The Pingry Review - Winter 2024-25

STRATEGIC PLAN FOCUSED ON

Members of the 2024 Football Team doing a “welcome tunnel” with Lower School students

pingry.org/review

Pingry Plan: A New Strategic Plan Focused on People

Soon after Tim Lear became Head of School in July 2022, he realized that Pingry might need a new strategic plan, especially because so much has changed at Pingry and in the world since the previous plan. Now, a new plan is live, emphasizing the importance of relationships

Much Is Expected: The Legacy of Bob Meyer

’56

Pingry recently acknowledged his larger-thanlife presence in the community—a presence most visible in the football stands. Mr. Meyer has changed more than a few lives and is happy to be able to do so.

Fifty Years of the Lower School

At the same time that Pingry became a coeducational school in 1974-75, it acquired its current Lower School by merging with Short Hills Country Day School. Photos and memories capture some of the events and milestones over the past 50 years.

The Pingry Review is The Pingry School’s official magazine. Contact the editor with comments and story ideas: gwaxberg@pingry.org 908-647-5555, ext. 1296 The Pingry School 131 Martinsville Road Basking Ridge, NJ 07920

THINGS YOU’LL LEARN IN THIS ISSUE

EDITOR

Greg Waxberg ’96 Communications Writer

EDITORIAL STAFF

Peter Blasevick P’24 Archivist

Emily Cooke P’36 Director of Strategic Communications and Marketing

Sara Courtney Communications Writer

David M. Fahey ’99, P’33, ’34 Director of Institutional Advancement

Ishaan Sinha ’27

Jane Hoffman ’94, P’26, ’27, ’28 Director of Development

Maureen Maher Associate Director of Communications, Writer

Alex Nanfara P’33, ’36 Assistant Director of Communications, Social Media Strategy and Athletics

Taylor Noonan Director of Alumni Relations

DESIGN AND LAYOUT

Josephine Bergin josephinebergin.com

PHOTOGRAPHY

Jennifer Belcher

Peter Blasevick P’24

Russ DeSantis

Natalie Gonzalez

Erin Kiernan

Bruce Morrison ’64

Alex Nanfara P’33, ’36

Rebecca Nowalski

David Salomone

Reena Rose Sibayan

Ryan Smith

Debbie Weisman

Mark Wyville

Maggie Yurachek

Head of School

Dear Members of the Pingry Community,

The New York Yankees teams that won five World Series rings from 1996-2009 featured a legendary group of players known as the “Core Four” — Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada, and Mariano Rivera. All were drafted as rookies or signed by the Yankees as amateurs, and two are now enshrined in Cooperstown. They grew up within the organization, and the continuity of their presence set the standard of excellence that helped their teams become a dynasty.

The “Core Four” ideal is a powerful reminder that sometimes what’s great is not what’s new. Sometimes what’s great is simply what endures. Pingry continues to thrive and to meet the challenges of the times because of our enduring core values: the importance of community, working for the common good rather than solely for personal advantage, and building relationships. As a former student wrote to me recently, “Pingry’s goals should still remain to attract exceptional students, invest in the finest faculty and staff, and have enriching academic programs.” We agree.

Independent schools often like to follow trends, and chasing “the next big thing” can be a difficult temptation to resist. I’m incredibly proud that our new strategic plan makes the case for taking a different approach. The Pingry Plan reflects our belief that to be truly innovative, meeting the moment now means getting back to basics and staying true to what’s core about Pingry: our Mission and Honor Code, our people, and our student-centered education. Resisting fads in favor of time-tested principles and activities is what will lead to the kind of innovation, collaboration, and growth we want our students to experience. We don’t always need “more” — sometimes what’s core is what’s more.

We can increasingly find evidence in other places that supports a similar focus on core principles and a return to basics. In his book Same as Ever: A Guide to What Never Changes, Morgan Housel writes “change captures our attention because it’s surprising and exciting.” But “things that never change are important because you can put so much confidence into knowing how they’ll shape the future.” Focusing on what’s enduring and on what’s “permanently true” is how we can best position ourselves for future success in an ever-changing world.

In another example of the power of remaining true to a mission, The Atlantic now has more subscribers to its print magazine than at any time in its 168-year history. By maintaining its high standards and prioritizing excellence and depth, the magazine has defied trends in the magazine business and just announced its return to being a monthly print publication. Despite its predicted demise thanks to the rise of the internet and the broader downward trends within journalism, the growth and return of The Atlantic Monthly suggest that quality is a value that endures.

Former Pingry language teacher and Magistri member Lydia Geacintov once characterized Pingry’s Mission this way: “It respects the past, lives in the present, and prepares students for the future.” The same can also be said of our new strategic plan. Schools like Pingry will always need to manage a careful balance between innovation and stability — something David Brooks describes as “daring explorations from a secure base.” The Pingry Plan ensures that our school will continue to serve as that secure base while also becoming the best version of itself, with a vibrant future rooted in core values of community, care, character, and connection.

ONE PINGRY

“THE

PROCESS” AT CONVOCATION

Convocation, which marks the official beginning of the school year, has taken place annually since 1987, and the collecting of Middle and Upper School students’ Honor Code pledges was initiated in 2007 by then–Student Body President Jessica Westerman ’08. Separately from Convocation, the Board of Trustees and all faculty and staff also sign the Honor Code every year.

Head of School Tim Lear spoke about “The Process” of former LSU and Alabama Football Head Coach Nick Saban: “Rather than fixating on outcomes, ‘The Process’ emphasized consistent hard work, a ‘team first’ approach, and attention to detail . . . one of my hopes for this year is that we’ll borrow a few pages from Coach Saban’s playbook: that we’ll offer a helping hand, that we’ll be mindful of how we can mentor and inspire others, that we’ll allow ourselves to fully engage in the process, rather than focusing exclusively on the outcome . . . We can’t be great at every possible endeavor, but we can focus on the process.”

The Lower School held its own election on November 5, when students, faculty, and staff voted on the lunch menu that they would enjoy in January. The two candidates were the Grade 4 menu (chicken tenders, pizza, and more) vs. the teacher menu (breakfast for lunch). Students felt good, nervous, and excited about voting. (The Grade 4 menu won.)

AN EDUCATIONAL MISSION: JAZZ

Doug Goodkin ’69, internationally recognized Orff Schulwerk music teacher and the author of 10 books who worked at The San Francisco School for 45 years until his retirement in 2020, visited Pingry in September to promote the ideas in his book Jazz, Joy & Justice. His mission: to impress upon students the importance of knowing about older, legendary jazz singers such as Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong; one of Mr. Goodkin’s video clips showed Hazel Scott playing two grand pianos at the same time. Decades ago, Mr. Goodkin said, there was “no conscious effort made to acquaint American schoolchildren with some of the most extraordinary American geniuses . . . and 55 years later, that’s still true. Most schools don’t pay any attention to educating young people about [them].” He said that most of today’s music would not exist without their contributions.

Student Body President Ziv Shah ’25 and Honor Board Chair Nick Henry ’25 collecting students’ Honor Code pledges

ONE PINGRY

LETTER-IN-LIFE AWARD

Renowned economist, Harvard University professor, writer, and former Pingry trustee Dr. Greg Mankiw ’76 received Pingry’s highest honor during Convocation. It is bestowed on a graduate who has earned distinction professionally and, by doing so, has brought honor to Pingry. Presenting this award in front of the student body also recognizes the potential that Pingry sees in every current student.

Back in Grade 4 at Pingry, he probably would never have expected to see his name and the word “writer” in the same sentence. While math was his best and favorite subject, he hated English . . . but the department required students to “write all the time.” He needed to write an essay every two weeks—400 words as a freshman, 600 words as a sophomore, 800 words as a junior. “I hated that, but it was great training. Over time, I realized ‘I can do this!’ and I became an academic,” he said. All of that writing enabled him to write two acclaimed textbooks, over 1,500 pages of articles in academic journals, and numerous newspaper columns. Sometimes, he said, “the struggle provides the education.”

pingry.org/extras: Dr. Mankiw’s full Letter-In-Life Award citation

GETTING TO KNOW...

Husband and Wife: Upper School

Librarian Jonathan Kelly and AP

Psychology Teacher Lauren Kelly

Mr. Kelly

Favorite musicians? Steely Dan, Pink Floyd, The Bad Plus, GoGo Penguin

Favorite books? Salt: A World History (Mark Kurlansky) & You Shall Know Our Velocity! (Dave Eggers)

Favorite movie? The Source, a documentary about the Beat Generation. I’ve probably watched it over 100 times.

Favorite TV shows? Elementary, Sherlock, The West Wing

If you could have any superpower, what would it be? Telekinesis

If you could study any field aside from your own, what would it be, and why? Egyptology. I’ve always been fascinated by Egypt, even travelling there in 1995.

If you could have dinner with one person, living or from the past, who would it be, and why? George Carlin, because no person outside of my family is more responsible for my love of language than him.

Origin of your interest in libraries and/or working in libraries? My grandmother was a librarian. When I was a kid, my dad took me to the public library almost every weekend. And I’ve always loved books. A perfect blend.

Why did you decide to switch from teaching English to working in the library? Pingry needed a librarian who could not only help students with their research, but also help update how we do things. Researching and teaching research are moving into exciting new areas, and I wanted to be a part of it on the front lines.

Mrs. Kelly

Favorite musicians? Bon Iver, Taylor Swift, and Darlingside

Favorite books? The Book of Hope by Jane

His

Materials

Favorite movies? Pride and Prejudice (2005), The Imitation Game (2014)

Favorite TV shows? Stranger Things; The Great British Baking Show

If you could have any superpower, what would it be? Flying, or maybe being able to organize my spaces by snapping my fingers.

If you could have dinner with one person, living or from the past, who would it be, and why? Jane Goodall. She is my academic and moral inspiration. Origin of your interest in psychology? Learning about evolution and behavior in high school and college sparked an interest in how the human mind works.

Any misconceptions about psychology that you would love to clear up? All psychologists are not qualified to be therapists!

Collectively

How did you meet? We met in a discussion group about common interests, and then became friends hiking and hanging out during the COVID school closings.

In what ways are you similar, and in what ways are you opposites? We are similar because we love the outdoors and feel most at home outside. We are both smart and always interested in learning and sharing what we learn. We are opposites because Mrs. Kelly really likes quiet and can sit in silence for hours, and Mr. Kelly needs music or sound on 24/7. Mr. Kelly is very outgoing and Mrs. Kelly is fine with just sticking with the few people she knows well. Mrs. Kelly is a morning person, but Mr. Kelly is definitely not.

Goodall and Douglas Abrams;

Dark

trilogy by Philip Pullman

DR. PETER HORN VISITS PINGRY TO ENCOURAGE RESPECTFUL CONVERSATION

For the third time since the fall of 2020, Pingry welcomed education consultant Dr. Peter Horn to the Basking Ridge Campus in late October to speak with employees and students about civil discourse. His appearance is part of the School’s ongoing commitment to providing a safe and productive learning environment for students—the goal is to help students learn how to engage as citizens of a democracy and encourage open and respectful dialogue about values and beliefs.

Asked what he perceives as the source of the problem that makes “civil discourse” a necessary part of his work, Dr. Horn highlights “discourse on social media” and “social media videos.” His approach with students is to tell them, “Here’s why [civil discourse] is hard—not just for you, but for us, as people—but here’s something that you could do to respond.”

For his 2024 visit, Dr. Horn spent more time with Middle School students, including Grade 8 history classes. He asked the classes to consider the meaning of the word “political”; what issue they care the most about; and what makes it easier or harder to talk about something they care about. His parting message: set boundaries for your conversations.

“The ability to have a respectful conversation is critical,” he says. “It’s an important part of intellectual educational development, but it’s also important for families and relationships. We have to be able to take into account the viewpoints of people who don’t see things the same way we do, and we need to get past this very narrow vision that says, ‘I’m right and you’re evil.’”

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

September 13

PHOTO: KRISTEN RICE

ONE PINGRY

HONORS FOR TEACHING CHINESE

Upper School Mandarin Teacher Weiwei Yu P’26, a member of Pingry’s faculty since 2009 when Mandarin was added to the curriculum, was named 2024 Educator of the Year by the New Jersey Chinese Teachers Association (NJCTA) at its awards ceremony in December. Beyond her work at Pingry, Ms. Yu has dedicated significant time to supporting local communities. Since 2018, she has served on the board of the Huaxia Chinese School in Bridgewater, NJ, and she volunteered as a teacher in 2024. She also works with Bridges Outreach during the summer, packing and distributing food to individuals experiencing homelessness. As Vice President of NJCTA, she helps to organize their annual conference and host other professional development events.

REDESIGN OF MIDDLE SCHOOL SPACES

With ties to the new strategic plan—one of the priorities is to create physical spaces that inspire connection—the Middle School Office was redesigned over the summer. The new layout relocated the Director’s office, created space for the Assistant Dean of Students (a new position), enabled the addition of work/collaboration space for faculty, and added space to the common area, while the glass walls added sight lines between the administrators and The Wilf Family Commons. The redesign also means that there are more rooms where advisories can meet. Outside of the office space, the Commons was repainted, and thicker carpeting was installed to accommodate students sitting on the floor for assemblies. Still to come in the Commons: sound tiles to absorb sound, new lighting, and new furniture that students will help choose!

All three divisions gathered on the Basking Ridge Campus in December for the annual All-School Winter Festival—the one day of the year when all students are together (for overflow seating, Grade 9 was in Macrae Theatre).

Head of School Tim Lear, Upper School Mandarin Teacher Weiwei Yu P’26, and NJCTA Founder and President Shihong Zhang

The redesigned Middle School Office

ACHIEVEMENT IN THE ARTS AWARD

As she had done many times for Pingry’s Drama Department, Elizabeth Wight Seigel ’03 took to the Pingry stage in November, this time to accept the 2024 Achievement in the Arts Award.

Established in 2012 during Pingry’s 150th anniversary celebration, the award is presented each year to distinguished Pingry alumni in recognition of the contributions they have made to artistic pursuits throughout their careers.

The Pingry Alumni Association honored Mrs. Seigel for her work as Head of Private and Iconic Collections for Christie’s auction house in New York; former Drama Department Chair Al Romano, who taught Mrs. Seigel and directed her in Pingry productions, presented her with the award.

For her part, Mrs. Seigel was excited to tell students about her “really cool job” that combines the business world with the arts. She explained that the global “art market” includes artists, dealers, art fairs, and auction houses, and that people’s perceptions of an auction is, indeed, “as exciting as it is in the movies”.

She also made a point of offering advice that helps illustrate how she moved up the ladder at Christie’s. “Figure out what it is you want to do, and what parts of a job you like the most, and get really good at them. Once you conquer your job, start doing the job you want next.” In Mrs. Seigel’s case, she was doing behind-the-scenes administrative work and wanted to be a specialist doing in-depth research. So, she volunteered to spend time in warehouses, cataloging furniture, which “made me the obvious candidate” when a position opened.

“Figure out what it is you want to do, and what parts of a job you like the most, and get really good at them. Once you conquer your job, start doing the job you want next.”

As far as the meaning of her title at Christie’s: “I get to basically decide what constitutes a ‘collection’—I have the ability to walk into a home or museum and try to decide if there’s anything that Christie’s may want to sell. Is it worth a million dollars? Is it worth 10 million dollars?” Working with a huge group of specialists—“extreme teamwork and depth of knowledge”—she has helped to coordinate the landmark collections of President and Mrs. Ronald Reagan, Betsy Bloomingdale, Joan Rivers, Peggy and David Rockefeller, Jayne Wrightsman, Ann and Gordon Getty, and André Leon Talley.

Read more about Mrs. Seigel’s career in the Summer 2024 issue of The Pingry Review

Favorite musicians? I’m a ’90s/2000s kid! I love alternative rock such as the Smashing Pumpkins and the Red Hot Chili Peppers . . . and I also love anything danceable, such as old-school hip hop and R&B!

Favorite book? Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. This book was particularly powerful to me because back when I was in college, I had the privilege of traveling to Ghana with my choir and we visited the Cape Coast Castle, which is prominent in the book. Favorite TV show? Stranger Things

You were born in Japan and lived in Tokyo for more than 10 years before coming to the U.S. What do you remember about moving to the United States? I was shocked by how everything was super-sized. I remember thinking, “My goodness, the K-Mart parking lot is as big as the Tokyo Disneyland parking lot!” (when it’s totally not) and that the grocery carts in the U.S. are huge (which is true!). No small child(ren) can fit in the grocery carts in Tokyo!

Is there anything you wish people understood better about Japan? It’s quite complex and is changing a lot. The generation that experienced WWII first-hand is dying out, and there has been a low birthrate for quite some time. Japan has been very insular for many, many years, but society is shifting with immigration (to sustain the workforce). Japan is being forced to globalize more and more.

If you could study any field aside from your own, what would it be, and why? Music theory. I have perfect pitch so I can hear and tell the notes of a melody, but I have a hard time picking up the harmonies. I’d love to be able to do that more naturally!

If you could have dinner with one person, living or from the past, who would it be, and why? My maternal grandmother, Haruko Oma. She was easygoing, warm, and supportive. She never raised her voice or got upset with anyone. I miss her every day.

Origin of your interest in science? I always liked science as a kid. My 10th-grade chemistry teacher was incredible. His name is Dr. Gadd and he still teaches at PDS (Princeton Day School), where I went for high school. He taught chemistry logically, step-by-step. Most of what I teach comes from what I learned from him!

Cecily Moyer, Middle School Science Teacher

Pingry Alumni Association President Kathy (Iacuzzo) Sartorius ’92, P’22, ’25, ’29, Elizabeth Wight Seigel ’03, and former Drama Department Chair Al Romano

ONE PINGRY

HOMECOMING

Dave Azar, Systems and Information Manager

BOTTOM LEFT: Aparna Murthy P’25, former Director of Counseling Dr. Angelica Diaz-Martinez ’88 and Jorge Martinez P’25, ’26, Bill Stevenson P’25, ’27 (with the Stevenson family dog, Inti), and Eric Riener P’25

BOTTOM RIGHT: Hilary (Sunyak) Ulz ’96 with Orly and Owen

Favorite musicians? I like classic Jersey Shore bar songs—always a good time!

Favorite books? Harry Potter series—timeless, and the audiobooks are great, too.

Favorite movie? Tough choice! Back to the Future for classics and Toy Story for Disney.

Favorite TV shows? Current favorite: Yellowstone. Alltime favorites: Breaking Bad and The Sopranos

Any hobbies, or favorite way to spend free time? Getting back into golf and spending time with my kids, whether it’s their swimming, dance, soccer, or other rec sports.

If you could study any field aside from your own, what would it be, and why? I’d love to have gone to culinary school—I worked in restaurants and bars for years. But those hours? Brutal.

If you could have dinner with one person, living or from the past, who would it be, and why? Anthony Bourdain—he had an amazing approach to life, and the way he connected with people through food and travel. I loved his shows.

Origin of your interest in computers/technology? Curiosity—I’ve always been fascinated by how things work, and I enjoy learning new things.

Any misconceptions about computers or technology that you would like to clear up? Tech isn’t magic—it’s problem solving. And yes, restarting your computer really helps.

TOP LEFT: Varsity Volleyball in action

TOP RIGHT: Sideline ball boys for the boys’ varsity soccer game

Former Surgeon General Dr. Antonia Novello Speaks for Carver Lecture

Pingry was honored to welcome Dr. Antonia Novello, former Surgeon General of the United States (1990–1993), in October for the Gilbert H. Carver ’79 Memorial Lecture, which focuses on themes of self-esteem, acceptance, mental health, and well-being.

Dr. Novello, the first woman and first Hispanic to serve as Surgeon General, is the author of Duty Calls: Lessons Learned from an Unexpected Life of Service. Co-author Jill Tietjen, an electrical engineer and an advocate for women’s achievement, joined her for the lecture. They met with fourthand fifth-grade students on the Short Hills Campus, then visited Basking Ridge.

Former trustee Anne DeLaney ’79, P’09, ’11, ’14, ’14, who, together with the Carver family, established the lecture series in Gibb’s memory, explained to students in Basking Ridge that her family could not keep his struggles quiet after he died by suicide in 2008; in the 1970s, he struggled with his sexuality because he was gay, and his mother was sick and died, and nobody talked about either one at the time.

Ms. DeLaney said she continues to be amazed by Pingry’s desire to reduce the stigma around

mental health and take care of students’ and employees’ mental health.

Dr. Novello’s visit to Pingry stemmed from an event in the fall of 2023, when Dartmouth College hosted all seven living Surgeons General for a panel discussion on the future of mental health and wellness. After that panel, Pingry administrators traveled to Dartmouth to learn more about the event and met Dr. Novello—and believed she would be an ideal speaker for the Carver Lecture Series.

Her medical training is as a pediatrician, so she cares deeply about the health of children and adolescents, and she has dealt with her own health struggles. Joining her onstage on the Basking Ridge Campus were Peer Leaders who engaged in a Q&A about topics including what she would prioritize today as Surgeon General (good health for everyone and good messaging), why she wrote a book (people can learn from her experiences and mistakes), her habits (“I study. I am a ‘freak-o’ for details and facts and numbers.”), the importance of service (“You will be remembered for your good deeds”), and people who inspired her while growing up (the Girl Scouts; her mother,

A group of administrators, faculty, and staff enjoying dinner with Dr. Antonia Novello, including those who first met her at Dartmouth College in 2023. FRONT ROW: Former School Counselor Pat Lionetti P’85, ’88, ’89, former trustee Anne Delaney ’79, P’09, ’11, ’14, ’14, former PSPA President Betty Galvan P’25, ’29, ’31, Middle School Spanish Teacher Guadalupe Núñez, Dr. Antonia Novello, and Upper School Performing Arts Teacher and Dean of Student Life for Advising and Peer Leadership Alan Van Antwerp MIDDLE ROW: Lower School Director Dr. Alyssa Johns P’36, Head of School Tim Lear, Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Gilberto Olvera P’29, ’33, Jill Tietjen, former PSPA President Lois Fitton P’26, and Upper School English Teacher and Honor Board Advisor Alisha Davlin P’32 BACK ROW: Director of Strategic Communications and Marketing Emily Cooke P’36, Director of Community Engagement and Social Impact Bianca Cabrera, Community Well-Being Director, K–12 Dr. Julie O’Rourke, Associate Head of School Ben Courchesne P’30, ’34, ’36, Health and Physical Education Department Chair Jessica Hoepfl P’37, Middle School Director Tamara Schurdak, Upper School Director Dr. Reid Cottingham, Middle and Upper School Counselor Maurisa Gainer, and Middle School Math Teacher and Middle School Assistant Dean of Students Julia Martinez

who pushed for education). She left the students with important messages:

• “Mental health is no different than physical health.”

• “I did things because people told me I couldn’t.”

• “Don’t let anyone deter you in your dreams.”

• “Treat yourself, always, as if you were your best friend.”

• “Disregard the negative.”

• “I believe, as a minority and as a woman: don’t ever be afraid that you cannot get to the top. And when you get to the top, you owe something to your community. Give them the same opportunities.”

And her parting comments to Pingry: “Don’t weaken your values and don’t weaken your message or vision. Character is what this country needs for the future . . . Pingry is an example of what the United States’ schools should be, for the future of children in this country.”

The Gilbert H. Carver ’79 Memorial Lecture was established in memory of Gilbert Carver, Class of 1979, by his father Calvin and stepmother June Carver, his sister Marcey Carver, his brother Chip Carver, Jr., Class of 1977, and Chip’s wife Anne DeLaney, Class of 1979. This lecture series supports open dialogue on self-esteem and acceptance and—thanks to its supporters— will continue in perpetuity.

Former trustee Anne DeLaney ’79, P’09, ’11, ’14, ’14, Dr. Antonia Novello, and Jill Tietjen

ONE PINGRY

DEDICATION OF THE CIPRIANO FAMILY LIBRARY

Pingry dedicated the renovated Lower School Library as The Cipriano Family Library in December, with gratitude to the Cipriano family for their previous and continued support of the School. Among the attendees were Head of School Tim Lear, Trustee Jonathan Wilf ’02, P’33, ’34, ’37 (Chair, Buildings and Grounds Committee), Lower School Director Dr. Alyssa Johns P’36, Lower School Librarian Sarah O’Holla, Lower School Library Associate Victoria Newman, and Dr. Danielle Mirliss P’26, Director of Research and Academic Innovation.

“The library is, in my mind as an English major and an English teacher, the heart and soul of any institution,” Mr. Lear said. “We’ve created in this space—with the Cipriano family’s help—a gathering place that is

central to everything that goes on here. It’s flexible, it’s creative, it’s immersive, and it’s fun. Other than the dining hall, it is the most used space on this campus, as it should be.”

Guy Cipriano ’74, P’06, ’08, GP’36, whose association with Pingry started in 1968, felt honored to be back on campus and stated, “Mr. Lear’s excellent leadership matters.”

Middle School Chinese classes engaged in experiential cooking projects in the Carriage House on the Basking Ridge Campus. Students learned about vegetable names, steps for cooking simple Chinese dishes, and concepts related to sustainability, all of which they can identify or express in Chinese.

Julia Cipriano ’08, Dana Betts and Peter Cipriano ’06, P’36, Bella Cipriano ’36, Debbie Ross, and Guy Cipriano ’74, P’06, ’08, GP’36

Guy Cipriano ’74, P’06, ’08, GP’36 and Head of School Tim Lear. Mr. Cipriano made his gift to the library with his paternal grandfather in mind; his support of Pingry has included the athletics program, particularly the Bugliari Athletics Center, and the Cipriano Family Scholar-Athlete Award.

CULTURAL AMBASSADORS

The Cultural Ambassador Program began in November when Emily Dicks ’25 visited the Lower School to make a presentation to fourth- and fifth-grade students about her years of interning with the non-profit Mesha’s Village in Tanzania. Mesha’s Village sponsors underprivileged and orphaned children in Arusha, Tanzania, so they can attend school and receive a meaningful education. The students loved asking questions about Mesha’s Village and about life in the Upper School.

Upper School English Teacher Alisha Davlin P’32 started the program to highlight Upper School students who are working on passion projects inside and outside Pingry. The goal is to present mentors and role models for younger students to help inspire them to think about their impact on their community and the larger world. The program also provides a platform for Upper School students to be recognized for achievements that might otherwise go unnoticed.

As part of cross-divisional programming, the Honor Board visited with students in the lower grades in November to spread awareness of and celebrate the Honor Code. They engaged the younger students in activities, such as role playing and the telephone game, that emphasized honorable behavior and how they might resolve ethical dilemmas. Honor Board member Alex Wong ’25 says there is a larger effort to “make the Honor Code relatable—not talking at [students], but talking with [students].” The visit was also part of the Honor Board’s evolution from being seen as “punitive” to more of an aspirational force of good—in this case, role models for younger students.

