The Pingry Review: Summer 2023

Library Leader

Susan Quinn '80

Career Day Keynote

Gruel '98

The Review

The story of Pingry’s unexpected 2023 rebrand

Susan Quinn ’80 is in charge of a large library system in New Jersey—Ocean County Library—that has been honored for its service to the community. But she began her career in a different field and needed to overcome a fear

find her true calling.

English Curriculum Evolves in Basking Ridge

For several years, the English curriculum in the Middle and Upper Schools has been evolving, as the department responds to Pingry’s DEIB initiatives and offers a variety of courses to appeal to students’ interests in literature.

ON THE FRONT COVER

We printed four covers for this issue to represent the multidimensionality of Pingry's student body. They feature (from left) Emily Gao ‘24, Cristiano Gomes ‘30, Hana Finkelstein ‘29, and James Gray ‘26. Which one did you receive?

EDITOR

Greg Waxberg ’96 Communications Writer

EDITORIAL STAFF

Peter Blasevick P’24 Archivist

Emily Cooke Director of Strategic Communications and Marketing

Sara Courtney Communications Writer

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

Jane Hoffman ’94, P’26, ’27, ’28 Associate Director of Development, Annual Giving and Community Engagement

Maureen Maher Associate Director of Communications, Writer

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

Holland Sunyak ’02 Director of Development

DESIGN AND LAYOUT

Josephine Bergin josephinebergin.com

PHOTOGRAPHY

Peter Blasevick

Russ DeSantis

Coleen Martin

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 Nobel Prize–winning Irish poet Seamus Heaney wrote, “Anyone with gumption and a sharp mind will take the measure of two things: what’s said and what’s done.” While I’ll leave it up to my family and colleagues to decide whether I possess either one of those admirable qualities, I do know this for certain: we should all take tremendous pride in what was both said and done at Pingry throughout the 2022-23 academic year.

We prioritized finding ways to come together as a community. We embraced the importance of showing up, sharing our stories, listening to each other, and building a revitalized sense of Pingry pride. We placed a renewed emphasis on the Honor Code and spoke more frequently about how it serves as a lens through which we can examine life’s challenges and opportunities. We continued to champion lifelong learning and social responsibility, and we inspired students to confront complex problems in human ways that best serve the common good.

Each day was a reminder that Pingry is a total team effort. And that we’re self-motivated to work hard and work together because we’re fully invested in one another’s success. The true value of what happens at Pingry every day is not defined by sweatshirts and rear window stickers. It is defined by the relationships forged among students, teachers, colleagues, coaches, parents, and alumni. For those of us who work at Pingry, our jobs are fulfilling not because students graduate. Our jobs are fulfilling because students come back to visit, ask for advice, and update us on their lives.

Students like Henry Stifel ’83, whose participation in a clinical trial at the University of Louisville recently made it possible for him to stand on both of his legs for 28 minutes — with no support from either bracing or physical therapists — despite having been paralyzed over four decades ago in a tragic car accident during his junior year at Pingry. And students like Career Day keynote speaker Andrew Gruel ’98, who returned to campus for the first time since graduation to share his recipe for success with our juniors and seniors: perseverance, humor, empathy, and honesty.

The launch of our exciting rebranding effort is now going to highlight these human dimensions of the Pingry experience. The time has come to tell the Pingry story in our own words. To pull it off the shelves, dispel the exaggerated tales of fiction and fantasy, and trade misperception for reality. Although UChicago winningly embraced the slogan “Where Fun Comes To Die,” our community is embracing the fact that Pingry can be both a high-achieving and high-caring school. One where students and adults are as happy at the end of the day as we were at the beginning of the day.

And Pingry can do both because we’ve always done both. Our commitment to the values of Excellence and Honor remains steadfast. We’re not changing who we are — we’re simply reframing how we showcase what Pingry has always been. We’re not telling a different story. We’re just telling a more complete story. One that highlights not just some, but all of the ways in which the Pingry experience is the unrivaled, total package.

We have an extraordinary story to share — let’s get started.

Tim Lear

ONE PINGRY

HISTORIC STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME FOR GIRLS ICE HOCKEY

Over 600 Upper School students, faculty, and staff left the Basking Ridge Campus in early March to travel to Newark’s Prudential Center to cheer for the Girls’ Varsity Ice Hockey Team in the first Girls’ Ice Hockey NJSIAA State Championship Game in Pingry history. As Head of School Tim Lear, Upper School Director Dr. Reid Cottingham, and Director of Athletics and Student Success Carter Abbott wrote in a letter, “This is a monumental achievement for Pingry Girls’ Ice Hockey . . . This is a moment for us to come together as a community, cheer each other on, and build one another up.” Head Coach Alex Nanfara P’33, ’36, Pingry’s Assistant Director of Communications, Social Media Strategy & Athletics, was named The StarLedger Coach of the Year.

NEW TUITION ASSISTANCE FUND

Siblings Dr. Randy Lizardo ’95 and Dr. Therese Lizardo-Escaño ’98, P’29, ’30 established The Dr. Loreto Lizardo Tuition Assistance Fund (2022) in honor of their mother, Loreto, who provided them with the opportunity to attend Pingry. It is awarded to “a student of Asian/Asian Pacific Islander descent who is actively involved in the many opportunities and extracurricular activities that Pingry has to offer, while still succeeding academically. In doing so, this individual was able to make a positive impact on the lives of fellow Pingry students.”

Grateful for Pingry’s impact on his life, Dr. Lizardo says, “The right path always begins at home, and our mom instilled in us the importance of a great education. As immigrants who started from humble beginnings, our parents showed through their example that hard work, having the courage to take risks, and a strong foundation can help you reach your dreams. Establishing the Dr. Loreto Lizardo Tuition Assistance Fund is our way of showing gratitude to Pingry and saying thanks to our mother for inspiring us to set high goals and, more importantly, helping us achieve them.” Dr. Lizardo-Escaño remarks, “I am fortunate enough to have come from a family who has shown that anything is possible with hard work and determination. My mother immigrated to America with a medical degree and a few hundred dollars to start her life. She and my father successfully set the foundation for all three of their children to pursue their careers. The purpose of The Dr. Loreto Lizardo Tuition Assistance Fund is to provide students with this same opportunity, through the Pingry experience, and to honor our mother who has made all of this possible!”

“HUMANS OF PINGRY” ON INSTAGRAM

This collection of photos and testimonials from Pingry students, faculty, staff, and alumni first appeared eight years ago as an Independent Senior Project inspired by the book Humans of New York. During the 2022-23 school year, Alice Santana ’24 resurrected “Humans of Pingry,” inspired by Head of School Tim Lear’s words in his first letter to the Pingry community in September: “This year, let’s really show up and be there for one another. Let’s take the time to share and to listen. Let’s get past the first chapter and learn each other’s stories. After all, without knowing and caring about one another, we’re just left with a crowd—not a community.”

Dr. Randy Lizardo ’95 (standing, far left), Dr. Therese Lizardo-Escaño ’98, P’29, ’30 (sitting, fifth from left), Dr. Loreto Lizardo P’95, ’98, GP’29, ’30 (sitting, sixth from left), and their family

ONE PINGRY

GETTING TO KNOW... STIFEL AWARD, WITH A FIRST

Alex Massey ’23 and Bobby Wulff, Building Traders Supervisor – Short Hills, are this year’s recipients of the Stifel Award, which is named for Henry G. Stifel III ’83, who was paralyzed in an automobile accdent during his junior year at Pingry. The Stifel Family established the award at Pingry in 1984 to “be awarded to the person who best exemplifies those characteristics exhibited by Henry G. Stifel III ’83 in the aftermath of his accident and spinal injury: courage, endurance, optimism, compassion, and spirit.”

A member of the Boys’ Varsity Soccer Team, violinist, and pianist, Alex was honored for his persistence in the face of adversity: his father, Ken, passed away in September 2022, and three weeks later, he suffered a concussion during a game that ended his competitive athletics career. “He should never have had to face the adversity he did at such a young age—no one should—and yet he just kept going,” said Boys’ Varsity Soccer Associate Head Coach David Fahey ’99.

Karim Del Pozo P’29, Middle School Spanish Teacher

Favorite bands/musicians? David Bowie, The Psychedelic Furs, The Shins

Favorite books? Any by Gabriel García

Marquéz

If you could have dinner with one person, living or from the past, who would it be? Nelson Mandela

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

Favorite way to spend free time during the summer? Traveling (any time of the year)

An aspect of Peru’s culture that you love to share with people?

Food: Peruvians are obsessed with good food. We talk about what is for lunch before finishing breakfast, what is for dinner before finishing lunch. Our gastronomy is very diverse—just to name one, we have over 3,000 types of potatoes.

Fond memory from teaching ESL and/or training ESL teachers?

When I had students who later became teachers, they could not bring themselves to call me by my first name so they called me Yoda (source of Yoda: a student who was a big fan of Star Wars).

What is a fun fact about you that people might never know? I swam in the Sea of Cortez in the middle of nowhere, miles away from the shore, to explore a cave.

Mr. Wulff is the first staff member to receive the Stifel Award. A year-and-a-half ago, he was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, and yet, “He confronted it with dignity and courage, and has remained completely present in the Lower School as a friend, mentor, and overseer of our beautiful Short Hills Campus,” said Dr. Thu-Nga Morris, Assistant Head of School K–12 and Lower School Director.

In his remarks to the audience, Mr. Stifel spoke about the progress of paralysis research over the past 41 years. He recently participated in a medical research trial at the University of Louisville, where he was implanted with a neuromodulator, also known as a spinal cord stimulator. “I was asked to try to do physical things that I had not done in 41 years. The stimulator tries to be a hearing aid for my spinal cord and listens for commands from my brain and other sensory inputs. I was able to sit independently on the edge of a mat, move by big toe independently, and stand on both of my legs for 28 minutes with no support from bracing or from the people who were there to spot me.” He still has the implant and continues to use it, “to try to improve on those miraculous results.”

A Pingry lifer, Mr. Stifel is a former trustee who has received Pingry’s Cyril and Beatrice Baldwin Pingry Family Citizen of the Year Award and Letter-In-Life Award, is a member of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation’s Board of Directors, and works at Morgan Stanley.

Boys’ Varsity Soccer Associate Head Coach and Interim Director of Institutional Advancement David Fahey ’99, Henry Stifel ’83, and Alex Massey ’23

Henry Stifel ’83 and Bobby Wulff, Building Traders Supervisor – Short Hills

LEBOW ORATORICAL COMPETITION

Sriya Tallapragada ’25 won the 2023 Dr. Robert H. LeBow ’58 Memorial Oratorical Competition with her speech “It’s Time to Be Real—Really,” which was inspired by BeReal, an app that notifies people to share selfies of their “real life” at a different time every day, ideally within two minutes of receiving the notification. In her speech, Sriya noted that she, like many users, often posts after the two-minute window because she deems many moments of her life “too embarrassing to share.” This led to her broader observation that, in general, people want to show their best selves and hide their flaws. “Rejection, failure, and flaws may be uncomfortable to talk about,” she said, “but they’re inevitable, and hiding them from others will only mean more unnecessary curating in our lives.”

This annual competition was funded in 2005 through the generosity of the Class of 1958, led by the late William Hetfield, in memory of their classmate. Dr. LeBow was an accomplished public speaker, addressing audiences worldwide about the need for health care reform, and the author of Health Care Meltdown: Confronting the Myths and Fixing Our Failing System, a book drawn from his public speaking engagements. pingry.org/extras: Watch all six speeches from this year’s event.

TWO STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS IN A ROW FOR LOWER SCHOOL MATH TEAM

The Lower School Math Team* won its second consecutive Math League New Jersey Elementary State Championship in May. Pingry hosted 111 students from 17 schools and edged its rival, Primoris Academy, 219–200, with 13 students qualifying for the national championship in June. At that event, the team placed fourth out of 91 Division 6 schools from 26 states. They also won the 2023 Math League President’s Trophy, which is earned by the team that scored the most points during the regular season; Pingry out-performed the second-place team by 177 points. With these achievements, the Lower School team marked its best-ever finish at the National Championships for the second straight year, having placed fifth in the 2022 overall team competition and second for the President’s Trophy.

To what does Lower School Math Specialist Verna Lange P’23, ’24, ’26, ’28 attribute these successes? First, to the work of classroom teachers, including Kennedy Buckley P’16 (Grade 4) and Mary Sartorio (Grade 5). Second, to students’ determination and sense of community. “They love to learn, they always accept new challenges, and they are determined to continue to improve,” Mrs. Lange says. “Our Math Team environment is a 100 percent collaborative space—they learn more from each other than they do from me. At a table of six students, there is enough knowledge and aptitude to solve every problem. It’s just a matter of putting their heads together . . . The scenarios that they tackle are often tricky and complex, so the accomplishment of figuring out a hard one feels amazing. The younger students love it when I tell them, 'You just solved a ninth-grade problem!’”

*Math Team is enrichment for Grades 1–8; this year, it expanded from Grades 3–6 to include Middle School. The Lower School team competes in Math Kangaroo (Grades 1–5), MOEMS (fivepart Olympiads for Grades 3–6, Friday mornings before school), and Math League (advanced enrichment for Grades 3–6, after school). Middle School participates in AMC8, MathCounts, and Math League.

JOHN HANLY LECTURE ON ETHICS AND MORALITY: PROFIT VS. SCIENCE

David Gelber ’59, Co-Creator and Executive Producer of the Emmy Award–winning documentary series about global warming, Years of Living Dangerously, and a former award-winning producer for CBS’ 60 Minutes, delivered this year’s John Hanly Lecture on Ethics and Morality. Within the context of how corporations have responded to global warming, he posed the moral question, ”What do you do when your industry can no longer exist without creating catastrophes worldwide?” He specifically spoke about Dr. Lee Raymond, former CEO of ExxonMobil, whose pursuit of profit “clashed” with the science of global warming. As Mr. Gelber noted, Dr. Raymond could have accepted science and transitioned ExxonMobil to clean energy after a NASA scientist warned Congress and the world about global warming in 1988, but he began a propaganda campaign against climate science and lobbied Congress to protect the oil and gas industries. Mr. Gelber posed another question: after decades of “preventable suffering,” is there enough time to save the planet?

David Gelber ’59, far right, with Head of School Tim Lear and members of the Magistri: then–Lower School Librarian Ann D’Innocenzo, former Grade 5 Teacher Dr. Joan Pearlman P’89, ’92, ’96, former Upper School English Teacher Ted Li, former School Counselor Pat Lionetti P’85, ’88, ’89, and former Upper School English Teachers Vicki Grant P’03, ’06 and Dr. Susan Dineen

ONE PINGRY

CONTINUING HIS CONNECTION WITH PINGRY

Claus Hamann ’69 has been back on campus in recent months, not for Alumni Soccer Games or Reunions, which were his original reasons for staying in touch with Pingry, but to help with horticulture. He grew up with parents who loved to garden and had fruit trees, but it wasn’t until his retirement in 2015 and moving to Maine—where he purchased a property that has apple trees—that he had time to learn about pruning and grafting. Now, thanks to a connection with Pingry’s Development Office, Mr. Hamann visited Pingry in December and for Earth Day to work with Upper School Science Teacher and Assistant Director of Experiential Education (Sustainability) Olivia Tandon and students. In December, he was also a guest in Ms. Tandon’s Honors Environmental Science class to talk about orchards in the context of climate change, connecting orchards with biodiversity and a sustainable lifestyle, and “growing local.”

For those wondering about his commute, Mr. Hamann’s primary home is outside Boston, and he uses the Pingry trip to visit friends in New Jersey. But there is another reason that he is volunteering his time and talent with Pingry: the School and Ms. Tandon’s enthusiasm for stewardship and sustainability, and specifically gardening. “All somebody really has to say to me is, ‘I’d love to learn [about working with fruit trees]’ and I’m hooked! It’s also a way of giving back—this continues my connection to the School in a much more forward-looking way, because these are the new generations of students and, if I may say, of trees.”

GETTING TO KNOW...

Milloni Shah, Grade 5 Language Arts Teacher

Favorite musicians?

Ed Sheeran, Josh Groban

Favorite book? The Nightingale

Favorite movies?

Life Is Beautiful, Finding Nemo

Favorite TV shows? Friends, Three’s Company

If you could study any field aside from your own, what would it be, and why? Journalism. I would love to learn about investigative reporting and how to conduct in-depth research on complex issues worldwide, such as social injustice, government corruption, and education.

If you could have dinner with one person, living or from the past, who would it be? The Dalai Lama

First job? Cashier at a plant nursery. I discovered that I was allergic to tulip bulbs!

If you could have any superpower, what would it be? The power to heal others

Source of your interest in Language Arts? I have always been drawn to the power of storytelling.

Best part of teaching Language Arts? Helping students learn about different perspectives, experiences, and cultures. I strongly believe that, by reading a variety of literature, students can explore different worlds and develop empathy and understanding for people who are different from them.

Any misconception(s) about Language Arts that you would love to clear up? I would say there are two:

1. “Fifth-graders no longer need to be read to.”—not true! While fifth-graders can read independently, being read to can provide a huge range of benefits: develop their comprehension skills; provide a model of fluent reading, which can help them develop their own fluency and expression when reading independently; foster a love of reading and an opportunity for students to share their thoughts and feelings with their reading partner.

2. “Teaching Language Arts is just about reading and writing.”—not true! Yes, reading and writing are certainly important components of Language Arts, but there is much more than that: listening, speaking, critical thinking, and analysis.

Verna Mae Lange ’24, Claus Hamann ’69, and Alex Wong ’25, with Lawson Ucko ’27 in the tree. On Earth Day, the students grafted short twig segments onto cross-sectionally cut limbs of wild crabapple trees on the Pottersville Campus.

“This continues my connection to the School in a much more forward-looking way.”

– CLAUS HAMANN ’69

KWANDI QUILTS

Students in Middle School visual arts classes learned how to create hand-stitched Kwandi quilts, a tradition practiced by people of East African descent who were brought to India and Pakistan during the slave trade. Quilt artist Glendora Simonson guided students through this colorful creative practice, and they sewed scrap fabric blocks that were stitched together into a large patchwork quilt.

GETTING TO KNOW...

Sue Tummarello, Grades 3–4 Science Teacher, Lower School Science Coordinator

Favorite book? A Wrinkle in Time

Favorite TV show? The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Favorite movie? Air

Favorite musicians? Red Hot Chili Peppers, James Taylor, Florence + The Machine

If you could study any field aside from your own, what would it be, and why? Art, because it is freeing.

If you could have dinner with one person, living or from the past, who would it be?

My grandmother

First job? Front desk check-in person at a swim club at age 15; most unusual job—dressed up like a Hostess Twinkie for promotional purposes

If you could have any superpower, what would it be? To heal anything

Favorite way to spend free time during the summer? Hiking (anywhere on the Appalachian Trail), visiting family and friends, reading, and running

Origin of your interest in science? My dad always took me on nature walks.

Best part of teaching science to Grades 3 and 4? Seeing the world through my students’ eyes and witnessing how they are encouraged to make a difference in their own environments. It’s also never the same—each new person adds a dimension of specialness to the job.

FOR DAVID MAXWELL, BEING AN AP EXAM READER IS AN HONOR AND A CHALLENGE

By Sara Courtney

Science Department

Chair David Maxwell has been teaching AP Biology at Pingry for 20 years and, for 18 of those years, he has had the notable distinction of being an AP Exam Reader, which is regarded as an honor because only the most distinguished AP teachers are considered for the challenging responsibility. For Mr. Maxwell, this remarkable task means that, for one exhausting week every year, he heads to Kansas City, Missouri where he and 650 other AP Biology teachers from all over the world sit down in a convention center to read through and grade the exams. With over 130,000 exams that contain eight questions each, that works out to about 1.3 million essays the readers have to go through.

They spend eight hours each day for a full week, with each reader assigned to a specific question, and they make their way through the exams efficiently yet thoughtfully, knowing how important it is for the students. Mr. Maxwell has also been a table leader the last few years, which is, in essence, a quality-control role that requires him to oversee six to 10 other graders to ensure they are all grading consistently. How many exams does he grade each week? “I hit 6,000 one year,” he says.

He sees the same faces—colleagues who have become friends—as they gather for the task at hand, and, in their spare time, discuss developments in AP Biology. Other AP Exam Readers often occupy nearby spaces, like AP Statistics and AP U.S. History. Do the differently grouped teachers mingle with each other? “Yes,” he says. “But mostly AP Bio teachers tend to stick with AP Bio teachers because we get each other’s jokes.” Mr. Maxwell finds it all rewarding, and it informs his approach to teaching, as he gains insight into what students understand—and what they often misunderstand—insight he uses to infuse his approach to continued excellence in the classroom.

Middle School students with Visual Arts Teacher Melody Boone and quilt artist Glendora Simonson (fourth from left)

ONE PINGRY

SNOW AND ICE AT THE LOWER SCHOOL

A “Winter WONDER Zone” for Grades K–2 resulted from an interdisciplinary unit between Visual Arts Teacher Lindsay Baydin P’26, ’29 and Science Teacher Heather Smith P’16, in collaboration with Associate Teacher Tyler Amelio. Putting their extensive knowledge of best practices in elementary education to use, Mrs. Baydin and Ms. Smith guided Pingry’s students to spend their days experiencing winter. They accomplished this not only by “looking” like scientists and “creating” like artists, but also by actively experiencing outdoor and indoor science and art stations. For example, the children went outdoors to understand winter elements, and they learned indoors about concepts such as the life-cycle of a snowflake and radial symmetry, as they observed, built, and played with making snowflakes out of different media.

NEW MEMBERS OF THE MAGISTRI

Students also learned about the properties of matter through experiences involving water as a solid, liquid, and gas. As students began to understand that frozen water could be a material to build with, their design-thinking skills were tested to create snow forts, including life-sized indoor snow forts in collaborative working teams. So, during a winter of little to no snow in New Jersey, Lower School students were able to experience a little bit of winter’s joy.

Adapted and condensed from an article written by Mrs. Baydin and Ms. Smith for the Independent Schools Experiential Education Network. The unit was based on their presentation at the International Association for Experiential Educators Conference in November 2022.

Congratulations to the newest members of the Magistri, having joined the faculty in 1998 and completed their 25th year: Upper School History Teacher Ted Corvino ’94, Middle and Upper School Music Teacher and Jazz Ensemble Director (and honorary member of the Technology Department!) Sean McAnally, Lower School P.E. Coordinator Leslie Miller P’29, ’31, Upper School History Teacher and former History Department Chair (1998–2017) Dr. James Murray, and Upper School English and Art History Teacher Nigel Paton P’09. A Pingry “lifer,” Mr. Corvino is the sixth alumnus to join the Magistri; he and his father, former Lower School Director Ted Corvino P’94, ’97, ’02, are the first father/son Magistri.

Lower School Visual Arts Teacher Lindsay Baydin P’26, ’29, Associate Teacher Tyler Amelio, and Science Teacher Heather Smith P’16

Lower School students with their version of icefishing

Ted Corvino ’94

Sean McAnally Leslie Miller P’29, ’31

Dr. James Murray Nigel Paton P’09

BALDWIN AWARD

Upper School English Teacher Tom Keating P’27, ’29 received The Cyril and Beatrice Baldwin Pingry Family Citizen of the Year Award. Given at Commencement, it is presented to members of the Pingry family who, in rendering meritorious service to the community, have demonstrated those qualities of responsible citizenship that Pingry aspires to instill in all of those associated with the School.

Mr. Keating has taught at Pingry for 35 years, dedicating himself to students’ intellectual growth, and is known for his “expert feedback” on college application essays (meaning: many drafts per student!) and for having his desk located in a hallway in the Upper Commons (he told The Pingry Review in 2013 that, early in his Pingry career, he decided to move his “office” to that spot so he could “see scores of students I don’t teach, and I’m in the heart of the action”). Countless students have sat at that desk, sometimes to discuss literature, but often, to discuss life.

YEARBOOK DEDICATION

Retiring after 28 years at Pingry, Director of Community and Civic Engagement Shelley Hartz is the dedicatee of the 2023 Blue Book. Editors Mary Claire Morgan ’23, Annabelle Collins ’23, and Anjola Olawoye ’23 presented the dedication, calling Ms. Hartz “one of the most kind and caring people, and our school has been incredibly lucky to have her. Without her advocacy and tireless work instilling the importance of service and community engagement at Pingry, this important pillar of our community would be nowhere near the same . . . She has shown all of us what it means to be a better human being.” Ms. Hartz was also praised for her commitment to the annual Holocaust Remembrance Assembly and attending Jewish affinity groups.

“Up until this moment, it's been easy to think that I could walk away from 28 years at The Pingry School,” Ms. Hartz said. “I am going to miss Pingry, for you have allowed me, in every sense of the word, to be me and to get up every morning and to live my passion . . . this has been the best job anybody could ever ask for . . . thank you, thank you, thank you.” Read more about Ms. Hartz’s Pingry career on page 12.

GETTING TO KNOW...

Eric Moore, Technology Associate and Security Technician

Favorite music? Mainly Rock: Punk, Classic, and Modern

Favorite books? The Hobbit and Ender’s Game

Favorite movies? Just about anything Marvel

Favorite TV show? The Office

Favorite video games? I’m a huge Nintendo guy, and my favorite series is The Legend of Zelda

If you could study any field aside from your own, what would it be, and why? Engineering. I have a very creative and out-of-thebox type of thinking when it comes to construction or inventions. I always enjoy making or fixing something.

