Friends Wilmington Friends School
Summer 2010
Friends Wilmington Friends School Summer 2010
From the Head of School
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For Alumni & Friends
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Good Sports
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Homecoming 2010
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Commencement & The Class of 2010
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Thoughts on the Future of Education
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Class Notes
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In Memory
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In Closing: A Thousand Cranes
inside back cover
BOARD OF TRUSTEES Chair Vice Chair Treasurer Secretary
David W. Singleton Susan Kelley Daniel Klein Russ Endo
Andrew Aerenson ’81 Christopher F. Buccini ’90 Denise Chapman Thomas M. Connelly Curtis Clapham Doneene Damon Meg Gehret Erskine ’83 Brett D. Fallon Reginald D. Flowers ’90
Ellen L. Gay Scott W. Gates ’80 J. Harry Hammond Freeman Miller Deborah Murray-Sheppard Darcy Rademaker Laura K. Reilly Jocelyn Sutton Stewart ’82
Alumni Association Board Liaison
Christopher W. Lee ’82
Home & School Association Board Liaison
Paula Swain
ADMINISTRATION AND ADVANCEMENT Head of School
Bryan Garman
Associate Head of School, Head of Middle School
William Neff
Assistant to the Head of School
Marilyn Maguire
Assistant Head for Academics
Peter Wenigmann
Assistant Head for Finance & Operations
William Baczkowski
Head of Lower School
Julie Gill
Head of Upper School
Rebecca Zug
Director of Admissions And Financial Aid
Kathleen Hopkins
Director of Communications
Tracey Quillen Carney ’80
Director of Development
Judy Aliquo
ALUMNI BOARD 2010-2011
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. Front cover: Graduates Sarah Tufano, Ernest Higginbotham, Abby Walter, and Katie Orth; and this page, graduates Dave Jiminez and Jon Hill
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Kristin Dugan ’03, President Don Altmaier ’51 Andy Atkins ’76 Melissa Fagan Billitto ’87 Nicole Caddell ’03 Carolyn Gates Connors ’81 Kim Massih Dolan ’89 Meg Gehret Erskine ’83
Tim Gibbs ’76 Raven Harris ’06 Scott Jarrell ’95 Chris Lee ’82 Carol Bancroft Morley ’68 Donnie Morton ’94 Martha Budd Shelnutt ’43 Amanda Corby Soto ’00
Professional photography by Billy Michels ’89, Elisa Komins Morris, and Bill Lindsey Design/layout by Jacquelyn Quinn Dickey With thanks to the alumni, students, faculty, families, trustees, and staff of Wilmington Friends School for their contributions to the community effort of Friends magazine. Please send any comments or corrections to info@wilmingtonfriends.org.
FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL Dear Friends, In this issue of Friends, we have an opportunity to consider the future of education, informed by the wisdom of several alumni who generously shared their insights with us, while celebrating our most recent graduates and the promise of their futures. The Class of 2010 had a wonderful sendoff, thanks to the support of their families and teachers and to the inspiring words and example of Commencement speaker Melanie Togman Sloan ’83. Melanie is as fine a representative as we could hope for, and work toward, of Friends School’s ideals of intellectual and active engagement of issues essential to the success and character of our society.
Bryan Garman with enthu-
siastic graduates Connor The organization that Melanie leads, Juers and Sami Tucker. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), puts three words right up front that guide our work in Friends education. We want our students to be the best of citizens, responsible not only for their own actions but for seeking what is best in others and working for the common good, all from a foundation of ethics that they build thoughtfully and adhere to faithfully. In a world that is changing so quickly that we must admit the limits of any predictions about “the future of education” or the future of almost anything else, we recognize that ethics and a sense of public responsibility have never been more important. The Class of 2010 certainly gives us cause for optimism. “Responsible” may well be the word that describes them best, and not because they haven’t made waves—they have, in a lot of good ways—but in the sense that this is a group of young people who have stepped up to lead and to do the right thing, time and time again. Even when the high-profile examples around them were less than they should have been, the Class of 2010 inspired us with achievements in the classroom, leadership of our athletic teams and in our visual and performing arts programs, and leadership, beyond our campus, in activities like the Model Organization of American States, Science Olympiad, and the Interfaith Youth Core. This class includes pioneering School Year Abroad alumni, and a group of young men who brought the powerful documentary Prep School Negro to the upper school. It includes state champions who made everyone around them better. It includes artists who provoked deep conversations, musicians who inspired standing ovations, and kids who balanced responsibilities beyond their years at home with the demands of the college process, IB exams, and all of the challenges and expectations that come with being a senior. And they did it with grace, charm, and a sense of humor. Our graduates are part of a generation that will be called upon to take responsibility for problems not of their own making, but requiring their urgent and focused intervention. We have been fortunate to have the members of the Class of 2010 to help strengthen what is best in Friends School, and we will be fortunate to have them working to make the world a better place. With best wishes for a wonderful summer,
Bryan Garman Summer 2010 • Friends magazine
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FOR ALUMNI&FRIENDS
From the Alumni Association President Dear Friends, This is my last letter as your Alumni Board President. Although my term as President is coming to a close, I am excited to continue serving on the Board, which is comprised of alumni representing graduation years from the Kim Massih Dolan ’89 with husband Patrick and children 1940’s through Kevin and Molly 2006. Whether you live close to Alapocas or far away, I extend an invitation to you to consider joining the Alumni Board. It is a wonderful way to stay involved with Friends, to interact with alumni of all ages, and to give back to a school that has given so much to us. If you are interested, please email alumni@wilmingtonfriends.org or call 302.576.2980. One of the responsibilities of the Alumni Board is to select the Alumni Award recipients. This year, I am pleased to announce that Tom Stephenson ’60, who recently served as the Ambassador to Portugal, will receive the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award; Bonnie Wilson Crosby ’79, a volunteer extraordinaire at and beyond WFS, will receive the Outstanding Service Award; and Omar Khan ’90, who is a physician, author, and global health activist, will be recognized as our Young Alumnus of the Year. More information about each award winner is posted on the web site and will be in the next Friends magazine. In this current issue of the magazine, which focuses on the newest members of our Alumni Association—the WFS Class of 2010—and on the future of education, I would be remiss if I didn’t say thank you to all the teachers at Friends, past and present. I know that we all have great stories. I remember Kerry Brown spending extra time with me to help me navigate advanced English. I remember my kindergarten teacher, Frannie Walker Altmaier ’53, who helped me to feel so welcome and at home during my first year at Friends. And I remember my coaches—Lee Bush, Ellen Millick, and Wendy Smith McMillan ’77—who together helped me to acquire the skills and determination to play sports in college. Whatever your stories about Friends and the teachers who made a difference in your life, I hope you will find a way to honor that legacy and to continue your connection to the school. There are many opportunities—see the calendar of events, visit the website often (www.wilmingtonfriends.org), join the online alumni community, join the Alumni Board, or contact the Alumni Office any time. Friends School is an extraordinary place because of the people who teach and learn there, and who take its lessons out into the world. Continued rewarding and happy travels to you all. Fondly, Kim Massih Dolan ’89 2
Summer 2010 • Friends magazine
Alumni Board 2010-11 Front row (l to r): Kristin Dugan ‘03, Donnie Morton ‘94, Nicole Caddell ‘03 Second row: Amanda Corby Soto ‘00, Melissa Fagan Billitto ‘87, Kim Massih Dolan ’89 Third row: Martha Budd Shelnutt ‘43, Chris Lee ‘82 Fourth row: Carol Bancroft Morley ‘68, Andy Atkins ‘76, Carolyn Gates Connors ‘81, Tim Gibbs ‘76 Missing: Don Altmaier ‘51, Meg Gehret Erskine ‘83, Raven Harris ‘06, and Scott Jarrell ‘95
Alumni Families The Class of 2010 included five children of alumni: Elizabeth Donatoni– Robert Sparre ’73 James William Graves– James Graves ’73 Kristin Lang– Mary Jane Laberee Lang ’81 and Tom Lang ’81 Amelia Reynolds– Linda Harris Reynolds ’75 and Jim Reynolds ’75 Reed Salmons– Hal Salmons ’79
Alumni with children newly enrolled for 2010-11:
Top: Mary Jane Laberee Lang ‘81 and Tom Lang ‘81 with their children, Kristin ‘10, Matt ‘08, and Courtney ‘12 Bottom: Mia Reynolds ‘10 with her parents Jim and Linda Harris Reynolds, both Class of 1975
Jill Paul Deardorff ’76 Lea Spruance Beard ’80 Russ Bohner ’84 Sharon Mulrooney Flanagan ’84 Rob Buccini ’86 Victoria Storm ’88
Christopher Buccini ’90 Laura Jersild Pardo ’90 Tim Boulos ’91 Amanda Singleton Hay ’95 Sarah Singleton Turick ’95 Christopher Rowland ’95
FOR ALUMNI&FRIENDS
Alumni of the Year and Reunion Celebration Friday, October 22, 2010 The Alumni Board is proud to announce the recipients of the 2010 alumni awards: Distinguished Alumnus of the Year– Tom Stephenson ’60 Outstanding Service Award– Bonnie Wilson Crosby ’79 Young Alumnus of the Year– Omar Khan ’90 The awards will be presented at our Alumni of the Year and Reunion Celebration on Friday, October 22, 6:00-8:00pm, in the middle/upper school Library. The event is open to all alumni celebrating reunions (0’s and 5’s) as well as the families, friends, and classmates of our award recipients. Light hors d’oeuvres, beer, wine, and soft drinks will be served.
Friends vs. Tower Hill Football– Saturday, November 13 See the game, anywhere! Since 1924, the Friends-Tower Hill football game has been a part of Delaware history. This fall, we will reach another milestone in the storied rivalry, by bringing the game to you—wherever you are. Technology meets the WFS gridiron as Andy McEnroe ’04 and First Team Broadcasting bring you the game live via webcast. So if you can’t make it to Alapocas on Saturday, November 13, you can still be part of the tradition—and invite some friends to join you. We are looking for webcast hosts for the big game, either in your home or at your favorite webcast-friendly establishment. You need Internet service, a screen, and a way to connect the two—that’s it. If you are interested in hosting or attending a webcast, please contact us at alumni@wilmingtonfriends.org. Go Quakers.
If you plan to attend, please RSVP to Stacy Gatti in the Alumni/Development Office, 302.576.2032, sgatti@wilmingtonfriends.org. And read more about our 2010 alumni award recipients by visiting www. wilmingtonfriends. org (click on “Alumni” and then “Alumni Awards”). The next Friends magazine, after Homecoming, will also highlight our honorees.
Tom Stephenson ’60, who recently completed his service as Ambassador to Portugal, will be honored as the 2010 Distinguished Alumnus of the Year.
“Meet Us on Mondays” The Admissions Office at Friends will welcome visitors every Monday that school is in session during 2010-11. If you would like to learn more about the current Friends program and how it might serve your children or grandchildren, please register for a visit any Monday, 5:00-6:30 p.m., or arrange an appointment for another time that is more convenient for you. To register to “Meet Us on Mondays” or for an individual appointment, please contact the Admissions Office at 302.576.2930 or admissions@wilmingtonfriends.org.
Football players from the Class of 2010 after their win over Tower Hill in the 2009 rivalry game.
Homecoming Meeting for Worship
Call for Volunteers: Auction for Friends 2011
Please join us for Meeting for Worship on Homecoming Saturday, October 23, at 10:00am. Our Homecoming Meeting honors current and former faculty and staff with 15 or more years of service to the school. Those attending Meeting are also invited to remember absent friends. We are moving Meeting for Worship to the middle/upper school campus this year to make it easier for guests to park once and to attend other morning events. Please join us in the Middle/Upper School Meeting Room—the old “North Gym” to some; the “Girls’ Gym” to others; and originally, “the gym”—on Saturday morning.
In the spring of 2009, alumni and current families joined together to support—and enjoy (it really was a lot of fun)—the Auction for Friends, benefiting financial aid. With the tremendous enthusiasm for and success of the event, we decided to make it biennial, which means it’s time to start planning! Volunteers are needed to help in all kinds of roles to ensure the success of Auction for Friends 2011—April 30, 2011, to be precise. Please let us know if you would like to help in any way (serving on a committee, donating auction items, helping the night of the party, etc.) by emailing development@wilmingotnfriends.org. Thank you in advance for your support of the Auction and of our financial aid program at Friends, such a central expression of the school’s identity and mission. Summer 2010 • Friends magazine
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FOR ALUMNI&FRIENDS
Alumni Online Community Join our secure, password-protected alumni online community. A few features (there are more to come!) include: • Alumni Directory— find classmates and friends • Profile Page— update your information for the school’s database, including email, mailing address, college/graduate school, and profesional information • Class Notes— post and view news
We need your help! Our online community—which more and more will be the center for our communication with alumni—can only be as good as you make it. Please help us by ensuring that your information is up-to-date. The online community is secure, accessible only to other registered alumni. The online directory is, environmentally and economically, taking the place of the printed version we have distributed in the past.
Here’s how to join: Go to www.wilmingtonfriends.org, and click on “Alumni” on the top blue menu bar. You will see a welcome message directing you to the “New User Registration Page.” Select a personalized login ID and password. It will take approximately 24 hours for your registration to be processed. Once that’s done, you can login any time with your new ID and password. To update your information in the school’s database, login; click on “My Alumni Profile” and then “Update My Profile.” You can update all of the information, and also choose which information you would like other registered alumni to be able to view. By default, your name, class year, city, state, email, business, and profession will be viewable to other registered alumni users. You can choose to make any information viewable or private, according to your preferences, by changing the privacy settings in your profile. While you’re logged in, you might want to go to “Class Notes” and post your news to be viewed online by other alumni and printed in Friends magazine. Class notes consistently is the most popular section of the magazine and the alumni section of the web site. Let your classmates know what’s new with your career, family, hobbies, travel, and anything else you’d like to share. You can also send your news and photos to alumni@wilmingtonfriends.org. Questions? Call the alumni office at 302.576.2977 or email alumni@wilmingtonfriends.org.
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Summer 2010 • Friends magazine
FOR ALUMNI&FRIENDS
CAREER FAIR 2010 Like many events this past winter, our Career Fair—the first at Friends in more than 20 years—was rescheduled because of snow. But thanks to the support of our alumni and parent professionals, the event was a great success when we were able to have it on March 10. The Career Fair began with an introduction by Alumni Board President Kim Massih Dolan ’89 and remarks by Head of School Bryan Garman. Juniors and seniors then visited with the following Career Fair participants:
ART
Elisa Komins Morris, parent, Linda Harris Reynolds ’75, parent of alumna
BUSINESS/FINANCE Chris Buccini ’90, parent and trustee Betsy Lee, parent Glenn Kocher, parent
EDUCATION Rebecca Brand ’92 John Martin, parent David Teague, parent
ENGINEERING Brian Tallman ’88
ENTREPRENEURS
“I particularly appreciated the advice about what majors and minors would be most beneficial for business and market in renewable resources.” —Kristin Lang ‘10 “What I have always valued in WFS students and was again demonstrated at this event was the kind, respectful, inclusive behaviors, which consistently emanate through their interactions and approach to life.” —Carol Bancroft Morley ’68
Joe Wolcott ’97 and Max Walton ’91 were among the presenters who helped students learn more about the legal profession.
MARKETING & PUBLIC RELATIONS
Susan Morovati Finizio ’87, parent
SCIENCE
Tim Caspar, parent Kathryn Pearlstine, parent
TECHNOLOGY
“Whether they had a career plan in place or not (and, at this stage, I think it’s appropriate to be unsure), everyone I met seemed poised, respectful, and open to learning. It was easy to forget that these students are substantially younger than the college juniors and seniors I interact with on a regular basis!” —Rebecca Brand ’92
Tom Monari, parent and parent of alumni James Sills, III ’76
VETERINARY SCIENCE
Friends parents Laura Reilly and Regina Turner talked with students— and introduced some visual research—about veterinary medicine.
