QuakerMatters Wilmington Friends School
Spring 2015
An Interview with Ken Aldridge Coach T in Hall of Fame WFS Organic Garden Winter & Alumni News
QuakerMatters Wilmington Friends School
Spring 2015
From the Interim Head of School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 For Alumni & Friends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 From the Archives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Interview with Kenneth Aldridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 WFS Organic Garden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Coach T Inducted to DE Sports Hall of Fame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 News from Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Class Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 In Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 In Closing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . inside back cover
BOARD OF TRUSTEES Chair Vice Chair Treasurer Secretary Andrew J. Aerenson ’81 Jennifer G. Brady Christopher F. Buccini ’90 Denise H. Chapman Thomas M. Connelly Brett D. Fallon Scott W. Gates ’80 Ellen L. Gay
Susan Kelley Darcy Rademaker Daniel Klein Russ Endo J. Harry Hammond Susan Janes-Johnson Omar A. Khan ’90 Deborah Murray-Sheppard Laura K. Reilly Jocelyn Sutton Stewart ’82 David Tennent Harvey Zendt
Alumni Association Board Liaison
Christopher W. Lee ’82
Home & School Association Board Liaison
Rosalind McCoy-Gardner
ADMINISTRATION Interim Head of School Assistant to the Head of School Assistant Head for Academics (Head of School as of 7/1/15) Acting Business Manager Head of Lower School Head of Middle School Head of Upper School Director of Admissions and Financial Aid Director of Communications Director of Development Strategic Marketing Manager
William Baczkowski Ann Cole Kenneth Aldridge Lesley Dennis Tryon ’71 Annette Hearing Jonathan Huxtable Rebecca Zug Kathleen Hopkins Tracey Quillen Carney ’80 Chad O’Kane Susan Morovati Finizio ’87
ALUMNI BOARD 2014-2015
On the cover, incoming Head of School Ken Aldridge; and on this page, from a day at lower school. Both photos by Elisa Komins Morris. Please send any comments or corrections to info@wilmingtonfriends.org. 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.
Spring 2015 • QuakerMatters
Melissa Fagan Billitto ’87, Clerk Amanda Corby Clauser ’00 Stanita Clarke ’06 Carolyn Gates Connors ’81 Alexandra Poorman Ergon ’77 Tim Gibbs ’76 Joseph Gutierrez ’07 Amy Curran Harper ’94 Raven Harris ’06 Joshua Klein ’98
Matthew Lang ’08 Christopher Lee ’82 Adrienne Monley ’02 Katharine Lester Mowery ’02 Raymond Osbun ’71 Kristin Dugan Poppiti ’03 Thomas Scott ’70 Jim Simon ’60 Martha Poorman Tschantz ’85 Nicole Caddell Wample ’03 Josiah Wolcott ’97
Student Liaisons Jake Erskine ’15 Meryl Gatti ’15 Annie Jaskulski ’15 Wyatt Dylan Thompson ’15 Professional photography by Elisa Komins Morris and Joe del Tufo, with thanks also to our parent and faculty photographers. Design/layout by Jacquelyn Quinn Dickey.
From the Interim Head of School Dear Friends, The spring issue of Independent School magazine focused on “Headship,” a theme that got my attention. Having been an administrator at Friends for more than 25 years, and as a parent of three graduates, I thought I knew the School pretty well. I was like first-year head Barry Kislowicz, who wrote in that magazine issue, “I expected a challenging new role. But I did not expect the depth to which headship is qualitatively different from any other school role.” Halfway through my tenure as Interim Head, it’s hard to express how deeply In the new Theater with Ken I have valued the opportunity to work Aldridge and Board Chair Susan in this unique capacity with students, Kelley (read an interview with Ken, pages 6-7.) parents, alumni, and colleagues (though I admit, I will also be happy to return With Bob Tattersall (read more to my “back of house” job as Associate about Coach T on page 10.) Head for Finance and Operations). I especially appreciate what Barry Kislowicz identified as the “deeper sense of identification with my school,” an identification that raises “the emotional stakes exponentially.” This is now my school in a way that it had not been before. What I have valued most these past few months is the chance to talk with people who feel deeply about Wilmington Friends as our school. Friends has a remarkable history as an institution, but its human history is even more remarkable. Along with the public contributions and achievements of our alumni, there are life-defining stories—about the influence of Quaker education, how teachers attend graduates’ weddings, the classes where passions were first ignited that became careers and lifelong interests, the meaning of long-term friendships. Former faculty and school leaders talk about “how much we have done,” how much happens every day at Friends School, but always to remind us of our obligation to keep up the good work. It’s an obligation that our current teachers and staff certainly take to heart; their care and respect for students and for the mission of the School are unmistakable in every conversation. My respect for my colleagues has deepened in ways I could not have predicted. As for the coming months, I especially look forward to two things. First, it will be a singular privilege to hand Friends School diplomas to the Class of 2015. This is our school, and they will always be my class. Second, I am deeply gratified to be passing the headship into the capable hands of Ken Aldridge. In his year as a member of our community, in more than two decades of leadership in Quaker education, and through a demanding search process, Ken has demonstrated that he is ready to keep up the good work at Wilmington Friends. It’s an exciting time for our school. I am very grateful to be a part of it. In friendship,
Bill Baczkowski Interim Head of School Spring 2015 • QuakerMatters
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FOR ALUMNI & FRIENDS
From the Alumni Association Clerk
New WFS Website Feature: Alumni Spotlights
Dear Friends, Winter has been relentless this year. Between frigid temperatures and numerous snow storms, I am certainly ready for spring. Not only do I love the warmer Melissa Fagan weather, but I also look forward to Billitto ’87 attending the spring and fall events at WFS! We’re busy planning the Auction for Friends on April 25, the Alumni Basketball Game on May 23, Spring Fling on June 6, and last but not least, Homecoming Weekend on October 30-31. I hope you will make plans to join us at one or all of these fun events. This issue is full of more details about our upcoming events. It’s not the most imminent, but I wanted to highlight Homecoming and encourage all of you to mark your calendars and “come home” on this very special weekend. Whether your class is celebrating a special reunion or not, there is something for everyone, including a chance to hear from our new Head of School, Ken Aldridge. On Friday, October 30, the school will host its annual True Blue and All Alumni Reunion in the newly renovated library and Global Learning Center addition (the “GLC,” scheduled to open at a special event in the fall—stay tuned!). During the reception, we will honor our 2015 Alumni Award Recipients; thanks to the members of the Alumni Board who work so hard to compile nominations, research candidates, and come to consensus. The reception will also be an opportunity to check out the new facilities, including an upper school design lab (thanks to Ira Ellis ’52) and the new look for the library and third floor, as well as the GLC. Lastly, I wanted to let you know that my term as Clerk of the Alumni Board (formerly referred to as President) is coming to a close at the end of the school year. I thoroughly enjoyed Clerking the Alumni Board and will miss leading such a devoted and thoughtful group. I am excited to announce that, effective July 1, 2015, the new Clerk will be Chris Lee ’82. Chris has been a member of the Alumni Board for 18 years. As an alumnus, current parent, parent of an alumna, and Board of Trustees alumni liaison, he understands the importance of Quaker education and values in our world today. The Alumni Board is also adding the position of Vice Clerk, and we are thrilled that Matt Lang ’08 will be serving in this capacity, also beginning July 1. Thank you again for allowing me to be your Clerk for the past three years; I treasure the experiences I had, and look forward to continuing to serve on the Board and to supporting Chris and Matt as they take on their new roles. p, In friendship,
Melissa Fagan Billitto ’87
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From government officials to engineers, from journalists to physicians, from non-profit boards to activist initiatives, WFS alumni truly let their lives speak through a range of professions and community leadership roles. The Alumni Office is excited to launch a new web feature called Alumni Spotlights. Please visit wilmingtonfriends.org and go the alumni gateway to see who’s profiled. If there is a Friends graduate whom you’d like to see in the “spotlight,” please contact us at alumni@wilmingtonfriends.org.
Summer Internship Available The WFS Alumni/Development Office offers a summer internship program with both range and depth of real-world experience. Our interns have an opportunity to develop skills in: writing, social media, web content development, fundraising, video production, event planning, networking, and more. Let us know if you’re interested! Send your resume, or send any questions, to alumni@wilmingtonfriends.org. You can also connect with us on LinkedIn.
Save the date for
Homecoming 2015 October 30-31, 2015 Join us for reunions for classes ending in 0 or 5, and for events for all alumni and Friends families! Check our summer magazine for the schedule, or visit our web site (as we get a little closer to the event), www.wilmingtonfriends.org/homecoming2015. Questions? Please contact the Alumni Office anytime! 302.576.2981 ~ alumni@wilmingtonfriends.org
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Friends School at Fourth and West Reminiscences of Jane Hayden Frelick, Class of 1937
By Terence Maguire, WFS Archivist Eighty years ago last fall, in 1934, Wilmington High School, one of only two public high schools in the city, was so overcrowded that it operated on three separate sessions each day, the first starting at 7:00am and ending at 11:00am, followed by 11-3 and 3-7 shifts! There were no extracurricular activities at Wilmington High and no college-preparatory program at that time. As a result, Friends School acquired as a sophomore a young lady who became one of our most honored alumna, Jane Hayden Frelick, a recipient of our Alumna of the Year award in 1982. Few women in recent Delaware history can match the breadth and depth of Jane’s commitment to public service, for which she received a statewide award in 2007. Jane, having completed a year as editor of the Whittier Miscellany, graduated from Friends School in 1937. Those facts stir curiosity about her experience regarding.... • what Friends School was like in those days, and who were the teachers and students she best recalled? • what was it like to be a member of the last class to graduate from Friends’ original location, across from the Meeting House at Fourth and West? • by what process were the thrice-annual Whittiers produced? • what did it feel like to be a young adult in 1937, when the world was lurching toward the conflagration of World War II? Jane’s family had moved from Chicopee, in central Massachusetts. Her father was a chemist for DuPont. She was one of four new sophomores, along with Charlie Gant, Betty Murch, and Louis Finger. All of them were, as Jane said, “excellent students,” particularly Louis, she recalled. “He was always first in every class; I often came in second but could never be first.” She also remembered her
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to encourage her through her senior year. Jane said the Headmaster before “Mr. Jones,” Charles Bush (1923-35) was “beloved” by the community, but she felt he had become, in his last year, rather “remote.” Wilmot Jones, on the other hand, “came in full of energy and enthusiasm. He seemed tireless. He was a breath of fresh air.”
About the old school itself, did young Jane Hayden have any sense that it was dilapidated and deteriorating? “No, we loved it as it was. It was our school. Just like remembering your parents; you’re not very critical.” close friend, Elaine Biesterfeld, the oldest of four sisters attending Friends. Jane is one of only two surviving members of the Class of 1937. Asked about the Friends academic program, Jane had vivid memories about language classes. German was added to the languages taught at Friends—the others being Latin and French—in 1935, when Wilmot Jones became Headmaster. Jane took German and enjoyed the classes, which were very small —just four or five students, she remembered, and “well taught” by Ellen Henderer, a 1928 graduate of Friends. German, Jane said, “served me very well in life.” She also took Latin —it was required— but did not thrive as easily in her junior class focused on Virgil’s Aeneid. Mr. Jones stepped in to tutor Jane; he suggested course adjustments, and continued
While there was no band or chorus in those final years at Fourth and West, Jane said, “we had excellent education in music theory and history, and the music appreciation has lasted all my life. The albums were all 78’s—heavy, bulky, but cherished.” Students had to take at least one sport in their upper school careers. Never very athletic, Jane played hockey as a goalie, “which required the least amount of running—and prayed that no one would shoot the ball at me.” One of her favorite teachers was English teacher Anne Walker, who directed the Whittier plays about that time, and was also the advisor to the Whittier. Miss Walker became Mrs. Bringhurst in the summer between Jane’s junior and senior years. Like multiple generations of Friends students, Jane was also very fond of librarian Justine “Toppy” Woodall. She admired the teaching of several of the math and science teachers and learned much from them, particularly Herschel Loomis of whom she was “extremely fond.” She also felt that, in contrast to how we think about Quaker education, some teachers of late ’30s were still products of the sometimes-unkind authoritarian era, more inclined to embarrass students than to honor their Inner Light. About the old school itself, did young Jane Hayden have any sense that it was dilapidated and deteriorating? “No, we loved it as it was. It was our school. Just like remembering your parents; you’re not very critical.” Everything was very old, though; the newest place, as Jane recalled, was the 1907 gym where everything took place—plays, athletics, assemblies, dances. She also remembered the old leather-based track that ran along the second story of the gym.
Students were very aware of the school’s history, that it went back to 1748. “Oh, yes,” Jane said and further explained that students accepted as general knowledge that, “the Underground Railroad went right under West Street, from the basement of the school to the basement of the Meeting House.” She spoke of the student understanding that the tunnel was used to hide freedom-seekers who had to stay out of sight until they could be transported to Pennsylvania. (A wonderful reflection of the school and meeting identity, this idea about the tunnel is controversial, factually; many local UGRR experts question whether the student perception was truth or urban legend.) “I can’t remember that we thought much about the new school,” Jane said, admitting that she has never felt completely at home on the Alapocas campus. Jane said that she was never a very creative writer or interested in art, and was quite sure she was chosen editor of the Whittier for her mastery of spelling and grammar—though she did not recall the exact process of how she was chosen. Was it difficult to get contributions to the Whittier during Jane’s time as editor? “No, it was very competitive, very selective; and it represented all twelve grades.” The process of production was almost entirely off-campus. Friends School had no room set aside for Whittier production; instead, students met at the home of the advisor, at the Elwyn Institute in Media, Pennsylvania, where Mr. Bringhurst was a resident doctor. There, they could spread out and make decisions about editing and selection. Interestingly, this editorial business involved no
typing; handwritten material in final form was sent off to the printer, and none of the Whittier staff ever dealt with copy proofs. Typing was not even taught at Friends. Jane does not recall anything about the artwork, of which there was a considerable amount in the Whittier over the years, and there were few photographs, though she recalled some of the new construction in Alapocas. “I loved being editor,” Jane said, “What an ‘ego trip’ for someone who didn’t feel comfortable about herself, who suddenly felt needed and important.”
