The Lawrentian - Winter 2013

Lawrentian THE

WINTER 2013

Mike Huang '03 makes an animated cameo appearance in the Disney movie Bolt. He's in the upper right hand corner of Tiger Beat.

Departments 2 From the Head Master

F e at u r e s

3 Editor’s Note

18 T he Pursuit of Happiness

4 1,000 Words

Alumni essays explore a sometimes elusive emotion.

20 Wealth and Well-Being, by John J. Macionis ’66 P’10

21 Healthy to Happy, by Susan Marshak ’90

23 A Half-Step to Happiness, by Easton McGhee Stevenson ’89

25 Finding Faith, by Adena Kemper ’02

25 Happiness Hides in the Middle, by Philip Jordan ’85

27 To Live a Thousand Times, by Blake Eldridge ’96

On the Cover: Illustration by Adam Howling

27 Stop the Pursuit, by Frederick Buechner ’43

Back cover: Journalist Amanda Ripley '93 Photography by Aaron Clamadge

28 from 2007 to today A

The Lawrentian catches up with alumnae profiled in 2007.

Father’s facelift.

6 News in Brief Getz gets on the right side of history, and water polo is best at “Beast.”

8 s ports roundup Fall sports stats.

10 Go Big Red! Bleachers brings Big Red to you.

TA K E T H I S J O B A N D L O V E I T 11 board bits Trustee news in a nutshell.

12 How to Do Everything (Part 4) att Prager ’85 finds joy in M finding joy.

14 Take This Job and Love It Mike Huang ’03 takes orders from a rodent.

16 Ask the Archivist Crime and punishment.

72 Photo Finish ho are these people? Write W the caption and win a prize.

ask the a r c hivist

14 ne w s in b r ie f

16 Alumni 34 Alumni News

35 Class Notes

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From the Head Master

“Lawrenceville is a happy place.”

T

hat’s what I often hear from current students, returning alumni, and prospective families. The focus of this issue of The Lawrentian prompted me to reflect on why that’s the case. What makes Lawrenceville a happy place?

One source of our happiness is the House system and the strong sense of community and belonging that the Houses engender. For the past 10 years, we have begun each school year with the House Olympics, a highspirited competition between the Circle and Crescent Houses, featuring deafening House cheers and colorful House swag. The events consist of a tug-of-war; threelegged, hippity-hop, and potato sack races; a name game; and the beloved tricycle relay. In many ways, the spirit and fun of that afternoon set the tone for the year.

The supportive culture at Lawrenceville also helps to make the School a happy place. That culture starts with the faculty. As Dean of Faculty Chris Cunningham P’14 recently told parents, “[When hiring faculty,] all schools look for passion, experience, and a love of learning.

What makes Lawrenceville different is that we want people who want to share their lives with kids. Working at Lawrenceville isn’t for everyone; the people who are here have chosen this life because they know how rewarding it is to change kids’ lives, not only in the classroom but also on the playing field, on the stage, in the concert hall, and in the common room.”

Similarly, Lawrenceville students support each other. A few years ago, I received a note from the father of a new third former. He wrote: “At [my son’s old school], you get ahead by knocking other people down. At Lawrenceville, you get ahead by helping them up. Don’t know if that’s a notion that you’re explicitly weaving into the Lawrenceville fabric, but it’s powerful.”

Just as it’s much easier to feel happy when you feel supported by faculty mentors and peers, you’re also more likely to feel happy when you can be yourself.

The 2012-2013 Student Council chose “Unity” as their theme for the year. Reflecting on that theme, School President Nick Fenton ’13, told the student body, “One of the things that I think makes Lawrenceville such a great place is that it is such an accepting community. If we are to grow together into more than a student body, more than a collection of dormitories, if we are to truly grow into Houses, and an extended Family Away From

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Home, then we have to express ourselves, be ourselves, and respect ourselves. We were all selected to be at this school for a reason. We were all chosen to be members of this community because of who we are as individuals, and how we can each individually contribute to this community. Do not suppress who you are to fit in. Be yourself to fit in.”

Nick’s remarks hint at a final foundation for the happiness on campus: the satisfaction that we all get from pursuing and achieving excellence, from challenging and pushing ourselves to be our best. In his book Authentic Happiness, Martin Seligman, a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, describes the difference between pleasure and gratification. Pleasure has a strong emotional component, but the positive feeling that it engenders is largely “evanescent,” disappearing soon after the source of pleasure is removed.

Gratification, on the other hand, endures because it comes from applying our skills and efforts to activities

that we like doing, that engage us fully and that make a difference. Students at Lawrenceville today understand well the gratification that comes from pursuing school and life with enthusiasm and passion.

Here’s to a happy 2013!

Elizabeth A. Duffy H’43 The Shelby Cullom Davis ’26 Head Master

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Lawrentian THE

Winter 2013

|

Volume 77 Number 1

publisher Jennifer Szwalek editor Mike Allegra art director Phyllis Lerner proofreaders Paul Mott, Jr. ’47 Rob Reinalda ’76 Linda Hlavacek Silver H’61 ’64 GP’06 ’08 Jean Stephens H’50 ’61 ’64 ’68 ’89 GP’06 contributors Frederick Buechner ’43 Blake Eldridge ’96 Lisa M. Gillard Hanson Jacqueline Haun Philip Jordan ’85 Adena Kemper ’02 John J. Macionis ’66 P’10 Susan Marshak ’90 Matt Prager ’85 Selena Smith Easton McGhee Stevenson ’89 Paloma Torres Zoe Vybiral-Bauske

The Lawrentian (USPS #306-700) is published quarterly (winter, spring, summer, and fall) by The Lawrenceville School, P.O. Box 6008, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648, for alumni, parents, grandparents, and friends.

Periodical postage paid at Trenton, NJ, and additional mailing offices.

The Lawrentian welcomes letters from readers. Please send correspondence to the above address care of The Lawrentian Editor. Letters may be edited for publication.

The Lawrentian welcomes submissions and suggestions for magazine departments. If you have an idea for a feature story, please query first to The Lawrentian Editor via email (mallegra@lawrenceville.org).

Visit us on the web at www.lawrenceville.org. www.lawrenceville.org/thelawrentian Postmaster

Please send address corrections to: The Lawrentian The Lawrenceville School P.O. Box 6008 Lawrenceville, NJ 08648 ©The Lawrenceville School Lawrenceville, New Jersey All rights reserved.

From the Editor

A

few years ago, on an insanely hot workday in August, I visited Terhune Orchards to oversee a photo shoot for a Lawrentian cover story. During a break in the action, I wandered over to the farm store to buy a cider slushie and an apple donut.

As I sat there on the store’s porch and ate, an old, old yellow dog lying in the sun in front of me raised his sleepy head and decided that I was the type of fellow he’d like to get to know better. He toddled over and flopped down next to me as if we belonged to each other. I was sort of honored.

I pet his belly with my left hand and G My pal. continued to eat with my right.

“This,” I remember thinking, “is what I want my heaven to be like.”

This moment of bliss was quite a turnaround for me. Ten minutes before I met that dog, I was grumbling about the heat. Five minutes after that, I was filled with exhausted relief, thanking God for creating a world that included the cider slushie. And five minutes after that, my heart was full of peace and joy.

I never wanted the moment to end. And, in a way, it didn’t; every time I recall it, I relive it, and I can’t help but smile.

That’s pretty much the way happiness works, I think. At least it’s the way it works for me. It is at once elusive and right in front of my face.

Of course that’s not the only interpretation of what happiness is or what it means. It has been debated and discussed over many centuries and across many disciplines. And I am, yes, happy to introduce a few of those interpretations on the pages of this issue.

In “The Pursuit of Happiness” (page 18) Lawrenceville alumni each provide an analysis of happiness from different perspectives – psychological, theological, sociological, nutritional, philosophical, and more.

I would like to take this moment to express my most sincere thanks to Frederick Buechner ’43, Blake Eldridge ’96, Philip Jordan ’85, Adena Kemper ’02, John J. Macionis ’66 P’10, Susan Marshak ’90, Matt Prager ’85, and Easton McGhee Stevenson ’89, for their contributions. I can’t guarantee that their articles will make you happy, but they will almost certainly make you think, which is pretty much the next best thing.

Then, when you’re done reading, go out and find yourself a nice, old yellow dog. You’ll thank me.

Warmest wishes, Mike Allegra Editor mallegra@lawrenceville.org

Oops…

In the fall 2012 issue’s “Ask the Archivist,” we incorrectly captioned a photo as “the first Lawrenceville girls’ softball team.” The correct photo may be found by visiting The Lawrentian online at www.lawrenceville.org/thelawrentian.