Andy Atkins ’76, parent and Alumni Board Jeff Durham ’78 Tom Scott ’70, parent
Laura Reilly, parent and Trustee Regina Turner, parent
HEALTHCARE
Thank you to the alumni who had volunteered to participate in the Career Fair but were not able to attend on the rescheduled date.
LAW
Adam Balick ’81 Renee Dobbs Biery ’88 Monique Bowie ’02 Elizabeth (Beth) Hopkins ’02 Beth McClelland Lutostansky ’88 Jacqueline Mellow ’03 Andy Atkins ’76 met with now-senior Jessica Swain and other students to Melissa Chambers Riggs ’91 talk about entrepreneurship and starting a business. Matt Terrell ’91 Martha Poorman Tschantz ’85
Tim Gibbs ’76, Alumni Board Jane Williams Moore ’89 Carol Bancroft Morley ’68, parent of alumnus and Alumni Board Mark Conner ’83, parent Kathleen Furey McDonough, parent Max Walton ’91 Joe Wolcott ’97
“The dynamic sparked a great dialogue that, we hope, gave the students valuable insight into the process of choosing a fulfilling career, both personally and professionally. Likewise, it gave the business community a rare glance into the mindset of the young and ambitious entrepreneurs, doctors, lawyers, teachers, and other professionals that Friends School traditionally produces. It was inspiring to see what the up-and- coming workforce has to offer in the way of creativity and intellectual curiosity.” —Joe Wolcott ’97
Summer 2010 • Friends magazine
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FOR ALUMNI&FRIENDS
“Why am I getting a magazine in the summer?”
Wilmington Friends School Board of Trustees
New Schedule for Friends Publications In an effort to provide more timely coverage of Commencement and Homecoming, we are experimenting with a new publications schedule in 2010-11. •
• •
We are aiming for magazine mailings in July (after Commencement) and in late fall (after Homecoming).
Friends Wilmington Friends School
Spring 2010
Homecoming 2009 Honored Alumni —
Brian Mand ‘90 Pamela Perkins Young ‘64 John Urice ‘64
“Dreaming in Italian” — On School Years Abroad
The Annual Fund report will become a separate publication, mailing around September 1. We will continue to publish our twice-yearly newsletter, Focus on Friends, moving its mailings to winter and spring. So if all goes well, you should receive five mailings this year: summer magazine in July, Annual Fund Report in early September, fall magazine in late November, winter newsletter in January, spring newsletter in April. The Alumni Office and Communications Office are also working to post news and photos in a timely way on the web site, www. wilmingtonfriends.org.
As always, if you have any corrections or suggestions, please let us know. Send any comments to info@wilmingtonfriends.org.
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Summer 2010 • Friends magazine
Trustees who retired from the Board at the end of the 2009-10 school year were: Annette Woolard-Provine, current parent, co-chair of the Friends Forward capital campaign, and chair of the 2008 Strategic Plan Committee; Saundra R. Johnson, parent of alumnus; and Bonnie Wilson Crosby ’79, curMembers of the Board of Trustees—including Susan Kelley rent parent, parent and Debbie Murray-Sheppard in the front row—applaud of alumna, co-chair the graduates (including Susan’s son Eric and Debbie’s son of Friends Forward, Bryce) at Commencement 2010. and member of Wilmington Monthly Meeting. The Friends School community joins in thanking Annie, Sandy, and Bonnie for their truly distinguished service, valued leadership, and continuing friendship. Newly appointed members of the Board for 2010-11: Denise H. Chapman Denise is a graduate of Temple University and the Howard University School of Law. Since 1994, she has worked in the Delaware Department of Justice Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. She and her husband William (Bill) Chapman are the parents of Christina ’09, now at the University of Massachusetts. While Christina was a student, Denise was an active parent, serving as co-president of the Home & School Association and co-clerk of the Parents for Multiculturalism committee, among other roles. Dorothy (Darcy) Rademaker Darcy Rademaker has been a member of Wilmington Monthly Meeting for more than 30 years, having served as clerk, recording clerk, and, according to other Meeting members, on virtually every committee. Darcy and her husband Ron have three grown children, all of whom attended Wilmington Friends School. Darcy and Ron are now proud Friends grandparents. Darcy served on the Board previously through the 1980’s and 1990’s, including eight years as the chair. She has a particular interest in global education. Jocelyn Sutton Stewart ’82 A graduate of the University of Richmond, Jocelyn is Senior Director of Community Relations at Barclaycard US, managing the company’s volunteer and financial resources toward community goals. Jocelyn’s volunteer service related to education includes membership on the boards of the East Side Charter School and the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts, and service on a state public policy committee that makes strategic recommendations about early childhood education. Jocelyn’s mother and two sisters are also alumnae, and she and her husband James (Jim) Stewart are current Friends parents.
Good Sports A
t Final Assembly, Head of School Bryan Garman said of Troy Beneck, Greg Miraglia, and Ryan McGeehan, all members of the Class of 2010: “Troy and Greg won five individual state championships between them, and Ryan added his own this year, and while we marveled at their accomplishments, their tremendous sense of grace and humility inspired everyone around them to do better.” The boys’ tennis team won its second state championship in three years. Troy earned his third individual title at first singles, completing his high school career with a record of 69-1. Ryan completed an undefeated season with an individual title at second singles. Michael Leff ’11 and Richie Monsaert ’10 played their way to the finals of the tournament at first doubles. The second doubles team of Matt Kempner ’11 and Bobby Broderick ’13 made it to the semifinals. Unseeded (that was a mistake) Will Mangan ’10 beat the #7 seed in the second round and the #2 seed in the quarterfinals, making it a sweep into the semis for the Quakers in all five brackets. The head coach of the team is Jack Rowell; the assistant coach this year was Ted Bradley.
Individual state champions Troy Beneck ’10, Greg Miraglia ’10, and Ryan McGeehan ’10
In diving, Greg Miraglia won his second consecutive state championship. Greg had a comfortable lead entering the final day but still went for a 2.6 degree of difficulty dive, the hardest in the event. Greg was also a standout in baseball. In addition to the state championships, Bryan Garman also noted the unprecedented accomplishments of the Friends volleyball and boys’ lacrosse teams. Bryan described the volleyball team’s “incredible run of [seven straight] conference championships, tournament victories, and four consecutive state sportsmanship awards.” No other school has been honored with the sportsmanship award in even two consecutive years.
From the state champion tennis team: Coach Jack Rowell, Will Mangan ’10, Matt Kempner ’11, Bobby Broderick ’13, Troy Beneck ’10, Ryan McGeehan ’10, assistant coach Ted Bradley, Richie Monsaert ’10, and Michael Leff ’11
The boys’ lacrosse team has played its way to the semifinals of the state tournament for four straight years, led by head coach and upper school English teacher Jake Rashkind. Three players earned All State recognition this season: Eric Kelley ’10, first team, and Drew Malinsky ’10 and Reed Salmons ’10, third team. Eric was named a U.S. Lacrosse All American. Hunter Witmer ’10 was named an Academic All American.
Eric Kelley, U.S. Lacrosse All American, and Hunter Witmer, Academic All American Summer 2010 • Friends magazine
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Homecoming 2010 Thursday, October 21 12:00pm True Blue & 1748 Society Luncheon Middle/Upper School Library
October 21-23
Homecoming Service Project 2010 Saturday, October 23 7:30am – 2:00pm
6:00pm Classes of 1958-1962 Celebration to honor athletic legacy Middle/Upper School Library
For the second year, under the auspices of the QUEST Center at Friends, we will have an all-community Homecoming Service Project.
Friday, October 22*
We will be collecting items for The Ministry of Caring, an ecumenical nonprofit and great service partner of Friends School.
12:00pm 50th Reunion Luncheon (Classes of 1960, 1955, 1950, 1945, 1940, 1935, 1930) 4:00pm JV Soccer vs. Tatnall 5:00pm V/JV Volleyball vs. St. Andrew’s (JV first, V at about 6:00 pm) 6:00pm Alumni of the Year and Reunion Celebration Middle/Upper School Library (See page 3.)
Saturday, October 23 8:30am Smith McMillan 5K Run/Walk 10:00am Meeting for Worship Middle/Upper School Meeting Room (See page 3.) 10:30am V/JV Field Hockey vs. Tatnall (V first) 11:00am Lower School Service Fair
We ask each Friends family—alumni and current families, faculty and staff—to bring at least one item to Homecoming, please, to help us fill a truck with donations. Items needed include: nonperishable foods, personal hygiene and baby-care products, winter outerwear (coats, scarves, gloves—gently used is fine), blankets and towels (again, gently used items welcome). Please bring your donations to the truck in the middle/upper school parking lot on Homecoming Saturday—it will be hard to miss!—and thank you for helping us to make the school’s mission a central part of our celebration. For more information about Homecoming and/or Reunions, contact the Alumni/ Development Office, 302.576.2975, alumni@wilmingtonfriends.org.
* Cross country fans, please note: We usually have the “Bellevue Invitational” as our Homecoming cross country meet, but the scheduling stars did not quite align this year. For local fans, please join us on Friday, October 15, at Bellevue State Park; or if you’re around after Homecoming, for the DISC championship meet at Tatnall on Tuesday, October 26. View the full schedule for all Friends teams at www.wilmingtonfriends.org.
Filling the truck, 2009 Homecoming Service Project
More Alumni Events 2010-2011 Save the dates; details to follow. Saturday, November 13 WFS vs. Tower Hill Football webcast 2:00pm – Alumni hosts needed! For more information about this new event, please see page 3. Tuesday, December 7 Class Agents and Alumni Board Lunch with Bryan Garman Thursday, December 23 Young Alumni Party (Classes of 2002–2006) Kelly’s Logan House, 8:00pm Tuesday, February 22 Regional Reunion in Washington, DC Saturday, April 30 Auction for Friends Thursday, May 12 Regional Reunion in New York
11:30am Lunch in Homecoming Tent 12:00pm V Soccer vs. Tatnall 1:00pm Campus tours 2:30pm V Football vs. Tatnall Evening Class Reunions for graduation years ending in 0 and 5
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Summer 2010 • Friends magazine
Louise Ford Ralph ’44 and Maggie Milliken Tyson ’44 at the 2009 50th Reunion Lunch
The Class Of 2010
Summer 2010 • Friends magazine
Front row: Kristin Lang, Caroline Armstrong, Samantha Gagliano, Amanya Maloba, Verena Khennache, Amelia Reynolds, Emma Kramkowski, Samantha Tucker, Sofia Gallicchio, Kelsey Mellow, Elizabeth Donatoni Second row: Patricia Johnston, Priya Kumar, Rebecca Marcus, Emily Letcher, Abby Walter, Hannah Frail, Caitlin Foley, Mara Goodman, Dori Brooks, Elaina Leshock Third row: Katherine Orth, Gabriela Mejia, Sarah Tufano, Marcelle Rice, Lindsey Turner, Alexandra Frosina 6
Fourth row: Benjamin Schmidt, Benjamin Blumberg, Samuel Finkelman, Jacob Glassman, Bryce Sheppard, Connor Juers, Jesse Paul Fifth row: Joshua Leviton, Adrian Lo, Ryan McGeehan, Scott Shlossman, Hunter Witmer, Ernest Higginbotham, Drew Malinsky, Eric Kelley, Troy Beneck, Gregory Miraglia Sixth row: Richard Monsaert, Harold (Reed) Salmons, Samuel Rudin, Darrell Seeney, Brook Kebede, J. William Graves, Eric Detwiler, John Taggart, David Jiminez, Jonathan Hill, William Mangan, Mark Campanella Summer 2010 • Friends magazine
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The Class Of 2010
“Make a Difference To This One”
Melanie Togman Sloan ’83 Excerpts from Melanie’s remarks at Commencement 2010 follow.
Melanie serves as Executive Director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) and is a nationally recognized expert on congressional ethics. She previously served as an Assistant United States Attorney, Minority Counsel for the House Judiciary Committee and Counsel for its Crime Subcommittee, Nominations Counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee, and as an associate in a Washington law firm. Melanie received her B.A. and J.D. from the University of Chicago and has published in the Yale Law and Policy Review, and numerous other publications. She has appeared as a news analyst on NPR, CNN, MSNB’, Fox News, NBC Nightly News; CBS Evening News; and ABC World News Tonight, and in print in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, Newsweek Magazine, Harper’s Magazine, and Rolling Stone, which named her one of “the Year’s Greatest Mavericks” in 2006. Melanie has been profiled in a number of publications including: Ms. Magazine, Time Magazine, and Mother Jones. She has also been named one of Washington, DC’s Top Grassroots Lobbyists by The Hill and was profiled in the September 2009 issue of O Magazine as part of the first “O Power List.”
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Summer 2010 • Friends magazine
A little girl and her mother were walking along the beach where they saw thousands of starfish washed ashore. The girl started picking up the starfish and throwing them back into the ocean. “Don’t bother dear,” her mother said, “it won’t make a difference.” The girl looked at the starfish in her hand and replied, “It will make a difference to this one.” I like this story so much because the point is that one person can make a difference. This is probably my strongest personal belief: one person can lead a charge that can change the world, or even if not the world, certainly a little piece of it. Although I cannot directly trace this conviction to any particular teacher or class, I credit the Quaker philosophy and the lessons I learned here at Friends for teaching me this. As much as I gained from the rigorous academic curriculum, I took just as much from classes like Peace, Justice and Social Change, where I learned that the world is a much bigger place than the Friends School community, that there are major issues and problems facing us with no easy solutions, but that is no reason we should not do everything in our power to improve things. As you know, Quakers have a history of taking on controversial issues and sometimes taking unpopular stands to do what is right, whether against slavery, or war, in favor of women’s right to vote, to improve the conditions in mental institutions and prisons, or to improve the circumstances of immigrants. Friends teach us that we can be a part of something larger and more
My favorite thing about my job is when I read the paper or watch the news I don’t think, “That’s awful, someone should do something.” I think, “What can I do about that?” important than our personal concerns. We have a responsibility to help others…. My favorite thing about my job is when I read the paper or watch the news I don’t think, “That’s awful, someone should do something.” I think, “What can I do about that?” And I go into my office and talk to smart, committed people and we come up with a plan. Are we successful every time? No. But we are enough of the time to make it worthwhile to show up at work the next day. One of the major ways CREW takes on issues and gets results is by using the media. It is not an accident that I am in the newspapers and on television. The best way to reach out to a large audience is the media. When a lot of people learn about a problem and it starts to get traction, suddenly, whoever you are going after—whether politicians or business people—they start to care. When not just reporters, but editorial writers and talking heads on cable channels are talking about our issues, politicians respond…. So keep in mind television is just a means to an end, not an end in and of itself. It is easy to be seduced by television and the idea of fame. But the education you have received here at Friends allows you to do so much more than become a bachelorette receiving a rose or part of the Jersey Shore cast. Organize a protest and call the newspaper reporter who last wrote about the issue. Capture video of a problem, post it on YouTube and send it to a politician. Use Twitter to pass around a petition. Include links to
organizations and candidates on your Facebook page. The key is to get involved in something. I started by telling you the starfish story. But given the news, maybe pelicans are a better example. We’ve all seen some horrific pictures of oil-soaked wildlife in the gulf coast; birds are being suffocated to death by the oil covering their bodies. But we’ve also seen people taking frightened pelicans one by one and gently washing away the oil with dishwashing liquid. Can they save every pelican? Clearly not. Can they stop the devastating ecological damage done to our coastal waters? Again, no. But by cleaning and rehabilitating some pelicans, enough may be saved so that pelicans will repopulate the gulf after the crisis. And even if not, having the oil washed from its feathers really makes a difference to that pelican. So, graduating class of 2010, you are entering a world in turmoil, with our nation facing significant challenges both domestically and abroad. It will be up to you and others in your generation to come up with new ways and new ideas to solve our problems. I am confident that, thanks to your parents and teachers, and the Friends community, you are up to the task. Congratulations on your impressive achievement in graduating today. It really is wonderful. But starting tomorrow, go out and take risks. Show us what you can do. Make the world a better place. We will be there eager to applaud your future accomplishments.
