MAGAZINE
FALL 2015 DR. PIPER SKELLY ’89
AND THE MYSTERIES OF MALS THE EFFORT SYSTEM TURNS 45 NEW FIELD HOUSE AND
THE SCULLY ENDOWMENT CHALLENGE
Coming Home,
Leading Forward BILL TAYLOR BEGINS HIS TERM AS TRINITY-PAWLING'S SEVENTH HEADMASTER
From the Headmaster
M
y father was born during the
Depression, his childhood distinguished by World War II. Both events left an indelible imprint on him. His is known as the silent generation. I heard very little from my father about these two seminal events of the 20th century, but much more about what values were cultivated by them. I grew up hearing various mantras from my father that he undoubtedly learned from his parents. “Deal With It” and “When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going” were among his favorites. One need not spend too much time wondering how the realities of The Great Depression and WWII spawned such sentiments.
“
“There is no such thing as good enough” may sound like an invitation to perfectionism, and, if not checked, it could be. I believe, though, that it is a challenge to always do our best and to pursue excellence in all that we undertake. The business strategist, Jim Collins, argues that “good is the enemy of great.” I believe this to be true for individuals and for organizations. Trinity-Pawling excels because it taps into the greatness of each boy. This pursuit of greatness, though, is grounded in aspiration and cultivated over time in a learning environment that reinforces time-tested values, integrity, and honor. Because my professional career began at Trinity-Pawling, the
Contents
DEPARTMENTS
14
5 A VIEW FROM THE HILL Chris Marsh ’82 leads WWE in Asia… AJ Keller ’10 advances Boeing and Push the World...Andrew Buckwalter ’95 returns to his roots In the Classroom: Drones, iPhones, and creativity Faculty Minute: Math Instructor Ben Kafoglis The Big Picture: Page to Pond
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TRINITY-PAWLING AND TO THE PRIDE THAT EMANATES
He was also fond of a third saying with similar origins: “There Is No Such Thing As Good Enough.” Being “good enough” wasn't going to allow you to persevere through the Depression, nor would it lead to the defeat of Fascism. When I heard these refrains, they were usually spoken in the context of having to return to the yard because I had not thoroughly weeded the gardens; when I had to take something apart and put it back together again because I had been careless with the directions; or when I had to fight through fatigue because the latest draft of my paper still had too many errors.
”
values of this School became formative ideals in my vocation. After a 14 year absence—a time during which these ideals continued to be cultivated in my approach toward education and leadership—it is an honor to be back in the place where these educational principles were first honed. I am invigorated by my return to TrinityPawling and to the pride that emanates from the pursuit of excellence. I look forward to sharing this journey with you in the coming years.
2 THE SCROLL Farewell to Mr. Carp... Headmaster's first Tweet... Adam Maggio ’15 on Luke 10:3-11
I AM INVIGORATED BY MY RETURN TO
FROM THE PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE.
Fall 2015
24 PRIDE ATHLETICS Winter sports preview...Bill Scully ’57 and his wife, Marlynn, launch historic challenge Pride Spotlight: Austrian Robinson ’15 heads off to Ole Miss
FEATURE
14 Big, Bold Dreams
28 CONNECTIONS
WITH BILL TAYLOR AT THE HELM, TRINITY-PAWLING
JP Burlington ’95, new director of Admission...Welcoming the Taylors around the world...Cal Smith ’87...the Autenreith family P’16
EMBRACES ITS NEXT BIG ADVENTURE
5 Dr. Piper Skelly ’89 and the mysteries of MALS
Events
26 The Effort System turns 45
Giving Back
32 New field house and the Scully Endowment Challenge
Class Notes
40 END NOTE
Onward! Trinity-Pawling School is committed to conserving our world’s natural resources. This magazine is printed by a FSC and SFI certified printer on FSC and SFI certified, and 30% post-consumer waste paper.
Science Instructor Mike Webber 30%
EMAIL : TWITTER : FACEBOOK : VIMEO : INSTAGRAM : FLICKR : LINKEDIN
The Scroll
CARP WEEK ON INSTAGRAM
CARP WEEK ON FACEBOOK
THIS PAST MAY, TRINITY-PAWLING SAID FAREWELL TO GREG CARPINIELLO AS HE HEADED OFF TO A NEW ADVENTURE WITH ORVIS IN MANCHESTER, VT.
“Well this is sad news” – JORDAN SHERMAN ’00
WELCOME BILL AND JENNIFER TAYLOR
“Proud to serve @TrinityPawling as Headmaster! Looking forward to the pursuit of greatness! #tpshoutout #rollpride”
“Welcome to Trinity-Pawling, Bill!” – @NAES (NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
– KENNY KNICKERBOCKER ’03
OF EPISCOPAL SCHOOLS)
FIRST DAY ON THE JOB, AND HEADMASTER
“Good luck Mr. Taylor; wish you all the best”
BILL TAYLOR WAS READY AND TWEETING.
– DOUGLAS MICHALS ’90
WE POSTED
– JEAN-CLAUDE GOVERNALE ’91
“Congratulations Bill! Am truly happy to see this and look forward to the next stage of TrinityPawling’s evolution.”
– @TPSHEADMASTER
“Great guy and teacher. He will be missed.”
“Congrats Mr. and Mrs. Taylor”
“The man has heart!! Good luck sir!” – MIKE PAPA ’97
Dear May, no complaints here!
– MICHAEL BURNS ’91
“I will always remember Carp yelling in the dorm, ‘Act normal!’” – GEOFF FITZGERALD ’02
Mr. Carp—English teacher, dean of residential life, junior form advisor, cross country coach, hockey coach, track coach, ropes course, rock concert, sometimes affectionately known as Dean of Mean—what have we missed? Join us for #CarpWeek2015. Share your best stories. Dig in.
In honor of #CarpWeek2015, a big #tbt to Halloween, dressing up as this big guy. Thanks for everything, Coach. – CHRIS NOLAN ’15
“Great man, great leader, wish him and his wife nothing but the best.” – ETHAN RICHARD
“What a good man. Carp forever.” – PAUL SALOMON
“My greatest mentor…Godspeed Mr. Carp, you’ll be missed.” – ROBBIE TREMBLAY ’04
“I appreciate everything you did for me, my family, and others by being an amazing teacher. You’re the ‘Master!’” – RAMON A. GAANDERSE ’96
@TRINITYPAWLINGSCHOOL
“Thank you Carp for always teaching me to dig, dig, dig!” – ELLIOT KAITZ ’07
Throwing it back being on T-P cross-country during my post grad year, and had a hell of a fun time with these fellas… ‘If you eat that ice cream on Wednesday night you are telling your teammates that YOU DON’T CARE.’
Join the conversation twitter.com/TrinityPawling
youtube.com/TPCommunications
facebook.com/TrinityPawling
flickr.com/photos/trinity-pawling_school/sets/
vimeo.com/trinitypawling/videos
linkedin.com
Email: communications@trinitypawling.org
#GoPride #adayinthelifetp #RollPride #tpshoutout
For class notes and alumni matters email, alumni@trinitypawling.org
@trinitypawlingschool @TPrideHockey @rollpridelax
#
We will consider all correspondence for publication unless you stipulate otherwise.
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TRINIT Y-PAWLING MAGA ZINE
Write to us: Trinity-Pawling Magazine, 700 Route 22 Pawling, NY 12564
A parting gift from Carp. How many T-P guys have seen all of these?
“We all age and he stays the same. It must be that T-P food!” – WILL PULSIFER ’94 …AND MANY OTHERS ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM. IT’S TRUE, CARP, YOU ARE MISSED.
– FREESULLY
– JCOLLINSTP
FALL 2015
3
NEWS : IN THE CLASSROOM : FACULTY MINUTE : THE BIG PICTURE
A View From The Hill
WE POSTED
FOR OVER A WEEK THIS PAST SUMMER, PARTS OF NEW YORK AND VERMONT WERE ON HIGH ALERT AFTER THE BREAKOUT OF TWO INMATES FROM THE HIGH-SECURITY CLINTON CORRECTIONAL FACILITY ON JUNE 6. MICHAEL MESSINA ’91 (CROUCHING, RIGHT) ULTIMATELY PLAYED A VITAL ROLE IN THE ARREST OF INMATE DAVID SWEAT…AND PROMPTLY FELT A LOT OF LOVE FROM THE PRIDE.
“Nice job warrior!!” – STEWARD MCKNELLY ’86
“This is the right way to make the news. Thanks for your service, my T-P brother!”
“T-P hockey alum rule!”
–TOUSSAINT ROMAIN ’96
– STEVE VILLA ’82
“Michael Messina is the reason I went to T-P!”
“Thanks for all you do serving the public and keeping us safe.” – BRADFORD HARDY ’83
– RUES CHRISTOPHER ’90
Dr. Piper Skelly ’89 (second from left) with the MALS team at University of Chicago Medicine
ON CAMPUS
“ WE’RE BRINGING NOTHING PHYSICAL WITH US; JUST THE
NOW WE SENIORS ARE BEING SENT OUT INTO THE WORLD…
KNOWLEDGE WE ACCRUED IN OUR TIME HERE. ALONG
WITH HONOR, RESPECT, INTEGRITY, PERSEVERANCE,
AND LEADERSHIP. WITH THOSE WE ARE PREPARED.
”
– ADAM MAGGIO ’15, REFLECTING ON LUKE 10:3-11 IN THE FINAL CHAPEL TALK OF 2014-15
DAVID VON ANCKEN '83 IS THE DIRECTOR AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCER OF "TUT," AIRING ON SPIKE TV. THE MINI-SERIES FICTIONALIZES THE LAST TWO YEARS OF KING TUT'S REIGN AND STARS BEN KINGSLEY.
