Westminster Bulletin Fall 2012

THE BULLETIN FALL 2012

WESTMINSTER Celebrating 125 Years

Hitting the Right Notes Keeping Westminster’s History Alive For Alumni, Parents & Friends of Westminster School

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Above, a view of the Westminster quad showing Cushing Hall and the new student and faculty residences under construction.

On the cover, Westminster students gather for a photo to salute the kickoff of the school’s 125th anniversary celebration.

TRUSTEES 2012-2013 John S. Armour ’76 Emeritus Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.

Heather Frahm ’86 Weston, Mass.

Anne K. Moran P’06, ’09, ’12 Unionville, Pa.

Elisabeth M. Armstrong P’04, ’06, ’07 Cherry Hills Village, Colo.

Joseph L. Gitterman III ’55, P’86, ’90 Emeritus Washington Depot, Conn.

John C. Niles ’81, P’14 Marblehead, Mass.

Beth Cuda Baker P’09, ’12, ’15 New Canaan, Conn.

Robert T. Horsford ’89 New York, N.Y.

Susan Werner Berenson ’82 Bethesda, Md.

David H. Hovey Jr. ’78, P’09, ’11, ’14 Ex officio Simsbury, Conn.

William V.N. Philip P’06, ’09 Headmaster Ex officio Simsbury, Conn.

C. Andrew Brickman ’82 Hinsdale, Ill. Susanna S. Brown P’15 Batesville, Va. Trinette T. Cheng P’08, ’11, ’13 Kowloon, Hong Kong Abram Claude Jr. ’46 P’71, ’80, ’84, GP’02 Emeritus North Salem, N.Y. John A. Cosentino Jr. P’00 Simsbury, Conn.

John H. Davis P’05 Emeritus Longmeadow, Mass.

Leigh A. Hovey P’09, ’11, ’14 Ex officio Simsbury, Conn.

Moyahoena Ogilvie Johnson ’86 Bloomfield, Conn.

Jeffrey E. Kelter P’12, ’14 Locust Valley, N.Y. George C. Kokulis P’07, ’12 Simsbury, Conn.

Seonyong Lee P’08, ’09, ’13 Seoul, Korea Andrew D. McCullough Jr. ’87 Houston, Texas

Lori P. Durham P’13, ’15 Denver, Colo.

S. Bradley Mell P’14 Far Hills, N.J.

William C. Egan III ’64, P’92, ’95, ’00, ’02 Emeritus Skillman, N.J.

Charles B. Milliken P’77 Emeritus Bloomfield, Conn.

Colin S. Flinn ’82 Sanibel, Fla.

T. Treadway Mink Jr. ’77, P’11 Chairman of the Board New Canaan, Conn.

J. Pierce O’Neil ’76, P’10, ’12 Rowayton, Conn.

C. Bradford Raymond ’85 New York, N.Y. Allan A. Ryan IV ’78, P’06, ’07, ’12 Palm Beach, Fla. John B. Ryan ’93 Ex officio Rye, N.Y. John Sherwin Jr. ’57, P’83, ’89 Emeritus Waite Hill, Ohio Samuel Thorne ’46, P’74, ’76 Emeritus Manchester-by-the-Sea, Mass.

Gregory F. Ugalde P’05, ’07, ’10, ’12 Burlington, Conn.

WESTMINSTER BULLETIN FALL 2012 Published by:

Westminster School 995 Hopmeadow St. Simsbury, CT 06070 (860) 408-3000 This magazine is produced twice a year by the Marketing & Communications Office.

Address Class Notes to:

Beth Soycher Westminster School P.O. Box 337 Simsbury, CT 06070-0377 Or submit via e-mail: alumninotes@westminster-school.org To update contact information ONLY: dribaudo@westminster-school.org Westminster School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, sex, national origin or sexual orientation in administration of its education policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other schooladministered programs.

EDITOR Darlene Skeels, Director of Publications and Communications dskeels@westminster-school.org DIRECTOR OF MARKETING Ken Mason

Armistead C.G. Webster Ph.D. Hartford, Conn.

PHOTOGRAPHY Douglas Allen, Richard Bergen, Newell Grant ’99, John Johnson, Ken Mason, Darlene Skeels and David Werner ’80

Sara L. Whiteley ’91 West Chatham, Mass.

CLASS NOTES COORDINATOR Beth Soycher

Hilary Neumann Zeller ’88 Weston, Mass.

DESIGN John Johnson Art Direction & Design Collinsville, Conn.

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Commencement . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Hill Headlines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Keeping History Alive . . . . . . . . . 42

Athletics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Finding the Right Balance . . . . . 46

Celebrating 125 Years . . . . . . . . . 10

Supporting Westminster . . . . . . 48

Hovey Field Dedication . . . . . . . . 14

Martlets on the Move . . . . . . . . . 60

Hitting the Right Notes . . . . . . . . 18

Class Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Reunion 2012 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Closing Thoughts . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Headmaster’s Message

Celebrating 125 Years

Hill Headlines Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Page . . . . . . . . . 10

Hovey Field Dedication

Keeping History Alive

Page . . . . . . . . . 14

Page . . . . . . . . . 42

Hitting the Right Notes

Commencement Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Page . . . . . . . . . 18

Reunion 2012 Page . . . . . . . . . . 24

Supporting Westminster

Martlets on the Move

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Page . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Class Notes Page . . . . . . . . . . 63

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Dear Members of the Westminster family, Greetings on the occasion of the start of Westminster School’s 125th anniversary, a yearlong celebration of the theme “Leading with Grit & Grace.” Anniversaries offer special opportunities to mark milestones and commemorate achievements. During this special year, we will be highlighting academics, athletics, arts and service.

In 1888 William Lee Cushing founded Westminster School in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. He later moved it to a beautiful plateau called Williams Hill, overlooking the Farmington Valley in Simsbury, Conn. Classes began in the new location on Wednesday, Oct. 17, 1900.

Since its founding, Westminster School has been leading with Grit & Grace. An ethos affirmed by our core values of community, character, balance and involvement has distinguished our school throughout its 125-year history.

In fact, Headmaster Cushing drew inspiration for his new school from Reverend Edward Thring, headmaster of Uppingham School in England, who articulated a school philosophy that today we would find very familiar: I hold that we are not as some choose to think, just like other schools. …We stand here for truth and true life.

Remember, in other things other schools will be your equals and superiors: in things which are their glory they will beat you; yes, they will beat you as far as numbers, and social reputation, and intellect-power goes. Our glory will be to show the world that in a school there can be true life. There you can be first. Win that. That is what you can do, from the oldest to the least. … I call on you to be true to it.

Putting this philosophy into his own words, Headmaster Cushing spoke about the purpose of his school as aiming to help students “bear the yoke in their youth.” Just as we do today, Edward Thring and William Lee Cushing advocated for schools which focused on what kind of person each student would become more than on impressive statistics or social reputation. Our purpose is to encourage our students to lead meaningful, fulfilling lives, to make a difference in their endeavors and to appreciate a life of “finely adjusted balances”— when something is loved too much, something else is loved too little.

History teaches that the most meaningful leaders experienced many setbacks before their eventual triumphs, and those triumphs were often wrung from circumstances that threatened failure. Consider presidents recognized as our nation’s most important leaders — Washington, Lincoln and

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Franklin Roosevelt — all of whom earned their stature at moments of crisis. In fact, it is at these moments when leaders reveal their distinguishing qualities. They are not considered great leaders because they presided over periods of ongoing prosperity. Just the opposite — they are considered great leaders because they confronted and overcame disappointment, setback and even catastrophe.

Westminster School has defined itself by leading with Grit & Grace for 125 years, and the history of our school resonates with the invaluable lessons about leadership wrung from challenge.

On three occasions in its history, Westminster was on the brink of failure. Recognized shortly after its founding as one of our nation’s best secondary schools, boasting among its students the sons of John Hay, secretary to Abraham Lincoln and Secretary of State to William McKinley and Teddy Roosevelt, Westminster School almost did not survive the retirement of its founder. In fact, the school closed one year later only to be bought and turned into a proprietary school. Then, facing serious financial difficulties again one decade later, compounded by the disruption of the Great Depression, Westminster survived by transforming itself into a not-for-profit school. Lastly, in the wake of the social upheaval of the late 1960s, Westminster School found itself at a difficult crossroads, requiring trustees to meet weekly in New Haven to arrange for necessary finances.

At the occasion of our 125th anniversary, we draw lessons from our history which inform our standing today as one of our nation’s great secondary schools. We know that success can be fleeting and that values matter most in the long run. What kind of people our students become matters more than whether or not they succeed on a particular test or win a certain athletic contest. A meaningful life is not forged without some setbacks and disappointments and even failures. In fact, it is at those moments that we learn life’s most enduring lessons.

Jenny and I invite you to visit us often here on Williams Hill as Westminster continues its tradition of leading with Grit & Grace in the exciting years ahead!

William V.N. Philip P’06, ’09 Headmaster

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Students Visit China On June 4, six Westminster students departed the United States on a 14-hour flight to the People’s Republic of China, kicking off an 11-day journey to its commercial, cultural and political centers: Shanghai, Xi’an and Beijing.

Led by Westminster School Chinese teacher Cara Hugabonne, students Alex Tomashoff ’13, Ronald Yeung ’13, Alastair Smith ’13, Ryan Fox ’14, Kelsey Mackenzie ’14 and Rosie Wetzel ’14 visited silk factories, schools, markets, museums, community centers and homes. Along the way, they made connections with local host families, guides, artists and community members.

Intercultural Student Experiences (ISE), a non-profit educational travel program founded by language teachers in Minneapolis, Minn., operated the tour. “In China, most tour companies focus on museums and landmarks, but ISE helped me create a trip that maximized our interaction with the Chinese people,” Cara explained. Visiting the Great Wall, Terracotta Soldiers and Forbidden City was awe-inspiring, but the most memorable parts of the trip were spent sharing a meal with locals, or playing ball with school kids on the playground.”

In Beijing, students were even able to stay with local families for three days. Alex, Rosie and Kelsey currently study Chinese with Cara and were delighted by their success in using the language in China for the first time.

“Teaching China’s language, culture and history in a classroom setting is certainly of value, and I love it, but guiding my students as they discovered the reality of China was uniquely gratifying,” Cara commented.

“Each day, I saw them challenge themselves to communicate, to inquire and to broaden their perspective in order to accommodate some novel experience. It was thrilling for all of us.”

A highlight of the trip was the warm hospitality of fellow Westminster student Roman Liu ’14 and his parents, Wenting Liu and

Westminster Student Wins Smith College Poetry Contest Westminster School Fifth Former Taite Puhala accepted a $500 prize in April at Smith College for winning the sixth annual Smith College Poetry Prize for High School Girls in New England.

Taite spent the day, along with her family, visiting with Smith College English professors and with the award-winning Irish poet Eavan Boland, who was the judge in the contest. In the evening, Taite read her winning poem, "a capella," to an audience of more than 200 Smith College students and professors and other assorted guests right before Boland gave a reading.

The Poetry Center at Smith College brings

Rosie Wetzel ’14, Ryan Fox ’14, Ronald Yeung ’13, Chinese teacher Cara Hugabonne, Kelsey Mackenzie ’14, Alex Tomashoff ’13 and Alastair Smith ’13 visit the Great Wall of China at Mutianyu.

Xia Sun, in Beijing. The Lius were excellent hosts, and the students enjoyed spending time with a good friend in his home city. The group also toured Beijing Normal University’s No. 2 Middle School to preview the School Year Abroad program that Kelsey is attending this year (as is George Knight ’14). Kelsey and her father, Andrew Mackenzie ’82, who joined the group as photographer and videographer, were particularly glad for the chance to meet SYA summer director Mary Friends, who addressed their questions and concerns.

Along the way, Andrew compiled a photographic record of the trip as well as an interview-based documentary of the students’ impressions after the Shanghai and Xi’an portions of the trip.

The China trip is expected to be offered again in June 2014.

distinguished poets to the college, creates a video archive of their readings and promotes an appreciation of poetry in the larger community through outreach to schools. Each year, it sponsors the high school poetry contest for sophomore and junior girls in New England. Entrants were required to submit one poem with a maximum of 25 lines.

“It was a great personal victory for Taite and a great moment for Westminster’s poetry program,” said Michael Cervas, head of the Westminster English Department, who also attended the reading at Smith. All of the finalists in the contest got the chance to read their poems but, according to Michael, the “sophistication of Taite’s poem, both in terms of its narrative structure and in terms of its control of language, set it apart from the other poems.”

This past summer, Taite also won the 2012 Johns Hopkins Creative Minds Poetry Contest.

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Author Susan Conley was the final guest reader in the 2011-2012 Friday Night Readings Series.

Author Reads from Acclaimed Memoir

Will Stevens ’12, the student reader, with Susan

Award-winning author Susan Conley read from her acclaimed memoir, “The Foremost Good Fortune,” in May as the final reader of the year in Westminster School’s Friday Night Readings Series.

The series features readings given by guest writers and Westminster students on selected evenings throughout the academic year. The student reader was Will Stevens ’12, one of the winners of the Senior English “This I Believe” Writing Contest. “The Foremost Good Fortune” was released in 2011 and emerged as one of the most talked about cancer stories of the year.

Other guest readers during the year included novelist and short story writer Anthony Doerr, poet Jeffrey Harrison, and novelist, essayist and radio talk show host Colin McEnroe.

Bindlestiff Family Cirkus Captivates Audience The Bindlestiff Family Cirkus performed a fascinating show for the Westminster community in the Werner Centennial Center in March as part of the Graham Gund ’59 Visiting Artist Series. Students and faculty members clapped and cheered as a clown, a juggler, an acrobat and unicycle riders took turns performing dazzling acts on stage.

Ringmistress Philomena (Stephanie Monseu, co-founder of the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus) hosted the spectacle with the musical accompaniment of Cirkestra, the orchestra. Cirkestra was led by Ringling Clown College graduate and Boston Berklee College of Music instructor Peter Bufano on his accordion.

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The cast featured the King Charles Troupe performing unicycle tricks and skillful basketball stunts; Mike Richter walking a wire spanning across the length of the stage; Keith Nelson, co-founder of the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus, demonstrating his sword-swallowing routine with the help of Christi DeSimone ’12; Philomena demonstrating a target bullwhip act with the help of faculty member Scott Berry P’11, ’16; Ekaterina, a contortionist, acrobat and aerialist, performing an aerial display; and Adam Kuchler juggling and stacking cigar boxes into feats of masterful manipulation. The Bindlestiff Family Cirkus has been presenting the variety arts — circus, sideshow and vaudeville — to audiences across the United States and around the world for 18 years.

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12th Annual MS Walk Westminster School hosted the annual MS Walk in April for the 12th year in a row. Despite the cool weather, hundreds of people participated in the walk into downtown Simsbury and back. In addition to individual walkers, including many from the Westminster community, there were numerous teams.

Just before the ribbon-cutting outside the Jackson Hockey Rink, Head Prefect Will Stevens ’12 and Headmaster Bill Philip gave welcoming remarks, and Lauren Darnis ’12 sang the national anthem.

Twenty-seven Westminster faculty, staff and family members, and more than 100 students volunteered to help out with the day’s setup, operations and cleanup. The girls’ lacrosse team and others also painted signs.

“It was great having the lacrosse and tennis teams help make the setup the quickest in 12 years,” said math teacher Jill Loveland, who serves as the walk’s coordinator. “Our captains did a wonderful job of raising awareness and getting donations.

As a school, we raised more than $3,900.”

Jill was especially appreciative of her four volunteer coordinators: Josh Kokulis ’12, Jake Medina ’12, Emmet Shipway ’12 and Will Schmidt ’13. They served as committee members and met with the MS Society monthly throughout the year. They also organized volunteers on campus and ran a volunteer training session so everyone would be aware of their responsibilities on the day of the walk.

“Overall, I found a greater appreciation for Westminster's involvement with the surrounding community and was given a more indepth look at the processes and hard work that are necessary to create a successful walk,” said Jake, who helped paint signs and create maps of the course. “I also had the opportunity to attend some of the committee meetings, which was a great learning experience. I am thankful to Westminster and Mrs. Loveland for the great opportunity to give back to the community.”

Will Schmidt ’13 was also appreciative of the experience. “After helping out Fourth Form year as a captain for my form, I realized how phenomenal this charity truly is,” he said. “Subsequently, I decided to increase my level of involvement in the walk in the hope that I would have a larger impact on its success. This year, I worked as a coordinator for the school and attended meetings leading up to the walk and then managed a large group of student volunteers during the walk itself.

