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Ellie and the Georgics 18
River/Valley/Rock 26
Show Your Work 34
Ellie Parker '11 digs into Virgil's agricultural treatise.
Richard Little and his students explore local geology.
In this issue: Arabic and English
Spring 2011
Comments 3 / Along Albany Road 6 / The Common Room 36 In Memoriam 84 / First Person: Art Dwight '79 86 / Crossword 88
cover and inside spread: Brent M. Hale deerfield.edu
Other People's Shoes My grandmother had a plaque hanging in her kitchen that read, "Great Spirit, grant that I may not judge my brother until I have walked a mile in his moccasins." Maybe not the most tactful way to suggest empathy, but it got the point across. As we pulled together this spring issue of the magazine, the sentiment on that plaque kept popping into my head, because if metaphorically swapping shoes with someone is all about achieving a different perspective, reaching a new vantage point, and ultimately seeing the world through someone else's eyes, then that's what this issue of Deerfield Magazine is all about. Consider senior Ellie Parker ( page 18) and her independent study course, Latin 700, which has focused on the Georgics, written by Virgil in 29 BC. On the surface this four-book agricultural text is just that—a manual about farming—but dig deeper and it is so much more. Ellie's literary analysis set her firmly in Virgil's steps, and her practical experience grew as she tended a garden in the North Meadows and interviewed local, modern-day farmers. Our second feature, "River, Valley, Rock," ( page 26) is an invitation to walk with geology teacher Richard Little and his class as they trace a mighty glacier's footprint, plumb the depths of ancient Lake Hitchcock, and discover the unique series of events that created our familiar campus.
Think back to your Deerfield days . . . do you remember the anticipation as you waited for a graded test or paper to be returned? "Show Your Work" ( page 34) will seat you back in the classroom and allow you to see what today's students are working on—from their perspective. In this issue we feature the beautiful, flowing arcs of Arabic, and writing inspired by one of the most romantic of the Romantic poets. your tie one or two pieces of various student We will continue to share hereMagazines. work in future Deerfield If you turn to page 36, you will discover a familiar section of the magazine with a new name; "Class Notes" is now "The Common Room." Like the common rooms on campus, the magazine's "common room" is a place to share news, adventures, stories, and different perspectives. Deerfield stories, old and new, are what the magazine thrives on, so please, share your stories with us and let your fellow alumni walk a mile in your shoes. Email, write or call—we're always happy to hear from you! One last mention of footwear: this spring's "Object Lesson," found on the inside of the back cover, is a pair of baseball cleats—they're about 11 inches long but impossible to fill . . . any guesses as to whom they belonged? All best wishes for a Happy Spring— —Jessica Day, Managing Editor
Director of Communications
Managing Editor
eCommunications Specialist
Graphic Designer
Production Assistant and Contributing Writer
David Thiel
Jessica Day
Danae DiNicola
Brent M. Hale
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Editorial and Business Office: Deerfield Academy, Deerfield, MA 01342. Telephone: 413-774-1860, firstname.lastname@example.com Publication Office: The Lane Press, Burlington, VT 05402. Third class postage paid at Deerfield, Massachusetts, and additional mailing office. Deerfield Magazine is published in the fall, winter, and spring. Deerfield Academy admits students of any race, color, creed, handicap, sexual orientation or national origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or available to students at the academy. The academy does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, handicap, sexual orientation or national origin in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship, or any other programs administered by the academy. Copyright © The Trustees of Deerfield Academy (all rights reserved)
Spring 2011 : Volume 68, No.3
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Comments I was both surprised and flattered to read such an excellent review of my autobiography plus a 1943 picture of me in varsity soccer uniform, in the winter edition of Deerfield Magazine. This picture has a special memory for me because the 1943 season was the third straight year of an undefeated Deerfield soccer team and by some miracle I scored the goal to defeat Mount Hermon 1 to 0. We were voted the best soccer team in New England. The whole magazine is so well done now it is hard for me to remember what we really had in mind when my 1944 class gave the money to Deerfield to start the magazine 67 years ago. Congratulations on all you are doing. The pictures too, are sensational. As ever,
you will find our official fan page. Page Name: Deerfield Academy
For green tweets, sign on to Twitter. Look for: Deerfield
To link in with other connected professionals, become a member of the Deerfield Alumni Group on LinkedIn. Group name: Deerfield Academy Alumni
Campus snapshots, big events, and other photo-worthy moments are captured on Flickr. Photostream: Deerfield Academy
Yes, Deerfield has a YouTube page. Watch The Widdies, and more! Channel: Deerfield Academy
Tom Vail '44
Pepper Pike, Ohio My daughter was leafing through the winter edition of Deerfield Magazine . . . she stopped at one point and asked me if I recognized any of the guys in the picture on page 61. I was delighted to tell her that I knew them all and that I had taken that picture nearly 35 years ago! Thank you for using it in your publication. It brought back fond memories. Peter Stamats '77
San Francisco, California
Spring 2011
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Winter was tenacious but on Albany Road spirits were warmed and minds and bodies were kept limber
with compelling classes, thought-provoking visitors, and good old-fashioned fun all through the term. Lights in the Koch Center glowed red in honor of Valentine's Day and the starfield was packed with dancing students back in February; several theater events entertained the community; and a warmly-remembered headmaster and his wife paid a visit to School Meeting. Now Albany Road features green in many shades—from new leaves on the trees to short-sleeved Deerfield tee-shirts—and the school year seems to fast forward the warmer it gets. Soon parents will be on campus for their spring weekend, Director John Reese and his students will perform the classic She Stoops to Conquer (details on page 16), summer plans will be solidified, and the Class of 2011 will be welcomed as Deerfield's newest alumni. Here is a taste of what happened on Albany Road this winter and what's coming up this spring; for the latest news and information, always be sure to visit deerfield.edu.
Photographs by David Thiel
Spring 2011
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Beyond Appearances Michael Sidney Fosberg Brings Incognito to Deerfield
Spotted this Spring: Frogs, Rabbits, and Penguins Thanks to the Academy Events Committee, the Deerfield community enjoyed a playful evening on April 12, when Imago Theater presented "ZooZoo" in the Large Aud. The performance featured ten vignettes involving elaborate costumes, mime, acrobatics, and physical comedy, including the larger-than-life amphibians from Imago's critically acclaimed production FROGZ, which was a smash hit both on Broadway and at the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, MA.
16thstreettheater.org; Imago: Fritz Liedtke
What would you do if you discovered your mother and stepfather never mentioned the fact that your biological father was black? This revelation is the basis of actor, director, and teacher Michael Sidney Fosberg's autobiographical one-man show, which he presented to Deerfield students during winter term. "Incognito unfolds as a mystery, for both myself and the audience," he explained. "The show's structure allows the audience to make their own discoveries in the moment along with me—discoveries about themselves, and their perceptions of identity and stereotypes. "Through my investigation and a quirk of fate, I am led to my father in a first phone call . . . it is during this call that he reveals he is black—a fact somehow lost as I was raised by my mother and stepfather. This life-changing information was also somehow hidden from me since I don't 'look black,'" said Mr. Fosberg. Through Incognito, Mr. Fosberg challenges preconceptions and the definition of race; his ultimate goal is to show his audiences the difficulties of categorizing people and impress upon them the importance of embracing and celebrating all of who we are. Mr. Fosberg has toured Incognito to colleges, high schools, performing arts centers, festivals, and theaters all over the U.S. He also conducts workshops on race, diversity, identity, and theater-related topics and is writing his memoir (also titled Incognito) for Lawrence Hill Books. The Academy's Office of Multicultural Affairs sponsored Mr. Fosberg's performance at Deerfield.
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There and Back Again Eric Widmer and Meera Viswanathan Share Stories from the Middle East Former Deerfield Headmaster Eric Widmer '57 and his wife, Meera Viswanathan, have fascinating stories to tell about their time at King's Academy in Jordan; the duo were on campus recently to share these tales with students, faculty, and staff. Established by King Abdullah '80, King's Academy is modeled on Deerfield and ties between the schools are strong, especially since Mr. Widmer recently retired as King's Academy's inaugural headmaster. Here are some interesting snippets from Mr. Widmer's and Ms. Viswanathan's speech: Mr. Widmer: We're a pretty loose translation of Deerfield . . . Of course, we have sit-down lunches . . . when the architect of the school, Mr. Khaled Azzam, a very famous Egyptian architect . . . came to design the King's Academy Dining Hall, which is not a bad reproduction of the Deerfield one . . . somehow he designed oblong, rectangular tables. It was Abdullah himself, when the plans were first shown, who said, "No, the tables must be round." And so, of course, we have round tables.
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We have a school meeting every day, not just once a week. We have uniforms, part of what the King wanted to equalize everything. Although, as natty as that may sound, the boys, particularly, never tuck their shirts in, and their ties are always knotted somewhere down around their stomachs, even if they're wearing the proper King's Academy blazer. Parietals at King's are quite different [than at Deerfield]. I can't remember how many paragraphs it takes in your student handbook to define all the do's and don'ts of visiting one another. At King's, it's just one sentence: "Boys may not go into the girls' dorm, and girls may not go into the boys' dorm." Period. Ms. Viswanathan: When I think back to the memories of those years, one particularly remains indelible for me. That was His Majesty's idea that he would take the entire group of King's Scholars—those students on financial aid—and then later the entire senior class camping in the desert, in the legendary desert of Wadi Rum, where Lawrence of Arabia took refuge amid those fantastic geological rock formations. I'll never forget all of our surprise that first year when a group of military helicopters landed on the helipad. All of our students got on board, only to discover that one of the pilots was the King himself! He flew us to Wadi Rum where they had set up army tents; we all had cots, new sleeping bags from the army, jackets. A firing range was set up—we all got to practice firing. Tanks were there to drive around in. A giant movie screen. A huge amount of marinated lamb had been placed in clay pots and giant bonfires built on top of the sand. And we all feasted on zarb, lying on Bedouin cushions. But for all of those wonderful experiences, the one that remains for me—despite the attractions of the desert, the stars, the movie, everything else—what remains is the memory of seeing a king seat himself cross-legged on the sand, surrounded by all of the students, and talking late into the night, in Arabic and in English, back and forth, about every topic under the sun. From science and technology to women's rights to children and education to what they would be when they entered the world. Eric and I, I remember, went to bed after about four or five hours, still listening to the King talk to the students. And the next morning, the first thing we heard was the King by the dying campfire, still talking to students. Later he said to us, "That was the highlight of my year." Mr. Widmer: Upon which I said to His Majesty, "If you think that was the highlight of your year, can you imagine the effect on our students?"
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Fearlessly Intellectual English Teacher Gina Apostol Wins National Book Award The Revolution According to Raymundo Mata has won Gina Apostol her second Philippine National Book Award for Fiction. A comic historical novel-in-footnotes about the 1896 Philippine war for independence, Ms. Apostol's novel has been called "a virtual firecracker of words" that is "fearlessly intellectual." Ms. Apostol was born in Manila and attended the University of the Philippines. Subsequently, she earned her MA in writing at Johns Hopkins University. Her first novel, Bibliolepsy, won the 1998 Philippine National Book Award. Ms. Apostol teaches English II and III at Deerfield.
2011 Relay for Life
NASA images
"Celebrate. Remember. Fight Back." On May 20 teams of students will take to the track for the second annual Mini Relay for Life at Deerfield. Last year Deerfield students raised nearly $24,000 for the cause, securing first place in the Western MA Mini Relay schools challenge. Teams of eight to 15 people fundraise and then take turns walking, jogging, or running around the track. After dark a luminaria ceremony is held, and candles are lit in honor or remembrance of those who have been affected by cancer. In 2010 Deerfield had 16 teams for a total of 121 participants; event chairpersons Sean Barnett '11 and Casey Butler '13 hope to top those numbers this year. Who can participate? Everyone! For more information contact Traci Heath at email@example.com.
Ten, Nine, Eight, Seven, . . . the Countdown is On "Star Sailor" Stephanie D. Wilson to Visit Campus NASA Astronaut Stephanie Wilson has traveled millions and millions of miles aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery; she will share her extraterrestrial experiences with the Deerfield community May 19 and 20. A native of Massachusetts, Ms. Wilson attended high school in the western part of the state and graduated from Harvard University in 1988. Selected by NASA in 1996, Ms. Wilson reported to the Johnson Space Center for two years of training and evaluation, after which she was assigned to technical duties in the Astronaut Office Space Station Operations Branch, and later to Mission Control as a "prime communicator" with on-orbit crews. Ms. Wilson's first space flight was in 2006; during the journey she supported robotic arm operations and was responsible for the transfer of more than 15,000 pounds of supplies and equipment for the International Space Station. During her second flight, Ms. Wilson served as the flight engineer, assisting the commander and pilot with space shuttle systems. Ms. Wilson's most recent flight was last spring; it was a resupply mission to the International Space Station that involved the delivery of 27,000 pounds of hardware, supplies, experiments, and equipment. On the return journey, Discovery's payload bay was packed with over 6000 pounds of hardware, science results, and used supplies. In addition to speaking at a special School Meeting, Ms. Wilson will attend several science classes during her visit to Deerfield.
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Top of Their Game
Seniors Put the Finishing Touches on Outstanding High School Careers
DEWEY All-League Lacrosse POINTS/GOALS/ASSISTS
by Bob York Next stop: the Ivy League. Before setting out for future destinations, however, Hallie Dewey and Andrew Sutphin (both Class of 2011) have one last chapter of their athletic endeavors at Deerfield to script. As they approach "The End" of their days of competition on the prep school level, Dewey will spend her remaining time putting numbers on the scoreboard, while Sutphin will be taking time off the clock. These seniors epitomize what Deerfield strives to produce on the field and in the gym—well-rounded athletes. Since they were sophomores, Dewey, who is Princeton bound, has lettered in soccer, squash, and lacrosse in each of the past three years. Sutphin, meanwhile, who is headed to Yale, will likewise have a letter jacket polka-dotted with Ds by graduation,
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having played three years worth of football, basketball, and track. And while Dewey and Sutphin have played six different sports at Deerfield, the impact on the sports they play has been identical: huge. A year ago this spring, Dewey garnered All-League laurels after leading the Big Green girls lacrosse team in scoring with 62 points on 48 goals and 14 assists. Sutphin, meanwhile, scampered to a pair of fifth-place finishes at the New England track championships, sporting a 51.1 clocking in the 400 and "two minutes flat" in the 800 to earn All-New England honors in both events. Despite the high level of success they have met with during the spring, these will not be the sports they will be competing in on the collegiate level. Dewey's primary sport at Princeton will be squash, but the Greenwich,
CT, native, who was voted co-captain of the squash and lacrosse teams this year by her peers, admitted, "I love lacrosse so much I'll likely continue to play it at Princeton . . . but on the club level." Sutphin, who hails from Indianapolis, hopes to play football at Yale. "Playing Division I football is something I've always dreamed of doing," said Sutphin, who has been a three-sport captain this year and who was elected captain of the Big Green track team as a junior as well. But if he fulfills that dream, he will do so as a walk-on . . . at least for his freshman season. "There are no guarantees," said Sutphin, who played defensive end for the Big Green last fall and earned All-New England and All-League honors after leading the team in quarterback sacks and was fourth on the team in tackles.
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SUTPHIN All-New England track SECONDS/METERS
Jeff Brown
While Dewey and Sutphin have played six different sports at Deerfield, the impact on the sports they play has been identical: huge. "I sent Yale some tapes, so they told me to show up the first day of practice and see what happens." "It's a rough road," acknowledged Big Green football coach Mike Silipo of the trek a Division I walk-on must make to be successful, "but it's something Andrew's wanted to try since the get-go. "He really came into his own this past season," added Silipo. Sutphin, who started at power forward on the basketball team, averaged eight points and ten rebounds per game. "One thing he's certainly got going for him is his speed, and if he can add ten or 15 pounds to his (6' 3", 210-pound) frame, who knows . . ." Prior to signing on with Princeton, Dewey, who also earned All-League honors in soccer, was one of the most sought-after squash recruits in the country. Such Ivy
League rivals as Harvard, Yale, and Penn were just some of the schools that had been seeking her services, as the Deerfield senior was ranked among the top ten players in her age bracket by the US Squash and Racquetball Association. And her showing this winter with the Big Green might well have nudged her further up the sport's food chain. Dewey culminated her career at Deerfield by finishing first in the No. 1 Bracket at the New England Prep School Girls Squash Tournament via a 4-0 record, which gave her an overall mark of 28-1 on the season. Dewey, who finished fifth in this showcase as a sophomore and third as a junior, used her gold-medal effort this year to help spark Deerfield to the team championship, bumping Greenwich Academy off the tourney's top rung for the
first time since 1995. "If I'd lost, Greenwich would have won the title . . . it was that close," said Dewey. "But that's why I love squash so much. It's a team sport, but at the same time, it's an individual sport as well. In squash, if you're having a bad day, you can't call a time out and have someone else come in and take your place." "Hallie's one of the finest players I've ever coached," said veteran Deerfield squash mentor Karinne Heise. And, according to her coach, Dewey's success is the result of a perfect storm. "First," said Heise, "Hallie's passionate about squash . . . she has an unbelievable will to win . . . she's incredibly poised . . . she's totally unflappable . . . she's such an outstanding athlete she can dictate what happens on the court."
Current sports schedules and scores: deerfield.edu/athletics
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Good Morning from Cambodia! Summer Grants Help to Fund Good Deeds at Home and Abroad
Courtesy of Mac McDonald
Every year a multitude of Deerfield students devote part of their summer to community service, thanks in part to David Workman Grants and the Charles Piper Cost Award. The application process is rigorous, but funds are available for ambitious freshman, sophomores, and juniors who hope to make a difference in the world. Sophomore Mac McDonald traveled to Cambodia last summer, where he and 15 other volunteers pitched in at the Mekong Kampuchea Kids orphanage. Mekong Kampuchea is home to more than 45 children, many of whom were orphaned by HIV/AIDS. According to the orphanage's mission statement, Mekong Kampuchea is a place where children can receive an education, learn life skills, receive vocational training, and earn scholarships "in an effort to help (them) increase their confidence, find a livelihood, and get an education so they can participate in mainstream Cambodian society." Mac helped to plant two gardens, erect a bamboo fence, tend to rice paddies, and build a playground for the orphans.
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These grants range in value from $200 to $1000, and are awarded to an unspecified number of freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. David Workman, Class of 1950, has been described as a "quiet philanthropist who learned at Deerfield the responsibility all members of a community have for one another." The Workman Fund, established in his memory by his brother, Peter '56, is intended to promote summer community service by bringing speakers and workshops to campus and by providing grants to students on a competitive basis.
"When the kids saw the playground they went berserk," Mac said. "They were running, screaming, and non-stop smiling. It was an amazing sight to see." Mac also brought with him his thousand-dollar Workman Grant, which he donated to the orphanage to fund solar panels on a new dormitory and water purification spouts. He met with Buddhist monk Vandong Thorn, founder of Mekong Kampuchea, who helped Mac to determine the best use for his donation, and their relationship is ongoing; at Deerfield this past fall, Mac arranged a fundraiser on campus and sent the proceeds to the orphanage. "I talk to Thorn on a weekly basis," explained Mac. "He'll message me at night, saying, 'Good morning from Cambodia!' He keeps me up to date on Mekong Kampuchea's progress . . ." This summer Mac will return to Camp Sunshine, in Casco, Maine, where he has worked with children with life-threatening diseases for the past eight years. But he is already making plans to return to Cambodia during the summer between his junior and senior years at Deerfield. "I hope to work side-by-side with Thorn," Mac said. "And I will apply for another grant to make my travel possible," he added.
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David Workman Grants
The Charles Piper Cost Award This $2500 award is available to one Deerfield student every year. The award attempts to provide some remuneration to a Deerfield student who chooses to spend all or most of a summer in a volunteer activity. It is to be given "to that student who, upon application, demonstrates a sincere desire to work in a volunteer capacity for a significant portion of the summer in a position which best suggests a commitment to help his fellow man, a quality which will long be remembered as an important ingredient in the personality of Charles Piper Cost '83." This award, funded by an endowment, is made possible thanks to contributions from Mr. Cost's family and friends.
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KIPP Flourishes Under the Summer Sun Deerfield Offers Summer Opportunities to Students and Faculty
Spring 2011
l to r: April Simmons '03, Alexis Rosado '03, Greg Dagget '04, Andrea Dogostiano '03, and Jennifer Maurer '03 A graduate of Brown University, Ms. Rosado's KIPP connection is as strong as ever—today she works as the director of alumni support in the KIPP Through College office at KIPP Academy in Lynn, MA. "As a member of the founding class of KIPP Academy Bronx, I have always been personally invested in the KIPP movement," she said. "I think my career with KIPP started back when I would give bus loads of seventh grade KIPP-sters tours of Deerfield . . . my involvement with KIPP is the only reason I haven't applied for a job at Deerfield!" Ms. Rosado added.
The KIPP faculty institute for writing will begin on July 2, and this summer's KIPP-sters will arrive a week later. For more information on either program, contact Jeff Armes at 413.774.1400 or email@example.com.
