Friends Wilmington Friends School
Spring 2010
Homecoming 2009 Honored Alumni —
Brian Mand ‘90 Pamela Perkins Young ‘64 John Urice ‘64
“Dreaming in Italian” — On School Years Abroad
Friends
Wilmington Friends School Spring 2010
From the Head of School
1
For Alumni & Friends
2
Alumni Awards 2009
4
New Head of Upper School
6
Dreaming in Italian: On School Years Abroad
8
Homecoming 2009
12
14th Annual Smith McMillan 5K
16
Class Reunions 2009
17
Class Notes
21
In Memory
31
In Closing— Thanks to a Friend
inside back cover
BOARD OF TRUSTEES Chair Vice Chair Treasurer Secretary
David W. Singleton Susan Kelley Daniel Klein Russ Endo
Andrew Aerenson ’81 Christopher F. Buccini ’90 Thomas M. Connelly Bonnie Wilson Crosby ’79 Curtis Clapham Doneene Damon Meg Gehret Erskine ’83 Brett D. Fallon Reginald D. Flowers ’90
Ellen L. Gay Scott W. Gates ’80 J. Harry Hammond Saundra R. Johnson Freeman Miller Deborah Murray-Sheppard Laura K. Reilly Annette Woolard-Provine
Alumni Association Board Liaison
Christopher W. Lee ’82
Home & School Association Board Liaison
Paula Swain
ADMINISTRATION AND ADVANCEMENT Head of School
Bryan Garman
Associate Head of School, Head of Middle School
William Neff
Assistant to the Head of School
Marilyn Maguire
Assistant Head for Academics
Peter Wenigmann
Assistant Head for Finance & Operations
William Baczkowski
Head of Lower School
Julie Gill
Head of Upper School
Robert Lake
Director of Admissions And Financial Aid
Kathleen Hopkins
Director of Communications
Tracey Quillen Carney ’80
Director of Development
Judy Aliquo
ALUMNI BOARD 2009-2010
Mission Statement Wilmington Friends, a Quaker school with high standards for academic achievement, challenges students to seek truth, to value justice and peace, and to act as creative, independent thinkers with a conscious responsibility to the good of all. Our Magazine Friends is published twice each year by Wilmington Friends School. Spring 2010, vol. XV, issue 2. Front cover, at the Homecoming halftime band performance; this page, Lisa Amend Ashby ’54 and Bill Amend ’59 at the 50th Reunion Luncheon; more Homecoming photos, pages 12-20.
Kim Massih Dolan ’89, President Andy Atkins ’76 Melissa Fagan Billitto ’87 Carolyn Gates Connors ’81 Kristin Dugan ’03 Meg Gehret Erskine ’83
Tim Gibbs ’76 Chris Lee ’82 Carol Bancroft Morley ’68 Donnie Morton ’94 Beth Lubaroff Pfeifer ’88 Martha Budd Shelnutt ’43
Professional photography by Billy Michels ’89, Elisa Komins Morris, and Margo Govatos Stein Design/layout by Jacquelyn Quinn Dickey With thanks to the alumni, students, faculty, families, trustees, and staff of Wilmington Friends School for their contributions to the community effort of Friends magazine. Please send any comments or corrections to info@wilmingtonfriends.org.
FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL Dear Friends, Whether we are completing the international search for a new faculty member, planning lessons, or attending professional development workshops, those of us who work at Friends School spend a lot of time thinking about what makes a great teacher. Fortunately, when it comes to examples in residence, we are blessed with an embarrassment of riches. If you walk our hallways or slip into classrooms, you can find exemplars of the conclusions drawn by Steven Farr, Teach for America’s Vice President for Knowledge Development and Public Engagement, who recently published his research in Teaching as Leadership. Farr summarized that the best teachers continually seek ways to improve, plan compulsively, demonstrate a singularity of focus in the classroom, and set ambitious goals for their students. Sound familiar? It does to Brian Curtis Mand ’90, the recipient of our first annual Young Alumnus of the Year Award. Brian and so many of the alumni with whom I speak have an intuitive understanding, from their experience at Friends, of what makes extraordinary teaching. Acknowledging the influence of former mentors Brian Fahey, Terry Maguire, and others, Brian insightfully described what Friends School is, as brought to life by great teachers. “Friends is,” he said, “understanding how to challenge yourself, without even knowing it;” “acknowledging that giving something a try and coming up short is better than sitting it out;” “compassion and empathy;” “understanding that...common bonds are more easily forged than the pointing out of differences;” “learning to study, to think, to imagine, to create, to explore, to build and to inspire.” “Friends is,” Brian concluded, “more than a school; it is a community that extends beyond our campus and past our time inside of these walls.” Friends School is what it is because so many teachers have cared so deeply about these values, about the school’s mission, about our students for so long. And whether you listen to Brian, to John Urice ’64, who fondly recalled the ways in which Quaker meeting informed his teaching at the college level, or to Pam Young ’64, who talked about how Friends education influenced her commitment to civil rights and social justice, you hear how the inspiring work of teachers left indelible impressions on their lives. Great teachers build relationships that endure “past our time inside of these walls” by encouraging, nurturing, questioning, and helping children—and sometimes parents, colleagues, and administrators—to explore the interiority of our lives. Years after we leave their classrooms, they continue to live in that interiority, moving in and out of our consciousness, continuing to offer support and to challenge us, especially at times of uncertainty. Voices of great teachers certainly echoed in the mind of Jane Hayden Frelick ’37, who summoned the courage to spend a summer in Germany in the dramatic year of 1936, and in the experiences of our current students, Becky Hodge, Blaine Kebede, Mia Reynolds, and Darrell Seeney, who took the initiative to spend a year living and learning abroad. The mission of Friends School and the extraordinary ability of our teachers to deliver it have prepared students across generations to embrace and learn from the unfamiliar. In their tireless planning, their persistence, their commitment to their disciplines and to high standards for themselves and their students, the faculty of Friends School, past and present, as Brian Mand said, ensure that “the lessons learned and the light of the spirit burn brighter than ever” for our alumni, who continue to honor great works of teaching through the lives they lead. In friendship,
Bryan Garman
Spring 2009 • Friends magazine 1
FOR ALUMNI&FRIENDS
From the Alumni Association President
Reunion Class Agents Homecoming is October 21-23, 2010
Dear Friends,
Class of 1945 Bob Donaghy 302-652-2522 adonaghy@magpage.com
Class of 1980 Karen Cashman Hunt 302-494-4936 khunt@aquilaofde.com
Class of 1950 Chrissie Brosius Beh 919-642-0074 cbeh@embarqmail.com
Class of 1985 Martha Poorman Tschantz 302-740-3553 Martha.Tschantz@comcast.net
Class of 1955 Ellen Winthrop Jennings 302-376-9120 egjenn@verizon.net
Class of 1990 Brian Curtis Mand 310-467-5685 briancurtismedia@yahoo.com
Jane Ellis James 843-757-5704 winonajane@aol.com
Sara Titus Skelly 773-388-4882 sara-piper@sbcglobal.net
Class of 1960 Mary Smith Farnell 239-793-0577 (FL) 302-629-5662 (DE) sdelreal@aol.com
Class of 1995 Alyson Engle 302-220-8963 alyson.engle@gmail.com
By the time you read this, we will be welcoming spring —always an exciting time of year. However, I can honestly say that this past fall was the most exciting and activitypacked season I have experienced in my term as President of our Alumni Association. Much of that can be attributed to my class reunion. I think that the returning members of the class of 1989 will agree, Homecoming weekend 2009 was, in short, a TON of fun —I only wish there had been more time to “catch up” with everyone. It went by so fast. We really missed those of you who could not attend.
Kim Massih Dolan ’89 with husband Patrick, son Kevin, and daughter Molly
There were two other Homecoming events that demonstrated how truly special Friends School is and how our time here really shapes our lives. The first was the 50th Reunion Luncheon. Despite the rain and grey day, the class of 1959 lit up the afternoon with great stories from their days at WFS. It was a pleasure to be at their party. The second event came later that evening, as the school hosted the Class Reunion and Alumni Awards Reception honoring three very deserving alumni: Pamela Perkins Young ’64, Outstanding Service Award; John Urice ’64, Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award; and Brian Mand ’90, Young Alumnus of the Year Award. Their remarks were inspiring, and I am sure all attendees would agree that our honored alumni truly represent the ideals of WFS. The Alumni Board is now accepting nominations for the 2010 Alumni Awards, so please take a moment to nominate a classmate, friend, or family member who represents those same ideals. More information on the nomination process is provided on page 3. The ideals we honor in our graduates continue to define the Friends community. The new Quaker Center for Understanding, Engagement, and Stewardship (QUEST) is an incredible example of those ideals in action. The goals of QUEST—which focus on service, stewardship, diversity, and global learning— were always embedded in our Friends education, but to have a structure for mission-based programs and curriculum makes them all the more powerful, and truly sets Wilmington Friends apart from other schools. Before I close, I would like to say one final thank you to all of the reunion classes of 2009 (including a heartfelt thanks to the members of the class of 1989) for making Homecoming 2009 so special and memorable. I encourage the 2010 reunion class years to make every effort to “come home” to Friends. Best wishes for a wonderful spring! Best regards, Kim Massih Dolan ’89
2 Spring 2010 • Friends magazine
Jim Simon 302-652-4401 jsimon@udel.edu Class of 1965 We need you! Contact the Alumni Office if you can help with planning. Class of 1970 Tom Scott 302-655-5613 tscott@inciteoffice.com Lena Jacobs Elzufon 302-984-2228 ljelzufon@gmail.com Class of 1975 Dave Geoghegan 302-427-2822 dgeoghegan75@gmail.com Sandy Ranck King 302-234-1055 sandyking@verizon.net Thom Marston 302-383-3000 mthomlisa@aol.com
Class of 2000 Meredith Jones 302-463-4119 meredithcjones@gmail.com Class of 2005 Alisha Wolf 302-239-3280 awolf003@aol.com
FOR ALUMNI&FRIENDS
Alumni Awards Nominations 2010
Friends at the Museum
The Alumni Association is accepting nominations for our 2010 Alumni Awards. If you would like to submit a nomination, please visit www.wilmingtonfriends.org; click “alumni” and then “alumni awards.” Nominations are due by April 30. The awards will be presented at the Class Reunion and Alumni Awards Reception on October 22. For more information, please contact the alumni/development office, alumni@ wilmingtonfriends.org or (302) 5762975. Distinguished Alumna/us Award Recognizes an alumna/us who has made an outstanding contribution to his/her chosen field of endeavor, and brought honor to him/herself and to Friends through distinguished achievements. Young Alumna/us of the Year Recognizes an alumna/us of the past 20 years who has made significant contributions in profession, avocation, or volunteer services by exemplifying the qualities of a WFS graduate. Outstanding Service Award Recognizes an alumna/us who has demonstrated a personal commitment to the advancement of the school’s mission through outstanding volunteer service or contributions to the school, and/or outstanding and significant contributions to the community on a volunteer basis or through professional involvement. All honorees should exemplify the best qualities of a Friends School graduate, including integrity, a commitment to service, and a value of equality and social justice.
Annual Fund 2009-10 Please remember that the Annual Fund closes on June 30. Your gift truly has never meant more. Use the envelope included, give online at www.wilmingtonfriends.org, or for more information, contact Annual Fund Director Dina Handwerk, dhandwerk@wilmingtonfriends.org or (302) 576-2976. Thank you to our 2009-10 Annual Fund Chairs: Overall Chairs, Amy and Lee Trainer Leadership Chairs, Stephanie and Scott Gates ‘80 Parent Chairs, Amy and Michael Leviton Alumni Chair, Walter Smith ’62 Parent of Alumni Chairs, Eileen and Bart Dalton Grandparent Chairs, Ruth and Shaw Morovati
Learning about Ellen B.T. Pyle before touring the exhibit
In November, Ellen B.T. Pyle was one of Ellen B.T. Pyle was one Wilmington the few female students Friends hosted a of the few female stuinvited to study with famed special showing illustrator and teacher dents invited to study of the exhibiHoward Pyle, who had with famed illustrator tion Illustratbeen a Friends student in and teacher Howard ing Her World: the late 1880’s. She marEllen B.T. Pyle ried Pyle’s brother Walter Pyle, who had been a at the Delaware in 1904. Ellen Pyle was a Friends student in the Art Museum. prolific illustrator during More than 50 the 1920’s, famous espelate 1880’s. guests—alumni, cially for her 40 covers for parents, and The Saturday Evening Post. friends—attended a private tour of Her recognizable style drew acclaim the exhibit, with a reception following from around the country. Widowed at at the nearby home of Julie Tattersall an early age, she supported her family McGinnis ’82. through her illustrations, something not common in that era. Ellen Bernard Thompson Pyle was the grandmother of Friends alumni Walter Smith ’62, Bryan Garman, Andy Wyeth ’66 Walter Smith ’62, the late Howard Wyeth ’62, Convers Wyeth ’63, Andy Wyeth ’66, John Wyeth ’68, and David Wyeth ’71. Walter and Andy attended the event and shared memories of their grandmother, whose art often included family members and famous local citizens. Walter also was instrumental in bringing the exhibit to Wilmington and loaned several works that were included.
Spring 2009 • Friends magazine 3
Alumni Awards 2009 Brian Curtis Mand ’90 Young Alumnus of the Year
Pamela Perkins Young ’64 Outstanding Service Award
From Brian’s remarks: “Friends is understanding how to challenge yourself, without even knowing it. Friends is compassion and empathy and a recognition that not everyone in the world has our same opportunities. Friends is learning from Meeting for Worship that silence in life often speaks louder than words. Friends is knowing that you can be whoever you want to be. Friends is acknowledging that giving something a try and coming up short is better than sitting it out. Friends is understanding that although we may not look the same, common bonds are more easily forged than the pointing out of differences. Friends is learning to study, to think, to imagine, to create, to explore, to build, and to inspire. Friends is realizing that competition on the field is healthy as long as it is executed with class, integrity, and sportsmanship. Friends is a collection of bright minds and strong hearts. Friends is more than a school; it is a community that extends beyond our campus and past our time inside of these walls. Friends is a part of all of us, and though distance and time may cause memories to fade, the lessons learned and the light of the spirit burn brighter than ever.”
