PINGRY THE PINGRY REVIEW
S.M.A.R.T. Team’s Prestigious Honor | Global Programs | Mandarin Chinese Re-Dedication of Hauser Auditorium Organ | 2009 Letter-in-Life Award | Homecoming FALL 2009
FALL/WINTER 2009
2010
THE PINGRY FUND
HONORING TRADITION
Established in 1955, The Pingry Fund continues to support its original mission by attracting and retaining the best faculty and providing a quality education for our students.
STRENGTHENING OUR COMMUNITY
In 2009, Pingry Fund donations allowed us to support the financial aid needs of 33 returning families.
SECURING OUR FUTURE
Become a part of the 55-year-old tradition of annual giving at Pingry with your gift to The 2010 Pingry Fund today.
Help Pingry Go Green by making your gift online at www.pingry.org or you may use the reply envelope included in this magazine.
YOUR ANNUAL CONTRIBUTION TO THE PINGRY FUND IS ESSENTIAL TO MAINTAINING OUR TRADITIONS OF EXCELLENCE AND HONOR
PINGRY THE PINGRY REVIEW
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Academic Excellence Continues to Thrive
The Pingry School continues to maintain the standards and principles that its founder, Dr. John Pingry, considered indispensable. From legendary teachers to an always-evolving curriculum, the school is known for academic excellence. On the cover: The Harkness Table, an example of student-centered learning, is used in the classroom of history faculty member John Crowley-Delman ’97. Read more on page 11.
14 Lower School’s Interdisciplinary Activities
Two projects at the Short Hills Campus give students the chance to learn about opera and China across several disciplines.
16 Science Students Pursue Graduate-Level Knowledge
The S.M.A.R.T. Team, a select group of sophomores, researches topics by interacting with scientists. The team recently received an extraordinary honor.
18 New Programs Will Allow Students to Travel the Globe Pingry has created a new position to research and initiate global programs for students.
19 Mandarin Chinese Comes to Pingry
The fifth foreign language offered at Pingry, Mandarin will prepare students to communicate with one of the world’s largest populations.
22 The Next Half-Century Begins for Pingry’s Organ
First installed in the 1950s, the Hauser Auditorium Organ has been refurbished with new capabilities.
35 2009 Letter-in-Life Award
This year’s recipient is The Honorable Joseph E. Irenas ’58, a federal judge in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey.
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From the Headmaster From the Chair School News Scene Around Campus Alumni News
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Ask the Archivist Class Notes In Memoriam Dictum Ultimum Alumni Calendar
Board of Trustees, 2009-2010
what’s new on our web site
The pingry.org homepage provides links to new and expanded content.
Multimedia Gallery
Visit our expanding multimedia gallery, located in the lower left corner of the homepage. The gallery contains photos and videos from athletic, arts, and alumni events.
All-School Calendar
The calendar chronicles daily events at Pingry, including college visits, testing registration deadlines, school vacation days, and more. You can also download dates to your PDA.
Faculty & Staff Directory
The employee directory, under “About Pingry,” lists the positions, campuses, and phone numbers for all faculty and staff members.
Athletics
The Athletics pages list schedules and scores for all teams, plus directions to opponents’ schools.
Planned Giving
Explore how you can make a gift to Pingry that will benefit future generations of students. Learn about estate planning, find sample bequest language, and use the interactive “Plan-AGift” feature to determine the right type of gift for you.
John B. Brescher, Jr. ’65, P ’99 Chair
Sara Boisvert Interim Director of Admission Director of Global Programs
John W. Holman III ’79, P ’09, ’11, ’14 Vice Chair
Lydia B. Geacintov P ’84, ’88 Director of Studies
Edward S. Atwater IV ’63 Treasurer
Melanie P. Hoffmann P ’20 Director of Institutional Advancement
Harold W. Borden ’62 Secretary
Gerry Vanasse P ’14 Director of Athletics
Alice F. Rooke P ’02, ’04 Assistant Secretary
Quoc Vo Director of Information Technology
Deborah J. Barker P ’12, ’16 Holly Hegener Cummings P ’14, ’16 Jeffrey N. Edwards ’78, P ’12, ’14 Miriam T. Esteve P ’09, ’11, ’19 William D. Ju P ’09, ’11 Steven M. Lipper ’79, P ’09, ’12, ’14 Conor T. Mullett ’84, P ’14, ’15 Donald C. Mullins, Jr. P ’15, ’20 Terence M. O’Toole P ’05, ’08 Deryck A. Palmer P ’09 Dan C. Roberts P ’99, ’02, ’09 Ian S. Shrank ’71 Park B. Smith ’50 Henry G. Stifel III ’83 Denise E. Vanech P ’09 Audrey M. Wilf P ’02, ’04, ’13 Noreen C. Witte P ’13, ’16 Barry L. Zubrow P ’10
Office of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving
Honorary Trustees David M. Baldwin ’47, P ’75, ’76, ’78, ’81 Fred Bartenstein, Jr. P ’68, ’70, ’72, ’75 William S. Beinecke ’31, P ’61, ’64 John P. Bent, Jr. P ’80, ’82, ’84 Victoria Brooks P ’02, ’04 William V. Engel ’67 John W. Holman, Jr. ’55, P ’79 Henry H. Hoyt, Jr. ’45 Warren S. Kimber, Jr. ’52, P ’76, ’79 Stephan F. Newhouse ’65, P ’95, ’97, ’99 Norman B. Tomlinson, Jr. ’44 F. Helmut Weymar ’54 John C. Whitehead P ’73
Administration, 2009-2010 Nathaniel E. Conard P ’09, ’11 Headmaster Theodore M. Corvino, Sr. P ’94, ’97, ’02 Assistant Headmaster-Short Hills Lower School Director Jonathan D. Leef P ’15, ’18 Assistant Headmaster-Martinsville Denise M. Brown-Allen P ’13 Upper School Director Philip S. Cox Middle School Director John W. Pratt Chief Financial Officer
Miller Bugliari ’52, P ’86, ’90, ’97 Special Assistant to the Headmaster Jacqueline Sullivan Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving Alison Harle Associate Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving Kristen Tinson Associate Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving Anthony Obst P ’92, ’95, ’97, ’02, ’07 Associate Director of The Parent Fund Laura K. Stoffel Assistant Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving Yolanda G. Carden Development Assistant
Pingry Alumni Association, 2009-2010 Steve Lipper ’79, P ’09, ’12, ’14 President Alison Zoellner ’83, P ’16, ’18 Vice President Sam Partridge ’92 Vice President Norbert Weldon ’91 Vice President Chip Korn ’89 Treasurer Genesia Perlmutter Kamen ’79 Secretary
Terms Expiring in 2010 Mark Bigos ’79 Anthony Bowes ’96 Kyle Coleman ’80 Lisa Fraites-Dworkin ’81 Jonathan Gibson ’88 E. Lori Halivopoulos ’78 Robert Hough ’77 Peter Korn, Jr. ’89 Stuart Lederman ’78 Guy Leedom ’54 Steven Lipper ’79, P ’09, ’12, ’14 William Mennen ’85, P ’21, ’22 Sean O’Donnell ’75, P ’05, ’10
Ronald Rice, Jr. ’86 Jonathan Robustelli ’90 Sandra Salter ’93 Jonathan Shelby ’74, P ’08, ’11 Alison Zoellner ’83, P ’16, ’18
Terms Expiring in 2011 Jake Angell ’90 Todd Burrows ’90 David Freinberg ’74, P ’12, ’15 Allison Haltmaier ’80, P ’11, ’13 Cathleen Lazor ’88 H. David Rogers ’61 Kevin Schmidt ’98 Tracy Klingeman Stalzer ’84 Betsy Vreeland ’84, P ’11, ’12, ’15 Amy Warner ’78 Susan Barba Welch ’77, P ’06, ’09, ’11, ’13, ’16
Terms Expiring in 2012 Bradford Bonner ’93 John Campbell III ’86 Rebecca Frost ’94 Jane Hoffman ’94 Christian E. Hoffman ’94 Genesia Perlmutter Kamen ’79, P ’11, ’13 Conor Mullett ’84, P ’14, ’15 Samuel Partridge ’92 Peter Rosenbauer ’89 Mary Sarro-Waite ’01 William J. Silbey ’77 Gordon Sulcer ’61, P ’95, ’01 Katrina Welch ’06 Norbert Weldon ’91
Honorary Directors Albert Bauer ’45 John Geddes ’62, P ’95
The Review Editorial Staff Greg Waxberg ’96, Editor Communications Writer Melanie Hoffmann P ’20 Director of Institutional Advancement Mark J. Sullivan Director of Strategic Communications Jacqueline Sullivan Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving Kristen Tinson Associate Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving Maureen E. Maher Communications Associate/Writer
Design and Layout Ruby Window Creative Group, Inc. www.rubywindow.com
Photography
Peter Chollick Bruce Morrison ’64 Debbie Weisman
PINGRY THE PINGRY REVIEW
The Pingry Review is the official magazine of The Pingry School, with the primary purpose of disseminating alumni, school, faculty, and staff news and information. Comments can be sent to the editor at The Pingry School, Martinsville Road, P.O. Box 366, Martinsville, NJ 08836 or gwaxberg@pingry.org.
A Letter from the Headmaster who brought it to life and shares our work on examining our curriculum and pedagogy. Ongoing refinement of the curriculum is an integral aspect of how Pingry maintains its academic standards. Still, for the first time in more than a decade, we are conducting a comprehensive curriculum review, focusing primarily on how we teach, and secondarily on what we teach. Relying on data to support our conclusions, we will evaluate those aspects of our curriculum that are exemplary and those aspects that may need modifying. This effort involves our faculty and staff from both campuses, who are participating in seven subcommittees that are researching multiple topics, including how people learn and pedagogy, time and schedule, curriculum coordination, extra-curricular activities, student health, and environmental sustainability. We look forward to sharing the outcomes with you.
Dear Members of the Pingry Community,
Those standards were established almost 150 years ago by Dr. John Pingry, whose uncompromising focus on intellectual and moral development helped make the school the institution it is today. Of course, much has changed since Dr. Pingry’s time—indeed, change is the new constant—and this issue’s cover story both reflects on the school’s curriculum and the legendary faculty members
The Honorable Joseph E. Irenas ’58 is one of several alumni featured in “Alumni News.” Judge Irenas received the Pingry Alumni Association’s prestigious Letter-in-Life Award during Commencement in June. In his remarks, he highlighted Pingry’s Honor Code and charged the graduates with adhering to its principles throughout their lives. Other profiles include two alumni who appeared on Jeopardy! in consecutive months and an alumna who was selected for the inaugural show at a recently-opened New York art gallery. Enjoy the holiday season, and I look forward to seeing you on campus or at one of our alumni or parent events. Sincerely,
Nathaniel E. Conard P ’09, ’11
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One of the most revealing indications that our trustees, administration, faculty, staff, and alumni hold Pingry in the highest esteem is how many of their children and grandchildren have attended or currently attend the school. That tight connection with Pingry reflects each generation’s conviction that our standards for academic excellence are both unwavering and unparalleled and that a Pingry education provides the necessary foundation for success in college and the professional world.
Lest you think that our curriculum is static as we await the findings of the review process, you will find articles on the Lower School’s interdisciplinary projects and this year’s new course offerings in the Middle and Upper Schools. New opportunities also await our music students. Thanks to a recent year-long restoration of the Hauser Auditorium Organ, the latest digital technology will make it possible for more students to learn to play the organ. Articles in “Philanthropy” and “School News” relate the experiences of alumni with close connections to this beloved instrument, as well as the improvements to the organ. Our re-dedication ceremony in September was a fitting beginning to the organ’s second half-century.
From the Editor
Letters to the Editor The Commemorative Edition of The Pingry Review is, by far, the best Pingry Review I have seen in recent years. It exudes quality and is a terrific graphic presentation. The photos are really good and, if I were a person who was outof-touch with Pingry, this issue covers it all. My copy of this Review is truly a commemorative edition. It will sit on my study coffee table for many months. I look forward to sharing it with my friends and family. - Former Trustee Gordy Sulcer ’61 P ’95, ’01 I enjoyed reading the Commemorative Edition of The Pingry Review. I especially enjoyed reading my former teachers’ memories of the move from the Hillside Campus to the Martinsville Campus. When I entered Pingry as a freshman in 1988, it had felt as if the Martinsville Campus had always existed in that very spot. I also enjoyed seeing more of my former teachers celebrated in the 25-year anniversary section, and reading the article on Peer Leadership, one of my favorite memories of Pingry.
I find myself nodding in agreement with many of the observations about Pingry’s academic excellence that are included in this issue of The Pingry Review. Reflecting on my years as a Pingry student, I can safely say that the education I received remains so vividly fresh in my mind that the faculty members’ wisdom, advice, and encouragement continue to influence my work. I will always be grateful for the three years I spent writing for The Pingry Record under Dr. Dineen’s guidance, because that was my first experience as a published writer.
I’m an educational consultant, so I have the opportunity to visit and provide services to many different schools throughout the northeast region. I loved Pingry as a student. Yet my current work and travels further inform my current perspective of the social, emotional, and academic education I received there from 1988-1992. The teachers, students, facilities, and programs were simply the best! A huge thank you to all my teachers and all the staff who continue to make Pingry the special place I remember. - Christa Tinari ’92, www.peacepraxis.com
Pingry Collegiate Athletes Another addition to our list of alumni who have been playing Division I or III collegiate athletics (The Pingry Review, Winter 2009, page 52) is John Guiffre ’08 —Williams College, Division III swimming.
Corrections from the Commemorative Edition
As always, we welcome your comments or suggestions.
The obituary for Clayton B. Jones, Jr. ’35 on page 69 did not include his son, C. Berry Jones III ’61.
Sincerely,
The article “Soccer Program Marks 80 Years” on page 30 named four head coaches, but omitted Edward Hathaway, who coached four teams in the late 1940s.
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Greg Waxberg ’96 Communications Writer gwaxberg@pingry.org
Calling for Class Notes We are compiling Class Notes for the next issue of The Pingry Review. Please email us with your news and photos and keep your classmates up-to-date with your current activities. A Class Note is a great opportunity to read about friends, share an important milestone, or simply share your email address.
A Message from the Chair Extraordinary people have attended and graduated from Pingry since its founding in 1861, benefiting from Pingry’s rigorous academic experience. It is impressive and, from the school’s perspective, gratifying to see what these alumni have accomplished in their careers. For my part, I will always be thankful that Pingry and its faculty instilled an appreciation for learning and the capacity to learn. As part of that, we discovered the discipline that is necessary for hard work, which has proven valuable later in life. Of course, much of the credit for Pingry’s excellence in academics, the focus of this issue of The Pingry Review, goes to the school’s faculty who are continually emphasizing higher standards. The personal attention they provide inspires each student to perform at his or her fullest capacity, making for a truly rewarding educational experience. We hope you enjoy this issue, particularly the articles about Global Programs and the other new additions to our curriculum. Sincerely,
Jack Brescher ’65, P ’99 Chair, Board of Trustees
Would you like your book to be displayed at Pingry?
5 fall / winter 2009
The C.B. Newton Library at the Martinsville Campus is interested in purchasing books by Pingry alumni and parents for a special display. This exhibit seeks to create a stronger connection with our community and make the Pingry community aware of our alumni and parent authors. If you have written a book, please contact Library Director Eileen Hymas at (908) 647-5555, ext. 1359, or ehymas@pingry.org.
6 the pingry review The Reverend Dr. John F. Pingry founded The Pingry School in Elizabeth, New Jersey, in 1861.
Academic Excellence Continues to Thrive
Thousands of Pingry faculty members have continued to uphold the ideals that Dr. John Pingry established when he founded the school in 1861. The following articles survey the past, present, and future of Pingry’s academics, including interdisciplinary programs at the Short Hills Campus and new additions to the curriculum at the Martinsville Campus for the 2009-10 academic year.
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The best way to transform a boy into a man, according to Dr. Pingry, is to encourage the boy to act like a man. Dr. Pingry was adamant that the development of morals and character is as important as intellectual development, and he integrated character building into a curriculum largely determined by The Pingry School’s purpose: providing a rigorous classical education while demanding excellence and mental discipline that would prepare young men to enter college or the business world.
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Dr. Pingry also instilled in his students a love of study and respect for scholarship, and all of these principles are reflected in the school’s current mission statement: “to foster in students a lifelong commitment to intellectual exploration, individual growth, and social responsibility by inspiring and supporting them to strive for academic and personal excellence within an ethical framework that places the highest value on honor and respect for others.”
Some former faculty members are considered legends because of their longevity with the school and their long-lasting impact on students. For example, from 1902 to 1937, the late Harriet Budd taught English, and she is remembered not only as an outstanding teacher, but also for her strength of character and impeccable standards of behavior. When she retired, she represented the longest service of any faculty member up to that time.
Initially, during Dr. Pingry’s tenure as headmaster from 1861 to 1891, the basic subjects were Latin, Greek, Mathematics, and English; for the first two decades, every student studied them. In the 1880s, science (chemistry and physics) was introduced for the benefit of interested students, while those who planned to enter the business world could study commercial arithmetic and bookkeeping. By the mid 1880s, the curriculum became more systematic, and history classes were added. Public speaking was required.
The longest service of any faculty member, overall, was that of the late Albert W. Booth, who taught Latin (among other subjects) from 1929 to 1993. For Mr. Booth, students were truly taught when they learned respect, integrity, honesty, and decency. He was not willing to accept anything less than his students’ best work.
Following in Dr. Pingry’s footsteps, distinguished faculty members have devoted decades of service to the school and its students. One actual list names the group known as Magistri Maxime Laudandi (“Masters Most Greatly to be Praised”), teachers who have dedicated 25 or more years of service to Pingry. As of the 2009-10 academic year, the list includes 77 faculty members; 36 are still teaching.
Other renowned faculty members have included Otho L. Vars (taught math and English and served as Head of the Middle School from 1919 to 1954); George E. Dimock, Class of 1908 (taught Latin from 1923 to 1950 and served as Head of the Classics Department); Casmir A. France (served as Head of the English Department from 1924 to 1960, then retired in 1964); David B. Buffum (taught history from 1926 to 1960); Abel de Gryse (served as Head of the Language Department from 1931 to 1959); and Dr. Herbert F. Hahn (taught English from 1944 to 1975).
Above: In 1962, Albert W. Booth received the “Princeton Prize for Distinguished Secondary School Teaching in the State of New Jersey” Top: Miss Harriet Budd. “Her favorite method of rewarding good work was to … read aloud to the class … with animation and spirit,” according to The Beginning of Wisdom, the story of Pingry’s first 100 years. Edward Weeks, Jr., Class of 1915, said Miss Budd reminded the students that reading could be fun (Mr. Weeks eventually became Editor of The Atlantic Monthly).
All of these faculty members saw the course offerings change, as is the case for today’s faculty members, reflecting the fact that the evolution of the school’s curriculum—based on trends and research in academia—is, in itself, a demonstration of excellence. The administration and faculty are always
The current curriculum is highlighted by unique courses and opportunities in the Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools. All Lower School students receive extra guidance from math and literacy specialists (see article on page 14), and the course offerings lay a foundation in the arts, computer science, drama, health, foreign languages, mathematics, music, reading, writing, science, and social studies. However, the intricacies of the learning process take priority. “At Short Hills, how a student learns has to be more important than what he or she learns,” says Lower School Assistant Director Carolyn Gibson P ’03.
Above: George Dimock, Class of 1908, was described by alumni as very demanding. “He was without question the finest teacher I ever had in any institution that I attended,” said former Trustee Nicholas C. “Connie” English ’29 P ’60 ’71 in The Beginning of Wisdom. Top: In 1971, Dr. Herbert F. Hahn received the “Princeton Prize for Distinguished Secondary School Teaching in the State of New Jersey.” As part of his legacy, he compiled The Beginning of Wisdom, the story of Pingry’s first 100 years.
Now in her second year as Upper School Director, Dr. Denise BrownAllen P ’13 has observed that the high caliber of students and faculty produces thought-provoking discussions. During her first year, she observed every Upper School faculty member in action. “There were times when I expected to spend 15 minutes in a class, but then I didn’t want to leave,” she says.
Professor Emeritus and Chairman of the Department of Molecular Pharmacology at the Stanford University School of Medicine
I attribute much of my career development as a research scientist and teacher at a medical school to wise advice from mentors and role models at Pingry. My interest in academics grew directly from Pingry, where I noted that many faculty members were enthusiastic about teaching and enjoyed the classroom experience. For example, I remember Charles Atwater ’31, Richard Baldwin, Edward Cissel ’39, and Richard Weiler as particularly excellent and inspiring instructors in Middle School. Each had an expert’s perspective on his subject, a clear, intense, and engaging style in class, and an attitude of respect and fairness toward his students. During my Upper School years, Albert Booth and Tony duBourg generated wonderful classroom memories through their high expectations for students and their enthusiasm, clarity, compassion, and iconoclastic teaching styles. It was fun to attend their classes. I am privileged to have had such masterful teachers as role models, and I very much appreciate their important contributions to my development as an educator.
One new element for Grade 5 during the 2009-10 academic year is a period of drama with Alicia Hogan ’02, who has joined the faculty full-time after teaching part-time at Pingry for the past two years. Lower School Director Ted Corvino, Sr. P ’94, ’97, ’02 is excited that the drama program is not focused only on performance. “It is an example of cooperative learning, and it’s very important to give the kids as many opportunities as possible to work together for a common goal,” he says.
School, which opened in the fall of 2007, and a sixth-grade curriculum based on a review that started before Grade 6 moved from the Short Hills Campus. The review was based largely on research about middle schools that had been published during the previous decade.
When the students shift to Middle School, they are exposed to a new environment, thanks to The Carol and Park B. Smith ’50 Middle
This review was co-chaired by Middle School Director Phil Cox and Director of Studies Lydia Geacintov P ’84, ’88, who worked with the
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searching for missing textures, determining areas of improvement, and developing new teaching strategies.
