Winter 2013 Deerfield Magazine by Deerfield Academy

m a g a z i n e

Skeleton Key

The Science of Not Knowing

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Fall 2012

Rocker Evangelist

Comments 3 / Along Albany Road 4 / The Common Room 40 / along albany road

First Person: Jesse Vega-Frey â&#x20AC;&#x2122;96 92 / In Memoriam 95 / Word Search 96

cover + inside spread: Brent M. Hale

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The Deerfield Girl Several weeks ago, I received an email from Kathleen Smith Keefe because she had heard the sad news of Tim Engelland’s passing. Kathy and I went to high school together, but in a purely Deerfield context, she is sister to Mike ’80, KC ’82, Danny ’85, Jimmy ’86, and Patrick ’91, and the only daughter of Coach and Mrs. Jim Smith. She is also the original Deerfield Girl. For nearly three decades Tim taught art and photography at Deerfield; he coached basketball and lacrosse and lived in a dorm. And in the midst of his many obligations, he created art—beautiful, unique, inspired work that can be found on campus, in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the National Library of Ireland, and in many private collections. For years his wood and linocuts served as the Academy’s holiday greeting cards, sending Tim’s work to every continent. His magnum opus, however, resides in the Memorial Building. In her email, Kathy recalled the origins of the Deerfield Girl; Tim had her stand on a “lazy Susan for humans,” which he would turn an eighth of an inch, and at every turn, snap a picture. The process took a couple of weeks, and the thing Kathy remembers the most isn’t the tedium of standing still for long stretches of time, but the fact that Tim was so determined to create a timeless girl to stand alongside the Deerfield Boy. I think he succeeded. Among the many letters, emails, and remembrances that poured into Deerfield prior to Tim’s memorial service, came this one from an alumna in the Class of 1991: “As one of Deerfield’s first girls since 1948, I am so appreciative of Tim Engelland’s statue of ‘The Deerfield Girl.’ It made my female classmates and me feel like we belonged and were fully welcomed into a long-standing and special tradition. I can remember rubbing the Deerfield Boy’s nose as a child with my father and brother. Now I return with my three children, including my daughter, to rub the Deerfield Girl’s nose for luck. Mr. Engelland gave us all quite the gift in this statue, and his legacy will thrive as a result.” She’s right, of course, and I am reminded of the words of another artist who wrote: “Dead he is not, but departed, for the artist never dies.”

—Jessica Day, Managing Editor

Director of Communications

Managing Editor

Support Specialist and Contributing Writer

eCommunications Specialist

Graphic Designer

Production Coordinator and Contributing Writer

David Thiel

Jessica Day

JR Delaney

Danäe DiNicola

Brent M. Hale

Anna Newman

Editorial Office: Deerfield Academy, Deerfield, MA 01342. Telephone: 413-774-1860, communications@deerfield.edu 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)

Winter 2013 : Volume 70, No. 2

“Be mobile.” Comments Thanks so much for the kind review of Tehran Triangle in the autumn issue of Deerfield Magazine. There is no doubt that I owe my literary career to DA. Once I moved on to engineering school at Cornell, then graduate school at USC, there was no more literary instruction in my life, only equations. I owe it all to Mr. Suitor, Mr. Hitchcock, and a host of others.

We are excited to announce the launch of the official Deerfield Academy mobile app, which provides access to DA news and photos, class notes, sports scores, events and more . . . all from the device you carry in your pocket, purse, or briefcase! The app also features a secure directory, accessible to alumni, parents, and grandparents.

Download it. Get the download for your Apple or Android mobile device at

deerfield.edu/alumni/daconnections

Deerfield Academy Archives

Thomas C. Reed ’51 Healdsburg, California Will Andrewes’ Longitude Dial, described in the inside back cover (of the fall 2012 issue of Deerfield Magazine), is truly a beautiful and interesting scientific and artistic object. The description of when sunlight penetrates the narrow slots in the legs was wrong, though, since the sun is never north of Deerfield, given Deerfield’s latitude. Mr. Andrewes confirms that a corrected description is that sunlight penetrates “when the sun is due east, south east, due south, south west, and due west. When the sun is due south, the length of the beam of light will indicate the date, the sign of the zodiac, and the number of hours of daylight and darkness.”

Jay M. Pasachoff P’94 Williamstown, Massachusetts

Here is a brief comment about some of the folks in the large photo spread over pages 70-71 in the fall 2012 issue of Deerfield Magazine and labeled “ca 1970.” The picture was taken in the fall of 1971, and a cropped version of it appeared on page 166 of the 1972 Pocumtuck with another photo of the band. Jock Burton ’73 is the tow-headed bass drummer who is pretty much the center of attention in the picture. Just under the green stripe near the “ca 1970” is John Sanders, the newlyappointed director of the band and the Glee Club. To the right of John, above the green stripe, are Peter Bradshaw ’74 and David Boal ’73. Rob Chamberlain ’74 is the trombone player above

David Boal. To the right of Jock Burton, the musician holding the glockenspiel is Kerry Emanuel ’73, this past year’s Heritage Award honoree. Kerry was cropped out of the photo by the Pocumtuck editors, as was the DeNunzio clan, sitting in front of the bass drum: Tom ’80, not yet a Deerfield student, by the D, and David ’74, partially hidden to the right of Tom. The past couple of years one could find three generations of DeNunzios at Commencement. I will let others such as Kim Mayyasi and Kazumichi Goh join in the fun, write in, and identify themselves.

Peter Brush, Faculty Emeritus Greenfield, Massachusetts

A note from KC Ramsay ’71, upon winning the fall ’12 issue’s Word Search prize, a set of Deerfield pint glasses: That’s great news. Now I can get rid of a few from the motley of wedding favors and golf prizes that currently clutter the cupboard. I’m going to assume that: a) there was only one entry b) t here were so few that you decided to send glasses to both of us, or c) you realized that having a Deerfield logo in front of alums when we are imbibing will increase the possibility of emotional giving and pay for the cost of the glasses many times over. Regardless, I will be delighted to have them! KC Ramsay ’71

Raleigh, North Carolina

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PALIMPSEST

Winter 2013

>>>Photographs by Brent M. Hale

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Sustaining the Best Environment A Report by Associate Head of School for Operations and Chief Financial Officer Keith Finan During my first year at the Academy, which passed so quickly, I was able to watch the community embrace the future while preserving its history and traditions. Last October the Imagine Deerfield campaign held its official kick-off with a celebration in New York City. Alumni, parents, faculty, faculty emeriti, students, and friends gathered to share stories, celebrate the Academy’s past and present, and give voice to its vision for the future. Around the country and the globe the Deerfield community stepped forward with generous support for our mission and aspirations. On campus, the faculty has stepped forward—embracing those aspirations by finding new ways to explore the world and bring the world to our students. The faculty are also bringing new technologies into the classroom with iPad projects, scientific research opportunities, and technology-enhanced summer preparation programs for students. At the same time that we are adding more technology to our academic program, we are consciously raising the awareness of environmental sustainability on campus. Beginning last fall, the Dining Hall only serves 100 percent organic, grass-fed ground beef at meals. This fall, environmental proctors are helping us to stay focused on maximizing recycling and minimizing landfill waste. The Facilities Department is adding the most modern environmental and operating systems to buildings such as the new dormitory, while preserving the character and features of our historic village, even as we add to our faculty housing to meet Imagine Deerfield’s initiatives. Financially, the Academy had a strong 2011/12 fiscal year thanks to an overwhelmingly positive response to the kick-off of the campaign and investment performance by the endowment. The operating budget expenditures for the year, net of depreciation, were $40.3 million, an increase of $2.2 million over the prior year’s spending of $38.1 million. Thanks in part to another year of strong donor support for the Annual Fund, the operating budget once again needed less support from the endowment than anticipated and allowed under the spending formula. Those unspent funds were returned to the endowment to grow and strengthen the Academy’s financial position. The majority of the increase in spending on operations, 75 percent, resulted from repairing the flood damage from tropical storm Irene and the campaign kick-off events. Without those expenses the operating expenditures grew

Winter 2013

by a modest 1.5 percent. Increases in the areas of instruction, faculty professional development, and reinvestment in the physical plant were offset by savings in general institutional spending and on utilities. As noted above, we invested in the campaign goals of bringing technology into the classroom and engaging in global initiatives. Total assets of the Academy, as of June 30, 2012, grew to $602.5 million from $573.7 million at June 30, 2011. Net assets grew by $26.6 million to $547.7 million as of June 30, 2012. Through the careful guidance of the Endowment Committee, led by Robin Grossman P’03,’06, the Academy’s total return was 2.1 percent for the year—outperforming most of our peers and exceeding our benchmarks by five percent. The endowment ended the year with a market value of $386.7 million, an increase of $19.4 million from 2011. That is still five percent below the peak endowment value at June 30, 2007. In addition to making financial improvements during the 2011/12 year, the campus also saw significant improvements to its physical plant through an intentional effort to increase funds for the maintenance of its buildings. The new dormitory was opened last August to much acclaim. Summer capital projects included adding sprinkler systems to dormitories that were lacking them, replacing windows, roofs, insulation, and floors in dormitories, faculty houses, and academic buildings, and installing a new, more efficient telephone system. Given recent weather events and to keep the campus safe and up to modern standards, the Academy expanded its back-up generator capacity to meet most campus needs; all dormitories now have back-up power. Like the country and the rest of the world, the Academy continues to face an uncertain economy. Fortunately, the 2011/12 fiscal year proved to be another solid one for Deerfield, and we continue to build off of this strength, while being ever vigilant of the need for caution. The financial and programmatic improvements the Academy is making now enable us to meet our obligation to support our current students, faculty, and staff, while positioning us to support future generations, too. Thanks to the Deerfield family—students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and friends—we can and will continue to live up to the traditions and expectations of generations to provide the best environment for our students to live and learn and grow. ••

$122 million $200 million

Imagine Deerfield launched in the fall of 2011 with considerable enthusiasm and $85 million in early

Dave Miller

support. With a campaign total of $122 million announced at the Board of Trustees meeting in October 2012—an increase of nearly 50% in one year—our momentum continues. However, progress is measured not only in dollars raised, but in outcomes, says David Pond, Associate Head of School for Alumni Relations and Development. “We are extremely pleased by the many ways the campaign is already enriching Deerfield faculty and students, from professional development activities and international travel opportunities to increased financial aid and renovations to our buildings—all of which is a tribute to our loyal and generous supporters.” Our success, Pond continues, is a reflection of Head of School Margarita Curtis’ leadership, a clear vision for Deerfield’s future, and everyone in the Deerfield family—on and off campus—who invests their time, talent, and treasure, to ensure Deerfield’s place as a preeminent boarding school.

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Trustees of Deerfield Academy Statement of Financial Position along albany road

June 30, 2012 With comparative totals as of June 30, 2011

Assets

2012

Cash and cash equivalents Restricted cash Receivables: Student loans and accounts receivable, net of allowance of $282,330 in 2012 and $257,724 in 2011 Investment interest and dividends Due from brokers Other receivables Contributions receivable, net Charitable remainder unitrusts and other deferred gifts Inventories Prepaid expenses Investments Beneficial interest in perpetual trust Land, buildings and equipment, net Deferred expenses Total Assets

2011

$17,971,249 454,500

$ 33,704,269 492,653

268,767 154,438 57,609 96,540 39,398,155 4,880,464 572,411 540,975 371,378,321 15,346,270 150,864,230 551,413

203,978 217,433 117,805 45,193 23,636,793 4,569,317 530,465 791,739 351,209,836 16,065,545 141,536,113 564,058

$602,535,342

$573,685,197

Liabilities and Net Assets Liabilities Accounts payable and accrued liabilities Due to brokers Life income obligations Bonds payable Bond interest payable Deferred income Total Liabilities Net Assets Unrestricted Temporarily restricted Permanently restricted Total Net Assets Total Liabilities and Net Assets

Winter 2013

5,393,226 $3,570,315 660,134 100,557 3,424,497 3,263,650 42,753,462 42,862,323 456,048 458,984 2,107,179 2,307,711 54,794,546 52,563,540 218,930,844 160,036,500 168,773,452 547,740,796 $602,535,342

213,551,825 148,360,841 159,208,991 521,121,657 $573,685,197

Trustees of Deerfield Academy Statement of Activities

Revenues, Gains and Other Support

2012

2011

Student income: Tuition and fees $28,489,170 $ 27,770,045 Less financial aid (7,090,340) (6,610,449) Net tuition and fees 21,398,830 21,159,596 School stores 966,061 931,902 Net student income 22,364,891 22,091,498 Interest and dividends 3,556,648 6,267,560 Net realized and unrealized gains 7,547,725 52,874,762 Other income 1,190,461 1,090,979 Gifts and bequests 37,502,768 33,514,329 Total revenues, gains, and other support 72,162,493 115,839,128

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For the year ended June 30, 2012 With comparative totals as of June 30, 2011

Expenditures Instruction Student support Summer programs Operation and maintenance of physical plant General administration General institutional Depreciation and amortization Total expenditures

9,876,885 4,774,889 439,815 8,228,544 11,112,170 5,844,443 5,266,608 45,543,354

9,501,144 4,717,474 481,737 7,534,522 9,757,691 6,113,850 5,607,998 43,714,416

Change in Net Assets from Operations

26,619,139

72,124,712

- (1,934,477)

Loss on Bond Refinancing Change in Net Assets

Net Assets â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Beginning of Year Net Assets â&#x20AC;&#x201C; End of Year

26,619,139

70,190,235

521,121,657

450,931,422

$547,740,796

$ 521,121,657

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L ARAMIE PROJECT /// Photographs by David Thiel

COMING FEBRUARY 28, MARCH 1

2, 2013

LIT TLE SHOPof HORRORS

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CHOATE DAY >>> Photographs by Jeff Brown

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ICE HOUSE HEAT by BOB YORK

Winter 2013

Brent M. Hale

It has been almost a year since the Big Green girls hockey team dropped its last game of the 2011-12 season—with a resounding thud. For Hannah Insuik ’13 and her teammates, who stood in the Deerfield Academy icehouse back on February 25, 2012, and watched Loomis Chaffee skate off with a 4-0 victory, however, it’s much more than just a distant memory. “It was heartbreaking,” said Insuik of the loss, as though she had just stepped off the ice that day. “All we had to do was win that game and we would have qualified for the tournament,” added the Big Green goalie, whose departure after the first period due to a stomach virus “just made things even more frustrating as far as I was concerned.” Well, here’s some bulletin board material for the locker room: It’s time to turn that frown upside down. The 2012-13 rendition of Deerfield girls ice hockey should have the offensive punch and the defensive prowess to put a smile on even the most casual of observers this season, and provide some happy face balloons for the locker room come tournament time. Despite describing last season as “a breakout season for us . . . we broke out of the middle of the pack and made some significant strides toward closing the gap on some of the elite teams in New England,” Coach Gen Triganne is hoping lessons were learned from the disappointing finish. “Like last year, our goal is to make the tournament,” said Triganne, “I’m just hoping we can play well enough and consistently enough so that we can earn a tournament berth earlier and can avoid pinning our hopes on a do-or-die final game.” The Big Green could be the envy of the league this winter when it comes to its goaltending tandem, as it has two who are ready for prime time. One is Insuik, an assistant captain, who went 9-4-2 last season, while posting a 1.31 goals against average, a .929 save average, and five shutouts. She played the bulk of the season, which finished at 14-9-2, and marked the program’s best record in recent history. The other is Emily Yue ’16, but don’t let her freshman status fool you. The Loomis Chaffee transfer knows what she’s doing between the pipes. Although she resides in Connecticut, she has earned a spot on the Chinese National Team roster—and could be playing for China in the 2014 Olympic Games in Russia. Yue has been on China’s radar since she played in the Friendship Hockey Tournament in Beijing, prior to the Summer Olympics there. When the team’s veteran goalie retired last year, it petitioned the U.S. Olympic Committee for a nonresident player, which it can do if there is a legitimate need. After receiving the ok from the USOC, Yue was invited to a tryout in Toronto, where, after helping beat a pair of Canadian Under-19 All-Star teams, she received and accepted the offer of a goaltending position.

The 2012-13 rendition of Deerfield girls ice hockey should have the offensive punch and the defensive prowess to put a smile on even the most casual of observers this season

Adding to the stinginess the team should be flaunting this winter will be a number of returning defensemen, who were able to keep Deerfield’s overall goals against average to just 2.2 a game last year. Those familiar faces belong to assistant captain Elana Van Arnan ’13, Kelsey Gallagher ’13, Ryan Logie ’13, Maryanne Iodice ’14, and Kylie Davis ’14. The Big Green offense is ready to roll as well, but it may have to crank it up a bit to compete with last year’s numbers. Jamie Haddad, who netted 28 goals and 10 assists for 38 points and who led the team in scoring for four straight years, is now playing at Yale. Plus, Julie Wardwell (2-9-11), the top gun on defense, has taken her game to Middlebury, “So, everyone’s going to have to pick up the slack this year . . . you can call it scoring by committee,” said Triganne. Last winter’s top returning scorer is Kayla O’Connor ’14, who earned 18 points on six goals and 12 assists. Next in line is Catherine Jackson ’15, with three goals and six assists for nine points. Team captain Mettler Growney ’13 registered four goals and four assists, while Devinne Cullinane ’14 and Lucy Lytle ’15 are also back. “I feel fortunate to be a senior,” said Growney. “We had a great year last year, but unfortunately, the way it ended was a real bummer. I’m just glad I have the opportunity for another shot at making the tournament before I graduate.” And finally, there may be a secret weapon this season, one that Triganne is hoping she can call on to help put pucks in opponents’ nets. That would be freshman Taylor Morash. She hails from Nova Scotia, and her resume includes playing in one of Canada’s premier high school-age tournaments: The Atlantic Challenge Cup. ••

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SHOW YOUR WORK THE CLASS: Biomedical Research with Dr. Cullinane

THE STUDENT: Wyatt Sharpe â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;13

THE ASSIGNMENT: A yearlong analysis of how bruising occurs when soft connective tissues experience trauma. Finite element computer models of muscle capillaries were used to determine failure mode and thus bruise etiology.

THE RESULTS: Manuscript ID JOFS-12-494 Determining Bruise Etiology in Muscle Tissue Using Finite Element Analysis to be published in the Journal of Forensic Sciences.

Winter 2013

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“ Drawing, in its most reduced form, is problem solving; scientific research, in its most reduced form, is problem solving.” Read more about right and left brain connections in Skeleton Key on page 18.

THE CLASS: Topics: Post Advanced Placement Studio Art

THE STUDENT: Wyatt Sharpe ‘13

THE ASSIGNMENT: A self portrait

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1Gdansk, 1982 [27x27] 2Mercury, 1976 [32x32] 3ptgs, 2011

A Human Art Robert Moorhead J. Clement Schuler Distinguished Chair by Rob Morgan In 1976, Bob Moorhead arrived from Upstate New York to teach in Deerfield’s Fine Arts Department. “I wasn’t sure I’d stay for long,” he recalled. Many a Deerfield master has uttered these words when reflecting on his or her early days at the school. Even Frank Boyden never dreamt of a 66-year run. Who would have? Log a few years at a country academy, gain some experience, and then move on. It’s an entirely reasonable plan, shared by many ambitious educators, but one that is often reconsidered upon discovering Deerfield’s rich opportunities. Nearly four decades later, Bob is still here, teaching everything from calligraphy to painting to architecture. He’s twice chaired his department—overseeing the last major arts expansion on campus—and is currently serving as acting chair while a colleague is on sabbatical. In Bob’s office, carefully-crafted models rest on shelves. Postcards from students are tacked to the walls—depictions of the Pantheon, Salisbury Cathedral, Saint Mark’s Basilica, and other historical sites explored in his architecture course. There’s a snapshot of a young soldier, a former student, who once practiced graceful, arching lines in Bob’s calligraphy class. These artifacts may explain why Bob has remained at Deerfield; his commitment to students extends beyond the classroom and over time. He is an artist and teacher whose example inspires—and is inspired by—his students. “I learn a lot from my students. They force me to think about the theory and practice of the visual arts. In order to make it clear to them, I have to think it through for myself,” Bob says. When creating assignments, he intentionally “sets up situations with either incomplete information or openended solutions,” as a way to promote critical thinking and problem-solving. “Art develops skills and interests that will last a lifetime,” and it allows students to respond to their world while preparing them for opportunities and challenges, regardless of the paths they will take.

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Bob is careful not to praise too much or to push too hard. “If they tell me they can’t survive without going to art school, then I’ll say ‘go ahead and do it,’ but otherwise I’ll suggest exploring the liberal arts first and then study at the graduate level.” It’s not that Bob doesn’t encourage his students, it’s that “students, regardless of how good they are, need to internalize motivation, or they may not succeed or pursue their passion on their own,” he explains. His teaching style is quiet, unassuming, and creates room for students to explore and grow. A prolific artist, Bob’s own passion is expressed in his paintings and graphics, which have been exhibited regularly since 1968. The single impulse that drives his work “is the desire to communicate emotional states, memories, and structures that are non-narrative in form while being evocative of the human condition.” Perhaps the most enduring expression of Bob’s work is a collaboration with his wife, Andrea Moorhead, a poet and French teacher at Deerfield. Before coming to the Academy, and while still living in New York, the Moorheads began publishing Osiris, a poetry journal, which celebrated its 40th year in 2012. Founded during a time of societal unrest, Bob and Andrea sought to create an international journal without political and social overtones, but one that “seeks a human art.” Former Headmaster Eric Widmer called upon the Moorheads’ talents and sensibilities to commemorate the Academy’s bicentennial. The result was Deerfield 1797-1997 A Pictorial History of the Academy, an authoritative chronicle of the school’s first 200 years. The project was the inaugural publication of the Deerfield Academy Press, which currently publishes—under the Moorheads’ guidance—Albany Road and The Buttonball Papers, journals of student work. The J. Clement Schuler Distinguished Chair was established in 2002 and is awarded to a member of the Deerfield faculty “who sustains his (Schuler’s) legacy of dedication through his monumental service, and his legacy as a demanding teacher and mentor, in and out of the classroom.” “Our paths did not cross here at Deerfield,” Bob says of Mr. Schuler, who retired the same year Bob began teaching, “but I met him when he would return to campus to visit. He was a wonderful man.” The sentiment, one can assume, was mutual.••

Worldly Wisdom… In Early Winter Winter term began with a special surprise event when filmmaker Ken Burns returned to campus. Mr. Burns, a graduate of nearby Hampshire College and self-described “emotional archaeologist,” first visited Deerfield last February, and spoke at School Meeting about the creative process behind his documentaries. This year Mr. Burns shared clips from his most recent film, The Dust Bowl, and met with videography and US History classes. Shortly after Mr. Burns’ visit, 2012 Lambert Fellow Professor Paul Mayewski came to Deerfield from the University of Maine, where he is director of the Cli-

mate Change Institute. Dr. Mayewski has led more than 50 expeditions to Antarctica, the Arctic, the Himalayas, and more, as well as organizing and leading several major scientific projects, such as the International Trans Antarctic Scientific Expedition, which involved participants from 21 nations. Among his numerous research achievements, Dr. Mayewski pioneered the use of instrumentally calibrated ice core records going back hundreds of years, and reconstructed past atmospheric circulation conditions on a global level. As the Lambert Fellow, Dr. Mayewski discussed the two books he co-authored: The Ice Chronicles and Journey Into Climate—Adventure, Exploration and the Unmasking of Human Innocence. Dr. Mayewski’s experiences as the leader of the first multidisciplinary over-snow scientific expedition to the

South Pole through west and east Antarctica were relevant to Deerfield students, many of whom are participating in interdisciplinary classes, such as “Global H2O,” which combines scientific inquiry and an exploration of literature.