From Pam’s remarks: “I believe that the way I formed my beliefs about equality and social justice was the result of very early learning in my Quaker school, not something I came to later as a result of the liberation movements sweeping the United States during my adolescence and young adulthood. Since then, I have tried to build a purposeful life with a career in social work, developing programs that seek to combat those very structures of inequality that are built into the fabric of the society in which we live. And service to others can be demonstrated in a variety of ways, as the very rich and purposefilled stories of my classmates indicate: not only in careers, but in families and communities, as we commit our lives to making personal meaning while contributing to our shared human experience. That is what the combined stories of my classmates’ experiences, beginning together at Friends School and moving out through our adult lives, has demonstrated to me.”
Brian Curtis Mand is a New York Times bestselling author, a former television reporter and host, a national radio contributor, and a consultant. He is the author or co-author of five books: A Team to Believe In (with Tom Coughlin), Go Long! (with Jerry Rice), a New York Times bestseller, How Good Do You Want To Be? (with Nick Saban), Every Week A Season and The Men of March. Brian was the lead college football and basketball reporter for CBS College Sports, co-hosting studio shows, breaking stories, and reporting features. As the host of Taking Issue with Brian Curtis, he took an in-depth look at the major issues impacting sports today, interviewing many high profile guests. He was also a contributor to CBS News’ The Early Show. Prior to his work at CBS College Sports, Brian was a Los Angeles-based sports reporter and broadcaster for Fox Sports Net and was nominated for two local Emmy Awards. 4 Spring 2010 • Friends magazine
Brian Mand ’90 A contributor to Fox Sports Radio and regular guest on The Jim Rome Show, Brian has also been a contributor to ESPN Radio’s GameDay and ABC Sports Radio and has appeared on The Best Damn Sports Show Period and ESPN’s Cold Pizza as well as hundreds of radio and television stations around the nation. His work has been covered by USA Today, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Los Angeles Times among others. Brian holds a Master’s Degree with Honors in Sports Management from Brian Curtis Mand ’90 Ohio University and a Bachelor’s Young Alumnus of the Year Degree with Honors in Government from the University of Virginia. From Brian’s remarks: Brian’s volunteer interests include “Friends is understanding how to chalthe National Center for Missing and lenge yourself, without even knowing Exploited Children, as well as Wilmit. Friends is compassion and empathy ington Friends School. His leadership and a recognition that not everyone in was instrumental in the success of the the world has our same opportunities. Auction for Friends fundraiser in the Friends is learning from Meeting for spring of 2009. In addition, Brian has Worship that silence in life often speaks been a class agent for the past 19 years, louder than words. Friends is knowing has been a mentor for Friends students, that you can be whoever you want to and has shared his experiences as a be. Friends is acknowledging that giving guest speaker in classes. something a try and coming up short is better than sitting it out. Brian and his wife Tamara have two Friends is understanding that although • daughters and livethe in same, Atlanta. we may not look common bonds are more easily forged than the
Pamela Perkins Young is a professional social worker who develops and administers programs to enhance the capacity of the health care system to meet the psycho-social needs of patients and their families and to extend the system’s outreach into the community. She has devoted her career to the health and well-being of women and children, especially those living in poverty or with other disabling conditions. In her 30 years of human services practice, Pam has been a direct practitioner, supervisor, administrator, and field instructor of graduate social work students. In her current position as Director of Community Initiatives for the LifeBridge Health System in Baltimore, Pam works through partnerships with community organizations and residents to improve the general health of communities near the health system’s facilities. Pam attended Occidental College and the Johns Hopkins University for her undergraduate education, and then received her graduate training in social work at the University of Chicago,
John K. Urice ’64 Distinguished Alumnus of the Year School of Social Service Administration. She returned to Johns Hopkins many years after receiving her undergraduate degree to study for a certificate in “Women, Leadership, and Change.” That program renewed her interest in women’s development and led to her enrollment at the Fielding Graduate University to pursue doctoral studies. As she experienced her own midlife transitions, Pam became interested in how women over the age of 50 perceive their continuing contributions to their world. She designed her doctoral research to explore that question. As a volunteer, Pam has served on several boards: Friends School of Baltimore; Broadmead, a continuing care retirement community; SheppardPratt Health System, a large behavioral health system; and her professional organization, the National Association of Social Workers, Maryland Chapter. She also volunteers as a consultant to non-profit organizations. Pam has served as a class agent for Wilmington Friends School for the last 15 years, planning reunions (including the 45th in 2009) and women’s retreats, and creating the garden located outside the Jones House, dedicated in memory of 1964 classmates. Pam lives in Baltimore with her husband, Eric, a professor of Biomedical Engineering at the Johns Hopkins University. •
Board Chair David Singleton, Pamela Perkins Young ’64, and Bryan Garman
From John’s remarks: “[T]he class of 1964 is unique and thus has unique leadership responsibilities. Most of us were born in 1946, and we were the very first of ‘Baby Boomers.’ We came of age in the sixties. When we graduated on that beautiful June day, we were obviously unaware how quickly and dramatically the world which we were entering was going to change. We soon saw tumultuous upheavals in the search for racial, gender, and other civil rights. We have also witnessed more wars than can be counted. My own voluntary tour in Vietnam brought into sharp focus the need for peace rather than violence. Our class has seen great prosperity in America. Yet we also have seen millions of our fellow citizens slide helplessly into homelessness, poverty, and privation far beyond what should exist in the world’s richest and most talent-laden country. Few are as talented and capable as is our class individually and aggregately. We still have time to work to bring about greater social justice, and I am confident that we will.”
Prior to his retirement in 2007, John served Illinois State University for 13 years, as Vice President/Provost and as Professor of Theatre. He directed the MBA program in Arts Administration, which brought his career “full circle;” his first full-time position in higher education was as Director of the internationally recognized MBA/Arts Program at Binghamton University in New York. John also served as Dean of Arts and Sciences at Oakland University (Michigan) and Dean of Fine Arts at Ball State University (Indiana). John earned his Ph.D. in Arts Administration/Policy from Florida State University. Prior to his academic career, John was executive director of the Fine Arts Council of Florida. He consulted for a consortium of 37 states and the National Endowment for the Arts, and his report on information systems is still the basis for the data exchange among public arts agencies. This success brought him invitations to lead arts management programs. “I did not want to leave arts administra-
Honoree John Urice ’64 with his wife, Penny Kolloff tion, but thought that if I spent a few years teaching, I might train a cadre of knowledgeable leaders. Over time, I really discovered the joys of teaching, publishing, and serving.” John also served in the United States Army in Germany, Vietnam, and the U.S. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal (Oak Leaf Cluster) in 1971. John’s research has been published and cited in journals as diverse as the American Journal of Political Science, The Journal of Cultural Economics, and ArtsEducation Policy Review. He has also published in, and served as an executive editor of, The Journal of Arts Management, Law and Society. He has consulted widely for nearly a hundred non-profit organizations. Currently, John is president of the Chippewa Valley Habitat for Humanity Affiliate. He also serves as a member of his church’s JONAH (Joining Our Neighbors, Advancing Hope) steering committee, part of a statewide program encompassing social and economic justice, drug treatment, environmental stewardship, and health care. With the generosity of many others, in 2001, John and his brother Stephen ’68 established the Babette Block Rogers Scholarship Fund at Wilmington Friends School in honor of their mother—a former teacher—who “always emphasized and encouraged our education.” John and his wife, Penny Kolloff, now live on a lake in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, with their two golden retrievers. • Spring 2009 • Friends magazine 5
A New Face (Head) in Upper School:
Rebecca Zug
In November 2009, Bryan Garman announced that the current Head of Upper School at Friends, Rob Lake, had been appointed as Head of School at the Head-Royce School in Oakland, California, effective July 1, 2010. Bryan wrote, “While we are delighted that Rob has earned this wonderful opportunity, we regret that he will be leaving Friends School. His talents, skills, and outgoing good nature have been much appreciated for the past five years, and we are all grateful for his friendship, colleagueship, and many achievements. Rob, his wife, Heather, and their wonderful boys, Tucker and Casey, will be deeply missed.”
In January 2010, Bryan sent the following announcement (slightly updated information included here) to Friends parents: It is with great enthusiasm that I announce the appointment of Rebecca Zug to be the Head of Upper School, effective July 1, 2010. The appointment is the result of an extensive interview process that included faculty, staff, students, parents, and trustees. Rebecca was selected from a highly qualified international pool of 110 applicants. Rebecca is currently Assistant Principal and Upper School Dean of Students at Sidwell Friends in Washington, DC, where she has served for the past seven years. Rebecca taught previously at Colegio Internacional de Carabobo in Valencia, Venezuela; Taft School in Watertown, Connecticut; the Hackley School in Tarrytown, New York; and the George School in Newtown, Pennsylvania, where she taught in the International Baccalaureate program. A graduate of Westtown School, she holds a B.A. in American History and Literature with a Certificate in Latin American Studies, as well as a Master’s in Education, from Harvard University, where she was awarded a Pforzheimer Fellowship for her commitment to public service. She is also a graduate of the Joseph Klingenstein Summer Institute for independent school educators at Columbia University. In addition, Rebecca has served on the Board of Trustees at Oakwood Friends School in Poughkeepsie, New York, and serves as the recording clerk for Bethesda Friends Monthly Meeting in Bethesda, Maryland. Rebecca has a deep commitment to Quaker and international education, to nurturing student voice, and to working closely with faculty and staff. A native of the Philadelphia area, her husband, Jim, is an author whose books include The Guardian: The History of South Africa’s Extraordinary Anti-Apartheid Newspaper; Squash: A History of the Game; and Sidwell Friends School’s 125th anniversary history book, The Long Conversation. Jim has also written for the Atlantic Monthly and blogs for Vanity Fair. Jim and Rebecca are the parents of sons Collier (age 4) and Livy (age 6). I offer my thanks to all who were involved in the search process, with special recognition to Jake Rashkind, who served as faculty clerk, and Lynn Puritz-Fine and Loraine Snead, who participated in the semi-finalist interview process. Please join us in welcoming the Zugs to Wilmington this summer. In friendship, Bryan
6 Spring 2010 • Friends magazine
On February 3, 2010, Rebecca graciously participated in an email interview: 1) What attracted you to Wilmington Friends? Wilmington Friends is a school with a national and international reputation for providing an unparalleled education within the context of Quaker values. Its long history of commitment to diversity and to global connections interests me. The QUEST Center is a recent example of how the school is blending social justice, environmental stewardship, and Quaker testimonies in ways that engage the community. We also have family in Philadelphia and consider Wilmington a place where we can settle and put down deep roots. 2) What inspired you to become a teacher? An administrator? I come from a family of educators, so it was almost a foregone conclusion I would enter education in one form or another. When I was in Mexico City to write my undergraduate thesis on the Mexican Revolution, I fell in love with living abroad. That led to teaching at an international school in Venezuela seventeen years ago. After that, I was hooked. All teachers are leaders and do work beyond the classroom that affects the school community. I especially like that about teaching in a Friends school where leadership is more “bottom up” than “top down.” Yet I sought administrative roles ten years ago when I realized that I had the interest—and I hoped the skills and temperament—to implement change and support teachers from a broader position of responsibility. I served on the board of Oakwood Friends School for three years because of my interest in macro school issues. 3) What’s it like to be a “real” Quaker in Quaker schools that are mostly nonQuaker students and teachers? I believe that there are many “unofficial Friends” in Quaker schools, and I am accustomed to being in the minority as a birthright Quaker. I am comfortable with my role as the “card-carrying Quaker” when necessary. I think we can all benefit from intentional use of silence for reflection, and from the Quaker decisionmaking process. I was glad to learn that the students at Wilmington Friends have a Meeting for Business structure for their governance. It is clearly a school deeply steeped in Quaker practice and tradition.
Garman Appointed to Two National Boards Head of School Bryan Garman has been appointed to two prestigious national boards. First, Bryan was asked to serve on the Board of Trustees of School Year Abroad (SYA), with a term starting in January 2010. Please read more about SYA, and the Friends students who have participated, on the following pages. Many SYA Trustees are alumni or parents of alumni of the program, and others are heads of member schools, including Phillips Exeter in New Hampshire and Lakeside School in Seattle.
Rebecca’s family—husband Jim and sons, Livy and Collier 4) What’s the best class you ever took and why? Great question. I am thinking of two: Ned Farman’s U.S. History course at Westtown and Robert Coles’ graduate seminar on education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Ned gave me a passion for history. He taught with humor and through discussion, and held us to high standards for original thought and research. I am a high school history teacher because of him. I was lucky enough to be in Coles’ seminar. We read Catcher in the Rye, The Bluest Eye, and other novels about the life of children in schools—most of us had not opened these texts since high school ourselves. He is such a spiritual and intellectual academic who led conversation about the power of schools in the lives of children. I will never forget that we have such a precious opportunity with students—to listen to them, to guide them, to teach them to make the world a better place. 5) What would you want people here to know about you that they wouldn’t get from your resumé? Let’s see…I used to be an avid rock climber. Jim and I now enjoy camping with the boys, and doing lots of hiking and kayaking. We have an ancient yellow Labrador who will turn 14 in June. I have yet to recover from the end of the TV series The West Wing. I am an avid reader and am currently reading Hilary Mantel’s novel Wolf Hall about Thomas Cromwell. And, I will be looking for a doubles tennis partner.
“It’s an exciting time for SYA,” Bryan said, “with expanding programs and innovations like the Vietnam campus with its sustainable development focus.” Bryan added that serving on the board also represents, “a great opportunity to work with educators who have developed signature programs in international studies, and with an organization that was among the first to recognize the need to expand global learning for independent school students.” In February, Bryan began a three-year term on the Board of Trustees of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). Former Head of Upper School at Friends Katherine Dinh is also on the NAIS Board; Katherine is now Head of School at Prospect Sierra School in El Cerritto, California. NAIS, based in Washington, D.C., represents more than 1,400 independent schools and educational associations in the United States, and also has global affiliates.
Friends Board Chair David Singleton, trustee/alumna/parent Meg Gehret Erskine ’83, and Bryan Garman at the 50th Reunion Luncheon in October
The President of NAIS, Patrick Bassett, said in announcing Bryan’s appointment, “Bryan Garman’s enthusiastic embrace of positive change coupled with his deep understanding of historical trends will be an invaluable asset to the NAIS board. He has a strong vision for the future of independent education, one that encompasses environmental sustainability, technology, and globalism. His colleagues noted his dedication to the well-being of students and faculty, a hallmark of independent schools, and his interest in addressing principles of good practice in governance on a national level.” Speaking about both appointments, David Singleton, Chair of Friends School’s Board of Trustees, said, “Bryan’s service in positions of national leadership is very meaningful for the school. First, it recognizes and reflects Friends School’s own leadership in areas like global education. It also provides a unique kind of access to some of the best ideas and resources in education, and gives the school a face and identity with independent school faculties and administrators around the country.”
