Hotchkiss Magazine Summer 2017

Summer 2017

The Importance of Place

S u m m e r

2 0 1 7

1

Campus Board of Trustees

con n ec t i o n

Charles Ayres ’77

Alumni Association Board of Governors Casey Reid ’01

Craig Bradley, Head of School

Miriam Gelber Beveridge ’86 VP and Co-chair, Gender Committee

Robert Chartener ’76, P’18, Vice President

Sirin Bulakul ’06

William Sandberg ’65

John Coumantaros ’80, P’16,’19

Adam Casella ’06 VP and Chair, Alumni Services Committee

Thomas Seidenstein ’91, President

Elizabeth Ford P’11,’13 Sean Gorman ’72, Secretary Robert Gould ’77 John Grube ’65, P’00 Elizabeth Hines ’93 Raymond McGuire ’75, Vice President Kendra O’Donnell Thomas Quinn ’71, P’15,’17,’19 Chris Redlich Jr. ’68 Jean Weinberg Rose ’80, P’18, President Thomas Seidenstein ’91 President, Alumni Association

Blake Ruddock ’12

Nathalie Pierrepont Danilovich ’03

Sheria Smith ’01 VP and Chair, Alumni of Color Committee

Charlotte Dillon ’10

Richard Staples ’74, P’10,’12

Marita Bell Fairbanks ’84

Thomas Terbell ’95

Meredith “Mark” Gall ’59

Michael Thompson ’66

Peter Gifford ’93

Carolyn Toolan ’97

Brooke Harlow ’92 Caldwell Hart ’87, P’16,’20 Secretary and Chair, Nominating Committee for Membership

EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS

Craig Bradley, Head of School

Keith Holmes ’77 VP and Co-chair, Gender Committee

Katheryn Allen Berlandi ’88, P’19 Past President, Alumni Association

Annika Lescott ’06

Edward Greenberg ’55 Past President, Alumni Association

Roger Smith ’78, P’08

Barrett Lester ’81

Rebecca van der Bogert

Nisa Leung Lin ’88

Gwyn Williams ’84, P’17, ’19, President, The Hotchkiss Fund

Nicholas Moore ’71, P’89,’01,’06

Daniel Wilner ’03

Paul Mutter ’87 VP and Chair, Nominating Committee for Awards

David Wyshner ’85, Treasurer

Emily Pressman ’98

Jean Weinberg Rose ’80, P’18 President, Board of Trustees Gwyn Williams ’84, P’17,’19 President, The Hotchkiss Fund

CLASS OF 2017 PHOTO BY ANNE DAY P’09,’11,’13

Chip Quarrier ’90 VP and Chair, Communications Committee

2

H o t c h k i s s

M a g a z i n e

COVER PHOTOGRAPH BY WENDY CARLSON

22

26

32

36

HEAD OF SCHOOL

Craig W. Bradley CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER

Hellen Hom-Diamond EDITOR

Wendy Carlson MAGAZINE DESIGNER

Julie Hammill WRITER & DIGITAL CONTENT PRODUCER

Chelsea Edgar ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

Danielle Sinclair VIDEOGRAPHER AND DIGITAL MEDIA SPECIALIST

F E AT U R E S

The Importance of Place: 125 Years

Tyler Wosleger

24

Thinking Globally, Acting Locally

WEBSITE AND DESIGN MANAGER

26

Hotchkiss, The Place

30

A Closer Look at Hotchkiss’s Hidden Places

Margaret Szubra CONTRIBUTORS

Roberta Jenckes Roger Wistar

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 and comments are welcome. Please send inquiries and comments to: The Hotchkiss School, 11 Interlaken Road, Lakeville, CT 060392141, email magazine@hotchkiss.org, or phone 860-435-3122.

32

On the Road with Peter Sargent ’03: Documenting Our Wild Climate

36

How Suzy Hodgson ’81 Is Helping Farmers Adapt to a Changing Climate

22 Delores Coan, Instructor in Ceramics:

Thirty-Six Years of Creating with Clay, Fire, and Love

D E PA RT M E N T S

4 Campus Connection 40 Class Notes

62 In Memoriam 68 Parting Shot S u m m e r

2 0 1 7

1

From the head

o f sc h o o l

Head of School Craig Bradley with Jean Weinberg Rose ’80, P’18, president of the Board of Trustees, on graduation day

A

one of the surprises I have found when comparing our former life in Paris and our new life in Lakeville. I responded that in Paris, I did not receive matter-offact email messages most weeks of the spring instructing the members of the community to be mindful that a bear was just seen on campus rummaging around a trash can or a bird feeder. We love the fact that we share this habitat with many wild creatures — bears, foxes, deer, beavers, turtles, snakes, birds, and others. It is thrilling to watch bald eagles flying over Lake Wononscopomuc, to see Eastern bluebirds and tree swallows flying along the edge of the sixth fairway, to hear the drumming of pileated woodpeckers in the woods behind Watson Dorm, and to learn about a bobcat spotted in someone’s backyard in town. This place is a rich habitat for wildlife and for learning.

We enjoy walking our dog in the Beeslick Brook Woods and refreshing our knowledge of the trees and plants in this northern hardwood forest. Within my first week in Lakeville last summer, I had dug out my old copy of Donald Culross Peattie’s A Natural History of Trees of Eastern and Central North America, a reference I keep close at hand. Elizabeth is a forest ecologist, and

2

H o t c h k i s s

M a g a z i n e

PHOTOS BY WENDY CARLSON

student asked me recently to name

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

“Our natural setting is one of the great blessings of this School, and it is inseparable from our sense of Hotchkiss.”

she and I find great excitement in learning something new about the natural world, be it the geology of the Taconic Range or a report of a colony of endangered bog turtles in the wetlands north of the ’49 Fields. While this is a new landscape that we continue to explore and learn about, Elizabeth and I find its familiar flora and fauna welcoming.

In a memorable visit with Linda and Ben Labaree ’45 last summer in Maine, Ben recalled with fondness the long hikes he and a friend would take up Mount Riga or Bear Mountain on Headmaster’s Holidays.

Ben and Linda very kindly followed up by sending a copy of Christopher Rand’s The Changing Landscape, Salisbury, Connecticut, a must-read for all who have been touched by this place. Rand’s book, published in 1968, is a compilation of seven essays he wrote for The New Yorker between 1952 and 1966 that describe how the landscape and the way of life in this place has changed over time. Rand’s approach calls to mind Graham Robb’s The Discovery of France, A Historical Geography, another favorite book about a favorite place.

As John Hersey ’32 wrote: “It is not necessary for a graduate to get sentimental about the Connecticut countryside… to recollect how much he learned, in the way of contemplation and affection for natural things, from summer afternoons on the lake, from walks in the school woods…from skiing and skating, and from daily sky-change and turning of the seasons.” Nearly 100 years after Hersey’s days at Hotchkiss, we actively encourage our students to explore the natural world around them and make it part of their Hotchkiss education.

Ten years ago, The Economist reported that for the first time in history, the majority of human beings live in urban settings. The pace of urbanization is particularly notable in the developing world.

For our students to spend a meaningful period of their young lives in this place instills in them a deep appreciation for natural beauty, the environment, and rural life. No doubt that appreciation will influence the future choices they will make and the causes they will support.

At Fairfield Farm, the seedlings begin in the greenhouse, where they grow under cover in an especially rich soil until they are ready to be replanted in the open. The greenhouse is a metaphor for the School, a place where students experience significant growth and gain strength under cover before transplanting themselves, mostly in urban settings.

Our natural setting is one of the great blessings of this School, and it is inseparable from our sense of Hotchkiss.

We take great care to preserve and enhance the natural and built environment at Hotchkiss. The Buildings, Grounds, and Environment Committee of the Board of Trustees takes a long view in their work, reassuring us that Hotchkiss’s special sense of place will endure for generations.

It is the learning — John Hersey’s “contemplation and affection for natural things” — that compels us to take great care and thought in protecting our most valuable physical asset, our place.

—Craig W. Bradley

The End of an Era Upon learning about the death of Walter Crain in late March, I wanted to share a few thoughts.

He and I go way, way back — 52 years — to the first summer of the GO Program at Hotchkiss in 1965. Walter was teaching math, and I was in charge of the athletic and recreation program for the boys.

Although our daily work tended to be in different realms, it was the beginning of a long friendship both professionally and personally. Then, for 33 years, we were colleagues in the math department. We both retired on June 30, 2003.

We didn’t always agree on everything, but it was from Walter that I learned the civil admonition, “Let’s just agree to disagree.” As it turned out, of course, he was usually right!

We didn’t see a lot of one another after we both retired: Sam and I moved to Williamstown, MA; Walter and Tessie moved to Windsor, CT. But for many years, I would stop by the track on my way home from Board meetings at TrinityPawling the first Saturday in May. The chief reason was to touch base with Walter, the encounter always initiated with a big hug.

So I almost feel we are closing in on the end of an era at Hotchkiss. It was the late 1960s to 2000s that saw the School becoming coed, a more diversified student body and faculty, recognition of students’ different learning styles, much greater attention to the emotional growth of students, and a greater involvement in the wider educational world. Walter had a quiet yet persuasive and powerful hand in all of that.

Did anyone — anyone — who knew Walter, even a little, just not love the guy? I doubt it. I know I did.

We enjoy receiving Hotchkiss Magazine in retirement and are pleased to note that the tradition of interesting and very high quality articles, news, and photographs continues.

Dave Coughlin Hotchkiss faculty member, 1961-2003 See page 62 for a tribute to Walter Crain.

S u m m e r

2 0 1 7

3

Campus

con n ec t i o n

A Message from the Board of Trustees ROBERT CHARTENER ’76, P’18

The trustees gathered in a rainy Lakeville in early May for their final meetings of the 2016-17 academic year. During their two days of board meetings, committee meetings, and casual encounters with students and members of the faculty and staff, the trustees addressed several topics, including:

Trustee Retirements – The board celebrated the service of six trustees with concluding terms: Tom Barry P’01,’03,’05; Ian Desai ’00; Bill Elfers ’67; Chuck Gulden ’79, P’12; John Thornton ’72, P’10,’11,’16; and Bill Tyree ’81, P’14. All have served Hotchkiss with distinction, and board president Jean Weinberg Rose ’80, P’18 expressed particular thanks to three retiring board officers: John Thornton, who served as president (2001-11) and officer-at-large (2011-17); Bill Elfers, who served as treasurer (1996-2011) and vice president (2011-17); and Bill Tyree, who served as treasurer (2011-17).

Mission Task Force – The Mission Task Force presented its final draft of the School’s new mission statement. Faculty members Richard Davis and Letty Downs and task force chair Elizabeth Hines ’93 led the presentation. After review and discussion, the board unanimously approved the mission statement.

EFX Lab – The board approved the construction of the EFX Lab (engineering, fabrication, and exploration), which will be located on the lower level of the Griswold Science Building. The Lab will provide a new space for student projects relating to design, engineering, collaboration, and problem solving. The board thanks the Class of 2017 parents, who are providing $1.1 million of the $1.4 million first-phase funding as a class gift.

Construction has begun, and the EFX Lab will open in September 2017.

4

H o t c h k i s s

M a g a z i n e

Strategic Planning – Head of School Craig Bradley reported that the initial phase of the new strategic planning process has identified five areas for concentration: financial aid, academic program, community life, service/ civic engagement, and athletics. The trustees and faculty and staff members will meet on campus in August to define specific needs and initiatives for addressing them.

Admissions – Dean of Admission and Financial Aid Erby Mitchell reviewed the 2016-17 admissions cycle. It was a particularly selective year for admissions, as the School moved to reduce the school size to a target of 613 students after experiencing over-enrollment in September 2016. Applications increased by three percent, and the acceptance rate declined from 21 to 19 percent. Direct legacies represented 15 percent (10 percent last year) of admitted students, 29 percent (35 percent) were offered financial aid, and 13 percent (17 percent) are international students.

College Placement – Director of College Advising Rick Hazelton reported on college placement for the Class of 2017 and also described trends in college admissions. The board was especially struck by many colleges’ growing emphasis on attracting U.S. students who are the first generation of their families in higher education. The trustees also discussed balancing how we fulfill our broader mission with the pressure to enroll our graduates in the most competitive colleges.

Uniform Excellence in Teaching – The board reviewed progress on several faculty-related initiatives. Interim Dean of Faculty Tom Drake has been examining how Hotchkiss evaluates faculty members (i.e., setting clear expectations, creating a high degree of accountability, and ensuring faculty members take advantage of professional development opportunities).

The board discussed the “triple-threat” model (in which each faculty member has teaching, athletic, and dormitory responsibilities) and whether a variable allocation of faculty time would be more effective today.

Optimal School Size – A committee of faculty and staff members studied how various school sizes might affect the quality of our student experience (i.e., curriculum size, advisor/advisee interactions, the dining experience, diversity, community spaces and residential life, the boarding/day mix, and financial implications).

The committee recommended reducing the school size gradually, from about 613 in fall 2017 to 585 in fall 2019.

Hotchkiss Unveils New Mission Statement

I

n May, the Board of Trustees approved a new mission statement, statement of values, and re-translation of the School’s motto. The announcement represents the culmination of a 14-month process, led by a Mission Task Force chaired by Elizabeth Hines ‘93, Classics Instructor Richard Davis, and Math Instructor Letty Downs.

“From the very beginning of this process, it was clear to us that we needed to be as inclusive of voices throughout the community as possible in order to create an authentic and accurate reflection of the School,” said Hines. “We invited everyone to participate—alumni, students, faculty, staff, parents—and were thrilled to hear from more than 1,000 people, who shared incredibly valuable and thoughtful insights. We are grateful for the dedication of those involved and we look forward to seeing the School move forward, with this statement as its guide.”

“As teachers, we can be so focused on what we need to improve that we sometimes don’t recognize our good work,” remarked Davis. “In the listening process, we got to see just how positive, and how powerful, the Hotchkiss experience has been for the people we talked to. Whether they graduated five years ago or 50 years ago, they pointed to the same strengths of the institution: the quality of intellectual engagement, the educative power of relationships in the community, and the strong ethical sense with which we encourage students to engage with each other and the world beyond the campus. We tried our best to put those strengths into the new wording of the mission.”

“It is fitting that we renew and affirm our mission and values as we approach the end of our 125th year,” said Head of School Craig Bradley in a community message announcing the new mission statement. “I have confidence that this new language will guide us well as we move into the next era at Hotchkiss.”

The Hotchkiss School seeks to inspire a diverse range of students who are committed to the betterment of self and society, and to cultivate in them at the highest standards of excellence imagination and intellect, openness and personal integrity, empathy and responsible citizenship that they may discover and fulfill their potential as individuals fully engaged in our world.

PHOTO BY ANNE DAY P’09,’11,’13

To read the full statement of our values, go to www.hotchkiss.org/mission.

The Hotchkiss School Mission

S u m m e r

2 0 1 7

5

Campus

con n ec t i o n

Moniti Meliora Sequamur Guided by Each Other, Let Us Seek Better Paths

What’s in a Motto?

Classics Instructor Richard Davis breathes new life into an 125-year-old motto

BY CHELSEA EDGAR

T

he phrase M oniti M eliora S equamur doesn’t exactly roll off

the tongue. Those three words, likely chosen by early classics instructor Edmund Barss from the third book of Vergil’s Aeneid, have been the School’s motto for over a century, although there’s no record indicating why he picked that excerpt from the whole 12-book epic.

The original context doesn’t offer anything that seems relevant to Hotchkiss. After the Greeks sack Troy, Aeneas, the leader of the Trojan survivors, receives a prophecy telling him to seek out their ancestral homeland.

Unfortunately for them, Troy has two founders from two separate homelands, and at first, the Trojans choose the wrong one. After a miserable year in Crete, Aeneas has a dream telling him to seek a new home in Italy. Aeneas reports the dream to his father, who recognizes the guidance of the god Apollo and utters the words from which Hotchkiss’s motto is drawn.

Translation is a nuanced task. Not only must translators understand the original text and context; they must take into consideration the language and culture for which they are translating. Taken literally, Aeneas’s words could mean: “Having been warned, let us take the better course,” referring to a nautical route. For years, the prevailing Hotchkiss translation —

6

H o t c h k i s s

M a g a z i n e

also of unknown origin — has been a much looser adaptation: “After instruction, let us move on to pursue higher things.” That version has always bothered Instructor in Classics Richard Davis, who undertook a revision of the motto translation this year as a member of the Mission Task Force.

During the revision process, many members of the Hotchkiss community asked about the motto, expressing a desire for a short phrase that reflects the character of the School. But the Mission Task Force felt the old motto translation didn’t meet that need.

“The old motto translation is clearly an attempt to take a Latin motto that was not meant for a school context and make it work in a school context,” Davis says. “That’s OK. Vergil did not write those words for us. But to me, the old translation sounds too much like college prep: ‘Having been taught, let us move on to Yale.’”

So Davis wanted to craft something more reflective of the School’s values, without straying too far from Vergil’s original language. And he wanted the new motto to pack more of a punch.

“The old one was wordy and not particularly inspirational. When I thought about approaching a new translation, I thought: If we were going to put this on a wall, what

would be inspirational without sounding silly?”

Ultimately, after going back and forth with his colleagues, he arrived at this: “Guided by each other, let us seek better paths.”

Davis liked the idea of “better paths,” as opposed to a single “better path” — “it implies that there’s more than one right way,” he says. The switch from singular to plural paths isn’t a huge departure from the original context, but “by each other” isn’t anywhere in the Latin verse.

“That’s where I made the leap to make it work for our context,” he says. “‘Guided’ and ‘let us seek better paths’ is actually pretty literal. The ‘by each other’ was inspired by our conversations with hundreds of alumni and current students, who named the educative power of the community as Hotchkiss’s greatest strength.”

The new motto translation was approved in May by the Board of Trustees, along with the new mission and statement of values. Davis acknowledges that his revision won’t please all Latinists, but he feels that the new version better expresses the School’s ethos — and captures his experience of the revision process.

“My colleagues help bring out the best in me,” he says. “That, to me, is what we’re about as a school.”

1894

1922

1896

1919

1905

1924

1925

1930

1932

1936

1941

1952

1961

1962

1965

1968

2004

2010

1919

1921

Minerva Through the Decades Hotchkiss’s first headmaster, Edward G. Coy, a former classics instructor at Andover, likely designed the first Minerva seal shortly after he took office.

Minerva — or Athena, as she was known by the Greeks — is the patron goddess of wisdom, often depicted wearing a battle helmet. Over the years, the design of the Hotchkiss seal has evolved, but the image of Minerva in profile, with the School motto engraved around her head, has remained a constant — although the discerning eye might notice subtle differences.

S u m m e r

2 0 1 7

7

Campus

con n ec t i o n

O

ne hundred and seventy members of the School’s 125th

graduating class collected their diplomas under bright skies on June 2. In the days leading up to Commencement, seniors relaxed and celebrated their achievements in an awards ceremony, but most importantly, they took time to appreciate the beauty of the campus and the friendships they’ve formed over the past four years. During the Baccalaureate Ceremony, held in the Chapel before Commencement, Senior Class Co-President Sally Kuehn spoke about how her final weeks at Hotchkiss gave her the opportunity to slow down and notice the things that she had taken for granted.

“In the past two weeks, I have given unblinking attention to the ordinary. I was not disappointed. I started to notice the chimes in the MAC bell tower, which I’d somehow managed not to hear before. I went on a hike with the Outing Club, and we sat quietly for three minutes, simply to

8

H o t c h k i s s

M a g a z i n e

Gabe Polsky ’98

absorb the sound of silence,” Kuehn said.

Many other seniors shared Kuehn’s sentiment, including School Co-Presidents Aba Sam and Jelani Hutchins-Belgrave, who offered their reflections in a joint speech.

Sam and Hutchins-Belgrave also spoke about the influence of their peers at Hotchkiss, which Commencement speaker

Gabe Polsky ’98 echoed in his address. Polsky, executive director of National Geographic’s Genius and a filmmaker whose 2014 documentary, Red Army, debuted at Cannes to critical acclaim, has remained close with Class of 2017 Dean Keith Moon. Polsky said that Moon has continued to be a mentor to him, nearly 20 years after graduating from Hotchkiss. And Polsky cited another important lesson he learned from a Hotchkiss classmate: to take risks and face rejection, which has served him well in Hollywood and in life.

“You learn how to dodge punches, absorb them — but most importantly, have fun dancing in the ring,” he said.

He encouraged seniors to be their authentic selves and to figure out how to turn their passion into something they can share with the rest of the world.

“What I’ve learned is that any form of human activity, no matter what you do, is communication,” he said. “So find out what you’d like to communicate and go do it.”

PHOTOS BY WENDY CARLSON

Hotchkiss Celebrates its 125th Graduating Class

“The next river, with its horizon lines and rapids, is not far off, and you are well prepared to run it...before you do, take time to enjoy where you are, and those with whom you are paddling.”