The experience was greatly rewarding as I was able to watch many classmates volunteer and help out during the walk, an example of involvement from Westminster students that represents our school community at its finest.”

Pam Aseltine of New Hartford, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis two years ago and for whom approximately 25 people in Pam’s Posse were walking, said, “This is a harsh reality for me yet a beautiful statement of support. It inspires me.”

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Student Serving as Senate Page Morgan Heck ’14 is serving as a page in the U.S. Senate during the fall semester, following sponsorship by Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut.

Morgan was among 30 high school juniors from across the country selected for the prestigious Senate page program, where academic standing is one the most important selection criteria. Because there are only 30 page positions to serve 100 senators, not all senators are able to appoint pages. Due to the limited number of positions and the high volume of interested students, competition is keen and highly selective.

The duties of the pages consist primarily of delivery of correspondence and legislative material within the U.S. Capitol complex. Other duties include taking messages for senators, calling them to the phone, preparing the Senate chamber for sessions, and carrying bills and amendments to the desk. A rotation system is used so that every page has an opportunity to experience all areas of service.

A page’s day typically begins at 5 a.m. for classes starting at 6:15 a.m. in the U.S. Senate Page School. Classes extend until 9:45 a.m. or one hour prior to commencement of the Senate, when pages report for duty and work until 5 p.m. or until the Senate adjourns for the day, whichever is later. When sessions extend past 10 p.m., the next day’s classes may be postponed. In addition, pages are expected to do three to four hours of homework daily.

Morgan Heck ’14 is spending the fall semester working in the U.S. Capitol complex as a Senate page.

Student Center Refurbished Thanks to Gift The Timken Student Center is now an even more special gathering place for students thanks to a gift from the parents of the Class of 2012. Their generosity has made the refurbished center a more enjoyable place to relax with the addition of new furniture, a sound system, flat screen televisions, Blu-ray disc players, an iPod docking station, a second pool table and a deck with picnic tables.

“Serving as a Senate page will be an unparalleled learning experience for Morgan,” said Senator Lieberman. “The knowledge that he will gain has the potential to shape the course of his future as an outstanding American citizen and avid participant in the political process. I am confident that Morgan will make a valuable contribution to the page program.”

Morgan has had a lifelong interest in American history and government, and previously had visited the U.S. Senate several times while in session. “But having the chance to work in the Senate is even better,” said Morgan. “It’s an amazing opportunity, and it’s also a lot of fun.”

Internationally Recognized Guitarist and Cellist Give Concert The Richter Uzur Duo, composed of internationally recognized guitarist and guitar composer Brad Richter and cellist Viktor Uzur, visited Westminster in April to give a concert for the Westminster community. This was Brad’s third visit to Westminster and Viktor’s second.

In addition to performing together, Viktor and Brad both have successful international solo careers. For their Westminster concert, they performed mashup pieces, original compositions and rock songs, explaining the history of each piece.

Following the concert, they took questions from the audience. When asked about their songwriting process, they explained how they live almost 1,000 miles apart and do a lot of it over the phone and Internet.

Brad and Viktor also visited David Chrzanowski’s AP Music Theory and Introduction to Music Theory classes, where they talked about the importance of music theory to a composer.

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12th Westminster Poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil Poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil visited Westminster in April as the 12th Westminster Poet. During her two full days on campus, the first for a Westminster Poet, she gave a reading and visited English classes to talk with students about her poetry.

Aimee is the author of three poetry collections: “Lucky Fish,” “At the Drive-In Volcano” (winner of the Balcones Prize) and “Miracle Fruit” (winner of the Tupelo Press Prize, ForeWord Magazine’s Book of the Year Award, the Global Filipino Award and a finalist for The Glasgow Prize and the Asian American Literary Award). Her first chapbook, “Fishbone,” won the Snail’s Pace Press Prize.

Students and teachers had read and studied her three books of poetry throughout 20112012 in preparation for her visit.

At a reading in the Werner Centennial Center, she read poems from all three books and talked about the history of each poem, her family and her career.

When meeting with students in their English classes, she encouraged them to approach reading poetry differently from other reading, saying, “For poems, it helps if you read slowly and ‘unplug’ for that time.”

She also talked about her writing process, explaining how she always carries a notebook to record images and sounds she may want to remember. “Poetry comes from the most unlikely places,” she said. “We all think in poems. You picture all of these sensory details.” She added that she looks for moments of joy or beauty, and often finds inspiration in news stories and science books. “I might have a topic in mind, but about 90 percent of the time, it doesn’t end up that way. I like to take leaps.”

When asked how long it takes her to write a poem, she said she is a fast composer but a slow editor. “Poetry for me is communicating,” she emphasized. “If I can use personal experience to capture a universal theme, then I have done my job.”

She shared how she started out in college as a “hapless” chemistry major and then a teacher changed everything for her. “Hopefully, everyone here has a teacher who changes their life.”

David Swenson ’15, who read “Miracle Fruit” in his English class said, “I liked her use of words and descriptive language in her poetry. It was a good experience to meet her in person and ask her questions about things we didn’t know.”

Grace Brown ’12, who read “Lucky Fish” in her English class, described Aimee’s poetry as “very whimsical” and liked how Aimee expressed curiosity in everything. “Every poem was very distinct and could be about anything from her family to animals to food,” said Grace.

“She is a very fun and enthusiastic teacher. In class, she showed us new ways to look at things, and she was very friendly and easy to talk to.”

“Aimee Nezhukumatathil was everything we’d hoped she would be and more,” said Michael Cervas, head of the English Department. “An excellent poet. An engaging reader. An accomplished teacher who knows how to reach high school age students. All three of her books were accessible enough on the one hand and challenging and mysterious enough on the other to make them ideal texts for study in the classroom.

There are plenty of her poems that I’ll come back to and teach again.”

Aimee was born in Chicago and attended Ohio State University, where she received her B.A. in English and her M.F.A. in poetry and creative nonfiction. She was a Diane Middlebrook Poetry Fellow at the Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and is associate professor of English at State University of New York at Fredonia, where she teaches creative writing and environmental literature.

“Charming, funny and spirited, Aimee made talking about poetry a cool thing to do, and because she’s such a vibrant, outgoing person, she managed to get a lot of different kinds of students talking about poetry,” added Michael. “Of all the poets we’ve had come to Westminster over the past 13 years, Aimee was one of the best at conducting classes.

She’s won awards for her outstanding teaching at SUNY Fredonia, and now we know why.”

Aimee’s other awards include a poetry fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Pushcart Prize, the Angoff Award from The Literary Review, the Boatwright Prize from Shenandoah, The Richard Hugo Prize from Poetry Northwest, an Associated Writing Programs Intro Award in creative nonfiction and fellowships to the MacDowell Arts Colony.

Aimee’s Westminster visit was made possible through support from the Ford-Goldfarb Fund, which was established in 2005 by former trustee Maureen Ford-Goldfarb and her daughter Kirsten Ford ’00 to support English Department enrichment activities.

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Lending a Big Hand to Others Putting Westminster’s core value of community into action, Westminster students and faculty spent Oct. 4 serving as volunteers at 20 venues around the Greater Hartford region as a part of the school’s annual Community Service Day. Wearing their 125th anniversary T-shirts, the volunteers boarded vans and buses at 8 a.m. and headed to sites in Hartford, Manchester, Burlington, Bloomfield, Avon and Simsbury. Third Formers visited YMCA Camp Chase, and Fourth Formers visited Camp Horizons, a camp for children with special needs. Fifth Formers helped out at Reggio

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Magnet School, Covenant Prep School, Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation, House of Bread, Manchester Soup Kitchen and South Park Inn. And Sixth Formers performed service along the Farmington River and at Mercy Housing and Shelter, two Foodshare locations, Simsbury Housing Authority, The Dr. Joseph S. Renzulli Gifted and Talented Academy, Eno Memorial Hall, Phelps Tavern Museum, the University of Hartford Magnet School and Gifts of Love.

Throughout the day, the volunteers did such things as prepare lunches at senior centers and at homeless shelters, help young children in classes, sort and stock food at food

banks, rake leaves, paint walls, enter computer data and clean up brush.

“The hard work and genuine motivation of our school community on this special day are an example of what a community with purpose can do for others,” said Gloria Connell, director of community service at Westminster.

“When Associate Headmaster Nancy Spencer and I visited eight of the sites, I cannot express how very proud I was of our students and teachers who were lending a very big hand of help to those who appreciated the help and our tenacity.”

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Spring Season Highlights FIRST BOYS’ LACROSSE First Boys’ Lacrosse completed another very successful season.

The team recorded its third consecutive 10-win season and tied for the best record in the Founders League. Impressively, Westminster also won the league’s Sportsmanship Award for the second time in three years. One of the highlights of the season included playing the alumni game on the just-completed Hovey Field, which will be used regularly by the team in the future. Gordon Santry ’12 earned All-American honors, a difficult attainment for a goalie, and Westminster’s first. Dillon Tiner ’12 also was voted Academic All-American.

FIRST SOFTBALL After four consecutive Class A Softball championships and the graduation of numerous key players, many were unsure whether First Softball would be able to maintain its dominance. The 2012 team did not disappoint. Despite fielding a squad without a single Sixth Former, the Martlets proved that they were still a team to fear. Westminster won 14 games and once again advanced to the championship game in the Class A New England Tournament, where they ultimately fell to a veteran Taft squad in extra innings. Jordan Gowdy ’14 and Amanda Savino ’14 were each named to the Western New England All-Star Team. With all its players returning next spring, ready and experienced, the Westminster team will likely continue to be a major force in New England.

TRACK AND FIELD Martlet athletes were exciting to watch on the track this spring.

The boys’ team completed its best season in many years with a 7-1 record. While there were a number of impressive performances, including setting 14 personal bests in championship meets, Franco Serrao ’12 drew the most attention. Serrao set the shot put record twice during the season, first at 54 feet 10-1/2 inches and then at 55 feet 1-1/2 inches. Another school record fell on the girls’ side as Emily Sirbaugh ’13 set a new girls’ pole vault record at 8 feet 6 inches. The entire girls’ team worked hard all spring to ultimately set 12 personal bests in the final two weeks of the season.

Visit www.westminster-school.org/scores

for the latest game results and team schedules or scan this QR code with your smartphone 9

Celebrating 125 Years of

Westminster School launched a yearlong celebration of its 125th anniversary the week of Sept. 23 with a series of activities and events involving students, faculty, staff and alumni. The theme for the anniversary is “Leading with Grit & Grace,” based on the school’s motto of Grit & Grace, which has defined and distinguished the school and its graduates since its founding in 1888.

“At this major milestone in Westminster’s history, we look forward to paying tribute to its illustrious history, celebrating its national leadership among independent schools, and presenting programs in its core areas of academics, athletics, arts and service,” said Headmaster Bill Philip.

The commemoration kicked off with a games day on Sept. 23. Students gathered on the upper fields where they were given anniversary T-shirts, broke into assigned groups and played dodgeball, kickball, flag football, basketball and ultimate Frisbee. The next morning, faculty, staff and

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students gathered for an all-school photo on Commencement Lawn, and that evening, First Selectman of the Town of Simsbury Mary Glassman presented a proclamation to Headmaster Philip declaring the week of Sept. 23, 2012, as Westminster School 125th Anniversary Week. A few days later, students gathered for a Westminster trivia night to compete on teams answering questions.

On the most event-filled day of the whirlwind week, Sept. 28, the school hosted the Westminster Teaching Symposium for teachers from New England independent schools featuring an address by Patrick F. Bassett, president of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS); a reading by Pulitzer Prizewinning author Jennifer Egan; and the annual Williams Hill dinner. The week culminated on Saturday with the dedication of a new synthetic field named for former longtime faculty member David Hovey and his wife, Jenks.

Please see related stories on the following pages.

Leading with Grit & Grace

Other activities throughout the year will include guest speakers in academics, athletics, the arts and politics, additional author readings, performing arts presentations, an alumni art show, an alumni athletics panel, and food and toy drives for the community. The school also will sponsor and participate in several Simsbury community programs and initiatives. An all-school community service day took place Oct. 4. The commemoration will end in September 2013 with the dedication of two new student and faculty residences and a closing celebration featuring a keynote address by New York Times columnist and best-selling author David Brooks.

A 13-member 125th Anniversary Planning Committee has been meeting throughout the year to plan anniversary

activities. The honorary chairs are Leigh and Dave Hovey ’78, P’ 09, ’11, ’14, ex officio trustees, and Sara L. Whitely ’91, trustee; and the members include Alan F. Brooks ’55, P’89, ’91, ’96, director of the125th anniversary; Tom Earl P’93, ’98, ’03, ’06, business manager; Ken Mason P’11, ’12, ’16, director of marketing; Tread Mink ’77, P’11 chairman of the Board of Trustees; Pierce O’Neill ’76, P’10, ’12, trustee; Bill Philip P’06, ’09, headmaster; Maggie Pinney P’02, ’11, director of development; Darlene Skeels, director of publications and communications; Nancy Spencer P’13, ’15, associate headmaster; and Scott Stevens P’06, ’09, ’12, assistant headmaster for development.

Additional information about the 125th anniversary celebration can be found at www.westminster-school.org/125

A BRIEF HISTORY — William Lee Cushing founded Westminster School in 1888 in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., as a school for boys. It relocated to Simsbury in 1900 to a more expansive 200-acre location on Williams Hill that commanded vistas of the Farmington River. The school opened in the new location on Oct. 17, 1900, with 34 boys and six teachers. As the school’s programs and enrollment grew over the decades, it added a wide range of facilities and became coeducational in 1971. Today, Westminster is a diverse community of 390 students, two-thirds boarding and one-third day, in grades 9-12 and postgraduate. The students represent 41 Connecticut towns and cities, 26 states and 19 countries.

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Educators Discuss 21st-Century Skills More than 150 teachers from 28 schools and institutions in the region attended the Westminster Teaching Symposium hosted by Westminster Sept. 28 titled “Building 21st-Century Skills.”

The second annual event was an outgrowth of the Westminster Teaching Initiative (WTI) that was formed in 2010 to enhance teaching and learning at Westminster by encouraging collaboration and dialog among faculty members and departments about curriculum and pedagogy. The purpose of the symposium is to widen the circle of sharing and allow teachers from area schools to come together, converse and learn from one another.

A major highlight of this year’s symposium was a keynote address by Patrick Bassett, president of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), a membership organization of more than 1,400 independent schools and associations of schools in the United States and 250 affiliated schools and associations internationally. He spoke about what he calls the “Six Cs”— communication, creativity, collaboration, character, critical thinking and cosmopolitanism — saying they are the skills and values that will be demanded of students and rewarded in the 21st century. After discussing each of the skills and values in detail, he challenged the teachers in the audience to become leaders in looking at what they should be teaching, how they should be teaching it and how it should be assessed. He also emphasized how important it is for every student in their classrooms to be known and to be loved. “Great schools create intentional culture,” he explained. “Intentional cultures are rooted in the values that help develop the ethos of the school. At the end of the day, the kids own that culture.” When thinking about the future of teaching and learning, he asked the teachers, “How would you backward design the curriculum you have to achieve the outcome of mastery of the Six Cs? How will you ride the big shifts?”

Throughout the day, symposium attendees were able to select from 15 presentations on topics ranging from flipped classrooms, to collaboration through mobile devices, to incorporating creativity into lesson plans.

“The symposium offered an excellent professional development opportunity for the educators who presented, and we will continue to make this a significant element of the symposia in years ahead,” said Westminster science teacher Bill Sistare, who co-directs the WTI. “Teachers learn best from other teachers.”

Science teacher Mark de Kanter ’91, who co-directs the WTI with Bill, added, “This symposium demonstrated that our faculty are seriously reflecting on the current trends in education and trying to incorporate best practices into our curriculum. As multiple studies have corroborated, there is no replacement for a good teacher, and Westminster is continually working to make our strong faculty even better.”

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Matching Grant Approved for WTI Earlier in the year, the Edward E. Ford Foundation approved a $50,000 matching grant for Westminster to support the WTI. Grant payments will match cash contributions received by the school from other sources for the same purpose between June 7, 2012, and July 31, 2013.

Currently, the WTI is a voluntary effort. The grant will address two major needs related to making it more permanent, more sustainable and more effective over the next three years. The first relates to funding a portion of the directors’ salaries, allowing reassignment of some class sections. The second relates to funding the various activities of the WTI, including the Westminster Teaching Symposium. The grant also would provide for books and other media, classroom technology, and travel and professional development opportunities related to the initiative.