And Late… Now that winter break has come and gone, members of the senior class are looking forward to the Alumni Office’s annual Pathways program on January 20, when nearly a dozen alumni will return to campus to share their experiences on the road to professional fulfillment. From investment banking to public health, a range of topics will be discussed, with the overarching theme that where you think you’re headed in life isn’t necessarily where you’ll wind up . . . and that’s ok.

On December 14, students, faculty, staff, and additional members of the community, led by Music Director Daniel Roihl, performed the first portion of Handel’s Messiah, including the beloved “Hallelujah Chorus.” Members of the junior class will be treated to a visit by Professor Christopher Benfey of Mount Holyoke College—a prolific journalist and long-time critic for Slate, as well as a frequent contributor to The New York Review of Books, The New York Times Book Review, and The New Republic—who was elected as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2012. In the fall, all juniors read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and in the spring, The Great Gatsby; during winter term it is Professor Benfey’s visit that they share. As a scholar of the poet Emily Dickinson, this year Professor Benfey will lead juniors in a close reading of one of Dickinson’s poems.••

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Skeleton Key

Winter 2013

by Jenny Hall / photographs by Brent M. Hale

Two skeletons on a white sheet—a cat and a turkey—are highlighted by clip lamps in the middle of David Dickinson’s classroom. Eight students surround the faintly macabre centerpiece with pastels, charcoal, and erasers spread out around their workstations. A bank of windows allows some natural light into the basement room, and a CD plays softly in the background. Every available wall surface is covered with sketches and watercolors. The students—mostly juniors and seniors—focus their attention between paper and bone; they’re silent, completely engrossed in capturing the shapes of the skeletons in charcoal. “Mr. D,” unobtrusive yet omnipresent in the room, moves about in the background, mixing paint and washing brushes, and stopping at regular intervals beside each student to make an observation, suggestion, or offer encouragement. Despite the fact this is Advanced Placement Studio Art, for many in the room, this class, preceded by an introductory one, is their first— and perhaps only—brush with the visual arts in their educational careers thus far, according to Dickinson. “A surprising number of our students come in, sadly, having had no art classes in grade school,” he says. “And they’ve grown up using computers and cell phones. They’re focused on keypads. Asking them to pick up a pencil and draw is completely foreign to many kids; it’s like a request from the dinosaur age, and they’re being asked to pick up a stick and draw in the sand. It’s that remote to them.” But even in this technology-filled age, or perhaps because of it, the “foreignness” of art class doesn’t preclude its worth. In fact, the visual arts open multiple doors. Head of School Margarita Curtis’ office is a short walk down the hall in the Main School Building from a large campus landscape painted by Dickinson, which hangs over the fireplace in the foyer. It features “the hills” Mr. Boyden so frequently extolled his boys to appreciate, and Curtis eyes it thoughtfully before she says, “I believe the visual arts are essential to the

development of our students’ imaginations and creativity, their ability to observe closely, to analyze, synthesize, and create new options and possibilities.” She smiles and adds, “In addition to the fact they’re a wonderful creative outlet for many students.” Experts across the field of education echo Curtis’ beliefs, including Judith Burton of Columbia University, who conducted a groundbreaking study in which she asserted that a vibrant arts program is crucial to students’ development. “The arts enhance the process of learning,” wrote Burton. “The systems they nourish (integrated sensory, cognitive, emotional, and motor capacities) are the driving forces behind all other learning.” And many educators also extoll those non-academic, often less easily assessed benefits, such as self-esteem, motivation, aesthetic awareness, cultural exposure, creativity, improved emotional expression, social harmony, and an appreciation of diversity. Back in Studio Art, Dickinson agrees with all that but begins with slightly less lofty goals— he says it is important to lay a foundation in the basics, and he advocates teaching drawing as science, a kind of crash course in the grammar of visual art.

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“Just as you wouldn’t try to write a book without a basic knowledge of grammar or sentence structure, you don’t expect students to jump into drawing without having laid a foundation for learning, for seeing, and for translating what they observe into something tangible,” he explains. “First you want them to be visually literate. I tell them the pencil is the extension of the brain. It makes visible what they see, something that is immediately tangible.” Then Dickinson’s mustached face breaks into a grin: “I want them to learn the joys of drawing before it’s too late!” he says. “Turn their two-dimensional existence into something with depth . . . ” Sometimes an art class has an immediate effect on a student—providing them with an opportunity to slow down and turn their thoughts inward. Senior Marina Hansen comments, “(For me) art represents getting away, escaping, de-stressing . . . and then there’s the sense of satisfaction when I finish a piece. The process is just so calming—I love interpreting what I see in creative ways.” Or as Chloe So, a sophomore from Hong Kong whose art experience at Deerfield is her first, explains: The focus required by learning to draw accurately has refined her powers of observation, increased her perspective, and helped her in classes she wouldn’t have imagined. “I’m learning to look at things differently in all my classes, including math and science,” she says. “I’ve realized that a lot in visual arts is like solving a puzzle . . . that helps me in other classes, too.” Sometimes the outcome isn’t as immediate or direct, but it can be significant, nevertheless. Yao Yao Kelly ’06 took full advantage of Deerfield’s visual arts classes, but didn’t pursue the arts in college; she went on to earn a degree in International Relations from Tufts. However, after internships at JP Morgan and NBC, all that was clear to her was that she “wasn’t going to be happy as a cog in a mega corporation.” Thinking back to her art classes, Kelly realized that they marked some of her happiest hours at Deerfield, and after some soul searching, she decided to

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follow her heart. Nowadays Kelly isn’t delivering the news or parlaying funds but she is working as a product development manager in Tiffany and Company’s jewelry division while pursuing an advanced degree at the Gemology Institute in New York. “I wanted something I was passionate about,” Kelly says. “At Deerfield I developed the fundamental tools and skills of an artist. I gained confidence.” Like Kelly’s Deerfield student self, current senior Wyatt Sharpe isn’t planning on a career in the arts either, but he is quick to say that studying them has deepened his understanding across the academic board; art even came into play over the summer, when Sharpe was working toward becoming an emergency medical technician. “Drawing forces you to deconstruct a whole into its parts in order to see how they are constructed, and then build them back up again. When I was earning my EMT certification, I realized how much sketching nudes helped me to learn anatomy; drawing the human body gave me a familiarity with it that I don’t think I could have gotten any other way. You get a sense of weight and heft. You learn to step back and observe. The more angles you look at something from, the better you understand it.” Recently Sharpe has become even more familiar with seeking out multiple angles—but he’s not drawing anything this time around. Wyatt proudly displays his finite element computer models—bright primary colors morph into subtle shades—illustrating trauma, and corollaries, and etiology—decidedly inartistic topics in his Biomedical Research class—but Sharpe is able to demonstrate a parallel: “Drawing, in its most reduced form, is problem solving; scientific research, in its most reduced form, is problem solving.” This past fall, Wyatt’s dedication, in front of both easel and monitor, paid off when the Biomedical Research paper he helped to author was accepted for publication by the Journal of Forensic Sciences (see pages 14 and 15 for a sample of Wyatt’s work).

. . . you don’t expect students to jump into drawing without having laid a foundation for learning, for seeing, and for translating what they observe into something tangible, . . . First you want them to be visually literate.

in addition to the “3Rs” that have served as the foundation of education for centuries, the need for qualities developed by studying the arts, might be called the

“essential Cs”—critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication skills

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Margarita Curtis was pleased but not surprised. She points out that in addition to the “3Rs” that have served as the foundation of education for centuries, the need for qualities developed by studying the arts, might be called the “essential Cs”—critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication skills—and is thrilled that Wyatt has successfully employed all of them. He, in turn, sums it up this way: “I do art because I like to make things with my hands. I’m also interested in engineering, biology, and medicine. I believe that the problems in these fields require as much creativity as they do practical knowledge to solve.” Within the labyrinth of art studios that tunnel through the basement of the Memorial Building, the rigor and depth of the department’s approach is abundantly clear, and although students are required to take two terms of visual arts, many extend their experience through co-curriculars, additional advanced placement classes, or tutorials—it doesn’t hurt that most faculty members within the department are teachers and practicing artists—they provide inspiration inside and outside of the classroom. Tim Trelease is equally comfortable with a paintbrush, camera, or digital recorder in his hand, but when spring term begins, he and history teacher Joe Lyons will embark on new territory as they combine their expertise to co-teach a class on documentaries; the course will examine the history of the genre in addition to hands-on learning.

Senior Travers Nisbet is already at work on a film about 9/11, inspired in part by a history class in which students discussed the link between memory and healing; his film will be part of a festival also in the works for spring. Fellow senior Mac McDonald has already completed a portfolio in Trelease’s Advanced Placement Photography class, which juxtaposes imagery of Cambodia against nearby Turners Falls in an exploration of wealth and cultural assumptions. “As our culture relies ever more heavily on photographs and social media as a means of receiving information, it’s important for young people to have the ability to contribute to the ongoing discourse and decipher what they see,” says Trelease. “The ability to think about global issues in a socially conscious way and use art to raise awareness and explore political and social issues is precisely the kind of visual literacy and creativity we’re striving for.” Trelease and his colleagues not only want their students to observe the beauty in the world, they want them to be able to analyze it—to see beneath surface appearances. This is evident in Trelease’s advanced placement photography class. Students present projects based on the theme “unconventional beauty.” They compose triptychs and diptychs from photographs taken on a fieldtrip that are striking—juxtaposing man-made, industrial landscapes with images of the natural world. Students present their projects individually, then work as a team to deconstruct, critique, and refine the images—pushing beyond cement

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As our culture relies ever more heavily on photographs and social media as a means of receiving information, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important for young people to have the ability to contribute to the ongoing discourse and decipher what they see.

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and rusted metal and decay to recognize subtle colors, graceful arcs, and rebirth among ashes. Many Deerfield students also cite a deepened understanding of the social, cultural, and political contexts in their traditional history classes as a direct result of art history classes. “Art history gives students a sense of context for history, for culture, and informs their knowledge in many other disciplines. Sometimes it dovetails with their class on European history, a particularly nice overlap,” says Lydia Hemphill, who teaches Advanced Placement Art History. “Art is so important as a complement to other disciplines—it often provides a contemplative aspect that kids might not feel in other classes.” A longtime member of the Fine Arts Department team, Robert Moorhead is serving as chair of the department this year. Moorhead arrived at Deerfield during what might be described as the Academy’s arts renaissance. “When Deerfield was founded in 1797, the original curriculum included neither the visual nor performing arts,” Moorhead says. “It wasn’t until 1969, when the school recruited Dan Hodermarsky to spearhead an art program, that the Fine Arts—which encompassed both the visual and performing— became official classes,” he explains. These days there are nine fulltime teachers in the Visual and Performing Arts Department, several part-time instructors, and specialists who assist on an asneeded basis. Margarita Curtis would like to see an even greater emphasis on the arts curriculum. She says that as Deerfield considers the skills and dispositions students will need to thrive in the years ahead, it is clear that the left-brain functions that were prized in the marketplace of the past century will no longer suffice. However a past or current Deerfield student chooses to integrate art into his or her life, it is bound to stretch the perimeters of how they look at and interact with the world. Jeff Hoerle ’86, took what might be considered the opposite path from alumna Yao Yao Kelly. Hoerle loves

to paint but his day job is managing Stone Run Capitol, an investment firm he founded a few years ago. In front of his easel or behind his desk, he can see a direct correlation between the skills required in art and finance. One of Hoerle’s recent paintings, “Sandy Approaches,” depicts a landscape lit by an eerily pastel sky, trees tumbling in the wind. He likens the energy and volatility of the storm to the uncertainty of the economy. The analytic skills, the ability to step back from the large picture, then zoom in to the details again and interpret what he sees, he says, are precisely the same whether he’s painting or analyzing the future performance of a potential investment. “When I’m looking at a business to invest in, I recognize up front that the market is fraught with risk—like a hurricane, if you will. So I look at what one company has as opposed to another that will make it successful even through fluctuations. I ask myself, ‘What is it about this business that will do well, even if the economy tanks?’ The ability to visualize, imagine, and interpret is the same.” Margarita Curtis concurs. “It is becoming quite clear that the growth of the economy and the success of our students in a technologicallydriven, globally connected world will depend to a much greater degree on their ability to innovate, to come up with novel ideas, practices, and services that address real-world problems or challenges. The focus will shift from ‘what is’ to ‘what can be.” Back in David Dickinson’s classroom, Chloe So is absorbed in getting the femur of her cat skeleton exactly right—she’s focused on the work directly in front of her, and isn’t thinking about “what can be” at the moment. She’s got a chem test next period, and immersing herself in her art helps alleviate the jitters as she works out this particular puzzle. There will be different puzzles to solve on the chemistry test, but Chloe holds the key to answering those, too. ••

THE

SCIENCE by Naomi Shulman

NOT

OF KNOWING

How do you figure out the answer when you’re not quite sure of the question?

Ectonucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolase 5. It’s hard for Jade Moon ’13 to say. “Ectonu-ectonucleos . . . let’s just call it endpt5,” she finishes with a laugh. Jade’s trying to talk about what she did on her summer vacation. She signed on to do lab research through MIT’s Research Science Institute, a highly competitive summer program for students from all over the world. It’s geared toward high schoolers, but once there, students are paired with professional researchers in labs around the city—Jade was placed at Harvard Medical School—and suddenly any resemblance to high school vanishes. “I was intimidated,” she admits. “I was the only high school student at the lab, and I hadn’t taken AP Bio yet, actually. I have a fair amount of biology and molecular bio, but a lot of people here at Deerfield know more than I do.”

Meanwhile, a continent away in London, Jade’s classmate Nina Sola ’13 was having a similar out-of-body experience, even though she was on her home turf. On a typically overcast day, Nina headed to Imperial College, the English answer to MIT, her nerves mounting as she approached. Undeterred, Nina walked resolutely up to a large door and pulled. Only to discover it was the wrong door. “I did finally find where I was meant to be,” she says. But that’s not to say she found her footing . . . not right away at least. Here, there would be no curriculum, no grades, not even any other high school students. This was a project involving real-world technology that would have real-world results: an exploration of hybrid fuel-cell technology that could have long-term

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///Illustrations by Tara Murty ’14

Homology Model of HspA1 based on undocked Hsp110 with differences in amino acid sequences between HspA1 and Hsc70 in blue

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“‘ Why don’t you test things out, see if you can get the right numbers?’ So the first thing I did was figure out where everything was in the lab.” Tara pauses. “It felt pretty symbolic of what happened that summer, actually,” she reflects. “I was given ideas of what to do, and then

I went on and learned what to do myself.”

Electrostatic Model / Undocked DnaK

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effects on the planet. “I was working with lithium polymer batteries, looking at different voltages, getting data that would validate a model of how a battery should act,” she says. “It was daunting.” This might come as a surprise to Nina and Jade, but their experiences—and the accompanying insecurity—couldn’t please Dr. Ivory Hills more. Last year, for the first time, Hills set out to coordinate the fledgling summer science research program with the intent to help science-minded students land the kind of internships and research positions that can, in the long run, launch a career. Rather than depending on their own (or their family’s) resources, students can now turn to Deerfield—and specifically to Hills—to navigate summer research opportunities around the country, and even overseas. Hills isn’t just trying to place students in labs and research programs, though; he wants to push them out of their intellectual comfort zones. “Deerfield students are objectivedriven,” Hills says. “That’s what we encourage: come up with a plan and try to execute it appropriately.” Assignment, homework, quiz; lather, rinse, repeat. Students everywhere, not just at Deerfield, have been trained to ask a certain overarching question—What does my teacher want?—and most are quite adept at answering it. “They’re focused, they have drive,” concedes Hills, “but something that’s inconsistent with it—that you have to overlay on the objective-driven mindset—is this: What happens when the objectives are unclear?” What’s an A student to do when the teacher doesn’t have the answer . . . or when the question itself is unformed?

Materials and Methods

Ever the diligent pupil, Tara Murty ’14 walked into UMass Amherst’s Gierasch research lab last summer having done what homework she could. “I had done a little bit of reading about the general ideas of what was happening in the lab,” she recalls. “And my mentor had sent me a couple papers.” Tara would be looking at chaperones—proteins that help other proteins to fold properly. When they don’t, they can aggregate with other proteins, which in turn contributes to a variety of bad scenarios—including Parkinson’s and cancer. But chaperones weren’t on Tara’s plate on the first day; Tara’s first day was all about orienting herself. “I was shown around— looked at what people were doing, where we grew the e. coli, where we did some protein extraction experiments. Then my mentor said, ‘Why don’t you test things out, see if you can get the right numbers?’ So the first thing I did was figure out where everything was in the lab.” Tara pauses. “It felt pretty symbolic of what happened that summer, actually,” she reflects. “I was given ideas of what to do, and then I went on and learned what to do myself.”

Jade’s mentor also gave her some free rein. Like Tara, Jade was looking at a similarly small piece of molecular biology that could also have far-reaching results. “It was previously thought that if you starve a tumor cell, it will start dying— but that isn’t always the case,” Jade explains. Researchers at Harvard had found instead that some cells, at least in lung tumors of mice, are sensitive to dietary restriction, but others are resistant. Plus, there’s this: “Ectonucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolase 5,” says Jade. “My mentor noticed that bronchiolar cells had higher levels of entpd5, so I studied the connection between the expression level and how it affected the sensitivity of the cells to dietary restriction.” Thus Jade spent her summer in the lab, as did Tara and Nina and more than a dozen other Deerfield girls and boys, foregoing other summertime pleasures in the name of searching for answers that may not exist, on projects for which they would receive no grades.

Discussion

They would, however, be asked to share their work with the Deerfield community. One evening in late September, with summer but a fading memory, Tara, Nina, Jade, and other summer research participants gathered in the Garonzik Auditorium to talk about their experiences with one another, Dr. Hills, and other faculty. “It’s actually one of the keystones of our new science curriculum,” says Dennis Cullinane, chair of the Science Department and a faculty member whose classes provide rigorous research opportunities for students during the school year. “Critical thinking, working as a team, problem solving . . . and presentation of your work. Deerfield has made a concerted effort for kids to be stepping up and presenting, and I think it’s paying off.” With this expectation comes encouragement for students to organize their thoughts and articulate the point of their work. It’s one thing to show up to the lab every day, after all; it’s another to have a nuanced understanding of the research happening there, and to be able to explain it to someone else. Walking up to the podium, Tara stood before her peers and pointed out that the work she’d done on protein folding could have far-reaching results—extraordinarily far reaching. When a protein is being bound to a chaperone so it can fold properly, looking at the differences in their peptide binding will help to find ways to specifically inhibit the one that’s in cancer cells. “So that was my overall goal—to find the specific differences that could specifically target certain proteins,” she explained at the symposium. “Because then it could potentially . . . cure cancer.” Tara laughed a little at that last statement, but everyone at the symposium got what she was saying. Would her work cure

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“ On a departmental level, our goal is to expose kids to science the way science is done in the real world. That’s the way they learn,” Cullinane points out. Imagine Deerfield is perfectly in line with this mission. “Pro research, pro projects, pro problem-based learning, experientialbased learning, inquiry-based learning,” ticks off Cullinane. 30

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cancer? No. But it could make a contribution toward that larger question—a huge, gaping question that has no answers, one that we’re not even quite sure how to ask. That’s what scientific inquiry is—delving into the unknown, with little guidance, no roadmap, and no certainty that you’ll come out the other side with any clear data. Students at Deerfield are learning to become comfortable with this kind of discomfort— partly because their teachers are deliberately creating a lab-like environment for them on campus, but also thanks to access to summer projects in actual labs. “On a departmental level, our goal is to expose kids to science the way science is done in the real world. That’s the way they learn,” Cullinane points out. Imagine Deerfield is perfectly in line with this mission. “Pro research, pro projects, pro problem-based learning, experiential-based learning, inquiry-based learning,” ticks off Cullinane. “The summer research program is exactly what we’re looking for—a culmination of a Deerfield education—like our research classes that we teach in house; they’re designed to be the capstone of a Deerfield science career.” Hills agrees wholeheartedly. “That’s part of our philosophy: get students to think critically, and to use those skills to tackle a problem that on day one they cannot see the answer to, but they have the skills in place to work toward it,” he says. That’s why seeing his students a little vulnerable at the start of the summer was, in Hills’ opinion, exactly what they needed. “The world is changing at such a fast pace that we can’t be certain the education we’re providing will be relevant years from now,” he admits. “The best thing we can do is prepare students for a world that may be significantly different, but allow them to achieve in that world. That requires a love of learning, because they’ll have to be self-teaching all their lives.”

Results

This was only the first year out, but both students and faculty are pleased with how the summer research program is shaping up. (“Pleased” might be understating the case; “smashing success” are the words Cullinane used.) In fact, students who did more traditional summer programming have been inspired to work more independently next year. Consider Tara’s classmate Peter Shaw ’14, who spent four weeks at the University of New England focusing on neuroscience. “For the first two weeks, we sat in a classroom, like regular school,” he explains. But then that shifted; by the end of his time there, he spent his days in a neuroscience lab, working on ways to prevent arteries from bursting in the brain. Peter finds it’s now having a direct impact on his schoolwork. “I’m taking biology this year, and I’m always coming across concepts and words in my biology textbook that I remember from the program,” he points out. “The material

has saved me on biology tests a couple of times.” It’s not just boosting his GPA, however—it has also fanned a flame of curiosity. “Before doing that neuroscience project,” Peter admits, “the variety of topics we were going over, the endless possibilities, were a little too intimidating to think about. But once I started doing it, homing in on what I was truly interested in, it opened the realm of independent research for me. I’m more keen on doing that now.” Hills and Cullinane both see this as the best endpoint for the research program. Getting A’s is great, but the real goal is to ignite enthusiasm. Peter is an example; Cullinane also points to Nina. “I never really pegged her as science-y kid,” he says. “And that’s the target for this kind of program. Here’s this experience that takes a wonderful student and lights a fire inside of them.” Cullinane pauses. “My job in the classroom isn’t necessarily to teach material,” he confesses. “They’ll forget the material. But once a flame is lit . . . it’s difficult to extinguish.” That’s a good thing, because that kind of burning curiosity can be what helps students get past the biggest challenges of all. Sometimes it’s not simply a matter of not knowing the answer. Sometimes you take a stab at it and you’re wrong. Jade describes opening herself up to making mistakes as adjusting her lens toward school. “I would always try to accomplish what I intended to do, but throughout the process I had to redo several experiments,” she says. It’s an extremely frustrating scenario for a normally careful, deliberate student. Hills knew it would be hard for them, but stood back and let these students move through the experience. “They do have a certain level of discomfort at the start. But that’s a valuable lesson for them: ‘I was uncomfortable, and it didn’t kill me. I overcame it, and I thrived,’” Hills emphasizes. “It’s good to get that experience under your belt. It can be applied to so many things. Students want to know the guidelines to the game they’re playing so they can optimize their score… but sometimes the game is just go in there and mess around and see what happens.” Which brings us back to the moment when Jade tells us how she spent her summer vacation. She still can’t say ectonucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolase 5 without hesitating, but she has a sense of humor about it—and she’s taking an increasingly philosophical approach to her work. “At first I got mad at myself for messing up, but more and more I expect that I won’t always be able to have the answer on the first go,” she reflects. It’s exactly the lesson her teachers want her to learn. “The process of not knowing can help you learn better than you would otherwise,” she continues. “I’m trying to embrace the fact that I’ll make mistakes, because those mistakes lead to new things. I learn from them.”••

deerfield.edu

Naomi Shulman has written for The New York Times, Ladies’ Home Journal, Whole Living, FamilyFun, and other publications. She is a frequent contributor to Deerfield Magazine.