If you could have dinner with one person, living or from the past, who would it be? My grandfather, to have the conversations and ask the questions we didn’t get to talk about when he was alive.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be? Teleportation. Being able to travel anywhere in a blink would be awesome. Best piece of advice you’ve ever received? My grandfather always told me to wait to have children until I was 34. In terms of having the ability to find stability in life and get to enjoy my 20s with friends and family, he was not wrong.

Favorite way to spend free time during the summer? North Carolina beach house

What is a misconception about technology that you would love to clear up? Growing up, I was always told that video games are a waste of time and will rot my mind and that I should read a book instead. I do believe that notion has changed by today’s standards in that video games are an amazing medium in which to tell stories, escape from reality, relax, explore/expand creativity, learn in new ways, and overcome real-life challenges and trauma.

Upper School English Teacher Tom Keating P’27, ’29 and Board of Trustees Chair Ian Shrank ’71

Mr. Keating at his hallway desk in 2016

ABOVE: Director of Community and Civic Engagement Shelley Hartz with her family and the Blue Book staff

ONE PINGRY

ACHIEVEMENT IN THE ARTS AWARD

Paul W. Downs ’00 received Pingry’s 2023 Achievement in the Arts Award, which has been presented since 2012 to honor alumni for their distinguished careers in the arts. Since graduating from Pingry, he has become an award-winning actor, writer, director, and producer. Among his numerous credits, he spent five seasons (2014–2019) acting in—and serving as a writer, a director, and an executive producer for—Comedy Central’s sitcom Broad City. More recently, he co-created and stars in the award-winning Max* series Hacks, the recipient of Emmy, Peabody, Writers Guild of America, and Golden Globe Awards, as well as honors from the American Film Institute Awards.

Mr. Downs’ achievements can be traced to Pingry, where he first wrote and performed comedy. “One of the reasons I wanted to come to Pingry was its theater program, which was truly remarkable under the direction of [then-Chair] Al Romano, Patricia Wheeler, and Stephanie [Romankow],” he told the audience. His parting mandate to Pingry students: “I need you to change the world . . . I need you to make this country a better place.”

Mr. Romano, who returned to Pingry to present the Achievement in the Arts Award, sensed Mr. Downs’ talents while he was attending Pingry. “You exhibited the creativity, off-centered perspective, and comedic acting skills with which you have built this amazing career.”

*Rebranded from HBO Max

>> In November, harpist Dr. Ashley Jackson '04 will be the second recipient of the 2023 Achievement in the Arts Award.

GETTING TO KNOW...

Dr. Ryan Johnson and Dr. Gillian Johnson, Husband-and-Wife Upper School Spanish Teachers

RYAN

Favorite musicians? Beach Boys, Van Halen, Michael Jackson

Favorite books? The Stories of John Cheever; Cathedral (Raymond Carver)

Favorite movie? The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Favorite TV show? Twin Peaks

If you could study any field aside from your own, what would it be, and why? Translation studies. When I was in grad school, I would occasionally read a great book in Spanish and think about how nice it could be if someone were to translate it into English.

If you could have dinner with one person, living or from the past, who would it be? Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

If you could have any superpower, what would it be? The ability to function on very little sleep

Favorite way to spend free time during the summer?

Reading

What is a fond memory of teaching English to students in Santiago? I was teaching English classes at a vocational technical school and I met a bunch of great people, both fellow Chilean teachers and students. It was basically my first time teaching, so I’m not sure how much English I was able to teach them, but I definitely learned a lot from them!

Best part of teaching Upper School Spanish? It’s really important to acquire fluency in another language, and I enjoy the challenge of helping students along this path.

Paul W. Downs ’00 and former Drama Department Chair Al Romano

pingry.org/extras: Read more about Mr. Downs’ time at Pingry and his career.

ALUMNI PARTICIPATE IN HONOR BOARD SPEAKER SERIES

For the first time this school year, the Honor Board Speaker Series included alumni and non-alumni guest speakers (until now, the series featured students, faculty, and staff). “It’s important to have a balance of student voices and adult voices— adult voices from the community and from outside the community, talking about why the Honor Code is important outside of Pingry’s walls,” says Honor Board Advisor and Upper School English Teacher Alisha Davlin P’32. This year’s alumni speakers were former Student Body President Marisa Werner ’12, author Anna Butrico ’14, and Trustee Stuart Lederman ’78.

→ Ms. Werner shared three life lessons: the importance of your reputation and maintaining your word; developing meaningful connections; and following the rules, even though no one is looking.

→ Ms. Butrico is co-author of Risk: A User’s Guide (read more in the Fall 2021 issue of The Pingry Review) and offered four lessons from her experience: embody other voices; think of verbs, not nouns (“think of what you like to do, and not what you want to be”); stick out your neck, respectfully; and risk is an opportunity.

→ Mr. Lederman, who spoke on November 9, the 84th anniversary of Kristallnacht, reflected on his parents’ experiences as Holocaust survivors as context for why the Honor Code is especially meaningful to him. “It is the background of my parents seeking out a civil society, a democracy, that led me to embrace the Honor Code . . . it was and is a code of ethics—a baseline for a civil society.” He pointed out that, when students drafted the Honor Code in 1928, “that was their view of a civil society within Pingry.”

Alumni who would like to participate in the Honor Board Speaker Series may contact Ms. Davlin at adavlin@pingry.org or 908-647-5555, ext. 1362.

GILLIAN

Favorite musician? Sturgill Simpson

Favorite movie? The Departed

Favorite TV shows? Terrible medical dramas and series in French or Spanish

If you could study any field aside from your own, what would it be, and why? Film or history. I became really interested in film while writing my dissertation on Latin American detective fiction, and my interest grew as I continued to learn about it while preparing to teach Spanish 6 Honors (a Spanish Film Studies class) at Pingry. Like a verse in a poem, the amount of information each shot in a film can convey is stunning when you pause and take a good look. I also really enjoyed learning about history in school, and growing up in Williamsburg, Virginia, where I would frequently visit Colonial Williamsburg, Yorktown, and Jamestown, made history come alive for me.

If you could have dinner with one person, living or from the past, who would it be? My sister. She’s my bestie, but she lives in California.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be? Clean as quickly and effortlessly as Mary Poppins

Best piece of advice you’ve ever received? My college advisor encouraged me to apply for graduate programs in Spanish, assuring me that I could figure out what I wanted to do next while getting my master’s degree. I continued to work on “figuring it out” while earning my Ph.D. in Spanish Literature at UVA. Ultimately, what I figured out is that I really like being a student!

Favorite way to spend free time during the summer? I like to go to my family’s cabin near Lake Tahoe to hang out with loved ones, go hiking in the Sierras, and swim in freezing cold alpine lakes.

Favorite place to hike? The Sierras, but I have a soft spot for the Appalachian Trail, too.

COLLECTIVELY

How did you meet? We met in grad school— we were in the same Golden Age Spanish poetry class and had the same friend group. You both have master’s and doctorates, you both have them from the same university, and you both teach Spanish—in what ways are you opposites? Gillian is a morning person; Ryan is not. Gillian is outgoing; Ryan is introverted. Gillian can function reasonably well without a lot of sleep, Ryan cannot. Who found Pingry first? Gillian

Marisa Werner ’12 participating in the Honor Board Speaker Series

Saying Farewell

Tributes to an administrator and those who worked at Pingry for 10 or more years

Davidson Barr, Upper School Math and Economics Teacher, has left Pingry after 11 years to finish a doctorate at Columbia University and move to Chicago to be near family. He came to the School in 2012 as a math teacher, added economics midway through his first year, and taught computer science at times. Mr. Barr not only taught economics, but also helped modify the course to make the assignments more rigorous and align the content more closely with the AP curriculum.

During all of his time at Pingry, he also coached the Boys’ and Girls’ Varsity Fencing Teams and enjoyed working with the athletes regardless of whether he was an assistant or head coach (he thanks the fencing teams’ parents for being so supportive over the years). Mr. Barr is grateful to his colleagues and appreciates that many students have “shared with me the impact I have made on their lives.”

Recipient of the Herbert F. Hahn Junior Faculty Award (2019), James P. Whitlock, Jr. ’60 Faculty Development Fund for Science, Mathematics and Technology (2020), and Greig Family Endowed Faculty Chair (2022)

Ann D’Innocenzo, Lower School Librarian, has retired after 26 years. She not only oversaw the collection and taught classes, but also initiated projects and events to encourage reading. Examples are “Postcards to the Library” (launched in 2004), for which students mail a postcard to the library to represent every book they read during the summer; “Go for the Gold,” which motivated students to read as much as possible during the 2018 Winter Olympics; and book recommendations written by students for students. She also coordinated the Lower School Library’s participation in the National African American Read-In (classes visit the library during Black History Month to listen to stories by African American authors), plus the more recent Asian American and Pacific Islander Read-In, which highlights the works of AAPI authors and illustrators and celebrates Pingry’s AAPI community.

After joining Pingry in 1997, Mrs. D’Innocenzo made two major changes to the library: inspired by Barnes & Noble’s in-store displays, she switched from a fiction/nonfiction system of organization (“students couldn’t find what they were looking for”) to a new system: genres, and series organized by grade level. This revamping of the collection included

moving books to new shelves and updating the catalog record for every book, but she says it was worth it. “I did this so students could feel comfortable and empowered in the library, and be self-sufficient. I was always happy to help them, but they can walk in and feel like, ‘I know this place and I know how to find what I want.’ I wanted them to feel like this was ‘their place.’” The second change was to make the library available to students all day, not just during library class. “The library wasn’t just for class time. It was for any time.”

Mrs. D’Innocenzo also spearheaded both the 2000 Time Capsule to commemorate the new millennium and the COVID-19 Time Capsule in 2022. Beyond Pingry, the Global Literacy Project (GLP) honored Mrs. D’Innocenzo in December 2007 as its Librarian of the Year; she helped establish a new library and catalogue system for students in South Africa (her efforts were part of Pingry’s larger collaboration with GLP to donate books to that country).

Over the years, she expanded Pingry’s collection to make it more multicultural, and as she got to know students and their reading interests, Mrs. D’Innocenzo was able to expand their horizons. “Some of the best moments happened when I suggested books they probably wouldn’t have chosen on their own, and when they returned them, they said, ‘I loved this. Thank you. Do you have more like this?’”

Recipient of the Albert W. Booth Chair for Master Teachers (2014)

Paula Fisher, Technical Services Librarian in the C. B. Newton Library, has left Pingry after 11 years. Her main responsibilities included cataloging and research guidance— and cataloging became more detailed because the Library of Congress introduced RDA (Resource Description and Access) to accommodate new types of electronic records. Ms. Fisher compiled the library’s collection of books by Pingry authors, which are searchable in the catalog.

Shelley Hartz, Director of Community and Civic Engagement, has retired after 28 years, and the 2023 Blue Book is dedicated to her. She began her Pingry career as a part-time Library Assistant on the Basking Ridge Campus, and in 2002, became a full-time faculty member as Middle School Technology Facilitator. After a few years, Ms. Hartz also took on the role of Community Service Coordinator and, as of

2012, focused on that role alone as Director of Community Service.

Since taking over the program, Ms. Hartz found ways to get students more involved in the community, developed partnerships with more organizations, worked with the PSPA to develop Pingry’s annual MLK Day of Service, and grown Rufus Gunther Day/Community Service Day from a half day to a full day—as of a few years ago, the Lower School participates for a few hours as well. In 2018, the community service program was renamed as Community and Civic Engagement to reflect students helping others and benefiting from the experiences. “Rather than going out and helping others, we are partnering with organizations,” Ms. Hartz explained at the time. “We are not simply giving, but getting back, too. Students are learning, and understanding their responsibility to engage as citizens of a larger community.”

Ms. Hartz also taught the Middle School’s Service Learning and Civic Engagement courses; was House Manager for drama and coordinated a community performance for each main-stage production, inviting senior citizens and audiences from the special-needs community (these performances began 20 years ago “as a way to broaden our outreach,” she says); advised the annual Holocaust and Genocide Remembrance Assembly; and helped launch the Basking Ridge Campus garden.

She says her passion for service emanates from the Jewish concept of “repairing the world through acts of loving–kindness,” and she considered her Pingry work to be “the best job in the world” because she was “doing ‘good’ with the best population there is— students.” In a speech for the Honor Board Speaker Series in March, she said, “I hope as a result of that job, I have given students the sense that they can accomplish whatever they are willing to create and work for—and that giving is much more fun and rewarding than getting . . . While I know you will all go out into the world and do well, my hope is that you will go out into the world and do good.”

Recipient of the Woodruff J. English Award (2017)

Jeffrey Jenkins, Upper School Science Teacher for 23 years, has left Pingry to return home to Wilmington, Delaware to teach science at Ursuline Academy. He joined Pingry as a chemistry teacher, but also taught biology, physics, AP Physics: Mechanics and AP Physics: Electricity & Magnetism.

Outside the classroom, Mr. Jenkins coached the FIRST Robotics Competition Team 2577 since its formation in 2008, and the FIRST Tech Challenge Team 6069 since its formation in 2012. Among the teams’ successes: in 2014, Team 2577 won its first district competition and received a commendation from the Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders; in 2022, Pingry won two tournaments—Team 6069 won its first state tournament, and Team 2577 won its third district event. Mr. Jenkins called these simultaneous championships “exceptionally uncommon.” Also in 2022, Pingry had its first Dean's List Finalist for the FIRST Tech Challenge.

He also coached water polo all 23 years, as a head coach or assistant coach at various times for the Middle School and varsity teams. Mr. Jenkins was Secretary of Pingry’s chapter of The Cum Laude Society from 2019–2023 and served as President this past year.

Recipient of the Herbert F. Hahn Junior Faculty Award (2010)

Julie Perlow, Assistant Lower School Director of Student Life and one of the teachers of Decisions, has left Pingry after 13 years to relocate. She joined the School in 2010 as a Social Worker, was a member of the Lower School Multicultural Team, and helped expand the Decisions curriculum from Grades 3 and 5 to K–5. In 2019, Mrs. Perlow assumed her most recent role to focus on academic and social emotional support, but then the position “morphed into overseeing the Honor Code and developing a restorative process” so that students have more time to reflect on their actions. As part of her job, she worked on revamped wording of the Code of Conduct (the Lower School’s version of

the Honor Code) to make it “more Lower School friendly, so that the wording is more developmentally appropriate.”

Laurie Piette, Middle School Director, has left Pingry after six years to become Head of Middle School at The Episcopal Academy in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. When she reflects on leading the Middle School since 2017, Ms. Piette highlights the faculty and staff (“true Middle School professionals”), helping parents through “some of the most angst-filled years,” and the introductions of student-led parent conferences (2018), the school year–ending Project Week (2018), and Middle School Affinity Groups (2020).

Student-led conferences are significant because they simplified a process that was split up among advisor/parents, advisor/student, and parents/student. Now, students are part of the conversation with their advisor and parents and can respond to teachers’ comments. “It’s impressive when students are showing presentations of their work and talking about their goals and improvements—it’s impactful for their learning,” Ms. Piette says of the new setup. Advisory also includes a “civil dialogue” curriculum to help students practice difficult conversations.

Ms. Piette’s leadership also included events that help with students’ transitions from Lower School and to Upper School. Examples include Middle School administrators visiting the Lower School, panel discussions with Upper School students, and free Conference Periods for Grade 8 after Spring Break. She is grateful to the PSPA’s Middle School representatives, “who have been incredibly helpful,” and thanks the community for “a fantastic experience.”

Judy Previti, Kindergarten Teacher, has retired after 19 years at Pingry, and she worked with younger students for most of her career because “I love the little ones—that’s where I light up.”Mrs. Previti was known for singing with students while playing the guitar, and they were often singing in multiple languages or singing while using American Sign Language. “Kindergarten and music go together,” she says. “Children love to sing, and they love to learn through singing. Singing music makes things that are complicated—whether feelings or words—manageable for young children. It’s memorable, and music brings joy.” (Though she never asked for it and didn’t know how to play it, her father gave her a guitar as a birthday present when she turned 17 because he thought she should have one.)

One of Mrs. Previti’s fondest memories of her time at Pingry is the evolution of the dragon parade for the Lower School’s Lunar New Year celebration, thanks to the families of three students: Ben Zhou ’17 and his mother made a cardboard dragon; the mother of Belinda Poh ’22 brought in bubble wrap that would sound like fireworks when popped; and then the father of Ella Zhang ’31 bought two dragons in China and shipped the parts to the United States. Plus, the music now emanates from hallway speakers instead of a portable cassette player.

“Pingry is special,” Mrs. Previti says. “I loved the faculty and parents—this is the best school I’ve worked at. It was the best experience. And I want my legacy to be ‘joy.’ I wanted my Kindergarteners to love learning.”

Recipient of the Woodruff J. English Award (2009) and The Cyril and Beatrice Baldwin Pingry Family Citizen of the Year Award (2022)

DAVIDSON BARR

ANN D’INNOCENZO PAULA FISHER SHELLEY HARTZ

JEFFREY JENKINS JULIE PERLOW LAURIE PIETTE JUDY PREVITI

Commencement

On Sunday, June 11, Pingry celebrated the Class of 2023 in the 162nd Commencement Exercises

“We are living in uncertain times . . . the culture that we learned here will be absolutely imperative if we are to change the world for the better . . . Let us stay connected, let us stay in touch, and together, let us carry the banner of Pingry culture to college and beyond.”

- CLASS PRESIDENT SHAAN LEHAL

Max Watzky—Magistri Laudandi Award: the student who demonstrates personal integrity and generosity that inspire the best in others, whose sense of purpose is to the greater good, and who helps all succeed

John Paul Salvatore—The Class of 1902 Emblem Award: by the efficiency and amount of service, and by loyalty of attitude, the student who has done the most for the School and shown the greatest amount of school spirit

Faculty congratulating the graduates after the ceremony

“That’s what life is: your decisions . . . they will define the course of your lives . . . like Tough Mudder, life is messy, but that’s what makes it beautiful . . . the journey is never clean, but always worth it.”

- VALEDICTORIAN LAUREN KIM

“Join me in thinking about your life as a train ride . . . choose to be excited for the new journey that is ahead, with new passengers . . . those experiences make the train ride of life the most worthwhile ride . . . go forth from Big Blue Station.”

- STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT JOHN PAUL “JP” SALVATORE

Tanish

Reddi playing The Star-Spangled Banner

LIFERS: 13-Year Club—members of the Class of 2023 who attended Pingry since Kindergarten

FRONT ROW: Luca Shum, Stephanie Ticas, Rachel Zhang, Morgan McDonald, Ryan Travers, Sejal Patel, Alexandra Drovetsky, Victoria Ramos, and Jordan Miller MIDDLE ROW: Liam Donohue, Matthew Parrish, Vared Shmuler, Alexander Massey, Zachary Ralph, Leo Xu, Zala Bhan, and Ryan Burns BACK ROW: Luke Cela, Spencer Jahng, Gavin Wang, Caleb Park, Olivia Taylor, and Sydney Langer NOT PICTURED: Tyler Spacek

LEGACIES: Pingry has a long history of students whose parents and/or grandparents also graduated from the School

SITTING: Charlie Cooperman ’23, Co-Director of College Counseling Amy (Gibson) Cooperman ’90, P’23, Betsy Muller ’23, Lucy Field ’23, Elizabeth (Blanchard) Field ’91, P’23, ’25, Dr. Ida Miguelino ’86, P’18, ’19, ’23, Edward Yorke, Jr. ’57, P’90, ’93, ’93, ’98, GP’23, ’33, ’35, Emily Yorke ’93, P’23, Andrew Schauers ’23, Caroline Korn ’23, and Jack Angell ’57, P’90, GP’23 (Note: Edward Yorke, Jr. '57 is holding a picture of his father, Dr. Edward Yorke, Sr. '26)

STANDING: Dr. Wes Shum P’21, ’23, Mia Shum ’21, Matthew Oatman ’23, Dr. Theresa Sohn-Shum ’86, P’21, ’23, Luca Shum ’23, Gordon Oatman ’23, Gretchen (Weiss) Oatman ’89, P’20, ’20, ’23, ’23, Tim Moriarty ’87, P’23, Melissa (Weiss) Moriarty ’87, P’23, Timothy Moriarty ’23, Lydia (Schenker) Muller ’90, P’21, ’23, Karen (Cowan) Flood ’95, P’23, ’25, ’27, ’29, Julia Flood ’23, Kaelani Aanstoots ’23, Lori Halivopoulos ’78, P’23, former girls track coach Helen Yorke P’90, ’93, ’93, ’98, GP’23, ’33, ’35, Stephen Szepkouski ’23, Ann (Meyer) Abdi ’89, P’23, ’26, Jake Abdi ’23, John Crosby ’23, Brian Crosby ’89, P’23, ’25, ’26, Chip Korn ’89, P’21, ’21, ’23, Jake Angell III ’90, P’23, Jackson Angell ’23, Elizabeth (Kellogg) Winterbottom ’87, P’21, ’23, Penelope Winterbottom ’23, and Augusta Winterbottom ’21 NOT PICTURED: Thomas Weldon ’23 and Woody Weldon ’91, P’23

VIEW FROM

SH BR PV

Black Girls Must Die Exhausted

By Zoe Snider ’27

Black History. Black His Story. Black My Story. Black Contributions. Black Women and Men. Black History. My History.

I’ve had project upon project upon project, asking me where I come from, and I stood without a definitive answer. So when my definitive answer consisted of European countries, not just African countries, I get a “What?”. I get “Are you sure?”.

At a young age children are taught that Black people come from “Black countries”. But Black people come from Black soil, we are all seeds. Planted in the truths we only share with each other.

Because the “truth” is just verbatim, to the people who don’t understand.

Deeply rooted alongside our routes home.

But our feet hurt, aching from each step we take and each minute that is worked under pressure. Soldiers in the battle field not knowing if they can pick up the phone and hear their newborn babies on the other side. Mothers keeping their families together like glue because who knows when they’ll be separated on the walk to freedom.

Black mothers braiding the hairs on their Black babies in the living room, each coil represents chains broken free.

Black girls made mothers at the age of 9.

Make sure mommy’s children are fed.

Checking for monsters in their closets.

Black girls must die exhausted. Her strength is found within her chest. And her pride you have envied.

A dark tone of skin, enough to scare mortals and move mountains. A strong woman with eyelashes threatening back tears. Teaching her children about their History.

History teaches them to honor their elders.

History teaching them that their 4.0 GPA doesn’t mean they’re four shades lighter. They are still children of Black soil, planted like seeds.

I am still a Black child.

It’s still Black His Story. Black My Story. Black Contributions. Black Women and Men.

So when I talk about my European countries, alongside my “African countries”, I will preach with pride. It’s all Black History. And if my Black History doesn’t hold dreams of freedom with no remorse, then my Black History doesn’t defy all logic.

Zoe Snider ’27 presented this poem at the Black History Month Assembly in February.

The story of Pingry’s unexpected 2023 rebrand

by Sara Courtney

Color Photos by Flynn Larsen

It was early May, and Hauser Auditorium was filling up with inquisitive faces. Students, staff, faculty, and perhaps a few curious onlookers, squirmed in their seats and filled up the entryway, whispering and wondering amidst the sea of faces. Standing on stage was Pingry’s exuberant, unexpected Director of Enrollment Management, Edwin Núñez, along with Director of Strategic Communications and Marketing Emily Cooke.

They were there to present to the Upper School the identity work and rebranding Pingry had engaged in over the past year. The rebranding had been thoughtfully developed after much research and discovery with the work of a branding consultant, the Board of Trustees, focus groups that included current parents and families who had shown interest in the School, as well as alumni, faculty, and staff. Through many interviews, the research found that parenting trends with independent schools were evolving, particularly among the millennial generation. The research also revealed that the School’s wider reputation was misaligned with its reality.

The rebranding assembly came about in response to churning confusion working its way through the Pingry halls. A few days before, Ms. Cooke and Mr. Núñez overheard students gossiping about the identity work the School had undertaken. The students were interested in the rebranding, yet the facts seemed a little fuzzy, and so, this being high school, the students filled in the details: the colors were changing to orange and green! The mascot would no longer be a bear! Excellence and Honor would no longer be Pingry’s tagline! Had the School transitioned away from academic rigor into a sort of hippie ethos overnight?

The rumors persisted across campus: the clocktower would be painted. The students would have no input. The faculty looked more than a little concerned. As rumors tend to go, it started with a swirl of confusion that swept away into a tornado of incredulity. Pingry—our Pingry, The Pingry School of 1861, the Pingry whose admittance could quiet even the most confident of families into a stunned awe—Pingry was changing. Why? And into what? Who, exactly, were we becoming?

It was amidst this turmoil of rumors that the rebranding assembly was scheduled to set the record straight. Ms. Cooke and Mr. Núñez would give the presentation to clear up any confusion, showcase the new logo and carefully selected accent colors, and, most importantly, explain the new positioning statement and messaging—all the words that would tell the story of the School. The students would be given all the information, and all of their questions would be answered.

But first: could Pingry not have a teensy bit of fun with it?

As soon as the rumors started swirling the week prior to the assembly, a plan was quickly put into place. Bella Goodwin ’23 would use her big personality and even bigger social influence to host a series of witty social media videos titled Rebrand Rumors. One video featured Bella in the Bear Pause school store, casually pointing out all the merchandise she insisted would no longer be relevant (“All of this will be gone,” she said matter of factly). She stopped a Middle School student and asked him what he heard about the rebranding. The colors are changing, he told her sadly, to “green and orange.” “No,” Bella responded solemnly. “They will be pink and green.” The kid’s face scrunched up in dismay. “Ew!”