— Head of School Craig Bradley

S u m m e r

2 0 1 7

9

Campus

con n ec t i o n

2017 senior awards Service

Academic Awards FOR EXCELLENCE IN THE ARTS

Elaine Chen, Elisa Xu, Elliot Wilson, Wan Lin Qin, Chloe Otterson, Alan Wong, Joseph Bartusek, Neil Dabhoulkar, Jennifer Liu, Isabel Tyree, Rosie Villano, and Jackie Ryu

Richard Song

THE ELLEN R. TORREY DANCE PRIZE

Wan Lin Qin

Jennifer Liu

THE EMERSON BIGELOW ’13 AND JOHN EMERSON BIGELOW ’44 PRIZE FOR CONVERSATIONAL FRENCH

THE FRANK A. SPROLE ’38 SOCIAL SERVICE PRIZE

Jesse Godine

School Prizes THE FIRST SCHOLAR PRIZE

THE CHARLES E. BERRY GERMAN PRIZE

THE PETER D’ALBERT ’70 MEMORIAL ART AWARD

Anna Whittle

Alan Wong

THE HEAD OF SCHOOL’S PRIZE THE SENIOR SPANISH AWARD

James FitzGerald

Alan Wong, Joseph Bartusek, and Neil Dabholkar

FOR EXCELLENCE IN ENGLISH

Major School Prizes

THE SARAH T. CRAIG ’95 MEMORIAL PRIZE

THE THOMAS H. CHAPPELL ’24 PRIZE

Rosie Villano

James FitzGerald

THE EDWARD K. KLINGELHOFER, JR. ’43 AWARD

THE TEAGLE ESSAY PRIZE Jesse Godine

THE ROBERT AND SANDY HAIKO FILM PRIZE

FOR EXCELLENCE IN HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCE

Jackie Ryu

Henry Newton and Cal Kromelow

THE THOMAS P. BLAGDEN ’29 AWARD

THE EDWARD B. PRESTON ’79 PRIZE

Wan Lin Qin and Chan Yong (Daniel) Lee

Henry Newton

THE CERAMICS PRIZE

THE PHILOSOPHY & RELIGION PRIZE

Chloe Otterson

Cal Kromelow

FOR EXCELLENCE IN CLASSICAL AND MODERN LANGUAGES

THE GEORGE NORTON STONE SENIOR MATH PRIZE Agasha Ratam

Jasmine Gratton, Jaiden Napier, Jeremy Navarro, and Sophie Sitinas

FOR EXCELLENCE IN SCIENCE

THE ALBERT WILLIAM OLSEN ’13 PRIZE

Elaine Chen, Elisa Xu, and Elliot Wilson THE JOHN HAMMOND ’29 MUSIC AWARD

Isabel Tyree

James FitzGerald and Jesse Godine

THE WALTER CLEVELAND ALLEN, JR. ’32 PRIZE

Aaron Casella and Sally Kuehn THE CENTENNIAL PRIZE

Sarah Glasfeld, Claire Hawthorne, and Jelani Hutchins-Belgrave THE FACULTY PRIZE

Hunter Borwick, Christian Kohlmeyer, Corbin Kucera, Grace Matthews, Chloe Otterson, Pallavi Pemmireddy, Sam Saxena, Andy Scheerer, John Vander Hoeven, Annabel von Weise, and Elliot Wilson

Jeremy Navarro

Olivia DiMichele and Sally Kuehn THE ROBERT B. FLINT ’23 SCIENCE PRIZE

Sally Kuehn

THE SENIOR LATIN PRIZE

THE VAN SANTVOORD ’08 ENVIRONMENTAL PRIZE Olivia DiMichele

Grace Matthews

KING TAK LAM CHINESE PRIZE

Jack Kreisler

M a g a z i n e

Emilia Game, Jesse Godine, Alan Wong, and Angela Xiao THE CHARLES DENTON TREADWAY ’14 MEMORIAL PRIZE

Fin Ong and Aba Sam

PHOTOS BY WENDY CARLSON

THE HOEY SENIOR GREEK PRIZE

H o t c h k i s s

Nick Bolino

THE CHARLES E. LORD PRIZE

Jeremy Navarro, Grace Matthews, Jack Kreisler, Richard Song, Wan Lin Qin, and Nick Bolino

10

THE DAVID DEMARAY SENIOR FRENCH PRIZE

Spring Sports Highlights The spring athletic season always seems to race by. As with every season, there were extraordinary individual and team performances worth highlighting. Topping the list is Jiah Norman ’17, who set a new school record in the high jump and then captured his third straight New England title in the event.

The girls and boys golf teams both enjoyed two of their better seasons in recent history, punctuated by the girls varsity team’s remarkable 16-1-1 record and their second-place finish at the Founders League championships. With no seniors on either team, prospects look good for next season.

The same holds true for girls tennis, which featured preps and lower mids in four of its top six places. The Bearcats charged into New Englands with a 14-2 match record and upset previously undefeated Milton 5-4 to finish second overall.

The Ultimate Frisbee program and the boys lacrosse program bounced back this spring. The Ultimate team ended their season with an 18-3 record and runner-up finishes in the Connecticut state and New England tournaments. The boys lacrosse team finished 7-8, six wins up over last season, with victories in three of their last five games.

The sailing and track programs produced excellent results once again. A veteran sailing squad led the team to the Connecticut state title, top-three finishes at New England fleets and team races, and a finish in the top half of the national fleet race championships.

On the track, the boys and girls combined for a head-to-head record of 17-2-1 and thirdplace finishes for both at the Founders League championships. –Roger Wistar S u m m e r

2 0 1 7

11

Campus

con n ec t i o n

New Appointments

Elizabeth Droz

Merrilee Mardon

Dean of Students

Elizabeth (Liz) Droz will succeed Kate Jones as the next dean of students, effective July 1. Throughout her career, Droz has taken an empathetic, strategic approach to supporting students’ learning and growth. A licensed psychologist who has spent her career working with students, Droz has a deep understanding of adolescent development and finds great joy in working with young people.

For the past four years, she has served as assistant vice chancellor for student affairs for the State University of New York (SUNY) system, where she has demonstrated expertise in overseeing a range of student services, forming collaborative teams, and creating programs and policies to address the needs of diverse groups. Prior to that, Droz served as assistant vice president for student development at Binghamton University, part of the SUNY system. Before that, she founded the dean of students office at Binghamton after having served as director of the university’s counseling center. Droz began her career as a psychologist and training director at the University of Pennsylvania.

Raised in Brooklyn by parents who were originally from Puerto Rico, Liz graduated from St. Paul’s School. “Coming to Hotchkiss will give me a chance to ‘give forward’ the

12

H o t c h k i s s

M a g a z i n e

Mike Eckert

guidance and mentoring I received in boarding school,” she says. Droz earned her B.A. at Barnard College of Columbia University and received her Ph.D. in counseling psychology from SUNY Buffalo.

Droz will be coming to Hotchkiss with her husband, Jeff Van Syckle, and their 17-yearold daughter, Carly, who will be entering the University of Connecticut as a first-year student in the fall.

Dean of Faculty

Merrilee Mardon, current dean of academic life, has been appointed the next dean of faculty, beginning in July.

Head of School Craig Bradley said in his announcement to the community, “I look forward to her leading the faculty as we move to implement a structure and system to enable meaningful feedback for faculty and an effective evaluation system; the curriculum review which will begin in 2017-18; and the development of new programs in collaboration with departments and individual faculty members.”

Bradley added, “Hotchkiss is committed to recruiting an intellectually engaging and diverse faculty who are committed to excellence in teaching and to their own professional growth, and who care deeply about students’ personal

growth and well-being. This commitment resonates with Merrilee’s values and ambitions for this vital leadership role.”

Mardon is a graduate of Smith College and earned her Ph.D. in economics from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Prior to working at Hotchkiss, she taught Economics and Gender and Women’s Studies at Connecticut College for five years before joining the Hotchkiss faculty in 2008. She was appointed associate dean of academic life in 2013 and dean of academic life in 2014. She has played an integral role in leading a number of academic areas of the School during a period of transition in the dean of faculty and head of school roles.

Mardon will succeed Tom Drake, who is concluding a one-year appointment as the interim dean of faculty.

Interim Dean of Academic Life

Mike Eckert has been appointed the interim dean of academic life for the 2017-18 year, effective July 1. Currently the associate dean of academic life, Eckert has taught AP U.S. History and history in the Humanities Program at Hotchkiss since 2013 and has served as the director of the Hotchkiss Summer Faculty Symposium since 2014. He previously taught both English and history at Avon Old Farms School, the American Overseas School of Rome, and Blair Academy.

He holds an A.B. from Harvard College and an M.A. in Educational Leadership from The Klingenstein Center at Teachers College, Columbia University. At Harvard, Eckert served as the co-captain of the 1996 men’s lacrosse team and led the team to the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament. He graduated as the program’s all time leader in assists and points and was inducted into the the Harvard Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011. At Hotchkiss, Eckert coaches varsity lacrosse. He lives in Redlich Hall with his wife, Heather, and their sons Reece, Cormac, and Mather.

Visitors Lambert Lecturer: Anchee Min

A

nchee Min , this year’s Lambert Lecturer, is no stranger to hardship.

In her address to students and faculty on April 11, she spoke about coming of age during China’s Cultural Revolution, a period of dramatic social transformation that became the backdrop of her two best-selling memoirs, Red Azalea and Becoming Madame Mao. “People told me I had no right to write a memoir,” she said. “I was nobody. I came from nothing. But that’s the point. That’s America’s point — the opportunity for nobody to discover her potential.”

Min grew up in rural China, a self-described communist from the age of eight. Her political beliefs were partly the result of her relationship with her grandmother, whose bound feet came to symbolize the oppression faced by generations of Chinese women — a cycle Min yearned to break. She came from a family of lowermiddle class farmers, and she often had to fend for herself in an environment where constant poverty and hunger engendered hostility. As

a child, she would walk to school reciting Maoisms, because she knew no one would beat her up while she was quoting the Chairman.

Later, as a young adult, she was sent to a labor camp for “re-education,” where she continued to live in deprivation and starvation. She worked long days in the rice paddies, subsisting on meager rations. She broke her back twice, but she still had to plant her quota of rice each day, even if that meant staying out in the fields until the middle of the night.

Eventually, Min made it to America, but her harrowing journey — including a brief stint in

one of Madam Mao’s propaganda productions — has led her to a deep appreciation of America’s freedoms, especially the freedom to tell her own story. As she emphasized to students, the ability to discover one’s potential, regardless of birth, is the greatest privilege.

“In America, you don’t have to be anyone’s daughter,” she said. “Your poor can be your asset.”

Min is the acclaimed author of seven works of fiction and nonfiction. Her books have been published in more than 30 languages.

Her visit was sponsored by Poet-In-Residence Susan Kinsolving and The Lambert Fund, established in 1981 by Paul C. Lambert ’46 and his wife, Mary, in memory of their son, Christopher ’76, who died of cancer in 1979.

It was the Lamberts’ wish that the funds be used to provide a stipend for writers of prose and poetry to visit the School twice each year to work with the students in the English department and offer an evening reading for the community at large. —Chelsea Edgar

The Honorable Kevin Rudd

F

rom the podium in Elfers Hall,

PHOTO CREDITS: TOP PHOTO: HARRY ROEPERS ’19, BOT TOM PHOTO BY BRIAN WILCOX

former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd took in the view of a mist-covered Lake Wononscopomuc in the distance.

“If you’re sitting here by this beautiful lake, the world may seem a long way away,” Rudd told students. “But it’s a whole lot closer than you think.”

Rudd, who gave an All-School address and attended history and language classes during his visit to campus on May 26, served as the 26th prime minister of Australia from 2007 to 2013. During the Global Financial Crisis of 2008, he led Australia’s response, reviewed by the International Monetary Fund as the most effective stimulus strategy of all member states. Australia was the only major developed economy not to go into recession. Currently, Rudd is president of the Asia Policy Institute, which focuses on addressing policy challenges

between eastern and western nations and within Asia.

Neither of Rudd’s parents graduated from high school, but he knew from a young age that he wanted to study China at an advanced level. He received a scholarship to attend an Australian boarding school, where he studied Chinese language and culture. Later, he joined the Australian foreign service as a China specialist. After holding various diplomatic roles, Rudd decided to return to Australian and enter public life. In his address in Elfers, Rudd spoke about the importance of global citizenship, and how that concept has evolved through the decades.

“In the future, being local will mean being global, and being global will mean being local,” he said. “The boxes are all collapsing.

The secret to being an effective citizen in the future means being an effective global

citizen — to understand how the other person thinks and why they think that way, and not to dismiss those thoughts or the system from which it comes as inferior because it happens to be different from yours.”

He also challenged students to examine their own beliefs and to find ways to make a difference where they are. Being thoughtful is important, he said, but ultimately, action is what counts. —Chelsea Edgar

S u m m e r

2 0 1 7

13

Campus

con n ec t i o n

“Look Up and Look Around” Lufkin Prize Honoree Letty Downs P’12,’15 WRITTEN BY ROBERTA JENCKES

14

H o t c h k i s s

M a g a z i n e

“

I

want them to realize that there

are many parts of life where we do struggle,” she said. “No one is immune to that. It’s an important part of the process of learning and growing.”

Letty, who holds the George Norton and Jodie Stone Teaching Chair, accepted the Lufkin Prize on May 19 in an All-School Auditorium. Despite that honor and earlier recognitions, she deflects all the attention given to her achievements in the 26 years she has taught, coached, and mentored students at Hotchkiss.

PHOTOS BY WENDY CARLSON

Letty Downs, recipient of the Lufkin Prize for the 2016-17 academic year, believes in the wisdom of Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar, a leader in the field of positive psychology. Letty studied Ben-Shahar’s ideas and readily shares them with her students, especially one mantra – “learn to fail or fail to learn.”

Her students — also, possibly, her greatest fans — can’t praise her enough.

John T. “Jack” Humphries ’15, now a computer science major at Stanford, recalled, “She was such a warm person, and she played a big role in my success in AP Calculus BC. She would always be willing to meet with me for extra help, and she went above and beyond what was expected of her, including administering and grading six practice AP exams right before the real one.”

Anne Crum Ross ’92, a proctor on Buehler 3 in Letty’s first year at Hotchkiss, said, “Her door was always open. She embodied everything I had hoped to find in a teacher at Hotchkiss: hard-core, competitive coach; passionate and inspired educator; intuitive and compassionate dorm parent. She sprinkles the power of positivism wherever she goes, which is a welcome solace when self-criticism abounds among students in a rigorous, highstakes environment.”

If Letty exemplifies exceptional teaching and mentoring, she might say she learned from the best. As a child, starting at age 10, she attended an international summer camp directed

by Natalie Lüthi-Peterson, who, with her husband, Armin, dedicated herself to educating young people and promoting international understanding. The camp director was both a mentor and an inspiration to young Letty and to countless others whose lives she touched.

“The camp was simple — nothing fancy,” Letty said. “We lived in a house and shared duties. Natalie was strict and held people to high standards. She also had this way of making me feel that she believed in me and that I could do anything that I set my mind to do.”

After a childhood spent in New England and Florida, Letty began her studies at Colby College. She was a standout in varsity field hockey, earning All-State honors, as well the titles of MVP and High Scorer in Maine, and she played varsity lacrosse for two years. Among the constants in her life, she counted especially strong interests in math and psychology. She’d had experience as a counselor in the LüthiPeterson summer camp, so she knew she loved working with kids. She taught math at the Holderness School in Plymouth, NH, for six years, and while there, decided to earn a master’s of education degree in counseling at the University of New Hampshire. She began

teaching at Hotchkiss in the fall of 1991. She started teaching Algebra 1, as well as advanced courses. She still teaches “both ends of the spectrum,” and she serves annually as an AP Reader in Kansas City, MO, where all the AP Calculus exams given worldwide are graded.

“With entry-level math, I teach the students slowly and gently,” she explained. “And I like to make the classroom a community. I love it when the students come in, and one will congratulate another on some honor. I just love the fact that they celebrate each other’s accomplishments. It’s something really special about Hotchkiss.”

“When I first started,” she said, “I was more focused on teaching the math and getting that down. Now, I want to create a community in the classroom where they care about each other as individuals. This ties in my interest in positive psychology.”

In addition to teaching, Letty coaches junior varsity girls’ lacrosse and carries out an active advising role. “I learn so much from these kids.

After they graduate, they remain in touch. It just is enriching and fulfilling.”

Her most fulfilling moments in her years at Hotchkiss, she said, were the births of her children: Lancy, in 1993, and Nicky, in 1996.

Both of them are Hotchkiss alumni.

Her parting words to students were a call to be mindful and present: “Look up and look around.”

The Lufkin Prize is awarded annually to a faculty member at Hotchkiss who makes a significant contribution to character development within the community and serves as a role model for students.

S u m m e r

2 0 1 7

15

Campus

con n ec t i o n

Creating a Masterpiece out of Handprints Hotchkiss Celebrates Visual Arts

U

PHOTOS BY WENDY CARLSON

pper mid jayla-whitney spidell dabbed at the canvas with her paint-covered index finger, adding her own touch to a billowing cloud on a landscape painting hanging in Main Building.

“I’ll always walk by that cloud and know I was a part of it,” said Spidell as she stood back to admire her work. The painting, a black-and-white panorama of Lake Wononscopomuc, was part of Visual Arts Day, held on May 20 as a celebration of the School’s visual arts tradition and the 125th anniversary of Hotchkiss’s first commencement. Art instructor Charles Noyes ’78 sketched the landscape, but the rest of the piece was a collaborative effort by students, faculty, and staff, who used their handprints to paint.

16

H o t c h k i s s

M a g a z i n e

On Visual Arts Day, students and alumni created art together on campus.

The day’s events included a student-artist networking session, artist demonstrations, and the Tremaine Art Gallery’s opening reception of Becoming: 30 Hotchkiss Artists, featuring the work of alumni from the Class of 1932 to the Class of 2006.

John Mosler ’78, whose porcelain

sculpture, Femina Corporus, was on exhibit in Tremaine, said that his early interest in art was sparked by longtime instructor Blanche Hoar. “I can’t say I was really successful at it back then, but she got me focused and taught me about the importance of integrity in my work.”

The School’s first art classes began in the fall of 1929, when newly hired art instructor Robert Osborn began teaching in the Harris House basement. Today, five faculty members teach in the School’s art program, along with three more in the photography, film, and related media program.

ALUMNI PRINTS FOR SALE Limited edition prints by artists Ann Conrad ’81 and Elizabeth Gourlay ’79 are being offered for sale to the Hotchkiss community. Art students worked with master printer Anthony Kirk in the Cullman Art Center studio to produce prints of both artists’ work. Proceeds will go toward the purchase of a print at the 2017 International Print Fair, which will be donated to Special Collections.

To order, please contact Joan Baldwin at jbaldwin@hotchkiss.org or Brad Faus at jfaus@hotchkiss.org

Brewster’s Angle, photopolymer intaglio and relief, by Ann Conrad; $425 plus tax, shipping, handling, and insurance.

Cerulean Slate, etching and aquatint,

by Elizabeth Gourlay; $325 plus tax, shipping, handling, and insurance.

S u m m e r

2 0 1 7

17

Campus

con n ec t i o n

Make the Choice to Be Kind: Community Service Award Honoree Alexandra Chen ’06 — Alexandra Chen ’06

18

H o t c h k i s s

M a g a z i n e

C

hild protection and mental

health specialist Alexandra Chen ’06 received the 2017 Community Service Award in an All-School Assembly in Elfers Hall on April 14. Chen, who speaks 10 languages, including Chinese, Arabic, and French, has worked with refugees in conflict and post-conflict zones — most recently, as a mental health and psychosocial advisor to UN agencies on the Syria crisis. Currently, she is pursuing a Ph.D. at Harvard Graduate School of Education, studying the impact of refugee trauma on children’s brain architecture and cognitive functioning.

In her address to the community, Chen credited Hotchkiss with starting her on the path to humanitarian work. Her interests as a student led her to travel around the world — to the Amalfi coast with the music program, to Cyprus with the Speech and Debate Team, to South Africa on a Round Square Exchange, and to Senegal with the French department. Through each of these experiences, Chen, who came to the School as a prep from Hong Kong, gained a deep appreciation for different cultures.

A talented musician, she played both piano and harp. But it was in Instructor in Philosophy and Religion Lou Pressman’s international affairs and ethics class when she penned an essay, “Moral Obligations to Others in Extreme Poverty,” that her interest in humanitarian efforts became evident. Chen had spent time volunteering in HIV/AIDS clinics and orphanages in Africa as a teenager; as an undergraduate, she first developed a commitment to the Middle East. She visited the Holy Land as a Christian tourist and became aware of her own ignorance of the conflict, the occupation, and the emotional oppression. It was also the first time she had ever met children who didn’t smile. It broke her

PHOTO BY WENDY CARLSON

“Only when you make the choice to be kind to yourself can your kindness be authentic for someone else.”

PHOTO BY JONATHAN DOSTER

heart, but it also inspired her to take action.

During her talk in Elfers, Chen urged students not to “look away” from conflicts in other parts of the world. “Don’t scroll past the news stories about things that don’t directly affect you,” she said.

And she told students to make the choice to be kind, starting first with themselves: “Only when you make the choice to be kind to yourself can your kindness be authentic for someone else.”

After earning her A.B. and A.M. at Harvard, Chen worked for several years in the Middle East and Africa. Previously, she worked on child protection and trauma therapy projects in Israel-Palestine, Jordan, Ethiopia, and Somalia; on education and peacebuilding in Lebanon and Iraq; and on Islamic legal reform in Egypt, among others.

In June 2016, when she was named Alum of the Month, she described how she copes with what she witnesses.

“The truth is I have enormous faith in the children, who are strong and loving in ways that amaze me. I also have the privilege of working with social workers and teachers who

have been doing this work for 20 or more years. If they haven’t given up, I have no excuse to. What I struggle with the most, and consider the ugliest sides of humanity, are the righteous justification of carnage, pervasive cynicism, and apathy for another’s suffering.”

She also described how fear can be overwhelming for refugees. Last January, Chen was stationed on the shore of the Greek island of Lesbos, supporting an emergency medical team there to receive refugees arriving on boats. “In just one morning, 25 boats arrived, another dozen to the south. That’s 2,000 refugees. One family of eight — aged two to 69 years — included a brother and sister with severe mental disabilities. The sister had never spoken a word. As she sat crying on the rocks, drenched from waves that nearly drowned the boat, I wrapped her in a blanket and hummed an Arabic song to calm her because she was so terrified. Imagine being in her shoes.”

War after war, she said, has left millions displaced, marginalized, and vulnerable — Palestinians, Iraqis, and now, Syrians. Today, a refugee is likely to be displaced for more than 19 years.

“That’s a lifetime. The psychological impact of being homeless, document-less, right-less, dignity-less in a country that doesn’t welcome you goes beyond the trauma of wartime destruction — beyond the narratives of PTSD,” she said. “The long-term patterns of discrimination and violence and neglect have led to what we call toxic stress. For children, especially the very young, this can physically affect brain architecture and have a lasting detrimental effect on their cognition, behavior, and capacity to learn by reducing the number of potential neural pathways in the brain. This is what I want to prevent.”

Her experience in war zones has taught her to live each day as if it were her last — and not obsessively plan her life in 15-minute increments. “I have learned to embrace discomfort and uncertainty — to guard my heart from hatred and cynicism. The pathological optimist in me gladly remains.”

S u m m e r

2 0 1 7

19

Campus

con n ec t i o n

On a Blustery Eco Day, Students Pitch in to Help the Environment

A

little rain and wind didn’t

stop the Hotchkiss community from working together on a range of service projects in recognition of the School’s 21st Eco Day on April 25. The annual celebration, which honors the importance of environmental stewardship, kicked off in the morning, when students, faculty, and staff gathered in Elfers to hear a keynote address by Majora Carter (right), urban revitalization strategist and Peabody Award-winning broadcaster. Carter, who grew up in the South Bronx, spoke about the importance of improving and beautifying the urban environment — especially in low-income neighborhoods, where residents often lack access to community gathering spaces.

When she was only seven years old, Carter knew that she wanted to get out of the South Bronx. After earning her bachelor’s at Wesleyan, Carter returned home to attend graduate school at NYU. She hadn’t expected to find herself back in her childhood neighborhood, but when she learned that the city was planning to

20

H o t c h k i s s

M a g a z i n e

PHOTOS BY WENDY CARLSON

build waste facilities along the Bronx River, she decided to join the movement to block the project. Through this process, she discovered the untapped potential of the waterfront — which, at that point, was completely obstructed by garbage and blighted buildings. In 2001, she founded Sustainable South Bronx and spearheaded the development of Hunts Point Riverside Park, a $3.2-million project that converted an illegal dumping ground into the first new park to be built in the neighborhood in 60 years. The park is now part of a bike path that stretches from Maine to Miami, linking the South Bronx to one of the country’s largest greenways.