You are a native Venezuelan. What are your most vivid memories of growing up there? Family and celebration. Christmas was always a magical time. I loved being surrounded by my entire family, helping to prepare delicious traditional foods, watching vibrant fireworks light up the night sky, and playing with all the neighborhood kids after opening our Christmas gifts. The joy and togetherness made the season unforgettable.

Another essential part of my childhood was gathering with my extended family every Sunday at my grandmother’s house. We would share a delicious meal, laugh, and simply enjoy each other’s company. Those Sundays taught me the true value of family and connection, leaving a lasting impression on my heart.

Favorite books aside from Harry Potter? I’ve always loved reading the works of Gabriel García Márquez and Isabel Allende. One of my favorite books by García Márquez is Love in the Time of Cholera, a beautifully written story about enduring love that spans decades, exploring the complexities and resilience of the human heart. From Isabel Allende, I adore The House of the Spirits, a mesmerizing tale that intertwines magical realism with a family’s multi-generational saga, filled with love, struggle, and mysticism.

However, one book that has always fascinated me and holds a special place in my heart is The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Every time I read it, I discover new layers of meaning, and it continues to inspire me with its timeless lessons about love, friendship, and seeing the world through the eyes of a child.

Gaby Reyes, Lower School Spanish Teacher

Pingry Announces New Trustees

JANEENE BALMIR P’27, ’28 joins the Board as President of The Pingry School Parents’ Association (PSPA) after serving as First Vice President and previously as Treasurer from 2017–2019. She and her husband, Dr. Serge Balmir, joined the Pingry community in the fall of 2014 when their oldest son started Kindergarten. Since then, she has been an active member of the Pingry community.

Outside of Pingry, Mrs. Balmir is Head of Global League Finance at the National Basketball Association (NBA) where she is a key member of the senior leadership team. She is an integral business partner to the departments and regions in pursuing shared financial and strategic goals. She joined the NBA in June after a 25-year successful career in banking, most recently as Managing Director and CFO of the Commercial Bank Payments Solutions team at JP Morgan Chase. In that role, she managed finance, planning & analysis, business management, and data & analytics to drive sustainable growth and operation efficiency. Prior to that, she held senior treasury capital markets roles at JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley.

Mrs. Balmir earned a B.S. in Accounting at the University of California at Berkeley and an M.B.A. at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.

DAVID E. GREIG ’98 joins the Board after spending the past two years as a member of the Development Committee. He is a Senior Consultant at Graham-Pelton Inc., a management and fundraising consulting firm that works exclusively with nonprofit organizations. He is a member of the Higher Education and Independent School practice groups and leads the firm’s data analytics. Prior to his work in consulting, Mr. Greig spent over 10 years in the independent school community—including at Pingry, where he taught Middle

and Upper School science for two years and later spent five years as a Major Gifts Officer in the Development Office.

He now lives in Farmington, CT with his wife and three children.

Mr. Greig earned a B.A. in Law, Jurisprudence, and Social Thought at Amherst College, an M.A. in Educational Leadership at Columbia University’s Teachers College, and an M.B.A. with specializations in Leadership and Change, and Strategy at New York University’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business.

SOUREN G. OUZOUNIAN P’23, ’27, ’27 is a Vice Chairman of Investment Banking at UBS, with a focus on advising financial institutions and REITs (real estate investment trusts). Over a quarter-century career, he has advised on in excess of $250 billion of transactions globally. Over his career, he has provided counsel to a spectrum of small and large corporates, family-owned businesses, and sovereigns.

Mr. Ouzounian was a trustee at The Peck School of Morristown, NJ and recently served as the President of the Board. He is also a trustee at Boston College High School, the Jesuit High School of Boston. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics at Columbia College and an M.B.A. at the Sloan School at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

TYLER REEDER P’27, ’29 has spent the past 25 years focused on the electricity sector and energy transition. He is President, Managing Partner of Energy Capital Partners (ECP), a leading private equity firm investing across the North American energy transition, where he has worked for the past 18 years. At ECP, Mr. Reeder is focused on managing a portfolio of investments across power generation, renewable energy, and sustainable infrastructure, and is a member of

2024-25 BOARD OF TRUSTEES

FRONT ROW: Steve Lipper ’79, P’09, ’12, ’14, Dr. Anju Thomas P’19, ’22, Jonathan Wilf ’02, P’33, ’34, ’37, Grace Park P’23, ’26, Chair Ian Shrank ’71, Lori Halivopoulos ’78, P’23, Laura Overdeck P’21, ’23, ’26, PAA President Kathy (Iacuzzo) Sartorius ’92, P’22, ’25, ’29, Adam Plotkin ’94, Twinkle Morgan P’23, ’26, ’27, and Professor Michael Nitabach ’84 BACK ROW: David Greig ’98, Stuart Lederman ’78, PSPA President Janeene Balmir P’27, ’28, Lincoln Germain P’26, Katie Procter P’22, ’26, Jiayi Chen P’32, ’35, Margaret Santana P’22, ’24, Souren Ouzounian P’23, ’27, ’27, Josh Kalafer P’27, ’29, Douglas Bookbinder ’98, Tyler Reeder P’27, ’29, and Allen Kim P’29 NOT PICTURED: Kevin Eng P’24, ’26, ’31, Cookie Mason P’21, ’24, Melissa (Weiss) Moriarty ’87, P’23, ’27, Maggie O’Toole ’05, and Prashanth Reddy P’28

ECP’s Investment, Executive, and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) Committees. He has led many acquisitions during his time at ECP, including Calpine Corporation, and currently serves on the boards of several ECP portfolio companies.

Prior to joining ECP in 2006, Mr. Reeder served in operating and management roles with two power generation companies—Texas Genco, LLC and Orion Power Holdings, Inc.—and began his career as an analyst at Goldman Sachs. He also serves on the board of Change Summer, a not-for-profit focused on providing students from under-resourced communities with a transformative summer experience. He earned a B.A. in Economics at Colgate University.

KATHY (IACUZZO) SARTORIUS ’92, P’22, ’25, ’29 joins the Board as the President of the Pingry Alumni Association. She has been a member of the PAA Board since 2012, served on the Executive Board as a Vice President, and cochaired the Alumnae Committee. In addition to the PAA Board, Mrs. Sartorius has served on the PSPA Executive Board multiple times. She has also been a Pingry Fund

volunteer, served on the Ring the Bell Committee, and helped with Reunion planning for her class multiple times.

Mrs. Sartorius earned a B.A. in both Education and Psychology at Bucknell University and a Master of Social Work at New York University. Prior to becoming a full-time mother, she worked as a certified social worker in the HIV/AIDS clinic at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. She also coordinated the hospital’s rape crisis center and facilitated support groups for teenagers.

In addition to her extensive Pingry volunteering, Mrs. Sartorius is involved in MEND (Meeting Essential Needs with Dignity), helping local communities fight food insecurity, and with The Warehouse NJ, an organization assisting underserved populations with their transition into new housing.

Pingry thanks retired trustees Denise Grant P’23, Melissa Bartoli P’24, ’26, Kevin Schmidt ’98, Chip Baird III ’89, P’21, Janice Beckmen P’15, ’19, ’19, and Dr. Greg Mankiw ’76 for their service to the School.

Faculty and Staff News

Pingry Welcomes New Faculty and Staff

JACKSON ANDRES, Middle and Upper School Permanent Substitute, has worked in the Operations Management field for several years, alongside coaching many different sports, prior to joining Pingry. He earned a B.A. in Sports Management at Lynchburg College.

RYAN BENNETT, Upper School Math Teacher, previously taught at The Peddie School, Mercersburg Academy, and The Leelanau School—all as Director of Technology and Math Teacher. He has also taught math for Kalamazoo Public Schools and the Kalamazoo County Juvenile Detention Center. Along with teaching math, Mr. Bennett is excited to coach wrestling at Pingry. He earned a bachelor’s in Mathematics at Western Michigan University and a master’s in Computer Information Systems at the University of Phoenix.

HEATHER BERGER P’19, ’22, Staff Accountant, previously provided accounting services to other nonprofit organizations. She earned a B.A. in Political Science at West Chester University and an M.B.A. in Professional Accounting at Rutgers University.

BRYAN BOGLE, Groundskeeper, recently joined the Facilities Team.

AHMAD BOYD, Assistant Director of Athletics for Student-Athlete Success, comes to Pingry with experience spanning NCAA Division I and Division III, and youth sports. He most recently served as Director of Student-Athlete Development and Assistant Director of Career Enhancement and Employer Relations at Northwestern University where his efforts were focused on preparing elite student-athletes with their transition to and post college. He also worked at Chicago State University, Colby College, and Ithaca College. Mr. Boyd is on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Academics and Student-Athlete Development Professionals. Additionally, he is the 2023 recipient of the Kenneth Miles Professional Promise Award, given to professionals who serve student-athletes and have dedicated their energy to the association and its mission. Mr. Boyd is a two-time graduate of Ithaca College, receiving a bachelor’s in Sport Studies, with a double minor in Psychology and Coaching, and a master’s in Exercise and Sport Science, with a concentration in Sport Psychology. During his time at Ithaca College, he was a member of the men’s basketball program, and served on the coaching staff for two years after graduation.

DR. ALEXIS BRILEY, Upper School English Teacher, previously taught English at Crofton House School, an independent girls’ school in Vancouver, Canada. Prior to that, she designed and taught undergraduate courses in English, Writing, Comparative Literature,

Humanities, and German at colleges and universities across the United States and in Canada, including Cornell University, Colgate University, Washington University in St. Louis, the University of Southern California, and the University of British Columbia. Dr. Briley earned a B.A. in Comparative Literature and German Studies at Brown University, and an M.A. and a Ph.D., both in Comparative Literature, at Cornell University.

MARIANNA CARELLA, Physics Teacher, taught middle school science, chemistry, and upper school math at The Pennington School, where she also coached girls’ lacrosse. Mrs. Carella earned a bachelor’s degree in Physics at The College of New Jersey and a master’s degree in Urban Education, with a focus on Special Education, also at TCNJ.

EMILY DOLINER, Kindergarten Teacher, spent 13 years at Isidore Newman School, where she taught Pre–K through Grade 3, and was a camp director at Newman Summer Day Camp for over 12 years. Ms. Doliner earned a B.S. in Psychology and Early Childhood Education, with a minor in Business, at Tulane University, and a master’s in Educational Leadership and Administration at The George Washington University.

PAIGE FEDAK, Athletics Department Coordinator, joined Pingry in 2023 as Athletics Department Intern. Prior to Pingry, she served as Assistant General Manager of the Bristol Blues, a summer collegiate baseball team, in the summer of 2023. Before that position, she was Assistant Softball Coach at the University of New Haven (2023 season). Miss Fedak played softball at the University of Hartford, where she earned a B.S. in Business Management with a minor in Psychology. She also earned a master’s degree in Sport Management at the University of New Haven.

SABINE GHAZALI, Upper School Math Teacher, worked for 10 years as a Math and Computer Science Teacher at Union Township High School, where she started the Computer Science Department, and has been a Calculus Lecturer at Rutgers University. Mrs. Ghazali earned anundergraduate degree in Mathematics and a graduate degree in Mathematics Education, both at Rutgers University in New Brunswick.

ADELINA ISCOA, Lower School Administrative Assistant, previously worked as an Admissions Representative at Lincoln Tech. She also worked at Kean University, in areas such as social media and new student orientation, while she was an undergraduate student. Miss Iscoa earned a bachelor’s in Science in Marketing with a minor in Communications.

STEPHANIE JOHNSON, Upper School English Teacher, has taught at all levels in New York City: two years at a private elementary school for students with learning disabilities; three years at a public middle school, teaching Grade 6 and 7 English Language Arts; and nine years teaching American Literature and AP English Language at the high school level. Mrs. Johnson is proud of the workshop, “From Pre-AP to AP English: Four Strategies to Increase Rigor and Engagement”, that she developed and facilitated at the 2019 AP Annual Conference. She earned a B.A. in Humanities and Justice Studies at John Jay College, CUNY; an M.A. in English Education at Teachers College, Columbia University; and a Master of Divinity in Teaching of Religion at Union Theological Seminary.

TODD JOKI, Middle and Upper School Permanent Substitute Teacher and Upper School Financial Literacy Teacher, has been coaching Middle and Upper School track at Pingry since 2018 and joined the faculty in 2023-24. Prior to Pingry, he was Project Manager for an environmental remediation company. Mr. Joki earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Geology at SUNY Buffalo.

STACEY MILES, K–3 Music Teacher, has taught at The Willow School as well as St. Margaret’s Episcopal School in California. In 2007, she and a group of friends won a Grammy Award for their recording of Mexican composer Juan Gutiérrez de Padilla’s sacred music, Sun of Justice. Mrs. Miles earned a Bachelor of Music in Music Education, with an emphasis on Vocal Performance and Choral Conducting, at Westminster Choir College.

LEWIS MOORE, Facilities Technician, has worked for the Borough of Peapack & Gladstone and Bedminster Township Department of Public Works, and been Heavy Equipment Operator for Mountain View Construction.

JACKSON ANDRES RYAN BENNETT HEATHER BERGER P’19, ’22

BRYAN BOGLE

DR. ALEXIS BRILEY MARIANNA CARELLA EMILY DOLINER

PAIGE FEDAK SABINE GHAZALI

ADELINA ISCOA

STEPHANIE JOHNSON

TODD JOKI

STACEY MILES

LEWIS MOORE

AHMAD BOYD

JANVI PATEL, Biology Teacher, has taught coding and game design for Pingry Summer, and served as Managing Director of Mount Sinai’s PEERS program (Practice Enhancement, Engagement, Resilience, & Support), where she was part of a team that supported the social and emotional well-being of graduate students. Ms. Patel earned a B.A. in Biological and Nutritional Sciences at Rutgers University –New Brunswick, and an M.S. in Biomedical Sciences at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

TANYA REYES-STOREY, Assistant Director of Advancement Services, previously worked as Manager of Development Operations at The Institute of Music for Children. She began her career in funeral services, bringing a compassionate, service-oriented perspective to her work, and has experience with nonprofits, including education. Ms. Reyes-Storey earned an A.A.S. in Mortuary Science at SUNY Farmingdale, as well as both a B.A. in Organizational Leadership and an M.P.A. at Saint Peter’s University.

ADRIANNA RIGUARDI P’36, Lower School Learning Specialist, has worked at The Churchill School and Center in New York City, where she taught students in Grades 2 and 4 with language-based learning disabilities. Mrs. Riguardi earned a B.A. in Psychology and an M.S.Ed. in General and Special Education (Grades 1–6), both at Wagner College.

REBECCA ROSE, Upper School English Teacher, taught English and coached track/cross country at Mercersburg Academy and has also taught at schools throughout New York City. Ms. Rose earned a B.A. in Classics at Middlebury College and an M.A. in Applied Linguistics at Teachers College, Columbia University.

ZACH SLOTTER, Middle School Math Teacher and Middle School Assistant Teacher, spent three years at Academy of St. James of the Marches in Totowa, NJ and four years at Norwood Public School in Norwood NJ, all in the role of middle school math teacher. He graduated from Seton Hall University with a double major in Sports Management and Marketing and a minor in Legal Studies, and earned

his post-baccalaureate teacher’s certification. Mr. Slotter is a certified elementary school K–6 teacher in all subjects and has a middle school math specialization in Grades 5–8.

ALEXIS SMITH, Registrar K–12, previously worked at The Willow School as Middle School Co-Director and Technology Coach, and taught science and math at three previous schools. Ms. Smith earned a B.S. in Ecology and Conservation at Canisius University.

BOBBY SOTO, Mechanical Maintenance Technician, joined Pingry in the spring of 2024. He previously worked in guest services and maintenance for Marriott International and was a maintenance mechanic for JLL/Pfizer. He graduated from Union County College.

KAITLYN SREEDHAR, Lower School Nurse, was a school nurse at the Robert Louis Stevenson School, a therapeutic college prep high school. She earned a B.A. in Sociology at Tufts University and a B.S. in Nursing at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, and is a Nationally Certified School Nurse.

RACHEL STEPANEK, Grade 3 Teacher, has worked in various administrative and teaching positions over the past decade. She was Site Director and ELA (English Language Arts) Teacher in Grades 2–4 at Smith Street Arts et Lettres (a bilingual French and English school in Brooklyn); Associate Director of Lower School at Far Brook School; Primary English Teacher (Grades 1–4) at Lycée Français de New York; a Grade 3 Aide for the East Brunswick School District, and Primary English Teacher (Grades Pre-K, 3, and 5) at French Immersion School of Washington (Washington State). Mrs. Stepanek earned a B.A. in American Studies & Elementary Education at Ramapo College of New Jersey, and an M.A. in International Educational Development at Teachers College, Columbia University.

TANYA REYES-STOREY ADRIANNA RIGUARDI P’36

REBECCA ROSE ZACH SLOTTER

ALEXIS SMITH

BOBBY SOTO

KAITLYN SREEDHAR RACHEL STEPANEK

JANVI PATEL

DR. SANDRA SUDARSKY, Upper School Computer Science and Math Teacher, joined Pingry during the 2023-24 school year to teach Upper School Math. Prior to Pingry, she was a research scientist for Siemens Healthineers and contributed to the development of several medical visualization software products, including virtual colonoscopies. Dr. Sudarsky earned a B.S. in Computer Science at The Ohio State University, and both an M.S. and a Ph.D. in Computer Science at Texas A&M University.

ANDREW SULLIVAN P’36, Visual Arts Department Chair, worked full-time as an artist before getting involved in education because “the studio can be solitary, and I desperately needed a stronger human connection.” He started at the university level, worked for six years as an Upper School art teacher at Ranney School, then worked for four years as an Upper School visual arts teacher at Wardlaw+Hartridge. Mr. Sullivan earned a B.F.A. in Painting & Drawing, with a minor in Art History, at Syracuse University, and an M.F.A., also at Syracuse.

ANDREW WILLIAMS, Assistant Lower School Director of Academics, spent the past decade as Head of School and Global Director of Teaching and Learning at Avenues: The World School. Prior to that, for nearly 20 years, he worked for the Morris School District as Director of Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment and Evaluation; Principal; and Teacher. Mr. Williams is proud to have designed and launched schools—from scratch—on three different continents. He earned a B.A. (Honors) in Elementary Education at Liverpool University and an M.S. in Educational Administration and Supervision at Seton Hall University.

Returned to Pingry

ANNE BECKER, Grade 4 Reading Teacher, previously taught Grade 5 social studies and served as Co-Coordinator of the Lower School Multicultural Team.

DAWN LOZADA, Individual Philanthropic Advisor, worked at Pingry from 2012–2015 as Associate Director of The Parent Fund and Co-Director of The Pingry Fund. Between 2015 and 2024, Ms. Lozada was Director of the Annual Fund for the Ramapo College Foundation and Director of Donor Engagement and Annual Giving for Dwight-Englewood School.

TAUNITA STEPHENSON, Director of Human Resources and Talent Development, worked in leadership positions in Pingry’s Athletics Office, DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging) Department, and People Operations from 2020–2023; she was promoted twice into newly created roles. She also served as Girls’ Varsity Basketball Assistant Coach for four seasons. Ms. Stephenson brings to this third newly created role her extensive experience not only at Pingry, but also as Head of DEIB at the University of Pennsylvania, as a Director/ Mayoral Appointee for the City of Birmingham, Alabama, and seven years in athletics, with six at the collegiate level.

Saying Farewell

HOLLAND SUNYAK ’02, Director of Principal Gifts and Campaigns, left Pingry after 13 years to become Director of Development at Palm Beach Opera.

She returned to her alma mater in 2011 and served Pingry’s fundraising efforts tremendously in multiple positions: Associate Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving, Director of The Pingry Fund (during Pingry’s previous capital campaign), Director of Annual Giving and Community Relations, Associate Director of Development, Director of Development, and (most recently) the newly created position of Director of Principal Gifts and Campaigns.

During her time at Pingry, Ms. Sunyak played a key role in building a strong culture of philanthropy—increasing annual giving to The Pingry Fund; developing Ring the Bell, Pingry’s annual celebration of giving; cultivating transformative gifts; and planning and executing a variety of special events, among numerous other accomplishments. While working with generations of alumni, parents, and volunteers, Ms. Sunyak’s passion for supporting donors in fulfilling their philanthropic vision was a constant.

DR. SANDRA SUDARSKY ANDREW SULLIVAN P’36 ANDREW WILLIAMS ANNE BECKER

DAWN LOZADA

TAUNITA STEPHENSON HOLLAND SUNYAK ’02

“INTERN”AL PROGRESSION

TO BECOME LOWER SCHOOL DIRECTOR

Before she has heard the entire question, Dr. Alyssa Johns P’36 is already shaking her head in disbelief. “No, no, no,” she says, as if thinking “I can’t believe it worked out that way.”

Then–Interim Lower School Director

Dr.

Johns greeting students in the morning in September 2024

By Greg Waxberg ’96

Alyssa

The question was: After joining the Pingry faculty full-time in 2015, did she ever envision a path that would result in her becoming Lower School Director? Dr. Johns has enjoyed quite the Pingry journey since joining the Counseling Department as an intern, when she “fell in love with the students, loved what I was doing, and loved the team that I was part of.”

That was in 2014, when she was a member of Rutgers University’s School Psychology Internship Consortium, developed by the university’s Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology. Dr. Johns majored in Psychology at Boston University and earned a master’s degree in Psychology at New York University, and had experience with adolescent development; that internship was her final training experience in a practice setting prior to the completion of a doctoral degree in School Psychology (prior to starting internships, Rutgers students were certified as school psychologists). Pingry had just joined this consortium a year earlier, the only independent school in New Jersey to participate.

complement the others, and we each genuinely care about what’s going on in the other divisions.”

What aspects of being Director of CAST will be most valuable to you as Lower School Director? Listening skills, problem solving, how to navigate tricky conversations, and comfort with responding to challenging situations. I’ve also established good relationships with students and families.

How do you describe the rapport you have developed with the Lower School faculty?

I feel very supported—we’ve developed mutual respect and we know each other’s work styles. They know I’m invested in Pingry and have been an advocate for the Lower School and for them—I champion their ideas and help to bring attention to their perspective or vision, often by speaking up on their behalf, endorsing their initiatives, or helping them gain support from others. I trust them, I help with new projects, and we take an “all hands on deck” approach.

Since then, Dr. Johns has held a variety of counseling and administrative positions in all three divisions on both campuses: Middle School Counselor, Lower School Academic Support (dividing her time between the Lower and Middle Schools when Pingry expanded academic support to the Lower School in 2016), Lower School Counselor (2017), co-teacher of the Lower School’s Decisions course, Assistant Lower School Director of Social and Emotional Wellness (2020), Co-Director of CAST*, K–12 Coordinator (2021), Director of CAST, K–12 (2023), and—twice, at the School’s request—Interim Lower School Director.

“I grew to love [being Lower School Director] over the 10 months that I

“I want to foster a love for school, love for learning, and connection to teachers.”

was asked to step in,” she says, “so it appealed to me to lead the faculty and work with the PSPA. I saw a vision for the next three to five years that I could and wanted to execute, and I am excited by the new strategic plan.”

Having her “step in” permanently was the clear choice, according to Head of School Tim Lear. “Alyssa is unique among our division directors with her background in SEL [social and emotional learning] and clinical psychology. That is really advantageous and forward-thinking for Pingry because there hasn’t been a more important time for those to be part of the discussion, along with academics.” And he considers her knowledge of Pingry a major asset. “She knows both campuses inside out, she knows the pressures that teachers and students face, and she had on-the-job training over the course of two academic years. She was doing the job at a high level—not just ‘steadying the ship’, but making tough decisions and executing a vision.” Further, Mr. Lear is impressed by the collaboration among Dr. Johns, Associate Head of School Ben Courchesne, Director of Academics Brian Burkhart, Middle School Director Tamara Schurdak, and Upper School Director Dr. Reid Cottingham.

Of her collaboration with Ms. Schurdak and Dr. Cottingham, Dr. Johns believes that the three of them complement each other well “in matters of curriculum, working with Pingry families, and delivering powerful messages during community moments. Each person has strengths that

How will your work in all three divisions enhance the perspective that you bring to the Lower School? I have seen the whole journey from Kindergarten through Grade 12, so I can help predict how things will look in the Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools, and I am familiar with policies and protocols K–12. This means helping students and families prepare for what’s ahead, and thinking about how we’re preparing students to transition into Middle School and Upper School. I’ve also built relationships at Pingry, not just in the Lower School— including partnerships across divisions and across departments.

What are you most excited about doing as Lower School Director?

Building a really strong leadership team, creating more moments of joy and fun for students, making adjustments to ease the schedule, thinking creatively about ways that students learn in smaller groups, and finding ways for more collaboration among Lower, Middle, and Upper School students.

What aspects of the Lower School bring you joy? Our community sing—we close every assembly by singing Bruno Mars’ “Count On Me”. Also, shaking hands with students in the morning, sitting with students at lunch, and collaboration and teamwork. The students and people who work here are happy to show up each day. The Lower School is beautiful, and there are many aspects of the campus—the playground, gardens, and reading nooks—that bring me joy.

How do you think you can bring even more joy to the Lower School? Little things like playing music at dismissal, dressing in costumes for special events, being silly and spontaneous, connecting with students and their interests, and getting kids outside, playing and exploring.

What do you think should be celebrated about the Lower School?

I’m proud of our academic team and academic specialists. Students have an incredible opportunity to build such a strong academic foundation. We work really hard to be proactive in giving kids extra academic support if they need it, before there’s a bigger gap [in what they need]. Also, our students feel like Pingry is a second home— they feel safe, supported, and part of a family, and they’re not afraid to take risks.

*Counseling and Academic Support Team, established at the beginning of the 2021-22 school year—a multidisciplinary team that combines social/emotional support and academic support across all three divisions

Then–Interim Lower School Director Dr. Alyssa Johns and Head of School Tim Lear at the Lower School’s Moving Up Day in 2023

VIEW FROM

Short Hills

Basking Ridge

Pottersville

Arts Residency at Pottersville

The inaugural week-long cohort studio immersion, for visual and performing artists and writers, took place in July 2024. It was an opportunity for those seeking time and space to create work in a tranquil setting with a cohort of like-minded creatives.

Alumni participants included John Roll ’73, Peter Allen ’78, P’10, Edie McLaughlin Nussbaumer ’84, P’18, Joanne Steinhardt ’84, P’15, Katherine Apruzzese Sherbrooke ’85, Elizabeth Brinsfield ’89, Michelle Lerner ’89, Ria Cooper ’97, Benjamin Rosenthal ’05, Ameesha Sampat ’06, and Neha Sampat ’07.

A NEW STRATEGIC PLAN FOCUSED ON

PEOPLE

What’s Next: The Pingry Plan

By Greg Waxberg ’96

It

is

time to hit the proverbial “reset” button.

Pingry last launched a strategic plan nearly a decade ago, in 2017-18, and even though the traditional lifespan of a strategic plan might have called for a new one anyway, so much has changed at Pingry and in the world since then—a new head of school, a third campus, a school rebrand, a global pandemic, a wellness crisis affecting students and adults, and dramatic advances in technology, to name only a few.

