Westminster School Bulletin Spring 2013

THE BULLETIN SPRING 2013

WESTMINSTER Leading with Grit & Grace Since 1888

For Alumni, Parents & Friends of Westminster School

Above, Westminster’s Main Building in Simsbury was constructed in 1900. It was later renamed Cushing Hall.

On the cover, an all-school photo of students, faculty and staff taken in fall 2012 in honor of the school’s 125th anniversary ­ is shown with photos of school life over the decades.

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.

Allan A. Ryan IV ’78, P’06, ’07, ’12 Palm Beach, Fla.

Moyahoena Ogilvie Johnson ’86 Bloomfield, Conn.

John B. Ryan ’93 Ex officio Rye, N.Y.

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 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.

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C. Bradford Raymond ’85 New York, N.Y.

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

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

Colin S. Flinn ’82 Sanibel, Fla.

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

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

John Sherwin Jr. ’57, P’83, ’89 Emeritus Waite Hill, Ohio Samuel Thorne ’46, P’74, ’76 Emeritus Bedford, Mass.

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

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

Sara L. Whiteley ’91 West Chatham, Mass.

Hilary Neumann Zeller ’88 Weston, Mass.

WESTMINSTER BULLETIN SPRING 2013 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 PHOTOGRAPHY Richard Bergen, Newell Grant ’99, Ken Mason, Darlene Skeels and David Werner ’80 CLASS NOTES COORDINATOR Beth Soycher DESIGN John Johnson Art Direction & Design Collinsville, Conn.

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inside

THE BULLETIN SPRING 2013

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

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Reflections Across the Decades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

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

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Sharing History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Anniversary Celebration Continues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Inspired by Dedication . . . . . . . . 40 Supporting Westminster . . . . . . 46

Looking Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Class Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Headmaster’s Message

Closing Thoughts . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Celebration Continues

Hill Headlines Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Page . . . . . . . . . 10

Athletics

Reflections

Page . . . . . . . . . . 8

Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Sharing History

Inspired by Dedication

Page . . . . . . . . . 36

Page . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Supporting Westminster Page . . . . . . . . . 46

Class Notes Page . . . . . . . . . . 56

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Dear Members of the Westminster Community, Martlets Fly Together This edition of the Bulletin celebrates our 125th anniversary and features many personal stories related to Westminster School’s history. As I have commented on many occasions, it is the people who define this special school, and these stories offer revealing insights on that perspective. In fact, community has always been at the core of Westminster’s mission. Historically, community has meant the students and faculty on Williams Hill, but more recently, what we mean by community has expanded in some exciting ways.

This shared passion for the power of our community ethos continues to inspire as it emanates from Williams Hill across Hartford County, across the United States and around the globe.

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Our community on Williams Hill still animates our purpose as a school. Through family-style dinners, chapels and assemblies, our community of students and faculty continues to gather almost on a daily basis. Intentionally, we are a small school, one where students and faculty know each other, are comfortable with each other and support each other on an ongoing basis. In this context, our regular community gatherings remain an essential component of our school’s program. Perhaps most telling with respect to the enduring power of this community ethos, students and faculty also gather informally on a regular basis at student coffee houses to support those who are performing, at games to cheer on our teams and for Friday evening readings featuring student authors.

In various intentional ways, we also have extended this community ethos by reaching into Hartford County. Of course, Todd Eckerson’s initiative — Westminster Crossroads Learning Program, whereby faculty and students provide academic enrichment to students at Hartford Public High School, while learning invaluable life lessons themselves — offers a leading example of this commitment. Other examples abound, such as our annual community service day, when students and faculty spend a day volunteering for various organizations in the surrounding area, or the weekly volunteer efforts of our students and faculty at a Hartford charter school called Jumoke Academy, or our recent hosting of students from The Discovery Center for classes in Armour Academic Center, or even our service as a host site for the annual Walk for Multiple Sclerosis. Simply put, for Westminster School, community reaches beyond the people on Williams Hill.

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Of course, this shared passion for Westminster extends to alumni and parents scattered around the nation and the world. At away games, it is not unusual for Westminster fans to outnumber the fans from the host school. Even further, many alumni follow the exploits of our hockey and lacrosse teams through game-summary e-mails sent to huge mailing lists of alumni and parent fans by Tim Joncas ’00 and Peter Newman ’80, boys’ ice hockey and lacrosse coaches, respectively. Similarly, Westminster events are always well attended, whether this past December’s celebratory occasion at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, which drew about 300 alumni and parents, or a reception this winter in Los Angeles, or a dinner for alumni and parents Jenny and I attended in Seoul, Korea. The passion for Westminster literally spans the globe, and personally, opportunities to catch up with alumni whom I taught, coached and advised during my 30 years on the faculty are truly among my most cherished moments as headmaster.

Anecdotes underscoring this passion are countless. The Davis Scholars Program continues to enrich our school community by making it possible for students from countries around the globe such as Afghanistan, Ghana, the Czech Republic, Vietnam and Egypt to join our school community. Ahmed Abdel Khalek ’12 and Laila Samy ’14, Davis Scholars who enrolled from Egypt, are very talented squash players and both went on to win their age group’s United States Open Squash tournament, all the while playing proudly in their black and gold Westminster uniforms. As they explained, they did not view their victories as personal accomplishments; rather, in the midst of this world-class competition, they always thought of themselves as playing for Westminster School.

The most prestigious professional organization for heads of schools is called the Headmasters Association, and it includes in its active membership 100 independent and public school leaders from our country’s best secondary schools. For the last two decades, Don Werner, who you will recall served as headmaster before Graham Cole, has led this organization, and at its annual meeting earlier this year was feted on the occasion of his retirement from that leadership role. The celebration included laudatory remarks by Bill Polk, former

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headmaster at Groton, and Lance Odden, former headmaster at Taft. I share this moment, because it offers a poignant insight regarding Westminster School’s standing in the secondary school world as well as another example of the power of one person’s enduring passion for all things Westminster.

While the spotlight at the Headmasters Association was on Don, the glow from that spotlight offered a meaningful reputational enhancement to our school. Don arranged for the table where he and Mimi sat to include me along with Ben Williams ’81, headmaster at Cate School, and Tom Sturtevant ’80, past headmaster at Northfield Mount Hermon School. Of course, I am sure it was entirely coincidental that the colors for the logo for the Headmasters Association, which Don designed, were black and gold and the insignia which is an interlocked “H” and “A” actually looks like a big “W.” I am just as certain that it is a coincidence that the book that Don wrote on the history of this organization features prominently on the front cover William Lee Cushing and on the back cover Westminster’s shield. Simply put, long after his tenure as headmaster concluded, Don continues to seek opportunities to advance our school.

Martlets fly together, they always have flown together during our 125-year history and they always will. This shared passion for the power of our community ethos continues to inspire as it emanates from Williams Hill across Hartford County, across the United States and around the globe. I hope you enjoy the stories in this edition of our Bulletin, and I hope that each of you will find an opportunity to visit Williams Hill in the not too distant future. Jenny joins me in extending our very best wishes to all the Martlets flying together far and wide!

With Grit & Grace,

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

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Hill Headlines

Students and Faculty Attend Student Diversity Leadership Conference Four students and four faculty members from Westminster attended the Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC) titled “Energizing Our Future” in Houston, Texas, Dec. 6-8 hosted by the National Association of Independent Schools.

SDLC is a multiracial, multicultural gathering of student leaders in grades nine through 12 from across the U.S. that focuses on selfreflection, forming allies and building community.

Some of the goals of the conference were for participants to develop effective cross-cultural communication skills, better understand the nature and development of effective strategies for social justice, practice expression through the arts, and learn networking principles and strategies.

The students were immersed in an intense, yet engaging, Hieu Do ’15, Chanice Gooden ’14, David Carter ’15 and schedule that ran most days from 8 a.m. until at least 10 p.m. “One thing that came up over and over was that they were all taken by how Charlotte DeLana ’14 open people were with one another and how safe and easy it was to connect with people they’d just met,” said Westminster’s Director of Multicultural Affairs Michele Hatchette ’05. “It was both refreshing and inspiring for them.”

Highlights for the students included a “silent movement” exercise, the opportunity to be open and honest with strangers, affinity group work related to recognizing their legacies and open mic sharing time.

The students who attended the conference included Charlotte DeLana ’14, Chanice Gooden ’14, David Carter ’15 and Hieu Do ’15. The faculty participants were Director of College Counseling Greg Williams, Associate Director of Admissions David Pringle ’05, Director of Theater A-men Rasheed and Michele Hatchette, who also serves as associate director of admissions.

Travis Roy Gives Inspirational Talk Travis Roy, who had a passion to play Division I hockey, finally realized his dream in October 1995 by playing for Boston University as a freshman. Eleven seconds into his first collegiate game, however, a freak accident drove him into the boards, and a cracked fourth vertebra left him paralyzed from the neck down.

Following this tragic accident at age 20, Travis went on to complete a degree in communications at BU, write the book “Eleven Seconds,” found the Travis Roy Foundation and become a popular motivational speaker. He visited Westminster Jan. 8 to talk with the school community about his accident and the lessons he learned from it.

“That is the challenge that chose me,” he explained. “Sometimes we choose our challenges and other times they choose us. … If you don’t think you can make a difference, let my life be a lesson to you.”

He spoke about how for 20 years he chose his challenges and playing hockey at the Division I level and beyond were his primary goals.

In his view, the primary motivating factors for success are wanting to see how good you can get at whatever you choose and having pride in knowing you tried your best. “I hope that during your time here at Westminster, you will find something that excites you,” he told the students. “You have to have that belief in yourself to achieve your goals.”

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He described the events of the fateful night of his accident, including the tap on the shoulder from his coach when he was sent into his first BU game. He said he knew he was seriously injured at the Amy Stevens P’07, ’09, ’12, Travis Roy and Tim Joncas ’00 time of the accident and recalled telling his father, “But dad, I made it,” referring to the accomplishment of his dream.

During Travis’ lengthy hospitalization and follow-up treatment, he decided to take control over his life and to put it back together. “One thing I learned is that a positive attitude can take you further in life than anything else. The values that made me successful before my accident would make me successful afterward.” He described those values as showing respect for everyone you meet, listening to that internal voice that tells you to make good decisions rather than responding to peer pressure, and expressing love and caring to family and friends daily.

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Hill Headlines

Leader in Biodefense Discusses Vaccine Development Issues Kendall Hoyt ’89, who serves as an assistant professor at Dartmouth Medical School where she studies U.S. biodefense policy, research and development strategy, and translational medicine, visited Westminster Jan. 11 to speak with the school community about her work in bioterrorism. She also teaches a course on technology and biosecurity at the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College.

Last year, she published a book titled “Long Shot: Vaccines for National Defense” (Harvard University Press). She has also published articles in International Security, the Journal of Public Health Policy and The New York Times. She serves on a National Research Council Committee on the Department of Defense’s Programs to Counter Biological Threats.

Kendall received her Ph.D. in the history and social study of science and technology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2002 and was a Fellow in the International Security Program at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government from 2002-2004. Prior to obtaining her degree, she worked in the International Security and International Affairs division of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Washington, D.C., office of McKinsey and Company, and the Center for the Management of Innovation and Technology at the National University of Singapore.

In her Westminster presentation, Kendall explained how she became interested in bioterrorism while riding in the back of a bus and thinking about the Sarin attack on the Tokyo subway in 1995 and how such attacks would become a larger problem over time. “You cannot count them like conventional weapons because they evade detection,” she explained. “It is hard to control the threat.” She said the major question is, “Can we get the medicine we need when we need it?”

She emphasized that prediction is hard and that a new strategy is needed for vaccine development. She described the innovation in vaccine development that took place during World War II and how that innovation has since declined due to factors related to intellectual property, stricter regulations, requirements for clinical trials, market forces and a shift in the institutional environment. “We need to change how we do research and what we do research on,” she said.

“We need to re-engineer the process by which we develop vaccines. … Accelerated development times will improve national security and improve productivity. We have seen transformative innovation in the cell phone, Internet and semiconductor industries. The common element is to focus on integrated research productivity. This is what I have been working on.”

Following her presentation, she responded to numerous questions from the audience regarding the background she needed to get into her field, what a day in her life is like and about her time at Westminster as a student. “In Mrs. Urner-Berry’s labs, the Bunsen burner and the Periodic Table captivated my imagination,” she replied. “The interest started here for sure.”

Following her presentation in the Werner Centennial Center, Kendall Hoyt ’89 meets with Sydney Daniels ’13, Eleni Tebano ’13 and Ellie Deveaux ’14.

Finalist in National Merit Scholarship Program Sixth Former Molly Mullen, a day student from East Granby, has been named a Finalist in the 2013 National Merit Scholarship Program competition and is being considered for a National Merit Scholarship and the Merit Scholar title.

She is among approximately 15,000 Finalists competing for some 8,300 National Merit Scholarship awards that will be announced beginning in April and concluding in July.

Molly’s coursework at Westminster has been rigorous and has included numerous honors and AP courses. She has been recognized as an AP Scholar with Distinction and achieved summa cum laude on the National Latin Exam.

Last May, she was named the winner of Westminster’s Brian Ford Writing Prize.

She serves as co-editor in chief of The Westminster News and as co-editor of The Martlet. She also serves as a captain of First Girls’ Cross Country and participates in track. She has twice earned school awards for her sportsmanship.

Molly sings with Westminster’s Chorale and Chamber Choir.