ROCKER E NGELIST by Nathaniel Reade /photographs by Oskar Enander

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It was Chinese New Year, but Stephan Drake ’94 wasn’t in the mood for anything remotely celebratory. He and the one assistant who had agreed to stick by his side and miss the traditional 15 days of revelry shivered in the cold, concrete-block of a Shanghai factory, trying to make the perfect ski. They layered plastic, wood, and sheets of carbon fiber inside a ski-shaped mold, then put the mold into a press and heated it, almost as if they were building a long, thin panini sandwich. An hour later, when the resin had cured, they would open the press with the same excitement as a child unwrapping a present. And every ski, six a day, had some kind of flaw. The top layer or bottom layer would bubble from air pockets, or the ski would break too easily, or reveal a strange twist. While his fledgling company’s research-and-development budget shrank, Drake filled an entire room with discarded carbon-fiber skis. He began to question the sanity of the project . . . was he committed to it or should he be committed . . .?

Purgatory

Growing up in Manhattan didn’t give Drake too many opportunities to ski, but vacations at his grandfather’s house in Aspen, Colorado, had given him a devotion that bordered on obsession for skiing in powder. After Deerfield, he attended Colorado College in large part to ski, and after graduation he began writing articles for ski publications (and authored his own book), entering extreme-skiing competitions, working as a gear-promoting “ambassador” for Patagonia, and as a ski guide—whatever it took to enable his goals of travel, adventure, and, “as many amazing powder days as humanly possible.” Even at Deerfield, the perfect run was always in the forefront of Drake’s mind; he chose to

attend the Academy partly because of its proximity to the alpine outdoors, and as classmate Matthew Stewart remembers, Drake was always ready to slide. “It’d snow a few inches,” Stewart says, “and Stephan would have his backpack out so he could climb up Eaglebrook and get in a couple of runs through the trees.” And it was the summer after his junior year that Drake headed for winter on the other side of the equator. He washed dishes in the ski resort of Las Leñas, Argentina, 11,000 feet above sea level, in order to earn time to float through light Andes powder. Along the way, Drake began to notice that even the best available equipment didn’t work well in powder. His skis, for instance, were far heavier and harder to handle than what his snowboarding friends rode. In July of 1999, he almost converted: A meter of light powder had fallen on Las Leñas overnight. It was “as good as it gets,” Drake says, bright sun, blue sky, the snow “right side up,” meaning light as down on top, but bouncy like a trampoline below. He had just descended his favorite run, a steep, 3000-foot drop called Eduardo’s. Many of the friends with him rode

/ Stephan climbs to a perch above Engelberg, Switzerland—a resort he called home for two seasons, 2003-2005, and currently functions as DPS’ European HQ.

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/ Stephan Drake adjusts his bindings at 33 miles in Haines, AK. Haines is an annual spring pilgrimage. Drake has been filmed in ski movies in Haines for the past five seasons. / A ski sits in a rack for refinishing at DPS’ new factory in Salt Lake City, Utah.

snowboards, which allowed them to float on the top surfaces of the snow. Drake, however, used conventional skis, which tended to sink down into the snow, forcing him to make a long series of jumps, hopping up and down to get his skis out of the snow and into the new turn. “That’s fun,” Drake says, “but it’s also incredibly exhausting, especially for 3000 feet.” At the bottom of the mountain, after completing about 100 of these jumping turns, Drake collapsed into the snow, too tired to move. Then he heard joyous whoops: A friend of his on a snowboard flew past him at about 50 mph, surfing the tops of the powder

like waves, performed an “Ollie,” and kept going. Drake thought, “This is ridiculous. I want to be able to do that.”

Revelation

He didn’t give up his sticks, but Drake did start to contemplate how to make skis that would be as good in deep powder as a snowboard, and he began by modifying his own skis. He had no training in engineering or physics—he was an English major—but he had discovered by accident what would prove to be an enormous breakthrough in ski design. While skiing in Aspen, Drake jumped off a cliff, landed, and bent the front “shovels” of

/ Famous bush plane pilot Drake Olson’s hangar at the Haines Airport.

ur mission was and is simple: to build the perfect ski . . . our O personal dream-bag of skis. It’s not about market segments or satisfying particular demographics. It’s about building the most progressive, highest performing skis on the planet.

his metal-cored skis. At first he was upset about the damage, until he noticed that his skis actually performed better in powder, thanks to something called “rocker.” Traditional skis at the time all had a downward arch from tip to tail, something called “camber.” This is intended to give the ski a bit of spring on hard-packed snow and ice, like the arch of your foot. In deep snow, however, that curve is counter-productive: It tends to push the front of the ski downward into the snow. And a ski beneath the snow is plowing, Drake says, “which means it creates resistance, which means lower speed, which means a lack of balance and control.”

Drake’s bent skis, however, had what engineers call rocker. Rather than force the front of a ski downward, rocker lets the front ride up on the surface and glide. “If you look at any other water-based sport,” he says, “surfboards and windsurfers also have rocker. It’s amazing that it took so long for ski designers to figure this out.” His insight became a radical step forward in ski design. Energized, Drake became something of an evangelist. In 2002 he and a Swiss friend with product-development experience decided to form their own company with the lofty goal of building the best possible skis for powder skiing. They designed a line

that featured skis wider than conventional models, (which also helps skiers to float high in powder), curved upward with rocker, built to be light, ultra-high performers . . . and they wanted to construct these skis out of carbon fiber. Conventional skis at the time struck Drake as vastly inferior to what his snowboarding friends rode: They contained a fiberglass sandwich of epoxy resin and chemical hardeners, which made them comparatively heavy, floppy, and weak. That’s why makers of tennis racquets, bicycles, boats, and fighter jets had all begun using carbon fiber—it was stiffer and stronger, and lighter as well.

But there was a problem. Other, bigger ski companies, with far more money and technical expertise, had tried to use carbon fiber, and found it too difficult to employ in a structure as long as a ski. They had abandoned it as impossible. However, Drake and his partner eventually found a manufacturer who said it could produce carbon fiber skis, so they announced their product to the powder public and took orders online. The demand was enormous; in a couple of weeks, sight unseen, hundreds of customers paid $900 per pair. But Drake’s manufacturer could not make the carbon fiber work after all.

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Even at Deerfield, the perfect run was always in the forefront of Drake’s mind . . . It’d snow a few inches and Stephan would have his backpack out so he could climb up Eaglebrook and get in a couple of runs through the trees. / Stephan Drake exits out of a line while filming Sweetgrass Productions’ short film “Concept” in 2011.

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Deadlines passed, and too many of the skis they did make cracked and broke. There was no choice but to fold the company. Nevertheless, Stephan Drake discovered something positive in the process: There was a huge demand for his innovative skis. He just had to solve the carbon-fiber problem. So in 2005 he and professional ski designer Peter Turner formed another company, DPS, for Drake Powder WorkS, and designed a new quiver of skis, seeking nothing short of “global domination”—in spite of past failure. As Drake explained, “Our mission was and is simple: to build the perfect ski . . . our personal dream-bag of

skis. It’s not about market segments or satisfying particular demographics. It’s about building the most progressive, highest performing skis on the planet.” Drake chose to use a type of carbon fiber that comes pre-impregnated with epoxy resin, called “pre-preg.” He felt it provided a better distribution of epoxy throughout the ski, with less weight. Whereas most skis harden through the chemical reaction of resin and hardener, pre-preg carbon fiber hardens via heating. It is so sensitive to both temperature and humidity, however, that it’s delivered by refrigerated trucks and has to remain both cool and dry. In theory, pre-preg carbon skis are

easy to build . . . in reality, they’re not. “There were a hundred different variables,” Drake says. “Sometimes we’d fix one problem and exacerbate another. We were molding all these disparate materials at the same time, which all have different physical properties and reactions to time and temperature: wood, plastics, metal. We would tweak one thing and end up screwing up another.” He couldn’t figure out why. “We had long since gone beyond the experts and the engineering textbooks,” Drake says, “into pure experimentation and stubborn art. We were trying to force this technology to do what we wanted it to do.” But it wouldn’t.

/ Stephan in an area known as “The Playground” in British Columbia while filming “Desert River” in 2010. / Hiking for powder in Engelberg, 2010.

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/ The DPS team loads the gondola on a test day at Titlis Resort, Switzerland, 2010. / In the middle of the Spoon ski development project. Eden, Utah, 2009. / Stephan soars over “The Playground,” while filming “Desert River.” British Columbia, Canada 2010.

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A need to save money sent Drake and company to China; 14-hour days in the factory became the norm and piles of pre-preg carbon were wasted, and yet . . . a quiet but persistent buzz was building about a company at the leading edge . . . For three months Drake continued to wrestle with one problem in particular: twist. He and his assistants made six different skis a day, each time with slight variations. Sometimes the variations came from engineering theory, and sometimes they were just creative, artistic guesses. Drake’s assistants would take the ski out of the mold, grind off the excess, sand the bottom, and lay it on a clean, flat table in a workroom thick with sawdust. Drake wanted all four corners of the ski to sit flat on the table. If you tapped a corner and it vibrated, the ski was twisted and thus no good. He wanted to hear a dull thud, four times. Instead he was hearing a lot of rattles. Then, ironically, one tropical day in the summer of 2007, Drake tried an extraordinarily different way of laying up the carbon fiber. The first four skis that day still came out twisted. He made minor adjustments. Around dinnertime they tested their fifth ski, and heard a distinct thud at each corner. They had made a ski without twist.

dpsskis.com

Paradise

This, however, did not constitute success. “We had been through this same emotional roller-coaster many times before,” Drake says. “We’d get one good ski and think we had the problem solved, but then we couldn’t replicate it. The key was to make two in a row.” So following the same methods as ski number five, they layered components into the mold, set it in the press, turned it on, and waited nervously. For the next hour, Drake worked at his laptop, eyes on the clock. The press heated up, then shut itself off, cooled down, and popped open. Factory workers took the ski out of the mold, cleaned it up, sanded it down, and handed it over to Drake. At about 8 pm, both worried and excited, he laid it on the worktable and began to tap the corners. The first contact point produced a good, dead, thud. So did the second. So did the third. Hunched down, eyes level with the side of the ski, Drake prepared to thump the fourth corner. Would it rattle, or thud? It made a resounding thud. Drake stood straight up, holding his breath. He looked at the others, walked out of the room, across the factory floor, down three flights of stairs, out the back of the building, across the parking lot, and up the side of a small, verdant mountain. When he got to the top he let out a deep, primal, guttural scream.

In perhaps the understatement of the year, Drake says, “The rest of the night was pretty awesome.” What he won’t say is exactly how he tweaked the ski sandwich —that information is proprietary—except that it had to do with how they stacked the carbon-fiber layers between the other materials. Now he was able to produce skis that were 30 percent lighter than conventional skis, 30 percent stronger, and much longer lasting. And they rode beautifully, rising above the powder like a surfboard, allowing users to enjoy a new style of turn that slid and carved at the same time— in ski speak, the slarve. Since DPS began selling their cutting-edge powder skis to retailers about three years ago, they have won about every possible accolade from the ski press. John Stifter, editor of Powder magazine, calls Stephan Drake “a leading innovator in ski design who has evolved ski technology as much as anyone in the industry.” With their cutting-edge components and radical, rockered shapes, DPS skis attract a rabid, almost religious following; one writer went so far as to refer to “the Church of DPS,” and added that he’s joined the choir. Secularly speaking, Drake attributes much of his success to slarve. “We did bend and accept the challenges we faced,” he says. “But we also had the carve, the determination, Nathaniel Reade is a to get to our end goal. frequent contributor to And you need them both Deerfield Magazine. to be complete.”••

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Notes from the Deerfield Alumni Association

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Spotlights / Books / Upcoming Events / Class Notes

1934

1937

Henry Harvey writes, “Marge Dorson Harvey (Vassar ’42) and I have been married for 70 years and are still on speaking terms. We live in Littleton, MA, in a large old farm house, too large, since our four children have homes of their own. We are surrounded by 100 acres of forest and meadow owned by the New England Forestry Foundation, in the center of town in walking distance of church, fire department, library, and historical society. We need (and get!) a lot of help from friends, family, a boarder, and folks we have to pay. After years of strenuous outdoor activity and many mountains, I doubt that I could reach Pocumtuck Rock today; indeed, I can barely make it to the mailbox. Fortunately, I can still drive to the store, events, and medical appointments. Politically we are well to the left of many of our contemporaries and despair of the country we are leaving our offspring. Perhaps our representatives in Washington will come to realize that politics is the art of compromise; if so, the USA can muddle through.”

Deerfield (MA) natives, brothers, and classmates Thomas and Allen Johnson were honored on September 24 for their service (and ultimate sacrifice) in World War II, when the Town of Deerfield and its Memorial Day Committee dedicated commemorative signs at the north end of Main Street. The brothers, both B17 pilots, lost their lives within five days of each other while in combat over Germany in 1944. Altogether, the town recognized 23 veterans who served their nation in the armed forces; signs, resembling street signs, were erected at the end of each street that the veteran grew up on. There was also a dedication for Tom Ashley ’11 in August; his sign is at the end of Memorial Street.

1939 According to the New York Times Lyall Dean completed his life’s journey June 19 at his North Branford, CT, home with his wife Anne and family members by his side. He was 92. The son of Lyall Dean and Helen Stearns Dean, he was born in Pelham Manor, NY. He was prede-

ceased by brothers Louis B. and David L. Dean, and sister Dorothy Dean Percival. He leaves his wife of 58 years, Anne Parmelee Reed Dean, loving nieces, nephews, cousins, and a host of friends. He attended the Pelham Manor Day School before his family moved to Worcester, MA. He also attended the Bancroft School, Hotchkiss, and Deerfield, from which he entered Union College. His studies were interrupted by four years of service with the First Marine Corps Division in the Pacific, including the landing on Guadalcanal and taking of Henderson Field. He returned to graduate from Union and chose teaching mathematics as his profession. He earned an MA from Teachers College, Columbia University. He then taught at University School, Cleveland, OH; St. George’s School, Newport, RI; and for 36 years at Horace Mann School, NYC. A Fulbright International Exchange Fellowship took Lyall and Anne to New Zealand for a year. After 54 years in Manhattan the Deans moved to Connecticut, with summers in Hancock, ME. Lyall loved Anne and his extended family, Marine Corps brothers, friends, students, schools, music, singing, tennis, and

Yale football games. There was a celebration of his life on June 30, 2012, followed by a memorial service later in the summer in Hancock, ME. It was requested that family and friends please remember Lyall by an act of kindness to others. “Semper Fi.” Fritz Jacobi, who last September celebrated his 91st birthday, has resumed teaching “English in Action,” a program conducted by the English Speaking Union of the United States for educated foreigners who wish to improve their English conversational skills. His section meets weekly at St. Bartholomew’s Church, a vast Episcopalian edifice on Park Avenue and 51st Street in New York City. He spends a few weeks each summer at his house in Chilmark on Martha’s Vineyard, which he inherited from his wife, Emmy, who died in 2010. His three children are all now senior citizens with children and grandchildren of their own, and Fritz says they take good care of him.

1943 Class Captain Walter L. Fisher Boyden Society Captain Erskine B. van Houten

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champion

’43

Making the Shots In 1954, Sports Illustrated said of Henri Salaun ’43, newly-crowned squash national champion: “There are few shots in a squash court that he cannot retrieve, and fewer that he cannot make.” Years earlier, as a talented athlete at Deerfield, he was called the Academy’s “best shot-maker.” Mr. Salaun was known for his ability to return whatever had been served at him—both on and off the squash court. Mr. Salaun grew up in France, where, when he was 14, the Germans invaded. “Amid growing tension and fear, Salaun’s mother caught word of a boat leaving for England,” reported the Middletown (CT) Press recently. “Immediately, she packed up her things and instructed her son to do the same. In a matter of moments, the two were driving to the coast (about 20 miles away). Once at the docks, they ran the last half-mile or so as German scouts watched from a nearby hill.” From England, Mr. Salaun and his mother immigrated to the US, and, after learning English, Mr. Salaun started at Deerfield. He was gifted

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athletically, playing tennis, soccer, basketball, and squash, and winning the Championship Squash Cup in a Deerfield tournament his senior year. The 1943 Pocumtuck applauded Mr. Salaun’s athletic prowess: “Henri Salaun is the best shot-maker that has played on a Deerfield varsity since tennis began here about 15 years ago. His game is 100 per cent steady, with a reserve of power always on hand.” Mr. Salaun went on to compete nationally in squash and tennis at Wesleyan University, but after two years, he was drafted and sent back to Europe, not far from where he had grown up. One night, Mr. Salaun’s unit was ambushed by German soldiers, and he was the only person to survive. “I was surrounded by Germans, and I somehow ended up in the middle of this big field,” Mr. Salaun told the Press. “All of my mates were dead. And there was a little cabin—filled with tools and farming equipment. I got in unnoticed and hid there.” After a night spent in hiding, Mr. Salaun made it back to American lines the next day. In 1949 Mr. Salaun graduated from Wesleyan, then embarked on his historic career in squash. In 1954, he won the first US Open of squash; he would go on to be a five-time US Open winner and eight-time Canadian Open winner. In 2000, he was a member of the inaugural class of the US Squash Hall of Fame. Mr. Salaun continued to play competitively well into his seventies; when he reached the final of the US Squash Racquets Association 70-and-over tourney in 2002, it marked 51 years that Mr. Salaun has been scoring points—and returning serves—on national squash courts.

Gabriel Amadeus Cooney; Deerfield Academy Archives

HENRI SALAUN

1945 Boyden Society Captain Richardson McKinney “In late July, I drove my wife and some longtime friends down ‘Memory Lane’ through Deerfield and then stopped to see our classmate Ed Yazwinski, who unfortunately suffered a stroke last fall at the time of the big flood that submerged the Lower Level and almost all of his family’s corn fields. The fields managed to survive, and we had a wonderful time with him as we drove around his extensive dairy farm,” reports James Wood.

1946 Robert Huggins writes, “Hello all! I just want to tell you that I am alive and well. Also, very busy doing what I like to do. I am still at Stanford telling graduate students what they should be doing. And I published two books recently: Advanced Batteries: Materials Science Aspects, and Energy Storage, both with Springer (see page 45). Now I am working with one of my former students to get a new advanced battery company started called Alveo Energy. Those of you who remember the Latin that you took from Mr. Coffin will know that Alveo means ‘hole’ or ‘tunnel.’ The reason for the use of that name is that the critical feature of the unusually favorable batteries is that the electrodes have crystal structures containing atomic-sized holes. My wife Patty and I sold our wonderful 47-foot sailboat in England last year, and we now have to find something else to do with our time. It is beginning to look like a cruise or two may do for a while. If any of you are in the vicinity of Stanford, please call! 650-843-0613.” “I became a great grandfather in June with the birth of Marcel Munro McAlpin in New York City,” writes David McAlpin. “I have recently retired for the second time from the presidency of Habitat for Humanity of Trenton, NJ, which honored me at a dinner celebration on September 29.” Read the October

1 Trenton Times article about Mr. McAlpin’s retirement at nj.com: search for “David McAlpin.”

1948 Tyler Day says, “I am continuing to enjoy living in sunny Naples, FL, after retiring from Proctor and Gamble a number of years ago. I’m doing marketing consulting while being active on five boards. I’m also staying busy doing community and Brown alumni activities, such as editing the community newsletter and coaching the swim team and our tennis program. I miss the New England falls and Deerfield’s outdoor life but love living in laidback Naples. I would enjoy meeting any Deerfield alumni living or passing through Naples. Telephone: 239-592-0938; email rtdayassociates@comcast.net. Best wishes to the Class of 2013.” “I am delighted to have had email contacts with Marshall Keating, Peter Bien, and Tim Redfield in the last few months,” writes Bill Knox. “Also, on impulse, a catch-up phone talk with Steve Percy, my freshman year roommate under the eaves of the third floor of the John Williams House. Diana and I busied ourselves last summer at our off the grid solar-powered camp, Camp Mesacosa (Mens Sana in Corpore Sano—a sound mind in a sound body). It was a character-building, quite wonderful girls camp for some 70 years. It is now a

family camp with a working sustainable small timber operation with an easement protecting most of it from development. About as gorgeous as the Pocumtuck Valley but much wilder and more rural.” Hank Richman comments, “I was sorry to hear that George Gallup ’49 passed! He was such a great guy with a wonderful sense of humor and a smile on his face most of the time. I will never forget his showing up in class with no shirt on the morning after Dewey lost the presidential election to Truman. His company predicted a big victory by Dewey, so he was showing all of us that ‘He lost his shirt!’”

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“Carol and I are enjoying our condo in Studio City—right across the Tujunga Wash from the CBS news headquarters with its impressive array of satellite dishes,” Roberto Cuniberti writes. “We have all the comforts, including a swimming pool at our door. We see the fireworks and hear the concerts from CBS. I am very involved in church work. I man the Christian Science Reading Room on Ventura Boulevard twice a week. I get back and forth by bus since neither Carol nor I are driving these days. My son and my sister are both still in my old haunts in DC—so I only see them about once a year. It’s nice to know that the ocean is just over the hill from here, but I’ve only been over to enjoy it once in the last 12 years. Replying to emails is the new time burner. Always great to recall the days back in the Valley!”

1949 Last fall, George Bass and several members of his family traveled to Santa Barbara, CA, to visit their great-grandparents’ home, now a National Historic Landmark in Montecito. George, who is a founding trustee of the historic estate, is also famous for his “egg factory”—The Country Hen— in Hubbardston, MA.

1950 Class Captain R. Warren Breckenridge Graeme Howard reports: “Celebrated #80 in NYC. Hope to exhibit our collection of Frida Kahlo drawings and letters (frida2007. com) early next year under auspices of the new mayor

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of San Miguel de Allende. Visitors are always welcome! US telephone number is: 415462-6399.

Beaufort, SC, is near I-95, traversing coastal SC, so we hope classmates will come to visit.”

1951

1953

Class Captain David B. Findlay

Class Captain Renwick D. Dimond

Boyden Society Captain Robert B. Hiden

Reunion Chair Hugh R. Smith

Arthur Drazan writes: “We have been in Florida for 22 years and have enjoyed golfing and fishing and lots of friends. The trick is to stay healthy. Regards to all my classmates and their families. We have nine grandchildren and four children all married and living on the East and West Coasts.” An update from Vic Russo: “Carol and I held a 25th anniversary party for our youngest daughter this past August. It was great but made us wonder where the time has gone. She has twin daughters who just graduated from college, with one getting married next year. Got to keep traveling, while we can . . . Deerfield days keep getting farther away . . .” “Louise and I continue to enjoy living in South Carolina,” reports David Uehling. “I keep busy as a part-time volunteer math teacher and serving on the county solid waste and recycling board. We enjoy gardening, golfing, and going to Long Island, ME, to escape the summer heat. We recently returned from an opera/gardening tour of England including Highclere Castle (aka Downton Abbey) near Oxford.