She continued on, playing havoc with the rumors until the students were eager for the presentation, confident that while the truth was somewhere past their comfort zone, it was surely a ways off from any outrageous destination.

And that is how, on the afternoon of May 8, 2023, Ms. Cooke and Mr. Núñez found themselves underneath a large screen with the brand new Pingry logo on it, smiles on their faces while they took in an enthusiastic chorus of lively responses from the students.

THEY WERE A STUDY IN CONTRASTS: Mr. Núñez, with his wide smile and personable demeanor that made everyone and anyone feel welcome, often cracking jokes in his thick Costa Rican accent; and Ms. Cooke, a polite smile on her face, her polished delivery holding the audience at arm’s length, while Mr. Núñez seemed as if he might bear hug them all.

The tone was intentionally upbeat, with a note of levity, and made for an entertaining show. “It is very un-Pingry to stand in front of an auditorium of students and ask them to shout their reactions at you. But that was by design: we wanted this presentation to feel different—interactive and fun,” remarked Mr. Núñez. “Ultimately, what that presentation showed us is that Pingry students are very invested in—and proud of—who we are and how we seek to be known,” added Ms. Cooke.

EXCELLENCE AND HONOR—AND, OFTEN, CHANGE

Change is hard. It can be scary. It represents a certain letting go. A wistful wave goodbye to the familiar. A flippant au revoir to the past! A walk forward into the unknown. Of course, the best of us— and surely, Pingry represents the very best of us—can feel excitement for the future while still experiencing the growing pains that come with change. It is never easy to recognize innovation when we are ensconced in the safety of our present. Yet, change and grow we must.

And change and grow, we always have.

Pingry was founded in 1861 in a schoolhouse Elizabeth, yet it didn’t remain there. In 1893, Pingry moved to the Parker Road Campus—taking a risk that paid off when it saw its enrollment jump from 74 to 100 students. In 1926, the School established an official Honor Code, displaying a commitment to the life of integrity that Dr. Pingry so emphasized to his students. Parker Road was Pingry’s home for many years until, prompted by a growing student body and a building in need of repairs, they made the move to the Hillside Campus in 1953. This was an announcement of confidence in its future: Pingry was growing, with maximum enrollment capped at 500 students, and it was growing restless, too. And so, in 1974, Pingry acquired the Short Hills Campus, giving it a dedicated space for an elementary school; it also became a coeducational institution. Thus, it was only natural, in all this growth and confidence, that the School would embrace change once again, by moving the campus to Basking Ridge, New Jersey, in 1983. It continued to expand, with the opening of the Hostetter Arts Center in 2003, and the construction of The Carol and Park B. Smith ’50 Middle

School in 2007. Also in 2008, the words Excellence and Honor were added under the seal. The School continued its march forward with the modernization of the Short Hills Campus in 2015, and the completion of the stunning Bugliari Athletics Center in 2017. Never one to be content with the status quo, the School acquired the Pottersville Campus in 2021.

In 2022, the Board of Trustees approved a rebrand, an initiative that would take over a year to complete.

Unsurprisingly, this project was met with both trepidation and excitement. Change is hard. Especially when we actually like who we are. The enrollment numbers were phenomenal. The academics went far beyond exceptional. The athletics were approaching extraordinary. The arts program was awe-inspiring. Who was looking out into this sea of success and thinking we needed change?

Yet when the administration looked forward into the future, they saw independent school parenting trends that caught their attention. Millennial parents are interested in academic achievement, yet they want a more holistic approach, one that encourages exploration, growth, and joy. This clashed with a misperception they discovered in the independent school market: that Pingry was simply a pressure-cooker.

THE PRICE OF BEING THE BEST

In the summer of 2021, Ms. Cooke was looking at houses with her real estate agent. Excited for her new role at Pingry, she asked the agent what the word of mouth on the School was. “If you want to pick up a happy kid,” the real estate agent said, “don’t send them to Pingry.” Ms. Cooke was shocked. It was an anecdote that did not match what she was witnessing at the School every day, and it worried her. “There is a misunderstanding that exists here,” she recalled thinking. “We are reductively defined by an incomplete and inaccurate word-of-mouth reputation: that we are a pressure-cooker.”

The Enrollment Management Office, too, was noticing a trend toward transactional expectations some prospective families brought to the process. In some ways, it was understandable. Pingry’s reputation as a top school, with one story after another of student success when it came to top university admissions and careers, fed these expectations. Mr. Núñez observed that

sometimes people “want to come to Pingry because of the successful ‘end result’ or product that Pingry gives them—versus the meaningful journey that happens along the way.” In that vein, Mr. Núñez brought a new mindset to the application process, making the point that it should be an experience, not a transaction, and that, for those families whose students are not accepted, they should still feel satisfied with the process. The Enrollment Management Office exudes warmth and approachability; they offer tours whenever a family requests one. Motivated by Mr. Núñez’s animated, cheerful energy, each admissions officer makes every effort to get to really know each applicant.

Academic rigor had traditionally been the number one priority for parents seeking a challenging education for their children, but parenting trends are evolving to include other priorities into the mix. Millennial parents are just as interested in academic excellence as they are wellness. They want their kids to be high achievers—but they also want them to be happy. Is it possible to be both? At Pingry, the answer has always been yes.

The misunderstanding outside of our own walls is rooted in a resistance to believe that we can be both. The Pingry School that is known to its own people—that dynamic and joyful place that has shaped so many students into the brilliant, thoughtful leaders they are today—was not reflected in the misperceptions that exist.

Yet, Pingry's ranking as the number one K–12 school in New Jersey (on the widely followed Niche.com) did not mean that it was some cold place filled with cookie-cutter kids. It is filled with the best and brightest students and educators who push themselves and each other to pursue excellence. They find joy in working hard.

They have the highest ambitions and aspirations. They stumble and pick themselves back up again because they have the strength of each other behind them. They have the resilience to always begin again. They really, truly, love school.

RIGOR IS A FOUR-LETTER WORD

You don’t get to Excellence and Honor without rigor. No one stumbles into AP Honors classes (though surely some may stumble out of them). Intelligence is innate, but brilliance—that startling, awe-inspiring, dynamic intellectualism—is created, like a diamond, through strength, through time, and through—yes—pressure.

During the only other rebranding efforts, in 2007–2008, Pingry engaged in extensive research to understand what the community loved about the School, and found that 90 percent of parents interviewed cited “excellence” as a top reason for their interest in Pingry, and the research found that “almost everyone interviewed cited intellectual excellence as Pingry’s defining trait.” They therefore landed on Excellence and Honor as central to the School’s new positioning statement, yet it was more than simply a catchphrase. It was a declaration of the Pingry state of mind. These two words— Excellence and Honor—were a reflection of what made Pingry such a revered institution. They reflected the commitment of the educators, and the continued striving displayed by the students.

And so, that is how the School came to be known—those two words gave insiders and outsiders an understanding of the mindset of what it takes. They became the words used to describe the faculty and the adjectives used to describe the students; and they imbued the stories we told about ourselves.

SEVEN IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT U S

1. Our Honor Code is the soul of Pingry. We care about where you’re going—but we care more about how you get there. Are you acting with compassion and integrity? Are you seeing beyond yourself and showing concern for others? That’s why our student-written Honor Code is a treasured part of our history and a moral compass for today’s Pingry community.

2. We strike an inspiring balance. We’re exceptionally attuned to the well-being of our students. We want them to take pleasure and pride in everything they do, even when (perhaps especially when) they struggle or stumble. We help them broaden their experience—exploring the arts, athletics, service, and more—and deepen their sense of stability and possibility.

3. We’re rooted in relationships. Our motto is “Greatest respect is due students.” Our education is rooted in dynamic, often life-changing connections between students and teachers. We learn from our students, listen closely to them, and support

them with a network of nourishing relationships. Families work in partnership with teachers and staff members; coaches and advisers guide and inspire students; graduates mentor new generations of students. Every day, in every corner of our community, we cheer one another on and build one another up.

4. Our academic program looks ahead. Our approach to education is forward-looking and research-driven. Thoughtfully, intentionally, we apply new practices in the classroom, develop new programs, and explore new opportunities that meet the needs of our students and the demands of the wider world.

5. We strengthen the Pingry culture together. We’re home to families from 90 different communities, including a significant number of first-generation independent school families. We’re a leader in developing— and supporting—programs that build an inclusive, equitable community. The result is a school culture strengthened every year by smart, enterprising people from a broad range of backgrounds.

6. We support bright, promising students regardless of their financial circumstances. A Pingry education makes an immediate impact and has lifelong value. We want that education to be accessible to families from a broad range of backgrounds. That’s why we offer a generous tuition assistance program to support students and families with financial need.

7. We graduate good people. Our highest ambition is to prepare students to be good people—people who think critically and work collaboratively, who speak clearly and listen with compassion, who adapt to new information and anticipate new conditions, who attend to their health and to the health of their communities. Our graduates enroll in colleges and universities that meet their ambitions—and they have the courage, the character, and the skills to cultivate a better world.

“We’re energized by questions, excited by a challenge, thrilled by the process of discovery.”

For a long time, that is all we needed. Those two words. Excellence and Honor. Those two words became so synonymous with Pingry they came to define the School, and, in many ways, the School came to define those two words.

Yet over time, it is what we left out that others started to fill in. Perhaps it was misunderstanding, a misread of our dedication, but an assumption started to grow. If high-achieving—then robotic. If rigorous—then stressed. If that good, then surely, that strained. It is the parts of our story that we left out that others filled in.

Pingry is not an institution that allows others to define it. Nor has it ever been a place that compares itself to others. It calls to mind that famous quote about the unbeatable Secretariat from legendary sportswriter Charles Hatton: Pingry’s “only point of reference” is ourselves.

And so, unafraid and unabashedly devoted to what made us number one—Excellence and Honor—Pingry paused. They engaged in the oft-uncomfortable work of self reflection. They got curious. Who are we? Who do we want to be? Who are we on our best day?

And here, in all the meetings and research and discovery, in all the sifting of the data and the vigorous debate that followed, here is what they found.

THE FLIP SIDE OF THE SAME COIN

When it comes to athletics, there is an acceptance that to become great takes training. And yet built into that training—that rigor—is joy. When a striker dribbles the ball down the field and scores, there is an admiration for not just the athletic prowess, but for the commitment to training he or she displays. When a pitcher like Pingry’s Jake Francis ’23 throws a perfect game in his inaugural debut, there is an appreciation for the sheer amount of work he put in to make it all look, ironically enough, so effortless. When the ferociously brilliant lacrosse player Bella Goodwin became ranked number two in the entire country by Inside Lacrosse, there was an understanding that much was skill, but much more was hard work. The highs and lows of wins and losses; the support and encouragement of playing with your teammates; the drive and determination to succeed—call it passion, call it rigor, call it training. Or even call it joy.

It is the same with academics and the arts.

In pausing to reflect on what kind of a community the School is, they found a collection of passionate students, brilliant educators, and good people. They found that the excellence in Excellence and Honor came from many corners of campus, and the abundance of it meant their excellence contains multitudes. Excellence and Honor would remain the tagline, supported by this sentiment that is now articulated in the new long-form Positioning statement:

“As ambitious individuals and as a high-performing academic community, we give ourselves the freedom to be many things at once, to grow and change and expand, to surprise ourselves, to embrace intellectual complexity and emotional depth. Excellence contains multitudes.”

They found students unafraid to take risks and unafraid to fail because they felt supported by their teachers. They found a student body that turned out for each other, time and time again. This was exemplified during Research Week, when students stood in front of their poster boards in the hallway. That first part may happen at other schools, yet it is the Pingry mindset to push and innovate that much further which challenges the students to do something incredible. Alex Wong ’25 held court in front of a crowd of over a dozen teenagers and a few educators, while he explained Accelerated Molecular Dynamics in such a clear, engaging way that students tucked their phones into their pockets, and rushing teachers slowed down to listen. Then Alex was interrogated with questions, all of which he answered with an abundance of information—he was educating them!—yet with a confidence and charm that kept the crowd hooked. Research Week at Pingry shapes students to understand complex ideas, sure, but it encapsulates that Pingry magic— smart, passionate students, able to adapt and think creatively on their toes, unafraid to be challenged.

They found joy and dedication in their brilliant educators, like Upper School English Teacher Tom Keating P’27, ’29, who, decades ago, moved his desk out to the hallway, where it became a place for students to pepper him with questions on literature, and, just as often, to wonder about the world outside Pingry’s walls. Each year, a line would form in the hall as students would wait to sit down at Mr. Keating’s table where they would hand him their college essays and he would provide them feedback. One year, a student sat down whom Mr. Keating did not recognize. When he questioned the student, the young man admitted that he attended nearby Ridge High School, but he asked, “You’re the guy who sits in the hall, looking at college essays, right?” Mr. Keating, bemused, admitted yes, he was. His reputation having apparently reached far and wide outside Pingry’s walls, he kindly finished giving the lucky kid notes on his college essay, but reminded him not to invite his friends, since he was really just doing this for Pingry students.

They found that Pingry magic so exemplified in Tim Lear, the new Head of School who possesses an uncanny ability to connect—and connect others, and is constantly delighting in the intelligence, wonder, and integrity of Pingry students every day. “We are a dynamic, lifelong community,” he emphasizes. “This is where people want to spend their time. They want to be here. People don’t want to take

the early bus home.” It is the strength of these connections that sets the School apart. “What differentiates us is our loyal alumni base and long-tenured employees, both of whom look for opportunities to return to campus, share what they know, and support the next generation or class of Pingry students.”

A school where students are thrilled to study, to learn, to discover. A school where students miss the early bus for a seat at Mr. Keating’s table in the hall. A school where every bit of brilliance and effort lifts each other up, like teammates on a field, or cast members getting ready for the opening curtain. Call it rigor; call it passion; call it nerding out; call it try-hard. It is two sides of the same coin: passion and study; intelligence and effort; joy and rigor. This is who we are. We love school.

Those three words—We Love School—became not a tagline, nor a slogan, nor a bumper sticker. Those three words articulated the mindset, indeed the vibe, of Pingry, the Pingry that brings together the most dynamic and motivated educators and students. Those three words—We Love School—were as true in 1861 when Dr. Pingry founded the School as they are now, and perfectly encapsulate what it takes to get into Pingry, to thrive at Pingry, and to be an impactful member of the alumni community at Pingry.

Because at Pingry, your kid will never want to catch the early bus home. But when they bound off the late bus, they are sure to have a smile on their face.

LONG-FORM POSITIONING STATEMENT

At Pingry, we love school. We love how it opens our mind and fills our heart, how it motivates us to stretch ourselves, how it invites us to excel, to know more, to work together in new ways, to expand our sense of what’s possible. School—our school, our education—asks us to embrace life in its fullness and complexity. At Pingry, excellence contains multitudes.

That’s why we’re home to unabashed joy—and a profound sense of purpose. We’re energized by questions, excited by a challenge, thrilled by the process of discovery. We explore and experiment, revise and reconsider, stumble and search for a better solution. When we’re seen and known, when we’re healthy and well in body and mind—that’s when we’re ready to do our best work.

We’re home to everything that makes us original—and everything that brings us together. We make space for a thousand ways of being, thinking, and doing. Our community is both marvelously diverse and remarkably aligned. We’re enlivened by our shared values and singular voices, our varied histories and our collective future.

We’re home to heroic achievements and moments of human connection. Even as we set high standards in classrooms and labs, surpass expectations on the field and on the stage, and extend our reach beyond campus—we’re still warm, witty, generous people. Our friendships give us courage, teach us compassion, and broaden our vision. To us, an outstanding education is rooted in authentic relationships across generations.

We’re home to personal character and civic virtue. Our Honor Code calls us to live with dignity, follow our conscience, and advance the common good. We give ourselves the freedom to be many things at once—and this freedom inspires us to be comprehensive, multidimensional, and innovative, today and tomorrow. We’re audacious and creative, empathic and enterprising, independent-minded and community-oriented, unexpected and uplifting, all at once. This plenitude, this abundance, is the wellspring of our excellence and the source of a life that is honorable, fulfilling, and endlessly expansive.

A Leader and Lover of LIBRARIES

By Greg Waxberg '96

Libraries, particularly Pingry’s library on the Hillside Campus, were favorite hangouts for Susan Quinn ’80, and in the back of her mind, the chance to someday work in a library appealed to her.

“I have always loved libraries, beginning with the Plainfield Public Library and then Pingry’s, which was nicely sized and well organized with a lot of books, including law books, and it had good natural lighting and quiet places to study.” She would get there . . . eventually. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in English from Gettysburg College, she started her career in advertising and sales, thanks to a bee sting.

Ms. Quinn was on her way to interview for an editorial assistant at Charles Scribner’s Sons book publisher—which would include a typing test—when she got stung by a bee at a train station and her face swelled. When she arrived for her interview, the human resources director could see that something happened and was impressed that Ms. Quinn showed up after her encounter with the bee. Ms. Quinn could not reach 55 words per minute on the typing test, but it didn’t matter . . . the human resources director felt compelled to hire her because, as Ms. Quinn remembers, she showed up with a bee sting and typed “fast enough for advertising.”

She later worked as a sales assistant at ESPN, a smaller cable company at the time (it was founded in 1979). “I got really good at finding information,” Ms. Quinn says. “I also became adept at planning and throwing parties for the advertising/sales department.” And as she points out, planning those parties is the equivalent of planning programs and events for libraries.

“I also had the opportunity to work with corporate librarians and thought ‘this is the kind of work I would like to do.’ As the quote by Wayne Gretzky goes, ‘You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.’ I wanted to work in a library because I love to read and to learn new things. I was also seeking a work environment where I could be creative and help others.”

Thus, Ms. Quinn, who had long considered attending graduate school for a library degree, started to circle back to those libraries she loved by getting over her fear of taking the GRE (Graduate Record Examinations, an admissions requirement for many graduate schools). “One day, I simply decided I was going to take it,” she remembers. She passed and was ultimately accepted to Rutgers University, “which has one of the top-ranked Library Science programs in the country.” She earned a Master’s in Library and Information Science (MLIS) in 2002—and, as fate would have it, a position soon opened in the Lakewood Branch of Ocean County Library (OCL), and she began her new career as a children’s librarian.

Ms. Quinn worked her way up, becoming a teen librarian, Supervisor of the Outreach and Reference Department, Branch Manager of the Berkeley Branch, Chief Librarian of the Toms River Branch, and, in 2009, the position she holds today: Library Director, in charge of all 21 branches (the largest county library system in New Jersey), with a staff whom she is quick to credit for their hard work. She joined a library system with a mission of “Connecting People, Building Community, Transforming Lives” and a history of recognition for serving the community.

Under her predecessor, OCL won the 2007 National Medal for Museum and Library Service, given by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. This year, under Ms. Quinn’s leadership, OCL was again nominated, this time by New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, for the same medal; OCL was one of 30 institutions and 15 libraries to be named a finalist.

The main reason for OCL’s nomination is its Sensory Spaces for children and adults with autism and other sensory needs; Ms. Quinn reports that Ocean County has one of highest rates of autism in the country, one case in every 32 children.

Creation of the Sensory Spaces can be traced to OCL’s Autism Resources Fair, which Ms. Quinn says “brought together state and county providers in one place to give families access to information . . . We tapped into a need. The first fair in 2017 was really well attended because there really hadn’t been anything like that done in our state.” The fair continued virtually during the height of the pandemic, then resumed in-person this year with 1,200 attendees. OCL’s assistant library director, who had seen an episode of The Real Housewives of New Jersey in which a mother and her child with autism had a bad experience at a public library, did not want anyone with autism who visited OCL to have a bad experience. So, to find a possible model for what OCL could do, she used the fair’s resources to locate a nearby medical center with an emergency room designed for people with autism and sensory-processing needs.

“The idea of a Sensory Space was born, and the County Commissioners approved,” Ms. Quinn says. Intended for children and adults with a variety of disabilities, including autism spectrum disorders, each space has a calming atmosphere with dim lights, nature sounds, and equipment such as a customizable touch wall. The first one, the Joseph H. Vicari Sensory Space (named for the Ocean County Commissioner), opened in a converted room at the Toms River Branch in September 2021.

How did OCL know what equipment to include in the rooms? “We’re librarians, so we researched,” Ms. Quinn says of their investigations into facilities such as other libraries and occupational therapists’ offices—emphasizing that the rooms are simply spaces, and not intended to serve a medical or therapeutic service. Financial support to create the Sensory Space came from the county’s capital funding, the library’s funds, and friends of the library.

OCL has also been involved with other initiatives that figured in its nomination for the national medal. These include the creation of a literacy-based program, “Milestones in Neurodiversity & Literacy to Grow,” made possible by a federal grant of nearly $8,000 through the Library Services and Technology Act 2022 (administered by the New Jersey State Library). The program is intended to help parents understand and recognize the milestones for literacy, from birth to age five. For this program, OCL partnered with Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Center for Autism Research, Ocean County Health Department, and POAC (Parents of Autistic Children) to bring in experts. “We have to be careful with how we present information because the library can’t give advice,” Ms. Quinn says. “We can only show people how to find information.”

In partnership with Alzheimer’s Association Greater New Jersey Chapter, OCL also created “Early Stage Memory Cafés,” where library patrons with mild memory issues and their care partners can enjoy relaxed conversation.

Ms. Quinn is incredibly proud of OCL and its services, and is grateful to be in a position where she can make a difference. Now nearly 15 years into her tenure as Library Director, she looks on her circuitous career as beneficial. “If I hadn’t taken that path of business and event planning, I would not have had the skill set needed to be a library director.” She even humorously recounts an anecdote from her Pingry days. “[Former Upper School Math Teacher] Pete Thomson gave me the confidence to do math. With theorems in geometry class, he’d say, ‘That’s close enough for government work,’ and I always think that’s funny because here I am working in government. It had to do with the finer points of how you quickly come up with a ‘guesstimate.’”

Big picture: whether supporting her staff to install a Sensory Space or finding a new way for OCL to collaborate with the community, she wants everyone to feel welcome in a public library. “If you work in a library, or if you support a library, you are helping to make your community and the world a better place.”

SOMETHING ELSE WAS HAPPENING DURING HER BUSINESS CAREER.

THE ENGLISH CURRICULUM EVOLVES

IN BASKING RIDGE

Over the past few years, as Pingry has increased its efforts in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, English has been one of the first subjects to have its curriculum—courses, authors, and books—examined and adjusted. “All of our teachers are passionate about trying to find different types of texts that reflect the increasing racial, ethnic, gender, and religious diversity of our student population, and trying to find underrepresented voices. We also want students to understand different cultural perspectives,” says Dr. Ann Dickerson P'22, '24, Chair of the English Department since 2019.

Classes include more Jewish writers, Muslim writers, books about the Holocaust, the Harlem Renaissance, and African American literature that, in Dr. Dickerson’s words, “represents all aspects of African American life.” In fact, she believes that DEIB and English “are essentially interconnected. Some of the difficult moments in the English Department have come from our genuine and honest attempts to meet the [country’s] moments in meaningful ways. We do and we will fall short, but we are always striving to acknowledge our

EVOLVES>>>

By Greg Waxberg '96

community and its needs.” The Department is working to increase the presence of Hispanic, Asian, Southeast Asian, and Middle Eastern voices.

This movement is not limited to Pingry. Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Gilberto Olvera P’29, ’33 says the English curriculum is “usually the first one under the microscope for DEIB work— there’s a lot of scrutiny at most schools for an inclusive curriculum. English is where people’s minds go first, to find out what ideas students are being exposed to, and to find out the representation of authors.”

However, Mr. Olvera does not suggest authors or books; he considers himself a “thought partner” in his conversations with the department. He shares ideas, for example, on how to approach certain DEIB-related topics within courses, how to create a supportive environment for talking about difficult topics, and how one book’s theme might be explored in a different author’s book. “I appreciate the strong partnership and open dialogue with the English Department,” he says.

Authors and books aren’t the only elements that make the English Department’s curriculum equitable. Notably, the department does not have any Honors or AP courses—instead, it offers lots of electives. “We want to offer an innovative, robust offering of electives so that students have the freedom to choose courses based on their interest,” Dr. Dickerson says. This raises the question of whether Honors and AP courses could be offered along with electives.

“Once a department offers AP English courses,” she explains, “most students will feel obligated to sign up for them. Interestingly, Pingry has never, to my knowledge, offered AP English courses of any kind. Our 11th- and 12th-Grade electives offer a pretty sophisticated and challenging variety of courses in American and world literature, and our curriculum as a whole has traditionally prepared our students well for the AP Language and Literature exams . . . We believe passionately that our curriculum in Grades 9–12 ultimately gives all of our students a more intellectually engaging and equitable academic experience than AP courses could.”

She also highlights daily, free prep sessions for the AP Language exam given in the spring before school by Upper School English Teacher Tom Keating P’27, ’29, plus summer reading lists that note which books students should read as preparation for the AP Literature exam.

What are some of the recently added electives out of the 18 that are offered to juniors and seniors? African American Literature (a chronological survey from the 1700s to present day), Climate Fiction (a recent genre, Cli-Fi explores how literature depicts climate change), Viral Literature: Stories of Plague and Pandemic (human resilience in the face of trauma and uncertainty), and Literature and the Common Good (literary history of the common good, and how literature makes people better citizens). In every case, Dr. Dickerson states, “We are not simply creating a new course, but also teaching it knowledgeably and sensitively, and having a sense of humility in what we do.”