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Hill Headlines

New Science Collaborative Westminster collaborated with The Discovery Center, located in Farmington, Conn., this past winter to bring 94 seventh grade students from two Hartford-area schools to Westminster to participate in diversity and team-building activities, eat lunch and attend science workshops.

Students from the Environmental Sciences Magnet School at Mary Hooker visited Jan. 23 and students from Noah Webster MicroSociety Magnet School visited Jan. 30.

The mission of The Discovery Center is to shape positive attitudes about race and differences, reduce isolationism between urban Students visiting Westminster from the Environmental Sciences Magnet School at and suburban/rural schools, and improve math, Mary Hooker participate in science workshops with Westminster science teachers science and language arts skills. Its executive Lee Zalinger, above; Mark de Kanter ’91, below left; and Greg Marco, below right. director is Allan Wilson, husband of Westminster faculty member Joyce Wilson. Founded by the late “As a community, Westminster feels lucky to have been part of such Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward as a pilot program of The Hole in a special opportunity and looks forward to hosting The Discovery Center the Wall Gang Camp in 1992, The Discovery Center was incorporated in again next year,” said Westminster Assistant Headmaster Kathleen 2002 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The Diversity Academy Devaney. “Our participating teachers and students fully appreciated their program, which brought students to Westminster, is an exciting addition contact with the program.” to the organization, which also offers a residential program and “This is an exciting partnership,” added The Discovery Center’s leadership workshops.

Coordinator of Leadership Workshops, Jason Fredlund. “Our visits to During their time at Westminster, the visiting students and their Westminster, which were the first learning excursions for this new Discovery Center leaders participated in science workshops in the science program, provided access to incredible facilities, technology and laboratories in the Armour Academic Center with Westminster science education for our students.” teachers Mark de Kanter ’91, Greg Marco P’08, ’11 and Lee Zalinger P’05, ’07, ’09 and 12 Westminster student volunteers. “Let’s all be explorers and ask a lot of great questions,” Westminster Science Department Head Lee Zalinger told the seventh graders in his workshop about inertia.

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Hill Headlines

On the Stage Those attending Westminster Dramat’s performances of Molière’s farce “The Imaginary Cuckold or Sganarelle” Nov. 8-10 were treated to an evening of laughter during the commedia dell’arte style play.

Similarly, Dramat’s production of “Once Upon a Mattress” played to enthusiastic audiences during its successful Feb. 15-17 run.

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Season Overviews Sports Information Director Betsy Heckman takes a look back at some of the highlights of the fall and winter athletic seasons.

FALL SEASON It was another successful season for Westminster’s fall 2012 athletic programs with outstanding achievements both for teams and individuals.

First Girls’ Soccer advanced to the Class A New England Tournament once again after compiling a 10-3-2 record. In the quarterfinals, it lost a heartbreaking game to Hotchkiss in overtime, 1-0.

Both of the Cross Country teams also had outstanding seasons. The girls had the first undefeated season in more than a decade and finished fifth overall in the Division II New England meet. The boys suffered only one loss and finished sixth in New Englands.

A number of individual performances highlighted the fall season.

In First Football, Yianni Gavalas ’13 earned first team AllColonial League and Class B All-New England honors. Both Mark Ellis ’13 and Jamie Moross ’14 were named to the first team All-Colonial League. For First Girls’ Soccer, Iris Dayton ’13 and Laura Moore ’14 were awarded All-WNEPSSA and All-State recognition. Christian Barral-Arteta ’13 earned both All-WNEPSSA and All-State honors for First Boys’ Soccer.

First Field Hockey had two standouts of their own as Alli Devins ’13 and Eleni Tebano ’13 were chosen as WNEPSFHA All-Stars. In Cross Country, Aaron Rubin ’15 finished eighth at Founders and sixth at Division II New Englands. Paige Capistran ’16 came in 10th at Founders and 11th at Division II New Englands, while Sydney Rivers ’13 finished 18th at Division II New Englands. The three runners earned All-New England honors.

WINTER SEASON Westminster sports teams found a great deal of success during the 2012-2013 winter season. Athletes performed at the highest levels and proved that despite the school’s small size, Westminster can compete, and win, against much bigger rivals.

For the first time under the new postseason format, First Boys’ Hockey earned a trip to the “Elite Eight” New England tournament. An undefeated February pushed the team into the top eight teams in New England and earned them the No. 7 seed. They faced No. 2 Belmont Hill in the quarterfinals and came away with a thrilling overtime victory. The Martlets traveled to Salem, N.H., for the semifinals against Salisbury and once again found themselves in a very tight game that again needed an extra frame for a decision. Unfortunately, this time, the Black and Gold were not able to pull off the win. Captain David Hallisey ’13 was one of six players named to the All-New England Team.

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First Girls’ Hockey also qualified for the Division I New England tournament. With only three losses in the regular season and a Founders League championship, Westminster earned the No. 3 seed and a home game in the quarterfinals against Cushing Academy. Neither team was able to score in regulation or in the first overtime period. Ultimately, Cushing scored in the fifth period on a power play, in a heart-breaking loss for Westminster. Captain Eleni Tebano ’13 was named to the All-New England First Team and Tori DeAngelis ’14 earned Second Team honors.

First Girls’ Squash celebrated a very successful season as well. In addition to its 11-4 regular season record, the team can boast one of the best players in New England and the country. In the Class A New England tournament No. 1 draw, Fifth Former Laila Samy came in second. During the season, Laila also won the U.S. Junior Open Squash Championship.

Laila lost only one match this winter and helped lead her team to their most successful season in many years.

First Boys’ Squash was again composed of a talented and hard-working group. The team’s 12-4 record was good enough to earn it honors as Founders League co-champions along with Taft and Hotchkiss. More impressively, after the Class A New England tournament, the Martlets were given the NEISA Sportsmanship Award for the team’s comportment for the season. All teams vote on which team should receive this award, and, in many ways, this is the greatest honor a squad could receive.

Swimming and Diving has a couple of champions on its squad too.

Divers Jimmy Giuliano ’13 and Kayla Foley ’13 won the New England Division II diving championships. Third Former Jack Norman placed second. Jimmy’s performance was good enough to set a new meet record.

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In addition, both Jimmy and Kayla placed second in the Founders League diving championships. Boys’ Swimming and Diving performed impressively in the final weeks of the season and placed third at the Division II meet. Top finishes by Herbert Cheng ’13, second in the 200 IM, and Toby Casper ’14, second in the 100 Breaststroke, helped the team’s efforts.

Both First Basketball teams had their best seasons in many winters.

The boys earned 10 wins and had a number of close, exciting victories.

They were led by Kris Hargraves ’13, who was a force both offensively and defensively. Kris earned All-New England recognition. The girls’ team doubled its wins from last year and was competitive in every game it played. Meg Richard ’15 and Rachel Monroe ’14 were named NEPSGBCA Class A All-Stars.

Visit www.westminster-school.org/scores for the latest game results and team schedules or scan this QR code with your smartphone

Student Wins Squash Championship For the second year in a row, Westminster can boast about having a national champion among its ranks. Laila Samy ’14 won the U.S. Junior Open Squash Championships U17 division held in Boston Dec. 15-18. After being pushed to four games in the semifinals, Laila was dominant during the final round, winning the match in three games (2, 5, 6). Players from 20 countries participated in the tournament, which is the largest junior tournament in the world.

Laila is in her first year at Westminster. She follows in the footsteps of fellow countryman and Martlet Ahmed Abdel Khalek ’12 who was both a U.S. Junior Champion and undefeated during his career at Westminster. Both Laila and Ahmed hail from Egypt, and as Ahmed took Westminster squash to a new level, Laila seems destined to do the same.

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Westminster’s 125th Anniversary Celebration Continues Westminster’s 125th anniversary celebration continued throughout the late fall and winter with a variety of activities both on and off the Hill. Numerous speakers visited campus, author and musical events were held in the Gund Reading Room, and performing arts presentations took place in the Werner Centennial Center. Community outreach was another focus and included donations of canned food, turkeys, gift cards and books.

Please see related stories that follow.

Major anniversary events in the months ahead will include an Alumni Art Exhibit May 3-25 in the Armour Academic Center and an Alumni Athletic Forum in the Werner Centennial Center on the evening of May 7.

Alumni who will be showcasing their works at the art exhibit will include George Elliott ’47, Joe Gitterman ’55, David Maclay ’64, Rett Sturman ’65, Jeffrey Bishop ’67, David Cowing ’73, Kurt Godiksen ’73, the late Anne Culver ’76, Will Sillin ’73, Larry Wasiele ’75, Emily Laird ’79, Bryan Nash Gill ’80, Alex Boyden Donaghy ’82, Alec Richardson ’85, Anee Ward ’85 and Lee Anderson ’04.

Alumni who will be speaking about their professional athletic careers at the athletic forum will include Kara Brown ’96, Doug Knight ’93, Jeff Natale ’01, Rebecca Brooks ’96, Ben Smith ’06 and Brian Sanford ’06.

Rebecca Lobo, a television analyst and former professional basketball player, will serve as the moderator.

Plans are also underway for the anniversary’s closing celebration on Sept. 28 that will feature the dedication of new student and faculty residences, a keynote address by New York Times columnist and best-selling author David Brooks, a reception and dinner.

For all of the latest news on anniversary activities, please visit www.westminster-school.org/125

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Restoration of Two Headmaster Portraits Portraits of two of Westminster’s former headmasters, William Lee Cushing and Lemuel Gardner Pettee, are looking better than ever thanks to recent cleaning and repair work that took place as a part of the school’s 125th anniversary celebration.

The portraits hang in the school’s dining hall, along with the portraits of all of Westminster’s seven previous headmasters.

The 55-inch by 45-inch oil on canvas of Westminster School founder William Cushing had never been lined or cleaned before and was in need of repair due to some surface damage. Preservation work by an art conservation company in New York City included repairing damaged areas, retouching the surface, varnishing it and lining it.

The 50-inch by 40-inch portrait of Westminster’s second headmaster, Lemuel Pettee, was similarly damaged and needed to be relined with an acrylic canvas and have old surface coatings removed, new inpainting performed and a coating of protective varnish applied. A Connecticut conservation laboratory performed the restoration work.

“These two great icons were sorely in need of major refurbishment,” said Alan Brooks ’55, director of the 125th anniversary. “The paintings are much brighter now, and the portraits seem to pop out at you. They should hold up very nicely for many generations.”

William Lee Cushing

Lemuel Gardner Pettee

Senior ESPN Executive Encourages Students to Enjoy Life’s Journey Rob King, senior vice president and editor in chief of ESPN digital and print media, visited Westminster Oct. 26 to talk with students and faculty about his work at ESPN and a career that has included positions as a cartoonist and a journalist.

“The reason I came here is to talk about you,” he told the students in the audience. “I want to tell you that I am jealous of everyone in the room.” He then cited some reasons for his envy.

The first was that they have more access to information than he had growing up. He told them how he learned to be a cartoonist from studying information in the World Book Encyclopedia and comic books, the only resources available to him at the time.

He also talked about how they have the ability to communicate with

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anybody they want at any time and encouraged the students to enjoy the present. “You are at an amazing place.

You are the most precious element in this conversation. You are on a journey that can take you to lots of different places.”

After talking about his early career, he added, “Between the ages of 14 and 30, you will be 15 people. Give yourself permission to be the age you are. … Along the way, you will learn, try, fail, succeed and start over.”

In discussing his work at ESPN, he emphasized, “The world we live in is moving so fast. We are constantly trying to meet your expectations. …

We have to think about all of your points of view and needs, and deliver in real time.” In closing he said, “You are on your way, and I am proud to have spent some time with you.”

Rob King, senior vice president and editor in chief of ESPN digital and print media, gives a presentation to students and faculty about his career and work at ESPN.

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Angel Tree Project Helps Others Members of the Westminster community collected 125 gift cards that were given to the Simsbury Department of Social Services as part of the school’s annual holiday Angel Tree Project. Westminster faculty and their families, students, staff, advisee groups, entire classes and teams donated the cards from a variety of retailers and restaurants. The Dec. 12 Candlelight Service offering also went toward the purchase of additional gift cards.

Martlet Retrospective to be Published Each spring, an issue of The Martlet is published, showcasing student and faculty verse, prose, artwork and photography. Students serve as editors and work with faculty advisors to prepare it for publication. Head of the English Department Michael Cervas P’96, ’01, ’10, the holder of the Donald H. Werner Chair in English, serves as the literary advisor, and photography teacher Jane Toner P’02 serves as the art advisor.

As a part of Westminster’s 125th anniversary celebration, a retrospective issue of The Martlet will be published in May, showcasing selected works from prior issues extending back to 1965. Molly Mullen ’13 is editor of the retrospective and has been working on the project for nearly two years.

Molly began reviewing the past four decades of issues of

Molly Mullen ’13, right, works with Alexa Armour ’14 on selection of artwork for the retrospective issue of The Martlet.

The Martlet during the summer before her Fifth Form year in order to select stories for the new anthology. She continued her work last summer and chose three or four stories from each decade.

Most of the literary work is in the form of short stories, with some recent poems.

“There is a lot of variety to it,” said Molly.

“In the 1960s, there were more nonfiction and opinion pieces, while more recently, the works are fiction and poetry.” Covers of past issues will serve as artwork.

“I knew I could trust Molly to be a thoughtful editor for the retrospective, but I was amazed to discover that so many of her choices would have been exactly the ones I would have made if I were putting the booklet together,” said Michael. “This Martlet retrospective will be truly representative of the variety and quality of literature and art produced by Westminster students and teachers over the past 50 years.”

