity are the proud parents and miss their friends at The Gunnery.

Jed ’02 and Chelsea Stuart are excited to

announce the arrival of Louisa Challis Stuart.

She was born on December 20, 2014 at 12:41 p.m., weighing in at 7lbs 8oz and 20.5 inches.

11 Kevin ‘ 99 and Kate Merritt Garrity are the proud parents of Cameron Patrick Garrity 12 Dan O’Brien ’11, Liz Dayton ’08, Jess L’Heureux ’10 and Beatrice Rubin ‘12 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Lauren (Gully) Lord and Jonathan Lord were married on November 22, 2014 at the Roxbury Congregational Church in Roxbury, Connecticut.

13 Jed ’02 and Chelsea Stuart are excited to announce the arrival of Louisa Challis Stuart.

14 Lauren (Gully) Lord and Jonathan Lord were married on November 22nd

IN MEMORIAM The Gunnery community is saddened by the loss of many cherished members of its family this past year and sends its condolences to their friends and families: Mr. Walter Bastedo ‘31

Mr. Timothy Golden ‘34

Mr. George J. Renner, Jr. ‘57

Mr. T. Scott Brooke Esq. ‘63

Mr. James P. McDonnell ‘46

Mr. Matthew J. Semple ‘17

Mr. J. Lawrence Brownell ‘51

Mr. Daniel A. Nesbett ‘47

Mr. Neil W. Sheridan ‘60

Mr. Benjamin Caushaj ‘81

Mr. Robert H. Newell ‘55

Mr. John F. Skillman, Jr. ‘52

Mr. Timothy J. DeVuono ‘98

Mr. Mathias Nolan IV ‘95

Mr. Robert L. Sterling, Jr. ‘52

Mrs. Gretchen A. Flynn Messer ‘86

Mr. Frederick G. Renner ‘47

Mr. David H. Thompson ‘54

“Today a reader, tomorrow a leader.”

– MARGARET FULLER

the gunnery Alumni Entrepreneurs - A Class Act 4 Serving the People 8

Celebrating Faculty 14 Letter from Head of School Trustee News

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Off Campus

20

Recommended Reading

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23

Athletics

What is ?

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School Store

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Supporting The Gunnery Class Notes

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The Gunnery Fund

While The Gunnery – today – has made great strides in nearly every aspect and a visit to campus will make this clear, you can rest assured that you will recognize your school and be proud of the innovative ways Mr. Gunn's Mr. mission is evolving. To ensure that this momentum continues, Gunn’s School Established 1850 please consider making a gift to The Gunnery Fund again this year.

the Gunnery

thank you for your support

Support us online at www.gunnery.org or by mailing the enclosed envelope with your gift, by June 20,2015.

– JOHN LOCKE

On Campus

Arts

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“Reading furnishes the mind only with materials of knowledge; it is thinking that makes what we read ours.”

Chapin Miller Named Assistant Head of School 13

The Narrow Road to the Deep North Richard Flanagan

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage

RECOMMENDED READING

SPRING 2015

Last Night in Twisted River John Irving

99 Green Hill Road Washington, CT 06793 (860) 868-7334 Fax: (860) 868-7816 E-mail: alumni@gunnery.org

THE GUNNERY BULLETIN |

PAID MIlford, CT Permit No. 80

Address Service Requested

The Gunnery

SPRING 2015

B U L L E T I N

Their Name is Today: Reclaiming Childhood in a Hostile World

by Johann Christoff Arnold

Islands in the Stream

by Ernest Hemingway

2015-2016 Events

The Narrow Road to the Deep North Richard Flanagan

Last Night in Twisted River John Irving

RECOMMENDED READING Their Name is Today: Reclaiming Childhood in a Hostile World

by Johann Christoff Arnold

DATE

VENUE

LOCATION

September 11

CONVOCATION

On Campus

September 26

ADMISSIONS FALL OPEN HOUSE

On Campus

October 7

GRANDPARENTS DAY

On Campus

October 23

PARENTS WEEKEND

On Campus

October 24

ALUMNI HOMECOMING

On Campus

November 21

TOWN PARTY

On Campus

April 23, 2016

SPRING FAMILY DAY

On Campus

June 10-12, 2016

ALUMNI WEEKEND

On Campus

Islands in the Stream

by Ernest Hemingway

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