“He also wrote and directed a brilliant Western called Seraphim Falls which is well worth watching.” – SCOTT CAMPBELL SECKEL ’84
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Dr. Christopher “Piper” Skelly ’89 and his team are breaking through the mysteries of MALS Imagine suffering with abdominal pain so intense that even eating becomes a dreaded undertaking. Now imagine seeking a diagnosis and coming up short, time and again. The usual suspects (Crohn’s, Celiac, etc.) are ruled out, leaving your PCP and GI specialist stumped. Enter Piper Skelly, MD ’89, an international expert in median arcuate ligament syndrome (MALS), and leader of the multidisciplinary MALS team at the University of Chicago Medicine. “MALS is a vascular compression syndrome that primarily affects women,” explains Skelly, who also is chief of vascular surgery & endovascular therapy at the University of Chicago Medicine. “The condition often goes undiagnosed, so a big part of our work includes outreach to educate other physicians.” With MALS, the celiac artery, which provides blood flow to the digestive system, is compressed by a slip of muscle tissue from the diaphragm. Once the condition is surgically corrected, many patients feel relief almost instantly. In addition to a busy vascular surgery practice serving patients from across the United States and around the globe, Skelly also teaches and conducts National
Institutes of Health-funded research. He gravitated to vascular surgery during the course of his surgical residency. “I loved the elegant, precise, technically demanding nature of it,” he explains. Perhaps surprisingly for a man whose days are so full, Skelly thinks often of favorite T-P teachers and coaches and their sage (and transferable) advice. “Mrs. Carlson, my sophomore English teacher, used to say, ‘Always have an original idea,’ and ‘No idea is too small,’ while Coach Coratti always emphasized that ‘Pain is temporary; pride is forever.’ These are aphorisms that have helped me all through my career. You have to have a good idea, or you are not going to get funded. Likewise, you need that grit and resilience, because very often your research isn’t going to get funded on the first round.” For his part, Skelly brings to his work an empathy and responsiveness sometimes rare in the world of medicine. “A lot of doctors can be dogmatic in their approach to treatment, but I don’t think that works. What’s most rewarding for me is striking a chord with a patient that may lead to an improvement in his or her quality of life.” FALL 2015
5
A VIEW FROM THE HILL I NEWS
Marsh with actor and wrestler Dave Bautista
Photo Courtesy of Tennison Photography
Go East, Young Man CHRIS MARSH ’82 BECOMES GENERAL MANAGER OF WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT (WWE) IN ASIA “My whole life has been Plan B, which has worked out really well,” laughs Chris Marsh ’82, reflecting on his nearly 30-year career in entertainment marketing and management with mega-companies like Columbia Pictures, Turner Broadcasting, Lucasfilm, and Disney. In February 2015, Marsh, who lives with his wife and two young daughters in Singapore, was appointed general manager of the Asia-Pacific division of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). In this vastly diverse and everexpanding market, he oversees all of the company’s businesses, from network, live, and televised events to consumer products. Marsh’s early life in Needham, MA wouldn’t necessarily have augured a stellar career. “I was an angst-y teenager,” he recalls. After a string of rebellions led to a drastic drop in grades, his parents decided to look into independent boarding schools. As luck would have it, the first person with whom Marsh spoke during his visit to Trinity-Pawling was Dean of Admission Dave Reece. Reece, he says, made it clear that he saw Marsh’s potential, and more importantly, that Marsh would be welcomed at Trinity-Pawling. “That sold me,” he says, “and it was a turning point in my life.” By the end of his two years at T-P, he had earned the rank of valedictorian for the Class of 1982.
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Marsh was subsequently appointed by his congressman to West Point, where he spent three years before transferring to Columbia, majoring in international politics, intending to become a history teacher. Instead, upon graduation, he cut his long hair and took an investment banking job with Paine Webber. Marsh’s burgeoning interest in business prompted a return to Columbia, this time for an MBA focusing on management. However, it was his ability to talk movies that earned him his first entertainment job with Columbia Pictures in 1991. Thus began a career that has spanned several countries and continents, and a total revolution in the way entertainment is created, packaged, and received. Through the decades, Marsh has morphed with the industry, striving always to expand his knowledge base and world view. Two years spent volunteering in Namibia in the late 1990s proved pivotal in this regard, as did moving to Southeast Asia in 2012 to become Walt Disney’s general manager for studio entertainment for the region. Now, from his home base in Singapore, Marsh spends much of his time observing the always fascinating cultural dynamics of Asia and trying to determine which WWE offerings will best resonate with various countries and audiences. His work, he says, reflects his passions, which Trinity-Pawling first gave him the confidence to follow. Plan B, it seems, has been a win-win.
Andrew Buckwalter ’95 returns to his roots Is the family farm dying out? Not if Andrew Buckwalter ’95 has anything to say about it. Buckwalter and other young farmers across the country are among those working to ensure that local, family agriculture remains viable and attracts a new generation of farmers. At Buckhill Farm in Lititz, Pennsylvania, Buckwalter has established a thriving CSA on the land first farmed by his grandfather. His formula for success: strong community relationships, hard work, and a diversified business plan. From the start, Buckwalter always planned to grow organic vegetables and flowers, rather than commodity crops. “I wanted to grow food for my community, my neighbors,” he explains. After an apprenticeship on a local organic farm, Buckwalter built a greenhouse and began distributing flyers for his community-supported agriculture (CSA) program. Fifty shareholders signed up before he even finished the greenhouse or planted a seed. Although Lancaster County has a deep history of agriculture, the culture remains very meat and potatoes. “I had the opportunity to introduce people to things like mesclun, chard, and kale,” says Buckwalter. Response has grown steadily, with Buckhill Farm adding 25 new members annually and expanding to 15 acres. Buckwalter’s wife, Coral, is a certified horticulturist; she grows 20 types of flowers on 3/4 of an acre and offers a popular flower share. “I love connecting to my community,” Buckwalter says, “and preserving the heritage of my family’s farm
within this increasingly developed area. We’re surrounded by shopping malls and fast food restaurants. We educate people about their food choices, show them how it’s grown and who grows it.” Buckwalter graduated from Trinity-Pawling as a prefect and soccer captain, then earned his BA in communications from Muhlenberg College. After a stint in Manhattan with the Discovery Channel, he returned to T-P, where he worked in advancement, then taught English and coached. Ultimately, his diverse experiences led him back to his roots and farming. Today, he continually seeks ways to diversify the program. The business now includes a workplace CSA for Rock Lititz, a nearby complex of five companies known as “the backstage of the musical world,” where artists such as U2, Sting, and Taylor Swift test out staging equipment as they prepare for tours. Rock Lititz employees can access Buckhill Farm products along with those of other local producers. A hundred people order online each week, and Buckwalter’s crew packs and delivers the order every Thursday. “As entrepreneurs, we’re innately driven to keep expanding, keep growing,” he says. He relishes the teaching aspect as well, training interns and serving as a consultant for new farmers. “I’ve become a people manager as well as a crop manager,” he says. “Some days, my hands stay clean as I focus on the business end. Other days, I’m just as dirty as the farm crew.”
FALL 2015
7
A VIEW FROM THE HILL I NEWS
Honor Code BOEING COMPUTER ENGINEER & ENTREPRENEUR AJ KELLER ’10 GIVES AS GOOD AS HE GETS
In the year since he graduated from Clemson
and those less conventional (building a proxy
University with his computer engineering degree,
network back to his home in CT so he could Skype
AJ Keller ’10 has been on a wild, wild ride. Indeed,
with his dad). Perhaps most importantly, as a new
within a little more than a month of receiving his
sophomore at Trinity-Pawling, Keller developed the
diploma, this young innovator had started his own
life goals that have carried him through to the very
mobile app design company, Push the World, of
exciting and fertile present.
which he remains CEO, AND accepted a three-year-
Having transferred out of his information
long information technology rotation with Boeing
technology rotation into Boeing’s robotics
in Charleston, SC. And yet while he is unabashed in
engineering division, Keller is thrilled with his day
describing himself as a “hustler,” Keller’s ambitions
job working to automate the assembly process for
are infused with a sincere desire to help others;
Boeing airplanes. He is just as delighted with his
so much so that in May 2015 he launched a non-
moonlighting at Push the World, whose first app,
profit called Push the Code, the goal of which, says
“Swype It,” a game, launched in early November
Keller, is to “enable and provide opportunities for
2014, before Keller’s 21st birthday. A second app,
students from underprivileged backgrounds in
“Simplst,” which Keller calls “absolutely the best
grades 6-12 to learn how to write computer code.”
thing I’ve ever made,” debuted this past summer
Equal parts rule-follower and rebel, Keller
and provides users a “simplistic, fast, easily
followed his older brother, Robert ’07, to Trinity-
navigable way to organize and share photos.”
Pawling from Ridgefield, CT. T-P’s “structured,
However, Keller’s favorite project to date remains
intense, and rigorous” school environment,
“Push the Code,” which he plans to have up and
explains Keller, helped him identify areas for self-
running in two South Carolina schools by the end
improvement and find opportunities to “walk [his]
of 2015. “I see this as a way of pushing substantial
own path.” It’s also where he gained further critical
economic benefits to the Greater Charleston area,
exposure to computers and programming—via
while helping a lot of people along the way.”
conventional means (a one-on-one programming
Not half bad for a 22-year-old.
class designed specifically for Keller by Mr. Metcalf)
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TRINIT Y-PAWLING MAGA ZINE
FALL 2015
9
A VIEW FROM THE HILL I NEWS
Spanish Instructor Christina Kratzman wins IBSC research award
Hail to the Class of 2015! FOR ME, TRINITY-PAWLING HAS BEEN A PLACE WHERE I “ COULD BE MYSELF WITHOUT HAVING TO THINK TWICE. IT’S A
Students, families, faculty,
PLACE WHERE PEOPLE BREAK OUT OF THEIR SHELLS AND SHOW
Trinity-Pawling’s 108th
WHO THEY TRULY ARE. THE RESULT IS A GROUP OF GENUINE
Commencement on May 24,
YOUNG MEN—WHO WILL LEAVE TRINITY-PAWLING FEARLESS IN
2015. Maurice Greenberg,
THE FACE OF UNCERTAINTY OR ANYTHING THAT LIES AHEAD,
former chairman and CEO of
BECAUSE WE NOW UNDERSTAND OUR POTENTIAL, AND HOW
American International Group
CAPABLE WE TRULY ARE.
”
– Chris Nolan ’15, from his head prefect speech
staff, and friends celebrated
and grandfather of Ben London ’15, gave the commencement address. To see slideshows of both Commencement and the Stepping Up ceremony, visit our Flickr galleries.