Students were very aware of the school’s history, that it went back to 1748. “Oh, yes,” Jane said and further explained that students accepted as general knowledge that, “the Underground Railroad went right under West Street....”
Though there had been a Whittier Society since the late 1880s, with representatives from each grade from 7th-12th, Jane’s recollection was that the Miscellany was the main focus. The Society did put on a play every March since at least 1902. The play was followed by a reception, which, beginning in 1909, was accompanied by dancing (always highly chaperoned and regulated).
the “Experimenters,” as they were called, sailed on the same boat, and Jane recalled meeting onboard a young Sargeant Shriver, later founder and first head of the Peace Corps. Her summer in Europe was mostly a happy one, though her first home-stay was with an ardently pro-Nazi family. She soon relocated to a family that she very much enjoyed and whom she helped with “care packages” after the end of World War II.
Was the student body aware of the impending crisis in Europe that would erupt into World War II? They were not, according to Jane Hayden, though she recalled that the Peace Society, begun after WWI, was very strong in the school and that students knew Hitler “was evil.” (Jane’s impression was that the Peace Society “just disappeared” after the attack on Pearl Harbor.) Still, she recalled no conversation among students or in classes that addressed the possibility of war. In fact, she was in Germany in the summer of 1936 through the Experiment in International Living, which promoted 5-6 week summer programs for American students abroad. Jane was the first Delaware student in the program. All
Jane completed a pre-med program at Oberlin, but was advised not even to apply to medical school— “I didn’t have all A’s,” she said, “and my professors told me that only women with all A’s would be accepted.” She attended instead Yale’s Master of Nursing program, and became an American nurse in Europe, caring for army families and their dependents, and even witnessing one of the German death camps just as the war ended. Our sincere thanks to Jane for taking the time to share her memories of Friends School at a pivotal time in our history. Pictured are selected Whittier covers from Jane’s time as editor, along with her yearbook photo. Spring Spring 2015 2015 •• QuakerMatters QuakerMatters
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An Interview with Ken Aldridge Head of School as of July 1, 2015
The next Head of School at Wilmington Friends is Kenneth Aldridge, a Quaker with extensive experience in Quaker education. He spent 18 years at Germantown Friends as a teacher, department head, and division head; he was DOVR LQYROYHG LQ ˋQDQFLDO DQG VWUDWHJLF planning and admissions at GFS. Ken started his career at George School as a science teacher, coach, and dean for students. He also has served in leadership roles with the Friends Council on Education, including serving on the FCE Board and as Clerk of the Development Committee. A teacher of teachers and regional leader in education, Ken has taught in the University of Pennsylvania’s Masters of Chemistry Education program for middle and high school teachers, and serves as a mentor and science teacher in Penn’s program for aspiring school leaders. He also has served on the Board and supervised faculty and curriculum in a summer program called Breakthrough of Greater Philadelphia, which seeks to build a bridge from middle school to college for promising public school students. Ken has served on numerous accreditation teams and as a consultant for Westtown, Penn &KDUWHU DQG +DGGRQˋHOG )ULHQGV DQG has been a presenter at national and regional conferences on topics from science curriculum to school leadership to supporting students and faculty of color in independent schools. As Assistant Head for Academics at Wilmington Friends for the past year, Ken has worked with division heads on the school-wide coordination of curriculum; has led school-wide self-studies, including the Appreciative Inquiry and accreditation processes; and has worked with faculty to expand service learning and global connections. We have also been introduced to Ken’s wonderful family. His wife, Cassandra, is herself a 22-year teacher in Quaker schools, starting as an upper school history teacher at Moorestown Friends and now a middle school social science teacher at Penn Charter. Their older son, Andrew, will be a freshman in college in the fall of 2015. Son Donovan will be coming to Friends as a 10th grader, and daughter Mariah will be coming to Friends in 7th grade.
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)RU PH ȤˋQGLQJ WKH OLJKW within� is a powerful method for teaching, and I can think of no better way to frame education.
Where did you grow up? Tell us a little about your background— essential experiences, role models and family inuences that have been important. I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. I attended public school until transferring to an all-boys Catholic high school. My major role models were my parents. The Aldridge Family: Ken, Cassandra, Mariah, Donovan, and Andrew. My father graduated from college aged one another to “seek truth.â€? with a degree in biology, and For me, â€œďŹ nding the light withinâ€? he always encouraged me to is a powerful method for teachexplore and tinker. Whenever ing, and I can think of no better contractors came to our house, way to frame education. my mother would let them know they would have me as What was the ďŹ rst class you an “apprenticeâ€? and that I taught, and what are your most would ask a lot of questions. I vivid or enduring memories from also have an uncle who prides your early teaching years? himself on being a “Mr. Fixit.â€? He, too, would encourage me The ďŹ rst classes I taught were to help with different projects, 10th grade chemistry and 11th explaining how different appliand 12th grade physics. I cerance parts were related to one tainly remember feeling anxious. another. When I was in middle I questioned the depth of my school, he showed me how to lesson plans; I wondered if stuuse an acetylene torch safely dents shared or even understood when we worked on plumbing my sense of joy about science; I repairs. Everyone in my family worried when students seemed knew that I loved science, and to struggle in class. Fortunately, they encouraged me to explore most of those concerns dissipated whenever possible. as students conveyed their understanding through discussions, lab How were you led to Quaker reports, and assessments. When I education? knew they were “getting it,â€? I felt a lot better. During my senior year of college, I worked with a placeI learned a valuable lesson, too, ment agency, and George that ďŹ rst year—from a discusSchool was one of the matched sion with one of the boarding schools. A college friend students, who wondered what encouraged me to consider happened to me on the weekteaching at George, which was ends. Talking to him, it became his alma mater. At the time, I clear how important interactions was pondering graduate school outside the classroom, as well as and thought I would teach for in the classroom, can be—and two or three years. But during how much students pay attenmy ďŹ rst years of teaching, I tion to those interactions. Since was hooked—struck by the that conversation, I have always strong sense of community, been mindful of the importance of student-teacher interactions, being present to others. and, most importantly, how community members encour-
Friends School’s commitment to inquiry-based learning, teaching the whole child, global perspective and responsibility to the common good are hallmarks of achievement. Finally, I valued being a tennis and swimming coach. I learned a lot about education and the “whole child” through coaching. Is there something about each of the schools where you have worked that you feel will inform your leadership of Wilmington Friends? What I have learned at all three schools is that there is no “one size fits all” approach to Quaker education. Each school has its own unique characteristics, school ethos, program of study, and school community. Through those experiences and my work with Friends Council on Education, I know a wide array of Quaker school programs and options for our consideration. You’ve gotten to know Wilmington Friends from a variety of angles at this point—as Assistant Head for Academics, through the Head of School search process, through your leading involvement in the ongoing Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools (PAIS) accreditation and the Appreciative Inquiry (AI) process, which sought input from a variety of school constituencies in identifying distinctive strengths and how to build on them. From what you have learned so far about Wilmington Friends, what do you see as the school’s most significant challenges for the next 5-10 years? From the AI process and our PAIS self-study, it is clear that we will need to spend some time thinking critically and creatively about the the longitudinal arc of our academic program, our daily multi-divisional schedule, and our approach to global learning. We must continue to evaluate processes of teaching and learning, making sure that we provide each student with the most meaningful
Students put Ken to work early, assigning him a part—a reading—in the winter Upper School Choral Concert.
possible educational experience. It is also clear that there is strong interest in deepening our QUEST program—global engagement, service learning, and stewardship—in all three divisions. In addition to our academic program, like most independent schools, we will also need to focus on planning for long-term stability, considering tuition and enrollment. What do you see as the school’s greatest strengths and most promising opportunities? First and foremost, we are a Quaker school. Our School’s mission, academic program, and community are grounded in a way that schools without such a philosophical foundation just can’t be. Friends School’s commitment to inquiry-based learning, teaching the whole child, global perspective and responsibility to the common good are hallmarks of achievement. Bill Baczkowski, Interim Head of School, and I held lunches with all of the seniors this spring. In each of those conversations, students spoke about our strong sense of community, the depth of classroom discussions and scholarship, and their comfort in moving into a world that will require them—as Friends School has required them—to be collaborative and creative, to be problem-solvers, and to think beyond their own experiences.
I think our most promising opportunities are on the horizon. The School just completed a record-setting capital campaign, and in the fall, we will have a combination of brand new facilities and re-imagined spaces. Our next phase, delivery—what happens in those spaces—is what’s really exciting. The Malone Schools Online Network (MSON) has been an exciting initiative for us already; the power of synchronous, online learning is very real. As we expand that program, it’s going to be great for our kids, and I love that non-WFS students can experience a Friends education. Our current and new MakerSpaces and Design Labs are going to be as inspiring for our students as my family was to me—encouraging exploration, inquiry, creativity, and problem-solving in the STEM disciplines. Finally, when I think about opportunities and strengths, I am a proponent of student agency and entrepreneurship—not just compatible with but essential to 21st century Quaker education. I hope we can develop new programs that will encourage students to think about business, finance, and civic leadership. What is the most exciting thing for you about Wilmington Friends—you will become not only Head of School, but a Friends parent—what are you looking forward to the most? I’m excited for both opportunities. It can be magical to work where your children learn. As an educator and school leader, it is exciting to witness daily interactions in a school, but as I know from our family experience at Germantown Friends, you gain additional perspective when you experience a school with your children.
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Get Yo
The WFS Organic Garden
For Carlos, building interest has two benefits—he hopes to increase the corps of volunteer gardeners (no experience required) to help reach that ambitious 600-poundsof-produce goal, and he also has seen how the Garden fosters a sense of community. “There are not that many activities through school that can bring together people of all age groups—families from all divisions, local alumni, parents of alumni, grandparents,” Carlos said. “Gardening is a great way to get to know each other, to do something good for the community, and to learn and teach a life skill—something that can be passed to the next generation.” Asked about what inspired the Garden, Carlos pointed to his own inter-generational experience, gardening with his father in their backyard. About recent mentors, he appreciates how much he has learned from Friends parents who have volunteered, especially Joanne McGeoch who works for the Delaware Nature Society and, Carlos said, “has been instrumental in helping to coordinate all garden activities.” He also had a chance, through a Friends curriculum innovation grant, to visit Scattergood Friends in Iowa, which maintains about 40 acres and grows produce to supply its cafeteria. Finally, Carlos has taken classes offered by the University of Delaware Cooperative Extension’s Master Gardener program. Advice is not hard to come by in the Bellevue Community Garden, Carlos added. “Other gardeners at Bellevue are quick to offer their suggestions and, in my case, to point out my mistakes. Our first year of growing carrots, for example, involved my dumping the entire packet of seeds, which are about the size of a grain of sand, on top of a row we had prepared. Unbeknownst to us, every single seed germinated, and we were left with about 200 carrots, which all grew to about the size of a paperclip. Once our garden neighbor saw us harvest these mini carrots, he asked, ‘What did you do to those seeds, sneeze on 8
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D ir t y
n 2013, the Wilmington Friends Organic Garden, currently located at Bellevue State Park, yielded about 60 pounds of produce. In 2014, it was 375 pounds. This year, garden coordinator (and middle school science teacher and Summer Camp Director) Carlos Charriez hopes to grow 600 pounds of produce. The plan is to donate most of the produce to local food banks—specifically, the Delaware Food Bank’s “Plant a Row for the Hungry” program—with some going to the Friends lunch program to promote healthy eating and to encourage interest in the Garden.
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them???’ He then explained how we should plant seeds using a salt shaker, and then carefully thin seedlings along the way. As a result, our carrots have really taken off, and just this fall we were able to donate some of them to the WFS café salad bar.”
The WFS Organic Garden now occupies two plots, a total of 800 square feet, at Bellevue State Park, which supplies mulch, compost, tilling, and other services. Younger volunteers—including lower school students and summer campers—have helped to water the plants, put plants and seeds in the ground, loosen the soil, make beds, pull weeds, spread mulch, and, Carlos said, “the most rewarding part of the job, harvest the vegetables.” The small but dedicated group of adult volunteers includes some experienced gardeners who help the beginners as needed. And, Carlos added, “We have also used the brute strength of some of our older student volunteers to help with moving mulch and compost in wheelbarrows and installing trellis systems, as well as all the other tasks.” So far, the Garden harvest has included some flowers (zinnias and cosmos), along with tomatoes, onions, lettuce, cabbage, kale, carrots, cucumbers, eggplant, beets, radishes, peppers, tomatillos, basil, thyme, lavender, spinach, broccoli, celery, peas, garden beans, acorn and summer squash, and zucchini.
