Hotchkiss Magazine | Fall 2021 by The Hotchkiss School

Fall 2021

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD OF GOVERNORS

AS OF JULY 2021

Robert R. Gould ’77, Co-President Elizabeth G. Hines ’93, Co-President Robert Chartener ’76, P’18, Vice President Rebecca van der Bogert, Vice President David B. Wyshner ’85, Treasurer Roger K. Smith ’78, P’08, Secretary Charles Ayres ’77 Anne Matlock Dinneen ’95 John Grube ’65, P’00 Brooke Harlow ’92, Co-President, Alumni Association, ex officio Alex Hurst ’97 John Khoury ’95, President, The Hotchkiss Fund, ex officio Annika Lescott ’06 Nisa Leung Lin ’88 Cristina Mariani-May ’89, P’23,’25 Raymond J. McGuire ’75, P’21 Paul Mutter ’87, Co-President, Alumni Association, ex officio Carlos Pérez ’81 Thomas S. Quinn ’71, P’15,’17,’19 Christopher R. Redlich Jr. ’68 Thomas R. Seidenstein ’91, P’24 Timothy P. Sullivan ’81, P’13,’16 Rhonda Trotter ’79 Richard M. Weil ’81, P’23 U. Gwyn Williams ’84, P’17,’19

EMERITI

Howard C. Bissell ’55, P’82 John R. Chandler Jr. ’53, P’82, P’85,’87, GP’10,’14,’16,’22 Thomas J. Edelman ’69, P’06,’07 Lawrence Flinn Jr. ’53, GP’22 Dan W. Lufkin ’49, P’80,’82,’88,’23 Robert H. Mattoon Jr. Dr. Robert A. Oden Jr. P’97 Kendra O’Donnell Jean Weinberg Rose ’80, P’18 John L. Thornton ’72, P’10,’11,’16 Francis T. Vincent Jr. ’56, P’85

Natalie Boyse ’09 Rafael Carbonell ’93 Weijen Chang ’86, P’22,’24. VP and Chair, Admission and Engagement Committee Ernesto Cruz III ’01 Nathalie Pierrepont Danilovich ’03, VP and Co-chair, Diversity and Inclusion Committee Marita Bell Fairbanks ’84 Danielle S. Ferguson ’97, VP and Co-chair, Diversity and Inclusion Committee Carlos Garcia ’77 Whitney Gulden ’12 Brooke Harlow ’92, Co-President of the Alumni Association Cameron Hough ’09 Julia Tingley Kivitz ’01 Robert Kuhn ’75 Barrett Lester ’81, VP and Chair, Communications Committee Keith Merrill ’02 Nick Moore ’71, P’89,’01,’06, VP and Chair, Nominating Committee for Membership Paul Mutter ’87, Co-President of the Alumni Association Honey Taylor Nachman ’90, P’21,’23 Daniel Pai ’19 Mark Pierce ’67, P’13 Blake Ruddock ’12 Bill Sandberg ’65 Marquis Scott ’98, Vice Chair Adam Sharp ’96 Richard Staples ’74, P’10,’12 Tom Terbell ’95, VP and Chair, Nominating Committee for Awards Whitney PakPour Zeta ’04 EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS

ON THE COVER:

Cooper Roh ’22 and Phoebe Hackett ’24 harvest pumpkins at Fairfield Farm. Photo: Wendy Carlson

Craig Bradley, Head of School Tom Seidenstein ‘91, P’24, Past President, Alumni Association Robert R. Gould ’77, Co-President, Board of Trustees Elizabeth G. Hines ’93, Co-President, Board of Trustees John Khoury ’95, President, The Hotchkiss Fund

FALL 2021 FEATURES

M A G A Z I N E

Enduring Gratitude

HEAD OF SCHOOL

Craig W. Bradley

Rhonda Trotter ’79 Shares Her Lesson in Perseverance

CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER

Hope Reisinger Cobera ’88, P’24

EDITOR

Wendy Carlson

Taft Day Returns!

MAGAZINE DESIGNER

Julie Hammill ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

Danielle Sinclair WEBSITE AND DESIGN MANAGER

The Right Fit

Margaret Szubra

College Advisors Help Students Seek Their Own Paths

CONTRIBUTORS

Julia Elliott, Roberta Jenckes, Erin Reid P’01,’05, Roger Wistar

PLEASE SEND INQUIRIES & COMMENTS TO:

Because There is No Planet B

The Hotchkiss School 11 Interlaken Road Lakeville, CT 06039-2141 Email: magazine@hotchkiss.org Phone: (860) 435-3122 The Hotchkiss School does not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, religion, race, color, sexual orientation, or national orientation in the administration of its educational policies, athletics, or other School-administered programs, or in the administration of its hiring and employment practices. Hotchkiss Magazine is produced by the Office of Communications for alumni, parents, members of the faculty and staff, and friends of the School. Letters are welcome. Please keep under 400 words. We reserve the right to edit and publish letters.

Environmental Stewardship at Hotchkiss

IN THIS ISSUE 2 From the Head of School

26 Progress Toward Equity

From the Board of Trustees

43 Class Notes

Enduring Gratitude

60 In Memoriam

Campus Connection

68 Parting Shot

FALL 2021

FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

A Year of Renewal N E O F M Y F AV O R I T E T R E E S

is the ginkgo tree. A geologically ancient organism, the gingko is sometimes referred to as a living fossil. There are a few gingkos on campus, including a magnificent old beauty next to the entrance to the Luke Foyer and Dining Hall. One of the fun facts about ginkgo trees is that they shed their leaves synchronously following the first heavy frost of the season. The first heavy frost arrived late this fall. One morning last week, following that frost, I encountered a small group of students and some younger faculty children standing under that magnificent tree catching (or at least trying to catch) ginkgo leaves as they fell in a steady shower to the ground. The ginkgo’s fan-shaped leaves are hard to catch because of their zig-zagging movement as they fall. Superstition holds that catching a ginkgo leaf brings good luck. Amidst these moments that signal the end of fall, I find myself feeling a spring-like sense of joy and good fortune, similar to the joy on the faces of those fortunate young people as they caught ginkgo leaves. In every chilly breeze and swirl of falling leaves there is a deeper appreciation of the simple, no-longer-take-for-granted reality that students, faculty, and staff are on campus together at Hotchkiss enjoying all aspects of school life. Many of these were unavailable during the pre-vaccine stage of the pandemic. This fall has been a joyful time of reinvigorating traditions and celebrating the pleasures of community. In September, we returned to live music in Katherine M. Elfers Hall with a truly

M AGA ZINE

PH OTO: WENDY C A R L S O N

remarkable event. International piano virtuoso Lang Lang visited Hotchkiss at the invitation of his student and friend Oliver Chen ’22. The afternoon’s program included a performance by Lang Lang, who was joined onstage by Oliver and Fabio Witkowski, head of the visual and performing arts, as well as a master class for Hotchkiss students Kenny Zhang ’22 and Ricky Shi ’23. The caliber of musical performance combined with live instruction showcased Hotchkiss at its best (see p. 14). Another highlight of the fall took place early in October when I announced the first Head of School Holiday of the year. What a thrill it is to say those magic words! The euphoria of students is awesome (in the original sense of the word). Alumni will surely remember the incomparable feeling of a Hotchkiss holiday. I called the holiday in honor of a dear friend to the School, Trustee Emerita Jeannie Weinberg Rose ‘80, P’18. Jeannie is securely in the Panthéon of remarkable leaders in the history of the School. She served 23 years as a Trustee, eight years

as president of the Board, and she is now in her second year as a Trustee Emerita. During her years as president, some of which were challenging for the School, she led the Board with clarity and without trepidation. Upon her retirement from the Board in June 2019, Trustees adopted a Resolution of Tribute in her honor. Hotchkiss is forever in her debt (see p. 13). Just a few weeks ago we welcomed hundreds of visitors to campus for Family Weekend. While conferences with advisors and teachers were held virtually for reasons of safety, families were able to attend events, visit their students in dorm rooms, watch sports, and more. It was a lovely weekend and heartwarming to see families in person. In mid-November we enjoyed yet another Hotchkiss tradition, Spirit Week, which culminated in Taft Day. The community dove into a full week of themed student activities, dressing up, food, and fun. On November 13, we welcomed busloads of student athletes and spectators from Taft as well as Hotchkiss alumni and parents for a day of sport, spirit, and fun. While the skies opened in

LET TERS TO THE EDITOR

the afternoon, rain pelted down, and some games were suspended due to thunder and lightning, Hotchkiss nevertheless carried the day, winning 6 games to 5! As we continue to engage in the traditions and fun that make Hotchkiss special for us all, we remain mindful of the gift this School represents to those of us who are fortunate enough to spend time here. The beauty of the campus and surrounding area is one of the defining aspects of Hotchkiss, and the School has a long tradition of engaging with the natural world. Yet the natural world is changing, as reflected by the ginkgo tree dropping its leaves so late in the fall. We witness the natural world in this area changing in various ways, ranging from severe summer storms flooding basements in campus buildings that have been dry for decades, to an extended fall foliage season, to thunder and lightning storms on Taft Day in mid-November. As is the case with the pandemic, we are adapting to a new normal. How do we respond? Our commitment to stewardship of the environment, from engaging in leading sustainability practices to the breadth of a curriculum that spans environmental science, climate change, conservation biology, limnology, agroecology, and environmental economics, is foundational to who we are and the difference Hotchkiss graduates can make in the world. I hope you will enjoy reading about some of the School’s work in this issue (see p. 30). On the heels of Thanksgiving, I give thanks for the opportunity to be part of the Hotchkiss community, a community to which all of you belong. I wish you a safe and happy holiday season. I hope you and the children in your lives catch a few ginkgo leaves this fall. All good wishes,

Champion Swimmer Dives Deep As I read “A Champion Swimmer Dives Deep” in the summer issue, I was thinking how much my husband, Thomas A. Ferretti ’65, would have enjoyed your article. Tom died from prostate cancer in 2019. There are quite a few similarities. Tom’s parents did not attend college and were not wealthy. Tom and his brothers attended public high school in Waterbury, CT, and learned how to swim in the many lakes around Connecticut and the local YMCA. It was fortunate for Tom that Hotchkiss noticed the potential in him and recruited him to apply and transfer to the school to join the swim team. According to his past academic school records, he had been a good student. Tom told me he had a rude awakening and struggled with his courses during his first semester at Hotchkiss. Math wasn’t the math he knew, and his English papers bled with red corrections. He was away from his family for the first time and didn’t know any of his classmates. But like Dr. McMaster, he got help from his Hotchkiss instructors and coaches, made friends with his new roommate/teammates/classmates, and he persevered. Tom stayed active in a variety of sports and also loved fly-fishing. Hotchkiss prepared him for his college years. Tom went to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and, of course, was on the swim team. I don’t know how many times he was on the Dean’s List. Tom was drafted into the USMC after graduation (1969) and returned to UNC-CH for his dentistry degree. He worked at the VA Dental clinic in Durham, NC, had a general practice in Pensacola, FL, and probably because of his lessons learned at Hotchkiss (to excel), went back to school, this time to UCONN at Farmington, CT, to specialize in endodontics. He was board-certified and ran a successful specialty practice in Pensacola. Tom was always appreciative at the opportunity that was afforded him at Hotchkiss. It did make a world of difference in his life. ANN FERRETTI

NOTEWORTHY

Former Head of School Honored A new academic building on the campus of Kenyon College in Gambier, OH, has been named in honor of Robert A. Oden Jr. P’97, headmaster of Hotchkiss from 1989-95. Oden Hall recognizes his work during the seven years he was president of Kenyon, from 1995-2002. The dedication plaque also credits his wife, Teresa Johnston Oden, an author and researcher.

Craig W. Bradley

FALL 2021

A MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES BY ROBERT CHARTENER ’76, P’18

The Board of Trustees met on campus Sept. 29 – Oct. 2. Though we had met many times by phone and virtually since February 2020, it was our first physical meeting in Lakeville in 20 months. School Opening – Hotchkiss opened in September with 622 students, higher than our goal of 606. This followed on the most selective year in the School’s admission history: 2,538 students applied, of whom 13 percent were admitted. Of the 165 students who chose Hotchkiss, there was negligible “melt” over the summer, and approximately 10 percent of the faculty are teaching more students than in their normal course load. It was a particularly diverse cohort of new students with 43 percent self-identifying as students of color. Hotchkiss required all students and employees to be vaccinated against COVID. We expect another strong admission year, as Hotchkiss was ranked second in the U.S. (up from third in 2020) in the niche.com ranking of private high schools. New Faculty Members and Endowed Chairs – Eleven new instructors joined the teaching faculty, including two Hotchkiss alumni, Lennox Debra ’02 and Lisanne Norman ’94. The modest number of new faculty members reflects a lower turnover rate among the full-time teaching staff. The trustees attended the awarding of four of the School’s 27 endowed chairs to Marta Eso P’22, Carmen Dockery Perkins P’23,’23, Amanda McClure P’18,’22, and Carita Gardiner P’17,’20. Read more on p. 12. Crain Fellowships – The two inaugural Crain Fellows, Kinyette Henderson and Claudia McGuigan, began in September. The program is a joint effort between

M AGA ZINE

Hotchkiss and the Klingenstein Center at the Teachers College at Columbia University. A Crain Fellow will teach at Hotchkiss in the first year, study at Columbia in the second and third years, and return to Hotchkiss in the fourth year. There were 35 applicants for the two positions available this year. Read more on p. 29. Bridge Program – Our highly anticipated “Bridge Program” for newly admitted students kicked off this summer, and early reports indicate a successful launch. The two-week program took place virtually and brought together 30 incoming students from a range of communities with the goal of helping them develop relationships, engage with advisors and teachers, and familiarize themselves with the resources available at Hotchkiss. The Trustees hope that it will be expanded next year. Read more on p. 26. Athletics – Hotchkiss teams resumed interscholastic play after 18 months of sports limited to intramurals because of COVID. A consulting project led by the University of Washington Center for Leadership in Athletics completed its work. We have begun to implement some of their recommendations, such as having a staff member dedicated to training captains to provide more consistent leadership development. Memorial Hall – The School has completed the fundraising for a $20.6 million renovation of Memorial Hall. The project will begin in June 2022; it will last for 15 months. The refurbished and expanded building, which will have larger faculty apartments, will reopen in September 2023, the year of Memo’s 100th anniversary. In addition, the renovation of

Buehler was completed in August, both on schedule and within budget, and we finished heating work on Wieler. Development – Hotchkiss completed the most successful year in its development history, raising $36 million in 2020-21. This included $6.5 million for The Hotchkiss Fund and $10.3 million in planned gifts — again, both records for Hotchkiss. Investment Results – For the 2020-21 fiscal year, the Hotchkiss endowment posted a return of 31.7 percent, ahead of its benchmark by 1.1 percent. Public and private equity performed exceptionally well at 46.6 percent, as investors enjoyed a strong economic rebound during the year. Venture capital and private equity led the way, posting a spectacular return of 64.1 percent. Over the past 10 years, the portfolio has returned an annualized rate of 9 percent, which puts Hotchkiss in the top 7th percentile of secondary schools. As of October 31, 2021, the endowment’s net asset value stood at $630 million. The Board was saddened by the death of Fred Frank ’50, P’12, who passed away on September 11. Frank became a trustee in 1991 and was board president from 1999 to 2001. He was elected a trustee emeritus in 2001 and was devoted to his Hotchkiss work for decades. Among other accomplishments, in 1983 Frank established the first lead charitable trust at Hotchkiss. He also led the construction and furnishing of the Frederick Frank House, which currently serves as the Head of School’s residence.

ENDURING GRATITUDE

A Lesson in Perseverance

A month after she arrived at Hotchkiss, Rhonda R. Trotter ’79 was ready to pack up and head home. Her mother convinced her to stick it out, and the tenacity she developed at Hotchkiss continues to serve her well in her career as a trailblazing attorney in the Los Angeles legal community. Now, she is giving back through service as a trustee and through generous gifts to the School. B Y W E N DY C A R L S O N

H E N R H O N D A T R O T T E R arrived in Lakeville as a lower mid in 1976, she walked onto a nearly vacant campus. The snap of cool fall air was a departure from the sunny skies of Los Angeles, where she grew up. She remembers stepping out of the taxi with her suitcase in hand, finding her way to Buehler Hall, walking into her empty dorm room, and thinking,

PH OTO: WENDY C A R L S O N

At Hotchkiss, Rhonda Trotter ’79 Faltered at First; Then Her Mother Set Her Straight

‘Oh, wow, what did I sign myself up for?’” Once the campus filled with students and classes got underway, she began to feel more comfortable. Then, in mid-October, she received a dismal report card, and her spirits plummeted: two Cs, one C+, and two Ds. She was devastated. In her public school, she had been a straight-A student; suddenly, she was close to failing several

subjects. That evening, she fished a dime out of her pocket and called her mother from the payphone in her dorm. Her words came tumbling out in fits and starts: “I told her I’d done the best I could, but clearly I wasn’t capable, that these kids are smarter than me ... that I needed to come home,” she says. Her mother, a public school teacher FALL 2021

ENDURING GRATITUDE

and a single mom, listened patiently, but she would have none of it. “You wanted to go to Hotchkiss, you made that choice, and you don’t get to quit. So, no, you have to continue to do your best,” she told her daughter. “That,” says Trotter, “is why I stayed at Hotchkiss. It was my mother telling me, ‘You don’t get to quit.’” Despite that terrible first report card, she soldiered on. Trotter was just 14 years old at the time, having started elementary school a year early, and she comes from a family with a legacy of perseverance. Both her parents were born in Mississippi and attended Rust College, a small, historically Black college. Shortly after they married, her father’s youngest brother began a relationship with a white woman, and the entire family was driven out of the state by the Ku Klux Klan. Her grandfather rushed to put the entire extended family –– including Trotter’s thenpregnant mother –– on a school bus, then drove them all to Compton, California. The family was part of “The Great Migration,” also known as the Great Northward Migration, when nearly six million Blacks left the rural southern United States for the urban areas in the Northeast, Midwest, and West between 1916 and 1970. Although some left the South to seek employment elsewhere, many others, including her family, were forced out by what Trotter calls “domestic terrorism.” The family eventually settled in Los Angeles, where Trotter was born and attended school. By the time she entered junior high, her parents had divorced, and her mother was raising two children on her own as a public school teacher. When Trotter was in ninth grade, representatives of a Colorado prep school visited her school to talk with gifted students about two full scholarships the school was offering through a city-wide competition. “I had never heard of boarding school before, other than it was a place where kids who were in trouble go,” Trotter says. Impressed by a slideshow they gave of the school, Trotter entered the scholarship competition. She didn’t get it, but she remained intrigued with the notion of 6

M AGA ZINE

boarding school and asked her guidance counselor to look into other options. Ultimately, she received a full scholarship to Hotchkiss through A Better Chance, a nonprofit that helps talented young people of color attend academically rigorous boarding, day, and public schools. Trotter now serves on the board of directors of A Better Chance, and, in 2018, she became a Hotchkiss trustee. She often tells colleagues that she was

[Trotter] often tells colleagues that she was never more academically challenged in her life than she was at Hotchkiss.