A new elective for seniors in the 2023-24 school year, Advanced Topics in Literary Studies, is an Honors-level course but not receiving that designation so that the course remains open to all interested students. Dr. Dickerson describes the course as “research based” and says it’s intended for students who want to explore literary theory and are “passionate and motivated about literature and analytical writing.” The plan is that, in a year’s time, students who want to take the course will submit a proposal for a research paper before they can be accepted; the proposal could be based on any literary interest, and students will be taught how to write one.

For those who are concerned about the fate of traditional electives that have been taught at Pingry for years, Dr. Dickerson says that switching out courses is a balancing act, but some aren’t going anywhere. “We never retired Ethical Dilemma because that was [then–Head of School] John Hanly’s ‘baby.’ We’re always going to have Ethical Dilemma. I like to offer Shakespeare, The Greek Epic, and Afrofuturism . . . A really good course develops over time and becomes part of our identity.”

And of course, with a renewed commitment to DEIB, comes the challenge—the imperative, some might say—of finding new authors. “Every faculty member in the English Department is always looking for new, interesting titles,” Dr. Dickerson says. They accomplish this through reading, reading, and more reading, and reading book reviews.

Middle School English Coordinator Lori Esmond keeps an eye on several factors that influence in which Grade, or if, a book is taught. She names a few: “Is the literature developmentally appropriate for Grade 6, 7, or 8? Where does it fit, in terms of the rest of the curriculum—does a book need to shift to a different Grade, maybe to make sure students have the necessary historical context? How long is the book? Does it fit with the Grade’s thematic approach?” (A theme is the overall idea that every work of literature relates to, such as Grade 7’s theme, “The Individual and the Community.”)

For Grade 6, Ms. Esmond led a two-year revamping of the literature a few years ago to include works whose content was more accessible and appropriate and that the students could “analyze well.” She has also varied the genres a little more by adding Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap so students have “the experience of reading a play as a work of literature, not just seeing a play [on stage].” Grades 7 and 8 have changed more gradually; literature for Grade 8 represents the Civil Rights Movement, Depression, Harlem Renaissance, and Holocaust. And like her Upper School colleagues, Ms. Esmond has tried to be conscious of diversity among authors.

“We realized that we had a lot of white male authors, and many of my students have been of South Asian descent. We found Salman Rushdie’s Haroun and the Sea of Stories, which he wrote for his son who was 11 at the time [the book was published in 1990]. It’s a beautiful adventure story that is really about the dangers of censorship—it was a gem to find that and we used it for the first time in 2022-23.” The process for Summer Reading has also been modified for students rising to Grades 7 and 8 (students entering Grade 6 read one required book and one book of choice). Instead of all students reading the same book, they choose two from the list. The reason?

“With independent reading over the summer, you want them to choose a book that’s at or below their reading level, in terms of their comfort level, because they’re not being instructed by a teacher,” Ms. Esmond says. “Through the school year, it makes sense to have literature that’s above their reading level—a comfortable challenge— because they have the support of a classroom and the teaching.”

SOME BOOKS THAT STUDENTS ARE ENJOYING >>>

Dante Alighieri’s The Inferno // Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See // Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment // F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby // Homer’s The Odyssey // Claire Keegan’s Foster // Cormac McCarthy’s The Road // Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption // Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest

“We are not simply creating a new course, but also teaching it knowledgeably and sensitively, and having a sense of humility in what we do.”

- ENGLISH DEPARTMENT CHAIR DR. ANN DICKERSON

The argument could be made that hanging over any discussion of which books are (or should be) taught in school is what the public considers classics. So, this question is posed to Dr. Dickerson and Mr. Olvera: Should the public reconsider how and why certain books are labeled as classics? Dr. Dickerson tries to avoid the word.

“I think it’s off-putting for many people. It describes a certain set of cultural forces that enabled certain texts to enjoy a certain kind of privilege. It’s always a good idea to discuss why one book has survived 200 years and other pieces of literature have not.” At the same time, she knows that parents love to see their children reading the same book that they read in high school. “I wish there were a better term. I wish the culture wars weren’t swirling around really good books that have flaws, but are valuable to read. I’m not for banning anything.” She does clarify that the department is always switching books in and out of the curriculum for a variety of reasons, one of which is having enough time in the semester to teach a dense or controversial novel “as thoroughly and thoughtfully as it needs to be taught.”

When Mr. Olvera hears the word “classics,” he says an image comes to mind that was formed by the books that people told him he needed to read when he was growing up and after graduating from college. “I’m always interested in who gets to decide what’s a ‘classic’ and why, and whose voices were left out of that decision and why. I have a specific type of author in mind when we talk about ‘classics’ and it’s not a very diverse pool of authors.”

Along with diversity of courses, authors, and books, and the inclusion of numerous electives for students to choose from, there’s also the diversity of genres within an English class. Earlier, Ms. Esmond spoke about adding a play to Grade 6 so that students can read a play and not rely on seeing it acted on stage. Dr. Dickerson observes that genres—nonfiction, fiction, poetry, plays, short stories, and more— fit into Pingry’s courses in a couple of ways. One is genre courses, such as those devoted to short stories, poetry, and Shakespeare.

In addition, “Any good English course should have a sampling of genres. Nonfiction deserves an equal place in our courses but has trailed behind as supplemental because we see ourselves as a ‘literature’ department—‘literature’ meaning ‘fiction’—and students are reading fewer works of literature. We feel like if they’re not reading poetry or short stories or novels in our courses, they may not be reading any at all. But nonfiction, which some people see as being closer to journalism or memoir, can work beautifully in a literature course. One teacher is working on a new course that is exclusively nonfiction.”

This idea of nonfiction (including creative nonfiction) expanding within the English curriculum is a kind of microcosm of the larger changes that have taken place in the last three to five years and will continue to take place at Pingry. Even a core course like American Literature has been modified. As Dr. Dickerson has noted, the English program is always changing and “every course is always under review and being tweaked.”

VISITING AUTHORS BRING THE HUMANITIES TO LIFE

One of the best ways to bring the humanities to life for students, and have them understand the relevance of writing, journalism, and storytelling, is to let them hear directly from authors, in person.

>> Middle School English Teacher Lynne Cattafi has been advising the Justin Society, which invites writers to Pingry each year to read and discuss their works and participate in workshops. Guests have included slam poet Taylor Mali and author Ibi Zoboi, who writes young adult fiction. “Being exposed to people who professionally do what students are studying in class helps students see the reality of it,” Ms. Cattafi says.

>> Upper School English Teacher Alisha Davlin P’32 recently invited Father Charles Gallagher, author of Nazis of Copley Square: The Forgotten Story of the Christian Front, as an Honor Board speaker. She has also incorporated presentations by poets—many of them “spoken word” poets who combine words and performance—into her courses, especially via Zoom during the height of the pandemic. The poets were either guest speakers in her classes, or her students joined other organizations’ poetry readings.

“There’s nothing like a live reading,” Ms. Davlin says. “They pull you in. They’re intense and memorable. It’s powerful to see people who make their living in the humanities, doing what they love. Students get the message that ‘you can do that, too.’ The more visits, the better—it’s a different version of experiential learning.”

>> Upper School English and Art History Teacher Nigel Paton P'09 (also the new advisor of the literary magazine Calliope) invited award-winning nonfiction writer Anna Clark, author of The Poisoned City: Flint's Water and the American Urban Tragedy, to speak for the Justin Society Assembly.

“The humanities are about understanding the world we live in through the exercising of our imagination,” he says. “Anna Clark explained how she used her imagination, research, and creativity to reconstruct the events in Flint. After reading her book, the reader has a greater understanding of the human weakness that led to so much suffering.”

“It’s powerful to see people who make their living in the humanities, doing what they love. Students get the message that ‘you can do that, too.’ The more visits, the better—it’s a different version of experiential learning.”

– UPPER SCHOOL ENGLISH TEACHER ALISHA DAVLIN

ENCOURAGING STUDENTS TO READ >>>

“Look for titles they will relate to, and then make the experience fascinating. We want them to realize that opening a book is as engaging as scrolling through social media.” - DR. ANN DICKERSON

“I encourage outside reading by offering extra credit if students read a book and write a response about it.”

-

ALISHA DAVLIN

ATHLETICS BIG BLUE HIGHLIGHTS: FALL

Undefeated Girls Tennis ended their season as the #1 team in New Jersey after sweeping all of their tournaments, including the NJSIAA sectional title, the NJSIAA group title (two years in a row), the Skyland Conference title, the NJISAA Prep A title (two years in a row), and a Somerset County title (four years in a row). Leila

Ella Budenbender ’23 collected her 500th career save, and Morgan Dwyer ’25 scored 25 goals in her sophomore campaign to lead Field Hockey to a 13–7 record overall.

The Girls Cross Country Team had a tremendous season, taking home the NJISAA Prep A Championship and finishing 2nd at the Somerset County Championships. The team qualified for the Meet of Champions, where Olivia Murray ’24 set a personal record and vaulted Big Blue into a Top 10 overall finish in NJ.

Football had another competitive season, going 3–2 at home and making the playoffs for the second year in a row, with eight student-athletes named to the MIFL All-Conference First Team.

Boys Cross Country captured the NJISAA Prep A Championship and ran hard in the NJSIAA Championship Meet, placing 6th out of a competitive field of 21 teams.

Souayah ’25 and Isabelle Chen ’25 became the first back-to-back state doubles champions in the history of NJSIAA girls tennis. Pingry was named nj.com Team of the Year.

Boys Soccer never lost to a division opponent all season, winning the Skyland Conference Delaware Division outright and having eight student-athletes named to all-division teams as the Big Blue made another deep playoff run.

Girls Soccer showcased a pair of freshmen phenoms in Casey Phair ’26 and Maya Nuwayhid ’26, who combined for 45 goals and 19 assists, leading the team to a 12–6 record and an appearance in the NJSIAA state final.

LEFT: Girls Water Polo returned to Pingry this year and gave opponents from Pennsylvania more than they can handle, defeating Reading High School and Upper Perkiomen High School on back-to-back days. RIGHT: Coed Water Polo proved to be one of New Jersey’s most competitive programs, sweeping their season series against Blair Academy, St. Peter’s Prep, and St. Benedict’s Prep.

MIFL: Metropolitan Independent Football League

NJISAA: New Jersey Independent School Athletic Association

NJSIAA: New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association

ATHLETICS BIG BLUE HIGHLIGHTS: WINTER

Boys Squash compiled a 10–4 record with two 7–0 shutout victories over Delbarton.

Girls Ski Racing ended the season as the #2 team in New Jersey, with Camille Collins ’23 and Ella Tabish ’25 earning All-State First Team honors.

Girls Fencing enjoyed a solid season, with Zala Bhan ’23 going 16–2 for the foil squad, and Alexa Drovetsky ’23 and Sarah Gu ’24 dominating on épée.

Boys Fencing finished the year strong, winning three of their last four matches, including two close victories over North Hunterdon and Somerville and a dominant win against non-public rival Gill St. Bernard’s.

Boys Ski Racing had one of the best seasons in program history, ending as the #1 team in New Jersey. Cam Collins ’25 finished as the top boys ski racer in the state, and Parker Junger ’26 won the Race of Champions Giant Slalom event.

The Winter Track Team ran hard in 2022-23, with Graham Houghton ’25 breaking multiple school records and being named Outstanding Field Athlete of the Meet (by the Meet Director and officials) at the Bishop Loughlin Games. On the girls side, Leah Solomon ’26 won the NJSIAA Non-Public A Pole Vault State Championship.

Big Blue Coed Wrestling had a terrific post-season performance, clinching their first dual meet victory in the NJSIAA Sectional Tournament in 25 years by eliminating Newark Academy.

Girls Squash took 4th place at the Division 2 High School Squash Nationals and amassed a 10–5 record, with big wins against rivals The Hackley School and Phillips Exeter Academy.

Girls Basketball enjoyed a 16–11 record, including a midseason stretch when they went 9–1. Debra Hill ’25 was second in the conference in rebounds, averaging over 10 per game.

Roman Jones ’23 was named nj.com Boys Swimmer of the Year as he dominated every time he dove into the pool. His teammates weren’t too shabby, either, helping Big Blue put together a 7–3 record against the state’s top programs.

Big Blue Boys Basketball had another winning season, going 8–2 in the Skyland Conference Mountain Division and thriving on the road, with a 6–2 record in opponents’ gyms during the regular season.

Girls Swimming enjoyed a phenomenal season, winning the NJISAA Prep A Championship over Mount St. Mary Academy and advancing to the state final. The girls compiled an 8–1–2 record and ended the year ranked #6 in the state by nj.com.

Girls Ice Hockey had a season to remember, putting together a 10-game win streak that included defeating eight nj.com Top 5 opponents in the process. Charlotte Bush ’23 scored a hat trick in the NJSIAA tournament semifinal to help nj.com #2–ranked Big Blue advance to the state final—the first in program history—at the Prudential Center in Newark. Head Coach Alex Nanfara P’33, ’36 was named The Star-Ledger Coach of the Year.

Boys Ice Hockey showed they belonged with the best in the state during the postseason, winning the Skyland Cup Championship for the fourth time in as many tries, then upsetting nj.com #6 Bergen Catholic in the NJSIAA tournament. The boys were named Skyland Conference Team of the Year and Head Coach Scott Garrow earned Skyland Conference Coach of the Year honors.

ATHLETICS BIG BLUE HIGHLIGHTS: SPRING

Girls Spring Track and Field enjoyed sustained success all season, highlighted by a sensational 4x1600m team that qualified to compete at the Nike Nationals in June.

Boys Spring Track and Field had an exciting season, with Graham Houghton ’25 breaking multiple school records and the team capturing the Skyland Conference Valley Division Championship.

Softball got off to an impressive start in 2023, going 8–2 in their first 10 games. Ella Royster ’26 led the team with five home runs, and Casey McKeon ’25 struck out 123 batters.

Big Blue Girls Golf strung together eight straight wins to start the season, with Rayee Feng ’26 winning the individual Somerset County Championship in the process, recording a 4-under 68 to set a new tournament record. Rayee continued her sensational rookie year by winning the individual Skyland Conference Championship as well.

Boys

a 15–3 record, reaching an impressive nj.com #6 state ranking and capturing its first Bristol Bowl in 11 years with a dramatic victory over Westfield at home. The boys also won their second straight Somerset County Tournament and were named Skyland Conference Team of the Year.

Girls Lacrosse had one of the greatest seasons in program history, climbing to a mid-season nj.com #1 ranking, amassing a 13-game win streak, winning the Somerset County Tournament for the first time in program history, and advancing to the NJSIAA Non-Public A final. Bella Goodwin ’23 set school records in career goals, assists, and points despite missing her freshman season due to the pandemic. The girls’ unprecedented season ended with Bella Goodwin and Head Coach Carter Abbott being named Skyland Conference Player of the Year and Coach of the Year, respectively, as the squad earned Skyland Conference Team of the Year honors.

Big Blue Baseball went 7–1 in the Skyland Conference Valley Division, led by ace Jake Francis ’23, who notched 87 strikeouts from the mound while leading the team in hits and RBI.

It was another elite season for Boys Tennis who were ranked as high as #1 in the state while winning their first Bryan Bennett Memorial Tournament Championship, along with the NJISAA Prep A (two years in a row), Sectional, Conference, and County (three years in a row) titles. The boys ranked #1 in the conference and were named Skyland Conference Team of the Year.

Lacrosse enjoyed

Boys Golf enjoyed a solid campaign in which they defeated Montgomery in the season opener and swept their two matches versus division-rival Hillsborough.

Community and Culture, On and Off the Court

Pingry boasts a roster of coaches that is second to none, with several former state and national champions guiding our programs to success from Middle School through the varsity level. A few of these coaches have played sports professionally and know what it takes to compete on a global scale. Such is true for Boys’ Varsity Basketball Head Coach Jason Murdock, who spent six years playing professional basketball in Portugal, Poland, China, and South America, occasionally sharing the court with legendary NBA players such as Yao Ming and Manu Ginóbili, to name a couple. Before his international career, Coach Murdock was competing against even more future NBA Hall of Famers, like Allen Iverson and Ray Allen, during his time with Division 1 Providence College, who made a memorable run as an underdog to the Elite Eight in the 1997 Men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament. Pingry is fortunate to not only have Coach Murdock’s expertise as a basketball mind, but also as an athlete who navigated the recruiting process at all levels, which he applies to his role as Athletics Liaison in Pingry’s Enrollment Management Office. Coach Murdock recently spoke about how his 30-plus years of elite athletics experience influence his approach to both of his roles in the Pingry community.

Congrats on another great season! How did you get your start at Pingry?

This was year number 16 at Pingry. Goes by so quickly! Just thinking about my first year, I was an adjunct coach and fell in love with the community and the kids. You have to experience it to know what it’s like. I was just coming from playing professionally overseas and unfortunately had an injury. Then I was here as an assistant coach to my cousin, Eric Murdock, who played 10 years in the NBA. So, it was a big deal that he was the head coach and it was a turnaround season in one year with us. They won four games the previous season, and then under our tutelage, we won 18 games. Just from that standpoint, you not only fall in love with Pingry basketball, you find your purpose with the kids, and then you see what this community is like and you just want to be a part of it forever.

Do you have a favorite memory as Pingry’s basketball coach?

Mike Weber ’18 hitting a half-court shot to win the game. Drew Gagnon ’16 scoring his thousandth point on a putback dunk. Jeff Tannenbaum ’08 breaking the all-time scoring record held by Scott Aimetti ’89. New Jersey is top notch in basketball, and one of our first-round state playoff games was against Roselle Catholic and they had four future NBA players on that team. It was pretty cool that the boys got to play against the number-one point guard in the

country [in Isaiah Briscoe at Roselle Catholic in 2014].

Do you, as a basketball coach, have certain philosophies or any kind of coaching style that you really believe in? That has changed from year to year in basketball—probably since Steph Curry has taken off as a player, the game has changed. So, I was a defensive-minded coach, but now you have to score points. So, I had to open up a little bit, let the kids be as creative as possible, shoot the three more often. But I just want some competitive, hard-nosed kids who play for one another. The schemes come and go depending on the team, but the heart and soul of your team— the identity—is what matters most and it aligns with who we are as a community. I try to focus on that. I was part of a college team that went to the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament. During that process, we beat Duke, we beat Kansas, we beat Marquette. We were the 10 seed, but got to beat some of the top teams. And it was just having the mindset of just being fierce competitors and playing together that led to our success more than any scheme.

You touched upon your impressive playing career . . . when did your basketball journey begin?

Well, I come from a neighborhood, we call it Hobbstown. It’s a community in Bridgewater, New Jersey, and athletics was the culture, especially in my family tree. My great-grandmother had 18 kids; my grandmother had nine. In my family, everybody who competed in athletics would likely turn pro, whether it’d be basketball or football. They have played for the Patriots, Detroit Lions, Miami Heat, and we’ve had like 12 Division 1 athletes in the family. That’s how it got started. I was a young kid watching that, and that’s all I wanted to do as a kid. My relatives, especially my older cousins, won four state championships at Bridgewater High School during my fifth-grade through eighth-grade years. So, there was always pressure to compete. But I have a super-supportive family, super-supportive community, supportive teachers from Bridgewater. My coach, Vaughn Stapleton, was the “Miller Bugliari” of Bridgewater and made a huge impact on who I was as a player and person.

How do your family tree and time in Hobbstown influence the way you run the varsity basketball program at Pingry?

It’s all about community and culture. Like, I live for Hobbstown and started there. Then I went to Providence College, which is a small liberal arts Jesuit school where it was very close knit. It reminds me of Pingry in terms of connections, getting to know the full community, and being proud to represent it. Those are the

ingredients that I look for. The Pingry community is one of the most supportive teams that I’ve ever been a part of, and I’ve played on so many different teams. When you approach it from a community perspective, I think it focuses on the larger picture of planting seeds for each other, of helping someone have growth and development, and empowering them to be the people that they want to become. No matter what background you’re from, athletics brings teams together and brings fans together. It cultivates community and so through that, you find your passion, you find your purpose, and you learn to persevere because you have the support.

Let’s switch gears to your other role at Pingry, on the Enrollment Management team as the Athletics Liaison, leading the charge to try to sustain our athletics success and bring it to new heights. Talk about some of the things you are thinking about doing or already doing in admissions to boost athletics.

This is a new role that I’m really proud of, to build connections through coaches and those who apply to Pingry. We definitely want to identify athletes who could help our programs, but ultimately, it’s about providing the best possible experience for the students and giving them the tools to shape that experience in whatever way they find most productive, enjoyable, rewarding. So, whether we’re trying to guide them through the admissions process in the beginning, or seeing them graduate and helping them in their post-Pingry chapter . . . to take that full circle, it’s always about building community and creating opportunities.

What’s the prototype of a Pingry student-athlete? What are you looking for when you're evaluating an admissions candidate with an athletics background?

I have to give a shout-out to my admissions colleagues, because it’s not just my role to make the decisions. We all look at different things, but ultimately, we as a school want students who demonstrate that they want to be contributors in many different ways. At Pingry, there’s the “and” factor. You’re not just one thing. You’re something here and something there. So, we look for students who are going to be great students who have great character and are self-motivated to contribute to the community. Of course, we are looking for those who are going to be game changers, to build up our programs, but more importantly those who are going to represent our school in a positive way where they align with our mission and culture.

Most athletes can only dream of reaching as big of a stage as you have . . . we have to ask, “What is your top sports moment as an athlete?”

There’s so many, quite honestly . . . but I have to go with hitting the winning free throws with one second on the clock at Madison Square Garden to beat Syracuse in the Big East semifinals. We beat Duke, we went one game from the Final Four, I went to the Big East Championship. But honestly, it was at that free-throw line to win the game against Syracuse because I was at the Garden, so I’m back home in front of all of my family and friends from Hobbstown.

Jason Murdock coaching the Boys' Varsity Basketball Team during the 2022-23 season

Learning the Illusion of Stage Combat

“It’s fun, challenging, a great physical skill, and it relates to acting!” says J. Allen Suddeth about fight directing, which he has loved—and loved teaching—ever since he took it as a college class. This fall, as part of the Drama Department’s Guest Artist Presenting Series, Mr. Suddeth brought his expertise to Pingry to lead a workshop in stage combat during rehearsals for the Upper School Fall Play, Ken Ludwig’s Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood.

The goal of this series, says Head of Technical Theater and Design Joseph Napolitano, is “to bring in theater practitioners at the top of their fields, and it elevates our program.” Mr. Suddeth is ranked as a Fight Master by the United States Society of American Fight Directors, and is Life Member of the British Academy of Dramatic Combat. His credits as a fight director include numerous Broadway shows and television programs, and he is an educator and author. How does he approach working on a show? Reading the script several times; speaking with the design team; examining set designs, costuming, footwear, and lighting; and in rehearsals, watching the actors and then “I illuminate their interpretations through movement.”

His Pingry workshop introduced students to contemporary stage combat and safety—safety being the primary aspect. “Stage violence is an illusion, so I am teaching illusions that are based in reality,” Mr. Suddeth explains, referring to safety aspects such as distance between people, targeting (a reliable point where the attack will be directed), rehearsal, repetition, and trust in one’s fellow performer. Students also learned the importance of establishing eye contact and practicing the movements at slower speeds.

Scenes from the Upper School Fall Play, Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood

Fight Director J. Allen Suddeth leading a stage combat workshop for students in the Upper School Fall Play

CAST + Drama Cast = (Spring) Awakening

Five years ago, the Drama Department considered staging Duncan Sheik’s award-winning rock musical Spring Awakening, but decided that it contains “too much” controversial content, in the words of Upper School Drama Teacher and Winter Musical Director Alan Van Antwerp. In its place, the department chose Rent, which also has tough subject matter but is considered more mainstream.

Five years later, the situations at Pingry and in the world had changed, so this challenging coming-of-age story was considered again, had administrative support, and was staged. “This year’s senior class had not done a rock show,” Mr. Van Antwerp says, “but more importantly, students had some internalized angst from the pandemic—they felt they weren’t being heard or listened to—and Spring Awakening deals with the consequences of not listening to kids, not hearing them, and silencing their voices. Our past serious shows like Rent and Cabaret can feel abstract to students because they involve adults, but Spring Awakening is set with teenagers dealing with teenage issues, so it feels different, present, and tangible.”

Besides having already staged a controversial production, what else had changed at Pingry that made the Drama Department feel strongly about presenting it now? The resource of a relatively new department that supports well-being and mental health at Pingry, CAST (Counseling and Academic Support Team). “With the heavy topics in the show, it made perfect sense to involve CAST,” Mr. Van Antwerp says. Specifically, Middle and Upper School Counselor Leah Charles supported the cast and crew through rehearsals and performances, and CAST was present at each performance. Ms. Charles’ collaboration with the Drama Department was fairly unique, according to Co-Director of CAST Dr. Julie O’Rourke, because it was more integrated and more structured than in the past, when CAST members were available in the audience to support drama students.

“The cast had check-ins with me, and I wanted to understand how a scene could be more comfortable. Just being backstage with them if they needed a moment with me during a show was really helpful to them,” Ms. Charles says.

When asked for an example of how the production benefited from Ms. Charles’ involvement, she and Mr. Van Antwerp agree on the same one: a consistent topic during talkbacks with audiences was that Ms. Charles gave the students confidence to talk to their parents about serious topics, such as suicide. For her part, Dr. O’Rourke says that students talking about tough topics “brought tears to my eyes. They showed how important it is to talk about suicide because nobody talks about it.” Even outside of the musical’s cast, Mr. Van Antwerp says that students in the audience were grateful to see a show “that resonated with them.”