Grade 5 is not only a transitional year at the Short Hills Campus, now that Grade 6 has moved to the Martinsville Campus, but also a year complemented by interdisciplinary projects—such as “Team China” (see article on page 14) and “Project Opera” (see article on page 15)— and characterized by complete departmentalization. This means that fifth-grade students follow a schedule similar to what they will encounter in Middle School, moving individually from classroom to classroom with 40-minute periods, although there is a double period each day for Language Arts (reading, writing, spelling, and grammar).
Dr. James Whitlock, Jr. ’60
[ Excellence in academics ] faculty to research benchmarks for each grade level, interdisciplinary connections, multi-cultural awareness, required homerooms, supervised afternoon studying, and numerous other aspects of middle school education. “The new building made a new statement,” Mrs. Geacintov says. A unique feature of the Middle School curriculum, according to Mr. Cox, is that all students are required to study Latin as a second language. “Latin provides a student with a different context for understanding
language. For example, when [Latin teacher] Tom Varnes introduces vocabulary and grammar in a given chapter, he will often talk with the kids about how this word in Latin is that word in German, French, or Spanish,” he says. Mr. Cox also emphasizes the block in the schedule reserved for co-curricular courses, such as technology applications and LEGO robotics, a “hands-on” project in which students work in pairs to design robots. “It’s always beneficial to create dynamic
Elevating Pingry to an Even Higher Level of Achievement Pingry’s future academic offerings and requirements, as well as the roles of teachers, mentors, and coaches in the educational process, will be influenced by a comprehensive curriculum review that was mandated by the school’s Strategic Plan, which was adopted by the Board of Trustees in January 2007. The process began in the spring of 2009 and marks one of Pingry’s most important undertakings for the coming decade. “Our curriculum review process must be consistent with our mission, our vision of preparing students to be global citizens and leaders of the 21st century, and our Strategic Plan. We expect our students to constantly evaluate and analyze their work for the highest standards, so we, as faculty and administration, must do the same for the curriculum,” says Headmaster Nat Conard P ’09, ’11. Mr. Conard developed his charge for the Curriculum Review Steering Committee (CRSC), which is co-chaired by Assistant Headmaster Jon Leef P ’15, ’18 and History Department Chair Jim Murray. The CRSC is engaging the full faculty in seven subcommittees that are evaluating the full spectrum of planned and purposeful activities in which students participate at or for Pingry. 10 the pingry review
The headmaster’s charge includes 20 questions that must be answered as a result of the review process. The questions include the desired outcomes of a Pingry education; evidence that the curriculum is achieving those outcomes; how the faculty members should teach; assessment tools; appropriateness of the current requirements; life skills; and the proper roles of athletics, the arts, technology, and community service at Pingry. Each of the seven subcommittees has created its own list of essential questions and reconciled those questions with the headmaster’s charge and questions. The subcommittees will research their questions to determine how the outcomes can best be achieved and measured. Ultimately, they will make recommendations not only for shaping the curriculum, but also for implementing a process that will continue to assess the curriculum. The results of the curriculum review will be published in a future issue of The Pingry Review.
activities so that students are working in groups and being creative,” he says. The Middle School also offers Library Skills, Study Skills, a greater emphasis on the arts that requires students to participate in a musical group, and Decisions, a course designed to help sixth-grade students learn effective decision-making skills and develop an awareness of the impact of their decisions. A new arts elective for Grade 8, introduced this fall, is digital filmmaking. “It is hard to overstate the impact of technology on the arts. [Digital filmmaking] gives students the opportunity to consider film more as an art form, working through the format of the short film. This course seeks to prepare students with the 21st century skills they need, while also engaging them in an art form that is approachable to young learners. This opportunity will enhance and complement the traditional media covered within our existing eighthgrade studio program,” says Fine Arts Department Chair Miles Boyd. Two new courses have been added to the Middle and Upper Schools’ curricula this year—Financial Literacy and Mandarin Chinese (see articles on page 19)—and Upper School students will soon have the opportunity to participate in global opportunities (see article on page 18). The science program has also been updated and expanded. For many years, students in the Upper School generally studied Biology in their freshman year, Chemistry in their sophomore year, and Physics in their junior year. Last year, for the first time, the freshman and sophomore science curriculum combined Biology and Chemistry. Thus, a student takes one semester of Chemistry, followed by two semesters of Biology and another semester of Chemistry. With this change, Pingry recognizes that, to be successful in biology— which has become more molecular—
Elana Drell-Szyfer ’87
Senior Vice President of Global Marketing, Estée Lauder
I credit my Pingry education for helping me find my career. While at Pingry, I was introduced to the love of language and travel thanks to my French teachers such as Madame Castaldo and Madame Geacintov. Because I developed a passion for French, I took the opportunity to spend a summer in France, and, when I was a senior, my family hosted Pingry’s AFS student from Belgium. In addition, one of my other favorite classes was Art History, taught by Mrs. Berlin. In her class, I was introduced to the world of art and to the exploration of aesthetics.
During almost any professional meeting, participants gather around a table to exchange ideas and solve problems. That is the philosophy behind the Harkness Table, which is utilized in several Pingry classrooms, including the courses taught by history faculty member John CrowleyDelman ’97. The table is named for philanthropist Edward Harkness, who commissioned research decades ago about making education more effective. One of the results was that using a table—specifically, an oval table, so that everyone, including the teacher, can easily make eye contact with everyone else—would empower students to develop as thinkers and speakers in a setting intended for engaging conversations. As Mr. Crowley-Delman observes, the Harkness Table resembles a board room table. “The students are practicing what they are going to do in the real world. This could be a business meeting or town forum,” he says. In contrast to rows of seats or even seats spread around the perimeter of a classroom, the Harkness Table closes the circle so that the students are the focus of attention, instead of the teacher. “In this setting, it is not only the teacher’s responsibility to get the students involved—all of the students share the responsibility of involving their classmates, such as by asking for each other’s opinions,” Mr. Crowley-Delman says. Among the other benefits of the Harkness philosophy, it encourages everyone’s participation and preparation; provides a higher comfort level for each student to express his or her opinions because his or her classmates are actively involved in the discussion; and prompts the students to speak directly to their classmates. “The ultimate goal is to convince students that they are intellectuals who are capable of making complex arguments, supporting those arguments with evidence, and struggling with difficult problems and questions, because that is what they will need to do in the real world,” Mr. Crowley-Delman says.
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Today and for the past 17 years, I have worked in the cosmetics industry. I was able to “break in” to an entry-level job because I spoke French. The cosmetics industry is filled with French influence from fragrance houses and perfumers to manufacturers of glass and other materials. Whether at a French company or any company, French is an important language in cosmetics. My ability to appreciate the product, the creative elements, the global nature of the business—I credit all of this to those teachers who ignited my curiosity and challenged me to learn and explore beyond the boundaries and subjects that I had previously known.
The Classroom as a Model for the Outside World
students need more knowledge of and skills in chemistry. A new option offered to freshmen this year is Conceptual Physics, designed to introduce students to the rigorous, conceptual underpinnings of scientific thought in a more concrete discipline than chemistry. This class is less mathematical than the junior year physics courses, and the
John Crowley-Delman ’97 teaching his history students at one of Pingry’s three Harkness Tables
[ Excellence in academics ] Teachers Need Tools, and Pingry Provides Them For the past 23 years, Pingry has hosted the NJAIS (New Jersey Association of Independent Schools) Instructional Skills Workshop for new teachers, veteran teachers, and administrators. The workshop is based on New Jersey’s Academy for the Advancement of Teaching and Management Program and is intended to demonstrate effective teaching skills. It takes place at the Martinsville Campus for four days before each academic year. There are about 60 participants every year. The sessions are led by Pingry’s Foreign Language Department Chair Norm LaValette, who is in his 31st year teaching German, and former Pingry English faculty member John Platt, who currently is Chair of the English department at The Oakwood Friends School in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. “This workshop enables the teachers to be proactive. It allows teachers to identify cause-and-effect relationships between teaching and learning. For example, that means a teacher deciding what he or she is going to do on the first day of class,” Mr. LaValette says. Highlights of the workshop include how to establish and teach to an instructional objective; techniques for motivating students; strategies for checking if students understand new material; methods of using active participation; ways to link new material to students’ current knowledge; cooperative learning that puts the responsibility of learning in the students’ hands; behavioral management; and methods of instruction designed for students’ differing learning styles. Many of Pingry’s current faculty members have attended the workshop, and the feedback from participants has been overwhelmingly positive. One wrote, “It will remain with me to the end of my teaching days.” Another said, “I have attended [other workshops] in the past, but none have come close to addressing so clearly and wonderfully many of the issues I had about teaching, in general, and also teaching in an independent school.”
12 the pingry review Workshop co-presenter and former Pingry faculty member John Platt presenting to the attendees. Mr. LaValette is in the foreground.
pacing will allow students to explore some topics in greater depth at a more leisurely pace. Now, freshmen will either start with this class or Chemistry/Biology. Those who take Conceptual Physics then take Chemistry/Biology in later years. Also in science, there are three prestigious research programs in which students can participate: the S.M.A.R.T. Team (see article on page 16), the Waksman Student Scholars Program (WSSP), and the Rockefeller Outreach Program. WSSP is a hands-on research program facilitated through the Waksman Institute of Microbiology at Rutgers University, which engages high school students in a molecular biology research project during the summer. Pingry has been involved with WSSP since 2003, and students apply directly to Rutgers. Two scholars are chosen, and their work is published to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), a database that becomes public information and a part of the collective data that scientists access and analyze. Fourteen Pingry students have participated since 2003. Pingry has participated with the Rockefeller Outreach Program for six years. This is a six-week summer program that requires immersion in a functioning lab; each student, who must pass a rigorous application process with Rockefeller scientists, is paired with a mentor or works independently. To date, four Pingry students have been involved with this very competitive program. “This is not a summer camp,” says science faculty member and 2009 Rockefeller Outreach lead teacher Luke De. “It is lab work. It is complete immersion in a fully-functioning, high-paced, highly-accredited lab, and the students are treated like anybody else in the lab. They take criticism, and they have deadlines. They have to be scientists.”
Jonathan Karp ’82
Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, TWELVE
I’ll always be grateful to Pingry English teachers Jack Dufford, Peter Cowen ’66, and George Moffat for introducing me to major works of literature and giving me the confidence to analyze them and write about them. Some of these books have stayed with me for decades (Goodbye, Columbus; Madame Bovary; The Catcher in the Rye). Authors who I struggled at first to understand now make much better sense. Thanks to the Pingry English department, I began to learn about jealousy (Othello), depravity (Macbeth), and sublimated desire (Strange Interlude). I also learned about self-reliance (Emerson) and authenticity (Salinger). Through The Pingry Record and the invaluable guidance of Patricia Lionetti, I began to learn how to write for an audience and edit other writers—skills which have been essential to my career. When I think of Pingry, I think mostly of Pat Lionetti and the community of aspiring writers she nurtured and nourished. I am still in touch with several of them, and we all look back at our time at Pingry as the start of a great and abiding intellectual journey.
As part of their college preparation, many Pingry students decide to take the AP English Literature and/or AP English Language exam. Even though Pingry does not offer an AP English course, students are wellprepared, partially because English faculty member Tom Keating offers hour-long early morning preparatory sessions for several weeks prior to the exams. “It’s a tribute to the English department faculty members that our English curriculum, combined with these intensive preparatory sessions, is sufficient for our students—who love literature—to take these exams and perform well,” Mr. Keating says. In the spring of 2009, 91 students sat for the English Language exam—51 percent earned a “5,” the highest possible score, and 32 percent earned a “4.” Fifty-two students sat for the English Literature exam—38 percent earned a “5,” and 38 percent earned a “4.” Another major contributor to the tradition of academic excellence at Pingry is faculty members’ professional development, overseen by Mrs. Geacintov. She leads the mentoring and peer coaching programs, meets annually with every Martinsville Campus faculty member to develop short-term and long-term goals, and meets with Lower School mentors and peer coaches.
She focuses on skills, habits of mind (such as analytical skills), and proficiencies that students need for the 21st century. Various methods of assessment are also analyzed for their purpose, desired results, and benefits for the learning process. “Assessment should be a tool for learning. It should not be an end in itself,” Mrs. Geacintov says. In addition, every year, each faculty member spends one full day visiting a public or private school of his or her choice to learn about pedagogy, other schools’ offerings, assessment programs for students, and how those schools foster professional growth for their faculty. Recent visits have supported Pingry’s decisions to add homerooms to the sixth-grade schedule; integrate the ninth- and tenthgrade science programs; introduce Mandarin Chinese with a full understanding of how it might impact other languages; and implement some of the teaching methods that have proven successful for problembased mathematics. As the school continues to modify and review its curriculum, two factors are constant: Pingry will always stress the importance of rigorous college preparation and the development of the highest moral standards, both in keeping with Dr. Pingry’s original vision.
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The combination of Pingry students’ abilities in science and math—their high level of reasoning and analysis in both areas—impresses colleges and universities, as does their critical thinking in other areas, according to Director of College Counseling Tim Lear ’92. “In addition, colleges almost always highlight Pingry seniors’ writing abilities,” he says.
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Read more about Jonathan Karp in Class Notes.
2009 Waksman Student Scholars Tim Lee ’11 and Shaan Gurnani ’11 analyzed the genes from their clones from A.franciscana.
[ Excellence in academics ] explore and question, discovering Math, Reading, mathematical concepts in a way that and Writing are makes sense to them,” she says. their Specialties Another area important to Mrs. Irish All students at the Short Hills Campus, as well as their teachers, have the benefit of working with Math and Literacy Specialists, who are trained to collaborate with classroom teachers as they plan lessons, assess student growth, deliver instruction, and reflect upon their practice.
Above: Literacy Specialist Dara Reinkraut reading Debbie Bertram’s The Best Place to Read to first-grade students Top: Math Specialist Chris Irish P ’96 ’99 working with second-grade students
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Math Specialist Chris Irish P ’96 ’99 taught at Pingry for years in a selfcontained classroom before pursuing graduate study in math leadership at Bank Street College of Education. Her main goal is to guide teachers in the use of a problem-based curriculum to “pull the math out of the students” using a questioning technique that encourages students to think critically and communicate their math ideas. “The math is not in the book or a particular unit; it is in the children. We want the children to
is the development of number sense—flexibility with the number system so that number problems are more than the rote manipulation of digits in the students’ minds. “Even at a young age, children should be looking at the value of the whole problem and thinking about what a reasonable answer would be. They should be exploring the relationships between numbers and between the operations,” she says. For reading and writing, Literacy Specialist Dara Reinkraut earned her master’s degree and certification from the Literacy Specialist Program in the Department of Curriculum and Teaching at the Teachers College of Columbia University. Last year, she also participated in their Institute on Literacy Coaching and WholeSchool Reform. Her main goal is for the students to develop long-term skills and strategies for use across disciplines and throughout their lives. For example, when the students read fiction, she wants to ensure that instruction focuses on developing theories about the behavior and motivation of characters. The students are taught to actively engage with the text and communicate their ideas both orally and in writing. As the students develop their skills, Ms. Reinkraut wants them to be in control. “Our job as teachers is to help students develop a repertoire of skills they can use to improve the quality of their reading and writing. Classrooms should be child-centered so the students feel ownership. Educators need to model strategies, provide opportunities for practice, and offer feedback, but students should decide when, where, and how to incorporate their learning. Deepening literacy is a continual progression and we should all be comfortable with the fact that
students are growing in the process,” she says. An important aspect of the specialists’ responsibilities, as Lower School Director Ted Corvino, Sr. P ’94, ’97, ’02 explains, is that they work directly with the teachers and students in the classrooms. “Pingry made a commitment to hire two full-time specialists, who are experts in their fields, to keep current with all of the latest professional studies and to observe, record, and evaluate our programs to make sure they are meeting our students’ needs,” he says.
Six Disciplines Unite for Seven Days to Investigate China Taking her cue from Pingry’s trip to China in March 2008, Social Studies faculty member Cathy Everett coordinates “Team China” at the Short Hills Campus. Fifth-grade students experience the culture through history, technology, poetry, and art… learning about the Great Wall, Silk Road, and other treasures of Chinese civilization. The new unit resulted from a collaboration of teachers discovering intersections between disciplines that would enrich student learning. “The goal is for the team [of teachers] to join hearts and minds to provide the children with an appreciation for this most intriguing ancient culture,” Mrs. Everett says. She introduces China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang Di, whose reforms endured for centuries and whose terra cotta warriors are one of the greatest archaeological finds of modern times. During library classes with Ann D’Innocenzo, each student researches an ancient invention, such as the umbrella, then uses the information and images in technology classes with Susan Ferris Rights to create a fourslide PowerPoint presentation that outlines and explains the invention.
They see first-hand that art itself is also language,” Ms. Baydin says. Mrs. Ferris Rights believes that the project thrives because of the students’ and faculty members’ creativity. “Intellectual experiences like this are the reason that I teach and that I teach at Pingry,” she says.
As the Lower School students created these Brush Paintings in Lindsay Baydin’s art class, they kept this Chinese saying in mind: from heart to arm. . .to hand. . .to brush. . .to paper.
Chinese writing and speaking are guided by Lower School Assistant Director Carolyn Gibson P ’03 and faculty member Helen Biffen, respectively. Mrs. Gibson introduces simple characters, the concept of ideographs (characters that convey meanings without relying on sounds), and Tang Dynasty poetry. Mrs. Biffen, whose family is Chinese, assists with pronunciation.
Students also choose a character relating to nature and design a scroll made from rice paper that incorporates three elements: the character itself, an image of the character’s meaning, and a printed red signature seal called a Chinese “chop.” “Students learn that Chinese characters originated as images.
Opera and Pingry’s curriculum share an attribute: the blending of multiple components. As part of an interdisciplinary effort called “Project Opera,” fifth-grade students write and perform their own opera. Music faculty member Tom Berdos wanted to create a project that would initially encompass music, social studies, and English. In “Project Opera,” students learn operatic vocabulary, write their libretto based on Greek myths, and create melodies on the computer. The students sing the choruses and arias that they compose and play the music with recorders and chimes, and the band and strings perform the overture.
She also wants the stories to make sense to the students. “Kids should feel the universality of the myth and apply it to their lives. They function as the Greek chorus, making moral commentary through the songs. The project is intended to deepen their understanding of abstract themes, mood, and tone in literature and tie that to something concrete, like music,” she says. The first two operas were based on Pandora’s Box and Echo and Narcissus. This initiative also fulfills the National Standards for Music Education, established by MENC, The National Association for Music Education (originally the Music Educators National Conference). These standards include singing and performing a varied repertoire; composing and arranging; and understanding the relationships between music and other disciplines. “Creating an opera reveals the students’ talents, and it’s a great opportunity to build students’ conceptions of their own gifts, such as writing poetry and choreographing dance. ‘Project Opera’ is a great character and confidence builder,” Mr. Berdos says.
Social Studies faculty member Cathy Everett introduces myths to students as marvelous tales of gods and goddesses and those connected with them. Myths allow a glimpse into the life of ancient times with all of their belief systems. They portray mankind’s struggles throughout the ages and the need to explain the mysteries of life. The moral dilemmas are discussed, as well as their universality and entertainment value. This way, the students understand the concept of myths before adapting the Lower School students singing the opera’s lead roles and story to a libretto. performing the music on recorders
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The spontaneous tradition of Brush Painting with bamboo brushes, rice paper, and ink is the focus of art classes with Lindsay Baydin, who encourages the students to remember the Chinese expression “from heart to arm…to hand…to brush…to paper.” “Students learn to think first and then paint boldly, unable to make corrections, allowing the movement of their brush strokes to become the life, energy, or Ch’i of the painting,” Ms. Baydin says.
Where are Today’s Newest Operas Being Composed? In Short Hills
Each myth is usually recommended by Lower School Assistant Director Carolyn Gibson P ’03. Because each opera features three female leads and three male leads, Mrs. Gibson looks for myths with strong male and female characters.
[ Excellence in academics ] Science Students Pursue Graduate-Level Knowledge – and Receive an Extraordinary Honor This past spring, a select group of Pingry’s science students earned the same distinction as scientists from international universities and medical schools, including the Indiana University School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and Dartmouth Medical School. These students were members of the S.M.A.R.T. (Students Modeling a Research Topic) Team, which was recognized by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) as a Best Poster Honoree in one of the 12 scientific categories at the ASBMB Annual Meeting in New Orleans in April 2009. The category for Pingry’s poster was “Gene Regulation: Transcription Initiation and Elongation.” Pingry was the only secondary school on the list of winners. “With this award we have pushed Pingry to a new level of achievement,” says Pingry science faculty member and S.M.A.R.T. Team Advisor Deirdre O’Mara. Members of Pingry’s 2008-09 S.M.A.R.T. Team were Susan
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A physical protein model generated by 3-D printing
1st row, from left: Ashley Feng ’11, Victoria Wei ’11, and Kathryn Kolb ’11. 2nd row, from left: Vitor Oliveira ’11, science faculty member and S.M.A.R.T. Team Advisor Deirdre O’Mara, Andrew Young ’11, Stephanie Hanchuk ’11, and Susan Contess ’11.
Contess ’11, Ashley Feng ’11, Stephanie Hanchuk ’11, Kathryn Kolb ’11, Vitor Oliveira ’11, Victoria Wei ’11, and Andrew Young ’11. “Sophomore year is the best year for students to participate on the S.M.A.R.T. Team because they have taken biology the previous year,” Ms. O’Mara says. S.M.A.R.T. was started by Dr. Tim Herman at the Center for BioMolecular Modeling at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, and Pingry’s first team was formed in the 2003-04 academic year.