never more academically challenged in her life than she was at Hotchkiss — including attending college at Stanford University and law school at the University of California, Berkeley, and taking the California Bar Exam. When Trotter entered Hotchkiss, she had her sights set on becoming a neurosurgeon. But a near-failing grade in chemistry her lower mid year threw her dreams into jeopardy. “I had an F, but I pulled the grade up to a D+ by the end of the year, and I was happy about it,” she recalls. Still, she knew she had to do better. That summer, she enrolled in a chemistry course at UCLA and earned an A. “I was only 15 when I took the course, and I remember riding the bus to the UCLA campus with the other college students, who were wondering how a high school kid aced a college-level chemistry course. I tried to explain to them that I had gotten a D at this prep school and that I wanted to be a doctor, so I needed to do well in chemistry,” Trotter says. “I tell that story because I think it gives

an indication of the level of academic rigor at Hotchkiss,” she adds. Looking back, Trotter says her academic struggles were related to her inadequate understanding of how to study properly. Having her own textbooks at Hotchkiss, where she could highlight passages and mark up pages, was itself unfamiliar. In the Los Angeles public school system, Trotter had been issued outdated textbooks and was forbidden to annotate. “Reading for comprehension and analysis was also something we were never really taught to do,” Trotter recalls, and she notes that the smaller class sizes at Hotchkiss were both “a blessing and completely intimidating.” “In my public school, some of my classes had 40 students in them. At Hotchkiss, there might be 10 students in a class, and there was pressure to contribute something valuable to the discussion. I felt like there were kids in class who were contributing ideas about the readings that had never even occurred to me,” she says. Fortunately, she had instructors who helped her along the way. “English instructor Geoff Marchant exhorted us to look for the ‘DIM’– the deep inner meaning – in the literature we read and discussed in each class; AP Biology instructor Jim Morrill guided us through multi-week dissections of fetal pigs and other specimens, ensuring that we understood the functions of all organs. And French instructor Peter Beaumont, in an entirely good-natured and jovial manner, could strike fear in class as he called on each student in a ‘round robin’ exercise of conjugating the verb of the day, with a wrong answer resulting in said student moving to the last chair in the last row, with a grade for the day to match,” she says. “Intense? Absolutely. But those of us blessed with a Hotchkiss education left with a level of preparation and confidence that is not easily matched.” Academics were not the only area in which she struggled. Trotter was one of just a handful of Black girls enrolled at the School. At that time, she explains, the Dining Hall had only long rectangular tables. “All the Black students, students of color, the few Asian students, some Jewish

students, and some not-yet-openly gay students, maybe 15 of us altogether, could fit at one of those tables,” she says. “We were united, many of us, by feeling a bit awkward and out of place at Hotchkiss. We supported each other –– and we had Walter Crain,” she adds. Walter Crain P’86,’89 was the first Black member of the faculty and a long-serving and beloved teacher, coach, and dean of students. He was also Trotter’s basketball coach. In 2013, when former students, faculty members, and parents established the Walter J. Crain Jr. P’86,’89 Scholarship, Trotter made a generous contribution to the scholarship in his honor. After Hotchkiss, Trotter earned a B.A. in political science at Stanford University, where she decided she was more interested in law than medicine. For about six years, she worked for California Tomorrow, an educational nonprofit, after which she earned a law degree at the University of California, Berkeley. There, she was senior articles editor of the California Law Review, winner of the McBaine Moot Court Honors Program, and recipient of the Stephen Finney Jamison Award for outstanding scholarship and advocacy. Today, as a partner in the law firm of Arnold & Porter in Los Angeles, Trotter represents corporate clients in a variety of matters, including intellectual property, product liability, and employment disputes. Among her most interesting “non-

corporate” clients was the late, great musical artist Prince, whom she represented in both litigation and transactional matters for the four years prior to his death in 2016. “He was incredibly bright, and he read voraciously and wanted to engage in a large variety of topics, so we largely talked about current events, literature, and his philosophies about life,” she recalls. Trotter is known in the legal community for several significant cases she brought to a verdict. In 2019, she won a multi-million dollar verdict for Planned Parenthood in a widely-reported federal court jury trial on all claims against anti-abortion activists. Today, despite her busy career, she has made a commitment to give back to Hotchkiss through her work as a trustee. She first reconnected with the School when she attended her 20th Reunion in 1999; shortly thereafter, she was invited to return to Hotchkiss as a panelist on Martin Luther King Day. Once back on campus, she realized that Hotchkiss had made dramatic shifts in terms of diversity. “I could see that the School had changed in a positive way,” she says. After talking to students of color during that MLK weekend, she left with the impression that they had a greater sense of involvement and acceptance in the School community. “Students of color at that time really felt that they were part of Hotchkiss in a way that my generation had struggled with,” she says. After she joined the board of A Better

Chance in 2011, she began mentoring students in the program, including students who attended Hotchkiss. Her connections to the School strengthened, and in 2018, she joined the board of trustees. Currently, she chairs the Community Life Committee, serves on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee and the Admission and Financial Aid Committee, and serves as a trustee member of the Advisory Committee for Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Education. In her view, the School’s biggest challenges are continuing to build the resources to bolster DEI initiatives; supporting the curriculum to ensure that Hotchkiss provides a top-rate education and prepares students for their future in a multicultural society; and offering sufficient financial aid to attract the best and brightest students. “Hotchkiss changed the trajectory of my life,” she says of her experience in Lakeville. She hopes to ensure that future Hotchkiss students will have the same opportunities she had by extending her philanthropy to The Hotchkiss Fund. The Hotchkiss Fund provides vital financial support to key programs, community, and daily operations that define a Hotchkiss education. H

Trotter is pictured first row, third from the left, in a 1979 Misch picture of the girls varsity basketball team.

FALL 2021

CAMPUS CONNECTION

A New Tradition Ushers in the 2021-22 School Year T

HIS YEAR, FOR THE FIRST TIME,

Convocation, the formal ceremony that marks the official start of the school year, was held outdoors instead of the traditional venue in Elfers Hall. The event kicked off Sept. 7 with a spirited student procession around the campus and down the driveway.

A proud Bearcat waving the Hotchkiss flag led the way, and more than 600 students cheered when they converged at Main Circle. The newly-imagined ceremony captured the spirit of renewal that resonated throughout the week of Opening Days this fall. After a challenging, but ultimately

PH OTOS: WENDY C A R L S O N

After a challenging 2020-21 school year due to the pandemic, Hotchkiss is back!

M AGA ZINE

successful 2020-21 year due to the pandemic, Hotchkiss is back! The entire community, including staff and faculty, gathered on Main Circle to listen to remarks from Head of School Craig Bradley, and Director of Spiritual and Religious Life Jason Larson. Bradley told the crowd that, “No matter where you were last year, whether here at Hotchkiss or anywhere in the world, last year was tough. All of us spent time behind face masks and indoors behind Zoom screens. We missed time with people who are important to us. Each of us experienced

A spirited group of Hotchkiss Bearcats welcomes families to campus during move-in days.

At Fairfield Farm, preps dug potatoes. On right, seniors enjoyed dinner with classmates.

some degree of social isolation.” “Yet there can be silver linings in times of great difficulty. And one of the important silver linings from our experience of the pandemic is a reminder to value what we have.” In welcoming the students, Bradley said, “As I think about the year ahead at Hotchkiss, I am imagining a year of revival… of renewal… a renaissance of sorts. Given what we’ve been through over the past 18 months, collectively we have an opportunity to revive the warm and joyful spirit of Hotchkiss, a spirit of mutual support and connection. “This year is a chance to remember our values and return to traditions of the past with even greater joy. That’s really what this celebratory procession is all about. “A lot has changed in 18 months, and thankfully we have now come back together in person, side by side, to begin a new year

at Hotchkiss, our 130th year. “We recognize this Convocation — this coming together — as a gift and cause for celebration. The pandemic has taught us how easily this, our in-person community life, can be taken away,” he said. He added, “As we gather here together in this joyful moment, I would ask you to think about the idea of reciprocity. All of us receive wonderful gifts from this School. “Each of us is called upon to give back. One way to do that is through mindfulness and gratitude. It is important to pay attention to what we receive, to not take it for granted.” The Convocation ceremony capped a week packed with Opening Days activities, including proctor training, dorm head meetings, and new student orientation. Throughout the week, proctors and

orientation leaders played key roles in coordinating activities and helping newlyarriving students feel at home at Hotchkiss. The start of the school year is also a time to honor Hotchkiss values and traditions. On Sept. 2, seniors gathered under the Harris House tent for Senior Dinner and Chapel. The School formally welcomed students new to the School in 2020 and 2021 during the Matriculation ceremony on Sept. 7. New students introduced themselves by announcing their preferred names, hometown and state, and by writing their names in the School’s archival register, marking their official entry to the Hotchkiss community. H VIEW A REPLAY OF MATRICULATION FALL 2021

CAMPUS CONNECTION

Meet our New Faculty Members!

BRIDGET LAWRENCE-MEIGS Fairfield Farm Manager

Hotchkiss welcomed a diverse group of new faculty members this academic year, including the School’s first two Walter Crain Fellows. They join a group of 150 instructors whose roles extend beyond teaching in the classroom. They are mentors, coaches, dorm heads, and college, co-curricular, and club advisors. With a student-teacher ratio of 4:1, each faculty member is committed to going above and beyond to support student life. More than 72 percent of faculty hold advanced degrees. The average faculty member has more than 23 years of experience in education, and 70 percent of faculty live on campus.

CORY STEVENS Director, Edsel Ford Memorial Library

MK LAWSON

PH OTO: WENDY C A R L S O N

Instructor in Theatre and Humanities

M AGA ZINE

LISANNE NORMAN ’94 Instructor in African American History; Associate Director, Diversity and Inclusion Office

JINGXIA YANG Instructor in Chinese

EVA LIU Instructor in Physics

ANNU DAHIYA Instructor in English

BRIAN BERLANDI P’19,’21 Instructor in Humanities and Social Sciences

KINYETTE HENDERSON Walter Crain Fellow, Instructor in English

CLAUDIA MCGUIGAN Walter Crain Fellow and Mathematics Instructor

LENNOX DEBRA ’02 Instructor in English

MISSY WOLFF Associate Director of Admission and Communications Specialist

FALL 2021

PH OTO: WENDY C A R L S O N

CAMPUS CONNECTION

Outstanding in Their Field Four instructors receive endowed chairs

N AN ALL-SCHOOL MEETING in Elfers Hall on Friday, Oct. 1, four longserving, dedicated instructors received endowed chairs. Prior to announcing the recipients, Head of School Craig Bradley addressed the community and spoke earnestly about the hard work that goes into teaching. “I am the son of a teacher. I am married to a teacher, and I am deeply aware that being a teacher is not a job, or even a lifestyle. It is a calling,” he said.

M AGA ZINE

“At Hotchkiss, teaching does not begin and end in the classroom. Teachers are available outside of classes, in the evenings, and on weekends. Most teachers coach two sports a year, they serve as advisors, and they lead residential life in the dorms,” he continued. Being named to an endowed Chair is among the highest forms of recognition Hotchkiss can bestow on a faculty member. The first endowed Chair was created in 1959, and in the 62 years since, the School has added 26 more.

Head of School Craig Bradley (standing) with recipients of endowed chairs. From left to right: Marta Eso P’22, Amanda McClure P’18,’22, Carmen Dockery Perkins P’23,’23, and Carita Gardiner P’17,’20

Associate Head of School and Dean of Faculty Merrilee Mardon announced the recipients. Marta Eso P’22, instructor in mathematics, received The George P. Milmine Chair. Eso joined Hotchkiss in 2002. “Over the years, Dr. Eso has diligently served our community in numerous visible and invisible ways. Never one to highlight her own work or her contributions, Dr. Eso pitches in whenever and however she is able. Dr. Eso

has joyfully served residential life, both as a dorm faculty member and also at times as a part of the study skills team. She was co-head of the Math Department for several years, and she has contributed to the work of curriculum development in the Math Department. She has also served formally and informally as a mentor to new and even old faculty,” Mardon remarked. Carmen Dockery Perkins P’23,’23, instructor in Spanish, received The William Elfers ’37 Teaching Chair. Dockery Perkins came to Hotchkiss in 2015 from Berkshire Country Day School, where she had served as associate head of school for 15 years. In addition to teaching Spanish at all levels, Dockery Perkins is a member of the admission team, she serves as advisor to the student affinity group CAFE, and she is a S.E.E.D. (Seeking Educational Equity and Inclusion) facilitator. She is also the dorm head of Flinn, Mardon noted. “She is an innovator, a collaborator, a nurturer, and a holder of standards. In the classroom, she is a dedicated and intentional educator.” Amanda McClure P’18,’22, instructor in history, philosophy and religion, and associate dean of community life, received The Meredith Mallory George ’78 Teaching Chair. “Since she arrived in Lakeville in 2012, she has taken on key administrative roles, serving as class dean for eight years and, more recently, she’s become a leader in the development of student life programming as the associate dean of community life. She has served on numerous committees, where her collaborative style and clear thinking have helped colleagues stay focused on student learning and well-being. She’s also contributed critically to our co-curricular program, as a sailing coach, a rowing coach and, perhaps closest to her heart, as a coach in FFEAT,” Mardon said. Carita Gardiner P’17,’20, instructor in English, received The Class of 1942 Teaching Chair. Gardiner came to Hotchkiss in 1999. “She has served as the English department

head and taught all levels, including senior electives in film adaptations, humor, gendered language and Asian American literature. She’s coached cross country, water polo, swimming and diving, and club puck. Her record of service to the school community is so long that I can’t list it all here. In recent years, Ms. Gardiner’s support of Hillel has been invaluable. She has also collaborated with others to launch the adult anti-racist

reading group, and she is co-leading the white identifying adult affinity space,” Mardon said. “Suffice it to say that Ms. Gardiner is a person who steps up when there is need and commits with an open mind and heart. From playing fields and pool decks to classrooms, Ms. Gardiner has touched the lives of legions of Hotchkiss students.” H

HONORING JEAN WEINBERG ROSE ’80, P’18 During the September Board meeting, the Board of Trustees passed a Resolution of Tribute in honor of Jean Weinberg Rose ’80, P’18, who stepped down as president of the Board in the summer of 2019. The Board’s resolution was adopted during the fall meeting because COVID prevented appropriate celebration last year. Ms. Rose’s tireless service to the School has included 23 years as a Trustee, eight years as President of the Board, and two years as Trustee Emerita — and counting. “Ms. Rose has an unmatched standard of hard work, selfless leadership, and devotion to Hotchkiss while maintaining a fine sense of humor and never asking more of others than she demanded of herself,” reads the Resolution. “The Board of Trustees honor Ms. Rose for her vision, generosity, stewardship, creativity, and leadership, all of which she has given over many years with integrity and good will.” On October 5, this year’s first Head of School holiday was called in her honor. “Were it not for Jeannie Rose, I would not be here,” said Head of School Craig Bradley. “She was the Board President who appointed me Head of School in 2016. I will always be grateful to her for that and for her steadfast support and wise guidance during some particularly challenging times.” Speaking of her service to the School, Rose said, “Having the opportunity to give back to this wonderful school that has meant, and continues to mean, so much to me has been a privilege and an honor.” Rose is pictured above with Bradley holding “October Light on Selleck Hill” by Charlie Noyes ’78, P’03,’07, coordinator of faculty mentorship and former instructor in art. The painting, which she had long admired, was a gift in appreciation of her service.

FALL 2021

CAMPUS CONNECTION

PH OTOS: WENDY C A R L S O N

Lang Lang and Chen (left) take a bow after performing in Elfers.

Bravo! Bravo! Classical Pianist Lang Lang’s Surprise Performance Wows Hotchkiss Community

to be part of classical music history on Sept. 26, when world-renowned concert pianist Lang Lang performed exclusively for the School. The event marked the first time this superstar musician has ever performed in a high school. The unprecedented visit was thanks to Oliver Chen ’22, a longtime student of Lang Lang’s, who invited the virtuoso pianist to campus. Before performing for an audience of students and on-campus residents, the musician offered a captivating master class on stage for two accomplished student pianists, Kenny Zhang ’22, who played Chopin’s Scherzo No. 3, and Ricky Shi ’23, who played Rachmaninoff ’s Moment Musicaux No. 4. Lang Lang then brought his own vibrant, sensitive, and often poetic playing to the pianoforte when he performed a selection from the Goldberg Variations by J. S. Bach and Liebestraum No. 3 by Franz Liszt. His performance brought thunderous applause and standing ovations, as did a fourhands rendition of Hungarian Dance No. 5 by Johannes Brahms played side-by-side with Chen. Lang Lang went on to deliver a whimsical turn of Radetzky March by Johann Strauss with Fabio Witkowski, head of the visual and performing arts department, that brought an energetic and joyful finale to the performance. Hotchkiss was extremely fortunate to welcome a musician of Lang SCAN TO READ MORE AND Lang’s caliber and fame to campus. As Oliver Chen describes, last WATCH A REPLAY! year while quarantining in China, he had a brainstorm. A piano prodigy himself who has studied with Lang Lang since childhood and played with him at numerous charity concerts, Chen wanted to invite Lang Lang to Hotchkiss to celebrate the new academic year. Lang Lang enthusiastically accepted and arrived at Hotchkiss the day

OTCHKISS HAD A RARE OPPORTUNIT Y

M AGA ZINE

after he performed at the Global Citizen Live event in Central Park. Heralded as one of the most famous pianists in the world, Lang Lang, now 39, was just 17 when he became an overnight sensation after performing with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Since then, the musician, known for his hair-tossing, flamboyant performances, has sold-out concert halls around the world. Appearing on talk shows and on stage with leading entertainers, he has elevated the popularity of classical music with today’s audiences. Beyond his musical talent, he is a fervent believer in the power of music to unite people from around the world. His nonprofit, The Lang Lang International Music Foundation, supports music education and the power of music to communicate, heal, and unite. “He’s my lighthouse, my mentor,” said Chen when he welcomed Lang Lang to the stage. “My world was opened to music through studying with Lang Lang,” he said, quipping “that my feet couldn’t even reach the pedals when we started playing piano together.” Lang Lang’s visit was an opportunity for the School to engage students in a performance by a superlative musician and to celebrate the return to live performances in Elfers Hall. In introducing the event, Fabio Witkowski remarked that “after what has been one of the most challenging years of our lives, during which Elfers Hall remained mostly empty and silent, it is truly magnificent to be here, together again, ready to be touched and inspired by Lang Lang.” Instructor in Piano Gisele Witkowski commented on Lang Lang’s universal appeal and ability to inspire. “Lang Lang’s performance level was so top notch, but at the same time, he communicated with the students so well and so warmly. He brought everyone into the same wavelength –– and that is really remarkable.” H

“My world was opened to music through studying with Lang Lang.” —O LIVER C HEN ’22

FALL 2021

CAMPUS CONNECTION

The students’ handmade books showcased their own creative writing, which was influenced, in part, by the authors they studied.

The Literary Life

P H OTO S: W E N DY C A R L S O N

MacLeish Scholars immerse themselves in the art of writing B Y W E N DY C A R L S O N

N THE L AST DAY OF the MacLeish Scholars summer residency program, the classroom resembled the set of Project Runway. Bits and pieces of cloth and paper swirled through the air and fell to the floor. Sighs of frustration and gasps of excitement filled the room as students raced to measure, cut, stitch, glue, staple, and tie together their handmade books in time for the evening presentation. “Those final days were intense,” said Dr. Jeffrey Blevins, instructor in English, who launched the MacLeish Scholars Program this academic year. “But I was so proud of the many ways in which Scholars supported each other, came to one another’s aid, and — though ultimately engaged in individual work — always proceeded with a spirit of collectivity and collaboration.” Nine upper mids were selected last spring

M AGA ZINE

for the inaugural MacLeish Scholars Program, named after Pulitzer Prizewinning writer Archibald MacLeish, Class of 1911. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the two-week summer residency portion of the yearlong program was moved from Yale to Connecticut College, where students divided their time between researching their chosen authors at Connecticut College’s Linda Lear Center for Special Collections and Archives, writing original creative pieces, and designing and creating books of their own. In addition, the students visited special collections at the Berg and Pforzheimer Collections of the New York City Public Library and the Morgan Library, where they were the first group of high school students ever approved to conduct research. While there, they had the rare opportunity

to peruse Charles Dickens’ letters, as well as a note by J.M. Barrie, author of Peter Pan, on “fairy language,” a notebook of games and puzzles by Lewis Carroll, the original manuscripts of William Thackeray’s Vanity Fair and Oscar Wilde’s Lady Windermere’s Fan, and materials from other authors. Aside from being beautiful works of art, the students’ handmade books showcased their own creative writing, which was influenced, in part, by the authors they studied. The entire process, from research to writing to creating a book, helped these novice scholars understand how interconnected analysis and creativity can be. “Students make their way through a complex archive and build an argument out of what they find; they have to improvise and imagine and create in a sense not all that dissimilar from actual creative writing. In turn, part of the creative

writing program asked them to respond to their research — for instance, by writing a fictional book of letters or purposefully drafting multiple ‘manuscripts’ of the same story,” Blevins explained. Poet Janan Alexandra guided the students in their creative writing; Neil DaigleOrians, a Hartford-based bookbinder and visual artist, helped them craft their books. “The last day of bookmaking was magical when we saw the once-loose strings and leaves of paper transformed into our vision,” commented Ilene Park ’22. From the numerous letters she read during her archival research, especially those of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, she was inspired to write four short stories. She crafted each into a book made from traditional Korean mulberry bark paper, with hand-embroidered titles. The Twelve Labours of Heracles led Rahul Kalavagunta ’22 to pen his own version of the myth and include a fold-out handdrawn map of the Mediterranean Sea in his book. Sarah Asante ’22 produced a set of poems and stories reflecting on the silencing of women of color, drawing on the correspondence of the JamaicanAmerican poet June Jordan from the

Connecticut College special collections. To convey her idea, Asante laid strips of semitransparent vellum across multiple pages in her book and stamped them with the word “REDACTED,” and she blacked out lines of her poetry. Margo Donohue ’22 crafted nine tiny books, each measuring about three inches by three inches, inspired by Virginia Woolf ’s The Waves. Each book represented one wave-like part of a larger ocean of stories. Donohue wrote sketches based on her observations of passengers on the train ride to the New York Public Library. This fall, she continued to research Woolf, undertaking a broader exploration of consciousness in her novels and connecting Woolf ’s work to contemporary ideas in psychology and psychoanalysis. An apple falling from a tree became the focus of a set of stories by Stephanie Ge ’22, who was inspired by her research on radical and experimental narrative structures developed by 20th-century authors, including Vladimir Nabokov. Ge wrote each story from a different perspective — a worm inside the apple, a squirrel being hit by the falling apple, and an observer watching the apple fall. This fall, the MacLeish Scholars are

“The last day of bookmaking was magical when we saw the once-loose strings and leaves of paper transformed into our vision.” —I LE N E PARK ’22

continuing their studies in a senior honors English class taught by Blevins. They are working collaboratively on T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land, reading dozens of the source texts behind the poem including the Bible, the Upanishads, Victorian novels, French poetry, medieval visionary literature, Greek myths, German opera, and Buddhist texts. The students spent a day playing and discussing the game FALL 2021

CAMPUS CONNECTION

ADVENTURES IN THE ARCHIVES:

The John Hersey Scholars Program Hotchkiss is proud to announce the establishment of the John Hersey Scholars Program. This June, ten selected upper mid students will conduct archival research in history, politics, economics, and philosophy during a two-week summer residency program at Harvard. They will be the first group of high school-age students ever granted direct access to the vast array of archival materials held in the university’s libraries. Dr. Lisanne Norman ’94, instructor in humanities and social sciences, will direct the program, which is named after Pulitzer Prize-winning author and journalist John Hersey, Class of 1932. Dr. Thomas Fisher, instructor in humanities, will assist Norman in directing the program. “I’m very excited for students to have access to one of the world’s most incredible archival resources,” Norman said. “Students will have an opportunity to handle, understand and analyze ancient documents and personal papers of key historical figures. For instance, they might even delve into a collection of some of the most stunning Russian theatrical designs! The opportunity to discover something unique and to form their own thoughts based on what’s directly in front of them, rather than someone else’s opinion or interpretation, is key to their development as critical thinkers and scholars,” she added.