Courtesy of Alexis Rosado
Deerfield's Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) faculty will be in class well before their students this summer. Led by English teacher Mark Scandling and program coordinator and Deerfield Associate Dean of Admission Jeff Armes, this inaugural KIPP Faculty Program will focus on the best methods for teaching writing. Some KIPP faculty members are also part of the Academy's faculty, but most come from locations as diverse as their students; there are currently 99 KIPP schools in 20 states and the District of Columbia, and they serve over 27,000 students. As a national network of free, open-enrollment, college-preparatory public schools, the Knowledge is Power Program has a record of preparing students in underserved communities for success in college and in life. Now in its third year at Deerfield, 50 students from KIPP schools all over the country come to Deerfield during the summer for three weeks of intense study and fun, and to experience boarding school life for the first time. In past years "KIPP-sters" have dissected sheep hearts, explored The Great Gatsby, and fly-fished the Deerfield River, and many KIPP students are inspired to apply to boarding school after their time at Deerfield. Jeff Armes commented, "I was allowed to present a vision for the KIPP program, to draw academically talented students to Deerfield, and get them excited about the possibility of boarding school . . ." One former KIPP student who went on to graduate in Deerfield's Class of 2003 is Alexis Rosado. She credits Mr. Armes and several other faculty members with teaching her to think critically and challenging her to achieve excellence in the classroom and beyond. Ms. Rosado made the most of her Deerfield experience: "I threw myself into everything the school had to offer," she said. "School meetings, sports requirements, and the cheerleaders helped to foster an unbreakable school spirit. The diversity support groups such as the Deerfield Black Student Coalition and the Latin American Society provided a safe space for students of color to connect with and support one another. All of the extracurricular options for student involvement made it easy to find my niche. As I think back, I think the hardest transition was learning how to manage my time between academics, student groups, and sports!"
Navigating the Numbers— Advice from the Director of College Advising by Martha Lyman Admission to the most selective colleges in the nation has become more and more daunting as application numbers soar. Colleges have been recruiting all over the world and benefitted from the ease of filing electronic applications. This year in my conversations with admission officers, for the first time, I've heard some concern about those large numbers. Harvard's admission of a student with forged credentials made a
abandoned four years ago. But the statistics are still staggering: for example, this year 34,950 students applied for 1650 available spaces in the freshman class at Harvard. The hype (and the facts) about application numbers have increased anxiety among our students and parents, but there are ways to make the process less stressful. First, the most basic pitfall to avoid: do not insist on applying to a long
yourself as someone you are not. Even sophisticated packaging rarely fools experienced admissions officers. The keys to making the college application process easier on yourself are to be realistic and to be self-aware. Two students I worked with this year come to mind. When I met with the first one last spring he had already done some thinking about what he wanted from a college. He knew he wanted
the summer he visited a wide range of colleges and, as requested, sent me a detailed report on the pros and cons of each. A national caliber athlete in a sport in which most colleges do not recruit, he investigated interest levels and determined that his considerable success in that arena would not be a significant factor in college admission. By the end of the summer he had two colleges at the top of his list, one just a little harder to get in to than
The keys to making the college application process easier on yourself are to be realistic and to be self-aware. big splash in The Boston Globe, and the ripples were felt across the country, causing some admission officers to pause and ask: Have we gone too far? Can we really give all these applications a fair hearing? There have been a few subtle shifts. One college which, last year, had a "fast track" application encouraging students to apply without even writing an essay decided that they were attracting the wrong kind of applicants and returned to a more traditional format. Harvard and Princeton have just announced that they will reinstate versions of the early action programs they
list of highly selective colleges, in spite of receiving advice that none of those applications is likely to be successful. Applying to all of the colleges your classmates are applying to, and finding your grade point average falls in the middle or near the bottom of 55 other Deerfield students who have applied to Middlebury or Dartmouth is not a good strategy. If you decide that there is only one college in the world where you can be happy, your anxiety surrounding that application process will increase exponentially. And perhaps the most stressful tack to take is to try to present
to return to the West, and he hoped to find a college that would allow him to pursue his interest in wildlife biology. He knew that the weakest part of his application was his low test scores, but he decided that he would much rather spend his summer leading canoe trips in Canada than taking a test prep course, and his parents supported his decision. He found between six and eight colleges that met his criteria, applied to the two that had early notification plans, was admitted to both, and done with the entire process by mid-January. The other student took a step-by-step approach. Over
the other. Although he was in the top quintile, he knew he not right at the top of his class; his test scores were also good but not exceptional. He consulted with me, and with his parents, but in the end the decision was his alone. He chose to apply early decision to the slightly less selective college and was admitted. No tips. No connections. Both of these students were successful, at least in part, because they know and appreciate exactly who they are. And that's a very good place to begin to navigate the numbers in the current maze of college admissions.
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Coming Soon . . . Deerfield's 212th Commencement Exercises On May 29 members of the Class of 2011 will graduate, and become freshmen in the Alumni Association. In addition to their families and friends, Head of School Margarita Curtis, President of the Board of Trustees Philip Greer '53 P '94, and alumnus Neil MacFarquhar, Class of 1977, will be on hand to welcome them. An expert on the Middle East, Mr. MacFarquhar's message for graduates is sure to be relevant to current events. Mr. MacFarquhar lived in Cairo, Egypt, for five years and was bureau chief there for The New York Times. Prior to that, he was a correspondent for The Associated Press. He has written critically acclaimed books including a work of fiction—The Sand Café, and a memoir—The Media Relations Department of Hizbollah Wishes You a Happy Birthday. Since June of 2008 Mr. MacFarquhar has been New York Times bureau chief at the United Nations. A fluent speaker of Arabic and French, he earned his BA in International Political Economy from Stanford University. Asked what he thought about being a foreign correspondent, Mr. MacFarquhar said, "It's a funny job—funny in the two senses of the word. Ricocheting from country to country, chasing mayhem, is both a peculiar way to earn a living and often borders on the absurd. Obviously much of what I cover is sobering and achingly sad. But the way the press corps goes about it, the logistics that most people never see, habitually
proves comical, particularly in the Arab world. (I managed to work that into my books.) The best part, though, is that reporting is a form of continuous education and a chance to come face-to-face with the world without any barriers in the way." A full weekend of events is planned for Commencement 2011, including a concert by members of the Academy's Music Department, theater performances, a Head of School's Open House for seniors and their families, the traditional Awards Luncheon, and more. Commencement exercises will take place at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday. A complete schedule of events is available at danet.deerfield.edu under "Just for Parents." Commencement invitations for senior parents and their guests were mailed on April 1.
Secret Friends and the Mistakes of a Night She Stoops to Conquer This Spring at Deerfield Mr. Reese and company will present She Stoops to Conquer, which was first produced by Academy students in 1816. It was also the first play Mr. Reese directed when he joined the Deerfield faculty in 1984. "In She Stoops to Conquer, the audience actually becomes each character's 'secret friend' and they always know more about 'the mistakes of a night' than anyone else on the stage. This is a great source of empowerment and amusement for the audience. Costumes, makeup, and acting in our production will definitely capture the flavor of the 18th century," Mr. Reese said. "We have a brilliant, talented cast of actors who are bringing this play to vibrant life in rehearsals and I can hardly wait until we encounter that missing element, the audience. Theater-lovers will not want to miss this hilarious production."
Spring 2011
She Stoops to Conquer will open on May 24, and run through May 28. All performances begin at 7:00 p.m., except for the May 28 performance, which is at 4:00 p.m. Tickets for performances are free but required; contact John Reese at firstname.lastname@example.com or 413.774.1556 for more information.
Courtesy of Neil MacFarquhar
Featuring the Class of 2011 and Keynote Speaker Neil MacFarquhar '77
Mary Ellen Friends, Deerfield Schoolmaster's Chair
When Mary Ellen Friends was earning her master's degree at Yale, she was also quietly applying to high school teaching positions, concerned that her professors might frown on the idea of devoting so much knowledge and potential to a secondary school. But that's just what she did. Since 1995, Mary Ellen has poured her time and talent into Deerfield, teaching everything from Modern Japanese Literature to The Modern Middle East. "I love being with teenagers. It's a wonderful age. There is so much joy in sharing with them." The Deerfield Schoolmaster's Chair, established in a bequest from Henry A. Field, Class of 1887, is "a highly visible honor lauding total commitment to the school in academic, athletic, and corridor life." A former holder of the Distinguished Young Teacher's Chair, Mary Ellen has been a field hockey coach, dorm parent, and advisor for 13 years. To better know one of her advisees, she recently visited all of her classes. "I learned so much about her—and Deerfield—in one day!" Chair of Deerfield's History Department, Mary Ellen also serves on the Curriculum, Admission, and Global Studies Committees. When asked to list, in a nutshell, the reasons why global literacy is important to Deerfield, a small school in a sleepy New England valley, she talks enthusiastically and at length on the subject. After which she concedes with a laugh, "Nutshells are not my strength." But helping students understand the world certainly is. Mary Ellen encourages her students to consider "not just what's in the world, but how it's connected, how events have multiple meanings and consequences for various peoples." She impresses upon them just how "thin the veneer of civility
can be," and hopes that they learn the "value of empathy." She also strives to help students think more fluidly in a changing world. "Deerfield students need to work independently and in vibrant collaboration to engage with problems they haven't seen, to draw back and approach them from interdisciplinary ways. They need to leave the Academy with skills to solve problems their parents didn't encounter. We're in the second or third generation of jobs shifting out of the U.S., and they will be called upon to work collaboratively and across continents." Mary Ellen notes that the Academy's strategic plan, Imagine Deerfield, calls for "getting more kids and faculty out in the world and bringing the world into campus." Few at Deerfield are better suited to lead the way. Summer research projects have taken Mary Ellen to Brazil, Jordan, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, and Cambodia. Fluent in Mandarin, she has been the program director of School Year Abroad in China for the past two summers, and co-led Deerfield's first student trip to the country. She is a contributor to the Modern Language Association's Approaches to Teaching World Literature book series, and has lectured on educational issues, including an address at Seoul National University on ways that independent school teaching styles can be applied to the South Korean public school system. Whenever possible, her husband, John, and their children, Caleb and Ellie, have joined her. Mary Ellen recalls bundling the kids in backpacks and taking them on far away adventures; only when hiking to Korea's demilitarized zone did the children stay a few miles behind, in safer territory. Next year, Mary Ellen will head to Brazil, Turkey, and India while on sabbatical. On the Turkey-India leg of her trip, she'll collaborate with Lydia Hemphill, associate academic dean and fine arts teacher. "Lydia will bring art history, architecture, and photography skills. I'll do what I can to pull my load with history and a written record of the trip." Grateful "for the trust the school gives faculty to build meaningful courses," Mary Ellen describes her upcoming travels as "part course development, part community service, and part fostering ties for Deerfield." As any good educator knows, "teaching is learning, and there's always more to learn; I often sit up past midnight reading, researching, and writing." Although she will miss teaching while away from campus, Mary Ellen intends to "experience the world and bring it back to our school in ways that will make classes come alive for students."
along albany road
Total Commitment
^Photographs by Brent M. Hale
Ellie a≠d the
by Naomi Shulman
Erstwhile Latin students, put on your thinking caps and name this reference: Omnia vincit amor. Got it? That's Virgil, from the Eclogues: Love conquers all. Let's play again: Labor omnia vincit. Ring any bells? It's kind of a trick question. The quote is also Virgil, revising his original romantic statement into something decidedly more practical: Work conquers all. And actually, the whole quote is labor omnia vincit improbus—ruinous work overcomes all. It's from the Georgics, a littleread, hard-to-decipher collection of four books that is widely considered to be the most obtuse work written in the language—and perhaps in Western literature overall. Deerfield Latin teacher Sam Savage refers to it as a conundrum, "a poem about farming that isn't about farming." But Ellie Parker '11, whose arduous AP physics/ rowing/proctoring schedule suggests she has already internalized the virtue of ruinous labor, is tackling the Georgics head on. Alone. If anyone was gong to do it, it would be Ellie. A National Merit Scholar who was accepted early into Harvard, she tapped out the Latin offerings at Deerfield last spring, as a junior. Already fluent in Italian, Ellie faced a choice: start another language, or embark on an independent study? Savage and his colleague, Latin teacher John Burke, encouraged the latter. "Ellie is clearly an unusually qualified student," says Burke, who along with Savage is advising Ellie through her
solo tutorial; Savage took the reins for the first two terms, and Burke is taking over in the spring. "We wanted to devise a project where she could really stretch." Turns out Ellie isn't the only one stretching. "You have to understand . . . " Savage shakes his head. "No one reads this in high school. Actually, it's rarely read in college." A quick survey of upper-level university course offerings backs Savage up on this. This course is for students whose Latin is already very advanced; one cautions. Admission is by permission only, warns another. It stands to reason that a didactic poem on ancient farming techniques would not rank high on most students' (or teachers') reading lists. "But here we are," laughs Savage. "We're reading the whole thing—about 2300 lines, four books." He shrugs his shoulders gamely. "This is the first time I've read the Georgics in such close detail, so you could call this more a collaboration than a tutorial. I'm more like a book club partner." All last fall and winter, Savage and Parker met one-on-one in a quiet Kendall classroom, projecting pages of text onto the wall so they could parse out the dense poetry, word by circuitous word. But a lot of the study has taken
about the grafting techniques Clarkdale Farm uses, which are essentially unchanged from the way Virgil described them some two thousand years ago. Despite shifts in technology, the fundamentals of many of the farming techniques Virgil wrote about have stayed more or less the same, Clark explains: "There are more similarities than differences, considering how long ago Virgil wrote." That's because the basics of anything— from farming to higher learning—have a funny way of remaining fairly constant. We'll come back to that.
^^^^ Yearlong, in-depth, interdisciplinary studies like this make regular appearances in college course catalogs; they're less likely to pop up at the high school level. When students like Ellie come along, however, the Deerfield faculty steps up to help meet the challenge. "We feel an obligation to extend ourselves for any student who exhausts an area of study," says academic dean Peter Warsaw. "Tutorials aren't new—they're the Oxford model." But it was synergistic that Ellie's project happened along when it did. As part of Imagine Deerfield, the strategic plan that the
This course is for students whose Latin is already very advanced; one cautions. Admission is by permission only, warns another. —says a survey of upper-level university Georgics courses place outside, where the action of the Georgics takes place. Put another way, Ellie has been taking field trips to actual fields. Which explains the call Ben Clark '96 got from his alma mater late last year. Clark, who runs his family's 95-year-old Clarkdale fruit orchard, starts working first thing in the morning and continues nonstop till sunset. "Even in the dead of winter," he explains, "there's always plenty to do around here." But this farmer—who recalls taking a little Latin at Deerfield, but was wholly unfamiliar with the Georgics—took time out of his busy day to chat with Savage and Ellie 20
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Academy has been drafting and implementing for the past several years, a recommendation had been put forward to implement senior capstone courses: self-designed, independent projects that would give students the chance to synthesize the separate elements of their Deerfield career. To that end, Ellie is blazing a trail. "It's something that's been in the air," Warsaw says. "But it's been tricky to get it on the ground without a tangible example. We've been waiting for the right moment, and that moment came with a really extraordinary student who was ready for something more."
All last fall and winter, Savage and Ellie met one-on-one in a quiet Kendall classroom, projecting pages of text onto the wall so they could parse out the dense poetry, word by circuitous word. deerfield.edu
Facts are vital, but given the technology available to most people today . . . The premium is now on the ability to
think flexibly, creatively, and metaphorically —Peter Warsaw
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Just as Ellie was ready for a greater challenge, Warsaw points out that Deerfield is gearing up for the greater challenges that face all of its students. "The senior capstone project is a work in progress," he explains. It's still in the theoretical stage, but Warsaw and his colleagues see the potential—a student could write a piece of musical composition, or put together a series of paintings. Whatever form a project takes, Warsaw says the unifying element will be in the exposition—a student's written analysis of the work he or she puts forth. It's this analysis that gets to the heart of the matter. "What should we be teaching in the twenty-first century, after all?" Warsaw asks. Facts are vital, but given the technology available to most people today—in some cases literally at one's fingertips, via smart phone—Warsaw thinks the Academy needs to go a step farther. "The premium is now on the ability to think flexibly, creatively, and metaphorically," he emphasizes, "and to draw connections between disparate topics." And this is what happens when a student takes pen to paper and writes a detailed, thoughtful, scrupulously researched analysis. "Writing a substantial paper is a great ally in learning to take a meta approach to a project. It forces students to explicate—to others, but also to themselves." So far, though, the capstone course is still just an idea—partly for pragmatic reasons. The work Savage and Burke are undertaking with Ellie cannot be replicated for every other student in the school: There are only so many hours in the week. "The labor involved in shepherding students through this kind of project . . . " Warsaw sighs. "We don't have the manpower. We will have to find creative ways to fund people to oversee these projects. I'm excited, though, because a student like Ellie forces the conversation." There's something mildly ironic, Warsaw admits, about Ellie's project being grounded in the classics, given that the capstone course model is geared toward twenty-first century learning. "All this, in the context of reading Virgil!" he laughs. But the fundamentals remain, well, fundamental. Relevance hides within the oldest, more obscure texts, waiting to be revealed in the scope of students' everyday lives. Ellie happened upon this truth by accident. "I chose it almost by random," Ellie laughs in retrospect. She was attracted to the bucolic subject matter,
she explains—line after line devoted to trees, planting, the cycle of the seasons. But, she now realizes, "The Georgics are complex and philosophical. They question the nature of work and the political climate. There's a lot of resonance with current events, actually." Savage agrees. "There are a lot of convergences," he says. "The themes intersect with farming, agriculture, ethical practices, environmental stewardship— the Georgics overlaps with what could be called a Michael Pollan sensibility." Thus inspired by Savage, who regularly puts Horace and Catullus into the framework of pop music and film, Ellie relates the themes in the Georgics to her other classes, such as biology and English. "Anything is relevant to this course," she insists. It's all up for grabs: "Wings of Desire, the '80s-era Wim Wenders film, or a Rolling Stones song, or any single one of the texts we've read in English this year." With that in mind, for her culminating paper Ellie is translating four passages, one from each of the four books of the Georgics, into the style of four twentieth-century authors—Gertrude Stein, Robert Hillyer, Virginia Woolf, and Tom Robbins. This depends on an intimate understanding not just of Virgil but also of his modern descendants. "This is not the straight, slightly-tweaked transliteration I'm used to doing, but instead really an extraction of Virgil's core meaning that will be interpreted into the language, context, and tone of those four authors," she explains. She'll take it a step further by pairing each translation with a painting, sculpture, or other work of art that evokes the themes, and tie the four passages together "with a meditation on the balance of amor and labor, arguably the two competing themes of the Georgics, in the context of my own Deerfield experience." It is no coincidence that Ellie's Deerfield experience plays such a central role. For her, the Georgics has physical relevance. "Deerfield is very rural," Ellie says. It is January, and it has just snowed copiously; the ground is crystalline; when one looks out the window it's hard to pin down what century it is. "It's just beautiful, right? So I can relate completely to that element of the Georgics, too." This sentiment rings true to the Deerfield administration. "We have this unbelievable resource, just being here in this town, and we don't always use it to its fullest," admits Warsaw.
Parker, Savage, & Burke photographs: Gabriel Amadeus Cooney
Ellie's journal
So far, though, the capstone course is still just an idea— partly for pragmatic reasons . . . We will have to find creative ways to fund people to oversee these projects. I'm excited, though, because a student like Ellie forces the conversation.
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"The labor/amor conflict is so central to everyone's Deerfield career," she points out. Athletics, academics, the arts: "How much of this feels like work, and how much like passion? How often do we substitute one for the other, or let the work/leisure balance get out of whack here?"
Warsaw's farming neighbor Ben Clark sees the value of reconnecting to place. "I'm always happy to be involved in the Deerfield community," Clark says. "As an alumnus, it feels like a very natural thing to do. For students there to connect to the community—it's a valuable part of the education, a tie-in with the area around you and a sense of your place within it." Warsaw concurs. "Those of us with a romantic bent feel the importance of being connected to the place where you are, at any given moment, and then radiate in concentric circles from that point. You start with knowing yourself, then knowing your community, then hopefully beginning to understand the larger world."