Alan Van Antwerp is one of three drama teachers who received the 2023 Outstanding Educator Award from Paper Mill Playhouse’s Rising Star Awards, recognizing his work on the Winter Musical. The Rising Star Awards were created in 1996 to encourage and reward exceptional accomplishments in the production of New Jersey high school musicals.

LEFT: The Lower School Winter Musical, The Grunch (a new children’s musical by Denver Casado and Betina Hershey, inspired by The Grinch Who Stole Christmas)

RIGHT: The Middle School Musical, Elizabeth Swados’ Alice in Concert (an adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass)

The Upper School Winter Musical, Spring Awakening

“Superior” Experience for Balladeers and Buttondowns

These two groups perform separately or together at Pingry, but for a spring trip to Florida, they were one group, the 38-member Pingry Glee Club, singing in the Festival Disney competition at Disney World—and they were “Superior!”

Since the mid-2010s, the Music Department has taken these ensembles to an event that involves competition with adjudication—twice before to Festival Disney, and once to Music in the Parks at Hershey Park. At Festival Disney, students have more time to sing for the competition, plus an adjudicator leads a personalized workshop with the group after the competition performances, so “we like to alternate Festival Disney with an event closer to home,” says Dr. Andrew Moore, Music Department Chair and Director of the Buttondowns.

Festival Disney is open to middle and high school concert choirs, orchestras, and concert bands, and Pingry competed in the high school “Mixed Choir” category with five other choirs.* This year, Pingry achieved the festival’s highest rating of “Superior” and Sejal Patel ’23 was awarded “Outstanding Vocal Soloist”—the first individual honor since Pingry began competing at these events. *This category has four classifications that are based on school enrollment; overall, 18 choirs competed.

The Buttondowns and Balladeers performing at the Lower School Music Demonstration in October

Sejal Patel ’23 accepting her award for “Outstanding Vocal Soloist”

Pingry’s singers benefited from their workshop with Dr. Craig Zamer, Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at Tennessee Tech University.

“It’s beneficial for the students to hear other people’s perspectives and feedback,” Dr. Moore says. Music Teacher Jay Winston, Director of the Balladeers, adds: “When you have an outside person giving our students similar feedback to what we give them, it reinforces the things that we’re asking from them.” Because schools have an allotted time to warm up, sing, and receive feedback, Pingry chose to use less time to warm up so they could have more time for feedback.

Twelve Middle School students participated in the CJMEA (Central Jersey Music Educators Association) Honors Choir for elementary and intermediate students in May. Three other students— Ava Maloney ’27, Saanvi Nacha ’29, and Avni Valliappan ’29—also auditioned for and were accepted to the CJMEA Middle School Region Honors Chorus, which performed earlier in the spring.

ON THE ARTS VISUAL ARTS

A Photo Doesn’t Need to Be Flat . . .

What can a photo be? Students in Photo I tackled this question for the project Photography as Sculpture, recently exhibited on the Basking Ridge Campus. “The objective is to think beyond the idea of a photo as only a flat, paper object,” says Upper School Visual Arts Teacher Nan Ring. For the assignment, students could either create a sculpture made from photographs or create an original sculpture to address a theme or message and then take photos of the sculpture and display those images as a series. “Students learned what makes an art photo as opposed to a photo used for commercial or social media purposes, and this project is the culmination of that study.” Enjoy this sampling of the students’ artistic endeavors, accompanied by excerpts from their artist statements. Ms. Ring has adapted this assignment that was originally created by Visual Arts Department Chair Miles Boyd for Photo I.

Isabelle Chen ’23 made this sculpture from trash that she found in her community. “In a way, I tried to glorify my sculpture to highlight the beauty in ordinary objects and the humor that can be found in life . . . I hope people who view my photos see the thought that I put into each picture and are reminded to appreciate ordinary objects that we encounter in our everyday lives. There is beauty in everything, and I tried to accentuate the overlooked beauty of garbage . . . I decided to take pictures of my sculpture in different settings that wouldn’t be a conventional place to see trash. For example, among other ceramic sculptures or on top of someone’s head.”

Nick Henry ’25 created this abstract sculpture using his “old, discarded prints . . . I think of it as a ‘modern art’ colosseum with walls made of photos like those in a castle tower. The different photos stacked inside and on top of each other create an interesting grid-like geometric dy namic. I used multiple replicas of the same three or five prints to create the entire sculpture . . . in the context of this project, their imperfections hold an abstract significance . . . I think there’s beauty in overexposed or oversaturated photos in a sculpture . . . I want the viewer to see the meaning of this structure as expressing a state of decay and toxicity.”

ENyla Goodwin ’25 used her pictures to make a puzzle. “Even pictures of different subjects can come together and be pieced together to find its beauty. Beauty is complicated, but we can use my sculpture to accentuate the theme of using these pictures to come to a central idea. Also, the black-and-white aspect of these pictures shows that, even though they are opposite, they can come together to show the beauty in darkness and in

DSofia Wood ’23 crunched pink tissue paper and photographed it on a white tablecloth—then, to add another layer, she held up plastic at different distances from the lens. A prominent theme is “layers and playing with the concept of transparency. I like this concept because I think it’s poetic how the way an object is perceived sometimes depends more on the perspective of the viewer rather than what the object is itself. I think this is a statement about how we bring our perspective and layers of bias into our perception of the world around us.”

EXienna Still ’25 explored “the tension between reality and the imaginary”—between the physical world and the photo’s world—by combining her original photo with 3D objects from the photo. “While the picture is 2D, the box is 3D and so are the objects inside and around it . . . I created this sculpture because I wanted to make something visibly colorful and almost confusing the viewer.”

Naples Reception, hosted by Douglas Bookbinder ’98 and his wife, Elizabeth

Vero Beach Reception, hosted by Sue and Charlie Thomas P’88, ’90, ’92

San Francisco Reception

Los Angeles Reception, hosted by Joe Lucas ’91

Boston Reception

Washington, DC Reception, hosted by Dr. Randy Lizardo ’95

Palm Beach Reception

PINGRY IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

College Dinners for Young Alumni

Princeton

Are you interested in having a Pingry get-together at your school? Contact Meghan Paizis, Next Generation Annual Giving and Community Engagement Associate, at mpaizis@pingry.org to get the planning started! Past schools we have visited are: Johns Hopkins University, Howard University, Georgetown University, Yale University, Northeastern University, Harvard University, Boston University, Wellesley College, Tufts University, Babson College, Boston College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Southern California, Brown University, Princeton University, Columbia University, Barnard College, New York University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Boston New York City

Providence

Yale University

Back-from-College Luncheon

Our annual Back-from-College Luncheon is an opportunity to welcome back Pingry alumni currently in college to the Basking Ridge Campus to see their fellow peers and former teachers. Classes of 2020–2023, save the date of Thursday, December 21, 2023 from 12:00–2:00 p.m. for this event! Contact Meghan Paizis, Next Generation Annual Giving and Community Engagement Associate, at mpaizis@pingry.org with any questions. We look forward to seeing you back on campus!

Watch for details about these events in 2023–24

Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony: Friday, September 29, 7:00 p.m.

Homecoming: Saturday, September 30

Young Alumni Happy Hour: Thursday, October 12, 7:00 p.m.

Friday Night Lights and Football Alumni Gathering: Friday, October 20

John A. Magadini Alumni Ice Hockey Game: Friday, November 24

Alumni Squash: Friday, November 24

New York City Regional Reception: Friday, December 1

Back-from-College Luncheon: Thursday, December 21, 12:00 p.m.

Alumni Basketball: Friday, December 22

Career Day: Friday, February 9

For more information or to register, please visit pingry.org/alumni.

CAREER DAY

Chef Andrew Gruel ’98 and the Art of Leaning In

Sometimes, the most assured path to success is the least direct one

by Sara Courtney

Andrew Gruel ’98 was not supposed to be here. Standing onstage in Hauser Auditorium, staring out at the sea of earnest faces waiting to hear what the chef quipped was his “recipe for success”, he was, perhaps, an unlikely choice.

Everything about Mr. Gruel was unexpected. Unlike many chefs who regale their audiences with tales of watching their grandma cook, inspiring them to a life in the kitchen, Mr. Gruel admits he grew up as part of the microwave generation. He told the students he once sat in their seats, eagerly listening to the Career Day Keynote Speaker himself, impatiently waiting to hear the exact steps necessary to find success. There was a nice neat path to accolades, he figured, and he was going to travel it, assured that, at the end, he would bask in the knowledge he had been the best—the best runner, the best at getting good grades, the best on the Dean’s List. He was a Pingry student, after all, and the way forward seemed like a straight line to prosperity.

Except, that’s not what happened.

“The path of the Pingry student follows a specific path in many circumstances,” he told the students, “and, in other circumstances, it doesn’t.”

So it was for Andrew Gruel.

SOMEWHERE BETWEEN GRADUATING FROM PINGRY and hitchhiking his way across America as a college dropout, he stepped off the “right” path and out into the great unknown. And what he found when he measured success was that it could only be achieved by leaning in to what made him happy.

Mr. Gruel has had a notable career. He is an innovative food entrepreneur and television personality, the founder of the award-winning Slapfish Restaurant Group, as well as the CEO and Founder of American Gravy Restaurant Group, which comprises Calico Fish House, Big Parm Pizza, Two Birds Chicken, Butterleaf, Lolo’s Tacos, and 101 Burger. He has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Men’s Health, Food & Wine magazine, and USA Today. He has appeared on CNN, The TODAY Show, FOX News, NBC Nightly News, PBS, the Food Network, and more.

After leaving Pingry, Mr. Gruel attended Bates College, where he ran cross country. “All I wanted to do when I got there was just be number one at everything—Dean’s List, you name it.” He had a job working in a restaurant kitchen, just as he had done in high school, and he dove into his studies, dedicating himself to striving, excelling, and achieving. Yet, all the while, he felt a lingering dissatisfaction. “I thought I was supposed to know what I wanted to do,” he said, “but I didn’t, and it created a ton of pressure.” He struggled constantly with the need to be perfect. He couldn’t quite reconcile that pressure with the sheer joy and fun he was having working in kitchens. After two years at Bates, Mr. Gruel did the previously unthinkable: he dropped out.

For the first time in his professional life, he was honest with himself. He loved working in kitchens. He wanted to be a chef. He wanted it more than the Dean’s List, more than all the certainty of walking the right path. So, he hitchhiked his way out West, getting

mugged along the way in a Chicago bus station, until he arrived at the Grand Teton Lodge in Jackson, Wyoming, where he had a short-term kitchen job. He told himself he would figure it out along the way.

And that’s exactly what he did. After leaving the Grand Teton Lodge, he did an apprenticeship at a hotel in Mt. Hood. “An apprenticeship is basically when you work under a European chef who yells at you all day long and tries to throw hot things at you,” he explained. He loved it. One day, the chef at the hotel held a Christmas party for the executives. They had nobody to play the piano so Mr. Gruel, who had studied piano at Pingry, knowing he would never make a music career out of it but simply because it made him happy, volunteered to play. Two weeks later, he was promoted from the apprenticeship program to an executive sous chef position.

Eventually, Mr. Gruel went back to school and graduated from Johnson & Wales University. He made his way to California where he opened a food truck called Slapfish (“fish so fresh it’ll slap you”) and fielded calls from his worried sister (Lauren Gruel Diemar ’96, P’24) who asked him nervously, “Mom said you’re gonna be a trucker?” This was 2010 and food trucks were not yet a ubiquitous presence on street corners. Mr. Gruel was at the forefront of an innovative concept.

The long hours and dedication paid off. He soon opened multiple food trucks, followed by a brick-and-mortar restaurant. When the pandemic struck and the restaurant industry was decimated, Mr. Gruel kept his businesses afloat by raising funds for out-of-work restaurant employees and cooking meals for those in need. He became a leading voice in the industry, and he and his wife, Lauren Gruel, were named “Pandemic Heroes” by Restaurant Business magazine.

Head of School Tim Lear and Andrew Gruel ’98

“Ask yourself, what makes you happy?”

Now Mr. Gruel credits much of his success with the values he learned at Pingry, specifically perseverance, empathy, humor, and honesty. He wants the students to understand the importance of taking risks, even if it means stepping off whatever path they feel they should be on. “I can assure you, being uncomfortable is a really good thing,” he emphasized. “Lean into yourself internally and ask yourself, what makes you happy?” For Andrew Gruel, his journey from a Pingry student taking notes on Career Day to becoming Keynote Speaker was an unexpected one, but he wouldn’t change a thing. He wants today’s ambitious students to truly understand what makes them happy, and, in all the discomfort that understanding brings, step out into the great unknown.

Thank You, Career Day Speakers!

ARCHITECTURE

Benjamin Rosenthal ’05

Catherine Yatrakis ’96

Brian Hirsch ’97

ENGINEERING

Dr. Dean Christakos ’92

Eric Klawitter ’14

Emma Engel ’15

Charles Papandreou ’17

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Andrew Gruel ’98 (Keynote Speaker)

Evan Shore ’02

Ali Clarke ’04

FINANCE

Barbara Coffey ’82

Douglas Bookbinder ’98

Laura Hunt ’98

Lauren Tanenbaum ’05

Briehan Burke ’09

Christina Daquila ’09

Cara Hayes ’13

Abhiram Karuppur ’15

LAW

Hon. William G. Mennen, J.S.C. ’85

Kate Goldstein Legge ’97

Shermona Mapp Akotia ’99

Marcella B. Marucci, Esq. ’00

Jamil McClintock ’04

Sam Adriance ’07

Amy Gopinathan ’10

Colleen Roberts ’11

MANAGEMENT CONSULTING & PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Christin (Gianis) Willis ’03

Genevieve (Haverstick) Fraser ’07

Erin Butrico ’14

MARKETING & ADVERTISING

Maynard Pond ’09

Madeline Higgins ’12

Katherine Thomas ’13

Elana Drell-Szyfer ’87

MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS

Ted Smith ’00

Myles Ezra Bristow ’10

Roxanne Feitel ’12

Nicole Blum ’13

MEDICINE

Dr. Ian Alexander ’72

Dr. Marc S. Feldstein ’82

Dr. Darren Blumberg ’88

Dr. David Salz ’03

Dr. Blake Vessa ’10

Dr. Connor McLaughlin ’12

NON-PROFIT & EDUCATION

Michelle Jarney Jacobs ’89

Graham Macmillan ’93

Shelby Bartlett ’08

Annelise Kinney ’15

PERFORMING ARTS

Andrew Horowitz ’01

Dana Zolli ’03

Dr. Ashley Jackson ’04

Rachel Davis ’14

PSYCHOLOGY

Dr. Angelica M. Diaz-Martinez ’88

Steven Gold ’95

Jessica Foy ’16

PUBLIC SERVICE

Christopher Shahidi ’94

Capt. David Baird ’92

Lowell Schiller ’99

SCIENCE

Dr. Mike Nitabach ’84

Dr. Adam Schayowitz ’99

Emery Sorvino ’15

TECHNOLOGY

Julie (Johnson) Roberts ’05

Harrison Yu ’11

Ashley Acosta ’08

VISUAL ARTS

Joanne Steinhardt ’84

Dr. Sara (Braunstein) Weintraub ’95

Liz (Wight) Seigel ’03

Read about many of these alumni in Class Notes!

If you are interested in speaking at Career Day, or would like to suggest someone, please contact Assistant Director of Development, Alumni Engagement Taylor Pennell at tpennell@pingry.org or 908-647-5555, ext. 1223.

Andrew Gruel ’98 and Jethro Naude, owners of Slapfish, pictured around 2012

Top: At the 50-Year Club Luncheon, members of the Class of 1973 looking at yearbook photos from their senior year. Middle: Sarah LaValley Guettinger ’88, Margie Shim Perra ’88, Dr. Jen Guss ’88, Shari Solomon Cedar ’88, Elisa Della Pello ’88, P’22, ’28, Emmy Rollenhagen Hamilton ’88, Jody Goldberg Seibert ’88, Dr. Alison DeGennaro Gattuso ’88, Karri Norris ’88, Erin Mollozzi Marriott ’88, and Kate Hammond-Holdsworth ’88.

Bottom: Former English Teacher and administrator Peter Cowen ’66, former English Teacher and administrator Kevin Rooney P’94, and former Chair of the Language Department Steve Feder

Vicki King was Pingry’s first female student, taking classes in the fall of 1972, and is pictured in the 1973 Blue Book.

2023 Nelson L. Carr ’24 Service Award

Genesia Perlmutter Kamen ’79, P’11, ’13 is the recipient of this year’s award for faithful and dedicated service in support of Pingry. She was a Pingry trustee from 2011–2017 (serving on three committees and the Community Task Force) and spent 14 years as a board member of the Pingry Alumni Association. She has also volunteered for The Pingry Fund and Reunion and served on the 150th Anniversary Gala Committee. In addition, Ms. Kamen is a member of the C. B. Newton Society, True Blue Society, and 1861 Leadership Society.

Top, from left: Jim Hall, Jr. ’68 and Bart English ’68; Alumni visiting the classroom of Physics Teacher Bill Bourne P’08

Bottom, from left: Bruce Merrifield ’68, Jennifer Zoephel ’03, and John Blair ’68 in an art studio in the Hostetter Arts Center; Greg Koziol ’13, Jon Steinhart ’73, and Rachel Naar ’08

>> pingry.org/alumni: View more photos from Reunion

REUNION

This page

Top, from left: Class of 1963; Class of 1968 at the Hillside Campus Middle: Class of 1973 at the 50-Year Club Luncheon Bottom: Marshall McLean ’98, Middle School History Teacher and Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse Head Coach Mike Webster P’24, ’27, ’27, Kevin Schmidt ’98, and Andrew Leonard ’98

Opposite page

Top: Class of 1978 Middle: Class of 1983

Bottom: Class of 1988

>> pingry.org/alumni: View more photos from Reunion

REUNION

>> pingry.org/alumni: View more photos from Reunion

Opposite page

Top: Class of 1993

Middle: Class of 1998

Bottom, from left: Jim Gibby ’73, Elizabeth Bugliari P’86, ’90, ’97, GP’20, ’24, and Frank Slugaski, Jr. ’73; Dr. Henry Pitt ’63, GP’26 and Gary Baum ’63; Jabbar Abdi P’23, ’26, Hanah Abdi ’26, and Ann Meyer Abdi ’89, P’23, ’26

This page

Top, from left: Class of 2018; Class of 2013

Middle: Class of 2008

Bottom: Michele Cestone '83, Dr. Mark McLaughlin '83, Dr. Debbie Spey '83, Jon Dressner '83, Buffy Cave '83, and Dr. Dan Slater '83 SAVE

Classes: 4s and 9s

Visit

PINGRY CREATES

GIL BARNO ’71 (writing as Peter Gilbertson) has published his first book, The Gilded Frame, a “mystery in history” set in New Jersey’s Somerset Hills over a century ago (he grew up in the area and later came to appreciate its history). He chose to write the story in the form of historical fiction “as a way for readers to learn history.” It is set, specifically, in the Bernardsville Mountain Colony where, according to a description of the book, “wealthy, famous, and powerful New Yorkers established country estates around the turn of the twentieth century. The story opens at a 1985 dinner party with Jackie Onassis, then reaches back in time to 1912 and a mysterious death.”

DANI SHAPIRO ’80 has written her newest novel, Signal Fires (Knopf), about how lives in a neighborhood change after a car accident in 1985. From her website: “Division Street is full of secrets. An impulsive lie begets a secret—one which will forever haunt the Wilf family. And the Shenkmans, who move into the neighborhood many years later, bring secrets of their own. Spanning fifty kaleidoscopic years, on a street—and in a galaxy—where stars collapse and stories collide, these two families become bound in ways they never could have imagined.” Signal Fires is a national bestseller and was named a best book of the year by TIME, The Washington Post, and NPR.

KATHY APRUZZESE SHERBROOKE ’85 has written a new novel, The Hidden Life of Aster Kelly (Pegasus Books). From a press release: “Hollywood and Broadway take center stage in this evocative and immersive story of a 1940s runway model who makes a decision to protect those she loves, and her daughter who confronts the repercussions of her mother’s secrets decades later.” Ms. Sherbrooke says this novel was inspired by her mother’s time as a model in Hollywood in the 1940s—her mother refused to talk about that time in her life, so Ms. Sherbrooke used her plot to explore the burden of secrets.

SANVI JAIN ’29, who attended the Lower School and was inspired by the writing program, coauthored the novel The Tech Superheroes (BookBaby).

Inspirations included Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Lab Rats, and Incredibles 2.

PHOTO: CHISOLM STUDIOS, GRANVILLE, OH

DR. MATTHEW SPEISER ’97 has written Sons of Liberty (Black Rose Writing), his debut novel in the form of historical fiction. He has been writing since he was a Pingry student; after finishing his doctorate in History, he applied some of the lessons about long-form writing to “creative endeavors.” Why historical fiction for this book? “As long as I can remember, I’ve adored reading historical fiction . . . writing historical fiction is a wonderful path for conjuring up a form of time travel—achieving an imagined version of the past, to be sure, but one that can be properly grounded in research and detail and, therefore, can approximate an actual window into bygone moments.”

The plot was inspired by Dr. Speiser’s conversations with friends and family about how American history can fit into the lifespans of three individual Americans. “From there, I started imagining connections that could, in fact, link three such lives—familial, generational, cultural, geographic. The novel’s three protagonists emerged: Ulysses, Sam, and Alvin—an 18th-century abolitionist who buries treasure and aims for war; a 19th-century hustler who discovers it and builds an empire; and a 20th-century FBI agent who uncovers the truth and must decide whom to help and whom to destroy.”

The newest novel by LAURIE MORRISON FABIUS ’99 is Coming Up Short (Harry N. Abrams). “I was eager to write another sportscentered story after I saw how many readers connected with my earlier novel, Up for Air, which featured swimming,” she says. “There seemed to be a real need in the middle-grade market for sports stories starring female main characters.” Mrs. Fabius chose to write about softball because of her years playing the sport and because “there’s such a clear focus on the individual, and there can be so much pressure on an individual fielder (or batter or pitcher). I was interested in exploring the ways in which that pressure can impact a young teen.” She points out that the novel is also a summer adventure story.

Award-winning journalist, editor, writing coach, and author LAURA ZINN FROMM ’82, author of Sweet Survival: Tales of Cooking & Coping, participated in a virtual event in March, hosted by Pingry’s Alumnae Committee. In the book, which is both a memoir and a cookbook, she interweaves essays about some of the happy, sad, and unexpected events of her life with recipes for the food that capture the emotions of the moment.

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

Pingry has been gifting alumni who are celebrating milestone birthdays (80, 85, 90, and more) with a signed letter from Head of School Tim Lear and a Pingry mug, asking them to share photos of themselves with their mug for publication. From left: Longtime friends Dr. Bill Burks ‘51 and Frank Mountcastle ‘51 shared a toast to their 90th birthdays with their Pingry mugs; Bob Burks ’56 with a Pingry mug to celebrate his 85th birthday; John Green ’60 with a Pingry mug to celebrate his 80th birthday; Dr. John Rush ’60 with a Pingry mug to celebrate his 80th birthday.

1958

DR. JIM SMITH , attended Pingry’s Dr. Robert H. LeBow ’58 Memorial Oratorical Competition in March, as he has done for many years, to honor his classmate. In his remarks to the students, he described his classmate as “always likeable, always unpretentious.” Even though Bob went to Johns Hopkins Medical School, Jim said, “There was always something very central in Bob’s values that led him to use his considerable skills to help those people who were most in need” instead of, for example, opening a private medical practice. Health care became Bob’s passion, “increasing medical care for everyone.”

1959

DAVID GELBER visited Pingry in January to deliver the John Hanly Lecture on Ethics and Morality. Read more on page 5.

1961

DAVE ROGERS writes, “On May 6, the family and friends of Robert Popper ’61 (1943–2021) and of his wife, Linda (1947–2023), gathered to remember and celebrate their lives with us all.

The Pingry Review is planning a feature story about alumni in film and television, so if you work in these fields, please contact Greg Waxberg ’96 at gwaxberg@pingry.org or 908-647-5555, ext. 1296 to make sure that Pingry has your current job and contact information.

Dr. Jim Smith ’58 with the six finalists at the Dr. Robert H. LeBow ’58 Memorial Oratorical Competition in March. FRONT ROW: Upper School Latin Teacher Judy Lebowitz, Ananya Sanyal ’24, Delaney Swain ’24, and Sriya Tallapragada ’25. BACK ROW: Alex Wong ’25, Sebastian Salvatore ’24, Ella Wunderlich ’25, and Dr. Jim Smith ’58.

Their three children hosted a grand luncheon in their home town of Mountain Lakes, NJ. Pingry was represented by Liz and Miller Bugliari ’52, Carl Haines ’60, Peter and Annetta Benedict ’61, Terry and Barbara Montgomery ’61, Joe Caruso ’61, and Nancy Priest and Dave Rogers ’61. Reminiscences flowed.”

1963

DR. JEFFREY FAST, who worked at Belmont Hill School for 35 years as an English teacher, English Department Head (1988–2009), and Director of Curriculum (1990–2002), has retired after 51 years of teaching and being an administrator in independent schools. Reflecting on teachers’ potential to shape lives, he has written, “One morning, when I was a high school senior, the class was discussing Maxwell Anderson’s Winterset. My Senior English teacher was Dr. Herbert Hahn, an ancient fellow who wore wire-rimmed spectacles and spoke in a monotone.