The Editor regrets the error.

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1000 Words

Pop Progress For the past year, construction crews have been out in full force to renovate the historic Fathers’ Building. Although the entire building is being improved, the most striking change will be found on the lower level. The dark, subterranean cinderblock rooms will soon become an airy, glass-lined space to house student publications, film and video production facilities, and the School’s Communications and IT departments.

Photograph by Paloma Torres

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News in Brief

Getz Discusses Historic Vote column, yet he also understood the reasoning

behind

why

some

of

his

Sandy’s Campus Saviors

colleagues opposed the plan. Coeducation would necessitate the building of expensive new facilities, result in a smaller pool of athletes from which to draw, decrease annual

fundraising

totals,

and

create

another reason for the boys to be distracted in class. Perhaps the most difficult-to-

A

argue-with reason was, “If it ain’t broke,

packed crowd of students and beamed.

trustees touted far outweighed what were

“It’s great to see so many girls in the

short-term concerns. As Getz noted, it

crowd,” he said.

would broaden and improve classroom

The Lawrenceville School has been

discussions, raise the School’s academic

coeducational for 25 years, and by all

standing, reflect the social changes in

accounts,

society, attract a large demographic of male

s Bert Getz ’55 H’56 P’85 took the podium at the Kirby Arts Center stage, he looked out over the

the

change

has

been

an

don’t fix it.”

True enough. But the advantages of coeducation that Getz and like-minded

unqualified success. But when the School

students

Trustees had to make the choice to forever

coeducational environment, and accom-

abandon the School’s tradition of a single-

modate the wishes of an increasing number

sex education, that success was not as

of faculty and alumni.

obvious as it seems now. For many, it was a

In the end, the trustees voted 25-3 in

profoundly difficult decision.

favor of coeducation. To make sure the

To celebrate coeducation’s landmark

transition was as smooth as possible,

anniversary, Getz, then-president of the

Lawrenceville spent the next two years

School’s Board of Trustees, spoke to

readying the campus, hiring female faculty

students at the Kirby Arts Center to provide

members, and learning from the successes

a little background on the trustee vote that

and failures of other schools. Getz recalled

changed the course of Lawrenceville history.

that by the time the girls arrived in 1987, it

When coeducation came up for a vote in

was, in the words of one faculty member

1985, Getz was firmly in the pro-coeducation

“as if they have always been here.”

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t h e l aw r e n t i a n

who

preferred

to

be

in

a

W

hile, in comparison to other parts of New Jersey, The Lawrenceville School was spared the worst of Hurricane Sandy’s wrath, the campus did have to suffer through four days without power and dozens of felled trees.

In a speech to the School community, Head Master Elizabeth Duffy H’43 was quick to thank those who kept Lawrenceville running during that uncertain time. She singled out the efforts of Buildings and Grounds, Public Safety, Dining Services, the Infirmary and ITS “who provided essential services roundthe-clock, not only before and after the storm, but even during the height of the storm in fairly dangerous conditions, so that everyone on the campus remained safe and secure.”

It was truly a group effort, Duffy said.

She also thanked the students and the faculty, all of whom pitched in to clean up the campus. Furthermore, Lawrenceville parents took in boarding students in need of a place to stay.

“Crises, such as the hurricane, not only challenge communities, but also bring out the best in communities,” Duffy noted. “That was certainly true here.”

Great Advice in Gray Lady

College Counseling co-directors Holly Burks Becker and Jeff Durso-Finley are always ready to provide practical advice to Lawrenceville students. Anyone who perused the September 6 issue of The New York

Times, however, could also be the beneficiary of their pearls of wisdom.

The duo teamed up to write a tip sheet for the Times’ popular “The Choice” column. The story, titled “How to Succeed in College,” is an appealing blend of common and not-so-common sense.

Among other bits of advice, Becker and Durso-Finley urge students not to study in their rooms “because of the comfort and the distractions.” Instead they suggest finding a remote “Homework Home.” They advise students to choose professors rather than classes because “a good professor will turn neutral subject matter for you into a joy; a poor professor will blunt your interest in a subject area you love.” They also preach patience; college is a very different experience from high school, after all. “The next stage for you is about living and learning independently, skills that develop over time. Don’t expect to be perfect.”

G Jeff Durso-Finley and Holly Burks Becker

Girls’ Water Polo Bests all at Beast The girls’ varsity water polo team, battling 27 competing squads, won the prestigious Beast of the East Tournament, the premier water polo event on the East Coast. This is the first time Lawrenceville has ever taken the title.

Big Red battled through five hard-fought matches to earn first place honors. On the first day, the girls powered past Upper Perkiomen, 13-3, and Governor Mifflin, 17-6. The following day proved to be far more challenging as Big Red faced – and edged out – three foes: North Penn, 6-5, Upper Arlington 10-4, and Wilson, 7-6, in a thrilling final.

The wins were marked by exemplary play by Kirsten Carter ’14, Sophia Monaghan ’13, Annam Iyer ’14, Alison Wall ’13, and Megan Wall ’13 – all of whom earned spots on the All-Tournament Team.

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Sports Roundup

By Nicole uliasz

Fall Season

STATS

Boys’ Cross Country M.A.P.L. Champions Record: 6-1 Coach: Ed Poreda Captains: A lex McLaughlin ’13 Robert Daniels ’14

Girls’ Cross Country M.A.P.L. Champions Record: 5-2 Coach: Alison Easterling asey Quakenbush ’13 Captains: C Kyla Bolden ’13

Field Hockey N.J.I.S.A.A. Champions M.A.P.L. Champions Mercer County Champions Record: 17-4 Coach: Lisa Ewanchyna Captains: Sophie Epstein ’13

Julia Minnetian ’13

Football M.A.P.L. Champions Record: 5-3 Coach: Dan O’Dea Captains: Dan Derg ’13

John Salemi ’13 Alistair Berven ’13

Boys’ Soccer Record: 6-7-2 Coach: Blake Eldridge ’96 Captains: Tejan Walcott ’13

Felipe Gomez-Guerro ’13

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Girls’ Soccer Record: 5-8-1 Coach: Christian Sanje Captains: K ristin Gatti ’13 Alexa Rangecroft ’13

Girls’ Tennis N.J.I.S.A.A. Champions M.A.P.L. Champions Record: 11-1-1 Coach: Penny Foss Captain: Alexa Greene ’13

Girls’ Volleyball Record: 7-8 Coach: K atie O’Malley Captains: Delaina Smith ’13

Cara Jenkins ’13

Boys’ Water Polo Record: 13-16-1 Coach: Ramon Olivier Captain: Jon Hayden ’13

Girls’ Water Polo Easterns Champions Record: 18-1 Coach: Hal Wilder Captain: Sophia Monaghan ’13 For the most current athletic news visit www.lawrenceville.org/athletics.

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Go Big Red

A View from

A new network of cameras gets you to The Big Game.

the Bleachers F

or most of the summer months, technicians from Bleachers were shimmying up light posts and messing about on rooftops – earning bruises and scrapes and dodging cantankerous bees – in order to point video cameras where the action is. These folks aren’t looking to turn Lawrenceville into a Big Brother-like police state; they just want viewers to root for the home team. The cameras, three trained on each playing field, enable parents to watch School sporting events via HD streaming video on their computers.

“We want the viewer to get a good experience in which they can get a closeup of what’s happening,” notes Frank Jordan, the CEO of Bleachers and one of the people who was busily wiring the campus in time

10 t h h ee lla aw wrreenntti iaann

for fall’s first game day. “We’re creating a portal. It’s a window into Lawrenceville that can be shared with the broader School community.”

And the School community has a lot of viewing options. It’s not just the outdoor fields that are wired up; cameras are also trained on the basketball and squash courts, and pool. Wherever there’s a varsity game, there’s a good chance there’s a live video feed that can be viewed on a computer desktop, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

The technology also affords viewers a previously unheard of level of viewing flexibility. They can switch from one camera angle to another, zoom in, or switch from one Lawrenceville game to the next. “You

couldn’t provide this service two or three years ago,” Jordan says. “The digital cameras today can take in so much data. They can create a very high-quality experience.”

The Bleachers service, now available for a yearly subscription fee, is ideal for a boarding school environment, says Jordan.

For the first time, parents who live too far away to watch their children’s games can get a front-row seat. The service is also handy as a teaching tool for the players themselves. Specific games will soon be able to be archived and viewed in order to analyze an athletic performance. “And that could translate into better game strategies the next time they play,” Jordan says.

To learn more about Bleachers, visit the company website at www.gobleachers.com.