^^^^ A thoughtful, quiet student, Ellie gives the impression that she is approaching her work from within those concentric circles—starting from the self outward. "I'm a vegetarian; I devote some thought to what I eat. In an ideal world I'd eat what I grow myself—although I do eat what's served to me here at school," she smiles. But her point is made: Every decision we make, down to each bite we put in our mouths, has resonance. "Agriculture is clearly political, and obviously it's always been political. That's what I'm getting into when I talk to the local farming community." With that in mind, Ellie has been drafting questions to pose to local farmers, and some are doozies: What impact has the government had on your farm? Are you in cooperation or competition with your neighbors? She's both inspired and frustrated by the contradictions within the text. "Is it a straight handbook, or a political allegory? A message to the literati to return to humble origins?" If it's the latter, that's
a sentiment that the Deerfield community at large is taking seriously, returning not only to its physical roots but its academic ones, too. "Until five years ago, every Deerfield junior was expected to write a fifteen-page paper in U.S. history," Warsaw points out. The senior capstone project would up the ante. Now, instead of a focus on some aspect of history, the project would ask each student to look within him or herself, find the spark that connects the dots between all the elements of the previous several years' work, and pull it together in a way that is unique to his or her Deerfield experience. Ellie's version of this project contains a thematic irony: Both beautiful and confounding, to read the Georgics is truly a labor of love. In fact, one could say Virgil's competing dicta, that love and work conquer all, are both vital linchpins to any capstone project. After all, such an undertaking asks a lot—of students and faculty alike. But Ellie faces her task fearlessly: She has taken to heart some thousands-years-old wisdom. "The labor/amor conflict is so central to everyone's Deerfield career," she points out. Athletics, academics, the arts: "How much of this feels like work, and how much like passion? How often do we substitute one for the other, or let the work/leisure balance get out of whack here?" For Ellie, the opportunity to examine this question closely has been cathartic, perhaps even therapeutic—at once a reflection on the ancients and an introspection on her own day-to-day life. "It's helping me develop both my perspective on Deerfield and my understanding of labor/amor in the text to begin with," she says. "I can use the amor/labor meditation to record some of the connections and conversations and philosophy at which we've arrived over the year. The ability to make connections is paramount." ••
Naomi Shulman's work has appeared in a number of publications, including Wondertime, Whole Living, and FamilyFun. She lives in Northampton, MA, with her husband and two daughters. deerfield.edu
RIVER / VALLEY / ROCK by Richard Little / Introduction by Jessica Day / Illustrations by Will Sillin / Photographs by Brent M. Hale
Juniors and seniors in "GEO241" reach for their tall boots and bug spray before heading off to class; that's the downside—the mud and mosquitoes. The upside is that they are heading out for hands-on learning, in a location that boasts some of the Earth's most interesting geological formations. Long before the Academy was founded, the lower Deerfield River Valley was most famous for its farmland. The valley was wide and flat with few stones, so the landscape favored the plow—it still does. Surrounded by fields for play and fields for growing, Deerfield's campus is both beautiful and unique, and it makes a lasting impression on students and visitors alike. Richard Little's geology students dig deeper to discover exactly how this landscape came to be; their classroom has no walls but plenty of structure, as students literally delve into the ground that they're standing on, and learn that there is more to the Deerfield campus than meets the eye. One of the first lessons in Mr. Little's class often surprises his students: Deerfield was once under water. Deep, cold, murky water. In fact, the Academy's current location is not just on an ancient lake bottom, but under the lake bottom. Their curiosity ignited, hands shoot into the air and questions are on the tip of everyone's tongue . . . Mr. Little begins at the beginning.
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Bedrock was squeezed upward to form the Himalaya-sized Appalachian Mountains. The compression and heat of these orogenic events transformed Deerfield's deep bedrock into metamorphic rock types such as gneiss, schist, slate, and marble.
During the early Paleozoic Era (500 million years ago), North America's shoreline ended near the eastern New York border. Except for a thin strip of Vermont, New England was not part of the North American continent but it was on the way in several pieces, called exotic terranes. These terranes were big islands of Earth's crust that, through the process of plate tectonics, collided with North America, adding to its real estate. Each collision resulted in mountains, culminating with the impact of Africa and Europe, which created the supercontinent of Pangea. Bedrock was squeezed upward to form the Himalaya-sized Appalachian Mountains. The compression and heat of these orogenic events transformed Deerfield's deep bedrock into metamorphic rock types such as gneiss, schist, slate, and marble. Today, many of these boulders can be found throughout the school's campus. Several beautiful examples have been brought in as educational landscape stones, and they surround the Koch Center for Science, Math, and Technology. As the Earth was shifting, subterranean zones that had melted cooled slowly to crystallize into granite, which are typically extremely hard rocks and resistant to erosion. The landscape records their unwillingness to yield to the forces of degradation by standing tall and steep; this is the origin of the V-shaped profile of the Deerfield River's upper valley.
Then, during the Mesozoic Era of geologic time, about 200 million years ago, the supercontinent of Pangea began to break apart. Splitting stresses created a long fault zone that reached from Keene, NH, to New Haven, CT, and beyond. These earth movements created a "rift valley," and into this valley rivers washed great volumes of sediment: sand, gravel, and mud, which became the "red rock" that underlies Deerfield and is so clearly exposed at Mount Sugarloaf, in South Deerfield. These sedimentary rocks are weaker than the hard metamorphic rocks and granite of the upper Deerfield River. Indeed, this sedimentary seam in the western New England bedrock is quite weak and, over time, rivers such as the Connecticut and its Deerfield tributary developed wide valleys in this area. The "lowlands" of the Deerfield River valley were first eroded by the movement of glaciers and then covered by Lake Hitchcock as the glacial ice melted. Muddy and sandy deposits of the lake, as well as later river floodplain deposits, formed the excellent terraced landscape that makes up the Deerfield campus and surroundings, and they are also the productive base for fertile soil development.
Block Diagram of the Deerfield Valley
Deerfield Diabase = basalt lava flow This diagram illustrates how the sedimentary layers under Deerfield are younger and on top of the rocks of the Berkshires. They have been tilted by the movement of the Eastern Border Fault. The Sugarloaf Arkose, so prominently displayed at Mt. Sugarloaf, also composes "The Rock" of the Pocumtuck Range cliff that overlooks Deerfield Academy.
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Glossary for River, Valley, Rock
Orogeny: The process by which a section of the Earth's crust is folded and deformed by lateral compression to form a mountain range.
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Pangea: (from Greek—pan: "all" and gaia: "earth") A supercontinent comprising all the continental crust of the Earth, postulated to have existed in late Paleozoic and Mesozoic times before it broke down into Gondwana and Laurasia.
David Thiel
Deltas can be traced throughout Hitchcock's extent, and in the Deerfield area they mark an elevation about 300 feet above sea level; so, Eaglebrook School's location was at the lake's shore, and Deerfield's location was on the bottom of the lake, under 150 feet of icy, muddy water for exactly 1389 years.
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Varve: (from Swedish varv: "layer") A pair of thin layers of clay and silt of contrasting color and texture that represent the deposit of a single year (summer and winter) in a lake.
The Deerfield River is unusual in this area, it flows north, just opposite of what would be expected.
The glacial lake that once covered Deerfield was discovered by and named after one of the Academy's early preceptors, Edward Hitchcock, who was born in Hitchcock House in 1793. Hitchcock's study of the natural world began in his late teens, when he spent months researching the great comet of 1811. He was the Academy's preceptor from 1816 to 1818, and he subsequently taught classes at Deerfield and Amherst College, becoming president of Amherst in 1845. But it is Edward Hitchcock's contribution to the study of geology that he is best remembered for; he led a movement to make geology part of the American college curriculum, identified and recorded 154 different species of dinosaur fossils with the assistance of his wife (Orra White Hitchcock), and wrote the first original American geology textbook. Nearly 150 years after his death, his research remains the foundation for modern geology. To understand Edward Hitchcock's lake, one must define its geography. Where was the shoreline? Fortunately, there is an accurate, fairly simple method to identify the lake's perimeters. Deltas, built by ancient rivers that flowed into the old lake, are significant flattopped landforms that mark the old lake surface (water level). They can be traced throughout Hitchcock's extent, and in the Deerfield area they mark an elevation about 300 feet above sea level; so, Eaglebrook School's location was at the lake's shore, and Deerfield's location was on the bottom of the lake, under 150 feet of icy, muddy water for exactly 1389 years. A precise measurement of time is possible because of fine-grained deposits called "varves." The lake floor is composed of a hundred feet or more of these varves, which can be counted year-by-year, like tree rings. During winter, when the lake surface was frozen, clay settled to the lakebed. When summer finally came, the forces of incoming streams and wind stirring the lake brought silt and sand to cover the previous winter's clay layer. A drill core on the Amherst campus of the University of Massachusetts sampled 1389 varves, accurately marking the time of Lake Hitchcock in that section of the old lake.
DEERFIELD RIVER NETWORK The flat Hitchcock floor underlies South Deerfield and Greenfield at an elevation of about 200 to 250 feet above sea level. Given the variations in thickness of sediment, the lake floor does not have a consistent elevation like the water line of the lakeshore. Today, the Academy's "upper level��� is 160 feet. That is about 90 feet beneath its ancient location on Hitchcock's floor. Ninety feet of missing clay helps to explain the situation; there are flat landscapes all around, and there is a meandering river a stone's throw to the west—so, river erosion is the simple answer to Deerfield's current "sub-surface" location. Meandering rivers cut terraces as they curve back and forth, eroding ever downward, and the Deerfield River has carved a classic river landscape, similar to a miniature Mississippi.
Calve: (from Old English calfian, from caelf "calf") The action of an iceberg or glacier splitting and shedding a smaller mass of ice.
Pocumtuck Mountain
Uppermost remaining Lake Hitchcock sediments
Deerfield River terraces
Deerfield Academy
Deerfield River
N From a geological perspective, the erosion was rapid. Lake Hitchcock has been gone for 14,000 years, and the river could not have flowed over the lakebed until the water was drained; in effect, it took about 14,000 years to create the Academy landscape that we are familiar with today.
Anyone who has been at Deerfield in the spring is familiar not only with the river's landscape of terraces but with its floodplains as well; melting ice and snow pour into the river, often causing it to spill over its banks. What isn't as obvious is how unusual the Deerfield River is in this area . . . defying logic, it flows north, just opposite of what would be expected. As a tributary to the southerly flowing Connecticut River, the Deerfield should flow diagonally into it, not opposite of the master stream. The approach to most landscape mysteries is to "blame the glacier." If one considers the wide-ranging effects that a massive cover of ice has on the landscape, certainly some hypotheses
Spring 2011
for solutions can be posed. In the case of the "misdirected" Deerfield River, crustal rebound in early post-glacial time may be the answer. Here is the scenario: First, the weight of the glacier depressed Earth's crust by hundreds of feet. When the ice melted, the landscape rebounded, but not uniformly. Southerly areas, which had the weight of the ice removed by melting sooner, rebounded before the more northerly areas. The rebounding landscape, therefore, would have had a slight tilt to the north when Lake Hitchcock drained. This tilt would have angled the Deerfield River to the northerly side of its delta. When the lake drained, its flow would have been directed toward the north, and it quickly would have cut through the delta sediment, developing its valley in this direction. Subsequently, the Academy's "Upper Level" and "Lower Level" were created by erosion and repeated flood deposits; each terrace level was a former floodplain at the time of its creation. Today, these levels form the underpinnings of the Academy's dramatic landscape.
Rift Valley: A large elongated depression with steep walls formed by the downward displacement of a block of the Earth's surface between nearly parallel faults or fault systems.
Gabriel Amadeus Cooney; aerial photo by Intrepid Aerial Photography
Back in his classroom, specimens of rock
surround Mr. Little. "There are so many stories preserved in rocks and landscapes, and this area illustrates some magnificent examples. And for a relatively short river, the Deerfield exhibits quite a number of intriguing features—it traverses such different and dramatic landscapes that reflect the region's rich geologic history," he says. "If anyone were on campus 16,000 years ago, he or she would observe that the glacier ice margin would have been right in Deerfield. It would have looked like Glacier Bay, Alaska (without the mountains), and tourist cruise boats could have easily passed over the Academy's lake-bottom location as they reconnoitered the ice cliff, hoping for a massive iceberg to calve and splash," Mr. Little muses. "Even though today's landscape looks radically different, it communicates its geologic story clearly." And then he adds, "I think there is perhaps no better place on Earth than the Deerfield River Valley to contemplate the natural world on the scales of human and geologic time."••
Richard D. Little, Deerfield Academy Geology Instructor; Professor Emeritus, Greenfield Community College, Greenfield, MA, is the author of Dinosaurs, Dunes, and Drifting Continents: the Geology of the Connecticut River Valley, and leads "Fantastic Landscapes" tours to outstanding locales; Iceland and the Canadian Rockies are destinations in 2011. His website is earthview.pair.com. For comments and questions he can be reached at email@example.com or email@example.com.
A picture is worth a thousand words... Real work by real Deerfield students
THE CLASS: A discussion of Lord Byron's "She Walks In Beauty Like the Night," in particular his technique of indirect description. He was taken with her (as he was with many women.) The question is why? How does he describe her? THE ASSIGNMENT: Describe a classmate in this class in a byronic way with a minimum of physical description and an effort toward capturing the person's essence.
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THE CLASS: Arabic II THE ASSIGNMENT: keep a journal in which you write your thoughts and stories using old and new arabic vocabulary words.
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class notes
Class Notes
Upcoming Events
T E COMMON ROOM Notes from Deerfield Alumni Association
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class notes
1936 George (Pidge) Butman Dowley died on January 7, 2011, peacefully at his home. He was 93. Born in Worcester, MA, after graduating from Deerfield Pidge attended Amherst College. He served in the United States Coast Guard during World War II as a first lieutenant. Pidge and Marion Horne of North Plainfield, NJ, were married on September 7, 1940, and remained happily so for 70 years. Pidge was associated with Wells and Coverly for all his business career and was president from 1952 until its closing in 1993. He served as a director of Merchants Bank and Onondaga Savings Bank, was a member of Syracuse Parking Authority and the City Planning Commission. He was on the boards of Pebble Hill School, Community General Hospital, Community Foundation, United Way and YMCA. He was a member of the Century Club of Syracuse and Skaneateles County Club. An avid sailor, Pidge cruised extensively in the Caribbean and most enjoyed the time spent cruising in Maine waters. His happiest summers were the 32 years spent in their cottage on Holmes Cove near the town of Cutler, ME. Pidge is survived by his four children and their spouses, Peter '62 and Susan of Aiken, SC, David '64 and Carol of Roque Bluffs, ME, Luke of Stowe, VT, and Susan Merrill and her husband, Hank, of Hope, ME. There
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are also seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. For decades Pidge was a dedicated volunteer for Deerfield; his enthusiasm and "can do" spirit will not be forgotten.
1937 Thurston Holt writes, "Glad to report I'm ridiculously healthy. Living in Norman, OK, and still playing tennis and golf while enjoying events at nearby University of Oklahoma. My happiest Deerfield memory is my daughter Meg running the mini-marathon held at our 50th Reunion. Another happy occasion was the Deerfield Bicentennial. Two green picnic boxes having on them in white letters "Deerfield 1797-1997 Days of Glory" are useful reminders of the occasion. When Deerfield does something, they really do it!"
1938 Bob Edwards wrote, "So happy to be living here in Ashland, OR, while viewing the eastern snows. Retired here in 1985. Wife Charleen died in June." He added, "Cruising to Hawaii in March with granddaughter number four."
1939 Fritz Jacobi reports that his wife of 48 years, Emilie Jacobson Jacobi, died last April of complications from pneumonia. At the time of her death she was still working as a senior vice-president
of the distinguished literary agency Curtis Brown, Ltd., which she joined after graduating from Radcliffe in 1946. Clinton Yeomans died on January 15, 2011, following a brief illness. He is survived by three daughters: Grace Thaler and her husband, Thomas, of Boston; Carol Conard and her husband, David, of Shelburne, VT.; and Tyler Madden and her husband, Mark, of Simsbury, CT. He also leaves five grandchildren.
1941 Lt. Col, Robert Pratt Kelsey Jr. (retired) died January 25, 2011 in his New London, NH, home. He was 87. Born in Jacksonville, FL, Bob entered Harvard College in 1941, leaving in early 1944 to serve our country in World War II. He received a commission with the 11th Armored Division - Battery A of the 490th Field Artillery Battalion. During the war he was decorated with the Silver Star and Bronze Star for gallantry in combat, and twice awarded the Purple Heart. Following the war he was assigned to Kings College, Cambridge, England, where he earned credits to complete his degree from Harvard in late 1946. He remained active in the U. S. Army Reserve serving on the general staff of the 94th Infantry Division, as commander of the 919th Field Artillery Battalion and the 7th Howitzer Battalion, 7th Artillery, and in the Office of the Assistant Chief of
Staff for Force Development, Department of the Army. He retired in 1965 and was also active in the United States Service Organization (USO). Bob began his professional career at the First National Bank of Boston, which he left in 1965 as "an under-paid vice president." He became president of New Hampshire Finance Corporation, a sales finance and consumer loan company. Bob went on to become a financial broker with Clark Dodge & Company, which later merged with Kidder Peabody & Company, Boston, MA, which was subsequently acquired by the General Electric Company. In 1976 Bob was called upon by members of the Board of Directors of The Dana Farber Cancer Institute and The Jimmy Fund to serve as executive vice president and treasurer. He led Dana Farber through a period of nearly three years, helping to position it as the preeminent cancer research and treatment center in the world. Following his tenure with Dana Farber, Bob retired to New London, NH, to become what he referred to as a "country banker" and financial advisor. He leaves his wife, Patricia (Driggs); three daughters and a son by his first wife Vera W. Dabney, who died in 1968, two stepchildren; nine grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
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Class Captain Robert S. Erskine Eliot Putnam died on November 8, 2010 after a short illness. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Nan P.; his daughter Nan E.; his son, Eliot Lee Jr.; and three grandsons.
1947 John Humphrey reports, "Joan and I were busy in 2010. She, a professional dressage judge, travels all over the US for horse shows. I continue as a business broker and fly fished this year in Chile (Patagonia) and Alberta, Canada. We have a new Doberman puppy, Joshua, who has ruined two pair of glasses and one cell phone so far!" "Peggy Read and I sold our condo and have moved to an "independent living" facility here in Lebanon, NH, that is on the campus of one of the local hospitals," reports Charlie Russell. "It's a nice comfortable set-up and we're going to find it cozy. Downsizing has been required and we will have to keep working at it until the off-site storage unit is finally empty. What pack rats!"
'59 '49
"Faustina Muelas" by Robert Oelman '59 AP Cook's 80th birthday party was a two-day celebration that included some of his Deerfield classmates. Standing, l to r: Ginny Shover, (guest of Tom Young '49), Liz Rosenman, Bob Rosenman '49, and AP Cook '49. Seated, l to r: Harlowe Hardinge '49, Tom Young '49, Ann Fauver, Bea Cook, and Scrib Fauver '49
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Class Captain Donald R. Dwight
Gilbert M. Grosvenor '49 was seeing double on February 9, when he received two National Geographic medals for his leadership and service during his career at the National Geographic Society. In a ceremony at the Society's Washington, DC, headquarters, he became the first person to be awarded two medals simultaneously. Mr. Grosvenor was presented with the Hubbard Medal, the National Geographic Society's top award for "distinction in exploration, discovery and research." Named after the Society's first president, Gardiner Green Hubbard, this award has been presented 34 times. Recipients include e xplorer Sir Ernest Shackleton (1910); aviator Charles Lindbergh (1927); Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin, and Michael Collins (1970); and conservationist Jane Goodall (1995). John Fahey, Chairman and CEO of the Society, also awarded Mr. Grosvenor the Grosvenor Medal for "exceptional service to geography by a Society officer or employee." The medal is named for Mr. Grosvenor's grandfather, Gilbert H. Grosvenor, a longtime National Geographic magazine editor, and counts among its previous recipients Melville Bell Grosvenor (1974), Mr. Grosvenor's father. Mr. Grosvenor retired as chairman of the Society's board of trustees on December 31, 2010, ending a six decade long commitment to National Geographic—a career highlighted in the winter 2011 issue of the Deerfield Magazine. From 1970 to 1980, Mr. Grosvenor was editor of National Geographic magazine, and in 1980 he became the National Geographic Society's 14th president. When Mr. Grosvenor retired, it marked the end of his family's 122-year reign at the head of the Society.
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© Mark Thiessen/National Geographic
Exceptional Service
A.P. Cook reported, "All stops were pulled and five Class of '49 classmates from around the USA were present at my 80th birthday celebration on 10/5/10 in my hometown of Jackson, MI. Two hundred seventy-seven guests were present at the Jackson Country Club along with a 17-piece band playing favorites from the '50s, '60s, and '70s. John Corry was honored at a fundraising event for the benefit of Gramatan Village, a non-profit organization in Bronxville, NY, that offers information and services to older area residents to ensure that they can remain safely in their own homes as they age. John, the founding chairman, received the J. Rockhill Gray Award for service to the greater Bronxville community. Bronxville Mayor Mary Marvin noted that John "is the epitome of a true Bronxvillian. His commitment to our Village is real, sustained, and spans 45 years of dedication to many of our most important institutions, and Gramatan Village is the latest to benefit from his intellect, determination, and foresight." "This past August I married a wonderful young lady from Bermuda," John Davis writes. "Her husband had suddenly died in 2006, the same year my wife, Fredi, suddenly died (of a pulmonary embolism). Her name
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1948 is Audrey: she has three children and ten grandchildren. (Fredi and I had five children and fourteen grandchildren.) Our cup runneth over. We were married in one of the oldest Anglican chapels in North America—a lovely small white stone building atop a hill in Somerset, Bermuda. We plan to live in Charlottesville." Bruce Walker wrote, "This is old news but may be of interest to some. I donated an original oil painting to the CIA, painted by British artist Keith Woodcock, andI presided at its unveiling with Keith at CIA Headquarters in Langley, VA, on October 26, 2009. The painting commem-
orates a significant achievement by Tibetan patriots on October 25, 1961 when they ambushed a Chinese PLA vehicle in West Tibet and captured a PLA courier pouch with documents which, when translated, became a major bonanza for US Intelligence at the time. Anyone interested in the details can read them at Kefiblog.com. Scroll down to Part 5, which is a piece about my participation that was added to the series on July 21, 2010. The filmed interview can also be found on YouTube and Vimeo. Anyone visiting CIA Headquarters: be sure to tour the Intelligence Art Gallery in the Original Headquarters
Building to have a look at the painting. My regards to our new class captain Don Dwight."