In her address, Carter emphasized the relationship between environment and empowerment. “The environment isn’t just a physical place,” she said. “It’s what people feel and see and smell when they’re walking around their neighborhood or going to their jobs.

Does that make them feel like they’re part of something beautiful, or like they’re inferior? In most low-income areas, too often it’s the latter.”

She urged students to use their education to help build equality everywhere, creating spaces that foster a sense of belonging and a connection with the environment.

The Hotchkiss community took those words to heart in the afternoon, as they broke into groups to work on projects on campus and in the surrounding towns. Some groups picked up trash along the main roads leading to the School. Other groups ripped out invasive plants along the trails and cleared areas along Salmon Kill stream. A large contingent worked at Fairfield Farm mulching, removing brush, and clearing fields. One group spent the afternoon packing 10,000 individual meals for Rise Against Hunger, a nonprofit that delivers food to underdeveloped countries overseas.

Upper mid Nick Fleisher, who spent most of the afternoon wrestling to free brush entangled on old fencing, felt the hard work was worth the struggle. “It’s definitely satisfying taking down old fencing and seeing the new fencing going up,” he said. “It’s all in the spirit of Eco Day, because we are helping the farm to make better use of the land.”

Kira Johnson, a senior and a leader of Fairfield Farm Ecosystems and Adventure Team (FFEAT), also spent the afternoon clearing brush at the farm. “The work was physical and strenuous, but fun,” she said.

“Plus,” she added, “It’s really good for us to do something beyond campus, and to connect with the land.”

Mary Graf and Charlie Noyes ’78, instructor in art and Fairfield Farm curriculum coordinator (FFEAT)

Celebrating the Mary M. Graf Barn On the evening before Eco Day, the Hotchkiss community celebrated the opening of the new Mary M. Graf Barn at Fairfield Farm with lawn games, bluegrass music, wood-fired pizza, and a campfire.

Mary Graf, the great-great-great niece of the School’s founder, Maria Bissell Hotchkiss, funded the construction of the 10,000-square-foot, timber-frame barn, which replaced a former dairy barn on the property. The new facility provides ample classroom, storage, and livestock space. Students, faculty, staff, and alumni will use the barn for teaching, learning, and social gatherings.

S u m m e r

2 0 1 7

21

Delores Coan, Instructor in Ceramics

Thirty-six years of creating with clay, fire, and lovE WRITTEN BY ROBERTA JENCKES

A

subway platform in Nagoya, Japan, between a young Japanese potter named Junko Ito and Delores Coan, speaks volumes about the longtime ceramics instructor’s genuine warmth and openness. With a subway map in her hand, Coan approached Ito and introduced herself. She was a potter, she said, and she needed directions for an event she was attending.

“I’m a potter, too!” Ito exclaimed.

They exchanged contact information, and Coan told Ito that she would be in touch. Much to her surprise, Ito did hear from Coan: She was coming to Japan to meet with another Japanese potter, Hanjiro Mizuno, whom she had invited to have a show at Hotchkiss, and a year later she asked Ito if she wanted to exhibit, too. Today, 16 years later, the two remain in touch.

For most people, the odds of a random encounter turning into a lasting friendship are slim. But for Coan, it’s not surprising. Ask her colleagues or current and former students, and you’ll get a uniform response: She’s the best.

After the announcement of her retirement this spring, the Alumni Office received more than 50 pages of articles, hand-written notes, and emails from former students.

“With Delores, what you see is what you get,” said Instructor in Art Charles Noyes ’78 in his remarks at her retirement dinner. “She is open, kind, caring, and honest. She leads with her heart in all matters, and her primary instinct is always to help and support. She willingly and happily gives of herself, of her time.”

22

H o t c h k i s s

M a g a z i n e

PHOTOS BY WENDY CARLSON

chance meeting years ago on a

AN Alumnus ReflectS

You might say she is paying it forward.

Coan’s interest in the arts was nourished over time by several mentors. As a teenager, she was encouraged by her high school art teacher. She went on to study at the New York School of Interior Design and then with a pioneering potter at the New Hampshire League of Craftsmen. But, she credits Prof. William Pitney of Wayne State University with imparting a passion for pottery in the four years she studied with him.

“He is the one who spurred me on with my love of clay,” she says. “I think it’s the technical aspect that kept on bringing me in.

“People don’t realize how technical ceramics is. There’s the whole firing process – what is it you are you trying to create? And, you have to think about choosing the glaze that fits the piece. My students come to know all of the variables,” she says.

One of her former students, Hope Cheney Bentley ’96, said, “As students, my friend James Craig and I knew to be cautious about igniting Ms. Coan’s enthusiasm; show too much of an interest in raku firing, and you would soon find yourself building a raku kiln in all your free blocks. We once stuffed a kiln with saltwater marsh grass and copper wires to see how the

minerals would affect the surface of our pots.

We were allowed to experiment with mixing glazes, with different clays, just about anything we could come up with.”

Since she was hired as the School’s first ceramics instructor in 1980, Coan has built a dynamic and popular program from the ground up. Her love for the craft has inspired some students to pursue ceramics as a lifelong passion, or, in some cases, to leave Wall Street careers to devote themselves to it.

Coan has shared her knowledge beyond Hotchkiss – at conferences and through her travels, including to South America, India, South Africa, China, and five trips to Japan. But working with Hotchkiss students has been the highlight of her teaching career.

“There’s a transition, where you reach another stage of curiosity and interest. It happens with my students here. They all of a sudden go from saying, ‘I can’t do it, I can’t do it,’ to ‘I want to do more.’ They’re working all the time. You can’t stop them. That’s what I’m going to miss the most – the students.

“I’ve been blessed,” she says. “It’s a world beyond my dreams, in terms of what ceramics has given to me, and hopefully in what I have given back to my students here.”

“I found it difficult to keep throwing when I went away to college.

The time constraints were tough with school and sports, but when I look back I believe I stopped more because of what I DIDN’T have at college: I didn’t have Mrs. Coan to guide me. It was a struggle for me to get out of my comfort zone, and more than anyone, Mrs. Coan took the time to teach, demonstrate, push, prod, and lead me to find my artistic self. I will always be grateful for my sanctuary time in the pottery rooms, and for what I was able to learn about myself there.”

— Matt Ocken ’88

S u m m e r

2 0 1 7

23

Thinking Globally, In Lakeville and beyond, Hotchkiss students A Chance Visit to Nepal Inspired Jackie Ryu ’17

W

hen Jackie Ryu first visited Nepal as an eighth grader, he never imagined the experience would lead him to pursue an independent research project on climate change in the Himalayas.

“I just thought I would tag along with my sister,” said Ryu. “She was on a service trip, and I thought, ‘I’ll come and have fun.’” But Ryu quickly became attached to the culture and the people. A computer science wiz, he volunteered to teach children how to use laptops; they, in turn, helped him hone his soccer skills. Instead of staying at home in South Korea, he spent the next five summers in Nepal working with volunteer groups, helping to renovate schools and teaching English.

When Ryu returned to Nepal in 2015, a few months after a major earthquake had struck, he began to fully comprehend how ill-prepared the country was in the face of a natural disaster.

Extreme rainfall exacerbated the severity of the quake, which killed nearly 9,000 people and flattened entire towns. The government’s lack of disaster management and poor infrastructure made a tragic situation even worse.

Meanwhile, glaciers in the region are melting at an accelerated rate, causing flash flooding, landslides, water depletion, habitat loss, and poor soil conditions. Ryu also saw firsthand how severe weather trends were impacting the country’s agriculture. The previous summer, he stayed with a farm family who had lost their crops during a particularly intense monsoon season.

In Kathmandu, he helped rebuild demolished buildings. But when he returned to Hotchkiss, he started wondering how he could continue to help the country while he was thousands of miles away.

“I liked computer science, and so I thought maybe I could reach out to a mentor at a university and do something scientific on climate change that might be useful long24

H o t c h k i s s

M a g a z i n e

term,” he said.

He wrote to environmental science departments at numerous universities, seeking a mentor for a project on climate change in Nepal.

Ethan Coffel, a Ph.D candidate at Columbia University who was studying climate change in South America, agreed to oversee the project. Ryu used computer data models to produce projected changes in mean and extreme temperature and precipitation in the country. His findings were alarming; if the temperature continued to increase over the next 50 years, it would melt all the Himalayan glaciers, ravaging the tourism industry, which is Nepal’s largest source of revenue.

Ryu’s paper was accepted by the European Geosciences Union, which invited him to present at its 2015 general assembly in Vienna. But school was in session, so Ryu declined the offer and continued to work on his project, adding material on the impact of his projections on Nepal’s society and economy. Last January, he presented his revised paper at the International Conference on Technological Advances in ClimateSmart Agriculture and Sustainability in Kathmandu. The conference brought together about 400 scientists, researchers, professors, environmentalists and conservationists from more than 20 countries, including Nepal, India, China and Pakistan. Ryu met the president of Nepal, Bidya Devi Bhandari, and leaders of the country’s top departments.

Most of the other presenters had earned their masters and Ph.Ds; many assumed Ryu held those degrees as well. “And here I was, just a kid in high school,” said Ryu. At Hotchkiss, Ryu had been selected as one of 400 semi-finalists in the 2016 Siemens Competition, the nation’s premier competition in math, science and technology for high school students. But few knew about Ryu’s

climate research. David Thompson, director of international programs, said he only discovered that Ryu had presented his research on climate change at a national conference because Ryu was the captain of the Ultimate Frisbee team at Hotchkiss, which Thompson coaches.

“I was amazed to learn this, and even more amazed that he had been to Nepal for multiple summers, and that he had found a mentor on his own at Columbia University to guide his research,” said Thompson. “At school, he just went about doing the things that he is interested in without trumpeting his accomplishments.”

As for Ryu, the experience has encouraged him to pursue a career in environmental engineering.

This fall, he’ll be a freshman at Columbia, where he received a scholarship to continue studying climate change in Nepal.

“My experience in Nepal has really shaped what I want to study, and how I can help people adapt and prepare for climate change,” he said.

PHOTOS BY WENDY CARLSON

BY WENDY CARLSON

Acting Locally find creative ways to effect change Two Seniors Use Design Thinking to Solve a Community Problem

BY CHELSEA EDGAR

S

eniors Olivia DiMichele and Zoe Bazos set out to solve what,

at first, seemed like a simple problem: provide locally grown food to families who can’t afford to shop at pricey farmers markets. But, as they soon found out, there’s no such thing as a simple problem. DiMichele and Bazos were both students in Adam Lang’s Design for Social Impact class, an elective Lang designed and offered for this first time last spring. In this course, students use the principles of design thinking — a creative, analytical, and experimental process — to tackle a problem that affects the local community.

“I don’t expect them to solve these problems, but I want them to apply this creative method to an issue that they care about,” Lang said. “This course is all about process. The design-thinking process is non-linear and can involve many stops, starts, and re-boots.”

Indeed, it did: As DiMichele and Bazos quickly discovered, improving low-income residents’ access to locally produced, high-quality meats and produce requires more than just good intentions and a few extra bushels of apples.

“The problem is connected to other issues in the community, like income inequality,” DiMichele said. The median household income in Salisbury, CT, is $66,621, while the median home price hovers around $400,000.

For many residents, affordable housing — let alone costly organic fruits and vegetables — seems unattainable.

They reached out to members of the local community, including Fairfield Farm Manager Ellie Youngblood ’10 and Jenny Hansell, executive director of North East Community Center in Millerton, NY, to get their perspectives. From those conversations, the duo zeroed in on their “problem statement” — a one-sentence summary of the issue they wanted to target. They concluded that there’s a gap between local farmers and local families,

most of whom can’t afford to participate in CSAs or shop at farmers markets. So Bazos and DiMichele decided to come up with a way to bridge the divide.

First, they explored the possibility of taking leftover produce that farmers can’t sell to restaurants and donating it to local families.

But that approach didn’t address the whole issue: either the farmers themselves would need to coordinate the donation, which didn’t seem practical, or DiMichele and Bazos would have to create a delivery system. They scrapped that idea and pivoted to another one: a farm incubator, modeled after Glynwood in Cold Spring, NY, in which young farmers would lease land in exchange for donating a portion of their harvest to a local food pantry.

To vet the concept, DiMichele and Bazos conducted a “vapor test,” a way of gauging interest in a project before investing the time and money to get it off the ground. They

created an Instagram account for the farm incubator and got 123 followers within the first few hours — a sign that there could be a market for their idea.

DiMichele and Bazos graduated this spring, so they didn’t get a chance to implement the project, but they’re committed to following up over the summer with the people who helped them along the way. For DiMichele in particular, the experience furthered her interest in sustainable food, which she’ll pursue through a gap year at Garden City Harvest, a community agriculture program in Missoula, MT. Both DiMichele and Bazos say that the course has taught them a lot about the surrounding community — and the challenges of addressing a multifaceted problem.

“I’ve learned how interdependent this community is,” DiMichele said. Bazos agreed: “It’s really important to look beyond the Hotchkiss bubble and become aware of what’s going on.”

Olivia DiMichele, left, and Zoe Bazos, right, reviewing their problem statement S u m m e r

2 0 1 7

25

PHOTO BY JACK WOLF ’19

26

H o t c h k i s s

M a g a z i n e

Hotchkiss, The Place From my study window, there is a view of the lake and the mountain beyond, which is the delight of us all. The titles to that and water are in the hands of others. The contour of the mountains, contrasts of color which the seasons bring, the deep blue of the lake’s surface, the play of light and shade upon the mountain sides, and the golden hues of the sunset – these are ours.

Material possession belongs to others – ours is spiritual.

— Headmaster Walter Buell, 1925

S u m m e r

2 0 1 7

27

The photographs for this story were taken by students for a humanities project on the Romanticism movement.

M

HARRY ROEPERS ’19

uch has changed on campus since Buell penned

those words from his oakpaneled office in Harris House. But the view of Lake Wononscopomuc and the rolling hills beyond remains the same.

From the beginning, Hotchkiss’s setting has distinguished it from other boarding schools. Huber G. Buehler, the second headmaster, declared at a meeting on secondary education that the “best thing about The Hotchkiss School is its location among the mountains of Salisbury.”

Today, the School’s natural surroundings

CHRIS LUKENS ’19

28

H o t c h k i s s

are as vital to the Hotchkiss experience as they were more than a century ago. Before the School was built, with the exception of some furrowed fields, stone walls, and the town cemetery, the land was largely untamed.

One of the School’s early landscape designers, Ernest Bowditch, began a decade-long task of manicuring the grounds. He created a nursery on campus for seven thousand trees and shrubs and a thousand white pine seedlings. Today, the oldest trees on campus, including more than a dozen rare American elms, stem from the ones grown in Bowditch’s nursery. Surrounding the campus is a 60-acre golf course, built in 1911.

LUCIEN GUERR AND-HERMES ’19

M a g a z i n e

With its undulating fairways and greens that overlook the lake, the course has enhanced the pastoral feel of the campus.

Beginning in 1923 with the acquisition of Beeslick Brook Woods, a tract that now includes more than 200 acres, the School’s boundaries expanded beyond the well-kept campus lawns and walkways. Throughout the next century, the School continued to acquire land and build athletic fields, dorms, and academic buildings, while focusing on environmental stewardship. In 2004, Fairfield Farm, formerly a 260-acre cattle farm, was acquired through a gift from

“I spent all my free time in the woods, riding my bike around Lakeville’s country roads and riding horses and mucking out stables up the road from the School.”

— Erik Grafe ’92

PETER ASSAKUL ’18

Jeanne and Jack Blum ’47, increasing the School’s property to 827 acres.

The surrounding woods, lakes, streams, and farmland have inspired students to connect with nature through visual arts, English, the sciences, history, and more recently, with the completion of the new observatory, astronomy.

Not surprisingly, countless alumni have developed a lifelong interest in the environment. Erik Grafe ’92, staff attorney for Earthjustice, the nation’s first and largest nonprofit environmental law organization, said his interest in nature flourished at Hotchkiss.

“I spent all my free time in the woods,

THOMAS GETMAN ’19

riding my bike around Lakeville’s country roads and riding horses and mucking out stables up the road from the School,” said Grafe when he was featured as Alum of the Month in August 2016.

“Being in that part of Connecticut touched my appreciation for the country, and English class literature, nature writing, and poetry served really as a genesis for this developing interest in all the different ways we interact with the natural world.”

Even alumni whose lives and careers took them far from flora and fauna cherish their memories of being immersed in nature at

Hotchkiss. Marcela Ximena Johnson ’09, a criminal defense investigator with The Bronx Defenders and recent Alum of the Month, developed a love of running at the School and, through it, a connection with the land.

“I now fondly look back on the brutal runs up Cardiac Hill,” she said. “I’ll probably never run regularly in such a beautiful and pristine part of the world again. It was a gift.”

Her appreciation for nature reaffirms Buell’s observation: “No one,” he said, “could live among these scenes of beauty and remain untouched. They are a part of the heritage of all Hotchkiss students.” —Wendy Carlson

T YLER MACKESY ’19

S u m m e r

2 0 1 7

29

A Closer Look at

Hotchkiss’s Hidden Places What do the Grateful Dead, Tiffany stained glass, and airplane debris have in common?

You can find them all (well, sort of ) at Hotchkiss. We took a deep dive into some of the School’s landmarks and dug up some interesting trivia. WRITTEN BY WENDY CARLSON From the Boiler Room to the Halls of Monahan: The Mystery of the Stained Glass Windows By the beginning of World War I, the Chapel contained six stained glass windows, all memorials to students who had died while they were at Hotchkiss. Of the three that remain, two are Tiffany windows. Louis Comfort Tiffany had one son at Hotchkiss, Charles L. Tiffany III ’96, which is most likely how the connection between Hotchkiss and the famous glassmaker formed.

The first window, illustrated with lilies and installed in 1904, was given in memory of Malcolm Wallace Goss ’96, one of Tiffany’s son’s classmates. The second Tiffany glass, illustrated with poppies, was designed in 1905 in memory of Eugene Granville Sharp ’05, who passed away in his upper mid year. A third stained glass depicting Sir Galahad was installed in 1915 in memory of Loring Motte Sargent ’15.

In 1952, when the original Chapel was taken down to prepare for the construction of the Edsel Ford Memorial Library, all six windows were removed and presumably stored. In 1978, Robert Barker, then an instructor, discovered three of the stained glass windows on top of a boiler in the basement of Tinker when he began cataloging the School’s art collection. In 2006, Forrest Mars Jr. ’49 funded the restoration and installation of the glass on the first floor of Monahan, which now houses the Offices of Alumni and Development and Communications. What happened to the other three stained glass windows remains a mystery.

The Pest House Cleveland Cottage, located at the northwest corner of Routes 112 and 41, is currently a girls’ dormitory that was renovated and renamed The I. Christine and James J. Baechle/Sara and Charles Ayres ’77 House in October 2014.

But at one time in Hotchkiss history, the house was known as the Pest House. In 1905, students afflicted with scarlet fever were isolated in the cottage, which served as faculty housing, and it became known as the Pest House. The epidemic inspired at least one poem, “A Quarantine Rhapsody,” that was published in The Record. An excerpt reads: “I don’t know how I obtained it — My germ of the sunset hue; But I know, by jug! He’s a lively bug.”

In 1904, the secretary of the Connecticut State Board of Health visited Lakeville to investigate the seriousness of the illness at the School. Buehler, acting headmaster at that time, wrote to parents: “The school is leaving no stone unturned to guard the pupils.” Three graduate nurses cared for patients at a rate of $1.50 per night. Scarlet fever wasn’t the only national epidemic to affect life at Hotchkiss; the Spanish flu in the early 1900s and the polio outbreak also required the School to take steps to control the spread of disease.

Right outside the Edsel Ford Memorial Library stands a large American Elm, a rare survivor of a fungus that invaded the Northeast in the 1940s and vastly reduced the country’s stock of this favorite shade tree. The School’s 30 heritage elm trees — considered “heritage” because their trunks measure at least 30 inches in diameter — may have survived simply because they were so isolated from other elm populations.

In Central Park and Tompkins Square Park in New York City, several large elms originally planted by Frederick Law Olmsted are said to have survived because of their isolation from neighboring areas, where there had been high rates of fungus infestation. In recent years, disease-resistant Princeton Elms were also planted in front of Main Building. Source: Hotchkiss, The Place by Barbara M. Walker

30

H o t c h k i s s

M a g a z i n e

PHOTOS BY WENDY CARLSON

A Rare Survivor: The American Elm

Town Hill Cemetery: One Spot Left in A Nice, Gated Community The Town Hill Cemetery, owned and maintained by Hotchkiss, sits on less than an acre of land on campus. Its gravestones speak volumes about the history of Salisbury and Hotchkiss. The first person buried there was Seth Cary, a carpenter who died after he fell from a house he was helping to build for a relative of Maria Bissell Hotchkiss, the School’s founder.

On the day of his burial, April 11, 1757, the town voted to designate the land as a public cemetery. When Hotchkiss was built, however, the School assumed ownership of the cemetery and its maintenance. The cemetery’s 425 headstones, which date from colonial times to the 21st century, include the graves of Maria Bissell Hotchkiss, Revolutionary War soldiers, women and children who died of illness, and men from the area who toiled in the mines of Ore Hill in the early 19th century.

Since 2010, the headstones have served as the basis for The Cemetery Project, for which lower mid students write fictional pieces about a person buried in the cemetery.

At one time, plots on the northwest corner of the cemetery were reserved for staff and faculty members, who could purchase one for about a dollar; today, only a single unclaimed plot remains.

The Cabins: A Place for Followers of Thoreau... and The Grateful Dead

PHOTO CREDITS: CEMETERY: WENDY CARLSON, CABIN : WENDY CARLSON, L AKE: JACK WOLF ’19

At one time, Beeslick Brook Woods, a 200-acre expanse located south of the golf course on Route 112, had more than a dozen cabins that were used for student retreats. Many of the original shelters were built under the watchful gaze of George Van Santvoord ’08, the School’s fourth headmaster and avid naturalist and outdoorsman. He established the Woods Squad, made up of dozen or so students and several faculty members, who learned how to cut firewood and, eventually, to build cabins.

Ranger’s Cabin is the oldest of the three remaining Duke-era cabins — and the best-preserved, thanks to student-led renovation projects in 2007 and 2008.

Other cabins and lean-tos were built more recently.

Enterprising senior and Grateful Dead fan Charles Whittemore ’77 designed and built the cabin now known as the Mars Hotel. When he died in 1989, friends, family and alumni set up a fund in his honor to maintain the School’s cabins, trails, and bridges.