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Board Bits

T

he Board of Trustees converged on campus on Thursday, October 10, coinciding with another event, the awarding of the Aldo Leopold Award to Hugh Cregg III ’67, better known as Huey Lewis.

Meetings kicked off that morning with the Property Committee, which heard about Pop Hall’s construction progress and the summer installation of steam lines and storm water drains. While the Property Committee met, the Senior Staff hosted an orientation for our three new trustees, Sandra Allen P’14 ’16, Joe Frumkin ’76 P’11, and Alex Buckley Voris ’96, who were officially inducted onto the Board the following day.

The Ad Hoc Publicity & Public Relations Committee discussed the development of a communication plan aligned with the School’s strategic directions. The members also received updates on media coverage, town and gown relations, staff changes, live streaming of athletic events via Bleachers, the website content management system, as well as a handful of recent awards bestowed on the Communications Department.

The Trustees then divided themselves into two committees that convened over lunch.

The Student Affairs Committee was joined by the Student Council to discuss coeducation at Lawrenceville. The Admissions & Financial Aid Committee reviewed the past admission cycle and the composition of our newly enrolled students, and discussed the financial aid application and the process of awarding aid.

Another pair of meetings followed lunch. The Academic & Faculty Affairs Committee heard about the changing landscape in college admissions and the developments in the Teaching Fellows program. They then discussed a range of issues surrounding faculty compensation and benefits.

The Finance Committee was led through a review of the School’s various financial metrics and discussed an upcoming review of the School’s debt by Moody’s rating agency.

The Alumni & Development team led a well-attended session on advancement. It reviewed results from the 2012 Lawrenceville Fund to which Alumni and parents collectively gave $5.8 million. Updates on fundraising for financial aid and the Bath House were also reviewed, and events were planned to celebrate 25 years of coeducation.

The second day of meetings started early with breakfast for the Board and Senior Staff in Alumni Study that preceded a morning full of conversation about the School’s next strategic plan. In a program structured and led by our

Head Master, the Board discussed two of the five major trends which will be addressed by our next plan: globalization and specialization. The trustees expressed support for the futher globalization of Lawrenceville. Regarding specialization, the board reaffirmed

G Alumni Association President Tim Wojciechowiz '78 P'06 '10 '12 introduces legendary rocker Huey Lewis '67. More information on Lewis' visit will appear in the next issue of The Lawrentian.

the generalist orientation of the School, but also recognized the increasing pressure to specialize. In January, the trustees will further review steps that the School has taken to respond to specialization and discuss whether additional steps may be warranted in the future.

Breaking for lunch, the Board joined a group of students in Irwin who are part of the new Diversity Council, while the Trustees Committee convened in Bunn to consider the normal rotation of Trustees onto and off of the Board, sketching out a possible slate of future candidates.

With all of the preliminary business concluded, the Board gathered in the McGraw Reading Room for its main and official meeting to swear in the new trustees, listen to committee reports and pass a series of operating resolutions.

Wes Brooks ’71 P’03 ’05 Chief Financial & Operating Officer

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How to Do Everything (Part 4)

How To Be

HAPPIER

By Matt Prager ’85

In my career as a therapist and executive coach, I have found that a common misstep people make on the road to happiness is, ironically, pursuing what they think will make them happy. Here’s why this is a problem. In general, when we say “happiness,” what we really mean is “satisfied” – satisfied with where our lives are, where we’re headed, our relationships, our work, and our belief about the future. Happiness is a cumulative experience; you don’t need to be satisfied in every area of your life but rather the sum of your satisfactions minus your dissatisfactions simply needs to be in the black. The consequence of this definitional mushiness, though, is that often the thing we think we want ends up being just a smokescreen covering what we really want.

The path to happiness is rarely linear – trust me, that cupcake won’t help – which often causes us to misidentify what will make us happy and conflate happiness with the-thing-that-will-stave-off-misery-rightnow. This misidentification is, for instance, how people become addicted to drugs or alcohol. Additionally, while we change as people over time, notions of happiness often get calcified in the past; if you’ve spent time pursuing a childhood dream (“I’m going to be a doctor.” “I’m going to get married and have three babies by 25.”) only to discover that you’re more stuck with your childhood fantasy than living idyllically in it, you’ve seen this problem in action. In other words, as a result of happiness misidentification, the pursuit of happiness often, frustratingly, leads to unhappiness.

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This is why the first step to happiness isn’t figuring out what will make you happy but, rather, homing in on why you’re unhappy. Unhappiness is easier to identify as unhappiness is triggered by specific issues (which you can see and work on) whereas happiness stems from a hazy sense of overall wellness. So if you’re looking to find happiness, forget about what you think will make you happy; instead, start by defining what’s making you unhappy (“I hate my job.” “My sister won't talk to me.”) and work from there.

For many people, unhappiness can be paralyzing, meaning we don’t do anything about it, which often only makes it worse.

So once you’ve identified something that’s making you unhappy, the next step is to pick a goal you think will end it. It doesn’t

matter if you’re “right” about the goal because the goal is just a mechanism for selfunderstanding; it’s not the final stopping point but rather the thing that gets you to that final point. The idea is to simply give yourself a place to go, regardless of whether or not it’s where you ultimately wind up, because without a goal you’re going nowhere. (“Everyone always takes advantage of me, and my goal is to learn to say ‘no’.”

“My mom is driving me crazy, and my goal is to make her stop.”) You may have many objections to your goal, uncertainties over whether the goal is even what you really want, lots of reasons why the goal is impossible, or a lack of ideas about where to start.

None of that matters because now at least you have something to reach for.

Once you’ve defined a point of unhap-

Illustration by Adam Howling

piness (“It bums me out that I’m single”) and picked a goal (“I need to get a relationship”) the final step is about moving out of your head and into the real world. You do this by coming up with a series of discrete, attainable steps to get to your goal. Using the single/relationship example, you might pick: “Throw myself into online dating; say ‘yes’ to any fix-up from a friend; do a weekend or evening activity where I might meet someone.”

As you take your steps toward your goal, do a self check-in: What are you feeling about each step? Are you doing them or are you just thinking about how you should do them but really don’t want to? Is your online profile well-constructed, or did you just, resentfully, slap it up? Are you super judge-y about your fix-ups? Did you bail on

that cooking class you signed up for? External actions trigger emotions, and those emotions are breadcrumbs on the trail to our root causes of unhappiness. Without the doing, in other words, we are merely stuck in our heads, stuck in the same place, stuck in unhappiness.

The road to happiness lies in a repetition of these three steps: Identify a source of unhappiness; come up with a goal; do something about it. Then repeat: See what negative or unhappy feelings your action evokes; come up with a goal (which might be the same goal as before); do something else. And repeat again (see how you feel; get a goal; do something) and keep going until you spiral into your core truth.

The ultimate objective here is to reverse engineer your unhappiness back to its real,

internal cause, because doing something about that source cause is what will move you into happiness permanently, at least in that particular area of your life. For example, if you hate your job but stay in it anyway, repeating these three steps might ultimately bring you to “I only got into this line of work because I felt pressure from my parents and every time I set foot in the office I’m reminded of how I never stand up for myself in my life.” So while you initially determined that your work was making you unhappy, set a goal toward finding a new career, and took steps toward that goal, your final discovery is that the real source of your unhappiness has nothing to do with the details of your current job but rather with a failure to assert yourself – and standing up for yourself, while likely difficult for you initially, is something you can do that will keep you in happiness for good.

1960s assertions to the contrary, happiness isn’t a state of being but rather a state of doing. It’s reaching for the things you believe you want and taking action on your own behalf in the pursuit of those desires, which will, weirdly, make you happy even if you ultimately fail to attain them.

Matt Prager ’85 is a licensed therapist and corporate coach with degrees from Princeton and NYU. He is a former South Park writer and the author of the This Or Prozac series of self-help books. His “cyber Cyrano” online dating services have been featured in the New York Post, the London Guardian, and on Fox News, NPR, and the BBC, among others. For more information, check out his website at www.ThisOrProzac.com.

Know how to do something? Write the editor a note at mallegra@lawrenceville. org, and your pearls of wisdom may appear in a future issue.

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Take This Job & Love It

Managing the

MOUSE HOUSE M

ike Huang ’03 is a production supervisor at Walt Disney Animation Studios, and he loves his job. It’s important to emphasize this because, in describing his work, Huang often employs war metaphors. “You’re in the trenches. You’re fighting day to day,” he says, describing his early career as a production assistant. “As a production supervisor, I now manage my own battalion.”

The war, he notes, is waged not against people, but time. At any given moment Disney has an ambitious slate of animated films in various states of development, all of which are expected in theatres on very specific dates. Huang’s job is to make sure that the production schedule is honored; that the work is where it needs to be at any given moment; that different departments are coordinating their efforts; and that his battalion of artistic supervisors, technical directors, and production assistants are handling the logistics of it all.