“The Edward E. Ford Foundation is a leader in innovation for independent schools,” said Westminster’s Director of Development Maggie Pinney. “We are honored to have been selected as a grant recipient and look forward to working with members of our community to secure the matching funds for this initiative. The creativity and collaboration that result from the Westminster Teaching Initiative impact Westminster students in an immediate and positive way.”

Left, Latin teacher Maureen Lamb makes a presentation titled “21st-Century Technology for the Language Classroom.”

Below, Patrick Bassett, president of the National Association of Independent Schools

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Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author Visits Westminster Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Jennifer Egan helped kick off Westminster School’s 125th anniversary and the academic year’s “Friday Nights in Gund” series during a visit to the campus Sept. 28.

Jennifer is the author of four novels: “The Invisible Circus,” “Look at Me” (which was a finalist for the National Book Award), “The Keep,” and “A Visit from the Goon Squad” (which won both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award in 2011). Egan has also published a book of short stories, “Emerald City,” and her nonfiction appears frequently in the New York Times Magazine.

“We are really lucky to have her visit,” said Michael Cervas, head of the English Department, as he introduced Jennifer to students during her afternoon visit to English classes. “This is an extraordinary event for us.”

“It is great to be here,” replied Jennifer. “I am convinced students are the best readers.” She then discussed with the students her writing process that she begins by hand on paper. “It involves a lot of mess. I write from a desire to reach out of my own life, but I do use times and places from my life.” She explained how she tries to get into a “meditative state,” so she doesn’t think about what she is doing. “Sometimes I have ideas that are surprising. I don’t know what will happen.” She then types everything up, edits it by hand and completes many drafts. She also participates in a peer-writing group, finding criticism from the group valuable to her writing.

Throughout the classes, Jennifer answered questions from students, including those about short stories of hers they had read, where she writes, whether she knows in advance what she will write and whether she feels a constant urge to write.

“I feel a constant urge to write and a constant urge not to write,” she explained.

She also talked about her journalism career and how important that

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writing has been to her fiction writing.

Jennifer’s evening reading for the “Friday Nights in Gund” series had to be moved to the Werner Centennial Center because of the more than 200 students, teachers and guests in attendance. The series involves free public readings, lectures and concerts held Friday nights in the Gund Reading Room of the Armour Academic Center during the academic year. Friday night readings at Westminster are in their fourth year, featuring student and faculty writers, as well as guest novelists, poets and nonfiction writers. And what a great start to the 2012-2013 year it was!

Sixth Former Molly Mullen mesmerized the audience with a beautifully written, sometimes funny, sometimes serious, ultimately moving personal essay titled “Making Hay” about work and family. Her delivery was pitch perfect, too. She set a very high bar for the featured reader, Jennifer. Fortunately, Jennifer gave a remarkably polished reading of the first chapter of her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, “A Visit from the Goon Squad,” a reading that made those in the audience already familiar with the book want to read it again and inspired a number of students to buy the book after the reading.

Jennifer later told English Department Head Michael Cervas that she “felt honored to read at Westminster” and talked about how special the school’s reading programs are.

Above, Molly Mullen ’13 and Jennifer Egan and, below, Jennifer talks with students in their English classes.

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Hundreds Turn Out for Hovey Field Dedication

Members of the Hovey family: back row, Dave, Tommy, Leigh, Kim and Sam; middle row, Grayson, Davey, Jenks, Katie and Landon; front, Hov

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Westminster alumni, faculty, staff, parents, grandparents and students from across many decades joined members of the Hovey family and their friends at Westminster on Sept. 29 for the dedication of the new Hovey Field named in honor of David “Hov” and Jenks Hovey P’78, ’80, ’83, GP’09, ’11, ’14.

The synthetic field is located adjacent to the lower fields and features four light towers, sloped lawn seating and a Westminster crest. The $1.8 million cost of the project was funded entirely through gifts from alumni, parents and friends of the Hoveys.

Hov and Jenks spent 37 years at Westminster, when as a member of the faculty, Hov taught math, served as dean of students, corridor supervisor, head of the work program and coach of numerous sports including head football coach and head boys’ lacrosse coach.

“This is a special venue for Westminster for all sorts of reasons,” said Headmaster Bill Philip in

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“It is a beautiful natural amphitheater that has lights for night games, and it will be used for field hockey, boys’ and girls’ lacrosse and boys’ and girls’ soccer.”

welcoming everyone to the dedication.

“It is a beautiful natural amphitheater that has lights for night games, and it will be used for field hockey, boys’ and girls’ lacrosse and boys’ and girls’ soccer. It is also a community venue, and community is at the core of what Westminster is all about.”

He thanked those who helped bring the field to completion including Dick Webb P’07 for design work, R.A.D. Sports for construction work, Assistant Headmaster for Development Scott Stevens, Westminster Business Manager Tom Earl, Trustee Colin Flinn ’82 and those who supported the field with their generous gifts. “Your support for this field and your support for the Hovey family have made this possible,” he said. “Thank you so much for being here today.

“At the end of the day, this is a family school and that name up there says Hovey Field,” he added. “The Hovey family now resonates through generations at this school and includes Dave and Jenks as well as Dave ’78,

Kim ’80, Sam ’83 and grandchildren Davey ’09, Tommy ’11 and Katie ’14.”

Chairman of the Board of Trustees Tread Mink ’77 thanked Hov and Jenks “for all they have done for Westminster and us as individuals.”

He also thanked Dave, Kim and Sam for “sharing their parents with us and helping make this field a reality.”

After leading everyone in three “Hovey” cheers, Tread recalled memories of Hov’s math class, where Hov “challenged and encouraged his students not only in life lessons but

Tread Mink ’77

some algebraic equations as well,” and of Hov and Jenks’ corridor in Memorial Hall “where Jenks made her corridor one of the most sought after places for juniors to want to live” because she opened her home to the students. He then reminisced about Hov’s booming voice coming out of the deans’ office and Jenks pacing on the sidelines of games “not to only support the boys on the field but to get to know the parents and build some true, deep friendships along the way.”

He concluded by saying, “Dave and Jenks, you had a way with Westminster students that made them feel they could do more, push harder, go beyond what a typical ninth through 12th grader would do, and you did it because you truly cared, and you did it with a lot of Grit and Grace.

Hovey Field is a place for current and future students, parents and coaches to carry on the Hovey spirit and create their own fond and lasting memories.”

On behalf of the Hovey family, Dave Hovey ’78 thanked everyone for

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supporting the field and for attending the dedication. “It is unbelievable to see all of these familiar faces from decades of Westminster students, parents, faculty and colleagues,” he exclaimed. He then expressed appreciation to members of the Westminster community and family friends from Simsbury and Chatham, Mass., for attending the event. He also thanked those who helped bring the project to completion, including Tom Earl, the Development Office,

Headmaster Philip and Colin Flynn for his “tireless effort” to get the field going. He shared how Colin took time to drive to Savannah, Ga., where Hov and Jenks live in the winter months, to share the plans for the field with them.

He also described how energizing and uplifting it was for his parents when they heard from alumni and faculty once the field was announced and took shape through various phases of construction.

Standing at the podium amid a thunderous applause, Hov began his remarks by emphasizing, “I have had a lot of honors throughout the years, but this is great since it is about Jenks and me. For that we are eternally grateful.”

He added that Jenks had played both field hockey and lacrosse. He also expressed how very pleased he was to have 11 out of 12 members of the Hovey family at the event and how the field would be a lasting memory for the Hoveys.

Dave Hovey ’78

David “Hov” Hovey

Headmaster Bill Philip

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The synthetic field is located adjacent to the lower fields and features four light towers, sloped lawn seating and a Westminster crest. The $1.8 million cost of the project was funded entirely through gifts from alumni, parents and friends of the Hoveys.

Reflecting on the new field prior to the dedication, he described how amazed he was by everyone who gave to the project and by the loyalty of everyone who was returning to Westminster for the dedication. “This whole thing has been first class, and we are very proud to be a part of it.”

In summarizing her feelings, Jenks added, “When I first heard about the new field, I broke into tears, and I am still in tears.”

Many of those attending the dedication were moved by the day and recalled their special memories of the Hoveys.

“To me, the Hoveys really represent Westminster,” said Colin Flinn who lived a floor above them in the dormitory as a student. “Their partnership, the two of them, is really something to behold. I always loved them because they treated me like an adult, for really the first time in my life. …. I used to sit in their kitchen all

of the time and just argue about life, politics and religion, and I loved it.”

Bob Bristol ’76, who had Hov as a lacrosse coach, said it was an emotional day for him seeing the Hoveys, old friends, new friends and the venue. Willard Ladd ’76, a lacrosse teammate, concurred, “It is exciting seeing the Hoveys and old classmates I haven’t seen in years.”

For Liz Schroeder ’84, who remembered opening her college admission letter from Denison University with the Hoveys, it was an especially meaningful event. “It is a day to honor Mr. and Mrs. Hovey and the entire Hovey family and how integral they have been to the Westminster community,” she said.

“They are such an amazing family and embody the whole spirit of Westminster.”

Sitting together at one table during the luncheon were classmates and former football and lacrosse

teammates Chuck Gifford ’70, Peter Hitt ’70, Will Caldwell ’70 and Tim Goodman ’70, who had their own special recollections of Coach Hovey.

“He treated us like men,” said Will; he “taught by example,” said Peter; “he suited up with us with no pads,” said Tim; and “we would not have missed this opportunity to come back to honor him and Jenks,” said Chuck.

Will Holbrook ’66, who played on Coach Hovey’s 1965 undefeated football team, the first in 51 years, and was enjoying sharing memories of great times with a number of his former teammates, stressed, “This moment is about the Hoveys, who are wonderful people. You can have the best bricks and mortar, but it really comes down to the people.”

(Editor’s note: Hov and Jenks say they enjoy hearing from alumni at Hovjenks@aol.com)

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or the first time in anyone’s memory, four Westminster students were selected for coveted spots in the prestigious Connecticut All-State Chorus, which is made up of approximately 200 of the finest high school singers in the state.

Lauren Darnis ’12, Jay Attys ’12, Shelby Gamble ’14 and Morgan Rubin ’13 auditioned in February following performances at the Northern Region Music Festival, for

which they and five other Westminster students had qualified. As a result of their successful auditions, the four spent April 12-14 in residence with the All-State Chorus at the 2012 Connecticut All-State Music Festival at the Hartford Convention Center. They practiced challenging choral pieces and gave a performance under the direction of Richard Bjella, a nationally known choral conductor from Texas Tech University.

“For a school of our size, it is quite an accomplishment to have four representatives at the All-State performance,” said Westminster’s Director of Music David Chrzanowski, who also serves as head of the Visual and Performing Arts Department. “There have been years when we have had one or two representatives, but we have never had four in my 12 years at Westminster.

Those students have a desire to be the best.”

Left to right, Director of Music David Chrzanowski, Shelby Gamble ’14, Jay Attys ’12, Morgan Rubin ’13 and Lauren Darnis ’12. The four students were selected for the prestigious 2012 Connecticut AllState Chorus.

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Exploring Interests at All Levels David says one of the strengths of the Westminster music program is that students have opportunities to explore their interests at all levels. “We have opportunities to not only showcase our superstars but to develop students who are new to music and give them a taste of what it is like.”

All entering students participate in a performing arts interview in which they discuss with faculty in the Visual and Performing Arts Department their previous experiences in the arts. “If we have a student who is interested in music, dance, theater or the visual arts, we can shuffle them right away to the director of the program who can give them more information,” said David. “This approach is unique for Westminster compared with many other schools.”

The two main opportunities for vocalists at Westminster to develop and showcase their talents are memberships in Chorale and Chamber Choir.

The only requirement for joining Chorale is a love of music and a desire to learn a variety of repertoire. Students learn basic vocal skills such as breathing, diction and phrasing. “I tell members of Chorale all of the time that my goal is for them to be good singers, and no matter what their college major, they can join a singing group and, better yet, continue singing after college in a community or church choir or something like that,” said David. “My role is to make them better singers and to help them love music.”

Chamber Choir, however, is limited to a maximum of 24 singers who must audition and also be a member of Chorale.

“We like to call it the ‘varsity’ Chamber Choir,” said David.

“My expectations for that group both in terms of memorization and their musicality is much higher than for Chorale. The level of music that is performed is sometimes at the college level.”

Both choirs perform at school events throughout the year including Parents’ Weekend, Candlelight and winter and spring performing arts concerts. Other school singing opportunities include Dramat musicals, Cabaret, chapel and coffee houses.

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In addition to the work David does with students, many vocalists elect to take private voice lessons to further develop their skills. Some also increase their knowledge of music by taking classes in Music Appreciation: The World of Music or AP Music Theory, which is equivalent to a college-level music theory course. Many also play musical instruments.

Six Superstars A look at the varied music interests of six of Westminster’s exceptional singers during the 2011-2012 academic year, including the four who participated in the 2012 Connecticut AllState Chorus, shows the range of talent that has made the Westminster music program so strong.

“But it is not just the talent,” David points Jay performs as a soloist in out. “These are kids Cabaret. who also work hard at what they do.”

Jay Attys ’12, now a freshman at Duke University, is extremely proud of being selected for both the Northern Region Festival and the All-State Chorus. Before coming to Westminster, he attended the Whitney E. Houston Academy of Creative and Performing Arts in East Orange, N.J., where he was a music major and sang in two choirs. He started singing in the fourth grade when he was asked to join the school choir. At Westminster, he performed in the Chamber Choir, Chorale, Cabaret and the musical “The Drowsy Chaperone.” He also founded an all-male a cappella group called the Rising Sons.

The Chamber Choir performs at school events throughout the year and is limited to a maximum of 24 singers who must audition and also be a member of Chorale.

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The Connecticut All-State Chorus during its performance at the Hartford Convention Center in April.

Jay, far left, with the a capella group he founded called the Rising Sons.

“Since I really like Boyz II Men, I have always wanted a group similar to theirs,” he explained. The Rising Sons expanded under his leadership and performed in the chapel, at Cabaret, at performing arts concerts, at school coffee houses and at a local church last year.

Jay credits voice lessons with Joanne Scattergood Reeves P’03, ’05, a professional singer and wife of faculty member Scott Reeves, in helping him learn to hit really high notes.

“At Westminster, I definitely became more confident as a singer and developed my talent with Mrs. Reeves,” he said.

At Duke, Jay plans to study neuroscience and minor in music. He also hopes to continue taking voice lessons and to learn to play the piano.

Lauren Darnis ’12, a former day student from Simsbury and a freshman at Wake Forest University, participated in the Northern Regional Festival and All-State Choir in 2010, 2011 and 2012 as a soprano 1. She loves to sing, and play the guitar and classical piano, interests that surfaced early in life. “When I was younger, I would stand on a chair after dinner and take some kitchen utensils and start singing,” she said. “I always wanted a guitar but did not get one until I

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was 13. I began piano lessons when I was age 4 or 5 but had to stop them when I was 14 since my activities and school became more intense.”

At Westminster, Lauren performed in Cabaret, sang the national anthem at MS Walks and co-founded the Student Music Organization (SMO) with Conor Mullen ’12. “Conor and I shared a common goal of getting the community more involved in performing at coffee houses and acoustic performances, normally held after family-style dinners in Hinman Reading Room,” she explained. “I also became very interested in getting different members of the school community involved in musical events such as last year’s SMO talent show, in which we had many new performers.”

Lauren further developed her singing skills at the University of Hartford’s Hartt School of Music where she participated in vocal honors and auditioned solo performances. In 2011, she won the Bel Canto Award.

Last spring, Lauren took her love of the guitar one step further by building a Triple-0 acoustic guitar under the guidance of English teacher Scott Reeves P’03, ’05, an experienced guitar builder.

Jennifer Girard ’14, Lauren and Morgan perform in Cabaret.

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Left, Lauren works on building a Triple-0 acoustic guitar with the help of English teacher Scott Reeves, an experienced guitar builder, and right, she sings the national anthem at the MS Walk.

because I didn’t think that I had enough experience under my belt, so I was happily surprised to make it this far this year.”

At Westminster, Shelby is a soprano in Chorale and an alto in Chamber Choir. She has also performed in Cabaret and numerous Dramat performances.

“I grew up listening to my father play the piano, and my mom says I started singing from the crib,” she recalled. “I learned how to read music at age 5 when I started playing the violin. I had wanted to play the violin when I was 3, but my parents wouldn’t let me start for another two years.”