If you are visiting the campus, you can view the MacLeish Scholars’ books on display in the lower Rotunda.

of chess because Eliot believed that chess, with its warlike rules, recreated the roots of human violence and sin in miniature. They even tried reading Tarot cards — an homage to the poet, who thought that Tarot cards contained some valuable insights into the modern world and that certain images illustrated the decline of Western civilization. In the spring, students will complete a 30-40-page essay based on their research and present their findings at a conference at Hotchkiss with students from Lawrenceville’s Merrill Scholars Program, a similar program that Blevins started when he taught there. 18

M AGA ZINE

For this first group of MacLeish Scholars, the experience of being able to hold the yellowed and fragile pages of original letters and manuscripts of authors they have long appreciated has left a lasting impression. “Sitting in the reading room of The Morgan Library and parsing the handwriting of authors that I have admired since childhood was truly awe-inspiring,” said Annie Xu ’22. “Literature has come to life for me in an unprecedentedly raw and intimate way.” The MacLeish Scholars Program is free for all students through the generosity of Dr. Richard Bernstein ’64. H

Scholars will be selected in March and will immediately begin planning their research projects based on Harvard’s significant collections of historical and sociocultural materials. They will also meet with Hotchkiss’s archivists and librarians to learn about working with delicate papers and to gain experience using online finding aids, databases, and similar tools. Once at Harvard, students will spend their mornings working on research in the library. In the evenings, they will revisit the day’s findings in advising sessions with an instructor. When they return in the fall, the scholars will continue the program in an honors course, where they will learn more in-depth research methods and complete their projects. Fisher pointed out that the program is an “opportunity for students who have benefited from the scaffolding of research projects in their prep, lower mid, and upper mid years to take the next step in charting their own intellectual courses and producing something that is truly their own.”

Alumni and parent volunteers gathered at the Yacht Club in New York City on Sept. 22 to celebrate an outstanding fundraising year and to meet the new President of The Hotchkiss Fund, John Khoury ’95, and the new Co-Chairs of The Parents Fund, Neda and Peri Navab P’24. Head of School Craig Bradley gave an update on the state of Hotchkiss and shared the impressive news of the School’s record $36-million fundraising year. Much of the School’s fundraising success can be attributed to a dedicated volunteer force, which the Armitage and McKee Awards were established to recognize. This year, Susan Green Roberson ’87 received the Armitage Award, presented by her successor, John Khoury ’95. The award is named for Thomas W. Armitage ’25 in recognition of his dedication to The Hotchkiss Fund and is presented annually to an outstanding volunteer for distinguished service. Under Roberson’s leadership as Hotchkiss Fund President, the Fund has exceeded its goals in both fiscal years 2020 and 2021. She has consistently worked to strengthen the relationship between alumni and the School while keeping the “fun” in fundraising by hosting phonathons with classmates.

PH OTO: WENDY C A R L S O N

Armitage and McKee Awards Presented at Volunteer Reception

From left to right: Neda Navab P’24, John Khoury ’95, Gunnar Overstrom P’21, Susan Green Roberson ’87, Claudia Overstrom P’21, Craig Bradley, and Peri Navab P’24

The McKee Award was presented to Claudia and Gunnar Overstrom P’21 by Neda and Peri Navab P’24. This award is named for Hugh and Judy McKee P’78,’80,’84,’89 in recognition of their tireless work for the Fund and is presented annually to outstanding parent volunteers for their distinguished service. The Overstroms’ dedication to Hotchkiss has encouraged inclusiveness, pride, and a sense of belonging among the parent community. During their tenure as chairs of The Parents Fund, participation among families rose to an all-time high of 80 percent and resulted in many perks for students, from cupcakes to pizza parties.

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING HOTCHKISS IN 2020-21 The generous support of Hotchkiss alumni, parents, grandparents, faculty, staff, and friends allowed the School to remain steadfast in its commitment to delivering a superlative educational and enriching experience to its students during an uncertain time. Our community’s willingness to invest in our students and their futures is the reason our School has remained strong not only during the pandemic, but since 1891. Gifts to The Hotchkiss Fund provided the immediate support needed to operate and carry out our mission, while contributions to capital efforts offered the stability and confidence necessary to grow without financial constraint. This year’s record-breaking results were possible thanks to our community’s devotion towards making a direct impact in the lives of our students and a willingness to invest in the future of Hotchkiss. We are incredibly grateful for your unwavering dedication to the School and hope that we can continue to count on your generous support in the years ahead.

$36,027,166 Total funds raised for Hotchkiss in 2020–21

3,700+

$6,509,194

Donors to the School

Raised by The Hotchkiss Fund

32%

79%

Alumni Participation

Parent Participation

Raised $3,838,867 for The Hotchkiss Fund

Raised $2,161,725 for The Hotchkiss Fund

FALL 2021

CAMPUS CONNECTION

G O B LU E ! It was a sweet return to Taft Day for the Bearcats. The annual rivalry was canceled last year due to COVID. This fall, Hotchkiss hosted the event and won the competition, scoring the most victories to beat Taft 6-5. The volleyball program defeated the Rhinos with victories by the varsity (3-0), JV (3-0), and thirds (3-1) teams. Other teams pulling in wins were the girls varsity soccer team, which won 3-2, and the varsity boys cross country team, which finished eight places ahead of Taft. By mid-afternoon a thunderstorm swept into the area, forcing cancellation of all the JV and Thirds soccer and field hockey games, and delaying the start of the football game, which Taft won 18-12. Photos by Wendy Carlson.

WATCH A VIDEO OF TAFT DAY!

PH OTO: B R I A N WILCOX

M AGA ZINE

PH OTO: B R I A N WILCOX

FALL 2021

CAMPUS CONNECTION

Virden (left) and Bolmer (right) pictured in archival photos with their teams

True Blue Two Legendary Coaches Return to Hotchkiss B Y R O G E R W I S TA R

M AGA ZINE

HEN FORMER HEAD VARSIT Y volleyball coach and math teacher Dave Bolmer ’73 got the call this summer from Co-Athletic Director Robin Chandler ’87 asking him to rejoin the Hotchkiss athletic program as a coach, there really was only one answer. “I’ve always loved volleyball — I did it for a long time,” said Bolmer. “I want to see, can I still do it? Can I get it done?” Bolmer returned to coach this fall, and iconic former dean, and math faculty member John Virden III ’64, P’89,’91 will join the boys varsity squash program this winter. Between the two of them, they have more than 50 years of coaching experience at Hotchkiss across myriad programs, and each has received some of the highest distinctions in New England high school coaching. In fact, both men have lent their names to the awards given each year to students in the sports they coached the longest — The John C. Virden III ’64 Award in girls squash, and the David P. Bolmer ’73 Volleyball Prize. For each, however, superlatives and wins and losses are not what has brought them back into the Hotchkiss athletic fold. “I’ve missed it — I’ve missed working with the kids,” said Virden. “I was nostalgic. I’m looking forward to being of help.” Virden was one of the founders and the original head coach of the girls squash program, which he led for 27 years. He also enjoyed long and distinguished coaching stints with the girls tennis and field hockey programs. This winter will be Virden’s first experience coaching boys squash at Hotchkiss, and he said he is excited to work with Director of Squash Bobby Burns ’08. Burns shared court space with Virden’s girls teams while a student at Hotchkiss.

PH OTOS: WENDY C A R L SO N & T HE MI SCH

“My memories are not with the seasons; they are with the kids — working with the kids, helping them improve, helping them feel good about themselves on the field or on the court.” —JO H N VI R D E N I I I ’64, P’89,’91

“It’s going to be eye-opening for me. He’s a very good squash player,” said Virden. “He’s got some kids who are really excited to play for him.” Bolmer finds himself settling back into a more familiar role. Much of what he will be doing on the court hearkens back to the 28 seasons during which he led the volleyball program from 1987-2015. “It kind of feels like old business,” said Bolmer, acknowledging that the biggest challenge is meeting a completely new group of student athletes, with no players that he has coached previously. He acknowledges with a chuckle that the players will likely have to make an adjustment, too. “They probably don’t know me — maybe they had heard about me,” he said. “I know it’s not easy getting a new guy, especially an old, pushy guy.” For both coaches, a lifetime of service to Hotchkiss meant investing themselves in every aspect of school life, and athletics

was no exception. Chandler, who was previously head field hockey coach, notes that Bolmer was always in attendance at her field hockey playoff games, and even traveled to away games for the girls hockey team whenever possible. “He was a true triple-threat faculty member who threw himself into everything he did, no matter whether he was coaching boys varsity tennis to achieve a New England championship or coaching thirds field hockey,” she said. “David was invested and gave it all.” Chandler worked directly with Virden for much of her run of unprecedented success in field hockey, including a string of 10 consecutive New England titles. She credits Virden for putting the welfare and development of students above all else. “John has always been about character development, sportsmanship, and the value of team. And as successful a coach as he has been, he has always put those

values well above wins and losses.” Both Bolmer and Virden live up to their reputations, putting the achievements of the student-athletes they coach above any personal glory. When asked to share some of his fond memories, Bolmer recalled the Varsity team’s second New England title in 1994 — not because the team was a heavy favorite, but in fact the opposite. “We shouldn’t have even been in that tournament, but we won it,” he said. “On that team, maybe three or four players were athletes. The rest were just really good teammates. They just never quit.” Virden voiced similar sentiments. “My memories are not with the seasons; they are with the kids — working with the kids, helping them improve, helping them feel good about themselves on the field or on the court,” he said. H

FALL 2021

CAMPUS CONNECTION

The Right Fit At Hotchkiss, College Advisors Help Students Seek Their Own Paths B Y J U L I A E L L I OT T

walked into Director of College Advising Rick Hazelton’s office in the fall of his upper mid year, he had no idea where he wanted to go to college. At Hotchkiss, science had been Nick’s passion. But he also played varsity football and wrestled all four years, captaining both teams as a senior. His dream school would offer rigorous academics and also allow him to continue playing sports. Finding a match felt like a challenge. Nick clearly remembers the moment Director of College Advising Rick Hazelton said to him, “Have you thought about the University of Chicago?” Fast forward three years. In June of 2020, Nick graduated from Chicago having pursued a pre-med program and wrestled all four years. He found the school to be a perfect fit. During his time there, Nick received an email from Rick once or twice a year saying that he would be visiting campus. During one of these visits, Nick joined other Hotchkiss alumni for a candid conversation about their experiences. Nick believes frequent visits like these to college campuses and maintaining close contacts with alumni give Hotchkiss’s college advising team an understanding of each school’s culture that goes well beyond the stats found in brochures. The six advisors in the College Advising Office have developed a wealth of knowledge about colleges and universities across the United States and beyond. They bring this — together with a deep understanding of the intricacies of the application process — to the journey they take with each Hotchkiss student. “Over the years, I have had the good fortune to work with an incredible college counseling office at Hotchkiss. On a number of occasions, we have had fruitful discussions about developments in our admissions policies, the

HEN NICK CAROL A ’16

M AGA ZINE

ins-and-outs of athletic recruitment, and the questions the college advisors are fielding from interested students, among other issues. Rick and his associates ensure that our committees are fully informed about applicants from Hotchkiss. I believe that this uncommon academic approach to college counseling serves the students of Hotchkiss incredibly well,” said James M. Colman, senior associate director, Georgetown University, Office of Undergraduate Admissions. The college process begins in the fall of upper mid year, when each student is assigned a college advisor. Hotchkiss’s student-to-college advisor ratio is 35:1, which is low across the School’s peer set. College advisors also live in dorms, coach sports, and participate in co-curriculars, allowing them to develop connections with students that go well beyond the College Advising Office. That’s something that Michael Zhang ’21 especially appreciated about his college advisor. Whenever Michael published an article in The Hotchkiss Record or played piano in a performance, he’d get an email from Josh Smith. “Mr. Smith took the time to know who I was outside in the community,” says Michael. “He made me feel like a whole person and not just a name on a list.”

This past year was a particularly challenging one for college admissions: acceptance rates at the most competitive colleges and universities were lower than they have ever been. According to the Wall Street Journal,* Harvard accepted 3.4% of applicants. Yale, 4.6%. Columbia, 3.7%. Test-optional policies led to increases in applicants at leading schools. At the same time, many schools began the year with spots for freshmen already allocated to students who had opted to defer in 2020. “I tried not to think about it!” Michael laughs about the increased competition. What helped ease the process, he says, is that Josh served as a sounding board. “He helped me voice my thoughts about what I wanted in a school, he provided feedback, but then he allowed me the independence to figure it out on my own.” Letting students take the lead is a key tenet of the College Advising Office and one that aligns with the School’s commitment to developing independence and critical thinking. Michael’s discussions with Josh helped guide him to the Morehead-Cain scholarship, a fouryear merit-based scholarship at the University of North Carolina. For many Hotchkiss students, college

admissions involves navigating complicated financial aid programs on top of an incredibly competitive process. Hannah Lothian ’19 describes being “120 percent nervous” when she started on the admissions journey. She didn’t feel confident seeking advice from her parents, neither of whom had applied to college during high school, and without a family car (the family lives in the Bronx), visiting colleges felt impossible. At Hotchkiss, Hannah’s passion was theater. She acted, directed, built sets, and took theater classes in the humanities. She wanted to pursue technical theater direction in college, but her number-one concern was financial aid. “I had set my standards really low,” she says. “I told myself: ‘as long as I get into a school with good financial aid, I’ll be happy.’” Hannah was able to relay her concerns to college advisor Katherine “Katie” Boyd. Katie directed her to resources such as rankings of need-blind and need-based schools and websites listing scholarships, and she helped arrange rides for Hannah to visit colleges. When the College Scholarship Service requested financial forms from Hannah’s father, who no longer contributed to her family financially, Katie helped her navigate a complicated exemption. In Katie, Hannah found “a support system that I didn’t have at home, because my family didn’t have the experience.” Desmond Teague ’20 wasn’t sure he wanted to attend college — he would be the first in his family to do so. That changed partway through his time at Hotchkiss when he developed a passion for the classics and for music (he plays four instruments). Desmond realized he wanted to keep learning at a school with a well-rounded liberal arts program, an excellent music department, and generous financial aid — oh, and it had to be in a city with a good music scene. “I didn’t know if the thing I was looking for even existed!” he says. His advisor, Annie Hall, listened to his list of wants and suggested a number of schools. Most importantly, she told him about the “fly-in” program at Macalester College in Minneapolis and helped him meet the deadlines to apply. Fly-in programs provide opportunities to students who might not otherwise be able to afford a trip to campus.

“It was a great experience that made me confident in my decision,” he says, “and it was Ms. Hall who encouraged me to do it.” College admissions is changing faster than most people realize, according to Adam Sapp, assistant vice president and director of admissions, Pomona College. “Any parent with a teenager knows firsthand how hard it is for students to balance everything that is expected of them during this time. It should be a great comfort to students and parents that there is an entire office of experts at Hotchkiss who stand ready to help with individualized advising and support,” he said. “Over the years we have admitted many Hotchkiss students to Pomona. Their intellectual interests and diverse backgrounds have ranged as widely as Pomona’s curriculum. But each Hotchkiss student has come to Pomona academically prepared and ready to make an impact. I know their success here is due in large part to the fact that the Hotchkiss college advising process has helped them engage the right issues, ask the most important questions, and focus on their priorities before they enroll. As an admissions director, I can’t ask for more than that.” Desmond is now studying music and sociology at Macalester, playing first chair saxophone in the jazz band, and spending his free time jamming with musicians across the Twin Cities. Hannah, a sophomore at Yale, is studying mechanical engineering on full financial aid. Her goal is to get back to technical direction, eventually. “What if I could build a giant stage that can lift up and dance around?” she muses. Reflecting back on the College Advising Office at Hotchkiss, Hannah says, “In such a vulnerable process, you want somebody to be kind, and Ms. Boyd is such a nice person. I had a great experience with the college process because of her. I am really happy with where I ended up and with the process that got me here.” H

Meet the College Office

Rick Hazelton P’19,’22 Director of College Advising

Annie Hall Associate Director

Jennifer Meeker Associate Director

Maxine Coleman Associate Director

Katherine Boyd Associate Director

Josh Smith Associate Director

Diana M. Jones Administrative Assistant to College Advising

THIS FALL, the College Advising Office hosted a webinar featuring Jeff Selingo, a leading expert on the college admissions process and New York Times best-selling author of Who Gets In and Why alongside College admission professionals Stephen Farmer, provost for enrollment, University of Virginia; Ronné Turner, vice provost for admissions, Washington University (St. Louis); and Eric Maguire, vice president for enrollment, Wake Forest University. Families can access the parent portal and use their logon to watch a replay.

*Ivy League Acceptance Rates Fall to Record Lows Due to Covid-19, Wall Street Journal, April 7, 2021 FALL 2021

PROGRESS TOWARD EQUITY

A New Bridge Program Helps Preps Navigate Their First Year B Y W E N DY C A R L S O N

P H OTO: W E N DY C A R L S O N

morning at Fairfield Farm, a group of preps barely took note of a tractor rumbling and sputtering past the field where they were busily digging potatoes and marveling at the abundance of earthworms. Nearby, at the Sharon Audubon Center, another group of Bridge Program students chatted nonstop as they pulled weeds from the Center’s extensive flower garden; yet another group, equipped with bow saws, worked as a team to tackle invasive brush at a neighboring land trust property. The endeavors were all service projects for the 31 students enrolled in the School’s inaugural Bridge Program, designed to help preps from diverse academic, socioeconomic, and geographic backgrounds ready themselves for campus

N A CRISP SEPTEMBER

M AGA ZINE

life at Hotchkiss. Community outreach work — pulling weeds, digging potatoes, or blazing trails — is an important part of the overall Hotchkiss experience, according to Instructor in Physics Anju Taneja P’04,’09, who worked with the students over the summer to help them design their own service projects. For two weeks in August, Bridge students gathered virtually to discuss both academic preparedness and community service in order to ease their transition to Hotchkiss in the fall. They met with instructors in English, math, and history to brush up on writing skills, participated in class discussions, learned about expectations in their individual math levels, and reviewed basic research methods. But as importantly, they forged a connection as

a group, laying the groundwork for strong friendships that should help them overcome hurdles in the year ahead. The Bridge Program at Hotchkiss had been in the planning stages for several years as part of the School’s efforts to attract and support a broader range of students, according to Dean of Admission Erby Mitchell P’22. “Students in our Bridge Program are racially, ethnically, and geographically diverse, and they possess a range of interests,” Mitchell said. “Far too often, programs like these are stigmatized as remediation for weaker students, but that misses the point,” says Mitchell. “This program is about enabling capable students to thrive, and contrary to expectations, this group reflects racial,

—CHRISTINA CO O PE R P’08,’11

ethnic, and geographic diversity and also includes some full-pay kids.” In 2017, Mitchell visited Stanford University with Hotchkiss Trustee Chris Redlich ’68. He met with the dean of admission to talk about how they create excellence. “Stanford, and other schools like it, take pride in their bridge programs,” he explains. “I am proud to have such a program at Hotchkiss, and I expect it to be an important part of what we do for many, many years.” Instructor in History Sam Somera, who taught Bridge students this summer, noted the need for the program. “This year, Hotchkiss has brought in one of the most diverse prep classes, and with that diversity comes the need for some intentional thinking about how we

P H OTO: W E N DY C A R L S O N

P H OTO: B E N S O R K I N

“I think the students loved having a chance to get to know some of the other preps even before they arrived on campus.”