“The length of each of these projects is three to four years, they cost $100 million to $200 million dollars, and each person in the management team is expected to carry a large amount of responsibility and weight,” he explains.

One thing’s for sure: Like war, the work at Disney is not easy. Even the interview process is an ordeal. “I was interviewed 11 times before I was offered a job,” Huang notes. “And this is probably the minimum.

Disney interviews you not just for a job, but for a career. They want to see how you’ll fit in – not only with your current team, but also your future team. There is a lot of person-to-person interaction. They are looking to find the right fit.

“Someone I work with had to go on 20

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interviews, so I think I was pretty lucky,” he adds.

Huang was hired as a production assistant in 2007, during his final year at the University of Southern California. The ensuing school/career balance was a lot to juggle. “I was taking finance classes early in the morning, making up hours late at work, while also trying to learn the animation industry working full time at Disney,” he says. “At times it felt as if my brain was going to melt.”

Huang, however, never doubted that he was on the right career path. Working on films is his passion – a passion that was allowed to flourish at Lawrenceville where he wrote and directed two student films – Checkmate (as part of a Fourth Form independent study) and Just My Day (a fun side project during his Fifth Form year).

“Lawrenceville put me in a position to discover my interests at that point in my life. Because of that, I applied to a lot of film programs for college. I knew that entertainment was a field I wished to pursue, and 10 years later it all worked out.”

During his five-year tenure at Disney, Huang has earned five film credits – Bolt (2008), Princess and the Frog (2009), Tangled (2010), Mars Needs Moms (2011), and Wreck it Ralph (2012) – which is impressive even by Disney standards. (And, for his trouble, he was given an illustrated film cameo; in Bolt, Huang’s grinning face can be seen on the cover of a Tiger Beat magazine.)

He also has had the opportunity to work directly with almost every production department – Story, Editorial, Visual De-

The always animated Mike Huang directs Disney traffic.

85-minute film has roughly 1,500 shots, 24 frames in every second, and about 10 different artists working on every frame.

In terms of the day to day, it’s getting information between departments saying, ‘Is this shot ready to go?’ ‘This one needs a fix.’ ‘This one needs to come back.’ ‘This one can move forward.’ It’s like directing traffic.”

It also is very exciting. “Computer animation is still a young industry, and the technology is continually adapting. The way we made a film last year is not the same way we make a film this year. There are always improvements and adaptations.

It’s a constant evolution in terms of things that can be done cleaner to achieve more, faster. There’s always something new.”

Photograph by Steve Anderson

velopment, Asset Development, Layout, Animation, Lighting, Effects, Stereoscopic 3D – and be a part of the process from the ground up.

“The production is extremely collaborative,” Huang says. “You have several hundred people working on the same project.

On any given day the amount of data that moves between hands is incredible. An

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9

Ask the Archivist

By Jacqueline Haun

Punishment’s Progress The importance of discipline is stated explicitly in the Student Handbook, which lists the eight current Major School Rules inside the front cover, where they cannot be missed. The consequences for rule breaking (both major and minor) are also detailed in the Handbook and consist of administrative responses ranging from detention to dismissal. Though current students might dread the loss of Saturday night freedoms or the idea of facing the Discipline Committee, the modern Lawrentian should note that these punishments are rather tame compared with some of the School’s earlier strategies.

G A Lawrentian detention.

F

ounding Head Master Rev. Isaac VanArsdale Brown, was a firm believer that “sparing the rod spoiled the child,” and was reputed to be a firm disciplinarian who employed a birch switch.

Much to the relief of students, things noticeably changed when the School’s third Head Master, Samuel Hamill, took the reins in 1835. While supporting corporal punishment in principle, Hamill rarely resorted to it in practice, relying on “public and private admonition, denial of amusement, additional tasks, [and] confinements.”

According to Alfred A. Woodhull of the Class of 1854, typical disciplinary practices included reduced weekly money allowances, restriction to the immediate vicinity of campus, and memorizing copious amounts of English poetry or prose. The old standby of copying words or sentences at length was also used. There was also some form of work duty, as campus maps from that day include a clearly delineated “penal patch” – presumably some kind of vegetable garden – cared for by boys as recom-

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pense for wrongs. Woodhull goes on to relate that these punishments were considered very liberal in comparison to other boarding schools where students were reportedly denied meals or sent prematurely to bed.

There were no written rules under Hamill; a Lawrenceville student was instead expected to “do what he knew was right and not do what he knew was wrong.”

With the reorganization of the School in 1883, a more codified system of rules and their consequences was established. From the 1890s through 1936, an elaborate penal system allotted delinquency marks – the number of which was determined by the severity of the offense. Absence from class or tardiness, for example, would earn one delinquency mark. Violations such as visiting after lights out, “rough-housing, loafing, or playing on the campus, being in the village during study or recitation periods, and the wearing of soft collars to Saturday evening conference or Sunday appointments” got the violator two. When a student’s misdeeds were particularly severe, such as return-

ing late to campus from vacation, leaving campus without permission, breaking the smoking rules or being dishonest, he was given four delinquencies, otherwise known as a “black mark.” Accumulating 16 black marks or 65 delinquency marks would lead to dismissal.

Students were given regular opportunities to work off their tallied marks at rates which varied over the years between four and eight delinquency marks per two-hour penal session. Students were able to get more bang for the delinquency buck if they worked off their points during “vacation penals,” which is exactly as it sounds, working off marks after the other, more well-behaved boys left for vacation. For those sessions, penalty marks were worked off at twice the regular rate.

Punishments varied over the years. In the delinquency mark’s earliest days, students were assigned to the large study hall in Memorial Hall. By the end of World War I, however, penalties took the form of outdoor exercise. Every Wednesday and

— from The Lawrence, January 17, 1891

RULES WITH REGARD TO MARKS. 1. An excuse for absence should be obtained from the Housemaster and deposited in the excuse box before 4:30 P.M. of the day on which the boy returns to School work.

2. An excuse for tardiness should be obtained and deposited on the day when the tardiness occurs.

3. Each excuse should clearly show the exact date, as well as the hour (or hours) that it is meant to cover.

4. If the delinquency has been neglected so that it becomes necessary to report at the meeting of the Admonitory Committee, held each Monday at 8:45 A.M., the boy must secure and deposit his excuse before 9:45 A.M. of the following day. This excuse must be obtained from his Housemaster and must be countersigned by each Master from whose exercise the boy has been absent. In case of absence from the Penal Study the excuse must be signed by each Master who has asked him to report there.

Saturday afternoon, students could work off their delinquency marks by marching around Green Field, deducting points at the rate of one mark for every 15 minutes.

This marching was often done with weapons in hand as part of the students’ military training.

In 1921, a Lawrence editorial complained that the number of students to be seen marching around the field due to delinquency marks – on one notable day, 100 boys out of that year’s enrollment of 500 – might lead an outside observer to think that this was “some place other than a school.”

During the winter months when snow might impede the marching, students were confined to their rooms for the length of their penal servitude.

Although today’s students may regard the Discipline Committee (or DC) with dread, it was actually introduced as a safeguard for due process before a student could be dismissed. Well into the 1930s, the Head Master could dismiss students at his discretion. (Some Head Masters exercised that

privilege far more than others; Head Master Mather Abbott, for one, a man known for his mercurial temperament, single-handedly “fired” 90 boys and eight masters during his first year at the helm.)

Under Head Master Allan V. Heely, a Discipline Committee – originally consisting solely of faculty members – began to meet to analyze individual cases for student dismissal and make an appropriate recommendation to the Head Master. It wasn’t until the 1970s that students began to be included as part of that decision-making process. Today, the Discipline Committee includes eight voting members, including four faculty and four students, with the usually nonvoting Chair of the Committee voting only in the event of a tie. The consequence of this system is a School that metes out measured and fair responses to student misdeeds.

After all, Lawrenceville’s goal throughout its history (with a few exceptions) is to rehabilitate rather than remove. Even punishments can offer teachable moments.

5. The Registrar will be in the drawingroom on Thursday and Friday of each week at 9:05 A.M. to see any boys who wish to examine the records of their marks. All questions concerning the imposition of marks should be asked at this time.

— from The Lawrence, October 9, 1919

To the Editor of The Lawrence: SIR – I have heard many fellows around School saying that they have taken severe colds from last Wednesday's penal marching. It seems that on rainy or stormy days the School ought to arrange for some kind of an indoor penal. The authorities say that they have done everything possible to avoid a second epidemic of the "flu," but it seems that one hour's march in the rain would nullify all these preventions. Certainly it is more dangerous to have been in the rain for an hour than to go to Memorial Hall without rubbers. Penal in wet weather should not be abolished, but some method of indoors penal should be adopted.