Shelby has continued to study the violin and take voice lessons. “I feel like I’ve definitely improved as a vocalist since I’ve started taking lessons with Mrs. Reeves,” she said. “I’ve learned much more about singing techniques.”

Looking to the future, Shelby says, she wants to study voice after leaving Westminster, but would also like to keep up with acting. “My childhood dreams have included becoming a vocalist with Cirque du Soleil, performing and trying to establish myself as a songwriter,” she said. She has spent the past five summers attending Circus Smirkus Camp in Greensboro, Vt., where she enjoys learning about partner acrobatics, aerials and clowning. For the 2012-2013 academic year, she is studying abroad in Italy.

Morgan Rubin ’13, a day student from West Simsbury, was pleased to be selected for the Chamber Choir as a Third Former. “It definitely got me more involved in singing,” she said.

She also is in Chorale and takes voice and piano lessons. She has been playing the piano since second grade, Shelby is a soprano in Chorale and an

Singing and playing the guitar or the piano in chapel and singing the National Anthem at MS Walks in front of the Westminster community are among Lauren’s proudest Westminster accomplishments. “They brought me closer to the school community and to my friends and family,” she said. She hopes to sing the national anthem at Wake Forest sporting events and perhaps at an even bigger event in the future. “I also want to write songs and publish them, and I am going to have to work really hard to do that,” she said.

Shelby Gamble ’14, a day student from North Granby, has been singing in choirs for as long as she can remember.

She began voice lessons at age 9, has been teaching herself to play the piano and the ukulele, and recently started dabbling in songwriting.

“I’m really proud of myself for making it to Northern Regionals and All-States,” she said about her first year participating in the festivals. “I didn’t audition last year

During a chapel service, Shelby performs a song she wrote.

alto in Chamber Choir.

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has taken violin lessons and started singing in the chorus in middle school.

Regarding her All-State Music Festival experience she says, “It was great to sing with so many talented people, and it was crazy how well everything came together in the three days we were there.”

One of Morgan’s proudest accomplishments at Westminster was writing a musical composition in her AP Music Theory class.

“I really had no experience Morgan was selected for with music writing at all Chamber Choir as a Third before taking the class,” she Former. explained. “As a final project, I composed the music for the prayer ‘Oseh Shalom,’ which is a prayer for peace. I wrote a melody and then a four-part harmony for the piano part. Mr. Chrzanowski asked me if I would mind if Chamber Choir sang it, and he helped me to write a fourpart harmony for the choir too, which ended up coming together well.”

Morgan loves all types of music, but is especially fond of country music. She has been teaching herself to play the guitar for the past couple of years.

Sam Boures ’12, a former day student from Canton, Conn., started singing in the sixth grade at school and in local community theater. She loves musicals and held lead roles in Westminster performances of “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” and “The Drowsy Chaperone.” “I really enjoy the feeling of community that grows among cast members and the creativity that bringing a show to life allows during rehearsals,” she said.

Sam took AP Music Theory as a Sixth Former.

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A soprano 2 in the Chamber Choir and Chorale, Sam participated in the Northern Region Festival the past two years. She also took AP Music Theory as a Sixth Former.

“I feel as though I learned how to become a much more informed, technical and knowledgeable singer through my new understanding of theory and technique,” she said.

Her leadership roles at Westminster included serving as co-president of Dramat and Chorale. “I tried to bring enthusiasm to rehearsals, encourage other students to participate in both programs, as well as set a good example for incoming singers and actors,” she said. “My Westminster experience would have been completely different if I had not been so involved in music. I would have missed out on spending time with the supportive, interesting and talented group of people who participate in its music programs.”

At Wake Forest University this year, Sam hopes to continue singing and taking music classes. “I hope that music will continue to play a big role in the rest of my life as well,” she added.

Randy Doyle ’12, a former day student from Canton, plays the French horn, the bass, the violin and almost every other musical instrument. He has been playing an instrument since he was 6. Before coming to Westminster, he sang with the Connecticut Children’s Chorus for nine years and

Randy Doyle ’12 and Sam Boures ’12 played lead roles in Dramat’s production of “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.”

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Randy, in the foreground, plays a number of musical instruments.

Professional singer Joanne Scattergood Reeves and Sam during a voice lesson.

traveled the world for its performances.

As a Martlet, he played in the band and jazz band, was a tenor in Chorale and the Chamber Choir, and served as co-president of Chorale. He also played lead roles in “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” and the “The Randy in his lead role in “The Drowsy Chaperone.”

Drowsy Chaperone.”

Randy has participated in the Northern Regional Festival and the Connecticut All-State Festival for both voice and instruments and is most proud of making it to the All-Eastern Music Festival for voice the summer before his Sixth Form year, and traveling to Germany, Austria, France and Italy with the Connecticut Children’s Chorus.

He credits taking AP Music Theory at Westminster with helping him see the science behind the magic of music. “I was able to develop my abilities to write music that actually sounded good and wasn’t doing just cookie-cutter pop chord progressions,” he said. “I developed greatly on the creative side of music. Performing in musicals allowed me to branch off and become much more comfortable with the performance side as well.”

At Swarthmore College, where he is a freshman, he plans to study chemistry and chemical engineering. “But don’t worry, I definitely plan on continuing to play music and to perform,” he was quick to add.

Training Like Athletes According to Joanne Scattergood Reeves, who has been giving private voice lessons at Westminster for 29 years and also teaches at Central Connecticut State University, becoming a good singer is not unlike becoming a good athlete. “Singers have to train their muscles the same way an athlete would,” she said. “The difference is that the muscles are smaller, but they are very strong. Learning to sing is very much like apprenticing yourself to a master.” She took voice lessons for 21 years. “You have to find the right person or people to teach you what they know, and then, eventually, you become the next master.”

At Westminster, she helps students prepare for auditions, recitals and any other projects for which they are seeking help. She makes sure they know their part and often makes a recording of a song’s accompaniment so they can practice with it. Her Westminster students have included Jay, Shelby, Morgan and Sam. “If they are having trouble with a high note or they can’t get the counting right or whatever they need, we go through it and tackle it. I even do sight reading with them. For Cabaret, I work with them on making it real for the audience. Cabaret, of all things, should be about communicating with the audience.”

Hoping to Inspire Others Looking back at the unprecedented music accomplishments of the 2011-2012 academic year, David says, “I am hoping these achievements inspire other, younger students to become musicians at Westminster. I also hope that when students come to Westminster, they get a sense of our strong music program, not just the vocal aspects, and know that Westminster is a good place to improve any of their artistic talents and interests.”

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Members of classes ending in the 2s and 7s from 1942 to 2007 returned to Westminster May 11-13 for

REUNION 2012!

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ndividual classes attended dinners at various homes and restaurants Friday evening and then headed to campus on Saturday for a full day of activities.

Saturday morning began with a headmaster’s coffee at Pratt House followed by a focus group on strategic planning and a student panel discussion with Sixth Formers Dillon Tiner, Abby Huth, Ellie Baker, Rachel Kennedy and Rosie Williams and Fifth Former Ryan Strange in the Armour Academic Center.

During his headmaster’s welcome in Sejong Lecture Hall, Bill Philip gave an update on construction of the two new student and faculty residences and the Hovey Field, emphasizing, “These are facilities attached to core values.” He also shared

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highlights of the “remarkable year” in admissions and the outstanding college placement results for the Class of 2012.

In Andrews Memorial Chapel, Scott McCausland ’87, president of the Westminster Alumni Association, led the induction of the Sixth Form into the association. “As Sixth Formers, you know the importance of your leadership on campus,” he said. “As the newest members of our Alumni Association, your relationship with the school will change but not the importance of your relationship or leadership.”

Alan Brooks ’55 led the memorial service for 21 former students who had died in the last year, and Shelby Gamble ’14 and Lauren Darnis ’12 sang “Pie Jesu.”

50th Reunion Dinner Hosted by Bill and Jenny Philip, the Class of 1962 held its 50th reunion dinner Friday evening in Hinman Reading Room. It was well attended and went late into the night.

Larry and Ann Gilman P’78, ’80 were invited guests, and the class enjoyed seeing them and reminiscing. Stories and fond memories were shared, as was a slideshow of a class member’s recent Parisian vacation. Members of the reunion committee included Rob Carson, Will Farnam, Rob Gray and Tim Stevens.

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After leaving the chapel, classes participated in the Grand March to the reunion tent for lunch.

Betsey Yeats ’82, who was last on campus five years ago, said she was “struck by the Armour Academic Center” and “the holes in the ground” for the new buildings.

Dick Bondy ’67, who also was last on the Hill five years ago for his 40th reunion and some other visits, said he, too, found the Armour Academic Center “amazing” and added that it seemed to him like the school had just built Baxter Academic Center.

After the morning’s activities, members of the Class of 2007 opened a time capsule. Throughout the day, numerous alumni recorded some of their Westminster memories for a video.

25th Reunion Dinner Members of the Class of 1987 enjoyed their reunion dinner at the faculty home of Robin Collinson Newman ’87 and Peter Newman ’80.

They spent much of the evening on the Newman’s back deck reliving their days on the Hill. Reunion committee members included Heather Lawless, Robin Collinson Newman, Katherine Strandberg Sawyer, Jonathan Symonds, Jeff Tindall and Karen Burgess Woods.

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Following afternoon tours of the Armour Academic Center and home athletic contests, a cocktail reception took place at Pratt House, which was attended by many faculty members. The Black and Gold Dinner and dancing lasted throughout the evening under the reunion tent.

Reunion Giving Records At the Black and Gold Reunion Dinner Saturday evening, Headmaster Bill Philip and Chairman of the Board of Trustees Tread Mink extended appreciation to all of the classes for their reunion gifts and support of Westminster.

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For their 70th reunion, members of the Class of 1942 reached a new reunion giving record of $30,000. It was wonderful to have three members of the class return.

Members of the Class of 1957 reached a new reunion giving record of $1,393,518 for their 55th reunion. The planetarium in Armour Academic Center is named for the class. On Saturday during their reunion, class members gathered in Hinman Reading Room to recognize and present a memento to Ann and Larry Gilman.

For their 20th reunion, members of the Class of 1992 reached a reunion giving record of $212,074.

And for their fifth reunion, members of the Class of 2007 surpassed their goal of 60 percent class participation in the Annual Fund by reaching 64 percent participation.

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1942 David Partridge, Tom Moseley and Dick Oellers

1952 Peter Hugens, Whit Blodgett, Dave Childs, John Barlow, Nic Cooper, Tony Palmer, Tad Harvey and Bob Hill

1947 Nebs Blaisdell and Garry Holt

1957 Front row, Pete Jenness, Peter Palin, Doug Lawrence, Ned Gow and Jack Sherwin Back row, Bob Wing, Rob Adams, Joel Palmer and Bill Burlingham

1962 Front row, Larry Wilson, Tim Stevens, Will Farnam and Rob Carson Back row, Barry Stratton, Jim Kerridge and Ted Pratt 30

1967 Front row, David, Keene, George Carlson and Dick Bondy Back row, Jim Ladd, Jim Mendillo and Jim Lombardo

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1972 Front row, David Baldwin, Steve Scott and Rob Golia Back row, Jay Turner and Dick Hoyt

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1977 Front row, Kelley Springer Braun, Tricia Daly Frank, Bini Worcester Egertson and Nancy Watkins Shott Back row, David Hays, Tread Mink, Hunt Millington and Peter Baldwin

1982 Front row, Jen Kemp Forelli, Betsey Yeats, Sarah Christel Scully, Deedo Schaus Painter, Colin Flinn and Rennie Wilson Randrup Washburn Back row, Stu Sziklas, Adam Gordon, Peter Van Duyne, James Varano, Buzz Gavel, James Porter, James Winokur, Ted Wood-Prince, Julie Morris Ogden, Comfort Randolf Belbas, Andrew Brickman and Nate Smith 31

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1987 Front row, Andrew Douglass, Rob Malin, Ian Morton, Cynthia Mueller Donley, Beth Raymond McDermott and Heather Lawless Back row, Craig Buttner, Scott McCausland, Will Lyon, Dan Burke, Dave Kistler, Andrew McCullough, John McGarry and Doug Wendell

1992 Front row, Kim Sturz Gaynor, Ali Hartstone Bridgett, Marnie Davidson Rouse, Kirsten Slusar Bossin, Charlie Cartier, Anne McCulloch Grogan and Sarah Toomey Williams Back row, Chris van der Kieft, Alex Gordon, Brooks Gray, Peter Cumming, Paige McCoy Meuse, Hank Forsyth, Elizabeth Eaton, Robin Herrick Tesoro, Craig Maravich, Randy Fernandez, Amy Gayeski Bunton, Jabez Boyd and Scott Stevens (form dean)

1997 Front row, Sarah Nathan Sullivan, Colette Arredondo, Lauren Bontecou Reichart and Todd Jeffery Back row, Carin Scott Sheperd, Marc McEwen, Katherine Robinson Cirelli, Stephanie Timberman Richard, Charlie Griffith (faculty), Lindsay Knapp, Carolyn Cordner LePage, Eliza Scott, Dave Bernard and Rob Moran

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2002 Front row, Maika Takita, Heather Wright Vickery, Katherine Claude, Adam Carlson, Billy Mauke and Martin Friis Middle row, Katherine Decelles, Brooke Nentwig Orr and Trisha Gibbons Back row, Lauren Valbracht, Jack Reigeluth, Kevin Farrelly, Susan Fuchs, Kristyn Keene, Andrew Sullivan, Lizzy Dickson, Jennie Fuge, Kathleen Devaney (form dean), Campbell Wright, Courtenay Veenis, Margaret Obermeier Lardizabal and Craig Grenier

2007 Front row, Sarah Lobdell, Audrey Wallace, Erica Briggs, Nick Pitsikoulis, Joey Liberator, Frank Coughlin, Chelsea Hall, Sky Miers, Hunter Siegel and Adam King Middle row, Harish Dadoo, Olivia Robinson, Kelsea Wigmore, Melissa Haynes, Liza Winship, Caitlin Romaniello, Heidi Bitter, Elsie Swank, Andrew Sutherland and Matt Emmel Back row, Nick Stevens, Sarah Warnke, Kathleen Devaney (faculty), Caroline Reigeluth, Adam Bitzer, Mallory Coquoz, Chad Horsford, Jake Utzig, Kim Sirko, Kathryn Sargent, Alex Young, Leigh Armstrong, Andrew Webb, Greg Carey, Pat O’Brien, Taylor Neighbours, Jimmy Turbide, Pat Hesketh, Graham Thomson, Charlie Rocco, Derek Sandberg, Andrew Ryan and Graham Kohan

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Class of 2012 Commencement

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estminster School celebrated the graduation of 112 students in the Class of 2012 at its 124th commencement exercises May 26. During the ceremony, which was attended by hundreds of family members and friends, the class was recognized for its many achievements and contributions to school life.

“What a nice way to salute Memorial Day weekend,” said Headmaster Bill Philip in welcoming family members and guests. “This morning’s commencement ceremonies culminate an amazing year in this school’s long history. In admissions, with over 1,100 applications — more than any other year in our history — we received 10 applications for every Headmaster Bill Philip admissions’ opening. In college counseling, 88 percent of the members of the Class of 2012 were admitted to colleges ranked in the top two categories of selectivity in ‘Barron’s Profiles of Colleges and Universities’ and 66 percent were admitted to colleges and universities ranked in the most selective category. These remarkable benchmarks affirm that colleges and universities appreciate the quality of a Westminster education.”

He then cited progress in the Board of Trustees’ strategic planning process and the construction of the Hovey Field and two new student and faculty residences.

“On the occasion of our 124th commencement, we have much to celebrate,” he said.

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Salutatory Address

and work hard for the far-away future that comes just too soon.”

In his Salutatory Address, Head Prefect Will Stevens ’12 talked about the Class of 2012’s many experiences in various areas of school activities.

“To the Class of 2012, we did it,” he exclaimed. “I am extremely grateful to be part of such an amazing group of people. As we commence, have confidence in your ability to succeed at any task if you apply yourself with the right determination. We have certainly achieved many forms of success up on the Hill. Now carry on and achieve some more!”