The possibility that Pingry needed a new strategic plan did not come into the picture until the late summer of 2022, shortly after Tim Lear became Head. He realized that his vision for Pingry might not have been “totally in sync” with the previous plan, and working with a plan from two Heads of School ago did not feel authentic to him. This led to discussions between Mr. Lear and the Board of Trustees, followed by input from the Pingry community and Administrative Team.

“This was an opportunity for us—not to ‘start over,’ but to redefine some of the important elements of the 2018 plan for a new time in Pingry’s history,”

Mr. Lear says, “and make a plan that is truly ours. It would not be reliant on what other [independent schools] are doing, and not reactive [to a crisis].”

Plus, the School’s 2023 rebrand created an invaluable head start on redefining Pingry’s values and the priorities that Pingry considers important for its future. As Mr. Lear phrases it, “What are we working toward?”

The Pingry Plan

The Process Leads to the Priorities

The Pingry Plan is the culmination of a process that began when Mr. Lear addressed the faculty and staff in 2023, making clear that he and the Board did have ideas for the plan, “but we want to hear the community’s ideas before proceeding—nothing has been decided yet.” He also wanted to make sure that the faculty and staff would feel “pride of ownership” of the final plan. This introduction was followed by approximately 50 community listening sessions when the School heard from over 400 people, including trustees, parents, alumni, faculty, staff, and students, covering hundreds of topics.

The conversations were in-depth, honest, inspiring, and thoughtful, and revealed several major themes, including the balance between honoring traditions and the imperative to innovate, the central place of the Honor Code, and the utmost importance of relationships.

After the listening sessions concluded, the Board’s Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) narrowed a list of over 70 priority areas down to six, which the Board approved in April 2024. These six priorities guided further work of the committee, led by Co-Chairs Melissa (Weiss) Moriarty ’87, P’23, ’27 and Laura Overdeck P’21, ’23, ’26, and Vice Chair Janice Beckmen P’15, ’19, ’19. Ms. Moriarty and her husband

For a strategic plan to really work, it has to be community built, community focused, and community driven.

Head of School Tim Lear

are Pingry alumni and have children who are or were Pingry students, so she is “tremendously proud to be volunteering for our school—a school that continually focuses on improving itself”; Mrs. Overdeck is a former strategy consultant and the founder of a nonprofit organization, “Bedtime Math”.

Throughout 2024, the SPC examined and prioritized the information that emerged from the listening sessions, then supplemented the information with articles, outside research, emerging trends in independent schools and the private sector, and further discussion with key stakeholders. The SPC also reviewed all of this information within the context of Pingry’s mission statement and Honor Code. Over many months, based on the SPC’s work, Mr. Lear and the Administrative Team formalized the commitments and initiatives (action items) that support—and will make possible—each of the six priorities.

Community Input Yields Substance

“For a strategic plan to really work, it has to be community built, community focused, and community driven,” Mr. Lear declares, which is why he wanted that all-important community input, to make sure all of the groups felt heard before any decisions were made about Pingry’s path forward. Ms. Moriarty agrees about the importance of hearing from the community. “It was vital that the committee and Board-atlarge hear the hopes and dreams and concerns of those who know the School best, as gathered by an independent source. However, we did not want an outside strategy firm telling us the kind of school we needed to be.”

Having been accustomed to corporate projects, Mrs. Overdeck is impressed that Pingry’s process “took in a lot more input from external parties . . . it generated a much richer and deeper ‘data set’ that had lots of qualitative substance.”

Comparisons and Contrasts

What are some examples of redefining the 2018 plan for a new era? Compared with that plan, for example, well-being has been redefined as “community well-being,” not just “student well-being,” because, while Pingry is focused on students, the adults need to be emotionally and physically well so that students can be emotionally and physically well.

Also compared with the 2018 plan, the concept of “maximizing impact” has been redefined in terms of how to maximize impact: “Focus on relationships within the building, within the campuses, between the campuses, and after 3:30,” Mr. Lear says. “Resources are really important, and we’re constantly looking at the curriculum, schedules,

We need a strategic plan that is adaptable, flexible, and grounded in our values—our Honor Code and our mission, specifically. COVID was a ‘light bulb’ moment. We need a plan that will allow us to meet moments that we can’t predict. Huge global events will impact our ability to deliver on our mission—how are we thinking strategically to meet those moments and not be blown off course and not lose our focus?

Head of School Tim Lear

Even though Pingry is in a great place and on a fabulous upward trajectory, there are still lots of valid concerns among students, parents, faculty, and staff, and we need to address those . . . We can always do better and be a place that makes even more kids happy to attend and more faculty happy to work at.

Trustee and Strategic Planning Committee

Co-Chair Laura Overdeck

master campus plans, but I like that this plan is very specific to people. We will realize our potential when we shift our focus to prioritize our relationships with people. That will allow us to make use of resources, to generate more resources, to be innovative. Strong relationships will lead to transformational change.”

Posing a question that echoes President John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address, Mr. Lear says the test to measure impact in a community-based way should be “What are you doing for Pingry and for others?”

In contrast to the 2018 plan is the Honor Code, which was not spelled out at the time but is a priority this time. “One of the rallying cries that came out of the pandemic is, ‘How does the Honor Code inform the Pingry experience and education?’ How is the Honor Code infused in every division and every activity? The Hon-

or Code embodies a foundational strategic plan that is also forward thinking—it is almost 100 years old [2025-26 marks the 100th anniversary]. It has rarely been altered, so it is time tested. It has survived world wars, economic crises, and political and social upheaval. Because it is foundational and core [to Pingry], it deserves a more prominent place in the conversation.”

What’s Next

The official name of the new strategic plan begins with What’s Next, and some might wonder, “Where is the question mark?” But this phrase is not meant to be a question. The beauty of this phrase can be found in its invitation to consider what’s next and Pingry’s promise to be forward thinking and the fact that Pingry is humble enough to not know what’s next. “We need a strategic plan that is adaptable, flexible, and grounded in our values—our Honor Code and our mission, specifically. COVID and our rebrand were ‘light bulb’ moments. We need a plan that will allow us to meet moments that we can’t predict,” Mr. Lear explains.

However, speculating what Pingry might look or feel like years from now, to measure The Pingry Plan’s success, can’t hurt. Mrs. Overdeck sees Pingry being known across a wider geographic area “because so many kids will hear Pingry students talk about their amazing experiences and will want to apply—and we’ll see an even greater rate of alumni sending their kids here.” Ms. Moriarty believes that students will be performing at their individual bests because of the school environment, and that faculty and staff will “flourish” with new opportunities and benefits based on their hard work. Mr. Lear likes to think that the relationships he sees as transformational will sustain the School and the people associated with it because “a Pingry education should continue paying dividends for decades.”

Priorities in The Pingry Plan

Learning and Living with Honor

Our Commitment: We will educate students to be kind, live honorably, and work for the common good.

Strengthening Well-Being

Our Commitment: We will create an environment in which students can pursue excellence without sacrificing their mental health and well-being.

Managing Success and Disappointment

Our Commitment: We will nurture students so they understand who they are and have the skills needed to take risks, be agile, handle success and disappointment, and practice resiliency in the pursuit of their goals.

Developing Transformative Relationships

Our Commitment: We will develop in our students the social awareness and skills necessary for productive and inspired relationships.

Cultivating an Outstanding Community of Educators

Our Commitment: We will attract, support, develop, and retain diverse and innovative educators who are exceptional teachers and mentors inside and outside the classroom.

Tim Lear has already been transformational as Head of School. His integrity and love for Pingry helped us achieve a level of input, buy in, and trust from our community that we never could have achieved without him.

Creating Space for Connection

Our Commitment: We will design inspired and dynamic spaces that facilitate the delivery and implementation of curricular and co-curricular programs and schedules and promote creativity, collaboration, and belonging.

Trustee and Strategic Planning Committee Co-Chair Melissa (Weiss) Moriarty ’87

MUCH IS EXPECTED

The Legacy of Bob Meyer ’56

By Sara Courtney

BACK IN JUNE, ARCHIVIST PETER BLASEVICK MADE HIS way to “the vault”, Pingry’s impenetrable, fireproof room containing more than 12,000 confidential student records, and a whole history of high school life—good grades and bad ones, awards and detentions, letters of praise from parents and the occasional letter of concern from a teacher. Here among the secure and closely guarded files was one whose access was only granted for this piece, and held particular interest: the file of a 1956 graduate, one Bob Meyer, who was due to receive the Nelson L. Carr ’24 Service Award during Pingry’s annual Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. The award, given for faithful and dedicated service in support of Pingry, was an acknowledgment of his larger-than-life presence in the community, a presence most visible in the football stands, and, for a long time, a presence unseen but rather felt as an anonymous supporter of need-based financial aid. He was, in short, a man who had changed more than a few lives.

When the file was removed, Mr. Blasevick inserted a slug for the missing folder that noted the date and reason for removal. In the meantime, it was kept locked in his office, where the archives were carefully looked after. Opening the file revealed an assortment of old yellowed paper, with more than a few sheets as fragile as tissue paper after all these years. Page after page revealed Bob Meyer’s high school life, beginning, as most students’ lives at Pingry do, with a letter of congratulations to his parents:

May 12, 1953

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Meyer:

I am very happy to inform you that on the basis of your son’s entrance examinations and other qualifications the Admissions Committee has accepted him as a student in the Fourth Form (Grade 10) in The Pingry School for the coming school year. In view of the unusually keen competition for places, your boy is to be congratulated and we sincerely wish him every success with us…

Mr. Meyer entered Pingry in Grade 10, though he did not have the most auspicious start. In fact, he was initially reluctant to attend Pingry at all, though there was never any doubt that he was going. “Back in my era, parents ran the show,” he says firmly. All the same, he was hesitant to switch schools. “Well, I’ll be honest. I did not want to go to Pingry. I’d been in the Millburn public school system for 10 years, from Kindergarten through ninth grade.” He was happy where he was, and making a difference there, too. “I don’t want to blow my own horn,” he says, “but I was an impact athlete in three sports—football, basketball, and baseball.” Still, it helped that his local friends Ted Hauser and Louis Ruprecht were already at Pingry, and that they would all be playing football together. His reluctance dissipated once he joined Pingry’s football team. Or, as Mr. Meyer puts it, “After a couple of days of banging heads together on the football field, I was in the fold, so to speak.” From there on in, whether it be in academics or in sports, he embraced all the community had to offer. “Once I got to Pingry, I loved it,” he admits.

“There was an intensity about it,” recalls Mr. Ruprecht of their time at Pingry, “that I would imagine is still there because academics were placed on a very, very high level. The kids that were really respected were not necessarily the popular ones or the great athletes, but the kids that were really bright. And that was a great thing because Bob

and I and Ted were not at the very top of the class by any means. We were athletes. But the kids that we looked up to were really smart.” It was this heady mix of intellectual pursuits that so captivated them. “The life of the mind was really respected,” says Mr. Ruprecht, “and I think that really deeply affected all three of us.”

Yet there was something else, too.

“It went beyond just the intellectual life,” recalls Mr. Ruprecht, with some reverence. “There was a real emphasis at the time, and I believe it’s still true, on developing the individual into a person of character. It was that character matters.” Indeed, the Honor Code, which was central to Pingry’s school life and community, was a constant source of inspiration and reflection. “I’m sure [that is] is why he loves Pingry so much,” suggests Mr. Ruprecht, “because they do care about developing character. And that’s very much Bob’s philosophy, and the way he raised his kids, and the way he has conducted his life—that character matters.” He pauses here before stating simply, “A school that develops character is probably the greatest gift that can be given to a kid.”

Of course, the academic rigor consumed much of their time, and they became better thinkers and writers in the process, and better teammates as well, and, just as each file in the archives would reveal, they grew, over time, into good people.

“Pingry was great in that regard,” he says. “Really trying to teach people how to become good people. Good citizens.” And no matter how much the world has changed from the time Bob Meyer and Lou Ruprecht walked the halls and charged around on the football field, that remains true today. In fact, on the main page of the school’s website, a thumbnail states simply:

We Graduate Good People.

“That’s the thing that sticks out the most about my Pingry education,” recalls Mr. Ruprecht. “The love of the life of the mind, and the intentional development of character.”

Mr. Meyer played multiple sports at Pingry, including football, baseball, and basketball. After graduation, he attended Colgate with his friends Ted Hauser and Mr. Ruprecht, and one summer saw him toughing it out working an oil rig with Mr. Ruprecht. After college, he joined the Marines, where he was a marine aviator, making carrier landings at night. In 1963, he married Margaret Anne Saur. His best man was Mr. Hauser, and Mr. Ruprecht was one of his ushers.

The 1955 Football Team. Mr. Meyer is third from left in the second row.

“We’ve chosen to [present the award] as part of tonight’s [Athletics Hall of Fame] ceremony because his longtime connection to Pingry athletics—most specifically, football—means a tremendous amount to him, his family, and his Pingry family . . . Bob, thanks to your visionary perspective on tuition assistance, and your support of multiple scholarship endowments, you are creating the conditions necessary for others to succeed . . . given your years of distinguished service to our nation as a Marine Corps pilot, I’m confident that the words ‘Semper Fi’ hold special meaning for you. Just as you have always been ‘always faithful’ to the Marine Corps, you have always been ‘always faithful’ to Pingry.”

Head of School Tim Lear, presenting the Nelson L. Carr ’24 Service Award

Mr. Meyer went on to attend law school at Seton Hall University, where one of his teachers was a rising young lawyer and a tough adjunct professor—his old friend, Mr. Ruprecht.

According to their friend and Pingry classmate, Bob Pyle, this unexpected teacher-student dynamic between friends led to a few challenges. Seated in the back of the class would be Bob Meyer, trying his best to concentrate, while Mr. Ruprecht would stand in front of the class teaching, trying just as hard to concentrate. According to Mr. Pyle, “Neither one of them could barely keep a straight face.”

Even though it was decades ago, the experience has stuck with him. “He gave me a B. I remember that,” says Mr. Meyer.

Gung ho.” That’s the word Mr. Hauser uses to describe his lifelong friend, Bob Meyer. “Brave and dedicated.” Those words, too.

“He’s the most patriotic, gung-ho guy in any endeavor to which he is included,” he says. “He’s the kind of guy you want at your backside. He’d take care of any situation, just totally committed to anything he did. An amazing, amazing character.”

“He is very passionate,” says Mr. Ruprecht with an amused smile, perhaps thinking of their heated discussions on politics. “When he does something, he does it full bore. He really gets involved in it. And that’s a wonderful characteristic.”

According to Mr. Hauser, Mr. Meyer is not someone who does anything halfway, a characteristic that made itself known starting all the way back when they played football at Pingry, with Mr. Meyer inspiring his fellow teammates to give it their all. “His efforts were obvious,” he recalls. “He would put in whatever he could…” and then, echoing Mr. Ruprecht here, he adds, “There was nothing less than full-bore effort.”

Bob Meyer ’56, P’88 and Head of School Tim Lear, joined by Varsity Football Head Coach Joe Passaro and members of the 2024 Football Team. The players recognized Mr. Meyer’s support of Pingry football by presenting him with a letterman jacket that includes his high school number and class year.

Established

in 1994, the Nelson L. Carr ’24 Service Award is given to alumni to recognize their faithful and dedicated service in support of Pingry.

Bob Meyer has been a Reunion volunteer, hosted alumni events at his home, and attended football practices and games. He has also been a loyal Pingry donor for four decades; specifically, he is a member of both the 1861 Leadership Society and True Blue Society, has been a longtime supporter of The Herbert H. Busch, Jr. ’55 Memorial Football/Lacrosse Scholarship; and established a scholarship fund in his own name (The Robert Osborne Meyer ’56 Football Scholarship Endowment Fund) for tuition assistance. “He serves as an incredible example of what ‘showing up’ looks like,” said Head of School Tim Lear, “and the life-changing impact in can have on others.” What is the motivation behind Mr. Meyer’s support? The importance of character development through sports.

In Mr. Hauser’s view, his friend’s enthusiasm for what he believed in touched on zeal and was infectious. “How dedicated he was in any relationship, or working relationship to an organization—an almost extreme fanaticism to the cause.” Simply put, if Bob Meyer believed in you, his presence and support were going to make you better.

“Anything he was associated with,” observed Mr. Hauser, “he wanted to strengthen and help out in any way that he could.”

And that included the Pingry community.

For 10 years in a row, Elaine Weaver P’18, ’23 has sat in the same seat in the Pingry football stands. She brings along two cushions, one for herself and one for her husband, though he rarely sits in it, since he is the announcer for the games. About 10 years ago, as she was watching her older son play, a distinguished-looking man caught her attention. “I saw this older gentleman walk into the game and he sat near me,” she says. “We started talking, and then he moved up and sat right next to me because I had an extra cushion… and we just started talking. He introduced himself to me as Bob.”

Mrs. Weaver had no idea who Mr. Meyer was. After all, they were both there to watch a football game. “To me, he was just someone who loves football, which—you have me at that. That’s all I need. I’m a football mom.” Game after game, Mrs. Weaver would see Mr. Meyer walk up the stands toward her, until the cushion next to her became his seat. “Everyone knew that was Bob’s seat,” she says. Occasionally, friends and fellow football fans would ask her if the older gentleman was her son’s grandfather. “And I would say no, this is my friend Bob. And that’s just how I referred to him. My friend Bob.”

This is how they carried on, for years: two friends in the football stands. After a few years, Mr. Meyer casually mentioned that he provided an anonymous need-based financial aid scholarship for students at Pingry. It eventually became clear to her that it was a rather large donation. “I just had no idea the financial benefit he was giving to Pingry until close to seven years of talking with him,” she says. “He was just a nice guy I could talk football with.”

Then, in January 2023, Mrs. Weaver received a phone call from Director of Institutional Advancement David Fahey ’99, P’33, ’34 in regards to her younger son Jason ’23, who played football at Pingry. The call was unexpected, and Mrs. Weaver wondered if her son was in

“We have many terrific coaches here, and [Varsity Football Head Coach] Joe Passaro is wonderful. He is good at bringing out the best in people. Not only is he a good coach, but he is a good character builder—that, to me, is maybe his most valuable contribution to our sport. He builds men—he builds kids who want to do their best and assume leadership positions going forward.”

Bob Meyer ’56, P’88

trouble at school. “Why is Mr. Fahey calling me?” she recalls thinking. “Is Jason in trouble? Is it something bad?”

Mr. Fahey calmly explained that he wanted to speak to Jason.

“Well, isn’t he at school?” she asked, baffled.

Yes, he was, Mr. Fahey explained, but he needed her permission to speak to him about his tuition assistance. It was supported by a familiar name:

Bob Meyer.

“I just froze,” she admits. “I had no idea that this man that I had been having great conversations with every football season, and getting hot chocolates with, and always having snacks in my bag for him… I had no idea he was supporting my son at Pingry.”

“I didn’t know what to do,” she recalls, her voice cracking with emotion. “So, I wrote him a letter.”

June 12, 2023

My friend Bob,

That is how I cordially introduced you to the Pingry fans at the football games. To me when I met you, you were a Pingry football fan coming to see a game. Then we started talking. You were so much more than that. You had wonderful stories about your time at Pingry, your college years at Colgate and your family. We complained about football calls and cheered the successes on the field. You were the person that everyone knew I was saving a seat for at the Pingry home football games. (Eric, of course, doing the announcing in the booth, never sat in the stands during game time)

One day you told me that you sponsored an anonymous Pingry scholarship in honor of your dear friend and classmate. I kept that conversation to myself so as to not give up your anonymity. I had thought, what a wonderful gift to give to a deserving student. You were helping students fulfill a dream. My older son, AJ, hopes to establish a sports scholarship in the future, and I mentally compared the two of you. I was proud of both of you for wanting to give a student an opportunity to attend Pingry while pursuing their football aspirations. I hoped he could also accomplish that gift that you pledged.

Then I got a call from the Pingry School one day while I was at work. I had learned a secret. My younger son, Jason, was a recipient of your beloved and honorable scholarship. I froze. I was speechless. How could that have happened, that my child, who you and I watched run on

the football field, be blessed with your special gift. Even months after learning this secret, I am still awestruck. I am proud of Jason, for so many reasons, but proud of him for meeting the criteria set forth in honor of your beloved friend.

Bob, you allowed Jason an experience and an education that some only can dream of. Thank you. Thank you for making a hope, a reality. Our family will be grateful for your gift, well, forever. Jason will tell his children about Pingry, and the stories will carry on. You have contributed to a legacy. Thank you.

Your friend, Elaine Weaver

It’s hard to say what motivates a person to give, to be driven to make a difference in the lives of others. For those around Bob Meyer, who have been touched and challenged and transformed by his presence and support and friendship, they are only left to speculate.

“It’s obvious that he really cares about people,” says Mr. Ruprecht slowly. “Especially young people. And that’s a wonderful characteristic. And he’s always been that way. He’s always been a guy that really cared a lot about other people.”

Perhaps this is the way Mr. Meyer has always been, from the first time stepping out onto the football field at Pingry, to all those moments in high school that refined and challenged the development of his character.

“I think Bob has lived his life so fully,” admires Mr. Ruprecht. “He became a marine aviator making carrier landings at night. Bob really pushed himself, throughout his life, to be the best he could be. Whether it was, working hard academically, going on to graduate school, whether it was working really hard in sports or whether it was serving his country in a really difficult capacity as a carrier pilot. He’s never been afraid of giving it his all to everything he does. And it’s a great thing that he’s been as successful as he has been because he believes in when you’re playing the game you don’t leave anything on the table or anything on the field. You give it all. And he’s always given it his all.”

It’s clear that Mr. Meyer is an inspiration to his close friend. “He exhibits all of the best of what you’d want to see in a person who real-

“Pingry got me on the right track, and I will be forever grateful for that. The School has an amazing tradition of bringing out the best in people . . . to the extent that I can be helpful bringing aboard kids who otherwise couldn’t afford Pingry, I’m so happy to be in a position to be able to do that.”

Bob Meyer ’56, P’88, accepting the Nelson L. Carr ’24 Service Award

Mr. Meyer insists this is not the case. Pingry graduates good people. And he is simply a good person.

“I do believe in the old philosophy: ‘to whom much is given, much is expected’,” he says. “And I think that I’ve been given a lot. And I think it’s my duty, my obligation, my responsibility, to give back as much as I can.” He pauses here for a moment. “So, if it means financially supporting scholarships, that is one way to do it. And I’ve been fortunate to be able to do that. And I will continue doing that, and I’ve got some mechanisms in place now…to make that happen on a going-forward basis until I meet my maker—which hopefully won’t be for a while,” he adds with a laugh.

“I want to see a lot of Pingry football games between now and then,” he says with a wistful smile. “So, you’ll see me on the sidelines or in the grandstands.”

No doubt he’ll be sitting with an old friend.

Pretty soon, Mr. Meyer’s file will be carried back down to the vault, tucked away once again amidst the thousands of records of students who passed through these halls, enthusiastic kids and smart kids and perhaps even briefly reluctant kids, but all of them, in the end, good kids. The content of his file will be organized neatly, where a letter tucked near the top will stay. It was an old letter from Mr. Meyer, requesting a copy of the records from a driver ed-

Throughout its history, Pingry has had two Lower Schools. The first originated in 1892 as the Preparatory Department, later evolving into the Elementary Department, and remained part of Pingry until the late 1950s. The current Lower School was established in 1974, following Pingry’s merger with the coeducational Short Hills Country Day School (SHCDS).

F I F TY

SHCDS itself was founded in 1883 by Stewart Hartshorn (the Cora Hartshorn Arboretum & Bird Sanctuary in Short Hills is named for his daughter), and in 1961, the school moved to a newly constructed building on the property at Country Day Drive—the building that became Pingry’s Lower School. SHCDS had been Pre-K to Grade 8; after the merger, the Lower School became K–6 when Pingry’s Grades 4, 5, and 6 moved to Short Hills, and SHCDS’ Grades 7 and 8 moved to Hillside. In 2007, the Lower School became K–5 when The Carol and Park B. Smith ’50 Middle School for Grades 6–8 opened on the Basking Ridge Campus.

“Most people seemed excited about the merger,” recalls former Lower School Director Ted Corvino P’94, ’97, ’02. “It appeared that it was most challenging for the SHCD teachers who were moving to the Hillside Campus—namely the seventh- and eighth-grade teachers—and the fourth- through sixth-grade teachers who moved from Hillside to Short Hills . . . The concept of a two-campus school also created new challenges for faculty and administration on both campuses, such as maintaining a one-school culture. I think this challenge remains to this day and that Pingry does an excellent job of addressing it. It took and still takes a concerted effort by all members of the school community.”

It almost goes without saying that the past 50 years have seen numerous changes and additions to the Lower School curriculum, some of which are included in this retrospective. However, the building has also undergone renovations: in 1993, Pingry modernized the gym and added science labs, a computer lab, a music room, and a school-wide internal communication system; a decade ago, the building was significantly modernized again. To celebrate 50 years of Pingry’s Lower School, enjoy a gallery of photos, as well as the voices of students and teachers who have graced the hallways and classrooms since 1974.

The Short Hills Country Day School plaque at the entrance to the Short Hills Campus

LEFT: Then–Typing and Computers

Teacher Elaine Krusch in 1987: “Posture Awards: Every Friday before each class (I had four), I would present an award to the student who used good posture at the computer that week.”

RIGHT: A 10-foot-long dinosaur named Steggie was born in May 1987. The inspiration: an article in the New Jersey State Museum’s newspaper about their “Be-Friend a Fossil” project.

YEARS

LOWER SCHOOL OF THE

By Greg Waxberg ’96

LEFT: Then–Lower School Director Ted Corvino shaking hands in 2007. “My predecessor, Joyce Hanrahan, started the process of welcoming the students to school each morning. I added the handshake as a way for me to see and greet each student. I did it every morning, rain or shine, and through some really cold mornings when both the students and I were anxious to get into the building to warm up. It is a credit to them that they always stopped and looked me in the eyes, gave me a firm handshake, and then entered the building. Over the years, I had many students and parents give me hats, gloves, mittens, and umbrellas. I must have looked very cold or very wet. I think the tradition was important for many reasons. I had the opportunity to know each child by name and to let them know that whatever may be troubling them, they could leave their troubles at the door and count on the teachers and staff members to keep a safe and secure environment for them. I could also see if a student was having a rough start to their day, and I could alert the homeroom teacher to find a moment to touch base with the student and perhaps give them a little more latitude that morning.”

Throughout my entire seven years of attending the Short Hills Campus, I was greeted by Mr. Corvino at the door. It was always a warm start to the day—a big smile and a firm handshake that helped make it feel as though I was arriving at an extension of home. I, to this day, am impressed by his ability to remember names and faces, a skill that I am constantly working to hone. Although I don’t have many specific memories of Kindergarten, I do associate it with many happy and positive emotions; Mrs. Ogden herself was a very kind, compassionate, and loving teacher, and her classroom had a special lofted reading nook that was a treat to get to rest or ‘read’ in. I remember all of my teachers fondly.