“The yearly edition of The Martlet has been a wonderful place to showcase the work of Westminster student and faculty artists and photographers,” added Jane.

“It has been especially exciting working with Molly on this retrospective issue as she thoughtfully selected a fine cross section of art and photography representative of five decades.”

A previous retrospective issue was published in 1965 and covered selections from 1891 to 1965 from the predecessor to The Martlet, the Westminster Review, and The Martlet. It was completed as a part of the school’s 75th anniversary celebration.

According to the book “By Grit and Grace,” the first Martlet appeared during Headmaster Arthur “Prof” Milliken’s tenure: “Prof and faculty member Ashley Olmsted thought of it as a medium for putting in print the best of the school’s creative writing.”

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Anniversary Gift to Simsbury Public Library Helps Teens As a part of the community outreach efforts of Westminster’s 125th anniversary celebration, the school donated funds to the Simsbury Public Library to purchase 125 books for its teen collection.

Books added to the collection include fiction, nonfiction, graphic novels, classics, and audio and e-books. A list of the titles appears on the Simsbury Public Library’s Web site. The books are being displayed together in the library for one year and thereafter will be interfiled with the library’s Young Adult collection. A bookplate in each book designates it as a gift to the community on the occasion of Westminster’s 125th anniversary. Reviews of the individual books are also running in the library’s electronic newsletter.

The Westminster gift was recognized by the Town of Simsbury at its Board of Selectmen meeting Jan. 14, at which time members of the library’s board of trustees presented Headmaster Bill Philip with a plaque of appreciation.

Library Director Sue Bullock also thanked Westminster for its generosity and described how the gift “has made a huge difference in reading materials for the kids.”

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“Community is one of our school’s core values and providing the opportunity for the Simsbury Public Library to expand its teen reading program is a perfect way for us to express our support for young adult education and to give back to the Simsbury community, which has been an integral part of our school’s long history,” said Headmaster Philip in accepting the plaque at the meeting.

Food Drive Helps Neighbors in Need In organizing the annual student Halloween dance Oct. 27, the student organization Serving Our Neighbors (SON) challenged students to bring at least 10 nonperishable food items to the dance. Students from the fall Community Service Program blitzed the school with mini-posters reminding classmates to meet the challenge. SON oversaw the collection of more than 125 pounds of food, and students in the fall Community Service Program delivered the food to the Simsbury Food Closet.

Chamber Members Visit Hill Westminster hosted local business and community leaders at a Simsbury Chamber of Commerce “After Hours” reception on Oct. 22 in the Armstrong Atrium of the Armour Academic Center. While enjoying great food and company, Chamber members learned about Westminster’s 125th anniversary celebration and its longtime involvement in the local community.

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Hartford Mayor Visits Westminster

Hartford as one of the most innovative cities in the nation.

He said the city was “stuck for many years in poverty and City of Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra visited was very segregated” and “the best way to fix this is through Westminster Feb. 7 to talk about his life and Hartford. education. There are a lot of new reforms in place to give Segarra was elected Hartford City Council president in children more opportunities.”

January of 2010 and became the city’s In response to questions from the 66th mayor in June of the same year, audience, he highlighted the addition of following the resignation of former affordable housing units in Hartford and mayor Eddie Perez. In November 2011, new transportation initiatives. “I am Mayor Segarra then won a sweeping hoping to see the skyline of the city victory with 81 percent of the vote. change,” he said. Although there are Segarra was born in Puerto Rico many demands associated with his and moved to the Bronx when he was in work, he declared, “I love my job being elementary school. At age 15, he packed mayor.” up his belongings and took a bus to Segarra encouraged students in the Hartford to start a new life. “From the audience to take part in public service. first day, I fell in love with the city,” he “With privilege comes the responsibility Harford Mayor Pedro Segarra and explained. to become good contributing members Simsbury First Selectman Mary Although he had not finished of the community.” He added that he Glassman high school, he attended Hartford loves the opportunity to debate ideas Community College, now known as and emphasized how important it is to Capital Community College. Following his graduation, he “learn the art of being respectful and tolerant so you don’t received a full scholarship to the University of Hartford hurt others.” where he earned a B.A. in political science. He then earned A believer in collaborative arrangements, he said he degrees from the University of Connecticut schools of social learns a lot from the mayors of other cities. “It is important work and law. A practicing attorney for 27 years, he was the to travel and see other cities,” he said. Simsbury First youngest person to serve as corporation counsel for the City Selectman Mary Glassman, a former law school classmate of Hartford when he was appointed in 1991. of the mayor’s, joined him on stage during part of his talk.

“Hartford is an incredible city and is so undervalued,” “It is great to be here on campus and to have Pedro here,” said the mayor. He cited many Hartford firsts, adding that she said. She shared some efforts underway to increase the Smithsonian is working on an exhibition showcasing collaboration among capital region towns.

125 Turkeys Donated to Holiday Food Drive Westminster students loaded up 125 frozen turkeys into two school vans and took them to a refrigerated trailer at Henry James Memorial School in Simsbury on Nov. 14 as the school’s contribution to the annual Jack Bannan’s Turkey Trot, a frozen turkey drive for the Thanksgiving holiday. The student volunteers included members of First Boys’ Basketball and the Community Service Program.

The goal of the food drive was to collect 3,500 turkeys, 24,000 pounds of nonperishable food and cash. The donations were given to Foodshare, which distributed the items to needy families in the region through its warehouse in Bloomfield.

Jack Bannan, a former sixth grade teacher in the Simsbury Public Schools, started the turkey drive 20 years ago. His daughter, Marianne Bannan, was carrying on her father’s legacy at the food drop-off location this year and welcomed Westminster’s donation to the effort.

“We love to see these kinds of gifts, which are very much appreciated,” she said. “This will give us a big jump toward our goal.”

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O

LOOKING BACK

ver the decades, as the nation moved through the industrial age into the information age, Westminster faced many challenges and achieved many successes from the Great Depression to the magnificent Edge bequest. Through it all, Westminster maintained its balance and remained true to its origins as a caring community built on trust, shared beliefs and valued traditions.

Westminster has excelled at inculcating in young men and women qualities of character such as responsibility, compassion, courage and honesty and takes pride that they go on to be the kind of people who serve their communities well by leading with grit and grace.

Westminster’s ethos has remained intact for 125 years. Each headmaster, from Cushing to Philip, however their leadership styles may have differed, has understood, respected and preserved the moral character of the school.

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What better way to look back at the history of Westminster School than through the eyes of its alumni. On the following pages are reflections from one graduate from each decade going back to the 1930s about their time at Westminster as a student. The reflections vary in form and in scope, with some focusing on individual milestones and others on what was happening on campus or in the world at the time. Collectively, they provide special insight into life on the Hill across nine decades.

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Left, Westminster’s third headmaster, Raymond McOrmond, and his wife, Alice. Above, Westminster’s second headmaster, Lemuel Gardner Pettee, who taught mathematics for 50 years.

The 1930s: Special Relationships and Memorable Experiences Dr. Roger Moore ’35 I lived those first years at Westminster in Junior House, on the left when you came up the hill. I feel foolish in a sense that I had no real sense of what it meant to go to boarding school, but I did not get homesick. My freshman year roommate was a chap named Rob Adriance ’35.

I looked up to all of the seniors, of course.

The two Rossiter brothers, Bill ’33 and Clint ’35, from Bronxville, N.Y., taught me the skill of hurdling, both high and low. My favorite sport was track. It just came like second nature. I did hurdling all four years and the 400-yard dash.

The old track was a cinder track, not clay. Taft was our big rival, emotionally, anyway. Taft and Choate were both bigger schools.

Hockey kept me in shape. We iced over the tennis courts in the early days when they were located right in front of Memorial. We also made sideboards. In later days, we went down the hill and skated on the river. I had to get up at 5 o’clock in the morning to have practice on the frozen river.

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Almost all of our classes were in Memorial. Mr. Huston and Mr. Pettee were deadly with chalk. If they wanted someone’s attention, they would throw chalk at them with deft accuracy. I never asked my father what my marks were. I was one of these kind of “Well there it is. Take me as I am.”

I had a great deal of familiarity with Headmaster McOrmond’s family, and they had influence on my Westminster experience. They were just different from my roommate. I spent a great deal of time both during the school year and vacation time — like the summer — with them. I used to help young “Mac” with his chores, and I went sailing with them at their home in Sachem’s Head.

Mr. McOrmond was never strict to the point of invading the clubhouses or any gathering of students who seemed to chum together. You could just always hear him coming down the hall with his leather heels going “clip, clip, clip.” He was called “The Bull.” As far as I was concerned, he was not the disciplinarian that stood out. Neither was his wife, Alice. Somehow, she and I became very good friends, and I owe things to her. When I got into trouble, she would admonish me. I had a special relationship with the McOrmonds.

For school dances, we would invite individual young ladies to visit who would be put up at the

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school. The dances took place in the dining hall.

There were dances at other schools, too, and I can remember going to one in Troy, N.Y. When not in classes, we used to go downtown often. It was good exercise. We went there to mess around and maybe do some shopping or not.

One weekend, Fred Willets ’35 invited me to his home. With his help, I had developed quite an enthusiasm for the jazz at that time. We visited a place in Harlem where all of the jazz musicians held forth. We just went and listened, and I was able to get up close to the bandstand and listen to this tenor saxophonist named Coleman Hawkins.

Fred was a natural musician and could play almost any instrument. He was the driving force behind the band and there is a picture in one of the yearbooks of us serenading the school at dinner. I was a member of the Glee Club and the orchestra because I played the piano.

One year, they had a ski jump in Salisbury and some of us were daring to the degree of going all of the way over there and then being caught because we went out without permission.

In 1933, there was a significant fire at Ethel Walker School. At that time, the Westminster School authorities must have thought it was worth it somehow to allow the students to walk across town to see the fire. I remember I got back a little late and got into trouble.

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In the third year, I became quite good friends with Avard Fuller ’35. He and I embarked on some crazy stunts without too much urging. One weekend, he was able to get permission to get in his Chris Craft speedboat and go from where he had it moored in Middletown and drive down to the shore. He wanted to show me how seaworthy the boat was.

Well, we went through a passage at the tip of Long Island known as Plum Gut, which was kind of rough, and the waves broke over the boat and flooded the engine compartment just enough so that we had to get a lift to the nearest port. From there, we hired somebody to empty the engine compartment enough so that we could manage the boat on the way back.

We did this because we already had planned and had permission to take Avard’s brand new convertible to Chicago, staying with friends of the McOrmonds along the way and then at the Edgewater Beach Hotel, courtesy of Mr. Fuller. That was an unforgettable experience.

I interviewed Prof Milliken at one time because I just wanted to find out what he thought of my becoming a teacher instead of a doctor. Of course, I know full well, he had to answer figuratively speaking since here was a college graduate all set to go to medical school wanting to find out about teaching. I was glad to go to medical school and wouldn’t have had it any other way.

(Editor’s note: The interview for this article took place June 18, 2012, at Roger’s home in Sharon, Conn. Roger was delighted to be sharing some of his experiences at Westminster for this special issue of the Bulletin. Very sadly, Roger passed away just eight days after our meeting, making our planned collaboration on the writing of this article impossible. His thoughts about his time at Westminster were conveyed during our wonderful conversation that day.)

Above, Roger Moore, on the left, competing in a race against Hotchkiss School; and right, a dormitory room in Memorial.

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The 1940s: Hoot Charlie and an Intended Destiny Pro Lyon ’49 The decade of the 1940s found the nation shouldering its way out of the Great Depression into a new prosperity while the world was bleeding its way through “the war to end all wars.” It was a decade that found Westminster standing stalwart amid the turbulence of national and global events with an institutional eye firmly on directing us to that maturity which would enable us to depart Williams Hill well equipped to face — indeed, to influence — that turbulence.

We were a part of a Williams Hill family that saw the school grow in size and cost while it diminished in scope of enrollment with the discontinuance of the First and Second Forms, which had been part of the Dobbs Ferry origins.

While more than casually aware of such things as the World Series competition in the “outside world” — competition which pitted teams like the

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Tigers, the Yankees and the Indians against teams like the Cubs, the Dodgers and the Braves — we were generally more enthralled with the outcome of our traditional football rivalry with Pomfret, a rivalry in which victory would free new students on the Hill from the sartorial bondage of the traditional black tie. They were also years when we did our best to avoid the disciplinary judgments of the headmaster and the Sixth Form.

It was a time when we sometimes shared in informal discussion about hopes and plans for life beyond education, but we paid little, if any, attention to the effect that might be anticipated from a 1949 spike in the country’s minimum wage from 40 cents to 75 cents an hour.

Also not to be forgotten was the stomachchurning challenge of preluncheon public speaking as one way to help keep us as a community up-to-date about such diverse things as the First Arab-Israeli War and the 1945 collision of a B-25 bomber with the Empire State Building. As many of us have subsequently and gratefully acknowledged, it was a preluncheon challenge that provided a welcomed, career-altering communications skill.

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Opposite page, students gather and make presentations in Watts Hall; top right, the First Football team in 1949; below left, John Gow’s science class; and below right, students in the food line.

In the fall of 1945, a decade before the Salk vaccine was to be available, polio blighted the campus and its host town, Simsbury, in the uninhibited form of an epidemic that forced the temporary shutting down of the school.