Spring 2009 • Friends magazine 7 7
Dreaming in Italian (or Mandarin or French or Spanish…) On School Years Abroad In 2007, Wilmington Friends became the first Delaware school accepted into the School Year Abroad (SYA) consortium, a group of leading independent schools with a commitment to international education. Friends joined the consortium during a strategic planning process that, as Head of School Bryan Garman said, “not only reaffirmed but deepened our commitment to global education, including international study and service learning.” At the time, Friends had three students at different stages of involvement in international programs. Emily Howe ’08 had spent the second semester of her junior year in Italy through the American Field Service (AFS) program. Vicqui Yu ’08 was spending that summer in China through AFS, and Talia Tiffany ’09 was getting ready to leave for a year at an international boarding school in India. Since then, through SYA and building on the language department’s annual trips— adding a school-organized delegation on a 2008 People to People trip to China, and service-learning trips in 2009 to India and Costa Rica—and on endowed programs to support faculty travel and study, international opportunities have expanded significantly for both students and teachers. School Year Abroad was founded in 1964 by Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, as “Schoolboys Abroad.” Twelve students and three teachers participated in a program in Spain that year. Phillips Exeter Academy became a sponsor in 1965, and St. Paul’s School (New Hampshire) joined as a third “founding school” in 1968. The program in France, located in Rennes, opened in 1967. “Schoolboys” became “School Year” and coeducational in 1970, and began to invite schools with a focus on global education to join a consortium. SYA was legally incorporated as a non-profit in 1975. The program in China was launched in 1994, followed by programs in Italy (2001), India (2008; not offered in 2010-11), Vietnam (2009), and Japan (scheduled to accept its first students in the fall of 2010). There was also an SYA program in Germany from 1971-1975. The curriculum in all of the programs 8 Spring 2010 • Friends magazine
Mia Reynolds ’10 and a friend enjoy the Italian countryside. includes study of the host language, English, math, and history. The Vietnam program offers a one-semester option and focuses on sustainable development, with courses including AP economics and AP environmental science and units on topics like micro-lending, energy delivery, public health, the role of NGO’s, and social entrepreneurship. Each SYA location enrolls approximately 60 students—high school juniors and seniors—per year, and there are now more than 5,000 SYA alumni. The program involves a homestay, with host families ranging from retired couples to large families with young children; placements are coordinated by the SYA Resident Director in each country. SYA operates its own schools and, like the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, emphasizes high-level preparation for college study. Each SYA location has a college-counseling program and administers standardized tests for juniors and seniors, including the PSAT, SAT, ACT, and AP exams. The SYA curriculum is audited every four years by administrators and teachers from member schools. SYA schools also emphasize the host city and host country as an extension of the classroom. Both of the Friends students who participated in SYA as juniors during 2008-09—Mia Reynolds (daughter of Linda Harris Reynolds and Jim Reynolds, both ’75) and Darrell Seeney— appreciated that experience especially. Darrell, who was in the SYA France program, talked about studying topics in
history and then going to see where the events took place, including school trips to Paris and Normandy. Mia said that the extended classroom experience “happened all the time” in her program based in Viterbo, Italy, including an art history trip to Florence. At SYA’s European schools, about 20 days of the year are dedicated to school-sponsored travel. In China and Vietnam, it can be up to 40 days. Independent travel within host European countries is also encouraged on weekends and during school vacations, with written permission from each student’s parents and from the Resident Director. Mia took weekend train trips to Rome, staying with a small group of friends in youth hostels. Darrell said weekends were a “a lot of fun” in Rennes, “a college town with a lot to do,” but he and some friends did rent an apartment in Marseilles over spring break. Darrell also traveled as a member of a community Gospel Choir. Leaving the host country during the school year is discouraged, mostly for the continuity of language immersion. Students come to the SYA program with a range of language skills. For the programs in Italy, China, Japan, and Vietnam, students may apply without any prior experience in the host language. For France and Spain, students who apply to SYA must be enrolled in at least highschool level II study of French or Spanish. Language mastery is a central goal— perhaps more accurately, an organizing principle—of the School Year Abroad program. It is something, SYA President Woodrow Halsey wrote that, “sets [SYA alumni] apart forever from most Americans their age.” Mia Reynolds said that “99% of the kids” who got off the bus with her last year arrived not speaking any Italian at all. “By the second month,” she said, “you are able to communicate.” SYA
School Year Abroad
host families speak little or no English. Mia took just one course—the language class—in Italian during her first semester; in the second semester, four of her courses (all but English and math) were taught in Italian. “Fluency comes pretty Darrell Seeney ’10 with his host parents in Rennes, France quickly,” she said, “Before too long, I started thinking—even as though you are a part of a family.” dreaming—in Italian.” Most of Darrell When Blaine’s mother, Tsahai, visited her Seeney’s classes—again, all except English in China over winter break, Blaine said and math—were taught in French from she felt the family bond with her host the first day. “The work gets much easier parents deepen even more. “This type of as you get more comfortable with the lan- exchange brings about relationships that guage,” Darrell said, agreeing with Mia, last a lifetime.” “It happens faster than you think it will.” That kind of relationship is what inspired Friends junior Blaine Kebede is in the SYA Becky Hodge, now a junior, to spend her China program this year, and she said the sophomore year abroad—an option not most challenging part of her experience available through SYA—in the Youth at the beginning was “definitely comfor Understanding program, the same munication.” Blaine had been to China program in which her mother, Cheryl, as part of the school delegation on the had participated while a high-school 2008 summer trip. Blaine said that, on student in Orange Park, Florida. Cheryl that first visit, she developed “a great Hodge spent her year abroad in Denadmiration of China and its culture,” but mark, and Becky has grown up visitdid not pick up much of the language. ing Cheryl’s host parents on vacation “I knew one word,” she said, “‘ni hao,’ and, she said, “thinking of them as my which means ‘hello.’” Language instrucgrandparents.” Unfortunately, Becky’s tion in the China program, based on initial homestay experience was not as the campus of Beijing’s Normal Univerpositive as her mom’s or Blaine’s, and she sity’s Second Affiliated Upper Middle ended up changing host families during School—or “BNU High School #2”—is the year—with the second experience intensive. Each student takes two-and-aworking out very well. Despite the initial half credits in Mandarin Chinese (AP), challenge, Becky still says that relationincluding 10 periods each week in small ships were one of two highlights of her classes of six to twelve, and two classes year in France. (The other was the food, a week in focused groups of just two a favorite topic of all the Friends students or three students. Most students in the who have shared experiences from time China program take four classes taught in English, including full-credit courses in English, math, and Chinese History, and a half-credit course in Chinese Society and Culture. Blaine identified “the best thing” about her experience as the relationships she has developed, especially with her host family. “It is amazing to me,” Blaine said, “It truly seems
Becky Hodge ’11, right, said that developing lasting relationships and the food were the two highlights of her year in France.
Founding Schools Phillips Academy, Andover, MA Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, NH St. Paul’s School, Concord, NH Member Schools Albuquerque Academy, Albuquerque, NM Belmont Hill School, Belmont, MA The Bishops School, La Jolla, CA The Blake School, Minneapolis, MN The Branson School, Ross, CA Brooks School, North Andover, MA The Community School of Naples, Naples, FL Culver Academies, Culver, IN Deerfield Academy, Deerfield, MA Episcopal High School, Alexandria, VA Harvard-Westlake School, North Hollywood, CA The Head-Royce School, Oakland, CA The Hill School, Pottstown, PA Holland Hall School, Tulsa, OK The Hotchkiss School, Lakeville, CT Isidore Newman School, New Orleans, LA Lake Forest Academy, Lake Forest, IL Lakeside School, Seattle, WA The Latin School of Chicago, Chicago, IL The Loomis Chaffee School, Windsor, CT Mercersberg Academy, Mercersberg, PA Milton Academy, Milton, MA Norfolk Academy, Norfolk, VA The Peddie School, Highstown, NJ Punahou School, Honolulu, HI San Francisco University High School, San Francisco, CA Sidwell Friends School, Washington, DC St. John’s School, Houston, TX St. Mary’s Hall, St. Mary’s, TX The Taft School, Watertown, CT The Thatcher School, Ojai, CA Western Reserve Academy, Hudson, OH The Westminster Schools, Atlanta, GA Wilmington Friends School, Wilmington, DE
Spring 2009 • Friends magazine 9 9
A Family Tradition Junior Becky Hodge spent her sophomore year in France through the Youth for Understanding program. Becky’s mother, Cheryl, also participated in Youth for Understanding when she was a high-school student growing up in Florida. This year, the Hodge family—which also includes father Dennis and younger sister Kelly, a seventh grader at Friends—is host to Friends AFS student Tim Saathoff, who is from Germany. Cheryl Hodge said of her own experience as an international student, “I have a second family and have stayed close with them over the years. The experience didn't end when I came home; instead it has continued and grown deeper. We extended it further with Becky having a French family, and now we have Tim as a part of our family. I have to say, it is fun for everyone to have a son and brother in the house. And Tim fits right in. It will be very difficult for us when it is time for him to go home.”
Seventh grader Kelly Hodge, AFS student Tim Saathoff, junior Becky Hodge, and Dennis Hodge at the FBI building, during a visit to Washington, DC (Cheryl Hodge took the photo.)
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abroad.) “Not many people go abroad and come back all enthusiastic about school and homework,” Becky said, “but almost always, you’ll come back excited about the people you met and know you will stay in touch with for years to come.” Becky also said that her time in France deepened her appreciation for what she has in the U.S. “I realized just how good and nurturing and trusting our school is. I would tell my friends about pajama day, dances, clubs, school sports, things like yearbook—which they didn’t have there—and I was so proud, and could actually see people envy how I talked with enthusiasm and energy about school.” She also felt well prepared by her family and by Friends School for the experience. “I think it’s important to be willing to try new things without judging them first. You have to be willing to be uncomfortable, but also to speak up when something needs to be changed….Our school just succeeds so well in getting us ready for that, in helping us grow as people and to take a new or challenging situation in stride.” Blaine said she thinks the most important practical quality a student can bring to a school year abroad is “to be truly devoted to learning about the country’s culture.” “You have a lot of independence,” Blaine said with a bit of a cautionary tone, “and it’s important to remember why you came to China—or France, or Italy, or whichever country you choose.” There are four other Quaker school students in Blaine’s SYA class in China. “I feel if I were not a Quaker school student,” Blaine said, “I would not even have had the courage or interest to travel abroad. The global learnOne aspect of student life in Italy that Mia Reynolds espeing outlook at Friends really has taught enjoyed was spending time after school exploring the me to be open-minded and encouraged my cially town of Viterbo and “doing homework in cafés.” curiosity to explore.” That “curiosity to explore the world” is the quality that SYA identifies as the common link among its diverse student body; and it is the starting point. Language mastery, building relationships, and cultural immersion are organizing experiences of the program, but not in themselves the end goals. As the SYA mission statement says, “Using second language as the vehicle and another culture as the extension of our classrooms, we aim to teach our students self-reliance, responsible decisionmaking, resourcefulness, adaptability, and respect for difference….We hope that our students will take from SYA a humble appreciation for the complexity of the world’s problems, a healthy awareness that cultural values and political traditions lead countries to approach those problems differently, and a heartfelt desire to make their own contribution to the search for new solutions.”
Blaine Kebede’s mother, Tsahai, visited Blaine and her host family in China over winter break. Tsahai and her husband Alemayehu grew up in Ethiopia, have family in France, love to travel, and, Blaine said, “always emphasized how important it is to explore the world.” Standing: Blaine’s host parents, Li Xiang Yang (proudly wearing his Delaware t-shirt) and Sun Ji Yun, Blaine and Tsahai Kebede. Seated: Blaine’s host sister, Li Xue Mei, a flight attendant; her husband, Yang De Wen, a pilot; and their daughter, Yang Ming Ran.
Blaine Kebede ’11 with a friend in Fujian Province, China. SYA’s program in Beijing designates as many as 40 days per year for educational travel in China.
A History of Leadership in Global Education As a foundation to the school’s recent global programs like School Year Abroad, and grounded in its Quaker identity, Friends has a long history of leadership in global learning—including what was at the time a very progressive curricular focus on world geography in the 1800’s, and participation in the American Field Service (AFS) program every year since its founding in 1947.
SYA Alumni College Admissions
AFS always has been a natural philosophical fit for Friends. The most recent statement of the “core values and attributes” of AFS were adopted in 1993: “AFS enables people to act as responsible global citizens working for peace and understanding in a diverse world. It acknowledges that peace is a dynamic concept threatened by injustice, inequity and intolerance. AFS seeks to affirm faith in the dignity and worth of every human being and of all nations and cultures. It encourages respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms without distinction as to race, sex, language, religion or social status. AFS activities are based on our core values of dignity, respect for differences, harmony, sensitivity and tolerance.” Even before AFS, Friends students and school leaders were among the pioneers in international student exchanges.
Over the past five years, SYA alumni have matriculated at more than 210 colleges and universities. The colleges that have enrolled the most SYA students are: New York University Georgetown University University of Pennsylvania Harvard University Yale University George Washington University Brown University University of Chicago University of California McGill University Boston University Columbia University Wellesley College Cornell University Dartmouth College Princeton University Stanford University Tufts University University of St. Andrew’s Wesleyan University
35 31 23 20 20 19 17 17 16 13 12 12 12 10 10 10 10 10 10 10
Jane Frelick ’37, left, at the 2009 True Blue/1748 Society Luncheon with friend Betty Daudt ’41
Ann and Dutch Miller, with AFS daughter Verena Khennache, and seventh grade daughter Louisa. Verena is from Belgium and is a senior at Friends this year. Tim Saathoff, an AFS student from Germany, is a junior and is living with the Hodge family (see page 10). Friends has hosted AFS students every year since the program was founded in 1947.
Jane Hayden Frelick ’37 participated in the Experiment in International Living, which was founded in 1932 and continues today as a three- to five-week summer program “to foster peace through understanding, communication, and cooperation.” Jane spent the summer of 1936 in Germany—the summer of Jesse Owens’ profound Olympic triumphs. “There were no airplanes to Europe then,” Jane remembered, describing the 10-day journey as “quite a boat ride.” She recalled meeting Sargent Shriver aboard the ship. Shriver had participated in the Experiment in International Living himself during the summer of 1934, and went on to help create and to serve as the first Director of the Peace Corps.