Trinity-Pawling Spanish Instructor Christina Kratzman has long enjoyed cultural research, in particular the kind that places an investigator smack dab in the middle of his or her field of inquiry. So it comes as no surprise that when the International Boys’ Schools Coalition (IBSC) issued a call for participants in its annual action research project, Kratzman jumped at the chance to become involved. Each year, the action research projects unite a select group of IBSC teachers around a common theme; in this case, “Boys as Global Citizens.” While each school narrows the topic to suit its particular needs, participating teachers are assigned to small teams of instructors from all over the globe with whom they can brainstorm and trade data. Kratzman is especially excited about this year’s theme, noting that it “. . . aligns beautifully with what we are trying to achieve at Trinity-Pawling right now, which is how we can make our school as a whole more globally attuned and aware.” Instructors have approximately 18 months to complete the various phases of their projects. Kratzman’s first task was to focus the topic in a way that resonated with as many students and teachers as
possible. Using the United Nations’ eight Millennium Development Goals as its guide, T-P has selected promoting gender equality as its action for the 2015-16 academic year. In July, Kratzman traveled to Capetown, South Africa, to meet face-to-face with her fellow action researchers and kick-off the next stage of the project. Initially, Kratzman will gather data through a series of facilitated discussions held during student advisories, where she hopes T-P boys will feel comfortable expressing their ideas about gender as it relates to their own lived experiences. The end goal, explains Kratzman, is to create a new framework for dialogue and action at Trinity-Pawling, one that raises boys’ awareness of worldwide interpretations of gender and presents them with the tools to make meaningful change at T-P and beyond. She will present her findings at next summer’s IBSC conference in Vancouver, British Columbia. Meanwhile, she and her fellow teachers and students are happily immersed in their real-time, real-world research.
flickr.com/photos/trinity-pawling_school/sets
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FALL 2015 11
A VIEW FROM THE HILL I NEWS
MEET THE 2016
CAELAHN BULLEN
PREFECTS
At Stepping Up last May, the 2015 prefects passed the torch (and their briefcases) to seven successors who occupy the highest student leadership positions for this 2015-16 school year. Here they share a few little-known facts about each other. Congratulations, boys!
Head Prefect • varsity soccer; varsity lacrosse (goalie) • will attend Cornell next year; “he wears red just about every day” • Blue Pencil Award winner; known for his art as well as athletics
TANNER BALDIN Junior Prefect • varsity soccer, basketball, and lacrosse • fan of vinyl; member of T-P’s Record Club • affectionately known to some as “Dad,” “because he’s just so practical”
MILES MARTIN • varsity soccer; varsity track • editor of The Phoenix • recently represented T-P at a Model UN; “when he talks, others listen; you should follow suit”
ANDREW WYMAN • varsity football; hockey; varsity lacrosse • writes about cool science for Vital Signs • “has the best dance moves in the evening hours”
STEPHEN O’HANLON • varsity basketball; varsity track • takes 2000 shots a day in the summertime; plays international ball • “he will throw Irish slang into any conversation”
TREY AIELLO • soccer; varsity hockey; varsity baseball • leader of the Environmental Club and head tour guide • ran the spotlight for “Damn Yankees” last year
COLE STEWART
COLE STEWART
TREY AIELLO
STEPHEN O’HANLON
ANDREW WYMAN
MILES MARTIN
TANNER BALDIN
CAELAHN BULLEN
Hoschton, GA
Williamsburg, PA
Carrickmacross, MG, Ireland
Fayetteville, NY
Pittsburgh, PA
Brantford, ON, Canada
Calgary, AB, Canada
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• cross country; varsity hockey; varsity lacrosse • features editor and writer for The Phoenix • “a classic number 7; known for making the best out of any situation”
FALL 2015 13
IN THE CLASSROOM
FACULTY MINUTE
Mathematics Instructor Ben Kafoglis
Ben Kafoglis (Wesleyan University ’14) joined Trinity-Pawling School as a mathematics instructor just over a year ago. In that short time, Kafoglis, whom Dean of Faculty Todd Hoffman describes as a “master mathematician and true Renaissance man,” has garnered the respect of students and colleagues alike. A former peer tutor in introductory and advanced mathematics courses at Wesleyan, Kafoglis is
With drones and iPhones, digital media students tap into creativity It’s a phrase often repeated in Bryn Gillette’s digital media classroom: “Ninety percent of what we do is applying what we know to what we don’t know.” Through his term-long elective course, Digital Media, Gillette fosters artistic creativity in Trinity-Pawling boys and introduces them to the elements of good design. The ultimate goal of the course, however, is to build students’ versatility and capacity for innovation. The class, which is taught in a “round table” format, allows for the individual discoveries of each student to teach and inspire the whole class—and for the group to make discoveries together. Students are equipped with a basic “backpack” of know-how, “and then we send them out to explore the infinite possibilities in an everprogressing world of digital evolution,” says Gillette. “They use the untapped potential of their laptops and smart phones—the capacity that already exists at their fingertips—to manipulate photos, shoot and edit film, and instantly integrate with social media through both classic software and cutting-edge apps.” The results of the Digital Media class are as varied as the boys themselves and the expanding technology available to them. Justin Yip ’15 (who’s now focusing on
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a film degree in college) produced promotional videos worthy of any professional with his own DSLR camera and a GoPro-mounted drone. Sam Mark ’12 (currently a communications major at Skidmore College) designed an independent study in digital media during his senior spring term at Trinity-Pawling, and worked as an intern in the communications office to create short films promoting the School. For the past several years, Digital Media students have been responsible for the varsity team “highlight” videos, which have become the centerpiece of the athletics awards assembly at the end of each season. “Students are beginning to produce the style and quality of media they themselves regularly consume,” says Gillette. “I am so pleased to witness that our often narrow limitation of visual art to painting, drawing, and sculpture is collapsing. We intuitively know that our highly visual generation demands creative and designconscious workers in every field. Our goal is to outfit our students with creativity for any vocation.”
currently teaching advanced pre-calculus, along with both levels of AP Calculus.
On the surprise of becoming a teacher:
On being a “compatriot” with the boys:
I grew up in New Haven, Connecticut, where my father teaches in the large public high school that I attended. My mom’s also in education, and from an early age, I was fairly certain I did not want to follow in the family tradition. However, that changed when I landed at Wesleyan University. In college, I found that I always enjoyed talking to my friends about math, even if they didn’t particularly like being on the receiving end. When I later learned during my job search that I might be able to teach high-level mathematics to high school students, I realized that if an opportunity came my way, I wasn’t going to be able to turn it down. When I visited Trinity-Pawling, I found the campus to be incredibly inviting and impressive. I toured with Todd Hoffman, who knew the name of every boy we passed. Those interactions really brought me on board with the residential aspect of T-P, because I realized that instructors get to see and help the boys in every single area of their lives. When that happens, the walls come down; the boys get to know us as real people and vice versa.
During college, as a counselor at Camp Hazen in Chester, CT, I developed a tone that I think has transferred well to T-P. I’m friendly with the boys, but they know I am not their friend. Rather, I am their compatriot. By that, I mean we are all working toward the same goals. Since we are so close in age, I find this to be a helpful distinction for all of us. I have found the veteran faculty at T-P to be an extremely good resource. In fact, I was recently thinking that I should write thank-you notes to all of the teachers who helped me in my first year, but then I realized that would take days!
On living and learning in the same place: The education here encompasses being a student and person. Our boys are being taught every hour of their waking lives, from the time we rouse them in the morning right through their meals, classes, sports, extracurriculars, and even back in their residence halls at night. When you do those activities together, with your peers and teachers, you grow in every aspect of who you are. Of course, an important side benefit is that people notice when you are stressed; we see when someone needs support. There are so many adults watching our students’ backs at Trinity-Pawling. When the boys get that, they really grow.
FALL 2015 15
THE BIG PICTURE
Page to Pond After introducing his senior English class to A River Runs Through It, instructor Ralph Fedele ’04 wanted to make an even stronger connection between Norman Maclean’s haunting prose and the act (and art) of fly fishing. The upshot? An afternoon on the pond, reels in hand.
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FALL 2015 17
BIG, BOLD
DREAMS WITH BILL TAYLOR AT THE HELM, TRINITY-PAWLING EMBRACES ITS NEXT BIG ADVENTURE. Bill Taylor carries an Eisenhower silver dollar in his pocket every day; a teacher’s talisman of sorts. He has a pile of them, all from the 1970s. “They remind me of my own time in high school,” he explains. The coins point toward his concept of leadership as well. Eisenhower suggests strategic planning and the power of courageous execution. “In God We Trust” underscores faith as a foundation. And the moon on the back? “I see the Apollo missions of the 1960s and 70s,” says Taylor. “Big, bold dreams can become reality if you plan, organize, and persevere.” continued BY MARIA BUTEUX READE
18 TRINIT Y-PAWLING MAGA ZINE
FALL 2015 19
“My fundamental charge was to build on a highlysuccessful lower school program,” says Taylor. “What we ultimately achieved was collaborative, interdisciplinary, and project-based—long before the term ‘21st century skills’ became a trend.” The resulting schedule looked like nothing anyone had seen in Memphis. In fact, it looked more like a certain school in Pawling: a rotating schedule based on trimesters, with faculty teaching five sections. The concept was not universally embraced. A slew of parents challenged Bill; some families left, most stayed. “If I had focused on the scope of those first years, it would have been paralyzing,” recalls Taylor. “I think that’s why I’m adamant that people should take risks. Now I’m grateful for those challenges. The energy was palpable among those who understood what St. George’s could become. I feel the same way about the opportunities we have today at Trinity-Pawling.”