Class Captain R. Warren Breckenridge "I am still working as a management consultant, specializing in financial competitive intelligence for the Fortune 200," David Rogers says."Most of my work involves analyzing competitors before a major merger, acquisition or bidding on a big contract. Current clients are one of the top six global (a) pharmaceutical firms and (b) defense contractors. On
January 17 I finished the last of three major assignments (with deadlines a week apart) and a week later left with Louisa for Ft. Lauderdale to see our restaurant manager son David before heading to our rented Casey Key beach shack (a deserted beach some 19 miles below Sarasota). My next job began in March so we had a month off. Working keeps me young and involved with younger people; most of my bosses over the past 20 years have been senior manager women in their 30s, and younger than most of my children. Keeps me on my toes with no time to worry about aches and pains. Consulting is great fun and beats
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Class Captain Richard F. Boyden
'55 '55
'55 1951
Class Captain David Beals Findlay
Tim '55 and Sandy Day
recently celebrated the merger of Tim's company (Bar-S Foods) with Sigma Alimentos.
Myrna and Ward Elliott '55 continue to host Friday night sing-along parties at their home on College Street at CMC (Claremont McKenna College) in Claremont, CA. Two members of the Class of '55 and their wives enjoyed a pre-Thanksgiving get-together in Escondido, CA. l to r: Tom and Merry L'Esperance, Joyce and Jerry Rood.
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golf (which I do not play) for longevity (besides the all important genes). That said, Louisa and I love to travel and take a couple of overseas trips a year, usually with an alumni group and academic lecturers to places that my French and her Italian do not work too well. Our favorite mode of transport is the Sea Cloud 1 or Sea Cloud II; we both love sailing."
In May David Uehling will receive the 2011 Golden Cane Award from the American Urologic Association. The award is presented annually to a senior urologist distinguished by outstanding contributions to the profession. The award will be presented at the annual meeting in Washington, DC. Jim Webster writes, "Still vertical, and same job at Gabelli; same wife and no babies, thank goodness! A glimmer of hope: eight-year-old granddaughter Annabel says she wants to go to Deerfield. Maybe I'll see you in the Valley for the 60th in June."
J. R. Allen sent along the following news from his classmates: "Dave Grumman has co-authored an article, 'Ironworks' in a book about to be released, Erik Hildebrandt's Fly Navy: Celebrating the First Century of Naval Aviation. Dave writes that his co-author is a former Grumman guy who now works for Northrup-Grumman. For details about the book, go to flynavybook.com." J.R. added, "Nol Putnam's book, Lines in Space, is now available. You can get a copy of the book directly from Nol at: White Oak Forge, 31 Shootz Hollow Rd., Huntly, VA 22640. For details, you can email Nol at firstname.lastname@example.com or phone him at (540) 636-9451. It is a wonderful treat to peruse."
Class Captain Philip R. Chase Wallace Douglass notes, "I have retired after 20 years of service as a trial court judge in San Francisco."
Class Captain Michael D. Grant "Retirement is just as busy as before ... I just don't get paid for it," reports Lou Greer. "My wife Dee and I recently returned from a cruise through the Baltic Sea to St. Petersburg, Russia. The Hermitage Museum is
program. Bolt remained in good shape this past winter by sweeping and plowing snow away from his doorstep. "Peter Clapp now lives on 12 acres on the remote northern tip of the Big Island in Hawaii where he grows citrus and avocadoes. He can see Maui on a clear day, which is just 32 miles away. He loves his present surroundings, having given up on the harsh New England winters. Pete has designed and built three houses and he asserts that now he's more of 'a frustrated architect than a retired radiologist.' He advises that having a good engineer makes all the difference in building houses, and to never be afraid of being fired; it just opens up new opportunities. "Kevin Daly undoubtedly wins our Grandchildren Sweepstakes Award with 18! There must be some pretty fertile waters around Ellington, CT, these days. He and Jean have been happily married for '50 some odd years.' Kevin has been back to Deerfield a couple of times just to walk around and enjoy the surroundings. He was a pharmaceutical detail man for Ayers Laboratories for four years, and later sold surgical supplies to acute care hospitals for 30 years before retiring ten years ago. As our varsity baseball shortstop, Kevin enviably had memorable moments with 'the coach.' To Kevin and many others, Mr. Boyden was a great person and loved by everyone. "Tim Day recently reflected on the merger of his
company, Bar-S Foods, Co., with Sigma Alimentos, a large multi-national diversified food processing company. His article succinctly assesses 'The Winning Way' of Bar-S Foods and the progression of his endeavors during the past 29 years. It could serve as a fitting epilogue to a textbook on entrepreneurship and running a successful company. Also, Dr. Jack August Jr., executive director of the Barry Goldwater Center for the Southwest published a well-researched biographical article about Tim. It relates the mentors and significant events that contributed to Tim's highly successful business career. "Myrna and Ward Elliott continue to host Friday night sing-along parties at their home on College Street at CMC (Claremont McKenna College) in Claremont, CA. Students have been enjoying quality time with their favorite professor in his spacious living room on the college campus for 42 years— since 1969! He has even invited me (Tom L'Esperance) on occasions to join him for a rendition of the 'Deerfield Song' and a couple of spirited songs from Iolanthe by Gilbert & Sullivan, which was performed by our senior class in the springtime of 1955. "Kale Fein '07 attended a recent sing-along on a rainy California weekend with his parents who were on campus for CMC Parents' Day. They were surprised at Kale's mastery of the old version of the 'Sons of Deerfield.' Ward
has determined over the years that there's 'an inverse relationship between a social success and a musical success (since) only the diehards linger past 11 p.m.' Of course, I always arrive early to enjoy the whole evening, including Myrna's epicurean appetizers. "Mike Grant's son, Luke Grant '87, was married on November 13, 2010, in Palm Beach, FL, to Suzanne Strasser. Former Headmaster Robert E. Kaufmann and many alumni were guests at the wedding. Luke's brother, Andrew Grant '85, served as the best man. "It is with sadness that we report the passing of our classmate, Dr. Chris Heller, on August 4, 2010. Chris and his wife, Geneva, raised six children, five boys and one girl, Amy, and 'would stitch and patch them back together, often on the kitchen table' of their homestead in northeast Tucson. A selfless country doctor and a vascular surgeon, it was fitting that Chris would co-found Medical Information Data Systems, a medical software company that measures the quality of patient care. "Bob Smith continues to happily reside with his 'original wife,' Rita, and grandchildren in Long Beach, NY, his home town since his Deerfield days. Long Beach is just a few miles away from Jones Beach on Long Island. Bob is still 'happy to do a day's work' as a practicing attorney. He has a great affection for Deerfield and appropriately describes Mr. Boyden as 'the
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amazing, but Stockholmwas our favorite port of call. I am settled into Greenville, SC, for a few months, as I agreed to coach the junior varsity lacrosse team of Greenville High School, South Carolina State Champions for the past five years. I think the varsity coach just wanted to get rid of one of his contentious referees." Frank King reports from Skidaway Island, GA, that he does not have a new job, new spouse or new baby, but he does have a new knee, thanks to one of Savannah's topnotch orthopedic surgeons. "Back on the golf course in eight weeks," he commented. Now without the pain, he admits that major joint replacement surgery does not make one feel 30 years younger. Not even ten. "Susie and I look forward to welcoming any classmates who may venture into the Coastal Empire. Overcrowded, overbuilt Hilton Head is only an hour away," Frank adds. Tom L'Esperance reports the news from the following classmates: "My chat with Bolt (Carlile Bolton-Smith, Jr.) ranged all the way back to our Junior A Soccer days. He and Barbara enjoy visiting with friends in New Hampshire and Vermont, and especially at Skaneateles Lake, NY, in the Finger Lakes region, where there are many Deerfield alums. Bolt mentioned that Tom Bloomer '49 will be a coordinator for the Grand Classes at the reunion in June, and that Tom will put together an incredible
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most exceptional man that I ever ran across,' and that he ran a very successful team at Deerfield. "As for my news (Tom L'Esperance), our Christmas Dream Vacation to Austria and Grenoble, France, was magical. The culture and concerts that we attended were so mentally stimulating that any impending Alzheimer's on my part should be put off for another year or two! Merry is a consummate tour guide and organizer. It took her about 15 minutes to figure out the public transportation system and points of interest in Vienna. I, on the other hand, got lost walking a few blocks to church on Christmas day, but some good Samaritans helped me find my way back to the hotel. We met a matriarchal doyenne who claimed that she was 'proud to be Viennese' which summed up our total impression, too. At a time when folks weren't able to distract themselves with emails, tweeting, NFL playoffs, and Facebook, architectural and musical masterpieces were created. Messrs. Strauss and Mozart had time to compose melodies that we delightfully listened to 200 years later. Our Grenoble experience was equally 'over the top.' We were escorted to a small town, Saint-Paul de Varces, about 15 miles outside of Grenoble by our distant cousin, Claude Ferradou, who Merry found via the Internet in her genealogy searches. He arranged a reception for us that was
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attended by the village's mayor and about 30 other descendants of Michel Paulin who gathered to see us! We were escorted on a horse and buggy to the reception! Claude is an avocat (attorney) in Grenoble. The little village is situated in a valley breathtakingly surrounded by the Rhone-Alps. Charles de Gaulle used to vacation there in the summers in a nearby castle. We were able to observe the foundation of a farmhouse in which my seventh great-grandfather, Pierre A. Barut, had etched his name in 1660! We were treated to at least a seven course dinner that lasted from about 6:30 to 11 p.m. with champagne flowing the whole time. These folks savor and experience la bonne vie daily amidst their majestic natural surroundings."
an exciting challenge, adjusting to the different culture and lifestyle provided by Los Angeles.
1957 "My eldest daughter Kimberly and her husband Tyler Nelson presented us with a granddaughter on January 10, and all are doing very well," reports Dick Howland. "Her name is Nya Zen Nelson."
"Saludos to all from Colombia, South America!" Robert Oelman writes. "I have begun an ambitious project and I want to inform everyone what I am doing. There is a special group of indigenous people who live in the central mountain range of Colombia in the department of Cauca. They are Guambianos. I will Class Captain be making a documentary Joseph B. Twichell film about them because they have much to teach the Brad Oelman, his wife Betty, modern world. For more and daughter Cammett are information, please check renting in Beverly Hills, CA, this year, "testing the waters." out my blog: robertoelman. com/blog." They live near Century City, Phil Stevens is the editor where Cammett and her of a four volume reference sister Kimberly '98 work, work in the Anthropology of and near the condo Kimberly Religion, published in Noshares with her brother Ford vember 2010 by Routledge, (Andover '91) in West Holin their Critical Concepts lywood. Brad says it is terrific being near the children as well series. It can be viewed at routledge.com; enter Phil's as close to his sister in San Diego, a nephew in Brentwood, name or 'anthropology of religion.' (Phil comments, "It a niece in Vancouver, and a cousin in Pasadena. Betty and will probably NOT appear in paperback, or Kindle!") Brad have spent all but a few years on the East Coast and in the Midwest, so Brad says it is
50th Reunion
Reunion Chairs Jon W. Barker H. Rodgin Cohen Bruce Macleod Thomas M. Poor Baldwin Smith When he last wrote, Dick Stuart said, "Awaiting the 50th this June! Hoping all classmates come! Also awaiting second grandchild, to be born to daughter Elizabeth and spouse Brian. She teaches statistics in the school of Public Health, Johns Hopkins, Department of Mental Health, and he is with the Federal Reserve. Time off this month from my psychotherapy practice and teaching adaptive skiing at Gunstock to folks with disabilities. Keeps me busy. Wife Ruth has retired to mahjongg and travel! Nice."
Class Captains Howard Coonley Mark C. Garrison Frank Markus writes, "I stopped at Deerfield a few days before Christmas on my way to Stowe for a family get-together. It had been years since I was last there and I was impressed by how familiar the place looked in spite of the many changes. I was particularly struck by the absence of the varsity baseball field on the main quad. There was a new (to me) building that seemed to be where I recall home plate. But, still, Deerfield looked like Deerfield as I remember
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display and to have an excuse for travel." Donald McAuslan reports: "Twice retired, my travels predominantly involve my eight grandchildren. Relatives in both Washingtons (DC and state); fortunately, I'm in the middle (Texas). When we're not with our grandchildren, my wife Dee and I like to travel far and away: nature tours and eco-tourism, mostly. This has all led to a passion for bird feeding, watching, and photography. Thank goodness for digital media; my wife is thankful that she doesn't have to put up with the thousands of shots taken on a week's safari in Kenya or 12-day birdwatching tour in Panama." "I am still enjoying my second career (now 18 years and running) as a behavioral pediatrician who now treats adults with ADHD," Joel Sussman reports. "This population comprises 40 percent of my total patient population. My plans are to never retire unless unforeseen circumstances occur. Namely, Sue not wanting to run my practice anymore. My family now consists of my still beautiful wife, who has been the anchor and foundation of my life and who is very much responsible for the success of my practice. My oldest son Josh has lived in Israel with his amazing wife, Romi, and their six (count them!) sons. I won't bore you with all of the Israeli names. My younger son, Cary, is a high school teacher, and he
and his wife, Becky, have a daughter, Addison, and a son, Cameron. Thank God, they live ten minutes away from us so seeing these two is immeasurably easier than the 12 to 14 hour plane ride to Tel Aviv."
Class Captains Peter A. Acly Timothy J. Balch David D. Sicher Please send us your news and notes! See page 64.
Class Captains John L. Heath Robert S. Lyle Charles B. Sethness "My wife and I are back home in Virginia after two years in central Kenya, where she was helping care for two adult chimpanzee orphans," John Watson-Jones writes. "One of the chimps lived in our house. I was just along as a good husband, using free time to climb nearby Mt. Kenya and other wonderful rock. Too bad that Eliot Cutler didn't quite win the Maine governorship but he gave a Deerfieldian effort. He is indeed worthy of his heritage!"
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it. My daughter and her bride Justine (yes, married in Massachusetts) have a baby boy named Will, my first grandchild. My son, Austin, is out in San Francisco where he is living with his terrific wife Kathy in a restored 'painted lady' Victorian house in the Haight. His business, Ithus (a web design firm) is doing well and they seem very happy. Of course, I wish that they were closer to New York but we are on good terms and see each other several times each year. (It is always a good thing to have an excuse to go somewhere warmer during the winter.) As for me, I am in good health and planning to run for re-election as the village justice of Saltaire (a community on Fire Island where I spend my summers and many winter weekends as well). I never thought of myself as a politician but, so far, I have run for village offices four times and won three of them. Since it seems likely that I will be unopposed this spring, I would count my chances of winning again as good. When I am in the city, I visit with my daughter, go to the gym, and enjoy the pleasures that New York has to offer. I have indulged—within strict limits —my interest in seventeenth century Dutch art by attending auctions in London and New York. I haven't bought much but I am happy with the pictures that I won and with the prices that I paid. Of course, even if I lose or decide not to bid at all, it is fun to see the objects on
Class Captains Edward G. Flickinger Andrew R. Steele "Hi! I've recently published two books and communicated with Bucky Ehrgood. Books are available from Xlibris," Luis Glass reports. "As Executive Producer of The Sing Off, the NBC and Sony Pictures Television music competition, I finally get to monetize the love of harmony singing begun at Deerfield with Clement Schuler, and continued at Yale in the Yale Glee and The SOB's," Sam Weisman happily reports. "Our second run of the show this past December was a big hit for NBC (only Sunday Night Football scored more households for the network this season), and we're looking forward to season three in the fall. Performances from the show are available on iTunes, and some CDs are out as well. A Dutch version of the show started in March, and plans are formulating for a Sing Off tour. All Deerfield alums are encouraged to form groups and audition!"
45th Reunion
Reunion Chair David H. Bradley Jed Horne writes, "I stirred from my hammock last fall to work as a consultant to Obama's National Oil Spill Commission, doing a postmortem on the BP blowout in the Gulf of Mexico. Enjoyed the job—your tax dollars at
work—except that it required canceling trips to Australia and then Timbuktu with Jane and the boys for the music world's terrific Festival in the Desert. (Al Qaeda didn't attack, notwithstanding State Department warnings.) Otherwise, I'm enjoying retirement. Jane and I still divide our time between digs in New Orleans, Mississippi, and the Mexican town of Patzcuaro. I keep busy as a consultant to a couple of foundations, active, respectively, in school reform and health care, and do what I can with an investigative news site that I helped launch. On the writing/ travel front, I got to Japan last spring and summer for
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a couple of different conferences where I held forth on disaster recovery. Next stop: North Korea in September with older son and his posse. (I'll try anything once.) As for the boys: they've got the Internet covered. One is with Google in NY; the other with Apple in California. Both very much engaged in the raging web wars. Jane continues to work obsessively as director of a non-profit she founded to involve children in the struggle to rescue New Orleans schools from worstin-the-nation status. Life is good. Stay in touch." Kingsley "Chip" Norris, principal gifts officer at St. Mark's School, is being honored by the regional
chapter of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), District I. Chip is receiving the Eleanor Collier Award and the Quarter Century Circle Award.The Collier Award recognizes a current member of CASE District I whose contribution to his organization and/or to the professions encompassed by the membership reflect honor on CASE, education, and those fields of professional expertise. The Quarter Century Circle Award honors those who have completed 25 years of service for non-profit organizations in the professions encompassed by CASE. Immediately following his graduation from
Amherst College, Chip began his career in education as a science teacher at the Eaglebrook School in Deerfield, MA. Transitioning into administrative work, he first became director of admissions and then director of development, where he helped build the Annual Fund and led a successful capital campaign. In 1980, he moved to Southborough, MA, to become the director of development and alumni relations at St. Mark's School, where he works to this day. During his tenure, the school has grown its annual fund from $285,000 to over $1.8 million; concluded two successful capital campaigns of $14 million and $52
Class Captains Douglas F. Allen John R. Bass George W. Lee Please send us your news and notes! See page 64.
Class Captain John R. Clementi Oystein Gronning says, "I am working full-time in Oman since the beginning of this year, as team leader for the Muttrah Redevelopment Master Plan, representing an international group of architects and planners. Muttrah holds the Old City of the capital Muscat, with one of the more interesting souks of the Arab world, facing the ocean bay. Streets are down to widths of one meter and the challenge of introducing state of the art utilities infrastructure is a major one. Muscat is said to be the second warmest capital in the world, in stark contrast to Oslo. My wife Marit is trying to land contracts for her own company and will be commuting between obligations in Norway and opportunities here. Meanwhile, we are eagerly awaiting the next informal class reunion, this time in Hong Kong."
Class Captain John W. Kjorlien "My band, When Cousins Marry, will release its second CD, 'Midnight Golf,' in April," Steven Esthimer tells us. "It features 16 original songs by the band's five members. There's an astounding range of musical styles—blues (Chicago, raw, and talkingblues), R&B, country/folk, bayou, Celtic, and more. Available through CD Baby,
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million; created 12 new faculty chairs; and received more than $30 million in planned gifts. In 2002, St. Mark's School received a CASE Wealth ID Award for Educational Fundraising. "I am humbled and honored to have been nominated by my peers for this award," said Chip. "As educational advancement professionals, our rewards are always the excellent learning which occurs in our school and college classrooms, and this award is a further affirmation of that value." Chip has served on several CASE Committees and has been a speaker at local, national, and international conferences. Sandy Rose reports, "Having retired as an active tax partner for PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, I am now teaching part-time in my firm's tax training programs. This year, I will be teaching courses in over ten cities around the US and I'm traveling more for PwC than when I was an active tax partner. When not teaching, I am running an outreach center that has a thrift shop, food pantry, and an emergency assistance program. I also remain very active with the Atlanta Ballet as the immediate past chairman of the board."
1969 classmates (l to r): Rusty Young, Todd Stone, Doug Squires, John Kjorlien, AC Starkey, and John Lacey met for dinner in New York City recently. Oystein Gronning '68 and his wife, Marit Unstad, enjoyed dinner in Puccini's hometown of Lecce, Italy. Amazon, iTunes, and, as always, directly through the Cousins' website: whencousinsmarry.com. The title song refers to a sport played by the band members and friends, usually after gigs, when we sleep overnight in my barn. About midnight, under the light from cars, a truck, and an old Ford tractor (and, I might add, under the
influence of certain liquids from Scotland), we swat golf balls into the field behind the barn. Some land in the 'hole,' a hula hoop at about 150 yards' distance. A finer game for the hour could not be found anywhere, not even in St. Andrews or Aberdeen. Our first album, 'Shotgun Wedding,' remains available through the usual channels.