While I can no longer remember exactly what I said, it was something about the psychological interaction between two of the characters. Immediately after I spoke, Dr. Hahn responded by saying––for all to hear: ‘I like you!’ This was not the response of a pedophile; it was, of course, coded language to identify and mark––for both my peers and for me––something insightful. I felt enormously rewarded. That became my point of reference—the benchmark that I have always tried to replicate in dealing

with literature ever since. That was 60-odd years ago. Dr. Hahn never knew that those three words catapulted me––to a Ph.D. and a career as an English teacher! Teachers have tremendous power––and an awesome responsibility––to instill confidence, to set directions, to teach perspective, and to share intellectual passions. The best teaching and learning often comes at unexpected moments. Our best experiences as learners should continually inform us as teachers. I believe this to be the case, both here, at Belmont Hill School, and at Pingry.”

1966

JON CUMPTON and BOB GIBSON have been friends since they met in Form II in 1962. They make it a habit to attend each other’s “significant” birthdays. Jon had to miss Bob’s 75th, but made a point of visiting Bob and his wife, Barbara, near that date at their home in Naples, Florida.

1968

STEVE LIEBERMAN writes, “Hannah and I now split our time between our house on Lake Washington in Seattle, where our son (Joshua), daughter-in-law (Nicole), Zeke, and Naomi live, and our condo in Charlottesville, where our daughter (Michaela), son-in-law (Ben), and Millie live. I’m semi-retired, with appointments as non-resident fellows at Brookings (economics and health policy) and University of Southern

California (health policy), as well as continuing some health policy consulting. Hannah retired at the end of 2020 from a long career as a public interest lawyer (after being a partner at a major law firm). Josh (MD/PhD pathologist) and Nicole (PhD Virologist) are on the Un of WA Med school faculty; Ben (hospitalist) is on the Un of VA Med school faculty, and Michaela is a public interest lawyer and adjunct faculty at the Un of VA law and public health schools. We enjoy spending time with and being near our kids and grandkids. Perhaps the only positive of the COVID-19 pandemic (beyond contributing to Trump’s defeat) is that we spent much more time with our kids/grandkids since we chose to be in each other’s ‘inside bubbles.’ We look forward to traveling more, pandemic willing.”

1969

DOUG GOODKIN writes, “After 45 years as the music teacher at The San Francisco School, I retired in 2020, sadly teaching my last three months of classes online. A school parent had been making a film about my last year that is now finished and, to date (January ’23), has been accepted to six film festivals worldwide. All information can be found at thesecretsongfilm.com. Meanwhile, ‘retirement’ means continuing to teach courses in Orff Schulwerk music education worldwide (most recently in Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Turkey, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Ghana), continuing to write and publish books, biking in Italy, and enjoying my two grandchildren.”

Bob Gibson ’66 and Jon Cumpton ’66

Pete Benedict ’61, Joe, Caruso ’61, Dave Rogers ’61, Terry Montgomery ’61, Miller Bugliari ’52, P’86, ’90, ’97, GP’20, ’24, and Carl Haines ’60 at the memorial service for Bob Popper ’61

CLASS NOTES

MARK ZASHIN spoke with Dr. Henry Kissinger, former U.S. Secretary of State and former National Security Advisor, at a luncheon in honor of his 100th birthday in May.

1979

MICHAEL BRODER, Co-Founder and President of Crosstimbers Capital Group, will serve on the 2023-24 Board of Trustees for the Dallas-based nonprofit The Concilio, whose mission is to “build stronger communities by unlocking opportunities for Latino families.”

1980

From Blue to Green: sighted at their 50th Dartmouth Reunion, Claus Hamann '69 and Dr. Tom Gianis '69 look forward to seeing fellow Pingry classmates at our safe-at-any-speed 55th Reunion next May. Brace yourselves for some serious outreach!

DANI SHAPIRO has written a new novel. Read more on page 62.

SUSAN QUINN is Library Director of Ocean County Library, which was selected as a finalist (out of 30 institutions) for the 2023 National Medal for Museum and Library Service—the nation’s highest honor given to museums and libraries that demonstrate significant impact in their communities. Read more on page 28.

1982

BARBARA COFFEY was a member of the Finance panel at Career Day. She is the Finance Research Librarian at Princeton University. Previously, she worked as an equity research analyst for nearly 20 years, with a focus on technology.

CLAUS HAMANN has been visiting Pingry to collaborate with students on gardening. Read more on page 6.

1971

GIL BARNO has published his first book. Read more on page 62.

1972

DR. JOSEPH COSTABILE writes, “I was recently appointed Chairman of the Department of Surgery at Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital. I was retired from the Navy Medical Corps in May 2022 after serving for 28 years. I

am proud and honored to have served our great nation and represented Pingry, Ohio Wesleyan, Rutgers medical school, and the medical profession.” He applied for the position when the previous Chair retired.

DR. IAN ALEXANDER was a member of the Medicine panel at Career Day. He is employed by TeamHealth as Director of Orthopedic Trauma at Genesis Hospital in Zanesville, OH. In 2019, he retired as a full professor in the Orthopedic Department at The Ohio State University.

1975

DAVID ALLAN writes, “I have taken advantage of the pandemic work-at-home option to relocate from Michigan to Tucson, AZ.”

DR. MARC S. FELDSTEIN was a member of the Medicine panel at Career Day. He is an Attending Physician at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and an Associate Professor of Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

1983

DAVE BUCKWALD writes, “I hope everyone and their families are doing amazing. Can’t believe how time flies as high school seems like just a few years ago. Looked like a great night and a lot of fun. Wishing you all the best.”

1984

THE REV. DR. DAVID DESILVA, Trustees’ Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Greek at Ashland Theological Seminary

Mark Zashin ’75 and Dr. Henry Kissinger

Head of School Tim Lear and Barbara Coffey ’82

Dr. Ian Alexander ’72

Pingry was out in force at the Drama Book Shop in New York City to support Kathy Apruzzese Sherbrooke ’85 while on book tour for her latest novel, The Hidden Life of Aster Kelly, including Edie McLaughlin Nussbaumer ’84 and classmates Pam Ostroff Intrater ’85, Robin Feman Trynin ’85, Charity Handler Lefferts ’85, Julie Dressner ’85, and Janine Tramontana ’85. Also on hand (back row, second photo) were John Apruzzese ’76, P’06, ’08 and Dana Apruzzese Pierce ’06. Read about the book on page 62.

(a graduate division of Ashland University), was included in Logos’ survey of over 50 scholars and theologians, asking “What Makes a Good Biblical Scholar or Theologian?” His response: “Have the courage to go wherever the texts and the evidence lead you. Theological commitments should be continually refreshed as we see more of the light of Scripture. To do the reverse—reading Scripture as our theological commitments allow—is to betray the foundational theological commitment: prima Scriptura.” David published a second edition of his signature book, Honor, Patronage, Kinship, and Purity: Unlocking New Testament Culture with InterVarsity Press in late 2022.

DR. AMRITA KRISHNAN writes, “I continue to work as Director of the Briskin Myeloma Center at City of Hope Cancer Center. It was a good year for progress in myeloma. I published two papers in the New England Journal of Medicine on two new first-in-class drugs for advanced myeloma. One of them received FDA approval at year’s end. Ended the year riding the City of Hope float in the Rose Parade. Had a Zoom reunion with Maria Deasy and Molly Barber.”

DR. MICHAEL NITABACH was a member of the Science panel at Career Day. He is Professor of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, of Genetics, and of Neuroscience at Yale University School of Medicine, and Associate Director of Yale’s Medical Scientist Training Program.

JOANNE STEINHARDT P’15 was a member of the Visual Arts panel at Career Day. She is an artist and educator.

1985

THE HON. WILLIAM G. MENNEN, J.S.C. P’21, ’22 was a member of the Law panel at Career Day. He is a Judge of the Superior Court of New Jersey, currently sitting in the Family Division in Hunterdon County.

1987

ELANA DRELL-SZYFER was a member of the Marketing & Advertising panel at Career Day. She is CEO of ReVive Skincare, a Tengram Capital Partners portfolio company. ReVive is the second company that she is leading for Tengram, having led Laura Geller Beauty.

Joanne Steinhardt ’84, P’15

The Hon. William G. Mennen ’85, P’21, ’22

CLASS NOTES

1988

DR. DARREN BLUMBERG P’26, ’28, ’32 was a member of the Medicine panel at Career Day.

DR. ANGELICA DIAZ-MARTINEZ P’25, ’26, Associate Teaching Professor and Director for Clinical Training, Clinical Department in the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP) at Rutgers University, received the Distinguished Career Achievement Award from the GSAPP Alumni Organization in December. The Distinguished Career Achievement Award is given in recognition of lifelong distinguished achievement and/or one-time distinguished achievement to a GSAPP

graduate. It highlights service to GSAPP and the university. Angelica was also a member of the Psychology panel at Career Day.

1989

Choreographer and performer MIGUEL GUTIERREZ was featured in a New York Times story (April 13) because, over six weeks this spring, three of his dance-based pieces were presented at three New York City theaters. He is also an associate professor at UCLA; in the midst of a two-year residency at New York Live Arts; and completing a master’s thesis through the School of the Art Institute in Chicago.

MICHELLE JARNEY JACOBS was a member of the Non-Profit & Education panel at Career Day. She is Executive Director, Learning & Strategy, at The Leadership Academy, a nationally recognized nonprofit that supports school and school system leaders in developing culturally responsive leadership skills, habits, and practices that enable them to ensure all students can be successful.

1991

DANIEL GLAZER, London Office Managing

Partner at the Silicon Valley–headquartered tech law firm Wilson Sonsini, was interviewed for the podcast tech.eu in December about the state of the European tech ecosystem. At the time of the interview, he believed European tech was at an inflection point after “historic heights of valuation in 2020 and 2021 . . . we are in a bit of a reset period, and we should remain long-term bullish about what’s being built in the broader European ecosystem.” He started commuting between New York and London after the U.K. Government launched the “Tech City” initiative in 2010, then moved to London to launch Wilson Sonsini’s office there in 2018. He recently became a dual U.K./U.S. citizen and wrote on LinkedIn, “It is the privilege of a lifetime to live and work here in this

Michelle Jarney Jacobs ’89

Daniel Glazer ’91 has become a dual U.K./U.S. citizen.

Alumni at the University of Vermont vs. NJIT men’s lacrosse game in March: Marc Dennison ’82, Tom Rusen ’89, Pat Birotte ’87, P’20, Harrison Josloff ’22 (plays for Vermont), and Tom Egan ’89 (both of his sons play for Vermont).

Elana Drell-Szyfer ’87

wonderful country . . . a heartfelt thank you to my family for literally and figuratively going on the journey! . . . Of course, I also remain an American citizen and look forward to many years of inner turmoil: first floor or ground floor, pants or trousers, sneakers or trainers, soccer or football, chips or crisps . . .?”

1992

CAPT. DAVID BAIRD was a member of the Public Service panel at Career Day. For over 25 years, he was a Naval Aviator and Commanding Officer in the U.S. Navy.

DR. DEAN CHRISTAKOS was a member of the Engineering panel at Career Day. He is Principal Data Scientist at Prudential Financial, leading a data science team to improve investment portfolio management.

1993

STEPHANIE LIM CAPELLO joined Peter’s Place (Radnor, PA) on January 17 as Executive Director and will lead Peter’s Place into its next phase of growth. Founded in 2001, Peter’s Place is a center for grieving children and families.

Their mission is to provide those children and families with safe and supportive environments, and to foster understanding of the effects of grief and death. She brings tremendous nonprofit experience to the role, having served in leadership positions with The Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania, Please Touch Museum, and The Philadelphia Zoo. For the last three years, Stephanie has been the Director of Admissions, Marketing and Business Development for ESF Camps & Experiences. Stephanie earned a B.A. from Villanova University, serves as Board President of Villanova’s Alumni Association, and is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council (DAC) for the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences (CLAS). The DAC works to enhance the CLAS community, supporting students, faculty, parents, alumni, and other Villanovans around student development and engagement.

GRAHAM MACMILLAN was a member of the Non-Profit & Education panel at Career Day. He is President of the Visa Foundation, which seeks to support inclusive economies where individuals, businesses, and communities can thrive. Through grants and investments, the Foundation prioritizes the growth of gender diversity and inclusive small and micro businesses. This spring,

the Foundation announced a $1 million grant partnership with two African organizations to support women entrepreneurs.

AMANDA WISS, Founder and CEO of the New York City–based home organizing firm Urban Clarity, appeared in three recent articles. Urban Clarity was featured in New York magazine’s “Best of New York” edition (March 16) in the “Best Home Organizers in New York” section; Amanda was quoted in a CNN Underscored article about the benefits of packing cubes (zippered pouches that make it easier to organize a suitcase); and she was quoted in “Home Staging: What Really Sells an Apartment” on the American Apartment Owners Association's website.

1994

CHRISTOPHER M. SHAHIDI was a member of the Public Service panel at Career Day. He is a Senior Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State.

Pete Blanchard ’95, Miller Bugliari ’52, P’86, ’90, ’97, GP ’20, ’24, Allan Donnelly ’92, and Pat Birotte ’87, P’20 at the Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse game versus BridgewaterRaritan High School on May 6

CLASS NOTES

1995

CELINA DE SOLA, Co-Founder and President of Glasswing International, was one of 16 recipients of a 2023 Social Innovation Award from the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Glasswing’s mission is to “address the root causes and consequences of violence and poverty through education and health programs that empower youth and communities.” Over the course of 15 years, Glasswing has expanded to 12 countries with a team of 600 people.

STEVEN GOLD was a member of the Psychology panel at Career Day. He is Founder and CEO of Refresh Mental Health.

DR. MEENA SESHAMANI, Deputy Administrator and Director of the Center for Medicare, was interviewed on The Doctor’s Art, a podcast that “explores meaning in medicine.” She has a diverse background as a physician, health care executive, health economist, and health policy expert, including serving as Vice President of Clinical Care Transformation at MedStar Health (the largest health care provider in the Maryland-D.C. area), Director of the Office of Health Reform at the Department of Health and Human Services, and an Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery at the Georgetown University School of Medicine. Her medical career can be traced to middle school, when she started to volunteer at a hospital and enjoyed interacting with and caring for people. In medical school, she thought that she was going

to become a pediatrician, but she developed an interest in economics and figured that people who work in health policy and are physicians tend to practice internal medicine. Becoming an ENT stemmed from her desire to be in the O.R. as well (medical and surgical care). In the interview, she discussed what draws her to caring for older adults (“provide whole person care, and care for people as people”), her plan for Medicare (“advancing health equity, expanding access to coverage and care, driving innovation”), and her vision for better, more sustainable health care (“much stronger partnerships to break down the silos that exist in our health care system so that everybody really is rowing in the same direction and caring for people as people”).

Meena was also featured in a Bloomberg Government article (November 2022) about her efforts on behalf of the Biden administration to lower the costs of prescription drugs for people on Medicare and for people who are disabled. According to the story, Meena has been meeting with health plans, pharmaceutical companies, and seniors covered by Medicare, with some discussions about how the industry can benefit from policies such as caps on out-of-pocket costs. In February, it was announced that the U.S. government will select the 10 costliest prescription medications to Medicare to be used for the pricing negotiation (the Inflation Reduction Act grants the government the right to choose any 10 from a list of the 50 medicines responsible for the highest Medicare spending that qualify for negotiation, but does not specify the exact criteria for choosing them).

DR. SARA (BRAUNSTEIN) WEINTRAUB

was a member of the Visual Arts panel at Career Day. She is AVP/Program Director of Christie’s Education New York.

1996

RAMA KATKAR is the new Chief Financial Officer of Notion, a productivity and note-taking app that calls itself an “all-in-one workspace.” She brings to the company over 20 years of financial and operational leadership expertise, having previously worked at Instacart and Credit Karma. She built Instacart’s first Strategic Finance/Financial Planning and Analysis team, and she served as Credit Karma’s Senior Vice President of Corporate Development & Strategic Finance, building teams that helped lead to a billion-dollar revenue-generating business.

CATHERINE YATRAKIS was a member of the Architecture panel at Career Day. She is Director of Operations, Interiors at HOK, a global design, architecture, engineering, and planning firm. She has over 20 years of experience in hospitality and workplace design.

1997

BRIAN HIRSCH was a member of the Architecture panel at Career Day.

KATE GOLDSTEIN LEGGE was a member of the Law panel at Career Day. She is a Managing Member of Legge Law, LLC.

Pete Blanchard ’95 at the World Cup USA vs. Iran soccer game in Doha, Qatar.

Former Upper School English Teacher Ted Li and Christopher M. Shahidi ’94

DR. MATTHEW SPEISER has written his debut novel, a work of historical fiction. Read more on page 63.

1998

DOUGLAS BOOKBINDER was a member of the Finance panel at Career Day. He is Managing Director, Head of Investor Relations at Lighthouse Investment Partners, LLC.

CHEF ANDREW GRUEL was the Keynote Speaker at Career Day and a member of the Entrepreneurship panel. He is Founder and CEO of American Gravy Restaurant Group. Read more on page 52.

MELANIE NAKAGAWA is Microsoft’s new Chief Sustainability Officer. She has nearly two decades of experience in environmental sustainability, combining policy, business, and

technology. She most recently served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Climate and Energy on the National Security Council at The White House, where she played a leadership role in international and domestic climate initiatives, as well as energy issues that included the international energy response to the war in Ukraine. She has held other positions in the government and has experience in the nonprofit, private equity, and academic sectors.

KEVIN SCHMIDT has joined Callan, a leading institutional investment consulting firm, as a Senior Vice President and investment consultant. Most recently, he was an investment consultant with RVK and, before that, an analyst and a client portfolio manager at OppenheimerFunds, Invesco, and UBS.

ANU YERRAMALLI married Michael Caine in a micro-wedding in Central Park, surrounded by their immediate family in June 2021. They celebrated their marriage with friends and family in August 2022 at Chelsea Piers in New York City. They met at the 40th birthday party for Jamie Shapiro ’97 in 2019, and the rest was history— Jamie and Anu have been friends since 1985 when they were in first grade and Kindergarten at the Lower School, and Jamie and Michael are friends from their college days at Syracuse, and then a decade of living in Los Angeles across the street from each other. They all now live

Kate Goldstein Legge ’97

Douglas Bookbinder ’98

Career Day Keynote Speaker Andrew Gruel ’98 met some of his classmates for dinner in February. Pictured are Kevin Schmidt ’98, Andrew Gruel ’98, David Greig ’98, Christina Barba ’98, Kim (Barbieri) McLean ’98, and Marshall McLean ’98.

CLASS NOTES

10 blocks from each other in New York City. Jamie officiated their weddings in 2021 and 2022 and hit it out of the park both times. Pingry was well-represented during the weekend: the wedding party included Prashant Yerramalli ’00, Mayuri Amuluru Chandra ’97, Uma Amuluru ’95, and Vanessa Chandis ’98. Also joining the celebrations were Samantha Siegel ’98, Cassy Celler ’98, Elizabeth Watson ’98, Kaushal Kulkarni ’97, Sean Kulkarni ’98, Krishna Amuluru ’99, Rahul Vinnakota ’97, and Rajitha Bearden ’98. Anu is a partner in the Restructuring & Special Situations practice at Latham & Watkins LLP, and Michael works in television production.

1999

SHERMONA MAPP AKOTIA was a member of the Law panel at Career Day. She is Senior Counsel in Cigna Corporation’s Strategic Corporate Transactions group.

LAURIE MORRISON FABIUS has written a new novel. Read more on page 63.

DR. ADAM SCHAYOWITZ was a member of the Science panel at Career Day. He is VP, Development Head for Breast Cancer, Colorectal Cancer, and Melanoma at Pfizer Oncology.

LOWELL SCHILLER was a member of the Public Service panel at Career Day. He is the Chief Legal and Regulatory Officer at Aetion, Inc., a health technology company that transforms data from healthcare settings into evidence that can support high-stakes decisions about medical products.

2000

MARCELLA B. MARUCCI, ESQ. was a member of the Law panel at Career Day. She is an Associate Attorney at Sonia Col &

Associates, P.C. with over 15 years of experience in immigration law.

DR. PURVI PARIKH, an allergist and immunologist at Allergy and Asthma Associates of Murray Hill, was honored by the Indian American Forum on March 5 at their 12th Outstanding Women’s Achievements Gala, part of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day celebrations. Purvi is also Clinical Assistant Professor in the Departments of Medicine and Pediatrics at New York University School of Medicine. She was profiled in the Summer 2021 issue of The Pingry Review for her efforts as a researcher on the COVID-19 vaccine trials.

TED SMITH was a member of the Media & Communications panel at Career Day. He is Head of Communications at PGIM, the investment management business of Prudential Financial.

Dr. Adam Schayowitz ’99

Lowell Schiller ’99

Ted Smith ’00

Anu Yerramalli ’98 and Michael Caine celebrating their wedding with friends and family

Jamie Shapiro ’97 and Anu Yerramalli ’98

2001

ANDREW HOROWITZ was a member of the Performing Arts panel at Career Day. He is an artist, a music producer, and an entrepreneur, and CEO of Calm and Collected Music Group.

2002

EVAN SHORE was a member of the Entrepreneurship panel at Career Day. He is Senior Director of Product Management on Walmart’s Health and Wellness Team.

2003

RACHEL ASKIN married Nick Bonofiglio on May 22, 2022 at Grand View in Mendon, MA. In addition to her brother, Steven Askin ’00, Denise LaForgia ’07 was in attendance.

BUZZY COHEN, Jeopardy! champion and former guest host, continues to contribute to the podcast Inside Jeopardy! and is now hosting a new podcast about the show called This is Jeopardy! . . . America’s Favorite Quiz Show. According to a press release, Buzzy is guiding listeners through the game show’s sixdecade history, using sound bites, interviews with contestants and producers, and his own perspective.

DR. DAVID SALZ was a member of the Medicine panel at Career Day. A board-certified ophthalmologist, he is a physician at The Eye Specialists.

LIZ (WIGHT) SEIGEL was a member of the Visual Arts panel at Career Day. She is Vice President, Specialist, Head of Private and Iconic Collections at Christie’s.

CHRISTIN (GIANIS) WILLIS was a member of the Management Consulting & Professional Services panel at Career Day. She is a Senior Consultant at Slalom, a global business and technology consulting company.

2004

ALI CLARKE was a member of the Entrepreneurship panel at Career Day. She is a host, culinary producer, recipe developer, and food stylist. Ali was profiled in the Winter 2021-22 issue of The Pingry Review, with a Q&A about recipe and meal preparation at pingry.org/extras.

Rachel Askin ’03 and Nick Bonofiglio

Evan Shore ’02

DANA ZOLLI was a member of the Performing Arts panel at Career Day. She is a Line Producer/ Production Manager at Disney/20th Television.

Dr. David Salz ’03

Dana Zolli ’03

CLASS NOTES

DR. ASHLEY JACKSON was a member of the Performing Arts panel at Career Day. She is a harpist and an Assistant Professor and the Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Music Department at Hunter College. Ashley was profiled in the Fall 2021 issue of The Pingry Review, with a video of a concert at pingry.org/extras.

JAMIL MCCLINTOCK was a member of the Law panel at Career Day. He is Assistant General Counsel at Deloitte LLP (US).

2005

BENJAMIN ROSENTHAL was a member of the Architecture panel at Career Day. He is an Associate at David Smotrich & Partners LLP.

LAUREN TANENBAUM was a member of the Finance panel at Career Day. She is a Managing Director at The Carlyle Group, a global investment firm.

2006

DR. ZACK CORDERO, Boeing Assistant Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT, has led a team of researchers in developing a new heat treatment for 3D-printed metals. The technique changes the microstructure of printed materials, transforming their finegrain structure to a coarse columnar one, resulting in dramatic improvements in hightemperature mechanical properties. According to an MIT news release, this development is significant because it enables 3D printing of hot section components (blades, vanes, seals)

Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Heidi Shyu in the lab of Dr. Zack Cordero ’06, inspecting an additively manufactured metallic component that was printed on the EOS machine in the background, then post-processed with his heat treatment. Zack is standing directly behind her, accompanied by his graduate students.

Brian Hirsch ’97, Benjamin Rosenthal ’05, and Catherine Yatrakis ’96

Lauren Tanenbaum ’05

for gas turbines and jet engines. Historically, such components have been manufactured through casting processes in which molten metal is poured into molds. This process has long lead times, is expensive, and limits component designs. By contrast, 3D printing can dramatically shorten lead times and enables novel designs that can improve performance and energy efficiency. Zack is now commercializing this heat treatment through an MIT spinout.

Three feature films by JEREMY TEICHER were represented in this spring’s Alumni Art

Exhibit at Pingry: Tall as the Baobab Tree (2012), Tracktown (2016), and Olympic Dreams (2019). Jeremy has led projects at Netflix, Hulu, NBC, SXSW, Sony, and the Olympics.

2007

SAM ADRIANCE was a member of the Law panel at Career Day. He is Privacy Counsel Lead at Square, a financial technology business that helps millions of merchants take payments, manage inventory, sell online, book appointments, and

hire and pay staff. His team is responsible, among other things, for advising businesses on how to comply with data privacy and security laws and how to be trustworthy with customer data.

GENEVIEVE (HAVERSTICK) FRASER was a member of the Management Consulting & Professional Services panel at Career Day. She is Executive Director, Financial Services at Russell Reynolds Associates, a management consulting company, collaborating with firms in financial services to identify and recruit executive talent.