Outstanding Scholar Address In his Outstanding Scholar Address, Peter Tang ’12 spoke about his Westminster experience. “Although it is definitely true that Westminster provided me an amazing education and learning atmosphere, it also gave me so much more than academics,” he said. “While I greatly enjoyed the classroom lessons, it was the outsideof-classroom lessons that shaped me the most.” One lesson he described as particularly important is that “life is not a competition.” In closing, he told his classmates: “For those of us who are graduating today, we are leaving one stage of life and moving on to another. We don’t know what awaits us in the future, but we do know that we can cherish the present moment

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Keynote Address

Head Prefect Will Stevens

Outstanding Scholar Peter Tang

The keynote speaker was Dennis Daly P’01, ’04, who was leaving the faculty in June to retire from independent schools and move to Hilton Head, S.C. During his 22 years at Westminster, he served as an English teacher, as athletics director twice, as head coach of boys’ lacrosse and as head coach of football twice. He also coached Second Boys’ Basketball, First Girls’ Basketball and Second Boys’ Lacrosse. For five summers, he taught and directed the New England New Teacher Seminar, and for seven summers, he served as Westminster’s Summer Program coordinator.

“There is so much more to Dennis than his extraordinary coaching legacy,” said Headmaster Philip in introducing Dennis. “As an English teacher, Dennis is a student of the writing process, pushing his students ‘to dive deeply’ and to commit to a regime of editing and rewrites. … In fact, Dennis’ passion for teaching extends well beyond the English classroom. In athletics, more than a coach, he’s a teacher of coaching which means, of course, he is also a student of coaching.”

Dennis began his commencement address by telling the graduates, “This

Keynote Speaker Dennis Daly

is your day,” and telling their parents how a “Westminster education is priceless.” He then spoke about overcoming failure. “Why failure instead of success and accomplishment?

Because I want the Class of 2012 to know the truth about life,” he explained. He shared three stories about personal challenges and how those experiences became defining moments in his life. He then encouraged the graduates to “be enthusiastic, tell the truth, follow your dreams, dive deep, wipe mayonnaise off your face, get up when you get knocked down and save a touchdown or start a new career when you get fired because the future is a stream of nows.”

Presentation of Diplomas Headmaster William Philip and Chairman of the Westminster Board of Trustees Tread Mink ’77, P’11 presented diplomas to the graduates.

Following the ceremony, the graduates participated in the Westminster tradition of passing their diplomas.

They formed a circle on the Sixth Form Lawn and passed the diplomas they received randomly during the commencement ceremony until they received their own diplomas. They then stepped out of the circle signifying their graduation.

“…be enthusiastic, tell the truth, follow your dreams, dive deep, wipe mayonnaise off your face, get up when you get knocked down and save a touchdown or start a new career when you get fired because the future is a stream of nows.”

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The Lawn Ceremony At the Lawn Ceremony the evening before commencement, members of the graduating class brought members of the Fifth Form onto the Sixth Form Lawn. The last two students led onto the lawn were Gage Kennie, the new head prefect, and Cullen Matt, the new junior prefect. Other members of the Prefect Board for 2012-2013 include Alli Devins, John FitzPatrick, Will Schmidt, Ryan Strange and Eleni Tebano.

During the ceremony, faculty members Dennis Daly, and Amy and Scott Stevens P’07, ’09, ’12 were invited onto the lawn as honorary members of the Class of 2012.

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Ahmed Mohamed Abdel Khalek Bates College

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MATRICULATION

Michelle Isoken Aiyanyor University of Rochester Judner Attys Duke University Emilio Audi Gap Year Ellen Barnes Baker Dartmouth College Amory Gregg Beldock McGill University Ravi Bhardwaj Franklin and Marshall College Natalie Brice Biedron College of Charleston Samantha Liana Boures Wake Forest University Caroline Hendrie Brady Washington and Lee University Grace Allensworth Brown Franklin and Marshall College Jacob Brad Cahill Trinity College Alana Kelly Carpenter Bowdoin College Alex Anthony Chaffee College of the Holy Cross Ryan Oberlander Cholnoky Trinity College Christian Albert Coquoz Southern Methodist University Shelby Elizabeth Cranshaw Colgate University Colin Jeffrey Cross Gap Year Jacob Lawrence Crow Gap Year Marquez Nivét Cummings Amherst College Lauren Alexandra Darnis Wake Forest University Christiann Ross DeSimone Boston College Hadley Elizabeth DesMeules Williams College Sarah Kerr Dimmitt Union College Andrew James Dines University of Delaware Randall Lewis Doyle Swarthmore College Darby Ellis Drake University of Southern California

Nicholas Rogan Finn College of the Holy Cross

Elena Jungwon Kim Duke University

Isha Aakriti Garg University of Connecticut

You Jin Kathryn Kim Barnard College

Alessandro Arturo Giacometti Vanderbilt University

Brooks Earl King Willamette University

Atesha A. Gifford University of Miami

Matthew Gregory Knudson Pennsylvania State University, University Park

Brad Anthony Gioia Salve Regina University

Joshua Charles Kokulis Tufts University

Dillan H.Gomes Amherst College

Brandon M. Kumnick University of Connecticut

William Moran Gould Bryant University

Cameron Comerford Kurtz The George Washington University

Nina Sherry Gozzi Saint Anselm College James William Green IV Wake Forest University Kathleen Kerrigan Gudas Middlebury College Angel H. Guerrero St. Lawrence University Margaret Agnes Hark Northeastern University Emil William Henry III Connecticut College Brooke Elizabeth Heron Trinity College Benjamin Douglas Hill III Hobart and William Smith Colleges John Patrick Holowesko The George Washington University Abigail Austin Huth University of Richmond Christopher Izmirlian Gap Year Dumitru Kaigorodov Hamilton College Harsimran Kaur Lake Forest College

Christopher George Echevarria Reed College

Elizabeth Weston Kelter Trinity College

Nathalie Ventres Filler University of Delaware

Rachel Morgan Kennedy Bowdoin College

Marielle Rose Lafaire Washington and Lee University Cory Wallace Latour St. Lawrence University Michael Arthur LeBlanc Princeton University Joo Hee Lee Columbia University Jiaxuan Lu New York University Quan Anh Vu Luu American University Timothy Patrick Lyons University of Delaware Curtis Powell Mackenzie Santa Clara University Marissa Wickman Mason Georgetown University Mallory Carpenter McCormick Connecticut College Jacob William Medina College of the Holy Cross Andreas Michailidis Gap Year Emily Catherine Moran St. Lawrence University Conor Gregory Mullen Tulane University

Tiaira S. Myers State University of New York at Albany Kashden Thomas Naraine Springfield College Evan James Monk Neugold Middlebury College Ngoc Hong Nguyen Simmons College Meaghan Ann O’Herron Middlebury College Tyler Leighton O’Neil University of Virginia Molly Wilde O’Sullivan Salve Regina University Nana-Yaw A. Osei College of Charleston Gwendolyn Rea Pastor Colby College Gregory Joseph Pietroforte Wesleyan University Samuel Jacobs Pope Bucknell University Dietrich James Ryan Santa Clara University Maria Cristina Ryan College of Charleston

Seung Bum Sonn University of Pennsylvania Logan Hippach Spalding Georgetown University Pasquale Patrick Spano Yale University T. Miller Steinle Middlebury College William Curtis Stevens Middlebury College Ousseynou D. Tall Hamilton College Shilong Tang Yale University Christopher Maarten Terry Marist College Emily Ann Teschner University of Richmond Patrick Albert Tinari Rhodes College Dillon Stuart Tiner Harvard University Aaron Matthew Ugalde Boston College Chaolert Unjaidee University of Wisconsin, Madison

Gordon T. Santry Colgate University

Kadeam Jamal Ward Southern Connecticut State University

Scott Campbell Selinger Drexel University

Skyler Maxwell Wasser College of Charleston

Seong Hoon Seo Emory University

Rosemary Odoaru Williams Duke University

Franco Leonardo Serrao Trinity College Carissa Alise Shannon University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Abigail Helen Woodhouse Skidmore College Sung Soo Yoon New York University

Scott Barclay Shay University of Richmond

John P. Zaykowski Elon University

David Emmet Shipway Bates College

Isabella Lucille Zimmer Tulane University

Jeffrey Philip Smolens Skidmore College

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STUDENT PRIZES GRETCHEN HUPFEL ’82 ART PURCHASE PRIZE You Jin Kathryn Kim ’12

COWING ART AWARD Natalie B. Biedron ’12 Maria C. Ryan ’12

LEWIS J. POWERS PHOTOGRAPHY AWARD Hadley E. DesMeules ’12

THE O’BRIEN AWARD

EXCELLENCE IN DANCE

This award is presented annually in honor of Marianna and the late Junie O’Brien P’81, who devoted their lives in service to young people and to schools. It recognizes a member of the faculty who has, over the course of the year, been especially selfless and generous with time and care in the nurture and support of students and whose extraordinary, ongoing personal commitment to young people sets an example to the Westminster community.

Abigail A. Huth ’12

Nancy L. Spencer P’13, ’15

EDWARD SCULL JR. ’71 AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN ARCHITECTURE Lauren A. Darnis ’12

EXCELLENCE IN SCIENCE Shilong Tang ’12

EXCELLENCE IN CHEMISTRY Shilong Tang ’12

EXCELLENCE IN PHYSICS Dillon S. Tiner ’12

EXCELLENCE IN MATHEMATICS Shilong Tang ’12

DRAMATIC AWARD FOR SERVICE AND ACHIEVEMENT IN ACTING Abigail H. Woodhouse ’12

THE SWAYZE AWARD Presented annually in honor of distinguished alumnus, trustee and former Chairman of the Board of Trustees Townsend Swayze ’55, P’86, this award is given to a member of the faculty for outstanding contributions to the life of the school.

Grant Gritzmacher

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DESIGN AWARD FOR SERVICE AND ACHIEVEMENT IN TECHNICAL SUPPORT Randall L. Doyle ’12

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J. LAWRENCE GILMAN AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC AND PARTICIPATION IN MUSICAL ACTIVITIES Randall L. Doyle ’12 Samantha L. Boures ’12

GORDON MCKINLEY AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN ENGLISH Ellen B. Baker ’12

BURDETT PRIZE FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN THE STUDY OF FRENCH Hadley E. DesMeules ’12

RICHARD P. HOPLEY EXCELLENCE IN LATIN PRIZE

BUTLER BOWL The faculty presents this award to a member of the Third Form for character and leadership.

David Carter ’15

Grace A. Brown ’12

MONCADA PRIZE FOR EXCELLENCE IN SPANISH Jacob W. Medina ’12

EXCELLENCE IN ECONOMICS Isha A. Garg ’12

CLASS OF 1941 PETER MARS MEMORIAL HISTORY PRIZE Ellen B. Baker ’12

SIXTH FORM PRIZES FOR GENERAL SCHOLARSHIP Third in the Sixth Form: Isha A. Garg

Second in the Sixth Form: Ellen B. Baker

First in the Sixth Form: Shilong Tang

FOURTH FORM BOWL The faculty presents this award annually to a Fourth Former who shows outstanding personal qualities and concern for the community.

Travis M. Percy ’14

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WILBRAHAM BOWL This award is presented annually to a member of the Fifth Form who best embodies the qualities of Geoffrey Wilbraham, who gave distinguished and loyal service to Westminster from 1958 to 1994: high personal standards, consistent respect for others, unswerving commitment to the common good, steady insistence on fair play and abiding human decency.

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PAUL WINSHIP ’35 ALUMNI BOOK PRIZE

BRIAN T. BRUYETTE ’77 SENIOR ATHLETIC AWARD

This book prize is awarded to a Sixth Former who has made an unusual commitment in both breadth and depth to the school’s programs and activities.

This award is given annually to the Sixth Form boy and girl who best exemplify excellence in athletics and who contributed to the character of the team. It is given in memory of Brian T. Bruyette ’77, who in his enthusiasm, sportsmanship, effort and skills, represented all that is best in his school.

Dillon S. Tiner ’12

Allison R. Devins ’13

Rachel M. Kennedy ’12, David Emmet Shipway ’12 and Dillon S. Tiner ’12

OUTSTANDING SCHOLAR AWARD

KEYES BOWL Established by the Class of 1966 and recognized as the school’s most prestigious commencement award, the Keyes Bowl is presented annually to a member of the Sixth Form and recognizes the qualities of loyalty, courage, leadership and humility.

Abigail A. Huth ’12

This award is presented to the Sixth Former who, in the opinion of the faculty, is the outstanding scholar of the class. The award is not necessarily determined by rank in class but is based, rather, on the attributes of the true scholar: curiosity, imagination, power to associate new observations with prior experience, thoroughness, appetite for ideas rather than for grades as an end in themselves and the ability to move easily in the realm of concepts.

Shilong Tang ’12

RICHARD K. LEBLOND II HONOR AWARD This award is given annually to a member of the Sixth Form who exemplifies dedication to academics and loyalty to the school.

Ellen B. Baker ’12

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Keeping Westminster’s History Alive “I enjoy seeing things come together.

It is always a work in progress.”

Top, Larry Gilman P’78, ’80 outside Andrews Memorial Chapel where the archives are housed and, above, early in his Westminster career in Graduate House.

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pon entering the Westminster School Archives in the basement of the Andrews Memorial Chapel, you are apt to hear the music of Mozart playing in the background. As you make your way along a narrow path among antique desks, historical photographs, artworks and memorabilia, you will find Westminster archivist Larry Gilman P’78, ’80, a member of the teaching faculty from 1956 to 1995, at work preserving Westminster’s history.

Any conversation with Larry will reveal his encyclopedic knowledge about Westminster as well as his keen sense of humor.

He is Westminster’s longest-serving faculty member. He and his wife, Ann, — who served on the music staff as organist, choir accompanist, voice coach, music director for Dramat music productions and choral arranger from 1956 until 2001 — have been a constant presence on the campus for 56 years. They met at Boston University, courted five years and married a month before they moved to Westminster in 1956 when Larry was appointed Westminster’s new director of music.

Today, Larry and Ann live off campus and regularly attend school events, particularly those pertaining to the arts. While working in the archives on a recent afternoon, Larry talked about his tenure at Westminster that has spanned four headmasters and included 25 years as music director, 39 years as an English teacher and 17 years as the school’s archivist.

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How did your interest in music develop?

I grew up in Croton-Harmon, N.Y., and my parents were great fans of big-band popular music to which they loved to dance, and I took piano lessons. However, I preferred playing the trumpet in the school band, the pride of the school’s music program. Following graduation, I studied one year at Florida Southern College and a summer studying orchestral conducting with Pierre Monteux, before I moved on to Boston University to major in musicology and another summer with Monteux. Concurrent with my work at Boston University, I enrolled at the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, Mass., with an emphasis on ear-training and harmony. After Boston University, I was lucky to get a scholarship to study at the Yale School of Music, majoring in French horn; and during my final year at Yale, I taught one day a week at the Pomfret School. This gave me a taste of boarding schools, which I liked.

What brought you to Westminster?

The Yale placement service let me know about the need for a choir director at Westminster. Pete Keyes, the headmaster-elect, interviewed Ann and me. Apparently, he liked us, and we liked him. We especially liked the appreciative way he talked about his faculty.

A page from the papers of Westminster School’s founder, William Cushing, which are housed in the archives

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Among the historical items stored in the archives are old footballs.

What were your earliest responsibilities?

With Ann as accompanist, I would direct the all-male choir, and Pete Keyes asked whether I would be interested in teaching English at the Second- and Third-Form level in addition to two music courses. I said, “Well, …”; and Pete said, “Let’s try it,” and I did. Ann and I lived in Graduate House. I taught English in Memorial Building and conducted our choir rehearsals on the top floor of Andrews House, three nights per week. Over the years, I helped coach soccer, but I especially enjoyed coaching diving and pole vault because, in those sports, I took great pleasure in seeing individuals develop their skills daily.

One of the funny things that occurred during my first year at Westminster was being told I had been elected Master of the Week (MOW). I wondered what I had done to deserve the honor. It turned out that I was responsible for the condition of the school for seven 24-hour stretches, which meant checking the condition of each corridor at least twice during the week, doing bed-checks on all corridors, attending all school appointments and writing a detailed summary of my week’s tour of duty for the headmaster’s enlightenment — no small feat in itself.

Were there any other surprises about your new job?

We were expecting more from our singers than they were ready to produce. It was a case of few of our singers knowing how to read notes, and the schedule allowed little time to teach that skill; thus, the process was one of much repetition. And, of course, a major obstacle was that of the cambiata: that plague to all high school choir directors — the voice change. When this mysterious event will begin, one cannot say precisely, much less how dramatic the change will be. We have had boy sopranos and altos (Read: faux tenors) return from Christmas vacation as croaking baritones and basses, which upsets what we wistfully call “balance.”