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Come to the Chapel Hill area to hear us; play a round with us afterwards. News and dates are posted on our website. Note that I'm mindful of the fellows at Deerfield who spurred my interest in music back in the days. Among them, with whom I played or performed, were Justin Davis '68, classmates Kim White, John Updike, John Shanholt, Jack Spitznagel, and Chuck Aldrich, and James Nelson '70. I remember at least a few times when Larry Gottlieb let me play his bass. Someone else, I can't recall who, let me play a keyboard with an ensemble during a talent show in spring 1969. Thanks, lads!"
Please send us your news and notes! See page 64.
Class Captains Lawrence C. Jerome Peter D. Van Oot
Please send us your news and notes! See page 64.
Class Captain G. Kent Kahle
40th Reunion
Reunion Chairs KC Ramsay John L. Reed "My son Rob is clerking for Supreme Court Justice Kennedy this year," writes James Johnson. "Rob is marrying a Harvard law school classmate this August in Annapolis," James added. David Place reports: "Daughter Alex is now attending Stanstead College Prep in Quebec, and son Zach graduated last May from U Tampa and is training as a mortgage broker. I am just trying to stay alive here on Nantucket."
Class Captain Paul R. Barkus
"I currently live in Harrison, NY, (Westchester County) with my wife and two daughters who are in eighth and eleventh grades respectively," says Jim Erlick. "The Erlick Group (erlickgroup.com), a leading entertainment sponsorship consultancy agency is now in its 18th year. We create custom partnerships with corporate America, and represent leading properties in theatre, film, music, venues, and family productions on a local, regional, and national basis."
Spring 2011
Class Captain J. Christopher Callahan Geoffrey A. Gordon Please send us your news and notes! See page 64.
Class Captains Dwight R. Hilson James L. Kempner Peter M. Schulte Bob Burr writes, "I have been having great fun revisiting Deerfield as my daughter Phoebe '11 prepares to graduate. I live in Hamilton, MA, with my wife Kerri and boys
James and Elliott, who hope to be right on Phoebe's heels at Deerfield next year. Then an empty nest—ouch!" Gerry Ciarcia was inducted into the Bowdoin College Hall of Fame for Ice Hockey. He was a two-time All American his junior and senior years (1978 and 1979).
35th Reunion
Reunion Chairs Marshall F. Campbell David R. DeCamp
Class Captains John C. Buckley James Paul MacPherson Wayne W. Wall Please send us your news and notes! See page 64.
Class Captains Paul JS Haigney Stephen R. Quazzo Jack Scott writes, "After 22 years in the executive search business, I joined a private equity firm in San Francisco last year and I'm having a great time managing the human capital in our portfolio companies. I run into classmates Murray Huneke, Derek Webb, Allen Damon, and Paul Haigney here in the Bay Area and have become friends with several local alumni through the Deerfield Club of the Bay Area. Sadly, my second child is graduating from DA this spring and I will miss spending time at Deerfield and seeing fellow classmates
Peter Phelan, Gary Shumway, Bill Grennon, John Stobierski, Devin Murphy, and Steve Quazzo at Parents Weekends. I am already looking forward to the next reunion in two years!" "My son Jack '12 was a member of the Deerfield water polo team that won the New England championships last fall against Choate," Scott Vallar proudly reports. "After trailing the entire match, Deerfield tied it with a little less than a minute to go and then scored with four seconds left, to win 11 – 10. I have seen my children play a lot of sporting events over the years, but this was no doubt one of the most exciting ones!"
Class Captains Arthur Ryan Dwight Daniel C. Pryor
Class Captains Augustus B. Field John B. Mattes Paul M. Nowak Please send us your news and notes! See page 64.
class notes
Our Last Best Chance:
The Pursuit of Peace in a Time of Peril King Abdullah II '80 | Viking Adult, 2011
Reflections on Life and Politics |
King Abdullah also issues warnings about Israel's
More memoir than a plan for peace in the Middle
effect on Middle East turmoil, writing, "Everyone in
East, Our Last Best Chance is the personal story of the
the region increasingly fears that we will soon be
King of Jordan's life and his first decade as monarch.
plagued by yet another devastating war. Israeli
However, King Abdullah II '80 does use his own
politics are mainly to blame for this gloomy reality."
history as a context for discussing Middle Eastern
In Our Last Best Chance, King Abdullah is most
affairs, including his family's long reign as leaders of
enthusiastic about the Arab Peace Initiative,
Jordan—the Hashemite dynasty stretches back to
proposed by the Arab League in 2002. This possible
the Prophet Muhammad—and their oversight of the
solution calls for Israeli withdrawal from all Arab
country during critical periods in the region's history.
territories occupied since the 1967 war, support for
"Those who know and love Jordan will enjoy
Palestinian refugees, and a free Palestinian state
Abdullah's accounts of Hashemite palace tensions,
with a capital in East Jerusalem. If the Initiative
covert operations, and his insight into Jordanian
were adopted, all 22 Arab League members have
character," wrote Rebecca O'Brien in The Washington
said their nations would then establish peaceful
Post. "Among the leadership strategies learned from
relations with Israel.
his father, the beloved King Hussein, Abdullah has
Deerfield also gets a mention in the King's book.
been known to venture into public in disguise, to hear
He describes the years he spent at the Academy
the concerns of his citizens and punish wayward
as "some of the happiest of my life," and relates
bureaucrats. He writes with pride of his family, and of
anecdotes from his struggle to make the wrestling
Jordan's protection of refugees, its strides in women's
team and the times that he spent with his Deerfield
rights, and its difficult economic reforms." King
friends. He also tells a story about his early taste for
Abdullah's voice is "reasoned and often humorous,
"covert action:" "Gig's father was an air force fighter
didactic rather than dictatorial," she wrote. "At
pilot, and Gig had somehow managed to get his
times he seems to be writing for a young audience,
hands on a military distress flare. Curious to see how
befitting his oft-articulated concern with Arab youth
it worked, one night we snuck out of our dorms along
and educational opportunity. Abdullah recounts
with two other friends and set the thing off. The flare
his own education with delight and verve."
soared through the New England night, illuminating
In the opening pages of his memoir, King Abdullah
the campus with a bright red glow, and headed
confesses that he had originally hoped his book
toward the white-pillared entrance to the Old Gym, a
would celebrate the resolution of the Palestinian-
magnificent, sturdy building that housed the squash
Israeli conflict and the beginning of an era of Middle
courts and wrestling facilities. Panicked that it would
Eastern peace, and he goes on to engage in a frank
burn down the gym and maybe hit the neighboring
discussion of the peace process. He states that the
Dining Hall, we sprinted toward the building as fast
debate over Palestinian sovereignty is at the heart
as we could. I can still remember my relief when we
of conflict in the region and that there is no hope of
figured out that the flare had shot over the roof of the
peace without resolving this fundamental crisis.
gym and landed in the playing field."
After the funeral I headed to Parliament, to be sworn in as king . . . After the ceremony was finished, an aide came up to me and said, "Your Majesty, this way." Out of habit, I looked around for my father, and saw his portrait looking down at me. For nearly half a century my father had ruled Jordan, sometimes fighting wars, sometimes negotiating peace treaties, and always encouraging others to lay down their weapons and place hope above fear. Now it would be my job to manage these conflicts and warring parties on Jordan's borders, and to honor my father's memory by continuing his ceaseless quest for peace.
class notes
What's Gotten Into Us:
Staying Healthy in a Toxic World
McKay Jenkins '81 | Random House, 2011
Chemical World | When Rachel Carson published Silent Spring in 1962, its in-depth investigation of pesticides and industrial pollution contributed to the US ban on DDT and launched an environmental movement. Deerfield alumnus McKay Jenkins '81 follows in Ms. Carson's footsteps with his latest book, What's Gotten Into Us: Staying Healthy in a Toxic World. Billed by Random House as a "deep, remarkable, and empowering investigation into the threats—biological and environmental—that chemicals now present in our daily lives," Mr. Jenkins' book educates consumers about the toxins that can be found in everyday household goods. "We're talking about a lifetime of exposure to chemicals in everything from cosmetics to herbicides to plastic water bottles to lead paint," Mr. Jenkins said in the January 2010 issue of the University of Delaware Research Magazine. "You're basically surrounded by this stuff day after day, just in the course of your normal activities, and it gets into your body one way or another." Mr. Jenkins' launched his investigation of the potentially dangerous yet relatively unknown consequences of household toxins after a personal health scare. A few years ago, he was hospitalized and tested for what was later discovered to be a benign tumor. During his hospital visit, public health professionals questioned him about his contact with toxins, all substances that Mr. Jenkins was exposed to during the course of his everyday life. Although no direct link between a specific chemical and his tumor was found, Mr. Jenkins still questioned the health effects of the myriad synthetic toxins found in the environment. "A great deal about these chemicals—there are some 70,000 in use today—remains mysterious," he explained, "not least what health effects they have in combination with each other." What's Gotten Into Us aims to help consumers make informed decisions to protect themselves and their families from these everyday toxins. Mr. Jenkins, the Cornelius A. Tilghman Professor of English and Director of Journalism at the University of Delaware, conducted extensive research, interviewed academic experts, and met with people affected by exposure to chemicals. His book reveals the sources of many dangerous toxins—household products ranging from wall-to-wall carpeting to fabric softener. Mr. Jenkins also gives his readers many suggestions on how to easily avoid chemicals: avoid nonstick cookware, use household cleaners made with only plant-based ingredients, and research the ingredients of cosmetics and personal care products. According to Mr. Jenkins, even though it's hard to determine the exact connection between chemicals and specific diseases, it's still important to know the potential dangers that lurk in everyday products. "We should at least be aware that these chemicals are in our consumer products and in our bodies, and there are all kinds of individual decisions and choices we can make," he said. His book offers practical solutions to living without unhealthy consumer goods and is "not only an invaluable resource for those for a lifetime," said Robyn O'Brien, author of The Unhealthy Truth and founder of AllergyKids Foundation. Mr. Jenkins' background in journalism and 25-year career writing about people and the natural world has helped him create a compelling narrative that might launch a new environmental movement, as people start using more natural household products, avoiding foods with excessive plastic packaging, and forfeiting a perfect lawn for a cleaner life.
Spring 2011
Courtesy of McKay Jenkins
interested in protecting their loved ones, but a sound investment and a book that will pay health dividends
medical scientist
class notes
'80 Courtesy of Dr. Mark Rubin
Revealing Research The field of prostate cancer research witnessed a groundbreaking discovery last February, when a team of researchers led in part by Dr. Mark Rubin '80 sequenced the first seven prostate genomes and identified genomic changes that are linked to prostate cancer growth. Using whole genome sequencing, researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College, the Broad Institute, and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute viewed the complete genomes of seven prostate tumors and compared them to normal tissue samples. Their research revealed an unexpectedly large number of complex genomic rearrangements, instead of simpler genomic alterations. "We would never have guessed that there were so many genomic alterations of this type before now because we didn't have the right tools to look for them," Dr. Rubin explained in a press release from Weill Cornell Medical College, where he is the Homer T. Hirst Professor of Oncology in Pathology and Vice Chair for Experimental Pathology. A genomic rearrangement occurs when a piece of DNA from one part of the genome breaks off and reattaches itself in another location, often causing cancerous cells to develop. By identifying the genes affected by these rearrangements, the researchers found new genes that were linked to prostate cancer. For example, several tumors contained rearrangements of the gene that codes for the protein CADM2, a tumor
suppressor. Knowing that this mutation exists will help researchers target which drugs currently in development may be effectively applied to prostate cancer. "This first whole genome view shows us tantalizing evidence for several new prostate cancer genes that likely would have remained undiscovered had we not been taking a genome-wide approach," said Dr. Levi Garraway, the other senior author on the study with Dr. Rubin. The study, which was published in the February 10 issue of Nature, also provides important insights into the cause of genomic rearrangements and promises an improvement in prostate cancer diagnostics and treatment. Dr. Rubin said, "This study could enhance our ability to develop new diagnostic markers for prostate cancer. We can also imagine eventually developing more personalized diagnostic tools for patients with recurrent tumors, to essentially follow the tumors' progression by testing for new genomic alterations." This is not the first major contribution that Dr. Rubin has made to prostate cancer research. He is also the co-inventor of looking at prostate cancer in the context of the specific TMPRSS2-ETS genomic rearrangement, a discovery that he used in this latest study.
Complex genomic rearrangements (shown in purple and green) discovered in seven prostate cancer genomes.
class notes
Fred* film workshops co-founders Scott Kinnamon (left) and Ben Patton '83 were on campus this past fall to encourage the use of filmmaking by students at Deerfield.
Chris Davey '83 (right) watched
the 2011 Super Bowl in person. He commented, "I had a great time and was glad that the Packers won. (Preserves Tom Brady's legacy.) The half-time show was tremendous, despite what many who watched on TV thought about it."
Hardie Jackson '83 and Dean Singewald '83 recon-
nected at Choate Day 2010!
Even in Los Angeles, Andrew Stewart's '83 children, Lulu
and Ben, have had the opportunity to ice skate outdoors. Brian Steward '83 and Hannah
Williams were married November 19, 2010 in San Antonio, TX. They shared their happy day with Corbin Snow '81 (left), and Jim Wareck '83 (far right).
Adam Feiges '83, his wife
Alyssa, son Duncan, age 12, and daughter Isobel, age eight; the Feiges family lives in Hinton, Iowa.
Spring 2011
class notes Courtesy of Joseph Madeira
When Joseph Madeira '84 was at Deerfield, he was encouraged to explore a variety of interests. "DA ignited the spark that inspired me to learn about everything and to do everything," he said. "I was encouraged to study hard, but also to participate in different sports, create art, and perform music. It took courage to jump into so many things, but at Deerfield, I always felt I had the entire staff and student body encouraging me to succeed." Mr. Madeira's diverse yet convergent interests have prepared him well for his new position as the executive director of the Southern Vermont Arts Center. Originally, Mr. Madeira had planned a career in education, but, "after a four-year stint at the Middlesex School in the admissions office," he explained, "I found myself longing to be involved in a creative industry." Working in the field of museum exhibitions seemed like the perfect intersection of his interest in education and his passion for the arts. "I found museum work, specifically the exhibition development process, completely enthralling and ended up building a ten-year career at the Smithsonian," he said. It was, for him, "an ideal combination of education and creativity." One item on Mr. Madeira's résumé initially seems at odds with his background in the arts—an MBA from George Washington University, which he received in 2003. But as Mr. Madeira explained, his business studies—focusing on marketing and organizational decision making—have been instrumental in deepening his career in the arts. "I continue to use many tools I acquired there in order to streamline organizational processes and discover efficiencies in the management aspect of non-profits," Mr. Madeira said. "I discovered that even in an MBA program, there are opportunities to be creative— except of course, when it comes to accounting." Mr. Madeira's creativity, passion, and business sense have now led him to the Southern Vermont
Arts Center, a historically important promoter of the arts in New England. "My goal is to create some excitement here, increase awareness and exposure, and make this into a vibrant and exciting destination for both tourists and the community," Mr. Madeira said. The center, located on a 100-acre site in Manchester, Vermont, presents art exhibitions and performances and offers education in the arts. Its facilities include a 400-seat performance space, education center, 100-year-old historic mansion, sculpture garden, and botany trail. The newest addition to the Southern Vermont Arts Center is the Elizabeth de C. Wilson Museum, designed by the architect Hugh Newell Jacobsen. The museum houses the center's permanent collection of works by prominent American artists—James Whistler, George Inness, Reginald Marsh, Grandma Moses and Robert Indiana. With its facilities, dedicated staff, and engaged board of directors, the Southern Vermont Arts Center has all of the ingredients for success, Mr. Madeira noted, and he intends to draw on his years of experience building relationships with others and sharing his passion for the arts to make his mark in his new position. Returning to New England after four years working in Wisconsin at the Kohler Arts Center signifies to Mr. Madeira an opportunity to reconnect with the region and with Deerfield. Looking back on his time at the Academy, he remembers memorizing classic poems for English teacher Bryce Lambert, many of which he can still recite today. Above all, he remembers his studio art teachers Dan Hodermarsky and Tim Engelland, who taught him to "the arts can provide universal lessons about life and that looking at art is a process of uncovering layers—layers that are filled with a combination of technical skill, contemplation, emotion, and courage."
Universal Lessons
class notes
'84 '86
Richard Royce '84 and Kaori Kawazu are proud to announce the birth of a baby girl, Sophie Yukina Royce, who was born on December 7, 2010. | Scott Pryce's '83 sons, Pierce and Victor, with a warm wish for all. | Peter Kurto '85 and son Peter paid Deerfield a visit in February. | After three years in Germany, Erik Osborn '86, his wife Cyndi and sons Chase and Vance have moved to Hawaii. Erik is a pulmonary critical care physician at
Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu.
Spring 2011
30th Reunion
Reunion Chairs Robert G. Bannish Andrew M. Blau Michael M. Boardman Andrew A. Cohen Derek R. Reisfield McKay Jenkins notes, "I've got a new book, What's Gotten Into Us: Staying Healthy in a Toxic World, coming out from Random House this spring. (see page 54) It's about toxic synthetic chemicals found in consumer products and the myriad dangers they pose to our health and our environment. I've written a bunch of other books as well, all of which you can see at my website: mckayjenkins.com."
Class Captain Frank H. Reichel When we last heard from Mark Caputo he reported: "I live with my wife Susan and children, Matt (12) and Caitlyn (nine) in Los Angeles. I've been busy helping with my children's winter lacrosse season and look forward to the spring. Lacrosse is taking over in California; kids play year-round and the sport has become the fastest growing sport in the state. Maybe we can get Matt back east to play in the future. This past fall I met up with Mohab Khattab '81 for lunch in Santa Barbara and we visited some Caputo Construction projects. Looking forward to our 30th Reunion in 2012!"
Class Captains John G. Knight J. Douglas Schmidt Jonathan Bernstein and Kristi are proud to announce the birth of a baby girl, Dorothy Anne Bernstein. She arrived on December 9, 2010. Frederick Chase and Sare Chate are proud to announce the birth of a baby girl, Hanna Lucia Chase. Born on May 27, 2010 in Lima, Peru, she weighed 7 lbs., 8 oz. They are also happy to announce their marriage, which took place on August 28, 2010, also in Lima. The family currently resides in Lima. According to sources within the Class of '83, Peter Eleftherio is not just the principal of a Boston agency specializing in marketing (theworksnet.com), he has a side talent, or at least his spouse does, for buying, renovating, and selling grand old homes in New England. Andrew Nash is a pediatric physician who lives in Walnut Creek, CA. He also still plays a mean lead guitar. He recently posted on Facebook: "For anybody who hasn't heard the news or gotten 'the letter,' I'm leaving Alamo Medical Group and starting my own pediatrics practice in Danville! Those who want more info should either call my new office at: (925) 362-1861 or email me at: email@example.com. A whole new style of pediatric practice!" Fred* film workshops co-founders Scott Kinnamon
and Ben Patton visited Deerfield this past fall, to encourage the use of filmmaking for student storytelling and narrative across the curriculum. Their work with teens is also leading to interesting opportunities for storytelling films by recent war veterans and other constituencies. Charlie Grace recently began a new job working for FOX, (the Family Office Exchange) based in Chicago. Jim Wareck and his new movie were mentioned in the December 6, 2010 Washington Post; unfortunately, co-writer Brad Weir was overlooked. "Just a quick note to let you know I'm leaving McKinsey to become global head of HR strategy and innovation at Credit-Suisse," reported Will Wolf when we last heard from him. "It's a new position they've created to help manage an ambitious people agenda at a time of significant change in the banking industry. After many years of advising clients, I'm excited and eager to dig into implementation. I'll be based in New York but spending a good deal of time in Zurich and London."
hopefully the DA education will come in handy. Anyone who finds their way to Vegas or Amsterdam, let me know."
Reunion Chairs Henri R. Cattier Michael W. Chorske
Adam Brauer writes, "We had my daughter's Bat Mitzvah this past January. Taking part in the festivities were my father, Ted '57, and classmates, Suketu Desai and Mitch Katz. These days I am thinking about becoming a professional poker player,
class notes
Class Captains Charles B. Berwick Sydney M. Williams Karl von Kries has been busy: "I'm living in coastal California, surfing and completing my private pilot's license. I'm the founder and CEO of technomad.com, and work with my brother Rodger '87. It is an audio manufacturing firm, and clients include the White House Communications Agency and Disney. I recently started a new company—lightmanufacturingllc.com, a sustainable manufacturing firm offering zero-emissions solar plastic molding technology. I'm also an active musician, and have written film scores for director/animator Pat Smith (Drink, Delivery, and Masks). My band's most recent album featured a song about the 80s DA experience, which you can listen to at toolateforroses.com/blog/1112/."