Joining the S.M.A.R.T. Team is itself an honor because students have to submit an application that demonstrates their understanding of certain biological subjects. Ms. O’Mara and Tommie Hata, another Pingry science faculty member and S.M.A.R.T. Team advisor, want the students to benefit from unique scientific experiences and perspectives, which they gain by interacting with scientists. An essential element of the program is 3-D printing. The Milwaukee
The S.M.A.R.T. Team’s winning poster
Pingry’s cooperating scientist for 2008-09 was Dr. Ann Stock, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator and professor of biochemistry at the University
of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at Rutgers University. One of Pingry’s previous mentors in the S.M.A.R.T. program recommended her, and she accepted Pingry’s request to collaborate with its students. “It was a huge coup for us to work with her,” Ms. O’Mara says. Dr. Stock is interested in signal transduction, a process by which a cell converts one kind of signal into another. Based on their research, Pingry’s students created a poster that illustrates the function of the protein, the lab’s experiments to discover how the protein works, and how the students translated their knowledge into the physical design. They submitted the poster at the Experimental Biology Conference, of which ASBMB is a member. Pingry has taken students to this conference
for four consecutive years because there are 20,000 to 30,000 scientists represented, with thousands of posters on view. The poster and conference are integral to the S.M.A.R.T. Team. “We feel that science that is not communicated to others is useless. If you can’t communicate to others the significance of what you’re doing, you don’t really understand what you’re doing. We force [the students] to communicate,” Mr. Hata says. In just a few years, Pingry students have already made an impression in the field, evidenced by one consistent comment from researchers. “They cannot believe our students are sophomores in high school. The students are very well-versed in the structure and function of these proteins, and they have accumulated a level of knowledge comparable to graduate students,” Ms. O’Mara says.
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School of Engineering houses the printer and offers a workshop, which Mr. Hata attended during the summer of 2003. Since then, Pingry has been contacting a local scientist each year to communicate with students about a protein or enzyme that the scientist is investigating in his or her lab. The students meet with the scientist and translate their understanding of how the protein works into a physical design highlighted by different colors and features that represent their interpretations of the protein’s function and structure. The final model is brought to life using the 3-D printing, to which many scientists do not have access.
[ Excellence in academics ] New Programs Will Allow Students to Travel the Globe When a Pingry student wants to study abroad, where can he or she travel— perhaps Costa Rica, China, or South Africa? The possibilities are almost limitless, considering the semester and summer programs that currently exist, like the Rocky Mountain Semester and Global Youth Leadership Institute. The school created the position of Director of Global Programs to oversee and develop programs that address Pingry’s strategic goal of extending education beyond the borders of the campus. Sara Boisvert, who served as Pingry’s Director of Admission from 2001 to 2007, returned to Pingry in February 2009 in this new position. She had worked for 18 months at the Rift Valley Children’s Village in Oldeani, Tanzania, as volunteer coordinator and education director. She had originally volunteered at the orphanage for a month during the summer of 2006.
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She will synthesize several elements: Pingry’s strategic plan, which includes global relevance for the curriculum; experiential learning; community service; and foreign languages. Pingry wants to find locations that will expose students to other lifestyles; help make them global citizens; give them an expanded world perspective; and prepare them for the knowledge and skill sets they will need to succeed in a global economy. One element of the program will be to encourage students to participate in a semester program away from Pingry; during the 2009-10 academic year, six students will be involved in semester programs. “Part of the challenge is finding and researching programs that will meet Pingry’s academic standards and keep the students on track with their course requirements,” Ms. Boisvert says.
Director of Global Programs Sara Boisvert in Sudan. She is joined by a female student at Yei Girls Boarding School in Yei, Sudan. The student’s educational fees are paid by NESEI (New Sudan Education Initiative), which was founded by Robert Lair ’80.
In the summer of 2009, she participated in the George School’s community service trip to China, where she learned more about how Pingry could operate an international service learning trip. She also traveled with Sustainable Horizon to Costa Rica to investigate the potential for a similar trip to that country. Both of these experiences have the potential to become student opportunities in the summer of 2010. This past September, Ms. Boisvert visited South Africa to investigate connections with the African Leadership Academy and visit with Emma Carver ’09 and Christina Vanech ’09, who, as part of their gap years, are volunteering with the Global Literacy Project in Johannesburg. She also visited the Sudan, where she researched a possible collaboration with Robert Lair ’80 (as co-director of the New Sudan Education Initiative, NESEI, Mr. Lair has helped bring education to Sudan, as featured in the Summer/Fall 2008 issue of The Pingry Review). Those trips may result in a student visit to South Africa and a faculty trip to the Sudan. Generally, students’ trips will take place during the summer of the freshman, sophomore, or junior year, or
students may choose to expand a service experience into a gap year; the latter can be helpful for a student’s development, as Headmaster Nat Conard P ’09, ’11 explains. “Not all kids should be going straight to college [after high school] because they are not going to get as much out of college as they would if they did something else for a year. They have been on this [education treadmill] for 13 years. A lot of kids need that opportunity to gain some perspective on what life is like outside of New Jersey,” he says. Along with travel programs for students, Mr. Conard and Ms. Boisvert would like to develop partnerships with schools in locations that are significant to the world and have connections within the Pingry community. They would also like to involve the faculty. “I have always been interested in the opportunity for teachers to have an exchange,” Mr. Conard says. “They could teach in another country for a short period of time and bring back to Pingry what they learned.” As Pingry continues to look for locations and programs, Ms. Boisvert welcomes assistance and ideas. She can be reached at sboisvert@pingry.org.
Show Them the Money … Pingry Implements Financial Literacy When she joined Pingry in 1995, faculty member Leslie Wolfson introduced personal finance in her social studies classes. Two years later, thanks to a gift from Thomas Rooke ’74 P ’02, 04 and his wife, Trustee Alice Rooke, Pingry’s Finance Café was born. This program allows Ms. Wolfson to arrange for a speaker to address the student body each year about a financial topic. Speakers have included Hilton Jervey ’57 P ’78, ’82, former Trustee Joseph Plumeri II P ’96, Jonathan Goldstein ’89, Nick Sarro-Waite ’99, John Connor, Jr. ’59 P ’92, former Trustee Brian Bristol, Ph.D. ’69, University of Chicago Professor Charles Wheelan, and Prince Cedza Dlamini.
Exchange, and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
In addition, Ms. Wolfson has purchased a subscription to the Wall Street Journal and books about business, economics, and finance, and she has coordinated class trips to Merrill Lynch, the New York Stock
“It is imperative that students understand their financial responsibilities. Arming our students with basic financial knowledge beginning at a young age is the first and most important step that Pingry can take to
Now, Pingry has added Financial Literacy to the curriculum, starting in Grade 6. This program, funded for four years, was made possible by a gift from the John S. Scurci Foundation and the family of Julian Scurci ’99 (see profile on page 20). Pingry is hoping that others will provide more funding for this new initiative.
ensure that our graduates will be prepared to be the most successful participants in and contributors to the economy,” says Ms. Wolfson, Financial Literacy Coordinator. Sixth-grade students are studying Financial Literacy within a block of time reserved for co-curricular classes. Every student will take the class each day for six weeks, learning about budgeting, taxes, and credit cards, among other topics. For students in Grades 7-12, Financial Literacy has been incorporated into their math and economics classes; Upper School students are learning about revenue, compound interest, trends in stock prices, and the history of banking laws. A stand-alone course for Grade 9 is planned for next fall. Those students in the Economics and A.P. Economics classes will continue to cover the financial planning topics that have been a regular part of their course curriculum. For information on financially supporting this program, contact Mary Jane Gallagher at mgallagh@pingry.org. students in Kindergarten through Grade 8 at the Whitby School in Greenwich, Conn.
(Mandarin Chinese Comes to Pingry)
“We heard from parents who either have business interests in China or who recognize, through their heritage or careers, the import of being able to communicate with the 1.3 billion people who live in China. Plus, the importance of cultural insight is hard to overstate,” says Headmaster Nat Conard P ’09, ’11. Foreign Language Department Chair Norman LaValette P ’04 believes
Mandarin will be valuable for Pingry’s students. “Interest in Chinese culture is rising around the world, and China’s outlook toward the rest of the world has also been more open. There should be more reciprocal cultural exchange and exchanges in ideas and innovation in the near future,” Mr. LaValette says. Middle School students were first exposed to Mandarin in an afterschool enrichment program during the 2008-09 academic year. “Pingry has talented and ambitious students who are taking a different approach to writing and thinking about language,” says Middle School Director Phil Cox. Joining Pingry to teach Mandarin is Weiwei Yu, who most recently developed a Chinese program for
She also decided to teach simplified Chinese characters and use Pinyin, a phonetics system, because these are widely used in the Chinese-speaking world. Students will be exposed to traditional Chinese characters (which require more complex strokes than simplified characters) when they reach a certain level proficiency in reading and writing. For information on how to financially support Pingry’s new Mandarin program, please contact Melanie Hoffmann at mhoffmann@pingry.org.
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Pingry has expanded its foreign language curriculum to include Mandarin Chinese as a world language choice for incoming sixthand ninth-grade students. Two major factors contributed to its arrival: China’s significance to the world and inquiries from Pingry parents, including those who are of ChineseAmerican heritage.
“It is important to integrate the language learning into real application as early as possible, such as pen pal communication with Chinese-language learners at other schools and with native Chinese students in China. This way, students may feel more motivated since they can do the real communication in Mandarin Chinese,” Ms. Yu says.
[ PHILANTHROPY ] Giving Back to Ensure that Students Learn from Recent Financial Headlines As far as Julian Scurci ’99 is concerned, there are always new skills that Pingry students can learn and then apply to the world after academia. Money management is one of those skills. Thus, Pingry’s new financial literacy program (see article on page 19), intended to help bridge the gap between academia and the outside world, is made possible by a gift from the John S. Scurci Foundation and the family of Julian Scurci ’99.
Pingry was able to introduce the Finance Café in 1997 through the generosity of Thomas Rooke ’74 P ’02, ’04 and his wife, Trustee Alice Rooke. This program features an annual presentation by a guest speaker on the subject of personal finance, a practical area of study that the Rookes feel needs to be part of a student’s education.
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“Whether a student is aspiring to be a writer, doctor, or investment banker, everyone can benefit from understanding how to save, invest, and manage their personal finances.” ...........................
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“The purpose of this financial literacy program is to provide all students with fundamental tools to be sound financial stewards in their own lives—regardless of their future professions. Whether a student is aspiring to be a writer, doctor, or investment banker, everyone can benefit from understanding how to save, invest, and manage their personal finances,” Mr. Scurci says.
the pingry review
Furthermore, Mr. Scurci refers to the past year’s economic crisis and the fact that students, in order to live financially-healthy lives, need to understand basic financial concepts. Funding for the financial literacy program is Pingry’s second major gift from the Scurci family in the past five years. In December 2004, they endowed the Scurci Family Scholarship to support “students in need of financial aid who demonstrate a capacity for leadership in
Making a Place for Personal Finance in the Curriculum
Julian Scurci ’99
extracurricular involvements in addition to excelling in academics.” In addition, Mr. Scurci has been active with Pingry in other ways during the past decade, including serving as a class agent, assisting with the fundraising and organization of his 5- and 10-year reunions, and working to increase the scope of his family’s foundation giving to Pingry each year. He credits his active involvement as an alumnus to Pingry’s life-changing impact. “I consider the education I received, the leadership opportunities I experienced, and the lessons of Pingry’s Honor Code to be the most transformative influences in my life. I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the talent of the faculty members. Without the opportunities afforded to me by a Pingry education, I would not be where I am today,” he says. Mr. Scurci is a senior associate with Baceline Investments LLC, a private equity firm specializing in the acquisition of distressed industrial and retail properties. After working as a securities fraud analyst at a large law firm in Washington, D.C., he attended business school and worked in ProLogis’ Investment Management group as a financial analyst on the firm’s largest open-ended privateequity development fund.
“All schools have budgetary constraints when deciding what courses will be offered. It has been Allie’s and my intention to make that decision process a bit easier by directing financial support toward the promotion of literacy in personal finance. We have an obligation to educate our children about personal finance,” Mr. Rooke says. ...........................
“We have an obligation to educate our children about personal finance.” ........................... However, the Rookes have been helping not only the student body, but also faculty, staff, and parents. “We have enjoyed attending [Finance Café] over the years, and credit must be given to [economics faculty member] Leslie [Wolfson] for its success, as measured by the number of hands that go up to ask the speaker a question—hands from students and parents alike,” Mr. Rooke says. The Rookes support Pingry every year because Mr. Rooke is grateful for his education, and they believe everyone has an obligation to perpetuate Pingry. “The school is succeeding at its mission. It provides a wellrounded quality education, it has a devoted and engaged faculty, and, just as important, the Pingry Honor Code instills ethical behavior,” Mr. Rooke says.
For Hauser Auditorium Organ Donors, Gifts Reflect Personal Connections Thanks to the generosity of members of the Pingry community, the school’s treasured organ has been refurbished, a process that began in the summer of 2008. The restoration included a new console with digital technology, freshly-cleaned pipes, and rewiring. Pingry will be able to enjoy the organ for decades to come, and this initiative is already helping to enhance the music program. Read more about the organ’s history, the benefits of the restoration, and the 2009 re-dedication ceremony on page 22. Trustee Ned Atwater ’63, former Trustee Martin O’Connor II ’77, P ’11, ’14, and Richard English ’42 serve on the boards of the Union Foundation, E.J. Grassmann Trust, and N.R. Leavitt Foundation—three foundations that supported the restoration effort. According to Honorary Trustee Bill Engel ’67 (who is on the Board of all three), these alumni feel a personal connection to the organ. “For those of us who attended Pingry at the Hillside Campus, the morning chapel services were an integral part of school life. Everyone remembers the organ being played during those services, and we remember the additions to the organ in the mid-1960s,” Mr. Engel says.
In June 1956, during Commencement, Mr. Pyle was one of two people who played for the dedication of the then new organ, given to Pingry in memory of Archibald Alexander Smith, Class of 1876, by his family. Music continues to be a big part of Mr. Pyle’s life, and he has continued to be involved with Pingry. “I love the school dearly and have a tremendous appreciation for everything Pingry stands for, including the Honor Code. When I read about the request for donations to help refurbish the Hauser Organ, I felt very deeply that I wanted to contribute,” he says.
’12, ’15, and they specifically highlight the musical tradition that continues to be enriched by Dr. Andrew Moore, chair of the music department. “Our connection is to Andrew Moore,” Mr. Morash says. “In addition to teaching music to our four Pingry children, he is organist and choirmaster at St. John on the Mountain Episcopal Church, where we are members. We were happy to play a small role in supporting Dr. Moore and the music tradition at Pingry.”
For Lindsay Liotta Forness ’80 P ’11 ’14, her gift reflects two key ideas: music played a major role in her life as a Pingry student, and the school exposed her to different types of music. “The organ was an integral part of that mix,” she says. “The organ certainly represents a traditional side of Pingry, but its involvement in all parts of the music program has always made it a valuable and modern tool, as well.” Pingry’s longstanding commitment to the arts impresses current parents Daniel and Diane Morash P ’08, ’09,
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The organ played an especially important role for Bob Pyle, Jr. ’56 P ’91, a former Pingry Trustee and former president of the Pingry Alumni Association. Initially a pianist for the Glee Club during his freshman and sophomore years, he was offered the opportunity to teach himself to play the organ when music faculty member Roy Shrewsbury left the school. Mr. Pyle became Pingry’s student organist for chapel services, and he performed every morning from the middle of his sophomore year until he graduated. “It was a big, but most enjoyable, responsibility,” he says.
Bob Pyle, Jr. ’56 P ’91 and Dr. Andrew Moore
Lindsay Liotta Forness ’80 P ’11, ’14
[ School News ] The Next Half-Century Begins for Pingry’s Organ Mr. duBourg also purchased the European pipe work.
Dr. Andrew Moore playing the organ at the Re-Dedication Ceremony
An unmistakably majestic sound at Pingry has enhanced Convocation, Commencement, and concerts for a half-century: the Hauser Auditorium Organ. For the first time since the 1950s, the organ has been refurbished, thanks to several gifts to the school (see article on page 21). The re-building was completed by Emery Brothers, and Allen Organ Company built the console and digital stops.
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The original organ was built by M.P. Möller, Inc. of Hagerstown, Maryland—under the supervision of former Pingry physics and music faculty member Antoine duBourg—and installed in the chapel at the Hillside Campus in 1956. It had been donated to Pingry by former Board Chair Chester F. Smith, Class of 1908, in memory of family member Archibald Alexander Smith, Class of 1876.
the pingry review
During the summer of 1965, Mr. duBourg and his physics students expanded the organ, which was dedicated to English faculty member Casmir A. France, who taught at Pingry from 1924 to 1964. Among the students who played the organ was the late Stu Lavey ’63, a former Pingry Trustee and president of the Pingry Alumni Association. In 1983, the organ was moved to the Martinsville Campus and re-assembled by Mr. duBourg’s physics class.
As a result of the most recent restoration, the original console was replaced, as were thousands of wires, valves, and reservoirs that control the pipes. One of the new features is automatic playback—a computer system enables the soloist to record anything he or she performs and re-play it. The wiring system allows the console to be placed anywhere onstage because of multiple hook-ups, and the pipe work has been cleaned or restored, with some pipes added. Another major benefit is that more students can learn to play the organ because each performer can save his
or her settings for individual pieces, and that saves time. “It’s like a new instrument, and its flexibility is incredible. For the next 50 or 60 years, the organ is going to be fully functioning and reliable,” says Dr. Andrew Moore, chair of Pingry’s music department. To celebrate, a Re-Dedication Ceremony took place at the Martinsville Campus on September 25, 2009. Video cameras were placed onstage so the audience could watch close-ups of the foot pedals and keyboard. Dr. Moore performed music by J.S. Bach, including selections intended to demonstrate the organ’s new capabilities, such as digital bells. Among the selections was the famous Toccata and Fugue in D Minor.
Pingry’s Athletics Program Begins a New Era New rivalries … renewed rivalries … more exposure in the Courier News … a higher level of competition. These are some of the benefits and challenges for Pingry’s athletic teams since the school moved from the Colonial Hills Conference to the Skyland Conference this fall. Skyland consists of 23 public, private, and parochial schools based mostly in Somerset and Hunterdon Counties. “Joining the Skyland Conference [after spending 14 years in the Colonial Hills Conference] represents a huge turning point for Pingry’s athletic teams. The Skyland Conference is one of the most respected, as well as competitive, conferences in New Jersey,” says Director of Athletics Gerry Vanasse P ’14. The switch from the Colonial Hills Conference, which no longer exists, was based on the results of a committee that was established by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) during the 2007-08 academic year. The group realigned over 200 high schools to try to balance the level
of competition within conferences— factoring in the strength of each school’s program—and establish better geography to reduce the travel time between schools. Most of Pingry’s teams have moved to the Skyland Conference. Squash, water polo, skiing, and girls’ ice hockey are not included in Skyland, so those teams’ affiliations remain unchanged. However, Skyland includes more sports than Colonial Hills, so fencing and lacrosse can now compete for conference championships. Skyland also emphasizes leadership and sportsmanship, so Mr. Vanasse and student representatives from Pingry’s varsity teams will attend pre-season leadership seminars. “I truly think that this change [in conferences] will benefit the Pingry community and take the entire athletics program to a new level of excitement,” Mr. Vanasse says.
Pingry’s Class of 2009: A New Chapter Begins The 130 members of Pingry’s Class of 2009 are attending 67 different schools. There is at least one Pingry graduate in the freshman class of each Ivy League university, and there are 15 schools matriculating at least three students from Pingry’s Class of 2009. Seven members of the class have chosen to pursue gap years of service, travel, and work experience before resuming their academic careers in the fall of 2010 at the schools they have selected. Twenty-four students planned to participate in Division I or Division III sports. Eighty-five percent of the class applied early, and 82 percent of those were admitted early. Fifty-seven percent of the class applied under Early Decision I or Early Decision II, and 60 percent of those applicants were admitted. This list includes the schools where the gap year participants have chosen to enroll. The number in parenthesis indicates the number of Pingry students from the Class of 2009 who have chosen to attend each school. In many cases, the number of students who were accepted by a college is greater than the number of students who are attending that college.
Kenyon College (2) Lafayette College (5) Lehigh University (4) Middlebury College (2) Montclair State University (1) Muhlenberg College (1) New York University (3) Northwestern University (1) Occidental College (1) Pitzer College (2) Princeton University (5) Rice University (1) Sarah Lawrence College (1) Skidmore College (1) Stanford University (1) Swarthmore College (1) Syracuse University (3) Temple University (1) Trinity College (1) Tufts University (2) Tulane University (1) University of Chicago (1) University of Notre Dame (1) University of Pennsylvania (9) University of Southern California (1) University of Vermont (2) University of Virginia (1) Vanderbilt University (4) Villanova University (2) Wake Forest University (2) Washington and Lee University (1) Wellesley College (1) Wesleyan University (1) Yale University (2)
Seven members of Pingry’s Class of 2009 are participating in “gap years” before starting college. Gap years are not the same as “fifth years” or “post-graduate” years when students enroll at another school for one year before moving to college. Gap year students have completed the college admission process and selected the school where they will enroll in the fall of 2010. In many cases, students use the year to expand their Independent Study Projects, continue a volunteer project, or mature for college athletics. For example, Christina Vanech ’09 and Emma Carver ’09 have been working as teachers’ assistants for a sixth-grade class in a South African school where they previously completed projects with the Global Literacy Project. Maddy Popkin ’09 is in Peru, volunteering with Kiya Survivors and working in one of Kiya’s schools for specialneeds children. “I want to learn in a different environment than a classroom, I’m excited about Spanish and hope to gain a lot from being immersed in the language and culture, and I want to explore the world of public health and service before I devote my college education to it,” Ms. Popkin says. The Pingry Review is planning an article that will further describe these students’ gap years and how the experiences enriched their preparation for college and beyond.