Boyden Society Captains Craig W. Fanning H. Stanley Mansfield “The best news I have is that we now have ten grandchildren who keep us busy,” says Anthony Atwell. “Our family now lives in California, Missouri, New Mexico, Texas, and Florida, and this changes about every year. In Dallas I have retired from law practice and devote most of my time to family activities, family business, investments, reading, keeping abreast of several charitable organizations we support, and golf (I haven’t shot my age yet in golf, probably never will, but haven’t given up hope). One activity that I have found interesting and rewarding is Deerfield’s Look to the Hills summer sessions (about three days at Deerfield). This program is for everybody, including new Deerfield parents, and offers a wide variety of mini-courses (with homework for many). I have been to two of these sessions in early August of 2011 and 2012. The faculty, I am happy to report, is college-level and excellent. In addition to the classes, they have a variety of activities in the after-

noons and evenings, and the entire experience is great. You have an opportunity to reconnect with the school as it is today, which is much different but yet the same in many important respects, and there is time to meet and know the faculty and the Head of School. Bernie Moran from our class is a long-time participant, and I highly recommend it to you and your family.” When we last heard from Sandy Marshall he wrote, “Carla and I are planning a trip to Monaco in late October to attend a reunion of former employees of Pan American Airways, where I toiled as a B-747 captain for quite a few years before that great airline’s demise. In fact, I flew the last 747 out of South America the day the whole thing ended. Interesting to note that even 21 years after Pan Am’s last flight, there will be 700 former Pan Amers at the reunion . . . one of the hosts is Prince Albert of Monaco.” Nathan Mobley writes, “I have spent the past year working with organizations around the world who are seeking to build and instill ‘Leadership Cultures’ within the ‘DNA’ of their organizations. In my experience, our biggest challenge today is not financial crisis nor revolutionary movements. It is the absence of individuals who possess the courage to stand up, tell the truth, and be leaders within their chosen fields and careers. Where are the Leadership role models for

today’s challenging times? Leadership is not about the office or title an individual has placed upon them or before them. Leadership is living each day the values you believe in and through which you desire to be judged by others. Where have these values gone? Where do we see the likes of a George C. Marshall, Harry Truman, Frank Boyden or Jaun Trippe? Are we reaping the rewards for allowing several generations of our children to be told ‘How wonderful they are, there are no losers and everyone receives a medal?’ Accountability, truth, honest discussions, and understanding we are all ‘Brothers and Sisters’ is the key for all our futures. There is no substitute for excellence!”

Advanced Batteries: Materials Science Aspects Robert A. Huggins ’46 | Springer Science + Business Media, 2009

Energy Storage Robert A. Huggins ’46 | Springer Science + Business Media, 2010

1954

A Charge for the Future | The next time you drive your electric car

Class Captain Philip R. Chase

phone, or watch the Choate-Deerfield game webcast on your laptop, think of

Boyden Society Captains Joseph D. Lawrence Harold R. Talbot Glenn Dorr says, “Anne and I are spending more time in Concord, MA, where we have a son, Marshall, and his wife Betsy and their four children. We also have a son, Tim, and his wife Ellie nearby in Manchester, MA, and they have three children. We look forward to meeting Deerfield grads in this area and hope you will contact us at 603-581-6309 or by email at gdorr@metrocast. net. We recently met a family named Weeks who are from Whitefield, NH, and they

back to Deerfield for Reunions, talk with your Deerfield classmates on your cell Robert A. Huggins ’46. It is through the work of materials science researchers like Dr. Huggins that great strides have been made in the development and application of better and low-cost batteries that are used in many popular devices. In his recent textbook Advanced Batteries: Materials Science Aspects, Dr. Huggins instructs his readers in the “Materials Science principles that underlie the behavior of advanced electrochemical storage systems, i.e., batteries.” IEEE Electrical Insulation Magazine has described Advanced Batteries as “an outstanding technical resource on advanced battery technology for students or researchers” that will “advance battery technology by providing new researchers with the tools and ideas necessary to develop the next generation of batteries.” Dr. Huggins, Professor Emeritus in Stanford University’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering, addresses another critical topic in his most recent publication, Energy Storage. “It is clear that energy matters have recently attracted an increasing amount of attention worldwide,” writes Dr. Huggins. “Energy storage will be an increasingly important component of the overall energy supply picture in the future. This will be particularly critical as the alternative technologies, such as solar and wind sources, where energy production is intermittent, become more widespread.”

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know George and Denny Lunt. Denny died recently. Aggie and Sam Chase are up in Whitefield also, and when we were at our home in Bristol, NH, we saw more of them. Give a call or send us an email especially if you are interested in golf, art, or general baloney.” “Zachary Effros, my 12-year-old grandson, and I visited Greece last Easter vacation,” says Guy Kaldis. “We spent four days on a guided tour of Peloponnesus and Delphi and Meteora.”

1955 Class Captain Michael D. Grant Class Secretary Tom L’Esperance Boyden Society Captain Edison W. Dick Tom L’Esperance reported on the following classmates: “Joe Bete says that he leads a pretty ordinary life. Not! He lives in Deerfield and was at the helm of the Channing Bete Company for 28 years between 1967 and 1995. The company is located in South Deerfield and currently employs 230 employees in the community. Two of his sons, Michael ’79 and Jonathan, continue to lead the company today. The health education publishing company’s mission is ‘to strengthen individuals, families, and communities by reinforcing healthy behaviors and commitment to positive social values.’ Joe used to drive by the Academy every day on his way to work.

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As the years have gone by he and Marie have been able to see all the new buildings going up and how well the integration into a coed school has progressed. Joe relates that the school, which is practically in his backyard, has always been a great contributor to the community. Joe has been ordained a Permanent Deacon in the Catholic Church. He relates that it’s a privilege in his mission to be invited into sharing very critical moments in people’s lives. Joe states that we can all be surprised at how the good lessons learned 2,000 years ago pertain to our own neighborhood and surroundings now. “When I reached him, Spike Hamilton was ‘down cellar’ in his workshop making railings and keeping busy while winter comes. It’s early October, the leaves are turning, and he says it’s delightful living in his self-built house amidst ten acres of woods in East Dummerston, VT. He’s now a widower, having lost his wife, Susan, four years ago. His neighbors (especially the single ones) are taking good care of him nowadays. Meg and Moose Morton ’54 have a home a few miles away and they ‘share the same phone book.’ Spike and Moose regularly attend annual lacrosse weekends at Dartmouth College. “John McCloy relates that it has not been a great year—Laura has endured two knee replacements, plus a shoulder and an ankle replacement. Lots of ‘little

steel bits and pieces,’ but, ‘Whatever—body and soul stays together and you gotta be grateful for it.’ He and Laura are trying to sell their house in Greenwich and most likely head to Florida away from the winter when ‘it sets in and the steel gets cold.’ We also spoke of John’s famous dad who was the Assistant Secretary of War (WWII), president of the World Bank, and US High Commissioner for Germany. He lived to age 92 and, above all, John states, ‘The greatest thing he was, was a father.’ Similarly, Mr. Boyden astonished John and Laura by showing up at their wedding in Atlanta in 1970. When John asked, ‘What are you doing here?’ Mr. Boyden replied, ‘Well, you sent me an invitation.’ He continued by saying that he would go to ‘my boys’ weddings—every one of them—if they would invite me!’ They were both remarkable men. “Our three-letter man, Dudley Ferrari, and his wife Kathy now enjoy living in Naples, FL, near the Big Cypress National Preserve, where he can work on his golf game year ’round. He wishes, however, that his golf handicap would ‘go down as quickly as the days go by.’ Dudley and Kathy enjoy visiting with their three children: Susan, James, and Gail, who live in nearby states. Dr. Dudley became an orthopaedic surgeon and also completed 22 years in academic practice at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester.

“I chatted with Eddie Dick, our Boyden Society Captain, this afternoon (9/25/2012). He had just returned from a meeting with Terry O’Toole ’02, Deerfield’s 50th Reunion Capital Gifts Officer. The Frank L. and Helen Childs Boyden Society honors and recognizes those individuals who provide for Deerfield through bequests, trusts, or other planned gifts. Eddie and Sally also regularly see Cris Schaefer and his wife Blaine. They’ve kept in touch a lot more since our 50th Reunion. They vacationed together in Antigua last winter. “Congratulations to our own cross-country runner, Tom Crawford, who has maintained himself in top shape all these years! His wife Nancy writes: ‘Aloha, I just had to write and brag a little about Tom. He took first place in his age division yesterday (September 2, 2012) in the Kauai Half Marathon. This picture (see page 47) was taken of him with his trophy, actually a wonderful ceramic plate. He is very proud and so am I. He trained hard for this. Much Aloha, Nancy.’ The Kauai Marathon is a highly regarded 26.2-mile international event that draws elite runners from many countries. Tom and Nancy now reside year-round in Koloa, Kauai. To see a video of the Kauai Marathon, please go to thekauaimarathon.com.” Tom added: “To my classmates: I’ve enjoyed chatting with a number of you over the past seven years

Zachary Effros, grandson of Guy Kaldis ’54, joined his grandfather on a tour of Greece last year. Tom Crawford ’55 took first place in his age division in the 2012 Kauai Half Marathon.

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Eddie Dick ’55 and his wife Sally pose on the Mall in Washington, DC. Eddie serves as Boyden Society Captain for his class.

Glenn Dorr ’54 and his wife, Anne, report spending more time at their home in Concord, MA, in order to be closer to their sons, daughters-in-law, and several grandchildren.

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Hitchcock Medical Center and the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth. My spouse is busy in her print-making studio and preparing shows of her work, with additional responsibilities with local galleries and distant ones, as well. Both of us are kept hopping with five of our ten grandchildren going to school together here in Hanover, NH. I was pleased to catch up with William (Moose) Morton and Meg at a recent gathering in the Dartmouth Outing Club to give recognition to one of Moose’s classmates who got the Dartmouth Alumni Award. He is looking particularly well—ignoring the passage of years and miles. I’m looking forward to exploring the new Deerfield app for the iPhone and iPad.” On August 28, 2012, Liu Yandong, a member of China’s Politburo and the state councilor (who is the highest ranking woman in China), presented the Sixth Special Book Award of China to UN Under-Secretary General Joseph Verner Reed and five other winners at the Great Hall of the People. In part, the award recognized Ambassador Reed’s great contributions to the large-scale project called “Chinese Culture and Civilization” that was copublished by China International Publishing Group and Yale University. Ambassador Reed is the longest-serving under-secretary general; he is also special advisor to the UN secretary-general.

1956 Class Captain Joseph B. Twichell Jack Hodgson writes, “Last fall Barbie and I celebrated our 50th anniversary by circumnavigating Vermont. Our first stop was Deerfield, where we saw the horrific damage to the playing fields by the tropical storm that had recently passed. Within a month thereafter we watched Deerfield play Choate at Deerfield while sitting in front of our TV in Hawaii. Someone (somemany!) had done a heck of a restoration project in short order.” “The summer ended with a flurry of activity,” reported Brad Oelman when we last heard from him. “We sold our antique Cape in Harwich Port and bought and moved into a condo in Chatham the next day, all while daughter Kimberly Oelman ’98, and fiancé Matt Donnan were visiting and planning for their wedding next Labor Day on the Cape. Back in Los Angeles, son Ford, Andover ’91, was putting finishing touches on his latest movie production, Dear Sidewalk, an independent film headed for entry into a number of film festivals this fall. In Houston, son David Kincaid ’82, was honored as the outstanding corporate attorney in Houston, TX, and one of the best in the country by Best Lawyers in America. He is a partner at the law firm of Vincent and Elkins. At Deerfield, grandson Woodson Miles ’13, is a senior com-

pleting his fourth year and preparing for the challenges of applying to college.” Joe Twichell reported on several classmates: “Bob Wickes was elected to the Republican Committee for Chester County, PA. Our class had representatives at the memorial services for Rod Hardy in Hollis, NH, and Northeast Harbor, ME. Dennis Furbush has been a longtime member of the Society for Industrial Archaeology and a past director. The society’s activities have taken him on many trips: Columbia River, Panama Canal, Myanmar, Antarctica, Australia, New Zealand, Borneo, Canal du Midi, France, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, China, Japan, Danube River, Egypt, Galapagos, India, Queen of the North from Juneau to Seattle, Copper Canyon Mexico, Morocco, Oman, Peru Amazon River, Portugal, Trans-Siberian Railway, Scandinavia, South Africa, Ukraine, Poland, Vietnam, Cambodia, Patagonia, Senegal, Malta, Italy, Cincinnati, Toronto to NYC cruise, and a St. Louis to Memphis cruise. He seems particularly interested in trains, subways, street cars, and funiculars, although old and ancient industrial processes also fascinate him. “Ron Kolinko (Klinker) sings in the Young@Heart Chorus, which began in 1982 in Western MA, with members ranging in age from 73 to 90. They have received rave reviews from around the

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on behalf of the Class Notes. Thanks for taking my calls! More recently, though, it has become a “piece of cake” for us to submit our own notes via the DA website: deerfield. edu/alumni/notes. You can submit your note and add a photo or video, too! However, in lieu of submitting your note online, or by email, to classnotes@deerfield.edu, I would also be delighted to hear from you if you prefer to call me at 760-942-2680 or via email: tmlski@roadrunner.com with your news. I’ll happily continue to make calls before each ‘deadline’ for upcoming issues of the Deerfield Magazine when it appears that we need more input to keep up our tradition of having half a dozen 1955 notes for each issue.” Michael Mayor writes: “Classmates of 1955: With the mantle of clinical tyranny set aside, I’ve been busy with engineering school research projects, including efforts to understand what went wrong with metal-on-metal hip joint replacements. FDA asked me to participate on their Advisory Panel this past summer for advice on what to do next with the 750,000 patients with metal-on-metal hip joints in place. I am also serving on a federal panel examining the same issues, which will start meeting this year. Busy, too, mentoring eight bright-eyed, bushy-tailed first-year medical students learning which end of the stethoscope goes where, and teaching at the Dartmouth

Courtesy of University at Buffalo

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DR. PHILLIPS STEVENS JR.

anthropologist

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Dr. Stevens in Èsìe in 1965

Erewumi of Èsìe When Dr. Phillips Stevens Jr. ’59 worked for the Peace Corps in Èsìe, Nigeria, in the 1960s, the people of Èsìe —finding the double consonants of his name too difficult to pronounce—called him Erewumi, or, “the images are pleased with me.” This name came from the work that Dr. Stevens was doing in Nigeria—cataloguing, photographing, and preserving a collection of famous yet mysterious stone sculptures located in a sacred grove outside of Èsìe. It is also for this valuable work that the Elesie (Master) of Èsìe recently conferred on Dr. Stevens an honorary chieftancy: Erewumi of Èsìe. Dr. Stevens began his service with the Peace Corps as a teacher, but after spending his school vacations working for the Department of Antiquities, he transferred there to be an ethnographer “without portfolio.” “I became the first [Peace Corps Volunteer] to be assigned to a museum, expanding the Peace Corps’ inventory of needs in developing countries and setting a precedent that others later followed after specific museum and ethnographic training,” Dr. Stevens wrote afterwards. Of the many projects Dr. Stevens completed for the Department of Antiquities, the documentation and preservation of the Stone Images of Èsìe stands out as his greatest contribution to Nigeria’s artistic and cultural tradition. One of Africa’s greatest mysteries, the Stone Images of Èsìe are the continent’s largest collection of stone carvings, numbering 1000 pieces of diverse sizes and subjects. Their origin, creators, and purpose are all unknown; according to Èsìe tradition, the statues are the petrified remains of visitors from a distant land, and they are still worshipped today by the Èsìe people.

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Despite the images’ prominence in the local cosmology, when Dr. Stevens arrived in Èsìe, he found them housed in a collapsing building. Many of the carvings were damaged, and it was impossible to know how many had been stolen over the years. Dr. Stevens catalogued and photographed the images, repaired those that were damaged, and supervised the construction of a new museum complex. Dr. Stevens was able to return to Èsìe in 1974 to continue his research into the images, and in 1978, he published his findings in The Stone Images of Esie, Nigeria, which included a complete catalogue of the collection, an exposition of their history and meaning, and a report of his research into their origins. Now Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University at Buffalo, Dr. Stevens credits his Peace Corps experience with his success in his career. “The lessons I learned in 1963-66 provided me with a cultural sensitivity that I knew then needed a theoretical framework and that I know now has made me a far better anthropologist than I could have been without it—had I even chosen to pursue anthropology without that experience.” ••

1959 Class Captain George A. Fonda Boyden Society Captain John F. Kikoski Skip Mattoon writes, “Since September 2010, Lyn and I have been working with Avenues: The World School. This is a new school (nursery through grade 12) with plans to build 20 campuses around the world. The first campus opened this fall in New York. It has been a big and exciting venture. We still live in Sharon, CT, but spend a lot of time in the city. Check out the school at avenues.org and stop in if you are in town.” Phillips Stevens, associate professor in University of Buffalo’s Anthropology Department, has accepted an invitation from the traditional ruler of the town of

Èsìe (pronounced ess ee EH) in Nigeria to come to Èsìe to receive an honorary chieftaincy title, in recognition of his work there in the 1960s and 1970s. For more details, see page 50.

1960 Boyden Society Captains Christian Baldenhofer Robert F. Herrick John Thorndike reports, “Barry Campbell died in his home in Lyons, CO, on September 10, 2012, after a long illness. In his last years he continued his house design work, some construction, and some travel. Every June until this past one, Barry and I made a canoe trip down a western river. He would plan a year ahead for the trip, and especially loved a river with few signs of man. My friendship with Barry was formed at Deerfield, and for 50 years we dissected our history at the school. Whenever we got together, which was several times a year, we talked about our classmates, the ski team, the glee club, Mr. McGlynn, Mr. Schell, Mr. Ruggles, Mr. Suitor, and Mrs. Boyden. Sometimes we talked about the trauma of growing up in such an insular and demanding world. Those were our years of adolescence, and the emotional tug of them never let up. At the same time, as Barry wrote for our 50th Reunion, ‘There was a comforting feeling to the way the school set with the natural world, an honest

quality to the way it blended with the old town, a certain security in the rugged wilderness on the other side of the river.’ He is survived by a half-sister, four nephews, and by Aria, his beloved partner of 19 years. I will miss him forever.”

1961 Class Captains Jon W. Barker Thomas M. Poor The University of Vermont College of Medicine presented a 2012 Distinguished Graduate Alumni Award to James Aiken, PhD, president and chief executive officer of Keystone Symposia on Molecular and Cellular Biology, at an awards ceremony held during the college’s Graduate Student Research Day on September 20, 2012. The Distinguished Graduate Alumni Award is presented to alumni from the College of Medicine’s PhD or MS programs who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in basic, clinical or applied research; education; industry; public service/humanitarianism; and/or outstanding commitment to the College of Medicine community. As a 2012 awardee, Jim presented a lecture on “The Value of Scientific Conferences” during the Research Day event, which also featured student research poster and oral presentation sessions. Jim received his undergraduate degree in biology from Dartmouth and PhD in pharmacology from the University of

Vermont in 1970, and then completed an American Thoracic Society fellowship working in the laboratory of Professor Sir John Vane, Nobel Laureate, at the Royal College of Surgeons of England. Jim leads Keystone Symposia on Molecular and Cellular Biology, a 40-yearold, educational nonprofit organization based in Silverthorne, CO, that annually conducts 50 to 60 biomedical conferences attended by about 14,000 scientists. Prior to his work with Keystone Symposia, he had a 32-yearlong distinguished career as a research scientist and research executive in the pharmaceutical industry. Jim served as senior director of therapeutic area strategy for Pharmacia Corporation in Peapack, NJ, until the company was acquired by Pfizer in 2003. Prior to that position, he served as director of biology for the Swedish branches of Pharmacia & Upjohn, director of metabolic diseases research for the Upjohn Company in Kalamazoo, MI, and held various additional research positions at Upjohn in the areas of atherosclerosis, thrombosis, and diabetes. He also conducted research in the field of smooth muscle function, as it relates to vascular biology and hypertension, as well as uterine physiology and parturition, at Eli Lilly and Company in Indianapolis, IN. Jim currently resides in Brecken, CO. “I finally retired from the Pension Actuarial field at the end of 2011,”

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world: Northampton, Rochester, Albany, Boston, Hyannis, Washington, DC, Canada, New Zealand, Europe, and in five Japanese cities this past September. When he is not traveling with the group he is involved in music at St. Joseph’s Parish in Shelburne Falls, singing and playing two Masses on Sunday and at funerals. He sang at Flip Charron’s funeral in Worcester. “Hans Wurster and his wife MJ have rowed in the Head of the Charles Regatta for at least 15 years. But this year they will row in the FISA World Rowing Masters in Germany instead. Many other worldwide venues have been on their itinerary.”

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’61 John Carnochan ’61 proudly posed with his wife Lois, daughters Kristin and Ellen, and their families. Martin Kruming ’61 and his daughter, Meghann, a Smith College graduate, in Baku, Azerbaijan. Photo by Farid Musayev. Terry Mooney ’62 and his granddaughter Merrill, who is the daughter of Alixe Mooney ’95. Dick Stuart, Tom Falcon, and David Boynton, all Class of ’61, enjoyed some time together on Squam Lake this past July. opposite: Tom Poor ’61 was inducted into the United States Squash Hall of Fame this past fall.

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’61 John Carnochan writes. “My wife Lois is almost retired (teaching one course at the College of New Rochelle). We have two daughters, Kristin and Ellen, who have provided us with three grandchildren and a fourth on the way.” Tom Poor, who has won more than 40 US and Canadian national age-group singles and doubles squash titles, was named to the United States Squash Hall of Fame this past fall. Tom and his son, Morgan ’95, have also won consecutive national father-son Century Divison titles. In addition, Tom has served as a tournament director, board member, and advocate of junior squash. Tom was a member of the 1973 US national team at the World Amateur Championships in South Africa and captain of the 1977 team in Canada. He won the Canadian Open doubles five times and twice reached the finals of the US Open doubles.

1963 Reunion Chairs Richard W. Ackerly Peter A. Acly Timothy J. Balch David D. Sicher Boyden Society Captain Edward R. McPherson Bill Winslow sent the following update: “Hamilton College; Army; Procter & Gamble; retired; one daughter; three grandchildren.”

1964 Please send us your news and notes! See page 64.

1965 Class Captains Edward G. Flickinger Andrew R. Steele Ed Flickinger writes, “Karen and I attended the Garrison Keillor ‘Prairie Home Companion’ live performance at Tanglewood this past summer. It was spon-

sored by the Deerfield Club of New England. Just two rows in front of us were seated Coach Jim and Carol Smith. They were the guests of one of his sons. We had a nice chat with them during intermission. Jim has been retired from DA for a few years, but still coaches a football team at a Greenfield-area industrial school. He’s sharp as ever. Bet he and Carol could still run Mather Dorm, and I know he could still coach the Big Green! He was a wonderful part of Deerfield’s heritage for over 40 years, and he looks about as he did back in the early 60s!”

1966 Class Captain David H. Bradley William Dennler says, “I have two granddaughters: Samantha Dennler, who is two-anda-half, and Kaia Manrique who is six months. I retired October 31, 2005, and I’m

loving it!” “I retired from Lockheed Martin Corp after 27 years,” Lester LaBrecque writes. “Currently, I’m an assistant football coach at Hamilton College. My wife Nan (who retired in 2011 from teaching) and I have two married sons. Our oldest, Ben (and wife Cindi) live in Londonderry, NH, and our youngest, Mike (and wife Heather) are both majors in the Army and stationed at Ft. Bragg, NC, with the 82nd Airborne Division. Ben is a Washington and Lee grad and works in pharmaceutical sales, and Mike (and Heather) are West Point grads with around 13 years of service.” Longtime athletic administrator Tony Wells has been inducted into the Frontier Field Walk of Fame in Rochester, NY. Go to: cosida.com/news.aspx?id=3797 for the story. Bill Kenety reports, “Currently dividing my time

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Berkeley-Paris Express: A Lively Memoir of Studying Classical Music and Painting Webster Young ’68 | Editions D’Auteurs, 2012

My university music studies soon became a battle in my musical soul. The music by the composers who were my teachers could not guide me. Abstractionism and abstract expressionism in music were confusing to me as a student. Music that “had no meaning” would be impossible for me to pursue. It would take me two years to gain the courage to reject atonality, abstractionism, and abstract expressionism in music—and of course, these were the styles that dominated the whole world of serious composition at the time. Because of the struggle with abstractionism that I faced, I would have to learn on my own to develop the music that came to me—and I would have to do this mostly outside of what was considered the normal academic preparation for a career in music.