Immediately after World War II, the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) worked with the Overseas Schools Committee of Boston to develop relationships “for mutual benefit” between American schools and schools in war-damaged areas. At the request of AFSC, then-Friends Headmaster Wilmot Jones was given a leave of absence to go to Europe. In 1946-47, Jones visited 65 schools in Italy, France, Holland, and Belgium. The lower school at Friends became affiliated as a “sister school” with two schools near Caen, in the Normandy invasion area; the upper school became affiliated with a college preparatory school in Holland. In more recent history, in 2002, Friends became the first school in Delaware authorized to participate in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB). Again, a natural philosophical fit for Friends, the IB states its aim as, “to develop internationally minded people who, recognizing their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, help to create a better and more peaceful world.” The IB “learner profile” highlights the academic alignment with the Friends program, with a focus on process-based as well as content-based learning, developing students who are, in the IB’s words, “Inquirers, Knowledgeable, Thinkers, Communicators, Principled, Open-minded, Caring, Risk-takers, Balanced, Reflective.”
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It rained a little… Well, a lot. A very nice crowd of alumni and friends braved the early phase of the storm on Thursday, October 15, for the 1748 Society/True Blue Luncheon. They were rewarded with a wonderful performance by the Chamber Singers and a presentation by first graders of seeds in beautifully decorated bags, a class project that combined environmental science, service, and art. The 50th Reunion Luncheon on Friday, October 16, had a wonderful spirit of celebration, with friends so enthusiastic to see each other again. Along with some lighter fare, luncheon speaker Bill Amend ’59 offered an eloquent tribute to his and his classmates’ Friends education. “Firstly,” he said, “there was the experience of a weekly, Quaker Meeting for Worship. The ‘sense-of-meeting,’ with its spoken and unspoken sense of a community’s purpose as well as often a decided course of action, served as a model for us all in future years. Secondly, Friends education emphasized critical and liberal thinking. This is the most singular memory, I think, for us all. We learned how important it is to reference our thoughts and to listen openly to one another. We were fortunate to have so many quality teachers who cautioned us against dogmatic thinking. Thirdly, we, like now, were able to experience success—and defeats—with our athletic teams. Finally, our friends-of-Friends in the class of 1959 were and are very special hometown companions.” The debut of the new Class Reunion and Alumni Awards Reception was a big hit—another great crowd, and wonderful remarks by our honored alumni (see pages 4-5).
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The cross country teams ran through the rain (it was also really cold) on Friday at Bellevue State Park, and somehow managed an incredible number of personal best times. The boys’ team finished in the top half of a field of 35 schools, with top finishes by sophomore Chazz Higginbotham, junior captain Wesley Carr, and sophomore Nick Napoletano. Despite a slip in the mud, freshman Joelle Napoletano finished strong and crossed the line first for the girls’ team, followed by junior Louise Connelly and junior Katie Grover. Leslie Knight is head coach of the cross country team. Volleyball took on perennial state powerhouse Ursuline on Friday night, and represented the school with skill and class. Friends volleyball has won seven straight conference championships and four consecutive statewide sportsmanship awards—no other school has ever been honored in consecutive years. Thanks to Bob Trinsey, two-time Delaware Coach of the Year, for his 11 years as head coach of Friends volleyball. Two players were honored with All State recognition this year: junior Samantha Perillo, second team, and junior Danielle Delpeche, honorable mention. The storm got even worse on Saturday, October 17, and field hockey and soccer games were postponed. Once the sun came out some days later, the field hockey team, led by coach Anne Brooking, beat a tough Wilmington Christian squad. Junior Oliva Veale was All State honorable mention in field hockey this year. Quaker soccer put a scare into another state powerhouse, St. Mark’s, in their rescheduled game. Senior Bryce Sheppard earned first team All State honors in soccer, and senior Drew Malinsky earned third team recognition. Saturday opened, as always—rain or shine—with the Smith McMillan 5K (see page 16). The morning also saw a new addition to Homecoming this year, the all-school service project sponsored by the QUEST Center. A rental truck was parked in front of the arches to collect donations for The Ministry of Caring. More than 100 large boxes and bags of Spring 2010 • Friends magazine 13
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goods were donated to our neighbors in need. The project was a great complement to the Lower School Service Fair in the East Gym, featuring grade-level booths with information and activities related to the service-learning curriculum, focused on environmental science. Right next door in the West Gym, a DJ, moon bounce, face painting, and other “Kids Corner” activities kept the indoor version of the Homecoming party going for the younger set. Meeting for Worship, school tours, and another delicious Homecoming lunch (by Toscana, owned by Friends parent Dan Butler) provided great opportunities to see friends—and Friends—again. Football played in the rain (still cold), taking on A.I. du Pont, then undefeated and ranked number one in the state in Division I—you know, the big schools. Friends ultimately lost the game, but only after a truly heroic defensive effort that held A.I.’s powerful offense scoreless through the first half. Halftime once again featured the fourth through eighth grade band, led by Christopher Verry—in the gym this year, where the sound was even bigger and better. The Quakers did not win the Homecoming football game, but they went on to win the conference championship and finished 8-2 overall. As for Coach Bob “T” Tattersall, he is now, simply, the winningest coach in Delaware high school football history, with 254 career victories—and hundreds of lives touched, strengthened, and inspired by his teaching. The evening brought class reunions around town. Many thanks to the class agents who organized, hosted, and did so much more; to Stacy Gatti, who stood with skill and humor at the eye of the organizational storm of all the Homecoming events; to the parent, faculty, and staff volunteers who brought things to life; to the building services and grounds crews, led by Ray Carbone and Bill Miller; and to everyone who walked, ran, worshipped, spoke, ate, cheered, donated, and otherwise joined in the party.
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Spring 2010 • Friends magazine 15
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As always, our 14th Annual 5K Run & Walk benefited the Jonathan Bacon Smith ’83 and Wendy Smith McMillan ’77 Memorial Fund, an endowment fund that supports financial aid at Friends. Total Raised in 2009: $6,415.80 We had more than 100 registered participants. Given the weather on the morning of the race, we were pleased and proud to have 80 cross the finish line.
Committee & Volunteers
Katy Connolly, co-clerk Lisa Townsend Raber ’77, co-clerk Annette Aerenson Amy Bailey Denise Chapman Caroline Connolly ’12 Chip Connolly ’79 Elizabeth Connolly ’09 Annie Coons Kate Cowperthwaite Judy Downing Liz Fields Dina Handwerk Aliceia Higginbotham Jane Hollingsworth Steve Jennings Susan Kelley Joe Napoletano Lynne Nathan Jennifer O’Brien Tom O’Brien Tara Quinn Marlee Raber ’09 Lou Salvadori Ann Schmidt Sarah Stock Patterson Ginann Walczak
Sponsors
The Aerenson Family Jamie Nicholls & Fran Biondi ’83 Connolly Bove Lodge & Hutz LLP The Connolly Family Currie Hair Skin Nails Delaware Dentistry Delaware Orthopaedic Center The Kelley Family Morris James LLP Pantano Real Estate PNC Bank The Quinn/Galardi Family Road ID Schlosser & Associates Small Associates W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
2009 • Friends Magazine 16Spring Spring 2009 • Friends magazine
Contributors
Annette Aerenson Artisans Gifts & Furniture Brew HaHa Jon Clifton ’80 The Connolly Family Christina’s Unique Accessories Johnnie’s Dog House (Mark Raphaelson ’80) Lolita Clothing and Accessories Kim and Bill Mangan McKenzie’s Brew House The O’Brien Family Philly Pretzel Factory Play ‘n’ Trade Video Games The Quaker Closet The Raber Family Terrain
Top School Finishers Faculty: Stephnie Knudsen Mike McKenzie Parents: Patricia Connelly Brett Fallon 12 and Under Emma Davis ’18 Jack Coons ’18 13-18 Bobbie Atkins ’14 Thomas Connelly ’14 19-29 Natalie Rosenberg ’05 50-59 Vonnie Estes, parent Over 70 Art Connolly, Jr. ’55
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s 1939
s 1944
s 1949
s 1954
Seated (L to R) Mary Louise Shoemaker Lind, Jack Hoopes Standing (L to R) Jane Bridgwater Hewes, Herb Ward, Debbie Cox Harrington
Sitting L to R: Jeanne Morris Smith, Connie Howard Henke Standing L to R: John Beekley , Ann Fletcher Beekley, Donni Smith Marshall, Dick Abrams, Loretta Mearns Setter, Dave Henke, Bob Rudrow, Liz Fonda Wiltshire
Seated (L to R) Maggie Milliken Tyson, Jim Adams Standing (L to R) Howard Starkweather, Louise Ford Ralph, Bill Frederick, Jody Brosius Shoemaker
Seated (L to R): Anne Jackson Barnhill, Candy Kane Bender Standing (L to R): Roby Simpson Harrell, Lisa Amend Ashby, John Hyden, Nancy Weir Gardner, Anne Bailey Donaghy
Spring 2009 • Friends magazine 17
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1959
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1964
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Front row (L to R): Patty Poole Benzien, Boots Kane Tolsdorf, Tim Jackson Second Row: Becky Holladay Dickinson, Bill Amend, Dee Morris Stevens, Elisa Stroud Poole, Elisabeth Milliken Head, Tom Bennett Third Row: David Holmes, Dick Wier, Peter Lindley, Tony Cattermoul, Nick Everhart Last Row: Peter Morrow, Charlie Jacobson
Seated (L to R): Ira Kirch, Geoff Holmes, Phip Strange, Pam Perkins Young. Standing: Corlet Jackson Weisel, Dorothy Cook Coady, John Urice, Marianne Johns Cook, Janet Martin Yabroff, Katie Gressle, Rich McKelvie, Ria Jelshoj Lerche, Bill Morton, Leslie Kirkman Reed, Dave Ellis, Judy Reed Smith, Rob Cannon, Beth Cavanaugh, Chris Whitney, Dick Broad, Mike Wise, Mary Bloomsburg Wemlinger, Convers Wyeth ’63, Vicki Milliken Buccino, Susan Agoos Herrmann and Harriet Dann (Not pictured: Mary Linda Vannoy Priestley)
s 1969
Left photo: Peter Isakoff, Judy Prest, Scott Johnson, Anne Nozinsky, Anna Beth Benningfield Right photo: Anne Stern Gallagher, Leo Kob, Doug Brady, Martha Rhoads Kob, Bob Hackett, Barry Snyder, Becky Bell Ley
18 Spring 2010 • Friends magazine
s s
1984
Front Row (L t R): Margo Hoff Pennock, Donna DeBoer Nacchia, Dorothy Connolly Mraz, Carolin Booth Murphy, Nancy Booth Hunsburger, Carol Mullin Holzman, Meg Adams Hunter Back Row (L to R): Pat Chase, Jim Taylor, Dan Troyan, Maggi O’Brien, Carol Powers Weitzenkorn, Alex Payne Sutherland, Geoff Wilkinson, Chip Millick, Mike Wilbur, Dix Lamborn, Thom Marston ’75, Scott Reese, Jon Pennock, Peter Kelemen
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1979
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Front row (L to R): Cathy Kelleher Burgy, John Kaiser, Amy Magness Larnick, Jeff Hughes Middle row: Cathy Hartenauer Scanlon, Nancy Kuniholm Aronhalt, Nancy Magness Carr, Kevin Dew, Mena Martins Leitao, Ned Pennock, Warren Minix, Shokie Bragg Back Row: Tom Gilmour, Steve Johnson, Ken Graham, Scott Reynolds, Bonnie Wilson Crosby, Basil Kollias, Craig Aronhalt
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Front row (L to R): Susan Lester Busch, Kim Holton, Ceci Kosenkranius, Alice Minor Anthony, Anne Harper Second Row: Ellen Cordrey deVrind, Susan Tattersall Davis, Kathy Bunville Welch, Dina Robinson Anderson, Sharon Mulrooney Flanagan, John McDermott, Nancy Knapp Piccione, Debbie Szanto, Dagmar Krewson Dunn, Third Row: Marcy Stong Burka, Marshall Stafford, Jamie Prince, Mark Pearce, Russ Bohner, Mike Connolly, Steve Malone, Tom Coleman, Seth Crichton , John Aleman, Jay Bancroft, David Lemons, Geoff Turner, Jeff Liebesman, Tracy Malonis, Paul Schnee
Front Row (L to R): Fae Rosenthal, Mimi Wier Royer, Kyle Page Second Row: Anne Reynolds Winkler, Kristin Woods Stark, Bill Michels, Kim Massih Dolan, Jason Mulveny, Trelly Vergara Shaikh, Mike Hardy, Jane Williams Moore, Rob Brand, Kate Franta Ries, Paul Burke Third Row: Jennifer Johnson Vinton, BJ Vinton, Ann Tallman Skibicki, Renay Mercer Gore, Julie Boswell McCulloch, Sherri Graff, Jen Hazelton, Peter Henderer, Lex Vergara, Helen Jeanette Brunswick, Scott Goldman, Todd Quimby, Patrick Mitchell, Brynne Johnson Bruno Back Row: Jeanie Cucuzzella McCuskey, Tom Dippel, Chris Farrell, Tricia Seibold, Brian Nilstoft, Wes Dinsel, Andy Houston, Keith Snyder, Scott Smith
Spring 2009 • Friends magazine 19
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Reed Hunt, Molly Mahoney Reese, Kim Cresswell, Lindsay Rademaker Reinhold, Amy Curran Harper, Brady Nemeth, Elias Ganim, Emily Beck
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Front Row (L to R): Lily Davidson, Paury Flowers, Nicole Donnelly Back Row: Jessica Dillon Wilson, Erika Kurtz, Andrew Ganim, Sarah Cohen, Adrienne Neff, Katie Wolf Martinenza, Thomas Shipman (Not pictured: Ejimofor Amobi, Eliza Wolcott, Jenny Lamb)
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Mel Malone, Abby Hughes-Strange, Joe Hartnett, Stephanie Bonnes, Colleen Farrel, Laura Director, Jeff Palmer, Mat Levin, Cara LoFaro, Sarah Lester, Maddie Kirk, Andy McEnroe, Laura McGowan, Tony Rizzo, Elyse Sahadevan, Sarah Cotts and Stacey Galperin
CLASS NOTES SUBMITTING CLASS NOTES Do you have some good news to share about yourself or a friend/relative from Friends? If so, we want to know about it and so do your classmates! Send your news and/or photos to alumni@ wilmingtonfriends.org, or enter them directly through the alumni online community, at: www.wilmingtonfriends.org. 1936
Eric Allemann reported that he will be 91 in October and says he is “still kicking in spite of the numerous little problems that afflict the aged.” Eric and his wife have been living in Spain for 20 years. He wrote, “After I was married, I lived in Landenberg, PA, and remember playing golf with Hershel Loomis, my former coach and chemistry teacher at Friends. Carroll Kimes came to see us from time to time, also in Landenberg. Mr. Kimes was my math teacher.” Eric also remembered classmate Betty Topkis Schiff well. “She and Freda Braunstein Sacks both lived on Baynard Boulevard, and my family also lived on Baynard Boulevard.” Betty is living in Florida near her grandchildren, according to granddaughter Laura Hershorin ’82. Freda is also in Florida, and enjoys her two great-grandchildren.
neighbor Ellie Woodward Borders. “I still think of the miracle of big brother Walter Lumley ’41 getting me to and from school in my mother’s Lincoln Zephyr, which was driven like an airplane. He later became a fighter pilot in the Marines.”
