text:
m a g a z i n e
THE Greer
10 / Reference Point 24 / Dovetail'd 34
Tête-à-Tête with Gilbert M. Grosvenor '49 / In Memoriam 94 / Word Search 96
44 / First Person: Barry Knowlton '80 90
Comments 3 / Along Albany Road 4 / The Common Room 40 /
Time—that quirky, precious commodity we all share. Once in a while there's too much of it; usually, there's too little ( just ask any member of the Class of 2014). We spend it, we save it, we frequently wish we had more . . . As spring term ticks toward Commencement, there's a feeling on campus that time is speeding up: Freshmen are amazed to discover that they aren't freshman anymore; sophomores are already contemplating the rigors of junior year; juniors will soon claim School Meeting as their own; and the senior class is savoring every last minute. This issue of Deerfield Magazine features people who have devoted millions of minutes to the Academy—from longtime faculty members who are moving on to the next chapter of their lives, to a Board president who has dedicated a much greater portion of his time to the school than one might fairly expect. "Reference Point," which begins on page 24, features the Boyden Library, an institution in and of itself that has stood the test of time and is being readied for the next century. "Dovetail'd," found on page 34, highlights Michael Cary's and Tom Heise's classes; they have found that taking the time to coordinate their teaching results in deeper, more meaningful learning for students. As always, The Common Room (page 40) is full of interesting news about how you and your fellow alumni are spending your days. Please consider this an invitation to sit awhile with Deerfield Magazine—read an article or two now, pick it up again and peruse another section later. As you know, time with Deerfield is time well spent. ••
—Jessica Day, Managing Editor
Director of Communications
Managing Editor
Support Specialist and Contributing Writer
eCommunications Specialist
Art Director
Production Coordinator and Contributing Writer
David Thiel
Jessica Day
JR Delaney
Danaë DiNicola
Brent M. Hale
Anna Newman
Editorial Office: Deerfield Academy, Deerfield, MA 01342. Telephone: 413-774-1860, email@example.com Publication Office: The Lane Press, Burlington, VT 05402. Third class postage paid at Deerfield, Massachusetts, and additional mailing office. Deerfield Magazine is published in the fall, winter, and spring. Deerfield Academy admits students of any race, color, creed, handicap, sexual orientation, or national origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or available to students at the Academy. The Academy does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, handicap, sexual orientation, or national origin in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship, or any other programs administered by the Academy. Copyright © The Trustees of Deerfield Academy (all rights reserved)
Spring 2014 : Volume 71, No.3
>>> Cover photograph by Brent M. Hale / Inside cover by Stephanie Craig
Someone (actually, I imagine many someones) puts a great deal of thought into the magazine, and I am deeply appreciative. I graduated in '52 . . . Light years ago. And, as I was only at the Academy for one year, it is the selection of articles— 'Features'—that really excite me. I learn something I can use for myself, for my continuing education, in each issue.
Nol Putnam '52 Flint Hill, Virginia
There is much to be admired about Callie Phui-Yen Hoon's paper on the Chernobyl accident in 1986, which appeared in the Winter 2014 edition of the Deerfield Magazine. I can vouch for the overall accuracy of many of her facts about the accident and its effects. However, there are some areas of the paper that warrant comment, based on my experience as an official at the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission who worked on these and related issues from 1988–2007. Numerous times I visited the locations she mentions: the Chernobyl reactor, the towns of Pripyat, Slavutich, and the city of Kiev, and I became acquainted with many of the people, Ukrainian and Russian, who were directly involved with the response to the accident. There are three elements of Ms. Hoon's paper that I would like to address. First, her description of the 'callousness' of the Soviet government in regard to the
accident should be tempered by a recognition of the heroic efforts of many nuclear professionals who risked their lives to control the consequences of the accident. I refer her to the indispensable 1991 book, The Truth About Chernobyl by Grigori Medvedev. Second, she should go to original as well as recent sources for her information on the health effects from the accident. The primary and most recent source is the 2008 study by the UN Scientific Committee on the Effects of Radiation. Its study does not find anything like 4000 'liquidator' deaths, as reported in the 1992 book she used. The UN study found 30 deaths in the weeks after the accident. More than 100 liquidators had radiation injuries; all were still alive as of the date of the study. Ms. Hoon is generally correct about the widespread contamination; it was first detected in Scandinavia. However, contrary to her
report, Kiev was not contaminated, thanks to wind direction. Third, it is a stretch of historical methodology to make direct connection between the specifics of the Chernobyl accident and the sweeping generalizations about the callousness of 20th century Russian Communism. Bureaucratic incompetence is perhaps a more accurate descriptor.
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Gordon Fowler '58 Washington, DC
This is just a quick note to congratulate you on your award-winning Deerfield Magazine and tell you how fantastic we think the new Deerfield website is!
Lee and Ted Jonsson P'16 Greenbrae, California
Use the app. Social feeds. Alumni directory. More.
deerfield.edu/connect Available for Apple or Android devices deerfield.edu
Spring 2014
>>> Photographs by Joseph Delaney
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1/squash court windows 2/West Gym stairwell 3/natatorium tower 4/science center window detail 5/Caswell chandelier 6/library chandelier 7/Dining Hall lobby fixture 8/squash court light
5/ \6
A Campaign Update The yardstick typically used to measure a campaign's progress is dollars raised. For Imagine Deerfield, the Academy's most ambitious fundraising effort to date, that number is $180 million—toward a goal of $200 million. Progress, indeed. But there's another yardstick: participation. From the beginning, it was understood that Imagine Deerfield would succeed only if there was broad participation from the Deerfield family. So far, more than 8400 alumni, parents, and friends have made campaign gifts. Six hundred volunteers have logged numerous hours contacting friends, writing letters, and hosting events. Many in the Class of 2014—who will soon take their ceremonial walk down Albany Road—have already made gifts and pledges. Our tradition of coming together and pitching in has also been reflected in the range of gifts Deerfield has received. Several have been extraordinarily large, ensuring Academy priorities. Thousands more are creating endowed funds, meeting essential capital needs, and providing current-use resources. Over 5000 gifts have been for less than $1000—hundreds of which are under $50—an inspiring testament to the adage that every gift truly counts. The Deerfield community, whose diversity has been expressed in the way gifts are being directed, is generously supporting a new arts center, global opportunities for students and faculty, innovative courses, athletics, professional development, a new dorm, summer science internships, financial aid, and everything else under the Deerfield sun. With just over a year remaining in the campaign, there's much work left to do, many challenges and opportunities to embrace. Only with your enduring support can we build on our momentum and rally together to ensure that Deerfield finishes up strong next year. Thank you for all that you've done, and continue to do, for Deerfield. ••
Libby Murray and her parents, Bradley and Susan
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Measuring Up
Spring 2014
See Deerfield Girls Crew on page 18
Signed on the Proverbial Line Libby Murray '14 Will Head to Michigan Senior Libby Murray kept her eye on the ball throughout the fall and winter, even though her thoughts may have been drawn elsewhere. After an outstanding season in goal for Big Green girls soccer, and a fitting end to her high school basketball career, which concluded with a fourth straight year on the Western New England Girls Basketball League All-Star Team, Miss Murray took time out of her busy schedule to sign a letter of intent from the University of Michigan, where she will join the Wolverines women's crew team. "I entered Deerfield four years ago with the intention of playing basketball in college," Miss Murray said. But then, "I was looking for a sport to compete in during the spring of my freshman year and decided to give crew a try. Well, I tried it and liked it." More importantly, to colleges at least, Miss Murray discovered a real talent for the sport. In addition to Michigan, she had offers from UCLA, Virginia, Princeton, and Yale. ••
Ride along at crew practice: deerfield.edu/lessons
Action in the Physical Plant
Sustainable Steps:
Progress Continues in Implementing Deerfield's Sustainability Plan It was a drizzly Tuesday in early April when sophomores Rachel Yao and Gavin Kennedy began their DAPP (Deerfield Academy Perspectives Program) assignment: They hopped on "cargo bikes" equipped with trailers, and set off across campus to gather empty pizza boxes. At Barton, Harold Smith, and DeNunzio dormitories, Rachel and Gavin checked containers labeled "Pizza Boxes Only" and transferred the contents to their trailers, then headed back to Physical Plant to drop them in the compost hopper. Every week about 100 boxes are rescued from the landfill in this way. "Coming from Shanghai, a city with major pollution and recycling problems," says Rachel, "I just wanted to help out . . . What's the point of complaining if you aren't going to do anything about it? Even if I'm only collecting pizza boxes, it allows everyone to walk around a greener campus." The Academy's Sustainability Action Plan was created to advance the principles everyone agreed upon in the school's Sustainability Mission Statement into actual practices. This spring marks one year since the plan's debut; a 12-month status report was delivered to trustees at their spring meeting, where it was acknowledged that some action items, such as prioritizing fuel efficiency when purchasing new school vehicles, are long-term efforts, but others have already produced visible results—even if they're not apparent to the casual observer. "You wouldn't notice it," says Director of Facilities Chuck Williams, "but thanks to things like changing all the shower heads in the gym, we're approaching our goal of saving a million gallons of water, for example." He adds that his team is committed to making changes that are sustainable: "We are going about this thoughtfully so we can deliver on promises we make," Mr. Williams explains. This includes creating a Climate Action Plan for the Academy, which will define strategies for reducing the school's greenhouse gas emissions. "What we need to make it work is buy in from everybody on campus," Chuck Williams points out. "It's only going to work if we're all committed."••
Campus electricity consumption has been reduced by 20 percent over the last seven years, even while adding approximately 100,000 square feet of conditioned space. Over 1000 windows on campus have been upgraded to high efficiency double-paned models. Washing machines in dormitories have been replaced with high efficiency models. Serve more locally-sourced food in the Dining Hall. The Academy's composting program has been expanded to include pizza boxes and coffee pods. Food waste and paper napkins are composted in the Dining Hall, and all Louis Café to-go containers and utensils are compostable. No more bottled water on campus. During winter term, a co-curricular offered students the opportunity to help grow vegetables in the Academy's greenhouse, which were then served in the Dining Hall. Almost half of the faculty report having taught a course in the previous four years that sometimes or frequently dealt with issues of sustainability. This spring Advanced Placement Environmental Science classes began an environmental impact assessment project of portions of Deerfield's international travel programs. There are now 35 "e-proctors" on campus—students who have leadership roles in dormitory recycling efforts and additional environmental initiatives.
Students at work: Gavin Kennedy and Rachel Yao help with Deerfield's composting program.
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Looking After Norman by Stewart Brown
Spring 2014
>>> Photographs by Joseph Delaney
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>>> Photographs by Joseph Delaney
THE Greer It's business as usual on a Friday afternoon at the Greenwich, Connecticut, home of Board President Philip Greer. His wife, Nancy, has finished cooking a lunch of lentils and salmon and is about to take a walk with grandsons Stone and Leif, sons of daughter Elizabeth Greer Anderson '94. Mr. Greer spent his morning on the phone with trustees on Deerfield's Endowment Committee. Now, he's going through his email. He does a Head of School Margarita Curtis. "That's about a student," he says, scrolling through his inbox, "This is about something with a trustee. This is something to do with the squash courts. This is about a family in Indonesia."
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"The number of hours he puts in for Deerfield is absolutely incredible," says Associate Head of School for Alumni Affairs and Development David Pond. "Nobody is or could be more committed to Deerfield than Phil," agrees Vice President Rodgin Cohen '61, and he should know . . . Mr. Cohen will have some big shoes to fill when he assumes Mr. Greer's role as president over the summer: After an unprecedented four terms on the Board (and the last six years as President) Philip Greer is retiring.
Jim Gipe
search for recent emails from
deerfield.edu 11
Everything that has happened has been a collaboration of different groups. The way I think of myself, I'm good at carrying things out and getting people to work as a team. Collaboration is the story.
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"It has been 21 years," says Head of School Margarita Curtis admiringly. "You know, Phil once told me that in terms of his priorities, first, obviously, is his family, and then comes Deerfield." Back on the couch, Mr. Greer is still going through recent emails from Dr. Curtis: "This is a proposal to someone for money to endow a chair." He looks up from his iPad and smiles. "I look forward to these emails, by the way. I look forward to engaging in them." Look around the Academy . . . the Greer Store, the diverse student population—these are just a couple things that Philip Greer has had a hand in, but it's no exaggeration to say that Mr. Greer's skillful leadership and remarkable fundraising have played a role in every major step Deerfield has taken over the past couple of decades. Mr. Greer sees his accomplishments differently: "Everything that has happened has been a collaboration of different groups. The way I think of myself, I'm good at carrying things out and getting people to work as a team. Collaboration is the story." That story begins at the top, with Margarita Curtis. As a member of the head of school search committee in 2006, Mr. Greer made what was then seen as the more controversial choice to back Dr. Curtis, who would be Deerfield's first woman head of school, as a candidate.
"What he saw was the potential for an extraordinary leader," says Mr. Cohen, "and he pushed quite hard for her." Past parent and current Trustee Diana Strandberg agrees: "She has been a terrific head of school, and Phil had that vision about what Deerfield could be and who we needed in terms of preserving tradition but taking us forward, too." After leading the Academy together for six years, the relationship between Mr. Greer and Dr. Curtis is grounded in a shared commitment to the school. "Obviously Phil is my boss," Dr. Curtis says, "and I couldn't ask for somebody who is more supportive, on the one hand, but also respectful of my decisions and of my preferences." She says Mr. Greer's incredible accessibility— "he has never said, 'Margarita, I'm too busy'"— and his extraordinary listening skills are part of what has made him an excellent mentor. And yet Mr. Greer claims that he wasn't always presidential material. "If [someone suggested to] Mr. Boyden or my classmates that Philip Greer, Class of '53, was going to be president of this Board for six years, they would've laughed!" he says. Albeit a top student during his Deerfield days, Mr. Greer describes himself as otherwise "undistinguished," and even admits that his Deerfield years were not his happiest. Still, those four years had a lasting effect.
Photographs courtesy of Mr. Greer
"The thing I remember about Deerfield, which everyone remembers about Deerfield, are the teachers—maybe no one more than Mr. and Mrs. Boyden. They played a big role in my personal life. I was often homesick. Mrs. Boyden would appear in my room and say, 'Why don't you come have cookies and milk with the football team tonight?' Of course it was the biggest deal in the world—the football team! And Mr. Boyden at his desk in the center of the school—he would call you out of a crowd as you were walking by and ask you questions about yourself, your studies, your grades —just a very personal interest." Mr. Greer rattles off the names of other influential teachers: Mr. Merriam, Mr. Sullivan, Mr. Reade, Bart Boyden, Mr. Olson, Mr. and Mrs. Suitor. He calls them his "role models for life" who taught him "the idea of integrity. I got my values at Deerfield, and the idea of community service." After Deerfield, Mr. Greer went on to Princeton and then Harvard Business School. As a founding partner at the investment firm Weiss, Peck & Greer, and an early investor and director at Federal Express, Mr. Greer had over 35 years of business success. But even as a busy executive, dividing his time between San Francisco and Greenwich, he found time to give back, serving a combined 65 years on secondary and post-secondary school boards, including Tulane University in New Orleans, where he was chair, and Sacred Heart and Santa Catalina in California. "He had a marvelous opportunity to learn a lot about how these boards work," says Rodgin Cohen, "and, the most important thing of all, how to interact with people . . . and he learned those lessons extraordinarily well." Perhaps taking a page from the Boydens' playbook, when Mr. Greer became Deerfield's president of the Board, his focus was on empowering the people serving with him. "Phil really took the Board forward from an organizational point of view," says Dr. Curtis. Mr. Greer cut down on committee reports so as to leave more time to discuss generative subjects at Board meetings. He also changed the committee structure, creating smaller committees but at the same time granting them more authority. As a result, says Ms. Strandberg, "it keeps everyone more engaged because you can really see the impact of your contribution and your effort."
I've done well in business and I really feel a lot of it is owed to Deerfield, so I have to give back. If you believe that, I think it makes fundraising a lot easier.
Mr. Greer in his WPG San Francisco office. / Early partners / With Fred Smith at the delivery of the first DC-10 / With WPG partner, Steve Weiss, at a Cornell football game
Deerfield Timeline
Mr. Greer graduates
Mr. Greer begins his
The Greer Store opens on campus
from Deerfield
first term as a trustee
Mr. Greer chairs the faculty-trustee
But more important than what Mr. Greer has done to the Board is who he has brought to it. "Phil invested a lot of time in building the Board," says Dr. Curtis. "He spent a lot of time with each candidate, cultivating them, getting to know them one-on-one. He's been fantastic in terms of building a Board that brings lots of talent and expertise in many different areas, but is also a Board that is committed in terms of time and resources." For former Board President Jeff Louis '81, Mr. Greer was an "elder statesman" and important advisor during his term. "Phil is a superb listener," Mr. Louis says. "It's great to be able to say the right thing and to be able to make the right move, but listening is maybe the most important skill; he's quite easy to talk to. "I think one of the things that he's been best at is leading by example," adds Mr. Louis. "He's been a wonderful contributor to Deerfield, and when you have an example like that who's making the ask, it's pretty hard to say no." Sometimes Mr. Greer's "ask" was a request for time and talent; other times it quite literally involved treasure, and yet again, he led the way. "He always demands of himself," agrees Dr. Curtis. "I've seen him, on more than one occasion, when he really wants to tip the scale in the right direction, say to someone, 'Look, if you'll do this, I'll contribute this much . . .' When people see a Board president so invested, so enthusiastic, and so committed to making a difference, that's infectious." Mr. Greer concurs that the secret to being a good fundraiser is a willingness to give. "I've done well in business and I really feel a lot of it is owed to Deerfield, so I have to give back. If you believe that, I think it makes fundraising a lot easier."
Spring 2014
Then he divulges a second secret: "You know, I really think I'm doing people a favor when I try to get them to give money. The pleasure that I get out of the gifts that I've given, the Greer Store and the Greer Chair (the Greer Family Distinguished Teaching Chair) are good examples— I feel great about those two gifts. I think they've made a difference to Deerfield. So, I really feel that I'm doing you a favor when I ask you for money." In the end, as Trustee John Hess puts it, "The numbers speak for themselves." First, there is the endowment. Shortly after Mr. Greer became Board president in 2008, Deerfield's endowment took a huge hit in the financial crisis, dropping to $255 million, but just five years later, it stood at $472 million, and for the last ten years its return has averaged 8.3 percent. That's the highest performance of all the Eight Schools, (Choate, Hotchkiss, Lawrenceville, Andover, Exeter, Northfield Mount Hermon, St. Paul's, and Deerfield), which average 7.7 percent, and it puts Deerfield's endowment in the top tenth percentile for performance of an endowment its size. In endowment per student, Deerfield ranks fourth among the Eight Schools. And while he's delighted with all this for obvious reasons, one of Mr. Greer's most ambitious projects still focuses on funds that are lacking. An often-overlooked fact is that there is a $30,000 gap between the price of full tuition and what it actually costs to educate each student at Deerfield, so to help remedy the situation, Mr. Greer devised the "Gap Campaign." "Phil took it upon himself to explain to people that we are subsidizing everyone," says Dr. Curtis. "He's always being creative in thinking about how we can support the school." Again, the results
Deerfield Academy Archives
Committee to Study Coeducation
Mr. Greer's daughter
Mr. Greer is one of
Mr. Greer is elected
The endowment
graduates from Deerfield
six trustees on the Head of
Board president
reaches an all-time
School Search Committee
David Thiel; Jim Gipe
speak for themselves: Over the past two-and-a half years, the Gap Campaign has raised roughly $4.3 million from parents. Then there is Imagine Deerfield, which Mr. Greer chaired in its first year. So far, the campaign has raised $175 million, and is on track to raise $200 million. It's worth noting that nearly 20 percent of all the major gifts to Imagine Deerfield have come from Asia. This huge rise in contributions from that part of the world can largely be attributed to Mr. Greer's vision—with, he is quick to point out, the help of David Pond, Dr. Curtis, Trustees Tay Cho and Stanford Kuo, parents, and alumni in Asia. Mr. Greer has long known the value of a global perspective. He has been raising money in Europe for his firm since the 1970s, and watched Federal Express expand across Asia. When he became president of Deerfield's Board, he also became the first president to travel to China on behalf of the Academy. Mr. Greer now makes at least one trip annually, along with Mr. Pond and Dr. Curtis. They meet with prospective students and their families, hold fundraising events, and check in with Deerfield's Asian Council—a group of 14 parents and alumni from five countries— who function as a remote board—another one of Mr. Greer's initiatives.
high of $472 million
"The schedule is packed," says Trustee Stanford Kuo, who frequently travels with Mr. Greer, "and it's all for Deerfield. In Asia, he's not your typical guy from the US, from Greenwich. He knows the nuances, knows what a Chinese family is looking for." Dr. Curtis notes that for many families in China, boarding school is a new concept, but Mr. Greer is able to make a compelling case for Deerfield because "he talks about his personal experience. He can talk about his daughter's experience in '90s, and then he can give pertinent, current information about what it's like to be at Deerfield now, because he has a grandson who graduated last spring and one who is a sophomore." Mr. Greer's tenure hasn't been without challenges. "It's a great thing to lead in good times," says Jeff Louis, "but it's difficult when the financial situation gets tough." Mr. Louis is referring, of course, to the 2008 financial crisis and subsequent endowment troubles. Mr. Greer had led Tulane University through a difficult restructuring post-Hurricane Katrina and knew that Deerfield had to act swiftly. He proposed cuts to the operating budget, placed the Imagine Deerfield campaign on hold, and worked with Dr. Curtis to manage morale.
I admire his integrity and his willingness to do the right thing even when he knows that it's going to ruffle feathers—Dr. Curtis deerfield.edu
Mr. Greer with grandson Nicolas Goss at Commencment 2013
Brent M. Hale
Mr. Greer thinks that Deerfield is at the top of its game right now, but he still sees room for improvement. It's part of what made him a great leader.
Stanford Kuo says that Mr. Greer was an excellent leader when it came to steering the school through the difficult situation, in large part because he didn't go at it alone. "He worked with Margarita, Rodge, and a select group of trustees who had the expertise needed ...He's a strong leader, but at the same time he's a consensus builder. When something needs to be decided, he decides, but he also makes everybody feel comfortable." Another painful crisis arose just last year, when two alumni came forward to accuse former teachers of sexual misconduct. Diana Strandberg remembers meeting with Mr. Greer in her office in San Francisco just after the news broke. "It was like it had happened to a member of his family," she says. "I admire his integrity and his willingness to do the right thing even when he knows that it's going to ruffle feathers, and it's going to be painful for the community," says Dr. Curtis. "I would have been in a difficult position if I had gone to Phil and to Rodge Cohen, who were the two people I consulted with immediately, if either one of them had said, 'Well, you know, Margarita, there's no way we can talk about this.' Instead, I was so impressed by how thoughtful they were in their response." "There wasn't a discussion about 'How do we mitigate the risks for the school,'" explains Ms. Strandberg. "The discussion was entirely about how do we do what's right—how do we find out, first of all, what happened so that we can do what's right for the people who have been affected? How do we make sure that they have what they need to heal?" As a result of Mr. Greer's integrity, Ms. Strandberg says, trustees at other independent schools have told her they hold Deerfield as a model for how to handle situations of sexual abuse. Mr. Greer grows emotional when recalling what he, David Pond, and Dr. Curtis have accomplished together. "We're really quite a team. We travel well together. We have a little fun together. We're all very dedicated to Deerfield . . . I get tears in my eyes when I think about it because I'll miss it." This July, Mr. Greer hands over Deerfield's Board of Trustees to Rodgin Cohen. Both men say the transition will be seamless. "That's one of the ways Phil has been collaborative," explains Mr.