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A Musical Soul | Inspiration came from many sources for composer Webster Young ’68: Jungian paintings, the streets of Paris, musical scores discarded on a New York City street curb. In his recently published memoir, Berkeley-Paris Express: A Lively Memoir of Studying Classical Music and Painting, Mr. Young relates the early influences that set him on the path for a successful career as a composer of operas, ballets, and other musical works. In Berkeley-Paris Express, Mr. Young takes his readers on a wide-ranging journey, as he pursues his musical education in southern California, Colorado, New York City, and even Paris. Supported by a close relationship with his uncle, Kenneth Miller Frantz, a reclusive artist, Mr. Young finds the courage to write music that has meaning for him, which often means going against the musical establishment. Mr. Young honestly and poignantly reflects on his experiences and their influence on his artistic development. His trip to Paris, he writes, was “both an inspiration and a fiasco all at once. No musical association that could help me as a composer had appeared, and the only musical camaraderie I found was that of Henryk, the Polish conductor—and our association was mostly involved in the search for nightlife, not music. I had no academic credit to show for my trip. The cheapest Parisian hotels had been my home, and I had been sick part of the time. And yet the inspiration to be found in the City of Light had found its way into my very soul.” Interwoven with Mr. Young’s prose are family photos, paintings by Marc Chagall and Kenneth Frantz, and other influential images. Mr. Young’s reflections on these images inject his narrative with liveliness and illustrate the arc of his artistic development. In addition to his work as a composer, Mr. Young is a music journalist, having written for Newsday, the Intercollegiate Review, and the Catholic Herald in London. He has written six operas, ten ballets, 50 orchestra pieces, and many piano works. He is currently writing the sequel to Berkeley-Paris Express.

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between the Department of Justice and the US Attorney’s office in Washington. Still coaching lacrosse, still traveling, still having fun.” “I retired in June of 2011 after 38 years of teaching,” Reed Goossen reports. “This leaves me with time for my new interests in woodworking and beekeeping.” Peter Drake writes, “I retired in June of 2011, following six years as headmaster of the Fessender School. Nancy and I are splitting time between Hancock, NH, and Spring Island in Okatie, SC. On August 24, 2012, we welcomed our fourth grandchild, Cole Ransom McCutcheon, son of Rebecca Drake McCutcheon ’96 and her husband Brad. Philip Doughty is a freelance photographer in Catania, Sicily. “I am very happy here,” he says. “I requested a Guggenheim Foundation Grant for a photo project; hard to get but worth the try. Any Deerfield grads passing through Sicily please contact me at philipdoughty@gmail.com. Happy to show you the town and buy you a good meal!” When we last heard from Gerald Piepiora he wrote, “Retired. I will become Grand Master of Masons in Maryland in November 2012. After completion of my term as Grand Master (November 2014), I will retire ‘again’ to our home in Sedona, AZ.” Jed Horne writes, “Jane and I moved down to our place in Patzcuaro in early July and spent the fall there, fixing it up, reviving rusty Spanish,

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’68 Paul DiMaggio’s (Class of ’68) biggest fish of 2012. “Age takes its toll,” he says. “1/15th the size of the fish in 1997 . . . but more colorful and done alone in the gulf stream.” Choedchai Khannabha ’68 works at the Office of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission of Thailand (ONBTC for short). and generally enjoying life. Thanks to the Internet, I was able to stay in touch with the working world, at least a bit. The boys joined us for Day of the Dead—a big blow-out in Mexico. As I write this, we’re scheduled to be back in New Orleans after New Year’s, but I suspect we’ll put in another sojourn in Mexico before long. So, if Patzcuaro figures in your travel plans (or New Orleans, for that matter) . . .” “I retired in May after 21 years heading a trade

association and moved to the beautiful low country,” reports George Vary. “Lots of golf (and heat!). Great home on marsh and w-i-d-e tidal creek!”

1968 Boyden Society Captain Edgar A. Bates Dominic Paul DiMaggio says, “The last two winters, I have been trying retirement out by spending six weeks in the dead of winter in Miami. It is a change after 32 years never

taking more than ten days off and living in the relatve ‘sticks’ of New Hampshire. Miami is a great change . . . I love the fact that restaurants don’t close at 9:00 pm! I attach a couple of pictures of my biggest wildlife conquests: fish. I never get enough time to go after them, but being in Florida for part of the winter at least adds a few weeks to the all-too-short New England summers.”

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Saturday, October 19, was “the most perfect day of autumn” as the Class of ’70 gathered on campus for “Reunion 42.5.”*

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1969 Class Captain John W. Kjorlien Doug Squires reported on the followin classmates: “This fall, Hank Louis became, by my unofficial count, the 15th member of our class to enroll a child at Deerfield. Congratulations, Hank! In late May, Rick Swig bought the John Muir Inn, a 60room hotel in Napa that he spruced up over the summer and rebranded as the Napa Winery Inn. Rick also owns the Harvest Inn in Napa Valley. After six years representing Western Massachusetts on the Governor’s Council, Tom Merrigan decided not to seek re-election for a fourth term, citing increased out-ofstate travel commitments for his job as executive vice president and general counsel to California-based Easton-Bell Sports. Tom joined EastonBell in June 2010.”

1970 Class Captain G. Kent Kahle “They are, if you will, the runners of poetry: lean, taut, intense, focused.” So begins the foreword to a new volume of poems, The Running Sonnets, by Duncan Christy. There are 41 sonnets executed in a Shakespearean rhyme scheme, and all have visual imagery created by the book’s designer, Susan Forrest Castle. They range widely, from the simple physicality of running to its life- and sanity-giving

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benefits to reminiscences of favorite figures and locales. And they’ve been vetted by no less than Jay Morsman ’55, who as a coach led Duncan through more laps than he’d care to remember around the tennis courts and the Lower Level. The book is available from Amazon.com, and there’s more information at therunningsonnets.com.

1971 Class Captains K.C. Ramsay John L. Reed Boyden Society Captain Edwin G. Reade “This past summer I was a coach for the US Sailing Team at the 2012 London Olympics,” reports David Dellenbaugh. “The sailing events were held in Weymouth, which is a couple hours southwest of London. Dave Perry ’72 was also there as the US Sailing Team rules advisor, so we spent a bunch of time together. I coached a team of three women who were a favorite to win the gold medal in match racing, but they ended up fifth overall.” The United States Professional Tennis Association Board of Directors and Search Committee has hired industry veteran John Embree as the new CEO/executive director. “I began my tennis odyssey during college as a teaching professional in Virginia,” John said. “After more than three decades of working in the sport that I began playing at six years

old, my career has come full circle, back to my foundation as a grassroots advocate.” Steven Kramer writes, “Still practicing law in Wellesley and living in Medfield, MA. My son Jake is a senior at Colby and is cocaptain of the baseball team. Daughter Haley is a senior at Medfield High School and preparing to continue our tuition treadmill for another four years.” K.C. Ramsay says, “I’m happy to report that I’ve survived the year since our 40th Reunion by patronizing the American health care system. If you want the gory details, email me and I’ll fill you in. In the middle of it Ann and I decamped to an apartment while we completed a major (and successful) rehab of our house and finally added that most important of southern necessities, a screened porch. After 30 years of designing spaces for everyone else, it was great fun to ‘pull down and put up’ for our own use and enjoyment. Both sons are married and working in higher education: John as assistant dean of students at Hampden-Sydney College and Kerr as associate director of admissions at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University. Kerr is working on his doctorate in education and John is developing his skills as a dad, with great success. Ann is teetering on the edge of retirement. I’m not sure what I am doing but I’m having a great time doing it.” Tony Sokolow reports,

“I continue to commit as much justice as possible. The majority of my work is Social Security claims. My wife Catherine teaches Mandarin in the Douglas County School District and at Metropolitan State University in Denver. Karen, my older daughter (Vassar College Class of 2007) is living in Brighton with some other Vassar grads, tutoring for Kaplan and freelancing. She will obtain an MA in math from the Harvard Extension School. Grace, my younger daughter (Vassar College Class of 2009, Lehigh University, MA 2011) is living at home and will start a master’s program in social work this fall at the University of Southern California. She will do her first year online and move to LA in the fall of 2013.”

1972 Class Captains Bradford W. Agry Rick Anderson Michael C. Perry Robert Dell Vuyosevich Boyden Society Captain Robert Dell Vuyosevich William Kuharich writes, “Sorry I was unable to make our 40th Reunion. I trust the attendees from our class enjoyed the weekend. I have been on a forced hiatus from the NFL since April of 2009. I have been able to spend quite of bit of time following my three daughters’ academic/ athletic exploits. My eldest, Megan, 18, will attend Villanova University in the fall of 2012, where she will major

the common room *“ The occasion was the usual idiosyncratic and personal work of this maverick class—the unprecedented Reunion 42.5. As you see them here, they have just enjoyed a tailgating party on the fringe of the tennis courts unencumbered by any actual and distracting games. They have discovered to their delight, if not altogether surprise, that there is so much camaraderie among them that they lack for nothing. The occasion was a shared whim. We wanted to be together in the autumn, just as we had been when at Deerfield. The Academy’s administration somewhat nervously indulged us, and they are rewarded, if we may say so, with perfect gentlemen swearing eternal fealty to the Green and the White. And, moreover, pledging to retrieve errant brothers to future gatherings. In the words of Mark Palmer, himself returning after an absence of 42.5 years, ‘We have these missing souls. Where are you, my friends?’” Duncan Christy ’70

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Chip participated in the shotgun team trials for the London Olympics. “Unfortunately, age and lack of skill kept me from making the team,” he said. —Chip Pitcairn ’73 & faithful friend

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David Dellenbaugh ’71 and Dave Perry ’72 spent “a bunch of time together” at the 2012 Olympics in London. Walker Ramsay (DA Class of ’28), grandson of KC Ramsay ’71, in his DA hoodie. Aidan McIntyre, age 11, with half of the Bahamas Olympic gold medal–winning 4x400m relay team at Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas, August 2012. Aidan is the son of Michael McIntyre ’76.

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1973 Class Captain Peter D. Van Oot Reunion Chair Lawrence C. Jerome Jim Erlick tells us: “The Erlick Group (erlickgroup. com) just celebrated its 20th

anniversary as a leading NYC firm representing distinctive entertainment properties in theatre, music, film, family, and venues conceiving/ brokering local, regional, and national partnerships/sponsorships with Fortune 100 Companies.” “I enjoyed attending the Deerfield reception in London last year,” Nigel Newton writes. “Our daughter Catherine, 28, recently became engaged to Ronan O’Kelly, and they will marry in Arundel Cathedral in Sussex on the south coast of England in May. My company, Bloomsbury, had a National Book Award winner with Salvage the Bones by Jesmine Ward, which President Obama was seen reading this summer. Deborah Levy’s Swimming Home made the Man Booker Prize shortlist.” “I was fortunate enough to shoot in the trials to pick the shotgun team for the London Olympics,” says Chip Pitcairn. “Unfortunately, age and lack of skill kept me from making the team.”

1974 Class Captains J. Christopher Callahan Geoffrey A. Gordon Peter Cramer writes: “I continue my artistic pursuits in New York City and celebrate my continued 30+ year partnership with Jack Waters. In 1996 we founded the art garden Le Petit Versailles, presenting free public programming in film, music, exhibitions, and workshops

to serve both a local and international community as a project of our nonprofit arts organization, Allied Productions, Inc. This winter we will be artists in residence at the Emily Harvey Foundation in Venice, and we will be working on various projects, including an opus titled ‘Pestilenza.’”

1975 Class Captains Dwight R. Hilson James L. Kempner Peter M. Schulte Boyden Society Captain Ralph Earle Scott Anderson sent in the following regarding the death of classmate Bob Ginn, who passed away on August 14, 2012: Robert W. Ginn is survived by his wife of 15 years Anne; parents, William and Sarah Ginn; sister and brother-in-law, Robyn and David Hubbard; brothers Michael and Steven Ginn; sister-in-law Debra; nieces and nephews, Jim and Alexandra Hubbard, Kiera, Caitlin, and Conor Ginn, all of Omaha. Predeceased by his faithful Huskie dog Mr. Boo. Bob graduated from Deerfield with honors and from Northwestern University. He attended the University of Nebraska Law College in 1980 and suffered a water skiing accident that summer resulting in quadriplegia. Bob later graduated from Creighton Law School, made law review, and became a clerk for the Honorable Arlan Beam. He worked at Kutak Rock

and for the Legal Aid Society. He held master’s degrees in Christian Spirituality and Theology from Creighton University. He became a teacher of Centering Prayer and was a Spiritual Director. Bob was affiliated with Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Alpha Sigma Nu, and Ignatian Associates.

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in communications and play lacrosse. Alexis, 17, is a rising senior at Blue Valley HS in Kansas. She is a setter on the varsity volleyball team and is currently narrowing her choices of colleges. She wants to major in elementary education and play volleyball in college. Kelli, 15, is a rising sophomore at Blue Valley. She has followed her sister into volleyball and is a labero on the volleyball team. She has already chosen her career path: she wants to be a pediatrician. Here’s to her following her dream. My wife of 23 years, Betsy, is very active in the Blue Valley HS parents programs. I have been approached to pen a book about my life in the National Football League. I hesitate to commit at this time since I would like to continue my career in the NFL. Stay tuned.” “Our boy Alexander is eight now and we have a lot of fun together,” says John Wickser. “I’m still involved with real estate investing; now working with an entrepreneurial platform with several partners. Life is good in Southern Cal. Have enjoyed several of the Deerfield events here. Hope all are well in the Class of ’72!”

1976 Class Captains Marshall F. Campbell David R. DeCamp Boyden Society Captain Henry S. Fox

1977 Class Captains James Paul MacPherson, J. H. Tucker Smith Wayne W. Wall Please send us your news and notes! See page 64.

1978 Class Captain Paul J. S. Haigney Reunion Chairs Devin I. Murphy Stephen R. Quazzo “College tours had me back in the Valley not long ago, just a little farther south,” Darwin Toll wrote. “Such a beautiful fall. I have three daughters ranging in ages from ten to 17, so there are more visits to come. For about 20 years, I have been in my hometown of Denver, working with family offices for more than ten of those years.” Scott Vallar says, “Had a good time catching up with Walter Scott in Charlottes-

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The Plague of Dreamlessness Michael Kennedy ’75 | Sunken Gardens Press, 2012

Dream a Little Dream | If you were organizing your personal library and stumbled upon Michael Kennedy’s ’75 debut novel, The Plague of Dreamlessness, a quick glance might land it in your science fiction section . . . but that designation would be misleading because while Kennedy’s exciting narrative may ultimately revolve around a fictional scientific malady, his calculated pacing and vibrant characters drop readers headfirst into the unknown territory of dreams and even the human soul. The Plague of Dreamlessness lays a twisting narrative that breathes life into many characters and stretches over several decades to culminate in a stunning zenith of self-realization and clarity. Much like the unpredictable nature of the dreams his book focuses on, Kennedy’s narrative structure shifts selectively between personalities and unique perspectives, allowing readers to shift mental gears without disrupting their attention. The result is a series of exciting transitions that remind readers of the contemplative, emotional nature of their own dreams. The plot jumps from the tangled memories of journalist Wesley Grassford, to senator’s heir turned entrepreneur Henry Cleverby, all the way to the 2020s, where a startling government announcement validates a mysterious “plague” of comas and ignites a corporate race to discover a reliable method of recording and controlling human thoughts. What’s particularly interesting about this book is the way Kennedy incorporates elements of his life into the pages; we see snippets of his younger years in Oklahoma as well as his later fascination with sleep-cycles as an adult. Mr. Kennedy’s hunger to explore dreams and contemplate their impact was in place long before he began writing the first pages of The Plague of Dreamlessness. “I’ve always been a bit of a dream tracker,” he explains. “I have dreams recorded from different periods of my life, separated by many decades. That helped me differentiate the dreams of the two main male characters in the book.” Easily the most powerful aspect of his book is the way Mr. Kennedy manages to integrate all of the different narrative styles into a singular driving force that keeps his readers asking the same questions: Why do we dream? What is reality? What makes us who we are? And most importantly, what might happen when the barriers separating those concepts begin to blur?

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Unraveling the chaos of her dream world was endlessly intriguing for Sergeant, the perfect puzzle. The quest for layers of order, meticulously unearthed, moved quickly from pastime to ardor to obsession. His real work was no longer at the laboratory, but in the time before and after, time he prized and protected. And the process of harvesting, discussing, and categorizing her dreams seemed to have a roll-forward effect for her, bringing the world of reverie into more prominence within her waking life, elevating her dreams to a larger frame on the wall of her consciousness.

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’79 The 2012 Deerfield varsity cross country team, including Robert Beit ’13. Photo by Robert’s dad, Ted Beit ’79 ville, VA, last September. We were both in town for a weekend of activities surrounding the 160th anniversary of the founding of our fraternity, Delta Kappa Epsilon, at the University of Virginia. Looking forward to our 35th Reunion in June.”

1979 Class Captains Arthur R. Dwight Daniel C. Pryor Boyden Society Captain John H. Christel Jamie Berry sent the following news: “Just celebrated 26 years happily married to Martha and marked 26 years living in Greensboro, NC. Running HealthCare

Products business for Precision Fabrics Group, Inc. Children: Jake, 20, sophomore at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill; Virginia, 17, All-State NC lacrosse player at Page High School in Greensboro and now field hockey standout at Carlisle School in Martinsville, VA. I was back at DA last fall to watch our ‘third child’ Thuc Phan ’12 play football. He is now back in NC at Elon University doing great things on and off the field. I am enormously grateful to Mike Silipo, Nick Albertson, and many others at Deerfield for supporting Thuc; his PG year was an extraordinary, lifechanging experience . . . as it was for me 33 years prior.”

“ Me and a few of my boys recently conquered the Spartanrace Beast at Killington Ski Resort. This 14-mile plus race with over 16,000 feet of elevation was the toughest race we have done for ‘Team Icon’ to date.” —John Cuellar

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Marc Dowd ’79 and his family. Stephen Hurley ’79 and his cross country team at the Katherine Delmar Burke School.

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Dan Pryor ’79 see note below Eduard Beit says, “Two of my three sons are at Deerfield. Robert ’13 runs varsity cross country, and Michael ’15 is a full-time actor (yes, you don’t have to do a sport at DA anymore). Robert’s success at the sport has goaded me back into running. If you see an old, balding, mildly overweight man breathing like he just arrived from Mars on the bridle path in Central Park with a Deerfield cross country t-shirt and a Yorkie trailing behind, do not yell out, ‘Pick it up Deerfield, last mile, on your toes!’” “Life’s good here in Southern Cali,” Marc Dowd reports, “Although the recent move of our water polo playing eldest, Jonah, to George Washington U in DC has made for more than the usual traveling back and forth. Have recently heard from Messrs. Fauver, Demaranville, and Edwards ’78. Hope to see them soon! And anyone else, for that matter . . . Ain’t it grand to be 50?” When we last heard from Bob Hein he wrote, “I am enjoying retired life—still renovating the family beach

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’79

’79 house in NJ (probably two more years, as I am doing most of the work myself ), I’m assistant engineer of the Bay Head Fire Company No. 1 and secretary of the Regular Republican Organization of Bay Head. Just found out that I will be presented with the New Jersey Distinguished Service Award with Oak Leaf Cluster in recognition of my combat time and 28 years of overall Army service. Christina is in the second year of her internship at the Boston Veterans Administration Hospital and will be applying to various psychology PhD programs in the fall, while Allison is in her sopho-

more year at Skidmore.” “Pleased to report my cross country team at the Katherine Delmar Burke School finished in first place last year,” says Stephen Hurley. “Still proud to be a guest teacher at Town School for Boys. ‘Town boys rock. Burke’s girls rule.’” “Hi Classmates!” wrote Dan Pryor when we last heard from him. “Four proud dads watched their kids join the Deerfield ranks last week. Brad Palmer’s daughter Kate joins the freshman class. Esteemed Deerfield teacher and classmate, Marc Dancer, is the proud dad of Sarah, now a freshman. And

Chris Hunt’s older daughter, Molly, is newly-arrived at Deerfield as a junior. She joins her sister Heidi who is a sophomore. Also in the freshman class is my son Corby. Somehow I didn’t get everyone together for one photo, so two photos tell the story (above). Deerfield looks great. As previously mentioned, I thought all the boarding schools we visited were terrific. Yet, it truly felt wonderful seeing him on campus and moved into John Williams, second floor. He reports that he is thrilled to be there! Other freshman dorms include Barton (can you believe freshman on Barton III?), Dewey, and a (the) new dorm.”

Faculty—teachers, coaches, and mentors—are the lifeblood of Deerfield’s program. To keep pace with a changing world, they need time and resources to deepen their knowledge, collaborate, learn new technology, and explore innovative ways of teaching. Imagine Deerfield calls for investing in additional faculty to ensure that meaningful relationships with students continue to define the Deerfield experience.

To sustain our faculty, you can now make a recurring gift for up to five years. Please consider a gift or pledge today.

deerfield.edu/imagine

or use the form on the reverse.

The Annual Fund

The Annual Fund and Class Notes Make your gift at deerfield.edu/give; mail a check to: P.O. Box 306, Deerfield, MA 01342; or use the provided envelope. Thank you for your support!

ID# (on the address label of this magazine) D00

Deerfield Recognition Societies Presidents Circle

Preferred email address: ■ I/We would like to make a gift annually until my next reunion year.

Headmasters Circle

■ I/We would like to make a gift this year only.

$50,000 to $99,999

■ Please charge my gift(s) of $ to: ■ AMEX ■ MC Card Number:

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

$100,000 and above

■ VISA

Heritage Circle

Exp. Date

Name on card:

$30,000 to $49,999

Signature: Billing address for credit card (if different from printed address on label):

Founders Associates $15,000 to $29,999

1797 Member

(20th Reunion +)

■ Enclosed is a check for $

$5,000 to $14,999

made payable to Deerfield Academy.

Employer matching gift form: ■ Enclosed ■ To follow

1797 Member

Name of matching gift company:

(not yet 20thReunion)

$1,797 to $14,999

Additional Opportunities and Information

■ I plan to give securities (please call Jeff Swetland, 413-774-1597) ■ I have included Deerfield in my Will or Trust. ■ I plan to include Deerfield in my Will or Trust. ■ I would like to Volunteer for Deerfield.

Class Notes: Use the space below, submit online: deerfield.edu/alumni/notes

Green and White (20th Reunion +)

$1 to $4,999

Green and White (not yet 20th Reunion)

$1 to $1,796

or email news to: classnotes@deerfield.edu

Thank you for your support.

Winter 2013



The Gift of the Bell In 1931, Henry ’24 and Clinton ’26 Meneely honored the Boydens with a bell. Sixty years later, classmates of J.J. Stokes ’92 restored the bell “as a tribute to his memory.” For decades, its resounding tone—emanating from 800 pounds of copper and tin—has marked the Deerfield day, calling students to class, to practice, to the Dining Hall. The gift of the bell lives on.