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Amherst College (1) Avon Old Farms School (1) Barnard College (1) Boston College (3) Brown University (2) Bryn Mawr College (1) Bucknell University (4) Carleton College (1) Carnegie Mellon University (1) Claremont McKenna College (1) Clemson University (1) Colby College (1) Colgate University (2) College of the Holy Cross (2) College of William and Mary (3) Colorado College (1) Columbia University (1) Connecticut College (1) Cornell University (4) Dartmouth College (1) Davidson College (2) Dickinson College (1) Duke University (3) Elon University (2) Franklin & Marshall College (1) Georgetown University (4) George Washington University (3) Grinnell College (1) Harvard University (2) Hamilton College (5) High Point University (1) Hobart and William Smith Colleges (1) Johns Hopkins University (2)
Gap Years: More Time to Experience the World
[ School News ]
Class of 2009 Graduates in 148th Commencement Ceremony
On June 7, 2009, the 130 members of the Class of 2009 received their diplomas in a graduation ceremony at the Martinsville Campus. Pingry faculty members, Trustees, and the graduates’ families attended.
1 Class President Jack Muller ’09 2 Retiring Trustee Anne DeLaney
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’79 P ’09, ’11, ’14 receiving The Cyril and Beatrice Baldwin Pingry Family Citizen of the Year Award from Chair of the Board Jack Brescher ’65, P ’99. The award is presented to members of the Pingry family who, in rendering meritorious service to the community, have demonstrated those qualities of responsible citizenship that Pingry aspires to instill in all of those associated with the school. Ms. DeLaney served on the Board of Trustees from 1994 to 2009 and,
with her husband, Chip Carver ’77, established the Carver/DeLaney Baseball and Field Hockey Endowment Fund
3 Valedictorian Christine Willinger ’09 and Headmaster Nat Conard P ’09, ’11
4 Student Body President
Giancarlo Riotto ’09 received two awards: the Magistri Laudandi Award, for being the student who cares the most about helping others succeed, and The Class of 1902 Emblem Award, for having the most commitment to the school.
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5 From left: Grant Palmer ’09, Brooke Conti ’09, Maynard Pond ’09, and Elizabeth Roberts ’09
6 Yaadira Brown ’09 with her godmother Sherri Edwards and uncle William Edwards
7 From left: Assistant Director of
Admission and Coordinator of Multicultural Outreach Diana Artis, her daughter Maya Artis ’09, and Grade 1 faculty member Heather Smith-Willis
8 From left: Joel Behrman ’09,
Catherine Lipper ’09, Daniel Kissel ’09, and Martha Johnson ’09
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9 From left: Taylor Demkin ’09,
Christina Daquila ’09, Eliza Ricciardi ’09, Meghan Finlayson ’09, Julia Donnantuono ’09, Maja Feenick ’09, and Cameron Lan ’09
10 A “Legacy Photo” with members of the Class of 2009 and their parents, who also graduated from Pingry Sitting, from left: Natasha Welch ’09, Gregory Gianis ’09, William Weldon ’09, Catherine Lipper ’09, Emma Carver ’09, James White, Jr. ’09, and John Holman ’09
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Standing, from left: Former Trustee Susan Barba Welch ’77 P ’06, ’09, ’11, ’13, ’16, John Gianis ’73 P ’03, ’06, ’09, William Weldon ’72 P ’09, ’11, Trustee and PAA President Steve Lipper ’79 P ’09, ’12, ’14, Trustee Anne DeLaney ’79 P ’09, ’11, ’14, and her husband Calvin Carver, Jr. ’77 P ’09, ’11, ’14, Trustee John Holman III ’79 P ’09, ’11, ’14, and Honorary Trustee John Holman, Jr. ’55 P ’79 (not pictured: Trustee Park Smith ’50, grandfather of James White, Jr. ’09)
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[ School News ] Faculty and Staff News Adjunct drama faculty member Jane Asch P ’04 received a 2009 Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Award for Outstanding Scenic Achievement for Les Misérables, Pingry’s winter musical in February 2009. In addition, Kaela O’Connor ’11 was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in the musical, and Sarah Muirhead ’11 received Honorable Mention for Best Supporting Actress. The Rising Star Awards for Excellence in High School Musical Theater recognize 100 productions from around New Jersey. Boys’ Varsity Soccer Head Coach Miller Bugliari ’52 P ’86, ’90, ’97 was profiled on MSG Varsity, the MSG (Madison Square Garden) Network’s new television channel dedicated to high school sports. Coach Bugliari was also interviewed by the Courier News for an article published on October 13, 2009, in honor of his 50th season coaching the boys’ soccer team.
grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to travel with the China Institute to Xi’an in July 2009. The summer institute, “From Chang’an to Xi’an: Ancient Capital to Modern Metropolis,” focused on the artistic and cultural history of China, especially Xi’an. Mr. CrowleyDelman’s group took Chinese lessons and visited many historic sites. In addition to applying the experience to his history classes, Mr. CrowleyDelman will add a lesson plan to the China Institute’s web site—a lesson plan focusing on the cultural diffusion of central-Asian Muslim culture in the ancient capital of China. Melanie Hoffmann P ’20 has been named Director of Institutional Advancement after serving as Director of Development since 2005. Ms. Hoffmann oversees Pingry’s Development, Alumni Relations, and Communications Departments.
History faculty member John Crowley-Delman ’97 received a
26 the pingry review John Crowley-Delman ’97 at the Great Mosque in Xi’an, China
The National Federation of High Schools Association selected mathematics faculty member and Boys’ Varsity
Swimming Head Coach Bill Reichle P ’00 as New Jersey’s “Coach of the Year” for Boys’ Swimming & Diving for the 2008-09 season. Fine arts faculty member Laurinda Stockwell earned “Best in Show” in the professional category of the 17th Annual Phillips’ Mill Photographic Exhibition, which took place in New Hope, Pa. in June 2009. She won for Bird Dreaming, Milagros, and Space Boys, which belong to a larger series that explores the themes of decay and regeneration in the natural world and the ways that humans are part of that natural cycle. The next issue of The Pingry Review will profile Ms. Stockwell, whose work is being showcased in several exhibits across the country. History faculty member Mike Webster was named the 2009 Courier News “Boys Lacrosse Coach of the Year.” Mr. Webster has been Head Coach of the Pingry Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse Team for 21 years, and he is also a member of the New Jersey Scholastic Coaches Association’s (NJSCA) Hall of Fame.
Laurinda Stockwell’s Award-Winning Photographs
Space Boys depicts two people in perfect harmony and balance.
Milagros, based on religious charms, depicts the healing process through natural regeneration and supernatural belief. Ms. Stockwell placed eyes over this photograph, hoping that a friend would re-gain the full use of his eyes.
Bird Dreaming depicts death and rebirth, with a dead bird arranged as if it were dreaming—an image intended to symbolize life.
Faculty and Staff New to Pingry in 2009–2010 MARTINSVILLE: Name
Andrew B. Alfano
Department
Academic Degree
Permanent Substitute B.A. Maryville College
Diane Carroll Library Assistant for Technical Services M.L.S. Rutgers University B.A. SUNY/Oswego Igor Jasinski
German
M.A. SUNY/Stony Brook
John S. Murray ’65 P ’91
English B.A. Wesleyan University
Michelle L. Poole
Permanent Substitute B.A. Rutgers University
Lisa I. Pritchard
History B.A. Amherst College
Stephen J. Spezio Athletic Trainer/Health M.S. Seton Hall University B.S. Seton Hall University Weiwei Yu Mandarin Chinese M.A. Marquette University B.A. Nankai University
Name
Department
Academic Degree
Alicia M. Hogan ’02 Drama/Art M.A. New York University B.A. University of Southern California, L.A. Troy D. Spinetta
Physical Education B.A. East Stroudsburg University
fall / winter 2009
SHORT HILLS:
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[ School News ] Summer Fellowships Provide Further Global Perspectives Every summer since 1989, Pingry has awarded up to five faculty summer fellowships of $5,000 each, based on applications that are judged by a committee including the Headmaster and Chair of the Board of Trustees. The proposal does not have to be directly related to a teacher’s discipline, but it should contribute to making the faculty member a better teacher. Each applicant must have taught at Pingry for at least five years before the year of the award’s announcement. These are two of the fellowships that took place during the summer of 2009.
The Middle East as a Setting for Community Service Globalization is an increasingly visible aspect of the Pingry experience, and technology faculty member and Community Service Coordinator Shelley Hartz wants to bring a global perspective to Pingry’s Community Service program. Because of her desire to engage in community service outside of the United States, her personal connection to the country, and her quest to improve her Hebrew, she spent part of the summer of 2009 in Israel.
She volunteered for three weeks at ELI in Jerusalem. ELI is the Israel Association for Child Protection and is recognized by the Government of Israel and other human service agencies as the only organization in Israel that deals specifically with child abuse. They work with parents and children to help the children return home, or they arrange for foster care.
Ms. Hartz chaperoned the children’s trips to swimming pools and parks, among other places. “These children crave positive attention, and I bonded closely with them. It was a wonderful experience,” she says. Her free time allowed her to visit other parts of Israel and visit with family and friends who live there. One of the main outcomes of her trip will be collaborating with Director of Global Programs Sara Boisvert (see “New Programs Will Allow Students to Travel the Globe” on page 18) to create global outreach opportunities for Pingry’s students. “It is important to have connections to be able to achieve that global outreach. I would like to see our students visit Israel because it is a different environment and culture. Many Israelis thought it was really nice that I was there to volunteer,” Ms. Hartz says. Her ultimate goal is for Pingry’s students to have a variety of opportunities that will contribute to their personal growth so they understand the local and global impact of their volunteering.
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Making Science Fun Could be a Secret to its Success
the pingry review
Concerned that America’s young people are falling behind other countries in pursuing science as a career, chemistry faculty member Dr. Michele Parvensky spent the summer of 2009 investigating how other schools teach science differently.
Building a “tower to the sky.” ELI children helped Ms. Hartz build this tower of blocks. Even though one of the children was not very talkative, Ms. Hartz was still able to communicate with him through actions to construct the tower. “This is an important lesson for anybody doing community service. It is not the words, but rather the actions. You can communicate the message, even if you do not speak a word of the language,” she says.
She visited schools in Poland, Slovakia, Serbia, and Ukraine, where a high percentage of students pursue scientific careers. Conversations with principals and science teachers led to a number of revelations.
One of the major differences is that biology, chemistry, and physics are taught starting in Grade 5. All three courses appear on the students’ schedules every year, with each class meeting two or three times each week. Students receive workbooks in addition to their textbooks, so they learn problem-solving skills at an early age. There are numerous computers in the classrooms to aid students with these problem-solving exercises. An innovative method that Dr. Parvensky discovered is that one of the physics teachers requires his students to design their own experiments using household materials. Thus, depending on what they are studying, they bring materials from home and must film the experiment; the films are sent to Geneva and judged. In addition, the physics course includes astronomy, which excites the students, and other advanced topics. Beyond the specific classroom work, the college entrance exams in these countries utilize interdisciplinary learning. As an example, a biology student has to apply psychology to biology and vice-versa. Looking to the future, Dr. Parvensky hopes to adapt some of what she learned to her own classes. “I like the idea of incorporating that physics teacher’s requirement of household experiments into my chemistry classes—have the kids find things at home, perform the experiment, film it, and show the film at school. That would show all of the students that physics and chemistry happen all around you,” she says.
The rear of the biology room in the Gymnasium in Stropkov, Slovakia
Athletic Roundup: Spring 2009 Season Results BASEBALL: 6-11
SOFTBALL: 5-13
All Conference in Colonial Hills: Conor Starr (1st team), Daniel Keller, James Tilson (Honorable Mentions) Courier News All Area: Daniel Keller, Conor Starr (Honorable Mentions)
All Conference in Colonial Hills: Maja Feenick (1st team), Cassie Osterman (2nd team), Emma Carver, Rebecca Hamm Conard (Honorable Mentions)
BOYS’ GOLF: 15-4
GIRLS’ GOLF: 4-2
Colonial Hills Conference: 13-3, 2nd place SCIAA Tournament: 7th place team Colonial Hills Conference Championship: 2nd place team; James Elliott (2nd place), Will Pinke (7th place) All Conference in Colonial Hills: Will Pinke (1st team), Alex Lieberman (2nd team), James Elliott (Honorable Mention)
North Jersey Girls Golf League: 4th place team NJISAA Golf Tournament: 2nd place team; Colleen Tapen (2nd place as an individual golfer)
BOYS’ LACROSSE: 11-5
GIRLS’ LACROSSE: 7-8
NJSIAA Non-Public B Tournament: finalist Courier News All Area: Mac Cordrey, Eric Oplinger (2nd team), Brendan Newman (3rd team), Dylan Westerhold (Honorable Mention) Courier News “Coach of the Year”: Mike Webster Star-Ledger All State/All Somerset: Will Burchenal (3rd team, All Sophomore), Mac Cordrey (1st team, All Somerset), Eric Oplinger (2nd team, All Somerset), Will Burchenal, Brendan Newman (3rd team, All Somerset) All Conference Waterman Division: 2nd place team All Waterman: Eric Oplinger
SCIAA Tournament: semi-finalist Courier News All Area: Katie Parsels (2nd team)
BOYS’ TENNIS: 17-4
Colonial Hills Conference: 2nd place team All Conference in Colonial Hills: Will Klein, Nic Meiring (1st team doubles) SCIAA Tournament: 5th place team NJSIAA Non-Public A North Championship: finalist Star-Ledger State Ranking: 19th
Star-Ledger All Somerset: Will Klein, Nic Meiring (1st team), Evan Ju (3rd team) All Non-Public: Will Klein, Nic Meiring (2nd team) Courier News All Area: Will Klein, Nic Meiring (2nd team) Courier News All Area by Flight: Will Klein, Nic Meiring (3rd team), David Kerr, Brian Weiniger (Honorable Mentions)
BOYS’ TRACK: 7-0
Star-Ledger All Non-Public B: Carlton Bowers (1st team), Dan Schuchinsky (2nd team) Star-Ledger Somerset County “Boys Track Athlete of the Year”: Carlton Bowers Courier News All Area: Carlton Bowers, Dan Schuchinsky (1st team), Matt LaForgia (3rd team), David Martin, Andrew Sartorius, Grant Thomas (Honorable Mentions) Randall Jordan set a new school record in the triple jump: 42’ 2 ½”
GIRLS’ TRACK: 7-0
Colonial Hills Conference: Champions in Hills Division SCIAA Tournament: 9th place team NJISAA A Championships: 2nd place team NJSIAA Non-Public B: 6th place team
SCIAA—Somerset County Interscholastic Athletic Association NJISAA—New Jersey Independent School Athletic Association NJSIAA—New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
Courier News All Area: Danielle Cosentino, Auriel Dickey, Olivia Tarantino (Honorable Mentions) Auriel Dickey set a school record in the 100 hurdles: 15.73
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Colonial Hills Conference: Champions in Hills Division Colonial Hills Conference Championship: 2nd place team Colonial Hills Relays: 2nd place NJISAA A Championships: 3rd place team SCIAA Tournament: 7th place team SCIAA Relays: 7th place team NJSIAA Non-Public B: Champions Star-Ledger All Somerset: Carlton Bowers, Dan Schuchinsky (1st team), Randall Jordan, Matt LaForgia (2nd team), Andrew Sartorius (3rd team)
[ School News ]
Board of Trustees Welcomes Four New Members with Expertise in Environmental Conservation, Finance, Marketing, and Community Service Four current Pingry parents joined the Board of Trustees on July 1, 2009, and will serve three-year terms: Holly Hegener Cummings, Conor T. Mullett ’84, Donald C. Mullins, and Noreen C. Witte.
prepare a presentation about youth torture to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. While in South Africa, she also worked for the Bureau of Justice Assistance on a Car Hijacking Task Force, which aimed to increase dialogue between police and prosecutors to improve the conviction rate. For five years, she served as a Board member of Welgevonden Private Game Reserve in Limpopo, the northernmost province in South Africa. “[Holly’s] background, having lived in South Africa for eight years, will certainly add to both the environmental and global initiatives that the school will be undertaking,” says Jack Brescher ’65 P’99, chair of Pingry’s Board of Trustees.
30 the pingry review
Holly Hegener Cummings and her husband Jon have four children, including two attending Pingry: Sam ’14 and Max ’16. Ms. Cummings is a member of the Board of the New Jersey Conservation Foundation (NJCF), a state-wide organization dedicated to improving environmental policy and preserving open space in New Jersey. She is also a member of the Board of the Open Space Institute, which is dedicated to conservation across the east coast. Ms. Cummings graduated from Yale University in 1987 and the University of Chicago Law School in 1990. After law school, she clerked for Judge John A. Nordberg of the Northern District of Illinois before joining the Litigation Department of O’Melveny & Myers LLP in Washington, D.C. From 1994 to 2002, Ms. Cummings lived in Johannesburg, South Africa, where she helped an ANC (African National Congress) parliamentarian
Conor T. Mullett ’84 and his wife Claudia have three children, including current Pingry students Griffin ’15 and Liam ’14. Mr. Mullett is a founder and General Partner of the private equity firm Updata Partners, whose principal focus is on investing growth and expansion capital in high-growth software, Internet, and information businesses. Updata Partners currently manages capital from leading institutional investors
such as Harvard University, TIAACREF, and other top-tier endowments and pensions. He has also worked for Samuel Montagu, GE Capital, and William E. Simon & Sons. Mr. Mullett earned his bachelor’s degree at the College of William and Mary and his master’s degree at Columbia Business School. He has served on numerous boards and is involved with several Updata portfolio companies. In 2004, he was selected by NJBIZ as a member of “40 Under 40,” a list of the leading young executives in New Jersey. Two years later, he was named “Financier of the Year” by the New Jersey Technology Council. “Both [Conor’s] work experience in the financial area as well as his perspective as a parent and alumnus of the school will be a tremendous addition to the Board,” Mr. Brescher says.
Donald C. Mullins, Jr. and his wife Crystal are the parents of two Pingry children: Natalie ’15 and Noelle ’20. Mr. Mullins has worked as a parent volunteer for The Pingry Fund for five years and has been involved in Pingry’s student recruiting efforts, including Open Houses at the Short
Hills Campus. Since 1998, Mr. Mullins has been a board member at the Harlem, New York-based Harlem-Dowling West Side Center for Children and Family Services, a center that provides foster care, adoption, and a variety of services to families in crisis. He is Vice President of Attucks Asset Management, LLC, where he focuses on the firm’s marketing efforts. Mr. Mullins previously spearheaded the marketing and client service effort for Stux Capital Management, an investment advisor that manages equity investments for institutional investors. Prior to joining Stux Capital, he was Director of Marketing at Piedmont Investment Advisors, LLC, and he has held investment management marketing positions with Lipper & Co., LP and Prudential Asset Management Group. Mr. Mullins, who attended
Howard University, earned his B.S. in computer information systems at Jacksonville University and his M.B.A. at the University of Michigan. “[Don’s] work in finance and marketing and his experience participating in activities as a volunteer will bring a tremendous dimension to the Board dynamic,” Mr. Brescher says. Noreen C. Witte and her husband Tom ’83 have two children attending Pingry: Nicole ’13 and Christopher ’16. Ms. Witte is the new president of the Pingry School Parents’ Association (PSPA). Along with her role at Pingry, Ms. Witte has volunteered for FOP, the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, Summit Red Cross, Trinitas Hospital, and Saint Mary’s Stony Hill. For seven years, she was the Office Manager of The Freeman
Companies. For 20 years, Ms. Witte was an Irish dancer. “Noreen works very hard and very effectively for the PSPA. Her insights in that capacity will help provide an even closer liaison between the PSPA and the Board of Trustees,” Mr. Brescher says.
The Board of Trustees
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1st row, from left: Denise E. Vanech P ’09, Alice F. Rooke P ’02, ’04, Barry L. Zubrow P ’10, Miriam T. Esteve P ’09, ’11, ’19, Henry G. Stifel III ’83, Audrey M. Wilf P ’02, ’04, ’13, Edward S. Atwater IV ’63, Noreen C. Witte P ’13, ’16, and Deborah J. Barker P ’12, ’16. 2nd row, from left: Terence M. O’Toole P ’05, ’08, Harold W. Borden ’62, Board Chair John B. Brescher, Jr. ’65, P ’99, Steven M. Lipper ’79, P ’09, ’12, ’14, Donald C. Mullins, Jr. P ’15, ’20, Jeffrey N. Edwards ’78, P ’12, ’14, Conor T. Mullett ’84, P ’14, ’15, John W. Holman III ’79, P ’09, ’11, ’14, Park B. Smith ’50, and Ian S. Shrank ’71. Not pictured: Holly Hegener Cummings P ’14, ’16, Dr. William D. Ju P ’09, ’11, Dr. Dan C. Roberts P ’99, ’02, ’09, and Deryck A. Palmer P ’09.
[ School News ]
Scene Around Campus
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1 2009-10 Student Body
President William Pinke ’10 addressed the trustees, administration, faculty, staff, and students during Convocation on September 11, 2009. The ceremony, which marks the official beginning of each academic year, includes the students’ affirmations of the Honor Code.
2 This fall’s art exhibition in the 2 32 the pingry review
Hostetter Arts Center Gallery at the Martinsville Campus featured mixed media by four sculptors: Matthew Janson (pictured), Karla Cott, Elizabeth Demaray, and Crista Grauer.
3 Matteo Valente, Pingry’s AFS (American Field Service) student from Turin, Italy, was welcomed by his classmates and AFS Advisor and foreign language faculty member Kelly Jordan on September 23, 2009.
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4 Student Council Representatives in
Grades 4 and 5, under the guidance of Faculty Advisor Cathleen Everett, conducted an Honor Code Assembly on October 9, 2009. They shared homeroom discussions of the practical application of the Honor Code in their daily lives.