Coming home to lead forward Bill and Jennifer Taylor graduated from Kenyon College in 1985, with respective degrees in history and psychology. Bill spent two years at Yale Divinity School from which he earned a masters in religion, along with a certificate of Anglican Studies through Yale’s Berkeley Divinity School. Degrees in hand, the Taylors began their school careers at Trinity-Pawling in 1988. Bill taught history while Jennifer joined the language program. They served as dorm parents in East, with Bill coaching varsity tennis and JV basketball. Ultimately, Taylor shifted into admissions, became assistant headmaster, and finally associate headmaster to Arch Smith. Meanwhile, he continued to teach history, namely the American Experience course he created. He helped establish the senior leadership program and ropes course; oversaw the Student Senate; and enhanced the ethos of honor, laying a foundation for the Honor Code that followed in 2008. “Those were formative years for me as an emerging school leader,” says Taylor. “Trinity-Pawling was the model for so much of what I established later in my career. The School and its values never left us. I’ve always felt fortunate to have started my career in a community of educators who invest so deeply in the development of each boy.” Yet growth requires change, even for a budding headmaster. After 13 years at Trinity-Pawling, the Taylors and their two children, Wilson and Allyson, moved south to tackle new opportunities at St. George’s, a day school in Memphis.
Building a school, from the ground up “When I arrived in the summer of 2001 as associate head, St. George’s Independent School consisted of a lower school, with 385 students in pre-K to sixth grade,” says Taylor. “Someone had donated 125 acres, seven miles away, on which to build a middle and an upper school. When I arrived, bulldozers were clearing the site. They handed me blueprints and said, ‘Here’s the contractor. But first, you have to develop the entire program.’” In eleven months, Taylor created two new divisions (middle and upper) and a new campus. He tackled major decisions that would impact every aspect of school life. “Basically, I had to work backwards,” he explains. “Before I could hire teachers, I had to devise a curriculum. Before that, I had to project a budget based on my target enrollment, and envision the schedule.” All this without fellow administrators to share the load. “Thankfully, I had Jennifer as my sounding board.”
20 TRINIT Y-PAWLING MAGA ZINE
“
OUR GOAL IS TO HELP DEMONSTRATE
WHERE AMERICAN EDUCATION NEEDS
TO GO. WE CAN DO THAT BY DEVELOPING
THE CURRICULUM, PARTNERSHIPS,
AND EXPERIENCES
THAT EQUIP BOYS
TO BECOME
GREAT MEN.
– B I L L TAY L O R
”
New directions By the summer of 2014, the Taylors were preparing to begin their 14th year at St. George's. Bill (who had been named president in 2006) was responsible for a comprehensive pre-K through grade 12 program serving 1,200 students on three campuses. Jennifer guided enrollment as director of admission. St. George’s was now the second largest independent school in Memphis. Enter the Trinity-Pawling headmaster search committee. After reading through the search materials, Bill and Jennifer began to give serious consideration to the idea of “coming home” to T-P. “Arch Smith brought the School to new heights and helped Trinity-Pawling evolve into a leading force in boys education,” explains Taylor. “The stage was clearly set for exciting new directions, and the next great phase.” Since his official hiring in September 2014, and now with the full T-P faculty, Taylor has been dreaming of the next steps. He reads extensively and will gladly spend a few minutes—or hours—discussing pedagogy. In his view, innovation and tradition are not mutually exclusive. “We need to move teaching and learning forward,” he says. “Not just at Trinity-Pawling, but across the U.S. How do we harness all the resources available to us? How do we ensure that high school truly prepares students not simply to regurgitate information, but to apply their skills, character, and pure creativity to a multitude of questions
and problems? Learning needs to become more innovative and entrepreneurial!” Far from a Luddite, Bill embraces technology and the powerful, instant access it gives to people and information. Taylor believes that students should take more ownership of their education, with faculty as guides and mentors. “I see students as creators and generators of knowledge. Imaginative, fresh approaches to conventional material will be the key to our success.” He is quick, however, to point out that Google can’t replace experiential learning. “Most professions today rely on collaborative group work, which emphasizes interaction and communication skills. That’s the trend of the future: communicating across vast networks; collaborating in open work spaces; problem solving, whether face-to-face or virtual. Having these traits will distinguish our boys.”
FALL 2015 21
“
I SEE STUDENTS AS CREATORS AND GENERATORS OF KNOWLEDGE.
IMAGINATIVE, FRESH APPROACHES TO CONVENTIONAL MATERIAL
WILL BE THE KEY TO OUR SUCCESS.
See page 41 for welcome event dates.
”
– B I L L TAY L O R
Better education for boys everywhere For Taylor, the imperatives of entrepreneurial, skill-based learning have special significance for Trinity-Pawling. “As a school, we occupy a perfect intersection between this kind of learning, and proven expertise in teaching boys. T-P is uniquely positioned to lead. “Whether in books like Raising Cain or Boys Adrift, research shows that here in the U.S. and elsewhere boys are not well-served in school,” he continues. “At Trinity-Pawling, we need to establish a model for teaching and inspiring boys that will be unsurpassed in the U.S. and abroad. A model that will benefit not only our boys, but those in countless other schools.” As a starting place, Taylor and the faculty will review programs and seek ways to bring greater innovation to the Trinity-Pawling classroom. The School already provides active leadership within the International Boys’ Schools
22 TRINIT Y-PAWLING MAGA ZINE
Come meet Bill and Jennifer Taylor.
Coalition (IBSC) and will continue to do so. “Our goal is to help demonstrate where American education needs to go,” says Taylor. “We can do that by developing the curriculum, partnerships, and experiences that equip boys to become great men. We’re already on that road; it’s a matter of taking our expertise to a whole new level.” Along the way, Taylor has no intention of abandoning traditions like Chapel or sit-down dinner. The key, he explains, is conveying “the why behind tradition. Breaking bread together, sharing a discussion over a meal—these things reinforce the fabric of community. How you choose to dress and present yourself reflects your commitment, your seriousness of purpose. Chapel each morning as a group of individuals reaffirms our similarities rather than our differences. It’s the symbolic beginning of a new day.” Meanwhile, the Taylors are fast immersing themselves in this new but familiar community that is Trinity-Pawling today. When he’s not in Cluett, Bill’s passion is music, and he’ll use this as one point of connection with students outside the classroom. He’ll do the same with tennis, golf, and mountain biking. Jennifer will spend the year reacquainting herself with the area and the extended Trinity-Pawling family as she and Bill travel to welcome events around the globe. The Taylors’ two children both work in education: Wilson teaches English at the Menlo School in Palo Alto, CA; Allyson works in Santa Fe with Girls, Inc., a non-profit that helps underserved girls develop confidence and academic skills. As a family, the Taylors are delighted to call Trinity-Pawling their home base once again. “T-P has such substance,” says Bill. “We’re a School that pursues growth with deep integrity, at the individual and institutional level. I’m honored to help lead us all—students, faculty, alumni, parents—toward an even greater sense of purpose for TrinityPawling and our community in the world.”
What’s your mindset? This summer, Bill Taylor and the T-P faculty launched their discussions about teaching with a reading of Mindset by nationallyacclaimed Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck. According to Dweck’s research, students with “growth” mindsets tend to be undaunted by setbacks or failures, viewing them as opportunities to learn and improve. They develop a resilience and a love for learning that are essential to great accomplishments. By comparison, students with a “fixed” mindset tend to stay with subjects or assignments at which they know they can succeed, seeking confirmation of their abilities and avoiding risk. “Mindset struck a chord with me,” says Taylor, “in part because it so strongly confirms the importance of effort in accomplishment. It felt like the perfect choice for our first faculty reading together. Now comes the exciting part—
Maria Buteux Reade, former dean of faculty, authored both
we’re digging deeper into our culture of
features for this issue. She and Bill Taylor often reminisce about
perseverance to develop more innovative
coaching tennis together in the 1990s, huddled over steaming
ways to instill that growth outlook in
tea and Girl Scout cookies after blustery March practices.
our students.”
FALL 2015 23
E I O C
F F O R T S U R OD E
E
FFORT. IT’S IN OUR BLOOD. We say “Effort System,” but it’s
really an ethos. On campus and around the world, Trinity-Pawling celebrates giving your all—any time, any place you can. From the earliest days, school founder Dr. Gamage worked from the conviction that effort and achievement are inextricably linked. When Phil Smith arrived as headmaster in 1970, he initiated today’s formal Effort System, which looks at student growth from multiple angles: academics, dorm life, athletics, work program, extracurricular involvement. It asks boys to embrace all aspects of life at Trinity-Pawling. The greater the effort, the greater the impact. At events across the country this year,
T-P’S LANDMARK EFFORT SYSTEM TURNS 45 THIS YEAR.
we’ll celebrate the 45th anniversary of
FOUR ALUMNI REFLECT ON TRINITY-PAWLING AND
this distinctive program, and how it’s
ITS LESSONS OF PERSEVERANCE. by Maria Buteux Reade
shaped the lives of alumni from countless professions and walks of life. We’ll honor the results Trinity-Pawling men deliver to their communities and the world. Here in the pages of this magazine, four alumni kick off the celebration with their own stories.
24 TRINIT Y-PAWLING MAGA ZINE
FALL 2015 25
EFFORT
4 5
SYSTEM
The Rewards of Perseverance ADAM BORDONARO ’01
executive chef and PENCIL volunteer
In the summer of 2008, second-year law student Adam Bordonaro was questioning his career
EFFORT
4 5
SYSTEM
Exhaust Your Potential JAMAAL BENJAMIN ’05
NBA assistant coach
Basketball has been a constant thread in Jamaal
path. As recession gripped the nation, Bordonaro felt compelled to go into the world and
Benjamin’s life. After graduating from Dickinson College
create something.
in 2009, he was hired by Shippensburg University as
“ You can’t cheat the grind.
an assistant coach. “I took the job because it would
I convey the message that
That fall he took a busboy job in the meat packing district and fell in love with the restaurant industry. “I took a huge risk, going from law school to the culinary world, but I love
provide an opportunity for graduate school,” he
new challenges,” says Bordonaro, who studied biology and chemistry at Hobart. He enrolled
says. “At that point, I didn’t think about coaching
no matter your skill or
at the French Culinary Institute, earned his degree in fourteen months, and landed a plum
as a career, but more as an avenue to obtain a
talent level, you should do
job as executive chef at the Charlie Palmer restaurant in Manhattan. He stayed there for
master’s degree.”
everything in your power
five years and, during that period, opened three new Charlie Palmer branches in the city. Somehow, Bordonaro made time to mentor for PENCIL, a program which pairs businesses
However, on a Monday morning during his second year at Shippensburg, a co-worker asked Benjamin
with 700 public schools in NYC to teach
what he did that weekend. He explained that he had a
students real-world skills. As he taught Excel
two-game road trip, which meant leaving on Wednesday
skills for the restaurant business, Bordonaro found himself drawing on his own version of
“ Bringing them to my restaurant opens
to be successful. ”
and returning to campus after the game on Saturday. She ribbed him for working all weekend.
the Effort System, offering incentives and
their eyes to a whole new world and
measuring different kinds of performance.
shows kids that role models exist beyond
The five students who scored highest on his
working,” Benjamin recounted. “I had responsibilities, but it didn’t feel like ‘work.’
the realm of athletics and entertainment.