ROSS MILLARD married Emma Stanislawski on November 3, 2022 at the Wythe Hotel in Brooklyn, NY. Pictured are Dan Davidson ’07, Sam Adriance ’07, Sam Waterbury ’07, Emma Stanislawski, Ross Millard ’07, Julie McMahon ’07, Evan Towt ’07, and Ted Moller ’07.

2008

ASHLEY ACOSTA was a member of the Technology panel at Career Day. She is Founder and CEO of Maca, the first operating system for pricing “software as a service” products.

SHELBY BARTLETT was a member of the Non-Profit & Education panel at Career Day. A former Upper School teacher and coach at Pingry, she is Middle School Dean and Director of Summer Programs at Geffen Academy at UCLA.

CRAIG LIMOLI is CEO, Founder, and Chairman of Wellsheet, a software company that focuses on reducing physician burnout by addressing inefficiencies in the EHR (electronic health records) workflow. Wellsheet uses machine learning to predict what information is most relevant for a particular physician to know about a particular patient—this vastly reduces the amount of time, clicks, and screens required for a doctor to assemble the information they need from EHRs to make treatment decisions. Wellsheet has been shown to reduce time in the EHR, a major contributor to physician burnout, by over 40 percent at major health systems like RWJBarnabas Health in NJ.

Craig participated in a webinar for bene : studio on the topic of technology challenges faced by HealthTech companies. One of the questions: How did he deal with the “chicken and egg” challenge of EHR integration—not being able to prove the product without having the partnership of EHR vendors, but not being able to partner with EHR vendors until the product was proven? He began by partnering

Ross Millard ’07 and Emma Stanislawski on their wedding day.

Harrison Yu ’11 and Ashley Acosta ’08

CLASS NOTES

with “obscure vendors” and incrementally built the company from that point. Now, Wellsheet is integrated with the three largest EHR vendors (Epic, Cerner, and athenahealth) and working with some of the largest health systems in the country, comprising hundreds of hospitals. The company’s management team includes his classmate, John Paul Patrizio ’08, Chief Technology Officer. Craig and John co-founded the first robotics team at Pingry, and John Paul joined Wellsheet after working as a software engineer at Amazon and Betterment.

2009

BRIEHAN BURKE has become a General Partner at Keen Venture Partners in Amsterdam, investing in early-stage technology companies across Europe. She joined the firm in 2019 and is its youngest-ever female partner from the U.S. She was a member of the Finance panel at Career Day.

CHRISTINA DAQUILA was a member of the Finance panel at Career Day. She is a Director in the Investment Banking Division at Barclays, as well as Chief of Staff for the Global Co-Head of Investment Banking.

MAYNARD POND was a member of the Marketing & Advertising panel at Career Day. He is a Realtor Associate at KP Edgestone Realty, working with residential and commercial properties in New Jersey.

2010

MYLES EZRA BRISTOW was a member of the Media & Communications panel at Career Day. He is Event and Communications Coordinator at the Institute of Governmental Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, with over a decade of experience in event productions, entertainment, communications, and media. He is also Founder and Director of MylesBeyond Entertainment, an event and media production company, and Artistic Director of the Carnival Dance Fusion Collective, MasFX Dance, a Caribbean Fusion Dance company.

PAM GIANGRECO writes, “I attended the 75th Annual Directors Guild of America Awards in Beverly Hills in February. While we did not win, it was an honor to be a part of the directorial team nominated in the ‘Limited Series’ category for Netflix’s Inventing Anna.”

AMY GOPINATHAN was a member of the Law panel at Career Day.

JENNIFER SOONG writes, “After being at the English Department at the University of Oxford for two years, I am joining the University of Denver as Assistant Professor of Literary Studies and Creative Writing (Poetry) this fall. My third collection of poems, Comeback Death, is forthcoming in 2024 with celebrated experimental press Krupskaya Books.”

DR. BLAKE VESSA was a member of the Medicine panel at Career Day. She is a Chief Resident Physician in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Rutgers Health/Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston and Newark, NJ.

Dr. Blake Vessa ’10

Marcella Marucci ’00, Maynard Pond ’09, and Shermona Mapp Akotia ’99

Pam Giangreco ’10 and her fiancé, Aaron Aldridge, at the Directors Guild of America Awards

2011

ALEX LIEBERMAN, Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of Morning Brew, received the 2022 EY Young Innovator of the Year Award from Junior Achievement of New York, the local affiliate of Junior Achievement USA, the nation’s largest organization dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make smart academic and economic choices. In his remarks, Alex said the word “connection” defines his entrepreneurial experience—with “co-workers, investors, mentors, role models, and employees.” He shared five lessons he has learned about connections: quality beats quantity; the best connections push you to think deeper; relatability (similar values and interests) is sweeter than proximity; good connections provide psychological safety for you to learn without judging you for being a novice; and look for people who offer diverse thinking, diverse backgrounds, and diverse viewpoints. Alex concluded: “Connect so you can learn, not so you can earn. Connect so you can live your values, not so you can accrue social value. And connect deeply and intentionally, because life’s too short to do it any other way.”

DR. TED MACIOCE was awarded a Ph.D. in Physics from Caltech in June for a dissertation on clusters of galaxies and silicon lenses. He is pursuing a career in quantum computing at a physical science and engineering research laboratory in California. Ted graduated from Columbia University in 2015.

COLLEEN ROBERTS was a member of the Law panel at Career Day. She is an Associate at Ropes & Gray LLP, where she advises clients in the healthcare and life sciences industries.

HARRISON YU was a member of the Technology panel at Career Day. He is a Director within the green hydrogen team at NextEra Energy Resources in Florida.

2012

ROXANNE FEITEL was a member of the Media & Communications panel at Career Day. She is an Associate Producer for CBS News’ 60 Minutes, where she works on stories for correspondent Norah O’Donnell; prior to joining 60 Minutes, she produced CBS News’ awardwinning series On the Road with Steve Hartman. Roxanne spent months researching and reporting ahead of Ms. O’Donnell’s 60 Minutes

Alex Lieberman ’11 and Scott Gerber, Chief Executive at Community Co.

Roxanne Feitel ’12 aboard the USS Nimitz, helping produce a story for CBS’ 60 Minutes. On the left is fellow producer Keith Sharman, and on the right is Norah O’Donnell, anchor of the CBS Evening News and a correspondent for 60 Minutes

CLASS NOTES

report from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz about the state of the U.S. Navy—the two-part story aired on March 19 and that episode was television’s most-watched primetime program that week. Some bonus footage aired when Ms. O’Donnell anchored the CBS Evening News live from the Nimitz during the week of February 20.

MADELINE HIGGINS was a member of the Marketing & Advertising panel at Career Day. She is Marketing Manager, Betting & Gaming at NBC Sports.

DR. CONNOR MCLAUGHLIN was a member of the Medicine panel at Career Day. He is a Resident Physician in Internal Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia.

2013

Keyboardist MICHAEL ARROM is touring as both keyboardist and background vocalist for Hunter Hayes, a five-time Grammy nominee. The band appeared on NBC’s The TODAY Show on May 22.

NICOLE BLUM was a member of the Media & Communications panel at Career Day. She works in Media Rights at HarperCollins Publishers—she co-established that department, the first to exist at any publishing house. Nicole manages, sells, and develops intellectual property for film and television; offers editorial counsel for manuscripts in development and on submission; coordinates marketing campaigns for forthcoming media releases; and more.

CARA HAYES was a member of the Finance panel at Career Day. She is the Senior Associate on the Equity Investment Team at KSL Capital Partners, a global private equity firm specializing in travel, leisure, and hospitality investing.

STEPHEN RIENZI married Claudia Przybylski on August 27, 2022 at Highlawn Pavilion in West

Orange, NJ.

KATHERINE THOMAS was a member of the Marketing & Advertising panel at Career Day. She works at Unilever as an Associate Brand Manager for Dove Beauty, managing retail partnerships and running the email program.

2014

ERIN BUTRICO was a member of the Management Consulting & Professional Services panel at Career Day. She is Project Manager of Operations at Milstein Hospital of NewYorkPresbyterian.

RACHEL DAVIS was a member of the Performing Arts panel at Career Day. She is Senior Manager of Operations, Executive, and Board Affairs at the School of American Ballet. Rachel performed for several seasons with New Jersey Ballet’s Junior Company (including the leading role of Clara in The Nutcracker during her junior year at Pingry).

2015

EMMA ENGEL was a member of the Engineering panel at Career Day. She is Senior VDC (Virtual Design & Construction) Engineer at VIATechnik, helping general contractors catch constructability issues months before the construction begins, saving them time and money on their projects.

Abhiram Karuppur ’15

Robert Rienzi ’01, Stephen Rienzi ’13, Claudia Przybylski, James Gross ’13, and Middle School English Teacher Matt Composto ’13

Madeline Higgins ’12

ABHIRAM KARUPPUR was a member of the Finance panel at Career Day. He is an Associate at Ara Partners, a private equity firm in Houston that specializes in decarbonization and clean energy investments in the U.S. and Europe. Prior to Ara, he was an Investment Banking Analyst in the Energy group at JP Morgan.

ANNELISE KINNEY was a member of the Non-Profit & Education panel at Career Day. She is an Advancement Associate at Sacred Heart Schools Atherton in Atherton, CA.

EMERY SORVINO was a member of the Science panel at Career Day. She is an Associate Manager, Corporate Development at Indigo Agriculture, whose mission is to help farmers sustainably feed the planet by promoting nature-based solutions such as microbial seed treatments and regenerative agriculture.

2016

JESSICA FOY was a member of the Psychology panel at Career Day. She is a Clinical Research Coordinator for the Center for Autism Research at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

2017

CHARLES PAPANDREOU was a member of the Engineering panel at Career Day. He is a software engineer in the Aladdin Product Group at asset management firm BlackRock.

2018

AMI GIANCHANDANI, who graduated from Yale University with a degree in Statistics and Data Science and played for and served as captain of the Women’s Golf Team, was named a winner of the 2022-23 Yale Ford Award, given annually to the student-athletes who, during the past four years, have demonstrated their commitment to strengthening the relationship between the Yale Athletics Department and the youth in the New Haven community. According to a press release, Ami helped foster and maintain a relationship with a local organization called “The First Tee of CT,” which helps youth build character through a life skills curriculum integrated with golf across the state—she has volunteered with The First Tee of CT, teaching golf skill to young students and sharing ways golf has helped her grow as a person. She also dedicated one to two hours per week as a mentor at Code Haven in New Haven where she taught middle school–aged children about computer science and programming.

Ami also received The Nellie Pratt Eliot Award, which is awarded to a senior woman who, on the field of play and in her life at Yale, best represents the highest ideals of American sportsmanship and Yale tradition. The university calls her “one of the greatest Yale women golfers of all time. In a sport where lower scores are better, she has the lowest scoring average of any woman Yale golfer ever. She also has the lowest career scoring average of any Yale woman golfer ever . . . She also holds the 18-hole and 54-hole Yale women’s golf scoring record. And as an undergraduate, she has been an elite-enough golfer to play in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Golf Tournament three times, in 2019, 2020, and 2021.” Ami was also the first Yale student to serve as Vice Chair of the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

Outside of Yale, the LPGA named Ami the winner of the 2023 Dinah Shore Trophy, which recognizes golf student-athletes who excel in academics and athletics, playing at least 50 percent of the team's scheduled events while maintaining a scoring average of 78 or less, and demonstrate outstanding leadership skills and community service. Ami is only the second Ivy League player to win this trophy.

2019

FELICIA HO, who studied Molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard College, is excited to share that she made an exciting Pingry connection on a science communication project. She writes, “I took a class on fermentation and was developing a pamphlet for educational use in middle schools with the ultimate goal [of having] kids interested in learning more about science from an early age and being more curious about the world around them through the fun lens of cooking! As I was hoping to bring this course to the classroom, my professor at the time connected me with Kate Strangfeld ’08. When we first met, we realized—coincidentally—that we are both Pingry alumnae! Kate was finishing a master’s at Harvard Graduate School of Education when we first met, and she continues to be involved as a teaching fellow in another science and cooking course at Harvard.

What was even more exciting, in fact, was what came next. Kate has been hard at work on growing and creating an amazing science and cooking education project called “bite scized education,” which is supported by the Harvard Graduate School of Education Entrepreneurship

Emma Engel ’15, Emery Sorvino ’15, Shelby Bartlett ’08, and Annelise Kinney ’15

Fellowship Program and Innovation Lab and Harvard School of Engineering and Sciences. I had the amazing opportunity to collaborate with her on putting together an episode about the fermentation of kimchi and the science behind the whole process. It was such a fun project, and as we are both passionate about science communication and education, we were excited to be working on this together. The Pingry connection was a coincidence, but it was amazing to see!” Felicia and Kate hope to inspire the Pingry community to find and build their own connections within “Pingry’s very talented and amazing alumni network.”

ANGELINA MAYERS earned four softball honors this spring at Bowdoin College. In March, she was named NESCAC (New England Small College Athletic Conference)

Softball Player of the Week to recognize her achievements during the season’s opening week, when she batted .471, slugging .912, with 13 runs scored, 10 RBI, and seven extra-base hits in 10 games. She hit four home runs, including a

walk-off home run in a win over Western New England, and reached base in all 10 games, posting a 1.398 OPS. In April, Angelina was named NESCAC Softball Player of the Week a second time; she batted .600, including three home runs, five runs scored, and six RBI during the previous weekend. This was the third time that Angelina earned NESCAC Player of the Week honors in her career and the first time since 2011 that a Bowdoin softball player earned the weekly award twice in a season. Then, in May, she was named NESCAC Softball CoPlayer of the Year and First Team All-NESCAC. Angelina helped her team earn the No. 5 seed in the NESCAC Softball Championship, and she led NESCAC in OPS (1.335) and RBI (48), tied for a conference-high with 14 home runs, which was a new team single-season record, and ranked second in the league in runs scored (45). She recorded a team-high 51 hits and finished the year hitting .412 while slugging .843.

CATHLEEN PARKER, playing lacrosse for Army West Point, was named an Honorable Mention in the Patriot League’s announcement of Women’s Lacrosse Players of the Week for the week of March 13. She recorded a game-high three caused turnovers in Army West Point’s 17–15 win over Boston University in the League opener.

2020

HANNAH DILLON, playing field hockey at Hamilton College, was named to the 2022 NESCAC (New England Small College Athletic Conference) Fall All-Academic Team.

Felicia Ho ’19 and Kate Strangfeld ’08 discovered their Pingry connection while working on separate projects at Harvard.

“It was such a fun project, and as we are both passionate about science communication and education, we were excited to be working on this together. The Pingry connection was a coincidence, but it was amazing to see!”

– FELICIA HO ’19

IN MEMORIAM

EDWARD ASHTON “NED” WARD II ’52

September 15, 2022, age 88, New Vernon, NJ

nMr. Ward served as a Pingry trustee in 1983-84. He played football, ran track, and was on the swim team at Pingry. He earned a bachelor’s degree at Franklin & Marshall College and joined the U.S. Navy as a Naval Aviator, flying fighter jets. During this time, he met Sally Snowday, who would become his wife of 61 years. After finishing his four years of active duty, Mr. Ward joined the family real estate firm of E. Geoffroy Ward Realtors, soon became a partner, and became President of the Morris County Board of Realtors. He expanded to the NJ Association of Realtors, holding numerous offices and, in 1983, was named President. One of the many accomplishments during his tenure was to raise the education requirement for a real estate salesperson license to a high school diploma. He then served in various capacities on the National Association of Realtor boards, and in 1996, was named Regional Vice President over New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Mr. Ward’s success in real estate allowed him to sell the business to Coldwell Banker, who recognized his unparalleled success in New Vernon and Harding Township. Outside of work, Mr. Ward found and brokered the land deal for founders of Purnell School when it launched in 1963. In his home town, he was a trustee on the Harding Township Recreation Association and a committee member for Harding Township. He was also a member of the Executive Financial Committee for former Representative Rodney Frelinghuysen and a Gala Chairman for the Visiting Nurses Association of Northern New Jersey. Mr. Ward’s brother, E. Geoffrey Ward, Jr., graduated from Pingry in 1951. Survivors include his wife, Sally; daughter, Christy; son, Edward III (Ned) ’85 and his wife, Noriko; and grandchildren, Maia and Saya. Mr. Ward died after struggling with dementia for five-plus years.

ROBERT J. “BOB” SHIPPEE, SR. ’56

January 23, 2023, age 85, Florham Park and Bay Head, NJ

nMr. Shippee served as PAA President and a trustee from 1984–1986. He played football at Pingry and was captain, then graduated from Ursinus College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics. Mr. Shippee served in the U.S. Navy, stationed in Newport, RI, and served as a trusted aide to the Admiral aboard the USS Yosemite—he received military honors and a burial flag for being a Veteran. He had a 60-year career on Wall Street, most notably with Kidder Peabody and more recently, UBS. He was predeceased by his loving sister, Jean, and her husband, Harold Mesco. Survivors include his wife of 62 years, Evalyn; their five children, Bob Shippee, Jr. and Amy Sollod, John and Christine Shippee, Laura (Shippee) and Bob Hart, Scott and Jennifer Shippee, and Maria (Shippee) and Javier Jimenez; and 13 grandchildren.

KENT ARTHUR CLARK

January 27, 2023, age 58, Short Hills, NJ nMr. Clark served as a Pingry trustee from 2012–2015, supported the squash program (the Clark and Vera Family Court in the Miller A. Bugliari ’52 Athletics Center is named for his family), supported the construction of The Carol and Park B. Smith ’50 Middle School (a classroom on the first floor is named for his family), and spoke at Pingry’s Finance Café in 2012. He received a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Calgary and an M.B.A. from The University of Chicago, where he reached candidacy in the Ph.D. program in Finance. Mr. Clark joined Goldman Sachs in 1992 and worked there for 28 years, including being named Managing Director and a partner; he was considered a thought leader in the industry, having published research articles in The Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, The

Journal of Alternative Investments, and other publications. He then became Vice President of the Society of Quantitative Analysts. Mr. Clark was also dedicated to the arts and served for many years as a trustee for The Juilliard School and the Mannes School of Music - The New School. Survivors include his devoted wife of 28 years, Helen Vera; children, Stephanie ’15 and Stuart ’20; mother, Cecelia; brother, Clifford and his wife, Rita; and sister, Heather and her husband, William. Mr. Clark died from a tragic accident.

FREDERIC

February 14, 2023, age 95, Newtown, PA

Mr. Rapell developed his love of film and cameras at Pingry. His education was briefly interrupted by World War II Navy service from 1945-46 with much of that time spent on the USS Putnam. He studied photography at Rochester Institute of Technology and immediately began a 36-year career with Eastman Kodak Company. After Kodak, Mr. Rapell started a second career as a realtor, working with Roth Realtors in Rochester, NY before relocating to Newtown, PA. He was preceded in death by his wife, Dorothy; sister, Norma; and brother-in-law, Barney. Survivors include his children, Kyle (Richard) Restina, Ric Rapell, and Lauren Rapell Vakili (James Causland), former son-in-law, Aria Vakili, and four grandchildren.

AUGUST F. ARACE ’48

May 24, 2023, age 93, Manhattan Mr. Arace attended Lafayette College, served in the U.S. Air Force, and graduated with a B.S. in Finance from Syracuse University. He began his career in New Jersey brokerage firms, including Nugent and Igoe, which was acquired by Tucker Anthony Management Corp., and worked his way up in that firm to Research Analyst, Portfolio Manager, Marketing Director, and Trustee. He became a Managing Director and

ALLEN “FRED” RAPELL ’45

IN MEMORIAM

Shareholder until Tucker Anthony was sold to John Hancock Insurance Co. of Boston. He is best known for creating and managing an innovative mutual fund that combined investments in precious metals and U.S. Government securities, called Freedom Gold and Government Trust, the first hybrid mutual fund held by the firm. John Hancock later merged with a Canadian firm, and Mr. Arace became Senior Vice President at Royal Bank of Canada Wealth Management. He also served as Director of Harmonia Savings Bank and Director and Treasurer of Hidden Valley Ski Area. Mr. Arace was predeceased by his son, Christopher. Survivors include his wife, Elaine, and daughter, Deborah.

WILLIAM T. “BILL” MCCLENAGHAN ’49

September 2022, Norwalk, CT nMr. McClenaghan was a U.S. Army veteran, a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne, a proud graduate of the University of Connecticut, and an accomplished businessman.

Throughout his life, he was associated with experimenting with ways to measure children’s radio listening and conducting one of the first such tests in 1979. During his lengthy career in radio research, he was credited as being the “Father of Arbitron Radio” for designing and implementing the Arbitron Radio rating service. While Sr. Vice President at ABC Radio, Mr. McClenaghan received the Hugh Malcolm Beville, Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Broadcasters for superior leadership in the development of the audience measurement field and integrating audience research into the broadcast managerial process. He also received Radio’s Outstanding Researcher Award for his commitment to the research field. One of his proudest accomplishments was being instrumental in the development of Radio Disney. Mr. McClenaghan was also an athlete for his entire life—an avid runner and a frequent marathoner, golfer, golden glove boxing champion in the Army, and bowler. Above anything else, his proudest accomplishment was his family. Survivors include his wife, Rita McClenaghan; children,

Patricia Kerschner (Steve), Linda Arena (Edward), and William W. McClenaghan (Alice Osborne); grandchildren, Jacqueline Novotny (Jon Crowe), Kelly Paltoo (Irwin), Scott Novotny, and Sydney Arena; and three greatgrandchildren.

RICHARD B. “DICK” ROSS ’49

February 1, 2023, age 91, Grand Rapids, MI

nMr. Ross attended The University of Virginia and majored in Economics. After a short stint in the U.S. Army, he led a distinguished career culminating as President of his actuarial and consulting firm, Watkins, Ross & Company. Mr. Ross was married three times, but never divorced. His first wife died tragically in an automobile accident, and his second wife succumbed to cancer. He was predeceased by his brother, Donald. Survivors include his wife of 42 years, Esther; two children; three stepchildren; four grandchildren; six step-grandchildren; and two step-great grandchildren.

THOMAS TAYLOR TUCKER ’49

November 28, 2022, age 92, Broken Arrow, OK

nMr. Tucker received a B.A. in Political Science from The Citadel, graduating as an officer ready for military service. He served in the infantry of the U.S. Army for two years and in the reserves for another nine years. For many years, he was an officer in a Civil Air Patrol squadron, both in New York and Oklahoma, and this provided opportunities to fly. The Walter Kidde Company was his first employer, followed by Shell Oil Company. His airline career began at Pan American Airways, in New York, and later he worked at American Airlines, who transferred him to Tulsa, OK. He was inducted into Pingry’s Athletics Hall of Fame as a member of the 1947 Track Team. Mr. Tucker was preceded in death by his parents, his grandson, Adam, and his greatgranddaughter, Molly. Survivors include his children, James (Jaci) Tucker, Kim (Mitch) Murtola, Chris (Rallyn) Tucker, and Peter (Tricia) Tucker; eight grandchildren; and two great- grandchildren.

ROBERT EDWIN “BOB” RIKER ’51

March 14, 2023, age 89, FL

nMr. Riker attended Ocean County College, served in the U.S. Army Security Agency, and worked as a TRW field engineer and college media technician at Ocean College. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Roberta Riker, and great-granddaughter, Esther Romano. Survivors include his wife, Ruth Riker; daughters, Rosalind Dombrowski and Rhonda Munden; sons-in-law, Bryan Romano and Bobby Munden; brothers, James and Paul Riker; sisters-in-law, Mary Riker and Marguerite Riker; sister, Connie Rogers; and brother-in-law, Bill Rogers.

PETER TOWNLEY “PETE” BUCHANAN ’52

February 17, 2023, age 88, Hobe Sound, FL

nMr. Buchanan attended Princeton University and spent his entire career at the First Boston Corporation, retiring as President and Chief Executive Officer. While he was there, he left for a tour of duty in the U.S. Air Force until his discharge with the rank of captain. Mr. Buchanan was a director and member of the Executive Committee of the Securities Industry Association and served as Vice Chairman. He also served as a director of the New York Stock Exchange and was a member of the Bond Club of New York, also serving as its President. He was a trustee of Kenyon College, a member of the Advisory Council of the Stanford Business School as well as the Advisory Committee of the Graduate School of Industrial Administration at Carnegie Mellon University, a trustee of the Greater New York Councils of the Boy Scouts of America, and a member of the Executive Committee of the Alzheimer’s Association, serving as its Vice Chairman. He was inducted into Pingry’s Athletics Hall of Fame as a member of the 1950 Football Team. His father, Percy, graduated from Pingry in 1912. Both Mr. Buchanan and his

father were proud recipients of Pingry’s LetterIn-Life Award (1996 and 1970, respectively). His wife, Lane, predeceased him after being happily married for nearly 40 years. Survivors include his son, Richard Buchanan (Ellen), daughter, Lindy Flanagan (David), and four grandchildren.

J. BUCKLEY “JACK” BRYAN, JR. ’54

April 16, 2023, age 86, Bolton Landing, NY

nMr. Bryan was a U.S. Navy search-and-rescue helicopter pilot and a commercial airline pilot of 30 years for USAir. After returning to college at age 45, he went on to receive an A.S. in Business, a B.S. in Finance, and an M.S. in Leadership and Administration, and he worked as a SUNY Adirondack adjunct business professor for 12 years. He served as President of the Lake George Association, President of the SUNY Adirondack Foundation Board of Directors, and a member of the Bolton Landing Volunteer Fire Department. He was driven by his immense love of Lake George and the Adirondacks and a passion for education. Survivors include his wife, Denise, and stepson, Tyler and his wife, Laura.