On page 9, left to right: Eric Detwiler, Will Graves, and Bryce Sheppard; Josh Leviton ‘10, center, jumps for joy with his siblings, Ally, Jillian ‘08, Sara ‘06, and Jacob ‘15; and Jake Glassman and Lindsey Turner. On previous page, top to bottom: Lizzie Donatoni, Kelsey Mellow, Caroline Armstrong, and Samantha Gagliano; Adrian Lo, Mark Campanella, Josh Leviton, and Ben Blumberg; Abby Walter, Kristin Lang, Allie Frosina, Hannah Frail, Trish Johnston, Priya Kumar, and Emma Kramkowski; and Hunter Witmer with parents Diana and Dennis. And this page above: Jesse Paul greets fellow graduates; new graduates John Taggart and Mara Goodman; Board vice chair Susan Kelley, a class of 2010 parent, reads from the writings of Mother Teresa to open Commencement; and graduate Reed Salmons with Bryan Garman. Summer 2010 • Friends magazine
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The Class Of 2010 Caroline Armstrong Samuel Finkelman Vanderbilt University Service: A. I. du Pont Children’s Hospital Exploration: Extreme sports
Troy Beneck
University of Delaware Service: Arthur Ashe Youth Education and Tennis Center Exploration: Guitar
Benjamin Blumberg
University of Pennsylvania Service: Habitat for Humanity Exploration: Teaching elementary school
Dori Brooks
Jacob Glassman
Patricia Johnston
Caitlin Foley
Mara Goodman
Connor Juers
Hannah Frail
James (Will) Graves
Middlebury College Service: Wilderness Ventures Alaska Trip Exploration: Longwood Gardens intern Bryn Mawr College Service: National Ski Patrol System Exploration: Irish identity/ culture Davidson College Service: Clothing Bank of Delaware Exploration: Modeling
Alexandra Frosina
University of Delaware Service: Special Olympics Delaware at Camp Barnes Exploration: Training service dogs
Bowdoin College Service: Eastside Charter School Exploration: Dance and gymnastics
Mark Campanella
Samantha Gagliano
University of Delaware Service: Western YMCA Exploration: Weather study and forecasting
Eric Detwiler
Boston University Service: Habitat for Humanity Exploration: Rally car racing
Elizabeth Donatoni
Gettysburg College Service: West Chester YWCA Exploration: Horseback riding
Listed by college choice, service project agency, and senior exploration topic.
Gettysburg College Service: Ronald MacDonald House Exploration: Horseback riding
Sofia Gallicchio
Ursinus College Service: Mount Lebanon United Methodist Church Exploration: Photography
New York University Service: Delaware State Parks Exploration: The business side of theatre New York University Service: Youth Philanthropy Board Exploration: Gardening
University of Delaware Service: Christ Church Youth Service Trip to the Dominican Republic Exploration: Dentistry
Ernest Higginbotham
Williams College Service: Brown Boys and Girls Club Exploration: Piano
Jonathan Hill
Johnson & Wales University Service: Daisy Jackson Tutorial Program Exploration: Documentary film
David Jiminez
Johnson & Wales University Service: Brandywine Village Summer Camp Exploration: Writing poetry
St. Lawrence University Service: St Michael’s School and Nursery Exploration: Community exploration
Eric Kelley
Williams College Service: Guardian Angels Pre-School Exploration: Yoga instruction
Verena Khennache AFS Student
Emma Kramkowski
Roger Williams University Service: Quest Therapeutic Riding Services Exploration: Training horses/ riding instruction
Priya Kumar
University of Pennsylvania Service: YMCA Summer Camp Exploration: Photography
Kristin Lang
Elaina Leshock
Moore College of Art and Design Service: Urban Bike Project Exploration: Tattoo art
Emily Letcher
Villanova University Service: Brandywine Zoo Exploration: Studying French
Summer 2010 • Friends magazine
University of Maryland, College Park Service: BBYO Exploration: Beatboxing
Adrian Lo
Tufts University University of Delaware Service: Habitat for Humanity Honors Exploration: ASA certified Service: Habitat for Humanity sailing Exploration: Scientific Drew Malinsky research University of Miami Brook Kebede Service: Christ Church Youth University of Delaware Service Trip to the Dominican Service: A. I. du Pont Republic Children’s Hospital Exploration: Photography/ Exploration: Physical therapy yoga
Muhlenberg College Service: Camp Sunny Brook for Blind and Visually Impaired Exploration: Sailing
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Joshua Leviton
Amanya Maloba
University of Chicago Service: A. I. du Pont Chlldren’s Hospital Exploration: Buddhist theory
William Mangan
Wake Forest University Service: Christ Church Youth Service Trip to the Dominican Republic Exploration: Surfing/yoga
Gregory Miraglia
Haverford College Service: Habitat For Humanity Exploration: Coaching Little League
Richard Monsaert
Davidson College Service: Kidds Kamp for bereaved children Exploration: Caddying and coaching golf/drum
Katherine Orth
University of Delaware Honors Service: Camp Imagine Exploration: Exploring Philadelphia
Jesse Paul
Colorado College Service: Migrant School in Beijing Exploration: Coaching Little League
Amelia Reynolds
Skidmore College Service: Camp Possibilities Exploration: Growing food
Rebecca Marcus
Marcelle Rice
Ryan McGeehan
Samuel Rudin
Kenyon College Service: Habitat for Humanity and Costa Rica Trip Exploration: Theatre production Duke University Service: WFS France Trip Archaeological Site and Hagley Museum Exploration: Physics research
Gabriela Mejia Drexel University Service: A. I. du Pont Children’s Hospital Exploration: Dance
Kelsey Mellow
University of Delaware Service: Christiana Care Exploration: Horseback riding
Pratt Institute Service: Teen Initiative of the Delaware Art Museum Exploration: West Coast art gallery Emory University Service: BBYO Exploration: Golf
Harold (Reed) Salmons
Dickinson College Service: Christiana Care PT Plus Exploration: Golf
Benjamin Schmidt Brandeis University Service: Delaware Valley Sport Fencing Exploration: Leather and metal work
Darrell Seeney
University of North Dakota Service: Helping Hands Exploration: “Life lessons in a barbershop”
Bryce Sheppard University of Delaware Service: Habitat for Humanity Exploration: Mountain biking/racing
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Scott Shlossman
Washington University in St. Louis Service: Habitat for Humanity Exploration: Scuba diving
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John Taggart
Moravian College Service: Brandywine Village Summer Camp Exploration: Mixed martial arts
Samantha Tucker
Franklin and Marshall College Service: Centreville School Exploration: Exploring Philadelphia
Sarah Tufano
Duke University Service: A. I. du Pont Children’s Hospital Exploration: Culinary arts/ cake decorating
Lindsey Turner
Georgetown University Service: A. I. du Pont Children’s Hospital, Lung Association Camp Exploration: Gymnastics
Abby Walter
Yale University Service: A. I. du Pont Children’s Hospital, Lung Association Camp Exploration: 19th Century English literature
Hunter Witmer Haverford College Service: Wilmington Hospital OR Exploration: Yoga
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Final Assembly 2010 1 Dolly Mendinhall McSorley ’43 presented the John Marshall Mendinhall II, Class of 1939, Memorial Award which is given to the graduating senior considered to have done the most for Friends School. This year’s recipient of the Mendinhall Award was Abby Walter. 2 Three graduating seniors were recognized with the Howard W. Starkweather, Jr., Class of 1944, Community Service Award, given to the upper school students who have “contributed most to the betterment of others through community service.” Pictured, left to right, are Brook Kebede ’10, Upper School Service Program Coordinator Richard Bernard, Samantha Gagliano ’10, Howard Starkweather ’44, and Josh Leviton ’10. 3 Mara Freilich ’11 was recognized with two awards. Meg Gehret Erskine ’83, Friends parent and trustee, presented Mara with the Amanda Spackman Gehret, Class of 1951, Memorial Mathematics Award, given each year to a student “who manifests outstanding mathematical achievement through development of ability and commitment to the experience of the whole class.” Jane Hukill presented Mara with the Robert P. Hukill, Class of 1939, Science Award, recognizing “the spirit of innovation and creativity, particularly in the applied sciences and conferred on a junior who develops practical solutions to common problems, has the potential for leadership, and has demonstrated knowledge, skills, or excellence in the sciences.” 4 Junior Tim Saathoff from Germany, speaking, and senior Verena Khennache from Belgium were this year’s AFS students. Friends became an AFS charter school in 1947 and is the only school in Delaware to have participated every year since. 5 Ernest Higginbotham presented the Senor Class Gift, a Meeting bench in memory of Sarah Wright to be placed in the middle/upper school Meeting Room. The class also donated funding for plantings on campus.
8 6 Jesse Paul and Kristin Lang, posing as “secret agents,” will serve as the class agents for the newest members of the Alumni Association, the Class of 2010. 7 Connor Juers, Amanya Maloba, and Sam Finkelman were chosen by their classmates as the Class of 2010 Final Assembly senior speakers. 8 The seniors who played on the boys’ tennis team presented their state championship trophy to the school: Will Managan (third singles semifinalist), Richie Monsaert (first doubles finalist), Troy Beneck (first singles champion), Ryan McGeehan (second singles champion), and Josh Leviton. For more on “good sports,” see page 7. Also recognized at Final Assembly: The Charles W. Bush, Class of 1900, Award, honoring juniors who “most clearly demonstrate the school’s ideals of character, scholarship and service,” was presented to Kevin Anglim and Louise Connelly. Kevin was at Boys State the day of the assembly, and Louise was in Greece, at the start of an international summer. In addition to the named awards, students were recognized for service and leadership—from clerking individual committees to embodying ideals that represent the Friends School’s mission. Summer 2010 • Friends magazine
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Thoughts
on
Friends and the Future
By Bryan Garman, Head of School As a member of the board of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) and of School Year Abroad (SYA), I am introduced to a fair number of buzz words and theories that promise to bring about meaningful changes in independent and university education. As an historian, I know that there is reason to be skeptical. Education, after all, changes slowly, and brilliant ideas frequently reveal themselves as empty promises. Nevertheless, I do think that we have arrived at an inflection point for independent schools. The world has always been changing, but the rate of change is now so rapid and its results so powerful, that there is little doubt that our industry will operate under different assumptions and models a decade from now. Despite the advice of an eminent headmaster who warned that “predicting the future was a very difficult business, indeed,” I would identify four areas on which Friends will have to focus as we build upon a legacy of leadership and educational excellence: technology, biology, democracy, and global citizenship.
Democracy & Global Citizenship Extraordinary developments in technology and the sciences will require all educational institutions to make significant curricular adjustments, but their influence must not eclipse the importance of the arts and humanities, nor can we allow it to supplant long established values in, and of, education. Thomas Jefferson often identified education as the cornerstone of democracy, insisting that only a “well-informed” people “can be trusted with their own government; that, whenever things get so far wrong as to attract their notice, they may be relied on to set them right.” To ensure the long-term health of democracy, first and foremost, students need to know how to process and analyze information critically and how to communicate effectively. Second, challenges posed 14
Summer 2010 • Friends magazine
by genetic research and global sustainability raise important and difficult ethical questions, and, to make sound judgments, our students will need to have a firm understanding of the moral, ethical, and political traditions that have shaped history. Third, as our students navigate unexplored ethical territory, they will need opportunities to develop and test their own standards so that they might act with confidence and moral courage. Such skills are trademarks of the Friends experience, and given the current political climate—and the tendency of many to surround themselves only with people who share their ideology—that focus has never been more important. Quaker education stands against the trend of either/ or, and opens the possibility of both/and. To model this possibility for our students, teachers Rick Grier-Reynolds and Scott Rhodewalt recently assembled a remarkably diverse and balanced panel on the Arab-Israeli conflict. Students emerged from the panel discussion with an honest sense of the complexities that need to be understood, and well equipped to propose their own solutions to the conflict— solutions that eschewed the Manichean thinking that would have likely derived from conversations organized by most media outlets. Much current thinking about education focuses on making our students competitive in the global economy—thinking that includes Bernie Trilling and Charles Fadel’s 21st Century Skills: Learning for Life in Our Times. To prepare students to work in what some predict will be five to seven different careers, Trilling and Fadel suggest that students will
need flexibility and adaptability, initiative and selfdirection, social and cross-cultural interaction, leadership and responsibility, creativity and innovation. Again, such skills have been features of education at Friends since 1748 but have never been more important than they are today. Our students will, as the presenters on the Middle East panel unanimously agreed, need to be citizens both of their nation and of the world, and will need to find new solutions with increasing urgency to long-standing and newly-emerging conflicts.
Alumni Thoughts on the Future of Education
International education and exchange programs present extraordi extraordinary opportunities for our students to begin to think about such solu solutions and to develop meaningful relationships across cultures. We continue to build upon our global programs at Friends. Among other initiatives in 2010-11, we are planning a second service-learning trip to India; we are expanding our Spanish language program in the lower school; and a small group of juniors and seniors will have the opportunity to take a pilot course in Mandarin through Stanford University’s online high school program. We will welcome rising senior Blaine Kebede back from her School Year Abroad in Beijing; and this summer, Christopher Verry, our instrumental music teacher, and Julie Rodowsky, who teaches first grade, will visit China on a travel grant made possible by the Alice Reilly family.
The New Biology About five years ago, I attended a lecture in which Shirley Tilghman, the President of Princeton, proclaimed that if she could be anything in the world, she would be a molecular biologist. Easy for her to say; she is one. She spoke with excitement about her discipline, which some say will have its store of knowledge double every day for the foreseeable future. To provide the Friends faculty with a sense of how rapidly genetic and biotechnological developments are changing the world, we viewed a lecture given by Juan Enriquez at our opening faculty meeting last year. Occasional crassness aside, Enriquez presents a world that could only have been imagined when, in the 1970’s, many of us were taken with the television adventures of the Six Million Dollar Man and Bionic Woman. Enriquez tells of tracheas grown from stem cells, genetically engineered teeth and ears, new technologies that will enable the deaf to hear and the blind to see better than those who fall within the normal range of perceptual ability. Our students and faculty need to grapple with that kind cutting edge thinking, which is powerfully represented in a recent report by the National Research Council of the National Academies entitled A New Biology for the 21st Century: Ensuring the United States Leads the Coming Biology Revolution. Friends School parent and trustee Tom Connelly co-chaired the committee that produced this provocative report, which argues that the “new biology” has become increasingly interdisciplinary, and that scientists must focus their research to address four important challenges: adapting food and plants to thrive in ever changing environments; understanding and sustaining ecosystems and biodiversity; finding “sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels”; and utilizing genetic research to predict an individual’s health and offer customized therapies.
We emailed several alumni who work in the field of education, and asked them to share their thoughts—either newly, informally composed or by sending past writings—in response to two queries: “What will our current preschool students need to know when they graduate from college in 2030? How do we prepare those students for that uncertain future now?” Many thanks to the alumni who took the time to share their insights. We chose excerpts from the responses, mostly because of space, but also, we hope, to offer a complementary sampling of thoughts on what one alumna respondent described as this “daunting”topic.
Peter Duus ’51 Bonsall Professor of History (“Retired,” now a Guest Lecturer) Stanford University
Nowadays school children can have “friends” in Copenhagen or Ulan Bator, not just down the street. It is difficult to imagine what the posPeter Duus ’51, center, during a recent visit sibilities will be in 2021, with Friends classmates Chick Altmaier and when computers may be Biddy Miller Jenkins (also, please see “class notes”) 1000 times faster than they are today. In such a world those who can excel at communicating across cultural and national borders are likely to play a key role in every field from science to media to business management. In preparing for that world I hope that my three-year-old granddaughter will learn as much she can about the world beyond our borders. That means that schools must do their best to offer courses on global history and promote cross-national educational exchange. WFS was doing a good job at both when I was a student. My class included exchange students from the Netherlands and Austria; and George Reeser, our history teacher, introduced us to a broad historical view by assigning one of the first world history textbooks aimed at the high school level. For me that opened up perspectives on the world that I hadn’t imagined before. I also hope that my granddaughter will become fluent in at least one other language besides English….In the late 1940’s Miss Rittenhouse, our French teacher, used a textbook based on wartime language instruction for the military that stressed conversational skills rather than grammar. As a result I can still order a meal in Paris without completely embarrassing myself. That was a step in the right direction, and most language teachers use the same technique today. But we need to start children on language training much earlier— in K-6—rather than waiting until later. We’re hard-wired to learn language when we’re little children, not when we’re teenagers.