Teachers and coaches with names like Michelini, Doane, Olmsted, Pettee, Hobbs and Gow intimidated us with homework, hosted us with Sunday afternoon teas and scorned us into athletic prowess, all the while pointing us toward and empowering us for the post-Westminster years to come.

The ’40s, such as they were, also gave us “Hoot!

Charlie.” Charlie was the watchman who toured the campus each night, punching his time clock at various stations. Charlie was always more apparition than substance, always more defined by a lantern beam than by bodily form and who, indeed, may

never have been seen by a student as a complete human. When Charlie’s light was spied by one of us in those darkened hours — only across, and always across a darkened campus — we would offer a nocturnal salute in the form of a prepubescent “HOOT! Cha-r-r-r-lie.” It was a salute that was sure to elicit a response in the form of a muffled “Hoot” from his swinging lantern together with a vague sense that there had to be a person who was swinging the lantern.

Hoot Charlie was ever so appropriate a symbol of the security in which our Westminster years were wrapped. At the same time, he served in so many ways as an apt representation of the hard-to-capture and seemingly elusive maturity, which was our intended destiny to be harvested from those long-ago Williams Hill years.

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The 1950s: The Power of Grit & Grace

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previous one brought the right answer. Who could imagine how much that short conversation would change my life?

Bill McClendon ’51

The power of Westminster Grit & Grace lives on.

Thinking about this phrase causes a flow of old Westminster memories. Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman in his book “Thinking Fast and Slow” points out that memories, not just the experiences themselves, are the only perspective we can adopt as we think about our past. In other words, it is the memory of the experience, not the experience itself, that impacts us with such force. I have certainly found this to be true, and I am very grateful to be able to share a few key Westminster memories. I believe each one, in its own unique way, provides an insight about the lasting value of Grit & Grace.

It all began in New Orleans when my father said to me, “You know, son, when I was your age, I dreamed of going to school in a different part of the country. ... Now if I can work things out, would you like to give this a try?” I answered, “Sure, Pops.”

Being a lawyer and the son of a lawyer, my father knew never to ask another question when the

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Jumping to Conclusions When I arrived on the Hill in 1948, I, like other new students, was given a black tie to be worn everywhere at all times, and I do mean all. However, if Westminster won the Pomfret football game in November, we could quit wearing the ties. The bad news was Pomfret was heavily favored that year. The night before the game, the entire school community of about 150 boys crowded into the Common Room, now called Fearn Hall, shouting cheers. Suddenly everyone was quiet as into the middle of the room stepped Mr. Pettee, the white haired former headmaster. He was dignified, excited, confident and full of grace as he held up recent newspaper headlines declaring Thomas Dewey elected president. This was an error for sure because Harry Truman had easily won. After a long pause, Mr. Pettee cautioned us not to jump to conclusions. “We can beat Pomfret,” he asserted. “So bring home the bacon.” And win we did! Black ties were torn off, and at dinner that night, the football captain, amidst a thunderous roar, gave Mr. Pettee a humongous slab of bacon.

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Celebrating Winter My room the first year at Westminster was on the third floor of Headmaster Milliken’s house and was a perfect place from which to celebrate my first cold winter. One of the ways I did this was to make a very long icicle. I suspended from my window a tin can of water with a string attached to a hole in the bottom of the can. I also added blue ink to the water to make the icicle more distinctive. What a disaster!

After the icicle formed and thawed, the entire side of the house was streaked with blue ink. I apologized profusely. Later in February, Mr. Milliken gave me a birthday card with this advice: “Bill, never confuse being popular with being respected.”

Slowing and Settling Down Head football coach Ron Michelini was the most respected disciplinarian while I was a student. His look made you freeze. One night when I was on service duty in the dining hall, I hurried to clear Mr. Michelini’s table. The empty plates were filled with leftover gravy, and I was a little nervous as I picked up his plate. Just then, his knife and fork started to slide, and I couldn’t stop them. They fell off his plate

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and gravy spilled onto his tie. I quickly apologized, expecting an explosion any minute, but everyone was quiet. Instead, the coach graciously commented, “McClendon, slow down and you will live longer.”

By my Sixth Form year, things had settled down.

I was nicknamed “Alligator Whiskers” or “Colonel.”

Some even referred to me as the “Southern Exchange Student” because I was the first student from the South in more than 35 years. But, thanks to Westminster’s guidance, upon graduation, I progressed from being referred to as the “Southern Exchange Student” to becoming an English Speaking Union Exchange Student at The Leys School in Cambridge, England.

For me, each of these stories as a Westminster student exemplifies the dynamic tension existing between the will to win — grit, and the need to be civil — grace. This important dynamic has played a part in my life ever since and even became the central theme in a book I published in 2011 titled “Deal Makers, Negotiating More Effectively Using Timeless Values.” Yes, the power of Westminster Grit & Grace lives on.

Opposite page, Rankine Hinman’s class; above left, a view of Cushing Hall with the water tower in the background; above right, students working on the campus radio station; below left, Ron Michelini’s table in the dining hall; and below right, students watching television.

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The 1960s: The Night the Lights Went Out David Keene ’67

Nov. 9, 1965, is remembered as a pleasant but chilly fall evening in the Farmington Valley of Connecticut.

Just as dusk was descending, assorted members of the Fifth Form were gathering on the second floor corridor of Memorial Building. In those days, Memorial was a hub of activity, with residences on top and almost all of the school’s classrooms located on the first floor and basement.

The Times Were a-Changin’ In 1965, we perched unknowingly on the cusp of major social upheaval.

President Kennedy’s assassination in 1963 was viewed as an isolated event in the context of the faded memory of the McKinley assassination 62 years earlier or Lincoln’s a mere 98 years before; not as the first in a series of horrific murders of public figures. The War on Poverty and Great Society were nascent concepts. The Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act had just become law, and, while racial protests were starting to resonate through the Southern states, most of New England remained

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sleepy and conformist, oriented toward college and career. Steve Sanger ’65 would not become Westminster’s first casualty in Vietnam for another year. The war was still distant and largely irrelevant. That fall, the Westminster football team was methodically grinding its way to an undefeated season for the first time in 51 years. Life was good.

On Nov. 9, at just about 5:30 p.m., I was stretched out on my bed in a cramped single room, contemplating that nothing of even marginal excitement ever happened on the Westminster campus.

As if to rebut my complaint, the light in my room suddenly dimmed and went out. I was irritated at the thought that I would now have to procure a new light bulb to complete the night’s trigonometry assignment. I stepped out into the corridor and registered surprise: the entire floor was bathed in darkness.

Brothers in Ohms It was not altogether uncommon for somebody to blow a fuse in Memorial, especially given its mature wiring and the cornucopia of solid-state equipment tucked safely away in the dorm room of the two seniors across the hall from me. Their room featured enough inventory to open Greater Simsbury’s largest electronics store. Somewhere in a drawer, amidst the

Above, a view of a dormitory room and, right, a student debate. Opposite page, student entertainment and discussion.

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stereo equipment and the powerful short-wave radio, was a small black-and-white television set. A high point of the coming year would be watching the Rolling Stones’ live appearance on the Ed Sullivan show.

Not surprisingly, no one on the corridor took responsibility for offing the power. While the seniors huddled up to decide on a course of action, someone came in the building and announced that the electricity was out on the entire campus. Then someone got the bright idea to turn on a portable radio. By the time we made the trek over to Cushing and sat down for our first and only Westminster candlelight supper, word had spread: there was a massive power outage from New Jersey to Ontario, and nobody knew the cause. All of New York City was dark. Whatever the power outage was, it was indubitably real, and it was widespread.

The Russians Are Coming Rumors spread on the isolated campus faster than influenza. This was 1965, after all. James Bond and Dr. Strangelove were cultural icons, and the threat of Communist bombers or Cuban missiles was a very realistic image. By the time dinner was over, we half expected to wake the next day surrounded by alien gunboats, or maybe Russian paratroopers. In the coming days, commentators would theorize that UFOs were responsible. A popular song at the time was the Skeeter Davis classic “The End of the World.”

Another was Barry McGuire’s “Eve of Destruction.”

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We were singing both on the way back to the dorm.

The good news: Without electricity, homework was impractical. Back at Memorial, we gathered in the small suite of Mr. Ide, a first-year teacher, who read us ghost stories by candlelight into the late hours, until sleep overcame us.

Brave New World It was later determined that two maintenance men in Southern Ontario were to blame for setting a safety relay too low several days earlier. A power surge from Western New York tripped the relay, redirecting a massive surge south and east, leaving some 80,000 square miles and more than 30 million people in the dark for up to 12 hours. (So the Internet says.)

As Nov. 10 dawned, the feeling of imminent crisis dissipated. No invading troops, no evil-looking spaceship hovering overhead. Football and soccer and classes continued unabated, and the great blackout of 1965 was largely forgotten.

In 1938, Orson Welles had produced a radio broadcast of a program called “War of the Worlds” which was premised on an invasion of Earth by Martian warlords. Although Welles gave a disclaimer that the program was a work of fiction before the show aired, many citizens who missed that announcement believed the event was real and reacted in panic. I like to think we were much more sophisticated by 1965, but maybe we were just not provided with a convincing interstellar explanation.

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Perhaps the most significant milestone in the 1970s was the move to coeducation.

The 1970s: Remembering the People Bini Worcester Egertson ’77

In October of my eighth grade year, I set foot on Westminster’s campus to watch my older brother’s football game.

I was just starting the second and final year of what was then known as junior high. My school was large and impersonal, and generally unremarkable. I knew my parents wanted me to visit a couple of the local independent schools to explore the idea of a private school. I hadn’t really given it much thought until that afternoon, while standing on the sidelines of my brother’s game. I can still remember how I felt on that day. There was something so completely different and exciting about the atmosphere on the Westminster campus. I observed the many students, parents and faculty members who were out cheering for the football team. I knew at that moment that I wanted to be a part of the Westminster community.

In the fall of 1973, I enrolled at Westminster as a Third Former. That year was only the third year of coeducation for the school. The original “dirty dozen,” as the first girls were labeled, paved the

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road for those of us who followed in the next few years. There were some bumps along the way as Westminster transitioned from a male institution to a coed school. I believe there was a “girls’ gripe” group that would meet every so often to discuss issues facing the girls. For the most part, though, we were thrown into the mix and expected to make our way.

Every student was required to play on a sports team each season. I played field hockey, indoor tennis and lacrosse that first year. In the early ’70s, there were no organized town sports for girls, so this was my first experience being a member of a team and competing against other schools. I loved the drives to away games, singing and talking nonstop, and saying cheers like, “For the gold, the gold, the gold team gold, my back’s breakin’, my pants too tight, my hips are shakin’ from left to right, saying gold, gold, gold power!”

Returning to campus after a game, we would pull down the windows of our yellow school bus and yell out the score of our game to anyone ambling across campus. We were especially proud when we beat bigger schools or all-girls schools, which we routinely did despite our small numbers.

The fashions and styles during those years were not as different from what you see today as you might imagine. Many of the girls wore their hair

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long and straight and parted down the middle. For athletic contests, as they were often called in those days, hair would be pulled back and adorned with a grosgrain ribbon that matched one’s uniform. For footwear, you would see all sorts of L.L. Bean shoes and boots, Tretorn sneakers, clogs, Dr. Scholl’s and espadrilles. Thin and wide wale corduroy pants, patchwork and Fair Isle sweaters were a common look around campus.

What I remember most, though, about my four years at Westminster are the people. There were so many wonderful and caring faculty members who pushed all of us to become better versions of ourselves. The talented Gilmans, who had only the highest expectations for the chorus, and as a result, inspired us to produce beautiful music. We were also fortunate to be invited several times a year into their home, where we enjoyed delicious dinners and mouthwatering desserts. Mr. Adams, who taught English and then later East Asian history and exposed us to a different part of the world and to a new way of thinking. Mr. Burdett, speaker of many languages, whose classroom walls were decorated

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with posters of his favorite star, Brigitte Bardot, and with pithy statements like “avoid obfuscation.” (I can remember looking up that word!) Mr. Hovey, of the gravelly voice, who commanded respect and had all of us rising to our feet the minute he entered the classroom. Mr. Hopley, with his endless patience, who taught us how to do Latin declensions and the relevance of a dead language. These are just a few of the many teachers who reached us in the classrooms, on the playing fields and in the many other unscripted moments of life at a boarding school.

As students, we were exposed to kids from around the country and the world. Many of the relationships that we formed in those years remain constant. Some of my closest friends today are friends that I made during my high school years. It was never the bricks and mortar that mattered at Westminster. It was always about the relationships formed amongst the faculty and the students, and the importance of being a contributing member of the community.

Above left, girls’ sports teams included girls' lacrosse on which Bini Worcester played; below left, Bruce Burdett’s class; and above right, students on the quad.

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The 1980s: Westminster in the ’80s

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It’s all about friendship in the ’80s No cell phones, texting, Facebook… How old!

Let’s meet, prank, chew or chat face to face Behind the student center or other sacred place.

Road trip! U2, Dead concert… struck gold!

Ricky Padro ’87

I woke up in a dream about the ’80s.

The Violent Femmes are humming in my head.

Lacrosse players by Memorial are flaunting, Ken Stone’s four-question chemistry test is haunting.

I play backgammon with Nick and Greg instead.

Everything seems possible in the ’80s.

Baxter computers help type our latest task.

Printers loudly scratch out embryonic lines.

Huge Walkmans are the rockin’ iPods of our times.

With Belushi and Eddie Murphy, we all have a blast.