Watch: Raising the Bell, 1929: deerfield.edu/go/bell

What gift is in your future? Katherine McKay, our new Director of Gift Planning 413-774-1872 | kmckay@deerfield.edu | deerfield.edu/go/boyden

L I V E O N AT D E E R F I E L D

Jim Smith

progenitor

’80

MIKE SMITH

It’s a Family Affair by Bob York Normally, the only way you could find a dozen or more Smiths in the same place at the same time would be to look in the phone book. Sixteen of them showed up at Deerfield’s door in late September, however, and as is their custom, they headed straight for the football field. Jim Smith, the same Jim Smith who coached Big Green football for 36 years—and rang up a record of 175-88-12 while doing so—is the patriarch of this clan, and that explains why the family has shown up en masse on campus three times now over the past 17 years. Their first pilgrimage to the Deerfield plains was in 1995 to watch Mr. Smith coach his final game at Deerfield. Their second was in 2003, when they came to watch Deerfield’s home for football become Jim Smith Field. This past fall, the third such assemblage by the family, which now “includes 18 grandchildren . . . nine boys and nine girls,” according to a proud grandfather, was deemed necessary in order to watch grandson No. 2, Billy, make his debut for the Big Green. “It doesn’t get any better than this,” said a beaming grandfather after his second oldest grandson had proven to be a chip off the old blocks by logging in as a two-way starter as a tailback and defensive back during the first game of his postgraduate season. After all, Billy’s dad, Mike ’80, did the same while playing for the Big Green, as did uncles KC ’82, Danny ’85, Jimmy ’86, and Patrick ’91. And all five went on to enjoy successful football careers at the collegiate level as well. “He’s an outstanding athlete,” said Jim Smith of his grandson, who earned All-Western MA and All-Conference honors as a senior at Westfield (MA) High School. And, just like his dad and four

Winter 2013

uncles, he not only plays both ways on the gridiron, but also plays three sports: football, basketball, and baseball. “But more importantly,” added the elder Smith, “he’s an outstanding young man.” In another manner of emulating his father and uncles, “Billy was just the second three-sport captain at Westfield in the last 30 years,” said Mike, who, like his four brothers, was voted captain of all three teams he played on during his senior year at Deerfield. “I wouldn’t say I was nervous today but I sure did want to play well,” said Billy of his prep school debut on Jim Smith Field. “I just wanted my grandparents, my mom and dad, my aunt, and all my uncles to be proud of me.” Well, they were. During a lopsided 33-7 victory over Northfield Mount Hermon, Billy galloped for 92 yards on just two carries, registered four tackles, forced one fumble, and returned a pair of kickoffs. “It’s funny,” he said, “but I saw my younger brother out there on the field at halftime playing catch, and it brought a lot of memories back of how I used to do the same thing whenever we’d come up here to watch some of my grandfather’s games.” And the sight of his grandson decked out in green and white rekindled some memories in Jim Smith as well: “We’ve got a picture at home that was taken at my last game here,” he said. “It shows Mike’s two oldest children, Ryan and Billy, running toward the opposite sidelines. Ryan (who is now playing baseball at Gettysburg College) was the oldest, so he had the number one on his back, and Billy had number two. And everyone asked, ‘How soon until they’re playing for Deerfield?’ Well,” added Mr. Smith, glancing at his grandson, as a smile broke from ear-to-ear, “there’s your answer.”••

left: Jeff Brown; Deerfield Academy Arfchives

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Billy Smith

National Championship

As Trinity’s all-time winningest coach

College World Series

BILL DECKER

coach

’81

PLAY BALL! by Bob York If you happen to call Bill Decker ’81 on his cell phone, make sure he’s updated the message on his voicemail. He’s no longer the head baseball coach at Trinity College . . . he’s now the head baseball coach at Harvard University. If he hasn’t, it probably just slipped his mind. After all, it’s not every day you get into Harvard. “I’ve been going 24/7 since I got here to acclimate myself with the program,” confessed Mr. Decker, who, at that time, was about two weeks into the job he had accepted in late September. The Ivy League allows 12 practice sessions during the fall, so Mr. Decker, who played three sports—football, basketball, and baseball—during a postgraduate year at Deerfield, had precious little time to attempt to evaluate what kind of talent he will have come spring. That being said, whatever the bottom line proves to be on evaluation of his first Crimson baseball team, Mr. Decker knows the name sewn across the front of his team’s uniforms means he’s in a great place. “This is a special place . . . in fact, this is arguably the best college in the entire country,” said Mr. Decker, a veteran of 22 years of coaching at Trinity College in Hartford, CT. “Everyone knows Harvard. We’ll not only be playing on the national level, but we’ll be recruiting on the national level as well. Coaching here is going to be a huge challenge, but I’m really excited about the opportunity.” “We’re extremely excited to have someone of Bill’s character and background to lead our baseball program,” said Bob Scalise, Harvard’s athletic director. “We are particularly impressed with Bill’s successes at a well-respected academic institution such as Trinity. Harvard has a lengthy tradition of excellence in baseball, and we trust our program will thrive under Coach Decker.”

New England Small College Athletic Conference Championships

45-1 .978

record following an undefeated regular season.

winning percentage, amongst the highest ever recorded by the NCAA in any sport in any division

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1 529-231 4

Following the death last summer of Joe Walsh, who had served as Harvard’s baseball coach for the past 17 years and led the program to five Ivy League titles, résumés quickly began mounting up on Scalise’s desk for what Walsh had described as his “dream job.” It’s Bill Decker’s dream job as well, as the new coach of the Crimson admitted, “Harvard’s the only place I would have left Trinity for.” During the stay that spanned more then two decades, Mr. Decker always had his Bantams among the elite of the pecking order when it came to Division III baseball programs. So, it shouldn’t come as any surprise that when he set his GPS for Harvard Yard this past fall, he rode out of town as Trinity’s all-time winningest coach, having rung up a 529-231 record. His teams won five New England Small College Athletic Conference championships, advanced to nine NCAA Division III Tournament appearances and from there, earned their way into four College World Series. The highlight of Mr. Decker’s coaching career came in 2008, when Trinity won the Division III National Championship. That spring the Bantams posted a 45-1 record following an undefeated regular season. They won 44 of those games in a row, which is the longest winning streak in Division III history and established a .978 winning percentage, amongst the highest ever recorded by the NCAA in any sport in any division. Mr. Decker’s individual awards at Trinity are also numerous. His most prestigious award followed the World Series victory when he was named the American Baseball Coaches Association Coach of the Year. Closer to home, he has been named New England Coach of the Year four times and is also a four-time recipient of the NESCAC Coach of the Year Award. “The toughest part of leaving Trinity was telling the players,” said Coach Decker of a team that had produced a 34-11 record and had rung up the program’s fifth NESCAC crown last spring. “We have quite a few kids coming back next season, so it was difficult saying goodbye to them.” If this team felt like family to Mr. Decker, it wasn’t just a cliché. His son, Kyle, a sophomore infielder, was one of the players who gathered in the locker room that day, but he was the only player who knew what was coming. “The decision to move on to Harvard was a family decision,” said Coach Decker. “We all spent a lot of time talking it over, weighing the plusses and minuses of staying and going for all of us . . . and Kyle’s really good with it.”••

deerfield.edu

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1980

1983

Class Captains Augustus B. Field John B. Mattes Paul M. Nowak

Class Captain John G. Knight

Please send us your news and notes! See page 64.

Boyden Society Captain John G. Knight

1981 Class Captains Robert G. Bannish Andrew M. Blau Leonard J. Buck Kurt F. Ostergaard John H. Sangmeister Boyden Society Captain Peter F. McLaughlin David Sweet helped to launch a new newspaper on the North Shore of Chicago in October. Called The North Shore Weekend, the publication has the feel of a magazine, with a focus on profiles and big-picture stories, yet appears on newsprint. “Our mentors are publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, and the like. The whole idea seems counterintuitive in the Internet age, but plenty of people still enjoy a leisurely weekend read courtesy of print. I only wish Bryce Lambert were around to see it.”

1982 Class Captains Frank H. Reichel William Richard Ziglar Please send us your news and notes! See page 64.

Winter 2013

Reunion Chair J. Douglas Schmidt

“Writing patents for future mobile banking solutions is a big part of my job,” reports Matt Calman. “I had some nice press coverage from the Baltimore Sun last month, when a recent portfolio of work went public with the US Patent and Trademark Office.” Leigh Guyer has started a new business, Tortuga Training: tortugatraining.com for details. John Sory, who brings two decades of experience building and operating clinical research, health information technology, and health services businesses in the US and Europe, has been named chief executive of the new UHealth Regional Alliance (University of Miami Health System.) Read more at: http://med.miami.edu/news/ uhealth-names-new-chief-forregional-alliance/. ’83-ers Doug Schmidt and Hank LeMieux recently connected in NYC. Hank was in town on a business trip from San Francisco. Brian Steward shares: “My educator wife had a conference in Manchester, NH, so I had the perfect opportunity to visit DA and some old friends. We actually stayed in the Carriage House at the Deerfield Inn, which is recov-

ering nicely from the latest flood. We toured Greenfield (who knew?). More importantly, I was able to see John Knight, his wife Martha, and daughter Nora in their element, which basically means that I had a front row seat to the ‘Nora Knight Hurricane.’ I even had a chance to talk with J.J. Briones, who may have stolen Philip Charon’s bicycle, from what I could tell. John Munro was in the area, so we were able to spend some quality time with him as well. At the end of that dinner my wife remarked that everyone was so friendly and ‘well behaved,’ which must have been code. I considered it a win and left the subject alone. Thanks to the Knights and John Munro for telling appropriate stories about general DA (and Hamilton) events over the years.”

1984 Please send us your news and notes! See page 64.

1985 Class Captains Charles B. Berwick Sydney M. Williams Boyden Society Captain Christopher J. Tierney David Bernhardt and David Van Riper met up recently in Annapolis. David B. reports: “Recalled to active duty with the Navy for past two years. Back to Delta sometime in the future. Four kids. Oldest is a freshman at University of Louisville where she is playing lacrosse. Sixteen-year-old

boy, 14-year-old girl, and a 12-year-old boy. Married to Lori for 21 years, and I have no idea how I got so lucky.” Andy Gluck writes, “My family and I got to enjoy the London Olympics this past summer. (I worked for NBC as a researcher for my seventh summer games.)” Kevin Kenny proudly reports: “John Kevin Kenny III was born on August 9, 2012, weighing seven pounds, ten ounces. Mother and baby are doing great!” George Knight was featured in a July 2012 Architectural Digest story: architecturaldigest.com/ decor/2012-07/miles-reddconnecticut-house-article. Steve Turko and Lori Zuckerman were married in Boca Raton, FL, this past summer.

1986 Please send us your news and notes! See page 64.

1987 Class Captains John D. Amorosi Andrew P. Bonanno Andrew Groat and Mariah Dawson Pfeiffer were married on September 29, 2012, in the Grindstone Island Church on Grindstone Island, NY, on the mighty St. Lawrence River. “Hello to all the DA’ers from 1987, and importantly, we’d like to note that we were honored to have George Mesires and his wife Stuart in attendance,” Andrew says. “An island wedding in the 1,000 Islands was the perfect

’80

Alumni and friends gathered by the Deerfield River on October 27 to remember the life of John Flicker ’85. Among those in attendance were faculty members Pam Bonanno and David Pond, college friend Tom Murphy and DA alumni (in alpha order, all Class of ’85 unless otherwise noted): Cole Brown ’86, Gregory Brown, Gregg Delts, Kevin Ellingwood, John Filippone, Jay Flemma, Bradley Geist, George Knight, Healy Knight ’16, John Knight ’83, David Niles ’87, Pedr Seymour, Tim Smith, Jon Ullyot ’86, David Willcutts, and John Williams.

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Ed Schmults, Sam Tingley, Scott La Shelle, and John Mattes, all Class of ’80, relaxed after surviving a fishing trip off of Nantucket in celebration of Scott’s 50th birthday.

’83

’85 ’85

’83-ers Doug Schmidt and Hank LeMieux reconnected in NYC recently. John Sory ’83 was named chief executive of UHealth Regional Alliance. David Bernhardt and David Van Riper, both Class of ’85, met up recently in Annapolis.

’83

Steve Turko ’85 and Lori Zuckerman were married in Boca Raton, FL, this past summer.

’85 deerfield.edu

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’88

’87

’88

Jon Young ’88 celebrated with his parents, Roland and Martha Young, on their 50th anniversary. Andrew Groat ’87 and Mariah Dawson Pfeiffer were married on September 29, 2012, on Grindstone Island, NY. M. Richard Schroeder ’54, C. Erik Schroeder ’87, and John Wareck ’87 send get well soon vibes to their friend Chris Singewald ’87. Their 25th Reunion was the topic of conversation as members of the Class of 1988 met to scheme a slogan for this milestone. Back row l to r: John Bradbury and Oscar Anderson. Front row l to r: Stephen Mong, Bill Baird, Rick Hough, Gene Pride, and Nils von Zelowitz. After two hours and some lively debate the slogan crystallized: Gentlemen of 1988: Just Come Back! See you June 14-16, 2013 . . .

Winter 2013

way to marry my perfect woman. I am one lucky guy— took me a while to find her, but she was worth the wait!”

1988 Reunion Chair Oscar K. Anderson Christopher Reese is pleased to announce the birth of Evan Campbell Reese; according to Christopher’s dad, Deerfield’s former, longtime Director of Theater John Reese, “Christopher can’t wait for her to enroll at Deerfield and contribute to his legacy.”

1989 Class Captains Gustave K. Lipman Edward S. Williams Alan Seid launched the Blackbelt Communication Skills Coaching Program for people wanting to be more powerful in making a positive difference and having a bigger impact. See his free communication skills video training series at BlackbeltCommunicationSkills.com.

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JOHN WILSON

Two Centuries and Counting “It has never had a schedule, but it’s always been on time,” Tom Dunlop says of the 200-year-old Chappy Ferry, setting the scene for an amusing, heart-warming exploration of the Martha’s Vineyard landmark in The Chappy Ferry Movie, produced by John Wilson ’85. Filmed as a companion to The Chappy Ferry Book: Back and Forth Between Two Worlds—527 Feet, by Mr. Dunlop, the movie presents a lively account of the history, stories, and characters of the Chappaquiddick Ferry. Every day, the Chappy Ferry makes hundreds of trips across a 527-foot stretch of water, transporting three vehicles at a time from Edgartown to Chappaquiddick Island and then back again. Although the mode of travel has changed—the first ferry was only a rowboat—the Chappy Ferry has been providing the same service for over 200 years. The Chappy Ferry Movie came about as Mr. Dunlop—a long-time friend of Mr. Wilson—was doing research for his book. “During the course of his research,” Mr. Wilson explained, “he began to uncover a lot of old 16mm and 8mm from the island and of the ferry. When it became apparent that there was no place in the book for many of the old photos or any of the film, I was asked to pitch both the publisher and the ferry’s owner, Peter Wells, on the concept of having the book come with a movie. We reached our agreement in late June of 2011 and shot and edited the movie over the rest of the year.”



Watch The Chappy Ferry Movie: vimeo.com/50056368

filmmaker

’85

Through historical video footage and photos, and interviews with the ferry’s current owner, past and present ferry captains, and local residents, The Chappy Ferry Movie explores all aspects of the Chappaquiddick Ferry. Sections of the short film are devoted to the ferry’s history and people, its diverse collection of signs, and even the typical “one-minute conversation” between captain and passenger. “It’s amazing what you can talk about in a minute,” says Captain Brad Fligor. Although most of the action takes place along the ferry’s 527-foot route, the viewer soon learns that the story of the Chappy Ferry extends far beyond this stretch of water. It embodies pride, hard work, and community spirit. Tom Dunlop concludes, “Everything about Chappaquiddick is to be found in the operation of this remarkable, two-century-old thing.” Built on the island, the Chappy Ferry has carried island dwellers for centuries and occupies a special place in the greater Chappaquiddick community. “I grew up summering in Edgartown and many of my earliest memories involve the Chappy Ferry,” said Mr. Wilson. Mr. Wilson, who has a 20-year career in sports broadcasting, but is now transitioning into documentary filmmaking, plans to film a full-length documentary, The Electric Ferry, focusing on owner Peter Wells’ decision to build the first battery-charged, electrically driven car and passenger ferry in regular service in the US. “No idea if it will be successful, but we are going along for the journey to find out what’s possible,” said Mr. Wilson. “However it turns out, we think it will be a good story to tell,” he adds.••

deerfield.edu

With the exception of Mr. and Mrs. Boyden, no one has served Deerfield longer or with greater loyalty and affection than Jay ’55 and Mimi Morsman P’89.

June 2013 will mark the end of an era, when the Morsmans retire after more than half a century at the Academy. From teaching to coaching to dorm duty to the Dining Hall and Alumni Office, Jay and Mimi have touched the lives of hundreds of members of the Deerfield community . . . What is your best “Morsman Memory?”

Please send your favorite anecdotes, fondest remembrances, and entertaining stories via email to headofschool@deerfield.edu or by post to Head of School Margarita Curtis, PO Box 68, Deerfield, MA 01342 to be included in a book of memories as Deerfield celebrates the Morsmans!

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eld deerfi

eunio r / u d e .

June 13-16, 2013

deerfield.edu

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Don’t Give the Dog Sugar With His Tea GS McClellan ’89 | Splashing Cow Press, 2012

Wit and Wisdom | When Gordon McClellan ’89 started writing down the stories he told his children as he tucked them in at night, he probably didn’t imagine them going much farther than the doors of his house, let alone into the libraries and bookshelves of parents all across the country! Mr. McClellan’s debut book, Don’t Give the Dog Sugar With His Tea, from his own publishing company (Splashing Cow Books) is an exciting, colorful story that is sure to engage children while simultaneously teaching important concepts, including moderation and cause-and-effect. A Presbyterian minister and Vermont native, Mr. McClellan launched Splashing Cow Books as no stranger to the publishing world, after managing his own independent magazine with a dedicated readership and circulation. While his magazine circulated among a reasonably large audience, Mr. McClellan’s children’s stories came from humble beginnings. “I wrote them for my children, and for the last few years they were read at bedtime from a single sheet of paper,” he explains. “Then, one night my daughter asked why my stories didn’t have any pictures! That got me thinking beyond the words of the stories, and ultimately led me to find illustrators who could bring words to life through art.” Don’t Give the Dog Sugar With His Tea’s creative force, Mengyu Chen, is a world-class artist hailing from Taiwan with a background in graffiti art, surrealism, and comic books. She quickly developed her passion for illustration, however, while working on an MFA in the US. Her vibrant drawings on every page drive readers forward through the story and convey the powerful sense of energy Mr. McClellan pumps into each and every word, right up to the conclusion, when we find the main character of the book ultimately accepting responsibility for his actions, and summing up his lesson on the final page with a broom in his hands: “So, to avoid a BIG MESS, I don’t give the dog sugar with his tea!” With several new books already slated for release, Mr. McClellan and his team of illustrators aren’t looking to slow down any time soon. Don’t Give the Dog Sugar is only the beginning of a much larger family; in addition to the books that are in production, Splashing Cow has also begun to accept submissions from additional authors. “It’s interesting,” writes Mr. McClellan, “at Deerfield my senior year independent study was to write an art history ‘book’ for children. I used color copies of various artworks and a typewriter. I presented my book to children at the Bement School in a classroom setting, to get a feel for how well it resonated. It was a wonderful experience, and in hindsight, it was my first journey into the world of children’s writing!”

Winter 2013

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1990 Class Captain Jeb S. Armstrong Hee-Jae Lee writes, “Really excited that my daughter, Hae-June, is at Deerfield (Class of 2016). Sounds like she is loving it!” Kendra Stitt Robins writes, “I had the pleasure of working with Cate Wadman ’13 this past summer. Cate was part of Deerfield’s new Opening Doors program. She flew out to San Francisco to intern for me and my nonprofit organization, Project Night Night. We had a terrific time and created a short video of our work together: animoto. com/ play/6n4qp1yniH EfhOR1PnlFKQ—enjoy!”

1991 Class Captain Justin G. Sautter Boyden Society Captain David A. Thiel In mid-June of 2012 Steve Frank ’65 and his son Simon competed in the biennial Newport to Bermuda Race aboard the family’s 69-foot sloop GRACIE. This year’s weather conditions presented the fleet with the fastest racing conditions in the history of the 106-year-old ocean racing classic. The 18-person crew completed the race in 63 hours and 59 minutes, which was fast enough to win their division. Steve has competed in over 20 Bermuda races, and this was Steve and Simon’s fifth race together as father and son.

Winter 2013

Churchill Hooff reports, “The Hooffpack welcomed its newest member on June 27, 2012. Camilla Langley joins big sisters Mary Shelton, Olivia, and Lainey.” “After teaching at Bullis for four years, I’m excited to start my new role as chair of the English Department,” writes Amanda Myers Lombardo. “While at Bullis, I’ve enjoyed working with fellow department member and DA alum Jack Kinder ’05, and I’ve also had the pleasure of having Nathaniel (age nine) join the community as a lower schooler. Phil and I continue to marvel as our children thrive, and we can hardly believe that William and Abigail will be in Kindergarten and Pre-K, respectively, come fall.” “Just wanted to share that my husband, Jigar, and I have a baby on the way!” wrote Ginnie Peterson Jadav when we last heard from her. “The little one is due in February and will join big brother, Vijay, who is 22 months old. The whole family is doing well and looking forward to meeting our newest member.”

1992 Class Captains Elizabeth B. Cooper Kristina I. Hess Jeffrey Morrison McDowell Clayton T. Sullivan “I am headed out with Stephenson Harwood LLP, where I am a partner, to open our Dubai office,” said Umar Moghul when we last heard

’92

’91

from him. “I continue to do work in finance, investments, and Islamic finance. If any alumni are there or passing through, please let me know.” Rachel Mulcahy is the president and executive chef at Miss Reingold Catering company based in NYC. (missreingoldcatering.com) Ray Walker writes, “In mid-July, Garrett James ’93, Joe Gross ’90, and I participated in a Community TeamWorks project with 18

of Garrett’s colleagues from Goldman Sachs, along with staff and several teens from Jersey City Police Athletic League. Garrett was the Stokes Foundation’s sponsor and team captain and put in a lot of work to organize the event. We spent a full day painting, cleaning, renovating, and hanging doors to create a brighter place for kids to participate in sports and activities. As you can see from the photo

Simon Frank ’91 and future sailor and (hopefully!) Deerfield alumnus Annabel, along with the Governor of Bermuda and small piece of silverware!

’91 (on page 74), Joe Gross (who serves as Stokes Foundation’s board chairperson) did the heavy lifting.”

1993

Ventura, and Orange County areas in Southern California. I thought that I would share the first article: rpmdemand. com/wp-content/uploads/ downloads/2012/07/ LDCSQ-June2012.pdf, which is the first of many.”