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Carol Quillen ’79
History Professor and Vice Provost for Academic Affairs Former Director, Boniuk Center for Religious Tolerance Rice University The production of knowledge is not a disembodied thing. Where it happens and who participates really matter. This is why it is so important to create heterogeneous intellectual communities, where people of different views and backgrounds who live in different cultures together formulate research questions and arrive at conclusions. For example, the questions we ask and the stories we tell about the American past are better and more accurate because women, people of color, people not born Carol Quillen ’79 greets His Holiness the Dalai into economic privilege, and people who live and work outside of the U.S. now Lama during his 2007 visit to lecture at Rice University. participate. Producing knowledge for a global community, where boundaries are porous, identities are complex, and the users of knowledge are diverse, requires that those of us in universities create a new kind of research community, a global community of scholars, who can work together in a sustained way to ask the best questions. Preparing students for life as global citizens also requires change, perhaps moving away from the conventional study abroad—a semester in Florence looking at art with fellow American students—towards real immersion in the cultures and languages of other parts of the world. Our children must be able to enter new and different environments with the capacity to adapt and thrive. They must be able to think about the past from a variety of perspectives, only one of which centers around the nation-state. They cannot fear what they do not know. In a world where irreducibly different human beings seek to live and work together in peace, the ability to move across cultural, religious, national, linguistic, and other boundaries will increasingly be foundational to leading an ethical life. From this perspective, graduates of Friends who carry within us the deep conviction that there is that of God in everyone and that we are obligated to seek that divine thing and cherish it in others, have received a precious gift.
Jim McKusick ’74
Dean and Professor of English The Davidson Honors College The University of Montana Excerpt from an essay in Jim’s forthcoming book, Green Writing: Romanticism and Ecology (second edition, 2010) I want to call this essay “The Journey Onward,” as I have come to believe that American society is poised upon a critical threshold and stands ready to move forward upon a positive path toward a more Jim McKusick ’74, and friend, crossing a stream in the Great Fire of 1910, or “Big sustainable future. The time is now, and Burn” area of western Montana the decision is ours: whether to continue down the path of “business as usual,” or to choose a higher and more difficult path toward a future in which humankind and many of the earth’s creatures can survive and endure…. (continued on page 18) 16
Summer 2010 • Friends magazine
It’s clear that we will have to adapt curricula to be responsive to path-breaking developments that are occurring at neck-breaking speed; and fortunately, we are used to adapting at Friends. A new Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) lab and the leadership of a Math and Computing Specialist in the lower school, a robust robotics program and life science course in middle school, and new computer programming courses and the rigorous International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum in the upper school, all combine to create a first-rate academic experience—including building student enthusiasm for the disciplines. Our students are required to take at least three years of math and three years of science in upper school. Over the past three years, more than 96% of seniors have enrolled for a fourth year of math, and just in 2009-10, 31 seniors—more than half of the class— enrolled in two science courses (and one senior actually took three science classes this past year). The curricular work will never be “done,” but it is, as it must be, in motion. The “new biology” strongly urges the scientific community to put questions of environmental sustainability at the top of its agenda. At Friends, in addition to course work, we seek to engage environmental issues in our co-curricular programs, structured through QUEST—the Quaker Center for Understanding, Engagement, and Stewardship. In its inaugural year, QUEST hosted “Lunch & Learn” programs with expert speakers, including parent of alumni and environmental entrepreneur Bernard David, whose progressive organization ERTHNXT recently merged with the National Wildlife Federation, and current parent Carina Alles, who spoke about sustainability in her work at DuPont, with the development of its “life-cycle assessment” of products, and in the kinds of choices individual students and families can make.
In the fall, we will host Nobel Laureate Dr. Eric Chivian as our QUEST Big Ideas Speaker. The co-founder of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, Dr. Chivian was recognized with the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985. He is the founder and current director of the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School, and recently edited a stunning book, launched in conjunction with the United Nations Environmental Program, entitled Sustaining Life: How Human Health Depends on Biodiversity. Dr. Chivian will speak with students and will meet with faculty to discuss the curricula that the Center has developed for teaching sustainability and biodiversity in schools.
Technology Trends related to technology may be where educators are feeling the most immediate pressure on our traditional forms. In his provocative book Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns, Clayton Christiansen predicts that by 2024, 80% of high school courses in the United States will be taught online. Higher education has already initiated significant changes. Middlebury College recently announced that it will offer its highly-touted language courses online; the University of California is investing millions of dollars to teach introductory courses via the Internet; Stanford has launched its online high school; and col colleges and universities have posted lectures to iTunesU (“U” as in university), where prized academic material is available for no charge. Given such developments, the dissemination of knowledge has become significantly more democratic than it was even five years ago.
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(Continued from page 16) Education is essential to the process by which changes in fundamental values can occur. If the current environmental crisis represents an existential threat to the future of human society, then only by means of education can the rapid evolution of human consciousness take place. Education must not become a tool of ideological indoctrination, because in a democratic society the role of an educated citizen is to think critically and make informed decisions. But a wholesale green revolution in education from kindergarten through college remains the most promising way to address the existential threat that we now face, and an inquiry-based model of environmental education has the best chance of succeeding in the marketplace of ideas that is American education.
Peter Kelemen ’74
Arthur D. Storke Professor of Geochemistry Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences Columbia University, Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory Adjunct Scientist, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution I am afraid that the next generation of kids will be confronted with increasing shortages of essential, non-renewable resources, beginning with oil and fresh water, and extending to exotic things that you never heard of—such as rare earth elements and tantalum—but which are important in rechargeable batteries, tiny magnets, HD TV screens, and other high tech stuff. Meanwhile, the continuing exponential growth in CO2 emissions—and in consumption and emission of many other materials—is Peter Kelemen ’74 joyfully outdoors (the likely to lead to climate change and other missing tooth a legacy from a broken jaw effects that will make the Earth a rapidly while a senior at Friends) changing and rather unpredictable place. And, if and when exponential growth in some sectors of the economy becomes impossible, many people may see a net decline in their standard of living. Under those circumstances, taking care of the less fortunate may become even more difficult than it is at present. As a result, I think that the search for more resources and the development of substitutes are likely to dominate much more of human activity than they have during the post-WWII era. For this reason, it is even more essential than ever that students receive training in quantitative physical sciences. Earth science in particular may be the topic of the century. Or engineering. Or “geo-engineering.” With all due respect to the many excellent science teachers I encountered at Friends, I went through much of my education with the idea that much of science was essential but boring (especially earth science!). As for engineering, I thought that could definitely be left to nerds while the rest of us found something more interesting to do. While my humanities education has been super valuable to me, I am afraid that it is no longer reasonable to believe that business leaders, policy makers, and intellectuals don’t really have to understand quantitative science. Obviously, while I am “sounding the alarm” here, the future holds exciting challenges and huge potential rewards for those who are prepared.
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New Web 2.0 tools enable us to access, process, and share information in exciting new ways, opening possibilities for increased collaboration between and engagement with students. Alan November, a leading expert on 21st Century education who will work with our teachers this fall, has suggested that Web 2.0 tools are, in many cases, altering learning paradigms: what used to be homework is now class work, and what used to be completed during class time can now be more effectively accomplished through online activities. (For examples of online teaching endeavors, visit www.novemberlearning.com.) This shift is, no doubt, more complicated and will be more uneven than Mr. November suggests, probably with limited application to lower and middle schools. But his framework is compelling when you consider examples in action—like Eric Masur, professor of physics at Harvard. Masur records his lectures, asks students to view them online, and then requires them to post questions and comments on a communal website, which he and the students review prior to class meetings. As he structures his in-class time, Masur knows what the students have and have not mastered. Class time, then, is devoted to relevant, focused problem solving rather than broad lecture. Students solve problems individually and, through the use of handheld transmitters, respond electronically to multiple-choice questions. If a vast majority of students choose the correct answer, Masur does not discuss the problem. If the responses vary, Masur asks students with the correct answer to explain their solutions to their peers, as he moves through the lecture hall, listening to explanations and intervening where appropriate. This technology intrigued Friends math department chair Ildiko Miller, who piloted it in her upper school classes this spring. Rather than purchasing an expensive software package to interact with students, Ildiko worked with Friends Director of Technology Gregg Miller and found a website to which students could text, via cell phone, answers to in-class problems. (Students who did not have a phone responded through a laptop computer supplied by the school.) The experiment was wildly popular among students—imagine their excitement when their cell phones, normally banned, became part of their class work. More important, it was helpful to Ildiko. In addition
Susan Prince ’82 Assistant Professor, Department of Classics University of Cincinnati to engaging the students, the process provided her with an immediate and accurate sense of what the class had and had not learned, and enabled prompt and focused adjustments to her teaching. Web 2.0 technologies offer a wide range of options, and Friends teachers across all divisions have begun to use these tools. Chris Loeffler’s third grade class relied on GoogleDocs to complete and time their math progress online; Kelly Miranda’s second graders published poetry on a Wiki and posted a video of their poetry reading to Vimeo; and John Hanson’s seventh grade social science students played a simulation game called “Real Lives” to live virtually as children in various countries. In the coming year, our new lower school Spanish teacher, Jennifer Cheung, plans to use videoconferencing, so that her students can interact regularly with two Friends juniors who will be studying in the School Year Abroad program in Spain. Such opportunities compel teachers to adjust traditional pedagogies and curricula. And making adjustments is, to a large extent, what Web 2.0 technologies are all about. For 21st Century students, “digital natives,” these tools are not at all new. Interactive software is essential to their way of life and thinking, and their cultural literacy, and ultimately ours, will be determined in part by how well we use it. New products—like Apple’s iPods, iPads, and iPhones— have given us the unprecedented ability to customize technology and have dramatically reshaped our expectations both as consumers and as thinkers, trends to which schools must respond.
In addition to our economic needs of the future, we also have other needs. Even if houses of the future will be so high-tech and self-sufficient that we will never have to leave them, and we keep on living on for decades with healthy bodies, it is a definite, predictable truth that all humans of the future will have Susan Prince ’82 personal psychological and spiritual needs. Wilmington Friends has always excelled in educating the whole person and focusing, one might say, on the humanist side of the picture. This cannot be compromised, but it has to be combined with the better pre-engineering curriculum that we need for our economic future. Unfortunately, however, one can hardly say that our present educational system nationally is flourishing in the humanistic fields, and nationally the challenge is not to maintain but to rebuild. Unfortunately too, making the case for this side of the picture becomes harder in approximate proportion to the audience’s need to accept it, and in so far as Wilmington Friends still does this well, it together with its peer institutions may need to assume greater leadership in rebuilding our national systems. The most efficient and socially inexpensive course toward enhancing our ethical future is to prepare each individual for his or her own future spiritual life, and this comes down to a serious, developed ethical strand in every person’s education. Traditionally, a deep appreciation and knowledge of literature, history, or art has served this purpose; perhaps newer disciplines such as cultural anthropology can do just as well; one Susan’s children—Lizzy, Julia, and Christopher might hesitate to mention Ward—with cousin and Susan’s goddaughter, Sydney Schreppler at her senior “Class Day” at Yale. Sydney is the athletics in an age of daughter of Biddy Hukill Schreppler ’76. some reckless superstars, but team sports under wise coaches surely contribute to ethical education. Of course, literature does not make us ethical or happy: for that we need a balance with other things, not least in our practical lives. My claim is that a developed ethical education is an essential strand, either in every individual or in the immediate social nexus in which every individual lives, and this social nexus has to be constituted about 80% by well-educated individuals, not 5%. For purposes of precision these figures are highly debatable: the main point is that the more democratic and mobile our culture becomes, the more important it becomes to spread deeper into the mainstream the type of humanist education that was once reserved for aristocrats. American education has done this through most of the 20th Century better than any other educational system that has ever existed in the history of the world. But in recent generations we have receded, and we cannot afford to do so.
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Mike Pardee ’78
Director of Character Education Kinkaid School, Houston Progressive, or constructivist, educators have been talking for years about teachers moving from being “sages on the stage” to “guides on the side.” My observation is that even high school and middle/junior high students already have less patience for being taught more didactically by sages on stages. I imagine that this trend will only accelerate in the case of current preschoolers. Many students in our generation were inclined to be more passive consumers of information. Today’s digital natives take their own autonomy, agency, and generativity as learners for granted. Mike Pardee ’78
I also think that new technologies and pedagogical advances will make future teaching and learning much more individualized and customized. That individualization and customization will make it all the more incumbent on good schools to teach, nurture, develop, and facilitate collaborative and team-working skills in our students, as well—”social networking” skills writ large. Not just the social networking that they and we do on FaceBook, Linked In, Ning networks, etc., but also the non-digital kind that happens in social situations whenever humans come together. And humans will be coming together and encountering new and different others in ways we can still scarcely fathom. The happiest, best adjusted, and most successful amongst them will be those who can best mobilize or collaborate with others to solve shared problems or pursue collective ends. Neither as students nor as professionals, in other words, will our preschoolers achieve long-term success or fulfillment as lone rangers working in isolation.
Richard Weigel ’62
University Distinguished Professor of History Western Kentucky University Technology has facilitated learning, research, and writing in ways that were not possible to predict when I graduated from Friends in 1962. Unfortunately, too many educators assume that new technology is automatically better for instruction and too many students rely on Internet research without ever setting foot within a real library. In my opinion the result has too often been a decline in general knowledge and a narrowing of the educational experience. I should add that I am not a Luddite in my views on educational technology. I edit the major Internet site on Richard Weigel ’62 Roman emperors in the world (www.roman-emperors. org) and regularly use such resources in my research. What stands out in my Friends School education, however, is the combination of nurturing and challenging that is relatively rare in the modern educational experience. Friends School developed in its students a well-rounded love for the arts and history, an interest in science and mathematics, an ability to write and speak effectively, and an appreciation for religious and ethnic diversity. The best education results from a delicate balance between nurturing and challenging, and while technology can definitely enhance that experience, it should never replace it. 20
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When I look at the possibilities that these technologies open, I feel a deep sense of excitement; they could, indeed, revolutionize teaching. But as technology marches quickly and inevitably into the classroom, we will need to be careful not to lose those elements that are essential to education. Like many of our teachers and alumni, I have learned and taught in very different environments and, when presented with new models, often find myself wondering what might be lost. For example, many technophiles, including Clayton Christiansen, imagine that educa education will move from its current focus on interdependence to a more modularized system, where students will be able to use specially designed modules (the equivalent of downloading an app to an iPhone) that will suit their individual learning styles. This model sounds promising, but it is difficult to imagine that artificial intelligence could be more effective at offering differentiated forms of instruction than a skilled teacher, who, in building meaningful relationships with students, must read and respond to the subtlest social, emotional, and developmental cues. Great teaching requires knowing when—and when not—to push a student, to reframe problems, to raise and address questions serendipitously. Thinkers such as Christiansen and, I would add, subscribers to the testing movement, have not realized that sometimes great teaching has nothing to do with the subject being taught, but instead calls for teachers to help students navigate the bumpy road of social and emotional development. The latest iPhone app is not likely to address such challenges, nor is it likely to understand how the highly individualized process of social and emotional development intersects with the highly individualized process of learning. We should also remind ourselves that individual learning is only part of the educational process. Teachers need to help students learn course-specific content, to be sure, but since, with the rapid expansion of knowledge, much of that content is soon to be outdated, teachers also need to nurture both a capacity and love for lifelong learning. Students who are exposed only to modes of teaching that closely correspond to their own learning style are not likely to develop the intellectual and emotional flexibility and agility that will be necessary to succeed in the 21st Century. Students who do not experience first hand the passion of a teacher for his or her subject are not likely to develop the intrinsic motivation for learning that they will need. If the journey of education is not highly personalized, if students do not learn a sense of persistence, if human beings are not deeply and directly engaged with one another exploring what it means to be human, our sense of humanity is likely to be underdeveloped and unfulfilled.