That’s the exact moment when I knew I wanted to make a career out of coaching.”
tests and the five who put forth the best effort would be guests at his restaurant, complete
These kids could become entrepreneurs! ”
with white tablecloth, fancy place settings, and cutlery. “Some people are motivated to excel and others are late bloomers,” says Bordonaro. “I want to teach the kids about perseverance, which I learned at Trinity-Pawling. Bringing them to my restaurant opens their eyes to a whole new world and shows kids that role models exist beyond the realm of athletics and entertainment. These kids could become entrepreneurs!” Last May, Bordonaro became the executive chef of two restaurants on Long Island: Swallow in Huntington and Swallow East in Montauk. These places feature small plate fare with locally sourced ingredients. “This is a creative playground for a chef,” he says. “We’re making our own finishing salt from water harvested from Huntington Bay! I’ve developed great relationships with the Long Island farmers and fishermen who supply my produce and seafood, so I’m assured of the freshest possible products.” When hiring, Bordonaro draws on the lessons of Trinity-Pawling once again, looking for
“I’ll never forget her response because it never dawned on me that I was
After he earned his master’s degree in organizational development and leadership from Shippensburg, Benjamin moved out to UCLA, where he served as mentor to both the mens and womens basketball teams. He worked with coaching staff and academic coordinators to devise plans for players struggling to balance the demands of athletics and academics. Benjamin guided them on time management, encouraging them to go the extra mile for their academics. Leveraging his UCLA experience, Benjamin then served as an assistant coach with several NBA teams, including the Los Angeles Clippers, Orlando Magic, and New York Knicks. He hopes to continue working as an assistant coach on NBA development teams this winter, with a team like the Westchester Knicks. In mentoring students or players, Benjamin has two key phrases: ‘Exhaust your potential’ and ‘You can’t cheat the grind.’ “I convey the message that no matter your skill or talent level, you should do everything in your power to be successful. For students, this means forming study groups, meeting with professors, asking
aptitude more than experience. “I can teach the necessary skills to someone who wants
questions, finding a tutor, going to the writing center. For players, this means watching
to try hard and learn properly. If you want to do something well, you need to put forth
film, getting extra shots up, asking coaches questions, doing extra conditionings.
consistent effort. Some chefs are smarter or more talented, but I just don’t give up.”
I want my mentees to know that if they take advantage of all the resources that surround them, they can be successful. T-P taught me that lesson.”
26 TRINIT Y-PAWLING MAGA ZINE
FALL 2015 27
EFFORT
4 5
SYSTEM
Effort Leads to Confidence JAMIE HITESHEW ’04
BRIDGE affordable housing corporation
For Jamie Hiteshew, the life lessons of Trinity-Pawling and the Effort System were about finding self-assurance. “I came to T-P with zero confidence,” he explains. “My previous school wasn’t the right fit because I had a mild learning disability. I needed someone looking over my shoulder, encouraging and supporting me, especially in the first two years. I liked that we earned our breathing room and flexibility through our grades and citizenship. Privileges aren’t rights, and that’s a powerful life lesson.” Today, Hiteshew serves as a project manager for BRIDGE Housing Corporation, the largest non-profit affordable housing developer in California. His company, based in the San Francisco Bay area, began with an ambitious idea and an anonymous grant to the San Francisco Foundation in 1983. At a time when high housing costs were undermining the region’s workforce and economy, BRIDGE began to attack the problem with a practical and ambitious mission:
EFFORT
4 5
SYSTEM
Generate Your Own Incentives LEO LIYEUNG ’09
biomedical entrepreneur
Leo Liyeung thrives in dynamic environments and embraces change. He transitions well into new routines and makes social connections easily—traits that he attributes to his formative years as an international student at Trinity-Pawling. Six years past graduation, those traits continue to serve him well within his family business, which is based in Hong Kong and China. Originally concentrated on metal manufacturing, the family branched out several years ago and acquired Leader Biomedical, a
“ The learning curve was steep! With no
medical implant and device business located
boss directing me, I took the ‘Fake it
in the Netherlands. In April 2014, Liyeung
till you make it’ approach, and it seems
moved to Europe to work with Leader. A 2013 graduate of Trinity College (where
to have worked. ”
he triple majored in philosophy, economics,
to construct not just hundreds but thousands of homes
and math), Liyeung oversees business
within reach of the Bay Area’s working families and
“ At T-P, we learned to…tap
development ventures: acquisitions, investments, collaborations,
into one another’s strengths
Leo knew next to nothing about the industry or how the company ran.
strong communication, a skill enhanced by
and try to diminish our
When he asked for help, his father usually told him to go figure it out himself.
Hiteshew's degree in English and political science
weaknesses. That’s basically
seniors. Over 30 years later, BRIDGE continues to revitalize communities on a large scale. The work is rewarding, complex, and requires
at Wesleyan. “It may be non-profit, but it’s still a business,” Hiteshew explains. “I’m continually problem solving—juggling the project as well as the
what I do each day at work in some fashion or another. ”
people it impacts. It’s a puzzle, managing buildings and people.” As project manager, Hiteshew pulls together experts in a variety of fields and builds a cohesive team of architects, contractors, and consultants—much like he did as Trinity-Pawling’s head prefect in 2004. “At T-P, we had this brotherhood with people from all backgrounds, interests, and abilities,” he recalls. “We learned to collaborate and support each other; to tap into
and partnerships with other companies. For his first two months on the job,
“The learning curve was steep!” Liyeung recalls. “With no boss directing me, I took the ‘Fake it till you make it’ approach, and it seems to have worked.” “The fun part of my job is meeting smart people from around the world, listening to their ideas, and deciding whether to proceed with a proposal or not. By now, I can hold my own and legitimately discuss topics such as market trends and biomedical implants. The challenge is making an informed decision about something I know less well, so I have to think on my feet.” Liyeung sees connections between the Effort System and his current work life. “T-P teaches students that life isn’t solely about the end result, but about the process of arriving there,” he says. “The Effort System aligned our incentives with what the School hoped we would do. In our lives beyond Pawling, we internalize that concept, setting our personal goals as well as generating our own incentives.”
one another’s strengths and try to diminish our weaknesses. We always found ways to resolve issues and get things accomplished. That’s basically what I do each day at work in some fashion or another. It’s enormously rewarding to see the results of our efforts—
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH NEW HEADMASTER BILL TAYLOR
the communities and families that are thriving across our region. Every day is different,
As Bill begins his first year at Trinity-Pawling, he’d like to hear from as many alumni, parents, and friends as possible. How did the Effort System influence you or your child? What has been the greatest lesson of a Trinity-Pawling education? What are your hopes for the School’s future? You can write to Bill at headmaster@trinitypawling.org or Tweet to Bill @TPSHeadmaster
and it’s never boring!”
28 TRINIT Y-PAWLING MAGA ZINE
FALL 2015 29
Pride Athletics HOCKEY The 2015-16 Trinity-Pawling varsity ice hockey team looks to build off a productive 2014-15 campaign. The Pride will use the talent and experience of 14 returners who found themselves in 16 one-goal games last season. With a diverse group hailing from nine states, the Pride faithful should expect a fast-paced, hard hitting, deceptively skilled brand of hockey. Despite losing several offensive threats to graduation, impact players return in John Litscher ’16, Trey Aiello ’16, Tyler Gwyn ’16, Jordi Jefferson ’17, and Cole Stewart ’16. Veterans Devin Bilbrey ’16 and Johnny Ruggiero ’17 round out the deep group. Coming off
TEAMS PREPARE FOR WINTER SPORTS
exceptional rookie seasons, Litscher ’16 and Jefferson ’17 look to lead this talented collection of returners while newcomers Nick Charron ’17, Ryan Deering ’16, Ray Zimmerman ’17, Joey Musa ’19, Chris Connolly ’17, and Zach Mazur ‘17 will look to chip-in offensively in their rookie campaigns in the Founders League. On the back-end, netminder Justin Lampert ’17 is the lone returner in the crease and will be leaned on heavily to lead the Pride defense. In front of Lampert, a hard-nosed group of D-men, each with a year of varsity hockey under his belt, look to do their part in keeping pucks out of the Pride net. This group includes Casey Winn ’16, Chris Taylor ’17, Ryan Winn ’17, Jeremy Wilson ’17, and Asa Wint ’17. Talented newcomer Kyle Miller ’18 should also see substantial time on the blue line in his first season with the Blue and Gold. The Pride will open the 2015-16 season against Founders League foe Loomis-Chaffee on Saturday December 5. Trinity-Pawling will also host night games against Lawrenceville and Kent. Be sure to tune in to the www.trinitypawling.org/live to view the live broadcasts of home games. For frequent updates, follow the Pride on Twitter and Instagram @tpridehockey!
30 TRINIT Y-PAWLING MAGA ZINE
FALL 2015 31
Pride Athletics
WINTER SPORTS PREVIEW
SKIING The Trinity-Pawling ski team heads into the 2015-16 season excited to get back on the slopes, especially after last year’s conditions. The team will be looking to replace the loss of four seasoned varsity skiers who graduated. The top spots on the team will fall to two of the youngest members of the ski team, Tommy Poulin ’19 and Cannon Barnaby ’20, who consistently finished in the top 20 last season. The biggest responsibility will fall on two veteran members, Justin Brownell ’17 and Ben Verdesi ’18, who will step into the 3rd and 4th spots, competing on the varsity circuit full time. This year will be challenging, but we are confident these boys are ready to step into leadership roles. For the first time in the team’s history, Trinity-Pawling skiing will host a home match at Mohawk Ski Area, hoping to gain a home field advantage. While the team may be young, they are poised for a great adventure.