On left, students clear brush at Sharon Land Trust. Above, preps at Fairfield Farm get to know each other and the Hotchkiss experience.

are bringing these students from many different backgrounds into the fold of the Hotchkiss community.” The English classes introduced students to the kinds of reading and writing assignments they would undertake at Hotchkiss and gave them a chance to hone their discussion and critical-thinking skills. They also learned about the academic support that would be available to them as well as the importance of asking for help, said Christina Cooper P’08,’11, English instructor and prep class dean. “I think the students loved having a chance to get to know some of the other preps even before they arrived on campus,” she said. “I was fortunate to be part of it and impressed by how bright and engaged they were throughout!” So far, feedback from students in the program has been exceptionally positive, according to Ben Sorkin, assistant dean of admission. “The students report feeling confident that they have the skills they need to succeed academically, the peer network necessary to thrive socially, and a group of adults that they can lean on for support as a result of participating in the Bridge Program.” Ihsan Yumak, who hails from Queens,

previously attended a junior high school with more than 1,200 students. The Bridge Program, he said, offered him a sneak peek at the comparatively smaller classes at Hotchkiss and how they would be structured and conducted. “I went to a local public school previously where the workload was challenging, but having a look at the Hotchkiss curriculum really helped me prepare for what to expect this fall,” said Yumak. “We also had a chance to bond with a group of our future classmates, so it has been a massive success in preparing us both academically and socially for Hotchkiss.” The program also helped students feel generally more at ease with the concept of boarding school. Brianna Bobbie arrived in Lakeville from Brooklyn, NY, and even though she wasn’t nervous about coming to Hotchkiss, she said, the Bridge Program has made her feel even more at home. “I made so many new friends, and I really enjoyed Opening Days.” Elliot Hu, from Queens, agreed. “Seeing those familiar faces on campus helped me settle in,” he said. “On movein day a number of students from the program approached me, and it was like we’d known each other all along.” H FALL 2021

PROGRESS TOWARD EQUITY

Hotchkiss Welcomes the First Walter J. Crain Fellows

HIS SUMMER H OTC H KIS S

welcomed to campus the first Walter J. Crain Fellows, Kinyette Henderson and Claudia McGuigan. Kinyette Henderson is an English instructor and assistant director of the Diversity and Inclusion Office. She began her teaching career in New Orleans. Upon returning to her hometown of Newark, NJ, she remained in urban education. There, her academic journey came fullcircle when she accepted a job at the same middle school she attended as a student. Leading the 7th-grade team and writing curriculum, she focused on rebuilding the student experience and staff culture within the school. A graduate of The George Washington University in DC, she has studied literature and the history of racism, and culturally responsive pedagogy. Since she arrived in Lakeville, Henderson has been impressed by the School’s DEI work. “Hotchkiss is doing a great job on the equity front by just asking questions and getting so many different people at that table to engage in these conversations — and by implementing the Walter Crain Fellowship and having people with an outside perspective intentionally come into the community,” Henderson said. Instructor in Mathematics Claudia McGuigan joined the Hotchkiss faculty

Kinyette Hederson

senior administrators at Hotchkiss, and also then having the chance to mentor other Walter Crain Fellows as they come down the line. Growing up in a very homogenous schooling environment, I didn’t realize how important representation was. I never had any teachers or any administrators in my school that looked like me or identified similarly to me. It’s really important for me to be that for somebody else,” she said. The fellowship program is the result of an innovative partnership between Hotchkiss and the Klingenstein Center, Teachers College, at Columbia University. Fellows pursue a Master’s degree in private school leadership from Teachers College Columbia while earning a salary teaching at Hotchkiss or working in one of the School’s administrative departments. The program is geared to professionals who aspire to leadership roles at independent schools and have shown a commitment to working with diverse populations and supporting an inclusive learning community for all students. The program is named in honor of the late Walter J. Crain P’86,’89, a beloved teacher, advisor, and coach, and dean of students. He was the first Black educator on the Hotchkiss faculty. Over his 33 years at the School, Crain was dedicated to meaningful inclusion and belonging for all students, faculty, and staff. H

Claudia McGuigan

from the Westminster School. Previously, she taught at the Watkinson School in Hartford and served as the Associate Director of Equity and Justice. She earned her B.A. in French and Spanish with International Marketing from the University of Northumbria in her hometown of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, U.K. She also earned a Licence from the Université de Bourgogne in France in 2005. She was a senior principal dancer with the Alabama Contemporary Dance Company and guest-starred with the Chuck Davis African-American Dance Company.   McGuigan looks forward to everything she will learn and achieve in her fellowship including developing her leadership skills and in particular, being an inclusive leader. “I’m really excited about the possibility of getting the Master’s in Educational Leadership from the Klingenstein Institute, having access to and being mentored by

New Initiatives from the Diversity and Inclusion Office

PH OTO: WENDY C A R L S O N

MULTICULTURAL CENTER OPENS

M AGA ZINE

Students now have a place to gather, share, and celebrate the diverse cultures of the Hotchkiss community. The Multicultural Center (MCC), located at the heart of Main Building, adjacent to the campus store and post office, opened this fall to offer students a place of their own to gather for affinity group and advocacy club meetings, film screenings, open-mic nights, self-care afternoons, guest speaker presentations, and a range of other activities. “In the past, many student groups were using campus spaces that were not necessarily

OTCHKISS WA S A L I V E with Latinx culture during Hispanic Heritage Month, which takes place every year from September 15 to October 15 as a time to recognize and honor the many contributions, diverse cultures, and extensive histories of the American Latinx community. The month-long celebration kicked off Sept. 15 with a small gathering on Main Circle for the re-creation of “El Grito de Dolores,” a speech that sparked a decadelong war for Mexican independence on that day 211 years ago. That Sunday, nearly 30 students and three Latinx faculty members gathered at De Colores’s advisor David Thompson’s house for an asado, an outdoor meal. “The students were eager to connect with more of the adult members of the Latinx community at Hotchkiss and in the northwest corner,” explained Thompson, who also serves as the director of international programs at Hotchkiss. “It was truly moving for me to hear that the asado made Hotchkiss feel more like home for them,” he added.

Since De Colores was founded three years ago by Anaiz Robinson ’22, Billy Meneses ’22, and Suleyka Alonzo ’22, the group has focused on building awareness of the School’s Latinx community. To promote Hispanic Heritage Month, the group launched a rotating display of flags of Latin American countries represented at Hotchkiss. De Colores worked with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion to organize a series of community events in the new Multicultural Center, which included an open-mic session with the Black and Hispanic Student Association (BaHSA) where students shared their experiences, read poetry, and performed monologues. On Sept. 24, artist Eilen Itzel Mena ’13 spoke about her journey as a Latinx artist. In October, Latinx music filled the air during an outdoor dance held on Main Circle, and De Colores sold cups of horchata to the community to raise funds for Vecinos Seguros, a nonprofit that helps undocumented families in the local community.

PH OTO: DAV E T H OMP S O N

Hispanic Heritage Month Celebrated with Guest Speakers, Latin Music, Flags, and More

Rounding out the month, special guest speaker Steven Tejada performed during an All-School Meeting, entertaining students with his stories of growing up in a Hispanic family in the South Bronx and his personal journey from dropping out of high school to attending an independent day school to graduating college. Tejada worked on Wall Street before becoming a performer and speaker, and also serves as head of the upper school at Maret School in Washington, D.C. H

DEI OFFICE EXPANDS designed for meetings, whether it was the faculty lounge, the science lecture hall, or classrooms,” explained Director of Diversity and Inclusion Yassine Talhaoui. “The MCC was designed as a safe space where everyone can feel welcome and students can connect with one another, learn about and celebrate their differences, have meaningful discussions, and gain cultural competency and dexterity with the help of our team,” he added.

Several new members joined the DEI team this fall, bringing fresh perspectives and insights to the School’s mission of building a more diverse and inclusive community. Lisanne Norman ’94, associate director of and instructor in humanities and social sciences, offers experience as an alumna and as a teacher. Kinyette Henderson, assistant director and instructor in English, was drawn to Hotchkiss because of the breadth of its DEI activity. For Pierre Yoo, assistant director, instructor in Chemistry, and Pan Asian advocacy leader, seeing students empowered is powerful. Jason Larson, director of religious and spiritual life and philosophy and religion instructor, sees opportunities to explore the intersectionality of race and religion. David Thompson, director of international programs and advisor to De Colores, aims to encourage a campus culture of empathy toward others and engage in honest, open dialogue.

READ MORE ABOUT OUR PROGRESS TOWARD EQUITY ON THE NEW DEI WEBSITE.

FALL 2021

ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP

Because There is No Planet B B Y J U L I A E L L I OT T

P H OTO G R A P H Y B Y W E N DY C A R L S O N

“To love a place is not enough. We must find ways to heal it.” —ROBIN WALL KIMMERER, BRAIDING SWEETGRASS: INDIGENOUS WISDOM, SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE, AND THE TEACHINGS OF PLANTS

M AGA ZINE

FALL 2021

ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP

he natural world is a part of Hotchkiss as much as Hotchkiss is a part of the natural world. The School’s exceptional physical features include the 200-acre Beeslick Brook Woods, consisting of white pine, hemlock, mixed hardwoods, several hemlock groves, and wetlands; 287 acres of farmland and fields on Fairfield Farm; and shorefront on 348-acre Lake Wononscopomuc, the deepest natural lake in Connecticut.

Hotchkiss has long sought to incorporate environmental stewardship into every aspect of School life and to be a leader in sustainability among independent secondary schools. As an institution, over the last 10 years the School has reduced its carbon footprint by 40 percent even as it has added students, buildings, and other infrastructure. “Living and working in a community that is producing renewable energy, growing food, building soil, and sequestering carbon inevitably supports a student and faculty mindset and spirit that are regenerative, creative, and entrepreneurial,” says Josh Hahn, director of strategic initiatives and assistant head of school. As a learning community, the School’s focus on the environment has led to everexpanding academic and co-curricular offerings, including sustainability initiatives that benefit the region. “We know there are two surefire ways to engage students in environmental issues: first, by facilitating positive direct 32

M AGA ZINE

experiences with the natural world; and second, by supporting students in grappling with meaningful problems that influence their daily lives,” says Hahn. “With our natural resources and environmentallysensitive and innovative infrastructure, the Hotchkiss campus is set up beautifully to support this aspect of our mission.” “The presence of three distinct ecosystems on our campus as sources of study is remarkable,” says Mario Williams ’12, instructor in environmental science. “We have a tremendous opportunity, and an equal obligation, to care for them.” Onboarding green energy solutions is among the most significant ways the School has cut emissions. In 2012, the School built a green biomass central heating facility that runs on locally and sustainably sourced wood chips and produces nearly all of the School’s heat and hot water (see p. 37). Two solar arrays on campus power the Fairfield Farm and provide one-third of the electricity at the Mars Athletic Center

(MAC). Excess power is sold back to the grid, offsetting the costs of energy that must be purchased during peak periods. Thanks to participation in the Cleaner Connecticut Power Grid, 35 percent of our electricity comes from wind. Other important sustainability initiatives include increasing recycling and reducing solid waste on campus and LED-retrofitting most indoor and outdoor lighting. Composting, which was placed on hold last year due to COVID protocols, will also resume. All new buildings are required to meet stringent environmental standards. The Esther Eastman Music Center and renovated Monahan Hall, Flinn, Edelman, and Redlich dormitories are all LEEDcertified. While the efficiency, economic, and environmental benefits driven by these enhancements are valuable on their own, providing students with access to green infrastructure through their academic coursework adds a significant dimension to their education.

THE CURRICULUM

“It is important that as an institution, we model what students are learning in the classroom. We teach about important environmental issues like climate change, and if we don’t demonstrate that we are at least grappling in real ways with these issues, it creates a disconnect that does a disservice to our academic program,” says Hahn. Last year, the School’s decision to move away from the AP curriculum in Environmental Science made room for faculty to develop a series of new electives that take advantage of Hotchkiss’s natural physical spaces as well as the infrastructure the School has built. “The AP curriculum has great strengths, but because it is a one-size-fits-all national curriculum, it was difficult to go as deep into the ecosystems of Hotchkiss as we wanted to,” says Chris Oostenink P’17,’20, instructor in environmental science. “Now we have a whole group of deeply interesting classes that allow us to dive into the lake, the forest, the farm, and their individual dimensions.” Williams adds, “The School’s commitments to develop our builtinfrastructure, like the Biomass Heat Facility and Fairfield Farm, ensure that students have places to explore theoretical ideas and concepts in very tangible ways.” At any given time, between 50 and 90 students are engaged in science courses that include Conservation Biology, Climate and Global Change, Agroecology, Limnology, and Forest Ecology. In the humanities, students can take Environmental Economics or, for the first time, Sustainable Food Systems. The significance of these course offerings lies in the fact that they are interdisciplinary, as environmental issues are themselves. This broad array of classes pushes students to transfer their mastery of content from one discipline to another. Students can also participate in clubs, such as Students for Environmental Action (SEA) (see p. 41), or

the Fairfield Farm Ecosystem and Adventure Team (FFEAT) co-curricular. Bridget Lawrence-Meigs joined Hotchkiss as the new Farm Manager this year (see p. 38), and she appreciates that the School’s commitment to addressing climate change includes giving students opportunities to be part of the solution. “Hotchkiss is inviting students to think about the fact that we can’t compartmentalize environmental problems any more. They are intertwined with so many other issues,” Lawrence-Meigs says. “But we are not just talking about climate change — we are thinking about how we can do something about it.” “Teenagers hate hypocrisy. If we are serious about teaching our students about climate change, then we have to demonstrate an institutional commitment as well. Otherwise, we undermine the educational experience,” adds Hahn. This year, Hotchkiss plans to update the School’s greenhouse gas inventory in service of creating an aggressive new carbon reduction strategy. The next phase requires reducing electricity use, vehicle use, and air travel, among other initiatives. “We have picked much of the low-hanging fruit, so the next step will be more difficult,” acknowledges Hahn. “But our students are leaders, and these are the issues they are going to be grappling with in the future.”

“Teenagers hate hypocrisy. If we are serious about teaching our students about climate change, then we have to demonstrate an institutional commitment as well.” —JOSH HAHN, DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC INITIATIVES AND ASSISTANT HEAD OF SCHOOL

FALL 2021

ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP

Feeding body and mind FAIRFIELD FARM & THE HOTCHKISS DINING HALL

Perusing the salad bar in the Hotchkiss Dining Hall on a typical day this fall, students and faculty were greeted with a wealth of choices, including spinach, salad greens, turnips, cherry tomatoes, and green beans, all grown a mile away on the School’s Fairfield Farm. Hotchkiss purchased the 260-acre farm in 2004. Six years later, the School expanded the Farm with an additional 27 acres of land and four buildings. The Farm has grown to be not just a supplier of food, but also a rich educational source. “When we look at where we started out and our strategic plan, we’ve been quite successful in achieving what we set out to achieve,” says Director of Dining Services Mike Webster. Every winter, a team from Dining Services and the Farm meets to plan out the crops to be grown for the following year. This fall’s crops have included lettuce, tomatoes, hot

and sweet peppers, green beans, turnips, radishes, kohlrabi, carrots, potatoes, squash, and raspberries. The Farm provides 30 percent of the produce served in the Dining Hall in the growing season, from April to November, and seven percent of the produce served yearly. Hotchkiss also sources 100 percent of its grass-fed beef from the Farm, where local farmer Alan Cockerline keeps a herd of cattle. Working with Cockerline, who also runs a small farm stand and sells his beef to local restaurants, connects the School with the Lakeville community and ensures that we are spending our dollars locally. The Farm also hosts pigs, chickens, and, occasionally, turkeys. Overall, 50 percent of the food served in the Dining Hall is sourced from suppliers within 100 miles of campus.

In addition to reducing the School’s carbon footprint, buying locally serves to protect Hotchkiss from global supply-chain disruption. This problem has become acute during the pandemic. “My local food supply chain runs as efficiently as it ever has,” says Webster. “We will always have local milk, meat, grains, and seasonal vegetables in the dining hall.” When beef prices spiked this fall, the School’s costs remained flat, and there was no interruption in supply. The School sees this resilience across the food system thanks to deep relationships with local farmers.

“I remember how I smelled of cherry tomatoes ALL OVER MY BODY AFTER COMING OUT PHOTO: BRIDGET L AWRENCE-MEIGS

OF THE ‘TOMATO JUNGLES,’ AND HOW I

FFEAT leader Arielle Szycher ’22 (left) with Nancy Young Park ’22 (right)

M AGA ZINE

HAD MUD ALL OVER MY HANDS (AND IN MY FINGERNAILS) AFTER DIGGING METICULOUSLY IN THE FIELD SEARCHING FOR POTATOES. BUT I FEEL SO FULFILLED AND GENUINELY HAPPY REALIZING HOW OUR EFFORT HERE AT FFEAT IS NOURISHING A BIGGER COMMUNITY THAT WE ARE A PART OF.” —SUSAN YU ’25

“

IN THE TOMATO GREENHOUSE, I OFTEN FIND MYSELF TANGLED UP IN THE DENSER SIDE OF THE CHERRY TOMATO ROW; THE ONES I EAT HERE AND THERE MOTIVATE ME TO GO ON, THOUGH IN MANY OF THE PLACES

PHOTO: CHRIS LUKENS ’19

I WORK, I AM ALWAYS PLEASANTLY SURPRISED WHEN I SEE SOME FAMILIAR ITEMS FROM THE DINING HALL REFLECTED IN THE FARM, SUCH AS THE TURNIPS THE OTHER DAY. AND WHEN THE DAY’S WORK IS DONE AT THE FARM AND I TAKE A

The flip side of this, points out Sidran, is that by keeping dollars in the community, the School is operating as a good citizen of the Lakeville area. “During the uncertainty of COVID, farmers knew we were going to continue to support them. Those dollars go to our gas stations, our markets, and our families. Hotchkiss is really intentional about supporting the local economy,” she says. “That’s a pretty amazing thing just in terms of dollars and sense value,” says Oostenink of the bounty that ends up in the Dining Hall, “but we also hope that when people see that ‘Fairfield Farm’ sign, they are connecting the fact that these better tomatoes are not coming from a factory farm.” The Farm not only delivers higher-quality produce, it helps reduce our carbon footprint. FFEAT

If you’ve been on campus around dinner time, you’ve probably seen a few students proudly sporting Carhart “FFEAT” jackets. FFEAT stands for Fairfield Farm Ecosystem and Adventure Team, a twoseason co-curricular that runs in the fall and spring. “We’re not just playing farm out here,” says Webster. “We farm eight acres of crops, and it’s a lot of work. The FFEAT students are the production team and, without them, we wouldn’t be able to produce what we do.”

The idea for a co-curricular on the Farm was the vision of Coordinator of Faculty Mentorship Charlie Noyes ’78, P’03,’07. The previous Farm Manager, Ellie Youngblood ’10, helped further develop the program. With LawrenceMeigs and Sidran assuming leadership of the program, “the School has built strength on strength,” says FFEAT co-leader Amanda McClure P’18,’22. “The program’s future is bright under their leadership.” Throughout the fall students are out in the fields harvesting crops. They wash, prepare, and store all the food for transportation to the Dining Hall. They press apples for cider, and they care for the livestock. Occasionally, students will help slaughter animals, a task that is accompanied by much discussion and reflection. In the spring, FFEAT students prep the fields, plant seedlings, and help with projects like building a new chicken coop. Twenty-five students participate in FFEAT each term, and the program is often oversubscribed. The co-curricular attracts students from all grades, international students, and students from urban and rural areas. McClure says many students choose FFEAT because it doesn’t require previous experience, tryouts, or cuts, and it offers the opportunity to try something new. “We get a lot of repeat customers.”