5 During the Honor Code Assembly,
representatives from Kindergarten through Grade 5 presented signed Honor Codes to Lower School Director Ted Corvino, Sr. P ’94, ’97, ’02, who commended the students for their ongoing efforts to uphold the values of the Honor Code.
6 “Rhythms and Rhymes in Poetry” at
the Short Hills Campus on September 25, 2009. Spoken Word Artist Lamont Dixon and Percussionist Josh Robinson presented an interdisciplinary overview of poetry and music. Mr. Dixon interpreted poems by Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou, and Robert Frost, while Mr. Robinson introduced the students to several types of drums.
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displayed about 900 postcards from the “Postcards to the Library” Summer Reading Program. Librarian Ann D’Innocenzo started the program in 2004 to encourage summer reading and keep students connected to the school during the summer. Students in Kindergarten through Grade 5 mail in one postcard for each book they read. New students also participate, establishing a rapport with Pingry before they arrive on campus.
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7 This fall, the Short Hills Campus
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[ alumni News ]
A Message from the PAA President
34 the pingry review
The benefits of an excellent education extend long after college. The education that Pingry students receive also helps prepare them for successful careers. The PAA also supports that preparation by giving the students a sampling of the possible careers that await them. We will host our annual Career Day for juniors and seniors on January 29, 2010, an opportunity for them to interact with and seek advice from alumni in various fields. It has proven a very successful event over the years.
Courtesy of Jeopardy! Productions, Inc.
As alumni, we can justifiably feel proud about the academic honors that Pingry students regularly receive. A handful of students receive extremely prestigious recognition each year, such as Presidential Awards and National Merit Scholarships, and an impressive and sizable portion of each senior class is also honored as AP Scholars and National Merit Commended Students. Commitment to excellence is Pingry’s ever-ascending aspiration.
Answer: These two Pingry alumni appeared on Jeopardy! in 2009 Question: Who are Peter Murray ’91 and Scott Menke ’05?
Jeopardy! Host Alex Trebek and Peter Murray ’91 “It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” says Peter Murray ’91 about appearing on Jeopardy! in April 2009. Although he had performed on Pingry’s stage and in other theatrical productions, Mr. Murray says playing Jeopardy! made him even more nervous. His wife Kelly was in the audience for the taping, and he mentioned his sons on national television. “I was thrilled to receive so many encouraging words from Pingry friends and others that I hadn’t heard from in some time. I’m looking forward to reconnecting with even more of them at our 20th reunion in 2011,” he says.
Courtesy of Jeopardy! Productions, Inc.
Like all of the members of the Pingry Alumni Association, I feel that it is an honor to call myself a “Pingry alumnus” because of the excellent education I received at the school. I am forever grateful that Pingry prepared me so well for college that I enjoyed a much easier academic transition than a number of my college friends.
I look forward to seeing you at the PAA’s other upcoming events, including Reunion at the Martinsville Campus from May 13 to 15, 2010. Sincerely,
Steve Lipper ’79, P ’09, ’12, ’14
Jeopardy! Host Alex Trebek and Scott Menke ’05 Scott Menke ’05, who graduated from Johns Hopkins University this past spring, was one of 15 contestants in the Jeopardy! College Championship, broadcast in May 2009. He advanced to the semi-finals. “I got the opportunity to appear on my favorite game show, meet other bright, interesting young people, and earn a nice paycheck in the process. I owe a lot of thanks to Pingry for filling my head with facts, to the quiz bowl team for teaching me proper buzzer technique, and to Mr. Tramontana, who imparted some valuable mathematical wagering strategies in Calc BC, which benefited me greatly on Daily Doubles,” Mr. Menke says.
Joseph Irenas ’58 Receives the 2009 Letter-in-Life Award
of subjects, including corporate law, evidence, trial practice, bankruptcy, and employment discrimination.
The Letter-in-Life Award is the most prestigious award that the Pingry Alumni Association bestows upon an alumnus or alumna. First presented in 1938, it honors those who, in gaining distinction for themselves, have brought honor to the School.
In 2003, the Camden County Bar Association presented him with the Judge John F. Gerry Award, which acknowledges the outstanding contributions of a New Jersey lawyer or judge who exemplifies the spirit and humanitarianism of Judge Gerry, a former Chief Judge of the District of New Jersey. In 2005, the Association of the Federal Bar of the State of New Jersey presented him with the Brennan Award, named for United States Supreme Court Justice William Brennan, Jr., given each year to an attorney or judge who has advanced the principles of free expression.
From left: Judge Irenas with his daughter Dr. Amy O’Donnell, grandson Joseph E. O’Donnell, and wife Nancy, joined by Trustee and PAA President Steve Lipper ’79 P ’09, ’12, ’14 and Headmaster Nat Conard P ’09, ’11
The Honorable Joseph E. Irenas has devoted his career to practicing law and, for almost two decades, to serving as a federal judge in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. Judge Irenas credits Pingry’s academic rigor, Honor Code, and commitment to public service as the bedrock of his professional career. At Pingry, he served as both Executive Editor of “The Blue Book” and Sports Editor of “The Pingry Record” during his senior year. He was also active in several clubs.
In 1990, Congress created three new seats for New Jersey district judges,
Judge Irenas has also mentored the next generation of lawyers. When he was practicing law, Judge Irenas tutored students for the bar exam and helped develop “Project Pass,” intended for minority students who had failed the bar exam at least twice. From 1985 to 2002, he served as an Adjunct Professor at the Rutgers University School of Law, teaching Constitutional law, commercial law, and legal ethics. He became one of five members of the New Jersey Board of Bar Examiners from 1986 to 1988. Judge Irenas was responsible for writing and grading the essay portion of the New Jersey Bar Examination. In all, he graded approximately 2,000 essays each year. He has also lectured nationally to lawyers on a wide variety
Pingry is proud that Judge Irenas is the 2009 Letter-in-Life Award recipient, as his career has set the highest standards of ethics and morality. When he addressed the Class of 2009 during Commencement, he charged the graduates with adhering to the Honor Code’s principles throughout their lives.
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At his Pingry graduation, he was awarded The Pingry-Princeton Scholarship, established by Dean Mathey of the Class of 1908, a former Pingry Trustee and the school’s first Letter-in-Life winner (1938). Judge Irenas earned his bachelor’s degree from Princeton University in 1962 and his Juris Doctor degree from Harvard …Law School, cum laude, in 1965. His first job was Law Secretary to the Honorable Haydn Proctor of the New Jersey Supreme Court from 1965 to 1966. He became an associate with the private law firm of McCarter & English in 1966 and rose to Partner in 1972.
and, on November 14, 1991, he was nominated for one of those seats by Former President George H.W. Bush. Judge Irenas was approved by the Judiciary Committee on April 1, 1992, confirmed by the full Senate on April 8, 1992, and appointed by the President on April 13, 1992. He assumed senior status on July 1, 2002. As a district court judge appointed for life, he hears cases that arise under federal statutes or the Constitution.
Former United States Supreme Court Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist appointed Judge Irenas to the Judicial Resources Committee of the National Judicial Conference. Judge Irenas has served on or chaired several committees including the New Jersey Supreme Court District Ethics Committee. He has been a trustee for Hamilton Investment Trust and the United Way of Essex County, and he was the chairman of the Board of Trustees of United Hospitals of Newark. Judge Irenas is a member of the Camden County, the State of New Jersey, and the American Bar Associations. He is admitted to practice in the States of New Jersey and New York, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. He has also been elected as a fellow of the American Bar Foundation, a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators in London, England, and a member of the American Law Institute.
[ alumni News ]
Announcing a New Generation of Filmmakers Four alumni were represented in Pingry’s 2009 Alumni Art Exhibition: Jamie Johnson ’98, Steven Edell ’99, Joseph Della Rosa ’03, and Christopher Collins ’05. Their films were shown in May in the Hostetter Arts Center at the Martinsville Campus and represented a variety of inspirations and subject matter. Jamie Johnson ’98 has been making documentaries for more than a decade, and his films have been shown at the Sundance and Tribeca Film Festivals. His first film, Born Rich, received critical acclaim. In The One Percent, which Pingry featured, Mr. Johnson explores the growing “wealth gap” in the United States and how a small percentage of wealthy families influences America’s economy. The film includes interviews with Steve Forbes, Milton Friedman, and Robert Reich, among others. The One Percent was released in 2008 and featured on HBO.
36 the pingry review
While abroad in Prague for a semester, Yale University graduate Steven Edell ’99 wrote and directed his first short film, Bracia, which was nominated for a Student Academy Award. Mr. Edell recently received his M.F.A. in Film Production from the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. While at USC, he received the John Huston Directing Scholarship and the Edward Small Directing Scholarship for his short films. Mr. Edell’s film shown at Pingry, A Son’s War, chronicles the fate of a family caught up in the turmoil of the Nazi occupation of Prague. This true story had been related by a professor at Charles University in Prague, and Mr. Edell decided to adapt the story for his USC thesis film. The film won the Alexis Award for Best Emerging Student Filmmaker at the 2009 Palm Springs International ShortFest; the Gold
Director Steven Edell ’99 works with the cast during a key dinner scene in A Son’s War
Joseph Della Rosa ’03 on the set of Mrs. Joseph Porter
Circle Award from the Caucus Foundation; the Panavision New Filmmaker Grant; the FotoKem Answer Print Grant; and finishing grants from the King Foundation and the Caucus Foundation. He has been featured in Variety and the Hollywood Reporter.
loss and how that loss interferes with his other relationships.
Joseph Della Rosa ’03 won several awards for his films while he was studying filmmaking at Pingry. During his senior year at Georgetown University, he directed Mrs. Joseph Porter for his honors thesis in English. The film is based on Charles Dickens’ short story about a mother and daughter who ruin their neighbor’s Shakespeare party as revenge for not being invited. “I was looking to tell a simple narrative and thought this was a whimsical story that an audience could have fun watching,” he says.
“I wanted to deal with people who had shut down their emotional connections because of the past. I wanted to explore how people respond to trauma. Some people suppress their emotions to the point of ruining their relationships with others. This film is about recognizing what it takes to let go of somebody whom you love. In my opinion, it takes the courage to confide in somebody else,” he says. Mr. Collins has helped produce more than 20 short films and videos and served as Producer, Writer, and Director of Photography for a number of films in addition to Tags.
Mr. Della Rosa is currently pursuing an M.F.A. in Production at USC and completing an internship with Brad Pitt’s production company, Plan B. He has also won several national awards for his short videos. An active participant in the film program while he attended Pingry, Christopher Collins ’05 majored in film at Emerson College. Pingry showed his film Tags, which explores the anguish of the main character whose brother was killed in Iraq. The title refers to dog tags that symbolize the burden of the main character’s
Christopher Collins ’05 behind the camera for Tags
Pingry Strikes a Balance Between Athletics and Academics Here is an indication of the degree to which Pingry prepares its students for competing in collegiate athletics: in just the last two years, 48 students —25 for Division I and 23 for Division III—were recruited to compete in college sports. Almost all of them are still competing. Director of College Counseling Tim Lear ’92, a four-year member of Princeton University’s track team, knows first-hand how Pingry prepares students academically and athletically. “Time management is one of the most important skills for the students to have to succeed in both areas, and Pingry prepares them to juggle multiple activities. They learn how and when to focus,” he says. Several student-athletes from the Class of 2008 have now had a year to reflect further on how Pingry prepared them for their colleges’ academic and athletic expectations.
school was very understanding of the demands of all my team activities— high school, club, and national. Pingry did a good job of teaching me how to manage my time.” Dave Bartok, Ms. Bartok’s father, agrees. “Everything that Pingry did for Brittani—as a person, as an athlete, and as a student—helped her prepare to go to a great school and to play at a high level,” he says. “[Pingry] ran their sports programs extremely well and with great class.” Olivia Delia ’08, a cross-country and track athlete at Williams College, says that Pingry taught her how to be a focused student while being dedicated to sports. “I definitely got good practice doing a million things at once at Pingry, and that’s how it is in college now,” she says.
Brittani Bartok ’08 is studying at The University of North Carolina, a college known for women’s soccer, and her team won a national championship her freshman year. “Pingry was pretty much like college already,” Ms. Bartok says. “It hasn’t been much of a jump for me. The
Eric Hynes ’08 chose to attend Gettysburg College, a school that athletically and academically matched his skills, goals, and desires. “I believe that [Varsity Soccer] Coach [Miller] Bugliari made Eric want to be a better player,” says Judy Hynes, Mr. Hynes’ mother. “When a child wants to do better, they want to do better all the way around. The whole package
Leslie Springmeyer ’08 says her field hockey team at Brown University actually reminds her of her Pingry team because of her teammates’ camaraderie and determination to work hard for one another. “At the beginning of my freshman year, [my coaches and teammates] noticed how easily I adapted to the college style of playing,” Ms. Springmeyer says. “I think that was because of our highly-competitive spirit at Pingry.” She also emphasizes that games often require a weekend of travel, so she has to make time for her work. “It can be overwhelming. But I had already experienced that kind of stress at Pingry, so I know how to handle it,” she says. As these students demonstrate, and as Mr. Lear is quick to mention, Pingry has a high volume of high-achieving students. “Across the board, Pingry encourages a healthy sense of competition,” he says. “In each other, these students can see what excellence looks like in the arts, on the soccer field, and in the classroom. Pingry is unique in what its teachers and coaches ask of its students and in how they support them. They don’t just set the bar high—they teach the kids how to get over it.”
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Even though Ms. Delia suffered an injury during her freshman fall semester, she still attended all of the meets and cross-trained to regain her strength. She ended the track season competing in the championship races. In fact, her coach at Williams commented to her mother, “Olivia did well when things weren’t going as planned —that’s the measure of a true athlete.”
at Pingry helped Eric become a well-prepared college student and a well-rounded, confident adult.”
Pingry Student-Athletes and Their College Admissions
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Class of 2009 130 students: 24 athletes (18.4 percent of the class) were recruited by colleges. Division I: 15 Division III: 9 Male: 13 Female: 11
Class of 2008 123 students: 24 athletes (19.5 percent of the class) were recruited by colleges. Division I: 10 Division III: 14 Male: 12 Female: 12
11 Teams Field Hockey: 2 Football: 2 Women’s Ice Hockey: 1 Men’s lacrosse: 2 Women’s lacrosse: 2 Men’s soccer: 5 Women’s soccer: 2 Men’s squash: 1 Women’s swimming: 3 Men’s track: 3 Women’s track: 1
14 Teams Men’s basketball: 1 Women’s basketball: 1 Men’s fencing: 1 Field hockey: 2 Football: 1 Men’s lacrosse: 1 Men’s soccer: 4 Women’s soccer: 4 Softball: 1 Men’s squash: 1 Women’s squash: 1 Men’s swimming: 3 Women’s swimming: 1 Women’s track: 2
the pingry review
20 Colleges and Universities Amherst College Brown University (2) Bucknell University (2) Colgate University Colorado College Connecticut College Columbia University Davidson College Duke University Georgetown University Hamilton College (2) Harvard University Lafayette College Middlebury College (2) Stanford University Vanderbilt University Villanova University Wesleyan University Washington and Lee University Yale University
22 Colleges and Universities American University Babson College Bowdoin College Brown University Carnegie Mellon University The College of New Jersey Columbia University Dartmouth College Emory University Gettysburg College Hamilton College—NY (2) Lehigh University Massachusetts Institute of Technology Princeton University Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey Swarthmore College Trinity College The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University of Richmond Wesleyan University Williams College (2) Yale University (2)
Paintings by Jeannie Weissglass ’79 Open New York Gallery To introduce Clic Gallery, her second gallery in New York, Calypso founder and fashion expert Christiane Celle offered artist Jeannie Weissglass ’79 the inaugural show in conjunction with the gallery’s mission of presenting exhibitions by emerging artists. “Jeannie paints our world today with all of its chaos, yet her work feels happy and optimistic, thanks to her amazing sense of color. I also love the ‘childlike’ aspect of her work, as it seems naive and refreshing. I met Jeannie about 15 years ago and have followed her career. I think she has come to great maturity as a painter in all those years, but she has kept her originality,” Ms. Celle says. In June and July of 2009, the public viewed a display of Ms. Weissglass’ newest work, a series of triptyques and diptyques painted on six-foot wooden rounds and nine-foot wood panels. “I would say the theme was ‘Revisiting American History’ . . . with a twist. I used figures in period dress—the Revolutionary War general or Victorian lady—to allude to this past, but they are also present-day protagonists who are symbolic of the universal ‘Us’,” Ms. Weissglass says. Her desire to paint stems from her mother, who was a painter, an interior designer, and an avid collector of unusual
White House
Roulette
antiques. “Life at home was all about color and art and finding the soul in inanimate objects,” Ms. Weissglass says. She also credits former Pingry arts faculty member Diane Grunau as being an encouraging presence in ceramics class. Today, she is inspired by everything from “Velasquez to vintage coloring books,” as she puts it. “I mix it all up and make my own concoction, which is always evolving. That’s the fun of it,” she says. Rather than working on commission, she produces a body of work and sells it from a gallery or her studio.
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Ms. Weissglass, who lives and works in New York, studied at the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting & Sculpture; L’Ecole des Arts Décoratifs in Nice, France; the University of Michigan; and the Fashion Institute of Technology. She has presented solo shows at Ethan Cohen Fine Arts and Farrell-Pollack
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The Gathering
Fine Art in New York, and she has participated in numerous group shows in New York as well as the Istanbul Biennial in 2005. In 2008, her show PICNIC was the subject of
a special pop-up exhibition in New York hosted by Hable Construction. For more information, visit her online at jeannieweissglass.com.
[ alumni News ]
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Alumni Events Senior Barbecue on June 1, 2009
1 Members of the Class of 2009 enjoying this annual event, held at the Headmaster’s home
Pingry Golf Outing on June 8, 2009
2 John McLaughlin and his son Mark
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McLaughlin ’83
3 Director of Athletics Gerry Vanasse P ’14 and Trustee Don Mullins P ’15 ’20
4 Thomas Greig III P ’94, ’98, ’00 and William Washychyn P ’00 5 Faculty member John Magadini and David Lawrence P ’02, ’04 6 Leonard Murray P ’17, ’19, Jonathan Provoost P ’22, Apollo Wong P ’22, Trustee Don Mullins P ’15, ’20, and Albert Preziosi P ’14, ’17, ’19
7 Major Gifts Officer David Greig ’98, William Washychyn P ’00, Thomas Greig III P ’94, ’98, ’00, and Andrew Greig ’00 40
8 Randall Schrader, Peter Simon,
John Quinn P ’09, and Dean Vanech P ’09
the pingry review
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Princeton Send-Off on July 16, 2009
9 Front row: Zara Mannan ’09, Audrey Li ’09,
Sarah Paton ’09, Jessica Westerman ’08, and Nancy King, wife of host Rob King. Back row: Josh King ’12, his father Rob King ’79 P ’07, ’12, John Boozan ’75, Ezra Jennings ’89, and Director of College Counseling Tim Lear ’92
California Receptions in July 2009
10 San Francisco–July 20: From left: Jim Matthews
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’66, Warren Leiden ’67, Stone Coxhead ’59, Tamara Leiden, Ed Ward ’85, host Geoff Dugan ’69, Charlie Stevens ’59, Algis Leveckis ’72, David Berenson ’60, Director of Institutional Advancement Melanie Hoffmann P ’20, Headmaster Nat Conard P ’09, ’11, Rachel Askin ’03, Dave Rapson ’75, Nic Russo, Ann Rapson, Charles Eddy III ’68, and Miller Bugliari ’52 P ’86, ’90, ’97
11 Los Angeles–July 19: From left: Jason Rothfeld, Joshua Rothfeld, Margaret Thomas, Kristi Bender, her husband Chris Bender ’89, and their children Emmy and Selma, Thomas Thomas ’52, David Freedman ’84 and his wife Betsy, Seth Friedman ’79, Debra Rojo, Tom Trynin ’79, Judith Schneider ’77, Neal Gordon, Michael Corcoran ’94, Tom Oser, Lori Schaffhauser ’92, David Bugliari ’97, George Heller ’97, Tamara Kelley and her husband Sherwood Kelley ’62, host Palmer Emmitt ’94, Bob Thurston ’52, Chuck Iacuzzo ’89, Roy Sykes, Jr. ’66, Jennifer Rothfeld ’93, Jean Forrest, Sharon Hillbrant, Joseph Lucas ’91, William Hillbrant ’48, Don Szerlip ’70, Carol Gustafson, Headmaster Nat Conard P ’09, ’11, Thomas Gustafson ’71, and Miller Bugliari ’52 P ’86, ’90, ’97
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Jersey Shore Party on August 1, 2009
12 The attendees enjoying the evening at the home of former Trustee Jubb Corbet, Jr. ’50, P ’77, ’78 and his wife Joan 13 Dawn and James Didden, Jr. P ’19, ’21 14 Aly Kerr ’08 and her father David Kerr
P ’08, ’10 42 the pingry review
Alumni/ae Soccer Games on September 12, 2009
15 Members of the alumni team:
John Stamatis ’05, Will Munger ’05, Brad Fechter ’05, and Kevin Vieira ’05
16 Alumnae team: Front row, from left: Laura Boova
’04, Girls’ Varsity Soccer Assistant Coach Lindsay Holmes ’99, Catie Lee ’05, Maggie O’Toole ’05, Maggie Porges ’05, Ashley (Kazmerowski) Lan ’02, Liz Lan ’07, Leslie Hynes ’04, Kellen Kroll ’03, and Meghan DeSanto ’03 Middle row, from left: Ali Rotatori ’10, Rainie Opel ’10, Julia Blumenstyk ’10, Victoria Munn ’11,
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Kara Marciscano ’10, Kristen Tripicchio ’11, Shayna Blackwood ’12, Amanda Flugstad-Clarke ’11, Dani Temares ’13, and Alexandra Welch ’13 Back row, from left: Girls’ Varsity Soccer Head Coach Andrew Egginton, Katlyn Casey ’10, Margaret Morash ’12, Cara Hayes ’13, Hannah Kirmser ’12, Kate Sienko ’13, Emily Strackhouse ’10, Becky Krakora ’10, Melissa Murphy ’11, Erika Lampert ’10, Tierney Griff ’11, Schuyler Bianco ’11, Emily Damstrom ’12, and Corey DeLaney ’12
Homecoming on September 26, 2009
17 Bruce Schundler ’66 18 Trustee Jeff Edwards ’78, P ’12, ’14 19 Robert Meszar ’57 and his wife Pam 20 Alex Conway ’96, Leslie (Plumeri)
LeVasseur ’96, Jacquelyn Kovacs ’96, and Lauren (Gruel) Diemar ’96 and her husband Tom Diemar ’96
21 Mark Bigos ’79, his wife Karen, and their daughter Martine 22 Brad Bonner ’93 and his wife Alex
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Alumnae Networking on October 1, 2009
23 Host Alison Zoellner ’83, P ’16, ’18
and Katie Corrigan ’03
24 Ashley Jackson ’04, Katherine
Lawrence ’04, and Rita Chen ’04
25 Elan DiMaio ’03, Tracy Dungo ’03,
Mikasha Edwards-White ’03, and Karen Giangreco ’03
26 Christin Gianis ’03, Allison Kluger
’03, and Kellen Kroll ’03
27 Sharon Appelbaum ’98, Julie
Johnson ’05, and Elizabeth Wallis ’05
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Ask the Archivist
Harriet Budd Hall at the Lower School
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Can you identify any of the students in this photo? If you know any of the individuals, please email Greg Waxberg ’96 at gwaxberg@pingry.org. We will publish the answers in the next issue.