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THE

PURSUIT OF

HA

PPI N

S S E

H

Being happy isn't always easy. Happiness isn’t doesn’t prevent people from pursuing it, though.

Illustrations by Adam Howling

even easy to define. That

T

housands of self-help books claim to know the secret. The entire advertising industry was built on the concept that a single purchase may be the key to opening that elusive door.

Millions of people believe that just one obstacle stands in the way of their getting it – and they chart their goals and lives accordingly. Maybe a thinner you will make you happy. A more attractive you.

A stronger you. A smarter you. A richer

you. Or maybe a you that owns the latest incarnation of the iPhone – because, hey, it is a really nice phone.

The essays here do not contain the secret to happiness. There’s some advice to be found therein, yes, but they are better described as analyses of what leads to happiness rather than a guidebook to finding it. The various essays look at the subject from different perspectives: spiritual, psychological, sociological, and

philosophical, among others.

Consider it food for thought, designed to encourage some Harkness-style dialogue. We plan to revisit the idea of happiness periodically in future issues of The Lawrentian and view the topic through the individual experiences of alumni authors.

We encourage you to consider taking part.

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WEALTH AnD wELL BEInG

By John J. Macionis ’66 P’10

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t h e l aw r e n t i a n

There’s been a lot of talk in the last couple of years about the American Dream, or what’s left of it. Whenever the economy takes a hit, people are understandably anxious and wonder when things will get better.

What we all want, of course, is a sense of well-being. In today’s climate of anxiety, it is worth taking a look at the link between economic standing and personal feelings of happiness.

For many years, researchers have tracked the subjective assessment of happiness on the part of people living in various nations of the world, including the United States. From this work, we have learned some things about the way economics affects how we feel about our lives.

Looking at the responses gathered from people in many nations, we see strong evidence that greater economic affluence encourages greater personal happiness. Data (from the World Values Survey) show, for example, that all of the nations in which people are most likely to describe themselves as “very happy” or “quite happy” are also countries high in economic

development. (Iceland and New Zealand top the list; the United States is ranked 15th.) On the other hand, the nations in which people are the least likely to claim that they are happy are countries with limited economic development. (Bolivia and Peru are at the bottom of the list.) That’s not to say that rankings of happiness and affluence move in lockstep, and the causal links are certainly complex, but a broad connection between affluence and happiness is unmistakable.

Here in the United States a similar pattern holds. Looking at national survey data, 88 percent of people living in households with income of $90,000 and above report being “very happy” or “pretty happy.” By contrast, the share of people in households with income below $30,000 saying the same is only 65 percent.

Put another way, while just 12 percent of affluent people claim that they are “not very happy,” the unhappy share among lowincome people almost triples to 35 percent. It is not hard to imagine why greater affluence promotes a sense of well-being.

More financial resources pay off in safer neighborhoods, more nutritious food, health insurance, and maintaining a healthier lifestyle that includes exercise and excludes tobacco.

So we find the link between affluence and happiness to be both significant and well documented. And, as we might expect, our national level of happiness has sagged in the last few years along with the economy. But the connection between economic affluence and happiness is not quite as simple as it might seem.

For one thing, historical data show that the dramatic increase in economic affluence over the second half of the last century was not accompanied by a similar rise in happiness. Perhaps,

Looking at the responses gathered from people in many nations, we see strong evidence that greater economic affluence encourages greater personal happiness.

as both women and men spent more time in pursuit of income, the ties we shared with family and others in our communities became weaker. In addition, as important as money may be to people’s well-being, an even better predictor of personal happiness turns out to be schooling. If there is one factor that seems to chase those blues away, it is completing a four-year college education. In fact, 95 percent of degree holders make a positive report of their happiness. And that’s a fact that makes me happy, after a lifetime spent teaching in the college classroom.

John J. Macionis ’66 P’10 is a professor of sociology and a Prentice Hall Distinguished Scholar at Kenyon College in Gambier, OH. He is the author of the leading textbooks on sociology. Learn more at www.

TheSociologyPage.com.

HEALTHY To HAppY

By Susan Marshak ’90

Too easily and too often we overlook the powerful relationship between health and our happiness. While most of us understand that good health is a necessary component of being happy, we don’t quite know how to obtain it.

Despite annual growth in research funding, billions of dollars spent in advertising for public awareness, and untold amounts of pharmaceuticals being prescribed and consumed every year, cases of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, and the like are still on the rise. The result is that people are hungry for honest, accurate, positive health solutions and are becoming more and more dissatisfied with the compartmentalized solutions of conventional medicine, prescription drugs that treat only symptoms, fad diets, and “one size fits all” exercise programs.

Proper nutrition is the key. Understanding the connection between your wellness and your state of mind is fundamental to living a fulfilling and successful life. I came to this realization soon after the birth of my second child. I was lethargic; everything – even things I once enjoyed doing – seemed like a chore; I was gaining weight despite rigorous exercise; my relationships became strained; and I was experiencing upsetting physical changes such as my hair falling out. I was no longer myself and was deeply unhappy. I went to numerous doctors who explored numerous possibilities and prescribed numerous solutions.

Fortunately, some voice and strength deep inside me felt uncomfortable enough with the prescriptions I’d been given that I decided to be more proactive in the care of my health. Through extensive and proper research along with finding the right health partners for me, I became empowered to control my own health destiny and realized it was my gift to empower others to do the same. Applying what I learned about the relationship between biology, chemistry, and diet/nutrition, I corrected all of my “dis-eases” without drugs or long-term prescriptions.

Through cleansing, diet changes, and proper supplementation, I regained control of my health and experienced amazing life transformations as all other areas of my life became revitalized.

The key, I found, is to work from the inside out. Make a commitment to detoxifying your life by first detoxifying your body.

Begin by cleansing; a total body or colon cleanse is the best first step to becoming healthier and happier. With increased energy, fewer food cravings, a flatter tummy, and better sleep,

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Living foods, meaning raw fruits, vegetables, and grains – most anything in its natural, uncooked, and unprocessed state – create physical stamina, emotional stability, maturity, wisdom, and energy. you’ll be motivated to continue your pursuit for better health and happiness. Be wary of fasting or fad cleanses, and those that are for 14 days or less; you can’t break down years of buildup in only seven days. Choose an all-natural cleanse with no synthetic ingredients that is at least of a 30-day duration and includes a fiber component, a flushing component, and a probiotic.

Do not fixate on calories, carbs, or vitamin intake. Instead, commit to proper “live” nutrition, as it literally feeds all other

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aspects of overall health and wellness. Living foods, meaning raw fruits, vegetables, and grains – most anything in its natural, uncooked, and unprocessed state – create physical stamina, emotional stability, maturity, wisdom, and energy. Am I saying that a strict living foods diet is right for everyone and necessary to be healthy? Not at all. What I am saying is to add them in abundance. Begin your meal with them. Living foods not only provide you with super nutrition, but also have the necessary enzymes to begin the digestive process while being chewed, allowing for the rest of your meal to be better absorbed and digested.

Take small steps that fit into your lifestyle. Have an apple a day. Make a salad before lunch or dinner. Commit to drinking eight or more glasses of water a day.

And most important to your success, don’t go it alone. It’s a full-time job to sort through and keep up with the constant changes in the health, fitness, diet, nutrition, and supplement industry. Without the proper education, knowledge, and research time, you probably will not be able to come up with a sound, safe, healthy, program that is easy to implement, quickly begins improving your health, and is one you can stick to. Seek out a health coach, health counselor, or natural practitioner who will

inform and guide you, but not prescribe to you or decide for you. Look for someone who is well learned in multiple theories and sees you as a unique individual. Remember, there is no one program that fits everyone.

“Happiness” is a state of mind that is defined and controlled by your own judgment of your situation with resulting feelings of positive or negative emotions. To create an external world that you will judge positively and thus feel happy, you must nourish and bring to optimal health your internal world. You can’t use your mind to compensate for poor diet; proper nutrition is the key and provides an optimally functioning foundation for happiness.

Susan Marshak ’90, is a certified health counselor and certified health minister. She has a psychology degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst; professional certificates from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and Hallelujah Acres; and is board certified through the American Association of Drugless Practitioners (AADP). She has a private health coaching/ counseling practice. Check out her website at www.RealHealthForToday.com.