In addition to seeking volunteers to help with the Garden at Bellevue, Carlos is also excited about an emerging opportunity—though it is still in the exploration stage, and would no doubt start small—to move the garden program to campus. Those discussions started as part of the landscape planning with the new Global Learning Center. If the plan works out, Carlos hopes to take advantage of the change to tie work in the Garden more directly to the curriculum, including the servicelearning program. He is also eager to share how rewarding the work can be. “It is a great feeling to see an empty lot of dirt be turned into a thriving space with flowers, vegetables, worms, bees, butterflies, birds, and other wildlife. At Bellevue, our volunteers get to experience this transformation year after year. If we are able to have garden space right at school, it will be so much easier for more people in our community to have a similar experience.” Volunteers at the Friends Organic Garden last spring and summer, when celebrations of the harvest included a Pesto Party and a Salsa Soiree, complete with pedal-powered blender.
The second spring planting event is scheduled for May 16. No experience is required. If you might be interested in volunteering in May or during the summer, or for more information, please contact Carlos Charriez, ccharriez@wilmingtonfriends.org. Thank you!
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Coach “T” Named to Delaware Sports Hall of Fame
“T would want me to start with values and he would want us reminded that high-school sports should not be seduced by cash, celebrity, and commercialism. He would want us to note the first truth of our professions. Medicine is about patients, not doctors. Law is about clients, not lawyers. Reporting is about readers and listeners, not reporters. And educating is about kids, not teachers….T teaches skills and he never stops. It is the blackboard and the clipboard, not just the shouting, that provide the inspiration to victory. And, no matter what the score, T gives a totally involved 100% teaching effort to each kid to the last whistle of every game.”
Congratulations to Coach Bob “T” Tattersall on being named as a 2015 inductee to the Delaware Sports Hall of Fame. As the head coach of Friends football, Coach T truly has Hall of Fame numbers: 283 career wins, an inspiring state championship for a small school (1984), 23 conference championships, and seven undefeated regular seasons—including a 37-game win In his 47th season, Coach T showed how it matters just as much as ever, celebrating streak in the his team’s 42-6 win over Tower Hill that 1970’s, before Friends participated sealed the 2014 undefeated regular season and Conference Championship. in state tournaments. He has been named the state’s Coach of the Year by both the Delaware Interscholastic Football Coaches Association (DIFCA) and the Delaware Sportswriters and Broadcasters Association (DSBA). He received an unprecedented tribute in Friends athletics in 2011, when the School dedicated Tattersall Field. He has coached two-plus generations of Friends football players, including his own son and three of his grandsons; four of his assistant coaches played for him—Billy Harman ’69, Mike Coleman ’88, Don Morton ’94, and Chris Loeffler ’00. At the beginning of his tenure at Friends, Bob Tattersall taught social studies and coached varsity basketball and middle school football. In 1968, he took over as head coach of the Friends varsity football team, a position he has held ever since. He also has served, at various points, as athletic director (for 28 years), as head coach of varsity baseball, as a middle school and freshman coach, and for many years, as a physical education teacher, working in every division—lower, middle, and upper— at Friends. As former Head of School Bryan Garman (now Head of Sidwell Friends in Washington, DC) wrote in nominating Coach T for the Hall of Fame, “As amazing as the numbers are, if you ask any of Bob’s players or any of his colleagues about what most distinguishes his contribution to sports and his leadership at our school, no one will talk about wins or awards. You will hear about the lasting impact he has as a mentor. His football program is an investment in the people his players can become; it is a program rooted in integrity, responsibility, commitment, and loyalty. Bob continues to build on that foundation each year, never losing an ounce of the enthusiasm or faith in how sports can shape character that he brought with him in 1966. He asks much of his players and of other people around him, but he gives even more.” Congratulations—and thank you—to Coach T and his wife, Dianne, who is, by any measure, herself a Friends School Hall of Famer. 10
Spring 2015 • QuakerMatters
- Bill Quillen ’52 at the 2004 banquet of the Delaware Sportswriters and Broadcasters Association (DSBA), where Coach T received the prestigious Coach of the Year award.
The Tattersall family at a celebration of Coach T’s teaching career: Bob Davis ’83, Julie Tattersall McGinnis ’82, Susan Tattersall Davis ’84, Bob and Dianne, Rob Tattersall ’91, and Shannon Tattersall.
“What is particularly remarkable to me as a former player and a parent of a very recent player, is the way Coach T continues to garner the great respect and admiration of young men year in and year out. Coach T is extremely loyal to his players and former players, as well as their families, and we are extremely loyal to him and his family. Coach T has been and continues to be one of my greatest role models.” - Chip Connolly ’79
Right: Football alumni, parents, and fans consistently refer to Bob Tattersall as a “teacher-coach.” As Andy Aerenson ’81 said, “In the purest sense of the word, Coach T is an educator.”
“Even as a teenager, I knew that my life was forever positively inuenced by my connection with Coach T. Coach T taught me far more than skills like blocking and tackling. He taught me how to balance the highest standards for excellence in sports with the highest standards for character and conduct‌.In the purest sense of the word, Coach T is an educator.â€? - Andy Aerenson ’81, Chair of The T Fund to support the renovaWLRQV DQG GHGLFDWLRQ RI 7DWWHUVDOO )LHOG DQG WR ODXQFK D Ë‹QDQFLDO aid endowment fund named for Coach T.
Coach T’s 2014 team enjoyed tremendous alumni support, especially from alumni of his undefeated seasons of the 1970’s. $PRQJ WKRVH DW WKH UHJXODU VHDVRQ ˋQDOH DQG WKHUH ZHUH RWKHUV including Jake Gehret ’77): in the front row Scott Reese ’74 (orange jacket), Dan Fleming ’76, Peter Townsend ’75, Susan Tattersall Davis ’84, Julie Tattersall McGinnis ’82, Caroline McGinnis ’17, Tim Hidell ’71 (vest). Back row: Bob Hukill ’75, Robby Smith ’75, Tim Reed ’73 (a little hard to see, sorry), Andy Atkins ’76, and David Geoghegan ’75.
Coach T has coached three of his grandsons (so far‌), Jeff Davis ’13 (#20), Scott Davis ’15 (#14) , and Matt Davis ’11 (#2).
Among the relatively new traditions for Friends football, Coach T and his staff have hosted the kick-off event for the Delaware 6SHFLDO 2O\PSLFV ËŒDJ IRRWEDOO SURJUDP IRU WKH ODVW WZR \HDUV Thanks to Artie Kempner for his leadership in that effort, as well.
“I’ve been to practices coached by guys named Walsh, Landry, Belichick, Gibbs, Parcells, Holmgren, Cowher, Shanahan, Schembechler, Reid, Tomlin, and Kelly—and I even played for a guy named Spurrier at the University of Florida. From Super Bowls, playoff games, and bowl championship games, I’ve been in a unique position to watch the most successful and esteemed football coaches lead their teams. That is why I can say unequivocally that Bob Tattersall is one of the ďŹ nest football coaches on any level that I have had the privilege to know. I didn’t play for Coach T, but I wish I had.â€? - Artie Kempner, Fox Sports; father of two Friends football alumni
“I can say with conďŹ dence, aside from my parents, no person has had a greater inuence in my life than Coach T‌.His lessons were many: to be humble, respectful, intense, and disciplined, to compete always and to fear no one.â€? - Rob Buccini ’86
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News & Events, Winter 2014-2015 Visitors from Japan
In December, Friends welcomed visiting middle school teachers from Japan. The Japanese government funded the group’s stay at the University of Delaware for a language and culture program, which also included presentations for selected Delaware schools. The teachers visited classes, met with Friends teachers and students, did a presentation about Japanese language and culture for the seventh grade, and had a school tour. On the last day of school before winter break, fourth grade Spanish students surSULVHG .HQ $OGULGJH E\ GHFRUDWLQJ KLV RIˋFH door and singing “Feliz Cumpleanos” and “Feliz Navidad” in honor of his birthday and the holidays.
Choral Master Class
Visiting middle school teachers from Japan, with their program organizer from the University of Delaware and WFS tour guide, senior Maddie Fruchtman.
Hour of Code
Among this year’s worldwide “Hour of Code” projects at Friends, groups of third through seventh graders worked with the programming application “Lightbot,” practicing coding skills like writing procedures and utilizing loops. Eighth graders worked with the un-Quakerly sounding (but, in fact, non-violent) Friends students “Code-Combat,” from kindergarten an introduction to through 12th grade participated in the JavaScript. Upper worldwide “Hour of school students Code.” explored “Processing,” a Java-based programming language developed at MIT. Among the many highlights at lower school: a group of second graders explored an online programming application called “Anna and Elsa,” names familiar to anyone of the Frozen generation (and their parents and grandparents), and then students wrote their own corresponding exercises using Logo programming. A second highlight came when a lower school student asked teacher Carol Amaral-Ly, “What’s different about ‘Hour of Code’? We’ve been coding since September!” 12
Spring 2015 • QuakerMatters
In January, the Friends Chamber Singers participated in a joint master class with students from Sanford and Tower Hill, followed by an evening concert of the combined choirs. The master class was led and the concert conducted by Dr. Andrew Megill, a Professor of Conducting and Director of Choral Activities at the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign), the first school of music in the country to offer a doctorate in choral conducting. Megill is also director of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra Chorus, the Carmel Bach Festival Chorale, and Fuma Sacra, and frequently prepares choirs to perform with leading orchestras around the world. Margaret Anne Butterfield is the director of the Chamber Singers; she has performed in numerous ensembles directed by Dr. Megill and helped to arrange the special event.
sity teams and one JV team qualified for the National History Bowl championship in Washington, DC. In individual competition, WFS students qualified for nationals in the History Bee and by their performance on the U.S. History Qualification and Sophomore Katy National GeogShannon was raphy Olympiad among the national Qualification TXDOLˋHUV IRU ERWK exams. Congratula- the History Bowl and History Bee. tions to all of our WFS participants, with a special shout-out to the middle school team that competed against the high schoolers. Thanks to WFS upper school history teacher Javier Ergueta for organizing the event.
Students Direct & Perform One-Act Play In an upper school student enrichment project in theater, senior Wyatt Thompson and junior Jessica Saunders co-directed six WFS student actors in a production of Three on a Bench, a oneact play by Doris Estrada. The faculty advisor for the project was Todd Tyler.
PFM Film & Discussion
The Parents for Multiculturalism committee of the Home & School Association hosted a viewing of and discussion about the film, Cracking the Codes: The System of Racial Inequality. The film seeks to encourage honest conversations about race, whether in families, workplaces, or classrooms. Parent and Board Liaison Rosalind McCoy-Gardner clerks the PFM Committee. History and Global Peace and Justice teacher Scott Rhodewalt facilitated the event.
MLK Day
Kindergarten students led the annual Peace March at lower school, honoring the life and work of Martin Luther King, Jr., followed by Meeting for Worship and
The WFS Chamber Singers participated in a joint master class and concert led by Dr. Andrew Megill.
History Bowl and Bee
Friends again hosted the Delaware Qualifying Competition of the National History Bowl and Bee. Two WFS Var-
Kindergarten students lead the lower school Peace March each year.
a morning of service activities. Middle school had activities throughout the month of January on the theme of ethics, with a Meeting for Worship and advisory theme for MLK Day focused speciďŹ cally on ethical dilemmas and moral courage. In upper school, students designed and led “teach-inâ€? workshops to commemorate Dr. King’s leadership on social justice issues. Topics included: injustices against women around the world, “mindful thinking,â€? and activities examining white privilege and straight privilege.
Eighth Grade Service at LCS
Each eighth grade advisory group spends at least one morning working at the Lutheran Community Services food pantry. LCS is less than two miles from the Friends campus, giving students an especially meaningful opportunity to learn about and to help meet community needs.
The Elder & Child program has continXHG LQ ˋUVW JUDGH WKLV \HDU ZLWK PHQWRUV including alumnus Ben Osbun ’66 and former WFS teacher Gerry Drysdale.
Lower school MLK Day service included projects (close to younger students’ hearts) WR EHQHˋW DQLPDOV including making homemade bones for shelter dogs and cereal and fruit feeders for the birds on campus.
Eighth graders at the Lutheran Community Services Food Pantry.
Presidential Scholar Candidate
Congratulations to senior Macon Sheppard, named a candidate in the Presidential Scholars Program. Among other roles at school, Macon has been a leader in the student mentoring program at the Brown Boys & Girls Club (read more on page 15) and played football for four years.
QYLC
Visitors shared traditional African songs and stories with lower school students in January, an especially meaningful program following the fall service project to send needed supplies to Liberia in response to the Ebola outbreak.
This year’s Quaker Youth Leadership Conference was hosted by Tandem Friends and Virginia Beach Friends Schools, on the theme of “Art & Social Change: Inspiring Peace and Justice.� The goal of the three-day conference was to explore how the Quaker testimonies of peace and justice are represented and encouraged through visual arts, music, theater, and creative writing, with particu-
lar attention to the skills and qualities artists use to foster change—risk-taking, imagination, collaboration, and integrity. WFS was represented at the conference by sophomores Sarah Gooderham and Evelyn Wakeley, and Quakerism teacher Mary Woodward.
Students Teaching Tech
Upper school computer science students are helping members of the seventh and eighth grade Lego League team to become 3D printing experts. The middle school 3D printer will be a featured component of the division’s new Design Lab/ Makerspace, part of the renovation made possible by the Global Learning Center addition. The Lego League team will then teach other middle school students (and teachers) how to use and support the 3D printer. Sophomores Margaret Sullivan and Andrew Slomski, independent study students in “Smart Machines� this year, are among the students-as-teachers in 3D printing. Their independent study course is evolving into an upper school computer science elective for 2015-16.