25th Reunion
"This is sure to surprise a number of my teachers at Deerfield," writes Jamie Jones. "I was promoted to tenure last year in the Anthropology Department at Stanford. Also appointed senior fellow in the Woods
class notes
'84 '87
'87 58
Spring 2011
Adam Brauer '84 (center) was joined by classmates Suketu Desai and Mitch Katz at his
daughter's Bat Mitzvah.
Ironman Florida competitors (l to r) Wes Battle '94, Grant Murray '93, LT Thompson '94, Pete Sloan '93, and Ted Roosevelt '94 Ray Mirza's '87 wife
Kathleen and son Laith pose in a sunny spot.
Reid Kenneth McAvey was born on November 10, 2010. He is the son of Ashley (Prout) McAvey '92 and her husband. Luke Grant '87 and Suzanne
Strasser were married on November 13, 2010 in Florida. Wedding guests included: (top, l to r) Andrew Grant '85, Crews Johnston '87, Michael Grant '55, Robert Schmults '87, Joe Helweg '87; (bottom l to r) Luke Grant '87, Suzanne Strasser Grant, Tom Bradley '87, and Ted Casey '87. Other Deerfield attendees not pictured were John Amorosi '87, Tim Grant '59, and Bob Kaufmann. Ashley (Schiff) Ramos's '92
daughter, Samantha.
Institute for the Environment." Chris Martin recently accepted a position at Printpack, Inc., located in Atlanta. "I've had my fill of Wall Street firms and changed careers entirely," he says. "Worked at Lehman Brothers then Merrill Lynch for ten years until late last year. Began working for Printpack in January; it's a privately-held packaging company. Glad to have made the move."
Class Captain Andrew P. Bonanno Luke Grant and Suzanne Strasser were married on November 13, 2010 at the Norton Museum of Art in Palm Beach, FL. "We had a wonderful time," Luke says. "My brother Andrew '85 served as my best man. We were thrilled to have a number of Deerfield alumni in attendance, including my father, Michael Grant '55, and my uncle Thomas (Tim) Grant '59. Other '87 classmates attending were: John Amorosi, Tom Bradley, Ted Casey, Joe Helweg, Crews Johnston, and Robert Schmults. Also, former Headmaster Robert E. Kaufmann was on hand as a wedding guest. In addition to being headmaster while I attended DA, he and his wife Ellen have become close friends of my parents. So, there was great Deerfield representation that night and everyone had a great time. Suzanne and I now are living in Beverly Hills, CA, and over the past year or two I've been
to a few events with the (new) Deerfield Club of Southern California —good stuff!" "I can't believe it has been 24 years since I left beloved Deerfield!" Ray Mirza comments. "From there, I went to Cornell for a bachelor's degree and on to Columbia U for an MBA. I'm married to Kathleen (nee Hanrahan), a Cornell alumna. Our son Laith Christopher was 14 months old on February 8, and we expect a second boy in June." The Alumni Office recently received the following engagement announcement: Mr. and Mrs. John Bauman of Columbia, MO, announce the engagement of their daughter, Amy Elizabeth Bauman, to Andrew Tecumseh Starr, son of Norton and Irene Starr of Amherst, MA. The bride-to-be is the granddaughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Robert Curry and the late Mr. and Mrs. John Bauman. She attended the University of Iowa, earning Bachelor of Science degrees in economics and political science and Northwestern University Law School, earning a Juris Doctor degree. She is employed at the Summers Law Firm in Kansas City. The future groom is the grandson of the late Mr. and Mrs. Norman Stiefel and the late Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Starr. He attended the University of Utah, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in economics, and The University of Georgia School of Law, earning a Juris Doctor degree. He is employed at Wayside Waifs
in Kansas City. A spring wedding is planned in Kansas City. Jonathan Tang recently moved to the Bay Area with his wife Julia and two daughters, Samantha Mei Li (age seven) and Sasha Devi (age four), from Boston, MA. He has been enjoying the weather and catching up with Jon Murchinson and Stu West, and hopes to catch up with other West Coast alumni soon. He is also in the process of launching his third tech start-up business, Vastrm Fashion, a mass customization company that allows men to design their own polo shirts online.
class notes
Maisie, daughter of Prentis Hale '87, likes to practice ballet in her Deerfield shirt.
Class Captains Oscar K. Anderson David Field Willis Please send us your news and notes! See page 64.
Class Captains Gustave K. Lipman Edward S. Williams Trevor Nagle has founded Thin Red Line Consulting, LLC, located in Verona, WI. "Recently launched an executive coaching and organizational change leadership consulting practice, with a particular emphasis in serving mid- and senior-level military veterans transitioning from 'boots to briefcases,' as well as helping organizations maximize recruiting efforts, targeting former military leadership pools. It's an exciting niche and
'93 For Aidan
Spring 2011
TRIPP AND JEN CARTER Before their son Aidan's 15-month check-up, Tripp '93 and Jen Carter had no indication that he was anything but a normal, healthy toddler. To their shock, the exam revealed that Aidan suffered from asthma, hernias, and a large head circumference, all signs of a possible Mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS) disorder. A referral to a geneticist confirmed the diagnosis, as Ms. Carter later described on her family's website: "The memory of our visit with Dr. Moeschler will forever haunt me. Dr. Moeschler took a history and examined Aidan. By the end of the exam his hands were shaking. He told us that he was 90 percent sure that Aidan had an MPS disorder (there are seven). One week later, Dr. Moeschler called to tell us that the genetic analysis confirmed that Aidan had Hunter Syndrome. Our world collapsed." Hunter Syndrome is a very rare, fatal genetic disorder affecting one in 170,000 live male births. Children with the disorder lack a key enzyme, iduronate-2-sulfatase (I2S),that breaks down waste products called glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). Without this enzyme, GAGs accumulate in every organ, causing progressive organ damage and dysfunction and eventually death in the first or second decade of life. There is no cure for Hunter Syndrome, and because it is such a rare disease—there are only 1,500 to 2,000 cases worldwide—it doesn't receive much attention or funding for research. When they found out that the National MPS Society paid for a grant for gene therapy research for Hunter Syndrome in 2009, the Carters decided to organize an Action for Aidan walk/run with the goal of raising $30,000—the amount of money needed to fund a grant for one year of research on Hunter Syndrome.
"Fundraising for research allows me to focus my energy in a positive way," Ms. Carter said. "It feels good to be raising money that will ultimately help my son and others affected by his disease. Fundraising keeps me sane—it makes me feel like I am doing something in the face of a disease that is so out of my control." Aidan himself is improving because of regular treatments of Elaprase, a synthetic form of I2S developed in 2006. The medicine does help treat the enlarged organs, breathing difficulties, and joint stiffness that affect children with Hunter Syndrome. It does not, however, prevent other associated health problems, including hearing loss, heart problems, bone disease, and spinal cord disease. Nor does it stop the progressive and debilitating mental retardation that affects two-thirds of Hunter Syndrome children. There is no denying that Elaprase has had a beneficial effect on Aidan. "Aidan was fortunate to be diagnosed early and to have access to the enzyme," Mr. Carter said in an interview with Seacoast Online. "Fifteen years ago, nearly all the boys with Hunter Syndrome died by their early teens." Now two-and-a-half, Aidan loves music and is always dancing, singing, and playing with his toy drum set, his mother said. He likes to read—his current favorite is The Little Mermaid—and make his baby sister smile. The Action for Aidan event will be held at Exeter, New Hampshire High School on June 19, 2011; in addition to the walk/run, the day will feature face painting and other activities for children, a silent auction, a concert with Wayne from Maine, and a barbecue by the Meat House of Exeter. So far, the Carters have received corporate donations totaling $10,000, bringing them one-third of the way toward funding a year of research. Visit the Carters' Action for Aidan website at: sites.google.com/site/actionforaidan Learn more about Aidan at: caringbridge.org/visit/aidanjackcarter
Courtesy of Jen Carter
class notes
It feels good to be raising money that will ultimately help my son and others affected by his disease. Fundraising keeps me sane—it makes me feel like I am doing something in the face of a disease that is so out of my control.
one that will be keeping me busy and hopping! Loving the challenge and opportunities within this area!" Romeo A. Reyes was recently promoted to director of Leveraged Finance Research at Jefferies.
The Next Chapter of a Fashionable Life With a resume as impressive as that of Amanda Brooks '92, there is no wonder that she was recently named the newest fashion director of Barneys New York. Ms. Brooks' career in the fashion industry includes stints as creative director of Hogan and Tuleh labels; fashion consultant to Diane Von Furstenberg, Tory Burch, and Roger Vivier; director of fashion at William Morris Endeavor Entertainment; fashion writer for Vogue, Men's Vogue, and The New York Times; and acclaimed first-time author. (Her book, I Love Your Style, was highlighted in the winter 2011 Deerfield Magazine.) Ms. Brooks joined Barneys New York as fashion director, vice president, on February 7, 2011. According to a Barneys' press release, "In her new role, Ms. Brooks will be responsible for the overall identification of women's trends each season [and] how this is communicated to all areas of Barneys New York. She will work closely with both established and emerging designers, members of the press, visual and merchandising teams." As part of her new position, Ms. Brooks is posting on the Soap Box, a feature on the Barneys New York website described as "where our illustrious fashion director gets to speak her mind." In her posts, Ms. Brooks expresses her opinions on personal style and shares her impressions of the trends that she sees at runway shows. Barneys New York has long been a beacon of fashion for Ms. Brooks. She said, "I have been a fan of Barneys since I was 12 years old, when my mother took me to the opening of the women's store on 17th Street in 1986. To be the women's fashion director of a store with such a unique and inspiring vision is my dream job. I am thrilled to be joining the wonderfully talented team, and I look forward to being a part of Barneys' next chapter." Read the Soap Box at: window.barneys.com
Spring 2011
Class Captain Jeb S. Armstrong Mark Coady and Elizabeth Singleton welcomed a daughter, Grace S. Coady, on October 10, 2010 (10-10-10)! Dominic Pang was recently appointed chairman of Chun Wo Development Holdings Limited, a Hong Kong Exchange listed company, the primary business of which is construction and real estate development in Asia.
20th Reunion
Reunion Chair Timothy B. Weymouth "Last year I sold People & Business magazine and started a new one called CasaTotal, dedicated to home improvement and renovation, and it's going well," says Julie (Wolf) Deffense. "I also took a master course to learn how to decorate wedding cakes, and I have now started to make American-style wedding cakes (and for other special occasions) here in my spare (!) time. Last year we spent an absolutely wonderful ten days with HRH Prince Ali bin Al Hussein '93 and his family in Jordan. We met up with Eric Widmer '57 at King's Academy for lunch one
day, and he gave us a tour of the campus. It was incredible. We are really looking forward to seeing everyone and being back at DA for Reunions!" Stephen Leroy and Becky Claster are proud to announce the birth of a baby girl, Eliza Ann. She was born on February 8, 2011 at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, DC, and weighed 6 lb., 10 oz. "I am living in Lexington, KY, having a great time with my two daughters (six and eight), wife Libby, and a pack of horses and dogs," Justin Sautter tells us. "Currently, I run a money management business and moonlight as a cattle and horse farmer. We recently started to sell our beef to the public and it has been a real education in retail and marketing! I am looking forward to catching up this summer at our reunion."
Class Captains Thomas R. Appleton William J. Willis Jonathan Lenzner recently accepted a position with the Department of Justice as a federal prosecutor. Jono was previously employed at the Manhattan (NY) District Attorney's Office as a prosecutor. "After six years at the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, where I was prosecuting international financial crimes, I have moved to the United States Attorney's Office in Maryland, where I am prosecuting white collar crime as well as
Up to the Challenge!
April Donor
Thank you for making our Choate and April Donor challenges such great successes! Alumni participation in Annual Support giving is poised to cross the 50% mark for the first time in five years, thanks to your spirited generosity. But to hit the mark, we're counting on those of you who have not yet made a gift.
With two months left—the deadline is June 30th—your support will make the difference. We know you're up for it!
Please consider a gift or pledge today. deerfield.edu/give or use the form on the reverse.
Annual Support 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.
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Spring 2011
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August 4-7 2011 edition
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class notes
'95 "Jasper's First Christmas"—Lindsay (Botts) Gruhl '96 and Jonathan Gruhl are proud to announce the birth of a baby boy, Jasper Theodore. He was born on June 13, 2010 in San Francisco, CA, and weighed 7 lbs., 14 oz. Lindsay (Barnes) Wilcox '95 and her husband Max are proud to announce the birth
of a baby boy, Oliver Austin Wilcox. Oliver was born on August 28, 2010 in Burlington, VT, and weighed 6 lbs., 14 oz.
a healthy mixture of gangs/ narcotics/violent crime. My wife Matea is back to political reporting as a senior journalist in the DC bureau of the Los Angeles Times (and all Tribune papers). Our daughter Sophia is almost two years old. We bought a house in Chevy Chase, and while we miss our friends in Brooklyn, we are excited for the next phase." "I am happy to announce the birth of our son, Reid Kenneth McAvey, born November 10, 2010," writes Ashley (Prout) McAvey. "He joins big sister Elle (who was three in February). We enjoyed plenty of snowshoeing this winter here in Shelburne, VT!"
Spring 2011
Kendall Moore and Trip Foster welcomed their second child, Reed Elizabeth Foster, on January 4, 2011. She joins Merrill Foster.
Class Captains Richard Hillenbrand Charlotte York Matthews Colby D. Schwartz Kristen Pohlman and Mark Chomiak were married on August 9, 2009 at Bramble Hill Farm in Amherst, MA. Kristen is now known as Kristen Pohlman Chomiak.
1994 On November 5, 2010, Wes Battle, Grant Murray '93, LT Thompson, Pete Sloan '93, and Ted Roosevelt met in Panama City Beach, FL, to compete in Ironman Florida. LT reports, "Everyone had a great time with lots of laughs (more before and after the race than during) and finished up strong. We also ran into Katie Bardzik Vadasdi at the finish line, who was there to watch her husband finish his ninth Ironman and her brother's first. Although Katie wasn't racing that day, we found out she has already completed two Ironman races—very impressive."
Class Captains Daniel D. Meyer Avery B. Whidden Emily (Keating) Mortimer writes, "My family and I have been in La Jolla, CA, for nine years. Jack is in the home stretch of kindergarten and Emma attends Montessori. Now that they are both in school full-time, I recently accepted a position with The Knot (theknot.com). I am managing print and online advertising sales in Los Angeles and San Diego for The Knot's sister publication, The Bump (thebump.com). The Bump is the number one local guide and online community for expectant and new parents."
class notes
The Fates Will Find Their Way Hannah Pittard '97 | Ecco, 2011
The Boys She Left Behind | After her disappearance one Halloween, 16-year-old Nora Lindell haunts the boys she leaves behind. From the moment that they discover her absence, the boys imagine having seen her or talked to her on the day she vanished. One says he spotted her at the bus station, getting into a beat-up Catalina with a strange man. Another is confident that he saw her in the airport before she boarded a flight to Arizona. In the years that follow, as they mature and grow into adulthood, they are unable to forget Nora, and unable to imagine their own futures without imagining hers as well. In her compelling, critically acclaimed debut novel, Hannah Pittard '97 explores the journey from childhood to adulthood and the power of imagination. The Fates Will Find Their Way does not dwell on the Lindells' grief or on the investigation into Nora's disappearance. Instead, it depicts the decades after Nora vanishes and the ripples her absence continues to make in the emotional lives of the group of boys who knew her. As the boys grow into middle age, acquire wives and children, and live through tragedies of their own, they continue to speculate about the fate of Nora Lindell. What ultimately happened to Nora is never revealed, although Ms. Pittard offers many possibilities. She might have frozen to death in the woods while trying to escape from the stranger in the Catalina. She might have moved to Arizona and married a man known as "the Mexican." She might have been in Mumbai at the time of the terrorist attacks. All of these options are just possibilities, fantasies invented by the boys to reconcile their questions with potential sightings of Nora or her family. Ms. Pittard has admitted that she doesn't know what happened to Nora any more than her characters do. "I think the point is that it doesn't matter in the end," she said in an interview with National Public Radio. "What matters is the boys and what becomes of their lives." The fates of the boys truly are the force that drives the narrative. Although the novel is told in the boys' collective voice, the characters of the boys are clearly defined and resonate with the reader. There is Danny Hatchet, whose mother commits suicide and whose father is a drunk. Trey Stephens, the "public schooler" of the group, has a schoolgirl obsession that later fractures Paul Epstein's family. Then there is Winston Rutherford, whose wife leaves him after her third miscarriage. All of the boys are united by their memory of Nora, a fascination that follows them into adulthood. At the core of The Fates Will Find Their Way is a connection to a memory from Ms. Pittard's own childhood—that of a classmate whose sister had disappeared. "I spent a lot of time myself trying to fill in those gaps and I was very aware of the stories that I made up and that my fellow classmates made up," said Ms. Pittard. "And we somehow knew that we were all lying or exaggerating and yet the excitement of that exaggeration . . . we couldn't stop. That's more than anything what I was trying to capture." The Washington Post has called The Fates Will Find Their Way "a wistful novel about how little we know
We stayed away from the girls as best we could—all but Sarah Jeffreys who, for various reasons, was nearly impossible to want to stay away from—as though allegiance to our own sex would somehow solve the mystery, once we'd learned of it, all the faster. We interrogated each other for information, eager to be the one to discover the truth. As it turned out, we'd all seen Nora the day before, but seen her in different places doing different things— we'd seen her at the swing sets, at the riverbank, in the shopping mall . . . Surely she'd gone to the midnight thriller trilogy with us all (we called it the midnight show, though it was over by ten, just in time for curfew), and yet when we questioned each other—asked who had gotten to sit next to her, to share popcorn with her, to scare her when she was least expecting it—none of us could take credit."
of one another, but how eager we are to tape together a collage of rumors, assumptions and fantasies to answer questions we're too young, too cowardly or too polite to ask." The New York Times highlighted how the novel "summons up the elements of a suburban youth, with each image reinforcing the idea that danger has a different meaning for the young." In The Fates Will Find Their Way, Ms. Pittard, who teaches fiction at DePaul University, has given her readers a captivating story that will leave them wanting more.
class notes
Spring 2011
There are no burgers to be found on Clover Food Labs' menu, nor greasy fries or sugary soft drinks. On any given day, the customers who line up at the lunch truck in Kendall Square receive fresh vegetarian food that is both convenient and inexpensive. Clover stocks its pantry with locally grown ingredients and offers its diners a menu of creative vegetarian options. Over the past few years, many carnivores have been converted by its "egg and egg" sandwich (pairing hard-boiled egg and roasted eggplant), fresh-cut rosemary French fries, fried plantains, and hibiscus iced tea. When Ayr Muir '96 and chef Rolando Robledo opened their Cambridge food truck in fall 2008, they planned to stay in operation for six weeks, just long enough to test their ideas for a new restaurant. But what began as an experimental enterprise running out of a used delivery van now employs a 30-person staff (as of the summer of 2010), and has expanded to an additional truck in downtown Boston and a sit-down restaurant in Harvard Square. A widely popular lunch spot, Clover Fast Food Inc. may very well revolutionize the concept of "fast food."
At the heart of Clover's menu is a desire to be environmentally responsible. "My biggest motivation is environmental," Mr. Muir said in the November/ December 2010 issue of the MIT Technology Review. Growing up in Bernardston, MA, Mr. Muir developed a deep appreciation for nature, as befits a distant cousin of naturalist and Sierra Club founder John Muir. Starting a company "with an impact on environmental issues" was always Mr. Muir's goal as he studied material sciences at MIT and then attended Harvard Business School. Eventually, he landed on food service, an industry with huge environmental implications that was often overlooked by sustainability experts. Individuals can have an impact on the environment "by choosing what foods you eat every day," Mr. Muir said. Cutting out meat, a major source of carbon emissions, is just one way that Clover Food Labs reduces its ecological footprint. It also uses biodiesel to fuel its lunch trucks and purchases ingredients from local farms, eliminating hefty transportation costs. In addition to its sustainable approach to food preparation, Clover is known for creativity and a penchant for experimentation, as encapsulated in its motto: "Everything will be different tomorrow." Not only does the menu exemplify culinary inventiveness, but employees use iPod Touch devices to take orders and track sales and utilize innovative preparation techniques to find the best flavors for both food and beverages. Mr. Muir and his staff place a high value on interacting with customers, getting their feedback, and building relationships within the dining community. Courtesy of Ayr Muir
Fresh and Local
15th Reunion
Reunion Chairs Farah-France P. Marcel Burke Trenton M. Smith Adrienne (Gratry) Schoetz and David Schoetz are proud to announce the birth of a baby boy, Alexander Bingham. He was born on July 28, 2010 in New York City. Trent Smith and Holly Burns were married on September 18, 2010.