Other students in the ’70s constructed two more cabins named after Grateful Dead songs: Terrapin and Shelter from the Storm. Today, the Ranger Cabin is the most frequently used, mainly by the Outing Club.

What Lurks Beneath Lake Wononscopomuc?

Lake Wononscopomuc is arguably the most scenic part of the Hotchkiss campus. The School owns more than 500 feet of shoreline, and the lake is used by the community for sailing, canoeing, kayaking, and swimming. But few on campus know what lurks beneath its surface.

The state’s deepest natural body of water, with a maximum depth of 102 feet, harbors centuries-old relics, including anchors, sunken canoes, and rowboats that have settled into the weedy limestone sediment. There are also countless bottles and cans from the days when the town, lacking a dump, allowed farmers to unload their garbage into the lake, according to Donald Mayland, a scuba diver and member of the Lake Wononscopomuc Association. Each year, more than 14,000 fish are released into the water, mostly brown trout, he said. But swimming among them are many jumbo-sized pickerel and bass.

Perhaps the most interesting debris scattered at the bottom is the wreckage of a twin-engine Cessna that crashed into the lake in 1970, killing the pilot and passenger. After the crash, divers retrieved most of the plane’s fuselage and the bodies of the victims using a pulley system. Bits and pieces of the propeller and wings remain on the lake’s bottom.

The plane crash wasn’t the only tragedy that occurred on the lake. One afternoon in 1901, two students, George Elsworth Inness ’01 and Otis Sawyer ’02, drowned after their canoe capsized, according to an article in The Record. For many years after, the lake was strictly off-limits to students. Today, students are only allowed in the water, on the dock, or in boats if they have passed a swim test.

S u m m e r

2 0 1 7

31

ON THE ROAD

WITH PETER SARGENT ’03 DOCUMENTING OUR WILD CLIMATE WRITTEN BY WENDY CARLSON PHOTOGRAPHY BY VIRGINIA SARGENT

In

March, Peter Sargent ’03 and his wife, Virginia, packed their belongings and two dogs into a cargo van they dubbed “Buffalo Betty” and left Denver on a sixmonth road trip. All of this might make them sound like another millennial couple riding the Bohemian “van life” wave, except they are on an environmental mission that will take them as far west as Washington and as far north as Montana. Along the way, they’re interviewing farmers, ranchers, hunters, fishermen, and firefighters whose livelihoods are being threatened by severe weather events.

More than seven million people in the West live in small communities that are economically dependent on the land, says Sargent, who has been involved in the environmental justice movement since

32

H o t c h k i s s

M a g a z i n e

graduating from Johns Hopkins in 2008.

Despite scientific evidence that climate change is affecting weather patterns in these regions, he feels that elected officials aren’t doing enough to address it.

A veteran environmental organizer, Sargent has run more than 75 local and international campaigns. Most recently, he was campaign director for Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project.

His wife, Virginia, spent her childhood in the mountains of New Hampshire; her passion for the outdoors led her to study conservation biology at Middlebury College.

The two met at Green Corps, a one-year fellowship program in which they learned how to run environmental campaigns. But while they both found working for national environmental organizations rewarding, they

felt they were not connecting with small communities on a grassroots level.

So, last spring, he and his wife left their jobs and hit the road to launch Wild Climate, a nonprofit storytelling project focused on the rural west.

Their goal is to find those impacted by changing weather patterns, listen to their stories, and encourage them to speak up.

Since they left Denver on March 24, they have been posting stories and photos on their website, WildClimate.org, and using social media to generate interest from local and national news outlets. Their effort has caught the attention of local NPR affiliates, which aired a podcast about the project produced

by Yale Environmental Connections. But it hasn’t been an easy road.

Morning Star Lake at Glacier National Park in Montana.

S u m m e r

2 0 1 7

33

"One

of the great problems is that climate change is a partisan issue. If you believe in it, you are labelled as a liberal, and some people aren’t willing to talk about it.

They’re not at the point of saying: ‘yes, it’s happening here, and here’s what it’s doing to us,’” says Sargent. “So instead, we go into the communities and talk about ‘extreme weather events,’ not climate change.”

The Sargents often embed themselves in a community for a week or more, getting to know people by eating in diners, buying groceries, and reaching out to local and regional environmental groups.

Their first interviewee was Becca Verm, a young farmer in Wallace, TX, who didn’t need to be convinced of climate change. She’d started her farm on a little over an acre and had 40 people in her Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Then, she got hit by back-to-back floods in 2015 and 2016 and lost almost everything. What troubles Becca is that climate change is making farming harder. “The severity of everything is what’s becoming the issue,” she told them.

After Texas, they headed north into New Mexico, driving for hundreds of miles along pancake-flat highways. The views from the van windows looked like a scene from the trailer of an old Western movie. Jack rabbits darted through prickly pear bushes and tumbleweed.

Masses of sticky thorns from a weed called goat head blew loose and latched onto the fur of their two dogs, Summit and Trout.

While hot, dry weather is typical in the

Wild fire at Saint Mary Lake in Glacier National Park in Montana.

34

H o t c h k i s s

M a g a z i n e

southwest, Sargent says, climate change is altering fundamental weather patterns, affecting temperatures and precipitation. This means the already parched region is expected to get hotter and drier, and heavy rainfall can result in massive flooding.

A warming climate is also making fires more frequent and worse, he notes. Since 2000, Western states have seen an average of 250 large fires a year — up from 160 in the 1990s. In Gold Hill, CO, about 10 miles south of Boulder, the damage wrought by fires is visually striking.

A former mining town with a population of just over 200, Gold Hill is still recovering from the Four Mile Canyon wildfire that destroyed 170 homes back in 2010. In 2013, the town was hit again, this time by a major rainstorm that caused unprecedented flooding. What remains is flat sagebrushdotted landscape landscape that gives way to scorched mountainsides. Sargent and his wife had reached what should have been the lushest country so far on their trip, yet much of what they saw surrounding them was barren. In the distance, they could see snow-capped peaks to the west and plains to the east, but directly in front them stretched a two-mile swath of fire-scarred earth.

In Lincoln County, NM, where the majority of ranchers raise beef cattle, a wild fire ripped through the timbered mountains and burned more than 40,000 acres in 2012.

Joe Kenmore, director of emergency services for the county, told Sargent he’s ready to take

We want to know where they’re from, their family history, the details of their business, the history of their land, the impacts they’re seeing, and how that makes them feel before we even bring climate change into the conversation.”

steps to protect the area, but he needs the rest of the community and its leaders behind him.

Sargent wants to empower people like Kenmore to be more vocal and to speak directly to their elected officials — and to embolden those leaders to prioritize the issue.

But politicians aren’t the only ones who need convincing. “I’ve also been told that many communities, particularly Native American communities, see environmentalists and coal companies as exactly the same. Both come in and tell people what to think about an issue for the sake of their own cause, but do nothing for the community.”

One thing the Sargents have learned on their journey is that the west is an incredibly diverse region, with wildly different perspectives.

Native Americans, he says, have a spiritual connection to the land; for them, climate change is threatening a part of their culture, which is very different from the perspective of the farmers who want to adapt to extreme weather to preserve crops and livestock.

And they’ve encountered many people whose livelihoods have been affected by extreme weather events, but who flat-out don’t believe climate change has anything to do with it.

“That’s why we want to hear their stories,” Sargent says. “We want to know where they’re from, their family history, the details of their business, the history of their land, the impacts they’re seeing, and how that makes them feel before we even bring climate change into the conversation.”

Peter and Virginia Sargent and their two dogs, Summit and Trout.

Sargent points to New Mexican dairy farmer Albin Smith as an example. Smith lost $1.5 million in revenue following a 2015 blizzard that killed hundreds of his cows and stymied his milking operation for weeks. “When we asked him how the climate movement can include more people like him, he said simply, ‘conversation is good, confrontation is bad.’” That’s a mantra the Sargents will carry with them on their trek across the rural west.

To find common ground with people like Albin, Sargent draws on his rural upbringing and background as a hunting guide. He grew up in a small farming community in Pennsylvania. His family later moved to a ranch in Wyoming, where they still raise Black Angus cattle. But it was while he was a student at Hotchkiss that his interest in the environment took hold. He recalls waking up at 6 a.m. to paddle on the lake for a limnology class, taking inventory

of the School’s rare trees, and spending a semester on the Maine seacoast as an upper mid. Those experiences of studying the natural world steered him toward a major in environmental policy at Johns Hopkins.

Since then, he hasn’t veered off the environmental justice path, despite the many roadblocks he has encountered along the way.

Under the Trump administration, Sargent says, almost every single environmental initiative he’s been involved with over the past eight years is in the process of being dismantled.

“It’s been such a kick in the gut,” he says.

Still, he’s optimistic.

“I’ve found on this trip that reaching people on very human level and finding common ground has been crucial in rebuilding momentum.”

FOLLOW THE SARGENTS’ JOURNEY, VISIT WWW.WILDCLIMATE.ORG.

S u m m e r

2 0 1 7

35

Suzy Hodgson at the University of Vermont’s Intervale Community Farm

36

H o t c h k i s s

M a g a z i n e

HOW SUZY HODGSON ’81 IS HELPING FARMERS ADAPT TO A CHANGING CLIMATE WRITTEN BY CHELSEA EDGAR

Suzy Hodgson first laid eyes on a leech at Hotchkiss. Hoping to do some independent field research one day, she wrangled a pair of waders and trudged into a pond on campus. When the slimy black worm latched onto her net, she brought it to her science teacher and mentor, Deborah Reichert, who chastised her for traipsing out into a pool contaminated by sewage runoff.

PHOTO BY CHELSE A EDGAR

S u m m e r

2 0 1 7

37

ack then, the environmental science curriculum at Hotchkiss consisted of basic biology courses and a smattering of electives.

Environmental studies were still considered a fringe discipline, and no one talked about climate change. (“Those were the Reagan years, when the government told us that ketchup counted as a vegetable in school lunches,” she says.) Despite the relatively slim pickings, Hotchkiss instilled in her a lifelong love of the outdoors that led her to pursue a career in environmental management and climate research.

Today, her work may not involve wading into ponds, but she still spends a fair amount of time in rubber boots, helping farmers adapt to the unpredictable weather trends produced

at Smith, Hodgson took an environmental studies course at nearby Hampshire College — the only school in that area that offered one. She ended up creating her own major called “Land Use Studies,” a combination of economics and environmental science that might not sound far-fetched today, but was practically unheard of then.

It wasn’t until Hodgson went to graduate school at the Yale School of Forestry that she found her niche. (Ironically, as Hodgson only recently learned, she ended up following in Reichert’s footsteps: they both attended Smith, then earned a master’s in environmental management at Yale.) After completing her master’s, Hodgson worked for 16 years as an environmental consultant in England, helping corporations reduce their carbon footprint.

YOU DON’T ARGUE ABOUT WHO OR WHAT IS RESPONSIBLE,” SHE SAYS. “YOU JUST SAY, ‘THIS IS WHAT’S GOING ON, AND HOW CAN WE DEAL WITH IT?’” by climate change. As an outreach specialist with the University of Vermont’s Center for Sustainable Agriculture, she has spent the past four years producing a series of video interviews, funded by the USDA’s Northeast Climate Hub, to help educate Vermont farmers about practices that can reduce the effects of climate change on their bottom line. She also writes blog posts about farming and climate change, with headlines like “Raised Beds Raise Revenues at Golden Russet Farm” and “When Politics Go Low, Farmers Go High.”

Hodgson’s environmental awareness took shape at an early age. She read The Sea Around Us by Rachel Carson as a seventhgrader at a private school in Fairfield, CT, where she grew up. At Hotchkiss, she signed up for as many outdoor-oriented sciences courses as she could, including a lab with Deborah Reichert, who became a mentor and role model to her. As an undergraduate

38

H o t c h k i s s

M a g a z i n e

In 2008, she and her husband returned to the U.S.; they were hopeful that the election of President Obama would signal a shift in environmental policy. So they moved to a 17-acre homestead Charlotte, VT, about 15 miles south of Burlington, where they raise sheep and goats and grow shiitakes. Hodgson started working at the University of Vermont’s Center for Sustainable Agriculture, where, most recently, she’s been talking to farmers about how they’re coping with changing weather trends.

“We decided to produce the videos because our intention was to convey the message in the farmers’ own voices,” Hodgson says.

“Farmers want to hear from other farmers about what works and what doesn’t work.”

Because Vermont’s growing season is relatively short, even a single severe weather event — like a flood or a hailstorm — can have devastating consequences. In her blog

posts and videos, Hodgson profiles farmers who take proactive measures, like Will and Judy Stevens of Golden Russet Farm in Shoreham, VT. In the 30 years that the Stevens have been farming, they’ve noticed that the growing seasons have become progressively wetter, with increasingly rainy springs and summers. The excess moisture damages root systems, causing crops to rot before they’re ready for harvest.

2011 was an especially tough year: after Hurricane Irene, the Stevens lost nearly $34,000 in revenue. In the wake of that season, they decided to try raised bed farming, which helps with drainage and prevents the soil from getting saturated. After a few years of tinkering with the structure and purchasing new equipment, their efforts paid off: they more than recouped their original loss with higher net profits in subsequent seasons.

By telling stories about farmers like the Stevens, Hodgson hopes to send the message that long-term strategies can pay off in the face of increasingly unpredictable weather.

But she acknowledges that it can be tough to convince farmers, who are often strapped for both time and cash, to make an up-front investment.

“Farmers respond to immediate crises, like floods,” she says. “But day to day, their attitude is usually: ‘This is my land, I’m taking care of it, my family and I are doing fine.’”

And there’s also the challenge of talking about climate change: Hodgson says farmers are well aware of the effects of extreme weather, but not everyone agrees that climate change is the cause. So she tries to focus on the tangible impacts.

“You don’t argue about who or what is responsible,” she says. “You just say, ‘This is what’s going on, and how can we deal with it?’”

Since the Trump administration announced major cuts to the USDA and EPA, Hodgson worries that funding for her project and other climate research will soon dry up. But one thing that gives her hope is how resilient farmers can be in the face of hardship.

“One farmer I met was trying to plant acres of beans, and his tractor got stuck in the mud,” she says. “Instead of getting upset, he just shrugged and said, ‘It’s gonna be one of those years.’”

FOLLOW HODGSON’S WORK AT BLOG.UVM.EDU/FARMCLIM.

Messages from the Alumni Association Alumni Day of Service Over 200 alumni, parents, friends, and families participated in the Day of Service in 17 markets across the world. Service projects included mentoring middle school students, feeding the homeless, park beautification, planting trees, woods and trail maintenance, and more. Many thanks to the site chair volunteers for their hard work! Overall event chairs were BOG members Annika Lescott ’06, Gwyn Williams ’84, P’17,’19, and Barrett Lester ’81.

Alumni Day of Service in Boston

In NYC, Panelists Discuss the Value of a Boarding School Education

Be an Advisor!

Our alumni network is a valuable resource. The Hotchkiss Alumni Career Network allows users to tap into this network, pairing advisors with advice seekers. This network allows advisors to choose the services they would like to offer (i.e., career conversations, resume critiques, or mock interviews), and advice seekers can search for alumni in many fields. Signing up is fast and easy at www.hotchkiss.firsthand.co.

Questions? Email Gail Massey in the Alumni Office: gmassey@hotchkiss.org

Other ways to stay in touch:

ALUMNI

Speakers from left to right: Anastasia Vrachnos ’87, Craig Bradley, Peter Upham ’87, and Chis Chandler ’85

Nearly 80 Hotchkiss and Salisbury School alumni and parents gathered at Le Parker Meridien Hotel in New York City on April 12 to attend a forum on the value of a boarding school model of education. Craig Bradley, Chis Chandler ’85, headmaster at Salisbury School, Peter Upham ’87, executive director of The Association of Boarding Schools, and Anastasia Vrachnos ’87, vice provost for international affairs at Princeton, discussed the transformative nature of residential life and the value of living in an academic community.

S u m m e r

2 0 1 7

39

Class

not es 35

CLASS AGENTS: Coddy Johnson

39

CLASS AGENT: Ed Cissel

42 REUNION AND CLASS AGENT: Bob Royle

43

CLASS AGENT: Len Marshall L E N M A R S H A L L writes, “I saw Bill Tady at the memorial service for Yale ’46 classmate Frank Ford in Hobe Sound, FL. Bill is well at 92 (on a cane, as I am). He winters in Palm Beach and summers on Park Ave.”

44

CLASS AGENT: Alan Kirk

45

CLASS AGENT: Blair Childs BLAIR CHILDS

writes, “By the latest count, we are still 28 stalwarts from the Class of ’45, either in our 90th year or fast approaching it. Since we have retired and changed our interests, I think it would be a good idea if we all re-issued our resumes. We will start with G E O F F C H A P M A N , who was shocked to see that the alumni magazine demoted him from ’45 to ’47. He adds: ‘I am incredibly lucky in all respects, as far as physical health and well-being are concerned. I just got back from three weeks of skiing in France and everything went well, other than a broken thumb. Marilyn and I have just left Holland, and she is taking a gap year from teaching.

We moved from Idaho to Camden, ME, and are still getting established in the community and involved in volunteer activities. All in all, life is enjoyable and full of friends and things to do. Hotchkiss was the best educational experience of my life, and I regret not having taken better advantage of it. I can still remember many delightful episodes at the School, and particularly the awesome Duke.’”

The Class is sad to report the passing of who died on Jan. 10, 2017, at age 89. He was a resident of New York City.

WINSLOW “WIN” MAXWELL,

46

HOCKY HOTCHKISS,

our indefatigable scribe, reports, “In answer to my note about me (Hocky) and my wife moving our bedroom downstairs, I got some replies. From A L A N S I L B E R M A N : ‘Sorry to hear of Edna’s fall; but smart to move your bedroom downstairs; I can feel myself that my balance is nowhere near as good as just a few years ago. I hope that 2017 will be a good year for the both of you.’ From W O O D I E W O O D H O U S E : ‘Familiar story, Hocky.

Peggy and I just purchased a condominium here in Grosse Pointe to accomplish the same things.

Ground floor, one floor, lots of space and in great shape. I have recently been diagnosed with post-polio syndrome and am having difficulty walking, particularly stairs, and so it is timely.’

From P E T E L I M B U R G : ‘Nothing exciting. I am still on the Conservation Board of the town of North Castle, where I justify my existence by showing up for quorums and editing the minutes of our meetings. Sorry to hear that Edna had a fall. It was a wise decision to move down to the dining room. Those stairs are not good for you. Remember the bat incident.

At the moment, we have two grandsons in China, teaching conversational English to Chinese middle- and high-school students, one granddaughter working for the EPA in Philly, one granddaughter studying welding, one granddaughter marking time in Augusta, GA, until her husband completes his navy enlistment and she can go to grad school, and one grandson about to start college in the fall. Maggie is still in the Bonsai Society. This May, we went on a cruise around the Baltic to celebrate our 65th wedding anniversary. Belated congratulations on yours, which, I remember, was last November. Give Edna (Hocky’s wife) our best, and tell her my handwriting has improved since I got a new fountain pen with the right kind of nib.’ From E D D O W N E : ‘When I owned Family Weekly — the alternative to Parade for small-time newspapers — we ran an article titled ‘Do Cats Have ESP?’ Normally, if we got a couple of hundred letters, that was good. We had a 12 million weekly circulation.

Interestingly, we received over 100,000 letters from people who owned cats. Never saw a response to anything like this. So, I understand how you feel about your cats.’”

47 REUNION AND CLASS AGENTS: Jack Blum,

Hank Hamlin, and John Schullinger

40

H o t c h k i s s

M a g a z i n e

48

CLASS AGENT: Frank Kittredge

49

CLASS AGENT: Marvin Deckoff

50

CLASS AGENT: Bob Blankfein O G G I E M I L L E R reports nine grandchildren, ages 15 to 27, and one great-granddaughter, age 15 months. His son E R I C ’ 7 9 is with UBS in Los Angeles. His son C H R I S T O P H E R ’ 8 2 is a real estate executive in Dallas. Oggie and Jacqueline split their time in retirement between an apartment in Washington, DC, and their 1747 house in France, just north of Le Mans. Classmates are welcome to stop by — email ogdendmiller@gmail.com.

51

CLASS AGENTS: John French, Peter Genereaux,

and Charlie Roraback

The Class is sad to report the passing of F R A N K J O S E P H G I L B E R T , who died on Dec. 6, 2016.

He was a resident of Swanzey, NH. J O H N F R E N C H writes, “Next month, Carole and I will be honored by Young Concert Artists in New York City for years of helping the organization to identify and support very talented young musicians at the beginning of their careers. Many have gone on to major success, such as Emmanuel Ax, the chairman of its alumni association and the honorary chair

51 John French spoke about the first 24 hours of D-Day as part of the “Speakers at the Knick” in June at the Knickerbocker Club in New York City.

of the Gala. I was an active board member for 25 years and am now emeritus. It was a superb experience, and I served on the board of the New York Philharmonic and New York City Opera during much of that time. Music has been a wonderful part of my life.”

learned from Tom Sawyer how to get folks to paint his fence. The latest book is The Encyclopedia of Alternative Energy and Shale Gas. In 2011, his Encyclopedia of Nuclear Energy made him a regular on network TV after the Fukushima tsunami.

R O D N E Y F E R R I S writes, “Back in February, I donated one of my nine lives to charity when I spent five days on the floor of my apartment without communication, food, meds, or water after passing out from the flu. I am still in rehab but gradually recovering. Not a great trip, but the seemingly endless hallucinatory scenery was fascinating. But being back in the real world has some extra benefits.”

ERNIE WASSERMAN

Class Agent P E T E R G E N E R E A U X encourages all classmates to submit a brief summary of their latest doings, examples of “giving back,” or just a “hello” to our fellow classmates.

52 REUNION AND CLASS AGENTS: Julian Coolidge

and Ernie Kolowrat

53

CLASS AGENTS: Rusty Chandler, Jay Lehr,

Phil Pillsbury, and Don Streett

Last year, J A Y L E H R sort of published his 36th book. His wife, Janet, says he mostly

reports that he and own the same class of sailboat, an Ensign, “but mine was one of the first in 1963,” writes Wasserman.

DON STREETT

DON STREETT

writes, “We will celebrate our 65th reunion in the fall of 2018, most likely in October. Details and information will be forthcoming, and so this notice is just a ‘heads up’ for now. Please start thinking about making plans to return to Lakeville for what will be our next significant reunion.”

54

CLASS AGENTS: Al Ferguson and Cal Heminway

55

CLASS AGENTS: Pete Nelson and Toby Terrell

56

CLASS AGENT: Dave Bentley H E N R Y G L O V E R reports, “You are not too old and feeble to take a trip of a lifetime.

In March, Lynzy and I went on a fabulous trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands.

The geology of volcanic islands, the marine life you see as you snorkel your way around the island, and the wildlife you visit up close and personal as you hike is just astounding.