LOOK AROUND AT THE LANDSCAPE,

I sometimes feel as if I am in some sort of painting.” —FRANCIS EVERSOLE ’23

“Participating in FFEAT GIVES ME THE CHANCE TO ESCAPE THE CHAOTIC BOARDING SCHOOL WORLD AND FOCUS MY UNDIVIDED ATTENTION ON PULLING CARROTS OUT OF THE GROUND, OR FEEDING TURKEYS, OR PICKING RIPE TOMATOES OFF THEIR VINES.” — ARIELLE SZYCHER ’22, FFEAT CO-CAPTAIN

FALL 2021

ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP

“Being at the farm is not just connecting with the idea of nature; IT IS REALIZING THAT YOU ARE A PART OF IT AND THAT EVERYONE IS CONNECTED TO ONE ANOTHER, THROUGH MAKING A NEW FRIEND OR HARVESTING A NEW PLANT.”

—RICKY SHI ’23

A SPACE FOR LEARNING

A REGENERATIVE SPACE

The Farm not only feeds the School, it also enriches a wide array of academic classes. Chemistry students conduct soil testing and learn about how pH affects nutrient levels. This year, Agroecology students will measure carbon sequestration in the soil and share that data with other local farms. Students studying Native American Literature travel to the Farm to learn about the Three Sisters, a traditional indigenous garden of corn, beans, and squash. One year, a French class mucked out the pig pen while reading a novel about Chinese boys relocated to a rural village during the Cultural Revolution. Art classes take trips to the farm to paint, draw, or take photographs. And, this year, Sidran is teaching Sustainable Food Systems in the fall and spring, which allows students to use the Farm as an entryway to larger questions about how food systems work. Lawrence-Meigs gives the recent example of a group of students who came out to the Farm to discuss this year’s all-School Read, Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer. A student remarked that the conversation was much more meaningful for her because it took place on the Farm and not in a classroom. “It was a reminder of how powerful this place can be,” says Lawrence-Meigs. “The Farm provides a space for people to ask questions about the environment and food production. That sparks curiosity, and once you are curious you can take that in a million different directions.”

Just as the Farm is regenerative for the soil and plants, Hahn hopes it can provide that function for the Hotchkiss community. Already, the Farm is used for workshops, retreats, and other campus gatherings. “The Farm gets you outside the gates,” Hahn says, “It is a space where we can be more creative and reflective.” McClure sees this process happen on the Farm all the time, where students have the opportunity to make connections and develop empathy. “It’s humble, but you’ll have a day when you’re weeding in a drizzle with this diverse group of kids from all over the world, just working quietly together, and maybe you find a listening ear, or maybe you are the listening ear, and by the time you get to the end of the row, something magical has happened.”

M AGA ZINE

“The farm is the best way for me to meet new people; FROM HARVESTING TOMATOES IN THE GREENHOUSE, TO PICKING ONIONS OUT IN THE FIELD, I HAVE MET MANY PEOPLE WHO I CAN CONFIDENTLY CALL MY FRIENDS!” —CHARLOTTE HAZELTON ’22

“It’s good to play in the dirt again!” —COOPER ROH ’22, FFEAT CO-CAPTAIN

Biomass: Connecting students to our energy systems Ten years ago, Hotchkiss needed to update its aging central heating system, parts of which were more than a century old. Rather than go the less-costly route of replacing the oil-fired boiler plant, the School chose green energy. The result, completed in 2012, is the School’s state-of-the-art Biomass Heating Facility. As of 2021, the return on the $14-million facility has been significant savings in energy costs, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and unmatched educational opportunities for students. “The biomass facility is slashing our carbon footprint by 40 percent and saving us at least a half-million dollars each year compared to what we would be spending if we burned oil,” says Hahn. “These savings have now fully offset the cost of the initial investment in the biomass facility.” Through the Biomass Facility, Hotchkiss supports local mills and, by extension, local foresters and sustainably managed forests. The wood chips aren’t traveling far, so less gas is used than when the School was purchasing oil. And, by relying on a locally sourced form of energy, Hotchkiss is protected from market fluctuations. Perhaps the most significant way that the Biomass Heat Facility sets Hotchkiss

apart from our peer schools is what it offers students interested in climate science. In his Climate and Global Change course, Mario Williams brings his students to the facility to teach about energy and sustainability. Students learn about grid source energy and how the Biomass Facility has allowed Hotchkiss to transition away from the grid. They get comfortable with energy conversions and manipulating mathematical units. And they grapple with questions such as: what are the environmental impacts of different fuel sources? What are the benefits of biomass versus nuclear energy versus hydrocarbons like coal and natural gas? “The work they are doing becomes far more tangible and meaningful to them,” says Williams. “They head back to their dorms and they are able to tell their peers or their parents, ‘I visited the Biomass Facility, I spoke with professionals, and now I know where the heat comes from for Dana or Edelman or Buehler or Flinn.’” Williams says his students are learning professionallevel skills, such as how to conduct field work, analyze data, and effectively present their findings. “We would not be able to accomplish these high-level goals without having the spaces to do this work,” he says.

“The biomass plant is emblematic of our whole philosophy. We aim to create a campus that by its nature teaches and reinforces what we teach and our mission. It is an experiential venue and opportunity for important student learning. It saves us money, allows us to support the local community, and contributes to carbon reduction. We aim to manifest those same values in all our energy management, food purchasing and land and water management practices,” explains Hahn. “If we can find elegant solutions like the plant, and share them with our students, there is plenty to be hopeful for in the future.” H

FALL 2021

ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP

Growing Community NEW FARM MANAGER BRIDGET LAWRENCE-MEIGS IS SOWING SEEDS OF SUSTAINABILITY B Y W E N DY C A R L S O N

ridget Lawrence-Meigs has been immersed in the natural world virtually all her life. She grew up at nearby Millbrook School in Millbrook, NY, where her father was the director of The Trevor Zoo and her mother promoted sustainability initiatives and taught environmental science. In their backyard they kept a garden where she pulled weeds and marveled at the power of earthworms to nurture the soil. She learned that a farm is an ecosystem comprising many different organisms –– some of them friend and others, foe. These early lessons in agriculture served her well when she became the new farm manager at Fairfield Farm last summer. Since arriving, she has dealt with an invasion of potato beetles, chased off raccoons preying on baby chicks, managed a particularly wet growing season, and adapted to the Farm’s persnickety 1952 Farmall tractor. Those daily challenges are constant reminders that farm life is unpredictable. But her role at Hotchkiss extends far beyond managing Fairfield Farm’s 287 acres of farmland and fields. This fall, she is engaged in sharing her extensive knowledge of sustainable agriculture, equitable food systems, and good stewardship practices with the Hotchkiss community. “Bridget is a rockstar,” says Director of Dining Services Mike Webster. “She has a breadth of experience. Not only is she working in the fields and processing our food, she is thinking about big picture environmental issues.” Lawrence-Meigs earned her B.S. in biology in 2001 from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. Her real passion for farming took root in Kenya during a semester abroad program with the Canadian

M AGA ZINE

PH OTO: WENDY C A R L S O N

Field Studies in Africa Programme. The experience inspired her to study how school gardens can play a role in addressing childhood food insecurity. She later graduated from Cornell with a master’s degree in sustainable agriculture before gaining hands-on experience at several different farms and non-profits. In 2011, she launched a campus farm at Stonehill College. There, she worked closely with students, growing and donating 12,00015,000 pounds of more than 100 varieties of vegetables, flowers, and herbs grown on a 1.5 acre parcel of land. The produce was donated to help alleviate food insecurity in the surrounding communities. Similarly, at Hotchkiss she is guiding students in the Fairfield Farm Ecosystem and Adventure Team (FFEAT), teaching them about sustainable agriculture and working with them to provide ethically grown, organic food for the Hotchkiss community. “She’s incredibly skilled as a farmer,” says FFEAT co-leader Amanda McClure. “It’s rare to find someone who is good with both plants and livestock. Most importantly, she has experience working with students, and she has a wonderful rapport with them.” Lawrence-Meigs is equally committed to environmental sustainability. “It is clear that the Hotchkiss is actively engaging with global issues like climate change, and that the whole community values the farm and recognizes its role in educating students and connecting them to the natural environment,” she says. In addition, Lawrence-Meigs has been encouraged by the School’s dedication to equity and inclusion, and its efforts to make the Hotchkiss farm experience more accessible. “I look forward to partnering with Mike Webster and Director of Diversity and Inclusion Yassine Talhaoui to connect the community both on campus and in the surrounding towns around the food grown at the farm –– offering opportunities to share food stories, histories, and cultures that reflect the diversity of the School’s population,” she says. Lawrence-Meigs is passionate about food insecurity and justice. “It’s important to provide students, faculty and staff the opportunity to think about these issues, to volunteer, and play a role in supporting a healthy food system in the Lakeville community,” she says. Her long-term goal is to help students learn more about where food comes from and why food choices matter, both environmentally and socially. “I love seeing how students’ farm work teaches them appreciation for their food. In the process, they also gain the satisfaction of completing a job as a team, perhaps with a callus or two to show for it!” Bridget lives at Fairfield Farm with her husband, Jim, their dog, Zuri, and their calico cat, Xela. H

FALL 2021

ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP

FAIRFIELD FARM EDUCATION COORDINATOR AMY SIDRAN

Taking a Holistic Approach to Learning B Y J U L I A E L L I OT T

hen Amy Sidran thinks about the experience that most prepared her for her role as Fairfield Farm Education Coordinator, she doesn’t mention her master’s degree in sustainable agriculture; she skips over her work on different farms across the country; and, she doesn’t discuss her experience as a middle- and high-school science teacher. What she does talk about is living and working overseas in Costa Rica, Bolivia, and the Dominican Republic, and how these experiences taught her, in the words of novelist Chimamanda Adichie, “the danger of a single story.” “Going overseas and seeing things firsthand, I saw that the world is much more complex than the single-story way I had been seeing it. We all have all these layers,” she says, “and I bring that consciousness to my experiences with students. I know that together, by sharing our stories, we can always find common ground.” As Farm Education Coordinator, Sidran

M AGA ZINE

is tasked with ensuring that faculty and students make the most of the Farm as a site of learning. She is also one of four faculty co-leaders of the Fairfield Farm Ecosystem and Adventure Team co-curricular (FFEAT). “Amy thinks about the Farm as a system,” says Farm Manger Bridget Lawrence-Meigs, “so she sees the environmental impacts, the social impacts, the economic impacts, and she is really excited about thinking holistically about how the Farm can be used by all academic departments at Hotchkiss.” Perhaps the best example of how Sidran is incorporating the Farm into Hotchkiss’s curriculum is her Sustainable Food Systems class, a new upper-level elective in the Humanities and Social Sciences department. The class uses Hotchkiss’s food system as a way to explore how food systems affect economies and communities. The class visits Fairfield Farm, the dining hall, local farms, and food pantries. The trips enable them to dig into issues as varied as immigration, climate change, food insecurity, and whether

organic is really the best way to go. Recently, while discussing whether it was better for the environment to eat a vegan burger from the supermarket or a grassfed beef patty from Fairfield Farm, many students in the class had to question their assumptions. “And that’s the highest level of inquiry, I think,” says Sidran, “to ask, ‘Who is teaching me this and why? Have I heard all the sides, or have I only heard one side?’ It goes back to the danger of the single story. It’s not so black and white, and I want them to understand that these problems are so gray.” Sidran’s goals for her class, for FFEAT, and for faculty and students who visit the Farm in other capacities, is that they will gain a greater understanding of where their food comes from and build community around the Farm. “It’s having those shared experiences that bring us together around food,” she says, “because we all eat food; we all need to be nourished, and that connects all of us.” H

STUDENTS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION (SEA)

Inspiring the Next Generation of Environmental Leaders WITH MORE THAN 80 CLUBS TO CHOOSE FROM AT HOTCHKISS, THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO ENGAGE IN GLOBAL ISSUES. STUDENTS IN SEA ADDRESS CLIMATE CHANGE BY FOCUSING ON THE THREE Rs: REDUCE, REUSE, AND RECYCLE.

B Y R O B E R TA J E N C K E S

hen she first arrived at Hotchkiss, Margo Donohue ’22 was overwhelmed with all the opportunities offered during her prep year. Then Annabelle Duval ’19, a proctor in her dorm and head of Students for Environmental Action (SEA), invited her to come to their first meeting. “The conversation was the most memorable part, completely outside of a classroom setting,” Donohue says. “Students were passionately diving into climate policy. And they talked about Greta Thunberg’s impact as a speaker our age and made a connection to their Conservation Biology elective. It was electric and inviting and helped confirm that Hotchkiss was the place for me. I became a board member my lower mid year, and have served as a co-head with Eliza Ross ’22 my upper mid and senior years.” Donohue’s involvement echoes the spirit of environmentally conscious students in generations past, going back to the country’s first Earth Day in 1970. That year Hotchkiss joined other area high schools in creating a regional chapter of the Environmental Rescue Alliance, known as ERA. On Earth Day in April 1970, the group marched in Torrington, CT, collected soda cans in Salisbury and Lakeville, and distributed flyers door-to-door. In 1976 and 1977, Hotchkiss held its first environmental program, a precursor to the School’s Eco Day, during which classes were cancelled Thursday through Saturday and students attended a variety of lectures and films. Guest speaker programs featured Paul Ehrlich and Ralph Nader. By the mid-1980s Hotchkiss had incorporated environmental stewardship into its mission

FALL 2021

ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP

PHOTO: PRENTICE K. STOUT

Hotchkiss has always had a strong conection to the land, dating back to the Woods Squad. On left, James C. Hemingway ’63 and William Shoaf ’63 clear and cut trees in Beeslick Woods (1961).

statement, which read, in part, “We hope that our graduates will leave Hotchkiss with a commitment to serve others and to environmental stewardship.” The School’s mission statement today continues to reflect that goal, stating that all students will “exercise responsible citizenship through local and global engagement, service, and environmental stewardship.” In 1990, faculty members Nancy Gaynor P’99,’04, instructor in human development and counselor, and Instructor in Philosophy and Religion Lou Pressman P’98 founded SEA. Later, Biology Instructor Jim Morrill P’87,’89 succeeded Pressman, and he and Gaynor served as SEA’s advisors for more than 20 years. Josh Hahn, director of strategic initiatives and assistant head of school, currently acts as advisor overseeing SEA’s activities, including the planning for Eco Day every spring. Launched in 1993, Eco Day is a school-wide event held each April that features environmental speakers, films, and activities. Last year’s speaker, Dr. Gary Kofinas, professor emeritus at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, has expertise in the meaning of climate change for indigenous 42

M AGA ZINE

people living in rural villages of the North. On Eco Day itself, students and faculty work in teams to pick up roadside trash, clear selected areas of invasive species, and complete other environmental projects including taking care of the Beeslick Woods, which is part of the club’s yearround activity. Today, SEA focuses on the three “Rs”: reduce, reuse and recycle. In the 2020-21 school year, club members found creative ways to reuse and recycle the products the School used to safely and hygienically feed the community. “One of SEA’s most profound reduction strategies for Hotchkiss’s carbon footprint was our food drive at the beginning of the school year, while everyone was in quarantine for two weeks,” co-head Eliza Ross says. “Every day, each student received three pre-set meals in plastic shopping bags, which often included a surplus of food that people did not eat. We encouraged everyone to save their nonperishable foods and drinks, plastic water bottles, plastic utensils, and disposable bags, which we then collected from each dorm to donate to a local food

pantry. Once dining was back to graband-go, we provided each student with a reusable canvas bag to use instead of plastic disposables.” Perhaps not surprisingly, students often carry their acquired knowledge and passion for the environment throughout their college years and into their careers. Cakey Worthington ’09, a co-head of SEA during her years at Hotchkiss, today serves as the director of forest operations for the Bluesource Sustainable Forests Company, a leader in climate change and low-carbon environmental products and services. “My time at Hotchkiss was definitely formative for my career track in conservation and the environment,” says Worthington, who studied ecology in college, worked in land conservation, and then pursued a joint master’s in environmental management and master’s in forestry degree at Duke University. For the past several years, she has been helping large private forestland owners throughout the U.S. expand and improve their sustainable forest management practices and earn credit for their stewardship through forest carbon credit generation. “I think it was a combination of my leadership in SEA, taking AP environmental science with former teacher Jim Morrill, and being actively involved in the Outing Club. I remember really enjoying having a community of people to discuss environmental issues and brainstorm ways to bring environmental awareness and action to the school. I spent time in the environment, learning about how it worked, and how to help conserve and improve it in the long term.” H

CLASS NOTES

PHOTO: WENDY CARLSON

A Champagne Christening In early October, Tom Edelman ’69, P’06,’07 and Larry Flinn ’53, GP’22 celebrated the completion of the 1953/1969 Wall at the Baker Sports Complex with a champagne christening. The 700-foot-long wall was built in 2020 and features two entrance pillars engraved with the class years of Flinn and Edelman, who supported the project along with Bill Tyree ’81, P’14, and Brent and Leah Mills P’20. The three-foot-high wall replaced a chain link fence and was constructed using local fieldstone to complement stonework throughout campus.

FALL 2021

CLASS NOTES

’68

August 2021 Alum of the Month:

Christopher Winship ’68

FOR CHRISTOPHER WINSHIP ’68 , one of the world’s leading quantitative methodologists in the field of sociology, the way to improve the world is to start right in our own neighborhoods. In 2011, he and a colleague established the Boston Area Research Initiative (BARI). This national model for university-city collaboration is a consortium of universities bringing together academics, government representatives, and community members. It was inspired by Winship’s involvement in community policing and “the Boston Miracle” of the late 90s, which resulted in an 80 percent decline in homicides and 60 percent decline in complaints against police. “There is considerable potential to rethink public safety. Missing is recognition of the variance in the quality of policing. Some cities have few if any fatal police shootings a year and others have dozens. “Many police departments would welcome help, and there are excellent models, but framing this as a matter of defunding the police is a political nonstarter. We need to put money into social services.”