Sixth Grade Robotics in Champions Tourney
Congratulations to the WFS sixth grade robotics team, known as “The Lego Legends,� for advancing to the FIRST Lego League Champions’ Tournament, qualifying out of a regional competition at Salem Community College. Thanks to parent mentor Anne McWalter and faculty mentors Jerry Taylor and Adrian Burston.
The Friends sixth grade robotics team, dressed for competition, in action at the Champions Tournament at Delaware State University. Spring 2015 • QuakerMatters
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NEWS FROM WINTER 2014-15
Mock Trial Success
Congratulations to the WFS Mock Trial Team, which finished fourth (out of 24 teams) in the annual state competition and earned six individual gavel awards. The team included: Mary Agne, Emilio Ergueta, Allie Fulginiti, Joslyn Gardner, Chloe Hudson, Jodi Lessner, Kalyn Nix, Josh Pincus, Sadie Proud, Izze Rios, Jason Saville, Katy Shannon, and Simone Veale. Individual best attorney gavel winners were Allie, Joslyn, and Jodi; best witness gavel winners were Mary, Chloe, and Izze. Math teacher John Roskovensky served as faculty advisor. To thank the team’s attorney-coaches, team co-captain junior Jodi Lessner wrote, “None of our successes could have been possible without the time and dedication from the lawyers who coach us: Jody Barillare and Ericka Johnson. Both of them spent countless amounts of hours coaching us, giving us advice, and preparing us for this competition. Every Wednesday night they would come to Friends for an hour and a half, and every
Junior Chosen as TEDx Speaker
Congratulations to junior Jodi Lessner, who has been selected as a speaker for TEDxSoleburySchool in May. TEDx events are licensed by the TED organization “in the spirit of ideas worth spreading.” Jodi will present a talk on her experience as a 17-year-old feminist. Last year, Julia Rhodes ’14 was chosen to speak at the same event; her topic was “introvert to activist.”
India-Pakistan Educational Program
Students in the Global Peace and Justice class are again participating in the Delaware Lahore-Delhi Partnership for Peace program on India and Pakistan. The first speaker was Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, Jilil Abbas Jillani. From a crowded auditorium, three Friends students were able to ask the Ambassador questions. Teacher Scott Rhodewalt noted that the questions, “gave Ambassador Jalani an opportunity to go deeper than he would have anticipated with a high school audience. What he didn’t realize is that these were ninth graders.” The WFS student questions focused on Kashmir, the situation in Ukraine, and feminism in Pakistan.
Saturday morning we would go to Ericka’s office, which she opened up so that we could practice for three more hours. Each of them has their own family with small children....Our team would be absolutely nothing without them, and we are forever indebted.”
The Friends submissions to the art show stood apart because of Paulo’s curricular emphasis on design-thinking and use of Google SketchUp. Visitors were able to explore WFS student work interactively via iPads on stands. Thanks to Paulo, to WFS eighth grade parents, and to WFS staff Gregg Miller and Susan Morovati Finizio ’87 for assisting with the publicity and technology support for the event.
Lower School Tech Club
The Wilmington Friends Lower School Tech Club, for third and fourth graders, borrows its theme from LittleBits DIY Electronics: “Make something that does something.” In the club, students have the opportunity to program robots and on laptops; work with electric circuits; tinker with magnetic electronic modules; use micro controllers; learn about audio and video production and podcasting; and more, depending on their interests. The goal is for students to explore different technologies, find something that really interests them, and then undertake a long-term project. Thanks to teacher Stephan Heuer for designing and leading the Technology Club.
Annual Blood Drive
Thank you to the student organizing committee, faculty advisor Sarah Stock Patterson, and all of our donors and volunteers. The committee met its goal of 50 appointments, thanks to tremendous support from students age 17 and older.
Used Book Sale
The always popular Home & School Association Used Book Sale was even more popular this year—increasing sales by more than 60%, with all remaining books donated to local charities. Thanks to all who supported the Sale and especially to parent clerks Kendra Okolo and Jenni Brand and to all of the volunteers and book donors.
Winter Connect-a-Thon
In February, more than 100 Friends parents, faculty, staff, alumni, parents of alumni, and students participated in the Annual Fund Winter Connect-a-thon. Many of our volunteers stayed busy just writing thank you notes to Friends donors. Thanks to all who participated for helping us to “connect” with 484 members of the Friends community.
DAIS Middle School Art Show
Paulo Machado, the Visual Arts department, and the middle school hosted this year’s Delaware Association of Independent Schools Middle School Art Show—in the new Violet Lobby.
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WFS “please touch” interactive displays wowed visitors to the DAIS middle school art show in the Violet Lobby.
Spring 2015 • QuakerMatters
Students in the lower school Tech Club try different technologies toward identifying a personal area of interest for a long-term project.
Students contributed to the Connect-aThon by writing thank you notes to Friends donors.
IB Music
In early March, seniors in the second year of Higher Level Music performed in the annual IB Concert, the first presented in the new Theater. Family and friends enjoyed the talents of vocalists Jacob Leviton, Kerry Shay, and Wyatt Thompson, and of instrumentalists Nick GrandaStone and Benjamin Para. Margaret Anne Butterfield teaches the IB music classes.
National Math Competitions Members of the freshmen-sophomore Science Olympiad team, co-clerked by sophomores Jayna Jones and Margaret Sullivan.
department chair Mark Schmittle who accompanied the team.
Horikawa Presents at STEM Conference
Middle school teacher Karen Horikawa, using a display to which her eighth grade students contributed, presented at the recent Emerging Researchers National STEM Conference in Washington, DC—the only middle school project chosen for presentation. The focus was Karen’s eighth grade section’s Algal Photobioreactor Laboratory (APBL), a project-based activity to increase understanding of ecology and awareness of sustainable biofuel production systems. The project was designed and presented in partnership with the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research.
Poetry Out Loud Chinese language and culture program students in grades 6-12, with teachers Jianglin Shi and Xiaohong Xu, presented an enjoyable and educational Chinese New Year program.
QUAKEOVER Cancer
The student B+ Foundation Committee, led by senior Meera Kohli, hosted the second annual QUAKEOVER Cancer Dance-a-Thon in February. Thanks to all of the sponsors, donors, and participating students, both the Wilmington Friends team and the overall event exceeded ambitious fundraising goals. The B+ Foundation Committee’s faculty advisor is Mary Woodward.
Science Olympiad
A team of freshmen and sophomores from Friends competed in the 60-team Delaware Science Olympiad. Special congratulations to sophomores Gustavo Silveira and Andrew Slomski for their fourth place finish in the Dynamic Planet event. Thanks to physics teacher and faculty advisor Matt Cauchy and science
Congratulations to sophomore Gustavo Silveira who represented WFS at the state Poetry Out Loud Competition. Gustavo was one of just six competitors to advance to the finalist round.
Apple Site Visit
On March 9, Friends hosted an “Apple Site Visit.” Each school that is home to an Apple Distinguished Program hosts this kind of event for leaders from other schools Juniors Jessica considering 1:1 Saunders and laptop programs. Rebecca SakaguThe Site Visit was chi, leaders of the planned and hosted AppleCore student tech support group, by AppleCore, planned and hosted the student tech the Apple Site Visit support group at program at Friends. Friends, with leadership from junior Rebecca Sakaguchi, clerk, and junior Jessica Saunders, treasurer.
Friends students have participated in multiple national math programs this year. Upper school teachers Sarah Stock Patterson and Ildiko Miller are leading a new program for seventh graders, continuing into the eighth grade year, through the American Mathematical Competition (AMC). Also through AMC, 20 upper school students took the “10/12” contest examination, part of a program designed to encourage enthusiasm among strong math students. Upper school students also participated in Moody’s Mega Math Challenge, a full-day, online, team approach to an open-ended applied mathematics problem.
Youth Service Award in Social Justice
The Wilmington Friends student mentors in the H. Fletcher Brown Boys & Girls Club’s “Mike’s Team” program have been named recipients of the 2015 Governor’s Youth Volunteer Service Award in Social Justice/Advocacy. The Friends student participants were nominated by the program’s coordinator, Megan Kneisl. The award will be presented at a dinner in April. Congratulations to all of the student mentors who have let their lives speak, with special thanks to seniors Tommy Rhodes and Macon Sheppard for their leadership.
Photos, courtesy of Brown Boys & Girls Club, from the winter session of Mike’s Team. Spring 2015 • QuakerMatters
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NEWS FROM WINTER 2014-15
Middle School Diversity Conference
Ten seventh and eighth grade students, with teachers Amanda McMillan-Williams and Karen Horikawa, attended the third annual Middle School Diversity Conference, sponsored by the Multicultural Resource Center of the Philadelphia Independent Schools. The event was at the Haverford School.
Charter Challenge
As a follow up to the History Bowl, teacher Javier Ergueta organized middle school teams to participate in the Charter Challenge, a regional academic competition specifically for this age group and with a similar quiz-bowl format. The Challenge included questions from a variety of academic areas, plus some popular culture. The WFS eighth grade team finished fourth in the Newcomer Division.
Winter Concerts 2014 Bad News Bots Rock
Congratulations to the Wilmington Friends upper school robotics team, aka the Bad News Bots (with varying degrees of “uniform” to reinforce that persona, and one younger sibling in the team photo). In the Diamond State FIRST Tech Challenge Robotics Championship on January 31, the team won all five of its qualifying matches and earned the #1 ranking, with the most points of any team in the competition. Faculty mentor (and physics teacher) Matt Cauchy said the success of the Friends team reflected tremendous problem-solving skills, creativity, and effective strategic thinking—the critical skills that go beyond memorization and content preparation. Congratulations to our thinkers. The regional FTC event included a total of 30 teams from Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New Jersey. In the semi-final round, working with partners from other schools, the Bots ran into some bad luck and lost a close match. But as Matt said, “The kids had a great time, and are already excited for next year.” Part of that excitement surrounds anticipation of new facilities—a dedicated Design Lab—and a new elective in Robotics/ Computer Science next year at Friends. The Design Lab, made possible by a gift from Ira T. Ellis ’52, will be part of a summer 2015 renovations project to complement the construction of the new Global Learning Center. The primary meeting time for the Friends Robotics Team is a three-hour session each Sunday, starting in early fall, along with lunchtime meetings on school days. So it is a substantial commitment, though many other teams (some with corporate and community sponsors) have a lot more time to prepare for competition. The Friends team includes students who participate in a number of other activities, including athletics and performing arts productions, so meeting after school or on Saturdays is not really an option for the “Bots.” In addition to physics teacher Matt Cauchy, computer science teacher Jenks Whittenburg and Math Department Chair Sarah Stock Patterson are the club’s faculty mentors. The founding clerks of the team, from the Class of 2014, are now enrolled at Cornell, Tufts, and the University of Delaware Honors Program. The 2015 senior clerk was admitted early decision to the Tufts University School of Engineering.
6HQLRUV YLVLWHG WKHLU ˋUVW JUDGH buddies for a special Valentine’s Day celebration. 16
Spring 2015 • QuakerMatters
Many thanks to the Performing Arts Department for a wonderful winter concert series, ending with the all-school celebration in the West Gym. There was special meaning, of course, to the first concert series in the new Theater, and the lower school Meeting Room is as beautiful as ever. Margaret Anne Butterfield, upper school choirs and music classes Sara Gaines (chair), middle school choirs and music classes Genevieve Van-Catledge, K-fifth grade choirs and music classes Christopher Verry, instrumental music Liza Conces, Early Years music Todd Tyler, all things technical
Spring Spring2015 2015••QuakerMatters QuakerMatters 17
NEWS FROM WINTER 2014-15
Winter Sports Congratulations and thank you to our student-athletes, coaches, families, and fans. The winter season included a state top-8 finish for girls’ swimming, 11 topthree finishes in the conference wrestling meet, state meet qualifying times in indoor track, a trip to the state tournament for girls’ basketball, and some lifelong-memory-worthy moments for boys’ basketball.
Wrestling
Coach Don Morton ’94 took over the varsity program this year, and the team went an impressive 9-4 in dual meets. Friends had three conference champions and 11 top-three conference finishes overall, and earned 11 Academic All-State recognitions. Senior Ian Furman and junior Stephen Maguire qualified for individual states, and senior John Napoli and junior Josh Pincus qualified as alternates. First Team All Conference (conference meet champions) Travis Aerenson ’15 Stephen Maguire ’16 Matt Denney ’17 Second Team All Conference (conference runners-up) Ian Furman ’15 Jacob Gagliano ’15 John Napoli ’15 Eric Pincus ’18 Freshmen Lawson Chou and Dalton Ramsey, sophomore Matt Hinderhofer, and junior Josh Pincus finished with bronze medals in third place at the conference meet. Eleven Friends wrestlers earned medals at the conference meet.