Reunion Chairs John T. Collura Christopher T. DeRosa Charlotte York Matthews Sarah D. Weihman Marjorie Maxim Gibbons Widener

1994

Jeni and Gus Lowry welcomed the arrival of their second child, Ellis Alexandra Lowry, on July 21, 2012, in Austin, TX. Lisa deSouza reports, “I have become a recurring contributor to a magazine called CSQ (C-Suite Quarterly). It is, as the name implies, circulated amongst the C-Suite in the Los Angeles,

“On February 23, Rosemary and I welcomed Mary Elizabeth to our family!” writes Matthew Stewart. “She and her brother Ramsey are great entertainment for each other, and we are having a blast with our growing family here in Austin, TX.” When we last heard from Sara Lunt she said: “I’m writing to share the exciting

Class Captain Daniel B. Garrison

news about the birth of our twin boys Max and Quinn born on November 10, 2011. Our three-year-old daughter Elan is excited to have two new brothers! Hope everyone is doing well.” Deborah Pasachoff writes, “My husband, Ian Kezsbom, and I were delighted to welcome our second child, Jacob, to the family this past July. His big sister, Lily, who is two, loves to let us know ‘baby awake’ or ‘baby nightnight’ in case we miss a sleep cycle. She also loves to ‘hug and kiss’ the baby, so he’s grown very rapidly in order to be able to defend himself! I’m currently at home with the two kids, having finished up a consulting gig doing business development for Walt Disney International

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(page 76)Ray Walker ’92, Garrett James ’93, and Joe Goss ’90 participated in a Community Team Works project; Garrett was the Stokes Foundation’s sponsor, for additional Stokes Foundation news, see page 79.

Members of the classes of ’90 and ’91 gathered at a memorial for Andre de Casteja ’91. l to r: Andrew Rollert ’90, Will Callender ’91, John Fichthorn ’91, Pete Ginsberg ’91, Paul Lyle ’91, Todd Ryan ’91, Frazier Rice ’91, Kelleigh Faldi ’91, Simon Frank ’91, Greg Guido ’91, Carter Townsend ’91, Steve Blood ’91, and Nick Vita ’91.

when I was about 34 weeks pregnant. Ian is picture editing again on the fourth season of FX’s show The League. We’re always looking for the next editing opportunity for him, so let me know if you hear of anything! In addition, we have started publishing Journeys of Wonder, an anthology of genre fiction short stories available through Amazon. com. It’s available for the Kindle (only 99 cents!) and in print. The first volume was released in June, and volume two came out in October. It’s been a whirlwind summer and fall!” We hear that LT Thompson and Ted Roosevelt both had great showings at the NYC Ironman.

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1993

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1995 Class Captains Daniel D. Meyer Avery B. Whidden Lindsay Falvey writes, “We welcomed Grace Kristin Falvey on February 19, 2012. Her older brothers Jackson, five, and Wyatt, three, are madly in love, as are we.”

1996 Class Captain Farah-France P. Marcel Burke Melissa (Kazanowski) Doft reports: “Sixteen years after Deerfield, a wonderful husband, two sons (Andrew Leopold, age five and Alexander Luca, age three), and more years than I care to remember spent in medical school and plastic surgical training, I am pleased to announce that I have finally opened up my own practice. I am an assistant clinical professor of surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College and will be focusing on plastic surgery. My office is in 655 Park Avenue (corner of 68th street). Please stop by if you are in the neighborhood or want to look like we did when we all first met. Or send me an email to catch up at md@doftplasticsurgery.com. I also have done a lot of research on an ear molding project on newborn babies, which I have presented at a few national and international medical meetings and will be presenting to the Academy of Pediatrics in a few weeks.” Sarah (Santoro) Kerrigan,

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husband Phil Kerrigan, and big brother to-be William (who turned three in November) are looking forward to welcoming a new baby in March 2013! Sarah recently became a Pediatric Sleep Consultant for Isis Parenting. “Jennie and I were so thrilled to welcome Jeffrey Francis Purtell III to our family on April 3, 2012,” write Jeff Purtell. “‘Trip’ has been an amazing change to our lives, and we could not be happier or more proud as parents. It has given me a reason to finally learn how to use Facebook, as well. Though born in Chicago, Trip is already a member of Red Sox Nation and is learning about all things New England as much as I can teach him.” “It has been years since I have spoken to anyone from DA so I thought I would touch base,” writes Michael Schenk. “This has been an exciting few years for me, musically, as I have been touring non-stop with a band called The Magic Wands on Warner Brothers Records, and also just wrote a song that will be in the new Twilight: Breaking Dawn 2 movie and soundtrack. I have been lucky enough to have garnered a publishing deal and write music constantly for TV and film. I live in LA, and unless I’m touring, I don’t get back to the East Coast as much as I would like, and when I do I’m always in a rush. If you’re in LA feel free to reach out, as I would love to catch up with DA peeps!” Trenton Smith and Holly

welcomed their daughter Lucy into the world on September 25, 2012. Trent reported, “She and Holly are doing awesome!” Kate Terwilliger writes, “After spending ten years at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, I have recently moved to NAVSEA’s In-Service Submarine Fleet Support Group at the Washington Navy Yard in DC.”

1997 Class Captains Amy Sodha Harsch Margot M. Pfohl Hamilton Colwell says, “Great to see Mark Hanna in his hometown, hard to believe it has been 15 years. Maia Yogurt continues to roll at a nice clip—look for Maia from NY to VA in your local grocer! Thanks for the wonderful DA support!” Emily Pataki Hamburger writes, “Hello, just wanted to share that I married Michael Hamburger in Saratoga Springs, NY, this past June. Deerfield friends and family in attendance included (all Class of 1997 unless otherwise indicated) Ted Pataki ’01, Meegan Moszynski, Suzanna Filip, Prudence Beidler Carr, Jill Joyce, Dave Miller, Margot Pfohl, and Trevor Gibbons. We had a wonderful time and are now living in Summit, NJ, and working as lawyers in NYC.”“Hilary Shaw Walton and I were married in Ketchum, ID, on March 10, 2012,” says John Lehman. “Deerfield attendees included Chris Bonner, Jeff Armstrong, Alex Ellis, Justin

George Craft ’01 and Sarah welcomed their first child, James Ernest, on July 30, 2012. Churchill Hooff ’90’s “Hooffpack” and its newest member, Camilla Langley, born on June 27, 2012. Charlotte (age four) and Grace (age two) Donohue—daughters of Katie Collins Donohue ’98. Ellie Nader ’97, her husband Matt, and big sister Lily welcomed Katherine Bellew on August 13, 2012. Grace Kristin Falvey, daughter of Lindsay Falvey ’95 and her husband, was welcomed on February 19, 2012. Twins Max and Quinn were born on November 10, 2011. They are the sons of Sara Lunt Bonham ’94 and her husband Dan. Mary Elizabeth Stewart, daughter of Matthew Stewart ’94 and Rosemary, was born on February 23, 2012. Lauren Downey ’98 and her husband Ben welcomed Philip Emmanuel on March 27, 2012. Jeff Purtell ’96 and Jennie Purtell were thrilled to welcome Jeffrey Francis Purtell III on April 3, 2012. Trenton Smith ’96 and Holly Smith welcomed daughter Lucy on September 25, 2012. Zöe Lillian Bloomer, daughter of Tom Bloomer ’98, was born on March 4, 2012. Diana Torres Hawken ’99 and James welcomed their second child, Ryan Tomas, on August 28, 2012. He joins big sister Melanie Rocio, who turned two in December.

camilla

james lily

grace max

katherine

mary

grace

quinn

philip

jeffrey

lucy

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charlotte

ryan

zรถe

melanie deerfield.edu

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’97

Emily Pataki Hamburger ’97 and Michael Hamburger were married in Saratoga Springs, NY. Hilary Shaw Walton and John Lehman ’97 were married on March 10, 2012. Guests included Chris Bonner, Jeff Armstrong, Alex Ellis, Justin Moreland, Dan Paduano, Dave Garonzik, Chris Corrinet, Taylor Whitman, Margot Pfohl, and Julie Hand—all Class of ’97. Randal Williams ’96 reconnected with Odu Onyeberechi ’96 and Greg Walker ’95 on a recent trip to NYC.

’96 Moreland, Dan Paduano, Dave Garonzik, Chris Corrinet, Taylor Whitman, Margot Pfohl, and Julie Hand. Ellie Nader, Matt, and big sister Lily welcomed Katherine Bellew Nader on August 13. “Lily is adjusting to her new role slowly but surely!” Meg Nolan writes, “I wanted to let my classmates know about my new business: Friend of a Friend Consulting, which offers bespoke travel consulting to clients specializing in boutique hotels and celebratory travel (honeymoons, anniversaries, multigenerational travel). Using the knowledge from my editorial work, (I am managing editor at Tablet Hotels and author of three books: Italian Hideaways, Caribbean Hideaways, and England’s Hide-

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aways, published by Rizzoli) I design detailed itineraries for travelers along with booking their travel services.” Visit friendofafriendconsulting.com for more details.

1998 Reunion Chairs Thomas Dudley Bloomer Alice Elizabeth Brown Ashley Muldoon Lavin Vanessa Bazzocchi McCafferty Okechukwu Ugwonali Tom Bloomer was happy to report, “Zoë Lillian Bloomer was born in Scottsdale, AZ, on March 4, 2012. She was welcomed home by Mom, Dad, and a jealous big brother, Thomas.” Katie Collins Donohue is living in Los Angeles with her husband and two

daughters, Charlotte (four) and Grace (two) and, when we last heard, was expecting her third daughter “in a few weeks.” She also reports getting excited for the Class of 1998 reunion in June. Lauren Downey wrote, “On March 27, Ben and I welcomed Philip Emmanuel to our family. We all enjoyed a fantastic summer together, capped off with a non-shower party in New York, which Brandon Cobb attended. Now I am back at Needham High teaching Latin while Ben continues at Cambridge Semantics. So far the fall has been tremendously busy, but we are enjoying time with our little man and looking forward to catching up with folks during the 15th!” “I have three children:

Helena (five), Emilie (three), and Teddy (one), and three dogs,” reports Elizabeth Glatzel. “I stay busy riding horses and volunteering with near and far aid organizations.” News from Nick Johnson: “I’m operating as the general manager of Union Bar and Grille, a fine dining restaurant in the south end of Boston; it’s part of the Aquitaine Group, and I’ve since hosted four Deerfield alumni. Currently managing with a Tabor graduate (Boo! Just kidding!), but our sister restaurant, Gaslight, is led by Eric Hogan ’86. All current and former graduates welcome to stop by! PS—debaters and squash players get a drink on me, always.” Katharine June Lo and Allan Chung Lun Lai were married on April 23, 2011, at

entrepreneur

’90 Pedal to the Metal

IAN PROUT

Even at Deerfield, Ian Prout ’90 was a “gear head.” He loved being near cars, he loved working on cars, he loved driving cars, and he loved to drive them fast. It’s no wonder then, that 22 years later, not only is Mr. Prout still driving cars, but he’s also the proud owner and founder of one of the most successful non-competitive motorsports organizations in the Northeast. Founded in 1995, the Sports Car Driving Association prides itself on the notion that competition isn’t necessary for drivers to enjoy the excitement of performance motors, and provides enthusiasts with a safe, encouraging environment to discover and hone their skills. There is also no doubt that professional racing is a multibillion-dollar business, but Mr. Prout couldn’t be more pleased with the success his organization has seen over the years. “We’re not trying to compete with NASCAR. We’re just a small business that thinks outside the box,” he explains. The SCDA welcomes all drivers with zero discretion based on skill or background, and incorporates a large team of professional instructors to best match the personalities of each customer. This open attitude results in a diverse ecosystem of drivers and machines: There are few (if any) other situations where a Mini Cooper lines up on

a track against a Ferrari 360 Challenge . . . but at the Sports Car Driving Association, it’s just another day on the tarmac. Amazingly enough, only five individuals staff the SCDA, four of whom hail directly from the Prout family. “It’s fun to have my family around,” says Mr. Prout. “In the age of big business it’s great to have such a mom and pop family-oriented organization.” When Mr. Prout’s sister and fellow alumnus Ashley Prout ’92 isn’t busy taking care of her two children or managing her own work as a private development consultant, she spends most of her free time helping as the SCDA pit lane coordinator and registrar. “I think it’s inspiring that since he could talk he loved cars,” she explains. “And [that] he honed his driving and business skills, built this incredible success on the track himself, and now shares the track with his SCDA drivers—making some of their dreams come true!” Staying true to that idea of making their customers’ dreams a reality, the SCDA is also dedicated to serving and—most importantly—maintaining strong ties with each and every one of their members. “The best barometer is repeat business,” says Mr. Prout. “It’s the people that come back. In any business if you have customers coming back that means you delivered a product that was solid. And that works the same with Deerfield,” Mr. Prout mentions, alluding to his experiences at Deerfield, and how he’s regularly reminded of them in his professional life. “I maintain the website, I process all the entries, I do all the negotiations, and certainly my education at Deerfield was a good platform on which to build an open mind and a broad discipline of skillsets.” Mr. Prout recently connected with another Deerfield alumnus, when the SCDA joined forced with Ray Walker ’92 and the Stokes Foundation, an organization geared toward expanding the lives of students through building extracurricular, athletic, and residential life programs. “We envision that the SCDA is prepared to donate a few days next year that Ray can hopefully use as revenue at fundraisers for his organization,” says Mr. Prout. As his program grows and continues to influence more lives, he proudly looks toward the future, safe with the knowledge that whatever it might be, he’ll be getting there in style.

deerfield.edu

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< Ian Prout and pro driver, Eric Curren

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KOJI MASUTANI

filmmaker

’99

Crisis Mode In today’s media-saturated, high-paced, productdriven environment, teachers have had to grow and adapt, and find new methods to deliver information to students in ways that will not only educate them but also fan the spark of intellectual curiosity . . . So when Koji Masutani ’99 and a team of professors from the Balsillie School of International Affairs in Ontario set out to investigate and retell the story of the Cuban Missile Crisis in time for its 50th anniversary, they didn’t exactly have much of a blueprint to follow. The multiplatform, transmedia product they ended up with is not only a game changer for educational organizations—it’s a stunning representation of what the next generation of media just might look like. “We adopted a model that comes down in multiple platforms,” Mr. Masutani explains. “Movies like Star Wars and The Matrix have done it but in a much more commercialized manner. When you think about those movies there are many more access points—especially for youth. There are books, comics, toys, TV shows, and the films themselves,” he says. “Our goal with The Armageddon Letters was the bridge the gap between young and old by combining all of these aspects of storytelling.” The Armageddon Letters tells the story of the behind the scenes communications that both brought the world to brink of nuclear annihilation and pulled it back. “Scholars are always generating new information focused entirely on the letters and cor-

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Stills from Be Khrushchev

respondence,” Mr. Masutani reflects. One major aspect of the conflict that The Armageddon Letters reveals is the complete, literal lack of communication between President Kennedy and Fidel Castro. “Kennedy was never in touch with Castro. Castro spoke to Khrushchev, and Khrushchev spoke to Kennedy. Never Cuba to America,” Mr. Masutani explains. By expanding the multiplatform nature of this work, Mr. Masutani and his team were capable of describing various elements of the crisis in the methods that could produce the highest level of emotional and cognitive response from audiences. An animated sequence details the tumultuous youth of Castro, and reflects on a game he developed as a child that was so dangerous, it bordered on sadism. The game was simple: The boys at Castro’s grade school would locate a bicycle on campus, and ride it as fast as they could, headfirst, into the nearest brick wall. The last person standing won. Stylized visuals and animation transmit Castro’s raw emotion and determination quite well to young viewers, which is The Armagedon Letters’ ultimate goal. “You always envision the impact,” says Mr. Masutani, “and at the end of the day that’s what counts. If I had to boil it down, this is meant to inform the younger generation that they should still be concerned about the realities of nuclear weapons and their raw potential.”

Watch Be Khrushchev and more at: armageddonletters.com/films

1999 Class Captain Christopher Colin Wallace Diana Torres Hawken and James welcomed their second child, Ryan Tomas, on August 28, 2012. He joins big sister Melanie Rocio, who turned two in December. Koji Masutani is producing and creating The Armageddon Letters—a transmedia project (multiplatform storytelling) launched on the 50th anniversary of the Cuban missile crisis—which takes visitors behind the scenes during the October 1962 Cuban missile crisis, arguably the most dangerous crisis in recorded history. See page 84 for details. Luke Voiland says, “Since I last wrote, I have finished graduate school at MIT, completed my architecture internship, and earned my architect’s license. More importantly, I married Carrie, and we now have a wonderful two-year-old redhead named Edwin. Carrie owns a small ballet school in Concord, MA, and we live in Cambridge, where I am still able to bike to work! Since 2008 I have worked at Shepley Bulfinch in Boston, and was promoted to associate in January 2012. As architect, I have led the design effort for several buildings at institutions nationwide; these include projects completed at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (Ambulatory Surgery Center), Hamline University in St. Paul (University Center), and

the University of Houston (Health and Biomedical Sciences Center). Projects under design include a library for Ringling College of Art and Design (in Sarasota, FL) and an ambulatory surgery center for Bridgeport Hospital in CT. Most recently I was elected to Shepley’s board of directors for a three-year term. As a board member I will be responsible, in part, for helping the firm navigate a new strategic planning process. When I’m not working, I try to spend my time outdoors with my family and our energetic dog, romping in the woods.”

2000 Class Captains Lisa Rosemary Craig Emily Jean Dawson Jay Kramarczyk writes, “It has been an exciting year for my beautiful wife and me in Colorado. We are excitedly expecting our first baby in March/April. I am enjoying my work as a forensic fire protection engineer. I hope all is well with everyone else. You can see the baby progress at BabyForReal.webs.com.”

2001 Class Captain James Dorr Dunning George Craft and Sarah welcomed their first child, James Ernest, on July 30, 2012. Catherine Spangler says, “I’m thrilled to report that I landed my dream job as a journalist at The New York Times. After attending graduate school, I was recruited to

work on documentary videos for the newspaper’s website. I collaborate across desks in the newsroom to tell engaging and informative stories on the web.”

2002

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Bvgari Hotel and Resort, Bali. Baby Sebastian John Lai was born April 20, 2012. Page McLean wrote, “I finished my MA in Visual Anthropology at Goldsmiths, University of London, and I’m currently in Brussels until the end of the year, making short films about young Europeans for a think tank focused on youth. Come and say ‘hi’ if you happen to be in town!” When we last heard from Kimberly Oelman she said, “I am so excited for my upcoming wedding on September 1! I am getting married on Cape Cod, where I spent every summer growing up. It’s also where my fiancé Matt proposed! Looking forward to seeing my Deerfield friends there.” “All is well up in Montreal,” reported Drew Reid when we last heard from him. “Had the pleasure of seeing Phil Lindsay and family this summer. I’m working in the ER of a local hospital, so never a dull moment there! Tara and I are expecting our second child, a girl, in a few days!!” “After eight years in Chicago, I’ve moved to NYC to take a new position with Morgan Stanley,” reports Chad Steinglass. “It was tough to say goodbye to the Windy City and all my friends there (as well as retire from my cover band), but I’m excited about being back on the East Coast!”

Class Captains William Malcolm Dorson Robert Agee Gibbons Terrence Paul O’Toole Dorothy Elizabeth Reifenheiser David Branson Smith Serena Stanfill Tufo Ryan Hart had a busy 2012, much of which culminated in July. On July 4, Ryan proposed to his girlfriend, Lindsey, in the nation’s capital. On July 13, he concluded his judicial clerkship at the Howard County Circuit Court in Maryland. Then, he moved to Baltimore and began work on July 16 as an assistant state’s attorney for the City of Baltimore; he is really enjoying the new job and getting to know Baltimore. Ryan and Lindsey plan to marry in August 2013 in New Hampshire.

2003 Reunion Chairs Eric David Grossman Tara Ann Tersigni

2004

Class Captain Nicholas Zachary Hammerschlag Caroline C. Whitton

2005 2006

Please send us your news and notes! See page 64.

deerfield.edu

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’01

’07

’10

’10 2007

2008

Class Captains Matthew McCormick Carney Elizabeth Conover Cowan Jennifer Ross Rowland

Reunion Chairs Sarah Helen Brim Robert Haldane Swindell

Amanda Burns reports, “After our 5th Reunion, Katie and I made a quick trip to meet up one more time before the start of grad school. I am working on my law degree at the University of Birmingham in the UK, while Katie is beginning dental school at the University of Nebraska.”

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“I graduated from Harvard in May with a degree in Environmental Engineering,” reports Caroline Quazzo. At the time she added, “I’m really excited to move to Washington, DC, in the fall to start working for IBM as a private sector consultant in the Global Business Division.” When we last heard from Ashley Sharp she said, “This August I will be starting med school at Georgetown University. I cannot wait!”

Natalie Johnson ’01, Lindsey Albertson ’02, and Megan Farrell ’02 caught up at a polo match at the Santa Barbara Polo Club in California. Amanda Burns ’07 and Katie ’07 enjoy a post-Reunion vacation. Red Sox intern Steve Kelley ’10 had a smashing summer! See note on page 89.

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Following the Music When Blair Bodine ’02 received her first guitar at the age of 13, she already knew music would play a big role in both her personal and professional life. Encouraged by her songwriter mother, Ms. Bodine quickly developed her own skills, finding inspiration through her awareness of social inequalities and her passion for humanitarian justice. But it was at Deerfield that Ms. Bodine started making the major social connections and friendships that would lead her to her current work as the Nashville Symphony Director of Education and Community Engagement in Tennessee. “Deerfield was a major catalyst for a lot of creative connections for me,” says Ms. Bodine. “It was the place where I formed my first band,” she continues, and while she was surrounded by a wealth of personal champions that included Director of Theater John Reese, one opportunity in particular sticks with her today: “After 9/11, I wrote a song in Mr. Baker’s class called ‘Endure’ about the triumph of the human spirit. In August 2011, I was invited to perform at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Dedication Ceremony, and I was able to play ‘Endure’ on the stage at the DC Convention Center. It was a huge honor for me to be a part of that moment.” After graduating from Deerfield and recording her first CD of original songs with the help of faculty member Cheri

director

’02

BLAIR BODINE

Karbon, Ms. Bodine went on to study at Columbia University, where she further experimented with music, never straying far from the passions that drove her. After Columbia she headed west, working as programs and grants manager for the American Golf Association, but even then Ms. Bodine thought, “‘Wouldn’t it be great if I could do what I’m doing now, but use music to educate instead of golf?’ It turns out there’s a career path in that!” With this in mind, Ms. Bodine went on to earn her master’s degree in Non-Profit Leadership at the University of Pennsylvania, with a focus on how music can be used as a tool to lead communities. She also spent a year working as an organizer for the 2008 Obama campaign. When Ms. Bodine first learned about the open position in Nashville, she knew what to do. “I knew it was the job that I wanted . . . so I made the decision to fight for it.” Today Blair Bodine finds herself in a role similar to that of the teachers who inspired and pushed her education at Deerfield—she provides a diversity of programs that engage the mind, enrich the soul, and inspire listeners of all ages. “I am a firm believer that the arts promote creative and collaborative leadership skills, critical for the 21st century,” she says. “Finding my creative voice at Deerfield ultimately prepared me for a career in the arts.” ••

deerfield.edu

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Tending the Goal

An Excerpt from Molly Shaus’ journal: Day 4, 6/26/12 “ Our group is definitely starting to loosen up and come together a bit more. We are enjoying our 45-minute van ride, looking out over the beautiful landscapes, people watching, sharing stories, and waiting for our favorite part of the ride—passing the beautiful waterfall over the valley. I spent the day moving a lot of bricks, tying more rebar, mortaring, sifting sand, and playing soccer with the kids. It really is a different way of life here . . . we really take the little things for granted back home.”