Watched blue-footed boobies do the mating dance, saw Galapagos gulls hatch their young just feet away, and sea lions greeted us faceto-face as we swam along. Seventy-five is the right age for this adventure of marvel. Get out there and enjoy real nature. All’s well here in Vermont. Our door is always open.”

D A V E B E N T L E Y sends this class news: “C H U C K J A R E C K I tells me that he is joining friends to help celebrate the 80th birthday of J O H N C O W A N . We are all aging, and quickly.”

A group of ’56ers got together in January at B U C K Y B U S H ’ S home in Hobe Sound, FL. They called it a “Bush Bash.” The group consisted of Ginny and A L D U R F E E , Renate and J O E H I X O N , Rue and J O H N Z I E G L E R , C A R L O S B E T A N C O U R T , Nancy and J O N H A M I L L , P O R T E R G O S S , Mimi and S A N D Y M C M I L L A N , Judy and D A V E B E N T L E Y , and J O H N O ’ K E E F E . It was a weekend of reminiscence, spirited conversation, a libation or two, and much hilarity. A high point during the weekend was a song or two by members of the 1956 Blue Notes – Bush, Durfee, Bentley, Hixon, and McMillan. A road tour is not anticipated.

56 Members of the Class of 1956 attended their Reunion in the fall, including: Dave Bentley, Bob Bose, Jon Brightman, Jack Burnell, Buck Bush, Vic Chang, Al Durfee, Fred Ernst, Jock Flournoy, Col Gardner, Jay Gerli, Val Giannini, John Gilpatric, Hank Glover, Jon Hamill, Joe Hixon, Jim Massengill, Sandy McMillan, Jon O’Brien, John O’Keefe, Don Roberts, Jim Trowbridge, Seth Warner, John Wiggins, and Tom Yamin.

S u m m e r

2 0 1 7

41

Class

not es N I C H O L A S Y O S T writes, “Last year, at 77, I retired (or, as I prefer to put it, ‘rewired’) from co-heading the environmental and natural resources practice of Dentons, the world’s largest law firm, and am living with my wife, Sandra Rennie, in Santa Rosa, CA. However, never being content to sit on my butt, I resolved to put my experience and expertise to good use on a pro bono basis. Earlier in life, as general counsel of the White House Council on Environmental Quality in the Carter administration, I had drafted the federal government’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) regulations — which, remarkably, remain in existence, with only one amendment to one section — under the National Environmental Policy Act. The basic purpose is to make government agencies (and private applicants for permits or funding) ‘look before they leap,’ environmentally speaking. It seemed to me that the place in the world with the most massive environmental challenges is China, so I resolved to be of whatever assistance I could in assisting China with EIA. So far, I have keynoted a workshop in Beijing organized by the Natural Resources Defense Council. Participants included the Chinese Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Transport Ministry, as well as Chinese NGOs and academics. The experience was both productive and immensely satisfying. Since then, a Chinese colleague and I co-authored and published an article for the Environmental Law Institute comparing Chinese and U.S. EIA laws and practices. I’m hoping to do more whenever the opportunity presents itself (or I can create the opportunity).”

56

The Blue Notes captured in full voice!

From left to right: Bucky Bush, Dave Bentley, Al Durfee, and Sandy McMillan.

Between Durfee and McMillan, but hidden, is Joe Hixon.

58

56 Bucky Bush with Ginny Durfee

57

Bob Beecroft and his wife, Mette, celebrated their 50th anniversary with a train trip through the Canadian Rockies and a cruise from Vancouver to Alaska.

REUNION AND CLASS AGENTS: Peter Carnes, Jon

Larsen, George Longstreth, Jim McDermott, Bill Ryan, Woody Startkweather, and Peter Thoms GEORGE LONGSTRETH

writes, “I published a novel, You Call Me Roc, a medical mystery involving cocaine and society’s underbelly, available online from me or Amazon.com.”

58

CLASS AGENT: Tim Fisher ROBERT BEECROFT

sends this dispatch: “As longtime ‘swamp creatures,’ Mette and I are both still active part-time at the State Department. Her focus for the past 40 years has been on Foreign Service family issues and concerns, and she has made a real difference;

42

H o t c h k i s s

M a g a z i n e

she received an award for lifetime service from Secretary of State Clinton several years ago.

Meanwhile, I’ve been serving part-time at the State’s Office of the Inspector General since my retirement in 2006, leading inspections of American diplomatic posts in Kuwait, Syria, Taiwan, Vietnam, Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania, as well as several bureaus at Foggy Bottom. Last fall, we celebrated our 50th anniversary with a train trip through the Canadian Rockies and a cruise from Vancouver to Alaska. This summer, we’re headed for Scandinavia to see friends in Stockholm and visit Mette’s family in Norway.”

STEVE AIKENHEAD

writes, “It’s the three r’s for me: reading, ’riting, and repair of the body, plus service here and in my hippie village in California. If anything kills that village, it will be money, but so far, it lives.”

59

CLASS AGENT: Nathaniel Floyd JOHN WYLIE

writes, “M A R K G A L L encouraged me to write a bit about myself.

I retired 10 years ago from the practice of psychiatry. While practicing, I determined that each major illness revealed a ‘fossil’ of an emotion-and-motivation that had remained unchanged throughout human

60

Sandwich, MA. We had a very successful first year, with 75 swimmers ages eight to 18.

Retirement was not something that interested me. Teaching children is a lot more fun.”

N O R M A N D R E Y N O L D S and his wife, Chris, write, “We moved a couple years ago to Golden, CO, a mile off I-70 on the way to the mountains from Denver. Look us up if you’re in the area: normandchris@msn.com.”

63

CLASS AGENTS: Kip Armstrong, Elliott Detchon,

and Roger Liddell

64

CLASS AGENTS: Bob Graffagnino and

Jody Nachman

65 On March 24, 2017, Tonya and Sam Rembert had a wonderful catch-up dinner in Vero Beach, FL, with Jim and Chrissie Heyworth.

evolution. Since retiring, I have integrated this knowledge with the science of paleoanthropology and evolutionary theory to construct an ‘inner’ narrative of human evolution for a new edition of Ape Mind, Old Mind, New Mind: The Evolution of the Human Spirit. I also run a blog entitled “Why We Became Human.” I would be delighted to interact with you about any of this.”

BILL HUBBARD

writes, “I am still playing squash and went to the U.S. Squash Nationals in March at the Philadelphia Cricket Club.

Am currently ranked seventh in our age class. I see S A M A B E R N E T H Y ’ 6 1 and B I L L B E N E D I C T ’ 7 0 , who also play.”

N AT F L OY D

married Germaine DiPaolo and had a number of classmates at the wedding in the Hotchkiss Chapel, including J O H N

B R A D L E Y, T O M C R I D E R , S T E V E E L L I O T T, BOB DINEEN, BOB BRADY,

and W I N

CHAMBERLIN ’61.

60

CLASS AGENT: Bill Hobbs

On March 24, 2017, Tonya and S A M R E M B E R T had a wonderful catching-up dinner in Vero Beach, FL, with Chrissie and J I M H E Y W O R T H . The Remberts drove up to Vero to visit friends who are neighbors of the Heyworths, and the gathering fell into place.

(As the photo shows, Jim is still growing.)

61

CLASS AGENTS: Dave Egan and Jim MacIver T E M P L E E M M E T W I L L I A M S ’ S second novel, Poison Heartbeats, received the Awesome Indies Award and the indieBRAG Medallion shortly after publication. The book takes a unique look at what might happen if ISIS/ ISIL tried to poison America’s waterways. An ex-Marine and an ex-NYC cop, Temple has been nominated twice for a Pulitzer.

62 REUNION AND CLASS AGENTS: Morgan Bulkeley,

Tom Gardner, Drew Hicks, Tony Nania, and Dave Stevens MORGAN BULKELEY

writes, “The Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield, MA, has asked me to do a retrospective of my artwork over the last 50 years. It will begin with drawings done in Newark, NJ, in 1967, and encompass work I have been doing in gouache, oil paint, and wood sculpture over the years. It will involve four rooms in the museum, so I am madly scraping things together. One can get a preview of later work at Morganbulkeley.com.

Please come if you are in the area!”

B E N V A N D Y K writes, “I have assumed the position of head coach for the Cape Cod Firefish Swim Team, a subdivision of AquaSafe Swim Programs. The Firefish practice is in

CLASS AGENTS: Bill Fusco, John Grube,

Bill Sandberg, Jerry Sprole, and Kip Witter JOHN BOAK

and F R E D P A C K had a semicentennial encounter at Vail on March 29. They hadn’t seen each other since graduation 51 years ago. Fred and his wife of 48 years, Sandy, winter in this small Colorado burg. John, a longtime resident and skier of the mountainous state, had been planning to join up with Fred for a number of years.

Enticed by Fred and the brief passage of a minor snow storm through the state, John headed up to Vail. The trio cut snow in a variety of parts of the mountain and had an awesome lunch at the Game Creek Club.

Shared memories and additional tales of family, travel, education, work and thought from those many intervening years added to the substantial, low-friction, gravitational pleasures of the day. Further, Boak waxes nostalgic about his first encounter with telemark skiing: “The connection goes back to Mr. Haas, whom I was sitting next to on a chairlift at Jay Peak during a ski-team trip way back when. I saw a solo skier elegantly negotiating New-England-heavy uncut snow on the lift line. I said, ‘What is that guy doing?’ Al said, ‘Those are telemark turns.’

Years later, in the early ’70s, while living in Oak Creek, near Steamboat, a friend and I decided to teach ourselves how to telemark.

Armed with only what I saw on that chairlift and my 22-mm, edgeless, all-wood Splitkein racers, which I used for cross-country races at Hotchkiss, I skied the Steamboat powder off the back of Mt. Werner and learned to S u m m e r

2 0 1 7

43

Class

not es 65

62 From left to right: Jonathan Bulkeley ’78; Morgan G. Bulkeley IV ’62; Gardner Bulkeley ’19; Peter Bulkeley ’49 and Briggs Bulkeley ’15 at the Tremaine Art Gallery reception of Becoming: 30 Hotchkiss Artists on May 20.

telemark. I have not stopped. The equipment has gotten better.”

66

CLASS AGENTS: Steve Kirmse, Barry Svigals,

Michael Thompson, Dusty Tuttle, and Eliot White

CLASS AGENT: Bill McMorran

REUNION AND CLASS AGENTS: Eric Bruenner,

John Burke, Chris Casler, Demetrie Comnas, Bill Elfers, John Luke, Mark Pierce, Carlton Smith, and Neil Wallace GROVE NICHOLS

writes, “I am looking forward to our 50th reunion this fall in Lakeville. Whew, 50 years! I’ve spent the last 42 in California since moving here to attend Stanford Business School in 1975. Given the choice in 1977 between moving back to NYC or going up the road to San Francisco, I opted for the California lifestyle, and here I am today.

We actually moved to Sacramento in 1985, and this has been a fabulous place to live, work, and raise a family (three daughters and now, two grandkids). Sacramento is an hour and a half from everywhere — San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and two great valleys: Squaw and Napa. In a long weekend in the winter/ spring, I can ski and play tennis, golf, and hockey, which I recently did. That’s California, and that is what keeps me young! I’m still

H o t c h k i s s

working, too, as a consultant to CalPERS, trying to solve the dilemma of soaring pension obligations in the face of diminishing investment returns — a bigger challenge than skiing and playing golf, tennis, and hockey all in a long weekend, as it turns out.”

68

67

44

John Boak and Fred Pack had a semicentennial encounter at Vail on March 29. They hadn’t seen each other since graduation 51 years ago.

Fred and his wife of 48 years, Sandy, winter in this small Colorado burg.

John, a longtime resident and skier of the mountainous state, had been planning to join up with Fred for a number of years.

M a g a z i n e

CAMERON SMITH

writes, “Had dinner in Phoenix in late March with T O M L E S C A U LT ’ 6 9 and his bride of 35 years, Nancy. Tom hasn’t changed an iota! Still ready to take on any challenge or anybody! He’s recently applied to Guinness World Records for the honor of being the world’s oldest spin class instructor. Wonderful!”

C H R I S W I N S H I P writes, “I continue to teach at Harvard in my position as the DikerTishman Professor of Sociology and as a member of the senior faculty of Kennedy School of Government. After 23 years, my wife, Nancy, is retiring from her position as senior vice president at Brandeis. My son, David, will be ordained as a rabbi this June and will be the rabbi at Temple Beth David in Canton, MA. He will be marrying Jasmine Gotheif in October.”

BILL MCMORRAN

reports, “A big thanks to all of our 1968 classmates who made a gift

during the recent Hotchkiss 125 event! It was a great way to help strengthen the next 125 years, and your gifts are much appreciated!

Also, every 25th donor received a pair of specially designed Hotchkiss socks. D A N W A L K E R was one of the lucky sock winners.

We’re still waiting for a picture!

“G L E N S M I T H , his wonderful wife, Maggie, and I had a lunch in Los Gatos, CA, recently.

Glen and Maggie live in Windsor, outside of London but make regular forays to the States each year. Glen is still making his lists and has probably gotten together with more classmates than any of us have done to date!

“B I L L W I L L I A M S shared that our friend and classmate, J O N B E R K , has, over the past 50 years, accumulated an extraordinarily impressive and important collection of an American original: comic books. A recent article reported: ‘By day, Jon Berk is a mildmannered civil attorney in Connecticut.

But by night (well, really during most of his spare time for the past 45 years) he is known by some as a comic book-collecting super hero.’ Berk’s collection of more than 18,000 books and 300 pieces of comic-book art were auctioned off last spring.

“Watch out, Ithaca: S C O T T B R I M is becoming significantly more involved in local

The Power of Thinking Small Public defender Kevin O’Connell ’65 makes a difference, one case at a time

BY CHELSEA EDGAR

PHOTO BY WENDY CARLSON

F

or Kevin O’Connell, the best preparation for a law career may have been three miserable seasons on the varsity football team at Hotchkiss. The team went undefeated in his prep fall, then lost every single game except one for the next three years. That string of defeats, he says, primed him for life as a New York City public defender, a career choice marked by its share of uphill battles.

O’Connell, who played offensive and defensive tackle, says he — and the rest of the team — were on the scrawny side. “I weighed 185 soaking wet,” he says. “But what we lacked in size, we made up for in guile and cunning.”

O’Connell, supervising director of New York County Defender Services, was the 2016 winner of the American Bar Association’s annual Dorsey Award for outstanding work in the government and public sector. But he didn’t seriously think about becoming a lawyer until he was in college at Lake Forest. He arrived in the profession in a roundabout way: he knew he wanted to do something meaningful, so more or less on a whim, he went to Boston University Law School and ended up in what was then known as “poverty law” — “which accurately describes both the salary and the clientele,” he quipped.

His first job out of law school was as a criminal defense attorney for the New York Legal Aid Society, which provides attorneys for clients who can’t afford to hire one on their own. After only two years, he was promoted to the Major Offense Bureau of the Brooklyn Office, the youngest lawyer in the organization ever to achieve that distinction. In 1997, he helped to found a new office in Manhattan, the New York County Defender Services. Since then, O’Connell has served as its legal director, training young lawyers to analyze the strengths of a case, negotiate with prosecutors, and hone trial skills, with an emphasis on ethics and compassion for indigent clients.

Over the course of his 45-year career, O’Connell has worked on a number of major cases, including one of the first juvenile murder cases in New York City. His client, a 16-year old, was tried as an adult in front of a notoriously demanding judge. The defendant denied being involved, and O’Connell found holes in the prosecution’s case that ultimately led to his client’s acquittal.

O’Connell and his team believe in the importance of “holistic defense,” a concept that’s been the cornerstone of O’Connell’s practice for decades. “As a lawyer, that means you deal with all aspects of a client’s case — how it affects their housing, immigration, or employment situation,” he says.

All of O’Connell’s work is pro bono; state and local funding provides his office with sufficient resources to fully investigate a case. So he feels that there’s a “cleanliness” to his practice: he can concentrate on a client’s case without worrying about the bottom line.

But there are significant mental and emotional challenges that come with his work. After seeing so many people struggle in similar situations, O’Connell has had to develop a certain amount of detachment so that he doesn’t lose sight of what he can accomplish for his client — or become cynical and jaded in the face of “the imperviousness of the system,” as he puts it. Ultimately, he tries to focus on the difference he can make in someone’s life, as small as that might be. His advice for young lawyers reflects that approach: “Think small,” he says. “Being a lawyer is fundamentally about how you can help an individual.”

S u m m e r

2 0 1 7

45

Class

not es politics. He’s now a member of the County Democratic Committee. More importantly for all of us, Scott wrote, ‘I’ve been spending the last week cleaning out my parents’ house now that both are gone and the house is sold. It has been quite an experience, as every moment there brings out memories. Some are full memories of interactions. Some are just particular brief smells or sounds. Right now, I’m on the back patio watching the stars come out.’ Many of us are going through similar experiences with family members. Please remember that our 50th is coming up next year. There will be many good memories, and

50 Years Apart, Two Classes Share Their Views of Income Inequality

BY MICHAEL THOMPSON AND BARRY SVIGALS

I hope that many of us can gather on campus and watch the stars come out together!”

69

CLASS AGENT: Tom Keating SUMNER ERBE, TOM BLAGDEN, PETER S E A M A N , A N D T O M E D E L M A N attended a mid-March 2017 ski weekend in Aspen, CO, at the house of Tom and Ingrid Edelman.

Lynn Blagden and Nini Seaman were also in attendance. The Edelmans hosted a superb weekend of skiing and watching the World Cup Competition, followed by sumptuous meals and lots of reminiscing. Somehow, they all survived!

70

CLASS AGENTS: Bill Benedict, Bob Clymer, Parky

Conyngham, Mark Hinckley, Tom Randt, Jorge Rodriguez, and Will Smart TODD BACON

and his wife, Nancy, received the Lifetime Achievement Award for Volunteerism from Denver-based Metro Volunteers at its annual Heart of Volunteerism event that showcases and honors advocates who make a difference in the community. Todd and Nancy moved to Denver in 1977 and have been involved with many nonprofits, schools, and the Rotary Club of Denver over the past 40 years.

Last fall, members of the Class of 1966 returned to campus for their 50th Reunion with a mission: to have a meaningful interaction with the graduating class of 2017. With support from the alumni office and Class Dean Keith Moon, the two classes embarked on a journey to have a conversation about issues of income inequality.

Both classes completed a survey before ’66 arrived on campus. On the Saturday of Reunion Weekend, the two classes broke into small groups and discussed the findings. “The alumni office and the Class of 1966 wanted to provide the opportunity for both the alums and the senior class to engage in valuable conversations; it was a terrific success,” said Moon. “Alumni and seniors alike were impressed by the level of engagement and the real interest that each group had in the other.”

Barry Svigals reported: “It was a very engaging exchange, informed by the survey we both took. I believe we were all impressed by how the Class of 2017 shared their experiences around issues of income inequality with honesty and sensitivity. Enlightening for all of us!” The Class of ’66 also created the Class of 1966 Scholarship Fund and the GO2 Fund to help support inclusivity programming, such as Martin Luther King Jr. Day events.

66 Members of the Class of 1966 attended their Reunion in the fall, including: Jay Bryan, Jonathan Canno, Paul Ceruzzi, Dave Cherry, Reid Detchon, Rob Durkee, Dave Elmore, Peter Gevalt, Steve Greenberg, Peter Hall, Jamie Higgins, Joe Hornblower, Sam Howe, Dan Hutner, Mark Kellett, Steve Kirmse, Jack Levin, John Longstreth, Jim McGinley, Scotty McLennan, Chris Meyer, Phil Peck, Paul Raymer, Bill Sims, Bob Small, Barry Svigals, Michael Thompson, Dusty Tuttle, Jim “Weebs” Weber, and Eliot White.

46

H o t c h k i s s

M a g a z i n e

67

68

William McMorran and Glen Smith in Los Gatos.

68

Demetrie Comnas, Neil Wallace, Chris Casler, and Bill Elfers pause for a photo after a dinner at John’s Island Club in early March at Vero Beach.

67 Golf outing at Vero Beach, FL, on Jan. 3, 2017. From left to right: Bill Elfers, Neil Wallace, Mark Pierce, and John Luke, all from the Class of 1967.

69

From left to right: Sumner Erbe, Tom Blagden, Peter Seaman, and Tom Edelman at a March 2017 ski weekend in Aspen, CO.

Cameron Smith, as president of the American Friends of Arts and Crafts in Chipping Campden, England, at the 10th anniversary of the opening of the Court Barn Museum.

70

Todd Bacon and his wife, Nancy, recieved the Lifetime Achievement Award for Volunteerism from Denver-based Metro Volunteers.

S u m m e r

2 0 1 7

47

Class

not es

What’s Going On in Your Life?

Submit a class note and photos to magazine@hotchkiss.org

by September 20 for the Fall issue.

71 71

CLASS AGENTS: Doug Campbell, Ace Crary, Andy

Cushman, Richard Dana, and Nick Moore LAURIE THOMPSON

Stay Connected

to Hotchkiss and friends.

writes, “I had the joy of being installed as the seventh dean president of Trinity School for Ministry on March 16, 2017, the eve of St. Patrick’s Day.”

72 REUNION AND CLASS AGENTS: Dave Balderston,

Chris Bechhold, Jack Campo, Wayne Curtis, Sean Gorman, Michael Gourlay, George Hubbard, Lock Pawlick, Jim Ryan, and Sam Sutphin JACK CAMPO

writes, “J I M ( ‘ D A B B E R ’ ) D A B N E Y has been quite a hit as one of the nation’s leading patent lawyers. He won a seminal case at the Supreme Court of the United States in 2007 (KSR International v. Teleflex), and recently, he argued another case in that court that may prove to be even more important. In March, The New York Times wrote about it on one of their blogs (with a nice drawing of Jim).”

The Class is sad to report the passing of on April 17, 2017, in Jamestown, RI.

J O N AT H A N W E L L E S

www.hotchkiss.org

73

CLASS AGENTS: Ned Nunes, Peter Rogers,

and Jon Sprole PETER ROGERS

reports that he is back to working full-time. He was elected CEO of

48

H o t c h k i s s

M a g a z i n e

Laurie Thompson, on right, was installed as dean president at Trinity School for Ministry on March 16, 2017.

Dovetail Systems of Bethesda, MD, earlier this year. The company develops and markets a cloud-based restaurant software system.

Peter also serves on three technology company boards. He retired from MICROS Systems in 2014 after its acquisition by Oracle. Peter and his spouse, Anne, now live in Washington, DC.

74

CLASS AGENTS: Charlie Denault, Penn Hulburd,

and Henry Sethness

75

CLASS AGENTS: Tom Davidson, Dan Dranginis,

Michael Gillis, and Larry Ross JOHN CHEW

survived a stem-cell transplant (“gruesome!”) to treat amyloidosis. “For now, the Grim Reaper has been held at bay.