A HALf STEp To HAppInESS

BY Easton McGhee Stevenson ’89

Happiness, traditionally defined, is not a familiar emotion to many of my social work therapy clients. Normally they do not feel positive, joyful, or glad. For most of my professional life, I have provided therapeutic service to HIV+ adults, the majority being single, African-American, impoverished women.

My clients had a number of reasons for seeking or being referred for therapy. Often they had worrisome questions running through their minds: “Will I be able to buy food for my child and me?” “Will I have a place to live next month?” Many had a traumatic history, including being the victim of abuse, having lost (or never had) a significant source of support, or having experienced a violent crime. Other times, it was about their illness: “Will I be able to tolerate or even afford my medication?” “Will my family still love me if they find out?” The feeling of isolation

that my clients felt often led to maladaptive behaviors, such as disordered eating, substance abuse, and promiscuity. Emotionally, my clients tended to suffer from depression, low self-esteem, and hopelessness; many of them could not identify a time that they were happy. Others admitted that they did not know what happiness was.

For these individuals, “happiness” was simply out of reach.

Yet, there is another type of happiness, one that can be interpreted as the momentary reduction of stress, fear, loneliness, anger, isolation, and sadness. This reduction of negative emotional states can be experienced when one feels a connection with another human being during a time of distress, facilitated by empathic listening, words of encouragement, or a comforting gesture. The social worker often provides this connection for clients as it might not be available elsewhere.

One of my most difficult clinical cases involved a young woman who was struggling with depression and declining health. K* was a 35-year-old, African-American, married, HIV+ woman.

She was the mother of four children, ranging in age from 9 to 16 years old and was severely depressed. She was diagnosed with HIV a few years prior and had been fairly healthy for most of that time. But recently, she had become more frequently ill and had lost a significant amount of weight. Despite her increasing illness, K did not take her medication consistently, if at all.

Overall, my work with K focused on helping her acknowledge her true feelings about being HIV+ and about possibly facing the end of her life. On a more concrete level, we explored what was at the base of her inability to take care of herself, including identifying barriers that prevented her from taking her medication. We came up with plans to help her be more medication compliant, such as taking her medication with food (to limit nausea), setting an alarm as a reminder, and setting up a weekly pill box to stay organized. K appeared excited to try a new plan, and said repeatedly that she wanted to be better about taking care of herself. Week after week, however, she admitted that she did not implement the plan and was not taking her medication.

Her behavior was both frustrating and bewildering.

“Last week we talked about the fact that you were still not taking your medication,” I said in one of our sessions. “You said that you wanted to take care of yourself and that you were going to put the plan we developed into place.”

“Yeah, I said that, but I didn’t.”

“Why?” I asked.

“I don’t know.”

“You seemed so excited to make positive changes so that you could start to feel better and get well.”

“I couldn’t find my pill box,” K replied. “It is still packed in a box from when we moved.”

During one of her medical appointments, K’s doctor told her that if she did not begin to consistently take her medication, she would give K a prognosis of six months or less to live. When K told me about this in our session, she was shaken up and, when * Identification of client has been abbreviated in order to ensure her privacy and confidentiality.

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asked, said that she wanted to get well and be there for her children. Again, we devised strategies to help K take her medication consistently. She stopped taking her pills within the month.

Feeling at a loss, I sought supervision about her case from our clinical consultant, who provided much needed insight. I also discovered while talking to K about her childhood that her parents rarely enabled her to make a decision on her own; instead they made them for her. When she was about to be married, her mother said, “Now your husband can make your decisions.” K was now wavering about whether to live or die.

Despite usually being able to leave work at the office, K’s case was one that was difficult to forget, if even for a night.

In what felt like a last treatment option, I decided to confront K. During one of our sessions, I wondered aloud if she was not taking her medication because in fact, she did not want to live. I reflected that maybe she felt that she had nothing to live for: she did not have a job or career path, her marriage was in jeopardy, and her children did not emotionally fulfill her (a fact she had admitted in a previous session).

K looked at me but did not speak. Then she began to cry. She nodded her head. I sat down next to K, and she turned and cried on my shoulder.

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After a few moments, she took a deep breath, said, “Thank you,” and even smiled a bit.

For K, this self-admission of her wish to die and then sensing my understanding and acceptance was monumental. For those few moments, K appeared to feel less burdened and less hopeless, an experience that was possible because of the deep level of trust and safety that K felt in our work together, that she had not been able to feel with anyone else.

For K, and for others like her, this was happiness. It wasn’t much, but it was enough.

Easton McGhee Stevenson ’89 is a licensed clinical social worker. A graduate of the University of Rochester with a B.A. in psychology and the University of Chicago with a Master’s in social work, she worked for nine years in the nonprofit agency sector, providing the HIV+ community with clinical services, including individual and family therapy as well as group support.

Stevenson is currently working in a private group practice and is pursuing consulting work assisting individuals with their endof-life planning.

FInDInG FAITH

By Adena Kemper ’02

You can’t buy happiness, but you can pray for it. Human beings have looked to religion as a source of happiness for thousands of years. The first monotheistic faith, Judaism, is at least 3,000 years old, and it emerged in a milieu of even older Ancient Near Eastern religions. Many Jewish texts, old and new, provide guidance on the pursuit of happiness. The Talmud states that anyone who recites the Ashrei prayer three times a day is sure of life in the world to come (Ber. 4b). The subject of this prayer is none other than happiness, and the reward for reciting it is akin to eternal happiness. In this way, Jewish tradition urges us to seek happiness and to adhere to religion in order to obtain it. As a student rabbi and practicing Jew, I have personally observed several connections between religion and happiness.

Religion enables us to connect to our past and to prepare for our future. Every religion possesses a set of traditions to be passed from one generation to the next. Inherent in every tradition is a story that reveals the origins of that religion. Religious traditions ground us, giving us roots. I don’t eat pork or shellfish because my great grandparents kept kosher, and through this tradition of ritualized eating I am connected to them. It is something we share. Traditions also provide us with a sense of continuity. We work to transmit our traditions to our children and students, hoping that they will keep our religion alive.

This past summer I worked as a chaplain at a hospital. I visited numerous patients who requested communion or the recitation of the Shema (a central Jewish prayer) because they felt these religious traditions would heal their spirit if not also their body, granting them a small reprieve from their ailments and maybe just a little happiness. I met one woman whose body was riddled with cancer. She had undergone extensive invasive surgery shortly before I met her, but she was cheerful and upbeat.

She attributed her happiness to her faith – she prayed every day, mostly to thank God for giving her another day of life. This daily ritual made her happy when she otherwise would have succumbed to despair.

Religion also enables us to connect to one another. When we adopt a religion, we identify ourselves with a like-minded group of people. Religions revolve around synagogues, churches, mosques, temples, and monasteries because of our desire not to be alone. Even isolated ascetics connect to others in their dedication to a shared religion. Above all, religion communicates that we are not alone. Sometimes simply being in a community can make us feel happy. In the face of the opposite, religion provides a communal venue for voicing our unhappiness.

I have seen this phenomenon among the teenagers at my syn-

agogue. Some of them prioritize the synagogue’s educational programs or youth group events over band or soccer practice because of the added value inherent in religious community.

Though band and soccer do provide these teens with social opportunities to express their interests, the synagogue is a broader, intergenerational community that connects them to Jews around the world and throughout history. Some of these teens are the only Jews at their schools; when they come to synagogue they often feel as if they belong. I felt similarly as an active member of the Jewish Students Organization while at Lawrenceville.

Religion enables us to find meaning in an otherwise meaningless world. Meaning may not make our unhappiness disappear, but it can help us to assimilate it into our lives, opening up the possibility for future happiness. Meaning can make life worth living and instill us with a sense of purpose. Some unhappiness in life is derived from feeling lost and without direction. Religion often provides its adherents with purpose, delineating an appropriate path for them. Meaning and purpose can lead to a sense of fulfillment.

The biblical prophet Isaiah spoke of a suffering servant who undergoes trials and tribulations but is ultimately rewarded for his faith and dedication (Is. 49-53). I interpret these verses to mean that often doing the right thing isn’t easy, but our struggle for morality must be for a greater good. Isaiah inspires me with a sense of purpose – the goal is to persevere through the unhappy times in an effort to reach the happier ones.

Religion also teaches us that it gets better. Whether in this life or the next, religion gives us hope that our present suffering will lead to a better, happier existence. Hope can ease pain, alleviate anguish, and temper anxiety. Religion suggests hope as a goal on which we can focus, overlooking the ugliness of our world in an attempt to build a better one. Such a positive outlook lifts the heart and brightens our days.

Adena Kemper ’02 is a rabbinical student at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York, NY. She serves as student rabbi at Anshe Emeth Memorial Temple in New Brunswick, NJ. She expects to be ordained in May 2014.