Don Werner is our headmaster in the ’80s.

He sets the tone for greatness on the Hill.

Amazing teachers like Mr. Jackson inspire.

Hovey, Stevens, Randall… light a f***’n fire!

I’m jogging ‘round misty fields when all is still.

A storm comes blowing through in the ’80s.

We hunker down with Rapini and catch Miami Vice.

Gloria comes howling, shining, then gets tired.

Our community unites, rebuilds when she’s expired.

Did you see that wicked Brian Leetch kid on our ice?

Mr. Philip is a fine swimming coach in the ’80s.

He’s patient with us guys in the far lane.

McDee steams past a Deerfield giant… we won!

Now how to hide our shaved legs in the sun?

Can we get a bigger tub for all the pain?

There are many rising stars in the ’80s.

Our physics teacher, Mr. Warner, is in contention To board the Shuttle Challenger for space.

Christa McAuliffe shines and wins the historic race.

On 1/28 we mourn both her and a dream’s suspension.

Assembly is serious business in the ’80s.

Eloquent head prefects deserve a warm mention.

Left, students in front of Baxter Academic Center and above, Michael Jackson’s class.

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But the meeting which I loved above all the rest Was led by a Munster-beloved parent… guest.

Fred Gwynne’s height and humor commanded our attention.

Ethnicity makes some inroads in the ’80s.

Am I beautiful “in spite of” or “because of” my color?

There are a growing handful of us at the school.

Maybe somebody thinks we’re relevant, cool?

Mr. Batchelder and I lead a sermon on MLK Jr., quite stellar!

Perestroika reaches The Hill in the ’80s.

“Chooda!” (Miracle!) The Soviet ice begins to crack.

As the sinister smoke from Chernobyl clears, Rodney and Burdett teach us Russian; we prepare.

Ambassadors to Gogol’s Leningrad! I vow to go back!

That surreal trip in the ’80s changes both my life and that of my wife.

Secret white-night toast on Nevsky Prospect…

Cautious Russian friends (“droozya”) idolize our home.

Our free shores, to them, are far grander than Rome.

In proud Uzbekistan, no shorts; Westies show respect.

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I admire my fellow Martlets in the ’80s.

They are energized, involved, engaged and brave.

Mature leaders devour activities with drive.

Sports, Choir, Dramat, Holly Hill, Debate… come alive!

Adversity only sparks a rally, feeding the next wave.

Todd Eckerson’s corridor is cool in the ’80s.

I dream of Yale while on a musty hammock lying.

The bombing of Libya keeps us up one weird night.

Bob Marley reassures that the world can be all right.

My chess bro’, Dave, becomes an Eli! I must keep trying!

Westminster teachers believe in us in the ’80s.

It’s really not so difficult to do.

We are reflections of their magnificent work, sweat and tears.

Besides, everything seems possible in the Reagan years.

As a teacher, I now try to believe in my students (and their future) too.

Above left, Coach Bill Philip with the boys’ swim team; below left, members of the John Hay Society including Ricky Padro, in front row; and above right, a girls’ dormitory room;

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The 1990s: A Foundation for the Present and the Future Lauren Polo Patnaude ’99 As I reflect on how Westminster and the community of faculty and friends shaped us in our years as students in the 1990s, what comes to mind is how those experiences and relationships continue to influence and support us in our years as alumni.

There is a pressure to represent exactly how formative and transformative our time at Westminster was across all the students of the 1990s, with our diversity of backgrounds, interests, dreams and subsequent paths. The best analogy I have for this task is when I was asked to speak at our commencement. I remember feeling pressure to provide some perspective on the journey that nearly 100 graduating Sixth Formers had just completed and on the many different ones ahead; above all, I felt an overwhelming need to represent the importance of the occasion in a memorable way.

I vaguely remember speaking about how our time on the Hill culminated with such power and meaning, with every Sixth Former confident that

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they would hold on to friendships and memories with the same clarity and strength of that moment. But, like a breeze rippling across the surface of a pond and distorting the images reflected upon on it, so too would our memories blur with the passage of time.

What would be left of our experiences at Westminster would be the essence of them. When we would think back to our time in the classroom, on the fields and in the dorms, the stories and specifics would be replaced by a general warmth, a knowing smile. We can almost hear ourselves laughing about something funny from assembly, but no longer remember the joke. We can still feel the heat of the fall bonfire, but only have some old pictures to remind us what we looked like — black-and-gold-painted faces aglow from the flames.

While the sharp edges of our Westminster experiences and memories may be smudged over time, they also fuse together to help create our core, a foundation of knowledge and character on which we build the rest of our lives. Time may rob us of that clarity, but it actually sharpens our perspectives on those experiences. I personally know I have a deeper appreciation now for how much I grew intellectually, emotionally, spiritually and in maturity during my four years on the Hill. I gained confidence and presence. I was encouraged and supported to take risks and explore the vast world beyond my comfort

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zone. At every turn, I was taught that the importance of being a good person matched that of achieving a great outcome. The values of integrity, humility and community were central to the broader academic and life curricula we learned from the hallways of Baxter to the stands of Jackson Hockey Rink during a cold night game. Indeed, Westminster seeded a deep value system that has been a guiding force in my life after the Hill. I have a desire to “pay-forward” the pervasive mentorship culture and development orientation that characterize Westminster in many aspects of my current life, personally and professionally.

Ironically, that analogy about a pond and a breeze is about all the content I remember from the 10 minutes that I spoke the day we graduated. In writing this reflection, I tried to dig up the file for my speech as a starting point. A part of me wanted to see how directly the last almost 15 years had

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actually mapped to my speculation of them at 18 years old. What I realized was that it wasn’t a fair exercise. What I thought Westminster was about at the time I stood on Commencement Lawn was so narrow. Now, over a decade and a half later, I have been able to open the aperture and see in how many varied ways my experiences at Westminster have and continue to shape my life. And while some memories have faded, others have formed anew as relationships with other Martlets — former classmates and others — have formed or been deepened across my journeys as an alumna. Friends, faculty and staff on the Hill comprised a sort of second family for me — one that helped challenge and develop me; one that invested heavily in me to allow me to succeed; one to whom I am deeply indebted; and one from whom I continue to draw upon as the foundation for the present and the future.

Opposite page, commencement; above left, students in the school store in Baxter Academic Center; below left, singing with the choir; and right, Edge House, which opened in 1996.

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The 2000s: Facing the New Millennium Todd McDonald ’00

Dec. 31, 1999, was a day as unique as it was unusual. With the weather a balmy 61 degrees, the day added to one of the warmest winters since the 1890s. As bizarre as it was, the climate data point fit right into an “end of the world” narrative that was more and more convincing by the hour.

For months, we had watched businesses and Congress get ready for a crisis as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) issued numerous preparedness warnings. People across the country hoarded canned goods, bottled water and even firewood in the event the utility companies shut down. The new millennium was upon us and, along with it, the software crash of the ages: Westminster, meet Y2K. On this same warm winter day, Williams Hill was quiet in hibernation, awaiting the return of students from a historic break. Edge House, just three years old, stood elegantly as the prototype of a future campus. Memorial Hall, with its striking

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renovation only a year old, added to the wonder of what life at Westminster had in store. A new common space served as an environment to share experiences after a demanding day of school and sports. Brand new dorm rooms instilled a sense of comfort and pride for students living miles away from home. Westminster had set a strong foundation to thrive in the 2000s, and the time had finally come.

As the clock struck 12 a.m. in the United States and the year 2000 became a reality, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The front page of The New York Times captured the mood perfectly in a headline: “Computers Prevail in First Hours of ’00.” The television still worked, the heat stayed on and bank accounts had not magically gained or lost any funds. The Y2K crisis had been averted and life was back to normal. Students eagerly tapped away at their Nokia dial pads to send messages about their excitement to friends and family. School and post-holiday athletic practices may have loomed in the future, but at least the world had not ended.

The Y2K scare could have been a major blow to the general trust and comfort the Westminster community had in technology. As the year progressed and the dot-com boom continued,

Left, computers in the technology classroom of Baxter Academic Center and, right, the Darling Library.

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Above left, Eliza Childs’ Spanish class in Baxter Academic Center; above right, students enjoying a sunny day on the Sixth Form Lawn; and right, a stickball game.

however, it became evident that we could never look back. For students, new technologies would change the way we think, learn and interact. Aspects of Westminster’s campus would transform to the point of being unrecognizable to those who had walked the halls just years before. From the opposite perspective, it is amusing to think that student experiences at the turn of the millennium — just 13 years ago — could be unrecognizable to students attending Westminster today.

How peculiar would it sound if a student doing research for a history paper today walked into the library and asked for the CD-ROM version of Encarta or the Encyclopedia Britannica? Imagine the chuckles that would result if students entered the “cutting edge” Armour Academic Center computer lab outfitted with the newly launched, boxy and brightly colored computer-in-a-monitor called the iMac. And how humorous is the idea of day students washing dusty chalkboards as a daily chore? When compared to the prevalence of interactive whiteboards that automatically save class notes to the “cloud,” it sounds like a good joke.

These differences in experiences seem like comparisons of a Westminster many decades apart.

The reality is that the acceleration of technology has transformed school life faster than many imagined.

Despite all of this change and competition for a student’s time and focus, Westminster has harnessed these innovations to protect and improve upon the core principles we all know. Where mobile technology could disrupt the student-teacher relationship, Westminster has embraced innovation in the classroom to prepare students for a digital future.

Where social networking could detract from traditions of forming strong personal bonds, Westminster has led in fostering a strong sense of community by interacting with students and alumni in all formats. The school carefully balances its passion for progress with its commitment to tradition, reflecting the grit and grace by which members of its community live. For that reason, we know that in 10 years, we may not recognize how Westminster looks, but we will still know the principles on which it stands.

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The 2010s: Finding Support in Your Weaknesses Katie Hill ’11

Of all the things Westminster taught me, two things proved the most difficult for me to learn.

One of them was how to make a blazer look good. The other was how to play hockey. On paper, my time on the ice looks relatively successful: of the two seasons I spent on Second Girls’ Hockey, the first was undefeated and the second only missed being undefeated by a few games. In reality, however, it must be said that during those two winters, I spent fewer minutes on the ice and more minutes accepting prepackaged hand warmers from charitable onlookers than did any of my teammates.

Why I decided to play hockey in the first place is a bit foggy to me now. I suppose at the time, it seemed like a safer option than subjecting my 5-foot1-inch self to basketball. But exactly what faulty logic had led me away from sports where one does not have to balance on thin metal blades and, instead, led me down the incredibly icy hill to night practices at the rink, I don’t remember. Regardless of reasoning, though, I was ready to start slow, and start slow I most certainly did.

My first day of hockey, I learned two things.

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One, I learned how to put my pads on correctly. This was a process that was more complicated than I had anticipated it to be, and it took about half an hour for me to get myself out of the mess of Velcro I had gotten myself into and put everything back on in the right order. Two, I learned to stop. I say this not because I was able to stop effectively after that first practice, but because this was when I was first taught how to stop. In the weeks that it took me to master the technique, I was left to employ some alternative methods. I don’t mean to suggest that slamming into the boards, falling over, tripping or attempting to grab onto the goal while tripping, only to slam into the boards and fall over aren’t completely effective, but it was a relief when I could finally stop properly.

As the season got underway and we found our winning streak, I was perfectly happy to warm up with the team on game days and then loudly support them from the bench for the rest of the afternoon. I was obviously terrified, then, when one Saturday in February, my coach told me that he planned on putting me in.

I should note at this point that the team we were up against that day was not known for its sportsmanship or ability. They were a group of girls who outsized me by an average of seven inches and about 80 pounds, and were known, instead, for plowing down people who stood in their way. I, therefore, skated cautiously out of the box, trying to keep up with the puck but not get close enough to it to be a target, when all of the sudden, I found it

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resting against my stick. I headed down the ice blinded first by panic and then by the huge opposing player blocking my path and barely managed to hit the puck as hard as I could before she slammed me into the boards. She was too late, though. The shot went in.

I struggled in my initial shock to find words to express that feeling, but soon words did come to me — words like pride, amazement and affirmation that my struggles had been worth something. Also words like pain and dizziness surfaced, since the girl had hit my head with fairly considerable strength, but mainly more of the positive thoughts were on my mind. I skated triumphantly back over to the bench, and as all my teammates congratulated me, I realized why I liked playing hockey.

This was a group of girls who were cheering me for doing something they had probably done for the

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first time when they were in elementary school. It was not a very big achievement in the first place, and we were up by so many goals that mine hardly made a difference, but they recognized that it was significant to me. When our season finished, undefeated, I felt as though I had actually contributed something to the team besides encouragement from the sidelines. Teachers and parents who knew I had played hockey would commend me as if I had been important to our victories. It didn’t matter at that point that I was a terrible hockey player, what mattered was that my time playing hockey was by far the most fun I have ever had failing at anything. Good communities support you in your talents, but it takes a great community to support you in your weaknesses, hand warmers and all.

Opposite page, Katie Hill with her Second Girls’ Hockey team; above left, members of the Class of 2010 with then Headmaster Graham Cole in the mechanical room of the newly opened Armour Academic Center with a 50-year time capsule; above right, Headmaster Bill Philip speaks at an assembly in the Armour Academic Center; and right, students cheer during a hockey game at the Jackson Hockey Rink.