Cohen, "Over the last two years, we've extensively discussed the changes that are being put in place, and he often said, 'I want to make sure that you agree with this, because this is going to be your Board, your school in 2014.'" As for Mr. Greer, he acknowledges that he will have "a big hole " in his life come July. He plans to spend more time with his family—particularly his five grandchildren—and to be a little more involved with his family's investment firm, Greer Anderson Capital. And, while he firmly states that he is more than ready to step aside as president, he is quick to say he hopes to complete outstanding fundraising projects. It's a lesson learned from Mr. Boyden: "'Finish up strong.' I've never forgotten that, in any part of my business or personal life," Mr. Greer says. Mr. Greer thinks that Deerfield is at the top of its game right now, but he still sees room for improvement. It's part of what made him a great leader. "The best institutions are the ones always grappling with their own growth," says Dr. Curtis. "So I love people like Phil who always want to push the institution to be the best it can be." In turn, Mr. Greer admires the Head's focus on professional development for the faculty— "keeping the faculty vibrant, and progressive, and learning is absolutely critical," he says. And he hopes Deerfield will remain committed to a diverse body of well-rounded students, and to turning out graduates with the desire to serve beyond themselves—graduates like Phil Greer. "People know that my mantra is: You need to learn to do well so you can do good," says Dr. Curtis, "And that's what Phil has done. He models the values that we talk about at Deerfield, and he's an example of someone who has taken the Academy's motto to heart: Be worthy of your heritage." For this and all other achievements, Mr. Greer deflects praise. The endowment? "That's a collaborative effort, that's not one person." Imagine Deerfield? "That's a great example of collaboration." The initiative in Asia? "Classic collaboration." He goes on: "Coeducation, the Head search, the financial crisis, the Gap Campaign—everything I'm proud of that's happened at Deerfield was done with a few other people. Nothing at Deerfield happens because of one person." ••
Julia Elliott produces documentary films and videos for nonprofits. Her short stories have been published in Bellingham Review, Defying Gravity: Fiction by DC Area Women, and Boulevard, where she won the Short Fiction Contest for Emerging Writers. She lives in Washington, DC, with her husband and two daughters.
TIGHTENING THE OARLOCK Whether you're the skipper of a Carnival Cruise ship heading toward your next port of call or a coxswain staring at the finish line on Lake Quinsigamond, there's one nautical phrase you never want to hear: "Dead in the water." Although it proved to be merely a momentary stop—as the problem was quickly found and fixed—it was a costly one for the Big Green girls' first boat during last spring's New England Interscholastic Rowing Association Championships. "It was heartbreaking," remembers Libby Murray '14, when an oarlock malfunctioned during the 1500-meter semifinal heat, causing an oar to come loose and force the flagship of the Deerfield Academy girls flotilla to come to a screeching halt. The first two finishers in
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"I think the disappointment that heat moved on to the grand "First of all, we should have we felt that day has made us a a pretty strong lineup, espefinale, and a first or second place finish there meant a stronger team," added Collins, cially in the first boat," added possible trip to the Nationals who has been a member of the Murray, who will be doing her in Oak Ridge, TN. "We finished US boat in the Junior World rowing for the University of third," added Murray, "but if Championships for the past Michigan once her prep school we hadn't had that problem, I two years. "I think having gone career has ended. "Three of the really believe we would have through what we did that day four rowers in the first boat made it." . . . considering we were leading return, as Claire, Eileen (Russell) Claire Collins '15, who, along the race when we ran into and I will be back, so all we need with Olivia Shehan '14 and trouble . . . has made us a much is another rower and a coxswain Murray, serve as tri-captains more dedicated team and now and we should be set to go." of this year's team, and who that a new season is upon Four veterans return from was a member of that ill-fated us, we're eager to show what last year's second boat, as the crew, was optimistic about her we feel we're capable of doing." first two boats in the Deerfield boat's chances as well. "Looking "I'm really excited about this boathouse are considered the back, I feel very confident we season and can't wait to get varsity boats. This second boat would have made it to the finals," started," said Murray, who has finds Ceci Swenson '16, Katie said Collins, "and quite possibly been a part of the US entry in Livingston '15, Sydney O'Connor qualified for the Nationals. After the World Development Program '14, and Shehan back in the fold. all, we were the second-seeded for the past two years, which Other veterans looking for a team in a 17-team field, so all puts her one step away from place to sit this season include we had to do was finish where competing at the Junior World Liz Koris '14, who spent last we started. Championships alongside Collins. summer at rowing camps and
By Bob York
Brent M. Hale & Joseph Delaney
2014 Girls Crew
provides the brainpower. The cox coordinates the power and the rhythm of the rowers and makes all necessary tactical decisions. In addition, she is called upon to perform an important physical maneuver during the race: hold the rudder and steer the boat. It's an important position, but it's one that Goldenberg is quite sure will be resolved. The Deerfield mentor is optimistic about filling the vacancy in the first boat, because she will open the season with three coxswains who saw duty last spring. That trio includes Garem Noh '15, Liz Klink '16, and Maddie Moon '16, and according to Goldenberg, both Klink and Moon were novices
last year, but one of them will make the step up to the varsity level this year. The team also got two new boats this spring. "Just the thought of having the opportunity to compete in a brand new boat can't help but get you fired up. Getting to compete in a new boat for my senior year . . . it's just awesome," said Murray. Collins, meanwhile, is getting her anxiety for "Rollin' on The River," from another direction. She wants to see a continuation of the never-say-die attitude she witnessed from her teammates at the NEIRA regatta. "When we had that equipment malfunction, we could have called it quits," said Collins, who has quite an array of colleges seeking
her services, including Stanford, Berkeley, UVA, Princeton, Yale, and Brown, "but no one on that boat did. After we realized what was wrong and fixed it to the best of our ability, we got right back in the race. In fact, we went from dead last to overtaking the third-place boat and our bow was about equal to the stern of the second-place boat when we hit the finish line. If we'd had just a few hundred more meters, I know we would have beaten them, too. "I'm really proud of my teammates and how they hung in there and never gave up," said Collins. "We all learned a great deal about ourselves that day and I think we can put that kind of attitude to good use this season."••
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this past winter working out in an effort to speed up whatever boat she fits into. Others carrying oars once again are Elena Jones '14, Alex Patrylak '15, Genevieve Gresser '15, Gwenyth Hochhauser '16, and Victoria Castellano-Wood '16. "We expect these girls to really help us get faster all through the boats," said Big Green Coach Eve Goldenberg, who spent one week of her spring break putting her charges through their preseason training drills on Melton Hill Lake in Oak Ridge, TN. While four rowers provide each boat's horsepower, it's the coxswain—the lone member of the team who's positioned to see where she's going—who
right: Boat 1. Practice / CT River
deerfield.edu 19
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"Why don't you look at my boarding school?" Robert Moorhead was asked by one of his art students at Union College in Schenectady, NY. He had never heard of Deerfield, but as a young art instructor armed with a BFA and an MFA from Carnegie-Mellon University, he was interested in finding a position where he could teach a variety of art classes and work closely with students. Robert and his wife, Andrea, traveled to Deerfield, where Robert met with then Dean of Faculty Judd Blain. He was offered a position, and the couple settled in to life in Scaife Dormitory. "I thought, 'Why not try it?'" Robert recalls. "I figured I would do the job for a year or so and see if I could teach high school kids." That was back in 1976, when Jimmy Carter was running for President against Gerald Ford. Since that time, the Moorheads have become among Deerfield's longest-tenured teachers. Andrea, initially a faculty spouse, was hired in January of 1977. One Latin class was "rambunctious," so Headmaster David Pynchon offered her a job to work with a handful of the boys from that class. She taught Latin until 1990, and then added French a few years later, ultimately dropping Latin to become a fulltime French instructor. Robert has taught architecture, design, Advanced Placement two-dimensional design, videography, calligraphy, stone carving, digital media, and graphic design to generations of Deerfield students. Andrea describes their early Deerfield years as "baptism by fire." For nine years in Scaife, they supervised 16 juniors, seniors, and post-graduates from their second floor apartment and enjoyed a "complete lack of privacy!" But the arrangement had its benefits. "It allowed us to know the kids better," says Andrea. "You're seeing a tremendous part of what goes on—what the kids are going through." Robert found the richness of the interactions with students refreshing. He had been criticized in a previous job for spending too much time with students. At Deerfield, he had the opportunity to be in the classroom with students while they were working. "I love the excitement that the students bring to their work," he says.
Spring 2014
By Lynn Horowitch
Brent M. Hale
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Robert is a painter who has affiliated "The younger students are so creative. record of Deerfield's first 200 years, Robert I want to help them keep that creativity." would lay out a page and tell Andrea exactly with galleries in New York City and For Andrea, a central part of her approach how much to write—300 words, a column Williamstown, MA. His works have been exhibited in one-man shows throughout involves listening. "You have to constantly and a half, etc.—on a particular topic. adjust to the kids you have. Your job is to Over the decades, the Moorheads have the Northeast. He also does freelance take kids and give them the mental space worked for four different heads of school. graphic design work; Robert served on the and the physical time to develop." She sees They have watched Deerfield expand and board of the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial a challenge in providing her students with also, of course, witnessed the Academy's Association and designed two books pro the "confidence to take off." She explains, return to coeducation. Andrea was initially bono for the PVMA. The Moorheads have also pooled their "They need time to fail and to flop—to one of only five or six women on the faculty. explore their creativity . . ." "It was an old boy culture," she says. Then skills. In 1972, they created Osiris, an In their 37 plus years at Deerfield, they coeducation "was a shot in the arm," as international poetry magazine, published both have taken on multiple administrative the first few girls to come through Deerfield twice each year and now on its 78th issue. and extra-curricular roles. Robert chaired "were screened until they could pass through The magazine presents poetry in English, the Visual and Performing Arts Department the tiniest sieve." Introducing girls helped French, Italian, German, and more. Robert for a total of 13 years. He served as curator "shake the school loose and move it into a designs the spreads; Andrea edits the works. A recent reviewer on Amazon noted that of fine arts at Deerfield from 1977 until dynamic mode." 1999, and as director of the Russell Gallery Both observe that the student body has "The editors, the Moorheads, clearly have from 1990 until 1999. Robert also chaired changed, but agree that the main cause of a great dedication for poetry." When their retirement officially begins freshman admissions in the early 1980s. the shift has been less about coeducation He holds the J. Clement Schuler Chair in and more about cultural influences. Robert this summer, the Moorheads plan to the Arts. Andrea chaired the Langauage notes that students worry more about the remain in Franklin County and have Department in the late 1980s, and she future, while Andrea says that students purchased a house in nearby Greenfield. holds the Senior Murphy Chair in Language. today are more risk-averse, more conser- Their new home has a place for Andrea, She also serves as Deerfield's poet in vative in their approach. About her early an avid gardener, to work the soil, as well residence, initially appointed by Eric days of teaching, she recalls, "It was a more as space for her to continue with her writing Widmer, headmaster from 1994 to 2006. carefree, creative time for students. Boys and for Robert to continue with his design The Moorheads' talents and vision have would take challenges and risks." work and painting. One beneficial effect that Andrea sees also been instrumental in the creation and Reflecting on the decision to come to direction of some of Deerfield's published from the proliferation of technology is Deerfield and recalling his initial uncerworks. During Eric Widmer's tenure, they that students today are much more aware tainty about whether he could teach high co-founded the Deerfield Academy Press, of the world in general. "The hypercon- school students, Robert sums up the which publishes an annual compendium nectivity means that they are acutely aware experience of two successful careers: of student writing, The Little Brown House that the world is not just Pocumtuck Valley." "It turned out to be just fine." •• Review, designed by Robert and edited by While their teaching and additional Andrea. Each year they also design and roles have been time-consuming, the edit The Buttonball Papers, which showcases Moorheads have pursued outside interests student work in the arts and humanities. and avocations throughout their tenures. They were the yearbook advisors in the Andrea is an accomplished writer and poet 1980s and currently serve as advisors to in both French and English. She writes the school's literary journal, Albany Road. every day, and her ninth book of French They collaborated on a pictorial history poetry, Geocide, was published in the fall of Deerfield in honor of the school's of 2013. She has published three collections Bicentennial; Robert designed Deerfield of English poetry, and her work has 1797-1997, while Andrea wrote and edited appeared in many American and European the book. Their proximity as husband and periodicals, including The Sewanee Review, wife helped that project meet its deadline: New Directions 42, and the Norton Anthology As they scrambled to finish the beautiful of World Masterpieces.
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SHOW INSIDE YOUR THE WORK STUDIO THE CLASS: Visual Design with Robert Moorhead
Robert Moorhead
Spring 2014
Peter Nilsson
Xiaofeng Kelly, Murphy Schoolmaster's Chair in Language
You already like the idea of Deerfield—the academic rigor, the engaged faculty, the good kids—and can imagine yourself teaching here. But when Head of School Eric Widmer spends the first ten minutes of your interview conversing in Chinese, with a distinct Beijing accent, you're really impressed. The job is to teach every level of Chinese (since you'll be the only Chinese language teacher at Deerfield), expand the program, organize summer travel trips, and coach track. You are offered the position, and you accept it. Soon, your other boss, Dean of Faculty Rich Bonanno, mentions that he's always wanted to learn Chinese, and asks permission to audit your class. (In time, other colleagues will do the same.) Not wanting to intrude, Rich assimilates, quietly progressing. You could almost forget that he's in the room, but for this: He's one of your best students; his hard work inspires his classmates. In the four years he spends in class, he is absent only twice: once for a medical appointment; once to meet with the Board of Trustees. Otherwise, he does his homework, takes his quizzes, and finds a seat alongside fellow students in the West Gym on exam day. An implausible tale perhaps, but this is Deerfield, after all, and the teacher is Xiaofeng Kelly, holder of the Murphy Schoolmaster's Chair in Language, an honor established with a gift from Thomas W. Murphy Jr. '37. "I was excited by the opportunity to teach at Deerfield and by the chance to take a small program and grow it from the ground up," says Xiaofeng, who started with 17 students in 2000, her first year on campus. "There are now 96 in the program, and we offer six levels of Chinese as well as a student summer trip to China." "We are so fortunate to have Xiaofeng leading our Chinese program," says Head of School Margarita Curtis. "She is highly skilled with many years of experience, and exhibits all the attributes of a strong language teacher. She's meticulous, thorough, and disciplined. She is also perennially upbeat, warm, caring, and completely committed to motivating students and faculty to learn about China." Xiaofeng grew up in Yinchuan, a city in the northwest. After graduating from Ningxia University, she taught at Beijing Polytechnic University for eight years, where she received the school's outstanding teacher award. "In 1992, through an exchange
By Rob Morgan
along albany road
All in the Family
program, I was invited to teach at the University of Maine, in Farmington. The following year, I taught at Colby College. And then from 1996 to 2000 I taught Chinese at Northfield Mount Hermon, before coming to DA." Xiaofeng's parents were teachers, and in their footsteps, she gladly followed. "I am in my element here," she says, speaking of the teaching life. Her sister, Cindy, took a different route to the classroom. For 15 years, Cindy worked as an engineer at Ford Motor Company before joining Xiaofeng on the Deerfield faculty. Together, these sisters are the Chinese language program at Deerfield, as Xiaofeng explains: "I teach Chinese 2, 4, and 6. Cindy teaches levels 1, 3, and 5, and we alternate leading the summer trips." Every year, up to 22 students head to China. "During the first two weeks there is a home stay and schooling in Beijing. The final two weeks we travel throughout the country: the Great Wall; the Gobi Desert; the Terracotta Warriors; a gondola ride to 13,000 feet to visit a Himalayan mountain; and, finally, three days in Shanghai." The trips have become an integral part of the program. "The value in having to communicate and navigate in a foreign land is immeasurable, and there is no better classroom for learning a language than to visit and live in another country," Xiaofeng says. "At a time when China plays an increasingly significant role in the global arena," says Margarita Curtis, "it is essential to have Xiaofeng on our faculty, collaborating with her talented sister, Cindy, in bringing Chinese culture to our campus. They have both added a level of authenticity and insight to the summer trips that would be difficult to achieve without them." Xiaofeng hopes that her students "will realize that although our customs, history, and language can be diverse, we are more alike than we are different. People around the world want the same things: health, peace, comfort, and a belief in their future." Whether in the classroom or navigating in a foreign land, Xiaofeng seeks to inspire students to take chances, to learn through hard work, self-discipline, and commitment. "I believe learning these things will take them far academically, and more importantly, far in life." ••
Ref erence P.oint
Spring 2014
Brent M. Hale
Here's your assignment: Research and write a 5000-word paper, prepare an oral presentation, and design and complete a creative advocacy or service project to share your work with the community. Now here's your topic: Everything.
It's pretty broad, to say the least, but in the second year of the interdisciplinary Global H2O capstone course, students can pick any topic that interests them for their yearlong capstone project, because it isn't so much what their focus is as how they go about exploring it. Their skills in research, presentation, and critical analysis are all on the line. It's a daunting task, one that students can't tackle by themselves. They'll need support from their teachers, they'll need access to in-depth, reliable information resources, and, most importantly, they'll need the Boyden Library. For thousands of years, libraries have served as curators of knowledge—collecting, preserving, and organizing resources, traditionally books. And in the digital age, says Charlotte Patriquin, director of the Boyden Library, "I could argue that the role of libraries has only expanded and the strategies we use to connect users to the information they need have multiplied." As the amount of information available and the number of ways it's accessed are constantly increasing, libraries are being called upon more than ever before to guide their patrons through the overwhelming information landscape that they themselves have journeyed for years.
Defining the Question Overseeing this expansion in the Boyden Library's role is the newly formed Library Research Committee. Co-chaired by Patriquin and Academic Dean Peter Warsaw, with representatives from academic departments, ITS, academic support,
and the library staff, the committee is engaging in a reflective, iterative process to determine how the Boyden Library can best respond to the challenges of teaching and learning in the 21st century. Over the past year, committee members have visited a number of recommended college and independent school libraries, and they are weighing these models against feedback from Deerfield faculty and students about current and desired library usage. "We wanted to establish what a 21st century library in the world could be before we tried to answer the big question: What should a 21st century library at Deerfield be?" says Warsaw. What emerged from the process is an understanding that the Boyden Library of the future must be closely connected to the Deerfield classroom of the future. "Ideally, the vision of the library should be driven by our curriculum," says English department chair and committee member Mark Ott. "As we think about what is a 21st century curriculum, we would want it to match a 21st century library."
Primary Sources A critical piece of Deerfield's 21st century curriculum may be more capstone courses, such as Global H2O, and the library will take an active role in responding to the demands of these new courses —supporting curricular development, providing space for discussion and study, and ultimately, instilling in students the skill set they need to succeed. "Ideally, the library is a partner with faculty in helping students understand the research process and use information appropriately," says Patriquin.
" Instead of a Google search, the library guides connect students to the best resources and help them to be better researchers," says Tricia Kelly, associate director of the Boyden Library. "We want them to be critical consumers of information."
"What works best is course-integrated research instruction at a point of need. When students need to start working on a research project, that's the point when librarians will partner with faculty to tailor some instruction on doing research in that particular field." In addition to teaching classes and offering one-on-one reference help, librarians meet students where they already spend much of their time—online—with an array of online research guides, or "LibGuides," that help students follow the research process to identify good sources for their topics. The research guides curate the large amount of resources to which the library has access, pointing students toward the reference sources and databases that will be the most pertinent to their research topics, and explaining how to conduct good searches for books, articles, and other materials, and then how to organize and cite their sources. "Instead of a Google search, the library guides connect students to the best resources and help them to be better researchers," says Tricia Kelly, associate director of the Boyden Library. "We want them to be critical consumers of information."
Spring 2014
"The success of the LibGuides comes from a team effort between the librarians, the faculty, and even the students," explains Janet Eckert, reference and instruction librarian. Librarians work closely with faculty to develop research guides to support specific courses and assignments, and faculty are able to provide feedback— and in some cases make edits themselves. Students, by responding to the information presented and asking questions, help to improve the resources. Deerfield's research guides are paired with NoodleTools, an online research support tool that allows students to use electronic notecards to organize the information they've gathered and share their work with their teachers. On the surface, NoodleTools helps students create an outline and a bibliography, but in the process, the students are learning how to analyze their research, make connections, and use information appropriately. This gets at the heart of Deerfield's library instruction—it's less about the product and more about the process. When students follow the research process over and over again, they develop learning strategies that enable them to become self-reliant researchers, scholars, and thinkers. "Research is not a straight line," adds Kelly. "We want students to know that it's okay if they run into stumbling blocks. This can make them think in a different way. It makes the students more resilient." The journey of intellectual discovery that unfolds over the process of doing research cannot be replicated in an app or Google search. It requires a deeper dive into a well of information, where students have to rely on skills that are becoming increasingly important in the 21st century—information literacy, organization, and critical thinking. These are lifelong skills, says Patriquin, "skills that they will use in college, skills that they will use throughout their lives." This focus on lifelong skills is key in determining the future direction of the Boyden Library. "Even though the library serves the students, it also has to lead the students," says Ott. "We can't just shape our library to what the students need now. We need to lead the students to what we think they'll need in the future."
RESEARCH SKILLS Clarify expectations - Be clear about expectations: length, purpose and tone, personal opinion vs. research, overview vs. focus, primary vs. secondary sources, currency of material, format, especially bibliography and footnotes. Define the topic - Determine what to research and the breath of the research, guided by expectations. Pick something that interests you. Develop a list of questions that you need to answer or topics that you want to know more about and a list of key words for searching.
Begin with subject LibGuides - Research guides (LibGuides) help you to quickly identify the most relevant and credible sources. Document sources - Record identifying information the first time you consult a source in MLA Format using Noodle Bib (citation management tool) and create online notecards or use numbered index cards for bibliographic information or notes. Record exact quotations.
Preliminary research - Start with general information in print and online secondary or tertiary sources—encyclopedias & dictionaries, subject databases—in order to become familiar with the topic and identify important concepts, vocabulary, dates, and names that you will need to search for specialized information in primary sources or general databases. Identify & list as many key words that define your subject as possible; different sources use different terminology.
Refine the topic - From your preliminary research determine: Is there enough information? Too much? Is the focus too broad? Too narrow? Have you discovered better questions or topics? Find the best sources - Determine relevancy; do not waste time with material that is off topic. Relate the sources to your subtopics, key words or questions. Know how to identify credible sources. Use the information provided on LibGuides: Evaluate Web Resources.
Assess results - Before you start to write, evaluate your information. Will you meet the stated expectations of the assignment? Have you answered the required questions? Is all the information relevant to the topic? Are all your citations complete and are quotes accurate and credited?
The success of the LibGuides comes from a team effort between the librarians, the faculty, and even the students,� explains Janet Eckert, reference and instruction librarian. Librarians work closely with faculty to develop research guides to support specific courses and assignments, and faculty are able to provide feedback—and in some cases make edits themselves. Students, by responding to the information presented and asking questions, help to improve the resources.