Class Captains Margot M. Pfohl Amy Elizabeth Sodha The Alumni Office recently learned that Michelle Labbe and Gary Hunter were married on September 6, 2009. Ellie (FitzSimons) Nader and her husband Matt are happy to announce the birth of their daughter, Lillian Elizabeth Nader (Lily), on January 15, 2011. Matt, Ellie and their bulldog puppy, Chunk, are all settling into
Class Captain Thomas Dudley Bloomer Emily Comer accepted a position at Hutson School in Indianapolis, IN, as a seventh and eighth grade teacher. She was recently employed at the Windward School as a fourth grade teacher. "I'm back in Indianapolis after a 15-year break," Emily comments. "I'm loving my job, students, and co-workers. It's a small private school for students with languagebased learning disabilities— a challenge but so rewarding! If you find yourself in Indy, look me up." Vanessa (Bazzocchi) McCafferty writes: "I was married to Colin McCafferty on March 14, 2009. We also have a son named Nolan who was born on August 25, 2010." Cameron O'Mara and Stephanie Brooke were recently married. They reside in New York City.
'97 '99
Nelson Erickson '97 and Betsy are proud to announce the birth of a baby girl, Nevers Singer Erickson, born on December 14, 2010 in Washington, DC, weighing 6 lbs., 14 oz. Nevie proudly came home from the hospital in her Deerfield sweater. Jasper Turner '99 poses proudly with his son, William Riley Sarandon Turner. Diana (Torres) Hawken '99 and Jamie Hawken are
proud to announce the birth of a baby girl, Melanie Rocio. Melanie was born on December 20, 2010 in Aurora, IL, weighed 8 lbs., and was 21 inches long.
United States Government Works
their new roles and enjoying their family. Emily Pataki and Mike Hamburger are happy to announce their engagement. "We both work as lawyers in New York City and met a few years ago at the law firm of White & Case," Emily says. "We're planning a wedding for June of 2012."
class notes
Ellison Dial and Brian Joseph Suthoff were married October 2, 2010 at St. Timothy's Episcopal Church in Columbia, SC. Ellison works at the Analysis Group in Boston. She graduated from Haverford College and received an MBA from Harvard. Brian is a founder and vice president of Localytics, in Cambridge, MA. He graduated from Rockhurst University in Kansas City, MO, and received an MBA from George Washington University.
class notes
Class Captain Ghessycka A. Lucien
'96 '95
Spring 2011
The Alumni Office recently learned that Patrick Conley married Brooke Alexander on July 26, 2008 in Dallas, TX. Diana (Torres) Hawken and Jamie Hawken are proud to announce the birth of a baby girl, Melanie Rocio. "She was born on December 20, 2010 in Aurora, IL," Diana explains. "She weighed 8 lbs. and was 21 inches long. Melanie finally made her debut ten days after her due date but fortunately, everyone was healthy and happy." Christopher John Martin and Pamela Quinn O'Sullivan were married on June 18, 2010 in the Brooklyn Botanical Garden of Brooklyn, NY. "My film, Virtual JFK, premiered on the Documentary Channel in January 2011," reports Koji Masutani. Go to documentarychannel.com/ article.php?currID=9243 for more information. Nima Rahbar and Jean (Perrin) Rahbar are happy to announce their marriage on June 5, 2010 in Boston, MA. They reside in South Dartmouth, MA. Jean is a doctoral student in psychoanalysis, and is also in private practice as a licensed psychotherapist, and Nima is a professor of Civil Engineering at UMass Dartmouth. Jasper Turner and his wife Stephanie are proud to announce the birth of a baby boy, William Riley Sarandon Turner. "He was born on December 20, 2010 in Great
Christa (McDougall) Vaughan '96 and Christopher
Vaughan were married on November 13, 2010 in Newport, RI, and Deerfield connections were in abundance; in attendance (l to r) were John Park '93, the groom's sister Kirsten Vaughan '10, Caroline (Trudeau) Monninger '97, the bride, the
bride's sister and matron of honor,
Michelle (Labbé) Hunter '97,
the groom, and the bride's brother Jim Labbé '94. On October 2, 2010, Kingsley Carson '95 and Mark Rooney
were married in New Orleans. They were surrounded by family and friends from all over, including several Deerfield alumni: Brooke Goodchild McCloy '95, Rush McCloy '92, Kristin Moschos Swon '95, Loulie Gillen '95, Liz Kalmbach '95, John Pless '95, Tony McCutcheon '95, Wally Tomenson '95, Mandy Morrison Chesley '93 and Cammy Cronin Williams '96. Immediately after the wedding ceremony, everybody assembled into a Second Line Parade, and danced through the streets of the French Quarter to the reception area—waving traditional white handkerchiefs and being cheered on by bystanders who gathered along the streets and balconies.
Back to the Farm
an albatross around your neck—the expectation that here's the business your grandpa made, and you're going to keep it going whether you like it or not." With small-scale, local agriculture gaining in popularity, Mr. Clark has made connections with many first-generation farmers in the community, who also sell their produce at venues such as the Greenfield (MA) Farmers Market. The rise of first-generation farmers represents a new wave of the "back to the land" movement that in fact brought Mr. Clark's father back to the farm after college. Leaving the farm and then returning to their roots seems to be a family tradition for the Clark family; Mr. Clark's grandfather Fred left Clarkdale to become a coal salesman but returned in 1946 to run the farm when his father, Webster Clark, retired. And even though at times throughout its history family ownership was in danger of coming to an end, Clarkdale Fruit Farms is now a fourth generation farm. "One of the things that's really solidified me being here is that I know I'm carrying on a tradition, farming the same land," Mr. Clark said. "It's about stewardship and hoping my children will be farming the same land." Mr. Clark has also continued to be involved with the Academy—see "Ellie and the Georgics" on page 18—and that too is a family tradition; for years one of the heralds of fall at Deerfield has been baskets and baskets of crisp Clarkdale apples, delivered by none other than Tom Clark.
class notes
Although he had helped out on the family farm as a child, Ben Clark '96 didn't plan on making a career out of farming. After graduating from Deerfield, he attended Wesleyan University and then worked in theaters in Boston and Providence, RI, and a future outside of Western MA seemed to be set in motion. Then in 2006, Mr. Clark returned to work at Clarkdale Fruit Farms, and today he is both co-manager and part-owner of the business. "I was rethinking my life plan," he said in an interview for the local Daily Hampshire Gazette. "After college, people I met would ask, 'When are you going back?' There was no pressure from my parents, but it had always been a fallback plan . . . I thought I would come back and do a year as a trial run." The "trial run" turned into a successful business decision that has allowed Mr. Clark to make an impact on Clarkdale. He has improved the farm's website, set up a Facebook page, and introduced credit card sales. In many ways, Mr. Clark's temporary departure from the farm was beneficial. His father, Tom Clark '67, said, "For me and for him, the good thing was going away and getting a different perspective . . . It's hard for anybody who's coming into a second-or third-generation business to come in with expectation that you're going to take over. I think that can be
class notes
'00 Barrington, MA, and weighed 6 lbs., 13 oz.," Jasper reported. At the time he added, "While we're not sleeping much, it has been an amazing experience watching this little guy change before our eyes! He's smiling and happy and hanging out with several other newborns on campus at Berkshire."
Class Captains Emily Jean Dawson Kady (Tremaine) Buchanan writes: "I'm excited to report that I married Tom Buchanan on October 30, 2010 in Negril, Jamaica. After living and working in New York and London for five years, I followed my heart
Spring 2011
to Hong Kong, which has now become home. Living in Asia is wonderful and we are taking full advantage of all the adventures available to us in this part of the world. I've been fortunate to have several Deerfield friends pass through town since I've been here, including fellow '00 classmates Dennis Kwan, Vanessa Lavely, Hilary and Will Kallop, Ashley Hilton, Patrick Lally, and Mimi Krueger. Sheida Bunting is scheduled to visit this spring! Please get in touch if you're ever in Hong Kong!" Vanessa (Gisquet) Rago reports, "After graduating from Williams, I moved to NYC, where I worked at Forbes magazine, first as an editorial assistant, then as a reporter. I covered health/
biotechnology. After a couple years, I took a job as a medical writer at Saatchi & Saatchi Healthcare Advertising, and I worked there for four years. I met my husband in NYC, and after we were married, we decided to move to Las Vegas for his job. He's an emergency medicine physician, but he also went to business school and is starting a company that opens urgent care clinics, and his partners saw a lot of potential in Vegas . . . So, here we are. We miss the East Coast terribly! But for a couple years, especially as we start our family, this is a good place for us." At the time she added, "I am about to start school; I am going to get my master's degree in healthcare administration, and I'm planning on do-
this page: Kady Tremaine '00
and Tom Buchanan were married on October 30, 2010 in Negril, Jamaica.
'01 '01 Donald Mitchell '01 (center) per-
forming with his band, Darlingside.
On July 24, 2010 Callie Brooks '02 and Rosario Picardo were married. They now live in Lexington, KY, and Callie sends the Deerfield community her "warm regards." Cynthia Pfohl '01 and Mike
Erensen (Taft '00) were married on August 7, 2010, with a reception at the New York (City) Athletic Club. Megan Moreland '01,Joanna Dove '01, and Margot Pfohl '97 (maid of honor) were in the wedding party. Also in attendance were Jennifer Dodwell '01, Katherine Sweet '01, and Mayo Fujii '01.
Chinwe Atkinson '06, Leslie Hotchkiss '06, Melissa Warnke '05, Megan Murley '06, Patrick Mahoney '06, Cristina Liebolt '06, Jessica Jauw '05, and Eliott Smith '05 gathered for a Christmas
party this past winter.
The class of 2001 had a mini-reunion at the wedding of Nate Kempner '01 to Baily Blair on May 22, 2010 in Fairfield, CT. In attendance were: Ian D'Arcy, Jay Beidler, Brian Myers, Eion D'Anjou, Nate Kempner, Dom Perry, Tyler Hassen, and Chad DeLuca.
Eion D'Anjou '01 and Allison
Schindler are happy to announce their engagement. They are planning an October 29, 2011 wedding in Baltimore, MD.
Caddie Jackson '01 and Patrick
Donovan welcomed Oliver Bear Donovan ("Bear") on June 29, 2010. Caddie, Patrick, and Bear work and live at Indian Mountain School in Lakeville, CT.
'01 deerfield.edu
class notes
l to r: Alex Righi, Elizabeth Berger '03, Elizabeth Tingue '03, Dylan Eckman, Nathaniel Borgelt '03, Robyn Borgelt, Melanie Kay, Matthew Kessler '02, Amanda Kessler '03,
and Jon Lasker, at Nathaniel and Robyn's November 20, 2010 wedding in Washington, DC.
ing some work in the public healthcare sector when I'm done. Our 3-month-old babies, Lucas and Georgina, are keeping me very busy at the moment, but hopefully by the time school starts they will be sleeping through the night! I am already looking ahead and hope they end up going to Deerfield!"
Spring 2011
10th Reunion
"It has been a while since I have sent in news (though my sister has been a bit better than me)," writes Melissa Abad. "I am currently in my second year in a doctorate program in sociology at the University of Illinois in Chicago (UIC), finishing my second master's. I did a one-year master's at the University of Chicago right before I started at UIC. Other than school, I volunteer for a local high school scholarship foundation and have interviewed potential Deerfield applicants, and talked to them about the opportunities I had as a DA student; I was able to do that with Greg Daggett '04, who recently
started a veterinary program in St. Kitt's. He's doing really well there. My sister, Erika, has taken a year off from her American Studies program to work in the non-profit sector. She is ABD (all but dissertation) and is aiming to finish her program in May of 2012." Eion D'Anjou reports, "We had a mini version of a Deerfield reunion at the wedding of Nate Kempner to Baily Blair last May 22 in Fairfield, CT. There were guys who came in from Texas, Chicago, New York, and even as far away as London for the occasion." When we last heard from Donald Mitchell he said, "I tried to think of a real job but somehow wound up doing music full-time. My 'string-rock' band, Darling-
side, (based comfortably close to DA in Northampton, MA) is making big moves but occupying all my waking moments. Our three-week tour in March is taking us from Canadian Music Fest in Toronto down to South by Southwest in Austin, TX, and finally back to Western MA (with stops in Ann Arbor, Chicago, Kansas City, Nashville, DC, New York, and more—hoping to see some Deerfield faces en route)! Coming up: a music video shot on the rooftops of Mass MoCA in North Adams, MA, followed by a studio recording session for our debut full-length album." "Hi Deerfield! Just dropping a quick note to say I'm looking forward to Reunion
Daniel Paduano
Food with a Face
class notes
The most distinctive feature of the Abounding Harvest Mountain Farm is its farmhouse—a renovated silo once belonging to a San Jose brewery plant. But what truly stands out on the small-scale family farm is its vision: "We grow, harvest and sell locally to the surrounding mountain resident community. Customers will know where the food they eat is grown, 'food with a face' . . . Our products will be fresh, healthy and 'picked today in your neighborhood.'" And as they seek to expand their operation and become a greater asset to their community, farm founders Daniel '97 and Nancy Paduano are also blogging about the literal and figurative fruits of their labors. Located in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Abounding Harvest specializes in fruit and vegetable crops. The Paduanos' farm plan shows the variety of fruit that they grow. A pomegranate field sits next to the citrus slope, which includes oranges, mandarins, limes, lemons, and table grapes. Their avocado slope is supplemented by a main field, where the family grows more avocados, as well as persimmons, cherries, and pears. And if all this isn't enough, there are beds of lavender, white sage, olives, and even kiwis growing around the property. In addition to what they grow for their personal use, the Paduanos currently fill special orders and grow for the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) at Santa Cruz's Homeless Garden Project. As the farm spreads its roots, the Paduanos plan to establish their own smallscale CSA, supply local restaurants with produce, and sell their fruit and vegetables at farmers' markets. In the meantime, they share their crop yields and farm progress on their blog, accompanied by photo slideshows of their freshly picked produce and picturesque Santa Cruz property. Early this year they reported on their struggle with the ever-changing weather: "Thus far, 2011's weather is truly strange. In early January, La Nina shut down the tropical jet that brought us so much rain early on, and it's been nothing but high pressure and sunshine for weeks, punctuated by only a couple of rain events (currently 25.56" year-to-date). That said, we're looking at some confused plants over here. Our bell bean cover crop is quickly reaching maturity and in places is already in bloom and in need of a haircut. Our avocados are getting ready to flower already . . . The plums have decided it's spring and are covered in blossoms. The pomegranates also leafed out in the two day span it took me to prune them. Even stranger, grapes are breaking buds next to kiwis that have yet to go to bed." The Abounding Harvest blog also reveals the Paduanos' creativity and resourcefulness in using and preserving their harvest. In multiple blog entries, they describe how they cure olives, can tomato and tomatillo sauces, dehydrate pear slices, and sun-dry tomatoes.
class notes
THE THREE Es of EDUCATION Over the past four years Jayne and Chris Malfitano have often witnessed the dedication and skill of their daughter's teachers. "Clare has been both inspired and challenged at Deerfield," Mrs. Malfitano says. "When we look back on her time at the Academy, it is the teachers who have made a difference in her education and life." In some ways the "difference" that Clare's teachers have made has truly been "different;" Clare has been a part of more than one team at Deerfield—including the crew in the Academy's bakery—thanks to the encouragement and vision of faculty members who listened to her and allowed her to pursue unique opportunities. "Yes, we know that Deerfield students receive an excellent education," says Mr. Malfitano. "But it is about more than academics. Our daughter was allowed to pursue her passions, too. We often think that the greatest gifts Deerfield teachers give their students are expertise, enthusiasm, and encouragement." With this in mind, it is not surprising that the Malfitanos have a simple explanation for creating the Clare May Malfitano Endowed Fund for Faculty Support and Development: "We wanted to give back to the people who make Deerfield great," is their immediate reply. Clare's input was vital as the Malfitanos thought about ways to help support Deerfield. "It is our family's hope that by establishing this fund, Deerfield will retain the high caliber teachers already at the school, and support them as they further their knowledge in current areas of interest, or support their exploration of new learning," Mr. Malfitano explains. For the record, he and Mrs. Malfitano add, "Clare has loved every minute of her Deerfield experience—it has been full of amazing people and learning. We know she won't want to leave in May ."
Spring 2011
Weekend in June," writes Grier Potter. "I'm about to graduate with an MBA from Darden (the business school at UVA). I spent last summer as a business analyst with an NHL team, and I'm hoping to keep working in professional sports after graduation. Can't wait to hear everyone else's news!"
for McSweeney's and other publications. Painting is on hold for the moment. Some friends and I are starting up a publication for the iPad, which should launch this spring. All the best!"
Class Captains Nicholas Zachary Hammerschlag Caroline C. Whitton
Class Captains William Malcolm Dorson David Branson Smith
Please send us your news and notes! See page 64.
Ryan Hart reports, "I will be graduating from Georgetown Law in May and taking the Maryland bar exam at the end of July. In August, I'm starting a judicial clerkship in Maryland."
Class Captains H. Jett Fein Bentley J. Rubinstein Torey A. Van Oot
2003 Christopher Clark recently moved to Las Vegas and took a position at Stage Technologies Inc. as an automation engineer. Stage Technologies designs, manufactures, and installs winches, motors, and controls for theatrical automation. StageTech's clients include universities, churches, and Cirque du Soleil. Ben Lovejoy, who is playing hockey for the Pittsburgh Penguins, scored his first career goal on December 22, 2010 in a game against the Florida Panthers. The Penguins went on to beat the Panthers 5-2. Ben Shattuck says, "Hello! I'm still living in San Francisco, writing and editing
5th Reunion
Reunion Chair Kevin C. Meehan Cristina Liebolt reports, "I had a Christmas party at our apartment to ring in the holidays, and I was lucky enough to have several Deerfield classmates join us! We had a great time catching up in a festive setting." "Greetings from Bahrain!" writes Ellen Scott. "After graduating from Princeton last June with a mechanical and aerospace engineering degree, I've taken my first job as a field engineer with Schlumberger, an oil and gas services company. Although the company is based out of Houston, their work extends in 80 different countries. I had the opportunity to spend a week in Abu Dhabi at one of
Class Captains Matthew McCormick Carney Elizabeth Conover Cowan Jon Shastid wrote: "Our daughter, Kimberly Shastid, is at the University of Hawaii. Some news has come forth that I thought might be of interest to her classmates (and I think she will be too modest to send)... 1. Last year, as a junior, (she took a gap year) she was one of two UH juniors to be admitted to Phi Beta Kappa (a tribute to her Deerfield education). 2. She also had the lead role in a short film, Stones, as a junior and, last week, she was notified that the film has been accepted in the Sundance Film Festival (81 films were accepted from 6400 applicants), and she has been invited to attend. Here are the links to the film, the cast bio, and the Sundance site: oiwi.tv/#/OIWI-003-028 for the movie; stonesfilm.com/ STONES/S_T_O_N_E_S. html for the cast and promo; sundance.org/press-center/ release/2011-short-filmprogram-announced/ (look under the Indigenous Shorts Showcase.)" Hamilton College's Burke St. John was selected to the 2010 New England Small
College Athletic Conference football all-conference team. Burke was voted to the second team on the defensive line for the second straight year; he tied for fourth in the NESCAC with 9.5 tackles for loss, and finished the year with 37 tackles (27 solo), three sacks, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. Burke ended his career with 140 tackles, 12 sacks, and one interception in 31 games. In 2009, he led the conference with 15 tackles for loss.
Class Captain Taro Funabashi Malcolm Lyles will join the UMass-Lowell Riverhawks hockey team next year. He has been a member of the Vernon Vipers, a Junior "A" ice hockey team based in Vernon, British Columbia, Canada.
Class Captains Elizabeth Utley Schieffelin Nicholas Warren Squires Please send us your news and notes! See page 64.
2010 Brian Cox was recently cast in a Titleist commercial; he's the golfer with the orange hat and blue shirt: titleist.com/ videos/video.asp#727.
class notes
the training centers, and I'm now living and working at the base in Manama, Bahrain. I'd love to get in touch with any fellow alum in the Middle East and I'm hoping to get a chance to visit King's Academy while I'm here!"
More Than a Walk in the Woods Most 19-year-olds wouldn't be caught without their cell phones for more than ten minutes at a time. Yet Gabriel Blanchet '08 has left his behind for three months— along with his family, friends, and studies at MIT—while he attempts to hike the 2179-mile long Appalachian Trail. For Mr. Blanchet, who spoke at a School Meeting in January about his trek, the hike is more than an individual adventure. He hopes that it will help him raise money for a worthy cause. Mr. Blanchet is accepting donations on a per-mile basis, half of which will go to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, while the other half will be donated to the charity or non-profit chosen by the most generous donor. Because many of Mr. Blanchet's friends are college students with limited incomes, he has asked for pledges of only a penny per mile he hikes. "The catch line I use for kids my age who are hesitant about donating [is]: 'Think about how far a mile is and imagine you're standing at the end of a mile and all you have to do is hand me a penny,'" Mr. Blanchet said in an interview with the Boston Globe. Preparing for the hike was no easy task. On his blog, accessible at gabehikestheat.tumblr.com, Mr. Blanchet shares the planning that went into packing, which included weighing each item and compiling a detailed packing list. He also went on a number of training hikes to practice with his new equipment and build endurance. Mr. Blanchet's journey began in Georgia at the end of February, and he plans to arrive at Mount Katahdin, Maine, by June. To accomplish this goal, he is walking 20 to 30 miles per day, carrying all of his camping equipment, and making stops along the way to pick up food supplies shipped by family and friends. Using a GPS device, Mr. Blanchet, now known as 3Stove on the trail, has been updating his blog with his location as he hikes. By early April, Mr. Blanchet had reached Damascus, VA; with over 20% of his journey completed in only 25 days, he is well on his way to achieving his goal.