Senior John Napoli working toward a pin. 18
Spring 2015 • QuakerMatters
Academic All State (awarded only in football and wrestling) Travis Aerenson ’15, first team Matt Byer ’18, first team Jacob Galgiano ’15, first team John Napoli ’15, first team Josh Pincus ’16, first team Ian Furman ’15, second team Matt Hinderhofer ’17, second team Maya Johnson ’16 (manager), second team Lawson Chou ’18, honorable mention Fredrikke Johansen ’16 (manager, AFS student), honorable mention Alex Trudel ’16, honorable mention Captains Travis Aerenson ’15 Ian Furman ’15 Jacob Gagliano ’15 John Napoli ’15
Swimming
Girls’ swimming, 9-2 in dual meets this year, had its best ever team showing in the state championships, finishing eighth overall. At states, freshman Atim Kilama finished 3rd in the 100 free and 4th in the 50 free. The 200 free relay finished 5th, and the 400 free relay finished 6th. Junior Margeaux Pantano was 12th in the 500 free; junior Demetria Ruhl was 15th in the 100 fly; and sophomore Blair Atkins was 15th in the 50 free. The WFS girls’ team finished second at the conference meet, with three wins—the 200 and 400 free relays and Kilama in the 100 free (by almost 5 seconds). Other top-three finishes: Kilama, 2nd in the 200 free; Pantano, 2nd in the 500 free and 3rd in the 200 free; Ruhl, 3rd in both the 200 IM and the 100 fly. WFS coach Robin Lebauer was named Conference Coach of the Year in girls’ swimming. For the guys, freshman Samuel Huo finished 13th at states in the 100 free. At the conference meet, the Quaker boys’ team finished fourth. Huo was 3rd in both the 50 and 100 free; the 400 free relay took 2nd; and the 200 free relay finished in 3rd. Congratulations to the entire team.
A cool view of the Quaker swim team, and freshmen Atim Kilama and Sam Huo showing their form. Swimming photos by Joe del Tufo.
Captains Maddie Fruchtman ’15 Julia Russ ’15 Demetria Ruhl ’16 Sean Cochran ’17 Nate Ruhl ’18 First Team All State Atim Kilama ’18
Indoor Track
First Team All Conference Samuel Huo ’18 Atim Kilama ’18 Demetria Ruhl ’16 Second Team All Conference Blair Atkins ’17 Margeaux Pantano ’16
The head coach for indoor track and field is Paul Nemeth. Senior Martha O’Brien and sophomore Jordan Carter had individual times good enough to qualify for the state meet, but Jordan’s was disallowed because it was “hand-timed” and Martha chose to run with her relay team instead of in the individual event (you go, Martha). The boys’ 4 x 800 relay finished 14th at states, with senior Steven Ly, freshman Andrew Knotts, sophomore Andrew Slomski, and junior Chris Stanborough. The girls’ 4 x 800 relay finished 15th at states, with senior Sarah BrennanMartin, junior Summer Tyler, freshman Fiona Saunders, and senior Martha O’Brien. The guys 4 x 200 was 23rd—Ly, sophomores Jordan Carter and Anthony Burgos-Harris, and freshman Aaron Brick. The girls 4 x 200 finished 26th at states: sophomore Simone Veale, freshmen Klara Lenges and Grace Para, and sophomore Briana Lloyd. (There are no all-conference recognitions in indoor track.) Captains Martha O’Brien ’15 Sarah Brennan-Martin ’15 Steven Ly ’15 Chris Stanborough ’16
Girls’ Basketball
Track captains Chris Stanborough, Martha O’Brien, and Sarah Brennan-Martin; and at states with the 4 x 200 relay team, captain Steven Ly with teammates Jordan Carter, Anthony Burgos-Harris, and Aaron Brick.
Boys’ Basketball
Highlighted by two wins over conference foe Tatnall, as well as over bigger schools including Dickinson, Mt. Pleasant (considered a major upset), St. George’s, and McKean, Friends girls’ hoops had a 10-win season and qualiďŹ ed for the state tournament. Congratulations to Coach Carolyn Gates Connors ’81 and the team. Senior tri-captain Meryl Gatti earned Athlete of the Week honors from the News Journal during the season. Captains All Conference Meryl Gatti ’15 First Team Margo Meryl Gatti ’15 Tschantz ’15 All Conference Honorable Mention Brooke WinďŹ eld ’15 Margaret Sullivan ’17 2Q VHQLRU QLJKW WUL FDSWDLQ %URRNH :LQË‹HOG ZLWK KHU SDUHQWV -DPLH :LQË‹HOG DQG 1LQD 3RUWHU :LQË‹HOG Ȣ DQG JUDQGIDWKHU -DFN Porter ’52, and above, converging on D in a win over Tatnall, Sydney Gardner, Natalie DePaulo, Margaret Sullivan, and Joslyn Gardner.
Coach Chris Loeffer ’00 took over the boys’ basketball program this season; the team improved on last year with seven wins. Highlights included two big wins in one week—an OT revenge W over St. Andrew’s and a win vs. rival Tower Hill—as well as wins over teams that beat Friends last year, including Archmere. There were a couple of “quality losses� as well in the tough schedule— most notably, 56-58 to eventual state champ Salesianum. All Conference Second Team Quinn Kirkpatrick ’16 Jordan Perkins ’17 All Conference Honorable Mention Jimmy Carney ’15 Jake Erskine ’15 Senior Scott Davis, son of Susan Tattersall Davis ’84 and Bob Davis ’83, goes up for a key shot in the win over St. Andrew’s.
7KH YDUVLW\ VTXDG WKH Ë‹UVW OHG E\ &RDFK &KULV /RHIËŒHU Ȣ
Thank you, as always and especially after snowy winters, to the dedicated WFS facilities and grounds staff members who work so hard to ensure a safe campus for our students and all of us.
Spring 2015 • QuakerMatters
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CLASS NOTES Class Notes are compiled by the Alumni Office. If you would like to submit a Class Note for the next issue, please email alumni@ wilmingtonfriends.org.
1948
Christine Lawrence Fulop and her husband, Milford, both retired as Distinguished University Professors of Medicine of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She wrote, “We are now enjoying getting up late, sipping coffee quietly while reading the paper. Weekends, we see the NY grandchildren and have Sunday supper together. Things are good!”
John Roberts has published a new book, titled Uncommon Sense—A view from the Middle. He wrote, “This is my effort to substitute rational discussion for political ideology as a means for finding pragmatic solutions to some of our political and social issues. You can get a pretty good idea of the book’s subject matter by going to my website—and perusing the Summary and Table of Contents pages. The book is available at Amazon.com as both an e-book and a print book. And, if by chance you decide to read it, I hope you’ll start with the introduction. It sets up the chapters that follow.”
1957 Christine Lawrence Fulop ’48 and her husband, Milford, at a ceremony celebrating their 100 years of combined service to Jacobi Municipal Hospital.
1952
Four members of the Class of ’52 and their wives enjoyed a dinner party hosted by Rufus Jones and Martha Jones at their home in St. Augustine, FL, on March 17, 2015. Fred Pardee reported, “We enjoyed gracious hospitality, great food, in a beautiful setting, with delightful weather.”
Priscilla Smith Witke wrote, “I am taking Chemo which seems to be keeping cancer symptoms limited. I can read, walk, and watch the days getting longer. I enjoy small concerts; and large and small dance performances.” Among the great simple pleasures Priscilla is enjoying, she noted that she had, “read an autobiography by Condoleezza Rice, Extraordinary, Ordinary People, and watched EARTH A New Wild about humans and the ocean.”
1959
Bill Amend and Connie Roberts Amend ’61 wrote, “Our only news is that by early May we will be living back east again! We are saying goodbye to 40 years in northern California and moving to Maris Grove in Glen Mills, PA. Our only advice to classmates is to start ‘cleaning out’ now if you ever decide to downsize!!” William Kruse wrote, “A fine life in Tucson, topping off my 46th year in the desert. Twentyone years of working and traveling with varsity track and field is a continuing joy, as is my committed relationship with Saint Philip’s in the Hills Episcopal Church.”
At a mini-reunion in Florida of the Class of 1952, Fred Pardee, John Nice, Lew Doughton, and Rufus Jones.
1956
Nancy Spargo Goodridge wrote, “I get together one time per month or as needed in the local pub with some of my 1956 classmates.” In addition, though Nancy did not share the news herself, she was spotted —and photographed—participating in the annual winter tradition of a “Polar Bear Plunge” into the cold surf (for charity, of course).
Monthly “Think Tank” gathering of local 1956 classmates, Gail Porter Anderson, Nancy Spargo Goodridge, Marcia Stirling Quillen, and Cynthia Pyle Woolley.
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Charlie Jacobson happily shared that his first grandson, Samuel Joseph Gray, was born on June 28, 2014 in San Francisco. Charlie also published his family’s history after spending the summer of 2013 in Europe, where he researched the points of origin for his family’s emigration to the United States in the 1800’s. He was able to find documents from one branch of the family dating to the Middle Ages. (See photos, below right.)
Nancy Spargo Goodridge at one of the winter Polar Bear Plunge events on the Delaware coast.
1961
Connie Roberts Amend (See 1959.)
1965
Cleveland Morris recently shared with friends from Wilmington a very special tribute to his mother, Mary, who died on January 17, 2015. In the traditional and highest tribute that a theatre can pay to someone who has recently died, the Delaware Theatre Company, which Cleveland served as founding Artistic Director, dimmed its lights and offered a moment of silence in honor of Mary following the curtain call on the Opening Night of Nora, February 7, and turned off the theatre’s exterior lights on February 10, which would have been Mary’s 94th birthday. Cleveland wrote of his mother, “She was the DTC’s earliest and greatest fan. She never failed to pitch in to help when called upon to do so. She used to joke about the time I phoned her for some emergency assistance for an early event at the Firehouse. She thought I might need some last-minute talent onstage. What I needed was to get the bathroom cleaned. Needless to say, she showed up with a scrub brush and some Ajax. She subscribed to every season, supported every special event, and defended many (though maybe not all) of my raunchier play selections.” Cleveland quoted his nephew, who said at Mary’s memorial service, “She loved every play even when she didn’t like them.” Thanks to both Cleveland and Mary for their contributions to the arts, at and beyond the DTC.
1968
Harald Bergmann wrote, “Greetings to my mates from the Class of ’68. I am still up and going, working with industrial safety in Norwegian Companies. I should also like to say special ‘Hello!’ to the Class of ’69, with whom I attended classes 9/10 of my Friends year. Was ‘promoted’ in May ’68 to get the diploma.” (See photo, next page.)
1969
Karl Engelmann wrote, “Hello Class of ’69. I retired from the U.S. Army as a Lt. Colonel. My second career was with Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control here in Orlando, FL. I retired from Lockheed in 2010. Now, I teach
Charlie Jacobson ’59 and his wife, Diane, shortly after the birth of their grandson with their daughter, Lee.
Book by Charlie Jacobson ’59 about his family history.
CLASS NOTES
1973
Ian Harrington wrote, “I have served as the co-chairperson of the Boston celebration of the International Day of Peace for the last four years. These September 21st events have been on the Boston Common and have featured a combination of music, song, dance, stories, and speeches. These events have brought together those who think of international conict when they hear peace with those for whom peace means safety on local streets.â€? +DUDOG %HUJPDQQ Ȣ WDNLQJ KLV Ë‹UVW ȤVHOË‹HČĽ with wife, Sidsel, and daughter, Nathalie (24). Not pictured, son Joakim (27).
Adult Basic Education and GED mathematics at Westside Technical Center, Orange County Public Schools. I would love to hear from other classmates.� Judith Prest retired in 2009 from school social work and now is director at Spirit Wind Studio. She leads workshops in Expressive Arts, Creativity & Healing, Poetry, Creative Writing, and SoulCollage, and does creativity coaching. She has been publishing her poetry (and having some published by others) and selling her mixed media art and photos. She also works part-time at New Choices Recovery Center in Schenectady, NY, running expressive arts groups with adults in day treatment for addiction. She recently was awarded a grant from the Institute for Poetic Medicine to run an eight-week poetry and healing program at New Choices Recovery Center. Judith lives in Duanesburg, NY, with her husband, Alan Krieger, and three cats—Ollie, Raven, and Princess Leiah. She is working on her next book, Elemental Connections, in which some of her poems about the natural world will be paired with her nature photography.
1970
Chip Oat wrote, “I had dinner with Roy Wilkinson in early March in Washington, DC, where Roy had own from Seattle for meetings in the Capitol with the state’s senators and congressmen. It was great to catch up after almost 35 years!â€? Bill Sussman wrote, “Georgia Sussmans reporting in with two kids studying for the state bar and the third child studying for the MCAT. Hoping someone will take care of my wife and me in old age, which is fast approaching. Connect with me on Facebook, and read all about it!â€?
Friends hosted a Holiday Alumni Gathering at the BBC on December 26, 2014. We were joined by many local alumni, as well as those in town to visit family and friends. It was a nice opportunity for alumni from a variety of class years to get to know each other and to celebrate the season.
Juliann Sum was appointed as Chief of Division of Occupational Safety and Health, commonly known as “Cal/OSHA� by Governor Jerry Brown in December 2014.
Juliann Sum ’73 (3rd from left) in California with Director of Industrial Relations Christine Baker, Labor Secretary David Lanier, and Governor Jerry Brown.
1975
Karen Wilderman Keegan works for the DE Department of Education as the College Access Program Administrator. Her focus is to help more Delaware students get to college. She is also the President of the Board for Ulster Project Delaware. This is a program that brings 18 teens from Northern Ireland, nine Catholics and nine Protestants, to Wilmington each July to live with local teens and families. The goal is to foster respect and tolerance for each other’s beliefs. They form lifelong friendships, and Karen recently had the pleasure of attending the wedding in Northern Ireland of the ďŹ rst teen her family hosted in 2002. Ulster Project Delaware is always looking for teens to participate, and Karen says “the perfect time is after 9th or 10th grade.â€? Karen’s own sons are grown: Mike works in ďŹ nance in Manhattan, and Dan is in his third year of a PhD Statistics program at Cornell. Karen is married to Bud Keegan, whom many students and families might know from his photography work in the Wilmington area.