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Spring 2014
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The library—more than any other space on campus—offers opportunities to encourage connections across disciplines and stimulate learning of all kinds.
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With that goal in mind, the Boyden Library is reevaluating the layout and priorities of its spaces, becoming less a "building for books" than an interdisciplinary, innovative space for learning. The number of classes and students using the library has increased in recent years, observes Patriquin, and more demands are being placed on library spaces, which are already in need of renovation. "We are seeing the need for presentation practice spaces, ideation spaces, all of which require different layouts, different kinds of equipment, and even more space. We're seeing a steady increase in the number of group study rooms needed. We're also seeing the need for more individual, quiet workspaces for students. We need to make sure that we have library spaces that work for an evolving set of curricular expectations." Already the library is experimenting with new layouts and policies to address these needs, informing the work of the Library Research Committee. Reorganizing book ranges in the reference section has opened up space and light on the first floor, and further reorganization planned for the basement level this summer will optimize popular study areas near the windows and create more quiet work spaces. And by keeping the tunnel open between the Koch Center and the library, opening the Louis Café after hours, and removing restrictions on food and drink, the library is drawing students back in the evenings for hours-long study sessions.
These may seem like small changes, but they go a long way towards integrating the library into campus life. "Our number one mission is to try to envision a space that will draw people to it," explains Warsaw. "I think we have the vision that the Boyden Library could be an academic hub for us, especially as we try to become more interdisciplinary. What building on campus would be better for housing interdisciplinary study?" And could the library encourage more faculty professional development? "Where might a teacher go to review a film of a lesson that he or she taught," asks Warsaw, "when they want to sit down with a few colleagues to critique the choices that were made? The library might be the space to get into that kind of faculty professional development, especially if there's going to be interdisciplinary work." The library—more than any other space on campus—offers opportunities to encourage connections across disciplines and stimulate learning of all kinds. The vision that is emerging of the Boyden Library of the future is in many ways a reflection of what it has always been: a space that supports curricular needs while stimulating creativity and learning. Today the library is embracing new technologies and ideas, but even that is in support of its original mission: To prepare students to be lifelong scholars and leaders . . . except now, it's a vision for the 21st century. ••
deerfield.edu 29
Where Do You Summer? by Director of College Advising Mark Spencer Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. - Robert Frost
There are many different types of summer "programs," and all can lead to personal growth, including: Getting a job / Performing arts camps / Athletic camps / Internships / College courses for credit / Enrichment experiences such as architecture or creative writing programs / Global or local community service / Adventure camps that promote leadership / Scientific research
Spring 2014
Thus concludes a well-known poem, and begins the marketing slogan for one of many student summer travel programs. This particular program, appropriately named The Road Less Traveled, touts an extraordinary "life-changing" travel opportunity where, " . . . with others you get to explore humanity, and build deep relationships and an appreciation for our world's vast adventurous scenery and its people." Another program boasts, "Experience the excitement of college life, take college courses with renowned faculty and enjoy an unforgettable, life-changing summer." There are even summer programs for the whole family . . . All of them are making some pretty big promises. And, when Princeton's admission application asks: Please tell us how you have spent the last two summers (or vacations between school years)—students can feel the need to do some pretty over the top things during their time out of the classroom. There's no doubt that summer break offers a window of opportunity that should be used to its fullest, but raising salmon in Yemen to bring a new valuable food source to a desert climate country is not the only valuable summer experience. In the college advising office we think the summer can be a great time for self-exploration. Summer experiences can help students identify what environments they learn best in, how far from home they are comfortable going, and what subjects they are most passionate about. All this information gathering becomes invaluable in the college advising process, as we identify what types of colleges and academic pursuits a student may want to study after high school. Senior Connor McDermott, for instance, who came to Deerfield from New York City, has had two grandparents die of brain-related injuries. In response to these family tragedies, Connor began to consider the brain as a potential area of study, and he found an opportunity with a research team in the Neurological Laboratory for Transitional Brain Tumor and Stem Cell Research at Weill Cornell Medical College. This summer experience allowed Connor to refine his interest to the crossroads of business and neuroscience, and during Connor's college application process he had distinct examples when it was time to answer the almighty "Why this college" and "Why major X"
questions on applications. He ended up writing his early application essay to Brown University, where he will be a freshman this coming fall, about his summer experience in neuroscience research and how it helped to define and refine his interest in the field. Caroline Dye '14 hails from San Diego and has an intrinsic interest in service. She volunteered at a local nursing home and taught Spanish to Deerfieldarea third graders. She took her passion for community service global when she went to Haiti last summer to participate in a trip set in motion a fellow Deerfield senior. Through an organization called Chances for Children, Caroline volunteered at an orphanage in Kenscoff, Haiti. Working with the children of Kenscoff had a profound impact on Caroline, and she, in turn, was making a difference in the lives of the children. Caroline also impressed the Chances for Children administrators, who have offered her a fulltime job with them after she graduates this year! As a result, as Caroline awaits her college decisions she will view her offers of admission within the context of possibly deferring for a year in order to continue her work in Haiti. The road to finding the right summer experience is an individual one, with many factors to be considered, such as: time, location, cost, and content. Here at Deerfield our Director of Global Studies, David Miller, has coordinated summer programs for faculty and students in Colombia, China, and the Dominican Republic. As Mr. Miller would tell you himself, students gain "a greater sense of selfawareness and their place in the larger world and what one person can do to make a difference," when they participate in one of these programs. Working with Mr. Miller and other faculty, the college advising office will continue to support students as they explore themselves and their interests through various summer opportunities. When asked what advice he might give to a Deerfield student looking into a summer program, Connor McDermott said, "Choose what is truly interesting to you and give the program 100 percent —then you will grow as a student." And, that makes all the difference. ••
Martha Lyman was already contemplating a return to the Northeast when her father, a Greenfield (MA) resident, sent her a clipping announcing Deerfield's return to coeducation. She promptly called Headmaster Robert Kaufmann, a former colleague at Harvard, and asked, "Any chance that you have a job for me?" A graudate of Mount Holyoke College, Ms. Lyman earned a master's degree in eduation from Harvard. She spent ten years in Harvard's Admissions Office, in addition to a stint in the public school system in Washington State, and in the end, it turned out that Ms. Lyman was perfect for a position as associate director of College Advising at Deerfield. Ms. Lyman joined the faculty in 1988, the Academy's last year as a boys only school. Forty-plus post-graduates were admitted that year, in order to have spaces for girls the following year, and Ms. Lyman was assigned almost all of them. "It was a great group of guys; I thoroughly enjoyed working with them," she recalls. Ms. Lyman became director of College Advising the following year, excited about adding girls to the mix. As college advisor, she has written hundreds and hundreds of letters of recommendation and served as Deerfield's principal spokesperson in advocating for students in colleges around the country. Ms. Lyman has enjoyed her interactions with students as they navigate the college process. "It's been an opportunity to get to know students at a critical time in their lives," she says, "to help them think about and articulate who they are and who they want to be." Yet, over the years, she has witnessed a change in the college admissions process. "The increased selectivity at the
Ms. Lyman may still be reached at email@example.com
most selective colleges has served to increase anxiety. Students with high ambitions are anxious. Some parents are even more anxious." Ms. Lyman laments that the level of anxiety and consequent early strategizing has ratcheted up so much. "It's interfering with students' ability to enjoy each day for its own sake." Some families want to know "the secret" to gaining admittance to the most selective schools. In her view, the secret is actually simple: "Try new things. Find joy in learning. Gain confidence in being yourself." In addition to leading the college advising team, Ms. Lyman has played an important role in making Deerfield more global. She helped develop the school's relationships with Global Connections and Round Square. The relationships she's built through these organizations and others have brought both students and faculty members, particularly from Africa, to Deerfield, and provided opportunities for Deerfield students and faculty to travel abroad. Over her Deerfield career, Ms. Lyman chaired the Transitional Issues Committee and the Prize Committee. She has served as the convener of the Harassment Panel, as a member of the Academic Affairs Committee, (now the Committee on Professional Life), and as a longtime member of the Admissions Committee. In 2003, she was appointed Associate Head of School. In that capacity Ms. Lyman has represented the Academy on behalf of the Head and hosted numerous international visitors and exchange students. Since 2011, she has chaired the Global Studies Committee, working closely with David Miller, Director of Global Studies. Most recently, she has taken on a new challenge: to develop a summer program for middle school students—set to launch next summer. Beyond Deerfield, Ms. Lyman has served as trustee at The Bement School, and as president of the Abbot Association at Andover. For more than 30 years, she was a member of the US Selection Committee for the United World College Schools. In a letter to the community announcing Ms. Lyman's retirement, Dr. Curtis summed up what she has brought to each of her many roles: "She has consistently displayed a commitment to exacting standards, a high degree of professionalism, and an unfailing dedication to the development of strong character in our students." Dr. Curtis continued, "With wisdom and equanimity, she has encouraged generations of students to stretch beyond the familiar, to approach life with a sense of adventure and curiosity, to develop confidence in embracing challenges. While Ms. Lyman leaves the Academy, she will continue to live in town, and plans to consult with international students interested in attending college in the United States. She also plans to travel new regions of the world—high on her list are Bhutan, Ethiopia, and India. This new phase will allow Ms. Lyman to keep up her favorite part of all of her roles. As she says, "I'm grateful that I've had the chance to grow in so many directions at Deerfield, but the heart of my work here has been the time I've spent with students. I can't think of a career I would have found more fulfilling." ••
When St. Agnes, an all-girls school in Alexandria, VA, was planning to become coed in the early 1990s, it sent a senior teacher and administrator to Deerfield to gather information and tips for the transition. That representative was Suzanne Hannay, chair of St. Agnes' English Department, and a veteran teacher with 13 years of experience at St. Agnes, and nine years in the Fairfax County public schools. Her trip was highly productive, if not for St. Agnes, then for Deerfield and Ms. Hannay. Her meeting with then Dean of Faculty Robert "Skip" Mattoon turned into a job interview that resulted in her relocation to Deerfield and 24 years as a Deerfield English teacher. "Pretty ironic," Ms. Hannay says. Coming to Deerfield from an all-girls' school was a "huge adjustment!" Ms. Hannay was assigned to live in Johnson-Doubleday II, a junior and senior boys' dorm, and while her early attempts at feeds (lemon squares ordered from Neiman Marcus) resulted in food fights, she quickly adjusted. In the classroom, however, Ms. Hannay was immediately right at home. "My approach is always 'what am I going to learn in this class?'" she says. "I am surrounded by colleagues who are masters and experts. I think of myself learning along with my classes." She has mainly taught sophomores and seniors, other than nine years teaching junior English. Several years ago, Ms. Hannay initiated the senior spring elective "Short Shorts" ("you need brevity in the course title if you want students to sign up"). In that class, students read contemporary works while writing, editing, and peer-editing their own four short stories. "I love to teach writing," Ms. Hannay says. "If I can succeed in convincing students they can do it with great satisfaction and pleasure—that is so important." Throughout her Deerfield years, Ms. Hannay has been an active member of the community. In 1993, she initiated The Cambridge Seminar, a program that had been created at St. Agnes in 1980. It provided an opportunity for 15 Deerfield English students to attend lectures at the University of Cambridge during spring break. Ms. Hannay also served as advisor to the Scroll for 22 years and was co-founder of the Little Brown House Review.
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She took her turn as chair of the Committee on ProfessionalLearning, helping to implement the Academy's sabbatical program under Headmaster Eric Widmer. It was during Ms. Hannay's own sabbatical in 2003–2004 that she developed her course "50/50: The Literature and Culture of the 1950s." "I wanted to explore things that I didn't know that well—Jewish writers, black writers, jazz," Ms. Hannay says. "I found a lot of similarities between the period following World War II and the time after 9/11." Ms. Hannay was one of four Deerfield teachers to venture to King's Academy in Madaba, Jordan, in its inaugural year in 2007–2008. "Homework, class participation, doing their laundry—all of it was new to these students," she says. "I had to go back to square one; everything I thought I knew about teaching was totally wrong for them." During that same year, a contingent of students from King's Academy spent time at Deerfield. When they returned, they brought and spread to their classmates a greater understanding of boarding school life. "They'd been to the mother ship," Ms. Hannay laughs. "After that, when the electricity went out—which it did all the time—students would come out of their rooms to study under the emergency lights." In the end, Ms. Hannay wept when she left her students at the end of a year that was "the most frustrating, exhausting, irritating, rewarding experience that I wouldn't give up for all the world!" As part of that experience, Ms. Hannay traveled throughout the Middle East: to Syria twice, Egypt, Cyprus, Santorini, Turkey, and Israel. "It really opened my eyes," she says. Now she encourages all her students to travel and to be sure to interact with native people. "Take local buses," she says. "Sit down next to a goat." She also advocates learning another language well enough "so that you get the jokes." After 46 years of teaching English, Ms. Hannay now plans to "work toward becoming selfish." That entails time to paint, to learn a new language (probably Italian), and to enjoy life on her 150-acre farm in Heath, MA. With no Internet, cell service, or television there, Ms. Hannay also plans to read a lot and to continue to learn. "My whole life is spent learning. I guess that's why my soul is still 24!" she concludes. ••
By Lynn Horowitch
Gabriel Amadeus Cooney
Brent M. Hale
It is a good thing that Wendy Shepherd likes change. As she prepares to retire from her role as director of Information Technology, she leaves a department for which change has been a constant. Ms. Shepherd came to Deerfield in 1998 as part of an expansion of the Academy's technology function; hiring Deerfield's first director of information technology was one of the final parts of a five-year strategic plan developed under headmasters Robert Kaufmann and Eric Widmer. Ms. Shepherd quickly set about building a department and implementing changes. "We began the laptop programs for students and faculty," she says. The department also initiated technology orientation for new students and built Deerfield's first language lab in 1999. "Of course, today it sits empty," Ms. Shepherd notes. "Everything now is digital." That progression, from cutting-edge to obsolete within the span of a few years, goes with the territory. Over the last 16 years, Ms. Shepherd has found a lot to like at the Academy. She appreciates that Deerfield, a place with such a strong history, has always acknowledged that technology also has a role to play. "All along, there's been that commitment that didn't end with the strategic plan of 1993," she says. "The trustees and senior administrators have a commitment to renewing what we have—computers, applications, phones, wireless, projectors, network hardware, etc., while knowing full well that a new technology initiative is just around the corner."
By Lynn Horowitch
In fact, she observes that Deerfield has always been forward-looking when it comes to technology. The Academy bought its first computer system in 1975. In 1983, the school built a computer lab with 16 workstations—a major investment with a central mainframe. Under Ms. Shepherd's leadership, she and her team implemented Deerfield's first Learning Management System, replaced by today's Moodle. The school instituted a laptop requirement, "pretty early on for a secondary school," Ms. Shepherd observes. Her group oversaw other advances such as the implementation of an enterprise database system, development of an online portal providing access to detailed student and employee information, initiation of an electronic health records system, and the adoption of an iPad program. She has also enjoyed the breadth of Deerfield's technology challenges, as Ms. Shepherd and her team are responsible for "anything that beeps!" That mandate spans all of the technology infrastructure, as well as all the information storage and sharing systems, and all of the technology used by faculty, staff, and students. One of the big challenges of the last few years has been adequate wireless capacity for the community. "Demand for access to online resources has grown significantly in the last four or five years," she says. Ms. Shepherd and her team have also been involved with every construction project on campus during her tenure, ensuring that new and renovated buildings are wired and outfitted with state-of-the-art technology. Throughout the current renovation of the Memorial Building, the IT team has overseen classroom technology decisions and assisted with selections of sound and lighting and presentation systems for the performance spaces— "always fun!" she says. As with many Deerfield employees, Ms. Shepherd has worn many hats. She is an administrative faculty member who chairs the Computer Science Department, getting "to run a business and a department!" She has taken on many faculty responsibilities, including Dining Hall table head and dorm associate. "It's special to have that opportunity to be involved with students," she says. "It's also enhanced my ability to do my job." For guidance and support, Ms. Shepherd has been an active member of a consortium of New England private school IT directors. The group gathers several times yearly and meets by phone on a monthly basis. This collaboration has been helpful and "keeps each school marching along." That model echoes one that Ms. Shepherd participated in when she was part of Smith College's IT department for ten years before coming to Deerfield. Her years of working at Smith followed her graduation from the college. A self-proclaimed "child of the '60s," she married young and had children. After raising her family, she enrolled at Smith College and earned her degree in Computer Science, graduating summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. In retirement, Wendy will move to her house on Cape Cod, where her husband is already ensconced. She looks forward to spending time with him, her children, and grandchildren, and working on her house and garden. She says she may look for another job, but not until after the summer, as "lots of beach time" is on the agenda. After that, who knows? It might be time for a change! ••
Library of Congress
Harriet Beecher Stowe portrait [unknown] + Uncle Tom's Cabin, from Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views
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Contrabands at Headquarters of General Lafayette by Mathew Brady (1862] + Frederick Douglas portrait by George K. Warren
V DO ETAIL'D e ng l i s h + H I S TOR Y
It wasn't so much a "Eureka!" moment as a steady progression of ideas forwarded over lunches in the Parker Room, chats on the sidelines, and meetings in the library, when Tom Heise and Michael Cary came to the conclusion that Honors US History and English III students would benefit if their classes were coordinated. That was three years ago. Today, students clamor to sign up, and they produce work like this: Frederick Douglass's famous Fourth of July speech was given in 1852. But while Douglass's political discourse was eloquent, the more decisive antislavery argument of the year came in the form of a novel: Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. This one volume moved more than 300,000 northerners to tears for the sake of a black man, and in retrospect, it becomes clear that the key to Stowe's unparalleled success was her full understanding of her audience. Both Stowe and Douglass faced the challenge of converting the same demographic of the American population, white northern moderates, to abolitionism. But while Douglass (an escaped slave himself ) could at best evoke sympathy in his listeners, Stowe had the capability to create bonds of empathy between her targeted readership and her white characters. The channel of emotion our author establishes between her audience and her white protagonists inspires her readers both to feel and, ultimately, to act.—Garam Noh '15
Not bad for a junior in high school, and the thing is, in "American Frontiers," it's not unusual, either.
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A New Frontier
By the spring of 2011, Mr. Cary and Mr. Heise had a proposal for the head of school and the dean of faculty. Some things had changed at Deerfield over the years, they pointed out; for instance, the dreaded Junior Year History Term Paper was no more, and in its place were three shorter research papers, spread throughout the year, but in many ways requiring three times the research skills; English Lit still focused on the classics, but there was also a greater need to teach juniors to be comfortable writing 650-word essays—the length required on most college applications. And the Academy's strategic plan, which Mr. Heise had played a key role in developing, was calling for some innovative teaching. So how to meet all these needs? "We discovered that our courses often accidentally dovetailed," says Mr. Heise. "In history, for example, conversations about the frontier conditions that prevailed in the 19th century connected beautifully with students' informed observations about Henry David Thoreau, Francis Parkman, and Jack London— all writers they encountered in their English III class. Students who had read Upton Sinclair's The Jungle in English III enlivened discussions in Honors US History about the urban frontier. We wanted to make those moments less accidental and more intentional." "My class demands an expansive definition of the word 'frontier,'" Mr. Cary points out. "Common to both history and myth is the notion of boundary; in American literature that boundary can be, broadly speaking, the stage on which a drama of test or contest unfolds." In their proposal Mr. Heise explained, "Both of us have long believed that students' understanding of this country and its culture requires a thorough grounding in the American setting: its geography, its power to shape the way people have thought and acted, and its insinuation in some of the most important issues we face today." They envisioned back-to-back classes that drew upon works of fiction and non-fiction, art, film, and primary sources; "There is no end of great material for students to consider," they said, and American Frontiers moved forward.
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Refinement and rewrites are a ubiquitous part of the writing process, and the same might be said for coordinating two similar yet disparate disciplines, not to mention specific classes with specific goals (in Honors History: prepare students to take the Advanced Placement exam in the spring; in English III: get students writing as clearly and concisely as possible on those college applications). By the end of their first year of active collaboration, Mr. Cary and Mr. Heise were pleased with how things had gone, but they also saw room for improvement. Specifically, "even greater conversation" between their two classes. Simply put, they figured: More collaboration equals more learning. So they developed three closely defined areas of concentration spread over three terms. The next fall, students focused on the crosscultural elements of life in early colonial New England. Mr. Cary assigned an intriguing and "richly researched" contemporary novel set in colonial Massachusetts (Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks), while Mr. Heise presented two of the most renowned "captivity narratives" of the era—one of which was written by Deerfield's own John Williams. During winter term, students' attention was turned to the issue of American slavery, with a focus on how 19th century Americans wrestled with the morality of the South's "peculiar institution." And in spring, students were told, "Go West, young people!" as Mr. Cary's class took up Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses and Mr. Heise's class prepared to write their final research paper of the year. Students leapt at the opportunity to explore these new, carefully orchestrated frontiers between history and English.
Exploring the Territory As a narrative, Uncle Tom's Cabin could easily be summarized as a compendium of the most representative slave experiences in antebellum America. As a polemic, however, the novel is anchored in the experiences of its white protagonists, particularly those characters whose revelations would have resonated most with Harriet Beecher Stowe's targeted readership in the 1850s.
an excerpt from the American Frontiers syllabi Garam Noh wasn't so sure about investigating American slavery. She knew it was bad, she was glad it was in the past, and that was that. But, as an avid reader, she was intrigued by Harriet Beecher Stowe's signature classic. Garam and her classmates dove into the arguments of some of the great intellectuals of the day—such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Frederick Douglass—and started on Uncle Tom's Cabin. In history, they turned to primary sources— from abolitionists, from masters, and from slaves. The goal, other than a mastery of information, was to get students researching, writing, and ultimately, thinking. While all these might seem like pretty obvious objectives, it is the mode of transmission that is fairly unique to Deerfield: "Uncle Tom's Cabin is just not being taught in high schools anymore," Mr. Cary says. "It's unfortunate, because it's a perfect example of the power of fiction to change history." And, it places literature in a historical context while simultaneously making the history itself more accessible. Garam, who plans to major in English in college, agrees: "Uncle Tom's Cabin was good background for the history," she says with a smile. "It helped me to understand how people felt—I could better understand their mindset, and then the historical facts made more sense to me." "I think it's easy for students today to forget that the US was a nation of slavery for longer than it has been a nation without slavery," she adds. "I have come to understand that sometimes, the most unfortunate and uncomfortable truths of a nation's past are important to understanding a nation's legacy, and a nation's present." Whichever way students come to an understanding, it's ok with Tom Heise. "It's about learning to put yourself in a different moment," he explains. "It's about understanding other points of view and coming to terms with how history is constructed," and then he says something unexpected: "It's not something we receive as a final product—it's active— history changes." He offers an example from the post-Civil War era: "Historical interpretations of the Reconstruction changed after we embraced the civil rights movement. At the turn of the 20th century, historians (typically white) argued that Reconstruction failed because it proposed changes in race relations that were too radical. Today historians more often argue that it failed because it wasn't radical enough."