However, we were luckier over the years than many of my colleagues in other schools because we always had headmasters devoted to music in some way, and they always supported our efforts.

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What were some of the key issues facing Westminster when you arrived?

Numerous prep schools were beginning to feel the need to grow in order to compete and survive, and the growth was slow in coming. There was talk at Westminster in the ’60s and ’70s of increasing our enrollment, or of combining with a girls’ school to go coed. We did decide to increase the enrollment, and we did go coed, but we did it on our own, so to speak. Deciding to admit girls took much collective soul-searching, but the decision made sense and was a wise move on Westminster’s part. In those days, we were also very much aware of the Cold War; and, because we were located near a missile site and the Ensign-Bickford plant, we did establish a “bomb shelter” in the basement of the Andrews Memorial Chapel. The shelter was fitted out with water barrels, cases of bandages and huge boxes of saltine crackers, which probably would have caused survivors to consume all of the water reserves within a weekend. Well, all of that is a thing of the past. By the way, we are sitting in a portion of that place of questionable safety as we speak!

When Gordon McKinley arrived in 1958 as head of the English Department, he drew the department together and gave us a very rational and pointed focus. We developed one of the best English departments one could imagine. When alumni returned from college, they would flock around Gordon and members of the department and tell us of the praise they had received from their college instructors. It was very special.

How did your responsibilities evolve over the years?

I served as choir director until 1981 and was director of music for 25 years. I often played in musical productions, and directed and played in the school band. I also taught English until 1995 to the Third, Fifth and Sixth forms. I loved the Third Form. I also taught a Fifth and Sixth Form music elective and music appreciation for the Third Form.

Though Ann had performed as chapel organist, accompanist and coach for small singings since 1956, she was appointed to the faculty in 1972. After Westminster became coed, she worked with the girls’ singing groups as well as with the Harmonaires, the boys’ octet.

Left to right, Larry and Ann conferring during a rehearsal; Larry conducting Step Sing, teaching in Room 34 of Baxter Hall, coaching George Carlson ’67 in diving, and teaching a class on the third floor of Andrews House.

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In 1970, we moved from Graduate House to the house now occupied by Nick and Pam McDonald. We lived there until 1995.

What responsibilities did you enjoy the most?

As choir director, hearing a group develop into a responsive, cohesive group.

What were some of your biggest challenges?

“Selling” Charles Dickens’ “Hard Times” and “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” to Sixth Formers. But most of all, we were eager to accept the challenge of teaching our choral groups the joys of singing Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana,” Leonard Bernstein’s “West Side Story” and other scores too numerous to mention.

What led to your decision to become Westminster’s archivist?

When I retired from teaching in 1995, Graham Cole asked me to take over the archivist position following Paul Winship and to serve as a tutor for international students. I have always enjoyed collecting things and putting them in some semblance of order. Paul inherited the job from Rankine Hinman. Rankine had done much with oral histories.

Have the archives always been located in the chapel?

The archives were originally located on the third floor of Keyes House until Alumni and Development took over the space, and the archives moved to the basement of the chapel in the early ’90s. When this move happened, I tried to sort out everything carefully. But when new carpet was installed, however, everything was dumped into a big room, and I spent the better part of four months re-sorting things into various rooms. I was ready to quit at that point!

What does your tutoring of international students involve?

I have tutored up to five students a year in English and U.S. History. This past academic year, I tutored a Turkish student. I try to make sure they understand basic grammatical and rhetorical principles and a form for writing

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Larry and Ann at reunion in May

a fairly typical 500-word theme in expository prose. I also try to help them to understand assignments and vocabulary.

I meet with them twice a week in the library.

What have been some of your major projects in the archives?

The most significant projects would be planning the organization of everything. There are areas for publications, photographs, business records, faculty profiles and very old student records. Some things, like the business records, are outrageously funny since they are so out of keeping with what we now have to pay. For example, a ledger for November 1934 showed the salary of someone who worked in the infirmary as $125 per pay period.

There are many precious records that need to be preserved. I also mount displays for reunions and whatever strikes me as being of interest.

Do many people visit the archives?

Alumni often visit during reunion. Students sometimes come here to drag out old yearbooks or to do research about an athletic team. They often say, “Wow! This is really cool.”

Various people have also visited recently to do research for the school’s 125th anniversary celebration.

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What are some of the treasures housed in the archives?

The papers of William Cushing, Westminster’s founder, are here, having once been housed at Harvard University Library. They include daybooks he put together from 1894 until 1919. We also have his personal collection of photographs and albums. The papers are in great need of enhanced preservation. We also have the plays of Mr. Cushing’s son, Charles Cyprian Strong Cushing, Class of 1897. His plays had previews at Westminster and went on to Broadway as lavish productions. We have photographs documenting them.

Historically, one of the most significant treasures is the identity plate from an ambulance the school sponsored during World War I. There are also old desks from Memorial and Watts halls as well as old footballs, a boxing glove, hockey gauntlets, a leather football helmet, old trophies and news clippings. Paintings by Bill Cowing, who served on the art faculty from 1952 until 1987, decorate the walls. Also on display are old serving pieces and commemorative plates from the dining hall, an old mailbox, a head prefect gavel and the cross from the old chapel.

Rankine Hinman, Ash Olmsted, Raymond McOrmond, Don Werner and Graham Cole also donated papers to the archives. A few coaches have provided records of their season games, but there need to be more.

What do you like most about serving as archivist?

I enjoy seeing things come together. It is always a work in progress. I wish the days were longer. I want to be sure I do not leave an impossible task behind me for someone else to handle. People are always contributing items to the archives, and there is always something else to be done.

To what do you attribute your long tenure at Westminster?

I liked my responsibilities, and the folks who work here always have been wonderfully energetic, creative, caring and dedicated stewards of Mr. Cushing’s legacy.

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Finding the Right Balance T

he idea of building relationships with the people with whom she works was a driving force behind Jessica Lane coming to Westminster as the school’s new food services director in fall 2011.

After graduating from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 2005 with a degree in hospitality and tourism management, with a focus on food service and culinary, she worked in various managerial food service positions including banquet and healthcare settings, but found she did not like the constant turnover in patrons. After some research about other opportunities that might be available in her field, she decided she wanted to work in school services and found the niche market of independent schools. When her employer, Sodexo, which provides contracted food service to Westminster, had an opening at Westminster, Food Services Director Jessica Lane with the day’s she applied for the position and soon found herself in a menu in the dining hall setting where she could get to know the people and the food service needs of the community well.

Westminster’s 13-member food service department were expanded, and recycling of cans and plastics was includes an executive chef, three full-time cooks, a increased. The kitchen also started using more local salad cook, servers and dish washers. On a typical produce and making more composed salads such as school day, this team prepares and serves 250 meals cole slaw rather than purchasing them. All breads now for breakfast, 400 meals for lunch, and between 300 come from a bakery in Enfield that bakes fresh items and 350 meals for dinner. And hardly an event daily, and milk is delivered from a dairy in New Britain. happens at school that does not have a catering “In the past, the school used a lot of prepackaged dimension, including Reunion Weekend, food, and now we are making 90 percent of our food Commencement, quarterly trustee meetings, from scratch,” she explained. “Food costs are also Grandparents’ Day, Parents’ Weekend, admissions’ being saved by replacing precooked and sliced deli meats events and special receptions. Other smaller-scale needs with meats cooked in the kitchen, which are of a much include creating bag lunches for field trips and away games, higher quality.” Students with food allergies can also turn to and preparing snacks for coffee houses. a “my zone” refrigerator Preparing food on such which has gluten-free a large scale requires breads, rice milk and soy extensive planning. Jess milk, and to a gluten-free keeps a large white board George Foreman Grill next in her office on which she to the regular grill. plans meals five weeks in Jess gathers feedback advance, taking into about the food service consideration core items, through a comment board side dishes, vegetarian in the serving area where options and how any people can fill out comment leftovers might be used. cards. Initially, she thought She wasted little time in students might be hesitant introducing new initiatives to fill out the cards, but to the food service they have taken the cards following her arrival. The Jess uses a white board to plan meals five weeks in advance. very seriously. “We try to salad bar and soup selection

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accommodate everyone’s taste because we have such a large group to feed,” she said. “One of the biggest challenges is constantly finding the perfect balance between nutritious and kid-friendly foods. That seems to be one of those scales that never wants to balance because kids still love cheeseburgers and chicken nuggets. We want students to tell us what they want and let us alter it the best we can to provide them with nutritious meals.”

Jess reviews all of the comment cards every two weeks and uses them in her menu planning. “I have to weigh the suggestions, but they have been instrumental in learning more about what people like,” she said. “Last year, was really an investigative period for me in finding out what does and does not fly.” Some things she has found the students especially enjoy are participation foods such as decorating Salad cook Sue Bartnicki, left, puts the finishing touches on a their own cupcakes for Valentine’s Day or putting their own lunchtime salad bar. toppings on sandwiches. They also like lighter fare, such as wings and ribs, for weekend dinners. my daily routine,” she said. “When I came to Westminster, I Another way the food service gathers feedback from the brought a textbook from my college culinary class because it Westminster community is through the Food Committee, offers ways to ‘explode’ recipes for a large number of which meets every two weeks and is composed of faculty servings without compromising quality.” She also uses a and students. Members of the Westminster community are Sodexo software program that automatically “scales up” encouraged to contact members of the committee to offer recipes. “Looking at a recipe for 350 servings of something suggestions. “It is a wonderful sounding board,” said Jess. can be intimidating,” she added. “When we find a recipe we “Whether members report about a meal that was really like, we always do a test run to make sure it works.” great, something that was missing, a timing issue or a long During the current academic year, Jess hopes there can line, I appreciate it,” she said. “They are also a great source be more food celebrations at meals. Last year, she worked of information about how things have been done in the past with Chinese teacher Cara Hugabonne to plan a Lunar New or about a particular food or meal.”

Year dinner and with Spanish teacher Sandy Carlisle on a “I think it is really important that students have input salsa dinner. There are also plans to strengthen the local food on what is served in the dining hall, and I enjoyed being able push and even place signage in the serving area about the to communicate various desires,” said Mal McCormick ’12, farms where the food originated. Jess subscribes to a student representative on the committee last year. “I truly newsletters that identify seasonal products from local believe I made slight changes to the way the dining hall producers and has established relationships with local works, and I liked that my views were respected. For distributors. “I would love to have a featured New England example, at the beginning of the year, I suggested getting a apple dessert every week in the fall rather than bring in panini maker, and a week or two later one showed up near apples from out of state,” she said. “We should work with the toaster. It was hugely popular throughout the year.” what is here.”

Patrick Spano ’12, the other student representative on the committee last year, said he was surprised to learn some things about the dining hall service from serving on the committee. “I think the kitchen staff works really hard and puts a lot of thought into the meals, more than I had ever realized in my time here,” he said. “I also think they attempt to accommodate suggestions to the best of their ability and did a great job all year.”

Jess’ knowledge from a college class in culinary math has come in especially handy in planning recipes for large numbers of people at Westminster. “I was not a math person by any means in my culinary planning process, but feeding so many has Cook Steve Morants prepares lunch in Servers Paula Bragdon, left, and Fran required me to incorporate math into the kitchen.

Cox, right, prepare for a buffet lunch.

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A Special Day for Alumnae and Alumni Lacrosse Second Annual Alumnae Lacrosse Game A wonderful group of alumnae gathered at Westminster May 19 for the second annual Girls’ Lacrosse Alumnae game and to inaugurate the new Hovey Field. Cam Scott ’06 and Kiley Murphy ’04 rallied the crew during the course of the spring, and their leadership was once again instrumental in a great turnout.

As happened last year, the crew broke into two teams with no particular system in mind — though it did split up Gina Valles ’06 and Becky Julian ’05! The teams played four spirited 10-minute quarters.

“It is always impressive to watch the athletic talent in our alumnae, but more importantly, it was great to be in the company of such good women,” said longtime Westminster lacrosse coach (19992010) Kathleen Devaney. “It was also great to see the parents of the alumnae, who have made attending the event a tradition.”

Annual Hovey Alumni Lacrosse Game Eighteen alumni played in the annual David H. Hovey Alumni Game against First Boys’ Lacrosse also on May 19, while another 15-20 cheered from the sidelines along with more than 100 fans. In the competitive and well-played lacrosse event, Dave Hovey ’78 scored twice, while Davey Hovey ’09 and Tommy Hovey ’11 each scored once to lead a deep and talented alumni squad on a beautiful day on the newly finished Hovey Field.

Gardner Imhoff ’13 and Tristan Rai ’14 led the Martlets with two goals each, but the alumni offense and the 11 saves of Jakub Mleczko ’00 were too much

After the game, the players took photos to commemorate the event and then headed to the tent to eat, hydrate and catch up with one another. “Though the exercise leaves you drained, the company, as always, is wonderfully energizing,” added Kathleen.

for the young group. Nick Stevens ’07 also had two goals, including one from his right side — a rare sight indeed — for the alumni, and defenseman Charles Santry ’80 continued to strike fear in Westminster’s offense as he had their dodgers headed east-west all afternoon. The final score was Westminster alumni 10, First Boys’ Lacrosse, 7.

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Paying Tribute to Dennis Daly Following the alumnae and alumni lacrosse games, English teacher and Director of Athletics Dennis Daly, who was retiring from Westminster at the end of the academic year, was honored. During his Westminster tenure, Dennis served as head coach of lacrosse, twice as athletics director and twice as head coach of football. He also coached Second Boys’ Basketball, First Girls’ Basketball and Second Boys’ Lacrosse.

“A big welcome back to all of you to Westminster on a very special day and the inaugural day of the Hovey Field,” said Headmaster Bill Philip, who then paid tribute to Hov and Jenks Hovey, for whom the new synthetic field is named.

“We are also here to recognize an important man in Westminster’s history who is a very good friend and who has made a difference in all sorts of programs at Westminster.”

Bill described how Dennis’ role at Westminster extended far beyond athletics, how he was a student of coaching and a “coach of coaches,” and how he approached his classes with enthusiasm for helping students. He announced that Dennis had been named the recipient of the 2012 Nadal Sportsmanship Award, the most prestigious award of the Founders League. He also spoke about how the Daly family, including Dennis’ wife, Sandy, who was retiring from teaching 19 years at Renbrook School at the end of the year, and their children, Lindsay ’01 and Tyler ’04, had been a very important part of Westminster School over the years.

Lacrosse coach Todd Eckerson P’09, ’11, ’16 talked about his long history with Dennis, going back 37 years when Todd played lacrosse for Williams College, and Dennis was the assistant coach of the Middlebury College team. “I remember this game because it was the last time that any Williams team I played on ever beat a Middlebury team coached by Dennis,” said Todd. “Not only didn’t we ever beat Middlebury again, we never even got close.”

After discussing Dennis’ many contributions to the school as a coach and teacher, Todd added, “I have often thought that some of the best jobs Dennis did coaching here involved those of his teams that had the worst records. I always had the sense that those kids got Dennis’ absolute best — that in an odd way their experience was even more valuable than winning a championship.”

Head Boys’ Lacrosse coach Peter Newman ’80 read quotes from some of Dennis’ former lacrosse players and talked about Dennis’ legacy. “There is so much Dennis in both our lacrosse program and in our lives that as I reviewed our team playbook the other day, there was very little that did not have a least something either borrowed or blatantly plagiarized from Dennis Daly,” said Peter. “But that is Dennis’ legacy: stuff that works, lessons, techniques and wisdom that make mediocre teams good and good teams great. It is the stuff that makes players

Dennis and Sandy Daly

“But that is Dennis’ legacy: stuff that works, lessons, techniques and wisdom that make mediocre teams good and good teams great.”

and coaches champions and, most importantly, better human beings.”

Peter asked everyone to join him in reading one of Dennis’ most important legacies, the “Now” poem.

Following Peter’s remarks, Dennis talked about the history of the Westminster lacrosse program, its coaches and some of the teams he coached over the years. He also described how faculty members David “Hov” Hovey and Dick Adams P’93 had been role models.

He said it was “fantastic” to have the Hovey Field completed in time for the day’s events and thanked everyone. “You have meant more to me than I think I could ever mean to you,” he said in closing.

“This is a great place to coach and to teach, and you have accepted me for who I am.”