Steven Quimby ’86
Social Studies Department Chair/U.S. History Teacher Pencader Charter High School Current theories about tech technology and education intimate that participating in Meeting for Worship, listening to a first grader share an insight about a pet, or seeking the truth around a seminar table— perhaps through a novel, an historical problem, a scientific or mathematical theory, or a work of art—are hopelessly nostalgic pastimes. But they are not. These methods of learning are deeply reward rewarding—intellectually, emotion emotionally, and spiritually. They provide the foundation of relationships that nurture and inspire students and, in the best of the Quaker tradition, engender a deep respect for dialogue and empathy, a respect that ultimately encourages students to use their knowledge to work for the common good. So even as Friends adopts new technologies and unlocks their potential, we must not abandon the principles that have guided our past.
“A Very Difficult Business, Indeed” Destined to complete a quest better known than our own, Harry Potter relied upon the advice and occasional intercession of talented teachers who taught him, among other skills, both to be fiercely independent and to use his knowledge for the common good. In the third novel of J. K. Rowling’s series, Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts, taught his legendary student that “the consequences of our actions are always so complicated, so diverse, that predicting the future is a very difficult business indeed.” I certainly don’t have the wisdom to predict what the future of education might look like. The rate of change is too fast, the variables too many, the diversity of the field too vast. There are many challenges that Friends School will face, some of which have not yet been discerned, but these four—technology, biology, democracy, and global citizenship—will surely be among the most important. And although the consequences of our responses cannot yet be known, I am confident that we will, as indicated by our past and present work, rise to the challenge through the wisdom and persistence of our faculty, parents, students, and alumni. The changing landscape may be daunting, but it provides Friends with yet another opportunity to do what it has done best since 1748—to lead, to innovate, and to prepare students for the ever-changing world of their future.
Students must be able to communicate and express their ideas and opinions. They need to think critically so that they can see the common threads that have kept our society together since its earliest days. Our level of global interdependence will not affect the necessity to be proficient in these areas. As a history teacher, I do not see the conveniences of the present being an excuse not to study the lessons of the past. We can prepare the Class of 2030 by embracing the technology now at the fingertips of the teacher. However, technology cannot be a substitute for the powers of the mind. As an historian, there is no substitute for critical thinking. As a human being, there is no substitute for patience and understanding. The high school students I work with are conditioned to expect instant access, instant information, and instant solutions. They resist having to follow the logic of a well constructed argument because it will not present them with an immediate, or obvious, answer. As teachers, we must continue to insist that our students do not allow machines to do their thinking for them.
Ellen Johnston ’05
Teach for America, Dallas 2010 Corps Adapted from Ellen’s “Letter of Intent,” part of the Teach for America application; Ellen was wait-listed the first year she applied for TFA as a senior in college, and then accepted in 2010. My “classroom” in my current business environment is a cubicle and my “students” are voices on the phone. They are often frustrated, impatient, angry natural gas contractors. It is my job to teach these contractors how to use a Ellen Johnston ’05 computer database system to review, store, and verify their health and safety information. And if I cannot? These voices—these faceless students—will be unemployed. If I am unable to teach these old dogs new tricks, they remind me daily that they will “lose their jobs, be unable to feed their kids, and their familyowned businesses will disappear. ” Their future and their livelihood are my responsibility. In retrospect, despite my initial disappointment, I consider myself privileged to have been wait-listed by Teach for America because now I can offer more than the idealism of a future college graduate. Through corporate America, I have learned what it means to take ownership, accept responsibility, and be accountable. My contribution will not stop at the end of two years of service for Teach for America; combining knowledge gained with my intended study of law, I want to execute changes that will end our nation’s greatest injustice. I want to take ownership of every child who does not have the educational opportunities I’ve had, accept the responsibility of reaching beyond the curriculum, and hold my students and myself accountable for their education and future.
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CLASS NOTES SUBMITTING CLASS NOTES Do you have some news about yourself or a friend/relative from Friends? If so, please share it, to help us to build and strengthen our school community. Please send news and/or photos to alumni@wilmingtonfriends.org, or enter them directly through the alumni online community, at: www.wilmingtonfriends.org. 1937
The Blood Bank of Delmarva recently featured Jane Hayden Frelick in the News and Events section of their website. “Jane Frelick of Newark turned 90-years-old on February 16, 2010 and celebrated by saving lives. She gave a platelet donation— Jane Hayden Frelick ’37 just as she has done celebrates her birthday by for the past decade.” saving lives. Photo courtesy Bob Travis, President of Blood Bank of Delmarva and CEO of Blood Bank of Delmarva said, “She is one of our most dedicated donors. She gives platelets about once a month and has donated more than 10 gallons to date.” The article goes on to say, “Jane and her husband first joined the Blood Bank in 1955. Though she wasn’t able to give blood for many years because of low hemoglobin levels and six pregnancies, she later learned that she was perfectly suited to be a platelet donor and has been giving regularly ever since. Her birthday donation was her 43rd time giving platelets.”
1939
Doris Biesterfeld Townshend wrote, “As a volunteer at the New Haven, CT Museum and Historical Society, I have been working on some projects: the history of bicycling; an exhibit on the Marlin Firearms Company; a video of Eli Whitney’s cotton gin; and creating ‘Listening Posts’ in every room, which are stories told through wall phones to give a summary of each room’s exhibit. What I like best to do is research and writing on historical subjects.” In doing so, Dorie says she salutes her former teachers, Mr. Reese and Miss Bell (later Mrs. Black). Dorie has now written and published nine books on local history.
1942
After graduation from WFS, Molly Finn White attended Hollis College. She went back to WFS to teach art for two years and then
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went on to graduate school. Molly also taught at the University of Maryland and at the Navajo School in New Mexico. She moved to La Jolla, CA in 2002—as she calls it, “the most beautiful place in the world.” Molly is on what she describes as “a spiritual jourMolly Finn White ’42, ney,” reading all she La Jolla, CA can about various religions. When Molly moved, she gave away most of her books, but is now rebuilding her library, to continue to satisfy her “love of learning.”
1950
Claire Showell Murray, who lives in Wilmington with her husband Key, wrote, “Drawing and painting have been part of my life almost from the beginning. Art was my emphasis at Friends, and major in college, where I won honors in History of Art. Later I studied History of Art at the Amon Carter Museum in Forth Worth, Texas. I also have a degree from the New York School of Interior Design. After years in the workplace and raising three children, I returned to the art world at the University of Delaware Academy of Lifelong Learning, as well as a small private group.” Claire has exhibited at the Academy, in several galleries in the Delaware area, and had a commissioned public work in Virginia. Her art also can be found in private collections from Delaware to California, and she has donated many works to charitable auctions. Claire is a member of the Delaware Art Museum Council, and noted on her alumni questionnaire, not surprisingly, that one of her favorite teachers at Friends was art teacher Molly Finn White ’42 (see 1942).
1951
In mid-March, Peter Duus flew in from California to attend an annual Far East Academic Conference in Philadelphia. While in town, he joined classmates Chick Altmaier and Biddy Jenkins and Head of School Bryan Garman for lunch. Chick wrote in an email to his classmates, “We had a wonderful visit. Peter was particularly interested in being brought up to date on each of you. He had so many wonderful memories to share with us and reviewed events leading to his career in Japanese history at Stanford over these many years. As you will see in the accompanying photo, he looks great and is in great health. His memory of fun things at Friends School is as sharp as a tack. While retired, he still is active in his field and continues to be a
guest lecturer.” Bryan Garman gave the group a tour of the school, showing them the recent renovations to the visual and performing arts facilities and the new Quaker Center for Understanding, Engagement, and Stewardship (QUEST). Chick noted of the recently added history display in the middle/ upper school building, “The main entrance lobby is filled with wall displays of both Quaker history and history of Wilmington Friends School. On one display were photocopies of financial documents having to do with giving of financial aid—would you believe in 1830!” (Please also see Peter’s contribution to this magazine’s feature on the future of education, with a repeat of this photo, on page 15; and for a bit more about Biddy, please see 1973.)
Class of 1951 friends Chick Altmaier, Peter Duus, and Biddy Miller Jenkins 1952
In March, members of the Class of ’52 headed south for a mini-reunion at the Florida home of Mary and John Nice, with Jack Porter, Laura and Fred Pardee, Hank and Carol Staats Truax, Martha and Rufus Jones, Elizabeth and Bob Hodge, and Marcia Stirling Quillen ’56 and Bill Quillen attending. Before the reunion, the Pardees and the Quillens were also able to visit with Sonia and Bill Lynam. Vi and Lew Doughton were in state, but had a previous family engagement at Disney World with their grandchildren. With a nod to the northeast, there is talk of an upcoming Class of ’52 mini-reunion in Maine. Bill Quillen wrote, “We have quite a delegation up there in the summer. In addition to Martha and Rufus Jones, there are Cricket and Mark Ball, Mary and Tom Putney, Georgie and Walt Stapleton, and Susan and Rod Ward.” Bill also paid tribute to Ira T. Ellis. “Ira was at the 2009 Wilmington Friends reunion last October, and I think he attended all the major school events in a year when our five-
CLASS NOTES
Planned Giving— The 1748 Society Dorothy (Dottie) Pierson Eaton ’51 After attending public school, Mt. Pleasant #34 one room school from grades 1-6 and then Marshallton Junior High, my parents and I made the decision to complete my high school education at Friends. I came to Friends in 10th grade. I know now that Friends was quite a financial sacrifice for my parents, but one they believed was very important. After graduating from Friends, I attended University of Delaware and graduated with a degree in education. I taught at Central Junior High for 10 Dottie with Laurel High School (MD) principal Thomas Kirby years and then went back to get my masters from the University of Delaware. Later in my career, I became Vice Principal of Beltsville Junior High and then Laurel High in Maryland. I am retired 16 years now and live in Queenstown, MD and have worked on my “bucket list” ever since—Daytona 500, Indy 500, Preakness, and many trips abroad to China, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand. Also, as part of my “bucket list” in retirement, I rewrote my will and have included three non-profits that have inspired me and deeply touched my life—Wilmington Friends School is one of them. I would encourage all alumni to remember the great years we had at Friends and to take a moment now to include Friends in your will. It is a way to say thank you and enable others to have the same opportunity to attend such a wonderful school.
Roy H. Wilkinson ’70 I was fortunate to receive a scholarship to attend Friends, and wanted to give back, so Friends is included in my will. I made this decision as I reflected on my Friends School education at my 30th reunion. I knew then that I wanted to offer the opportunity to another child to receive a superior education like I received. With my 40th reunion coming up this fall, it is terrific to tell my story. Friends helped me by instilling values that have guided my life. In addition, the excellent education I received provided the background to learn electronics in the Navy, and I have now worked 32 years for Boeing as an electronic technician.
Please consider joining the 1748 Society as a way to say “thank you” to Friends. Making a planned gift to Friends is easier than you might think, and it is one of best ways to give back to the school and to ensure its tradition of excellence for future generations. You’re never too young: If you don’t have estate plans yet…making Friends a beneficiary of your retirement plan is one of the easiest ways to make a gift. You can visit your retirement plan’s website and add Friends as a beneficiary. You’re never too “young at heart”: If your estate plans are already set… adding Friends as a beneficiary of your estate is easily accomplished by asking your attorney to add a codicil to your will. You can allocate a percentage of your residual estate or a set amount. All planned gifts are added to the Friends School endowment and provide funding in perpetuity. You may designate your gift for a specific purpose, such as faculty compensation or financial aid for students, or your gift may be “unrestricted.” If you are already a member of the 1748 Society, thank you! If you have included Friends School in your estate plans, please be sure to let us know. Building the 1748 Society is the most effective way for us to continue to build the school’s endowment—and its future.
Roy and Lisa on their wedding day
Since September 2004, I have had the privilege to serve on the board of Cascadia Community College. In my time on the board, I have seen first hand how important leadership is to an educational institution.
To learn more about the 1748 Society and planned giving, please contact Judy Aliquo, Director of Development at jaliquo@wilmigtonfriends.org, 302.576.2980. Or visit our website, www.wilmingtonfriends.org, and click on “Give to Friends” for more information on “Ways to Give.” Again, thank you to Dottie and Roy—and to all of our 1748 Society members.
We congratulate Roy on his recent marriage—May 15, 2010—to Lisa Ann Olsen. Roy and Lisa were married in Bothell, Washington.
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CLASS NOTES
year cycle was not featured. He toured the school’s new renovations and was a cheerful contributor to alumni events. I hope you also noticed, in Friends magazine, the Ira T. Ellis Scholarship Fund, which is approaching its tenth year…and supports the school’s financial aid endeavors. Ira continues to work part time at IBM after a very successful career there.” Friends Director of Development Judy Aliquo visited with Herschel Loomis at Fisherman’s Wharf while in California for a conference and Friends regional reunions in February. Hersch still works four days at week at the US Navy Postgraduate School in Monterey, and his wife, Shirley, is a calligrapher. They are very interested in the arts, and attend the symphony and ballet about once a month.
Herschel Loomis ’52, Fisherman’s Wharf, CA Tom Putney donated his extensive stamp collection to Wilmington Friends School. Fifth grade teacher Brian Fahey was impressed with the extent of the collection and is currently considering how to best utilize the stamps in his curriculum. Bill Quillen celebrated his 75th birthday in January 2010. His wife Marcia Stirling Quillen ’56 threw a party and recruited their two grandsons, Sam Carney ’13 and Jimmy Carney ’15, along with two of Sam’s classmates (including Jeff Davis ’13, son of Susan Tattersall Davis ’84 and Bob Davis ’83, and grandson of Bob and Dianne Tattersall) to serve as waiters at his party—appropriately
Nancy Spargo Goodridge ’56 and Marcia Stirling Quillen ’56 in good voice at the 75th birthday party for Bill Quillen ’52 24
Summer 2010 • Friends magazine
dressed in their Friends School football jerseys. Tracey Quillen Carney ’80, Carol Quillen ’79, and Carol’s daughter Caitlin also helped to mark the special occasion. In a memorable moment, Marcia and Nancy Spargo Goodridge ’56 serenaded Bill with their rendition of the song, “Bill,” known from the 1927 musical Show Boat and countless piano bar performances. Bill Robinson remains in wonderful good humor and good health. His son is helping him in the contracting business, and he is also taking courses organized by Virginia state agencies, which he hopes to use on a volunteer basis to help local forestry and tree programs. Walter Stapleton was honored in February at a dinner sponsored by the local Federal Bar Association to commemorate his 40 years on the federal bench. Walter has been both a District Court Judge (trial level) and a Third Circuit Judge (appellate level), and he reportedly was once considered as a United States Supreme Court Justice nominee. There was a well-done DVD, which featured tributes to Walt, including praise from Supreme Court Justices Roberts, Souter, and Alito. Walter continues to sit as a federal judge on senior status.
1955
On the heels of Devy Bruch’s recent reunion with her birth sister (see the Spring 2010 issue of Friends), Devy is publishing a new book, No Mama, I Didn’t Die—My Life as a Stolen Baby. Devy describes it as “a heart-wrenching saga of corruption in the adoption process during the Depression.” The book, due out in August, reveals the illegal baby-selling operation led by Georgia Tann in Memphis between 1924 and 1950, involving as many as 5,000 babies. Devy plans to release a second book in 2011 on adoption, written for children. Jane Ellis James and Jimmy James drove from their home in Hilton Head, SC, to visit with Devy at her home in Peachtree, GA, during the Thanksgiving holidays of 2009. Devy, who has been friends with Jane since fifth grade at Friends, reported that they had “a jolly good time.” Bill Poole was the featured speaker at the Third Annual Economic Forecast Lunch hosted by the New Castle County Economic Development Council on February 24, 2010. Bill’s presentation gave a recap of the economic activities of 2009 and discussed the potential outlook for the national, state, and local economy in 2010. (We also convey our condolences to Bill, whose wife, Geraldine Stroud Poole, passed away on January 11, 2010 in Christiana Hospital. Gerie had been an Associate Editor of the University of
Pittsburgh Law Review and practiced law for more than 20 years in the Washington, DC area.)