HAppInESS HIDES In THE MIDDLE

By Philip Jordan ’85

When you sit, sit. When you stand, stand. But don’t wobble.

When I first heard these words, I was at Williams College,

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busy falling in love with Zen and Taoism, with the help of a beloved mentor, Professor Eusden. He had us try short sessions of zazen (meditation) in class, and take Taoist walks in the woods, and the ache of response I felt toward these practices astonished me. Little did I know then that these interests would eventually lead me to a Japanese Zen monastery.

Zen pleasure does not forsake struggle or pain; that became clear upon my arrival at the monastery. Buoyed by good health and advanced Buddhist studies, I still found myself beset by challenges. In particular it was the monastery’s goal of “continual meditation” that proved elusive despite my best efforts.

I loved the hours in the meditation hall and savored the silence until the bell sounded. I could carry this spirit into aesthetic events, too, such as haiku study and green tea with the old nun and Zen master. But the Zen life also includes meticulous cleaning and a good deal of arduous labor. I never minded all the purposeful tasks such as splitting wood, thinning thick bamboo groves, and sweeping leaves off the moss and rock gardens.

When I was required to proceed with cleaning when no dust could be seen, however, I often succumbed to non-spiritual judgments. One task was to run a wet towel along the labyrinthine corridors twice a day. I did this athletic task, but reluctantly, knowing that when I was done, the hallways were no cleaner than before. Why clean, I wondered, when what I was cleaning was clean already?

Then there were the times on windy days, when the leaves fell as fast as we swept them. One day, after watching my handiwork disappear beneath a fresh, leafy carpet, I exclaimed to the master, “This is almost hopeless!” to which he replied, “Those are good Zen words.”

I was frustrated and, because I was frustrated, I couldn’t help but admire the concentration and energy with which many others approached “work meditation.” These included not only more experienced monks, but also artists, professors, and business people who came Sundays to devote their one day off to Zen practice at the monastery. I noted a soft and smooth grace to their work, which made the most mundane tasks appear noble.

Zen Buddhism identifies three human modes, which can help us home in on Zen happiness. From the dull ache of idle avoidance routines to our over-aggressive impulses, the Buddha’s first Noble Truth portrays a steady cycle of dissatisfaction (dukkha).

The fuel for this comes from insecure impulses like enmity, inertia, and greed. While our happy times (sukkha) may offer a short reprieve, to the extent that we hoard pleasure and fight against change, dukkha will remain in the background.

There remains one last concealed field that exists between these polarities; tathata translates to something like “suchness” and suggests the unrepeatable wonder and depth at the bottom of every moment. The same “Buddha-nature” lies hidden within; and it was this that I, like all Zen practitioners, sought while sweeping leaves that wouldn’t stop falling.

I did not get so far during my monastic years, but over time I found my relation to work meditation changing. The more I repeated the common tasks, the more special and boundless they

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became for me. Lying on the tatami at the end of the day, I saw visions of moss scapes rising before me, with every twig, leaf, and beetle shining.

I remained at the monastery for four years, until a letter from my old teacher and then-Dean of Faculty Catherine Boczkowski H’80 ’11 P’89 ’91 called me back to my alma mater. For 15 years now I have taught religion and philosophy and led meditation at Lawrenceville.

As I left dear Zen friends to “return to the world,” I wondered if my life as a teacher would support continued tathata seeking.

In the challenges it presents to live a busy life mindfully, Lawrenceville is not unlike a Zen temple. From the intellectual talents of the students, whose adult minds have begun to emerge, to our residential, athletic, and club interactions where their Original Nature can shine, I have only myself to blame if I should fail to respond joyfully.

Zen teaches that the Buddha “came down from the mountain” to model awakened living. The practice of not grasping at fleeting pleasures or recoiling in fear of pain is something anyone can embark upon.

Philip Jordan ’85 chairs Lawrenceville’s Religion and Philosophy Department. As a practicing Zen Buddhist, in addition to teaching, he leads meditation, maintains a rock garden, and often visits his monastery in Japan.

To LIVE A THoUSAnD TImES

By Blake Eldridge ‘96

Philosophy teaches us how to die. Look at its long history, and you’ll see that philosophy and death are always together.

Empedocles jumped into Mount Etna in a self-mythologizing act. Seneca was forced to commit suicide after one too many criticisms of Nero. Thomas More was beheaded by Henry VIII. Giordano Bruno was burned by the Inquisition. Simone Weil starved herself to death as an act of solidarity with the starving residents in Nazi-occupied France. And of course, there’s Socrates – dead but still questioning all of us.

These philosophers’ deaths are expressions of ideas, a commitment to a specific feature of the world and what it means to be human, built on the sense that there are a few principles and relationships that aren’t negotiable.

Philosophy’s apparent morbidity doesn’t seem to leave room for laughter, celebration, and affirmation of life. It seems that philosophy is a game for the dour, stodgy, and detached types who don’t remember childhood. Philosophers are cognitive undertakers. Philosophy is formaldehyde for the mind.

So what are the chances of philosophy’s securing happiness?

Pretty good, in fact. Philosophy’s special entanglement with death gives it incredible power. Happiness is our chief goal, the thing that all human action pursues, and it’s that pursuit which motivates philosophical inquiry. The Search for Happiness is philosophy’s sine qua non.

First, philosophy starts by clarifying what’s at stake and reviewing the available routes of action. The first clarification distinguishes pleasure from happiness. Pleasure, especially physical pleasure, bewitches and diverts us. It masquerades as happiness, but it’s too transitory to qualify. Kierkegaard is illustrative and, like most, dismisses hedonistic pleasure, dramatizing it as the “erotic titillation of the nerves at the sight of the loved one.”

You don’t have to look far today to see that this kind of pleasureseeking doesn’t secure lasting happiness.

The second clarification comes when philosophy places the individual’s life in its proper social and ethical context. Happiness emerges when one forms the right kind of attachments with the world and others; there’s no happiness without recognizing and cultivating a relationship with what’s outside you. Charles Taylor describes this emergent process as a negotiation, a recognition that others inform the reason for or limits on your actions: “[M]y discovering my own identity doesn’t mean that I work it

out in isolation, but that I negotiate it through dialogue – partly overt, partly internal – with others.”

You can find pleasure in solitude, but even then, happiness is predicated on relationships. How often when walking alone do your thoughts drift to loved ones, successes, your place in the vast network of life? The restorative power of a solitary walk (or yoga, meditation, motorcycle rides, etc.) comes from the careful recalibration of our desires and behaviors, keeping in mind our limited time and powers.

Most philosophers have disagreed on which specific activities secure happiness. Most would agree, however, that happiness is the state of being fully absorbed in life and taking ownership of what you do. Kierkegaard, Taylor, and Socrates believed that such ownership requires that we question the value of the workaday, doing so by looking at a whole life. Can you say “Yes!” to your life if you died today? What good have you done? Can you say “Yes!” if you were asked to relive your life an infinite number of times? Would you find yourself interesting after all that time? Socrates would do it all over again, and his on again/ off again disciple, Nietzsche, said it well: “Man’s maturity: that is to have rediscovered the seriousness he possessed as a child at play.” What child has ever regretted her play?

Confronting death gives our lives structure and boundaries, and what kind of game can you play without boundaries? Happiness is taking our play seriously and playing well. In the end, we want to play well enough to say to ourselves, “Let’s play again.”

Blake Eldridge ’96 is an English and philosophy master on the John Hotchkis ’50 Junior Chair, co-chair of the Interdisciplinary Studies Program, the boys’ varsity soccer coach, and the new director of The Lawrenceville School Camp.

STop THE PURSUIT

By Frederick Buechner ’43

I don’t believe one finds happiness by pursuing any more than one falls in love by trying. In both cases, it happens as a lovely surprise when you are looking the other way.

Frederick Buechner ’43, the author of 30 books, is a Presbyterian minister and theologian. He is a recipient of the O. Henry Award, the Rosenthal Award, the Christianity and Literature Belles Lettres Prize, and is recognized by the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters.

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27

from

2007 to

Today b y m i k e a lle g r a

Lawrentian THE

FALL 2007

In 2007, on the occasion of the School’s 20th anniversary of coeducation, The

Lawrentian had a cover story that Coeducation Turns 20 1987-2007

featured profiles of a number of notable alumnae. In the introduction we marveled at how young and successful they all were. “In other words,” we wrote, “these

individuals still have many more decades in which to dazzle.”

Apparently, they didn’t need that much time. A successful person can evidently accomplish quite a bit in five years. To celebrate coeducation’s 25th, here are a few updates.