1979
1972
Kirk McKusick and Eric Allman were ofďŹ cially married on May 18, 2014. The date was also the celebration of their 35th anniversary.
Alumni for the Holidays
Kirk McKusick ’72 and his husband, Eric, with three of the four children they have helped to raise. Left to right: Glyn Collinson, Ben Cotrell, Kirk, Eric, and Tyson Henning.
News from and about Betina Fink: “If you’re in the southern Arizona region, please visit Betina’s atelier in Tucson, Betina Fink Arts, an art gallery and community studio space. Betina teaches all levels of drawing and painting, and exhibits her landscape oils regionally. Her artwork is sourced from plein air studies done on site in Arizona, New Mexico, and California. You can Spring2015 2015••QuakerMatters QuakerMatters 21 Spring
CLASS NOTES shelter coordinators to make arrangements, and offered to pick up the guests with a hotel van. As one advocate for the homeless said, Brad’s offer was “beautiful.” Let Your Life Speak.
with a mini-reunion with Jeff Cohen ’82 and Steve Cohen, complete with front-row seats at a basketball game at Indiana University. They also caught up with Ben Hanson ’13, now an IU sophomore. (See photos.) 24”x 30” oil on canvas; Creek at Cochise Stronghold by Betina Fink ’79.
also visit virtually and say hi! BetinaFink.me or PaintingAtelierTuscon.org.”
1980
Martha West Olson retired from her position as Director of Admissions at the small private school in Trumbull, CT, from which her five children graduated. She wrote, “I had a wonderful time working with outstanding faculty and administrators and have a greater appreciation for what it takes to run an amazing K-12 school!” Martha is working part-time in marketing communications, happy to have more time to spend with her husband and to attend college family weekends.
1991
Shannon Chandler Dietrich is living in Rockville, MD, with her husband, Erich, and three children, Chandler (12), Theodore (9), and Mimi (7).
1984
Susan Tattersall Davis (See 1983.)
1985
Shannon Chandler
During one of the cold Dietrich ’91 and her family at stretches of the past the beach last summer. winter, Brad Wenger was in the news. As others debated whether to open even sponsor-paid hotel rooms to the homeless during the extreme cold, Brad—who is general manager of the Hilton Wilmington Christiana—offered 10 free rooms for homeless people. He got in touch with Code Purple
Amy Hill and her husband, Floyd Dean, welcomed Floyd Miles Robert Dean into the world on January 10, 2014. Amy wrote, “It’s been an amazing year with our sweet, sweet boy!”
Floyd Miles Robert Dean, son of Amy Hill ’91 and her husband, Floyd.
1982
Jeff Cohen (See 1983.)
1983
Bob Davis celebrated his 50th birthday
Ethan Cooperson ’87 returned to campus in February and led a career-discussion Lunch & Learn for students. Ethan is a sports statistician, working for Stats LLC and major networks including CBS for NFL and college basketball games, the Big Ten Network for college football, ESPN, and Fox for baseball. The students clearly enjoyed listening to Ethan talk about his profession and the fast pace of the work, providing sports broadcasters with information relevant to the live action to enhance game reports. Ethan also spoke about his positive WFS experience, saying that he was encouraged to pursue a career based on something he loved. While he was a student, Ethan was known for remembering—and sharing—all the stats from his favorite Philadelphia teams. Ethan Cooperson ’87, Melissa Fagan Billitto ’87, and Susan Morovati Finizio ’87. Students were eager to ask questions during Ethan’s Lunch and Learn. 22
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Mandy Bartoshesky is an attorney and lives in Philadelphia. She and her husband, Brett Stein, welcomed son Andrew in April 2014. See the photo, below left, of Mandy and Andrew at Resto, one of the New York restaurants owned by Christian Pappanicholas. Asim Khan is currently working at Carnegie Hall as a Foundation Relations Manager. He has been there for almost five years.
Cheering for the Hoosiers, Bob Davis ’83, Jeff Cohen ’82, Susan Tattersall Davis ’84, and Steve Cohen ’83; and Steve, Susie, and Bob with Ben Hanson ’13, an Indiana sophomore.
Ethan Cooperson ’87 Leads Lunch & Learn
1993
1996 Mandy Bartoshesky ’93 with her son, Andrew, at Resto, a restaurant owned by Christian Pappanicholas ’93.
Clay Hill married Dirke Baker in October 2013 in Jupiter, FL. Many Friends alumni celebrated with the happy couple.
At the wedding of Clay Hill ’96 and Dirke Baker Hill: Shawn Breck ’96, Mike Lamb ’96, Carl Caldas ’96, Erin Bushnell ’96, Clay and Dirke, Mike Long ’96, Catherine Wiedwald Stenta ’96, Kevin Collins ’96, and Zal Kumar ’96.
CLASS NOTES
1998
Devon Alessi wrote, “Although originally due on Valentine’s Day, little Miss Nola Mia Alessi-Roush decided to show up two weeks early on January 31, 2015. She’s the most amazing addition to our family, and we’re loving her to pieces every day.”
Nola Mia AlessiRoush, daughter of Devon Alessi ’98 and husband Kirk.
Brie Willoughby-Knox is running a government funded pathway program for Central Queensland University in Sydney, Australia. She has just published her third textbook and is expecting a second child in July.
1999
Eden Wales Freedman is an assistant professor of American Literature and Contemporary Theory at Adams State University in Alamosa, CO. Her scholarship, “places theories of traumatic reception in conversation with multicultural American literature to consider intersections of race, gender, trauma, and oppression, and how speakers and readers may cross diverse constructs and experiences to witness trauma together.” She has published articles on reading race, gender, sexuality, and trauma in the novels of William Faulkner and Toni Morrison and the memoir of Eve Sedgwick. She regularly presents her work at prominent academic conferences and was recently the keynote speaker at Exploring Women’s Testimony, an international conference sponsored by the University of Maine (Augusta), Colby College, and the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine. In addition to her work at Adams State, Eden has taught American Literature, Women’s Studies, and Queer Studies at the University of New Hampshire. She leads seminars in bystander awareness and accountability to combat sexual assault and harassment on college and university campuses and currently serves as the president of Women in Higher Education at Adams State.
2000
Danielle Greenberg married Matthew Riedel on June 21, 2014 at the Phoenixville Foundry. They met in 2009 on match.com. Their love story and wedding were featured on Philly.com and in the Philadelphia Inquirer’s “Love” column on August 20, 2014. In addition, this June, Danielle will be playing the role of Inga in The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein at the Forge Theater.
Friends Schools Young Alumni Gathering
2002
Beth Hopkins Denenberg and her husband, Ben, welcomed their daughter, Daphne Kathleen Denenberg, on February 9, 2015. WFS Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, Kathy Hopkins, and her husband, Jim, are proud grandparents.
Daphne Kathleen Denenberg, daughter of Beth Hopkins Denenberg ‘02 and her husband, Ben.
Mindy Kittle Keane and her husband, Bryan, welcomed daughter Aubrey Paige Keane on January 20, 2015. More proud grandparents— Friends Acting Athletic Director, Dick Kittle, and his wife, Sharon.
2004
Aubrey Paige Keane, daughter of Mindy Kittle Keane ’02 and her husband, Bryan.
Young Alumni from WFS, George School, and Westtown School gathered at Smokin’ Betty’s in Philadelphia on February 8, 2015. It was great seeing alumni from nearby Quaker schools getting to know each other.
Sara Titone ‘02, Elana Caplan ‘02, and Kate Lester ‘02 were among the WFS alumni at the event.
Lee Herzog tied the knot this past September. He and his wife, Katie, both work in finance; they live in NYC with their bulldog, Winston. (See photo, right.)
2006
A blog post by Ethan Timmins-Schiffman, on his second Peace Corps assignment, became the center of 7th grade social studies discussions at Friends. Ethan posted about a school in Mali, and students were able to reply with their questions and comments. You can read Ethan’s posts at, https://thereissomethingaboutmali.wordpress.com/
2011
Rebecca Caspar-Johnson is graduating from Wesleyan University in May with degrees in psychology and Middle East history, and is spending her last semester working toward an honors thesis on PTSD and slaves in the American South. She plans to work as a paralegal in the coming year, and to begin law school in the fall of 2016. Brett Fallon is a senior at Davidson College, planning to graduate in May with a degree in political science. He will be attending law school in the fall and has been accepted to several schools along the East coast ranging from South Florida all the way up to Philadelphia, and was still deciding when we heard from him. Brett is planning a trip to Europe in the summer.
Danielle Greenberg ’00 married Matthew Riedel in June 2014.
Javier Horstmann was selected to participate in the University of Delaware’s Legislative Fellows Program as an aide to the
Lee Herzog ’04 and his wife Katie live in New York City.
House Majority Caucus. The competitive and prestigious program allows both graduate and undergraduate students at UD, Delaware State University, and Wesley College to work as legislative aides throughout the 148th legislative session of the Delaware General Assembly. Congratulations again to Samantha Perillo. She celebrated another undefeated volleyball season in her senior year at Stevenson University, and was named Player of the Year in the Commonwealth Conference and Middle Atlantic Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Way to go, Sammi! Alexa Pierce-Matlack wrote, “I am graduating this year from the University of Delaware with Spring 2015 • QuakerMatters
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CLASS NOTES a BS in Medical Laboratory Sciences. Right now, I’m completing four clinical rotations at area hospitals in the four main departments of the core lab (chemistry, microbiology, hematology, and immunohematology) and absolutely loving it! I also work for the Reproductive Associates of Delaware in their main office in Newark, as a lab tech in their andrology and endocrinology lab, drawing blood, analyzing samples in house, and performing other testing to help aid in diagnosis and treatment of infertility.”
2014
Eliza Durham is enjoying her first year at Pace University and taking full advantage of living in NYC. She wrote, “I am so happy that I live in the best city in the world and grateful for all the opportunities it has afforded me. The cultural experiences that living in the City has provided me are irreplaceable.” Eliza has also participated in half a dozen protests, including #Black Lives Matter in January with fellow alumna, Quinn McNeill.
Josh Zimmerman recently accepted a full-time job with Google. He will be moving out to Seattle in late May and starting in July.
2012
Julian DeOliveira writes, “This fall I had the opportunity to spend the semester in Granada, Spain. During the four-month period, I lived with a host family in a beautiful historic neighborhood, the Albaicín, overlooking the city. It was a wonderful experience to be immersed in a new culture, a true benefit to developing fluency in Spanish—a skill that I started learning at Friends.” Virginia DeWees will be interning this summer with Breakthrough Collaborative in Philadelphia (where incoming Head of School Ken Aldridge has been an active leader). Virginia wrote, “Working with Breakthrough Collaborative is one of the best summer programs you can do as a future educator. It is a very intense summer program where I get to lead my own classroom of high-achieving, underserved youth. My own classroom! I will have the complete autonomy to shape the minds of young people and provide them with the knowledge, confidence, and perseverance that are essential to being a successful student. I am beyond excited to be working with this program at their Philadelphia site and cannot believe that I was chosen to be part of a team of 30 teachers out of 600 applicants! Internships with Breakthrough Collaborative have been listed under Princeton Review’s Top 10 Internships in America!” (See photo in “Where You Are Now” section.)
2013
Ben Hanson (See 1983.) Elise Lankiewicz, a sophomore swimmer at Davidson College, continues to earn accolades as a student-athlete. According to the Davidson web site, Elise earned Atlantic 10 Academic All-Conference honors, and she was named the 2015 A-10 Most Outstanding Performer. Elise finished her sophomore season with three individual titles in the 500-yard freestyle, 200-yard freestyle, and 100-yard freestyle, and with first-place finishes in the 800 freestyle relay, 200 freestyle relay, and 400 freestyle relay. It is Elise’s third academic honor in her young collegiate career; she is majoring in biology. Brett Tracy is currently in his second semester at the University of Miami. This summer, he will be taking classes at the London School of Economics. 24
Spring 2015 • QuakerMatters
Quinn Peyton-McNeill ’14 and Eliza Durham ’14 at a protest in New York City, where they both attend college.
Board of Trustees
Thomas M. Connelly Jr. was named head of the American Chemical Society, effective February 17, 2015. Tom retired as DuPont’s executive vice president and chief innovation officer after 36 years at the firm. “Tom Connelly is uniquely qualified for this key ACS leadership post,” said ACS Board Chair William F. Carroll Jr. “His passion for chemistry and vast experience with all segments of the global chemical enterprise, as well as his accomplishments at DuPont in leading global businesses, innovation teams, and R&D operations, will be invaluable in bringing ACS to the next level of excellence.” His predecessor at ACS, Madeleine Jacobs, said of Tom, “He has seen how innovation starts and is rooted in basic research and how it is brought to fruition for the betterment of humankind. To me, he is the living embodiment of our vision: improving people’s lives through the transforming power of chemistry.” Jacobs added, in an observation shared by all in the Friends community who know Tom, “He is such a genuine human being—a person who is not only brilliant, but cares deeply about people.” Tom earned a BS in chemical engineering and an AB in economics, both in 1974, at Princeton University, and a PhD in chemical engineering at the University of Cambridge in 1977. He and his wife, Patricia, are the parents of two Friends graduates and one current student.