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Sharing History When Ginny Durfee ’15 and Julia Cooper ’15 arrived at Westminster as Third Formers in fall 2011, they were looking forward to meeting other students and forming new friendships. The two became instant friends. What they were surprised to discover, however, was that their new friendship was rooted in Westminster history. Their paternal grandfathers, Sherman B. Durfee ’54 and Peter N. Cooper ’54, had met as Third Formers on the Hill 61 years earlier and had become best of friends. What were the odds of having this in common? They wanted to learn more.

Early Roots Sherm Durfee and Peter Cooper entered Westminster’s Class of 1954 in 1950. They were a part of a group of 17 new students who were joining 12 original members of the class who had attended the lower school. Sherm was from Providence, R.I., and had been directed to Westminster by his father who was good friends with Headmaster Arthur “Prof” Milliken. “I needed a structured life at that point,” said Sherm. “I was sent to Westminster because my parents thought it was a good place for me to go and be under the tutelage of Arthur Milliken.” Peter, on the other hand, was from Point Shares, Bermuda, and knew about Westminster from his older brother, Kirk, who was a member of the Class

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of 1951. While a student at Eaglebrook School, Peter visited Westminster for an athletic competition and decided that if his brother had been happy at Westminster, he would be too.

“It was probably the most peaceful decade we have had in 60 or 70 years,” said Sherm about life at Westminster in the early 1950s. “Everyone seemed to be able to have a good time and didn’t have all of the worries that are pressing the world today.”

Peter played football and baseball and was on the swimming team. He also managed the first hockey team and was a cheerleader. Sherm played football and hockey and was captain of the track team. He also sang in the choir and

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who got tattoos that night. I still have it today, and it is not with numerous singing groups. “Sports weren’t really what very pretty.” brought us together,” said Sherm. “It was about social Technology was hardly the driving social force it is contact and being good friends and spending a lot of time today. “It went about as far as the typewriter and the together.” They both enjoyed participating in the Dramatic Association and serving on the Dance Committee. dictating machine,” said Sherm. “Television was around, but Membership on the Dance Committee was a prestigious we certainly didn’t have television available in our lives at responsibility that involved working with the wife of the school. If you wanted to call someone, you had to use the headmaster, Sue Milliken, to set up dances and Dance pay phone.”

Weekend.

“There was one pay phone in Main Building, and it was “We were pretty good pals from the beginning,” added busy all of the time,” explained Peter. “It was especially busy Peter. “There was a group of us who hung out. Everyone when we were trying to get dates for dances and Dance went to the largest dorm rooms because you could get more Weekend. We didn’t have phones in our rooms. We also tried people into them.” to get very friendly with the secretary in the main office since According to both, life on the Hill was somewhat formal she would sometimes let us make a call from her phone if no at the time. At family style dinners, which took place every one else was in there.” night, Peter recalls Prof and Sue Milliken standing after Dance Weekend was a premiere social event of the year. dinner so everyone could shake their hands. “He would “For Dance Weekend, I remember my girlfriend stayed with always say to me, ‘Peter, are you humble?’ and I would say, one of the masters who had a spare room,” said Peter. “The ‘Yes, sir. I am humble,’ and then we girls attended the dance, watched their would say ‘goodnight.’” boyfriends play a sport, went to the One sought-after social activity chapel service and saw the school play. was traveling to New York City. “We Each guy would fill out a dance card had very limited weekends, so if you for his girlfriend with the names of could get a weekend permission, three boys she would be dancing with. You or four of us would take a train from would make sure the boys you put on Hartford to New York City,” said her dance card were no competition to Sherm. “It was very structured, and yourself. Sherm was on my girlfriend’s dance card for sure.” we didn’t get many weekends off.

Peter ended up marrying his Most of us lived far enough away so girlfriend, Barbara, who was also from you couldn’t go home.”

Bermuda and attended boarding Sherm and Peter also enjoyed getting together during school breaks school in Canada. He proposed the in Bermuda, where Peter lived. “One night of his Westminster graduation at year, we were able to get six or seven a party at a classmate’s home. “I classmates to go to Bermuda for spring didn’t ask permission from my mother break,” said Peter. “We called or my father,” he said. “They didn’t ourselves Bermuda University. We know anything about it.” The couple didn’t want to be prep school fellows. waited two years for the wedding and The Bermudian government was very have been married 57 years. Barbara has many fond memories of visiting liberal in entertaining students who Westminster and even had a poem and visited, so we had a lot of fun.” a photograph published in the Another one of Peter’s memorable Westminster News. off-campus excursions actually happened as a part of an English class Following graduation, Sherm when he and Sherm and a group of attended Yale University and Peter other students traveled to Hartford to attended New York University’s see a film version of “Macbeth.” “No School of Retailing. As a member of teacher went with us,” recalled Peter. the Yale Whiffenpoofs singing group, “There were responsible, designated Sherm continued to visit Peter in senior student drivers who were Bermuda. “I ended up spending a Opposite page, Ginny Durfee ’15, left, allowed to drive school cars to help considerable amount of time with him and Julia Cooper ’15, right, are there because of the Whiffenpoofs and get students off campus for whatever roommates in Edge House. family visits,” said Sherm. “We shared was necessary. When we walked past a an interest really long after school. We tattoo parlor, somebody said, ‘I’ll do it Top, Ginny with her grandfather Sherm were in each other’s weddings, kept in if you do it.’ The guy who started it Durfee ’54. Above, Julia with her got his arm tattooed, and I followed. touch over the years and have seen grandfather Peter Cooper ’54.

There were about four or five of us each other at reunions.”

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Right, students and their guests at a dance; and below, a dance card Peter saved from a Westminster dance showing the names of those who danced with his girlfriend, later to become his wife, including Sherm.

A New Chapter “I told Ginny to just keep her grades up and to take In 2011, their friendship began a new chapter when they advantage of what all the school has to offer,” said Sherm. each heard news that their granddaughters, Ginny and Julia, “The school is well run, and it is an incredible opportunity were admitted to Westminster School. The idea of having to develop yourself in the right direction and get yourself granddaughters attend their alma mater was something they prepared to go to college.” Similarly, Peter said the only never imagined decades earlier. “The thought of boys and advice he could give Julia was, “Nowadays, the school has girls being together there in those days was a far throw,” no tolerance for naughtiness, so don’t mess around.” said Sherm. “You never thought it was going to happen.

Not unexpectedly, both say Westminster has changed a The school has come a long way.” lot since they were students.

“The facilities that the school “I was over the moon when Julia got in,” said Peter. has today are second to none,” said Peter. “The life there has “And then when she got there and liked it so much, that changed dramatically with technology and everything that made me even happier. I had no influence at all. I was just in goes on today.

From my days there to her days now, there is the background, as her mother and father let her make the hardly any comparison at all, except to say that things are decision where she wanted to go.” better.”

“Ginny’s admission to Westminster was very nostalgic Although life on the and meaningful,” said Hill has greatly changed, Sherm. “I had followed Sherm says there is her process of looking at commonality in the schools and at Westminster experience Westminster. I knew over the years. “It is what the school actually about growing up,” he did for me in improving said. “It is about my life and turning me learning about other around in the right people’s concerns and direction. She didn’t cares and how to be need what I needed, more considerate toward but she is very happy. them and toward the Westminster is the world. It is an perfect place for her.” educational process Both grandfathers about living in a society had some grandfatherly and a unique world. It advice for their will round out your granddaughters about Sherm, second from left, and Peter, fourth from left, were members of the character.” attending Westminster. satirical singing group, the Harmonotones.

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Comparing Experiences Ginny and Julia, who are now in their second year at Westminster, are roommates and like to play squash and tennis. They also enjoy listening to music, watching TV and movies on their computers, attending hockey games and dances, and taking walks into town to visit Starbucks, Little City Pizza or to get ice cream.

The girls recall discovering the history of their grandfathers’ friendship very soon after they met on their first day at Westminster. Their parents helped them uncover the coincidence. They say all of their friends now know about their grandfathers’ ties to one another. “At first I didn’t think it was that cool, and then I thought, how odd that it happened,” said Julia. “Ginny and I do have pretty similar lifestyles. We like sports and do the same things in our free time.”

Growing up, both girls had heard their grandfathers talk about one another and some of their Westminster experiences. “I had never heard of Ginny before, but I had heard stories about her grandfather from my grandfather,” said Julia. “They had been in each other’s weddings,” exclaimed Ginny. “It was really surprising and funny.”

Julia and Ginny are pleased with their decisions to attend Westminster. “I really love the community feel in the sense that everyone is so friendly to everyone else,” said Julia. “I also like all of the opportunities it offers. I have been busy all of the time here.” Ginny’s thoughts echoed Julia’s. “I have only known people a year, but I already consider them my best friends. I like the smallness of the community and the friendships standout.”

The girls are also fond of some of the traditional parts of campus life. “I love Candlelight and the Lawn Ceremony,” said Ginny. “And I really like how there are parts of the school that are still old, like Hinman Reading Room,” said Julia. “You have the best of both worlds with the modern academic center and the older rooms with a lot of character.”

Julia met Ginny’s grandparents, Sherm and Bzee, at Grandparents’ Day in fall 2011, soon after she and Ginny started school. Her grandparents, Peter and Barbara, were hoping to visit from Bermuda and all four of them would get together, but an illness prevented that from happening.

“When Ginny’s grandma and grandpa came, and I got to meet them, that was very exciting,” said Julia.

Ginny then visited Julia in Bermuda last summer and was able to meet Julia’s grandparents. “Julia’s grandfather served tea and biscuits and showed us his yearbook,” recalled Ginny. “He said, ‘Look, here is your grandfather’ and told stories about them together. My grandpa was the daredevil and her grandpa was the first to get engaged and married. It was really fun.” “After a while, we called her grandpa on the phone and told him we wished he could be there too,” added Julia.

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visited Ginny’s home in Bedford Hills, N.Y., where her grandparents live right down the road.

Was there anything that surprised Ginny and Julia about their grandfathers’ experiences at Westminster? “The all-boys thing I just can’t believe,” said Ginny. “Also, the fact that they lived in Memorial and Cushing makes the campus seem so much smaller then.”

Both girls like having Westminster in common with their grandfathers. “It is fun to talk with my grandfather and compare how different it was when he was here,” said Ginny. “He definitely has a lot of Westminster pride.” And Julia says she is honored to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps. “It makes him so proud.”

Julia and Ginny share an interest in squash.

While the girls are now attending a school that has evolved in many ways from the one their grandfathers attended decades earlier, the generational divide has had a powerful common thread: enduring friendships have always been at the heart of the Westminster experience.

“Westminster has definitely been more than I expected with the friendships,” said Ginny. “You get so close. You really can’t understand it unless you have experienced it because it is living with your best friend. I can’t remember life before Westminster.”

Everyone is looking forward to a group reunion on the Hill, hopefully this year at Grandparents’ Day. “I can’t wait to see Julia in my old environment,” said Peter. I talked with Sherman on the phone about it, and we really want to all get together.”

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Inspired by Dedication and a Common Purpose Two of Westminster’s most senior faculty members will be retiring at the end of the academic year.

Joyce Wilson has served on the Westminster faculty for 20 years, and Dick Adams has served for 43 years. Before leaving in June, they sat down to share some thoughts about their long tenures at Westminster — as teachers, coaches and administrators — and some of the challenges, opportunities and rewards of serving on the Westminster faculty.

Joyce Wilson After serving 16 years at Suffield Academy, where she was head of the Mathematics Department, Joyce was appointed to the Westminster faculty in 1993 to head the Mathematics Department, teach math and coach. Over the years, Joyce, who now serves as associate director of college counseling, a math teacher and a tennis coach, has served as director of studies and coached field hockey. Born and raised in Boston, she earned her bachelor’s degree at Stonehill College and her M.Ed. at the University of Hartford. She and her husband, Allan, reside in Suffield and are the parents of three daughters.

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What were your early years like at Westminster?

I had a different classroom every year for the first four years. I started off in the basement of Baxter Academic Center. I had four different preps, was department head, was teaching and doing SAT prep, and was coaching the Second Field Hockey and Second Tennis teams.

That year, I didn’t want to cut anybody from field hockey, so I had about 35 team members. My classroom eventually moved to the top floor in Baxter.

What is your favorite part of teaching math?

I have been teaching mostly AP calculus for the last 16 years and have been an AP reader for the exam. As much as you hear criticism about the AP curriculum, I do like the AP calculus curriculum because it is a wonderful coordination of everything that students have learned in mathematics. It involves all of the earlier levels of math education.

I also think any level of math is fun. I like being able to explain things well to students. Concepts need to be presented sequentially, from the simple to the more complex. I have always railed against people who say, “I always had trouble in math.” My response has always been, “Well, you didn’t have me as a teacher.”

Have you changed as a teacher over the years?

Teaching has changed over the years. I came out of a Catholic school tradition where there were 50 kids in a classroom, so everything was about absolute discipline. What is wonderful about teaching in private schools is the ability to really get to know students and to give extra help.

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Westminster admits terrific students. It is a privilege to work with young people and with other adults who are committed to young people. I feel as though everyone is on the same boat heading toward the same place. I like being part of a team, and it is always nice to be supported.

supporter of departmental offices. When I got here, I didn’t have a place where I could gather the math teachers together so we could discuss departmental issues. Now, with offices, we can share ideas. It is teamwork again, and that is fabulous.

What led you to become director of studies?

After serving as the Math Department head for four years, becoming director of studies was really a great thing to do professionally. I was ready to be out of the classroom full time and doing something else.