Epicurus said: ‘It is a great thing to learn how to die.’ While studying the stoic philosophers, I will hold fast to the two-penny philosopher’s wisdom: Illegitimi non carborundum.” Chew can be reached at www.csinvesting.org.

R O B E R T K U H N reports, “After living for nearly 12 years in the heat and crowds of south Florida, my husband and I have relocated to Salisbury, CT! As I write this note, we’ve been here less than a week, but we’re very excited to be in northwestern Connecticut and just a few miles from the Hotchkiss campus. Much has changed in this area since graduation, but there’s a lot that’s very familiar. We’re really looking forward to taking advantage of all the community and campus has to offer. We

brought our two Irish terriers with us, and they’re already enjoying the wide open spaces, the brook behind our house, and new smells and sounds. So in a way, it’s welcome back.

But it’s certainly a new adventure! On another note, I was saddened to hear of Walter Crain’s passing. I remember Mr. Crain’s unique humor, optimism, and caring nature very well. I also remember the grade he gave me in algebra (I’ll keep that to myself)!”

C O N R A D W A N G E M A N and C H U C K C A U L K I N S found themselves to be neighbors 35 years later.

“Our kids are friends and our wives are inseparable. We get together weekly, and in fact, are getting up early in the morning to play tennis and argue over whose idea it was,” writes Caulkins.

76

74

CLASS AGENTS: Melissa Hoglund, Denise Arcand

McClintic, and Dan Pullman S T U A RT WAT S O N

writes, “We have happily relocated to Portland, ME, where we see three of our five children, their spouses, and four grandchildren under age three. Life is good.

Hair is gray, but body is sound.”

Staples family at 2017 Vanderbilt Graduation. From left to right: Sarah Staples ’10, Jared Staples, Allena Staples ’12, and Richard Staples ’74

ELIZABETH DOUGHERTY

received an individual artist grant from the City of Oakland to build and install a free-standing rainwater harvesting sculpture in Oakland’s Botanical Gardens at Lake Merritt. The project demonstrates how to capture and use rainwater in community gardens, decreasing dependence on municipally supplied potable water for food-growing.

JAMES HARTZELL

reports, “My wife, Magda, and I spent last year staying at Menla Mountain Retreat while I worked on a book for the Treasury of The Buddhist Sciences Series of the American Institute of Buddhist Studies (Columbia University Press). The book is a revised translation of an 11th-century Buddhist tantric yoga text and commentary. We’ve just moved to Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain, where we are starting work at the Basque Center for Cognition, Brain and Language. I hope to continue research with Sanskrit Pandits in India. If anyone’s in the neighborhood, please get in touch.”

DAVE CLEVELAND

reports, “While traveling in New Zealand this past March at a nameless pull-over on the road to Milford Sound, I encountered the group in the photo wearing Hotchkiss ball caps. It seemed a miracle to

76

Stuart Watson, relocated to Portland, ME, poses with wife and grandchildren.

S u m m e r

2 0 1 7

49

Class

not es 76

run into Hotchkiss students on the other side of the world — until they told me I was the third alumnus they’d met so far on their trip!

Kudos to Stephanie Thomas and Jennifer Rinehart for leading this adventure.”

Dave Cleveland ran into some current Bearcats on a field trip while traveling in New Zealand last March.

77 REUNION AND CLASS AGENTS: Anne Owen

Armfield, Bill Collin, Larry Davis, Steve DeBlois, Harry Gruner, Mark Haigney, Keith Holmes, Andy Luke, Chris Meledandri, Greg Montgomery, Gigi Brush Priebe, David Priebe, Chris Shea, Cindy Schmidt Softy, Simon Strong, Charlie Sutphin, Fred Wacker, and Allison Sirkin Woolston E L LY N N E S K O V E

is heading to Prague for her eighth year to present at the Respect Birth Conference and run professional trainings in pre and perinatal psychology and health. In addition to running her studio, Nest Space, in Brooklyn, NY, she has joined the staff of NYC’s Motherhood Center for babies and mothers challenged by post-partum depression and anxiety. She joined the NGO Make Mothers Matter at the United Nations this past February and is a frequent contributor to Well Rounded NY and Pathways to Family Wellness magazine.

77

77

Ellynne Skove works with children in her classes at Families First in Brooklyn, NY.

Sue Fortgang has developed a successful wedding venue on her farm winery in western Massachusetts, Valley View Farm.

S U E F O R T G A N G has developed a successful wedding venue on her farm winery in western Massachusetts, where she lives with her husband and twin 12-year-olds. She writes, “N O N I E C L O S E K R A F T and I built a hydroponic garden in the greenhouse as an upper mid project; that was when my love of growing food started. Valley View Farm grows fruit and flowers, harvests maple syrup, and brews hard cider and wine, and hosts weddings and events — come visit!”

78

CLASS AGENTS: Phil Baldwin, Jonathan Bulkeley,

Sally Gilliland, Doug Landau, Chris Simonds, and Scott Sullivan

79

CLASS AGENTS: Chuck Gulden, Seth Krosner,

and Tom Tyree

80

77

CLASS AGENTS: Wendy Tanner Bermingham, Bill

Alex and Jane Brash, join Chris Reich, and his wife, Nonie (Pashal) Reich ’77 with their kids and friends for Easter in Rye, NY.

50

H o t c h k i s s

M a g a z i n e

Boscow, Mike Collette, Erik Gaull, Jennifer Mugler Peterson, Tom Philip, and Wendy Weil Rush

83

78 Lee Daniels at the 2017 Westchester Pancreatic Cancer Research Walk in memory of fellow classmate and friend, Frank Weeden.

81

Classmates Jim Dayton, Andy Hoag, and Charlie and Tim Lord at Silver Creek in Ketchum, ID last summer.

The fishing was great!

CLASS AGENTS: Andrew Bermingham,

Sheila Ball Burkert, Gib Carey, Bill Gates, Ellis Ketcham Johnson, Henry Robinson, Becky Stebbins, Tim Sullivan, and Bill Tyree

‘How I enjoyed re-reading it, a superior piece!’

What a privilege it was to attend Hotchkiss and have teachers like Geoff.”

N A D E R T E H R A N I won his 17th Progressive Architecture award this year for NADAAA’s New Hampshire Retreat. He has recently been part of a project to convert an art installation into blankets for Syrian refugees.

REUNION AND CLASS AGENTS: Ally Bulley, Lisa

CHASE REYNOLDS EWALD

Chandler, Rich D’Albert, Rena Longstreth Hedeman, Nao Matsukata and Vivien Williams

writes, “My husband and I are still living in California, although three of our daughters are on the East Coast (the fourth is in college in the Bay Area). I’m still writing and editing. My ninth book, Rustic Modern, a design and architecture book, will be out in August. My most recent book, American Rustic, was named one of the top 14 home design books of 2015 by Architectural Digest. I enjoy writing about the creative process and love having an excuse to travel to the country’s most beautiful places!”

J I M AY E R

writes, “Last fall, I received a mysterious envelope from Belvidere, VT. In it was an English 250 paper from 1979 that Geoff Marchant had ‘found in his desk.’

The assignment was to write an additional new chapter for Huckleberry Finn in the inimitable style of Mark Twain! Attached was a note replete with accolades and the words:

82 DAN JONES

writes that he’s gone from founding president of the Hotchkiss Medical Club in 1981 (less than a dozen members) to president of the Society of the American Gastrointestinal & Endoscopic Surgeons in 2017 (over 6,000 members).

83

CLASS AGENTS: Andrew Carey, Jim Dayton,

Nikki Williams Dietrich, Biffy Roraback Fowler, Charlie Lord, and Matt Meade J I M D AY T O N

writes, “A N D Y H O A G , C H A R L I E and T I M L O R D , and I spent a fantastic week last summer trying to fool trout in Silver Creek in Ketchum, ID. No easy task. The fishing was great and only surpassed by the surroundings. One of the best aspects of fly fishing for trout is that they inhabit some of the most beautiful places on earth, and Sun Valley must be high on that list. We are also

very proud to tell you all that the Moash-abeg-a-muffin is very much alive in Idaho. You never know what will become your legacy.”

84

CLASS AGENTS: Charlotte Cudlip Bartol,

Larry Pratt, and Stephanie Bowling Zeigler LEDRA HOROWITZ SOLOMON

writes, “K A T H L E E N F LY N N ’s (long-awaited) first novel, The Jane Austen Project, published by Harper Collins, was released in May. I highly recommend the book, which brought to mind, with great detail, our avid reading of Pride and Prejudice in English 550 with Mr. Torrey.”

85

CLASS AGENTS: Masha Galanin Gaither,

Paul Poggi, and David Wyshner TOM NICKERSON

reports, “I had the great pleasure of hosting my former lacrosse coach and our former Hotchkiss athletics director Rick DelPrete and his grandson, Jack Allee, on a guided fly-fishing trip in western Alaska in August 2016. Rick and I are pictured on the next page next to the Kwethluk River, which we floated and fly fished together for an entire week, catching grayling, char, rainbow trout and silver salmon. We had a fantastic time and enjoyed many Hotchkiss memories and old stories together.”

S u m m e r

2 0 1 7

51

Class

not es

85

84 From left to right: Alyssa Kolowrat, Lynda Packard, and Alex Pisco met in Amsterdam in March.

86

CLASS AGENTS: Justin Abelow, Miriam Gelber

Beveridge, Weijen Chang, Derek Dietrich, Andrew Gale, Buhl Hudson, Alison Ambach Illick, Kurt Liebich, Becky Markus McIntosh, Cece Luthi Powell, and Nian Lee Wilder DAN ZHANG

writes, “It was a great moment to return to Hotchkiss with my second son, Mike Xu. He enjoyed the hamburger lunch!

We hope that the School will always stay alive and full of energy, as we saw in early February when we visited. Great to see our classmate, N I A N L E E W I L D E R !”

87 REUNION AND CLASS AGENTS: Daphne Murray

Butler, Lisa Grumhaus Haas, Caldwell Hart, Deb Hordon, Maude Keldan, Craig Kennedy, Hilary Deckoff Langworthy, Paul Mutter, Steve O’Brien, Tony Poe, Caroline Sallee Reilly, Susan Green Roberson, Ray Strong, George Takoudes, and Jeff Williamson

88

CLASS AGENTS: Katie Allen Berlandi, Alex Blanton,

Tom Davidson, Mark Geall, Jen Appleyard Martin, Steve Newman, Matt Poggi, and John Tortorella T. J . M A T T I M O R E

writes, “Greetings from Colorado! I have been living in the Boulder area for the past five years and am now president and head of Legal of Vaisala, Inc., which is the American operating subsidiary of a global environmental measurement company based in Helsinki, Finland. Recently had a terrific dinner with J E F F G U Y L A Y , D A V E B E L I N , and their charming better

52

H o t c h k i s s

M a g a z i n e

Former Hotchkiss Athletics Director Rick DelPrete and Tom Nickerson met up on a guided fly fishing trip in western Alaska in August of 2016.

halves. I am also fortunate to see R I C K S H A N E and his family at least once a year, either in San Francisco or on the slopes in Colorado.

Hoping to catch up with more of my classmates who are in Colorado, and if you get the chance to visit, please let me know!”

89

CLASS AGENTS: Liza Reeder Carey, Alice Gouge,

Katy Anderson Gray, Matt Lenehan, Colin Pennycooke, Jon Prather, Rue Richey, Lisi Miller Vincent, Sarah Virden, and Clara Rankin Williams A L I C E G O U G E writes, “I’m still in Portland, ME. No kids or amazing travel; just life happening here. It was a good ski season at Sugarloaf. Maddie has come to visit. It would be great to see other Hotchkiss friends who would like to do some hiking, sailing, or white-water rafting. Summer is coming!”

LIZA REEDER CAREY

writes, “In late March, several of us gathered in Palm Beach to celebrate the life of Anne Keresey [mother of C A R O L I N E K E R E S E Y P R I C E ]. It was a wonderful celebration of a special woman who always had open arms and doors for the Class of ’89. In attendance were CA R O L I N E K E R E S E Y PRICE, WILL PRICE, RACHEL ROGERS, N ATA L I E L U T H I C H I A R A M O N T E , C A R O L I N E P I L L S B U R Y O L I V E R , L I Z A R E E D E R C A R E Y, and S C O T T P E A R M A N ’ 9 0 .”

The Hotchkiss Alumni and Development Office held a reception on March 11, 2017, for A L E X A N D E R D O D G E to celebrate the opening of the world premier of the opera Dinner at Eight at the Ordway Theater in St.

89 Members of the Class of ’89 gathered in Palm Beach to celebrate the life of Anne Keresey, mother of Caroline Keresey Price. From left to right: Natalie Luthi Chiaramonte, Caroline Keresey Price, Liza Reeder Carey, and Caroline Pillsbury Oliver.

Paul, MN. Alexander did the set design and appeared on stage with the cast at the end of the well-received performance.

90

CLASS AGENTS: Jasen Adams, Thad Constantine,

Kate McCleary, Chip Quarrier, and Derek Rogers CHIP QUARRIER

writes, “We had a wonderful spring break with our boys in Florida, and they continue to grow like crazy. Hully is eight and William is five. Connie and I are truly blessed.

Wishing all my Hotchkiss family the best!”

H O N E Y TAY L O R N A C H M A N

and J E D write that they are thrilled that their daughter, Olivia, will be a third-generation Bearcat and a member of the Class of 2021.

NACHMAN ’91

93

CLASS AGENTS: Brendan Behlke, Ellie Peters

Bergquist, Rafe Carbonell, Amanda Carlson, Laura D’Anca, Jenn Feeley Hyzer, Kara Marchant Hooper, Erica Johnson, Maureen Marsh, and Pepper Riley KARA MARCHANT HOOPER

writes that and C O R T N E Y P O W E L L C H A I T E met up in Washington, D.C., in March. Ann arrived in the city for work, Cortney came down from Baltimore, and Liz came up from Charlottesville. All are doing well.

ANN GELLERT, LIZ IRVIN,

94

CLASS AGENTS: Deirdre Morton Carr, Margaretta

89

Robertson Hershey, Amy Liu, Robin Meyersiek, Colm Singleton, and Rob Witherwax

Alexander Dodge and friends celebrated the opening of the world premier of the opera Dinner at Eight at the Ordway Theater in St. Paul, MN. Alexander did the set design for the performance.

95

CLASS AGENTS: Mo Cronin, Liam Dohn,

Deirdre Hughes, Alessandra Nicolas, Ethan Oberman, Kathleen Donnelly Renouf, Tom Terbell, and Andy Torrant

90

96

CLASS AGENTS: Will Copenhaver, Carolina Espinal

de Carulla, Janie Fleming Fransson, Sarah Hall, Biz Morris, Paul Nitze, Matt Oberman, Javier Rodriguez, Adam Sharp, Wade Tornyos, and Will Woodbridge

91 Chip Quarrier with wife, Connie, and two sons, Hully, 8, and William, 5, in Florida last spring.

91

CLASS AGENTS: John Bourdeaux, Alison Wille

Harris, Alexis Bryant La Broi, Karriem Lateef, Cari Berlage Lodge, Marnie Virden McNany, Clarke Miller, Nicole Morrison, Philip Pillsbury, Tom Seidenstein, and Marcy Denault Wemple JARDINE LIBAIRE

writes, “My novel, White Fur, came out at the end of May. More than one Hotchkiss teacher is thanked in the acknowledgments. And my documentary-

Jed Nachman ’91 and Honey Taylor Nachman ’90 are thrilled that their daughter, Olivia, will be a third-generation Bearcat in the Class of 2021.

format collaboration with photographer Phyllis B. Dooney, called Gravity Is Stronger Here, came out in April.”

92 REUNION AND CLASS AGENTS: Emmett Berg,

Sarah Duxbury Chin, Philip Gale, Norm Hetrick, Aaron Oberman, Allison Pell, and Elizabeth Newman Smyth

J A M E S B E N T L E Y writes, “I am finishing up my 10th year at St. Johnsbury Academy in northeastern Vermont, where I continue to teach English and serve as director of environmental stewardship. Proud that the school earned the 2016 Vermont Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence for a program that I founded in 2012. Also, this past summer, I completed my masters degree in sustainability from Harvard University Extension School. My wife, writer H O P E C H E N E Y B E N T L E Y, and I are living the dream on 20 acres in rural Vermont with our three kids. Come up and visit!”

WELLES HENDERSON

writes, “After far too many years of schooling, residency, and fellowship (and being blessed with one wife, two dogs, and three kids along that rather tortuous path), I’m pleased to announce that I will be a practicing physician in Cleveland, OH, later this year. I’ve taken a job with University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center as the newest member of the division of female pelvic medicine and reconstructive S u m m e r

2 0 1 7

53

Class

not es 96

Molly Longstreth Jacobs, Janie Fleming Fransson and Meg Scanlon Ruschmann in Scotland in March.

96

surgery. Thank you, Mr. Morrill and Mr. Davis, for giving me the science bug!”

M O L LY L O N G S T R E T H J A C O B S , J A N I E FLEMING FRANSSON,

and M E G S C A N L O N met for a week in Scotland in March. “We traveled around the Highlands and Edinburgh,” writes Meg. “It was a great way to celebrate 25 years of friendship.”

RUSCHMANN

The Class is sad to report the passing of on May 21, 2017.

PETER WERTHEIM

Brooke Ansnes Buchanan and husband, John, welcomed their second child, a boy, Graham Alexander Buchanan, on Oct. 17, 2016. He joins older sister, Charlotte, 3.

96

97 Jay Kim has a new pod cast, “The Jay Kim Show.”

Welles Henderson is now a practicing physician in Cleveland, OH.

97

REUNION AND CLASS AGENTS: Tim Donza, Casey Copenhaver Fraise, Rob Hill, Bill Lane, Keltie Donelan McDonald, James Moorhead, Kim Mimnaugh Sillman, John Stewart, Kate Morton Tholking, and Carolyn Toolan

Hong Kong-based investor and entrepreneur J A Y K I M has just announced the launch of a new weekly podcast on entrepreneurship, The Jay Kim Show. Kim will sit down with the world’s most brilliant minds in business, investing, and entrepreneurship with the goal of learning all the strategies, formulas, and secrets to success directly from the masters.

“Podcasts have been popular for over a decade globally but have very little presence or traction in Asia. This is not for a lack of interest, but for a lack of high quality content and consistent effort,” says Kim. The podcast will be available on iTunes, Soundcloud, and Stitcher Radio. For more information, visit www.jaykimshow.com.

K AT Y B R A U N S C R I V E N E R

writes, “Ryan and I are looking forward to a nice English summer! I’m still at HSBC and am excited to start a new role in May as creative director of employee insight and communications. I’ll be leading the team that designs, delivers, and advises on campaigns that support the bank’s strategic priorities and reach its 235,000 employees around the world.”

LUCIA (LULU) HENDERSON

married Clay Ackerly in September 2017 at Lulu’s family farm in Berryville, VA.

98

97

CLASS AGENTS: Ryan Constantine, Chris Looney,

Emily Pressman, Sarah Helming Stern, and Kate Calise Strotmeyer

Lulu Henderson married Clay Ackerly in September at Lulu’s family farm in Berryville, VA. Bearcats in attendance included: Allan Benton ’55, P’97, ’97, Jessica Scheinzeit Gordon ’97, Campbell Stewart ’97, Lauren Schwartzreich ’97, Welles Henderson ’96, bride Lucia (Lulu) Henderson ’97 and groom Clay Ackerly, Allison Threadgold ’97, Benjamin Stapleton ’96, Chloe Cockburn ’97, Danielle Ferguson ’97.

54

H o t c h k i s s

M a g a z i n e

C L A R E C O R S O N R U D A Y was awarded the Virginia Department of Health Nursing Council’s Nurse of the Year award in

May for her work in public health in the Charlottesville area.

99

CLASS AGENTS: Clare Dooley Evans, Allie Ray

McDonald, Jesse Minneman, Mike Salguero, and Susannah Vincent Toy ALLI HINMAN SMITH

reports, “2016 was eventful, but unfortunately, not in a good way for the Hinman/Smith Family. We found out that our sweet, silly, seemingly always happy son, Spencer, who turned three in July, has a terminal genetic disorder called Sanfilippo Syndrome. It’s a progressive neurological disease that’s known as the children’s Alzheimer’s. I’ve temporarily left my teaching job in order to give Spencer all of the help and support he needs and to make sure he gets to all of his appointments and special classes. My husband, Nate, continues to work at the Andover Companies in Massachusetts. We are both really focused on trying to raise awareness about this rare (unimaginably cruel) disease, and to help fundraise the millions it will take to find a cure. If you’re interested in learning more about our story and Spencer, we’d love to have you check out our page at the Cure Sanfilippo Foundation: www.curesff.org/spencer. (If you donate, please use Spencer’s name in the tribute field so we can thank you.) You can also keep up with us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ mypalspencercuresanfilippo.”

99 Alli Hinman Smith is raising awarenss to find a cure for Sanfilippo Syndrome, which affects her son, Spencer.

00

CLASS AGENTS: Kate Kramer Azzouz, Pat Endress,

Matt Grossnickle, Susan Harrison, John Moreno, Michael Sachs, Camille Spear-Gabel, Dan Spencer, and John Weiss

00

00

JEN LEVITT

just had her first book of poetry, The Off-Season, published by Four Way Books.

L A U R A O ’ B R I E N D O N O R F I O and her husband, Brian, welcomed a son, Augustus “Gus” Call Donorfio, on March 13, 2017.

01

CLASS AGENTS: Jon Hill, Andrew Kryzak, Casey

Reid, Peter Scala, Rebekah Sprole, and Nate Thorne

02 REUNION AND CLASS AGENTS: Kyle Boynton,

Courtney Quick Burdette, Emily Bohan Hyland, Molly Shanley Labella, Sarah Armstrong Moffet, and Beth Schmidt

Jen Levitt just had her first book of poetry, The Off-Season, published by Four Way Books.

Laura O’Brien Donorfio and her husband, Brian, welcomed a son Augustus “Gus” Call Donorfio on March 13, 2017.

S u m m e r

2 0 1 7

55

Class

not es

03

03

Christina Bechhold married Andrew Russ on April 22, at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, WV. Bearcats in attendance included her father, Chris Bechhold ’72, Caroline Lamotte Clark ’03, Gabriella Avellino ’03, Megan Denault ’03, Nicolas Mulroney ’03, Bennett Rathbun ’03, Danielle Frisa Shahla ’02 and Andrew Kryzak ’01 (not pictured.)

Lindsay Failing Sinex and her husband, Jonathan Sinex, welcomed daughter Grace James Sinex on Aug. 10, 2016.