ANDREW BENITO ’13

1 Postcards to the Library started in 2004 by then–Lower School Librarian Ann D’Innocenzo: students mail a picture postcard to the library for every book they read during the summer. 2 Field Day, held each May, has been an end-of-school-year tradition for decades with spirited competition between the Blue and White Teams. 3 The Lower School makes history (as seen in the June 1979 issue of The Pingry Review) 4 Typing class 5 The Lower School transitioned the drama program (with an emphasis on acting) to the interdisciplinary “performing arts” (combining music, dance, and theater) in 2022. Two years later, the program was honored by the prestigious Dance Education Laboratory. 6 The library was modernized in 2023; read about the dedication on page 10.

MAGISTRI WHO HAVE TAUGHT AT THE LOWER SCHOOL

Susanne Alford

Sharon Austin

Jeanine Carr

Mary Lou Cilli

Ted Corvino

Ann D’Innocenzo

Nicki Doggett

Patti Euwer

Cathy Everett

Patty Finn

Evelyn Kastl

Elaine Krusch

Brian La Fontaine

Mary Jean McLaughlin

Leslie Miller

Joan Pearlman

Bob Smith

Frank Steep

Ramsay Vehslage Jr.

Matty Yorkshire

ABOVE: Then–Lower School Visual Arts Teacher Arlene Rosenblum in 2003. “When I reminisce about my years teaching at Pingry, I acknowledge the scholarship, creativity, and athleticism of the students. Moreover, the kindness and caring about each other and the greater community and world always comes to mind, putting a smile on my face. I felt this joy decades ago and it extends to today . . . Pingry pride continues in my heart as I recall and currently read about accomplishments and thoughtfulness. What I learned from these young students was enlightening and incredibly fulfilling. The continued contacts bless me with past memories and extend to my current days. It has always been a school where everyone within its walls was equal (child, parent, teacher, and staff). As the Lower School art teacher for 22 years, I found the opportunity to share my passion and knowledge with the students.”

1 & 2 In 2010-11, the Lower School introduces iPads for Kindergarten and Grade 2, and the program expands to K–3. In 2013, Chromebooks are introduced for Grades 4 and 5 to help with the transition from iPads in K–3 to laptops in Grade 6. 3 The Big Blue Garden in 2023. It was created in 2010 as a link to the curriculum and a source of produce for the campus’ food service, and renovated in 2019. 4 The Lower School’s miniature replica of The Beginning of Wisdom statue was dedicated in October 2005. Former trustee David Baldwin ’47 (far left) commissioned sculptor Robert Shure (third from left) to recreate the Basking Ridge Campus’ original bronze statue, which he also commissioned. 5 Grandparents and Special Friends Day, seen here in 2002, began in 1985. 6 Students, faculty, and staff created a tile mosaic mural in 2011-12 to help commemorate Pingry’s 150th Anniversary.

For an assignment in second grade, we wrote stories and drew the illustrations ourselves, then the teachers put our handmade books in the library. Years later, my little brother checked out my book. I remember feeling so proud that I had a written a book that was in the library for others to read.

ERIN (LEONE) BLUTE ’95

TREASURE TROVE OF LOWER SCHOOL HISTORY

Over 100 VHS and digital video tapes from the past 30 years were rediscovered in storage rooms and cabinets at the Lower School, then sent to the Archives in Basking Ridge for preservation and cataloging. The tapes include footage of holiday concerts, plays, musicals, graduations, classrooms, and other school events held between 1988 and 2016. The entire collection was digitized. If you are interested in watching any of these videos, please contact Archivist Peter Blasevick at pblasevick@pingry.org or 908-647-5555, ext. 1254.

1 Grade 2’s Women in History project in 2008; it began in the early 2000s. Each student selects a famous woman and researches her life story to write a brief report and a one-minute speech for an assembly— good practice for public speaking. 2 The Winter Concert has been an annual tradition for decades. 3 The Mitten Tree in 2003; then–Grade 3 Teacher Patti Euwer started the tradition after joining Pingry in 1986. Students donate new mittens, hats, gloves, and scarves to children in need during the holiday season. 4 The Lower School has buried two Time Capsules, in May 2000 (to be opened in 2025) and in June 2022 (to be opened in 2032). 5 The Honor Code Assembly, run by the Student Council, in 2009. The Lower School created its Code of Conduct in 1994 as an age-appropriate version of the Honor Code. Recently, the Lower School updated it to the Code of Honor and Dignity. 6 Musicals have been performed for years as part of the drama program (now the performing arts program). Here, students present Seussical Jr. in 2011.

The Upper School Music Demonstration for Lower School students, with performances by the Balladeers, Buttondowns, and Jazz Ensemble, has been taking place annually for decades, as early as 1980. These pictures were taken in 1986. (The gym’s curtain was eventually removed because it was considered a fire hazard.)

ABOVE: Then–Lower School Music Teacher Sharon Austin in 2003. “I was hired in 1978 to fulfill the Pingry Middle States Evaluation requirement to ‘create an instrumental music program’. I was also hired to teach all classroom music for K–6, and I directed/conducted the fifth- and sixth-grade Girls Chorus and combined Girls and Boys Chorus. I created a band, orchestra, and ensemble program; full concerts three times a year—holiday, spring, graduation—using all groups; and a complete music tech program. I also created and developed the first Faculty Chorus.”

DIRECTORS

Alyssa Johns, 2024–present*

Thu-Nga Morris, 2020–2024

Sandy Lizaire-Duff, 2019–2020

Ted Corvino, 2000–2019

Joyce Hanrahan, 1989–2000

Allan Savolaine, Fall 1984–1989

Richard Baldwin, 1979–Fall 1984

Edwin Brown, 1974–1979

*Read more about Dr. Johns on page 18 as she begins a new era for the Lower School.

ABOVE: Then–Grade 2 Teacher Sally Dugan (Springmeyer from 2000–2009) in 2014. “Some things that I am very proud to have brought to the second-grade program in my 18 years there include public speaking events such as our poetry presentation for parents and guests, our Women in History all-school assembly, our partnership with Level Up Village (an educational technology enterprise that facilitates global collaborative learning), and our units with interactive learning stations such as the time of the dinosaurs and Alaska, the Last Frontier.”

LEFT: Then–Language Teacher Jeanine Carr in 2008: “I remember so many years ago when I introduced French at the Lower School in 5th and 6th grades. It was followed by a couple of years where I was introducing four foreign languages in 6th grade: French, Spanish, Latin, and German. That had been quite a challenging, exciting year. Later, we hired Matty Yorkshire to teach Spanish in 5th and grades 1, 2, and 3. Later, 6th grade changed from French to Spanish and I kept 4th grade Spanish. Finally, Grade 6 moved to the Middle School in Basking Ridge, where I had four Grade 6 sections of Spanish . . . Families going on vacation in Spain were thrilled to hear from their children who knew about so many historical sites in Spain from attending my classes.”

I was in the ‘bell choir’ and really enjoyed playing such an unusual musical instrument with a group of about ten 5th and 6th graders. We practiced in a room above the gym and couldn’t touch the bronze handbells with our skin, so we all had to wear white gloves. We had a big performance in the Short Hills Mall. ERIN (LEONE) BLUTE ’95

Year After Year, Girls’ Tennis Continues to Dominate the Competition

By Greg Waxberg ’96

Six

“Team of the Year”

honors

over three years!

Girls’ varsity tennis at Pingry was named the NJ.com Team of the Year in 2024, 2023, and 2022, and Skyland Conference Team of the Year in 2024, 2023, and 2022.

These achievements reflect the ongoing “wow” factor of what the girls’ tennis program has accomplished in recent seasons—to put it simply, absolutely dominating the competition in 1st singles, 2nd singles, 3rd singles, 1st doubles, and 2nd doubles. Consider these “big picture” statistics, which help tell the story of this tennis dynasty:

• 3 undefeated seasons in a row (2024, 2023, 2022). The 2024 team compiled a 17–0 record; of those 17 matches, the team went 5–0 in 16 of them and 4–1 in the 17th.

• No. 1 ranking in the Skyland Conference (2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2019)

• No. 1 ranking in the NJ.com Top 20 three years in a row (2024, 2023, 2022)

• No. 1 ranking in NJSIAA Non-Public, North/South (2024, 2023, 2022, 2021)

The program’s continuous success in tournaments is nearly mind-boggling: 2024 marked the fourth consecutive NJSIAA Non-Public State Championship and 11th in program history (sixth most in state history); sixth consecutive Somerset County Tournament title, sweeping all five flights for the first time since 2021; and fourth consecutive sweep of the NJISAA Prep A Tournament. They were also Prep A Co-Cham-

pions in 2019 and advanced to the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions finals for the first time in 2021, the final year of the tournament.

Along with those competitions, players have tallied numerous individual accomplishments in recent years, including Anika Paul ’25 who won at 1st singles in the Somerset County Tournament all four years of high school. The 1st doubles team of Isabelle Chen ’25 and Leila Souayah ’25 won the Somerset County Tournament as freshmen and sophomores in 2021 and 2022 and won the NJSIAA State Doubles Tournament in 2021 and 2022, becoming the first repeat pair of students in the doubles tournament for girls since its inception in 1999. Pingry’s players also became finalists in the state singles and doubles tournaments in 2024, when Anika Paul reached the singles finals and the 2nd doubles team of Nandini Iyer ’28 and Angelina Gao ’27 emerged victorious—the fifth pair in Pingry history to win the state doubles championship.

For Head Coach Marion Weber, who has been leading Pingry’s tennis program since 2010-11, a key to the girls’ varsity team’s success is the Middle School program that has been developed over the years—she is thrilled that tennis starts in Grade 6 at Pingry, giving the athletes time to put in the work to move up to JV/varsity, and giving the coaches time to get to know the players and their potential.

Since 2013, Coach Weber worked with Coach George Roser to develop and cultivate this feeder program for the Upper School (Coach

“When I started, Pingry was not known as a ‘tennis school’—now, it’s known as a ‘tennis powerhouse.’”

Head Coach Marion Weber

Roser recently passed leadership to Middle School Assistant Teacher Tina Atkinson). “We use the same ideas in Middle School that we use in the high school program,” Coach Weber says. “We set in motion drills that are similar, we foster a similar team culture, we nurture a rapport with the players who will be moving up, and we develop an expectation of what happens once they enter ninth grade. Middle School is hugely important because, by ninth grade, they understand the team culture and expectations. And we know who they are as students as well as tennis players.” Coach Weber estimates that 80 percent of the girls’ varsity team has come through the Middle School program.

The varsity program itself is also run more like a college program, Coach Weber says, in that the team works on skills that will help with the transition from high school to college for those players looking to continue their tennis journey. “It’s more than hitting balls—it’s

the psychology and mental/physical strategy of the game. It’s a more well-rounded program, and [Director of The Center for Performance and Leadership] Dr. [Brandyn] Fisher works with the team on a regular basis.”

Another key to the girls’ team’s success is the success itself. “We’ve developed a program that’s attractive to potential students who already play tennis at a competitive level,” Coach Weber observes. “It is hugely successful, so Middle School students see something ahead of them that they can aspire to. They are putting in more effort because they know what they can achieve, and what lies ahead.”

Notably, when Coach Weber joined Pingry in 2010-11, the idea of building a tennis program really appealed to her, and the School is seeing all of that hard work pay off. “When I started, Pingry was not known as a ‘tennis school’—now, it’s known as a ‘tennis powerhouse.’”

The Boys’ Varsity Soccer Team played St. Benedict’s Prep—the #1 team in the state and the country—in the NJSIAA Non-Public A State Final. “Pingry pushed St. Benedict’s to the brink,” according to NJ.com, losing 1–0 in overtime.

Q&A WITH SAILING COACH JEFF BONANNI

Setting Sail on a New Varsity Sport

By Alex Nanfara P’33,

Pingry Sailing embarked on their first official varsity season in fall 2024 after years of competing—and winning—as a club sport. The program has sent multiple student-athletes to college for sailing, with the latest being Abigail Baird ’24 joining the Stanford University program. Though the team’s status as a recognized varsity sport has changed, one part of the team that has remained in place since its inception is Head Coach Jeff Bonanni, a decorated professional sailor and sailing coach, who handles all of the “on-water” coaching duties for Pingry. Mr. Bonanni also acts as the Head Coach of the Raritan Bay High School Sailing Foundation, overseeing and coaching several other high school teams, so Pingry’s day-today logistics and “off-water” activities are supervised by Co–Head Coach Lauren Kelly, who teaches AP Psychology. During the season, Coach Bonanni spoke to The Pingry Review about his sailing roots and his approach to coaching this unique and challenging sport.

’36

How did you initially get into sailing? My parents have a house on Long Beach Island and I just started sailing there, in Surf City, in a junior sailing program. And I would say I picked it up a little bit later than most and the learning curve for me was very steep. I think from when I started, it took me five years to win my first major national championship. So, I started when I was basically 12 and then I won my first championship when I was 16.

What made you fall in love with the sport? I’ve always liked being on the water or in the water. And I’m a very competitive person. I was doing a lot of other activities in the ocean at that time, like surfing, but none of it had the competition aspect. So, I really liked that it brought all those things together for me.

What do you consider your proudest moment as a sailor? There’s this adult boat that I sail, it’s called an E Scow and it’s basically like the boat that professional sailors race themselves. There’s usually a team owner and they typically drive the boat and then the rest of the boat is crewed by professionals. But in that boat (E Scow) in particular, a lot of professionals drive. So, it’s one of the most competitive classes in the country. And a few years ago, we won the regatta called the Inland Lake Championship. It doesn’t sound that grand, but it’s one of the hardest regattas to win, especially because we sail in these saltwater venues that are on the East Coast that are a lot different than the ones in the Midwest that are on smaller lakes. So, for us to go and win that, was a really big event at one of the biggest and most important yacht clubs in the country, which is Lake Geneva Yacht Club. No one from outside of that region has ever won it. It’s this incredible spectacle, and it was a really big deal that we won it. I mean, the trophies… they’re as big as me!

What are some of your main coaching points that you’ve taken from your sailing experience? I’m still competing at a very high level, so I think that gives me a little bit of an edge in the sense that I’m still experiencing situations and strengths and weaknesses, even at this stage. I’m still learning. I think it helps me sympathize with the kids a little bit. I think the other thing that’s helped me is I’m a parent now. I think my sense of how to understand the athletes has increased over the last few years as far as the emotional aspect. And I teach the sport differently than I think a lot of other people do. I was a high school runner and I still pay attention to other trends in other sports, like why baseball pitchers train in a certain way. In practice, we build skills and stagger drills and do things like that. It’s not like the traditional learn-tosail method. Also, I’ve had a lot of success with athletes who haven’t had the chance to form any bad habits because they have very little sailing experience. Some of my most successful sailors have been cross-sport athletes who had almost no experience prior to high school. Abby Baird, who went to Stanford for sailing, is the perfect example of someone who was doing “camp sailing”, for lack of a better term, up until she met me. Basically, in two-and-a-half years, she became one of the top crews in the country. One of the Stanford assistant coaches is one of my staff coaches for our travel team. So, I speak with him a lot, and Abby finished first in a division at the Atlantic Coast Semifinals, which was a really big deal.

Also, there are some coaches who are really in tune to the weather. They’re looking at weather forecasts, while I encourage the athletes to

“You’re out there, on the playing field alone, and you have to figure things out on the fly.”

be a little less in tune to that because I think they develop a little bit of bias. I want them to show up fresh for the competition and say, “These are the conditions presented to me. I’m going to do well no matter what” and not look at the forecast a day, two days, three days before and say, “It’s going to be really windy. I’m not going to do well this weekend.” So, that’s one of the mental things that I stress.

What happens during a typical race? What does it require the sailors to do? How do they win an event? There’s a start time, and the kids sail through an imaginary [starting] line, and then they race around a number of buoys in the water, with each race taking about 20 minutes. They can do anywhere from five to 10 races per day.

What makes sailing an appealing sport for high school students? Why do you think it’s important that Pingry is offering it? It teaches a very high degree of independence and accountability. You’re sailing with a partner in the boat, so there’s the element of teamwork, and you’re responsible for your boat to make sure it’s working and it’s prepared sufficiently for the conditions. And you’re out there, on the playing field alone, and you have to figure things out on the fly. [Coaches] are not allowed to talk to the sailors when they’re actually racing. We can’t yell instruction. The accountability part is recognizing, “Hey, this is my weakness right now. What do I need to do to fix it?” You have to self-diagnose. And it takes a high degree of emotional maturity. It’s very difficult.

You would think that there might be a few really dominant teams, but there’s not. So, we talk a lot about, “What does your risk/reward ratio look like for making decisions?” Because if you average a fifthplace finish, you’re probably going to win an event. But if you average a seventh, you might only get sixth. So, you have to really think about how you’re going to claw back a couple of boats in each race. There’s not a lot of swinging for the fences. It’s more like fighting in the trenches to claw back one or two boats each leg of the race. So, it’s extraordinarily strategic.

What does the future of Pingry Sailing look like?

We have a number of very promising sailors, almost all of which are female, so I think our goal over the next two years is to position ourselves to be in contention to podium at the Girls National Championships and probably to win the Girls State Championship.

ATHLETICS

A World Record–Breaking Summer

By Alex Nanfara P’33, ’36

Along with its status as a perennial powerhouse during the winter athletics season, Pingry Swimming also dominated the summer months in 2024, with three alumni—Nic Fink ’11, Matt Fallon ’21, and Daniela Karnaugh ’24—competing among other world-class breaststrokers vying for spots on Team USA’s Olympic Swim Team. Each athlete has left a lasting legacy at Pingry with multiple individual and team state championships, as the walls of Beinecke Pool proudly display plaques representing their titles and various school records.

The elder statesman of the group, Nic Fink, took “record breaking” to the next level at the 2024 Olympic games in Paris, setting a world record as part of the gold medal–winning 4x100 mixed medley relay team. Mr. Fink also captured silver in the 4x100 men’s medley relay and in the individual 100m breaststroke, returning home with three medals and endless memories from his time in France. Speaking with The Pingry Review, Mr. Fink says he ranks the mixed medley relay victory as the top highlight of his Olympic experience—standing on top of the podium with his teammates, scanning the audience for his family, and acknowledging all the different people who helped him get there. Mr. Fink shares, “To hear the National Anthem and set a world record with some great athletes . . . I think something like that is the epitome of sport and makes the years and years of relentless dedication seem worth it . . . It was a combination of trying to enjoy the moment of being there, but also wanting to share it with the people who have been there for me my whole life.”

Prior to securing any Olympic hardware in Paris, Mr. Fink was honored by his teammates, who voted him in as one of the captains of Team USA Swimming. “It was great because previous captains are absolute legends of the sport, like Nathan Adrian . . . and more recently, Caleb [Dressel] and Ryan [Murphy] . . . so to be amongst that group is humbling to say the least,” Mr. Fink continues, “. . . but I just try to live up to some of the leadership of the past, and the fact that the team can kind of think of me in a similar light is super honoring.” When the Pingry community heard of his new distinction, many were excited to label him “Captain America”, but Mr. Fink doesn’t view himself as a hero—just someone who has logged a substantial amount of time in major competitions all over the globe. “I think just trying to bring that experience to the younger guys, even when they say, ‘Hey, I need this or that’, I try to help their transition onto the big stage.”

Mr. Fink can certainly relate to being a young, wide-eyed Olympic hopeful, attempting to make roster spots on the London 2012 and Rio 2016 squads, before finally making the team headed to Tokyo in 2020 (the pandemic delayed the games until 2021). Upon winning his first medal in Paris in 2024 at 31 years old, Mr. Fink set another record as the oldest first-time Olympic swimming medalist in history. Picking up valuable lessons along the way, the 2020 Team USA “Swimmer of the Year” credits Pingry with helping him develop some of the training habits he took to college and has applied ever since. Mr. Fink was grateful that he and his Pingry Swimming teammates all had such strong state championship relay aspirations, which led them to set aside a lot of individual training to focus on improving their relay exchanges, to perfection. “I was a breaststroker, but I was doing extra freestyle work because we wanted to win those relays. So that, and just being well

rounded, are some of the things that I think I started to learn at Pingry that made me really valuable as a collegiate athlete, and then, work and hone those skills to becoming a professional and later on, an Olympian.”

At Pingry’s Convocation ceremony earlier this school year, Head of School Tim Lear called out Mr. Fink’s well-roundedness, stating, “Nic has never defined himself by his accomplishments in the pool. The fact that he’s now an Olympic gold-and-silver medalist is still just part of who he is—it’s not the only part, and it doesn’t define him.” Mr. Lear, who was Pingry’s Director of College Counseling when Mr. Fink was enrolled in the Upper School, added, “His teachers, coaches, and advisors would agree that Nic represents Pingry on our best day. He embodies humility and groundedness; the values of patience and gratitude; and the possibility of balancing extreme focus with a genuine respect for others.”

State Champion. World Champion. Olympic Champion. These titles are extremely impressive, but pale in comparison to Mr. Fink’s newest title—“Dad”—as he and his wife, Melanie, a former Olympian and gold medal–winning swimmer herself, welcomed a baby boy in the fall. As Pingry eagerly awaits to see the newest Fink grow into one of the world’s top aquatic athletes, Mr. Fink is taking a break from the rigors of professional swimming, sharing, “I’ve been working a full-time job for the past year and a half after I got my master’s degree in 2022 [Electrical Engineering],” and in true Pingry fashion, states, “I kind of want to dive into a little more work.”

When asked about his future in swimming, particularly his interest in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, Mr. Fink recalls another highlight from his experience competing this past summer in France. “I’d say one of the cool things about Paris was seeing how the home crowd really got up and reacted for all the French swimmers. So obviously, L.A. would be really, really fun. Four years away is still a long time for an old man like me, but, you know, I never rule anything out.”

PHOTO: DALLAS MORNING NEWS STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

College Athletes

NATALIA RAMIREZ ’20 and SOPHIA CAVALIERE ’21 led the Columbia Women’s Soccer Team to a 5–1–1 record in the conference, finishing an impressive second place in the standings.

After an illustrious collegiate career at Columbia University as a three-time Ivy League Champion and holder of multiple school records, NIKKI VANASSE ’20 joined Villanova’s Cross Country team as a post graduate and immediately made a huge impact by taking first place in the annual Main Line Invitational.

MATT FALLON ’21 made waves swimming for the University of Pennsylvania and for Team USA, winning a U.S Open Title and a second Ivy League Championship in the 200 breaststroke, being selected as a First-Team All-American, and becoming the fifth UPenn swimmer ever to qualify for the Summer Olympics.

ALINA IRVINE ’21 received her third AllMetro selection at Regionals this fall, helping the Swarthmore College Cross Country Team to a second-place finish.

JERRY O’MARA ’21 helped his Brown University Men’s Swimming and Diving teammates claim victory at the Bruno Invitational in November as part of the Bears’ top 400 freestyle relay team, which took first place.

For possible publication of news about alumni competing in athletics after Pingry, please contact Alex Nanfara P’33, ’36, Assistant Director of Communications, Social Media Strategy and Athletics, at ananfara@pingry.og.

KEVIN PARNHAM ’21 was named one of the captains of Penn State Lacrosse and was honored with the esteemed #16 jersey, a tradition in which the #16 jersey is passed down to a senior who best represents the “heart of a competitor”.

DANIEL ITTYCHERIA ’22 helped the Princeton Men’s Soccer Team win the Ivy League Championship, scoring in the final and being named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. The team’s leader in goals in 2023 and 2024 and leading scorer in 2024, he was also named to the All-Ivy Second Team for the regular season, before being drafted by D.C. United in the MLS SuperDraft 2025.

THE YANEZ BROTHERS—DANIEL ’22 AND THOMAS ’24—won the NESCAC Regular Season Crown together for Tufts University Men’s Soccer, and Daniel was named to the 2024 Academic All-District Team.

SYDNEY LANGER ’23 enjoyed a strong season as a singles and doubles student-athlete on Johns Hopkins University’s Women’s Tennis Team.

ABBY BAIRD ’24 made an immediate impact on the Stanford Sailing Team as a freshman, contributing to multiple “A” Division victories.

MCKENNA DWYER ’24 scored her first career goal for Williams College Field Hockey in September and was part of a team that advanced to the Division III National Semifinals.

MARTIN FIELDS ’24 and the Stevens Institute of Technology Men’s Soccer Team won the MAC Freedom Tournament for the fourth time in a row. Martin scored his first career collegiate goal on November 5 against Lebanon Valley College.

BELLA GOODWIN ’24 had a spectacular freshman year for Duke University Women’s Lacrosse, earning spots on the All-ACC Freshman Team, All-ACC Academic Team, and ACC Academic Honor Roll, while scoring 11 goals and collecting seven assists in her debut season.

SARAH GU ’24 recently traveled with her Harvard University Fencing teammates to the January North America Cup in Kansas City where she competed in the Division I Women’s Épée Tournament.

CHARLES LEVINE ’24 has become a mainstay on the Muhlenberg College wrestling team, and went 3–2 at the Petrofes Invitational in December.

MATTEO LITTMAN ’24 debuted for The University of Chicago wrestling team in November and has been a key contributor at the 125lb level, winning multiple matches in his young NCAA career.

IAN UCKO ’24 secured a spot on Colby College’s “A” crew, the Mules’ top eight-person crew team. In October at the Quinsigamond Snake Regatta, Ian and his teammates finished 6th overall out of a field of 24 teams that included several Division I boats.

Charles Levine ’24

PHOTO: SAM SALGUERO

Alina Irvine ’21

PHOTO: HUNTER MARTIN PHOTOGRAPHY

Jerry O’Mara ’21

PHOTO: DEIRDRE O’MARA

Matt Fallon ’21

PHOTO: FABIO CETTI

Natalia Ramirez ’20

PHOTO: COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MIKE MCLAUGHLIN

PHOTO: COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS JOSH WANG

Sophia Cavaliere ’21

ON THE ARTS MUSIC

First “Post-Festival” Collaboration

For the first time, in December, Lower School students stayed in Basking Ridge after the All-School Festival to continue a collaboration with Upper School students. The Balladeers and fifth-grade students went to the music wing, where they joined in some icebreakers, learned some music with each other, ate lunch together, and concluded by performing the music they had learned earlier.

“The thinking was, ‘We are a K–12 school, but what do we really do that’s K–12?’ The only thing we really do is that concert . . . so, after Lower School Performing Arts Teacher Erin Strong suggested that Lower School students stay on campus after the concert in some capacity, I thought about having the fifth-grade chorus—which sings every year—stay to do something with the Upper School groups,” says Upper School Music Teacher Jay Winston. Logistics needed to be figured out, but Mr. Winston says “the most important part was: Can we have Lower School kids engage with Upper School kids on [the Basking Ridge] campus while they’re here?”