There are a lot of different parts to the job, and I think that is what I liked about it. I have always enjoyed working with parents. It was nice to be able to find the right solution to a student’s needs. I am a problem solver, anyway.

What have been some of the challenges you have seen the school face over the years?

Early on there was always the issue of retaining women faculty members. Some of that was because of the whole triple threat issue of teaching, coaching and living in the dorms. I think fund raising was a challenge then too. We always did so much with so little and were proud of it, but then needs changed. I was here not too long before we got the $33 million Edge gift. That was really the beginning of construction of a number of new facilities that have been wonderful additions. I have seen a lot of change. We have a great school, and I think our biggest compliment is when parents send one child to Westminster and then end up sending their other children too.

What then led to your current position in College Counseling?

My husband, Allan, and I decided to move to Boston to be closer to our family, but when that did not work out, I stayed on at Westminster as a college counselor and continued teaching in the Math Department. I had always been interested in college counseling. The opportunities to meet new people and to travel were very attractive to me.

Did you have any Westminster mentors along the way?

Graham Cole gave me the opportunity to be the director of studies, and Bill Philip was extremely supportive and helpful during the seven years I spent in that role.

Have you had a favorite role?

Working in College Counseling is wonderful. I am able to get to know students in a very close, personal fashion and in a way I don’t get to know them in the classroom. I also get to know their parents. The college search process can cause anxiety for both the students and their parents. Everyone has high expectations. For parents, this is one of their last big jobs. They know how important college placement can be. I try to explain what needs to be explained to both the parents and the student and to support them when they are going through things that are making them anxious. I also try to deliver any bad news in a positive way. It is a puzzle. The goal is to try to find the right spot to complement the student’s goals.

What usually comes to mind when you see Westminster alumni?

I love seeing alumni grown up as adults. I consider it a privilege to have been a part of their lives through their adolescence. I am always impressed by how polished, well spoken and respectful they are, and by how well they have done in their given professions. I think that is because they learned how to work with people while they were at Westminster. Our students are poised, confident and have good people skills because of all the contact they have with others. Westminster isn’t the place where students can go into a shell or hide in a corner.

Is there anything distinctive about the faculty experience at Westminster?

I have always been so proud to be a member of the faculty.

Everyone is not only extremely talented, but they love working with young people. The relationship between faculty and students has always been a close, nurturing one, which I think is a high point of the school. I think a lot of the sense of community here stems from the strong dedication of the people who work here.

Why have you stayed at Westminster over the years?

I have stayed because I have liked the people with whom I have worked, and I continue to like them. It is never boring. I have also been able to wear different “hats.”

What have been some of Westminster’s major milestones during your tenure?

The construction of the Armour Academic Center was the biggest.

When I was director of studies, we always had huge scheduling problems because we didn’t have enough classrooms. We had to use the basement of the chapel and the Perry Room in the library. The Armour Academic Center has made a tremendous difference. I also have always been a big

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What are your plans after Westminster?

I have had a job since I was 16 years old and have always loved working. It is just time to bring it down a notch. My husband and I are moving to Cape Cod to live in a home we have owned for nine years. I would like to do some tutoring and am looking forward to having more time to do some volunteer work. I am on the library commission in Suffield, and I would like to continue to work in a library in some way.

I also hope to be able to see my daughters and their children more. I am sure we will be back. I have grown to love Connecticut.

Dick Adams P’93 A graduate of DePauw University, Dick came to Westminster in 1970 by way of Hawaii, where he received his Master of Arts in Japanese and Chinese history from the University of Hawaii. He has taught English and history at Westminster, served as dean of students for 15 years and has coached basketball, football, baseball and soccer. A former holder of The Walter E. Edge Jr. ’35 Master Teacher Chair, he was named dean of faculty in 2003 and to the John Gow Master Chair. Dick and his wife, Barbara, a former English teacher at Westminster, lived on Westminster dormitory corridors for 18 years. They currently live in a faculty home and are the parents of two daughters, Megin and Jill ’93.

Did you have mentors along the way?

Not formally but certainly Harris “Squibby” Squibb in the dorm, Rankine Hinman and Jake Nolde in history, and Richard Miller in the Deans’ Office.

What has been the most rewarding part about serving on the Westminster faculty?

At Westminster, faculty are involved with the students and other faculty in so many different ways. I think there is a real common purpose in the idea that education isn’t just in the classroom. Our charge is to try to develop the character of kids. As you get older, you see the results when alumni return to campus. Those experiences make you realize you had an impact, and I think they are shared by so many of the faculty. It is interesting how many of the faculty go out of their way to see former students in all different venues.

Have you seen the role of a faculty member change much during your tenure?

It is a much busier life. The class day is more hectic, the academic rigor has increased, more is expected of coaches, and parents are much more involved. These factors have created new pressures and expectations. Faculty members also play pretty close attention to where kids go to college and to how they do after they leave Westminster.

How have your roles at Westminster evolved over the years?

Early on, I was teaching English and history, which went back and forth. Barb and I lived upstairs in Squibb House, then moved off corridor for several years and then moved back into Milliken, which was a boys’ dormitory then. Initially, I coached baseball, basketball and some football.

I have coached basketball throughout, first boys and then the girls, until a couple of years ago. I also coached soccer. When I first started out as a dean of students, Dave Hovey was the head dean, and I was his assistant. After 15 years in the Deans’ Office, I decided to step away because our daughters became Westminster students. A few years later, I was asked to succeed Todd Eckerson as dean of faculty.

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Were there any lessons you learned about teaching here?

The most fundamental one is that you can approach kids from so many different ways when you are living with them. This facilitates what you are teaching, both academics and core values. Coaching has helped me get to know students. For any team I coached, when the grades came out, I always looked at how the team members were doing academically, and if they were not doing well, then that prompted a conversation. The bonds between students and teachers at Westminster are very strong.

There is certainly an element of “I don’t want to disappoint” from the students and that really helps the teacher.

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What is the greatest reward in teaching?

The greatest reward in teaching is seeing kids change. School years have beginnings and endings, and kids can start off badly and turn it around. The memorable part is to watch kids mature, not only in the classroom, but in other activities.

What have been some of the biggest milestones at Westminster while you have been on the faculty?

Certainly, going coed was the biggest. But I also was fortunate to be here when it was all boys and saw the positives of that. I felt the school greatly improved with the introduction of girls, and then when girls became boarders, even more so.

Was admitting girls a difficult discussion for the faculty?

It was only difficult in the sense that I remember male faculty members trying to anticipate it. We were trying to figure out what the girls might want and need at school. Even the subject of installing bathtubs in the dorms came up. We were kind of in the dark trying to anticipate it. Looking back, it was pretty funny.

How did the girls change the school?

I found it amazing that 12 girls could be so brave. The process was fascinating because, when the 12 girls came in, the boys were almost protective of them, like they were little sisters. The transition was really interesting to watch since the girls really changed the school, elevating the academics and elevating the role of female faculty and spouses as well.

Were there any other major milestones?

Another one financially was the Edge gift. I wasn’t aware of how precarious the school’s situation was until after the spring of my first year.

Over the years, you realize how Don Werner, Abe Claude and others made really tough decisions and supported the school. More recently, the financial health of the school and all of the new facilities stand out. The Armour Academic Center has lifted the whole academic environment.

People talk about how transformational architecture can be and, in my experience, this is a very real example of it.

Were there any world events that pressed hard on the school?

Watergate polarized the faculty, but I don’t think anybody will forget 9/11. It was a beautiful fall day, and we gathered in chapel. There was a lot of anxiety, with students and parents trying to reach each other. We met a second time that day too.

We knew fairly quickly which kids were probably more vulnerable, and faculty members went off with individual kids who were really traumatized.

What have been some of the constants over the years?

The constants are that faculty members share the core values and the kids do too. When working in the Deans’ Office, I saw kids who broke major rules and, in some cases, were going to be expelled, and

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they knew they had broken a major school rule. They didn’t like the consequences, but they were not surprised by them. We have faculty members who embody the core values and spend time talking with kids about topics beyond academics.

I would say another constant is support from the school’s alumni.

This year, we are having a number of alumni come back to speak with the kids, creating a bond. I think it is very important for our kids to see what comes out the other end. I would even go further and say how rewarding it is to see former students as parents, raising their kids with pretty common values. I enjoy seeing the graduates in their kids. In so many cases, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

On the occasion of school’s 125th anniversary, how well do you think it is positioned for the future?

I think it is in great shape. My biggest concern is that as the cost of education continues to rise, financial aid becomes even more important.

To what do you attribute your long tenure at Westminster?

The community of faculty and students is the main reason. I don’t think I came in here with a particular philosophy of teaching, but I liked the idea that I was doing different things with my workload. Even though my workday was probably longer than that of my friends who worked in other professions, I was always really excited about the classroom, and then a couple of hours later, I was excited to be on the athletic fields. I can’t ever imagine having a job where I was doing the same thing for eight or 10 hours. The school has also allowed me to play so many different roles: coach different sports, teach different subjects, vary my curriculum and assume different administrative capacities. I have never been bored or felt tired. I have looked forward to every day.

What will you miss most?

I will miss watching students change and grow. Also, part of teaching at independent schools is that, for the most part, you have so much control over what you teach. You can decide to select a new book for the next year or study a different writer or put in a new offense. That is really exciting and kept me on my toes, always learning.

What might be next on the horizon for you?

I have no idea. I think it is going to be challenging because I have been so involved at Westminster. Barb and I will be living in Avon, so I will probably be on the Hill more than a lot of people who have retired, at least initially, while I still know the students.

We will also be able to see our daughters and grandchildren more. We will not be tied to the schedule, so we can travel more freely, and I can fish more often and spend more time drawing and painting. I was talking to a nurse one day about retirement, and she commented about how much we define ourselves by our jobs, and when you don’t have that, you need a new definition to work on. That will be the new challenge.

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Dedicated Faculty As a part of Westminster’s 125th anniversary celebration, members of the school’s faculty assembled for photos.

Left, are faculty members who have served Westminster for 20 or more years.

Front row, left to right, Joyce Wilson, Ray Gustafson, Scott Berry P’11, ’16, Bill Philip P’06, ’09, Larry Gilman P’78, ’80, Alan Brooks ’55, P’89, ’91, ’96, Dick Adams P’93 and Peter Briggs’71, P’01, ’05, ’07.

Back row, Scott Reeves P’03, ’05, Dan Aber P’16, Michael Cervas P’96, ’01, ’10, Greg Marco P’08, ’11, David Werner ’80, P’10, ’11, ’16, Nick McDonald P’96, ’04, Peter Newman ’80, P’16, Nancy Urner-Berry ’81, P’11, ’16, Scott Stevens P’07, ’09, ’12, Jon Deveaux P’14, ’16, Tom Earl P’93, ’98, ’03, ’07 and Todd Eckerson P’09, ’11, ’16.

Above, all members of the 2012-2013 faculty.

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Leading with Grit & Grace Highlighted in this year’s Annual Fund mailings are 18 Westminster alumni who span the decades. They led with Grit & Grace while on the Hill and have continued as leaders in their careers and communities.

Biodefense | Race Relations | Investment Management | Real Estate Development | Engineering Social Services | Mortgage Banking | International Affairs | Nursing | Business Management Military Service | Education | Art | International Finance | Cancer Research | Civil Service Criminal Justice | Volunteer Service

Join in the celebration!

Make your Annual Fund gift today in support of the leaders of tomorrow who are currently experiencing their Grit & Grace years at Westminster.

www.Westminster-School.org/Gift

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Alumni Winter Games Approximately 65 alumni returned to Westminster Jan. 6 to compete in hockey, basketball and squash at the 2013 Alumni Winter Games.

SQUASH

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL

GIRLS’ HOCKEY

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BOYS’ HOCKEY

BOYS’ BASKETBALL

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Holiday Receptions Members of the Westminster community gathered at holiday receptions in Boston, New York City and Simsbury.

Boston The Boston holiday reception was held at the Harvard Club on Nov. 15.

Brian Ford, Lindsey Thomson ’08, Kelly Cheng ’08, Andrew Polio ’08, Kate Sullivan ’08 and Chris Ribaudo ’06

Mike Nemetz and Sarah Armour-Nemetz P’14, Tad and Betsy Mayer P’13, ’15, and Liz Hahn P’14

Kristin Shirahama ’94, Michael Wiernasz ’94, Scott Berry P’11, ’16, Miles Bailey ’94, Martha Payne ’94 and José Ruiz ’94

Michelle Wiernasz Puopolo ’00, Brooke Nentwig Orr ’02 and Cole Pinney ’01

Tom Richardson ’97, Leigh Foster ’03, Andrew Stone ’04 and Helen Williams

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New York City Alumni, parents and friends of Westminster who attended the New York City holiday reception Dec. 5 at the Guggenheim Museum were able to view the “Picasso Black and White” exhibition.

Kate Philip ’06, Alex Gerson ’07, Emily Verone ’06 and Molly Shea ’06

Robin Buckley P’15, Kit Rohn P’15, Charlie Buckley P’15, Beth Baker P’09, ’12, ’15 and Robert Rohn P’15

Alexander LePage, Carolyn Cordner LePage ’97, John Parker ’81 and Dick Adams P’93

Pete Melief ’05, Jason Adams ’06, Ned Reeves ’05 and Christina Bergey

Rob Horsford ’89, Tim MacGuire ’90 and Julia MacGuire

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Simsbury The Hartford-area holiday reception was held Dec. 13 at Westminster in the Armstrong Atrium of the Armour Academic Center.