Where Are You Now? The Class of 2008 Before each issue of our magazine, the Alumni Office surveys one class of graduates for updates and reflections on Friends. For the spring issue, we focus on the class that graduated seven years prior. As always, we are grateful for the generosity of spirit with which alumni share their news and insights. Michael Anderson studied Sports, Entertainment, and Event Management with minors in Sports Management and Psychology at Johnson and Wales University, in Providence, RI. He is currently living in Lewes, DE, where he works within a management team of three restaurants in Rehoboth Beach—Fins Ale House, Fins Fish House, and Claws Seafood House. He purchased a home in 2014 where he lives with his Bernese Mountain dog. Mike wrote, “Growing within the WFS community prepared me for college and years beyond in a way that I think few people get to experience. The honesty and sincerity within the groups of teachers, coaches, and alumni in the development of students create a trust and a companionship that truly lead to an environment where kids can thrive. Classes prepared me for college, but the experience in athletics and extracurricular activities from middle school through graduation created bonds and friendships that not only last forever, but they bring out the best in you that you can easily use to communicate and bond with people of all ages and types. I didn’t expect to return to the restaurant where I had worked in high school upon graduation from college, but it has really opened doors for me that might have taken years to open through my college degree. I’m not sure if I will do it forever, but for now, I really enjoy my work family and am excited for the potential it has.” Mike’s company donates and contributes to many charities including Wounded Warrior, Buddy Walk, Meals on Wheels, The American Cancer Society, and the Boys and Girls Club. Paris Barkan received a BS in Neuroscience from Bucknell University. She is currently attending Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. She expects to graduate in 2016 and is planning to apply for a residency in Internal Medicine in the Philadelphia region. Bobby DeWees was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps on November 25, 2014. (See photos, next page.) Morgan Dorsey received a BA in Biology from Swarthmore College. Currently, she lives in Pennsylvania with fellow Class of ’08 alumna Kelly McGeehan, and works as a Chiropractic Assistant. After graduating from Swarthmore, Morgan spent two years working with a nonprofit organization and teaching nutrition and wellness
CLASS NOTES to students at a high school in Wilmington. This fall, Morgan will begin dental school at the Maurice Kornberg School of Dentistry at Temple University. Sara Geoghegan studied Community and International Development at the University of Vermont. She recently completed a hike of the Pacific Crest Trail. Sara’s mom and lower school teacher, Sue Geoghegan, hiked part of the trail with her. Sara Geoghegan ’08 ˋQLVKLQJ WKH 3DFLˋF Crest Trail at the Northern Terminus on the Canadian Border. Sara and her mom, Sue, beside a beautiful lake in Washington state.
Alexandria (Allie) Hammons received a BS in Biology from Emory University in 2012 and a Masters in Molecular Biology from Princeton University in 2014. She is still living in Princeton and working on her PhD in the Murthy Lab, studying the neural basis of acoustic communication using the model of Bobby DeWees ’08 shaking hands with the assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, General John M. Paxton, Jr.; and with his family: mother Sally, Virginia ’12, father Don, and Margaret.
the fruit fly courtship song. Allie’s parents moved to Savannah, GA, in the fall of 2014, and her boyfriend graduated in November with his PhD in plasma physics. Reflecting on her Friends education, Allie wrote, “I felt better prepared for the independent work required in college than some of my friends, and I believe I owe this to my Friends education. I think a lot of my values/morals derive from those taught at Friends and apparent in Quakerism.” Allie joined her department’s outreach program where she brings science demonstrations and information to festivals and events on campus. She also helped to organize an event where high school students visit the lab for the day. She was excited to find out that two of the best students in a class she was teaching last semester were Westtown School alumni. Carrie Hopkins attended Washington and Lee University. She is currently living in Washington, DC, and works as a Research Analyst for The Brattle Group, an economic consulting firm. Kelly McGeehan received a BA in Business, Organizations, and Society from Franklin & Marshall College. She is working as a Client Service Specialist for high net worth clients at Vanguard in Malvern, PA, and lives with fellow Class of ’08 alumna, Morgan Dorsey. She wrote, “Following college, I served with City Year Greater Philadelphia, an AmeriCorps program, for two years. In my first year, I served as a corps member and worked with students in culinary arts and mathematics at a Philadelphia area high school. In my second year, I served as Project Leader for the Civic Engagement team, planning corporate and community volunteer days within the Philadelphia School District. I remain actively involved within the alumni community. I currently serve as a VITA volunteer (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) through my work and will be helping to coordinate the 100 Year Celebration for Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Southeastern PA.” Kelly finds, “Friends really instilled the values of lifelong learning and the importance of giving back.” Phoenix Mellow attended the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. She lives in Los Angeles and is a member of the Costume Designer’s Guild Union 892. She wrote, “I have been working in the industry as a Designer and an Assistant Designer. Recently, I just finished assisting on Mad Men season 7 and Man In The High Castle on Amazon Prime. I have also been designing for a few indie films. I am currently working at Western Costume Company, overseeing all the madeto-order projects for many different films, including super hero movies, period films, and fashion designer’s collections.” She added, “WFS has given me fundamental personality and educational skills for my life and my
career. I feel that I am able to collaborate on costume projects with anyone because of my openness to others and their ideas. WFS has given me a well-rounded excitement for many areas of learning, whether it be a knowledge of art and design from Mrs. Mellow, which transforms itself into picking out what colors to use on a certain person’s skin tone, or from a history class with Mr. Clothier, which has introduced my passion for period films and clothing.” Diane Murray earned a Bachelors degree in foreign languages from Lewis & Clark College. She is currently working for SurveyMonkey.com and was planning a transition to part-time work in order to focus on some non-work priorities. Reity O’Brien graduated from the University of Delaware Honors Program with a BA in Political Science and Economics. She wrote, “Washington, DC, has been good to me for the past three years. I live with four friends in a house with a rare urban backyard, and I get to tell the truth for a living. I write for the Center for Public Integrity, a Pulitzer Prize-winning news organization founded by a fellow Delawarean. My reporting on the influence of money in state politics has appeared in Time, The Daily Beast, and on NBC News. I’m in the process of applying to law schools for the fall of 2015 and plan to study public interest law.” Reity shared about Friends, “Quaker education breeds a life of purpose. While I don’t recall every historical factoid or physics equation learned as a WFS student, I strive to live up to the Quaker values of holding the powerful accountable and empowering the ‘least of us.’ How can I contribute to a more just and fair society? How can I best use my gifts to serve others? These questions will continue to guide me in my career and personal life. I notice the same reflection in my classmates who have pursued careers in teaching, medicine, military service, and public policy. And for that, I credit our shared WFS experience.” Reity also sings with the St. Matthew’s Cathedral choir. She said, “Having a musical outlet has been a joy, one ignited during my days in Mrs Butterfield’s Chamber Singers. I’m crossing my fingers that our choir will get to sing for the Pope when he visits Washington this fall!” Elisabeth (Lis) Power graduated magna cum laude with a degree in Government from Franklin & Marshall College. Following graduation, Lis was a Teach for America corps member in Miami for two years Lis Power ’08 lives and then moved to in Washington, Washington, DC, to DC, and works for work for Media MatMedia Matters. ters, a media watchdog organization where she is a researcher and writes articles about media misinformation.
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CLASS NOTES
IN MEMORY
Where Are You Now? The Class of 2008
Please note that in order to include as many memorial tributes as possible, original obituaries are edited. We make every effort to recognize connections of survivors to Friends School, but know that our records may not be perfect in that regard. Please help us to correct any errors or omissions by emailing info@wilmingtonfriends.org. Thank you.
Nicola Shand received a BS with honors in Physiotherapy from Glasgow Caledonian University. She wrote, “I’m a Specialist Paediatric Physiotherapist at our Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow, Scotland. So currently I work in respiratory care with children in the intensive care unit, special baby unit, and kids of all ages with neuro disability and cystic fibrosis. It’s a very busy job and can be very challenging, but it’s what’s I’ve always wanted to do so I love it every day. And I get lots of cuddles with babies! I’m getting married to my fiancé, Ross, in September of this year and am excited to become Nicola Fergusson!” Nicola is a volunteer for the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Margaret Srednicki wrote, “After high school, I married my high school sweetheart, Adam, in 2011. After he became an Explosive Ordinance Disposal tech Maggie Srednicki and her husband, for the Army, Adam, live in Lacey, WA. we moved for three years to Grafenwöehr, Germany, where I spent my time working on my college degree, traveling Europe, and as a volunteer Secretary for the 702nd EOD Family Readiness Group. After Germany, we moved to Lacey, WA, where I am a Membership Service Rep for the South Sound YMCA and an active volunteer with the local animal shelter. WFS prepared me for life in many different ways. However, to this day, Mrs. Butterfield has been my source of inspiration. The way she taught us in Chamber Singers made you want to learn more about music. She had a way of connecting with us as not only our teacher, but as a mentor and friend. Meeting for Worship taught me that every week, it’s important to sit down, empty my mind in silence, and take a breather from everyday life. Because of those Thursdays spent in Meeting for Worship in high school, I am a well-rounded individual.” Pooja Yadav earned a BA from Emory University in 2012. She is currently working as a Strategy Consultant for a management consulting company in New York City and preparing to apply to business school in the fall. She wrote,“I think WFS has instilled a sense of wanting to continuously learn for the purpose of improving myself, as well as ultimately having a career that positively impacts the lives of others. More importantly, I think the school has given me a lifelong group of friends that has stayed close, no matter how far apart we live or how much time has passed since graduation.” Victoria Yu received a BS in Biomedical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Masters in Biomedical Science from The Commonwealth Medical College. She is working on her Masters in Business Administration from Wilmington University. After completing her MBA, she plans to move to Denver, CO, in the fall. She wrote, “The biggest take away I have from WFS is public speaking. Having done public speaking since we were little has made it one of my assets as an adult. I remember doing a presentation on Jane Goodall in second grade with [teacher] Hope Hawkins as my first big presentation. There are also many other things I have taken away from Friends, including Quaker values and leadership skills.” 26
Spring Spring2015 2015••QuakerMatters QuakerMatters
1933
Jeannette Rothensies Johns, age 98 of Hockessin, passed away peacefully on January 8, 2015, at Cokesbury Village where she resided for more than 30 years. After graduating from the Connecticut College for Women, Mrs. Johns accepted a position with the DuPont Company in the advertising department, but left to enlist in the US Navy where she served as an ensign during WWII. While serving in the Navy, she married Willard L. Johns, with whom she shared 64 years of marriage. She was a longtime member of the Episcopal Church of Saints Andrew and Matthew in Wilmington where she served as a member of the Altar Guild and was a member of the Women of St. Andrew’s. A devoted and loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, Mrs. Johns will be deeply missed. She is survived by her four children, including Marianne J. Cook ’64 of Wayne, PA; five grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.
1941
Elizabeth (Betty) Marion Valentine Daudt, 91, an active alumna at WFS for many years, departed this life on January 3, 2015 at her home. After completing her degree in Chemistry at Randolph-Macon Woman’s College, Betty worked in the DuPont perfume lab in New Brunswick, NJ. In 1950, she married her longtime friend and former neighbor, Louis (Lou) Rodney Daudt. They had three sons and resided through DuPont in Wilmington and South Carolina, and in 1965, transferred to Seaford, DE, where Betty still resided. While in the South, Betty and Lou took an interest in growing Camellias and showing them in competitions. They both became Directors in the American Camellia Society and Camellia judges. She was a dedicated member of Mount Olivet United Methodist Church, Seaford, serving in several capacities, including teaching Sunday School, being a Lay Elder, and serving as a leader of the Elizabeth Circle. Betty lived her Christian beliefs in serving and improving her community. She was a 50-year member of the Acorn Club of Seaford, where she held many offices, including president. She was also a past president of the Seaford chapter of AARP, and a dedicated member
of the Spade and Trowel Club. She represented Delaware as Mother of the Year in 1988. Avid travelers, the Daudts had been to all 50 states and several countries, including 17 trips to Europe, spending time researching their genealogy and visiting their AFS son. They also took many rail excursions. Betty is survived by two sons, six grandchildren, and four greatgrandchildren. She is also survived by her sister-in-law, and by an AFS son, Frank Hellweg and his family, of Germany. She was preceded in death by the love of her life, her husband of 62 years, Louis R. Daudt; her parents; a son, David Herbert Daudt; and a brother-in-law, William (Bill) Daudt ’33. Margaret “Muggs” Sachs White, a long-time resident of North Muskegon, MI, and Palm City, FL, died on September 28, 2014. She was 90 years old. Muggs attended Bradford Junior College, where she briefly hoped to substitute “Peg” for “Muggs,” but was thwarted on the first parents’ weekend when her father greeted her as “Muggsie” for all to hear. She went on to receive her BA from Connecticut College in 1945; she majored in English literature and nurtured a lifelong love of language, theater, and music (friends will remember her many spirited renditions of “The White Cliffs of Dover” and “The Persian Kitty”). Following college, she worked for William Morrow Publishing in New York City, before marrying William Turner White Jr. in 1948. They were married for 33 years until his death in 1981. Muggs was a lifelong golfer, achieving the title of club champion more than once at Chikaming Country Club in Michigan. She also played briefly on the Women’s Super Senior golf circuit and scored six holes-inone during her golf career, the most recent when she was 85. Muggs is survived by her five children, 10 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
1944
Elizabeth Lahr McCulloch, formerly of Wilmington, died on December 22, 2014 in Hartford, CT. Elizabeth attended Russell Sage College, and her employment included the DuPont Company, Campbell’s Soup Company, and Grocery Store Products Company. She was a member of the Wilmington Society of Friends and the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill in Delaware. Elizabeth was predeceased in 1996 by her husband, James Owen McCulloch. Survivors include her son, daughter, and granddaughter.