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With numerous titles and accomplishments under her belt in the world of college and professional women’s hockey, a secure position on the United States Women’s National Hockey Team, and a solid chance at landing a slot in the starting line-up at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, goaltender Molly Schaus ’06 has a lot she could brag about. The thing is, if you met her near her home in Natick, MA, you might not ever guess at her successes. That’s because Ms. Schaus is one of the most humble, kind, and hardworking individuals in professional sports, and the work she does every year with Habitat for Humanity stands as a testament to the importance of the community engagement that is instilled in each and every Deerfield student. When she started playing hockey at Deerfield, Ms. Schaus had already lived in several states, moving every few years, until her family settled on the East Coast. “I went to Deerfield as a 15-year-old, and it really opened my eyes to the world,” Schaus admits. “Being at the Academy with kids from all over the world was really something else. I couldn’t really participate in the travel experiences Deerfield offered because of hockey, but I was still around new cultures all the time. It definitely opened my eyes to the bigger picture of the world and my role in it.” As Ms. Schaus’ career expanded to larger audiences, this role become increasingly clear to her.

MOLLY SCHAUS

volunteer

’06

Ms. Schaus spent her first week with the Habitat for Humanity Global Village program in 2011, when she and a small group of strangers came together to help build a home for a family in Honduras. The crew spent their time meeting local craftsmen and diving headfirst into the culture of the region. “You get thrown onto a team with different personalities and beliefs,” she explains. “I found so many parallels between what I was doing there and my work in hockey.” In just under six days, the team made serious progress on the site, and with little to no help from construction machinery, a house had begun to take form. This past year, Ms. Schaus returned to South America, but this time spent her week working on a home in Guatemala. This house presented her team with a wide variety of unique challenges, but through determination and the unrelenting support of the local families, they managed to make serious progress. In addition, they visited local schools, shared some of their skills with the people in the area, and bonded through personal interaction. Unfortunately, Ms. Schaus’ work with Habitat for Humanity will be on hiatus next year due to conflicts with preparations for the 2014 Olympic Games, but a small part of her heart and soul will always remain below the Equator.••

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’11 Sergio Morales ’11 and Alfonso Velasco ’11 in front of Madrid’s Palacio Real this past summer.

2009 Class Captains Elizabeth Utley Schieffelin Nicholas Warren Squires Please send us your news and notes! See page 64.

2010 Steve Kelley writes, “Hello All! I hope that all of you are doing well, as it may have been a long time since we have last spoke, but today, you all came to mind. Currently, I am attending Boston College, from which I will graduate in 2014. This summer, I interned in the front office of the Boston Red Sox, where I learned about the business end of a successful sports franchise. I worked extremely hard, and loved

what I did. At the end of the internship, my bosses, along with Red Sox executives and ownership asked me to keep working. I love what I do, and I am getting the best of both worlds—a great education and hands on corporate experience. Today we had employee batting practice, where each employee was able to hit on the field at Fenway, something that is so rare, you literally cannot pay to do it. I always knew that I could hit a home run at Fenway, but I never thought I would get the chance. Once I heard of this treat, my competitive edge kicked in, and I was determined to reach my goal. So today, I put two balls over the Green Monster, and I wanted to share these pictures with you. I haven’t

swung a bat since my last game of senior year against Tabor, so it could have gone much worse. The first picture is some damage to a seat in foul territory down the third base line. Thank you all for helping me reach my goals, in more ways than one; it hasn’t gone unnoticed.”

2011 Sergio Morales wrote, “Here is a picture of Alfonso Velasco and me this past summer. It was taken in front of the ‘Palacio Real’ in Madrid while standing on the Sabatini Gardens facing the palace. I visited him for two weeks, which we spent traveling around the city and nearby towns such as Toledo and the ‘Sierra de Guadarrama.’

We also indulged in some amazing tapas restaurants, bars, and coffee shops. This picture is a true testament to the wonderful friendship that arose from rooming together our junior year.”

2012 Please send us your news and notes! See page 64.

deerfield.edu/notes or classnotes@deerfield.edu

DEERFIELD CLUB OF DC

REGIONAL & CLUB EVENTS

Meet the Press with David Gregory 1 Libby Leist ’97, Caitlin Dufraine ’05, Mustafa Ghazanfar, Andrew Dickson,

Emily Cassidy ’07, Frank Baltz P’01 ’99, John Engel, Spencer Heuman-Gutman, David Gregory, James Canning ’05, Mitchell Katz ’84, Trenton Smith ’96, Holly Smith, Ryan Walsh-Martel ’99, Katherine Martel, Jenny Hammond P’15 1

M U LT I C U LT U R A L E V E N T / N Y C

SECOND PERIOD EVENT / BOSTON

Capitol Hill Tour 2 Libby Leist ’97, Leslie Wileman Fitch P’86,

Katherine Jowaisas ’04, Ted Lubin ’00, Katherine Stackhouse ’01, Benjamin Jones ’92, Mitchell Katz ’84 Independent School Multicultural Event in NYC 3 Renee Green ’01, Felix Ramirez ’03, Daniela Conwell ’01

Deerfield “Second Period” event at MIT Museum 4 Dr. Margarita Curtis and Trustee Roger McEniry ’74

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deerfield.edu/alumni/daclubs

for club photo galleries.

D E E R F I E L D C L U B O F B AY A R E A

D E E R F I E L D I N H AWA I I 7

C O L L E G E V I S I T U VA

DEERFIELD CLUB OF LONDON

5 Hosted by Nancy Schmicker ’01 on September 20, 2012—in alphabetical order: Geoffrey Lewis ’83, Mary Lou Lewis, Peter Lewis ’52, Edie McCarthy, Patrick McCarthy ’53, Penny & Richard Rogers P’77, Nancy Schmicker ’01, John Van Way 6 Choate Day webcast viewing party: Ted Ullyot ’85, Lee Hanson ’85, Larry Kilroy ’87, Jon Murchinson ’87, Steve Turko ’85, and Steve Katz ’70. Not pictured: Alex Flagg ’85 7 Angus Rosborough ’87, Dan Maynard ’79, Stuart Brown ’00 with Wilson, Dan Shribman ’03 with Harrison, Peter Schoff ’55, Jim Wilmott ’82 (in front) 8 Hosted by Ted Tu ’88 and Karla Sy ’99 on October 26: Front row: Karla Sy ’99, Drew Natenshon ’92, Dorothy Natenshon; Back row: Robert Guterma ’03, Andrew Zao ’88, Ted Tu ’88, Michael Hauge ’08, Robert Genovese ’04, Roy Eriksen ’04 9 Back row: Matt Fortin ’10, Annie Eldred ’11, Mac Kelley ’12, Ted Growney ’11, Bo Swindell ’08, David Fleishman ’11, Keo Brown ’11. Front row: Bailey Daum ’10, Charlotte Blais ’11, Porter Simmons ’12, Alannah Nisbet ’11, Malou Flato ’12

DEERFIELD IN SHANGHAI

Jenny Hammond and Jessica Pleasant

Upcoming Events: deerfield.edu/go/events 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 Office of Alumni and Development: events@deerfield.edu or 413.774.1474

February 5 UNC/Duke University Dinner 5 Deerfield in Philadelphia, PA 6 Deerfield in Tampa 7 Deerfield in Naples, FL 26 Deerfield in Darien 28 Deerfield Club of New England: Opening Night of Student Theater Production – Little Shop of Horrors

March 3 5 6

Deerfield in Seattle Deerfield in San Francisco Deerfield in Los Angeles

April 9 11 18 23

Brown University Dinner Dartmouth College Dinner Deerfield in Chicago Deerfield in New York City

May 1 Deerfield in London 18 Deerfield Alumni Lacrosse 21 Deerfield Club of New England: Opening Night of Spring Student Theater Production

June 13-16

Reunions 2013

first person

HERIT-EDGE My father fervently opposed my application to Deerfield. He was a community organizer in Holyoke, MA, who emigrated from Ecuador as a child. His life was a singular and determined effort to improve the living conditions and increase the political power of the Latino community in Holyoke. Supporting the public school system, ideologically and practically, was bedrock to his work and philosophy. The social values that he imagined Deerfield represented, and that he assumed inculcated in its students (condescending power, unrestrained wealth, and unearned privilege), were beyond reconciliation with his own. He was afraid for the integrity of the principles he and my mother had tried so earnestly to instill in me— ones based on fairness, equality, and political resistance. At home we had our own motto—a more severe version of the Academy’s “Be worthy of your heritage”: A poster of Emiliano Zapata, the Mexican revolutionary, hung in our living room, his dark eyes glaring down over the words: “What are you doing to defend the conquests for which we give our lives?” Applying to Deerfield was my own idea, and my determination to pursue this goal, even at the cost of my dad’s resentment, was unwavering. My public school system was collapsing: there were no language, music, or art classes, and with massive layoffs looming on the horizon, the worst seemed ahead. Finally, when my eighth grade social studies teacher called me a communist for proposing the idea of a more egalitarian distribution of wealth in our society, my father acquiesced. Years later he told me he was frightened by the specter of his own struggles at Holyoke High School, including being labeled a radical, and he didn’t want me relive his experiences. What I found at Deerfield was neither my father’s dark fantasy nor an educational utopia of inclusion. It was much more complex. While the shadow of the Academy’s homogeneous heritage certainly pervaded the culture, authentic friendships across many lines of difference were possible and frequent, and many of my fellow students came from walks of life that neither I, nor my father, had imagined that they would. My teachers were open-minded and utterly supportive—some became my mentors—and all were impeccable in their efforts.

Winter 2013

by Jesse Vega-Frey ’96

What I found at Deerfield was neither my father’s dark fantasy nor an educational utopia of inclusion. It was much more complex. While the shadow of the Academy’s homogeneous heritage certainly pervaded the culture, authentic friendships across many lines of difference were possible and frequent, and many of my fellow students came from walks of life that neither I, nor my father, had imagined that they would.

nearby on their organic farm. The women’s shelter wasn’t an option for a male student, so I headed off to the farm. Wally and Juanita Nelson had lived on their Woolman Hill farm, two miles north of campus, for about 20 years when we met. They were African-American war-tax resisting civil rights pacifist farmers who were fierce advocates of simple living, and although they were unlike anyone I had ever met in person, they were staggeringly similar to the heroes of civil rights, revolutionary struggles, and peace activism that I had read about my whole life and sought to emulate. They were also quiet, happy, funny, determined people whose presence was imbued with an almost sublime quality of dignity. Compared to the conceit that I saw around me on campus and the arrogance that was making my own mind toxic, being around them was like quenching a lifelong thirst with water from a cool forest spring: they emanated an easygoing lightness that was nourishingly purposeful.

first person

There were also challenges. Though few in number, those who believed they were the keepers of Deerfield’s heritage rode an invisible stream of cultural dominance. They lamented the admittance of girls to Deerfield, although they never attended a non-coeducational Deerfield themselves; they championed the “burgher wails” at which sophomores would ritually pummel freshmen during the winter’s first snow; a group of second and third generation students announced at School Meeting they were starting a “white male support group” in response to the multicultural clubs that had begun to emerge on campus; racist, classist, sexist, and homophobic statements were regularly made by students in surprisingly public venues. Early on I endeavored to differentiate myself: growing my hair long, exploring various forms of spirituality, testing the boundaries of the dress code, vocalizing a political philosophy that challenged much of the social and political ignorance I

. . . one of my Burmese meditation teachers recently told me, “ Your actions are your only true heritage.” I was struck by the profundity of this as I kept vigil over my father during his final days of life. believed I saw around me. I could not find a place for myself within the borders of the dominant “heritage” without feeling like I was losing the most fundamental parts of who I was— culturally, politically, ethnically, and socially. I committed myself to being worthy of a heritage I could feel in my heart but not touch around me, carving a niche that could help make meaning of the incongruence of my life at Deerfield. Ultimately, I found that courage and pride can come from delving into the ache of alienation, but the process also tends toward arrogance and isolation, and as such, never heals the wounds nor finds a solution. I am not and never have been an athlete. More than any fundamental physical disinclination, I lack the motivation to compete. I bumbled through baseball and soccer and truly suffered through two years of wrestling: cajoled onto the team because they lacked a more qualified or interested young man who could reduce himself to 112 pounds. At my breaking point sophomore year, I scoured the student handbook for some legitimate way out of the oppressive saga that competitive sport was for me. In addition to discovering that my role as music director at WGAJ could exempt me from the athletic requirement for one trimester a year, I found I could also escape my sentence through community service. In 1993 there was no community service office but there were two choices I found hidden in a lonely folder in the Dean of Students Office: working at a women’s shelter or helping an elderly couple who lived

Mostly we did simple work: weeding, mulching, drawing water, chopping wood, and cleaning produce for market. Our conversations as we worked covered the gamut. They were interested in my life. I was interested in their stories as civil rights activists and proponents of civil disobedience. Their home, beautifully handcrafted by friends out of repurposed materials, became a refuge for me. It was a place to gain perspective when I needed it, to take a break, to be fed, and to breathe the fresh air of freedom that their lives represented to me. They lived without electricity or running water, and a small bean-patch of land (and a large circle of friends) sustained their needs. Wally passed away several years ago but Juanita, now 89, is still living and only a year ago moved off the farm to live with a friend. I always felt a deep connection to those social justice leaders whose stories had inspired me since childhood. Before meeting Wally and Juanita, I thought I had a firm grasp on this heritage, but through their example of dedication and dignity they helped me understand that my true lineage was not to be found in the mechanics of genetics, culture, or even in the realm of like-mindedness. My true heritage ripened only through my own actions and the qualities of mind and heart that motivated them. Wally and Juanita pointed relentlessly to the disparity between the values people purport and their actual behavior. They showed me that a life freer of contradiction between belief and action led to more happiness for

deerfield.edu

first person

Since my earliest days at Deerfield the riddle of this relationship between heritage and worthiness has gnawed at, even haunted, me—and for that I am unspeakably grateful. My path toward resolution has been one of the most nourishing endeavors of my life, and paradoxically, has had everything to do with people and experiences that were both integral to and at the margins of my Deerfield experience. oneself and the world. My inheritance could either be a mind (and a world) plagued by the pain of ethical inconsistency or one that was liberated from it through moral action. Now, at 34, I am a Buddhist meditation teacher. I lack my father’s patient endurance working with institutions, which is necessary for community work, and I am too lazy to be a farmer like Wally and Juanita. Yet I am gripped by the urgency to dismantle the mechanisms of greed and anger and ignorance that are part of what ultimately create so much suffering in the world. To attempt to live always in generosity, to be willing to be kind rather than be right, to act righteously rather than out of righteousness—these aspirations are the deepest part of my inheritance from both my father and the Nelsons. Echoing these truths, one of my Burmese meditation teachers recently told me, “Your actions are your only true heritage.” I was struck by the profundity of this as I kept vigil over my father during his final days of life. He awoke once in the middle of the night, and we spoke for a short while. I thanked him for everything he had ever given me. “Hmmm. Like what?” he immediately asked, requiring me to think quickly. From teaching me how to make perfect popcorn on the stove, to creating waterspouts with my hands in the ocean, to dedicating my life to the wellbeing of others and an utter rejection of the forces that create injustice in the world, my inheritance is vast, and it was easy to go on for a bit. Satisfied, he went back to sleep. But the fulfillment of his gifts to me

Winter 2013

were realized in the ensuing days when I massaged his feet, quietly sang his favorite songs, placed and replaced wet cloths on his feverish forehead, consoled him during seizures, squeezed drops of water from a tiny sponge into his parched mouth, and rubbed oil onto his lips to keep them from cracking. It was within these, my own acts of kindness, that I came to know my heritage and to feel my worthiness of it fulfilled. Since my earliest days at Deerfield the riddle of this relationship between heritage and worthiness has gnawed at, even haunted, me—and for that I am unspeakably grateful. My path toward resolution has been one of the most nourishing endeavors of my life, and paradoxically, has had everything to do with people and experiences that were both integral to and at the margins of my Deerfield experience. For those of us who find ourselves on Deerfield’s cultural perimeter, this may often be the case. We must look to the hills, the river, the trees, or the surrounding community for some of the essential parts of our education that the school itself cannot provide, because it doesn’t always know they are missing. Ultimately, that’s ok. Someone will always be at the margin. But it is vital to the health of the community to incorporate experiences at the edges back into the whole to deepen our understanding and realize the aspired-to vibrancy of multiculturalism. It is the Academy’s responsibility to remove obstacles to that growth and perhaps, to the degree it can, facilitate it; and at the very least, not to punish it but incorporate that learning back into the fold so its value isn’t lost. This is how we create the foundation for a truly successful learning community and a shared understanding of our many paths toward worthiness. Whatever our backgrounds are, as Deerfield students we were unimaginably privileged by the many ways we were supported to pursue our most profound goals in life. We may not adopt all that Deerfield offers, and we may find some important pieces off the trodden path—after all, it is our personal responsibility to vigorously pursue the fruition of our life’s deepest calling—which is the fulfillment of our own worthiness. And yet, it is a incredible gift to attend an institution that encourages this pursuit and is willing to learn how to support it more effectively—not for the sake of “political correctness” but because it enriches the school’s educational capacity and makes for a fundamentally more robust community in the long-run. In this, Deerfield has the potential to be powerfully unique—not simply as an institution but as a community for which all members have a shared responsibility for its growth. May we, its varied members, be up to the challenge.••

in memoriam

1930

1936

John Chace Armstrong

William Bradford DeMond

May 22, 2012

November 4, 2009

April 18, 2008

July 27, 2012

1931

Brenton Brown

David Kohn Johnson

August 13, 2007

September 9, 2008

1960

Donald Howard Byerly

Cornelius Railey Lyle, II

May 9, 2012

January 25, 2009

John Vincent Osmun

Reginald Wooldridge, Jr.

October 13, 2012

February 1, 2011

1937

1940

June 22, 2012

February 1, 2012

John Edward Kotasenski, Sr.

1941

Russell Dana Ireland

Prince Hodgson Gordon November 27, 2011

Robert Ferris Lint

Robert Cary Bielaski October 13, 2007

1933

Horace Crain Reider May 9, 2007

1934

John Leavitt Anderson

August 22, 2007

Donald Dwight Johnson

William Peck Banning July 20, 2012

Lucien T. Allen

Edwin Henry Nielsen

April 17, 2008

July 25, 2011

Charles Stanly Hart March 30, 2012

Joseph Wickes Hatch, Jr.

John Vennema, Jr.

June 12, 2012

April 19, 2012

Fred J. Perry, Jr. May 21, 2010

1938

Edward Loomis German July 9, 2011

Edward Martin Wheeler June 25, 2012

Thomas Southworth Harrison February 17, 2010

Malcolm Halsey Whitelaw May 27, 2008

1935

Alan Oscar Hickok January 31, 2010

Stuart Cramer Woodman

August 27, 2012

May 10, 2012

April 18, 2011

1939

David Hay Atwater June 1, 2012

Valeria Stella Podlo Fosberry January 28, 2011

Helen Margery Claghorn Bangs March 30, 2011

Rolfe Sherman Johnson June 11, 2009

Walter Hubbell Wells*

Barry Barnard Campbell

Charles Edward Clute October 15, 2011

1963

John Noel Rutledge July 25, 2012

John Keeler Sammon August 25, 2005

1965

Paul Meredith Wodlinger July 29, 2012

1971

John Christopher Noonan June 15, 2011

1974

Peter James Bannish

September 13, 2012

July 28, 2012

1943

1975

August 26, 2012

August 14, 2012

Robert J. Whitney

1976

Thomas Spurr Morse

June 15, 2012

Albert VanVoast Bensen* Mary Josephine Chesluk Chudzik

Barry James Cohen

September 10, 2012

November 19, 2010

1932

1959

1944

Boynton Merrill, Jr. April 13, 2012

Robert William Ginn

Raymond Douglas Niehaus August 21, 2012

1978

Thomas Clinton Mullins III July 28, 2012

Francis C. Newton, Jr. February 6, 2012

1945

Peter B. Gore August 9, 2012

1947

1985

John Conrad Plimpton August 12, 2010

2007

Saxon Crenshaw Boswell September 8, 2012

Joan Allen Faust July 7, 2012

* Indicates a member of the Boyden Society; this list is a reflection of deceased alumni as of November 7, 2012.

deerfield.edu

S e a Word c h by Danäe DiNicola

Find the *key words in the jumble below. The remaining letters, read row by row (left to right, starting at the top), will spell out something Jay Morsman says “every” day. Send the lines to communications@deerfield.edu or to Puzzle, Communications Office, PO Box 87, Deerfield, MA 01342, and you’ll be entered to win a cozy Deerfield blanket! (The winner will be chosen at random from all correct answers received by February 1, 2013.) *Tip: Circle only the key words listed below.

KEY WORDS

Dickens

Iraq

Medal

Poe

Tom

Adams

Diner

Jack

Mimi

Pool

Town

Arts

Down

John

Nap

Pot

War

Asia

Egypt

Kipp

Need

Prank

West

Barn

Elm

Korea

New

Quid

Wgaj

Boy

Even

Lab

Nims

Rock

What

Chip

Exam

Last

Nmh

Soil

Xylem

Coat

Fall

Look

Old

Spain

Coed

Hinto

Lower

Pay

Taxi

Cup

Hunt

Mann

Pep

Thats

) 0 ( , 1 3 / 3 ) 2 + 1 + 5

2 2 $ 3 ' 5 2 ( $ 6 4 8 , ' 6

5 7 1 1 5 ( : 7 / 6 3 1 ( ( '

0 5 2 2 1 * ( % / ( 7 7 & 8 3

, & & : $ < 5 $ 3 2 2 / $ < 0

0 . + 1 3 6 ' ; , 6 $ 2 ; $

, $ ' , $ 7 , 2 < 1 2 % < 2 ,

7 ) 0 < 3 & 7 : / * ) 1 ( .

) 5 7 ( . 6 . 1 ( ' 6 2 , / 1

2 2 ; ( ' & 3 . 0 6 7 ( 1 0 +

0 $ 1 9 2 $ 2 $ , ' 7 + $ 7 6

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2 , ' 1 ( 7 + 1 7 1 3 $ 1 ( :

' $ ' $ 0 6 ( / ( , 5 $ 4 0 $

) , + $ 2 5 3 5 $ 1 . $ $ 2 5

Fill in the blanks to reveal the hidden phrase:

“_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _” — ___ _______ 96

WIN THIS BL

ANKET!

Gabriel Amadeus Cooney

Tim Engelland was famous in the Deerfield community for his woodcuts. Pictured to the right is one from 1994; the Alumni and Development Office would send numbered, limited edition originals as gifts, and each year’s holiday card would feature a reprint of the original. Tim often selected oak and maple for his cuts—tighter grain woods that could allow for finer detail. He stored them in a cabinet in his art studio and aged them to an optimal drying point, so the wood itself wouldn’t compete with the carving process. He sharpened his tools and honed each with a piece of rough leather; Tim said that he mastered the art of woodcutting when he learned how to properly treat his instruments. He would begin with a simple drawing and then transfer it onto wood. He printed on a heavy duty, hand-operated, floor mounted etching press, and ran at least 20 to 30 test prints to fine tune the block before starting each series. Ink was handmixed with Japan drier and linseed oil, to give it the correct consistency and speed the drying process. Once perfected, it was applied by hand to the woodcut with a rubber roller. Tim created both monochrome and two block woodcut prints. The use of two blocks allowed him to create different colored background and foreground images. Often blue and black, these colors had the added effect of making the white paper in the background seem “yellow,”thus creating the effect of a third color; “Skiers/ Upper Level” is an example of this. Once a print series was complete, Tim would chisel a deep gouge through every woodcut that had been part of the process, ensuring that they could never be used again.

With thanks to Tim Blanchard ’93, who assisted Tim Engelland on many series.

object lesson

Tim Engelland Woodcut

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