Jim Poor GP’16, Randy and Kelly Rome P’16, and Sandy Wickman Mason P’11, ’12, ’16

Pat Estill P’95 and Jenny Philip P’06, ’09

Bob and Jill Lautensack P’03, ’04, and Linda and Dave Kaye P’95, GP’16

David Bell P’14, Kimberly Pope P’12, ’15, ’16 and Martin Geitz P’07, ’11

Doug and Audra Harris P’16, and Laurie and Dmitry Yekelchik P’16

Kelly Cross P’08, ’11, Sheri Eklund P’11, ’13, ’16, Denise Woodruff P’11, Leigh Hovey P’09, ’11, ’14 and Catherine Graffy P’06

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1888: Boston A group of expert and beginning paddle tennis players enjoyed a windy evening at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass., on Jan. 31 thanks to the hospitality of Tim Egan ’00.

Corrections to the 2011-2012 Annual Report While Westminster makes every effort to ensure accuracy in its Annual Report, errors do occur.

We apologize to those who were not listed correctly and thank them for their generous support of Westminster during 2011-2012: Mr. David ’78 and Mrs. Leigh Hovey P’09, ’11, ’14 Ms. Olivia Frank ’11

Left to right are Bill Philip P’06, ’09, Charles Santry ’80, P’12, Richard Batchelder P’16, Helena Grant, Mike Frank P’11, ’15, Martha Payne ’94, Michael Wiernasz ’94, Courtney Egan, Tim Egan ’00, James Bishop ’00, Dave Werner ’80, P’10, ’11, ’16, Dan Burke ’87, Sam Jackson ’08, Ben Roberts ’00, Mike Jackson ’75, P’04, ’08, Vince Jones ’73 and Newell Grant ’99.

Mr. Scott Berry and Ms. Nancy Urner-Berry ’81, P’11, ’16 Mr. and Mrs. David Ogilvy P’14, ’16 are members of the Cushing Club.

Mr. Magregor G. Hyde ’83 is a member of the Keyes Club.

1888: Portland, Oregon Thanks to the help of Tom O’Connor ’84, P’15 and David Wilkins ’88, 10 Portland-area Martlets gathered at McMenamins Edgefield for dinner on Oct. 25.

Mr. G. Steven Webster ’71 is a member of the Werner Club

The agents for the Class of 1981 were listed incorrectly.

Thank you to Frank “Pancho” Winter, Natalie Kirschner Tallis and Kevin Kelly for their dedication and hard work.

Congratulations on placing in the top 10 classes for alumni participation and overall results!

Left to right are Beth Hoben ’86, John Lape ’69, Newell Grant ’99, Lindsay Wierdsma ’86, David Wilkins ’88, Andy McElderry ’84, Tom O’Connor ’84, P’15, Melissa Boyden McElderry ’84, Patrick Lee ’68 and Percy Flora.

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Young Alumni Gatherings

Martlets in Midtown 5 More than 20 alumni from the classes of 2004 to 2008 met at Brinkley’s Station in New York City on Jan. 8 to enjoy an evening of catching up and networking.

University of Richmond

Young alumni attending the University of Richmond met for dinner at Mosaic on Nov. 14. Left to right are Emily Teschner ’12, Abby Huth ’12, Hannah Leathers ’11 and Charlotte Stewart ’11.

Young Alumni Participate in February Face-off Competition February Face-off was a new annual fund participation competition among Westminster, The Gunnery, Berkshire School, Avon Old Farms School, The Hotchkiss School, Salisbury School and The Taft School.

Members of the classes of 2000 to 2012 from all of the schools were asked to join the competition by making an annual fund gift during the month of February. The focus was on alumni participation. Every gift from members of the participating classes increased the total number of February Face-off gifts for each school.

Westminster took third place this year, falling to Salisbury and Taft. “We want to thank all of our young alumni for their continued support,” said Newell Grant ’99, director of young alumni programs. “We will participate in this competition again next year.”

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Some members of the classes of 2000 to 2012 met in February at a reception in Boston to celebrate the February Face-off competition.

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Hold On to a Bit of Westminster’s History While Westminster eagerly anticipates the September opening of its new student and faculty residences, a few sentimental souls have expressed an interest in having a tangible memento of their years living in Squibb House or Andrews House.

If you would like a brick from either of these buildings, please contact Becky McGuire in the Alumni and Development Office to place your order before May 15, 2013. She can be reached by phone at (860) 408-3052 or by e-mail at bmcguire@westminster-school.org.

The shipping and handling cost is $20 per brick.

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Martlets Around the Globe

4,819 United States, District of Columbia and Puerto Rico

Alaska

3

North Carolina

6 Arkansas 2 Arizona 34 California 288 Colorado 110 Connecticut 1,091 Alabama

District of Columbia 66

27 Florida 226 Georgia 59 Hawaii 11 Iowa 2 Idaho 11 Illinois 76 Indiana 5 Kansas 2 Kentucky 15 Louisiana 11 Delaware

Massachusetts Maryland Maine

85

92

27 Minnesota 35 Missouri 11 Mississippi 3 Montana 16 Michigan

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546

North Dakota Nebraska

93

1

1

New Hampshire

89

154 New Mexico 12 Nevada 4 New York 702 Ohio 63 Oklahoma 10 Oregon 37 Pennsylvania 130 Puerto Rico 6 Rhode Island 65 South Carolina 43 South Dakota 2 Tennessee 31 Texas 72 Utah 14 Virginia 108 Vermont 129 Washington 51 Wisconsin 22 West Virginia 4 Wyoming 12 New Jersey

Unknown address but living in the U.S. 104

4

1

Australia

Czech Republic

2

1

Austria

Denmark

4 Bahamas

Ecuador

China

1

1

Belgium

Colombia

22 Bermuda

1 Finland

5

2 France

Costa Rica

64 Canada

3

10

20

2 Croatia

Germany

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The reach of the Westminster community extends around the nation and the world.

Today, the school’s 5,119 alumni can be found in all 50 states and 49 countries.

2

1

Ghana

Moldova

2

2

South Korea

Indonesia

Liberia

Ireland

Lithuania

Italy

Mexico

1 Saudi Arabia

1

Norway

Scotland

South Africa

Turkey

1

Switzerland

United Arab Emirates

6 Taiwan

48 United Kingdom

13 Thailand

1

4 Spain

1

4

1

1 Panama

Sweden

2

1

5

2 Jamaica

New Zealand

Nicaragua

1

1

Romania

1

1

1

12

1

Netherlands

33

2

Portugal

1

Japan

Hungary

1

Tunisia

2 Vietnam

1 Virgin Islands

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Closing Thoughts Coming Full Circle – With Grit and Grace

By Trustee Moy Ogilvie Johnson ’86

Grit and Grace I actually do not recall whether I was aware of the motto “Grit & Grace” when I attended Westminster in the 1980s.

However, as soon as I heard the phrase, it instantly resonated with me. To me, grit and grace describes a manner in which you may choose to move through life. It means that you give your best efforts to whatever you set out to do, regardless of how significant or mundane the task. It means that you should always be proud of your accomplishments, but be mindful to keep them in perspective and to have a healthy level of humility. And, just as importantly, grit and grace describes a way in which you respond to challenges and setbacks. You deal with the situation at hand, determine how you can improve or better cope with the issue, and you get back in the game. At Westminster, the daily experiences and interactions inevitably encouraged and taught all students to move through their tenure at the school with grit and grace. It was up to you as a student and, later as an adult, to determine whether and how to incorporate into your way of life the ideals underlying the motto.

Lessons Learned I suspect that for many alumni, such as myself, the lessons that we learned and the values that we were taught at Westminster become much clearer and apparent with the passage of time.

Looking back, I fully believe that the students who may have gained the most from having attended Westminster are those who learned or understood that attending Westminster was not an entitlement nor was it merely a phase to be endured. As a Westminster student, there were significant expectations regarding academics and personal growth. The schoolwork was

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intense and the workload was daunting. You were expected to do more than just attend classes six days a week — that was not enough at Westminster. You were expected to be a vital part of the school community.

You were expected to constantly push yourself and to try new things even though there was the possibility that you may fail or not do as well as you would like. You were expected to do this all while dealing with your own unique, personal issues or challenges.

At Westminster, I learned the importance of community and truly “buying in” to the concept. I learned that the journey was more than about me and my successes or failures. It was expected that all students, not just a select few, would be engaged and active members of and leaders in the community in all aspects — such as doing work squad, being involved in sports or performing arts, and mentoring and watching out for younger students. I learned firsthand how a community functions and thrives and that it is critical that each and every person do his or her part for the benefit of the (school) community and the greater good.

At Westminster, I learned to embrace challenges and opportunities instead of avoiding them. Although I was shy, skeptical and reluctant at the start of my Westminster journey, I eventually refused to let the opportunities pass me by or to be limited in any manner. Along the way, I confronted the reality of being the only Black or diverse girl in my Form. Back then, my coping mantra to myself (my poor attempt at humor, shrouded in a bit of truth) was that my stock could only improve with time from the starting point of being a Black, Third Form, day student girl.

Once I made the conscious decision not to remain on the fringes, and to instead

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immerse myself in the school community, my outlook and experiences changed dramatically. Initially, the academics were even more daunting than I had expected. I recall struggling with astronomy as a Third Former. I recall not being able to escape participation in Mr. Gilman’s English class, despite my best efforts to do so. I recall regularly forcing myself to wake up at odd hours in the night just to get my homework done on time. I recall dreading Saturday classes. In the end, I learned to love learning and to not focus merely on the pursuit of getting good grades.

With time, I started to believe the many faculty members who had the foresight to see potential in me that I could not yet see. I gradually became more confident in my work and in myself. I made friends with and learned from many individuals, many of whom on the surface had nothing in common with me. There were many other experiences and opportunities that were afforded to me by attending Westminster. I tried and loved new sports such as field hockey and volleyball. I embraced my speed, and track and field. I traveled to Spain on a school trip, my first trip abroad other than to Jamaica, where my family is from originally. I was a member of the Student Activities Committee (SAC), served as a Black and Gold Tour Guide and volunteered at Holly Hill Convalescent Home, among other things.

For many, life at Westminster was not as easy as it may have seemed. While I experienced highs and lows, I am certain that Westminster was a pivotal turning point that set into play a trajectory of experiences and opportunities that would shape my life and the person who I am today.

Coming Full Circle I and all of the students who have attended Westminster were blessed by having parents or guardians who understood the importance of academics and having a quality education.

Westminster is more than just high school. It is a unique educational experience. And those who have been in any way involved with Westminster understand this subtle but important distinction.

As a result of the strong foundation I received at Westminster, I had more opportunities than I could have envisioned as a teenager. I attended Bowdoin College and law school. And I have had endless opportunities to be involved with varied professional and community endeavors.

I now find myself serving as a member of the Westminster Board of Trustees. Being a trustee has been an eye-opening, humbling experience. As a student, I generally recalled seeing the trustees on campus, but I had no understanding of their roles. It certainly never occurred to me that I would one day have the opportunity, let alone desire, to serve as one. I have learned about the school in an all-encompassing manner — I have been required to look at the school through different lenses, not just from the perspective of a former student. I have a better understanding of the complexity of the factors that impact the decisions the school makes. Factors such as academic

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curriculum, core values, school size, tuition rates, endowment goals, development, diversity, sports, the arts, the boarding-to-day students ratio, the school plant and facilities, faculty compensation and benefits, financial aid, college placement, marketing, community involvement, globalization and the list goes on. Having the opportunity to contribute, in even a minor way, to the shaping of Westminster’s future has been an unexpected and cherished honor.

Over the past four years, I have also had the opportunity to experience Westminster through the eyes of a current student. By way of background, 10 years ago I signed up to be a Big Sister through a local chapter of Big Brothers/Big Sisters, a mentoring organization. I was “matched” with an eight-year-old girl from the Hartford area. While it is cliché, it is true that I have gained much more out of the program than I could have ever expected.

My relationship with my Little Sister and her family grew over time. She developed into an intelligent, motivated and witty young girl. She eventually graduated from a public middle school and completed a rigorous 14-month Hartford Youth Scholars Foundation program, which helped prepare her and other Hartford students to apply to independent schools.

On May 25, 2013, my Little Sister is scheduled to graduate from Westminster as a member of the Class of 2013. To have an opportunity to observe her growth over the past four years has been the experience of a lifetime for me. I vividly remember her constant tears during her first few months as a Third Form boarder. I prayed that she would stay the course and embrace Westminster’s unique offerings. She has done just that. My Little Sister has flourished at Westminster. She has become more confident, both academically and personally. She has made true friends from around the country and the world. She views her teachers, coaches and others as partners in her journey. She has tried new sports. She has elevated her love for and skills at dance. She has traveled abroad for the first time on a faculty-run program. And, she has unknowingly proceeded through her journey at Westminster with that trademark measure of grit and grace.

It is with awe and surprise that I witness her comfort and ease in navigating her way around a school that now is equally hers as it is mine. It has been an unusual, unanticipated legacy of sorts. My Little Sister is ready to spread her wings, leave Westminster and head off to college.

I know a few things that my Little Sister may not yet understand, however. I know that her Westminster experience has been a turning point in her life, although she may not yet recognize it as such. And, I know that in time she too will learn and accept that Westminster will always remain a part of who she is and a part of her soul.

Westminster has indeed changed in so many ways over the decades, but in many of the ways that matter most, Westminster has not changed at all.

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