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Abe Claude ’46 Receives Alumni Award Trustee emeritus Abram Claude Jr. ’46, P’71, ’80, ’84, GP’02 was presented with the Alan F. Brooks ’55 Distinguished Alumni Award at the Williams Hill Dinner on Sept. 28 in recognition of his seven decades of service to Westminster School.

The Class of 1966 established the award in 2011 to annually honor a Westminster alumnus or alumna “who exemplifies in thought, word and deed, the school’s mission and who practices Westminster’s core values.” It is named after Alan Brooks ’55, P’89, ’91, ’96, who has had a lifelong involvement with the school and was its first recipient last year.

“Abe was a pretty clear choice for receiving this award,” said Alan. “He has been a statesman-like leader of the school for 66 years and has always approached his responsibilities with a calming influence, and a wise and experienced voice.”

As a Westminster student, Abe participated in John Hay, Dramat, football (captain), basketball and baseball, and served as business manager of the News and as head prefect. Following Westminster, he served as a sergeant in the U.S. Army in Korea, graduated from Yale University, and had a long and successful professional career in the financial services and the executive search industries.

Abe began his volunteer involvement with Westminster not long after graduating from Yale, when he assumed a leadership position with the Alumni Association Executive Committee. In 1959, he was named a Westminster trustee, and in 1969, he was appointed chairman of the Board of Trustees, a position he held until 1974. He is credited with helping steer Westminster through some difficult challenges during the turbulent late ’60s and early ’70s.

Abe continued his service as a trustee until 1985, when he was named a trustee emeritus, a position he continues to hold. His other major leadership roles have included serving as chairman of the Centennial Campaign and helping found the Westminster Fellows program. In 2009, the administrative wing of the Armour Academic Center was named the Claude Administrative Offices in honor of his 50 years of service to the board and his leadership roles at Westminster.

“Since his student days, when he was head prefect, captain of the football team and the winner of the public speaking prize, the senior athletic award and the headmaster’s prize, Abe Claude, colossus-like striding nearly eight decades, has borne Westminster’s shield like none other,” said Alan in introducing Abe as the award recipient at the dinner. “Westminster has been fortunate, blessed really, since for virtually half of its 125 years, Abe Claude has been this school’s champion through the good times and the not-so-good times. …

He has known the grit as well as the grace of this

Abe Claude, left, and Alan Brooks at the Williams Hill Dinner

place. ... I would suggest to you all that there is no alumnus in Westminster’s noble history who has stood quite as straight or quite as tall as Abe Claude, the 2012 recipient of the Alan F. Brooks Alumni Award.”

“I am so proud to follow Alan Brooks as the second name following his on this award,” said Abe in his keynote remarks to those attending the dinner in the school’s dining hall. “History is prologue and to understand Westminster as an institution, it is worthwhile as we start celebrating our 125th year to take a look back before we look forward. There are lessons to be learned and heroes to be heralded.” He said the school’s history could be best viewed by speaking about its headmasters, who “cast a very long shadow in a small school,” but cautioned that his review of the school’s history would not be sugar coated and asked everyone to think of him as an “elder of olden times,” passing down history through stories.

“I have known on a personal basis all but two of the seven headmasters whose portraits adorn these walls,” he said as he began an overview of the many achievements and challenges of the school during the tenures of its eight headmasters.

In concluding his remarks, Abe summarized, “We have learned much from our past. We have learned how to balance the budget, how to build buildings of superb quality on schedule and within budget, how to recruit and develop outstanding faculty, how to plan carefully and prudently, how to market our school domestically and abroad to attract a diverse and talented student body, and how to cope with the unexpected tragedies and hard times which come to everybody. … I have absolute confidence that we will meet our ambitious goals the traditional Westminster way, by leading with Grit and Grace.”

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Williams Hill Dinner Members of the Williams Hill Society, who are the school’s most generous donors, gathered for refreshments in the Armstrong Atrium of the Armour Academic Center before enjoying a festive dinner on Sept. 28 in the dining hall.

Chairman of the Board of Trustees Tread Mink and Headmaster Bill Philip addressed and thanked the guests.

Physics Laboratory Dedicated Westminster Fellows and faculty members gathered to dedicate the Robert Bynum Physics Laboratory in the Armour Academic Center in April.

Graham Gund ’59, Robert Bynum ’69 and Assistant Headmaster for Development Scott Stevens

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1888: Washington, D.C., and Baltimore On June 7, alumni in the Washington, D.C., and Baltimore area met at the Chevy Chase Club in Chevy Chase, Md.

Will Farnam ’62, Cynthia Cameron, Rory Cameron ’98, Julia Rubicam ’05, Cal Alde, John Timken ’99, Charlotte Rubicam ’99, Nick Carso ’97, Peter Barber ’03, Andrew Uglade ’07, Will Lent ’06, Liza Winship ’07 and Chris Santoro ’05. In attendance but not pictured were Gee Charlot ’92 and Felicia Charlot.

1888: Simsbury, Conn.

Headmaster Bill Philip and Jenny Philip hosted a reception for Hartford-area alumni and parents at Pratt House on June 19. Numerous faculty members were in attendance.

Connie and Larry Gavrich P’07, ’10 and Scott Stevens P’07, ’09, ’12

Todd Eckerson P’09, ’11, ’16, former Headmaster Don Werner P’79, ’82 and Ricky Padro ’87

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1888: Stonington, Conn.

Parents and alumni in the Stonington, Conn., area gathered at the Dog Watch Cafe on July 12.

Left to right, Julie Blair Terrell ’95, Ned Farman ’62, Brittany Beebe ’95, Tyger Nicholas ’78, Lynda Moecker P’11, Carol Daukas ’83, Julie Slimmon P’76, Jim Slimmon ’45, P’76, Thea Leach P’11, ’13, Nancy Tapley, Dave Tapley ’50, Patrick Terrell, Luke Brindamour ’04, Kathleen Devaney and Chuck Buffum ’78. In attendance but not pictured were Doug Lawrence ’57, Spike Lobdell ’75, P’07, Skip Proctor ’75 and Jorinda Proctor.

1888: Manhasset, N.Y. Trustee Jeff Kelter P’12, ’14 hosted an afternoon of golf for 50 alumni and parents at Deepdale Golf Club in Manhasset, N.Y., on July 17.

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1888: Darien, Conn.

Parents and alumni enjoyed playing golf together at the Wee Burn Country Club in Darien, Conn., on Oct. 11.

Kneeling, left to right, Beth Baker P’09, ’12, ’15, Scott Stevens P’07, ’09, ’12, Sean Byrne P’15, David Foster P’15, Ellen Brockelman Bailey ’90 and Dave Werner ’80, P’10, ’11, ’16. Standing, Tom ’54 and Ursula LaMotte P’82, Chris Morley P’15, Chris DiPentima ’90, Jack Wheaton P’15, Doug Poling P’13, ’16, Lars Noble ’80, George O’Brien P’10, John von Stade ’84, Stephen MacKenzie ’76, P’11 and Rich Perkin ’99. Tom di Galoma P’11, ’14, not pictured, was in attendance, and Michael ’74 and Elyse Spalding P’08, ’12, Jed Stevens ’81 and Sandy Noble attended the post-golf reception.

Young Alumni Gatherings Westminster hosted a dinner last spring for alumni studying at Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y.

Westminster hosted a dinner on Oct. 10 for alumni studying at Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vt.

Seated, Tom McKeown ’11, Alex Gioia ’10, Sophie Harris ’11 and Sara Nolan ’10. Standing, Claire Corroon ’09, Emily Cranshaw ’08, Sarah Bingham ’08 and Emma Pinney ’11

Front row, Taylor Virtue ’11, Matt Leach ’11, Harry Wise ’11, Meaghan O’Herron ’12 and Annie Ulrich ’09. Back row, Sarah Ogden ’11, Katie Hill ’11, Clare Ulrich ’10, Margaret Berry ’11 and Sara Ugalde ’10

Westminster alumni attending Yale University met for dinner at Mory’s Restaurant in New Haven, Conn.

Paige Decker ’10, Kirby Zdrill ’09 and Torrey Leroy ’09

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Sixth Form Dinner Members of the Class of 2012 attended the seventh annual Sixth Form Dinner on May 18. They began their evening on Keyes Porch for “mocktails,” where they placed memorabilia in their class’s time capsule, which they will open at their fifth reunion in 2017. They then gathered for dinner in the dining hall.

As part of the Young Alumni Challenge and Westminster’s ongoing effort to educate Sixth Formers about their new relationship with the school as alumni, several alumni attended the dinner including Colin Heffernan ’98, Abby Keeler Hord ’93, John Moorhead ’96, Ryan O’Donnell ’98 and Merrill McAlpin van den Broek ’85. Alumni faculty who attended included Lindsay O’Brien ’05, Newell Grant ’99, Tim Joncas ’00, David Pringle ’05, Nancy Urner Berry ’81 and Dave Werner ’80. Faculty member Dennis Daly was also in attendance.

The featured speaker for the evening was departing faculty member Tim Quinn ’96, who spoke about the deep impact three faculty members — Dennis Daly, Michael Cervas and Todd Eckerson — have had on his life. At the conclusion of Tim’s remarks, Debbie Ribaudo, associate director of the Annual Fund, announced the 13 class agents for the Class of 2012 as Jay Attys, Ellie Baker, Natalie Biedron, Marquez Cummings, Atesha Gifford, Abby Huth, Cam Kurtz, Jake Medina, Meaghan O’Herron, Emmet Shipway, Patrick Spano, Will Stevens and Dillon Tiner.

Class of 2011 Returns for Cookout More than 35 members of the Class of 2011 returned to the Hill May 25 for the seventh annual “One Year Out” Cookout hosted by the Young Alumni Challenge. Immediately before the Lawn Ceremony, they gathered at Pratt House to enjoy the view of the Farmington Valley and reconnect with faculty. The class was a finalist in the 2012 Martlet Madness competition, achieving 41 percent participation in the 2011-2012 Annual Fund, and had a great turnout for the cookout.

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Parent Receptions Leigh and Dave Hovey ’78, P’09, ’11, ’14 hosted a reception at their home in September for new parents.

Beth and Todd Baker P’09, ’12, ’15 hosted a reception for new parents at their home in New Canaan, Conn., on Sept. 12

Jon Deveaux P’14, ’16, Michael Hotaling P’16 and Kathy Sullivan P’16

Steve Baker P’15, Wendy Seiglaff Baker ’83, P’15, Lisa Babington P’15 and Gwynne Tibbitts P’14, ’15

Ronnie Vazquez P’16, Carmen Sierra P’16 and Laurie and Dmitry Yekelchik P’16.

Todd Baker P’09, ’12, ’15 and Lyle Carter P’16

Kelly and Randy Rome P’16, Dan Aber P’16 and Peter Doucette P’16

Beth Baker P’09, ’12, ’15 and Kit Rohn P’15

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New Trustees Elected to Board Four trustees, a trustee emeritus and an ex officio trustee were elected to the Westminster Board of Trustees at its fall meeting in September.

Susanna “Zooey” S. Brown P’15 and her husband, Lyons, live in Batesville, Va., with their children, Renee, Caroline and George ’15. Zooey is a graduate of The Hotchkiss School, the University of Virginia and the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, where she studied holistic health and nutrition. She serves as a certified health coach and writes about nutrition and health. She has attended Westminster Today.

Robert T. Horsford ’89 is president of Apex Building Company in New York City. He also is on the Board of Directors of the Greater Harlem Real Estate Board. He earned a Bachelor of Science in structural civil engineering and business management from Brown University.

While at Westminster, Rob played football, basketball and baseball and was on the swim and track teams. He also was a member of the John Hay Society, the Language Club and was a staff writer for the Westminster News. As an alumnus, he participated in Westminster Today.

Rob and his wife, Meredith, and daughter, Naomi, live in New York City.

Susanna S. Brown P’15

S. Bradley Mell P’14 is the president and chief executive officer of W.H. Mell Associates Inc. and a founding member of Gulfstream CM, LLC. He is a graduate of the Tilton School and Boston University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in psychology. Brad has served on the boards of trustees and finance committees of Far Hills Country Day School, the New Jersey Conservation Foundation and Stevens Aviation. As a pilot, he founded Aero Care Life Flight, an organization that supports Angel Flight missions. Brad and his wife, Kimberly, live in Far Hills, N.J., with their children Emily ’14, Eliza and William.

Hilary Neumann Zeller ’88 is a senior vice president for Marsh U.S.A. Inc. in Boston. She and her husband, Scott, live in Weston, Mass., with their two children, Hayden and Talbot.

Hilary earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Wellesley College, where she spent her junior year studying at the University of Bristol in England. As a Westminster student, she played field hockey, volleyball and lacrosse, and was a ski instructor off campus. She also was a member of Black and Gold, the choir and the John Hay Society. Hilary has served on the Executive Committee of the Westminster Alumni Association.

John H. Davis P’05

John H. Davis P’05 joins the board as trustee emeritus following his previous tenure on the board as a trustee from 2002-2011. He has served on the Parents’ Committee, the Sixth Form Steering Committee, the Business Committee and the Strategic Planning Committee. A graduate of Nichols College, where he earned a degree in finance, John is chairman of Ventry Industries LLC. He also is senior trustee of the Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation, Nichols College, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and Baystate Health Foundation; a director of the Urban League of Springfield; and a corporator of American International College. He and his wife, Robyn, have three children, Laurel, Andrew and Brooke ’05, and live in Longmeadow, Mass.

Robert T. Horsford ’89

S. Bradley Mell P’14

Ex Officio Member As president of the Westminster Alumni Association, John B. Ryan ’93 joins the board as an ex officio member. Previously, he served as vice president of the association from 2006 until 2009.

He also was a reunion committee member for his fifth reunion and the gift chair for his 15th reunion. John lives in Rye, N.Y., with his wife, Kira, and their three children, Emilia, Carter and Charlotte.

John B. Ryan ’93

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Thring Society Highlights History of Grit and Grace The Thring Society was established by Westminster School’s Board of Trustees in 1991 to recognize and thank those who make planned gifts to Westminster, usually by including the school in their wills.

Membership in the Thring Society highlights a legacy of generosity: planned gifts are added to Westminster’s endowment where they provide income to the school in perpetuity.

The Thring Society takes its name from the Rev. Edward Thring, headmaster of the Uppingham School in England from 1853-1887.

Thring attended Eton and Kings College in Cambridge, where he distinguished himself as a scholar and took holy orders. At the age of 32, he was elected headmaster of Uppingham School, a small local grammar school that had been languishing in obscurity for virtually all of its 270 years. When Thring died at the age of 65, Uppingham had become one of the great public schools of England, and Thring himself was the only English schoolmaster of his generation widely and popularly known by name.

Views of Education That Echo Today Thring’s view of education had an enormous influence in America, as well as in England, and most certainly on William Lee Cushing, Westminster’s founder. The radical ideas that Thring developed at Uppingham — the importance of individual attention, the need for structure and balance in school activities, the shared joy in learning and playing together, the value of discipline with freedom — became integral to Westminster School.

The symbol for the Thring Society at Westminster is the school’s bell at the peak of Cushing Hall, a building designed in the style of Thring’s Uppingham School. Just as the bell has called generations of students to work and play, Thring’s philosophy has echoed throughout Westminster’s history and been adapted to meet new challenges and opportunities. His ideals have remained an invisible cornerstone of Westminster School and are exemplified in the school’s motto, “Grit and Grace.”

Endowment Gifts Just as Thring’s vision of education continues to influence Westminster, the school’s endowment supports the values and quality of life on Williams Hill.

Westminster’s endowment provides a reliable source of income essential to offering competitive salaries to teachers, making Westminster accessible to a broad base of students, and maintaining the school’s physical plant and innovative programs. Alumni and friends of Westminster who remember the school with their bequests and planned gifts ensure the excellence of a Westminster education for generations to come.

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The Rev. Edward Thring in mid-1860 courtesy of Uppingham School Archives

The radical ideas that Thring developed at Uppingham — the importance of individual attention, the need for structure and balance in school activities, the shared joy in learning and playing together, the value of discipline with freedom — became integral to Westminster School.

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THE THRING SOCIETY

Connecting with the People It has been people who have always connected Silas Witherbee ’73 to Westminster. “The school was very good to me and to my family,” said Silas. “My two brothers, Jonathan ’74 and Matthew ’76, went there and my mother worked there as a coach. A few years after I graduated, Alan Brooks ’55 reconnected me with the school, and I have been involved ever since.”