1956
Marcia Stirling Quillen and Nancy Spargo Goodridge (See 1952.)
1957
Pierre Berloquin, who attended Friends for a year and now lives in Paris, wrote, “I’m the proud publisher and author, with my older son Nicolas, of my first iPhone product: Paris Double Puzzles.” The application is described on iTunes: “Decode your way through 101 insider views of Paris by solving a series of intriguing double-sided photo puzzles. Over 5000 different puzzles on four levels of difficulty. Walk a wide range of unique excursions; it’s the next best thing to strolling through Paris itself!” Tatiana and Gerret Copeland’s Napa Valley winery, Bouchaine Vineyard, was recently featured in the News Journal’s Signature magazine. The Copelands became partners in the winery in 1981 and are now full owners. They utilize some sustainable farming methods and the article noted, “Conservation and social responsibility are important to both Copelands—Gerret has been a major force within the Brandywine Conservancy—and art and music are major passions.” Bouchaine Vineyard is a sponsor of the Festival del Sole in the Napa Valley, a music, food, and wine festival, now in its third year. Tracey Quillen Carney ’80, Friends Director of Communications, enjoyed a “brief but lovely visit” with Ann Harper Heaton ’57 and her husband, Bob, a member of the Friends School Baltimore class of 1956 (you may be able to discern his red and white “Friends” hat). The occasion was the pre-season “Quaker Classic” lacrosse scrimmage day at Friends Baltimore, whose Head of School is Matt Micciche, former Head of Upper School at Wilmington Friends. Thanks to Friends parent (and parent of alumna) Sumner Crosby for taking the picture.
Tracey Quillen Carney ’80, Friends Baltimore alum Bob Heaton, and Ann Harper Heaton ’57
CLASS NOTES
Carl Shrawder joined the Friends regional reunion in Los Angeles, too late for the group photo but decked out in his WFS sweatshirt. Carl reported that he is enjoying retirement and loves traveling around the world.
1962
Tyrie comes from a long line of strong, serviceminded women: her great-great grandmother was a midwife; her great grandmother was a nurse; her grandmother and grandfather were medical missionaries in Katmandu, Nepal; her mother, Biddy Miller Jenkins ’51, was a nursing instructor at the University of Delaware; and Tyrie’s daughter studied medicine, carrying the family’s medical tradition into the sixth generation.
Carl Shrawder ’57, Los Angeles
John Kurtz, well known as a rug designer and businessman, recently exhibited his oil paintings from the last 25 years in a show at his New Moon Gallery in Wilmington. The News Journal reported that Kurtz “mounted the show to remind himself—and his friends and customers—that painting is his first love.” After graduating from Friends, John trained at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Arts and the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence. He began to appreciate rug design and taught himself to restore rugs, seeing them as works of art. In the article, John said, “I’m kind of an accidental businessman because it was the art that intrigued me.” He is now involved in designing rugs for his shop, then commissioning them from Nepal. John is in good company in his business, New Moon Rugs, which also employs his wife, Ellen, and daughters, Erika Kurtz ’99 as chief operating officer and Josephine Kurtz ’03 as artistic director.
1965
Fred Rapkin and his wife Alice celebrated 41 years of marriage on May 31, 2010. Fred and Alice, who live in Needham, MA, have four daughters and three grandchildren. Fred has worked for 26 years in the water treatment/ filtration industry.
1970
Lisa Ann Olsen and Roy Henry Wilkinson were married on May 15, 2010 at their home in Bothell, Washington. (Please see photo, and more from Roy, on page 23.)
1973
Dr. Tyrie Jenkins was honored in March 2010 by the Junior Achievement of Hawaii Business Hall of Fame as one of three outstanding business leaders in the state. Since 1990, the JA Business Hall of Fame has honored 70 of the state’s most distinguished business women and men for “outstanding contributions to free enterprise and the promise of a better, stronger society.” Tyrie has been the medical director of the Laser Eye Center of Hawaii since 1996, and she performed the first Lasik eye surgery in the state. As the Center’s website recounts,
most-recorded narrator in the country, with more than 1,000 books to her credit. Carol Quillen (See 1952.)
1980
Tracey Quillen Carney (See 1952 and 1957.)
1983
Bob Davis (See 1952.)
1984
Susan Tattersall Davis (See 1952.)
1989
Tyrie Jenkins ’73 with fellow honorees at the Junior Achievement of Hawaii Business Hall of Fame tribute 1974
With great sadness, we report that Eloise Gould, 14-year old daughter of Anne Melloy Gould and Alex Gould, died on May 1, 2010 after a two-year battle with cancer. Eloise was a student at Tandem Friends School in Charlottesville, VA. In addition to her parents and sister, Annabelle, Eloise’s survivors include Anne’s siblings Joseph Melloy ’75, Michael Melloy ’76, Kevin Melloy, Mary Mellow Fitts ’83, and Elizabeth Melloy Butler ’86.
1976
Tim Gibbs (See box story, page 26).
1979
Laura and Fred Pardee ’52 sent a wonderful article from the Denver Post about a recent performance by their daughter, Martha Harmon Pardee, with her husband, Erik Sandvold, in a production of Up at the Curious Theatre in Denver. The joint performance was significant because Martha and Erik, both renowned local actors, hadn’t performed together since they were newlyweds 17 years ago. With the arrival of daughters Addie, 14, and Tuuli, 12, it became impractical for them to act in plays at the same time. It was Up director Chip Walton’s idea to bring Martha and Erik back onto the same stage. “This is something I’ve wanted to see happen for a very long time, and I’ve wanted it to happen at Curious,” Walton said. “These are big-time actors who have both made huge contributions to the theater community at every level. And I think audiences have a deeper relationship with them because of that.” Both Martha and Erik are narrators for Talking Book Publishers Inc., a service for the blind. Martha is the
In February, Linda Holmes was part of the four-person team honored by the American Women in Radio and Television with a Gracie Award for Outstanding Podcast. Linda co-hosts the NPR News podcast, Culturetopia, and also writes NPR’s “Monkey See” blog. NPR’s press release said, “Culturetopia encapsulates the week’s news in books, movies, television, music, and media. Every Wednesday, [co-host Neda] Ulaby, Holmes, and guests offer a rundown of notable arts coverage from across NPR News shows, providing additional insights into many of the stories.” The 35th Annual Gracie Awards were presented on May 25th in Los Angeles.
1990
Amy Jersild Hsu wrote, “David and I married in 2007 and we have two adorable kids (Evelyn, age 2, and Torben, age 1). While I’ve suspended my private practice since Torben’s birth, I will eventually continue to practice psychotherapy specializing in eating disorders and trauma. I will also continue to publish on these topics. Raising kids in the city (Philadelphia) is a joy and a challenge— although we’re not quite ready to give up urban living just yet!” Omar Khan led a QUEST Lunch & Learn with upper school students, faculty, and parents. Omar spoke about his work in global health initiatives. Omar’s friend and colleague in the Delaware medical community, Tim Gibbs ’76, Executive Director of the Delaware Academy of Medicine, also attended the talk. (See also pages 3 and 26.) Upon receiving a recent issue of the Whittier Miscellany, Matt Meyer wrote, “Thanks a lot for passing on the Homecoming edition of the Whittier back in October. I work for the State Department now, as a senior economic advisor, and I have been in Mosul, Iraq, leading a team trying to revive the Saddam-era banking system here. I have enjoyed thinking about how my Whittier experience with Mr. Maguire and, more broadly, my WFS education had roles in what I am doing here—among other things, living on a military base, one of the Summer 2010 • Friends magazine
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CLASS NOTES
(as did the groom), a master’s degree from the University of Delaware, and a doctor of pharmacy from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Anne-Melanie is a clinical pharmacist at Christus Santa Rosa Hospital in San Antonio, TX, where she and Michael live.
Tim Gibbs ’76 and Omar Khan ’90
shared their story of meeting one another and how the realization of their Friends connection shaped their collaborations.
1994
Tim’s Version: In my role as Executive Director of the Delaware Academy of Medicine I wear many hats, and one of them is seeking out collaborative opportunities consistent with our mission of Omar Khan ’90, Rick Grier-Reynolds, and Tim Gibbs ’76 outside the “education and the promotion QUEST Center at Friends, where Omar was a guest speaker of public health.” And so it was that Omar Khan’s reputaOmar’s Version: tion preceded him, and when he called to I met Tim Gibbs when I invited him to a see if I’d be interested in attending a meetreception we at Christiana organized on ing I didn’t hesitate to say yes. medical teaching. I figured the Director of Most anyone who meets Omar Khan face the Delaware Academy of Medicine should to face will be struck by his engaging and be involved. I didn’t know Tim from accessible manner. I certainly was, and Adam—but he showed right up. we quickly found much to talk and laugh As we got to know each other better about. Humor is a missing ingredient these through our professional roles, one day I days, and in these serious times (think had an idea that my group and his should H1N2, healthcare reform, Haiti, global work together on educational initiatives. health) it is a precious commodity. So it It sounds common-sense but isn’t really; was that we bonded, and dreamt of ways people don’t just “collaborate for the heck we could make a difference from our difof it” in medicine. Tim’s eyes lit up too ferent positions. and I knew I had found a kindred soul for I don’t recall how it came up, but when we interesting and occasionally zany ideas discovered we were both WFS alumni it all which were meant to do good. clicked 1-2-3. There was a new common In short, the type of ideas I used to have at ground, and (suddenly) an appreciation Friends. I mentioned that to Tim, thinking for meeting someone else with a Quaker he’d consider me odd for sharing this fact. education. A second common bond is our To my surprise (or perhaps not) he said he educational background in Public Health, too was a WFS alum! Guess you can pick an extremely timely topic given the changes them out....perhaps we should coin the this country needs to take in respect to term “Quadar” to connote the recognition the health of our nation and our global of those of Friends background? neighbors. Most recently we worked on another great And so we started—a meeting here to project that arose out of a similar converdiscuss and start a collaborative program sation: let’s get folks together to discuss for Primary Care Providers, a meeting there and respond to the Haiti crisis. From to bring together other Delaware medical/ conversation to action in a day; from dispublic health professionals, and recently cussion to outcome in a week. It’s amazing a meeting regarding a long-term plan for how much one can accomplish with the responding to the crisis in Haiti. I have no right attitude in the right friends. unrealistic expectations about the ideas we develop, but finding someone willing to dream broadly and think deeply is great.
few civilians amidst thousands of gun-toting US and Iraqi soldiers, trying to facilitate sustainable change that will help Iraqis long after we depart.” Matt’s previous international venture, Ecosandals—a self-sustaining, online sandal business founded in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya—continues via Internet, ecosandals.com; the business’s slogan is, “Change You Can Walk In.”
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1992
Anne-Melanie Brooke Marin married Michael James Ziegler on December 20, 2009 at St. Joseph on the Brandywine Church in Greenville. Pictured (next page) at the reception, held at the Hotel DuPont, from left to right are: Bill Marin ’94, Kelly Baldwin Corso, Allison Meyer, Anne-Melanie Marin Ziegler, Michael Ziegler, Pamela Kurtz Pardes, and Rebecca Brand. The bride received her bachelor’s degree from Franklin and Marshall
Bill Marin is the director and producer of the film Street Dogs of South Central, distributed by Lionsgate Films and Animal Planet, a feature length documentary that follows a family of dogs living on the streets of South Central Los Angeles. The film is narrated by Queen Latifah and is currently scheduled to premier on Animal Planet and O.W.N. (the new Oprah Winfrey network) in January 2011. For a sneak peek at the movie trailer, go to www.streetdogsmovie.com. Bill lives and works in Los Angeles, and joined other Friends alumni at the Los Angeles regional reunion in the spring (and at his sister’s wedding—see 1992).
1997
We learned that Leann Bankoski is Executive Director of Carolina for Kibera (CFK), an international NGO based in the Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya, and an affiliated entity of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Working closely with CFK’s Kenyan staff, its Board of Directors, and “an army of volunteers,” Leann coordinates CFK’s activities nationally and on the UNC-CH campus. As an undergraduate at Guilford College, where she majored in Sociology with a concentration in Environmental Studies, Leann studied in Kenya with Nobel Laureate Professor Wangari Maathai (whose work inspired the “Trees for the 21st Century” program in which Friends kindergarten students have participated). Leann has led service learning and cultural immersion experiences for North Americans to Kenya, Nicaragua, and Cambodia. CFK was recently in the news thanks to a June 8 visit by Jill Biden and members of her family. Dr. Biden took a walking tour of the Kibera area, guided by Leann, Kenyan staff, and members of Binti Pamoja (Daughters United), a center for adolescent girls that is run by CFK. (For more information, visit http://cfk.unc.edu.)
1998
Brie Willoughby-Knox recently completed her MS in Applied Linguistics at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, and was named the class valedictorian. She is currently lecturing at the University of Technology, Sydney and working as a research officer at Macquarie University’s Adult Migrant English Programme (AMEP), Research Centre. Brie has applied for permanent residency in Australia.
CLASS NOTES
Cormier described the album as, “a stirring homemade batch of songs that should easily find a home in the hearts of any indie rock fan.” After graduating from Friends, Judah went to The George Washington University and studied English and creative writing, useful for a songwriter. The Freelance Whales have been playing to sold-out crowds in New York and Philadelphia, and will be playing at Lollapalooza this summer.
Bill Marin ’94, Kelly Baldwin Corso, Allison Meyer, Anne-Melanie Marin Josephine Kurtz (See 1962.) Ziegler, Michael Ziegler, Pamela Kurtz Pardes, and Rebecca Brand; Jim Graham Photography 2004 Jon Kittle is serving in the Peace Corps in 1999 Erika Kurtz (See 1962.)
2000
Becky Klein Smith wrote, “I married my husband, Harrison Smith, on November 3, 2007 in the Friends Lower School Meeting Room. On that day, I also became the proud stepmother to an amazing 9 year old (now), Andi. The three of us are enjoying life in the suburbs of Washington, DC with our new Golden Retriever named Crash.”
Panama. At most recent report, Jon was living in the village of Kwite, a three-hour plus boat ride up the river Rio Mananti from the port city of Chiriqui Grande. There are about 20 homes (huts) in his indigenous community of Ngobes. Jon’s project is to work on a gravity flow aqueduct water system to give the village access to clean water from the mountains.
2003
2006
The Class of 2006 graduated from Wilmington Friends School four years ago. In response to a mid-May email inquiry, many members of the class shared what they are doing now. Ben Altman: “I will be graduating from Davidson College this Sunday. I am both excited and sad. Next fall I will be attending the NYU Courant Institute’s Mathematics in Finance Masters Program.” (We also learned from a Davidson press release that Ben graduated with Honors in Mathematics, received the William G. McGavock Award for accomplishment and promise in mathematics, and was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society. Ben also had been elected to the 2010 CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District First Team for District III at-large sports. As a first-team selection, Ben will be on the national ballot for Academic All-America.) Sarah Bartle: “I am graduating in two weeks and am then headed to Morocco on a State Department Critical Language Scholarship. After that, I will be starting a job as a Project Assistant at Crowell & Moring law firm in Washington, D.C.” Meg Christman: “I am graduating from Connecticut College with a degree in Environmental Studies.”
Ben Carpenter was selected as one of 16 finalists who competed to star in “Host the Coast,” a three-month gig promoting tourism in Southern Delaware and along the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Ben submitted several very entertaining video entries for the contest, displaying his interest in “acting, writing, marketing, and being around the camera.”