Once the logistics for transportation and lunch were resolved, he asked Lower School Music Teacher Emma Liu if there was music the fifth-grade students would be singing at the Lower School’s

Winter Concert, but not in Basking Ridge, so that the Balladeers could learn it on the spot. “The thought for me was, the Lower School kids are fully engaged because they already know it, and they get to see what strong, more mature singers can do quickly,”

Mr. Winston explains. (The music: Frère Jacques and “Hold On” by Phillip Phillips)

He also wanted lunch as part of the experience—specifically, for each Balladeer to have a small group of Grade 5 students to eat with, as a non-music-related experience for both groups. “All I said to the Balladeers was, ‘Go have lunch with them’. With no direction, the Balladeers became adult chaperones with younger students they had never met—they were checking for allergies, taking them to get their drinks . . . It was amazing.”

Ms. Liu said the Grade 5 students enjoyed the opportunity to make music with the Balladeers “and are excited to continue their music journey in the Middle School next year.”

“The most important part was: Can we have Lower School kids engage with Upper School kids?” Upper School Music Teacher Jay Winston

More Moments from the All-School Festival

Gospel Master Class

Professional Gospel musician Samar Newsome, Choir Director at KIPP Newark, gave a Master Class for the Upper Voices Glee Club in November, when he worked on the song “The Storm is Passing Over.” Pingry and KIPP had collaborated in previous years, and this time, the Music and DEIB Departments collaborated to bring him for the session. “The students liked that he didn’t care if it was perfect,” says Upper School Music Teacher

Jay Winston. “He was trying to get them to feel it . . . he had them stomping their feet to the beat. Also, most of Gospel music is not learned with the music in front of you—it’s an oral tradition. And the students liked adding movement.” Mr. Newsome returned to Pingry in December to accompany the group on the song during the Winter Festival.

Gospel musician Samar Newsome working with the Upper Voices Glee Club

ON THE ARTS PERFORMING ARTS

Bringing Stories to Life: The Exciting Student-Led Play

By Harvey Shao ’32

Imagine being swept into a thrilling adventure inside a video game, where each level offers new surprises and challenges. That was exactly the storyline of the play released by the Lower School Performing Arts Enrichment Program on December 10, 2024, Birdmania: The Quest to Go Home, with a unique twist: the storyline was entirely crafted by the students themselves! In this production, six friends found themselves trapped in a digital world, navigating through animal, pirate, candy, and hot dog–themed levels. With each completed level, they earned an item that brought them one step closer to escaping and going back home.

The Performing Arts Enrichment Program is open to 4th and 5th graders who are interested in stage drama and acting, who created this play and performed for their family members.

Mr. Joshua Schnetzer (Mr. S), Lower School Performing Arts Teacher, and Ms. Erin Strong, Lower School Performing Arts Teacher & Coordinator, co-teach the program. In late 2024, they chose to give elementary students the opportunity to produce their own play. They also hoped to attract more kids into the fun-filled show business, which worked out successfully.

Mr. S and Ms. Strong let students create their own storyline through brainstorming activities, rolling a die to choose ideas, and adding needed details. This freedom gave students the chance to explore their imagination. For example, Sydney Pfeffer ’32 came up with an idea to be dragged across the stage in a dramatic scene which became a highlight of the show.

Since this play was entirely original, the cast followed a special process to develop the plot. First, they came up with characters and ideas. With those, they morphed into events; the best events were picked and were intertwined into a story. After that, the cast followed a normal way of rehearsing; they remembered lines, movements, and transitions until the play was fully memorized and ready to be performed with confidence.

Coordinating such a big group did have its challenges, but Mr. S wasn’t worried. “I’ve done this many times with kids the same age,” he says. “With all that experience, I trust the process and the kids’ imaginations. Additionally, we usually split the cast up with their scenes to work efficiently.” Ms. Strong also has a similar take. “I trust the kids completely and I believe their imaginations will work out well. I think they will have wonderful ideas for what to include, revise, and create. They already have a terrific base of the story, and they can build off it very well.”

There were also things that were very important to the success of the play. “The key to success is teamwork. Without it, we would all be running around, clueless. We need collaboration and understanding of one another. For example, when a group felt detached, we would gather to discuss solutions,” says Mr. S. Adding on, Ms. Strong includes, “The students are essential to the success of this play. After all, the students make up the ideas and whole plot, so it would be nothing without them.”

The students of the play were equally enthusiastic. Olivia Santiago ’32, a fifth grader who played one of the friends in the candy level, says, “I like how this time we get to make up our own play. I enjoy acting out a show that’s our own, and I want the audience to remember that.”

Meena Radhakrishnan ’32, another fifth grader who played a friend in the video game scene, has different words for the play. “I think it’s cool that we get to choose our play and do it without a set script.” Like Olivia, Meena was also nervous about how the play would turn out. “All of the ideas are our own, so they might not work together.” Meena had a different approach on success, saying, “Knowing what you have to do and cheering on your peers is important, especially in this play.” She also includes, “I don’t get upset when my ideas aren’t chosen. I know the teachers pick the idea that’s best for the play, not just me.”

The anticipation leading up to the play’s release was matched only by the audience’s and cast’s delight and excitement during the performance. The play not only entertained, but also showed a wonderful result of teamwork and creativity. “This is the first time in the Lower School kids have created something entirely new and original,” says Mr. S. “We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished.”

Scenes from the Upper School Fall Play: Clue, On Stage

The classic board game was brought to life in a farce-meets-murder mystery.

ON THE ARTS VISUAL ARTS

Art Faculty Exhibition

The exhibition featured work in a variety of media by Pingry studio art teachers including Xiomara Babilonia P’25, ’31, Melody Boone, Russell Christian, Seth Goodwin P’29, Daniel Hertzberg, Nan Ring, and Andrew Sullivan P’36.

THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:

Upper School 3D Art Teacher Seth Goodwin P’29, Time to Take your Medicine; aluminum, brass, mahogany

Middle School Visual Arts Teacher Xiomara Babilonia P’25, ’31, watercolor and micron pen on paper

Upper School Visual Arts Teacher Daniel Hertzberg, Joey; graphite on paper

Middle and Upper School Visual Arts Teacher Melody Boone, graphite and paint on Masonite

OPPOSITE PAGE, FROM TOP:

Lower School Visual Arts Teacher Russell Christian

Selections include multi-panel works with acrylic on paper

Upper School Visual Arts Teacher Nan Ring, Three images from her series “Here She Is”; oil on canvas

Visual Arts Department Chair Andrew Sullivan P’36

Snake River and Laguna; mixed media

On October 23-24, the Pingry community united to support our school during Ring the Bell, with a record-breaking 990 donors raising $2,235,016 for The Pingry Fund! We are grateful to everyone who contributed to this year’s Ring the Bell success, from our enthusiastic volunteers who spread the word to faculty and staff cheering in the car line. Thank you to all the donors and volunteers for showcasing the power of the Pingry community and what we can accomplish together—we couldn’t have done it without you!

Did you miss your chance to give during Ring the Bell but still want to support The Pingry Fund? You can make a gift online at pingry.org/give before The Pingry Fund closes on June 30, 2025.

Questions? Contact Jessica St. Marie, Director of Annual Giving, at jstmarie@pingry.org or 908-647-5555, ext. 1219.

Save the Date! Ring the Bell: October 22 + 23, 2025

$2,235,016 990

54% of parents participated in Ring the Bell

481 parents and 351 alumni made gifts donors raised for The Pingry Fund

43 donors gave $675,000 in challenge funds 83 volunteers sent 971 emails

184 faculty and staff participated in Ring the Bell

Grade 1 had the highest parent participation: 86%!

3 alumni from the Class of 1948 participated. Combined, they have been giving for over 100 years!

50 seniors made a gift during Ring the Bell

TRUE BLUE SPOTLIGHT

Q&A WITH MEMBERS OF PINGRY’S TRUE BLUE SOCIETY

Bruce Laing ’64

Mr. Laing has been associated with Pingry for over 70 years. In 1952, he was a member of the last Grade 1 to enter the Parker Road Campus.

What is your fondest Pingry memory?

Our class had good camaraderie. It’s a good bunch of people.

What inspired you to remain engaged with Pingry as an alumnus?*

I spent so much time there. I spent 12 years at the School—there are only five members of the class, out of 76, who were there for 12 years. It’s not possible for me to just divorce myself from 12 years of my life. It was a good experience during my formative years.

Why have you chosen to make annual gifts?

I want to remember the School and still be part of it. I want to support the School’s efforts. I believe that Pingry is still turning out a superior product. When I started at Pingry in 1952, I was five years old, and our first-grade teacher, Helen Wasasier, told us on the first day that Pingry had higher standards and expected more. In Middle School, my English teacher, Richard Baldwin, gave us an assignment. One of my former classmates didn’t get the mark he was expecting and

asked Mr. Baldwin what he did wrong. Mr. Baldwin went over it, and my classmate said that what he had done was a way to complete the assignment. Mr. Baldwin said, “You’re right. It is a way to complete the assignment, but you’re not coming to Pingry to learn ‘a way’ to do something. You’re coming to Pingry to learn ‘the way’ to do something.” And that’s quality. Pingry is a quality organization and I like to feel like part of it.

What inspires you about Pingry today?

It has evolved for the better. When I went to Pingry, particularly in the Upper School, everybody took the same classes and everybody took athletics all year. Now, everybody doesn’t have to do the same thing, which is great. There’s more flexibility in the curriculum. That’s fantastic—it was needed. Spring Intensives are fantastic!

Why did you choose to make a planned gift to set up a scholarship for need-based financial aid at Pingry?

Two reasons. First, I am the last of the Laings and I want to have the family remembered. Second, my folks had to sacrifice to send me to Pingry, and I believe that my Pingry experience has given me a quality of life that is better than I would have had if I had gone to a public institution. My feeling is, why shouldn’t I give the chance to some other young person coming from a background similar to mine? Give them a chance. Let them have a shot at it. Help somebody else have a shot at going to Pingry and making their life better.

*Mr. Laing also worked at Pingry for four years. He joined Alumni Affairs in 1972 and served as Development Director from 1973–1976.

Those who have given to The Pingry Fund for three or more consecutive years

Pingry Athletics Hall of Fame Inductions

2024 inductees: Leslie (Springmeyer) O’Toole ’08, Coach Joe Forte, and the 2011 Girls’ Soccer Team

Leslie (Springmeyer) O’Toole ’08

Field hockey player earned numerous first-team honors

Pingry’s field hockey program was 61–7–2 during Leslie (Springmeyer) O’Toole’s four years on the team, and the team’s then–Head Coach, Judy Lee, considers Leslie one of her top 11 players ever

Leslie’s accomplishments began as a varsity starter in her sophomore season, when she scored five goals and made six assists, including the game-winning goal in overtime to win the Somerset County Tournament. She scored 19 goals with 18 assists in her junior year, making her the area scoring leader—tied for the number of goals, but first in total points. That season, Leslie earned First Team All-Area, All-County, All-State Group I, All-Conference, and NJFHCA (North Jersey Field Hockey Coaches Association), and the team finished 20–2.

Her senior year, she served as captain, scored 20 goals with 12 assists, was an All-American nominee, earned All-State Group I First Team, All-State Second Team, All-Area First Team, and All-County First Team, and was named Player of the Year for the Colonial Hills Conference, Courier News, and Somerset County. Coach Lee praised her for having “speed with the ball—a unique combination.” Altogether at Pingry, Leslie earned six varsity letters—three for field hockey and three for lacrosse.

Leslie’s accomplishments continued at Brown University as the team’s leading scorer her first three seasons. She was named Player and Rookie of the Week her freshman year, and Player of the Week twice her junior year. Her senior year, she served as captain. In 67 games at Brown (2nd all-time), Leslie was a four-time All-Ivy honoree, including Second Team her sophomore year and three Honorable Mentions; second in goals scored, third in assists, and tied for first in total points.

“It was hard to make [Coach Lee] smile unless we perfectly executed a play to her satisfaction . . . Coach Lee, your commitment to excellence made me challenge myself to elevate my game—by mastering the simple skills, pushing myself through endless conditioning, and doing everything I could to earn that smile . . . thank you to the Pingry community for shaping me as a person. This school will always have a special place in my heart, especially since I met my husband here [Brian O’Toole ’08], and it is the greatest honor to now have a permanent place in its Hall of Fame.”

LESLIE (SPRINGMEYER) O’TOOLE ’08

Leslie (Springmeyer) O’Toole ’08

SPEAKING ABOUT LESLIE (SPRINGMEYER) O’TOOLE:

“Three words that come to mind to describe Leslie are joy, inspiration, dedication, and confidence—okay, that’s four, but I’m a retired math teacher so I don’t have to count anymore! . . . she practiced at game speed, with game intensity, every day . . . she played with such a joy and love for the sport that it was contagious . . . Leslie’s talents were also noticed by other [schools’] coaches, including the Oak Knoll coach who remarked that lots of players are fast, but Leslie was one of the fastest players with the ball she had ever seen.”

FORMER COACH JUDY LEE

Joe Forte

Coached wrestling and golf to first undefeated seasons CITATION FOR

Joe Forte coached a team for all 36 years that he taught at Pingry, from 1982–2018: Assistant Football Coach (1982–1986), Head Wrestling Coach (1982–2004), and Head Golf Coach (1986–2018), plus Middle School football, wrestling, and baseball.

At the helm of the Varsity Wrestling Team, Coach Forte produced four county champions, three district champions, two regional champions, four prep state champions, and one NJSIAA state place winner. The 1992-93 team was the first undefeated wrestling team in Pingry’s history (7–0–1), and he was named District Coach of the Year in 1998. He coached Mark McLaughlin ’83, a National Wrestling Hall of Fame inductee, Pingry Hall of Fame inductee, two-time college All-American, and High School All-American, as well as Pingry Hall of Fame inductee Jay Antonelli ’88, the first district champion in Pingry’s history and a 2008 Head Coach of the U.S. Olympic Greco-Roman Team.

During his years with the Boys’ Varsity Golf Team, the program won three NJSIAA state championships, five NJSIAA sectional championships, four prep state championships, four conference championships, and numerous county and division championships. The 1994 team was the first undefeated golf team in Pingry’s history (18–0), and Coach Forte was named Courier News Coach of the Year in 2014. In 2015 and 2016, the team participated in the Folds of Honor Military Tribute Program by honoring William F. Little III ’64 and Michael Joseph DePaul ’65. Coach Forte accumulated over 550 wins as a head coach at Pingry. He was inducted into the New Jersey Scholastic Coaches Association Hall of Fame (2015) and has been a New Jersey Wrestling Official for over two decades. He also coached the first New Jersey Girls’ Golf Championship Team (2004).

SPEAKING ABOUT JOE FORTE:

“Two stories. First, in the early 1990s, we had a wrestling match against Cedar Grove and expected a tough loss. Joe reconfigured our lineup and completely changed the order of our team—he changed weight classifications for some of our wrestlers. He knew the other team, and we beat them. [Wrestlers can move up a weight class, but not down; it becomes a math game with points gained and lost from each bout.] Second, we were wrestling against Bound Brook with a tie score in the final period. There was a fast scramble [wrestlers flying out of bounds at the far end of the mat], and the experienced referee asked Joe, in a low voice, ‘What’s the call?’ That tells me that Joe Forte knows every single rule in wrestling, and it also says something about his moral rectitude. Joe said ‘Two points to Bound Brook.’”

UPPER SCHOOL ENGLISH TEACHER AND COACH TOM KEATING P’29

CITATION FOR

2011 Girls’ Soccer Team

State and Skyland Conference champions 21–1–1 record included a 17-game winning streak and 15 shutouts

Pingry outscored their opponents 81–9 and won the fifth NJSIAA Non-Public A title in program history by scoring two goals in the second half of the finals for a 2–1 win over Red Bank Catholic. They also won the Skyland Conference Delaware Division for the third straight year and placed 2nd in the Somerset County Tournament. The team ranked #1 in Somerset County and #3 in the Top 20 in New Jersey, secured an NSCAA national ranking of #23 and regional ranking of #4, and was named one of The Star-Ledger’s Somerset County Teams of the Year.

SPEAKING ABOUT THE TEAM

“ When we were in the Colonial Hills Conference, [winning] the conference was kind of like a ‘given’ . . . When Pingry athletics went into the Skyland Conference [in 2009-10], it was more challenging, more difficult for us to win the conference. We had to deliver week in, week out—a huge challenge. [Winning the conference] was a huge accomplishment, but it’s always nice to win a state tournament! Congratulations to a truly remarkable team.”

FORMER COACH ANDREW EGGINTON

“I am in awe of all the great coaches here, and all the wins. I love winning just like them, but the wins are for the athletes. My ‘win’ is seeing these young athletes become outstanding people and good family men . . . Doug Proudman ’89, who left us too early in life, was a great wrestler—a great family man—and he came up to me one day at Pingry and said, ‘Coach, I became a wrestling coach, and I want to thank you for that.’ That’s a win.”

JOE FORTE

“ We were very good individually. We had a lot of D1 soccer players, we had a lot of club soccer players . . . but for high school sports, it was all about having fun. We got to enjoy ourselves. We got to win. We looked forward to soccer practice and soccer games, just to enjoy our team and our coaches, and ultimately be the best.”

EMILY DAMSTROM ’12

Sharon and Joe Forte

Members of the 2011 Girls’ Soccer Team: Maggie Morash ’12, Head Coach Andrew Egginton, Emily Damstrom ’12, Corey DeLaney ’12, and Shayna Blackwood ’12

PINGRY IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

Jersey Shore Reception July 13

Hosted by Manie Fahey P’21, ’25 and Steve Lang Attendees include Dr. Huma Suroor and Omer Ahmed P’36, ’37, Lisa and Carlos Alston P’28, Amy (Waterbury) Bagliani ’82, former PSPA President Melissa and Jeff Bartoli P’24, ’26, ’28, Tina and Ivan Bradley P’34, Marian and Cliff Broder ’80, Elizabeth and Miller Bugliari ’52, P’86, ’90, ’97, GP’20, ’24, Qing Li and Jerry Chen P’30, ’32, Alpa and Alpesh Chokshi P’16, ’19, Cindy and Dr. Gus Diaz P’15, Dina and Patrick Dibré P’25, ’27, Tracey and Ed Dugan III P’16, ’17, ’19, Director of Institutional Advancement David Fahey ’99, P’33, ’34, Dickie Field P’23, ’25, ’28, Elena Zazanis and Paul Fish, Bonnie and Jack Frost P’94, Christine and Michael Gilfillan P’17, ’20, Guido and Martha (Ryan) Graff ’84, P’15, ’17, ’20, Matt Guest P’20, ’23, ’29, Luke Guest ’23, Dr. Stella Mellas and Scott Hadfield P’29, ’30, Jane Hoffman ’94 and Christian Hoffman ’94, P’26, ’27, ’28, Honorary Trustee Kathy and Bob Hugin P’11, ’13, Mac Hugin ’13, Jocko Kerr ’71, Dr. Puja Sharma and Dr. Ritesh Kumar P’27, Elie and Head of School Tim Lear, Christian Leone, Jacky Li P’35, Na Li P’27, Beth and Vinny Lima P’13, ’19, Lower School Spanish Teacher Denise Lionetti ’85, Helen and Michael Lucciola P’11, ’13, ’15, ’17, ’17, Bruce and Courtney (Leone) MacKenzie ’01, P’36, Elizabeth and Terrence Martin P’10, ’12, ’17, Jill Massey P’20, ’23, Alex Massey ’23, Bruce Morrison ’64, Narayan Murti ’21, Dr. Jill Rathyen and Dr. George Naseef III P’24, ’27, ’30, former Lower School teacher Mary and Henry Ogden ’78, P’10, ’12, Lynne Pagano P’17, ’20, Dr. Joanna and Marinus Pols P’25, Nancy Priest and Dave Rogers ’61, Jessica and Eric Purcell P’26, Rita and Jon Robustelli ’90, P’25, Dr. Susan and Dr. Robert Rubino P’20, ’22, Annual Giving and Community Engagement Associate Stacy Schuessler P’18, ’20, Linda and The Reverend Bob Scott Jr. ’62, Kristin and Dan Shea P’25, ’27, Kira and Denis Shmuler P’23, ’27, Vared Shmuler ’23, Christine and Richard Smith P’10, ’15, Cornell and Erik Sorenson P’15, then–Director of Principal Gifts and Campaigns Holland Sunyak ’02, Helena and Paul Swanicke P’00, ’03, Brenda and Marc Titus P’28, ’32, Rebecca (Frost) Ulz ’94, Kim and Dr. Paul Vessa P’10, ’19, Dr. Blake Vessa ’10, Margaret and Geoff von der Linden P’24, Anne and Keith Wargo P’20, Mary and former PAA President Woody Weldon ’91, P’23, ’27, Rose Mary and Karl Werner P’12, ’14, ’16, Marisa Werner ’12, Sandy White IV ’73, Susan and Rob Williams ’76, P’06, ’08, ’12, Wen Zhu and Dr. Ping Xia P’35, Cristina Zheng and Zhengyu Xin P’33, ’35, ’35, and Jon Younghans ’79, P’20

Susan Williams P’06, ’08, ’12 shared pictures of two generations of the needlepoint Pingry bag that her mother-in-law, Jayne Williams Brand, made in the late 1960s when Dick Williams ’72 and Susan’s husband, Rob Williams ’76, were attending Pingry. Their sister, Wendy Williams ’77, started at Pingry in the early 1970s. “Jayne handed down the bag to me when our three children, Charlotte ’06, Sam ’08, and Sarah ’12, were at Pingry. Jayne attended every Pingry sporting event with the bag on her arm! Jayne attended the Vail Deane School while Miller Bugliari ’52 was at Pingry. Jayne lived and breathed Pingry and was recognized in the late ’70s by the Board of Trustees as an honorary alumna in recognition of her years of service to Pingry’s Athletics Department. Jayne’s handmade bag exemplified her love of Pingry and everything blue and white.”

Alumni Pickleball Event September 22

Attendees include Amir Arnold ’20, Taraja Arnold ’16, Lower School Visual Arts Teacher Lindsay and Alex Baydin ’93, P’26, ’29, Susan Brody ’84, J.B. Bruno ’03, Dr. Brooke Conti Trousdale ’09 and Patrick Trousdale ’08, Christine (Iacuzzo) Dickler ’95, Michael Elms, Assistant Director of Development, Events & Community Engagement Cait Finneran, Ryan Geller ’20, Jane Hoffman ’94 and Christian Hoffman ’94, P’26, ’27, ’28, Elie and Head of School Tim Lear, Matthew Lee ’20, Michelle and David Margolis ’95, P’30, Jennifer (Goldfinger) Miller ’03 and Matthew Miller, PAA President Kathy (Iacuzzo) Sartorius ’92 and Scott Sartorius P’22, ’25, ’29, Isiah Simon ’20, Stephanie (Swanicke) Slater ’03 and Andrew Slater, and Mark Zashin ’75

Nantucket Reception July 25

Attendees include Toni and Honorary Trustee Jack Brescher ’65, P’99, Jessie and John Brescher ’99, Robert Brescher, Elizabeth and Miller Bugliari ’52, P’86, ’90, ’97, GP’20, ’24, Anne DeLaney ’79 and Chip Carver Jr. ’77, P’09, ’11, ’14, ’14, Emma (Carver) Akins ’09 and Ryan Akins, Brian Crosby ’89, P’23, ’25, ’26, Cate Edell P’26, ’28, Director of Institutional Advancement David Fahey ’99, P’33, ’34, Mary and Robert Gillispie P’02, Candy Greig P’94, ’98, ’00, Sarah and Trustee David Greig ’98, Callahan Greig, Farrell Greig, Lachlan Greig, Elie and Head of School Tim Lear, Hyla Lear, James Lear, Tighe Lear, Deborah and former trustee Dr. Greg Mankiw ’76, Ali (McMath) McCune ’88, Judy and Honorary Trustee Steve Newhouse ’65, P’95, ’97, ’99, Jamie Newhouse ’95, then–Director of Principal Gifts and Campaigns Holland Sunyak ’02, Anne and Dana Troxell Jr. ’79, Elizabeth and Michael Van Brunt P’05, former trustee Denise and Dean Vanech P’09, and Hannah Wallace P’88, ’91

Alumni Soccer Game September 28

FRONT ROW: Bob Dudley ’65, Roberto De Almeida ’15, Boys’ Varsity Soccer Assistant Coach Anthony Tripicchio ’02, Louie Monteagudo ’14, Steve Lewis ’00, Boys’ Varsity Soccer Associate Head Coach David Fahey ’99, P’33, ’34, Boys’ Varsity Soccer Head Coach Miller Bugliari ’52, P’86, ’90, ’97, GP’20, ’24, William Bugliari ’20, Brian Hirsch ’97, Douglas Hirsch ’03, David Eisenbud ’85, Christian Fechter ’13, and Stephen McCarthy ’77 BACK ROW: Kevin Schmidt ’98, Matt Agudelo ’20, Simon Ribeiro ’20, Mitchell Flugstad-Clarke ’18, Drew Beckmen ’19, Sam Hecht ’23, Boys’ Varsity Soccer Assistant Coach Scott Aimetti ’89, Jonathan Shelby ’74, P’08, ’11, ’19, Bill Maass ’70, Anthony Bugliari ’90, P’20, ’24, Jim Gensch ’83, P’13, John Zoephel ’69, P’03, ’04, ’08, Dave Freedman ’84, Mike Patrizio ’13, John Robertson ’20, Henry Flugstad-Clarke ’13, and Chuck Allan ’77

PINGRY IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

Alumni Squash Event

November 29

FRONT ROW: Victoria Xie ’26, Katherine Xie ’22, Ainsley Ellison ’22, Leon Zhou ’24, Nicholas Meng ’24, Aaron Simon ’24, and Charlie Cooperman ’23 BACK ROW: Girls’ Varsity Squash Assistant Coach Megan DeGraff, Director of Squash and Girls’ Varsity Squash Head Coach Francis Odeh, Zayed Ali ’24, Hansen Zhang ’24, Brian Chin ’24, Neil Srikanth ’24, Ben Tran ’24, Evan Wen ’23, Collin Wen ’20, Sam Scherl ’17, and Boys’ Varsity Squash Head Coach Ramsay Vehslage Jr.