1950
Bob Brubaker is a consultant for Michigan State University where he heads the Department of Defense/National Institutes of Health effort to develop a plague vaccine, and continues to work on various federal contracts and committees concerned with defense against terrorism. He spends most of his time in North Carolina where he renewed acquaintance with Friends alumnus Carl Schumacher ’45, now retired in Tryon, NC.
1951
Over the summer, Chick Altmaier and Frannie Walker Altmaier ’53 visited Peg and Art Hill at their home in Spruce Head, Maine. Chick reported, “Both seemed to be in great health. The weather was gorgeous and we had a fun time catching up.” Earlier this year, Art and Peg accompanied a singing group from the Annapolis School (where Art had once been Head of school) on a trip to Rome. The group sang for the Pope. The Hills told Chick and Frannie that they’d had “a fantastic time,” especially visiting the Coliseum.
1939
William Simons (See 1943.)
1941
Jack Simons (See 1943.) Walter Lumley (See 1946.)
1945
Carl Schumacher (See 1950.) Caroline Simons Kent (See 1943.)
1946
Marjorie Lumley Chapman wrote in July 2009 that she had moved to Boynton Beach, FL, to be near her daughter, Jennifer. She also enjoys visiting her daughter, Diana, in Spring City, UT, and her son, Rich, in Flagstaff, AZ. She stays in touch with classmate and former
Frannie Walker Altmaier (See 1951.)
1954
Anne Bailey Donaghy (See 1986.) Jack Hyden came out of retirement last year to work as the quality control engineer at a five-phase construction project at the Freshkills Landfill on Staten Island, flying from Buffalo to Newark, NJ, on Monday mornings and returning each Friday. Jack had plans to resign at the end October 2009, and, because he enjoys working, find something else to do in the Buffalo area. Jack’s wife, Marlene, recently completed the four-year Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Seminary Program and is now an ordained Lutheran Pastor at Grace ELCA Church in Buffalo.
1955
Devy Rose Bruch reported happily that she met her birth sister in Memphis in December 2009. Although Devy always knew she was adopted, it was not until earlier in 2009, after some research by her daughter, that she discovered she was taken from her teenage mother at birth as part of an infamous babyselling scheme operating out of Memphis. She also found out that she had a half-sister living in Germantown. The local media have covered Devy’s story and her reunion with her sister at length, and she has been talking with publishers about a manuscript she has written on adoption. Devy said, “Imagine a whole new career at 71.”
1956
1943
Dorothy Simons Buzby wrote that she recently had attended a family reunion of 42 relatives, including her siblings and their families: William Simons ’39, Jack Simons ’41, and Caroline Simons Kent ’45. She says three grandchildren out of eight graduated from college this spring. “Great life and fun times for all.”
1953
Charlton (Bruce) Ward provided this update in July 2009: “Setsuko and I have been married over 30 years. We have a son and a daughter and from them three
Peg and Art Hill ’51 Alice Pillsbury, Ann Atwood Biggs, Mary Beth Rickards Baisden, Chick Altmaier and Frannie Walker Altmaier ’53 all attended the opening of a Wilmington art show of Alice’s daughter, Nancy Carol Willis. Chick said, “It was a wonderful occasion to get together again with Alice after all of these years. She is still very active as the executive director of a retirement facility in the Houston area. Being with her was like seeing her yesterday.”
Ann Atwood Biggs ’51, Mary Beth Rickards Baisden ’51, Alice Pillsbury ’51, and Chick Altmaier ’51. Spring 2009 • Friends magazine 21
CLASS NOTES
grandchildren. I also have four boys from my first marriage, and three grandchildren. I attended Boston University after Friends as a pre-theology student, but found it was not the right road for me. I spent 22 years in the US Army. Six of my first ten years were spent in Germany, where among other things, I was a linguist—French, German, Polish, Slovak, and Czech. I used these and a few others, including Latin, as a translator of foreign documents for the Social Security Administration for 15 years before retirement. After those years in Europe, I spent eight years in Asia, including almost two years in Vietnam, and on Okinawa as an Ordnance Officer. Now in retirement, I dabble in an autobiography requested by the kids.”
1957
Tom Baker and his wife, Sue, hosted a gathering of “locals” from the Class of ’57 over Homecoming 2009 weekend. (See photo.)
Barbara Wesp Murry won a gold medal at the 2009 Adult National Figure Skating Championships in the Ladies Class V group (age 61 and up) in April.
1958
The alumni office caught up Barbara Wesp Murry ’57 with Jacqueline Tallard Fossati in the summer of 2009. She was an exchange student and spent August – December 1958 at WFS. She wrote, “I have a very good memory of these months and would be happy to hear what all the pals of the class did all these years. My partner was Mary Gilruth, and I have no news of her for over 40 years. I am French, and went to Swiss Institute of Technology in Zurich. I graduated in 1963 and got a Ph.D. in biology in 1966. By that time, I was married with a Swiss student and my name became Fossati. I spent all my professional years as a biology teacher in a High School in Geneva. I live now between Geneva and Lausanne in a winegrower village. We have three boys and six granddaughters.”
Class of 1957 “locals” gathering, seated: Ann Harper Heaton ’57, Lynne Autman Erbach ’57, Alice McGovern Doering ’57; standing: Rob Hoopes ’57, Tom Baker ’57, Joan Keller, Chris Shields, Pete Shields ’57, Paul Erbach, Al Doering, Robert Heaton, Jerry Poole ’57, Susan Poole, Sue Baker, Wayne Keller ’57 Gerret Copeland and his wife, Tatiana, were honored in November as Outstanding Philanthropists of the Year by the Brandywine Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). Avid supporters of the arts, the Copelands launched Arts for Delaware’s Future, a campaign to raise $12 million to provide long-term support for the Delaware Art Museum, Delaware Symphony, Delaware Theatre Company, Opera Delaware, and the Grand Opera House. An October 2009 News Journal article about the effort noted that the Copelands were also recognized for their lead gift to the Delaware Art Museum’s most recent capital campaign, and for their support of Christiana Care’s Center for Heart and Vascular Health, the Delaware College of Art and Design, the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation, the Delaware Humane Association, and numerous other organizations. Abbie Greene Fassnacht (See 2001.)
22 Spring 2010 • Friends magazine
1959
Dee Morris Stevens wrote last summer that she was enjoying being a docent at Hagley Museum and Mt. Cuba Center. She has four grandchildren, including two currently attending Friends, Laura Gates ’14 and Merritt Gates ’16, daughters of Stephanie and Friends Trustee Scott Gates ’80.
Charlie Jacobson posted an online note (good job, Charlie!) in July 2009: “My life has been a great adventure with work and family. I spent the first half of my career in international finance for several Fortune 100 companies before joining a friend in a financial consulting practice in Minneapolis. After spending some time with the Masai in Tanzania on the Serengeti and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, I discovered that my priorities needed to change. This led to the dissolution of my first marriage and consulting partnership. I then transitioned into a new lifestyle, and subsequently met my new wife, Diane. Between us, we had four children and six grandchildren. Sadly, my oldest daughter, Sarah, died a few years ago after suffering a long bout with a rare cancer. We lead an active lifestyle in The Villages, FL, traveling to over a hundred countries and to all of the continents. Last year we trekked in the Simian Mountains of Ethiopia, kayaked in the Arctic Ocean, and hiked in the Amazon. We wonder how we ever had time for traditional work.” Peter Morrow was honored in November 2009 by the Brandywine Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) with a Professional Lifetime Achievement Award for his many years of service to the non-profit community. During his tenure at the Welfare and Longwood Foundations, Pete oversaw contributions of more than $500 million to charities in Delaware and Southern Chester County. Prior to his foundation work, Pete spent 12 years as the corporate giving director for DuPont. Over his lifetime, Pete most likely has managed the distribution of more charitable dollars than anyone else in the history of the First State. He also was the guiding force behind the creation and development of the Community Services Building in Wilmington, a 200,000 sq. ft. office building dedicated exclusively to non-profit organizations. The building houses more than 75 nonprofit agencies, serving as a national model.
Nick Everhart is retired from the DuPont Company, where he was a scientist and business manager for 28 years. He works seasonally as a tax preparer for Daniels and Tansey. He and his wife, Charmaine, have four children and four grandchildren. He wrote in September 2009, “In addition to family, my primary interests have been gardening, reading, and a variety of outdoor activities. I am most proud of climbing Mt. Rainer, running a marathon, and trekking to Mt. Everest base camp in Nepal.”
Charlie Jacobson ’59 with his wife Diane and a new friend in the Simian Mountains of Ethiopia
CLASS NOTES
1960
Fred Sears (See 1961.)
in 1981 with my son hoping to allow myself more free time.”
1961
Philip Strange (See 2001.)
Rick Hill, Steve Burnett, Buckey Gage, Dick Garwood, Fred Sears ’60, John Cox ’62, and John Harris ’62 got together for a multi-year mini class reunion this summer, officially dubbed the “114 Somerset Road Reunion.” As a student, Rick lived at 114 Somerset Road in Alapocas, which became the meeting place for the group before heading out to play sports, go to the movies, or grab a bite to eat. Many of “the guys” lived in Alapocas and played sports together. During the weekend reunion of seven couples, activities included a tour of Friends School, a drive around the Alapocas neighborhood and Wilmington, playing golf, visiting Winterthur, and eating at the Charcoal Pit. According to Rick, “The most fun was reminiscing about our great times at Friends.”
Tim Bayard ’62 and his first grade “buddy” Connor were honored at an awards dinner on October 29, 2009. John Cox (See 1961.) John Harris (See 1961.) Richard Weigel has been elected by the Trustees of the American Numismatic Society as a Fellow of the Society, and also was named University Distinguished Professor at Western Kentucky University. He would enjoy hearing from classmates and friends at Richard.Weigel@wku.edu.
1962
Tim Bayard was one of a small group of distinguished citizens to receive the 2009 Governor’s Outstanding Volunteer Award in recognition of his 29 years of service to Wilmington Friends as a photographer, historian, archivist, mentor, and friend. Tim began volunteering for Friends in 1981 when his daughter Clare ’94 was in kindergarten, continuing beyond her graduation and never slowing down. Tim still volunteers in the Kindergarten classroom. He also has been involved in the school’s Elder and Child Program, which partners first grade students with adults 50 and older as “buddies,” since its inaugural year. The buddy groups meet regularly, keep in touch through journal entries, and participate in service projects together. Tim has served on the Alumni Board and numerous committees, and as school photographer; he also has provided conflict resolution training to faculty, and played a critical role in organizing the school’s archives. Tim and the other recipients
1965
Col. Bill Bridgewater retired after 34 years of U.S. Army service and resides in Munich, Germany, but says his “home” is still in New Castle, Delaware. He is active leading historical tours of Munich and follows politics in Delaware and in America, especially the Republican Party.
1963
1966
1964
1967
Bill Tracy reported that he and Susan were proud to announce the birth of granddaughter Avery, May 18, 2009.
Front Row: John Cox ’62, Dick Garwood, ’61 Rick Hill ’61 and Buckey Gage ’61; Back Row: Fred Sears ’60, Steve Burnett ’61 and John Harris ’62
Janet Martin Yabroff is assistant instructor of an abstract/mixed media class at the Academy of Lifelong Learning. She recently organized an exhibit featuring class work, 35 tympani drumheads painted “with every conceivable medium and collage.” Janet said, “The task of painting them was daunting, but the results were spectacular!” Janet also serves on the Board at St. Michael’s School & Nursery in Wilmington, and leads several ministries at Skyline United Methodist Church. “Our life (with five adult daughters, and three grandchildren) is rich and full, and we give thanks for purpose-filled outreach, good health, and wonderful family.”
Vicki Milliken Buccino wrote in October, “Our son in New Jersey has a six year old; our daughter is expecting her first child. Sal and I just finished a cruise in Alaska. I teach children swimming all summer long and compete in USMS swim meets the rest of the year. I am current Co-President of the Tulane University Women’s Association. I also garden citrus, vegetables, and flowers year-round thanks to our mild climate here in New Orleans.” Dorothy Cook Coady wrote last August, “Last year (2008) I retired as director/librarian for the Columbia County Traveling Library in Bloomsburg, PA, after 21 years. Roger and I are now busier than ever with family, farm, and church activities. We were delighted to become grandparents for the first time—Alexander Charles Coady, born October 2008 to our oldest son Philip and his wife Michelle.” Judy Reed Smith sent news in October: “My two children have both chosen spouses we adore, with families we admire. My son, Fedor, just married Molly McAullife in April 2009. My daughter, Therton, has been married to Austin McClintock for nine years, with adorable sons ages three and five. I am now sharing management of a company I founded
Maria das Gracas Ruy, an AFS student at Friends in 1966, reported that she has been a psychiatrist in Vitoria, Brazil since 1975.