Jon Kittle ’04, with the Peace Corps in Panama
Judah Dadone has been performing with Freelance Whales, a five-piece band based in 2005 Queens. On April 13, 2010, the group released Alexandra Dill graduated with a B.A. in its debut album, Weathervanes. News Journal English from Marymount Manhattan College columnist Ryan Cormier, wrote, “Over the in May 2009. She is working on a Master’s past few months, music fans might have heard degree at New York University Gallatin and about an up-and-coming national act called will graduate in May 2011. Freelance Whales. What you might not know is that the band’s leader and singer, Judah Dadone, is from right here in Delaware. Dadone, 25, grew up in Brandywine Hundred and graduated from Wilmington Friends School in 2003. It was there where he took his first musical steps as part of the school’s wind ensemble and jazz band.” The band was formed in late 2008 after Judah collected the wide range of instruments— like the harmonium, banjo, waterphone, cello, glockenspiel, Judah Dadone ’03 and his band Freelance Whales, photo courtesy of and vocoder—that were be the band used to make “Weathervanes.”
Sam David: “I’m taking an extra year at USC to complete two minors in business and accounting. However, this summer I have two internships: one with the Phillies in ticket sales and marketing; the other, during the second half of summer in Los Angeles, with the Creative Arts Agency (CAA) as an intern in their sports agency department.” Linda Donatoni: “Starting this summer, I’ll be joining Teach for America, teaching high school science in inner-city Philadelphia. At the same time, I’ll be getting my master’s in education from UPenn.” Zachary Dutton: “After a long four years at Haverford College, I am headed in the fall to Harvard Divinity School (HDS) to focus academically on ritual in religion and on religious conceptions of violence and nonviolence. I want a PhD in the sociology of religion after the masters from HDS. Over the summer before grad school, I will be living in Philly doing research for a religion professor. I’ll also be leading high school-age people on the Quaker youth pilgrimage run by the Friends World Committee on consultation in July and August.”
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CLASS NOTES
Dianne de la Veaux: “I just graduated from NYU and will be remaining in New York City to pursue musical theatre. I also recently performed in a musical theatre showcase with my class at NYU on the off-Broadway stage of Avenue Q! During the past four years, I’ve been volunteering at a homeless shelter run by a fellow Friends School and Meeting House, 15th Street Seminary in Manhattan.” Tom Enright wrote that he is graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and starting a job at MSE. Naomi Hamermesh: “I graduated magna cum laude with honors in mathematics (and a minor in geology) from Bryn Mawr College. I will be starting graduate school in the fall at the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment getting my master’s degree with a concentration in Environmental Informatics.” Raven Harris graduated from Haverford College with a BS in Biology, and received the Irving Finger Prize in Biology for outstanding growth and accomplishment within the major. She completed a senior thesis on axon guidance in the visual system. Raven will work at Columbia University as a Research Assistant in a Neurobiology lab, studying the visual system for two years before applying to MD/PhD programs. William Kalema: “Barring any unforeseen circumstances, I will be graduating in midJune with a BA in History.” Willie was elected to Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society and named one of a dozen seniors in the Class of 2010 by Northwestern Magazine to the “Senior Watch” list, graduates to watch in the future. Melissa Mitchell: “I just graduated from the University of Richmond with a BS/BA in International Business/Spanish and Economics, and I will be moving to Miami, FL, in June to start my job as a human resources associate in a job placement agency.” Geoff Novak: “I will be in Chicago working for an IT consulting firm called Burwood Group next year. I am graduating as an accounting major with a computer science minor from Bucknell University.” Eric Preisendanz: “I’ll be graduating from The University Of The Arts in Philadelphia with a BFA in Sculpture. I think I’ll be on the dean’s list again, and I plan on starting my own business in Philadelphia through a network of entrepreneur events and classes. My business, ‘Get You Home,’ is a mobile chauffeur service that provides Philly’s nightlife with a safe and affordable way to get home. The business is undergoing an evaluation that determines if I’ll receive a grant of $10,000. I have an art 28
Summer 2010 • Friends magazine
exhibition at Moore College of Art & Design hosted by the Philadelphia Sculptors Organization, a selection of 10 students representing the five art schools in Philadelphia. This summer, I’ll be a Unit Leader at the Northeast YMCA for first through third graders.” Nick Procaccini: “I just graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a BS in Business Administration and will be working as an Investment Analyst at LCG Associates in Atlanta starting in June.” Therese Quinn: “I am graduating from Lehigh University with a B.S. in Bioengineering and actually just received an offer today for a job. I will be working at Sanofi Pasteur in Swiftwater, PA, starting in July.” Jen Rosenberg (See 2009.) Lindsey Rumer: “I graduated from the University of Richmond with a major in International Business and Marketing and a minor in Chinese. I’ll be joining Google at their headquarters in Mountain View, CA, and living in San Francisco.” David Schley: “Graduated from Earlham and starting Law School this coming fall, at either Temple or Notre Dame.” Sam Titone: “I am at the Savannah College of Art and Design, in the architecture program.”
2007
Kirsten Detwiler played attack this past season on the women’s lacrosse team at Susquehanna University, with notable wins over Moravian and Neumann University. In mid-April, when the University sent a press release to local Wilmington media, Kirsten was among the top players on her team in both goals and assists. Emily McMillan was selected for the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) All-ODAC women’s lacrosse team. The Old Dominion newsletter recognized Emily as “the backbone of the [Lynchburg] Hornet defense this year that led the ODAC in goals against average and ranks 17th nationally. This was McMillan’s first year in her defensive role and she improved tremendously as the season went on, helping guide Lynchburg to the ODAC Championship match and earning a spot on the ODAC All-Tournament team for her accomplishments.” Jane Monari, mezzo-soprano, recently performed the lead role of Hermia in the Juilliard Opera Workshop’s production of Benjamin Britton’s opera A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Jane is the recipient of the Sabina and Samuel Taranow Scholarship in Voice, the Mary E. Birsh Scholarship, and
the J.W. Drye, Jr. Memorial Scholarship. For the past three years, she has held the status of Academic Distinction at Juilliard. Brooke Shepard has been named a 2010 American University women’s soccer team tricaptain. According to an American University press release, “Brooke has been a mainstay in the Eagles midfield for the past three seasons and was honored as an All-Patriot League Second Team pick in 2009 after recording eight points on the season, which was the second most on the squad. Her team-leading six assists were the second most in the Patriot League. The Eagles went a perfect 6-0 in games in which Sheppard registered at least one point.” Brooke, majoring in Business Administration, has been named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll all three years at AU. The 2009 Eagles finished with a 5-2 conference record, and earned a berth in the Patriot League Championship Game. Brooke’s mother, Friends School trustee Debbie Murray-Sheppard, added, “Thanks so much to WFS—Brooke had a great background and all the tools she has needed to be successful!” Katrina Siegfried (See 2009.)
2008
Sophie Day (See 2009).
2009
As with the Class of 2006, we sent another group email—this time in late April and this time, bypassing our grads, to the parents of the Class of 2009. At first, we were just looking for data on how many members of the class were playing sports in college (so you will see that focus in the replies), but we also heard some other bits of good news, and a few parental reflections on Friends education, as well. Thanks to all the parents who responded. Whitney Aerenson is having “fabulous experiences” at Tulane, wrote mom Annette, adding, “WFS prepared her well for the academics.” Among many highlights for Whitney is the service component of the curriculum; she has been involved with Habitat for Humanity and the Gulf Restoration Network. James Baczkowski saw good playing time as a freshman, and had two starts, on the baseball team at King’s College. Hannah Brilliant is a member of the Gospel Choir and an a cappella group at Swarthmore. We were happy to hear that Hannah played her harp at a number of campus events this past year. She was also copy editor for The Phoenix (the school newspaper). Hannah was planning to spend the summer with classmate Talia Tiffany, working on an organic farm in Maine.
CLASS NOTES
Bill Broderick played on the Oberlin tennis team. Although Bill, no doubt, misses the great cooking of his mom, Lee—whose culinary contributions are among the most anticipated at Home & School gatherings at Friends—he himself has become “the dorm pastry chef.” Bill is studying Neuroscience, French, and Mandarin, and is considering adding Math as a double major. He worked at the local French bakery over January term, has a job at Cephalon for the summer, and is hoping to go to China for January term 2011. Geoff Butterworth is “doing great” at the University of South Carolina, wrote mother Barbara. He made the Dean’s List for the Fall 2009 semester, and was accepted into the Business School. Barbara added, “We hope everyone at Friends is doing well, and we thank all of Geoff’s teachers for preparing him so well.”
California Reunions The 2010 NAIS (National Association of Independent School) Conference in San Francisco gave us a wonderful chance to host two Friends School reunions in California in February. The Los Angeles reunion was at Nic’s Beverly Hills (suggested by Mike Mand ’88), and we gathered in San Francisco at Mo Mo’s Restaurant.
News of Haley Cashman’s sports activities from her mom: Haley played both club and intramural volleyball at Tulane this fall, and her team swept the intramural championships. Christina Chapman is on the University of Massachusetts track and field team. This past year, she ran the 55 meters hurdles and some relays during the indoor season and the 100 and 400 hurdles outdoors. Christina had a chance to compete in the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship in February at University of Rhode Island, and the outdoor conference championships at UMass this spring. Jamie Collier is an Engineering Physics major at Juniata College and made Dean’s List (3.75 gpa and higher) for the first semester. Jamie was also one of just a few freshman selected to be a Resident Assistant for next academic year. Mom Diane wrote, “Jamie credits his study habits and conflict resolution skills learned at WFS as playing a big role in his success.”
At the San Francisco Reunion: Beloved former interim Head of School Leo Dressel, new Head of Upper School Rebecca Zug, Head of School Bryan Garman, Dan Nolen ’00, Jan Dressel, Kirk McKusick ’77 and his partner Eric Allman, Liz Caine ’97, Susan Woolley Levine ’88 and Jon Katz, Howard Seebach ’48 and his wife Emilee, and David Singleton.
Patrick Coronel is on the University of Delaware dean’s list in the College of Engineering, with an interest in both mechanical and computer engineering. Anna Crosby has been playing lacrosse “since day one,” her dad Sumner wrote, at Colorado College. The team did a lot of traveling, with games from Dallas to DC to Maine, and it has provided “an instant community for a freshman far from home.” Anna saw good playing time and earned several starts this year. She also reached the summit of one of Colorado’s highest mountains this fall, took a lot of outdoor trips, and had a chance to ski during the winter. As for academics, Sumner wrote that, “Anna’s performance at Colorado College shows just how well WFS prepares its graduates.” She took a class called “Sustainable Development” and is planning additional studies related to equity and the environment. Sumner wrote, “I attribute those choices (as well as her passion for this kind of class) to the philosophy of WFS, and particularly that wonderful peace class that students take as sophomores. Thank you to WFS for a job well-done!” Ryan Day recently earned his Eagle Scout rank. He and his sister Sophie ’08 recruited several friends from the University of Tampa to spend spring break 2010 volunteering in New Orleans. It was the fourth weeklong volunteer trip to New Orleans for both Sophie and Ryan.
At the Los Angeles Reunion (left to right): Bill Marin ’94, Phoenix Mellow ’08, Phoenix’s college roommate, Keith Snyder ’89 and his wife Susan Olsen, Board Chair David Singleton, Mike Mand and his wife Erin, Bobby Appleby ’88, and Julia Fogg ’88.
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CLASS NOTES
Perrin Downing was a standout on the Haverford lacrosse team this past season. The alumni office received a number of press releases from Haverford athletics, including the write-up following Perrin’s four-goal effort against Bryn Mawr in April, and an announcement that she was named Centennial Conference “defensive player of the week” after causing six turnovers and fielding seven ground balls in two games. Perrin started every game, tallied 26 goals and three assists, 22 ground balls and 22 draw controls, and caused 17 turnovers. Monica Felder has had “a great first year” at the University of Rochester. “Although she didn’t love the winter,” her mom wrote, “she does love the school.” In the fall, Monica will be declaring a double major in psychology and English. Claire Goodill was inducted into the Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society at the Newcomb College Institute, Tulane University, in recognition of academic success in the first semester of college. The program description reads, “The goal of Alpha Lambda Delta, currently celebrating 86 years, is to encourage high academic achievement among university students and to assist women in recognizing and developing meaningful goals in society.” Morgan Jackson’s dad wrote that Morgan played club soccer this past year at Villanova. Kyle Knight’s mom, Kim, also responded to our initial inquiry about sports, with a tone that seemed like approval, that Kyle is “focusing on her studies” at Delaware. Kyle is, however, in a five-day-a-week fitness program and keeps up her jogging routine. Bob Lutz is at Vassar, singing in the a cappella group The Accidentals, and is in a theater group called The Woodshed. Among other performances, Bob was in Blood Wedding in May. Patrick Monari made the swim team at Swarthmore and then some. He swam his way to district champions, and improved his personal best time by a full seven seconds. Diana Patton, a first-degree black belt, is studying and teaching Aikido on campus at Swarthmore College and at the Kokikai Dojo in the town of Swarthmore. Bryan Radacosky-Pentoney played lacrosse this year for the Cabrini College Cavaliers. Ryan Procaccini was a wide receiver on the McDaniel College football team. Mom Sue reported that Ryan played in every game, and had 15 receptions and a touchdown. He also 30
Summer 2010 • Friends magazine
played on the champion intramural basketball team. Kieran Reichert played on the Swarthmore soccer team, with at least 40 minutes per game during a very successful season—Swarthmore advanced to the sweet 16 in the NCAA playoffs. Kieran’s mom wrote that, “His experience on the team has been so wonderful,” not just on the field but through service projects for Haiti, tutoring, and the sense of community among teammates. Kieran is also “really enjoying the rich academic environment at Swarthmore,” his dad Mike wrote. Kieran is focusing on “Literature and Writing with a minor in Foreign Languages.” Julia Roberts played club volleyball at Washington University in St. Louis, which was a good fit, her mom said, with her “very busy life as an architecture student—spending many hours in the studio already, sorority member, participant in a Saturday program with fourth graders from underperforming schools in St. Louis, guiding them in architecture projects… oh, and definitely having her fair share of fun!” Mom Julie reported that Will Rodowsky, “is having a blast playing club lacrosse at Delaware.” Will was also spotted studying for exams, along with Travis Peck, during a recent visit of Friends freshmen history students to the UD Library. Mom Ruth kindly sent updates for both Kenny Rosenberg and sister Jen ’06. “Kenny has blossomed at Berklee College of Music,” Ruth wrote. “He plans to major in electronic production and design, has a radio show on www.thebirn.com and is the happiest person I know. Jen was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, will graduate from Muhlenberg College next month, and will be attending Drexel Medical School beginning this summer.” Mom Lori wrote that Lindsay Schmittle is just doing some intramural sports “for fun.” Lori added (like Kim Knight, with a perceptible tone of approval regarding the academic focus), “As an art major, there is not a lot of free time.” Lindsay is pursuing her art major at the University of Delaware. Sammi Shay, at Connecticut College, is minoring in dance and participating in the dance club. Sammi has been chosen to participate this summer in Made In France, a monthlong dance program in Paris and Burgundy, sponsored by Washington University in St. Louis. Sammi has also joined an a cappella group, Williams Street Mix, and mom Jan wrote to us from New London where she was about to see the group perform. Sammi has been focusing on some education courses, and
over spring break as part of an assignment, spent a day observing at Prestige Academy Charter School in Wilmington and another at Carrie Downie Elementary School in New Castle. Jan kindly added, “I am so grateful every day for all that WFS did to prepare Sammi for these opportunities.” An update from mom Cathy on athletic activities: Kimmy Siegfried is on the equestrian team at the University of Delaware, and Katrina ’07 continues on the freestyle skiing team at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Nate Squire played soccer for the Muhlenberg Mules, winners of the Centennial Conference regular season title. Mom Mary wrote that Nate has “really enjoyed his academic experience at Muhlenberg and he remains focused on becoming a veterinarian.” Nate is participating in a summer program at Tufts University School Of Veterinary Medicine. Mary added, “His enthusiasm for learning was inspired by his experience at Wilmington Friends!” Dad George sent this update: “Andrew Trainor had a great experience playing on the Williams College soccer team (The Ephs!) last fall. The team had an extraordinary season, winning the very tough NESCAC conference (final over Middlebury, 2-1), advancing to the NCAA Div III tournament and winning four straight matches to make it to the Final Four in San Antonio, where they lost to Messiah (1-2) in a valiant effort in the semifinal match. Andrew is looking forward to his upcoming second season on the team.” Vincent White made the Dickinson basketball (Red Devils) team. He played in every game and started four, with a season average of 12 minutes of playing time per game as a freshman. Vince’s parents wrote, “More importantly—okay, equally important—is the fact that Vincent participated in a reading program with a local elementary school in Carlisle that does not have many male role models. Each week Vincent and other members of the team visit the school to read and speak with a small group of fourth and fifth grade students.” One of Vince’s favorite courses is Japanese, and his father suspects he is preparing for a study abroad. Vince was invited to play basketball in the Sonny Hill college developmental league in Philadelphia this summer, and is also, according to his dad, looking forward to “working out with Coach Harman.”