Silas’ involvement has included serving as a class agent, a member of reunion committees and the Executive Committee of the Alumni Association, and as a trustee.

Silas has consistently focused on the people at Westminster. “Increasing the diversity of the student body was just getting started in my day, but now you look at the school and see so many more students from around the country and the world,” he said. “Westminster is moving forward in a very positive way. It started with the Edge gift and continued with the campaign and the $10 million anonymous gift. A Westminster education is costly, and the school needs to continue to find ways to make it available for everyone.” In 1980, Silas’ friends and family established a scholarship at Westminster in memory of his mother, Jill.

By including Westminster in his estate plans, Silas is making a gift to the school’s endowment that will support the financial aid budget and operations of the school for years to come. His bequest will bolster the school’s ability to attract the strongest students and offer them a complete Westminster experience during their time on Williams Hill.

Westminster welcomes Silas into the Thring Society, which was founded to honor such generous and thoughtful alumni and friends.

Silas Witherbee

“Westminster is moving forward in a very positive way. It started with the Edge gift and continued with the campaign and the $10 million anonymous gift.”

If you have any questions or would like more information on gift-planning opportunities, please contact: Douglas Allen Director of Planned Giving (860) 408-3027 dallen@westminster-school.org or visit the Westminster School Web site: www.westminster-school.org and select “Supporting Westminster.”

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Photo credit: Iam Johnson

Bringing the Sauce to Market

Robin Herrick Tesoro and her husband, Michael

In 2009 Robin Herrick Tesoro ’92 and her husband, Michael, decided to create their own jobs. They started Ooma Tesoro’s and their first product: Ooma Tesoro’s Marinara Sauce. And this year, they’ll produce some 4,000 cases of their Ooma Tesoro’s marinara, which is distributed at 210 stores in New England, including Dean & Deluca and Whole Foods, and online — though Westminster friends often order through a phone call to Robin.

Robin had been working as a prop stylist for Disney parenting magazine Wondertime, and Michael was a new media consultant in the broadcast industry when the weak economy put the brakes on their consulting contracts.

“Nothing was sustainable,” said Robin. “We decided to create our own jobs. We were excited about the opportunity to take on an entrepreneurial venture of our own.”

Ooma Tesoro’s marinara was already a staple in their household before they started producing it for sale. The recipe had been passed down in the family by Michael’s grandmother, who was called “Ooma”

by Michael as a child. She had come to the United States from Avellino, Italy, near Naples, the home of marinara. Robin and Michael began making the prized sauce in small batches at home and sold their first jar in November 2009.

When the company was in its infancy, the sauce was sold at farmers’ markets and a handful of stores. Growth soon carried the venture out of their home kitchen in the Berkshires of Massachusetts and into a commercially licensed co-operative kitchen, a shared FDA-approved community space. “The co-operative kitchen helps incubate small food companies,” said Robin. “Usually, a food company will hand the recipe to a food producer. That’s not the case for us.”

Even though production has doubled each year, once a week, Michael travels 40 minutes each way to oversee the production of Ooma Tesoro’s at the commercial kitchen. Robin is still in charge of making home batches for the family!

Robin remains close with many of her Westminster classmates, many whom she saw at the Class of 1992’s 20th reunion in May, and she has served as a class agent since 2005. “Years can go by, and we still have the same closeness,” she said. “There’s something about living, breathing, eating and doing everything together. It was such a formative time.”

At Westminster, Robin was a corridor prefect, an assistant coach for a lower soccer team, was a member of Black and Gold, volunteered with the National Student Campaign Against Hunger, and played varsity ice hockey and tennis. She particularly enjoyed English classes with Michael Cervas and printmaking with Jane Houston.

Robin earned a B.A. in film studies with a minor in English from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in 1996. She went on to work for Bloomberg in television and radio news, and subsequently lived in France, where she taught English.

She was also a style editor for Martha Stewart Living.

Robin and Michael married in 2004, after being introduced

by Michael’s mother and Robin’s aunt. The couple has two children: 7-year-old Francesca and 4-year-old Nicholas.

Robin and Michael both say that they’ve never met a child who hasn’t loved the sauce. “It’s pure, fresh and simple, with a bright tomato flavor,” says Robin. “We remove the seeds, stem and peel. It tastes like homemade, unlike any other jarred sauce on the market.” Ninety-eight percent of the ingredients in the sauce are grown in the U.S. While Ooma Tesoro’s is widely available in the Northeast, Robin and Michael continue to increase distribution and market penetration, including plans to get the sauce on shelves at Whole Foods in Fairfield County, Conn. They are also planning their own production facility closer to home.

Each Saturday, Michael visits stores where Ooma Tesoro’s is sold and promotes the sauce the old-fashioned way.

“We are building a grass-roots following,” explained Robin. “We’re getting the sauce into people’s mouths!”

Photo credit: Tina Rupp

Ooma Tesoro’s marinara was already a staple in their household before they started producing it for sale. The recipe had been passed down in the family by Michael’s grandmother…

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Photo credit: Philippe Flichy

New Book Showcases Intricate Patterns of Tree Cuts

Bryan Nash Gill

Bryan and his son, Forest, build a toy in Bryan’s studio.

The newly published book, “Woodcut,” by artist Bryan Nash Gill ’80 features images of dozens of his limited edition, handmade fine art relief prints created from the cross sections of trees. Bryan’s work has captured the attention of dozens of international and national blogs and publications, including the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.

Bryan created the reliefs by inking selected cross sections cut from fallen trees, then carefully pressing paper against the grain using his hands or found objects. Work for the book spanned over a decade. “I created 15 pieces from one piece of wood,” he explained. “It looks different in various seasons. It’s a very organic process. Each time you pull the print off, it’s a new experience.”

Bryan constructed his artist’s studio on his 10-acre property in New Hartford, Conn., in 1998. With a borrowed bulldozer, he graded the land himself and selected trees to be cut into nominal lumber at a nearby mill. Framed in hemlock, and sided with pine, the studio was “built wet,” so the joints would shrink together.

Inspiration for “Woodcut” came from the ends of the cut boards. “I was looking at the end grains, and there was something about the rings that made me think, ‘I bet I could print that,’” he recalled. “I fell in love with every piece of wood.” His prints are colored, nuanced shapes of the structural history hidden inside each tree.

Bryan’s images have long been found online, but when a senior editor Cover of “Woodcut” by from Princeton Architectural Press saw his work on a favorite blog, she Bryan (Princeton contacted him and made a book offer over the phone. “The book bridges Architectural Press) boundaries,” said Bryan. “Woodcut” went into its second edition within months of its release.

Representatives of Martha Stewart Living Magazine recently visited Bryan’s studio to conduct a film and photo shoot that marries natural art and modern technology. When published this October, their article will include a scannable barcode that will bring smartphone users to a video of Bryan in his studio.

Though much attention has recently been paid to Bryan’s prints, he works mainly with bronze, wood and found objects for use in abstract sculpture. He has been a working artist since graduate school. “The only real job I had growing up was working on our family farm in Granby, Conn.,” he said. “I value that closeness to the land. It’s something I want to teach and recreate for my son.”

Bryan’s 6-year-old son, Forest, is a frequent visitor to the studio, sculpting alongside his father. “He’s better than dad,” said Bryan. “He has an innocent mind, is not opinionated, and his art is fresh and free.”

Bryan’s wife, Gina, also visits the studio, though she is usually busy growing organic vegetables on their family-owned farm, Beckwith Brook Farm, which includes a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program.

At Westminster, Bryan studied art with Lewis Powers and received an award for his work. “Mr. Powers put the seed in my head that I could do this,” said Bryan. Bryan also played lacrosse and football, participated in choir and theater, and was a member of Black and Gold. He earned a B.F.A. from Tulane University in 1884, and a M.F.A. from the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland in 1988.

Bryan has had close ties to Westminster throughout his life. “My dad was a trustee, my brother, Charles, was a member of the Class of 1978 and I grew up skating on the Westminster rink when it was just a pond,” he said. Bryan has attended several reunions and was a visiting artist for a weeklong workshop on campus.

Bryan’s art has been featured in dozens of solo and group exhibitions across the United States. He was commissioned to create an installation for the American Pavilion at the Japanese World’s Fair in Aichi, Japan, in 2005.

And this year, his art has been shown at Goodwin Fine Art in Denver, Esopus Space in New York City and the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield, Mass. This fall, he exhibited at the University of Connecticut alongside pieces from City Bench, a collaboration of Connecticut-based artists who create furniture from salvaged trees. In January, he will present a solo exhibition at the Chicago Botanical Garden.

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Following a Passion for the Wilderness

Jamie Williams

Inspiring Americans to care for its wild places is the aim of Jamie Williams ’81 as the new president of The Wilderness Society, one of the country’s leading conservation organizations. In this new role, which he assumed last spring, he works with local coalitions, national advocacy groups, members of Congress and with federal landmanagement organizations on conservation and stewardship of public lands.

The Wilderness Society has been the national leader in establishing more than 110 million acres of wilderness areas throughout the United States. The organization is now focused on completing a system of protected, wild lands in the United States and engaging an urban nation with the wilderness.

Jamie and his team are supporting more than 20 wilderness-related bills that are moving through Congress as well as administrative conservation programs, including protection of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the National Petroleum Reserve. He joined the society after two decades of service with the Nature Conservancy, where he led that organization’s work to protect large landscapes in North America and served as its Montana state director for 10 years.

Jamie’s passion for the wilderness predates his years at Westminster. As a child growing up in Oklahoma, he backpacked in New Mexico and Colorado, and took river trips in Idaho and Montana. Perhaps his most ambitious wilderness trip was taken during the summer between eighth and ninth grades when he and his best friend embarked on an extended bicycle and backpack tour of the West. With parental consent, the pair journeyed unchaperoned through New Mexico and Colorado, sleeping in farmers’ fields and on the side of the road. “There were no cell phones,” he said. “We called our parents each Sunday.”

Jamie came to Westminster his Fourth Form year. “Westminster is a fantastic community,” he said. “I made the best of friends there.” When he arrived, he already knew the other Westminster student from Oklahoma, Frank “Pancho” Winter ’81.

Jamie fondly remembers Latin teacher Richard Hopley. “He became a father figure,” said Jamie. “We were very close.” While at Westminster, Jamie played varsity soccer, was editor in chief of The Spectator, served as an orientation leader for the opening week of school and was involved in community service at Holly Hill.

Jamie credits a month-long Outward Bound course he took in Colorado with cementing his love for wilderness and motivating him to make a difference.

In 1985, Jamie earned a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies from Yale University. “Many of our country’s last wild places are at risk,” he explained. “I wanted to give back, so I went into conservation.” He began his career as a Western river guide and wilderness instructor for the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). He later returned to Yale and earned a Master of Environmental Science in 1989 at the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

During his time at Yale, Jamie often returned to Simsbury to kayak at the Tariffville Gorge of the Farmington River, just minutes from the Westminster campus. He later worked on the first Congressional Wild and Scenic River Study of the 14 miles of the Upper Farmington River, which eventually earned national designation in 1994 through an act of Congress.

While at Yale, Jamie also met his wife, Florence, a writer for national publications. He was running FOOT, the Freshman Outdoor Orientation Trips, and she was a photographer who met with him to give him photos of her FOOT trip for the alumni news publication. “We’ve been together ever since,” he said.

With his new position at the Wilderness Society came a move to Washington, D.C. Florence and Jamie found a home near the Potomac River where their children, 10-year-old Ben and 8-year-old Annabel, can enjoy an outdoor lifestyle. “They love water, boats and building castles on the beach,” said Jamie. “The kids are river rats at heart.” Last year, the family’s adventures took them to the Yampa River and Dinosaur National Monument, which is located in both Colorado and Utah.

The Williams family on a trip to the Yampa River.

Left to right, Annabel, Jamie, Florence and Ben.

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Closing Thoughts House and Life

“I always thought of myself as a house.

I was always what I lived in. It didn’t need to be big; it didn’t even need to be beautiful; it just needed to be mine. I became what I was meant to be. I built myself a life. … I built myself a house. …”

By Peter B. Leibinger ’86 The movie “Life as a House” ends with these sentences. Building a house becomes a metaphor for rebuilding a life and a family.

I like the movie even though it overplays some sentimental themes. From a very young age, I have felt that the concept of house, space and home is central to me. I believe this is true for everyone — the house is one of the moorings of human existence.

Dwelling, shelter, home, house and space are terms used to describe what is our home.

From cave to Bauhaus, from cabin to McMansion, the same desires drive us.

Peter Leibinger outside his house in Germany.

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Of course the function of shelter is what explains the house’s importance to each of us. Our need for our own space that is a protecting hull, a cocoon, has been explained with the event of birth. The protection of the mother’s womb is lost in a dramatic event, and from this moment on, it is missed and sought after. Children often build caves out of beds, cardboard boxes, etc. In a sense, this is the start of our lifelong process of building our house, of seeking its protection.

The house is a part of all cultures throughout history. The history of architecture starts around 10,000 B.C., when humans first built buildings. This is what differentiated Homo sapiens from the Neanderthals who found caves to move into. Humans living at the same time, in the same area, constructed buildings. These buildings had all the important characteristics of architecture, being a planned durable structure that served aspects of utility and style.

Throughout history, houses always fulfilled this purpose of offering protection as well as possessing a unique style. In a sequential development, architectural styles evolved, depending on climate, technology, and religious and cultural conditions. These styles demonstrated stability and relevance for a certain period before they were replaced with a new style. The Classical architectural style peaked in Greek and Roman architecture. It was followed by the Byzantine and Romanic architecture in medieval times. The Romanic style was replaced first by Gothic architecture and then with a new style of architecture that became the Renaissance that reinterpreted aspects of Greek and Roman architecture. Baroque and then in the 19th century, Classicism finally

led to Modern architecture. Today in Contemporary architecture, the decomposition and dissolution of styles offer a vast variety of possibilities.

All houses and all architectural styles have important factors in common. The protective nature of the house is an example. However, a house has many more purposes than just protection. The house is a vehicle for individualism and for the development of the Self. The house in this sense functions not only as a physical boundary but also as a psychological boundary: it becomes a method for distinction.

In this context, it is being used for self-expression.

In all cultures, the house also has a strong association with property. Possession of even a small piece of the earth allows us to develop a sense of the meaning of ownership, of what wealth is and of responsibility. Thereby one’s personal development is closely linked to the space that surrounds us and that we possess.

Because of this, the house also developed its role as a symbol of a certain class, a phenomenon observed in all societies throughout the history of architecture.

The house also is a center and gathering point. It often is the center of the family, of the extended family, and it is, in many cases, the most important gathering point for institutions like schools. The Armour Academic Center in the Westminster community plays this role very well.

An old farmhouse in the south of Germany built in 1566 is where I live. Everything that I have described is true for my house. It is the gathering point for my family and for friends. It gives me shelter, both from the wind and the rain and other weather, but also from a world that can be hostile in many ways. At home I feel safe. It is an element of selfexpression. People who come to visit me at home understand much better who I am. They see, feel and breathe the nature of my family when they are in our house.

Throughout my life, I have lived in many different houses. One that has had impact on me was Andrews House on Williams Hill. When I came to Westminster as a freshman in 1982, my room on the second floor in Andrews became my home. In Germany, in my parents’ house at the outskirts of Stuttgart, my room was much nicer. It was larger, I didn’t have to share it and I had my own bathroom. Nevertheless, Andrews, in a way, became my first own house. For the first time, I felt that I had the ability to self-determine the space around me. In my room at home, my parents determined the decoration for the most part. In Andrews (and later in

Memorial) I did the decorating myself, and I changed it many times. It evolved with me. Whenever my roommate and I had new ideas about where and how the furniture should be set up, what posters or tapestries should be on the walls or how the stereo system could be set up better, we were free to do so. Through this process, the room became our own. The behavior of our parents during their visits proved this point. When they were visiting our room, they were our guests.

Westminster was very wise to make “the house” the most important theme of the past few years. The house in which you live defines who you are. Your self-image manifests itself through the house that you own. The values of our school — community, character, balance and involvement — become tangible through our buildings.

The value of community is not possible without good dormitories in which students feel at home and an academic building like Armour Academic Center in which they like to gather. To credibly live the value of community, we need to have buildings that speak community and promote it.

The value of balance is not possible without a reasonable balance among the quality of our athletic, academic and living facilities. The value of involvement will not happen without a space in which involvement can take place. And a school won’t have character without houses, buildings and spaces that have just that: character.

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Scenes from this year’s opening days of school

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