Honors us History
Introduction to The Fugitive Slave Law and the idea of Natural Law Compulsion and Right Natural Law precedents in Thoreau and Emerson Assignment: Read Ralph Waldo Emerson Address on the Fugitive Slave Law
Melton McLaurin, Celia, A Slave: A True Story, 38-61. Documents: Slave Culture and Noncooperation Background: Boyer, 278-283.
"By God, I will not obey it!" Emerson's response to the Fugitive Slave Law— the moral and intellectual arguments Assignment: Read Frederick Douglass July 4 Speech, 1862 "Are we not men?" Discuss the contrast between Douglass' and Emerson's arguments Assignment: Journal entry: Write an Op Ed piece (400 words) that restates Douglass' and/or Emerson's arguments in contemporary prose. Introduce Harriet Beecher Stowe and Uncle Tom's Cabin Historical context for the novel Assignment: Uncle Tom's Cabin Chpts. 3 – 5. Discuss Uncle Tom's Cabin: Indications of the writer's intent; discuss race and gender: The significance of the characters of Mrs. Shelby and Eliza Assignment: Uncle Tom's Cabin Chpts. 12 - 18 Discuss setting in the novel; The idea of progressive degradation Dante Divine Comedy or Bunyan Pilgrim's Progress structure Assignment: Journal entry: Wanting to escape – write a personal reflection Read journal entries Discuss Uncle Tom as archetype Assignment: Uncle Tom's Cabin Chpts. 28 – 32
Melton McLaurin, Celia, A Slave: A True Story, 80-103. Documents: Slave Resistance and Rebellion Background: Boyer, 283-287. Meet in class to see Africans in America: Judgment Day Melton McLaurin, Celia, A Slave: A True Story, 104-122. Melton McLaurin, Celia, A Slave: A True Story, 123-143. Document: Henry David Thoreau, "Civil Disobedience" Handout: Readings on John Brown Boyer, 337-347. Documents: South Carolina's Ordinance of Secession and Declaration of Independence; Abraham Lincoln, "First Inaugural Address" See episode from Ken Burns' Civil War series Handout: Bruce Catton, "Hayfoot, Strawfoot"; David P. Conyngham, "Sherman's March through Georgia, 1865" Handout: A. Lincoln on Slavery and Race; Emancipation Proclamation
Discuss the coexistence of good and evil How does goodness endure? Assignment: Uncle Tom's Cabin Chpts. 33 – 36
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In 1893, a historian named Frederick Jackson Turner published a now-renowned thesis on the important role of the frontier in American culture and ideology.
Library of Congress
Denver, 1898
Settling In In 1893, a historian named Frederick Jackson Turner published a now-renowned thesis on the important role of the frontier in American culture and ideology. Written soon after the US Census Bureau declared the end of a western frontier line, Turner's paper focused on how the environment influenced American life. As the serious global impacts of climate change, pollution, and overpopulation become increasingly apparent, it is clear that American life has influenced the environment as well. In the summer of 2006, the Los Angeles Times published a series of multimedia articles collectively titled "Altered Oceans", outlining several ways in which human pollution and activity have negatively affected Earth's aquatic environments. The Pulitzer Prize-winning series illustrates a new frontier Americans face today: an uncertain future filled with the unavoidable consequences of our past and current treatment of natural resources. Among the images of toxic algae swells, sea bird carcasses, and skeletal coral reefs that accompany the articles of "Altered Oceans" is a picture of Los Angeles Harbor, filled with a seemingly solid island of plastic refuse that strains at a retaining boom and threatens to wash out into the Pacific. The composition, volume, and location of the garbage depicted in this photograph exemplify the issues Americans must confront in this new frontier. —Nate Lane '14 Senior Nate Lane finds the concept of using technology to solve some of our environmental problems fascinating. In fact, he hopes to be the one wielding that technology someday, maybe as an engineer. And while multiple science classes at Deerfield have forwarded Nate's clinical understanding of environmental issues, it was in English and history that some key pieces of the puzzle fell into place. In Mr. Heise's classroom, environmental issues were front and center all year long, from the moment Columbus arrived in the New World
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to our current struggle with global warming. "If one studies history, in part, to become a more knowledgeable and effective citizen in the present and future," Mr. Heise says, "then it is essential to learn about the roots of our current environmental crises. For a very long time, environmental concerns rarely made it into standard US History surveys. Now, because of our concerns about climate change, the textbook I use remarks on the environmental implications of the shift to fossil fuels that took place in the 19th century, for example."
This American faith that there will always be "more" must come to terms with the pressing limits of our environment.
When it was time for Nate to pick a topic for his final research paper, he highlighted the "Altered Oceans" series partly because of his fascination with the history of plastics in the US, and partly because of his fascination with the science behind the polymers. "Unfortunately," he comments, "the rise of plastics and the rise of pollution in our oceans are pretty much simultaneous." Nate's paper provides more than a simple retelling of facts, though: He has mastered the information because he is able to move beyond mere regurgitation to interpretation of those facts—this is apparent in his clear, concise prose:
The harbor photograph from. . . (the) "Altered Oceans" series captures three aspects of American culture that have driven the nation to the edge of a new frontier: a fascination with and widespread production of plastic, a climate of mass consumption and waste fueled by the accessibility and affordability of this material, and a lack of consideration for where that waste ends up. Marine pollution is only one facet of a near future in which the actions of past decades will have immediate and serious effects on American life, effects that will continue to worsen if those actions are not changed. Turner argued that one definitive aspect of the Western Frontier was its promise of opportunity, of the possibility for greater things and continued expansion. This American faith that there will always be "more" must come to terms with the pressing limits of our environment.
"There were two things in particular that I learned in Mr. Cary's class that I keep in mind while writing," Nate says. "Focus on a specific moment, and be conservative with words." And, Nate created a deep pool of resources before he even began his first draft: "I read through more articles, scientific and government records, and old newspapers than I quoted in the essay itself," he says. "Having a larger body of knowledge and resources than I needed to actually write the paper really helped with the direction and quality of the contents in the end." That phrase, "a larger body of knowledge," also happens to be an apt description of the American Frontiers classes themselves; two classes, pooling their intellectual resources to enable students with a deeper understanding of the material. There's a ripple effect, too—remember, Nate's history paper had a distinctly scientific bent. "What we're working toward is integrative thinking," Mr. Cary says. "It's a major part of our class coordination." For those in American Frontiers, it's already pretty familiar territory. ••
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Edson Bridges was in town for a Historic Deerfield trustee meeting and stopped by Ephraim Williams to get some contact information for classmates. He was planning to encourage participation in their 65th Reunion this June!
Deerfield Academy Archives
1945 Jack Fogarty wrote: "The view of Washington (DC) at night from the air can be spectacular if you're not strapped down to a stretcher in a Maryland State Police Medivac helicopter looking horizontally at it through rain-smeared windows as we whiz past lights and buildings. . . Thinking: 'How I got in this position is still an unknown but here I am, heading for the Washington Hospital Emergency Facility to see what's wrong . . . Learned it was a stroke. I've spent most of my working life below the Mason-Dixon line, I guess I should consider myself a Southerner but that just doesn't feel right. Anyway, Dixie we are here! The Friend's House Retirement Community is a collection of buildings built over the last 40 years on an 80-acre campus that had been part of the old Smith estate in Sandy Spring, MD. It may seem strange to see a little white toy poodle wandering the halls, but that's 'Roo,' part of the team of 'Kanga' and 'Roo' (that's Pogo talk). Her owner brings her in and lets her chase a little red ball down the corridor for the amusement of everyone. I've never seen her have an 'accident' but she does get let out periodically. Roo's job is to be snuggled. One day a woman resident was having a bad case of the 'Oh, Dears' at full volume. She was offered a toy stuffed animal, which was rapidly rejected. Nothing but the real thing would do, so Roo was called in and placed on the woman's lap. Instant calm settled in. I didn't stay around to see how the two were later separated, but Roo's job was clear. During the first four months I've moved around a lot from Thomas Hall (rehab) to short stays at Montgomery Hospital, back to Thomas Hall, while my body was trying to heal. I am currently staying
in Stabler Hall sharing a room with Danny Auerbach, a member of an old Sandy Spring family who also needs walking practice. Peggy is still residing in our apartment, and we share lunch and dinner together every day. Stabler Hall has many amenities such as a popcorn wagon, which cruises the corridors every Wednesday afternoon, which is very enjoyable. Free, too. Sunday and Friday afternoons it's free ice cream time. A 'little red wagon' carrying three five-gallon tubs of ice cream plus throwaway cups and spoons makes its way between selected locations. Quitting time is determined by the clock and also by the softness of the remaining ice cream. Don't get the idea that eating is our chief entertainment (although for some who spend their time waiting in the dining room it may be). We get outside entertainers who volunteer their time and talent for our pleasure, often just before lunch. Some are really good. . . Stabler Hall has two levels with a single elevator. My room is on the second level with most of the residents (including Peggy) on the first floor. Don't worry; the place is built on a slope so both levels have ground access. I've often wondered what we'd do if the elevator didn't work. The answer is . . . walk! Several years ago I observed the wait staff formed in a 'bucket brigade' to carry the foot trays up to the dining room. Then just last week a power hiccup: I
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came to the stalled elevator. Maintenance had been called but I said, 'Let's walk.' I've been trained on single steps but here was a whole staircase . . . A group of three angels quickly formed around me, one to guide me, one behind to whisper reminders ('Keep your whole foot on the step!'), and the third to handle my wheelchair. The wheelchair angel bumped it up to the first landing where he said 'Enough!' and gathered the 35-pound machine in his arms and trudged it directly to the top of the stairs. I say, 'Bless you angels, all. I'm glad we could do it and I wish good health to our solitary elevator!' We've been writing a Christmas letter for many years; the subject has often been our vacation travels, but not this letter! I fear our travel days are over or severely curtailed, but we've seen most of the places we wanted to see."
1948 "Mr. Boyden used to tell us to 'be mobile,'" says Tom Wilson. "I guess he was telling us to be more adaptable in our decision making, but I like to think he was telling us to keep moving in our old age. My wife and I live at Kendal at Hanover, a retirement community in this stimulating New Hampshire college town. I'm blessed with good health, and I work at staying fit, so I've been able to do some mountain climbing in recent years. We have some challenging climbs here in
the White Mountains, and I've done a couple of 14,000foot peaks in Colorado. This past summer I climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa at 19,340 feet. They told me that I was the oldest person on record to reach the summit by way of the Western Breach route. My guides started calling me 'Babu,' and I can tell you that I was relieved to learn that means grandfather in Swahili. Deerfield is well represented here at Kendal at Hanover. My classmates Peter Bien and Robert Binswanger are here, as well as Fred Preston and Charlie Ufford from the Class of 1949. Occasionally we 'rally, in thoughts of boyhood days.'"
Secretary Harvey Loomis Edson Bridges was in town for a Historic Deerfield trustee meeting and stopped by Ephraim Williams to get some contact information for classmates. He was planning to encourage their participation in their 65th Reunion in June!
Class Captain David Beals Findlay "On our return from a recent trip to China, Gloria and I stopped in Tokyo to see Nori Kabayama," Hal Henderson tells us. "He is living in a very nice retirement home just off the Ginza in Tokyo. He is currently confined to a
wheelchair as a result of a surgical attempt to repair his back, which he broke a number of years ago. He has severe osteoporosis, which probably explains part of the problem. He is, however, in good spirits and his mind is still sharp. His son, Masa, and Masa's wife, Michiko, arranged for all of us to have dinner with Nori at the residence in a private dining room. They have an excellent chef, and we had one of the finest Japanese dinners I have ever had, which Nori ordered himself. He talks a lot about Deerfield and those he knew well. I know he would be delighted to hear from any of you who knew him as he is alone, having lost his wife, Utako, to Alzheimer's several years ago. I'm very glad that we made the time to stop and see him, for as time goes by friendships become even more important. Masa is now working for Apple in Tokyo. Gloria and I continue our lives in Honolulu, where I'm still working part-time at the investment management firm I joined in 1986, and Gloria is still a travel agent but winding down. We have a place on the island of Hawaii where we spend some time. Let us know if you come this way." Arthur Drazan says he has fond memories of his good friends and roommates at Deerfield. "We have four children and nine grandchildren. I'm retired from medicine and living in Florida. Regards to all my classmates!"
"Doris and I are busy cleaning out the 'important brochures and photos' of trips past: We are staying around South Florida as far as travels go," reports George Rodormer. "I trust my classmates are well and hope they'll stop by to visit us!"
Class Captains Renwick D. Dimond Hugh R. Smith The Robert H. and Blythe Bickel Edwards Center for Art and Dance, named for Bob Edwards (Bowdoin's 13th president) and his wife, opened in late August 2013 as the new home for visual art and dance at the college.
Reunion Chairs Philip R. Chase Gordon R. Knight "Liz and I have just returned from a visit to the Grand Tetons and the trail head to Taggart Lake, which is named after my grandfather who was
on the Congressional Survey Party of 1872," writes Bill Taggart. "The Committee of Nine is working hard to encourage members of the Great 60th Reunion Class to return and enjoy our time together," says Zeke Knight. "Our 'poster classmate' is of Asko Puumalainen (and his grandson) who has told us he will return. For those of you that were at our 50th, he attended with his son and we all enjoyed seeing him. If Asko can come from Helsinki, Finland, to be with us again, perhaps that might encourage more of our class to greet him and be with us. Some of us remember that Asko made the only goal in our last soccer match against Mount Hermon that preserved our undefeated season. To date, we have had 28 classmates pledge to return, and our goal is to double that number by June 5, 2014. We have planned some great times together. We hope to see you and enjoy a memorable time!"
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"Nori Kabayama talks a lot about Deerfield and those he knew well. I know he would be delighted to hear from any of you who knew him, as he is alone, having lost his wife, Utako, to Alzheimer's several years ago. I'm very glad that we made the time to stop and see him, for as time goes by, friendships become even more important." —Hal Henderson '51
'51 '51
Nori Kabayama '51, his son Masa, and Masa's wife, Michiko, Hal Henderson '51 and his wife, Gloria, in Tokyo.
tête-à-tête: GIL GROSVENOR
Gilbert M. "Gil" Grosvenor '49 sat down with Deerfield Magazine's Julia Elliott at National Geographic Society headquarters this past winter. Mr. Grosvenor, whose family had been at the helm of National Geographic since 1899, retired as the Society's president in 1996, after a long and varied career; his positions at "Nat Geo" included photographer, writer, and editor, among others. Below, Mr. Grosvenor recalls some of his favorite Deerfield memories. Look for part two of Mr. Grosvenor's interview, which focuses on his time at National Geographic, in our fall issue.
DM: Do you remember your first impression of Deerfield? GG: Oh, easily. Came from Washington, DC . . . Arrived on campus and there was a sign that said 'registration.' So I went through the door to register and this man stuck his hand out and said, 'Hi, Gil Grosvenor. Welcome to Deerfield.' And it was Henry Poor. Henry Poor was an amazing man. He would greet every kid at the door by his first name. If that isn't the best way to start a new experience when you're young, you're nervous, and you're not sure what you're getting into . . . That was my first introduction to Deerfield. Later, I used to kind of wander around sometimes and watch him when new kids came in, and he never missed one. And that's just part of Deerfield. I think a hallmark of Deerfield is the quality of teachers who are attracted to the place. They are attracted by the aura, the spirit, the cohesiveness.
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DM: When you look back and think about who had the most influence on you, who do you think of? GG: Setting the Head aside, probably the next most influential person in my life at Deerfield was Red Sullivan. He was the master of the John Williams House and I—I took a PG year at Deerfield in order to be a proctor in John Williams. I really wanted to go to Yale University and the Head didn't think I was mature enough, so I agreed to stay the extra year. I learned a tremendous amount from Red Sullivan. He wasn't a teacher, but I learned as much from him about life as anybody at the school.
DM: When you say you learned a tremendous amount, is there anything specific you can tell me about?
James P. Blair/National Geographic Creative
DM: He played for the team, right, at the very beginning? GG: At the very beginning, yep. And even when I was there, and he was quite old, he would hit fungos and infield grounders to us. His assistant was a man named Mr. Williams, who was a wonderful coach. That's one of the great things about Deerfield—the coaches were your teachers. I was a pitcher, not a great hitter, but I was a pitcher. One day I got lucky and hit one, a long grounder that went by the left fielder. I rounded all the bases and went for home, and I slid headfirst into home plate and was safe. And immediately Mr. Boyden jumped off the bench. I thought, Oh my God, he's coming over to congratulate me! He came over and the first thing he said was, 'Are you all right?' The second thing he said was, 'Stand still,' and he brushed me off. He didn't want the uniform to be dirty. But that's just the way he was. I can't tell you whether we won or lost the game, but I sure can remember that episode.
DM: When you think about your guiding principles, what came from Deerfield? GG: The headmaster had many expressions. One of his favorites was, 'Finish up strong.' You've heard that before. But he constantly drilled into us the importance of finishing what you start, and I believe that carried over into my whole life. In my case, I felt I was letting the headmaster down if I sloughed off. In fact, I did once and he called me for it.
DM: When was that? GG: Well, being a proctor in John Williams required a good amount of work and time, particularly time. One day in February, it was a dreary day on campus, and I had practiced squash in the afternoon for an upcoming match. I hadn't done my homework;
I was unprepared for the next day's classes, and we were denied study hall that night because the basketball team was playing. The headmaster always insisted that the student body attended basketball games; that was a ritual. I knew that I was going to have some tests the next day, so I went to Red Sullivan and said, 'Mr. Sullivan, could I have permission to skip the basketball game tonight and study?' With a twinkle he said, 'I don't have the authority to do that, you'd better go see the headmaster.' So I went to see Mr. Boyden, and he said, 'No, I can't let you out of the basketball game. It's part of the school; it's part of this school's cohesiveness. You'll just have to learn to budget your time better.' So I went to the basketball game. Fortunately, being a proctor, I was allowed to keep my lights on later than ten o'clock, so I studied and I survived. But it was another lesson learned: Do your best, don't slough off. It was one of the times when you could clearly see the headmaster was disappointed that I even asked. That was bad judgment on my part. That stuck with me a long time. I had let him down.
tête-à-tête: GIL GROSVENOR
GG: He, like the headmaster, had a kind of sixth sense about dealing with young kids. Dealing with freshmen—and these were all freshmen—in high school is not an easy thing. That last year at Deerfield, working with Frank Boyden and Red Sullivan, was worth any two years I had at Yale. I learned about people. I learned about life. I learned how to be stern, and when to back off. I learned you can't get too close to the freshmen. On the other hand, you've got to be close enough to them so that you understand them, and you're effective in dealing with their adjustment to a boarding school. Mr. Boyden was very easy to talk to. He never made you feel that you were anything but the most important person to him while he was talking to you. I was particularly fortunate in that I played baseball and he coached the baseball team. He loved baseball.
DM: What other lessons stuck with you? GG: Understanding other people, abhorring war, understanding the courage of people . . . In the first weeks of my first year (1947), I got to know a Japanese student, Nori Kabayama. As a young kid I learned to dislike the Japanese because of World War II. And Nori taught me to be more tolerant. There was another student who hailed from Great Britain; I got to know Harold early on at Deerfield because the summer before, I went to England to outfit and sail a square rigger, The Yankee, back to the United States—a great experience! But while I was in London I saw the ravages of the war. Fleet Street was a jumble . . . that's not true, Fleet Street was like a brickyard. The bricks were stacked up neatly, but the buildings were gone. And that was my introduction to war. Hal was able to fill in the human side of Great Britain . . . You know, you see those bombed out streets and you know a lot of people died. The courage of those people to carry on was amazing. That is the calculated experience that Deerfield offers students to mature; those two experiences were my first introduction to internationalism.
DM: Even having come from a family that was so involved with National Geographic? GG: Yes. To this day, mixing people and their cultures is perhaps the most important learning experience Deerfield has to offer. It was too early for environmentalism, but we certainly talked a lot about the world outside of Deerfield, MA, the USA, to focus on world cultures. It was the first time that I really realized how dependent different cultures are on each other because I was exposed to them. I wouldn't have been exposed to them otherwise. ••
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Class Captain Michael D. Grant Secretary Tom L'Esperance
Spring 2014
Tim Day '55 enjoyed his "surprise treat"—riding in the cockpit of a V-22 Osprey. | Tom Hindle '55 passed away on July 17, 2013. | Michael Grisdale '57 passed away on August 20, 2013. | Ward Elliott '55 posed with some of his students prior to his retirement this May. | Mary Jo and Art Atkinson '55 escaped the cold of Chicago for a little while this past winter thanks to a trip to La Jolla, CA. | Dee and Lou Greer '55 at Alhambra Palace in Southern Spain.
From Tom L'Esperance: "In November, Tim Day toured military facilities in Washington, DC, Savannah, GA, Parris Island, SC, North Carolina, and Quantico, VA, on the occasion of the Marine Corps 238th birthday. He also observed the progress of the Timothy T. Day Overlook, which is scheduled for completion this year. In addition, Tim sponsored the award-winning Semper Fidelis Memorial Chapel at the Marine Corps Heritage Center at Quantico. His great "surprise" treat was an opportunity to fly in the cockpit of a V-22 Osprey! The aggressive capabilities of this aircraft are 'fantastic,' according to Tim. He says, 'Sandy and I will treasure the memories of the trip as well as the positive energy we feel in the presence of Marines.' "Mary Jo and Art Atkinson visited La Jolla for a respite from their wintery Chicago environment. They chose an ideal time to relax with atypical 80-degree sunshiny days in early December. Local residents Merry and Tom L'Esperance accompanied them on two delightful occasions. Along the way in his distinguished career, Art has been president of the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, and has written two
books and over 100 publications. He still devotes time to his passion for sailing. "A recent article in the Claremont McKenna College student publication, FORUM, announced that Ward Elliott would be retiring from teaching at CMC after a prodigious 46-year tenure. He will step down in May. Ward is 'ready to step down, with some very happy memories. I expect to be around many a late PM,' he adds, since he will retain his office on campus for three more years. One of his former students wrote: 'LOTS of alumni will miss him, and his famous singing parties. Some of us have kept showing up there over the years . . . Have a great retirement—you've earned it in spades!' . . . 'The Burnet C. Wohlford Professor of American Political Institutions has been a professor at CMC since 1968 and has taught the politics portion of the Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) major curriculum since 1986, along with other government courses at CMC. Aside from his work researching and teaching in government, Elliott's expertise also includes extensive research regarding the works of William Shakespeare. Outside of CMC, Elliott has been an influential voice in smog policy in Southern California. Elliott was president of the Coalition for Clean Air between 1980 and 1986, and is credited with creating the concept of High Occupancy Toll (HOT) Lanes.
"We have been informed that our classmate, Tom Hindle, passed away at age 76 on July 14, 2013. His longtime companion, Deenie Burgess, relates that he had been enduring cardiac issues for several years and was also severely afflicted with COPD recently. He is sadly missed. His obituary read in part: 'William Thomas Hindle II, 76, died Sunday, July 14, 2013, at Clinton Hospital. Tom was born in New Bedford, MA, on June 25, 1937, a son of the late Winston Russell and Eleanor (Potter) Hindle. He was a graduate of Deerfield Academy, in Deerfield, MA, and he also graduated from Northeastern University in 1966 with a BA in Business Management. Tom taught social studies at a private school in Deerfield. Tom also worked for the US Postal Service, as a LSM Operator and Supervisor, in the Shrewsbury Office. His first love was music, and jazz was his passion. He played drums and the piano. He was a very active member of the First Congregational Church of Westminster, serving on several committees. He was also active with the Yankee Street Fair.' "Dee and Lou Greer continue their amazing pace of global adventures. He writes: 'The Portugal/ Spain journey was our third Columbia-sponsored travel study trip. We went to the Umbria Region of Italy (Assisi and vicinity), and to Turkey (including four days on a 70-foot sailing craft).