WILLIAM PAUL “BILL” DOW ’54

September 13, 2022, age 86, Lake George, NY

nMr. Dow graduated from Williams College and received an M.B.A. from Stanford University, but considered Pingry to be the most significant educational experience of the three. Other experiences shaping his character included the 1954 expedition to find the magnetic North Pole; four years in the U.S. Navy as a lieutenant aboard destroyers in the Pacific Ocean; and most notably, his arrival in 1964 as Manager of the Lake George Steamboat Company, purchased by his father (a noted NYC Admiralty Lawyer) in 1945. Mr. Dow was very proud that the Lake George Steamboat Company, of which he became president in 1991 when his father died, is one of the oldest,

continuously operating passenger-carrying services in the world. In 1973, he founded the New Orleans Steamboat Company. He would go on to oversee the construction of some of the finest excursion vessels in the country, including the MINNE HA HA, the LAC du SAINT SACREMENT, and the iconic NATCHEZ; and the recent renovation of THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS. Mr. Dow was very active in Lake George, including former Village Trustee and past president of the Chamber of Commerce. He was inducted into Pingry’s Athletics Hall of Fame as a member of the 1952 Football Team and 1954 Baseball Team. Mr. Dow’s sister, Lynn Webster, predeceased him. Survivors include his devoted wife, Patricia; remaining sister, Lee; children, Rebecca, Luke, Elisabeth, and Matthew; and granddaughter, Adelyn.

KURT ANDERSON ’55

February 18, 2023, Montecito, CA

nMr. Anderson attended The Bement School, Deerfield Academy, Princeton University for two years, and MIT School of Architecture. He joined the architectural and engineering firm CUH2A in Princeton. Mr. Anderson died after a long, courageous battle with Parkinson’s Disease.

CHARLES MASON ’57

November 13, 2022

in Montrose, NY and Basking Ridge, NJ and thrived on helping others. Dr. Bickford moved to south Florida, where he was involved in the Florida Resource Center for Women and Children, a cause he supported his entire life. He later moved to the northwestern part of South Carolina, where his endeavors included being an advocate in the GAL (Guardian Ad Litem) program to help children. He was also instrumental in the opening of the Cherokee Museum in Walhalla, and was very proud of recognizing their heritage in South Carolina. One of his biggest roles was being a board member of the John H. Bickford Foundation, an organization his father began in Morristown, NJ over four decades ago. To him, it was a great way to continue supporting charitable groups who do amazing work, even while residing out of state. Survivors include his brother, Charles; daughters, Tatyana (husband Simon), Katrina (husband Matt), and Danielle; and five grandchildren, Isabel, Alexandra, Caroline, TJ, and Brendan. Dr. Bickford died after a long battle with cancer.

THEODORE R. “TED” WALTER, JR. ’58

October 21, 2022, age 82, Morristown, NJ

DR. JOHN H. BICKFORD, JR. ’58

September 8, 2022, age 82, Walhalla, SC

nDr. Bickford was a great athlete and excelled in football, wrestling, and lacrosse at Pingry. He continued his education at Swarthmore College and pursued a doctorate in Psychology at Columbia University. He also served in the National Guard and deployed to Newark during the riots of July 1967. He worked in counseling at the VA Hospital

nMr. Walter was captain of the golf team at Pingry—he was inducted into Pingry’s Athletics Hall of Fame as a member of the 1958 Golf Team—and received a bachelor’s degree in Business from Babson College. Upon his graduation, he joined the family business, Theodore Walter Rockaway Tank, Inc. in Dover, NJ. He later joined Gogel Limousine Service in East Hanover and retired after 30 years of service. In his earlier years, Mr. Walter coached Little League in Madison. His wives, Phyllis Walter and Margaret Walter, and grandsons, Kevin Rabbitt, Jr. and Connor Betz, predeceased him. Survivors include his children, Laurie Betz (Michael), Suzanne Rabbitt, and Theodore “Todd” Walter (Janine); stepchildren, Nene Simpers (Chuck) and Tyler Foster (Katie); grandchildren, Michael Betz, Jr. (Chelsea), Cory Betz, Sean Rabbitt, Shannon Tobia (Jonathan), Charlie Simpers, Ava Simpers, Henry Foster, and Karen Foster; great-grandchildren, Jonathan Tobia and Scarlett Tobia; and siblings, Evelyn Freudenberger (Wayne), Robert Walter (Wendy), and Steven Walter.

IN MEMORIAM

JOHN THOMAS CONNOR, JR. ’59

May 24, 2023, age 81, North Palm Beach, FL and Cotuit, MA

nMr. Connor attended Williams College and Harvard Law School, where he met his wife, Susan Scholle Connor. He practiced law at Cravath, Swaine & Moore, followed by time in the government, including the U.S. Commerce Department, before embarking on a successful career as a corporate and international lawyer, becoming particularly fascinated with Russia. Mr. Connor founded several businesses in and related to Russia, including the investment fund, Third Millennium Russia Fund. He also published two books on investing in Russia and spoke about the topic for Pingry's 2005 Finance Café. Survivors include his wife, Susan, the love of his life for 57 cherished years; three children, Seanna, Marin, and Josh ’92, a former Pingry trustee; nine grandchildren; sons-in-law, Matthew and Andrew; and brother, Geoff ’64.

ALAN LEE DANZIS ’59

December 29, 2022, age 81, White Plains, NY

nMr. Danzis attended Pingry with Jerry Dempsey ’59 and Michael Taranto ’59, who would be his lifelong best friends. He attained a perfect score on his math SATs, and received a bachelor’s degree from Amherst College and a master’s degree from MIT. He had a lifelong passion for classical music and was active with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, eventually serving on the board. He was also enormously proud of his career with IBM, where he worked for more than 30 years. Survivors include his wife of 47 years, Hope Wislosky Danzis; sons, Brian Lee (and his wife, Stacie) and Alan Michael ’99 (and his wife, Amy); granddaughters, Taylor, Emerson, Addison, and Margaret; grandson, Luke; and dog, Levi.

DR. JAMES PALMER “JIM” WHITLOCK, JR. ’60

February 16, 2023, age 80, San Francisco, CA nDr. Whitlock graduated from Princeton University, received an M.D. from Temple University Medical School, and completed a residency in pediatrics at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center. He was a research associate at the National Cancer Institute and a recipient of the Agnes Axell Moule FacultyScholarship (1980) and Faculty Research Award from the American Cancer Society from 1981–1986. He studied the molecular mechanisms by which toxins regulate the expression of different genes. Dr. Whitlock was a Professor of Molecular Pharmacology at Stanford University Medical School, where he was NIH funded for cancer research and taught pharmacology from 1978–2007. In 2005, he continued his family’s decades of support of Pingry by establishing The James P. Whitlock, Jr. ’60 Faculty Development Fund for the Sciences, Mathematics, and Technology to reward excellence in teaching those subjects. As he explained in the Fall/Winter 2005 issue of The Pingry Review, “Many Americans lack adequate understanding of math, natural science, and technology, and I want to provide a way to reward Pingry faculty for outstanding accomplishment in teaching these subjects. The issue is serious because understanding science and technology is critical to making informed decisions that affect our future. I want to show my appreciation for Pingry faculty who foster scientific literacy and who creatively integrate math, natural science, and technology in their classrooms.” He believed that innovative teachers maintain excellence in education, and that those who integrate these particular subjects at an earlier age help reduce students’ future anxiety about them. Among his family members who attended Pingry were his grandfather, Chester F. Smith ’08 (who, as President of the Board from 1954–1962, handed Dr. Whitlock his diploma) and father, James ’34. Survivors include his wife, Dr. Lynn Pulliam; daughter, Heather and her husband, John Eames; son, Drew and his wife, Jessica; ex-wife Rosalie; stepchildren, Chris and Amanda Bowstead; grandchildren, Eastwick, Keira, Travis, Hunter, Jackson,

Ethan, and Sofia; sister, Nancy; and brothers, David ’63 and Chester ’74. Dr. Whitlock died from prostate cancer.

DR. RICHARD DOANE “DICK” BATES, JR. ’62

March 3, 2023, age 78, Chevy Chase, MD nDr. Bates received degrees from Cornell and Columbia Universities and spent nearly 40 years as a Professor of Chemistry at Georgetown University. His long and distinguished career included positions as Chair of the Chemistry Department, President of the Faculty Senate, Chair and member of many university-wide committees, and advisor to senior members of the university administration and Board of Directors on the restructuring of Georgetown’s Medical Center and other significant matters. Dr. Bates also supported the modernization of Pingry’s chemistry labs, for which the Science Department is appreciative. In addition, he was an avid philatelist, recognized as a leading expert in the stamps of the Panama Canal Zone. He was an officer and active member of the Canal Zone Study Group, was Editor of the Canal Zone Philatelist, and won many awards for his exhibits at national stamp shows. His father, Richard, graduated from Pingry in 1928, and his uncle, John R. Bates, graduated in 1924. Survivors include his wife of 52 years, Ruthann; son, Spencer (Jaclyn Halpern); grandson, Oliver; daughter, Dunlea (Jeff Beverage); sister, Susannah; brother, The Honorable John D. Bates ’64 (Carol Rhees); and brother, James D. Bates ’67 (Patricia).

FREDERICK M. GANZ ’63

February 3, 2023, age 78, Spring Hill, FL nMr. Ganz received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University. He had an extensive technical career in radar systems, electronic warfare, and integrated mission avionics at Northrup-Grumman, where he

participated in the Lunar Module program and was twice named Inventor of the Year. He was Director of the Advanced AEW (Airborne Early Warning) Program (Technical Operations division), which included advanced systems projects for new surveillance radar systems. In 1989, he became Chief Scientist of the Radar Division of Photon Research Associates, and in 1990, became President of AeroVison Technologies. Mr. Ganz was primarily responsible for transitioning new technology into commercial products and services— these systems included high-speed wireless systems for data communication. He holds U.S. patents in phased array antennas, radar signal processors, and wireless communications technologies. He was inducted into Pingry’s Athletics Hall of Fame as a member of the 1962 Soccer Team. Mr. Ganz was pre-deceased by his son, Jeffrey. Survivors include his wife, Claire (Stapf) Ganz, and his brothers, A. Harding Ganz ’57 and Anthony Ganz ’59.

JOHN PHELPS “JAY” WEST ’63

July 23, 2022, age 77, Cotati, CA

nMr. West attended Phillips Exeter Academy and Princeton University. Following his service as a Naval officer during the Vietnam War, he and his first wife, Marie “Ree” Sears Gardiner West, settled in Northern California, and he began his lifelong landscaping career and business, Gardens West. Following Ree’s untimely death, Mr. West remarried Judy Kaster West, gaining three stepchildren. Survivors include his seven children, seven grandchildren, and three of his four siblings.

HORACE RUTHERFORD “FORD” LIVENGOOD II ’67

March 15, 2023, Branchville, NJ

nMr. Livengood attended Allegheny College and Rutgers Law School. Before law school, he worked for the New York City Planning Commission. He served as an Assistant Prosecutor in the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office from 1980–2007; at the Prosecutor’s Office, he met his future wife, Geri Livengood, and they were married for nearly 40 years. After retiring from that office, Mr. Livengood worked as a criminal defense attorney and coached trial

advocacy at Rutgers Law School-Newark. He was also an active member of the Episcopal Church, serving on the vestry and as the senior warden at St. Andrew and Holy Communion Church in South Orange, and then on the vestry at Christ Church, Newton. With the Episcopal Diocese of Newark, he served on the Commission on Ministry, on the Ecclesiastical Court, and as the Church Attorney. His father, Hugh, graduated from Pingry in 1933. He was predeceased by his brother, John ’70. Survivors include his wife and children, Rebecca ’03 and James; daughter-in-law, Sara Livengood; son-in-law, Nathaniel Wenstrup; four grandchildren; and sister, Becky.

BRUCE CRAWFORD ’70

February 5, 2023, age 70, New York nMr. Crawford was a mainstay of Pingry’s varsity swimming team. He graduated from Bucknell University in 1974 and later earned an M.B.A. at Columbia University. He had a long financial career with Standard & Poor’s and Salomon Smith Barney before launching his own LLC, Angen Advisors. He lived in the Yorkville section of Manhattan for over 40 years. Mr. Crawford passed away after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

FRANK J. SLUGASKI '73

June 28, 2023, age 68, Seymour, CT nMr. Slugaski studied at Tulane University, graduating with bachelor's and master's degrees, and started his 45-year career as a teacher. He worked in multiple industries. Survivors include his wife, Nancy; daughter, Heather and son-in-law, Michael; grandchildren, Olivia and Connor; daughter, Cara; and sister, Janet and her husband, Donald.

ROBERT LEONARD “BOB” KAUFMAN ’80

April 19, 2023, age 61, Rockville, MD

nMr. Kaufman received a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. While initially deciding to attend Penn’s Medical School, he ultimately realized that business and organizational success were his true calling, and he left medical school and took a role with Andersen Consulting in South Africa. While there, he was introduced to the early notions of what became known as “change management” and spent the next 30-plus years of his life pursuing his true passion and dedicating himself to assisting various organizations through successful large-scale changes. Survivors include his son, Ben; mother, Honey; partner, Nancy Barnes; sister, Esther Harper ’83 and her husband Peter; brother, Larry ’77 and his wife Rabbi Melissa Crespy; son’s mother, Sharon Strauss; and nieces and nephews.

HILARY (EDDY) LAFFERTY ’83

November 9, 2022, age 57, McKinney, TX

nMrs. Lafferty graduated from Duke University and led her own accounting services firm, LKAM Services, Inc., that served as the Controller for small businesses, largely non-profit organizations, which were one of her passions. She donated her time and resources to such causes as Shiloh Place, Educational First Steps, and World Vision. She was predeceased by her mother, Ellen Stover Eddy, and brother, John Kennard Eddy ’86. Survivors include her husband, F. Wayne Lafferty; daughters, Kristin Gower (Blake), Ashlyn Lafferty, and Megan Lafferty; and father, John Sackett Eddy.

DOUGLAS

PROUDMAN ’89

December 8, 2022, age 51, NC

IN MEMORIAM

DAVID SCOTT CURTIS ’90

March 16, 2023, age 50, Branchburg, NJ

nAt Pingry, Mr. Curtis was a goalie for the lacrosse team, and he began fencing saber, a sport he loved passionately, rising ultimately to compete on the US Junior World Cup Fencing Teams multiple times, and in The World Cup saber finals in Budapest, Hungary. He went on to attend and fence at Cornell University, majoring in Philosophy. Mr. Curtis began his professional career in medical diagnostics, before becoming a trailblazer in the field of digital marketing. He proudly founded Blue Pig Media in 2008 and was, at the time of his death, its CEO. Blue Pig Media is a firm that focuses on search engine optimization, pay per click, content management, paid social, web development and digital marketing. Survivors include his mother, Jane; wife, Karen; children, Katharine (Katie) and Alexander; sister, Susan; niece, Kathryn; and brothers-in-law Ronald Linck (nieces and nephew Hailey, Brian, and Lily) and Kenneth Linck.

STUART KITTINGER ALFORD ’95

December 23, 2022, age 46, Summit, NJ

nMr. Alford spent 12 extraordinary years at Pingry, excelling in various athletic arenas, especially soccer, ice hockey, and lacrosse, and serving as captain of all three sports his senior year. Throughout his high school years, he experienced many exciting and winning seasons in each sport. Coach Bugliari praises him as “a great athlete and person who will be missed by all who knew him,” and Coach Webster describes him as “a beloved member of the lacrosse team—his teammates loved him for his hard work on the field and his deep care and affection for teammates off the field.” He went on to Lafayette College, where he majored in History and played Division 1 lacrosse. He graduated in 1999 and spent his career in reinsurance, beginning at Guy Carpenter & Co. at the World

Trade Center—he was fortunate to walk down 51 flights of stairs in the South Tower on 9/11. Not long afterward, he moved to Transatlantic Reinsurance (TransRe), on the liability side, and found his niche. The business, his mentors, and new colleagues were lifelong and integral additions to his life. Mr. Alford is survived by his devoted wife of 18 years, Jennifer, and children, Sloane, Reed, and Gibson. Jonathan ’92 is his devoted and most adored brother who went way above and beyond from the day of diagnosis. His loving parents are Susanne (Pingry Lower School faculty, 1981–2013) and Bryant Alford of Vero Beach, FL and Murray Hill, NJ. Mr. Alford is finally at peace after a valiant four-year struggle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Faculty

JAMES STAATS “JIM” LITTLE

February 8, 2023, age 76, Basking Ridge, NJ nMr. Little taught music at Pingry from 1972–1993, leading the Lower School Chorus, Middle School Boys’ Chorus, Men’s Glee Club, and Buttondowns. He also directed the Winter Musical for several years. After Mr. Little left Pingry, he became Organist/Choirmaster at Calvary Episcopal Church in Summit, then worked at St. Paul’s Church in Chatham. He also directed other choral groups in New Jersey. He majored in Music Education at Trenton State College (now The College of New Jersey). Survivors include his wife of 36 years, Nancy; brother, Samuel (Susie); and sister, Vivian (Tom).

BARBARA ANN TINARI

March 18, 2023, age 76, Florham Park, NJ nMrs. Tinari taught Kindergarten at Pingry from 1986–2001, having previously taught at schools in Indianapolis, the Bronx, and Short Hills. She loved teaching and felt great joy whenever former students returned to

visit her throughout the years. She took pride in mentoring Pingry seniors who interned in her classroom for their Independent Study Projects, and she enjoyed close and lasting friendships with many Pingry colleagues. Mrs. Tinari made numerous contributions to her community, including serving as President of the Florham Park Board of Education and leading several ministries at her church. She was well known everywhere for her warmth and bright smile. She received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Education from Fordham University. For the past 11 years, Mrs. Tinari courageously maintained her joy and dignity while battling multiple system atrophy, a rare neurological disorder. She is remembered with love by her husband of nearly 55 years, Frank (the former mayor of Florham Park); daughters April ’90, Alexandra ’92, and Christa ’92; and grandchildren, William and Caroline.

Animal Friend

FINN

March 31, 2023, age 10

nFinn had been with Pingry since 2015 to—according to his “official” job description—chase geese from Pingry’s fields as part of the School’s sustainability efforts (he came from Big Bend Farm in Millboro, VA, a farm that trains Border Collies for goose control). But Finn became much more than that. “His stated mission was to keep geese off the fields,” says Barbara Chilmonik, Director of Procurement and Promotions, “but the role he assumed was ‘superstar of celebrity status’! It was like he became our official/unofficial mascot. I could not walk him anywhere without, ‘Hi, Finn!’ . . . ‘Oh, can I take a selfie with Finn?’ . . . ‘Tell me about Finn’ . . . ‘Can I pet Finn?’ He became part of the community.”

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.

The Archives have received an exciting donation from Scott Russell ’76, who pitched a no-hitter for the Varsity Baseball Team on May 20, 1975, using the pictured ball, hat, and glove. He was surprised when Coach Manny Tramontana P’85, ’87 handed him the ball at the end of the game and told him about his feat. When asked what pitches he threw, he names “fastballs and a primitive slider, but mostly a screwball that tailed into the fists of a right-handed batter.” His Pingry donation was prompted by a picture (in the Fall/Winter 2022 issue of The Pingry Review) of the recently donated 1920s glove that belonged to former Athletic Director and coach Reese Williams P’55.

A VISIT TO THE ARCHIVES IN

PINGRY HISTORY

10 YEARS AGO

A glass squash court is set up in The Wilf Family Commons of The Carol and Park B. Smith '50 Middle School for three weeks.

20 YEARS AGO

Thornton Wilder’s Our Town is the first production in the new Hostetter Arts Center, specifically in the Macrae Theater.

30 YEARS AGO

Upper School History Teacher Joe LaValley P’88, ’89 is named the first Director of Studies, effective with the 1993-94 school year.

40 YEARS AGO

The Bernards Township Campus nears completion.

50 YEARS AGO

George Moffat, Head of the English Department, writes an article for The Pingry Record that reflects on the past year of the department’s trimester system that allows students to take trimester-length elective courses.

60 YEARS AGO

Julian Bryan, Executive Director of the International Film Foundation, returns to Pingry to talk about Africa as part of the Allen F. Myers Humanities Series (named for Allen F. Myers, Class of 1898, and established by his family). Pingry’s AFS student the previous year, Joshua Muvumba, was a native of Uganda.

80 YEARS AGO

The School mourns Harriett Budd, former Head of the Lower School. She taught at Pingry for 35 years, from 1902–1937.

90 YEARS AGO

Dr. John Pingry’s grandchildren, Lucy and Frank, visit Pingry and present the School with some of their grandfather’s letters and other possessions, including his pulpit Bible and portraits of his parents.

The Literary Club hears a presentation by Edward Weeks, Class of 1915, about his work as Associate Editor of the Atlantic Monthly.

Scott Russell ’76 also played shortstop for Pingry. In this photo, “Left fielder Brian Weiss ’76 was evidently so confident I would tag the runner out that he didn’t need to back up the play!”

17 Questions for Pingry’s 17th Head of School—Part 2!

Tim Lear reflects on his first year

1. Which moment(s) made you think, “This is why I’m thrilled to be Head of School”?

Calling the first snow day. (The fact that there was no snow didn’t diminish the thrill.)

4. What surprised you the most, or what was most unexpected, about being Head?

The pace—as Ferris Bueller said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

5. Beside proximity to campus, what is your family enjoying most about living in Beinecke House?

The easy access to the cross country course. (Wait, that might just be me ;)

6. What’s the funniest question a Lower School student asked you?

From a Kindergartener: “Can we have more days off? It gives me time to do my homework. Also, I like to sleep in the morning.”

7. What is a standout moment from an alumni reception you attended?

In San Francisco, losing track of time and enjoying the conversation so much that the staff had to flicker the lights on and off—and then shut them off—to get us to leave.

2. Which memories have stayed with you the most from your first Convocation and Graduation ceremonies as Head?

Convocation: I was inspired by the positive energy of the crowd and the overarching message from the student speakers that each of us has a responsibility to contribute to and build the Pingry experience. We will get out what we put in.

Graduation: Tanish Reddi's version of The Star-Spangled Banner

Like listening to Jimi Hendrix's version of the National Anthem at Woodstock. The runner-up moment is Jaymin [Bhat]'s bear hug.

3. What did it feel like to hand a diploma to a Pingry graduate for the first time?

For the fifth-grade Moving Up Ceremony, I was able to hand a diploma to my son Tighe (and my nephew Landon). That was pretty awesome.

(Honorable mention: signing my sister’s replacement diploma [Frederique Schachter, Class of ’96.])

8. Is there anything you’ve learned or experienced this year that will influence your priorities or messaging going forward? While tests and games and performances are important opportunities for students to grow and measure success, what makes Pingry special are the relationships.

In the words of Pingry parent Melissa Travers, writing about this year’s Stifel Award assembly: “What differentiates Pingry is its heart . . . the everyday moments, the support, the laughs with teachers, and the spontaneous smiles that are found throughout the day. We are the people who sit in an auditorium, listening to a story of perseverance and personal fortitude, and know that we are part of something great.”

9. You were spotted signing yearbooks for Lower School students at Moving Up Day. How did it make you feel when the students asked you to sign them? Honored

10. What advice would you go back and give yourself last summer if that were possible?

Although I’m a Celtics fan and still associate Pat Riley with the hated (and excellent) 1980s Lakers, I have come to grudgingly

admire him. As he says, “Excellence is the gradual result of always striving to do better.” As a former distance runner, I should have known this! And last year was a great reminder that much of life is a marathon and not a sprint.

11. Describe Year One in five words or less. “Me. We.”

Muhammad Ali’s two-word poem, first delivered during a lecture at Harvard University.

12. What have you learned about Pingry, given your new perspective as Head of School?

My office looks out onto the freshman area, and I’ve learned that students are as skilled as my three children at pretending that I’m not there.

13. How do you think Year Two will be different?

I’m going to pop out of my office occasionally to help Dean Hoepfl by being the bad cop. (Or I’ll email Mr. Courchesne, our new Associate Head of School, and ask him to be the bad cop ;)

14. If you could improve one thing about your calendar in the next year, what would it be?

More weekday walkabouts (and lazy Sundays).

15. What’s been the best addition to your desk or office bookshelves?

The blue urn-like vase that several senior artists made and gifted me last fall.

16. What did you learn about yourself last year?

A) I have a lot to learn.

B) I love what I do.

C) “Good is the enemy of great. Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice and discipline.” (Jim Collins)

17. If the story of your first year as Head of School were a book, what would the title be?

Full Throttle by Joe Hill (Stephen King’s son) & A Beautiful Work in Progress (Mirna Valerio)

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

Pingry has new lecterns, one of which was used for Commencement, thanks to Sebastian Salvatore ’24 who “wanted to create a new design that better represents our school. It has the words ‘excellence’ and ‘honor’ engraved on each side and has a much brighter and vibrant emblem that sits within its own circle at the top.” He designed it, and conversations led to the idea of using reclaimed wood from dining room tables at the Hillside Campus. The Facilities Team looked for a local sign maker to assemble the lectern and found Veteran Wood Co., which describes itself as a "Disabled-Veteran Owned Small Business who pride ourselves on attention to detail."

Pictured: Class President Shaan Lehal '23