M AGA ZINE

Winship is the Diker-Tishman Professor of Sociology at Harvard and member of the senior faculty at the Kennedy School of Government. His interest in sociology developed at Hotchkiss. “Key was the support from sociologist and president of the Russell Sage Foundation, Orville Brim, father of my Hotchkiss classmate Scott Brim.” Arriving in Lakeville in 1965 as a lower mid, drawn by the School’s reputation for academic rigor, he was placed in the advanced math sequence. “Most everyone else had had a half year of geometry, and I had had none!” Undiagnosed dyslexia added to his challenges. “But Hotchkiss faculty were amazingly serious about their teaching. Their aim was not just academic. Their mission was to develop a strong sense of integrity and character and help students find their mission in life.” Hotchkiss was a formative experience, influencing many aspects of his life. “I found myself with a black roommate, Dennis Greene from the South Bronx — who went on to teach law at the university level and sang with Sha Na Na. Later, I lived on Chicago’s Southside, and since 1994, I have worked in Boston’s Black community.” At Dartmouth, Winship easily achieved academic excellence (B.A. in sociology and mathematics). “It was a breeze compared to Hotchkiss, where one learned to study effectively.” Earning a Ph.D. in Sociology from Harvard in half the time that is typical, he began his career as a professor of sociology, statistics and economics at Northwestern University. There, with two colleagues, he founded the Statistics Department in 1986. In 1992, he returned to Harvard. “Becoming a professor with tenure is a life with immense independence, autonomy and security. There is no other job like it. But it’s grueling, especially at top research

universities where faculty typically work 70 hours a week — thank you, Hotchkiss, for showing me I could do this.” Winship also serves as faculty associate of Harvard’s Institute for Quantitative Social Science, and several other leading University programs. He is past chair of both Harvard’s and Northwestern’s Sociology Departments. His class “Advanced Quantitative Methods” continues to be considered the most demanding course in the department. Winship takes pride in the success of the students he has mentored. It is said that one can always tell a “Chris Winship student” by the way he thinks — broadly, analytically, and rigorously, and dozens now hold tenured professorships at top universities. Of his many honors, he considers the Everett Mendelson Excellence in Mentoring Award, the W.E. B. DuBois Graduate Society award, and the American Sociological Association’s Paul Lazarsfeld award most meaningful. Former student Felix Elwert, Romnes Professor of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin, said: “Chris is best known for his work on statistical methods in the social sciences, especially causal inference. As advisor, he didn’t get lost in details and was interested in exchanging ideas. It was enormously liberating.” Winship’s co-authored book, Counterfactual Causal Analysis, has brought a revolution in causal-analysis to social scientists. During his 25 years as editor of Sociological Methodology and Research, the publication numbered third among all sociology journals and number one in the social sciences for citation impact. Despite Winship’s numerous accomplishments, at the center of his life has always been his family. H

’90 ’9 1

November 2021 Alumni of the Month:

Alex Pease ’90 & Quinn Fionda ’91

ALEX PEASE ’90 AND QUINN FIONDA ’91

are two of five Hotchkiss alumni who have become SEALs, an elite unit that has participated in every U.S. conflict since Vietnam. Navy SEALs are one of a number of select military units. The first time they crossed paths was at Hotchkiss. Their lives, however, would lead them to develop a strong bond. We thank them for sharing the following personal perspectives. Pease had known he wanted to join the military, and specifically the Marine Corps, since he was about seven. “I had deep family connections to the Navy, so I never really considered alternative branches. As a SEAL, I operated in Central and South America – very exciting places to be prior to 9/11. In what was a transformational experience in every way, I still count the opportunity to serve with the SEAL Teams as one of the greatest honors of my life. Through my profound connection to all those who have served, a sense of empathy and pain for those who paid with the ultimate sacrifice, and a feeling of respect and gratitude for the gifts of our democracy, I have learned to live a life of purpose.” Never having planned to join the military, Fionda hadn’t considered the Naval Academy. “My father worked for the airlines when I was growing up, so I was able to travel around the world, and that experience ignited my interest in foreign affairs and international diplomacy. Additionally, I admired pilots and eventually realized that by joining the Navy, I could learn to fly.” His time as a SEAL was spent in Bosnia, Western Africa, and the Middle East, “doing some really interesting things.” He values many things about his experience, but at a Veterans Day auditorium at Hotchkiss in 2016, Fionda spoke about commitment. “A commitment to someone or something beyond yourself — a commitment to the country, to the team,

to the guy next to you…a commitment that is absolutely unwavering.” This is a message that continues to resonate with the Hotchkiss community. Since its earliest days, Hotchkiss has honored those who served. Memorial Hall was erected in 1923 to memorialize alumni, faculty, and staff who did not return from World War I. Several other war memorials and plaques around campus serve to remind current students of the many who have made sacrifices. The School community gathers annually in November to remember and reflect on the meaning of Veterans Day. Pease and Fionda are proud of Hotchkiss’s record of military service and the fact that the School has produced five Frogmen, which Pease attributes to “the combination of leadership, teamwork, and commitment to service.” Fionda adds, “I have heard that there is only one other secondary school in the nation that has produced more SEALs. It’s remarkable, but not surprising. Hotchkiss provides a foundation of work ethic, creative thinking, and discipline.” Fionda was familiar with New England prep schools through youth hockey. He chose Hotchkiss for a number of reasons, including its location. English classes with Blair Torrey and Geoff Marchant stood out for him, and he found Jeff Kosak and Alban Barker to be highly influential. “Hotchkiss built my foundation through academics, athletics, and the opportunity to spend my formative years with amazing faculty members and my classmates, resulting in lasting friendships.” Pease credits the School with enabling him to realize his dream of attending the US Naval Academy. “Prior to Hotchkiss, I lacked the discipline and focus that I needed. My parents and I were drawn to the Connecticut prep schools and ultimately Hotchkiss. My favorite class was history with Tim Katzman — I hated his politics and his bow tie, but his energy and dedication were infectious. He invested in my future, through his role coaching baseball and by bringing me to

Alex Pease ’90 (left) and Quinn Fionda ’91 (right)

Dartmouth to meet with a former student who had made it to the Naval Academy a few years earlier.” The two SEALs have become good friends. “We are part of a brotherhood that is unlike any other in the world,” says Pease. “The strong bonds, values, and sacrifice I share with Quinn and my brothers in arms extend beyond my direct shipmates to anyone who served.” They were both stationed on the East Coast and left the Navy around the same time, ending up in graduate school together at Dartmouth. Subsequently, they have both pursued careers in finance. Pease joined the consulting firm McKinsey & Co., eventually shifting to the corporate world, where he has been CFO of three public companies across three different industries. Fionda moved to New York and has been in the financial services sector ever since, mostly in investment management. He is currently at Isomer Partners. Asked if they would recommend military service to current students, Pease says, “Absolutely! You will practice the relentless pursuit of excellence, experience comfort with ambiguity, and gain the ability to deal with stress. By interacting with people from completely different backgrounds and leading under adversity, you will change your life journey forever.” Fionda adds, “When contemplating the military as a career, go in with your eyes wide open. Remember what you are ultimately training for and what the outcomes of that training might be. The value of military service is the intangible reward one feels having served something bigger and greater than oneself.” H FALL 2021

’94

September 2021 Alum of the Month:

Benjeil Z. Edghill ’94

OPHTHALMOLOGIST BENJEIL Z. EDGHILL, M.D. ’94 ,

is an expert in the medical, laser, and surgical treatments of glaucoma and cataracts. His work, however, extends beyond his Staten Island practice, where he is the only glaucoma fellowshiptrained ophthalmologist on the island. He is active in his local community, has chaired the ophthalmology section of the National Medical Association, and has gone on medical missions to Ghana and Haiti. “The ability to improve and save vision is a blessing. In poor countries, when elder family members become blind, a child often becomes the caretaker, preventing that child from going to school. By restoring sight, everyone benefits.” Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Edghill entered Hotchkiss through the Albert G. Oliver program, which helps talented inner-city youth attend private schools. He was impressed by the resources at Hotchkiss, but admits he experienced a culture shock. “I found the expectations humbling and began to lose my confidence. One day, Mr. [Geoff ] Marchant decided to use one of my poems as a test question as if it was an Emily Dickinson masterpiece! When he revealed to the class that they were evaluating my work, I felt proud and like I belonged.” Accepted at both Harvard and The University of North Carolina, Edghill decided to become a Tar Heel. “I am proud to be a Morehead Scholar, and I met my wife, Mary Ann, there. She is a phenomenal pediatrician and mother to our two children, Esayah and Xavia.” Edghill then went to the Duke University School of Medicine, receiving several research awards. His formal training at SUNY Downstate in Brooklyn allowed him

to move back home to Bedford Stuyvesant. “Their three level-one trauma centers gave me great surgical experience, enabling me to give back to my community. I have done surgery on several family members, including my mother. Her sacrifices made me who I am, and I was blessed to be able to help.” While a resident, Edghill took first place in the Rabb-Venable competition for his research on ROP, a premature infant disorder. He was later elected the youngestever chair of the Ophthalmology section for the National Medical Association (NMA), becoming a leading voice for African American physicians in the fight for parity in medicine. He returned to Duke to complete a glaucoma fellowship, where he reunited with Hotchkiss friend Mohammed El Mallah ’94, M.D. “Glaucoma is the most common cause of irreversible blindness worldwide, affecting approximately 80 million people, expected to rise to 112 million by 2040. Eleven million patients are bilaterally blind from glaucoma. Half of those are unaware they have it, though it is treatable.” Edghill believes that early surgical intervention halts the progression of glaucoma and decreases the need for expensive medications. Additionally, “Glaucoma rates are four to five times higher in African American populations, partially attributed to years of healthcare disparities. Today, there are only about 400 African American ophthalmologists in the US.” Edghill is a founding member of the David K. McDonogh scholarship, named for America’s first African-American ENT Specialist. “Dr. McDonogh was born enslaved but later earned his freedom, and his story is meant to inspire others. A more diverse workforce improves healthcare

disparities, and this is a pipeline to the competitive specialties of ophthalmology and otolaryngology.” He also supports Sankofa Community Empowerment, which provides culturally relevant educational experiences that help African descendants learn about their history. This past year, Edghill lost his father, Theodore Carter Edghill, to a rare heart condition. “He was my superhero. He sent me a note at Hotchkiss that said, ‘Just do your best.’ This simple advice put me on a quest to achieve my ‘personal best.’ My dad was determined to see me fulfill my potential.” Thinking back on his time in Lakeville, Edghill fondly recounts how his advisor, Charlie Noyes, and his friendships with Clementine (Braunsberg) Igou ’94 and Christian Franco ’93 helped him find his community and lifelong friends. “I have an inseparable bond with Steven Turner ’94, who also came through the Oliver program. Anil Thomas ’94, M.D. and Mohammed El Mallah made our band complete.” H

FALL 2021

’01

October 2021 Alum of the Month:

Oliver Barry ’01

is a Pediatric Interventional Cardiologist at Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital (New York Presbyterian), but his commitment to the well-being of children began years ago while at Princeton. He credits a sense of appreciation and gratitude for his time at Hotchkiss as an important factor in his decision to found a not-for-profit organization. Accepted into the Princeton in Africa program (PiAf ), which provides grants for humanitarian work, Barry’s fellowship was at a US government-funded agency helping children and families affected by HIV/ AIDS. “We worked in many capacities to combat this significant Zambian problem — educational campaigns, microfinance activities, testing and treatment programs, food security, and agricultural programs. Striking to me was the need for better educational opportunities, as the vast majority of children finish their schooling after grade seven.” Barry’s time in Zambia made a lasting impression. “Along with friends, I founded the Kucetekela Foundation (KF) in 2006. My own educational experience at Hotchkiss inspired me to focus on secondary school support. I hoped that in some way, KF could help young Zambians achieve something similar.” “Kucetekela” means “hope” in Bemba, one of Zambia’s languages. It represents the foundation’s goal to provide youngsters with the opportunity for continuing education through scholarships, as fewer than 10 percent of Zambian children graduate from secondary school. KF also provides necessities such as books, boarding fees, uniforms, and extra academic resources. Barry’s responsibilities include administration and development work, finance management, and programmatic activities. “It’s been an incredible journey watching KF grow. We are tremendously OLIVER BARRY, M.D. ’01

proud of our more than 70 alumni who are either studying at colleges or who have completed their schooling and are now working.” Prior to graduating from Princeton (B.A.), Barry spent summers in internships with medical clinics shadowing doctors. “Watching them work and interact with patients confirmed my choice to become a doctor. It seemed incredibly gratifying. Pediatrics seemed like a natural fit, especially after seeing so many vulnerable young Zambian people. I committed to pediatrics by the end of my first year at the Yale School of Medicine.” After Yale, Barry completed his residency in General Pediatrics at New York Presbyterian – Columbia, followed by a fellowship in Pediatric Cardiology at Boston Children’s Hospital. Now on the faculty at Columbia University Medical Center, and a practicing Pediatric Interventional Cardiologist at Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, Barry loves his work. “I enjoy seeing patients, teaching, and doing clinical research. I love working with my hands as an interventional

cardiologist. It’s tremendously satisfying treating children with congenital heart disease. I’m at the hospital at least five days a week and in the catheterization laboratory performing cases several days a week.” Being a father to a six-year-old son gives Barry perspective on working with children with heart disease. “Without a doubt, parents feel a deeper trust and connection with me when they know that I am also a parent. In the rare event that we lose a child, the sadness and grief are absolutely profound for the family, but they are felt by the whole medical team.” Barry was drawn to Hotchkiss by the athletics, and had a tremendous overall experience. “I loved art with Brad Faus and environmental science with Jim Morrill. Wayne Gaynor was my math teacher and advisor – an outstanding figure with a caring and thoughtful approach. Central to my experience were coaches, particularly the trio of varsity lacrosse coaches, Chris Burchfield, John Cooper, and Brad Faus – all incredible mentors. At Hotchkiss, I made lifelong friends, and was challenged and supported in all areas during a critical time in my personal and academic development.” Barry is proud of his accomplishments, but feels that there is nothing more important than his family. “I learned that from my own wonderful parents, Pat and Tom Barry, and I’m so lucky to have a family of my own now. I have an incredible wife, Christie, who has supported me through my medical training, and she is an amazing mom to our son, George.” H To learn more about the Kucetekela Foundation, visit: http://kucetekelafoundation.org

FALL 2021

BOARD OF GOVERNORS

In-Person Events are Back! After months of alumni events held virtually, we welcomed our first in-person event to campus this fall. In-person events are back, and we could not be more excited. We are dedicated to the safety of all of our Hotchkiss community members and COVID protocols will be communicated for each event. Look for invitations in your email inbox, on the School calendar, in social media, in your mailbox, and on Alumnet. We look forward to seeing you soon!

HOTCHKISS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD OF GOVERNORS

Current members of the Alumni Association Board of Governors (See inside front cover for names)

The Classes of 1970 and 1971 celebrated their postponed 50th reunions together in Lakeville this past September.

Chicago Coast to Coast event

Get connected with Alumnet! https://hotchkissalumnet.org DOWNLOAD THE APP!

For security reasons, your previous Hotchkiss Alumni App credentials have not been transferred to the new app. You can register as a new user by linking your Facebook, Google, or LinkedIn accounts, or using your email and a password you create.

FALL 2021

IN MEMORIAM

ROBERT RHET T AUSTELL JR. (“RHET T”)

P’71,’77 died August 15, 2021, age 96, peacefully at home in York, ME. Raised in the Hudson Valley, he graduated from Hotchkiss in 1943. He was inducted into the Army shortly after entering Williams College and served with the 84th Division in Europe as a BAR gunner. Taken prisoner of war in November 1944, he used his eight weeks of collegefreshman German to become a translator for fellow prisoners. Upon returning home, he graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Williams and entered Harvard Business School, graduating with distinction in 1950 as a Baker Scholar. He began his career at TIME Inc., where his managerial positions included general manager of Time magazine and publisher of TIME/LIFE Books. In 1976 he joined American Heritage as president and publisher, and he spent the last decade of his working career as a partner of the New York executive search firm, Ward Howell International. He and his first wife, Lynn, whom he married in 1947, lived in Massachusetts and then New York City before moving to Briarcliff Manor, NY, in 1952. After Lynn’s death, he married Carol Holly in 1987; they lived in New York before moving to Portsmouth, NH, in 1992, and later, to Kittery, ME, and later still, York. In addition to his career and family, he was dedicated to community service, including as a trustee and as president of the alumni association for Hotchkiss; president of the alumni society of Williams; and a trustee of the New York Public Library. On moving to New England, he served as a trustee of Portsmouth’s Strawbery Banke and the Portsmouth Athenaeum. He loved travel, visiting all seven continents and journeying to the North Pole as well as the major cities of Europe, Africa and Asia. He will be remembered as a warm, generous, thoughtful and caring husband, father, grandfather, greatgrandfather and friend. His wife Carol survives him, as do two daughters, including Sarah Cart ’77 of Key Largo, FL, and a daughter-in-law. He also leaves three stepsons, a sister-in-law, eight grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, eight step-grands and two step-great-grandsons. He was predeceased by brothers Steve ’47 in 1991 and Jan, and by his son, Robert Rhett Austell III ’71, in 2018.

COLONEL HENRY AL AN GEOFFREY

CHAPMAN (“GEOFF”) P’58 of Camden, ME died Sept. 17, 2021. Born in 1927, he attended Hotchkiss from 1941 until graduation in 1945. He graduated from Dartmouth in 1950, Syracuse University in 1953, and Florida

M AGA ZINE

State University in 1961. He spent more than 30 years in the military, serving two years in the army of occupation and Army Intelligence until 1947, and subsequently as an officer in the Air Force. He was a natural pilot, who for decades served his country with honor and distinction. He qualified in and flew more than 20 different airplanes and served with particular distinction as squadron commander during the Vietnam War, where he flew 0-2s. His love of flying inspired and outlasted his Air Force career. In his early 20s, he purchased a Piper Cub and did hang gliding off-and-on throughout his life. Toward the end of his 70s, he took up paragliding and continued into his 80s, gliding solo from the Carpathian Range in Romania. Skiing was his favorite pastime. He traversed continents — from his childhood in the Swiss Alps, to his Dartmouth College ski jumping, to the French, German and Austrian Alps, where he skied competitively for the Air Force, to jumping out of helicopters in the Canadian Rockies, and ending with his years as a Mountain Steward at Camden’s Snowbowl. An active citizen, he participated in many activities that contributed to the well-being of the communities he lived in. He was a literacy volunteer, selectman, school board member, founder of an education foundation, Red Cross driver, school bus driver, rural mail carrier, Nature Conservancy volunteer, softball coach, mountain guide and Meals on Wheels driver, to name a few. He was gregarious, speaking/butchering five different foreign languages to some degree, so he might make friends wherever he lived. He is survived by his four sons, including Philip “Xav” Chapman’58, and a daughter; three grandchildren, including Nica V. Waters ’87; five great-grandchildren, and his wife of 47 years, Marilyn. L AWRENCE BARON GOODMAN (“L ARRY ”)

died on August 4, 2021, in Greenwich, CT, aged 94. Born in New York City, he spent his early years in Woodmere, Long Island. After Woodmere Academy he attended Hotchkiss from 1941-1944 and then Dartmouth College’s V-12 naval officer training program. He ran track at Dartmouth in addition to co-founding the aviation club. He graduated as a civilian in 1947 with a commission as an ensign in the U.S. Naval Reserve. He joined his father in a family business dedicated to hosiery manufacture and retail distribution and spent his entire career in associated businesses. He built a complex organization, The Ormond Shops, a retailer of women’s clothing, serving as chairman of the company until his retirement in 1995. He shared with his first wife, Claire, an abiding interest in understanding the great diversity of the human experience. Due to that shared passion, he

served as chairman of the Center for American Archeology. After Claire’s death in 1979, he endowed the Claire Garber Goodman Fund for anthropological research at Dartmouth. At home in Jamaica, VT, he shared with his family his love of skiing, the outdoors and the beauty of northern New England. He often described himself as “twice blessed.” After Claire’s passing, he married Sachiko Terai, and they made their home in Greenwich, CT. He is survived by his wife, Sachiko, his two daughters and his son, four grandchildren, and a stepdaughter. His brother, Dick, Class of 1941, predeceased him. As befits a twice-blessed man, burial urns will rest with both Claire in Jamaica, VT and Sachiko in Osaka, Japan. BENJAMIN WOODS L ABAREE , professor emeritus of Williams College, died peacefully on August 30, 2021, at age 94 in Topsham, ME, with Linda, his wife of 62 years, at his side. Born in New Haven, CT, he enjoyed recounting stories from his boyhood in New Haven and summers on Nantucket, where he developed lifelong skills as a sailor and a love of the sea. While at Hotchkiss from 1941-45, he compiled scrapbooks of news clippings during the war in an early display of his archival skills. He served in the U.S. Navy before graduating from Yale University in 1950. A teaching career of nearly 50 years began at Phillips Exeter, after which he earned a Ph.D. in history at Harvard. His thesis published as Patriots and Partisans: The Merchants of Newburyport in 1962. In 1963 he was appointed dean of Williams College, where he combined administrative and teaching duties with research in colonial Massachusetts and New England. His published works include The Boston Tea Party (1964), America’s Nation Time, 1607-1789 (1972), and Empire or Independence, 1770-1776: A British-American Dialogue on the Coming of the American Revolution with British historian Ian Christie (1976). Much of that work culminated in publication of America and the Sea: A Maritime History, a collaborative work published in the 1990s. Having spent summers at Mystic Seaport Museum’s Munson Institute directing a graduate program in American Maritime Studies, Labaree started to take students to Mystic for “winter study” courses that influenced his ambition to offer a semesterlong interdisciplinary program, for what is now the Ocean and Coastal Studies Semester of Williams College and Mystic Seaport Museum (Williams-Mystic Program). A first cohort of students from several colleges arrived in fall 1977. From 1989 to until his retirement in 1991, he was director of the Center for Environmental Studies at Williams and living in Amesbury, MA. He became instrumental

in preserving an iconic wooden boat-building shop in the area and participated in an endeavor to create a non-profit working museum. He continued to teach, giving dozens of lectures on maritime and New England subjects to benefit area institutions. In 2016, Ben and Linda moved to Topsham, ME. For all of his accomplishments, his first love was his family — his three children and their spouses. “Poppa” was also a devoted grandfather to six grandchildren. Other survivors include his nephew and niece.