Alumni Swimming Event

November 29

FRONT ROW: Derek Cheng ’24, Lesley (Schorr) Brooks ’87, Maureen Schwarz ’22, Lily Arrom ’21, and Brian Hirsch with his daughter Lila BACK ROW: Darlene Fung ’19, Lauren Kim ’23, Roman Jones ’23, Tyler Headley ’22, Peter Youssef ’22, Emily Gao ’24, Julia Saksena ’22, and Jerry O’Mara ’21

Young Alumni Happy Hour

October 10

New York City Reception December 5

Stuart O’Keeffe ’12, Shaan Gurnani ’11, and Will Fischer ’11

Sofia Lombardo ’20, Caroline Schuessler ’20, Heba Syed ’17, and Mary Pagano ’17

Sydney Lieberman ’15, Guido and Martha (Ryan) Graff ’84, P’15, ’17, ’20, and Lily Graff ’15

Arne Paglia ’78 and Jim Schaefer ’80

Clark Warren ’53 and Gaile Warren

Emma Engel ’15, Rachel Jacob ’15, and Diana Masch ’15

PINGRY IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

Yale University Alumni Dinner October 9

Jessica Yatvitskiy ’21, Justin Li ’21, Divya Subramanian ’24, Verna Lange ’24, Julian Lee ’21, and Alan Zhong ’24

College Dinner in Boston October 9

Maisy Webster ’24, Kimberly Wang ’22, Evan Haidri ’22, Katherine Xie ’22, Jaymin Bhat ’23, Lauren Kim ’23, Ashley Li ’23, Adrian Kurylko ’23, Mazin Attia ’23, Spencer Jahng ’23, Chloe Chung ’22, Alexis Matthews ’23, Sarah Gu ’24, Laura Liu ’24, and Dilan Bhat ’20

University of Pennsylvania Alumni Dinner October 22

FRONT ROW: Michelle Lee ’22, Matt Fallon ’21, Kristin Osika ’22, and Aanya Patel ’22 BACK ROW: Aneesh Karuppur ’21, Jason Lefkort ’21, Claire Keller ’21, Hugh Zhang ’21, and Diego Pasini ’23

College Dinner in Baltimore December 12

Ariel Li ’21, Rohan Variankaval ’24, and Ameera Ebrahim ’21

Girls Basketball Alumnae Event

November 29

FRONT ROW: Maria Loss ’23, Bella Goodwin ’23, Olivia Volpe ’21, Caitlin Schwarz ’22, Katie (Occhipinti) Paliotti ’08, and Julia Covello ’23 BACK ROW: Alyson Feeley ’20, Claire Keller ’21, Allison Williams ’22, Sammi Barr ’22, and McKenna Dwyer ’24

Back-from-College Lunch December 19

Upcoming Events

Thursday, May 8–Saturday, May 10

• Pottersville Campus: Afternoon Explorations and Dinner on the Farm (Thursday)

• Celebration of 50 Years of Coeducation, including Wisdom of Women Panel & Discussion, alumnae-facilitated Wisdom Workshops, and Celebration Lunch (Friday morning and afternoon)

• Celebration of Miller Bugliari’s 90th Birthday (Friday at 6:00 p.m.)

• Alumni Lacrosse Game (Saturday at 10:00 a.m.)

• Alumni Baseball Event (Saturday at 11:00 a.m.)

• 50-Year Club Luncheon (Saturday at 11:30 a.m.)

• Class Parties for classes ending in “0” and “5” (Saturday at 6:00 p.m.)

Tuesday, May 20

PAA Annual Meeting of Alumni and Student Leadership

Monday, July 14

Jersey Shore Regional Reception

Thursday, July 24

Nantucket Regional Reception

Friday, September 26

Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

For additional details on upcoming events or to register, visit pingry. org/forever-blue/alumni. Any inquiries should be addressed to Alumni Relations at alumni@ pingry.org or 908-647-5555.

PINGRY CREATES

RICHARD KAGAN ’61, Academy Professor of History and Arthur O. Lovejoy Professor Emeritus of History at Johns Hopkins University, has written The Inquisition’s Inquisitor: Henry Charles Lea of Philadelphia (Penn Press). Writing in 1868, the Philadelphia publisher Henry Charles Lea informed a friend, “I am trying to collect the materials for a history of the Inquisition.” The collecting of these materials—books, manuscripts, and copies of thousands of pages of documents housed in musty European archives and libraries—would occupy Lea for the remainder of his life.

The first biography of Lea since 1931, The Inquisition’s Inquisitor offers the most comprehensive review to date of his writing on the history of the Catholic Church. Lea’s extensive surviving correspondence also enables Mr. Kagan to examine other aspects of Lea’s long and productive career.

The Honorable MICHAEL CHERTOFF ’71, former United States Secretary of Homeland Security, co-authored an article in New York University’s Journal of Legislation & Public Policy that provides an overview for lawyers, policy makers, and business executives on the legal landscape of using AI.

ANDREW MCCARTHY ’80 appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in July to promote his documentary about the Brat Pack, Brats, streaming on Hulu. The title “Brat Pack” came from the headline of a 1985 New York magazine story, and although Mr. McCarthy originally hated the phrase, he now considers it the “biggest blessing of my professional life . . . I’ve become the avatar of [people’s] youth in a certain way.” The documentary follows in the footsteps of his memoir Brat: An ’80s Story

BARBARA COFFEY ’82, a librarian at Monmouth University who previously worked as a research analyst on Wall Street, wrote an article for the Late Fall 2024 issue of Historic Nantucket about the financial returns from U.S. whaling voyages.

ASHLEY DEEKS ’89, Class of 1948 Professor of Scholarly Research in Law at the University of Virginia School of Law and Director of the school’s National Security Law Center, received the 2024 Mike Lewis Prize for National Security Law Scholarship for her research paper about presidents delegating national security powers. She was motivated to write the article, which was published in the University of Pennsylvania Law Review, after spending 18 months as White House Associate Counsel and Deputy Legal Advisor for the National Security Council. The Mike Lewis Prize is given by the Strauss Center for International Security and Law at The University of Texas at Austin and the Ohio Northern

University Pettit College of Law, in consultation with the American Association of Law Schools’ Section on National Security Law.

MICHELLE LERNER ’89 switched careers from being a public interest lawyer to become an author, and has published her first novel, RING (Bancroft Press). According to the publisher, the story “appeals to a wide range of readers, including those who have experienced grief or depression, LGBTQ2S+ community for nonbinary representation, lovers of philosophical literary fiction, and enthusiasts of animal stories. It also has cross-border appeal due to its American protagonist and Canadian setting”. One author praises the book as a “profound meditation” and refers to Ms. Lerner’s career change, writing that her “wisdom about the world seems rooted in her previous work as a poet and public interest lawyer—as well as her experience with chronic illness . . .”

That illness is one of the reasons Ms. Lerner changed careers. Earlier in life, she wanted to be a writer but felt that it “wasn’t practical or world-changing enough”. It was only when she developed a chronic illness triggered by neurological Lyme Disease and could not practice law anymore that she started to focus on writing, which includes running the Laura Boss Poetry Foundation and mentoring young writers in Gaza. “I learned from Laura Boss, the poet I met at Pingry, who had become a professional poet in middle age, that not following one’s artistic passions early on does not foreclose doing so later, and learning this from her turned out to be a huge gift in my life.”

pingry.org/extras: Author Q&A with Michelle Lerner, courtesy of the publisher’s press kit

ANDREW GOLDSTEIN ’92, partner and head of the white collar defense and investigations practice at the Cooley law firm, is co-author of Interference: The Inside Story of Trump, Russia, and the Mueller Investigation (Simon & Schuster). A former federal prosecutor, he was one of the top deputies to Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III throughout the U.S. Department of Justice’s probe of Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election. Mr. Goldstein and his co-authors have been teaching a seminar on the Mueller investigation at the University of Virginia Law School. Among other goals of the book, which provides a narrative of the investigation, is to describe many of the difficult choices the lawyers made and why they made them, clear up confusion about the role of the special counsel, and show the importance of making principled decisions even when being pushed from all directions not to.

CHLOE SORVINO ’11 shared the news that her book, Raw Deal: Hidden Corruption, Corporate Greed and the Fight for the Future of Meat, has been published in paperback (Simon & Schuster).

JACKIE CHUNG ’97 is in the cast of the Prime Video series The Summer I Turned Pretty, based on Jenny Han’s best-selling book trilogy. Prime Video describes it as “a multigenerational drama that hinges on a love triangle between one girl and two brothers, the ever-evolving relationship between mothers and their children, and the enduring power of strong female friendship.” Ms. Chung plays the mother of the main character. Summer 2025 is the show’s third and final season.

PAUL W. DOWNS ’00 won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for the show he co-created, Hacks, and the show also won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series (in total, the show won three Emmy Awards in 2024). Accepting the award with the cast, he said, “When we pitched this show about two women, one of whom was over 60, we didn’t know if we would sell it. About 20 percent of our population is over 60, and only three percent of those characters [are] on television. I would like to see more of them because while I’m a great, young supporting actor, I really want to be a good, old lead.” In addition, Hacks recently won its second Golden Globe Award for “Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy”. The show first won that award in 2022.

Upper School Math Teacher ALEX JOUJAN P’28 has published his third series of math textbooks. He writes, “I started teaching Advanced Algebra & Trigonometry – Honors (AATH) in 2019 when I joined the Upper School Math Department after teaching in the Middle School since 2011. AATH has a reputation as one of the hardest math classes at Pingry, so I tried to find things I could do to scaffold how each concept is explained to make it easier for students to understand everything. I have always enjoyed writing lessons myself instead of looking around for content that is already

available, so I started writing scaffolded lessons for each concept taught in AATH. Every lesson starts with the same goal: teach as much content as possible, as well as possible, while also breaking the learning process into small, manageable steps so students don’t feel overwhelmed each step of the way. Five years of working toward this goal has led me to write over 930 pages of content that I am publishing as a six-book textbook series.”

Lower School Literacy Specialist JAMIE NANFARA P’33, ’36 published an article on Edutopia in November (“Using Sentence Stems to Power Up Your Literacy Lessons”). She explores how elementary school teachers can use sentence stems (the beginning of a sentence, which in this case would contain a targeted vocabulary word) to connect the National Reading Panel’s “big five of literacy”: phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency. With this method, students’ comprehension of the vocabulary word is necessary for writing a complete sentence, and students can build their phonemic awareness, phonics, and fluency skills while writing their sentences and reading them aloud.

ARNAV JAIN ’26 and JONAH PARK ’26 are the NJ-07 winners of the Congressional App Challenge for their app, Root. They describe it as “an educational app focused on teaching kids about the science behind the environment and how change is possible. Kids from third to eighth grade follow a proprietary curriculum through articles, videos, and quizzes. The Explore page is the heart of the Root community and allows kids to apply their knowledge to create real impact.” More than 3,800 people nationwide submitted entries to the Challenge. According to a press release, “It has become the most prestigious prize in computer science for students and stands as the largest competition of its kind in the country.” The Challenge was created because Congress recognized that STEM and computer-based skills are essential for economic growth and innovation.

This is the third time since 2014 that Pingry students have been winners in the Congressional App Challenge.

Paul W. Downs ’00 at Pingry in 2023, receiving the Achievement in the Arts Award

OFF TO COLLEGE

The Class of 2024 is is attending 70 colleges and universities, both in the U.S. and abroad.

7 U.S. Presidential Scholar Semifinalists

28 Cum Laude Society Members

3 National Merit Scholarship Winners

6 National Merit Scholarship Finalists

6 National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists

29 National Merit Scholarship Commended Students

4 National Recognition Scholars (Rural and Small Town/Hispanic/ African American/Indigenous People)

57 AP Scholars, comprised of 22 Scholars, 19 Scholars with Honor, and 16 Scholars with Distinction

30 Student-Athletes Headed to Division I and III College Athletics Programs

16 Lifers (seniors who attended Pingry since Kindergarten)

7 Legacies (seniors with at least one parent and/or grandparent who also graduated from Pingry)

On the Map

The Class of 2024 is attending 70 colleges and universities, both in the U.S. and abroad.

University of Wisconsin, Madison (2)

Colorado College (1)

University of Colorado Boulder (1)

University of Michigan— Ann Arbor (4)

Northwestern University (3) University of Chicago (3) Indiana University Bloomington (2)

Purdue University (3) University of Notre Dame (2)

Washington University in St. Louis (4)

Colgate University (3)

Cornell University (5)

Marist College (1)

Skidmore College (1)

Syracuse University (1)

University of Rochester (1) Vassar College (1)

Dartmouth College (3)

Brown University (4) Providence College (2)

Columbia University (2)

New York University (5)

Johns Hopkins University (1)

Denison University (1) The Ohio State University (1)

University of Richmond (1)

Vanderbilt University (1)

Clemson University (1)

Emory University (3)

Oxford College at Emory University (1) Spelman College (1)

Colby College (3)

Scotland University of St Andrews (2)

Boston College (1)

Boston University (1)

Harvard University (2)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1)

Northeastern University (2)

Smith College (1)

Tufts University (2)

Williams College (3)

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (1)

Fairfield University (1)

Trinity College (1)

Yale University (3)

Drexel University (1)

Haverford College (1)

Lafayette College (3)

Lehigh University (2)

Muhlenberg College (4)

Pennsylvania State University—University Park (1)

The College of New Jersey (1)

Princeton University (2)

Rutgers University—New Brunswick (2)

Stevens Institute of Technology (1)

Georgetown University (2)

Howard University (3)

Davidson College (1)

Duke University (3)

High Point University (1)

Wake Forest University (7)

University of Texas at Austin (1)

Tulane University (1)

University of Miami (3)

California

Loyola Marymount University (1)

Stanford University (2)

University of California, Irvine (1)

University of California, San Diego (1)

University of California, Santa Barbara (2)

University of Southern California (4)

Gap Year (3)

Post-Graduate Year (1)

CLASS NOTES

share your news

Submit your Class Note at pingry.org/classnotes, or mail it to Greg Waxberg ’96, Editor of The Pingry Review, The Pingry School, 131 Martinsville Road, Basking Ridge, NJ, 07920

An Invitation for Pingry Graduates to Return to the Classroom

By John Green ’60

You may recall an article in The Pingry Review of Summer 2016 describing my second career, teaching sixth grade in an independent school in Washington, D.C. from 2006 to 2013. Those eight years followed a 36-year career of service with the Central Intelligence Agency, which was both a fulfilling and rewarding experience. I can’t fully express in words what an inspirational experience these eight years of working with our youth have meant to me. This opportunity to return to the classroom gave me a greater understanding and appreciation of the challenges today’s educators experience and how this career has changed from the school days of many of my fellow graduates.

My hope of exploring further opportunities in the education field was interrupted by the onset of the COVID epidemic after my wife and I moved to Raleigh, North Carolina. One major impact of COVID was the disruption of normal classroom routine and the replacement of conventional instruction with online instruction during the 2021–2023 school years. One of the many disappointing results of this measure was a widespread decrease in students’ scores on achievement scores in academic subjects including reading and mathematics.

While the achievement levels had been decreasing before the onset of COVID, the reductions were more pronounced with school closures and the implementation of remote learning. As the 2023-24 school year began, I was further discouraged by news reports of growing shortages of teachers in our elementary, middle, and high schools. While I am certain that education administrators are undertaking a variety of measures to correct these deficiencies, I suggest one proposal: encourage senior citizens, with their career backgrounds and other life experiences, to help overcome these problems in our education systems.

Seniors have much to share with our youth that will enhance their education, although I recognize that many seniors may be restricted by health concerns and the need to care for their spouses or grandchildren. I also understand that some may have reservations about seeking a fulltime teaching position. In this case, I suggest considering a variety of other roles.

First, volunteering as a substitute teacher would bring familiarity with today’s classroom and youth. Prior to starting my first assignment in the sixth grade, I spent one year as a substitute teacher in suburban

Virginia with assignments in various elementary, middle, and high school grades. This experience gave me a greater degree of comfort in and familiarity with the classroom and a better appreciation of techniques and practices being employed in today’s classrooms.

For those who feel that a classroom role is not for them, I suggest tutoring a small group of students or an individual student. Again, I can attest to the satisfaction that my wife and I experienced in the Unique Learning Center, an inner-city organization in Washington, D.C. Each of us was assigned a student whom we assisted with homework and other assignments. In addition, this experience gave us a greater appreciation of today’s young people and their fears and aspirations.

One activity in which retirees and younger Pingry graduates, still employed, can participate is career fairs held for high school students. Today’s young people are eager to hear from individuals whose backgrounds include a range of experiences coupled with their knowledge of a variety of career fields. I personally perceived this enthusiasm when I participated in Pingry’s 2014 Career Day—I was impressed by the interest and curiosity that were reflected by both the number and variety of questions posed by the juniors and seniors who attended the session about public service.

As with all my fellow alumni, I’m sure we can recall how our parents, teachers, coaches, and others helped us mature and achieve success in our adult lives. Today, yet another generation needs similar direction and encouragement. Although I have pointed out some of the ways we can help our student population, we can seek out many additional ways beyond the classroom.

I am certain that all Pingry graduates, particularly those with children or grandchildren in elementary, middle, or high school, have a strong interest in helping resolve the issues in our country’s education system. I also hope this article raises interest in helping to address these challenges.

John Green ’60 at Career Day in 2014

I was reading the Summer 2024 Pingry Review and was thrilled to see Gerry Vanasse (Coach Vanasse!) describe the initial formation of the girls’ varsity golf team. As one of the first members (pictured second from left in the photo on page 31), I was very proud of the team and honored to be part of a school that took women’s athletics seriously and was willing to address unmet needs. I went on to play golf at Bowdoin College and still credit Pingry with sparking the interest to play competitively. I am also grateful that an experience so memorable to me is recognized many years later and captured as part of Pingry’s legacy.

In addition to the excerpt regarding women’s golf, I enjoyed reading the many other memories, achievements, and perspectives that were featured. Pingry is a tremendous institution whose value only grew once women were added to campus—I look forward to continue seeing innovative changes that help Pingry grow and provide value to students.

Taylor (Guiffre) Voiro ’10

1946

GREG SERBE ’63 was excited to read the story in the Summer 2024 issue of The Pingry Review about Pingry’s donation to the University of Leuven’s main library in Belgium— because he had seen Pingry’s plaque in person over 50 years ago. While attending The University of Chicago’s Graduate School of Business in the late 1960s, Greg discovered an exchange program with the University of Louvain (the French version of Leuven) that required a full year’s degree. So, he worked part time for First National Bank of Chicago’s branch in Brussels while commuting to Louvain, and earned two master’s degrees—one at The University of Chicago and one at the University of Louvain. While walking around Louvain, he saw the names of American schools, including Pingry, carved into the walls to recognize their support of the library. “That was very impressive, to know that America took on the rebuilding of this French/Flemish university . . . I was surprised, then not surprised, to see Pingry’s name with higher education institutions—surprised to see it listed with the universities, but not surprised because of Pingry’s great reputation.”

DR. DAVID MILLER continues to host and produce (from his Little Rock home) NPR’s weekly, one-hour Big Band show Swingin’ Down the Lane. The program is in its 42nd year, distributed to about 30 radio stations around the country, plus Australia, and he has completed about 2,230 episodes. “I will stop after I’ve played every recording in my library, and the database of songs is at 140,000—I hasten to add that that’s not 140,000 different songs because they did a lot of cover versions in those days!” LifeQuest of Arkansas, a Little Rock adult learning program, honored David in October 2024; he taught a course about Big Band music for 25 years and was selected as someone who went “above and beyond.” Read more from David on page 85.

1952

MILLER BUGLIARI P’86, ’90, ’97, GP’20, ’24 ranked No. 13 on MaxPreps’ September list of the top 100 greatest high school sports coaches of all time. Because it can be difficult

to compare coaches from different sports and with vastly different records, MaxPreps developed its ranking by judging all of the coaches “on the same level.” Data include alltime wins, number of years coached, average wins per year, state championships, national championships, winning percentage, and average number of state championships per year. A premium was placed on longevity, consistency, and dominance. For coaches to be considered, they had to coach for at least 30 years at the high school level.

1956

WALKER LOCKETT JR. writes, “A shoutout and thanks to classmate Curt Champlin! My family moved to Summit, NJ from NC in the summer of 1954. We were neighbors of Curt’s, and I was enrolled at Pingry (Hillside)

for my 5th and 6th Form years . . . as I recall, the only classmate not from NJ, NY (Staten Island). This would be my fourth school in four years and first-ever private school . . . lots of change. Curt and I shared a common interest in tennis, and he essentially ‘adopted’ me from the outset, making a special effort to introduce me to Pingry and fellow classmates. This enabled me to get off to a fast start to what were and continue to be two of the best years of my life! I enjoyed all of my classmates, some of whom continue to be close personal friends. Pingry’s values; the Honor Code; personal interest by teachers, coaches, administration, and staff; and encouragement of students to participate in a wide range of activities all influenced the course of my lifelong development. So, this special thanks to Curt for his help in getting me started on this lifetime journey called Pingry!”

Walker Lockett Jr. ’56 and Curt Champlin ’56 on the 1955-56 Tennis Team. Walker is in the front row, second from left, and Curt is in the second row, second from left.

Dr. David Miller ’46 in his home studio

CLASS NOTES

Vic Pfeiffer ’67 and the Class of 1967’s AFS student, Carlos Monroy ’67, with Vic’s wife, Patricia, and Carlos’ wife, Amparo, in Spain

Mark Zashin ’75 at a conference with former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross; Mr. Ross was speaking about his new book Risks and Returns: Creating Success in Business and Life

Special Assistant to the Head of School Miller Bugliari ’52, P’86, ’90, ’97, GP’20, ’24, Dr. Greg Mankiw ’76, and former Upper School Math Teacher Manny Tramontana P’85, ’87 at the Letter-In-Life Award Luncheon

1961

RICHARD KAGAN writes, “Should any of you share my morbid interests in the history of the Inquisition, you might be interested in my new book, The Inquisition’s Inquisitor: Henry Charles Lea of Philadelphia (Univ. Penn Press; read more on page 64). FYI: Lea—also an important book publisher and political reformer—was the first scholar to offer a nonpolemical account of both the medieval (or papal) and the Spanish Inquisition. Otherwise, life in Philadelphia proceeds without undue incident—and on Oct. 1, Shreve and I celebrated our 42nd wedding anniversary.”

1967

VIC PFEIFFER writes, “My wife and I decided in 2023 to take a trip to Spain in June 2024. I had visited our foreign exchange classmate, Carlos Monroy, in 1978 in Madrid, and he had returned for our 50th Pingry reunion, so I reached out to him to see if we could have dinner, etc. while we were in Madrid. Carlos proved to be his ever engaging, welcoming, interested person that I have always known him to be. He insisted that we stay in his wife, Amparo’s, apartment in the heart of downtown Madrid, which they use for visiting relatives and friends. He was the consummate tour guide—helping us decide where to go, what to see, having us to his place for dinner (I’ll send

you Amparo’s incredibly good recipe for cherry & tomato gazpacho, if you get in touch), and joining us for dinner almost every night. We also had a wonderful day at their country house in a small town (Piedralaves) where Amparo is from. Carlos, an economist, is still doing some teaching, consulting, and advising doctoral students. His sense of humor remains active; he was earnest in his interest in making our trip to Spain the best; and he looks back at his year at Pingry very fondly. We went on to visit Andalucía with some friends, which we highly recommend, but my re-connection with Carlos was the highlight of the trip.”

1969

DOUG GOODKIN visited Pingry in September. Read more on page 3.

1971

The Honorable MICHAEL CHERTOFF coauthored an article for New York University. Read more on page 64.

1976

DR. GREG MANKIW received the Letter-In-Life Award during Convocation in September. Read more on page 4.

1977

JAMES HYMAN writes, “Fantastic spending time this September with Chris Meyer, Jeff

Lubin, and Jude Schneider at Chris’s younger daughter’s wedding.”

CHARLIE STILLITANO JR was profiled in The Athletic on August 1 (“Charlie Stillitano, football’s Mr Fixer and confidante to Ferguson, Mourinho and Ancelotti”). One excerpt reads, “In the words of Paddy Harverson, a former director of communications for Manchester United . . . Stillitano is ‘Mister Soccer’. To some of European football’s leading executives, he has become Mr Fixer; a man the suits trust to organise their multi-million-dollar pre-season friendlies in the United States and a man the coaches rely on to secure the most desirable arrangements with facilities, travel and hotels.”

Charlie’s most recent role is with TEG Sport, a live events promotion company; he became an advisor in November 2023 and is now Global Head of Football.

American Airlines Boeing 787 Captain ERICK SWINGLE flew the last flight of his 36-year career with the airline from London to Philadelphia in early October 2024. Accompanying him on the flight were his wife, Deirdre, and son, Fritz. They currently reside in Tewksbury NJ, and will spend summers on Cape Cod.

1980

ANDREW MCCARTHY directed a documentary. Read more on page 64.

BRAD ROTH writes, “I have been a professor of political science and law at Wayne State University in Detroit for the past 28 years, teaching at the undergraduate, graduate, and professional levels, and authoring scholarly

Former Grade 1 Teacher Connie Allan P’75, ’77, ’79, ’83 and Chuck Allan ’77

Chris Meyer ’77, Jeff Lubin ’77, Jude Schneider ’77, and James Hyman ’77

Erick Swingle ’77 with his wife, Deirdre, and son, Fritz, in the Boeing 787 cockpit

Jaime Sisto ’77, Brad Lang ’77, Andy Ehrlich ’81, Johno Sisto ’81, and Jim Mullen ’81 attending the Celebration of Life for former PSPA President Theresa Leo Sisto P ’77, ’81 on October 19 on Block Island, RI. Mrs. Sisto’s obituary appears on page 78.

CLASS NOTES

The Achievement in the Arts Award Committee hosted an Artist’s Talk and reception in November at the Tribeca studio of JOANNE STEINHARDT ’84, P’15 (pictured front right, holding the right corner of the banner). She spoke warmly about her Pingry photography teacher, Mike Popp, who she says made it possible for her to apply to art school. She also spoke about her art, including The Cookbook Project (she displayed the books in public for the first time during her 2017 exhibit at Pingry) and Endless Second Chances (the subject of her 2024 exhibit at Pingry, detailed in the Summer 2024 issue of The Pingry Review). Of the Second Chances collection, which includes items such as her mother’s pans, grandfather’s top hat, a toilet, rags, and pillowcases, she posed the questions, “What do objects mean to people, and how do we define what’s useful? Is it simply because they do the job that we meant them to do, or is there something else that carries more meaning?”

The annual McLaughlin Thanksgiving Dinner at the Tewksbury Inn. Pictured: Jim Gensch ’83, P’13, Dr. Richard Schonberg P’05, ’08, Dr. Mark McLaughlin ’83, Jack Faherty Jr. ’85, Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse Assistant Coach Patrick Birotte ’87, P’20, Middle School History Teacher and Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse Head Coach Mike Webster P’24, ’27, ’27, TJ Rusen ’89, Dan Marchese ’89, Special Assistant to the Head of School Miller Bugliari ’52, P’86, ’90, ’97, GP’20, ’24, Sander Friedman ’83, and Phil Hubbauer ’82

work that applies political theory to problems in international law. I spent Fall 2024 as a Visiting Scholar at Queen’s University Belfast’s Mitchell Institute for Peace, Security, and Justice. I have stayed in touch, more or less regularly, with many of my Pingry classmates and look forward to our 45th-year Reunion.”