28

t h e l aw r e n t i a n

F

ive years ago, Meredith Whitney ’88

mereditH whitney '88

was on a prognosticating hot streak.

A senior financial institutions analyst

at CIBC World Markets, she predicted the financial crisis while others were blindly buying overpriced homes, and she was named the No. 2 stock picker by both The

Wall Street Journal and Forbes. To put it another way, she was the go-to person for predicting the future.

These days she still is, but now the advice she provides is in the service of her own company. Meredith Whitney Advisory Group LLC was founded in 2009 and already is a much sought after firm for financial advice and analysis. It is a new role that takes up so much of Whitney’s time that she is no longer the TV mainstay she was five years ago; says Whitney, she only makes an occasional appearance on Bloomberg or CNBC as it directly relates to her work.

What’s left of her time is reserved for writing her upcoming book, Downgraded, to be released in early 2013. “The book will discuss governments’ inability to handle leverage. A lot of people have not thought much about the predicament governments have gotten themselves into and how it affects them personally,” she explains. “We can talk about the U.S. federal deficit, but when you have a state imbalanced budget and a state fiscal crisis, it affects all the social services around you.

Education, transportation, roads, trains, the very way we live.

“This has a very personal impact on Americans,” Whitney says. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt this passionate about anything else in my career.”

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29

Photograph by Aaron Clamage

W

hen The Lawrentian last checked in with Naval Criminal Intelligence Ser-

vice (NCIS) terrorism expert Julie Seckel Ambrose ’94, she was living in Singapore serving as an expert on 26 countries in Southeast Asia.

Whether it was reporting on the activities of Jemaah Islamiyah (the region’s Al-Qaeda splinter group) or charting the spread of the avian bird flu, her intelligence briefs were invaluable to protecting American military and economic interests in the region.

Ambrose is now stateside, living in Washington DC, and has since been promoted to division chief for analysis of the NCIS National Security Directorate. She now oversees and directs the activities of 36 headquarters-based and field office intelligence analysts around the globe (one of whom is the intelligence analyst who succeeded her in the Singapore field office). The intelligence analysts provide information on worldwide criminal, terrorist, espionage, and counterintelligence matters, which Ambrose then relays to the Navy and Marine Corps brass.

“This information is invaluable as it can affect policy” she notes. “It allows us to shape the operational response of the NCIS and Department of Navy to various threats around the world.”

Julie Seckel Ambrose '94 30

t h e l aw r e n t i a n

Photograph by Steve Anderson

Tal rabinowitz '94

I

n 2007, Tal Rabinowitz ’94 was the

Greenblatt, the head of Showtime,

to see whether any of them will turn

vice president of comedy develop-

who was taken with Rabinowitz’s

NBC’s fortunes around. One of those

ment for Sony Entertainment Televi-

alchemist-like ability to create high-

pilots, the Matthew Perry sitcom Go

sion, creating programs to be sold to

quality shows that people actually

On, is hers and bears the honor of be-

networks. Her skill in this regard was

wanted to watch. So, when Greenblatt

ing the first new series picked up for

impressive; one of her shows, The

was named chairman of NBC Enter-

the fall season. This news was quickly

Rules of Engagement, was the then-

tainment, assigned to pull the network

followed by a slate of other Rabino-

No. 2 show on the air.

out of the ratings basement, he hired

witz-engineered comedies also picked

Rabinowitz to serve as his executive

up by the network.

In the years that followed, Rabinowitz

vice president of comedy program-

continued to helm more popular and

ming.

critical darlings such as Community, Breaking Bad, Happy Endings, and Showtime’s The Big C starring Laura Linney.

It was on the last series she met Bob

This is all good news to be sure, “but creating a hit show is like getting light-

She’s been in the role since June 2011,

ning in a bottle,” she admits. “I’m on

not quite long enough to have much

the lookout to create the sophisticat-

influence over the 2011-12 television

ed and intelligent shows that NBC is

season, but this past spring she over-

known for – while also finding a way

saw a slate of 14 pilots and is eager

to broaden their appeal.”

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31

F

ive years ago, Amanda Ripley ’92 was best known for her cover stories for Time magazine; she

had profiled Rudolph Giuliani, Bill Gates, and Barack Obama. When the 2007 issue of The Lawrentian was published, however, she had taken some time off from the magazine to work on a then-as-yet-untitled book that examined the psychology of human behavior in the face of disaster.

That book, titled The Unthinkable, was published in 15 countries, earned a long and impressive list of rave reviews, and was selected by Hudson Booksellers as one of the Top 10 Nonfiction Books of 2008. Based on her exhaustive, groundbreaking research on the subject (NPR described her book as “the thinking person’s manual for getting out alive”), Ripley was asked to brief staff at the Pentagon, the Senate, the Department of Homeland Security, the State Department, the Peace Corps, and FEMA. More recently, her book served as inspiration for Surviving Disaster, the 2012 PBS documentary that featured extensive interviews with Ripley herself.

Now Ripley has set her sights on education for a new book, Where the Smart Kids Are, scheduled for a February 2013 release. “It follows my quest to figure out how a small number of very different countries manage to educate all their kids to high levels,” she explains. “To do this, I followed three American teenagers for one school year while they were on exchange programs in Finland, Poland, and South Korea.

It’s been a fascinating adventure.”

32

t h e l aw r e n t i a n

Photograph by Aaron Clamage

Amanda ripley '92

Pete Holmes '84 and his Lawrenceville wrestling coach, Bill Graupner, at Pete's induction into Lawrenceville's Athletic Hall of Fame

Changing Lives through Life Insurance

P

ete Holmes ’84 would be the first to tell you that

Lawrenceville

completely changed his life.

“Lawrenceville

took

a

chance on me and also provided a scholarship,” he says.

“I worked hard and, with the help of people like Bill Graupner ’64 H’81 P’91 ’95 and Herman Besselink H’88, I was able to go to Harvard.”

Pete wrestled at Lawrenceville and at Harvard where he was captain and

For more information on leaving a

First Team All-Ivy his senior year. “It was a great honor for me to be inducted

bequest to Lawrenceville or for other

into Lawrenceville’s Athletic Hall of Fame at my 25th,” says Pete. “It was also

planned giving opportunities, or if

really special that Bill Graupner introduced me on that occasion.”

Pete wants to make sure others have similar life changing opportunities, so he recently named the School, irrevocably, as the beneficiary of a life insurance policy to create a fund for financial aid. “I know that there will always

you’ve included Lawrenceville in your will but not yet informed the School, contact Steve Cushmore, J.D. at the

be a need for scholarships,” Pete says. “I want Lawrenceville to continue to

Lawrenceville Office of Planned

change lives. Later in my life I expect to provide outright gifts to add to this

Giving at 609-620-6064, or go to

fund, but, in the meantime, I feel great knowing that I have provided this gift.”

www.lawrenceville.org/plannedgiving.

Photo

FINISH

by Zoe Vybiral-Bauske

72 T H E L A W R E N T I A N

Lawrenceville’s archive is home to a wealth of historical information. Unfortunately, it is also home to mysterious photos. If you can provide any insight for the images below, please send an email to mallegra@ lawrenceville.org. First responders will be credited in a future issue of The Lawrentian and will receive some nifty Lawrenceville swag.

1

3

2

4

1. We uncovered this picture in a box of unidentified faculty photos, and we can see why the blurry image has kept this gentleman anonymous. Does anyone remember being taught to use a film projector by a man with a pipe? We’d love to know who the boy with the dark tie is as well.

2. Clearly these fellows are working on some impressive, large-scale set pieces for a play. What play was it, and who wants to take credit for the workmanship?

3. We’ve come a long way, baby. It looks like the

5

photo of these young men working on this dinosaur was taken in the late 1970s or early 1980s.

Was this one of the first computers on campus?

Where was it housed? Who were these intrepid young programmers?

4. We’d love to know more about this group. Are they volunteer carpenters? Expert set builders?

Amateur stilts-walkers? We want to know!

5. We’re guessing this was some kind of tug-ofwar contest in The Bowl, but we’d love to know

6

the occasion, and the winners. Who wants to brag about his feats of strength?

6. The makeup department did such a great job we can’t tell if this picture is a Periwig performance or the faculty players. Who are these people and what is the name of the show?

7. This looks like a fun outdoor adventure on a wintry day. Can anyone tell us who the snowbound adventurers are and what they were up to?

7

Lawrentian THE

usps no. 306-700 the Lawrenceville School Lawrenceville, New Jersey 08648 Parents of alumni: If this magazine is addressed to a son or daughter who no longer maintains a permanent address at your home, please e-mail us at vvanisko@lawrenceville.org with his or her new address. Thank you!