BASKETBALL
SQUASH The varsity squash team will try to rebuild after losing a number of key players to graduation.
Trinity-Pawling varsity basketball hopes to continue its tradition of excellence
Nick Sweet ‘16 (Goldens Bridge, NY), Tyler Gundrum ‘17 (Grafton, NY), Chris Taylor ‘17
and winning in 2015-16. Nine players from the 2015 Founders League
(Chappaqua, NY), and newcomer, Abdallah Bekhiet ‘18 (Alexandria, Egypt) will look to fill in
Championship team have moved on. Point guard Stephen O’Hanlon ’16, shooting
major gaps at the #1, #2, #4, and #7 spots. The team will also rely on the lower teams for
guard Peter Kokalov ’16 and combo guard Tanner Baldin ’16 are the returning
players ready to make the jump and compete at a higher level. The competition will be tough,
varsity letter winners. The Pride hopes to rebuild with post-graduate scorer
but the team will be focused and well-prepared for each match.
Jordan Harnum from Golden, CO. To help Harnum, three impressive juniors have arrived. They are: 6’5” Kevin Salis from Cornwall, NY; 6’4” Jason Berkeley from Mt. Kisco, NY; and 6’6” Jonathan Girard from Poughkeepsie, NY. (Jonathan is the younger brother of T-P alum AJ Girard ’14.) Nikkei Rutty, a 6’8” sophomore
WRESTLING
from White Plains, NY, will be expected to contribute right away after a standout
The 2015-16 varsity wrestling team is poised to build upon the success of last season with
career at the Rectory School. The team hopes that post-graduate soccer star
the return of many key wrestlers and the addition of a few post-graduates and underclassmen.
Juan De La Cruz from Stamford, CT will help, along with football QB Brandon
Having Jeff Thompson ’17, David Bancroft ’19, Avery Johnson ’17, Conrad Adams ’18, and
Harris of Bronx, NY.
Troy Lois ’17 returning provides a solid foundation upon which the Pride can rely as they have all placed, or come close to placing, in the Western New Englands or New Englands in the past. Last year’s successful season, plus having other young wrestlers in the room such as Dennis Ilmela ’17, Trung Le ’16, and Oliver Sun ’17, will contribute to the team’s ability to produce positive results. The expectations are high, and the boys will be up to the challenge.
32 TRINIT Y-PAWLING MAGA ZINE
FALL 2015 33
WANTED: PHILANTHROPIC LEADERS TO ANSWER THE CALL
Call to Action
The Scullys have constructed their challenge
will match this effort with $10 million toward
to encourage other members of the T-P family
Trinity-Pawling’s new field house.
to reflect on the role of Trinity-Pawling in their
BILL SCULLY ’57 AND HIS WIFE, MARLYNN, ISSUE HISTORIC CHALLENGE TO STRENGTHEN ENDOWMENT AND BUILD T-P'S NEW FIELD HOUSE
Conversations are already underway with
lives and to consider similar leadership at new,
several individuals considering seven figure gifts
substantial levels. These matching endowment gifts
to the Challenge. The School is eager to expand
can be designated for general use at the discretion
these conversations with other alumni, parents,
of the trustees, or they can be directed to support
and friends who share the Scully’s vision of
specific areas of the School. They will be managed
financial and programmatic strength for Trinity-
and carefully stewarded within the Trinity-Pawling
Pawling. If you have questions or would like further
endowment for long-term growth and permanent
information, contact Grayson Bryant, director of
income-generation. When the goal of $10 million in
advancement, at gbryant@trinitypawling.org
new endowment resources is reached, the Scullys
or (845) 855-4828.
Marlynn and Bill Scully ’57 have long made Trinity-
“is to use our gift as leverage to bolster the
Pawling a primary focus of their generosity—think
endowment while at the same time meeting one
Scully Dining Hall and the Scully Scholars program.
of the school’s greatest physical plant needs—a
Grateful to the school that has transformed so
new field house.” The corpus of the Scullys’ gift
many young men’s lives, they have parlayed their
will construct the Smith Field House, to be named
The endowment is a group of invested funds that generates income to support the students, teachers, and
appreciation into philanthropic support, creating
for both Arch Smith and Phillips Smith, leaders
programs of Trinity-Pawling. While our current endowment of $32.7 million (as of June 30, 2013) sounds like
numerous and meaningful opportunities for today’s
whom Bill feels played a “tremendous role in
a large amount, this resource is meant to be invested, not spent. The entire purpose of an endowment is to
students and scholar-athletes, always in areas of
Trinity-Pawling’s renaissance from the early
manage it carefully over time so that it will provide reliable annual income—today and into the future.
greatest need.
1970s to the present.”
(Continued on page 36)
THE IDEA IS TO USE OUR GIFT AS LEVERAGE TO BOLSTER THE “ ENDOWMENT WHILE AT THE SAME TIME MEETING ONE OF THE SCHOOL’S GREATEST PHYSICAL PLANT NEEDS—A NEW FIELD HOUSE. Understanding that philanthropic leadership
WHAT IS AN ENDOWMENT, ANYWAY?
”
Meanwhile, by focusing the second half of
How the Trinity-Pawling endowment stacks up School
Total Endowment 2013
Trinity-Pawling has posted a balanced budget for over 30 years, and experience has made us a lean, focused,
Hotchkiss
$391,252,657
Choate Rosemary Hall
$317,866,454
Taft
$212,710,977
the School is extraordinarily dependent on tuition, which supplies approximately 80 percent of operating cost each
and efficient institution. We are clear about our mission and our caliber. Yet T-P's exceptional programs do not rest on a secure financial foundation. At the present time,
is vital to every school, the Scullys now seek to
their challenge on T-P’s endowment, the couple
inspire others to follow in their footsteps. In May
wishes to draw attention to the indispensable role
2015, during a trustee dinner honoring departing
that endowment—and in particular unrestricted
Loomis Chaffee
$174,593,365
Headmaster Arch Smith and wife Gay, the Scullys
endowment—plays in the current and future fiscal
Berkshire
$108,637,810
announced a historic challenge. They have
health of the school.
Westminster
$83,447,344
Salisbury
$76,832,690
Kent
$59,199,930
continue relying so heavily upon tuition. After more than 30 years of significant programmatic success, we must
committed $10 million that will enable the School
Long term, says Bill, he and Marlynn would like
to build a new athletic facility if other members
to see Trinity-Pawling become stronger and more
of the T-P family will contribute a matching
competitive as a result of their challenge. “I want
$10 million to the Trinity-Pawling endowment.
T-P to continue on its ascendency,” he says;
Westover
$55,073,234
“long-term, I want it not only to survive, but to thrive.”
Pomfret
$39,460,417
Suffield
$36,918,399
Trinity-Pawling
$32,777,750
Millbrook
$26,997,739
Canterbury
$21,995,670
Through the dual nature of their challenge, the Scullys hope to inspire alumni, parents, and friends toward philanthropic leadership at levels they may never have considered before. “The idea,” says Bill,
34 TRINIT Y-PAWLING MAGA ZINE
year. Philanthropy covers another 18 percent (nine percent from endowment income and nine percent from the Trinity-Pawling Fund.) Economic conditions and demographic trends already indicate how unrealistic (and therefore risky) it will be to
now ensure that Trinity-Pawling has the financial foundation to advance for the future. With a stronger endowment, Trinity-Pawling can secure its progress and continue to move forward with inspirational strides—changing the life of each young man, and offering even greater innovation and leadership in boys education.
FALL 2015 35
THE IMPACT OF LEADERSHIP FOR SCHOLAR-ATHLETES—AND ALL OUR BOYS PRIDE SPOTLIGHT
Donors to the Scully Challenge will launch a paradigm shift for the boys of Trinity-Pawling. At present, T-P’s modest endowment cannot provide true financial stability for the School’s intensive and rigorous program. Tuition dependence produces significant drawbacks that must be solved for the long term: n
Talented students are turned away each year due to lack of student financial aid.
n
Faculty compensation ranks in the top 50 percent of peer schools when we should
be in the top 25 percent, especially if we are going to replace retiring faculty with high-caliber teachers and coaches for the future. n
The Trinity-Pawling campus now operates in top condition, with very little deferred
maintenance. To sustain this hard-won progress in our teaching, living, and athletic facilities, the School needs to bolster significantly its maintenance resources. The Scully Challenge points us toward a more secure financial future, where strong, consistent resources will enable Trinity-Pawling to anticipate challenges and implement greater innovation. Ultimately, with a stronger endowment, Trinity-Pawling will be able to provide greater financial assistance to talented boys who need it. We will be able to offer more desirable compensation and professional development opportunities to the best teaching and coaching candidates. And we will ensure that Trinity-Pawling boys continue to learn, play, and live in top-notch facilities. Most important of all, we will establish these benefits not only for the boys of today, but for those who will follow in successive decades and generations.
AUSTRIAN ROBINSON ’15: from football rookie to top defensive end Austrian Robinson ’15, of New York, NY, arrived at
dozens of BCS Division 1 schools including Purdue,
Trinity-Pawling in September 2012 as a sophomore
Ohio State, Maryland, and Miami, Austrian announced
basketball recruit. Referred to the School by the Boys’
his decision to play for Ole Miss on national signing
Club of New York, his intention was to play basketball
day last February.
and earn an excellent education. At the suggestion of Varsity Basketball Coach Bill Casson, Austrian
Mississippi, in the highly competitive SEC. Equipped
(who had no football experience at all) joined the line
with tools to succeed in the classroom and on the
of boys receiving equipment for the junior varsity
field, he reflects on his experience at Trinity-Pawling,
football team on the first day of school.
“I’m really grateful to all my teachers and coaches.
Standing at 6-foot-5 and 270 pounds today, Austrian was quickly noticed by the varsity football If the Challenge is met, the Scully’s own gift will renovate and expand our current athletics center to create the
underway. Three years and nine varsity letters later
the minimum number required to host interscholastic tournaments. The facility also will include two-and-a-half
(football captain, basketball captain, track captain),
basketball courts to accommodate all practicing teams. In addition, the expansion will provide a new fitness room
Austrian is one of the most heralded athletes ever
for weight training and conditioning, along with increased locker room space. Taking advantage of the prime
to be recruited from Trinity-Pawling.
that will foster increased interaction and camaraderie within the T-P brotherhood.