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Identifying the students on television: Greg McNab ’58, Dave Rogers ’61, and Kip Hall ’72 responded to our question about these five Pingry boys. They appeared on “What’s My Line?” on May 31, 1959, as the owners and operators of the Elizabethtown Babysitting Agency.
1. Lloyd Barnard ’60 2. Tony Stein ’59 3. Richard duBusc ’59 4. David Ehrlich ’59 5. David Gelber ’59
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ClassNotes 1938
Bob Brenner still lives in Florida but spends some summer months in Madison, N.J. “Ruth Carter (widow of Bill Carter ’37) and I have been companions since 1996. I just completed 20 years of volunteering at Shriners Hospital for Children in Tampa. My son Eric ’69 works at Coke, and he along with four others just won an Emmy for one of the TV commercials they did for Coke. Never hear anything about members of my Class of 1938.”
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Bob Nutt: “Alternating between the golf course (shot my age last year) and the hospital (for chemotherapy that supposedly eliminated cancer seven years ago). Otherwise, writing and reading. We live in Norwich, Vt. just across the river from Dartmouth (where most of my family went—exceptions: granddaughters at American University and Bucknell).”
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John Olsen retired from Exxon several years ago. They left the Houston area in 2003 after 25 years and are now residing in Atlanta. Each summer his family meets at Barnegat Light, N.J. for vacation.
1952
Peter Buchanan: “Summers on Lake Champlain, winters in Hobe Sound, Fla. Lots of travel: Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, British Columbia, Alaska, and Brazil in 2009. Mostly fishing trips with my wife, who has developed the nasty habit of getting the biggest fish.” Boys’ Varsity Soccer Head Coach Miller Bugliari P ’86, ’90, ’97 was profiled on MSG Varsity, the MSG (Madison Square Garden) Network’s new television channel dedicated to high school sports. John Orr: “My wife Carol and I are living in Sarasota, Fla. I am currently serving
1953
Peter Benton has been volunteering for the New Jersey Museum of Transportation in Allaire, N.J. for over 20 years, and he is a member of New Jersey Live Steamers. He continues to build his own model railroads and enjoys reading about engineering and the history of railroads. An active bicyclist for over 50 years, he is a road captain with the Jersey Shore Touring Society and rides an average of 50 to 100 miles each week. “I have so many activities!” he says.
on the Board of Governors of the Palm-Aire Country Club as Membership Chairman. When I’m not busy doing that, we spend most of our time playing golf and relaxing.”
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Shep Davis: “Tennis was always a favorite sport. Upon reaching the ’50s, took up golf. This year I had the pleasure of shooting my age twice, once a 74, then a 75 on a full-length par 72 course. Next day, back in the 80s.”
1955
Charlie Paules and his wife Susan traveled from their home in Hilton Head Island, S.C. to Bay Head, N.J. to celebrate Bob Kirkland’s big 80th birthday. His party, on June 20, was hosted by Cynthia Campbell, widow of Andy Campbell ’49, P ’81, ’85, ’87, ’90, and M’Liz Campbell Parkhurst. Also attending were classmate Al Strickler with wife Anne, and former Trustee Steve Waterbury ’49, P ’82, ’85
Pim Goodbody hopes to get a good turnout for the 55th Reunion next year and would love to see his classmates. He
Sandy and Dick Weiss, DMD, MScD are “living year-round in Avalon on 7-Mile Island, a barrier island near Cape May, N.J. Lots of beaches, boating, and fishing, but not too many Pingry folks stopping by, though always welcome. Besides being active in the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary, where I am the Flotilla Staff Officer for Public Education (Flotilla 82 Cape May, New Jersey), I am also a USCG licensed Captain and 100 ton Master. I am also part of a small team that does weekly maneuvers on a specially-outfitted Coast Guard boat with rescue helicopters from Air Station Atlantic City. These maneuvers are aimed at increasing the pilot and crew proficiency in emergency hoist-and-rescue swimmer training evolutions. We recently received a Coast Guard Meritorious Team Commendation for these efforts. I am continuing my efforts as a Trustee of the Winterthur Museum in Wilmington, Del., and I also serve on the Collections, Finance and Audit Committees of that institution. In another area,
45 fall / winter 2009
1948
In April 2009, Greg Goggin and his then-partner, now wife, Ingrid Brimmer, once again hosted Eric Anderson and his partner, Susi Hochstrasser, for a great meal at their home in Naples, Fla. In his retirement, Greg is a gourmet cook, a high-level bridge player three times each week, and a grower of tropical flowers and fruit trees (including nine varieties of mangoes) on his property. The weather was perfect, 88 degrees.
now lives in Williamstown, Mass. (where he also went to college) and masters rowing is a big piece of his life.
I have just been appointed by Temple University President Ann Weaver Hart as Chair of the Board of Visitors of the Kornberg School of Dentistry. Hope to see some Pingry folks down here in addition to my grandson Coby ’16.”
1957
Doug Kerr: “By the grace of God, I celebrated 33 years of sobriety on July 4. For the last six years, I have let students and vets live in my house rent-free. This is how I try to ‘give back’ to all the people who helped me to get a fine education at Pingry, Princeton, Yale Medical School, and Yale Law School. Now I’m looking for an injured veteran honorably discharged from Iraq or Afghanistan to try to do my part in the War on Terror. Saw a nice photo of Gordy Stevenson at his nephew’s wedding on a mountaintop recently. Does [former Trustee] Ray Londa P ’88, ’91 have email yet or does he still live in the ‘dark ages’?”
1958
46 the pingry review
William Hetfield P ’01: “Melanie Hoffmann from the Pingry Alumni Relations and Development Office and Joe Irenas, Tom Behr, and myself will be meeting to develop an action plan for fully funding the Robert H. LeBow ’58 Memorial Faculty Fund by 2012, our 55-year reunion. This new fund will provide funding for the Robert H. LeBow ’58 Oratorical Prize and will provide support in the area of public speaking to Pingry faculty in honor of the Class of 1958 and in memory of Dr. LeBow. Class of 1958, please update your email addresses!” John Richards: “The Turtle is moving west. After 25 years in Chatham, Louise and I have moved to Basking Ridge
where we are enjoying townhouse living. Actually closer to Pingry now than when I lived in Cranford back in the 1950s. Still working in the label business— keeps me out of trouble.”
1959
David Hilyard: “Pleasant memories of our 50th still linger. At one point, two of our three children were laid off but both found new jobs within two months. Learning how little most ‘things’ really matter and that we can still give up a lot of ‘stuff’ before food and shelter become an issue. Wife is allowing me to get another dog. I’m working on a local newspaper interviewing people like the local boarding school’s headmaster, the chief of police, the CEO of the local bank, and the owners of the town’s most successful dairy farm. Very interesting. Pingry is a great school!”
1960
William Barnard, Jr., MD: “Gave up my office in Rhode Island after 30 years but couldn’t stand retirement. I am now practicing full-time in Derry, N.H.: one hour from skiing at Sunapee and two hours from Rhode Island where we have a place. Cindy has retired from endocrinology and has become a ski bum and tennis pro. We see Nancy and Richard duBusc ’59 P ’87, ’00 every year at one place or another. Nancy is an artist and one of her pieces hangs in our living room. We also see Jane and Ed Cissel ’39 P ’73 pretty often as they live in the same town in R.I.” Former Trustee Rob Gibby P ’87: “We had a lot of ‘car guys’ in our class, including myself. I found remnants of my Pingry hot rod about 10 years ago and bought the pieces back. My old hot rod has been ‘regressed’ to its 1959 configuration, and I am planning to drive it to our 50th Reunion
next spring. I would encourage other ’60 car guys to bring their cool cars next May as well. Our Reunion ‘committee’ is already hard at work.” John Rush is now in Singapore as Vice Dean for Clinical Sciences at the new medical school called Duke-National University of Singapore. He left the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas after 30 years to move to Singapore last year. He has two sons—AJ is a senior at Tulane, majoring in cell biology and pre-med, and Matthew is 36, married, and a father of three. Matthew is Head of the Middle School and Assistant Head of Upper School at the Cannon School in Charlotte, N.C. John’s challenge in Singapore is to develop clinical research capacity and scientists. He plans to be there for another four years, so, if friends are in his hemisphere, please contact John at johnrush1960@mac.com. Bart Wood spent the summer on LBI as usual and is now back in Florida with friends and an active social life—be sure to give him a call if you are in Fla. He plays golf 3-4 times per week and has a golf trip planned to Georgia and another trip planned to St. Maarten. His son David has two children
1960
and is a chef in Ireland. His daughter Debbie married a silversmith and they live in Virginia with four children. WEDDINGS Jay Hughes married Jacqueline Merrill on September 27, 2008, at her home in Lake Tahoe, Calif. They honeymooned on safari in South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana. Jay is a retired counselor at law. He and Jacqueline live in Aspen, Colo. (originally appeared in Far Brook School’s Reports)
1961
John Kerr: “I have finally actually retired now after 40-some years in education, most of them at Kent School. Bonnie and I have sold our home of 20 years in Sharon, Conn. and will be moving to North Carolina where we’ve bought a home on the coast below Wilmington at the entrance to the Cape Fear River. Our new address will be 6095 Sullivan Ridge Rd., Harbor Oaks, Southport, N.C. 28641. We’ll be splitting our time between there and our summer place on the coast of northern Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. We look forward to so many things: being by the water year-round,
Lawrence Clayton: “That’s me, on the left, on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic in June 2009 with my son (last child still in the nest) Carlton on the right. First time I visited the Dominican Republic was in 1965 as part of an invasion fleet. Different auspices and mission this trip!”
putting the snow shovel behind us, enjoying time on the water and in bird watching, exploring the southern states, making new friends, and exploring the world of volunteering—‘How dull it is to pause, not to shine in use.’ The process of moving— packing, down-sizing, etc.— has given me a whole new appreciation for the Roman word (thank you Albie Booth) for heavy baggage: “impedimenta.” Personally, I look forward to trying to become a decent landscape painter in oils and watercolors and to learning the art of bird carving. I’ll be downsizing my woodworking shop, but I’ll still look forward to enjoying hours at my lathe, table saw, and bench and kicking around in lots of sawdust. I hope to find ways to advise local charities in Planned Giving and, perhaps, in working with those in need of literacy programs. Pingry did a great job of preparing me—all of us—for what has been a wonderful life with, I hope, many more years yet to enjoy. If any classmates find themselves in Southport, do look us up!”
Richard Manley will be inducted into Grove City College’s Athletic Hall of Fame on January 30, 2010. His citation refers to him as one of the college’s greatest soccer goalkeepers and states that his four years with the team represent the most successful four-year period in the program’s history—a 30-4-2 record, including back-toback undefeated seasons. Geoff Tilden: “I retired as Assistant Head of School at Solebury a year ago June. I’m continuing to teach a couple of classes, but decided to trade in the responsibility and stress of administration. It’s heaven. I purchased land in Maine next to my daughter’s home and I’m now in the process of building a house. Together, we own about 75 acres. I’ll eventually retire completely and move up there. My other daughter is in Rochester and I visit there as often as I can. I’m still rock climbing and hiking a good bit. I have also gotten into kayaking and have been a gofer at H2Outfitters in Maine. They lead kayaking trips all over the world and have been rated as one of the best outfitters in the world by National Geographic Adventure magazine. A former student of mine runs the whole thing. Retirement is heaven. I strongly recommend it.”
1965
Chris Hoffman is currently working as an independent organization effectiveness consultant with a focus on sustainability. He also continues to write poetry and is polishing the manuscript for his next poetry book. Details and events are at www. hoopandtree.org. His son just started college this fall, so Chris and his wife are adjusting to being empty-nesters. He had a brief but very satisfying visit with Laurie Paulson at the Jersey Shore last summer and sends fond greetings to all of his classmates and teachers. Chris Milton had an enjoyable mini-reunion with Al Moore at a recent Red Sox game where they were able to combine discussions of wind power, rooting for the local nine, and shared memories of life at the Hillside Campus. Chris continues to practice commercial real estate law in Boston with Greenberg Traurig, LLP and was recently added by Chambers USA to its Best Lawyers in America guide. Retirement is not in sight as yet, despite the current downturn. After a career in the Air Force, Tom Ulrich has retired from his second career with the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts in Washington, D.C. He and Susan now live in the western Maryland mountains.
1962
Jay (John) Norton is still working at Johnson & Johnson after 42 years and still enjoying the challenge. He spends as much time as possible at his summer home on Sebago Lake in Maine. Sadly, Jay’s two sons were tragically killed in a 1998 auto accident. He is living in Somerset, N.J.
1964
A mini Pingry reunion in Waterford, Maine. From left: Bruno Tomaino, William Hanger, Gene Shea ’57, Robert Berenson, former Director of Guidance and Assistant Headmaster Annette Tomaino, and Miller Bugliari ’52 P ’86, ’90, ’97 and his wife Elizabeth
1966
Bruce Schundler: “Sara and I worked again as National Park Rangers (interpretation) at Mesa Verde National Park this year. It was hard work— with many long, hot days— but we loved it! Through Facebook, Jan and Fred Waggoner heard we were at Mesa Verde NP. During a trip through the west, they visited us, and we had a wonderful mini-reunion!” Carl Youngdahl reminds all members of the Class of 1966 to sign up for the Facebook site he started: “Pingry Alumni Class of 1966” at www.facebook.com/ group.php?gid=63858841553. Thirteen people are there already, and any photos or memorabilia can be posted in the photos section.
1967
Peter ‘Dav’ Davenport: “Based on recent emails and phone calls, I’m pleased to report the following classmates remain quite busy and feisty: Mullen, Pfeiffer, Freeman, Cornwall, Heekin, Klopman, Welt, and Crane. I’m currently working two jobs: creative development and script-writing for a corporate video production company and dock/deck/other building at my wife’s marina in Atlantic City. I’m also still banging the tennis ball around and periodically go to the golf course to see just how deep into the woods I can still hit a drive. Desiree and I have two beautiful daughters: Keely is a junior in college and Lexis is a senior in high school here in Toms River. They’re both very cool kids, and they really like to hear all of my old Pingry stories—yes, we really did start our day in the chapel, studied Latin in Grade 8, had sit-down lunches, prefects, an Honor Code, and athletics every day. And yes...Miller [Bugliari ’52] really was our freshman baseball coach in 1964. Best to everyone.”
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Allen Spalt:“Just back from my Antioch College reunion and the celebration of its independence from the university Trustees who abandoned their responsibilities and closed it last year. The college, now controlled by its alumni, will reopen in fall 2011 in a new iteration of its pioneering tradition of liberal arts, cooperative education, and community governance.”
1963
Peter Kurz: “I retired from the Foreign Service of the U.S. Government on August 28 after 30 years of service. My last assignment was at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, Egypt. My wife Catherine and I are headed to her home, Singapore, where we met while I was assigned there 24 years ago. I hope to do some teaching and consulting and especially look forward to pursuing longneglected hobbies and getting through a mountain of piledup books. I can report that our two 1966-67 AFS students, Shig Nakamura and Carlos Monroy, are both prospering. Shig just completed a three-year stint as Japanese Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and is back in Japan preparing for another (probably final) overseas post. Carlos is enjoying an outstandingly successful academic career at a top Madrid business school and travels globally working on projects in higherlevel international business education development.”
48 the pingry review
Jura and Ray Robinson have moved from the Seattle area to Miami. They had a get-away condominium down there for a few years but have now decided to make it their permanent home. Ray has joined the Dept. of Orthopaedics at the University of Miami to continue his surgery, teaching, and clinical research in total joint replacement. His thoughts on Miami: “Boy it’s hot down here! I’m going to need a good dermatologist because of the sun exposure.” Vic Pfeiffer “retired” in April 2008 from his career with a national human resources consulting firm. “Life is good: swimming, kayaking, biking, gardening, and being with friends and family. Life has slowed in a totally positive way. My wife Patricia and I, along with my autistic son, moved from Washington, D.C. to Chestertown, Maryland
(on the Eastern Shore), and after four months I took a full-time job as a job coach for developmentally-disabled adults. I’m also volunteering with the local environmental group, working to clean up The Chester River—so Miller [Bugliari ’52]’s class must have influenced me somehow.”
1968 Stuart Leigh: “I continue to manage Real World Foundation part-time. Together with my wife Rebecca Kalin, we direct RWF’s Asthma Free School Zone project, which is bringing environmental health education, materials, and programming to over 100 New York City schools. Through my longstanding consulting company, Real World Productions, I recently ran some English language education projects in 1,000 classrooms and on the radio in the Philippines. I’m also working on another radio-based ESL project in Nepal. In the last year, I was fortunate to be able to get back to work in Africa evaluating USAIDfunded radio-based education programs in Southern Sudan and Malawi. Our daughter Nila is 28 and a member of the Americana folk-rock-ish band ‘Cadywire.’ She and her group have relocated from New York City to Seattle. I am still here on Tompkins Square in NYC’s East Village. Feel free to be in touch at sleigh64@aol.com.”
1969 Geoff Dugan:“I was pleased to able to join quite a few classmates for the Friday portion of Reunion Weekend in May. My thanks to all who helped plan the festivities, and special thanks to Dianne and Claus Hamann for heading up the reunion efforts for the group and to Glynis and
Peter Burgdorff for hosting our Friday gathering. As a direct result of reconnecting with Pingry at the Reunion, I hosted a Northern California alumni event in July at our home in Marin County (north of San Francisco). The group included Nat Conard, Miller Bugliari ’52 (now there’s a shock), and about two dozen alums from various eras. Our family is definitely bi-coastal, as two of our children have now settled in NYC: our daughter Leigh is a staffer for the now-notorious Dave Letterman, and our son Patrick works for Warrior Poets, a documentary film production company, as well as J. Crew. Our eldest son John, a writer/journalist, will soon be returning to California after 18 months in Washington, D.C.”
1971
Don Kaufman is a civil litigator in Harrisburg, Pa. His wife Wendy Moffat is an Associate Professor of English at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pa. where they live. Don’s older daughter is a Ph.D. candidate in history at Yale, and his younger daughter is a Columbia graduate who is now studying criminology at New College, Oxford University. His two springer spaniels run his life. “Maxima reverentia canes debetur (apologies to Mr. Booth.)”
1972 John Blossom notes this year marks the 10th anniversary of active operations for his Shore Communications Inc. business that provides research and advisory services for publishers and technology companies. His book Content Nation: Surviving and Thriving as Social Media Changes Our Work, Our Lives and Our Future was published in January 2009 and has led to speaking
engagements in New York, San Francisco, Washington, England, Spain, and India. John has also appeared on radio, on CSPAN, and online for the MIT Master Class webinars series. His wife JuneAnn Greeley is now chair of the Philosophy and Religious Studies department at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn. Their son Christopher recently graduated Cum Laude from Western Connecticut State University with a B.S. in Meteorology and is preparing to enter graduate studies in atmospheric sciences. John enjoys sailing on Long Island Sound, theater and music in New York and New Haven, going to Yankees and Bridgeport Bluefish baseball games, and Bridgeport Sound Tigers hockey games. He is also a lay speaker and Sunday School teacher in his local United Methodist Church congregation. John Boffa has expanded into commercial real estate and now has two properties in downtown Washington, D.C. “In the middle of a recession, the nation’s capital remains stable, with property values holding constant. As the saying goes, ‘The booms boom here, but the busts don’t bust.’ I forget who said that.”
1974 Glenn Murphy: “Lots of celebrations this year: the one-year anniversary of my psychotherapy and counseling practice in Basking Ridge, the graduation of our daughter from George Washington Law School and her passage of the N.Y. and N.J. bar exams, the upcoming birth of our first grandchild, 30 years of marriage to my high school sweetheart, and my brother Marc’s induction into the Pingry Athletic Hall of Fame. God has been very good to me.”
1977
Larry Kaufman and his family have moved from New Jersey to Bexley, Ohio (Columbus), where his wife Rabbi Melissa Crespy became the rabbi of Congregation Agudas Achim. Their son Avi just brought home a 2-month-old ball python and is looking forward to bringing it in to school to show to his new fifthgrade classmates. Avi’s sister Netanya is enjoying Grade 1. After unpacking a few more boxes (40 or so), Larry will start looking for some software engineering-related activity to keep him off the streets.