04

03

CLASS AGENTS: Matt Boller, Lindsay Bruett, Mike

Cacchio, Christina Claudio, Conor Cook, Trip Cowin, Brian Fenty, Will Holliday, Jay Mills, Rowan Morris, Vicky Pool, and Cara Seabury Radzins JULIA CUSHMAN CURRY

and her husband, Bill, welcomed their son, William Joseph Curry III (“Wick”) on June 21, 2016, in New York City. He is grandson to A N D Y C U S H M A N ’ 7 1 and nephew to B L I N N C U S H M A N ’ 0 1 and A N D R E W C U S H M A N ’ 0 6 .

LAURA ARMSTRONG

and Stuart Swann got married at Lost Tree Club in North Palm Beach, FL, on Dec. 10, 2016.

ALEX TREYZ

Rosie Bogan Borders and her husband, James, announce the birth of Gustavo Bogan Borders, born Nov. 18, 2016. Also pictured is is their daughter, Zelda,(right) and Elihu Root Bogan Jr. (left), son of Jen and Elihu Bogan ’02.

03

L I N D S AY FA I L I N G S I N E X

CLASS AGENTS: Christina Bechhold, Alex Bierce,

Megan Denault, James Eberhart, Lauren Gold, Caroline LaMotte, Lindsay Failing Sinex, and Stephanie Xethalis Stamas ROSALIND BOGAN BORDERS

and her husband, James, are thrilled to announce the birth of Gustavo Bogan Borders on Nov. 18, 2016.

56

H o t c h k i s s

M a g a z i n e

and her husband, Jonathan Sinex, welcomed daughter, Grace James Sinex, on Aug. 10, 2016.

graduated from Duke University this May with a joint masters of divinity and public policy degree. In other news, her folk-rock band Hardworker will release its debut album this summer. Drawing on her years singing a cappella with Calliope at Hotchkiss, Alex sings harmonies and melodies throughout the album. The band hopes to take the album on the road in late summer/early fall.

CHRISTINA BECHHOLD

married Andrew Russ on April 22, 2017, at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, WV. Bearcats in attendance included her father, C H R I S BECHHOLD ’72, CAROLINE LAMOTTE CLARK, GABRIELLA AVELLINO, MEGAN D E N A U LT , N I C O L A S M U L R O N E Y , B E N N E T T R AT H B U N , D A N I E L L E F R I S A S H A H L A ’ 0 2 and A N D R E W K R Y Z A K ’ 0 1 .

LUKE MURPHY

and C L A I R E L E O N A R D were married on Aug. 13, 2016, at Clermont State Historic Site in Germantown, NY, 12 years after they started dating in Mr. Frankenbach’s English 550 class. L I N D S E Y B R U E T T and L I B B Y H U B B A R D S T E G G E R were bridesmaids. Bearcats in attendance were Luke’s uncle, J O H N L U K E ’ 6 7 , P ’ 0 6 , ’ 1 2 ; Luke’s

04 Alex Treyz graduated from Duke University in May. In other news, her folk-rock band Hardworker will release its debut album this summer.

04 Luke Murphy and Claire Leonard were married on Aug. 13, 2016, at Clermont State Historic Site in Germantown, NY, 12 years after they started dating in Mr. Frankenbach’s English 550 class. Lindsey Bruett ’04 and Libby Hubbard Stegger ’04 were bridesmaids. Other Bearcats and in attendance included John Luke ’67, P ’06, ’12; Luke’s cousins Lindsay Luke ’06 and Johnny Luke ’12; Chantal Lessard Pilon ’04; Lindsay Eichler Gordon ’04, and Andrew Bennett Hamilton ’04.

04

04 Claire Leonard, center, flanked by bridesmates Lindsey Bruett and Libby Hubbard Stegger at her wedding, Aug. 13, 2016 at Clermont State Historic Site in Germantown, NY

04

Julia Cushman Curry and her husband, Bill, announce the birth of their son, William Joseph Curry More than 25 Hotchkiss Alumni attended the wedding of Laura Armstrong and Stuart Swann at Lost Tree Club in North Palm Beach, FL on Dec. 10, 2016.

III (“Wick”) on June 21, 2016, in New York City.

S u m m e r

2 0 1 7

57

Class

not es 06

06

Eliza Hill married Spencer Cuddy in her hometown of Short Hills, NJ on Oct. 22, 2016.

Nina Burdett Turcsanyi and husband, Joseph, welcomed Joseph Zsolt Turcsanyi Jr. on March 23, 2017.

cousins, L I N D S A Y

LUKE ’06

and J O H N N Y

L U K E ’ 1 2 ; C H A N TA L L E S S A R D P I L O N ; L I N D S AY E I C H L E R G O R D O N ;

and A N D R E W “We were thrilled to share our happiest day with some of our oldest friends,” writes Claire.

H A M I LT O N .

05

CLASS AGENTS: Jess Buicko, Jessica Chu,

Matt Douglas, Matt Himler, Isabelle Kenyon, Stephanie Korey, Andrew Langer, Doug McPherson, Lilly Haberl Nannes, Jon Terbell, James Thaler, and Madison West

06

CLASS AGENTS: Misha Belikov, Henry Blackford,

Adam Casella, Krishna Delahunty Nirmel, Lizzie Edelman, Anna Simonds Glennon, David Keating, Nika Lescott, Lindsay Luke, Daniel Nassar, and Haley Cook Sonneland N I N A B U R D E T T T U R C S A N Y I and husband Joseph Turcsanyi welcomed Joseph Zsolt Turcsanyi Jr. on March 23, 2017.

ELIZA HILL

married Spencer Cuddy of Leawood, KS, in her hometown of Short Hills, NJ, on Oct. 22, 2016. The two met as college freshman at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC. The maid of honor was L I N D S A Y L U K E ; H A L E Y C O O K S O N N E L A N D was also a bridesmaid.

58

H o t c h k i s s

M a g a z i n e

07

Alex and Shelby Rogers were married on April 22, 2017, in Charleston, SC. Bearcats attending included (from left to right): Nate Everett ’07, Taylor Cole ’07, Alex Rogers ’07, and his wife, Shelby Rogers, Marshall Johnson ’07, Peter Rogers ’73, P’07, ’11 Spencer Price ’07, Abby Rogers ’11, Fentress Boyse ’07, and Will Knorring ’11.

07

08

REUNION AND CLASS AGENTS: Abel Acuna,

Alexandra Burchfield, Alexander Douglas, Aleca Hughes, Taylor Kenyon, Lizzie Langer, Clark Maturo, Emily Myerson, Katie Oberwager, and Molly Reed

Kate Balderston, Dana Bohan, Chase Delano, Ellie Edelman, Caroline Emch, Alex Korey, Liz Krane, Bart Marchant, Alexander Rogers, and TT Sitterley ALEX ROGERS

married Shelby Pearlman in Charleston, SC, on April 22, 2017.

CLASS AGENTS: Will Benedict, Dana Brisbane,

Members of the Class of 2008 were all smiles at the wedding of G R E G M A X S O N

08

08 Katie Ellis, Mary Anderson Tronti, Sarah Blagden, Olivia Lange, Lucy Jackson, and Dana Brisbane celebrate with bride-to-be Meera Sivalingam in Sonoma, CA in April.

and Megan DeGennaro Maxson on Oct. 1, 2016, in Westlake Village, CA. H’08ers in attendance (left to right in the photo) included A L E X A N D R A B U R C H F I E L D , TAY L O R K E N Y O N , G R E G M A X S O N , R I L E Y MCCRACKEN, DANA BRISBANE, CONOR LY N C H , and G E O F F O G U N L E S I . Taylor and Conor proudly served as groomsmen for Greg. Greg and Megan met at Bucknell University in 2012 and now live and work in San Francisco, CA.

powered fast-attack submarine from October 2014 to May 2017. During that time, he participated in a Western Pacific deployment and an under-ice exercise at the arctic circle in March 2016.

09

CLASS AGENTS: Natalie Boyse, Cameron Hough,

Members of the Class of 2008 were all smiles at the wedding of Greg Maxson ’08 to Megan DeGennaro Maxson on October 1, 2016 in Westlake Village, CA. H’08ers in attendance (left to right in the photo) included Alexandra Burchfield, Taylor Kenyon, Greg Maxson, Riley McCracken, Dana Brisbane, Conor Lynch and Geoff Ogunlesi. Taylor and Conor proudly served as groomsmen for Greg. Greg and Megan met at Bucknell University in 2012 and now live and work in San Francisco, CA.

08

Annie Keating, Laura Pulver Kramarz, Kevin Powers, Henry Ross, Sarah Scott, and Jiezhen Wu N ATA L I E B OY S E

writes, “I visited J E S S E in London, who is finishing up her master’s of science in economics and policy of energy and the environment at UCL and headed to Paris to work at the IEA. We had a fun dinner with R A H U L R A I N A ’ 1 0 .”

GLICKER

The boys varsity lacrosse program was wellrepresented at the March 4, 2017, game between St. Lawrence University and Western New England University in Greenwich, CT. Bearcats young and old cheered on the St. Lawrence Saints to a 16-3 victory over the Golden Bears. Bearcats at the game included STEPHEN DOODIAN, PIERSON FOWLER ’10, B R A N D O N D O O D I A N ’ 1 1 , TAY L O R K E N Y O N , Chris Burchfield P’08,’10,’18, M A R K M A H O N E Y ’ 1 8 , Nicholas Burchfield, A N D R E W F O W L E R ’ 0 7 and John Fowler P’07,’10,’11, ALEXANDRA BURCHFIELD, CHARLS H U R L O C K ’ 1 1 , and K E R S E Y R E E D ’ 1 2 .

T I M G A N N AT T I

served as an officer on board the U.S.S. Hampton (SSN 767) nuclear-

C A R O L I N E B U C K is enjoying her work in residential real estate sales in Manhattan with Brown Harris Stevens LLC. Give her a call for real estate interests and needs in Manhattan!

10

CLASS AGENTS: Charlotte Dillon, Pierson Fowler,

Heather Krieger, Teddy Mackenzie, and Shintaro Matsui STEVEN BORUKHIN

and his partners are opening a Myconian restaurant called Calissa in the Hamptons this summer. The restaurant will be at 1020 Montauk Highway in Watermill, NY.

Tim Gannatti poses 200 yards from the geographic North Pole. He served as an officer onboard the USS HAMPTON (SSN 767) nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine from Oct. 2014 to May 2017.

S u m m e r

2 0 1 7

59

Class

not es

08

12

14

Bearcats at the boys varsity lacrosse game between St. Lawrence University and Western New England University in Greenwich, CT in March. Back Row (left to right): Stephen Doodian ’08, Pierson Fowler ’10, Brandon Doodian ’11, Taylor Kenyon ’08, Chris Burchfield P’08,’10,’18, Mark Mahoney ’18 and Nicholas Burchfield. Front Row (L to R): Andrew Fowler ’07 and John Fowler P’07,’10,’11.

Sebastian Grunebaum, left, a junior at St. Andrews in Scotland, and Andrew Bianco, a junior from Colgate studying abroad, at a St. Andrews hockey game.

14

CLASS AGENTS: Amro Arqoub, Emilee Bae,

Meghana Koduru, George Lampe, Martie Ogle, Isabel Reed, Sebastian Sanchez, and Eva Warren SEBASTIAN GRUNEBAUM,

a junior at St. Andrews in Scotland, and A N D R E W B I A N C O , a junior at Colgate, met up a St. Andrews hockey game. (Sebastian plays for the St. Andrews hockey team.)

15

CLASS AGENTS: Konstantin Baranov, Katie Comfort,

Maddy Dwyer, Liam Fleming, Seabelo John, Walker Jordan, Casey Kemper, Avery Klinger, Benjamin MacShane, Justine McCarthy Potter, Hafsa Moinuddin, Simi Odugbesan, Cameron Pal, Jade Pinero, Olivia Ryder, Emily von Weise, and Jake Yoon

16 Kanika Gupta (left) performed as principal second violin in Mahler’s Ninth Symphony with the Brown University orchestra on March 4, 2017.

Also pictured is Jack Patterson (also a Brown freshman) with Instructor in Math Steve Bolmer, who made a special trip to attend the concert.

CLASS AGENTS: Will Boscow, Shannon Brathwaite,

Emmy Brigstocke, Chloe Field, Kelsie Fralick, Liza Johnson, Taylor Peterson, Abby Rogers, and Annie Wymard K E L S I E F R A L I C K writes, “I will be graduating from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education in May with an M.S.Ed. and will be joining the classics department of Blair Academy in the fall of 2017.”

H o t c h k i s s

16

REUNION AND CLASS AGENTS: Dylan Alles,

Julia Chen, Stephanie de Lesseps, Cahleb Derry, Sumner Erbe, Normandie Essig, Kanika Gupta, Jack Kagan, Brooke Lummis, Stella McKew, Erin Mirkovic, Stephen Moon, Teni Odugbesan, Jack Patterson, Naomy Pedroza, Marco Quaroni, Jonvi Rollins, Harlan Schade, Allie Shuldman, Anne Elizabeth Sidamon-Eristoff, Sam Sitinas, Camila Toro, Turner White, and Hannah Xu

Whitney Gulden, Kei Helm, Kevin Herrera, Stephen Langer, Alexa Nikolova, and Blake Ruddock

11

60

12

M a g a z i n e

13

CLASS AGENTS: Daniel Camilletti, Addison Haxo,

Christian Lange, Catriona Leckie, Charlotte McCary, and Noelle Wyman C AT R I O N A L E C K I E

received a Fulbright English Teaching Award to Germany for the 2017-2018 grant period. She will spend 10 months assisting German students with language learning and understanding of the United States.

CLASS AGENTS: Nicholas Bermingham, Amelia Cao,

K A N I K A G U P TA

performed as principal second violin in Mahler’s Ninth Symphony with the Brown University orchestra on March 4, 2017. The concert was attended by J A C K P A T T E R S O N (also a Brown freshman) and Steve Bolmer.

Maihan Wali ’14 Pulls an All-Nighter for Afghan Women’s Rights

BY WENDY CARLSON

C

ollege students typically pull all-nighters to cram for finals or pound out term papers. But last March, Maihan Wali, then a senior at Gettysburg College and an activist with student-led advocacy groups Global Citizen and Global Changemakers, launched a 24-hour social media campaign that helped lead to the reversal of the Afghan government’s decision to change girls’ school uniforms.

Wali, who is Afghan, was in New York attending a Global Citizen’s event when she learned through Facebook that the Afghan minister of education had mandated a more restrictive design for girls’ school uniforms. The ministry initially sought to change the uniform because girls had complained that the black uniform absorbed too much heat in the summer, when Afghan schools are in session. The new uniforms were lighter in color: blue for primary school girls, grey for middle schoolers,

navy blue for high school girls. As with the previous style, the uniforms would require girls to wear a white scarf on their heads.

But it wasn’t the color of the uniforms or head scarf that drew immediate protest from women’s rights activists in Afghanistan. The previous uniforms could be worn over pants, which made it possible for girls to play sports and move more freely. But the new design called for tunics that extended all the way to the floor. At best, the length would have made it difficult for girls to play sports; at worst, it could be dangerous in the event of an emergency, when they needed to move quickly.

Wali knew that if she wanted to act, she didn’t have much time. Most families would have to purchase uniforms before the end of school break; by then, it would be more difficult to overturn the policy. In Kabul, women’s rights activists were already planning to demonstrate against the new uniforms, but as the word spread, the protest turned into a social media campaign. So Wali started a social media campaign of her own with the hashtag #banthisuniform, tapping a Gettysburg classmate to design a graphic to go along with her message.

Wali began connecting with other social media activists in London, Kyrgyzstan, Germany, and Afghanistan. She filed news posts on Facebook about the uniform change and started tweeting at politicians, including Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, as well as embassy diplomats.

By daybreak, President Ghani had reversed the decision on the new school uniform style, and the Ministry of Education had begun working on a new design.

It was 4 a.m. when Wali found out about the reversal. She quickly checked the government’s website to confirm the news, then grabbed a few hours of sleep before classes.

Wali is no stranger to promoting women’s rights in her home country.

In 2005, she started the first women’s high school basketball team in Afghanistan, starting with one ball and a handful of her classmates.

By 2008, the team had a professional coach and had become a non-profit, Women’s Empowerment Through Sport, which helps women gain self-confidence and empowerment through basketball. The organization, which now has 700 participants, also helped establish the Afghanistan Women’s National Basketball team.

Wali, who played JV basketball at Hotchkiss, came to Lakeville as a lower mid on a scholarship through Afghan Scholars Initiative. She credits her Hotchkiss experience with her passionate brand of activism.

“I learned a lot from my instructors at Hotchkiss about standing up for what I believe in,” she says, “so I will always stand up for what I believe in and never give up.”

S u m m e r

2 0 1 7

61

Hotchkiss

in m em o ri a m

A Tribute to Walter J. Crain Jr. Teacher, Coach, Leader

62

H o t c h k i s s

M a g a z i n e

Sound judgment was the hallmark of his leadership. I can remember several occasions when I, as an over-eager, young faculty member, was counseled by him about ways of supporting kids rather than pushing for punishments. He taught me restraint and greater humanity in working in a residential environment.”

Born and brought up in New York City, Mr. Crain spent time in his high school years working with younger students, helping in church groups, and participating in scouting.

He earned his bachelor’s degree from S.U.N.Y. Brockport and an M.S. in education at New York University. He had been teaching math at Wadleigh Secondary School in the city when he was recruited in the summer of 1965 to teach in the Greater Opportunity (GO) program. Unique to Hotchkiss, Greater Opportunity was created to provide an educational experience and mentoring for disadvantaged boys from Connecticut and

— English Instructor Charlie Frankenbach

New York cities. The program, which ran for nine years, educated some 250 boys from New York City, New Haven, Bridgeport, and Hartford. Eighty-two percent of G.O.’s graduates went on to college.

In 1970, Mr. Crain joined the Hotchkiss faculty full time as a teacher of math and a coach, roles in which he won the respect and gratitude of generations of students. Over the span of his Hotchkiss career, he coached boys thirds basketball, cross country and track, and girls varsity basketball. From 1983 to 1999, he served as the School’s dean of students.

He and his wife, Tessie, offered a warm and nurturing home as dorm parents for

PHOTOS: HOTCHKISS ARCHIVES

W

alter J. Crain Jr., P ’86, ’89, the first African-American to serve as a full-time member of the faculty, died on March 27, 2017, in Windsor, CT. He was 78. On learning of his passing, saddened alumni and members of the faculty, staff, and trustees spoke feelingly of Mr. Crain’s wisdom, his kindness, and his quiet leadership as a role model in the Hotchkiss community. From the time of his appointment in 1970 until his retirement in 2003, he was a dedicated teacher of math, an advisor and mentor to generations of students, and an inspiring coach. For more than a decade, he served with note as dean of students, imperturbable and effective in that role as well.

Dean of Faculty Tom Drake remembers Mr. Crain’s influence. “When I came to Hotchkiss in the early 1980s, Walter was the central figure in the administration who had the confidence of students and faculty alike.

“Walter somehow inspired in students both mild trepidation and deep respect. With the scowl and growl came the glint of eye and the slowly emerging grin. Students just knew that he cared for them, as he encouraged, cajoled, and reprimanded them.That’s no mean feat; Walter’s was an effortless art.”

In 1965, Walter Crain taught the Greater Opportunity (G.O.) program at Hotchkiss. Walter Crain was appointed in 1970 as a math instructor and coach.

countless students. The Walter J. Crain Cross Country Award was established in gratitude by former students, girls who had learned to love running, and announced enthusiastically at his retirement dinner in 2003.

In a 2002 interview in Hotchkiss Magazine, he recalled the surprises that were in store for him, Tessie, and their two young children when they came to sleepy Lakeville from Manhattan. Late one afternoon, Tessie asked if he would go to the store and get some milk for the children’s cereal in the morning. Easier said than done: the small mom-and-pop store in Lakeville was closed, as was the A&P in Millerton, as was another store. “What the heck am I doing here?” he remembered thinking at the time.

If Lakeville had been challenging for him as a newcomer, Mr. Crain made certain others did not have that experience. Co-head of Athletics Danny Smith recalls, “When I first arrived at Hotchkiss, Walter went out of his way to introduce himself and to make my family feel welcome on campus. I’ll never forget his warmth, his kindness, or his sense of humor.

“After he retired, he made a point to come over to the bench area to say hello every time the football team played a game at Avon or at Loomis. In fact, he did the same thing whenever a Hotchkiss team traveled to the

Walter with Chris Bechhold ’72, P’03

greater Hartford area, close to his home. I’ll miss seeing him on the sidelines next fall.”

Board of Trustees President Jean Weinberg Rose ’80 also felt the warmth of Mr. Crain’s welcome when she first arrived on campus.

In a speech at his retirement dinner in 2003, she spoke glowingly of the teacher who had meant so much to her. “It was a warm September afternoon, and, feeling the knots in my stomach, I was wondering why I had let my proctor talk me into running crosscountry as my fall sport. Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I looked up. A very tall man was looking down at my tennis sneakers. ‘You can’t run in those unless you want to get shin splints. You can stick around and talk to me today. We’ll get to know each other a little bit, and we’ll get you running tomorrow.’ I remember three things about that first meeting: first, he had a big warm smile that made me want to smile back.

Second, he was incredibly easy to talk to.

Third, I remember being truly disappointed and absolutely terrified when I discovered that he was a math teacher. What if he wanted to talk about math? I wondered if he could revoke my acceptance to Hotchkiss.”

It was in the classroom where Mr. Crain really starred. Instructor in English Charlie Frankenbach observed the effectiveness with which his colleague went about his work.

“Walter somehow inspired in students both mild trepidation and deep respect. With the scowl and growl came the glint of eye and the slowly emerging grin. Students just knew that he cared for them, as he encouraged, cajoled, and reprimanded them. That’s no mean feat; Walter’s was an effortless art,” he said.

Ben Gott ’97, now a teacher himself, remembers the thrill of accomplishment he felt in math thanks to Mr. Crain: “I had Walter as a teacher in Math 310,” he recalled, “a math class designed for those of us who weren’t particularly good at math. That year, it was Walter’s calm, quiet, unflappable demeanor, incredible patience, and wicked sense of humor that actually made me think, ‘You know? Math might not be so scary after all!’”

Mr. Crain is survived by his sons, Jay and Roger ’86, his daughter, Adrienne C. Dedjinou ’89, daughters-in-law, Sherry and Maggie, associate director of admission at Hotchkiss, and his eight grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife, Tessie.

Gifts in memory of Walter may be directed to: The Walter J. Crain Jr. P’86, ’89 Scholarship, The Hotchkiss School, 11 Interlaken Road, Lakeville, CT, 06039.