Susan Gant Harris (See 1990.) Yosh Ono recently returned to the U.S. from Japan to attend the memorial service for Polly Dewees, former WFS guidance counselor and the mother of classmate Rob Dewees. The Dewees family hosted Yosh when he attended Friends as an AFS student during senior year, and they have stayed in contact ever since. Yosh recalled how much Polly meant to him, helping him to understand English and American culture, giving him the skills he used to get his MBA at Harvard. He felt the year was truly life-changing. Before he returned home, Yosh stopped in Chevy Chase, MD for dinner with Jay Resnick and Don Wiest. “At Yosh’s request, Don kindly reprised his Polonius speech that he had recited in Mr. Searles English class in 1967,” Jay said. Yosh is recently retired from Mitsubishi and has a variety of interests. He is an avid walker and mountain climber, is refreshing his French, and learning Latin and classical Greek. Don retired from teaching and has been doing volunteer work at the church he and his wife, Jill, attend. He has also taken up carpentry, and has been helping restore some historic properties in Virginia. Jill and Don had just Spring 2009 • Friends magazine 23
CLASS NOTES
bought a historic house in Madison, IN, and were preparing to move. Jay is an attorney at the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation in Washington, D.C. He wrote, “I enjoy work, but also enjoy golf with my wife, Judy, and dressage and pleasure riding with my thoroughbred mare, Cygnet. I am very jealous of Don and Yosh, and hoping I can follow them into retirement in the next few years. Judy and I hope to relocate a bit further south, where we can golf 12 months a year, take university classes, and kick back a bit.”
us!) fully occupied. It’s a really fun stage in life for us. My Mom is in great health and still lives on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.”
political watchdog group in Washington, DC, and is frequently seen, heard, and read as an expert commentator on the character of national politics and government. Melanie graciously accepted the invitation to be the 2010 Commencement speaker at Friends.
1976
Francesca Consagra (see 2001.) Sandra Scholl Donahue hosted a mini reunion for the class of 1976 on the weekend before Thanksgiving.
1977
Lee Garrett (see 1976.)
1979
Betina Fink joined 16 other artists for the Fall 2009 Open Studio Tours in Tucson, AZ, where her oil paintings were on display. Betina is youth programs coordinator at The Drawing Studio in Tucson.
Jay Resnick ’67, Yosh Ono ’67, and Don Wiest ’67
Susan Lester Busch lives in Spokane, WA, with her husClass of ’76 gathering: from top to bottom (L to R): Randy Ploener, Diana Millick Hodg- band Ross and twin son, Lee Garrett ’77, Dan Fleming, Andy boys, Conner and Atkins, Jill Paul Deardorff, Carol Dumont Evan (9). She wrote, Kerby, Dru Reed Mogge, Todd Whitaker, Tom “I teach private George, Judith Gelb, Andy Bodenstab, Biddy piano lessons from Hukill Schreppler, Mary Anne Magness home and am an LeRoy, Sandra Scholl Donahue entrepreneur/distributor for SendOutCards.com.” Susan was looking forward to “catching up with old friends” at the reunion.
1968
Alice Martin Whelihan gave a presentation on the National Endowment for the Arts at the Academy of Lifelong Learning at the University of Delaware in November. Since 1980, Alice has served as Administrator of the U.S. Government’s Arts and Artifacts Indemnity Program, which provides insurance for traveling exhibitions.
1984
1985
Jim Reilly and his wife, Serena, welcomed a baby girl, Rosalie Alice, on November 9, 2009.
1986
Artwork of Betina Fink ’79 Alice Martin Whelihan ’68
1974
Pev Hukill was not able to attend her class reunion, but sent news via class agent Meg Hunter. Pev and her huband Jon continue to work Pev Hukill ’74 with husband, in the aerospace Jon Spain industry and enjoy living on the West Coast. They have two children, daughter Kerry (15) and son Jon (13). Pev wrote, “We live right on the coast and never get tired of our incredible Western sunsets. Both our kids are involved in all the usual activities that keep kids their age (and 24 Spring 2010 • Friends magazine
1980
Scott Gates (See 1959.)
1982
Laura Hershorin (see 1936.)
1983
Melanie Togman Sloan was featured on Oprah Winfrey’s first ever “Power List” in the September issue of O Magazine. The list featured “20 remarkable visionaries who are flexing their muscles in business and finance, politics and justice, science and the arts.” Melanie is the Executive Director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a Melanie Togman Sloan ’83
Elaine Logothetis Jack was featured in WILMA Magazine’s Green Issue in October (a magazine for women in Wilmington, NC, sent courtesy of proud parents Connie and Andy Logothetis). Elaine and her husband Matthew opened Sapona Green Building Center in January 2008, Southeastern North Carolina’s only store dedicated to sustainable, non-toxic, and energy- and water-conserving products such as flooring, counter tops, tiles, and paint. An excerpt from the magazine tribute: “While growing up in Wilmington, Delaware, Elaine would hike and explore the wetlands. ‘I wanted to do something I loved to do,’ she says about choosing her career path. ‘Preserving the environment was always foremost.’ Elaine and Matt were inspired to open Sapona Green after their son, Leo, was born in 2007 and they set out to make their home safe for him, and free of toxic materials. They realized there were not many environmentally-friendly, non-toxic building supplies in Wilmington, NC. Elaine goes on to say, ‘Education is key and the earlier, the better.’ She and Matthew hope to pass down their love for the environment to their son, who is now two years old.”
CLASS NOTES
We recently caught up with two AFS students who graduated with the class of 1986: Caroline Amblard wrote in November that after leaving Friends School, she followed her parents back to France, where she got a degree in international business and went on to work for transport companies. She got married and followed her husband to Iran where he wanted to start an import-export company.“We lived there for seven years, and I taught English at the French school of Tehran. After having our two children, we decided to move back to France to raise them, and I continued my career as head of a language training school in Paris. Reaching 40, I was ready to go back to my first love, international business, and that is why I started my own company importing modern gourmet food products from around the world to distribute in France. I have wonderful memories of Friends School.” Hiroshi Tani stayed with host family Jim and Anne Bailey Donaghy ’54 and their son Tom Donaghy. “After graduating from Friends school, I returned to Japan in July 1986 and re-entered Japanese high school. I graduated from high school and entered Sophia University in April 1987. In April 1991, I joined Mitsubishi Corporation. I was stationed in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from 1998 to 2003.” Hiroshi is now living back in Tokyo where he works in the strategy and planning office of Mitsubishi.
1987
Greg Mand and Rebecca Hankin were married on May 31, 2009 in Philadelphia. Family and friends joining in the celebration included Greg’s parents, Marty and Shelly, his brothers Mike Mand ’88 and Brian Mand ’90 and classmates Ethan Cooperson and John McClelland. They were also thrilled to have Greg’s grandmother (and long-time Friends School volunteer) Molly Cohen as a part of their wedding ceremony. Rebecca is a graduate of Germantown Friends and leads the marketing team for Room to Read, a non-profit organization, while Greg works for Zynga,
the leading developer of Facebook games. They live in San Francisco.
1988
Mike Mand (see 1987.) Jeremy Meyer celebrated his 40th birthday in November 2009. (See photo.)
1989
Joseph Ayers recently spent a year working at Kilembe Mines At the 40th birthday party of Jeremy Meyer ’88: (Top to Bottom) Jeremy Meyer ’88, Rebecca Hospital, a mission Compton, Ed Gabriels, Stephanie Sutton Gabriels ’88, Meg Tallman, Brian Tallman ’88, Beth hospital in westLubaroff Pfeifer ’88, Allison Meyer ’92, Rob Pfeifer, Alan Boulos ’88, Matt Meyer ’90 ern Uganda, doing the whole scope of Department Chair at Friends. On medicine, but mostly November 3, 2009, Lex delivered general surgery. He their son, Cooper Lang Miller. wrote in September, Cooper joins big brother Jesse and “It was a difficult sister Alex, both Friends students. way to live but very Lex has offices in both Wilmingrewarding. I really ton and in Woodstown, NJ, where enjoyed my time at he lives with his wife, Virginia, WFS and have tried and their two children, Alexa and to apply the things Jamie. that I’d learned there Lex Vergara ’89 and Cooper Lang Miller both in and out of the BJ Vinton and Jennifer Johnson classroom. I especially enjoyed Rick Reynolds’ Vinton welcomed Brock Johnson Vinton III in Peace, Justice and Social Change course and August 2009. BJ and Jen live in Wilmington, have really taken those teachings to heart.” DE. Dinusha Wijayaratne Collure wrote in October that she and her family have been back in the United States since 2000. She is married to husband Laksith and has three children (ages 11, 7, and 4). Chris Farrell and his wife, Jen, welcomed their second child in January 2009. Chase joins big sister Sydney. Chris and his family live in Centreville, DE.
1990
Reggie Flowers recently attended an art gala at Harford Day School in Bel Air, MD, where he ran into fellow alumna, Susan Gant Harris ’67. Susan is the Head of School at Harford, one of the most highly regarded college preparatory schools in Maryland. Reggie said that Susan credits the foundation of her leadership skills directly back to what she
Scott Goldman and his wife, Felice, welcomed a son, Alexander Bryce, in May 2009. Scott and his family live on Long Island. Tara Lindley Schuster and her family moved to Irvine, CA, in May 2009. They are, “loving life in sunny California!”
Rebecca and Greg Mand ’87
News of Lex Vergara came courtesy of the school’s Director of Technology Gregg Miller. Lex, an OB/GYN physician, made a special delivery for Gregg and his wife Ildiko Miller, Mathematics
Reggie Flowers ’90 and Susan Gant Harris ’67 Spring 2009 • Friends magazine 25
CLASS NOTES
learned at WFS, and added, “Susan is one of my newest Friends to inspire and encourage me to run my very first 5K this spring. She will participate with me in support of my goal.”
and working for Bloomberg LP as a human resources specialist. Avi lives with her two Boston Terriers, Chauncey and Maximus. Jennifer Flayhart and Matthew Keller of Annapolis, MD, were married on December 19, 2009. Amanda Corby Soto ’00 and Imani Carr-Damu were in the bridal party. Jennifer and Matthew now live in North Korea where they are teaching ESL.
Brian Mand (See 1987.) Matt Meyer (See 1988.)
1991
James Bray and his wife, Elizabeth, welcomed a baby girl, Madeline Scott, in January 2009.
Ryan Kratky ’01 at a book signing for his new children’s book at Bertucci’s in Wilmington
1992
Allison Meyer (See 1988.)
1994
2002
Dan Pfeiffer has been named the Communications Director for the White House. Dan served as communications director for President Obama’s campaign and transition team before being appointed deputy communications director in the new administration. Dan and his wife, Sarah Feinberg, live, of course, in Washington, DC. Dan was the 2009 Commencement speaker at Friends.
Beth Hopkins (See 2005.) Jenny Kittle and Dave Trainor were married at the Old Mill in Media, PA, on September 18, 2009. Jenny wrote that, “the ceremony was held outside, and after a week of rain, the sun finally came out just in time. We were able to share the magical day with 120 friends and family.” Mindy Kittle was the maid of honor, and Andrew Trainor ’09 was the best man. The couple honeymooned in Aruba. (See photo on page 28.)
1996
Jared Love posted a class note online in September: “I recently accepted a position as senior finance manager in business development with ESPN at the company’s headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut. In October, I will be moving to London, UK, on an indefinite basis to assist the company in building its newest channel, ESPN UK. Still trying to figure out what English Premier League team to support; suggestions are welcomed.” Jarrett Rademaker and his wife, Linda, welcomed a son, Jakob Evans, born June 13, 2009 in Abington, PA.
1997
Sara Schell Wells and her husband, John, had a baby boy, Liam Joseph, on January 26, 2009.
Liam Joseph Wells
Jennifer Flayhart Keller ’99 and Matthew Keller’s wedding 2000
Dillon Paul (See 2001.) David Scofield received his doctor of veterinary medicine degree from the Oklahoma State University Center for Veterinary Health Sciences in May 2009. When we heard from him, Dave was set to begin a year-long internship at the Weatherford Equine Medical Center in Texas, a referral hospital for equine medical, surgical, reproductive, and ambulatory farm cases. Dave was awarded the Ethicon-Novartis Surgical Proficiency Award and the Dr. Kip Doran Memorial Scholarship for proficiency in equine practice. His professional specialties include large animal reproduction and internal medicine.
2004
Stephanie Bonnes (See 2001.) Laura Director (See 2001.) Justin Hugelen-Padin was sworn in as a Peace Corps volunteer in Lome, Togo, West Africa. He works as a business adviser in the Small Enterprise Development Program. You can follow Justin’s Peace Corps adventures in Togo through his blog at http://pcjhp.blogspot.com. Justin graduated from the University of Delaware in 2008 with a bachelor’s in finance and international business. He was the subject of a profile about service in the Community News in November 2009.
Amandy Corby Soto (See 1999.)
2001
1998
Emily Ferrara Tobia and her husband, Jim, welcomed a baby boy, Frank Daniel, born July 14, 2009.
1999
Avi Dadone is, according to her mom, “happily living in Manhattan”
Ryan Kratky just released his second children’s book, Ride Alongside, which he both wrote and illustrated. The book is the story of a young boy who discovers a whole world of creatures and colors, all from the seat of his bike. Ryan’s other book is Half a Giraffe. Both are available at Amazon. com.
Avi Dadone ’99
26 Spring 2010 • Friends magazine
George Hughes-Strange married Michelle Mergler on June 27, 2009. George and Michelle both attended Washington University in St. Louis. George is in his second year at Georgetown Medical School in Washington, DC, and is expected to graduate in 2012. Michelle has a master’s of public health from Johns Hopkins and is currently working at HHS. In addition to those pictured at right, the following WFS alumni also attended: Francesca Consgra ’76, Phip Strange ’64, and Abbie Greene Fassnacht ’57.
At the wedding of George Hughes-Strange ‘01 and Michelle Mergler: Stephanie Bonnes ’04 , Dillon Paul ’00, Michelle Mergler, George Hughes-Strange ’01, Abby Hughes Strange ’04, Laura Director ’04, Ed Proctor ’01
CLASS NOTES
An Interview with Adam Ellick ’95 What insights did you gain from your time in Afghanistan and Pakistan? What role do you see education playing in those countries?
To Adam Ellick, journalism is “in the blood.” Adam is a print and video journalist at The New York Times. His type of journalist is often called “a one-man band,” not only for working in both print and video, but also for doing all aspects of the video—shooting, editing, writing, and producing, with no crew. Adam recently completed a threemonth assignment in Afghanistan and Pakistan. A “lifer” at Friends, Adam attended Ithaca College — Roy H. Park School of Communications and received his B.A., cum laude, in broadcast journalism. From 2000-2004, he lived in Eastern Europe where he founded EllickNewsLink, an international freelance news service. He also took a full-time reporting job at The Prague Post, a weekly in the Czech Republic. In 2004, Adam received a Fulbright Scholarship to conduct field research on professionalism in Indonesian journalism, notably how journalists covered domestic terrorism and the influences of government, media owners, and journalism “trainers.” He also conducted lectures for Indonesian journalists and university students.