1978
Ken Quaas has lived in the Chicago suburbs for almost 14 years but still tries to get back to Pingry when he can. He enjoyed seeing so many friends at both Reunion
and at Coach Miller Bugliari ’52’s party. Ken keeps busy with Consumer Truth (his marketing consulting/consumer research company) and with his family. There’s still lots of soccer on the weekends, but he’s now watching instead of playing.
1979
Michael Broder was happy to see some friends from the Class of 1979 at the 30th Reunion luncheon. Steve Lipper P ’09, ’12, ’14, Genesia Perlmutter Kamen P ’11, ’13, Jon Younghans, Donna Gresser Harper, and Ed Brody were all in attendance. Michael and his wife Mary Lee live in Dallas, and he manages a hedge fund and a venture capital firm. They are parents of Katie, a high school senior, and Brian, a high school freshman.
1980
Lindsay Liotta Forness P ’11, ’14 and Paul Crooker enjoyed a coincidental reunion at Nepenthe Restaurant in Big Sur, Calif. in June 2009. From left, standing: Paul’s brother Rich Crooker P ’11, Paul’s wife Susan Villa Gomez, Lindsay Liotta Forness, and Paul Crooker. Sitting: Rich’s son Jack Crooker (brother of Emily ’11)
John Huber lives in Palo Alto with his wife, Marie Oh Huber, children James and Madeline, and a golden retriever. He has been with Wells Fargo since 1989 and enjoyed a recent dinner in San Francisco with John McIlwain and Mark Payne ’80—both of whom are doing well. A solo exhibition by artist Jeannie Weissglass during the summer of 2009 opened Christiane Celle’s new Clic Gallery in New York. Read about Jeannie and the exhibit on page 38.
Vanessa (Procopio) Pumo ’78 was Senior Editor
Dan Markovitz and Lynn Brody are living bi-coastally, commuting between New York City and Corte Madera just north of San Francisco. Dan writes, “We’re neither rich enough, famous enough, nor good-looking enough to be living this life, but it’s working for us.” Lynn is an interventional radiologist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and Dan has his own consulting company. They were both in Boulder, Colo. for the September Bat Mitzvah of Rob Kaufman’s oldest daughter, Sarah. Rob and his family are doing great and looking forward to the upcoming ski season.
Leslie Lobell: “After a 20-year hiatus (traveling and living on both coasts of the U.S. as well as abroad), I moved back to New Jersey in October 2001. I am a licensed professional counselor practicing in Summit. I enjoy doing psychotherapy, hypnosis, and stress reduction work, as well as writing. For fun, I still love going to Broadway and dance performances (I ran into Jude Law on the sidewalk on my way to see Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig in ‘A Steady Rain’: quite an evening!). My big news is that I just got engaged! I will be getting married in May 2010 to a wonderful man named Eric Timsak. Life is amazing when you are at peace with yourself and the world.”
1983
Esther (Kaufman) Harper recently accepted the position of Director of Development at the Montclair Art Museum. She lives in Summit with her husband Peter and children Maggie and David (both in Kindergarten). Esther sometimes bumps into fellow Summit resident Alison Malin Zoellner P ’16, ’18 at the hair salon.
49 fall / winter 2009
of BRICK CITY, a five-part documentary that aired in September 2009 on Sundance Channel. The series portrays the struggles of Newark, N.J.’s citizens and mayor to make the city a better, safer, and stronger place to live. Vanessa, who grew up in nearby Hillside, was thrilled to be involved in a project about a city so close to home. “I’ve always been interested in urban stories, and I’d read about Mayor Cory Booker. I knew the series would be a chance for me to do something creatively gratifying that could bring attention to what was going on. What I found out is that there’s an army of people, including clergy, cops, exoffenders, and reformed gang members, all working as hard as Mayor Booker to make change happen. They inspired us every day,” she says. All five episodes of BRICK CITY, executive produced by Mark Benjamin, Marc Levin, and Forest Whitaker, are currently available on Sundance VOD and iTunes.
1981
1982
Jonathan Karp ’82, publisher and editor-in-chief of
TWELVE Books—a company that publishes 12 books each year—edited and published Senator Edward M. Kennedy’s memoir, True Compass. Over a period of two years, Jonathan interviewed Senator Kennedy and read 50 years’ worth of his personal notes. Speaking with Terry Gross on NPR’s Fresh Air on September 14, 2009, he described the experience as a rare opportunity to work with someone who was at the center of 50 years of American history. Jonathan also promoted the book on CBS’ 60 Minutes on September 13. For more information: www.twelvebooks.com.
1985
50 the pingry review
John Skowronski: “I’m living in Clark, N.J. working as a corporate tax consultant. I recently got engaged while on vacation in Germany to Kerry Mooney, who grew up with me in Westfield. Our wedding is planned for Labor Day Weekend 2010. Kerry works for Weldon Materials and used to babysit William Weldon ’09 and Whitney Weldon ’11. Together Kerry and I have started a non-profit dog rescue called Brendan’s Meadows (www.brendansmeadows.com) where we are currently sponsoring people who want to foster dogs in their home. We hope to buy a farm in western N.J. very soon to help even more dogs. I am still in contact with Mark Wegryn who is doing well and living in Tennessee working as a Six Sigma Master Black Belt for Medco Health. I am looking forward to our 25th Reunion and I hope everyone tries to come!”
1986
Gil Lai lives in Basking Ridge with wife Jane and daughters Victoria (12) and Olivia (9). He’s a Member of Lane McVicker, LLC, a national personal property/casualty
insurance firm working out of their Morristown office. Gil keeps in touch regularly with Christian Donohue, Boyce Bugliari, Reed Kean, Bill Adams, Kent Dougherty, John Feeley, Peter Pence, and Brad Bonner ’93. They often cannot stop shaking their heads and laughing when reminiscing about their Las Vegas trip and hike of 2008—hopefully the next reunion will be less eventful!
French soldiers and civilians from the perspective of French medicine. Greg and his family decided to get out of the rain and leave Oregon, where he was teaching at the University of Oregon. They’ve moved back to California where Greg now works as a marketing writer while plotting his re-entry into academia.
1989 BIRTHS Jonathan Goldstein and his wife Julia welcomed son Benno Shropshire Goldstein into the world on September 24.
1990
Geoff Archer graduated from the Ph.D. program at the Darden Graduate School of Business at the University
of Virginia in May and has just started as an Associate Professor on the faculty of Management at Royal Roads University in Victoria, BC. Daughter Annika (5) has just started Kindergarten, and son Finn (3) is contemplating preschool. Geoff’s wife Brigitte will soon rebuild her yoga teaching practice. His move from Oregon to Canada has involved several U-Haul loads up I-5 and it has been a great excuse to hang out with Adam Goldstein in Bellingham, Wash. BIRTHS Margaret (Campbell) O’Donnell and her husband Matt welcomed daughter Grayson Elizabeth into the world on July 14, 2009. She joins big sister Ashley (2). John Raby and his wife Jen welcomed son Liam into the world 32 months ago and
1988
Marc Lionetti:“I just started a new job, counseling and teaching at The Khabele School, a small progressive private middle school/high school in downtown Austin, Tex. I also just became a first-time homeowner here in Austin. Last, but definitely not least, I’m engaged to be married to my girlfriend, Jen Lucas. Speaking of weddings, I’m very excited that I saw lots of Pingry alums at David Gibson’s November wedding. Best wishes to all (I mean, y’all...).” Greg Thomas is happy to report that his book has finally been published! Treating the Trauma of the Great War examines the psychological impact of World War I on
1989
David Lionetti married Michaela Fink in Pittsburgh on October 19, 2008. Attendees included David’s brother Marc Lionetti ’88 (Best Man), sister Denise Lionetti ’85, mother and Pingry faculty member Pat Lionetti, father and former Pingry faculty member Bill Lionetti, and Pingry faculty member Lydia Geacintov P ’84, ’88.
and Jack is 3. Lily just started at Pingry in Kindergarten, which was incredibly exciting for her and for us! Everyone should be happy to hear that Pingry seems to be as rock solid as ever. We get daily updates on what the kids are learning. Lily brought home the Honor Code, which we all had to read together and sign, and they seem to take community as seriously as they always have.”
1989
Laura Tseng enjoyed seeing old friends at the Class of ’89 Reunion party and says “Thank you to the anonymous classmates who sponsored the party!” Her brother Andrew Tseng ’99 is engaged to Emily Cunningham and will be married next September. This photo was taken at the Cape Cod wedding reception for her sister Vicki Tseng ’95. On the left is Marin Jillian Katzenbach, daughter of Laura Tseng and Trey Katzenbach. On the right is Cameron James DeVita, son of Karen (Tseng) DeVita ’92 and George DeVita.
life has taken an incredibly amazing new course. They live in the sailor’s paradise of Newport, R.I. while John commutes to Boston where he runs a growing M&A boutique called Boston Meridian.
1991
BIRTHS Mara (Baydin) Kanner writes “all is well with us.” They welcomed their newest addition, Colten Mikhail Kanner, on October 30, 2009. Cole was born at 3:30 p.m., weighing 8 pounds, 8 ounces and measuring 20.5 inches. He is doing well and his big brother Leo, now 15 months, is very excited!
Kate Treveloni and her husband are living in Prague with their 3-year-old daughter. She would love to see some Pingry grads, so, if you plan to visit, email her at ktreveloni@gmail.com. BIRTHS
Katherine Lorraine Weldon
1992 Doug Chernack and Mike Bender ’93, co-creators of AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com, appeared on the Rachael Ray Show on September 22, 2009.
Spencer Clayton Jacobson
Josh Connor: “All is well with us. My wife Patricia and I still live in Short Hills and are expecting our third child in January. Lily is 5
Stephanie (Sciubba) Jacobson and her husband Eric welcomed their first son, Spencer Clayton, on May 5, 2009. He was 9 pounds,
Sam Partridge and his wife Heather announce the birth of their daughter, Kate Elizabeth Partridge, on May 3, 2009. She weighed 7 pounds, 12 ounces.
Kate Elizabeth Partridge
1993 Sandra Salter has now formed her own public relations and marketing company, Cordelia Donovan Inc. She had previously been Director of Business Development for Verasoni Worldwide, an independent marketing and public relations firm. BIRTHS Dwight Schultheis and his wife Lauren announce the birth of their daughter Ellie, born on July 20, 2008. Dwight says he is “smitten” with his daughter. He is working at Mimoco, a “designer toy studio meets consumer electronics company” as vice president of international sales. He also “dabbles in design and is having a blast.” The family lives in Coolidge Corner in Brookline, Mass. (originally appeared in Far Brook School’s Reports).
1994 WEDDINGS Amy Murnick married Mark McKeag in October 2009.
51 fall / winter 2009
Jon Bowden wrote and directed The Full Picture for One Big Head Films. The film was screened this summer at the Woods Hole Film Festival in Woods Hole, Mass. It won the grand prize for Best Picture at the Rhode Island International Film Festival and has been screened at the San Francisco IndieFest, Sonoma International Film Festival, Durango Independent Film Festival, and the Red Rock Film Festival outside Zion National Park in Utah.
Woody Weldon and his wife Mary are thrilled to announce the birth of their third child, Katherine Lorraine Weldon. Kate was born on July 20, 2009, in New York City, weighing exactly 8 pounds. Brother Thomas (4) and sister Abigail (2) were delighted to welcome home their baby sister.
Gautam Malhotra is an attending physician in the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation within the N.J. VA system. He is honored and blessed to take care of veterans and train some of the best residents in the nation. Gautam and Monica are together seven years without an itch (15 years dating), and his parents are doing great. He sings lead in a classic and hard rock cover band (www.twitchrocks. net) and is doing a number of projects, including some with Ananda Sen ’94.
9 ounces and 23 inches long. Spencer joins big sisters Libby and Ainsley.
BIRTHS Michael Corcoran and his wife Theresa celebrated the birth of their daughter, Audrey Grace Corcoran, on March 7, 2009. Michael and family now make their home in Pacific Palisades, Calif. Matthew Mandelbaum and his wife Jamie welcomed their first child, Ella Charlotte, on January 5, 2009. Matthew is currently teaching Grade 3 at Abraham Joshua Heschel School in New York City. Owen Tully and his wife became proud parents for the second time on March 31 with a son, John E. “Jack” Tully. Jack weighed 8 pounds, 10 ounces—“definitely either a future defenseman or crease attackman.” The Tullys are living on the Mainline of Philadelphia, and Owen is entering the second year of his Gastroenterology Fellowship at Lankenau Hospital.
1995
52 the pingry review
Gwyneth Murray-Nolan married John A. Forsman III on June 29, 2007, and they continue to reside in Hoboken. She loves her job as a commercial litigation attorney in New Jersey and New York, and sometimes sees Tiffany Shenman ’93 and John Flack in town. Gwyneth and her husband John recently traveled to Greece for 10 days, seeing Athens and several of the islands. They love to travel and are looking forward to visiting her brother, Sean MurrayNolan ’93, and his wife Grainne in Dublin, Ireland. Mary Niu moved to Houston for her fellowship in Pediatric Cardiology at Texas Children’s Hospital/Baylor College of Medicine. Previously, she worked in the Bay Area as a Pediatric Hospitalist for Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital/Stanford University. Mary still keeps in close contact with Subarna Biswas,
1995
Alan Huska married Vanesa Nappi on July 18, 2009, at St. Lawrence Church in Sayville, N.Y. The reception was held at Timber Point Country Club in Great River, N. Y. From left: Amy Flack, John Flack, Ted Meyer, Vanesa Huska, Alan Huska, Kevin Manara, Kathy (Cowan) Manara, Jen (Nahvi) Sickles, and Will Sickles
Colin James Flood
who’s now in Los Angeles working on her general surgery residency—but she flew over to Houston for the U2 concert! Mary used to see Elif Batuman and Geraldine Slean when she lived in the Bay Area. Geraldine is now a second-year medical student with the UCSF/Berkeley combined program, and Elif just finished writing a book to be published in February 2010. BIRTHS Karen (Cowan) Flood and her husband Brad welcomed Colin James to the family on March 27, 2009. He weighed 8 pounds, 7 ounces and joins big sisters Julia (4) and Hailey (2).
1996
Bob Blackstone and his wife Marcie live in Brussels, Belgium with son Thomas (1). They are enjoying traveling around Europe and watching as Tom takes his first steps.
WEDDINGS Ken Williams III married Julie Nordhausen in Bay Head on August 30, 2008. They are now living in Hampton, N.J. BIRTHS Chris Franklin welcomed his second child, Henry Christopher Franklin, on August 25. He joins big sister Lynda Elizabeth. Frederique (Lear) Schachter was thrilled to welcome Sophie Devon Schachter on February 28. Freddy is home with her full-time and loving every second. “My brothers Chris ’92 and Tim ’92 both had boys in the last year (Lucas for Chris and James for Tim)...so we’re enjoying the Lear family baby boom!”
1997
Chad Viglianti: “I am now one of the proud owners of ‘My Office’ office products out
Sophie Devon Schachter
of Newark, part of N.J.’s oldest office products companies. I love doing things for myself and being my own boss. I still stop by Pingry from time to time in my business travels and love to see that Mr. Keating, Mr. Sluyter, Mr. Freiwald, and Mr. Boyd (to name a few gods among titans) are still doing great and helping to keep creativity alive and well at Pingry.” WEDDINGS Kirsten Jaeckle married G. Alan Steinhauer, Jr. on September 12, 2009, at Gordon Lodge, a resort in Baileys Harbor, Wis. Kirsten is marketing director at Roth Kase U.S.A., a cheese manufacturer in Monroe, Wis., and Alan is a project manager at Epic Systems Corporation, a software developer for hospitals and health care organizations in Verona, Wis.
1997
Hollywood agent David Bugliari, who works at Creative Artists Agency and is the son of Elizabeth and Miller Bugliari ’52 P ’86, ’90, ’97, married actress Alyssa Milano at the Bugliari’s family estate in Tewksbury, N.J. on August 15, 2009. The couple met about five years ago.
1996
Michael Chang married Eve Lin on July 4, 2009, in Livingston, N.J. The wedding was attended by Greg Waxberg, his wife HeatherAnn, and Moses Bloom, in addition to other close friends and relatives. Michael and Eve met at the University of Southern California, where they were attending graduate school. They now live in Los Angeles and hope to start a family soon.
BIRTHS Corey Simonson and wife Emily Armstrong welcomed their first child, Max Currie Simonson, on September 5, 2009. All are residing happily in Milton, Mass.
1998
Michael Ames recently took the position of managing editor at the Sun Valley Magazine in Hailey, Idaho. He returns to N.J. for bi-monthly lunches with Andrew Leonard at the Millburn Deli, which are usually, but not always, followed by a brisk digestive stroll through scenic Taylor Park.
Annie Elizabeth Ashley Morano
1996 and Eve Lin.
Greg Waxberg married HeatherAnn Pukel on October 24, 2008, in Shrewsbury, N.J. The guests included Michael Chang
Frank Morano and his wife Kristie welcomed their second child on May 26, 2009. Annie Elizabeth Ashley was born at 9:24 a.m. and weighed 7 pounds, 12 ounces. She joins her big brother Frankie, who is three. The family resides in Bridgewater, N.J.
Alison Wood is in Nashville, Tenn., studying civil engineering at Vanderbilt University and simultaneously pursuing a B.E. and M.E. In March, she participated in the American Society of Civil Engineers Southern Conference, which was hosted by Vanderbilt. Alison is also studying songwriting with Deanna Walker and writing songs for her third
53 fall / winter 2009
Joshua Levin just completed his MBA at NYU. He is married to Deysia Levin, they are living in Brooklyn, and Joshua consults on strategy and finance for international sustainable food and agriculture projects.
1998
Sammy Schrier finished her pediatric residency training in July and then began a fellowship in genetics and metabolism at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She married Dr. Scott Vergano, a partner in Denville Pediatrics, on May 31, 2009, and honeymooned in Greece before moving to Yardley, Pa. full-length album. In addition, she’s studying filmmaking with screenwriter William Akers, focusing on screenwriting and directing. Alison is currently in production on her first short narrative film, having already made a couple of silent shorts and a documentary. For more information: www.alisonwood. com. (originally appeared in Far Brook School’s Reports)
1999
Kris Bertsch is an assistant coach for the Men’s Soccer Team at Syracuse University. He is assisting with recruiting, opponent scouting, game preparation, and player training.
Henry Guang-Hao Anderson
Amy Brounstein lives in Manhattan and works as an ITS systems engineer for M & J Engineering on Long Island. She works as a consultant in the transportation and engineering field. She is working on a long-range project in Stamford, Conn., updating and installing a computer system on all of the public buses and outfitting them with GPS systems so they can be tracked. (originally appeared in Far Brook School’s Reports)
Joyce (Chang) Anderson reports from Chicago that Henry Guang-Hao Anderson was born on December 31, 2008, at 7 pounds, 5 ounces and 21 inches.
Julian Scurci recently left the investment management group of the REIT ProLogis and is now working at Baceline Investments, a Denver-based private equity
BIRTHS 54
firm focusing on investing in distressed industrial and retail commercial real-estate properties throughout the U.S. He also launched a familyowned Caribbean real estate investment and vacation villa rental business, Tropical Island Retreats LTD (www. tropicalislandretreats.com). His summer was filled with cycling, hiking ‘Four-teeners,’ and whitewater rafting. He spent Labor Day weekend in Vail, Colo. with fellow Class of 1999 alums Ajay Sarkaria, Dana Seeley, and Mike Zeiler. Ajay and Dana also live in Denver, working as a tax attorney and rock scientist, respectively. Mike lives in Hoboken, N.J. and serves as the operating officer for Photo Lab, a digital photography education and therapy company that helps former vegetarians express themselves through film.
continues to work as the Director of Baseball Operations for the Cleveland Indians, and Sarah works for the Cleveland Clinic as a speech-language pathologist in pediatric rehabilitation. (originally appeared in Far Brook School’s Reports) Jarett Kaplus married Lauren Vierheilig in March and enjoyed a short honeymoon in Paris. Jarett and Lauren and their families celebrated again at a reception in the Newark Museum in July, after which the couple journeyed to South Africa for a safari and wine tastings. Jarett has been working at Roseland Property Company in Short Hills, N.J. since February 2006, focusing on master-planned and mixeduse urban in-fill and waterfront developments in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Virginia. Lauren is attending veterinary school at the University of Pennsylvania. (originally appeared in Far Brook School’s Reports)
2000 From left: Mike Zeiler, Julian Scurci, Ajay Sarkaria, and Dana Seeley celebrated Labor Day Weekend 2009 with some mountain time and Karaoke
the pingry review
Lindsey Whalen lives in Chicago and works as an international consultant. In 2008, she started competing in triathlons—with podium finishes in all races. This season, she’s been on the podium in nine races around the country and will be competing in the 70.3 World Championship in Clearwater, Fla. later this year. Lindsey qualified to turn professional and plans to do so for the 2010 season. WEDDINGS Mike Chernoff and Sarah Keil were married on January 10, 2009, at the Crystal Plaza, a restored mansion, in Livingston, N.J. Mike
George Kottas graduated from Fordham Law School in May 2009 and is now living in Brooklyn and working as a public defender at the Bronx Defenders. Gary Silverstrom attended NYU undergrad and earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree in 2008 from the New York University College of Dentistry where he practiced in the Honors Elective Program. He and his father are currently building a state-of-the-art practice in Livingston (The Silverstrom Group) that was expected to open in November. WEDDINGS Ben Golden married Molly Cahill on June 27, 2009, at the Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia. The wedding party included groomsmen Parker Murray and Donald Tansey. Other guests included Jignesh
2000
Austin Saypol married Elizabeth Brush on June 13, 2009, at Appleford, a historic house in Villanova, Pa. The couple met at Princeton University. From left: English faculty member Tom Keating, Mr. Keating’s wife Jennifer Winell ’88, Andrew Houston, Enrico Encarnacion, Best Man Ershad Elahi, Austin Saypol, Elizabeth Brush Saypol, Austin’s sister and Bridesmaid Erica Saypol ’97, Honorary Trustee Vicki Brooks P ’02, ’04, Honorary Trustee Bill Engel ’67, Trustee Allie Rooke P ’02, ’04, her husband Tom Rooke ’74, P ’02, ’04, Austin’s mother and former Trustee Barbara Saypol P ’97, ’00, and Ms. Brooks’ husband David Lawrence P ’02, ’04. Austin’s father, Dr. David Saypol, and faculty member John Magadini also attended.