The programs were amazing, and our fellow travelers were unforgettable. Some have become ongoing friends. We're off tomorrow (that was January 23, 2014) on a short cruise in the Caribbean on our favorite cruise line—The Yachts of Sebourn. The ship carries just 200 passengers in 100 suites. We have done a half-dozen treks with them, and some of their captains have also become ongoing friends.' We appreciate Lou's frequent contributions to our class notes. He has also been spearheading the 1959 class notes for his Amherst College alma mater. Lou will be finishing up my last class notes before our 55th, when I retire as Class Secretary." Spring potpourri (also submitted by Tom L'Esperance): "M.L. and Bruce McEwan are faring well in the Sunshine State. Bruce would like to have all of us turn out for our grand 60th Reunion next year. It's also noteworthy that we 55'ers have some distinguished older brothers: Phil Greer '52, soon to be immediate past president of the Board of Trustees, Caldwell Esselstyn '52, and Fran L'Esperance '49, recipients of the Heritage Award. It's a meritorious toss-up between our own Ambassador and Under-Secretary-General to the United Nations, Joseph Reed, and his brother, Nathaniel Reed '51, an environmental activist who helped preserve 'one million acres of wild lands' in Florida. We've heard again from Pete Clapp, our resident sage
The Boyden Library isn' t just keeping up with modern teaching methods —it's leading the way. Thank you for keeping the Boyden Library on the cutting edge with your leadership gift.
deerfield.edu/give in Hawi, HI, who says, 'We all need a good laugh at least once a day.' Some signs he's read recently are: 'Automatic Washing Machines: Please remove all your clothes when the light goes out.' 'Would the person who took the step ladder yesterday please bring it back or further steps will be taken.' Spotted in a safari park: 'Elephants, please stay in your car.' 'Cold wave linked to temperatures.' 'Kids make nutritious snacks.'" Dick Cadigan wrote: "Impressive Deerfield dinner at the Crescent Club (Dallas) in January! Great fun, super informative faculty presentation—felt like a college course. I'm off on a church mission trip to Belize in February. My friends here say I am simply seeking sunshine/warmth vs nasty cold weather here this winter. Am aiming for the 60th Reunion
in '15; I'm off to the Wesleyan 55th this May and will see Tim Day, John Spurdle, and hopefully, Dick Smith and Wayne Fillback. Do a bit of consulting—it's fun to realize some folks still value experience reflections." Reminders from Tom L'Esperance: "If you would like to contact a 1955 classmate and you do not have his current email address or phone number, Alumni Records (413-774-1474) at Deerfield may be able to assist you. I would also be happy to hear from you in this regard or with some class news at tmlski@roadrunner. com or 760-942-2680. If you wish to read our current class notes online before they are printed in the Deerfield Magazine, please visit our website, deerfield.edu/ alumni/class-of-1955/classnotes. (Click on the title of
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each note to be able to read the full article and to see all the photos.) To submit your own note, visit deerfield.edu/ classnotes."
1957 "I regretfully note that Michael Grisdale passed away suddenly on April 20, 2013," writes Kate Grisdale. "A born explorer, Michael followed a career in International Marketing. He leaves behind his wife, Dinah, and two children, Kate Grisdale and Samantha Biggs, as well as three grandchildren. He is greatly missed and forever in our hearts."
Class Captains Jon W. Barker Thomas M. Poor "Patsy and I continue to enjoy family and grandchildren—somewhat embarrassed at acting out all the stereotypes about how wonderful, smart, bright, attractive, etc. they are— it is fun!" reports Michael Annison. "I continue to work—management consulting in health care—and just finished a book: The Trust Dimension, written with a longtime colleague."
Class Captains Peter W. Gonzalez Dwight E. Zeller After 12 years in the post, Ben Dunham will be retiring as editor of Early Music
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America magazine with the fall 2014 issue. His career has included 12 years as editor of American Recorder and CEO executive positions with Chamber Music America, American Symphony Orchestra, and the USA National Music Council. Ben's wife, flutist Wendy Rolfe, records and concertizes with the Handel and Haydn Society, Boston Baroque, Tafelmusik, and other groups. Her new disc, Images of Eve, is available at CDBaby.com. Their son Sam is a junior at the College of William and Mary, where he is a research fellow in the Project for International Peace and Security, the W&M undergraduate think tank, and plays violin in a fraternity bluegrass band.
Reunion Chairs Neal S. Garonzik John L. Heath Robert S. Lyle Charles B. Sethness
Class Captains Edward G. Flickinger Andrew R. Steele
Class Captain David H. Bradley Please send us your news and notes!
Class Captains Douglas F. Allen John R. Bass George W. Lee "Enjoying my retirement in Atlanta," says Bill Walker. "My wife is with the Weather Channel while I 'supervise' my 12-year-old tween daughter and my 14-year-old high school daughter. Hope to get them all up to Deerfield soon."
1968 "I'm glad Deerfield was able to find my new address—I had planned to send it to the Alumni Office, but hadn't gotten around to it yet," writes Greg McClelland. "Dora and I both retired on August 1 and moved to Ponte Vedra, FL. Although I was signed up for our 45th Reunion and planned to attend, I was prevented by the death of our granddaughter, Isla Jean Johnson in June. Isla was born in January with a genetic defect called hypoplastic left-heart syndrome, which essentially meant she had a two-chamber heart. She died just short of her fifth month, but not before both families had fallen in love with her, so it was a painful loss. Both Dora and I hope to make the 50th. 'Insha Allah,' as the Muslims say."
Reunion Chair John W. Kjorlien Secretary Doug Squires Please send us your news and notes!
Class Captain G. Kent Kahle Charles Mills says, "I discovered two new white cells in the immune system. They are called M1 and M2 macrophages, which are killer or repair cells, respectively. It is not 'M' because I am Mills, as I am sometimes kidded. Now, M1 and M2 are the terminology used worldwide. Because of this discovery, I was invited to be the editor of a research topic at Frontiers in Immunology." Dan Read bought an ELF, an electric-assisted enclosed tricycle, in 2013. They are made in Durham, NC, (about five blocks from Dan's law office) by Organic Transit. Dan was one of the first three owners and is the unofficial "durability tester" for the ELF, as he commutes to and from work over the rugged streets of the Bull City. The solar panel on top charges up the battery (the ELF weighs 130 pounds, so the cyclist needs help getting up hills); the "gas mileage" is still in debate, but current estimates by OT are about 3000 mpg. Cruising range is 12 to 15 miles, and it can go about 2530 mph on level city streets.
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"As you can see, I've come a long way since being on life support two years ago! It's definitely better on this side of the grass!"
—Bob Gold '63
Ned Flickinger '65 and his wife Darcy "step out." | John Kilroy '66 says it was fun to be back on campus for Choate Day, and he'll be back again in 2016 for his 50th Reunion! | Still Deerfield boys: Ned Flickinger '65 (left) and his brother Bill '67. | Three members of the Class of '66 who live in Atlanta recently got together for lunch. l to r: Clay Holloway, Sandy Rose, and Art Clement
'66 deerfield.edu
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Class Captains KC Ramsay John L. Reed Please send us your news and notes!
Class Captains Bradford Warren Agry Joseph Frederick Anderson Michael C. Perry Robert Dell Vuyosevich Rick Easton tells us that last summer he left SAIC after six and a half years leading their Maritime Systems portfolio for Business Development and Strategic Capture, and joined AVT Simulation, an Orlando, FL, based modeling, simulation, and training company as the chief operating officer. "AVT makes a number of aviation helicopter and other part task trainers for both defense and commercial markets," Rick says. "Kaye and I are keeping our house in Fairfax, VA, and are spending time in both Florida and Virginia. It is exciting to be back in the Orlando area again after living there during the first half of my Deerfield days, and it is great to be able to get together with David Terry on a more frequent basis! I look forward to hearing from and getting together with any classmate who visits the Orlando area!"
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Class Captain Lawrence C. Jerome "Linda and I are well entrenched in Ahwatukee (very southern portion of Phoenix, on the edge of South Mountain Park)," reports Bob Beane. "She is recently retired, after 32 years in the local community college system, and I am working as CFO of a small but growing graphics company and volunteering as president of a statewide bicycling advocacy organization."
little Iris seems bright and healthy but is a bit hard to hug over Skype!"
Class Captains Dwight R. Hilson James L. Kempner Peter M. Schulte "All's well with me," reports Jeffrey Peterson. "Married almost 25 years, both kids soon to be in college, playing tennis and golf a good amount, and a fun social life of different activities, but I do dream of traveling more!"
Steve Reynolds is looking forward to Reunions in June. "I am still active consulting internationally in the energy business," he writes. "Beth and I are now empty nesters with one son in the Air Force in Colorado and the other just graduated from university and gainfully employed in San Francisco." "Returned to India last May as the minister counselor for economics, environment, science, and technology—a title that sounds impressive until you remember that the really important people have short titles, like 'ambassador,'" says George Sibley. "Still, it is a challenging portfolio in a fascinating country. My wife Lee arrived a couple of months later having stayed behind for the birth of our first grandchild;
Please send us your news and notes!
Reunion Chairs J. Christopher Callahan Geoffrey A. Gordon
Class Captains Marshall F. Campbell David R. DeCamp
Class Captains James Paul MacPherson JH Tucker Smith Wayne W. Wall "Well, I suppose that I'm the only Class of '77 alum who's writing to announce the birth of his daughter, Elsie, on June 6, 2013," writes Bob Burr. "You heard me. Elsie is a beauty and comes from my excellent (second) wife Kerri; we are blessed and my other three beauties are all well and good. Phoebe '11 just came home from a semester abroad in France and now is busy getting on with her education degree at Gettysburg College. Son Elliott is the captain of BU lacrosse, where
he transferred after playing in the Division 1 National Lacrosse Championship for Syracuse University last year. Other son James is a junior at the Middlesex School in Concord, and just committed to playing lacrosse at BU with his brother. Our life in Marblehead, MA, is pretty blissful and my real estate business is now secondary to having fun watching my wife and kids make the world a better place." Neil MacFarquhar says 2013 was "a landmark year of change." He married Eva Sohlman, "an extraordinary Swede;" took six months of intensive Russian, and moved to Moscow to cover Russia for the NY Times. "They say studying a new language at an advanced age is supposed to help stave off senility, but at this point it feels like it is speeding the process," Neil commented.
Class Captains Paul JS Haigney Stephen R. Quazzo Bob Callahan '79 wrote: "I'm sad to inform you of the death of my brother, Bill (William) Callahan. Bill died doing what he loved most besides psychiatry: traveling and seeing new places, but most importantly meeting and becoming fast friends with the people he met along the way. At the time of his death he was hiking Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa, when he became lost and died in a fall."
SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE For those of you who were in the Pocumtuck Valley in the mid-'70s, you may remember a guy named Peter McLoughlin. Or maybe his nickname will ring a bell: Fritz. Fritz McLoughlin, you may remember, had a passion for words and for sports while at Deerfield. He graduated in 1975 and headed off to Harvard to earn a degree in English Literature, but it turns out he hasn't needed that English Lit degree for quite some time— if he ever did. This former Scroll scribe is still involved in sports and writing, but as president of the National Football League's Seattle Seahawks, the only thing Mr. McLoughlin is writing these days are checks for Super Bowl champions. "My parents gave me some advice when I was growing up, and that advice was to work hard . . . follow your interests . . . and be passionate about what you do. And I've never forgotten that advice," Mr. McLoughlin said. In fact, with his work habits, Mr. McLoughlin has put a whole new spin on "Sleepless in Seattle." In addition to his leadership role with the Seahawks, which he took over in September of 2010, he also serves as president of Major League Soccer's Seattle Sounders, and First and Goal (CenturyLink Field's management company), where the Seahawks and Sounders play. He is on the board of directors of the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers, and is CEO of Vulcan Sports and Entertainment. Plus, prior to moving to Seattle, Mr. McLoughlin served as CEO of the National Hockey League's St. Louis Blues for four years. Mr. McLoughlin's ascent up the corporate ladder began right out of Harvard with a six-year stint at NBC in sports programming. Then it was on to St. Louis, where he worked for 21 years with Anheuser-Busch, with much of his time spent as VP of corporate media. That meant ensuring the company had product exclusivity in 15 Super Bowls, ten Olympics, and a dominant presence in every NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB, NCAA, and World Cup telecast. "That job allowed me direct contact with many influential people in the sports world," explained Mr. McLoughlin. "When I came to Seattle and represented the Seahawks at my first owners meeting, I already knew most of the people there." As president of the Seahawks, Mr. McLoughlin oversees ticket sales, and he reports happily that, "we have 62,000 season ticket holders and another 12,000 on a waiting list." He also oversees suite sales, food concessions, marketing and sponsorships, as well as television and radio advertising.
By Bob York
PETER McLOUGHLIN president and CEO
"I took no business, economics or math courses at Harvard," admitted Mr. McLoughlin. So, how, you may ask, does he do it? Well, as he explains, it would appear as though he's a chip off the old block. "My father was a math major at Harvard," said Mr. McLoughlin. "He graduated magna cum laude and was Phi Beta Kappa, so I believe I inherited my math skills from him. It helps in running a business to have a facility for math and numbers, and I do have that ability." Mr. McLoughlin's passion for sports obviously also helped lead him to the office he occupies today. In fact, he played three years of varsity hockey and two years of varsity lacrosse for the Big Green, and according to his former coach, Dave Hagerman, he did all right for himself. "Fritz was a tough kid, great competitor, and outstanding leader," remembers Mr. Hagerman, who coached both hockey and lacrosse back then. "He was a more gifted lacrosse player," said Mr. Hagerman of Mr. McLoughlin, who earned All-New England honors as an attackman his senior year. "He was elected captain of the hockey team his senior year, and I remember him being a tremendous leader." Mr. McLoughlin was a virtual unknown during varsity hockey tryouts his sophomore season, however, and that led to his nickname . . . "The coach had us put our names on a piece of tape and stick them on the front of our helmets," explained Mr. McLoughlin. "The team captain was Peter Griffin, so he used 'Peter.' The best player on the team was Peter MacKenzie, so he used 'Mac.' The coach said I still needed a name, so John Schultz, who was in my dorm (Chapin) began calling me Fritz . . . after the comic strip 'Fritz the Cat.' Thus, I became 'Fritz,' and after I made the varsity team my sophomore year, the name stuck!" With little downtime available, as his various titles and positions all include their respective to-do lists, Mr. McLoughlin admits to having found at least one enjoyable way of spending some of his free time. "I taped the Super Bowl, and we watch it at home. In fact, I've already watched it . . . start to finish . . . four times already," he admitted about a month after the game, "and I'm planning on watching it many more times in the future." If it turns out he doesn't have time to watch the whole game, "I just fast forward to the end," said Mr. McLoughlin. "We already know who's going to win, but watching the celebration and getting to hold up the Lombardi trophy . . . that's the best part." ••
deerfield.edu 51
Live on at Deerfield. I established a financial aid fund to honor my parents and help future students.
Andy Sims '62
Learn more: 413-774-1872
deerfield.edu/go/ boyden
Spring 2014
The following is an excerpt from Bill's obituary: William E. Callahan Jr., MD, a psychiatrist and well-known speaker on drug therapy, who was currently serving as a regional medical officer in psychiatry with the State Department in Ghana, died December 12, 2013. As a psychiatrist, Bill was widely known for his commitment to psychotherapy and had extensive training in intense short-term dynamic psychotherapy, a technique he used to help his patients get in touch with their emotions throughout his career. He was a distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association (APA), and held various positions in both the California Psychiatric Society and the APA, including chairing the latter's Legislative Affairs and Public Affairs committees. After graduating from Tufts University School of Medicine, Bill was commissioned as an officer in the United States Air Force. As a flight surgeon assigned to a Special Operations Team, Bill completed tours of duty in support of Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm, as well as multiple other missions abroad. After being honorably discharged as a captain, Bill made his home in Southern California, where he became a Board Certified psychiatrist and entered private practice. In California, he was finally able to express himself openly as a proud member of the gay community. During this time, he became a devotee of
the Arts, serving on several boards of directors, including the Laguna Beach Dance Festival—an organization he would love, serve, and celebrate with, for the rest of his life. A little over a year ago, Bill made the decision to close his private psychiatric practice in Southern California, and to join the United States Department of State as a regional medical officer in psychiatry. Part of the Foreign Service, his first post was in Accra, Ghana, where he assumed responsibility for thirteen countries in West Africa.
Reunion Chairs Luis E. Bustamante Daniel F. Goss "Been 35 years since walking the JW halls but seemed like yesterday having dinner with Steve Schmidt near Stanford U," writes Ralph Gaines. "We're both entrepreneurs, but he's living in 72 and sunny and I'm in 15 below and snow. After 35 years Steve's still the smarter one!" Bob Hein shared a picture of himself being sworn in by the borough attorney as the newest councilman for the Borough of Bay Head, New Jersey, on January 6, 2014. In addition to being the assistant engineer and historian of the volunteer fire company, secretary of the local Republican Club, and member of the Borough Planning Board, Bob said he decided to take on the new role to "ensure that my retired life
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Scott Kleberg '76, Jay Wagley '79, and Bob Swain '77, were guests of mutual friend Casey McManemin P'17 in the Madison River Valley of southwestern Montana this past September.
wouldn't get too boring." He added, "Since retiring from the Army after 28 years as a lieutenant colonel in 2011, I returned to Bay Head and began work on renovating the family home—converting it from a summer house to a year-round dwelling. Superstorm Sandy hit the house in 2012, so much of this past year has been recovering from that. Looking forward to Reunions, as I have not been back since the 5th! My oldest daughter, Christina, is currently applying to PhD programs to further her goal of treating soldiers with post traumatic stress disorder, and Allison will be graduating next year from Skidmore College.
Class Captains Augustus B. Field John B. Mattes Paul M. Nowak Please send us your news and notes!
Dan Read '70 and his Elf, which gets about 3000 mpg! | Superstorm Sandy hit the house of Bob Hein'79 in 2012—pictured here is the garage with no walls. | Bob Hein was sworn in as the newest councilman for the Borough of Bay Head, New Jersey, on January 6, 2014.
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Class Captains Andrew M. Blau Leonard J. Buck Kurt F. Ostergaard John H. Sangmeister "Everyone has a book in them (a story to tell)," says Andrew Houghton. "So when McGraw Hill called one day and asked my business partner Nick Atkeson (the cousin of Jamie Atkeson) and me to write a book on tactical investing, we quickly said yes, took the upfront, and popped out Win By Not Losing. Sorry, no stories of the glory days in the Pocumtuck Valley—if there were, we could have used Win By Not Losing to Choate."
Class Captains Frank H. Reichel William Richard Ziglar "We're comfortably settled into the Austrian Weihnachten tradition, placing the Christbaumschmuck on the Christbaum and drinking the Orangenpunsch they sell on every corner at the Christkindlmarkt," reported Andy Bain when we last heard from him. "We've seen no place more Christmassy than Salzburg on Thanksgiving, but we're sticking to Vienna for Christmas so the girls can spend the week decorating home (all they sell at Christkindlmarkts is Orangenpunsch and Christbaumschmuck—so the family has bought a lot of Schmuck while I've been enjoying the Punsch). 2013 was a good 54
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year with travels through Italy, Switzerland, France, and Germany as well as more Austrian mountain towns. The girls seem confident that they've seen enough palace museums, haven't yet tired of ancient Roman ruins, and do like our belated discovery of trains. We're learning a lot more about Hapsburg history and how Vienna is the center of the universe (or at least was from 1519–1556). The girls are both studying German in school along with the general subjects. Caroline is in band, learning flute with a graduate student from the University of Vienna; Louisa is studying violin with a lady who used to play in the New York Philharmonic. Vienna is a great place to learn music (evidently pretty competitive to make a living as a musician, though). The different things about Austria no longer seem out of place— like selling lingerie in the coffee shops, dogs and cats in restaurants, or the three S's of Austria on every single menu (schnitzel/strudel/ schnapps). Have enjoyed a lot of visitors this year and looking forward to more; let us know if you're in the area." "Since 2014 is the year most of our classmates are turning 50, a couple of the members of the Great Class of 1982 decided it would be fun to all get together for a weekend to celebrate turning 50 and knowing each other for the past 35 years," wrote Sam Bayne. So he, Rob Engel, Will Zigler, Joe Lotuff, Eric Tarrgart, Ian Murray, Rob
Douglass, Jay Winthrop, Alex Navarro, Scott Kirkpatrick, Jim Sullivan, Ted Ashford, Nelson Rockefeller, and Craig Markcrow all spent a weekend at the Mid Ocean Club in Bermuda for some golf and relaxation. "A great time was had by all with lots of stories about our days at DA," Sam said. "We were all thankful for the friendships we formed 35 years ago and the fact that we still keep in close contact to this day. We're looking forward to the next celebration together in ten years for our 60th birthdays."
Class Captains John G. Knight J. Douglas Schmidt In November, Mark Beaubien and Todd Allen '80 successfully tested a new automated dropsonde dispenser over the Gulf of Mexico from NASA Houston's high altitude WB-57 research aircraft flying at a height of 60,000'. Yankee Environmental Systems, located in Montague, MA, developed the system to rapidly deploy a cloud of expendable weather sensor probes that measure the intensity of active hurricanes in real time. The system seeks to improve severe storm forecast accuracy and has been selected by NASA as a mission payload on its a high altitude Global Hawk science drone. A core science question NASA hopes the system will answer was initially posed by a third Deerfield alumnus, MIT atmospheric science professor Kerry Emanuel '73: "What
is the thermal (heat flux) and mechanical (wind/momentum) energy coupling between the bottom of the hurricane eye wall area and the ocean's surface?" That number has been elusive because it is so hard to access that active area, yet it may hold the key to understanding how storms evolve or devolve over time. John Brown started last August as chief digital officer at The Taunton Press, publisher of Fine Homebuilding, Fine Cooking, Fine Gardening, and other titles. "Exciting time as Taunton, like so many other media companies, makes the transition from print to digital," John says. "Still living in NYC, reverse commuting to Newtown, CT, two to three days a week." "Having a heart attack, being in a coma for ten days, 14 days in ICU, and three weeks at Bryn Mawr Rehab is not a great way to spend your spring," wrote Wills Elliman when we last heard from him. "However, all is good now . . . back at work and back to good health. I HIGHLY recommend that all public spaces have multiple AED units on hand." "When Chris Flagg was last on campus, he saved time for a sumptuous Academy dining experience (downstairs) and regaled us with tales of the old Dining Committee and its many important contributions to our era," says John Knight. "Mr. Michael Cary (then of Phil/ Rel department and now back at the Academy teaching English) then bounded over to greet Chris and pose for this shot (see p. 55). How food brings us together . . . Hours later, (after Chris had already departed) there was a Bill Tyler sighting (formerly Admission Office and swim coach)!"