Last year, I made a film about an 11-year-old Pakistani girl as the Taliban closed down her school, and as the war forced her and her family into exile. She dreamed of books and classes and homework. Even into my 20’s, I had no understanding of the word ‘security.’ To walk around freely and not worry about an attack is a great gift.
Mark Twain once said never let schooling get in the way of education, and the world has served as both my playground and my classroom. I chose a profession that has me learning constantly.
Adam has been with the Times since 2005. When did you become interested in journalism? In high school, I dreamed of becoming a sports journalist. But that dream derailed as soon as I stepped off an airplane to study abroad as a junior in university. I realized my world was a small one, and I was missing a lot. Since then, my curiosity has sent me to 51 countries. Journalism doesn’t seem like a job. It’s the only thing I can do. And the only thing I want to do. It’s in the blood. Of the countries where you’ve worked, is there one experience that stands out as the most memorable or educational?
In Afghanistan, the situation differs from Pakistan. The good: Thousands of girls who never went to school under the Taliban are now going freely. The bad: The facilities are decrepit, and many teachers unqualified. Like many reforms there, good things are happening, but if you look below the surface, it’s quite hollow. Despite the changes since the American-led invasion of 2001, nearly all school-aged children work for the family, earning almost nothing. They don’t know anything different. It’s just normal there. The best example of reforms that don’t always work smoothly: I did a story about a foreigner who started a skateboarding school for Afghan kids. On paper, it was a perfect project. All the kids had never played a sport, and it stood as a vehicle to get kids into English and computer classes. But soon enough, girls were not allowed to skate past the age of 12, when they are often relegated into the home and covered. And some middleclass kids were beaten by their family for skating with poor kids. The point: Even the best intended Western projects don’t always work in places with their own customs and traditions. What role has education played in your own life? Mark Twain once said never let schooling get in the way of education, and the world has served as both my playground and my classroom. I chose a profession that has me learning constantly.
Adam Ellick ‘95, when not on assignment (top) and dressed to report on the Taliban’s crackdown on education for girls from Peshawar, Pakistan, in 2009 (above). In the Peshawar photo, Adam is outside the press club that was bombed shortly afterward, in December 2009. A lot of things that I learned
I was at ground zero when the tsunami hit Banda Aceh, Indonesia, and there, I witnessed the simultaneous physical pain and piercing grief of some victims. The stench of death… I can’t forget that smell. But frankly, the hardship in Afghanistan has been far more devastating to me. The tsunami was a singular tragedy, but three decades of war have birthed generations of Afghan victims.
in school don’t apply in farflung places. For example, guns were banned at WFS. But in Afghanistan, a man with a gun is on every street corner. And there, a gun is often a sign of safety. There was a guy pointing a gun at me when I got a haircut in Kabul. It meant that the place was well guarded. A gunman followed me at a refugee camp in the eastern desert. Again, it was for my protection. At WFS, I acquired my writing skills from teachers like Kerry Brown and Nona Smolko, who literally edited my work line by line, and that gave me great confidence.
Spring 2009 • Friends magazine 27
CLASS NOTES
At the KittleTrainer Wedding with Class of ’02 Guests: (L to R): Jeremy Markowitz, Brian Romer, Adam Cairncross, Mindy Kittle, Adrienne Monley, David Trainor, Jake Hoffman, Jenny Kittle Trainor, Laurie Monhait, Emma TimminsShiffman, Billy Sands, Chris Scott, Collin Pellicone, David Wheland
Abby Hughes-Strange (See 2001.) Adam Willoughby-Knox sent news in November from Australia, where he was on a “working holiday visa” after taking a month’s vacation in Italy from his forensic engineering job in PA. “I’ve been practicing photography (sunrise shots over the Opera House are breath taking) and have considered purchasing a DSLR and trying to make a living out of it. I’ve done some volunteer web design work while I’ve been here and the site www.DifficultChildren. org is the result. I’ve been considering starting a small business when I get home in web/graphic design, specializing in wedding cards and related websites.”
2005
James Hopkins is teaching English this year at the Nanshan Experimental School in Shenzhen, China. James
Where are they now? Class of 2003 Continuing our annual survey of alumni by graduation year, we asked members of the Class of 2003 to let us know where they are now, and if they chose—given the global education and service themes of this magazine issue—to share any international experiences or service work that has been especially rewarding for them. Below are some excerpts, with thanks to everyone who took the time to respond (in one case, not saying who, a mom). Tibor Bodi graduated from Waynesburg College with a B.S. in athletic training, and received an M.S. in athletic training from East Stroudsburg University. He is currently working for Coordinated Health in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and is the head athletic trainer at Bethlehem Liberty High School. Nicole Caddell graduated from the University of Delaware with a B.S. in elementary education and received her M.B.A. from Wilmington University in January 2010. She currently works as a state filer for XL America, Inc., responsible for managing the forms, rates, and rules used to write policies with all 50 states, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Guam. She also coordinates the company’s Day of Giving community service projects.
Judah Dadone ’03
Judah Dadone is living in Brooklyn, NY. He has just produced an album called Weathervanes which is now available on iTunes. His band is called the Freelance Whales; their “genre” is experimental pop.
28 Spring 2010 • Friends magazine
Zac Darvish-Rouhani graduated from the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University. He is currently general manager of Banana Republic’s flagship store in New York City. Zach adds, “Sometimes my roommates and I host international students passing through New York. We have a profile on couchsurfing.org. If someone needs a place to stay for a few nights in NYC, they can contact us. It is very rewarding.”
Faye Paul graduated from the University of Southern California and is enrolled at the University of Chicago Law School. She serves on the board for the law student chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which brings in speakers for lunch events on civil liberties issues.
Jamie Jacobs graduated from the University of Delaware in May 2007. She is the Operations Manager at Iron Hill Brewery and Restaurant. Leigh Kellemeyer lives in Charleston, South Carolina, and works in inventory management for Boeing—and is working on a new plane, the 787. Jacqueline Mellow graduated from the University of Delaware in 2007. She moved to New York City to work as an art director in a traditional advertising agency, and is now in digital advertising with Publicis Modem as a graphic designer/art director for websites and online media spaces. Jacqueline lives in the East Village and took part in a hiking trip to Peru in December 2009. Lindsay Moyer graduated from Cornell University with a B.S. in applied economics and management with a concentration in marketing. While at Cornell, Lindsay received four varsity letters as a member of the field hockey team, and was team captain in her senior year. Lindsay works for Aldi, Inc., as a District Manager, with full profit and loss responsibility for a $24 million annual business district, which includes four stores in the Rochester, NY market. Ben Pasquale graduated with a B.A. in political science from the University of Wisconsin– Madison and received his M.A. in political science from New York University. He is working on his doctorate at NYU and is an adjunct instructor in international politics.
Mary Ting ’03 and Faye Paul ’03 in Chicago Kristin Plys graduated from The Johns Hopkins University in 2007 with honors in sociology. She was inducted into the Alpha Kappa Delta International Sociology Honor Society, and received the James S. Coleman award for “most outstanding graduating sociology major.” Kristin wrote to us, “At Johns Hopkins, I was also involved in service to the community through my work with various student groups. I was president of JHU Justice, chairperson of the Hopkins Anti-War Coalition, a board member of the JHU Feminist Association, and President-elect of Students for Environmental Action. From 2007-2009, I worked as a researcher for the Chair of the Economics Department at Princeton University. The types of papers I worked on ranged from examining how young men evaded the Vietnam War draft based on race and socioeconomic status, to a study of health outcomes for low-income parents after Hurricane
CLASS NOTES
graduated last spring from Vanderbilt University and will start law school in the fall at the University of Texas. His family visited him in China over winter break. Chi Hun Rim graduated from the University of Illinois in December 2009; he majored in accounting, and when we heard from his brother in December, he was busy studying for the CPA exam.
2007 Standing behind James Hopkins’ students at Nanshan Experimental School in China, are his mother, Friends Director of Admissions and Financial Aid Kathy Hopkins, sister Carrie ’08, a student at Washington & Lee University, father Jim, and sister Beth ’02, who works as a genetic counselor at the du Pont Hospital for Children in Wilmington.
Andrew Baczkowski (See 2003.)
Katrina.” Kristin is currently a Ph.D. student at Yale in the Sociology department. She won the MacMillan Fellowship for graduate study in globalization and international studies, in addition to the Yale University Fellowship. She is involved in the Center for Research on Inequalities and the Life Course, in addition to the Marxism and Culture Study Group.
Chi Sun Rim graduated from Emory University with a bachelor’s degree in economics. He will begin work on a graduate degree in Australia in 2011. He is currently employed by GS Global Australia Pty, Ltd. as a marketing representative.
Meghan Baczkowski Pixley graduated from East Stroudsburg University with a B.S. in business management and a minor in psychology. Meghan married Brian Pixley on September 19, 2009. The wedding was at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Wilmington, followed by a reception at the Brandywine Country Club. Kristin Dugan was a bridesmaid, and Andrew Baczkowski ’07 and James Baczkowski ’09 were groomsmen. Meghan is employed as an On-Site Coordinator for Yoh Managed Staffing at AstraZeneca. Brian is employed by the Delaware State Police. Meghan and Brian honeymooned in Riviera Maya, Mexico, and now live in North Wilmington.
Jane Monari had the lead role of Hermia in Benjamin Britton’s opera A Midsummer Night’s Dream at The Juilliard School, where she is a junior.
Caeli Rubens graduated from Connecticut College with a B.A. in psychology. She works for Education First – Smithsonian Student Travel as a team leader and tour consultant, working with teachers to organize and plan educational tours for their students. Caeli is spearheading efforts to have Boston become the fourteenth city in the US to have a Street Soccer team as part of a national organization, Street Soccer USA, which works to empower homeless young people through sports. Caeli and Mary Ting are roommates in Boston. Sarah Schmidt graduated from Villanova University College of Nursing with a B.S.N. She has since passed her boards to receive her R.N. and is working on her CCRN (for Critical Care) while also taking classes at Drexel University on innovation and intra/entrepreneurship in nursing. She works at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.
Bill & Tina Baczkowski, Meghan Baczkowski Pixley ’03, Brian Pixley, James Baczkowski ’09, and Andrew Baczkowski ’07. Bill is the Assistant Head of School for Finance and Operations at Friends.
Brianne Sheppard graduated from the University of Delaware with honors, majoring in exercise physiology with minors in biology and Spanish. She was a member of the women’s varsity rowing team for two years. During her junior year, Brie studied for a month in Quito, Ecuador, and spent a week in the Galapagos Islands. Throughout her four years at UD, she volunteered with Special Olympics. Brie is currently pursuing her doctorate in physical therapy at Thomas Jefferson University, and will graduate in August 2010. She is a graduate research assistant, working with patients with Parkinson’s and
2008
Carrie Hopkins (See 2005.) We learned via the Lewis & Clark College web site that Diane Murray ’08 was chosen to be a Pamplin Scholar. The Pamplin Society of Fellows “promotes attention to the challenges and rewards of leadership in a global society... [and] underscores the responsibility of the College to the greater community.” Lewis & Clark, which is located in Portland, Oregon, has a commitment to developing global thinking and leadership skills. Seven students are chosen each year for Pamplin Society membership, which is the highest honor bestowed by the College. Students are selected based on intellectual promise and performance, dedica-
other neurological impairments. She volunteers at the Rothman Institute, providing Physical Therapy for children with CP, the homeless, and low income patients. She has also served as class president for the past two years. Brie said, “I am currently living in center city Philadelphia with my fiancé who is attending Drexel University. After graduating I hope to stay in the area and pursue a fellowship in pediatric physical therapy.” Becky Stevenson graduated from Tulane University with degrees in management/finance and in Spanish. She lives in Minneapolis, MN, and works for Wells Fargo & Company as a Credit Analyst in Corporate Banking. Through Wells Fargo, she volunteers with Habitat for Humanity, delivers food to the needy with Open Arms of Minneapolis, and assists with the company’s United Way fundraising campaign. Mary Ting graduated from Middlebury College with a B.A. in English, followed by a year at the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts. She worked at Hungry Mother restaurant in Cambridge, Massachusetts for one of Food and Wine’s “Best New Chefs of 2009,” and then took an internship and part-time job with America’s Test Kitchen/Cook’s Illustrated Magazine. Mary then took a job at Clear Flour Bread in Boston, as the Pastry Assistant. She and Caeli Rubens are roommates. Richard Vincent graduated from Wake Forest University in 2007. He took a year off to travel, including a medical mission to Tanzania, community service in New Orleans, and teaching whitewater rafting in Colorado. Richard now lives in Philadelphia and is in his second year of medical school at Jefferson University Medical College. He is President of the International Medicine Society at Jefferson. Last summer, Richard went to Honduras to volunteer in a hospital and learn medical Spanish, but was forced to leave early due to a military coup. He takes part in Jeff Mentors, which is similar to Big Brothers and Big Sisters.
Spring 2009 • Friends magazine 29
CLASS NOTES
tion to community and to leadership, commitment to physical fitness, and integrity.
2009
James Baczkowski (See 2003.) Patrick Quinn participated in Philadelphia’s 24-hour Film Racing Challenge this past summer. He was one of the writers of “Ms. Direction,” the film submitted by the Delaware Independent Filmmakers team, which finished as the second runner up in the competition. Film Racing is a competition that challenges filmmakers to create original short films under extreme time constraints. The filmmakers have just 24 hours to write, shoot, edit, and score an original film.
C
Andrew Trainor (See 2002.)
Celebration at Fourth & West
Friends School families and alumni are invited to join a celebration at Fourth and West, to kick off the Wilmington Friends Meeting Renewal Campaign for renovations and improvements to the Meetinghouse. April 11, 2010 at Wilmington Friends Meeting 401 North West Street 10:00 a.m. Meeting for Worship 11:30 a.m. Special program and lunch All are invited to stay for a Harmony on the Hill concert at 1:00 p.m. featuring Phil Ochs Song Night.
30 Spring 2010 • Friends magazine
Young Alumni Party, December 2009 The Alumni Office hosted about 75 alumni from the classes of 2002-2006 at a gathering at Kid Shelleen’s on December 23, 2009. Bob Tattersall and Dick Kittle, always young at heart, also attended.