JAMES C. FAHY (“JIM”) died on January 1, 2021, at age 91. Born in New York City in 1929, as a youth, he was a member of the Knickerbocker Grays and The Blue Hill Troupe. Music was a keen love inspired by his mother’s grandfather, who wrote operettas. He attended Cornell and Columbia Universities, where he devoted himself to studying history, and served in the U.S. Air Force. A member of the MENSA Society, he had an interest in mechanical inventions, reflecting the influence of his ancestor, Richard March Hoe, inventor of the rotary printing press, a revolution which, among other notable inventions, allowed for the proliferation of newspapers. Career interests included real estate and construction. In the ’60s, he worked on the Wildcat Ski Resort and logging and blasting operations. He was an inspiration to his nieces and nephews, encouraging and empowering them to fulfill their aspirations and, in their younger years, to pursue their interests in sailing, horseback riding, cars and mechanics. He demonstrated an active interest in the feminist movement of Betty Friedan. His charitable donations reflected his concern for the development of healthy communities to assure children the support they need for a healthy personal and family life. He is survived by his sister, sister-in-law, a son, and nine nieces and nephews. EDWIN R. MOTCH III (“EDDIE”) of Orange Village, OH, died on July 23, 2021, at 93. Born in Cleveland, OH, he attended the University School and then Hotchkiss from 1943-46, graduating from Rollins College in 1951. He served in the U.S. Navy as a lieutenant during the Korean War. He began his career with the Motch and Merryweather Machinery Company, staying on for two years after the company was acquired by Oerlikon-Buerle. Soon after he purchased the Wellington Machine Company and separately partnered to form the Motch and Eichele Company. He served on the Boards of the University School, Cleveland, and the Natural History Museum of Cleveland. He was a gifted athlete in many sports, his greatest love being

tennis. He continued to play tennis several times a week until age 88. A loyal Cleveland sports fan, he rarely missed a broadcast of the Indians, the Browns, and the Cavaliers. He traveled the world but had a passion for the American West. In 1985 he took a rafting trip down the Selway River in Idaho, only to return to the river with friends and family every year for the next 35 years. He was a loyal friend to many, and everyone had a personal “Eddie” story to tell. He was the beloved husband of the late Gloria Motch and father to two sons and a daughter. He was the grandfather of 10 children. His brother, Donald Motch ’49, predeceased him. PETER WINSLOW PLUMLEY (“PETE”) of Kissimmee, FL, died May 31, 2021. He was 92. He attended Fessenden School, entered Hotchkiss in 1942 and left in 1945, graduating from Chauncy Hall in 1946. After graduating from MIT in 1950 with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, he relocated to Hartford, CT, and joined the Travelers Insurance Company in the actuarial department. Shortly thereafter, he was called to active duty in the Army. He was a captain in the Army and served two years of active duty during the Korean War, stationed in Washington, DC, at the National Security Agency, and served for several years in the Army reserves. While in Washington, he met and married Elizabeth Hamann (who predeceased him). They relocated to Hartford, CT, and he continued his professional career as a life actuary with the Travelers Insurance Company. He graduated from UConn Law School in 1964. He held many roles at the Travelers, including in the Tax Department, where he was able to use a combination of his actuarial and legal training. His professional interests included life company actuarial work, mortality research and analysis, the future of the actuarial profession, actuarial education, research on the AIDS epidemic, the automation of actuarial work, and insurance company taxation. An active volunteer for the Society of Actuaries, he became general chairman of its Education and Examination Committee. His career eventually led him to become the Executive Director of the Society of Actuaries in Chicago, IL, in the mid-1970s, followed by actuarial consulting in a firm and then on his own. He had many peer-reviewed actuarial papers published, including “The Education of the Actuary in the Future.” A model train enthusiast, he shared this love with his sons, as well as a family love of duckpin bowling. He was also an avid photographer and fan of the UConn women’s basketball team, and Chicago and Boston professional sports teams. He is survived by his wife, Anna Rappaport, his brother, his four children, his nephew and niece, his seven

grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren. He is also survived by Anna’s daughter and her family. DONALD RHODES SAUNDERS died on October 12, 2021, at age 93. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, he attended University School before attending Hotchkiss with the Class of 1946. He received his degree in industrial engineering from Yale in 1950 and attended Officer Candidate School before proudly serving in the U. S. Army during the Korean War. He retired as a First Lieutenant. In 1955 he married the love of his life, Elizabeth Bartlett Saunders (Betsy). He was self-employed, and he and Betsy lived on Community Drive in Beachwood, Ohio, for 45 years, where they tended a large vegetable garden, beautiful perennial gardens, and endless gratifying projects. No matter the weather, he enjoyed walking through the neighborhood park with their family dogs. Just three years ago, he was pushing his snowblower down their long driveway to clear the snow. He spoke with pride of his children, always wanting to know about their newest projects or adventures. His three grandchildren all loved to visit ‘Gampa’ at the house on Community Drive. He was inquisitive and delightfully funny. He was loved by children and animals alike, which was a testament to his kind and gentle heart. He was always game for the next project or adventure. In November 2020, he and Betsy moved to Massachusetts to be near their daughter. They enjoyed many special times together over the last year and were able to see family and friends who visited. He is survived by his wife, Betsy; their three children and three grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.

JAMES WILLIAM CHAPIN (“JIM”) passed away on February 22, 2021, at age 91. He attended Hotchkiss from 1944 until his graduation in 1947. He then earned his bachelor’s degree from Yale in 1952 and law degree from the University of Virginia Law School in 1957. After service in Korea as a Lt., USNR, from 19521954 and law school, he worked as an associate attorney at Reid & Priest in New York City. From 1975-1994 he was a partner at Forsyth, Decker, Murray & Broderick, also in New York, retiring as executive vice president. In 1994 he became General Counsel to the United States Tobacco Company. In his community of Greenwich, CT, he served in a number of volunteer activities: a director of Greenwich Emergency Medical Service, Inc.; chairman of the Health Committee; director of Greenwich Association for Retarded Citizens; and president of United Way of Greenwich. In his Misch II entry, he reflected on his life experiences: “Hotchkiss and the U.S. Navy were the two most important learning experiences

FALL 2021

IN MEMORIAM I have had; they taught me the fundamentals that shaped my life.” His wife, Margaret, predeceased him in 2018. He is survived by two sons and a daughter. EDWIN STANTON REYNOLDS III (“ED”) of Vero Beach, FL, died on May 6, 2021, at age 92. Born in December 1928, he attended Hotchkiss from 1944 until his graduation in 1947. He received his B.A. degree from the University of Miami, an M.A. in history from Florida Atlantic University, and the J.D. degree from the University of Miami. He was an attorney serving Vero Beach, FL, and a coffee farmer in Costa Rica. He was an honorary member of the Board of Governors, and curator at the Cornell Museum at Old School Square in Delray, FL. He had exhibited 10,000 military miniatures on 20 tables (over 1,000 sq. ft) at the Cornell Museum for several years, including weekly historical lectures explaining the meaning of the exhibit. He is survived by his wife, Celia, and three sons.

JOHN WINSLOW HINCKS P’84 died in Bloomfield, CT, on August 21, 2021, at the age of 90. Born in New Haven, he attended Rumsey Hall School before entering Hotchkiss in 1944. Entering the Class of 1952 at Yale, he found his passion for rowing and competed on varsity crew for three years, including the 1951 team, the first Yale crew to win the Eastern Sprint Championships. In his senior year, he was a member of Skull and Bones. After graduation, he entered the Naval Officer Candidate School and then served as an air intelligence officer in the Mediterranean and Pacific from 1952 to 1956. In 1956, he returned to Yale to study law. A friendship with a classmate in the Legal Accounting class blossomed into a 63-year marriage with Marcia Robinson Lockwood in 1958. After passing the CT bar exam in1959, he joined Robinson & Cole, where he spent his entire career, retiring in 1993. In addition to practicing law, he served on the boards of many local charitable organizations, including the CT Prison Association, the Hartford Stage Company, Friends of Trinity Rowing, and the Newington Children’s Hospital, (now CT Children’s Medical Center), serving as board chairman at a crucial time as the hospital transitioned from Newington to a new building designed for children in Hartford. He served for many years as a director of Middlesex Mutual Insurance. The Hinckses lived in West Hartford, CT, before moving to Bloomfield in 2007. The family spent many happy summers in Boothbay Harbor, ME, where clambakes were followed by singalongs on the family porch. He loved the outdoors, spending happy times with family

M AGA ZINE

and friends golfing, hiking, skiing, boating and biking. He was predeceased by his parents, John, Class of 1916; his two brothers, including Robert, Class of 1944; and his sister. In addition to his wife Marcia, he is survived by his two daughters and two sons, including Benjamin, Class of 1984. He also leaves behind 10 beloved grandchildren; his sister and sister-in-law; and 20 nieces and nephews. GUY PHILIPPE EDOUARD L ABALME, ESQ.,

born in Paris in 1930 to a French surgeon and an American sculptress, died in Tampa, FL, on July 5, 2021 at 90. After attending Hotchkiss with the Class of 1948 and graduating from Dartmouth College in 1952, he completed graduate work at the School of International Studies at Johns Hopkins and received an M.A. in Arabic from the University of Michigan. After serving at Fort Eustis during the Korean War and following a USIS tour in Rabat, Morocco, he returned to the U.S. and worked in several corporate jobs, notably public relations at Gulf Oil in Pittsburgh, where he developed the company’s minority relations program and freelanced as a financial advice columnist for the Pittsburgh Courier. However, his love of aviation (and distress at the poor air quality that he observed from the clouds) led him to law school. He graduated from Florida State University in 1973 and subsequently joined the Florida Attorney General’s office, where he worked on consumer and environmental cases before opening his own offices in Tampa and Apollo Beach. He loved all animals — rescuing and feeding many, many stray cats — and was a regular at the Sulphur Springs swimming pool. He is survived by Marilyn Sue, his devoted wife of 36 years; his daughter, son and daughter-in-law, and grandson; three nieces and nephew, Henry ’80; and Foo, the ragdoll kitty. Three great-nieces are alumnae of Hotchkiss: Eve Labalme ’16, Pia Labalme ’18, and Sylvie Labalme ’23. He was predeceased by a brother, George, Class of 1946.

HOWARD C. CARR (“HOWIE”) died on January 25, 2021, following a series of strokes. He was 90. His classmate, Peter Bulkeley’49, wrote in to the School, “Howie was one of my first-floor Buehler classmates, and, ironically, his room was right across the hall from Bill Clevenger, whose death we reported a few weeks ago. Like Bill, he attended Princeton, where I think he roomed with Jim Dana and Lew Kleinhans. After Hotchkiss, he graduated from Princeton in 1953 and Southern Methodist University in 1958. …” He was employed by Aratex Services Inc., and the family lived in

Pagosa Springs, CO, and Dallas, TX, before moving to Bainbridge Island, WA, in 2003. Carr and his wife, Ruth, embraced the island, learning its nooks and byways with “Discover Bainbridge” walks through the Parks & Recreation, and later with the “Walking Group,” an offshoot of the official group. Watercolor classes, also through Parks & Recreation, led to another group of best friends that became Water & Wednesday, with regular showings of their work. The neighborhood purchase and establishment of Cedar Lane Park led to a shellfish garden with the help of the Puget Sound Restoration Fund and a love of the beach, and the tides and waters that surround Bainbridge Island. Carr is survived by his daughter, Patricia, and was predeceased by his wife, Ruth, son Henry, and daughter Lindsay. He was a member of Hotchkiss’s Town Hill Society and True Blue Society.

The School was notified in October 2021 of the death of SOREN HOJBE RG of Copenhagen, Denmark, at age 87. He attended Hotchkiss from 1949-50 and graduated from Adelphi University in 1959. He also graduated from Danish Polytechnical School. In 1950 he was the National Junior Tennis Champion of Denmark. As an undergraduate at Danish Polytechnical, he played on the Danish Davis Cup Team and competed at Wimbledon. He worked for IBM Denmark and then, beginning in 1994, for Eurosport TV Company. He is survived by his wife, Inge, and a son and daughter. PAUL H. TOWNSEND, JR. P’73,’77,’80,’85, GP’04 of Shelby Township, MI, died on October 31, 2021, at age 89. He graduated from Hotchkiss in 1950, followed by Yale University (B.A.), and The University of Michigan Law School (J.D.). He served on active duty in the Army from 1954 to 1956, followed by six years in the U.S. Army inactive reserve. Admitted to the State Bar of Michigan in 1958, he joined Dykema, Jones, and Wheat (later Dykema, Gossett) law firm the same year. He specialized in labor and employment law, representing both private and public employers, and served as the firm’s Labor and Employment Law Practice Group Leader. During the 1960s he taught labor law as an adjunct faculty member at Wayne State University Law School. He retired from the firm in 1998 after almost 40 years. During his legal career he served as a Board member and later president and chairman of Hutzel (formerly Woman’s) Hospital in Detroit and played an active role in the formation of Detroit Medical Center, serving on its Board. He also served as a trustee of University Liggett School from 1973 to 1979. Following retirement from

law practice, he served as a neutral arbitrator. He was a member of labor arbitration panels of the American Arbitration Association and Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, serving in cases in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and West Virginia. He also served as administrative hearing officer for the Civil Service Commission of the City of Detroit for grievances of the city’s non-union employees. A former president of The Huron Mountain Club in Michigan’s Marquette County, he devoted considerable time to defending the Club against potential environmental damage from proposed sulfide mining underneath the Salmon Trout River. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, hiking, canoeing, and other outdoor activities, and reading history. He was predeceased by his wife, Elizabeth (Betsy Wheat) Townsend, to whom he had been married for 61 years at the time of her death in 2016. He was also predeceased by his sister Ann. He is survived by four children: Paul H. III ’73, David R.’77, Elizabeth Alltop ’80, and Sarah Reiser ’85; nine grandchildren, including Margaret Elizabeth Braestrup’04; and seven great-grandchildren. His father, Paul Townsend, graduated in the Class of 1913.

DAVID BOOTH COOPER, a retired newspaper editor and former jazz promoter, died August 15, 2020, at his home in La Jolla, CA. He was 87. Born in New York, he attended Hotchkiss from 1949 until his graduation in 1951. He earned a bachelor’s degree from UNC-Chapel Hill, beginning his newspaper career in 1953 as a summer intern at the Grand Rapids Press in Michigan. After graduating from UNC in 1955, Cooper joined the reporting staff of the Raleigh, NC, News and Observer. In 1956 he joined the U.S. Air Force, serving until 1959 as an intelligence officer. He then rejoined the N&O in Raleigh as a reporter, covering state politics and state government, the State Legislature, and the civil rights movement. In 1964, he joined the staff of the Winston-Salem Journal & Sentinel, serving as chief of its state capitol bureau. In 1968, he left North Carolina to join the Detroit Free Press as the paper’s City Hall bureau chief. He held several posts there before becoming chief of the paper’s Lansing bureau and later, deputy editorial page editor. In 1977, he became associate editor and editorial page director of the Akron Beacon Journal, a Knight Ridder paper, as was the Free Press. In his 22-year career in Akron, he won numerous state and regional press awards. He covered 10 national political conventions, helping to organize a convention staff of more than 100 Knight Ritter reporters and editors. After retiring in 1999, he was a mentor and volunteer for 14

years at the Preuss School UCSD in La Jolla. His lifelong interest in jazz led to his hosting a weekly radio program in Akron and later in La Jolla, where he was president of the San Diego Jazz Party, an annual festival designed to keep classic, mainstream jazz alive. In 1993, he married Joanne Hutchinson, who survives him. He also leaves two sons and a daughter from his first marriage to Frances Whinery, as well as a stepdaughter, a stepson, six grandchildren, a great-grandson, and a great-granddaughter. Other survivors include two nephews. Several cousins are Hotchkiss alumni: Ralph Booth’72, Fred Vogel III’53, Ralph Vogel’52, and John Booth’68. His late father was Charles Cooper, Class of 1921.

RICHARD P. GOLDMAN (“DICK”) of Philadelphia, PA, died on September 6, 2021 at age 86. An educator with a career spanning more than four decades, he once wrote of his four years at Hotchkiss: “As a scholarship student, I treasured my education at Hotchkiss, thanks to bright classmates and many wonderful teachers. Messrs. Parsons, Gurney, Hoey, Bacon, Edwards, and Beaumont are the ones I remember best. Equally important for me were writing for and becoming managing editor of the Record and engaging in daily bull sessions with classmates about sports, theater, newspapers — passionate interests of mine that continue to this day.” In 1956 he graduated magna cum laude from Yale, where he enjoyed broadcasting games on WYBC, the campus radio station. After serving in the Army, in 1959 he began teaching at Wilbraham Academy; while there, he earned a master’s degree at Middlebury College’s Bread Loaf School of English. In 1972 he joined the staff of Germantown Friends School in Philadelphia as the principal for planning and development. But, as he recalled in remarks on his retirement 30 years later, “I told the headmaster that I would probably want to work at that job for three years and then move back to the academic side; but after a couple of years he expanded the job, and I became the assistant head of school in charge of finance and development.” He found the position to be challenging and rewarding, and in 1992-93 he also served as the interim head of school during a transition year. During his years at the school, the endowment grew impressively, and he helped to raise millions of dollars for its community scholarships program. On his retirement, the school announced the naming of an endowed lower school community scholarship in his honor. Goldman also cultivated a lifelong interest in writing, editing a school publication called Studies in Education while at Germantown. He also wrote a book, Profession at Risk, for the National Association of Independent Schools,

as well as articles for magazines and professional journals. He is survived by his wife, Claire, and two stepdaughters.

ROBERT BROOKINGS SMITH II (“BOB”) , died on October 23, 2021, in Savannah, GA, with his three sons by his side. He was a devoted husband, father and friend. A lifelong sailor, he called on many ports in his 87 years. His boyhood home of St. Louis, MO, made quite an impression on him, as later in life he would compare all locations to the Gateway City. He attended St. Louis Country Day, Hotchkiss, and Yale University. After serving in the Korean War, he took to the skies for Republic Airlines, before settling in for a long career as a 737 pilot for United Airlines. While with United, a redhaired stewardess and model, Kathleen Lally, brought him dinner during a flight. They would continue to dine together for the next 40 years. Finding a harbor in Annapolis, MD, he went on to amass of collection of unseaworthy boats. Most of these vessels can still be found on the bottom of the Chesapeake Bay. While on dry land, he found time to toil on his invention, the “Leverbike,” a unicycle contraption that nearly maimed several neighborhood test subjects, as well as a detective novel that is widely viewed in literary circles as the most unintentionally funny book ever written. Following retirement, he took a southerly course to Amelia Island, FL. There he was joined by his beloved dogs, Phoebe and Atticus, and later, Cammi, a spaniel who would remain his companion until the end. In 2010, he and Kathleen moved to Savannah to be closer to family. The one waypoint he returned to throughout his life was Harbor Springs, MI. Spending nearly 85 summers on the shores of Lake Michigan, he never missed a party or a sailboat race. From St. Louis to Annapolis, from Michigan to Amelia, and from his last berth in Savannah, he collected friendships that would last a lifetime. He was predeceased by his wife, Kathleen, and is survived by three sons and a daughter, and eight grandchildren.

THOMAS HARDY DIXON (“TOM”) , 85, of Lake Forest, IL, died July 30, 2021, from complications related to pneumonia. Dixon spent more than 45 years teaching at Berkshire School in Sheffield, MA. As an advance placement teacher in biology, chemistry and physics, he educated more than 3,000 high school students during his storied career. He also served as both a dean and trustee at the school, and the Bellas/ Dixon Math and Science Center on the Berkshire campus pays tribute to his unconditional

FALL 2021

IN MEMORIAM commitment to continuing education in math and science. He attended the Lake Forest Country Day School and Hotchkiss, graduating from Yale in 1958. After his marriage in 1978 to Cynthia White, he joined the Packer Collegiate Institute in Brooklyn, NY, for two years, where he served as the science department chair. In 1980, the Dixons returned to Berkshire, where he became director of development. After spending the 1990-91 school year at the Sevenoaks School in Kent, England, the Dixons operated Dixon Antiques from their home in Sheffield. His late wife, Cynthia White Dixon, died in 2011. His late brothers, Wesley M. Dixon, Jr. ’45, and Stewart S. Dixon ’48, died in 2014. He is survived by two stepbrothers and his 15 grand-nephews and nieces. A lifelong learner, he pursued interests in astronomy, classical music, cooking and digital book publishing. In the last three years his “Tom’s Visions” books were published; each edition included a collection of whimsical photographs that he produced. Several hundred hours were spent each month creating these books, using his Macintosh desktop publishing system. Family always meant the world to him, and he clearly instilled his love of living life to the fullest and enjoying a multitude of activities and civil service, to each of his grand-nephews and nieces. He served on the boards of Friends of Music at Yale, Yale Drama, and the New York Solstice Chamber Orchestra. MAXWELL R. MCCREERY (“MAX”) of Chilmark, MA, 83, passed peacefully on October 22, 2021, in his home, surrounded by his immediate family. With his booming laugh, warmth, love of life and people, he was authentically positive. Playing golf, he’d only remember your good shots. He loved his hometown of Winchester, MA, where he grew up playing hockey on Wedge Pond and pick-up basketball. During his PG year at Hotchkiss, 1953-54, he excelled in baseball. Completing ROTC at Brown University, he graduated as a commissioned officer and served in the Air Force from1958-1961. Then he began his 25-year career at Exxon, starting as a regional sales rep in Northampton, MA, then with a move to regional sales manager in Buffalo, NY, and finally at the NYC headquarters, where he headed an executive recruiting team and settled his family in Darien, CT. Taking early retirement, he had a second career in outplacement, where he delighted in helping people find better jobs. His skills for and love of community-building were unparalleled: To teach his young daughters how to play basketball, he started a townwide girls basketball league at the Darien YMCA. He was a founder of the Darien Nature Center and The Friends of

M AGA ZINE

Woodland Park, and served on the Board of the Democratic Town Committee and the Board of Selectmen for the town. Retiring to Martha’s Vineyard, he spent 15 years on the Personnel Board for the Town of Chilmark. In his 70s, he trained and volunteered as an EMT for the Tri-Town Ambulance Service and delivered meals for Meals on Wheels. He taught many of his18 nieces and nephews how to windsurf and countless kids how to shoot a basketball, and enjoyed wonderful music made by his family. He is survived by his wife Connie, sister Betsy, two daughters, and four grandchildren, among so much more extended family, all of whom loved him dearly.