Desai, Gary Silverstrom, and Allison Weinstein. Molly and Ben celebrated their honeymoon in Greece. They live in New York where Molly is a candidate for a Ph.D. in Neuroscience at NYU and Ben is a Vice President in the Equity Derivatives department at Banc of America Securities.
2001
William Van Nuis Weidman married Jennifer Marie Lewellen on September 19, 2008, in Lake Forest, Ill. The wedding and reception took place at The Armor House. Will and Jen met during their freshman year at Princeton
University and were members of The Colonial Eating Club. Koushik Das was the Best Man, Stephen BrownKlinger was a groomsman, and Gary Liu read during the service. After a twoweek honeymoon in Naxos, Paros, Santorini, and Athens, Greece, the couple returned
2002 2001
Catherine Shrader married Brandon Wooton on July 3, 2009. Catherine writes: “He attended the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Class of 2005, and we met four years ago at a graduation party after I graduated from Lafayette, Class of 2005. We were married on the North Shore of Oahu, with 10 friends and family in attendance, but I am now back in Norfolk, Va. while Brandon sails in Asia as a second engineer and rescue swimmer. I continue to work at Sentara Heart Hospital in clinical drug and device trial research. Hope to make it back to visit sometime soon.” From left: Craig Miller, Susan Gabrielson-Miller, Tim Gard, Susan Shrader, Catherine (Shrader) Wooton, Brandon Wooton, Catherine’s brother Ryan Shrader ’99, and Emily Gauvin Shrader
Jessica Saraceno is in her final year at Seton Hall School of Law. After graduation, she will be clerking for the Honorable Stephen C. Hansbury in Morris County Superior Court for the 2010-
55 fall / winter 2009
to their home in Arlington, Va. Will is a Principal at APT (Applied Predictive Technologies) in Arlington, and Jen left her consulting position at Accenture to obtain her master’s degree and teaching certification in Physics at George Washington University. She was awarded the Knowles Science Teaching Foundation Fellowship to further her education.
2006 Marissa Bialecki is a senior at The George Washington University, majoring in psychology and minoring in Spanish and journalism. She is still acting in student theater at GW and is a Vice President for her community service sorority, Epsilon Sigma Alpha. She looks forward to graduating in May and hopes to stay in Washington, D.C.
2002
Ashley Kazmerowski and Travis Lan were married in Newport, Rhode Island on May 2, 2009. Clockwise from top left: Dan Scher, Ian Halvorsen, Jess Siuda, Adam Sandelovsky, Mike Hilzenrath, Matt Strangfeld, Cameron Lan ’09, Austin Lan ’07, Travis Lan, Ashley Kazmerowski, and Liz Lan ’07.
2011 court term. In the fall of 2011, Jessica will then begin as an associate at McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter LLP in Morristown. She is living in New Vernon and looks forward to hearing everyone’s news.
2004
Jason Levinn is currently completing his Masters Degree at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment in Environmental Management (MEM). For his Masters Project, he’s working with the Greater Richmond Transit Company (GRTC) in Virginia to help them launch a new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line and define their company vision for transit-oriented
development. Jason intends to graduate in May and work in Richmond on transitoriented development. Noah Mamis is working in Washington for the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, a non-profit dedicated to academic freedom, excellence, and accountability in American higher education.
2005
Ashley Artis recently graduated from Duke University with a B.A. in Political Science and a minor in Photography. She is currently a member of the 2009 Teach for America D.C. Region Corps teaching Pre-K 3 & 4 at Martin Luther King Elementary School in Southeast D.C.
56 the pingry review
2004
Rita Chen has been working at The Estée Lauder Companies since graduating from Emory University in May 2008. Fellow Pingry alums at Estée Lauder include Samantha Bailye ’03, Sara Springmeyer ’04, and Elana Drell-Szyfer ’87. On the way to our five-year reunion, from left: Ravi Parikh, Bryan Zupon, Alicia Chin, Steven Horowitz, Halley Wegryn Gross, and Rita W. Chen.
Len Coleman, a senior defender on Georgetown University’s Men’s Soccer Team, was named to TopDrawerSoccer’s National Team of the Week in September 2009. He has previously been named to the All Big East Preseason First Time and named the BIG EAST Conference’s Defensive Player of the Week. Robert Cronheim visited Ireland in May 2009 as part of the Metropolitan Golf Association’s Carey Cup team, which played the Golfing Union of Ireland. In July 2009, he scored 213 in the 89th New Jersey State Golf Association (NJSGA) Open Championship, finishing with the second lowest amateur score and the eleventh lowest overall score. That same month, as one of 12 members of the NJSGA team in the Stoddard Trophy Matches, he won three points. Michael Kreisbuch, a senior at Franklin & Marshall, spent a semester abroad (JanuaryJune 2009) in St. Petersburg, Russia. He studied with Russian students in their classes, honed his Russian language skills, and taught conversational English. He thoroughly enjoyed living in St. Petersburg, walking through the streets where so many pivotal moments of modern history took place, and had a wonderful time spending time and experiencing life in Russia.
Michael Kreisbuch in Peter and Paul Fortress standing next to Mikhail Shemiakin’s statue of Peter the Great.
Kelly Peeler is busy with offseason practices as captain of the Harvard Varsity Water Polo team. As an Executive Board member of Harvard Undergraduate Women in Business, she also founded the National Women in Business Summit that was taking place in November under the sponsorship of NBC Universal. Kelly has also organized an on-campus Entrepreneurship Convention with Robin Chase (founder of ZipCar) and Rich Doyle (founder and CEO of Harpoon Brewery). She was a member of the winning team last spring for Harvard’s I3 Entrepreneurship Innovation Challenge. Next year, she will be living in New York City as an analyst at J.P.Morgan, and her hobbies still include fundraising for Habitat for Humanity in Cape Town, South Africa.
2007
Brette Graber is a Communication major at Santa Clara University in Northern California and is currently studying abroad in London for her junior year. She is taking classes, traveling, and interning at Eye Magazine, an international publication for graphic design.
[ in memoriam ]
Pingry Mourns the Loss of William “Mac” McLaren Bristol III ’39 drug company to become one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world.
William “Mac” McLaren Bristol III ’39 August 18, 2009, age 88, Newtown, Pa.
Pingry is saddened by the death of Mr. Bristol, who was a member of the Board of Trustees from 1959 to 1985, served as the Board’s President (1969-1973) and Chair (1979-1980), and was named an Honorary Trustee in 1985. He was a significant figure in Pingry’s history and advanced the school’s interests in countless ways.
During the entire time that Pingry was considering and then planning the move from Hillside to Martinsville—a process that began in December 1969 and culminated in November 1983—Mr. Bristol was instrumental in planning, implementing, and fundraising for the move. His indomitable confidence in the project’s ultimate success was crucial, especially during some of the darker days of the 1970s, when it was not always certain that the dream would come true. He is also featured in the school’s commemorative film, which tells the story of the move. In 1984, Mr. Bristol received the Letter-in-Life Award, the highest award that the Pingry Alumni Association presents to an alumnus
Assessing his father’s relationship with the school, Mr. Bristol’s son, Brian ’69, says, “Dad arrived at Pingry at the Elizabeth Campus, he was a parent and trustee during the Hillside years, and he came back again and again to the Martinsville Campus. Through all its changes, his love for Pingry never changed, and he never forgot all that the school had given to him and his family.” Mr. Bristol is survived by his beloved second wife, Mary Jayne Comey. His first marriage, to the former Dorothea Tilton, ended in divorce. He is also survived by four children, including Brian ’69, a former Pingry Trustee, and seven grandchildren. His brothers Atherton ’41 and Michal ’49, a former Pingry Trustee, and nephews Theodore ’72, Robert ’76, David ’80, and Steven ’82 attended Pingry. Mr. Bristol’s father William M. Bristol II also served as a Pingry Trustee from 1942 to 1946.
57 fall / winter 2009
He was born on July 24, 1921, in Brooklyn, N.Y. and served in World War II as a member of the United States Marine Corps. Mr. Bristol fought in the Battle of Iwo Jima, served as a member of the occupation forces in Japan, and was honorably discharged as a First Lieutenant in 1946. He spent his entire career with the Bristol-Myers Company—he retired as Executive Vice President and was the third generation to lead a company founded by his grandfather in 1887. During Mr. Bristol’s tenure, BristolMyers expanded from a mid-sized
In addition to serving as a Trustee, as Chairman Emeritus, and as a Life Trustee of Hamilton College, Mr. Bristol was a generous benefactor to numerous individuals and organizations, including Pingry. In honor of his mother, who loved music, he established The Madeleine Wild Bristol Scholarship Endowment Fund—the Madeleine Wild Bristol Music Prize is awarded annually to a Pingry music student, and the Madeleine Wild Bristol Scholarship is offered to students in need of financial aid and covers at least 80 percent of their Pingry tuition. Mr. Bristol also played a major role in naming the Bristol Gymnasium in her honor to recognize the many years she had spent sitting in the stands cheering for her sons’ and grandsons’ teams.
or alumna who has gained distinction in his or her career and brought honor to the school. In December 2006, Pingry presented the world premiere performance of “Peace Full Voices,” composed by music faculty member Sean McAnally in recognition of the Bristol family’s long-standing dedication to and support of Pingry and its music program.
[ in memoriam ] Roger C. Ward ’40 September 5, 2008, age 86, Maplewood, N.J.
Mr. Ward, a Pingry Trustee from 1966 to 1969, graduated from Princeton University in 1944 and served in the United States Navy during World War II. He received his law degree from Columbia University in 1949 and worked with several law firms, including Pitney, Hardin, Kipp & Szuch. He served on numerous boards and as a trustee for several organizations.
Charles Chipman Pineo, Jr. ’33 March 17, 2009, age 93, Kennebunk, Maine
Mr. Pineo graduated from McGill University and the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration. Enlisting in the Army as a Private, he rose to the rank of Captain, Infantry Company Commander, serving with the 77th Infantry Division in the Pacific Theater of Operations. He received both the Silver Star and the Bronze Star Medals. His career involved grocery marketing, frozen food processing, and banking.
Brownsville, Texas. he served as director of the Mercantile Bank for 24 years and was a member of several boards. His son William McManus, Jr. ’69 and late brothers John ’37 and Richard ’45 also attended Pingry.
William B. McGinty, Jr. ’43 November 7, 2007, age 81, Blacksburg, Va.
Mr. McGinty attended the University of Oklahoma for a year before entering the Naval Academy, where he graduated in 1947. He completed flight training in Pensacola, Fla., received his Wings in 1950, and served in Korea, flying more than 70 missions in Banshees. He later served as an experimental test pilot for Hughes Aircraft Co. in California. In 1964, he joined the Federal Systems Division of IBM and spent 25 years as director of government and industry development.
Dr. Richard McManus ’45 August 18, 2009, age 81, Beverly, Mass.
Dr. McManus graduated from Princeton University in 1949 and New York Medical College in 1954. He served as a Captain in the Air Force in Bangor, Maine. Dr. McManus joined North Shore Radiological Associates in 1959 and practiced primarily at Hunt Memorial Hospital in Danvers, Mass. At Hunt Memorial, his positions included Chief of Radiology. In 1984, Dr. McManus was named a Fellow of the American College of Radiology. He was predeceased by his brothers John ’37 and William ’40.
Edward S. Nittoli ’36 October 3, 2003, age 85, Chesapeake, Va.
58 the pingry review
Mr. Nittoli attended Mercerburg Academy, graduated from Colgate University, and received a graduate degree from Seton Hall University. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II and then, for nearly 34 years, was a teacher, guidance counselor, and principal with the Elizabeth, N.J. public schools.
McIver W. Woody ’36 August 4, 2005, age 86, Dublin, Ohio
William McManus ’40 December 20, 2008, age 86, Atlanta, Ga.
Mr. McManus graduated from Princeton University in 1944 and worked for 43 years for Union Carbide Corporation in Kentucky, West Virginia, New Jersey, New York City, and Texas. In
Joseph North, Jr. ’46 July 10, 2009, age 81, Sykesville, Md.
Eugene M. Haring ’45 June 4, 2009, age 82, Princeton, N.J.
Mr. Haring received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Princeton University, served in the U.S. Navy and the Naval Reserve, and graduated from Harvard Law School in 1955. He spent his legal career with McCarter & English. Upon retirement he served as a Mediator for the U.S. District Court of N.J. and as a member of the N.J. Panel of Distinguished Neutrals.
Mr. North earned six varsity letters for baseball, football, and swimming at Pingry and served as Captain of the 1946 Baseball Team. He enlisted in the Marine Corps for two years and received the American Theatre Ribbon. He attended Brown University and then, for 36 years, worked for the Johns Manville Corporation in sales and product management of building materials. In 1996, Mr. North was inducted into Pingry’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
David Banker “P.G.” Thomas ’65
JoAnn Morgan Jackson
Edna Muller
August 17, 2009, age 62, West Chester, Pa.
April 26, 2009, Bridgewater, N.J.
January 26, 2009, age 94, Roselle Park, N.J.
Mr. Thomas graduated from Kenyon College in 1969 and spent his career in commercial lending. He was also a Past President of the American Institute of Banking and a past Regional Board Member of the American Red Cross.
Mrs. Jackson taught English at Pingry from 1962 to 1975 and was chair of the Junior School English Department. Her late husband Tom taught chemistry at Pingry from 1966 to 1975.
Ms. Muller worked as a secretary in Pingry’s Development Office from 1965 to 1983. Survivors include her grandson Marc Romano ’82.
William B. “Bill” Christensen ’66 October 3, 2008, age 60, Chatham, N.J.
Mr. Christensen was a member of Pingry’s Blue Book staff, Spanish Club, Drama Club, Rifle Club, AFS Club, Social Service Club, and Literary Society, and he competed in Track and Indoor Track. He graduated from Colgate University in 1970 and worked in his family’s business of dealing in rare coins. He established a well-known reputation within the numismatic industry.
James Keenan April 20, 2009, age 82, Elizabeth, N.J.
Mr. Keenan worked in Pingry’s Maintenance Department from 1982 to 1996.
Porterhouse July 7, 2009, age 12
Thomas Wright Thompson, Jr. ’75 Mr. Thompson earned varsity letters for football and lacrosse at Pingry and played football at the U.S. Naval Academy, where he graduated in 1979. After service in the Navy, he pursued a career in engineering and sales.
59 fall / winter 2009
January 3, 2009, age 51, Pensacola, Fla.
Porterhouse, a 100-pound black Lab, spent one day each week in Susanne Alford’s homeroom at the Short Hills Campus. He was pictured in yearbooks with the fifthgrade students and celebrated his birthdays at school. On Halloween, he paraded in costume with the Lower School students—each of his costumes depicted a literary character. Porterhouse’s last appearance at Pingry was on June 4, 2009. He was beloved not only by the Alford family, but also by hundreds of children, parents, and faculty members in the Pingry family.
[ dictum ultimum ] By Science Faculty Member Deirdre O’Mara As a teacher, I must believe that societies are renewed by individual efforts to “see further” than before. Lives are made more meaningful when we seek truth and pursue new knowledge. Teachers listen attentively for that moment when a student simply says, “Let’s see” and is ready to investigate. We offer our science students a chance to see further with opportunities like the Waksman Student Scholars Program (WSSP) and Students Modeling a Research Topic (S.M.A.R.T.) Team. We strive to connect our students to the discipline beyond the classroom by engaging them with the people
“I am awed by the transformation of these students’ passive acceptance of information to their active participation when embracing novel information. The students have transcended textbooks and lectures and are now moving forward under their own momentum.”
students to climb higher.
a winding path and, after a long, difficult climb, finally coming to a vista that stretches to the horizon. We sit and communicate intelligently about the science stretching out before us. We walk out to the edge and ponder all that they “see.”
Isaac Newton, in a 1676 letter to biologist Robert Hooke, penned: “If I have seen further, it is only by standing on the shoulders of giants.” I appreciate the humble gratitude from one of the greatest minds in history; moreover, I see a metaphor
When students look over that edge, Pingry faculty members are ready to offer more. The S.M.A.R.T. Team and WSSP take students to a deeper understanding of science and connect them to the scientific community. Eventually, students are immersed
who are actively involved in the 60
for myself as a teacher. I imagine myself guiding students up a mountain trail and being supportive if they stumble. I see us carefully navigating
newest discoveries in the field.
the pingry review
We listen carefully because we know our ultimate task is to teach
in conversation with a renowned principal investigator, discussing nuances of protein structure—without me serving as translator—and the conversation deepens to show the passion of the scientist and the ignition of the fire of the student who, one day, will offer a “Let’s see” to our collective future. I am awed by the transformation of these students’ passive acceptance of information to their active participation when embracing novel information. The students have transcended textbooks and lectures and are now moving forward under their own momentum—all of this happens because connecting the scientists’ passion to naturally-curious students spontaneously generates a propulsive force. Finally, as students begin to create their poster to share their research with the scientific community, their conversations and debates are so knowledgeable that I pause to reflect on their growth from these experiences. I imagine these students standing on my shoulders as they grab a high ledge, or giving them a boost as they attempt to reach the summit on their own. They continue to look for the hand that will pull them up for the next leg of their journey.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . January 6, 2010
February 18, 2010
Lower Commons, Martinsville Campus 11:30 a.m.
J. B. Winberie Restaurant 12:00 p.m.
Back from College Luncheon
pingry alumni
l
Princeton College Luncheon
January 9, 2010
Princeton Area Reception
Bristol Gym, Martinsville Campus Warm-up at 10:30 a.m. Game at 11:00 a.m.
March 7, 2010
Alumni Basketball Game
January 14, 2010
New York City
calendar of upcoming eventsl Pingry Reception
Location TBA 6:30 p.m.
Atlanta Alumni Reception
Location and Time TBA
Racquet and Tennis Club 6:30 p.m.
March 8, 2010
January 29, 2010
Home of Judy and Steve Newhouse ’65, P ’95, ’97, ’99 6:00 p.m.
Career Day
Martinsville Campus 8:00 a.m.
February 11, 2010
Columbia College Luncheon Location TBA 12:00 p.m.
Vero Beach Alumni Reception
March 9, 2010
Boca Raton Alumni Reception
Boca Beach Club Hosted by Janie and Michael Lewis ’67 5:00 p.m.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thursday, May 13 to Saturday, May 15
Reunion 2010
Including Athletic Hall of Fame and Magistri Induction Ceremonies For classes ending in 5 and 0 Martinsville Campus
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . For more details visit: http://www.pingry.org/alumni/newsevents.html
Alumni Class Notes Send us your latest news!
Do you have a new job? New baby? Just married? Recently moved? Or any updates to share with your classmates? We are collecting class notes and photos for the winter issue of The Pingry Review. Mail them to Kristen Tinson at The Pingry School, P.O. Box 366, Martinsville Road, Martinsville, NJ 08836 or email them to Kristen at ktinson@pingry.org. For more information about News and Events, please visit www.pingry.org/alumni/newsevents.html.
Find us on Facebook! *Profile name is John Pingry
For volunteer opportunities or any additional questions: Contact for the ’30s and ’40s Jackie Sullivan Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving jsullivan@pingry.org
Contact for the ’50s and ’60s
Kristen Tinson Associate Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving ktinson@pingry.org
Contact for the ’70s and ’80s
Alison Harle Associate Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving aharle@pingry.org
Contact for the ’90s and ’00s Laura Stoffel Assistant Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving lstoffel@pingry.org Or call the Alumni and Development Office at 800-994-ALUM (2586).
Visit us online:
www.pingry.org
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THE PINGRY SCHOOL Martinsville Campus, Upper and Middle School Short Hills Campus, Lower School Martinsville Road PO Box 366 Martinsville, NJ 08836 Change Service Requested
Why We Give Pingry has given me so much. I was a stuWhen I began teaching at dent here for 13 years and, by my count, Pingry 34 years ago, Pingry was 25 current faculty members once taught, a great school. Since then, it advised, or coached me. They continue to has developed into a world-class influence the way I think and teach. While educational institution, offering I always recognized that these teachers had lessons to students and the rest of a great impact on my life, it wasn’t until I the community that cannot be returned to Pingry as a faculty member taught in the classroom alone. that I understood why. It’s because they Just two programs that I am perJohn Crowley-Delman ’97 and Peter Delman P ’97 ’98 (and now I can accurately say “we”) truly sonally involved in, the Hostetter believe in Pingry’s underappreciated motto: “Greatest respect is Arts Center Gallery Visiting Artist Program, and the due students.” Pingry teachers recognize that students are their school-wide Sustainability Initiative, have grown best teachers. This belief means that Pingry’s faculty is constantinto mainstays that meet the Pingry standard of excelly challenged to learn, grow, explore, and improve. Since my lence. The first priority of both programs is to educate first day, I’ve been encouraged to take advantage of professional our students, and the strongest support comes from development opportunities, to experiment in the classroom, and our school leadership. And there are many, many other to push my students to move beyond intellectually-safe ground. examples. OK, now I’ve talked myself into doubling my I love that, and it’s why I choose to support The Pingry Fund. contribution this year!
– History faculty member John Crowley-Delman ’97
– Fine Arts faculty member Peter Delman P ’97 ’98
To make your gift to Pingry, visit www.pingry.org.