Georgia deerfield.edu
class notes
Run home.
JUNE 9 10 11 12 deerfield.edu/go/reunions
reunions 78
Spring 2011
class notes
Gear up before you arrive:
store.deerfield.edu or swing in while you are here, Hitchcock House, The Deerfield Academy Campus Store deerfield.edu
class notes
'06 TY McCORMICK
Ty McCormick
In Tahrir Square
Spring 2011
After observing the protests in Tahrir Square for eight days and analyzing the ever-changing situation in blog posts for the Huffington Post, Mr. McCormick left Cairo, then returned after Mubarak's resignation. Although many consider the revolution to be "over," protesters still fill the streets, and one day Mr. McCormick paused to take a photo of them in Tahrir Square. He was seized by a young soldier and marched behind a military barricade. "Soldiers searched my pockets and thumbed through my wallet, demanding repeatedly to see my passport, which I had thoughtlessly left at home," he wrote afterwards. "In broken Arabic I explained that I was American, that I worked at the American University in Cairo, and that I was simply on my way to a talk by Huda Lutfi, a renowned Egyptian artist. 'Have you heard of her?' I asked, grasping for a straw of camaraderie, adding, 'heeah mumtaza—she is amazing.'" While detained by the military, Mr. McCormick witnessed what he called "the first time the military has turned decisively against protesters." He describes seeing a group of 15 to 20 soldiers beating three protesters with wooden clubs and boots. "At one point," he wrote, "a fine spray of blood and broken teeth escaped from one man's mouth. I was close enough to hear the soft clacking sound that enamel makes when it collides with pavement." The scene that Mr. McCormick observed that day echoed some of the comments that he made in other pieces for the Huffington Post. His comments balance
class notes
When Ty McCormick '06 walked through the streets of Cairo during the Egyptian revolution, he watched as the protesters exchanged high fives with soldiers, posed for photographs while standing on tanks, and chanted, "The people and the army are one hand together." Yet despite the camaraderie shared by the military and the anti-Mubarak protesters, Mr. McCormick was skeptical of the role the military would play in shaping Egypt's democratic future, writing for the Huffington Post: "No one denies that the military men deployed across Egypt discharged their duties with honor and professionalism during the last week . . . There is, however, a big difference between exercising restraint and embracing a democratic future. In order for the military to facilitate Egypt's transition to democracy, it would need to consciously prostrate itself before a newly established civilian authority." Mr. McCormick's recent experience in Tahrir Square only underscored the complexity of the challenges currently facing Egypt.
his enthusiasm for a democratic government with an educated skepticism about the challenges facing the future of democracy in Egypt. "The Middle East has a rich revolutionary history," Mr. McCormick pointed out, "from the Free Officers that overthrew monarchies in Egypt and Iraq in 1952 and 1958, respectively, to Qaddafi's coup d'état in Libya in 1969, to the massive popular mobilization that enabled the overthrow of the Pahlavi Dynasty in Iran in 1979—but nowhere did revolution a democracy make." On display throughout Mr. McCormick's analysis of the challenges confronting democracy in Egypt is his vast knowledge of political theory and foreign policy. Mr. McCormick touches upon Islamic history, democratic theory, and revolutionary history in his posts. He said of his experience, "As a student of democratic transitions and a pretty staunch advocate of democracy assistance, the opportunity to watch a broad cross-section of the Egyptian population literally demanding democratic change was amazing, not least because there was almost no one in academia who predicted this." Mr. McCormick's interest in the Middle East was sparked when he traveled with a Deerfield group to Jordan in 2006 to participate in the first Summer Enrichment Program (for underprivileged Jordanians) at King's Academy. "I had no background in Middle Eastern affairs to speak of in the summer of 2006, but I was immediately fascinated by Arab culture and quickly developed an affinity for the Arabic language," he explained. "By the time I entered Stanford, I was pretty sure that I wanted to make a career out of studying Middle East politics."
Jenny Hammond; Katie Kobylenski
1 Inez Noble Black, Harlowe Hardinge '49
1 2
1 Jim Edwards '70, David Pond P '92, '98; Edith Huffard W '32, P '58, P '59, G '87, '05, '05; Peter Ness '56, P '89 2 Reynal Thebaud '51 and
Liz Greer Anderson '94
1 Brad Oelman '56, P '98, G '13; Betty Oelman P '98 G '13; Sandy McLean '44, Betty Medearis 2 Judd Cherry '97; Judas Hicks '94; Michael Sucsy '91; Mikey Glazer '94;
1 David Schmidt '90;
James Luckenbill '03; Cameron Houser '03; Margarita Curtis; Taylor Davidson '03 2 William Cochran, Angela Martinelli '04; James Luckenbill '03; Valerie Coit
Martina Love Harris '92; Scott Saikley '94; Michael Chang '97; Kaj Vazales '97; Emery Laiw '91 3 Jim Wareck '83; Margarita Curtis H '57; Fitz Flynn '85; Ben Chou '85 4 Tara Tersigni '03; Terry O'Toole '02; Jules Hulburd '05; Ansley Rubinstein '06; David Dunning '04; Kale Fein '07; Darwin Hunt '03 2
Spring 2011
1 Steve Edwards and Andrew Foote (guests from Taft), Alex Cushman '03, Axel Wehr, Josh Greenhill '96, Nick
Hammerschlag '04, Jim Pluhar, Davis Rosborough '06, Willie Kendall '96, Alex McLean, Kat Sweet '01, Krissy McManus 2 Alex Cushman '03; Nick Hammerschlag '04; Julia di Bonaventura '03 2 Krissy McManus; Kat Sweet '01
Upcoming Events for Alumni, Parents, and Friends of Deerfield 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: email@example.com or 413.774.1474.
27: Deerfield Reception New York
15: Deerfield Club of the Bay Area: Bay to Breakers Race
19: Young Alumni: Cocktail Hour in New York City 24: Deerfield Club of New England: Spring Play, She Stoops to Conquer
9-12: Reunions 2011 17: Deerfield Club of Southern California: Opening Night at the Hollywood Bowl
JULY 2 1 Christopher Smith '80;
Heather Smith; Chris Meehan 2 Emery Laiw '91; Dwayne Gathers '80; Michael Chang '97
4 1 William Colwell '69; Caitlin Colwell; Deborah Colwell 2 Lise Hunter P '98 '05 and Olivia White 3 Meredith Olson '05, Doug Allen '03, Morgan Olson '02, Caleb Smith '05 4 Harald
Findlay '76, June Tang P '03, '05, Mimi Findlay P '76 G '03, '05, '08; David Findlay '51 P '76 G '03, '05, '08 5 Jennifer Cattier, Jacques Cattier '89, Marianne Cattier P '86, '89
19: Deerfield Club of the Bay Area: San Francisco Giants Game
AUGUST Deerfield Club of New England: Boston Red Sox
3-7: Look to the Hills Summer Institute 20 : Deerfield Club of Southern California: San Diego Padres Game
in memoriam
Robert Pratt Kelsey, Jr.
December 20, 2010
January 25, 2011
September 9, 2010
Ernest James Stephens
May 26, 2010
August 9, 2010
Edward A. Grit
Theodore Giles Montague, Jr.*
Charles S. Guggenheimer
December 14, 2010
November 28, 2010
January 7, 2011
Charles Lysander Storrs, Jr.
February 26, 2011 When Marilyn Ball's husband Ralph '36 passed away in the fall of 2009, reflection and writing helped Marilyn come to terms with her loss. During that time she wrote "Memorial," which won first place in the League of Utah Writers in the category "Loss." It is reprinted below with Marilyn's permission; she said, "I think of Ralph and Deerfield often and of his love of the school and home area. I would be honored to have 'Memorial' published . . . I think this would make Ralph happy as well."
Stephen Crane Weber December 22, 2010
Richard Jerome Mason March 15, 2010
George Allen McWilliams, III September 6, 2010
January 7, 2011
April 1, 2008
November 6, 2009
Mary Jane Hawks
February 28, 2011
George Butman Dowley, II *
Edward Lincoln Maynard January 9, 2011
—Marilyn L. Ball W'36 P'74 G'09
January 13, 2011
Ezra Cornell, IV
November 8, 2010
September 23, 2009
Back walking in Zion with the wintering ghosts from last year's walk. The light from the sun's arc hosts the celestial Watchman you photographed high against the sky. Those ridges cut and nudge neutrality into my heart, finds a new beat without the pulse of death. Some sadness loosens as I retrace old steps . . . moving ahead with renewal in the winds of springyet I hear your last years' steps softly on the air like the tremble of the 'ancients' flute.
Morse Grant Dial, Jr.
Gene Perry Bond
Eliot Lee Putnam
Russell W. Christenson
Wells Jewett * Memorial
John Holberton Peterson
Donald Reuter *
Mavis Alice Clark
February 9, 2011
Stewart Wells Morse
Floyd Metzger Moloy
Chesley Peter Booth December 23, 2010
August 31, 2008
January 31, 2011
William Winfred Windle
John Webster Keefe
February 24, 2011
January 3, 2011
September 8, 2002
September 8, 2010
October 10, 2010
James Lester Warren
Lawrence Lindsley Davis
November 8, 2010
August 6, 2009
Clinton Babcock Yeomans *
Robert John Eaton
November 16, 2010
January 15, 2011
August 16, 2010
James Legendre Phillips December 14, 2007
November 9, 2001
January 27, 2011
Dwight A. Scholl
May 21, 2010
George Webster Kenyon
Bernard John Michael McGarrah
William Burke Belknap, Jr. November 26, 2010
James Francis Boyle, Jr.
James Stoddard Williams, II
Bruce W. Gray William Wallace Staniar March, 1994
John Bernard Curry, III
Peter Jeffrey Figgie
February 24, 2011
Peter James Kelly November 3, 2007
Spring 2011
* Boyden Society Member
Be a part of their legacy.
The Frank L. & Helen Childs Boyden Society Deerfield Academy established the Frank L. and Helen Childs Boyden Society to honor and recognize those individuals who have made planned or estate gifts to Deerfield.
Contact Linda Minoff, Director of Planned Giving 413.774.1872 or firstname.lastname@example.com deerfield.edu/go/boyden
I Musta Got Lost by Art Dwight '79
Spring 2011
The hardest words I've ever heard were the last ones I received as a Deerfield Academy student. "You're out," Dean Jim Fabiani said. "And once you leave here, you cannot return to this campus before graduation under any circumstances." It was a sudden and devastating end to my four years at Deerfield, just six weeks before graduation. As I left the Main School Building for the last time, the enormity of my failure hit me like an avalanche. It seemed certain that this would nullify my admission to Hobart College, which meant that the only future I knew ceased to exist. A painful combination of guilt, shame, anger, and self-recrimination swept through me, but the worst part of it was leaving my classmates, which felt like I was losing my family. To me, Deerfield was more than a school, it was home. As for the decision to expel me, the only remarkable thing was that it didn't happen sooner. Dean Fabiani and Headmaster David Pynchon did everything in their power to save me, but leading the Class of 1979 in busts, suspensions, and other shenanigans was too much to overcome or overlook. If only Deerfield's motto had been "Be unworthy of your Heritage," my father, Don Dwight '49, would've been so proud. I fell in love with Deerfield at first sight. I had a passion for history and often tried to imagine exactly what it would feel like to be in Lexington, Massachusetts, in 1775 or Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in 1863. To me, Old Deerfield was the place of my dreams—a living time machine. I was sold even before I met Director of Admission Larry Boyle, whose warmth, kindness, and enthusiasm sealed it for me. For better or worse, the moment my parents drove away on my first day, Deerfield became my family—a point reinforced a few hours later by Mather I dorm master and football coach
Jim Smith's iron fingers in my sternum, telling me that screaming in the hallway was not acceptable. I couldn't have asked for a better role model than Mr. Smith, the prototypical coach and tough love parent. Everyone in our class loved and respected him. And no one, not even the most recalcitrant classmate, would dare mess with him. Although I certainly wasn't a model student or athlete, I now see that it was my Deerfield experience that helped shape me into the person I am today. More than anything, it was the steadfast encouragement I received from mentors Jim Fabiani, David Pynchon, Jim Smith, and especially Peter "Czar" Hindle. Even when there was scant evidence that my life would ever amount to anything, they never lost faith in me. Though I never took a class he taught or played on a team he coached, Peter Hindle was always there when I needed him. He was a mentor, a role model, and a resplendent example of what it means to live a life of integrity, loyalty, devotion, enthusiasm, kindness, and selfless service. What Mr. Hindle gave me, like all things of great power, was an intangible. Whether it was the twinkle in his eye, his knowing smile, his unbridled laughter, or a witty remark, he made me feel that no matter how bad things were, eventually everything would work out. The extraordinary thing is that Mr. Hindle extended the same personal attention to any student who needed or asked for it. He never turned down a request for help. During my senior year on Barton III, the line for Tuesday night math assistance often extended the length of the corridor (many of the students, like me, weren't even in his class), and he would not close his door until he helped the last student. Only then did he start grading papers and doing his own work for the next day. It wasn't until years later that I truly came to appreciate the Deerfield faculty's devotion: in the classroom, in the dormitories, and on the athletic fields—seven days a week. My premature exit from the Academy left me with a feeling that I had let them down, that I had dishonored everything they had done for me. I vowed that someday I would make it right.
missing: my classmates. During our time there, they were my family, and, like many families, there was dysfunction and conflict—but eventually that faded in time, and what remained were the heart-felt connections to each other. I had the crazy idea to bring our entire class back together, something that became more real, meaningful, and urgent when two friends of mine were killed on September 11, 2001. I had lost touch with both of them, and felt intense regret when I thought of all the times I intended to call them and never did. Fate took that opportunity from me, but one thing I felt I could do was help my Deerfield family avoid similar regrets. Together with John Dinneen, Marcus Dowd, and an enthusiastic team of lieutenants, we set out to do the impossible—to reunite the entire Class of '79 at our 25th Reunion. When we started, there were approximately 100 classmates who were disconnected, disinterested, or even openly hostile towards Deerfield. We knew, however, that the secret was in the relationships—each had a connection to someone who would bring them back. We just had to find it. In the end, 129 of out 153 classmates returned, setting an all-time Reunion Weekend record that still stands. In an unfathomable twist of fate, that reunion also marked the last time we saw our classmate and beloved Deerfield teacher Jamie Kapteyn, who died suddenly while playing soccer two years later. Jamie was our generation's Peter Hindle, the heart and soul of our class, the embodiment of everything that is great, special, and magical about Deerfield Academy. With Jamie's memory on my mind, I had one more piece of unfinished business. Last year, Dan Pryor and I set another impossible goal: one hundred percent class participation in the Annual Support drive—in honor of Jamie, Peter Hindle, and everyone at Deerfield who gave so much to us. When the final roll call was taken, every member of the Class of 1979 was present and accounted for. I, and my classmates, had come back home.
first person
I would atone for my mistakes, repay the faith they had in me, and become worthy of my heritage. Hobart College did not rescind my admission after all, and at the end of my sophomore year, I petitioned Deerfield for a diploma. My request was rejected so quickly, I wondered if anyone even read it. A few years later, I explained my plight to Jim Marksbury, alumni secretary, who championed my cause. We worked together on another petition, and when that was also denied, Jim more upset than I was. "I really thought we had it," he said, but he also told me that too many members of the academic committee "remembered me." Ouch. By 1991, my resume was improving. I was a senior manager for a newspaper company, an infantry officer in the US Army reserves, and I was on my way to earning an MBA from Southern New Hampshire University. Once again, Mr. Marksbury was in my corner and advised enlisting support from Headmaster Robert Kaufmann. Mr. Kaufmann planned to personally appeal to the committee on my behalf, but he was delayed and didn't arrive until after their vote was taken; as it turned out, the committee had agreed to award me a diploma—almost exactly 12 years after I was expelled. I received it in the mail along with a note from the headmaster, who said he was especially gratified to award the diploma to me because he sensed that this was something "missing from my life." He was right. Up to that point, all of my achievements felt incomplete. It was as if I was building my life on a shaky foundation. I felt emotionally separated from the school, the place, and the people that had the greatest influence in my life—and I would never feel right until I received that diploma. And when I did, my quest for redemption had come full circle. After 12 years, I felt like the prodigal son who was welcomed home. My "graduation" from Deerfield brought me peace with the school, my past, and with myself. Gone were the old ghosts and painful memories of that turbulent time, which cleared the way for me to see Deerfield in a new light. In place of unresolved emotions, I discovered a profound and abiding gratitude for the privilege of spending four years in one of the most special places on Earth. But while I was reconciled with Deerfield on an academic level, there was still something
The hardest words I've ever heard were the last ones I received as a Deerfield Academy student: "You're out..."
Art Dwight's book, Look at This, a collection of inspirational stories, will be published this spring. Co-captain of the Class of 1979, Art lives in Old Town Alexandria, VA, with his wife and three daughters.
Final Exam by Danae DiNicola 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 26. 27.
ACROSS 1. Mouse place 4. Picture in words 12. Neon, e.g. 15. "___ we having fun yet?" 16. Age 17. Possess 18. "Give it ___!" 19. Perceive 20. Big ___ Conference 21. A.T.M. need 22. Battering device 23. Thread maker, with 24 across 24. See 23 across 25. Purpose 29. Armageddon 30. Junior 32. "__ rang?" 34. Immoral 36. Dining Hall verb 38. Stone, for one 39. Picnic invader 40. Shock partner 41. State 43. Mojo 44. Duties 45. "__ Doubtfire" 47. Gardening implement 49. Evensong tree 51. Auction offering 53. River in Spain 54. Keep out 56. Absorbed, as a cost 58. "... there is no ___ angel but Love": Shakespeare 60. It can be tall
Spring 2011
61. "___ any drop to drink": Coleridge 63. Affranchise 64. Class periods in a day 66. "Look to the __" 67. Publicity, slangily 68. Appear 70. As a rule 72. "Rocks" 73. Air 75. Affirm 76. Frosts, as a cake 78. Garden climber 80. Some 82. Koch Center exterior 85. Memorial Building discipline 88. Central, for one 90. Jazz devotee 92. MSB climber 93. Tracks 95. Heats up 96. "I ___ you one" 97. Drone, e.g. 98. Bill 99. Long, long time 100. Beaver's work 101. Aims 102. 007, for one 103. Assent 104. Custodian's collection DOWN 1. Land north of DA campus 2. Some are common 3. Most abysmal 4. Gone
Undertake, with "out" Colgate rival Amscrayed Appear, with "up" They may be fraternal Deerfield's Main St. has one Tidy Spring projects "Encore!" Eventually Caesar's garb Elephant's weight, maybe 28. Peddle 30. Tries 31. It may be developed 32. Marina sight 33. Absolute 34. Sport played on Headmaster's Field 35. Covets 37. Balloon filler 42. It's in a day's work 45. Sit-down or walkthrough 46. Work done in Mr. Dickinson's class? 48. Definition source, for short 49. One of the Kennedys 50. Grade 52. Done 55. Comrade in arms 57. After-dinner selection 59. Endurance 60. Radial, e.g. 62. Aces, sometimes 65. Enthusiast 66. Not permitted in the classroom 69. Apex 71. Boy 72. Aloof 74. Become tiresome 76. Signs, as a contract 77. Extended family 79. Kuwaiti, e.g. 80. Home of English and History at DA 81. Tulips have them 83. "Deerfield __song" 84. Turned blue, maybe 86. Class-dress essentials 87. High-five, e.g. 88. Beep 89. Length x width, for a rectangle 90. The "C" in U.P.C. 91. "Shoo!" 94. Blue hue 95. Manner
Photos will be published based on quality and available space. Please be sure to identify everyone.
DEADLINE: May 30, 2011 DIGITAL IMAGES
(preferred) Digital photos should be at least 2 megapixels [1600 x 1200 pixels] email@example.com PRINTS
Mail to: Class Notes, P.O. Box 306, Deerfield, MA 01342 Answers for the Winter 2011 puzzle:
object lesson
Play Ball! Mr. Boyden's love of baseball is legendary. Pictured here are his well-used Spot Bilt baseball cleats; decades later, they still look ready to hit Headmaster's Field.
Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage
m a g a z i n e
Deerfield Academy | Deerfield, MA | 01342
Burlington, VT Permit No. 19
Change Service Requested
The Boydens and friends picnic at the Rock, 1960s
Spring 2011
El l i e a n d t h e G e o r g i c s
R i v e r / Va l l e y / R o c k
Vo l u m e 6 8 Nu m b e r 3