MARC SOMNOLET writes, “After a 30-plus year career in global marketing for major consumer products companies Colgate-Palmolive, Reckitt, and L’Oréal, I went to find new passions in academia (I am in my seventh year as Adjunct Professor at NYU), non-profits (I preside over the national network of the French-American Chamber of Commerce), and consulting (advising startups on strategy). My wife Margarita is an accomplished artist (she exposes at Galeria in Westfield, NJ), one daughter works in TV and film distribution in Miami, and the other is a Licensed Master Social Worker for a major NYC hospital. More importantly, we have an amazing granddaughter, Olivia.”

1982

JONATHAN KARP, President and CEO of Simon & Schuster, received The Strand Magazine’s Publisher of the Year Award, which recognizes excellence in publishing. The magazine said, “Throughout his time at Simon & Schuster, Karp has overseen an amazing boost in revenue, consolidated several imprints, and managed to navigate the world of digital publishing while ensuring that print

books are still at the forefront of so much that S&S does. During his career he has frequently taken chances on books he believes in—that other editors might have passed up—and, more often than not, those chances have paid off in the form of critically acclaimed books that are also commercially successful.”

1984

DAN KIRBY, Vice President and Director of Cities and Places for Jacobs in Orlando, was recognized by Florida Trend Magazine as one of the Florida 500, a list of Florida’s most influential business leaders. The magazine writes, “Kirby is an architect, planner and design consultant with experience leading

design and planning of public and private projects with a focus on the pedestrianfriendly, sustainable and transit-oriented . . . He’s on the board of the Orlando Economic Partnership and spent nearly a decade as a member of the Orlando Utilities Commission. He’s also a trailblazer as the first AfricanAmerican president of the Florida Association of the American Institute of Architects.” Dan was also presented with the 2024 Distinguished Alumni by the University of Florida School of Architecture.

DR. AMRITA KRISHNAN is a cancer thought leader and Executive Medical Director of Hematology at City of Hope Orange County, as well as Director of The Judy and Bernard Briskin Multiple Myeloma Center at City of Hope. An expert researcher and clinician in Multiple Myeloma, she has been working for two decades with Tom Cavanaugh, Company Group Chairman, North America of Innovative Medicine at Johnson & Johnson, to try to find a cure. They recently met for dinner during the American Society of Hematology Congress between Johnson & Johnson leadership and the City of Hope Cancer Center.

1989

ASHLEY DEEKS wrote an article that recently won a prestigious award. Read more on page 64. MICHELLE LERNER changed careers and has written her first novel. Read more on page 64.

Scott Aimetti ’89, Assistant Coach for the Boys’ Varsity Soccer Team, at the Alumni Soccer Game in late September

Dr. Amrita Krishnan ’84 and Tom Cavanaugh P’23, ’26, Company Group Chairman, North America of Innovative Medicine at Johnson & Johnson, in San Diego during a conference of the American Society of Hematology

Dan Kirby ’84

CLASS NOTES

1991

DR. SCOTT HALPERN has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine. According to the announcement, election to the Academy is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstand-

ing professional achievement and commitment to service. Scott is the John M. Eisenberg Professor of Medicine, Epidemiology, and Medical Ethics & Health Policy; Director of the Palliative and Advanced Illness Research Center; and Director of the Behavioral Economics to Transform Trial Enrollment Representativeness Center at the University of Pennsylvania

Perelman School of Medicine. The announcement reads, in part: “Through trenchant ethical analyses and leadership of the field’s largest clinical trials, he has challenged old paradigms of serious illness decision-making and demonstrated how low-cost, scalable interventions can improve care quality and outcomes.”

1992

ANDREW GOLDSTEIN is co-author of a new book. Read more on page 64.

ALEX TINARI has been named Admissions Outreach for the newly formed J.S. Bryant School, a non-profit, therapeutic, private day school in western Massachusetts for LGBTQ+ teens who are experiencing social or mental health challenges. The school will open with its inaugural class in the fall of 2025 and is welcoming donations to its scholarship fund. Say hello or inquire! alex@jsbryantschool.org.

1995

DR. MEENA SESHAMANI, Deputy Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and Director of the Center for Medicare, wrote an article for STAT in late October about the successful first round of drug price negotiations.

Andrew Goldstein ’92 (second from left) and his co-authors, James Quarles and Aaron Zebley, being interviewed by former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara at a Book Talk on October 28

Class of 1992 graduates celebrate their collective 50th birthdays with spouses during a memorable Caribbean Weekend in January 2024: Scott and Kathy (Iacuzzo) Sartorius ’92, P’22, ’25, ’29, former history teacher and former Dean of Students Andrew Goldstein ’92 and Julie Rawe, Elie and Head of School Tim Lear ’92, P’25, ’27, ’30, Michael ’92 and Francesca Breheney, and Celina and Jason Stabell ’92

1997

JACKIE CHUNG stars in a Prime Video series. Read more on page 64.

2000

PAUL W. DOWNS won an Emmy Award in September. Read more on page 64.

2002

CHRISTINE (LAYNG) ASCHWALD was elected to the Board of Trustees of the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey and began her term in November. She is a private art advisor with more than 17 years of art market experience, most recently as Senior Director of Collector Sales for the online art marketplace Artsy. She also spent 15 years at Christie’s auction house in New York, beginning as a cataloger of 19th-century art and eventually becoming Vice President in the Client Advisory team.

2006

LAUREN SALZ was honored by Grist magazine, a non-profit, non-partisan news organization focused on climate and the envi-

ronment. She is included on Grist 50, their list of climate leaders and innovators. Lauren was featured for her work as Co-Founder and CEO of the climate technology company Sealed.

2012

DR. CONNOR MCLAUGHLIN writes, “After completing my year as a hospitalist at Atlantic Health System’s Morristown Medical Center, I started my fellowship training in Hematology/ Oncology at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey on July 1, 2024.”

2016

SOPHIA CORTAZZO married Jayson Szabo on April 6 at the Mount Washington Mill Dye House in Baltimore, MD.

At the Jersey Shore (Normandy Beach): Lauren Gruel Diemar ’96, P’24, Michael Blanchard ’96, Beth Blanchard Field ’91, P’23, ’25, ’28, Carol Blanchard P’91, ’95, ’96, GP’18, ’20, ’23, ’25, ’28, Annual Giving and Community Engagement Associate Stacy Blanchard Schuessler P’18, ’20, and Thomas Diemar ’96, P’24

Dr. Connor Mclaughlin ’12

Jayson Szabo and Sophia Cortazzo ’16

CLASS NOTES

2017

MADDY SHILTS, a Chicago-based actor, produced The Lightning Thief: A Percy Jackson Musical, which was nominated for three 2024 BroadwayWorld Chicago Awards, including Best Ensemble and Best Theatre for Young Audiences Production.

2019

ZACH TRICHAS was accepted early decision to Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Class of 2029.

2020

LANCE PERLOW, who played football and basketball and ran track and field at Pingry, spoke to students taking the Foundation of Sports Medicine health elective in early November. He spoke about the injury he incurred his senior year and how Pingry’s athletic training staff worked as a team with him, his physician, and his parents to rehabilitate and get him back to everyday life and athletics.

2024

VALERIE BREMM is taking a gap year and doing an internship in Dr. Matthew Desmond’s Eviction Lab at Princeton University. Very few non-Princeton students are selected as interns, and Valerie’s resulted from Dr. Desmond’s visit to Pingry in January 2024 for the John Hanly Lecture on Ethics and Morality, when he spoke about ending poverty in America. This internship builds off her ISP, for which she “conducted research on the causes of poverty in Mexico and discovered a correlation between certain cultural values and poverty levels.”

The PAA Alumnae Committee organized a trip to the matinee performance of Suffs The Musical on Broadway on January 4. Pictured are some of the attendees: Elena Zazanis, Rebecca Daley ’12, Marisa Werner ’12, PAA President Kathy (Iacuzzo) Sartorius ’92, P’22, ’25, ’29, Ally Sartorius ’22, Julia Saksena ’22, Alumnae Committee Chair Alison Little ’82, P’22, ’26, Kristin Sostowski ’93, Caroline Wargo ’20, and Jessica Hutt ’20

Kassidy Peterson ’18 and Head of School Tim Lear had a chance meeting in Chicago.

Diana Abreu P’96, Spanish, 1986–2007

Judy Baker P’01, GP’27, ’28, Assistant Director of Athletics, 1991–2022

Miles Boyd, Visual Arts Department Chair, 1994–2024

Jeanine Carr, World Languages, 1982–2011

Gail Castaldo P’00, Spanish/French/Peer Leadership, 1979–2014

Joanne Coker, Kindergarten, 1982–1994

Susan Conklin, Academic Support Coordinator and Learning Specialist, 2017–2020

Barbara Conroy, Music Department Administrative Assistant, 1986–2018

Peter Delman P’97, ’98, Visual Arts/Green Initiatives/Sustainability Coordinator, 1976–2019

Dr. Susan Dineen, English/Justin Society/ The Pingry Record, 1990–2018

Laura Engelhardt, Middle School Secretary, 1997–2006

Connie Fayen P’90, ’02, Lower School Library/Admission, 1988–2013

Eileen Hymas, C.B. Newton Library Director, 2001–2020

Kelly Jordan P’04, ’06, French/AFS, 1988–2017

Evelyn Kastl, Computers/English, 1969–2016

Elaine Krusch, Typing/Computers/Study Skills, 1977–2007

Judy Lee, Math/Field Hockey/Swimming/ Athletics Hall of Fame, 1985–2016

Ted Li, English/Fencing, 1973–2015

Pat Lionetti P’85, ’88, ’89, English/ Psychology/School Counselor/Peer Leadership, The Pingry Record, 1977–2013

Dr. Trish Lowery, Science, 2000–2017

Elaine Ochab, Receptionist, 1992–2020

Dr. Michele Parvensky, Chemistry/Native American Club, 1985–2016

Dr. Joan Pearlman P’89, ’92, ’96, Grade 5 English and Language Arts/Grade 6 Study Skills, 1983–2021

Dennis Pearlstein, English, 2007–2020

Dr. Mike Richardson P’86, History/Visual Arts/Psychology/School Counselor/Peer Leadership/Girls’ Soccer/Athletics Hall of Fame, 1969–2012

Jane Roxbury P’01, French/Spanish/ German/Head of Languages, 1978–2014

Diane Scalera, Business Office, 1991–2007

Barbara (DeAngelo) Stockhoff, Administrative Assistant to the Head of School, 1986–2014

Donna Stone P’89, ’92, Reading/English/ Head of Forms III & IV, 1986–2002

Pat Vergalito, Benefits Coordinator, 1985–2012

Nancy Wojnar, Transportation Coordinator/Bookstore Manager, 1982–2006

Head of School Tim Lear hosted a celebration luncheon for retired Magistri and long-serving employees on October 21 at the Pottersville Campus. FRONT ROW: Barbara (DeAngelo) Stockhoff, Evelyn Kastl, Eileen Hymas, Elaine Krusch, Dr. Susan Dineen, Jane Roxbury, Pat Vergalito, Diane Scalera, Joanne Coker, and Dr. Mike Richardson MIDDLE ROW: Judy Baker, Gail Castaldo, Connie Fayen, Kelly Jordan, Jeanine Carr, Pat Lionetti, Barbara Conroy, Elaine Ochab, and Dr. Joan Pearlman BACK ROW: Diana and Alvaro Abreu, Miles Boyd, Peter Delman, Dennis Pearlstein, Susan Conklin, Nancy Wojnar, Donna Stone, Dr. Michele Parvensky, Judy Lee, Laura Engelhardt, Dr. Trish Lowery, and Ted Li

IN MEMORIAM

WILLIAM JUBB CORBET JR. ’50

December 22, 2024, age 93, Ft. Lauderdale, FL

(Patricia), and John ’81; five grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.

nMr. Corbet was the undefeated captain (19–0) of Pingry’s 1949-50 Swim Team and attended Lehigh University. Following his graduation, he served as an officer of the U.S. Air Force. He worked for 48 years as a stockbroker, first with F.P. Ristine and then the successor companies Legg, Mason, Wood, Walker, Inc. as branch manager. He served as President of the Pingry Alumni Association in 1979-80 and then as a Pingry trustee from 1980–1982. For many years, he hosted Pingry’s Jersey Shore Party at his home, and he was a dedicated volunteer for The Pingry Fund, including serving as Decade Chair. In 1997, the PAA honored him with the Nelson L. Carr ’24 Service Award. His father, William Corbet ’21, and brother, Richard Corbet ’52, also attended Pingry, along with nieces and nephews: C. William “Bill” Thomas Jr. ’88, Sarah Thomas ’90, and Peter “Corby” Thomas ’92. A fixture in the Westfield, NJ business community, Mr. Corbet was active in many community organizations, including as cofounder of Christopher Academy Montessori and serving on the Westfield Town Council from 1984–1991. Sailing was also a huge part of his life, including racing on Barnegat Bay and cruising on Chesapeake Bay and in the Abacos. His brother, Dick, and wife of 63 years, Joan, predeceased him. Survivors include his son, Bill Corbet ’77 (Kathy); daughter, Maggie Corbet ’78 (Lewis Dames); granddaughters, Carolyn Corbet and Emme Corbet; and sister, Sue Thomas P’88, ’90, ’92.

THERESA MADELINE LEO SISTO

EVERARD KEMPSHALL “EV” PINNEO ’44

Youth Concerns Committee, Corner House, Trinity Church Grants Committee, the Trigeminal Neuralgia Association, and the Southern Poverty Law Center as part of his vision of a world in which all people have access to “opportunities and health, a share of the abundance of life, and the undying hope of peace and justice for all.” In 2000, he was inducted into Pingry’s Athletics Hall of Fame as a member of the 1943 Football Team, and he shared memories of campus life on the Parker Road Campus in the Summer 2012 issue of The Pingry Review. Mr. Pinneo was predeceased by his wife, Katharine (Kay). Survivors include his daughter Nell and grandson Martin, and son Tom, grandson Steven, and daughter-in-law Julie.

DRURY W. “COOP” COOPER III ’47

October 7, 2024, age 91, Block Island, RI nMrs. Sisto served as PSPA President (Mother’s Association at the time) in 197677. She was involved in many other organizations and charities, including serving as Deacon for St. Ann’s-by-the-Sea (Block Island, RI) and on the Bishop’s Committee for the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island. She was predeceased by her husband, John “Jack” Sisto, after 56 years of marriage, and by her brother, John Leo. Survivors include her four children, Antonia Klohr (James), Joseph, James ’77

August 2, 2024, age 97, Princeton, NJ nMr. Pinneo earned a B.A. in Economics at Princeton University after serving for two years in the U.S. Navy. His first job was at Owens-Corning Fiberglass, selling insulation yarn to electrical cable manufacturers. “When the allure of that occupation began to run dry,” as he said himself, he pivoted to education. In 1955, he became Assistant Director and later Director of Admissions at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. In 1960, he took on the role of Director of Admissions at the University of Pittsburgh. Then, for 15 years, Mr. Pinneo traveled the SUNY system’s 67 campuses as Assistant Vice Chancellor, participating actively in what he regarded as a remarkable vision to provide education at a modest price for all citizens of New York State. From 1979–1992, he was Executive Director and then Development Director of the Princeton Educational Center at Blairstown, an adventure-based outdoor education center in northwest New Jersey that he first knew as The Princeton Summer Camp when he served as its undergraduate director from 1948–1950. He maintained a nearly eight-decade-long affiliation with PBC (Princeton-Blairstown Center), serving, in retirement, as a Trustee and then Honorary Trustee. In 2018, as part of the 110th anniversary of the PBC, the Ev Pinneo Award was created to honor and recognize his commitment to PBC. Mr. Pinneo was profiled for his work with PBC in the Summer 1993 issue of The Pingry Review

For 20 years, beginning in 1981-82, the Pingry community had another connection with PBC because eighth-grade students traveled to “Blairstown” each year, and later on the older classes returned for “Blairstown Revisited.” Then–Head of the Middle School Kevin Rooney started the program and said many classes had outstanding experiences. Then–School Counselors Pat Lionetti and Dr. Mike Richardson were also involved with the trips. Mrs. Lionetti remembers Mr. Pinneo greeting them each year, and Dr. Richardson recalls “nothing but good memories and lots of laughs.”

Mr. Pinneo also served on the boards of and supported a variety of nonprofit organizations including the Trenton After School Program,

June 5, 2024, age 94, Ketchum, ID, formerly of Darien, CT and New York, NY nMr. Cooper played football and ran track at Pingry, then attended Rutgers University (track) before serving with U.S. Army Intelligence at the Pentagon. He joined his wife’s family firm and what would become de Cordova, Cooper & Co. on the New York Stock Exchange. As NYSE Specialists, the firm was responsible for facilitating trading in a group of about 50 companies. He eventually became a senior managing partner and retained his exchange membership until the NYSE went public in 2006. Mr. Cooper’s greatest passion, downhill skiing, led him and his wife to Sun Valley, ID, which became a magical place for the Cooper family. For over 40 years, he was an active ski racer, competing on the FIS (International Ski and Snowboard Federation) and U.S. Masters tours and at Sun Valley Ski Club events. In 1997, he was inducted into Pingry’s Athletics Hall of Fame as a member of the 1947 Track Team. He was predeceased by his beloved wife, Jean (2017), after nearly 60 years of marriage. Survivors include his sons, Gordon (Jennifer) and Douglas; four grandchildren, Haley, Taylor, Charles, and Theodore; sisters, Mary and Elise; and daughter-in-law, Susan (Danny).

GILMAN SESSIONS

“GIL” BURKE ’50

December 25, 2024, age 92, Garrison, NY

nMr. Burke graduated from Hamilton College and served in the U.S.

Marine Corps. After being discharged, he married his first wife, Sarah “Sal” (Cooke), attended Harvard Law School, and joined Burke & Burke, the law firm founded by his grandfather. As a lawyer, he was known for his calmness and courtesy, and for a willingness to support the careers of women lawyers. A proud and passionate resident of the Upper West Side, Mr. Burke was one of the founding parents of the West Side Montessori School. When he arrived in Garrison in the 1970s, he began a commitment to the environment and the preservation of the Hudson Valley that continued for the rest of his life. He was an early supporter of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and a founder of Constitution Marsh Sanctuary, Riverkeeper, Hudson Highlands Land Trust, and Open Space Institute. He also served as a trustee of Hamilton College and Boscobel House and Gardens. After Sal died, Mr. Burke began spending more time in Garrison and began a life with Sarah Bayne. He was preceded in death by his youngest son, Nathaniel. Survivors include his wife, Sarah; children, Molly and Dana; five grandchildren; and beloved younger sister, Kate, and her three children.

DR. WILLIAM PARNELLE “BILL” BURKS ’51

January 28, 2025, age 91, Princeton, NJ nDr. Burks aspired to be a physician from an early age. He was a standout scholar-athlete, quarterback, and third baseman at Pingry, then graduated with a B.S. in Biology from Princeton University, where he was active in tennis and golf, and quarterback of the sprint (150 lb.) football team, leading the team to an undefeated season in his senior year. He received an M.D. from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and did his surgical training at St. Luke’s Hospital, New York, advancing to Chief Resident, General Surgery. Following residency, he served as Captain in the U.S. Army Medical Corps, from 1964–1966, including a one-year tour of duty as a trauma surgeon in a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital unit in Vietnam.

Dr. Burks joined Princeton Surgical Associates as Partner in 1966. He was a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and Attending Surgeon at the Medical Center of Princeton, including a tenure as Chief of General Surgery. An expert in arterial vascular

surgery, he was a doctor of the old school. He offered compassionate care, a steady hand, and trusted counsel to patients, community members, family, and friends. Throughout his life, Dr. Burks committed countless hours to ensuring the durability and vitality of the Princeton-area community. Numerous institutions were dear to his heart. He joined the Board of Trustees of Princeton Area Community Foundation (PACF) in 1993, two years after the organization was founded, and continued as trustee from 1993–2021, serving as Board Chair (1997–2006) during the organization’s critical, early-growth years. Honored as a Trustee Emeritus in 2021, he remained active with PACF until his death. Dr. Burks also served on the Princeton Medical Center Foundation’s Board of Directors for nearly 20 years, playing an instrumental role in advocating and fundraising for the new hospital campus. In 2012, the Foundation honored him as the inaugural recipient of the William P. Burks Physician Philanthropist of the Year Award, an honor created in his name, as a tribute to his legacy of service, leadership, and generosity. He was named Trustee Emeritus of Princeton Day School after a decade of distinguished leadership as Trustee (1970–1980) and Board Chair (1975–1980), and he remained active in that role until his passing. Dr. Burks nurtured and sustained a deep affection for his alma mater, Princeton, including (with classmates) founding Project 55, an organization that provides support for Princeton graduates seeking careers in public service. Dr. Burks was also honored twice by Pingry: he received the Letter-In-Life Award (1981) and was inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame (1991) as a member of the undefeated 1950 Football Team. In addition, he spoke at Career Day, hosted and attended Princeton receptions, and participated in the Alumni Community Service Assembly in 2012, saying that his involvement with community service could be traced to his early days in medicine, when he found it rewarding to take care of indigent people for free. “It’s fun to promote social good,” he said. His father, Dr. Harry Burks Jr., served as a Pingry trustee from 1955–1971, then as an Honorary Trustee and a Life Trustee. Dr. Burks was predeceased by the love of his life, his wife of 66 years, Judith, and his brother, Harry Burks III ’48. Survivors include his children, Katharine (William), Elizabeth (Paul), Deborah (Michael), and William Jr. (Katrina); 13 grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and brother, Robert ’56, a former PAA Board member.

JAMES EDWARD HAAS JR. ’53

December 20, 2024, age 89, Barrington, RI nMr. Haas graduated from Lehigh University and worked in his father’s fuel oil business until his move to Haverford, PA in 1967 when he joined the Penske operation. In 1972, he relocated to Rhode Island, ultimately owning his own business, #1 Tire. Mr. Haas loved playing his banjos and entertaining, sailing in New England, and his vintage Porsches. Survivors include his wife of 55 years, Joan; daughters, Anne (Edward) and Margaret (William); sons, James E. III (Larissa) and Jason (Alicia); 12 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

RAYMOND “GUY” CHAMBERLIN ’54

July 24, 2024, age 89, Camden, ME nMr. Chamberlin attended St. Lawrence University, where he studied pre-mechanical engineering; his special interest was aviation. He joined the U.S. Navy, where he learned to fly and served on the USS Canberra. Aviation remained a lifelong passion, and he earned his commercial and instrument ratings and became a certified flight and instrument instructor. He especially loved the challenge of navigation while flying, teaching instrument flight, and the camaraderie of his fellow pilots. Mr. Chamberlin enjoyed his 31-year career with IBM, excelling in marketing management by mentoring his sales teams and developing strong relationships with his many clients. A three-year stint with Lexmark followed. After a second retirement, he had a 16-year role with Home Depot. Mr. Chamberlin was also active in his community, including serving on boards of SUNY Albany, the Humane Society, and a local repertory theater. Additionally, following a car accident involving a family member, he volunteered in the emergency room at Albany Medical Center for many years. In 1998, he was inducted into Pingry’s Athletics Hall of Fame as a member of the undefeated 1952 Football Team. He was predeceased by his brother, Robert ’48. Survivors include his devoted wife, Martha; beloved children, Page and G. Parker; daughterin-law, Elizabeth; grandchildren, Isabelle, Parker, Charlotte, Thatcher, Abigail, and Henry; sister, Gayle; and sister-in-law, Judith.

IN MEMORIAM

E. WILLIAM “BILL”

ENDTER JR. ’54

November 13, 2024, age 88, South Pasadena, FL

FRANKLIN RANDOLPH ’55

Jessica; and two grandchildren, Matthew and Sarah.

GEORGE S. CHAMPLIN ’56

August 21, 2024, age 85, Barrington, RI

nMr. Champlin

December 4, 2024, age 87, Southern Pines, NC nMr. Randolph enjoyed a distinguished career spanning nearly 40 years with the New York Stock Exchange. Survivors include his wife of 22 years, Marjorie. He was predeceased by Megan Randolph, mother of his children: Jill, Scott (Tracy), and Melissa (Gregory). Survivors also include his four granddaughters, stepdaughter, and two step-grandchildren

RICHARD “DICK” WELCH SR. ’55

Duyne attended Northeastern University and finished a degree in Electrical Engineering at the University of New Hampshire. He worked for Sander’s Associates, joined a new start-up company called Incoterm, and worked for Wang Laboratories. His last job was with Lau Technologies that then created a spin-off Company called Viisage that was developing facial recognition. Survivors include his loving wife of 62 years, Rosamond (Roz); son, John; granddaughter, Marisa; and brother, Peter and wife Terrie.

JOHN B. MCCOBB JR. ’57

November 12, 2024, age 87, Point Pleasant, NJ nMr. Welch graduated from Colorado College and began his career in textile sales. He then went on to pursue his passion in sporting firearms at Griffin & Howe. He also had an avid interest in antiques and collectibles, and was Director of the New Jersey Museum of Boating. Mr. Welch was predeceased by his beloved wife, Frances, and sister, Mary. Survivors include his devoted sons, Richard Jr. and Michael; loving daughters, Elizabeth and Catherine; six amazing grandchildren; and three patient “outlaws.”

JAMES VICTOR “JIM” ALLEN ’56

excelled in the classroom at Pingry and was a varsity athlete in soccer, swimming, and track and field. He graduated from Brown University with a degree in Economics and was a member of the sailing team. After Brown, he earned an M.B.A. at Pace University and was a member of the National Honorary Society in Business Administration. He worked for a variety of companies, including Mutual Benefit Life Insurance, CBS Inc., Ard Appraisal Company, First Fidelity Bancorporation, CoreStates Financial Corp., and the Vanguard Group. He was a member of The Appraisal Institute, completing an MAI Designation (Member of the Appraisal Institute) as a successful real estate appraiser. Mr. Champlin was a coordinator for courses at Providence’s Lifelong Learning Collaborative, served on the Board of Directors as the Treasurer and Secretary of the Bristol County Water Authority, and served as an Elder at Barrington Presbyterian Church, among other activities. Survivors include his wife, Betsy; son, John; Betsy’s children, JoAnne and Richard; and his granddaughters, Elise and Emma. He was the sibling of Robert ’54, Ted Wobber, and Sally Herbst.