I learned and grew a lot. Most of all, I felt like I was part of a big family at T-P, and I hope I make you proud.”
staff and escorted to their practice, which was already
Smith Field House. The transformation will include three additional squash courts, bringing the total to eight,
location, the building will include a "student center" space where students can eat, study, and relax—a space
Austrian is hard at work at the University of
In 2015, he was one of the nation’s top high school strong-side defensive ends and New York State’s #2 ranked football prospect. After receiving interest from
36 TRINIT Y-PAWLING MAGA ZINE
FALL 2015 37
GIVING BACK : EVENTS : CLASS NOTES
Connections AMBASSADORS FOR THE PRIDE A MESSAGE FROM JP BURLINGTON ’95, TRINITY-PAWLING’S NEW DIRECTOR OF ADMISSION
As a Trinity-Pawling senior, JP Burlington roomed with fellow prefect and soccer co-captain Andrew Buckwalter ’95 in Dunbar North. Seven years later, JP and Andrew were roommates again, as young TrinityPawling faculty. Now, these two are sharing space for a third time—in this magazine (see page 7). In the real world, JP lives in Starr with his wife, Megan; children, Joseph and Meredith; and dog, Jeter.
When I returned to lead the Trinity-Pawling admission office in July, driving through the school gates was just as exhilarating as it was nearly 25 years ago when I arrived as an eager ninth grader from New Jersey. Trinity-Pawling is an experience that I cannot wait to share with other young men from across the country and around the globe. As so many of us know first-hand, there is no better place for boys to accelerate their potential than Trinity-Pawling. My team and I are seeking young men who not only wish to excel academically, but who also want to attain new levels of success and personal awareness at every level—as leaders, friends, athletes, global citizens, men. As evidenced by our Effort System, Trinity-Pawling is a community that values and inspires all those attributes. This year, as we mark the 45th anniversary of the Effort System, I think of how frequently (and fervently!) I’ve heard alumni describe the central role it's played in their lives. I want as many boys as possible to encounter T-P’s ethos of effort and experience for themselves the dynamic growth that occurs when talent and perseverance collide. Headmaster Bill Taylor and I will do a great deal of traveling in the coming months to meet with prospective students and parents, and with alumni. We look forward to hearing about the role Trinity-Pawling has played in your lives and to sharing the accomplishments of our current students and faculty. Together, we have many stories to tell—stories that add to T-P’s rich history. Back on campus, my team and I are making changes that complement our efforts on the road, including streamlining our web and print communications. One thing that won’t change, however, is our need for enthusiastic ambassadors and advocates—alumni and parents who understand the impact of our academic program, the strength of the T-P brotherhood, and just how transformative Trinity-Pawling can be. To achieve this, we need your help. Please join me this year, and in the years to come, in spreading the word about Trinity-Pawling. Our Pride is on the move—join in and share yours.
AS SO MANY OF US KNOW FIRST-HAND, THERE “ IS NO BETTER PLACE FOR BOYS TO ACCELERATE
THEIR POTENTIAL THAN TRINITY-PAWLING.
HELP US SPREAD THE WORD. – JP Burlington ’95
38 TRINIT Y-PAWLING MAGA ZINE
”
FALL 2015 39
EVENTS
GIVING BACK
UPCOMING EVENTS
TRINITY-PAWLING ON HIS MIND GEORGIA NATIVE CAL SMITH ’87 MAKES A GENEROUS GIFT TO THE SCHOOL In the mid-1980s, Cal Smith, a native of Sea Island, Georgia, was not being challenged at his local high school. With his grades on a downward trajectory, he and his parents took a step back and regrouped. What followed was a whirlwind tour of some 20 independent secondary schools along the eastern seaboard to ensure both Cal and his parents found the school that would be the right fit for him. Once they arrived in Pawling, they knew their search was over. Now a partner at King & Spalding, one of the top international law firms in the country, Smith specializes in public company mergers and acquisitions. Recently, to honor what he describes as “a tremendous experience at Trinity-Pawling that prepared me for the next step,” as well as the retirement of Arch Smith, Cal made a leadership commitment to the Trinity-Pawling endowment. In so doing, he is seeking to secure an equally exceptional experience for the boys of today as well as tomorrow. Smith left his endowment support undesignated, to be directed at the board’s discretion. “I deeply believe in the effectiveness of Trinity-Pawling’s approach, and I want to give the School maximum flexibility to respond to needs as they arise,” he explains. “I also feel that the people closest to the School, those who see the boys’
40 TRINIT Y-PAWLING MAGA ZINE
and the School’s needs every day, should be making the decisions about how to direct my gift.” One of only a handful of Southern students to attend T-P in his era, Smith at first felt like a fish out of water. However, such feelings soon melted away as he formed friendships with fellow students and teachers that have lasted a lifetime. “Everyone took me in and made me feel welcomed—like I had been there forever,” he says. That included then Assistant Headmaster Arch Smith, as well as a number of fellow students, including Pat Garrigan, Barney Paderewski, Pat Condon, and Bill Keating. “They were always there and checking on me,” Smith recalls fondly. It was this kind of personalized care, both from instructors and peers, which helped Smith to flourish. Equally instrumental, he adds, was the Effort System. “Everyone at T-P knew I was trying hard; that goes a long way when you need a boost in confidence.” By the spring of 1987, he was on his way to Wake Forest University (Winston-Salem, NC), where he earned his bachelor's degree. From there, Smith worked at the White House for three years, before returning to Atlanta, and Emory University, for his J.D. “It all started at T-P; the School put me on the right path—and for that I will always be grateful,” Smith says.
Come meet Bill and Jennifer Taylor GET READY FOR AN EXTRAORDINARY YEAR. WE ARE COMING TO A CITY NEAR YOU! Throughout this school year, we will gather to welcome Headmaster Bill Taylor and his wife, Jennifer. The Pride is on the move, and we have so much to discuss and celebrate together. In this special year, we also commemorate the 45th anniversary of Trinity-Pawling’s landmark Effort System. Spread the word, mark your calendars, and get ready to join with old friends and new. More details will be forthcoming in your mail and inbox, so make sure we have your current information on file. If you would like to receive an invitation to an event outside your local area, please contact Beth Bryant at bbryant@trinitypawling.org or 845-855-4833. Roll Pride!
WELCOME EVENTS DECEMBER 1
Washington, DC
MARCH 16
Florida, west coast
DECEMBER 8
NYC
MARCH 23
Atlanta
DECEMBER 9
Boston
APRIL 13
Pittsburgh
APRIL 14
Philadelphia
FEBRUARY 25 San Francisco MARCH 15
Florida, east coast
Can't join us in person? Follow Bill Taylor on Twitter @TPSHeadmaster, or write to him at headmaster@trinitypawling.org
FALL 2015 41
GIVING BACK
STEADFAST STUDENT ELITE WRESTLER PASSIONATE ADMISSION AMBASSADOR FOR T-P REAL BOYS. REAL IMPACT.
FROM THE BAYOU TO THE HUDSON PENNY AND ROBERT AUTENREITH SR. P’16 ARE EAGER TO HELP SHAPE THEIR COMMUNITIES Penny and Robert Autenreith Sr. P’16 are the kind of philanthropists who are crystal clear on their rationale for giving. “We believe that you have to support the communities and institutions you are in,” says Robert Sr. from his summer home in Denver, CO; “including wherever your children are attending school.” For the Autenreiths, who are natives of New Orleans, this philosophy was distilled in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, when the couple watched as entire neighborhoods were displaced and their own children’s educations were disrupted. “At that point,” explains Robert Sr., “we realized that we had to diversify in terms of our charity.” While the Autenreiths have always been big proponents of education, after Katrina, other areas of need came into focus, and the family jumped to support the city’s most financially vulnerable, particularly those in need of access to medical treatment. In the decade since the disaster, the Autenreiths have been delighted to see New Orleans regain its vibrancy, an achievement that has made them feel comfortable about once again elevating education to the number one spot on their list of philanthropic priorities.
42 TRINIT Y-PAWLING MAGA ZINE
“At least in the last couple of years,” says Robert Sr., “education has been our primary area of support because, let’s face it, it makes you better and helps you earn more money.” Recently, the Autenreiths have extended their philanthropic reach to the school where their son, Robert Jr. ’16, is now thriving. An avid athlete who enjoys snow skiing and mountain biking, Robert Jr., explains Penny, “needed to get a handle on his study skills.” A cousin, Ben Gleichenhaus ’14, had previously attended T-P and relished the experience, which is how the school first entered the Autenreiths’ consciousness. Now a senior, Robert Jr., “has grown tremendously in independence,” says his father. Simultaneously, says the elder Autenreith, the rigorous environment at T-P has helped his son “to focus and study more efficiently, which has led him to earn better grades.” That kind of transformation, says the couple, is infinitely worth supporting.
Jeff Thompson ’17 knows first-hand about the power of effort and determination. “I’ve learned those lessons here at T-P,” he says. In the classroom, he’s found individualized attention, challenge, and support to thrive. Through football, track, and especially wrestling, he’s come into his own as an athlete. In his spare time, he reaches out to future members of the Pride as an active admission ambassador. “The brotherhood will change your life,” he says, “I’m proof of that.” Be there for the boys of Trinity-Pawling. Make your gift today. You can direct your gift to the area of the School that means the most to you. Find your giving options at www.trinitypawling.org/giving
FALL 2015 43
EVENTS
Big Blue Pride, get ready to celebrate.