(Below) Lee Herzog ’04, Andy McEnroe ’04, Mike Dalton ’05 (Center) Front Row (L to R): Allison Altman ’03, Richard Vincent ’03, Faye Paul ’03 Back Row: George Hughes-Strange ’01, Zach Williams ’02, Dillon Paul ’00
IN MEMORY 1935
Natalie Rosenberg ’05, Alisha Wolf ’05, Mat Levin ’04, Hannah Beswick ’05
Dorothy Holton Hutchison, age 90, of Newark, DE, passed away on December 1, 2009. Born and raised, Newark was her home for many years. She had also lived in New York, Oklahoma, and Florida. Dorothy put life into her years raising her family and making lifelong friends as an avid bridge player, golfer, UD football fan, and volunteer. She was a graduate of Randolph Macon Woman’s College and what is now Goldey-Beacom College. Dorothy is survived by her daughters and their families.
1939
Mel Malone ’04, Andy McEnroe ’04, Katrina Fincher ’04, Bob Tattersall
The Alumni office heard from John Taylor, son of Alice Bradley Taylor, that his mom had passed away on June 13, 2008.
1943
Gale Gibson Francis, 83, died on July 7, 2009. She was the wife of the Rev. Everett W. Francis, whom she married in 1948. She and Everett had five children, one of whom pre-deceased her; she is also survived by three grandchildren and a greatgranddaughter. Gale graduated from Hollins College and did graduate studies at the University of Michigan School of Education. She taught at Dearborn Heights Schools in Michigan, Brookside Academy in Montclair, NJ, and the Town School in New York City, where she was head of the science department. When Everett became rector of a parish in Scranton, PA, she founded a nonprofit senior craftsman shop. They retired to their “farm” in New Milford, PA, in 1989, and moved to Buckingham’s Choice in 2000, where Gale directed and helped to create the greenhouse, served on the social services committee, and led a spiritual growth group.
1947 Laura McGowan ’04, Sarah Cotts ’04, Katrina Fincher ’04 Dianne de la Veaux ’06, Therese Quinn ’06, Linda Donatoni ’06, Kate Walczak ’06, Ben Altman ’06, Ben Zorach ’06, Willie Kalema ’06
Jean Stapleton Hellier died on June 19, 2009 at the age of 79. Originally diagnosed with breast cancer in 1976, she battled the disease with what can only be described as “gracious toughness.” Jean always said that her experience at Wilmington
Friends School had had a major impact on her life and philosophy. She went to Sweet Briar College and received a degree in Art History, a love that she continued to cultivate and share with her children and grandchildren. While attending Sweet Briar, she met her future husband, Samuel Burges Hellier. Jean described their 58-year marriage as “always interesting, but never dull.” The first 24 years of their married life were spent in Mystic, CT, where Jean supported her husband in his career at Electric Boat, developing the first nuclear submarines, and focused on the development and nurturing of their four children. She was involved in the Child and Family Services organization in Southeastern Connecticut as a volunteer and, ultimately, President. She was also active in St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. In 1972, her husband became a Connecticut State Senator, and Jean supported him during the campaign and as he served his term. In 1977, the family moved to McLean, VA, and Jean continued to cultivate and support her children and grandchildren. She also found a new and lasting relationship with the faith community of St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church. In 1981, Jean and Sam founded a management consulting firm, ORS Associates. As Vice President, Jean played an invaluable role in the development of professional staff, the cultivation of client and industry relationships, and the establishment of ORS’ reputation in the industry. Jean is survived by her husband; her brother, Walter K. Stapleton ’52; and her four children and eleven grandchildren.
1952
Miriam Cone Atkins, age 75, died at home on November 12, 2009 after a brief illness. Born in Atlanta, GA, and raised in Wilmington, Mimi graduated from Bradford College, and worked for many years as the Director of Membership for the Brandywine YMCA. She retired in 1996. Mimi is survived by her son Andy Atkins ’76 and his wife Jane; daughter Ginny Altieri, and her husband Ed; and son Jamie
Atkins, and his wife Christina, all of whom reside in Chadds Ford, PA. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Anna Altieri, Bobbie Atkins ’14, Blair Atkins ’17, and Ryan Atkins, as well as her brother Earl H. Cone ’58 and his wife, Vivian, of Salem, MA. Mary Terrell Haines passed away in March 2009.
1954
Roger S. Bixby, age 74, of Wilmington, DE, passed away on December 19, 2009. Roger attended Bucknell University and later enlisted in the United States Army, with his last posting to a Special Forces base in Warrenton, VA. Roger’s career was in real estate and he worked with several prominent New Castle County Real Estate firms for more than 35 years. As a young man, Roger was an outstanding athlete and an accomplished golfer. He won the 1952 Delaware State Junior Golf Championship. He had a Dixieland band and played a mean clarinet at many high school proms. Later hobbies included an extensive basement N Gauge train layout, his prized roses, and undying loyalty to Blue Hen football. Roger will be remembered for his great sense of humor. Roger was predeceased by his loving wife, Shirley, in 2002. He is survived by his daughter and son and their families. Otis Ware Page Jr., age 73, died on August 30, 2009, from a pulmonary embolism. A history major at Swarthmore College, Mr. Page worked in the advertising divisions of multiple companies including TRW, World Wide Advertising Inc., and The Washington Post. He was active in political and civic causes, enjoyed rooting for the Washington Redskins, and was an avid jokester and storyteller. An enthusiastic traveler, he enjoyed visiting different countries and experiencing other cultures, especially trips shared with his longtime friend, Marie Dansavage. Mr. Page is survived by his son, Kyle Page ’89 of Brooklyn, NY; and his daughter, Sherrie Page Najarian of Richmond, VA.
Spring 2010 • Friends magazine 31
IN MEMORY 1956
Richard W. Hammond died on September 20, 2009 of complications of cancer. He was 70. Dick became an Eagle Scout at 11, an unusually young age, to say the least. He graduated from Penn State University with a business degree. He worked at Price Waterhouse in Pittsburgh for two years and earned his CPA. In 1964, Dick went to the University of Michigan where he received his Juris Doctorate Degree (cum laude) in 1966. His clients included Mednet, a regional organization of managed care, and he went on to serve as Mednet’s president from 1989 to 1996. In 1996, University Hospitals absorbed Mednet and made Hammond senior vice president. He retired in 2002. “On the side,” Dick chaired an annual golf tournament at Firestone Country Club for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and was also president of Canterbury Golf Club. His loves were golf, reading and his family. Survivors include his wife and three children.
1957
Joan Patricia “Tish” (Hancock) Russo, age 70, died suddenly at home on November 25, 2009. Tish attended Rollins College in Bristol, VA. She worked locally for WSFS before her marriage to John N. Russo, Jr., DDS, and devoted her time and energy to being a wife, mother, and homemaker; she often put on puppet shows to teach children about oral hygiene. In 1995, Tish left Wilmington to live and work in Durango, CO; she had recently returned to Delaware to be closer to her children and grandchildren. Tish was excellent at golf and scored three holes-in-one over the course of her career. She also was an excellent horseback rider and played field hockey during high school. Tish had great talent playing the piano and possessed artistic talents as well. She greatly enjoyed watching her grandchildren play sports. Her greatest interest over her lifetime was in matters of spirituality. There was always a special place in her heart for time spent near the ocean in Ocean City and Avalon, NJ. She will be greatly missed by her family and all who knew her. Tish is survived by three children; 8 grandchildren; her brother, Terrence Hancock ’59 (Diana); and her sister, Deborah Hancock Breck ’62 (Todd).
1963
Laura Bulkley Flaherty, age 63, succumbed to heart failure at her home on January 13, 2010. She will be remembered by her family and friends for her love and loyalty and her tireless and prolific correspondence. Laura was adopted by Robert and Lorraine Bulkley, and after the family moved to rural Chester County, PA, attended Upland Country Day School and graduated from Wilmington 32 Spring 2010 • Friends magazine
Friends. Laura worked for the City of Wilmington for 16 years, most notably as Coordinator of Community Affairs in the mayor’s office and as Executive Assistant to the Mayor, where she was able to hone her considerable skills as a researcher and writer. She served for two years as Director of the Wilmington Rape Center. For a time she was Tri-State Regional Director of the Hyde School Parents’ Association. She attended Syracuse University, the University of Delaware, and in 1996 earned a bachelor of science from Springfield College with an emphasis on writing and editing. She pursued interests in singing, mineral collecting, and travel. She researched her birth parents, and located her uncle with whom she established a lasting bond. Later in life, she enjoyed social dancing classes. She was devoted to her grandchildren and involved them in many activities. Throughout her life, Laura enjoyed writing letters, with a lively conversational manner, frankly sharing her joys and challenges, and freely expressing her opinions on a wide variety of subjects. She asked penetrating questions, took the opinions of others very seriously, was quick to disagree and support her disagreements with meticulous research, but was also equally quick to admit her own mistakes. Laura is survived by her former husband, Jim Flaherty, of Philadelphia; her brother and his family; her sons, Andrew ’83, of Wallingford, PA, and Josh, of Wilmington, DE; and her five grandchildren.
1964
Robert Armand Hammond, also known as “Bart” and “Bob,” 61, passed away peacefully at home on November 8, 2008, with his friends—and Great Dane—by his side. Robert was an avid gardener with a tremendous talent for landscape design. His career in sales included Gimbels Department Store, Strawbridge & Clothier, and Baker Knapp & Tubbs. He retired in 2004 when he relocated to his favorite place, Rehoboth Beach.
1973
Robert F. Perry, Jr. of Hockessin died on July 30, 2009. Bob lettered in three sports all four years of his high-school career. He participated in the 1973 Blue Gold Game. He is survived by his parents, Bob and Ethel Perry; his brother, Russ Perry ’77; his sisters, Karen Perry Harsha ’77 and Kim Perry Altmaier ’82. Bob also adored his six nieces, and his nephew and great-nephew.
Former Faculty & Staff
Mary Beatty Dewees Moffett, known as Polly, died at Kendall at Hanover in Hanover, NH, on October 12, 2009. The eldest child of Edward F. and Helen Longstreth Beatty, Polly was born in Philadelphia, grew up near West Chester and attended Rose Valley School and The Baldwin School. She married Dr. Robert L. Dewees after graduating from Vassar College in 1946. After her husband’s death in 1970, Polly received a M.A. in education from the University of Delaware and was a guidance counselor at Wilmington Friends. She married Robert P. Moffett in 1976. Polly was active in the Wilmington community for many years, serving on the boards of Wilmington Friends and the Allen Hilles Fund. She volunteered for the People’s Settlement Association, The Delaware Nature Society, and Pacem in Terris. She was a member of the Alapocas Friends Meeting and later the Birmingham Monthly Meeting in West Chester, PA. For more than 50 years, Polly enjoyed summers at Pocono Lake Preserve with the Beatty and Dewees families. Polly’s abiding love was her family and beloved friends, for whom she was a tireless help and correspondent. She is survived by her children and their families: Rob Dewees ’67 (Cheryl), Dita Dewees Henderson ’69 (Bunker), Karen Dewees ’73, and Ned Dewees ’75 (Julia Blaut); her seven grandchildren; her step-daughters and their families; her sister, Nancy Beatty Swett ’52; her sister- and brothers-in-law, and many nieces and nephews. Agnes Snyder Pennock, age 83, died on July 3, 2009, at the Crosslands Retirement Community in Kennett Square, PA. A longtime Quaker and Wilmington resident, Agnes and her late husband, Ted, were active in the Wilmington and Hockessin Monthly Meetings of Friends. Agnes was a longtime staff member at Wilmington Friends School. She was a gifted needlework artist whose works received numerous awards. Her most accomplished work was the “ABC’s of Quakerism,” a traveling exhibit housed at the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. Agnes graduated from Albright College in Reading, PA and earned a MA in Religious Education from Scarritt College in Nashville, TN. She returned to school to earn a master’s degree in Social Work from Temple University at age 60, and worked as a gerontologist until her retirement. Survivors include her three children, Jonathan Rhoads Pennock ’74 (Margo) of Lee, NH, Margaret Tatnall Pennock ’78 (David Wood) of Silver Spring, MD, Edward Snyder Pennock ’79 (Carol) of Centerville, OH; her brother; and 7 grandchildren.
IN CLOSING
Thanks to a Friend Bruce Cutler ’58 True Blue Donor 1748 Society Member Bruce enclosed a letter with his yearly gift to Friends, saying that it was not really for the Annual Fund, but rather was to repay the school for the glass he had broken 50 years before when Ted Savery was his teacher... “We were studying chemical reactions that produce oxygen and hydrogen,” Bruce wrote, “[Mr. Savery] had done demonstrations to show us that oxygen would support combustion, but not burn by itself—whereas, hydrogen would burn very furiously in air. I came up with the idea of putting both oxygen and hydrogen together in a balloon and then exploding the combination, to see if we could produce water, aka H2O. I went ahead and produced the two gasses, collecting them in separate balloons, and then transferred them to the ‘test vehicle,’ a third balloon about a foot or so in diameter.
I crouched down beside the lab bench, and reached up with a match on a stick and touched the balloon. There was a deafening explosion and a momentary fireball.
True Blue Donors, a list now more than 600 strong, have contributed to Friends School each year for a decade or more.
“Fortunately, at the time of the detonation, the lab was clear of onlookers, except for Savery and me. I crouched down beside the lab bench, and reached up with a match on a stick and touched the balloon. There was a deafening explosion and a momentary fireball. All of the glassware on the bench was broken. Fortunately, it was late spring at the time of our ‘water bomb,’ and the windows were open; otherwise we might have broken even more glass.
The 1748 Society includes friends of the school— more than 120—who have informed us of bequest intentions, completed life-income gifts, listed the school as a beneficiary of a retirement or insurance plan, or who have completed other planned gifts. Planned gifts are added to the school’s endowment.
“The chem lab was directly over the administrative offices, which made detection of our project extremely easy by Principal Wilmot Jones et al., who came running up the stairs to see if the building was still intact. My future at Friends School and subsequent scientific career would have been in jeopardy, had not Ted Savery immediately claimed co-responsibility for the blast. Mr. Savery was not only a great teacher who encouraged my interest in science and ultimately in medicine, but a loyal (and brave) friend as well.”
For more information about planned giving, or other giving options, please contact Director of Development Judy Aliquo, jaliquo@wilmington friends.org or 302-576-2980.
Bruce went on from the Friends School chem lab to earn his bachelor’s degree from Princeton University, a master’s from Yale, and his M.D. from the University of Massachusetts Medical School, where he is now a professor of surgery. He and his wife, Kim, live in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Information is also available online, www.wilmingtonfriends.org/planned_giving. And thanks – to all of our friends.
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School Year Abroad student Blaine Kebede ’11 visiting a Buddhist temple in China
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