S u m m e r

2 0 1 7

63

Hotchkiss

in m em o ri a m 41

ALEXANDER ROLA “SANDY” GORDON

died peacefully at his home in Poolesville, MD, on Feb. 11, 2017. He was 95. A longtime Washingtonian, he attended The Sidwell Friends School before coming to Hotchkiss in September 1938. After graduating from Hotchkiss in 1941, he enrolled at Yale University. He served as a captain in the Army during World War II. He enjoyed a career as a mechanical engineer, working in both the aerospace industry and, later, with the federal government. Mr. Gordon is survived by his wife of 70 years, Bette, four children, two nephews, nine grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

He loved his family, had a wonderful sense of humor, and will be greatly missed.

E D W A R D F. S W I F T I I I

died peacefully in Lake Forest, IL, on Jan. 31, 2017. He was 93.

Born in Lake Forest on Nov. 1, 1923, he was the eldest son of Elizabeth Hoyt and Theodore Philip Swift ’11. He attended Hotchkiss from 1937-1941, serving, among other distinctions, as president of the senior class and captain of the hockey team. Entering Yale University in 1941, he went on to play goalie for Yale’s hockey team in 1942-43, allowing just 1.75 goals per game, a single-season record for the university that still stands. He entered the Army in the summer of 1943, serving as an officer with the 657 field artillery battalion.

At the end of the European phase of WWII, Mr. Swift played goalie for the 7th Division ice hockey team. After receiving a B.A. in English from Yale in 1947, he joined Swift & Co., the meatpacking company founded by his greatgrandfather, Gustavus F. Swift. He worked there for 27 years, retiring as executive vice-president and director. Mr. Swift then pursued a career in investment banking, joining The Chicago Corporation as Vice-Chairman and eventually retiring as head of the Chicago office of Lehman Brothers. He served on numerous boards and was the first chairman of the Northwestern Memorial Hospital board and a life trustee of Northwestern University. He was predeceased by his younger brother, Phelps H. Swift ’44, and a younger sister. He is survived by his loving wife of 48 years, Carol Coffey Swift; his daughter and three sons, including Theodore P. Swift ’67 and Edward M. Swift ’69; three stepchildren; 19 grandchildren, including Nathaniel Swift ’03; and nine great-grandchildren. A nephew, Phelps Swift, is a member of the Class of 1972.

64

H o t c h k i s s

M a g a z i n e

42

D R . T H O M A S W. W I L L I A M S

passed away peacefully at home in Clark Island, ME, on May 10, 2017. He was 93. Highly respected in the community, Dr. Williams was known for his fierce integrity, kindness, sharp intellect, and exceptional diagnostic ability. Initially, he practiced at the Knox County General Hospital; he was also a founding physician member of the Pen Bay Medical Center and served as a medical examiner for 43 years. He attended Hotchkiss from 1938-1942 and went on to Yale, where he completed his degree in two and a half years to join the Navy. After his service, he completed medical school at the University of Vermont. After a second tour in the Navy, including service during the Korean War, Dr. Williams completed a pathology residency at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston, where he met his wife-to-be, Virginia. They moved to Cooperstown, NY, for his residency in internal medicine at the Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital. They lived for a time in Amherst, MA, then Ellsworth, ME, and then in Brookline, MA, during his tenure as acting director of public health for the city. They settled in Camden, ME, a place all six Williams children called home. Upon his retirement Dr. Williams built homes for Habitat for Humanity. His question was always, “How can I help?” He enjoyed being outdoors and liked nothing more than heading out on Penobscot Bay in his Downeast cruiser.

Predeceased by his son, Thomas W. Williams Jr., Dr. Williams is survived by his beloved wife of 64 years, Virginia, his children, a sister, eight grandchildren, and nieces and nephews.

46

R A L P H H O W A R D K N O D E J R . died on March 5, 2017, at the Sheridan VA Medical Center. He was 89. Born on Nov. 26, 1927, in Philadelphia, PA, he attended Hotchkiss and graduated from Episcopal Academy, then attended Amherst College. He enlisted in the Air Force in 1950 and served in the Korean War as a radar observer. He married Judith Mary O’Neill in 1955 in St. Paul, MN. In 1962, they moved to Sheridan, WY. Mr. Knode ranched in Big Horn, Jim Creek, and Murphy Gulch, and enjoyed hunting in North America and Africa. He was past trustee and sponsor of Ducks Unlimited, a life member of the NRA and an active member of Alcoholics

Anonymous for 32 years. He is survived by his wife, Judy, of Sheridan, WY, two sons and a daughter, three grandchildren, and four greatgrandchildren.

G E O R G E C A R E Y M AT T H I E S S E N ,

a longtime Connecticut resident, died May 15 at his home in Chester, CT. Born August 15, 1928, on Fishers Island, NY, Mr. Matthiessen, who was known by “Carey,” was the son of Elizabeth Carey and Erard A. Matthiessen ’20. After graduating from Hotchkiss, he received his bachelor’s degree in English from Princeton and his Ph.D. in marine biology from Harvard. He served as a naval officer during the Korean War and at the Naval Underwater Sound Laboratory in New London. He founded Marine Research Company in Falmouth, MA, was a partner in the Cotuit Oyster Company in Massachusetts, and founded Ocean Pond Corporation on Fishers Island, a commercial seed-oyster operation. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Cis, with whom he traveled to many countries, often for the purpose of research on oysters. Much of this research appeared in his 2001 book, Oyster Culture. Mr. Matthiessen was active in conservation and served for years on the board of the Quebec-Labrador Foundation; much of his research concerned the effects of environmental degradation on marine species. He loved birding, boating, fishing, skiing, tennis, travel, literature, and politics. He was predeceased by his brother, Peter Matthiessen ’45 of Sagaponack, NY, cousins R. H. “Henry” Matthiessen ’36 and Churchill “Church” Carey Jr. ’60, and uncles James Carey ’25 and Churchill Carey ’30. He is survived by a large family who will miss him very much, including his sister, four daughters, and a son, as well as 12 grandchildren and three greatgrandchildren.

47

T H E O D O R E W. H U M M E L

died on Feb. 15, 2017, in The Villages, FL. He was 87. Mr. Hummel achieved some fame early on in life when, at age five, he was artist Norman Rockwell’s model for Tiny Tim in his work “God Bless Us, Everyone” that was the cover of the December 15, 1934 Saturday Evening Post. He graduated from Hotchkiss in 1947 and earned degrees from Lafayette College and Harvard Business School. He joined the U.S. Navy in 1953 and served during the Korean War. In 1954, he married his first wife,

Jane, and they had two children. After his Navy service, Mr. Hummel worked for B.F. Goodrich in Cleveland, OH, and Rochester, NY, for 13 years. In 1970, he formed his own company, Protolymer Chemical in Rochester, NY, and marketed a patent for copper recovery that he created. In 1973, he started P.C.I. Recording Studio in Rochester, which gained recognition for working with the jazz fusion band, Spyro Gyra, on their platinum-selling album, Morning Dance. Mr. Hummel retired in the early 1990s, moving first to Delray Beach, FL, and then to The Villages, FL, in 2006. He is survived by his son, his sisters, eight stepchildren, 15 grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren. Mr. Hummel was preceded in death by his wife, Margaret, in 1998, and wife, Martha, in 2013. He was also preceded in death by his daughter, two stepchildren, and a grandson.

48

L. DODGE FERNALD JR.

of Wellesley, MA, died on March 1, 2017. He was born in Springfield, MA, to Lloyd and Gladys Neff Fernald. Along with his brothers, Kent, Jack, and Peter – all of them Hotchkiss graduates – he enjoyed a childhood enlivened by sports and pranks. As a student at Hotchkiss, he prepared for his future study at Amherst and captained the varsity basketball team. In 1955, during four years in the Navy, he married Marjorie Maxwell. After the Navy, he earned a master’s degree from Harvard. Committed to the discipline of psychology, he earned his doctorate and went on to teach at Bowdoin, Cornell, and Wellesley, with sojourns as a Fulbright Lecturer at universities in Spain.

Eventually, he returned to Harvard as Assistant Dean of Harvard Extension School, retiring in 2012 after 51 years of teaching. He authored a number of books on psychology, developing a signature approach that explained psychology through stories. He became known in Wellesley as a soccer coach of youth teams, including the first girls’ team in the town. After coaching the men’s varsity team at Bowdoin, he found his true calling as a coach of youth teams in the Wellesley town league, the Boston Area Youth Soccer League, and at Wellesley High School.

He will be greatly missed by his wife, Marjorie; his four children and six grandchildren; and his brother, Peter Fernald ’54. His brothers, W. Kent (“Kent”) Fernald ’47 and John Fernald ’50, predeceased him.

51

MORTIMER WALKER “MORT” CUSHMAN

of Madeline Island, WI, died on Jan. 26, 2017, due to complications from heart failure. He was 82. Born March 10, 1934, in Racine, WI, Mr. Cushman was a longtime resident of Madeline Island, having moved there after resigning his position as professor of American studies at Bucknell in 1971. He attended Hotchkiss from September 1950 until his graduation in 1951. After graduating from Yale, he earned a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, and throughout his life maintained a strong attachment to letters, arts, and the life of the mind. He lived in a cabin that he built with his children and friends. He was a strong advocate for the arts, having served as the director of the Madeline Island Art Guild and as a member of the Wisconsin Arts Board.

He deeply loved friends and family, reading to schoolchildren, and supporting causes of need.

Mr. Cushman is survived by four children and eight grandchildren. He was predeceased by a cousin, Frank Sommers ’45.

53

L E O N I N O “ L E O ” N U N E S died peacefully on Jan. 22, 2017, after a year-long battle with malignant melanoma cancer. Born on September 11, 1935 in Livorno, Italy, he was the son of Giorgio Nunes and Anna Porciani.

On learning of Mussolini’s plans to join with Germany in the war against the Allies, Georgio Nunes moved his family to the U.S. via Cuba, joining his brother, Leo, in New York City.

The family settled in Oyster Bay, NY. Mr. Nunes attended the Allen-Stevenson and Harvey Schools before entering Hotchkiss in 1949. He graduated from Hotchkiss in 1953 and Yale in 1957. He became a U.S. citizen when his parents were naturalized. Upon receiving his Yale degree in English literature, he was drafted into the U.S. Army and served in Europe until 1964. He assumed operation of his father’s import-export business interests, until these were sold off later that decade. In 1970, with Christine Miller, he opened an English language school for Italian businessmen based in Milan. In 1978, he married Christine. In 2001, they turned the school over to their employees. Mr. Nunes was a keen skier and tennis player, enthusiastic opera lover, and champion of Italian culture, and at the same time an enduring skeptic of Italian and worldwide politics and business practices. He leaves his wife, Christine, and

two stepdaughters. His Hotchkiss relatives include cousins Edward Nunes ’73, P’08 and Francesca Nunes ’08. He was predeceased by a cousin, Edward Nunes ’38 and his sister, Leonetta Gulden GP’12.

55

PETER REGINALD WEY

of Mt. Pleasant, SC, died on Feb. 26, 2017, surrounded by family and prayers, at age 80. Mr. Wey was born in Manhattan, NY, on May 5, 1936.

He grew up in Rye, NY, where he attended primary school. He arrived at Hotchkiss in September 1952, following in the footsteps of his brother, Henry (“Harry”) Wey ’52 and an uncle, Kenneth Ward ’17. His brother, Thomas “Tom” Wey, is a member of the Class of 1958. After graduating from Hotchkiss in 1955, he attended Kenyon College and earned a bachelor’s degree from New York University School of Commerce. Mr. Wey served in the U.S. Coast Guard and had a long career in banking. He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Sarah Schwartz Wey; two sons and two grandchildren; and his brothers, H.F.G. Wey III ’52 of Hingham, MA, and Thomas Alexander Wey ’58 of Larchmont, NY.

56

D R . J A M E S B YA R D M A S S E N G I L L

died on Jan. 14, 2017. Born in Orange, NJ, he attended Newark Academy before beginning his studies at Hotchkiss in September 1954.

After graduating from Hotchkiss, he received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University and his medical degree from St. Louis University. Following his internship at Mountainside Hospital in Montclair, NJ, he spent two years as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy in Albany, GA. Next came a residency in orthopedic surgery at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, NY. He then trained in hand surgery in New York City. His practice was North Jersey Hand Surgery; he served as president of the Morris Co. Medical Society from 1985-1988. Throughout his life, Dr. Massengill enjoyed working with his hands, both within his profession and in his free time, as a craftsman. In addition to building many beautiful model airplanes, he was a pilot and the builder of a Glasair III, an experimental aircraft. He attended the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Rockport, ME, and became an accomplished furniture craftsman. He was

S u m m e r

2 0 1 7

65

Hotchkiss

in m em o ri a m also a master gardener and volunteer gardener for Colonial Williamsburg. He is survived by his wife, Sue; four daughters; a stepdaughter and stepson; five grandchildren, two greatgrandchildren, and three step-grandchildren.

57

J E F F R E Y S O N K I N G passed away peacefully on May 15, 2017, at his New York City residence. He was 78. A gentle, kind man and devoted friend to many, Mr. Sonking was born on April 21, 1939. He had many passions in his life, particularly for fine food, travel, and antique cars. He loved reading and history.

After graduating from Hotchkiss in 1957, he earned a degree from Columbia University.

He was the founder of First Hanover Realty, which he ran for many years. He was a member of the City Athletic Club and, subsequently, the New York Athletic Club. He will be sadly missed by his sister and brotherin-law, niece and nephew, and the many friends to whom he was devoted, not least his brothers in Alpha Delta Phi fraternity and the staff and neighbors in Sutton Gardens.

59

L E W I S AT T E R B U RY “ P E T E ” C L A R K E , JR.

of Hingham, MA, died May 4, 2017, in Manchester, VT. An accomplished flyfisherman, hunter, artist, musician, songster, antiques and sporting art dealer, he enriched the lives of all who knew him. His courage and good humor during 25 years living with Parkinson’s disease are testimony to his strength and determination to remain connected to the people, places, and things he loved. Mr. Clarke came to Hotchkiss in 1956 and graduated in 1959. In addition to singing with the Blue Notes and handraising a baby crow in his room, he constantly pursued all the aspects of his passionate love of the outdoors. He hiked, fished, and explored every inch of the woods, fields, streams, and lakes surrounding the School. This had a profound influence on his entire life. After graduating from Princeton in 1963, he spent four years in the Navy as chief engineering officer. His early business career was focused on sales management for high-tech communications companies, including Xerox, IBT, Rolm Corp., ISOETEC, and Brooktrout Technology, where Mr. Clarke was manager of foreign sales. He later started The Sportsman’s

66

H o t c h k i s s

M a g a z i n e

Eye, specializing in antiques, sporting art, and decoys, which he ran for ten years with his wife, Diane. He is survived by his wife, a daughter, son, stepson, and two sisters.

Hotchkiss relatives include his father, the late Lewis Clarke ’30, and a cousin, the late Dalton Griffith ’47. Gifts in memory of Pete Clarke may be directed to the Lewis A. Clarke ’30 Ecology Fund, The Hotchkiss School, 11 Interlaken Rd., Lakeville, CT 06039.

RICHARD ALAN EHRLICH

died on Oct. 5, 2016. Born in Hartford, CT, on Nov. 19, 1941, he attended school in Carbon County, PA, and then attended Hotchkiss from 195659, finishing a year ahead of his classmates. He entered Yale University on a Ford Foundation scholarship, but after sophomore year, he enlisted in the U.S. Army. He became a Green Beret and was deployed to Vietnam. He is survived by his wife, Sigrid Ehrlich.

62

RUSSELL FROST (“RUSTY”) GRAHAM,

72, of Greenwich, CT, died on Jan. 24, 2017, after a brief illness. Born in Norwalk, CT, Mr. Graham attended Hotchkiss from September 1959 until his graduation in 1962. He graduated from Beloit College and received his M.B.A. from the University of Connecticut. He served in the U.S. Army before joining the U.S. State Department as a foreign service officer in 1974, where he met his wife of 40 years and fellow foreign service officer, the late Virginia Lancina Graham. He served at the American Embassies in Costa Rica, Morocco, Pakistan, and Peru before returning home to study at the National War College in Washington, DC. He served at the U.S. Mission to the UN in New York, retiring as a minister counselor for Host Country Affairs in 2012. He is remembered as an avid traveler, a consummate diplomat, and a master storyteller. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of the world’s geography. He is survived by his daughter, his son, his brother, four grandchildren, and a cousin, Willard (“Mike”) Overlock ’64. He was predeceased by uncles Willard (“Will”) Overlock ’40, P’64 and Russell (“Russ”) Frost ’39. He was beloved by all who knew him and will be sorely missed.

JEFFREY THOMAS GRIFFIN

of Bethesda, MD, died of cancer at home on March 8, 2017. He was 72. A graduate of Tuxedo Park School, he attended Hotchkiss from September 1958 until his graduation.

After graduating from Tufts in 1966, Mr. Griffin showed the nature of an intrepid entrepreneur who sought challenge and enduring friendships in his professional life. He was highly regarded throughout the world for his leadership of domestic and international projects in venture capital and private equity funds. He was appointed by the George H.W. Bush administration to head the IFC’s private equity program, with a commitment to more than 30 funds in emerging markets. He was later appointed by the Clinton administration as vice president funds of OPIC. In his final working years, he became CEO of the Albanian American Enterprise Fund, based in Tirana, Albania.

He retired in 2010, having been bestowed by the president of the Republic of Albania with the Medal of Gratitude for his tireless work to transform Albania to a market economy and for his help to people in need. He combined a love for travel with a passion for scuba diving, fly-fishing, and golf. His two adored grandsons were his special delight. He is survived by the love of his life and wife of 51 years, Pamela Gerdau; a daughter and two grandsons; a brother, and two nieces. He was predeceased by a son and a sister.

64

W I L L I A M R O B E R T “ B I L L” B O Y E R J R . ,

71, of Hume, IL, Desert Hot Springs, CA, and Cherryfield, ME, died on Dec. 23, 2016, at his home in Desert Hot Springs near Mount San Jacinto. He was born on Jan. 7, 1945 in Decatur, IL. He attended Hotchkiss from 1960 until 1963 and graduated from Millikin University. Mr. Boyer proudly served in the U.S. Navy Reserves and was an official on many committees and boards, including service as Scout Master of Boy Scout Troop 664 in Falls Church, VA and the commodore of Petit Manan Yacht Club in Maine. He was a loving father, grandfather, and great friend who generously shared his passion for chess, sailing, camping, adventuring, and folk singing. Surviving him are his two sons and eight grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents and sister.

68

D O U G L A S C O O L E Y PAT T

died after cardiac surgery on Feb. 5, 2017, at Swedish Hospital in Seattle, WA. Born in New Jersey, he spent the first 13 years of his life in Johannesburg, South Africa. He attended Hotchkiss from 1964-1968 and then Stanford, where he met his wife, Mary Yunker. He was a Stanford graduate in broadcast and communications and Georgetown University in international studies. In his 20s, he was a freelance media entrepreneur, managing bands on road tours.

After the birth of his daughter, Kara, he followed in his father’s footsteps and joined the U.S. Army. In his 20 years in the Army, he served combat tours in Panama, Kuwait/ Iraq and Somalia; diplomatic tours in the Ivory Coast, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia; and command and staff tours with the 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) and U.S. Army Special Forces Command at Fort Bragg, NC, and the 2nd Infantry Division in South Korea.

In Washington, DC, he served with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command. In retirement, Mr. Patt impacted others through demining efforts in Vietnam, journalistic work in Afghanistan, and filming veterans’ stories for the Library of Congress Veterans History Project. Survivors include partner, Vivian Brown, of Sequim, WA; a daughter and two sons; ex-wife Mary; a sister and two nieces; and a granddaughter and grandson. He was predeceased by his parents.

A Celebration of Peter Caldwell Hart ’16

BY CALDWELL HART ’87

O

ur beloved son, brother, grandson, cousin, and dear friend Peter entered into peace with God on Feb. 24, 2017. Class of 2020 at the University of Michigan and Class of 2016 at Hotchkiss, Peter was a brother of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, a musician, artist, actor, performer, writer, debater, student, philosopher, Red Sox fan, Philadelphia Flyers/Eagles fan, Michigan sports fan, and, most of all, a friend to many. Peter embodied all that is good. He knew how to extend a hand to someone who needed a friend. He knew when to interject a joke into a conversation. He knew how to lead from behind. He sought the good in all people.

He wanted us all to respect each other and to celebrate each person’s gifts. He wanted people to engage in camaraderie, have school spirit, debate respectfully, share of themselves, tell stories, watch movies, laugh, and have a good time. Most of all, he wanted true, loyal friends, and he had many. Peter cared little what color, race, party, or religion someone was. He cared to know who people truly were. He wanted people to work together to make the world a better place. This is his legacy and a set of ideals we will strive to live up to in the days to come.

He joined his grandmothers, Vera and Suzanne, grandfather Carl, and his great-grandparents in heaven. He is survived by his parents, Sylvia and Charles (Caldwell) Hart ’87, sister Laura Hart ’20, and many family members who love him, including Hotchkiss alumni, his grandfather Charles (“Charlie”) Hart ’59, and cousins Hullihen (“Chip”) Quarrier ’90 and Timothy (“Tim”) Gerard ’94. He is also remembered by many friends and teachers who made such an impact on his life and whose lives he impacted.

A celebration of Peter’s life was held at Hotchkiss in the Katherine M. Elfers Hall, Esther Eastman Music Center, on June 10, 2017. His family suggested that donations in Peter’s name be made to either: The Julia Trethaway FUNd at The Hotchkiss School, 11 Interlaken Road, Lakeville, CT 06039. Please put Peter’s name on the memo line. This FUNd was created to support activities at Hotchkiss that bring the community together to have fun and enjoy life and make memories together; or, The Mary Beth Seiler Leadership Development Fund at the University of Michigan, online at https://leadersandbest.umich.edu, or by mail to Student Life, 3003 S State St, Suite 9000, Ann Arbor MI 48109. Please be sure to denote Mary Beth Seiler Leadership Fund and Peter’s name in the memo.

S u m m e r

2 0 1 7

67

Class pa rt i n gnotsesh o t

Down on the Farm Students in Art Instructor Charlie Noyes’s classes painted scenes at Fairfield Farm as part of a study of the Romanticism movement.

The watercolor above, tacked on the wall in the Cullman Art Center studio, is by Carolyn Ren ’19.

68

H o t c h k i s s

M a g a z i n e

Save The Date

Class of 1967

50th REUNION October 20 - 22, 2017

Hotchkiss Reunion June 15-17, 2018 (for classes ending in 3 and 8) FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Alumni Association

Please contact Kamaren Suwijn, Associate Director of Alumni Relations, at (860) 435-3114 or ksuwijn@hotchkiss.org. You may also visit www.hotchkiss.org/alumni and click on Events & Reunions.

S u m m e r

2 0 1 7

69

Class

not es

Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 36 Pittsfield, MA

11 Interlaken Road Lakeville, CT 06039-2141 (860) 435-2591 www.hotchkiss.org ALUMNI

70

H o t c h k i s s

M a g a z i n e