Class Notes | ’52 | JOHN MCDERMOTT Nearing FULL retirement—one year away. Currently spend most of my time as faculty advisor/coach of several "moot court" teams. Recently participated in an international moot in Vienna, Austria and preparing for a moot competition in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. Tough work...but someone has to do it!
| ’54 | STEPHAN WILKINSON It's old news now that my local Tuskegee Airmen chapter President Col. (ret .) Glendon Fraser and I appeared at the October alumni-reunion weekend to talk about our involvement with this organization and its youth program, but Glen Fraser is still talking about what a warm, wonderful audience of T-P alumni he had. Glen is a senior captain for United Airlines and a retired New York Air National Guard C-5 Galaxy aircraft commander, and frankly, he's my hero. He and I run the Maj. Gen. Irene Trowell-Harris Chapter's Lt. Lee Archer Red Tail Flying Program for (largely) minority young people. It's not only an aviation ground school and flight program (we have a Cessna 172) but a mentoring situation, and we're successful enough that we currently have two of our graduates at Harvard, both on full $250,000 Bill Gates scholarships, plus another young man in his third year at Annapolis and headed toward a career as an F/A-18 pilot.
SAVE THE DATE
REUNION AND HOMECOMING WEEKEND September 30 & October 1, 2016 Mark your calendar now for a weekend that connects the Pride—past and present
REUNION CLASSES IN 2016 2011 – 5th reunion 2006 – 10th reunion
n
Old friends and new
n
Open classes and campus tours
1996 – 20th reunion
n
Homecoming football game
1991 – 25th reunion
n
Reunion class celebrations
and more!
2001 – 15th reunion
1986 – 30th reunion 1981 – 35th reunion 1976 – 40th reunion 1971 – 45th reunion
Visit trinitypawling.org/reunions for more information or contact Beth Bryant at 845-855-4833 or bbryant@trinitypawling.org
44 TRINIT Y-PAWLING MAGA ZINE
1966 – 50th reunion 1926 to 1965 – Old Guard reunion
I just non-celebrated my 79th birthday, which my late mother would have pointed out puts me "in my 80th year," and I remain active as a writer for Aviation History, Military History, Military History Quarterly and Air & Space Smithsonian magazines. I find the concept of retiring amusing, since I don't play golf or shuffleboard, have only one grandson to dote upon, and prefer to keep to myself and work hard. Friends generally consider me to be a curmudgeon, but never mind. My 15-years-younger wife of 37 years is something of an athlete—high-mileage road biker, rock climber, serious hiker on her way to the Alps in September—and she helps me scramble to keep up. She is a writer and consultant for AARP, so one hopes she is helping to keep other oldsters young as well.
| ’75 | JEFF SCOTT Reports that he is the golf course manager of the Tamarack Country Club in Greenwich, CT.
| ’75 | EDWARD WOUTERS I live in Palmdale, CA with wife Laura and kids. Three boys and a girl, ranging from 36 to seven years of age. Also six grand kids. Retired from movie industry in 2011. The last project I worked on was in Boston, called R.I.P.D. Now stay active in community family and sports. Still play hockey and surf.
FALL 2015 45
Class Notes
Class Notes
| ’78 | ROBERT MACLELLAN
| ’04 | STEFAN SIMKOVICS
Teaching my 22nd year at Londonderry Middle School. After a few decades, I still really enjoy it. I run the political and history club. I had major neck surgery, which stopped any sports, but being in New Hampshire the primary is on it's way and will keep me busy. Hope all is well and as Burton and the Beatles say, we all get by “with a little help from our friends.” Peace.
I was unable to get to my 10 year reunion but I did receive many welcoming phone calls from my classmates like Ralph Fedele, Fred Kridler, and Henry Durling. It is amazing after 10 years that my friendship with my brothers from T-P is still going strong, and we can pick up our stories and memories as if we were still playing football in the south east corner of the quad freshman year. Mrs. Reade remembers that about the class of 2004 vividly. We just wanted to have fun, and we poured out of Hastings and East like kids playing until the sun came down.
| ’82 | WILLIAM J. PEDEN I received a diploma in standard theology from True Light Fellowship Bible Institute. My daughter Dominique is attending Lasalle University for her master's in special education. My wife Nikita has received her master's in education from Chestnut Hill College. I have authored two books that are available on Amazon, Createspace, Kindle and Ingram. Mama Deas’ Eyez has a chapter dedicated to my experience at T-P. I am forever in debt to Trinity-Pawling for teaching me the survivor skills I so desperately needed. The class of 1982 should purchase and read that particular chapter so they can see how honest I was about myself. Also I will take some of the proceeds and give to the scholarship fund since I am a recipient of their generosity. Again I thank you so much!
| ’89 | SEAN R. CASEY
As for me, I was honorably discharged from the Navy about a year ago and hired to be a professional Lifeguard/Waterman for the City of San Diego. I never thought for one second when I was at T-P my future would be held in the lane of civil service, but it has turned out to be a great fit. Often when I am working I think of the lessons I learned on campus. I learned about dealing with pain from Mr. Carp while he screamed constructive remarks during X-C practice. We had a saying that X-C season: "Choose to be better." Running faster was not due to our muscle strength or endurance. It was a choice to persevere mentally. No matter how tired I am or cold, I will forever remember that quote. It's amazing how some things stick with you over the years. That pain I feel is a constant reminder to be better no matter what. For this I am forever in T-P's debt.
OBITUARY
After 17 years in New Jersey, Jill and I moved with our family to Atlanta for the last four years to serve as the upper school principal at Wesleyan School. We recently left Wesleyan to take a position as the head of school at Franklin Road Academy in Nashville. Our girls are in the high school at FRA in 10th and 11th grade. Our boys are in the middle school in 5th and 7th grade. I ran across Ian Craig '86 who is a headmaster at Harding Academy just a few miles from FRA. Small world!
| ’02 | NICHOLAS AMMATURO Nick Ammaturo is director of profit improvement and procurement for Hudson's Bay Company in New York. “I got into supply chain management by chance,” he writes. “I was interning in Beijing as a marketing analyst when a recruiter called to offer me a position in global procurement at PepsiCo.” But he loves the challenges of his chosen field.
| ’04 | GRANT ALBERTSON Went to Basic Combat Training at Ft. Jackson, SC on March 5, 2013 and graduated with Soldier Leader of the Cycle Honors. Was commissioned as an Ordnance 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Army in August 2013 at Officer Candidate School in Ft. Benning, GA. Serving currently in Ft. Hood, TX with the 589th Brigade Support Battalion in the 1st Cavalry Division. Working as the maintenance control officer in charge of a fleet of 500 Vehicles. Still playing hockey and lacrosse through beer leagues in Austin, TX.
46 TRINIT Y-PAWLING MAGA ZINE
BENJAMIN TAYLOR ’98 Ben Taylor ’98 died suddenly from injuries sustained while skiing at Sunday River Resort in Maine on March 25, 2015. He was an expert level skier and an employee of the resort since 2012. Ben graduated from Johns Hopkins in 2002, majoring in psychology. He was pursuing a master’s degree in counseling at the time of his death. A cum laude graduate and Gamage Award winner, Ben grew up on the Trinity-Pawling campus where he was a standout scholar-athlete.
In addition to academic honors, Ben was a member of championship basketball teams and received individual honors as a baseball player. As one faculty member said, “Ben epitomized the T-P boy as a dedicated scholar-athlete, all while successfully navigating the challenges of being a faculty child.” He is survived by his parents John and Margaret and his brother Will ’00.
FALL 2015 47
End Note
Trinity-Pawling Magazine is published by the Office of Communication for alumni, parents and friends of the School.
Headmaster William W. Taylor Director of Advancement Grayson K. Bryant, Ph.D. Director of Communications Judy Redder Director of Alumni Programs Hannah L. Alley Copy Editor Maria Buteux Reade Photo Credits Tom Kates Nicolle McDougal Connie Rafferty George Chambers Brian Crowley Bizzy Amor
MIKE WEBBER Mike Webber joined the Trinity-Pawling faculty in 2003 after 10 years as an environmental consultant specializing in industrial compliance. Today, he shares his field experience with chemistry and environmental science students while also coaching football, advising the senior class, serving as head coach for varsity baseball, and residing in Anderson House with his family. What advice do you have for students who want to thrive in some kind of environmental work? I think it’s most important for young students to understand that it’s all about the science. You’ve got to have a firm understanding of biological, chemical, and physical processes—and the way they interact in natural systems—in order to form opinions, support arguments, and find solutions. Whether you end up in consulting, government, non-profits, industry, or elsewhere, the science will guide you in your decision-making. You advise the senior class during a pivotal time in their lives. What do you tell the boys? Stick to your goals and enjoy yourself! The pressure of communicating with college admissions departments and coaches, writing essays, meeting deadlines can be overwhelming. It’s important to take time to set personal goals. Part of this process is looking back on previous years and evaluating
48 TRINIT Y-PAWLING MAGA ZINE
Copyright © 2015, Trinity-Pawling School Trinity-Pawling School 700 Route 22 Pawling, NY 12564 845-855-3100 www.trinitypawling.org
areas in which you can improve. Lastly, I like to remind students that this is their final year in high school. Enjoy this special time—the people around you, and being a part of this community! If you could go back through time, what would you say to yourself as a high school senior? That is a great question. At times, I was a nervous wreck in high school, particularly during my junior and senior years. I felt like I competed with or tried to please everyone else but never seemed to do things just for me. So I guess I’d say, “Try not to stress out so much! Everything will work out.” You’re an avid fly fisherman. Do you ever reveal your favorite fishing spots? My local favorite for trout fishing is under the Appalachian Trail traverse at the mouth of the 10 Mile River (South Kent, CT). Believe me if you wish, but remember, “all fishermen are liars.”
Trinity-Pawling School admits students of any race, color, creed, sexual orientation, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, sexual orientation, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, scholarship and loan programs and athletic and other school-administrated programs. For Parents of Alumni – If this issue is addressed to your son who no longer maintains a permanent address at your home, please notify the Alumni Office with the correct mailing address. Email alumni@trinitypawling.org or 845-855-4829.
TRINITY-PAWLING SCHOOL 700 Route 22, Pawling, NY 12564 Change Service Requested
www.trinitypawling.org
WE ’ RE ROLLING OUT THE BLUE CARPE T MEET NEW HEADMASTER
BILL TAYLOR AND
JENNIFER TAYLOR COME CELEBRATE OUR MOMENTUM AND SHARE TRINITY-PAWLING’S VISION FOR THE FUTURE. SEE PAGE 41 FOR DATES AND LOCATIONS.