IN MEMORY 1928
Arthur G. “Pete” Craig, Sr., age 99, died on March 28, 2010, in Cape Regional Medical Center, Cape May Court House, NJ. Pete was born and lived in Newport, DE for more than 60 years, retiring to Cape May Point in 1980. He graduated from Wilmington Friends School, the University of Delaware, and the Stonier Graduate School of Banking at Rutgers University. Pete had a distinguished career in banking, retiring as the Vice President of the Wilmington Trust Company in 1975. He served as Mayor and Commissioner for the Town of Newport and was active in civic and church affairs. Pete was predeceased by his daughter, Sandra Craig Dickinson ’55. He is survived by his wife of 73 years, a son, six grandchildren, and 13 great-grandchildren.
1931
Thomas Wilson “Steve” Stephenson passed away peacefully from natural causes on March 17, 2010 at the age of 94. Steve was a retired corporate and education administrator living, at the time of his death, on Sea Island, GA. His career embraced 38 years with the DuPont Company, the last 12 as Director of the Public Affairs Department; staff positions at Harvard, 1939-41, and 1981-86; and at Philip Exeter Academy, 1979-81. He was general secretary of Harvard’s 350th Anniversary Celebration in 1986. In 1990, he was awarded the Harvard Medal for distinguished service to the University. Steve was born in Winston-Salem, N.C.; attended grade schools in Winston-Salem and Raleigh, NC; and was a graduate of Wilmington Friends School ’31, Phillips Exeter Academy ’33, and Harvard AB ’37, MA ’38. He served as a naval officer in the Pacific during World War II. He was active in community affairs, especially in education and medical activities, in Wilmington and Boston, serving as a Trustee of both Massachusetts General and McLean Hospitals in Boston. Steve was married to Elizabeth Hall Forster in Germantown, PA, on May 24, 1941; she died in 2006. They had three children: Ambassador Thomas F. Stephenson ’60 of Atherton, CA, the late Nancy Stephenson Nichols ’62; and Susan Stephenson Gates ’65 of Winston-Salem; eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. In addition to being an alumnus and parent of three alumni, Steve was also a Past Trustee of Wilmington Friends School.
1940
Barbara Ellis Monkman died peacefully on May 15, 2010, at Stonegates Retirement Community in Greenville, DE. Barbara was a lifelong resident of the Wilmington area. She graduated from Friends School and Edgewood Park Junior College. She was active in the Junior League, the Delaware Humane Society, SPCA, Delaware Zoo, and the Dela31
ware Womens’ Golf Association. She was a long-time member of Wilmington Country Club, spending many wonderful days playing golf with her family and friends. She actively promoted junior golf. She is survived by her daughter and son, and by her sister, Nancy Ellis Cowgill ’40 (Bob) of Charleston, SC. She was preceded in death by a son, her parents, and her sister, Kathryn Pike.
1941
Henry E. Vinsinger, Jr., age 86, passed away at home in Newark, DE on April 15, 2010. Henry was a graduate of Wilmington Friends School, Haverford College, and Northwestern University. After serving in the US Navy during World War II, he became a chemist for the DuPont Co., working there for 42 years. He was an avid golfer, enjoyed traveling, especially to Bermuda and Florida, and was a Civil War buff. After retirement, he especially enjoyed spending time with the DuPont Cronies and doing genealogical research. Henry was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Betty, in May 2002. He is survived by his three daughters, eight grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren; a sister-in-law, a niece, a nephew, and his faithful dog, GiGi. Henry was the 1940 recipient of the Bush Award, Wilmington Friends School’s award recognizing “character, scholarship, and service.”
1945
August Thomas Bellanca died on March 16, 2010 in Annapolis, MD. He was born to aviation pioneer Giuseppe Mario Bellanca and his wife Dorothy Brown Bellanca. A Department of Navy Aerospace engineer, independent airplane designer, and inventor, he is remembered most for being one of the first to create an all-composite high performance aircraft, and the patented construction method that simplified the building process. His plane, the “Skyrocket II,” broke five FAI world speed records for a single engine plane, which still hold today. In a career spanning 65 years, he was still working as an Aeronautical Engineer with the U.S. Navy’s Conceptual Design Department. He attended Tower Hill and Wilmington Friends School, the University of Delaware, and received his Bachelors of Aeronautical Engineering from NYU in 1950. Beginning as a teenager in his father’s aircraft factory in New Castle, DE, he went on to work at Douglas, Grumman, and other large aircraft corporations, before starting his own aviation company. He was a member of the Quiet Bird Men (QBs), Sons of Italy, and the Knights of Columbus, and was a pilot and sailboat racer. August is survived by his wife, three children, and two grandsons.
John Sedwick passed away on July 3, 2008 in Suffern, NY. John enjoyed a career as a television director for The Edge of Night, Dark Shadows (1966-68), Santa Barbara, One Life to Live, The Bold & the Beautiful, and other shows. He was nominated five times for Daytime Emmy Awards for directing. In his obituary, his family remembered him as, “Our father, friend, mentor, poet, and pun master. He will be missed.”
1949
Helen Purdy Kunkle died on July 27, 2009. Helen attended Wilmington Friends School, Centenary Junior College, and the University of Delaware, graduating with a degree in Elementary Education. She married Richard Kunkle and they eventually moved to the west coast, living in California, Oregon, and Washington. Helen was a substitute teacher, Girl Scout and Cub Scout leader, and hospital volunteer. She is survived by her husband, three children, and two grandchildren, and was preceded in death by her sister, Ruth Purdy Hawkins ’47.
1951
Edward G. Crum, Jr., 77, of Summit, New Jersey, died on April 28, 2010 after a long illness. Ed worked for New Jersey Bell (now Verizon) for 33 years, starting as a sales representative and retiring in 1988 as assistant vice president-public relations in the company’s Newark headquarters. He was registrar of Calvary Episcopal Church, a member of the church’s Adult Education and Stained Glass Windows committees, president of the Advertising Club of New Jersey, president of the Newark Community School of the Arts, board member of the Summit Speech School, and member of the public relations committee of the Summit Chorale. While residing in Madison, N.J. from 1958 to 1975, Ed was a Sunday School teacher, vestry member, and Boy Scout troop chairman at Grace Episcopal Church, and president of the Madison Republican Club. Ed was a 1951 graduate of Wilmington Friends School and a 1955 graduate of Princeton University. Surviving are: his wife, his mother, his sister Marilyn Crum CooperHarper ’53 of Ruckersville, VA, three children, and two granddaughters. Chick Altmaier, Ed’s classmate and college roommate at Princeton, wrote to Friends with fond memories of Ed upon hearing of his death. Igor Islamoff, age 75, of Johnstown, PA, died on March 26, 2010. He attended Wilmington Friends School and St. James School near Hagerstown, MD, where he graduated in 1951. He then attended Trinity College and Hahnemann Medical College, and interned at Bridgeport Hospital in CT. Igor served in the military from 1962-1964. He retired in 1996 after 35 years as a surgeon. He was a member Summer 2010 • Friends magazine
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IN MEMORY
of the American College of Surgeons. Igor loved his family and friends, and his Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity brothers were lifelong friends. He enjoyed open wheeled car racing, traveling, cooking, and reading. Igor was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, and is survived by his wife and his sister.
1952
Mary Longenecker Frorer passed away on March 9, 2010 after being ill for quite some time with Alzheimer’s Disease. Mary lived at Kendal in Kennett Square, PA, with husband Peter caring for her and keeping her classmates apprised of her condition through Bill Quillen. An article in the January 1989 Swarthmore alumni magazine states, “She admits to being an anomaly to the typical female of he 1950s. Married at 19, she took off at the end of her sophomore year to spend time with her husband, then in the Coast Guard, in Kodiak, Alaska.” Mary loved academics and intellectual stimulation, earning degrees in history, library science, and metaphysics, leading to occupations as a librarian at the Free Library of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and eventually as an astrologer and lecturer on metaphysics. In addition to her husband, Mary is survived by her brother, Franklin “Pete” Longenecker III ’57, and three children.
1953
Henry Bailey Lester, Jr., age 74, of Lewes, DE, died on Saturday, March 20, 2010, in Sarasota, FL. Bailey was a graduate of the Wilmington Friends School and Goldey Beacom School of Business. After serving in the US Army in Germany, Bailey returned home and met and married his wife of 51 years, Joan Ann Romano. A respected and successful businessman, Bailey was a partner in his family’s lumber business, Lester Lumber and Home Center, in St. Georges. In later years, he worked for the New Castle County and Delaware State Chambers of Commerce. Bailey served on the Board of Directors of the Delaware City Building and Loan Association and on the Advisory Board of the Bank of Delaware. His volunteer positions included serving on the Board of Trustees for both St. Georges U.M. Church and Bethel U.M. Church of Lewes, Chairman of the Parks and Recreation Commission for the City of Lewes, and delivering Meals on Wheels. Bailey loved spending time with his family especially on camping trips, sharing his passion for nature and the outdoors. His many travels included two cross country camping adventures and seeing every state in the US. He will be greatly missed by his loving wife, two daughters, son, five grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother.
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Summer 2010 • Friends magazine
1954
We learned belatedly that Jack Deitch passed away in January 2007. Jack was living in Woodbury, N.Y. He was a clinical professor of radiology at the SUNY Stony Brook Health Science Center and was the chief of diagnostic radiology until he retired in 1999. Jack is survived by his wife Toby, three sons, and eight grandchildren.
1957
Nancy Malin, a feisty, funny lady, died on Monday, April 12, 2010, after a long struggle with lupus. Nancy graduated from Wilmington Friends in 1957. She worked for a time for the General Electric Company, then launched a successful career as a real estate broker. As her illness grew worse, however, she was forced to retire in 1993. A longtime member of the Newtown Historical Society, Nancy was also a boating enthusiast and an avid sports fan, following closely the fortunes (and misfortunes) of her beloved Eagles. In school, she played several sports, excelling in basketball, in which, despite her diminutive size, she was a proficient shot maker. Always ready with a joke and a laugh, Nancy was a favorite wherever she went. When things started to get really tough for her, her Friends School classmates honored her by establishing a fund, which served to assist with her extraordinary expenses. They have since made a generous gift to the school in memory of Nancy that will be applied to the purchase of a kiln for the Lower School arts program. Nancy’s friends from the Class of 1957 are sure that Heaven is having quite a time now that Nancy’s there. Upon arrival at the Gate they suspect that she broke from the line and, as she had done on graduation day, cried out, “I did it!” (From a tribute written by Lynne Autman Erbach for Nancy’s memorial service)
1958
Judith Gaumer Hutton, age 69, died on Thursday, February 25, 2010 at Maris Grove, Glen Mills, PA. Judy absolutely loved children and majored in early childhood development at Stephens College in Columbia, MO. After college, Judy worked as a nurse’s aide in the pediatric department of Wilmington Hospital and as a teaching assistant at the Wilmington Montessori School. Judy was very active with her two sons; organizing playgroups, helping with school activities and fundraisers, carpooling, and attending many sporting events. When the University of Delaware started an adult day-care center, Judy became an active volunteer for a number of years. Judy’s other interests included cooking and painting. She also played the piano and organ. She was a member of the PEO Sisterhood and a charter member of its Delaware Chapter G. Survivors include her husband of 44 years, two sons, a brother, Dr. Richard Gaumer ’60 (Susan) of New Orleans, LA; two step-brothers, including Edward McGovern ’60 (Cindy) of
Pleasanton, CA; and two step-sisters, Alice McGovern Doering ’57 (Al) of Wayne, PA and Susan McGovern Herndon ’53 (Roy) of Santa Ana, CA. Judy was predeceased by her mother, Elizabeth Gaumer McGovern, a past faculty member at Friends.
1974
James W. Ryan of Wilmington, DE, died of cancer on Saturday, February 27, 2010, at the age of 54. A graduate of Wilmington Friends School and Brown University, he held a master’s degree in labor relations and industrial management from Michigan State University. Bob Tattersall recalled Jim coming to Friends in his senior year from St. Andrew’s, where both of his parents worked. Jim joined the football team and was, as Coach T recounted, a vital contributor to the undefeated 1973 season.
1980
Deborah Stargatt Feldman passed away on March 9, 2010, at Bryn Mawr Hospital after a courageous battle with lung cancer. She was 48 years old. Born in Wilmington, Debbie was a graduate of Friends School, George Washington University, and Widener Law School. She was a member of the Pennsylvania Bar. Debbie’s life centered on her husband, George, and their children. She is also survived by her father and mother, Bruce and Barbara Stargatt, her sister, her brother Dan Stargatt and his wife Kim, a sister-in-law, and her nephews and nieces, including Jake Stargatt ’04 and Sydney Stargatt ’07.
Former Faculty and Staff
David H. MacKelcan, age 57, on April 26, 2010 following a brief illness. A teacher at Friends before a career as an IT Project Manager in the banking industry. Member of Kennett Friends Meeting. Survivors include his wife Laura, children Rachel ’14 and Davis ’18, four siblings and much loved nieces and nephews. Martha Crane Lyon, age 90, on September 23, 2009. Lower school librarian at Friends for more than 20 years. Her husband died in December 2009. Survivors include son Richard of TX and daughter Evelyn Brownlee of Wilmington; four grandchildren, including Erin Brownlee Dell ’89 (Kyle) of Greensboro, NC, and Anne Brownlee ’94 of Boston; and four great-grandchildren. Sarah S. Wright, age 36, on April 23, 2010, after a courageous eight-year battle with acute lyphocytic leukemia. Former Spanish teacher at Friends. Head of School Bryan Garman wrote of Sarah, “She was an extraordinary colleague and beloved teacher whose life continues to be an inspiration to us all.” (See also “In Closing.”)
IN CLOSING
A Thousand Cranes When teacher Sarah Wright was in treatment for leukemia (see “In Memory”), upper school students folded 1,000 origami paper cranes for her. The thousand crane tradition comes from Japan, where a legend promises that anyone who folds 1,000 origami cranes will be granted a wish, such as long life, prosperity, happiness in marriage, or recovery from an illness. The origami crane tradition evolved into a symbol of world peace through the story of Sadako Sasaki, a Japanese girl who worked to fold 1,000 cranes as a way to battle her leukemia, a result of radiation from the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. At Japanese temples where eternal flames burn as a symbol of prayer for world peace, visitors—and especially school groups—often leave Senbazuru, the 1,000 cranes held together by string, to add to the prayer. The custom also developed of giving Senbazuru to cancer patients, or displaying them as memorials. Sarah Wright’s 1,000 cranes were strung together by members of the Monari and Horikawa/ Wenigmann families, and now hang in the middle/upper school library at Friends.
The thousand crane tradition comes from Japan, where a legend promises that anyone who folds 1,000 origami cranes will be granted a wish. The cranes became a symbol of peace through the story told in Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes.
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Celebrate With Friends Homecoming 2010 Thursday, October 21 – Saturday, October 23 Please remember our Homecoming Service Project on Saturday, and bring an item to help us “fill a truck” with donations for the Ministry of Caring. Any questions, email alumni@wilmingtonfriends.org, or call 302.576.2975.
Amanya Maloba and Allie Frosina, Class of 2010