IN MEMORY
1945
Rev. J. Seymour Flinn, age 87, of Acton, MA, passed away peacefully on December 9, 2014 at his daughter’s residence surrounded by his loving family. He was a son of the late Dr. Lewis B. Flinn, Class of 1914, and Elizabeth Waters Flinn. He attended Princeton University and served two years as a teacher at the Episcopal High School in Cape Mount, Liberia, West Africa. Rev. Flinn attended the Virginia Seminary and was ordained in 1954. He became founding rector of St. David’s Episcopal Church in the suburbs of Wilmington and was also Editor of the Diocesan monthly news magazine. In 1959, he was married to Rosalie Jester, and three days after the wedding, they sailed for a honeymoon in Europe followed by several months of training in England. From 1960-1965, the Flinns lived in Mbale, Uganda, East Africa, where Rev. Flinn was Sub Dean of the Mbale Cathedral and Founder of St. Andrew’s Community Center, a training and conference center for laity and clergy. While in Uganda, their three children were born. The family returned briefly to Delaware in 1966, where for six months, Rev. Flinn served as Missioner visiting all Episcopal congregations in Delaware for three days each and publishing a report to the Diocese. When he took a staff position in the Overseas Department at the church’s national office in New York City, the family moved to Old Greenwich, CT. In 1970, he joined the staff of Christ Episcopal Church in Greenwich. During that time, he attended Yale Divinity School, graduating in 1975. He was next called in 1978 to be Rector of St. John’s Church in Troy, NY, where he was also Dean of the Metropolitan Deanery of the Albany Diocese and founding Chairman of the Troy Area United Ministries. Rosalie died of cancer in 1984. In 1986, he married Janet Crosby Hallett, the widow of a seminary classmate. In 1987, he was invited to become Senior Associate at St. James’ Church, Madison Avenue in Manhattan. There, he founded the Third Age Council as part of a new focus on the needs and opportunities of older adults in American society. Returning to Delaware in 1992, he served for two years as Interim Pastor at St. Thomas’ Church in Newark, after which he and Mrs. Flinn retired to a house they had had built in Wilmington. During retirement, they volunteered in ministries in Antigua, West Indies for six months. Rev. Flinn served on the Board of the League of Women Voters, mentored in local schools, served as a CASA volunteer for the Family Court, headed the Diocesan Retirees Committee, taught in local prisons, and was an instructor at the Academy of Lifelong Learning of the University of Delaware for 10 years. The Flinns moved in May 2004 to Rapid City, SD, where Rev. Flinn again became active in the CASA program, helped in local churches, served as Chair of the Camp Remington Diocesan Committee, and taught adult education courses. He next became active as a mentor with the Center for Restorative Justice and served as a member of the Board and as Treasurer. In 2014, after his wife moved into Assisted Living, Seymour moved to Acton, MA, to be closer to his children. Along with his wife, he is survived in
their combined family by three sons, three daughters, 10 grandchildren; and by his brothers, Lewis Flinn, Jr. ’47, Dr. Robert Flinn ’48, and Irvine Flinn ’53, and his first cousin, Barbara Flinn Quillen ’47. Ann Carey North, age 87, died peacefully surrounded by family on December 12, 2014 in Camden, NJ. She attended East Stroudsburg University. She was an athlete, playing field hockey, tennis, and basketball, a renaissance woman of her time. Her competitive nature, especially a love of sports, was a gift that has been passed down to her children and grandchildren. In 1962, Ann married Louis A. North and they moved to Moorestown, NJ, their home for the next 52 years. Ann was the women’s club champion at the Moorestown Field Club six times over four decades. She had four holes-in-one. Golf and skiing were her passions. Austria was one of her favorite destinations; skiing in Europe with Louis and friends brought some of her fondest memories. Ann was also a passionate investor in the stock market. Ann’s outgoing, friendly, good nature is what will be most missed by her friends and family. Ann was thoughtful and generous. She had more energy than most 20-year-olds. She was a collector of all things, including antiques, and enjoyed researching their history. Ann is survived by three children and eight grandchildren; her last words were, “I have a wonderful family.”
1947
Charles Harwin Smith, IV, age 85, passed away peacefully in his sleep on December 29, 2014 in Wilmington, NC. Harwin, or “Smitty” as many called him, was the son of the late Charles Harwin Smith, III ’21 and the late Marion Spruance Van Horn ’19. At Friends, he was Chairman of the Whittier Council and played varsity football, basketball, and baseball. He graduated from Yale University in 1951 with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. He was a member of the Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity. He and Jane Stuart Hinton married in 1952 and shared a wonderful life for 62 years. He retired from the DuPont Company in 1989 after more than 38 years, which included assignments in New Jersey, Tennessee, California, and Delaware. He served on the YMCA Camp Tockwogh Board of Directors for 15 years and also served as a Sailing Merit Badge Counselor for the Boy Scouts. Harwin was an avid sailor who loved sharing this passion with family, friends and anyone eager to spend time on the water. In 2014, he was inducted into the Delaware Maritime Hall of Fame. He cruised all of the East Coast, as well as the Bahamas, Carib-
bean, San Francisco Bay, and Puget Sound. Harwin and his crew won many races on the Chesapeake Bay, as well as first place in the 1982, 1984, and 1986 Bermuda Ocean Races. He was a member of the United States Sailing Association, Chesapeake Bay Yacht Racing Association, and was a past commodore of the Columbia Sailing Association and Georgetown Racing Fleet. He also was a past Commander of the Wilmington, DE, Power Squadron, where he taught Seamanship, Advanced Piloting, Sail and Cruise Planning. Smitty enjoyed playing tennis and competed in USTA tennis, progressing to the finals in Sectional Championships on two teams. In recent years, he became interested in Amateur Radio and progressed to a General License (KI4TGG). He made many friends throughout the world from his contacts on Ham Radio. Harwin was a loving husband, father, and friend. He is survived by his wife, three children, and four grandchildren.
1951
Lt. Col. George Rockefeller Baldwin (US Army, Ret.), 81, of Frederick County, VA, died peacefully on December 30, 2014, at his home. He was a graduate of Florida Southern College, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Biology, and of Georgia Southern University, where he received an MBA. He served in the United States Army, in the Korean War and the Vietnam War, and was awarded the Bronze Star. He retired to Winchester, VA, after 23 years of military service. He was later employed as a Systems Engineer in Washington, DC, then became an Adjunct Professor in York, PA. He was a member of First Presbyterian Church and the Retired Military Police Officers Association; a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity; Associate Member of the Cedar Key Methodist Church in Florida; and a Docent for Glen Burnie House and Museum in Winchester. Surviving are his wife of 61 years, three children, four grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. One son preceded him in death. We are grateful to George’s wife, Patricia, who contacted the school to let friends know of his death, and wrote, “George very much valued his education at WFS.” Spring 2015 • QuakerMatters
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1956
Nancy Nash Johnson of Nashville, TN, passed away peacefully at her home on March 29, 2014, after a two-year battle with breast cancer. Nancy received a BA from Mt. Holyoke College in 1960, majoring in Physiology. She also received a Masters of Education from Harvard University in 1963. She married H. Keith Johnson, MD, in 1960, and they were happily married for more than 53 years. As a teenager, Nancy climbed extensively with her father in the Adirondack Mountains and was the 107th person to climb all 46 Adirondack peaks higher than 4,000 feet. Nancy was a teacher at heart. She first taught science at The Lenox School and The Professional Children’s School in New York City in 1953. Fifty years later, she was still teaching at Franklin Road Academy as a science consultant. When Nancy arrived in Nashville in 1969, she started teaching at Oak Hill School, then followed Bill Bradshaw to Franklin Road Academy when it was started in 1973, and continued to teach at Franklin Road for the next 40 years. In 1975, Nancy helped to found Camp Okawehna, a week-long camp for children with kidney disease. She had attended every camp session since, even while enduring chemo treatments. For both campers and counselors, it is difficult to think about camp without “Camper Nancy.” She also spent a great amount of time at Radnor Lake, her “piece of the Adirondacks” in Nashville. Nancy touched so many people, making each feel special and valued. She is survived by her husband, three children, and five grandchildren.
1962
Carol Van Wyck White, 70, of Raleigh, NC, and a native of Wilmington, DE, died on October 5, 2014. She received her BSN from the University of Delaware in 1966 and served as a nurse for 46 years. Carol is survived by her husband, four children, two stepsons, and many grandchildren.
1969
Douglas Kirk Simonton, 64, passed away peacefully on December 12, 2014 with his family at his side. He is survived by his mother, Marguerite “Daisy” Simonton; by his brother, William “Scott” Simonton ’71 and his family; and by his brother, Jeffrey. He was predeceased by his father, William K. Simonton ’39. Doug attended WFS and then graduated from Lawrence Academy and Bowdoin College, where he was a member of the Varsity Squash Team and the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. He retired from a long career with Simonton Insurance and was a CPCU Charter Property Casualty Underwriter. He was fourth generation member of the Rotary Club of Wilmington. Doug was an avid skier and enjoyed the outdoors, spending many ski seasons in Vail, CO, and a summer at Hurricane Island, Maine Outward Bound. He also enjoyed trapshooting, sailing, cooking, gardening, and reading. Doug loved to travel and spent time in South America, Europe, and Hawaii, where he built a home in Hilo. He was an active member of Christ Church Christiana Hundred, where he served as an usher.
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Former Faculty
Club, she later sang with the Kendal Singers and the Wayne Oratorio Society. After moving Marjorie Anderson to Kendal in 1990, she participated in many A faculty member at Wilmington Friends from activities there. In addition, she served on the 1946-1963, also remembered as adviser to the Kennett Area Senior Center Board, volunteered Whitter Miscellany, and until very recently a for many years at the Senior Center Book loyal attender at school events, Marjorie M. Shop, represented Kennett Friends Meeting on Anderson, age 93, of Kennett Square, died the area Ministeriurn, was a longtime “senior on December 6, 2014. She graduated from reader” at Chadds Ford Elementary School, Haverford High School in 1937 and from and volunteered at the Kennett Middle School’s the University of Pennsylvania in 1941. She “After the Bell” program. She was predeceased had taught at schools in four states, including by two sisters and is survived by her nieces and Wilmington Friends and Friends Baltimore, nephews and their families. where she was dean of girls. Her final teaching position was that of English Department Friends archivist Terence Maguire had visited Chairman at Jenkintown High School, where Marjorie Anderson at Kendal, and wrote of her she taught for 15 years. After retiring in 1984, as “a teacher and a person of broad, internashe spent most of the next year as a volunteer tional perspective,” with a “passion for justice teacher of English to adults at the Sun Day and global consciousness. She was what many Care Centre in the Gaza Strip. In addition to Quakers aspire to be.” Terry kindly found the her time in Gaza, her travels included trips June 1963 issue of the Whittier Miscellany to Egypt, Russia, China, Australia, New published when “Miss Anderson” was leavZealand, and South Africa, as well as several ing Wilmington Friends; it included tributes visits to the British Isles. A member of Kennett from four former student editors. Wayne Friends Meeting, she was active in the affairs Keller, editor 1956-57, wrote, “Her experiof the Religious Society of Friends, having ence, foresight, and ingenuity continually made served as clerk of the launching and early days of the Abington and Kennett Miscellany a much smoother and more Meetings, clerk of the successful operation.” Sarah Williams, western Quarter of editor 1960-61, said of Miss Anderson, Philadelphia Yearly “her patience was overwhelming!” Ned Meeting, recording Davis, editor 1961-62, wrote, “To all clerk and presiding of us, as members of the Miscellany clerk of Philadelphia staff and as pupils, one of our most Yearly Meeting, and satisfying and educational experiences as a member of several was working with an adviser and monthly and yearly teacher of the calibre of Miss Andermeeting committees. son. She really knew the ropes of the A former member of business, but she realized that this was the National Counthe pupils’ newspaper and that the cil of Teachers of experience of publishing the paper was English, she was also worthless to us unless we, the pupils, a member for several took the initiative.” Jane Krieger, who years of the AmeriMarjorie Anderson’s photo as was outgoing editor when the 1963 can Association of tribute was published, said, “The two it appeared in the June 1963 University Women edition of The Whittier Miscel- qualities which I think I will always and of Pi Lambda lany, as she prepared to leave remember about Miss Anderson as a Theta, an education Wilmington Friends. The issue newspaper adviser are her willingness honorary society. A included a tribute to Miss to experiment with new ideas and her Anderson’s much admired longtime member of enthusiasm.” leadership as faculty advisor the Abington Choral to the paper.
IN CLOSING
2015 Class Musicals— Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat by the eighth grade, and Disney’s The Jungle Book Kids E\ WKH ˋIWK JUDGH :LWK WKDQNV WR WKH Performing Arts Department and our parent volunteers.
Jungle Book photos by Elisa Komins Morris.
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101 School Road Wilmington, DE 19803 www.wilmingtonfriends.org
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Coming events Friday, May 8 Lower School Grandparents & Special Friends Day Saturday, May 30 Commencement Saturday, June 6 NEW DATE! Fifth Annual Spring Fling— Alumni lacrosse games, tennis round robin & more Meet Ken Aldridge Watch for your invitation to events this summer & fall. October 30-October 31 Homecoming Weekend 2015 20th Annual Smith McMillan 5K 6HH LQVLGH IRU SKRWRV RI WKH ˋUVW ZLQWHU concerts and class musicals in the new Friends Theater. (Photo by Elisa Komins Morris.)
Spring 2015 • QuakerMatters