DR. DAVID J. WILLIAMS P’00 of London, England, died on March 10, 2021, at 82. He attended Hotchkiss from 1956-57 and then earned degrees from Cambridge University in 1961 and 1964. He was formerly employed by St. Thomas’ Hospital and published articles in medical journals related to emergency medicine. He was the first president of the Faculty of Accident and Emergency Medicine, which ultimately became the Royal College of Emergency Medicine. Becoming a Faculty meant that the new specialty of Accident and Emergency Medicine could determine its own future and move out from its parent Royal Colleges home. Subsequently, Williams made sure that the relationship with the Royal Colleges continued to remain strong. He was the clinical director of the Emergency Department at St Thomas’ Hospital, London, and retired after being an A&E Consultant for 28 years. As well as advancing the specialty in the UK, he was one of the founders of the European Society for Emergency Medicine (EUSEM). He was the first president of the then-new Section of Emergency Medicine of the Union Europeanne des Medicines Specialistes (UEMS). Williams was a central figure in the development of the specialty. His ability to bring people together served to create strong professional bodies that advocate for both clinicians and patients. He was a great boss, mentor and friend to many in the specialty today and will be greatly missed. He enjoyed his family, gardening, tennis, boating, and travel. He is survived by his wife, Ann Williams, and daughter Antonia, Class of 2000.

ROBERT HIXON HANSON SR. P’93 (“BOB”)

died peacefully at home from complications of multiple myeloma on August 22, 2021. Born in Chicago, he graduated from both Hotchkiss (’59) and Yale (’63) with honors. At Yale he was

captain of the rifle team and competed in Rifle and Pistol Marksmanship, becoming an Olympic contender in 1964 and 1968. During this time, he also developed a love of flying, earning private, seaplane, and jet pilot licenses. He spent 25 years as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith in New York City. While at Merrill Lynch, he met and married Arlene Peters, the love of his life. In 1990 they moved with their three children to Wyoming. He became vice president of D.A. Davidson in Cody, was a partner with Greenstar Telecommunications, and co-owner of The Trophy Connection, a travel and taxidermy business with clientele from around the world. He enjoyed life in the West and gleaned great pleasure from living on a high-country ranch, surrounded by wildlife and a pristine landscape. The Hansons traveled around the world fishing, hunting, and mountaineering, and especially enjoyed visits to Africa, Antarctica, Alaska, and Nepal. He served on the Board of Greenwich Academy, was a member of the Yale Alumni Association, and a director of the local chapters of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. Dedicated to conservation education, he was secretary of The Boone and Crockett Club for 25 years. His dedication to the preservation of wildlife won him numerous awards. An avid golfer, he tested his skills at courses around the country and the world. Devoted husband, father, grandfather, and lifelong friend to many, he is survived by his wife of 49 years, Arlene Hanson; two daughters, including Diane Hanson-Haynes ’93, a son, and seven grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother and sister, and many cherished nieces, nephews, and cousins. At Hotchkiss, the Hanson Family Scholarship was established in 2008 by the late Margaret Hixon Hanson in honor of her father, Robert Hixon, Class of 1897; her two sons, Robert Hixon Hanson ’59 and Michael Francis Hanson II ’61, and her granddaughter, Diane Hanson-Haynes ’93. ROBERT MALLORY IV (“BOB”) of Ho-HoKus, NJ, died in June 2021. He was 79. His widow, Deanne, informed the School of the sad news. After graduating from Hotchkiss, he earned his A.B. degree from Bowdoin College. He was a computer software network manager and retired from AT&T in 1989. He enjoyed jazz, tennis, ice hockey, fishing, and bird hunting. A supporter of environmental organizations, he served as president of the Hudson River Fisherman’s Association (NJ) from 1989-1992. In retirement he enjoyed whitewater kayaking and continued playing tennis, year-round. He and his wife, Deanne, had a son and a daughter and one grandson. In his Misch II biographical sketch for his 50th reunion in 2009, he noted, “I have been married for 45 years to the girl I took to our graduation dance.”

NICHOL AS WHIT TEMORE (“NICK”) died peacefully at his home in New Sharon, ME, on September 29, 2021. Born in Cambridge, MA, he grew up in Middlebury, CT, Waterville, ME, and Burlington, VT. He was a graduate of Hotchkiss and Middlebury College. From the beginning, he loved to roam the countryside and explore the woods, on foot, on his bicycle, and on a motorcycle. In winters he spent weekends on the slopes at Stowe, and moved on to telemark, cross-country ski, and snowmobile the hills and fields of Maine. In summer he sailed his Sunfish on Lake Quassapaug in Middlebury, cruised the Atlantic coast with his first wife, and ultimately raised sail in Maine on his classic six-meter sloop. He opened Sandy River Cycles in Farmington Falls, ME, providing the best new dirt bikes on the motocross and enduro circuits, along with a training and test track, and his expert mechanical skills. He also successfully competed in races throughout Maine and Massachusetts. He purchased a chainsaw shop and spent several years repairing and selling chainsaws in Farmington. Later, he returned to farming full-time. He never abandoned his love of motorcycles and chainsaws and always had a bike or saw project in progress by the woodstove. He was a lifelong collector, with a taste for BSA Gold Stars, Porsche Roadsters, Dodge Power Wagons, antique farm equipment, anything with an engine in need of rescue, and the 1987-1993 Ford Ranger. He was a loving father, cherished brother, and a loyal friend. He will be deeply missed by the people and the land he loved. He is survived by his son and daughter, two grandchildren, his beloved sister, and five nephews. He was predeceased by his parents and longtime companion, Wendy Wyman.

JAMES T MCBEE JR. (“JIM”) , a resident of Sewell, NJ, passed away peacefully on July 24, 2021. He was 70. Legacy Jim was a proud graduate of Hotchkiss, where he was one of the first African American students from 1965-1969. He then continued his education at Brown University in Providence, RI, where he met his future wife, Robin. After receiving his B.A. at Brown, he furthered his career by earning master’s degrees at both VCU and Rowan University. When not spending time with his loving family, he enjoyed golfing, reading, watching sports and being an active and devoted member of his church, where he sang in the church choir. He was an active mentor for Project Impact at Rowan University and was affectionately known as “Bee” at school. He was the beloved husband of 42 years to the late

Robin McBee (Haskell); loving father of two daughters; dear brother of two sisters and two brothers; cherished grandfather of five, and also leaves a host of nephews, nieces and dear friends. He was a wonderful father, grandfather, brother, uncle, mentor, and friend. To know him was to love him. He will be missed by all.

JOHN ALFRED HILL (“STORK”) of St. Petersburg, FL, died on June 22, 2021, at age 68. He attended Hotchkiss from 1966 until his graduation in 1970. He then graduated from Duke University in 1975. He worked at Think Systems, Inc. as a project manager and coached Little League baseball and football. He married Sandy Wiles in June 1976, and they had three sons: Jack, Daniel, and Ethan.

JOSEPH GILLIS (“JOE”) , 69, passed unexpectedly at his residence in Newton, MA, on August 30, 2021. Growing up in West Roxbury, MA and then Milton, MA, he attended Thayer Academy, where he was a standout athlete on the football and baseball teams and a key player in the 1968 undefeated football team’s being inducted into the Thayer Academy Hall of Fame. He truly excelled, however, as a hockey player, being named captain both his junior and senior years and graduating as the all-time leading scorer in the school’s history. He completed a postgraduate year at Hotchkiss School in 1970-71 before matriculating at Boston College, where he continued his hockey career and majored in finance in the business school. Upon graduation, he embarked on a successful career in sales at John Hancock and then worked at other notable companies before his retirement. After retirement, he split his time between Naples, FL, where he loved to spend winters and enjoyed fishing, and his home in Newton, MA. Throughout his career and retirement, he returned to Boston College for football and hockey games, but most of all, he enjoyed time with his family, particularly his nieces and nephews, who brought him the greatest joy. He remained an avid Boston sports fan, and particularly a hockey fan. He is survived by his mother, Eileen Gillis of Naples, FL, and his four siblings, including Michael Gillis ’75, along with his 11 beloved nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his father, Dr. Joseph Leo Gillis, and his brother, Daniel.

GEORGE ROL AND WILLIAMS, JR.

(“ROL AND”) ,

a deeply beloved son, brother,

uncle, nephew, cousin, and friend, died on September 10, 2021, at age 69. Growing up in a large family in Jersey City, NJ, he was a great tennis player and longtime Boy Scout. The life skills he learned as a scout were integral in his overall growth and development, and he was able to employ many of these skills while hunting with his dad. He demonstrated superior academic ability at a young age and in high school was selected to participate in an academic advancement program. This led him to Hotchkiss in 1968; he graduated in 1972 and continued his studies at Bucknell University. Having participated in ROTC, he joined the U.S. Air Force before beginning a career with the U. S. Post Office. In addition to working for the Post Office and driving trucks, he was a successful entrepreneur. As an auctioneer he was successful with estate sales and also had a thriving jewelry business. His intelligence was evident in all areas of his life. He was a self-made mechanic and a master chess player. Although he was a true Jersey City boy, he lived in Macon, GA, and Cayce, SC, for more than 30 years with his former spouse, Deloris, before returning to Jersey City in 2011. He understood fully that the circle of life is never-ending and spent precious time with each of his five beloved siblings. Always active, he was a spirited, fun-loving uncle who spent many memorable moments with his 11 nieces and nephews. He is still treasured for being the secret-keeping uncle. He was predeceased by his loving mother and father and leaves to mourn his passing his five siblings, his devoted aunts and uncles, and a host of loving cousins and other relatives and friends.

DEREK WHITAKER COVIELLO , 48, passed into memory July 24, 2021. He joined this world in Casper, WY, and lived for a brief time in Vancouver, British Columbia, near his paternal grandparents and his Coviello cousins, before moving to Ithaca, NY, to live close to his maternal grandparents. There, he developed a strong relationship with his grandmother, who passed in 2001 with Derek at her side. During his adolescent time in Ithaca, he gained stepfamily members and an additional home in Greene, NY. He attended Hotchkiss from 1989-91 and then attended Hobart and William Smith Colleges. He was married for many years, moving with his wife to Long Beach, CA, where he earned a degree from the University of California film and theater arts program before returning east to Binghamton, NY, and then on to East Berne, NY. He spent his last days in Greene. Though passed from this life, he will continue to thrive in the memories of his friends, former teammates, and relatives for

FALL 2021

IN MEMORIAM the multitudinous ways he positively affected their lives, and for the variety of craftmanship he left behind. Those who knew Derek were continually impressed by his robust intellect and talent. He is survived by his mother, Pamela Coviello, his father, Ted Coviello, his brother, and two adoring nieces, who thought he was the best jungle gym, ever. He is also survived by his aunts, first cousins, and two step-siblings.

EVELYN CRAWFORD PIERREPONT

(“E VI E”)

of Locust Valley, NY, died on August 12, 2021, at age 30. She attended Hotchkiss from 2004-2007. She played on the Girls JV Hockey, Girls Varsity Lacrosse, and Girls JV Soccer teams in the 2006-07 school year and was a tour guide in 2005-06. She was the daughter of Virginia C. and Rutherfurd S. Pierrepont and had four siblings. She is also survived by several aunts and uncles, including Seth Pierrepont ’70, and cousins, including Seth Pierrepont, Jr. ’01, Consuelo Spitler ’00, Arabella Crawford ’14, and Nathalie R. Danilovich ’03.

Former Faculty and Staff JACQUELINE HILL KUHN , former periodicals assistant at the Edsel Ford Memorial Library, died on August 2, 2021. She was 60 and had worked at Hotchkiss until 2009. She spent her first nine years of life in France and spoke French beautifully throughout her life with her sisters, Marian Kuhn Beers and Eleanore Hopkins Boyse, who is the mother of Fentress Boyse’07 and Natalie Boyse’09. JEFFREY REICHEL died July 15, 2021, in Lutz, FL. He is survived by a son and daughter. Raised in Wayzata, MN, he attended Bowdoin College and La Sorbonne in Paris. He taught French at Hotchkiss from 1973-74 and went on to have a career in fundraising at Carleton College and the University of Chicago. RYAN ROSS of Colebrook, CT, died on September 11, 2021, at 31. He worked as a groundskeeper at Hotchkiss, having joined the School in 2013. He is survived by his loving family, including his father, Rich Ross, a longserving housekeeper at Hotchkiss, his mother, and his sister. OWEN R. WILLIAMS of Riverview, FL, died on October 17, 2020, at age 76. He was a staff member of the Edsel Ford Memorial Library, working at the School from 2000-2010.

M AGA ZINE

Frederick Frank ’50, P’12 Former Board president and trailblazing Wall Street investment banker

REDERICK FRANK ’50, P’12, A WALL STREET LEGEND whose illustrious career encompassed more than 60 years and innumerable successes, died on September 11, 2021. Frank was a former president of the Hotchkiss Board of Trustees and stalwart supporter of the School. He was 89. Born in Salt Lake City, UT, on May 31, 1932, he came to Hotchkiss at age 16, arriving as an upper mid. In his Misch II comments for his 50th reunion at Hotchkiss, he wrote: “My first recollection is fear. I took a train from Salt Lake City to New York by myself, having never been fifty miles east of home until that time. Then, a train from Grand Central Station to Millerton, New York. Finally, arriving at Hotchkiss, not knowing a sole boy or teacher as an upper mid, where, of course, everyone knew everyone else. ...” He lettered in football and basketball and served as both president and secretary of his class. Being on the football team “eased my acceptance into the Hotchkiss community,” he wrote. Frank later observed that adjusting to the Hotchkiss learning curve when starting as an upper mid was “a more formidable undertaking” than his experience in athletics at the School. “One observed and absorbed quickly that Hotchkiss had a standard of excellence that was both demanding and fair,” he said. “It is that duality that is necessary in order to sustain the legacy of an institution dedicated to the spirit of ‘preparing’ its students for the next four years of education and an attitude of intellectual integrity and curiosity that fashions a lifetime of character.” “When I am asked, ‘where did you go to school?’ my response always begins with Hotchkiss,” Frank said. “The School is an all-encompassing experience that provides a lasting set of values and a code of conduct...” After Hotchkiss, Frank earned his B.A. in philosophy with departmental honors from Yale in 1954. He served with the U.S. Army for two years in Europe, stationed with the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, and he earned an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business before beginning his business career in 1958. Wall Street was enjoying a bull market when he began work with the investment banking firm of Smith Barney. After his training, he was assigned to research, working for the head of the department who was also the drug and chemical industry analyst. The placement was prophetic. Frank suggested to his boss that he cover pharmaceuticals exclusively; soon he became Wall Street’s first dedicated pharmaceutical industry analyst. By 1962, he had expanded the scope of his work to include medical devices, diagnostics companies, and healthcare services. “He was only thirty years old and relatively new to Wall Street,” noted an article in the Summer 2012 issue of LSF Magazine, “but he had already established a reputation as an innovator and trend-setter.”

He became a vice president and director of Smith Barney while still in his mid-30s. In 1969, he left to join Lehman Brothers. There he transitioned from equity research to investment banking, served as vice chairman, and became the first partner ever to join the firm from the outside. He later served as vice chairman at Barclays Capital and Peter J. Solomon, and as chairman of Burrill Securities. In 2014, he founded EVOLUTION Life Science Partners, where he served as chairman until his passing. In 2012, LSF Magazine called him “the first life sciences specialist in investment banking and the most prolific. ...Frank has served as the lead underwriter in more than 125 initial public offerings. He has negotiated more than 75 mergers and acquisitions, including some of the largest and most important transactions in the history of biotechnology.” Frank was a chartered financial analyst, a member of the New York Society of Security Analysts, and a past president of the Chemical Processing Industry Analysts. He served as a director of numerous organizations, including Applied Biosciences International and Diagnostic Products International; as chairman of the National Genetics Foundation; and as an advisory board member of the Yale University School of Management, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the Harvard School of Public Health, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Center for Biomedical Innovation, and the Salk Institute. He received numerous awards and recognitions, including the Albert Einstein Award from the Weizmann Institute of Science in 2004; the 2006 Gilda’s Club of New York City Visionary Award; the 2019 Richard J. Bolte Sr. Award for Supporting Industries from the Science History Institute; and in 2021, the Biotechnology Heritage Award from the Biotechnology Innovation Organization and the Science History Institute. He also received the Biotech Hall of Fame Award at the Annual

“He was only thirty years old and relatively new to Wall Street, but he had already established a reputation as an innovator and trend-setter.” –LSF MAGAZINE

Biotech meeting in 1997, and was named among Reed Elsevier’s “Top 100 Living Contributors to Biotechnology.” His service to Hotchkiss included volunteering as a class agent and as a Centennial Campaign executive and serving as a non-trustee member of the trustees’ Investment Committee, overseeing management of the School’s endowment. He was elected as a trustee in 1991, first serving as chair of both the Budget and Finance Committee, the Committee on Trustees, and as a member of the Education Committee. He later served as chairman of the Education Committee, a member of the Admissions and Buildings and Grounds and Executive Committees, and as chairman of the Development Committee. He was the Board president from 1999-2001 and was elected a Trustee Emeritus after stepping down. An enthusiastic and well-informed supporter of the School, Frank established the first lead charitable trust at Hotchkiss in 1983. He chaired the School’s Town Hill Society for several years, beginning in 2007. His support made possible the construction and furnishing of the Frederick Frank House, which is

the residence of the head of school. A biology lab and biology classrooms in the Griswold Science Building are named in his honor, and he also donated a music practice room. A library endowment fund established by Mary Tanner was given in her husband’s name. In 2000, an anonymous donor created the Fred Frank ’50 Scholarship. He is survived by his wife and lifelong business partner, Mary Tanner; son Frederick Seller Frank ’12; daughters Jenny Frank Goldsmith and Laura Frank; and two grandchildren, Gregory Goldsmith and Emma Goldsmith. He was predeceased by brother Thomas Frank, a member of the Class of ’57, sister Susanne Goldsmith, and cousin Roger Seller Meier ’44.

FALL 2021

PARTING SHOT

PHOTO: WENDY CARLSON

Homage to Trees The fall exhibit in the Rotunda, “What the Trees Try to Tell Us We Are,” featured work from alumni and regional artists interspersed with poems that echo and deepen our understanding of what trees mean. Grouping the work of nine living artists with 19th and early 20th-century paintings and drawings, the exhibit focused on trees as living things, and as metaphors.

M AGA ZINE

Save the Dates! 5TH & 10TH REUNION CELEBRATIONS

CLASSES OF 2010, 2011, 2015, AND 2016 • JUNE 10-12, 2022

A SPECIAL CELEBRATION

CLASS OF 2020 • JUNE 14-15, 2022

THE BELOVED TRADITION RETURNS CLASSES ENDING IN 2 OR 7 • JUNE 17-19, 2022

A NOTE TO THE CL ASSES ENDING IN 0, 1, 5 OR 6: We remain committed to scheduling in-person Reunion events for your classes before your next milestone celebration. Please stay tuned for details!

Visit www.hotchkiss.org/alumni (Events & Reunions) for updates. For more information, please contact Rachel Schroeder Rodgers ’09, assistant director of alumni relations, at (860) 435-3124 or rrodgers@hotchkiss.org.

Hope to see you in Lakeville!

NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID

11 Interlaken Road Lakeville, CT 06039-2141 (860) 435-2591 HOTCHKISS.ORG

PERMIT NO. 36 PITTSFIELD, MA

Hotchkiss Magazine | Fall 2021

Articles inside

The Right Fit

Progress Toward Equity

From the Head of School

From the Board of Trustees

Enduring Gratitude