On December 20, 2013, some Chicago alumni (plus a few out-of-towners) gathered at Sixteen Restaurant in the River Room of the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago. They were: Carr Davis '80, Garry Shumway '78, George Mesires '87, Grove Mower '76, J. Andrew Stone '90, Jay Beidler '01, Jim Dinneen '80, John Mattes '80, John McGovern '87, Josh Binswanger '80, Paul Embree '77, Ralph Gaines '79, Reed Webster '79, Rob Carpenter '80, Roger McEniry '74, and Steve Quazzo '78. | Andy Bain '82, his wife, and daughters in "one of the rare family photos where all eyes are open and looking in the general direction of the camera." | Caroline and Louisa, daughters of Andy Bain '82, at the Salzburg Christkindlmarkt in traditional Austrian outfits. | Bill Tyler, formerly of the Admission Office and swim coach, made an appearance at Deerfield. | The last time Scott Kirkpatrick '82 was on campus, he was able to point out that his IHL Bruins were the champs in 1981. | Faculty member Michael Cary (left) connected with former student, Chris Flagg '83. | l to r: John Fitz '81, Bob Fitz '83, and Charlie Van Dusen '83 enjoyed Deerfield's Bruins' night, especially since the Bruins beat the Canadians 3-1. John Knight '83 says there were lots of "great IHL stories!" | Leigh Guyer '83 running the NorthFace Challenge 50K.
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Left to right from top left:
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'83 Dean of Admission Pamela Safford with some gentlemen from the Class of '83. | Paul Schlickmann '83 and daughter Mackenna Grace, who was born on July 25, 2013. | "Michael Jackson had his silver glove, but Hardie Jackson '83 has a Gold Glove (or photo of same)," Hardie says. "Looks like team EvoShield gets to go to all the best parties now!" Hardie (right) is pictured with EvoShield VP of Business Development Justin Niefer. | "Welcome to DC, Scott Pryce and family!" says John Knight '83 (left). | "No trip to NYC feels complete without some time with Doug "Super Doug" Schmidt '83," says John Knight.
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Buy low and sell high: It's an investment maxim that even the non-financially savvy can understand. Maximum profits come when you buy stocks at low prices and then sell when their value has grown. Alex Navarro '82 provides this advice in the context of international investments in the October 2013 issue of Bank Investment Consultant, a leading publication in the bank advising industry. Mr. Navarro is one of several financial advisors featured in the magazine's cover story "Come On In, Overseas Is Fine," that examines the decision to invest internationally. Mr. Navarro, who is a senior vice president and private financial advisor at SunTrust, counsels his clients to include international holdings in their portfolios. "In my opinion you can't properly diversify without international investments," he told Bank Investment Consultant. "At the end of the day we're in the business of trying to achieve capital gains for our clients. And we can't have blinders on when it comes to where to invest." Mr. Navarro advises 300 households, whose portfolios usually hold 20-25 percent international stocks. For Mr. Navarro, communication is key in educating his clients on the rationale for the decisions he makes, quelling their concerns, and keeping them engaged in the investment process. According to Bank Investment Consultant, Mr. Navarro "produces his own research for clients, allowing him to steer the conversation to why he's buying international options—rather than waiting for an anxious call from them first." Because domestic markets have rebounded since the recession, while the global markets are still struggling, some clients may be confused as to why they should be investing in international markets—especially Europe. Mr. Navarro explains, "Yes, it's ugly still, but a little less ugly. We think Europe is where we were four years ago. The ideal time to buy [US] stocks was on March 9, 2009, when AIG was in the toilet and Citibank was failing. But we feel it's their turn and we want to participate in their recovery." In short, buy international stocks while they're low, with the payoff to come as the markets continue to rebound. Many advisors and strategists agree with Mr. Navarro. Investors shouldn't be playing it safe with entirely domestic investments, they say; they need to position themselves for the future by having a diversified portfolio, including international options. Yet some clients continue to be resistant, and even the planning of a seasoned financial advisor such as Mr. Navarro, who has been working in the industry for over 40 years, can't change their minds. Mr. Navarro tries to understand the reasons for their reactions, taking on the roles of "educator as well as psychiatrist," but will ultimately position investors' portfolios according to their wishes. And in lending his voice to Bank Investment Consultant, he is furthering the discussion of a complicated issue in today's investment industry. ••
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financial advisor
By Anna Newman / Photograph by Rosh Ritchie
This was the dinner where Rob Hale '84 and his wife Karen announced their $25 million gift for financial aid to DA, the single largest gift ever made to the Academy. It was a terrific event and Deerfield will thrive because of all of our philanthropy combined, not just Rob 's. Please remember the Annual Fund when an email or letter comes your way or go to deerfield.edu/give. John Knight caught up with Charlie van Dusen at a Deerfield reception in Boston, and they enjoyed reminiscing about the IHL Champion Maple Leafs and Charlie's elegant (i.e., disputed) goal in the final game over Bob Fitz and the Canadiens. "Not only does the Stanley Can live in my office," says John, "but I have copies of season stats from 1979–1990. In our senior year the Leafs and the Bruins finished the regular season at 7-3-1, the Canadiens at 4-7, and the Blackhawks at 3-8. In the playoff semi-finals, the Canadiens stunned the Bruins 2-1, and the Leafs handled the Hawks 4-2. In the final the Leafs won 2-1. Charlie's goal was his only of the season (unverified). Top scorers in the IHL that year: First Line: D. Smith (8), Ehmann and Esty (7), Jackson, Pauley and Piersol (6) Second Line: Wolf (8), S Brown (7) Third line: Rigsby (9)." Knight continues: "So many classmates made our 'Beer&Burger' evening memorable! Ben Patton, Chris Flagg, Nelse Clark, and
Peter Geary were able join Doug Schmidt and me in person, and we even had a surprise guest! (more later). We also got calls, emails, and texts from Dean Singewald, Eric Suher, Jim Wareck, Dave Venman, Jon Gottscho, and Hank Lemieux. We were especially sad that Hank had moved back to San Fran only days before and that our date change didn't work out for others like Wolf, Cruikshank, and Spence Brown. Ben wins the 'first responder award,' but Nelse Clark showed what he's made of when he pulled out opened bottles of his Privateer Rum to show his sincerely interested classmates. Bartender tensions were dissipated after Nelse flashed his signature smile and let them take a whiff too . . . Ben is ramping up his I Was There Film Workshops for PTSD surviving veterans; Nelse is marketing Privateer far and wide; Chris is in NYC real estate; and Peter is in advertising. Schmidt makes it all happen, no matter what 'it' is! And the special guest? Phil Toub '84 (did not graduate for disciplinary reasons). Schmidt had been in a meeting when the dots started to connect, so Phil got the invite. . . Hope to catch some more classmates next time and to hear that our West Coast branch makes an effort to establish meet-ups out there. Might have to be Sushi&Perrier instead of Beer&Burger?" In other '83 news: Thanks to Hardie Jackson and his family, five stranded Atlanta
drivers were able to sleep in his house after the traffic debacle caused by three inches of snow. In honor of Veterans Day, CBS This Morning aired a nice piece on Ben Patton and his work. An estimated three million people watched it: cbsnews.com/videos/helpingveterans-heal-through-filmmaking.
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"I ran into David Madden again at SFO airport in December, on my way to the NorthFace Challenge 50K trail race in the Marin Headlands," reports Leigh Guyer. "Last time I saw him we were crossing paths at SFO years ago! I'm still in Portland, OR, splitting time between my dad duties, occasional acting, and my new coaching enterprise, Tortuga Training." "So a few of us from the class are at a dinner in NYC but not all at the same table," says John Knight. "One classmate says, 'Hey, John, I 'd like to meet that new Dean of Admission, Pam Safford.' So after dinner I introduce my classmate, who reminds us that he has a child applying to DA this year. Another classmate notices that the new dean of admission is only occupied by two classmates and introduces himself, and reminds her that he has a child in the applicant pool this year. Finally the fourth member of our tribe notices all the attention being paid to the new dean of admission by our class and comes over to mention . . . he has a child in the applicant pool this year, as well. Pam was a good sport to pose for the photo, and she brings that balance to her work. My fingers are crossed for all the great sons and daughters of alumni who will apply this year. They do tend to fare better in the process, like three times better than a non-legacy candidate, but in the final accounting, fewer than 50 percent in that category are offered admission.
Reunion Chairs Gregory R. Greene B. Barrett Hinckley David W. Kinsley David A. Rancourt The fifth annual Friends of Deerfield Korea Open took place on September 27, 2013, at Hevichi Country Club. "Under beautiful weather conditions, we had a turnout with 16 players, including Deerfield parents and alumni," reports Terry Lee. "We used the 'Shin Peoria' handicap format for this tournament. Dr. Youngdoo Yoon (Haeri Yoon's father) was crowned the 2013 Champion as he shot a net score of 72.8 to narrowly defeat Sangbum Kim who shot a net score of 73.2. Many thanks to Inwoo Chang '90 for getting us the tee-times. Thank you all for participating, and we look forward to future events with everyone! Final Results: Champion: Youngdoo Yoon P'11 (72.8); Nearest: Youngdoo Yoon P'11, Haengwoon Sang (Sunglim Chi P'11). Men's Top Finishers: second place Sangbum Kim P'14 (73.2), third place
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Jongkwan Lim P'09 (73.4), fourth place Inwoo Chang '90 (74). Women's Top Finishers: second place: Kanghee Song P'13 (75.8), third place Haeli Jung P'15 (77.2) fourth place Jihyun Nam P'09 (77.4)."
Class Captain Sydney M. Williams Class Scribe Jay Flemma sent in the following report: "Woody Thompson, Bart Polacsek, and Craig Schwitter "staged our own Deerfield revolution!" dancing recklessly with death by chugging Cuba Libres and then driving through the streets of Havana in a '59 Chevy with the top and windows down while shouting 'Knit One Pearl two. . .' and 'Viva La Deerfield!' At least they didn't shout the one that goes 'Ice Cold Duck . . . makes you wanna BEAT CUBA!' As he completes his PhD in film at Berkeley, George Larkin won second place in the Samuel Goldman Writing Awards for his new play Bastard Son. Both old school and contemporary at once, George's inimitable black humor and hilarious dialogue result in a neoclassic piece that's the typical Larkin supersmart laugh-a-minute romp. Additionally, his recent movie Speaking of Baghdad continues to play at festivals around the world as well as on TV and in schools. And if that's not enough, he and his wife Elizabeth welcomed twins Maura and Patrick into the world on October 8. As
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you probably know, Keith Pennell's daughter Caroline was a dominating performer on NBC's The Voice, and tuning in every week became a Deerfield custom this past fall, with impromptu viewing parties and post-show Facebook discussions going on long into the night. The apple obviously didn't fall far from the tree, as Keith's musical prowess was always a highlight of our class' many talents. I still remember the rousing rendition of the "Sons of Deerfield" he led in the Memorial Building the evening before we walked in graduation the next day. Keith's new band, Midnight Toast, plays NYC and Northern Jersey frequently, so there's an easy (and fun!) potential class meet-up. Keith also became the first person in world history to straighten up the Leaning Tower of Pisa (see p. 59). Why hadn't anybody thought of it before? Or could it be that only Deerfield alumni are worthy of the challenge? Speaking of Facebook, let's all give a 'Yay! Rah Rah!' to Ted Ullyot for the sterling job he did for so many years as Facebook's general counsel. I'm sure he's looking forward to more well-deserved time with Jen, the boys, and the Vikings. Honored at last year's Supreme Court Historical Society gala for his work, he got to share the evening with fellow '85-er Joe Kaufman, also an excellent attorney. Speaking of lawyers, Wesley Pratt joined a new law firm—Brent, Fiol,
and Nolan. Best of luck with the new gig, Wes! Meanwhile, my own personal 'Big Green Across America' Golf Tour continues apace. I always get a few rounds in with Bruce Moulton in between the two of us seeing concerts in the city for various clients. Bruce is spending a little less time managing artists, and instead is doing more record label management for acts like the Black Crowes. He and Greg Delts came to my 'Sportswriters Night in New York' event where I read with and interviewed other New York sports writers and athletes. Deltsy, by the way, has been elected to the NYS Assembly for his NYC district. Happily, I always see a lot of Jeff Downing, who has taken on a new job as director of the Mt. Cuba Center Botanical Gardens in Delaware. 'I feel like a hobbit that made it to Rivendell,' he said, beaming. It's a gorgeous place, the botanical gardens, so stop by for a tour. Besides playing a number of great golf courses this year, we went to the US Open at Merion. We also got lost on a golf course together, as hobbits journeying in the wild sometimes do . . . but that's a story for Reunions. Finally, Kevin Ellingwood and George Knight both dropped off daughters at DA for the start of winter term." George Knight reports, "I enjoyed a delightful evening with Frederick Ilchman in my hometown of New Haven. I am happy to report that, with deep involvement in opera, the Save Venice Foundation,
and his post as Curator of Paintings at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, he remains the class' Minister of Culture. Best to all '85."
Class Captains Henri R. Cattier Michael W. Chorske Benson Choy and Mariko Kobayashi now have two children. Benson says, "Life has never been so busy, nor as meaningful and rewarding." He and Bill Davidson (formerly Dubinsky) met recently and shared childrearing stories—never a dull moment. Benson and his family currently reside in the San Francisco Bay Area, and Benson is working at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in expatriate tax. "After ten years at Lathrop & Gage law firm, I switched teams and joined Polsinelli PC back last April," says Dan Cranshaw. "A bigger firm with a broader platform has allowed me to expand my litigation practice and to develop a deeper expertise in strategic planning and risk management. The new offices are also five minutes from my house! Would love to connect with anyone passing through Kansas City."
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Brett West '84 and family at the Sochi Olympics, where Brett's son Tucker was the youngest men's luge team member ever. | James Pomeroy '89 and daughter Sophie—Crooked Lake, Nova Scotia. | Marcus Yoder '88 was named one of 25 "People to Watch in 2014" by the Global Gaming Business magazine and website. | "This is what happens when you make a bet with a coworker who went to Choate!" says Tim Smith '85. "Congrats to Mark MacLeod on his football team's victory. The DA jersey in my hands is what I was so sure he would be wearing . . ." | Benson Choy '86 with sons Jason and David. | "My son, Jeremy, working up to full Deerfield dress code!" says Andrew Starr '87. | Classmates Peter O'Brien '87 and Peter Melnik '87 at Deerfield's first-ever Parents Weekend Farmers Market. | Dylan and Logan Fedor, sons of Robert Fedor '88. | Leave it to a Deerfield alumnus (Keith Pennell '85) to fix an age-old "problem."
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BEHIND THE SCENES While the characters in a play are busy trading lines, falling in love, or working through obstacles, the setting they do it in is pulling a double shift. Set designers face the difficult task of pouring through source material and transforming fantasy into reality. This manifestation must not only be aesthetically pleasing, but also technically precise—it needs to work. This is something that Tony Award-winning set designer Todd Rosenthal '84 understands better than almost anyone else in the business. "Good design forces the performers to interact with the space," Mr. Rosenthal says. "It doesn't just frame them." This idea of interaction is immediately realized in the sheer scale of Mr. Rosenthal's work; some of his sets are staggering. For August: Osage County— the play that earned him the Tony Award—he designed and constructed a full scale three-story house whose interior spilled out across the entirety of Broadway's Imperial Theater stage. Ultimately, it was less a set and more a home. And like any home, it housed more than just the occupants' belongings—it carried the weight of who they were. Perhaps most poignant were the small details, such as a desk covered in books, or an exterior light shining through the interior and casting eerie shadows across the ceiling. These are the subtle details that illuminate personality and that convince an audience that what they're seeing is real.
below: Set design for Of Mice and Men
TODD ROSENTHAL scenic designer
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By Joseph Delaney
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"Good design forces the performers to interact with the space," Mr. Rosenthal says. "It doesn't just frame them."
t to b: Concept (1), model (2), and final set design (3) for A Streetcar Named Desire
"I always start with research . . . photographs, paintings, sculpture. Then I start sketching," Mr. Rosenthal explains. "From the sketches we move onto rough models and drafting." His Evanston, IL, studio is jam-packed with models—old and new alike. It's also filled with pieces of new sets moving to and from stages all across the country, including parts for Broadway's Of Mice and Men, which opened this April, and a Kenneth Lonergan show called This is Our Youth, set to open in the fall. "Some ideas come suddenly, some take up to a year to germinate and come to fruition," Mr. Rosenthal says. Like most projects, his require a bit of trial, error, and humility. "I always generate really bad ideas before the final one emerges." Mr. Rosenthal discovered his interest in theater while at Deerfield. "I acted in two productions my senior year: Death of a Salesman and The Little Prince. I had no interest in the theater until that point," he says. "They were both directed by Simon Taylor, who was on loan from a school in England. The show starred my classmates Andrew Wilson and Jon Hochwald. Andrew is a film actor, and Jon is a theater producer in New York. I think we all got the bug from our Deerfield experience." ••
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Class Captains John D. Amorosi Andrew P. Bonanno The first-ever Parents Weekend Farmers Market gave classmates Peter O'Brien and Peter Melnik the chance to reconnect, and Peter O. was proud to take home a pumpkin whose origin was a classmate's farm!
Class Captain Oscar K. Anderson Robert Fedor shared a picture of his "two best accomplishments, Dylan and Logan Fedor." (see page 59) "Future Deerfield graduates," he adds. "Life since Deerfield has been great. I have been blessed with a super wife who gave me two of the best
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boys in the world. Things are busy. Brother Edward '87 is doing fine with three great children, and John '84 is doing well, too. Never any time to come to old Deerfield, will catch up with you all someday!" "After three years of lobbying and business development, we finally legalized online casino gaming in New Jersey," reports Marcus Yoder. "This provides employment, consumer protection, and much-needed tax revenue to the state." Marcus was also named one of 25 "People to Watch in 2014" by the Global Gaming Business magazine and website.
Reunion Chair Gustave K. Lipman Class Captain Edward S. Williams "My daughters, Sophie (eight) and Haley (five), and I took advantage of the frigid weather that has held much of North America in its grip this winter," reported James Pomeroy when we last heard from him. "We spent many hours skating and playing good old fashioned pond hockey on the glassy surface of Crooked Lake, Nova Scotia, over the New Year 2014 break. Should a DA classmate or friend find themself in Halifax, by all means, look me up!" Alan Seid is heading up a start-up that provides coaching, training, and key resources to people com-
A Deerfield gathering, Labor Day 2013, New Hampshire: top row, l to r: Casey Marshall '92, Craig Creelman '90, Hardy Viener '92, Tad White '92, Erik Hess '96, Connor Barnes, Clayton Sullivan '92, Ryan FitzSimons '92; bottom row, l to r: John Antonini '92, Kristina Hess '92, Caitlin & Jennifer Ward '92, Maqui Sainz, Leslie Sainz Hess, Clair L'Henry | page 63: Tom Heller '91 was a producer on Mud, starring Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon. | Annemarie Munk '92, her husband Marc, Magnus, and Mette welcomed Elsa on December 21, 2013. | Ryan FitzSimons '92 and daughter enjoyed Choate Day 2013—especially the green cotton candy! | Patrick Stephenson '91 on a tour in Mumbai, India.
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'91 mitted to their own personal development and to making a positive contribution in the world: CascadiaWorkshops. com and BlackbeltCommunicationSkills.com.
Class Captain Jeb S. Armstrong Please send us your news and notes!
Class Captain Justin G. Sautter Tom Heller comments, "Hard to believe it has been over 20 years since graduation! I have been living in New York City and working in the film industry. This past year, I was a producer on Mud, starring Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon. Upcoming projects include Foxcatcher, starring Steve Carell and Channing Tatum, about the murder of Olympic wrestler Dave Schultz, which will hit theaters in 2014." "Living in Kentucky continues to be a pleasure," writes Justin Sautter. "My two daughters (nine and
11) now have ponies, and my wife and I are enjoying hacking around the farm and foxhunting in various venues with them. I started an investment advisory firm almost five years ago, and it has been a great experience. I love helping people get more savvy about their finances and really enjoy the mix of both client and 'geek analytical' time. I am also active on the board of the kids' school and I'm amazed about everything I didn't know that goes into running a good school. Please let me know if you are passing through Lexington, I would love to show you around. Cheers!" Patrick Stephenson is "still living in Brussels, working as a speechwriter and teaching political science to university students on the side."
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Class Captains Elizabeth B. Cooper Kristina I. Hess Jeffrey Morrison McDowell Clayton T. Sullivan Please send us your news and notes!
'91 deerfield.edu
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Class Captains Kimberly Ann Capello John T. Collura Christopher T. DeRosa Michelle Lin Greenip Charlotte York Matthews Sarah D. Weihman Marjorie Maxim Gibbons Widener "I visited Hong Kong and saw a bunch of DA folks there," says Phuong Ky. "Lisa Lee '95 was married in Repulse Bay and Haruna Hirose '95 from Japan was in attendance. I had dinner with Fred Yau, Bruce Hut, Dai Feng, Janice Lin '92, and Nick Yau '95. Bruce Hut, who knows a bit about Japanese cuisine, ordered all the menu items, and we imbibed on sake and soju!" "My husband Patrick and I welcomed our daughter, Clara Bayley Matthews, on September 16, 2013," reports Charlotte York Matthews. "Big brother Colin adores his sister, and we are loving having a little lady in the family! Come and visit us in Chicago!" Eliza Moore says: "This past year I released a new EP of songs I have written over the past few years entitled Everything to Me. It was so much fun to put the music together and to create a music video (youtube.com/ watch?v=fgTOUYyMU98) for one of the tracks. I have been doing a bit of touring around the states and Canada, and have bumped into a few Deerfield folks here and there.
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'93 l to r: Bruce Hut '93, Dai Feng '93, Vivian (wife of Nick Yau '95), Fred
Yau '93, Genevieve (wife of Fred), Janice Lin '92, and Phuong Ky '93 enjoyed dinner together in Hong Kong. | Shantel Moses '93 caught up with several classmates in Hong Kong: Shantel and Lisa Lee '93 "after a lovely food tour" and dinner with Haruna Hirose '93 and Kevin Kg. | Eliza Moore '93 gave a Labor Day performance at Rock for the River, Thousand Islands, NY. | Adam Sichol '94 and family were on hand for this past fall's Choate Day festivities.