DONALD VAN DUYNE ’56

January 9, 2025, age 87, Southern Pines, NC nMr. Allen majored in Economics and graduated from Hamilton College. He spent his career as a banker in New York City, starting with his first position at Manufacturers Hanover until his retirement in 2001 from Chase Bank. Mr. Allen was preceded in death by his twin brother, John. Survivors include his wife of 59 years, Judith; son, Andrew; daughter,

January 12, 2025, age 86, Manchester, NH nMr. Van Duyne played soccer at Pingry, was diving champion, and went on to compete, and win, the New Hampshire and Vermont State Diving Championships in 1960 and 1961. He was also the YMCA Boys Swimming Team coach; they twice won the New England Swim Team Championship. After graduating from Pingry, Mr. Van Duyne joined the U.S. Army as they offered a six-month training program and then serving eight years in the U.S. Army Reserves. During that time, he also worked for Lockheed Missiles and Space Co. at the New Boston Satellite Tracking Station when tensions with the Soviet Union and the United States were at their peak. Mr. Van

January 15, 2025, Washington, D.C. nMr. McCobb earned an undergraduate degree in Math and Philosophy at Princeton University and a law degree at Stanford University. Although he had not set out to make travel an overarching dimension of his work, this is what ensued. First, he taught English in Hong Kong. Back in NY, he met his mutually adoring and loyal wife, Maureen, and soon, IBM made ex-pats of the McCobbs in Japan. Mr. McCobb dedicated his entire career to the company, relocating five times. He rounded out his final IBM years as Director of Ethics, a job to which few people would have been better suited. Also noteworthy is his ancestrally rooted Maine sense of humor. Survivors include his wife, Maureen; son, Ryan Rockland; niece, Dr. Suzanne Bober ’88, P’25; and grand-niece, Mykah Weckesser ’25.

OWEN T. SHEA ’58

December 30, 2024, age 84, North Easton, MA nMr. Shea graduated with a B.S. in Industrial Design from Clarkson University and was a reservist in the U.S. Marine Corps. Upon graduation, he joined New Jersey Telephone in what would become a 30-plus year career as a project manager with “Ma Bell” and AT&T. After retiring, he spent several years as a long-term substitute teacher at Brockton High School. He was a lifelong participant in glee clubs and choirs, starting with the Glee Club and The Buttondowns at Pingry, through his years at Clarkson, then with church choirs. Mr. Shea sang in countless concerts with the Neponset Choral Society, performed with the Black Box Theater at Mass Arts Center in

Mansfield, and took part in the annual musical productions of Actors’ Collaborative. He was predeceased by his wife of 53 years, Sharon, and brother, Dennis. Survivors include his children, Christel and Owen Jr. (Cara); grandchildren, Owen III and Abigail; and siblings, Frank ’55, Eugene “Gene” ’57, and Mary Ann.

JERRY R. DEMPSEY ’59

December 13, 2024, age 83, Summit, NJ nMr. Dempsey graduated from Georgetown University and the University of Pennsylvania Law School. After a clerkship with the Honorable Kenneth Hand, Superior Court of New Jersey, he joined his father’s law firm, The Law Office of Wilfred L. Dempsey, in Summit, NJ. He was shortly thereafter joined by his brother-in-law, Bartholomew A. Sheehan Jr., and a few years later by his brother, Robert W. Dempsey. The firm was renamed Dempsey, Dempsey & Sheehan, and Mr. Dempsey continued to practice law until his recent retirement early in 2024. His practice was centered around real estate transactions, estate planning, and estate administration—his expertise and knowledge in the field of real estate led to investments and development in real estate that continue to exist as industry standards in Summit and Sea Girt, NJ. Survivors include his siblings, Leoba “Dolly” Donahue (Floyd Donahue, M.D.), Mary K. Sheehan (Bartholomew Sheehan Jr.), and Robert W. Dempsey; niece, Mary Lee (Donahue) Trousdale ’78, P’08, ’13; nephews, Bartholomew A. Sheehan III, Jeremiah P. Sheehan, and Matthew W. Sheehan; and grand-nephews, Patrick Trousdale ’08 and Justin Trousdale ’13.

NATHAN VANMETER “PETE” HENDRICKS III ’62

December 27, 2024, age 81, Atlanta, GA nMr. Hendricks graduated from Washington and Lee University and obtained a law degree from Washington and Lee Law School. After graduation, he went south to practice law at several Atlanta firms before founding his own firm, specializing in real estate, zoning, and government permitting. The 1980s and

1990s were booming times in Atlanta real estate, and Mr. Hendricks was in the middle of much of the boom—he guided many big corporations in their growth, including Kimberly-Clark’s headquarters move, UPS’ worldwide headquarters decision, and Hobart’s major transactions. Additionally, he was integral to North Point Mall and Glen Lake Office Development, MARTA’s (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority) North Rail Line and mixed-use development at Lindbergh, and many other smaller transactions. In Covington, GA in 1982, Mr. Hendricks and a partner bought Starrsville Plantation, which became a focal point for social and business entertaining. Baseball was a passion—he became friends with members of the Atlanta Braves who needed real estate legal help, and his greatest pleasures came from coaching his sons’ Buckhead Little League baseball teams, which triumphantly won the Major Division title in 1994. In 1979, he was able to broker a deal between the Fritz Orr family and the campers of Camp Merrie-Woode in Sapphire, NC, making it possible for the campers to buy the camp and operate it successfully from that time. Survivors include his wife, Kathryn, and sons, Nathan IV and Seaton. Mr. Hendricks died after a long struggle with Parkinson’s Disease and dementia.

JOHN MURRAY ’65

FREDERICK CHARLES “FRED” WAGGONER ’66

October 15, 2024, age 77, Bluffton, SC nMr. Murray attended Wesleyan University and parlayed a degree in Art History into a successful career as an international bond investor that took his family to London in the 1980s. After returning from London, he left finance and began a nearly 30-year career as an educator, primarily as a middle school English teacher at Montclair Kimberley Academy, The Chapin School, The Peck School, and Pingry. He taught Middle School English and coached at Pingry from 2009–2016. Mr. Murray was predeceased by his older brother, Bob ’62, and younger siblings, Joan and Mike. Survivors include his brothers, Doug and Bill; sons, Colin (Annabelle) and Peter ’91 (Kelly); four grandchildren; and former wife and still friend, Barbara.

August 10, 2024, age 76, Gulf Shores, AL nMr. Waggoner graduated from Cornell University with a major in Animal Science. Following graduation, he and his wife purchased a farm in Mississippi where he raised cattle and grew corn and soybeans. He also built their dream home, a beautiful log cabin, and people came from miles around to see the oddity of a home in Mississippi built with a basement—a touch of northern lifestyle that he thoughtfully included in an area prone to tornadoes. Mr. Waggoner traded in the rigor of farm life for a career in IT, and they settled in Carrollton, TX. In 2001, he fulfilled a dream of owning a Harley, and they tallied 130,000 miles over two decades, first with the North Texas Harley Owners Group, then later as full-time RVers, through all of the “lower 48” plus Hawaii, as well as several Canadian provinces. During their travels, they found time to relocate to Gulf Shores, AL. He was also an enthusiastic and talented photographer, serving as the Harley chapter photographer for many years. He was preceded in death by his son, William. Survivors include his wife of 55 years, Jan; daughter, Katherine; granddaughter, Avery; and sister, Leni. Mr. Waggoner died after a long battle with metastatic prostate cancer.

DR. WILLIAM “LARCH” FIDLER IV ’69 May 7, 2024, age 73, Falmouth, ME nDr. Fidler earned a B.A. at Carleton College, and an M.Div., an M.Phil., and a Ph.D. at Yale University. An Episcopal Minister, he was a Chaplain for Washington University in St. Louis, Bates College, and Bowdoin College. Dr. Fidler also spent over 35 years as a teacher and an administrator, including Chair of the Department of Religion and Ethics at Hebron Academy (2001–2005), Chair of the Department of English at Christchurch School (2005–2006), and Chair of the English Department at Morristown Beard School (2006–2014). Dr. Fidler spoke at Career Day in 2010. Survivors include his brother, Rev. Brian Fidler ’73, and daughter, Katherine.

IN MEMORIAM

DR. JONATHAN MARK “JON” SARKIN ’71

July 19, 2024, age 71, Rockport, MA nDr. Sarkin received a B.A. in Biology from the University of Pennsylvania, an M.S. in Environmental Science from Rutgers University, and a Doctor of Chiropractic from Palmer College of Chiropractic, and began his career as a chiropractor. But his life changed at age 35 when he developed a sudden case of severe tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and other distortions of sound, which led him to elective brain surgery. A day after the operation, he suffered a stroke, and to save him, surgeons needed to remove part of his cerebellum. When he fully woke up from a semi-comatose state two months later, with a changed brain, Dr. Sarkin had an urge to create art and began a second, highly successful career as an artist, with a studio (Fish City Studios) in Massachusetts and artwork featured in galleries around the world. His legacy includes more than 20,000 unique pieces of art; he was fascinated by words, which he incorporated into many of them.

personal story pigeonhole his work, instead of just framing it, but that is rapidly changing. Jon may be untrained as an artist in the traditional sense, but I assure you that Jon is neither naïve nor uninformed. His understanding of contemporary art is sophisticated and insightful.”

The night after receiving the award at Pingry, Dr. Sarkin was onstage in Hauser Auditorium, as part of the 150th Anniversary Lecture and Performance Series, to sketch a drawing while Adam Gardner ’91 and his alternative rock band Guster were performing. That concert was accompanied by an exhibit of Dr. Sarkin’s art in the Lower Commons. Other collaborations with Guster included their video for Do You Love Me?; a performance at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2011; and creating and designing the CD cover, T-shirts, and posters for their Easy Wonderful album and tour.

Athletics Hall of Fame in 1998 as a member of the 1977 Softball Team.

KENDALL E. JAMES ’80

July 15, 2024, age 62, Linden, NJ nMr. James loved to sing, was a member of The Buttondowns, ran cross country and track & field, wrestled, and was part of the thenlargest graduating class of African Americans in Pingry’s history. He received a bachelor’s degree from Williams College and a J.D. from the University of Michigan, and worked as an attorney, including being a sports agent, for Riker Danzig.

JAMES JOSEPH “J.J.” MCARDLE ’92

His story garnered a lot of attention from magazines, newspapers, radio, and television. Dr. Sarkin is the subject of the 2011 book Shadows Bright as Glass: The Remarkable Story of One Man’s Journey from Brain Trauma to Artistic Triumph (Free Press) by Pulitzer Prize winner Amy Ellis Nutt (daughter of the late David Nutt ’40 and niece of the late Robert Nutt ’45). The book is based on Ms. Nutt’s nine-chapter series about Dr. Sarkin, The Accidental Artist, that was published as a special 16-page section in The StarLedger in December 2008. He was excited to be profiled in the Fall 2023 issue of the prestigious Raw Vision magazine, which describes itself as “the world’s only international journal of Outsider Art, the art of ‘unknown geniuses’ who are untrained, unschooled, and uninfluenced by the art world.” The story was written by Dr. Colin Rhodes, who also wrote a book, The Art of Jon Sarkin

Dr. Sarkin was one of four alumni to receive Pingry’s inaugural Achievement in the Arts Award in March 2012 during the School’s 150th Anniversary celebration; then–Visual Arts Department Chair Miles Boyd honored him: “To truly understand Jon’s genius, on some level you need to move beyond his story to understand where to place him among his peers in the contemporary art world. Many art critics, museum professionals, and gallery representatives make the mistake of letting his

Dr. Sarkin was profiled in the Spring/ Summer 1996 and Fall 2004 issues of The Pingry Review. His first solo exhibit at Pingry took place in the Hostetter Arts Center Gallery in the fall of 2004, when his drawings covered the walls to reflect his prolific productivity (Mr. Boyd and Gallery Director Peter Delman P’97, ’98 curated the show, selecting from thousands of pieces). For his second solo exhibit in 2018, curated by Mr. Boyd, about 15 pieces were displayed so viewers could spend more time with each one. For about 20 years, every spring, Dr. Sarkin graciously took time from his busy schedule to visit Pingry for a week to share his artistic process with arts students and work on his own art—the arts faculty made him feel at home on a campus he never attended. He visited Pingry for the final time in early 2024.

His father, Stanley, and brother, Dr. Richard Sarkin ’68, predeceased him. Survivors include his wife, Kim; children, Curtis, Robin, and Caroline; son-in-law, Sean; grandchild, Ari; mother, Elaine; sister, Jane Sarkin O’Connor ’77, P’11, ’14 and brother-in-law, Martin O’Connor ’77, P’11, ’14; niece, Jessica Sarkin; nephew, Alex Sarkin; and nieces Katherine O’Connor ’11 and Lauren O’Connor ’14. Dr. Sarkin passed away in his art studio in Gloucester.

MEGAN KATHLEEN (PURCELL) WORD ’79

October 11, 2022, age 61, Anthem, AZ

nMrs. Word served as captain of the 1978 Field Hockey Team and was inducted into Pingry’s

January 13, 2025, age 50, Alexandria Township, NJ nMr. McArdle earned a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and Theater at Brown University and worked as a tutor and as a bartender at Grace’s in lower Manhattan. He volunteered for the Hunterdon Helpline, where he was known for helping senior citizens by shopping for them, which he did for nearly five years. He was very active in A.A. in Flemington. Survivors include his mother, Ellen, and sister, JoFran. He was predeceased by his father, Robert, and brother, Terry.

Faculty/Staff

MARY PATRICIA “PAT” MCGINLEY

November 29, 2024, age 90, Short Hills, NJ nMrs. McGinley taught Grade 2 at Pingry from 1978–1988 and returned for several years as a substitute teacher. The former McGinley Courtyard at the Lower School was named for her. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education at Georgian Court College. Outside of education, she was a lifelong giver to her community, including serving as an Advisor Board Member at her beloved Greenwood Gardens, where she helped restore the

historic gardens in Short Hills; serving as President of New Eyes for the Needy of Short Hills; and performing puppet shows for underprivileged children through The Short Hills Junior League. She was predeceased by her husband, Gerald ’48, and brother-in-law, Richard ’50. Survivors include five children, Patricia (Scott), John (Nichole), Helen, Gerry ’81 (Debbie), and Mark (Shelley); 12 grandchildren; and one great-grandson.

GEORGE B. MOFFAT JR.

June 20, 2024, age 97, Marion, MA nMr. Moffat taught English from 1961–1991 and served as Head of the English Department from 1969–1991. He received a B.A. from Hamilton College and an M.A. from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. J. Malcolm Thompson ’74 remembers, “I took every course he offered. He had a tremendous influence on my development as a scholar. He lived an exciting and examined life and always encouraged his students to do the same . . . He assigned excellent readings. His classes inspired student participation, and his critique of students’ writing was of a quality I did not encounter again until graduate school.”

1977, he won the Lilienthal Gliding Medal, the highest award in the world for soaring. Mr. Moffat also wrote two books on gliding: Winning on the Wind and Winning II

“After the showing of his glider film that recounted his first championship win to the school assembly in chapel,” Dr. Thompson says, “George used a model glider to demonstrate the fundamentals of glider flight. ‘The tow plane takes us up to the release point somewhere over the Senior Class (sitting in the first two rows of chapel). We then head for the Junior classmen (sitting behind the Seniors) where we are most likely to find a thermal updraft of hot air.’ Always the dry wit was George.”

Mr. Moffat also compiled a winning record competing at the highest levels of sailboat racing and wrote many articles on the subject for Yachting and Popular Science. His teaching made a huge impact on so many in the worlds of soaring, sailing, and writing. Mr. Moffat was predeceased by his partner of many years, Margaret (Peggy) Francis, and ex-wife, former Pingry teacher Suzanne Moffat. Survivors include three daughters: Virginia, Susan, and Barbara.

SUZANNE VICTORIA MOFFAT

May 16, 2023, age 83, Brevard, NC

Garey, James (Debra), Debra (Ron), Diane (William), Lori (Brian), and Carolyn Tauriello and Nick Tauriello; sister, Rose; 19 grandchildren; and 18 great-grandchildren.

JOHN A. RONCA

July 19, 2024, age 101, Wethersfield, CT nMr. Ronca taught math at Pingry from 1969–1988 and coached baseball. The 1978 Blue Book was dedicated to him. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II, attended Yale University, worked for Western Electric and GE, then became a math teacher in independent schools; most of his teaching career was spent at Pingry. “He was an exceptionally selfless and funny human being,” says Stuart Ward ’81. “He tutored countless students for free, often throwing in a steak dinner. He took special interest in those students who were troubled or didn’t fit in, providing a refuge where they were treated with the respect one gives to an equal.”

In the Spring 1986 issue of The Pingry Review, Mr. Moffat was one of several department heads and division directors to reflect on academic changes over the previous 25 years. He wrote, in part, “In 1973, the English Department converted the fifth and sixth form years to trimester elective courses, taken together by juniors and seniors. The department offered 20–25 courses ranging from Shakespeare to creative writing. Early fears were that such electives might prove too fragmented for comprehensive knowledge, but in practice, students continued to get top grades in the English AP exams. The new program has been extremely popular with the students.”

Mr. Moffat was also a glider pilot who won the world championship twice and national championship five times, and is a member of the U.S. Soaring Hall of Fame. He was the first pilot to win the Open Class title twice in the World Gliding Championships, and one of only two pilots to win the U.S. national title in the three glider competition classes— Open (few restrictions), Standard (maximum wingspan of 15 meters and fixed wing sections), and 15-meter (similar to Standard, but lift-enhancing devices are allowed). In

nMrs. Moffat taught English from 1978–1990. She earned a B.A. at the University of Rochester and studied at the Sorbonne. Survivors include her partner, Walter J. Striedieck; exhusband, former Pingry teacher George Moffat; and three siblings, John, Freda, and David. She died after a brave battle with cancer.

ALPHONSO T. “CHIP” PIROZZOLI

October 3, 2024, age 94, Bethlehem, PA nMr. Pirozzoli worked for Facilities (Maintenance at the time) on the Basking Ridge Campus from 1994–2001. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and was honorably discharged. Prior to Pingry, he worked for David Smith Steel Co. in South Plainfield. He was preceded in death by a sister, three brothers, a granddaughter, and two greatgrandchildren. Survivors include his wife of 70 years, Lois; seven children, Thomas,

Mr. Ronca was predeceased by his sister, Sylvia; brother, Walter; brother-in-law, Stanley; and sister-in-law, Julie. Survivors include his brother, Joseph, and sister-in-law, Susan.

IRENE LOUISE CARMODY SCHAIBLE

August 13, 2024, age 91, Moneta/Smith Mountain Lake, VA nMrs. Schaible worked at Pingry from 1983–1994, first in the C.B. Newton Library and then in the Guidance Office. She received a bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Cornell University and previously worked as a nurse at Muhlenberg Hospital in Plainfield, NJ. She was predeceased by her husband of 59 years, John, and son, Richard. Survivors include her children, John (Debra), Russell (Laura), James (Sonja), and Diane (Steve); daughter-in-law, Lisa; nine grandchildren; and two greatgrandchildren.

The editorial staff makes every effort to publish an obituary for and pay tribute to trustees, alumni, and employees who have passed away, based on information available as of press time. If family members, classmates, or friends would like to submit tributes, please contact Greg Waxberg ’96 at gwaxberg@pingry.org.

A VISIT TO THE ARCHIVES

How Was History Taught 100 Years Ago?

Artifacts from Pingry’s long history often find their way back to the School archives through unexpected channels. Such is the case with a recent donation from James Lopes, who had no other connection to Pingry besides owning a book co-authored by Charles Bertram “C.B.” Newton, Pingry’s eighth Head of School. Mr. Lopes acquired the book from a neighbor years ago and recently decided it belonged back at Pingry.

Outline for Review American History was written by Mr. Newton and a co-author to serve not as a primary textbook, but as a review guide for teachers preparing students for final exams in the subject. Published in 1921, the slim volume covers American history from the “Discovery and Exploration” era through World War I with topical outlines and chronological notes to assist instructors in drilling key facts and events.

The volume is not only a compelling artifact related to a major figure in Pingry history, but it also serves as interesting insight for the School’s History Department, offering a view of 100-year-old pedagogy. The pages are filled with handwritten notes, underlines, and strike-throughs, suggesting its owner studied it thoroughly. While such markings might preclude adding this donation to a rare-book collection, they provide a window into how this modest review text was a working document.

Report Cards and School Memories from Dr. David Miller ’46

Dr. David Miller ’46 shared memories with The Pingry Review after the Archives received a donation of his report cards.

“Mr. Shrewsbury was my advisor. In senior year, he said ‘You are a good student, but you are overly involved in things.’ I was writing a column for the newspaper, I was in a little band, I was in an automobile club, and I was yearbook editor. He thought my grades would suffer when I was about to apply for college, so I cut back. I give him credit for setting me straight—there’s a limit on the number of extracurricular activities that you can get involved in.”

“I went out for the baseball team. I loved baseball and was a second baseman. I was 0 for 3 for the season! I sat on the bench until we were either so far ahead there was no way I could do any harm or so far behind that it didn’t make any difference. At the end of the year—to my surprise, amazement, and joy—I earned my letter in baseball. Coach Williams said that I was ‘always trying hard’. I was so proud of it that I immediately bought a blue sweater and had the ‘P’ sewed onto it.”

“When I attended my 50th Reunion, I thought ‘my gosh, how has [the school] grown!’ It no longer seemed like an intimate little school that I walked to five days a week. It seemed like a big, sophisticated educational institution. I don’t say that negatively—it was just different. I very much enjoyed going back.”

“At the end of the year—to my surprise, amazement, and joy—I earned my letter in baseball. Coach Williams said that I was ‘always trying hard’. I was so proud of it that I immediately bought a blue sweater and had the ‘P’ sewed onto it.”

A VISIT TO THE ARCHIVES

In Pingry History

10 YEARS AGO

Pingry launches the public phase of its $65 million Blueprint for the Future campaign to benefit athletics, modernization of the Lower and Upper Schools, The Pingry Fund, faculty support, and more. The campaign exceeded its goal, raising $76.7 million.

20 YEARS AGO

30 YEARS AGO

The Baldwin Courtyard, named for David Baldwin ’47, is dedicated. The courtyard was created by architect Chris Brown, and sculptor Robert Shure designed the statue of Dr. Pingry, The Beginning of Wisdom. Pictured are Mr. Baldwin, then–Head of School John Neiswender, and then–Board Chair Vicki Brooks P’02, ’04.

Pingry constructs the Miller A. Bugliari ’52 World Cup Field and hosts the Italian National Team as their training site for the World Cup, earning coverage from television networks and international newspapers. Pingry expects to be a base camp when New Jersey hosts the FIFA World Cup final in 2026.

50 YEARS AGO

Pingry merges with Short Hills Country Day School and establishes the current Lower School, staring a new era as a K–12 school. Read more on page 36.

40 YEARS AGO

Allan Savolaine is named Head of the Lower School. He succeeds the retiring Richard Baldwin.

60 YEARS AGO

The 1964 Blue Book, edited by David Rogers ’64, is awarded a first-place rating by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. To receive a first-place rating, the yearbook needed to accumulate a minimum of 850 points out of a possible 1,000, and it scored 962. The theme and the originality of the Senior section stood out.

70 YEARS AGO

Newspaper reporter Kenneth Barton ’49 talks to the student body about journalism. He gives students advice about how to prepare for journalism: take a liberal arts course in college and a post-graduate course in journalism, then start as a general reporter for a small newspaper before specializing in a topic.

80 YEARS AGO

Coach and Athletics Director Reese Williams marks 25 years at Pingry.

pingry.org (Forever Blue section): Visit the monthly blog Pingry Flashes Back for more stories from the

Pingry Archives.

A FINAL LOOK

In Memory of Dr. Jon Sarkin ’71

HEAD OF SCHOOL TIM LEAR saw Dr. Sarkin painting in Pingry’s hallways over the years, but did not want to interrupt him. However, soon after Mr. Lear was named Head of School in the spring of 2022, Dr. Sarkin saw him in the hallway and told Mr. Lear, “I have a gift for you.” That gift was a painting by Dr. Sarkin (one of three Sarkin paintings now on display in Beinecke House). Mr. Lear sent him a handwritten thank you note, which began a two-year friendship of correspondence and random phone calls. “We started treating it like a game of tag. Some letters ended with ‘Your turn’ or ‘You’re it,’” Mr. Lear says. He describes the conversations as “fun, unpredictable, interesting . . . we would talk about everything from Shakespeare to our favorite rock albums. It always felt positive, productive, and invigorating. When corresponding, I felt like I wanted to bring my ‘A’ game, so I would think about what I was reading or listening to—what was top of mind for me, creatively.” The Visual Arts Department is cataloging hundreds of pieces of Dr. Sarkin’s artwork in Pingry’s collection.

ABOVE: Dr. Sarkin’s art displayed in the Lower Commons in March 2012 in conjunction with his appearance with the band Guster as part of the School’s 150th Anniversary celebration. The art in the black frame was taken from The Star-Ledger’s 2008 story about him.

BELOW, CLOCKWISE FROM UPPER LEFT: Dr. Sarkin in the Hostetter Arts Center Gallery in 2004 for his first solo exhibit at Pingry; Director of Middle School Athletics Gerry Vanasse P’14, ’20 used Dr. Sarkin’s drawing from the March 2012 Pingry concert as a metaphor for the type of student Pingry seeks to develop (well-rounded, vibrant, energetic, and multi-layered, with honor at the core). Dr. Sarkin later surprised Mr. Vanasse with the new “Honor” painting; Then–Upper School Visual Arts Teacher Jane Edwards’ class meeting with Dr. Sarkin during his 2014 Pingry visit; Dr. Sarkin during a 2006 Pingry visit, accompanied by then–Visual Arts Department Chair Miles Boyd

“He had an almost ‘magical way’ of unlocking the mysteries of the artistic process for many of our students.”

Former Visual Arts Department Chair Miles Boyd

“He loved the rapport, the engagement, and the curiosity of the students and teachers. It gave him enormous joy and satisfaction. When he would stay at our home and was going to Pingry, he’d always be up early, ‘raring to go’. When he came back, he would talk about his engagement with Miles, Tim Lear, Miller, and other art teachers. It gave him such energy and satisfaction. He also would talk about his dealings with the students, who were so curious and inquisitive. He got such strength out of being in that environment—it was one of his special pleasures, beyond his family and his art career. He always said the intellect of the Pingry student is amazing, and he had such fondness for the teachers, for their character and integrity—they were not just teaching a class, but guiding and educating students well beyond the lessons. For what he gave to Pingry, he got so much more back.” Former trustee Martin O’Connor ’77, P’11, ’14

The Pingry School

Basking Ridge Campus, Middle & Upper Schools

Short Hills Campus, Lower School

Pottersville Campus, K-12 Experiential Education

131 Martinsville Road

Basking Ridge, NJ 07920

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

(and seasonal) signage greets visitors

“We began creating playful signs to foster a positive association with the library and make the library more inviting and engaging . . . Victoria [Newman, Library Associate] uses her artistic talent to create bright illustrations on our whiteboard, and we brainstorm kid-friendly puns together.”

Lower School Librarian Sarah O’Holla

“I came across a quaint little bookstore in the city with a clever sign out front, and it instantly brought a smile to my face . . . why not bring that same sense of fun to the Upper School library? Adding a touch of lightheartedness could make the space even more inviting.”

Basking Ridge Campus Library Associate Katie Hellings

Playful

to the Cipriano Family Library and the C.B. Newton Library