Courtesy of Bernie Auyang
The Young Presidents' Organization (YPO) has elected Bernard Auyang '87 chairman of its 2014–2015 International Board. Mr. Auyang, currently serving as vice chairman, will be the 63rd person to hold the highest elected office at YPO, which was founded in 1950. "I am humbled by the responsibility before me, grateful for the trust my peers have bestowed in me, and mindful of the contribution made by my predecessors," he said. "YPO is the strongest it has ever been. Much credit for that goes to my predecessors, who worked so hard to ensure that we have a solid foundation from which to build upon." In turn, 2013–2014 International Chairman Fulton Collins said: "Bernie has been an exemplary leader in the organization at every level." Mr. Collins will officially hand over the position to Mr. Auyang in July. "He knows the inner workings and embraces the vision of the organization like few others do. He is the perfect international ambassador of YPO's mission to build 'Better Leaders Through Education and Idea Exchange.'" Leaving Hong Kong for Deerfield at the age of 14 meant that Mr. Auyang needed to learn to think on his feet. "I was 8000 miles away from home; this taught me how make independent decisions, how to deal with change, and how to thrive in a new and unknown environment." The same lesson that helped him forge new friendships in New England has been a key asset in Mr. Auyang's professional arsenal, and one that plays an increasingly important role in his work with YPO. "YPO is about having the broadest and deepest network possible," said Mr. Auyang. "Today, we connect members in 130 countries. We can't stop there . . . We can't forget that we are the Young Presidents' Organization," he explained. "I want to focus on members under the age of 35, and I'm encouraging our chapters to recruit these members and give them leadership opportunities." Mr. Auyang is also ready to live up to the legacy set out by his predecessors. "The trusting friends I've made, the counsel I've received, and the education that is at the core of everything we do have all made me a better person and leader. Now I get to give back by serving my peers." Mr. Auyang is chairman of Vida Nova Ventures, a Hong Kong–based direct investment company, and co-CEO of Touchmedia Group, the world's largest in-taxi interactive advertising platform. He also serves on the boards of Dragonchip Limited, Sumida Corporation, and QVIVO Limited. ••
By Joseph Delaney
Leaving Hong Kong for Deerfield at the age of 14 meant that Mr. Auyang needed to learn to think on his feet.
"I was 8000 miles away from home; this taught me how make independent decisions, how to deal with change, and how to thrive in a new and unknown environment."
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(PS My tour dates are always posted on my FB page: facebook.com/elizamooremusic and website: elizamoore.com, if anyone is curious). I am living in Montreal, Quebec, with my husband Jeremy and my son Xavier who is now three! We are expecting a new baby girl in May, and I am in the process of writing and recording a new album, which I hope to release sometime in 2014 . . . life is definitely overflowing!" "I had the pleasure to catch up with fellow Deerfield alumni in Hong Kong: Janice Lin, Bruce Hut, and Lisa Lee as well as Haruna Hirose in Tokyo," reports Shantel Moses. "Everyone was so awesome and gave my boyfriend Kevin Ng and me a very warm welcome. Kevin and I did a beautiful, dream trip for almost a month—we visited Beijing, Shanghai, Yellow Mountain, Kunming, Guilin, Yanshuo, Xi'an, HK, Macau, and Tokyo. Can't wait to go back in 2014!" TenMarks (where Kirby Salerno is VP of Sales) was recently acquired by Amazon. "That's pretty big!" Read more from the WSJ here: online.wsj.com/article/PRCO-20131010-910901.html.
Annual Giving National Chair Daniel B. Garrison Reunion Chair Michael J. Glazer Please send us your news and notes!
Spring 2014
Class Captains Daniel D. Meyer Avery B. Whidden "Henry Francis decided to join us a few weeks early, taking us all by surprise!" reports Michael Berolzheimer. "He was born on Sunday, November 17, at 7:08 pm, and weighed 6 pounds, 13 oz, and was 19.5 inches long." Paula Griffith Edgar was featured in a video (youtube. com/watch?v=mAnbCubkl9A) made by The Office for Diversity Pipeline Initiatives, which provides professional experience, development, and educational programs to support inner-city high school, college, and law school students who wish to pursue a legal career. "My husband Filippo and I are thrilled to announce the birth of our daughter Livia, born on August 14, 2013, in Brussels," writes Zorana (Lola) Colombo-Ivankovic. "Elena (two and a half ) took the news well and is being a wonderful older sister. Belgium will be our home for the next three years, and we will be happy to meet some Deerfield people here!" The Deerfield community was saddened to learn of the death of Daniel Rhoda on September 6, 2013. Daniel attended Bowdoin after Deerfield and graduated summa cum laude in 1999. He later earned his MA in Transpersonal Psychology and was in the process of commencing his PhD clinical requirements at Sovereign
Health in Los Angeles as well as starting his doctoral thesis research at the Deepak Chopra Center in Carlsbad, CA. After working on Wall Street with Credit Suisse/ First Boston for two years after Bowdoin, Daniel moved to Kauai in Hawaii where he became involved with the Institute for Holistic Medicine and Research. Among other projects, Daniel helped to author Eat. Taste. Heal. with Dr. Tom Yarema and Chef Johnny Branigan. Daniel's obituary read in part: "In lieu of flowers, please remember Daniel by stopping to aid that person or child who many need help but who you may have otherwise passed by . . . a meal, some clothing or perhaps a kind word of caring concern . . . and continuing to do this a second or third time . . . this would be your finest remembrance and acknowledgement of the life-path that Daniel sought to travel." Wally Tomenson and his fiancé (now wife) were featured in The New York Times "vows section," in an extraordinarily touching video—it's worth typing the crazy url in to watch! nytimes.com/video/ fashion/100000002555390/ vows-in-sickness-and-inhealth.html?nl=todaysheadlin es&emc=edit_th_20131118
1996 My wife, Leigh Morrison, and I welcomed Harper Grace Johnson to our family on April 4, 2012," says Tom Johnson. "Now 18 months old, Harper is a ball
full of energy, and is incredibly friendly. We're both still teaching at The Hill School (Pottstown, PA), and would love to host any visitors who are in the area."
Class Captains Amy Sodha Harsch Margot M. Pfohl "I've been plugging away in Hollywood," says Judd Cherry. "It's been a productive couple of years as I wrote, directed, and produced an award-winning short film called Neighbors that Scott MacArthur lent his amazing acting talent to. I've been performing stand-up comedy in LA for the last two years. I got the fantastic opportunity to work with Annie Lynch producing a web series that she directed called Court Ordered. I, myself, also directed a music video for the band Epic Jam, and I got the chance to write and direct several marketing spots for a new influenza vaccine called Flublok, check them out on their YouTube page (Protein Sciences). The great news of 2014 so far is that I'm currently finalizing a deal to produce a feature film titled Nigel and Oscar vs The Sasquatch, and I'm about to complete teaching a screenwriting course in Florida. It's been a lot of fun and something I didn't think would come that naturally to me. I must've learned how to teach from the DA faculty by osmosis. Good begets good. Anyway, I hope to have a lot
The walk down Albany Road is the end of one important journey— and the beginning of another. Thank you for helping Deerfield students finish up strong with your gift to the Green and White.
of great updates to follow!" Libby Leist was in Sochi, covering the Winter Olympics for NBC's TODAY show. Her Instagram page (instagram.com/libbyleist) features a number of great pics. "Back in September my wife Stacey and I welcomed our second baby girl into the world, Audrey Rose," reports Parker Stone. "She is a happy, healthy baby and, thank God, a good sleeper. Big sister Julianna, now three, has been a great help and absolutely adores 'baby Audrey.' This past January I embarked on an exciting new journey, leaving M&T Bank and transitioning over to First Niagara as a personal financial associate (financial advisor). We've been fortunate to have a good amount of snow this winter, so the weekends have been filled with daddy/
daughter ski days. Hope everyone else from Class of '97 and the Deerfield community are doing well! Cheers!" Jenne Whitelaw writes, "We welcomed our second daughter, Josephine Davis Whitelaw, or Jo, in February 2013. In-between juggling diapers and crayons, I am loving my commercial interior design career in Washington, DC." 2012 was "a big one" for Drew Zwart. "In September I married my wonderful wife, Elizabeth; in December I received a doctorate in Plant Pathology from the University of Washington, and in April (2013) we moved to the bay area of California (Marin County), where we are loving the welcome change in weather from our previous home in Seattle."
deerfield.edu/give or use the envelope in the back of this magazine. Thank you for your support!
Class Captains Thomas Dudley Bloomer Ashley Muldoon Lavin Alice Elizabeth Leiter Vanessa Bazzocchi McCafferty Okechukwu Ugwonali Kimberly (Oelman) Donnan was married on September 1, 2013, with several Deerfield alumni in attendance. "It was so much fun to catch up with everyone and have a mini-reunion!" Kimberly says. "Attendees included my dad Bradford C. Oelman '56, Lauren Hunter, Brandon Cobb, Jeanne Hinckley, Tyler Littwin, Becca Bell, Catherine Pligavko, Sara Myers, Sarah Cullen, and Roland LeMay '78. "My wife Kate and I welcomed our daughter, Stella Eve MacArthur, into the world this past October," writes Scott MacArthur.
"Mother and child are well, and the reptile and button relocation business is booming in Southern California. Hope everyone is well!"
Reunion Chairs Alexander Hooker Mejia Christopher Colin Wallace Michael P. Weissman Doug MacLeod and his wife Sarah are pleased to announce the birth of William Gordon MacLeod on April 9, 2013 in New York City. William is their first child and Gordon (Deerfield faculty from 1977-1998) and Susan MacLeod's sixth grandchild. Doug, Sarah, and Will live in Manhattan; Doug teaches at The Spence School and Sarah teaches at The Buckley School.
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Clara Bayley Matthews was born on September 16, 2013; daughter of Charlotte York Matthews '93. | Doug '99 and Sarah MacLeod welcomed William Gordon MacLeod on April 9, 2013. | Livia, daughter of Zorana (Lola) Colombo-Ivankovic, was born on August 14, 2013, in Brussels, Belgium. | Harper Grace Johnson, daughter of Tom Johnson '96 and Leigh Morrison. | Henry Francis Berolzheimer, son of Michael Berolzheimer '95, was born on November 17, 2013. | Viv and Jo Whitelaw, daughters of Jenne Whitelaw '97. | Stella Eve MacArthur, daughter of Scott MacArthur '98, was born last fall.
'99 '96 '95 '97
'98 70
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clockwise from top:
'98 '95
Thomas TJ Filip '94 and Wendy Miner were married on June 1, 2013. Several Deerfield people joined the celebration: l to r: Anna Filip '99, Alexandra Marshall Detweiler '94, Seth Martin '94, Justin Reich '95, Wendy Miner, TJ Filip '94, Pete Landreth '94, Julia Filip '01, Chris Halpin '94, Suzanna Filip '97, and Jake Nichols '07 | Deerfield family and friends gathered for the wedding of Kimberly Oelman Donnan '98 and her fiancé on September 1, 2013. | Sarah Toner '95 and Joe Dugan were married on May 18, 2013 in Washington, DC, with Deerfield friends in attendance: l to r: Liz Nyman, Ben Steinbock, Edith (Webster) Nageale, Joe Dugan, Sarah (Toner) Dugan, Dave Vazzana, and Alex Holt— all Class of '95. | Wally Tomenson '95 says it was great to share his wedding day with Deerfield friends at The Lyford Cay Club in New Providence. Laura Doyle Hammam '96, Vlad Marcel '94, Hillary Williams, Chase Coleman '93, Nina Howell Patterson '95, Carter Brooks Simonds '95, Nick Acquavella '96, Billy Bryan '95, Peter Espy '96, Sasha Leviant '95, Malcolm Dorson '02, John Pless '95, Margot Pfohl '97, Avery Whidden '95, Ashley Hilton Kadakia '00, and Loulie Gillen '95. Missing from photo:
Ogden Phipps '96, Jon Holstein '95 deerfield.edu
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by Jessica Day
Shawn Donnan '89 says the most important thing he learned at Deerfield was self-reliance, and when he began his career as a journalist for the Associated Press, there's no doubt that self-reliance was an asset. From Australia to Indonesia to Hong Kong, and now as a senior writer for London's Financial Times, taking responsibility for his own fate has served Mr. Donnan well. In 2008 the Financial Times promoted Mr. Donnan to Deputy World News Editor, and he and his family made the move from Asia to England. It was an intense, fascinating time to be in the news world. "I was temporarily running our foreign desk through the collapse of Lehman Brothers, overseeing our US election coverage (and the rise of Barack Obama), the war in Georgia, as well as a myriad of other stories," Mr. Donnan recalls. Just two years later, Mr. Donnan was promoted again—this time to World News Editor; he was put in charge of a team of a dozen editors in London, and of coordinating the FT's global economic and political coverage, which was provided by over 100 foreign correspondents. In that role he oversaw the Financial Time's award-winning coverage of major running stories such as the Arab Spring and the Eurozone crisis. And then, this past September, Mr. Donnan "stood down." "I loved running a team of editors and coordinating coverage of our big stories," he says, "but at the end of the day, we all become journalists because we love to get out there and meet people and tell stories. I really missed that as an editor . . ." Ironically, senior writers at the FT are also called "editors" ("It's confusing," Mr. Donnan admits), but these days he covers trade and development around the world. Generally speaking, Mr. Donnan is the paper's "globalization correspondent," and as such, it's helpful that he majored in International Relations in college. In fact, his advice to burgeoning journalists is to not major in the subject. "In college, you're going to have a rare opportunity to pile on knowledge," he explains. "So take it! Build your mind. Learn a language or two. Study the fundamentals of economics and history. Go off and explore and study abroad. It will all pay off in the long run." He adds that many great journalists come to the profession late—and with disparate backgrounds. "A friend of mine who retired from The New York Times after spending over 25 years as a foreign correspondent . . . was a Marine. Then he was a lawyer and a prosecutor in San Francisco . . . He won a Pulitzer for his coverage of death penalty issues, reported from more than 100 countries; I think he would tell you that being a Marine and a prosecutor made him a better journalist. I think he's right . . ." That being said, Mr. Donnan adds that journalism is indeed a craft, and as with most crafts, the more you practice, the better you get. "You need the 'muscle memory' to be able to write quickly and clearly, often under intense pressures," he says. Shortly before Christmas 2013, Mr. Donnan took to the field and travelled to Myanmar (Burma) with Financial Times photographer Charlie Bibby. They were there partly to cover the country's progression from dictatorship to democracy, and partly to write a story for the Financial Times' annual charity appeal, which raised $2.3 million for World Child Cancer last year. The result was a dynamic, heartwrenching yet beautiful digital piece (on.ft.com/1g0LgW1) on the FT's website. "We are in an amazing period of change in the media world," Mr. Donnan says. "But that's ok. We'll survive; we'll adapt. And so will print. Digital has amazing possibilities for storytelling." He adds that his story from Myanmar is more powerful online than it ever could be in print, and he's absolutely right. But print isn't dead to Mr. Donnan, and he doesn't think the world should sign off on it just yet, if ever: "You can't read everything on your iPhone or iPad. Every so often you have to switch off and go analogue . . . books, magazines, and good newspapers are a fabulous way of doing that." ••
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Photograph by Charlie Bibby
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bottom: On the train to Myanmar
SHAWN DONNAN journalist
See what Shawn Donnan is up to on Twitter: twitter.com/sdonnan | Follow his blog at: blogs.ft.com/the-world/author/shawndonnan
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'01 2000
"I married Charles Battle on June 22, 2013 in Harwich Port, MA," reports Emily Dawson Battle. "We continue to live in Brooklyn, NY, and I work at New York Road Runners, where I manage their charity running team and the charity program for the NYC Marathon and other road races throughout the year. I love my 'run-ins' with other Deerfield alumni around the city!"
Sara (Mills) von Althann writes, "Hello all, I met up with 2001 classmates Rebecca Blumenkopf, Katie Cralle, Kate Larsen, and Grier Potter in Austin, TX, last June for a mini-reunion. We are quite spread out these days, as Rebecca and Grier are in New York, Katie was in Dubai (now relocating to Beijing!), Kate is in Los Angeles, and I am in DC, so it was great to have an opportunity to catch up and explore Austin
Class Captains Lisa Rosemary Craig Emily Jean Dawson Battle
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Class Captain James Dorr Dunning
together. We are hoping to make this an annual tradition with New Orleans as our next destination."
Class Captains William Malcolm Dorson Robert Agee Gibbons Terrence Paul O'Toole Dorothy Elizabeth Reifenheiser David Branson Smith Serena Stanfill Tufo Hillary and Mac Jackson recently launched a website for their hat company: berkshirehatcompany.com.
Class Captains Eric David Grossman Tara Ann Tersigni
Reunion Chairs Nicholas Zachary Hammerschlag Caroline C. Whitton Please send us your news and notes!
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opposite: Jessica (Crothers) Wood '01 and her fiancé "tied the knot" in San Miguel, Mexico, this past Thanksgiving. | Old Deerfield friends Amanda (Harris) Herzberger '00 (left) Sarah (Waldo) Jagger '00 pose with their daughters Norah Marion Herzberger (born November 18, 2013) and Emily Waldo Jagger (born August 8, 2013). "We hope these girls will be as close as their Moms are!" | Jenn Wozniakewicz Alonso '02 and her husband Adam are proud new parents to Adrian Michael Alonso, born September 2, 2013.
'02 '00
'01 Jessica Harrison '00, Vanessa Lavely '00, and Megan Moreland '01 attended the wedding of Emily Dawson '00 to Charles Battle last June on Cape Cod. | Five members of the Class of '01 enjoyed a "mini reunion" in Austin, TX, last June: Sara (Mills) von Althann, Rebecca Blumenkopf, Katie Cralle, Kate Larsen, and Grier Potter.
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As Festas da Julie: Receitas de familia para momentos especiais AUTHOR
Julie Wolf Deffense '91
Marcador, 2013
Reviewed by Anna Newman
FOOD + FAMILY = LOVE Flip through the pages of Julie Wolf Deffense '91's new cookbook: the photos tell the story. Beside the mouthwatering cakes, tarts, quiches, and scones are Ms. Deffense and her family and friends, snacking on s'mores, picnicking on the beach, and celebrating special occasions—all with an eye to the delicious food that brings them together. As Festas da Julie (roughly translated as "Julie's Parties") is Ms. Deffense's second cookbook that shares traditional American recipes with home bakers in Portugal, where she has lived since 1998. As Festas da Julie follows up on the success of Os Bolos da Julie ("Julie's Cakes"), focusing on both sweet and savory treats for celebrating special occasions. Ms. Deffense divides her cookbook into four sections, one for each season, and provides suggestions for creating menus to make every occasion special—and delicious! Ms. Deffense's repertoire of recipes for the spring features seasonal fruits and light, fresh flavors, in recipes such as strawberry and rhubarb popovers, champagne and raspberry cupcakes, and blueberry crepes. The summer section is full of fresh salads and sandwiches, including new renditions of the traditional picnic fare of chicken salad, deviled eggs, and lemonade. In the fall, Ms. Deffense evokes the autumnal flavors of pumpkin, caramel, nuts, and apple in a variety of savory tarts and sweet pastries. As Festas da Julie rounds out the year with tasty and creative brunch items and chocolate-centered desserts, perfect for holiday festivities. Bright and colorful, Ms. Deffense's new book also offers plenty of classic recipes that kids will enjoy, including s'mores, M&M cookies, caramel apples, and gingerbread houses. She often inserts elements of whimsy into her recipes—orange cookies shaped like dogs, for example, and cupcakes topped with glittery hearts. The beautiful cakes that were featured in Ms. Deffense's first cookbook, and served as the inspiration for her popular baking website thegreatamericancake.com, are still the stars of As Festas da Julie. Topped with seasonal fruit in the spring and summer, and rich with nuts and chocolate in the fall and winter, these delicacies range from a lemon cake stuffed with a gooey blackberry and sour cherry filling to a decadent marbled cheesecake. Even though the American audience can't enjoy Ms. Deffense's recipes—yet, we hope!—the message is clear: Celebrate special moments with your family . . . and plenty of delicious baked goods.
Spring 2014
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You might remember a class field trip on the first warm day of spring, a barbecue at the river, or ice cream novelties in the Dining Hall. Thank you for keeping the tradition of small treats and special surprises alive with your gift to the Green and White.
deerfield.edu/give or use the envelope in the back of this magazine. Thank you for your support!
'05 James Graham, Ellen Scott, Frank Zimmerman, and Eliza Murphy, all Class of '06, enjoyed a mini reunion in Milwaukee this past October. | On February 7, 2013, Robert Gordon Armentrout was born in Columbus, Ohio, to Glynis Armentrout '05. | Kayla Burke '05 and Sean Sullivan were married on October 13, 2013. There to celebrate from the Class of 2005 were l to r: Rachel Makson, Elizabeth Mandel, Kevin O'Rourke, Rachel Cohen, and Jess Jauw (who served as maid of honor). | '04 classmates enjoyed catching up at a 10th Reunion kickoff cocktail party in NYC hosted by Cricket Whitton '04 and Nick Hammerschlag '04.
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'05 '04
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'06 2005
Class Captains H. Jett Fein Bentley J. Rubinstein Torey A. Van Oot "I ran into Mark Scandling walking along the Upper West Side of New York, and it reminded me that I hadn't written an update to Deerfield in quite some time," says Kevin O'Rourke. "I am in my third year of a dual MD-PhD program at Cornell and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. I am using genetically engineered mouse models to better understand how colon cancer starts, and why some people
respond to therapy while others do not. It seems like just yesterday I was studying biology with Dr. White— not much has changed! The research is thrilling, and I am very happy to be living and working in NYC. Best wishes to everyone!"
Class Captain Kevin C. Meehan Charlie McSpadden reports that he and Woody Travers '05 worked together last year on the set of Darren Aronofsky's film Noah, which was released nationwide on March 28. "I was the executive producer's
assistant, and Woodrow was an additional second assistant director. It was quite an experience, and working together made it even more special!" Eliza Murphy writes: "James Graham, Ellen Scott, Frank Zimmerman, and I had a mini '06 Reunion in Milwaukee this past October. Both Frank and James are now living in Wisconsin."
Charlie McSpadden '06 (left) and Woodrow Travers '05 pose on set (in Deerfield gear!) in front of the ark for the film Noah, starring Russell Crowe.
Class Captains Matthew McCormick Carney Elizabeth Conover Cowan Jennifer Ross Rowland Please send us your news and notes!
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Class Captains Sarah Helen Brim Robert Haldane Swindell "This spring, I have begun my master's in International Affairs at the New School for Public Engagement and I am loving it!" reported Alexandra Vasquez when we last heard from her. "My concentration is in governance and rights, and I hope to study abroad next summer. After graduation, my plans are to work abroad in women's human rights."
Reunion Chairs Elizabeth Utley Schieffelin Nicholas Warren Squires
Please send us your news and notes!
2010 "I am currently a junior at the University of Richmond," wrote Jack Cone when we last heard from him. "I just completed my fall 2013 study abroad, where I went to study International Business and Arabic Language at St. Andrews University in Scotland. I lived in an apartment with Brian Cox, with whom I also lived in Field Dormitory our freshman year and then in
Chip Daugherty '08 says January 14, 2014, was "a great night" with classmates Alex Bertles '08, Chris Razook '08, Gary Wong '08, Ben Weinberg '08, Dan Bartus '08, and Adam Boardman '08, as they watched Alex Killorn '08 of the Tampa Bay Lightning face off against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. | Willem Molenaar '10 and his wife Heike on their wedding day—January 25, 2014.
As a freshman watching Hogan's Heroes in his dorm room at Deerfield, Mr. Perrette had no idea that one day he'd be at the helm of a $4 billion international entertainment behemoth or leading a team of 4000 talented individuals.
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FILLING THE RECTANGLE "There's a reason it's called show business," JB Perrette '89 says. "I'm a businessperson, but I do have a great appreciation for the creative. It helps to love the product." And although he isn't directly connected to the production side of things, Mr. Perrette certainly knows how to find greatness in the most unlikely places. More important perhaps, is that he understands what it takes to cultivate that content and market it as a premium, high demand product to audiences across the globe. He did it for more than a decade climbing the ladder at NBC, and now he's doing it as president of Discovery Networks International. "I love the fact that I personally have an opinion on this," Mr. Perrette admits. "It wouldn't be as fun if you couldn't enjoy the fruits of your labor. I love being a consumer and I love the fact that this is an industry that's driven by the digital transformation—a revolution that happens once every hundred years or so. I get to be in the drivers seat, and I get to try and come out stronger." Mr. Perrette was officially named president of Discovery Networks International on January 15. As a freshman watching Hogan's Heroes in his dorm room at Deerfield, Mr. Perrette had no idea that one day he'd be at the helm of a $4 billion international entertainment behemoth or leading a team of 4000 talented individuals. "Mike Eisner was the CEO of Disney at the time," he says. "Disney was always a brand where I thought, 'Wow, what a fun industry!
By Joseph Delaney
What fun it would be to work there.' But it was passive— I never put it all together." It wasn't until he joined NBC/ Universal in 2000 that those thoughts started to become a reality. Since joining DNI as vice president of Digital Media in 2011, Mr. Perrette has made major contributions to Discovery, especially in acquisition of developing digital platforms across the web. These accomplishments include acquiring Internet television network Revision3, Defranco Creative, Lumosity, and many more. Mr. Perrette's team was also responsible for launching popular online networks like Animalist and TestTube as well as live services including Animal Planet L!ve and Skywire Live. "TV has historically lived in a one dimensional frame," he says. "The Internet is enabling a whole new level of multidimensionality through interaction. Every day entertainment is becoming less passive and more active." When you're talking about a company with over 2.5 billion subscribers across 220 nations, the sheer scale of creating personalized, specific entertainment for each and every viewer is pretty tough to comprehend. Luckily, Mr. Perrette couldn't be more excited. "This is the new golden age of TV, you've never seen better quality shows," he says. "One thing that's for sure is that all these new platforms are providing great content. Otherwise (our screens) are just glowing rectangles. Without the stories and characters they're nothing." ••
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'97 WILL OUIMET geoscientist
Spring 2014
leaf on and leaf off aerial photographs using LiDAR; note the clear features (stone walls, etc,) in the right-hand photo.
From the glaciers that retreated 18,000 years ago to the stonewall a colonial farmer put in place, if it affected the New England landscape, Will Ouimet '97 wants to know about it. These days, a very modern tool is aiding in his study of the past: Using aerial surveys created by LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), a laser-guided mapping technique, Dr. Ouimet is uncovering some interesting facts. First mentioned in Science, Dr. Ouimet and co-author Katharine Johnson published their recent findings in the March issue of the Journal of Archaeological Science. Both geoscientists (geologists) at the University of Connecticut, the duo focused on the "growing international dialogue regarding the use of LiDAR for archaeological studies by providing examples of features that have been discovered (in CT, MA, and RI), how these features can be interpreted in conjunction with historical documents and used for reconnaissance surveys, and how these interpretations can contribute to theoretical anthropological perspectives regarding how humans divide and use the landscape." "We typically only have roads on old maps and nothing more," Dr. Ouimet points out, "no property boundaries, no delineations of land showing the spatial arrangement, shapes, and sizes associated with historic farmsteads and areas used for farming, pasture, woodlots . . . LiDAR gives us all of this."
By Jessica Day
the common room For instance, a popular story is that at one time all of southern New England was cleared and used for agriculture of some sort, but according to Dr. Ouimet, LiDAR is indicating that large tracts of land show no sign of modification in the form of roads or walls. "My research in southern New England is just beginning," says Dr. Ouimet. "This project is part of a larger research agenda." That agenda includes studying the development of terraces and waterfalls, the role of floods, sedimentation behind historic dams, and questions about human impacts on the landscape. Dr. Ouimet also works in Colorado, studying wildfires and floods, and in Taiwan, studying erosion, landslides, and river processes in what he calls one of the most "geologically active and rapidly changing landscapes in the world." Dr. Ouimet says that ultimately, his experiences in the field inform his teaching. "(They) help me to educate the next generation of global citizens on the basics of geography, surface processes, and climate systems." ••
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Spring 2014
culinary educator
Samantha Barnes '98's philosophy is simple: "We all have to eat. Why not cook and eat together?" In an age when family mealtime has declined by 30 percent and more children are suffering from poor nutrition, Ms. Barnes is giving families and children a reason to enjoy cooking and eating together. Her culinary school Kitchen Kid has been transforming culinary education in the Los Angeles area since 2006, and her newest venture—Raddish—brings Kitchen Kid's lessons into homes across the United States. With Kitchen Kid and Raddish, Ms. Barnes has combined her passions for cooking and teaching into her perfect career. After graduating from Bowdoin, she became a middle school teacher, and then earned her Professional Chef Diploma. She noticed that many of her students were young "foodies," but made unhealthy lunch choices and lacked experience in the kitchen. In 2006, she launched Kitchen Kid to empower kids to start cooking. The mobile culinary school offers in-home lessons, birthday parties, afterschool enrichment classes, and summer camps to kids and families in the Los Angeles area. Last year, Kitchen Kid's summer camp won the 2013 Red Tricycle Totally Awesome Award for Best Camp in Los Angeles, garnering excellent reviews for its "dynamic culinary coaches."
By Anna Newman
Start cookin' at Raddishkids.com
kids into the kitchen, Raddish is building a lifelong love of cooking and an appreciation for where food comes from, as well as an understanding of how to make healthy choices about what to eat. Parents will appreciate the convenience of Raddish, as well. The service sends a shopping list via email the week before each box ships. Parents can also add additional siblings to their subscription to ensure there are enough materials for all children—thus eliminating any sibling rivalry! Through Raddish, Ms. Barnes is transforming kitchens into classrooms and encouraging families to sit down and enjoy meals together. "I am a huge believer in family meals," she wrote to Deerfield, "no doubt influenced by four years of cherished sit-down meals at DA—and our mission at Raddish is to bring families together in the kitchen and at the table." ••
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Out of Kitchen Kid has sprouted Raddish, a monthly subscription box that adapts Kitchen Kid's recipes, lessons, and techniques for home kitchens. Each themed box includes simple, illustrated recipe guides; a skill card that teaches culinary techniques, such as how to use a spatula; a table talk card deck, to encourage conversation at the family dinner table; and ideas and materials for creative activities, which range from science experiments to foodie games. With each subscription purchase, Raddish sends a kid-size apron, perfect for decorating with unique iron-on patches that arrive each month with the newest box. Raddish teaches more than basic culinary knowledge. Younger children improve motor skills, sequencing, and ability to follow directions, while older children can apply their academic skills in math, science, geography, and reading comprehension. By getting
the common room
Jackson Dayton '13 had a great fall as a freshman on the UVM men's soccer team. As a walk-on, he had an impact on many games. | Carley Porter '12, Leslie Francois '12, Ben Callinder '12, and Elizabeth Huebsch '12 at Davidson College this past fall. | Deerfield faculty members Michael and Sonja O'Donnell spent some time at St. Andrews (Scotland) with Laura Quazzo '13 this past Thanksgiving. | Steve Kelley '10 was one happy member of the Boston Red Sox front office after the team's 2013 World Series win. | Jarred Kubas '13 came back from the NYU-Shanghai campus for Choate Day 2013 games and to reconnect with his classmates and school.
Spring 2014
Johnson-Doubleday our senior year. During the course of my four months in Scotland, we drank pints, told stories, and played over 30 rounds of golf. I also was fortunate to see many other familiar DA faces in every other city I traveled to in Europe." "In 2010 I went to Germany to study agronomy," says Willem Molenaar. "During my bachelor studies I met Heike, and I am now no longer a bachelor. We married January 25, 2014, in Plieningen, Stuttgart, among family. Last year I finished the bachelor's degree and have started studying in
the master's program. Meanwhile, I am also working at the Institute for Plant Breeding. We look forward to coming back to Deerfield!" Emmie Murphy reports: "In November, Caroline Seabolt and Emily Blau came to William & Mary to accompany Alex Comerford and myself to our fall formal. The weekend was a huge success, and we are all looking forward to future gatherings with Deerfield classmates!"
2012 Please send us your news and notes!
Class Captain Nicholas Morgan Rault "Though I miss the fields of green that we all know and love, I enjoyed my first semester at Tufts," reported Grant Fletcher when we last heard from him. "Boston has been great, and I loved seeing the Sox win the World Series last October. I have recently begun pledging the Kappa chapter of the Zeta Psi Fraternity. Ultimately, all is well. Beat Choate!"
MUJIB MASHAL journalist
Courtesy of Mujib Mashal
ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE Mujib Mashal '07 did not expect to become a journalist for English language publications. As a child growing up in northern Kabul, Afghanistan, he lacked the language skills, the global perspective, the access. Yet he now writes regularly for Time magazine, and his first-person account of life under Taliban rule and the death of a Taliban intelligence chief, "The Pious Spy," appeared in a recent issue of Harper's. He has also written for The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Al Jazeera English, and for social media outlets. An experience in the summer of 2002 set Mr. Mashal on his way. He attended the Seeds of Peace International Camp in Otisfield, Maine. The threeweek program brings together children from areas in conflict with the goal of "transformation, designed to open young minds to the possibility of a new reality." While at the camp, Mr. Mashal met Deerfield's former Dean of Admission Patricia Gimbel, who shared Deerfield's admission materials with him. The application was difficult for Mr. Mashal. "I didn't even know what the word 'essay' meant," he says. But a facilitator from Seeds of Peace helped him navigate the process, and Mr. Mashal was admitted.
By Lynn Horowitch
Deerfield's curriculum is rigorous for native English speakers, but was even harder for Mr. Mashal. "The homework that took a regular student 20 minutes would take me two hours, as I had to look up every word," he says. But he persevered, and "by junior year, things had gotten easier and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience." After Deerfield, Mr. Mashal attended Columbia University, earning a degree in South Asian history. The summer before his senior year, he had his first job in journalism with The New York Times bureau in Kabul. Mr. Mashal was hooked: "I enjoyed the adventure of it—the idea that there was a world out there that would see an event through your eyes, your words was exciting." After graduation in 2011, Mr. Mashal got a job as a breaking news and features writer with Al Jazeera English in Doha, Qatar. He says, "It was an exciting job— the news room was buzzing, so many historical events taking place in the Middle East." But he felt a desire to go home to Afghanistan. "It was a story close to my heart," says Mr. Mashal. "I wanted to be witness to a crucial transition we are going through and to tell some of those stories to the world." Mr. Mashal's years at Deerfield are valuable for the work he does now. "I try to make sure my stories are grounded in historical context," he says. "That passion for history was first sparked in classes like "Ordinary People, Extraordinary Times." His high school experience also helped him master the English language. "I would have never thought I could become a writer in English if you had asked me my first two years at Deerfield," says Mr. Mashal. "But it was classes with people like Joel Thomas-Adams, where I was pushed to produce high-caliber work, despite still struggling with the basics of the language." Mr. Mashal has moved far beyond the basics of the language to tell "the colorful stories" of his native country. He says, "In narrative journalism, I can do ground reporting, but also write character-driven stories." ••
first person: Barry Knowlton '80 90
"The Customer" Is Always Wrong A reflection on the current state of education by BC Knowlton '80 It was at Deerfield that I decided I wanted to be a teacher. I was inspired by many of my teachers, but simply being a student at Deerfield Academy also taught me something important about education. A Deerfield education costs a lot of money, which must come, in one way or another, from the productivity of the economy. Though in the late 1970s Deerfield's tuition was considerably less than it is now, it was still more than my family could have managed if I had not been awarded a generous scholarship. It struck me at the time, and has stayed with me ever since, that if a top independent school, or any quality college, could offer all the wealth of its educational opportunity to a kid who couldn't afford it, then the educational economy can't be just about the money.
Spring 2014
Deerfield Academy Archives
and more colleges, are tuition-driven: They have to struggle to attract applicants and to retain those who enroll. In public schools, and in the colleges of education that train teachers, there seems to be no critical resistance to, or even recognition of, the assimilation of education to consumption. Teaching and learning have everywhere, under these conditions, become educationally "commodified," with students and their parents the sovereign consumers. Parents who pay taxes or tuition often equate that to paying teachers' salaries, and so believe they can tell teachers how to educate their children. Administrators, in turn, see to it that teachers do as they are told, and the students themselves, informed as they are by consumptive presumptions, demand an education that appeals to their unformed tastes and engages their uncritical interests. It is precisely because Deerfield does not treat students as consumers, and does not make education a commodity, that the real value of a Deerfield education appreciates, and is appreciated. I was at Deerfield for four years; more than eight times as many have passed since then. I was not as good a student as I should have been, and so did not get all that I might have from my experience; but I knew that I was there to learn, and my teachers to teach. I am still learning from what they taught me. Ultimately, I do not mean to say that students and parents are always wrong about what they want in an education. I do mean that it is always wrong to consider them customers. My point is that where education has been taken over, however inadvertently, by the culture of consumption, it has given up on the sort of cultural criticism and pedagogical reflection that is necessary if education is to fulfill its still-official mission. Neither the public sector, in which public schools offer a free education to all, nor the public sphere, in which private schools operate on a not for profit basis, is supposed to be organized or governed according to the cultural logic of late capitalism. I assert that true educators must teach parents as well as students that education is concerned with the formation of decent and complete human beings, not merely productive and consumptive getters and spenders; that the end of college preparation is success at a suitable college, not mere admission to a selective one; and that schools such as Deerfield—those which adhere in spirit and letter to their mission statements—are the ones most likely to prepare young people for satisfying work with satisfactory pay over the course of long lives in a complex world.
first person: Barry Knowlton '80
As I was finishing my graduate studies over fifteen years ago, I met with the dean, who explained to me that he wanted to meet with everyone completing their program, to make sure that all had gone well for them and that they considered themselves "satisfied customers." I replied that I did not consider myself a customer at all—I did not think of myself as a consumer of my graduate education, or of my education as a commodity. I went on to say that it seemed to me mistaken and dangerous to apply to the exigencies of education the cultural logic of late capitalism. I was surprised at the dean's response. He immediately and amiably backed away from his application of customer service to graduate studies. Now, I don't imagine that my argument was so overwhelmingly compelling that it altered all at once his administrative vision of things. Rather, I had the impression that he spoke of "satisfied customers" not because he was committed to that model on principle, but because that way of speaking was so obvious and easy. Almost every other cultural enterprise seems to proceed, naturally and necessarily, according to this dominant cultural logic. It is, so to speak, a custom-made metaphor. Ten years ago, at the independent school where I was finishing a stint of teaching before moving on to a job at a college, faculty members were told by the director of admissions that their job was to remember that the school had "customers" to keep happy. The job was complicated by the fact that there were few enough customers coming that they all had to be kept from leaving. Then the headmaster spoke up— commending the admissions director for her efforts, and explaining that the way for us to do our jobs was to teach our curriculum according to the school's mission. I wanted to ask the admissions director, "Do you really believe that the people who come to our school are customers, and that teachers have to satisfy them? Or is that just a way of talking about admission and retention that seems fitting because it is so familiar?" And I wanted to ask the headmaster, "Is it true, then, that the mission of the school is still more important than the marketing? Or are mission statements— and headmasters' comments upon them—merely part of the marketing?" But here I was not impertinent enough to speak up, perhaps because I already knew the answers to my questions and the consequences of asking. For if administrators speak of students and their parents as "customers" only because that is a manner of speaking, and even if they know that it is only a manner of speaking, it is nevertheless the case that students and their parents have often bought into the consumer scenario, and that educators have tended to let them. Most private schools, and more
BC Knowlton '80 holds master's degrees in English and Classics, and a doctorate in history. He has taught history, English, and Classics at the middle school, high school, and college levels; he is currently a lecturer in these subjects at Assumption College.
5 Casey Butler '13 is joined by current students at the Deerfield Club Skate in Central Park. 6 Jenny Cooley,
Cecilia Cooley, Jack Cooley '84, Geoff Sefert '84, Cora von Pape. 7 Jill Bernard '10, Nina Shevzov-Zebrun '12, Sarah Woolf '12, Carly Flynn '10, and Amanda Bennett '10 8 Carole Smith P'80, '82, '85, '86, '91 G'13; Vic Russo '51, Jim Smith P'80, '82, '85, '86, '91 G'13 9 Pat Brady, William Peloskey '36, John Knight '83, David Brady '71
23 56
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for club photo galleries.
Jenny Hammond
1 Stanford Kuo '78 P'13, P'16; Marcus Lim '07, June Gu, Jack Chen '03 2 Pam Safford meeting a prospective student and her parents. 3 Dominic Pang '90, Genevieve Chan S93, Ronnie Cheng, Rita Pang '92 4 Allan Lai S98, Julia Yeh '00, Michelle Wong '98, Katharine Lo '98, Cindy Yeung '97, Eugene Wong '99, Andrea Leung
May 2 Parents Spring Weekend 3 Deerfield Club of the Bay Area Presidio Bowling 20 Deerfield Club of New England Spring Play Opening Night Reception 25 Commencement 26 Deerfield Club of New England Atlanta Braves v. Boston Red Sox Game
1 2 4
3 Deerfield Club of Washington, DC DC Nationals Game 5–8 Reunions 2014 10 Deerfield Club of the Bay Area San Francisco Giants Game
July 8 Deerfield Club of New England Boston Red Sox Game 9 Deerfield Club of New York Mets Game 31 – Aug 3
Look to the Hills Summer Institute
1 Win Smith '67, Rick Rorick '76, Ben Mallory '76, Breck Baldwin '81,
Mark Sullivan '88, Jeff MacAulay, Christine Eckhardt '05, Marc Dancer '79, P'16; Lindsay Crosby, Evan Crosby, John Weiner '75. Not pictured: Hunter Reichert '85 and Peter O'Brien '87 and their families. 2 The Harrick Family: Chris '94, Tania, Kathy P'89, '91, '94; Steve '89, Greg '91, Tom P'89, '91, '94 3 Yee Cheng Chin '03, Manu Koenig '03, Terry O'Toole '02 4 Merry L'Esperance, Tom L'Esperance '55, Jean Pounds, Arthur Pounds '41 5 Zeke Knight '54, Ellen Knight, David Pond P'92, '98 6 Impromptu lunch hosted by John Knight '83 with Brian Steward '83, Greg Lowry '94, Elizabeth Cooper '92 and Casey Marshall '92
Invitations are mailed approximately six weeks before each event. If you have not received an invitation and would like to attend a particular event, please contact the Alumni and Development Office: firstname.lastname@example.com or 413-774-1474
Judd Huntley Blain 1935–2014
January 16, 2014
December 2, 2013
November 16, 2013
October 9, 2013
Stewart Freeman Hancock, Jr.
Mr. Blain, who taught at the Academy from 1969–1978 and served as dean of faculty from 1973–1978, died in his Deerfield home on March 13, 2014. A graduate of Harvard and Virginia Theological Seminary, after his ordination as an Episcopal priest in 1961, Mr. Blain served three congregations on the North Dakota side of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. He subsequently studied anthropology and Navajo in New Mexico, and later became director of a job corps center in Iowa. After Mr. Blain's tenure at Deerfield, he taught English, coached, and performed pastoral duties at Eaglebrook School. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Beatrice Blain of Deerfield, a brother and his wife, four children, and ten grandchildren.
Jessie Melnik Ruschmann
Edith Josephine Reid Fisher
February 11, 2014
William Elliot Knox
Allen Anderson Burns
John M. Freeman January 3, 2014
William Bradford Bond February 8, 2014
Blair Fairchild Fuller
John Roderic O'Connor January 13, 2014
July 23, 2011
David Steuer Lindau
September 23, 2013
October 26, 2013
Robert Emmet McCabe, Jr.
Richard Baker Perry
Michael Lauren Grisdale
August 29, 2013
April 20, 2013
Robert Wills Nester
Joseph Raymond Hampson, Jr. February 14, 2013
John Henry Rae, Jr.
August 28, 2013
Joseph Timothy Driscoll Devine III
February 3, 2014
July 28, 2013
Nicholas Macy Nelson* January 26, 2014
William Edward Callahan, Jr. December 13, 2013
*Boyden Society Member
Spring 2014
Corning Chisholm 1914–2013 The Academy community was saddened to learn of the death of longtime faculty member Corning Chisholm on December 12, 2013. Mr. Chisholm taught French and German at Deerfield from 1954–1973, as well as part of the Academy's first-ever interdepartmental seminar, "The Baroque Age," in 1971. Upon retiring, Mr. Chisholm returned to his native Cleveland, OH, where he involved himself in a variety of civic and volunteer activities, while still finding time to enjoy his love of the arts. He later moved to Oberlin, OH, where he became a longtime, highly respected resident of the Kendal Retirement Community. A graduate of St. Paul's School and Yale University (from which he received his bachelor's and master's degrees and a PhD), Mr. Chisholm served in the US Navy during World War II and taught at Trinity and Williams colleges before coming to Deerfield. He is survived by two nieces, two nieces-in-law, and 24 great nephews and nieces. A memorial service will be held in Cleveland this spring; for those wishing to make a memorial gift, the family suggests the charity of your choice.
Live on at Deerfield.
Deerfield supported me as a student. Now I am helping to support Deerfield with a charitable gift annuity, while gaining tax advantages and annuity income.
Andy Sims '62
Learn more: 413-774-1872
deerfield.edu/go/ boyden
deerfield.edu 95
Find the *key words in the jumble below. The remaining letters, read row by row (left to right, starting at the top), will reveal a famous saying. Send the lines to email@example.com or to Puzzle, Communications Office, PO Box 87, Deerfield, MA 01342, and you'll be entered to win an ultimate disc and bucket hat! (The winner will be chosen at random from all correct answers received by June 30, 2014.) *Tips: Circle only the key words listed below, and do not circle backwards words.
Adams Beat Big Box Brown Cab Casino Caw Cup
Deal Dining Dover End Fall Formal Game Gimbel Girl Glee Gym
Hall Here High Hills Ice IHL Inn Ivy Jacket John Kids
King Lab Late Lax Louis Main Male Math Max Meat Milk
MSB Nap Net New Nims NMH Obrien Old Organization Pay Pep
Phil Pie Polo Potato Quid Red Semi Ski SSAT Step Switchboard
That Very War Week WGAJ Work You
More gear at: store.deerfield.edu Congratulations to Corina Heard, widow of Charles Heard '49, whose answer was drawn at random from all the correct answers we received for the Winter '14 puzzle: "Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall." Confucius
Fill in the blanks to reveal the hidden phrase: "————————— / ——— /——— /————— /——————— /—— /——— /——————— /—— /——— /———— ." ———————— /—————— /————————— 96
Spring 2014
Puzzle by Danaë DiNicola
object lesson
THE COMMENCEMENT BOOK The Class of 2014 will be the twelfth to sign the "alumni register� upon receiving their diplomas under the Great Tent on May 25. Commissioned by the Executive Committee of the Alumni Association, the Commencement book is handcrafted by a local artisan and each year features a letter, written by senior class officers, a class roster, and signature lines for newly-minted alumni.
m a g a z i n e Deerfield Academy | Deerfield, MA | 01342 Change Service Requested
Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage
Burlington, VT Permit No. 19
Published on May 16, 2014
Deerfield's magazine for alumni, family and friends.